Subtly Brilliant

Theres like an in-family joke that the reason Ryland has never had a single sexual thought in his life is because Jacob stole them all in utero.

The two of them standing side by side, Ryland with his slightly ruffled hair, big glasses, science-pun t-shirt and his big soft fox cardigan, and his 2-minute older brother with the Armani suit, the silk shirt and the slicked back hair, hands shoved in his pockets looking as debonair as a Vogue model.

Jacob picked his brother up from the school once for an evening out to catch up. Ryland found him waiting in the foyer with a gaggle of female teachers and students alike, effortlessly charming the lot of them and fulfilling any fantasy any one of them may have ever had about any attraction towards their loveable yes clueless Dr Grace.

Used to this reaction however, Ryland simply rolls his eyes, and pushes and excuses his way through the crowd.

"Hi Ryland." Jacob purrs, that 10,000wat smile still on his face, and Ryland just deadpan stares at him (everyone around them going nuts now they're standing there together because omg they really are twins!!).

"That smile doesn't work on me." he points at him.

"And the teacher voice doesn't work on m-" he begins to say before Ryland cuts him off by grabbing his brother by the arm twirling him around and marching him out the door. Jacob just winks back at them all over his shoulder. They all giggle.

And the teacher voice ALWAYS works on him because to Jacob Ryland is the cutest little baby brother in the world and would actually do literally anything for him really he just loves to tease.

And shamelessly use the idea of sex with twins to pick up girls.

Jacob knows better than to EVER make that actually happen, but it works on the ladies. He loves his brother to bits and would NEVER pressurize him to find a partner...he's in fact very happy to pick up the potential partners who always fail at seducing Ryland, and it's been that way ever since they were kids.

And he's pretty sure that's why he's turned out the way he has.

Every single girl who has ever tried to flirt with Ryland throughout their lives (who of course remains totally clueless to their advances), and over slides Jacob with a cool "Hi" and his charming smile and more notches on his bed post than all the students Ryland has ever taught combined.

Of course Ryland doesn't mind, if anything he's in a little awe of his brother, so confident and outgoing like he was born knowing how to socialize. He wished he could be a little more like him confidence wise. Jacob wishes Ryland could see he was more confident than he gives himself credit for.

Jacob always loved dressing the way he does, and tried once to dress up Ryland in their teens years. Only the once though, because standing back and looking Ryland in his own stylish outfit baffled him as to why it didn't work on his brother!! They were identical, but Ryland looked....awkward, and shy, and a face that said wtf (that's what the fudge) is he doing wearing this??

So it remained the dorky little brother and the fashion icon, trailing after Ryland and learning to pick up all the girls Ryland was unaware he'd turned down.

Which is why the day Jacob calls him and says he's fallen in love Ryland nearly chokes on his own air. There's a girl he FAILED to seduce? Who WASN'T attracted to him?? She was telling HIM what to do?? And now you WANT her? .....wait you were half naked in bed together and all you did was TALK??

"I suddenly get you Ryland. I do. It's nice to just...have someone there. It's not about the sex it's...I don't think I've smiled so much in my life."

And this lovely, such warm smile slowly grows on Rylands face, "I'm so happy for you Jay."