CHAPTER 105: LOVING YOURSELF

"Oh... Right there..."

Hermes and Somner really couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

Somner chuckled. "Those two were always on each other’s throats... Guess they’re also on each other’s you-know-what now too, huh?"

Sure enough, when they peered into the window...

They saw Apple’s head in between Aphrodite’s legs. Somner whistled. "Well, I’m having deja vu right now. This scene looks very familiar."

Hermes gritted his teeth. "It’s not."

BAM!

He stormed inside the parchment store, kicking the locked door open. "Get off him!"

Apple just turned his head in swift motion, like a predator interrupted in the middle of his meal. There was a fierce look in his eyes.

"And why should I do that?"

Aphrodite reddened, and he too recognized how this kind of thing happened AGAIN. If he had a nickel every time he got caught being eaten out, he would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Hermes grabbed his twin by the collar. "I won’t let you hurt him like you did with Somner!"

Aphrodite got out of the table where he was sitting with his legs spread, and went between them. "Stop! Hermes, it’s not like that at all! He’s not hurting me.... I consented."

Hermes’ eyes widened. "You mean coerced? You said it yourself, he’s not to be trusted! He’s a master manipulator!"

Apple wiped his mouth. "Then you’re also one, because I am you."

"Shut up! I’m nothing like you!"

Hermes threw a punch on his face. The beast’s eyes widened, as if he did not expect this. And so the blow landed hard, knocking him off his feet.

"Hermes!" Somner and Aphrodite exclaimed.

Apple looked up at him, blood trickling from his nose. Then, he sneered.

"Are you sure about that?"

He then stood up and slammed his fist towards Hermes’ face too!

The two went on a tussle, dealing blows on each other. Somner did not have his Sirentone still, so he could not tell them to stop. He and Aphrodite did their best to get them off each other, but it was like trying to take two wild dogs apart. If they weren’t careful...

"Ow!"

"Ngh..."

The two eventually stopped when they realized they had hit their paramours.

Hermes checked on Somner, who he accidentally struck on the forehead. "Are you ok? I’m so sorry..."

Apple did the same for Aphrodite, who had a bruise on his shoulder. "Let me heal that for you. You can punch me back."

Somner and Aphrodite stared at each other, then...

SMACK! SMACK!

Both of them slapped the two at the same time!

Somner scoffed. "You two wouldn’t have stopped hurting each other until someone gets hurt, huh!?"

Aphrodite rarely ever showed his anger, but now he looked really upset. "We could have talked this out, but you two had to behave like manchildren."

The room fell into silence. Both Hermes and Apple stood frozen, catching their breath, their fists still curled as if unsure whether to keep fighting or to finally let go.

Hermes’ jaw trembled. Apple’s chest rose and fell, his eyes darting from Somner to Aphrodite, then lowering in shame.

Aphrodite sighed. "Hermes, I didn’t expect you to initiate this. You think of yourself as the less violent side, and yet when it comes to yourself, you couldn’t even give him a break. You hate Apple so much even when he’s not doing anything wrong."

Somner pointed at Apple. "And you. You have the gall to get mad that Hermes distrusts you, yet you didn’t even have the decency to tell him ’Hey, I wanna do the deed with Aphrodite now. Would that be cool with you, bro?’"

Apple crossed his arms, though not as tightly as before. "I was planning to. But why should I even need his permission in the first place? All I need is Aphrodite’s permission. He doesn’t own him."

Hermes also pushed back. "How can I know that he’s not doing anything wrong when he has been killed so easily many times?"

Somner and Aphrodite sighed. They both had valid points, but the air was still tense.

Aphrodite stepped forward and placed a hand on Hermes’ arm. "Let me explain. What’s truly going on with me and Apple... I managed to read his mind now, which means something in him has changed. And I can see that deep loneliness and vulnerability hidden within him."

Hermes blinked. "Loneliness?"

"Put yourself in Apple’s shoes for a minute, Hermes," Aphrodite said. "Imagine that all your life, you were repressed inside your own body. Hated by the person who calls the shots, even though you were also needed in order to protect him. You’d feel used. Discarded."

Somner then turned to Apple. "And you... Imagine that all your life, you had to live in fear because you’re like a bomb waiting to explode. If what Aphrodite said is true, then you’ve gained the empathy now to understand how painful the thought of hurting the ones you love is, right?"

Apple’s arms loosened. His jaw softened. He looked down at the floor. "... Yes. Yes, I do understand."

Hermes stared at him. Slowly, he began to realize what the others were saying. He had never considered what life was like as Apple.

To think about it...

"You were the only one I had." Hermes’ voice cracked. "I was born with no family. No parents. Yes the village took care of me, and I had friends but... When I was in the city constantly being mistreated..."

He swallowed. Memories came rushing back.

He recalled that day when he was on the rooftop of his apartment. The sky was heavy with smog, the railings cold against his bare feet. The street below buzzed with traffic, each honk and shout daring him to fall. His shoes lay abandoned behind him, as if he had already decided. The wind tugged at his clothes.

He stood on the railing, toes curling around the edge, heart hammering. Ready to take the fall.

But then his cynical side whispered:

"Are you really going to end it? Just like that? Wouldn’t that be so unfair? You weren’t even able to prove them wrong."

Hermes looked at Apple now, and took his hand, comparing it with his own. "You were the one who kept me going. Because you knew it wasn’t fair. Because you knew I still had something good to bring to this world."

Apple stared at their identical hands. His breathing slowed. Then...

He wrapped his hand tighter around Hermes’ and shook it. "So... I guess we’re even then. Because I wouldn’t exist without you either. You control me so that our body would not be in danger."

Hermes felt as if a huge weight was lifted from him. He could feel that Apple felt it too.

Because they really were one and the same.

They both had important roles in their life. A reason for being there. Like night and day.

Somner teased them. "Aww.... This is so sweet. Just hug already!"

Aphrodite agreed. "I do think that a hug would really make this moment perfect."

Hermes and Apple both chuckled at the same time, saying: "Fine, fine..."

They wrapped their arms around each other...

Loving themselves.

"So....." Somner cleared his throat as the moment passed. "Are you guys going to heal our injuries now?"

"Oh, right!" Hermes immediately used Rewind to heal Somner’s forehead.

Apple did the same with Aphrodite. "Thank you both. And I sincerely apologize...."

He then turned to Somner. "Especially to you. For taking your life."

Somner smiled. "I already forgave you, Apple Pie."

"Apple Pie?" Apple blinked at the nickname.

Hermes guffawed. "Hahaha! You’ll get used to it. If you get one, that means he likes you."

Somner grinned. "Of course I like him. I know he’s the part of you too who doesn’t hold back when punishing me."

Aphrodite bit his lip as he felt the cold breeze on his bare legs. "Uh... Maybe I should put my pants back on—"

Somner grabbed his hand. "No, Ditee. This is our chance! Your parents won’t be back any time soon, right?"

The other three had no idea what he was implying. "So?"

"So...."

He had a devious look on his face.

"Isn’t this the perfect time for an orgy?"