Post MoM AU, general post

[use_everything]

And then one day, it was over.

The memory of how it happened was hazy. Perhaps it was as simple as being ported out, perhaps there was a great experiment, bringing together physicists, chemists, alchemists and scientists to get something WORKING. But like the memories of that time, that other dimension, singular events come and go, like a dream, or an age past.

From the very start, however, there were changes.

Comments

[dendarii]

[ Miles, meanwhile, is instantly relieved. Mark... The fact that his brother is using his name must be a good sign. He takes one cautious step towards him. ]

Upstairs, I think. I told her you were coming. [ And then, back to Mark. Miles' own smile is just a bit shy in turn. ] It's nice to meet you, Mark. Are you hungry?

[jacksonian]

What?

[ It takes a moment to register that Miles is talking. His voice...doesn't sound like Mark's, he's relieved to find. Or at least - it doesn't sound like his to his own ears...Would they sound the same to someone listening to them both?

Food. ]

Oh. [ He fidgets a moment. ] Aren't you afraid I'll poison you?

[dendarii]

[ Miles just waves a hand at that. He seems much more comfortable with this than Mark is. (Because he is, of course. He's already worked through the initial weirdness of having a facetwin. Two, in fact.) ]

No? I can eat something different if you're concerned.

[jacksonian]

I don't care.

[ He looks down and off to the side, then admits: ]

I - wouldn't mind some food.

[ And then he looks up again, studying Miles' face - both for hints of malice, of evil intention, and...and because he can't not. Miles, the target he'd studied for the past months, the man he was cloned from, the one he was supposed to replace...Mark can't help but feel a strange, shivery echo of familiarity that goes far beyond just looking at his own twin. ]

[dendarii]

Come on then. We still have some breakfast left.

[ He turns, then, and heads back towards the kitchens. Glancing behind him to make sure Mark is following.

[jacksonian]

[ He shoots an anxious glance towards Aral before he goes, his face full of the question - Is this permitted? ]

[use_everything]

[The man, having watched the whole exchange with hands folded behind his back, simply meets the young boy's eyes, and gives a warm nod.]

I will go see where your mother is.

[jacksonian]

[ Your mother. Like that, so quickly. Not my wife, not Miles' mother, not even Cordelia. The family relation asserted thoughtlessly, carelessly. He feels dizzy. He wants to fall to his knees and scream until things start making sense. He wants to cry. It's a psychological tactic, they're trying to drive me mad...

He doesn't do any of those things. Instead he just flushes, and his eyes widen, and then he nods. And he turns and shuffles along behind Miles. ]

[dendarii]

[ Poor Mark. Miles feels sorry for the kid but... What can he do, act meaner? Like hell. He just smiles faintly and waves Mark on again. As promised, the remains of breakfast are in the kitchen. Miles reaches for a plate of pastries immediately. ]

Da sure is something, isn't he?

[jacksonian]

[ He looks at that plate of pastries and doesn't go for it, not quite yet, waiting for Miles to take a bite first. He wants one, though. A lot. ]

Count Vorkosigan is...different from his reputation.

[ To say the least. Mark lifts his head and looks at Miles, suspicious and uncertain - ]

You know that I was supposed to kill you, don't you?

[dendarii]

[ Miles watches him for a moment before realizing that Mark might actually be waiting on him. Plus he's peckish anyway, so he takes a firm bite out of his. ]

Of course he is. He's our Da, no matter what anyone else says.

[ Another bite. He offers the plate out to Mark more firmly. ]

And of course I do. But you're not going to, right?

[jacksonian]

[ He takes a pastry, finally. He tests it with his fingers. He's never had one of these before, and the texture as he feels it is weird - simultaneously soft and crisp and flaky. It's...interesting. ]

Do you think I'm going to?

[ He keeps watching Miles. There's the slightest hint of challenge in the set of his mouth. Do you? ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles shakes his head. Takes another bite. ]

No. I don't.

[jacksonian]

Why?

[ He finally takes a bite. He nearly jerks his head back in shock. He was raised on the nutrition-rich meals at the clone-creche, every one of them perfectly balanced to nourish the clones' bodies ideally - without having the least bit of taste. After that, rat bars. After that, ImpSec prison rations. This is the first time he's tasted real food. And it's a doozy. The rich bread, the vibrant pop of jelly on his tongue - it's so much more than he expected. He's lost, for a moment, not even attending to the conversation, too lost in the sensory overload of flavor.

Holy shit. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles can't help but grin at that. And offer another pastry to him. God, his brother looks half-starved like this...

Rather than answer the direct question, he tries something else. ]

Do you really think my father would do this without telling me? That I was on Komarr attracting assassination attempts accidentally?

[jacksonian]

[ His eyes dart between that pastry and Miles a moment before, cautiously, he takes it from him. Another bite nearly sets him back on his heels. Shit. But, right, the question - ]

Obviously not. It was a trap from the beginning. We'd considered that possibility, too. Galen just thought that the Bu...that Count Vorkosigan wouldn't risk your life like that.

[dendarii]

[ Good. He'll just keep these pastries in reach and go snag the next dish. A plate of various cured meats. ]

You're right. He wouldn't. But I would if I thought I had a chance of rescuing my brother.

[jacksonian]

[ Oh. He fidgets - ]

You buy into that crap, too, then?

[dendarii]

What's crap about it?

[jacksonian]

I'm not anybody's brother. Or son.

[ He fidgets a little harder, then reaches out and grabs at a bit of salami. ]

I'm just a clone.

[dendarii]

That's crap. You're my brother no matter how you feel about being a Vorkosigan.

[jacksonian]

Says who?

[dendarii]

Says me. Isn't that worth something?

[jacksonian]

[ A shrug. ]

Not really.

[dendarii]

That's rude.

[ He steals another pastry. ]