*Frequency by Sylvan Esso intensifies*

Thank you for reading!

The more time Brain got to spend with Anora, the more furious he was becoming with Ephemer. Yeah, okay, so the silver haired headmasters' pet was a good leader. But why (why?!) would he dump Anora? Brain had spent too much time assuming the worst about her in the past. Taking advantage of others was the last thing on Anora's mind, and Brain felt like an idiot for not realizing that sooner. Seeing Anora outside of Daybreak Academy brought out a side of her that Brain doubted even Ephemer had the chance to see. Her humor, her opinions, even that secret kleptomania trait- all previously held back by being at a school full of strangers.

And then there was that smile- a smile so wide and genuine, she needed to use her whole face to express it. For that smile alone Brain wondered if he had actually fallen in love with Anora during the past month. It was almost funny in a rather bitter way. Was he the third person to have a crush on Anora now, or the twentieth? Unlike the others, he had done something unthinkable. He had taken something that didn't belong to him.

He now understood why Ephemer would come into the clubroom all giddy when they all knew he had been at Anora's dorm. Waking up beside that lovely lady was truly an honor. Brain would be a liar if he didn't say he would hug her a little tighter, and gently kiss the base of her neck if he woke up before her. Which, by the way, continued to infuriate him on Ephemer's choice to ditch her. The next time Brain saw Ephemer, there was going to be a battle- and it was not one Brain planned on losing. Ephemer should be here. Ephemer should have been Anora's first. Not Brain. He didn't deserve anything that involved Anora; absolutely none of it.

Now with only five days left until Christmas, Brain wondered what else this odd little family had in store for him. His curiosity was sated when Kieran knocked on his door.

"They're having a Christmas parade in town tomorrow," he explained as he leaned against the door frame, as to not intrude on whatever Brain was doing, "A few of my buddies are putting together a little something on the back of their pick up. Wanna help us?"

"Of course." Brain agreed without a second thought. He didn't notice the sigh of relief Kieran gave as he started to get ready to go.

"Great." Kieran said, "I'll be leaving in about five. So just meet me at the drive lane."

"Yep." came the affirmative nod without so much a second glance.

The drive over to Kieran's friend's house was mostly spent in silence. Every now and again, Kieran would ask Brain about his family, and the younger man gladly offered up the information. When they finally got to Kieran's friend's house, Kieran was quick to allow Brain to meet his friends. One had a really light skin color, bright red eyeglasses, and was wearing bib overalls. The other had darker skin, frizzy hair that looked like it was trying to become a cloud, and his hands were far more calloused than any of the other's hands.

"Brain," Kieran happily said to the young man, before gesturing to the man wearing overalls, "This is Bob," He then gestured to the man with the calloused hands. "And this is Ross." And to his friends, Kieran gave a simple nod before slapping a hand on Brain's shoulder. "Fellas, this is Brain. He's my baby cousin's boyfriend."

"Pleasure to meet'cha Brain." Bob nodded, even giving the younger man a light handshake.

"So Kieran's sister-cousin's got a boyfriend now." Ross mused. "Geez, feels like just yesterday the poor doll couldn't utter more than three sentences to anyone. How'd she manage to snag you?"

"Sister-cousin?" Brain chose to repeat, instead of answering Ross's question. He gave Kieran an almost bemused half glance in wonder.

"Yeah!" Ross agreed with a wide grin. "Don't you know? Key and Nor's old men are identical twins, which technically makes them half siblings."

"I… did not know that." Brain admitted as he fingered the front rim of his fedora. Kieran looked over at Brain for a moment before turning back to Ross with a trickster grin.

"At least there isn't inbreeding in our family."

"Now wait a minute!"

"Enough." Bob snorted. "This float ain't gonna build itself, is it? We literally just have today to get it done."

Ross was less than pleased to let the comment slide, grumbling words under his breath that he wouldn't dare completely utter with Brain around. But the men started to get to work regardless. They were going to use Ross's older pick up truck for the float, as simple as it was going to be. Bob and Brain worked to decorate a large piece of plywood that would be shaped and decorated into a large Christmas tree. Kieran was the one who carefully cut it out for them. Ross kept minding his truck, making sure it was set to run for the parade.

"Damn it." he eventually mumbled when the truck sputtered out of life for the third time.

"You alright over there Ross?"

"Battery's dead," came the annoyed grumble, "And Pop's got the jumper cables. I should probably do that now, yeah? Anyone wanna come with?"

"Take Bob with you." Kieran immediately suggested. "Brain and I got this covered."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Bob retorted. Despite being in his 30s, he still crossed his arms in defiance like a child.

"Sure you do," Ross cheekily decided as he threw his arm around Bob's shoulders. "Just not today."

Everyone but Bob laughed as the two men got into a car Brain assumed belonged to Bob. Brain and Kieran went back to their business not long after. Or, at least Brain did. Kieran kept a close eye on Bob's car as it pulled out and onto the road. After it was out of eye range, he looked over at Brain. A part of him seemed to tense before he carefully asked;

"How often have you and Anora bumped uglies so far?"

Brain almost choked on his own spit in shock. He wildly looked back at Kieran with wide eyes and a paling face. He quickly shook it off with a shake of his head. Of course Kieran would know. How could Kieran not know when it had been proven that he and Anora could be as thick as thieves.

"Once." Brain admitted, not seeing any use in lying about it. "A few days after we arrived. She would like to do it again, I think I do too, but… But if something happens..."

Kieran studied Brain for a few moments. He returned to his task with a small, thoughtful sigh.

"She wasn't your first, was she?"

For this, Brain flinched just slightly.

"No, sir. She wasn't. The first -and before Anora, the last- was someone that I really loved, someone that I wanted to spend my whole life with."

Kieran once more looked over at Brain to gauge his reactions- to see how good of a liar he was. So far, Brain had done nothing but radiate in an extreme confidence. Along with being a rather decent guy with showing Razzie attention. Now the young man looked vulnerable- almost heartbroken. The young man didn't need to say anything else about his previous lover, both of them got the hint.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, Brain." Kieran finally sighed. "I trust you with her. You have my permission as long as it's within reason. Just never give me a reason to take that back- got it?"

"Of course." Brain agreed. And after that, they said nothing more about Anora.

. . .

Brain absolutely detested that making a conscious effort to do something was always harder than doing it unconsciously. He could almost feel the sweat accumulate in the palm of his hands. He never got this nervous. Ever. Cursing under his breath only alleviated some of the stress. It came in troves as he knocked on Anora's door.

Why was he this nervous?

Anora looked just as shocked to see him when she opened the door. If he didn't take his hat off while inside, Brain would have used it to hide his flushed face.

"Do you… mind if I come inside?" he asked. "I need to tell you something."

She must have noticed how nervous he was, before she immediately nodded her head and let him in. Of course, she only lightly shuffled out of the way for him to enter. It was awkward as Anora then shut the door behind him, then turned around with her back against the door.

"What's wrong?" she finally tried to ask. Her voice was shaking, as if she expected to be in trouble for something. Brain had a sudden instinct to hug her. Instead, he pressed his lips into a line and averted his eyes away from her.

"Kieran knows."

Anora's body immediately stiffened. She just as quickly turned away in shame. "O-oh..."

"And that's the funny thing," Brain then went on, using a hand to scratch the back of his neck, "He's fine with it. Well, as fine as a brother could be, I guess." He looked back over at her and let out a slow sigh. "I… liked teasing you. I want to do it again too. But I… I've been afraid. Permanent choices can be made from a moment's fun, Anora, and I don't want to put you in that situation."

For a long time, she simply stared at him. Anora's chest lightly lifted and lowered as her breathing became slower. Brain unintentionally started to mirror her. The air around them felt heavy- it was becoming harder to breathe the longer they kept their gazes on each other.

"I don't care." Anora finally breathed. "I just want you."

At this simple assertion, both of them took a deep breath in. Brain was the one to break the spell first. He walked over to Anora as calmly as he could. He placed a hand against the side of her face- the young woman nearly swooned at the touch.

"I'm beginning to understand why Strelitzia couldn't stop herself from kissing you." he murmured as he leaned close to her. "You have this… frequency, like a radio, and it's very, very..." He trailed off as the two met halfway to give the other a slow, passionate kiss.