4 Leaf Clover - ᴹˣᴹˣᴹˣᴹ

30.

࿐࿐࿐

A new day had dawned, but Clover felt his bones set on edge. Every time he woke up, every time he strolled into his room, and every time he picked up a book, he felt the undeniable pressure shudder through his core. That piece of paper sitting on his bookshelf was a miserable secret to have. Whenever it invaded his mind, he felt his body turn rigid and he made questionable decisions.

Yesterday, at the discovery of the paper, Clover tried his hardest to keep subdued. He tried to keep the conversation flowing with his lovers, but whenever they looked at him, his words stumbled and he blushed profoundly. Clover knew he was acting blatant, he was never an exemplary liar, but somehow, lying to his partners was more than a chore. Clover felt see-through like they could see everything he was concealing. So, yesterday night, he retired to bed early.

He was a bit stuck on what to do today. He had a day off, then tomorrow he would be doing another 9-hour shift. If he could make it through this day without one of his partners detecting how abnormal he was acting, then he would take it as a win.

Clover started his day off by showering then he made his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Clover anticipated being alone this morning, he knew Elio and Finley were both working but he expected Yuki to be sleeping for his second week of night shift. However, the Japanese man was standing in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. Clover joined him.

"By the way," Yuki started the conversation, "Why have you been acting weird?"

Clover stopped for a second, he racked his brain for ideas to tell him, "Ah, I was just tired yesterday from my first longer shift,"

Yuki didn't say anything for a while so Clover took it as a satisfactory answer, with that, he started eating his cereal too. Except, Yuki was examining him intently, trying to decipher why his most recent lover was nervous around them. He tried to conquer reasons, was Clover nervous, was Clover regretting it, or was he scheming? Despite not believing Clover would do such a thing, Yuki couldn't help but let his mind wander.

He wouldn't let himself think that, not about Clover. He spent weeks trying to convince himself Clover wasn't like Callum. Just because Clover was acting weird, doesn't mean he's up to something. Therefore, Yuki would spend the next few hours trying to pry the information out of Clover in any way.

"Tired my ass," Yuki mumbled, "You were excited about dinner after work,"

"Yeah," Clover awkwardly agreed, "But once food kicks in, you get tired easier,"

Yuki couldn't fault that, it was a fact after all. Yet, Clover was fidgeting now and his leg started bouncing as he sat on the Island chair. Yuki watched him closer, watching as Clover stuffed the cereal into his mouth and began chewing faster. It was like the younger man was trying to escape.

"You know," Yuki said, feeling guilty for what he was about to say, "Callum used to act suspicious before he did what he did,"

Clover stopped eating - a new surge of anxiety refreshed his nervous system, and he glimpsed at Yuki with wide eyes. He put his spoon down and swallowed the food in his mouth to begin defending himself. Nothing came out for a few seconds and he gaped at the realisation of what his suspicious behaviour looked like.

"I'm sorry," Clover started, "I swear I'm not doing anything suspicious, I swear,"

Yuki nodded, choosing to believe him, "So what's up then?"

Clover sighed and turned back to his cereal, he really couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. He saw the only outcome as something he desperately wanted to avoid.

"Nothing," Clover said.

They ate their cereal in peace. Eventually, the day dragged on and Clover found himself looking for something to watch on the TV in the sitting room. He lay comfortably sprawled out on the plush L-shaped couch, with a soft, cosy blanket neatly spread over his legs, creating a feeling of warmth and relaxation. A show about police work came on, Clover almost skipped it until the main character said he was going through a breakup.