To Make this Moment Last Forever
ShawnRust
Summary:
20 years passed since the events at the border, where Sean Diaz gave up on his freedom in exchange for giving his little brother a chance for a somewhat normal life.
5 years passed since that even more fateful day when after being released from prison, meaning they could restart their lives together, Sean parted ways with Daniel, leaving him heartbroken.
Daniel inadvertently put his life on pause, expecting his brother to come back. Now, after so many years, he casually runs into him. And they have a chance to connect with each other once again.
Notes:
I want to give a huge thanks to tristezaeternal not only for writing this with me, but also for being my friend, and a person I love with all my heart. It was a joy putting this together alongside you.
Work Text:
"Exactly. We're not criminals. We're just kids, and we still have time to choose what life we want to live. You're my brother and I love you."
Sean's voice echoed in Daniel's head. It was soft and gentle, but he could feel a tinge of sadness in his tone. They were going to be separated, after all.
"I... I love you too, Sean…" he replied, closing in for a hug. Sean, in response, wrapped his arms around him. Their journey, as hard and perilous as it was, was finally coming to an end.
"It's gonna be alright. Promise."
Again, Sean's soft voice, as if pleading for the remaining of his trust, was overwhelming to him. Daniel felt the warmth of his brother's body and closed in on him even harder, trying to absorb the heat. He felt tempted to close his eyes, but he resisted. He didn't know when they could be like this again, so he needed to remember everything. His voice. His touch. His shape. His face. His smell.
"You promise? For real this time?"
Daniel not for a second doubted his brother was telling the truth. But he wanted to hear him again. He wanted to find an excuse to make him talk. To make that moment last forever.
"I do. We're doing the right thing."
Sean's voice was trembling, but just enough for his little brother to know he was scared. Daniel learned already. He understood Sean was always scared when they had to move. But he had always been strong enough to overcome that fear, so long it meant protecting him.
"Just... Try and remember what I taught you... I mean, only the good shit."
"I will! I swear!"
For one last second, Daniel tightened his arms around his brother. He was trying so hard to keep him close, that one could think he was trying to melt their bodies together. But eventually, the moment passed. Sean let go of Daniel, so he had to do the same.
It was not enough, but it would have to suffice.
The kids got out of the car. Slowly. Steadily. Arms over their heads. And just like that… their journey was over.
—
Daniel had been driving for two hours already, but while he had decided on a spot where he'd be able to get some rest, traffic wasn't letting him get there. He had been stuck for at least half an hour because of an accident on the road. If it was up to him, he'd probably be back home, playing with some online friends on his Playbox. But he couldn't just refuse what he was asked to do.
After he finished college and became an architect, he moved to Chicago, working at first for a big company, helping in construction sites. It was one day when due to an accident a coworker of his was almost crushed by a steel beam, forcing Daniel to use his powers to save him. Daniel's boss congratulated him. He was labeled a hero. And since then he had been using his powers to ease his coworker's jobs.
Eventually, he was put in charge of a team of his own. Then as a supervisor. And now he had been invited to Seattle, so he could become the head of that office.
Things had been moving rather quickly, so in a way he was not even convinced that he deserved it. He knew it was his powers that made him escalate like that in such a short time.
—
Daniel walked to the border and lifted his hands. His powers emerged at will like they always did, but the wall seemed to be too much for him to handle.
"Dude, it's hard... I can't…" he said, grunting. There was a metallic screech coming from the wall. For the first time in months, Daniel was fighting an equal.
"It's all right, take your time... Stay... focused."
Daniel wasn't sure if it was the trust he put in his brother, or if he didn't want to let him down. But by hearing him, a surge of power ran from his feet through his body. A tingling sensation pulsating through his hands to his fingertips.
The metal building started giving away. Slowly. Bars bending, and a lot more screeching. It was deafening. But when Sean put his hands on his shoulders, Daniel felt even more powerful.
"I'm with you, Daniel. Almost there!"
It was then the metal no longer stood a chance against him. The construction was bent on Daniel's will. It opened more and more until it was enough for their vehicle to go through.
Daniel fell to the floor from exhaustion. He felt the world spinning around him.
"You all right, Superwolf?" Sean said, kneeling by his side.
"A... Almost…" Daniel said, trying to catch his breath.
"I-It's okay. It's okay. Just breathe. Ssshhhh... Breathe…"
Daniel took a few more seconds before he finally was able to stand. But as soon as he could, he looked at the border. He had managed to break it. They… were free.
"We did it!" He looked at Sean, and they hugged.
"We fucked that shit up!" Sean said, his tone hinting how proud he was. Daniel laughed.
"Yes!" he replied, still in disbelief.
The Diaz brothers stood up, looking at the huge landscape in front of them, lying ready to be explored.
"It's all thanks to you…"
"It's gonna be all right now. We've done the hardest part!"
Daniel stretched his hand to Sean. His brother didn't even need to look at him to know he wanted it to be held. He simply understood him like no other.
"Thanks for taking me down here, Sean."
"Nah, we did it together, man. Come on! Let's go back to the car."
—
"Sorry, can you repeat what you just said? There is a lot of honking," Daniel spoke to his phone on a video call.
"Yeah, I can hear it." Chris was on the other side of the line, though he didn't even move his eyes from his second screen to confirm what Daniel said. It's not like he could see beyond what was shown on camera anyway.
He had been working all week on a comic book to meet the deadline but still managed to be on the phone whenever his friend wasn't at work, which Daniel valued like he had no idea.
"I asked if you were coming for a visit since, you know, you'll be nearby. Well, closer, anyway."
"It depends."
Chris finally moved his eyes to the screen displaying Daniel's upper body in it.
"Rude. You know you could at least say you'll try, right?"
"Chris, you know it's not like I don't want to. And honestly, just because you keep pushing me about this won't magically help me clean my schedule," Daniel rebuked.
"I know, Dan. I do. But I haven't seen you since your birthday, and that was because I went to Chicago."
"The company needs me there."
"Yeah, I know. But I need you here, too, Danny." There was a hint of urgency in Chris's voice, but Daniel and him talked every single day almost non-stop. If something was happening he'd know already, so he decided to ignore it.
"Dude, please. Don't guilt trip me. I'm being transferred to Seattle in a couple of months. We'll get to spend Christmas and New Year together."
It's not like Daniel didn't want to go visit Chris. He just was close to finally getting a promotion and he didn't want to blow it. Chris sighed.
"I know, Dan. I don't mean to make you feel bad. I just miss you."
"I miss you, too, buddy. You know what, I promise I'll go see you as soon as I'm done with this building. Okay?"
"Only if you can, but thanks for trying. Hey, did you remember to text Sean?" Chris asked. Daniel winced.
"Yeah, I did. But he didn't reply."
"As always. You know, I don't know why you keep texting him. He never replies. Now, you don't even know if it's still his number!"
" There you go ," Daniel thought. That's why he didn't want Chris to keep being nosy about it. Sean went on this travel of self-discovery after half of his life was spent behind bars for something he didn't even do. And yes, it pained Daniel that, not only he wasn't invited to it, even when he insisted, but also how little contact he had with Sean because of it.
"Just let it go, okay?" he replied, trying his best not to sound upset.
"Gosh, I'm sorry. I know you don't like it when I do that." Apparently, he failed.
"That's fine, Chris. It's fine."
"So, how's your agenda for the next couple of days, then?"
"Well, I should arrive in Seattle tonight, check in at the hotel, and get ready for the meeting tomorrow. I have my portfolio ready with some of the designs I made for a project they assigned me here. After that, I should have a meeting with human resources, given they decided to give me the position anyway. And then I should go visit my father."
"Aren't you going to your old house this time either?"
"No need to. Mom said she's made sure it's properly taken care of. And Lyla keeps an eye on it, too."
"Eh, that's fine, I guess," Chris replied. Daniel noticed he wasn't too convinced about that, either.
Daniel hung up the phone shortly after, saying goodbye to Chris. He was close to the airport anyway, and with good timing, because he was starting to fear traffic was going to make him miss his flight.
Daniel reflected a little on his conversation with his friend. Chris didn't understand Sean like he did, of course, because he wasn't his brother. Because he met him just for less than a day. But above all, because he hadn't seen him in prison.
Daniel would always be grateful to his grandparents for all the effort they put into making him happy, but the only moments that made Daniel actually feel at peace were those weekly visits he could give to Sean. And he knew Sean felt the same way about it.
Sean avoided talking about whatever happened inside that damned building, but Daniel knew. He always knew when his brother had a rough week. It was written all over his face, even if he didn't speak.
But as time passed, Daniel noticed how that place was sucking off his brother's life. Sean's face slowly started looking gloomier with each passing year, even when he smiled and did his best for his brother not to notice.
That's why when he was finally released, Daniel wasn't at all surprised that his brother wanted to look for his own life. And after all, who was he to deny it? Watching him go away was painful, yes. But he understood. Daniel himself was transferred to Chicago shortly after that, and what was Sean supposed to do then anyway, follow him blindly? Of course, not.
What he still tried to understand, though, was why he had to simply disappear completely from his life. He talked to his mother about it, and she kept saying that he should understand his brother and give him time. Not that she needed to say it since he was going to do that anyway, but it still hurt not to see him for his birthdays, or any holidays.
And, at first, they would chat all day through their phones. But as years passed, his texts became shorter and more spaced, until they simply stopped arriving.
Still, Daniel would always text him. Not waiting for a reply, or maybe in hopes of getting one, but never pushing for them. He'd send texts wishing him a good day, or talking to him about something new he accomplished at his job, but not much else.
And that's what was killing him. Maybe it was because Daniel was Sean's only window to the outside world, so he wanted to experiment with life by himself. Maybe it was because he was so busy saving someone else's life like he did with him when they were younger. Maybe it was that his brother blamed him for everything. Maybe he realized giving up his life for Daniel was a mistake. Maybe his brother actually hated him and didn't want to see him anymore.
"No way. Stop it," he grunted to himself. He was feeling tears trying to form in his eyes. He was not going to let them out.
—
Some hours passed. The flight had arrived at its destination, and Daniel was driving a rental when he received a call from the company to let him know his meeting was moved from morning to late afternoon due to some emergency issue that popped up that they needed to handle.
Daniel didn't really make a big deal about it. In his line of work, things got delayed all the time, so he was used to having a constantly changing schedule. That was one of the reasons he was never free, to begin with. It was also the reason he needed the promotion so badly. Once he could set and have his own schedule it'd be easier to just hang out and schedule short trips to visit Chris.
But no use thinking about that now, right? Since his schedule changed, he'd go visit his father early, get lunch, maybe call Chris after that, and then pay a visit to town, try to find some stuff he wanted for his house. He might even try to reach Lyla, though he was sure she was going to be at work at the time.
A thought crossed his mind. He should maybe listen to Chris's unsaid complaint, and check on his father's house, too. It was pretty close. Just a few streets away. But it was only a maybe. He'd see how he felt after he was done with all the other stuff.
—
The next day came faster than Daniel anticipated.
The graveyard where Esteban was buried, was a place Daniel didn't miss. Not only because of what it meant to him but also because of how it looked in his eyes. Even on the clearest days, as that was, the place managed to look grim and depressing. There were flowers and bushes on the sides of the inner paved roads, but even their colors didn't help brighten the ambiance.
As Daniel approached his father's grave, he saw the figure of a man standing in front of it. With dark blue jeans and a bulky hooded black jacket, Daniel recognized his figure immediately. But he couldn't believe it to be true. He kept walking steadily to the man, slow and soft as if trying not to make a sound.
"Se-Sean?" he said. Daniel noticed the man's body freeze in place for a few seconds, before robotically rotating his neck to face him. He was indeed, his brother.
"Daniel?! Wh-What are you… How are you, man?"
Daniel leaned forward to give Sean a hug but stopped immediately and reached for his phone. There was nothing in it.
"Sean, I texted you like six times about coming here. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Daniel reached for his brother once again. "I could have arranged a- What's wrong?" he asked when his brother withdrew from his hug.
"Look, Daniel, I was already leaving, okay? Love ya!" Sean said in a tense note, walking the opposite way. Daniel gave his brother a confused look, then a more determined one to his father's grave. He nodded at the grave as if he was agreeing with his father, following after his brother.
"Wait, Sean!" he called. His brother didn't reply, but instead fastened his pace. 'What's wrong with him?' Daniel asked in his head.
"I'm kind of in a hurry," Sean said without even looking at his brother.
"Dude! Just wait a second!"
Sean started running through the paved road, but his movement was so rushed and sloppy that he tripped and fell. Daniel raised his hand just in time to make him land softly on the floor. He looked around before reaching to Sean. Gladly no one had noticed. While he didn't hide his powers anymore, he still wasn't a fan of putting up a show.
"Are you okay?" Daniel said in a worried tone. He reached out to try and help him get up.
"What the fuck, man?!" Sean yelled.
"Huh? What's wro-"
"Don't give me that! Why did you make me fall?!" Sean turned around to look at Daniel, pure anger in his only eye.
"Sean…" Daniel said, calmly and in a softer tone. "I didn't."
"I felt your power, dude!"
"Yeah? I made sure you didn't break your face on the floor?"
"Oh, right. Play dumb, now."
"Dude, come on. Don't make a scene, okay? I'm not a liar." He helped his brother get up using his powers since he wouldn't take Daniel's hand. "Gosh, what's gotten into you? Since when are you so grumpy?"
Sean scoffed at him. Daniel felt instantly irritated by it, wondering if that's how Sean felt when as kids, his little brother replied to him like that.
"Look, I just… have to go, okay?" Sean declared. It was clearly not a question. He was just letting Daniel know.
"Okay, but. Hey, look. When are you free?" Daniel asked.
"I guess… Tomorrow. At noon."
"Cool! I should have an appointment in the morning but I think I can manage to be done by lunch," Daniel declared expectantly.
"Do you… want to have lunch with me tomorrow?" Sean asked after letting out a sigh. A noise in the back of Daniel's head let him know Sean sounded annoyed, not excited. He decided to ignore it.
"Yeah, man! Of course I want to! I'll text you later okay?"
"Sure thing. See you."
Sean turned around and started walking away, without giving his little brother a chance to say goodbye. A feeling of uncertainty lingered uncomfortably in Daniel's mind, but he supposed that maybe the situation wasn't ideal. They only encountered each other at a bad time, but when the next day they sat calmly for lunch it'd be easier to just have a chat, hang out, and revive old days.
—
Daniel silently watched the desert pass by while his brother drove through the road, looking for some gas stations David instructed them to look for. He was conflicted. They were so close to their destination so he was excited. But having to leave what felt like a home and a family was something else, and the doubts of what the future might bring to try to push them down were scary. But how to say that to his brother when he seemed to be so eager to leave their country?
"Hey... Is something wrong?" his brother asked. "We're almost there, okay? That's the last time I have to say that…"
So many wrong things and his brother managed to pick the one thing that wasn't in Daniel's mind. It was upsetting.
"I don't care about that…" he replied. There was a bit of unintended sourness in his voice.
"So, what's the problem?" his brother continued. Daniel wasn't looking at him, but he noticed his worried tone was genuine.
"What... What are we gonna do in Puerto Lobos? We don't know anybody... we're like strangers... How long can we live there?"
"Forever! We can live like kings, dude! The dollar goes a long way there... we don't need much."
"Yeah, right... So, who am I gonna play with? What do I do for fun?" It's not that he wanted to antagonize Sean in this, but he sounded so carefree about it.
"Come on, you can make friends when you go back to school."
"Dude, I can't even speak Spanish! How can I make friends or do anything if I can't talk?"
"Everybody likes you, man! You'll be the cool American kid in no time."
That didn't exactly answer his question. But maybe he could learn Spanish from his brother. And teach English to his schoolmates while he practiced. Didn't seem that out of reach, even if it'd take some time. He smiled upon this newfound hope. It was kind of exciting knowing he'd make new friends.
"I can do that... maybe…" he replied.
"You fit in everywhere we go... and we'll get to hang out too…"
"Hmm... Well, that sounds okay... I guess…"
"Daniel, I get scared too, you know? But we'll be... we'll be fine."
"Okay. I trust you."
Sean continued driving for a while as Daniel again drifted into his thoughts. He was imagining all the new friends he'd make. And hanging out with Sean, doing what exactly?
He placed his head on his arm, looking outside. He wanted to feel joy, but sadness was overtaking him again. A heavy and cold sensation danced in his stomach and he was completely focused on fighting back against it when he felt his brother call his name. Daniel took a second to breathe and smile before quickly lifting his face and meeting his brother's eye.
Sean asked him if he wanted to give driving a try using his powers. And let him have control of the truck for a long ride. Somehow it was soothing. They chatted about Daniel's newfound driving skills, and Sean not even once tried to make fun of the mistakes he made, like that moment when he steered the wheel a bit too hard and the vehicle got off the road for a second.
Daniel said before he trusted Sean. And feeling his brother trusted him, too, was all he wanted. Maybe it would be fine if they left. After all, they would hang out as his brother said, and in the end, all that mattered was that they were together.
—
Daniel was almost jumping when he got out of the meeting. He tried to save some dignity and pretend he wasn't over the moon about his approved project. But he couldn't keep it inside anymore when the board announced to him that he would have to be there at 10 AM for a meeting with HR. So not only it was a good amount of money he was profiting, but it also meant he was getting the promotion. Everything was according to plan.
"Hey, I got the promotion, dude!" he wrote in his brother's chat. He didn't press Send, though, because he thought since he was going to meet his brother the next day it'd be best if he could tell it to his face.
Since his project wasn't the only issue to be dealt with at the meeting, it took him nearly all afternoon. And if it wasn't for the excitement, his brain would have shut down at least an hour ago. But as soon as he reached the hotel room and took off his shoes, it was as if all the remaining energy in his body just got drained out of his body.
Daniel used his powers to turn the shower on so it started heating the water at the same time he took his shirt and undershirt off with his hands. He then took the rest of his clothes and used his powers to put them in a bag he specifically saved for dirty laundry during his trips. It was a little trick Claire taught him to not pass the odor from dirty to clean clothes.
Daniel jumped in the shower. The water helped cleanse his exhaustion until only excitement remained. He was close to achieving his goal. He would get the job and move back to Seattle. Of course, that meant he'd have to give a call to his brother so they would finally set the house in order. It had three rooms. It was almost fate that he would run into him that morning. Maybe he was tired of running around, and he would like to live with him.
Daniel washed his face with the hot water as he relived once again how their journey together came to an end. He scratched his scarred shoulder. It was itchy. It happened every once in a while. Two shots in the same spot making it seem as if it was one big scar. He liked to say he was lucky about it. Because he was. He was luckier than Sean, anyway.
Daniel lifted his left hand and covered his eye with it. He then used his right hand to reach for the shampoo bottle, slightly tapping it and causing it to shake before actually grabbing it. Almost missed. It had been a while since he last did that. He was a bit rusty. He used to do it all the time when he was younger. So much he nailed depth perception when he did it.
Once, he forgot to close the door of his old room back in Oregon, and Claire caught him doing that. Pretending he was missing his left eye like Sean did. He was forced to go back to therapy over it. It didn't really help. He didn't want it to help. It was a reminder of how he destroyed his brother's life in yet another way because of his powers.
It seemed like he loved souring his own mood that day. He'd be better just calling it a day, so he got out of the shower, dressed, and went to bed.
Daniel immediately thought about his brother again. He did understand his brain. He hadn't seen him in five years and now completely out of the blue, he was going to have lunch with him. He wondered what would Sean be doing. He seemed in quite a hurry earlier. Maybe he was running late for some appointment? Although Daniel had to admit it was weird that he'd be standing in front of their father's grave but would be so desperate to run seconds after.
Maybe it had to do with him after all. But why? They didn't agree to meet, but he would expect his brother to be happy about seeing him, right? He had to be. Their reunion wasn't ideal obviously. Daniel knew that. He had been saving some money to throw a party when they finally met.
And then it hit him. That must have been the reason Sean wasn't happy to see him. Much like him, he surely had something planned for that moment, and their meeting out of the blue was screwing up his idea. Daniel let out a smile. It was too late to make a reservation but he wanted to try his best for his brother. He looked for good places to have lunch. He wondered what his brother would like. He didn't know how much his tastes would have changed since they were kids.
Another punch in his guts. Prison food wasn't great. He wasn't sure how much he polished his taste after leaving that damned place. But he would make up for it. He spent around an hour researching different restaurants. Some casual, some more refined. He looked into various types of food ranging from sushi to mexican. He took screenshots of every restaurant he found somewhat interesting. Now he only had to figure out what his brother craved the next day and use it in his favor.
He remembered there was a cake shop he loved the last time he was in Seattle. He went there because he celebrated Lyla's birthday, and they said they made custom decorations for cakes. It would be really close, but maybe if he begged enough they could make a small one for them with a simple "Welcome back, Sean" on it? He would pay a bit extra if needed.
Daniel grabbed his phone and messaged his brother.
"Hey, bro. Any idea what you wanna eat tomorrow?" he wrote, then sent a sticker of a cat eating a piece of cake, to see if it would lure his brother into saying he wanted one. It didn't take long, as always, for his brother to go online. Daniel felt a rush inside when he saw he was writing.
"dunno. ttyl" is all it said.
"Oh, okay! Sure! Can't wait for us to catch up, dude!" he replied. He noticed the message was read but Sean went offline shortly after.
"Well, he did sound busy," Daniel thought, and let himself fall on the bed once again, looking at the roof idly for more time than he would like to admit.
"I ran into Sean today" he typed into Chris's chat. It took less than ten seconds for his phone to start vibrating in his hand over his friend's call.
"I don't know, Dan," Chris said after Daniel revived his day for his friend.
"What don't you know?" Daniel asked. It was a bit annoying, but it's not like he didn't expect his friend to act that way.
"Look, I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"
"Dude, what are you talking about? It's Sean we are talking about here, remember?" he pointed out. Chris let out a sigh. It wasn't a video call, yet Daniel could feel every mannerism and face his friend would show at his every word. Not a pleasant thing.
"I know, I know that, Daniel!" but he didn't. He believed he knew, but of course, he wouldn't be able to understand how he felt. "But, hey… Look, if I put some effort, I can finish this and schedule a flight for when you return to Chicago, and we can hang out early. What do you think?"
"Dude! If you think I'll need you to be picking up my pieces just be upfront, okay?!"
"D-Daniel! I didn't…" but Chris didn't finish his sentence. He was interrupted by Daniel.
"Yes, yes you did, Chris. This is exactly like when I broke up with Wanda. You just can't help yourself and need to come to my rescue. And right now I needed you to be supportive, not condescending, okay? Is that so hard?"
"Dude! Don't talk to me like that!"
"Or what?"
"Are you fucking serious Daniel? Just listen to yourself!"
"Shit, you are right. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"I know what, Danny. And I don't like it."
"I'm sorry, Chris."
"It's okay. Just update me about it, and let me know if I should go meet you in Chicago. I promise not to be an ass. I know this is important to you."
"Thanks, dude. You rock."
—
"And so, it's very important to me," Daniel said to the sales clerks at the bakery shop. He had told them the story of how after his father's passing, he and his brother parted ways and now after almost twenty years they were finally reuniting with each other. He purposely let out the fact that they were the infamous Diaz Brothers who caused havoc across the country so much time ago.
"I-I think we can manage," one of them said. She almost had tears in her eyes because of the emotion Daniel instilled in the storytelling. "We'll have it done by noon, is that okay?" she added. Other of the clerks seemed about to comment something, but she just rolled her eyes and started cleaning the counter. Daniel noticed but decided to focus on the one she won over.
As Daniel went out, completely proud of his convincing tactics, he felt a rush of emotion take over him. Maybe it didn't have to end like that. Maybe he could do something crazy and fill in the gaps for Sean's birthdays. Or would it be too much?
"Yeah, maybe it'd be awkward," he thought. He decided one or two extra items would be enough.
He wandered around town for a bit in his car. Nothing seemed to be open. It was only 7:15, so no wonder. He decided he'd go back to the hotel room and get ready for the appointment early so he would have at least some spare minutes to look for some gifts before going.
He was already out again by eight but still, nothing was open yet. He wandered just looking at the stores around, trying to figure out what would be good.
By 9:30 he sat in a park just two streets away from the building. He only had bought a new sketchbook and a set of pencils for his brother. The only thing open that early in the morning was an office supply store. Daniel took his phone and opened Sean's conversation. He didn't contact him yet.
"Hey, Sean. Do you want to meet by 1PM at Beacon Park? You remember where it is, right?" he wrote. It was seen almost immediately, but Sean took around 10 minutes before he started typing. Daniel was running out of time.
"Oh, shit, Daniel. I'm so sorry. That's kinda late for me. I told you I'd be busy by noon. Can you make it happen or should we find a better time?"
Daniel's jaw dropped. They agreed to have lunch, right? Was he wrong? Did he forget? He looked at the time. He'd need to get into that meeting in less than twenty minutes. But his brother wanted to meet him in less than an hour. And no way he'd make it out of the meeting before that time. It was completely out of question.
"Okay, see you at Angle Lake Park," he wrote.
They didn't agree on a meeting place, so for now he'd take the safest bet and try to win sometime.
"I was kinda expecting you'd come here," Sean replied. Daniel felt his breath growing tense as he huffed.
"Please?"
"ok"
Daniel sighed in relief. For a brief second, he thought…
"No. No way," he said to himself.
His brother wasn't going to just leave him hanging. It was stupid of him to even consider that possibility. That's why when he arrived at the office, and before the meeting, he asked to talk to Mrs. Morris, head of HR, before his meeting started and explained the whole situation to him.
"I've seen your profile. You are a very talented young man," the elderly woman declared. "But our company is moving fast, and we don't really have the time to be waiting for each of our employees to feel like it's their time to work. Are you sure this is more important than your future in this company?"
Daniel could feel his stomach twisting at her words. It was obvious he was putting a death sentence on him. But how many years did he wait for his brother, really? They were separated when he was only ten, and he was past thirty now. He couldn't wait any longer.
"I'm so sorry for wasting your time, but my family comes first," he said with a fully determined tone. The woman smiled at him and nodded.
"I hope I see you here again soon," she said. After she said goodbye and walked away, just like that. Leaving a perplexed Daniel standing in place.
Daniel left the building and walked slowly to the meeting place. His head was still in distress and he needed to calm down. All of the security he showed seconds ago seemed to have just fallen off his body. He wanted to believe Mrs. Morris was trying to hint he'd be called again. But no way to know, and she was clear they couldn't wait for their employees.
His memory wandered once again to the past. To the day he moved on his own for the first time, back when he was in Oregon. He remembered Claire clearly as she asked him to be more patient about it. After all, he used his first two checks to rent a two-bedroom apartment and move. He could only afford some furniture thanks to his grandparents contribution.
It was a tough start, but he quickly got the hang of how it worked. He used to have Chris and his girlfriend from back then regularly at her place.
Wanda, his girlfriend, was a gem. Her father was a huge geek and named her over the Scarlet Witch. Wanda herself became a fan of comics and superheroes because of it, too. That's how they met each other when they were in college. Chris was upset. Maybe because Daniel lasted a whole year before telling him about it. Not that he didn't want to tell him. College was a lot for him to handle. He was never good at math, so catching up was hard. And because of that, he was too busy most of the time and when they got together the subject never arose.
A year before he finished college Wanda mentioned moving together when they were done. Daniel refused. He was not so much into that idea. He needed to wait. Making sure his brother had a safe space when he was let out of jail came first. They could figure things out later. Except, it seemed like she didn't want it to be later. Half a year later she insisted on the matter. Then four months later. Then just after they finished college. Then Daniel moved on his own. And it was over. It hurt Daniel, of course. But he understood. He decided not to be in a relationship again until he figured things out with his brother.
He arrived five minutes earlier. He sent a selfie to his brother to show where he was and waited. It didn't take long for his brother to show up, to Daniel's relief.
—
"You made it!" he said in a really excited tone as he walked to him and hugged him with no hesitation.
"Hey," his brother said, patting Daniel's back gently.
"So?" Daniel said after releasing the embrace, looking at Sean's face. "How are you, man? What's new?" Did you check where you wanna eat? I found an amazing pizza place that I'm sure you'll like, and I also ordered a cake so we can celebrate later!"
Words came out one after another without even thinking. Daniel wasn't sure why was he reacting like that. There was something in Sean that made him open up that much, he guessed. And Daniel liked it. He leaned for another hug after giving up on talking, not even leaving room for his brother to answer.
"Daniel, chill. It's kinda creepy," his brother finally decided to let out during the second hug. Daniel felt embarrassed about it, so he let go of his brother and took some distance. He knew his brother was right. They were adults now. It didn't look that good that he'd act that way.
"Who cares?" he said, contrary to his feelings. "I haven't seen you in forever, Sean!"
"I know, Daniel. I get it. No need to rub it on my face, okay?"
"I wasn't!"
"Okay, look. Nevermind. Let's just go eat."
"Oh, okay. Uh… any ideas then?" Daniel agreed, a bit doubtful about the nature of that interaction.
"What about that pizza place you mentioned?"
"Cool! Do we take your car?" Daniel asked.
"Oh, no. I walked here, actually."
"Ah…" Daniel said.
An uneasy feeling took over him once again. There was a question hanging in the back of his mind like when you forget something and try to force yourself to remember. However, in his case, it was more as if he was trying to force himself to forget.
"You… live nearby?" he asked nonchalantly, trying to hide his growing fear.
"Ah, well… yeah. You remember our old house?" he said.
"Oh, so you are close? I didn't know that."
Daniel noticed the confused look his brother gave to him. He already knew what Sean was saying, but he didn't want to believe it.
"I mean, I live in our old house," his brother pointed out, this time with an uncomfortable tone.
Daniel swallowed. He didn't have anything in his mouth, but still felt a big lump forming in his throat.
"How… How long?"
"Is this gonna be a problem?"
"N-no. I'm just asking."
Sean sighed.
"Since January last year."
A year and a half. His brother had been living in that house for a year and a half. He had so many questions inside him. Like, why didn't his mom or Lyla tell him about it? Though he already knew the answer. His brother most likely asked them to drag the issue.
"I thought… we said we'd sort it out together," Daniel chided.
"Well, you were so busy with work and all that… I didn't want to bother you."
Daniel gave an angry look to his brother. He was just about to question him, but… No.
"Okay… Can we get take out and eat there?"
"I don't know…"
"It's MY house, TOO, Sean."
Sean rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine. It's just a bit untidy, that's all."
"It's fine."
Sean started walking in the direction where their old house was. Daniel followed his brother's hurried pace. Only to hear him whisper 'moron'.
"What was that?"
"I was just saying that I'm a moron. I could have invited you sooner."
Daniel wanted to argue that he wasn't sure that's what he meant but shook his head instead.
'No, no, no. What are you doing?' he asked to himself. He was finally with his brother, and he was letting the situation get the best of him. He took a deep breath and started over.
"So, do you have a TV? We could watch something together. How's that sound?"
"It's a good idea, Enano."
Daniel lifted his eyes and looked at his brother. The other one didn't seem to catch what he just did. His pet name from when they were kids was something Daniel hadn't heard in years. Way before he left prison. He felt like hugging his brother once again, but maybe he'd be pushing things too hard if he did it.
—
Daniel sat crossing his legs, his mom right by his side. Sean took her other side, leaving his big backpack carefully on the floor.
"So, hey…" their mother called. Daniel, who was contemplating the horizon, snapped out of his own mind and looked at her. "I do appreciate that you guys stuck around this long. Thank you."
Daniel wanted to reply, but his brother did it faster.
"It was good to get to know you better. See your life."
"This place is pretty cool!" Daniel added. "It's like Fury Road but nicer. I got to learn about living in a desert... hiking canyons... counting stars…"
Karen nodded at him in approval.
"You're a natural-born explorer! It's hard to believe you two are actually out here with me. I was lucky we had this chance."
Daniel looked away for a second but turned back again to his mom when he noticed she was talking again.
"Just know I love both of you so much," she said, then paused for a brief moment before continuing. "I know you had it rough lately... But it'll be better when you're settled."
Karen, be honest. Do you think we'll make it to Mexico?" Sean questioned. Karen nodded again, smiling at him.
"You made it this far, going through Hell. I hope so, Sean."
Karen turned to Daniel.
"You both deserve it."
There was a brief pause once again before she continued.
"But.. I have to be upfront with both of you. What happened in Haven Point is catching up with us."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Daniel asked. Fear growing inside of him.
"When we were in town, we saw some stories in the papers. The feds are definitely tracking us down in the region."
"Shit," Sean said.
"And they'll find us," Karen concluded.
"Well, figures," Sean sulked. "This couldn't last forever."
"So... this is it?" Daniel asked. Though he already knew the answer.
"Si, Enano. We'll leave tomorrow."
"Can you hand me that bag, Sean?" Karen asked.
Sean reached for his backpack, handing it to his mom. She looked for something in silence, grabbing three of what Daniel thought looked like folded pieces of paper.
"That's why I brought you back here. I made these for the 4th of July... but this is better."
Karen unfolded one. Daniel realized they were paper lanterns.
"Oh! I love those things!" He jumped in excitement.
Karen handed the first lantern to Sean. He carefully unfolded it and lighted it.
"Wow! Awesome!" Daniel continued to cheer.
"Cool," Karen agreed.
She then took the lantern from Sean's hands and handed it to Daniel, while his brother lighted the second.
"Let's light up the sky," she said.
Sean handed the second lit lantern to Karen, prepared the last one for himself, and stood up as the three prepared to release them.
As the three lanterns were released, Daniel had the best idea ever. He lifted his hands and used his powers to reach for them, and made them fly slowly around them before letting them drift away in the distance.
Karen pulled Daniel into a hug as they watched the lanterns float away.
—
The rest of the walk was silent. Daniel, in an attempt to not break whatever good thing could be brewing between them, made sure not to say anything else. He kept the word "Enano" fresh in the conversation. What he did, instead, was use his time on a phone app to program a courier service that would retrieve the cake from the bakery. He didn't want him and his brother to be minding any other business that wasn't trying to connect with each other.
The lane started reviving some fuzzy memories in Daniel's mind. All the houses looked kinda the same, but they varied a lot in things like colors and whatever plants or ornaments they had in their front yards. Daniel was sure none of the people he knew from back then lived in those houses anymore. It had been more than 20 years, after all. What remained the same, was the front yard. Sean had apparently restored the front yard exactly to how it was the day they left. Except for his toys, of course.
"Wanna let Lyla know you are visiting?" Sean asked as he looked for the key.
"Nah, it'll be fine just the two of us for today." Or rather, he didn't want Lyla to know, because then it'd have to be addressed that she and her mother had been lying to him for over a year. There would be time for that. Right now he wanted to focus on his brother.
"You sure?"
"Positive! I can come by another time and visit."
His brother didn't reply. He was just playing with the keychain, looking for the key to their house. An uneasy feeling took over Daniel again, and once again, he was unable to explain where it came from. He simply followed his brother inside.
"Oh…" he said as his eyes started to absorb the view.
It was like a parallel world. Daniel, who was amazed at how perfectly similar the front of the house was to his memories, almost couldn't recognize the place as soon as he crossed the door. A dark reddish carpet filled the entrance, with light blue walls around the hall. All the furniture was a dark brown that didn't sit well with the rest of things. Daniel knew taste was subjective, but he wouldn't at all have picked that kind of decoration in his life. He wondered if his brother would be open to suggestions for when he decided to move there, but he decided not to be pushy about it.
"Make yourself at home," Sean said. Daniel thought it was a weird thing to say. He was home.
"Sure!" he replied, proceeding to take off his shoes, a thing he picked up as a teenager when trying to combat his Grandma's obsessive rules.
Sean looked at him as barefoot Daniel smiled at him, then shook his head, and sat on the couch. Daniel shrugged, then scanned the place once more. He spotted the closed door to his old room. It felt as if it was calling to him, so he slowly walked as a heavy feeling took possession of him.
Daniel had gone to that house previously, but he didn't enter any of the rooms. The memories felt too painful, and somehow to him opening those doors without Sean would feel like betraying him. Not that it mattered now, since his brother was living in that house, and probably remodeled his bedroom, as he did with the living room.
"Daniel," he felt his brother call, as he touched the doorknob. Daniel looked at him, noticing his brother had gotten up from the couch and was walking to him. So he opened the door.
As Daniel walked in he noticed his old bed, with all the ornaments. His toys were saved in boxes, but the furniture was the same. The painting was the same. Everything was the same if clearly consumed by time. But even so, everything was spotless. It was noticeable it was kept clean and was being taken care of.
"I just… felt it'd be unfair to touch it without your permission," his brother muttered.
"Sean…" he said in a soft tone. So his brother did care about him after all. All those negative feelings he was getting were in his head. How could he even doubt him?
Daniel approached his brother and rested his head on his brother's shoulder. The other one flinched a bit under the touch and Daniel felt it, but he took it as a sign of surprise more than anything else.
"So, speaking of… There is something I need to ask you about that room."
"Yes?" Daniel asked, his voice muffled by his brother's sweater. Here it was. The moment he was so eagerly waiting. Now that they were reunited, his brother would finally open up to the conversation they needed to have. They could finally rebuild their lives together.
"It's actually the reason why I insisted we came here since you were in the area."
"Ah…"
Daniel lifted his head from Sean's shoulder in confusion. He was pretty sure his brother didn't invite him, but rather he was the one to invite himself. But maybe his emotions clouded the events of that day? It didn't matter anyway. It was time for them to be together again. The Wolf Brothers reunited!
"So, you see. I am in need of a studio…"
'Wait', Daniel thought.
"... and there is not much space in the house, you know."
'No, that's not it.'
"So?" he said. He took a step back. The heavy feeling in his stomach returned, but this time it turned into something different.
"I was wondering if you could take your stuff so I can use the place."
It turned into anger.
—
Daniel opened his eyes and raised his head, annoyed by a strong light coming from the distance. It was morning already. He wasn't sure how late they were when they went to sleep, but he was sure it was quite late. And yet, seeing the sun rising on the horizon took a smile out of him. He patted his brother's chest, who was still a log beside him.
"Hey! Wake up, Sean!" he called. His brother didn't respond at first. "Dude, come on!"
What?" Sean grumbled. "What time is it?"
"Get up!" Daniel said, jumping in place. "It's so beautiful, check it out!"
Daniel walked to the edge of the cliff followed by his brother. He stretched his body as he contemplated into the distance.
"So?" Daniel called in a proud tone, raising his hand to the sun.
"Yeah, okay. Good call," Sean allowed. "Wow... That's amazing."
"I know!"
Daniel noticed Sean rubbing his patched eye. Daniel's smile dropped in response.
"Is your eye okay?" he asked. He couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Yeah, it just itches. It's okay, Enano."
"I…"
"Promise."
"Yeah, uh, okay."
Daniel reached for his brother, who hugged him in response, before letting go and looking at Daniel in the eyes.
"I love you, no matter what happens, you hear me?"
Daniel felt warm inside as he felt Sean's reassurance.
"Yeah! I love you too!" He said, smiling once again.
Daniel turned to the canyon and let out a howl. With no one to hear them around, he didn't feel any restraint. Sean joined shortly after, and then both of them were howling over and over again in unison.
Sean grabbed Daniel by the shoulder and pulled him closer playfully, before they started walking back to their sleeping bags.
"Diaz brothers!" Daniel let out. "Always!"
—
"Are you fucking serious?!" Daniel yelled. His brother took a step back, then stood his ground.
"Chill, Daniel!" he spat, taking a step forward.
"Don't ask me to chill, Sean! You have ANY idea how much I wanted to see you?"
"And I'm here! What's the matter?!"
"Yes, you are here, Sean. But you are NOT here. All these months. All these years! I kept calling and calling for you. Then I finally run into you, and you act as if…"
"As if what?" Sean's cold tone when he asked it cut Daniel deep under his skin.
"As if you saw someone you hated, Sean. As if you hated me. As if I was the one you wanted out of your life." His voice cracked under this statement.
Daniel had been avoiding that thought for too long. He wasn't sure when he realized it, but whenever the idea was remotely close to popping up in his head he deflected it. But now it seemed like an impossible task. He could feel tears forming, so he didn't even try to hide them. Better let his brother see how he truly felt, anyway.
"Daniel, look," Sean said. Then sighed, pinching his nose. Daniel scoffed at the look of it.
"What?"
Sean slowly walked back to the couch and dropped his body.
"It's not that I hate you, okay?" He argued.
Daniel's eyes, now red and welled up, filled with sympathy as he noticed his brother covered his face with his hands, reminding him of that fateful night at Trout Spring Trail before they parted ways. He started walking to him when he felt his voice again.
"It's just… It's hard to be around you, Daniel."
"What?" he stopped. "Hard?"
"Yeah, man. Hard."
"B-but how? Why?!" Daniel was starting to feel desperate now. He tried his best to accommodate Sean and make him a part of his life. WHAT could be hard about being around him?
"It's just…" Sean sighed. "It's just you have it all, man. You have your friends, your life, your job, your girlfriend. Everything."
"No…"
"And, you just can't help it sometimes. You just come and brag to my face about it."
"Brag?!"
"Telling me how great everything is! Reminding me of how miserable my life ended up being…"
"Don't say it."
"... Because of you."
"How dare you?!" Daniel yelled. "Do you have ANY idea of how much I gave up for you?!"
Sean's body shifted uncomfortably at his words. Daniel got a hunch that his brother needed to comment on that, and that whatever he was about to say, would make him even angrier. But despite his feelings, he decided to shut up and wait for whatever it was.
"YOU gave up on things?"
It was like a punch in Daniel's stomach.
"Yes, Sean. Believe it or not, I also gave up on things."
"Oh, yeah? Let's hear them Superwolf," Sean challenged him. Daniel's pet name came out with a mocking tone. "What did you give up on?"
As soon as Daniel heard the word 'Superwolf', the ball of rage in his stomach went in a rush to his head.
"Do you know how much I miss Chris? Or any of my other school buddies back at Beaver's Creek?"
Sean just scoffed, so Daniel continued.
"And what about my job, huh? I had a huge interview today that I dropped so I could spend the day with you!"
Sean rolled his eyes. Daniel went on once more.
"Or that girlfriend you named? Do you think she still dates me after I let her down by making you my one and only priority?"
"Oh, no! The poor guy broke up with his girlfriend!" Sean mocked. "Do you want to know how my love life went for most of my life?"
Daniel averted his eyes. He was well aware of the things his brother experienced in jail. He was still full of rage, but he didn't know how to fight that back.
"Sean, I didn't–" but his brother interrupted.
"Wanna know how the job market is for ex-convicts, li'l cub?"
Daniel looked at his brother. He was smiling with irony.
"And what about your studies? Or your friends? Grandma and Grandpa, who you were able to enjoy? How were those cozy Christmases, huh?"
"Sean…"
"It's SO funny you say you had to give up on shit, while the one who gave up on all his life for you was ME!"
"That's not fair." is all that came out of Daniel's mouth. He felt dizzy. He wasn't sure how to arrange his thoughts anymore.
"Oh?"
"It was… It's you who decided we should surrender, Sean."
"Psht. Right, bro. Because you gave so much of a fight. I nearly said we should give up and you were already throwing me to the cops."
"That's not true."
"You know, Daniel. You were the one in control back then, remember?"
"No. Stop it!"
"If you really wanted, there was no way I could resist it if you made us cross the border!"
"Stop, Sean. Just, stop."
"Heck, we could be living our best lives in Puerto Lobos right now. But you sure didn't care about that, huh?! You were whining SO MUCH about wanting to stay. Whatever happened to me, it didn't matter to you. You just wanted out."
Daniel wasn't there anymore. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. He could still hear his brother's words. But they were white noise to him now.
"And congratulations, Enano! You got everything you wanted!" Sean said in applause, then let out a sardonic laughter.
Daniel took a deep breath. He wasn't able to believe his brother could treat him that way. After all those years. After all the waiting. There was something wrong. Somewhere. This was his brother talking. And Daniel was sure Sean wasn't like that. Right?
Another deep breath. He decided he needed to be the bigger man. Daniel understood. He understood Sean as no one else did. His brother was surely in pain. Which is why he was talking like that. And Daniel was guilty, right? Guilty because he didn't realize his brother felt that way. Guilty because he let him go back then, and that's why things fell apart.
If only they could talk things out, Sean would surely let him help. Go to therapy together. Fix everything. Get things back on track. Right?
So he walked forward and lifted his hands. He wanted to reach out. To grab his brother's shoulders. To tell him everything would be okay. But Sean's laughter stopped, as he cowered in place.
"What are you doing?!" he asked with fear in his voice.
"Huh?"
"Your powers. What are you doing?"
"Dude, I'm not going to hurt you. Sean, I'm not a monster!"
Sean looked at the floor for a second before lifting his eyes and meeting Daniel's, sending shivers down his spine once more.
"Aren't you, though?"
And that was it. The last straw. Daniel finally realized what Chris was saying to him. There was no trace of love for him left in his brother.
"So," Daniel called. A sad smile formed on his face. "This is how the story of the Wolf Brothers really ends, huh?"
"Grow up," Sean muttered.
Daniel walked to the door and put on his shoes. Sean, of course, didn't even get up from the couch to stop him. When Daniel opened the door, he found out the cake was arriving at the worst possible time. He received it, then looked at his brother for one second before tossing the package to the floor inside the hall.
It was comical. the box opened from the pressure, exposing the remains of the cake, its message still readable enough.
"Welcome back, big bro!"
A sour laugh escaped from Daniel's mouth, at the same time his pissed-off brother rolled his eyes, rushed to the door, and slammed it.
Daniel walked away, leaving the place where this stranger lived. Completely decided to never look back.