FullMetal Crafters

Introduction

He needed to go to the bathroom. He had woken up so suddenly that his heart was racing. "Big brother, big brother." The little boy said softly, shaking the other male in his bed. He was slightly older and had dark black hair. "Hnngh? What is it, Simon?" He asked carefully.

"Big brother, I gotta go pee~" Simon whined, his small hands clutching the fabric of the older's pajamas. "Can you take me?"
"Nng...Go ask Mama or Papa...~" his brother mumbled, digging into the sheets of their small bed that they shared.

"I can't! Mama and Papa aren't in their bed. I don't know where they are!"

That woke his older brother up. "They're not there?"

"Please, Martin?" Simon asked innocently, beginning to tug on Martin's shirt.

"Fine." Martin said, standing up and putting on his slippers. Well, the slippers were his fathers' but they qualified as his as well. Martin cautiously took his little brother's hand and walked out to the hall. It was very quiet, to the point where it was unsettling.

The older of the two could sense that something was wrong. He didn't understand why, but in the pit of his small stomach, he knew.

"Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom~" His little brother softly chanted, bouncing up and down as they walked towards the lavatory.

"Can you go by yourself?" Martin asked protectively, letting go of the four-year-old's hand. Simon smiled and nodded happily. "Mommy taught me."

It was odd, Martin thought, that his mother taught Simon how to go potty. Shouldn't his father do that? It was only logical, after all. His mother did everything: cooking, cleaning, picking the vegetables from the garden, even teaching her boys how to do simple tasks. All his father ever did was sit in his office and work. Scribble on papyrus and then throw it away. Martin had taken one of his father's drawing, which was written on a tin papyrus scroll and looked at it. He never understood it. It was just a pentagon within a circle, nothing more than a child's doodle. Yet Martin kept it. Simon was taking a while, so Martin decided to sit down and wait for him.

"Simon, are you okay?" Martin asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He looked out the window down the hall. The sky was a beautiful purple-pink mixture, the swollen sun rising through the thick clouds. It had to be 6 AM or so. "Simo-on~, hurry up. I wanna go back to bed."

At that moment, he heard a flush and the soft pattering of padded feet. The door handle jiggled a bit, since Simon couldn't reach it, but when it opened, Martin saw a bright little boy.

Martin looked like his little brother, a small bit. Martin had black hair, large brown eyes, and pale skin. Simon had dark brown hair, big brown eyes and pale skin. The two brothers had always shared a very close relationship, including insults, light physical attacks and the occasional stealing of toys. But Martin always made sure nobody ever hurt Simon.

Simon immediately clasped onto Martin's hand again. "Big brother, where's Mommy?" Martin rubbed his eyes again and yawned. "I dunno. But let's go back to bed."

"Honey, are you sure...?"

"Yes, this is the best option for the children."

"Do you want me to wake them?"

"No. If I see them, I'll cry."

"Hehe, silly. It's okay to cry!"

Martin guided Simon to the voices of their parents. It was just down the hall, where the front door was. There, Martin saw his mother, her dark hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck, in a long black dress and an apron. His father stood beside her, wearing a suit and carrying a brown briefcase.

"Mommy...?" Simon asked quietly, and the two adults whipped around.

"K-Kids! What are you doing up so early?" Mrs. Petrov asked, her hands rested in her lap.

"Simon haddo go pee." Martin said tiredly, his brown eyes slightly closing.

"Aw, Martin! You were watching after Simon? What a good big brother you are!" Mrs. Petrov said proudly, pinching Martin's cheeks in a loving way. Martin giggled softly.

"Hm?" The five-year-old looked up and saw his father, who's face was cascaded by sunlight. "Daddy?"

Their father looked at Simon and Martin and scowled. "I'm leaving now." Mrs. Petrov looked down and nodded sadly.

Their father opened the door, causing the rising sun to flood in the hallway. The two siblings covered their eyes and squeaked. The door slammed in their faces, as they heard the crunching of gravel get quieter and quieter.

Mrs. Petrov turned sadly and wrapped her arm around her two boys, who hugged her back, confused. All they did was stare at the door, and Martin looked on as his mother trembled in their arms.