#bravat

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

S/o from the future introduces Kuro Boys to bathbombs! Who would like it the most? What colors? Scents?

aaaaa this is so cute, they all deserve some pampering <3

also I recently discovered shower steamers, which are like a bath bomb for the shower, because my skin is sensitive and I can't do bath bombs... I think the same would apply for some of these guys! I have a menthol one from a local place I've been dying to try

it's self care all day every day babey =)

Who likes food/fruit/sweets scented: Aleister (“Vanilla Milkshake”), Ciel (“Peanut Butter Toffee”), Diedrich (“Fudge Brownie”), Edgar (“Strawberry Shortcake”), Grey (“Birthday Cake”), Joanne (“Cotton Candy”), Maurice (“Marshmallow S’mores”), Snake (“Sugared Lemon Cake”), Undertaker (“Milk & Honey”)

Who likes earthy/herbal scented: Agni (“Lemon Verbena”), Ash (“Matcha Tea”), Astre (“Bergamot”), Clayton (“Rosemary”), Gregory (“Menthol Eucalyptus), Herman (“Grassy Field”), Lau (“Chamomile”), Othello (“Basil”), Phipps (“Lavender Love”), William (“Sage”)

Who likes floral scented: Alan (“Rainy Heather”), Alois (“Bluebell Wood”), Arthur (“Lily of the Valley”), Bravat (“Moonflower”), Dagger (“Cherry Blossom”), Edward (“Rose Classic”), Eric (“Jasmine Bloom”), Finny (“Gardenia Mix”), Joker (“Freesias”), Jumbo (“Calm Lilac”), Patrick (“Sweet Pea”), Soma (“Orange Blossoms”), Thomas (“Honeysuckle”)

Who doesn’t have a preference/would try any their S/O wanted/has a ‘weird’ preference: Bard (no preference), Cheslock (would try any), Claude (no preference), Conny (would try any), Derrick (no preference), Drossel (would try any), John (no preference), Lawrence (no preference), Peter (would try any), Ronald (would try any), Rudger (“White Musk”), Sebastian (“Halloween Edition: Demon Blood” [bitter melon + Spanish moss]), Triplets (Thompson: “Daisy Daisy”; Timber: “Apple Pie”; Canterbury: “Linen Line”), Wolfram (would try any)

FAVORITE COLORS

White: Ash, Eric, John, Undertaker

Black: Astre, Claude, Sebastian

Red: Edgar, Jumbo

Orange: Derrick, Joker, Ronald

Yellow: Agni, Bard, Conny, Finny

Green: Edward, Herman, Lau, Othello, Peter

Blue: Ciel, Clayton, Lawrence, William

Purple: Alois, Cheslock, Gregory, Phipps, Soma, Triplets

Pink: Aleister, Joanne, Maurice

Multicolored: Bravat, Snake, Wolfram

No preference for color: Alan, Arthur, Dagger, Diedrich, Drossel, Grey, Patrick, Rudger, Thomas

[kitten-and-crow]

Recipe

[willisek]

day 10: fortune

i guess i blacked out yesterday bc I'm pretty sure i posted this

anyway 😍😍😍 bravat from kuroshitsuji!! only if he wasn't an antagonist hahaha

[midnight-in-town]

Long dead contractor or fake one ?

Thinking again about this guy ^ who probably isn't the Polaris Star Lord (because Polaris from ch169 doesn't have the similar neck tattoo thingy).

Crack theory from my insomnia : the thing is, we know UT checked Seb's cinematic records during the Campania arc and thus knows what contract Seb made with Ciel (i.e the 3 rules from ch138)...

...the remaining question though is whether he saw more than what we readers saw of Seb's CR.

When it comes to humans, their cinematic records start at birth and end at death. However, we don't know enough about demonology in Kuro to be sure

whether Seb's own CR only begins at his current summoning,

or if he has centuries old CR depicting his entire existence as a demon and thus all his previous contracts.

Depending on the answer, this means UT could have seen just Seb's existence since being summoned by our!Ciel, or also past contractors. Noteworthy, when Grelle briefly checked Seb's CR during the JTR arc, she too only saw moments of Seb's "life" as Ciel's butler.

So, if UT had access to Seb's memories of previous contractors, then he could have somehow found this guy and brought him back to life (somehow finding his corpse where Seb ate his soul, idek).

However, if UT didn't have access to Seb's CR before the current summoning and contract with our!Ciel, then the question remains : who is this guy from the cliffhanger and how did he end up involved ?

Considering UT's goal of separating Ciel from Seb...

...if UT had no way of finding a previous recent contractor and bringing him back to bizarre doll state, what if he faked one ? After all, he doesn't have to play fair when it comes to fighting against a demon.

Seb's contract with Ciel is based on the 3 main rules they discussed during ch138. Namely in that chapter, Seb and Ciel discussed the matter of possible betrayal and...

...while Seb said that multiple contracts were against his aesthetics, UT could have taken a corpse and altered his CR (by adding fake memories, like he did with the Campania BDs) to trick Ciel into thinking Seb broke their agreement of no multiple contracts, thus rendering the contract null.

This would explain the whole "would you like me to give you a hand ?"

And "then why did they welcome us ?"

Now, for anyone who might come at me saying "but Ciel would never believe such a thing" : I understand the feeling since Seb is indeed too stupid to betray his own aesthetics, but I beg to differ considering the Green Witch arc, the "90% serious" incident and mostly the fact that...

...Ciel doesn't trust that Seb has his best intentions in mind, far from it.

It will take convincing arguments for sure, but UT is not some ordinary villain and, again, the Nectar Springs Hotel staff was expecting them. Lastly, considering the theory that UT could be Cedric K. Ros, Frances once said in ch14...

...and I think it could apply to UT as well.

I mean, so far, the Campania, Weston and Blue Sect arcs saw UT winning every time. As for the current investigations, Mey and Bard were successful but Finny & Snake weren't, meaning that if Ciel & Seb lose, it's going to be a tie (which would keep real!Ciel longer in the story).

Maybe this arc will highlight that Seb was right in ch14 and our!Ciel can't win against UT and his brother if he doesn't add more Phantomhive brains to his side (aka Frances becoming some sort of mentor like Seb mentioned) :

TL;DR I don't know if Seb's past as a demon before the contract with Ciel could be relevant to the plot, so I wouldn't put it past UT to create a fake contractor to try and make the contract with our!Ciel null.

UT doesn't know how to mourn but he does know how to hatch conniving plans.

[l-darklilac-l]

[crowscallthecrows]

A 'what if' scenario #2

(Spoilers for weston college, blue cult, and blue memory arc as well as a continuation to this lol)

"So tell me," he demands in a way that mimics the tone of an adult. The weapon the 'Earl' points doesn't even make Violet flinch. "Why him? What could he possibly have that interests putting your life in the way of me?"

Violet's eyes are shielded under his hood as he averts his gaze from the steady ones of the boy and his butler. "Someone like you, who refuses to love..." he mutters, as his body's lifted effortlessly by the man in black. "...could never grasp the goals I have for the ones I need."

Shielding his eyes through the wind and the flicker of knowing that crosses Ciel's face, shrill laughter echoes, as Undertaker uses the cover of night to disappear even from the eyes of a demon.

--

"You're always here," Undertaker remarks with a sharp grin. "It's not like they'll get up and walk away on their own."

The man pointedly ignores that particular comment, replacing the flowers in their arms with fresh ones and grazing his fingers on their cheeks under the past reaper's stare.

Undertaker found the man funny under all eccentricities, the lengths he'd go for the comfort of a few corpses he found especially entertaining. Violet insisted on three separate coffins and filled them with whatever blossoms nearby he deemed accepatanble. Every empty space is taken, including their arms, with Violet's arrangements, easily rivaling every piece of art he's made from childhood.

"Won't be long now," he remarks offhandedly at Violet's fussing hands over a falling bud.

"And you will get it right," is his clipped reply. "Nothing like how Derrick...like how it was at Weston."

Undertaker chortles at that. "We'll see," he promises, now growing quite bored of Violet's daily ritual, and bounds out of the room.

--

He places the last bloom and steps back to see his work in odd satisfaction before his lips find the top of each of their heads in quiet affection.

"Won't be long now," he repeats. "We'll be together again soon, promise."

The scars it'll leave would surely cause Edgar to gasp and protest, Lawrence to gape, and Greenhill in shock and silence. Maybe they'd be upset of their rests being disturbed and stare at him with immense disapproval, refusing to entertain the idea of a second chance.

But Violet would simply remind them of their legs they could now steadily stand on, and their arms they could embrace with for the rest of eternity, never to be separated from each other again.

[bibyshitsuji24k]

Idols mini saga makes me cringe

[sashamosu46]

I'm so tired of Twitter recommending me negative/complaining tweets like there's one by a KR Kuroshitsuji fan who posted these pics of Sebastian from 3 different seasons and said how S4 and S5 art style is not as good as the one in older seasons. Of course there are also replies chiming in, agreeing with their take, asking why the new Sebastian has orange eyes instead of red eyes, whining "BRING BACK SEBASTIAN I MISS HIM😭😭😭" And I was like??????? (I muted those people later on lol)

And then I realised why these people are complaning about Sebastian's new art style! Turns out most of them are anime-only watchers LMAOOOOO I doubt they actually read the manga to understand things such as why CloverWorks changed Sebastian's eyes into orange/tea brown color (literally this is the eye color that Yana specified before) whenever he's in his human disguise. ALSO BITCH CAN'T YOU SEE HIS EYES TURN BACK TO OUR FAVOURITE SHADE OF RED WHENEVER HE'S IN COMBAT OR SLIPPING BACK INTO DEMON MODE?????? Not to mention the new anime style does look similar to Yana's new manga style. I noticed how most of these discourses circle back around Sebastian not looking as fly and pale as before, and I know it's just them hating Sebastian's new babygirlism look xD If you read the manga, you would know him appearing more human and less pale is the whole point of his human disguise! Otherwise he would already had his identity as a demon exposed to the public and he clearly wants to avoid that at all costs *looks at that manga panel of Bravat saying that Sebastian isn't exactly human and Sebastian looking shocked asf sksk*

In the end, I just want to say, we should be grateful that Kuro anime adaptation is in the good hands of CloverWorks at the moment, and that it didn't end up with poor animation like some other anime. Be grateful that we are getting a new season after SO MANY YEARS, especially in the 2020s! Don't get me wrong, I love all of the anime styles of Kuro, each style has its own charm and beauty, let's not pit them against one another🙏🏻 If you want the old studio to take over Kuro anime adaptation again, you should go to Japan yourself to request it specifically lmao I know JP fans are absolutely in love with CloverWorks style of Kuro at the moment based on Yana's comment on the new season! She literally said she was moved to tears after seeing the S5 opening🥺

[allis-srm]

Bravat by Allis-SRM

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

I have a request to make, how would bravat behave if he was a single parent :3? I know it's kind of weird but I'm curious xD hehehehe.

hey, I like it!

he's a menace XD

Hm, the Starlight Four are just doing practice, right? … They can definitely babysit for him! Bravat has lots of important things to do, and his child probably won’t miss him too much as long as they’re hanging out with their… uncles. Whilst Edgar, Gregory, Herman, and Lawrence are surely more than happy to watch the child, it would be nice to have a little more notice than, ��I have some business to attend to; make sure (Child) is in bed by the time I get back!”

He really does love his child, though. It’s just that whatever happened with his S/O, it’s left him taking care of the little one on his own. With all his plans (and how dangerous they are), he wants to keep them out of harm’s way. He’s not holding them at arm’s length; he’s just trying to protect them. He still tries to do the normal dad things, hugging them and kissing them and spending time with them. It’s simply… more limited than it might be if he weren’t in the line of ‘work’ he’s in.

So many folk traditions and occult guards around his child. Bravat is into all of that in general, so it’s only natural it translates into the way he parents. There’s a piece of selenite in every corner of their bedroom and in any room where they might play. A dreamcatcher hung up above their bed and a moon-shaped amethyst beneath their pillow. He reads the stars for them so that he can get a ‘horoscope’ of sorts for the day based on their sign and guide them based on the information he finds. A lot of people see it as mumbo-jumbo or hocus-pocus or complete utter drivel and nonsense, but he thinks all of it makes a difference.

One of the biggest gestures of affection he has is to sing them a lullaby. Even if they’re in bed by the time he gets back, Bravat will sneak into his child’s room and crawl in with them, giving them cuddles. He’ll sing in another language, some old tune, as he presses kisses to their head and plays with their hair and rubs their back. He’s got a very good voice, smooth and soothing; besides, what child wouldn’t love a lullaby from their father regardless of his voice? He also is very good at singing them back to sleep if they’ve had a nightmare. Sometimes he even makes up his own songs for them, despite his creative battery being drained by working on the Starlight Four’s songs.

As long as it doesn’t wreck his own plans or anything, he’s very amused when his child inadvertently drives other people up the wall. It’s most prominent with the Starlight Four… as much as he cares about them and wants them happy so they’ll keep working for him, it’s just too funny to watch his kid antagonize them all. Did they ‘dye’ Gregory’s hair with paints while he was teaching them about art? Well, what a bold use of color; even if it doesn’t wash out, it’s a good look! Did they accidentally whack Herman in the head with a broom handle while playing makeshift cricket? Why, they’ve got quite the arm and could be an athlete if they wanted! … And so on, of course. The thing which gets Bravat to laugh more than anything is when his child draws on Edgar’s face while he’s asleep. Bonus points if nobody breathes a word and Edgar only finds out when he goes to look at himself in the mirror and all they hear is, “OH, MY GOD!” screamed in near falsetto from the other room. Far as Bravat’s concerned, his child getting into mischief makes them a complete genius.

… Until they turn his latest sheet music into a cut-out paper doll project. Then everyone gets to laugh at his frustration for a change!

[crazy-so-na-sega]

Vi è l'anima. Vi è anche l'intelligenza. Una rivoluzione non si fa a colpi di bravate, e, ancor meno, a colpi di ingiunzioni vuote dalle risonanze inesistenti. Ogni rivoluzione ricca è frutto di una lunga preparazione intellettuale.

Léon Degrelle Appello ai giovani europei

[funtomfactory]

Our!Ciel's real name...

Since it's probably still going to be a while before we get back to the young master in question in the manga, I'd like to theorize a little about what his actual name could be. There are a few options, and I do have my own opinion on what I think would suit best, but I'd like to hear from all of you as well, so feel free to weigh in!

What we know beforehand We know that both O!Ciel and R!Ciel were named by their mother, and that their names are very rare for the time period as stated by their father (Ch. 130 IIRC). We also know that Yana Toboso had a multitude of names she considered before settling of Ciel, so one of those could be a contender as well. These names include Lapis, Rain, Azure, Celeste, Angelo, Walter, Arthur and the ever popular Astre.

But We won't just leave it at that, so let's explore some options that lay outside that field.

Option one: his name is Sirius A little anticlimactic, but surely a possibility. They used this name to code the star which his brother was disguised as, and Bravat even called O!Ciel Sirius during the whole reveal. However, Yana-san hasn't elaborated on the matter, which I feel like she would have done if this was true.

Option two: his name is Earl

(Ch 139) I racked my brain, I really did. I even went as far as to search multiple sources to see if I read it right or if it was a mistranslation. But the conversation on this page goes as follows: Sebastian: Once again congratulations, Earl Ciel Phantomhive... Aah this won't do, I'm not allowed to tell you lies, yes? O!Ciel: ... That's right, don't ever call my name again. I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive. See, what bothers me is that Both of them cite the same name, despite O!Ciel telling Sebastian that he must never speak his name again. How could that be if Sebastian had not previously used his name before? Would it then be possible that Sebastian meantthe "Earl" part as O!Ciel's actual first name, then added the rest of the name whereas O!Ciel uses "earl" as a title? I doubt that this is true, but it would have been cute if both brothers ended up being called Earl Phantomhive: One by title, and one by first name.

Option three: Gemini O!Ciel is a twin, was born on the day of the peak of the Geminids shower and the name fits the sky/heaven/astral naming theme. It's surely odd enough to be mentioned by Vincent as such and from what I could gather, the Kanji for Shieru (Romaji for Ciel in Japanese) and Jemini (Romaji for Gemini in Japanese) are not that far apart either.

It just rails me to know that we've come this far since the reveal without knowing for sure what O!Ciel is actually called. Ugh!

[midnight-in-town]

hello! i have been following for many years now and love your kuroshitsuji thoughts and theories. i’m curious specifically about something you’ve talked a bit about before: o!ciel’s potential to accept himself for who he is, shed his brother’s identity, and grow as a character. while i think this is possible (and would be my ideal ending for his character, whether he gets revenge or not), i’m not sure how he would even start to consider that change with Sebastian by his side. so 1. how likely do you think it is that o!ciel would be able to make that change while still under Sebastian’s influence and 2. do you think the story would ever separate o!ciel and Sebastian for a long enough time for substantial character growth to happen? thanks and happy early Valentine’s Day!

Hi Anon ! Sorry for the delay :) Thank you for the kind words !

So, as I discussed previously, I actually think our!Ciel from 4 years ago (when RC died) is different from our!Ciel we've been following since the start of the series.

As in, while the primary choice to "become Ciel Phantomhive" was born out of survivor's guilt [X][X], four years later "Ciel Phantomhive" has become an identity that represents who our!Ciel is more than who real!Ciel used to be/is as a bizarre doll.

That's why he said, in ch147 :

So personally, I stand firm on the idea that "Ciel Phantomhive" is our!Ciel's identity by now, meaning he doesn't still follow the idea that he should be the Earl his brother was supposed to be.

That being said.

While our!Ciel may have slowly molded the identity "Earl Ciel Phantomhive" to his image and not to real!Ciel's image, our!Ciel is still a character who is full of guilt, about many people in his life, as ch95 showed :

Mostly, his inner self interprets that the guilt he feels (about Ann, about his brother and about Joker and Doll) is linked to the choice he made to bind his soul to Seb and to become "Earl Ciel Phantomhive", four years ago -> this is why I think he has some development to undergo about the contract and his bond to Seb and why a possible conflict may arise between them. [X][X]

Now, to specifically answer your questions :

"1. how likely do you think it is that o!ciel would be able to make that change while still under Sebastian’s influence"

First of all, you are right to say that Seb exerts some kind of influence on our!Ciel. To quote this post, "Kuroshitsuji wouldn’t be as compelling and enjoyable as a story if our!Ciel’s lack of self-worth and faith wasn’t supported by Seb acting as a catalystic abyss." Because, ultimately, Seb has no reason to want our!Ciel to reflect on wanting (or believing he's worth) a future and to try breaking the contract, which is why the Undertaker quickly became such a threat :

That being said, Seb's influence may yet be counterbalanced by other characters who have a more positive influence on our!Ciel and, tbh, that's what I'm betting on, once Ciel will stop isolating himself.

For now, Seb mostly encourages our!Ciel's isolation. This was made very clear by Bravat (who works for UT)...

...and it's a fact that was even picked up by Soma, who mentioned to Agni that "our!Ciel is terrified of being happy" :

Because being happy would mean, to our!Ciel, thinking back on the contract, on why he made that choice four years ago...

and on all the people he believes he doomed by making it (his brother, Ann, Joker, Doll, as hinted by ch95).

However, there is still hope : until recently, Kuroshitsuji was mostly told from our!Ciel and Seb's perspective, yet the massive Blue Sect & Blue revenge arcs changed this. We had Edward's POV, UT's & real!Ciel's, Sieglinde's briefly and Soma's. We also had the servants' independent investigation mini arcs, which all revealed what strongly binds them to our!Ciel, their master. Multiple POVs may help us realize better how the people close to our!Ciel actually perceive him, like with Soma in ch126.

In other words, our!Ciel being a kind and good person is why so many people care for him to this day, but like Soma said, he can't acknowledge it yet, or it'll make him think back on the contract to Seb dooming his future and a chance at happiness. So it's why I believe the narrative calls for our!Ciel to be challenged on that view, specifically because revenge is not presented to be a good goal to have, thematically speaking.

How and when Ciel will have this opportunity for development, I do not know, but a part of me hopes it will involve having Frances as his mentor. To quote this post, "I’d say Frances will probably take on a more active role in the plot when, to quote Seb in ch14, “[our!Ciel] will overconfidently believe that he cannot lose and that it will be necessary for him to carry himself with humility while striving for his goal”. Because by then, “an adult who will be firm with him is what he’ll need”."

While Frances as his mentor may mostly be what will allow our!Ciel to win against the combo RC + UT, it may also be what will allow our!Ciel to be closer to people who want better for him than Seb does, liberating him from all that guilt he feels.

"2. do you think the story would ever separate o!ciel and Sebastian for a long enough time for substantial character growth to happen?"

I already more or less answered just above, but I don't think Seb and Ciel need to separate for this growth to happen, or at least to be triggered. Taking the example of the Green Witch arc, despite what some readers may otherwise believe, there is a gap that exists between them...

...and Seb arrogantly believing he's stronger than mere humans, thus that he always has the upper hand anyways, may be the tiny crack that will ultimately allow some development for our!Ciel. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

TL;DR our!Ciel is a kind character who suffers from a lot of inner guilt, something that Seb won't try to solve, because it makes things easier for the contract, thus for his meal.

Other characters who want Ciel's happiness however (the Midfords, the servants, Soma, Sieglinde) may help him address that guilt and that could ultimately trigger a conflict between Seb and our!Ciel about the contract.

Sorry for rambling, I hope I managed to answer your questions. ^_^ Thank you again for the kind words, I wish you a great day, Anon ! :)

[praeteritus-memories]

"Collapsar, what a pleasant surprise! I didn't think you'd ever show your face around here again!" -- Bravat

"The feeling isn't mutual, fortune teller." Sebastian gives a grin on his face to show his genuine lack of care towards the fortune teller. "You should know I cannot be kept somewhere, only my master can order me to avoid a place."

[crowscallthecrows]

A 'what if' scenario

(Spoilers for the blue cult arc, Gregory Violet, etc. Descriptions of character death and needles.)

---

Their corpses lay so still Violet can convince himself they're sleeping, as hands creep up his shoulders, squeezing slightly to imitate some sort of comfort.

He knows Blavat is watching, watching in satisfaction that makes his stomach churn and his breathing catch just a bit more as his mind reels at the sight he's been sent to see by none other then the fortune teller himself. The man behind him sighs, removing his hands to stride towards the chairs that still have their middles held down with familiar thick leather straps. The look on his face can almost resemble regret, and Violet's sore arm prickles at the soft contact he makes with Bluewer's face.

"You know," he shrugs with resignation. "It's a shame, really. They shone so bright on stage." Blavat reaches out again, this time to stroke the blond edges of Redmond before Violet's own voice comes out, tears and rage seeping through the shakiness.

"Don't touch them." he hisses, before the old him takes over, to push his saucy tongue back in place again. "...please. Please."

Warning flashes over the diviner, this is what happens when you try to get sneaky with me, before choosing relent over threats with another sigh. There was a purpose to this after all, and there was no point to any of this if he didn't let the younger man relish in his mistakes. He smiles softly, briefly gazing at the stiff form of Greenhill.

"It's funny. Even when it was obvious they'd accepted their fates, the only name on their lips was yours-" he chuckles to himself then, shaking his head. " 'Where's Violet? What have you done with Violet?' It was as if their minds' couldn't rest unless they saw you safe, or dying with them."

Blavat walks past him towards the entrance, touching his shoulder so tenderly it makes the bile in his throat rapidly thicken.

"It's alright. They can be replaced with brighter stars, and we can start over together," he remarks with a grin, the same grin he does to all under the protection of Sirius.

"You didn't need their blood," is Violet's reply with a swallowed sob. "You had enough of their kind. You didn't need their blood."

He's ignored. The door open and Blavat's gone, surely to find someone to take care of the mess he had no problem causing.

Falling to his hands and knees, he empties his stomach first, tears springing from heaving until there's nothing left, his hacking making echos through the quiet room. Trembling knees make his steps staggered and uneven, his feet taking him to the closest feeling of home he has left.

They lay pale, yet they look like they're meant to be breathing. Slumped forward and half hidden by hair, Redmond's half lidded eyes feed his false hopes. Greenhill sits so straight it's like he's in a classroom again. Bluewer's lips stay slightly parted in one that resembles his expression of perfect thoughtfulness.

Knowing Bluewer, he would know something was wrong right away, twisting his arm hard against the restraints to delay the inevitable harm. Redmond would probably follow suite, probably a little too late, spinning questions and threats through the process until his body betrayed him and couldn't anymore. And Greenhill, how he must've fought, with so much heart, depending on himself to save the three of them alone. And of course...

The only name on their lips was yours.

"Sorry," he whispers to souls long since passed. He touches one of the arms filled with angry red marks, and flinches his hand back. They shouldn't be this cold.

He feels his shoulders start to wrack. "I'm sorry," his hands hover in the air, unsure what to do.

He'll never forget the way they move, the varying characteristics he could easily capture in his art just by looking, yet the other side of him is already forgetting what their voices sound like.

He can only bury himself in his hands. "I'm sorry." he can choke out once more before he's on his knees again, half praying they're able to be forgiven.

"-sorry, I'm so sorry-" How much did it hurt? Did they leave screaming for their parents, or with the acceptance Blavat claimed?

The silence that remains- crushing, unending- is the worst of all.

[canesenzafissadimora]

Quella mattina a scuola c’era il compito in classe di italiano. Il titolo del tema era

“La persona più speciale per me”.

Umberto scrisse tutto d’un fiato, come se le parole si scrivessero da sole.

“Mio fratello si chiama Bruno.

Sono sicuro che mi vuole un mondo di bene, come io ne voglio a lui, anche se non me l’ha mai detto. Lui le cose le dimostra, non si perde in inutili parole.

Quando è entrato nella nostra famiglia, era già grande, i miei l’hanno adottato un giorno di quattro anni fa. E dal primo momento in cui ci siamo guardati, è come se fossimo stati sempre fratelli.

Mio padre dice che l’amore, in qualunque sua forma, è proprio questo: due anime che si riconoscono, tra miliardi di anime.

Non so nulla della sua storia prima che entrasse in casa nostra, ma mi piacerebbe sapere se era amato quanto lo amiamo noi.

E perché si sia ritrovato solo.

So che un giorno lo scoprirò, e che quel segreto mi farà piangere. Perché allora capirò quei momenti di malinconia in cui ogni tanto lo trovo perso.

Ma anche se non conosco la sua storia, sento che il suo mondo è così simile al mio, da potercelo scambiare.

Noi abbiamo diviso tutto, fin dal primo momento: i giochi, il letto, i genitori. Le bravate. Lui è un complice perfetto, non fa mai la spia e mi dà fiducia assoluta.

Ogni volta che gli propongo qualcosa, è sempre pronto a seguirmi. Come se non avesse mai di meglio da fare che stare con me, come se fossi io il suo meglio.

E questo mi fa sentire la persona più importante al mondo.

Una delle sue passioni più grandi è il cibo, ad ogni pasto mangerebbe fino a scoppiare, come se non si saziasse mai. Ma nonostante questa sua debolezza, non è grasso, e si mantiene in forma perché è un tipo sportivo.

Corre tutti i giorni e nuota appena ne ha la possibilità.

Quando vede una qualunque distesa d’acqua, che sia il mare, un lago o un fiumiciattolo, lui si butta e comincia a nuotare, come se fosse la cosa più naturale del mondo.

La scorsa estate al mare ha salvato anche un paio di bambini che stavano per essere trascinati via dalla corrente.

Lui li ha visti per primo, e si è buttato in mare senza nessuna esitazione, senza nessuna paura, riportandoli a riva sani e salvi, tra gli applausi commossi e increduli di tutti i bagnanti.

Quando sono in ospedale, è lui che mi manca più di ogni altra cosa al mondo. La sua contagiosa allegria. Le risate che mi fa fare. Quel suo modo speciale di essermi vicino, sempre.

So che quando sto male, lui non soffre per me, ma con me, e allora il dolore si divide, ed è come se facesse meno male.

E quando sono felice, lui non è felice per me, ma è felice con me, e allora qualunque felicità si moltiplica e diventa ancora più grande.

Pochi al mondo sanno esserci, come lui.

Un giorno, dopo un’anestesia, lo vidi stare male, trascinarsi a terra stremato, guardarmi con gli occhi sbarrati, tremare e cercare con tutte le forze il mio aiuto.

Io non potevo fare nulla per salvarlo, allora mi feci mettere a terra vicino a lui e l’abbracciai più forte che potei, finché non riprese le forze.

Lo aspettai.

Mi ha insegnato lui a farlo.

Guardandolo, ogni giorno imparo qualcosa...

La dignità, la lealtà, il coraggio, il rispetto, la riconoscenza, il perdono. L’amore.

Ah, dimenticavo… lui non è una persona,

è un cane, anzi un labrador,

ma per me non fa nessuna differenza.

E’ il fratello migliore che potessi avere.

I fratelli non si scelgono, ma se si potessero scegliere, pure in altre mille vite,

io sceglierei lui.