( Real World, The Arc Ship, Sector C )
As Leo returned to his apartment after making his morning inspections, he was surprised to see Luke waiting outside his gate for him.
"Do you mind if I join you for lunch? I have an hour and a half free–" Luke said, as a big smile spread on Leo's face.
"Sure…. But you're chopping the vegetables today" Leo said, as he opened his apartment building and invited Luke for lunch.
Lately, with the two brothers being busy with their own lives they did not meet one another as much as they used to when they lived together.
They had different work schedules and lived on two different ends of the Unity Empire, hence hardly had the chance to meet each other.
Today, Luke especially took out time to meet Leo as he knew that his brother might be disturbed after meeting their father for the first time ever.
Somehow instinctively Luke felt the need to have lunch with Leo, and his instincts were spot on.
Leo's mental state was a mess ever since he met Jacob and although he tried to carry on with his life as normal, there was an underlying anxiety that he just could not shake off.
*Chop*
*Chop*
As Luke began chopping the vegetables, Leo started to boil the noodles as the brothers decided to have ramen for lunch.
The atmosphere between them was serene as while neither uttered a word, they found comfort in the presence of the other.
"So…. You met mom today–" Luke said, breaking the silence as Leo's smile widened.
"I missed her too much. It was nice to finally meet her again" Leo said, as Luke chuckled at this response.
He too missed their mother a lot and wanted to go meet her immediately if he could, however, with the situation at the western border still being tense, he could not risk flying off to the Southern Duchy during these tumultuous times.
"And you also met that guy…." Luke said cautiously, as he saw Leo's expression darken immediately.
"Yeah, I don't like that guy….. he's shameless–" Leo said, purposefully not referring to Jacob by his name or 'dad', as he tried to show his indifference towards him.
"Did he apologize? Make any excuses for not being around all these years?" Luke asked, curious to know how their interaction went, as just like Leo, he too had fantasized about their fathers return several times.
"No, he did not" Leo said, shaking his head as he looked straight into Luke's eyes.
"He shook my hand, called me Leo and basically that was the end of our one on one interaction.
Apparently the guy is an ex-special ops. He was out saving the world when we were struggling to make ends meet.
He's an absolute douche" Leo said, as his hatred towards his father reflected through his manner of speech.
"An ex-special ops eh?" Luke said, gritting his teeth, as he did not feel any awe or pride that his father was a special agent, but rather anger that despite having such a well paying job, he never sent money home.
"Did you check his level?" Luke asked, wanting to see if he was any good as a player or not, as although he hated Jacob as much as Leo did, he was still curious about him.
"143. The guy's pretty good and I think he has some real fighting skills.
When we stood together he was constantly scanning the surroundings for threats and there was an aura around him. However, he's also a pathological liar.
He's told mother that he's an architect class player which is a complete lie.
That guy is no architect, he's definitely a combat class player, but he's faking it because mom doesn't approve of violence" Leo said, as Luke immediately labeled Jacob 'Scum' as well.
"Yeah, I don't like him either" Luke confessed, as Leo profusely nodded his head in agreement.
Bringing out the boiled noodles, Leo placed them in two bowls as Luke added the chopped vegetables to them.
Then, the duo added some ramen mix, soy sauce and chili sauce to the mixture to prepare the noodles, as they sat down on the dining table to have the meal.
"We don't need him Leo…. We did need him once, but we no longer do.
We are both one of the best players in the world of Terra Nova and our future is bright.
If we don't mess it up from here, we can have a really bright career that the next seven generations of Skyshards would feel proud of, however, Jacob does not need to be a part of it" Luke said, as his words gave Leo some much needed clarity.
After meeting Jacob, Leo was once again feeling the dilemma that he felt as a kid who waited for his father's return, however, having this lunch with Luke, he was reminded of how he needed no-one except his brother and mother.
Their family of three was enough, and since their father was not with them through their worst times, he had no right to be with them now that things were taking a turn for the better.
"Whatever debt we owed him for giving birth to us was paid back the second we bought him a B class ticket and saved him from a dying Earth.
We owe him no more Leo.
Our blood debt is paid" Luke elaborated, as judging from his brother's expression Luke could already gauge his mood.
"You're right brother. That man is nothing but a stranger to us now and no matter what he does, or how many times he apologizes, he will never be family again–" Leo affirmed as Luke lovingly placed a hand over his shoulder.
"Have some pride brother. You're Leo fucking Skyshard, your name carries weight now.
There will be many like Jacob who want to use you, but you already know who matters and who doesn't" Luke reminded, as he gave Leo's shoulders a few pumps.
"Okay–" Leo said, concluding the conversation as he returned his focus to enjoying lunch with his brother.