#caprise

“Ay, I’m not done with the page yet.” Teto said absently, picking Canela up by the scruff, lifting her off the top on his book and setting her on his shoulder, “Wait till I’m done.”

The softly glowing squirrel chattered back at him, but sulkily curled around his neck vertebrae, her fluffy tail making an impromptu fuchsia and lime scarf. He smiled to himself as he finished the last paragraphs, feeling the eager tension in her tiny body as his fingertip traced to the bottom of the page.

“Alright.” he said.

In a blur of light she zipped down his arm, scrabbling at the paper with her tiny hands until the page had been successfully (though somewhat haphazardly) turned. She jumped to the top of the book, already perched and ready as he began tracing his finger down the paper again, letting her track his progress.

He stifled a grin at her tense anticipation. It was probably the slowest possible way to read a book, but it was certainly the most entertaining.

He looked up as he heard a knock at the door. Canela squeaked indignantly, trying to tug his finger back to the page.

“Hold on Nela, gotta get the door.” he said, offering his hand for her to scurry up his arm and perch on his shoulder.

He stood, cracking his back to the left and right before sighing and walking toward the door. Jasmine hadn’t told him to be expecting anyone, but Matty had said he’d come by sometime that week to look over some of the charity’s annual goals.

Teto twisted the handle and swung the door open.

And stared.

Ruy crossed his arms as no one came to the door immediately. There. No one was home. He’d tried. Better go back to the other side and try some other…

“Mierda,” he hissed to himself as the door opened, then looked up at Teto as he stood in the doorway. His hand automatically went to grip his left arm, and he suddenly wished he hadn’t left his poncho with Miguel. It was easier to hide beneath five feet of wool.

For a long moment, he stood in silence, until Caprice whinnied and nudged his ribs again. “Quit it!” He shut his jaw with a clack as he looked up at Teto again, then puffed out a quick breath.

“I…’msorrythingsgotbadwhenyouvisitedokaybye,” he yammered out, then quickly turned to leave before Caprice stopped him. “Preese, come on!” She didn’t move, and he whined as he turned back around to face Teto.

“What?” Teto asked, blinking.

Ruy grimaced. “I’m...sorry that things got bad. When you visited.” He let out a breath and shrugged. “So...there. I’m sorry.”

Teto stood in the doorway, hand still on the knob. Canela crouched by his chin as they both watched Ruy fidget.

“Why?” Teto asked.

Ruy blinked. “‘Why?’ You don’t ask ‘why’ with an apology.”

Teto kept his expression flat, raising a brow ridge.

Ruy grit his teeth. Of course he wasn’t going to make this easy on him. He sucked in a breath and let it out.

“I’m sorry that I got so defensive. Even though you came to my house unannounced and--” Caprice gave a few warning clicks, and Ruy shut his mouth with a click before he took a breath and amended, “And I should have behaved better than I did. Especially after the past few months.”

Teto folded his arms, Canela darting to his other shoulder as he leaned against the doorframe.

“I didn’t ask what you were sorry for Rodrigo,” he said, “I want to know why you’re sorry about it. Is it because your...girl-...wif-...because Iria told you to be sorry?”

Ruy immediately stiffened at the mention of Iria, then slouched and scowled at the question. “No.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m sorry because I don’t like being like that, and I’m trying to be better. Even to bootli--” He stopped himself. “Even to my brother.”

Teto was silent as he looked at Rodrigo, taking his time to try and figure out how to respond. Jasmine wasn’t home, meaning that whatever he did there would be no support or damage control. He had never considered this possibility and it was leaving him at a loss for words.

Canela looked up at him, the long tufts on the tips of her ears brushing his chin. She flicked her tail and darted down his side to the ground, making her way over to Rodrigo in the jolting bounds that was her version of walking slowly.

Teto nearly called her back, but decided to wait and see what happened. Even before she was an alebrije she was much too fast to catch, and she’d always been an excellent judge of character. Canela’s last hop took her right to the edge of Rodrigo’s shoe and she stared up at him, tiny nose twitching as she put her two tiny front paws on the edge of his shoe.

Ruy was just debating throwing up his hands and going back to the ferry--with or without Caprice’s approval--the longer Teto stayed silent, but his eyes automatically followed the multi-colored blur that ran down Teto’s front. He blinked as she reached the ground and took a few hops toward him, staying very still as she got closer. Even with the current circumstances, even with whose alebrije she was, he couldn’t stop the little smile that twitched at his mouth as she set her little paws on his shoe.

“Hola, ardillita,” he said softly, automatically reaching his hand down toward her. “You working as Teto’s lie detector?”

Canela bumped her nose against his outstretched hand, and then ducked under it, choosing instead to climb up his pant leg and shirt until she was perched on his shoulder.

She sniffed his hair, quickly finding his braid and tugging at it.

Ruy grinned as the squirrel bumped her nose against his hand, then let out a bright, surprised laugh as she darted up his side and began sniffing at his hair. He grinned as he reached up to gently rub her head with one finger, then glanced up at Teto.

“So does this mean I passed the lie detector test?” he asked, trying to keep his voice flat but failing as the alebrije tugged on his braid.

Teto sighed, letting the door stand open as he lowered himself to sit on the step, resting his chin on one hand. “It would probably be more accurate to say you passed the test of not having any food in your pockets. Her name’s Canela, eleven-year-old me though naming her after the churros Coco used to make us as kids was the best possible choice.”

“Canela, Canelita,” Ruy crooned softly at her, chancing a gentle, whole-body stroke. He frowned as he processed the rest of Teto’s sentence. “Eleven? Is that when you found her?”

“Si.” Teto said, adjusting his glasses a little, mostly just to do something with his hand, “She was just a baby, her back leg was all mangled when I found her, I had to chase off Pepita. But I got her patched up in my bedroom and by the time she was better she didn’t want to go.”

Ruy’s frown deepened as he rubbed Canela’s head again. “You kept a squirrel in your room? How did none of us find out? How did Mama not find out?”

“The one perk to having no one ever pay you any attention.” Teto said a little wryly, “I do remember you yelling at me for throwing Pepita out once though. She’d gotten the door open and I panicked when I found her ready to jump up a bookcase to get Canela so I threw her out of my room and slammed the door. You had some choice words if I recall correctly.”

Despite his earlier plan of being composed and an adult in this encounter with his brother, a small pout escaped Ruy. “If you’d told me you were hiding a squirrel, I wouldn’t’ve been so mad.” He patted Canela again. “Though I still might have been mad about you being mean to Pepita. It wasn’t really her fault she lived in a place that wasn’t suited for her; I did everything I could to keep her occupied.”

“I know, I was glad you did, it made keeping Canela safer.” Teto said, “I guess I could have told you, but at first it was a secret, and then after a year or two it was too much of...I don’t know, a personal secret. I didn’t want anyone else to know about her I guess, she made me happy and I guess I was afraid someone else knowing would ruin it.” he rubbed his forehead, “Ridiculous, I know.”

Canela arched her back into Ruy’s hand as he petted her, then twitched her tail and looked down the front of his shirt, stretching herself as long as she could to try and reach his shirt pocket, apparently not wanting to move her back until her front was inside the juuuust out of reach pocket.

Ruy gave a wry smile at that. “Mm, not as ridiculous as you think.” He glanced down as Canela reached down toward his pocket, then offered his hand up as a bridge between shoulder and pocket. “Here, might be easier.” He smiled, then looked up at Teto. “But I definitely would have been nicer to you if there was a squirrel in the bargain.”

“Missed opportunity I guess.” Teto said, watching Canela use Rodrigo’s hand and stuff herself into his shirt pocket, her long glowing tail hanging out like a puffy handkerchief as she poked her head out to look at them all smugly. “Believe it or not, she actually made it all the way till a few months before I shipped out to Germany.”

Ruy laughed as Canela scrambled around his pocket before poking her little face out, and he rubbed the very top of her head with a “Felicidades.” He looked up as Teto spoke, expression softening. “You got to be there for her whole life?”

“Just about.” Teto said, smiling fondly, “I was terrified I’d have to leave her behind when I enlisted. She was so old by then and there wasn’t anyone I could trust to leave her with. But it all ended up working out anyway.”

Teto watched Canela close her eyes in victorious satisfaction, snuggling down a bit more in the pocket.

“Well, she’s not going anywhere for awhile.” Teto said, working up his nerve as he got a frankly dangerous idea.

It was so strange to be talking with Rodrigo like this, no anger, just curious interest. Something he’d only ever imagined since they were kids.

“Would, uh, I don’t suppose you’d like to come in and have something to drink?” Teto offered, scratching the back of his head and bracing himself. “At least until Canela decides to give you back your pocket.”

Ruy’s hand had automatically found its way to Caprice’s muzzle as Teto spoke about spending Canela’s last few days together, a quiet apology for not being there for hers; on cue, she gave a few chirps before headbutting him gently. He leaned back against her, smiling a bit as Canela snuggled more comfortably into his pocket.

He looked up with wide eyes as Teto actually invited him in. He froze up. “No,” he said automatically, then shook his head. “Um. To the drink. I don’t...uh, I don’t do that anymore. But...yeah, I’ll....I’ll come in. For a bit.”

If Ruy still had a heart, it’d be hammering in his ribcage. This was...scary. Sure, Teto’s alebrije liked him plenty, but everything they’d said had just been small talk. If Teto decided to go at him again, he didn’t have anyone who could come to his defense this time--well, unless Caprice figured out how to talk in the next five minutes.

  Teto snorted as he pushed himself to his feet, “For heaven’s sake Rodrigo, it’s only ten in the morning, I was talking about coffee, not hard liquor. Congratulations on quitting though, I remember giving up smoking, it was awful, but worth it.”

He pushed the door open, leading the way inside the house toward the kitchen before he could talk himself out of it. If Ruy had come all this way then maybe they had a chance of really talking.

“Eh, not that much worth it. You’re still dead, aren’t you?” Ruy joked with a nervous smile, then cleared his throat. “But, uh, but wow. I didn’t even know you smoked. What’d I do to earn two secrets from you?”

As Teto walked inside, Ruy turned and gave a three-note whistle, nodding for Caprice to follow them in.

“It wasn’t really a-” Teto stopped, looking back as Rodrigo’s huge alebrije started toward the doorway.

He started to say something, but shut his mouth before it got out, turning his words into an uncomfortable hum, hypersensitive to how much he didn’t want to break this miraculous ceasefire. Jasmine would not be pleased to have a horse on her wooden floors, spirit-guide or not. She barely even tolerated Canela darting across the countertops.

Ruy automatically froze up as Teto turned back around. He automatically reached up just as Caprice set her head on his shoulder, eyes wide as he waited for the inevitable “No.” He wouldn’t be able to do this without Preese. Even if things felt fine now, there was a good chance that it’d all go to hell, and Ruy could not handle being alone for that.

He stayed absolutely still until Teto let out a non-committal hum, browbone furrowing, and he swallowed. “Please, Teto,” he finally pleaded, voice soft. “I need her just as much as you need Canela.”

“Is she...good? Indoors?” Teto asked reluctantly, weighing his wife’s future wrath against his brother’s current discomfort. “I swear it’s nothing personal, it’s just that I barely get away with having a squirrel indoors here.”

Ruy stroked Caprice’s muzzle as he nodded. “She stays in my apartment. Even when it was a wreck, she never fell or stepped on anything she wasn’t supposed to. I mean, except me, but usually that was because I did something stupid.”

Caprice gave a whinny that almost sounded like a laugh, then turned her gaze on Teto, softly glowing crest raising curiously as she waited for his response.

Teto smiled, biting back a joke about heartily approving of his horse’s methods. They probably weren’t on safe enough grounds for that kind of humor yet.

“Alright, as long as she’s careful.” he said, continuing his way to the kitchen, forcing himself to let go of the anxiety. Jasmine would understand, this was too good an opportunity to mess up now. “So, was she a bird or a horse when you were alive?”

Caprice gave a whistle in reply, stepping gracefully into the house and carefully keeping right in the middle of the hallway to avoid hitting anything. Ruy kept a hand on her neck, instantly relaxing now that Caprice was in with him.

“A horse. Do you, ah...do you remember that time I stole a horse? When I was...ah, around twenty, twenty-one? My plus-one at that year’s charity gala?” He patted her side. “This is her--a little more colorful, but not much really.”

Teto did remember, he remembered very clearly in fact, having been called in from an important business dinner across town for the family emergency. Papa had dragged Rodrigo to a back room and directed Teto to handle figuring out where the horse had come from, and to make sure that it got back before anyone noticed hard enough to sue.

“That’s the horse you stole?” Teto said, pausing to look at the alebrije, Rodrigo had called her Caprice.

He’d taken the horse himself, never having been one to shy away from handling animals and wanting to keep things as quiet as possible by doing the job right the first time himself. He’d spent all evening with the horse in a side pen on some family land while he made calls to try and track down its owner.

The longer he’d searched though, the less determined he’d become, seeing what terrible condition the animal was in when he took a break to feed her while waiting for some of his people to call back with leads.

Wherever Rodrigo had gotten her from, she sure didn’t look like she was going to have a good time when she got back. Underfed, ungroomed, several medical issues and even what looked like signs of abuse.

Teto had spent some time silently stroking her nose before going back into his office and making some new calls. Calls to a veterinarian and a horse rancher of good character on the other side of Mexico where the stolen horse would never be looked for again.

“How on earth did you soul-bond with a horse you only knew for an hour?” Teto asked, approaching Caprice with a carefully outstretched hand, eagerly looking her over with new eyes. He’d always wondered what had happened to her.

Ruy laughed. “You think Preese would let me ride her if she’d only known me for an hour?” He glanced up curiously as Teto outstretched his hand. Caprice flared her nostrils, but then knelt her head forward to bump her nose against his hand.

Ruy half-smiled, patting her neck again before he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “I, uh...after my debut, I kinda...skipped town for a bit. On foot. Not my best idea. But I wound up stumbling on a horse ranch just outside the city and saw Preese, and I just...I felt a connection with her, you know?” He smiled as Caprice turned her head, bumping her nose against his skull. “So I visited her just about every day. Brought her treats sometimes. Tried to figure out a way to buy her and keep her in my crappy little apartment in Mexico City.

“Kept promising and promising I’d spring her when I got the chance.” He shrugged, watching as she turned back to impatiently nudge Teto into petting her again. “Then I caught wind of the gala Mama and Papa were throwing--and that I was actually barred from entering the venue.” He gave a soft, dry laugh. “If I was genuinely disowned now, I figured I might as well go down riding off into the sunset...well, it would’ve been sunrise, but you get what I mean. And I might as well have Preese as my loyal steed.”

He went quiet for a moment, running his hand down Caprice’s neck a few times. “She wasn’t at the ranch next time I visited. I never found out what happened; I mean, it’s not like she can tell me.” His jaw clenched, and he gave her neck a pat. “But whatever happened, we’re together now.” He forced out a strained laugh. “But she’s not having me ride her ever again if she can help it.”

Teto smiled as Caprice kept nudging him for attention. So she did remember him then. He held her huge head, firmly stroking up her forehead, his fingers gliding over her feathers.

“You look so much better.” he smiled, feeling a real glow of satisfaction, “I sent her to a guest ranch in Sonora.” he said, continuing to stroke her face, bending to look closer at her magnificent feathery crest. “Papa dumped her on me and told me to get her back to wherever you’d found her, but she was in such bad shape I got her a vet instead and found someone who could give her an easy time after what she’d been through. Her reward for being a part of a Rivera family scandal I guess.”

He chuckled as he gently lifted one of the feathers in her crest to get a closer look at it, it must have been at least three feet long, “I don’t think I ever told Papa come to think of it, I guess whoever her owner was didn't recognize her picture in the papers the next day. And just look at you now, you’re beautiful, I’d love to know where you picked up these gorgeous feathers, Nena.”

Ruy’s face slackened in shock as Teto spoke so candidly about getting Caprice off to somewhere safe after the party. He swallowed, then looked up at Caprice. “En...en serio? That’s where you ended up?”

Caprice, patiently letting Teto examine her feathers, gave a few chitters in response before pawing at the ground (very gently), then knelt her head down to let Teto take a closer look.

Ruy shifted; if it were anyone, anyone, else, he wouldn’t hesitate in launching himself at them in a tight hug full of grateful words and headpats and compliments. With Teto, though...well, even if he was more grateful than words could say, he didn’t think that kind of display would be appreciated.

“Thank you,” he said softly, leaning against Caprice. “En serio, Teto, thank you so much. I…” He blinked. He was not going to cry in front of his brother, especially not because Teto did something nice. He swallowed hard--funny how a throat could still get tight when there was no throat there--and rubbed Caprice’s side. “I was always...I was so scared of what happened to her. Thank you for making…” His voice broke. He was not going to cry. “...for getting her everything she needed.”

Teto looked up from Caprice, surprised to see his brother actually tearing up. His stroke down the alebrije’s neck slowed.

“De nada, it wasn’t like I could just send her back to that kind of place, could I?” he looked back at her, a wry smile coming to his face, “You know, if I knew you were hiding a horse I probably would have been nicer to you.”

Ruy gave a short, rough laugh at that, still recovering from the immense wave of relief from learning Caprice’s fate. He looked up, just catching an unmistakably smug look on her face before she nuzzled Teto’s shoulder. He gave another laugh, giving the bottom of his eye sockets a quick swipe with his fingertips. “If you haven’t noticed, her way of thanking people is to demand attention from them. Pobre S...ah, one of my friends still gets his ribs rattled by her if he doesn’t give her a good enough hello.”

Teto smiled, gladly stroking her neck. People were always so complicated, but not animals. He always knew what to do around them at least.

“Well, she deserves it.” he said, “And at least now if Jasmine catches us I have a good backstory to distract her with.”

Ruy smiled, then glanced down at Canela, still huddled in his shirt pocket. He brushed the top of her head lightly, as if to assure that she hadn’t been forgotten. His smile faded as he kept petting her, a realization dawning on him.

“Kinda terrible, isn’t it?” he said after a moment. “We might’ve gotten along better if we didn’t need to hide them while we were alive.”

“I guess there was a whole lot of hiding going on in our family.” Teto said, his smile fading.

Ruy’s jaw set as he stared hard at nothing in particular, hand dropping away from his pocket. “That’s practically all we did.” His eyes flicked up to Teto. “When we weren’t trying to earn Papa’s love, at least.”

Teto sighed, long and tired. “I honestly think I only stayed sane because I was overlooked so much. I just made my own little world when I was a kid, and then later Jasmine and I made our own world together with our family. It...couldn’t have been easy to be under the spotlight all the time like you were.”

Ruy blinked, eyes wide enough they threatened to fall out of his skull as he looked up at Teto. Was he...sympathizing? Seriously? Serious, stoic Teto was actually admitting that maybe Ruy had actually had a hard time?

Ruy blinked several times, trying to process that information and suddenly very worried that this was some sort of horrible, alcohol-induced dream. That was about the only time something like this would have been possible months ago.

He swallowed hard as he rested his eyes on Teto. Then, voice tight with some emotion he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to name just yet, he asked, “Didn’t you say you were gonna make some coffee?”

“I did indeed.” Teto said, patting Caprice one more time before leading the way into the kitchen, stepping behind the bar counter and busying himself with opening and closing cabinets.

Being honest was one of his core values, something he always stuck to, but being emotionally open was an entirely different ball game. He could be sure of how Jasmine would respond when he...emoted...but anyone else always made him uncomfortable and unsure. He had no idea how Ruy might react if he tried going beyond just being honest, and he didn’t want to mess things up. Much safer to hide behind coffee for the time being.

“Jasmine’s our caffeine addict.” Teto said, keeping the conversation safely shallow as he pulled out a tin of their most expensive brand and setting it on the counter by the coffee maker. “I’m not too attached to it myself, but being married to her has made me something of an expert in the different brands just by association.”

Ruy tilted his head curiously at Teto’s explanation. Without so much as a word of notice, he slipped into the kitchen and picked up the tin to look at it curiously. He gave a low whistle.

“Que sofisticado, you weren’t kidding,” he hummed as he rolled the tin over to look at the back. “Most of mine comes from university students, so...eh, not nearly so fancy. Does wonders for a hangover, though.” He set the tin down as he looked at the very elaborate coffeemaker. “You, uh, you know how to use that?”

Teto chuckled, swapping out the filter and adding the coffee grounds and water in almost one motion before punching in a well worn pattern of buttons on the machine. “Trust me, making your wife coffee for several decades gets you to the point of being able to do it in your sleep. It was always the worst when she was expecting, she would crave all these ridiculous combinations that I’d have to make her at any hour of the night. No cup is beyond my skill.”

“Mm.” Despite the completely bizarre situation he was in, Ruy’s mind drifted back to Iria. What would he have done if she’d been expecting while they were together? Would have been that patient?

God, he hoped he would have.

He quickly grabbed the coffee can and looked over it with a renewed, vehement interest. “Wow, from Ethiopia. She’s definitely a coffee lover.” Stupid. But at least it turned his thoughts away from reviewing everything he’d missed in life for the hundredth time.

“Mmmmhmmm.” Teto said, leaning back against the counter, folding his arms, “I’ve still got business connections that have lasted from back in the land of the living, I enjoy being able to get her what she wants, not just what she needs. She’s what keeps me together.”

He scratched the back of his head. He could talk about Jasmine forever, but he was probably starting to stray toward emotional again. If Rodrigo went there first he could follow, that was probably the best plan. Until that happened though, even small talk was an amazing victory to be valued.

Ruy shifted his weight back and forth, tugging at his braid. “Yeah, yeah. It’s the same thing for me with Rita.” He grimaced. “Well, most of the time. When I don’t…” Ruin everything.

He bit back the end of that sentence, then quickly turned around. “So, uh, where are your mugs? I’m guessing you’ve got everything organized like crazy here.”

“‘A house of order’ and all that.” Teto said, pulling out a set of mugs from a cupboard and sliding one across the counter toward Rodrigo, “When did you two meet anyway? Is she from New York?” he said casually, praying this was an alright question.

He had to learn more about Rodrigo somehow, and his...whatever she was...could be a good place to start. If he could talk about Jasmine for ages, maybe Rodrigo was the same for Iria. Maybe.

Well, this was exactly where he hadn’t wanted the conversation to go. He tugged harder on his braid, staying quieter longer than he probably should have.

“She’s Maldonian, actually, but we, uh...yeah, we met in New York. One of those awful patron galas--it was so much like the ones Papa used to do I almost didn’t go altogether--but I’m glad I went to this one.” He shifted his weight again. “It’s, uh, it’s a really long story. And I think the coffee’s just about done, so there’s no point in starting that,” he said, voice just a little too clipped and quick.

Teto looked at the coffee maker, which he knew still had a couple minutes to go. Rodrigo wanted to back off the topic, which was fine. He knew next to nothing about her, but after seeing their matching tempers a few weeks ago...not to mention her undetermined relationship status...it wasn’t hard at all to imagine that there could be problems they were having.

“Well, whatever it was, I’m sure it was more romantic than our first meeting.” he said, brain working frantically to find another topic, one not related to significant others, “We were set up on a blind date, we called off the date once we both arrived, and then spent several hours barely talking to each other while eating at the same table. Life works in mysterious ways.” he picked up his mug from the counter for the sake of doing something. “How are Enrique and Miguel doing? I’ve only seen them a few times, but Miguel’s practically unrecognizable, it’s phenomenal.”

Ruy stiffened as Teto talked about how in love he and his wife were. Ordinarily, Ruy would be completely floored at the thought of Teto getting married for love instead of just treating it like some...chess game or whatever. But...well, the very last thing he wanted to hear about was about a happy couple.

He perked up as Teto shifted the conversation to Miguel and Enrique. “Oh, si si si, the kid’s doing great. He talks my ear off every time I visit. See?” He smiled a bit as he pointed to where his ear would have been. “You know he was a musician? I know he strummed a little bit with Papa, but all of us did that at some point. He’s got a good ear, though; I’ve caught him messing around at my piano. I think it’s helping.”

He tugged at his braid again. “Quique’s doing all right. I don’t think he’ll be okay until his wife turns up; he misses her more than anything else. But he’s finally sleeping; that’s big for him. He had a worse time than...well, than I did with that whole thing.”

“I’m glad they’re both recovering.” Teto said, suddenly awash with topics to not say out loud.

Like that Enrique still treated him like an enemy, that Miguel at least seemed to trust him still somehow, that he’d always thought something was wrong with Miguel but had never been able to investigate properly with Papa looming over him constantly. So many red flags he’d ignored for so long. It was far beyond shameful.

He nearly opted for talking about how waiting for Jasmine had been, that he could relate to Enrique, but veered away from it sharply.

The coffee machine beeped.

“Fantastic.” he said, quickly going to it, “I mean, not Enrique having a hard time, just...Miguel being better...and the coffee.”

He poured the coffee into his own cup, reaching over to do the same for Rodrigo’s.

Canela shifted in Ruy’s pocket, opening her eyes at the smell and poking her head farther out to get a better look.

“Do not let her drink any.” Teto warned, “We’ve only just finished repairing the mess she made the last time she got ahold of caffeine.”

Ruy smiled as he looked up at Teto. "Letting your alebrije get into caffeine?" He tutted as he shook his head. "And you were always the responsible brother." He sipped at his cup carefully, tilting his head as Canela tried to poke her face in, then leaned against the counter. "Maybe, uh, maybe he could come visit you? You've got a pretty big family and I think he misses that. Plus you've got a nephew around his age, si?" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand as he added a mumbled, "I could bring him. Let Quique be alone for a bit."

"It's not so much a matter of letting her in, but keeping her out." Teto said, watching Canela aggressively shove her tiny head against Ruy's chin, scrabbling at the edge of the mug as he angled it away from her. He leaned against the counter, raising a brow ridge at Rodrigo's offer, "And I'd love to get Miguel around here more, I always hated seeing him glued to Papa, he needs to be around more kids his age. Luckily we don't have too many dead family members his age, Marco would have been perfect, but there's still plenty of family who are eager to love him." He took a sip of his drink and then set it on the counter, tapping the ceramic handle. "The only problem is that Enrique is so understandably jumpy that he won’t let anyone even look at them, he thinks the whole land of the dead was on Papa's side, he doesn't realize that it was really only our parents...and Coco I guess." He shook his head, trying not to dwell, "But we'd all love to help them both and if Enrique stays seized up it's not going to let Miguel recover any better. You're really the only one he seems to trust, what do you think we can do? I think with your help we could actually have a real shot at helping them both recover."

A pained look crossed Ruy's face at Coco's name, and he took another quick drink of coffee to dispel /that/ train of thought. He was having enough of a time dealing with one sibling, he didn't need to think about any of the others just yet.

"Like I said, Quique's going to need time. I don't know if he'll ever be able to come to terms with...any of what happened." He looked up at Teto over the rim of his cup. "But like I said, I...I could bring Miguel. Promise to keep an eye on him...though it'll probably take a long talk and explaining why I'm suddenly willing to associate with bootlickers." His jaw clicked shut as the word left his mouth, and he sent an apologetic look up at Teto. "Ah, no offense meant, Teto."

Teto chuckled, shrugging at Ruy's apologetic look, "Don't worry about it, it's hard to get offended at slurs that went out of date seventy years ago. It's like a black and white film cursing you out, my own teenagers did far worse than that."

And Ruy had actually apologized for it. Mostly. Teto wasn't about to punish that. "I think that could be an excellent first step though. With your help we can get Miguel around loving family again and loosened up. Also, Jasmine and I have also tracked down some of the best therapists we can find, I'm not sure Enrique has started either of them in therapy yet, but they both need it desperately. Maybe you could suggest it next time you see them? I think it would go over much better if it was your idea." Teto rolled his eyes at the ceiling before taking another sip, "I mean honestly we all need therapy after this. Jasmine keeps pestering me to make our next appointment already."

Ruy winced at the mention of therapy. He'd heard Teban whisper about it to Iria a few times while he'd been there, but...ay could he just have some time to recover first? They all needed that before ripping open fresh wounds. "Maybe. I'll see how he's doing," he mumbled before taking another sip. He tapped against his mug, bones clinking out a small tune, then looked up at Teto as a thought struck him. "What...do you need therapy for? I mean, aside from our parents being...from what they did. I think the only one more stable than you was Coco."

"Have you never been before?" Teto asked, looking up at Ruy, well, it would certainly explain a lot. "I'm probably only stable /because/ of therapy. My son Nicolas had some struggles when he was a teenager so he started seeing a therapist, when I saw how much it helped him Jasmine convinced me to start seeing a counselor of my own for a bit. I was able to let go of a lot of things, it made me a better parent." Teto tapped at the counter, making a small whistling noise to try to get Canela to stop trying to get into Ruy's cup. "Then when Jasmine died we went to couples counseling for a few months since we'd been apart for seven years just to help things go smoothly while we got back together. Which is pretty standard I think for couples here, helps you reconcile the time you had apart and everything." Teto opened a cupboard, getting out a small packet of peanuts and reaching over to split it open on the counter near Ruy, finally getting Canela to zip down and start rifling through them instead of bugging his brother. "So I guess by now it just feels natural. It's good to have someone from the outside with a level head to help you untangle your own thoughts and figure out how to handle things. It's too easy to get snarled in emotion and broken thought processes when you're dumped in something you can’t handle, I'd be a mess if I hadn't gotten counseling. I think everyone could use it sometimes to be honest."

Ruy squinted down at his cup as Teto spoke. Part of him, of course, wanted to argue that he'd made a jab about Ruy's own mental state and that he didn't need a therapist, thanks, he'd rather just enjoy the new (metaphorical) life in front of him rather than go back to all the times he'd been hurt. But considering he could hear at least Seba and Iria (and Caprice's knicker) in his head telling him that was stupid, he figured it best to hold his tongue there, instead making a vague noise of agreement before taking another drink and figuring out a better conversation path. "You were always smart about stuff like that," was what came out, followed by, "I kind of hated you for it. I mean, I hated you for a lot of things, but being able to keep your head under control was one of the big ones."

Teto paused at the backhanded compliment, trying to untangle how he was supposed to react to it. "Well, I guess I just don't think most things are worth getting very worked up over." he said, shrugging. "Most of the time I'd rather just hole up with a book alone than deal with drama anyway, makes me useless at parties."

Ruy stopped mid-drink, shaking his head and pointing at Teto as he swallowed. "Drama is only at Mama and Papa's parties. Mine are completely drama-free," he said with a smile.

Teto squinted at Ruy with a doubtful smile, “You’re telling me you’ve never had the police called or a fight break out or especially loud music at any of your parties before?”

Ruy waved a hand. "Loud music is necessary, and the police are basically best friends with me by now!" He stared up at Teto as he added very seriously, "But there is no fighting. That rule's set in stone."

He shrugged as he finished the rest of his coffee. "En serio, the most drama is when a freshie comes and gets a little, ah, overwhelmed. But I always take care of it...well, if I can get to them before they leave."

Teto snorted at Ruy’s comment about being friends with police. He was sure they were /very/ familiar with each other. His seriousness about the no fighting rule surprised him a little, but in a good way. It was funny to imagine Ruy as directing anything, even his own party, but he was a conductor, so maybe not. “You help new arrivals?” Teto asked, pushing his empty mug to the side and reaching out to stroke a finger down Canela’s back as she ate a peanut, turning it back and forth in her tiny paws as she attacked it, “That explains how you helped Enrique so well I guess.”

Ruy's browridge rose at Teto actually laughed at his joke, and he smiled a bit before tapping on his empty mug. "Some of them, if I can. I figure if they're showing up to one of my parties so soon after dying, they need some help getting adjusted." 

He shrugged. "It backfires sometimes. I mean, obviously I'm not the best option for getting settled, and, ah, sometimes people get the wrong signals. But it's found me some great friends." He looked up. "That's how I met Seba. He's the one who was yelling at the police the night everything happened." He half-smiled. "I think you'd like him, actually. He's so serious."

"That's right, the one in the hat." Teto said, nodding, "I think he was the one to call me some especially exciting /modern/ names when he saw me at the police station. He seemed to have his head on straight though, if he hadn't raised the alarm at exactly the right time we would never have gotten this mess sorted out. And here I thought you were allergic to serious people." Teto smiled.

"That's really decent of you to be willing to get involved like that though," Teto said, gently tapping Canela's head until she finished her peanut and grabbed his finger to make him stop, glaring at him for his teasing, "I have trouble convincing myself to get tangled up in other people's trouble, but there's a lot of people out there that just need someone to be their friend. That's a real talent, being a friend, it's one you've had ever since we were children."

Ruy couldn't help his grin as Teto mentioned Seba swearing at him, though it dropped to a curious look as he continued.  

"Really?" The surprise in his voice /probably/ made him sound sarcastic, but it was genuine. After all, this is the brother that'd called him selfish most of his life; he'd been sure that kind of compliment was impossible for Teto.

"Well sure," Teto shrugged, cupping his hand to let Canela curl up in it, her long tail falling over the side. "I mean you're a disaster, but people have always liked you anyway. You should have seen how many people tried to show up to your funeral, they weren't all just fans, there were dozens of people who swore they were best friends with you. "People don't trek across the world to mourn someone who didn't matter. I have no idea how you do it, but whatever it is you do, you seem to really manage to make people feel welcome and needed. Your police station friend alone was certainly ready to pull someone apart for you if needed." Of course there was a downside to that, making friends with so many people inevitably attracted bad influences, but it was a grudging realization that had stuck with Teto ever since the funeral. Often wondering why that skill hadn't quite seemed to stick with family instead of only friends.

Ruy fell silent, letting Teto's words turn in his head for several long seconds as he stared down at his cup. Finally, he swallowed and shook his head. "I don't know either," he murmured. "I just...I like people. I like how messy and imperfect and passionate we all are--even after death when you'd think we'd all have it together. And sometimes you find people and you just...you're in perfect harmony, you know? And the more people you find like that, it's like...you're building an orchestra. So I seek them out wherever I can." He gave a little laugh as he leaned against the counter again. "Dios, that sounded like a sappy interview clip." He shrugged.  "But I do mean it. And I think our family helped with that. Everything always had to look so perfect." His jaw clenched slightly. "I think any bit of that human messiness died with that de la Cruz man."

 Teto listened thoughtfully, Ruy always had been the poetical one, he'd forgotten how well he could phrase something lyrically when he got pensive. He sighed, resting his chin on his un-squirreled hand as he leaned against the counter. He'd wondered about that man himself several times in the last few months. "You know, maybe that first death was so messy that they felt like they had to compensate the rest of their lives. Maybe that was why things were so miserable." He stroked Canela with his thumb, "But we still had plenty of "human messiness" though, I mean, remember whenever Mama Mari came to visit? Didn't get any messier or more human than that."

Ruy clenched his jaw. "I don't know. I have a hard time imagining them as anything but obsessed with perfection and their image." He stood up straight as Teto mentioned Mama Mari, and he let out a laugh loud enough to startle Caprice in the doorway, then he leaned over to turn Teto's face toward him. "No, no no, mi corazon. It's Abuelita, not Mama Mari," he said, pitching his voice in an approximate imitation of their grandmother. He laughed again as he let go of Teto's face. "Dios mio, I hated her. You did, too, I remember."

Teto half gagged, barely needing to fake any part of it as the memories of their overbearing grandmother came rushing back, but also startled at Rodrigo having actually touched him, actually joking with him. "Whoa, whoa, you can't just spring that one me," he laughed, waving a hand, "I swear my whole childhood just flashed before my eyes, I can't do another one of that witch's visits again. "I swear my greatest accomplishment was getting successful enough to be out of country whenever she tried to visit. I remember both of us hiding at the top of the stairs to get away from her, those truces were one of the only times we always got along I think."

Ruy laughed. "Remember the time we hid in the attic for /hours/ to keep away from her? You kept shushing me to keep Mama from finding us." He grinned. "And you never sacrificed me like Matty did. He shoved me at the piano that time she turned up without any warning. I played for hours, and she kept patting my hair and babytalking at me about how I'd be a great musician just like my papa." He pulled a face. "At the very least, being the black sheep meant I never had to deal with her post-death."

Teto grinned, "Well someone had to get you to shut up if you wanted to stay safe. That was the one time I was glad I didn't know anything about music, I was nearly invisible after the first hour if I stayed out of sight." Teto reached up to Canela where she'd scrambled up to the top of his head in panic at Ruy's sudden laugh, but she chattered back at him, probably annoyed at no longer being the center of attention. "And that's right, you probably haven't seen her in decades have you? She's just as awful as ever, I'll tell you that much."

Ruy giggled as Canela chattered angrily at him. "Lo siento, Canelita, lo siento. I didn't mean to upset you," he assured, then shook his head. "Did you hear about the time she showed up at one of my concerts? I think I can pinpoint that as the night I started drinking tequila more than water."

Teto grimaced, "I hadn't heard about that one, but I'm imagining her invading the stage halfway for some reason? "And honestly I can't blame you, I probably went through a pack a day whenever she invited herself to stay over to "spoil her great grandchildren." I'm just glad she was gone by the time Adrian was born, she would have been intolerable if she'd had another musical descendant to fawn over."  

Ruy laughed. "Not quite, but I wouldn't have been surprised if she had. It was...after my debut, but before I became..." He waved his hand vaguely in front of himself. "...like this. It was a concert of Rossini's pieces, and to this day I can't perform anything by Rossini or I get in a panic. The performance goes well, we leave, and as I step out from the back I just hear 'Rodriiiiiigo!' "Before I can do anything she's grabbing me like a lifeline, all 'Mijo I knew you were talented!' and 'But why didn't you perform? You play beautifully, Rodrigo, you shouldn't be so shy!' and of course the papers heard her from a mile away. So she got interviewed, all while holding on to me like I was her lifeline." He laughed as he shook his head. "It was like her visits but ten times worse. And she was having the time of her life." He laughed again, letting out a sigh as he leaned back against the counter. "I can't tell you what they actually wrote; that was the second time I ever got blackout drunk. I wouldn't be surprised if those interviews wound up on the ofrenda."

“Now that sounds miserable.” Teto said, grimacing, “Were you...alright? I mean...obviously things didn’t turn out well by the end but...” He paused, the old old question he’d had for decades pushing its way out despite his better sense. Talking about your death wasn’t nearly as taboo as a living person might think, more like discussing a long past fairly unfortunate event than anything, but it still felt surreal to be talking normally with Rodrigo. “I mean, after you left, after you went off the deep end, it was really hard to keep track of what you were doing outside of sensationalist headlines. I tried to for a while, tried to track what was happening to you, but then the stress got too much for me and Jasmine made me stop for my own health. “So when we got the call that you’d finally died it took me weeks to try and track down what had happened. But everyone you’d known was extraordinarily tight-lipped. Not even money could get them to budge when I sent people asking around about what had really happened the night you went off the bridge. Or even the weeks before.” Teto rubbed his forehead, sighing as old memories of long transcontinental flights and stacks of forensic files and sleepless nights came back to him. “I had to make sure that nothing...had happened to you, like, someone coming after you. Foul play. But I could never find anything like that, you were just...dead. I understand if it’s not a question you want, I’ll back off if you say so, but I have to ask Rodrigo, was...was it /really/ an accident that night? Did you really just black out that night or...?”

Ruy watched Teto with serious brown eyes as he fumbled through to his question, brow ridge raising when Teto mentioned his friends refusing to tell him what had happened but otherwise keeping his face composed. When the question finally came, he let out a long breath through his nasal cavity. "Are you wondering if I was murdered or if it was a suicide?" he asked evenly.

“Yes.” Teto said, relieved to have the beating around the bush done with, “I'm sorry, Jasmine would probably tell me to be more delicate, I know. But it’s been keeping me up at night for decades now. “On the one hand there weren’t any signs of tampering with the car, but you were also known for having an incredible alcohol tolerance. From what I could tell there was something that went worse in those last months so it could have been you passing even your own limits, making it an accident, but I know if I had been in your place I would have killed myself, there was far too much pressure on you to survive. So I’m stuck, I couldn’t figure it out.” Teto could tell he was getting too eager as he laid out the puzzle pieces he’d collected and held onto for ages, pulling them out to share them with Rodrigo. Everyone always said he got too deep into his puzzles, that he got too analytical, but he’d thought about this one way too long not to try and finally get the answer. He looked up at his little brother, trying to brace himself for the likely disappointment of Rodrigo brushing him off instead.

 Ruy crossed his arms, starting to puff out his cheeks but remembering that he didn't have skin here. He looked up at the ceiling. "There was a while I thought it might've been a hit," he said. "I, uh, I made friends with gangsters in Vegas? That's a whole different story, but I thought maybe I did the wrong thing on my last visit and they took me out. Wound up visiting one of them on the other side, and apparently they were just as surprised as everyone else." He rubbed the back of his head. "For a split second a couple weeks ago, I thought it might have been Mama and Papa. Something like a mercy killing, you know? Stop having the prodigal son ruin their reputation. But if they were as broken up as you said they were, then I don't think that was it. "I guess, in a way, it was a drawn-out suicide. Once Rita left, I wrote my last symphony and just kinda waited for death to catch up to me." He shrugged. "I always knew I wouldn't live that long. I didn't want to die, but I wasn't trying that hard to stay alive, either." He rubbed his face. "I honestly don't remember much of my last month--I was pretty much living on cocaine and whiskey. So...I didn't intentionally drive off that bridge. I shouldn't have driven, but I did, and I died." He looked up at Teto with a half-smile. "I'm guessing that was one of your puzzles. Sorry, but I can't believe you'd be that broken up about me dying after our last goodbye."

 “For heaven's sakes Rodrigo, even your death was tragically romantic.” Teto said, gazing into the middle distance as he rubbed his chin sorting out the last piece of the puzzle. A drawn out suicide, beautifully terrible. “And Rita? Was she someone you were dating? That makes so much sense, that’s exactly the kind of thing everyone refused to talk about.” He nearly reached into the cupboard for a celebratory drink but remembered Ruy’s new sobriety goal at the last second and grabbed the coffee pot instead. He refilled his cup and took a long celebratory sip. “And honestly no, I wasn’t broken up.” He said, not harshly, just honestly, maybe a little tiredly, “it was more like...like when a loved one finally passes away from a terminal illness.  There was just a terrible kind of relief, the family didn’t have to suffer anymore, you were supposedly finally out of your misery. It was finally over. Kind of. I still needed to know though, about what had happened. You’re still my brother even if you’d died the night you left that stupid posadas party. “I mean, up until that point I think I was on you so much because my twenty-year-old self still thought I could “fix you” and took it personally when you refused to cooperate.” Teto said, grimacing, “But when you finally punched me and got shouted out something changed, I realized I’d never be able to fix it. I just had to let it go. Let you go. So when you died it was really just a years-long process coming to an end for me.” He sighed, taking another sip. “I hope you’ll forgive my cut and dry way of thinking about it all, it can be annoying for some people.” He paused, “well, really I hope you can forgive me for my explosion a few weeks ago, I guess I was thinking like my twenty-year-old self again with us both looking like it and it was an inexcusably ridiculous display in my part. I really thought I’d stopped caring but apparently I hadn’t quite managed that.”

 Ruy gave a wry smile, then picked up his empty cup and tapped it against Teto's cup in a mock toast. "That's the Rivera way, Teto. We never stop caring about things that hurt us." His jaw clenched tightly as he looked away. "I'm...sorry, too. Again, for how I acted. I just..." He shut his eyes. "I felt...good. For the first time in almost a century, I felt good about where I was. I was back with Rita, I was away from the family, I was able to be sober and relaxed and...and happy. "And then...and then you showed up and the bubble popped. And I was just hit with everything I'd spent my whole life and death running from in the one place I felt safe and suddenly it was ruined." He grimaced, trying to force the tears away. He was /not/ going to cry in front of Teto. "And then after you left, Iria and I fought and suddenly everything was too real again and I was so bitter that you'd ruined everything and left me stuck remembering that I was still the same wreck I was before Vico had gotten to me and..." He sucked in a breath, quickly swiping at the bottom of his sockets with his fingertips before he let it out in a huff. "Look, you really wanna know why I'm here apologizing? It's because I spent four months being treated like I'm actually a good person, and I want that feeling back. So the place to start was apologizing to you, because that's the sort of thing I figure a good person would do."

Teto stared at Rodrigo as he actually broke down. Not in lies or in anger, but actual real distress. He had absolutely no context for dealing with a Rodrigo like this. The only schematics his brain could find was how he would helped his own children through something like this. Hopefully it would be enough. He crossed to Rodrigo’s side of the counter, putting a hand on his shoulder. He’d try a hug if it really were his own son but he didn’t want to push it. “You really have grown up haven’t you?” He said, unable to keep some of the wonder out of his own voice, “Rodrigo you’re not running away or covering things up, you’re actually wanting to fix them. That’s...really good. “And Rita, that’s Iria...you two are still together after all that time and trouble having passed? That’s really amazing. That sounds like something worth fixing. “And...for what it’s worth, I do think you’re a good person...” Teto said, smiling painfully, “just also an incredibly stupid brother sometimes.”

Teto's comforting was...incredibly stiff and borderline painful to listen to, but that didn't matter. The moment his hand touched Ruy's shoulder, he automatically leaned against his brother. Had he ever done this before? Possibly that time when they were both hiding in the attic--every other time had he'd either been shrugged off or deliberately trying to get a rise out of Teto. "I'm so tired, Teto," he said quietly. "I'm tired of fighting the family. I'm tired of pushing my limits. I'm tired of being..." He waved his hand vaguely. "...this. I've been this for over seventy-five years." He sighed, then looked up at him. "How do I stop?"

Teto’s brain reeled, but as Rodrigo leaned against him his hand automatically switched to his other shoulder, holding him in a side hug that still felt surreal, but a whole lot less stiff and awkward than he’d been a second ago. “That,” Teto said, finally impossibly feeling like he was on safe ground, “sounds like a perfect question for a therapist. If I pretended to know the answers right now I’d be lying, but if you really want to figure things out then you’ll do it. You’re too stubborn not to. Not to mention we’re all having to root up old problems right now, so you’re in good company. If you want company. Miguel isn’t the only one we’d love to have back. “I can help...if you want. I can recommend you the best therapists, our therapist Tina is very sweet and enthusiastic, I think you’d really like working with her if you even wanted to just try one session to feel it out. She can help you talk things out and make a plan to tackle it. “And for the addiction part, well, my smoking was never quite as bad as your drinking was, but I do know what it’s like to quit and I could help with that too if you like, to keep you accountable if you want.”

Ruy whined and shut his eyes as Teto turned the subject back to therapy. He was probably right, and Ruy knew he should probably go (especially since he knew for a fact he'd be a therapist's dream patient), but...well. He'd asked for a solution, and Teto gave him one. That was kind of his thing, after all. "There's one back on the other side I've been meaning to call. I'm staying over there," he murmured. "It's...easier with alcohol over there, too." He shrugged with a half-smile. "Can't get drunk so why bother. But...thanks. I'll, um I'll call if I start getting in trouble." He glanced up at Teto, browbone furrowed. "Would you really love having me back, or are you just trying to butter me up into going to therapy?"

Teto paused to really consider it, knowing Rodrigo wanted a real answer, not whatever sounded best. Did he really want to have him back? “You know, I don’t really think we really got to know each other in the first place. Not as adults.” Teto said, looking at him, “I don’t think it’s wanting you back as much as I’m curious to really meet you in the first place. The best you. Do I want the old stuff back? Absolutely not. But I think I would love to get to know my brother. For real this time, starting over. It’ll take a while to untangle everything for real, but I think it could be really good for everyone. Teto shoved Ruy’s shoulder a bit as he stepped back with a smile. “I mean, today’s actually been surprisingly nice. Not a single casualty so far.”

Ruy smiled as Teto gave him a friendly shove--probably the closest to actual brotherly contact he'd ever given--then rolled his shoulders with a smile. "And you kept all your teeth, imagine that." He stepped back, crossing his arms. "Well, I have a knack for attracting serious people in my life now, maybe you could join the chorus of people saying 'Ruy, don't.'" he said with a grin, then arched a brow ridge. "So...I know you were figuring out the puzzle of how I died, but...why were you trying to keep tabs on me in New York?"

Teto scratched the back of his head, putting his other hand in his pocket. “I...don’t really know. If I did know I’ve forgotten the reason.” Teto said with a shrug, “Morbid fascination maybe? Perhaps I was just used to spending so much energy thinking about you for so long I didn’t know how to give it up all at once. Or maybe I was still worried about you anyway. Maybe all of the above. Who knows.” Teto hadn’t thought about that in decades, but he felt that his guesses were all probably pretty close. “I imagine you’re probably ready to get back to Iria, I’ve held you here long enough.” He said, smiling, “Feel free to drop by again whenever you like for more coffee. Oh! And we can set up you bringing Miguel over soon, that will be so good for him.”

Ruy half-smiled. It maybe seventy-five years after the fact, but...well, it was nice to know someone had worried about him then. "Yeah yeah, of course," he said as Teto nudged him out. "But really quick; you said you had a son who's a musician? Is he...here yet?"

“Oh Adrian?” Teto smiled as he led the way back to the front door, not exactly wanting Rodrigo to leave, but also knowing a good stopping opportunity when he felt one, “he just arrived a year or two ago actually. He writes a lot of his own music but got much more into “electronic” when he got older, I think he’s very much into rearranging old songs in his computer programs than he is playing real instruments. You know he actually made an ofrenda for you in his room when he was little, it had this awful newspaper clipping photo of you being arrested for public drunkenness or something. He was a big fan of yours growing up, we were terrified he was going to be just like you.”

Ruy's browbone shot up at the mention of having a little ofrenda to him, and he chuckled as Teto

mentioned which photo he was using. "Well, I'd like to meet him, if it's okay," he said, then held up his hands. "Promise, Teto, I'll only keep the talk to music, not all the fun things I got up to. Last thing this family needs is another this."

“Don’t worry about it, you can talk about whatever you want. Adrian’s a grandfather by now, he can do whatever he wants with his afterlife, I trust him.” Teto chuckled, imagining Adrian embarking in wild shenanigans, “And honestly he’d be delighted to meet you. I think he’s even...”redone” some of your songs if I remember correctly. Let me know the next time you want to come over and I’ll make sure he’s here, it’ll probably throw him into a panic at finally getting to meet you properly, you died years before he was born.”

Ruy chuckled. "I'll be gentle with him, promise." He rubbed the back of his head. "Y'know, it's kind of sad I didn't get to meet them. I actually like being a tío." He started to open the door, but looked up as Caprice gave a nicker and nudged her head against Teto's ribcage. "She wants a proper goodbye."

Teto didn’t know what exactly to say to that, he’d spent years being /grateful/ he hadn’t had to deal with “Tio Ruy” being around his children, but suddenly it did sound extremely sad. Instead of thinking about it too hard he wrapped his arms around Caprice’s neck, burying his face in her feathers for a moment before pulling back and stroking her forehead. “It was very good to see you again.” He told her. He turned to Rodrigo, “I’m not sure where Canela is but-” He was interrupted by a barrage of angry chattering at their feet, Canela looking up at him fiercely, probably upset to see him paying another alebrije attention.

Ruy laughed at the angry chattering, stooping down to carefully pick up Canela. "You get a goodbye, too, Canelita, then Teto will have your full attention." He grinned as he carefully patted her head with his fingertip. "Tell you what, if I ever cut my braid, I'll give it to you, suena bien?" He handed her off to Teto, then opened the door and waited for Caprice to step out first. He lingered for a moment, looking up at his brother. "Uh, Teto?"

Teto watched Canela sulkily accept Ruy’s pats and then zip up his arm as Ruy handed her back. She wrapped around his neck like a pouty scarf, narrowly watching Caprice leave. “Yes?” Teto asked, looking up as Rodrigo hesitated at the door. Ruy shifted his weight back and forth for a moment, debating. There was a lot inside him that wanted to be said, but he couldn't quite get them into words--it was more like an orchestra tuning up. So, taking a deep breath, he threw himself at his brother to give him a tight hug. "Thanks," he said quietly. "Thank you /so much/ for saving Caprice, I mean it. And...and thanks for letting me apologize."

Teto stood frozen for a moment, startled at the tight hug. For the millionth time that afternoon his brain frantically noted that this was Rodrigo. But so what? Good. It was about time they were both able to grow up and finally get this far. Teto returned the hug, maybe not quite as tight as Rodrigo, but just as warmly. “Of course, thanks for coming by to do it. I think we both needed this.”

Ruy nodded, giving Teto one last squeeze before pulling back. He gave him a smile as he stepped out into the doorway. "I'll send you an invitation next time I throw a party, whenever that is. Might get you to loosen up a little bit," he said breezily, giving Teto a grin. "And, uh, call me about seeing Miguel. We'll figure it out." He gave Teto a little wave, then turned and began walking away. Something in him felt...lighter. More fresh. Like something that had been festering away inside of him had been cut away. Things wouldn't be perfect. If they weren't perfect with Iria, then there was sure to be bumps with Teto. But...it was nice, not hating his brother. Honestly, it was kind of a shame that he hadn't stopped sooner.

“I’ll talk to you soon then.” Teto said with a smile. He waved as Ruy walked away with Caprice. He wanted to watch longer, but stepped back inside and shut the door after a reasonable amount of time. He leaned his head against the wood of the door as a small chuckle escaped him. The chuckle turned into a full laugh, of relief, of incredulity, of the good feeling inside. He sat down on the floor as he continued to laugh, eventually slowing to a ridiculous chuckle as he wiped a couple stray tears from his eye sockets. Well. Who would ever have thought. Canela perched in his knee, head cocked and curious. “I think it’s time for a drink.” Teto told her, ruffling his fingertips down her back. He stood, still gasping for air a little as he tried to get his breath back. “And we have to figure out how to tell Jasmine when she gets home.” But halfway to the kitchen he spotted the few faint dusty hoofprints that had been left behind on the dark wood floors, and set about scuffing them out with his socks, his laughing coming back as he did. Well. Things were going to get a little screwy if Rodrigo was really going to be coming back into the family, but somehow Teto didn’t really think he minded.

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And there we go. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the boys, being actual adults and the first ones to rise from the ashes of their trashfire of a family. As always, the inbox is open for any questions you may have.