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Xio has a dozen siblings. They still call Teo for advice instead of any of other Suerte’s children. They would call Teo for any kind of advice, really, but they don't think their siblings can help them with this situation anyway.
Teo answers the phone after a few rings and groggily mutters, "Hello?"
Xio, in their panic, forgot about the time. It's two in the morning and they can't sleep, but that doesn't mean Teo is awake as well. Or was. "Uh, hi, Teo!" they squeek. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I can leave you to sleep."
"Nah, it’s fine. What's up?"
Xio shifts on their bed and puts Teo on speaker. They finally got their own room in Afortunada last month, so they can do that. "I wanted to ask you something."
"What's the problem?" Teo asks, his voice more awake but still helpfully relaxed.
"Well, uh, I—" they stutter. They aren't sure how to approach the topic. They know Teo won't judge them, but that doesn't make them any less nervous. "About you know, my... what I did."
"What? Do you mean—"
"Helping the Obsidians."
"Yes?"
"How do I... get people to forget? About it?"
Teo sighs. "You can't."
"But people forget about how you helped release them!" they argue. It's been only a few months, but nobody seems to bug Teo too much about what he did. Xio, on the other hand, is more than often stared at with disgust or yelled at in public when they re-emerge from Los Restos.
"Xio," he says gently, "of course they don't. They still look at me weird sometimes, especially outside of Quetzlan, or shout things. You can't escape what you did as much as I can’t. You can only outgrow it. Prove them they're wrong about you."
"But how?" Xio's thoughts go back to what happened earlier that day, how people frowned and sneered as they passed the streets of San Fuego. Someone even shouted, 'Traitor!' and threw a bubblegum at their direction. They are happy to be in Afortunada now. This city's people are kinder, more understanding. "I betrayed all of Reino del Sol."
"And then you helped it. You're still helping it. Show them."
"But the research is nowhere near done. And—and I don't know how else—would they even listen to or respect me? What if they don’t? What if they don’t see the importance— will they ostracise me forever?"
Teo let them finish before he speaks. "They won't. People are kinder than you give them credit for. Besides, you'll always have your friends."
"What, you and Atzi?"
"And Niya and Relio. Actually, I'm pretty sure only Auristela doesn't like you at this point. And she's presueable, she already likes me."
Xio groans. "Teo, everyone likes you."
"Ocelo."
"They don't dislike you."
"They don't like me, either."
"Still."
"Lumbre."
"Lumbre doesn't like anyone."
Teo chuckles. "The point is, Xio, you just have to be yourself. People will notice. And then it won't matter if they like you or not, because you'll like yourself."
"Sometimes it's hard to like myself after what I did."
Teo doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "Think about it this way: you are a good person who did some bad things, but now you're trying to be better. And you should talk to your therapist."
"You really think that?"
"Yes, of course. You can still be a good person even if you did bad things, and if it helps you come to terms with yourself, you can think like that. And you must talk to your therapist."
"Thanks, Teo," Xio says with a small smile.
"No worries."
They stay on the line in silence for a bit.
"Are you free anytime soon?" Xio asks. "To hang out?"
"Uh, probably some time next week. Probably Friday or Saturday. I'll text to let you know when exactly," Teo replies. "Um, would you like me to come see what you’ve discovered in Los Restos?"
Even though there isn't much, Xio has been dying to show their friends what discoveries they made. "Yes, absolutely."
"If you need help with anything else before that, call me," Teo says. "Any time of day or night."
Xio nods even though Teo can't see them. "I know. Thank you."
Xio wants to say something more. They want to tell Teo he's like a brother to them, more than their other siblings. That he's more of a family to them than most other people, except perhaps Suerte and Renata. That they love him, platonically.
They stay silent and Teo soon hangs up the line with a murmured, "Good night."
"Good night," Xio mutters back, but the line is already dead.