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Late at night, a few blocks away from a Papa Johns, in a darkened alley two identical men stood; Sparrow Oak-García and Lark Oak-García. While twins, Lark and Sparrow shared very little in common aside from genetics. Lark Oak-García set his military boots on the ground with confidence, and Sparrow Oak-García stood in harmony with all around him, crystals hanging from his neck.
Lark and Sparrow were a part of the Department for the Acquisition, Destruction, Deployment, and Investigagion of Extranatural Stuff (D.A.D.D.I.E.S. for short), so they dealt in what was before known as earth (Nowdays only known as the Doodler's realm) quite a lot, this time however they found themselves in a bit of a pickle, forced to work at a Papa John's while losing their memories by the Doodler's influence little by little. Since their fellow D.A.D.D.I.E.S. agents were busy, the only hope they found at escaping the establishmeant was their young son and nephew, Normal Oak-García-Swallows, and to contact him they needed to project. Astral projection is no easy task, it takes quite a bit of magical abillity, luckily, at least one of them was well versed in magic.
Once the Doodler was set free both brothers burried their wild spirits in favor of the comfortable dynamic they now share (the kind of intoxicating codependency that one can only find after decades of standing by someone's side), and in that dynamic, when it came to the study of magic it was Sparrow who took the lead; he used his conection to the earth to harness magic, something he learned from his father. Lark watched as his brothers eyes glowed a light green and his hands moved in small circles, creating a mix of pink and green magical mist. The way his hair framed his face and the masterful way he casted the spell almost made Lark forget just a few minutes ago he had chugged half a bottle of vodka in order to resist the effects of the Doodler's magic. It might have been that very same influence that made him say something he probably shouldn't have at probably the worst possible moment "I had sex with Rebecca."
Sparrow suddenly stopped moving, the magic mist from his hands and the green light in his eyes fading as he shifted his gaze towards his brother, leaving the alley in complete darkness once again "What?"
"Before you two had Normal, a few months before the wedding." Lark kept his eyes on the ground, unable to meet his brother in the eye. His heart was racing as he awaited the potential ouburst he was sure his brother was about to have. The Oak family had a pattern for explosive personalities, volatile temperament, something that even in someone like Sparrow gound a way to make itself seen every now and then. What Lark did not expect to hear, however, was "Yeah... I know, i was hoping you wouldn't bring it up." Sparrow said with an uncomfortable expression rather than an angry one.
Lark stared at his brother's embarassed face with wide eyes "What- What is that supposed- How come you know?"
Sparrow immediately put his hands up and made his voice take on a lighter tone, his ears still burning. "I know i'm not as smart as you, but to me you really are an open book."
Sparrow's anwser was met only by silence, as Lark scratched his left forearm, right where his old tattoo with his brother's name rested. "How is it that you're not mad?"
"I mean- It's not that i'm not mad," Sparrow dragged out the last word, as he struggled to find a way to say what was on his mind. "It's just that i didn't wanna talk about it because i knew i would be super awkward." He whined and accentuated the last sylable.
"That's- You're not making any sense at all." He put his fingers to his temples, feeling a headache begin.
"Maybe, but- I mean, look around us" Sparrow elevated his arms to gesture togards their suroundings, a cold alley in a destroyed realm "The last thing we need is more conflict" his voice lowered as he put his arms down "Besides, what was i supposed to do? Not mary her? When we had almost everything planned fot the wedding?" If Lark listened closely, he could almost hear the annoyed tone in Sparrow's voice.
"I'm sorry, Sparrow"
"Look, it was a long time ago and we already moved past it... so, don't bother thinking about it too much." Sparrow's eyes darted towards the ground, doubting his own words.
"I just don't understand how you aren't mad at me-" "I already said that's not-" "I know you did! But... Why didn't you do anything when it happened?" Lark gestured at his brother with a frustration that was only met by gentle, hazel eyes. "Because i love you too much to do that."
The scene fell silent for a few seconds, until Sparrow decided to explain further.
"And Rebecca as well, being with her makes me feel... Normal."
"We're not Normal."
"I know, but i like feeling like i am."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with being weird."
Sparrow huffed a laugh "Yeah right, maybe when the kind of 'weird' you are doesn't doom entire realms to eternal suffering at the hands of an eldrich god."
Sparrow didn't miss a beat at noticing how his brother cringed at his words, feeling guilty at the memory. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that. I just wish our bloodline wasn't so cursed." Once again Sparrow tried to lighten the mood by taking a more humorous tone. It didn't seem to work.
"Cursed?" Lark questioned, furrowing a brow.
"Maybe not the best word, but you get the idea. I really hoped that since i didn't have the Doodler in me when i had Norm that he wouldn't be like us, but clearly i was wrong. Maybe it's genetic or something."
Lark looked at Sparrow with furrowed brows. The events of that led to the Doodler's freedom affected both twins in different ways, and with te years it was becoming increasingly obvious what Sparrow got out of that experience.
"You need to cut the kid some slack. You gonna end up making him self-conscious."
Sparrow stared at Lark for a few seconds, before saying "Maybe that's what he needs."
"Sparrow!" Lark raised his voice, sounding almost offended "I'm sorry! I-" Sparrow laughed nerviously, tugging at his amethyst necklase "Okay- Yeah that- That sounds really bad." He lowered his voice, still akwardly smiling "I just- I worry a lot. I worry a lot about him, how could i not? He's 14 and has no friends besides that Ecuadorian pen-pal." He didn't notice how his voice started sounding whiny again "What if he never changes? I just want my boy to be happy." Sparrow leaned his whole body against Lark's, whining drunkenly at his ear.
"He's gonna be just fine." Lark said as he patted his brother on the head. "No, he's not. People make fun of him all the time but he's too nice to realize that." Suddenly, Lark realized the shoulder Sparrow rested his face in got a bit wet, so he decided to quickly end the conversation. "Look, we can talk about this once you're sober, okay? We still need to get back home." Sparrow sniffled as he looked up at his brother, eyes a little redder than before. "Yeah- Yeah, you're right."
Sparrow quickly composed himself, drying away his tears to start his spellwork again while Lark watched, the alley becoming illuminated by green mist and pink sparkles once again. Lark allowed himself to hope the next conversation with his nephew would be easier than the one he just had.