Sirius

ShawnRust

Summary:

The Wolf Brothers have been living in Away for a while, when Karen decides to put the brothers on a little field trip.

Notes:

I always feel like the game decides to cut some of the parts that would be nice to see in-game, like what happened with the brothers helping their grandparents set the Christmas tree up.

Or maybe it's just me that imagines all the fluff of the game happening behind cameras? In any case, I always felt like they had a serious talk about Sean's eye the night before EP5, and this is how I imagine it could have gone.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

"So, this is the place," Karen said, addressing both of his sons. "What do you think?"

Sean had been looking at everything since the moment they left Away. The weather was nice. Warm enough for him to feel it, but just not enough to make him regret walking uphill for who knows how long. Before he answered Karen, he gave a deeper gaze to his surroundings, noticing for the first time how amazing it was.

Even if he looked at every rock, every dry bush, and every cactus they passed on their way to this place, it was the first time he could say he was contemplating the whole picture. Blue skies above him, with no more than three or four small clouds too far to even matter, contrasting with reddish and orange soil spreading into the horizon, bathed in sunlight.

"This place is so cool! Man, we gotta check it out, right Sean?!" Daniel chanted excitedly. Sean smiled at him in response, quickly looking again at the scenery with his eye.

"Yeah, it's nice here", Sean said absent-mindedly. He was already sketching in his head, thinking how he would bring this into paper.

Daniel seemed to also understand what his brother was thinking, since his excitement transformed into some sense of calm reflected in a smile.

"Thanks for bringing us here, Mom" Daniel added to his previous statement.

"No problem. I'm glad you liked it. So, you guys got everything you need?"

"Yeah, we should be fine. Thanks" Sean politely replied.

"Hey, Danny? Would you give me a moment alone with Sean?"

"Sure, Mom!"

Daniel ran off to explore, both Karen and Sean quietly keeping their eyes on him. It was Sean who broke the silence when he felt his brother was far enough.

"So... what did you want to tell me?" he inquired.

"Sean, you know your brother loves you very much, don't you?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Yeah, maybe not the best way to start this."

"Why don't you... just tell me instead?"

Sean wasn't too sure about her mother yet, but cordiality played a big role in them understanding each other over their time together in Away. It was not the same as healing, and Sean was still deciding if he even wanted that to begin with, but he was trying his best to understand her. So, even if he hated how cryptic she tried to be at times, he thought it was for the best to just let it go.

"Maybe you are right. What I wanted to say, Sean, is that you haven't been alone since before Haven Point. This means you didn't get a chance to talk properly, and I can see how it affects you."

"Me? I'm fine."

"Both of you, Sean. You are a very sensitive kid. You can't tell me you didn't notice how Daniel keeps staring at your eye every time you touch it, or every time you check on it in the mirror."

Sean reflected on her words for a couple of seconds before answering. Fortunately, she seemed to notice and let him sink quietly inside his mind.

Sean knew for a fact what she said had some truth in it. They shared moments, and when they were alone Sean had told Daniel to dismiss the eye, but he noticed his brother wouldn't let it go that easily. If anything, he was holding back maybe to not anger his mean and bad big brother.

Karen was also wrong when she said Daniel and Sean hadn't been alone since before Haven Point. The truth was the last time they were alone and tried to talk things out was in the lake, and he knew very well that it didn't turn out to be a nice chat.

Maybe they would've had time to talk if Sean wasn't just so dismissive of him, but he went even as far as to berate Daniel for wanting his older brother to walk him to the tent that was not even that far. Berating him just because he wanted to stay to get a haircut. A haircut that he wasn't able to enjoy for even a week. He still felt like a massive tool because of that.

Besides, even then, their fear of being found out talking was too great, so they couldn't talk about things completely in private as they would need to. No. The last time they were safe and alone enough for them to be completely true to each other was back when they were at the cabin in the woods.

"This might just be a good idea. Thank you."

Karen just calmly smiled at him, shaking her head. Sean knew it meant "no problem" or something like that.

"Then that's it. I'm leaving you guys alone. See you tomorrow, Sean." she said while walking to where Daniel was, then leaving moments after a hug between the two.

"It's so cool she brought us here!" Daniel pointed, maybe trying to jump into conversation straight away. Sean didn't mind this sudden call of attention.

"Yeah, man. It's cool here. You want to help me unpack?"

"Sure! Oh, can I use my powers?"

"Of course, Enano. No one will see us here."

Sean opened their backpacks and left them on the floor. Daniel picked a spot and used his powers to move every rock away, then took out the sleeping bags and placed them gently on the floor. Sean grabbed the telescope by himself and placed it over his cocoon. It's not that he didn't trust Daniel, but he would rather spare them of the possibility of it breaking.

Daniel used his powers to bring a fairly flat rock closer to them, placing the food container in it. He was starting to move some soda cans when Sean gestured to him gently to stop with his hand.

"Maybe leave those in the backpack. They'll stay cool for a little longer if they are not under the sun".

"Oh, okay, right!"

Once they were set, it was not long before Sean had forgotten what Karen said. After all, Daniel was excited about this little field trip, and when they were set, he took Sean to explore the vicinity. They saw some birds flying around, though Sean couldn't really tell which ones they were. They climbed a little, Daniel insisting they needed to have the best viewing spot, and so Sean indulged him, which turned out to be a pleasant experience since when they reached the top, the wind blew on their faces while they stared into the canyon.

The afternoon passed so quickly that Sean didn't even realize it. By the point when they returned to their little camping place, The Sun was close to setting.

"I think it's time" he said, grabbing the telescope and the tripod, looking for a good spot.

"Yeah, do you think we'll find it?"

"Maybe? It's a shame we can't see Lupus, though"

"But we can see the dogs, right?" Daniel said, still excited.

"Canis, yeah, and we still have Aries, remember?", Sean corrected him.

Daniel nodded, placing himself in front of the telescope while Sean grabbed the book their mother lent them. He would try to use it to guide his brother. Time passed, with Sean going back and forth on his mother's notes and the info the book already provided. It would have been much easier if he understood how to use a telescope to begin with, but when The Sun was just gone, Daniel gasped.

"Oh, wait! I think I got it!" he said excitedly. Sean looked patiently at him.

"So?"

"Yeah, I got it! Look!"

Daniel stepped aside to give room to Sean, who used his only eye to peek into the telescope. He struggled to find it because Daniel moved it when letting go of it, but after a while, he finally found it. The constellation of Leo. Or it should be. It was still not completely dark, and according to this book it was a rare find in July due to things he didn't fully understand, but it was close enough for Sean to accept that was it.

"This is awesome" Sean said, truthfully.

"Yeah, it is! I told you we could do it!"

"It only took us around an hour, yeah!" Sean chuckled, though he admittedly thought it was amazing they were able to pull it off knowing so little about the subject. He knew very well it was mostly because of Karen's notes.

"Hey, it's still so cool!"

"Yeah, I know. Thank you for making me do this, Enano."

Focusing the view on the telescope made him feel weird about his eye situation. He placed his hand in front of his patch, pretending as if he was covering the eye himself. It was somehow comforting.

"What? I thought it was you who wanted to do it!"

"Well, it's not like I WANTED wanted, you know what I mean? But I'm glad I did it."

Daniel didn't reply. Sean lifted his eye from the telescope, noticing his little brother staring at his face.

"What, I have a bug or something?"

"We shouldn't have come if you didn't want to" Daniel suggested.

"Oh, no man, I'm sorry. That's now what I meant!"

"Yeah, you did" Daniel insisted. Sean noticed his tone change.

"Come on, Daniel. We are having a great time, right? Let's not turn this into a fight" Sean tried to relent his brother.

"Does it hurt?" Daniel's worried voice made Sean uneasy. They were having such a great time, and while he did in fact want to talk with his brother, he expected it to happen way later when they were more accustomed to the place.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sean asked, though he knew playing dumb was not going to get him anywhere.

"Your eye, Sean. Your... You've been touching your patch."

"Yeah, I know. You know you ask me about my eye twice a week, don't you?", Sean tried to shrug it off once again.

"Sorry..." Daniel replied, his voice even somber than before. Sean noticed not only his tone but also how his eyes dropped immediately to the floor.

Sean sighed, regretting what he said instantly. Daniel looked at him once again, his body stiff as a board. "I'm such an asshole", he thought. His brother obviously took that sigh as a sign of discontent and was now feeling even worse about this whole situation.

"Hey, let's talk" Sean said as calmly as he could, sitting in one side of his sleeping bag. Daniel nodded and silently walked to the other one, but Sean grabbed him by the wrist, stopping him.

"Come here by my side, you will have a better view of the canyon".

Daniel nodded, doing as told. In an attempt to show affection, Sean moved a bit closer to Daniel. He didn't know if it would help, but as they silently stared into the starry sky, the little one slowly pulled closer, leaning his head on his arm, which Sean took as a positive sign. He made sure to not flinch even a bit when it happened.

"Do you like it here?" Sean said after a while.

"Uh-huh", Daniel quietly mumbled, nodding, brushing his hair a bit against his arm.

"That's good. I like it, too".

Sean wasn't too sure how to start what he wanted to say, but after a while, he concluded that there was simply no right way, so he would be better just talking about it. Besides, Daniel seemed to have calmed down a little, so the opportunity was right there to be taken.

"Daniel, listen..." Sean felt his little brother tense his body again.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad that we are a team. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, me too, Sean"

"But?" Daniel's body moved away from him again. Sean didn't want to push him harder than he already was, so he stood in place.

"What do you mean but?"

"Nothing much, Daniel. I'm just worried that... you are worried? Gosh, I'm sorry. I suck at this."

Daniel chuckled quietly. Sean thought it was good that, at least, he was able to laugh a little. Sadly, this also meant now they were again quiet, staring into nothing, and of course, not talking. Sean wanted to look at his brother, but he felt it would be wrong to do so. Sadly, when it was Daniel who finally broke the silence between them, Sean realized he had once again made a mistake.

"Do you hate me now?" he cried, his voice trembling.

"Gosh, no. Why would you think that?" Sean looked at the kid cowering by his side, his head almost hiding between his legs, Sean wondered if he was trying to hide from him.

"I killed Dad, Sean..." Daniel's voice was so low it was almost inaudible. But still, Sean noticed it was almost as shaky as Daniel's body.

"What? You-", Sean tried his best, but words didn't come out in time, and his brother continued, interrupting him.

"You had to leave everything for me, Sean. You lost your friends, your life, your eye, Sean."

"DANIEL!" Sean shouted. His voice came too loud, and startled his brother, making him flinch. "Daniel, we talked about what happened. It wasn't your fault. And me taking you here was something I decided to do, and I'll never regret that. You got that, right?"

"But I never listen! I always... screw up! And because of that, you..." Daniel looked at Sean and pointed his own eye.

"It's over, Daniel. I don't blame you for that. I wasn't exactly a great brother to you. Not then. Not back when we were in Seattle."

"You were the best brother I could have asked for, Sean!"

"Yeah, no. We both know that's not true."

"Sean..."

Sean took his brother in a hug that the little one didn't reject but didn't correspond to either. He wanted to cry, but his eyes were simply dry. He wondered if he had become that strong, or if his mind was too numb from all the things that happened to him.

"I'm so sorry that you felt like this, Daniel. And I'm sorry that I didn't even realize. Life threw all this shit at us, and we were just fighting it. You made mistakes, but so did I. I could never hate you, Daniel. I love you, no matter what happens."

Daniel slowly lifted his arms, finally embracing his brother, then slowly nodded, his face pressing into Sean's chest.

"Sean?"

"¿Sí, Enano?"

"Can I... Can we..." Daniel hesitated, even then. Sean chuckled a little.

"Of course we can" he replied as reassuringly as he could, breaking the embrace and leaning to reach at Daniel's sleeping bag, dragging it to the side of his. "Here, is that good?"

"Yeah... Yeah!" Daniel beamed. Sean was impressed at how that simple act seemed to improve Daniel's mood immediately, but just in case decided to go on a little further.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah! But... let's play some more before we go to bed. Is that okay?"

"Sure!"

From that point on, the night continued at a steady pace. They played Hide and Seek, Daniel finding his big brother almost immediately, then during his turn using his powers to hide so well behind some rocks that Sean had a lot of trouble finding him.

"Aw! Nice one, Sean!" Daniel said as soon as he saw his brother's smirk.

"What? Not gonna say I cheated?"

"Nah, you are too cool for that, I know!"

"Thanks, bro".

Sean ripped some pages off the back of his notebook, using them to make a new Ship, Captain, and Crew board, and they played it until they were satisfied. There were some sandwiches in the food containers, that they slowly ate while they talked about the matches they just had, and then it was finally time for bed.

Sean laid down on his sleeping bag, after all, it was too hot to get inside. Daniel did the same thing on his own bag. They looked again at the sky, in silence. Sean looked for Leo once again, but couldn't find it anymore. The book had a note from Karen saying this constellation was only partially visible during late sundown, so no wonder he didn't even see the two small dots he got to see using the telescope. He also thought it was funny that they were supposed to stargaze all night, yet they stopped at their very first constellation, not even being sure they found the right one.

"Hey, Sean?" Daniel asked out of the blue.

"I'm here. What is it?"

"We are pretty far from any city. Do you think maybe... we can stay here?"

"I don't think so, Enano. They are going to find us eventually."

"Oh... Okay", he replied. Sean waited, expecting to get another question thrown at him, but after a while... nothing.

Sean wondered what his brother was thinking. He glanced at Daniel out of the corner of his eye, his brother with arms laying on his belly, looking up high in the sky. Whatever was on his mind, he seemed to have forgotten he was freaking out just a couple of hours before.

"Hey, Enano. I said this before, but thanks for bringing me here", he said peacefully. Daniel didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Sean's side, taking his brother's arm and placing his head on it, hugging him with one arm.

Sean felt funny about it. He was very aware of how if this happened in California, he would have tried to shake him off almost immediately, but now this felt just right, almost as if he needed it. His brother was growing too quickly, and he knew all these cute little gestures would be gone eventually, so he had to treasure them. He pushed his brother a little closer, looking to the sky again in hopes that their journey would be over soon, and they would finally be free to build a home.

Notes:

Why Leo? I've been researching a lot about what they could try to look up for in the sky, since their plan was to use the constellations book Karen lent them. Since Lupus (wolf) is visible from the southern skies, I thought that maybe they could look at the alternatives, being Canis (dogs), and of course, even if you don't believe in Zodiac signs, I have a feeling that most of us know which one is ours, and I think it'd be a common thing to look for yours in the sky if given the chance, right?