Family? Found!

Panic

"... thank you...." Staring up at the boy even when the other had already turned back to his food, Terrence slowly looked back at his own plate before lightly bringing his fist up to his cheeks. He really needs to stop just randomly heating up like this, the other is just trying to help.... Lightly touching his lips with his head nowhere near focused on the food, Terrence slowly starts to think back.

Same motion, same place, different people.

This isn't repulsive in the slightest. Not scary. Not negative by any means.

It's... more gentle. Inviting. And... he really doesn't find himself minding it, even with his organs feeling like they are squeezed like a wet towel.

It's not even that much of a motion, yet either way, he is most definitely affected.

... damn feelings.

Watching as the smaller boy's cheeks dust a light shade of pink, Zachary feels a slight satisfaction and even a little anticipation, much to his own dismay. He really doesn't want to take advantage of anything, but... he really looks adorable with those flushed cheeks.

With Terrence clearly unaware of the stare, Zachary still felt a burn on his face before looking away to find a pair of unamused blue eyes staring at him like they were disappointed yet also a little confused. Giving Tyron a light smile despite not really liking the other very much, Zachary just returns to his food without further explanation.

Letting on a small huff before going back to eating their food boredly despite the confused glare from his brother, who they now deem oblivious despite having already known a long time ago, Tyron takes another bite of the food almost in a slightly annoyed manner.

Tyron does not know what romantic love is, but they sure as hell know how to identify one from who, unfortunately, surrounds themselves. While wishing that this will cause too much of a change to their brother's behaviour yet will most definitely appreciate the other finding happiness once more, Tyron signs out loudly despite the confused stares of all the others.

They just... need a break from everyone else's relationship issues.

Tyron had deemed themselves deserving of a vacation after third wheeling almost half the people in this room, if not more.

/

"...." Staring down at their hands as they somehow made their way back into each other, Terrence mostly stayed silent while Zachary went on to talk for the two of them. The two slowly made their way back to their rooms with Vanessa and Sol went out for another small tour of the garden. It's dark out now, and the moon shines into the hallways, dyeing everything a light shade of blue.

After answering the other every once in a while and suffering from many little heart attacks as Zachary occasionally squeezes their hand or turns back to lightly caress his cheek with the other hand available, Terrence feels the urge to bang his head hard on the wall.

At this point... he'll die.

"Are you alright, Rence?" Turning back with a small smile and turning back, lightly running a hand through his hair, Zachary asks with a light head tilt.

'You tell me, you fucking casual bastard! What the hell are you up to?'

Tempted to say, yet nothing came out, Terrence just stared up silently before lightly looking off to the side, subtly leaning into the hand resting itself on his cheek with it burning more every second passed.

"Why... are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

'Making me feel like this! Yeah, right, as if I can just say that....' Looking down onto the ground as his cheek subconsciously snuggles into the warm hand caressing it with its thumb, Terrence is getting scared that his heartbeat is getting loud enough for the other to hear. "You... are being awfully touchy.' Ended up saying without meeting the other's eyes, Terrence silently curses his cheeks for burning up like an oven. The other can most definitely feel that.

"Am I now?"

And he is right, of course. As Zachary definitely notices, which you can tell as a small smirk tucks on his lips, Terrence is almost afraid of what is going to happen next as Zachary starts walking closer. Backing off towards the wall, sufficiently blocking all passes of survival since his brain isn't working by the slightest, Terrence gives him a light warning glare.

Smiling gently before lightly resting a hand on the other's head, Zachary doesn't move any closer after receiving the glare despite already pretty much having the other pinned to the wall. Pondering to himself for a second before sliding his hand down the back of Terrence's head, to the tip of his shortened hair, before back around his cheek and lifting his bangs above his forehead.

Getting lost in the movement as his eyes focus more on the hand than anything else happening, Terrence freezes lightly as he feels something warm on his forehead. Staring up with his eyes widening, Terrence slowly brings a hand up to his forehead as Zachary smiles lightly.

"What are you-"

"Come on. It's been a long day. Let's go sleep." Patting Terrence on the head lightly before walking off, leaving the other to quietly follow behind with the confusion of the century, Zachary opens the door to his room before disappearing with a small wave. "Goodnight."

"... night...." Staring at the closed door and heading back to his own without much of a difference from his usual self, Terrence closes the door of his room before his cheeks explode into a bright shade of red as he slides down the door to sit on the floor.

'What- what the fuck was that?!'

Hugging his head with his arms before picking himself up and throwing himself onto the bed, Terrence lets out a small scream as he buries his face into the pillow, kicking his feet lightly despite feeling a little embarrassed at how much he is reacting.

"Because I grew quite fond of you, honestly."

As the whisper he had heard earlier replays in his head without consent, Terrence takes a deep breath before peeking out of his pillow to not suffocate.

What... did that mean, exactly?

Terrence really doesn't want to get his hopes up, after all, he is still quite certain that it's very much one-sided from how the other used to act. But now... Terrence really isn't sure himself.

As their knees brushed against each other during dinner and the constant stare he spots from the corner of his eyes yet says nothing about, Terrence just can't wrap his head around what is happening. He had seen Simon and Frederick slowly falling for each other, how Lavender and Althea ended up together, and his brother hanging out with Mason. Is he... also this obvious?

If so, then is this 'love' thing just a curse placed on people to give them heart attacks and euphoria at the same time?

As the place he was kissed still tickled his forehead, and as the memory of the whisper crossed his mind once more, Terrence fell silent as he stared up at the ceiling. And stare he did for almost the entire night before finally falling asleep at four in the morning.

Before falling asleep, with his eyes half open, Terrence can still feel heat blooming on his cheeks dusting a light shade of pink. Letting one last thought cross his mind before it shuts down completely for the night, Terrence lets out a small sign.

'He is... going to be the end of me...."

/

Closing the door behind him before a small flush spreads across his cheeks, Zachary lets out an amused chuckle before flopping himself onto his bed in contentment.

It's... as much as he doesn't want to admit it, fun. And as much as he thinks that it's a little too much for his heart to handle, he really didn't want to stop teasing the other as he had been during the dinner and on the way back if that meant that Terrence's cheeks would once again bloom pink with their shining eyes widening in surprise.

Filling with slightly shameful anticipation for tomorrow as he, for once, voluntarily drifts off to sleep, a fond smile stays as Zachary closes his eyes.

'Feeling this much euphoria from such a little thing.... I am really hopelessly in love, aren't I?'