oh baby, I have not been kind
Mom's thinking had been right. This was awkward.
It was hard to see his twin look so different from him. They used to be nearly identical. Now she looked a little older than him, and in reality was much older. With children. By someone else. It stung, cut him deeper than he should feel, he knew. Dad probably wouldn't remember, wouldn't realize what Kharon was hiding. But this hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt. She wasn't just gone from him. She belonged to someone else. Multiple someones. He could understand Mom a little better now.
His face held no particular expression as he approached her though, his heart clenching tightly in his chest. Even seeing her was painful. And he would rather he could just avoid her. Never hear her thoughts, find a way to forget how much he cared. Too much, Dad would say. Too much. He'd been too successful with his distance from her, trying to follow Dad's guidance. Getting trapped in another realm of time. Well, he'd given her time and distance unintentionally. And it sucked.
Maybe he never should've listened.
He hated thinking that. Dad knew best.
"Hi," he said carefully, feeling guarded. His spine was stiff and his wings were held close to his body like an armor. His grey eyes were weak and vulnerable. He was weak. "You had kids." It was flat. Just a really unfortunate fact laid openly between them. She'd had kids. With someone else. It was too late to take the words back, too late to take back her life she'd lived without him. How could she have loved anyone else, though? Hadn't they been made for each other?
No, he was wrong. Dad had been right.
I wish I could scrape away the dirt that's on my mind