Log: I'll do what I can

[depthlesslock]

Who: York (native) and Sigma Ai
What: Consolation over a lost brother
Where: The Ai household
When: Saturday night
Warnings: Possible swearing

York follows the directions to Sigma's home as fast as he can, his mind running at the same speed. He's going to have to lie. No way around it, he's going to have to act like this is the first time he's heard of the disappearance. Comforting Sigma will be easy, lying to him won't be.

This is so fucked up. He's holding too many threads and not letting too many people know which threads he's holding. Eventually he's going to get tangled in them.

But he can worry about that later. For now, his attention needs to be on Sigma.

At last, he arrives at what his HUD tells him is the correct destination. It's bigger than what he'd expected on the income he'd gathered was brought in, but then again it does have to hold eight people. Not quite big enough to do so with complete ease though. Hurrying up the path, he steps up to the front door and considers pressing the intercom, when he remembers what Sigma said about the kids being in bed. So instead, he sends Sigma a message on the comms.

I'm here.

Comments

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma hasn't left the couch since Omega stormed out to find Delta. The kids are asleep--or, if they aren't, they being awfully quiet about it. Maybe they heard him crying and new better than to leave their rooms.

He slouches against the cushions with his helmet on, waiting for word. For anything. He holds Delta's book open in his right hand. Both lie on the couch, not upright for reading. His heart isn't in it. He can't stop thinking about his brother. Brothers, really: first Delta, then Omega, now Alpha.

Always Alpha.

A ping in his helmet tells him he has a new message. He has just enough strength, he decides, to stand, pull his helmet off, and go to the airlock to let York in.

[depthlesslock]

Sigma responds quickly and the first door opens, letting York into the airlock. He shifts his weight impatiently from foot to foot until it finishes filtering the air and lets him through to where Sigma is waiting.

Has he been crying?

He pulls his helmet off and reaches out for Sigma. 'What's happened?'

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma nearly breaks down into tears again at the concerned look York is giving him. "It's Delta. He and Omega had a fight and now he's gone. He left everything and everyone to me and I--I can't--" He shuts his eyes against coming tears.

[depthlesslock]

York wraps his arms around him in a second, holding him close.

'Hey, it's okay,' he says, leading them over to the couch and sitting Sigma down on it before sitting down next to him, keeping one arm around him.

'I didn't quite get what you said. Delta and Omega fought, and then what happened?'

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma sinks into his arms. He doesn't resist being maneuvered to the couch. When York's arm encircles him, he leans in close. Would it be ignorant to imagine he's safe in York's arms? Perhaps, but the thought does calm him.

"I didn't know," he whispers. "I was playing with the twins. Secret agents, with the string, like you suggested. I knocked Delta's pillow askew and found he'd left me a note."

"He left me everything, York. Contact information for teachers and daycare. Medical information. Calendar events. Even the places he--he hid--"

He presses his face into York's shoulder. "He left my birthday presents here. He's not coming back, and I have to be the big brother now."

[depthlesslock]

York tightens his grip on Sigma when the younger man presses closer. Evidently the contact is helping or at least comforting him in some way.

Fuck, he wants to tell Sigma. Wants to tell him that Delta is okay and safe, that he's willing to talk and meet with his younger siblings... just not come home. But he can't. God fucking dammit, he can't. And even if he could, he couldn't tell Sigma what he clearly needs to hear.

That Delta is going to come back.

'Are you sure?' he asks. 'I know I didn't know him as well as you do, but he seemed so dedicated to you guys.'

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma shakes his head. "I messaged him. I begged him to come back. He says he can't. I keep telling myself he just needs time. We're meeting for coffee this week, and he wants to see the kids sometime, but. . . he's not coming back."

"I--I'm afraid something happened with Omega." The rest of this is conjecture and he doesn't know if he should say it. He hesitates.

[depthlesslock]

'If you're meeting up, that'll be a better chance to talk to him,' he says. 'Maybe he does just need time...' He trails off. If he hadn't seen Delta himself in all this, leaving long term instructions for Sigma is a pretty clear indicator of how serious Delta is.

'What was the fight? Physical? A really bad argument?'

[ambitious_muse]

"I want to believe that," Sigma says. "But even then, I've got to find a way to get the twins to daycare and the kids to school when I'm supposed to be working. I need to do the shopping. I need to cook and clean and somehow find the chance to study, or just..." He can't drop out of school altogether, but he doesn't know how to make it all work. "Or I need to convince Epsilon and Omega to help, which is almost as hard as getting Delta back."

"Knowing those two, just shouting. I--I think Delta's upset about Omega's new job. He--" He swallows because York is an awesome guy, but some people are really uncomfortable about this. Like Delta. "He quit his old job without saying anything and has been working with a mercenary."

[depthlesslock]

Jeez, he hadn't even thought about that part. Maybe he should have tried to convince Delta to stay more than he did. Except he would have left and fuck knows where he'd be right now if that had happened. But even so. York has a new respect for what Delta balanced in his life, and he's sure Sigma hsn't even completed the list.

'Fuck, that's a lot. Doesn't Omega help with any of that?' Delta can't be entirely responsible for all that. Right? 'Epsilon another one of the older siblings? As in... not playing in the park age.'

Well at least it wasn't physical. He hadn't seen any bruises on Delta, but it was good to know there weren't any to be seen. 'Mercenary work? That's fucking dangerous, what's he doing there?'

[ambitious_muse]

"Omega helps sometimes. Especially on Saturdays, when Delta would make him clean. He already gets the kids to bed, but--" He hears his voice harden and he tries to swallow his resentment-- "He isn't exactly going to be around every night with his new job. From what I understand, Meg found work helping with demolitions. Finally putting years of construction to use at a job that finally makes money."

"I wouldn't know if Epsilon is playing in the park," he tries to joke. "He's between Delta and me but he's never home. He also does college with a job on the side."

[depthlesslock]

'Well if he's not going to be around much at night, maybe you can get him to do more during the day?' he suggests and tries not to snort at the irony of going from construction to demolition. Apparently buildings weren't the only thing Omega was demolishing with this job change,

'How come he's never home? Too busy?'

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma snorts. "With Epsilon, who knows?" he asks. "I need someone home in the evenings, because how else am I doing to see you?"

The admission spills from his lips in a panic. It's not the heart of the matter, but it has been gnawing at him until he worries the ache will swallow him. He looks up into York's eyes because he has to see how he responds to this.

[baruthumos]

It's late when Omega comes home. Hopefully everyone has fallen asleep.

He's alone, which he expected. Mostly he wanted to get out of the house before anger made him do something he'd regret later. He already regrets what happened, but at least he didn't scare the little ones.

Too late to worry about anything else now.

Maybe he'll sleep on the couch tonight. He's definitely going to sleep on the couch tonight. Because if Theta or Gamma asks him one more time about Delta...well. He doesn't want to answer.

There's someone on the couch, two someones. Sigma and Epsilon? Yes, that's Sigma, but the other isn't Epsilon. Who is that strange man in his house? Can't be a bad guy, since Sigma is lying on top of him. Probably the good York, given the scars. But he's in the house, while the children are here, without being vetted. Yet another thing he does not want to deal with.

"Hey," he yells, hoping to wake them up. "What the hell are you doing??"

[depthlesslock]

York jolts awake and swears at the rude awakening and when he feels something heavy against him, pinning him down. Opening his eyes, he doesn't recognise the ceiling and his hand automatically goes to his hip, but he sees Sigma and freezes before he pulls out the gun hidden there. Right. He's at the Ai household. Sigma called him over after Delta went missing. And he knows where Delta is, but Sigma doesn't know that.

Right.

He cranes his neck and finds the source of the shout. A tall, very angry looking man glaring down at him. Clearly strangely colored eyes are a thing in this family.

'Omega, I presume,' he says, very aware of the way Sigma's still mostly lying on him.

[ambitious_muse]

Omega hasn't shouted at him to wake up in years. He jolts awake, immediately aware of York beneath him on the couch. Bracing against the cushions, he pushes himself into a seated position so he can face his brother.

"Sleeping," he snaps, because shouting is no way to wake someone. "What time is it?" He rubs his eyes and feels the tear-tracks on his cheeks. Leave them, he decided. Let Omega know exactly what he's dealing with.

[baruthumos]

Great. Sigma's been crying. When was the last time Omega saw Sigma cry? Not that it would matter to Delta, who's apparently decided his little brothers and sister don't matter any more. "Who is this guy, what is he doing on my couch, and who let him in the house? When the kids are here, even!"

Sigma should know better. Even if this guy is on the level, what he doesn't know can't be tortured out of him later. And what if he isn't? What if this had all been a ruse to get inside?

[depthlesslock]

Yep, York can definitely see this man getting into such a bad argument with Delta that his friend would storm out. D had mentioned that he had a temper and meeting him for the first time and being on the receiving end of such temper isn't doing the guy any favors in York's view.

'Hey! I'm half blind, not fucking deaf,' he says, sitting up now that Sigma's no longer lying on him. 'My name's York and up until two minutes ago, I was sleeping here with Sigma because he was upset and called me over. Do you have a problem with your brother being comforted?'

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma slips his fingers between York's and looks up at Omega. "I let him in," he says. "I needed to talk to someone after you and Delta left me. Who was I supposed to talk to? Gamma?"

[baruthumos]

So that is York. Well, any other day Omega might be glad to see him. Not today. "Do you know where Delta is?" York is literally the only person Delta might have gone to.

"You let him in. So now he knows where you live. So now that could be tortured out of him. Good job, Sigma. Good job. Did you think we don't like people here because we enjoy making your life terrible?" Probably, knowing Sigma.

[depthlesslock]

'No, I don't.' Weird. It's a lot easier to lie to Omega than it is to lie to Sigma. Actually, no. Not weird at all. 'I met him all of one time.'

He listens as Omega snaps at Sigma and his jaw clenches tighter with every other word. 'You know, up until just now, I thought this was a perfectly normal family that was going through some drama. But now you're making it sound like there's a reason I could be tortured for information. You're giving more away from yelling at Sigma than he has.'

[ambitious_muse]

"I sincerely hope you don't enjoy this," Sigma whispers. "Would you prefer I took my problems elsewhere, like Delta has?"

So maybe he hadn't been thinking. Maybe he had been so desperate for comfort that he hadn't considered his family's safety. But he remembers what Delta said, about not letting Omega make him feel small, and he squeezes York's hand in gratitude. He did what needed to be done, and he refuses to feel guilty about it.

[baruthumos]

"Oh, don't ask stupid questions. You know I hate those." Omega throws himself into the bad armchair. "Has anyone at least heard from Delta? Do we have any confirmation that he's not sleeping on a park bench somewhere?

This is worse than when Epsilon disappears. Epsilon at least answers messages.

"There's a reason, but the odds are...slight," Omega allows. It's hard to stay angry when Sigma is looking at him like that. Or rather, it's hard to take out the rage on him. Save it for Delta, who put Sigma in the middle of this mess.

[depthlesslock]

York tightens his fingers around Sigma's slightly, returning the squeeze. Sigma's upset enough without added shit from Omega. At least the guy's not shouting anymore.

'Last I heard from Delta was over the comms and I was pestering him to take time out. This... wasn't what I meant.'

[ambitious_muse]

"I called him," Sigma says. "He's safe. He didn't elaborate, though." Just that he's searching for a job, but Sigma suspects that's a point of contention that Omega doesn't need right now. He just wants his brother to get off his case.