Aeiou and Zed reached the school before the bell rang. However, upon reaching their classroom Hansel was nowhere to be found.
The bell rang again for their lunch.
The chair clanked when Zed stood from his seat. He cracked his neck and gritted his teeth silently. He was pissed.
At this point, Aeiou was also worried. Hansel have Presidential duties, but he never miss his class.
Zed walked towards Aeiou's table and sat his bum on it. He said, "He's avoiding us."
Aeiou sighed heavily. "He's probably hurt."
"And he's probably scared of what I would do to him once I saw him." Zed interrupted.
"He still doesn't know that I told you. Maybe there's something else."
"Tsk."
Silence.
Once Aeiou raised his head, he witnessed Zed's sharp glare piercing at the door. He guessed waiting for Hansel to finally appear. This is bad. Aeiou thought. "Zed, please don't be harsh on him," Aeiou pleaded.
Zed shifted his glance elsewhere. "Aggressiveness won't do any good and so avoidance. So if he avoids me, I'd be aggressive to get him. I'm going to get to him, that's it."
Hearing that, Aeiou did not know what to feel. On one hand, he was worried that Zed might hurt Hansel, while on the other hand... was the desire to be Hansel this time. To be the guy Zed wanted to chase today. To be the guy running back and forth on Zed's head. This is bad. Aeiou would rather be away from Zed for some time, but for some reason, he envied Hansel this time. Jealous.
"Don't be jealous though." Zed stated out of the blue, as if he read Aeiou's mind.
"What? Huh! Who's jealous of whom?"
Zed brought his gaze at Aeiou's face and, without hesitation, he whispered. "The gay one."
"The... what?"
"Ah... Aeiou." Heather suddenly appeared on their side.
Aeiou jerked his head to his back and met Heather's smile. Aeiou was about to say something when Heather looked over him and looked at Zed. Heather pointed to Aeiou and asked, "Can I talk to him just for a while?"
Aeiou gazed at Zed with a surprised expression, "People now need to ask permission from you before they talk to me? What the fuck?"
Zed did not mumble anything. He rolled his eyes away and crossed his arms
Silenced, turned, and blank stare. Angry Zed would be protest by glaring fiercely. A calm one would gaze away—but not leave—which meant Go on. Be careful though, I'm still listening.
Seein this, Heather's sweet voice went on, "Are you free, Aeiou? I kind of need another set of eyes to look at my homework," Heather asked.
Aeiou's mood suddenly lifted up. Now, he had the chance to negotiate those pictures Heather took earlier. "Sure. If you delete our pictures on your phone, then I will!"
"I'll do it." Zed suddenly interrupted. "I scored higher than Aeiou in General Mathematics. I'll do better than him. Keep the pictures." Zed casually said to Heather.
Aeiou gritted his teeth.
A flash of curiosity flashed on Heather's eyes. "Oh, that's nice, brother. But how did you know Aeiou's score. I mean that's like something the teacher didn't announce. I know you guys were close but isn't it too close for you to know each other's..."
Aeiou quickly stood, "Okay that's it. Go on and help Heather." Aeiou pushed the two step-siblings away.
Once the two were off, Aeiou sighed. Too close.
This was not the time for Heather to know. Also, he saw that opportunity for the two to bond more... and for himself to contemplate what he should do with Hansel... and Tori. That girl is still bothering Aeiou's mind. What kind of date is she setting up?
Once Aeiou was sitting alone, looking at the window beside him with his hand on his chin, the reflection of Zed stealing glances at his back from Heather's seat was visible. So instead of thinking about Hansel or Tori, Aeiou remembered what Zed spoke earlier.
"The gay one."
Aeiou had never given his gender a second thought. All that he knew was he had never felt something this strong before, not even for girls. The thing is, it was not attraction at all, and sexual desire just kicked in later at the relationship. He just found out he like Zed, that's it.
He scratched his head and sighed heavily. It dawned to him that choosing gender, aside from being straight, was too complicated. He wondered how Angeline did it. Angeline. I should ask that bitch. He knew for sure.
When Zed got too immersed on Heather's homework, Aeiou quickly dashed to the door, grabbing a broom on his way out before he closed the door. He slid the broom inside the handles to lock the door from the outside.
A loud bang crashed on the door.
"Where are you going?!" Zed shouted, angrily, staring at Aeiou as he try to push the door. He banged the door knob and the slapped the glass a few times, looking at Aeiou's face outside with a death stare. His eyes was burning with anger.
Aeiou smiled, almost like a smirk, which meant, "You dare compare our scores on Gen Math, you deserve this!" Aeiou said before he hastily ran out of the hallways disappearing in five seconds time.
Zed's face darkened, his voice roared until Aeiou was nowhere to be seen. "Aeiou!!!"
***
"Angeline!"
"Angeline!"
Running at the empty hallway of the Art Building, Aeiou accidentally bumped to someone who was running in top speed as well.
The two collided but only the other person got thrown to the floor. Aeiou remained standing with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"
With sweat dripping down from his forehead, Hansel looked up to Aeiou.
Silence.
Aeiou smiled at Hansel. "Oi, I haven't seen you in class. Where have you been?" Aeiou asked, with a forced smile on his face.
Hansel said with his voice shaking in fear, "Someone... I... Someone is chasing me non-stop."
"Who?"
"Ashton."
"Hahaha! He certainly liked you, eh?"
"I guess. Just like how... Zed liked you," Hansel said in fear.
The atmosphere was brought into a deadlock. "Just like how Zed liked you."
Aeiou "Oh." Aeiou knew how hard it is to be loved by a maniac like Zed.
Aeiou grabbed Hansel's hands and pulled the guy up from the floor. Then he said, "Hey, I understand that you liked me. I'm so handsome I can't blame you. But I like someone now." Aeiou said before he pressed his hands on Hansel's shoulders and smiled. As if Hansel was a child who'd never taste another candy in his entire life again, or a dog who could not eat chocolate unless at the end stage of his life. This was all Aeiou could give as Hansel's last.
Hansel brought his gaze at Aeiou's face. Their eyes met. One was broken, and one was still utterly warm. Almost like an early sun that wakes you up in the morning, and kisses you in the forehead to start your day—to motivate you. This, this was the very reason why Hansel liked Aeiou. This small talk and how Aeiou could lift his mood instantly made Hansel fall for this guy. It was inevitable, falling in love to a person who can make you feel valued in an instant.
Hansel forced a smiled.
Truly, Hansel never loved Aeiou's dark side, the playboy, the all-seeing devil who could manipulate people by using their emotions—he faced it once and promised that he'd change Aeiou for the better. But he couldn't.
In short, Hansel only loved this part of him, while Zed embraced the entirety. If there's someone truly deserving of Aeiou's love, that was Zed. Because Zed would never leave this guy in any circumstance, even if Aeiou turned to be the worse, Zed would be there by his side, as a friend or even as an enemy.
Hansel was about to give his admission, but even before he could say anything, the door of the theater club creaked and Angeline's thin voice pierced their ears.
"Hey! I heard you're looking for me?"
The two boys turned their heads at the door only to see Angeline posing like a superstar model, both hands on his waist and looking fiercely at them.
Aeiou snickered loudly. "I love how you don't care how you look like."
"Bitch." Angeline rolled his eyes. "So what do you guys need? I'm busy, I can't date neither the two of you so shut it."
Aeiou chuckled, this time, his tone was pleading, "I was about to ask you something important." Aeiou looked at Hansel, then he smiled, "But it seemed I was not the only one bothered by the same thing. I guess Hansel is just as confused as me."
Hansel broke into cold sweat and broke the hug. "Oi. I don't love him yet." he said, with his Australian and formal accent.
Aeiou laughed. "I never said anything about loving someone. Why are you sorrr defensive?"
Hansel gulped.
"We were going to ask for an advice."
Hansel looked at Aeiou. The fact that they both came here for Angeline, made it clear that they both had the same question about one thing, their gender.
"What about it?"
"We both like guys but as far as we know we like girls."
"Okay? That makes you confuse? Go like the guy and love him and fuck him. Only you could tell what you are. Not me. Not anyone else. And if someone judges you for liking another man and tells you that ain't normal, then that's their problem. Because homosexuality is present in other bunch of species, homophobia is only exclusive to one. So who's not normal now?"
Aeiou and Hansel stood silent.
Angeline winked at them and turned his back. "Goodbye!" He locked the door.
When Aeiou and Hansel was about to leave, Angeline sneaked his head out of the door, and shouted at the hallway, "Hey! You two bitches! Keep the juices flowing okay! Use lube and condoms all the time!"
"What the..." Aeiou rushed quickly back to that direction, ready to hit Angeline at the face. But the door quickly shut.
"You... Don't tell anyone about this okay? Specially Heather, she might pass out once she discover this," Aeiou lowly said at the door.
"Oh. She will die once she discover this. I would not tell her anything, don't worry. Now leave me alone, bitch."
Aeiou snarled. "Take care, bitch." He knocked three times on the door.
Once Aeiou reached Hansel, he tapped his shoulder once.
"If Zed sees us like this, he's gonna kill me," said Hansel anxiously.
"No. I think I'm in a more deeper shit than you. I haven't told Zed about Tori yet."
"What the...?"
"Anyways, can we meet this Ashton?"
Hansel broke into cold sweat. "He's... nobody. You don't have to know."
"Oi. Your keeping a secret to me, huh? What if it was Zed this time that you liked and not Ashton?"
"What the... That's disgusting!"
"Who's disgusting?" A deep voice thundered behind them. Suddenly the air was gloomy. The cold wind blew and the scent of sandalwood wafted strongly against their nostrils.
The two boys gulped in harmony and turned to their back at the same time. Once they saw Zed with a broom broken in half on both hands, they felt the urge to run away, fly away if they could. But those cold eyes had frozen their knees already, and wings if ever they have one. They couldn't move.
"Oi Zed? Hahaha..." Aeiou forced a laughed.
"So you ran away to be with Hansel?"
"No no! Not at all, we just bumped into each other in this hallway."
Hansel was petrified he could barely speak. "O... kay. You can have Aeiou now." Hansel pushed Aeiou to Zed.
It was Hansel's attempt to run away. But once he took a step, a hand embraced his waist and he felt his foot leave the ground, suddenly his stomach was on top of Zed's one shoulder.
"So you like Aeiou too, huh?" Zed coldly asked before he starts walking with Hansel in tow.
"Put me down! Zed!"
Aeiou trailed behind them and said, "Oi... Zed it's really not like that. We just bumped into each other."
Zed turned his head at Aeiou and glared fiercely at him. "Shut up. If you try to save Hansel I will think you two really have something."
Aeiou froze, he sighed. He looked at Hansel and shook his head which means he couldn't help Hansel at all.
At the pond, Zed stood near the water with Hansel's stomach still on his shoulders. "I'm going to drop you here if you don't say the things I will tell you to say."
Hansel could see his face's reflection on the water. He gulped and turned pale. This water is cold, and dirty due to the fish's poop. and knowing Zed, he would drop Hansel anytime if Hansel won't comply.
At this point, only one person could help him. "Aeiou, please save me!"
Behind Zed and Hansel, just ten steps away, was Aeiou watching. His face was full of worry, yet he didn't protest. He could only sigh.
Seeing that Aeiou was no help, Hansel looked at Zed. "Okay! Just tell me what to say!"
A grin took over Zed's face. Then he said, "Zed I love you. You're my best friend."
"What?! That's disgusting. Even more disgusting that it cam from you! We never said I love you to each other! Eww!"
"Shout it or I'm gonna drop you."
At this point a lot of students had already gathered around the pond just behind Aeiou, watching the two.
Hansel shook his head, "That's embarrassing, dude! What the fuck?! I'm the President!"
Zed let Hansel head down until his knee. "Say it!"
"Okay! Okay!" Hansel gulped. "I love you, Zed! You're my best friend!"
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
"Say that I'm sorry for avoiding you, you are my most handsome friend."
"I'm sorry for avoiding you, and you are... Tsk! Aeiou is my most handsome friend."
"You dare?!"
"No!"
Zed let Hansel's head down to his feet.
"AHHHH!"
Meanwhile, at the basketball court...
"Oi! President and Zed, they're having a fight!"
Ashton who was just about to tie his shoes heard the news quickly rushed out of the gym with untied shoes. Then, he saw Hansel hanging with his face towards the water on Zed's shoulder, pleading and shouting for his life.
Ashton quickly appeared on Zed's side. "Captain, let him go!"
Zed turned his head to Ashton. He squinted his eyes as if he know this person but his memory of him was blurry. "You dare command me?"
"No, Captain. Punish me instead!"
Zed blinked twice. Then he realized this was the guy Aeiou was with before the other guy passed out. Zed looked at Hansel. "You're friends with this guy? Why is he willing to swap with you?"
Hansel's jaw dropped when he saw who it was. "Stay away from me, Ashton!"
Ashton gasped. "That is so rude!"
"Yes it is rude!"
The two quarreled for a minute that Zed's ears started aching from their grating voices. However, suddenly Zed felt something familiar from these two. From the way they're raising their voices to each other. It kind of reminded him of how him and Aeiou is.
Zed sighed. He had enough. Using one hand he grabbed Ashton's waist and flung him on his other shoulder just like Hansel. Now there were two men on Zed's shoulders. Ashton on the left, Hansel on the right, their heads hanging above the water of the pond. Zed said, "Now, both of you say, I take your hand to be my husband."
Hansel gasped. "Huh?! "
"Say or get wet?"
"I take your hand to be my husband!"
"I take your hand to be my husband!"
Zed smirked. "I now declare you, husbands! So you two better stay away from my husband!"
***
Zed finally calmed down after he forced Hansel and Ashton to get married. Now, Zed and Hansel are talking beside the pond, while Ashton and Aeiou sat on bench a few meters away from the two.
"Captain became soft." Ashton said to Aeiou as they sat side by side on the bench, not far away from the pond where they could spectate Zed and Hansel's back facing them.
"Soft?" Aeiou asked.
"Soft. I do not know what Hansel did, but whatever that is I expected Captain to address it in a much harsher way. Cut him out as a friend, punch him, or never talk to him ever again. That's the Zed that we knew. He's used to be using his fist all the time to fix things, but now he changed."
Aeiou looked at Zed's back and sighed. "How cruel was he before?"
"Cruel is not the right word. He's ruthless. Training under him will either kill you or make you quit sports. But he cared for us. Even though he barely remembers the name of all of us. It's just that he would rather be aggressive, rather than be kind and good but actually a devil inside. He never bothered hiding who he was."
Aeiou locked his gaze at Zed's back. "Ashton."
"Hmm?"
"Zed and Hansel have a problem now because Zed and I are in love with each other and then I found out that Hansel likes me as well."
"Why... So you're the guy Hansel likes. So you and Zed are like lovers now?"
"Yes. Don't let this get into other people's knowledge, okay? We are keeping it as a secret. I told you because I feel like you deserve to know."
Ashton nodded.
Zed became soft. No matter how good that sounds like, Zed being soft was Aeiou's biggest problem now. When Zed discovered that Hansel liked Aeiou, he had no choice but to be sad, and what's more was that Zed belittled himself since Hansel, according to him was a better guy. He doesn't feel worthy for Aeiou when a person who he thinks better than him had an interest with Aeiou, that's why.
Aeiou inhaled deeply.
Hansel was right, if Zed found out about Tori, he would be hurt. And he didn't want to see Zed hurt again and have those thoughts racing on Zed's mind. He wanted to make Zed feel no one else could replace him in Aeiou's life. Truly, once he's done with Tori, he'd invite Zed to a... a proper date with him.
"Ashton."
"Yes."
"Take care of Hansel, okay?"
"What... What... I... Okay. I will."
.......
The day ended quite great. Zed reconciled with Hansel quickly and Hansel and Ashton went home together in Ashton's car.
In the car with Zed going home to Aeiou's house, Aeiou asked the unusual. "Who do you love more, me or Hansel?"
"You," Zed answered.
Aeiou smiled. He felt like a devil, making things difficult for Zed but not really. Maybe he asked that since Hansel announced his love for Zed in front of everyone and he couldn't do it.
"What did you two talked about?" Aeiou asked.
"He told me that I am the only who could love you. That made me happy." Zed put his hand on Aeiou's leg and stroked it. "I'm happy."
"You're just horny." Aeiou slapped Zed's hand off his leg, but he reached for Zed's chest and squeezed it once before crossing his arms to himself. "And what does he mean that you're the only one who could love me? Am I that evil? Tsk."
Zed laughed. "I think he means that it needs another monster to tame another one." Zed reached for Aeiou's wrist and placed the same palm back on his right chest. "Squeeze them as much as you like and as long as you like. Don't hold back."