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Wax had lost. He lost his optimistic brother. He had known he lost too.
He sat on a billboard on the increasingly popular freeways, watching as the car headlights moved up and down the multi-laned street. He almost moved his hand to the side, ready to hold out a bottle of beer for another bottle to clink with. He stopped himself before he had.
There are only three times, since they met, that Wax and Wayne were apart for more than a week.
The first time seemed like a breath of fresh air, though he had missed him more than he would admit.
Wax sat in his study, the papers on his desk giving him a headache he couldn't push off. Ruin he wished he was anywhere but here. He rubbed his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. He blinked them towards the window, where mist moved through the air, moving like a thick pile of snakes and vines.
He walked over to the window, opening it for some fresh air. He half expected friends face to appear as he breathed the mist. Wayne never came, and Wax sometimes appreciated it. Most of the time though... he wanted Wayne to burst through the door and force him into action.
He shook his head. No. The last time he had done something...
Stop. He reminded himself. There wasn't anything you could've done.
Ruin. As much as he loved helping people... he didn't think he could ever do that again.
He shut his window and sat back at his desk, a soft electric light lot his papers. Maybe it was a good thing he could do this in peace and quiet. He didn't have to worry about Wayne making fun of him doing this either. Harmony bless that Wayne was doing okay. Don't let him get himself killed, please. Wax prayed, then continued on his papers of information of politics he didn't care for.
The peace and quiet hadn't lasted very long. It was as though his thoughts had formed Wayne to come out of thin air, wearing his characteristic smile and lucky hat.
Wax sighed. That isn't what I meant, Harmony. Very funny.
The second time felt empty but not painful.
Wax had just finished a decent speech. It wasn't his best, but by far not his worst. Steris smiled at him softly, proud of him. He was becoming more welcomed into the politics of Elendel. Well, as accepted as you can get in politics.
It was weird waking up and not feeling so sore. Sort of. He did feel sore, but that was just his body growing old. It wasn't the sore he was used to. Sometimes he missed it, but Steris was expecting so he would be here for the kid. No more rushing into shootouts, no more steelpushing through streets in a chase. It felt good to know he didn't need to do that anymore. The city was in good hands with Marasi... and Wayne? He wasn't sure what Wayne was doing.
Sometimes he turned to his right and opened his mouth to ask Wayne his opinion about something, but stopped himself. He found himself doing that often.
He walked with Steris to their motorcar, Hoid being their driver. He nodded to Waynes voice in his head saying, "I call sitting front seat!"
He half expected Wayne to already be sitting with Hoid, but knew he was off somewhere with Marasi. Hopefully she was keeping him in line. He could be a lot at times. He trusted Wayne, but sometimes he was a handful. How well could Marasi handle it? He didn't know. Wax wouldn't have been surprised if Wayne came to Wax saying he was fired from the job he sort of had.
Well, it was that time where Wax though he should visit Wayne whenever they returned from their adventure. It could help Wayne, but Wax needed it too.
The last time was permanent.
Wax wished Wayne were here. It had been a few years already but it didn't matter. It wasn't horrible, like he wasn't alone. He had his family... but not his brother. He didn't have the jokes, the 'perfect' timing for the random things Wayne would say.
Wayne was up with Harmony... or somewhere like that, he knew that. But that made it sting more. What if Wax hadn't given him the spike?
But... Wayne was the hero. He'd always been the hero.
No. It was okay. Wayne wanted him to stay strong, stay the hero. So Wax dropped a bullet casing and fell slowly to the ground, his feet landing on springy grass, passing the area with Wayne's statue, currently wearing a bowlers hat. Max often visited this place with Wax, and he seemed more reverent here than anywhere else. It was hard for Wax to think of everyone else who loved Wayne too. Most of them hadn't known Wayne as long as he had, and even then most hadn't had the brotherly love they had. Wax may have saved Wayne so long ago, but Wayne also saved Wax. Many times.
"You truly were the best man I'd ever known, Wayne. I just wished you'd see it too." He continued through the grass, then pushed off another bullet casing and blasted into the air, the mist tonight swirling about him.
Wax may be the hero of some stories, but Wayne was the hero of this story.