Secrets and Things (MxM)

Chapter 34 - Is the floor TRULY hard enough?

Previously:

Once his lips were barely a breath's away from mine, my eyes involuntarily fluttered shut in expectation.

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POV: 3rd Person

"I'M HOOOMMEEEE! AND I'VE BROUGHT CHICKEEEEEN!"

Both men on the couch froze at the booming voice coming from the direction of the front door and immediately, their heads whipped in the direction of it. The front door was further down and requires to pass through twisting corridors so no one was currently standing and viewing what was happening on the couch. This gave Nero and Leo enough time to look back at each other, realise what the fuck was going to actually happen, both turn in a new shade of red and then promptly jump back from each other. The taller man jumped up, all the way to the other side of the couch and the shorter man also jumped up but jumped without any direction. So in the end, he ended up just falling from the couch and tumbling onto the floor, face up. "Fuck" was the only thing Nero could say as a response to the little pain he experienced on his back.

Leo's eyes grew into worry and was about to move towards the fallen man to check on him before Aiden decided to grace them with his presence. "Nero! You're awake... what are you doing on the floor? And why can both of your faces blend in with strawberries?" His latter comment did NOT help their face situation at all. It just made it worse. Leo awkwardly coughed and Nero got back up on the couch as he unconfidently responded, "I was just... checking how hard the floor was?" Leo tried to hide his snicker and Nero glared at him in retaliation. His glare was trying to send wordless signals, telling him that it was all his fault. Leo picked it up but decided to ignore it.

Aiden sent a bewildered look his way. "You were checking how hard the floor was?"

"...yes?"

Aiden looked at the both of them with bemusement before he remarked back, "Riiiight... Anyway, that's not important. What's important is that I brought fried chicken to eat. Oh also knowing how you're doing, Nero. How are you doing?"

Nero threw him a straight-faced expression. "Nice to know that your chicken is more important than my wellbeing. Regardless, I'm doing better now. My ears are still slightly ringing but the throbbing in my head is gone as well as my fever. What happened anyway? I thought I was goners. Wait, did you go out to get chicken for this long?" Normally, Nero wouldn't have asked any of this in front of another person (i.e. Leo) due to the possibility of secrets spilling but the curiosity was getting to him. Plus, for some reason, Nero didn't mind Leo knowing some details.

By this point, Aiden placed the takeaway box on the coffee table and was mauling at the drumstick. "Nah, went out for other things. Had to take care of the aftermath. As for what happened, I'll give you a quick rundown. Jax got his hands on an uncommon but deadly bacteria from one of the city's research labs. The bacteria itself is fast working and will kill you by heating up your entire body in 5 hours. Jax managed to get it in you when he stabbed that hole in your shoulder."

Leo suddenly exclaimed in disbelief. "You had a bloody hole in your shoulder?! It wasn't there when I found you!"

Aiden quickly came to my defence. "Yeah, he quickly healed it up using some underground potions I provided him from before."

"...Called it. You guys are confirmed dodgy."

"ANYWAY, I found out you being infected after I had fought off the goons that came afterwards and-"

This time, it was Nero who has an outburst. "There was MORE of them?! Why the fuck did you send me back then?"

"Because, you were in no shape or form to fight them."