Ch. 111..120

Chapter 111

"I’ll keep in touch with you, Doc," Baron shook Ezra one more time as he returned to him.

"I’ll be waiting for your message, Baron," Ezra nodded and turned away from Baron.

He was almost leaving the practice area when Baron called him back, "Doc?"

Ezra balled his fists and slowly turned back to face him.

"Yes, did I forget something?" He asked calmly.

"Ah, no, I just forgot to give you this, it’s our business card, in case you want to reach out to us for something," Baron gave Ezra a square black card that still had the barcode sign in the center, he was left wondering what that sign really meant for them.

"Of course, Baron, thank you," He took it and fixed it in his pocket.

"See you, hopefully," Baron nodded and pointed to the door.

Ezra gave a stiff wave and turned away again.

However, he had only gone three steps when he heard Baron speak into his phone, "No, sir, we haven’t been able to contact, Nicholas. Yes, yes, we will try again; no, we didn’t go to his house; you ordered us not to. Yes, boss, we will try sending someone to find him,"

Ezra froze, which Nicholas were they talking about?

Something told him it was the same Nicholas he knew, but why would their boss be so bent on finding and bringing Nicholas to him?

He shook his head; he might just be delusional or making things up.

He continued to walk out of the door, yet again, he paused when he heard Baron speak to one of the men inside the practice hall.

"Marco, take two guys and go find Nicholas in his restaurants, he should be there by this time," Baron commanded.

Ezra couldn’t be told otherwise; he knew it was Nicholas they were talking about; the coincidence was too close to be dismissed.

He hurried out of the practice hall and walked into the main hall; he needed to go and tell Sebastian and Nicholas about his findings; seems like not only Sebastian was on their radar but Nicholas too, but why?

Ezra had just passed the boxing ring when he saw Nicholas standing beside it, looking around the place as if it was some art museum where he could leisurely stare at artworks in appreciation.

He frowned and walked toward him at the same moment he heard the door to the practice hall being opened.

He panicked and immediately grabbed Nicholas’ hand and dragged him into the nearest dark corner he saw.

Nicholas was unaware of Ezra’s presence when he felt someone’s hand drag him away from where he stood, he immensely became alert and was about to curse out the person and hit them but he was dragged into a dark corner and the next thing he flew was someone’s hand cover his mouth and a hushed whisper beside his ear, "Shh...they’re looking for you."

Nicholas frowned when he immediately recognized Ezra’s voice, he brought his hand up and held Ezra’s wrist, trying to remove his hand from his mouth.

Ezra clenched his jaw in irritation, "Not now, Nick, I’m trying to save - hmph!" Ezra was silenced with Nicholas’ hand on his mouth.

He was surprised and narrowed his eyes at Nicholas in questioning. The place was dark, but their eyes adjusted to the light so they could now make out each other’s faces.

Nicholas subtly used his head to point to the side, and when Ezra listened in, he could hear the footsteps approaching them and now understood why Nicholas had covered his mouth, too.

He returned his eyes to Nicholas; they stared at each other as they heard the footsteps approaching closer and closer.

None of them made a sound, their hands on each other’s mouth, and their eyes looking nowhere else but at themselves.

Their controlled, warm breaths touched the hand that was covering their mouths; for some reason, they felt like they could actually coexist without being on each other’s neck.

"Baron, what if he’s not in his restaurants as usual?" A voice asked just beside where they were hiding.

If the owner of the voice decided to take one more step and look inside between the wall, they’d definitely be caught.

"Then, this time, I suppose we have no choice but to disobey the boss; we have to go find him in his house; we don’t have to let the boss know. He wants us to get Nicholas, then we must get him; it’s been months already, and I’m tired of being dragged into their matter; go immediately; why are you standing there?!" Baron barked.

"Yes, boss," The voice replied and walked away from them.

Ezra released a sigh of relief; he watched Nicholas’ eyes as confusion clouded them; he knew he was trying to understand if he was the one those guys were talking about.

When he was sure Baron had returned to the practice hall, he nodded at Nicholas and removed his hand from his mouth, taking Nicholas’ hand away from his mouth.

"Was that my na-"

"Shh! We have to leave first," Ezra shushed and peeked his head out of their hiding place, when he was sure no one was there, he dragged Nicholas out and straight to the exit.

Nicholas didn’t have to be told; he knew he needed to hurry, just in case he was really the person those guys were talking about; it would be so foolish of him to have just delivered himself to his enemies.

They rushed out of the building and straight to their car, passing Sebastian’s car, who was patiently waiting for them to come out.

"Hey, isn’t that Nicholas?" Zeno asked from the car as he saw Ezra dragging Nicholas past them.

"Drive, Ida," Sebastian ordered.

He was surprised, too.

And for Ezra and Nicholas to be hurrying that way out of the club meant that something must have happened inside there.

They needed to leave; he knew that Nichols would follow him behind, and they would discuss everything when they got to his house.

The car started, driving off at speed.

Inside Nicholas’ car, he got in the car and placed his head on the steering wheel, gritting his teeth and clenching his teeth.

Ezra, who was sitting beside him was expecting hun to move the car quickly, but when he saw him bending over in pain, he got confused and leaned toward him.

"Hey, what now? Trying to get us killed? Just move the car already," He tapped Nicholas’ shoulders.

"Fuck you, you caused this," Nicholas raised his head to look at Ezra.

Ezra furrowed his brows when he saw the respiration appearing on Nicholss’ forehead, he knew at that moment that Nicholas wasn’t faking whatever was hurting him.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened?" He asked, looking all over Nicholas’ body.

"Just move away I’m fine," Nicholas pushed Ezra on the shoulder, making him return to his side of the car.

Ezra was about to say something smart when his eyes caught the blood stain on Nicholas’ side.

Blood was staining through Nicholas’ white shirt as if he was bleeding from the sides.

He immediately moved over to Nicholas again and raised his shirt, "Shit, Nick, what happened here?" He asked, his tone turning serious instantly.

Nicholas tried to push his hand away but Ezra held his instead, stopping him.

"Answer the damn question and get out of the fucking across; I’m driving," He commanded and immediately left the car, walking over to the other side to help Nicholas get out of the car.

He pulled the door open and held Nicholas’ arm, helping him out and placing him behind the car.

"Just stay still, We’re taking you home; we can talk about whatever happened after you were treated," Ezra said and shut the door.

He entered the driver’s side and drove the car away from the club.

Nicholas was in pain behind Ezra, but it didn’t stop him from noticing that Ezra was also a speed demon. He thighs himself to be one; he knew Sebastian was one too, but not Ezra, never Ezra; apart from being a nerd and an annoying person, he never tagged Ezra to be this rough.

He was should by the way the car was moving past the trees and houses in a blur.

"Hey..." He called from behind

"No. Mo talking, take steady breaths, and shut your fucking eyes, take a nap if you want, don’t just increase the damn bleeding," Ezra replied from the front, keeping his eyes straight on the road.

Nicholas sighed and went quiet. He knew Ezra was right; talking right now would increase the rate of blood flow to his wound; although he wanted to speak, he obeyed Ezra for once, not because of anything but just because he knew this was his field and it concerned his life too.

He didn’t want to risk his life just some could piss Ezra off, that would just be stupid on his side.

But the question he wanted to ask still remained in his mind; as he stared out of the window, he became more convinced that Ezra was driving him to his house.

Why?

Why would Ezra be driving him to his house instead of his? Why does he even speak to him as if the ’home ’ he was talking about was his and not Ezra’s?

He would still find out, he just needed to stop the damn bleeding before he could properly question the motherfuker who was practically kidnapping him.

 

Chapter 112

Ezra quickly parked the car in front of his house and got out of it.

He pulled the back door open and leaned in to help Nicholas out.

"Why am I in your house?" Nicholas asked, wincing in pain.

Ezra paused and stared at Nicholas like he was suddenly losing it upstairs.

"Are you for real right now?" Ezra asked in disbelief.

Nicholas didn’t respond; the side of his tummy was stinging like hell, yet, he needed Ezra to tell him why he had brought him to his house.

"Why am I here, Ezra?" Nicholas asked weakly.

Ezra cursed under his breath, "Bro, answer me one question," He gripped Nicholas’ jaw and turned his head to look at him.

Nicholas frowned; if he wasn’t in pain, he’d have slapped Ezra right across the face; he stared up at Ezra with hateful eyes.

"You want me to leave you alone, right?" Ezra questioned seriously.

Nicholas narrowed his eyes and replied, "Yes."

Ezra gritted his teeth and removed his hand from Nicholas’ jaws, "Suit yourself," He muttered and moved away, turning to get into his house.

Nicholas suddenly understood what was happening; Ezra was actually leaving him out there to go to his house.

"Ezra!" Nicholas screamed, "Fuck!" He punched the back of the front seat in front of him as the scream went right to his wound and made it worse.

Ezra paused halfway, turning his head to look at Nicholas.

"What a burden," He sighed and walked back to the car.

"No words, Nick, shut your fucking mouth and let me do my job," Ezra frowned as he went back and helped Nicholas out of the car without asking his permission.

Nicholas had no energy to argue even if he wanted to.

"I should have followed my mother’s footsteps and become a teacher, that way I wouldn’t have felt obligated to help you out all in the name of staying true to the promise of my profession, it wouldn’t even be neglect, I would have just truly not known what to do with you," Ezra said bitterly as he stood in his front deck and pushed his door open.

Nicholas scoffed but didn’t respond, his side still hurt.

He allowed Ezra to lead him into his living room; the lights came on as they walked in, letting Nicholas see the number of scattered books on one particular sofa.

"Ugh!" Nicholas grunted as Ezra helped him down.

"Wait, what are you doing?" He held Ezra’s hand, who wanted to pull up his shirt.

Ezra grimaced at him, "What do you think? Rape you? Chill, you’re not my type, just raise your damn hands up, I need to be able to clean the wound," He ordered.

Nicholas frowned but obeyed, "You’re not my type either," He said as the shirt was being pulled off his head.

"That’s a long-established fact, no keep shut and relax," Ezra gently placed a hand on Nicholas’ shoulder and pushed his back to rest on the sofa.

He stared at Nicholas’ chest and forced his eyes to the main place, her had always known that the bastard had a good body, but not like him; he was better than Nicholas, and no one could argue that he didn’t have a home gym for nothing.

He stared at the wound and frowned. It was just above his waistband, and it was deep, a horizontal tear, about 4cm long.

He stood and went to retrieve a first aid box from the cabinet at the side of the living room.

"What happened, Nick? How did you get this?" He questioned, bringing out some cotton balls and disinfectant.

Nicholas blinked, gulping as he saw those things Ezra was bringing out. He hated those; he knew they stung like hell; worse were needles; he hated them so much.

He sighed, "You did this, Ezra," He informed.

Ezra was confused, he wore a glove and raised the soaked cotton wool to the side of Nicholas’ abdomen, "What do you mean?" He looked at Nicholas’ face.

"At the club, when you dragged me between those walls, I think it was a nail shooting out of the wall - shit! Easy!" He held Ezra’s hand, dabbing his wound with a disinfectant.

Ezra paused and looked up at him, "I’ll be gentle, Nick...however, why didn’t you say something to let me know that I hurt you?" His voice wasn’t as hard as it was anymore; he felt bad for causing someone pain; that was the opposite of his job; his job was to heal, not inflict.

"Ah..." Nicholas made a low grunt but bit down on his teeth as Ezra gently wiped the surface of the wound.

"How could I speak when you had your hand over my mouth?" He raised a sarcastic brow at Ezra.

Ezra was quiet; as funny as it might sound, what was happening was his weakness; it was one of the reasons he became a doctor; he never liked to hurt anyone, especially physically; it made him feel devastated.

He liked healing; there was a kind of fulfillment he got each time he succeeded in healing a patient, but now, he was the cause of someone’s pain.

"I’m sorry," He muttered and picked up the plaster.

Nicholas was surprised, "Huh?" He didn’t think he heard correctly, why would Ezra be apologizing instead of rejoicing over his pain?

Ezra sighed, "I’m sorry for hurting you this way," He pointed to the wound.

"And for being a jerk?" Nicholas smirked.

"Don’t push it," Ezra warned and dropped the plaster beside Nicholas.

Nicholas watched as Ezra put his hand back inside the box and retrieved a needle, his heart immediately skipped and began beating radically, "Hey, hey, what are you doing with that? Are you really that petty? Because I asked you to apologize for being an ass?" He tried moving away, but Ezra’s hand stopped him by holding his thigh.

"Come on, Ezra, you know I don’t like-"

"Be quiet, Nicholas," He snapped his head up, glaring at Nicholas.

Nicholas blinked; he knew Ezra was serious when he called his full name, but how could he stay quiet when he saw a needle need him?

"You’re going to make this bleed again. I just applied something to stop the bleeding, but you’re hell-bent on making it bleed, please, for once, keep your mouth shut," He pleaded tiredly.

Nicholas nodded, "Just one more question, what do you want to use that for?"

"I want to stitch your wound, it’ll heal faster that way," He informed.

Nicholas shook his head, "Is it necessary?" His heart was now pounding, his palms becoming sweaty.

Ezra frowned when he saw perspiration starting to form on Nicholas’ forehead; he knew he was scared; he found it funny and annoying; why hadn’t he thought of this sense? Maybe he should carry it around from now on, whenever Nicholas wanted to get on his nerves, he’d just pull it out and show him, end of discussion.

"Chill, it’s not necessary since the wound isn’t that deep; it’ll heal just fine; I just wanted to make sure it helps way faster and cleaner," Ezra said as he returned the needle to the box.

Nicholas sighed, relief washing over him, "It’s alright, I don’t need the stitches, I’ll wait for it to heal, no matter how long," He replied.

Ezra nodded, "Your call. Relax," He placed a hand on Nicholas’ chest to push him back and was surprised at how hard his heart was beating, "You’re really scared," He mentioned, looking at Nicholas.

Nicholas stared at Ezra for a few seconds before he removed the hand from his chest, "Mind your business, Doc," He warned.

Ezra nodded; he picked up the plaster and closed the wound, and then he proceeded to pack everything he’d used.

He returned the first aid to the cabinet and came back to pick up the discarded items to properly trash them.

Ezra watched Nicholas walk around his house; he was a neat person, except for the messy studying; he always littered books whenever he studied.

Nicholas didn’t realize his eyes followed Ezra until he disappeared into his kitchen, he kept staring at the door until Ezra emerged again and walked back to him.

"You alright?" Ezra questioned, staring down at Nicholas.

Nicholas blinked, forcing his eyes away from Ezra; why the hell was he staring?

"Yeah, I’ll get going," He grunted quietly as he stood but was surprised to find Ezra right in front of him in the next second.

Ezra wasn’t smiling, his face was mean and serious, "Sit down, Nicholas. You’re not leaving," He ordered.

Nicholas paused; he’d never heard Ezra that serious before; he looked into his eyes and saw that he was really serious.

"Why? I need to leave. I want to go to my home," Nicholas replied stubbornly.

Ezra nodded, "Sit down, Nicholas," He said again, not moving from his position.

"Why? Why do I have to listen to what you tell me, you’re not my boss, not even a friend, and definitely not a boyfriend," Nicholas challenged.

Ezra smirked, "As your doctor, Nicholas, that’s what I’m speaking as now sit down and stop putting pressure on the wound. Don’t make my effort go to waste or I’ll simply stitch it up," He threatened.

"I’ll sit, I’ll sit," Nicholas lowered himself on the sofa the moment he heard about stitching his wound.

Ezra chuckled, "It really works," He muttered and walked away from Nicholas, heading over to the other sofa to pick up the books that were scattered.

"Oh, you don’t have to worry; even if you beg me on your knees and groveling, I’ll never become your boyfriend," Ezra said disdainfully.

 

 

Chapter 113

"You’re unfortunately delusional, Doc; maybe you should see one of your kind; you might have missed your mental treatment," Nicholas retorted.

Ezra chuckled; he remained quiet and packed his books.

"You still read and litter," Nicholas commented as Ezra carried his books toward a closed door, probably his study.

Ezra slowly turned and faced Nicholas, "Aww, someone has a habit of mine stored in their head, is it what I’m thinking?" He asked with a daunting tone.

Nicholas smirked, "You’re free to delude yourself, Doc."

"Fine, I was studying something when my dad came over and asked for me to follow him to Sebastian’s; I had to leave them all scattered," Ezra explained.

"I didn’t ask," Nicholas shrugged.

Ezra nodded, "I know," He turned and went into his study.

Alone, Nicholas frowned; he suddenly remembered Zeno,, and sadness once again invaded his heart.

He had actually believed that Zeno was leading him somewhere.

He thought he was open enough to Zeno? Why did he have to end up like this? Zeno would have just saved him from this heartbreak by being truthful to him.

Now, he looked stupid and desperate, as if he knew that his friend had a thing for his bodyguard yet he still pursued him. It reminded him of someone, and that someone was walking back to him.

He was reminded once again why he hated Ezra. He stared at Ezra as he walked back to him and lowered himself in front of him. He wanted to ask him what he was doing, but Ezra reached beside him and picked up his stained shirt, "Forgot this," Ezra said and walked away from him.

He disappeared again onto another room and came back holding a glass of water and medication, "Take this; it’ll help with the pain," He stretched his hands to Nicholas.

Nicholas quietly took the medication and swallowed it with the water from the glass, returning it to him.

"Awesome, in five minutes, you’d be dead; there’ll no longer be anyone to insult and abuse me. It all ends here, Nicholas, I’ve shouldered attitude for so long," Ezra smirked at Nicholas, his eyes shining with satisfaction.

"You-"

"Ah, no, no, no," Ezra shook his index finger at Nicholas, "No talking or moving, or you’ll hasten the spread of the poison to your heart, so, try and be calm for the remaining four minutes of your life," Ezra patted Nicholas’ cheeks and stepped back, place the glass on the table.

Nicholas was sweating as if they lighted a bonfire under her seat, his heart was racing out of his chest, and he already felt like he was dying, he should never have trusted Ezra, he always knew there was something wrong with Ezra but he decided to trust him for one second since he was the ’Doctor,’ but look where it got him.

Ezra returned and sat beside him, leaning close to stare at Nicholas’ face. He saw the sweat running down his face, neck, and chest, and he noticed the way Nicholas looked stiff as a stick.

He smirked beside Nicholas’ face and spoke calmly, "See? You can be quiet, obedient, and even friendly. However, you chose to be torn in my flesh; now see where it led you on your way to your death. Ah, three minutes left, in the last minute, you’ll feel your heart slowing, your breath cutting short, your body feeling cold and light...you’ll be dying," He tapped Nicholas’ cheeks and relaxed against the sofa.

Ezra closed his eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Nicholas cursed Ezra a billion times in his head, he wished a train would run through Ezra Ezra’s house and crush him to paste.

His eyes were glued to the wall clock on the wall. He had two minutes, and he wished he had just given himself up to those guys who were looking for him.

He would have preferred to die by their gun to this torture, a slow countdown to his death.

Ezra opened his eyes and looked at Nicholas, signing in relief, "Don’t worry, Nick, I’ll give a doctor’s report. Reason for death: He was too annoying," Ezra chuckled at Nicholas’ helpless face.

He stood and waved at Nicholas, "I’ll be in my room right there; try not to die before I return; I’ll probably tell Sebastian you’re dead when I tell him about what happened at the club. Goodbye, Nicholas, you were not a good friend," Ezra nodded at Nicholas and turned away, humming a low tone as he went to the right side of the house, walked into a dark passage, and entered a room.

Nicholas heard the sound of a door being closed and balled his fists; this was the worst feeling; he couldn’t even get to beat the hell out of that idiot before dying, he wished there was such thing as reincarnation; he would have reincarnated right away and murdered that bastard.

One minute left!

Nicholas was sweating, fear and anger consuming him; he shut his eyes and leaned his head back on the sofa, he was starting to feel all those signs Ezra mentioned, he opened his mouth to catch his cutting breath and he couldn’t feel his heart slowing, his body was feeling cold and sweaty, he wa really dying.

He didn’t want to watch the clock to the last second; he’d rather have his eyes closed and wait for death.

Suddenly, an alarm ran beside him, bolting him out of his melancholy. His eyes were straight to the clock, and he realized that it was past five minutes; he snapped his head to the side and saw a note beside the alarm clock.

He hurried to pick it up and read what was written on it.

"Thank you for the five minutes of silence. Don’t come for me; I must be sleeping by the line. You realize it was a joke...you’re a joke, Nick."

Nicholas felt his eyes twitching in anger. He crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it to the floor, and then he stood and marched toward Ezra’s room.

He wasn’t going to feel happy unless he’d hurt Ezra in one way or the other.

He reached the door he felt that Ezra had entered and kicked it open, to his surprise, Ezra was really sleeping.

He marches up to him and angrily lands a punch to Ezra’s abdomen, causing him to grunt and curl in pain.

"Ouch, okay, I was expecting that, and I deserved it, but that was too - Fuck! Nor my lips," He pressed a hand over the side of his lips and glared at Nicholas.

Nicholas wasn’t having any of it, he hopped on the bed and crossed his leg over Ezra’s upper body, caging him between his legs.

He raised his hand to pucbg him again but Ezra caught his hands and brought them down to his abdomen, "Stop already," He said firmly.

Nicholas was breathing hard, his eyes glistening with Malice, "Let go of my hands, I’m not done with you yet," He commanded.

Ezra nodded, "Yeah, like I’m going to let you punch my handsome face to a pulp. Calm down, Nick," He held Nicholas’ gaze, "Just take a deep breath and let the anger go away," his voice was much softer now.

Nicholas rolled his eyes and got off of Ezra, sitting on the other side of the bed.

Ezra sighed and sat up, looking at Nicholas and smiling, "But it wasn’t that bad; we had some quiet time between us for the first time in years," He teased.

"Why did you do it?" Nicholas questioned.

"I just wanted you to rest after the medication," Ezra replied.

"You should have just told me," Nicholas said, staring down at his lap.

"Would you have listened? Obeyed?" Ezra asked.

Nicholas went quiet, the answer was ’no.’ He’d have probably gone with the ’You can’t order me around’ topic and talked for the whole five minutes.

Ezra shrugged, "There, that’s your answer. Your silence means that you agree that you’d have never kept quiet if I asked you to," He got out of bed and walked over to his wardrobe.

"But, those symptoms, why did I feel them if you are really lying? Or are you really killing me, Ezra?" Nicholas turned to watch Ezra rake out a blue shirt from his wardrobe and walk toward him.

Ezra stepped in front of Nicholas and threw the shirt at him, "You’re not worth my time, Nick; I’d rather plot on killing rats than killing you; it’s a waste of time and energy," He crossed his hand over his chest and stated at Nicholas.

"You felt that way because that is the effect the medication gives to anyone who consumes it after five minutes. It’s a pain killer that requires consumers to be still and relaxed for five minutes, after which they can return to normal with little to no pain. Just like you, don’t you see you now have the strength to look for a fight after your five minutes of death?" He smirked.

"Why am I even here? Why won’t you let me go home?" Nicholas stood, looking around the room.

"I’m your doctor for tonight; I’ll watch your reaction to the medication, just in case you react differently. It works differently for people, but it’s nothing to worry about. You can have the bed; my guest room is... messy; I’ll sleep on the couch. See you in the morning, Nick," He tapped Nicholas’ shoulder and walked out of the room.

 

 

Chapter 114

"Hey, wake up," Zeno poked Sebastian’s chest.

It was five in the morning and Sebastian’s phone was ringing under his pillow. It wasn’t letting Zeno continue his sleep.

"Seb, Babe, your phone is ringing," Zeno whispered.

Sebastian groaned sleepily and hugged Zeno to himself, "It’ll stop," he whispered.

And it did stop; Zeno sighed and relaxed against Sebastian; he was planning to go back to sleep when the phone started touring again.

Sebastian sighed, "I’m sorry, I’ll just put it off," He said and took his phone from under the pillow.

However, before he could end the call, Zeno took the phone from him.

"It’s Ezra; you should take it; he definitely has something to say," Zeno suggested.

They’d been waiting for Ezra’s call the whole night, but when they didn’t receive it, they decided to sleep and speak to him the next morning.

Sebastian sat up and cursed under his breath, he took the phone from Zeno and answered the call.

"Ezra?" He sighed.

"Hey, sorry for calling by this time, but I just wanted to fill you in before the day properly brightens," Ezra’s voice spoke through the phone.

"Just speak, Ezra," Sebastian said with tone-down irritation.

Ezra sighed, "Chill. I’ll send you an image of what I found inside the club’s office. I didn’t see the main boss, Pole says they tend to keep him mysterious for some reason, but I might just be on my way to getting myself a job with them," he informed.

Sebastian frowned, "A job? How did you get there?" He questioned, wondering what the hell Ezra had done in there.

Zeno lifted himself off Sebastian and rolled away from him.

"Hey?" Sebastian caught his arm and raised a questioning brow at him.

Zeno chuckled, Sebastian thought he was leaving him to return to his room since he was on a call.

"I can end the call and speak to him later if you want," Sebastian’s voice was low and deep.

Ezra could be heard sighing and muttering something under his breath, but they didn’t pay attention to him.

"I’m just going to the bathroom, Seb," Zeno smiled at him, gently patting Sebastian’s hand.

Sebastian reluctantly let Zeno’s hand go and watched him go to the bathroom.

"What were you saying, Ezra?" Sebastian returned back to his call.

"Oh, now I’m remembered," Ezra muttered through the speaker.

"Ezra," Sebastian called.

"Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. I got stopped by some man named Baron; I didn’t know what to do, so I told him I was looking for a job; luckily, they had a vacancy, so I’m currently under review," he finished.

Sebastian nodded, "That’s good, but you’re not really planning to work there right?" He asked.

"You don’t want me to? I’ll be helping you out, you know?" Ezra said.

Sebastian shook his head as if Ezra could see him, he saw Zeno walking back and invited him to sit beside him.

"You don’t have to risk yourself for me, Ezra. Don’t worry, I and my men will take care of it. Did you ask one of the guys to keep in touch though?" Sebastian asked, wrapping his hand around Zeno’s waist as he moved in beside him.

"Yes, I did. Pole, he promised to let me know whenever he suspects something, and whenever he saw who the boss was, he’d let me know," Ezra informed.

"Mm, if that’s all you can send the image you mentioned and we’ll look into it later," Sebastian had his face sniffing Zeno’s neck, his fingers gently caressing Zeno’s waist.

"That’s not all," Ezra said before Sebastian could end the call.

Sebastian shared a look with Zeno. They knew there was more to Ezra’s journey, but they had hoped it was nothing, seeing Ezra and Nicholas running out of the club already prepared their mind for some news.

"What happened, Ezra?" Sebastian’s face and tone turned around immediately.

"It’s Nicholas, I don’t think he can return home at the moment. He’s injured and it seems like the Barcode guys are after him," He provided.

Sebastian was lost for a second, he didn’t understand how everything suddenly changed direction, "Nicholas? Why? Did he cause a problem with them?" He raised a brow.

"No, it was quite random, that Baron guy was on a call with their boss, it seemed like their boss specifically asked them to go search for Nicholas, he mentioned the restaurant, the house, so, just to be reasonable, whether it’s Nicholas or not, we just have to be safe either ways, I hate him, but don’t want him to die yet, I’ll have no one to fight with. So, can you just house him for the-"

"No." Sebastian cut him off.

Ezra sighed, "Listen, you know how it’s going to be a disaster if he stays here; hell, my house would have burned to ashes by the time he left. Please, Sebastian just-"

"Here is not safe either. Your house is his best option. The barcode guys don’t know your location, and you mentioned he was injured; it’ll be nice to have him around so you can treat him. Just keep him with you until I’ve dealt with all these issues. We will also investigate why they are searching for him. Keep me informed whenever you get in touch with Pole, and please, never call me by this time, you know I have a boyfriend," Sebastian finished and ended the call.

He turned to Zeno and saw him looking at him with unreadable yet seductive eyes.

"What’s that look?" He asked, pushing Zsno down on the bed and climbing over him.

Zeno wrapped his arms around Sebastian’s neck, "I like it when you’re possessive...it’s so fucking hot when you claim me," he whispered, staring into Sebastian’s eyes.

Sebastian smirked down at him, "I know," He lowered his face and kissed Zeno.

Zeno was surprised when Sebastian’s lips claimed him aggressively. He thought he was going to receive some sweet morning kisses, not a hot, spicy, and seductive kiss, but he was here for it.

He kissed Sebastian, pulling him down on himself, his legs wrapping his waist, moaning softly when he felt the thing poking his abdomen.

"You’re quite hot this morning, babe," Zeno whispered.

"Not just me..." Sebastian put a hand between them and right inside Zeno’s pants to wrap it around his cock, "Not just me, your too," He attacked Zeno’s neck with wet kisses, sucking his smooth skin between his lips, his fingers were slowly spreading Zeno’s pre-cum around his cock before he proceeded to hand-fuck Zeno.

"Sebastian, you’re going to make me cum," Zeno tried to remove Sebastian’s hand from his pants but Sebastian caught his hand and placed it above his head.

"Really? Fine," Sebastian frowned at Zeno and got off him.

Zeno panicked; he knew Sebastian was offended because he had asked him to stop touching him; he hadn’t meant it that way; he was just trying to tell Sebastian that he wasn’t going to last long if he kept touching him the way he was doing.

He immediately left the bed and followed Sebastian who was walking over to his huge wardrobe.

"Sebastian," He went and held Sebastian’s hand from behind but Sebastian didn’t respond.

Zeno felt his heart shattered when Sebastian removed his hand from his hold, he almost cried.

Sebastian had his back to Zeno; he was busy pulling out a drawer below his wardrobe and searching for something; he saw Zeno walking up to him again and smirked.

Zeno reached Sebastian’s back and stretched his hand to touch him, but he was rather dragged Sebastian’s front with his back slamming against the wardrobe, his hands were raised above him, and before he could speak, he heard a metal clicking above him, and he felt the cold, smooth surface clasping around his wrists.

He gasped and stared at Sebastian in disbelief.

"Now, let’s see how you’ll stop me," Sebastian whispered against Zeno’s lips.

Zeno was breathing harshly, he was turned on, no doubt, but he was shocked, "You tricked me," he breathed out.

"Mm, you were being naughty, I had to..." He sneaked his hands around Zeno’s neck and placed a little kiss on his lips, "Now, you can’t stop me, I’ll fuck you just how I want to...I want you, Zeno," he crashed his lips to Zeno’s, sweetly sucking his lips into his mouth and lapping it with his tongue.

Zeno pushed his hip forward and rubbed it against Sebastian’s, "I want you, too," He whispered.

Sebastian smirked at him, "I know," He said huskily and slowly pulled Zeno’s pants down; he kissed Zeno’s neck and his chest; he licked down to his navel before he came up to his chest again and sucked a nipple into his mouth.

"Mmm..." Zeno moaned he kept his hands above his head, not wanting to block the way with it he brought them down

His lips were parted in a silent moan as Sebastian moved to his other nipple, he proceeded to kiss down his belly and lower.

Zeno lowered his face as he panted, he watched Sebastian kiss each of his hips before stated up at him as he took his cock into his mouth.

"Fuck!" Zeno’s legs shook at the sight and at the feeling he got from his cock slipping into Sebastian’s mouth.

He loved it when Sebastian did this for him. He gasped as Sebastian sucked all his length into his mouth, "God, Seb, ah~" He cried, feeling the delicious tingles wash all over his body.

Sebastian knew what he was doing, he was going to pleasure his boyfriend until he couldn’t walk properly anymore.

"Spread your legs, Zeno," He commanded as he shortly removed his mouth from Zeno’s cock, using his hands to spread the legs.

Hypnotized, Zeno watched Sebastian put his middle finger into his mouth and slowly licked it, he had his eyes locked on him as he took his now-wet middle finger between his legs.

"Wider, Zeno," Sebastian ordered.

Zeno didn’t know how he could still move; he felt hot, like melting butter in a microwave; he was surprised his bones hadn’t crumpled and given up; he was a hot mess.

The moment he widened his legs, he gasped as Sebastian’s finger immediately teased his entrance; it slowly circled around him and then pushed in just the tip of the finger.

"Oh, my..." Zeno was breathing like he was running a marathon, Sebastian had taken his cock right back into his mouth, slowly sucking him in and out as he rimmed his ass.

"Do you like that?" Sebastian asked.

"Fuck yes, I do; I want more, babe, I want - Oohh..." Zeno arched his back off the wardrobe when he suddenly felt Sebastian’s finger push all the way inside of him.

"This more?" Sebastian whispered in front of his cock, holding his finger steady inside Zeno.

Zeno nodded, "Please, Seb, Suck my dick," He pleaded, his eyes becoming misty with lust.

Sebastian smirked sexily, "As you wish, baby girl," He replied and directed Zeno’s cock into his mouth again.

Zeno moaned loudly; he didn’t care; he was enjoying what was being done to him; he groaned and moaned as Sebastian’s finger fucked his ass, his mouth sucking on his dick.

He didn’t care about holding back; the pleasure was threatening to set him on fire, he was already close to the edge, and he was ready to burst.

Sebastian noticed Zeno’s edging and sucked him faster and harder; his finger picked up speed inside Zeno, twisting and thrusting; he was eager to drink Zeno’s cum.

"Aahhh~oohhh...fuck, Sebastian!" Zeno cried uncontrollably as his cock twitched inside Sebastian’s mouth, his muscled spasming around his finger.

Sebastian sucked and swallowed every single drop before the stood and gave Zeno a hard punishing kiss, letting him taste himself from his mouth.

Zeno’s breath was harsh; he wished he could hold Sebastian at that moment, but his hands were chained, "My hands, baby," He whispered softly, giving Sebastian a pleading look.

Sebastian shook his head, "We’re not done, my love, turn your ass for me," he whispered seductively.

Zeno felt that sexual zing zap through his body at Sebastian’s sexy voice; he obeyed, facing the wardrobe and showing his ass to Sebastian.

Sebastian licked his lips as he stared at Zeno’s smooth and firm ass, "Now, this is a good way to start our morning, Fuck!" He groaned as he pushed his cock between Zeno’s cheeks, right into his moist, tight, and warm goodness.

"I fucking love you, Zeno," He confessed as he sounded Zeno’s ass without restraint.

 

Chapter 115

Ezra sat on the sofa that early in the morning and grumbled like a child; he couldn’t do it; he couldn’t keep Nicholas with him for however long it was going to take Sebastian to settle his problems.

He wasn’t ready for it; he wouldn’t survive it; going from not liking someone to living with them was a heavy move, and it was going to be very hard.

He sighed and fell back on the sofa, lying his head on the arm. "Damn it," He looked at his ceiling, thinking about he was going to get through this period.

He heard the door to his room opening and knew that Nicholas was awake and walking towards him. Here came trouble, early morning trouble. He couldn’t even have a quiet morning anymore.

He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as Nicholas approached him.

Nicholas stopped beside the sofa, looking down at Ezra’s face, who was pretending to sleep, "I’m leaving," He announced and proceeded to walk past him.

Ezra flew his eyes open and immediately sat up, stretched his hand, and grabbed Nicholas’ arm.

"Wait," Ezra gently drew Nicholas back and made him stand in front of him.

Nicholas had a frown on his face as he stood in front of Ezra, he looked unhappy. "What’s the problem, Nick? Look at the clock; it’s quite early; how about you wait till sunrise? We’ll take it from there," Ezra suggested.

Ezra didn’t know how to tell Nicholas that he couldn’t leave, he knew Nicholas wouldn’t agree to the arrangement he had with Sebastian.

Nicholas stared hard at Ezra and removed his hand from Ezra, "You want to keep me locked in your house, right? Do you really think I’d want that?" He questioned.

Ezra frowned, "You heard?" He asked.

Nicholas nodded.

Ezra chuckled, "Then you should know that I don’t want you here. I don’t like it either, but it’s for your safety, it’s not like I care, it’s Sebastian’s idea. Don’t deceive yourself to think that I want you beside me," he stood and leaned his face closer to Nicholas.

"Don’t worry, it’ll be like I’m not here, I’m always in my study or at work, it’s rent-free, enjoy it," He whispered and walked past Nicholas

"I don’t care what you say, Ezra, I’m leaving," Nicholas commented.

Ezra paused and turned back to Nicholas, "You know what?" He walked back to Nicholas and stood in front of him, "There’s no need for you to stress yourself, I’ve seen you want to die, going out there and giving yourself to the bad guys. Why not save them the stress of searching for you and save yourself the stress of hiding from them? I’ll make it easier for both teams, let me just make a call to Baron and inform him that I’ve got their suspect right here, it’ll save us all the strength, at least, Sebastian could ease off bothering himself with that part of the problem," He locked his eyes on Nicholas and pulled his phone out from his pocket, pressing in a number.

"You bastard!" Nicholas grabbed the phone from Ezra and stepped away from him.

Ezra smirked, "What?" He asked with a raised brow, "Don’t you want to leave anymore?" He smiled.

Nicholas glared at Ezra before looking at the screen of the phone; he frowned when he saw the name on the screen, "Who the fuck is Pole? I thought you were about to call the Baron guy?" He found himself asking.

Ezra nodded, "They are the same; they work for the same person; since I don’t have Baron’s contact, Pole can as well relay the message for me. Wait, does it even matter who I call? The only important thing is that you get killed in the end," He moved closer, "Now, my phone," he stretched his hand out to Nicholas.

Nicholas frowned, he hated this situation, and he hated Ezra, he angrily threw the phone on the sofa and was about to walk away but Ezra caught his arm and drew him back himself, their bodies close, chests were almost touching and their faces were barely a breath away from each other; Nicholas was for the first time, speechless as he stared at Ezra’s serious face.

"Now, let’s make something clear. Right here, in my house, I’m doing you a fucking favor, that attitude of yours, flush it down the drain. At least being nice to someone who’s doing you such a huge favor shouldn’t be a problem; for fuck’s sake, I don’t even expect a normal conversation from you; I expect nothing from you. You don’t like me, I don’t like you, it’s established, but as adults, we have to have a level of mutual respect. Especially right now, I demand you fucking respect me, respect my property," He pointed at his phone that was lying on the sofa, "And fucking act like a responsible man, you’re a CEO, act like one, I never expected to teach an adult simple courtesy, but here I am, so, Mr. Grumpy, fix your attitude," He surprisingly kissed Nicholas’ forehead and walked past him, he picked his phone and walked into his study.

"You can go back to sleep, you’ll take your medication in three hours," Ezra informed and shut his door.

Nicholas was still frozen in place; he was trying to understand what had just happened; why the fuck did Ezra kiss his forehead? It made his brain stop functioning for a while, and he wasn’t about to let that go just like that.

He turned and marched toward the study, he reached the door and pushed it open, walking in immediately.

Ezra saw the person walking into his study and sighed, he was sitting on his chair as he slowly raised his head to look at him.

"You said you hated me," Nicholas asked angrily in front of Ezra’s table.

Ezra shrugged, "Yeah," He replied and drew a book to his front, he opened the book but had it slammed closed by Nicholas.

"We talked about the attitude, Nicholas, what’s this?" Ezra frowned up at him.

Nicholas walked around the table and held Ezra’s collar, forcing his face up, "Once again, you said you hate me, am I right?" He asked menacingly.

Ezra’s face remained passive, "Correct,"

"Then, why the fuck did you do that?!" Nicholas raised his voice.

Ezra smirked, "Do what?" He asked innocently.

"Bastard!" He raised his hand to punch Ezra but stopped midair, he took a deep breath and lowered his raised hand to his side, tightening his hand on Nicholas’ collar.

"Why did you kiss me? No, why did you kiss my forehead?" He asked calmly, but he was seething in anger.

"Did it annoy you?" Ezra questioned in a calm voice.

Nicholas scoffed, "I’m irritated, Ezra, nauseous," he spat out.

Ezra chuckled, "Then it worked; I intended to annoy you, getting a kiss from me must be a nightmare for you, right?" He asked.

"Stop playing with me! Why did you it?" Nicholas shook Ezra’s collar.

Ezra placed a hand on Nicholas’ hand on his collar, "Chill, chill, it’s just reversed psychology. We’re so used to violence, I decided to piss you off in some other way, which worked from what I see. It’s that simple; giving a simple kiss to an enemy renders them speechless and tactless, leaving them feeling hopeless, helpless, and confused, just like you’re feeling right now. Now, get your hands off me and-"

Ezra’s eyes widened in utter shock as he felt Nicholas’ lips on his. His brain shut down for a second before he came back to his senses and realized that Nicholas had just placed his lips on his, still, this wasn’t the plot he was expecting.

He forcefully pushed Nicholas away and sprang up from his chair, giving Nicholas a death glare, "And what’s this supposed to be, Nicholas?" His voice was low and angry.

Nicholas now had a satisfied grin on his face, he walked back and stood in front of Ezra, "How do you like the reversed psychology now, Doc? Was it good?" He chuckled.

Ezra was boiling as he stared at Nicholas. He wanted to give him a jab to the abdomen, but he was injured; he would still be the one to treat him if he hurt him, which would be a waste of his time.

"Get out of my study, Nicholas; I need to work," He turned away from Nicholas, but before he could reach his seat, he was pulled back by Nicholas, who had a daring look in his eyes.

"Maybe the kiss wasn’t enough to annoy you, how about I fuck you, Doc?" Nicholas smirked at him.

Ezra suddenly laughed softly, he placed a hand on Nicholas’ lower back and leaned his face down to his, "Fuck me? You must be mistaken, Nicholas. I’m taller, bigger, and my thing down there? Definitely bigger than yours, I’m a top, ain’t nobody bending me over, if we were to do it, I’d be the one bending your ass over."

 

 

Chapter 116

Ezra sat in his study, his feet tapping anxiously under his table, his mind thinking about what had just happened between him and Nicholas.

After he had said that to Nicholas, Nicholas had just called him crazy and stupid before he angrily stormed out of his office.

He was trying to understand how their battering got to that level but he couldn’t discover at which point they had gotten there.

Was he annoyed? Yes! But, there was something else that made him feel like he wasn’t entirely annoyed by it.

Thinking about it, it was actually fun to tease Nicholas like that, if he hadn’t said that, Nicholas would have still been standing in front of him, trying to cause trouble for him.

Maybe, just maybe, he would stick to that method each time Nicholas tried to be stubborn with him.

He sighed and fixed his glasses, forcing his brain to focus on something important and not on some stuck-up spoilt man.

Meanwhile, in Ezra’s room, Nicholas sat on the bed, angry. He felt insulted.

How dare he? How dare Ezra call him a bottom? He’s never bottomed for anyone all his life. Not even a single person!

Has he ever given off a sign that said he was a bottom? Did Ezra even think he wanted to fuck him? Why would he get to say such a thing?

However, if there was going to be any incident that would ever get them to that situation, which he knew there wouldn’t be, he would be the one doing the bending, period.

But that was an absurd thought; Ezra was not his type; his type was Zeno, people like Zeno. Cute and handsome not mysterious and nerdy. Friendly and understanding, not mean and insulting, fun and cheerful, not dampening and moody.

Ezra ticked all his wrong boxes and he would be out of his damned mind to ever find that jackass narcissist attractive.

Never.

He groaned and threw a pillow down to the floor, wishing it was Ezra that he pushed that way.

How was she going to survive staying with someone as annoying as Ezra? He hoped he didn’t end up hurting Ezra by the end of his stay.

***

Zeno was coming down the stairs when he heard Siri welcoming someone. He paused mid-stair; the name he heard made his heart fly.

"Shit," He muttered and retrieved his steps back up the stairs.

He wasn’t ready to meet Sebastian’s father; his mission hadn’t even started.

He hid behind the wall and peeked down the living room. He was anxious; he was supposed to have spoken to Sebastian about Sakura, but he didn’t; they’d been busy with work and, well, other things; he had completely forgotten about telling Sebastian about Sakura.

How was he supposed to face Mr. Orion when he asked him why Sakura wasn’t already here in the pretense of visiting him as they’d planned.

He sighed quietly and clenched his fists as Mr. Orion walked proudly into the living room. However, his jaw fell to the floor when he saw Sakura beside him.

How we’re they together? Wasn’t he supposed to come alone? Was he here to directly ask Sebastian to marry Sakura?

Zeno’s heart was pounding, his hands were turning cold as he thought of what his fate would be if Sebastian was asked to marry Sakura. Could he stand on his feet and announce his love for him? Was Sebastian even willing to announce it to his father? If yes, then what was the old man going to do to them, to him.

He was scared, scared of losing Sebastian, but if he was being honest with himself, he’d know that the path he was taking, just as Ida warned him before, was a path that led to the destruction of what he’d managed to build with Sebastian.

"What are you peeling at?" Sebastian’s hand found Zeno’s waist the moment he walked behind him.

Zeno was startled, he turned to find Sebastian looking questioningly at him.

"What are-"

"Shh," He placed a hand over Sebastian’s mouth.

"Your father is here...with Sakura," Zeno whispered, looking into Sebastian’s eyes.

Sebastian frowned, he wasn’t expecting his father, and definitely not Sakura.

He knew what his father wanted, and by his balls, he was going to do it; he’d rather burst his balls than let his father push him into another useless marriage with a woman, too.

He looked at Zeno and smiled, he could see from his face that Zeno was worried, jealous too.

He leaned down to kiss him, but Zeno placed a finger on his forehead, stopping him; he pointed his thumb down to the living room and shook his head at Sebastian.

"Your father is here," Zeno whispered.

Sebastian gave him a seductive look, "I can fuck you right here and the old man wouldn’t know a thing," He said with a smirk.

Zeno gulped, the idea of fucking Sebastian while his father was right behind them was rebellious and steamy at the same time, but it was too risky, "Quit it, you go down first, I’ll come later," He said in a dejected tone.

Sebastian sighed, he didn’t know how long he was going to let Zeno feel this way, left out and unwanted, he hoped to walk proudly with him one day in front of his family, but at the moment, everyone in his family was all on edge, ready to terminate anything that wasn’t according to their standard.

He knew who his father was, of course, he couldn’t do anything to him because he was his son and he had power, but Zeno, he knew he couldn’t really hide Zeno from his father if he chose to deal with him, so, better safe than sorry. He’d rather keep their relationship a secret than making open and end up losing the love of his life. That’d just be a stupid move.

"Okay. I love you," He replied and kissed Zeno’s cheek before leaving him to walk downstairs.

"Fuck," Zeno slapped his thighs in frustration.

Downstairs, Sebastian’s face was set as hard as a rock as he walked over to his father, who was leisurely sitting on his sofa as if he owned the place. Sebastian didn’t even bother to look at the woman beside his father, she wasn’t his problem.

"What are you doing here, father?" Sebastian asked coldly.

Mr. Orion frowned, he removed the shades from his eyes and looked up at his son, "Even in the face of a visitor, you disrespect me," He sighed.

Sakura felt awkward; she didn’t know how to intervene, and she knew that Sebastian was purposely ignoring her, so she remained quiet, waiting for the right moment to speak.

"I have work to do, you can leave now. In case you want to use Kenneth as an excuse, he’s not home, he’s gone to school, and, yes, he had a dozen or more bodyguards with him, you don’t have to worry. Just...leave," Sebastian stated.

Mr. Orion chuckled, "Well, you’re right. I was here to see my grandson, but as you’ve seen, I’m not alone. I know you’ve met each other, but I’m here to officially introduce you both. Meet Sakura Takumi, Sakura, meet my oy son, Sebastian," He introduced.

Sakura stood and offered Sebastian a handshake, "Hi, nice to meet you again, Sebastian," She said with a smile.

Sebastian cursed under his breath; he didn’t want to be rude to the woman, so he shook her briefly and brought his hand back to his side.

"It’s a pleasure, Sebastian," Sakura smiled.

Sebastian nodded, "I’m sorry, but I can’t quite entertain visitors today, I have tons of work so maybe you can visi-"

"No need to postpone, Sebastian. You know I told you I’m running a contract with her father, unfortunately, her father is quite busy in Japan and can’t come to oversee the business down here. His two children are the ones representing him but mysteriously, Kenji experienced some kind of accident and is currently incapable of joining us because his arm has to heal. My point is, I want you to get used to Sakura. She’ll be around most of the time, and I recommend you let your bodyguard, what’s his name again...ah, yes, Zeno. I recommend you let Zeno accompany her whenever you’re busy to do so," Mr. Orion explained.

Sebastian frowned hard. "Let’s get something straight, father. You want Sakura to visit my home more often?" He asked slowly.

Mr. Orion nodded, "Yes."

Sebastian nodded, "May I ask why? No offense, Sakura," He said, turning to her.

Mr. Orion smiled, "Because, my dear son, you will be taking care of my par6 of the business, just as she is taking care of her father’s. I have some meetings to attend in Australia, so I won’t be around. So, it’s basically you and her, be kind to her," He informed.

Sebastian couldn’t believe his ears, the audacity his father had.

"And you assume I’d be ready to take your job, Father?" He raised a brow at his father.

"Yes, you will. Or else, I’ll have to take my grandson to go live with his Abuela, you know he’d be overjoyed," Mr. Orion casually replied.

Sebastian moved closer to his father, his face angry, "You’re threatening me with my son?" He questioned.

Mr. Orion shook his head, "It’s not a threat, son; it’s a promise, and you know I’m a man of my word," He smiled and passed Sebastian’s shoulder before walking past him.

"Now, get me that bodyguard of yours; I have a few things to say to him; I don’t know, maybe it’s time we change a bodyguard for you," Mr. Orion said.

Sebastian froze, change bodyguard for him? As in taking Zeno away from him?

Hell would rather break loose; the old man must be high on some cheap weed.

 

 

Chapter 117

Zeno heard it; it was his cue to go down; he knew exactly why Mr. Orion wanted to speak with him.

He took a deep breath and started to walk down the stairs.

He hoped this wasn’t the end of him and Sebastian because it felt like it.

Mr. Orion saw Zeno coming down the stairs and quietly observed him.

"Oh, look who’s here...I didn’t expect you to come down from there; my son never lets anyone in his space," Mr. Orion commented and walled toward Zeno.

"Good day, Mr. Orion," Zeno greeted professionally, not replying to the man’s comment.

Sebastian had his fists balled, he was standing in front of Sakura as he watched his father speak to Zeno.

"Walk with Mr Zeno; I have a few questions," Mr. Orion Said to Zeno.

"You can say what you want to say here, Father; I want to know what you say to my bodyguard. You’re not even supposed to speak to him, my men are not your men," Sebastian moved forward.

Zeno sighed. He was looking at Sebastian and hoping he looked back at him so he could shake his head at him, but it seemed as if Sebastian was purposely avoiding his gaze because he didn’t want to listen to him.

"Ah, you’re right, son. I don’t have to speak to your men, but this one?" Mr. Orion pointed to Zeno, "I got you this one, no, truthfully, I got him for Kenneth, and so far, I’d say he’s made the boy happier than you did. But that’s not the only thing we agreed on, am I right, Zeno?" He narrowed his eyes at Zeno.

Zeno felt anxious, he didn’t know Mr. Orion could easily mention in front of Sebastian that they had some other contract going on between them.

He removed his question from Sebastian and replied, "Yes, Sir." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Sebastian frowned.

They had more agreements than just being his bodyguard and taking care of Ken? Why hadn’t Zeno ever mentioned it to him before?

His emotions were suddenly all over the place; he stared at Zenonamd, imagining if he could take it when he learned that his boyfriend had been working for his father all this while.

"We won’t need long, please; serve Sakura some wine, and let her get you informed about the job at hand. Come, Zeno," Mr. Orion walked off, heading to the door.

Zeno bit his lips as he followed Mr. Orion behind. He could feel Sebastian’s gaze behind him, and he knew he had a lot of questions to ask him. He only hoped he could answer those questions when the time came.

Zeno stepped outside the house and found Mr. Orion puffing his smoke beside the stairs.

He walked down the stairs and went to stand in front of him, "Sir, You called for me," he reminded me calmly.

Mr. Orion nodded, "Yes. My son, you’ve been with him for more than six months, am I right?" He questioned.

Zeno would have panicked if he hadn’t heard the mention of the six months, he would have thought that Mr. Orion was referring to being together with his son as a couple, but he hadn’t even been in a relationship with Sebastian for a month, so the suc month was referring to his work relationship with Sebastian, not romantic.

"Yes, Sir," He replied.

Mr. Orion nodded, "Mm, and since then, has my son ever brought home or mentioned any woman in his life?" He asked, staring at Zeno’s face.

Zeno clenched his fists behind him. "No, sir, none that I know of,"

Mr. Orion frowned, "That’s not an answer, Zeno. I fixed you here to monitor his life and to give accurate feedback when I ask for it," He moved closer and placed a hand on Zeno’s shoulder.

"You follow him wherever he goes, you handle some of his business and errands; you come in contact with people he lets close, so, let’s try that again. Has my son had any woman in his life for the past six months?" Mr. Orion’s face turned dark as he stared at Zeno.

Zeno gulped, "No, he hasn’t," ’He doesn’t have a woman; he has a man, and that’s me!’ He screamed in his head.

"That’s disappointing. What have you been doing?" He questioned.

Zeno sighed, "Sir, Se - Mr. Sebastian is not an easy man. He rarely does any business with women, he keeps them at arm’s length whenever he does. It’s really hard for me to bring any woman close to him; he doesn’t also allow his bodyguards to associate with people, so telling him I’m inviting a female friend over would make him suspect me," he lied.

Actually, it wasn’t a lie; Sebastian really didn’t like women; he liked Zeno, and he definitely didn’t like Zeno having female friends. Zeno had just told the half-truth because Mr. Orion wasn’t ready for the whole truth, he couldn’t handle it.

Mr. Orion observed Zeno closely; he couldn’t point it out, but he could feel it; something had changed in his son, but he didn’t know why.

"I see. However, does he act abnormally these days? He seems abnormal to me, he seems...calm. Why?" Mr. Orion tilted his head as if deep in thought.

He’d never seen his calm in calm spirits before, especially not after Georgia; he was curious to know how, what, or who was responsible for that switch.

’It’s love, old man,’ Zeno replied in his head before speaking out loud, "I have no idea, sir." He bowed his head.

"That’s not a problem, this time, you will help me get a second grandchild, and there is no way he wouldn’t marry her if he gets her pregnant, the father would be livid, and marriage would be the only way out for him for him or he loses everything," Mr. Orion put his hand in his pocket and got out a small zip-lock bag.

"Here," He gave the bag to Zeno.

Zeno reluctantly took the bag from Mr. Orion. "Um, what should I do with this?" He asked, but deep down, he had an idea of what was inside the bag, and it annoyed him.

Mr. Orion lighted another cigarette and puffed the smoke away from Zeno’s face, "Don’t ask questions, Zeno, you’re not a baby. You know what’s in the bag, and you are going to find the right time to use it. I recommend you use it at night, make sure he’s alone with Sakura. Do it, and I will release you from the claws of my family," He patted Zeno’s shoulder and was about to walk away when Zene stopped him.

"Sir...Mr. Orion," He called suddenly.

Mr. Orion frowned as he stared at Zeno. "What’s the problem, Zeno?" He asked.

Zeno breathed out, "Sir...this approach, don’t you think it’s too much? I mean, don’t you think Sebastian would be hurt by your actions?" He mustered the courage to question Sebastian’s father.

He was boiling within him, he wanted to use him to do just the same thing he did to Sebastian in the past. He couldn’t do it, he just couldn’t do it.

Mr. Orion chuckled, "And who are you to question what happens in my family?" He raised a brow at Zeno.

Zeno sighed and took a step back. He was so angry that he almost talked back at the old man, but he remembered his position and what was at stake for him. He forced his emotions to be calm; he would get nothing by seeing strong-headed with the old man.

"No one, sir. I was just thinking out loud, I’m sorry for intruding," Zeno replied.

"Good. I’ll forgive you because you’re about to help me achieve something. But I won’t be so lenient next time, make sure there isn’t a next time, understand?" He moved his face closer to Zeno.

Zeno nodded, "Understood."

"Good," Mr. Orion smiled and walked away.

"Put that away and make sure you’re not caught, if you are, make sure you never mention my name," He chuckled as he climbed up the stairs.

Zeno squeezed the zip-lock bag in his hands, he wanted to throw it to the floor and stump on it, but he couldn’t. He would keep it.

Was he planning on using it? Hell no!

He’d rather shoot himself than drug Sebastian and let him sleep with someone else.

"Fuck," He cursed, pocketing the small zip-lock bag.

Inside the house, Sebastian had paid zero attention to what Sakura was saying, he couldn’t stop his mind from wondering what his father was saying to Zeno, and he was dying of curiosity about the mysterious agreement he had with his father.

"I’m sorry, Sakura, could you send this through an email? I feel it’s a lot of details that need to be noted. We don’t want to make a mistake, right?" He turned to her on the sofa and asked calmly.

Sakura was excited when Sebastian finally turned to speak to her. "Of course, I just didn’t know what else to say. No problem, I’ll send it through an email, I hope I didn’t bore you that much?" She chuckled.

Sebastian shook his head, "No, it’s okay," it wasn’t okay, he wanted her gone and never to return to his house.

He was getting tired of all the drama, maybe, a trip alone with Zeno would be awesome, but his stupid father would get suspicious, he would find them wherever they went, and if he discovered he hadn’t gone for any business trip, just a pleasure trip with his supposes bodyguard, it would be messy.

Messy wasn’t something he wanted to associate with Zeno; he didn’t want to put Zeno in a situation where he’d ever regret getting together with him or feeling like he didn’t fit in because, in his world, Zeno was his perfect fit.

He had an idea, he might just find a way to get through to his mother, fayer doing this job for his dad, he was taking Zeno to his mother, and he believed that if he was able to convince his mother, she would help him speak to his father, he always listened to her.

"Oh, look, it’s already afternoon. Do you usually pick up your son from school?" Sakura asked beside him, wanting to get involved in his life.

"He hardly does, but he will today. Get ready; Zeno will drive you both to go pick up my grandson; I won’t leave unless I see him," Mr. Orion walked back into the house and sat in front of Sebastian and Sakura.

Sebastian knew that arguing with his father was fruitless, "Keep up, Sakura," He said to her before standing and walking toward the door.

He couldn’t wait to get this stupid job over with. He’d take Zeno directly to his mother; she has no choice but to accept him; after all, she was looking for ways to get him to forgive her for what they did to him in the past.

This was her chance, and he knew she’d take it.

 

Chapter 118

Zeno sat in front of the car, driving the supposed couple behind him.

His chest and throat felt like they were tightening from the jealousy and anger he was feeling.

Zeno couldn’t bring himself to accept that there was a possibility that Sebastian might actually listen to his father and get married to Sakura. It would break him; he couldn’t even let the image properly form in his mind before he totally dismissed it.

He could see Sakura’s face from the front mirror; she looked happy with all the smiles on her face; sitting close to Sebastian must really be her dream come true.

Sebastian was unreadable, Zeno could not make out any expression on his face, but one thing he knew was that Sebastian wasn’t happy with him. Ever since Sebastian heard his father mention having another deal with Zeno, he’s not been in the best of moods, he was dying to know what Zeno was hiding from him.

"Oh, that’s the school, right? Your father showed me in a picture," Sakura pointed forward as the car pulled over in front of Ken’s school.

"Mm," Sebastian replied and pushed the door open.

"Zeno," He called as he left the car.

Zeno was surprised Sebastian still called him to follow him inside, he thought he was going to be given the silence treatment for some time, or at least for as long Sakura was around.

He was about to leave the car when Sakura stopped him. "Zeno," She held his shoulder from behind when Sebastian had walked a little away from the car.

Sebastian was speaking to one of his men who was standing in front of the school; he wasn’t aware that Zenonwanst was following him as he’d instructed.

Inside the car, Zeno sighed and leaned back on the chair, "You know you don’t have to speak to me in front of him, Sakura," He reminded quietly.

Sakura nodded, "Yes, but I just want to ask if you can stay behind in the car, I mean, I’m trying to get comfortable around him, I’ll feel very awkward acting in some way if you were with us, you know...and there are already tons of bodyguards waiting and watching around the school. Please, I just want to make sure I get him to like me, and the son too, yes, the son, I might sound petty, but I’ve heard the boy tends to love you almost more than the father, so, this is me asking you to kindly step back and give me space to gain some points with the father and son duo, please?" She said quietly, her eyes drifting between Sebastian and Zeno.

She was checking to see if the boy had come out of the gates yet.

Zeno’s hand balled into a fist on his lap; he slowly inhaled to calm himself down, "I understand." He replied.

Sakura smiled widely, "Thank you, Zeno." She was about to leave but leaned in her head and said, "And, in case you’re were wondering; I figured it’d be hard for you to speak to Sebastian about inviting me as a friend, so I just went to his father and asked him to tag along. Cool right?" She chuckled and left, not waiting for his reply.

Zeno frowned, "Yeah, cool..." He muttered.

He slowly turned to look out of the car and saw Ken excitedly running toward his father. Sakura gently patted the boy’s head, smiling at him and saying something to him that made him smile.

He sighed; that’s what a normal family should look like, not two men being a parent. A man and woman was the right thing, right?

"Fuck this," Zeno cursed.

If frustration were a person, it would be him.

***

Late that evening, Nicholas was going to the door to receive his third takeout order.

He didn’t order it, but he was surprised to see one of his employees delivering food from his restaurant; when he asked her who had ordered, even though he knew who, he was still surprised Ezra ever did that.

He took the takeouts and returned to the living room, which was where he’d been sitting most of the time.

After what happened between him and Ezra, he didn’t see him anymore; he never left that study of his. The only communication they had was through phone text, where Ezra instructed him on where he would get his medication from.

He was also wondering what Ezra was bringing on there as it was always one person’s meal that was ordered.

It wasn’t like he cared, but he was just trying to understand how a person who calls himself a doctor wouldn’t know that going a day without food could be dangerous to his health.

Whatever, it was none of his business how a grown-up chose to live his boring life. If he chose to die in between the pages of a book, then he was free to die.

As he ate his food, he looked at the clock and frowned; it was six in the evening; why hadn’t Ezra left his study even once?

Nicholas suddenly recalled that Ezra had told him that it would be as if he was the only one in the house, and he really flew that way.

He just wished those stupid guys weren’t after him; he would have been in his restaurant by now, looking out on the city lights and letting the evening wind blow on his face and hair.

After eating, he went to the drawer in the kitchen and took his last medication for the day after he had properly discarded the empty takeouts.

He waved his hands and decided to take a shower and prepare for the night, He was planning to watch a movie since he was bored out of his mind in that house.

He was heading to Ezra’s room when he saw the study door; it was still tightly shut, meaning that Ezra hadn’t still left the damn room.

What if he was dead? Would he be charged with murder?

He was being ridiculous, but he wasn’t pulling that possibility out of his mind; crazy things happened in life, and he just hoped he wasn’t about to witness it.

He slowly walked over to the door and knocked; he knew Wzra would be reading, so he didn’t want to disturb him; he just wanted to make sure he wasn’t staying in a house with someone who had turned into a ghost.

After knocking three times and getting no response, he decided to just walk in.

He pushed the door open and peeked his head in, panicked immediately washed over him when he saw Ezra laying his head on top of his table.

Was he really dead?

He hurried over to Ezra’s table and leaned his head down to him. "Hey," He called softly.

Ezra remained motionless, not responding.

Nicholas put his hand in front of Ezra’s face, sighing in relief when he felt Ezra’s warm breath.

"He’s fucking sleeping," He muttered.

"Ezra, wake up," He gently patted his shoulder.

Ezra furrowed his brows and slowly opened his eyes.

He was surprised to see Nicholas’ face in front of him, staring at him as if he were some specimen in a Petri dish.

He simply stared into Nicholas’ eyes, watching him get flustered for being caught staring.

"Hey," Ezra said softly.

Nicholas slowly blinked, realizing he was supposed to have moved back the moment Ezra opened his eyes.

"I’ll be going then since you’re still alive," Nicholas said and turned around to walk away.

Ezra sat up and called after him, "Nick," He stood from the chair and stretched his hand above his head.

Nicholas paused in front of the door but didn’t turn to look at Ezra.

Ezra walked over and stood behind Nicholas, a little frown on his face, "Did you need something?" He asked, hoping Nicholas wasn’t about to complain about his wound.

He was supposed to clean it in the afternoon, but he had forgotten; he was so busy trying to figure out something that he couldn’t even take a break.

Nicholas shook his head, "No, I was just checking if you were still alive, don’t want murder charges on my hand," He replied and immediately left the study.

Ezra paused for a while before understanding what Nicholas meant. It was funny how Nicholas thought that he had died in his study.

He sighed and followed him out; he wondered what Nicholas did alone all day; he must have been happy not seeing his enemy for a whole day.

He followed Nicholas into his room and sat on the bed, watching him move toward the wardrobe.

"Why are you following me?" Nicholas asked.

Ezra laughed gently, "Being alone in my house for a day has made you think it’s your home now?" He questioned, raising his brow at Nicholas.

Nicholas went silent; he suddenly remembered that Ezra was right; he was in his home; why had he asked such a stupid question?

"Never mind, I need to take a shower; I need a change of clothes," Nicholas said and walked away from the wardrobe, going to stand in front of Ezra.

Ezra nodded, he leaned forward and drew Nicholas closer by the arm.

"What’s this now, Ezra?" Nicholas frowned.

Ezra shook his head, moving closer to the edge of the bed so he could properly reach Nicholas.

"I just want to check the wound, did it bleed?" He asked quietly, he hooked his fingers under Nicholas’ shirt and pulled it up, checking the dressed wound.

Nicholas kicked himself mentally for thinking something stupid. He thought Ezra was about to repeat his stupid reversed psychology.

"No, it’s fine - Hey!" Nicholas caught Ezra’s hand when he felt his finger start to trace the area around his wound.

"What are doing?" Nicholas questioned.

Ezra didn’t respond; he slowly stood and towered over Nicholas, "What does it look like I’m doing, Nicholas? Ticklish?" He questioned quietly.

 

Chapter 119

Nicholas slowly stepped away and broke Ezra, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He muttered.

"It’s not ticklish at all, I was just wondering what you were doing," Nicholas looked up at Ezra, frowning.

Ezra chuckled, "I’m just checking if you can still feel the area around it...does it hurt? Itch?" He asked slowly, his fingers still gently tracing around the dressed wound on Nicholas’ smooth stomach muscles.

Nicholas’ frown got deeper, "I...I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt, it’s not itching, I’m fine, move," He raised his hand and pushed Ezra away from himself.

Ezra wanted to smirk but didn’t. He knew it would get Nicholas angry, and he was too tired to banter with him, so he just let him go.

"Alright, I just want to know if the wound is getting infected or not since you refused me to stitch it up, but you’re alright. You can go shower; I’ll have a cloth for you by the time you’re out of the bathroom," he said and sat back on the bed.

Nicholas blinked; he wanted to say something but kept it to himself; he was wondering if this was how Ezra always treated all his patients. He was quiet and too caring for a doctor-patient relationship.

He stepped back, keeping his eyes on Ezra’s unreadable, he was just about to turn away from Ezra when he called him again.

"Nick, wait," Ezra stood and went over to his bedside drawer.

Nicholas was starting to feel like Ezra was purposely troubling him, but he still halted; he wanted to know what Ezra had to say this time.

"Take off your shirt," Ezra ordered as he walked over to Nicholas.

"What?" Nicholas reeled back.

Ezra sighed. "Just take it off already, I need to cover the wound," He showed Nicholas the plastic bandage.

"Hurry, Nick," He urged.

Nicholas reluctantly pulled the shirt off his head, stretching his hand to give the shirt to Ezra, "Here, I don’t know where you keep your laundry," He said.

"Of course," Ezra took the shirt and hung it over his shoulder.

"I just need to cover this with a plastic bandage. We don’t need water touching it," Ezra mumbled as he placed the bandage over the wound.

"I’ll change the dressing after your shower," He said and turned away from Nicholas.

"There are new towels in the drawers," He informed Nicholas as he left the room.

Nicholas stood at his spot, trying to understand what was happening.

Was Ezra trying to act like they were friends? No arguments, no insults, no provocations...it was too suspicious. He suspects that Ezra must have something hidden, he was just waiting for the right time to unveil his evil plan.

"Weirdo," He muttered and went into the bathroom to shower.

Ezra was already waiting for Nicholas by the time he came out of the bathroom.

Nicholas paused as he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Ezra lying shirtless on his bed, with his arm over his eyes. Je looked like he had just taken a shower too.

His loose blue pants seemed to be comfortable because he looked so calm and comfortable, almost as if he was sleeping.

Nicholas sighed; he was probably sleeping; why wouldn’t he? Who reads the whole day without food?

Nicholas scoffed and walked over to the bed to pick up the pair of clothes that was sitting beside Ezra on the bed. He must have brought it out for him.

He picked up the pants and frowned, it was the same as the one Ezra was putting on.

Why would Ezra give him a matching outfit? Just to annoy him?

He wanted to walk back to the bathroom to fix his clothes but he just decided to pull the pants up under his towel.

He was doing just that when Ezra slowly turned his face to him and opened his eyes, "You’re out?" He asked tiredly, lifting himself with his elbow to sit up on the bed.

"Look away, I’m trying to get dressed here," Nicholas ordered.

"Sorry," Ezra muttered tiredly and looked away from Nicholas.

As Nicholas pulled his pants down to his waist, he stared at Ezra and wondered why he was being so obedient and peaceful.

He gently removed the towel from his waist and folded it.

He caught Ezra pushing his fingers through his hair and he couldn’t deny that he looked sexy at that moment. He was aware that Ezra was a handsome nerd, but he wasn’t his type, plus he hated him.

"Are you done?" Ezra asked when he started to feel Nicholas’ eyes on him.

Nicholas blinked and slowly nodded, "Yeah. I’ll just go drop this-"

"Give it here, um, just sit," Ezra replied and crawled out of bed, looking like he would drop to sleep at any second.

He got down from the bed and took the towel from Nicholas’ hand, "Don’t fix your shirt; you can do that after I’m done with the wound," He said in a quiet voice.

Nicholas watched Ezra walk out of the room. It seemed he was taking the towel to his laundry room. Nicholas indirectly felt insulted.

Why would Ezra watch a towel after just one fucking use? Does it mean that he was the dirty and bacteria-filled one as he used his for up to a week?!

Rubbish.

He felt like Ezra just wanted to intimidate people with his profession, but he didn’t care; he would behave as he had always behaved. He didn’t care if it pleased through doctor or not.

Ezra soon returned with a first aid box in his hand. He pulled a chair from his bedroom table and went over to sit beside the bed.

"Come here, Nick," He patted the space in front of him.

Nicholas stood from the other side of the bed and went over to sit in front of Ezra.

"Do you want to lie down or you’re good this way?" Ezra asked as he took some ointments out of the first-aid box

"I’ll sit," Nicholas replied, putting his hands behind him to support himself.

Ezra nodded, not saying a word.

He fixed a glove and gently removed the bandage and dressing from the wound.

He cleaned the wound with neutral liquid and applied an ointment to it, "Does it hurt?" He slowly raised his head to look at Nicholas.

Nicholas raised a brow at him, "Of course, I’m human, not a robot," He scoffed.

"Sorry," Ezra said, gently starting to dress the wound with fresh dressings.

"What’s with you, Ezra? Why are you pretending to be nice?" Nicholas couldn’t help it; he wanted to call Ezra out, so he stopped playing with him.

Ezra ignored him for a few seconds before he asked, "How was your day?" He glanced at Nicholas and went back to focusing on the wound.

Nicholas frowned, "Why? You care?"

"Did you miss me? I know my home can be quite boring," Ezra spoke calmly, he finished what he was doing and looked up at Nicholas, waiting for his reply.

Nicholas found himself speechless; the look he saw on Ezra’s face showed that he was serious about his questions, which left him baffled; why would Ezra be asking him that kind of question?

Why would he miss him? That’s just a stupid question.

"Are you done?" Nicholas questioned.

Ezra nodded, "I am." He answered.

Nicholas nodded and wanted to stand up but Ezra placed a gentle hand on his thigh. "Answer my questions first, Nicholas. How was your day? And, did you miss me?" He asked again.

Nicholas couldn’t believe this was happening; Ezra must have turned on the wrong switch in his head that evening.

"You are acting weird, Doc, are you okay?" Nicholas raised his hand to feel Ezra’s forehead.

"I’m fine," He removed Nicholas’ hand from his forehead, placing it down on his thigh.

"Then...what’s this?" Nicholas asked cautiously.

"This is a human relationship, Nicholas. We are two humans in a house, it’s only natural we communicate," He replied.

"But you don’t communicate with anyone when you’re alone," Nicholas stated.

Ezra sighed, "But I’m not alone now, Nicholas. Come on, don’t make this hard, just answer me," he pleaded quietly.

"This is awkward, but if you want to know, my day was splendid; I’m not the one who’s going to develop an ulcer. And, no, I didn’t miss you, that would be stupid, Doc," He spoke with irritation.

Ezra chuckled, "I just want to make sure you did feel ignored while I was working...but it also seems like you were worried about me not eating, right?" He asked.

"Worried? No, I was just stating a fact, I’m surprised you don’t have that knowledge as a doctor...starving isn’t good for the health, but I’m sure you know more about that, get your hands off me, I need to sleep," He removed his hand from Ezra’s hand on his lap.

Ezra smiled, nodded, and stood from the chair; he placed his hands beside Nicholas and leaned down toward him.

"Ezra, if this is one of reversed psychology, please, move aside; I need to sleep," Nicholas moved his upper body backward.

Ezra was studying Nicholas as he tried to avoid him. He was finding out that Nicholas really seemed stumped each time he got this close to him, and he was curious to know why.

"What if it wasn’t a reversed psychology, Nicholas? What if what you’re seeing is what I intend to do?" He questioned in a low voice.

Nicholas blinked slowly, his eyes betraying him to run down Nicholas’ naked chest.

"Answer me, Nicholas," Ezra said, watching Nicholas stare at his body.

"No, I’m not interested..." Nicholas muttered and placed a hand on Ezra’s chest to push him away, but Ezra wouldn’t budge; he was in a position where he had more stamina than Nicholas, who was trying to lean away from him.

"Ezra...move," Nicholas frowned at him.

"But you’re staring, Nicholas, do I turn you on?" His face got closer to Nicholas’ face, stopping just a few inches away from it.

Nicholas gulped quietly, "I think you’re taking this too far, Doc, just get off-"

"Can I kiss you?" Ezra asked all of a sudden.

"What?!" Nicholas asked, his eyes widened and heart racing.

Ezra placed a knee beside Nicholas, one of his hands moving up behind Nicholas.

"Can I kiss you, Nicholas?" He whispered.

Nicholas shook his head, "You’re out of your mind," He muttered.

"Is that a yes?" Ezra questioned.

Nicholas shook his head, "It’s enough, Ezra. I’ve had enough, get off before I get violent,"

"I’m going to kiss you, if it turns you on, we can work it out. You can come to me whenever you want to do it, I’d do it for free, no strings attached," Ezra placed a hand behind Nicholas’ head and leaned his head in, his lips aligning with Nicholas’.

Nicholas was frozen until he saw Ezra’s lips getting too close, he quickly snapped out of it and placed a finger on Ezra’s lips.

"Quit this nonsense, Ezra. I’m not a playboy like you are, and I only have sex with someone I love. I’m not a random fucker like you. Even if I were, it would never be you. Now, get off me and never play this way with me, ever," He finished and pushed hard against Ezra’s chest.

Ezra let Nicholas push him off.

He moved away and picked up his first aid box then stared at Nicholas.

"Confirmed, Nicholas. I was trying to make sure we could stay together without developing feelings. That’s what happens when two people spend time together a lot. Goodnight, Nick. I’ll see you tomorrow," He said and walked out of the room.

Nicholas released a long sigh as Ezra left the room, he placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart drum out of rhythm.

"What the fuck was that?" He muttered, staring at the door.

 

 

Chapter 120

Zeno was in the kitchen listening to Mr. Orion as he played with Ken; Sakura would chip in now and then, too, making the whole scene seem like a happy family.

Sebastian had gone into his study, probably to get a break from all the uncomfortable atmosphere.

He was making watermelon juice for Sakura, and Mr. Orion ordered him to ’always’ make it for her whenever she came around; he mentioned that it helped her stay hydrated and glowing.

He put the sliced fruit into the juicer and waited for it to bring out the extracted water.

He was placing the glass of fruit drink on a tray when his phone started to ring. He took it out of his pocket and saw the unknown number calling him, he immediately ended the call, he didn’t pick up unknown calls.

He proceeded to carry the juice out to the living room, "Here’s your drink, Sakura," He informed as he placed it down on the table.

"Oh, thank you, Zeno," She replied, looking up from showing Ken something on her phone.

"Zeno?" Ken suddenly called.

"Yes, Ken, do you want something?" He asked, feeling Mr. Orion’s eyes on him.

"Why is Daddy sad? Did you fight with him?" Ken had a little frown on his face as he asked.

Zeno immediately panicked; they had forgotten that Ken was their biggest problem; the guy had no filter and was ready to share with his Grandpa that his father now shared a bed with his bodyguard just for trivial time.

He was low-key panicking tremendously within him, he had to find a way to get that little man away from his Grandpa as soon as possible.

"Maybe he’s just tired from work. Come on, it’s time for your nap, you’ve got school tomorrow," He cautiously stretched his hand out to Ken, hoping he took it without saying any other word.

"Oh, bye, Grandpa, bye, Ms. Sakura," Ken slowly stood from the chair and walked over to Zeno.

"Be good, my boy," Mr. Orion held Ken’s hand and kissed it.

Ken blushed, nodding, "I will, Abuelo. I will be good just like you," Ken went back and hugged his grandfather.

Mr. Orion smiled a true smile. Zeno realized that Ken was the only person who had Mr. Orion’s heart. The old was ready to give Ken the whole world.

He was starting to understand why he was so worried and wanted Sebastian to take a wife. He wanted his grandson to be loved and to have a normal family; he believed that Sebastian was too cold to be a parent and it was pathetic that he didn’t know his own son.

Mr. Orion feared that Sebastian would end up being the kind of father he was to him. He didn’t know how Sebastian was actually the coolest dad alive. Stubborn? Yes, but truly loving.

Sebastian loved his son with everything he had; he didn’t need a woman to make his son feel cherished or loved.

"Bye, Abuelo," Ken said and returned to Zeno’s side.

"Excuse me," Zeno said to Mr. Orion with a polite nod.

He quickly led the boy away and up the stairs before he decided to spew some damaging secrets.

They reached the front of Ken’s room, and Ken stood in front of his door, blocking Zeno from entering.

Zeno was surprised and confused. He stared down at the little kid and had no choice but to lower himself in front of Ken.

"Hey, why don’t we go in? You need to shower and nap," Zeno ruffled Ken’s hair.

Ken shook his head, "You don’t have to do it, I’ll ting Julia," He replied seriously.

Zeno smiled, "Are you sure? You want me to leave?" He questioned.

Ken nodded, "Yes. I want you to go talk to my daddy. He’s always happy when you do; I didn’t like him bring sad..." the boy sighed.

Zeno’s heart hurt hearing Ken’s words. He was so little yet so smart. He observed his father’s mood and realized that he wasn’t in his best mood, he was worried, and Zeno felt guilty knowing that he was part of the reason Sebastian was feeling the way he did.

"Alright, Ken. I’ll speak to him. The next time you see him, he’ll be all smiles and ready to play with you," He assured.

Ken smiled, "Promise?" He asked expectantly.

Zeno nodded, "I promise," He patted Ken’s hair and stood.

"I’ll see you later, yeah?" He smiled at the boy.

Ken returned his smile as he nodded, "Yes, and don’t worry Zeno; I’m not telling Abuelo that Daddy lets you sleep on his bed. I’m turning six in two months, I’m way smarter than you know," Ken chuckled and ran into his room.

Zeno froze in shock, he slowly blinked to come back to reality. He had heard Ken correctly, right?

He chuckled in disbelief.

The boy was really getting smarter as the day went by.

Ken must have sensed that his Grandpa didn’t really like Zeno and figured that if his Abuelo discovered that Zeno was close to his father then it wouldn’t turn out well.

Zeno shook his head as he walked away; he was glad that Ken understood the assignment; he didn’t have to worry about him spilling the tea out of nowhere.

He sighed and walked down the stairs, He was surprised to see that Sebastian wasn’t still out of his study; was he really planning to to let him alone with his father and intended wife?

He came down the stairs and was heading out of the house when Mr. Orion called him back.

"Zeno, come, please," He stood and walked to the center of the living room.

Zeno quietly sighed in frustration. It had been such an awkward day, and he was truly getting tired of Mr. Orion and his controlling nature; he could foresee himself losing it with him, but he knew better than to let his frustration get to that extent.

He slowly turned and walked back to answer Mr. Orion.

"Sir?" He asked politely.

Mr. Orion pointed to Sebastian’s office, "Get him out here. I’m leaving, and I need to leave him with a file," he instructed.

Zeno bowed his head, "Yes, sir,"

He glanced at Sakura before he started to walk toward Sebastian’s office.

"Dear, seems like I forgot the file in the vehicle," Mr. Orion said.

Sakura stood, "Don’t worry, I’ll get it," She smiled at him and walked out of the house.

Zeno heard their short exchange and sighed before he knocked on Sebastian’s door.

He didn’t like the feeling he was getting at all. He misses those days when it was just him and Sebastian with no one to interrupt them; he misses his sweet moments with his boyfriend; he wishes all these could go away and just let them be.

He knocked again and still got no response; he sighed and decided to enter without a permit.

He pushed the door and quietly entered the office.

The lights were dimmed and the reflection of the light from the computer screen glowed on Sebastian’s face.

Zeno walked closer to him and stood on the other side of the table.

Sebastian knew that Zeno had entered but didn’t look away from the screen, he had a little crease on his forehead as he looked at the computer screen.

Zeno placed his hands on the table and leaned his upper body over to get close to Sebastian.

"Sebastian..." He called quietly, it would not be good if Mr. Orion heard him calling his son by his name.

Sebastian slowly looked up at Zeno, "What do you want, Zeno?" He asked, no trace of emotion in his face or voice.

Zeno didn’t like that, it almost felt like they were going back to the first Chapter of their story, cold and unfeeling.

He didn’t want that Sebastian; he’d already gotten used to the sweetheart he was dating; if Sebastian ever went back to how he used to be, Zeno wouldn’t survive it; it would slowly kill him.

He removed his hands from the table and walked around the table, he placed a hand over Sebastian’s own on the table, stopping him from moving over the screen.

"What do you want, Zeno?" His voice was softer this time, and tired.

Sebastian looked drained; his father always had that effect on him, coupled with the fact that he suspected his boyfriend of having something to do with his father.

He loved Zeno too much, if he ever got betrayed by him, he was sure he’d be worse than he was before he met Zeno.

He didn’t like this feeling of insecurity he felt.

Zeno slowly traced his hand higher on Sebastian’s hand until he reached his shoulder, "He’s asked for you, he said he has something to give you..."

Sebastian removed Zeno’s hand from his shoulder and stood from his chair.

He moved away from the table and stood in front of Zeno, drawing him closer to himself.

He gently held Zeno’s face and said, "You know I love you, right?" He asked softly.

Zeno nodded, "I know, I love you, too," he replied.

Sebastian nodded, "Then can I ask you for a favor?" He stared into Zeno’s eyes.

Zeno nodded, not saying a word; his heart was racing mildly; he knew Sebastian was already getting the feeling that something was going on behind his back.

"Can you not hurt me? I don’t know, Zeno, but I’m begging you not to hurt me again; if you did, you’d be sending me back to my abyss; you’re my light, Zeno, and I’m begging you not to hurt me. I’m not going anywhere, and I want you to know that this thing with my family, I’ll find a way to work it out with them; it’s you I want, Zeno...don’t hurt me. I beg you. I’ll listen, I listen to whatever it is you’ve got yourself involved in with my father, and I’m ready to help you out, just...don’t hurt me. Please?" Sebastian placed his forehead in Zeno’s.

Zeno drew in a deep breath, if ’guilt’ had a last name, it would be ’Zeno.’ He placed a hand around Sebastian’s neck, placing his head on his chest.

"I won’t, Seb, I promise," He said softly.

He had decided, he was going to tell Sebastian what he had going on with his father. He was going to give him general knowledge, leaving out the Sakura part; he didn’t want Sebastian to be disappointed in him.

He wasn’t going to play Cupid for Sakura anymore, so it didn’t make sense to mention it if he wasn’t going to carry on with it.

"How about we talk about it when they’re gone?" He asked with his face on Sebastian’s neck.

Sebastian nodded, "Anytime, Sweetheart, I’m always ready to listen, as long as you’re ready to tell me," He hugged Zeno tighter.

Zeno smiled, he felt a weight get off his chest; he was so depressed when he had to hide it from Sebastian.

Not anymore, he was telling everything, he wouldn’t be so stupid to lose Sebastian, not happening.

"Come on, let’s go," Sebastian Kissed Zeno’s head and pointed to the door.

"I’ll leave first," Zeno kissed Sebastian’s chest before walking out of the office.

Sebastian smiled, his first smile since his father arrived; he was happy again; he was almost getting anxious about Zeno and his father’s relationship.