[Third Person's PoV]
Clark stepped out of the house with a low groan, his shoulders sagging as he tilted his head back toward the sky. He inhaled deeply before muttering under his breath, "What a mess…"
As the wind brushed through his hair, Clark's feet began to lift off the ground. He slowly levitated upward, he spun around in the air until his eyes landed on a familiar figure perched silently atop the high rooftop of the shrine. Momo was sitting with her back to him, her knees drawn tightly to her chest as though trying to shrink into herself.
Clark floated toward her with controlled ease and touched down beside her, the soles of his shoes barely making a sound on the old ceramic tiles. Momo didn't react at first, but as he settled beside her, she turned her head slightly—just enough for him to catch a glimpse of her tear-streaked face, her expression twisted in silent hurt.
Clark immediately looked away, the corner of his mouth twitching as he muttered, "Eww… You are such an ugly crier."
"You motherf—!" Momo growled through gritted teeth. Spiritual energy flared around her fist as she drove it hard into Clark's leg. The impact echoed with a sharp metallic ring.
"Ahhh!" she cried, jerking her hand back and cradling it in pain. "Ow, ow, ow!"
She hissed, flicking her wrist as if trying to shake off the sting. Meanwhile, Clark hadn't even flinched. Still looking away, he said in a dry tone, "Sorry, not my fault you're hideous to look at."
"I seriously hate you right now! You're supposed to be comforting me, not making me want to throw you off the roof!" she snapped, her voice tight with frustration and raw emotion.
"I am trying," Clark said, gesturing half-heartedly with one hand. "It's just hard to do it when your face looks like that. Maybe if you turned the other way, I could pretend you're someone else."
Her shoulders slumped, and she turned her eyes downward. Her voice was small now, barely audible. "You're not comforting me because I'm not your sister… That's it, isn't it?"
Clark's entire body sighed, his frame deflating slightly as if her words struck something deep within him. He walked the final step closer and sat down beside her with a soft thud.
"Look," he said, voice gentler than before, "I'm not exactly great at this kind of thing. Comforting people… It's not something I'm good at. But the fact that I flew up here after you, instead of just leaving you alone, should speak for something."
"Oh please," Momo scoffed. "You only came because Grandma told you to."
"I'm not going to lie. She did tell me to," Clark admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But I would've come anyway. I didn't need the push from her."
"First off, I have to say you're a complete dumbass, I've been telling you this since we were children, we don't even look alike in the slightest. How you haven't figured out I'm adopted is a complete mystery to me" Clark said rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"The reason I didn't fully believe you was because I had no doubt you were my brother. I mean how can you be an alien? To me, we were related, there are literally baby pictures of us together, growing up, you were always there, a constant presence in my life, I can't think of a moment in my life when you weren't with me.
So when that Lala girl appeared out of nowhere and turned out to be an alien, I suppose I had no choice but to believe it. You're also an alien and we're not related. And you're not my—" Momo said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, her lips trembling as she hugged her knees tighter.
"Oh my god" Clark grunted and groaned loudly, rolling his head back, "There is nothing more irritating than dealing with dumbasses"
"I'm being serious here Clark!" Momo exclaimed with watery eyes.
"So am I! Dumb people are irritating to deal with," Clark shot back, his tone sharp with exasperation. "I'm not any less related to you now than I was before you found out the truth. Literally nothing has changed. So tell me—aside from the fact that we don't share the same blood, or even the same species, what's actually different?"
His voice rose slightly, his brows furrowed, clearly annoyed but more from concern than anger.
Momo stared at him, her mouth opening slightly as if to speak, only to close again. Her eyes flickered downward. "But still…"
Clark scoffed. "Dumb people are dumb because they create problems where there aren't any. That's literally the definition." He rolled his eyes and reached over, ruffling her hair in a surprisingly gentle motion. "You know, I've always known we weren't related by blood. Yet, have you ever once seen me treat you like anything less than family? Have I ever acted like you were unimportant to me?"
Momo lowered her gaze to her knees again, biting back a smile that twitched at the corners of her lips. "Well… no."
Clark leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "Exactly. So do you think of me differently now? Think I'm not a part of the family? Should I pack my things and walk out just because I'm not Granny's biological grandson?"
Momo's head snapped up, a spark of offense in her eyes. "Of course not! That's ridiculous! Don't say that!"
"Exactly," Clark said, jabbing a finger in her direction. "Prime example of a dumbass making a problem out of something that isn't one—"
He didn't get to finish. Momo suddenly lunged forward and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Clark froze, his whole body stiff with surprise.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked flatly.
"Please don't leave…" she whispered, her voice cracking as she held him tighter. "That would be the last thing I'd want."
"That's cute and all," Clark muttered, barely moving, "but I'm still wondering why you're clinging to me like that, it's gross"
Momo let out a breath, loosening her hold just slightly, as her face twisted for a moment, as if contemplating what to say. "I'm hugging my brother," she said softly. "What does it look like?"
Clark sighed at her words, his lips twitched for a moment before his expression turned deadpan. "You have ten seconds before I fling you to the moon without a second thought."
"Give me a minute," Momo bargained, smiling against his shoulder.
"Thirty seconds. That's the most charity I'm handing out tonight," he grumbled. Still, he didn't push her away.
Instead, he let out a long, reluctant sigh and—almost awkwardly—wrapped his arms around her. His movements were stiff at first, unsure, but he didn't let go.
Momo's eyes widened at the rare show of affection, and a warm smile lit up her tear-streaked face as she leaned into him more. For a moment, the world felt still.
"Alright, now get off me," Clark said gruffly after a few seconds. "This is gross."
Momo laughed, pulling back with a twinkle in her eye. "Thank you. You might not look like it, but you're a good brother."
Clark scowled. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
But before he could demand a better explanation, Momo kissed him on the cheek and bolted up to her feet. Without warning, she leapt off the shrine's roof and shouted as she ran, "Gran! Get the camera! Clark just hugged me back! This is a monumental moment!"
Clark wiped at his cheek like she'd just smeared it with mud, his face scrunched in disgust. "Gross. What the hell is wrong with her?"
Still, despite the grumbling, a small, genuine smile tugged at his lips. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "Little sisters man… A pain in the ass to deal with. But can't live without them, I guess."
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