Standoff

|10| Homestead

After a week of stopping and camping, rolling over sand, grassy plains, crossing rivers and moving through forests. They finally reach Aphmau's homestead.

It's a small, two story farmhouse. Surrounded by tall, ancient trees. The only clearing was a garden full to the brim with tomatoes, corn, cabbage, potatoes, everything needed, and the stables.

The wagon was parked in front and the horses taken to be tied up in the stables around back, Eclipse reluctantly went with them, though if he really wanted to leave, he could just jump over the fence.

"Come on in." Aphmau unlocks the door with a quiet click and the door swings open, revealing the inside.

It's modest living, a ceiling fan cooled the inside with all the furniture being made by hand, a cabinet held ceramic dishes and fine china, and another filled with trinkets likely made by one of the the two brothers, a few drawings hung on the wall, but by an amateur hand, it was obvious that someone in the family drew them.

The floor was clean the table had a few unlit candles, a few feet away a fireplace and a large squishy couch, an old rocking chair and a single armchair made up the living room. To the side of this was the stairs to the loft.

Up here there were only two rooms, Aphmau's, and .... The Brothers, but now, just one brother remains.

Malachi doesn't say much as he goes immediately to his room, locking the door behind him and leaving the two adults at the bottom of the stairs.

"He needs some space, a lot has happened." Aaron says, mostly for Aphmau than for himself, and she turns to him, smiling.

"I know. I know." This does not stop her from looking towards the closed door with a worried expression pressed deeply in her face.

"You need some rest too. Go, I'll sleep on the couch, we'll stay here and recover for awhile." Aphmau then turns the worried expression to him, putting her hands on her hips and opening her mouth for an argument.

"No, I'm sleeping on the couch, don't argue." He says with such a tone of finality that she huffs and crosses her arms before plodding up the stairs, and shutting her door.

He waits a few moments, before softly knocking on Malachi's door.

"Hey, can I come in?" He asks with a similar soft voice, he knew how it felt to lose a brother, a friend.

"Y-Yeah." The door clicks as it's unlocked and Aaron slowly opens the door.

There are two beds, one a dark, forest green and the other a bright, ocean blue. It seemed each brother had there own side, as the green side had farming tools, whittling knives and some animal figures carved from wood.

The blue side however, was filled with wooden boats and lighthouses, huge models of cities and a map of the known world.

"He... wanted to be a sailor. He always loved the ocean. Heh... Just like his dad."

"Isn't his dad yours as well?" Malachi stares like a deer in headlights before sighing and shaking his head.

"We have the same mother, but she cheated on him with a farm boy and had me with him, that was about the time Aphmau, my mom, took us in." Aaron winced, a bastard child, he shook his head and motioned to sit on the bed with the younger man.

Malachi nodded, but kept talking.

"My mother was a whore, I knew a dozen other men she slept with even after she had me and gave us to Aphmau." Aaron was taken aback, this was a side of him he hadn't seen before.

"Malachi! She's still your mother." Aaron scolded, sounding much like a parent upset with their kid.

"No, that woman isn't my mother, Aphmau is, she took care of us, loved us as her own, she's a wonderful mom." Malachi looks as if he was nearing what he really wanted to say, as if the rest was just buildup.

"It's just a shame that she lost the better half of two brothers." Aaron's harsh eyes softened, and again shook his head.

"Malachi-"

"No. It's true Levin was the one that had the bright dreams, he was air-headed, but put him on a ship and he'd be the captain. I... I'm just the farm boy, the low man raising horses for some petty coin." He sighed, and Aaron could swear he saw tears, but they disappeared within seconds.

"A pretty damn good one though." Aaron stood now, above the young man, holding out a hand to help him up.

Malachi took it, and Aaron chuckled looking at all the carved animals. 

"What's your dream son?" Aaron asks slowly, turning a carving of a coyote in his hands.

"I... I don't know, I don't have one." Aaron smirked and shook his head. Handing him the carved creature.

"I don't believe that for a second, it takes time and skill to be that good a whittling." Malachi looks down at the carving in his hands, looking at the small "M" carved on the coyotes leg.

"And I'm going to guess you drew the artwork in the halls correct?" The young man nods, his brown hair bouncing with it.

"Son, I will ask you again, and I want you to be truthful. What is your dream?" Malachi looks down at the carving again, then back up at the older man standing before him.

"I want to be an inventor, an artist. I want to make peoples lives easier." Aaron grinned, nodding and placing his hand on Malachi's shoulder.

"Then you do that, and let nothing stop you, Levin would be proud of you, and so will your mother." Malachi smiled then nodded, determination glowing within his eyes.

Aaron starts to leave, putting a cigar in his mouth, when he hears the question behind him.

"What's your dream?" Aaron stops in his tracks, turns around, a gives the young man a small smile.

"I don't have one. But I guess, for now, let's say it's to see you fulfill yours." He leaves and shuts the door behind him, he barely hear's what the young man says next.

"Thank you, Dad." His heart stopped, and he nearly broke his neck whipping around so fast to stare at him.

"Did you just?" Malachi immediately went red, and tried to explain, but Aaron, shaking it off quickly. Put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, you can call me... Dad, if you want, just.... not in front of your mother, alright?" Malachi, still red, nods, but his eyes fill with fear when he looks out the doorway.

Aphmau had been listening, and a huge grin is plastered on her face, Aaron gets visibly red.

"Well, does that give me permission to call you Daddy?" Malachi snorted in laughter, but was still pink from embarrassment. Aaron was speechless, staring at her with an extremely red face.

"Uh... Um.... I..." She laughs but smiles gently, ruffling Malachi's hair but grabbing Aaron's hand.

"Come on 'Daddy' you're not sleeping on the couch."