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Falin came home when Laios was in the kitchen, absent-mindedly eating the sandwiches left over from breakfast. From head to toe, from the beret sitting atop her head to the untied sneakers threatening to trip her with every step, she was covered in water droplets. Laios couldn't tell if it was because she got caught in the rain, or because she stopped on her way home and rolled around in morning new-covered grass in the park (what remained of it around this time of the year, at least). He hoped it was the latter, mostly because he didn't want Kabru to have to go to work in the rain. He was relieved to see that the cat, who entered the house just before Falin closed the door behind her, was perfectly dry. While Falin struggled to peel her shoes off her feet, the cat made a beeline for the kitchen and assumed her usual spot under the table, carefully avoiding Laios' legs.
Having taken off her shoes, jacket, beret and scarf, Falin jogged into the kitchen and immediately opened the cupboard where she kept the cat food. Laios turned towards her, mouth full of his sandwich, and pounded his chest with his fist as he swallowed, miraculously avoiding choking on the large bite. He watched as Falin filled the cat's bowl with so much food that it seemed physically impossible for it not to start spilling out – and yet it did not. Falin had a talent for perfectly measuring the servings. He had no idea how she did it. Whenever he tried it, the food would spill onto the floor when the bowl wasn't anywhere close to being filled. Falin clapped her hands and bowed her head as she got up from her knees and moved out of the way. Only then did the cat come out from under the table, sending her suspicious glances as she approached the bowl.
"Hey," Laios said, taking another, significantly smaller bite of his sandwich. Falin took a seat beside him, sighing deeply as she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. Her hair was slightly damp and, now that he took a closer look, he noticed some leaves and bits of tree bark sticking out of it. Her cheeks were visibly flushed, even more so than usual. She must have had a lot of fun rolling around in the grass earlier. Laios swallowed his bite and nodded towards Falin, encouraging her to take a sandwich for herself. Falin grabbed one and immediately took a large bite, stuffing her cheeks like a hamster. "How was it? Did you and Marcille have fun?"
Unable to speak, Falin just nodded. She put her index finger up, asking him to wait a moment while she chewed on her sandwich. She always had to bite off more than she could chew, and then desperately try to chew it anyway, which could take her a few minutes if she got distracted enough. Falin put her fingers up to her lips as she swallowed, her eyes bulging out noticeably. Somehow, her face seemed to have gotten even redder, and she stuck out her tongue. She looked up at him with twinkling eyes. "It was okay!" she said, giving him a thumbs up. Laios let out a sigh of relief. Not that things were ever less than okay between Falin and Marcille, at least as far as he could tell, but it was always good to be sure. "Marcille asked me about you and Kabru," she added sincerely.
"Huh. Me and Kabru?" Laios leaned his cheek on the inside of his palm, grimacing and furrowing his brow. It wasn't necessarily weird that Marcille was curious about it. Like most people who'd known Laios for any amount of time, she probably never expected him to end up dating anybody, let alone somebody like Kabru. Besides, Marcille had always been really into romantic novels, and she always asked people about their relationships, and what their type was, and stuff like that. She didn't get anything interesting out of Laios when she asked him about it years ago, mostly because the question she asked was "what kind of girl do you like?" to which the answer was "uh, none". Perhaps he could have elaborated on his answer, but he didn't feel like it. For one, he wasn't really interested in talking about himself, for two, it truly didn't matter that he liked boys instead. Come to think about it, maybe this was another reason why she was so surprised to find out about him and Kabru. It made sense, but the thought of her asking Falin about it still made him uneasy. He didn't want his personal life to be a topic of discussion. Sooner or later, she was probably going to ask him about it, too. Laios shuddered, shook his head, and looked up at Falin. "What did she say?" Despite everything, he couldn't help but be curious. Falin stared back at him, chewing slowly. A full minute passed, and she was still chewing. Laios frowned. "Huh? What did she say?"
Falin continued to chew, now tapping her chin with her index finger, with her eyes rolled up to the ceiling, avoiding eye contact. Laios sank in his chair with an annoyed huff. Was it so bad that she couldn't even tell him? "She didn't say much," Falin said finally once she swallowed. That couldn't have been true, Laios thought. Marcille always talked a lot. She talked to Kabru while Falin helped Laios put away his presents, and the two of them were still talking by the time Falin had to leave for work. He didn't know what they talked about, and he didn't care to ask, but whatever it was, she probably wanted to ask Falin about it too. "She was surprised," Falin went on, deep in thought, "that's mostly what she told me. She asked if I'm sure that it's okay," she hummed, finally looking directly at him, "and I told her that Kabru is a good person."
"He is." Laios' heart leapt in his chest. Falin was a much better judge of character than he was. To hear her say nice things about Kabru was always reassuring, even though he already knew all of it himself. Come to think of it, he never told Falin much about his relationship. He wouldn't even know what to say. Everything that was worth talking about, she could see for herself. In fact, she probably noticed it long before he did. She was the one who urged him to confess when he was still reluctant to do so. All because she could tell that he was a good person. That really was all that needed to be said. Laios tilted his head. "That's all?" Falin already took another large bite, so she couldn't answer. Instead, she just nodded her head and gave him a thumbs up. That was the end of that conversation, then. He gave a nod, closing his eyes. "Oh, right!" he exclaimed, straightening up in his seat. "Kabru is invited to your birthday, right? He wasn't sure about that."
Falin's eyes grew wide with surprise. She blinked slowly, covering her mouth with her hand, as she swallowed the bite. "Yes!" she said emphatically once she could speak, shaking her hands as they balled into fists. "Yes, of course! I'd be really happy if he came! I hope he will!"
Laios laughed, relieved on Kabru's behalf. It wasn't as if he ever believed that there was a chance that Falin wouldn't want him there, but it was still good to make sure, just in case. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I told him that you probably forgot, or something. I mean, it makes sense, right? I never invited Marcille over for my birthday," he mused, stroking his chin, "but she came anyway." It would have been fine if she didn't wanna come, but he was certainly happy that she did. Marcille was someone who was important to Falin, and by extension, it made her somebody important to him, too, even though he wasn't sure how much she liked him, if at all. It would be fine even if she showed up just to hang out with Falin, but she brought him pretty cool gifts, too. He was excited to try making origami out of the paper she gave him, and his hand kept dipping into the pocket where he kept the plush toy keychain. "Oh, yeah. He asked me around what time he should come," Laios said, scratching the back of his head, "and I wasn't sure what you wanted, but I figured three o'clock should be fine." He tilted his head quizzically. Falin gave an eager nod in response.
"Yeah! That should be okay. Marcille said that she wants to take me somewhere in the morning," she hummed, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand, "but we should be home by then! I'll tell her!" Laios' lips curled into a soft smile as he nodded back. Just like he thought, Marcille probably had the whole thing planned already, down to the smallest details. If it were left up to him, he'd just ask Falin what she wanted to do, and they'd do just that. He wasn't really the kind of guy who had ideas. He preferred for people to tell him exactly what they wanted from him. It was easier with Falin than it was with most people, just because they lived together and talked all the time. He knew, generally speaking, the kinds of things she liked, and if she mentioned something she wanted, he would try his best to remember it. Still, it was a good thing that Marcille was the kind of person who could take initiative and figure things out on her own. Hopefully Falin would have fun.
Suddenly she slammed both hands down on the table, startling him. Laios jumped in his seat and hugged himself, trembling. "What? Huh? What happened?" he asked frantically, looking into Falin's wide open eyes. Without a word, she started patting all of her pockets. Whatever she was looking for must've not been in any of them, though, since, still without saying anything, she ran out into the hallway, where her jacket was. Laios settled down in his seat, somewhat relieved. Falin must've picked up something she wanted to show him, and only just remembered about it. That kind of thing happened all the time. Falin's pockets were always stuffed with all kinds of cool things, most of which she would only take out on laundry days – if she even remembered to do it then, that is.
She jogged back into the kitchen, triumphantly holding something in her hand. Subconsciously, Laios expected it to be a cool autumn leaf, or maybe a particularly large stick, or even a hibernating frog, so he was surprised to see a pristine white envelope instead. "I found this in the mailbox!" Falin informed, putting the envelope down in the middle of the table.
"What is it? A bill?" That was the only kind of mail they ever seemed to receive, anyway, but this wasn't the time of the month when he expected to get one. Then again, it may well have been in the mailbox for a while. He rarely remembered to check it. Falin was better about it, but only barely, and mostly because she had more opportunities to pass by the mailbox than he did, given that she actually went outside on a regular basis. Laios picked up the envelope and squinted at the writing on the back. As soon as he recognised the handwriting, he tossed the envelope aside without opening it. "Oh. It's from mom and dad," he murmured bitterly. "Wonder what they want this time."
Falin picked the envelope off the floor and sat back in her chair. Laios watched, with his arms folded over his chest, as she carefully opened it without damaging it too much. Personally, he would have just torn it in two, not caring in the slightest if he was tearing up the letter inside as well. Dad's letters were worthless, anyway. They barely counted as letters, resembling notices pinned to a bulletin board much more. Laios' own letters to Falin were concise, including only the information he felt it necessary to share, but compared to his father's, they were downright sentimental. He scrunched up his nose, seeing Falin take a single folded piece of paper out of the envelope. The paper itself was of pretty high quality, with a colourful pattern along the margins. It deserved better than to be used for a cold, rudimentary one-paragraph message.
Having put the envelope aside, Falin now read the letter quietly to herself, once, and then a second time, and her eyebrows rode up her forehead. She picked up the envelope and took another careful look inside,bringing it close to her face as she squinted. "Ah!" a soft gasp left her as she reached into the envelope. There was another, smaller envelope taped to the bottom of the bigger one. Sticking her tongue out, Falin took it out and opened it. Laios scoffed, looking away. The smaller envelope contained money, one banknote for each of them. His parents couldn't be bothered to get to know their children well enough to know what to buy them for their birthdays. It was probably for the better that they'd give them money to buy whatever they wanted, but to Laios, this was just another reminder that they couldn't be bothered to make any effort whatsoever. That was why he refused to take the money – at least, for now. Just to make a point of it.
"It says here," Falin hummed, folding her banknote in two as she spoke, "that they want us to come home for Christmas. They'll cover the cost of the flights both ways, and we can pick the dates."
Laios scoffed, leaning back in his seat. A bitter laugh came out of him as he shook his head in disbelief. Going home for Christmas? As if! The audacity to even suggest it as an option! He was never coming back, not even for a single day. He left home at the age of twelve and never looked back. He wouldn't let himself get trapped again. There was nothing in his hometown worth revisiting. Certainly not at the cost of having to see his parents, and talk to them, and answer countless questions about what he made of himself since he cut ties with them. They already received regular updates from Falin, and that was more than they ever deserved to know. Somehow, after all those years, he was still alive. What more was there to say? "That's funny. Obviously," he said emphatically, closing his eyes, "we're not going anywhere."
The response from Falin was silence. This worried him enough that he opened one eye to check her reaction. She was staring at the letter, her eyes wide open, chewing on her thumbnail. It was a short letter. There was no need to reread it over and over. What was she thinking so hard about? The answer was obvious, right? It wasn't as if- "I think," she said slowly, "I might go."
Huh. Huh? "What, really?" Laios leaned forward in his seat, looking into her face while she avoided eye contact, still staring at the letter. "You wanna spend Christmas with them? Why?" He frowned, and covered his mouth with his hand, suddenly feeling nauseous. He could never, never understand why Falin stayed in touch with their parents at all. It wasn't as if they were any good to her when she was little, and she hadn't seen them since. Indeed, the way their parents treated Falin was a large part of the reason why he wanted nothing to do with them. Neglecting him was one thing. He learned to live with it. Falin, though... she had it even worse, and yet she didn't seem bothered by it at all. She never should have needed to become this strong. He admired this about her, and loathed it at the same time. Still, exchanging letters with them was one thing, a matter of distance, he supposed. Maybe it was easier to forgive and forget from the perspective of so much time and space between them. He never expected her to want to see them again, though. He never got the impression that she was homesick, either. This came as a total surprise, and he didn't like it one bit.
Falin tilted her head, tapping her chin. "Maybe not Christmas. I wanna spend Christmas with you, and I know you don't wanna go." Laios' shoulders drooped. That was a small relief. "I could go a few days earlier, though. Maybe the weekend..." she mused, closing her eyes as she stroked her bottom lip. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Ah! If I left on Tuesday and came back on Thursday, that'd be okay, right? Kabru would be with you the entire time!"
"Oh, yeah. I guess." Laios furrowed his brow. Why did it sound like she already had that solution in mind? Was this something she already thought about before? He tried to look into her eyes once again, but she continued to avoid eye contact. Laios huffed, slumping in his seat. "I mean, I guess that's fine, but are you sure you wanna go? You don't have to, just because they asked you to," he said emphatically, knitting his eyebrows. Falin always avoided doing anything to upset other people, even at the cost of her own comfort. This must have been why she was so quick to accept the invitation. Their parents didn't deserve that kind of consideration, though. Not at all.
To his surprise, Falin shook her head. "No, it's okay. I wanna go," she said softly, and finally turned towards him. "I really, really wanna go. It's gonna be okay! They just want to see me," she explained calmly, "and I wanna see them too. If anything goes wrong, I'm sure we can talk it out. But, nothing's gonna go wrong! I'm sure!" she insisted, getting up from her seat. !I'll only be gone for three days, so it's okay. I'll be back really soon. And I'll bring you back something good!"
Laios cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Like what?"
Falin put up both of her hands dramatically. "Goat cheese!" she exclaimed proudly, wearing a smug smirk, fully aware of how convincing of an argument it was. Laios licked his lips. "I'll bring you as much goat cheese as I can carry! And cream puffs! And honey buns! And-"
"Okay, okay!" Laios interrupted, feeling his mouth fill with saliva. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and huffed in defeat. "I guess," he admitted, "it's worth it for the food. But," he added sternly, looking up at Falin, standing before him with her hands on her hips and a proud smile, "be careful, okay? If they do anything to make you feel bad, just go home."
Without a word, Falin reached forward and ruffled his hair with both hands. Laios whined and stirred in his seat, until Falin headbutted him so hard that he heard a crunch. "I'll be okay!" she insisted. "And you," she added, heading out of the kitchen, "will be okay, too!"
Left by himself once again, Laios looked down at the banknote left by his plate. Resting his cheek in the palm of his hand, he picked up the money. With a deep sigh, he put it in his pocket.