Chapter Text
Flux put the plastic bags down on the kitchen table, slowly unpacking the contents. True to his word, he had gone shopping for the man whose house he was living in.
It still felt incredibly strange to be able to say, in full confidence, Flux had actually talked to Saparata. The same man who, six years ago, he had pushed away. The same man who had welcomed him back into his life as a friend.
When Cynikka had given him the address, Flux had half expected it to be fake. A house that either didn’t exist, or wasn’t home to somebody who he’d owed an apology to for years.
Snapping back into the present, Flux looked down at the kitchen counter from where he was stood. Stuck to the surface was the back of an orange sticky note, the same one Flux had written on that morning. He smiled as he picked it up, putting down what he was holding.
’won’t be home for a bit, got work, have fun shopping! :P’
Flux blinked as he remembered that Saps was, in fact, at work and not just in the other room. He suddenly felt a lot more awkward, standing in a kitchen that wasn’t his, in a house that wasn’t his. Sure he’d been living there for a few days, but the space seemed strangely empty without another person occupying it. He silently wondered how Saps had lived on his own for this long.
The apartment was practically built for another person. The extra bedroom, the empty chairs at the dining table, the kitchen that could fit at least 2 people. However, Flux knew that it was only Saps living there.
Being made suddenly aware of just how empty it seemed without the other man, Flux decided to do one of the only things he could with what he had to distract himself.
——
Maybe distracting himself was a bad idea.
Cynikka sat on the edge of her seat, literally, hands clasped together as she stared at her brother. Besides her, Thomas had his hands innocently folded in his lap, smiling at his best friend. Flux was sat cross-legged on the carpet in front of them, already regretting his choices.
”So,” Cyn began, eyes not leaving Flux, “what happened?” She grinned as she spoke, leaning forwards slightly. Flux worried that if they leaned any further they’d fall, but that was something he kept to himself.
Thomas nodded along next to her, “yeah Flux, what did you do,” he mocked, and Flux wanted to get up and leave.
Flux, with most of his heart, loved both his sister and his best friend. He was grateful that Cyn had practically raised him, despite being only 2 years older than him, and he would forever appreciate Thomas for being one of the only people who didn’t let themselves be pushed away.
However, in moments like these, he wanted to murder them. Just a little.
”Nothing happened,” Flux sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “he let me in, we talked, he let me stay with him, and now I’m here. That’s literally it.”
Cyn raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. “You talked to him. Really.” They questioned, tone flat. Flux groaned from where he sat, now fully covering his face with his hands.
Thomas laughed next to her and Flux shot him a look. “Don’t think you’re innocent, I met your boyfriend.”
As soon as he spoke, the room went silent. Thomas turned red, and Flux worried his sister would get whiplash from how quickly they turned to look at him. Thomas fumbled over his words for a minute and Flux slowly smiled as he realised he had successfully gotten the attention off of him.
Sensing he had felt a spec of joy, Cynikka turned back to Flux. “Hey, this isn’t about Thomas’s boyfriend,” Flux pretended not to hear the high-pitched he isn’t my boyfriend from next to his sister, “this is about you and your… whatever you are.”
”Friends.” Flux replied.
”Right, friends.”
The three fell silent again, this time not because somebody had spoken. Thomas, who was still a bit pink, shuffled closer to Flux, now sitting next to him. Flux looked at him, visibly confused, before sighing and accepting the closeness.
Cyn crossed her legs on her chair, sitting higher than both Flux and Thomas. It reminded him vaguely of when they were kids. Cynikka had always played as a great monarch, ruling her kingdom with an iron fist. Flux was their loyal second in command, happy to do anything his sister asked him to. The few times that his friends had joined in, they had taken the roles of knights and servants. Nobody had ever been as powerful as the siblings.
They would spend hours in their back garden, running around what was essentially their own personal field and turning it into whatever they wanted. A kingdom of snow and ice, a castle built to hang above a volcano, each time they had made their own little world.
Sometimes, if they were lucky, their older brother Ender would join them. On even rarer occasions, one of their fathers would too. However, it didn’t happen often enough to commit to memory.
Flux had, for as long as he remembered, always loved his sister. She was his best friend for life, somebody who had never done him wrong. So even after their days of playing in their parents garden were over, he still happily sat with her, talking about things only a sister would understand.
“So,” Thomas broke the silence, and Flux did not nearly jump out of his skin when he spoke. He absolutely didn’t forget that the other man had chosen to sit right next to him. Not at all. “What did you talk about?” He asked.
Flux stammered for a moment, silently trying to figure out how much he wanted to tell them. Again, he loved them, but giving Thomas and Cynikka blackmail material was never a good thing. Eventually he decided on what to say.
”I’ll tell you if you both promise not to use it against me.”
The two looked at each other, then back at Flux. After a few seconds, Thomas nodded and Cyn gave him a thumbs up while motioning zipping her lips. He sighed, looking at the carpet, and began to explain.
——
“Oh my god.”
Flux’s face flushed red as he listed to his sister try not to laugh. She had one hand pressed flat against her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut. From beside him, Thomas sat with his head in his hands, shaking from silent laughter.
”Flux, dude,” Cyn giggled, giving up on hiding her laughter, “you fumbled. Like you textbook definition fumbled.”
Flux opened his mouth to defend himself, staring down at her carpet like it’d solve anything, but couldn’t find the words. Instead, he brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them.
Thomas looked at him, smiling like he’d won at a game. “You told him you were ‘bad at friends’”
Flux groaned, slightly muffled from his position, and told his best friend to shut up. So much for not using it against him.
“I have to talk to him at some point man, that’s hilarious. You’re so bad at apologising, wow.” Cyn was still laughing as they spoke, directly facing her brother.
”Gee thanks.” Flux said flatly, rolling his eyes.
”But dude seriously,” Thomas had somewhat recovered, looking at Flux, “I think that’s the first time I have ever heard you try to talk to somebody and fuck it up that badly.”
Flux pressed his head into this knees again, no longer listening to what they had to say. They talked amongst themselves for a minute, and Flux chose to tune them out in favour of listening to his own thoughts.
Yes, the two of them had unfortunately been right. It wasn’t a great apology. Flux had never been good with words, always finding it easier to show somebody he cared about them through gifts and quality time. Actions spoke louder than words, of course.
Saparata deserved more than words could describe.
Listening to Thomas and Cynikka chat, Flux decided he’d at least try to make it up to the other man. For now, there wasn’t much he could do, but he swore to himself that he would find a way to give him a meaningful apology. For all of the years they had lost, and for every year Flux wanted to spend with Saps in the future.