Chapter Text
Santiago and Kalidos are walking at night together in Raccoon City, a little far from their house. Chatting about whatever, but there seemed to be a trend to talk about their own lives, since they don't live together anymore.
During Santiago's turn to talk, Kalidos hears a loud bang coming from an alleyway, shushing her brother immediately with her hand. They both stop in place.
"Wha- Kali, I'm in the middle of fuckin' talkin-" Santiago said, muffled with the help of Kalidos' hand, scoffing as he slapped her hand away from his mouth.
"Dumbass, cállate un segundo. You hear that?" Kalidos narrowed her eyes at Santiago, looking in the direction of where the sound came from.
"...Hear what?" He looks annoyed and visibly upset, trying to focus on whatever sound she was talking about.
The sound was heard again, Kalidos clearly looking worried as she looks back at her younger brother. "That. I know you heard that."
Santiago furrowed his eyebrows, narrowing his eyes at his sister, looking weirded out. "That's what got you all worked up? Relax, chica, it's probably just some addict." He chuckled a little bit.
Kalidos looked annoyed now. "...You act as if that's any good. Ese adicto podría matarnos, joder. [That addict could fucking kill us.]" Her voice raised slightly as she tried to talk to her brother about the noise.
“Sin importar si es un adicto que podría matarnos, ambos podemos defendernos. Y es Raccoon City. [Regardless of whether it's an addict that could kill us, we can both defend ourselves. And it's Raccoon City.] What were you expecting, for it to be all unicorns and rainbows?” Santiago looked pretty unbothered by the situation, while Kalidos looked like panic and fear were setting in for her.
“Santiago, I know about who fucking lives here. The problem is that I’m a woman. Los hombres de noche que no son familia o al menos alguien que conoces son hombres a los que, razonablemente, temer. [Men at night who are not family or at least someone you know are men to, reasonably, fear.] So, sorry if I’m at the very least, afraid for my LIFE, but it’s reasonable for me.” Kalidos’s voice increasingly got louder and you could hear the panic in her voice.
"Oye, oye... Cálmate, Kali. Even if something were to happen, we both know how to defend ourselves, right?" Santiago put both of his hands on her shoulders, looking her in her eyes as he said this in a calm voice.
“Yes, but… Sólo temo que... quienquiera que esté haciendo ese ruido te haga daño. [I’m just afraid that - whoever’s making that noise will hurt you.]” Kalidos still looks worried, but she’s more calm now.
“I can handle myself, Kalidos. I want you to worry about yourself, if, um… algo sucede. [Something happens.] But we can always just, y’know, go back.” Santiago motions with his hands, moving them to show the pathway where they just came from. “I don’t want to keep going if you’re worried.”
Kalidos sighs, massaging her forehead. “When we’re in actual danger, we’ll go back. Creo que son los nervios los que me hacen sentir así. [I think it’s just my nerves making me feel like this.] I’m fine.”
No la creo. Ella está tratando de ser duro para mí. [I don’t believe her. She’s trying to be tough for me.] Santiago thought. He raises an eyebrow at her. “¿Quieres cogerme de la mano mientras pasamos? [Do you want to hold my hand as we pass?]” He holds a hand out for her to grab, if she wanted to.
Kalidos scoffs, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. “Ya no somos niños. [We’re not kids anymore.] …But I’ll hold your arm.” Santiago looks confused, as if it was basically the same thing, but went with it.
"Y'know, you can do both. Holding my arm is basically the same thing."
"Yeah, but I feel like that would seem and feel weird." She says softly as they slowly approach the alleyway, where the noise had come from.
"It'll make you feel, uh... ¿Cuáles son las palabras? 'Double safe.'" Santiago had tried improvising the words. At least he tried.
"'Double safe?'" Kalidos repeated, giggling. "Suena como si quisieras que me aferrara a ti, Santi. [It sounds like you want me to cling to you, Santi.]"
Santiago scoffed upon hearing that. "No, no, no, never." He says, in a high-pitched voice, as if he's trying to mock Kalidos. “Tú eres el que se pone nervioso por un sonido fuerte. Sólo estoy tratando de hacerte sentir bien de nuevo. [You're the one who's all worked up over a loud sound. I'm just trying to make you feel all right again.]”
“Burlarme no me ayudará a sentirme así. Sólo me hace sentir menospreciado. [Making fun of me won't help me feel better. It only makes me feel belittled.]” Kalidos stops in her tracks, making Santiago stop too.
He looks back at his sister, sighing heavily. “Está bien, está bien, lo siento. [Alright, alright, I’m sorry.] Just trying to be— ah, ¿cómo se dice…? Helpful.” He flails his arms up, then hits the sides of his thighs hard enough that you can hear the slap.
Kalidos stifles a laugh successfully, a smile appearing on her face regardless. “Tengo que acostumbrarme seriamente a tu acento. [I have to seriously get used to your accent.]”
Santiago closes his eyes, slowly opening them again to look at Kalidos unamused with his hands on his hips. “Oye, tú también tienes uno. [Hey, you have one too.] It’s just, um… Menos notorio que el mío. [Less noticeable than mine.]”
“Lo sé. [I know.] I’m just more used to mine.” Her smile grows wider, and as if by instinct, she covers her mouth. Santiago notices and frowns slightly.
“...I never really got why you do that.” His face now looks like he’s concentrated on Kalidos, slightly tilting his head.
“Do what?” Kalidos looks puzzled now, her smile fading away as she lifts a brow.
“That thing you do with your mouth. Lo cubres siempre que sonríes. [You cover it whenever you smile.] Do you just, like… ¿No te gusta enseñar los dientes, o qué? [You don't like to show your teeth, or what?]” Santiago asks quietly, his look softening as he looks down at her.
“Ah, c’mon… Me siento inseguro al respecto, Santi. No es nada importante. [I'm just insecure about it, Santi. It's nothing big.]” Kalidos tried to brush it off, but Santiago all of a sudden looked serious.
He scoffed at what he just heard from Kalidos, his hands still on his hips as he looked down to the ground, tapping his foot. “No es nada importante? Kali… ¿Alguien te hizo sentir así? Porque si es así, le daré una paliza. [Did someone make you feel that way? Because if so, I'll beat the shit out of them.]” Santiago looks back up at Kalidos, looking upset.
Kalidos looked shocked, trying to figure out in her head how to calm her brother down. “¡Relájate, Santi! Era alguien, pero probablemente se haya convertido o ya esté muerto a estas alturas. [Relax, Santi! It was someone, but they’ve probably turned or are already dead at this point.]”
Santiago looks very confused, shaking his head a little. Then he changes expressions quickly, chuckling a little as he gets a thought in his head. “¿Así que me estás diciendo que le dé una paliza a cualquier zombi que vea? [So you're telling me to beat the shit out of any zombie that I see?] Or at the very least, any I need to?”
Kalidos quietly laughs, shaking from holding it in a little. “Dale una paliza a todo lo que intente matarte, Santiago. [Beat the shit out of anything or anyone that tries to kill you, Santiago.]”