His stomach has calmed down, but his heart has not.

Poll has been trying to convince himself that the hard pounding against his chest is mainly because of the surprise of knowing that Eujae, the guy who used to infuriate him without even trying, and Gaele, the online friend who always listened to his rants about the people and stuff he didn't like, are the same individual. To think that he had been secretly complaining about a certain someone without knowing that the person to whom he had always vented out had been the very subject of his gripes all along. It's an ironic truth that has made him feel awkward.

That's the reason he has been having a hard time relaxing and why his pulse rate will not slow down. It has nothing to do with the attractive smile of the man next to him, nothing to do with the pleasant sound of his laughter. And it certainly has nothing to do with his cool, minty perfume, which fuses nicely with the sweet fragrance of the place.

Poll has managed to distract himself with the food and cover up his self-consciousness. But now that he has also finished the shawarma that he bought for Eujae and there is nothing to divert his attention anymore, the nervousness is starting to feel all too real again.

Fidgeting with the empty food carton, he glances at Eujae and poses the question that he has been meaning to ask since earlier, "So, what made you suddenly decide to meet up and tell me the truth that you're Gaele?"

Instead of saying a word, Eujae reaches for his wallet in his pocket. He pulls out a folded piece of paper and passes it to Poll.

Albeit skeptical, Poll accepts it. Upon opening the paper, he learns that it is an advertisement flyer.

The first thing that grabs his attention is the picture of a corked bottle with pink liquid in the middle of the dark blue background. Poll shifts his gaze to the top of the poster to read the white text:

Jeune Aigle Theatre presents

LOVE SPELL
Everyone was enchanted for an hour because of a potion that had gone wrong. Everyone fell in love with him, except for the person who actually mattered.

On the side of the poster, the venue, date and time are also written. It's evidently a promotion for a play, and Poll finds the blurb intriguing enough. But what kindles his interest the most is the foreign name of the theater.

"Jeune... aigle?" he mumbles, rereading the words slowly.

"My parents' touring theater company."

At the response, Poll sends the man a quizzical look.

With a calm expression, Eujae continues, "Jeune aigle is the French translation for 'young eagle.'"

Poll's mouth makes a soundless 'oh'. He pauses when a word from Eujae's statement evokes a thought. Curious, he whispers, "Eagle..."

Eujae smirks. The expression that appears in his eyes says that he already knows what the male twin is thinking about. "Yeah, on the day I found out that you're Ten-Ten, you also asked me about the origin of my username. Do you still remember what I told you then?"

"You said Gaele is an anagram of the word 'eagle.'"

"And then, you asked me if my real name means 'eagle' too. I didn't give you a direct answer then because I didn't want you to figure out that I was Gaele. But now, I can tell you the truth about my name." Eujae pauses as if to give Poll some time to grasp his words before he says emphatically, "Eujae Nigel is an anagram for jeune aigle."

Poll stares at the other man quietly as he lets the revelation soak in. He flutters his eyes before he responds in awe, "Oh, so your name came from French words. And all this time, I thought your parents were big fans of K-Drama or K-Pop so they gave you a Korean-sounding name."

Eujae chuckles. "Well, you're not alone on that. I've also been mistaken for having Korean blood because of my name. How about you? Are your parents big fans of Greek mythology, Apollo?"

"Don't know," Poll replies with a frown. "I've never seen any Greek mythology books in our house, so maybe not. Maybe my parents just thought it was cool to name us after some gods. Speaking of, when are you gonna stop calling me Apollo?"

The teasing is loud in Eujae's voice when he answers, "Once your name stops being Apollo."

Poll groans, acknowledging that this is another hard argument to win. He heaves a helpless sigh. Taking his gaze off Eujae, he grumbles, "I just think it's fine if you call me Poll, you know. I don't like it when someone calls me by my real name."

"Ah, but I like your name."

A pat on the side of his head makes Poll return his attention to Eujae and expect him to ruffle his hair again.

Instead, Eujae starts to play with a few strands of Poll's hair in between his fingers as he speaks gently, "Apollo, the god of light. Helios, the sun, the god of sun. Isn't it a pretty name?"

Poll's heart misses a beat. Weird that Eujae is touching his hair, but it is his stomach that tickles.

Scanning the man's face, he finds himself transfixed by the crystal blue eyes. Their current color may be artificial, but the emotion in them—the affection—can't be mistaken for anything.

The lucid expression causes unfamiliar sensations to erupt, and Poll can't decide whether to be frustrated or thrilled by them. In the end, he chooses to ignore the feelings and pretend that they are just part of his imagination.

"You're only saying that because you want to keep calling me Apollo," he argues, deepening his scowl.

Eujae stops fiddling with Poll's hair just so he can pat the top of the smaller man's head. "Yeah, because I like that I'm the only one who gets to call you that. Makes me feel special."

Because he knows he's starting to turn scarlet, Poll looks down to hide his face. "What do you need to feel special for?" he mumbles, "You're not really going to listen to me, are you?"

Eujae lets out another chuckle. "Did I listen to you when you told me to call you Tento instead of Ten-Ten?"

"Suit yourself then. Though, that may be a useless thing to tell you since you always do what you wanna do anyway." Examining the poster in his hands again, Poll asks quietly, "So, why are you giving me this?"

"My parents' theater will be in the nearby town on December 21–"

"That's your birthday. Are you going to visit them again that day?"

Through the corner of his eyes, Poll notices Eujae nod.

"They'll be home for the Christmas holidays, but before that, they'll have to perform their last play for the year. It's like an early year-end performance. December 21 is also the start of our Christmas break so..."

The long pause makes Poll puzzled, and he has to look back at Eujae to check what caused him to stop.

Just as their eyes meet, the man smiles and continues, "I'm wondering if you'd like to come with me that day."

"You..." Uncertain if he's comprehending it rightly or not, Poll asks, "What?"

Eujae's expression becomes serious, but the patience and warmth remain in his voice. "There's something else I want to tell you, Apollo. It has something to do with the reason I decided to come clean to you about Gaele, but I prefer to tell you everything on that day. So, will you go out with me?" He averts his eyes for a second and clears his throat awkwardly. "I mean, come with me that day and watch the performance."

The whole thing is heard, but only the last few statements take the male twin's fancy. He has always wanted to watch a professional play, and now, an opportunity has presented itself to him. Anticipation coats his voice as he asks, "Can I really go with you?"

Eujae lifts a brow. "I just invited you, didn't I?"

"No need to be a smartass," Poll retorts, glaring, but his excitement keeps him from being completely annoyed with the man.

"Okay, okay. So, will you go with me then?"

Holding the flyer close to his chest, he replies eagerly, "Yes, I want to! I can't wait!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Different pigments dye the heavens. The clouds appear gray against the shades of orange and red; their linings not silver but golden. It's like a watercolor painting on a light blue canvas. Beneath the skyline are the yellow and purple wildflowers that grow all over the grass field.

The scenery is no doubt lovely, but Eujae thinks that the view in front of him is far more stunning.

Smiling, he watches Poll skip ahead of him. The guy is in high spirits, and it shows in the way he bounces in his steps as they wander along the road.

He wants to believe that Poll is happy because of the things that he learned a while ago, that he is pleased with who Gaele has turned out to be and excited about going out of town with him before Christmas.

But Eujae assumes that the major reason for the male twin's good mood right now is the cotton candy that he bought him before they exited the park.

As if to prove his speculation, Poll turns his head to the side while the fluffy, pink confectionery is stuck in his mouth.

"Hey, look!" Poll points the candy floss at the sky. "The sunset is so pretty!" he remarks, the natural rasp adding a sparkle to his voice.

Eujae observes him affectionately, content to see Poll having fun.

However, the glee has stayed on the male twin's face only for a brief moment, and Eujae notices his hold on the cotton candy stick tighten. Wide-eyed, Poll gives his companion a look that says he just remembered something not good.

Eujae knits his brows in concern, but before he can ask about what got Poll troubled, the latter blurts out, "I didn't mean it that way, okay? I am not breaking up with you!"

The vigorous declaration fails to click right away. Bemused, Eujae gives the pouting man in front of him a blank stare.

Once the words sink in, he cracks up. Poll is just too wholesome, and Eujae has lost count of how many times the guy has made him laugh today with his innocent but amusing comments.

He manages to dial his chuckles down when he catches sight of Poll scowling at him; his grip is firm around the sweet treat's handle, and his other hand is curled into a fist. If not for the fact that Poll cares about his food above anything and anyone else, Eujae is pretty certain that the male twin has sent his cotton candy flying at him by now.

"What's so funny?"

Eujae takes some time to breathe and stifle his snickers. Wheezing, he replies, "Sorry. I just couldn't help it. You made it sound like we were in a romantic relationship, Apollo."

"What–" Dark brown eyes increase in size. "But that's... you were the one who told me that breakups also apply to friendships!" Poll cries, his face catching the color of the cotton candy in his hand.

A middle-aged man passes by, and Eujae takes notice of how he raises his brow and sizes Poll up.

Eujae virtually shoots daggers at the stranger's back, nettled by the discriminatory stare that he gave the male twin, but he is distracted by the pair of youths walking in the same direction.

Contrary to the first passerby's reaction, the two seem to be amused by what they just witnessed. The young man throws an encouraging smirk over his shoulder while his female friend giggles as they amble away.

Though it looks like they're more than friends. Eujae's gaze flicks to the couple's intertwined fingers before he returns his attention to Poll.

What he would not give to have something like that too and hold this person's hand while they saunter together. But for now, he would be satisfied with just being able to walk close to him.

Eujae internally sighs, realizing that he's turned into a hopeless romantic again. He fakes a cough to interrupt the hush that has built between them before he asks in a gentle tone, "So, we're friends now?"

"Are we not?" Self-doubt tinges the question, and Poll's expression switches from irritated to timid. "We've been friends as Gaele and Ten-Ten for a while. And since we've already reconciled, I thought that made us friends. Wait, you don't want to?"

"Of course I want to," Eujae affirms immediately.

Although, I'd prefer it if we could be more than that.

Still, he can wait. He can be patient, especially now that the matter about Gaele and Ten-Ten has been ironed out.

Until this moment, Eujae has a hard time believing how easily everything has been cleared up. It is not like he is complaining, but he can't help but somehow feel like this whole thing is unreal, as if he is in a pleasant dream from which he could wake up at any moment.

But when he studies the image in front of him—a lovely person standing under the sunset, with his dark hair slightly rumpled by the day and cheeks that are currently flushed with emotions—he concludes that none of his dreams has ever been this vividly charming.

As he fixes Poll with a thoughtful stare, Eujae murmurs, "I guess you're right. The sun is so pretty right now."

The male twin beams. "Right? I want to paint it sometime."

Witnessing the quick transitions in Poll's mood, Eujae shakes his head in amusement and mentally compares Apollo Helios to a cat. They're both capricious but precious.

With a grin, Eujae matches the other man's delighted expression.

Indeed. The sun is alluring at this moment.

Only, Eujae is not talking about the one in the sky anymore.