Chapter 25: Ch 25: This should never come to light

’Something happened between Noah and Alan, and Noah is not telling me. Should I drag the truth out of his mouth?’

Daniel was not sure why this was bothering him so much. But ever since he had come out of that dungeon, he had found himself unable to concentrate properly.

The feeling had only gotten worse ever since he visited Alan with Noah and noticed the weird tension in the air.

It was so bad that he was sure he could cut it with a knife if he needed to.

What was worse was the fact that his eyes kept noticing things that made him feel upset. Mainly, the way Alan was looking at Noah.

There was possessiveness in those eyes, along with something else. And every time Daniel noticed this, it made him want to drag Noah back to their room.

’Do you like him?’

Ethan’s question echoed inside Daniel’s mind, and it was getting harder and harder for him to ignore it.

He wanted to believe that it was not possible for him to fall in love that easily, but maybe he had fallen in love without meaning to.

And then there were these dreams of the past. They were all the same—him being in a burning building with other kids and someone dragging him out of there. But once he got out, the person who had guided him was no longer there.

Daniel was all alone, and cold hands were gripping him, suffocating him, and he was drowning...

Gasp

Daniel woke up shaking from another nightmare. He was not sure what he was supposed to do now. But his eyes moved to Noah, who was still sleeping soundly.

"I am safe! The dungeon did not kill anyone. Noah came back alive."

He reassured himself, but his instincts refused to calm down. In the end, Daniel headed toward the other side of the room and reached Noah’s bed.

Daniel did realize what he was doing, but he did not pay it much attention as he slipped into Noah’s bed to share his warmth.

"Noah...will likely be too confused..."

Daniel knew this, and yet he still slipped into Noah’s bed and closed his eyes. This time, sleep came easily to him, and he was able to relax.

Being by Noah’s side was nice. It gave Daniel a sense of safety he had never felt in his life. He wished he could stay there forever.

Unfortunately, the alarm rang soon after, indicating that it was time to get up and start a new day.

...

’There is...someone in my bed. What did I do last night?’

Noah tried to recall why or how a person could have ended up in his bed, but his mind drew a blank.

He had visited Alan last night with Daniel and then come back to his room and gone to bed...so why was there another presence behind him?

"Did I...make a mistake?"

Noah did not think so, but he wanted to confirm. So he tried to move around a little...only for the person sleeping behind him to wrap their arms around his middle and hold him in place.

Those familiar arms felt like a cage that did not allow Noah to move. But at least they confirmed who was in bed with him.

’Daniel! Why is he in my bed? More importantly, why is he not letting me go?’

Noah’s body relaxed once he realized that there was a familiar presence behind him, and then his body decided to remind him that he had bodily functions to take care of.

That made Noah start struggling once more as he tried to break free from that hold.

But the more he struggled, the tighter the hold on his body became until it was impossible to break. Moreover, his bladder was trying to kill him here, and he needed to get away quickly.

"Daniel, wake up. I need to get to the bathroom."

Noah yelled in a desperate voice, trying to break free. But it had the opposite effect from what he wanted.

Not only did Daniel’s grip tighten, but he was also pressing on Noah’s lower stomach with his hands, making Noah even more desperate.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked back at Daniel, only to see that he had not even budged at his pleas.

’Darn it! Why did this have to happen now, of all times? I don’t want to have an accident...’

There was no other way but to resort to violence right now. So Noah decided to jab Daniel in the stomach, making him wake up instantly.

"What the-"

Daniel woke up cursing, only to see Noah’s desperate eyes. Noah was squirming in his arms, trying to break free.

"H-Hey, let me go before I do something unfortunate. A-Are you listening to me? Daniel?"

Noah asked, and Daniel felt dazed to see that pleading look directed at him.

He was ashamed to admit that a certain part of his body was starting to enjoy seeing Noah so desperate. Because of this, he almost made a mistake before he realized where he was and what he was doing.

Daniel let Noah go instantly, and Noah rushed toward the bathroom to take care of his situation. Meanwhile, the guide who had been left behind was not in any better condition.

That tear-eyed look of desperation Noah had directed at him had left Daniel in such a predicament that he did not even want to think about what had happened. In fact, it would be better if he were somehow able to erase it from his memory.

And he also needed a cold shower to calm himself down.

Thankfully, Noah did not take long in the bathroom, and Daniel was able to calm down quickly. He let out a sigh of relief and felt calmer when he saw Noah again.

Noah looked like he wanted to bring up what had happened, but Daniel pretended he did not remember any of it.

In the end, Noah lost confidence and dropped the topic...which was good because Daniel had no idea how he was supposed to bring something like this up.

He could not tell Noah that he had gotten hard because of him or that he had relieved himself while thinking about Noah.

This truth would never come to light.