“Mo,” he begins, his voice quiet. “You mean so, so much to me. Like – More than I could ever hope to properly put into words. You’ve always been such a big part of my life, even before I could really respond to you or.. Well, do anything besides cry an’ make baby noises, y'know?”
He chuckles quietly, but it doesn’t take long at all for the sound to fade, nor for an expression somewhere (somehow) between amusement and that of someone who is crestfallen to follow.
“I know people say you’re like a dad, but–You really are. You’ve loved me an’ cared for me like one would, and–frankly, I owe jus’ about everything I am today to you. An’ don’t try to deny it, ‘cause you know I’m right. You’re too humble to jus’ say something like it though, so it’s okay, you don’t gotta say it out loud. But please, please understand that you mean the world to me, you’re an amazing person, an’ I love you so much that I’d give just about anything if it’d mean that you’d be happy. I mean that, Mo–With everything that I am or ever will be, I mean it. A-an’–”
It’s about then that he gets choked up, sniffling and futilely trying to wipe away the beginnings of tears from the corners of his eyes before approaching Molayne and hugging the man as tightly as he can manage.
“–’m sorry I’m not better with words, but I promise you that I meant every single word of it. I love you, big Mo. Happy Birthday.”
He has coupons for a meal at the sushi place Molayne favours–but that can wait a little bit.
Mo’s crying before Sophocles has even finished talking. He can’t seem to help it. Everything he’s feeling somehow can’t be left unexpressed.
There’s a big, stupid smile on his face as he hugs him back. No matter how old he is, or how long they spend apart, Sophocles will always be his little cousin, and Molayne will always care about him. More than work, more than the League, more than his friends, more than any garbage going on in his love life.
Perhaps more than anything else in the world.
As he lets go, he grins, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand, then ruffles his cousin’s hair.
“Thank you, Soffy. I love you too, and I always will.”
