The Brother (Whip 5) ✔️

Chapter 10

SASHA

"Is everything okay Misha?" I asked as I sat next to him on the living room couch.

We were alone in the house for the night seeing as it was a Wednesday and that meant a card games night for my parents and aunts and uncles. They rotated in whose house they would host the games and this week it was my Aunt Masha's turn.

It also meant a movie night for myself and Misha, something I loved since he always went and found the most awesome movies for the two of us to watch as well as made popcorn and bought a ton of sweets that our mother rarely allowed us to eat.

Misha was usually even more excited than me since the movies we would watch were of a kind that would never be allowed in our father's presence but tonight he wasn't.

As a matter of fact, he looked downright miserable.

He shrugged his shoulders, playing with the zipper of his hoody as he avoided my gaze.

"Did something happen in school?" I asked.

"No." was his only answer.

I frowned, now feeling more than worried as I watched him closely.

"You know you can tell me everything, right?" I said and he nodded before bursting into tears. My eyes widened, shocked at the sudden outburst, but I quickly sprang into action and hugged him.

"Hey... hey... it's okay bro."

"No, it's not. Nothing is okay" he said miserably before crying some more.

"Well, whatever it is, we'll figure it out together, like always. I love you, Misha, no matter what." I said as I hugged him tighter.

After a few minutes, he finally composed himself and looked at me.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do," I said in confusion.

"Even if I killed someone, you'd still love me?"

I blinked before snickering, but the seriousness of his face sobered me,

"Did you? Kill someone?" I asked cautiously.

Misha rolled his eyes. "Of course not! But would you?"

"Yeah, I would. You are my brother, there is nothing you could do that would make me love you less."

He nodded and looked away, biting his bottom lip as he stared into nothing.

"Even... you'd still love me even if...even if I were gay?"

I froze, my eyes widening slightly as I stared at him. I wanted to ask him if he was, but the way he held himself in that moment as if waiting for me to punch him or reject him, told me everything I needed to know.

"Yeah," I whispered. "I love you no matter what."

He smiled.

*

I walked through the park where Misha and I used to come every day after school when we were kids, a small smile playing around the edges of my mouth.

I felt strange, unmoored, missing my brother, and wishing he was here with me, once again.

It was probably a remnant of the dream I had the previous night, so, since I couldn't have him here I had walked down to the park where we had made so many memories in order to feel closer to him.