Jia-Long

My eye twitched lightly as I did my best to ignore the overly-intense stare that Berwald was giving me. The same stare that he had been giving me since we set foot in the bakery, as a matter-of-fact. I felt ridiculous sitting in this cupcake-shaped seat at one of the tables in the bakery‒which was called Su-san's Sweets, unbelievable enough—with Tino, Emil, and Berwald. I had half a mind to ask who Susan was and why she had left these two in charge of the shop, but thought better of it. The last thing I needed was an angry Swede in a pink apron picking a fight with me because I asked the wrong question.

Emil, on the other hand, was completely free of the feeling of ridiculousness that I felt. He was happily chatting with Tino, who sat directly across the table from him, and the two of them were holding hands over the table like a pair of gossiping teenagers. And Berwald sat across from me, the same terrifying look on his face as he stared into my soul. He apparently hadn't seen anything that he didn't like, yet, otherwise he looked very likely to hit me. I vaguely wondered if he carried a wok like Yao, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. Berwald was Swedish, not Chinese. And there was no way that he was as crazy as Yao‒Yao married Arthur after all.

"Leon?" I was brought out of my musings by Tino, who was giving me a sheepish look. "I'm really sorry; I had no idea that you hated being called Jia-Long now! Will you accept my apology‒I really don't want you to be angry with me."

I blinked, not expecting an apology. It just wasn't something that happened. Usually, people would just correct themselves the next time they saw me, but I rarely got an apology. I didn't even have time to respond.

"Ya don't h've ta 'pologize, Tino," And so the giant speaks. "He's j'st a kid."

I almost scowled, but he was technically right about Tino not needing to apologize. I wasn't expecting on, after all.

"He's, like, more or less right," I muttered, trying hard not to scowl. "I don't need an apology, I suppose."

Suddenly, Tino's face bloomed with a smile. It was actually pretty creepy.

"You still do that? I told Lukas and Arthur that it wasn't just a phase!" Before I could ask what he was talking about, Tino turned back to Emil, asking a million questions about school. When I looked at Berwald, he gave me a fierce look that could have translated to 'I'm going to roast you over a fire on a spit' or 'Yeah, Tino is always like that'. I decided to go with the latter, if only because it made me feel less threatened. I wasn't sure how well I would do in a fight with Berwald and I wasn't too keen on finding out.

"We'll be right back, okay Berwald? I want to show Emil the ovens!" Tino pulled Emil away so fast that I couldn't help but be suspicious. What was so special about the ovens? It registered that I was now alone in the room with Berwald and I was immediately uncomfortable. Before, Emil and Tino were filling the silence, but now…

In order to feel less awkward, I started counting the tables. There were five tables, which sat either four or two people each, or eight six-person booths. All of it should have been really cramped in such a cozy looking room, but everything fit surprisingly well. Just about everything was some shade or another of pink, though, which made my stomach churn. I had literally never seen so much pink in once place and it was almost harmful.

"Leon," I frowned as I looked up at Berwald. I hadn't expected him to talk at all.

"Yes?"

"Ya b'tter not h'rt Emil," His deep voice was quiet, yet serious. I frowned, not liking the way Berwald talked to me. When I was younger, Berwald and I had gotten along fantastically, so why was he so against me now?

"I, like, didn't plan on hurting him, I suppose," I kept my voice level and looked Berwald directly in the eyes. "I, like, prefer to protect him."

Berwald's expression grew darker, which I hadn't thought possible before.

"'Ow come he's g'ttin beat up, th'n?" The words stung more than I let on. How Berwald even knew about Emil getting beat up, I didn't know. But he knew that I was supposed to be protecting Emil and he knew that I was failing so far, which explained the look he was giving me.

"I'm, like, working on it, Berwald," I had to work hard to unclench my jaw. "I'll take care of the situation, I suppose."

"Ya better."


Emil

I stole another glance at Jia-Long, who wasn't paying any attention to anything right now. He was clearly lost in thought, even though Tino was talking to him seconds ago. Suddenly, Tino's grip on my hands tightened and, the next thing I knew, I was pulled out of my seat.

"We'll be right back, okay Berwald? I want to show Emil the ovens!" Tino had a devious grin on his face as he pulled me towards a pair of doors that lead to the kitchen. He was stronger than I remembered, which made it hard for me to do anything more than stumble after him.

"Tino, wait!" I nearly fell to the ground as I was forced to follow Tino through the kitchen doors. Were the ovens really that special? Tino finally stopped pulling me and helped me to regain my balance with an apologetic smile.

"I can't help it‒this is all just so exciting!" Confused, I glanced around the kitchen. It was nice, but nothing seemed worthy of all of the pulling. The stoves just looked like normal convection ovens to me.

"What exactly are you excited about, Tino?" His grin widened and I worried that Tino's face would split open.

"The two of you, of course!" His tone made me think that this should have been obvious. "I was having such a bad day! None of the people we hired showed up and today is opening day, so I had to call them and make sure they knew that they should be here. Then, our head cake decorator told me that he was quitting, so I had to make Su-san come back here to help me prepare a few of the cakes for display! And the workers still aren't here and we've been open for two hours already! Not to mention the fact that we have no customers!"

Tino looked just about ready to break down and cry. He had been told a lot by pretty much everyone except Berwald and me not to open his bakery, but it was his dream. I knew from the letters that we exchanged that Tino and Berwald had moved, but I had no idea that they were in the same city as us. And now, Tino had spent all of his savings to open this place only to have so many problems.

"I can work here," The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I mean, after school. I can come in and help you guys out with whatever you need."

Tino's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Are you sure?" I nodded and he squealed, pulling me into a hug. "I'm so glad! Now I just have to ask Jia‒I mean Leon if he needs a job. That way, you two can work together!"

I blanched, not sure how Jia-Long would take that. We weren't even on good terms right now, so I doubted he would consider it. Tino saw my face as soon as he pulled out of the hug.

"Are you guys fighting?" The look on his face was worried, as if Jia-Long and I fighting meant the end of the word. I shrugged, trying my best to reassure him with a smile.

"It's just a little fight; we'll be okay in no time!" The look on Tino's face proved that he hadn't been fooled by my smile.

"It's always bad when couple fight. I remember when I was deciding where to put the bakery‒"

"Excuse me?" My face turned beet red. Tino thought that Jia and I were dating?! I didn't know what to make of the small backflip my stomach performed. Tino frowned.

"Does that mean you two aren't dating?" I desperately searched for words, but my mouth betrayed me.

"We…we're not…just friends!" I couldn't form a coherent sentence and I kept mumbling, all of my attempts to speak a muddled mess of fragments. Tino raised an eyebrow.

"Well then what are you? You two aren't dating, but you aren't just friends either, so does that make your relationship complicated? Or are you two‒"

"You're misunderstanding, Tino!" I had finally found my voice. "Jia-Long and I are just friends, nothing more."

Tino gave me a look of disbelief.

"Are you the only one who he lets call him Jia-Long?"

"Yes, but‒"

"Does he insist on escorting you whenever possible?"

"Well, yes, but‒"

"Does he hold open doors for you? Does he give off an 'aura of doom' whenever other people try to talk to you?"

I didn't answer, but I didn't need to for Tino to know that the answer to both questions was yes. Jia-Long acted like we were dating. My stomach did another backflip, but I wasn't sure if it was a bad or good movement.

"Now, do you like what Leon does for you?"

"…Yes."

"Do you get upset at him when he puts himself at risk for you?"

"Of course, I'd‒"

"Do you love him?" I went silent. There was no way that I could answer that question. I did love Jia-Long, but only as a family member? Right? I thought about all of the questions that Tino had asked. They had all been yes up until this point. Could I really say that those were things that I would do with people who I considered family? Tino placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Emil, it's fine; you don't have to answer me. I just want you to think about it, okay? Leon is good for you and I don't want you to just let him slip away. I almost let that happen with Berwald and it would have been the biggest mistake of my life."

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. Tino gave me a small smile.

"Why don't you go sit back down? I'll whip you guys up something sweet, okay?" Tin practically had to push me out of the kitchen, which is ironic considering how hard he had to try just to get me into the kitchen. I immediately blushed upon seeing Jia-Long and I wanted to punch myself. Nothing had changed between us and I was just being paranoid! Tino didn't mean any harm, he was just playing matchmaker. With that, I took a deep breath and went back to the table.

As soon as I sat down, I wanted to stand back up. Jia-Long and Berwald were having a scowling match and if I said that I wasn't terrified at the sight, I would be a filthy liar. Not able to take the waves of hostility rolling off of these two for more than a minute, I cleared my throat. Both of them turned their glares on me, as if they just realized that I was back from the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" I asked hesitantly. The last thing I wanted was to become a victim of assault by two dangerous and angry men because I came between their dangerous and angry staring contest.

"Berwald is being difficult," Jia-Long mumbled, shooting a baleful look towards him. "How were the ovens?"

Apparently, Jia-Long did not want to talk about whatever had made him so upset. And I wasn't going to pester him. Apparently, Berwald had other ideas, because before I could answer Jia-Long, he scoffed.

"He's j'st bein a baby 'cuz I told 'im he w'sn't worthy," The flash of anger in Jia-Long's eyes scared me quite a bit. I almost wanted to ask what Jia-Long wasn't worthy of, but thought better of it. There was no way that I was going to redirect his anger towards me.

"Well," I said before Jia-Long could respond to Berwald's insult. "Tino's making something sweet and I don't know about you two, but I can't wait!"

They stared at me for a few seconds before going back to their deadly staring contest. Apparently, I wasn't worth them wasting their time. I huffed, leaning back in my chair. I decided to let them stare at each other for a while.


After about ten minutes, I looked up from texting Lukas to see if they were still glaring at each other. To my surprise, they weren't. Both Jia-Long and Berwald were looking in completely different directions. They had apparently given up on trying to eye bully each other. I quickly finished my text to Lukas, explaining where I was and who I was with. As soon as I pressed the 'send' button, Tino burst out of the kitchen holding a platter with a glass cup on top of it. He grinned as he set it down in the middle of the table. Frowning, I studied the cup. It was wide, almost like a bowl. It was filled with layers of apples, whipped cream, and what looked like breadcrumbs. The dish looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint why.

"Like, what is this?" Jia-Long beat me to the question. Tino just pouted, as if he was disappointed that we didn't know.

"It's c'lled Änglamat," Berwald was looking down at the cup with a strange look on his face. Suddenly, I remembered where I knew the dessert from.

"You mean Tilslørte Bondepiker, right?" Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. "That's the Norwegian name for it; I think it means 'farmers' daughters dressed in veils'‒or something like that. When we were very young, Lukas and I would ask our parents to make it almost every night. When they went to work abroad, we stopped eating it."

I almost felt sad looking at this cup of apples. It was my mother's favorite dessert to make before she moved to Norway. Surprisingly, thinking of my mother didn't make me as sad or angry as it used to. I could remember her pretty well since she visited Lukas and I two years ago, but I couldn't really remember how she acted. Most of my early memories were of her laughing or smiling, but ever since she left, she's been serious. She's more like Lukas in the aspect that she just about never smiles. It made Jia-Long say that my whole family might have been 'expressionally challenged' once. Looking at this cup of my mother's favorite dessert made me wonder if she's even made it since she left us here.

"Emil?" I had gotten lost in thought, so I missed whatever Tino had been saying to me.

"Sorry, I was thinking about mom," I couldn't help but frown. "It's been a while since she's sent a letter response to me, but Lukas just got his letter the other day. I should get one pretty soon."

Jia-Long was frowning. I knew that he disapproved of how my parents took care of Lukas and me, but seeing him get upset would only make me more upset. I quickly looked for something to change the subject.

"Uh, Tino?" I almost smiled at how quickly Tino broke into a grin.

"Yes? Do you want something different? I can go make something else!"

"It's fine," I said, shaking my head. "I just wanted to know if you forgot the other glass."

It was as if everyone noticed for the first time that there were two spoons and only one cup of Tilslørte Bondepiker on the platter.

"About that," Tino had a slightly sheepish look on his face, as if he was hoping we wouldn't notice. "I only had enough ingredients to make one, so I thought you two could share it?"

Jia-Long and I looked at each other, then down at the cup. I tried not to blush, knowing that this was Tino's plan and that he definitely had extra ingredients. But if I called him out on it, Berwald and Jia-Long would know what we had talked about earlier. So instead of calling Tino out on his game, I picked up the spoon closest to me. Jia-Long mirrored my movements almost cautiously. I wanted to ask why he hesitated, but he had no idea what was in the dish, so I figured that he was hesitating because of that.

I scooped up a spoonful from my side of the cup and ate it. I was so surprised that I almost spit it out. It tasted just like my mother's recipe! I chewed the apples a bit slowly, savoring the familiar taste. When I swallowed it, I immediately turned to Tino, who was still standing at the side of the table.

"How did you do this?" I suddenly felt like I was going to cry. "It tastes exactly the same ad my mother's!"

Tino smiled, pulling me into a hug.

"Who do you think taught your mother how to make sweets? Su-san teaches just about everyone how to make this!"

I laughed, if only to keep myself from crying. Of course Berwald taught my mother how to make this; she couldn't cook very well before I was born, if the stories Lukas tells are anything to go by.

"Like, I wasn't going to ask, but who is Susan?" I blinked, pulling out of Tino's hug to look at him. I almost laughed again, but Jia-Long looked so seriously confused.

"It's Su-san, as in Soo and the Japanese honorific –san. It's a weird nickname that Tino made up for Berwald when they were kids."

"It's not weird!" Tino protested, crossing his arms over his chest. Jia-Long gave a short chuckle and I laughed, glad that all of the awkwardness was gone. Scooping up another bite of Tilslørte Bondepiker, I felt more relaxed than I had all day.


Even though the mood had lightened up, Jia-Long and I still didn't talk while we finished our apple dessert. Eventually, the awkward atmosphere came back. Tino, unable to take the silence (but not willing to break it), fled into the kitchen as soon as the dessert was finished, claiming that he had to clean up. That left Berwald, Jia-Long, and me sitting awkwardly at the table.

I waited for a few minutes, staring at my hands and hoping that Tino would rush back into the room and begin a fun conversation. I glanced up for a moment, only to catch Berwald giving me a purposefully scary look. I could tell because it was way more terrifying than his neutral face.

"If ya guys don't t'lk, I'll lock ya 'n the freezer 'til ya do."

The threat was empty, but the thought of being locked in a freezer apparently wasn't pleasant to Jia-Long.

"That was, like, a really good snack, I suppose," he mumbled, turning in his chair to slightly face me. I turned towards him as well.

"Yeah, it was one of my favorites," I wouldn't meet Jia-Long's eyes. The silence started to creep back in.

"Emil? Like, can we just go back to normal?" I blinked, my eyes rising to meet Jia-Long's for the first time since we sat down in the bakery. I'm not sure what happened, but I felt a sudden urge to just agree with Jia-Long. Why couldn't we just go back to normal? I mean, we used to fight almost every week as kids and look at us! Maybe it was the way Jia-Long's eyes sparkled‒or maybe it was my concussion coming back‒but I felt like hugging Jia-Long all of a sudden.

"Yeah, we can," I reached out to hug Jia-Long, but he suddenly jumped to his feet, causing me to retract me arms. I looked up at him to apologize, figuring that he wasn't in a hugging mood, only to see a familiar fierceness in his eyes. Jia-Long was staring out of the window, his whole body tense. I turned around to see what had made him so upset, only to see the all-too-familiar group of four walking past the window, laughing. They seemed so content, so much like normal teenagers that I thought I was mistaken. But you don't mistake the group of people who constantly chase you down in the streets. It was Them; the main four people in the dangerous gang called the Asiatics. And they were just walking around the city, completely unaware that they just walked past me. And Jia-Long had spotted Them. I quickly reached out to grab Jia-Long, but he saw it coming. He was out of reach quickly, heading for the door.

"No!" I stood, about to run after him when Berwald grabbed my arm.

"L't him do th's," He regarded me with a serious look before letting me go. I was instantly running after Jia-Long, hoping that he hadn't caught up to Them yet. They were dangerous and I couldn't let him go after Them like this.

When I got outside, I frantically looked around, not seeing Jia-Long in either direction. I ran the way I saw Them going, hoping that I wasn't too slow to catch up to Jia-Long. If he gets hurt, it will be my fault! I was almost to the corner when I heard the distinct sound of a car's tires squealing, followed by a crashing noise and shouting.


A/N

Hey guys! I was actually supposed to include all of this in the last chapter, but I wasn't finished writing and I wanted to give you guys something, so yeah. I didn't plan to end this on such a cliffhanger ^^; My bad, but anything else would be a part of next chapter and yeah..

The final confrontation approaches! Well, maybe not final, but it's a really big one.

Notes:

*Jia though that Su-san was actually the girl name susan..

*Jia and Berwald actually do get along well, they're just difficult. xD

*And so star's Emil's inner turmoil over his feelings for Jia! Haha, took me long enough, right?

*The dessert is called both Änglamat(Sweedish name; meaning Angel food) and Tilslørte Bondepiker(Norwegian name; meaning is what Emil said, more or less)

I think that's all I needed to make note of..oh! I also wanted to clarify something about the boys' ages:

-When they met they were 8(Emil) and 9(Jia)

-They were separated at 12 (right before Jia's 13th birthday)

-They reunited at ages 15(E) and 16(J)

-They are currently about 17(E) and 18(J)

Hope that cleared things up a bit~ I also wanted to thank Nanashi-du-scorpion because if not for the conversation we had, I might not have updated today ^^;

Hope you guys enjoy reading!