The Blue Eyes

"Do you like me?"

That was the question that finally broke the silence around them.

The living room was engulfed by uncomfortable silence ever since Kevin and Blue left the orphanage. There were two men in the living room, but they locked their lips in the past few minutes.

They were sitting opposite each other with serious expressions. It was like they were in a chess tournament when they were having psychological warfare.

Kris was the one who finally ended the quiet atmosphere just now. Perhaps he couldn't bear the tense atmosphere any longer, so he decided to ask that question.

"Why do you think so?" Jack asked back as he leaned his back against the back of the sofa. He crossed his arms in front of the chest and looked more relaxed now.

"You said that you are gay, and when we were in the laboratory, you said that you liked a person in the laboratory. The only men in the laboratory were me and Kevin, so there is a 50% chance that you like me."

Jack was silent even after Kris finished speaking. He just nodded his head several times before he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his kneecaps. His fingers were intertwining and tapping in a rhythm.

"That's only a 50% chance that I like you. The remaining 50% is that I probably like your boyfriend, right? You ignore that probability?" Jack asked back while grinning ignorantly.

"There's no way you like Kevin," Kris replied immediately.

The grin turned into a smirk before Jack asked, "Why do you think so?"

"Stop asking the same question already!" Kris snapped at the other man angrily. "I know that you hate Kevin, so it's impossible for you to like him!"

Jack suddenly bit his lips to suppress his laughter. "You are so naive," he commented. "I can hate anyone, and I can like anyone too. I can hate someone and like him at the same time. I'm free to do that, right?"

Kris clenched his fist angrily. He knew that Jack was just trying to provoke him, so he needed to hold back his anger.

It was an irony. Back then, Jack was the one who easily got provoked by others' words, but now the situation reversed. Kris was the one who was in that position because he easily got offended by Jack's words. Kevin was right. He had changed lately.

"Let's settle this matter before Kevin and Blue come back, Jack. Do you like me or not?" Kris spoke again while gritting his teeth.

Jack straightened his body and combed his blonde hair with his long fingers nonchalantly. He stopped his movement as he sighed. "You are being sensitive with me. Is it because of my confession some time ago? Is it because I confessed that I'm gay?" He asked in a serious tone.

"Don't misunderstand me," Kris replied. "I don't hate the fact that you are gay, but I just feel uncomfortable because I think you like me," he added honestly.

"I have expected that," Jack replied calmly. "You are indeed uncomfortable because of my feeling, right?"

Kris was stunned to hear Jack's words. "So, you like me for real?" He asked the blonde man.

Jack just smiled while staring at him intently. "Don't worry. I won't disturb your relationship with Kevin," he said softly.

Kris was speechless. Jack didn't answer with a "yes" or a "no," but he could interpret the ambiguous answer. He had never expected that Jack did harbor a feeling toward him. He had suspected it since Jack confessed that he was gay, but he didn't think that his suspicion would come true.

He and Jack had been mortal enemies for a long time. Jack didn't even hesitate to hurt him some time ago. He had never thought that the other man would harbor a feeling toward him. Perhaps he was so blind by his love for Kevin that he couldn't sense Jack's true feelings.

"Since when did you like me?" Kris asked the tattoed man after he regained his composure.

Jack sighed as he leaned his back on the back of the sofa again. He looked up at the ceiling gloomily. "I don't know," he answered weakly. "Maybe since we were young. I always looked up to you since we were kids, Kris. You were the tallest and the strongest kid back then, and I've been admiring you ever since."

"That's why you hate Kevin for stealing me back then?" Kris asked the blonde man.

The said man finally turned to look at him. "I think so," he answered with a small smile.

Jack was smiling, but it looked bitter on Kris's face. He felt bad for Jack in instant.

"Don't look at me like that, Kris. I don't need your pity," Jack spoke again, and his soft gaze turned into a glare.

Kris sighed as he shifted his gaze away from the other man. "What can I do for you now?" He asked without looking at Jack.

The question made Jack frown. "What?" He asked back confusedly. "I don't want you to do anything for me, Kris. Just like what I said earlier, I don't need your pity."

Kris finally looked at Jack again. "But you hate me because I can't return your feeling," he replied.

"You think I hate you?"

"It's so obvious that you hate me. You keep provoking me because you hate me, right?"

Jack was surprised for a moment, but then he laughed zealously. "Your boyfriend is way more sensible than you, Kris," he commented after the laughter died.

"What?" Kris asked in confusion.

Jack smiled at him before answering, "Kevin could read the situation, so he let us have this private conversation. He's such a thoughtful person."

Kris fell silent as he recalled the moment when his lover forced them to have a private chat today. He didn't expect that his lover had read the situation since the beginning.

"I keep provoking you not because I hate you, Kris," Jack spoke again, enough to break Kris's reverie. "I just want to get close to you. Not as a lover, but as a friend. I know that I don't have any chance to win your heart."

Kris was startled. He could only stare at Jack without saying anything. It seemed that his tongue turned stiff that he couldn't move it to produce a sound.

"Stop staring at me like that, Kris! I'm trying to get rid of my feeling, so please help me with that!"

Kris's reverie was broken by Jack's voice again, and he blinked innocently at the other man.

"And I'm not provoking you all these times, Kris. I'm just teasing you, but you are too sensitive. It's annoying sometimes."

Kris shook his head before he massaged his temples. "I'm still shocked, Jack," he replied. "And if you really want to be my friend, you should have treated me better instead of torturing me. I got a headache because of you."

Jack chuckled when he heard Kris's statement. "I read from the internet that teasing is a good way to get close to someone," he replied.

Kris stared at Jack in disbelief. "You should have filtered what you got from the internet," he commented.

Jack giggled again before he asked, "So, will you feel more uncomfortable with me after knowing the truth, Kris?"

The taller man couldn't immediately respond and just stared at Jack blankly. He was not sure how should he treat Jack after this. Jack did harbor a feeling toward him, and he didn't want to hurt the other man even more.

But he also didn't want to make Kevin jealous if he was too close with Jack. He didn't want to hurt his lover either.

Jack seemed to notice Kris's dilemma, and he decided to speak, "I will find another man, Kris. You don't have to feel guilty!"

Once again, Kris blinked confusedly after he heard Jack's statement. "A man like me is rare. I'm not sure you will find one in the future," he stated boastingly.

The boasting words made Jack snorted in annoyance. "You are actually not my type, Kris. Don't be so proud of yourself," he replied. 

"I'm not your type, but you like me!" Kris stubbornly argued. "And if I'm not your type, then what's your type?"

Hearing Kris's question, Jack suddenly smirked. "My type is someone smart, brave, and cute like Kevin," he answered confidently.

The confident answer made Kris's eyes bulge. "Kevin is mine! Just go find someone else!" He said.

Once again, Jack chuckled casually. "I have someone in mind, but I'm not sure if it will work," he replied.

The reply sounded interesting in Kris's ears, and he subconsciously leaned his body forward. "Who is he?" He asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he asked back, "Why are you so sure that it's a 'he'? I could be bisexual, you know?"

Kris straightened his body again as he responded to Jack's statement with an "Ah." But he then realized something when Jack mentioned the 'bisexual' word.

"What about Blue? Do you like her?"

The caramel-haired guy's question stunned Jack.