'Is something wrong with the brain of this brother of mine?' the thought dropped into Sebastian's mind in the silent room.
As he stared at Dylan, rather than try to see the joke in his words, he felt more frustrated by his silly remarks, mostly because they affected him more than he expected.
At first, Sebastian had been very curious about the son his father's wife had, and his first impression of him was that he was bad news. Why else would he cause chaos right from their wedding and end up at a police station?
And now, standing before him, he looked exactly like trouble dressed like a gangster, tattoos everywhere, and his attitude only making it worse.
It took a lot to do everything Dylan had done, especially in a society that wasn't fully open. It made Sebastian, in a way, see him as courageous… because he was so unapologetically himself.
But still, he was uncomfortable, and the atmosphere between them once again felt strange.
He just kept staring at the blue-haired boy, and then Dylan started laughing. He hit Sebastian's knee playfully. "I'm just joking."
"Of course, I'm not yet interested in seeing your body again."
'Yet again, he talks as though he knows me. But do I really know him? Is he the one? Since he keeps asking if I remember him? Could he actually be the one from three years ago?'
This thought settled in Sebastian's mind as Dylan went ahead and entered the bathroom to have a shower.
Soon, Dylan was done bathing, and what he came out in was unexpected. He stepped out shirtless, wearing only a pair of thin boxer briefs.
His fair skin was completely exposed.
Sebastian had been on his phone, but when he sensed movement and looked up, he almost regretted it. His throat went dry.
Because… what was this?
The body before him looked soft, almost too soft to touch. His waist was slim, almost delicate, and his face… annoyingly cute.
Sebastian's heart skipped for a second before he forced himself to recover.
He shook his head, pushing away whatever effect Dylan was having on him.
"Aren't you cold?" he asked.
"No. Thanks for the concern," Dylan said. He was seated in front of the chair as he blow-dried his hair.
"And does this bother you?" he playfully asked again, but he didn't turn to face Sebastian, so he couldn't see his expression, and maybe he should have.
Sebastian stiffened at his question because it was bothersome and troublesome. For someone who prided himself on control, on composure, on always maintaining his restraint… Dylan was making that difficult.
And was he bothered by his dressing?
"No, I'm not. Why would I? We are both male, so I'm cool," Sebastian said.
But the words were easier said than done because even if he claimed not to have the same sexual orientation as Dylan, that didn't dispute the fact that the boy's body and beauty could turn a straight man gay.
"What a pity," Dylan said, feigning disappointment. "I thought you would be quite captivated by me and drop your act."
And Sebastian didn't say anything after all that. He rather just stood up and went to the bathroom to also have a shower after a long day.
And he was back very soon. Dylan was still there drying his hair when Sebastian stepped out of the bathroom. Dylan craned his head instantly but was quickly disappointed.
"Are you wearing all these to sleep?"
Sebastian was almost fully dressed to go out, because why was he dressed in socks, a T-shirt, and long pants?
It was annoying to Dylan, and it made him hiss for a second before a smile returned to his face. He stood up from where he was seated and suddenly went up to Sebastian. Sebastian, who knew his stepbrother, whom he hadn't known for long, to be spontaneous, was instantly on guard.
"What?" he asked. "What do you want?"
"Oh… can I have what I want?" Dylan managed to twist his words into a joke again. "If yes, I want you."
"Are you ever serious?" Sebastian asked.
The tension had settled slightly, and he could finally look at Dylan without feeling overwhelmed. He had started to see him as nothing more than a provocateur… a joker.
"Come." Suddenly, Dylan grabbed his hand and Sebastian froze.
His hand was soft against his skin, and it was small. He looked at Dylan, and he was already dragging him to the dressing table.
"Sit down, I'll dry your hair," Dylan said, a
smile plastered on his face as he helped Sebastian sit down.
Sebastian felt as though he had become an open book as he sat in front of a mirror with his little brother holding a dryer to his hair. It was one thing he truly hadn't thought about since he saw him.
"How old are you?"
Dylan halted in his action. "That caught me off guard."
"Sorry if you feel uncomfortable saying your age. I'll understand."
"Awwn… you're so sweet," Dylan said, smiling sheepishly, which made Sebastian shake his head in judgment.
"Well, I'm 22. What about you?" Dylan asked.
He was actually quite eager to know. The last time they met, they didn't know their ages and had only met briefly, so seeing him again in this setting made him quite flustered.
"I'm 29."
The room turned silent for a while as the two just stared at each other. And then, rather than speak, Dylan started counting with his fingers. '29… 28… 27…'
'This probably means that he was either 26 or 27 when we first met.'
"Did I shock you speechless with my age?" Sebastian asked, a smile on his face as he believed the young, bubbly boy would finally free him.
Dylan answered, "Yes, I'm so surprised. I wouldn't have guessed you were 29. You have such nice skin."
And he wasn't expecting him to compliment his skin.
"Thank you," he responded awkwardly.
The room turned silent afterwards as Dylan focused on blow-drying his blonde hair while he closed his eyes, humming softly.
But just afterwards, Dylan disrupted that again. "So, how's America?"
"It's okay," Sebastian said.
"Okay…"
And just like that, their conversation died.
Soon, Dylan finished blow-drying his hair, and they went to bed, with Dylan still not adding to his clothing and Sebastian not removing his.
He had tried to strike a conversation again, but it ended with Dylan accepting defeat. "You aren't the talking type, are you?"
"I don't talk much. Let's just sleep."
"Okay."