Axel's laughter boomed through the room, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Just kidding~ You must have thought we were childhood friends when I said that, right? Unfortunately, this isn't a comic book where everyone is a childhood friend."
As he chuckled and patted his thigh, the four people in the room remained expressionless, their emotions tangled in a complex web of feelings. Jun's face twisted into a scowl, and for an instant, it seemed as though he might lunge at Axel before Landon restrained him.
Axel raised both hands in mock surrender, his smirk growing wider as he addressed Jun. "I was just joking. Besides," he added with a sly grin, "I'm implying that it all happened during childhood – not adulthood – Mr. Boyfriend."
Jun's glare intensified as Axel continued to taunt him. "I don't care if it's a joke about childhood or adulthood," Jun growled, his anger simmering just below the surface. "I don't like it."
Axel chuckled, unfazed by Jun's ire. "Oh, come on, Mr. Boyfriend," he cooed. "Don't be so possessive. Young Master Zhang will run away if you get too clingy."
Axel's smirk never wavered as he leaned back in his chair, an air of nonchalance surrounding him like a cloak.
"And what I said is partly true. We did meet when we were teenagers – but all we did was nod to each other."
Axel's eyes sparkled with mischief as he continued to provoke Jun, his words dripping with amusement. Landon, sensing the tension, wrapped his arms around Jun's waist, holding him back as if trying to prevent a storm from brewing.
Yohan felt a familiar sense of déjà vu wash over him as he watched the scene unfold. He sighed inwardly, recognizing the similarities between Axel and Kane - both men had a knack for pushing people's buttons and enjoying the resulting drama.
Yohan remained seated on the hospital bed, his head resting against Kian's chest, he couldn't help but feel like he was watching a TV drama play out before him. He munched on the plums he had washed and brought from his apartment, occasionally feeding Kian a bite.
Kian smiled at Yohan's antics as he savored the sweet taste of the plum. "You're watching this like it's a TV drama," he whispered to Yohan, his arm wrapping around Yohan's waist in a gentle hug - pulling him closer as they watched the scene together.
Yohan beamed at the gentle gesture, feeling grateful for the small moments of intimacy they shared. Although Axel's teasing was getting under Jun's skin, Yohan didn't intervene yet. He sensed that Axel wasn't malicious in his intentions and was simply enjoying the dynamic between the couple.
Landon's grip on Jun's waist tightened, his annoyance palpable as he turned to Yohan with a scowl.
"You! You're a disloyal fella! Instead of helping us, you're getting intimate with someone who hasn't even accepted your feelings yet!"
Yohan felt a stinging sensation in his chest, like an arrow labeled 'still not in a relationship' had pierced his heart. He raised his head, and his gaze seemed to convey the message 'you're a player!' to Kian. Kian's hands around Yohan's waist grew sweaty as he became uncomfortable.
But Landon's outburst caught Axel's attention, and he lost interest in teasing Jun. His gaze shifted to Yohan and Kian.
"I thought you two were together," Axel said, surprised. "Yohan has been acting like your boyfriend..."
Axel then noticed Kian's hand wrapped around Yohan's waist.
"...."
"Ah, I didn't expect you to be someone like this, Kian... You don't accept Yohan's feelings but take advantage of him?" Axel asked, his tone laced with amusement.
Landon, still sulking with Yohan and eager to discipline him, shifted the blame. "It doesn't matter how you look at it; it's Yohan who took advantage of Kian."
Landon's words made Yohan choke on his plum, coughing as he tried to clear his throat. But then again, Yohan couldn't deny that he had taken advantage of Kian's muscular physique earlier. He had been groping Kian's eight-pack abs without anyone noticing – it was a good thing that Kian always kept his face neutral, or else they would have been caught red-handed.
Jun's emotions had calmed down due to the sudden change in topic, and he remained silent.
Kian was unsure how to react, especially towards Landon. He didn't know this grandson of the Zhang family, yet Landon had defended him twice in just ten minutes. Though this time it seemed more driven by a desire for revenge against Yohan...
As Kian's hand neared release from Yohan's waist, Yohan instantly caught and clasped his hand tighter. His gaze locked onto Landon, creating an atmosphere thick with tension. Everyone assumed anger would erupt between them; even Landon felt remorseful for overreacting.
But instead of anger, a shy tone emerged from Yohan's lips: "Kian," he said softly, "I'd like you to meet my friends, Landon Zhang and Jun Ivanovich Li." Then turning to the others he continued in the same gentle voice: "Jun, Landon, this is Kian Xu, my future lover."
A collective question mark hung heavy in the air as everyone stared at each other in disbelief. The unexpected introduction left everyone bewildered but Kian politely nodded at them before introducing himself simply: "My name is Kian Xu."
"Ah yes, hello," Landon replied awkwardly. "Just call me Landon. We've heard so much about you from Yohan."
"Jun. Nice to meet you," added Jun with equal confusion.
The situation had suddenly become confusing for everyone present, and they all thought the same thing: why did it feel like an introduction of parents to a future son-in-law?!
Axel burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "If I didn't know any better," he chuckled between breaths, "I'd have thought it was a parent-in-law and son-in-law introduction."
Everyone else was left speechless as they too felt that way.
But another burst of laughter filled the air as Landon joined in, amused by Axel's joke.
"Haha, does that mean I get a son-in-law who's older than me?"
Landon and Axel continued to laugh, joking about the absurdity of the situation. Yohan watched in amazement as the two who had been at odds earlier were now getting along so well.
Suddenly, Axel shifted his attention to Yohan, a mischievous glint in his eye. His grin widening as he extended a hand for an introduction.
"By the way, you've never introduced yourself to me until now," he said with a smile.
Yohan blinked at the unexpected request but shook Axel's hand anyway. But instead of releasing it like any normal person would do after a brief greeting, Axel held on tight – way too long for comfort. Kian noticed the growing discomfort radiating off Yohan and swiftly intervened by grabbing both of their hands and gently pulling them apart like separating two magnets that were clinging together too strongly.
"What are you doing?" Kian asked with a stern expression and confusion etched across his face.
Axel chuckled as he leaned in towards Kian, whispered into his ear. "Wow, you reacted right away. It's obvious that you care about him. Why don't you accept Yohan's feelings? Is it because of your brother...? Or...."
But before Kian could answer, Axel pulled away and then turned his attention back to Yohan. "Sorry, I just wanted to see Kian's reaction."
Axel removed his hand from Kian's and settled back into his chair.
Just then Cyruss burst into the room like a whirlwind of energy - his voice boomed through the room, startling everyone inside.
"Whoaa! It's so crowded in here!" he exclaimed as he strode into the room with a plastic bag of food for Kian. But his grip almost slipped when he saw Yohan sitting on Kian's bed, pressed up against him.
"Aaaahhh!! Is that Yohan? He's already here?!" Cyruss cried out in shock and disbelief, causing everyone to jump again at his sudden outburst.
Yohan couldn't help but feel like today was just getting weirder by the minute. With all this chaos going on around him, it was hard to keep track of what was happening next.
*
*
*
As the man walked through the airport, he couldn't help but feel excited. He was wearing sunglasses and a shirt with a close-up of a duck's head, which made him stand out from the other travelers.
Humming a cartoon song to himself, his face lit up as he thought about seeing someone special again. His feet moved quickly as he muttered under his breath while giggling.
"I can't wait to see you again," he whispered with anticipation in his voice.