Status: finito.
A Thief's Kiss
"Dog days are over"
There lied Janek. There kneeled Luca.
The sky above them was grey and hopeless and crying with delicate tears. Small snowflakes melting on Janek’s small chest, his blood mixed with the sorrow of a thousand clouds. Luca was shaking as he heard Janek inhale and choke, his almond eyes pooling with broken dreams and toothless smiles. Luca leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Janek’s. His numb hand holding Janek’s colder ones, his tears gently staining Janek’s bruised cheek.
Luca couldn’t swallow words anymore.
“That night, that night they shot someone else too,” his voice was stale and soft against Janek’s cold cheek. “They shot him and when I left and came back, I couldn’t find him.” The notes in his voice quivered and fell like the sound of an amateur’s violin. “He used to crawl into my bed at night and tell me he dreamed about monsters and how our mama and papa died. He used to steal cookies from the cookie jar and blame me.” His clammy hands were crushing Janek’s fragile ones. “You have his eyes.” Luca, I know. Luca. “He used to pull Felix’s tail and run to me when he got bit.” Luca I’m sorry. “He would squeeze his eyes shut when we heard gunshots and hide with me under the covers.”
Luca, Luca, look at me Luca. “You reminded me so much of him, I’m so sorry.” Felix loved to bite nana’s shawls and mama’s shoes. “I miss him, I miss him so much and I couldn’t save him.” Luca, I’m sorry. “I’m…” Luca tried to swallow words but he had nothing to say. He choked and pressed his fingers against the ugly scar on Janek’s mangled face. Janek squeezed his fingers and tried to smile.
”Run, run!” He was pulling and tugging and dragging and trying. He was trying so hard, his fingers numb, his footsteps loud, his heart stinging. Luca was trying. He could hear the perfect German symphony behind him, the unmistakable song death murmured to babies in their cribs. He felt a stitch on his side, all his innards unraveling with nausea and disease and survival. Bullets flew past him like farewell kisses, his dry mouth swallowing back the sobs that threatened to wreck him apart.
“If you see him, p-please tell him. Tell him I’m sorry. Tell… tell Janek I’m so sorry and that I love him. I’m sorry I couldn’t save him, I’m s-s-sorry I couldn’t save you.”
Janek’s nails raked across Luca’s back, his cheek colliding with the concrete, the unmistakable sound of a fractured bone resonating around them both. He didn’t cry out, he didn’t move. The symphony was over, the orchestra had played its last masterpiece; the crowd’s ovation being Janek’s broken cheek bone and bleeding anatomy.
“Tell him I miss him every day.”
The whimpers and gargled words came a few moments after, the silence of the world around them unnatural and foreboding. It was louder than bullets, louder than explosions, louder than words, louder than war. It was Janek. It was loud. Luca couldn’t breathe as much as Janek couldn’t talk. The world around them was loud and still.
There lied Janek. There kneeled Luca.
Janek laughed one last time. His body convulsed and his mouth popped with red rivulets of blood; yet he still grinned and smiled and laughed. Luca tried to give him back his tooth, after everything, he still wanted to give Janek what he took. But he shook his head and laughed. Janek didn’t want his tooth back anymore. Take it Luca, it’s yours. You take it. His face was mangled and scarred but Luca thought it was the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. He placed Janek’s tooth in the farthest cabinet of his creaking caravan. His heart.
“I promise.” He was curled up against Janek’s bleeding body. “I promise not to forget you.” His breath was hot against Janek’s cold ear. “If I find my little brother I’ll tell him all about you.” Don’t be silly Luca I’m right here. His hand gripped Janek’s fingers harder when his lungs rattled one last time. “I promise.” His fingers closed Janek’s glazed eyes, his absent gaze wringing his heart in two. But Luca did not know that his eyes did not spell out goodbyes, but instead it burned with four words instead:
I love you too.
The sky above them was grey and hopeless and crying with delicate tears. Small snowflakes melting on Janek’s small chest, his blood mixed with the sorrow of a thousand clouds. Luca was shaking as he heard Janek inhale and choke, his almond eyes pooling with broken dreams and toothless smiles. Luca leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Janek’s. His numb hand holding Janek’s colder ones, his tears gently staining Janek’s bruised cheek.
Luca couldn’t swallow words anymore.
“That night, that night they shot someone else too,” his voice was stale and soft against Janek’s cold cheek. “They shot him and when I left and came back, I couldn’t find him.” The notes in his voice quivered and fell like the sound of an amateur’s violin. “He used to crawl into my bed at night and tell me he dreamed about monsters and how our mama and papa died. He used to steal cookies from the cookie jar and blame me.” His clammy hands were crushing Janek’s fragile ones. “You have his eyes.” Luca, I know. Luca. “He used to pull Felix’s tail and run to me when he got bit.” Luca I’m sorry. “He would squeeze his eyes shut when we heard gunshots and hide with me under the covers.”
Luca, Luca, look at me Luca. “You reminded me so much of him, I’m so sorry.” Felix loved to bite nana’s shawls and mama’s shoes. “I miss him, I miss him so much and I couldn’t save him.” Luca, I’m sorry. “I’m…” Luca tried to swallow words but he had nothing to say. He choked and pressed his fingers against the ugly scar on Janek’s mangled face. Janek squeezed his fingers and tried to smile.
”Run, run!” He was pulling and tugging and dragging and trying. He was trying so hard, his fingers numb, his footsteps loud, his heart stinging. Luca was trying. He could hear the perfect German symphony behind him, the unmistakable song death murmured to babies in their cribs. He felt a stitch on his side, all his innards unraveling with nausea and disease and survival. Bullets flew past him like farewell kisses, his dry mouth swallowing back the sobs that threatened to wreck him apart.
“If you see him, p-please tell him. Tell him I’m sorry. Tell… tell Janek I’m so sorry and that I love him. I’m sorry I couldn’t save him, I’m s-s-sorry I couldn’t save you.”
Janek’s nails raked across Luca’s back, his cheek colliding with the concrete, the unmistakable sound of a fractured bone resonating around them both. He didn’t cry out, he didn’t move. The symphony was over, the orchestra had played its last masterpiece; the crowd’s ovation being Janek’s broken cheek bone and bleeding anatomy.
“Tell him I miss him every day.”
The whimpers and gargled words came a few moments after, the silence of the world around them unnatural and foreboding. It was louder than bullets, louder than explosions, louder than words, louder than war. It was Janek. It was loud. Luca couldn’t breathe as much as Janek couldn’t talk. The world around them was loud and still.
There lied Janek. There kneeled Luca.
Janek laughed one last time. His body convulsed and his mouth popped with red rivulets of blood; yet he still grinned and smiled and laughed. Luca tried to give him back his tooth, after everything, he still wanted to give Janek what he took. But he shook his head and laughed. Janek didn’t want his tooth back anymore. Take it Luca, it’s yours. You take it. His face was mangled and scarred but Luca thought it was the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. He placed Janek’s tooth in the farthest cabinet of his creaking caravan. His heart.
“I promise.” He was curled up against Janek’s bleeding body. “I promise not to forget you.” His breath was hot against Janek’s cold ear. “If I find my little brother I’ll tell him all about you.” Don’t be silly Luca I’m right here. His hand gripped Janek’s fingers harder when his lungs rattled one last time. “I promise.” His fingers closed Janek’s glazed eyes, his absent gaze wringing his heart in two. But Luca did not know that his eyes did not spell out goodbyes, but instead it burned with four words instead:
I love you too.
♠ ♠ ♠
Chapter named after Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine.This is the last chapter of A Thief's Kiss. I hope you enjoyed this short story of these two bothers, as much as it ached my heart to write it.