TOTCF content because my brain go brr

Late Life Crisis

"What is this? Where are we?" Hong's voice echoed. Ron looked up, where Hong's voice squeaked. Hong giggled, the sound surrounding Ron. Ron stood up, and followed the source of the sound. He looked left and right, when he heard Ohn's hushed shushes. She must not have realised the sound was perfectly clear. The attic's floor was paper thin.

It had been a long while since he had been up there. He cringed imagining the dust the children were inhaling. But he knew where they were. It took him a few minutes to find the ladder, the steps creaking under his weight. But he managed to get up there, his shoulders slumped to fit in the small room. 

Hong and Ohn turned to him, their hands full of memorabilia. Ron shook his head, as dust completely doused them. They sneezed until their noses hurt, and their sensitive cat noses screamed at them to leave. So they hurried. 

Ron waved a hand left and right, dissipating the dust cloud forcing him to cough. His eyes were burning a little, but he managed. Once he could breathe again, he had planned to go back down. He hadn't spent time in there for years. But. 

But something tugged him forward. Nostalgia, perhaps, or even curiousity, but there was something attracting him forward, pulling on his white glove. He walked towards the chest the children had explored and kneeled in front of it. It was still open. He shifted through it. There were photo albums, all dated from the year Cale turned 8, and Beacrox turned 18.

He looked through it, smiling fondly. Ron continued to look through the boxes enjoying the memories they had boxed away. The duke had a godawful haircut back then, long in the back and short in the front. And Jour used to curl her hair with her fingers, taking hours to finish one side of her head. 

Beacrox's awkward langly period, where his muscles seemed to disappear for his height. He didn't have much about that, but he remembered it. He used to curl up on the bed because it didn't fit him, looking similar to a cat, or perhaps a large dog. Ron got a new bed as soon as he noticed, and Beacrox started standing taller for it.

He smiled softly, seeing five year old Cale. He loved the recording device. Ron remembered chasing after him after he stole it, and started pretending he was a robber on the run. Not to dissimilar to him now, Ron thought, his fingers tracing the motion blur that was the toddler. 

Ron snickered as he came across a paticularly unflattering picture of Cale. His forehead was stretched out, his chubby cheeks jutting out. His eyes were massive and round, staring into the depths of the Ron's soul. Almost like Ron was in a fish bowl and looking out, Cale's face was so obscured he looked like a little alien.

His smile only grew seeing 14 year old Beacrox mimicking the pose, clearly entertaining the Young Master. He continued to flick through the years, so vividly remembering the little creatures they used to be. How Cale's soft feet used to slap against the floor so hard that everyone knew when he was running towards them, even without assassin training. How Beacrox used to do a happy dance once he perfected a recipe, his heels spinning him in a circle as his arms pumped back and forth.

How Cale used to quack in response to everything after a walk in their garden and coming across a family of ducks. How Beacrox used to play pretend with him, disguising his amusement as teenager angst as he clinked their plastic teacups together. How Cale used to cry when he had to be bathed unless he could take his little rabbit toy — Ms. Bunana — with him. How Beacrox used to sneak into his bed, snuggling up against his chest. How Cale used to steal little fruit tarts, calling it fairy tax, and how Beacrox used to leave them out for him. 

Ron enjoyed himself to no ends, going through their photo albums. Emo phases — Beacrox's lasted impressively long — and little trends that they barely got into — Cale had many, none lasting more than a week — and how they used to get along and get into fights every week. They were just like siblings back then, with how Cale used to trail after him.