Silent Bond || EstWilliam au

Twenty one

A week had passed, and the bond between Est and William slowly but surely began to heal. After their long-awaited reconciliation, Est decided not to fly back just yet. His mid-semester break was for about two and a half months, giving them plenty of time to rebuild the relationship that had been fractured for years. Est was determined to make the most of this time, and William, although hesitant, was trying his best to meet him halfway.

One quiet afternoon, William found himself sitting in the living room with Est, who was working on some papers for his studies. William was sprawled on the couch, flipping through his phone, but his attention kept shifting to his older brother, who was focused on the laptop in front of him.

William had always admired Est's dedication to his studies, but now, after everything, he felt a strange sense of awe. Est had returned from abroad with not only academic success but a sense of maturity that William hadn't fully appreciated before. Now, as he glanced at him every so often, he felt that strange mixture of emotions bubbling up again—the admiration, the frustration, and the underlying guilt for how distant they had been.

Est glanced up from his work, catching William staring. He smirked a little. "What?"

William quickly averted his gaze, feeling caught. "Nothing," he muttered, his tone dismissive, but the tension in his voice was evident. He fidgeted with the pillow in his lap.

"Liar," Est teased, though his tone was gentle. He didn't push further, knowing that William was still struggling to open up completely. But the fact that they could be in the same room like this, without the weight of their past fights suffocating them, was progress enough for him.

It was little moments like this that marked their gradual healing. William had begun to relax around Est again, slowly breaking down the walls he had built in his brother's absence. Sometimes it was just sitting quietly together, other times it was a shared joke, or even William mumbling, "Thanks for cooking," after a meal.

They were both trying, and that was what mattered.

A few days later, their mother had invited both Est and Hong over for dinner. William's mom had been overjoyed to see her two sons slowly patching things up, and she wanted to bring Hong into the fold as well, knowing he had been a huge part of William's life while Est had been away.

That evening, as they sat around the dining table, the mood was light and filled with laughter. Est was seated next to William, with Hong across from them, and their mom at the head of the table, smiling warmly at her boys. The food was plentiful—roast chicken, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, and a spread of side dishes that filled the room with mouthwatering aromas.

"Eat up, Hong. You're too skinny!" William's mom teased, piling more food onto his plate.

"Thank you, Aunty," Hong said, smiling sheepishly. He was usually more reserved, but tonight, he was surprisingly chatty, asking Est all sorts of questions about his time abroad and how life was going now that he was back.

"Phi, what's it like living in California?" Hong asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity. "Is it as crazy as everyone says? Like, you always see those movies with wild parties and stuff."

Est chuckled, shaking his head. "Not quite like the movies, but yeah, it's fast-paced. The weather's great though. I miss the beaches already."

William, who had been quietly eating, looked over at Hong and rolled his eyes. "Stop interrogating him. He just got back."

Hong grinned mischievously, ignoring William's protests. "What? I'm just trying to get to know him better."

Est laughed softly, finding it amusing how Hong's playful side came out around William. He could see why William had gravitated towards Hong during the years he had been away. Hong had a way of lightening the mood, and his easygoing nature balanced out William's sharper, sometimes moody personality.

As the conversation flowed, Hong shared stories about their time at school, especially embarrassing moments of William's that had Est laughing hard.

"There's this one day when William tripped in front of the entire class during gym. He was trying to show off his soccer moves and—boom! Faceplant!" Hong recounted, barely able to contain his laughter.

William turned bright red, throwing crumpled tissue at Hong. "Cut it out! That was years ago!"

Est chuckled, glancing at William fondly. "I wish I could've seen that."

William groaned, sinking into his chair, but even he couldn't hide the smile that tugged at his lips. It felt good to be in this moment, to hear his brother laugh like this, and for once, not feel the weight of their past hanging over them.

By the end of dinner, the awkwardness that had lingered between Est and William was starting to fade. There was still a long way to go, but tonight felt like another step forward.

After dinner, William decided to accompany Hong to the nearest bus stop near his neighbourhood. The air was cool and refreshing, the perfect way to unwind after the heavy meal they'd just eaten.

They strolled down the quiet street, talking about their exams and what they hoped their results would be. William was expecting decent marks, though he hadn't put in as much effort as Hong, who had been more studious lately.

"I just hope I pass math," William muttered, kicking a loose pebble as they walked.

Hong chuckled. "You'll be fine. Just barely, but fine."

They continued to chat casually until Hong, out of nowhere, brought up something that caught William off guard.

"You know, Phi Est is really attractive," Hong said with a grin. "Like, seriously, he's got that whole tall, fair skin and handsome thing going on. He's masculine and has that mature vibe. I bet he's the kind of everyone's type."

William blinked, turning to look at Hong with an expression that was a mix of confusion and mild annoyance. "What? He's just... Phi Est," he said, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. "Not that handsome."

Hong raised his eyebrows, clearly amused. "Not that handsome? Come on, Will, the guy looks like he stepped out of a magazine. You're just too used to him. If I had a brother like that, I'd probably—"

"You're crazy," William interrupted, though his voice held a teasing edge. He kicked Hong lightly in the leg, trying to steer the conversation away from how 'handsome' Est supposedly was.

Hong laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, but seriously—he's the total package. Smart, successful, good-looking. No wonder you're still single."

William glared at him, flushing slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hong smirked, clearly enjoying riling him up. "I'm just saying, if I had a Phi like him, I'd probably stay single too. How do you compete with that?"

William opened his mouth to retort, but the words got stuck. Hong's teasing was hitting a nerve he hadn't realized was there. Sure, he knew Est was mature and responsible, but hearing someone else—especially Hong—talk about his brother like that made William feel... strange.

He had always admired Est, but he had never really thought about how others viewed him. And now, with Hong's words echoing in his mind, William couldn't shake the feeling that maybe there was something more to the way he felt about his brother.

Hong, seeing William's flustered expression, burst out laughing again. "Relax, man, I'm just messing with you!"

But as they continued walking, William couldn't help but glance over at Hong, a strange tightness in his chest. He couldn't tell if it was jealousy, confusion, or something else entirely, but it lingered, long after the teasing had stopped.