Unfamiliar feelings

Lyre swallowed as he watched Rain approach.

"Wait a minute," Rain immediately stopped. "How did you get in here?" He asked as he blinked to make sure he didn't conjure such a handsome young boy.

Lyre said nothing, he kept glancing at Rain with his hands fisted by the side as if he were ready to take flight at the slightest provocations.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Rain furrowed his brows as he came close to Lyre, who was trying, so badly to plaster himself to the wall.

He kept on swallowing as he watched the handsome boy.

Lyre's heart was beating fast at the thought of what the boy might do to him should he speak.

"What's wrong?" Rain closed the distance between them.

Lyre flinched when Rain tried to touch his face. He closed his eyes as he prepared for a stroke of power on him.

And when he felt nothing like that, he opened his eyes to see the boy staring at him.

"Who are you?" Rain asked once more as he tried to know who the strange boy who entered his room was. "If you don't say a—"

"Rain!"

The mother knocked on his door, with Clar standing by the side, eagerly waiting for Rain to open the door.

She might not have seen Lyre enter Rain's room, but she was certain this was where he entered.

"What's it, mother?" Rain frowned at the door.

Lyre's heart skipped a bit at the sound of the mother's voice.

Instinctively, he slid to the floor and wrapped his hand around him.

His heart was beating so fast at the thought of what the woman who brought him here will do when she sees him with another boy.

Deep.

He shook in fear as his mind conjured the most gruesome punishments.

"Did you see Clar's new brother?" The mother inquired.

"Does he have white hair?" Rain asked as he stared at the odd pretty boy.

"Yes." The mother smiled. "is he in your room?"

"Yes."

Rain answered, but didn't open the door to the mother.

Instead, he took a squat in front of the pretty boy who was trying so hard to make himself seem small.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a gentle voice.

Lyre was startled at the gentleness of the voice. It made him glance up in shock.

"Rain, open the door. Clar wants to take her new brother." The mother knocked on the door.

"And don't you dare think you can steal my brother. He's all mine!" Clar folded her arms. "He's all mine!"

"Give me a minute!" Rain called out to them as he checked on Lyre, who still hasn't raised his head.

"What's wrong?" He tried to touch Lyre, but he flinched.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you, okay? I only wish to make sure you are okay." Rain asked in the gentlest voice he can muster.

However, the scared Lyre was far gone in his thoughts, to pay heed to the tone he made use of.

"Mother is here to take you, okay." Rain stood when he noticed the boy doesn't want to talk. "Stand on your own. I will not touch you." He said with a smile, hoping it will make the boy less afraid.

It took all his willpower not to take the petite, pretty boy in his arms, and tell him that everything will be okay.

That was what his other self wanted, but Rain, who wasn't still used to what was happening, stood by the side and watched him.

"Rain?" The mother called out when Clar became Ansty.

She was pacing the floor murmuring about how she will kill Rain should he try to steal her new brother from her.

Rain opened the door and motioned for Lyre to leave.

"Brother!" Clar ran into the room and helped Lyre up from the ground. "What did he do to you, brother? Did he hurt you? Tell me, and I will fight for you."

"You allowed her to touch you?" Rain scoffed when he noticed Lyre didn't flinch when Clar touched him.

The sight alone made him ball his hands into fists as he gritted his teeth.

"He likes me, of course," Clar stuck her tongue out at him before she turned to Lyre. "Let's go, brother."

Rain stood in the same spot and watched them leave.

He had this urge within him, to rip Clar's hold off the pretty boy, and hold him. He wanted to be the only one to touch him, and that scared him.

All his life, he has never felt their way for another person, before. Most times, he believed he wasn't mapped out for any relationship stuff.

But now, seeing as his heart reacted to the pretty boy, he was beginning to think that maybe his heart was only dormant because it hadn't found the right person to beat for.

"During dinner, I will introduce him to the entire family." The mother said as she left Rain's room. "Clar, wait. We need to show him to his room."

She stopped Clar from tugging the helpless Merman into her room, once more.

"Oh."

Clar sighed.

She thought she will have to share her room with her new brother.

And if that was the case, she would have been ecstatic about it.

But no, the mother had to spoil her show.

"Okay. Let's go to your room." She turned and started leading Lyre towards the guest room, which wasn't that far from Rain's room.

"Why did you prepare this guest room? You would have prepared the one next to my room!"

"And do you think Jewel will like that? It's better he stays near Rain. You and Jewel are both girls. It's not ideal—"

"But I wouldn't have minded!" She folded her arms.

"You wouldn't have done that, but do you think he will want that?" The mother motioned to Lyre, who was hiding behind Clar.

In his mind, he thought the mother was only bidding her time until she strikes.

That's why he's trying to stay on the safer side.