AN: Last part of Darryl and Chad’s side story trilogy thingy :D The others will be up hopefully soon, definitely by the 19th :D … seems a long time range, don’t it :D ah well. That’s it for this pair for the side stories, but don’t worry. There’s still Flawless if you want to see more of them, although it’ll take a while to get to this point. I’m not entirely sure about the tenses in here, but oh well… And because I thought you might be as curious as I was to find out how Chad and Darryl first ended up sleeping together, the first section is that flashback (sorta) scene… I’m really quite lad they shared it with me, because it was beginning to drive me insane, what with all their hints and stuff XD So read, enjoy, and please review!! Let me know what you think!!

Chad hung up the phone and began sulking on the bed, casting dark looks at his twin occasionally for not even having the decency to ask what was wrong. He crossed his arms and pouted.

Over at the desk, Darryl rubbed his temple with a finger and scowled at his homework, which Chad was supposed to be helping him on. Apparently Chad had forgotten this in his new, more offended view of the world and the girls that lived on it. Giving up, because chemistry was never going to be one of his strengths, Darryl swiveled his chair around to watch his brother sulk, finding unholy amusement in the activity.

Chad felt him looking and glanced up, the scowl on his face easing into a small grin before he remembered he was supposed to be angry at the world. He let the grin remain though, mainly because Darryl was already beginning to bring him out of his moping.

The younger twin lifted an eyebrow inquiringly.

Chad gave a small shrug. “She said no.”

“No, did she really,” Darryl murmured, teasing. “Ah well. I never liked her.”

“Neither did I,” Chad responded candidly. Darryl grinned, and Chad thought of something, a searching expression crossing his face.

Darryl saw it and paused, tilting his head questioningly. “Well? What is it?”

Chad smirked. “You’re cute when you do that.”

“Uh… what?” Darryl’s expression turned frankly disbelieving.

“Seriously,” Chad continued, getting off the bed to stand in front of his suddenly slightly nervous brother. “You’re really cute. Don’t you think so?”

Darryl laughed somewhat brokenly, putting it down to a prank, because there was no way in hell that his brother had just called him cute. “Whatever, man. Come on; help me with my chem. You know I certainly need it.”

“Wait a minute,” Chad replied, catching a hold of his twin’s shoulder before the other could turn around again. “You know what they always say about twins, don’t you? About how sexy twins are together and stuff? Do you want to try it?”

Now Darryl’s eyes were skeptical although the rest of his face lost all expression. “I’m not letting you fuck me.”

Chad laughed at that. “Of course not! Come on Darryl, just one kiss. No more unless we both want it. Come on. What harm can a kiss do?”

Darryl shook his head and tried to turn around again, unsuccessfully. “No.”

Chad breathed out heavily in frustration and jerked Darryl up, matching the younger twin’s glare with one of his own. “One kiss. No more unless you want it. Promise.”

Darryl’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. One kiss.”

Chad smirked and leant forward, softly kissing the corner of Darryl’s mouth before turning it into a real kiss. Darryl’s eyes closed instinctively, but aside from that, he remained unresponsive; suddenly terrified of that something inside of him that made him want to respond whole-heartedly. It was all or nothing. Safer was the option of nothing, and that was the one he chose to give.

Chad pulled back after a minute or so, his eyes both surprised and annoyed. “Come on Darryl, you have to kiss back.”

“No I don’t,” Darryl countered somewhat nervously. “That was your one kiss and now you can help me with my homework.”

Chad narrowed his eyes, a glint in them that belied the smirk playing around his lips. “Scared?”

Darryl paused. “No.”

“I think you are,” Chad continued ruthlessly. “You don’t want to kiss back because you’re scared I might hurt you afterwards.”

Darryl’s shoulders tensed. “No,” he said, but his tone held no more conviction than it did honesty.

“Come on,” Chad coaxed, turning his brother around again slowly. “Just kiss me back, I promise I won’t hurt you. I give you my word.”

“Fine,” Darryl sighed, his tone tired and wary. He leant forward carefully, and Chad smirked again before kissing Darryl back.

What started as a relatively chaste kiss soon turned into something more; a tangling of tongues that made both of their heads spin, a scrape of teeth that staggered their souls, and a supply of heat and sudden desire that made both of them forget who they were. In a desperate attempt to get closer, Chad pulled Darryl nearer, eliminating any space between their bodies. Their hips bumped together.

Chad drew back gasping. “Darryl, do you…”

Darryl, his head reeling pleasantly, began running his hands through his brother’s hair. Before their lips met again, Darryl sealed his fate and whispered, “Yes, oh yes…”

Darryl’s POV

I couldn't believe it when he found me yet again. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s been doing it practically our whole life; I should be more surprised if he couldn't find me.

I just said our whole life, didn’t I? Damnit. It refuses to sink in, you know? The fact that it isn’t our life anymore; there’s mine, and there’s his. They’re separate. We’re separate. We weren’t ever really together either, I suppose, although God knows we tried to be, especially when we were younger. As we got older I guess we just accepted that it’s impossible to be one person in two bodies.

I wonder. Had I thought of that, would I have fallen in love with him still? It boggled the mind, to be in love with oneself like that. It isn’t supposed to be possible.

But then, neither is anything vaguely pleasant in this world.

I was more shocked to find him sitting down at my spot even before I got there. It touched me, in a rather absurd way, that he cared enough to wait for me to arrive, especially given the fact that he had no real assurance that I would go there anyway. It isn’t my only place to sit and… mope, I guess.

And then I got to wondering if that was all I had left for me, being ridiculously happy over the smallest signs that he did still care for me, even though he’d been rather angry at me of late.

He stood up before I could go, and quickly walked toward me, grabbing my face in unapologetic hands, and he kissed me.

Being who I am, him being who he is, I couldn't help but kiss back. And something must have happened, because the next thing I knew was that he pulled back, and searched my eyes with his, and he told me quietly that it was all right.

It was all right.

Oh God.

He knows.

Chad’s POV

He looked stunned. I always thought he was smarter than to believe I would mind, but apparently I was wrong. Or maybe the shock left him bereft of any comprehensible thought. I could only see one clear emotion swirling in those chaotic eyes, and that was panicked fear. Utter terror.

And it hurt, yet again, because he shouldn’t be that scared of me. Of me knowing. He shouldn’t have been, and he was, and that was where all the problems lay.

I shifted my grip from his face to his shoulders before he could wrench himself away and run; and I jerked him closer, into what might possibly be the tightest hug we’ve ever had.

He froze. In that one minute, I was sure that it would all go to hell. He wouldn’t let himself see that I might love him back like that and I wouldn’t be able to keep him, to hold him close enough to allow himself to see it.

That brief chill of terror that slid down my spine abruptly brought back our position, and when his shoulder started to shake silently, I could only hold tighter and hope that he permitted himself to see what I had yet to learn.

Love isn’t supposed to have real boundaries. That is why the heart chooses whom to love, not the mind. That is why it is harder falling out of love than into it. That is probably why it’s almost impossible to stop yourself from loving somebody when everything but the logical part of your mind tells you that it is wanted, that that kind of love is needed.

I called his name softly, and he pressed himself closer, a motion that hadn't actually seemed possible a few seconds before.

Strange, how most impossible things actually are, and especially how many of those supposedly impossible things seem to be quite pleasant.

He sobbed something into my collarbone, where his face was buried, and I replied soothingly, using words that I didn’t know, not then, not now. I can't really remember much of what I said, but it must have been the right thing, because he lifted his head slowly and stared at me, the most heartbreakingly hopeful look on his face.

And even though his cheeks were flushed red with misery, and tears were still tracking their way down his face, his eye lashes were clumped together, and his eyes were bright and wet and almost too scared to be hopeful; it struck me then, in a completely different way than it ever has before.

He really is beautiful.

Inside and out.

Darryl’s POV

He told me I was beautiful.

I didn’t believe a word of it. All right, so when I dress up and try, I can look reasonably attractive. But then, when my face was stained with tears and with my eyes red from crying, I didn’t believe a word of it. There must have been a wide variety of words to choose from, but ‘beautiful’ was definitely not from that selection.

I told him so, in a small voice that didn’t sound anything like me, trying to avoid the thing that I could plainly see he wanted to discuss.

He merely looked at me, slightly incredulous and asked me what I thought about him when he was in a mood, or had had a horrible bout of crying that only happens infrequently, and I saw his point, even as he subconsciously brought up the topic I least wished to discuss.

Even when he looked horrible, even when he was in the same state as I happened to be in then, he was still gorgeous to me.

He reminded me of that in the sweetest, simplest, and most effective way possible. I was reminded, just in case anybody had forgotten, that I loved him.

And with that thought, came the realization that he would want to Talk About It, when I, most decidedly, did not.

He caught me before I could attempt to lighten the atmosphere. He told me he knew. He told me he really was fine with the idea, that he might even love me back. I had listened to most of the one-sided conversation with something akin to relief and utter adoration, but this last sparked incredulity again.

I interrupted him to tell him so, and, amazingly, he grinned at me, and kissed me before I could ask him about his reasons for grinning.

Chad’s POV

I told you that if I wouldn’t tell him, I would show him. Understandably, he froze for a few seconds, but then he began to kiss back, and I realized why he hadn't believed me.

He had honestly believed that it was wrong, that I would never feel for him the way he felt for me. It was ingrained, and it was a heartbreak waiting to happen. I disillusioned him of it as soon as I could, but first he had to believe I loved him. That was the first step.

It was also simultaneously the hardest and the easiest thing to convince him of.

It took quite a few deep kisses to convince him to start thinking about the idea. It took an extremely long soul-searching session we shared in each other’s eyes to make him begin trusting it.

So far, he isn’t fully sure about it, but I think I can make him see the light.

I’m his brother, his twin.

He really has no choice.

And I think that’s what he’s most happy about.

Darryl’s POV

He loves me.

Oh God.

Yes…