[He's startled by the gesture, but he leans into her. There's just something about her that's safe and protective.]
[He doesn't want to cry, but the tears come all the same, slowly at first. His shoulders shake, but he doesn't make noise. That sign of weakness he won't allow himself.]
[His chest hurts. He wants his brother, he wants this to be over, he wants to actually be remembered for once. He's desperate and he knows it, and God knows it, and is probably mocking him for it. He feels hollow and even less human than the demons he contracts with.]
[He's so tired. There's no place for him to rest. He can never feel welcome, and that hurts too. And his parents always loved his brother more...]
[And he loves him too, but he can't understand why he's never had the same kind of love Abel has.]
[It's not fair. It's never been fair. Not in any of his lives.]