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Brain was hungry.
He had been hungry for the last twenty minutes. When did he last eat? He arrived. He was found. And now he's being given the rundown of this new world he found himself in.
Was the last time he ate really centuries ago? It felt like only a day.
In the end, the hunger that came from an entire afternoon of panic and fighting was slowly catching up on the boy. And he was finding it harder to focus on Sigurd's words. Grey eyes slide from the hooded man sitting across from him to the tall wooden clock in this room. Staring at its face did him no good, it was clearly broken. No ticks, no tocks. He'd almost accept the chiming of bells..
While frustrated with the silence from the clock, Brain barely noticed that Sigurd stopped speaking and was watching him instead.
“Mister Brain?”
Sigurd saying his name caught his attention and Brain looked back to him. He could just barely see his mouth, which remained in a patient smile.
“Hm? Sorry, what were you saying?”
“I asked are you alright.”
Brain wanted to laugh.
How was he suppose to be alright after everything that happened?
Instead, his trademark smile appeared on his face. He found if he smiled at others, they stopped worrying about him. Accepted he was okay and moved on. It never failed him.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” he lied. “I just feel sick- no. No, not sick.” He paused, trying to find the word. He wasn't good at actually saying what he meant. He danced around it, made others figure it out on their own. Or pushed others into saying what he wanted out loud.
Then his stomach growled. Loudly. Brain's pale face tinged pink.
“Hungry. I think I'm hungry.”
Sigurd was quiet for a moment, leaning over in his seat. From where he sat, he could see a window out in the hall. The sky was getting darker.
“I guess I did drag this on..” There was a touch of embarrassment in his voice. Some welcoming committee he was, letting this poor young man go hungry while he rambled on about things.
He reached up to touch the device in his ear and whispered quietly. Sigurd didn't want to leave Brain alone for the time being, nor did he want to drag the exhausted boy any further than he already had. He hoped someone could bring them leftovers from the shared meal they usually had at HQ.
The meal the two of them missed.
There was a confirmation from another that someone would go to them.
Brain was sitting with his arms crossed, having let his hat droop in his face again. He hadn't taken it off since he got it back. “Sorry.”
“Why apologize?”
Brain shrugged, not looking at the other. Whether from the hat or because he didn't want to had yet to be seen. “I feel like a bother.”
“It's no bother,” Sigurd assured him. “It's my fault. I should have thought of what you would need, rather than the schedule they wanted me to keep-” there was a second grumble. This time, from Sigurd's stomach.
Brain tried to hold in the laugh, to be polite. In the end he lifted his hand up to muffle it. He couldn't see it, but he knew Sigurd was just as embarrassed as he was earlier.
“Perhaps I am in need of a meal as well. A break is definitely earned.” Another check outside. Not for the time, just to not admit his make eye contact.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, when a knock broke it.
“Ah, there they are.”
Sigurd quickly jumped up to go and open the door, assuming whoever was tasked with bringing them food had their hands full. And he would be right.
In walked one of their newer recruits, a youth whose name Sigurd couldn't quite remember. In their hands was a decent sized basket, filled with items wrapped in parchment paper and some bread.
“I'm sorry it took me so long,” they said, looking up at Sigurd as they adjusted their group on the handle. They were not so subtly trying to peek over the taller man's shoulder. That mysterious person was here... “You know how Rosie is. If she finds out someone's hungry, she wants to set them up for a week.”
Sigurd laughed, agreeing as he moved out of the way so they could come inside. “Yes, yes. It's how she shows her love. Now while you're here, why don't we make introductions?” He asked, definitely not using this as a refresher on their name.
Brain had stood up from the sofa. It took a moment, he always found some way to sit like a pretzel. Once up, and his hat adjusted so he could see proper, he took a step closer so he could go ahead and introduce himself.
He stopped.
“Of course, sir! I'm-” The basket dropped.
Sigurd barely caught it in time. All his questioned died on his tongue as he looked between the two.
Brain looked like he saw a ghost, eyes wide and face pale. His lips parted but words didn't come out. Bracelets clinked softly as his hand rested on his chest.
The recruit was no better, their face was a mix of emotion, eyes glistening and for a moment, Sigurd was worried they stopped breathing.
Brain uttered something Sigurd didn't understand. A dialect no one used anymore.
Everything was different, but he recognized this person. The hair wasn't the same, the eyes an unfamiliar shade. But his Heart was singing out in recognition. Was theirs?
They continued to stare at each other, not daring to make the first move.
“Do... Do I need to give you two a moment?” Sigurd asked, feeling uncomfortable. Brain didn't know anyone here, he thought. Or did he miss a rendezvous when he wasn't looking? Wasn't that rather fast? “I know he's rather handsome but you should control yourself..”
He made bad jokes when he was confused.
Brain broke eye contact to look at Sigurd like he grew a second head.
The moment he looked away, the spell was broken and they could act again.
“Brain!”
A whirl of white as they crashed into Brain without another word, knocking both of their hats off. Brain stumbled back slightly before regaining his balance and wrapping his arms around the youth.
Contact made him forget to ask questions. Forget to be embarrassed. Forget that Sigurd was there.
“Our last Dandelion, what are you doing here?”
The answer he got was muffled, the youth's face buried into his shoulder. Brain only hugged them tighter, afraid they would both disappear if he let go.
“I thought you'd..” Brain couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "Never mind. You're here." He brushed a hand against their hair. "You're here." He didn't want to think about how many more were truly gone. Lost to time and the end. Without letting go, he turned his head to face Sigurd, blinking a few times as the man appeared as a blur to him.
He was crying.
They both were.
It wasn't like the tears he shed when he saw Ephemer's statue. There was happiness in them, yes. But they burned his eyes as they fell. His voice cracked as he tried to explain in choppy words.
That often Hearts would be reborn.
And he knew this Heart. They knew him. That the last time he saw them was on monitors while he desperately searched for a way to save them and the rest of the Dandelions. Before being told he wouldn't have enough time to even save himself.
It ached to say. The memory was so fresh. Literally days ago, if not mere hours. He wasn't sure.
He didn't save any of them but one was safe. One was safe again and in his arms and he wasn't sure he'd ever let go.
Until his stomach rumbled again.
An ugly laugh came from them in his arms and hands reached up to pry him off.
“Eat. We can.. catch up in a minute.”
Sigurd sat the jostled basket down on the nearby table, taking advantage to pull Brain near it.
Brain still looked hesitant. Yes, he was still very hungry. But his emotions were still a mess and that tight feeling in his chest was getting worse. He looked at the familiar unfamiliar person, not trusting himself to speak again.
As if reading his mind, they moved to carefully sit on the arm of the sofa. And then made a motion with their hands for the other two to eat.
“We're not leaving again. Promise.”