Chapter Text
"...so that's it," Hunter finished lamely. "That's the gist of things."
Omega stared at her oldest brother, eyes wide, tears streaming down her face. "What– what did you do?" She asked. "After?"
After. Hunter sighed softly. "I got out on bail. Pretty lucky considering they wanted me in there for the rest of my life." He answered honestly.
"And Tech?" She prompted. "How did you get him back?"
They had to have. If anyone could have, it was them. They had to have saved Tech, they wouldn't have ever left him there. Not like she had been, alone and scared in the dark.
Hunter's face fell. "I'm sorry, Omega," He said gently. "We didn't."
She gasped, covering her mouth. She almost felt sick, thinking back to how close she had been to meeting one sibling. Tech had been in the house.
Tech had been there.
And Omega had never known.
"It's.. not easy to talk about," Hunter hesitated. "With Cross especially. No one's ever really gotten over it, yet. I dont think we ever will."
Omega understood that. She wouldn't move on from something like that, either. She looked to the hall, knowing Echo had listened and put his own input in, but all she could think of were the others.
"Thank you for telling me," Omega said after a moment. Hunter blinked in surprise, but nodded.
"Sorry it wasn't the fairytale you were hoping for." He muttered sheepishly. Omega managed a small smile at that.
"That's okay," She shrugged. "I think I'll learn to prefer this."
Hunter looked at her, brows furrowed, confused. He ushered her to bed, tucking her in with a small kiss to her head before walking away, flicking off the light.
Hours later, she tossed and turned, but sleep evaded her. She could tell from the shuffling around the house, no one could sleep.
So Omega stood and walked out. Looking for company during the coldest hour of the night. She poked her head into Tech and Crosshair's room, finding it empty.
She tilted her head, turning and walking down the stairs. She didn't have to look far to find her siblings.
Tech was sat up on the couch, struggling through each breath. Crosshair was right beside him, firmly guiding each horrid inhale and exhale.
Omega watched from the stairs as Tech was brought from the verge of passing out, to calm, sprawled out on Crosshair's shoulder.
Crosshair was whispering, soft encouragements and assurances as he held his younger brother close. The motion was too sweet for comany, so Onega slipped off.
Only she didn't make it upstairs.
"Omega," Crosshair said. "We can see you."
She jumped, turning quickly. She sheepishly waved, and Crosshair beckoned her closer. She walked over, sitting on the couch in-between her brothers.
Tech's chest was still heaving, but he gave her a small smile. "Can't sleep?" Crosshair asked. Omega nodded.
"I keep thinking about it," She admitted. "What happened. It wasn't fair."
Crosshair glanced to Tech. "Nothing's ever fair with Nala Se." He shrugged. "Get used to it."
"No!"
Tech winced at the volume, but Omega kept speaking, anger in her tone. "Why should we have to get used to it? It's not fair. It's not right. Why does she get to go on while we're–"
Damaged? Broken? Hunter told her not to use those words, but they felt so right.
"Fractured." Tech supplied quietly. Omega nodded.
"I hate her." She said firmly. "I hate her and everything she's done to us." She would continue to hate her until the day she died, she decided.
Crosshair huffed. "Join the club. Everyone does." He said with a small smile. Tech didn't say anything, pointedly looking away.
Omega looked up to Crosshair. "How do you live with it?" She asked. "How do you move on?"
Crosshair paused, frowning. Tech cleared his throat.
"You don't," He said softly. "You do not move on from something like that. Not from such extremities- you simply learn to..." He thought about it. "You learn to accept that there was nothing you could have done to make it better."
"Isn't that- sad?" She asked. Tech nodded.
"I do not believe she saw anything wrong with that," Tech shrugged. "It is up to us to.. make due with it. Live on despite it."
Omega frowned. Crosshair sighed. "I'm angry," He admitted. "I'm angry a lot. You are too, we're living and we're angry. We can do both."
Omega smiled up at her brothers. "Yeah," She said. "Yeah. I just.. she's hurt us so bad."
"But she hasn't ruined us," Tech assured. "We can still be happy. We can still be better."
"Meh," Crosshair scratched his nose. "Let's stick to better. Can't be happy all the time."
Omega laughed, leaning back onto the couch. "That's true." She mumbled. "Wish we could be, though."
"I think that sounds rather boring," Tech said gently. "Being happy leaves no room for much else. How do you appreciate something if you've never gone without it?"
Omega laughed again, cutting off into a yawn. "Your philosophical talk bored her to sleep." Crosshair joked, yawning himself. "It's spreading to me, too."
"Oh don't be ridiculous." Tech glared, fighting his own yawn. "You know yawns are contagious. Boredom is not."
"Why aren't you yawning then?" Omega asked. Tech blinked.
"I am not tired." He answered simply, smugly. Still a horrible liar, Crosshair snorted.
"Well I am," He grouched. "Goodnight."
Omega turned to sleep, her brothers curled up close. Yet rest still evaded her, like a plague. She sighed, staring at the ceiling.
She was still so, so angry. Nothing could make it go away. It weighed on her, threatened to crush her. She nearly felt as though she was drowning.
In her mind, she was right back where she had been, angry and alone on Nala Se's rickety couch. Nothing could clear the angry haze that clouded her vision.
Crosshair was snoring, and Omega felt envy stabbing her all over again. She really hadn't changed, had she? She was still the same, jealous child.
Omega turned and burrowed into Tech. He responded easily, encasing her in his arms, pulling her closer as he settled, too.
He still hugged me, Omega realised. Even though I'm angry.
She greedily leaned into the affection. Tech smiled against the top of her head. "Sleep well," He whispered sleepily into her hair. Omega gripped him tighter, startling him.
"Do you love me less when I'm angry?" Omega asked into the dark. Tech stilled against her, and she didn't dare look up.
Tech's eyes were pinned on Crosshair. He looked down to her. "Of course not," He answered. "I love you all the more. You are still my little sister, no matter what you feel,"
Omega felt tears welling up as he pat her head. "That kind of love," He said lowly. "With our.. mother, was not love. Because it was conditional." He mumbled, feeling Crosshair's hand clasping his. "I do not love you the way mother did. Mine is not conditional, it will always be there."
She nodded into him, sniffling. Crosshair pulled them both closer. "Go to sleep," He murmured. "You're both loved, now shush."
Tech smiled as Omega laughed, relaxed as she finally drifted off. Crosshair rolled his eyes fondly, smiling privately as Tech sunk into the plush pillows, falling soundly asleep.
Satisfied, Crosshair let his eyes slip shut. They were asleep in minutes, snoring.
Hunter was left awake to think. Think about losing so horribly, to think about how eagerly his brother had come back to him.
He didn't deserve the forgiveness he got, but Crosshair's reluctantly given words floated through the quiet of that night. Where he had sat on the couch, Tech curled up on his lap, fast asleep. Where he had fretted and cried, reminded of his failure.
"Anything is better than there," Crosshair had said. "You just have to do less shitty than she had done."
That should have been easy, but the flash of the scar on Tech's forehead, Hunter winced. He turned over, facing the wall. Nothing could fix this. Nothing, never.
He could only dare to hope he could do better with the third chance he'd been given.