Bratja
[drabble challenge for Cora]
The day after his mother's death was the strangest. He woke groggy, curled on a bed in someone's arms. For a moment, disoriented, he thought, I hope I didn't kick Mom when I was asleep. She never said anything, but his brother always griped about it the next morning.
And then the previous night caught up with him: the empty dimness of his mother's eyes, the slackness of her hand, the absolute stillness that followed the lack of her labored breathing. He made a pained sound. Mom. Oh, god, Mom.
Under him, his bony pillow moved. Into his hair, his brother said, "Shhhh."
He tried, sucking in a deep breath and holding it. A moment later, it came out as a long, high whine. His brother's arms tightened, and then rocked him, gently.
"Shhh," his brother said again.
"Mom," he said, in that same thin voice, "Mom--"
For a moment, his brother stopped moving, then began again. It was nothing like the gentle sway of his mother's embrace, but a poor imitation was better than non. "I miss her too, Al."
But it's not all just missing her, he wanted to say. Dad left, Mom left--how long before you have to leave, too?
Awkwardly, his brother shifted and patted his head, another clumsy imitation of their mother. The attempted kindness made his eyes prickle further. In sudden desperate certainty, he twisted and threw his arms around his brother's neck.
"A--Al?!" His brother flailed briefly, then resettled, stopped moving.
"I don't," he said, into his brother's chest, "want you to go away, like Mom had to." Or Dad chose to.
Immediately his brother moved to hug him back, equally fierce. For a crazy moment, he thought they'd both break, fragile bones and muscles torn apart by definite uncertainty. But the moment held itself, and the world did not shiver apart as they waited.
"I'm here," his brother said, and then, "I don't want you to go away, either."
And if he finally cried, just a little--if he heard tears shake in his brothers voice--that was fine.
As long as they could stay as they were, undivided from the whole, that was fine.
--end--