Danny trusted his best friend and never doubted his love for Hera. Though he always said Hera didn't deserve Hunter's love, he never meant it. He'd taunted her for not being good enough for his friend, but he only said that to hurt Hera. Simply a jarring insult, nothing malicious. In all honesty, Danny was more than happy that she fell in love with his best friend.
He'd insultingly said that Hera acted like a dead fish around her boyfriend, but now, the mere thought of their intimacy was bothering him. He didn't know how to put it into words.
Though he never admitted that he cared for his little sister, it was the truth, and he couldn't deny it anymore.
A cigarette between his fingers glinted with dark orange at the tip as Danny puffed and whiffed the smoke.
Hunter silently sat beside him, and neither of them spoke for a while. When Danny couldn't stand the silence anymore, he threw the cigarette pack on Hunter's lap.. The latter picked up the cigarette pack, pulled a cigarette out from it and placed it between his lips. He kept the packet aside on the bench, and his hand disappeared into his pant pocket only to reappear within seconds with a lighter.
It was Danny's way of acknowledging the presence of his best friend. It wasn't unwelcome or unexpected. He knew Hunter would come after him.
Hunter lit the tip of the cigarette and sucked the air in hurriedly before exhaling the white smoke out. Danny was in shorts, but his hoodie kept him warm whereas Hunter's thin full-sleeved T-shirt did nothing to ease the chilly weather. He was thankful for the warmth the cigarette provided from inside.
"Smoking in the School's premises, you're breaking the rule, buddy. If anyone sees we'll be in trouble," Hunter said, feigning a worried tone. Danny scoffed, "Look who's talking about rule-breaking!" He said while Hunter laughed at his friend's jab. It wasn't new for them because they broke rule all the time.
He saw Eric and Michael jogging their way to the stone bench, and Danny too looked up at the sound of their approaching footsteps.
"School's mighty President and vice president sitting together, puffing the cigarette in the school premises. Wow! What an inspirational sight!" Michael said, tone filled with amusement before pulling out his cell phone to click a picture of them. "The Principal and the teachers would be so proud if they witness this iconic moment, won't they?" He asked with a wide grin before taking a seat on the bench, and Eric followed with a chuckle.
Hunter grinned at his friends. "Took you long enough to follow me. Of course, you had to put on sneakers and get dressed like you're on some secret mission," he said, eyeing their attire. They were in sweatpants, hoodies and sneakers.
Eric pointed his finger at Hunter's feet, and by the glare directed at him, Hunter knew what it meant. He rolled his eyes, "I didn't know where he could be. What if I've to jump over the gate and go look for him on the other side?" He asked in a duh tone, stating his reasons for the sneakers.
Eric scoffed before asking, "Did you expect us to jump the gate off barefooted?"
Michael's raised brows and his eyes asked the same question. Hunter smiled sheepishly and glanced at Danny right in time to witness his lips twitching upwards into a tiny smile.
Michael grabbed the cigarette pack and took out two cigarettes and offered one to Eric. Danny passed his lighter to him.
Meanwhile, holding the cigarette between his index and middle finger, Hunter subconsciously caressed his bruised lips with his thumb.
Danny looked at Hunter's neck before he turned his head to the side, and his lips twitched downwards in a disapproving scowl. He flicked his thumb downward multiple times to get rid of the ash before he inhaled the smoke again.
Hunter didn't miss the scowl on Danny's face. "Hera and I fought. Your sister got mad over something I said, and she attacked me, biting anywhere she could," he said and chuckled before adding for Danny's sake, "To punish me of course because she was angry with me," he said. He didn't want Danny to know the actual reason. Hera was angry because he stopped himself before the situation could get more intense.
But Danny wasn't dumb. He could recognise a hickey when he sees one. After all, they all explored this journey of sex education together and learned everything together.
"Danny, you don't have to worry about Hera. I wouldn't force her against her will. You could trust me, buddy," he said, waiting for his friend to acknowledge his honesty. "I do, Ace. You know I do," Danny said without any hesitation. They nodded and bumped their fists with each other and grinned.
"Besides, your sister is crazy romantic. I have a long way to go before she lets me have my way with her. She wants a wedding night. You know, a wedding bed decorated with red rose petals and scented candles, all that shit?" Hunter asked with a wide grin, and his three friends laughed at this revelation.
"Ace, my boy! I pity your dick. I won't be surprised if it shrinks to tiny day by day. That poor fellow has to endure so much, and I don't think his suffering is going to end anytime soon," Eric said, laughing and Danny too looked very amused.
Hunter kicked Eric on his thigh. "I'll chop yours if you dare call my dick tiny again," he said in a warning tone before he gave up the pretence and laughed with his friends.
"Ah, can you guys be any more idiotic? Why would he wait and suffer?" Michael asked with a serious look while eyes specially fixed on Danny.
"I mean, think about it, all he's to do is to decide when he wants that wedding night to happen. Did you forget they're already married? Ace needs just a bunch of red roses to arrange the petals on the bed, and he is all set to deflower our little Hera," Michael said much to Danny's annoyance. "Come on, Danny, tell me now, could you still trust him?" He asked.
"Mike, shut up," Hunter said, gritting his teeth in warning, but Michael only smirked at him. "What? Don't tell me you're not planning this. I'm just stating the truth. I dare you to deny it," he said, challenging him. Hunter smacked him on the side of the head, and Michael cursed, wincing.
Eric laughed while Danny glared at Michael. "Mike, you better run for your life," Eric said when Danny stubbed out the cigarette butt before disposing of it in the trash bin.
Michael jumped to his feet while Danny chased him. "Bro, you're coming after the wrong person, I was only trying to make you see the reality," he yelled, running away from Danny. Eric took out two mouth freshener from his pant pocket and offered one to Hunter. Amused, they watched with a wide grin while Danny and Michael fought each other. After blowing a few punches at one another, they returned to join Eric and Hunter.
And just like that, everything went back to normal between them and Danny wasn't upset anymore. After spending a few more minutes of talking and laughing, they decided to head back.
Hunter stopped and looked over his shoulder, and Danny did the same. They both looked over the gate, eyes searching for any sign of danger.
"I felt like someone was watching us," Hunter said, but couldn't see anyone at the gate.
Danny hid his tension and tried to relax his tensed posture. He didn't miss the mop of platinum curly hair pulled into a messy ponytail before it disappeared behind the wall near the gate. He wanted to believe that he didn't see the tall, lean man in a biker outfit, giving him a glare in a warning. Danny desperately wished for it to be his hallucination and prayed hard for the danger to vanish.
"Can we check on Hera?" Danny asked suddenly, and he failed to hide the panic in his voice. Hunter regarded him with suspicion, and Eric voiced out his thoughts. "What's with you today? You're thinking about Hera too much," Eric said. Danny rolled his eyes and tried his best to act cool. "Hera is alone in her room, and I just want to make sure she's okay," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's cute you're worrying your ass off for Hera. She would be delighted to know you care so much," Hunter said, teasing him.
"Looks like someone wants to get their ass kicked," Danny said in a mock cheerful voice, his tone playful but when Hunter looked at him, Danny's jaw was set and eyes narrowed. The look said, he wasn't joking at all. Hunter snorted. "Calm your tits, I won't tell her until you want me to," he said and pulled out his phone.
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