My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 245: Something Sinister This Way Comes

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As we moved towards the front door, the three of us slipping through the quiet mansion like we didn’t quite belong, Ethan suddenly slowed down and shot a look at Adrien that usually came before either a sarcastic quip or a full-on fight.

Fishing his car keys from his pocket, the metal jangled softly in the stillness as he presented them to Adrien with an exaggerated flourish.

"Here," Ethan said, his voice flat but layered with a sharp warning. "You’re driving my car back to your place. But listen, Fell, if I see even a single scratch, a fingerprint that isn’t mine, or a crumb from whatever you munch on in the driver’s seat, I swear I’ll forget about Noah’s weird fondness for you and take matters into my own hands. Slowly. While looking you right in the eye."

Adrien halted, eyebrows shooting up as if they were about to vanish into his hair.

"Excuse me?" he replied, disbelief dripping from his voice. "You can’t just order me around like I’m your personal driver. I’ve got no desire to drive your overpriced midlife-crisis machine. It probably reeks of Axe body spray and bad choices."

I sighed, "Guys... please, not now."

Ethan’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile but definitely moving in that direction.

"It actually smells like leather and success. You’re only driving it because I won’t leave Noah walking all the way back to your house. So take the keys, Fell. And don’t make me regret this."

Adrien opened his mouth, probably ready to fire back with a sharp comeback, but I was too worn out for another round of their usual sparring. I stepped in between them with a tired grin, snatched the keys from Ethan’s hand before things could escalate, and made my way to the driver’s side of the SUV.

"Thanks, Ethan." I announced loudly enough to drown out whatever Adrien was about to say. Both of them froze mid-argument, staring at me like I’d just declared I was running for president.

I opened the driver’s door and slid inside, leaving it ajar so they could hear me. "Adrien, get in. My head’s already pounding from all your bickering."

Ethan let out an overdramatic sigh but climbed into the back seat anyway, mumbling something about "dictators in hoodies." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Adrien hesitated just a moment longer before heading to the driver’s side, sliding into the seat with the kind of caution usually reserved for handling explosives.

Right before Adrien turned the key, Ethan leaned forward between the seats, his expression suddenly serious again.

"My uncle’s coming back to Willow Haven tomorrow I think," he said quietly. "Early afternoon, most likely. I’m going to confront him. Alone. I’ll see if I can get anything useful out of him and I’ll text you both whatever I find. Discreetly."

My stomach dropped so fast I felt dizzy. "Ethan, no. That’s a terrible idea. What if he loses it? What if he hurts you? You know what he’s capable of when he feels trapped."

Ethan’s smile was small, sad, but strangely determined.

"Doesn’t matter anymore," he said. "I think it’s time I stop being afraid of him. I’ve spent years walking on eggshells, pretending his anger was just part of the scenery. He’s not a good guy. He never was. And I’m done enabling that. If standing up to him gets us more information, if it helps Adrien find out about his mom then I can handle whatever tantrum he throws. I’ve been through worse."

I opened my mouth to push back again something like "you’re not invincible" or "it’s not worth getting hurt over"but Adrien reached over and put a gentle hand on my knee, squeezing just once but firmly. I looked at him, surprised.

"Let him," Adrien said quietly. Then he turned just enough to catch Ethan’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

"Thank you," he added, the words awkward and stiff, like they were pulled out with some effort. "For everything you’ve done up to now. I mean it."

Ethan blinked, taken aback. For a moment, he stared at the back of Adrien’s head as if waiting for a punchline. When none came, his expression softened into something almost bewildered.

"I wasn’t doing it for you," he replied automatically.

Adrien rolled his eyes, but there wasn’t any real anger behind it. "I know, but thanks still."

Another moment of stunned silence passed. Ethan looked like someone had just told him the sky was green and he was starting to believe it. I couldn’t help a small, victorious smile that tugged at my lips, I caught his eye in the mirror and raised an eyebrow in a silent I told you so. He shook his head, but the corner of his mouth rose anyway.

Adrien started the engine, and the SUV purred to life, its headlights cutting bright beams through the dark driveway.

Ethan leaned forward one last time, his voice softer now.

"Be careful, okay? Both of you. And Noah, if anything feels off, call me. Text me. Carrier pigeon. Whatever. I’ll be there."

I twisted around in my seat to face him fully.

"You be careful too," I said, reaching back to squeeze his hand once, hard. "Promise me you’ll call if you need anything. Anything at all."

He squeezed back. "Promise."

We exchanged quick goodbyes, quiet, a little awkward and then Adrien shifted the car into gear. Ethan stepped back onto the gravel, hands stuffed in pockets, watching us pull away. In the side mirror, I caught a glimpse of him standing there until the driveway curved out of view and the house lights swallowed him.

The drive back to Oakfield was quiet at first. Adrien drove with meticulous care, hands at ten and two, eyes glued to the road like he was acutely aware that Ethan’s warning about scratches wasn’t entirely a joke.

I stared out the passenger window at the trees and streetlights flashing by, trying to shake off the icy knot of dread that had settled in my stomach the moment Ethan said he was going to confront Logan alone.

Adrien noticed, of course he did. He always picked up on when I went quiet like this.

"What’s up?" he asked after a few miles, his voice low enough that it felt like it was meant just for me.

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "Nothing. Just... a feeling. Like something bad’s going to happen. I can’t explain it."

He didn’t dismiss it or tell me I was being paranoid. Instead, he reached over, placing his warm hand on my knee, his thumb moving in slow, comforting circles.

"Hey," he said gently. "It’s probably just your mind doing worst-case scenario math after everything we unearthed tonight. That’s normal...doesn’t mean it’s real."

I exhaled through my nose, wishing so badly to believe him. "I know. I’m trying."

His fingers tightened around mine. "Try harder," he teased, though his voice stayed gentle. "We’ve got the USB, we’ve got copies of everything, we’ve got Ethan on the inside now. We’re not in the dark anymore. Whatever tomorrow brings, we’ll handle it. Together."

I covered his hand with mine, intertwining our fingers on my knee.

The rest of the drive went by in comfortable silence, broken only by the soft hum of the engine and the occasional click of the turn signal.

Adrien kept his hand on my leg the whole time, steady and warm, and slowly, the dread began to fade to a dull background noise. Not completely gone, not really, but manageable.

By the time we pulled into Oakfield’s driveway, the big house glowing softly in the night, I almost believed him.

Almost.