The words hung in the air, soft and devastating.
"Little Moon, you’ve grown up."
Nolan’s chest tightened, a millennium of suppressed emotions threatening to rupture like a volcano held at bay by sheer will. The figure before him—his brother—sat there as if no time had passed at all, as if a decade of absence meant nothing.
Ten years of searching, of chasing whispers and dead ends.
And finally, leaving his home, title, and name behind, because everything without him had been unbearable.
In this dusty, insignificant human shop.
In the last place Nolan would have ever thought to look. But ironically, the first place he had stopped.
His brother watched him with that same infuriatingly wise gaze, the same affectionate amusement that had once made Nolan feel both cherished and utterly transparent.
His voice caught. A thousand questions tangled in his throat.
Did you ever think of me?
What had you been doing?
But before he could force out a single word, his brother smiled—that smile, the one that had always disarmed him—and murmured,
Nolan was moving before he could think.
One moment, he stood frozen in the doorway. Next, crossing the distance in three swift strides, he was crashing into his brother’s arms, his face buried in the familiar scent of moonsilk. His brother’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him close with a quiet chuckle.
A hand settling on his head, fingers threading through his hair with the same gentle weight as they had when he was a child.
Nolan didn’t trust himself to speak. Because if he did, he couldn’t hold his tears back anymore. So, he just clenched his fists in his brother’s robes, his forehead pressing against his shoulder.
"You... idiot," he choked out, voice raw.
His brother chuckled, the sound vibrating through him. "Missed you too, Little Moon."
And for the first time in ten years, Nolan let himself smile, from the bottom of his heart.
They stayed like that for what felt like both an eternity and no time at all—Nolan clinging to his brother like a child afraid of being left behind again, his brother’s hand resting in his hair, steady and warm. The silence between them was thick with unspoken words, but for now, it was enough.
Eventually, his brother’s fingers stilled.
"How long are you going to stay in my arms?" he teased, voice light. "I thought you’d grown up."
Nolan stiffened, then jerked back, hastily scrubbing at his face with his sleeve. "I-I am grown up," he muttered, though the way his voice cracked betrayed him.
His brother’s smile softened, but he didn’t comment.
Nolan took a steadying breath, forcing his composure back into place. The moment of vulnerability was over—now, he needed answers. But more than that, he needed one thing.
"Brother," he began, voice low but firm. "I won’t ask you anything else. Not why you left. Not why you’re here. I’ll only ask you this—" He met his brother’s gaze, his own silver eyes burning with quiet desperation. "Please. Let’s return home together. I’ve... missed you. I’ve been searching for you since the day you disappeared."
For a heartbeat, his brother’s expression wavered—something unreadable flickering in his mercury eyes. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"Sorry, Little Moon. I can’t return."
The words hit like a physical blow.
Nolan’s breath caught. "W-Why?!"
His brother exhaled, long and weary, as if the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders. "...It’s..."
"...It’s... complicated."
The words hung in the air, heavy and evasive. Nolan’s fingers twitched at his sides, his patience fraying.
"Why?" he demanded, voice sharp. "Did something happen? Is there something—or someone—preventing you from returning? Brother, please, just tell me! I will solve them myself!"
His brother hesitated, lips parting as if searching for the right answer—
Then, a melodious voice chirped from the window.
"It’s because of y—!"
His brother’s quiet but firm interruption cut through the air like a blade.
The voice stopped mid-sentence.
Nolan’s eyes widened in recognition, then narrowed into icy slits as a small, shimmering blue bird fluttered into the room, landing gracefully on his brother’s shoulder.
The bird tilted its head, beady eyes glinting with mischief. "What, me?"
Nolan’s voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "You kidnapped my brother, didn’t you?"
The bird let out an indignant squawk. "Excuse me?! Kidnapped?! His Highness came with me willingly!"
Nolan’s glare could have frozen lava. "Liar."
The bird puffed up its feathers, utterly unfazed. "Hmph. Are you jealous that His Highness took me with him and not you?"
An invisible arrow struck Nolan right in the chest.
"Y-YOU—!" He whirled toward his brother, betrayal flashing across his face. "Brother! Is this true?! You chose this—this overgrown feather duster over your own precious little brother?!"
The bird gasped dramatically. "Overgrown feather duster?! Who are you calling stupid, you moon-brained princeling?!"
"I’LL PLUCK YOU BARE AND ROAST YOU OVER A FIRE—"
"I’LL TURN YOUR PRECIOUS HAIR INTO A NEST FOR MICE—"
"I’LL DIP YOUR WINGS IN INK AND USE YOU AS A QUILL—"
"I’LL TRAIN CROWS TO SHOUT ’NOLAN SMELLS’ EVERY DAWN—"
His brother’s voice, though quiet, carried the weight of command. Both Nolan and the bird froze mid-squabble.
A tense silence fell.
Then, his brother sighed, rubbing his temples as if dealing with two unruly children. "...Kai is not the reason I left."
Nolan crossed his arms. "Then what is?"
The bird—Kai—opened its beak, but a single glance from his brother had it snapping shut with a disgruntled peep.
His brother’s expression softened slightly as he met Nolan’s eyes. "...I can’t tell you everything. Not yet. But I didn’t leave because I wanted to abandon you."
Nolan’s throat tightened. "Then why?"
"Why did you leave without me?!"
"It is because you were young. I didn’t want to put you in danger."
"Then, what about Kai?"
"...I took him because... You know what he is."
"Yeah, unlike you, I’m powerful, you dimwit."