“You’re my brother, you big queen. I will love you no matter what you do, who you do, or where you do it. Do we have a clear understanding?” He sniffs noisily.
I nod as best I can, as my face is crushed against his chest. All I want to do is stay there for a while and—wait a minute. What the hell did he say? “You’ll love me no matter where I do it?”
He pulls back and grins. “Well, I don’t know what you’re into now that you like cock. I bet you’re into some pretty weird shit.” His eyes narrow. “Stay out of my room,” he warns.
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Um. About that.”
“Bear! You better be fucking kidding me!” He punches me in the arm. Hard.
“Bastard,” I snarl and punch him back.
He sidesteps and winks and is about to turn when I see a shadow cross his eyes. He turns back to me. “What the hell does he have that I don’t?”
I choke, wishing the ground would open up and swallow this idiot. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shakes his head. “Maybe that’s what I’ll decide to be pissed about now. You think that old man is hotter than I am?”
“That’s… gross, Creed. That’s really fucking gross.”
“Ow. Thanks for the ego boost. Do you like ABBA now?”
“How do you even know who they are? Aside from the fact that you love them so much?”
“Am I going to have to go shopping with you and talk about my feelings?”
“I’ve seen the way you dress. It couldn’t hurt.”
He grins evilly and steps forward leaning over to whisper in my ear. “You’re totally the bottom, aren’t you? I bet you love it.”
“The first time we did anything, it was me fucking your brother,” I whisper back.
The color drains from his face, and I know I’ve won. He pats my shoulder and tells me how nice for the both of us. He looks serious again when he says, “Is it strong?”
My head snaps up and down, just once.
He grunts thoughtfully as only he can, and with that, I know that all the fears I’ve had about him are unfounded. I can’t help but feel like an ass for not having enough faith and trust in Creed. I lose myself for a moment, thinking about a time when we were eleven, maybe twelve. It was just the two of us, walking along the beach, the wind whipping around, picking up sand and flinging it back in our faces. He had looked at me and said—
He looks at me and says he’s always wanted to have a little brother. I punch him in the arm and remind him that I am older than he is. He smiles and nods and says, “You know what I mean.”
And I do. I’ve felt the same since I could remember. It’s tough being an only child, but this isn’t a thought I share, because it’s no longer true. I pick up a rock and skip it out over the waves, watching it bounce.
He says, “We’re probably going to have to be friends forever now. You know that, right?”
I laugh, only because I know it’s true. Later, when he pricks his finger, blood blossoms as he waits for me to do the same. It’s childish, it’s lame, and we both know it. But that doesn’t stop us from pushing the tips of our fingers together, mixing DNA and secrets into something that only we can understand.
He whispers, “Now it’s really forever.” His eyes gleam. “It’s strong.”
And it’s like getting smacked in the face with the sun.
“Creed?” I ask as he walks back to the couch, a look of satisfaction on his face. “Can… can this be fixed?” I don’t dare to elaborate, because speaking of it aloud would show how fragile it really is. I close my eyes and wait for his answer.
“Is it strong?” he asks again gruffly. I don’t know how, but I know he’s remembering the same things I am.
“It is,” I mumble.
“Then it’s never too late to fix it. I’ll say one thing about it, and I swear you’ll never hear me speak of it again: you destroyed him, Bear.”
My head hangs.