Work Text:
☆1☆
Enea's snickering- at something entirely too normal.
Artemis eating? He's laughing like it's the greatest joke he's ever heard- and his cat keeps looking at him with twitching ears, as if she's asking if he's okay.
Then she looks at Xiomara, as if begging for her to do something.
She rolls her eyes with crossed arms, all too aware of what the occurrence means.
Enea's tired, and he hasn't slept in nearly four days- too worried about keeping tabs on his sister. It's her first real bounty, and even though Mara doesn't know her, she's confident that if the girl is anything like her brother, she will be fine.
However, Enea being the protective older brother that he is, doesn't seem to have as much trust in his sister.
He's staring at his phone, keeping track of her every move. If you ask Mara, it's mildly concerning how invested he is.
Yet he's gotten distracted by Artemis, now doubling over because the cat finished her food.
"Aw, who's my hungry little gatta? Aren't you just the cutest little girl?" He reaches out to pet the cat, but she jumps onto his lap instead.
She starts making herself comfortable, roaming in circles before settling in one place with the happiest purrs.
Mara watches while leaning on the doorway, eyes softening at how caring he looks for the animal.
Artemis yawns, resting her head above her paws with closed eyes.
"She's telling you that it's bedtime," Mara comments, taking a few steps forward.
"Nonsense," Enea waves his hand. "It's her bedtime. I've got work to do."
He turns back to his phone, watching taking notice of the fact that Aurora has indeed moved since the last time he checked two minutes ago.
"That work can wait," Mara sighs, hands massaging Enea's shoulders. He leans back, eyes closing for a moment.
She knows him entirely too well- all the ways to make him feel more tired.
Enea opens his eyes again, this time glaring at Xiomara. "I know what you're doing," he says.
"Is it working?" Mara asks hopefully, hands moving beneath his shirt.
"No," he decides, sitting back up. Artemis hops off his lap with a hiss before running off to her cat bed.
Mara huffs in disappointment. She's running out of ideas.
Then she comes up with one last resort, something so devious that she hopes will work.
So, while Enea isn't looking, she sneaks off to the kitchen- digging through every cabinet until she finds what she's looking for- a set of purple candles that haven't been lit. Ever. Ajay gave them to her one night, determined they would help with Enea's sleeping problem.
"They're lavender scented," Ajay had smirked. "Studies show that lavender makes people relax and feel sleepy. Tressa and Rowenna use them to fall asleep."
At first, Mara was skeptical. Now it's her last resort and she's not going to let it go to waste.
Something else catches her eye- a bag filled with herbs. She was sure Tressa gave it to her- lavender tea.
A smirk crosses her face. She starts heating water from a kettle, already having lit the candles. She hopes the slight breeze created by the fan in the kitchen will help the smell drift to Enea's room.
And once she's finished, she innocently sneaks back to Enea's room, taking notice of how he already looks more tired.
"I'm back," she whispers, carrying the mug snuggly in her hands.
"Where'd you go? Did you light something?" His words start slurring together slightly, and become heavily accented.
"Yeah. I got bored," Mara sighs. "I made you some coffee, though."
Enea looks back at her, eyebrows raised. He's skeptical, she knows it. Why would she encourage him to stay awake when he knows she hates it?
"Non lo so," he squints at her, but she's already handing him the cup.
"Please?" She begs. "I worked so hard on that." The frown that crosses her expression is enough for Enea to start feeling guilty.
He takes a sip, then sighs loudly.
"You're evil."
"What?" She asks, feigning hurt. "I bought a new flavor the other day, do you not like it?"
Enea looks confused. "I- what?" He stares into the cup. She had added milk to ensure it looked somewhat like caffeine.
"It just- it tastes... off, and it smells..... weird."
He's forget English words, taking too long to come up with responses. Mara hides a smile- it means her plan is working. She manages to keep a fake frown on her face, enough to make Enea drink from the cup more.
"I'll be right back," she whispers. She slips out the door, but holds the frame and watches Enea. He continues to sip, determined to at least show his girlfriend that he cares enough to finish the drink.
But he doesn't ever finish it, because a couple minutes after she left the room, he lays his head down and goes still. She's close enough to make out the sound of his breathing, coming in slow, even puffs.
She creeps up behind him, careful not to make too much noise, and pries the mug from his hands. He stirs slightly, only to readjust.
Mara smiles, brushing back a few strands of his hair and placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Dolces sueños, mi amor," she whispers, walking off and shutting the door gently behind her.
☆2☆
The laughter filling the air of the lounge is all to familiar to Mara, but she's sure any joke that came from Elliot can't possibly be that funny.
The day's match had been quite different than usual, with no teams being eliminated until well after third ring began to close. The last rotation had consisted of five minutes of absolute chaos. It was the most entertaining match of the season, and had reached 200 million live viewers.
Despite having started the match the worst way possible, Enea had managed go escape with the win. Of course, being on a team with Elliot meant that there would be an afterparty as chaotic as the game itself had been.
With games, drinking, and dancing, Mara expects nothing less from Paradise Lounge. But she certainly hadn't expected Enea to pass up on wine.
Which meant the laughing isn't because he is drunk. He looks exhausted, but tries to keep it hidden behind fake smiles and continuous snickering.
She's watching him from a distance, biting at her lips and swirling the juice in her cup, but never taking a sip. She's not sure she trusts Octavio not to mess up a juice mixture.
Enea meets her eyes across the room, grinning and beckoning her over with his hand. She shakes her head, too overwhelmed with how many people are in such a closed space.
He excuses himself, standing up and making his way over to her.
"Don't want to enjoy the party with us?" He jokes. She rolls her eyes. "Not really in the mood, honestly. I think we should head to our apartment soon."
Enea pouts. "Perché? É divertente!" Mara raises an eyebrow as she finally takes a sip from the cup, immediately scrunching her nose as she sets the juice aside. Enea giggles in amusement.
"Perché sei stanco," she responds. Pink bleeds into Enea's face. He always finds it strange when she speaks his language.
"Tired?" He mumbles at the accusation. "I'm not tired. You're tired."
Mara rolls her eyes again, and reaches out to ruffle his air playfully. He shrieks and steps back with a frown.
"You stop that. I just styled my hair for the game."
"Well, the game is over."
Enea opens his mouth, trying to spew a remark that doesn't sound stupid, but finds nothing of value in his exhausted state.
He slumps forward, chin resting on Mara's shoulder.
"Get me out of here," he whispers. Mara laughs.
"And here I was trying to drag you out. How the roles have reversed."
"They won't let me leave," he complains. "I feel like I have to stay, and every time I say something, Elliot insists otherwise."
"Do you want me to go yell at him?" Mara mumbles into Enea's hair.
"No," he suddenly backs up. "Don't want you to fight my battles for me. I'll wait it out."
"Your idea of fighting your own battles is letting others govern your life?" She crosses her arms.
Enea frowns. "Irish goodbye?" A laugh escapes Mara's lips. "If that's what it takes, then yeah, why not?"
"Oh, good. I really am tired." He runs off to grab his things, ignoring the yells of protest from Elliot. Enea waves a goodbye as he and Mara escape the lounge, shutting the door quickly behind him.
"The entire point of an Irish goodbye is to not make it clear that you're leaving."
"I don't care," Enea scoffs. "I finally get to sleep. I've been up since two in the morning."
"I know. You woke me up too."
Enea stops dead in his tracks. "I did? I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time."
"See," Mara tsks, "I know you're tired because if you were actually entirely awake, you would have laughed at me and said to get over it."
"Yeah, right," Enea frowns, picking up the pace.
When they reach the apartment, he says nothing more than a "good night" and runs off to his own room. Mara watches him leave with a smile.
She's sure he knows him better than he will ever know himself.
☆3☆
"Are you alright? You're looking a little... pale."
Upon hearing Rowenna's comment, Mara looks at Enea and sees that he does indeed look pale, though his cheeks are rosy.
"Yeah," he mutters, staring into the distance. "It's just cold out, you know?" His voice fails him, sounding much more scratchy than usual.
Mara has to admit, it is colder than normal for this time of year. But Enea's wearing many layers of clothing, being the fashionable individual that he is. That somehow makes Mara doubt that he is cold. The wind isn't even blowing.
She struts forward, ignoring the look of protest that Enea sends her. She puts the back of her hand to his forehead, and he jumps back quickly.
"You're warm," she frowns. Rowenna watches it all go down, wondering if she should leave the two alone.
"I'm fine," Enea grits his teeth. It's Rowenna's birthday, and he would rather not ruin it. Out of the many people she invited, only six showed up- and he doesn't want to lower that number even more. Nor does he wish to become the center of attention.
Mara shakes her head at him. "If it gets worse, I'm dragging you home."
Enea releases a deep breath, nodding gratefully. His gaze returns to the lake before them, noticing the way the trees reflect off of the water.
"Enea," Rowenna says gently, "don't feel pressured to stay. If you don't feel good, you can leave. I understand."
"I'm okay," he fakes a smile, sending a thumbs up. Rowenna nods, eyebrows pinched together in a way that sends her message: I know you're lying.
Who is he kidding? Rowenna can read anyone. So few dare to notice her that makes sure everyone else feels seen.
Mara seems to be growing closer to him, finding any excuse to touch him- brushing fingers, side hugs, head leaning on his shoulder- whatever she could.
Someone comes hopping towards them. It's Ajay- there to steal Rowenna for a birthday surprise. Her eyes light up as she follows.
Enea sighs, eyelids shutting for a moment as he takes in his surroundings. There's a slight breeze, and it smells fainting of blooming flowers.
"Time to go," Mara says, grasping his arm.
"What?" He opens his eyes in a panic. "No, you said if it gets worse-"
"And I just had to stop you from falling face forward onto the concrete."
"You did?" Now that she's said it, Enea does suddenly feel a little dizzy. He grabs onto Mara's jacket as if it'll save him.
"Yep, we're leaving."
To her surprise, Enea doesn't argue, instead nodding. "Ugh, yeah, I feel awful."
"The cold been too much for you?"
"Mhm," he hums.
"When we get home, I'll make you some hot tea. And you need a shower." She scrunches her nose- acting like he stinks- but he doesn't. He smells like a forest. She knows that a hot shower will make him feel better, though.
"Ti amo," Enea sniffles, following her back to the dropship.
Mara has to hide him from the eyes of Ajay and Mary on the way, determined not to drag more of Rowenna's friends off.
Walking down the hallways, Enea's head starts pounding. He groans in protest.
"You're dramatic," Mara sighs. "Can't be more than a hundred degree fever."
"You're not a thermometer, shut up."
She rolls her eyes at his antics, unlocking the door to their apartment and stepping aside to allow him inside.
Enea heads straight for the bathroom, barely having closed the door before he pulls of his shirt and jacket.
Mara sighs, starting a kettle for tea. She remembers when Enea did the same for her- only that had been a match day, which mean forfeiting the game. He lost lots of RP that day, dropping five places on the leaderboard.
He insisted it was okay because he was doing something more important- taking care of his girlfriend.
By the time she's made the tea perfect, Enea's already left the bathroom, dressing himself.
Mara walks into the room, pushing it open and setting the mug on his side table.
"I'll leave you to it," she says.
"Nooooo," Enea whines as he lies down. "Come lay with me. It feels empty when you're not here."
"You'll get me sick, too."
"Oh, right." He looks upset at himself.
"I'm kidding," Mara laughs, lying beside him. He snuggles into her side immediately, like a lost kitten.
Before any more words could be exchanged, Enea is out like a light.
☆+1☆
The light emitted from Enea's beside table tells him two things, the first being that it's still dark outside, and the second being that Mara's awake.
She hasn't slept since she heard the news that her mother died. She has tried, Enea knows that much. Three sleepless nights in a row consisted of him comforting her as she sobbed, arms wrapped around her while staying silent.
She doesn't need words. She needs love and support- someone there to show her that she is cared for.
He sits up in their bed, not surprised to see Mara curled in a ball. She's tried to hide the fact that she's crying- she's tried to hide from him, to let him rest while she suffers in silence.
That fact won't stand for Enea. He moves closer to her, arms already reaching to wrap themselves around her. She tenses up.
Then, the silent tears make their presence known. She sniffles, then breaks.
And Enea lets her.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispers through tears. There's guilt building within her. She had to wake him up again. Why was she such a bad person?
"You have nothing to be sorry for, mia amore." He starts running fingers through her hair.
"But I've kept you up for days. It's pathetic."
Enea swears he feels his heart break in two.
"No, no, Sweetheart. Grief is not pathetic. It's never pathetic. It's human," he reassures, thumb drawing circles into her arm.
She looks at him through teary eyes, which reminds Enea of a flooded forest. "You can leave if you want to. I'll understand."
He draws her closer, chin resting on her head. "Never. I will not go unless you ask me to."
He's breathing into her hair, and somehow, Mara finds it comforting. She sighs into her hands, finally getting a break from the flow of tears.
"I miss her so much."
"I know, Amore, I know." Enea's tone never shows anything other than love, and she appreciates it.
"How do I move on from this?"
"Give it time," he answers, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "It won't be easy, but I will be here every step of the way."
She leans into him. "I love you so much."
"I love you too. Don't ever forget that."
Mara looks at Enea. He's looking at her through half lidded eyes. He's tired, but he's staying up with her regardless.
"I don't want to push you to do anything, but some rest would do you good."
She knows he's right. She can feel her energy slipping away in a continuous stream.
"Yeah."
Enea smiles sadly, pulling her down with him. He reaches over the beside table, switching the lamp off.
As they lie there in darkness, Enea rubs her arm, reminding Mara that he's there, even if she can't see him.
That thought alone is enough to send her to bed.