Wing of a Butterfly

Chapter 21

Porsche pushed down the knife against the rind of the watermelon then hastily stepped back as some of the juices from the fruit started to flow out through the cut he just made and ran along the countertop toward him. He leaned to the side as Macau threw some napkins on the counter to soak up the fluid before it could reach the edge and drip down. They worked in silence as Porsche finished cutting the melon and put the yellow-skinned, palm-sized pieces on the tray that the younger held out then watched as Macau placed the tray on the kitchen island next to the cut pieces of mango.

"Thanks, Porsche," said Macau as he turned again and walked back to the counter to gather the rinds. He looked at the pieces thoughtfully before speaking again. "Do you think the yellow skin could be used for stir fry too?"

"Have you ever seen me cook?" asked Porsche as he washed his hands and then walked closer to help clean the mess they made. "Why don't you research it with Chay like you always do?"

He saw from the corner of his eyes as Macau tensed for a moment before relaxing and continuing to gather the pieces, then throwing them out without another word. The man grabbed a kitchen towel and started to dry the excess water on the counter after Porsche finished cleaning the surface while the other just watched him thoughtfully.

"Did you two have an argument or something?" questioned Porsche, leaning against the kitchen island and crossing his arms before his chest. "I noticed the house was more silent the last three days," he added jokingly.

"Or something," replied Macau, almost grimacing as he spoke.

"What was it about?" asked Porsche, frowning.

The older one watched as the other finished cleaning then put away the knives they used. He washed his hand and reached out to grab a piece of fruit, slowly chewing it, clearly not wanting to answer. Porsche sighed as he thought about it, not really used to having this kind of problem. To be honest he expected some problems in their strange little household when they decided to move in with Chay more than two years ago and was pleasantly surprised when they never really had any serious issues. Even the ones they had was usually some argument between Vegas and Porsche that they had to negotiate while the brothers lived the best of their lives, hanging out together most of the time. It was probably because both Macau's and Chay's temperaments tended to run calm, perfectly suited to each other. And beyond that Macau was way more open and curious so he always made Chay try things that the younger wouldn't have dared to experience himself, like going to arcades, bowling alleys and concerts. Chay always pulled back Macau from the more extreme ideas he had, like when he just decided to go motocross in the jungle with some random people he just met and Vegas had to call him to get him home before they got totally lost after Chay sent a panicked message to Porsche.

So after all of this happened, after all the midnight movie-watching the youngsters did while curled up on the couch together he was a little surprised to have this problem right now.

"Are you gonna make up?" questioned Porsche, trying to change tactics.

"He said he just wants to spend some time alone," answered Macau, shrugging nonchalantly even though it clearly saddened him.

"Ah, he is sulking about something," said Porsche, nodding with a little smile. "He used to do that when he wasn't getting his way, though it usually only lasts some hours."

"It's a little more complicated now..." muttered the other, then frowned a little. "It's not my place to talk about it."

"I understand." Porsche put his hand on Macau's back, gently patting it. "You are a good friend, kid."

"I'm turning twenty this year," replied Macau a little annoyed while he grabbed a piece of watermelon and started to eat it. "You are only four years older than me."