Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

13. To solve

[first of all; WHAT?! 2K?! THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE AND I AM SH O O K. well. thank you. this has been an emotional ride. thank you for appreciating rue)
Lin's pov
"You can open it, I already know what it's about", Rue said.
I lifted my left eyebrow.
"Then, what is it about?", I calmly asked her.
"I-It's, well, m-my grandparents and uncle has rights to see me a week every year", she was talking fast, like she tried to get over with it as quickly as possible. "T-they... t-they want to see me for Christmas", my hopes for something good, went all down.
Both me & Vanessa had been looking forward to the first Christmas with Rue.
"Th-they won't change it", she said, walking away.
"Hey? Will you be alright being there?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine! Fine!", repeating the last word. She squatted down, petting Tobi, going high-pitched. "Hi, Tobi, hiii"
The pup excitedly jumped up and down, overwhelmed by the attention she was getting.
"The seventh of December?"
She quickly answered.
"Oh, I told them to send it so it would come up on the 7th. It was a few years ago now. It means I can worry about it and knowing when it arrives"
She didn't want to be there. Rue knew it, I knew it.
I placed the letter on the counter, sighing.
"Don't you have a show today?... yeah you have", I could hear Rue say behind me, as I scrolled through the approximately 96000 texts I'd received earlier. Maybe not that many.
"Shouldn't you be there then?"
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
"I can be here. I have a least a fafallion amount of homework. You have work", I could hear her knuckles knocking at the floor.
Something was wrong. The tapping wasn't something that everyone did, right? It all just didn't make sense.
I was reading the text Daveed had sent me earlier.

>Where did you go man?

I could her the knocking accelerating from the living room, as she kept on rambling.
"I don't want to hold you up"

Rue's pov
The words slipped out of my mouth.
Knock. Just 56 more times. Otherwise Lin will die.
I have to, I have to, I thought for each knock.
"Please?", I asked as Lin came into the living room. He seemed to look at me, sighing.
"I'm staying until I have to be there for curtain call", he said.
No. No. This is my fault.
Add another 56 knocks, Ruth.
Knock, knock. 3, 4, 5...
"Because you've been sad and humans need humans"
Lin's words meant a lot in one half of my brain.
Humans need humans.
The other half didn't appreciate it.
Blink your eyes 77 times, or he'll get hurt.
"Okay, should we do what the school wants, or watch Disney movies?"
I didn't have to think about it.
"Disney, definitely Disney"
Lin laughed, putting in Beauty & the Beast.
"Then, I should be a responsible grownup and make you do your homework"

Lin left at around 5, leaving me alone as the cast had begged him to come back, currently rambling about what not to do.
"...don't open the door unless it's me or V or Sebster, um, and-"
I cut him off, speaking in the most sarcastic way possible.
"Lin. I'm a fourteen year old doing my homework. I think I can manage", he shrugged his shoulders.
"True"
"So? Just go, okay? I won't run away until V gets home..."
That seemed to get to him.
"Very funny", the sarcasm is strong. "Since you've done it before"
Oh.
Tap the cushion. What about, let's say, 23 times?
"I didn't feel at home there. I do here"
I shrugged my shoulders, but immediately started to worry as I saw Lin's face expression.
He looked a bit on edge.
Did I make him uncomfortable?
"I-I'm sorry, I, I sh-shouldn't have said that"
Blink your eyes. In the right rhythm. For five minutes.
Then, fix that book pile over there.
And touch every wall in the apartment.
Or, you'll be the reason someone will die.
Let's make Lin the victim today.
And Vanessa.
Suddenly I saw Lin walking over to me with the biggest smile spreading across his face.
I started breathing heavily.
Tap. NOW.
"You, oh my gosh, you actually feel at home here?", he asked me in such a surprised way, that I couldn't figure out how he reacted, so I looked down to avoid him.
I probably made him feel really uncomfortable.
Didn't I?
"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't meant to-to say that"
I repeated.
"I'm s-sorry"
Now, I could almost feel his confused face.
You bothered him.
Blink, blink, blink-blink-blink.
Tapping in the same rhythm.
"Why do you keep saying you're sorry? You feeling at home is all we ever wanted. Kay?", he gave me a quick hug, as my brain tried to process the event. "I've gotta go now, though. Vanessa will be home in an hour with Seb. G'night, since I probs won't see you awake later. G'night", said Lin softly, while leaving the apartment.
I looked down at the maths page in front of me, my thoughts going wild to begin with.
Was this my home now?
Don't forget the book pile.
I'm going to my relatives in two weeks.
Why won't this 67 turn into a 90?
Wall one, tap. Wall two, tap.
My breathing got heavier, suddenly I got very well aware of the things that could happen.
Organise that drawer.
You touched it before opening it right?
Do it again.
Just to be sure.
All of a sudden, my phone beeped.