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Kimi stood on the porch of George and Alex's house, surrounded by boxes filled with his things. The guy still found it hard to comprehend that this house would no longer be his. From now on, he would just be a guest here. A cold autumn breeze, sharp and unwelcoming, drifted across the porch, creeping under the thin fabric of his hoodie—which used to belong to Ollie—and Kimi involuntarily shivered.
— That's the last one, — said Ollie, coming out of the house to Kimi with another box and placing it next to the others.
Kimi thanked him silently with just a kiss on the cheek. He let his gaze wander over the facade of the house, which held so many stories. The first time he crossed the threshold of this house, he was fifteen, and his older brother took him in so he could receive the proper portion of love and care. Now he was twenty, and he was about to leave this house for a new chapter in his life. The autumn light, flat and shadowless, lay on the walls, making the familiar outlines seem foreign and a little sad.
— I'm going to miss all of this, — Kimi said, turning to Ollie.
— I know, — Ollie replied, pulling the guy towards him and kissing him on the temple. — But we'll visit them often. We're still in Monaco.
Kimi turned around in Ollie's embrace, now hugging the guy around the waist, pressing his cheek to his chest and listening to the steady beats of his heart.
— Will you miss yours too? — Kimi asked without lifting his head from Ollie's chest.
— Of course. I'll miss the constant morning bickering with Arthur, Mom's pancakes, the sudden visits from Jules and Dani, the days when Charles and Max stay over, Lorenzo's advice, and just the home itself, — Ollie said, rubbing Kimi's back. — But we're still family. My mom's door is always open for all of us, just like George's door, and our door with you will be open for them too.
Ollie was right. They would still live in the same city and could visit each other whenever they wanted. He could call George at any moment and ask for advice. Alex would always be happy to come help with furniture. Ollie and Kimi could get a cat or a dog, and Charles and Max would bring their zoo over so no one would get bored. They would still gather at this house as a group on weekends. Life would go on, but in a completely different way. A new chapter awaited them. In their new apartment, Ollie's things were already waiting, moved in yesterday; today Kimi's things would join them, and now they were closing this chapter.
— The moving truck will be here in an hour, — said Charles, appearing in the doorway and interrupting their moment.
— Thanks, — Kimi smiled softly.
— Come inside, George made hot chocolate for everyone, — Charles called.
And the three of them went back into the house. Crossing the threshold, Kimi's heart clenched with longing again; he already missed this house. A wave of memories washed over him once more.
September 19, 2021. Kimi had just turned fifteen. George was already twenty-three, Alex a year older, and the three of them had moved into the new house.
— You can choose any room, — Alex said to Kimi, dragging boxes inside.
— Yeah, go on, we'll handle things here, — George agreed with his partner, nudging Kimi toward the stairs.
Kimi slowly climbed the unfamiliar stairs, examining the walls of the new house. His worn-out Ferrari backpack (a gift from Lewis on his fifth birthday) swung on one shoulder. From the wooden floors, which hadn't yet known the weight of furniture, came a dry, sunny smell that mixed with the scent of plaster from the stone walls. Kimi ran his hand along the wooden banisters—they were smooth, covered in fresh varnish.
Reaching the second floor, he was faced with a choice of four rooms, which he began to inspect. The first door on the left led to a spacious room with a large panoramic window and its own ensuite bathroom. Kimi immediately decided to leave that one for Alex and his brother, because George liked that sort of thing.
The room opposite was the same size as the first and also had its own ensuite, but it was cooler because it had a balcony with a view of a large pine tree. Because of this, the room smelled strongly of pine. Kimi liked it, but he decided to check out the last two options.
The third room, at the end of the hallway, was smaller than the previous two and without a private bathroom, but cozy, like a nest, with a low ceiling and one small window overlooking the side courtyard. It was quiet and safe here. The walls, painted a warm cream color, seemed to embrace the space. Kimi decided this room would be perfect as a home library, a place to play board games, read, or just hide from everyone when tired.
The fourth and last room was very small, with one window, too gray and damp. The perfect storage room, Kimi decided.
— Chosen? — George asked from the stairs.
Kimi nodded and walked into the second room, which he liked the most of all. George followed him.
— This one, — Kimi said.
— Good choice, — George praised, throwing an arm around his brother's shoulders.
— My parents aren't even against me living with you, as if they don't need me at all, — Kimi said with a sad chuckle.
— You know that's not true. They need you. They just understand you'll be better off with me, — George said, kissing the top of his brother's head.
Then he turned Kimi to face him, making him look up. He carefully stroked Kimi's cheek as if he were a crystal vase that could break at any moment.
— They realized I can give you what they can't give you right now. Not because they don't want to. But because they... can't. Their own wounds are still too fresh, — George said quietly.
— It's been six years already, — Kimi said, spreading his hands.
— Love is a very complicated thing, kiddo. Now come on, we need to help Alex, — George said, leading Kimi out of the room.
— Sit down, everyone, the cocoa is getting cold, — Alex's voice pulled Kimi out of the world of memories.
Kimi sat down between Ollie and George, with Charles to Ollie's left near Max, opposite Carlos, who was sitting between Dani and Oscar, talking to Gabi and Isak. To their right, an animated Lando was telling something to Jules and Logan. And despite the chaos of boxes at the front door due to the move, the kitchen was filled with cozy liveliness.
— The parents said they're really looking forward to your housewarming, — George said, winking at Kimi.
— Our mom too, Ollie, — Charles said, nudging his brother in the shoulder with a chuckle.
Ollie responded with a heavy sigh and dropped his head onto the table. This action drew chuckles from everyone else in the room.
— Lucky I talked my father out of helping us with the move, otherwise we'd have gotten a whole manual on how to run a joint household, — Kimi smirked.
— When George said he was moving in with me, I got two huge messages—one from Lewis, another from Nico—saying if I broke George's heart, I wouldn't live to tell the tale. So get ready, Ollie, — Alex said seriously.
— Only back then they were even happy I was moving, especially with Kimi. Now they've changed; they give us more time. So Ollie, be afraid, — George said half-jokingly, taking a sip of cocoa. — And if anything happens, I'll help them with the murder.
Ollie tensed for a second, but the laughter that erupted in the room lightened the atmosphere. George was right. After that dinner a year ago, Lewis and Nico had become closer to them. They started having dinner and even lunch together more often; now they were frequent guests at George's house. And they really did throw stern fatherly looks at Alex and Ollie that said, "We'll kill for our son." And even that was thanks to George, because it was he who had suggested that joint dinner.
Lost in conversation, they didn't notice how time flew by, and the moving truck arrived for Kimi's things. So the whole company moved outside to load the boxes into the truck. The air had grown even colder by evening, and now each person's breath turned into a little cloud of steam. They worked in sync and quickly, like one team, one mechanism. That's how it always was, not just today.
April 9, 2024. Their group decided to have a movie night, choosing George and Alex's house as the venue. So that evening, utter chaos reigned.
In the living room, where the movie hadn't even started yet, a popcorn war was already underway between Gabi, Kimi, Ollie, and Isak. Charles, George, and Lando decided to have a pillow fight at the same time, so feathers soon joined the popcorn.
When Alex, Oscar, Jules, Logan, Carlos, and Max returned from the kitchen with sodas, a bottle of wine, glasses, and cups, they weren't the least bit surprised by the scene.
— So, are we watching a movie or tearing the whole house apart? — Dani asked, entering the living room and setting wine glasses on the table.
— No wine for anyone under eighteen, — George said, calming down and sitting on the sofa, looking at Kimi.
— I turn eighteen this August, — Kimi objected.
— We'll talk about it then, in August, — George said, ruffling his brother's cheek with a smirk.
The rest of the evening passed with watching Cars, jokes, and pranks, and then they all fell asleep in the living room without cleaning up their mess.
— The truck is loaded, — Kimi said to the driver, snapping back from the world of memories.
The driver nodded and, after closing the back, got behind the wheel, driving off to the new address at Kimi and Ollie's apartment. But because it was already getting dark outside, the couple declined their friends' help, saying they could unload the things themselves.
But George and Charles, as the older brothers of Kimi and George, insisted on helping, so the six of them (Alex and Max couldn't be left out) drove to the new apartment in three cars. Ollie and Kimi in Ollie's Ferrari, Max and Charles in Max's Valkyrie, and Alex and George in Alex's Mercedes GLE.
The six of them unloaded the truck fairly quickly as well, sending the poor driver home. And when the last box ended up on the ninth floor of the new apartment, it was time to say goodbye. Ollie walked Charles and Max to their car, leaving Kimi with George and Alex by Alex's Mercedes.
George hugged Kimi tightly, almost to the point of bones cracking. The younger one could smell George's sweater—the laundry detergent they'd used for years and the faint notes of the very perfume Alex had given him last Christmas.
— We're going to miss you, — George said, letting his brother go.
Kimi noticed tears welling up in the corners of his brother's eyes. They didn't fall, just glistened on his eyelashes, reflecting the yellow light of the streetlamp—stubborn, impermissible, forced out by the intensity of this farewell. Kimi didn't say anything, just pressed himself into his brother's embrace once more. Because he himself was on the verge of tears, and if he tried to speak, his voice would surely tremble.
— You're my biggest pride, kiddo, — George whispered into Kimi's curls.
— I love you, — Kimi said, bumping his head against his brother's chest, and his voice did indeed tremble.
Finally releasing George, Kimi found himself caught in Alex's embrace. He smelled of coffee, woody notes of his cologne, and something indefinably homely.
— Look at you, you've grown up, kiddo. Now you'll be living with your boyfriend, without us, — Alex said, ruffling Kimi's hair.
Kimi just smiled faintly but still didn't let go of Alex. Until he remembered one thing.
— I forgot to give your keys back, — Kimi said, pulling away from Alex.
— Keep them. Just in case, — George said, pulling Kimi into a hug one last time.
After that, they got into the car and, waving to Kimi, drove off into the night of Monaco, back to their home, where Kimi would no longer be.
When Kimi returned to the building entrance, Ollie was already waiting for him there. He walked up to his boyfriend and kissed him on the lips, mumbling something with pleasure and returning the kiss.
— It's a good thing we bought and set up the bed last week, because I'm insanely tired, — Ollie said, leading Kimi toward the elevator.
They went up to their apartment, which didn't yet hold memories or stories, but all of that was still ahead. Many things would happen within these walls. But for now, it was empty, containing only boxes with Ollie and Kimi's things and one bed in one of the three rooms. But these walls still had everything ahead of them, just like the young couple who had moved in.