Galactiquest

“Geez!” Emil tapped the top of the kitchen door frame as he entered. “Where the heck is he hiding? We searched this place top-to-bottom at least 3-4 times since yesterday.”

“It was nice seeing everything again.” Leon sighed dreamily. “If only I could commit this place to memory…”

“Leon, you alright, buddy? You’ve been talking like you’re gonna die soon.”

Roxie practically jumped in front of him. “Are you experiencing any worrying symptoms? A strange mole or perhaps a lump? I can check on them! And unless it’s something really aggressive, we should be able to treat you at the Moon Base within a week!” She snagged Emil’s arm. “If you’re uncomfortable with me checking it, my lovely assistant can–”

“Oh, no, Roxie, I don’t need anything checked, I don’t think.” Leon cut in. “It’s just… Well, you guys’ll probably hear about it soon enough.” He walked ahead of them. “Anyway, I’m gonna hit the shower. I’ll let you know if I have any weird moles if I find any!” Judging by his smile, he completely missed the point of her asking.

“Yes! Please do!” She shouted after him.

Leon made his exit, finally leaving the two of them alone so Emil could ask what the heck that was about. He decided to go for a more delicate approach in the hopes that she didn’t run from the conversation.

“Hey, uh, Roxie?” He pivoted toward her. “How’ve you been? I haven’t really seen you around before we all started searching together.”

Roxie gave him a 1000-watt smile, bright and artificial. Something about it seemed almost knowing. “I am well, but, waaaugh,” she yawned dramatically, “I’m so, so sweepy~”

“But it’s only 8:30.” Emil read from the microwave clock. As far as he knew, only Lorenzo was a good enough boy to go to bed before 9.

“Oh my! So close to my bedtime!” She backed away toward the hallway door. “I hear my pillow calling meeee~ It’s important not to disturb your circadian rhythm, you know. So I bid you a goodnighty-bye-bye!” With one last wave, Roxie disappeared into the hall.

“...’Night, Roxie.” He might as well have been talking to the door.

She ran away. Of course she ran away, he would’ve done the same a few months ago. So strange of her to reach out to him when burnout had him feeling down, only to not take a helping hand in return. That’s what he thought until he realized he also would’ve done that a few months ago. Maybe even now, depending on the circumstance.

Did she think people would leave the second she stopped making them smile? He only had his own experience to go off of. She shouldn’t feel the need to be held to such an exhausting routine. He, on the other hand, liked the results too much to stop.

That didn’t mean he never felt tired. Between his everyday duties, the party planning, the searching, and the situation he spent so much energy trying to ignore, he felt stretched out in all directions.

With no one around to see it, he slumped on the kitchen table.

Someone entered the kitchen.

“Whoops, did I wake you?” It was Jun.

“No, I’m just goofin’ around.” He sat back up. “What’s up?”

They looked around. “Still haven’t found him yet?”

“Nope. Why? You have any ideas of where he might be?”

Instead of answering right away, Jun sat down next to him, motioning for him to lean closer. “I have a hunch.” They spoke in a hushed tone. “Did you hear about the box you asked Aiden to sort yesterday?”

“Oh yeah. Lorie said something about someone dumping packets from one box into the other.” Emil remembered him being weirdly suspicious about it, as if it were part of the Summers’ secret sinister schemes. “We couldn’t figure out why anybody would do that. What’s the point?”

“I didn’t bring it up ‘cause I thought he wouldn’t hide in the same place twice, but–”

The door opened again. This time, Aiden stepped into the kitchen.

Jun’s seriousness evaporated. “‘Sup, Aiden?”

Aiden eyed the two of them suspiciously.

“Hey, we were just talking about–” Emil changed course after feeling a tap from Jun’s foot, “–how Jun gets their hair in that cool style, but I guess it’s a mystery!”

“I don’t get what’s so mysterious about curlers and a fade.”

“How’d you know about the curl–??” Jun cleared their throat into a cooler persona. “Aw dang. I guess the secret’s out.”

“Do you… need anything?” Emil got the impression that this situation was a lot more tense than Jun tried to play it off as.

“Forgery’s not as bad as fraud?” Aiden completely ignored Emil.

Jun sighed for reasons unknown. “...Yeah.”

“That’s all I needed to know. I just wanted to make sure since you’re the expert.”

“Hello, hey, I can’t help but notice the weird atmosphere right now.” Emil spoke up. “Is something going on with you guys?”

Jun stood up, shrugging. “Eh, it probably doesn’t matter anymore. Sorry to leave so soon, but I think I’ll crash early tonight.” They held open the door for Aiden. “After you.”

“You go first.” offered Aiden. “Wouldn’t want you snoring at the table again.”

There was a brief pause.

“Won’t have to.” Jun left the kitchen without another word.

Aiden leaned against the closed door, shaking his head. Under his breath, he muttered, “I don’t even know why I bother.”

“With what exactly?”

He stared at Emil for what felt like a solid minute, not annoyed, but focused. His mouth nearly opened to say something, but he looked away before he did. “He’s right. It probably doesn’t matter anymore.”

Aiden left the kitchen.

“No one’s having a normal night tonight, huh?” Emil asked no one in particular.

Awake and alone, he stood up to commit to his least favorite part of the day: Night watch. Emil patrolled the ship every night from 8:00 PM until 2:00 AM to watch for ‘threats’ or issues.

Only boredom kept him company during these nights. Frustration and confusion decided to tag along tonight. Thanks to Jun and Aiden’s psychic mind games, he was left without a clue of where Angelo might be hiding.

“Welp, Ange, I guess it’s just you and me again.” Recently, Emil had taken to talking as if Angelo were in any room with him. It’s always a possibility. “You’re tuning to Emil’s Late Night Stories. I’ll be your host this evening and every evening. It wouldn’t be the same show without me. I mean, my name’s in the title! But let’s get to the story of the night. Any callers wanna make a suggestion?”

Emil strained his ears, hoping to hear Angelo’s tiny voice, but it never came.

“No callers? No callers. Okay. Guess I’m gonna hafta pick again.”

While making his rounds, Emil told a meandering recount of something or another–he’d forgotten the original story by the third or fourth tangent. He amused himself a little by responding to “Angelo’s” silent reactions, but he’d give anything to be talking to the real deal even if neither were ready to deal with the other. Still, the one-sided conversation continued.

“...And that’s how I showed him what happens when you mess with my big bro!” Emil made a triumphant return to the kitchen, flexing his arms.

Someone clapped, freezing him on the spot.

“I only caught the tail end of that, but I’m sure the rest was great.” Leon closed the hallway door behind him. He wore his pajamas. “Were you talking to someone?”

“Y–No…? Sorta.” Emil struggled to explain the situation in a way that looked good, so he gave up. “I’m kinda just losin’ my mind over here.” He noticed the microwave clock crawling toward midnight. “Anyway, what are you doing up?”

Leon frowned. His eyes wandered the ceiling and the floor as he fiddled with the box in his hands. The constellation map? “I was hoping I could talk to the captain about something.”

The air grew heavier. It weighed down on both of them.

“Is he still up?”

“He’s… working on something important right now.” Emil answered as Lorenzo would’ve wanted him to. He called it authorized lying, his brother called it a technicality: Sleeping was important.

“At this time of night? But he’s up so early…” Leon’s eyebrows scrunched up with the most sincere concern. “I hope he’s getting enough sleep.”

“Me too.”

“Do you think I’d be able to talk to him for a moment? It’s something kind of–super important.” He shuffled his feet. “Also, does my hair look neat enough?”

“It looks fine.” Emil smiled calmly to reassure him. To reassure both of them, actually. It took every muscle in his body not to shake from nerves. “But you prolly won’t be able to catch him until later in the morning.” He stepped forward, though he felt backed into a corner, running out of ways to run away from this situation. “Get some sleep.”

“Actually,” Leon also stepped forward, “since you’re still up, do you mind if I tell you first? I figure at least one of you should know.”

Such a pleading face prevented the word ‘no’ from forming on Emil’s lips. “Why not?” He tried to give him a smile. “Have a seat.”

“Sure.” Leon set the constellation map down, but stopped before sitting. “Wait… I don’t think anyone will get up at this time, but…” He looked back at the hallway door.

“Afraid someone’s gonna hear us? We can talk in Spanish if you want.” Emil took a page out of Leon’s book.

“Oh, good idea!” Leon sat down at the opposite end of the table. “I mean, buena idea!”

Emil let out a chuckle. Leon sounded so much more like himself this time around, nothing like the cold, emotionless tone he took on in the incinerator room. It still sent a chill up his spine.

“Qué pasaaaa?” He leaned back calmly.

Leon continued in Spanish. “It’s about Angelo. He…” He fumbled for a moment. “Sorry, I thought I had this more prepared in my head.”

“Take your time.” Emil didn’t try to stop his leg from bouncing under the table.

“Angelo… isn’t my twin brother. He’s only 15 right now. I-I didn’t know he was–I thought he was just going to visit for a little while and go back.” Hurt and confusion welled up on Leon’s face. “Next thing I know, I find out he ran away from home, he’s been lying to you guys, lying to me, lying to our family, he almost threw my mobile phone into the fire, I don’t even know how he got into the IF, and… and…”

“That’s a lot to be going through alone.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Leon. I wish I could help you out.”

He took a deep breath, smiling a little. “You are. It’s all still too much, but I can’t tell you how much better I feel finally telling someone. I couldn’t bring myself to tell my mom and dad. It’s killing me inside. Telling you,” hope shined through his watery eyes, “makes me feel like I can do it again. And again if I have to. I just really needed to get this out of my head.”

Emil wanted to tell him how much braver Leon was, but that would open up questions he’s too cowardly to answer. “I don’t feel like I’ve done much at all. Glad I helped, though.”

“Ah, and the party!” Leon’s smile grew bright. “That party really kept me going, you don’t even know! I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Not just now, but… everything! I’ll always think of you as my friend.”

“Of course, man.”

“Everyone here, you’ll always be my friends.”

Unease crept over Emil. “...Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?”

Leon pushed the constellation box back and forth with his hands, seemingly unsure of whether to slide it across the table. “More than anything, I want my brother to be safe. If I get kicked out of the crew, then I’m happy I got the chance to be here.” He slid the box over to Emil. “And I won’t be needing this. I hope you’re able to get a refund.”

Emil let the box hit his hand. “Kicked out?? What the heck are you talking about??”

“I don’t know how the captain’s gonna react to me not telling him right away.”

“But you didn’t know!” Not that Lorenzo was in the mood to believe that.

“I had the past 5 days to tell him.” Leon made the exact point Lorenzo would’ve. “Jun told me punishments are often decided by commanding officers. Oh right, that’s what I meant to ask you! Since you know him best, what do you think he’ll do?”

Emil stayed silent.

“Emil?”

He avoided Leon’s eyes. His hands tapped against the table.

“...Is it complicated?”

“I can’t guarantee he’ll let you stay.” The words hurt to say. “He’s already in kind of a weird mood right now.”

“Ah. I see. I’ll enjoy my last days here. As long as Angelo is safe and doesn’t go to too bad of a prison–”

“Woah, woah, woah! Prison??” Emil shot up, alert.

“Well yeah, he had to have faked his documents to get here. That’s illegal…”

He stood up from the table, pacing in panic. “How did I not even think about that?? Prison?? Angelo in prison?? No!” Leon nearly asked a question, but Emil stopped him. “No no no no no!”

“Wait, Emil! I was able to sneak and ask Jun about it. His crime–forgery” Leon spoke the word in English, “–shouldn’t land him in that bad of a place! He should be safe.”

So that’s what Jun and Aiden were talking about. But Emil had bigger concerns. “What about what happened to your grandpa? You still don’t know if he put him in the hospital or not! That’s way worse than forgery!”

Leon’s eyes widened in realization. “...Oh. I forgot.” Fear took over. “I forgot. That’s–No, I can’t risk him getting arrested over that! Plus the forgery? That’s bound to put him in a dangerous prison! But what am I gonna tell the captain?”

Emil placed his hands down on the table. “I love my brother to death, but I can guarantee you he’s not gonna be cool about this. The police’ll find out.”

“What about my parents? I have to tell them something!”

He thought back on a life of assumed surveillance. “Phone calls from the ship could probably be intercepted by the IF if they wanted to.” His fingers drummed along his arm. “I dunno if I’d chance it…”

“I can’t just leave them the way they are. They’re worried sick!” Leon leaned his forehead into his hands. His voice broke. “Everything was supposed to turn out kind of okay. Maybe he’d spend a couple years in a boring prison, I’d have to give up space, take on some jobs to pay his fine, but he’d be safe. Now, suddenly he’s in danger no matter what I do!”

Emil stopped pacing to take a look at his crying friend. Never had he seen Leon so afraid. Why shouldn’t he be? He was faced with losing his dreams and his little brother in one cruel sweep of fate. The only thing worse than imagining the ship without that bundle of sunshine was knowing the heartache he’d be going through at home.

No. Emil wouldn’t let it happen like that.

“Okay.” Struck by either genius or desperation, he continued pacing. “Okay, okay, okay.” He clapped. “What if we don’t say anything?”

Leon lifted his head up. “What?”

“We can keep this under wraps, let Angelo stay, and that should buy us some time to figure out how to sneak him out of the IF.” Emil’s hands gestured out the entire plan. “That way he won’t hafta deal with the forgery charge. But that still doesn’t help with the grandpa stuff. Hmmmm…”

“Emil? A-Are you sure you wanna get involved with all of this? You really don’t have to. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of us.”

He whirled around toward him. “And I don’t want you to get in trouble because of Angelo! It’s not fair! Listen,” he made his way toward Leon, “I’ve pulled some stunts I’m not proud of. But if any of them cost Lorie everything he’d been working his whole life for, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself! I know how much you love this job. I can’t let you lose it.”

“I could see Ángie saying the same thing, but,” Leon shook his head, “I couldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to him while he’s here!”

Emil leaned on the table. “I hate to say it like this, but it’s either him staying here or risk him going to prison.”

Leon stared down at his hands.

“The IF is known to be pretty safe, and I trust that my bro can get us to Neptune and back in a year or so.” reassured Emil. “No one has to go to prison. No one gets kicked out. Not for now.”

“Ángie did tell our parents he’d be gone for a year or two…”

“Convenient. And even if we can’t figure out what to do about your grandfather, he’ll at least be safe until we get back. I don’t know what the full situation is on him and Ange, but the old guy sounds like a piece of work.”

Leon nodded slowly. “I don’t think Gramps deserved to have that happen to him, but I dunno.” He rested his head in his hands, then picked it back up just as quickly. “Wait. I never told you how he treats Ángie, did I? How’d you know?”

It finally came to this.

Emil sighed, slowly tapping his hands against the table. “I… also have something to confess.”

Leon lifted his head like an alert dog.

“Remember when you left to go get your phone from Angelo?”

“Yeah…” He frowned.

“I went back into my room and saw him on the camera, about to…” Emil mimed Angelo throwing Leon’s phone. “I stopped him from throwing your cell phone into the fire. Then you showed up.”

“You did–?” Leon’s eyes widened, then drooped again. “Ah. So he really was about to burn it.”

“He did look unsure.” Emil reassured him. “But right after I, y’know, let him know I was watching, you came in. He tried to warn you about me, but… I heard everything.”

“You knew?”

Emil nodded, too guilty to look into Leon’s eyes. “Yeah. Sorry. I spent all this time tryin’ to avoid it when I shoulda just said something. But I didn’t know how.”

He shielded his face with his hands as if that prevented Leon from seeing how much of a coward he was.

Leon… laughed? “I guess that makes two of us!”

Emil lifted his head. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad at you? Of course you didn’t know what to say! This whole thing is so messed up!” Tears ran down his face as Leon continued laughing. He calmed down. “Ahhh, I’m sorry you got tangled up in my family drama.”

Emil smirked. “If it makes you feel any better, you kinda wound up in mine.”

“Hm?”

“Part of the reason I haven’t said anything is ‘cause I know my bro’s gonna freak out real bad.” His smile faded. “I’ve been tryin’ to get him to not be so suspicious of everyone. If he finds out about this, it’s back to square one. Or worse. He’s been really on edge since Angelo went missing.”

“Ohhh.”

“Speaking of which,” Emil leaned back, “do you know why he’s hiding?”

“Why?” Leon thought for a moment. “I hadn’t really thought about it. My guess is that he’s afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Me.” Leon absentmindedly doodled on the table. “Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at him.”

“I dunno. You were the normal level of mad for the circumstances. He did do a lot. I woulda been mad at the cell phone thing by itself, let alone the rest. So don’t feel bad!”

“Thanks, Emil.” He nodded listlessly. “It’s just that Ángie’s been through a lot over the years. I think it… changed him. He does a lot of weird things now. Well, he’s always been a little weird, but in a silly and funny way, not worrying.”

“How so?”

“I’m not sure if I know where to start. Hm. Let’s see…” He thought for a moment. “He always cried easily, but at some point he started being sad a lot more often, even when he’s not crying. Sometimes, I have to convince him that I still like him, or that our parents still like him. Oh! He started calling me Big Brother at some point and won’t use my name anymore.”

Emil blinked, taken by surprise. “That wasn’t a thing you guys always did?”

“No! I don’t know why he started doing that, but he won’t stop.” Annoyance crept into Leon’s voice. “And he never lets me get snacks or drinks for myself! He takes it weirdly hard if he brings back the wrong thing. It’s hard to explain. He’s like that with a lotta things.”

Emil almost spoke up.

“And he started sleeping a lot. That’s not as big of a deal, I guess. Though, I keep telling him not to sleep his life away.” Leon wagged his finger. Suddenly, a gloominess took over. “Oh, another thing.”

A silence hung in the air as Leon got his words together.

“Ángie’s smile isn’t bad or anything like that. But for a while now–I dunno, this is gonna sound weird, but… There’s something wrong with his eyes. I don’t know how to explain it. There’s just something not right about them, and it weirds me out. I feel like I’m the only one who notices.”

“Interesting.” Emil pulled on one of his curls. “I don’t remember if I’ve seen him smile yet.”

“It could be just me. I only started noticing it more recently because he started smiling more before I left. Though even then, he’d randomly break down crying, harder than usual. And he gets touchy about the weirdest things!”

“Like the shoulder thing?”

Leon looked at Emil as if he grew a third eye. “What?”

“When he first got here, he started hyperventilating when I touched his shoulder.” Emil shuddered thinking of it. “He said something about grabbing his shoulders makes him react really badly. Never wanna do that again.”

“I never knew that.” Leon’s words came out slow and shaken. “When did that become a problem? Sometimes it feels like he’s changed, and–and sometimes I feel like he’s someone else. How do things come out of the blue like this when I’m the one who should know him best? Is this how my mom feels? I’m the only one he trusts now. What happens if he doesn’t trust me?”

“Sorry man, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Emil had hoped to learn a little more about Angelo through Leon, but mainly succeeded in working him up into an existential crisis.

“It’s okay.” Leon reassured, clearly not okay. “Oh yeah, that reminds me of what I was gonna say. Between Gramps and him getting bullied at school, I don’t wanna make whatever’s going on with him worse by getting mad.”

Finally, a chance for Emil to say what’s been on his mind. “It sounds like Angelo’s going through a buncha stuff. But you still have the right to be upset for what he did. You can be mad at him and still love him.”

“I know. I just don’t know if he’ll understand. If only he’d stop hiding and apologize, maybe we can talk about it.” Leon looked at him with weary eyes. “But more than anything, I just want him to be okay.”

“Yeah…” Emil’s eyes wandered to the area where the security camera should be. “I know how ya feel. That’s why I wanna help you keep him safe.” He stood up, placing one hand on the table. His other thumb pointed at his chest. “I’ll make sure Ange gets back home in one piece. You have my word.”

Leon smiled.

Emil picked up the constellation map box, slid it over to him, and switched back over to English. “Hold on to this.” He winked. "’Cause you’re not goin’ anywhere.”

Leon took the box, his smile growing brighter. He also switched back to the other language. “Gosh, how are you so cool?”

“Aw, come onnn!” Emil tried to cover up his involuntary giggling. “I can’t let you stay all miserable and whatnot. You’ve been through a rough one.”

“You can say that again.” Leon laughed a weak laugh. It turned into a yawn. “I should probably go back to bed soon.”

“Yeah. But before you go,” looking at his tired friend, Emil felt the need to make an offer, “need a hug?”

“Hm? Oh no, it’s–” Leon started to brush it off. “Actually? Yeah. That’d be really nice right now.”

With his arms outstretched, Emil walked over to Leon. Leon approached him from the other direction, and soon, both of their arms wrapped around each other in a snug embrace.

Only then did Emil realize how much this differed from the side-hugs he normally gave. It felt vulnerable. While not a bad thing, it made him self-conscious. He loosened up to give Leon a chance to bail out, but to his surprise, Leon kept holding on, so he followed his lead.

Finally, Leon let go. His eyes glistened. “Thanks. I really needed that.”

“Hey, no problem. Glad to help.” If Emil were being honest, they both needed it. “We’ll figure this out.”

“I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“Aw shucks!” He tried to play off his own embarrassment as coyness, then took a more authoritative stance. "Now. As your commanding officer, I order you to," he gave way to a casual tone, "relax, get some rest, and wipe those tears away, okay?"

Leon saluted him before walking back towards his sleeping quarters. "Buenas noches. ...And thanks again."

“Buenas noches.” Emil waved him goodbye. “And a tip for next time. If you wanna have a meeting with Lorie, don’t go in your pajamas.”

“Oh, I knew I forgot something! I’ll keep that in mind.” Leon exited the room with one last laugh.

After he left, Emil collapsed into his chair. The conversation took a lot out of him, plus he admittedly felt nervous about his plan. Should he regret making it? Maybe. Did he? No. Deep in his heart, he knew he’d do almost anything to help a friend out, to bring a smile to one in need. He liked the results too much to stop.

Whatever happened next was a matter of good luck and good lying.

The clock on his phone read 1:14 AM. An unread text notification surprised him, so of course, he checked it.

‘check the upside down box’ According to the time stamp, Jun sent it just after they left the kitchen.

Emil pried himself from his seat and went over to investigate the upside-down box near the hallway door. He groaned upon realizing this was the same one he struggled to push yesterday. Just his luck.

His hands hovered around it as he wondered how to check something he couldn’t even pick up. Touching the box, however, stopped those thoughts right in their tracks.

He felt warmth. A slight vibration under his fingertips led him to press his ear against the cardboard. Breathing. A person was in there.

Angelo was in there.

With all the commotion tonight, Emil had long forgotten that Jun tried to tell him where they thought Angelo might be hiding. They were right!

He stood up, looking down at the box with pity and a little amusement. Did Angelo sleep in this thing? Poor guy. Still, it relieved Emil to have found him. Maybe he could get him to sleep in a bed for a change, or at least the couch. Anything’s better than this.

A new thought obliterated any relief he had. There was a non-zero chance that Angelo heard his entire conversation with Leon. He might’ve heard some things he shouldn’t have.

Emil checked his phone again to see if he’d have enough time to talk to Angelo about it. He also had questions he’d been dying to ask, ones that couldn’t be answered by Leon. After some careful thought, he decided it’s too close to his bedtime to be opening up Pandora’s Box.

The lieutenant mouthed a silent good night, leaving the kitchen and Angelo behind to go complete the last of his shift.