The walk to the village gate is quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the morning breeze.
The sun isn't up yet, but the sky is already grey.
There are no villagers in sight, but Rukiyo could see that some houses already had a light on, which was seeping through the window.
With the observation of her surroundings in mind, Rukiyo and Orion moved side by side, their strides matching— neither pushing for conversation nor avoiding it.
The air between them isn't hostile anymore; it's just.. There.
Rukiyo kept her eyes ahead and spotted Blank, who was standing near a post at the gate, shifting nervously, but she could feel Orion glancing at her from time to time— assessing something silently before looking away again.
Truly, it's not an uncomfortable silence.
It just made it clear that an understanding has been settled between them without further words needing to be spoken.
Guess he's not so bad.. Even though he was yelling at Blank back in the cave the other night. She thought, keeping her ahead as they near Blank's waiting figure.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Blank heard the sound of approaching footsteps and jerked his head up, his bangs briefly flying with the movement, but he quickly pressed them back into place, trying to nonchalantly look anywhere else.
The two people coming toward him couldn't help, but raise an eyebrow at that.
Blank could feel Orion and Rukiyo's gazes on him, and it makes him feel both anxious and embarrassed, so he just stares at nothing in particular, trying to look like he was simply waiting patiently instead of being caught fidgeting with his hair like a nervous wreck.
Orion could only let out a resigned sigh at the sight of Blank's anxious fidgeting.
When they reached him, he stopped right next to the nervous man, but Rukiyo walked past them without pausing, heading straight for the open village gate.
Blank instinctively followed her figure with his eyes, his head turning to look at her.
"Ahem." Orion cleared his throat sharply, causing Blank to flush and snap his gaze back to him, as if he had been caught staring at something he wasn't supposed to.
Blank rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, clearly embarrassed at getting caught checking out Rukiyo.
Orion simply shook his head, his expression one of fond exasperation, and gave him an unimpressed stare before muttering dryly. "Are you in love with her or something? You're acting like the old fools in our village who can't keep their damn hands and eyes off their wives whenever they're around."
Blank looked scandalized at that accusation, his face turning red.
"W-What!? N-No, I— I wasn't l-looking at her that way..!" He spluttered out for a moment before frantically shaking his head, along with his hands waving in the air.
Then, Blank paused for a moment, stopping trying to deny the accusation because he knows that Orion probably won't buy whatever explanation he manages to blurt out.
So, instead of trying and failing to defend himself, he just fidgeted awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot nervously.
He kept on opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the right words, but no sound came out; all he could do was look like a guilty puppy that just got caught tearing apart its owner's couch.
Orion huffed, reaching up to pat Blank on the arm— an action that would look authoritative if he weren't so much smaller than his brother.
The pat is firm, though harmless, and frankly too light to even register as anything beyond a mild annoyance to Blank, but the intention behind it was pure and hoping it would comfort his little brother.
"Tch. Idiot." He muttered under his breath. "Just.. Don't do anything stupid."
"I-I won't.." Blank mumbled unconvincingly, glancing over his shoulder toward Rukiyo's retreating figure beyond the village gate like she might vanish if he looked away for too long.
Orion rolls his eyes, clearly not buying Blank's attempt at denial.
If anything, that guilty, longing look on his face further proves Orion's point, because who looks at someone with that face if they're not in love?
The older man sighed and gave his tall brother a firm shove on the back, putting more force than was necessary into it, causing Blank to stumble forward slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected strength behind it.
He glances back at Orion, who's giving him a knowing glare.
Blank takes a step forward, his thoughts entirely focused on catching up to Rukiyo— but he stops himself before he can go any further, turning back to face Orion instead.
He stood there for a moment before quickly stepping closer and giving his brother a tight, slightly awkward embrace.
"T-Thank you.." He mumbled, his voice was quiet, almost a whisper, when he spoke. "For putting up with m-me all this time.. I know it was hard, but thank you.."
Orion was caught off guard by the sudden display of affection and he hesitated for a moment before gently wrapping his arms around his brother.
"Take care of yourself out there, you hear me? You better come back to visit." Orion grumbled and though he tried to sound stern, Orion's tone was filled with worry, his eyes staring at the woman who captured his brother's heart.
Blank nodded and gently pulled away from Orion's embrace, a small, but strained smile on his face. "I.. Will so take care of yourself as w-well..."
There was a moment of hesitation between them before Orion reached up to ruffle Blank's hair affectionately, messing up his already messy bangs.
Blank allowed Orion to ruffle his hair without protest and once Orion stepped back, Blank finally turned away— his eyes twinkling with excitement.
He practically jogged toward Rukiyo's figure by the village gate, each step faster than the last as if afraid she might run away from him if he doesn't catch up in time.
Orion could only watch his baby brother as they slowly vanished from sight, his heart swelling with happiness and pride.