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Bandu felt about the same as ever.
He steadily awoke, vision hazy and unclear for about a second before he blinked once or twice. It'd be a long time before he actually got out of bed (or even so as much bothered to turn on the light of his lamp), hastily clutching for the phone at his bedside and turning it on. He reflexively winced as the bright, illuminating light hit his dreary and tired face. He pulled his cover a bit closer.
Mornings were always the worst. Well, maybe that was an overexaggeration. They weren't always the worst- the one time he excitedly leaped up from under his blanket and got his fursuit ready for the local convention particularly came to mind. That was fun. He wished he could relive it, but it was his first, and there was no recreating your first experience with that kind of thing.
About an hour later, Bandu pressed his lips together and pulled himself up from bed. He put a hand on his back, arching it with a groan.
He still didn't bother to turn on his bedside lamp. That was a bit funny.
He steadily opened the door and walked outside his bedroom. He looked around. He peeked into the living room.
He sighed.
Of course Expunged was up before him, they always were.
It wasn't exactly something Bandu was complaining about- he realized the way he thought about it made it sound like he was, and it made him feel a bit bad. Even if he wasn't complaining, though, it definitely made him feel uneasy.
Talking to Expunged was always an empty experience.
"How was your day?" "Fine."
"How are you doing?" "Alright."
"Do you want to talk?"
Reigning silence.
"...No."
That was about as far as he got before Expunged would say he was busy, that he had to go- some sort of excuse that involved the minions, usually. Bandu didn't mind too much. Expunged was always busy. If Bandu complained about it, he didn't think his sibling would even really listen. Just wave an idle hand in his face and ignore him again.
So he didn't talk to Expunged so often. That option was kind of off the table.
Bandu floated down to the kitchen. Luckily, the kitchen and the living room were separated. The lingering atmosphere of uneasiness still remained unpierced in the air, but hey, at least Bandu didn't have to feel the sense of dread that came with trying to make idle conversation with Expunged and then immediately feeling like he'd only made things between them worse (somehow, even though he didn't feel like things were bad between them. They just needed some time to get along, things would resolve themselves eventually and maybe Expunged would recognize how much Bandu cared about them, though surely Expunged cared about him back and just didn't know how to show it or something along those blurry lines).
For now, though, Bandu just sat down, poured himself a bowl of cereal, and stayed quiet. He readjusted his hat before eating.
How weird was it, that he even felt uneasy while he was eating? It was a bit funny, but not in the way it made him want to laugh. It didn't make him want to cry, either, though.
Bandu caught himself almost scoffing. Emotions were a weird, complicated thing. He thought of it as a good thing, that he didn't dwell on his emotions for too long; it felt bad to do it. Whenever he did, his bedsheets would host even more damp stains that night, and an aching headache would flourish in his head that he couldn't sleep sometimes and it just felt so awful; everything about it.
He didn't think he had anything to cry about now, though. He was lucky enough to have such a great sibling, and even if Expunged didn't talk to him that much and kind of just waved off his existence sometimes, it still felt good to have somebody to have by his side, especially when it was somebody so amazing and cool as his very own sibling.
He looked down. The metal of the spoon clinked against the plain white porcelain of the bowl. There was a small pool of milk at the bottom. It'd be funny if he could see his reflection in it.
Bandu didn't care to finish. He'd already thought too much for the morning. He said and thought nothing as he placed the bowl in the sink, treading back to his bedroom. Maybe he would play games. Or livestream and interact with his audience. Or film a new video. He liked doing those things. It distracted him from the mundanities of life, as well as...
Bandu shot an empty, yet hopeful, glance towards Expunged.
The 3D god seldom offered or exchanged any words, looks, or even acknowledgement, so Bandu didn't think about how Expunged seemed to look at anything except Bandu. It seemed even the dust in the corner of the room was more interesting than interacting with your own sibling.
But that was fine! That was perfectly fine, Bandu thought as he floated over to his room and gave himself a small smile. He knew Expunged cared about him, he just knew it. Even if Expunged didn't look at him or barely wanted to talk to him, he cared about Expunged and Expunged cared about him, even if Bandu's sibling never showed it (he thought he heard about the idea in passing, in some YouTube video or something- not knowing how to show your love whether or not it be familial).
Bandu shut the door to his room, flopping back onto his bed and wrapping himself in the covers. He sighed, not wanting to turn on his bedside lamp even now. As scared as Bandu was of the dark, he was happy because he knew his sibling was here with him, and would surely keep him safe from anything that might've happened.
He smiled.
I love my brother.