"I'll bring him back home before Christmas, Auntie Amy."

Scowling, the male Torres twin gives the man talking to his mother an unimpressed look.

When Eujae invited him last week to watch his parents' play, Poll assumed that they would travel to the next town by public bus. The guy didn't tell him that he would pick him up at their house with a private car.

Now whether they would take a public bus or a private car is not an issue for him, and he would be lying if he said that he didn't prefer the latter. Of course, personal transportation would be much more favorable any day.

So no, he doesn't have a problem with the vehicle. He does, however, have a complaint about the driver. Or about what the driver is doing, talking to his mother about how he would look after him as if he were a minor who needs a guardian wherever he goes.

Poll watches as his mother stands behind Eujae while the man is busy organizing their bags in the gray sedan's trunk.

"I'll leave my Poll to you then, Eujae. Drive carefully, alright?"

"I can take care of myself, Mom," Poll butts in, unable to stand hearing the conversation anymore, "What do you mean you're leaving me to Eujae? Why do you guys talk about me as if I'm a kid who needs to be supervised?"

After closing the rear of the car, Eujae walks to Poll and pulls the white cap off the male twin's head to ruffle his hair. "It's not that we think you can't take care of yourself, Apollo, but since I was the one who invited you, it's only fair to say that I'm responsible for you while we're there."

"Hey! Stop messing with my hair, brat!" Poll snatches his cap back from Eujae and puts it on before crossing his arms across his chest with a huff. "And I am going with you because I want to, so I'm responsible for myself, alright?"

"Now stop arguing, you two," Amelia tells them in a gentle tone. She faces her son's friend and pats his cheek, smiling faintly. "You're a sweet lad, Eujae. Your girlfriend must be lucky to have you."

At that one word, the furrows in between Poll's eyebrows deepen. He glances back and forth between his mother and the other man. His gaze stops at Eujae's face as he tries to gauge his reaction.

Just as Eujae turns to him, Poll averts his eyes and acts indifferent to the topic. Through his side vision, he perceives the man smiling at him. However, he pretends not to notice.

The male twin convinces himself that he is not interested in hearing Eujae's response and that he has no other choice but to listen to the two's conversation; it is not like he wants to know anything about the guy's love life. Yet when the man gives his answer to the older woman and denies that he has a girlfriend, Poll sighs internally as he feels like breathing has become easier.

He looks back at Eujae, only to regret it the instant their gazes meet and he sees the cunning smirk on the man's lips. The impishness extends to his brown and blue eyes, and Poll discerns the glint in them behind the semi-rimless glasses.

Poll opens his mouth to demand that Eujae tell him what he finds amusing, but before he can even get out a word, his mother beats him into shooting questions at the man. "Oh, how come? How can someone as handsome and kind as you not have anyone?"

The mischievous expression slips off Eujae's face just to be replaced by sheepishness. Recognizing the shift, Poll decides to chime in once more. "Mom, so what if he is handsome and kind? Doesn't mean he is required to have anyone. I am handsome and kind too. And I don't have anyone, but is that a big deal for you?"

"This child." Amelia directs her attention to her son. She reaches to pinch the tip of Poll's nose. "Of course you're the cutest and the sweetest, and no, you're not required to find someone if you're not interested or you're not ready yet. I know food, arts and your cartoons–"

"It's anime."

"–are the love of your life at the present." Her eyes light up as she appears to have a thought occur to her. Clasping her hands, she turns back to Eujae and asks the young man, "Could it be that it's the same case for Eujae? You're not looking for someone yet, are you?"

Eujae touches the side of his neck. With an awkward smile, he replies, "Actually, there's this someone, Auntie... we're not dating, but..." He clears his throat before continuing, "I've been planning to..."

Poll tenses, listening to the other man talk about this unknown person. Memories of the conversation he had with Gaele before his and Tem's birthday come back to him. He has almost forgotten about it, but at that time, he also asked his friend if he had started dating. The answer he got then was ambiguous. Now everything makes sense to him.

Because he doesn't want to hear any more about the subject, Poll grabs Eujae's arms, declaring, "This talk has gotten long, Mom. We need to go."

Opening the front door of the car, he practically shoves his friend inside. He walks back to his mother to kiss her on the cheek before running to the car.

Once he settles in the front passenger seat, he notices Eujae's weirded-out expression. To avoid being questioned about his behavior, Poll blurts out the first random topic he can think of. "You're not gonna wear your contacts today?"

"Yeah. It's fine. Since I'll be driving this car instead of my bike, I can just wear my eyeglasses. It's not like I am trying to hide my eyes anyway, although I admit the attention I get whenever I'm out with them in public makes me uneasy most of the time." Eujae adjusts his glasses. With a weak smile, he inquires, "Anyway, do they look weird?"

"No! They're pretty– I mean, pretty cool. I've seen your eyes a few times, and I never thought they were weird."

Smirking, Eujae starts the engine.

It isn't long before they enter the highway, and Poll grabs a pack of marshmallows to divert his attention from the thought that has been nagging him since they left the Torres residence.

He slants a glance at Eujae and then lets out a heavy sigh when the irritating voice persists in his head, badgering him to fire the question to the guy. In the end, he gives in because he thinks it's the only way to shut his mind up.

"So... you're really courting someone, are you?" Poll mutters, but he might as well be asking the marshmallows since his eyes are on them.

"No. Not now at least, but I will be."

Disappointment surfaces in him, and Poll ascribes it to the fact that Gaele didn't admit it to Ten-Ten first, yet Eujae didn't seem to have any problem with letting Poll's mother in on the secret. He's unhappy because he was the first to ask the question, so he thought he should have heard the answer before anyone else, but that wasn't what happened.

That's the only reason he can think of to explain the constriction in his chest and stomach. It's just dissatisfaction toward a friend, nothing more.

"Ah, you're planning to. Then wouldn't it have been better if you had invited that person to come with you today instead of me? It could have been a good chance for you to ask her out."

Poll stuffs his mouth with marshmallows and gets even more upset when not even the sweets can cancel out the bitterness in his mouth.

When he doesn't get any response, he shifts his gaze to Eujae. Despite not seeing his whole profile, he makes out the quirk in the corner of the man's mouth.

Poll squeezes the plastic packaging in his hands, nearly crushing the soft confectioneries. What is this guy pleased about?

"Don't blame me if you don't get another chance like this, okay? It was you who wasted this perfect opportunity."

"Don't worry." Eujae chuckles. "Anyway, we won't be watching the play until six p.m. so we still have plenty of time before that. Let's get some lunch first once we arrive in town. Is there anything particular that you want to do?"

Deciding not to dwell on the unpleasant feelings, the male twin replies, "Do you think we can go to a KTV? We can also eat there."

"KTV... Well, I'm pretty sure we can easily find one, but..." A wince crosses Eujae's face. "I am not exactly fond of those places."

Poll studies Eujae's expression for a while, wondering why he seems averse to the idea. He brightens when the reason comes to him. "Ah, that's right. Because you suck at singing."

With one hand on the steering wheel and eyes still on the road, Eujae stretches his arm in between them to pinch the side of Poll's face. "Is this the mouth that's saying something cheeky?"

Pouting, Poll rubs his cheek. "But I was telling the truth."

Eujae returns his focus to driving. "I guess we can go to a KTV. Since you seem to have no qualms insulting my singing, and you're making it sound like you're so good at karaoke, you're going to sing for me, right, Apollo? I'll take it as your birthday gift for me."

"Are you challenging me?"

When Eujae responds with an affirmative grin, Poll says rather proudly, "Fine, I'll sing you happy birthday songs and show you what real singing is."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The provocation to sing is a trap. And Poll realizes that he has walked right into it.

Backing down on the dare was never in the plan, to begin with. There is no reason for him to call it quits when he has always been pretty confident about his singing. While he may not be on par with the professionals, he has been told a lot that his voice sounds nice and unique when he sings, that its natural texture always manages to add some emotions to the music.

He has never felt so insecure, even when he's the one holding the microphone in the karaoke.

That is, until now.

Poll frowns, his gaze following the text on the television screen. The lyrics come out in a shrinking voice as the male twin becomes more and more conscious with every single second that passes by.

He has been trying to concentrate on the song, but the earnest stare of the man next to him keeps distracting him. Discomfited, Poll tightens his grip around the handheld microphone. Still singing, he sends Eujae a dirty look in the hope that the guy will get the message and stop boring his eyes on him.

Either Eujae can't see well despite his eyeglasses or he is doing everything on purpose, but he keeps watching Poll intently. He seems to be at home as he leans his elbows against the channel back of the black sofa. His right temple rests on his curled hand.

Poll thinks that Eujae is also smiling, but he can't be completely sure if he's seeing it right because the room is dim with only the rainbow-colored led strip lights illuminating it.

Happy birthday to you

This is your day

The male twin continues glaring at Eujae while simultaneously singing him a birthday song and then flushes when he reaches a certain line.

We're gonna love you in every way

He brings his attention back to the television screen, hoping that the faint lighting of the room can help cover up his blush.

After delivering the last line of the song, Poll puts down the microphone and asks, "Why have I been the only one singing this whole time?"

"Because I can't sing to save my life. And didn't you promise to sing for me as your birthday gift?" Eujae leans his back away from the couch. "I have to say, you have an impressive singing voice, Apollo. I can see where all the nerves to mock me are coming from."

Poll picks up the songbook from the table and pushes it to his companion. "The birthday boy should sing too."

An uneasy chuckle comes out of Eujae. "Not a chance. I still want to keep my dignity intact, thank you very much."

"Please. We're the only people here so no one else can hear you." With the intent of swaying the other man, Poll uses a sweet, childlike tone in addition to the doe eyes. "Okay? Just one song, hm? Okay, Eujae?"

He lightens up when Eujae takes the songbook.

"Just this once," the man grumbles in resignation and then flips the pages. Once he chooses the title, Poll inputs the song number.

Eujae exhales before bringing the microphone close to his mouth. The countdown appears on the screen.

Three. Two. One.

You would not believe your eyes

If ten million fireflies

Lit up the world as I fell asleep

Hearing the flat notes on the opening lines, Poll can't help but snort. Just the first verse, and Eujae is already doing terribly. Maybe the world is fair and its people are created equal after all, since all the good qualities aren't given to a single person.

An idea pops into Poll's mind and draws a sly grin on his lips. He takes his phone out of his pocket. Opening the video camera, he starts recording Eujae.

The man gets to the chorus, and Poll snickers as he picks out the few flats and sharps.

When Eujae arrives at the second verse, he must have finally figured out what the male twin is up to. He stops singing and turns off the microphone. Narrowing his eyes, he asks, "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean what I am doing?" Poll saves the recording and then puts his hands behind him to hide his phone. "I wasn't doing anything."

"Then what were you laughing at? You were taking a video of me, weren't you?"

The male twin bats his eyes innocently. "No. I am not. I was just looking at something funny on my phone."

Unconvinced, Eujae holds out his palm. "Then let me look at your phone. I also want to see it."

Poll shakes his head.

"And why not?"

"Because..." Poll glances to his side as he racks his brain for a good excuse. "Because I think we have different tastes in humor, so you may not find this one funny, and you may end up getting disappointed."

"You'll never know that until you let me see it, right? Let me look at your phone."

Unfazed, Poll shakes his head once again. This time, more aggressively.

"Apollo." The stress on the word is unmistakable, carrying a commanding tone.

Yet it doesn't do anything to knock over the smaller man's defiant behavior.

Without budging an inch, Poll answers, "No."

He blindly fiddles with his phone, hoping to close the video recorder, but he must have tapped the play button instead. The mechanical voice of singing Eujae echoes from the phone, giving the game away.

Pressing his lips together, the male twin feigns ignorance.

Eujae's eyes twitch, and his mouth contorts into a grimace. Facepalming, he murmurs, "I'm giving you a chance to delete that abomination, Apollo, before I decide to do it myself."

Poll stands his ground and shakes his head for the umpteenth time. Realizing that Eujae can't see his gesture, he voices out his response, "I don't want to."

The moment Eujae takes his hand off his face and reveals his wicked expression, Poll understands that he has to flee from him as soon as possible. With that in mind, he leaps to his feet.

Unfortunately, the other man is quicker than him.

Just as Poll is about to get away from Eujae, the latter grabs the male twin's upper arm. Poll's eyes widen as he stumbles backward. He gasps when he lands, sitting, on Eujae's lap.

Once Poll has collected himself, he cranes his neck to glower at Eujae. Briefly, he identifies the playful shine in the man's different-colored eyes; there is not even a hint of the earlier cringe on his face anymore.

Poll doesn't find a chance to tell Eujae to let him go when the man places his hand on his waist and starts tickling him, making him break into a fit of helpless giggles.

"Now give me your phone and delete that video," Eujae orders, chuckling. His arm wraps around Poll's middle to keep him in balance as the male twin tries to wriggle his way out.

"No! This is mine! You're not the only one who has the right to make fun of me!" Poll cries in between his laughter. He holds his phone over his head and tightens his grip around it, in case Eujae decides to pry it off his hand. "Stop it! Go away, Eujae!"

In his desperation to escape from the man's relentless tickling, Poll doesn't notice that he's already wound up lying on the sofa. His hilarity ceases only when Eujae stops poking at his waist.

With his eyes closed, he puffs and tries to catch his breath. "My stomach hurts 'cause of too much laughing."

Smiling, Poll opens his eyes to check why the other man has become quiet. He stills when he realizes that Eujae is staring at him from above.

Eujae stays sitting, but his upper body is bent over on top of Poll. His left palm is next to the male twin's head, pressing against the sofa and supporting his weight, while his right hand keeps resting on the guy's waist.

Poll gulps, thinking that this is like when they had a playfight in their room at the beach. Except that Eujae looks more serious right now. Is he mad at him? His eyes appear darker through the glasses, and Poll can't tell if the low lighting of the room has something to do with it.

Chromatic lights dance in blue and brown eyes, creating a stellar image that looks like the stars in the cosmos have come down to the sea and the earth. Up close, Eujae is even more handsome.

The music from the neighboring rooms passes through the walls, but Poll's heartbeat comes louder against his ears. Just when he thinks his breathing has calmed down, it begins to become ragged again.

His stomach no longer hurts from laughing. Instead, there is the funny, fluttery sensation, as though soft feathers are brushing against it from the inside.

These are the same feelings that arise in him whenever Eujae is near, and until now, Poll finds them confusing. They always give him the urge to run away, but at the same time, they make him want to be engulfed in them.

Satisfied to be lost in the other man's eyes, the male twin remains motionless. A minute has passed, but it feels as though they have been staring at each other forever.

A light flick on his forehead snaps Poll out of the trance. Eujae gets off him but not before seizing the phone from his hand.

"Hey!" Poll sits bolt upright. "Give me back my phone!" He flails his arms in front of him in an attempt to take hold of his phone again. But his efforts end up in vain when Eujae holds it out of his reach.

Poll watches helplessly while Eujae opens his gallery to delete the video.

Instead of returning the phone after accomplishing his goal, Eujae puts his arm around the male twin's shoulder and pulls him closer. It is only when the man calls, "Say cheese!" that Poll comprehends what is going on. He looks up in time for the phone's front camera to flash.

Grinning, Eujae gives Poll his phone back. "There. You can save that photo in exchange for the video I deleted."

The male twin zooms in the picture to study the huge contrast in their expressions; Eujae with his triumphant smirk, and him with a sulky pout.

"I want the video more," Poll grumbles, as he moves the image into a newly made gallery folder, which he renames 'annoying eujae >.<'

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

AN: Bruh, our country is like a huge oven these past weeks. The heat has been making it hard to focus on anything, and it has been frying my brain, not that it hasn't already been fried for a long time. Anywayssss, the next chapters may come a bit later than usual coz I want to spend more of my energy on them, lol. That, or I'll try to find a good point in the chapters to split them so they won't take very long.