Eun-Jae thoughtfully sucked on the lollipop for a moment, allowing Romeo to wrap his arms around his waist. âI donât know,â He eventually replied. âMaybe they sell it on another website? Or I can look up if they sell it in a store somewhere.â He then continued, before putting the candy back into his mouth, even if it was just as an excuse so he didnât instantly have to respond to his friendâs words. He knew the other was right â he should have brought up the topic of school to his parents weeks ago. Actually, he should have done it months ago. Years ago. Was that why he now felt like it was probably too late? Just the thought of bringing it up made him feel sick.
The boy felt a strong urge to curl himself up into a ball and pretend he didnât exist, a mixture of sadness and guilt on his features. He tossed the half-eaten lollipop in the trash can that was luckily within arms reach and pressed himself a little closer against Romeoâs body. âI donât know how.â He whispered, closing his eyes. âIâm scared.â Of course, theyâd talked about this before. Heâd talked about it with Romeo, with Basil. Every time the topic was brought up, he just felt anxious and miserable. He knew he was just wasting everyoneâs time as long as he didnât talk to his parents, but he didnât have the courage to do anything about it.
Eun-Jae flinched slightly when he felt Romeoâs thumb brush over the mark in his neck, his cheeks heating up. âIt⌠doesnât really hurt.â He muttered, wondering why he suddenly felt so small and guilty. Was it because heâd told Romeo that he was his and had still gone off and let someone else mark him like that? âIâm sorry,â It only felt appropriate to apologize, his voice small. âI met this guy who kept⌠flirting with me and he took his clothes off and stuff and I tried to ignore it, butââ God, heâd acted like some horny teenager and it was embarrassing. âHe⌠tried to touch me. Not my neck, but⌠um⌠other places.â He felt his blush intensifying. âI stopped him, though. I couldnât do it.â
âI can help you search for it in stores, if you pleaseâ, he muttered, and by âIâ, he meant âsend his his servants to comb the continent up and down searching for a bottle of conditionerâ; dear God, never let him do the peasantsâ job. His chin resting on the otherâs shoulder and his hands wrapped around his friendâs body, allowed Romeo to have a better ( yet discreet ) feeling of his bony body, which just seemed to not get better by itself. The topic was inevitable, but right now, the bubble of warmth and sweetness that surrounded wasnât worth to be popped.
Silence made its entry into the room as Romeo laid still like a statue after Eun-Jaeâs questions. How? Well, just spit the truth, child, thereâs no other way. Your parents will be upset, angry, enraged even that you made them spend their money -----at least Romeo would be enraged to know he had been spending valuable money in a teared sack----- His eyes went dry with how long he spaced out. The blond shook his head and drew another little smile on his lips as he nuzzled his bird on the union of the shoulder and the neck. âYou know how, you are just afraid of the consequencesâ, he whispered, âlisten, they will find out inevitably, so they will prefer that you tell them instead of them catching your lies. Be smart, birdie, find the best time when your parents are in the best moodâ, he advised with a quiet voice to avoid disturbing the peace of the moment.
âNo need to apologizeâ, he commented in a soft hum; but YES, it was good Jay was apologizing, because he shouldnât have done that. He shouldnât have let that happen. âDid he make you uncomfortable?â, he asked with a sudden and unusual cold tone, âdid he make any kind of... serious move on you?â, he questioned again, âdo you want me to get rid of him?â, he finally inquired. âGood, good. You are a good boyâ, Romeo said with his sugary tone hitting once again right before he placed a soft kiss on the top of the bruise as a passive-aggressive remark of letting him know to whom he belonged.
