World's Best Protagonist [BL]

[Jade’s POV]

Fortunately, I didn’t have to see Allen the next day and be unwillingly reminded of what his older brother spouted. It was because the NSA sent a notice to the team last night.

I was a bit nervous when the notification popped up, thinking it was another grilling, but thankfully, the NSA still had mercy and gave us a week’s vacation.

Yup. Vacation. Sweet, sweet vacation.

The kind where I didn’t have to wake up to Claude’s deadpan voice ordering me to cleanse his toxic aura, or Terrius dragging me to do push-ups in training like he was auditioning for a military drama. Or Noir grinning... I wonder if he’s doing okay over there.

Anyway, no vortex. No monsters. For a week! This will be my new heaven.

I was expecting a visit from the team since this would be my first day living in this Sanctum, but behold, everyone was busier than the bees. Claude was training non-stop, I was told by Terrius, who called me early in the morning, asking me to join the two of them to train. I flatly said no.

Lexie was taking this chance to travel and shop, sent me an invitation, but I declined. Allen, well, I suppose he was spending this time with his family. He didn’t call or send a message at all, and I thought that this was better since I didn’t really want to waste his time on me, so I didn’t initiate to call either.

Meanwhile, Etienne...

"So, what are you doing here again?"

"Uhm...helping you?"

I folded another old pants I found in my closet as I glanced over Etienne, who was putting the books inside a box. I didn’t ask for help.

Without anything to do, I decided to visit my house and pack my belongings. But then, he suddenly appeared at my front door and helped me without saying anything. I glanced at him once more and then sighed. He was always with Noir, so now that Noir was gone, he must have been feeling lonely.

So, I didn’t complain even when he was packing my books in the wrong order. I’ll just arrange them properly in the Sanctum.

After surveying the entirety of what used to be my home-sweet-home, I decided it was time to let go. I cleaned up what little was left and slapped a FOR RENT sign on the front gate like a very tired adult who’d seen too much.

Of course, living in a Sanctum now meant I was technically one of the big shots. Or, at the very least, I had a bathtub with self-heating water and a fridge that restocked itself. Fancy. But it’s a joke. Oh, how I wish that were the case.

Now, I have to leave this house in the hands of my future tenants. Damn it. We loaded the boxes into Etienne’s car, which reminded me of something. A vehicle is indeed necessary. But it didn’t sit right with me to accept that BMW when my doubts about the giver were overflowing.

So, I just hailed taxis and tolerated the long walk. Where was I now? Grocery store. Cart half-full, soul half-dead, pushing through the aisles with a golden-haired shadow trailing behind me like a silent guardian angel. Etienne. Again.

Yes, that Etienne. The ethereal one. The walking skincare commercial. The boy so pretty that even mannequins looked at him with envy.

He had been following me for three days now. The first day, it was fine, but as the days added up, he became more and more clingy and stayed longer than I expected. The time I was at home doing nothing was for my reading sessions, but because of his presence that I couldn’t ignore, I ended up playing games with him, or just watching movies until dark.

If I don’t notice him, he looks like a pitiful child shunned by other children, quietly entertaining himself in the corner. If I give him attention, then he will take all my time.

It wasn’t like I hated his company, it’s just that I’ve been feeling that he wanted to ask me something, and waiting for that naturally was eating up my own personal time. So, after two days, I finally asked what was bothering him.

"I just think... that Captain is more complicated than I thought," Etienne said, suddenly, his soft voice slicing through the background music that was playing an unholy remix of Beethoven and bubblegum pop.

I paused mid-reach for a packet of instant ramen. "This is a strange time to bring him up," I said, holding the noodles like they were sacred scrolls. Did he know something was going on between me and Claude?

Etienne tilted his head and looked at me with those doe-like eyes, so sincere it almost made me forget he once skewered a knight through the chest without blinking. "I mean, he’s always so calm."

Not true.

"But at the banquet... he looked like he was about to cry."

I blinked. "You mean Claude? Our Captain? The same guy whose face said, ’crying is a useless expenditure of hydration’ when he sees someone crying?"

Etienne nodded, then gently nudged the cart forward, his fingers brushing along the edge like he was caressing antique porcelain.

"When he saw me at the banquet...his eyes were just so...sad. I was shocked. That was the first time I saw him like that. At the same time, curiosity struck me like a fastball. Why did he look like that? Why was he sad?"

At the banquet, Etienne was wearing a dress. And he was so gorgeous, despite his clothes being a bit tattered from the fight. Maybe Claude was just sad because Etienne likes someone else?

When Etienne looked at me with confusion, I realized I had scoffed. I showed him a box of bar soap and sneered, "It says 99% germ kill, do you believe that?" I threw the box back on the rack and walked ahead. "So, why do you think the captain was sad?"

"I thought you’d know if I told you," he continued, not meeting my eyes this time. "You’re... close, aren’t you?"

Cue the awkward chuckle from yours truly. "Haha. Define ’close.’ Like, uh, emotionally close? Or proximity-wise? I mean, I did live with him for a few months. That’s pretty close."

Etienne gave me the look. Not judging, just... suspicious. Like a beautiful detective who already knew the culprit and was just waiting for the confession.

I cleared my throat and busied myself pretending to examine canned beans. "We talk. But not about deep stuff. More like... metaphysical fog theories, and why he keeps his food barely inedible to other people. You know. Manly bonding."

Am I really the one speaking? That was a lie. I was reluctant to tell him the truth. I realized that I wanted all Claude’s secrets for myself. That way, I feel special.

This is frustrating. Do relationships need a clear label? What are we? Just a Minder and a Seeker?

"I see," Etienne said softly, his fingers now running along the edge of a shelf stacked with shampoo. "It’s just strange. He looked at me that night like... like he was grieving. It was stuck in my head, so I thought I should ask you. That’s all."

His voice trailed off, and I caught a glimpse of his reflection in the metal of the shelf—confused, delicate, but thoughtful. He was the type of person who wore their emotions in glances and silences.

I sighed and leaned an elbow on the cart. "Claude’s not good with words. Or feelings. Or facial expressions. Or people in general, honestly. But if he looked at you like that, maybe...it was something..."

The spirits above my shoulders were fighting. The horned one was knocking on my head like I was a fool for saying that, while the haloed one was commending my martyrdom. I flicked them both away and straightened my posture, tapping Etienne’s back once before looking around again.

"Just talk to him." I’ll just make sure I’m present when the two of them talk.