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Four years later :
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" I don't like her . " the silverette simply stated as he leaned on the fridge and pursed his lips shortly after , already feeling disgusted as he recalled images of that night . He'd never forget . He'd never let it go . The girl still got on his last nerve whenever he thought of how damn clingy she was , those octopus hands of hers sneaking their way to the brunette elder's shoulder , something that usually came prior to a bolder , a more provocative move .
The elder , who had been busy preparing them a heavenly treat of hot chocolate , just smiled in that knowing , smug but absolutely appetizing way he always made zero suffer with , before rephrasing the silver haired male's words
" You don't like any of my female acquaintances , Zero . I sometimes wonder why . " Kaname said , features pulled together in an amused grin as he turned on the mini coffee beater and started moving his hand in what seemed like tango to the younger .
Entranced , Zero made no response to that , while Kaname found himself taking back his words as he leafed through his memories , almost bursting into laughter the very moment he recalled how Aido and Zero fought like animals whenever they met .
" Actually , you don't like any of my acquaintances , except for Taku . "
Well , because Takuma is already in a relationship with Senri , and doesn't look at you like you are a piece of meat ! Zero almost blurted out , but thankfully held back his tongue before a blunder could escape and totally ruin his life , turning it upside down . He himself didn't know why .. perhaps it was a desire to ' monopolize senpai ' . Perhaps it was fear of neglect and that , he would not tolerate , not after experiencing what being genuinely cared for meant in a raw sense . Kaname was not obligated to care for him , after all . He was not his father nor relative .. He needn't be that nice to him .so it must mean he really liked him , right ? Just knowing that someone out there thought of him like that , valued him , made his heart flutter beyond words . And he was not ready to give up such thing . He would not let anyone steal that feeling from him ! He was not going down without a fight . he'd make sure to win the battle , to have the last laugh .
Deep inside , the elder had a good hunch why the grumpy teenager hated anyone getting close to them . A part of him chose to overlook it though . After all , he could be wrong . Instead of complicating it between them , he preferred the chemistry they had at the moment . He was selfish . He was not willing to risk jeopardizing their relationship or the trust zero had in him just because he suspected the younger may harbor some not-so-brotherly feelings for him without even realizing .
Deciding he'd rather change the topic , kaname finished beating the milk and tossed the mini tool in the sink before going back to the counter where he stores the cocoa powder .
" So how is it going with your parents ? " He'd asked rather offhandedly , engrossed in his task .
Ever so slightly , Zero pulled away from the fridge , darted his gaze to the left before shrugging and answering in a relaxed casual manner , perhaps too relaxed to be genuine . " What about them ? It's going fine . "
Kaname could tell , without looking , that the younger had just lied to him . He'd been spending a long time with the silver haired boy enough to be able to tell .
Maybe he was just avoiding that topic because he didn't want to worry him or maybe he didn't feel thrilled to be pitied , again . Either ways , Kaname was not pleased . And he was not going to hide it . In fact , he was going to show Zero just how much it pissed him off , in a very sensually sadistic manner . Zero may not be smitten but he couldn't possibly be immune to the elder's sinful beauty .
" You know what makes me feel terribly offended and hurt ? " the brunette asked as he gently pushed the two cups away and wasted no time inching closer to the now rigid younger , feeling immensely satisfied by the flustered sight zero gave him , unconsciously .
the silverette merely twitched a shoulder and tilted his head in question , urging the elder to elaborate , because he didn't trust his voice not to waver at the sudden proximity .
" You lying to me . " Kaname revealed as he continued to get closer to the younger , only stopping once they were a breath apart .
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At first , he thought it was a prank , something the little boy did out of mischief , to make him think he ran away . He must have wanted to play hide and seek , Kaname firmly believed . So he lowered the phone , completely forgetting the ongoing call , and began searching every nook and cranny in the flat for the said child .
At some point , however , he nearly gave up and thus resorted to the last option he had left . He spoke up , loudly calling for the little child and warning him he would get really mad if the boy did not come out that instant .
A moment passed by before kaname added he would not be talking to the child for a long time too . Perhaps it was not a good enough bait though . If the boy didn't really like him , such threat would be , for all intents and purposes , pointless . He hoped that was not the case though . he hoped it was going to work .
It's only after a few more nerve wracking moments that kaname started realizing , a little bit too late , that Zero might have really left the apartment . And he , Kuran Kaname , had consumed so much time searching for the boy inside the apartment when he should have gone out to follow him . Damn ! zero could have gotten too far during the time he wasted looking for him inside .
His tendency to not think of the worst case scenarios was to blame .
It was nearing Christmas , and the streets were understandably crowded with people , some going out on dates , others getting ready for celebrating new year - shopping for decorations , gifts and clothes -
Zero couldn't have chosen a time more inopportune to disappear at . Losing sight of a child in such situation had to be the worst thing that could ever happen . Kaname cursed as he maneuvered his way through the crowds of people without getting sandwiched , determined , despite everything , to find the little child and demand to know why he did such thing in the first place ( if he could find him , that is )
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As soon as the flashback from that time when they first met four years ago played itself in the elder's head , Kaname found himself pulling away , reddish brown strands falling to cover his eyes , shielding his expression from view . Damn ! he got carried away he almost gave the younger a scare by his actions .
However , he regained his unreadable mask in no time and with a smile , he lifted his chin and gazed back at the silver haired boy , before sincerely promising " I will always be there for you , Zero . you can count on me , okay ? "
As if to support his point , Kaname put his hands on the younger's shoulders . He gave him a nod , as if to seal the vow . And zero could only gulp , swallowing past the lump that was starting to form in his throat at the whole thing . When he finally realized how stupid he must have looked , he snatched himself away from the affectionate gesture and grimaced, mumbling something about how he was no child , the thing that made Kaname chuckle and go back to the long forgotten cups of hot chocolate .
Zero , on the other hand , quickly went back to his grumpy nature and stomped his way out of the kitchen .
Kuran kaname was so cruel to do that to him , to get that close and stare right in his eyes with that intense gaze of his , saying such bittersweet words . It's not that he hated hearing those heartfelt words , he didn't . they did comfort him but at the same time reminded him of what they were to each other , close friends with a wide age gap . He didn't know why the idea of being friends did not appeal to him anymore .. It's like it wasn't enough .. Like he wanted to be something even more important to the elder . what could that be ? He knew what .. Deep inside , he knew .. But could he really admit it ?
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