[ELLIS' POV]
"Look, El, the Crane Machine that I've played before! Do you remember this?" He says.
He looks like a kid with an adorable face when he saw the Crane Machine. But people wouldn't know that he's already a grown-up. Looking at his outfit, he looks like a teenager.
"Do you always dressed up like that?" I asked.
"Why? Is there something wrong with my style?" He proudly said and continues, "This is the way I dress."
He's wearing a large-sized hoodie, knee-length shorts, yellow socks, and sneakers.
His hair is messy and kind of suits him.
"Nothing. You looked like a teenager more than me." I said and he pats my head.
"Really? Awww that's sweet, my little brother. As you know, I'm still young."
I rolled my eyes at him while he's playing the Crane Machine.
"Let's make a bet. If I win in this first round, you will hug me. And if you win, I will hug you."
"W-what kind of game is that?" I asked.
"Hugging Game. Come on, El, you always hug me whenever you feel like it."
"That was before."
"But we can bring that back." He smiles.
I sigh.
"Okay, that's a deal! Here it goes..."
Every conversation we have, that Griffin guy is looking at us and hearing everything we're talking about.
Is that even normal?
"Griffin, can you buy us some more tokens?" Eros smiles and he gives cash to Griffin guy and he went inside to buy.
"He's weird," I said.
He chuckles, "He's always like that. But, he's older than me, so we should respect him."
"What? Older? How old?" I'm surprised.
"He's 31 years old."
"Does he have a girlfriend, wife, or children?"
"None. He lives by himself." He says.
"Oh. But he looks young."
"El, you should talk more about me..." He says and he's getting something from beneath and brought out a stuffed pig, he hands it to me and I was surprised, seeing him getting it.
I'm about to get the stuffed pig when he touches my hand and pulls me against his chest.
I was surprised by his sudden move, I cannot resist his big arms wrapping around my back.
I can feel that he's smiling.
"This is amazing." He says and he's hugging me tightly, I still remember his warm hug from before, it's the same hug.
"Can you feel it?" He asked.
"W-what?" I whisper.
"Our hearts are connected."
My eyes suddenly widen as he said those things. How is it so easy for him to say those things out loud? How is it so easy, Eros?
He lets go of me and looks at me, "I'm not going to leave you again, El."
His eyes are beautiful, there's meaning through them. I may not know what's inside his brain but looking at his eyes means something.
"W-whatever," I answered and I looked away.
"Eros, here's the change." Suddenly Griffin guy went to us and gave back Eros' change.
Griffin guy looks at me like he's going to kill me any second now. He just gave me a death stare.
"Thanks." Eros said.
"Let's go play other games."
He holds my arm and takes me to other arcade games, there are a few people inside, but it's not that crowded anymore like before.
——-
"You know, it's not that hard to talk."
I say to him while we're watching Eros playing basketball and he said, "It's better to keep quiet than to be mistaken."
I looked at him and he's serious. He has a good-looking face and built but, he hides it through his mouth.
I think, he doesn't show off.
"How about action?"
"Action?"
I nodded, "Are you into action?"
"No."
"Really?"
"I only watch suspense and sometimes romance." He answered.
I chuckle, "No, not movies. I mean, you don't talk, right? So, you have done things in action."
"Maybe." He plainly said.
"But, how did you and Eros become friends?"
"He's quiet and calm, we both have similar behavior but now, he's more talkative when time goes on."
I smile.
"So, he changed," I whisper.
"Where did you guys meet?"
"Hey!" We heard Eros' shouted.
"You have to play too!" He added.
"Okay, I'm coming! Griffin will play too."
"No, I will not-" Before he says anything, I cut him off and pulls him to play with Eros and me.
"Go, Griffin!" Eros cheered.
"Try it!"
The balls went out and the timer goes on.
"Get the ball!"
"Shoot it!"
Griffin gets the ball and shoots it, awkwardly.
He scores!
"Woah!"
"Another one!"
I've never thought that I could enjoy these, with them, even though Griffin is a new friend, but Eros... he's still having his smile but really, he became more talkative which is a good thing.
I smile.
"He's smiling!" Eros said, pointing at Griffin.
"I'm not." He seriously answered.
I laugh.
——-
"Is this your place?" Eros said as he saw my condominium.
"Umm... it's a small place, I just live alone, so, it's okay to have a small space." Is that too redundant?
"You've grown-up, El." He smiles and he pats my head again like I did a good job.
"It's because of you, Ros," I say to him.
He looks at me like he misheard something.
"Uhmm... well, when you left, I-I become independent. So, yeah, it's because of you."
I don't even know what to say to him.
He already knows my place, my work, and me.
What can I hide from him?
Fuck.
I still have a boyfriend.
Also, my preference which he thought was a joke. I will tell him that but not today.
"El, before, I'm sorry." He says.
"I may not know the real reason, Ros, I still can't hide the fact that you're still my brother."
He smiles, "And always will be."
"Um, okay, so, I-I should go, t-thanks for the ride."
"Okay, take care." He says.
Before I go, I want to say something to him.
"Ros?"
He quickly turns around, "Yeah?"
"Don't leave me again."
I know he didn't expect me to say that to him again but, yeah, I finally did.
He smiles and I think his eyes are becoming watery, I should go.
"I will not leave you again." He responds.
As soon as he responds, I immediately run to my condominium like a kid and got inside.
My heart is beating fast and tonight, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. I still have doubts, confusion when it comes to what I truly feel for him, but I will understand it soon enough.
I need to.
Fuck.
"I forgot about what happened in the office."
——-
[EROS' POV]
I sat on my sofa and lean against it.
There are so many emotions going around me today and it made me control it completely.
Hanging out with Ellis again made me feel like a brother again and it made me realized that I'm still going to be his big brother for the rest of his life.
"Thank you, Griffin, for being a friend today."
I said to him as he sat on the sofa as well.
"You did give me a hard time."
I chuckle, "But you enjoyed it."
He stood up and went to the kitchen.
"Do you want something to drink?" He asked.
"Maybe a beer, if I have one there."
What triggers me the most today is when I gave Ellis the satisfaction he deserved, in his office, which totally, was mindblown.
I didn't know why I did that but it just happened, quick and satisfying.
I still remember the way he moans for my touch, for every move I make for him, it turned me on.
I was surprised that I did that, I don't feel guilty at all, maybe because... I want that to happen again.
"Eros, you got a boner."
I sit up straight and looked at it.
"Sorry, it just happened."
"Here." He says and hands me a canned beer.
"If you're going to be brothers again, are you sure you can keep out your feelings from him?"
He says.
"We're brothers, even if we're not related, we still have the same surname. I have to treat him like a brother." I drink up.
"You didn't answer my question."
"My feelings for him are... like a brother."
"Like a brother?"
"Yes, like a brother," I repeated.
"Why don't you just change surnames and tell him how you feel?"
He's still not satisfied with my answer.
"Griffin, you know why I can't do that, right?"
"You don't want him to go." He answers.
I drink my beer empty.
"I understand." He says.
I sigh, "There are things in life that are far more important than feelings."
He also drinks up.
"How about Eryx?"
"Eryx is a friend."
"Friends with benefits?"
I chuckle, "Eryx and I... we've been best friends since high school and we may have some... accidents happened before, and you already know the rest."
"If Ellis knows... he will not like it, you know that."
"Ellis... he's a soft, sweet, and kind little brother I know. He may change a little, but he's still my little brother that I loved."
"Your point is?"
"That he has to accept it. And he can't have feelings for me."
"Can't?"
"Yeah, can't because I won't let him."
"It's impossible, Eros. You know it is. You show him signs and signals that could mean something to him." He said and he gets another two canned beers for me.
"Griffin, I think you're asking too many questions," I say as I removed my hoodie and get a plain T-shirt from my room.
"Because it's been confusing me these past few days, no, years. So, I want to make sure what you're feelings are."
I am startled as he follows me to my room while saying those words.
"You don't have to follow me here."
He looks at me intensely.
"What is it?" I asked.
He drinks up and empties his.
"I think I'm in love with you, Eros."
——-