You And Me - A Collection of Les Twins One Shots

Pou Toutan

"...my brother always gives me something on my birthday. Even if it's a little thing like a jacket or something, it is something..."

At this early hour, the airport was at its busiest. The people moved around them in a chaotic hurry, the wheels of their suitcases screeching in protest as they rushed down the corridors.

Ever so often, a monotonous voice announced the boarding of yet another airplane, causing Larry's heart to seize a little harder in his chest.

In about fifteen minutes from now, Laurent would be sitting in a Boeing 747 all by himself, fiddling with his seat belt buckle and trying to downplay how scared he was.

"-Attention passengers on Air France flight 2349 to Guadeloupe. The departure gate has been changed. The flight will now be leaving from Gate 27-"

"C'mon, it's time," their mom urged with a tinge of regret in her voice, nudging Larry's shoulder.

Larry shot her a glare and yanked his shoulder out from under her touch. She was the one doing this to them. She didn't have the right to feel sad about it.

Their mother sighed and stepped past Larry to pull Laurent into her arms. She pressed a quick kiss to his temple and then she turned toward Larry. "Five more minutes, okay?"

Larry didn't justify the order with eye contact. He stubbornly kept his gaze avoided until she had stepped aside to where the rest of the family was waiting by a little airport café. 

"What's that?" Laurent asked, pointing at the dog-eared package that Larry was clutching to his chest. Larry's vision was blurred as he held out the newspaper-wrapped parcel in his hands.

Laurent took the package and looked at Larry questioningly. 

They had never given each other any presents. Mostly because they didn't have money to buy anything nice, but also because they were so used to sharing that gifts felt unnecessary. 

"It's for our birthday."

"Our birthday's not for another three months."

"I know," Larry returned with an eye-roll. 'But I won't be there, dumbass,' hung in the air between them.

Under Larry's watchful gaze, Laurent hastily unwrapped the present.

It was a mix tape. In the center was a large sticker with a track listing of all of Laurent's favorite songs written out in Larry's neatest handwriting.

Laurent turned the tape slowly around in his hands, his face unreadable as he processed what he was looking at. In their hood, it was damn near impossible to get your hands on good tracks. Laurent couldn't even begin to imagine what Larry had done, how many people he'd sweet-talked, how many possessions he'd traded, how many favors he'd put in to get every single one of Laurent's favorite songs and mix them together onto one music tape.

"How did you..." Laurent broke himself off, before his eyes, stormy and wide with emotion clashed with Larry's. A blotchy tear dripped from his eyes and onto the hand-written sticker on the mix-tape, blurring Larry's scrawled handwriting.

And before Larry could explain anything at all, Laurent flung his arms around Larry and burrowed his face in his neck.

They didn't let go until the airport staff made the last boarding call. And then Larry was sobbing, his heart leaping out of his chest as Laurent's hand slipped from his grasp. 

Xxx

On the day of their tenth birthday, Larry sneaked them into a basketball court.

Laurent had no idea how Larry had found the place or how the little brat had gotten his fingers on their oldest brother's basketball, but his eyes shone when Larry pulled him through the dimly lit hallway to the changing rooms.