Polyamorous.

Nothing in this world cold have ever prepared me for a moment like this. I never expected this to come about, at least, if it ever did, I didn't imagine it would happen like this. I'm at a loss for what to do because honestly, how do you even address things like this?

"P-please, don't be mad at me," my younger brother murmurs, cowering away from my hold.

I wrap my arms tighter around him; I don't let him go on a normal basis, what makes him think that I would let up this time. "Ani, there is no reason for me to be angry. It's a natural response," I tell him sincerely.

"I don't; this isn't normal, Cal. I don't know why this is happening."

I take a deep breath, running my fingers down his arms mindlessly. He's warm to the touch and I can feel him trembling just the slightest bit. "Anaias," I whisper, trailing my hands down into his, tangling our fingers together. "How do you feel about me?"

I understand that I am dipping deep into uncharted territory by asking this. I also realize that there is a chance that the smaller boy will freak out. We all know that feelings are a sensitive subject for Anaias, just as they once were for me. But it's a question that needs to be answered, a question that I need the answer to.

"Y-you're my brother," he mumbles. "You're my safety throughout all this, my sanity."

"But Anaias," my head lays in the crook of his neck, lips brushing his skin as I speak. For someone who should be cautious, I'm not treading very lightly and this could be dangerous. "How do you really feel?"

"O-on fire," he finally whispers, trembling against me. "My skin burns where you touch me."

"Are you scared?"

"N-no. C-Callen," he whines as I let go of his hands, reaching for his face and letting my fingers trail over the apples of his cheeks. I let them slide down his neck and back down his arms again. He whimpers and his hips twitch in my lap, cluing me in on the fact that his feelings probably run deeper than he even knows.

"Yeah, baby boy?" I coo at him.

"Please, you're making it worse. Make it go away."

I pause, immediately stopping all motions and discontinuing all contact. I don't think he realizes what he's asking of me. Or maybe I'm taking it too far. Maybe I'm letting my longing for him cloud my brain. But then again, maybe I'm not. But there's no time to find out before there's another presence in the room and that is when Ani breaks down.

"Is everything okay in here?" Quenton asks, blue eyes wide.

I can't tell him anything because I'm just as much in awe as he is. Anaias is curled up in the corner of where his bed meets the wall, crying and flinching at every attempt I make to reach for him. I look to Quenton with wide eyes, silently asking him for help. He shrugs at me but walks over to us anyway and when he gets close, Anaias screams, scaring both of us shitless.

"Ani, baby. What's wrong?" Quenton inquires, face scrunched up in concern. His hand reaches out for Ani, and the boy flinches back, shaking in his corner. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shake my head, piecing the signs together. It's not just me that Ani must feel it for, and that has to make the situation ten times scarier for him. I extend my hand, reaching out for the younger male when he begins mumbling to himself. He cowers again, but there's only so far he can go and eventually I've wrestled him back into my hold, screaming and kicking. Quenton just sits wide eyed and stunned, not sure what to do and I don't blame him.

"N-no. Please, p-please. Don't touch me!" Ani screams, kicking his legs and bowing his back.

"What?" Quenton asks. "What's going on with him, Cal?"

"Que, babe, you gotta leave," I tell him honestly, wincing as Anaias elbows me in the gut.

"What? Why?!" He screeches.

"Quenton, go!" I yell, taking another elbow to the stomach. I watch him run from the room and almost immediately Anaias calms down. He's still in tears, but no longer screaming or kicking and flailing his limbs.

I carefully maneuver the boy in my lap, sitting him so his head rests on my shoulder and I'm holding him like a sleeping child. He doesn't fight it, which confuses me when just two minutes ago, he was screaming bloody murder. His small hands squeeze at my back as he hiccups with the effort to take in enough air. I rub his back soothingly until I feel he's calm enough to speak and the hiccups have subsided. He clings tightly to me and I allow him to. Safety is what he needs right now and I want him to know that he can always find that in me.

"Ani, what was that all about?" I ask softly, combing my fingers through his soft hair. His head shakes rapidly and he whimpers, clinging onto me tighter. "Baby boy, calm down, okay? I just wanna know what's wrong."

"It's not his fault," Ani sighs. "It's his hands." It makes no sense to me and I must have confusion written all over my face because Anaias shake his head before elaborating. "It's not just you, Cal; it's him. It's both of you and I'm sorry for that. It freaks me out."

My conclusion from earlier is confirmed. "Ani, you know you have nothing to be sorry for, right? We love you, no matter what."

He sighs again. "You should go. Please." He slides off my lap, hurrying his way into the the bathroom. I hear the door lock and I run a hand down my face in exhaustion. That's twice today; two break downs in one day.

I get off the bed and carry myself down the hall. I find Quenton pacing back and forth across the carpet of our bedroom. When he notices me, his blue eyes widen and he runs over to me, crushing me in a hug. I hear a sniffle and I immediately wrap my arms around him, comforting him.

"Is he okay? Are you sure I didn't do something wrong?" He asks, frantically searching for an answer. He's going to get one, of course. But I'm still wary of how he will treat this new information.

"Quenton," I say seriously. "We really have to talk."