BLACK MASK [MxM]

3. Flirting the Grumpy Guy

Lavi woke up from a bad dream. He dreamed that he was in the midst of a dead flash. Lavi knows the bodies, all of them dressed in his clan emblem. In the dream, Lavi was young, he was neither a swordsman nor a fighter, he was just a scared child.

The dream was actually a reality twenty years ago. The scene in which the biggest clan m******e occurred. The incident took his whole family member. Even though the dream kept repeating itself, Lavi could never escape the fear. He feels like a child who has been abandoned by her mother.

A few moments later his eyes blinked, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling he had never seen before. Where? Is he still in the palace of the lord of the island?

Unable to get any memories, Lavi was starting to panic. He didn't know where he was, and why he was here. He was blinking his eyes once more, trying to focus his own vision. He felt something soft beneath his head and the familiar throbbing of his torso. He tried to say something, but he felt a sudden start stabbing pain in his abdomen.

"Looks like you had a bad dream."

Lavi turned his head to see the figure of a handsome blonde guy sitting near him shirtless. Though the guy's face could only be seen from the side, the groove of his face was so perfect and his body has strong muscles. And now that blonde guy was busy with the dusty books in his hands. It was then that Lavi realized that his right hand, wounded ones, was tied to the side of the bed.

He tried to sit up, gasping for breath, gripping the hand, but he only got his shoulders up before he was being gently pushed back down again.

"Where am I?" Lavi managed to croak out, squeezing his eyes shut at the building pain rearing its belly.

Oh, yeah, he got stabbed yesterday.

"In my room." Arsen answered flatly, put the book on the table.

"Why are you tying my hands?" Lavi hissed.

Arsen looked at him with a grin. He turned his body so as to confront Lavi directly. The man studied Lavi's face quietly; on his pale-white cheeks like a paper, and along with his glaring eyes, also his brow puckered deeply. Even in annoyed expression like that, Lavi does look pretty.

"Your face is my type," Arsen said unconsciously. Seemed to enjoy the angry face in front of him.

Lavi was offended. This time he got up again, ignoring the stabbing pain in his stomach and using his left fist to punch Arsen. Maybe he had miscalculated or he didn't know who his opponent was, but in the blink of an eye his movements were captured by Arsen and his hands were in the blonde's grip.

"It prevents you from taking any risks. The physician has told me that you should at least rest in bed for a week. So I brought you here to keep an eye on you."

Then Arsen let go of his hand.

Lavi gazes at him resentfully.

"Oh, if you try to rebel, I'll bind all your limbs too. Try me." Arsen went to the table near the door to pour water in the glass, then returned to the Lavi's side. "Wanna drink?"

"Let go of me!" cried Lavi.

Arsen grimaced to hear how hoarse Lavi's voice sounded.

Helping Lavi to drink in a recline might be difficult, Arsen thought. Then he drinks the water from the glass, holds Lavi close to his face, and gives him a kiss. During this activity, the water in his mouth is delivered to Lavi's. When the weak guy started to rebel, Arsen gripped his head firmly to stay him still.

Lavi rubbed his mouth as Arsen distanced his face. "What are you doing, asshole!"

"Help you drink." Arsen licked his lips with sensual style.

The glass was placed back on the table near the bed. Arsen completely ignored how Lavi's face had turned red with anger, as if his blood were boiling on his head. Arsen seems to be having a good time, and he thinks Lavi is very cute in spite of his angry face.

Now Arsen knows that he's really in love with that grumpy guy.

"Lie down, your wound hasn't closed yet. If you move too much, you can bleed again." Arsen said without looking at Lavi.

"I said let me go!"

"No."

Lavi hisses. He pulled out a book that caught Arsen's eye to get him to look at him. If foul language did not work, maybe he should beg, lower his pride.

According to the servants he met this morning, their palace is being visited by Lord Davion's son. And he thinks his name was Arsen Bathara.

"Please, Young master, let me go. I have to go somewhere now." He pleaded with a wistful face.

Arsen frowned. "You want to see Karna?"

Wha?

Suddenly shiver ran through his body. How did Arsen think to ask him about Karna? No one knows about Karna in the palace. They only knew that Karna was a rebel and had been sent to prison, but nobody knew that Lavi knew Karna?

Lavi never talks about Karna to anyone.

"What is your relationship with Karna?"

Lavi's eyes quivered with anxiety. "I don't know him."

"Look me in the eyes when you talk," Arsen pulled Lavi's chin out until they looked at each other. Arsen's eyes are gloomy blue, but also beautiful. "I've been trying to figure out who Karna is."

Right. Arsen's been looking about Karna. It's not in the details, but he did learn that Karna was a prisoner in Askara clan prison who some time ago managed to escape.

Arsen looked at Lavi whose face looked like a thief had been caught. So cute.

"Lie down first," he said finally, gently pushing Lavi's chest and helping him lie down well. "I wouldn't ask who Karna is if you wouldn't explain."

Lavi's heart is beating really fast. s**t! Because of that, he couldn't deny anything, completely silent.

He didn't even notice that Arsen's hand was pressed against his cheek and stroked him gently. That guy's gaze looks so deep. His expression was flat and hard, but his movements were very light and gentle. That guy didn't say anything. He pulled a blanket over Lavi's body to his chin.

"I'm out for a bit. I've arranged a servant at the door for you."

After saying that Arsen picked up his shirt and wore it in a flash. He hurried out. Walking through the palace corridor filled with servants, then he found Kiril near the garden. Pulled him into the treatment room.

He knew that Kiril wasn't treating his wounds properly.

Kiril sat down in one of the chairs, while Arsen spoke with someone there, he was now listening intently to the words of one of the physician's assistants who was treating Lavi's wounds. Actually, now Kiril was still upset because his cheeks were so painful after receiving the fatal blow Arsen gave him with a powerful energy.

He regretted it.

Before this Kiril had no intention of fighting that wounded guy, but he was very familiar with Lavi's character who would never go along with others' orders. Actually Kiril was forced to play Lavi's game and let himself go up against the man.

He did nothing, just took a couple of low blows. However, it looks like he hit the wounded part of Lavi's abdomen and tearing it open again.

Arsen glanced at him. "Please treat Kiril as well, his cheek bruised."

The young assistant named Alma Andaru immediately took Arsen's orders and handed eggs to Kiril then she was fetching cold water in the kitchen. Kiril used the egg to squeeze the bruise on his cheek repeatedly.

"Are you satisfied?" said Arsen sarcastically.

"Hey, it's not my fault," Kiril smiled and grimaced when his bruised hurt. "It's Lavi who challenges me to a duel."

"You're not stupid. That guy is obviously very sick without you hitting him once."

"I thought I'd say no, but he attacked me anyway." Kiril shrugged nonchalant.

Although Arsen didn't know Lavi so well, he could understand what Kiril was saying. In his point of view, Lavi had already shown that he was stubborn and insufferable. Lavi was also able to show his stubbornness when Arsen tried to help him up. Though without his help, Lavi obviously couldn't get up because of his wound and let himself die slowly.

The physician had said that Lavi had lost a lot of blood and was poisoned, but that guy kept insisting on fighting on the pretext of restoring his strength. Is Lavi so stupid? Restoring power doesn't have to be practice fighting, does it?

"Next time you don't have to listen."

Kiril put on a hurt expressions of his face. "You still blame me, Young master? Uh, you're so mean."

"No need to be so formal, you can call me Arsen."

Right. Kiril knew they were close friends when they were little, but now they stand in the palace as servants and masters. One time Rory told him to respect Arsen properly as his young master.

"Thanks, but I don't want to be beheaded by Rory." Kiril smirked.

Arsen rolled his eyes, then looked at Kiril's blue cheeks as he was bruised, feeling a little guilty. Come to think of it, Kiril was actually a great fighter, he must have been wounded in the past many times, there's no way he was in pain from that small wound. Because of the thought, Arsen didn't feel sorry anymore. He thought Lavi's wounds were so much more severe that the black haired guy wouldn't stop moaning in his sleep as Alma poured his wounds with the herbs.

That had to sting.

Finally Arsen walked toward Kiril and pulled the pale man out of the treatment room. The two walked calmly down the corridor without breaking the ice. Arsen has been busy with his mind, luckily his anger has completely faded.

Like, next time he'll have to hit something if he wants his anger out. And maybe Kiril was ready to be a punching bag for his sake.

"Thank you, Alma," Kiril said while meeting Alma in the corridor and getting a warm, wet cloth from her.

The girl smiled shyly, really lucky because she could get a charming smile from kiril. Even though the man was a smiley handler.

"I will prepare another medicine so that your bruise can quickly gone, Sir Kiril," offered Alma, shyly.

Kiril smiled. "Of course you do. You're not only beautiful, but so kind, Alma. Thank you."

"That's her job," Arsen sneered.

Actually Kiril heard it, but he chose to ignore it and let Alma say good-bye to him to make a cure.

"Young master, what do you think about Alma?" Kiril asked suddenly.

"She has big breasts."

"You're right. Her breasts protruded clearly under her shirt, right? And they must have been so bouncy," Kiril said.

Arsen eyebrows frowned. He had known him to be quite friendly and smiling, but he didn't expect to see the guy's other characters—that's looks quite pervy.

"You like her?" guess Arsen.

"Eh, is it too noticeable?" He asked back.

"Yeah. Written clearly on your forehead."

He retorted with a sullen face. The stillness between them caused Arsen to quiet again, especially in his memory of the father's speech and to draw some reasonable conclusions. Almost all of Arsen's conclusions point to one point, that is; Bathara clan needs to be more assertive.

A m******e or whatever, it doesn't belong in this place. Although this is a law of nature.

To be more exact, Arsen didn't want his father, his old man, still preoccupied with the people of the island and jockeying for power. Arsen was confused by his members in the organization. Not the father.

"Hey, Kiril, do you want to be my old man's bodyguard?"

Kiril next to him still had a flat expression. "Are you recruiting me, Young master?"

"Just answer clearly."

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because—" Arsen was stunned, then pulled the guy's lapel. "I'm asking you to answer it. Are you deliberately wearing me out?"

"Wow, jeez. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Is this really how you behave in the wild world?" Kiril said in response, Arsen's brow furrowed. His childhood friend tapped his index finger on the tip of his chin. "I appreciate the offer. But I suppose that's impossible, because on Master's side there is Lavi. He is Master's right-man hand."

"Who's stronger between you and Lavi?"

Somehow Kiril's expression was rather gloomy. "Of course Lavi."

"Are you trying to humble yourself?"

The empty bench in the pool park was their final destination. The two sat on a loose-shaped cement and had a table in the middle. They sat across from each other.

"The whole clan knows that Lavi is a good swordsman. I'm still far below."

"Aren't you also my old man's right-man hand?"

"It might be more appropriate to call me a second player. If Lavi is injured or indisposed, I'll take his place." Kiril explained.

If Lavi was that great here, why doesn't Arsen know him? Long ago, little Arsen invited by his father here many times, and he eventually became friends with the little Kiril. Did he ever meet Lavi that time?

"What clan is he from?" he asked.

"You don't know?" Kiril' brow furrowed. A servant brought them a drink, and then he continued, "Lavi is from a fairly prominent clan, but now his clan has been in ruins for decades."

Arsen's expression didn't change even though he was shocked.

Then Karna ....

Before this, Arsen had been quietly inquiring about Karna and found out that Karna was a young man from the clan of sinners who participated in the m******e twenty years ago. Karna is now a prisoner about to be executed.

So, Karna and Lavi are from different clans? What exactly is their relationship?

Why does Lavi keep calling Karna's name in his sleep? This made him very curious.

Arsen looked at Kiril in the eye. "If a guy named Karna, you know him?"

tbc.