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It's hard to describe it as falling when they've always felt this way. Coming to terms with the feelings, realizing that not everyone would be accepting of their relationship, growing up and finally learning the words to how they felt, was the hard part. Ingo always naturally took on the protective role, even before their parents told them Ingo was the 'older' twin. Ingo was, presumably, the first to fall. The first to know he loved Emmet.
He was the first to notice the odd glances that passersby shot their way. Most brothers didn't hold hands in public like they did. Most brothers didn't sit side to side while they ate, legs locked together. They had an unspoken, yearning desire to always touch. Most brothers didn't have that, and people noticed. It scared Ingo.
Ingo was terrified of being found out. No amount of explanation could rationalize having such terrible thoughtsabout your little brother. What he feared the most was having Emmet taken away from him.
Emmet fell harder.
Emmet very quickly caught on to the subtle differences in the way Ingo acted. His tiny jumps at every little touch, the way he gripped Emmet's hand harder any time someone walked past. No one knew Ingo better than Emmet did. Emmet looked into Ingo's distracted eyes, reading an expression that Emmet had never truly caught until now. Ingo was flustered, turning his head away, eyes shut as he covered his mouth with a free hand. Ingo tried to hide it, but it was too late. Emmet saw.
And it hit him. Suddenly he knew. Emmet never really had thought hard about their relationship until this moment.
Over two decades of subconscious yearning had flooded Emmet's mind. His face grew red as he began to quiver. Was it too late to say anything? Had he broken the heart and trust of his dear older brother, tossed aside due to his carelessness? All because Emmet was too blind to see how Ingo truly felt all this time? He began to overthink—he knew he couldn't trust himself. One concerned question from Ingo and he would spill his entire heart out. He couldn't tell a lie to save his life, let alone to his own brother—and he was terrified of what he would say. He couldn't allow his lack of filter to ruin the one thing he truly cared about.
"Emmet."
Fuck, of course Ingo had noticed. Emmet was so lost in his own thoughts he conveniently forgot that this was his brother. The only person who knows Emmet better than himself. He was a fool to think he could hide this from Ingo.
Emmet's smile stiffened, head lowered in shame as his hand still gripped onto Ingo like a timid little Whismur. Ingo gently placed his fingers on the brim of Emmet's hat, lifting his head to meet his gaze.
"Talk to me, Emmet." Ingo spoke softly, a stark contrast to the bold voice he was used to throwing around. It wasn't uncommon for Ingo to lower his voice in tense moments like this, especially when the two desperately need a moment of privacy. Emmet always lost his breath in moments like this, the sudden intimacy caught him off guard. Ingo's hand lowered to Emmet's cheek, the heat from his face just barely seeping through the fabric of his glove.
All Emmet could do was look up at him. His smile quivered, face growing more red at the touch. All Emmet wished he could do was rip that glove off from Ingo's hand. The barrier of fabric that divided their touch was too much for him to handle. Emmet draped his free hand over Ingo's own, tears from his eyes daring to fall.
“You know I’m not good with words. Hell.” A tear fell onto Ingo’s glove. “I love you.”
Emmet felt Ingo’s grip tighten, gaze lowering as he tried to keep his composure. Ingo wasn’t sure if he wanted to jump around and cheer or start crying in Emmet’s arms.
“I l-love...Emmet, are you...okay with this? Is this okay?” Before Ingo could continue Emmet grabbed him by the cheek and pulled him in for a forceful kiss. The visors of their caps clash into each other and cause Ingo’s cap to pull up awkwardly off the top of his head.
Ingo purrs and grabs Emmet by the waist, leaning down and towering over him. He pulls back and adjusts his cap.
“W-Well, there’s no use for us to stand around here.” Ingo said.
Emmet was suddenly aware of his surroundings— he had forgotten they were in public. Hopefully no one noticed.
“Right...Let’s go home, Niisan. We can talk more about this there.”