☺ - cuddles with my muse ((twin things 😭🥺 pls imagine either sweet youngling stuff or maybe after they find each other again after the Purge they kinda don’t want to ever be separated, whichever hits me with maximum feels and Soft pls))
Cal has that look in his eyes again; the distant one that meant he was lost in thoughts probably best left alone, remembering things and letting them hurt despite the pain only causing him harm. He’d had the look all through dinner, barely laughing at Greef’s bad jokes, and even Cere had given Cayden a knowing glance to tell him she’d picked up on his brother’s mood but was leaving it up to him to figure it out.
Cay understands the bittersweet allure of letting yourself get lost in old sadness, but he also knows that it doesn’t do anyone any good. Missing people won’t bring them back, and it won’t undo the past.
He can’t take away his brother’s hurt, can’t fix what’s been lost, but he can remind him of what he’s gained. He can remind him he’s not alone anymore.
Cay drops onto the couch beside Cal with a heavy thump, watching him for just a moment while he considers how to approach things. Sometimes words are enough to work on Cal, but other times it takes more. Cay feels like this is one of the times that might call for more, and it doesn’t take him long to come to a decision. Before Cal can have time to process or protest, Cay has him in a bear-hug grip. The action quickly develops into a mini wrestling match until Cere’s quiet, “Boys, if you’re going to roughhouse, do it outside,” interrupts them, and though a tousle isn’t actually his intent, Cay is quick to stand and grab Cal’s arm to pull him outside.
To his credit, Cal doesn’t resist, not even when Cay half-drags him through the wild grass outside and up the nearby hill where a few trees and their shade awaits. Picking the tree with the widest trunk, Cay lets go of Cal’s arm and sits with his back against it, crossing his legs. He holds a hand out to Cal, who hesitates, casting a glance back to the Mantis as if expecting someone to call them back inside, but when none comes he sighs and takes the offered hand- and is wordlessly pulled down next to Cay, tucked securely against his side in a movement that is half cuddle, half hug.
Cal huffs at the gesture, but Cay is silently pleased when his twin returns the hug, moving to hide his face in Cay’s shirt. A quiet calmness settles around them, broken only by the occasional birdsong and insect warble that floats over them. Cay holds his brother and hums a half-remembered tune from when they were younglings, and when he glances down and sees a small, soft smile on Cal’s face he smiles right back.
He can’t fix everything, no, but letting his brother know he’s loved? That people care about him and he doesn’t have to face everything alone anymore? That he can do.