"You have a deal."

Despite being unable to view Eve's expression, the image of their smile widening was all too clear. An expression you merely thought of as a distinctive way they expressed their emotions now became something that stirred uneasiness within you

"Alright~ Oh, how exciting! I wonder what I should do––don't worry! I'll be sure to take very good care of you. I don't like breaking my experiments, especially since I like you so much!"

Eve spoke rapidly, their words fired faster than bullets. By the time you manage to comprehend what they said, they had already moved on.

"Anyways! I'll be letting the apparition go now. I can't fathom why you wanted to save the apparition, but to each their own."

The call ended. For a moment, you could only wallow in your thoughts.

Hey. I won't let anything bad happen to us. Don't stress.

Alastor's words were simple, but they calmed you down. It was a reminder that you weren't alone. Alright. No point overthinking. Besides, this could be a good chance to get closer to Eve and learn more about them. And James... You just hoped he was alright.

There wasn't much you could do about it without causing an unnecessary scene. James was capable. Your little intervention should be more than enough to help him. Casting the thought aside, you turned your attention back to Rose. She was wrapping up her presentation. Cecil had taken a couple of steps away from you, you assumed he wanted to give you some privacy. When you walked back to him, he silently gave you a 'is everything okay?' look. You mouthed to him 'talk about it later'.

Glancing around, you examined the reaction of the crowd. As expected, there were a handful of people who looked like they wanted to exorcise Rose right then and there. You missed the moment since you were talking to Eve, but in the original game a good amount of people protested and some even attacked Rose. Of course, she wiped the floor with them. Her actions were enough to make everyone compliant for the time being.

Let's see...

We have some people enamoured by Rose. Fair. She's Hot. Majority were uneasy and confused, listening in with a critical mind. However, people seemed far more willing to listen compared to the game.

"If anyone has any questions, ask the chairman yourself." She did a theatrical bow. "And with that, I bid everyone a temporary goodbye. I hope to bring in new actors to the stage next time."

A flurry of petals covered Rose. When they dispersed with a flourish, she had disappeared.

You listened to the crowd.

"What the heck was that..."

"The weapons—is that all true?"

"Didn't James come back? He helped defend against the silver apparition."

"I think we can trust past SF members... So we can trust Rose, right?"

"Doubting the chairman?"

"I... I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

"Things won't be the same from now on. I wonder what will happen to the city now?" Cecil hummed, an amused smile on his face. "By the way, what happened?"

An instinctive part of you planned to tell Cecil vague details. However, you reminded yourself that it was fine to tell him things. After all, you told him to let you in on his ambition.

"We could be getting even more information. Eve wants to experiment on me."

"Oh? And here I was hoping I'd get to be the first to have such an intimate time with you."

"Very funny."

"However... Will you be okay?"

Huh. Cecil was genuinely concerned.

"I'll be fine. I'll be relying on you if I need help. Don't charge me too much please."

"Rely on me all you need, my service is free of charge." He chuckled. "Well, maybe treating me out on a date every now and then would motivate me to work even harder."

You laughed and rolled your eyes. "More dates?"

Cecil mumbled, "Actually, I haven't been nearly as active in the dating scene ever since becoming an SF member."

You were going to ask more about it, but Elias caught your attention. He was issuing instructions, his demeanour composed and professional. Even though some individuals remained reluctant to listen to his instructions due to their newfound doubt towards the chairman, his authoritative nature strung their actions along like obedient soldiers.

The media was finally ushered away––many shouted your name, urging for even a glance their way for the papers. Of course, you ignored them.

"I'll be going on ahead," Cecil said.

Just as you were about to ask if you could join him, you received a text from Eve.

Forgot to mention this! And normally I wouldn't bother with requests, but since it's for you I'll do it! The apparition said to meet in this location.

There was a file attached. Thankfully, you recognised the location.

"Why would he want to meet up..."

James never specified that you had to be alone. You had a strong feeling that you should bring Caleb along. Searching for him was, thankfully, pretty easy since his presence was very lively. He was with Elias, helping him out.

When Caleb saw you, he cheerfully smiled. The sight made you feel at ease.

"Yo! Miss Support. What's up?"

"Caleb, Elias... Can you come with me for a sec?"



===



A playful whistle escaped Caleb's lips. Rose was ever-so dramatic, but hey. It meant that even as an apparition she hadn't changed. That was a positive. Though, she did cause a mess. That was very much like Rose.

"Ain't that something." Caleb glanced over to Elias. "Pretty bad situation for the AEI, huh?"

"... Joke around later," Elias mumbled. "Can you help manage the defence members?"

Ah, he was stressed. The guy had a scary talent to take on loads of work, adapt to circumstances, but this time he was caught off guard.

Caleb nodded. "You got it."

Elias took on a leadership role without a thought. He was always like that ever since they were kids. The guy definitely needed to relax more, but it wasn't like he didn't know that. Elias couldn't afford to. And after that stunt with Rose, only more work would be piling up for him.

The least Caleb can do to help but was to be slightly less annoying and make sure Elias ate three meals a day. Of course, with dessert as well. Elias wasn't one for sweets, but he did like tiramisu flavoured anything. Perfect. Now Caleb had an excuse to bake things at midnight.

The thought of baking reminded Caleb of James. Where was he?

Before Caleb could delve further into those thoughts, he saw you approaching. He smiled. Seeing you always improved his mood. How cool was that?

"Yo! Miss Support. What's up?"

"Caleb, Elias..." Your tone was serious, a little anxious even. "Can you come with me for a sec?"

"What for?" Elias asked. Sure, his voice sounded harsh, but he was busy and didn't want to waste unnecessary time. Caleb was sure you understood that.

"It's about James."

That definitely caught both of their attention.

"About my dear brother who ditched us at the scene?" Caleb glanced over to Elias. "I know I'm going. You didn't get a chance to really say anything to him, right?"

Elias and James were close, especially throughout school considering they shared classes. It was actually hilarious how they managed to be put in the same class for every single subject. As talented as Elias was when it came to hiding his emotions with professional indifference, there was no way James' return didn't shake him up in some way.

Elias's response was just as Caleb anticipated. The brunet turned on his device and began typing, no doubt issuing out orders. "Give me a minute. I'm coming with you."

You led the two to a section of the AEI building near the technology design division labs. The labs always piqued Caleb's curiosity. He remembered being heavily scolded by Elias for trying to break in during his early days at work.

The hallway was dim. Hah. Talk about setting the mood. Caleb glanced over to you. Hey, if you needed him to hold your hand, he'd happily oblige. However, you looked more anxious of the coming events as opposed to the dark setting.

Miss Support, if you make such a sad expression I'd want to hug you until you smile again.

"Oh. It's not just you," a voice called out. "I guess that makes things easier."

Emerging from the other end of the hallway was an all too familiar older brother. Elias was the first to act. Despite his controlled movements and expression, the urgency in his swift pace spoke volumes of his current mental state. Without a word, Elias stood in front of James and reached out to touch his shoulder; however, his hand phased right through. The subtle tremor in his hands and the fleeting flicker of bitterness in Elias' eyes betrayed his attempts at maintaining a calm demeanour.

James laughed softly. "Did you forget how apparitions worked?"

"..." Elias exhaled shakily. "It's... good to see you again."

"Yeah. The context could've been better, but I missed seeing your face," James replied. "How are you holding up? Still overworking yourself? You don't need to scold me when I forget to submit a report anymore."

"It has been quieter."

"Oh?" James' tone was teasing and lighthearted. "Happy I'm gone?"

Elias sighed, but there was a hint of a smile. "I never once kicked you out of my office when you came to visit, have I?"

"True!" James laughed. "Your office is comfortable, especially that couch."

Elias looked over to you. "(Y/n), you can touch apparitions, correct?"

"Yes?"

With a straight face, he said, "Flick his forehead for me."

James blinked. "What."

Elias folded his arms and sighed. "It's a light punishment considering all the trouble you caused."

Caleb chuckled. At that, Elias' expression softened. Oh. Elias was trying to keep the mood lighthearted in consideration of him. How nice. Caleb would make sure he bothered Elias a little less this week. Just a little.

You and Caleb exchanged knowing grins before approaching James and Elias. You stood in front of James.

Caleb said, "Let me vicariously experience this through you."

You laughed. "I feel kinda bad now."

"You had no problems kicking me," James said.

"Look, that was different."

You flicked James on the forehead. James flinched and rubbed the sore spot whilst Elias nodded in approval and Caleb cheered you for your efforts.

"You guys... Seriously. Even as an apparition I get picked on." James chuckled and shook his head. "I'll miss it."

Elias furrowed his eyebrows. "You're saying that like you're going to..."

James was silent. Silent? Hey now, that meant things were getting serious. Can't the scene continue to remain lighthearted? Throw in a few more jokes, some more banter, reminiscing about the past, telling you about the kinds of trouble James and Caleb got into when they were in school––just...

Caleb didn't want this warm moment to end.

"I'll get straight to the point," James said. "I need to be exorcised."

...

Of course. Of course it had to be that.

"Oh yeah, sure let me just get righttt to that. Close your eyes and think happy thoughts!" Caleb laughed. "What? Is that the response you think we're going to give?"

"I'll be concerned if that was the case." James quipped. Although his tone was teasing and light, there was an underlying sense of gravity. He looked over at you. "(Y/n), you understand why, right?"

Caleb followed James' gaze. "Miss Support?"

"He's..." Your expression was conflicted. "I was hoping that wasn't the case."

Elias asked, "What do you mean?"

You took a deep breath. "You know how self preservation is the main source of an apparition's existence? The reason why James is the way he is was because the process in which he became an apparition was artificially interfered with."

The explanation continued. This interference tampered with James' motivations, it caused him to prioritise survival above everything else, discarding emotions that could hinder him. And a prominent emotion was––

"My desire to protect you," James said, looking Caleb in the eyes. "However, when I came back as an apparition, I lost sight of that. I was about to snap out of it eventually, but now I feel it slipping away."

When James mentioned that he was able to snap out of it, his gaze momentarily fell on you. Of course you had to have played a role, when have you not been incredibly helpful?

Caleb asked, "So, you'll revert back to wanting to kill me on sight?"

He tried to keep his voice lively, energetic and bouncy like it always was. However, as the situation grew more dim, this cheerful demeanour only grew more exhausting to maintain. Caleb hated this. His instincts yelled at him to find any means necessary to keep the mood light, as if desperately trying to steer a ship with a busted wheel away from an approaching storm.

"To put it simply, yes." James averted his gaze. "It doesn't look like it now, but my mental state is a mess. And if I end up hurting those I care about––that would tear me apart. Caleb, it has already happened with you. I can't risk it happening again."

Silence. It was a heavy request. No matter how quick Caleb's tongue was, a response to something like that would take time to consider.

James––he was and is still someone who Caleb viewed as a reliable older brother, someone who protected Caleb ever since they were kids. Even when James was on the brink of death, not once did he allow his vulnerability to show. However, this time it was different.

Caleb could tell. James didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay, but he was doing this out of necessity.

"Oh, come on," Caleb said. He was surprised by how bitter he sounded. "You're only saying this because it'll be the fastest and easiest way to resolve this issue."

"Saw right through me."

"Yeah, like glass. There has to be some other way."

"Maybe, maybe not. But there isn't enough time to figure things out. Who knows what could happen? I don't want to risk it."

"You're saying we can't handle you?" Caleb strained a confident smile. "Sure you're strong, but don't flatter yourself."

"There's a lot going on, I don't need to be another issue––"

"Who cares!" Frustration was bubbling up. "You're always like this. Stupidly selfless, but at the same time it's so selfish. Here's something fun! Consider how I feel for a second. I missed you so much and when I finally––finally got you back, you're leaving? Do you understand how cruel that is?"

Caleb laughed. God. He didn't know how to handle this, his laughter was a basically strained coping mechanism. His hands reached up to wipe his eyes––Caleb wasn't even sure if there were tears, but he wasn't risking it.

Stupid emotions. How convenient would it be if I could own a dial to tone it down?

Elias spoke up, "Caleb..."

Caleb took a deep breath. "Elias."

The brunet looked taken aback. Oh, right. Caleb used his name. Not a silly nickname.

"You're an older brother. You have siblings." God, Caleb felt sick at how desperate he sounded. "You get where I'm coming from, right?"

Elias' expression was conflicted. Huh. A rare sight. But it was a nice break from his usual self assured indifferent demeanour––it meant that he was also struggling. Caleb wasn't overreacting here.

Elias looked over to James. "Are you sure about this?"

James nodded without wasting a second. "I am."

Elias took a moment to respond. "I trust your judgement."

... What the hell?

"You––"

"Caleb," Elias interrupted. "I'm sure it's more complicated than it seems. Remember, James' process as an apparition was interfered with. Living in this form could be more painful."

Elias was likely just as desperate to keep James around, but, as usual, the brunet found himself making quick and difficult decisions. It was in the nature of his position at work and as an older brother who shouldered as many burdens as he could. With that in mind, Caleb couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"There has to be a way," Caleb whispered, looking over to James. "You deserve to live. You're the most selfless person I know and... and..."

Shit, his emotions were making it hard to speak.

With a waver in his voice, Caleb continued in a whisper, "There's so much I need to apologise for."

The silence that followed was heavy. James' expression was a sorrowful mix of hurt and conflict. However, it didn't seem like his mind was changed.

"Caleb––"

"I know, I know. You're gonna say that I shouldn't feel guilty––especially about my hands––that you're happy because you died in a manner where you protected someone, but I just––I just––" Caleb stopped himself for a moment. God, his chest hurt so much. "I can't accept that."

James drew closer to Caleb, the word 'sorry' all too clear in his expression. The older brother reached out to Caleb's shoulders, but stopped. Right. James is an apparition. He died. Caleb wouldn't be able to do simple things he took for granted in the past. Simple things such as wrapping an arm around James' shoulder, giving him a high-five him when the two manage to slip out of trouble, or doing stupidly complicated handshakes.

James whispered, "I shouldn't even be here. I know for a fact that in my last dying moments I didn't feel a strong enough urge to live to come back as an apparition. Being forced to come back as an apparition, it feels wrong." He sighed. "It's a pretty rough conflict. My apparition instincts––ones that aren't even mine––wants to do whatever it means to survive, yet my former self accepted death peacefully."

Caleb's question came out quiet and hesitant. "You didn't want to come back?"

James smiled. It was the self assured comforting smile Caleb liked so much. "I was content, I didn't feel any sense of urgency to come back. I still remember what you said the day before I passed away."

The day when Caleb carried a severely injured James on his back. The day he lost his older brother in his own arms.

James cleared his throat. "You did good, you've done enough. Rest up and I'll protect this city in your stead." He offered a warm smile. "That's what you said to me."

Caleb wanted to laugh. How stupidly conflicting. He was happy that his words had that impact on James, but he hated how James didn't feel a sense of self preservation because he was confident that the city could be protected without him. It was never about him. Stupid selflessness again.

However, it was that selfless nature of his that made James who he was.

Caleb laughed softly. "You always sucked at memorising stuff for exams, how'd you remember it word for word?"

James returned Caleb's laughter. It was so frustrating. There were so many people that didn't even have half of James' selflessness. Why were they allowed to live? It was a thought James wouldn't like, but Caleb couldn't help it.

"Because it was your words," James replied. "It makes me sad to leave everyone behind, knowing that I won't ever share dinners with you guys again or simply pass each other in the hallway. I'll even miss the times where everyone would tease me." He laughed. "And it would've been nice to meet the new SF members. However..."

James took a deep breath. It was a little shaky.

"My journey ends here––it was supposed to end years ago, but I'm grateful for a small chance to see you again. Look, I know it's easier said than done, but please move on and don't feel guilty over my death. Ask others for help if you need. You're surrounded by really good people."

James' gaze landed on you and Elias when he said the last sentence.

Moving on. Caleb didn't want to. For so many years, he was never able to. Sure, he's become a little better at not blaming himself, feeling guilty, and coming to terms with his emotions. However, he was nowhere near healed. And this new development of his had only been going on for a little while. He was incredibly susceptible to relapsing.

Caleb's attention was suddenly drawn to a fluttering sound, the rustling of papers. It was coming from you.

Now that I think about it, Miss Support has been quiet all this time.

You had summoned a book. With furrowed eyebrows and hastened movements, you began scribbling something down. The sound of pen scratching was haphazard and your hands were trembling. Caleb wanted to reach out and comfort you, but your desperate demeanour gave him pause.

"It's..." you mumbled, a sense of realisation enveloping your tone. "Oh..."

You tried again. Frost began forming on the tip of your fingers as your hands pressed harder against the page.

"Miss Support." Caleb gently held onto your hand. Using his abilities lightly, he warmed it up. "Calm down, it's okay."

You blinked, breaking out of your little trace.

"I..." You solemnly nodded. "I'm sorry––I can't––"

Caleb ruffled your head with a light chuckle. "It's fine. You've done more than enough."

That book of yours could recruit apparitions, right? Were you trying to save James? Caleb remembered asking you once how it worked.

"Understand them?" Caleb hummed. "Like know everything about them?"

"It's more so to empathise with them to a certain extent," you replied. "That's how apparitions enter my book. To become my companion, they need to be willing. I forcefully brought an irregular apparition into my book during the SF trial and that did NOT end well. It led to that whole possession incident."

Whilst Caleb didn't have the full details of your book's abilities, with his snippets of knowledge he could infer what was going on.

You whispered ever so quietly, "I can't force it, thing's will end up like the irregular apparition."

Strangely enough, though, Caleb felt a little calmer. Still emotional, but seeing you also trying hard made him feel less alone.

James asked you, "That book is how you keep your apparition companions around, right?"

"Yeah..." You looked a little guilty. "The fact that it didn't work... Well, there could be many reasons. One of them is tied to the nature of your existence. I realised it when you said that you didn't feel a strong urge to return as an apparition."

Elias spoke up, "Is it because the process in which he became an apparition is entirely artificial?"

"Yeah. Eventually, James is going to revert back to his previous state. It is inevitable there's..." You snuck an almost apologetic glance at Caleb. "... There's no stopping it."

James fell silent for a moment, his brows furrowing in thought. "That sounds... right," he mumbled. Suddenly, he winced, his hand instinctively reaching up to grasp his head. "Ack, yup. My head is spinning. You know, Eve was just here. They were going to use me as a weapon."

Caleb's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"They're strong, especially against apparitions. Their abilities were designed to extract the essence of apparitions." James looked at you. "(Y/n), you called Eve, didn't you? They let me go after. What did you do?"

"Oh––uh... We made a deal..." You trailed off for a moment, as if biding time to think of what to say. "But it's nothing bad! In fact, it works out for me! Don't worry about it."

Caleb glanced over to you. Is Miss Support putting herself in danger again? He needed to keep a closer eye on you or else you would slip away from his grasps before he knew it.

James frowned. "I hope that's the case. But either way, thank you. If it weren't for you, I would've been gone and we wouldn't have been able to have this conversation for closure."

If Caleb were to try and look on the bright side, he got a chance that many didn't. He had a chance to have a moment of closure with a dead loved one. Many incidents came across in operations where Caleb had to see family, friends, lovers, see their cherished ones in an apparition form, but be unable to speak to them and could do nothing but wait for an exorcist.

"I... I don't think I can prolong this any further." James glanced your way. "(Y/n), though it was a short meeting and I made a pretty bad first impression, you seem like a good person. I wish we could've met a little earlier."

Your fingers anxiously twisted the fabric of your clothes. Despite your emotions, you managed to steadily hold eye contact with James.

"Yeah," you replied softly, a wistful smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "I'm sure we would've had a lot of fun together."

"And Elias..." James laughed. It was strained. "Thanks for putting up with me."

Elias offered a sincere nod. "I wasn't putting up with you. I... " He took a deep breath. It was shaky. "I genuinely enjoyed your company. Thanks for... not making things so quiet all the time."

Elias then whispered something to you, something along the lines of giving Caleb and James some space. The two of you exchanged nods. Right before Elias left, he glanced back at James one last time.

James waved at him. "See ya, and take it easy on the coffee."

It was a simple sentence James always said to Elias when they parted ways, usually with the intent to see each other again.

Elias mustered up a soft smile, it looked hurt, but it was genuine and sincere. "Goodbye."

And thus, it was only the two brothers in the vicinity left. There was silence for a good few minutes. Caleb didn't know what to say.

James spoke up first. "Hey. How are you holding up?"

"Terrible," Caleb replied with a chuckle, it was lighthearted yet fragile. "I just feel terrible."

"We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we? Lay it all on me, vent it all out."

"Tempting, but I don't want to trauma dump on you during your last moments."

"I don't mind." James smiled. "As your older brother, nothing makes me happier than to be reliable in times like this."

"I..." Caleb laughed. "Alright, remember that you asked for it."

Caleb told James everything. From how he was consumed with guilt which manifested into destructive habits such as neglecting to use his gloves to how consuming his own cooking made him nauseous to the point of ripping his stomach out––everything.

However, Caleb then told James about better things. Things such as the new SF members, the New Year Eves celebration, and that one time he and Sara stitched cat ears onto the hoodie of Lyle's uniform.

And most importantly, Caleb told James all about you.

"I still call her Miss Support, but it's not just because she used to be a support leader. Though, that was definitely the reason at first," Caleb said. "Ever since I met her, I feel––well, supported. Not really creative, but it's what stuck with me. I appreciate her a lot."

Caleb wondered what would have happened if you were to enter their lives earlier. What if you went to the same academy? How would you and James have gotten along? You really liked reading, so maybe you and Elias would've been close? Would you have gone shopping after school with Sara and Rose? Would you have studied for exams with Elias?

Would... James have experienced a different fate?

James listened to Caleb attentively. He was that kind of person. Maths equations, schoolwork flew over his head (yet, he somehow got good grades), but James would easily remember details about the people he cared about.

"I'm glad you met her," James said. "I've only talked to her a few times––early interactions being hostile––but I'm sure we would've gotten along."

"For sure!" Crap. Caleb felt the conversation ending. Not yet. "Question! Did you actually not eat the last custard puff during your graduation Christmas party?"

"What the––hey, I said I didn't––" James stopped himself and laughed. "You're teasing me. Are you trying to prolong the conversation?"

"You know I'm a procrastinator."

"I don't mind, but..." James sighed. "Sorry."

"Wait, so did you actually––"

"No, you idiot." James laughed. "Sorry for trying to literally murder you when I became an apparition."

Caleb waved him off. "Y'know, we never had a serious sibling fight, that could be it. And..." He trailed off. "I'm being selfish, aren't I? You said your mental state was a mess and here I am––"

"You're not," James interrupted. "I want to talk to you as well, Caleb."

He smiled. "Of course you do, I'm great company."

"Glad to see you're still incredibly humble."

The two siblings shared a light chuckle, the warmth and nostalgia from the interaction was like a comforting embrace from the past.

"Things are gonna get super chaotic from here on out," Caleb said. "I have a feeling Miss Support is going to get in a lot of trouble."

"Nothing you can't handle?"

"Obviously. I'm capable of everything."

James' expression softened, one that displayed pride. Caleb tilted his head in confusion when James lifted a hand to command a small gust of wind. Before Caleb could ask, the wind swirled around the top of Caleb's head and tousled it gently. It was as if James' hand was tangible and he was ruffling Caleb's hair.

"Yeah, you'll definitely do amazing. You're my little brother, after all." James smiled. "Be sure to have fun with your friends and loved ones, okay? Ah! That doesn't mean you can forget me."

His tone was casual, lighthearted, as if this wouldn't be the last time they spoke to each other again. However, his eyes were glassy.

"Make a lot of pastries in my stead."

Caleb's eyes widened. Lowering his head, he blinked back tears. With a trembling voice, but one that still had his familiar playful inflection, he responded, "Everyone will be begging me to leave the kitchen."

James' whisper was soft and comforting. "Perfect."

Shit. He didn't want this moment to end. Laughing and bantering with James... Caleb missed it all so much.

"I'll..." Caleb lifted his head and met James' eyes. Swallowing, he whispered, "Goodbye."

Caleb had to say it. If he didn't do so now, he'd never let James go.

"See ya," James whispered.

Caleb drew in a deep breath and began the exorcism process. He took his time. A soft, green glow enveloped his palms and some of the light danced around him and James, reminiscent of fireflies. Unlike his usual abilities, there was no explosive energy; everything unfolded with a serene, careful, and tender touch.

James glanced around. "It's pretty."

"Yeah," Caleb agreed softly. "Fitting for someone as kind as you."

As the light swirled around James, Caleb's eyes widened in astonishment. For a moment, Caleb felt like he touched James' shoulder. His brother smiled, nodding softly and confirming his assumption.

And that was the last expression Caleb saw on James' face. When the light disappeared, in front of Caleb was an empty space.

James was gone.

Caleb sat in silence. A small smile was still on his face, as if he had yet to process that his older brother had truly left this world. Gradually, his smile wavered. And when it fell, so did tears. Caleb didn't realise he was crying until he saw small droplets fall onto the floor.

He didn't fight back the urge to cry. He had cried in the past before, the day after James had died. However, this time the tears felt less suffocating.

I miss him.

And it was okay to acknowledge that.

Some time passed. Caleb wasn't sure how much, but he didn't rush himself. Eventually, he stood up.

I'll become someone who protects others. He wiped away some tears. Just like James.



A/n: Fun fact: Caleb almost said "I'll see you around" to James out of habit instead of goodbye.