CHAPTER 25: THE DINNER PREPARATION

Leonel made himself comfortable like he’d lived there all along. He dropped onto the couch right next to Aiden, but angled his body so he was facing Cassian. His arm rested lazily along the backrest, fingers tapping idly while his gaze sharp, focused, and entirely too confident locked onto Cassian.

Cassian, sitting cross-legged on the opposite chair, looked up just as Leonel tilted his head slightly, meeting his eyes. For a long, unguarded second, neither of them moved.

The air between them shifted thick, quiet, and weirdly heavy. Cassian could practically feel the weight of Leonel’s stare, like it was burning straight through his skin. His throat went dry.

Leonel’s lips quirked up, slow and deliberate.

Cassian’s stomach flipped.

He blinked rapidly, breaking eye contact like it physically hurt to hold it. "W-what?" he mumbled, pretending to busy himself with straightening the corner of a magazine on the coffee table.

Leonel only shrugged. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" Cassian asked before his brain could tell him not to.

Leonel leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, smirk deepening. "You’d be surprised."

Cassian’s ears burned. He looked away quickly, muttering under his breath, Why is even his gaze enough to pierce me like that?

Aiden, sitting stiffly on the couch, had been watching the silent exchange like a referee before a fight. His jaw twitched slightly, and he clapped his hands together too loudly. "Soo..." he said, his tone painfully casual, "it’s already dinner time. What should we eat?"

Cassian perked up at that. "Oh, right! I forgot to make anything."

Leonel turned to Aiden, thinking for a moment. "How about barbeque?" he suggested, a hint of excitement in his voice. "To celebrate our first night living together."

Cassian’s eyes lit up instantly. "Barbeque?!" His face practically glowed. "Yes! That sounds amazing!"

Aiden side-eyed Leonel. "Barbeque? Indoors?"

Leonel grinned. "Relax. I’ll handle the smoke. I’m a professional."

Aiden arched a brow. "At what -burning kitchens?"

Leonel chuckled. "At making things taste good."

Cassian groaned softly. "Can we please not fight for one meal?"

Aiden sighed dramatically and got up. "Fine, fine. But we don’t have any meat left." He turned toward Leonel, pointing a finger. "You should go get some. Since it was your idea."

Leonel raised an eyebrow, his grin unfaltering. "Oh? And why me?"

"Because Cassian and I will get the veggies ready," Aiden replied coolly.

Leonel smirked, crossing his arms. "Right. You just want some alone time with him."

Aiden froze for half a second before his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Cassian looked between them, already sensing where this was going. "Guys -"

Leonel tilted his head, expression feigning innocence. "What? I mean, come on. You can’t fool anyone with that excuse. ’Prepping veggies’ sounds more like code for flirting."

Aiden scoffed. "You’ve got some nerve, accusing me of that when you’ve been staring at him like he’s dessert."

Cassian nearly choked on air. "Wha -"

Leonel laughed, standing up slowly. "At least I don’t pretend otherwise."

"That’s because you don’t think before you speak," Aiden shot back.

Leonel stepped closer, amusement flickering in his eyes. "And you overthink every damn thing."

They were standing toe to toe now, tension sparking in the air like static.

Cassian watched them helplessly, torn between wanting to disappear and wanting to throw something at both of them.

"Seriously?" he said, exasperated. "You two are ridiculous."

Leonel didn’t even glance his way, still grinning at Aiden. "If you’re that scared to let me near him, maybe that says more about you than it does about me."

"Maybe I just don’t want the place filled with smoke from your cooking," Aiden countered sharply.

Cassian pressed his palms to his face. Why are they like this?

The back-and-forth continued, voices rising Leonel teasing, Aiden glaring, both of them trying to outsmart the other while completely forgetting the point of the argument.

Finally, Cassian couldn’t take it anymore. He jumped up, hands in the air. "OH MY GOD, STOP!"

Both of them turned, startled.

Cassian’s face was red not from embarrassment this time, but pure frustration. "I’ll go! I’ll buy the stupid meat, okay?! You two stay here and prepare the veggies or... or kill each other, I don’t care! Just stop arguing!"

The room went silent.

Leonel blinked. Aiden looked mildly taken aback.

Then Leonel chuckled softly. "Well, that works too."

Cassian huffed, grabbing his wallet from the table. "Yeah, it does. Because at least this way, I get some peace."

Aiden frowned. "You’re going alone?"

Cassian shot him a look. "Yes. I can handle a grocery store, Aiden. I’m not five."

Leonel leaned casually against the counter, smirking. "You sure you won’t miss us while you’re gone?"

Cassian glared at him, cheeks warming again. "Positive."

"Aw, come on," Leonel teased. "I was gonna offer to carry the bags for you."

"Pass." Cassian marched toward the door.

Aiden crossed his arms. "Text me when you get there."

"Yes, dad," Cassian muttered, slipping on his shoes.

Leonel snorted. "You’d make a great overprotective parent, you know that?"

Aiden threw him a glare. "And you’d make a terrible influence."

Cassian opened the door, half-grinning despite himself. "You two should start a comedy duo."

"Only if you’re our audience," Leonel said, winking.

Cassian groaned, stepping out before either of them could say more. He closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a second, trying to calm the rapid thump of his heart.

Why do they always make everything so intense?

He exhaled, straightening up. "Okay. Meat. Just meat. No thinking about Leonel. No thinking about Aiden. Just buy meat and survive the night."

But even as he walked down the dim dorm hallway, Cassian couldn’t shake the sound of Leonel’s teasing voice or the way Aiden’s concern had softened, even for a second.

Inside, behind the closed door, Leonel turned to Aiden with a sly grin.

"So," he drawled, "you gonna tell me why you’re so touchy about me being around him?"

Aiden’s jaw tightened. "You know exactly why."

Leonel chuckled, pushing off the counter. "Do I?"

Their eyes met sharp, unspoken tension hanging in the air.

Outside, Cassian sneezed suddenly, mumbling to himself, "Why do I feel like they’re talking about me again?"

He sighed, tugging his hoodie tighter as he headed toward the store.

Perfect — here’s the continuation of Chapter 25, picking up smoothly from where Cassian left for the store. This scene brings that soft tension, a touch of surprise, and Lucian’s teasing reappearance — written naturally, emotionally grounded, and with that contract-worthy flow you’d find in a BL Webnovel:

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Cassian pushed open the glass door of the convenience store, a tiny bell chiming above him. The air inside was cool and smelled faintly of spice and chilled meat. He grabbed a basket, muttering under his breath, "Okay, mission: barbeque meat. No distractions."

He walked toward the refrigerated section, eyes scanning the neatly packed trays. He crouched slightly, checking the labels like it was some sacred ritual. "Hmm... this one looks good. Perfect size, nice marbling," he whispered, carefully placing it in the basket. His lips twitched into a small smile. "Oh, this one’s gonna taste so good when grilled."

Cassian reached for a few more packs—some tenderloin, a couple of ribs, even some marinated strips that made his stomach growl. He could already imagine Leonel bragging about his so-called ’grilling skills,’ and Aiden arguing over seasoning. The thought made him grin unconsciously.

Satisfied, he turned toward the counter, quickening his steps. "Alright, in and out, before they burn the kitchen down," he muttered. But as he rounded the corner—

Thud!

He crashed into someone head-on.

The impact sent his basket flying. Plastic packets scattered across the floor in a messy heap. Cassian stumbled backward and landed on his butt with an ungraceful thump.

"Ow—!" he groaned, rubbing his lower back. "That was hard..."

For a second, he sat there blinking at the chaos before him meat packs everywhere, a stranger’s feet in front of him. He sat up already starting to pick up the bags Then, the person he’d bumped into crouched down.

"Sorry about that," a smooth, low voice said.

Cassian looked up automatically and froze.

The guy was already picking up the meat packets, his pale fingers brushing lightly against Cassian’s as he handed one back. A flash of white hair caught the store’s fluorescent lights silvery strands falling slightly into sharp, crystal-blue eyes that seemed to know exactly how to make someone forget how to breathe.

Cassian’s lips parted slightly. "...Lucian?"

Lucian smirked, tilting his head just enough to make that one strand of hair fall across his forehead. "Hey there, bunny," he said, voice soft but laced with teasing familiarity. "Fancy meeting you here."

Cassian blinked, still half-sitting on the floor, his brain refusing to catch up. Of all people, why him here, now?

"Uh -yeah, hi," Cassian stammered, grabbing another packet just to have something to do. His fingers trembled slightly when Lucian’s hand brushed his again.

Lucian handed over the last of the scattered meat, still crouched close enough for Cassian to smell his clean, subtle cologne.

His smirk deepened when he noticed Cassian avoiding his gaze. "Still clumsy, huh?"