Mason's pen scratched lazily across the notebook, his lips moving soundlessly as he solved the equation on the board. "If x equals—wait…" He stopped mid-sentence, glancing to the side, his brows furrowed in annoyance
Lucian was gone again , not physically, but in his head. Eyes unfocused, jaw clenched, his gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the classroom walls.
Mason frowned. He'd noticed it all morning , Lucian's quiet sighs, the way his leg bounced under the desk, the absent-minded way he tapped his pencil against the book. He rolled his eyes , 'useless piece of shit' he thought 'what could he possibly be thinking'
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms, his mind whispering sharp, ugly things. If he keeps zoning out like this, what's the point of him? He's supposed to be the reliable one. The perfect one.
A smirk tugged at his lips as he pulled out his phone, the screen lighting up with his wallpaper ,Hunter. That one he saw on his post and never seemed to get his eyes off , he looked like a perfect god in that pose. Mason's pulse skipped. Well… not completely useless. He thought , afterall you seem to be having all the boys i want , he smirked ,my perfect pawn in this scheme
"Five point seven," Lucian's deep voice cut through his thoughts, calm and precise.
Mason jolted, nearly dropping his phone. He turned to find Lucian staring straight ahead, brows furrowed, finally snapping back to reality.
"Uh—yeah," Mason stammered, forcing a chuckle and locking his phone quickly. "Right. Five point seven. That's what I was gonna say." , he sighed as he caught a breather , he took the pen and started to scribble down the answer
Lucian didn't even hear him. He just leaned back, sighing quietly as his mind spiraled again.
His chest tightened, the ghost of Hunter's scent still lingering in his memory — raw, heavy with pheromones.
That night replayed in flashes.
Hunter's eyes dark and desperate. His voice rough, trembling with something primal. The way he'd pinned him, breathing hard and the way he soothed him , he manage to calm down an alpha
His throat tightened with shame.
What kind of alpha lost control like that?
What kind of man needed comfort from another he barely understood anymore?
He thudded his fist against the desk, louder than he meant to.
Everyone turned. The professor stopped mid-sentence.
Lucian blinked, realizing the sound came from him.
"S-sorry," he murmured, lowering his eyes.
The tension broke. The class resumed.
Mason gave him a look that screamed idiot, but Lucian ignored it and buried his face in his arms.
How am I supposed to face him after that? he thought. After what almost happened?
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The garage smelled like oil, rust,
Lucian wiped his hands clean with a rag, his knuckles stained black with grease. He looked across the room where Old Man Harris sat on a stool, smoking lazily.
"So," Harris started, exhaling a thin stream of smoke, "you and Ethan finally done?"
Lucian hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Officially."
Harris sighed, his old eyes softening. "That boy loved you, you know. Whatever went wrong—"
Lucian cut him off gently. "It's better this way. He deserves something steadier. I can't give him that right now."
Harris looked at him " with the both of you , i always thought you will be able to win the reagents " he said as he looked at the stand with his medal and trophies "you looked unstoppable "
Lucian looked at the trophies "i could find someone else with the same energy , " he looked at him " we were never getting compatible with one another"
For a moment, silence filled the space, broken only by the faint hiss of the rain outside. Then Harris pushed himself up and patted Lucian's shoulder. "In that case, I got something to keep your hands busy. Follow me."
He led Lucian to a bike covered in a dusty sheet.
"She's a beauty, but stubborn as hell," Harris said. "Can't get her to start."
Lucian crouched down, scanning the engine. "It's not the carburetor," he murmured. "Timing belt's off, and the ignition coil's dying. I can fix it."
The old man chuckled. "Knew you'd say that. You can get to work, kid."
Lucian rolled up his sleeves and got to it, losing himself in the rhythm ,the clink of tools, the smell of steel, the quiet patter of rain on the tin roof. But even as he worked, his thoughts drifted , to the night before, to Hunter's scent, to that look in his eyes that made his heart stumble, but now the thoughts were a bit quitter than before. He looked out side as he wiped his forehead , its really pouring outside huh , he thought
Across town, Mason stood outside Ethan's apartment, knocking harder each time.
"Ethan! Open up!"
No answer.
He tried the knob , only to find it locked.
He groaned, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
The old lady next door cracked her door open. "If you're looking for the young man, he hasn't been home since morning," she said softly.
"Thanks," Mason muttered, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. When she closed her door, his expression darkened.
"Where the hell are you, you idiot?" he whispered, dialling Ethan's number again. It went straight to voicemail.
He sighed, muttering curses under his breath as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. But beneath his irritation was something else , unease. A gnawing feeling that whatever Ethan was doing, it wasn't good. He kicked the door frustrated
Meanwhile, Ethan stood in front of a small convenience store, drenched from head to toe, staring at the snack aisle through the glass.
It was ridiculous , how something so ordinary could hurt this much.
The shelves were filled with the same snacks he and Lucian used to fight over, back when everything was simple. He could almost see it , Lucian standing beside him, that teasing grin, the playful shove when he grabbed the wrong flavour, the smile he never thought he had
His chest ached.
He blinked , and for a fleeting second, he saw them both reflected in the window. Him and Lucian, laughing, holding hands, stealing glances between aisles. The reflection smiled back. Then, just like that, it was gone. He looked at the entrance as they both got out , and they went to the bike as he placed the helmet on Lucian as they giggled at each other and they drove off , and like that they disappeared
Ethan swallowed hard, his throat tight.
He stepped out as the rain poured harder, soaking him instantly. He didn't run for cover. He just… walked.
Down empty streets. Past glowing windows. Past people laughing in dry cafes.
The rain drowned the world in white noise.
Up ahead, he saw a figure standing still in the downpour , tall, he saw a glimpse of Lucian. His heart leapt.
"L-Lu…?" he whispered.
But as he blinked, the figure dissolved into the mist.
Just a shadow. Just his mind playing cruel tricks.
He let out a weak laugh ,half broken, half delirious ,and kept walking until his trembling feet led him home.
Mason spotted him first , a drenched figure shuffling down the street, soaked to the bone.
"Ethan!" he shouted, sprinting with an umbrella in hand.
He reached him and threw the umbrella over them both, his voice sharp with panic. "What the hell were you thinking? You've been gone all day! I've been calling—"
Ethan just stared at him, blankly, eyes distant and glassy.
"You're… not him," he whispered.
Mason froze. "What?"
Ethan stepped closer, his voice trembling, small. "Lucian…" he breathed, leaning his forehead against Mason's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Mason's body went still. His breath hitched, his hand hovering in the air before curling into a tight fist.
Lucian's name echoed in his mind like a knife twisting deeper.
He looked down at Ethan , fragile, trembling, whispering another man's name into his chest and something inside him cracked open.
Anger. Jealousy. Bitterness.
All of it surged beneath his calm expression.
He closed his eyes, forcing a strained smile. "Yeah," he murmured, his voice barely steady. "I know." He placed his hand on his back " but im here , and i wont leave you"
But behind that smile, one thought burned like fire:
Lucian… you're going to regret ever making him cry.