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"Koz...? ...Koz?"
The voice that calls him is soft but it's enough to rouse Kozmotis from his light slumber, enough to make him open his eyes to see them looking back at him from his twin's face. Pitch looks scared and is tightly clinging to a pillow and Koz is just about to ask him what he wants when he hears the sound of the other boy's stomach growling loudly.
"Hungry again?" He whispers, slowly getting out of bed when his twin nods. "Stay here, okay? I'm going to go get you something--"
"No!" The word is said just a little bit too loudly and Koz glares at Pitch, waving a hand to silence him as he listens to the sounds of the house, listening for the creak of a stair or the sound of their mother calling at them to shut up. When all he hears are the normal night-time noises he breathes a sigh of relief and heads toward the door. "I'll be right back, Pitch. It's going to be okay, I promise. I'll be alright."
"But Koz," he hears Pitch whisper, "what if mommy's up...."
"...I'll take care of mom, okay? Don't worry about me, Pitch, I'll be okay. Just stay in here and don't make a noise." The words taste familiar in Koz's mouth, an order he has to give every time he leaves the room, one Pitch knows better than to disobey. It hurts him to see the look of fear on his twin's face but it's better for him to be afraid now: fear has helped keep them alive so far and Koz was going to keep it that way. Maybe one day, when their lives weren't this shitty - when they could live on their own, away from mommy and her habits - things would get better. The thought made him smile as he slowly opened the door to the room the twins shared, just enough for him to slip out. "Remember Pitch, don't make a sound. I'll be back soon."
The last thing he saw before he closed the door was his twin's determined nod and that was enough to spur Koz down the hall to the stairs, the thick carpet muffling his footsteps. He took a deep breath as he headed down, holding tight to the banister so he could skip over the creakier stairs, knowing which was which even in the dark. Practice had made perfect, after all, and Koz had plenty of practice; Pitch couldn't do this in the dark, could barely make it down in the daytime because mom would always know it was him and Koz had sworn to himself he would keep his brother safe from monsters, even the ones in their own home. Thinking about his brother made this job easier - it was nice, knowing he had someone counting on him for things, someone who depended on him. It made trips to the kitchen for food or standing up to take a hit feel more like rewards than the terrifying things they were. It gave him the courage to sprint from the stairs to the hallway, stopping only when he noticed the doorway to the living room was open, light spilling out. Oh no. Oh no.
Think about Pitch, he thought to himself, trying to goad himself forward. He's waiting on you. Are you gonna let him down?
Of course not. He couldn't let Pitch down now, not when the boy was upstairs with a growling stomach, waiting on Koz to get back with whatever meager offerings he could find. His brother was waiting. The kitchen was just a few doors down from the living room. And mommy was probably passed out by now anyway. With those comforting thoughts he tiptoed forward, hoping that Mommy wouldn't see--
"Kozmotis? Is that you?"
The voice that spoke was scratchy and rough, pitched almost too low for it to be recognized as female. It was enough to make Koz freeze and turn his head to look at the woman draped on the couch, her head raised, bleary grey eyes looking in his general direction.
"Yes, mom," he said quietly, hoping she would just go back to sleep. "I'm sorry I woke you up - I was just getting something from the kitchens..." The boy's words died in his throat when his mother reached out a hand towards him, crooking her finger. "Come here for a second, sweetie."
Even though he didn't want to, Koz reluctantly moved forward toward his mother, trying not to wrinkle his nose at the smell of vinegar that seemed to trail her wherever she went nowadays. He knew it was from the needles she always had lying around lately, needles he had picked up and put away so Pitch wouldn't see them, and even if he didn't know what it was he knew that it was bad because whenever mommy used it she would turn into a monster. He was cautious as he walked up to the couch she was on, had to stop himself from flinching when she ran a hand through his hair. "Koz, you know I love you and your brother very much, don't you?"
"Yes, mom," he replied, trying not to sound monotone. He'd said these words so often to the woman it was getting difficult to make them believable. "I know."
"Good....good." The hand in his hair gently scratched over his scalp and his mother smiled, her gaunt face lighting up for just a moment, dead eyes showing some flicker of life. "You go get your snack now, honey, then back to bed. You have to be up early for school tomorrow."
"Okay, mom," Koz said, not even bothering to argue that tomorrow was Saturday and he and Pitch would more than likely spend the day holed up in their room, trying not to be noticed. "I love you, mommy."
"I love you, too, baby..." The hand fell out of Koz's hair after one more pet and his mother rolled over so her back was facing him. After a moment her breathing evened out again and Koz raced from the room toward the kitchen, hurriedly running a hand through his hair. He hated when his mother messed with his hair: it always left him feeling greasy and slimy for hours afterward. But at least their interaction had been minimal and he finally, finally got to the kitchen, his lips curled up in a smile when he saw the fruit bowl on the table, filled with ripe, red apples. He grabbed the whole thing and rushed back to his room, still trying so hard to be quiet as he could, skipping the creaking stairs and padding softly to his door. He was quick to open it and slip inside, only to be tackled by a body the same size as his own.
"You were gone too long," Pitch whispered. "It never takes you that long to go on a run." The boy's long fingers tightened around Koz's shirt, eyes scanning his brother for any injuries. "Are you okay?"
The concern his little brother showed him made Koz's heart twist. Pitch shouldn't have to live like this. He shouldn't have to worry so much about his brother. He should be worrying about what the kids in their class worried about, stupid things like television shows or books, or things that mattered like friendships and having fun. Koz wished so hard he could give those things to his brother, could make his life perfect, but he was just a boy. Still, when he lifted that bowl of fruit so Pitch could see it, when he saw the joy in his face, Koz couldn't help but feel everything would work out. "Here. Eat up, alright?"
Pitch stared at the ripe red fruit before picking one up and rubbing it on his shirt, then handing it out toward his brother. "Wanna share?"
It probably spoke volumes about their relationship that this was normal (even his friend Sandy had commented that he and Pitch shared far too much for normal siblings), but Koz nodded anyway, leaning forward to bite the apple at the exact same time Pitch did. Both of them watched one another while they did it, pulling back at the same time to see two identical marks on the fruit's flesh. Pitch carefully ran a finger over both indents before smiling at his brother. "....they're perfect matches. Like us."
"...yeah. Like us," Koz agreed, watching as his twin attacked the apple like it was a zebra and he was a starving lion. "Eat up and then back to bed okay?"
"Okay. ....hey, Koz?"
"Yes, Pitch?"
"....thank you." The words were mumbled sincerely around another bite of apple and Koz was surprised to see his little brother blushing. The sight made him smile and he nodded. "Anytime. You know I'd do anything for you."