little poor me

don't you know i'm no good for you?

“I’ll hold you to it.” Sunjata rumbles with a light smirk crossing his face, hoping somewhere deep down that the both of them would be more whole by then, mentally and physically. But it was hard to tell what would happen in the span of this month to the next, he wasn’t even sure whether he’d be all in one piece for it. But the thought is enough to keep him content, something to look forward to past the next couple of weeks.

But Ronin grabs the pillow and Sunjata sits up a bit more, huffing a bit as he moves a small amount to start some form of a foundation as Ronin brings the items back. He pays little attention to what the Star grabs and where from, figuring it best to not snoop and inadvertently ask about. “Probably will, but again at least it’s blankets and not beams, right?” He flashes Ronin a grin over his shoulder, before returning to work – fitting together a few sides of a table to start on the foundations, laying a blanket over it to get an idea of how it’ll start to look.

"Y'know, when I was younger, like... Ten I think, my sister and I used to steal all the pillows from my mother's room and steal the den just to make a fortress." A hum of a laugh leaves him. "And we'd get most of the way done and then promptly fall asleep right in the middle of it."

i've learned to lose, you can't afford to

SUNJATA

baby you were my picket fence

They worked in tandem by this point; given that Ronin was the more mobile of the two of them (and it must have been bad for that to be the case), he took care of the tenting roof of their little fortress, using rope and blankets draped over it to create a canopy. ”That’s a good point - we’re not likely to get hurt more with blankets,” he remarked as he tied everything in place and ducked underneath to help Sunjata with the inside.

Another ghost of a smile flickered across his face when Jata continued to speak, the memory coming alive in the other man’s voice. ”I can’t say my older brother and I used to do the same. If we made a fort it was usually to do battle. Used to drive my mother crazy,” he said, helping to prop up pillows on the ground and against the ‘walls’ of their den. ”Won’t lie to you though - I’m just as likely to fall asleep in this one.”

i miss missing you

now and then

RONIN

don't be scared

you're like the calmest slit to my neck

The thought of the fort collapsing and there just being an influx of heavy blankets and pillows certainly does relieve the idea that at least it’s not a beam falling down, bricks, or quicksand trapping them. And he and Ronin work well, as they always had, reinforcing little spaces here with more pillows and blankets, tying it to the items they’ve used to make it taller to fit the both of them.

And it gives Sunjata some time to recollect, eagerly listening when Ronin comments about his own family. “Ah, see, I never had a brother otherwise we’d probably do the same.” He snorts, stacking a few of the blankets within as some sort of flooring. “I don’t know if I can even imagine it.” He offers, a quiet laugh leaving him with that, trying to figure it out just as he had when Nate had mentioned he was a twin.

When it was mostly done, however, big enough for the both of them, he slumps with his back to the wall of their makeshift den, glancing over to Ronin with a small grin. “Done... Oh wait, every den needs a cat, right?” He knows it had helped Nate feel better after his attack, and all things considered Sunjata could use a bit of a catnap so to speak. So he shifts, then, man becoming that panther, curled up and flopping over toward Ronin. That’s better.

bring me in closer

SUNJATA

baby you were my picket fence

Once it was finished Ronin also settled himself on all the blankets and pillows, stretching out and tucking his arms behind his head. But then suddenly Sunjata was mentioning cats, the Star turning his head in time to see the panther flopping towards him; briefly surprised, Ronin half sat up, before a laugh rumbled up in his chest. ”Is that really any more comfortable?” he asked, laying back nonetheless. (It certainly looked more comfortable, even he had to admit that).

”As for having a brother, don’t bother trying to imagine it. They’re a pain in the backside,” he said, though the smile in his voice said otherwise. Absently Ronin’s hand drifted down to scritch at the soft fur behind Jata’s ear, the Star’s eyes slipping shut. Outside the rain still played its music, but the canopy above them muffled it all out for the time being.

i miss missing you

now and then

RONIN

don't be scared

you're like the calmest slit to my neck

Sunjata stretches out, arms forward and claws stretching with his paws as he focuses on relaxing, tail curled about and flickering occasionally. At least in this form the burns hurt less, the soreness far less prevalent. And the panther rolls his head a bit over toward Ronin as he hears what the Star says. Of course it is. He retorts with some humor laced through the bond.

But when Ronin’s hand find Sunjata’s scruff behind his ears, a low hum of a purr slips from him, sinking down a bit more comfortably. As if sisters are better? Saar used to make bets with me and when I’d always lose I’d have to braid her hair for a week. He offers, a small huff of sound leaving the panther in a feline laugh.

Got out of it once when she dared me to climb a tree when I was little. I made it but fell out and broke my leg. A steel eye pops open, glancing up to Ronin to see how the Star was doing.

bring me in closer

SUNJATA

baby you were my picket fence

”I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it.” Ronin smiled faintly, trusting Jata to get comfortable wherever he was most able. As the other man continued he fell quiet to listen, never having really considered what it would be like to have a sister at that age. Ashetta had been the closest thing to it, and they had already been grown by the time he’d met her. Not that they hadn’t been as bad as children - Ronin was just as likely to climb a tree and break something at twenty-five, honestly - but it was... odd, to think about it.

He continued to scritch away at the soft scruff behind the panther’s ears, his mind blooming with images as Jata explained further; sometimes they were small versions of the Arbiter and a girl he didn’t know. Sometimes it was Ronin and Ashe, and the hunter relaxed at the idea of it. Quite when his hand had stopped its fussing he didn’t realise, but when Sunjata turned to look up at him it would be to see him relaxed into the pillows, sleep-blank and snoring.

i miss missing you

now and then

RONIN

don't be scared

you're like the calmest slit to my neck

A hum of agreement is sent down the bond, easy to do when the commentary were of siblings and how similar yet different they could be. Saartjie had been a fire, with little consequences most of her life – far less than Sunjata had dealt with. But he’d loved her fiercely for it, regardless, even if he ended up with the majority of the punishments. He does wonder how different it might have been with a brother, if they both would have ended up on the punished side, or if he’d have even dared to remain for as long as he had.

Those are all theories that swirl at the back of his mind, however, especially when he continues to speak of his sister, rolling over slightly to peer up at Ronin to see how he might react. And well? The Star is asleep, the hand in his fur stilling, and Sunjata leans back down, nestling in and careful not to interrupt Ronin’s sleep. He curls in, content to nap as well, and falls easily asleep within their little makeshift fort.

- FIN <3

bring me in closer

SUNJATA