"Is there a problem? Did you realize that you were wrong about liking me after all?"

It pains him to hear the dispiritedness in the other man's voice. His heart throbs even more when he recognizes the male twin's downcast gaze and the way he presses his trembling lips tightly as if he's trying to choke back his emotion.

Eujae has no idea what made Poll ask the questions. All he knows is that he doesn't like seeing the crestfallen expression on the usually fiery man's face, can't bear to witness the shine slip off his sun's eyes.

"No. No, of course not, Apollo," Eujae replies in a hushed, placative tone. He moves his left hand to give a comforting squeeze on Poll's shoulder while his other hand ends up on the latter's face, gently cupping his cheek and making him turn at him. Once their eyes meet, Eujae rests his forehead against Poll's before continuing, "I like you, and believe me, there's no way I'm ever going to think that these feelings I have for you are a mistake."

Biting his bottom lip, Poll clenches the front of Eujae's shirt. Whether it's the reflection from the light or the tears that he's trying to hold in, his eyes appear glassy. And how Eujae wishes he was wrong about the latter.

"Then... why does it feel like you're keeping your distance from me?" Poll asks, his voice small, shrouded by hesitation. Even the hand that's gripping Eujae's collar keeps trembling. "You told me you like me and you were gonna be serious about pursuing me. You said you missed me and couldn't wait to see me again. But since this morning, you haven't really done anything. You avoided sitting beside me in the car, and then you chose Cloud to share a tent with. And just a while ago, you could have..."

Poll drops his head once more and lets go of Eujae. Appearing uncertain, his next words come out barely audible. "Even when it was a good chance to kiss me, you didn't do it. It seems like you didn't want to do anything with me."

As the admissions dawn on him, Eujae's eyes widen. Poll has misunderstood his actions, but he blames himself for not being able to make it clear to him. He should have been more careful about it. He should have known someone as clueless as Apollo would come up with those negative assumptions.

Unable to stand watching him be dejected any longer, Eujae gathers Poll in his embrace, wrapping an arm around his middle. All the time, Poll remains passive, neither rejecting nor reciprocating the hug.

"No, that's not it." With his other hand, Eujae strokes the back of the male twin's head in an effort to put him at ease. He curses under his breath, internally criticizing himself for making Poll unhappy again. Granted it was not intentional, but when will he ever learn to avoid dismaying him? "I'm so sorry for giving you the wrong impression. I didn't mean to make you this upset, Apollo, but I'm telling you I'm not avoiding you, alright? I admit I might have tried to put a little distance between us, but... Shit, I'm sorry. It wasn't because of what you thought it was. And I didn't think it would make you this troubled."

Eujae draws away slightly, just so he can brush his lips against the smaller man's temple.

Aside from the indignant pout, Poll doesn't respond. He keeps his gaze down, refusing to look at Eujae, even when the man holds his face in between his hands and places a quick kiss on his forehead.

Eujae carries on with reassuring Poll in a loving, almost imploring tone. "I still like you as much as I did the day I confessed to you, so don't think otherwise, okay? Maybe these feelings I have for you have grown even stronger since then. And it's not true that I didn't want to do anything with you. On the contrary..."

Longing surges through Eujae when Poll still won't spare him a glance. He wants to see the twinkle in those eyes again, wants to take in the view of glee swimming in the beautiful sea of brown.

Eujae gently rubs Poll's cheeks with his thumb and ensures to make the smaller man feel his adoration for him through his touches, through the way he looks at him, and through his tone when he says, "I promised you I wasn't going to kiss you on the lips until you agree to go out with me, right? But the last time we were together, I almost failed to keep my word because, God knows, how badly I wanted to kiss you more than on the forehead or on the cheek then. I don't want to break my promise to you, Apollo, but whenever you're close, I find it hard to control myself."

The rustle of leaves meets his words as the cold breeze hums. Various sounds from nature fill the air with exquisite melodies. But Eujae can't bring himself to appreciate any of it at the moment, as what he yearns to hear more than anything else is Apollo's cheerful voice.

Guilt for causing Poll to act this way preys on a part of his mind. But as he tries to read further into the guy's current behavior, a flash of hope inevitably rises inside Eujae.

He maintains a solemn expression, toning down his expectations in case his hunch is wrong. And like a silent prayer that he hopes to be answered, Eujae whispers, "If you're disappointed that I didn't sit beside you in the car or I didn't choose you to be with me in a tent, does that mean you want me to stay close to you? If you're sad that I didn't kiss you earlier, does that mean you want me to do it, Apollo?"

Either Eujae has hit the mark or he's come off as presumptuous, but his curiosity finally draws a reaction from the male twin.

Poll steps back, disengaging himself from Eujae's touch. He sends the man a dirty look. Or at least it seems like that's what he's trying to do but failing, as fear and perplexity overshadow the dark expression.

"That's... that's not it!" he cries, balling his hands into fists. Despite the intensity of his declaration, he sounds fazed. "It's not like I was upset because I want you to keep spoiling me or I want you to kiss me. It's just that, I didn't like it when I thought you lied about liking me. It's not like I want you to keep having feelings for me..."

Faltering, Poll looks around the area as if he's searching for a way to get out. A gust of wind tousles his dark hair. His brows crease deeply, and anxiousness colors his face.

Yet, even in his flustered state, Eujae considers the man to be one of the loveliest sights he's ever come across.

Poll stares at the ground and mumbles helplessly, "Or I don't know. You're always making me feel weird things. My heart always beats fast when you're near, and it always makes me want to run away. But... but every time you're ignoring me... I also don't like it. I don't know what this is. I'm not sure what I'm feeling anymore."

"Doesn't that mean you like me too, Apollo?" Eujae asks quietly. He offers a patient smile when Poll reverts to being silent.

There's no rush, he tells himself. If Poll requires a whole day to make his mind up, then Eujae is willing to wait until night; he can do that until tomorrow.

Even so, he understands that a little nudge is necessary for the guy to find his own answers.

"I know I told you that you can take your time, but I think if you don't let yourself be completely honest with your feelings, we'll never be able to figure this one out," Eujae says, clearing the distance between them. "How about we do this? If you don't like me romantically and you think it will stay that way forever, you can reject me now. I promise I'm not going to hold it against you. But if you do like me, you have to let me know."

Eujae reaches to push a few strands of hair away from Poll's forehead before his fingers travel down, stopping only to play on the male twin's ear. Satisfaction flits in his chest when he notices Poll shiver at the contact.

"You don't have to tell me the words," Eujae breathes as he looks intently at the smaller man, "But if you reciprocate my feelings for you, please look at me. Here, straight into my eyes, Apollo."

Just when Eujae thinks the response will take a few minutes, the smaller man glances to the side with a thoughtful scowl. Tentatively, Poll directs his glare in front of him to meet Eujae's gaze.

The eye contact happens only for a brief second, because the next thing Eujae knows, Poll is on his face, giving him a smack on the lips.

Dumbfounded, he gapes at the flushed male twin who's now glowering at the dry leaves on his feet. It takes some time for Eujae to comprehend that Poll has just kissed him. A quick one. But on the mouth.

"That's cute," Eujae comments, smirking. He curls his fingers under Poll's chin, lifting it gently and guiding the male twin to focus on him once more. "But I believe you did it wrong."

Puzzlement flickers in Poll's brown eyes, but Eujae doesn't give him the chance to ask any questions as an arm finds its way back around his waist. He pulls Poll flush against his body, the sudden action earning a soft gasp from the surprised male twin.

Eujae's gaze drifts to Poll's lips, lingering there for a moment, as he brushes his thumb against them. His eyes wander up to meet the other's inquisitive stare. Before Poll can say anything, Eujae smiles and leans in to capture the words from his mouth.

The birds let out distinct, harmonious chirps, like a song of celebration. Some of them whistle as if they're cheering, while Eujae flutters his eyes closed and revels in the softness of Poll's lips under his. In the bright, blue sky, the sun still shines, but colorful stars begin to take shape in his mind.

He keeps it chaste for a brief while, their lips barely touching, to gauge Poll's reaction and give him a chance to pull back. And when the male twin's hands wind up on his shoulders, not to push him away but to hold on for support, relief sweeps over Eujae.

Shifting his head to the side, he caresses Poll's face. His hand rests on the back of the male twin's head, fingers entangling in dark locks. Slowly, Eujae starts to move his lips, careful not to scare Poll away.

In the end, he knows that a short, light kiss won't be enough for him, won't satisfy the desire that he has bottled up for so long. Eujae grins against Poll's mouth when he feels the latter make an effort to reciprocate his movements.

His heart pounds against his chest, his mind goes wild, as the other man's honey scent and delectable taste throw him into pleasant delirium. He takes in the alluring aroma, like inhaling fresh air for the first time, and lets himself get drunk on Poll.

Eujae runs the tip of his tongue against the small gap in the male twin's mouth before he nibbles his bottom lip, relishing the sweet flavor of Apollo's innocence and the spiciness of his temper.

Their kiss grows deeper, more passionate every second, as Eujae makes sure not to leave any more room for Poll to doubt how much he craves to have a little taste of him and how much he aches to hold him this close in his arms.

At last, he moves on from Poll's mouth, only to graze his lips on the male twin's cheek.

"Go out with me, Apollo," he murmurs in between showering the smaller man's face—his forehead, his eyelids, his nose—with gentle kisses. "Let's date, okay?"

After another ardent kiss, Eujae leans away to catch his breath. He slowly opens his eyes, just in time for the male twin to do the same.

With a slightly parted mouth, Poll raises his head. Something akin to yearning clouds his brown eyes, and Eujae can't help but grin with pride, seeing the man's dazed expression.

"So what's your answer?" he asks, the smile apparent in his voice.

And just like the night Eujae confessed his feelings under the beautiful, full moon, Poll ends up burying his burning face against his favorite hiding place. Amused, Eujae welcomes the reaction by patting the head that snuggles into his neck as if it belongs there.

The male twin encircles his arms around the taller man. Clutching the back of Eujae's shirt, Poll mumbles against his front shoulder, "I guess I'm gonna agree to go out with you because you're rich and you can cook, so I can have someone who'll buy and make me food. And you make good sweets too."

Eujae lets out a soft laugh. Of course. Leave it to the guy to make excuses to cover up his embarrassment. Typical in-denial and shy Apollo.

Deciding to play along, Eujae wonders out loud, "So it's still food before me, huh?"

"I'll allow you to be on top of my favorites only if you bring me food. I think I already said this before."

"Yeah, then what if I don't have food with me? What's my ranking on your favorite list?"

"You're second to food. Because food is better, but..."

Eujae hums and nuzzles Poll's hair. "But?"

"But just a little," Poll answers, taking his face off the other man's shoulder. He fixes Eujae with an innocent stare, his lips sticking out, as he adds, "Maybe you can still be on top of my favorite people. Together with Mom, and Dad, and Tem."

"I'll live with that." Tempted, Eujae pecks Poll's adorable pout. He chuckles when the guy hides his bashfulness on his neck one more time. "So I assume this makes you my boyfriend now."

He pauses for a few seconds to give himself time to savor the term in his mouth.

His boyfriend.

Within the few years that they have known each other, Apollo Helios Torres has been a lot of things to Eujae.

He used to be Apollo, the immature asshole, the number one source of his irritation. A former nemesis who turned out to be his online confidante. And a friend for whom, he later realized, he'd been harboring romantic feelings.

Eujae has given Poll a few pet names. Cute little Ten-Ten. Small Angry Bean. He adores them and likes calling Poll those terms of endearment. But nothing beats the pleasure of having the words 'my boyfriend' roll off his tongue.

His.

Apollo Helios is his man. For real. Finally.

"I love you, my cute little angry bean." Eujae sighs against the top of his now-boyfriend's head.

Poll doesn't speak for a whole minute. Hugging Eujae tighter, he mutters, "Me too, maybe. Even though you're a jerk sometimes, at least you're a good jerk. Maybe even the best jerk."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

AN: I can't believe it took me 35 chapters to make them get together, lmao. Heck, I can't believe this story has gotten this long when I originally planned it to have just around maybe 25 chapters.

So I just want to thank everyone who's still here, reading this story. You're the reason this story has come this far.

This isn't the end. There are two (or three) more chapters before the epilogue. And I'll likely write a couple of special chapters because I'm kinda not ready to let go of my boys yet, lol.