My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 153: Two Knights In Shining Armors

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3rd Person Pov

Patrick bolted off the mattress so quickly that he nearly tripped over his own jeans, which were still halfway down his legs. The cocky grin that had been plastered on his face for the last twenty minutes vanished as soon as he recognized the two figures standing in the broken doorway.

Adrien and Ethan were there, side by side, the light behind them casting sharp shadows that seemed to engulf half the room. Adrien’s fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white; Ethan’s jaw muscle twitched like he was grinding rocks, a sign that he was ready for a fight.

Liam and Jace froze at the foot of the bed. Liam opened his mouth, then shut it again, struggling to find words. Jace, always the quickest to recover, forced a crooked grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes and took a casual step toward the newcomers.

"Ayyy, man," he drawled, his voice cracking just a bit on the second syllable as he nodded over to Adrien. "You guys here to catch the show or what? Plenty of room, fellas. And Ethan, don’t be shy, man."

The words floated in the air, thick and uncomfortable.

Adrien didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on Noah, who lay across the wrinkled comforter in nothing but his underwear that Patrick had started to pull down. Tears streamed down his flushed cheeks, and his chest heaved with silent, panicked breaths. Something fierce and primal flickered in Adrien’s hazel eyes, a rage so intense it felt like it was charging the air around him.

Ethan took a slow step forward, then another, the floorboards creaking under his weight. The usual easygoing humor that usually marked his expression was gone, replaced by a cold, murderous calm. He quickly scanned Patrick who recoiled against the crates like a kicked puppy, then Liam, and finally Jace, sizing them up like a butcher evaluating meat.

Jace’s grin faltered. "Come on, guys, it’s not—"

Ethan’s voice sliced through the tension, low and lethal. "Shut your mouth."

The command hit like a gavel slamming down. Jace’s jaw snapped shut so hard that his teeth clicked together, but in the workshop, the only sounds were Noah’s wet, ragged breaths and the soft creak of Adrien’s leather jacket as he finally moved.

In three strides, he crossed the room, shrugging out of his jacket as he went, and knelt beside the mattress. The anger in his face morphed into something heartbreakingly gentle as he looked at him. "Noah," he whispered, voice rough and barely audible. "Hey... it’s me. You’re okay now."

He draped the jacket over his trembling body like a shield, tucking it around his shoulders while being careful not to touch any skin that Patrick had laid his hands on. Meanwhile, Ethan hadn’t moved a muscle, but the threat radiating from him filled the room like a heavy fog.

Patrick attempted a nervous laugh. "Look, it wasn’t—"

Ethan finally turned his head, and whatever Patrick saw in those eyes choked off the rest of his sentence.

Ethan kept his focus on Noah, smoothing damp hair away from her forehead with trembling fingers. "We’ve got you," he murmured fiercely, his voice steady. "Nobody’s touching you again. I swear on my life." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Jace’s nervous laugh sliced through the silence, thin and desperate. He raised both hands, palms out, trying to seem nonchalant, though sweat was beginning to bead along his forehead.

"W–whoa, hey, sorry about, um...your boyfriend, man," he said, words tumbling out in a rush. "But come on, he was asking for it. Flirting all night, grinding on Pat at the party, kept saying he wanted to ’try everything at least once.’ Even threw out the word gangbang, bro. I swear to God. We didn’t force him; we were just... giving him what he wanted. No choice, right?"

From the mattress came a faint sound, a broken, breathless whisper. Naoh’s lips moved, forming the words that’s not true, but they’re lying. The protest barely escaped his lips.

His voice had been shredded from screaming, crying and the effects of the drug, leaving only a raspy sound that dissolved into another helpless sob. He tried to lift his head, but the effort made the room spin, and his cheek fell back onto the stale comforter.

Emboldened by Jace’s lie, Liam barked a shaky laugh and nodded toward Noah. "Yeah, exactly. Shut up, Noah. Everybody knows you’ve been a secret man whore this whole time, right?" He glanced between Adrien and Ethan, searching for any sign that they were buying it. "Seriously, though, how did you two even know we were–?"

The question didn’t even finish leaving his mouth.

Adrien moved so fast it was like the air itself rippled. His fist, already drawn back, smashed straight into Liam’s face with a sickening crunch. Cartilage shattered beneath his knuckles; blood sprayed across Liam’s upper lip in a fine mist.

Liam’s head snapped back, his feet slipping out from under him, and he hit the carpet hard, legs folding awkwardly as he clutched his mangled nose. A high, animal whine escaped him as blood poured between his fingers.

Adrien stood over him, chest heaving, eyes wild with an intensity that bordered on serene. There was no hesitation now, only the cold resolve of someone who had made up his mind about how far he was willing to go.

"I’ve got you," Ethan said to Noah softly, his voice cracking despite its calm tone.

He slid one arm under Noah’s shoulders and the other under his knees, lifting his and Adrien’s jacket in one gentle motion, making sure the leather stayed draped over him like armor.

Noah’s head lolled against his chest; her eyelids fluttered, caught between consciousness and the darkness behind them. A tremor ran through his body, but he managed the tiniest nod against his shirt, as if to say thank you without words.

Jace regained his balance and tried again, his voice rising in pitch. "W–wait, wait, hold on, Adrien, you know how people get when they’re drunk; they say stuff they don’t mean later. It was consensual, I swear!"

Adrien turned toward him slowly, blood dripping from his knuckles onto the carpet. Whatever Jace saw in his expression silenced the rest of his excuse. He took a shaky step back, hands raised again, his smile gone. "I d–didn’t even touch him, man; I was just watching, I swear."

Patrick, inching toward the window, froze when Adrien’s gaze shifted to him next. The room had turned unnaturally quiet, except for Liam’s wet, gurgling whimpers and Noah’s shallow breaths against Ethan’s neck.

Finally, Adrien spoke, his voice low, steady, and filled with menace. "Ethan, take him to the car. Lock the doors. Don’t come back inside."

Ethan didn’t argue. He shifted Noah higher against his chest and carried him past the wreckage of the door, past the three boys who suddenly seemed very small, and disappeared down the hallway. His footsteps faded quickly, leaving only the soft click of the front door far below.

In the bedroom, Adrien rolled his shoulders once, like a fighter warming up before a bout, and took a single step toward Jace and Patrick.

The overhead light flickered, as if the house itself was afraid of what was about to happen next.