𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 || 敵の旦那様 (𝐁𝐋) ✔ [COMPLETE]

33. Friendship Requests

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"Do you hate me?"

Though the question itself was lost in the waves of wind rustling through the bed curtains, its echo kept vibrating at the very tips of Fu Lin's ears. The question visibly took him aback, and he stared at the General, his smile dissolving. He couldn't help but wonder whether this was a ploy to get him into trouble again.

He opened his mouth to answer with a "Definitely not! How could this weakling ever come to hate Your Grace?" in the most heart-rending way possible so that he could escape getting chopped down.

"Isn't that what I should be asking you, Your Grace?"

As soon as Fu Lin said it, he once again wanted to bite his tongue off and kill himself. But the truth was he felt slightly angry, angry at the thought of getting hated by him but having to kiss face with him for the sake of his life.

"I don't."

General Haoran's words left him speechless. His eyes, already shocked-like, went up an additional inch as he stared at the General disbelievingly. No, he did not believe him until the next few words came.

"I do not hate you," General Haoran emphasised, his gaze burning into Fu Lin's. "I would not worry about the injury of a person I hate this much."

"But you said I was a coward," Fu Lin interjected.

"That-"

"And a weakling" "About that I-"

"And you threw me into the water, twice."

General Haoran wrapped his arm around his face, regretting his life decisions and murdering his past self in his mind a few times. He walked over to stand in front of Fu Lin and looked at him as sincerely and eagerly as possible when he said "I apologise for everything I've done before

except this wound that I caused" General Haoran rubbed at the area where murky bandages were swathed around Fu Lin's neck "...so please accept my apology."

"Fine."

Fu Lin knew that the General would have a limit to how low he could stoop in the deception of another person. Though a lie or two wouldn't hurt, General Haoran was a man of his word and honour and would die before he openly deceived somebody with such a sincere confession.

Besides, now that he thought about it... he had never actively plotted to harm him and it was Fu Lin himself who had been caught up in his own sense of defence mechanism, turning him into a villain in his mind.

"I'll accept your apologies."

After listening to this, the General looked like he wanted to tell something but held back. His fists clenching and unclenching and his throat bobbing up and down, Fu Lin could detect the unease he was in.

"What is it?" Fu Lin asked rather cautiously.

Haoran, who was looking away, turned his head back to face Fu Lin. His face was overwritten by anticipation and he held up his hand, grasping one singular finger of Fu Lin as he asked, "I just told you I wouldn't apologise for that time when I wielded the sword at you. Are you okay with it?" He paused. "Do you not hate me for it?"

Fu Lin looked between the rough palm that held his finger and the cautious voice and realised why he was so hesitant. He broke into a smile. "Why would I? It was your duty. In fact, I admired that part of you very much."

The General looked at him with bated breath as his heart skipped a beat.

"That aside, I spoke rather insultingly towards both your Empire and country. Are you fine with it? I thought you definitely hated me for it."

"I admit that I do not approve of them." He spoke tacitly "However I cannot say I wouldn't do the same if I were in your position."

"Your point is?"

"That it was your way of showing loyalty to your country and I cannot fault you for it."

"And you thought I would fault you for being loyal to your country." Fu Lin laughed. "How

laughably hypocritical." After laughing, he abruptly realised that he shouldn't have done that and slapped his mouth close.

At this, the General's eyes changed slightly, and he pursed his stony lips as he asked, "You really do not hate me?"

The amount of sincerity ebbed at the reflections of his eyes with displeasure evident about Fu Lin's wariness in laughing in front of him, slightly shocked Fu Lin. He did not perceive that his thoughts and opinion mattered so much to the General.

"I don't." Fu Lin spoke lightly. "I'm not some saint to go around helping people about whom I do not care and hate."

The General visibly exhaled and slowly traced his palm across the sheets, circling his fingers an inch away from Fu Lin's unable to close the distance and yet unable to quench the fires edging at the tips of his calloused fingers in wanting to close the distance.

"As it has been established that we no longer harbour mutual resentment towards each other, I have a request for you."

"Oh?" Fu Lin was slightly curious as to what this ever illustrious, accomplished General would want from him. "And what would that be?"

"I want you to stop running away whenever you see me."

Fu Lin coughed to stop himself from laughing. He never realised that this, out of everything else, would have bothered him. And here he was thinking that he might seek out some secret regarding the Silver Mountains from him.

"And?" Fu Lin asked, smiling. "That's it?"

"No." The General gaze flickered as he leant forward, his fingers unable to touch Fu Lin's fingers now grazing his lips, the rough hands meeting the soft curves of flesh.

"I want you to..." The cherry popped lips turned a few shades darker under the General's thumb. "Laugh freely in front of me- without holding back."

Saying so, he immediately withdrew, leaving Fu Lin slightly taken aback. "Oh..." His voice sounded disoriented. "Anything else?"

"Yes, one more thing," General Haoran said. "I want to get to know you more. Because it is now an attested fact that we do not personally consider each other as adversaries, then it can only be concluded that we are friends. It is of imperative need that I know my friends from the inside out in order to avoid discrepancies within our livelihood."

Fu Lin stared at him, stupefied.

No really, just come out and say you're curious about me.

Thinking so, he suddenly couldn't hold back and started laughing. Even his laughter was that akin to the buzzing sound of a mosquito- low and combined with frequent wheezes. It was hardly elegant or graceful but absolutely infectious as even the General's stony lips rose less than an inch.

"Sure..." Fu Lin said tauntingly. "But we cannot speak inside the ever reverent Zhou Manor because silence is an absolute virtue of certain somebody's lineage."

The General's smile disappeared as he opened his mouth to protest, reminding him that they could talk within the nuptial room but quickly shut up, realising it wasn't appropriate to invite Fu Lin over to his bedchamber. After a while, he spoke up.

"I know a place where we can talk, a place where we can be each other's only spectacle."

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Question: What do you get when two idiots make friends? 

Answer: One brain cell. ┐('～' )┌

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