"Hey, Aeron. Why do you let them talk down to you like this?" A teenage boy asked, pointing rigidly toward a shorter boy who mirrored his appearance.

"It's not their fault!" Aeron replied with puffed cheeks, "They're just having a hard time, big bro. I know they're just joking."

"Damn, little scamp." The teen muttered, ruffling Aeron's hair. "You have to be stronger, kid. I don't want to spend my entire service worrying about you, you know that?"

"It doesn't matter what the fuck they're going through; that doesn't give them the right to pick on you, you got that?"

"I know... Don't worry. I'll grow up and be as big and strong as you by when you return!" Aeron sniffled before he hugged his brother.

"Aeron Trefor, I believe in you, kid."

That was one of the last times the two boys spoke freely with their innocence intact, for the boy— would go off to fight for his country. Little did he know back then the horrors he would face in his daily life and how he would yearn for those simpler times. A culmination of experiences— five years of extended service— they changed him beyond recognition.

The one thing that remained true was his love for his brother— his only kin.

Five years later, Rhys Trefor returned. Honorably discharged— a chance to relax, at last.

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"Bro— You're finally back!" Aeron shouted, waving aggressively at the airport. His bright-eyed smile shone even in the nighttime airport atmosphere.

"Scamp, look at you! You've grown up." Rhys' laughter boomed across the arrival point, startling several other weary travelers.

They turned toward the man but turned away just as quickly. The man looked over two hundred centimeters tall— with visible muscles taut against his dull tan t-shirt.

The two men left the airport and returned to a life of peace and enjoying one another's company.

Everything was perfect until several weeks later when Aeron returned to their home with a bruised eye. Aeron walked into the house, weary and tired, and threw himself on the couch.

When Rhys saw him, he jumped. "What happened?"

"It's nothing, bro. Forget about it." Aeron replied through a muffled voice with his face glued to a cushion.

"What the fuck do you mean nothing?" Rhys snapped, lifting Aeron off the couch aggressively and setting him down to face him. "What happened, Aeron Trefor? Don't make me ask again."

"It's nothing, really... It was one of the scumbags that always try and sell drugs by my workplace." Aeron replied reluctantly. If he had known the tides that reply would cause, he never would have spoken or come home that day.

It took only one day before the police called him. His brother had been arrested.

It took a long time to find a balance in their strange circumstances, but Aeron worked hard to resolve his brother's issues. Finally, Rhys agreed to settle into a rehabilitation facility; it was the opportunity they both desperately needed to bring normalcy into their life.

At least, that's how their story should have ended.