What Happened Right Before Those Words
"...you try and replace it with ties that you can call the same."
The ties that Gupta would call the same were Heracles and Sadiq. He had known Heracles forever. Their mothers had been best friends and therefore they would see each other almost every day. Their mothers had been best friends, which was why they were in the same building when the fire consumed the both of them, leaving he and Heracles devastated. Gupta had never known his father. Neither had Heracles. It was another thing they shared in common.
He had also known Sadiq for a very long time. The young man who had known his mother from some place that she and he had lived and met at before. He had always just shown up. He had been the first to come to them when their mothers had died. He offered to take them in, he offered them both everything he had, which was not much then.
Gupta, eighteen years old, decided he would not take advantage of him and tried to find a job somewhere else and place to live. How he got to Hearth...
It was not too long of a story. Which was all right, as Gupta was a man of few words. Though it seemed to take a lot more than motions, a lot more than words, to try and get both Sadiq and Heracles to remember just how close they used to be. How important they really were to him and how he would treasure it if they stopped fighting, because it hurt to hear them fighting.
At least, at first it hurt. Now Gupta was mostly numb to it. Lately, however, with Heracles suddenly acting much more venomous toward Sadiq, it was beginning to hurt again. Could he use the words he gave Eduard and Tino? Would that help the both of them understand? Would it make them try to not fight at least so much? Gupta would not ask for the miracle of them stopping completely. There was too much bad history between them now for him to ever ask that.
Groceries in hand, Gupta stopped at his front door. He could hear them already. Oh well. Maybe by simply stepping in the house that would interrupt their tangent. Or he could set the groceries in one of their hands so that the two of them would separate. It sounded like a good idea. He decided he would try and take that one up. Whoever would be designated grocery duty would be whoever was being more of an ass when Gupta stepped in. It was not really fair, but there was no other way to call it. Gupta just had to manage moment by moment.
As soon as he opened the door, he heard a crash. It was of glass.
Gupta saw the offenders. He almost sighed when he suddenly saw what it was that had been broken.
"Careful, dear heart," She coos as she pulls his hand away from the bookshelf where the perfect piece sits in the sunlight. "They do not make vases like this anymore."
"Why?"
"Because things change," She smiles at him, pulling him into Her lap. "I was given this vase when I was a girl. It used to hold something wonderful."
He looks up at Her, waiting and wondering what that could possibly be. But he is not to hear about these things, as She thoughtfully looks at the vase and back at him.
"It is like you. It is one of a kind."
He nods, because he knows She wants him to understand something. He does not quite know what that is yet, but knows he will think about it until he does. And Her smile is like the World.
"G-Gupta," Heracles said, face white.
"We didn't mean..." Sadiq spluttered, staring down at the shattered glass.
And then Gupta snapped.
