The Next Day
"What the hell, why are you dragging me? I' ve got work to do. I' m not some foster kid you can haul around whenever you feel like it!"
The slim frame of Congressman Pyramid was pulled along all the way to the patrol car parked in front of Parliament. His light-gray suit flared with every rough tug from Yuu' s powerful grip.
Yuu trailed his lover like a bodyguard ever since they started secretly dating. Every time, it was the same—dragged off, waking up in the stern officer' s bed, greeted at dawn with endless nagging. He was more father than boyfriend: overly protective, too warm, annoyingly persistent. He could sniff things out like a hound. Honestly—was he a cop or some glue-sniffing dog?
But today felt different. Yuu wasn' t nagging; he was driving. His silence was strange. Usually he blurted out whatever was in his head before even thinking, but now he just kept glancing sideways at Pyramid, lips pressed tight, acting like he was afraid of losing him altogether.
"What' s wrong with you? Why won' t you talk? You' ve been off for days now." Pyramid leaned his head against the window, voice softer, but eyes still fixed on Yuu.
Yuu raised a brow, eyes on the road. "How long have you known Ray?"
"Why are you asking about him? What, you got a crush?" Pyramid puffed his cheeks and smirked, teasing him.
"That face? Who the hell would fall for that?"
Pyramid threw his head back and laughed until tears spilled, delighted by the disgusted sneer on his lover' s face. "Says the man who sleeps with me. His family' s rich, though. Don' t you like rich people?"
The brakes hissed softly as Yuu tapped the pedal, shooting him a sharp look before leaning closer. "Don' t push me, kid." His big hand smacked Pyramid' s thigh. "Answer. Or I' ll sew you up right here at the damn stoplight. Smart mouth."
"We' ve known each other since grade six." Pyramid turned away, cheeks flushing.
"He stared at me once, so I flipped him the finger. We were about the same size back then, so we brawled like hell. Versailles and Rome egged us on, shoved us into it. Parents were called, everyone freaked. That' s when I found out we were related."
"Hmph. You? Throwing punches? I don' t buy it." Yuu shook his head, but his eyes softened.
"It' s true." Pyramid clicked his tongue, trying to sound tough. Yuu shot him a glare so sharp it shut him up instantly.
"Don' t 'yeah' me, brat. I' m your man."
Pyramid' s eyes widened before he rolled them dramatically. "…Yes, sir."
"What' s that? Louder." Yuu' s free hand squeezed his thigh harder, leaning in.
"Yes, Yuu," Pyramid chirped, flashing a cheeky grin. Only then did Yuu let go.
"And?"
"And nothing. He grew like a damn buffalo overnight—shot up huge while I crawled along like a turtle. I' m almost twenty-five and still short. My voice broke in high school and never recovered. Raspy forever."
Yuu' s lips twitched into a quiet chuckle. "What kind of dumb slang is that? You never make sense."
"Why are you asking about him anyway?" Pyramid fiddled with his seatbelt, refusing to meet his eyes.
"…Did R ever get plastic surgery?" Yuu asked suddenly.
"Hm? Yeah, he did."
"Seriously?"
"What' s with you?" Pyramid frowned, puzzled.
"And that rumor—that R isn' t Somkit' s real son. True?"
"Mm-hmm. Everyone knows that."
"Then why the hell were you hiring people to dig into that necklace—the one with the R pendant?"
Pyramid stiffened, snapping his head toward him. "You snooped through my phone?"
"You were drunk. Messages from the dark web popping nonstop, mumbling about billions your parents paid you to trace. What the hell are you up to? And why not hire your own boyfriend? You' ve got millions and a detective as your man. What a waste."
Pyramid huffed, annoyed. "You can' t even find the missing money yourself. Why would I waste cash hiring you? Pointless."
"Hey, don' t underestimate me. At least I' ve got good hips," Yuu said with a smug smirk, squeezing his thigh again.
"You' re insane. I' m exhausted—meetings all day. Stop bothering me, officer."
The car screeched suddenly. Tires screamed, throwing Pyramid against his seatbelt. His heart nearly dropped. "Shit! What the hell—no warning at all. Lucky I had the belt on!"
"Dinner." Yuu' s face stayed blank, but his sharp eyes flicked over. "Eat a lot. We need a long talk."
Pyramid glanced back, suspicious. "…What, are you menopausal? Mood swings like a pregnant woman."
Twenty Minutes Later
The clink of cutlery filled the small roadside diner. Dim orange light cast shadows across Yuu' s sharp face. He sipped his water, watching Pyramid, who still looked stunned across the table.
"What did you just say?!" Pyramid' s voice cracked, nearly shouting.
Yuu set his glass down slowly, tilting his head. "Why are you screaming like you' re praying for heaven?"
"Ray… Prince Ar… they' re the same person?"
"Yeah." Yuu' s reply was short, solid, like it wasn' t shocking at all.
"If I' m his relative, then I' ve got royal blood? I' ve never known of any family ties to royalty. No portraits, no connections, nothing. Even the royals we see on the palace news—I don' t know any of them. How the hell does that make me part of it?"
"If he doesn' t act on it, then it' s nothing," Yuu muttered, leaning closer until his breath brushed Pyramid' s face—still tasting of the papaya salad he' d just eaten.
Manners? Nonexistent.
"But the one handling the dirty tax money from your scumbag parents' circle… that' s Prince Ar."
Pyramid slammed his spoon down. "Who are you calling scum?"
"Anyone who profits from their position. That' s scum. All of them." Yuu' s voice was flat, weary.
"You work for those same scumbag politicians! What, you messing with me? If he—sorry, His Highness—guards the royal treasury, then how the hell does he act like some perverted bastard?"
Yuu chuckled low, shaking his head. "If you can' t use royal speech properly, don' t bother, kid. You just sound clumsy. His job is control. That' s it. Same way you do your office job."
"…I don' t get it."
"Forget it." Yuu dropped a chicken bone onto his plate with a clang. "Just don' t get yourself tangled in that Black Hole cult. You' ll never crawl out."
"That' s a bedtime story for kids. You think I' m five?" Pyramid shot him a glare. "Ray wouldn' t do that shit. More believable he escaped from a psych ward. And by the way, I asked people to look into Pisa' s necklace, not Ray' s."
Yuu snapped his head around, brows knitting. "What? They' re identical."
"Yeah… but if I remember right, Ray' s R-pendant necklace? It wasn' t his."
Yuu' s eyes narrowed. "…Then whose?"
Pyramid' s lips curled into a sly smile, his eyes gleaming red from the alcohol. "Hm… forgot. I' ll ask him myself."
The table went silent except for the harsh clatter of cutlery and their uneven breaths—tension flickering like hidden flames between them.
"…Don' t go asking him straight out. He' ll catch on." Yuu said nothing, eyes dark.