After their father's death, Danny had not been the best of brothers to Dylan. Lost in his own little world of grief, numb to the outside world, he'd cut off the connection that he'd shared with his twin since the day they were born. Time had helped to ease that rift, particularly since both brothers had put as much time and effort as they could spare (despite rather busy schedules) to mending it. But recently, with the dome breaking and the subsequent injuries in desperate need of medical attention, not to mention the death of a close friend - and the recent breakdown experienced by their sister Renn - Danny hadn't been able to give Dylan the brotherly attention he deserved. He wasn't sure if that was the cause for his brother's recent moodiness, or if there was something else bothering him, but Danny was intent on doing whatever it took to cheering Dylan up. Of course, there would have to be a conversation later about what had happened with Renn and, to a further extent, their wayward brother Henry, but... Danny didn't want to drag his brother down with that news just yet.
Knowing Dylan's schedule fairly well by now, Danny was able to arrange a rare half-day for himself (helped, in part, because his mentor Khasekhemwy was rather busy) so he could actually have time for a conversation with his brother. He and Sol swung into the family's apartment a few minutes early, reaching the rooms just ahead of Dylan, and Danny took out what he'd referred to as his "secret weapon": Dylan's favorite treat, acquired for the not-so-subtle purpose of sucking up to the brother he felt he'd been neglecting recently. Hearing his brother's approaching footsteps, Danny hurried to place the treat on the kitchen table and spread out his papers, trying to look more casual than he actually was. Knowing Danny as well as he did, Dylan would likely figure out the truth with a mere glance, but it made Danny feel better so there was that. As soon as the door swung open, knocking against the wall on the opposite side with a mild bang, Danny glanced up from his book (which was rather clearly upside down and was his favorite Western, instead of the textbook he'd thought it was at first) with a look of contrived innocence.
"Hey, I thought you were gonna be around soon," Danny said. "I picked up something for you on the way home." He shrugged a little, his face clearly working for a look of 'no big'.
Solarius, on the other hand, didn't have to pretend anything. He eagerly bounded over to Lunarian, pouncing at his friend like an oversized kitten. "I ate a bug today!" he exclaimed. Lunarian had likely realized this already, though, as Sol's breath carried a rather overpowering scent that could only be attributed to a stinkbug. Just as gleefully, he added: "It was terrible!" |