My bro and I

So my bro is 24, going 25. Until recently we were living together. He now lives with dad and I live with mom. It has been hard. It is not the first time we separate but before it was due to me being away.. this time it is because our parents can’t live together anymore.
I thought this process was going to be easier.. but my little bro, will still be my little one even when he is 70. I feel this amazing need of making sure he is ok, even when he busts my chops and eats my chocolates.
I remember the typical “sibling fights” we used to have when kids.. I would pull his hair so hard that he would end up crying. He knew mom would get really upset if she found out.. so I had to stop and hug him hard and ask him to forgive me. Or a few years later when he was bigger than me and the story was the other way around and he would kick my arse. Or when we got money for Christmas and we “had” to go to the mall and spend it all.
We both have very different personalities and it shows. But after I went away for about a year, everything changed. We are very good friends now.
We have both been through a lot with our family lately. Our parent’s separation, and consequently our own has really hit us. I seriously didn’t think I would miss him so much.
Today he had to get some teeth extracted and I kindly offered to go with him. He stayed at our house and woke me up with breakfast in bed… flower included, as a thank you for going with him. Isn’t that sweet?
On our way back from the dentist, he could barely function after the extractions. He looked so fragile. In a way I felt like mom and wanted to protect him from the world. Is that what mothers feel? Or is it just the powerful love siblings have for each other? I am not so sure.
But I do make sure that every time we are on the phone I say I love him dearly and that I regret that when we were living together I didn’t say it everyday. Because as long as I am alive, Felipe will still be my brother and probably the person that knows me best.
And even though it hasn’t been always easy, we know that we are there for each other unconditionally.