It was near closing hour when Finral entered the shop after his crushing encounter with Langris. Arriving unexpectedly had surprised everyone working there, but allowed him to stay for the rest of the shift.

The place he worked at was a quaint mechanic shop situated near the edge of the city Yami established after moving into the country. Privately owned, Yami could do whatever he wanted and hired whoever he saw fit as long as he followed protocol. Most people never expected the place to last as long as it did, but for the inexpensive cost Yami charged, they accumulated a decent number of regular customers to keep the place running.

It was dingy, unorganized, and honestly not as proper a mechanic shop should be, but it was niche and suited his lifestyle that Finral couldn't see himself working anywhere else. This shop was the place where he first started his life anew.

After Finral left home three years ago, he had desperately needed a job to prevent becoming homeless. As luck would have it, he accidentally bumped into Yami while wandering around the city. He had expected to get cussed out by the burly man for walking in his path, but was dumbfounded when asked if he wanted a job.

Finral couldn't comprehend what Yami saw in him that day in the middle of the crosswalk, but not wanting to lose this chance he told him yes without thinking. Yami had grinned at the answer and Finral was hired on the spot, and he ultimately found a new place to call home along the way.

He worked the front desk and was the only employee as the receptionist because the others were… well, there was a reason Yami assigned him that position and not anyone else.

Gauche, Gordon, and Grey worked here because they couldn't get hired anywhere else. They didn't have the best social skills and customers avoided them, so they just assisted Yami in the back of the shop fixing vehicles. Magna was another coworker slash housemate who took Finral's spot when needed, but he preferred tinkering with machines than chatting with folks.

Sitting in an office chair behind the reception counter, Finral flipped through a magazine offhandedly, skimming the pages but registered nothing.

Meeting his brother had been a total bust. He knew this would happen from the moment Vanessa made the suggestion, yet he couldn't help but feel bitter about the exchange. Getting brushed aside like he was dirt had been inevitable, but he had hoped things could've gone any other way than Langris spitting out the truth in the most ruthless way.

"We both know you wouldn't have come here if father hadn't died."

Finral gripped the magazine tightly, leaving dents in the pages. That phrase wouldn't escape him ever since he got here. It was like the cherry on top for his tower of self-contempt, and there was nothing that could be said or done to knock it down.

Langris hadn't been wrong when he said that, and it made Finral realize just how pathetic he really was. He went three years avoiding his past, and it wasn't until something tragic happened in the family that he willingly tried to do something about it.

And look where that got me, he criticized himself.

Irritation flaring, he was about to crumple the magazine into a ball and toss it in the trash when a heavy hand rested on his shoulder. Straight away he knew who it belonged to, and he begrudgingly looked up to see his boss towering over him with a cigarette in mouth and frowning.

"Magna told me you were feeling fine enough to work, but from what I can see you lied," Yami pointed out.

Caught like a deer in the headlights, Finral gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head. It was time to play innocent. "Was I being that obvious?" he laughed lightheartedly.

Yami didn't look amused and Finral suddenly pictured himself digging his own grave. Nothing could get past his keen eyes, especially when it was at his shop. He grabbed the cigarette from his mouth and blew out smoke, letting the puffy cloud dissipate into nothingness. There was a no smoking sign plastered on the windows but that rule didn't apply to his boss apparently.

"Come with me. Let's have a nice chat together outside in the back," he offered, which sounded more like an order.

Finral paled at the implication, and he gestured weakly to the glass double doors. "But… the customers?" came his lousy excuse.

"If you paid attention to the clipboard that's on the counter in front of you, then you'd notice we have no more appointments today," Yami countered, a smug smile tugging on his lips. "Don't give me that frightened look it's nothing serious. You've been brooding for days and I just wanna talk."

Feeling more at ease from his reason, Finral stood up and trailed after Yami through the shop, passing the others along the way who shot him concerned and curious glances before returning to their tasks. Upon exiting the back doors into the parking lot, Yami sat down on the curb and Finral followed suit.

It was quiet as Yami took another casual drag of his cigarette, blowing away the smoke and watching it dissolve in the air as Finral fidgeted next to him. From Yami's relaxed posture he wasn't in trouble, but he still felt tense beside him.

A few more seconds of uncomfortable silence passed and Yami sighed. He dropped the remaining cigarette stub on the ground and crushed it under his foot. "You saw your younger brother before coming here, right?" he started, "Vanessa texted me that you left to go see him. How'd it go?"

Oh, so that's what he wanted to talk about. An ache settled deep in his chest, and Finral turned away as his eyes welled up with tears. It was a simple question really, a casual question that required an equally casual answer.

But it had been such an agonizing day and that was all it took for him to crumble.

"It was terrible!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air. "He was surprised to see me but then he got so angry! I was afraid he was going to hit me."

He would never forget seeing the rage in his brother's eyes when he saw him at school. The sight was ingrained in his head forever. He wished Langris had hit him or done something to make him forget the disaster that transpired.

Yami gazed out into the distance, unsure of himself as he scratched his stubble. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I heard it's normal for siblings to fight often."

Finral shook his head solemnly. He was on the verge of crying, and if he blinked, he was sure they'd come out. "You don't understand Yami, this is more than just fighting. He doesn't want anything to do with me! You know what he said to me? He told me to 'get out of my sight'!"

"Has he always been this way with you?" Yami asked as he pulled out a cigarette pack and lighter from his pant pocket. Taking another stick, he placed it between his lips and cupped a hand over it for the flame.

"No, not always…" Finral admitted, "We used to be a lot closer when we were children." A fond smile formed as he recalled his tender memories as a child, remembering the old days when he and Langris used to be inseparable at the hip until their parents threw the weight of responsibility onto them.

Their father started them way too young. Finral was around seven and Langris was six when Ledior began taking their studies seriously, both at home and while he was on a business trip. Irreversible cracks developed between him and his brother because of it.

"As I got older, our father pushed us to study more to ensure we could properly take care of the business after him. Originally, I was supposed to inherit the company but you know how that turned out," he sighed.

Yami paused to blow out more smoke. "And your mom?"

Smile dropping, Finral picked up a nearby pebble and threw it across the parking lot to distract the twinge of resentment stabbing him. "She never really liked me. She had always favored Langris since he was her actual son."

His eyes stayed focused on the pebble he just threw, but Finral heard a snort beside him. "Wow, your parents sound like assholes," Yami deadpanned.

A sudden burst of laughter erupted from him he had to slap a hand over his mouth to cease it. He shouldn't have laughed over an insult towards his parents and he felt guilty, but he wouldn't deny what Yami said about them was true. "I wouldn't exactly say it like that," he considered, "But they were the main reason why I left."

Finral didn't regret leaving home. Not at all. He rarely found happiness in that dreary house aside from whenever Langris was also happy, and maybe that one time his father was proud of him for getting accepted into college. He just regretted leaving him, his brother. And after what happened a mere few hours ago, now he's here to pay the price.

"I don't know what to do. I'm really at a lost here…" he lamented, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them. If he took into account with what Langris said and never saw him again, he didn't think he could ever live with himself.

"Well, I see two options for you," Yami mentioned, bringing back Finral's attention. "You can either let go of this issue you have with your brother and move on or you can do something about it. If I were you, I would choose the latter option."

Frustrated at the advice given and his boss's nonchalant attitude, Finral turned to him and glowered. "What more could I do if he said he doesn't want to see me anymore? He hates me."

Yami raised a brow. "Did he say he hated you?" he inquired.

"Not directly but it sounded like he did," Finral sighed. Langris may have not said it, but that didn't make him feel any better.

"There's your answer," Yami concluded, and when Finral stared at him confused he explained. "He's pissed at what you did, but he doesn't hate you. Just talk to him. And by that, I mean seriously talk to him. If he's going to be mad at you for wanting to make amends then it'll be his lost."

"But there's no way I can just do it again. Talking doesn't magically fix everything," Finral stressed, hugging his knees tighter. All I'm good for is running away. Langris even said it himself, that's all I do. I'm nothing but a coward.

"Do you really believe that about yourself?"

The straightforward question had Finral flinching and his face drained of color when he realized he said that last part out loud. Inwardly cursing himself, he carefully considered his next answer. "I mean… it's true, isn't it?"

"I never once believed you were," Yami protested as he turned to face him. Dark grey eyes bore into him with a mixture of intensity and care. "You've made mistakes in the past but you're trying to fix them now, aren't you? Sure it didn't go as how you wanted, but you still made an effort and that says a lot about you."

Smiling, he lifted a calloused hand and patted Finral on the head. "It takes courage owning up to your mistakes, and that's not something everyone can do. You're anything but a coward, so don't sell yourself short kid."

Silence settled between them again and the tears from earlier came back to Finral in waves but he couldn't hold it in anymore. With the sleeve of his shirt, he rubbed away the drops staining his cheeks and bit his quivering lip.

"Also," Yami continued, turning away to give Finral some privacy as he wiped his eyes. "Your parents sound like complete trash, but one's already gone and one day the other will be too. Who will your brother have by then?"

Finral nearly gasped as his eyes widened, the words striking a chord deep within him. He was right. Yami was right. So undeniably right that it left him speechless.

I can't keep doing this, he told himself as he cleaned his face to get rid of the tears. They didn't have any outside relatives who cared enough to keep in touch when they were young. His grandparents had long since been gone. Father's gone now. Mother was getting up in age and one day she'd be gone too. At some point in life…

Finral will be all that Langris had.

"I… thank you Yami," he croaked, throat too raw to articulate. "That puts a lot of things into perspective for me. I think I know what I have to do now." And he did. Skirting around this wasn't an option for him anymore. It wasn't going to get him anywhere. And he couldn't wait any longer when Langris had already waited years.

If his brother truly didn't want him in his life anymore then so be it, but Finral needed to hear it from him directly. Langris may have said what he did today in the spur of the moment without meaning to because he hadn't expected to see him out of the blue. But Finral couldn't know that for sure until he tried.

The hand on his head disappeared and Finral looked up to see Yami standing and snuffing out the cigarette stub with the heel of his foot.

"It's about time we closed the shop. Let's help the others clean up," he instructed before extending a hand down to him.

Taking the offer, Finral stood to his feet and dusted his pants. "Thank you, and sorry for unloading all my personal problems on you," he couldn't help apologizing. It was an instinct for him.

Yami waived him off and together they entered the shop through the rear door. "Don't worry about it that was a nice chat. It's just that nobody here likes to see you down all the time. Vanessa had been blowing up my phone asking me where you were and if you were okay. She was really worried about you."

A swell of warmth coursed through Finral as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah really? I should apologize to her when we get home then," he chuckled.

When they saw everyone else inside cleaning around Finral spotted Magna in the corner putting away tools in the storage cabinet. "Hey Magna," he called, making a beeline towards him as his friend whipped around and lifted his glasses.

"Whoa dude, what happened to your face?" he pointed at him. With no mirror to check, Finral guessed he didn't do a great job fixing himself.

"It's nothing bad I swear," he explained before Magna could throw more questions at him. "Are you busy this weekend?" The shop was closed during weekends, but he didn't know if his friend had any plans for those two days.

Magna put a hand under his chin and thought about it. "Mm, I don't think so. I was planning to ride my bike but that's about it. Why?"

Finral smiled, "Well I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor…"

Curled up in bed under the blankets, Finral gazed at the moon gleaming through the window of his bedroom. It was a full moon tonight and light spilled across the walls and himself in a faint silvery glow.

Normally he would've found the sight peaceful and calming as he grew tired, but it did nothing for him tonight. He couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he willed himself to rest, and it seemed like it was going to be that way the entire night. His face remained passive and blank, but his thoughts ran rampant over the events of earlier today.

That evening he and Langris had played tag in the backyard garden but received an earful from Liliane after accidentally falling on a patch of flowers and ruining them for life. To say that she was angry was an understatement, and Finral had been close to covering his ears as she screamed at him.

He was just glad that it was flowers instead of something costly like an antique vase his parents owned. Though that didn't prevent him from getting sent to his room and ordered to stay there until morning. Now here he was in bed that he'd been lying in for the past few hours because he wasn't allowed to come out.

During the incident, the maid had led Langris away and mother smiled sweetly at him before she focused on Finral and berated him. He hadn't seen him for the rest of the day, but at least Langris didn't get in trouble like he did.

Good. His brother did nothing wrong.

The door from behind creaked open, interrupting Finral's thoughts. Who's there? It was way late into the night for the maid to still be here and his brother should be asleep in his own room. Was that mother?

Crossing his fingers, he desperately hoped not. He already cried enough in bed after getting scolded, he didn't want to spend more tears in front of her. Like father, Liliane always hated when he cried in front of her. She would just call him weak-minded and laugh at him.

Finral wanted to pull the blanket over his head and curl tighter into a ball but he didn't want to alert them he was awake. If he lay unmoving and pretended to be asleep, then whoever was at the door would leave him alone. Or so he prayed.

They didn't walk in but neither did they leave and Finral knew that when the shadow cast over him didn't disappear. They just stood there in silence, watching him as his heart pounded against his ribcage. Shuddering in fear, he squeezed his eyes shut. Please don't yell at me please don't yell at me please don't-

"Nii-san?"

Tension in his muscles eased away and Finral relaxed at hearing the small voice behind him. He sat up in bed, the sheets pooling in his lap as he turned to face him. "Hey Langris, you couldn't sleep?" he asked. He hadn't seen him since evening but he was surprised that Langris sought him out hours after bedtime.

The dim light from the hallway shone behind his brother, making it difficult for Finral to see him clearly. There was no response from Langris as he stood there with a hand on the doorknob, but that was okay. Finral understood the message.

Without another word, he scooted over on the bed to make room and lifted the covers, smiling as he patted the empty space next to him.

Langris immediately took the invitation. He carefully closed the door behind him with an inaudible click as not to wake their mother before rushing towards the bed and climbed in.

Lying back down together, Finral pulled the covers over them both snugly. He was sure Langris was sleepy but noticed him biting his lip, showing that something was on his mind.

The question flew out before he knew it. "What's wrong?"

They were facing each other but Langris wasn't looking at him. "You didn't have to do that…" he mumbled.

Finral felt his concern slip away. That's what was bothering him? He should've known his brother would beat himself up over something like that.

It was Langris who had tripped on his foot while running and squashed the flowers. Not Finral. But when Liliane asked who did it, Finral had raised his hand and said it was him before Langris could admit it. Accident or not, Finral wasn't going to let him get in trouble for something so trivial, and if it meant taking the blame for it himself, then that's fine.

"I know, but I wanted to," he reassured.

Langris didn't look convinced based on the frown. "Mother wouldn't have been as mad if she knew I was the one who did it." Liliane definitely would've treated him differently than she did Finral. She probably would've told him to be more careful next time and let him be instead of yelling at him.

"But she still would've been mad regardless," Finral countered. Gardening was Liliane's favorite hobby. It was only natural she got infuriated when something she cared about was destroyed. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't see the patch of flowers until it was too late. I couldn't let you get in trouble."

"Well she shouldn't have gotten mad anyways," Langris retorted bitterly. "They're just stupid flowers. She can grow new ones to replace- ow!" He yelped when the Finral flicked his forehead and gaped at him, offended.

"Don't use those kinds of words that's not very nice," Finral chided, then brushed aside his brother's fringe and soothed the spot in apology.

Langris let out an indignant huff, but closed his eyes when the hand moved upwards running fingers through his hair and stroking it. Finral assumed he was going to fall asleep from the motion until his brother spoke again and changed the subject.

"I wish father hadn't given us separate rooms," he murmured. More so to himself rather than for Finral to hear. The older smiled as he kept carding his fingers through brown locks, the younger humming in approval and leaning his head closer.

Last week before Ledior left on another business trip he had turned the spare bedroom in the house into Langris's own room. His reason for it was that since he was now six, he was old enough to sleep by himself. Both children had disagreed with father, but they knew better than to go against him.

"I wish so too," Finral agreed, "Sleeping isn't the same anymore without you." It was tough the first few nights for him and he discovered how overwhelming the darkness could be without the presence of his brother beside him.

But it had to be worse for Langris if he disobeyed father's rules and snuck out in the dead of night into his room. Finral wasn't complaining though. He would've done the same and left his room sooner or later to join him if Langris hadn't acted first.

Father was away from home for a few days and unable to keep a watchful eye on them. Finral just had to wake his brother up and take him back to his own room before mother noticed and told on them.

"Yeah…" Langris mumbled before yawning in a way Finral found adorable. "Hey Nii-san?"

"Hm?" He yawned as well. It was getting harder for both of them to stay awake.

"We'll always be together, right?"

The hand stroking his hair paused and Finral pulled back to see Langris chewing his lip again. "Of- of course!" he blurted, "Why do you say that?" The question was out of nowhere and it confused him to no end. What was he so worried about that he had to ask this? Finral started growing frantic over the possible reasons.

"Father already separated our rooms. Who knows what will happen when we grow up," Langris confessed. His eyes were downcast and glum, an expression Finral hated to see. "Do you remember when the maid told us she left her family as a teenager? I don't want that to happen to us."

Their house maid had opened up once and talked about herself to the brothers when she had to watch over them while their parents were away on vacation. But that was months ago, and it bothered Langris this whole time?

"Hey, look at me," Finral called softly. The other was hesitant, almost scared even, but he eventually listened and peered up at him. "We have different rooms now but that doesn't mean we'll be separated. Even if we can't be in the same room or right next to each other, no matter how far apart we are, we'll always be together in heart."

Langris was still uncertain by the answer as he searched Finral's eyes for a lie, but he held out a frail pinkie. "You promise?" he whispered.

Finral wouldn't let anything get in the way between them, he would make sure of it. Not their parents, not their maid, not whoever else in the future, not anyone. Even if the universe went against them nothing could ever tear them apart. He would never let it happen.

Grinning, Finral extended his own pinkie and crossed it with the other, earning a small smile from Langris in return.

"I promise."