Good Midnight.

Col Gaolta

Sometimes, hate runs deep in blood, even if it's of your own.

That is one thing Serenity and Callahan learned early on in life.

"MOM! Callahan is touching me again!"

"No I'm not! "

"Yes, you are! Your finger is literally on my arm!"

"No, my finger is on the sleeve over your arm!"

"My sleeve is still on my arm, like!"

"No it's not! There's a small air-gap between your arm and the sleeve!"

Serenity grabbed his little brother's arm. Callahan tried to tug free but instead added to the force of Serenity attempting to shove him off the sofa. He squirmed, desperate to stay on the sofa and reclaim his territory. After flailing his legs, he successfully pivoted himself back onto the sofa and, in the process, kicked his older brother in the face. Serenity yelled and Callahan gasped, the bud of a grin starting to grow on his mischievous grin.

Serenity's hand shot up to his red cheek. "You bloody gowl!" Once a docile creature and now a frenzied beast, he spread his arms out and curled his fingers, ready to grab hold of Callahan's neck and strangle him to death. Callahan's grin vanished. He screamed as his brother lunged at him, almost like a wildcat, causing him to roll off the sofa and drop onto the wooden floor.

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" Serenity screamed.

"MAM!!" Callahan screamed even louder.

"Be nice to your deartháir, Callahan," their mother mumbled from the dining room, sipping her cup of coffee.

"What? Why me?! He's the one who—ACK!" Serenity had grabbed Callahan's neck.

"You're the one started it, you bloody langer! Why do you have to be so bloody annoying?!"

---

A musky aroma spiralled out of Callahan's mug filled with freshly brewed earl grey tea. Brushing a stray strand of brown hair aside, he opened his green eyes and raised the novel in his hands. Not long after, there was a door slam followed heavy footsteps that trudged towards the study room.

"Hey Cal," Serenity greeted breathily as he swung his schoolbag off his shoulders and dropped it in the corner of the room.

Callahan lowered the book and turned around. "Oh, 'sup Ren. Whatcha stay back in school for? Extra class?"

Serenity sighed and ruffled his mop of black hair. "Yep. Physics." He jumped onto the small couch behind their chairs and stretched his long legs.

Callahan snickered. "God, you make me look bad."

"Well, maybe if you actually studied instead of playing that fiddle and reading your books—" he gestured his head towards Callahan's book, "you wouldn't need to worry about that," Callahan said nothing and kept reading his book. Serenity raised his head. "Have you done your homework?"

"Uh, yeah," Callahan's eyes were fixed on the pages.

"Really? When?"

"At school."

His blue eyes stayed on Callahan. "Got any tests?"

"Uh..." Callahan flipped a page. "maybe?"

"What? What do you mean 'maybe'? That's a yes or no question."

"Well... I don't know. Think there's a chemistry test tomorrow."

"And have you studied?"

Callahan sighed in frustration. "In school, yeah."