22 and 28 for both Caleb and Molly
Family - Molly didn’t remember his family. He had made one. He had chosen who his family was, person by person, bit by bit. He had chosen Yasha and Gustav and the twins. He had chosen Jester and Nott and Fjord and Beau. The moment he had seen Caleb, he had known. Caleb was Family.
Caleb didn’t have family. He had killed his family, sentencing them to death in fire and flames and smoke, and he had known he was not a man meant to have a family. He had killed his only family.
Yet, they were walking down a road, Nott cradled in Molly’s arms. Molly was smiling and laughing with Jester, Nott sleeping on his chest as the cart rocked. Fjord was driving, Beau was walking on the side of the road, bantering with Molly. Frumpkin was draped across Molly’s shoulders, batting at the chains dangling from his horns. It hit him then, that they were his new family. And the thought terrified him.
Home - Fjord and Jester were off somewhere, and the firelight was low and soft in the fireplace. Nott was up with Beau, sleeping. Yasha was off Yasha’ing. It was just him, Molly, and Frumpkin. Frumpkin was purring on his lap as Molly was shuffling his deck, Caleb unable to rip his eyes from the way the firelight danced on his cheekbones. Frumpkin rose and jumped into Molly’s lap, rolling onto his belly.
“Alright then.” Molly put aside his deck to rub at the cat’s soft belly fur and then Caleb realized that he may not have had a physical home, that his home had burned down, that it was nothing but a pile of ash, but now, now now now, Molly was his home.