Work Text:
Molayne gently stops Cynthia from rushing forward, holding out his arm just enough to make sure she stops. “It’s alright,” He murmurs, petting the Charjabug— Fourjabug, specifically— resting in his lap. “I’m supervising.”
He finds her baffled look a little amusing, but to be fair, he’d feel the same way. It’s a little concerning to see a teenager with a twenty-seven year old man sitting nearby.
“Are you out of your mind?” She hisses under her breath, her shock poorly masking her anger. “Cyrus is dangerous, Molayne-”
“I’ll step in if things get out of hand,” He says, quiet enough so the other two in the room aren’t disturbed. “I think this’ll help.”
Cynthia is quiet for a few moments, before sighing. “Fine. But I’m staying.”
-
Cyrus’s presence is pretty disconcerting.
Sophocles isn’t sure when or why he’d even arrived, and so far, he hasn’t said anything. But, well, Big Mo’s in the room as well, so… he knows he’s safe.
Still, it’s hard to focus on testing these modifications for Big Mo’s storage system with a scary guy like Cyrus staring at his work.
Eventually, though, Sophocles finally turns his attention to the older man. “C-Can I help you with something…?”
His words seem to knock Cyrus out of whatever trance he’d found himself in, and his eyes briefly lock with Sophocles’s, before turning his attention back towards the device the boy had been fiddling with. “I was curious what you were working on.”
His words are blunt, matter-of-fact. It catches Sophocles slightly off-guard, but he manages to regain his composure smoothly, better than he expected to. “Oh, uh… why?”
Mentally, he’s screaming at himself for asking such a dumb question…
“You remind me of myself,” Cyrus replies simply, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world
“That’s…” Sophocles laughs awkwardly before clearing his throat. “With all due respect, sir, that’s, uh, a little weird to hear from, um… you…”
It’s hardly noticeable, invisible to those not paying attention, but Cyrus’s brow seems to furrow just slightly, as if he’s thinking, before he continues. “You remind me of how I was as a child. Had things been different, I might’ve been like you.”
Well, that’s a lot to unpack.
Sophocles blinks, but his face softens slightly. Instead, he scoots over and pats the ground next to him. When Cyrus simply stares blankly, he explains.
“I-I’ll show you what I’m working on,” He says, managing to give Cyrus a warm smile, despite everything. “You can ask questions about it, uh, if you want.”
-
Cynthia’s clearly in disbelief, much to Molayne’s amusement. “See?” He says, laughing softly.
Cynthia gives him a confused look as he soothes Fourjabug, who startled awake at both the movement and his voice.
“I told you it would help.”