That night, Zenra came home looking like a zombie. Student Council drama had piled up his chores, making him stay late. Honestly, he could've finished earlier, but since Leo called in sick, Zen had to handle everything himself. He didn't mind, but man, he was wiped out.
Just as he parked his bike in the garage and headed inside, a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Hey, kiddo!!" called Albiru, who had just finished a photoshoot. He intercepted his younger brother right at the door.
"What's up, Bang?"
"Where have you been? Why so late?"
"Instead of asking if I've eaten, you're hitting me with questions? You think being interrogated makes me full?" Zen snapped, glaring at his brother.
Albiru chuckled and immediately ruffled Zen's hair.
"Stop it! You're messing it up!"
"Fine, fine. So cranky," Al teased. "Wanna grab dinner out?"
"Huh? Where are Mom and Dad?" Zen asked, confused.
"They're out of town for work for a few days. Come on, let's go. I've got something for you."
"Fine! But I get to pick the place."
"Deal! Let me grab my mask and hat from the car first."
Zen nodded. Albiru ran to the car, threw on a hat, mask, and sunglasses, then hopped back to his brother.
"You look like a fugitive," Zen deadpanned.
"Gotta play it safe, Dek. Don't want anyone recognizing me."
"That's what you get for being too handsome. It's a hassle, right? Anyway, let's go. I know the best spot in this complex!" Zen dragged his brother toward the bike.
"Here, put this on," Zen said, handing him a helmet.
"Where are we even going?" Al asked, buckling the helmet and hopping onto the back of Zen's Vario.
"Shut up and ride."
"What did you just say? Who taught you to talk like that, huh?!"
"No one."
"Lies! It's your friends, isn't it? How dare they turn my cute little brother into—"
"Stop, Bang. You're making me cringe."
"Don't use 'Lo-Gue' with me, Dek. I taught you better. Use 'Bang Al' and 'Zen'."
Zen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, chatterbox. Just hurry up, I'm starving."
"Hmm," Albiru hummed, settling onto the back seat.
Turns out, Zenra took him to a street food stall. After parking on the curb, the two of them sat on a floor mat by the roadside.
"Are you sure about this place, Dek?" Albiru asked, skeptical.
"What? Don't like it?"
"It's not that... I'm just worried about the hygiene."
"Bang, you really judge a book by its cover, don't you? It's not 'unhygienic.' This is my go-to spot when I'm hungry at night. This is what happens when you eat at five-star restaurants too much."
"No, look, Dek. There's so much smoke, and you're not wearing a mask. Here, take one, I brought an extra."
"Don't be extra, Bang. This smoke won't kill you. It actually smells amazing."
"Are you sure the food is even good?"
"Trust me, it's 100% top-tier! Believe in Zen. Don't you see, Bang? The wall between fancy food and street food is like a 'different-religion' relationship."
"Wait, different religion?"
Zen nodded. "Yeah. Nowadays, romance is like a suicide mission. You know you're in different religions, but you keep going because 'maybe they'll convert' or 'maybe there's a way.' That's not being optimistic, Bang—that's a delusion! You're just slowly torturing yourself. It's like trying to log into an app, but the server is different. No matter how much you force it, it'll never match. In the end, it just becomes a bitter memory you cry about in the corner of a room."
Albiru was silent for a second before bursting into laughter.
"Good grief, Dek... who taught you that? Acting like you actually know about romance."
"I do know—"
"WHO TAUGHT YOU, HUH?!"
Zenra swallowed hard. Looks like his brother was in protective mode again. "It was—"
"Here's your food, Mas. Enjoy," a waitress said, placing their orders down.
'Thank you, Mba! You're my hero!' Zen thought, relieved.
"Oh, thanks, Mba," Zen said aloud.
"You're welcome, Mas," she replied before heading back.
"Food's here, Bang. Let's just eat, I'm hungry."
"You still haven't answered me."
"Later, after we eat."
Zenra pushed a plate toward Albiru, who was busy wiping the spoons and forks with a tissue. Seriously, it's just fried rice, why do we need forks? And why the wiping? Zen wondered.
"Is this poisoned? Any sleeping pills in here?" Al asked suspiciously.
"Why are you so paranoid? Just eat! If you don't believe me, I'll take the first bite—"
"No! Let me. If something happens to you, I'll lose my mind. Remember Zen, if I die after eating this, take care of yourself. I haven't written my will for you yet."
'It's just food, not a death sentence. So dramatic,' Zen thought, annoyed.
"Please don't let me die, please don't let me die," Albiru muttered as he took a tiny, slow spoonful of fried rice.
"How is it, Bang?"
"......"
"Bang?"
"....."
"Bang, are you possessed—"
"THIS IS SO GOOD, ZEN!! FOR REAL!! THIS IS AMAZING!!" Albiru shouted, standing up and cheering. Everyone turned to look at them.
Zenra covered his face with his bag, dying of embarrassment.
'First time I've ever been this embarrassed in public, man...'
"Dek, eat! It's delicious!" Albiru sat back down and dug in, completely unbothered.
"Calm down, Bang. I thought you hated eating out," Zen teased.
"This is my first time having something like this, Dek. Mom always forces me to eat nothing but veggies."
Zenra nodded, busy chewing.
"Do you eat here often?"
"Yeah, whenever I'm hungry at night," Zen lied. In reality, he came here because there was never any food left for him at home.
"Oh, I see. I was wondering why you came here so much," Albiru replied, continuing his meal.
After they finished, they sat there for a bit.
"Here, you like chocolate milk, right?" Albiru handed a carton to his brother.
"That's rare, but thanks, Bang."
"Instead of 'thanks,' you say 'that's rare'?"
"Whatever. You don't usually ask me out either. You wanna tell me something, don't you?"
Albiru went quiet. He gently stroked Zen's hair. "You're like a psychic, Dek... you always know."
"Just say it."
Albiru took a long breath, looking down.
"Dek... I'm sorry. I was so busy trying to look good in front of Mom and Dad that I forgot you needed someone to back you up in that house." Albiru's voice cracked. He couldn't look his brother in the eye.
Zenra stayed silent, stabbing his straw into the milk carton a bit too hard.
"Don't apologize, Bang. It's just my fate to be the shadow, right? You're you, and I'm me."
"No. One day, I'll get you out of there. We'll build a tiny shack or something. No masks, no cameras. Just us. Promise?"
Zenra snorted, but secretly, he hooked his pinky around Albiru's.
"Promise. But you're paying for the food. I just wanna sleep."
Albiru gave a weak laugh, his eyes misty. It took a lot of courage to say that, but he finally did.
"Dek, do you remember when we were like this back then?" Albiru wiped a stray tear.
"Back then? When?"
"Don't tell me you forgot."
Zenra thought hard. "Uhh... Zen doesn't remember."
Albiru's face fell. He couldn't believe how forgetful his brother was. "Think harder, Dek."
"When exactly?"
Zenra racked his brain until it finally clicked. "Oh! I know! That time, right?"
Albiru nodded. "Yeah, back then..."
(Zenra and Albiru's Promise)
That afternoon, the backyard of the Danindra mansion was filled with high-pitched laughter. Two children were playing in the garden.
Five-year-old Zenra was running on his short legs, chasing a plastic ball with star patterns.
"Abang! Catch it, Bang Al!" little Zenra shouted, his cheeks red from the sun.
Nine-year-old Albiru stood ready. His body was starting to look sturdy, though his face was still innocent. He skillfully stopped the ball with his foot.
"Zen, focus! Look at the ball, not Auntie's ice cream!" Albiru laughed, kicking the ball gently back to his brother.
Zenra laughed so hard his eyes turned into slits.
"Can we go to the livel (river) aftel (after) this, Bang? Zen wants to find blue stones like Abang's name!" Zen's lisp was still thick.
Albiru smiled. He knelt down in front of Zenra to tie his loose shoelaces. "My hair is black, Zen. Blue is just my name."
"But Mommy said Abang is like the sky. Fal (Far) and high up," little Zenra mumbled, mimicking words he often heard from his father's office.
Albiru's hands paused for a second. His eyes dimmed, but only for a moment. He looked up and playfully pinched Zen's nose. "If I'm the sky, what do you want to be?"
Zenra thought hard while hugging his ball tight.
"Zen wants to be the dlass (grass)!"
"Why grass? Grass gets stepped on, Dek."
"So Abang won't be alone! When the sky looks down, all he sees is dlass. So if Abang is tiled (tired) of being the sky, Abang can come down and lest (rest) on Zen's dlass. Sound dood (good), light (right)?"
Albiru was stunned. At nine, he already felt the weight of extra lessons and his father's expectations, but hearing his brother's innocent answer made his heart ache with warmth.
Albiru hugged Zenra tight—so tight that Zen complained he couldn't breathe.
"Promise me, Zen? Never go far away. I don't want to be up there alone if you aren't down here," Albiru whispered like a prayer.
Before Zenra could reply, Vina's cold voice rang out from the balcony. "Albiru! Inside, now. Your violin tutor is here. Don't waste time with useless games."
Instantly, the laughter died. The two kids went silent.
Albiru stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes. He looked at Zenra with a look of deep apology.
"I have to go, Zen. Save the ball... for tomorrow."
"Okay, do youl (your) best, Bang!!" Zen smiled, waving his tiny hand.
Albiru smiled back and hurried inside.
Zenra stood alone, holding his plastic ball, watching his brother's back disappear into the big house that felt colder by the second.
He didn't know that the 'tomorrow' Albiru promised would be a 'tomorrow' full of lies and tears.