Well, here it is! Thank you so much to everyone who commented, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please note, next chapter is definitely going to get a little bit steamy! I'm really happy with this chapter.

Greg threw his lifejacket unto the soft ground as soon as he got out of the lake, water dripping down his body in a cascade of droplets as the sun glared down towards him. The heat he could feel enveloping him felt less from the sun and more from where his thoughts were heading. Chocolate eyes stared ahead as legs took off running towards their lodge, wanting to throw what had happened behind him just like how he had left his brother in the middle of the lake. Bare feet slapped against the dirt road, thankful for once that the rocks have all but been mostly cleared from the path before him.

The soles of his feet digging into the dirt, kicking his body forward despite already feeling tired from the swim. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, his blood coursing quickly towards his palpitating heart, sweat pooling on the back of his neck as ragged breathes exhaled from weary lungs.

Chest tightening like a snake coiling around his heart, holding him down tight with this airy confidence of having trapped the mouse right where he wanted him. Rodrick felt like a cat circling onto his prey before he pounced, Greg being the prey. A stupid prey, a senseless mouse that kept going back and hoping for a different outcome despite knowing perfectly well that he would only get eaten every time.

Rodrick hadn't meant what he said, Greg's brain telling him that the older male was only using him for his own gain, his own agenda. A means to an end to help give flavor to an otherwise boring vacation. Greg wanting nothing more than to stomp down onto that small part of him that still held a small candle of hope towards his older brother.

Waiting patiently with a hand cupping the flame, protecting it from the swirling wind that was his mind and his heart being at odds with one another. Frustration rang out of him as he slammed his way through the house, not bothered in the slightest as water dripped onto the hardwood floor despite the sun's best effort to dry him.

Irritated tears hanging in the corner of his eyes, fingers rummaging through his suitcase for clothes as he carelessly dressed himself. Running pruned fingers through damp hair, ends sticking on end before aimlessly putting his sneakers on, stomping out of the house, and heading in a direction up the road.

Dark brown eyes watched the figure swim away, eyebrow's almost extending towards his hairline with how stunned he was. The boat continued to sway along the water, legs still extended from the position he had fallen before Greg jumped ship. Literally. Long fingers ran through wet hair, a sigh escaping his lips that resounded with annoyance and a hint of hidden adoration. Grabbing hold of a few strands as he pulled, frustration welling up at his missed opportunity.

Greg had been slippery, seeming to catch on to something that caused him to run away. It hadn't been his imagination when he felt a certain hardness against him during their kiss, even the courage to initiate the kiss gave Rodrick a better grip on the situation they had now both found themselves in. Despite his best effort, it seemed like things had to progress more organically and not distorted.

What had started off as a simple game of cat and mouse was spiraling into a territory that was both motivating him and causing a certain type of anxiety at the prospect of everything falling apart. Feeling like maybe, if everything fell into place the right way, there was a possibility that his little brother might actually be starting to develop feelings for him. It was a wishful thought, but one that started to make a lot more sense if the sudden change in assertiveness he received from Greg was anything to go by.

His mouth stretched upwards slightly in a smirk, tooth poking out as he sagged more in the seat. Arms thrown across the side of the boat as leverage as his gaze finally saw Greg get out from the lake and start running towards the house. Shaking his head in slight disbelief, their previous conversation replaying through his head in a tangible line. Putting away each word and touch behind different compartments, analyzing them, poking their meanings, trying to figure out exactly how he could be able to fully win Greg over. To not have to continuously hide how he felt, not having to act like the shitty older brother trying to keep a distance for fear of what might happen. He was scared of being rejected by the one person he cared about the most.

It was a stupid mindset to have, he knew that. The more he pushed, the more Greg would slowly drift away. The more he antagonized, the more his little brother would fight. Rodrick just wasn't able to control himself anymore.

'Maybe I've been going at it the wrong way?' Rodrick couldn't help but think to himself, a distant look in his eyes as his thoughts flashed across his mind. Greg had yelled at him that he didn't actually care about him, that he was only doing this for himself and that he didn't care about anyone who got caught in the crossfire. It had hurt him at the time, having felt his anger swell with ramification before he actually let the words sink in. Like a small wave gently letting you push through before the tidal wave would form. Hearing what Greg had to say instead of using his resentment as an advantage, his size as a barrier.

What he heard and saw, it allowed the tidal wave to disperse and make way towards the clear ocean that laid before him. A glimmer of hope of a relationship that didn't solely rely on irritation and mockery to get attention.

"Where did Greg go?" His mother's voice drifted off towards his ears, a lot closer than he had expected as he turned his head towards the paddle boat that was now only a few meters away from his.

"He wanted to swim back and go talk to Holly about something." Answering efficiently and without pause despite the sudden appearance of his family. He imagined that's what Greg would do, the younger male definitely not planning to stick around the house in case Rodrick decided to go back and follow him. Greg was smart that way, or maybe he just knew Rodrick a little bit too well. Either way, Rodrick had already decided to give his little brother a little bit of time to himself. He had already planted the few seeds, all he needed to do now was water and let it grow.

'It's only a matter of time now…'

Greg didn't even realize where his feet dragged him to before his eyes finally glanced at the lodge he stood in front of. If Rowley were here, he'd be the one to talk to, but considering the fact they were miles apart, showing up in front of Holly's place wasn't exactly that difficult to understand. She had been the first girl he had truly ever fallen in love with, after all. If he was actually in love with her, at this point, he didn't really know what love might be.

"Greg, what are you doing here? I thought you were spending time with your family?" Speak of the devil, her voice carrying off towards him as his body turned in her direction. By the looks of it, she had been in the process of tanning if the lounge chair and bikini she was wearing was anything to go by. Usually, he'd be falling over himself at how cute she looked, now though? It was like his feelings had never even been there in the first place, a scattering of memories that were soon forgotten.

"I wasn't feeling too good so I went for a walk instead." Stating softly as his hands fiddled with his shorts pockets. Shoes slightly digging up dirt as he looked at everywhere except Holly. He had calmed down from earlier, his heart returning to its normal beat as his body finally listened to him and slowed down. Now just feeling as if he had ran 5 miles despite that not being true, his body and mind feeling inexcusably tired and wary. A feeling of being drained without actually having gone through anything that would cause him such exhaustions. Unless he really was out of a shape, which in that case he would definitely need to work on his stamina.

Thoughts of Rodrick and him in bed shocked him out of his stupor as his cheeks deepened with heat, eyes slightly opening wide before shaking his head, trying to rid of the images that had popped into his head like a firework on the fourth of July.

"You okay?" His first crush questioned him, and why wouldn't she? He had shown up out of nowhere, having inner thoughts that were not proper while possibly looking like an absolute creep, blushing out of nowhere while she sat in front of him in nothing but a swimsuit.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm okay!" It was a lie, but no point in letting her know that. "I actually had something I wanted to ask you about." He had no idea where he was going with this, but he needed answers and what better person to ask than a girl.

"Oh?" She straightened up slightly in her chair, seeming to look a little bit more interested, but then again, she was probably hoping he was going to tell her things about Rodrick. Which, yeah, he was going too, but not like he would make it obvious it was him who he was talking about.

"How do you know if you like someone? Or if someone might like you back?" Taking a few steps closer as he asked the questions, not wanting anyone to overhear as embarrassment tinted his cheeks despite his will to try and subside it. Greg could see Holly slightly drawback, a type of calculation glossing over her features as her lips drew slightly into a line. Greg deflated slightly, wondering exactly what Holly was thinking about for the sudden body language switch.

"Oh, um…" Twirling a strand of blond hair between her fingers, eyes seeming to look across from Greg and towards the lake. "I know you have a crush on me, but I only really see you as a friend..." Her nervous laugh which once sounded like soft bells suddenly lost all traces of pleasantry.

"I used too. But I'm not talking about you, it's…" Drawing a blank at the worst possible time, surprised and pleased at seeming to not even feel remotely hurt at Holly's rejection, even seeming completely normal despite him not actually talking about her.

"I like someone else, at least, I think I do? But I'm not entirely sure if h-she might like me back?" Greg had almost slapped himself for that slip up he had been about to let out, thankful that in the end, he was still able to make everything sound normal. As normal as a teenager blushing his ass off while secretly asking his old crush about whether or not he might like his older brother as more than a brother. As well as wanting to see if maybe he wasn't actually reading too much into it. That possibly Rodrick had been telling the truth at the time of the paddle boat incident, the whole thing about actually caring about him and Greg just jumping to conclusions too quickly.

For some reason, Greg just wasn't able to grasp his mind around it. The words Rodrick were saying contradicted the way he treated him. At this point, actions spoke louder than words, and Rodrick was whole fully lacking in that department. Greg already coming to the conclusion a long time ago that Rodrick just didn't feel empathetic unless it suited him.

"Oh!" Holly's change in attitude was so drastic that Greg couldn't help but feel slightly put off by it.

"You do? Do I know them from school? Are they at the camp? Is it Sarah?" The constant myriad of questions caused a small step back from the girl in front of him, holding his hands up to try and calm her down. He had forgotten who Sarah was before he remembered the campfire night, the red-haired girl who he had sat next to. Greg hadn't even had a real conversation with her yet, how far of a stretch was Holly trying to make?

"What, Sarah? Why would you think that?" Flailing his arms around slightly, to him it felt more like he was just confused, but to Holly apparently he looked like he was trying to hide something. Which was exactly why she pounced.

"You both looked cute next to each other. I saw her looking at you sometimes too, I think she wanted to talk to you." Strangely enough, that didn't even cause a single flutter in his chest. As things were though, Holly was trying to divert the conversation to something that didn't even exist while completely overlooking his own questions.

"You didn't answer my questions." A small hint of annoyance coated his words, it seemed that Rodrick had rubbed off on him in more ways than one. Holly pouted slightly, clearly not the answer she had been wanting and taken aback slightly from his complete dismissal. With a dejected sigh, she flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder, blue eyes regarding Greg with open suspicion, though the slight wall that she had on before was completely gone. Maybe telling her that he didn't have any feelings for her anymore made her feel more comfortable around him. Huh. Who would have known?

"Well for me, I like being around them. I want to talk to them and get to know them. They make me feel a certain way, like my body starts feeling warm and my heart feels like it's beating out of my chest." Greg listened intently, a slight dread passing through him the more she talked.

"Like, if they ever did anything bad or something happened to them, I'd like to be the first one they call for help. It's harder to tell if someone else likes you unless they're really obvious about it. Take your older brother for example." A small hitch in his breath as she started talking about Rodrick.

"He's really good at hiding his feelings, picking his words carefully before he says them to keep people at a certain distant. He seems to be afraid of something, which can say a lot about someone. I bet if someone got to know him well and find a way over his walls, he'd be a good boyfriend." The glow that peppered her cheeks brought out a certain flare in the pit of his stomach. Hot coils gripping its way upwards, heat dragging as it burned towards his heart.

Why was he feeling so jealous? Why was the only thing he kept thinking about, was wanting to keep Rodrick away from Holly?

"Ah." Breathing out in a huff, he didn't know when he started looking at the ground, eyebrows furrowed across his forehead in concentration as her words flowed through his brain. A lot of the things she said rang true with him to a certain degree, slightly surprised by how perceptive Holly actually was. Then again, she had seemed to know when he had a crush on her, it only made sense to him that she would have a better knowledge surrounding this type of topic.

The downside of it all was that Greg finally had his answer.

He had a crush on Rodrick.

A chill ran up his spine at his realization, lips getting gnawed on as he started feeling light-headed. His eyes burned.

"Did that help?" Help would be an understatement, it had pretty much-shattered everything he had built up for his defense. A tidal wave engulfing and crashing into him. His chest felt tight, but he wouldn't dare start crying in front of Holly.

"Yeah, thanks for your help." Greg hopped his voice sounded alright as he brought his face up to stare at her, eyes shut lightly as he rubbed the back of his head with a small smile, trying to pass off a laugh despite hearing how forced it sounded even to himself.

"It was nice talking to you, sorry for just leaving like this, but we'll talk again soon." His wave goodbye came out a bit more erratic then he would have liked, legs already taking him up the road. Seeing Holly wave back with confusion and disbelief running across her face was a problem best saved for another day. He didn't have the mental capacity at the moment to really explain his strange behavior. Nor did he want to stand around and listen to Holly go off a bit deeper on what she felt for his older brother. She was as obvious as they got, if Greg was even able to catch on to it.

Hands rubbed against his face, fingers pushing down on closed eyelids as he walked up towards the start of the forest trail. He couldn't stop feeling the way he was, the tightness, the lightheadedness. It was hard. So very hard for him with how often Rodrick had messed with his head, made him so doubtful and so absolutely confused about anything the other did or said. The frustrating that welled up forced his body forward, the tree branches of the forest welcoming, the sun shining down and allowing light to pass through the leaves, the wind showing him the way as his feet brought him aimlessly over the trail.

"What am I going to do…" Greg couldn't help but ask himself, dejected, shoulders hunched forward with his arms wrapped around his middle. Trying desperately to keep everything, and himself, together. He didn't feel sick, which was the normal response someone would have after figuring out something as big as this. A small part of him still refusing, seeding doubt, and self-restraint. Greg's mind telling him how much of a bad idea this all was, while his heart continued to throw feelings in his face. Making his body react in a way he had absolutely no control of. He wasn't able to hold the laugh that bubbled out of his mouth, sounding completely broken, lost.

Rubbing at his eyes once more, frustration seeping out of him. Suddenly the ground underneath him gave way, a small shout of surprise left him before he went tumbling down a hill, bypassing the rope bordering it off for protection. Tucking into himself and protecting his head, Greg was dragged down, body twirling before hitting the bottom floor with a hard thud. A shout of pain leaving him as roots gave way to his foot that slammed down into a mass, entrapping his right leg and squeezing tight.

Greg moaned pain etching through his body, grabbing handfuls of soil and leaves as his figure stung with the various scrapes and cuts he knew he had. Heart hammering in his chest as his blood pressure spiked, anxiety, and desperation taking hold. It hurt. Everything hurt and he couldn't help but be mad at himself. Frustrated tears racing down the side of his face, letting them fall as he stared angrily up into the trees and towards the sky.

"Why does this always happen to me." Murmuring out softly, sniffling as he tried to pull his leg out, failing miserably. Small grunts of pain as he sat up, breathing out a sigh of relief once he was fully seated. He was glad that he was at least still able to move his body and that nothing actually seemed broken. His foot might be in bad shape, but it felt more like a light sprain if the non-constant pain was anything to go by.

Both hands wound across his calf, gripping tight as he started using his whole body as he pulled, but before he could get far, he heard a creaking and the roots dug in, scratching more on his already fresh cuts. He yelled out in anger and pain, hands leaving their hold of his leg as he drew back, grabbing a handful of dirt and throwing it at the roots. Making sure to throw it in the cluster further from him and not actually on his own foot most likely bleeding slightly if the slight wetness in his sock was anything to go by.

"Help!" He couldn't help but scream out desperately, voice cracking as tears welled up in his frightened eyes. He didn't know how far he had come or where he was, regretting not having paid more attention as he shook himself inwardly at how completely stupid he had been.

"Help! I'm down here!" He wasn't sure if his voice would even reach anyone. It couldn't have been more than an hour since he was last at the Lake, even less after having left Holly at her house. No one knew he was here or that he was hurt, he hadn't told anybody about where he was going and the campsite itself was really big, and that's without even adding the forest that surrounded it.

His eyes glided up the hill, continuously going up and noticing just how far he fell. Surprised at the fact he came out less hurt than what this type of fall would have usually done to someone. His tuck and roll had come in handy, appreciative that he had thought quick enough to do that.

Greg rubbed the stains and dirt off his face, though no matter how much he tried his eyes continued to flow with salty tears, itching their way down his face and only making him more upset with the situation at hand. Was this his punishment, was this what his life would be like if Rodrick continued to plague his thoughts. Even when his brother wasn't around, something always seemed to happen to him. At the end of the day, Rodrick probably wouldn't even know where to start looking for him.

'That's not true.' Rodrick was smart, Greg was sure that his older brother would be the first one to notice his absence. Now all he could really do was wait and hope it wouldn't be too long.

Rodrick had spent an hour more on the lake before finally taking off towards the lodge. Water droplets shaking out of his hair as he threw his head around like a wet dog, finger poking in his ear as he popped the water out. He wasn't surprised that Greg wasn't there, the house completely barren apart from the wet swimsuit sloshed onto the floor.

Once he was done getting dressed, long legs brought him outside towards the path, following the same road towards Holly's place to see if by chance his younger brother would still be there. Because let's face it, there really wasn't really much to do or many people to see at this place, and knowing how Greg was, he would want someone to talk to work through his thoughts.

"Rodrick, hey!" Eyes locking onto the blonde sitting up in her lawn chair, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head as she got up and walked towards him. A small hmm left him, not at all interested in talking to her considering he wasn't able to see Greg anywhere around. Only having actually talked to her because he had known it would annoy his little brother.

"Hey, have you seen Greg?" Straight to the point and no time for pleasantries. Holly faltered slightly in her steps but continued to keep her smile, she was resilient he had to give her that.

"Oh, yeah, I saw him about an hour ago." Tucking her hands behind her back, puffing out her chest lightly and it was on sheer goodwill that Rodrick was able to keep his laughter in at her small attempt to try and entice him.

"I think he likes Sarah." That had caught his attention, swerving his foot back just as he was about ready to walk away and keep searching. His posture was rigid, but all ears were on Holly, which was probably exactly what she wanted, mentally cursing himself for falling for it.

"Why do you think that?" There had to be a reason why she brought it up, it couldn't be simply because she wanted to keep him around.

"Yeah, he came to see me earlier and he wanted to know how to tell if you like someone or if they might like you back." He felt his heart jump slightly in his chest at that.

"Sarah seems interested in him and I thought they might look cute together. He seemed like he was hiding something, he was acting kind of weird so it just made me think that I was right after all." He couldn't help the fist reflexively clenching in his pockets, his face remaining passive as he gave her a small smile.

"Do you know where he went?"