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Demetrius Desmond is a lot of things.
Captain of the football team, class leader, youngest ever Imperial Scholar, straight-A student, and most importantly, the heir to his father's company.
But when he's just Demetrius, his priorities tend to differ.
He loves to practice the piano in his spare time, and check up on his little brother Damien.
Unfortunately, he does not get to be just Demetrius often.
Perhaps that's why he's so surprised when he hears the news.
"Hey Demetrius, I heard your little brother has a girlfriend!"
Demetrius pauses, his previous brisk walk down the hallway halted.
"...he does?"
His friend blinks, before chuckling lightly.
"Apparently so, according to the rumours. She has a nickname for him and everything."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Demetrius continues to class with a head swirling with thoughts.
Hm. Well, seems it's time for a check-in with the littlest Desmond.
It's by chance that he encounters his brother at lunch the next day.
And it was luck that his girlfriend was with him.
He'd asked around after hearing of her, and eventually, he'd found her name.
Anya Forger.
As if hearing him, the coral-haired girl turned around to meet his eyes, squeaking upon meeting them.
Peering around his girlfriend, his little brother frowns upon spotting him.
Does Damien hate him or something? He hopes not.
"Hello, little brother," Demetrius greets smiling politely. "I'm glad I found you, but I do apologise for interrupting you and your... friend. Who might you be?"
The little girl tilts her head at him, pauses, and grins brightly.
"I'm Anya Forger! Are you Sy-on boy's brother?"
Sy-on...?
"That I am, my name is Demetrius." He nods.
Anya wrinkles her nose.
"Your name is long."
"Ah- yes."
"Hm... imma call you Deme!"
Behind her, Damien chokes as Demetrius blinks at the girl, surprised.
Then he laughs.
"Deme is it then, I suppose." He responds, smiling at the charm of the girl.
Few have dared to address Demetrius commonly, and fewer have chosen to on their first introduction.
But no one has ever given him a nickname before.
Childish a choice as it may be, the girl is endearing in her own way and her casual attitude is refreshing after years of 'Master Demetrius' and 'young lord'.
Anya's smile grows a touch.
What a cheerful, sweet girl.
"Your cape is cool!" She comments, pointing at his Imperial Scholar cloak.
His brother cuts in before Demetrius can respond.
"Why are you even here, Demetrius."
His tone is flat and annoyed.
He'd always wondered if his brother was always like this, but judging off seeing him earlier and Anya's expression, he'd guess not.
It seems that it's just Demetrius that he's hostile to.
..ouch.
"Can't I check up on you for the sake of caring?" Demetrius tries.
"No."
The older Desmond boy frowns, then sighs.
"Alright then, I did come to check on something I'd heard recently. Do you want to talk about it privately?"
Damien tenses then nods.
Gesturing for his brother to follow, Demetrius muses to himself internally.
Makes sense. I wouldn't want to be asked about my love life in front of my girlfriend either...
(Neither brother notices Anya squeaking loudly behind them, eyes wide and cheeks red as she comprehends the fact that Sy-on boy's brother thinks that they're dating.)
After moving a fair bit away, Demetrius turns to his brother sharply and crouches down to stare the boy right in the eye.
Due to their ten-year age difference, they differ in height quite greatly.
The six-year-old stares back, slightly fearful.
"Damien."
He flinches at the cold tone.
"Do you... did you get a girlfriend?"
...
What?
"Did you?" Demetrius presses. "Without telling me?"
"I- NO! Even if I DID, why would I tell you!?" Damien splutters.
"Because I'm your brother!"
The younger scowls bitterly, mumbling something sour under his breath.
Demetrius sighs.
"Look, Damien, I know that we don't exactly talk often, but I am your sibling. You can rely on me. If you have a secret of any kind, I promise I won't tell." He reaches out to rest his hand on his brother's soft brown hair. "I may be the heir to our father's company, but wealth is fleeting. What I will always be, above all, is your big brother. You matter to me more than your grades or talents do."
His brother blinks at him, his young eyes slightly teary.
"I... okay." He whispers, lightly scrubbing his eyes.
Demetrius smiles.
"Good. Now, can we go back to the topic of your little girlfriend Anya?"
Damien goes an alarming shade of red in an impressively short amount of time.
"I'm not- she's not-" the boy puffs out his cheeks, before abruptly deflating with a soft whoosh of air.
"I don't know... we're not dating, but she's so cute and nice and- and she calls me that silly nickname and I really like it b-but she's just so Anya that it's precious and I can't even THINK around her sometimes!"
Demetrius huffs out a laugh, a genuine smile across his face.
"It's okay, it'll get better with time, I promise."
Damien pauses, squinting up at him suspiciously.
"Brother... do you have a girlfriend?"
Demetrius can't stop himself from snorting ungracefully.
"No, I'm afraid not," The older sighs dramatically. "Alas, I am doomed to be a lonely soul for the remainder of my schooling days...!"
Damien watches him, deadpan.
"Well when you act like that, perhaps that's for the better."
Demetrius squawks, mock-glaring at his little brother with a trembling mouth as he badly suppresses a smile.
Damien laughs. A full, easy, childish laugh.
A laugh a normal six-year-old would have.
For a long, lovely moment, they're just Demetrius and Damien, no looming Desmond title, no Imperial Scholars or Stella Stars, just two brothers being, well, brothers.
The bell shatters the illusion, and the weight of their respective worlds and burdens crash down on them again.
Damien Desmond, the second son with something to prove, and Demetrius Desmond, the first son and heir who hold his many titles at such a cost.
Demetrius slowly stands, his back protesting at the movement (god, how old is he, 16 or 60?) and offering a hand to his younger brother.
"Come on, I'll walk you to class. I have a study period now, anyway."
Nodding, his little brother accepts his hand and the two swiftly head to the first-year classes.
When they arrive, most students are still filing in. Some stop to stare at the esteemed Demetrius Desmond while others duck into the classroom to avoid being in his way.
Anya stands patiently beside the doorway, looking around for something.
Or someone.
"Sy-on boy!" She chirps, waving at Damien.
The six-year-old's cheeks flush slightly, and he weakly waves back at her.
Decorum and formality seem to mean nothing to this girl, further proven when she skips up to them and says to Demetrius,
"We gotta go to class now, it was nice to meet you Deme!" Punctuated by her happy little smile.
"Likewise, Anya." Demetrius nods to her, and he takes that as a prime opportunity to leave.
As he walks towards the library, his friend from yesterday waves him down and asks, "So?"
"So... what?"
"So, are they dating? Your brother and the girl who hit him?"
Demetrius smiles.
"No. Not yet."
...
"Wait, the girl who what?"