"Monty" he stopped when the sound of his name caught him by the scruff, one forepaw froze half sunken in the snow claws biting beneath the crust. "Oi," His ears tipped back, and for a moment he said nothing at all, standing there with his back half turned shoulders rigid beneath his dark coat breath steaming hard from his nose.

Of course she’d followed.

Of course someone had to.

His jaw worked, teeth pressing together until the muscle in his cheek jumped "Ya wanna talk about it?" talk about it. The words should have made him laugh something sharp and ugly, something that would make her regret asking. Instead it came through gritted teeth What's there to talk about? it was thrown like an accusation, his gaze fixed ahead into the trees as if they might offer him somewhere to put all of this. She made her choice, they all did It was the way the moment had turned. The way everyone had looked at him like he was the wound instead of the thing bleeding from it. Like his anger was uglier than abandonment and speaking up was the problem, not the fact that someone had needed speaking for in the first place.

Aurelia stood for her he said finally, his voice cracking around the name before he smothered it beneath a scowl. She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t sit there acting like it was hard to decide whether her own sister mattered. he turned just enough for Tiberii to see the fury in his face and the awful shine beneath it. And when Euphemia couldn’t do the same, I'm the problem.

The words came faster now, spilling past the place he’d tried to keep shut. And you boast about kinship! About family! he gave a small shake of his head Some family, what the fuck was that? he ripped his gaze away.

I don't need them to like me he muttered I don't care what they think he paused, breath pushing through his nostrils roughly

But don’t stand there and call everyone kin if it only matters when it’s easy.

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