I don't own Rio or the song Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep.
"N-Nico?"
I could see his heart fluttering in his chest, tiny and fast and scared. I pulled him closer in my lap, his feathers soaked with blood-mine or his, it didn't matter. I tried to keep my voice from cracking, to keep strong for his sake. My voice was soothing, tilting with a lullaby I wanted to sing to him, "Yeah, Rylie?"
"I-I'm scared." He squeezed his blue-green eyes shut, and I could feel his thin frame shaking in my hold. Was I shaking just as badly? I couldn't tell. I couldn't tell where he stopped and I began, where his pain ended and mine began. Our feathers were the same shade of cheery sunshine, our bodies a perfect match from our being twins. Born from the same egg and everything.
"Its okay," I smoothed down his crown feathers. I could feel my voice catching in my throat, as if my body wanted to recall the words, "Everything will be just fine. You'll see."
"N-No, I-I won't."
"Don't talk like that," My voice cracked like a whip and he flinched. Immediately guilt swarmed through my head like a hundred, angry African bees. I pulled him closer, my voice softer, "We'll be fine. Remember? Mom said that no one thought we'd survive when we were born - we were both so much tinier than any other canary anyone had ever seen. And-And then, remember the cat two years ago?"
Then, he began to sing, softly. It was a quiet song, one of the few non-samba songs we knew by heart.
This is what I brought you
This you can keep.
This is what I brought
you may forget me.
"Never," I all but snarled.
I promise to depart,
just promise one thing.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
"Don't, Rylie."
I promised you my heart,
just promise to sing.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
"Please..."
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me.
This is what I thought,
so think me Naïve.
"No. Rylie, please..."
I promise a heart
you promise to keep.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
I dissolved into miserable, choking tears. My eyes screwed shut against the pain, as if by closing them, I could make this all go away.
There were times neither of us could tell who was older. Right now, I felt so small and weak and beyond terrified. He was the calm one, he was the collected one. He was injured far worse than I, but he wasn't crying. Not like me. "Nico..."
"Yeah, bro?" I asked, leaning in closer. My tears blurred his face almost beyond recognition. Our foreheads touched; he felt cold.
"There's not much air in this bottle." My blood ran cold as he fought to continue, and I pulled away in horror, "If-If I-"
"No!" My choked sob wracked my chest, "No! You-You can't go thinking like that!"
"If I die now, you'd have a-a better chance and-"
"I couldn't live like that!" I whispered hoarsely, cutting him off and shaking my head rapidly. My grip tightened to the point it hurt, "Knowing you gave me life at the cost of your own-No! I won't let you!"
"You'd learn to live again." His breath rattled in his chest, blood bubbling along the corners of his beak, "You did after Mama and Pa were killed-"
"That was different," I whispered fiercely. If I spoke any louder, I was afraid I'd completely lose it. "I had you. Without you, I'm no one."
"You are Nico, with or without me." He said sternly, gripping my wing tightly. "I won't survive this, Nico. Even if someone finds us now, I won't make it. I've lost too much blood...and-and the humans are keen on 'putting them to sleep'."
"You can't ask me to do this," I buried my head into the crook of his neck, my back straining and the tears finally fell. I could feel him breathing, could hear his heart. "I can't do this-I won't!"
Why was he the one dying? Why couldn't it have been me? What did he ever do to deserve this?
"I'm not asking you to." I reeled back at his tone, "I love you Nico. Never forget that."
"No. Nonononononononononononononono!" I went to grab his other wing, to try and wrestle it away from his neck, but the flash of metal had already hit home. That moment, my stomach lurched horribly and my heart was ramming itself all around in my throat. A metallic smell washed up from his now bloodied throat, his eyes closed. I clamped my wings over my face, breathing hard and sobbing without control.
I back peeled as warm, fresh blood flowed down onto my lap and his head hit the glass with a sick noise.
A noise he'd never hear, a hit he'd never feel.
I curled into a ball, looking everywhere and anywhere other than where he now lay, alone. This was all my fault. He died to save me. He killed himself to save me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wrapped my wings around my knees and buried my face. I could feel my body quaking, could hear my cries - but it made no difference.
Why hadn't it been me?
After what seemed like hours, I crawled back towards him. Put his head on my lap. Smoothed the feathers on his face, ignoring the blood. Just another moment, that's all I wanted. To hear his voice, not my own carbon copy. To see his vibrant eyes alight with laughter, not marred by fear and tears. Just one more moment. Please? "Hey, Rylie? I heard a really funny joke the other-the other day..."
-X-
The morning sun shone brightly, the heat already becoming unbearable. I lifted a wing to block the light. I was hardly awake, only enough to know that I was severely annoyed at being woken up. And then my beak registered the ghastly smell that hung in the thick air. My eyes shot open as last night's events kicked in behind my eyelids and I pulled myself up into a sitting position.
A sick lurch threatened my stomach as my eyes caught his body. Had it not been for the blood, for what had happened, I would've mistaken him for sleeping. I pulled away from him - how long had I been curled into his side? Hot agony drove itself deep within my being, deeper yet into my very soul, as the sound of human children playing reached my ears.
He had been right.
With nothing to bind the wound, he would have died before this morning light reflected off the bottle. But why? Why did he have to make it happen so quickly? Why did I have to sit there, watching him...
I gagged, stumbling away from what was left of my brother. At the neck of the bottle, my stomach's contents were forcibly dragged from their proper place. Dizzily, I stumbled away from it, the vomit sticking to my feet. I toppled atop his body. It felt strange; hard and unmoving. Unfeeling. Lifeless.
Air! I needed air!
I staggered to my feet, breathing hard and gasping. Darkness had crept into the corners of my vision, dancing mockingly across my sight. Metal glinted at my feet and I cut my foot before I was able to drag myself back together - or, as together as I could get. I slammed my wings against the glass, but I knew it would be useless. It was thick glass, made for expensive wine. But I slammed my wings against the glass again and again and again, tears streaming down my face.
Energy spent, I slid down the glass and curled into a ball, shaking. I was going to die here. Rylie was dead for nothing. I wept for my loss, for my dead brother. I cried hard and long, hardly able to scrape a breath past my dry throat. But as with everything, it stopped.
I stared at the metal bottle cap Rylie had used last night, the one that had taken his life from my hands. Tear welled in my eyes at the thought and I reached for it, picking it up. It was light weight, green with white squiggles. Red stained its razor sharp edges. Suddenly, I was furious at it. Had it not have made its way in here with - I wasn't even sure how it had ended up in here - Rylie would still be with me.
No, he wouldn't.
Yes. He would.
No. He wouldn't.
I clamped my wings over my ears and stood shakily. I glared at it and threw it with all my might. It crashed into the other side of the bottle, cracking the glass. It had left a decent size hole, about the size of my foot, letting in fresh air. I stared at it dully, no longer interested in escaping. I was going to die here, I decided. Life wasn't worth the hassle. It wasn't worth living without him.
I stumbled to his side, where I had woken up. It was by the hole and the air outside smelled like flowers and spilt wine. I closed my eyes, tears leaking from their corners. I just wanted to go home. I wanted Rylie to wake up and tell me about that music festival we were heading to, the one in Rio. Wait.
We were in Rio, and the very town that the festival was suppose to be in.
Why the hell was life so damn cruel?
"Hey! Hey! You okay?" A rough but concerned voice jarred me from my inner turmoil and I let out an undignified sound. I tripped over Rylie again, and hauled myself up. There stood a Toucan with the blackest feathers I had ever seen. His eyes were wide as he took in what lay in the bottle with me.
"G-Go away." I turned away from him. I curled into Rylie's side, taking comfort in the fact that I was going to be with him again soon.
"I'll get you out!"
Should I leave this as a one shot?
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