My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 159: When The Asshole’s A Good Guy

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Noah’s POV

I was all out of tears, just left with this trembling fear that it was all some twisted dream and any moment I’d wake up on that grimy mattress in the workshop, surrounded by laughter and shadows. My body felt empty, like all the emotions had been squeezed out, leaving only dread behind. Adrien must have sensed it because he held me tighter, his presence steady and warm, grounding me when my thoughts began to spiral.

"It’s okay," he murmured softly, his voice low and firm, almost like he needed me to believe it just as much as he needed to say it. "You’re safe now, Noah. I promise you, you’re not there anymore. They can’t touch you, and I’ll make sure they never get the chance again."

Hearing that finally calmed my breathing, even though my heart still felt fragile and unsure. I pulled back a bit, wiping my face with the back of my hand, feeling embarrassed now that the worst was over. "I’m sorry," I said quietly, my voice raspy. "I didn’t mean to... cry for so long. I must look pathetic." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Adrien frowned immediately, looking almost offended. "Don’t apologize," he said, firm but gentle. "Not for this. Not ever."

That’s when I noticed his hands resting on the bed, and my breath caught in my throat. Thick white bandages were wrapped around his knuckles, already faintly stained, and panic surged through me before I could stop it. I reached for him instinctively. "Adrien... your hands. Are you hurt?"

He noticed my reaction and sighed softly, turning his hands slightly as if to hide them, but it was too late for that. "Hey, no," he said quickly, trying to calm me down. "It’s nothing. You’re not supposed to be worrying about me right now, okay? You’re the one who-"

I didn’t let him finish. I gently took his hands in mine, my fingers brushing over the bandages as if he might break. They were warm and solid, real, and the thought that he’d been hurt because of me made my chest ache in a way that wasn’t just fear. He fell silent, watching me with that intense, softened gaze that always made me feel seen, in a way that unnerved me.

"How did you even find me?" I asked softly, still holding his hands. "How did you know where I was?"

He hesitated for a moment before responding. "Vanessa’s friend," he finally said. "Kris. She decided to talk. If she hadn’t..." He trailed off, his jaw tightening, and I could tell he didn’t want to finish that thought.

A small, sad smile crept on my lips as I looked up at him. "I see," I whispered. "Then... thank you. Truly." My throat tightened again, but this time I didn’t cry. "You didn’t have to do any of that, Adrien, but you did. You came for me."

I leaned in and hugged him again, a bit softer this time, more careful, as if we were both afraid of breaking something fragile between us. "You’re really becoming the best brother I could have ever hoped for," I said quietly, the words slipping out before I had a chance to overthink them.

He stiffened.

When I pulled back, I saw his eyes widen, shock clear on his face. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat, looking away for a moment like he needed to steady himself. "Noah," he said, his voice suddenly uncertain. "There’s... there’s something I need to say."

I waited, my heart racing a little as he struggled to find the words. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then finally let out a slow breath, his shoulders sagging slightly.

"I need to apologize," he said at last, his tone serious, stripped of any arrogance or defensiveness. "Not the half-assed kind. A real one. Because I know now that I’ve never truly done that before." He took a slow breath, as if every word weighed something heavy inside him, and when he spoke again, there was no arrogance left, just raw honesty that made my throat tighten.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly. "For all of it. For how I treated you like you were nothing. Like you didn’t matter. I made you feel small, insignificant, like you didn’t belong anywhere, and I never thought about how that must have felt for you. I never thought about you at all, not really. I was cruel just because I could be."

My fingers curled into the sheets as I listened, my chest aching in this strange, unfamiliar way.

"I hate that it took something this extreme for me to finally see you as a person," he continued, his jaw tightening. "And I hate that if we hadn’t become step-siblings, if life hadn’t forced me to look at you differently, I might still be treating you the same way. That thought makes me sick."

He looked at me then, really looked at me, his eyes earnest and almost pleading. "I’m so sorry, Noah. I don’t expect forgiveness, and I know it’s probably hard to even hear this coming from me, of all people, but I hope-" His voice wavered slightly. "I hope...you can forgive me someday. I know I’ve been an asshole."

A small, unexpected laugh escaped me before I could stop it, shaky but genuine. "You were a huge asshole," I replied, my voice hoarse as I wiped at my face. "The biggest there ever was."

"I know–"

"A massive douchebag."

"Yes and–"

"And the dumbest little shit I’ve ever seen."

He shot me a glare that felt more familiar than threatening, the corner of his mouth twitching despite himself. "Will you let me finish?" he said dryly.

I nodded quickly, pressing my lips together to keep from crying again.

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair, and continued, "It might be hard to forgive me, especially knowing that I treated you the way I did just because I-"

He faltered.

The words died in his throat, and the silence that followed felt heavier than anything he’d said before. His gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders stiffening as if he’d caught himself edging too close to something dangerous.

I frowned, confused as my heart started racing for reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on. "Just because you... what?" I asked softly.

He didn’t answer, and the way he stayed quiet made my stomach twist. Whatever he had been about to say felt important, and suddenly I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear it.