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Astraeus laid in the shared bed of their tiny room, their arms and legs spread across the bedding of the mattress as he stared at the ceiling, as if trying to burn holes through it with just his eyes. He had been doing this for a while. So long, in fact, that minutes were slowly starting to feel like agonisingly long hours that painfully ticked by.
The radio stopped working. He'll have to, eventually, get that fixed.
It had started raining. Astraeus had noticed this. It will, eventually, give way to the sun again.
Their room felt empty, despite everything inside it. It will, eventually, feel full again.
Eventually, eventually, eventually.
Eventually, the radio will work again.
Eventually, the sun will shine again.
Eventually, the room will be full again.
Eventually, his beloved sister will come home again.
But 'eventually' felt too long. Too... patient. Astraeus was anything but this. His stream didn't go well, with too many things crashing and just eventually choosing to end the livestream. They discovered a leak in the kitchen, right above his designated spot at their dining table. The bed didn't feel comfortable. Outside didn't look right. It felt too dark. He was frustrated, annoyed, and silently taking it out on the roof above his head, despite it protecting him from the outside rain. He had to take his anger out on something, he just didn't want to ruin anything.
...Their sister had been working harder recently. He noticed this by the subtle improvement in her artstyle. Her work had grown more professional. More realistic. More detailed.
More... perfect.
Just like his sister.
...
Astraeus misses Astra.
Maybe this was obvious by the subtle glances that they shot back to her desk, situated next to his, the fact that they were subconsciously cleaning around their table, or by the slight mess in the kitchen that they had made while cooking her favourite food...
Maybe they missed her a little too much.
He couldn't help it. After whatever this mess of a day was, the only face they wanted to see and the only person he wanted to interact with was his lovely little sister. The one he cherished with every fiber of his being. The one that he would sacrifice everything for. The fact that he could, would, and absolutely do again.
He gave up his pressure supply to make sure she didn't combust during the sudden collapse in pressure in their solar system. Astraeus made sure the only star that survived was the one that shined the brightest in their life. They get scolded for it often, multiple times a week, in fact, because it would've killed them as well if they didn't hunt out for a new supply for so long. But if that ever happened again...
Astraeus would rinse and repeat the process. No questions asked, no questioned needed, no hesitation. Whatsoever.
It was their personal rule to not hesitate when it came to their sister. And they didn't. They never would.
He cared too much for her for him to hesitate.
...
It was silent again.
The radio abruptly started up again. Astraeus had no idea how, but it was probably just a temporary glitch in the machine. He didn't have to get it repaired anymore.
The rain had cleared up, giving way to the bright sun that shone its beams through the window and illuminating the room in its soft rays.
The room no longer felt as empty as it previously was.
His sister is back.
Astraeus realised this by the sudden knock on their bedroom door, snapping them out of their thoughts, followed by the much less sudden creak of that same door opening and his wonderful sister poking her head inside to find Astraeus splayed out across the bed, looking utterly exhausted and irritated from whatever happened during their day. Her smile dropped a bit. Astraeus hadn't meant to make her day a bit worse. If anything, she deserved the world and more. Happiness, whatever she needed.
After the puzzle pieces in their drained mind clicked together at the realisation that Astra had returned, Astraeus's face morphed into a tired, yet genuinely joyful smile at the mere sight of her. It was like a sight for painfully sore eyes.
Astraeus is so lucky to have such a pleasant light in his life. Even luckier for him to actually be related to that same, wonderful light. She really was some sort of magician or something. How had he managed to get this attached to his younger sister?
She was the only sister he had left. The only family they had left.
...
Astraeus didn't linger on that thought for too long.
"Good afternoon, my dear." Astraeus spoke up when she entered the room fully, their voice sounding raspy and a lot more groggy than he had initially meant to sound. This was only apparent to them when his sister's eyes subtly narrowed, showing her concern.
"Goodness, what happened to you? I was gone for the day and you turn out like this..." Astra would begin her reply, shrugging off her tote bag and hanging it up on the wall beside her desk, sitting down on the bed once Astraeus rolled over to lie on the other side instead, "you're normally not like this, Aeus. What happened while I was away?"
Astraeus's face grew firm, glancing away from her for a moment as he noticed that he had made her day worse, and the guilt that he desperately tried to shove away began pooling in his gut. She didn't need to worry about them. Their problems were their own.
Then again...
Family is family.
She deserves to know.
"It's... nothing really, my love. Just a few things on my stream that have caused me to end early and grow frustrated over. Okay? Nothing extreme."
Astra stared at them for a bit, as if trying to believe them, before giving in. The expression on his face must've meant something truthful if she had caved so easily.
"I get it. Sometimes things just don't always work out-"
"-I taught you that-"
"-And you just have to learn to get through it."
Astraeus glared at her as she repeated their words towards her exactly how they said it. But the glare didn't mean anything. It never would. They could never truly get mad at her and Astra knew it. She uses it to her advantage sometimes, and it's annoying, but never enough for Astraeus to actually get pissed off at her. They rolled their star-pupil eyes, letting out a fond grumble of a sigh, before opening his arms a bit.
The room still felt ever so slightly empty. Astraeus knew why. They both knew why.
They could both feel it.
Astra let out a small laugh, something that warmed his cold, star shaped heart every time, and took off her shoes as she crawled onto the bed that they shared and cuddled up close to them, one arm wrapping around his waist while the second stayed tucked between their bodies. She didn't hesitate to rest her head against their chest and tangle their legs together, letting out a content sigh after she shuffled in place a few time and finally went lax in his arms.
Astraeus chuckled at the sight, one arm sliding under her head and bending up so they could comb their fingers through her hair with ease, while the other gently, carefully, laying their own arm across her midsection, his hand resting between the blades of her shoulders and holding her in place as they cuddled. They were content, very content. It was as if the stresses of the day had just melted away instantaneously, and all his mind could focus on was how peaceful everything was now.
How everything just felt better.
Felt right.
They only had their sister to thank for this.
A calming silence fell over the two siblings, minutes turning into seconds as the day quickly passed with how satisfied Astraeus was. Astra probably felt the same thing.
"...So, were you sulking and irritated just because you wanted hugs?" Astra suddenly spoke up, pinching his side lightly.
"What-?! No! What makes you think that?"
"The fact that this is random, yet welcomed from you. It's like giving out free cuddles."
"Since when did I ever give out free cuddles?"
"Since now, apparently."
"Shut up!"
Astra laughed. Another sound that mentally just caused Astraeus to melt on the inside. Normally they wouldn't, but the stress had overwhelmed him enough that this was simply all it took.
Astraeus leaned down and gave her a small familial kiss against her forehead, something that caused Astra to hum in return, before he pulled away and continued to treat her hair with utmost care.
"I love you, fucker."
"Love you too, dumbass."
The room was quiet after that, falling into one of the many peaceful silences that the two often exchanged whenever it came to something like this. A few more minutes passed, and Astraeus began to quietly talk about something. This was only interrupted when he felt the soft puffs of air hitting the fabric of his shirt and they looked down.
Astra had fallen asleep. Talking was pointless.
Astraeus rolled their eyes.
"Couldn't even stay awake for a whole story. How disrespectful." He would mutter quietly. But would, again, not show any sincere annoyance towards her subconscious decision of falling asleep in their arms.
They admired her for just a tiny bit, feeling how soft her hair was between their fingers, how at peace she looked, and the fact that she looked genuinely proud that he had offered affection first.
Looking back at the memory from just a few hours ago, they would notice the elusive glint in her eyes that showed how proud she was of him for showing affection. It was one of their rarer moments, since they hated showing or initiating much affection towards anyone, with Astra being the exception by just a handful of actions.
They sighed, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against her forehead again before muttering into the skin.
"Thank you for being my sister."
They fell asleep a few moments later, their exhaustion eventually showing up not long after his words as they eventually passed into the realm of uninterrupted rest.