We are not that close

You can always initiate the conversation. Being the older brother, you kno how it's like to be when you were his age. Probably he is also waiting for you to start talking. If ever you two don't talk much but you know for sure that you have a very good relationship with your brother, then I don't think there's something wrong with that. It's just that you both are just not guys of many words.

Same goes for me but in my case i'm the younger. My brother rarely talk to me about his personal life. He doesn't ask me for advices even for once and i never felt real love from him but despite all of those, i still love him because he is the only elder brother i have. My parents and some of our relatives often tell him to be more kind and caring to me and this is the reason why he sometimes try to prefer what i like and pretend to be enjoying what i usually do. I know that he is trying his very best but instead of me being happy, i am rather pissed off because of the fact that he is forcing himself to do things which he doesn't really like just to show to our parents and his friends that he cares for me. All i want for my brother is to show his love for me with his own free will and not because he is being pressured by other people. In your case, you really love your younger brother and i think the best think you could do is to overcome shyness and show to your brother that you love him. It may be awkward at first but you'll get used to it. :)

I know boys aren't really the talky type. Maybe that's what's happening with you two. You may feel awkward or something even though you still care for each other.

I tend to think there isn't a large gap between being close and being comfortable. You two are comfortable in each others company. You both know you care about each other but you don't have to tell each other every day to have it known. I think sometimes when there is crisis in a family you really realize how deeply our family cares of us. On the flip side, think a tight family would say or show they care about the people around them on a regular basis instead of waiting for something catastrophic to happen. Each family is different and if this is what works for you and your brother then it's just that. It is what works.