From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 216: We Are Both Cowards

Micah dropped onto a low sofa in the corner of the room, letting out a dramatic sigh as he stretched his legs. "Man, why didn’t you tell those guys off?" he grumbled, glancing sideways.

Darcy sat beside him. His expression was the same as always, calm and unreadable. Without answering right away, he reached into his bag and pulled out a small thermos. Steam curled up as he unscrewed the top. He poured the tea into a cup.

"I didn’t want to ruin the mood before the final," Darcy said with a calm tone.

"You are too considerate. People are gonna walk all over you," Micah complained, his voice tinged with helplessness.

Darcy handed him the tea with a low chuckle. "Well. I have you, don’t I?"

Micah blinked, caught off guard. His hand holding the cup hovered mid-air. Then a wide grin spread across his face as he puffed out his chest and thumped it with one hand, feeling proud. "Damn right. This big brother is not gonna let anyone take advantage of you!"

Darcy’s lips twitched, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Why are you so sure you are older than me?"

Micah choked on his tea and coughed violently, slapping his chest. "What?"

Darcy tilted his head, eyes calm but playful. "Isn’t today your birthday? Do you know when mine is?"

Micah’s smile vanished. His grip on the cup tightened just slightly. His throat suddenly felt dry. Crap. Crap. Crap.

His face turned pale. Darcy had messaged him right after midnight last night. A sweet, quiet birthday wish. And Micah...couldn’t even return it. He wanted to... but he was scared.

He had a gift. A necklace. Designed by himself. But he still hadn’t figured out how to give it without raising suspicion. They had only known each other for two months, give or take. He couldn’t just say he had planned it all along. Darcy would know something was off.

He could lie, saying Nora told him. But what if Darcy asked her?

Or what? Saying he had seen his ID card? That was even weirder. What guy looked at the birthday date?!

Micah coughed awkwardly, not knowing how to reply.

"I don’t... I just assumed. No. It’s just a figure of speech," Micah mumbled. His thoughts were too jumbled to come up with a believable answer.

Darcy studied his face with soft eyes. "Well, now you know. We’re the same age. Today is also my birthday. Isn’t it interesting?"

Micah laughed, but it came out a little shaky. "Really? What a coincidence!" he said, giving Darcy’s shoulder an awkward pat. "Happy birthday."

Darcy smiled. "Thanks."

Inwardly, Micah felt like curling into a ball. He couldn’t give Darcy his gift today. How could he say he had prepared for his birthday when he claimed he didn’t know the date?

He couldn’t explain how long he had thought about it, how much it mattered.

Stupid. He was really stupid.

Micah looked down at the cup in his hands. His fingers tightened. No. It didn’t matter. He would’ve still given it to him. He could just say that when they went to Uncle Graham’s store, he saw it and thought of him. That made sense. He had bought one for Nora and Flora that day, didn’t he?

And why did it take this long? Well, he could say because of the gems. Yeah. Darcy didn’t need to know he had designed it. Dragon. The year they were born. That was believable. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

Darcy could tell Micah was upset. "Hey, did it matter to you this much? I can live with you thinking you are older than me. Cheer up!"

Micah jolted, his head snapping toward him. He stared at Darcy’s face. Not a trace of annoyance.

Ah. Darcy was really kind, gentle, and patient.

And he, Micah the fake heir was just a liar and a coward.

"I hold on to it then. Don’t regret it!" Micah said, taking a sip of tea.

Darcy nodded, his eyes full of indulgence. But Micah was too occupied to notice it. He put the cup down and leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

They sat there in silence, both lost in thought.

Micah sank deeper into misery. He knew the truth behind the swap. He knew Darcy’s birthday, but he was too afraid to admit why he had thought he was older. Then in his freaking out, he denied knowing his birthday. Making it impossible to tell the true meaning of his gift.

Beside him, Darcy fidgeted with the zipper of his bag. He glanced at Micah’s profile, then looked down again. His fingers brushed over the small cloth pouch hidden inside. It was small and soft, with a simple drawstring. Inside were two custom-made keychains.

He had worked extra tutoring shifts just to afford them. Two weeks of juggling school and part-time jobs, going to bed past midnight, waking up before sunrise. He knew Micah probably had shelves full of expensive things. Fashionable accessories. Designer watches. Stuff he couldn’t even name. But this... this was different.

He had gone with something connected to the game they played. That was the only thing they shared. The game, the matches, the win, the memories they had started building together.

He had spent hours trying to find something meaningful. Eventually, he had settled on these figurines: two tiny versions of their in-game champions, the Chibi Nami and Akali, locked in a playful hug. The other set was even sillier, Micah’s cat avatar with horns and a little pitchfork, biting the ear of a black cat.

They were childish. A bit dumb. But they were personal.

He had even had them made into keychains, something Micah could hang on his bag. Something visible. Something that said, ’Hey, we’re close.’

But he didn’t know whether Micah would like it or not. What if he thought they were too childish? Too ridiculous? Too cheap?

Micah was a fashion design major. He was used to high-end things. Trendy. Clean. Expensive. Not silly cartoon keychains.

Darcy’s fingers curled tighter around the pouch inside the bag.

Would Micah like it?

And when was the best time to hand it over?

He didn’t know if now was the right time. Or he should wait for Micah’s birthday banquet to end before giving it.

The truth was, he was afraid, afraid of seeing Micah’s disdain or indifference to his gifts.

Darcy let go of the pouch. Not now. He would wait for the moment when they were going to part, just hand him the gift and run for it.

His heart could not take the disappointment. He feared he would make it obvious how much it hurt him. Or how much he cared. Or let Micah see through his feelings.

Darcy let out a small sigh.

He was really a coward.

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