Again, Mr. Black? (M×M) (l***q+)

5.

"Can you cover my shift for tomorrow, Lazarus? I need to take my girlfriend to the gynecologist. I swear, I'll pay it back to you." Sammy said, looking at me with a pleading look in her eyes. I rolled my eyes, a small smile forming on my face as I nodded my head in affirmation.

Of course, I'll help her out. She was my friend. Or maybe one of those rare friends I had. Real friends.

"Chill, Sammy. Don't worry, I have you covered up. And can I expect any sort of good news after your arrival from the doctor?" I asked her with a teasing smile and her face reddened as she hit me on the shoulder, making me wince lightly. This woman can hit hard.

"Oh, shut up, Lazarus! It's just a regular checkup. No good news. Not for another year. And I think I should leave now, somebody has been waiting for a long time for you now." She said with a soft chuckle and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What was she talking about?

And when I followed my gaze to where she was looking, I felt my heart stop beating for a split second before my heartbeat increased. Not exaggerating, I had my fist against my chest. He was looking at me. His sharp gray eyes were focused on me. His hands stuffed in his pockets, his frame leaning against the empty wall of the diner. He was making it very obvious that he was looking at me. Or maybe at Sammy. She was a beautiful woman, after all.

"He is not waiting for me." I grumbled out, collecting my stuff before dumping it into my bag. Sammy and I, both of us, knew that I was lying. He was waiting for me. Because he has been sitting on his damn spot, working on his broken laptop, with absolutely no-one questioning his stay. Perks of being brother of the owner of the place.

"And I am not taking my girlfriend to the doctor tomorrow." She sassed me, trying to prove her point, and I rolled my eyes, closing the cabinet as I moved back, trying to step out of his gaze. Trying to hide from him. I was sum to think I can escape his eyes, Just like how dumb I was to allow a roommate with no police enquiry.

Dumb! I am so damn stupid.

"He seems like a nice guy, Lazarus. I am not asking you to go on a date with him. Maybe you can have a friend. Besides, until when are you going to hangout with yourself? Having company is not a bad thing." She said, and my eyes widened at her words.

Nice? She thinks Hades-dangerous-Black is a nice guy? Of course, she thinks he is. After all, she had not seen him walking into my apartment drenched in somebody else's blood. Of course, she had not read the articles about his cruelly committed murders. Of course, he had not threatened her to keep her mouth shut. I was the only blessed one, ironically.

"I am sure your girlfriend must be waiting for you, Sammy. And I need to get started with my assignments. Submissions are not far away now." I said with an awkward laugh and she looked at me for a moment, trying to decipher my intentions for dissipating the topic, but she didn't dig deep into it.

"Take care, Lazarus boy."

"Take care, Sammy." I said with an affectionate smile and she left after pressing my palms. Allowing Mr. Hades Black to walk towards me. His strides were not fast, but they were slow. His deliberate slow moves were making my heart go crazy inside my chest. And he stopped when he was just two steps away from me.

His eyes looked at me, taking his time. As if he was trying to sketch my face with his eyes. That's how long he kept staring at me. And after eighty-four seconds— Yes, I was counting to keep my mind sane, he blinked his eyes and took the bag from my hands, taking me by surprise before he started walking in front of me.

"Hey, what the hell! Give my bag back to me. I don't have money in my pockets." I cried, jogging towards him. He didn't stop but he had the mercy of answering me.

"You don't need money in your pocket, Lazarus, when your bag will be literally beside you." What?

"But it looks like my bag is no longer beside me, Sir," I said sarcastically, and he turned his back to look at me with a small smile on his face. Oh, so after two days of being cold and steely with me, he is finally giving me his charming smile? This man is an enigma. Like more mysterious than my foster father's life.

"But you will be beside me, Lazarus. I am giving you a ride. Come on, be fast on your feet. Stop crawling like a tortoise." He said, his tone was no more severe. If anything, he was being playful. Told you, he is an enigma. And maybe with spilt personality disorder.

"Who told you that I would take a ride from you, Mr. Black? I don't remember asking for any kind of help from you. Thank you and you can leave now. Just hand me my bag back. And I'll be out of your hair. Or precisely, you need to get out of my skin. So please kindly leave me alone."

I must give it to myself. No matter how terrified I was from within. No matter how much my soul was trembling under his gaze and with his presence around me, my voice was leveled, unwavering, steady and bold. Something that made me very proud.

But my bravery soon left me alone when he took a step forward, reducing the distance between us to just one step. He was so close to me that I was never this close to anyone in my life, ever before. My heart was almost ready to break all the veins and leap out of my chest. If only he could hear how fast my heartbeat was. Like I had run a f*****g marathon.

"It's late out there, Lazarus. It's not safe."

"It has never been safe even before I met you, Hades Black. But I managed, didn't I? And I'm pretty sure I can manage now when I managed back then. My bag, please." I said, as politely as I could. Trying to be as steady as I was a minute ago. But the proximity sucked my bravery as fast as it rushed inside me. My voice came out shaky. And it didn't seem like an order or a firm warning, but it came out as a soft plea.

And he sighed at my "wavering voice" and took another step, eliminating the only distance between us. I gasped when my body took control and I also took a step back, making my body press against the wall. And he took a step back, getting the hint that I didn't appreciate him invading my personal space.

"It was safe before you met me, Lazarus. Now that you know me, you are always in danger. And you can't protect yourself from this kind of danger. And you have given me your apartment to stay in. This is the least I can do for you." He said and I pursed my lips as I looked at him with a glare.

"Or maybe you can simply stay with your brother. I am sure he can manage to provide you with a place if he can manage to give us our wages." I said and he laughed, almost like he found my suggestion humorous. But then, it's often said that murderers often laugh before they paint the room red. I don't know if his laughter should put me at ease or if I should feel threatened. I had no idea.

"Or maybe I can stay with you and help you with your financial issues by paying you the rent." I curled my fingers into a fist and closed my eyes to take a deep breath. Calm down, Lazarus. Calm down.

"I am sure you are not the last person left in need of an apartment to stay in. I will get a tenant for my apartment. And you shift to your brother's place, yeah? See, problem solved. Now, give me my bag. And we both won't have to see each other again." I said with a chirpy smile and he raised his eyebrows at me, challenging me, and I lost the smile on my face.

"Not so easily, Lazarus. I really need a place to live. And you know who I am. I can't go around explaining the same to my new landlords. And trust me, you don't want to be on my bad side, either. Right?" His last word was laced with threats and warnings. I gulped at his unsaid threat.

"Why not stay with your brother? He was very caring towards you." He scoffed at my question, the ironic smile on his face made my stomach clench with pain. As if his smile was forced. The pain behind his smile made the ache in my chest intensify.

"Some truths are better unsaid, Lazarus. And some questions are better when not asked. You stay away from my personal life and you'll stay safe. That's a fair deal, no?" He asked me and I pressed my lips into a thin line.

I don't know which side of Hades Black belongs to him. The one that is gentle with me or the side that threatens me without a second thought. I don't know if his gentle side is real or the side that makes me tremble with fear. But no matter which side of him is real, he manages to make me feel uncomfortable, to a level nobody ever did.

"Yeah."

"Great. Come, I am sure you have a lot of work to do. And you must be hungry as well. You had a very tiring day, Lazarus. We should depart for home now." He said, nodding his head towards the exit of the cafe. I swallowed harshly, nodding my head. With my trembling hands I fished the keys out of my pocket to lock the diner.

"Yes, I am very tired, Mr. Black. But this is the last time you're offering me a ride. This is the last time you have stayed at this diner for me. I am an independent man, Hades Black. And you creep the f**k out of me!" I said. He released another sigh, shaking his head as he took a few steps back. Giving me the personal space, I was so in need of.

"I won't hurt you, Lazarus. Not until you decide to harm me in any way. I am not a bad person unless messed with, Lazarus. Trust me when I say this." He said, and I swallowed the saliva, nodding my head.

"Let's go." Was all I could speak. It was all I could manage at that moment. He looked at me for an entire minute before nodding his head as he walked out of the diner. I locked the door until he got his bike out of the parking zone. With my thudding heart, I walked towards him and sat behind him. That's when something hit me. Like I had my memory refreshed.

"Mr. Black?"

"I have told you enough times now, Lazarus. Call me Hades. Mr. Black.... doesn't seem okay to me. You can call me Hades." He said, starting his bike, and I bit on my lips.

"Mr. Black is fine." I said and he laughed, nodding his head.

"Okay. You wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes. What were you doing at my college today? Especially in my classroom? On my bench?"