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It was the middle of the night when Zanka woke up from his deep sleep. A small groan left his lips as he struggled to blink away the lingering sleep from his eyes. His eyes were heavy, and his throat felt dry and scratchy. He sat up slowly, hands reaching to the glass on his nightstand, finding it empty. He huffed in slight annoyance at the empty glass. The alarm clock next to it blinked a bright red "03:15am," way too early to get up. Still, thirst was hard to ignore. A shiver shook his body as his feet touched the cold floor. Where were his trusty slippers when he needed them? He considered turning on the light, but when it instantly blinded him, he quickly turned it back off again. Feeling around in the dark was hard but not impossible, he decided as he shuffled around still looking for his oh-so-soft slippers. Who needed that much light anyway? He was more than capable of finding his way around his own home, thank you very mu-- *thump* Zanka felt his face grow red at the embarrassing stumble, feeling relieved that there was no one around. Who left his slippers in the middle of the room anyway?
After a quick trip to the bathroom, Zanka climbed back in bed. He tossed and turned once… twice… th-- Ok, great. He couldn't sleep. Grumpy blue eyes glared at the ceiling. He always had trouble falling back asleep after waking up once. Maybe some calming tea would help? With a resigned sigh, he got up, putting his slippers back on.
He walked through the dark hallway with one hand on the wall guiding him to the kitchen and dining hall. He let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. So much for getting a good night's sleep.
The dining hall was pitch-black when he arrived. Zanka decided that all the tables and chairs were too much of a tripping hazard after all and felt around for the light switch. He was not in the mood for bruises and a hurt pride.
The next moment was like a scene from a horror movie. One moment the room was as dark as the night sky with Zanka being the only person in the room, and the next moment a white ghost appeared sitting behind one of the tables, red almost glowing eyes scaring the living daylights out of him. He popped up out of nowhere, not moving an inch, staring up at Zanka with bloodshot eyes.
"The hell!! What was that for, you little shit!" Zanka yelled wide-eyed, pointing one finger at Rudo and holding his other hand over his heart, trying to calm down his panicked breathing.
Rudo continued to stare before he scowled and forced out a drawn-out "haaahhhh...?!" eyes growing furious.
"You are the one who suddenly turned the light on, turdface! I was just sitting here!" Rudo snarled, squeezing his eyes into slits. The light was too bright.
"What the hell are you sitting in the dark for at this time of night?! You scared the crap out of me! Little kids should be in bed, not stay awake all night!" Zanka hissed at him, lowering his volume, suddenly being aware of the time. He did NOT want to get scolded by Enjin.
"Little ki—" Rudo sputtered, appalled. He stood up, putting his hands on the table. "Who are you calling a—" He started raising his voice when a hand was slapped over his mouth.
"Shut up before the others hear you, you idiot!" Zanka snarled, now standing in front of Rudo.
Rudo pressed his lips in a thin line, grumbling, before his eyes got a devilish spark as he bit the foul hand holding his mouth hostage.
Zanka hissed and cursed loudly as he pulled his hand back, glaring at Rudo, who glared back, looking smug.
"Fuck! What are you, a stray dog?" Zanka hissed, inspecting his now red hand that had little teeth marks on it.
"You should really be quiet. Wouldn't want to wake the others." Rudo said, almost smirking up at him. It looked more like an evil grin. Or as close as he could get to that with his smiling skills.
"Scuzzball!"
"Turdface!"
"..."
"..."
Silence filled the room as the two calmed down, not meeting each other's eyes.
"…I couldn't sleep." Rudo mumbled, half whispered, looking away from Zanka, feeling embarrassed.
Zanka glanced at Rudo and sighed, deflating. "With those eyebags of yours, that doesn't surprise me. Do you ever sleep?" Zanka said, raising an eyebrow.
Rudo's eyebrows furrowed as he turned his face away from Zanka. "…Obviously." He said as he let himself fall back into the chair, putting his head to rest on his hand.
Zanka scoffed, not believing him. He turned away from the table and made his way over to the kitchen.
Ten minutes later he returned with two cups of tea, putting one in front of Rudo and sitting himself down in front of him.
"What?" Zanka said after seeing Rudo's owlish expression.
"I didn't know you could be nice to me." Rudo mumbled, sipping at his tea. It was good, but it needed more sugar.
"What do you see me for?" Zanka huffed, wrapping both hands around the warm cup as he took a sip, closing his eyes. When silence was the only thing that greeted him, he slowly opened one eye, staring at the boy in front of him. Who, at the moment, looked more like a dead fish with the way he was opening and closing his mouth.
Rudo put his teacup down as he twiddled his thumbs nervously. "I…" He started softly, still not making eye contact.
Zanka raised his eyebrow. "You what? Out with it." He said. It came out harsher than he meant to.
Rudo flinched and looked down. "…I always thought you hated me…"
Now it was Zanka's turn to stare at the other with wide eyes. He frowned and put his tea down. "I don't hate you, you idiot." He said softly as he flicked the other's forehead.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"If I hated you, I wouldn't bother talking to you. You… you are like a…" Zanka started mumbling the last part as a small blush spread on his face. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, looking away. He sure was doing that a lot today.
"...My... family…" He started looking for the right words. "They… aren't the friendliest bunch… I got siblings, but... it feels more like a military setting whenever I'm in their presence." Zanka spoke, looking down at his tea.
Rudo frowned but stared up at Zanka now. Showing that he was listening.
"We don't argue. We don't do small talk. We don't hug or smile. The only emotion they ever show me is their disappointment in me." Zanka said, deep in thought.
Rudo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out. How do you offer support to someone in moments like this? How had the conversation shifted to this topic? His lips pressed into a fine line, turning into a sad grimace. He sucked at this. He couldn't even do basic communication like a normal human being.
Zanka took in a deep breath as he looked Rudo in the eyes. Eyes piercing and confident.
"You are like the little brother I never had." Zanka said, meaning every word. The embarrassment for speaking these words out loud could come later. "Siblings fight. At least, normal ones do. But that doesn't mean I don't care."
Rudo's breath hitched, eyes misty. When did he get a lump in his throat? He opened his mouth, wanting to say something in return. "You… to me you… you are also…" he started, not finding the words. "Before… it was just my dad and me. But when he wasn't… when he wasn't there anymore… I… I felt so… alone… and angry…" His shoulders shook slightly until he forced them to calm down and looked up at Zanka. "Living here was… hard… at first. I didn't know how to fit into the group. But now… you all feel like family to me. Not… replacing. But adding." He looked away again, not capable of keeping eye contact as his ears turned red.
Zanka let a small smile slip as he took another sip of his tea. "Well, get used to it. You are one of us now. But don't think I'll go soft on you. I'll train you up until you can't take another step tomorrow." He smirked as he finished up the last of his tea. "Now drink up that tea. We are going back to bed. I am not falling asleep in the dining room!"
Rudo could only stare up at him in surprise until, unbeknownst to him, a small smile appeared on his face as he looked down at his half-finished tea. This place had truly started to feel like home. It… was nice.
Zanka laughed at him, eyes shining with fondness. "So you can smile after all. It's almost cute." He said as he ruffled the fluffy white head.
The boy in question turned bright red and gulped his tea down in one go.
"Ah! Careful, don't chug down a hot drink like that!" Zanka said as he patted the boy's back while Rudo coughed. He tugged at the boy's arm, getting him up from his chair and pushing him out the dining hall, turning the hallway light on as he walked past it. "Come on. Bedtime. It's late." He kept pushing him until he was in front of Rudo's bedroom door. "Now, do you need me to tuck you in, or can you do it yourself?" Zanka mocked with a small smirk on his face. Rudo turned an even brighter red. "I can do it myself!!" He shrieked, slamming the door in Zanka's face. Zanka laughed, walking back to his own room. Both completely forgetting to be quiet. That night both boys slept like logs.
The next day at breakfast, Enjin and Riyo looked around confused. Half of their team was missing. "Sleeping in, are they? I'll give them a good scolding later." Enjin smirked while stuffing his face with bacon and eggs. Riyo scoffed amused. "You are just jealous that you couldn't sleep in a little longer."
"Exactly! Waking me up in the middle of the night with their screaming. If I have to be tired, then so do they!" Enjin said, mostly joking. "As their big brother, it is my job to scold them."
Riyo laughed and patted his head. "Eh, you're just a big softy."