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“Not fair, Voxxy!”
Fulgur kicked at the other, the pre-teen trying not to pout (big kids don’t pout!!) as his brother laughed despite being assaulted by the other’s small foot at his shoulder.
The two brothers were enjoying their first day of holiday, spending their day eating snacks and playing video games. The two had slept in till their body’s naturally woke and enjoyed a late breakfast together. With no school, the two could finally enjoy quality time together. Time together was always fleeting ever since their parents….
“You kept giving me openings! What else was I supposed to do?” Vox laughed and swatted at the small foot repeatedly coming down on his backside. “I went easy on you earlier so face me like a man, kiddo!”
“I’m not a kid!”
The silver tween yelled out as he dealt a forward smash to the other, Belmont sending out a deadly blow with his whip to a worn down Kazuya. The damage dealt over time gave way to Vox losing stock, Fulgur’s attack landing at perfect range to sweet spot his way to a KO. Vox’s tongue tripped over his words in disbelief.
“Y-You! You cheeky monkey! Oh that’s it! No more mister nice guy! The gorilla is coming out!”
The younger brother had to try his best to not lose focus as his older brother started belting gorilla noises and beating his chest during the short respawn time he had. The neighbors were definitely going to complain again.
The brothers continued on until a sound came at the door.
Knock knock knock
“Gah! Hold on, shrimp.”
That has to be the neighbors now, Fulgur thought. He happily munched on his chips as Vox got to his feet to answer the door. Maybe, if they were lucky, the new special edition controllers they ordered arrived!
Fulgur waited for a little while. Then a little while was just too long, and his curiosity was piqued. Surely if it was the neighbors he’d hear their shrill voice. Stupid Neal, stupid Susan.
He walked around the corner to see what the hold up was.
At the door, two men in uniform stood. Fulgur could barely make out the details but they didn’t look like the cops he saw when he walked to the library. These men looked more “official”; that was the only thing Fulgur could come up with in his confusion. One of them was relaying numbers on a radio, the other had just yanked a paper out of Vox’s hands.
“Vox?”
The older froze at his spot at the door for a moment, then whipped his head around to his brother. His face was full of fear. Why does he look so scared? Fulgur hadn’t seen him make that face since the night they got the call about their parents. It scared him.
“Fulgur,” Vox twisted, only to stop himself. He paused, then turned to look at one of the officers. “C-Can I?”
A huff. “Make it quick.”
With a wide stride, Vox made for his brother. Fulgur’s confusion grew as he watched his older brother bend to his level.
“Fulgur, I need you to listen to me.”
Vox gathered Fulgur’s tiny hands in his. His palms felt so cold, so clammy. They shook but their grip on the boy’s hands was firm.
“I have to go away for some time. Call Auntie Elira when you can and tell her,” He paused for a moment and pursed his lips in thought. “Tell her…that I got that big breakthrough I dreamed of. Alright?”
“Big breakthrough? Wait, did you finally get your nov–”
Vox shushed him with a finger and grabbed at his shoulder with haste, and a face oh so very taunt.
“Ssssssh! No no, this is…this is something like it, yes, but...” Long fingers drifted back to holding Fulgur’s hands. “Either way, I’m not going to be around for a while.”
“And how long is a while?” Fulgur hesitantly questioned.
Vox inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and gave a pensive smile.
“I…I don’t know, Fuuchan. I honestly don’t know.”
Fulgur wanted to prod more, antagonize him to let out more that he was hiding. ‘Cause he was hiding something damnit! But a shadow was cast over their forms, light from the open door blocked by a bulking figure.
“Wrap it up, son. Headquarters will be expecting you.”
The man from before towered over the two. The grip they laid on Vox’s shoulder was miles different from how his brother touched him. There was nothing kind about the touch. Fulgur wanted to rip the stranger’s hand away and tell him to back off. Tell them both to get lost. He didn’t know what they were there for but they were taking his brother.
He couldn’t lose Voxxy. He couldn’t lose his older brother. Not him too!
In a blink, Vox was at the doorway once more, being led by the man in uniform. No! No, this was happening too fast! Where were they taking him?! Where was he going?!
Without any thought, the child rushed into his brother’s side, arms wrapped around his waist with an ironclad grip.
“Go inside, boy! Don’t make this harder for us!”
Fulgur was more than ready to fight tooth and nail to keep his Voxxy close to him, teeth bared and eyes wild with burning tears and rage. And he would’ve bit the officer coming at him, bit him real good too, if it weren’t for his brother grabbing at his wrists ever so gently.
“Hey, hey, it’s going to be alright.”
Vox ran his fingers through the tween’s messy bangs, soothing him with hushed reassurances.
“It won’t be forever. I’ll be back. I promise you that I’ll return, alright?”
As he continued to placate the other, it was undeniable to anyone that Vox was just as scared as the younger. His breaths were stuttering, his hands were shaky. There was no hiding it from the world, and most certainly not from Fulgur.
Fulgur embraced Vox with a tight hug around his neck. He squeezed as if he could physically give his brother the feelings he had for him. Vox wasted not a second to return the love tenfold with all his might. He buried his face into soft silver locks and held him close.
“Be strong for me, Fulgur. You’re so strong, and smart, and talented, creative,” Vox sniffled at the other’s ear. “And so special. So, so , special.” Vox brought his head back and looked Fulgur straight in the eye. “Promise me you’ll be good. Promise me you won’t stop creating your stories. Even if I’m gone, keep making them. You hear me?”
Fulgur tried to ignore the bubbling tears that dripped warmly down his face. He bit his lips to hold it in, to be strong, and nodded his head. Vox’s face softened and Fulgur wondered how somebody smiling could also look so sad.
The other officer, not that mean one from before, tapped at Vox’s shoulder. “We should leave now. It’ll just be harder if not,” he said in a hushed tone. His eyes were much kinder, downturn, sadder. But he was still taking his brother. Still taking Vox to the back of their car. Fulgur watched as they secured him into the back, shut the door.
And he stood there and watched as the last faint hint of the car disappeared into the horizon.
Fulgur never saw it–and his brother–again.