The memory of that day made Copper laugh, though it had been kind of scary at the time. "First and last time we tried that," he said, grinning at his brother. "But I think we learned a valuable lesson that day about fire safety. If we do it, we'll have to make some adjustments, but yeah...fire wards would definitely be a good idea. And maybe we should do this outside." They would have to work out the logistics of this idea. As the conversation shifted, Copper held his hands up in surrender, saying, "Hey, it wasn't my idea, it was our dads', so you need to blame them. I just went along with it. And it wasn't like we lied or anything, we just let you believe that we believed your cover story. And truly where was the harm in that? It was what you wanted, right? In fact, maybe I shouldn't even have told you. Dammit...too late now I guess."
Copper really did want popcorn though, so the brothers made their way in that direction. Aris was always someone Copper could just be present with; they didn't always have to fill the silence because the silence was (almost) always comfortable between them. Still, there was a part of Copper that felt gleeful at the bomb of a question he was about to drop on his brother - biding his time was just going to make it more of a surprise. Indeed, Copper was smiling and barely containing his laughter as he asked Aris about Ocean and waited for his brother's reply. But Copper couldn't not laugh when Aris's face burned red - it just burst out of him. "Oh trust me, I know you don't need the tunnel of love as an excuse for making out with your boyfriend. I've seen you two together." Even if Copper hadn't seen them making out, he saw the way they looked at each other and could imagine it happened frequently. It was the same way Copper looked at Corey.
Maybe this was something they should do more often. It was nice to hear Aris talk about Ocean and see the love in his expression, and he said, "Shit, you've really got it bad for this boy, don't you?" Copper couldn't remember if he'd ever seen Aris like this before, and that thought brought a smile to his face. His brother deserved happiness. "Are you gonna win him a prize too?" Copper asked. "Maybe show off your muscles at the strongman game? Or maybe throw a baseball at some bottles to knock them over? I'm sure Ocean would love to know that you can hit a target." When he said that, Copper paused, face a little warm. "Alright, that came out a little dirtier than I intended, so let's pretend I didn't say it." And then he just laughed.
When he heard Aris's news though, Copper looked at him, taken aback and eyes wide. "Wow, really?" he asked, stunned but also very happy for his brother. He was smiling again, patting Aris on the shoulder. "Isn't being in love like...just the best damn thing there is?" Copper asked. He felt that way, and he'd been lucky enough to be in love with two incredible men. But then Copper's smile fell away as Aris continued. They had reached the popcorn stand and were in line, so they had to keep their voices down, but the carnival was loud enough that no one would likely overhear. "Do you really think that'll make him leave?" Copper asked. "I know he loves you too. I can it in his eyes, even when you're not in the room. The other day you went to the bathroom, and he just sat on the couch with this happy smile on his face, clearly full of thoughts of you. You're like the sun and the moon to him, I can tell." Of this, Copper was certain. "First of all, you don't have to tell him," Copper told Aris. "This doesn't change who you are, so it doesn't matter as much as you think it does. But even if you do, I know he's not going anywhere. And besides, he probably has secrets too..." Copper trailed off, thinking about something he hadn't told Aris yet. "The other night when he stayed over, I had a dream about him," he started. "Not one of those dreams, so don't worry. But it felt so real...kinda felt like a memory." And if what Copper had dreamt was true, well...he knew Ocean had a secret too. "This is only a mess if you let it be," Copper told Aris. "Loving someone should be the simplest thing in the world, especially when they love you back."