You And Me - A Collection of Les Twins One Shots

Forward

Laurent hadn't started well into the new year.

Larry had preferred a last minute trip with his girlfriend over spending the holidays in Paris with their family. And maybe it wouldn't have bothered Laurent so much if they had opportunities like this often, but with how much they usually travelled for work, they rarely ever got to spend time with their family like this. Their mom wasn't getting any younger. If anything, being at home for an extended period of time due to the pandemic had made that painfully obvious. So for Larry to not be there, especially when they hadn't spent New Year's in Paris for the past ten years had stung.

As though the absence of his twin wasn't already bad enough, the weather had been terrible in Paris, the freezing temperatures making it almost impossible to even just go to the grocery store down the street. Restaurants, clubs and bars were still closed and most of their friends had gone to visit family on the countryside for the holidays, so there was no real distraction from his bad mood. And with Larry barely even checking his phone and taking his sweet-ass time responding to messages, Laurent felt his frustration only grow with each passing day.

When New Year's was over and Larry eventually told him that he had decided to extend his stay by another two days, the dull ache of rejection grew into a burning ball of anger inside of him.

If their mom noticed, she didn't comment on it, just cupped the back of Laurent's neck and squeezed it tightly as though she could somehow tell what had happened just by looking at him. 

When Larry finally returned, all wide grins and toothy laughter, Laurent had a hard time even just looking at him, he was so pissed-off. Usually, they were quick to forgive each other, but for some reason Laurent's annoyance only grew upon seeing his brother's radiant smile and giddy happiness. It annoyed him to know who had put that smile there, because he knew first-hand that she could take it away just as quickly. And Laurent wasn't sure if he could handle post-break-up-Larry a second time after the disaster they had faced a while ago.

"You miss me?" Larry asked, being his usually dorky self, sliding up close to Laurent while he was busy pouring himself a glass of juice.

Laurent felt his skin tingle with the urge to lean into the touch, to give his brother what he was asking for. To reconnect in any way possible now that his Larry-meter was at an all-time low after the extended period of time they had just spent apart. On a holiday, no less. 

Though neither of them admitted it, they didn't handle being apart very well. It might have been separation anxiety or codependency or whatever, but after a few days spent apart, they usually touched each other a lot more, sticking closer together. But this time, Laurent had sworn to himself that he wouldn't give into his brother's wide smile and warm touch. Two could play at this game. If Larry wanted to spend time with his girlfriend, fine... but then he shouldn't come expecting Laurent to jump at his every need. If he was happy being away from Laurent, he surely wouldn't be bothered by a bit of distance between them, right? 

Laurent quietly stewed in his bitterness, decidedly slipping out from beneath the arm Larry had draped over his shoulders. He didn't look up to meet Larry's confused gaze at the rejection. A pang of guilt flooded him at the thought of shutting Larry out like that. But he told himself that this was only fair. 

"Well did you?" Larry pushed for an answer. "Miss me?"

"Yeah," Laurent said with no real emotion in his voice. There was no point in lying. He always missed his brother when they were apart. But that didn't mean that Laurent was just going to forgive and forget so quickly.

"What's up with you?" Larry asked, following Laurent out of the kitchen and trying to get him to look at him. "You're acting strange."

Laurent could sense Larry's distress at the lack of eye contact. Usually it only took one glance between them to know how the other was feeling or thinking but right now, Laurent was denying him even that.