My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 120: It Was Nice While It Lasted

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"Adrien—" My voice came out small, breaking as I spoke.

Ethan moved right away, positioning himself in front of me as I hurried to grab my sweater. His jaw was set, his voice dangerously low. "Back off, man."

Adrien didn’t even acknowledge him. His attention was focused on me, my flushed cheeks, my shaking fingers clutching my sweater to my chest. An unsettling mix of emotions flickered across his face.

"I said," he repeated, his voice trembling with barely contained fury, "get your hands off my stepbrother."

I had no idea how long I knelt there, frozen, my shirt gripped tightly to my chest, my heart racing as if trying to break free. One moment, I was in Ethan’s arms, feeling breathless and shaky for all the right reasons, and the next Adrien was right there with us.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, breathing heavily in angry bursts, his eyes locked on me as if he could ignite me with just a look. For a moment, he appeared almost... unhinged, like he had rushed here fueled purely by anger. The fading sunlight highlighted his features, the tightness of his clenched jaw, his fists balled up at his sides, his hair tousled as if he had run without thinking.

Yet nothing compared to the intensity in his gaze.

It was something raw.

Something furious.

Something even I’d never seen before.

And for one horrifying moment, I thought he was going to charge at Ethan.

I scrambled off Ethan’s lap so quickly that I almost stumbled, pulling my shirt back on with trembling fingers. Heat flooded my face, embarrassment, confusion, disbelief, all tangled into one miserable knot. I could barely breathe as I stumbled back, instinctively avoiding Adrien’s gaze, even though a nagging part of me knew he had witnessed everything.

Everything.

Ethan leaped up from the blanket, positioning himself in front of me like a guard. His entire demeanor shifted inti protective, tense, almost animalistic. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped, his voice echoing through the trees. "Did you seriously follow us here? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Adrien didn’t flinch at Ethan’s fury. His gaze remained glued to me, which somehow felt worse. He looked furious, yeah, but there was something else in his expression...something confused, almost hurt, and I wasn’t sure why that thought hit me like it did.

When he finally spoke, his voice cracked with rage. "I said to get your hands off him."

"I’m not touching him," Ethan shot back, stepping even closer. "And even if I were, what’s your problem? You followed us to the middle of nowhere? Are you obsessed or something?"

Adrien’s jaw clenched tighter. "You’re taking advantage of him, and that’s my problem."

My stomach plummeted. I gasped.

Ethan let out a disbelieving laugh, it was sharp and devoid of humor. "Taking advantage? Seriously?" He gestured towards me, annoyed yet protective. "Noah’s not some helpless boy who needs you watching over him. He knows what he wants, and I would never—"

"Bullshit," Adrien snapped. "You always push. You don’t know when to back down, and you know he—"

"Adrien, stop!" I shouted, my voice strained, on the brink of completely breaking down. But neither of them heard me.

Ethan stepped closer, anger radiating off him. "I wouldn’t hurt him. I wouldn’t pressure him. I wouldn’t take anything he wasn’t ready to give. He knows that. I know that. You’re the only one twisting what happened."

Adrien’s gaze shifted to him for the first time, and the look he gave Ethan was venomous. "You loving him doesn’t make you harmless, Golden Boy."

I felt the air leave my lungs.

My heart stopped.

Ethan stiffened beside me, then slowly turned to face me, his expression softening. "I am in love with him," he said quietly but with conviction, almost defiant. "And I don’t care who knows it."

My mind went blank.

I could barely process his words; everything was happening so fast, Adrien’s anger, Ethan’s declaration, the lingering heat of embarrassment from moments ago. My thoughts collided in a chaotic mess, leaving me feeling weak.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Adrien’s expression changed...just for a fleeting moment. Something sharp flickered in his features, something like pain? Jealousy? Confusion? I couldn’t tell, and I didn’t know if I wanted to.

He stared at Ethan as if hearing that confession for the first time, and whatever was in his eyes darkened even more.

Ethan moved closer to me, not touching but close enough for Adrien to sense. "We weren’t doing anything wrong," he said, calmer now yet still edged with tension. "We weren’t hurting anyone. We were alone. Until you—"

"Followed us," I murmured, finally managing to find my voice. It came out small and shaky. "Adrien... w–why are you even here?"

He looked at me then, really looked and the anger softened just enough to reveal something else. Something I couldn’t quite name.

For one heartbeat, he seemed... lost.

And then it vanished, replaced by his usual cold, unreadable mask.

"I’m taking you home," he said flatly. "Right now."

Ethan laughed again, this time more forcefully. "He’s not a child, Adrien."

"I wasn’t talking to you."

Their voices clashed again, rising sharply, but I barely heard them. My chest felt tight, my thoughts too loud, my shame too bright. Between Ethan’s confession and Adrien’s sudden arrival, I felt completely adrift, unsure of where I stood anymore.

I just stood there, trembling, caught between two storms, wondering how everything spiraled out of control so quickly... and why Adrien had looked at me like that.

Adrien took a decisive step towards me...fast, sure, as if he had made a choice that didn’t include me and his hand grasped my wrist.

Not roughly.

Not painfully.

But enough to make my breath hitch.

"Let’s go," he muttered, pulling me towards him as if the entire moment, the whole date, meant nothing.

I instinctively pulled back. Before I could even say a word, Ethan was in front of me, blocking Adrien with his entire body. One hand held my arm firmly, the other pushed against Adrien’s chest.

"Don’t touch him," Ethan growled. "Noah doesn’t need you dragging him anywhere. He’s not your property, and you don’t get to decide for him."