GOD OF CHAOS

CHAPTER SEVEN

LANDON KING

Landon walked into the mansion, feeling pretty satisfied. Jeremy might have left, and despite Landon's warning, he knew Jeremy was going to avoid him. However, truth be told, he was looking forward to the chase. It was almost just as exciting as the thought of touching Jeremy.

Ok, that's a lie.

There was nothing in this world that could possibly be better than the thought of unraveling every part of that brute mafia prince, body and soul.

"Don't think I didn't know you've been stalking me."

That made Landon smile. Jeremy had known, and it didn't look like he was going to stop Landon. The little predator liked being chased. 

Or something. Not that Landon cared.

He headed towards the kitchen to get a bottle of water and an ice pack before going up to his room. Landon was tired after the little altercation with Jeremy. No matter how hot the aftermath was, Landon's face was bruising. It's not like Jeremy threw weak punches. Quite the opposite.

When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Brandon sitting at the counter, looking down, his back towards the door. Landon didn't make a sound as he approached Brandon. He looked over Brandon's shoulder and noticed him staring at a chat. But before he could read the name of the contact or the contents on the screen, Brandon sensed his presence and put down the phone.

"Lan, what the fuck?" Brandon snapped, spinning the stool around. He noticed the bruising forming on Landon's face. The anger on his face morphed into concern. "What the fuck happened?!"

Landon smirked. His heart tugged in his chest. Brandon was the only one capable of doing that. Ever since they started growing apart, Landon did everything in his power to get Bran's attention. He wanted it more than anything else. But his less-than-normal approach seemed to push Brandon further away. The crack in their relationship had grown into a huge rift, and now they were only a ghost of what they once used to be: the inseparable twins, Lan and Bran, Yin and Yang. "Concerned? I'm touched, little bro," Landon kept his tone light.

Back when they were young, whenever Landon used to get hurt, which was quite often, thanks to his mischievous personality, Bran would hug him before anyone could treat his wounds. And Landon loved it. Once they started growing apart eight years ago, when Brandon locked himself in his fortress, Landon had hurt himself intentionally many times just to get Bran to hug him, but he never did.

It broke Landon each time, but he kept quiet, focusing his hurt to torture Bran. Maybe he still craved those hugs.

Bran glared at Landon and got up from the chair. He tugged Landon towards the counter. "Hop on. I need to clean your wounds."

Landon did as asked, with a grin on his face. Brandon moved around the kitchen, getting the first aid box, a bowl of water, and a towel. "I don't think all those are needed."

"Shut up, Landon, you've done enough," Bran sighed. Landon kept the grin on his face. It was pathetic how everyone naturally gravitated towards Landon, about whom he couldn't care less, but the one person who mattered treated him like their life would be better if he wasn't there.

What a joke.

Brandon came back with the supplies and set them down beside Landon. As he brought the wet towel to Landon's face, he asked with a frown, "What happened?"

Landon shrugged, "Just my normal Landon King stuff."

Brandon's frown deepened. "Are you in some new trouble?"

Damn, he actually sounded concerned. Was that supposed to be a good thing? It was to Landon.

"Would you consider the heathens new trouble?" Brandon's hand froze, his eyes widening a little.

"The heathens did this?" Bran asked carefully. Interesting.

"Yes." Not really the heathens, just their leader. But Landon left that part out, curious to see his reaction. Landon hadn't forgotten the incident that started it all. Jeremy sneaking into his room demanding an explanation for Brandon's presence at the initiation. Landon still had to figure out what his brother was doing there but knowing Bran, he knew this busybody had the art of shutting down mastered to the T.

"Who exactly?" Bran asked, continuing to clean the wounds. Landon could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

Landon shrugged, "Doesn't matter. Unless you're planning on returning the favor."

Brandon shook his head. "Just stay away from them, Lan. Why can't you?"

"It's not my fault they are obsessed with me."

Brandon rolled his eyes, putting down the towel and picking up the cream. "Not everything is about you, Lan, get over yourself."

"Of course everything is about me. I am the Landon King." Bran sighed, his lips thinning into a straight line. Landon just grinned.

Once Bran was done, he started putting everything away with a small frown. Landon quietly observed his movements. Landon was loud, charming. Fake. Brandon, on the other hand, was peace and comfort personified. Even with his uptight attitude that came out once in a while, he was far better as a person than Landon could ever be.

But he was also naïve.

So Landon worried. "Who were you texting?"

Bran stiffened for a quick second before going back to his work. "No one."

"You had a chat opened," he pointed out.

Brandon turned around and glared at Landon. "It is creepy standing over someone's shoulder and looking at their phone. It's an invasion of their privacy."

Landon shrugged. "Ask me if I care."

Brandon scowled at his face, crossing his arms across his chest. "You need to stop acting so entitled."

"Tell me whose chat it was."

Brandon set his jaw. "No."

"No?" Landon quirked an eyebrow at him.

"It has nothing to do with you so no," Bran stood his ground. Landon would say he was proud of his brother for fighting back, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Bran could be in potential danger.

He jumped off the counter and walked over to Bran. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "If it isn't anything unusual, why aren't you telling me?"

"Because I don't want to," Brandon replied. "Moreover, it's not like you share every little thing about yourself with me."

"I'm more than willing to."

Bran rolled his eyes and shook his head. Stepping away from the counter, towards the door, Brandon said, "I don't need you to. Just...be careful, please."

Landon reached out and grabbed Brandon's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "I know you think I only want to control you. I'm not going to waste my time convincing you otherwise. But I want you to know that if you get hurt, so much as a little scratch, I'll burn the world down looking for the person who caused it and make them regret ever looking in your direction."

Brandon scoffed. "Because I am a part of you and how dare someone hurt a part of the Landon King?"

Landon clenched his jaw. "No, idiot. You are my brother. No one gets to hurt you and walk away without paying. Me included."

With that, Landon stormed past Brandon. He couldn't handle how Brandon looked at him in the end, as if he didn't believe a word Landon said. The one who was supposed to understand Landon and his complexities the best was the one who voluntarily stayed away from Landon. It was times like this that he questioned how much of a genius manipulator he was when he couldn't even get his own brother to like him.