"Brother." It's awkward on her tongue, still weird to think much less say out loud.

"Hm?" Kira turns his head. His arms are resting on the railing and he almost looks at ease, like he's at peace with himself at last. Cagalli knows better—the bruise colored shadows under his eyes are a testament to that. Still, it's nice to pretend.

"You," she says and flushes. If she were a lesser person she'd hunch her shoulders; Cagalli squares them instead. "Well, technically us. I still can't believe it. That you...that we..."

It's not like her to be so vague. Cagalli doesn't like talking in circles; she's always preferred meeting things head on. But this...this is something she's almost afraid to.

She looks away, pushing her hair out of her face. She's long overdue for a trim.

"Twins," he finishes, echoing her unspoken thought. It startles her into looking at him. He's smiling and the humor in it shouldn't be as reassuring as it is. "It's crazy, isn't it?"

Cagalli snorts, smiling despite herself. "More like insane. The stuff of soap operas and science fiction novels."

She regrets it when she sees Kira's eyes unfocus. He huffs out a laugh and it sounds shakier than it should.

"Yeah," he says quietly. His fingers tighten around the railing and she wants to uncurl them one by one, to fill the empty spaces between fingers and root him to here, to now. To her.

Don't go somewhere I can't follow, Cagalli wants to beg, but her throat's tight and her eyes burn and she can't ask the impossible. She won't. There's a precedent for this sort of thing anyway.

We weren't even allowed to share a womb, she thinks, and wants to laugh and laugh.

She bites the inside of her cheek, lowering her eyes. Their shadows have lengthened, have stretched out their spindly fingers to one another until you can't tell where one ends and the other begins. It makes her strangely wistful. Makes her think of how they might have curled around each other before they were separated for good.

"I thought about it a lot," she says. "Having a brother or a sister. It was just me and Father and it was hard not to get lonely. I wanted...someone who would be there, you know? Someone I didn't have to share with ORB or the world or anyone else, someone who was just mine." She chuckles. "Selfish, huh?"

She's reluctant to look at him, too afraid that that dead eyed look is still there. Her fingers twitch at her sides. She curls them into her palms, digging in her nails.

Kira shifts, his shoulder suddenly brushing hers. Cagalli steels herself to look up at him and her breath catches. His eyes are soft, smile tender.

"A little," he says. His smile only widens when she swats at him.

Cagalli huffs, leaning more fully into his side.

"Jerk," she says, and hides a smile against his arm.