Closed Reunited

[Rupert Cresswell]

New Zealand was a corner of the world Rupert dared say he had never expected to visit. He'd heard nice things, of course, sheep and all that, he was quite sure everyone had. It had never really seemed like his kind of place though, too young a country to have the kind of artifacts Rupert was interested in floating around. One thing he was interested in seeing had made a home here recently though, and Rupert had been surprised enough at the news that he had taken it upon himself to track that thing down and make a visit. That person, he should really think. Though it had been decades since Rupert had been on speaking terms with his twin, there was no time like the present to change such a thing. So he approached Miles' doorstep with confidence, one hand in his coat pocket as he knocked firmly on the door with the other. It had been so many years, what would Miles say now at the sight of him? What would Miles look like - would he even recognise his own mirror image? All these questions turned over in Rupert's head as he rocked back and forth on his feet slightly, glancing around the neighbourhood as he waited for Miles to answer the door.

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles didn't often have guests, at least not without knowing about them beforehand. As he was often busy with work, most of his friends and acquaintances knew to arrange a meeting beforehand. Miles had never been very good at spontaneity. He had been arranging a few books on his shelves when there was a knok on the door, and he paused for a moment as he tried to remember if he'd arranged to meet anyone and forgotten about it. Miles headed to the door. "One moment!" He called, unlocking the door. He opened it and froze in place, the friendly smile he'd put in place melting away instantly. Miles narrowed his eyes at his twin, who somehow looked different but also exactly the same as he had last time Miles had seen him. Tense, he took a small step backwards. "What are you doing here?"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert hadn't exactly expected a warm welcome, but as he watched recognition spread over his twin's face, he couldn't help being a little hurt. He schooled his face into an easy smile, shaking his head slightly. "Not happy to see me?" Rupert asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment in his tone. "It's been so long, I was expecting a warmer welcome." Rupert commented, brushing past his brother indoors without waiting for an invitation. "How are you? I was in the area, figured it would be rude not to visit. Years without so much as an owl, really Miles." Rupert smiled smugly, enjoying the higher ground of the conversation. "I always thought I was the rude twin."

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles frowned in response to the smile his brother gave him, he grit his teeth. "No. I am not happy to see you, frankly." He said, his voice annoyingly high pitched in agitation. "And you know very well not to expect that." He let out a small gasp of indignation as his brother pushed right past him, heading into his house. "I did not invite you in!" He said, though he closed the door before following his twin into his house. He huffed out a breath of annoyance, shaking his head. "You did not send me anything either, which is fine with me." He said primly. "Please just tell me what you want, instead of playing games." He added with a sigh. Rupert was here for a reason, Miles was certain, he always wanted something.

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert grinned and tutted his twin, thoroughly enjoying Miles's indignation. "I invited myself, as your manners seemed to have abandoned you for a moment." He said smugly, looking around his brother's home curiously. The quantity of books was both unsurprising and intriguing, and Rupert gave Miles another grin before heading deeper into the house. "Shall I make us both a tea, since you've forgotten to offer that as well?" He grinned smoothly, looking around for the kitchen. "Shameful really, assuming I would only see you if I wanted something. Can't a man visit his dearest brother for a simple cuppa and a chat?" He asked innocently, finding the kitchen through the third door he tried and heading through to get the kettle on.

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles puffed up a bit in indignation as he followed his twin around, gesturing with his hands. "Please, leave." He hissed furiously as he followed him. "I don't want you here, you know that." He snapped at him. "I don't want tea." He added angrily, moving to block the kettle with his body to stop Rupert from making himself even more comfortable. "State your business, and go." He said, glaring and meeting his eyes. "You never just stop by for a chat. If you have... cursed artefacts you want to hide somewhere, you won't use my house for it." He added with narrowed eyes. "I'm not getting tangled up with all that." He added firmly.

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert smiled and cheerfully ignored Miles' attempts to block him, switching on the kettle with a deft flick of his wand. "You always think so poorly of me." He tutted, turning to look for mugs in the cupboards. "Never crossed your mind that I might have left my previous enterprises in the past?" That wasn't true at all, of course, far from it, but Rupert wasn't here to involve his brother. At least, not for now. "It would take a truly heartless man to simply choose to abandon family." He added calmly, summoning the things he needed to make them each a cuppa from around the kitchen.

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles grumbled as he realized how stupid he'd been, trying to shield the kettle with his body while his brother had full possession of a wand. He blushed a bit, but then tried to stop him from grabbing a mug. "Rupert, stop." He said, though even at his most commanding, he knew that his brother rarely listened to him. "I know you haven't, I know you." He told him, narrowing his eyes. "And it was you who abandoned me first. Your choices split us apart, not mine." He said, frowning. "And I don't want your tea!"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert entirely ignored Miles' efforts to stop him, preparing two cups of tea with a little help from his wand summoning the things he needed. Though it had been years since he had made tea for his twin he remembered all too well how he liked it, holding the cup out to Miles once it was done. "Well, can't it be my decision to make amends?" He said simply, sipping from his own tea. "It's been far too long, Miles. Can't we at least talk?"

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Most of the time, Miles prided himself on his mild temper. But the one person who knew how to push his buttons was Rupert, and he still did so effortlessly. Miles winced at the screechy sound of his own voice. He pushed the cup Rupert offered him away, not wanting to even consider he might be in earnest. "No, that is not up to you." He said hotly. "Just tell me why you're here."

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert knew he was quite the expert on irritating his twin, but he still wound up somewhat surprised by Miles' retaliation to his offer of tea. "I have told you, Miles, several times now." He said more firmly, irritation creeping into his voice. "I'm here to talk, and see my brother. For the first time in years. Is it entirely unbelievable that I might have found myself missing you?"

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles crossed his arms, mostly to stop himself from reaching for the teacup despite himself. He frowned as his brother, noting the irritation in his voice with some satisfaction. At least he wasn't completely unflappable, even if he pretended to be. "Well, you've seen me." He said, tilting his chin up. "And you get five minutes to talk." He said, then frowned. He didn't really have a way to get Rupert out of the house if he wanted to stay longer, as his twin had already proven. "It is entirely unbelievable, yes." He said, taking a small step back. He didn't- couldn't let himself believe Rupert. He knew how manipulative he was.

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert sighed and set Miles' teacup down well within reach, taking a sip of his own tea. He relaxed slightly when Miles offered him five minutes to talk. "How generous." He commented, raising his eyebrows, before speaking. "Well, how are you, then? How are you settling in in New Zealand? Quite strange I thought, how a country so far away could feel so similar to home. Especially when the weather is awful, it's like I never left London." He commented, taking another sip. "What are you doing these days? Those boring numbers still?"

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles pointedly ignored the cup Rupert placed down, his arms crossed in front of him. He sighed when Rupert started asking him a lot of questions, not really telling him anything about himself. It was typical of him, and Miles was convinced he still wasn't getting to the point of this visit. "I'm settling in very well. I've been here for quite some time now." He said with a frown. "Which you would know if you kept in touch. "He paused. "Are... you settling down here now?" He asked, feeling a sense of dread. "And yes, I'm still... doing the same things." He said, frowning. "Which you've never cared about."

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert nodded when Miles said he was settling in well, though his brother's next remark drew another heavy sigh. "I am trying to keep in touch, brother dear, and you seem intent upon resisting with every fiber of your being." He said pointedly, giving Miles a look. "I can hardly go back in time and repair our relationship, so it seemed prudent to start now." He nodded when Miles asked if he was settling down. "I believe I am, for the time being. Needed a change of pace from England, you know. Such a lovely community here and all, and some interesting work opportunities." He grinned just a hair too widely.

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles frowned at Rupert's act. He knew he had been avoiding him, but Rupert hadn't been trying that hard. "Your window has closed, Rupert. It's too late to try and turn it around now." He told him coolly. "It's not up to you to decide when you can go repair the relationship." He said, shaking his head. He tensed up when Rupert said he was going to stay here for a while. The grin on his face said everything Miles needed to know. "I don't want you here." He snapped. "I'm here. This is my spot." He knew he sounded whiny, but he couldn't help it. "You can't just steal what I have, like you always do!"

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert snorted with soft laughter at Miles' refusal, taking a calm sip of his tea. "And it's not up to you to decide I'm too late." He said calmly, giving his brother a placid look. "You decided when we were very young that I was the evil twin, didn't you? Never so much as a second chance with you, I have been designated irredeemable, and that's to be that. People do change, you know, Miles. You've never even tried to know me, not really. You decided that I was bad and you were good, and you've lived upon that high horse ever since." He took another sip of his tea, snorting with laughter. "Miles my dear, surely the last several hundred years of history is plenty of evidence that the British running away to an island and declaring that it's our spot now is a terribly bad idea. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past, hmm?"

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles frowned at Rupert's words. "It is up to me." He snapped. "I have closed the door, Rupert. There's no point in knocking anymore." He paused. "I mean, I locked it. Threw away the key. Oh, you get what I mean." He snapped, flustered as his metaphor got away from him a bit. But then Rupert kept talking, slowly infuriating Miles more and more. He blinked at his twin, then pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I never decided anything." He said, trying to remain calm. "You were the one who decided to hurt me over and over again with your actions. I can't just forget about that." He said, shaking his head. "You always do this. You always try to twist it around. But I'm not the one who decided you were 'evil', Rupert. You made that decision all on your own." The comment about him declaring New Zealand his spot didn't really bother him. He knew Rupert was just toying with him, and that he had understood Miles' meaning perfectly. "You're not welcome here." He said, before reaching over and plucking Rupert's cup out of his hands. "Time's up." He declared, with a bit more confidence than he felt. "You're leaving. Goodbye Rupert."

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert let his face slip as Miles went on, the satisfaction of getting under his brother's skin not enough to balance the clear distress in Miles' voice. "Oh really Miles, must it always come back to ex-boyfriend drama?" He snorted, genuine frustration slipping through the composure of his tone. "You can't blame me for being the popular twin." He was shocked when Miles actually plucked the cup from his hand, giving his twin a betrayed look. "Miles, will you really not even talk to me?!"

 

[Miles Cresswell]

Miles felt a flash of fury as Rupert dismissed their past as ‘ex boyfriend drama’, and nearly threw the teacup at his head in his anger. He restrained himself, for now. “If you recall, it was ex-fiancé drama.” He said, a steely sort of calm forced into his voice. “At least on one occasion. And it is ludicrous that there WAS even more than one occasion of you… you… manipulating- no, stealing my partner away from me.” He said, his voice getting heated again. “I decided long ago I would never talk to you again. So no, I will not.” He said, pointing at the door. “Out.”

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert sighed heavily at Miles' protests, giving his brother a defeated look. "I had rather hoped that blood would prove thicker than water." He said with another sigh, giving Miles a "sincere" look before moving towards the door. "Boyfriends come and go, but brothers are for life." He added, pausing in the doorway to give Miles another look. "I'll see you around, brother. I hope you can find it in your heart to set the past aside and see the man I am now."