Both helplessness and amusement danced inside Noah’s glassy orbs as he shook his head, “Asan might find me displeasing to the eye, but I highly doubt he abhors me to the point of murder. In the past, we used to be friends, and although we no longer see eye to eye, we don’t have much enmity between us either.”
“Why did you two stop being friends in the first place?” Fynn wondered.
Noah pondered over how to explain the reason why Asan and the original Aris had a falling out.
“There was no particular reason, just an accumulation of many little things, slowly eating away at our friendship until there was nothing left of it.”
As Noah reminisced, his amber eyes stared straight ahead without focus, “During high-school, Asan was under a lot of stress. The social pressure of… well… high school, family pressure regarding taking over the company, the failed expectations he had of himself, etc. It was a difficult time for him, and although I”–or rather, the original Aris – “tried to be supportive… to Asan, it probably felt like rubbing salt onto his wounds.”
He sighed ruefully, “If the popular kid claimed that popularity didn’t matter, wouldn’t that sound laughable in the ears of the unpopular kid? How could a school prince even understand the suffering of an outcast? Such words would only sound hypocritical. If a well-fed person didn’t care much about food, just how insufferable would a hungry person find him?
“There was nothing strange about how our relationship deteriorated,” a beautiful yet wry smile graced Noah’s face. “In the end, it’s all just a difference in viewpoint. Once upon a time, we stood in the same spot and understood each other, yet after a while, when we looked back at each other, we realized that at some unknown point, mountains and seas sprung up between us. A distance so far, a divide so great, that we were no longer able to see each other’s figure.”
Silence shrouded the four, each one lost in their own thoughts.
Noah thought that the original Aris’ EQ was a bit lacking. Though his heart was in the right place and his intentions were pure, he really didn’t know how to placate the moody and overly sensitive Asan.
Blackie: ಠ_ಠ ‘Um, host, no offense but… a person who can’t see that out of three people around him, all three are pursuing him, has no right to question anyone’s EQ…’
The president of the ‘pursuing Noah’ club, Levi, disagreed. This wasn’t a matter of EQ.
‘My baby is so kind and considerate, treating this Asan bastard sincerely, baring his little soft heart open, yet the thankless wretch trampled it on the ground! Unforgivable!’ (ꐦ▔皿▔)
To say that Levi felt very indignant on his darling’s behalf would be an understatement.
‘Blind! Self-absorbed! Prick! Jealous of how perfect my baby is! Hmph! Hmph! He should have felt honored that my precious treasure even wanted to associate with the likes of him!’
‘Blacklisted!’
凸(`0´)凸
Trey and Fynn couldn’t compare to Levi’s shameless lack of integrity when it came to their darling. But although their thoughts were not as outrageous as Levi’s, they too were biased towards Noah, this sunny little angel that they personally knew, versus the unknown ex-friend.
Though Noah made it sound like there was nothing wrong with Asan’s behavior, and while they could understand the latter, they couldn’t approve of him. They knew Cordia Aris and Noah. They knew how sincere and caring they were towards others. If others failed to appreciate the entity that was Cordia Aris, then the problem was definitely in the other person.
***
Soon after leaving Druxa, Levi, who had been checking the time every couple of minutes, determined it was about time for his lunch appointment with his soon-to-be ex-fiancée. He couldn’t wait to finally resolve this whole marriage matter and openly chase his darling!
Noah, this sensitive little cinnamon roll, naturally noticed the other’s zeal. However, his deduction of the reason behind it missed the mark so much that his black-hearted system felt second-hand embarrassment.
Noah’s eyes curved in amusement, and not wishing to be the third wheel to what he thought was a loving couple, he suggested splitting up. Let the two lovebirds enjoy their sweet time together, and Trey, Fynn, and him, this group of single dogs, would have their own meal nearby that did not include a bowl of “dog food”.
Naturally, the idea wasn’t as well-received by Levi as Noah had expected. He put his foot down and wouldn’t budge an inch no matter how Noah coaxed him.
Yes, Levi needed a word with his baby’s sister, but he’d be damned if he let his baby out of his sight!
Even if it was unlikely for his love rivals to strike a finishing blow in a few minutes of his absence, those few minutes were enough for the terrorists to forever take his baby away from him!
And thus, Levi declared, “I just need a quick word with your sister, and then we can eat together.”
Blackie: ‘I hate to rain on your parade, but… was your EQ eaten by the dogs??’
щ(゚Д゚щ)
‘You want to peacefully “divorce” your “wife”, yet you are bringing your “mistress” to the talks!?! Are you trying to make this entire matter blow up!?’
Levi: ‘No. Nope. Nay. Never.’
(  ̄︿ ̄ )ノ ‘Not. Letting. Baby. Out. Of. Sight.’
Blackie: (◞‸ლ) ‘…Trey, shields up, this might get nasty.’
And thus, the brave zombie warrior Levi, with bloodshot eyes and unyielding spirit that didn’t fear death, forced the other three little minions to line up and follow his domineering lead.
Marching onwards and beyond! To their deat– ahem, the totally non-fatal lunch appointment.
Alright, so marching wasn’t the right word; it was more of a ‘riding towards their demis– the absolutely safe and non-perilous lunch date’.
And thus, with practiced ease, Levi led the procession towards the restaurant where he usually had his lunch dates with his fiancée.
When their Magcart arrived at the right station, Levi made his heroic exit, not even waiting for Trey to set up his protective shield.
Yet, it was in that exact moment that his slumbering sixth sense stirred awake with great alarm.
Something flashed from the building across.
Levi’s body instinctively attempted to dodge the incoming projectile, but then his mind jolted with the realization that his baby was right behind him!
He couldn’t dodge, or his darling would be hit in his stead!
Levi’s body stiffened in place.
He attempted to mobilize his power to push the object outwards in hopes of deflecting it.
Alas, his sluggish, sleep-deprived mind had activated his power a beat too late!
Levi felt a prick on his neck, followed by an abrupt and piercing migraine.
The last thing he managed to do before his mind went blank was to utter a hoarse “Run…”
Trey’s pupils dilated, his arms shot out to envelop Noah in front of him, his shield following close behind, yet, before either could fully reach Noah, an overwhelming burst of force erupted from Levi.Like a tsunami, the crushing pressure exploded in all directions, directly pulverizing Trey’s shield that was yet to solidify fully.As if hit by a truck, Noah and Trey barreled back, slamming heavily into the bullet-proof glass of the Magcart behind them. Trey, who received the brunt of the blow, coughed up blood and fainted on the spot. Noah fared comparatively better; he had the air knocked out of his chest, feeling as if he had been punc
Astar Levi’s eyes were open, but all he could see and hear was noise.His mind could not register nor comprehend a single thing. As if he was not an intelligent being but a wild beast, ruled only by subconscious urges.He hung suspended in between consciousness and unconsciousness. Unable to think but still able to feel everything.And everything was wrong. All wrong. Uncomfortable, unbearable, irritating.Wrong, wrong,
It was then that the paramedics and peacekeepers swarmed the scene. But Levi noticed none of the changes around him. The only thing his two eyes could see was the precious treasure in his embrace, and the jarring crimson liquid gushing out of his mouth.The cacophony of footsteps, voices, and sirens blended into one. People were speaking, yet he could not understand a word of what they were saying. Familiar faces appeared in his peripheral vision, but he could not recognize a single one.Then someone put their paw on his darling’s back, and Levi nearly attacked them in response. Only at the last moment did he realize that the person was a healer
As soon as Noah’s life signs had stabilized, Fynn had given Noah’s father, the city lord of Concordia, a call. Their family’s spicy old ginger had immediately connected many different things together and issued his verdict – rest at home.Since Noah was fully healed, there was no need to go to the hospital. Not only would he have more privacy and comfort at home, but he would also be safer and better cared for.His son just needed to rest and recuperate. And what would happen if he was allowed to stay in the hospital? Forget the privacy issues, the noise, the people, the reporters crowding around the hospital, etcetera, what wa
In the silence of the bedroom, Noah’s quiet sniffles seemed terribly loud.Slowly, he moved his red-rimmed eyes away from his bedside table and looked towards the bed he was currently lying on. Or rather, the bed that hewasn’tlying on, for what he wasreallylying on was a broad and hard chest of a big koala bear known as Levi.Remember how Cordia daddy had decisively made Fynn send Noah home? Yeah, a significant factor in making that prompt decision was this big brother-in-law that hung off of Noah and refused to let go.
The little one seemed lively, which made Levi feel an intense mix of elation, thankfulness, and relief. His baby’s body was warm, moving, and breathing! How would he not feel euphoric?Yet, even though he was clearly very, very happy, his heart couldn’t help but feel a sharp stab.A day before, he had been full of beautiful, extravagant hopes for the future. Yet now that his baby was awake, he could no longer immerse himself in his own idyllic fantasy. Everything was a beautiful but fleeting pipe dream. And it was now time to wake up and face the harsh reality.
Noah didn’t need Blackie’s mind-reading powers to deduce what dark thoughts were going through Levi’s head. The incident had clearly dealt a huge mental blow to this obstinate brother-in-law.Astar Levi was a proud man who was hard on others but harder on himself. He had little tolerance for mistakes to begin with, so having his own power hurt people he cared about would undoubtedly be something hard for him to accept. Even though he logically knew that it was out of his control, he couldn’t escape from blaming himself.‘If only he had waited for Trey’s shield before coming out of the Magcart. If only he wasn't so i
Noah looked up at his brother-in-law's current adorably foolish state and couldn’t stop his eyes and mouth from curving into a brilliant smile filled with affection, “I’m not hurt. My body is already fully healed.”Seeing that incomparably beautiful smile, Levi felt as if he had been shot at again.“That’s not what I meant...” Levi furrowed his eyebrows, “Your body has recovered, but it cannot change the fact that you almost... almost...” Levi swallowed hard and was unable to continue his words. Instead, he instinctively clutched at the smaller body lying on top of his as if holding for dear life.