Elias groaned in frustration as he glanced at the laptop screen, rubbing his face. God, what was he doing?  Thinking Reddit could help him out of this? He must be really off his rocker after the shock and disbelief following recent events.

Still, he checked the replies. All he saw were comments like “lucky bastard” or “What in the cringe K-drama is this—give me the sauce. NOW.” There was even the occasional “The delulu is HIGH” or “Bro is living in his own reverse harem.”

Great. What else did he expect from Reddit anyway?

He was about to shut the laptop in frustration when there was a ding. Curiously, he opened the linked messaging app.

“This is Louis.”

“Save this number.”

He sighed. Of course. Still, his hands moved over the screen, saving the unknown contact as “Louis.”

Seeing that his messages were read, Louis continued:

“Let’s meet up.”

It wasn’t a question or suggestion. Not quite an order either. Since when did Louis become this assertive?

“Don’t make an excuse, I know it’s your day off.”

He followed up with the location of a restaurant and the message: “8 p.m.”

Elias chuckled bitterly at the short, dry messages—and at his own thoughts. He put his phone away, a headache slowly starting to form. He was sure Louis only messaged him to get an explanation, probably feeling bitter about it. Elias wasn’t even sure if he wanted to meet up. But he also… wanted to see him. His heart fluttered at the thought.

He ran a hand through his pale hair, tugging the ends of it. Oh god, he's going to hell. 

One moment he was thinking about how good Raphael was at kissing, and the next, teenage Louis’ bright face flashed in his mind. The worst part? His heart skipped a beat at both.

“Whatever. Let’s just... sleep,” he muttered to himself as he laid back on the soft, inviting bed, drifting off.

And that was how he ended up sleeping away more than half of his day off.

Elias woke up in the evening, his hair messy from sleep. His shirt had ridden up slightly, revealing a hint of pale skin with a soft pinkish tint. His abdomen was flat and slender, and at some point, he had kicked off the covers. His eyes were still a little hazy from sleep, his vision blurry as he opened them. He stared up at the ceiling with a sigh before letting his eyes flutter shut again, his thoughts wandering to the most random things. Raphael must have woken up in the hospital by now... his mind drifted further, momentarily forgetting about dinner due to the disorientation of just waking up.

As if the universe couldn’t bear to see him relaxed, a reminder on his home assistant buzzed.

“Reminder: ‘Dinner with Louis’ in 50 minutes. It is currently 7 p.m., and based on the traffic routes to your destination, travel would take half an hour.”

That jolted him awake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. A yawn escaped his lips as he slipped on his soft slippers and entered the bathroom. Once inside, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, trying to look a little less like he’d just rolled out of bed.