Day bled into night, and Ezra and Remi made their way to the house. After taking a shower and putting his laptop to charge, Ezra sat on his bed shirtless, a cigar between his lips, and his head was thrown back. Music played softly in the background, and the man fell into total equanimity. Remi walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and another hanging over his head.

When the boy's eyes landed on Ezra, his mouth went dry, and his eyes fell on his grey sweats, roseate staining his face, and the tip of his ears. Sensing the boy's presence, Ezra fluttered his eyes open and looked at him. He, too, examined the boy for a few seconds before he stood up.

"What would you like for dinner?" He asked, removing the cigarette from his lips. Remi turned his head away and gulped.

"I don't know," he replied weakly. Ezra raised an eyebrow and blew out a wisp of silver-grey smoke.

"Great. There are fresh clothes on the bed." Ezra left the room, shutting the door behind him. He would be lying if he said that the image of the boy half-naked before him didn't tie his stomach in a knot, but being the oldest and more mature person between them, he ignored the vehement feeling.

Heading towards the kitchen, Ezra pulled out two eggs from the fridge and a packet of ramen from the box next to it. Turning on the stove, he filled two small pots with water and placed the ramen in one and the eggs in another. Halfway through boiling, Ezra leaned against the sink and shut his eyes with folded arms. With the cigarette between his lips, he felt at ease, and for a man who constantly wrote, he needed that. He craved tranquility.

Remi soon came down with an oversized white T-shirt and grey sweatpants. Pulling on the sleeves of the shirt, his bare toes met each other as he awkwardly stared at Ezra.

"Sit down," Ezra told him, and he obliged.

Remi's eyes remained glued to Ezra, and he watched how he pulled his cigar from his mouth with his index and middle finger before blowing out a cloud of smoke. The question he had been wearing on his lips for hours bit at his tongue, and he found himself giving in.

"Why did you save me?"

That caught Ezra's attention, and the man opened his eyes to see Remi frowning deeply. When blue and brown met, Remi forced his eyes away.

"Don't tell me it's basically witnessing a murder. That's not the real reason," he said, and Ezra raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"And how would you know that?" Ezra asked him, watching how the boy shifted uneasily underneath his gaze.

"You were angry," Remi replied.

"A normal person would be." Ezra unfolded his arms and positioned them behind him. Remi was quick to retaliate.

"But not in the way that you were."

Silence fell between them, and Ezra chortled, making Remi's face to flush a bright shade of pink. The boy inwardly chided himself for being embarrassed. He loathed that about himself, but Ezra found it quite entertaining to watch the boy crumble beneath him.

And again, Remi asked, "Why did you save me?"

Realizing that he wouldn't let this go, Ezra's amusement left him, but he remained silent until the boy looked at him.

Clenching his teeth, Ezra finally replied, "My brother."

Remi furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Roughly pulling the cigar out of his mouth, Ezra sucked his teeth and let out a fury puff from his nostrils.

"God, this is insipid," he muttered beneath his breath and dropped the cigar, crushing it beneath his slipper. Pulling out another from his pocket, he placed it next to the stove's fire before allowing his lips to hug it.

"I had a younger brother," Ezra said through clenched teeth. Remi's chest tightened, already having an idea of where the man was going.

Ezra tangled his long fingers with his hair and tugged on it out of frustration. He never had time to talk or think about the situation since he left home. He drowned himself with poetry, cigarettes, and coffee, hoping that those three drugs would save him from having to deal with the pain he tried his best to escape, but the universe found some way to remind him of the past, and he hated that. He hated how the world worked. He hated that he saved Remi, and most of all, he despised his anger towards saving him.

"He wasn't . . . He wasn't a small fellow. He weighed more than his friends, and because of that, he got bullied. I didn't know about it because whenever he returned home, he'd always have a smile on his face. That's one thing about him; he always smiled. He never frowned — not for anything or anyone." Ezra let out a shaky breath, and Remi's eyes began to burn.

"One day, he didn't come home. I was so worried that something might have happened to him. It was just the two of us at home. Our dad was in the military, and he passed away on the job. Our mom was a nurse, so she had to take care of our grandmother after she became bedridden, so she was barely at home. I was old enough, so she trusted me to stay home alone with him."

"I called the police that same night, and luckily, it was one of my dad's friends who helped with finding him. If it weren't for him, I would've waited another day, and who knows what might have happened if we waited that long." Ezra sighed out smoke, feeling his fingers tremble and his body becoming cold.

Licking his lips, he continued, "When we found him, he was still alive, but he wasn't the same little boy I saw leave the house that morning to go to school. He was bruised inside and out."

"Where did you find him?" Remi choked out, his throat clenching.

A wary smile was painted on Ezra's lips as he replied, "At the beach."

Remi's breath caught in his throat, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Was it the one we . . . " he couldn't finish his sentence. Melancholy closed up his throat, and it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest.

"Yep, the very one we met at," Ezra confirmed his suspicions. Shakily, Remi's hand came up to his face, and he wiped his cheek with a balled fist as Ezra continued speaking.

"He refused to speak to me after that. I guess he was ashamed of himself. I never found out the reason why he was ashamed, but a few weeks later, it all made sense."

Shit, Remi inwardly swore.

"How . . . How long has it been?" He asked as his fists gripped his sweats.

"One year, two months," Ezra replied. Remi's lips parted in silent sobs, and he lowered his head. Ezra pushed himself off the sink and went over to the boy, his face softening as he placed his palm on his head.

"The night I saw you walking towards the ocean, I saw him. When you went into the ocean and didn't come up, I panicked. What human being wouldn't?" Ezra smiled softly, feeling the boy shake beneath him.

"It was like watching my brother die all over again," Ezra whispered, and his heart wrenched. Guilt ate at Remi, and he found himself continuously apologizing.

"I-I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry."

Ezra's shoulders slumped as he engulfed Remi in his seat, the boy's head resting on his stomach. Shakily, Remi wrapped his arms around Ezra and bawled. His sobs broke the walls around Ezra's heart, and all the anger he had for Remi before left and was replaced with pity.

Running his finger through Remi's curls, Ezra pulled away and lifted his chin with his index finger. Cupping his face, Ezra wiped his teary cheek with his thumb before pulling a chair next to him, immediately pulling him back in for another hug.

"I want you to call your brother. I know it will be hard to do so, but you need to," Ezra spoke softly. Remi sniffed and tightened his grip on Ezra.

"But, I-"

"Look at me," Ezra cut him off, and Remi obliged.

With a soft smile, Ezra said, "Don't let my story turn into your brother's life."

Just as those words left Ezra's mouth, a tear freed itself from Remi's eye. Nodding, he looked down.

"Can I call him now?" He asked. Ezra nodded and gently pulled away to get up from his seat. Heading towards the living room, Ezra grabbed his cellphone before returning to the kitchen.

"Do you want me to stay?" Ezra asked as he handed the boy his phone. Before he even finished his sentence, Remi nodded, and Ezra leaned against the counter as the boy dialed his brother's number.

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This is supposed to be a short story, and most of the damn chapters are more than 1000 words T^T

But do we give a crap?

No, we do not give a crap ^-^

Anyway, Genki?