Their Connected Worlds

Cravings

He must have lost the game.

Reclining on the couch, Eujae peers over the book that he's reading to check on his boyfriend who is currently sitting across his lower thigh. The pout and the scowl on Poll's face, as he keeps playing with his phone, tell Eujae that his guess hits close to the mark.

Not long ago, Poll was still screaming about how he was going to slay his opponents, but now, he has completely gone quiet.

Eujae pretends to return his attention to the book when Poll puts his phone down on the coffee table. Through his peripheral vision, he notices the male twin fix his gaze on him. Poll still wears a glum expression and appears as though he's seeking to be comforted.

A grin threatens to break free from Eujae's lips, but he quickly restrains himself from showing any sign of amusement at his boyfriend's behavior.

As if to make his sentiment evident, Poll inches closer, only to lie on top of Eujae with his head on the latter's chest. The smaller man then starts to fiddle with the buttons on his boyfriend's polo shirt.

Unbothered by the weight over him, Eujae drapes an arm around the male twin's middle. Nonetheless, he maintains the façade of being engrossed with the book even though he's been stuck with the same paragraph for some time. He shifts his head and his right hand to the side to get a better reading angle.

As Eujae continues to feign indifference to his boyfriend's action, Poll leans his face away to cast him another hard stare. With an internal sigh, he gives in to the intensity of the smaller man's look.

Just as Eujae is about to regard Poll, the latter surprises him by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. The male twin follows through with another smack on the mouth when his boyfriend faces him at last before he goes back to snuggling down in the other man's arms.

Taken aback, Eujae stares blankly at the ceiling. Once he recovers from the shock, he lowers his hand, sets the book down, and studies the dark head that settles comfortably on his chest.

"What was that for?" he asks, mystified, putting another arm around his boyfriend.

Poll's fingers stop twiddling Eujae's buttons as he tenses for a couple of seconds. When he decides to move again, he presses his face flush against Eujae before he answers with a muffled voice, "Cause... I wanna kiss."

"You don't say..." Eujae hums. It is not that he doesn't know what it was, but what came as a wonder to him was the part where Poll initiated it. Since New Year's Eve, when they got together, the male twin hasn't made a move to kiss him first again.

Poll has never had any problem with cuddling; it comes naturally for him to slide himself into his boyfriend's embrace. However, when it comes to kissing, Eujae is the one who always takes the lead.

A mischievous idea crosses Eujae's mind and makes him smirk. Caressing Poll's nape, he says innocently, "So that was a kiss. I don't think I was able to feel it though. Can you do it again?"

He schools his features when Poll lifts his face, revealing the scarlet streaks on his cheeks. In spite of the furious blush, the smaller man leans in to briefly press their mouths together once more.

"Still didn't feel it," Eujae comments as soon as Poll draws back. "One more time?"

The male twin creases his brows and sticks his lips out. "You're just making fun of me now."

With a chuckle, Eujae sits up while his boyfriend is still over him. Poll puts his arms around Eujae's shoulder to support himself as he winds up flopping on the other man's lap.

"By the way, when are we gonna tell anyone about us?" Poll asks as they remain holding each other close.

Eujae kisses Poll's nose before he replies, "We can tell our friends anytime you're ready. We're all going to have a weekend movie marathon at your house tomorrow, right? Why don't we take the chance then?"

"Mom's not gonna be around tomorrow, though. How 'bout your family? How do you think they're gonna react if they learn that you're..." The male twin sounds hesitant as he fidgets with Eujae's collar. Making a doe-eyed expression, he continues, "That you're dating a guy?"

"We can tell Auntie Amy next time," Eujae suggests, his voice as soft as the way he looks at his boyfriend, "As for my family, don't worry, I'm confident that it's not going to be an issue for them if I'm in a same-sex relationship. You've seen how my Ma adores you, right? And the truth is, she'd already known my feelings even before I confessed to you."

"You told her?"

Eujae gives a placid smile. "Not really. She figured it out somehow when I brought you to watch their holiday performance. That was the first time you met each other, but she quickly caught on to the fact that, what were her words, I was head over heels for you."

"How come both L.A. and your mother found it out even without you telling them?" Poll wonders with a frown.

Shrugging, Eujae answers, "I guess I'm just surrounded by perceptive women."

Come to think of it, even his Auntie Ada had suggested that he looked like someone who was in love when she saw him texting Ten-Ten, and at that time, Eujae was already aware that the person behind his online friend was this fiery little sun.

"I hope we won't have any problems with Mom too," Poll mutters after a brief pause. Nestling his head against Eujae's front shoulder, he adds, "She likes you anyway. And she always says you're handsome."

"Because I am, aren't I?"

Eujae doesn't need to see Poll's face to know that he's scowling at his comment again. In any case, the smaller man doesn't say anything.

The couple relishes the silence for a moment. Eujae brushes his lips against Poll's hair while the latter keeps clinging to him.

After a while, Eujae whispers, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat snacks? There's mochi in the fridge because I thought you'd like it when I saw it in the supermarket yesterday."

"I like mochi," Poll mumbles without showing any sign of taking his face away from Eujae.

"I figured."

"But I want to eat something you made."

Kissing Poll's temple, Eujae says, "I don't think I have the time to make something right now, but let's see. What do you want?"

This time, Poll leans back. "Brownies," he answers, his dark brown eyes glittering in anticipation.

"I still have to look up how to make it, and I am not sure if I have all the ingredients. How about we eat the mochi for now and try making brownies next time?"

Poll hums thoughtfully before answering, "'kay."

The unworldly shine on the smaller man's gaze stirs up a hot feeling inside Eujae's stomach. Unchaste thoughts run through his head, which he desperately tries to rein in.

As much as he yearns for all of Poll at the moment, he doesn't want to scare his boyfriend off. This is not the right time for it. Because regardless of his occasional foul mouth, Apollo Helios is too pure for his own good, untainted like a blank white canvas that Eujae longs to paint with colors.

"What's the matter?" the male twin then asks, snatching his boyfriend from his reverie.

"No," Eujae answers, shaking his head, grateful for the little distraction, "I was just thinking about how spoiled you are."

"Whose fault do you think that is?" Poll tosses back and pouts.

Grinning, Eujae holds Poll's face with both hands and pecks him not once, not twice, but three times on the mouth. Right, he is partly responsible for always catering to his boyfriend's whims, but he doesn't think it's going to change anytime soon.

"Now let's go grab the mochi," he says after placing one last kiss on the smaller man's forehead.

Poll nods and gets off Eujae. Without waiting for his partner, the male twin goes straight to the kitchen.

As soon as he disappears to the door, Eujae heaves a relieved sigh and ruffles his hair.

This is better, he muses. He might as well try to redirect his craving to the food before he gets tempted to gobble up something else, that is, a certain innocent someone.