feels like it's been forever since we last talked -henrik-

Lately, so many good things had been happening in Nils' life he almost didn't know how to handle it. He had gotten engaged to Paisley, and they were already talking about wedding dates. And just recently, his brother Henri had bought a house on Nadar with his girlfriend. Nils had never met her before, but he was happy that Henri had found someone, if a little nervous to meet her. He hoped he wouldn't make some kind of terrible first impression.

Right now, he was on the way to Henri's new house. Unfortunately Paisley couldn't make it, she was off having a big meeting with the other overloridians. But Nils just couldn't wait to see his brother, so he was going without her. He brought a little potted plant as a housewarming gift. It wasn't much, he had spent all his money on Paisley's engagement ring, but he thought Henri would like it.

He finally arrived at the address Henri had given him and knocked on the door. He was so glad his brother was going to be living close by now.

Henri had just kissed Estela goodbye not even ten minutes before there was a knock on the door. He knew it was most likely his brother, as they had planned a rendezvous together, but he shook his head at the fate that had brought Nils to the door so quickly after the love of Henri's life had left for groceries.

Henri headed to the door regardless. As he opened it, seeing his brother brought a huge smile to his face. "Nils!" he exclaimed, almost on auto-pilot. He and his brother had been inseparable for so long that seeing him now felt like the first time again.

He opened his arms for a big hug, genuinely excited to see his brother and share such exciting news with him. The distance between them seemed so far now, even though it was generally average for Amelia...but when you've spent your whole life being stranded together, this distance felt almost unbearable. Henri accepted it as growing up -- separately.

Nils hugged Henri back as tightly as he could. "I can't believe you're living on Nadar," he said. They broke apart and he offered Henri a small smile. "We can see each other all the time now." Nadar was the only place Nils ever remembered being able to call "home", and he hoped Henri could feel the same way about the island.

"Oh, I, um, brought you a present," he said, handing Henri the potted plant. "For your house. Is, um, is Estela here?" He peaked past Henri's shoulder a little shyly, still nervous to meet the woman that Henri had raved about. He didn't see anyone in the hallway behind the door, though.

"This is gorgeous," Henri exclaimed at the gift that Nils had brought him. He was so excited to have something in his home that fully represented his brother in every way. While it didn't come close to having his brother here with him, he imagined that this plant might be closest thing he could have. He carefully set it in one of the windowsills that rested close to the doorway.

"Estela actually just left for groceries," he said with a light laugh at the situation. "But I'm sure you'll meet soon." Estela and Nils were the two clio that Henrik held closest to his heart, and he couldn't imagine keeping them apart much longer.

He welcomed Nils into the hallway of the home that he and Estela shared together, which included many images of Nils and Henri, as well as Henri and Estela (however photos exist in Amelia). "We have some exciting news to share with you," he said while leading Nils to a seat in one of their family rooms. While he would prefer Estela to be there, he just wanted to tell Nils as soon as he possibly could, and he knew Estela would understand.

"Glad you like it," Nils said, silently letting out a breath when Henri told him Estela was out at the moment. At least that gave him a few more minutes to mentally prepare. Although Henri had told him she was wonderful, so much so in fact that it reminded him of the way he himself talked about Paisley, he was still worried that she wouldn't like him for some reason.

"We have some exciting news to share with you."

"Yeah?" Nils asked. He wondered what it could be. Maybe Henri and Estela had gotten engaged too. That would be nice, and Nils wouldn't mind sharing such a huge milestone with his brother, and he was sure Paisley wouldn't either. If anything she would be even more excited, as she'd be gaining a new sister as well as a brother. "Actually...I have news too. But you can go first."

Henri was excited to hear that Nils had news to share as well. Being so far apart meant that the brothers couldn't readily share information with one another, good or bad, and that was something that Henri had taken for granted all the years that they were together. Even with such horrible circumstances, he deeply appreciated the bond that they shared, and he missed having his brother and best friend so close.

"Well," he started, feeling as though he may explode if he didn't just come out and say it already. "Estela's pregnant!" Henri's eyes lit up with pure joy. Henri and Nils had been through so many horrific things together, they had been forced into some of the darkest corners of Amelia -- but the darkness in his past made Henri want to give all the good in the world to this baby. Nothing could change what he and his brother had been through, but he was ready to do everything in his power to show this brand new being that the world could still be a good place.

Nils' eyebrows shot up. It took his brain a solid thirty seconds to fully comprehend what Henri had just said. "Estela's pregnant?" he repeated dumbly. He shook his head as a smile slowly began to form across his shocked face. "Henri, that's amazing! That's...that's..." He couldn't even come up with the words for how he felt right now, so instead he pulled his brother into another hug. "You're gonna have a family. Oh my gods. A real family."

For the longest time, Nils and Henri had had no one but each other. Their family unit had been small and broken and dying. But somehow they had both managed to piece it back together and form something new.

Henri got a bit teary-eyed as Nils hugged him. Neither of them had experienced family normalcy since the day they were taken, but having each other as family is ultimately what got them to this point. Family had become such an integral part of their survival and love for each other, and Henri couldn't wait to share what he and Nils had with Estela and their child.

"I couldn't have done this without you," he said as they let each other go. He placed his hands on Nils' shoulders and looked right into his eyes. He had always seen so much of himself in Nils, but he now saw such a difference -- Nils was really growing into his own and letting his guard down. Henri had a feeling that Paisley had a lot to do Nils' happiness and hope.

"I never could have gotten through all of that alone. We made it to this point together -- and now our family is growing...I can't believe we really made it."

Nils had always used to think that he was a burden to everyone around him, and that even Henri would have been better off without him. He thought that if he had any courage at all, he should tell Henri to forget about him and survive on his own, because Nils would inevitably ruin everything for both of them. Of course he never had said that to Henri, and he knew that Henri never would have agreed if he had. But it still meant a lot to hear Henri saying that they had made it together.

"I wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for you," he told Henri honestly. "Back when things were--were really bad. You were the only thing that kept me going." He sighed, and shook away those bad thoughts. "But yeah. We did make it, somehow. That's all over."

Henri nodded with a smile and patted Nils' arm. "Yeah, it's all over."

As he sat down and motioned for Nils to take a seat again, he remembered that Nils said he had news to share too. "So you said you had news too? Good news, I hope."

He wondered if Nils and Paisley would have children of their own. Henri would love to raise his child (or children, maybe) alongside his brother, but he also understood that he and Estela were moving particularly fast and going out of the typical order. He couldn't help but imagine large family gatherings and giving their children everything that was taken from them as kids.

"Oh! Right, yeah," Nils said, giving a small laugh. He was glad Henri had veered off from the heavy direction their conversation was headed and turned it back to something positive. "Well...I asked Paisley if she would marry me, and she actually said yes."

Not only would Nils be joining Paisley's family, but now he'd be getting a little niece or nephew too on top of it all. He couldn't wait to tell Paisley about Henri's baby. And Henri could bring Estela to the wedding. And then maybe someday, if Paisley wanted to, he and her could start a family together too, and their kids could all play and go to school together. It was everything Nils ever wanted and never thought he'd have.

"Congratulations!!" Henri said before leaping out of his chair to bombard his brother with another hug. "That's amazing. I'm so excited to welcome Paisley to the family -- and of course she said yes."

What were the chances that both Henri and Nils would be starting their own families at the same time? When Henri thought about it, it actually wasn't that surprising. They'd been through so much together and finally had the opportunity to seek out genuine happiness and connection with others. He wasn't sure this would ever happen, yet here they both were.

"We have some wine, do you want to celebrate? I think we deserve a drink," he said with a smile and wink.

Nils smiled. "She said she was excited she'd be gaining you as a brother," he told him. "And I bet she'll love to meet Estela, and find out she's gonna be an aunt, too." He wished Paisley was here now to share in all this excitement, but things were so busy for her with the end of the war and making sure Max was okay and everything. All four of them would have to celebrate together soon.

"And yes. Please," he said, as Henri went to go grab a bottle of wine. "I can't wait to meet your baby when it's born. You're gonna be such a good dad."

"It'll be great to have a sister," Henri said from the kitchen as he grabbed the wine and some glasses. "I'm sure she and Estela will get along well. And you will love Estela, I can't believe you haven't met yet. She's going to be a great mother."

He set the glasses down on a side table next to Nils, pouring some wine into each one before handing a glass to Nils. "Our baby will be lucky to have you and Paisley as an aunt and uncle. Are you thinking about having kids?" He sat down, sipping his wine.

"Welllll," Nils said slowly. "We haven't exactly talked about it yet," he admitted. In hindsight, that was probably something that was good to discuss before getting engaged. Not that it would change anything, Nils would want to marry Paisley whether she wanted kids or not. But he hoped she did. He was pretty sure she did. "But I would love to have kids. And I thinks she would too. She's so good with them." He sipped his wine and smiled. "It would be great if our kids could go to school together. I always used to wish we could have gone to Redfern."

"We have a chance to give our kids every opportunity that was stripped from us," Henri said in a way that reflected both his deep sadness from the past and hope for the future.

He looked into his cup at his swirling wine as he imagined what it would have been like if he and Nils had been brought up by their parents. Would they have been as close as they are? What hobbies would they have developed? Would Nils have more confidence? Henri wondered what it would be like to move through the world without constantly looking over his shoulder.

Maybe the two of them could finally get a taste of the lives they could have led. The damage was done, but maybe they could start to heal together.