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Owen huffed as he set down the last of his boxes. He took a moment to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"That the last of it, बेटा [beta]?"
He turned to see his father duck into the room, eyes scanning the boxes scattered across the floor.
Owen chuckled, "I sure hope so!"
Carrying all his stuff up two flights of stairs wasn't exactly his idea of fun, that was for sure. His father offered a chuckle of his own, setting down the box in his own hands.
He placed his hands on Owen's shoulders, a warm smile on his face.
"I'm so proud of you, मेरा गौरव [mera gaurava], मेरी खुशी [meri khusi]. You make sure to let me know of any trouble, hm?"
Owen's grin wobbled, touched by his father's words. He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly felt a tear trickle down his face.
He rubbed at his cheek, staring, bewildered, as the reality of the situation seemed to hit him all at once. He was finally here, about to start his university journey, but…
Owen looked back at his father, a small sob escaping him as he suddenly clung to him. A weak "बाबा [baba]…" escaped his lips before he finally let himself cry. His father immediately held him tighter, slightly lifting him off the floor.
He rubbed circles into Owen's back soothingly, holding back tears of his own. Owen quietly sobbed, missing his family as though they'd already left. They stayed like that a moment, Owen's father patiently letting him cry it out. He slowly let go of his father, sniffling as he tried to wipe at his face.
The door creaked open, closely followed by the patter of unsteady little footsteps. A tapping on his side turned Owen's gaze downwards, his smile growing. The toddler at his feet made grabby hands at him, to which he obliged, picking his little brother up with a flourish.
"Owin, O-in! Uook!"
Owen looked down at Dillon's hands, startled to see a huge caterpillar sluggishly moving around. He struggled to hold in a laugh, poking at the fat little bug.
"That's so cool, 작은 भृंग [jag-eun bhrnga]!" He mimed a thinking pose, humming. His smile turned mischievous, "Did 엄마 [omma] say you could hold that?"
Dillon looked thoughtful for a moment, then he motioned Owen closer. He leaned in conspiratorially, whispering "엄마 [omma] don't know." He cackled at Owen's mock-shocked face, wriggling around to escape his hold.
Owen snickered at his antics "Oh no you don't! C'mere you…" He wrapped his arms around Dillon in a bear hug, smothering his face in kisses. Dillon squealed, attempting to push Owen's face away with his free hand.
Owen giggled and relented, looking back to his father. He was instead met with his mother, a hand half-covering her grin while she watched her children play.
Owen was overcome with emotion once more, chest tightening as tears pricked at his eyes. He gently moved Dillon's hand from his face, moving to bring his parents in for a group hug. His mother held her sons close, his father squeezing them all tight.
"I'm really gonna miss you guys…" he sighed, leaning into their comforting embrace.