Two of a Kind | Grethan

IV

For the first month of summer, Ethan and Grayson continued to hang out. Every day from sun up to sun down, they slowly began doing everything together.

Grayson has begun to see a noticeable change in Ethan's personality. He's much looser and less aggressive towards Grayson now. Ethan's starting to come out of his shell. That made Grayson happy.

Ethan made Grayson happy.

The boys laid in the grass in Grayson's backyard.

Ethan watched as the sun almost completely disappeared behind the trees, causing all kinds of bright shades of pink, purple, orange, you name it. The clouds were scattered across the sky, painted by the colors above.

It was the second most beautiful thing Grayson had ever seen, the first being his best friend, eyes large as he stared in awe at the colors of the sky.

"I've never watched a sunset that wasn't from my bedroom window." Ethan said, mid exhale.

As Ethan admired the sky, Grayson admired Ethan.

His jaw was softer than usual, not clenched as it always is. His face was smooth and sculpted, not a flaw to be seen. His long and dark hair was shiny and beautiful, flicking off the sides of his head like small wings. His lips were soft and plump. His eyes were brighter than ever, reflecting the light from the sky inside of them.

Ethan calmed Grayson. Grayson found Ethan much more beautiful than himself, though their faces were almost identical.

The mysteriousness of Ethan is what made Grayson find him so much more intriguing.

I could stare at you all day, Eth.

Grayson thought.

Ethan looked at him, eyebrows furrowed, and chuckled lightly.

It took Grayson a moment to realize that what he said in his head wasn't exactly in his head.

Oh shit, did I say that out loud?

"I could stare at you all day, too, Gray." Ethan laughed jokingly and resumed his daydreaming towards the sky.

Grayson didn't know if he should be happy or upset that Ethan said that, because his joking demeanor was obvious. Grayson lowered his head sheepishly and turned away from his favorite person, feeling the festering heat of his cheeks bubble under the skin, despite it being fairly cool for a summer's evening.

Even if it was a joke, it made Grayson's stomach do flips inside of him. He didn't know why, either.

They stayed outside even when the sun was far gone and the moon had taken its place in the sky, bright and full like Ethan's eyes as he admired the millions of burning orbs in the sky.

"I love stargazing." Ethan mumbled almost incoherently. Grayson looked at his companion, face dimly lit by the natural night-lights above.

"I've never been stargazing before." Grayson admitted. However, when he was younger, he did used to watch the stars with his father occasionally. His dad loved to look through his big telescope at night, but it was always through their loft, not outside. Grayson had never gotten a taste of true stargazing.

Ethan looked at Grayson, feeling puzzled beyond belief.

"Never?" He emphasized. Grayson shook his head at the boy and shrugged his shoulders, looking back at the night sky.

Ethan saw something in Grayson at that very moment. A ping of sadness, if you will. It scared Ethan, to say the least. He'd never, in his time of knowing him, seen Grayson Bailey O'Brien anything but happy. Although he knew there had to be another side to Grayson's constant sunshine, he could never quite tell what was on that boy's mind.

"Uh, Gray?" Ethan whispered, almost choking on his spit.

"Hmm?" Grayson hummed in reply.

"Are you... okay?" Ethan asked, those words escaping his lips for the first time in his life. Never had he cared about the wellbeing of other people. Until Grayson, that is.

"Uh huh." Grayson hastily replied and stared at the stars again, barely batting an eye. Feeling much more worried, Ethan placed his hand on Grayson's toned shoulder.

It sent shivers down not only Grayson's spine, but Ethan's as well. They rarely touched, and when they did, there was always a spark waiting to be ignited. Ethan knew that too, which is why he resented touching Grayson. And why Grayson always wanted to.

Grayson's big hazel eyes met Ethan's, glossy and sparkling with newfound tears. Ethan didn't know what to do.

Seeing his favorite person tensed up with building tears rattled him to the core. He didn't know how to handle it. He didn't know what to do. Comforting isn't exactly in Ethan's nature.

Being as clueless as he is, Ethan reached out and placed his hand on Grayson's cheek softly, feeling the first warm tear fall in between the cracks of his fingers. Grayson practically tackled the smaller boy into a tight and emotional embrace. His arms tangled around Ethan's waist and his head rested in the nape of his neck. Ethan could feel the warm tears wetting his neck and the collar of his shirt as the larger boy held onto him as if his life depended on it.

Awkwardly, Ethan pat Grayson on his back as soft whimpers escaped the throat of the gentle giant.

After a few minutes, Grayson lifted his head and sniffled as he rid his eyes and cheeks of tears with the bottom of his shirt. He then looked at Ethan, the corners of his mouth lifting into a sad smile.

"I'm sorry. My dad and I used to stargaze together." Grayson said with a stuffy nose and swallowed harshly. Even through tears and sadness, a smile resided on his face. You can't keep Grayson upset for very long.

Ethan placed his hand on Grayson's back and rubbed in circles softly. He used to do so with his older sister when she would cry.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Ethan's deep voice spoke dimly. Grayson looked at him, swollen eyes wide with shock, but then his facial expression became more relaxed and peaceful as he thought about Ethan's current caring demeanor.

"My dad was like my best friend. We used to do almost everything together, when he wasn't working of course. When I was younger, he and I would look out of his telescope on the terrace and he would point out the constellations, but I never listened. I really wish I had." Grayson began with a heavy sigh, feeling a weight on his shoulders slowly lift. "He passed away last year. A fire broke out at his workplace. Flames engulfed the whole building. Only around thirty survived, and twenty or so of them were injured.
He always had a thing for astronomy, even if his work had nothing to do with it.
My mom and I moved here because she had gotten so depressed that she couldn't even handle living in our old town without breaking down at the sight of every place she had spent time with my dad. She and I decided that it would be best for us if we both moved, even if it was really far away from everyone we knew." Grayson explained with a heavy heart. Grayson felt better after telling Ethan what was on his mind. He felt better just saying it out loud, really.

Ethan, however, was astonished. Never could he have imagined something so bad happen to such a kind and positive person.

Seeing Grayson break down for the first time almost tore Ethan to shreds, though he wasn't quite sure why. Nothing like this had ever phased Ethan in the slightest.

Grayson placed a hand on Ethan's and squeezed it tightly.

They remained out in Grayson's backyard for hours, silently watching the stars as they burned in the almost black night sky.

What neither of them realized is that they were paying no attention to the stars, but rather secretly taking in the beauty of each other.