Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 62: The Mission

The morning in Class XII-D felt longer than a triple period of Calculus.

For Zane, at least.

He sat in his usual spot by the window, his leg bouncing slightly, restlessly. His gaze was fixed outside. He just sat there, looking normal, but it was enough to make the class tense.

Zane Leinster, who was very allergic to sitting in class for long periods of time and was known as a student who arrived right when the bell rang, was now the first student to occupy the end of the classroom.

It was no surprise that students who usually arrived early had to wait for their friends outside to avoid the cold, dark aura that emanated from the boy’s gaze.

Zane didn’t care. He sat quietly and, for the first time, brought his bag with him to carry his precious lunch box, which had been making him restless all morning.

He seemed indifferent to his surroundings, but his heart was pounding. He swallowed several times. Every time he heard the door open, he glanced over quietly. Then he clicked his tongue when the person who entered wasn’t the one he was expecting.

Of course, his behavior confused his friends. The only thing they could think at that moment was that Zane was angry at them.

Until finally, Nathan entered the classroom.

The boy smiled when several students greeted him and immediately sat down at his seat.

Zane cleared his throat softly, feeling his hands suddenly go cold. He glanced secretly at every move Nathan made, whether it was putting his laptop on the table, opening his notebook, or taking out a pen.

He was a little disturbed because Nathan completely ignored his presence. This was something usually he did and was very good at with everyone.

Zane accidentally glared when Miko approached Nathan and started talking to him.

Gulp. It seemed that Miko noticed his gaze and returned to his seat immediately.

Zane cleared his throat again, his throat suddenly dry. He was afraid his asthma would flare up at this stage. But he hadn’t expected it to be this difficult to act normal.

His goal was just to give him the lunch box and leave. But what if Nathan threw it away? After what happened yesterday, he wouldn’t be surprised if the boy tossed his food straight into the trash.

Zane tapped the table, making the atmosphere around him tense. In the eyes of his classmates, he looked angry, ready to beat anyone up.

Zane took a deep breath. ’You can do it. Just give that damn box and get out!’

But he was nervous.

Every time the bell rang between periods, Zane straightened up, preparing to hand it over. And every single time, someone swarmed Nathan.

"Nathan, did you take notes yesterday? I have articles from the previous lesson if you want them," said a girl whose name Zane had forgotten.

They chatted for a while, exchanging email addresses.

Zane cursed under his breath. He had already taken another breath to prepare himself when the girl returned to her desk, but the boy sitting in front of Nathan turned around and started talking to him, and now Miko joined in too.

"Nathan, are you joining the football club?"—enough to start another long conversation.

Zane scowled and sank back into his chair, letting out a loud, frustrated sigh that sounded like a growl.

Beatrice, sitting two rows away, whispered to Liam, "Oh my god, Zane looks ready to kill someone. Do you think he’s going to fight Nathan right here?"

"I don’t know," Liam whispered back, terrified. "Don’t look at him. If we don’t move, maybe he won’t see us."

Everyone thought Zane hated Nathan after what happened in the cafeteria. So everything about Zane’s tense attitude that morning was linked to Nathan, and they started to get concerned. Especially since it looked like Zane wanted to eat Nathan alive and was just waiting for everyone to leave him alone.

They were on a mission to save Nathan now. #savenathan.

Nathan, meanwhile, was oblivious. Or trying to be.

He could feel waves of aggression radiating from the boy next to him, but he chose to bury his nose in his notebook. Just ignore the angry bird, he told himself. He was sure Zane held a grudge after he threw his lunchbox away yesterday.

Finally, the lunch bell rang.

The classroom cleared out quickly, most students rushing to the cafeteria to avoid Zane’s foul mood.

Some kids still tried to save Nathan by inviting him along, but Nathan refused. He wanted to study. They finally gave up and left, giving him a little pat on the back for moral support.

Nathan took out some books he had borrowed from the library and opened them.

Zane waited.

This was it.

The room was almost empty.

He gripped the strap of his bag, his heart hammering against his ribs in a way that had nothing to do with his asthma. He just needed to shove the box at Nathan and say, ’Here. Eat. Shut up.’

Simple.

He stood up, turning toward Nathan. "Hey."

But before Nathan could look up, the classroom door slid open.

"Nathan!"

Elijah walked in, carrying two brown paper bags from the cafeteria. He looked happier than he had in days, his shoulders lighter.

"They had fried chicken. I asked them to put it in a paper bag," Elijah said, walking straight to Nathan’s desk. "And they actually had the spicy sauce today."

Nathan’s face transformed.

Zane clicked his tongue softly before sitting back down awkwardly. His face flushed, but he secretly glanced at the two of them.

Elijah sat in the chair in front of Nathan. Zane didn’t understand how anyone could be that talkative.

Then Zane glanced at Nathan again, and froze.

He watched as the stoic, defensive mask Nathan usually wore completely shattered. Nathan looked up at Elijah, and a genuine, blindingly bright smile broke across his face. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he let out a soft laugh.

"Finally," Nathan grinned, taking the bag. "I thought I was going to starve to death reading this physics garbage. Thanks, El. You’re a lifesaver."

"I try my best, boss," Elijah teased. "It’s easier to go to the cafeteria, though." He opened his own food.

"No, I have a lot of things to do. It’s good I have you."

They laughed together. It was a simple, easy sound.

Zane sat there, clutching his backpack strap, feeling like he had just walked into a glass wall.

He stared at Nathan’s smile.

It was... beautiful.

It made the boy look younger, softer, less like a stray dog baring its teeth and more like someone who could actually be happy.

And it wasn’t directed at him.

A sharp, ugly twist coiled in Zane’s stomach. He looked down at his bag, thinking of the carefully prepared bento inside.

It suddenly felt stupid.

Why would Nathan want his apology lunch when he had Elijah bringing him chicken and making him laugh?

"Tch."

The sound was loud in the quiet room. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Elijah glanced over discreetly. Since he had arrived, Zane had been staring at him with a murderous look. His body tensed, but he had no other choice. He tried to speak more softly—but Zane’s stare sharpened.

Hih~~~

The atmosphere turned tense and cold.

"Ugh... I’ll eat in my class," Elijah finally said, unable to take Zane’s stare any longer.

Nathan ate his chicken and read his book, not paying much attention to Zane. But when Elijah was about to leave, he quickly stopped him.

"Oh, wait, El," Nathan said, grabbing his bag and pulling out a piece of paper.

Elijah, already standing, looked at the paper with confusion.

"Well, yesterday I asked my brother for a recommendation for a good specialist. He gave me this number."

Elijah stared at it, then at Nathan, silent for a long moment.

Nathan continued, "Don’t worry about the cost. My brother will take care of it. Just tell the hospital that Alexander Salazar sent your mother."

Elijah remained silent, staring at the paper.

Nathan worried he might misunderstand and think he was being insulted.

"Uh, El—"

Suddenly, Elijah hugged him tightly.

Nathan nearly choked. "E-El, you’re choking me."

Elijah immediately released him and wiped away tears he hadn’t realized had fallen. "Oh—sorry..."

"Why are you crying?" Nathan asked, startled.

Elijah took a deep breath. "It’s just... I never expected this kind of kindness. Especially about my mother. Nathan, why are you so kind?"

Nathan stayed quiet as Elijah cried harder.

"I delayed taking my mother to the hospital. I worry every time her condition worsens... You don’t know how much this means to me. I’ll pay you back in installments once I get a better job after graduation," Elijah said, his voice shaking.

Nathan grabbed his arm. "Focus on your studies. That’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to help you a bit so you can graduate with less burden. Be successful. Find your passion. Make money for you and your mother."

Elijah nodded.

"And don’t think about paying me back," Nathan added. "My brother is rich."

But stingy, his inner voice supplied.

Elijah hugged him again. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

None of this escaped Zane’s attention.

He felt strangely caught up in their emotions. He even forgot his mission. It was undeniable, he saw Nathan the way Elijah did.

For a moment, the silver-haired boy looked radiant, as if an imaginary halo hovered above his head.

Zane looked away quickly. What was he thinking?

He cleared his throat loudly. Seeing Elijah hug Nathan made him uncomfortable.

Why did he have to hug him? Lame.

Nathan and Elijah both looked over.

Zane met their gazes, his gray eyes stormy. "You two are noisy."

Without waiting for a response, Zane stormed out, slamming the door so hard it rattled on its tracks.

Nathan blinked, confused. "What is his problem? I wasn’t even that loud."

Elijah trembled slightly. "He’s a Leinster. They’re born angry."