It feels and looks like nature. Cozy, full of earthy colors, and easy on the eyes.

The ivory paint on the wall complements the furniture's shades of light blue. Indoor cacti and shrubs in ceramic flowerpots are arranged on wall shelves on either side of and above the flat-screen television.

In the corner near the door to the dining room hangs a painting of the sky that depicts the day and the night. It's an image of sunshine on the upper left and a full moon on the lower right. He recalls seeing this one on the painter's art page.

The artist titled this particular creation 'Le Soleil et La Lune.' However, their friends teased him and advised him not to be embarrassed about showing his love for his sister. They claimed to know that the painting's real name is 'Helios and Selene.' And yes, this piece was Poll's birthday gift to Tem last year.

Eujae lets his eyes travel around, scanning the other displays in the area. He had been in this place one time when he had to finish a group presentation with Risa and Tem for one of their major subjects, but he didn't get the chance to survey the general appearance of the room then.

His eyes are drawn to a big portrait picture of a family of four that hangs above the long sofa. Scrutinizing the frame, he tries to estimate the canvas's dimensions. It is around one and a half feet wide by two feet long. As he continues to stare at the painting, Eujae wonders how long it took for the artwork of this size to be finished. A significant amount of time and dedication must have been invested in it.

He shifts his gaze downward and catches sight of the little inscriptions in the bottom left corner of the picture. With the urge to get a better look at it, Eujae approaches the painting. Nevertheless, once he begins to examine the script, he realizes that the proximity is futile. Even with his contact lenses on, the scribbles are impossible to read.

It is not as if he needs to decipher the illegible cursive letters to know that it's Poll's signature, but what he is curious about is the date written underneath it. He wants to know how old Poll was when he painted this piece.

Right on cue, the answer is given by someone behind him, "Amazing, isn't it? My boy painted it when he was fifteen."

Fifteen. That was five or six years ago, and Poll was probably in his tenth grade at that time.

Turning around, Eujae greets the mother of the Torres twins with a smile. "It is, Auntie. It must have taken Apollo some time to finish it."

"He did," Amelia confirms. She looks up at the object of the conversation and takes a few steps to stand next to the young man. "This took him more than half a year to finish in between school and the few art commissions he accepted. It was also the first portrait painting that he created. He used to only draw those cartoon characters he loved to watch or paint landscapes and objects."

The gratification in her voice is unmistakable, a telltale sign of her pride for her son.

Eujae glances at the older woman before he goes back to studying the piece. Given he doesn't have any talent for drawing, he is by no means qualified to comment on its technical aspects. But he can at least say that the artist must have loved making this one. Through the image, he can sense how much Poll cares for the subjects of this particular creation.

Like any other artist, creating art must be one of Apollo's outlets and love languages. The male Torres twin can indeed be awkward at showing his feelings sometimes, especially when it matters the most, but there is no denying that he doesn't hold back once he expresses himself through his artwork.

"Apollo's talented, isn't he?" Eujae mutters and then gives his friends' mother another smile. "And I have to say that a large part of it must be thanks to the support he got from his parents."

The older woman lets out a soft laugh, before asking, "And what makes you say that, young man?"

"Because it's the truth, Auntie. I know some people who never had the chance to flourish with their talents simply because they never got proper validation from their own families," Eujae answers with a soft expression. Once more, he looks back at Poll's painting. "I remember when we were kids, Lia used to draw stuff on the wall of their house with her crayons, but instead of admonishing her for it, my aunt and uncle decided to buy her coloring books and help her practice with them instead. They also bought her colored chalks and installed a large blackboard in her room so she could draw on it anytime she wanted. If her parents had acted differently at that time, if they had told her she was just being naughty and wasting her time on useless things, I wonder if my cousin would have still grown into the talented artist that she is now. I think Lia's case is the same as Apollo's."

Eujae turns his eyes to Amelia when he doesn't receive a reaction from her. The hard stare that the older woman is giving him suddenly makes him feel embarrassed. On reflex, his palm glides to the back of his neck as his mouth curves into a diffident grin. "Sorry, Auntie. Did I say too much?"

"No, of course not. It's rather nice hearing younger people's perspectives on topics like this," Amelia replies, the light tone of her voice reassuring the young man.

Lowering his hand, Eujae focuses his attention on the older woman as she begins recounting a story.

"Well, I don't remember my Poll drawing on the walls of our house. He did, however, doodle so much on his notebooks that his teacher asked me to advise him not to do it on his homework and lecture notes. He also made Tem cry at one point because he drew all over her illustration books. And when their dad bought him a drawing pad the next day, my little Poll gave the first picture he drew on it to his sister to say sorry." Nostalgia fills the mother's eyes and voice as she asks her children's friend, "Cute, wasn't he?"

Still is, Eujae thinks but opts not to voice it out. Uncertain of what to comment, he keeps quiet.

Amelia must have understood his silence, so she prompts, "How about your parents, Eujae?"

The question brings about reminiscences of his childhood and of the days before he went to college. He harks back to the time when his Ma used to doll him up in different costumes even when it was not Halloween, and when his Pa would tell him different fantasy stories. There was no doubt that his parents tried to influence him into loving theater plays, but not once did they force him to do something against his will.

He actually enjoyed doing the dress-ups with his mother when he was a little boy because he could transform into any character he wanted just by wearing the costumes—a royalty, a knight, a doctor, a mage, a vampire, a cute dog. He could be anyone or anything, and it made him feel like he was the most powerful kid at that time.

He also loved it every time his father sat him on his lap and read him children's novels. It was his father who introduced him to stories like The Little Prince or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, long before he could learn to read and fully comprehend the messages and plot of a book. Sometimes, Neil would even write tales about dragons or a little robot boy from the future, just for Eujae.

Those activities he did with his Ma and Pa when he was young might not have driven him to choose a career in theater arts and follow his parents' footsteps, but they sure helped him discover two of his favorite things to do—styling himself and reading books.

"They're good people, Auntie Amy. And very supportive too," Eujae replies in a wistful voice, remembering the day he told his parents that he wanted to take a business course, and they accepted it without questions, without imposing their dreams on him. "My parents believe that young people will do best for themselves if they are encouraged to pursue their passion. That, and every child is unique. It was them who taught me this quote: 'Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.'"

He takes a brief look at the older woman beside him. Noting the thoughtful expression she has while listening to him, Eujae takes it as a sign to continue, "A lot of people could have grown into great photographers, writers, or musicians. Or painters like Apollo and Lia. Instead, they grew up thinking they were idiots and talentless because they could not excel in something that was forced upon them. They could have been the most talented artists, but they never made headway because their families wanted them to become something else like doctors, lawyers, engineers, or architects."

"Hey, my parents didn't force me to take architecture."

At the sound of another person's voice, Eujae grins. He turns to the entrance, only to be met by the sight of Cloud, who is carrying boxes and paper bags in his hands.

Foods and gifts, Eujae assumes.

"I know Mr. Future Architect. I was not talking about you," he states before walking to his friend to help him with the loads.

"Thanks, mate," Cloud expresses, as Eujae takes the smaller boxes off him. He then directs his attention to the older woman. "Hello, Auntie. Am I late?"

"Not at all, dear." With a smile, Amelia shakes her head. She gestures at Eujae, adding, "This young man here is just early."

Cloud nods and then returns his eyes to the said young man. Glancing behind Eujae, he asks, "Did you not come with Lia, Eujae? And where are the birthday celebrants?"

"I did. I left Tem and Lia talking in the dining area earlier. As for Apollo, well..." Eujae sends the older woman a brief, inquisitive look before looking back at his friend, "I haven't seen him yet either."

Amelia saunters near the young men as she explains, "That boy is still in his studio. I already told him to get out of there and attend to his friends, but I don't know what he's doing that he still hasn't come out. I'll get him. You, lads, go to the dining room first while we're waiting for your other friends."

Just as she walks away to presumably go to her son's studio, Cloud and Eujae do as they were directed and join Lia and Tem at the dining area. It isn't long after that when Nick and Risa arrive.

Shortly, the birthday boy also enters the room.

Eujae can't help but grin when Poll chooses to sit next to him. Staring at the male twin, he notices the black spot on his cheek.

"Hey, what have you been doing? There's something on your face," he points out softly, reaching to rub the smear under Poll's left eye with his thumb. Once he's made sure he's wiped it all off the male twin's face, he stares at his finger to examine the smudge. It looks like dark powder. Fine and smooth. Jet-black and glossy. "Charcoal?" he asks, looking at Poll curiously.

"Graphite," Poll corrects with a mumble. "I just finished a portrait drawing."

Eujae nods, pretending to understand the difference between graphite and charcoal. In his mind, all drawing pencils are the same. In any case, he knows better than to argue with the experts in the field.

He then remembers when Ten-Ten told him a few days ago that he wanted to complete an art project as soon as possible. It must be that portrait Poll just mentioned. Seeing as how he tried to rush it today, Eujae guesses it's another birthday gift for his twin sister.

"Where's, Auntie? Is she not going to join us?"

Risa's sudden question pulls Eujae's focus away from Poll. Looking around the area, he confirms that the older woman is indeed not with them.

"Went out to the store but didn't say what she was gonna buy," Poll answers, picking up a plate. "She said we could eat first."

One by one, everyone also starts taking their plates and putting the dishes of their choice on them.

In the middle of their meal, Nick asks, "Who brought the buffalo wings, guys?"

"Eujae did," Lia answers on her cousin's behalf before she pushes a forkful of macaroni and cheese into her mouth.

Nick takes his eyes away from the certain chicken dish and turns them to Eujae. "Oh, I was about to ask where you ordered it because I may visit the place some other time. But now, I'm guessing you made it yourself."

Since he is still chewing food in his mouth, Eujae can't say anything, so he only smirks at his friend. Sensing the male twin's gaze on him, he turns to meet his eyes. A satisfied smile forms over his lips when he notices that Poll also seems to be taking delight in the foods he brought, judging by the items on his plate.

Their moment in their own little world gets interrupted once again when Tem speaks, "So, aside from the cake, you also brought us buffalo wings. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that someone here loves sweet and spicy foods. I see how it is, Eujae."

Acknowledging his friend, he sees her raising a questioning brow at him.

Eujae chuckles, understanding what she is trying to imply, and chooses to play along. "C'mon, Tem. I may not be a big fan of sweets, but I am at least aware that cake is a must on many occasions, so I decided to bring one on your and Apollo's birthday. As for the buffalo wings, it was out of force of habit since I often make the dish every time I want to celebrate something. I prefer my food spicy too, and I might have forgotten that some people don't like them."

"Well, it's not like I am not fine with spicy food. I am just saying that it's kind of suspicious that the foods you brought seem to suit a certain twin's taste perfectly. Oh, and the cake is chocolate flavored." Without taking her curious gaze off her friend, Tem takes a bite of the buffalo wings as if to prove her initial statement.

Amused, Eujae retorts, "Chocolate is the most popular cake flavor, and I could not be bothered to think of anything else since, as I said, I am not a big fan of them."

"Uh-huh." Tem picks up a fresh carrot stick and inspects it before returning the interested glance to Eujae. "And you were thoughtful enough to replace the celery with carrots and cucumbers. I seem to remember someone here who hates celery with a passion."

"Are you talking about me? Because I hate a lot of green side dish vegetables, including celery." Throughout their entire exchange, this must be the most honest thing that Eujae has uttered. He does despise celery in his food, as well as other leafy vegetables such as spinach and mustard green.

"Cucumber is green," Risa butts in and crunches a cucumber slice.

Giving his attention to his other companions at the table, Euaje realizes that they are now all staring at him with expectant eyes, as if they are waiting for him to throw his comeback. They don't even bother to hide the pleasure on their faces, as they appear to be having a good time listening to his and Tem's repartees.

Eujae provides his argument to Risa first. "I said I hate a lot of green vegetables, Risa, not all of them. And botanically speaking, cucumber is a fruit." He then looks back at the female Torres twin, sending her a lopsided smile. "Stop thinking that I am being partial, Tem. I also brought your favorite mac and cheese, didn't I?"

"Oh, right. Thank you," Tem replies, sounding like she's conceding. But then, she adds, "Even though, I was just obviously an afterthought."

There is no need for a counterargument from Eujae this time when Poll decides to pause from eating and speak against his twin sister. "Stop complaining, Tem. Cloud also brought all your favorite foods. Every year on our birthdays, he always gave you the best gifts and only bought me one as an afterthought, but you never heard me say anything about it."

"I am not complaining, Poll. I am just voicing out my observations."

As it seems like he can no longer stay as an onlooker, Cloud chimes in, "Let me also say something in my defense," he begins with a chuckle. "I just thought I was doing the normal thing by giving the best to my girlfriend, but I didn't realize that I was already making my little brother-in-law feel like he was just an add-on. I'll make it up for you, next time, okay, Poll? I'll buy you your favorite food the next time we go out together. How does that sound?"

Eujae watches as the male twin grimaces at his sister's boyfriend.

"I didn't ask you to. I can buy them for myself. And what even makes you think that I want to go with you two again? The last time the three of us went out, all you did was be sickly sweet to each other in front of me, and you made me feel like throwing my crepe on you," Poll complains.

Shaking his head in amusement, Eujae picks up his glass of lemonade.

Next to Tem, Lia smiles at Poll pleasantly. With an equally sweet voice, she asks, "Then why didn't you?"

I bet he thought that would be a waste of sweets, Eujae muses while he drinks his lemonade. He grins against the glass once he hears Poll's answer.

"The crepe was delicious. Why would I be wasting my food on stupid lovebirds like them?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Somehow, they end up alone in the living room.

Their friends and the twins' mother are currently looking around at the vegetable garden at the back of the Torres house. Eujae was supposed to be with them if not for Poll stopping him earlier and saying he had something important to talk about.

That's why only the two of them are here, sitting on the sofa.

Eujae observes Poll as the latter keeps shooting him nervous glances. Every time Eujae catches him doing that, Poll tends to look down and fiddle with the string of the paper bag in his hands. Despite declaring that he had something important to talk about, he has yet to say a word to Eujae.

Understanding Poll's awkwardness, Eujae takes the initiative to open the conversation. "So... You want to tell me something?"

Without a word, Poll hands the paper bag to Eujae.

"What's this?" Albeit hesitantly, Eujae accepts the bag as he takes notice of how tense Poll looks. "It's your birthday, but why am I the one who's receiving something?"

Poll looks Eujae in the eye as he explains, "You made me chocolate muffins before and said it was your peace offering to me, so I am giving that to you in return."

Once the content of the paper bag is revealed, Eujae finds himself staring at the black-and-white image of himself on a standard-size paper. It's easy to tell that Poll got the reference from one of the few selfies that Eujae posted on his social media. In the picture, he had a solemn expression and was resting his chin on his fist.

Eujae brushes his fingers against the photo frame's glass and regards the pencil strokes. The whole drawing looks neat, and it speaks volumes about the artist's meticulousness when creating it.

His disbelieving gaze meets Poll's expectant one. "I think this is too much as an exchange for a few muffins," Eujae breathes, his voice just as incredulous.

So, this is what kept him busy for the previous days. Euja was certain Poll was preparing a present for his sister.

"It's also a thank-you gift," Poll tells him. "You know... when you stayed with me when Mom got sent to the hospital. I don't think I have properly thanked you for that. I wanted to give you a book, but I don't know which stories you prefer to read. Then I remembered that you personally made me the muffins, even though you don't really bake. That was when I thought I'd make you something too."

His thoughtfulness lights a fire, sending warmth that starts in Eujae's chest and spreads across his whole being.

"Thank you. This is beautiful. I mean, the drawing, but that's not to say the subject is not." His smile turns into a snicker, seeing the disapproving pout and scowl on Poll's face. "Now, all joking aside, you're indeed a great artist, Apollo."

"Even though, you said before that my art was filled with profanities since I was creative with coming up with insults?" Poll questions, the sulky expression remaining on his face.

Eujae manages another easy grin as he gently pinches Poll's left cheek. "Let's forget all about it, alright? I was just annoyed at you at that time because you kept calling me different unpleasant names. But you said it yourself, didn't you? That people tend to say things they don't even mean when they're mad." He moves his hand to mess up the other man's hair, stopping only when he remembers something. "Ah, that's right. I got you something too."

With much care, Eujae places the portrait drawing on the coffee table before reaching behind him to get the thing that he hid earlier beside the outside arm of the sofa.

Instantly, as Eujae takes out the purple plushie that looks like a large jelly blob, the grumpiness slides off Poll's face.

"It's Ditto!" the male twin exclaims and readily welcomes the stuffed toy in his arms.

"Ditto?" Eujae asks, relishing the view of Poll squeezing the soft doll. "I thought its name was Metamon. That's what's written on the receipt."

Snuggling his cheek against the toy, Poll tilts his head and blinks at Eujae. Even he appears confused for a brief moment until realization reflects in his round, innocent eyes. "I think Metamon is its Japanese name." He puts his concentration back on the thing in his arms. It doesn't take long before he finds the zipper on the plush toy. "Oh, what's this for?"

"There's another one inside," Eujae answers cryptically.

Poll opens the toy and then draws out another plushie from inside. It's a blue-green, animal-looking character with a round belly and a sleeping face.

"Whoa, it's Snorlax!" Poll stares at it fondly, holding it in front of him as someone would a baby. "This is so cool! Like the real thing. Ditto in anime can also transform into any other pokemon or anything."

Contentment blossoms inside Eujae as he listens to Poll talk excitedly, although he doesn't fully comprehend what the male twin is saying. He was only a kid the last time he watched Pokemon, after all, and the only character he remembers is Pikachu. Then again, who doesn't know Pikachu?

Just when Eujae thinks that the moment couldn't be better, Poll turns to him with a twinkle in his brown eyes.

"This is so cute, Eujae."

The way he says his name is already something. Add a smile to that, and it's a double kill.

Eujae's pulse picks up the pace as he watches Poll beam at him. Caught off guard, he can only gape at the unexpected image. For a while, he wonders if it is yet another dream.

As it gradually becomes clear to him that he is awake in the real world, things start to go out of rhythm.

His surroundings waver. Time decelerates as the hands of the clock falter. It is as if the rest of the world has forgotten to move. Everything slacks up. Everything, but his heart which can't seem to calm down.

The more he stares, the more Eujae finds it hard to take his eyes off Poll's radiant smile.

The male twin's face shines, bright and pretty like the cloudless daylight sky.

He has seen this expression before. It is something that Apollo has shown to a lot of people. Something that he has never offered to Eujae until now. And something that Eujae used to wish he would also receive.

He now understands the unpleasant emotion that often occurred to him every time he saw Poll looking happy with others. It is now obvious what that feeling is.

The green-eyed monster, as Shakespeare called it. Jealousy.

All those times, Eujae had just been envious because he wanted Poll to smile at him too.

Perhaps, even then, he already liked Apollo, so he longed for the guy to be genial to him as well. Perhaps the feelings he has for him at present have always been there, long before he even realized them.

Eujae can't tell how many minutes have passed, how long it has been since the gleam in the male twin's eyes astounded him. Still, he can't break away—doesn't want to break away soon—from his dreamy state. After all, he has been waiting for this for a long time, for Poll to look at him with glee on his face.

Right now, Apollo Helios is a marvel to behold.

He looks charming. His smile is arresting. Dazzling like the light and warm like the sun.

And Eujae concludes that, truly, undoubtedly, he's befitting to be named after the celestial gods.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

AN: It's the Torres twins' birthday in this chapter. It was the author's birthday two days ago, lol. I tried to update then but most of the latest chapters are getting wordy so I have to spend more time writing them. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that we're getting closer to the climax. With that said, please bear with me and the story for a little while.

Oh, and happy 10k reads! Thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting this story from the start and is still here. <3 I didn't really think people would stay with me this far. You, guys, are the real champs!