System Mission: Seduce the Final Boss [BL]

"Blake!"

It didn’t work for long, if not at all.

Blake froze mid-step.

’Seriously? Not even half a day passed!’

For one brief, desperate second, he considered pretending he hadn’t heard it.

Maybe if he kept walking, Anthony would assume he had called someone else. Maybe the crowded hallway would swallow him up. Maybe...

"Blake!"

Nope, it was definitely him.

He slowly turned around.

Anthony was already jogging toward him, his expression somewhere between relief and concern.

Asher followed a few steps behind, walking quickly enough that it was obvious he hadn’t exactly been planning to let Anthony handle this alone.

Blake’s stomach sank.

’Fuck... this is pretty damn annoying.’

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

His heartbeat immediately betrayed him.

Beside him, Myles had stopped as well.

Blake glanced at him.

He wasn’t looking at Anthony or Asher. His attention was entirely on Blake, his expression unreadable in that way that had become increasingly familiar.

"Go ahead," Blake said quietly.

Myles didn’t move, which made Blake frown slightly.

"It’s fine. Seriously, I can handle this just fine."

Myles’ gaze lingered on him.

"You said that before."

Blake’s mouth twitched.

"Yeah, and I survived worse, didn’t I?"

He didn’t answer.

His expression became slightly more intense, his eyes narrowing just enough for Blake to realize that he really wasn’t convinced.

Blake lowered his voice.

"Please. Just do as I say."

For a moment, Myles simply stared at him, then, his eyes softened.

"Fine. I’ll be waiting for you. Don’t get home late."

Then Myles turned and started walking away.

Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, where—"

Myles raised one hand.

Something dangled between his fingers.

Keys.

Blake stared.

"...How did you even get those?"

Myles didn’t answer.

He simply continued walking, the keys swinging lightly from his hand.

Blake looked down at his own pockets.

’When did he even take those?!’

He hadn’t even felt him reach for them.

Before Blake could think about it any further, Anthony finally reached him.

"Hey."

Blake turned around.

Anthony stopped a few feet away, slightly out of breath.

"How are you doing?"

Blake gave him a small smile.

"I’m doing pretty well."

"It’s been a while," Anthony said.

"Yeah. It has."

Asher finally reached them.

He gave Blake an awkward smile.

"Yeah... same here."

The three of them stood there in silence.

It was strange, not the comfortable silence Blake was used to with Myles.

Not even the awkward-but-familiar silence he sometimes had with them before.

This was something else entirely, with way too much sitting underneath it.

Anthony was studying him, Asher was studying him... and Blake was painfully aware of both.

Anthony eventually cleared his throat.

"Could we spend some time together?"

Blake glanced down the hallway. There really wasn’t any good reason to refuse.

"Sure. Alright."

That was the only answer he could give.

They probably already had pieces of a timeline.

Even if neither of them possessed actual proof of anything, both Anthony and Asher were extremely intelligent.

If they had been thinking about his disappearance for days, they had probably already connected several things.

The problem was that there wasn’t much Blake could actually tell them.

They left through the school exit.

The moment they stepped outside, the conversation died again.

The three of them walked together, quietly.

Blake shoved his hands into his pockets.

Anthony kept glancing at him from time to time.

Asher did the same, although he was much less subtle about it.

’They really want to ask, huh...’

Blake almost sighed.

’Then just ask already.’

The problem was that they seemed to have no idea how to begin.

Anthony was probably trying to find the safest possible opening.

Asher, meanwhile, looked like he was mentally rehearsing some grand confrontation.

Blake could almost imagine the questions.

Where were you?

Why were you gone?

Why was your phone off?

Why did you disappear immediately after the incident?

And, perhaps most dangerously...

What are you hiding?

Blake spotted a small café ahead.

He pointed toward it.

"That place makes pretty good stuff."

Anthony looked over.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

Asher nodded.

"Alright."

They entered.

Blake immediately chose the emptiest table he could find.

Definitely the right call.

They ordered drinks, more specifically juice, nothing particularly complicated, and sat down.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Blake stared at his glass.

Anthony stared at Blake.

Asher stared at both of them.

’It’s obvious they want to spout an entire river of questions, how awkward.’

Blake took a sip.

’Ack again, just do it already!’

He eventually decided to make the first move.

"Sorry."

Both of them looked at him.

"For not contacting you."

Asher immediately shook his head.

"No, it’s fine."

"I should’ve at least said something, don’t say it’s fine."

"You were injured, you didn’t exactly owe us a detailed report...!"

Blake smiled faintly.

"Still."

Anthony leaned forward slightly.

"Was it because of your ribs?"

Blake looked at him.

"Partially."

Blake slowly placed his glass down.

"It’s difficult to explain."

That much was true.

"My future was kind of uncertain for a while."

"Your future?"

"Yeah."

Blake scratched his cheek.

"I had some things I needed to sort out. Nothing dramatic, but it was something I couldn’t really postpone anymore. Once I got hurt, it became even harder to deal with, so I had to stay away for a few days."

It was technically true, just not in the way they were probably imagining.

Blake continued before they could interrupt.

"I know that sounds vague, but I really can’t explain much more than that."

Anthony’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And that’s why you kept your phone turned off?"

Blake immediately nodded.

"Actually, my phone broke."

"Really?" Asher asked.

"Yeah."

Blake laughed awkwardly.

"I was using that breathing thing at the time, the incentive spirometer, and it slipped out of my hand. It fell pretty badly."

He shrugged.

"Completely wrecked it."

Anthony stared at him.

"And you didn’t get another one?"

"I didn’t have the chance."

Blake paused.

"Besides, I had other things to worry about."

That was probably the easiest part of the explanation to believe.

Blake reached into his pocket and pulled out his new phone.

"I saved your numbers again, though. So there’s no problem there."

Anthony’s eyes immediately went to the phone.

"What about the messages?"

Blake’s expression became apologetic.

"I can’t see anything you sent while the phone was broken."

Asher bit his lip.

It wasn’t unbelievable.

If anything, the explanation was annoyingly ordinary.

A broken phone, an injury and personal matters.

After all, he was only a few days away.

Everything had a perfectly reasonable explanation.

And yet...

Asher looked at Blake’s face.

He was still smiling and speaking casually.

But there was a certain distance in his expression that had been there before, just not to such extent.

A guardedness.

A coldness.

Asher had seen that expression somewhere else.

It reminded the both of them of Myles.

The comparison made his stomach tighten.

"Is that really all?"

The question slipped out before Asher could stop himself.

Anthony’s head snapped toward him.

His expression clearly said:

Make it less obvious!!

Asher immediately realized what he had done.

Blake, however, simply kept smiling.

"Well..."

He leaned back slightly.

"If it’s about my future, you can’t really tell me something that’s all."

Asher frowned.

"That’s not what I—"

"I know."

Blake’s tone wasn’t angry.

He took another sip from his drink.

Anthony watched him carefully.

"Blake."

"Hm?"

"If there’s something bothering you, you can tell us."

Blake looked at him.

For a moment, his smile became genuinely softer.

"I know."

And he did, that was the problem.

He knew they cared.

He knew they were worried.

He knew they weren’t trying to hurt him, even if suspicious.

But there were some things he simply couldn’t explain.

Not because he didn’t trust them, but because he couldn’t.

Blake finished his drink.

Then he stood.

"Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow."

Asher immediately looked up.

"Wait."

Blake paused.

"We can talk a little longer."

He sighed lightly, his smile slowly faded.

He didn’t look angry.

"I really have to go."

He stepped past them.

Asher stood up.

"Blake—"

Blake stopped.

He turned around.

For the first time since they’d entered the café, he looked directly at both of them without smiling.

"You guys are my friends, right?"

Asher froze.

Anthony’s expression softened.

"Yes."

"Of course."

They answered almost simultaneously.

Blake smiled.

"Then there’s no need to fret over this."

He gestured lightly toward himself.

"If you can trust anyone, then I shouldn’t be the exception."

Asher opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Anthony simply watched him.

Blake gave them both a small wave.

"See you tomorrow."

Then he turned around and walked away.

Neither of them followed.

They simply watched him leave.

Asher’s hands slowly curled into fists.

Anthony remained silent beside him.

After a few seconds, Asher finally spoke.

"...That didn’t answer anything."

"No."

Anthony kept his eyes on the café entrance.

"But it wasn’t meant to."

Asher frowned.

"Then why did he say it?"

Anthony sighed.

"Because he wanted us to stop asking."

Asher looked down.

That answer bothered him.

Not because it was wrong, because it was probably right.

Outside, Blake continued walking.

His pace was steady.

His expression was calm.

But the moment the café disappeared behind him, he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

’That could’ve gone worse.’

He reached into his pocket.

His fingers brushed against the new phone.

Then he remembered the keys Myles had taken from him earlier.

He sighed.

"That guy..."

Despite everything, Blake couldn’t help but smile a little.

At least he had somewhere to go.

And someone waiting for him that he could rely on.

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