Leo is welcomed home by a yell of his name before he’s tackled into a big group hug. His brother, Altair, is practically attached to him and his dad has to gently coax his brother into letting go of Leo. “Come on, ‘Tair, give him some space.”

“Thanks dad, I—hold on, shouldn’t you be at work?”

Denver smiles at him. “Insurance can wait, son.”

After bringing his clothes back up to his room, he comes down to the kitchen to find something to eat, only to be greeted by a table with a two-tiered birthday cake with the letters A and L drawn on with icing.

“Dad thought it’d be fun to celebrate our birthday’s together!” Altair grins.

Leo comes down to sit with them both. “How expensive was this?! You didn’t have to!”

Denver waves away his concern. “It wasn’t expensive at all. In fact, we - uh, it was mostly Sam, my co-worker - made it for you.”

Altair leans over. “I think dad really likes Sam. They’ve been over a couple of times.”

“Altair!”

—

Later that day, after giving Altair his present and taking a nap, Leo asks his dad if they could go stargazing in the nearby park. It’s an exceptionally clear night, and it’d be nice to see the stars with them both.

It feels so different now, looking up at the stars. Leo’s been so used to how it looks in Ohiocester that this sky almost feels foreign. But the presencebeside him are familiar and welcome.

Leo quizzes his brother on the constellations. Altair struggles, but he’s able to name most of them. After a bit of teasing and laughing, Leo asks how Altair feels about school coming up.

His tone is soft and shy. “I’m—still a little scared, Leo…”

Leo gives him a bittersweet smile. “I was scared too. I still am. It never really goes away but…I’m here. Your dad is here.” He wraps his arm around Altair and squeezes.

Denver lays an arm on both of them. “I promise I’ll do my best to be there for you guys, okay? I love you both very much.”

The night is peaceful and sweet. At last, the three Scotts are once again under the same starry sky.

Written by Miz I