"Thank you, Mama. I love you." He turned to smile at Dark. "I love you, too, Baba. We'll be down soon, I think." He headed up the stairs, dragging his backpack after him, his smile fading into weariness as he went to check on his brother. Talking to Daizi did make him feel better, partly because he wanted to make sure they stayed "in the loop," as it were, but it also helped him to sort things out in his own mind. As a final bonus, it gave him something to focus on when he was desperately worried about Xander but knew his brother needed space for at least a few minutes.
After he'd put away his school things and changed into more comfortable clothes - he'd dressed up a little to say goodbye to Milo and to meet Milo's mom - he went and stood outside the bathroom for a minute, listening to the water run. Then, quietly, he let himself in, closing the door firmly behind himself. He could only see a shadow of his brother behind the shower curtain, but he knew what was happening. He slid the curtain open enough to see in, not at all embarrassed. Actual privacy to the degree they had now was a new thing in the twins' lives, and thanks to constantly crowded living conditions, they'd showered and bathed together much longer than others might have.
Xander stood with the loufa in hand scrubbing away at his arms even though angry red patches stood out along both arms, his torso, up on his neck, and even his legs though they were concentrated along his arm and side where he'd had contact with Milo. It wasn't a personal thing by any means, it was how he dealt with what felt like firey insects crawling along his skin. He wanted it off! He wanted to remove his skin itself!
"Hey," Alec said, reaching out and gently catching hold of the loufa. "Hey, that's enough now."
Xander resisted giving up the scrubber for a moment but relinquished it into Alec's hold. Alec quickly rinsed it out, not minding that his sleeves got a little damp, and hung it up. Xander didn't look at him, his eyes on the floor.
"Why don't you rinse off and then come out?" Alec suggested. "There's mac-and-cheese waiting for us."
"Not hungry," Xander mumbled. He sank down to sit under the spray of the water.
Alec sat down facing his brother, side by side, waiting patiently. He longed to pull Xander into a hug, but he knew that was the last thing he needed.
"I can't do this," Xander finally said. "And I feel selfish that it's even a problem. I can't... I can't help."
"Hey," Alec said sternly, "you helped a lot. You don't have to touch people to help them. You talked him down quite a ways and helped him face the problem, and you did touch him. I'm impressed and proud of you."
"I couldn't do it again, and what happens if Mouse needs help? Or Mama or Baba? How am I..." He waved a hand slightly, accidentally flicking water droplets onto Alec's shirt.
Alec flicked the water away. "In the highly unlikely event that something happens to one of them when no one else is around to help, you'll deal with it," he said confidently. "You'll do it because you'll have to do it, and that's that. There will be no thoughts, no trying to work around it, you'll just do it because that's what needs to be done, and that's how you deal with things."
Xander said nothing for a bit. Finally, he wiggled forward and turned off the water before pulling himself upright. Alec handed him a towel and stepped out, retreating to their room to give him some amount of privacy. Several minutes later, still damp-haired and with the redness still fading from his arms and neck, visible thanks to his loose-fitting and short-sleeved shirt, Xander came out and rejoined Alec. Alec smiled at him, and the pair went down to see Dark and Daizi.
