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Chuuya was looking at Verlaine strangely. Not that Chuuya looking at him weird was abnormal or anything, but today Verlaine couldn't figure out what the look on his little brothers face meant. He hadn't done anything different today, had he? Verlaine took a glance at the mirror just to make sure. He was dressed the same as he usually was, his hair was styled as usual, the little makeup he had on wasn't too different, he couldn't see anything strange on his face..so what could it be? Perhaps his little brother was just..in a mood. That wasn't abnormal either after all. Sometimes Chuuya got into a mood and would be annoyed by almost anything he did.
Verlaine decides that must be the case as he steps into the kitchen, glancing over to the island and seeing his younger brother and Arthur speaking. Only, Chuuya had a strange look on his face as he looked at Arthur too. Chuuya looking at Verlaine strangely? Normal, expected even on some days. Him looking at Arthur strangely? Not so normal. Not that the boy didn't get annoyed at Arthur sometimes, but it wasn't very often, and usually Verlaine could figure out the reason rather easily. Though the look on Chuuya's face wasn't annoyance, but rather..confusion? What would there be for him to be confused about? Verlaine knew for a fact that Arthur looked the same as usual.
He poured himself a glass of water, staring at his face in the reflection. Was he missing something? Forgetting something important? He couldn't be. There were still 111 days until Arthur's birthday and 302 days until Chuuya's birthday, the two dates most important to him. Was he supposed to take Chuuya somewhere and had forgotten? No, that couldn't be it, since Chuuya had been staring at Arthur as well. Had he..heard some sort of rumour perhaps? Usually when he heard something like that he just asked about it..unless it was something worse?
"Paul?"
Verlaine glances back up, seeing Arthur looking at him, Chuuya back to working on an essay for school. It was something about..he couldn't remember. Is that what he'd forgotten? No way, his little brother surely wouldn't stare at him strangely for forgetting about his school essay topic. How would Chuuya even know that he'd forgotten? He couldn't know.
"Hm?" Verlaine sets the glass on the counter, getting out two empty ones. "Did you want something to drink as well?"
"Ah, water is fine." Now Arthur had an odd look on his face too. No, no that was just his slightly worried look. At least Verlaine could still recognize that. "As long as everything is okay with it..? You were staring at your glass rather seriously. Did it chip?"
That explains the look on Arthur's face, though he still wasn't sure what the look on Chuuya's earlier had meant.. "Everything's fine. I was just thinking."
The look of worry on Arthur's face lessened, nodding as Verlaine placed two waters on the counter beside him and Chuuya. "About anything in particular?"
Maybe Arthur would know why Chuuya was looking at them weirdly, he must have some sort of idea. At least Verlaine would assume so, since he didn't seem bothered at the odd looks they had been getting. Unless he hadn't noticed..? Of course he would have noticed, it's not as if Chuuya was trying to be subtle. Or if he was trying to be subtle that meant Verlaine had some teaching to do. It couldn't even be considered an attempt at being subtle.
"Nothing in particular." Verlaine ends up saying, briefly glancing over at his little brother. "Well..do I have something on my face?"
"Something on your face..?" Arthur asks, staring rather intently for a moment. "I don't see anything. Are you sure everything is alright?"
"It's fine. I was just wondering." So he was right about nothing being on his face at least. But if he couldn't see anything wrong, and Arthur couldn't see anything wrong, then what could it possibly be.. "Chuuya's been looking at me strangely."
The mention of his name makes his little brother look up from his schoolwork. "I'm not looking at you strangely, maybe that's just how I look at you."
Sure. Definitely. As if Verlaine doesn't know what Chuuya's face usually looks like. Does he think he's dumb? Actually..he'd rather not know the answer to that question. When he'd asked it in the past the answer had almost always been a confirmation. "That's not true, ever since you got home you've been staring at me with this.. confused look. I know I haven't forgotten anything, and there's nothing on my face, so what have you been staring at?"
Now Verlaine was even more glad he hadn't asked Chuuya if the boy thought he was stupid, because from looking at his face the answer would be a yes without hesitation. Really, how could one teenager look so judgemental? At least when Verlaine was judging people he didn't show it on his face..for the most part. Really this was just showing him things he needs to teach Chuuya. How to be subtle when you're staring at someone, how not to show how much you're judging someone, how to..
"I was a little confused when I got home and saw what you had on, but I haven't stared at you weirdly since then. Maybe you're just imagining it." Just imagining it, yeah right. Wait, what he had on?
"What are you talking about? I'm not wearing anything different than I usually do," He'd even checked! Normal outfit, normal hat, normal hairstyle, normal everything. There was nothing wrong with what he was wearing, and Arthur had just said he didn't have anything on his face. And it's not like his partner would lie to him.
"Isn't the lip tint you have on the one he usually wears..?" Chuuya asks, gesturing towards Arthur. "I was just confused because it's darker than what you usually do. That's all."
Verlaine pauses. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the tube he'd been using throughout the day. That..was Arthur's and not his. Had he seriously not noticed? "Right. I knew that.." That explains why Chuuya had given him an odd look. He must've accidentally grabbed Arthur's instead of his own this morning. And now that he knew that, he noticed the lip tint Arthur had on was lighter than usual, meaning he had on the shade Verlaine usually wore.
"Do you not look at what you're putting on your face or something?" Chuuya rolls his eyes, picking his pencil up. "Yet you're the one who asks how I've survived this long when I do something dumb.."
"It's alright Paul," Arthur says, and Verlaine can see the amused smile he's trying to hide. "I hadn't noticed."
He has a few doubts about that statement..