“With some friends.” … “Okay. I know.” … “Since when did you care about me going to school?” … “Maxim will be here soon. Don’t worry.” Stepan puts down his phone and turns to look at Kirill who is currently sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea in his hands. He had told him all about his secret club and it appears that Kirill is digesting the information at the moment.

“That’s my dad. He rarely cares but I rushed to see you without thinking and informing anyone so I got them worried,” he laughed as he explained to Kirill. He was usually calculative but since Kirill grabbed his attention, he has gotten a little impulsive. He knows that it’s bad for him but bad things always get you a little addicted. “My family is a bit… how to say? Hmm… We have enemies. So, we usually have bodyguards around us. Mine is Maxim. He acts as my chauffeur as well and butler. Something like that. Soon, when I hit 18, I will be more heavily guarded and I will move to the capital to be involved in hmm… family business, sort of,” he said. He doesn’t really tell others easily about this but with Kirill, he spilled them without thinking. “When I’m 18, I will have more resources so I think I can help you better to find Kliment by then.”

Kirill listened to what he said carefully and thought to himself that he can’t wait for another year. He wanted to find him soon. But seeing Stepan’s eagerness, he doesn’t want to burst his bubbles so he asks him a question to confirm some rumours. “Family business as in the mafia business?” Kirill had always been straightforward but even he, himself, felt that his question this time was too straightforward but it was already too late to back out since it had already been spoken.

Stepan was stupefied for a moment before he chuckled lowly. “So you heard the rumours too,” he simply commented. He didn’t answer the question nor did he deny the fact. He just leaves it at that. “You’ve not been in Krasniy for long but the longer you’re here, the more you’ll hear about me, I suppose.”

“Oh I have already heard a lot,” Kirill spoke. Again… it was too late to back out as well this time. He regretted it the minute he spit out those words.

“Yeah? What did you hear?” Stepan asked curiously, slightly amused. He guesses that in a small town, gossip travelled really fast.

“Hmm… Not really bad rumours. But I don’t know if for you, they’re bad. But for me, I don’t think they’re really bad rumours.”

“Such as?”

Kirill laughed embarrassedly before he told of what he had heard in the main toilet of the school that day. “They say you have a big dick and you fuck for many rounds. They also say you sleep with someone only once.” There. He said it. Somehow, he felt relieved that he had said them out loud. He’s never the type to hold himself back and he really rather be open about things. Just that, at this moment, he doesn’t fully trust Stepan yet.

Stepan laughed aloud the moment he made sense of what Kirill had told him and he couldn’t stop laughing. “What the-...” He laughed again. Stepan’s laughter was loud and sort of roaring, full of amusement. He really laughed heartily. Like a kid. Seeing him laugh, Kirill laughed along too because he can’t help but be amused to see Stepan laughing his ass off like that. Stepan actually looks less intimidating when he laughs. His eyes also got smaller with his laughter and the mole under his left eye looks even more prominent. Kirill thinks that Stepan looks a bit cute, laughing without restraint like that. “What the fuck. Where did you hear this?” He asked as he wiped tears from his eyes that had fallen due to him laughing too much.

“Actually, in the toilet,” Kirill spolke truthfully.

“Huh?” Stepan showed a confused look before he burst into another round of laughter. Kirill laughed along too. “It’s so funny,” Stepan finally commented. “Don’t believe in too many rumours, yeah?” He advised, appearing not to care at all about what people had said about him. But Kirill already knew by this point that the rumour about the size of the dick is correct. About the rest, he guesses he won’t ever find out.

The awkwardness between them had been lifted and Kirill’s previous heartache and sadness diminished almost completely. Kirill suddenly realises that it actually feels good to be around Stepan. He feels comfortable. Even the tea tastes good too. “Oh by the way, what tea is this? I’ve never tasted this before.”

“Is it good?”

“It’s good.”

“It’s Yellow Gold Tea imported from Singapore. Quite rare. But my family handled the shipping so I can get some for you if you want,” Stepan offered.

Kirill smiles at the offer and readily agrees. “Thank you,” he said. He really likes the taste and he decides to be shameless once in a while. It’s no big deal.

“Anything for you,” Stepan flirted suddenly. Kirill was amused but not surprised. 

“You’re staying over tonight, right? Have you told your mother?” 

Kirill remembers that when he left his mother’s house today, he had left without a word with tears in his eyes. During the time, Lena and Leah, his mother’s wife, were busy with their newborn daughter. Kirill has a half-sister now. The baby also has segmental heterochromia like him and Kliment. Kirill doesn’t know how to feel at first when he finds out about it but then later feels like it doesn’t matter because to him, the baby girl will have nothing to do with him after all. He doesn’t want to know and doesn’t want to be involved in their lives.

Seeing Kirill didn’t answer, Stepan suddenly said; “I’ve told her.” Kirill raises his head to look at Stepan and feels confused for a moment. “I was Kliment’s best friend so I regularly saw Lena and I have her contact number,” Stepan gave Kirill his phone to show him the conversation between him and Lena. Kirill looks at the messages his mother sent to Stepan, reminding Stepan to make sure Kirill eats more and to report back to her about Kirill. When he exited the dialogue box, he saw a folder on Stepan’s phone; ‘Kliment’. He is surprised for a bit but he still handed the phone back to Stepan without checking the folder.

“I have something to ask you,” Kirill said.

“Hmm?”

“What’s with the folder? With the name ‘Kliment’ in your phone? Even Stanley has one. Do Alberto and Andre have one too?”

“Yeah. We all have one,” Stepan answered quickly without any hesitation. Kirill feels relieved that he is not trying to hide it. Which means, it shouldn't be anything bad. “We keep one to keep tab regarding the activity that we can find on Kliment’s stalkers. To keep evidence,” Stepan explained. “I’m not good at explaining it so we must wait for Alberto to come. He’s better at explaining this thing.”

“When will he come?”

“Tomorrow,” Stepan spoke. Tomorrow will be another school day but it appears that they will all skip school like a bunch of delinquents.

Before Kirill could say more, they heard sounds of a car approaching the cabin. Stepan turns to look at the window. “That must be Maxim. You can head up first to rest. You may choose any room. They are all clean.”

Kirill had forgotten what he wanted to say by then so he went up without looking back. Meanwhile, Stepan went out to see Maxim coming out of the car and moved to open the boot of the car to get some things. As Maxim took out some food supplies and carried them in his hand, a long scar on his wrist was visible to the eye. Stepan looked at the scar coldly without a word.

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Next update: 2022/05/16

*Author’s Note: Kirill’s mother is a ‘strain’ so between her and Leah, Leah was the one who got pregnant with Kirill’s half-sister this time. Female ‘strain’ has both male and female reproductive organs. Male ‘strain’ on the outside will look like normal male but they have wombs to carry children as well. -K