“Gladiators going to a battle unprepared are paramount to suicide. Fear is inevitable but the situation will dictate you to man up, and own the battlefield. Whether you decide to survive and die is your choice, it's kill or be killed. The world is cruel, there's no way anyone can change that. As much as you try to be kind, you'll always end up choosing: to hurt someone or to get hurt by someone. It is a natural reaction to be selfish, but it’s not enough to be a reason to inflict pain to others. Sometime, apologies will never suffice.”
***
The moment Brent saw Brian; he knew that he found himself a friend. He’s nothing like him; they were exact opposites. But one thing he is sure of, though… Brian is a good guy. And so he befriended him.
During the process, Brent found out that even if Brian’s personality is the different from him, they still have a lot of things in common. Even if they don’t see each other often, they see to it that they communicate. Brent would check out on Brian, and Brian would tell Brent of his whereabouts. They were as closely–knit as they could possibly get. They were inseparable. They’re like family.
There even came a time that Brent came to the rescue when Brian’s relationship started to crumble. It was a low time for Brian, and Brent did all the things he possibly could to help Brian save his relationship with his partner.
It was supposed to be a cool–off between Brian and his partner—a time for Brian to rethink and weigh things that happened and hopefully, fix it. But apparently, Brian was having something on the sides. It was something that Brent detests about Brian; on how instead of fixing things with his partner, he decided to fool around with someone else.
“What is it that Brian saw with this someone?” Brent thought to himself. The “someone” must have had something that Brian’s partner didn’t have so Brian decided to somewhat “take a plunge.”
One day, the test of friendship began.
Brent tried to communicate with Shane, Brian’s someone else. He asked Shane if he is friends with Brian. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. Brian succumbed to paranoia. Word vomits were hurled at Brent, and then, the inevitable happened—Brian shut him out.
Silence. Utter silence.
Apparently, Brian took it against Brent that he communicated with Shane. There was no harm on Brent’s intent. He just wanted to understand what is going on with his dear friend. He tried to reach Brian, but it seems like he doesn’t want to be reached. Brent begged him for forgiveness, but to no avail. It bugged him.
It was a sleepless night for Brent. He felt the need to do something. He turned on his laptop and started to compose an email for Brian. He sent it in the hopes that Brian would hear his plea and reconsider the friendship. The morning after, he heard from Brian. Brent was forgiven, and they had some discussions. Then, Brent opened the idea of letting go of the friendship. He admitted he was weak, and another episode of a shaky friendship would tear him apart.
“I’m thinking of letting you go,” said Brent and he continued, “If you won’t fix yourself & your relationship like you’re supposed to, then probably your partner would let you go, too. But, then again, there’s Shane. How’s that in replacement of me and your partner?”
Silly Brent… He came out too strong with his statement. Brian had a rebuttal. He thinks that his partner won’t leave him, and that he would be sad in letting go of his friendship with Brent.
With this in mind, Brent took his words back regarding leaving his friend. It is a trying time for Brian and his partner. This is certainly the worst time to leave. Brian welcomed Brent back with open arms and moved on from what happened. In the end, Brent was right. It was, indeed the end for Brian and his partner; much of it because of Brian’s fault. Had Brent left his friend, Brian could’ve lost two people close to him in just one night.
After this, everything was back to normal for the knot–tie friends.
On the other hand, days go by, Brent and Shane went on with getting to know each other, and Brian was aware of it. Brent and Shane instantly clicked. Then one night,
Brent: “Hi there!”
Shane: “Brent, here’s my number… Just text me.”
It started out with just texting, then flirting. Flirting turned to sweet nothings, and then turned to more intimate & caring messages.
“You were right,” said Brent to Brian in trying to start a conversation, “your friend, Shane, he really is like what told me. He really is spontaneous, sweet, caring, and would shower you with all the attention you want.”
And Brent went on and on about the things he found out about his new friend. But Brian seems disinterested: “Oh, he’s like that, huh?”
After this, like the usual, Brian went silent; this time, longer than the usual.
With the passing days, Brent & Shane’s closeness grew. “I like you, there I said it,” uttered Shane and this stunned Brent and he wondered, could it be? Could it be that Shane is starting to fall for him? “So, are we...?” continued Shane.
“Hold your question. Let’s meet tonight, and I might just give an answer,” said Brent.
And so they arranged to meet. That night, they made things official. Now, the dilemma comes. How are they going to tell Brian about it? It’s just sad that every time they’d meet, Brian would always be part of the topic.
Days after, Brian started talking to both Brent and Shane again.
“Would it be too much if I’d ask you to end whatever it is that you and Brian have?” asked Brent. “This is going to be hard,” said Shane and continued “he just started to connect to us again. Telling him now would drive him away.” So, Brent didn’t pressure Shane on this, although he knows this would take time.
One morning, Brian started a conversation with Brent. The conversation branched from one topic to Brent’s relationship status, and he told Brian he’s taken. From the looks of it, Brian seemed surprised. He even made sure that Brent is indeed taken by asking who Brent’s partner is. Brent tried to be as subtle as he possibly could, but he gave Brian some hints (thinking he is his friend, and he deserves to know).
After that talk, Brent told Shane about the discussion with Brian. And how Brian told him, “he is ready, even for the unexpected”. With that being said, Shane gathered all the courage he could get and broke the news to Brian.
Shane felt shitty.
Brian was infuriated.
“Brent, I told him already; he’s mad at you” said Shane in a tone almost near to tears, “I need you.” Without another word, Brent rushed to where Shane was, and they talked. Shane explained that Brian wanted him to be with someone else. “I think there’s really nothing for Brian to be mad about. I mean, you were not an item, and what you had was barely a relationship. Plus the fact that he let you go, and told you to invest your feelings to someone else means that he has nothing to do with you,” said Brent.
“I felt bad that it seemed to him that I was evil, and that I got in the way of your friendship. Well I told him, I’m just like summer,” said Shane. “Summer? Like that movie?” asked Brent.
“I hope it won’t just be 500 days for us two,” purred Brent.
“It won’t… it won’t,” Shane purred back.
“Promise?” asked Brent.
“Promise!” answered Shane.
They sealed that promise with a kiss.
“Well, get through this,” said Brent, tilting Shane’s head so that Shane could lie on his shoulder. “Promise you’ll never leave me, or I’ll kill you,” threatened Shane. “I promise, I’ll just be here,” assured Brent followed by a soft kiss on Shane’s lips. They cuddled their way to comfort each other, and decided to spend the night together.
When the morning came, the aftermath of the events detonated a nuclear warhead and exploded on both Brent and Shane.
This was it.
Brian raised a red flag and declared war.
---
But Brent & Shane wanted peace, and hoisted a white flag instead. They wanted a truce.
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