Morning came, and the sunlight peeked through the small spaces between the blinds. It showered the man sleeping on the bed, nearly exposing his morning face. The strands of his black hair dandle along with his fingers as he brushed it up.
He rubbed his eyes and yawned. It's still morning and yet he's already feeling sluggish. He checked the time on his digital clock placed on the desk. It's 8 am in the morning.
Sean left the bed and headed to the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. As soon as he exited the bathroom, a knock resounded behind his door.
It was his butler, saying that the breakfast was already served to the dining table.
Sean pulled a simple black shirt from his closet. He fixed his beddings real quick and headed outside.
Today was Saturday, and he was planning to go somewhere. He trudged downstairs and made his way to the dining hall. However, when he was about to take another step, his expression changed.
Seeing that another person sitting at the table. He couldn't imagine himself eating breakfast with him. A sudden jolt of anger and anguish crawled into his system, that he halted.
Before he halted, their eyes already met.
"Welcome back, big brother," Shaun made a smile, at least to not ruin the guy's mood.
But it was already ruined. He already knew, and these lingering feelings from the past were still fresh in his mind.
Both felt heavy and awkward. As soon as their eyes met, they immediately pulled away.
Sean felt the loss of his appetite as if he's stomach turned upset.
"Sean? Good morning!" The middle-aged woman who welcomed him yesterday patted his back. "You woke up early. Come and join us for breakfast," she smiled and went to the table.
Sean saw her greeted Shaun the same as him. The smile on their faces so early in the morning felt like suffocating for him.
That anguish burns a fire in his heart. He looked away and stepped back. If he sees this every morning, he'd better just eat outside. He's not going to stay for long, anyway.
Shaun saw the expression in his brother's eyes. He saw him walk away. Even if he wanted to stop Sean and asked him to talk to him just a bit, nothing would change.
It's been almost years since they last laughed with each other. He already forgot that feeling, the feeling of having an older brother whom he tried to protect in the past.
'Everything still went wrong'
It was just like this time when the two of them first met each other. It's the time when he and his mother were spending their ordinary life at the end of summer.
Being the only son was a bit hard. All of her mother's expectations were on him. Shaun was a bright kid since kindergarten. He had the knowledge of a prodigy.
Her mom was an assistant to a gaming company he always dreamed of working for since he was a kid.
The day of his birthday, her mom picked him up from his summer class and told him that they were going to move to a nicer and bigger place.
He recognized the car and the man driving it. It was the man who's giving his mom a genuine smile. Well, he couldn't blame her mom, since he wanted her to be happy.
As they drive and move that day, he encounters someone who also became a part of his new life.
"Shaun, this is your older brother now. His name is Sean" his new father introduced the tall, young man beside him.
Shaun's eyes brightened. "Hello big brother!! I am Shaun!" he innocently felt giddy since it was his first time experiencing having a sibling.
Sean was only two years older than him, however, he respected him so much.
The second day, Shaun found out that Sean was a spoiled kid who only liked to start a fight at school. Always solving problems using his fist. His father thought that the new family he built will help his son, that's why he asked Shaun a favor.
They went to the same school, and every afternoon Shaun will be looking for Sean to ask him to go home together.
"What are you doing here? Go away!"
One afternoon, Shaun found Sean at the back of the school, hanging out with some bully kids from his class.
Sean was strong, but he still managed to have bruises and cuts after that fight. He was crouching on the ground with his dirty uniform, frowning and cursing.
"Brother Sean, let's go home," Shaun extended his hand despite those words thrown into him.
Sean immediately slapped his hand away and stood up, brushing his pants. He knew that he's the older one and yet he's acting childish now. Who cares? His father was too busy at work that he even managed to get a new wife with a kid.
It made Sean's blood boil more. Just by looking at Shaun made his chest heavy.
He tugged his bag on his shoulders and walked away, completely ignoring the other guy.
Shaun followed him behind until they reached the bench near the parking lot, where they waited for their driver to pick them up.
"Are you alright?" Shaun leaned closer and scanned the young man's appearance. He saw the bruises on Sean's hands. "Did you win again in the fight?" He asked because he knew that his older brother always wins.
"Stop talking to me," Sean gave him a cold shoulder.
Shaun stay put in his seat and rummaged through something inside his bag. He took out the band aid he asked from the school nurse earlier.
He peeled it and took Sean's hands, plastering it on his knuckles.
Surprised, the other young man yanked his hand away. "What the fuck are you doing?!" he cursed out.
"I am taking care of you," Shaun said, zipping his bag. "Dad told me to look after you at school, even though I'm the younger one here. I know you hate me, but I know you have your reasons." he sighed.
He stood up and ruffled Sean's hair. "I don't care if you win or lose, I just want you to take care of yourself too." he giggled.
"Having a cool older brother was enough to make me feel that I'm not alone anymore,"