My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 79: World’s Most Responsible Parents

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As soon as I stepped outside, the cool morning air brushed against my face, carrying the light scent of pine and wet earth. I could hear the gravel crunching under my slippers as I headed down the porch steps and that’s when I spotted them.

Keith and Mom were just getting out of the car, their faces lighting up like they hadn’t been the ones who orchestrated this entire grounding disguised as some sort of therapy. Mom waved enthusiastically before practically sprinting toward me, her heels clicking on the stones, floral dress fluttering behind her.

"Oh, sweetheart!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me before I could process what was happening. "I missed you so much, my baby boy!"

Her perfume hit me first, it was sweet and nostalgic, like lilies and honey. For a moment, I froze in her embrace, my arms hanging limply at my sides. I wasn’t as angry as when they first dumped us here with just a note, but the sting of abandonment still lingered enough to make my chest ache.

I sighed and hugged her back half-heartedly as Keith shut the car door with a chuckle. "Careful, dear," he said, that familiar smug grin on his face. "You’re gonna crush the poor guy."

Mom pulled back, laughing breathlessly, her hands on my shoulders as she scanned me, making sure I hadn’t starved or grown a second head. "You look good," she said, her tone now more sincere. "You’ve even got some color in your cheeks. I was so worried about you two being out here alone."

I rolled my eyes, though a small smile crept onto my lips. "Oh, yeah. Totally understandable. Abandoning us for two weeks without warning was definitely top-notch parenting."

Her smile faltered, a flicker of guilt washing over her face. "I know," she said softly, fingers brushing through my hair. "I know it wasn’t fair to you. But I hope you understand why we did it, right? We just wanted you and Adrien to work things out."

I breathed out slowly, my frustration easing a bit. "Yeah, I get it," I muttered, avoiding her gaze. "Doesn’t mean I forgive you yet."

Mom chuckled quietly and pulled me into another hug despite everything, her voice muffled against my shoulder. "You will," she teased. "You always do."

"Don’t count on it," I murmured, though I squeezed her tighter this time.

Just then, Keith’s voice cut through the air. "Speaking of Adrien, where’s that boy of mine?"

And as if summoned, Adrien appeared from around the side of the cabin. Hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie, hair tousled from the wind, he wore that same unreadable expression.

"There he is," Keith said cheerfully, arms wide open like he expected a warm embrace.

But Adrien didn’t budge. He just stood at the edge of the porch steps, staring at Keith with a look that was more guarded than cold. "Hey," he said flatly, his voice even.

Keith’s grin faltered for a moment before he bounced back with an awkward laugh. "You look alright," he said, sizing Adrien up like he was a stranger trying to make small talk. "How’ve you been? This place treating you okay?"

Adrien’s expression didn’t shift, though I could see his jaw tighten a bit. "Fine," he replied. Just that, no warmth or effort to bridge the gap.

The silence that followed felt like a weight, stretching between them like an invisible barrier. I shifted awkwardly beside Mom, glancing between them, feeling the sting of the contrast...her emotional reunion with me compared to this strange, distant one with his son.

Sensing the tension, Mom clapped her hands together. "Well," she said, forcing a smile, "at least you both survived. That’s something, right?"

Adrien let out a faint huff through his nose, not quite a laugh. Keith nodded stiffly, mirroring Adrien by stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets.

Adrien and I exchanged a quick glance, and before I knew it, we both muttered the same word at the exact same time.

"Barely."

Mom blinked in surprise, her lips twitching as if she was trying to suppress a laugh. Keith raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

Adrien shoved his hands back into his pockets, giving me that familiar sideways smirk that always signaled trouble. "You’re lucky I was there," he said casually. "You probably would’ve burned the whole cabin down with your awful cooking if I hadn’t stepped in."

I gasped. "Excuse me?"

He tilted his head, pretending to be innocent. "You set the toaster on fire, Valentine."

I gasped, remembering that one event from day six. I was craving toast and the shock of seeing the toaster up made me scream so hard...you’d think I was trying to wake the ancestors. Luckily we were able to put out the fire quickly.

"That was one time!" I shot back, crossing my arms. "And it was your fault for throwing that stupid dish towel at my head!"

He chuckled under his breath, clearly enjoying the banter. "Sure, blame me for your lack of basic cooking skills."

I glared at him, taking a step closer and jabbing my finger into his chest. "You’re such an ass, Adrien. If you hadn’t hogged the kitchen half the time, maybe I could’ve shown off my amazing skills I learned."

"Oh, yeah?" he replied, amusement dancing in his green eyes. "Like that mushy spaghetti you tried to make?"

"It was al dente!" I retorted, scandalized.

"It was inedible," he countered, grinning widely now.

By this point, Mom was giggling behind her hand, while Keith stood there watching us with his arms crossed and a knowing smirk. They exchanged that silent look that said this wasn’t a fight, but a bonding moment.

I could feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"See?" Keith said finally, his tone light yet smug. "We told you two would manage just fine."

"Manage?" Adrien muttered quietly, casting me a teasing glance.

Keith laughed, shaking his head. "Well, for what it’s worth, you were never really in any danger."

That made both Adrien and me turn toward him in unison. "What?" we said together, brows furrowing. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Keith grinned wider, like he’d been waiting for our reaction. "Carlby was nearby the entire time. He was keeping an eye on you two, just in case."

I blinked, staring at him as the realization hit me. "Wait... so you mean... we weren’t actually alone?"

"Of course not!" Mom chimed in, laughing like it was the most obvious thing. "What kind of parents do you think we are? We weren’t about to leave two teenagers who can’t stand each other completely unsupervised in a house in the middle of the woods with wild animals around."

Adrien and I just stared at her, completely dumbfounded. It felt like my brain was short-circuiting.

"You mean—" I started slowly, still processing the betrayal. "He was watching us? Like... the whole time?"

Mom shrugged. "Not the entire time. Just... most of it."

Adrien groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Fuck," he muttered. "So all that time I thought I was finally getting some peace and quiet, there was a bodyguard slash butler lurking in the trees?"

Keith laughed. "Relax, son. He was discreet. You probably didn’t even notice him."

Adrien looked like he wanted to retort, but before he could, a familiar voice called from the car.

"Sir," Carlby said from the driver’s seat, his deep voice easily carrying across the driveway. "If we don’t leave soon, we’ll hit traffic on the way back."

Mom gasped softly, clapping her hands together. "Right! We’d better get going. You two, grab your things...now."

I opened my mouth to protest, still reeling from the whole secretly supervised revelation, but she was already turning to load her purse into the car.

Adrien and I exchanged one last look, both of us equally stunned. He sighed and muttered something about "paranoid parents" before heading inside.

I followed him to grab the rest of my things, still too bewildered to speak. The wooden floor creaked softly beneath our steps, and as I glanced back through the open doorway at the car waiting outside, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.

Of course our parents would pull something like this. It was so them, manipulative, overprotective, and somehow still effective. Because despite everything... it worked.

Even if I’d never admit it to them. Not yet.

𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯’𝔰 𝔯𝔞𝔪𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰

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if not for your your support, i’d still be struggling to pump out Chapters plus school work while thinking this novel is probably ass.

but I keep writing for you guys,

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