Mark's P.O.V.
I've never been a man of many words. Inflicting pain is how I usually get my point across. But when it comes to my brother, I choose a different style of communicating. I lifted my head up to see my locker room door opening. Kane stood there, his hair hiding his mask, his bright blue eyes shining through. I stood up and closed the door, he and I standing side by side, facing different directions to avoid the others gaze.
"Did you hear the announcement?" I asked, feeling a lump form in my throat. I cursed at myself as I held the small tears back.
"Yeah." Kane answered, his voice muffled by his mask. I took a deep breath and turned around, looking at him.
"You know this doesn't change anything between us, right? We're still brothers." He was quiet for a minute before lowering his head. I slowly reached down, taking his hand in mine. His gaze shot back up to me, a look of panic washed over his eyes. I calmed him down by stroking the top of his hand with my thumb, giving him a look of reassurance as we stood in silence.
"Even if we do have to fight each other, I won't try to seriously hurt you. Your safety is my first priority." He nodded slowly and I felt his hand grip mine. I gave a small smile and placed my hand on his cheek, stroking his mask. He tensed up but soon relaxed, easing into the palm of my hand.
"I hope you know you're the only one allowed to do this." I chuckled and nodded, taking a step towards him.
"Yeah, I know. And I'm glad. You're my little brother. I'm the only one allowed to touch you." There was an awkward silence between us before I released Kane's hand and walked over to my bag.
"I have something for you." I reached in my bag and pulled out a package. He tilted his head as I handed it to him.
"Go ahead." He opened it and gazed inside the box. His head then shot back up to mine, obviously in shock. He pulled out a new mask and admired it carefully, taking in every detail. I smiled and walked over to him. I placed my hands on the side of his face, slowly slipping back his old mask.
"You know you're beautiful without this thing, right?" He looked down and shook his head.
"No, I'm not. I'm a monster." I lifted up his chin and rested my forehead against his.
"Kane, if you were a monster, do you think I'd still be here?" He was about to answer but closed his mouth, obviously knowing he was defeated. I smiled once more and reached into my pocket.
"I have something else for you." He looked down and his eyes went wide.
"It's our mothers. She always told me to give it to the person I loved the most." Tears filled his eyes as I slipped the gold band on his ring finger. It stopped on his knuckle and I saw Kane frown. I brought his finger up to my mouth and put his finger in my mouth, coating it with saliva. I saw his face turn red as the ring slipped to the base of his finger, gleaming beautifully.
"It fits now." He suddenly grabbed me, hugging me. I could hear his small whimpers and I could do nothing else but wrap my arms around him and comfort him. I placed my hands on his cheeks, wiping away his tears.
"Happy Valentine's Day, little brother." As I closed the gap between our lips, Vince stood outside our locker room door, peering in through the small crack. He smiled and walked back to his office to cancel our match.