Work Text:
Eve wasn’t used to being alone. For as long as he could remember, his brother had been by his side. But now Adam was halfway across the world, studying architectural design and engineering in France, leaving the younger of the Paul siblings by himself for the first time in his life. It had been about a month since his departure, and although he didn’t exactly dote on his younger sibling, he was concerned for his wellbeing. In the weekly video calls they did at the behest of Eve’s therapist, he was always happy and eager to talk to his brother but his smile never quite reached his ears.
The fact that Eve’s smile was wide and genuine as they connected this time was surprising, but welcome.
He was nearly bouncing in his seat with excitement, his good hand flapping up and down with excitement. The hand on his prosthetic arm was also flapping, but at a much slower pace. It was an endearing sight, one that made Adam chuckle with amusement.
“What’s got you all riled up?” Adam asked, adjusting his glasses and pushing a stray strand of hair behind his ear.
“Guess!” Eve clasped his hands together. Adam used to wonder how he was able to do so without feeling pain in his natural hand, but Eve always insisted that it’s just something he got used to over the years. Couldn’t be too much different than getting used to glasses, Adam surmised.
Choosing to entertain his brother, Adam placed a hand under his chin and closed his eyes, feigning deep thought. “Hmm….” He hummed. “Dad finally proposed to Simone?” It was the first plausible idea that came to him, even if it was absolutely not the thing that had Eve so excited. Of course, they both appreciated and loved their (basically) step-mother, but officially adding the surname “Paul” to her name wouldn’t exactly be cause for elation.
“Nope!” The response was not unexpected.
“Give me a hint?” Adam asked.
As if to answer his question, a small mrow caused Eve to gasp and look down. Genuinely surprised, Adam’s mouth was agape as his brother bent down in his chair and excitedly, yet delicately, raised a small kitten to the camera.
The kitten, a small, fluffy, gray ball with piercing blue eyes mewled as Eve gently placed it on his desk. The look in his brother’s eyes was one of absolute adoration and he looked close to tears as he watched it explore. The kitten clamored over his brother’s keyboard, causing Eve to coo with delight. Adam was ripped from his observations when he heard the telltale ping of an incoming message. Curious, he opened the notification from… Eve?
Aaaaaaaaa,,,,,,,,,gggjgjjjkl;;;;;;;
Eve’s eyes were full of light as the kitten continued to crawl over his desk, squeaking as he gently stroked its rotund head. “Look how talented he is, Adam!”
“Y-yes, quite talented.” He couldn’t believe he was agreeing with his brother’s silly comment, but he was aghast at the small animal. Their father had always been against owning pets, no matter how hard he and Eve had begged. If it weren’t for the sounds of adoration Eve continued to make as he stroked the kitten, he would have thought it was a practical joke. “Am I going to get an explanation?”
“Don’t you want to know his name?” Eve pouted.
Adam sighed. “What’s his name, Eve?”
His brother immediately perked up again. “I’m glad you asked!” He picked the kitten up under its forearms and held it towards the camera, exposing its lusciously soft belly that even Adam felt a want to pet. “Say hello to Tommy!” A pause. Eve moved Tommy closer to the camera and spoke again, an irritated edge lining his voice. “I said, say hello to Tommy!”
Adam sighed again and shook his head, but could not fight the smile that crawled along his face. “Hello, Tommy.” The kitten squirmed in Eve’s hands, mewling in protest until he was set down on the desk once again.
“So, what caused dad to change his mind?” Adam inquired.
Tommy had laid down, tucking his legs under his belly, hiding them completely. Not dissimilar to a loaf of bread, Adam noted.
Eve’s eyes never left Tommy as he spoke. “Mrs. Beaumont convinced dad and Simone that a pet would help with the loneliness.” He chuckled darkly as he scratched Tommy under his chin with a finger. “Dad was a bit of an asshole about it, but she and Simone managed to convince him that it was the best for me.”
Ah, of course it had been his therapist, Beatrice Beaumont, that had managed to change their father’s mind. Beatrice was stubborn as an ox and absolutely devoted to bettering Eve’s mental health. Adam laughed, wishing that he had been in the room during that conversation. It was probably a swift execution, but his dad probably threw profanities at her for a while after.
On the other hand, Eve’s loneliness was a very real issue that always came up in their conversations. Adam, of course, loved his brother but ever since the car accident that took his brother’s arm and almost took his own life, he had been almost obsessed with him. Adam recognized it was because Eve had come so close to losing him, but everyone had been concerned about how he would react when his older sibling left the house. That’s where Beatrice, bless her heart, had come in and suggested the weekly video conferences. Eve was still lonely, Adam knew that, but he also knew that speaking to his brother was the highlight of his entire week. If his school work load would allow it, he’d do it more often to ease his worry for his sibling.
But as he watched Adam stare at Tommy, the worry in his heart melted away.
“Well,” Adam prodded, “how have you felt?”
Eve stayed quiet as he continued to stare the kitten, who had nodded off to sleep and had curled himself into a ball. Anyone else would have thought that he hadn’t heard the question, but Adam knew his brother well enough to know otherwise. He was just doing his own thing.
“I’ve been… happy.” The answer came after he took a few seconds to flip through a little book of emotions Beatrice had given him. Her own husband was autsitic himself and found the book to be a useful tool for emotional identification. Of everything his therapist had done for Eve over the years, that small book was perhaps one of the best gifts she’d ever given him. “I’ve been really happy.” He repeated.
Adam’s smile widened. He couldn’t remember the last time Eve had been able to so quickly and confidently identify what emotion he was feeling. “I’m glad. And… have you been lonely?” The question came out soft carefully, as to not upset his brother.
Tommy’s whiskers and ears twitched in his sleep, causing Eve to gasp. “Adam, look! He’s dreaming!” The question went completely unnoticed, and Adam chose to not repeat it.
Adam leaned forward on his desk, propping himself up with an arm as his elbow rested on the surface. “I wonder what he’s dreaming about?” He asked, curious as to what Eve would answer.
“I think… I think he’s dreaming of fish!” He almost shouted in excitement, his eyes looking away from Tommy for the first time. They were lit with excitement. “And chasing mice and toys! Oh, he loves playing with toys.” Reaching down, he pulled up a small, dark blue mouse toy. “This one is his favorite!”
Chuckling, Adam felt at ease with how happy Eve seemed. “I’ll have to watch him play with it one day.”
Eve’s eyes went back to watching Tommy as he slept. “Oh he’s so, so soft. And warm! And he vibrates when he purrs and--” He wiped his eyes of tears that had welled up in them, a sight that warmed Adam’s heart. “He makes me feel…” Another flip through the book of emotions. “Safe.” Eve finally chose.
And as Eve continued to ramble on about Tommy, Adam felt that feeling of safety encompass him too for he knew his brother would be happy and loved by this small, grey animal.
By the time they had to hang up, Tommy had woken up and climbed up onto Eve’s shoulder like a parrot, an act that he had been absolutely enthralled by. “Say goodbye to Uncle Adam!” Eve beamed. The kitten sneezed in response, causing even Adam to let out an “aaaaw.”
Yeah, his brother would be just fine with Tommy by his side.