Never once in his life, Did Magnus Krstiansson think he would live to be older than 25. Yet here he was, sitting around his home at the age of 40.
In his age, the Icelander had changed significantly, now frailer looking than he was as a young man, but the look in his eyes could mislead someone; the look in the now murky blue hues could make you think he was 65. He has watched friends grow older as well; even Eldur had lost some of the color in his scales, and didn't fly as much anymore.
The last time he had actually gone out with the best was 21 years ago. Some parts of him missed the time alone, but he just couldn't bring himself to get up, and actually risk falling off. He wasn't sure his heart could take Eldurs usually fast speeds. He liked to think that he had lived a normal life. That his pact mark was simply the result of a drunken bet he had lost as a boy.
The only person that hadn't changed was Nikolaj.
Magnus's brother looked that same as always, seeming to be a handsome young man no older than 21. He often came to visit Magnus, making sure the other took any medication he had to. The Icelander complained about this frequently, and would usually wave his brother away before grabbing the crutch he now needed and shuffling into the kitchen.
Nikolaj would watch with subtle worry, and Magnus would notice, telling him to simply quit staring as if he was some sort of exhibit.
He often liked to tease that he was the older brother for once.
The first time Magnus suffered a heart attack, he was 50. It was sudden, and came as numbness in his left side, which he immediately called and alerted his brother of.
"Hey Nik,"
He said, his tone flat.
"I can't feel m' left side. Get over 'ere."
With that, he hung up simply, and took an aspirin. It took Nikolaj no more than fifteen minutes to drive over, something Magnus was incapable of. Slowly but surely, he escorted the physically older man to his car, and they began to drive. Ten minutes before they arrived, Magnus turned to his brother, and looked him over with weary eyes.
"Sorry ta bother ye."
He muttered, his breathing a bit raggedly. Nikolaj simply nodded, and patted his brothers hand.
"Not a bother."
He said flatly, pulling into the hospital parking lot, near the emergency room. Escorting his brother inside, he told the front desk that "His father" was having a heart attack, which made Magnus scowl. The only thing that he found to be convenient about his age was that his hair finally suited him. Magnus was promptly put in a wheelchair, and taken away.
Nikolaj had to stay 2 hours in the waiting room. He had dozed off when a nurse approached him and told the Norwegian that he could go in and see Magnus. The look on her face was grim.
Upon entering, the first thing Nikolaj took into account was the beeping. They had Magnus hooked to a heart monitor, and the beeps were slow, far apart. Magnus didn't have much time left, and he could tell.
"How ye feelin'?"
Nikolaj asked, taking a seat next to his brother. Magnus shrugged, refusing to look at the monitor at his side.
"Tired."
He said flatly, yawning as if to prove his point.
"Hey Nik, How old're ye now?"
"55. Pretty sure tha' 'm 55. Ye can lose count sometimes."
Magnus chuckled, a low, comforting sound, most of the time.
"'Nd yer sayin' I look like dad. Pshh."
"I didn't say ye looked like 'im. I said ye could pass of as 'im.
The smile on Magnus's face faded and he grew somber.
"D'ye think my eyes'll close when I die?"
Nikolaj didn't know how to reply to that, so stayed silet.
"Me neither."
Closing his eyes as if to prove his point, he sighed deeply, and the beeping got slower.
"I love ye Nik. Ye were th' best big brother."
The monitor flat lined, and for the first time in years, Magnus Kristiansson "slept".