[Synopsis: It's been established that MrEgg's dominant older brothers, Benedict and Sheldon, were part of why his childhood was so terrible...So it comes as a surprise to him when one of them comes knocking on his door bearing an apology.]

[Location: Ria and MrEgg's house.]

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"Huh...? Oh, what is this, another telemarketer?"

Player rolled his eyes as he stared at the call display on his phone screen; he'd been a recent target of calls like that, so it wouldn't be a surprise to him if it was just someone else trying to sell him something.

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Unknown Caller
(Clacton-on-Sea, England)

🟢Accept  🔴Decline
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His finger hovered over the decline button for a moment, but before he pressed it, he made the split-second decision to answer this one; he'd never gotten a telemarketing call from England before, and his mischievous side was urging him to mess with the person on the other end(probably with a bogus British accent.) So he accepted the call, brought the phone to his ear and answered the caller with the most exaggerated accent he could muster.

"Ello, ello, 'o's this fancyin' a chin-wag with me?"

"Um...Hi?"

The voice on the other end was indeed British; it was starkly male, being almost as deep as Veteran's voice, but without the gravelly undertone, and it was fairly soft...And by the sound of it, Player smiled, knowing that he'd successfully confused the supposed telemarketer.

"Oi, so, what's on your mind, mate?" he continued.

"Am I, uh...speaking to Player?"

The red-clad crewmate froze at the sound of his name...No telemarketer that he'd answered to ever had any information like that.

"Oh. Um...Sorry," he responded, dropping his accent. "I thought you were someone else."

"Who'd you think I was?" the voice asked him, sounding slightly amused.

"Uh...a telemarketer."

The person finally started to laugh a bit, and Player let out a bit of a chuckle himself once his nerves died down.

"Ahh...Well, I'd do the same to one myself, I s'pose. So, you're Player, I'm guessing?"

"That's me. Sorry about the fake accent. Can I help you?"

"It's not a problem, And, ah, yes, you can, really. Um...Do you happen to know a certain MrEgg?"

"MrEgg...?" Player echoed, taking a brief moment to think before answering the mysterious caller. "Uh...Who wants to know?"

"Oh, uh, just an old acquaintance of his. I haven't spoken to him in a while, and I wanted to do some catching up," the anonymous man replied. "You happen to know where he lives?"

"Uh...Somewhere in a coastal town called Canford Cliffs, I think he said once. I don't know his address, though."

"Oh...Well, thank you, though. That starts me off well."

"Can I get a name?" Player asked.

"For now, I'm John Doe...But I might talk to you again in a day or two to update you on the matter. Sound good, Player?"

"...Sure," he responded, a dose of suspicion in his voice...The caller sighed.

"I know what you're probably thinking...And really, you've got every right to think it, considering how I've been going about this business. But just trust me, okay? Your mate MrEgg isn't in any danger. Promise."

Player still had his doubts about the situation, but there was something about the voice on the other end of the line that just sounded...earnest. So for the time being, he made the decision to trust it.

"Well...Alright."

"Ah, thanks so much. Oh, hey, do me one last favor, would ya?"

"What's that?"

"Just don't tell my br-bud, sorry. Don't tell my bud MrEgg that I called you. It's, uh...it's s'posed to be a surprise!"

"Really...?"

"That's true...Ey, I gotta go, a'right? Talk to you soon."

Click...

Player put his phone away, then scratched the back of his head curiously...That'd certainly been an odd conversation.

...I wonder what's gonna happen now?

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"Canford Cliffs. Let's see where it is on the map...Come on, please don't be far, please don't be far...Over three hours away, huh? Ah, well...Could be worse. At least I'm off tomorrow, so I can manage."

After looking over the directions for a few minutes and memorizing as much as he could, Sheldon closed his laptop and headed off to bed, now knowing everything he had to. He didn't need the exact address; he saw what MrEgg's house looked like in that music video he posted back in November(in the description of which he confirmed that yes, it was his actual house,) and it had a very distinct look about it. He couldn't miss it when he saw it.

I'll pack a few things tomorrow morning and get on my way at around noon, he said to himself. ...I hope everything goes alright.

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"This looks just about right," Sheldon said to himself as he drove along the coastline, fairly certain that he was close to where he needed to be. "The trees, the cliffs, the shore...It's s'posed to be right along the coast here, with the flat roof and the-There! That's it, right there it is!"

He slowed to a crawl, then carefully pulled into the driveway; there were already two cars parked in it, but his sedan was fairly small, and he managed to fit himself in without crowding either of the other two.

He got out and made his way to the front door, passing both of the other vehicles as he went. They were both small coupes; one was a slightly bigger and blockier model, painted a stark golden orange, and the smaller, more rounded one was a bright lime green.

Huh...Are they both his, or has he got someone else here with him?  he wondered. Guess I'll find out...If I get that far.

A sound coming from inside the house captured Sheldon's attention, and he took a moment to lean his ear against the front door...Was that a piano he heard being played in there? Perhaps being played by MrEgg himself? Whoever was playing it, they were certainly very good...

And he was likely about to meet them.

Alright. No more stalling...

He drew in a deep breath, took a step back then raised his hand and rang the doorbell. He still felt pretty nervous; it'd been several years since either of them had seen one another, and they hadn't exactly parted on a good note...But he wasn't about to chicken out. Not when he'd gotten this far already.

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"Was that the doorbell?" MrEgg wondered aloud, the music coming to a halt.

"Sounded like it," Ria nodded, standing up from where she was seated. "I'll get it! It's probably the matching t-shirts we ordered!

"Hurry back! I'm not quite done serenading you," MrEgg giggled lightly.

Ria dusted herself off a bit and straightened out the bandana on her head before opening the door, expecting a delivery man to be standing there with their package.

"...Oh."

Instead, she was met with another orange figure with a fried egg on his head, not unlike her fiancé. But the stranger at the door was quite a bit taller than him(than either of them, really,) and his suit was more of a burnt orange, whereas MrEgg's was a brighter, marigold hue.

"Can I help you?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, is, uh...Is MrEgg here?" he asked, just to confirm.

"Yeah, he's here! Hold on just a sec."

She turned and took a few steps back into the house to call for him.

"Hey, Eggy! It's for you!"

"On my way, Ria!"

That's him... Sheldon smiled as the lime-colored crewmate came back over to the door.

"So, what exactly do you need him for?" she asked. "Heh heh...What are you, his long lost brother, or something like that?"

"Well...Yeah!"

Ria raised an eyebrow in surprise. Just as she was about to respond to the egg-headed crewmate with a slightly incredulous "Wait...Really?", she heard MrEgg's voice coming from behind her.

"Sh...Sheldon?"

She looked back at her significant other; he looked about three times as shocked by who was at the door than she'd been...The man at the door, who she guessed was named "Sheldon," nodded his head, looking slightly shameful.

"Yep. It's me...Been a while, hasn't it?"

"...What are you doing here?" MrEgg asked him, his voice laced with contempt.

"Well, I...I guess the main reason I came here was to right a few wrongs, so to speak," he answered quietly. "...Would you mind if I came in?"

He exchanged quick glances with Ria; she shrugged, thinking it best to leave the decision up to him and not interfere, so MrEgg hesitantly made the decision to let him in his house.

"Just...don't touch anything," he warned him, leading Sheldon in through the front door...The latter's eyes widened; he thought the outside of the house was impressive, but the interior just took the cake. It had a warm, cozy feel about it, with wood floors and lot of dark-colored walls, paired with some interesting décor; a bear skin rug, a wine cabinet just outside the kitchen and dining area...

What really caught his attention was the grand piano in the living room. That was what he'd heard when he first arrived, and now he was looking right at it...He planned to bring it up when the conversation started.

"Wow...You've come a long way, that's for certain," Sheldon remarked.

MrEgg didn't answer...Ria could sense the tension in the surrounding air, and she didn't like it.

"Is everything okay, MrEgg...?" she asked.

"Everything's going to be fine," he assured her, though he wasn't really sure of that himself. "Do forgive me, Ria, but would you mind leaving us to...catch up on things for a few minutes? We shouldn't be too long."

She seemed skeptical about leaving the room, but ultimately gave MrEgg a nod of agreement.

"You sure everything's alright?"

"Come now. Would I lie to you?"

He gently took her hand, pulled her in close and nuzzled his visor up against hers, to which she quickly and eagerly returned the favor. Their intimacy lasted for only a moment, however, and it was only a second later that they'd parted from one another, Ria already heading into the other room and disappearing around the corner...As soon as MrEgg heard their bedroom door shut, he sighed, the smile fleeing his face.

"...Got yourself a bird, I see. Good on ya," Sheldon remarked, raising his eyebrows and smiling, attempting to lighten up the mood. But MrEgg wasn't having any small talk; he wanted to get right to the point.

"First off, I would like to know how on earth you managed to find me," he scowled. "I made sure I ended up somewhere decent and far from home for good reason."

"Well, in short, I searched your name up on the net and got in contact with one of your peers hoping I'd learn what I needed to know. And with what I was able to gather, I figured out the rest for myself. So here I am."

"Who, pray tell, tipped you off?"

"I...We'll get to that later, how 'bout it? I'll tell you before I leave...Please don't be mad at him, though; he doesn't know who he helped...He doesn't even know my name yet."

That rules out all of the ladies in our lobby, MrEgg mentally noted. ...But I suppose if that's true, I shouldn't be mad at him, whoever he is.

"...I see."

"You've got a real nice place here, gotta say," Sheldon continued. "I know I already said something about it, but just...Wow. And the piano there."

He pointed over to MrEgg's treasured parlor grand, prompting him to look back at it.

"Was that you playin' it before I came in?"

"It was," he answered curtly.

"...You're very good at it."

"Well, I've been playing for almost six years. It was something that helped keep me sane after I left Jaywick."

Sheldon's expression fell, and he cast a wayward glance off to his right.

"...You wanna sit down?"

MrEgg looked around the living room for a few seconds before answering him.

"...Just a moment," he mumbled, taking one of the throws draped overtop one of the two chairs by the fireplace, unfolding it and laying it over the cushions, covering it...Sheldon honestly understood the fact that he was nervous about his belongings being dirtied up or ruined somehow.

...He did that to his things a lot when they were younger, usually on purpose.

The marigold crewmate motioned for him to sit down, which he did, and then he took the chair to Sheldon's left and repositioned it so that they were half facing one another before sitting down in it...A long silence between the two of them followed. As they stared at each other, Sheldon analyzed MrEgg's expression, and he saw a lot of things flashing through his visor.

Recollection, confusion, pain, sorrow...anger. He didn't blame him for feeling those things, however. Not in the slightest.

"...So," the burnt orange crewmate began. "I get that you're probably wondering why I decided to come see you."

"Don't tell me," MrEgg replied, his voice laced with venom. "You're here to apologize for all of the pain and suffering you and Ben put me through for as long as I can remember, and for causing the rift between our parents that eventually caused what happened on March 16th of 2015 to happen."

Sheldon nodded his head lightly, breaking eye contact with his younger brother.

"That's about right," he said to him quietly.

"Well I've a spot of news for you. An apology doesn't undo the trauma I endured from you and Ben, nor does it remedy my stunted growth or immunodeficiency, or bring my mother back from the dead."

"I know...I know it doesn't. And you're right...I did a lot of things that I look back on now and wish I'd never done. Or at least put a stop too before it was too late."

"Well you didn't," MrEgg hissed. his eyes narrowing at him as he leaned forward.

"...And that was wrong of me," Sheldon told him. He knew everything MrEgg said was true, and he took it for what it was...Besides, he'd said such terrible things to him when they were younger, he figured it was about time the table turned.

"And since you've managed to find me here after all this time, what about Benedict?" the marigold crewmate continued. "What's he been up to? Has he decided to show up at my front door himself sometime soon? Because if he is, you can tell him to give it up, because by then, I'll have put a sturdy lock on every-"

"He's dead."

...The room fell silent again, and MrEgg's narrowed visor widened some. He didn't seem absolutely shocked by the news, but he was surprised.

"...Dead?" he echoed. He looked off to the side again as he thought of what to say next, then looked back at Sheldon. "...For how long?"

"Almost two years at this point," the burnt orange crewmate replied. "...See, after Dad got put in the nick, we were pretty much on our own, since we were adults at that point. But we couldn't really afford to stay in school anymore, so we ended up dropping out...And being the not-so-good neighborhood it was, we ended up getting into some not-so-good means of making ends meet. Both of us ended up affiliating with bands o' dealers pretty quickly; him sooner than me, but still."

"Well, I...can't say I'm surprised by that," MrEgg remarked, scowling and raising his eyebrows.

"Can't say you're wrong in not bein' surprised...Anyways, as we tried to forget some of our woes and make a name for ourselves in the business, we just kept goin' into a downward spiral...He and I sort of fell apart as things continued to get more tense. Our two cartels ended up startin' a beef with one another, and the Bill started to frequent the turf more...I tried to get Ben to at least switch sides, since my band was doin' better than his was, but he, ah...wouldn't 'ave it. And when he tipped off one of 'is mates that I was tryin' to do that...well...To but it brief, it wasn't really safe for me to be wanderin' around at night anymore. Even daytime was iffy."

MrEgg didn't say anything, but it was clear to Sheldon that he was at least lending an ear to his story.

"I stocked up on food and laid low for quite a while; to my connection, I suddenly vanished into thin air. I know they came to the old family house lookin' for me...But luckily, they didn't suspect a dusty old shipping box hidden in the basement to be a makeshift hideaway. And eventually, they gave up tryin' to find me so they could enforce...disciplinary action."

"...I see."

"'Bout four months later, I figured it was safe to come out of hiding; besides, I'd grown myself a mustache, so I figured it wouldn't be so easy to recognize me anymore. I'd gotten myself clean by then, and I knew gettin' involved with the shabu business again was out of the question if I valued my life at all...So I decided to land myself a spot at one of the convenience stores, and I did my best to survive there for a while. Got my news from the papers, bought a packed sandwich every so often...I'd occasionally see one of the people I used to associate with come in and pick up a drink or the like, but I don't think anyone ever recognized me."

"So then how did you find out about his passing?"

"Not by any particularly exciting means," Sheldon replied to him. "I just...saw his name in the obituary one day, and it said he'd been found dead in an alleyway after he OD'ed on ice."

"Hm..."

"To be honest with you, I wasn't very surprised that somethin' like that happened. Nor was I...all that upset at the time, considering how far apart we fell...The sadness came later. But at the time, I guess it served as a reminder of what that stuff gets you into; I was in between a rock and hard place at that time in terms of my money, and I was honestly starting to consider getting into a different branch of the forbidden business to keep myself afloat...Not long after that, I decided to quit my job at the petrol station and move somewhere that wasn't quite so much of a dump...What happened after that's a bit of a long story, but to sum it all up, I was finally able to finish up my last year of high school, so I graduated and got a job as a mechanic at an auto repair shop. And now I can at least manage a roof over my head and food in my fridge."

Sheldon looked around the living room and chuffed a bit of a laugh before turning to look at MrEgg again.

"But you. Look at what you've managed; you blew anything I ever accomplished right out of the water. A home on the cliffs, a reputation, a music career, a girlfriend, people who support-"

"Fiancée."

"Hm?"

"She's my fiancée." he corrected him. "We're getting married this fall."

"Ha..."

Sheldon's eyes lit up, and a smile stretched across his face.

"Congratulations!" he beamed. "Man, you're on a roll, you are!"

The marigold crewmate broke the eye contact between them, seemingly contemplative.

"Hmph...Well...I never went down the same path you did, despite my own homeless situation for a long while, so I suppose I would come out on top."

"Ah...No doubt. You made the right choice, you did," Sheldon nodded in agreement. "Proud of ya."

MrEgg blinked, then looked the burnt orange crewmate in the visor again, an incredulous look in his gaze.

"...What did you just say?" he asked him, almost in disbelief.

"I said I'm proud of ya," Sheldon repeated. "And to be completely honest, I'm more than glad it's turned out this way...You deserve all of this. Heh...And I'm stuck in a low end flat in Tendring, coming home each day covered in oil. It's befitting, really."

MrEgg looked around his living room, then back at the burnt orange crewmate sitting diagonally from him for just a moment before looking away, suddenly finding his hands folded in his lap interesting.

"...I suppose it is," he half mumbled.

Sheldon seemed to sniff for a moment, and he raised his head up.

"Oi, you smell tea brewin'?"

Before MrEgg could even acknowledge what Sheldon had said, the warm, fruity smell of bergamot oil suddenly hit him, and he turned his head to see his fiancée preparing three teacups in the kitchen.

"Oh. Ria," MrEgg acknowledged. "How long have you been out here, love?"

"Only about five minutes; since you two have been talking for a while, I figured I might as well make some tea," she replied to him. "How do you want it?"

"Same as usual, love; one sugar and just a touch of milk."

"Um...How about you, Sheldon?"

"One sugar and no milk, please."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

She was out of the kitchen and headed their way in barely fifteen seconds, and she handed them each their respected cups and saucers...Sheldon took in the citrusy scent again and grinned as he took his cup from Ria.

"Earl Grey is my favorite..." he remarked. "Thank you."

Odd that we have similar taste in that respect, MrEgg noted silently.

"No problem."

"Ria, did you make yourself a cup?" MrEgg asked her. She did have a bit of a habit with being so preoccupied with supplying guests refreshments, that she would forget to have anything herself.

"Yes, I did, don't worry; I'll take it into the bedroom with me if you guys are still talking."

MrEgg wasn't sure what else would be said between himself and Sheldon, but at the same time, he didn't want to ask Ria to depart again; he felt like he was excluding her from the situation.

The lime crewmate seemed to read the look in his eyes like she would read any book.

"It's okay; you can fill me in when you're done," she said, smiling at him.

"...Well...If you're certain. I'll try not to take too long, love."

"I am, Eggy. Love you."

They shared a brief kiss before Ria grabbed her own cup of tea from the kitchen and headed back to the bedroom, leaving MrEgg and Sheldon alone again.

"...So," Sheldon continued as he sipped his tea. "Tell me. Do you play the piano for a living, or is it a hobby?"

"The former," MrEgg replied, still not looking him in the eye. "I play at a 5-star Italian restaurant half an hour from here fulltime. And being such a high end establishment, I make more than enough to get by."

"Ah. Well, it shows...And you can apparently sing quite well."

"...How do you know that?"

"Music video you posted back last November? I happened upon it while killin' time about a week ago; I recognized your name in the title, and your face in the video. It was a lovely song, but...you seemed so sad. Made me wonder if you'd always been that way ever since you left."

MrEgg tapped his teacup with his fingers and looked down at the floor, thinking about what to say next.

"Well, I mean, don't take it the wrong way, I mean-"

"I was going through a rough period at the time," he answered him. "My old work associate kicked me to the curb for his former partner without any warning...And as you can imagine, that event brought up a lot of other bad memories as well, so I suppose I did it mainly to vent..."

"...That's a bit sus, ain't it?"

Sheldon started to chuckle, and MrEgg let out a frustrated hum as he fought back the urge to smile.

Ha ha, how original, he told himself, insisting that he didn't find the unexpected joke funny one bit.

"Ah...I get it, though," the burnt orange crewmate continued. "But you're doin' alright now, aren't you?"

"I am," he replied. "And as for my old associate...well...We managed to sort things out between the three of us, and I'm glad to say we're quite the best of friends now. He...sort of took me under his wing and became the older brother that I always wanted when I was small."

"...The one you never really got to have back then?"

MrEgg finally gave Sheldon eye contact again, then sighed deeply, a twinge of sadness glimmering in his visor.

"...Yes."

"I don't blame you, y'know," he told him, taking another drink from his cup. "...I probably would have imprinted on someone the same way if I'd been in your shoes. And I'm glad you found someone you can look up to in that way."

The smaller crewmate didn't say anything. He just took another small sip of his tea as he listened to Sheldon speak.

"...I'm not asking you to forgive me, or invite me back into your life, or anything along those lines," he continued. "And I don't expect you to. All I really wanted to do was tell you that...I know now that I was wrong to treat you the way I did. That I was wrong to think of you as just some...extra mouth to feed. Someone who didn't belong...the runt of the litter."

"I suppose I was the misfit of the family," MrEgg noted. "...Our father did tell me I was an accident after all."

"He told us the same thing," Sheldon replied. "I...suppose the thought that we'd been wanted, and planned for ahead of time, and you hadn't been gave us a feeling of..."

He made a face as he continued, ashamed that he'd ever thought such a thing about MrEgg.

"...Superiority, it seemed," he finished, letting out a sigh as he gulped down the rest of his tea. "I used to blame him and solely him for everything that happened, since he was the one who handled the situation so poorly in the first place, and then...things just got worse due to his neglect. And since he got put away, I haven't really made any attempts to reach out to him. He's not a part of my life anymore. Hasn't been for a long time."

MrEgg nodded.

"...But that doesn't give me an excuse. I was my own person with my own thoughts, so if I'd wanted to, I could have started bein' better to you at any time...But I didn't."

"Hmph. Well...not up until now."

Sheldon looked him in the eye again, his visor widening just a tad.

"...So you believe me when I say these things, then?"

"I'm very perceptive, Sheldon," MrEgg replied. "I know a lot about how people behave, so I can usually tell what's going on in their heads from the little things. Gestures, mannerisms, how people speak...If you'd been lying, or were ingenuine in anything you'd said, I'd have been able to tell pretty quickly."

The marigold crewmate sipped his tea again, and he waited for his guest to respond.

"...Well, I'm glad you know what you know. Very glad," Sheldon told him, a smile playing on his lips. "I'll leave it up to you what you want to do with that information. But just know that things are different now than what they used to be, and...I'd be willing to fix things between us if you want. And if it's too late for that, then...I'd at least leave you knowing that I've said to you the things you deserved to hear."

A long silence hung between them as they each thought about what each had said. MrEgg finished the last bit of his tea and stared at the taller crewmate sitting in the opposite chair from him...He could tell just how much was different about him than the last time they'd seen one another. His eyes were weary, yet hopeful, and no longer had that harsh, confident glare they used to, and there was a small scar above his left eye that he hadn't bothered to conceal.

MrEgg finally looked away again, then closed his visor for a brief moment and sighed deeply before giving Sheldon an answer.

"...I'll think about it."

The older of the two smiled, and a twinkle entered his visor.

"Thank you," he whispered, looking down at his empty teacup. "Erm...What should I do with the empty cup?"

"Just put it on the coffee table; I'll take care of it later," MrEgg replied, his voice not much more than a mumble. "...Pray tell. How long was the drive to get from Tendring to here?"

"About three and a half hours. I left at twelve."

"...So you drove all this way just to try and make things right, not knowing whether or not it would be worth your time?"

He nodded.

"I figured I may as well; I had nothing better to do with my time, and I was up for getting out of the flat and going somewhere since I had the chance...Besides, in the end, it was worth the time, after all."

"Hm."

MrEgg leaned back in his chair, looking at Sheldon yet again...To say that he had mixed feelings about the whole situation would be an understatement. Nightmares about the past still plagued him, and it was partially his fault...But if he was willing to make things right, then who was he to put him down for it?

...He'd done the same before, after all, with the two people he now considered his closest friends. So there was no reason he couldn't do the same again with his own flesh and blood, if he really did mean the things he said.

"Well...I hate to have to leave so soon," Sheldon remarked as he stood up off the chair he was sitting in. "But I get that you probably weren't expectin' company today, so I don't want to linger for longer than I must. Besides, if I go now, I won't get home till about sundown...And I don't really fancy drivin' in the dark in strange places."

"Same goes for me," MrEgg replied as he got up himself and followed him to the door. "Well, then, I won't keep you for any longer than I have to. I have work tomorrow myself, and I need to practice a few pieces."

"Good luck tomorrow, MrEgg. Sure you'll knock 'em dead."

"I'll do my best."

They both stopped right in front of the door and stood there, neither of them saying anything else...Sheldon looked down at the smaller crewmate, forgetting the passing of time for a minute, shrugged and stretched his arms out, inviting him in.

MrEgg was a bit taken aback by the gesture...He'd never been shown any form of affection by either him nor Benedict during the time they lived together, so seeing Sheldon offering it to him was new, to say the least. He almost didn't trust it...But he also knew that something was different between the two of them this time. He sensed no hostility him...And the look in his eyes was strangely genuine.

Slowly and slightly apprehensively, MrEgg stepped forward, and he let the taller crewmate wrap his arms around him...And it was when he felt his embrace that he noticed something.

This isn't awkward, or forced, he realized. This...this is genuine. My brother actually...

...His brother.

The brother he almost forgot he even had, and who he hadn't even considered one for even longer beforehand...He was here, and he was hugging him, happy for him...Like it was supposed to be.

...I have a brother.

He couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a long, suppressed whimper from the back of his throat, trying and failing to keep himself from crying as warm tears bubbled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, and he sobbed quietly, raising his own hands and hugging him back as tightly as he could...He felt Sheldon squeeze him a bit more in return, and he heard him whispering to him in a gentle, comforting tone he'd never heard from him before.

"Shhhhh, shhh, it's alright...Everything's alright now. I promise...I promise it is..."

MrEgg uttered something incoherent through his sobs, burying his visor into the taller crewmate and soaking him with his tears. It wasn't much later that he felt Sheldon shudder, and he let out a shaky breath of his own as he hugged him yet even tighter...He was crying too, now.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

The younger of the two managed to calm himself down a bit, making himself sound more clear.

"It's alright...*sniff* It's okay, it is, really it is..."

"Ha...S-so you forgive me...?"

MrEgg sniffled again and choked back a sob.

"...I do. *sob* I-I do..."

He wasn't sure whether the sudden outburst that Sheldon let out next was a fit of crying or laughter, but either way, MrEgg was still lifted clean off his feet and swayed back and forth, his cheek squished up against his older brother's as the two of them continued to shed river of tears...He never thought he'd feel this way. He didn't even know that he wanted to. But here he was. Here they BOTH were, knowing now what they'd each missed out on.

And that they finally had it.

After what felt like an hour, MrEgg finally felt himself being put back down on the floor, and his brother let him loose from his hold, looking him in the eye...The look of tender sweetness in Sheldon's gaze made him want to cry all over again, but his tears had run nearly dry.

"...I gotta get goin' now," he said to him, reaching out to pat him on the head one more time. "Take good care of yourself, egghead."

"H-hold on, Shel'," MrEgg interrupted. "Just really quick, lets exchange numbers. I...I'd like to keep in touch, since you still live so far away."

"Oh, good idea. Almost forgot about that."

It didn't take long for them to get each other's numbers, and once that was over and done, they both looked at each other one more time.

"I, ah...I might give you a call tomorrow, if that's alright. What time would be best for you?"

"Probably around six," MrEgg answered as he opened the door, following Sheldon out onto the front porch. "I'll be home by then, and dinner usually isn't done until seven."

"Good to know...Hey, maybe one o' these days when I can afford it, I'll pack up and move down here. It's a lovely place, that's for sure."

"It is a nice place," MrEgg smiled. "...Well, if you want to be home by sunset, I suppose you best be off. Will, um...you be back soon?"

"I'll check my work schedule and see what I can do...Next time, I'll call ahead, though."

They both chortled a bit, then Sheldon stepped off the porch and started making his way back to his sedan, turning back to face him just one more time.

"See you soon."

"...Bye, Shel."

They gave each other one more smile, then the older of the two opened the door to his car, hopped in the driver's seat, started the engine up and pulled out of the driveway, disappearing up the road out of the coastal cliffs...MrEgg waved until he was completely out of sight.

"Everything okay, Eggy?"

He turned around to see Ria coming out the front door to meet him; she'd apparently heard the commotion they'd made before, as her face was etched with worry. But he smiled at her, then stepped forward and took her by the hand, tapping his still-damp visor against hers affectionately.

"Everything's just fine, Ria," he promised her, with no uncertainty in his tone this time. "No need to worry. I promise."

"...Are gonna be seeing him anymore?"

He broke away to look her in the eye and nodded.

"We will, Ria...Probably quite soon, I imagine."

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...

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...

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"Ah...Nothin' like a spot o' green tea in the evenin'."

Sheldon sipped his steaming beverage as he leaned back into his beanbag chair, relaxing as his stress melted away. He pulled his phone out and unlocked it, looking through his contacts for MrEgg's name; he had a lot of people on his contact list, so it took him a minute to get to the "M" section.

...And just when he found MrEgg's name, his phone rang...It was MrEgg calling.

Sheldon snorted before answering the phone. Oh, the irony.

"That you, Egg?"

"Of course it's me! Who else?" his younger brother replied chipperly. "Ah...So what have you been up to today?"

"Actually, I was just about to call you. Ya beat me to it by about one second."

"I DID??"

"I thought I was s'posed to call you, you cheeky tart."

They both shared a bit of a laugh before the conversation continued.

"Ah, so anyways, what's happening on your end. Crowd go wild for ya?"

"About as wild as you'd expect in the 5-star restaurant," MrEgg told him. "But there were several rounds of applause throughout the day."

"Well, that's good to hear, it is."

"Indeed...So, um...Are you busy at the moment?"

"Nope. I could talk till the stars come out, MrEgg."

"Okay, good, good! In that case, ah...I'm just curious. Would you be at all interested in joining an Among Us lobby with my friends this evening?"

"Oh, that sounds nice! Though I must warn you; I'm not very good at it."

"Ah, still in-training? Don't worry, I'll give you some pointers and tips as we go along. Besides, it's been a while since our group saw a new face; I'm sure you'll get along just fine! They're a lovely bunch; some of them have their quirks, but overall, they're great to be around."

"Well, thank you; I'm lookin' forward to meeting them. When's the game gonna start?"

"The lobby's filling up right now; I'll text you the code so you can join. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," Sheldon replied.

"Okay, I'll see you there! This will only take a second...!"

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...

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"So, Player, what do you think? Does this look okay, or is it too light?"

"No, you look good, sis...I guess part of me is just worried what Rose might say if she and BDay were to show up; you know how people are with their colors around here."

"I think they're out at a donut shop together this morning, or something..." Dum remarked. "Captain said something about it when he tried to invite them."

"Okay, gang! Two more people, and we'll have a full lobby!" Captain announced. "Everyone ready to start?"

"As sure as my name MrCheese," the orange crewmate nodded. "I just hope it won't take forever for just two more people to show up."

"Yes, to be fair, I'm up for something interesting," TheGentleman remarked. "I wonder if we'll get anyone new in our lobby anytime soon?"

"I guess we'll have to wait and see, TheGentleman," Captain replied, his voice followed up by the sound of someone spawning in, paired with not one, but TWO white silhouettes forming in the dropship seats and materializing.

"Oh, cool, we got some," Veteran perked up, awaiting the two players.

"Ello, everyone, I made it!"

"Wow...Pretty big crowd."

He blinked a few times when he looked at them, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Um...Player?"

"Yeah, Veteran?" the red bean asked, suddenly looking just as confused as his best friend was.

"Do I need to get my eyes checked, or am I seeing two MrEggs here, one pink and one maroon?"

"Uhh, nope. You're seeing this right."

"Wow. Care to explain why there's two of you, MrEgg?"

"That I shall," the pink crewmate told him as the rest of the crew crowded around to see what was going on.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you all to my older brother Sheldon. He'll be playing with us tonight, and he's eager to meet all of you, so let's make tonight a good one!"

"Nice to be here, everyone," the maroon crewmate greeted. "I'm looking forward to the games."

Mother, Veteran, Stoner, Captain and Dum all gave him a warm welcome and introduced themselves to him, and TheGentleman tipped his top hats cordially. MrCheese looked skeptical about the newcomer, and Player...just stared at him with wide eyes.

After everyone else has introduced themselves or been introduced by another, the maroon crewmate stepped up to the red bean and stretched out his hand for him to shake.

"Player...Nice to see you. Hope you're doin' alright."

His visor widened even more.

"...I know that voice."

"I figured you'd recognize it."

Player looked at MrEgg, confused as to what his awful brother was doing here; MrEgg had talked about his older twin brothers before, and not in a positive way at all.

"I'll explain later, Player," the pink crewmate told him. "Just know that things are going rather swimmingly, alright?"

"Hm...Well...If you say so, MrEgg," he accepted, still a bit skeptical...Sheldon saw the look of guilt in his brother's eyes and spoke to him.

"Aye, lighten up, Egg," he cheered him. "I understand if you opened up to 'im about a few things; we'll work it out."

"Mm...Thanks, Shel'," he replied just before the screen faded to black.

...And the next thing the two brothers were graced with was an Impostor screen.

Oh, oh my goodness, MrEgg said to himself. I wasn't expecting this!

"Everyone SCATTER!"

After Captain gave the order and the crew dispersed across the Skeld, the two brothers got to talking.

"...Well, if this is the case, I guess I'll be teaching you how to do tasks next round," MrEgg shrugged. "Come on! I'll show you how to kill and sabotage!"

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For those of you who remember this scenario being mentioned in "I'll See You Again," I've got some good news: that fic was in an alternate timeline, so in this universe, Gnome is still alive and well! Yay! :D