A/N: 03.04.20

A very quick update 😳 Enjoy!

P.S: If anyone is good at making covers, I would love to host a contest to choose one for this book 😅 If any of you are interested, please send your covers to me through Instagram!

Until then, I shall continuously change the cover with my terrible editing skills 😂

Enjoy this chapter xx

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Noah and Micka were scolded by the principal for ditching class, holding their robot babies in their arms.

Well, Noah was holding his. Micka was still grieving over the fact that his wife had thrown theirs out a window.

They were given two hours of detention after dinner. That's right. After dinner. From 8 p.m to 10 p.m.

"This is child abuse," muttered Micka as soon as they left the office. "It's like we're in some sort of prison! I might as well drop out."

"You can't," said Noah. "The only way we can investigate is if we're students here."

"Oh please, my grades are dropping quicker than my phone's battery on a Saturday night," Micka grumbled. "Plus, the principal assigned Issa to help me study tonight. Pfft, I bet I'm just as smart as him."

"Don't insult him like that."

Micka glared at Noah and grabbed him by the neck. They laughed and wrestled until Issa walked up to them.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow Micka for a bit," he said. Micka scrunched his brows, pointing at himself.

"Me?"

"We need to grab some textbooks at the library for tonight."

Micka decided to change the subject. "Did you talk to Roman?"

"I will," he promised. "After our study session."

"But our study session ends at 10 p.m!"

"Roman is nocturnal, he'll be awake."

"Yeah, but I won't," Micka pointed out. Issa rolled his eyes and took held onto Micka's sleeve, pulling him down the hall. Noah smiled at the new bonded friendship and waved at them while Micka silently screamed, "SAVE ME," before disappearing around the corner.

He'll be fine, Noah nodded to himself.

Noah turned around and yelped, staggering back. Aleksei was standing right behind him.

"Gosh Aleksei, don't scare me like that!"

"I'm naturally scary," he said in such a monotonous voice.

Noah narrowed his eyes, wondering if Aleksei was making a joke. Aleksei lowered his gaze and noticed that there was a small graze under Noah's cheekbone.

"You're hurt," he growled, placing his hand against Noah's cheek, gently brushing his thumb over the minor injury, too concerned to realize what he was doing.

"It's a small scratch," Noah said shyly. Aleksei's fingers felt nice and cool against his face that turned ablaze from Aleksei's touch.

Aleksei cleared his voice, quickly retrieving his hand.

"The car keys," he said briskly.

"O-Oh, right, sorry."

Noah quickly pulled them out from his pockets.

"I checked your car this morning, there weren't any scratches," he promised.

Aleksei nodded and in exchange for his keys, he placed an object in Noah's hand. It was Noah's phone, the one he had dropped at Nyx's castle.

Noah blinked in surprise. 'Where did he find this? I thought I lost it for good.'

When Noah looked up, Aleksei was already heading down the hall.

"Wait, Aleksei!" he shouted. "Is... Is that all?"

Aleksei turned his head towards him.

"Did you lose anything else?"

"Um... No."

"Then yes, that is all," he said, continuing down his path.

Noah bit his lower lip, feeling his heart run inside his chest. He knew that Aleksei could hear it, and he wanted him to.

"What are we?" he suddenly blurted, feeling his face flush red.

Noah stiffened when Aleksei stopped again. He slowly turned around with a nonchalant gaze, his deep blue eyes colder than usual.

"A vampire and a human," he answered.

"I'm just another human to you?"

He anxiously watched as Aleksei ran a hand through his unruly, dark hair, his features molded to granite. But when his eyes met Noah's, the hard, icy blue gaze softened slightly.

"Yes."

Noah felt a punch to the gut, his lungs tightening inside his chest. They stared at each other, silent for a while.

"Are you going to keep pretending like I don't matter?" Noah asked, the hurt tone in his voice made Aleksei's jaw tighten.

"What do you mean?" he sighed, trying to sound annoyed.

"Your actions don't match your words and it's getting hard keeping up with you," Noah admitted in a defeated voice wrapped in frustration. "One second you're in my dorm room, kissing me, and then the next you tell me that I'm nothing to you. Which version am I supposed to believe?"

Noah's brows creased, a tight knot squeezing inside his stomach. "Is it that hard for you to admit that you like me?" He laughed half-heartedly, shaking his head. "I mean, do you even like me? Can you at least give me a hint? A sign or signal, anything that can clear up this ambiguity." Noah's voice quickened when nervous, but he paused, drawing in a short breath. "Anything that'll make me believe that you aren't just trying to lead me on for no reason."

Noah looked at the wintry expression on Aleksei's face, one as cold as February frost.

"Is it because you're scared?" Noah asked quietly.

Aleksei remained distant. "Why would I be scared of you?"

"Maybe because I make you feel," Noah said. "And you don't want to feel anything."

"That's ridiculous," he sneered. "You don't know anything about me."

Noah flinched. I want to, though.

"Then why did you drink human blood for me? In fact, why even bother saving me? Why give me your car keys so that I could escape? And why on earth did you go through the trouble of bringing my phone back?" he demanded. Noah was reaching the limit to his patience.

Ever since he's met Aleksei, all he could do was think about him, day and night. He wanted to see what lay behind the bricks Aleksei built around himself, he wanted to know why he became cold and bitter, what made him change and resolve to self-isolation.

He'd lie in his bed until 3:00 a.m, sleep-deprived, with stacks of undo able homework and assignments on his desk, not to mention, struggling with the constant fear of getting killed by a vampire, and yet, Aleksei was what he worried about most.

And the kiss they had in his bedroom? That was his very first kiss. He remembered it vividly; how Aleksei's lip melted every part of him, how his gentle touch only made him want more of him.

As happy as Aleksei could make him, even involuntarily, it hurt.

Having a crush hurt. One second you felt like you were on top of the world, and then the next, you found yourself hitting rock bottom.

Noah started getting insecure and questioned everything about himself, especially his sexuality.

Noah has never had a crush before; not on a boy, and especially not on a vampire. But Aleksei made him feel a way that no one else ever had before, and he didn't want to lose that small spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, Aleksei felt the same way that he did.

"If you hate it," Noah said, breaking the silence. "Then tell me and I'll stop. But don't act as if you care about when you don't. Don't kiss me because you're unsure, don't treat me with temporary kindness out of doubt, and don't toy with me like I'm some human doll that you can pick up whenever it's convenient for you."

Noah clenched his fists. "You're right. I'm human. And humans have feelings, and right now, you're hurting mine."

Aleksei was about to step forward, but mentally forced himself to stop. He couldn't cross the boundary he was trying so hard to keep. He wanted Noah to be safe, and the only way to do that was by staying away from him.

He admired Noah's courage and would have praised him, hugged him and kissed him in any other context, but they lived in two different worlds. Two worlds that didn't belong with one another.

"You'll ruin yourself," Aleksei murmured, his tone grievous and almost sad. "Stick with your own kind, Noah, it's for the best."

He turned on his heel and left.

***

It was midnight. Aleksei was lying on his bed, his eyes closed and his hands resting on his waist.

Someone knocked on his door and he cracked his eyes open, swearing under his breath.

"Aleks, we need to talk," Roman said.

"Die."

"It's important," he urged.

"Define important."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Noah important."

Aleksei stood up and opened the door, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Proceed."

"How long are you going to stay mad at me?"

"An eternity."

Roman narrowed his eyes.

"An eternity is a long time for a vampire."

"And so I've heard."

"I'm sorry," Roman apologized genuinely. "I had to make a choice."

"And yours was betrayal."

Roman clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, taking in a slow breath. "Aleksei, I have fought wars with you, risked my life countless times on the battlefield, murdered men and women for your sake and served you for more years than any other breathing creature. Will it kill you to forgive me this one time?"

Aleksei remained silent and Roman knew that he was going to have to do more than just apologize if he wanted Aleksei to forgive him.

"Will you consider forgiving me if I tell you something that I'm not supposed to tell?"

"I see you live up to your title as a traitor."

"You're my best friend."

"Alas, I wish I could say the same."

"Aleksei," Roman snarled. "Are you done with your remarks?"

"Never."

Roman shook his head. "You're acting like a spoiled king."

"I was raised to be one."

"And yet, here you are."

Aleksei narrowed his eyes and Roman immediately felt guilty. "Look, I didn't come here to fight," he sighed. "Astrid was bitten by a Tomolia mosquito."

Aleksei raised a brow that said: so?

"Noah asked Issa to ask me for a cure."

Aleksei's eyes narrowed, flexing his jaw. "And?" he growled impatiently. "Did you tell him?"

"Yes."

"Then you have no more brain than I in my elbows," he hissed. "Are you deliberately trying to get him killed?! The only creature who has that remedy is-"

"I couldn't say no," mumbled Roman. "You know I can't refuse Issa when he gives me the puppy face."

Aleksei tightened his eyes and squeezed his temples, trying to refrain himself from killing his best friend.

"Noah and Micka are leaving tomorrow morning. They're going to look for him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Aleksei sighed.

"Because Noah seems important to you."

There was a pause.

"Say, how does Issa make you feel?" Aleksei asked, hesitant at first.

The turn of conversation surprised Roman. "He makes me happy."

"Does he change your perspective of the world?" he asked. "By that, I mean does he make you want to be... Good?"

"Not necessarily good," Roman said. "I'd still kill for him, you know. But even if he can't change my nature, he alters me in ways no one ever has.

He brings the best out of a creature that was destined for chaos." Roman smiled in spite of himself. "And I intend to cherish that feeling for as long as I live."

Aleksei leaned his head against the door frame, deep in thought. "I see."

"Why?" Roman asked, unable to hide the hopelessness in his voice. This was the first time Aleksei showed any interest in his feelings for Issa. "Are you interested in someone?"

Aleksei wanted to tell Roman and ask him for advice, but considering the circumstances, he knew that he couldn't. Roman quickly understood this.

"You don't have to tell me their name," he said. "Just if they make you feel a certain way."

"Hm? Well, I look at him and think to myself, Hell is just another place I would go if it meant keeping him safe," Aleksei murmured. Roman stared at him, shocked, and Aleksei cocked a brow. "I suppose you're going to report this to Nyx as well?"

"Never," Roman promised.

Aleksei nodded, and despite his cold attitude, he knew that he had already forgiven Roman.

"Now leave peasant, I need my beauty sleep," he sighed, waving Roman away who laughed. Roman was about to go, but he stopped and glanced towards his oldest friend with a guilt in his eyes.

"Aleksei?" Roman called. "You know, I don't regret what I did."

Aleksei looked at the serious and stern look in Roman's eyes. Loyal bastard, he thought to himself, but gave him a sympathetic smile nonetheless.

"I wouldn't either."

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A/N: Please don't forget to leave a vote!

Thoughts on Noah in this chapter? And Aleksei's answer to his confession?

And can we just talk about Noah & his relatable crushing feeling of liking someone 🙄 If any of you are currently suffering from love/crush, I'm sending you all my support 🍑