Work Text:
Damian Desmond hates Anya Forger! Ever since the first time the two children had interacted the one ended up with a burse over his head for a week or so. Thought mouths had passed the second son had (In one way or another) declared his hatred to the entire school. Both of them so as the entire school knew that. What was it not to hate about her? She acted weird most of the time, she always seemed to be trying to get his attention, and she had low knowledge on things. And she keeps on acting like a toddler, invested anime and manga. Not to mention he hated her stupid persona Starlight-Anya, her stupid short legs, her stupid grin- God he hated that stupid, haunting grin SO much!
He lets down his pencil from his hand, not noticing that it sided down and fall down on the ground. He was supposed to be studying for the next day, and yet his mind was focused on a particular short pink haired girl. Despite his inner voice telling him to wake up from his daydreaming and keep on going.
Emile and Edwin had already gone to the library to study there and possibly get any Intel they could about some subjects from previous students. So Damian was all alone in the living quarters. Until he heard the phone started ringing. Grunting he went for it. Who is calling at that time?
The young boy lifted the ringing phone of the room. Maybe it was his two friend’s parents or other relative calling, one thought crossed his mind. If so this meant that he had to find that person’s son or daughter and inform them about the call. If that’s the case he could not stop his studies, for something so irrelevant. (Except if it seemed as a dire circumstances) As normally he would politely decline, tell them that that person was not around the room and suggest calling back again sometime after, hang the phone and continue with his homework. That’s what anyone would do in his shoes, he told himself as he lifted the phone and hold it up to his ear and immediately his eyes upended wide in shock.
He knew that voice. He knew that voice too well.
From the other side of the voice call that voice belonged to his older brother Demetrius Desmond, the first born child of the Desmond family, the most successful one of the two, the most loved by everyone including his parents. Wait a second! Normally that was the other way around that Damian was talking to him for something. But no! Surprisingly Damian was listening to his brother calling him?
“Demetrius, why are you calling me all of a sudden?” Damian asked. On the other side of the phone the older brothers voice sounding plain but reassuring said: “I was just checking. Am I interrupting you with anything?” Apart from his last homework he had nothing much.“Eh, n-No.” The young boy could hear a sharp noise of his breathing, an immediate reaction by his brother’s satisfaction. Damian couldn’t see his reaction but guessed he was glad by his response. “Good. Listen in a few minutes Sebastian will some and pick you up. Get prepared.” Demetrius informed flatly. “Ok?” He didn’t finish his reply back; his brother had already shut the phone call. Whets just happed Damian asked himself.
Just as Demetrious said Damian entered in one luxurious car and his butler arrived back at his house. The Desmond’s house, before his father got elected they still lived to the same new aristocratic house. Feeling unwell, Damian entered inside with the entire staff of their mouse welcoming him inside. But this was the very first time he ever came back home after the school year began, so he got used to not being welcomed like that. It felt so strange and yet familiar, but this wasn’t the thing that bothered him the most. Damian got informed that his father was going to work late and his mother occupied outside, so he was he along with his older brother alone.
Damian wasn’t fearful of his brother. There had been countless of times where he and his brother were fighting about silly things. If he called him out for the blue for something about his grades or especially his grades on language he was going to burst at him. Then he remembered the older boy was constantly under the side of his father, better not lose his temper for something so trivial. As the young boy was passed the hall send on to the stairs his thought were running wild. He thought that if Damian wanted to talk to his father his brother was always the only person whom he could contact and he could talk to their father. Like playing the broken phone game, usually he was getting nothing. Except once when this year’s Eden Academy Social Gathering Revenue took place and his father did come to see him. Still he forgot the fact that the only catalyst that he couldn’t even talk to his father properly was because of his older brother.
It wasn’t a secret that Demetrius was the favorite out of the two. In fact it was quite openly shown that, even if the adults refused to believe, accept or even acknowledge such thing as playing favorites. That always failed Damian’s with more questions than answers. At some point he thought that he seem delusional or something. But he knew he wasn’t. Thankfully all those days in the Eden Academy made him certain that he wasn’t.
Demetrius wasn’t the type of person who would was always studying and never getting out of the house. No! He was the yearbook leader committee for four years, a great soccer player in his second year, plus he was playing the guitar and excellent fluent in three foreign languages. His spare time would include reading mental health books and sometimes his younger brother would catch him doodle some great drawings. Putting all that aside, when the time came when there was examinations on his way the older brother would shut himself in his room, and he NEVER talked to him or any other family member back until it was over. He needed three years to graduate, that was all until he never talked to him again. Not that he did most of the time.
Demetrius never got to stay in the dorms. All those years his father refused to spend money for something such as paying extra for dorms, food among other extra bills for his son to attempt the academy. But he did to Damian, he wasted a bunch of money so that he stayed away for a long period of time away from his own room, his house, his family, his warmth (Whatever warmth there was left, that is). Demetrius always had a car ride to school and back at home, while his brother was near school so he didn’t need for car rides or any other special treatment.
Everything his older brother had, he was always if not most of the time the one who if he said something everyone would do what his brother asked. Demetrius seemed to have everything. He was the best child on top of that … He was what his parents wanted Damian to strive for. And that was what Damian despised about his brother. The best out of the best of the best for the perfect child as he once heard his mother say he was Demetrius.
Damian’s blood started boiling as he approached bedroom where his brother was working. He should stop. Whatever happens now may lead to more problems for him. The young boy checked his clothes and quickly fixed his hair, he wanted to be at his best. To show that he was getting better at school, along with a more mature look. He took a few breaths to hide his frustration; he didn’t want the first thing out of his mouth to be to calm down. BECAUSE if you TELL someone to calm down, they won’t EASILY CALM DOWN! It’s a basic common sense.
He knocked and another figure welcomed him in, it was Ruth the room cleaned service maid. Of course he wondered that this parents would get him a maid, if he was studying everyday without a break, he want even cleaning his own clothes, Damian’s mind had thought. Ruth welcomed him back home and allowed him to pass inside as she closed the door.
It’s been nearly half a year ever since he last saw his brother. Eight whole mouths since he last saw him at the same chair at the same desk, typing on a typewriter. Damian sat down on the edge of the bed watching his brother, typing. Once he was comfortable the older brother took the paper in his hands and left it aside, he took another one with a pen on his other and for the first time after mouths they looked each other.
Damian sure did take his looks from his mother but yet Demetrious had the same eyes like his. Only rather than light brown like Damian’s they were dark brown like his father. He also inherited from his father his nose and the sharp black hair covering his back of the hair pushed back. But as a unique characteristic that was only his in comparison to his family, Demetrious had a few beauty mark moles around his cheeks, even if he was 15 (or 16 on a couple of mouths forward) he still had those light brown beauty marks being overshadowed by the massive dark cycles round his eyes.
Demetrius lips curved up, stood up passed his small office and confident walked headed over the side of his brother. “Damian how was school?”
“Good?” Damian says as his brother sits beside him on the corner sofa near with the bed. The older brother was smiling brightly and as the other sibling notices that he raises his eyebrow. What was he so smiling about? Could it be about his progress on something? Was that what he was typing important? “D - Don’t mind me asking but what were you typing?”
“Never mind that paper, Damian. You appear to be stiff, please relax.” And sure he was with his chest up, arms tight, posture assertive, and head high reaching the view of his brothers. “Have you chosen what you would like to do next year? Like the advanced course of study or the neutral course of study?”
Many things have been weird for a few minutes since he came however this is entirely new for the order brother. The younger sibling decided to tell the questions directly and be done with it afterward. Time was passing and he had no time to waste for his sake. “What do you mean? What’s with the sudden caring all of a sudden, Demetrius?”
The other one didn’t immediately tell his answer, but let out a fake giggle while fidgeting his fingers. “I am a bit tired, so please let’s talk.”
Tired? What does he mean a tired? Tired of him, Tired of him till he get there! Damian took his brothers words too much at heart. Or was it for something he had done again. But he didn’t do anything! He might had some difficulty in Classical Language or been involved with the punch incident back in the orientation day at Eden, the time when he was hold hostage by the Red Circus and that time where he called him to see his father. But those were isolated incidents that didn’t even end up as bad as he was expecting. He got Shorty’s apology (plus from her father too) and asserted his position, saved himself, with the help of his friends his, the rest of his classmates and teacher which led him win a Stella star out of it! Plus he got two more because he was academically excellent and punctual with is grades the entire year!
He had nothing to prove or inform him about.
“That’s none of your business, ok? What the deal, why you called me all of a sudden? And it not because you care about me or anything for you to interrogate me!” The small boy riposted watching the older brother’s smile to fade as he reacted, showing that he knew how to deal with this. Demetrius as he head his brothers words, his hands rudder the back of his neck.
“I just wanted to talk about your future Damian.” Demetrius answered Damian’s question kind of catching an essence of melancholy. The paper he kept was being hold really tight so much the cricking sounds could be heard. “As years go by you will mature grow, lose and gain. Memories will stay with you forever. You’ll be a part of this society. All I just want from you right now is to talk, is that too absurd thing to ask?” Where does he want to end upon? What was he even wanted for, Damian questioned losing his patience. “No fighting. Like a civil brother bonding.”
That was it; he should leave if it was not going anywhere. “Like hell you do.” He stood up and fixed himself again in attempt to excuse his depart only for him to get hold of the older brother to stop him.
Demetrius hold him by the shoulder preventing his sibling from what he thought he would do. “Have I said something wrong?”
“What gave that away?” The young boy retorted, bashing the hand that was holding him, heading for the door. Suddenly he felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder. He didn’t want to look back, he shouldn’t look back.
“You can talk to me Damian. What is bothering you?” He couldn’t see him but he felt his brothers fingers getting lighter over his shoulder, Demetrius must have stood up and kneeled quickly down from sitting uncomfortably. And his voiced was risen so much the young boy’s heart shivered in fear. Why was he so afraid all the time? What did he just say? Wait what he was bothered so much? Did he seriously ask him that?
“What’s bothering me?” Damian finally snapped at his brother. “I have a lot of things to say to you but thank god we are brothers. In fact I resent being your brother.”
“Ok, Damian please calm down!”
“No I am not! You are always the sun and I am not even part of your shadow. You had everything and everyone! You had success; you had mom and dad’s lo…!” Damian words began stumbling, his eyelids felt like watering and yet he swallowed it. His pride would never allow that, not inform t of him. Hot yet his mouth kept voicing his thought he had been hiding all this time from everyone. “I bet you didn’t even have to struggle at anything. Everything just comes so natural to you!”
“Damian you don’t…” Damian shoves his older sibling’s hands off from him.
“You know what! I don’t care what you want, I am leaving.” Damian had enough he could do whatever he wanted, after all his parents could do whatever he wished. Damian before not shortly after heard a sound of falling flappers right behind him. Yes he was angry, but then he thought of what was that. The least he wanted was to depart to the Academies dorm and later get a call over a mess he did not even do. He steps back and looks at his brothers falling papers and looked at what it was a glance before Demetrius could take them back. He young boy immediately recognized what those falling papers sounds were; it was a pair of flying tickets. The older brother tried to hide them to his pockets but it was in vain, he realized he was already caught by the time he hid them. He then looks at his small brother like that never happened.
“I had been planning a vacation holiday for the two of us.” Demetrius confessed. Damian’s anger in a blink of an eye departed while it was replaced with the feeling of a sudden confusion. His brother had tickets for the two for them? He did say he hated him. But was it the best time after what he already told the older boy moment’s ago? Yes, it surely would seem antithetical to the action he was about to do a moment ago, but he wanted answers to this event. “What? Why?”
Without knowing how Damian ended up being hugged tight by his brother’s hands, listening I through his chest his heart was skipping like crazy. Damian stood there frozen. What is wrong?
“I am sorry Damian, if I ever made you feel this way you do. I know. I know how you feel. Alone. Resentment. I feel that way.” Damian in a moment didn’t know what to feel or what to do. He just stood there confused awkwardly in his brother’s embrace. Later on, they both let go. Demetrius sat down on the floor and voiced his mind out.
“I had a lot of my mind these years; I never had time for you because I was all conserved for my public image and the name of the Desmond family’s legacy ever since I could remember. Before you were even born…” Sincere the sound that was coming out of him, letting out a essence of hesitation, maybe shame. Damian looked his brother he wasn’t even looking at him; he was looking directly the wall. He said.
“Over the years things changed, I changed. The Academy soon was all I had. All the friends I had are all either got expelled, or transferred to another school. The once who stayed are trying to life on their fantasies. Greatness upon the mass amount of papers and work put together for a future. Over time I noticed that I was in pure isolation and completely trapped into this great name of the famous imperial scholar that is Desmond Demetrius.”
Damian for the first time in forever saw Demetrius as he never saw anyone old enough to cry? Maybe he was too opening up, his anger to his brother. The younger one then felt kind of bad for his behavior moments back. Should he have stayed? If he didn’t’ he would have seen this enlightenment.
Demetrius head fall down, on one point it seemed like it curved over to see Damian but in a moment turned back down on the floor. With a long breathe he cleaned his through from cracking while moving his wrists he wiped clean his eye. “When you were about to start, I told dad to enroll you at Eden on the condition that he lets you stay there. I knew you wouldn’t like that at first. But I knew that you would have a better time there, than I ever had in this house. With peers and friends around you. Safe from here. The only thing I could ever dig out of my experience in Eden apart from academic stuff was the only thing that through all my years … all I could ever give you was time. Time for your long-lasting memories, your time for your friends and your time for anything you wanted to follow on.”
That was the most depressing thing Damian ever saw and heard out of his brother. But he also didn’t know that his life was so lonely. He felt very bad about comparing his life with his even if he knew nothing about his true feelings. The older brother’s tears kept tears kept falling, and thus Damian took a few steps back didn’t receive any reaction out of him. He didn’t even turnaround; he just kept looking down at the floor. Moments passing was enough to convince him that that want the case. That was a real reach out from the depths of the older brother’s heart.
But Demetrius kept rumbling whatever he was keeping inside of his mind. “Don’t get me started on the homework and my imperial scholar stuff! I could not be more proud of ever reaching this top but if a success can’t be shared with people who love you and care for you! I would trade that even for world ...” Full stopped on that word, all the immediate anger was gone. “I can’t say that! How can I?”
Damian’s heart was working son so many layers of emotions, it overworked his body to hide them.
“Just look at you, won three Stella stars already on you first year. You are smart, with friends who care for you. And a little bird told me that you have a special admirer.”
Demetrious gave his best smile even if he wasn’t on the best emotional shape. Was he hinting that special admirer being that Forget girl?
Damian thought if Demetrius in this state was going to chase after him to listen if he dared to dash out of the house and back to the academy. All these mouths Damian always thought of his brother as a caricature of his father always strict, always busy. Always away from his reach, always leaving him alone, always on the top while he felt like rubbish. But now it was the most mind breaking thing his mind could not comprehend. Demetrius Desmond the first born son of the Desmond family, depressingly isolated with nothing but regret and a fake persona to carry everyday to everyone around. He was multitasked, he was smart and he was nothing like what he thought he knew him of.
His world shattered.
“Why you had to put with all of this? Why didn’t you talked to anyone?” That was a stupid question; he immediately remembered why. Their parents would never except that they were mentally exhausted, or even incapable of keeping up with modern standards of societal expectations and societal communications, like friendship. They would show enough to little concern if one of them was sick or hurt but that’s all they care for them. Then Damian brought to mind that something he heard out of his own father. Something that has been haunting him, but constantly tried to forget.
“Our children may be sharing our blood, but they aren’t us. They essentially strangers.”
“It is impossible to understand strangers.”
“In the end… People will never be truly sympathetic with each other.”
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Conclusion?
What if he tried?
Demetrius said half – tearing up answering his question. “We better not bother them Damian. Everyone is busy in their own world.”
“Brother? “ It was now or never. One attempt to fix whatever was shattered by him and their parents. “If we go, and spend time together that would not make us strangers anymore, would it?”
Demitrius turned to Damian shocked. Not because it was Damian who thought of this solution but because the solution was so simple and yet it was in his pocket all along. All required his younger brother’s last say so. Both of them knew what that ment. Demitrius teared one last time and took out off his pockets the tickets and gave them to Damian. He looked at those tickets off his hand on top of them was written a place where he wasn't expecting to ever see in his life.
More like he never thought he would ever head to...
“Westalis!”
“Westalis has the best places to travel for a short holiday. Just you and me, little one. I am not of age yet, so I have asked if we can travel there. I know it doesn’t have the best reputation thanks to Eden or those terrorist attacks those days. The idea sparked over a few months back when I was reading a history book about the Ostanian war twenty five years ago. There were a few places we can seek and visit for historical value. As for simple leisure we can improvise. I hold a little faith in those two papers that might be good way to end your holidays, before departing again.”
Who was Damian to refuse to his brother at a time like this? He sure holds some examples as to why they shouldn’t go there right now when there are some criminal political activities still rising one after another. For an teenager going into adulthood Demetrius sure seemed to confident with what he is saying. It seemed reckless maybe even stupid. Damian assumed the possibility that Demitrius expects things to turn down over upcoming the weeks. Maybe the whole talkabout war wasn't gonna ever happen. Or something else Damian was missing or didn’t knew about.
Whatever the case it felt nice talking to him. Filled excitement for a summer holiday trip with his older brother. On Westalis of all places in the world!
Next, the near future was a bit of an issue for him. “What will you do now till then. We both have the finals. Are you sure you can make it till the end?”Damian asked Demetrius. The older brother looked at him amusingly, forming a wide smile. How words can affect people so strongly, Damian noted to himself. “Don’t worry about me. Only a mouth then the finals then we will see!” The older sibling one last time cleaned his watery face before he began holding his younger’s brother’s head and playfully brushing his hair, getting a laugh out of both of them. “Demetrius, please, stop!”
“What is it? Does it tickle?”
He really wanted to tell him to collecting himself before anyone could watch him. But he would be damned if he did, that was the first is ever he ever saw his brother like a mess and extasiatic out of hours and hour of work and after a mental break down he just had.
So the younger brother came close to him and hugged him. Demetrius then leaned a little bit down and hugged his brother back. The two boys talked over hour and hours trying to plan a vacation plan for Westalis. His brother had most of a cohesive plan a Damian was getting very excited over the fact that brother was so kind to even plan this trip.
Then they talked about Eden academy, Demetrious talked how he despaired the lad amount of homework, assignments and thing he had to maintain good or even elegant in order to be a perfect student. As he listened Damian learned things about his brother that he didn’t knew about, ho much he sucked a s well at proper language at his age, told him and showed him pictures and of how his regrets being a imperial scholar over something else he found interesting. For example being the football team’s striker. Damian found it hilarious how much in common they had over the obvious.
His brother openly said that he wished to become a psychologist, while Damian mentioned that it would be terrible idea for him since he would be always studying and leaving around for practices while the same time he thought of this coincidence of an occupation just like that Forger girls father. [Meanwhile in the Forger house the spy and the telepath daughter started sneezing at the same time uncontrollably, the assassin mother of the family got scarred at first. Someone must been thinking of them, she thought.] Demetrius really wanted to seek out and help out the week and ill minded citizens of the Ostania.
And that’s how the two young boy’s day ended. They didn’t fix their brother relationship entirely neither was it shattered at all. In fact it was a chance to fix it and both of them had to try hard for it. After all Rome wasn’t built in one day. At night the young child came back to the academy’s apartments and rejoined his work like he was supposed to do. He closed the book when the clock strikes at 10:30 and decided to call it a day and then prepared for sleep.