[Kitsumi]

"I think I get it," Rylan said, speaking a bit more slowly than usual. "Now that we're all going to be doing this stuff together, you feel safer. And that safety is also making you feel a bit more connected to us... right?"

Malcolm shrugged. "I guess so?" he said, sounding unsure.

[Kitsumi]

"Look, it's hard for me to explain," Malcolm said. "You two know that I've never been the type to talk about my emotions or anything like that. I don't really know how to do all... this." He waved his hands around, looking a bit flustered. "But you boys deserve to know that I do love you both, very much."

[Kitsumi]

"We love you too, dad," Roman said. His voice, typically monotone and devoid of emotion, was much softer than usual. He kept his head ducked and his eyes averted, a bit embarrassed by the emotions that he was sure were showing on his face. "All we ever wanted was to make you proud."

[Kitsumi]

"That's right," Rylan chimed in. "I mean, Roman was much more concerned about it than I was, but- hey, ouch, stop it!" He turned to glare at his brother, who had stomped on his foot in an attempt to shut him up. "It's not like I'm lying or anything... ow ow ow, stop it!"

[Kitsumi]

"Boys," Malcolm said the word in a stern voice that immediately caused both of his sons to snap to attention. Even in the midst of this highly emotional conversation, the man still managed to exude authority and demand his sons' respect. "Come on, let's not fight with each other right now, okay?"

[Kitsumi]

"I apologize, father," Roman said, as Rylan said, "Sorry, dad."

Malcolm nodded, satisfied with the apologies. "It's okay. I understand that I may have pitted you boys against each other a bit too much in the past. I thought that by making you compete, it would make both of you stronger."

[Kitsumi]

"And you were absolutely right," Roman said quickly, not wanting his father to feel as if he had ever done anything wrong when it came to raising the two of them. "Both of us became stronger thanks to you. You were just preparing us for what was to come in our future."

[Kitsumi]

Rylan hesitated for a moment, wanting to speak but knowing that what he said might upset his father. He wasn't like his brother, always wanting to please Malcolm and do everything he could to make him happy. But that didn't mean that he particularly wanted to hurt the man, either. Still, it was the truth...

[Kitsumi]

"Go ahead and speak your mind, son," Malcolm said, noticing Rylan's unease. "I can tell that you have something you want to say, and I want to hear it." He was ready to put aside his pride for once, and let his sons tell him the truth. Even if it hurt him.

[Kitsumi]

"Well," Rylan spoke slowly, still unsure of what he was saying. If he was going to say it, he wanted to at least phrase it in the nicest, least offensive way possible. "Your methods of upbringing did make us stronger," he admitted. "But it also kind of made me resent Roman."

[Kitsumi]

"If I'm being honest," the young man continued. "I always knew that Roman and I were supposed to work together one day, but you made it really hard for me to picture us as teammates. I kind of saw him as my enemy, well, not my enemy exactly, more of like a rival."

[Kitsumi]

"It was kind of weird, honestly," Rylan said. "I mean, Roman was my brother, but I never really saw him as such. I mean, of course I knew that he was my brother. But we didn't really develop that bond, you know? Because we were too busy competing against each other."

[Kitsumi]

Malcolm nodded, taking in this information with a concerned expression. "Do you feel this way too, Roman?" he asked. And before his son could answer, he said, "Please, tell me the truth. You won't help any of us by lying, you know. I want to know how you truly feel, not how you think I want you to feel."

[Kitsumi]

For several long moments, Roman didn't say anything. How could he tell the man that he looked up to the most that he had raised the two of them in a way that wasn't perfect? But his father was waiting so patiently, and Roman knew that he deserved to hear the truth.

[Kitsumi]

"Rylan... isn't wrong," he said. Each word sounded like it hurt him coming out. "I do feel like the way that we were raised made it difficult for us to engage in any sort of brotherly bonding." Hoping to end on a good note, he added, "But we still have time for that."