Zeno is barely able to keep his hands still holding the tub of hot water. His mother is just about done with delivering his sibling. Zeno feels his breath quickening, his heart beat rising. He would see his sibling soon.
Zeno blinks at his trembling hands as his mother goes silent, but another voice starts crying. Signaling the birth of his sibling. Zeno hurried looks up, where his mother is now laying exhausted and his father is holding a small bundle carefully. The fabric was of the best quality they could have gotten, so his sibling wouldn't feel any rough fabric.
"A boy, Hinano, you brought us another beautiful baby boy." His father's voice rings out to his ears. Zeno has a brother. The infants cries are still there and Zeno absent mindedly rubs his ears.
"Zeno" Zeno looks up to Ryumaki Denis, who is holding his crying brother in his arms towards Zeno "Take him"
Zeno puts the hot water basin down, wiping his hands a few times on a towel before extending his trembling arms towards his father. His father carefully places his brother in Zeno's hold, watching Zeno with a careful expression. Zeno slowly brings his now quieting brother to his chest, doing a rocking motion he had seen many mothers do in other worlds.
Zeno never did understand why newborns found him safe or reassuring, stopping their cries as soon as he touched them. Zeno had asked him once, but he answered with a riddle.
'All children can detect the broken, and see who stands above as the one with the most kind and gentle eyes. How can they not quiet in the face of such a kind tragedy.'
He stared at the newborn, who opened his eyes, showing that they were brown. Zeno has a brother now. In this life, his parents gave him a little brother. Zeno stifled his cries and hugged the small baby in his arms. The brown eyes his little brother got from their mother twinkled in a child's joy and naiveté and he almost burst out crying.
Zeno could feel his parents gaze on him as he hugged the infant in his arms. Both had an expression of elation. Bliss.
"Let's.. name him like Zeno darling" Hinano whispers from where she is laying on the bed. "Let's name him Zeuxis"
Zeno wanted time to stop just for a while. So he could enjoy these few years he had with these amazing people.