Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 234: Messy future

Chapter 234: Messy future

The awkwardness thickened like a slow fog. Sky felt it crawling under his skin. His gaze darted between Cory’s cool indifference and Vale’s heavy, silent presence. Both felt invasive in different ways.

Throughout breakfast, Vale’s conversation with the others remained cold, brief, and almost nonexistent, while with Cory, he spoke in quiet tones that hovered just between attentive and invasive.

At one point, Vale gently brushed a stray thread off Cory’s shoulder.

"You missed this," he murmured.

"Ah." Cory glanced at him, unfazed, a faint amused smile curving his lips. "Thanks."

Henry shifted in his seat, eyes narrowing slightly. Rain caught the movement and exchanged a glance with Sky.

Sky turned to Chris, raising a brow in question. Chris looked just as clueless but didn’t bother hiding the irritation that sparked in his eyes whenever Vale’s stare lingered too long on Sky.

Vale kept glancing at Sky, and it made his skin prickle.

Sky met his gaze, steady but wary. Vale’s lips twitched into the faintest expression — not quite a smirk, not quite a sneer.

Chris noticed the silent exchange. So did Cory, who cleared his throat and shifted his attention.

"It’s good to see you looking better now," Cory said to Sky, his hands folded neatly over one crossed knee.

Sky blinked, thrown off. "Sorry... have we met before?"

Cory tilted his head slightly, his tone still polite but with that clinical precision that made him unsettling. "I was at the hospital that day. When you fainted."

The words landed like a sharp pin dropping in a room full of inflated balloons.

Sky stiffened. His brain tripped for a second. Wait. Really?

Before he could even formulate a response, multiple heads turned sharply towards him.

"You fainted?" Rain asked, eyes wide.

Noel leaned forward, eyebrows rising. "Like full-on passed out?"

"What the hell? Why didn’t we know that?" Henry asked.

"Did you make him faint?" Mei asked Chris, her voice cold.

Sky flushed instantly, the heat creeping into his ears. His voice came out higher than intended. "I—I didn’t faint. I fell asleep."

Wilson made a small sound—half a choked breath, half a barely-suppressed laugh—but quickly covered it with a cough.

His friends and sister looked like they did not believe him.

Sky shot then an annoyed look. "I. Did not. Faint."

"For real, he didn’t. He was just exhausted and needed a good rest." Chris finally came to his aid, almost laughing at how much Sky was trying and failing to convince his friends he hadn’t fainted.

Cory, unbothered by the reactions, simply watched the scene unfold, lips pressing into a thin line of polite neutrality.

Then, without warning, Vale—who had remained entirely silent, his arms folded across his chest—spoke up.

His cold eyes zeroed in on Sky. His voice was low, bored, but intrusive. "Are you happy being with Chris?"

The question hit the group like a slap.

The conversation ground to a halt. Every pair of eyes shifted from Vale to Sky, processing what had just been asked.

Sky blinked, frozen, mouth opening but no words coming out immediately.

Chris’s jaw tensed, his eyes narrowing slightly at Vale.

Wilson made a face. "Well... damn."

Jack silently gestured for him to shut up.

Henry looked almost uncomfortable. Mei’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. Rachel instinctively looked at Chris for his reaction. Rain’s eyes widened as she leaned forward slightly.

Sky finally found his voice, though it came out defensive, almost cautious. "That’s... a strange question."

Vale didn’t blink. "It’s a simple one."

Sky swallowed under the weight of their stares. His fingers twitched before he forced himself to sit straighter.

"Don’t answer that—" Chris warned, but Sky spoke at the same time.

"Yes," Sky said firmly. He glanced at Chris, his voice softer. "I am."

Vale held his gaze for a moment longer, then finally looked away, as though bored.

Chris exhaled slowly, his voice clipped and sharp. "If you’re going to be an idiot and ask stupid questions, we’re going to have a serious problem."

"I was curious." Vale shrugged, unapologetic.

Cory, stepping in as though reining him back, offered an apologetic smile. "I apologize. Vale tends to be... forward." His gaze briefly returned to Sky. "But I’m glad to hear you’re well."

Sky offered him a tight smile, but inside his head was spinning. What the hell is wrong with these people?

"Well," Wilson suddenly clapped his hands softly, attempting to defuse it, "now that we’re one big happy party, maybe we can all... chill."

No one responded.

Jack muttered under his breath. "God, this is like a murder mystery waiting to happen."

Cory smiled politely. "Hopefully not, Mr...?"

"Jack. Just Jack."

"Well, Mr. Just Jack," Cory’s voice stayed perfectly cordial, "don’t worry. We are harmless."

Laughter erupted around the dining hall as Cory’s obvious obliviousness to the mistake he had made in assuming "Just" was Jack’s first name.

The laughter was able to help relieve the tension in the room even though Cory still looked like he had no idea what they found funny.

"So. Anybody want drinks? Or should we just let this turn into an unscripted reality show?" Chris asks.

"By the way..." Cory started but then he yawned and covered his mouth politely.

Vale immediately noticed.

"You’re tired," he said, voice low.

"I’m fine," Cory replied easily.

Vale stood abruptly. "You should rest."

"It’s alright—"

Before Cory could finish, Vale was already reaching for his wrist, guiding him up with a firm but gentle pull.

"I told you last night—you need sleep." His voice was calm but carried quiet insistence. "You didn’t listen because of thst stupid school project."

Cory sighed, and seemed too exhausted to fight him off as Vale pulled him with him.

Everyone else watched the interaction, their gazes flicking between the two.

"I apologize once again..." Cory said quickly.

Vale didn’t spare anyone else a glance as he led Cory away, one hand resting lightly on his back. As they exited, Vale shot a fleeting look back toward the table, eyes cold and measuring.

Silence hovered briefly.

Wilson finally broke it. "Okay... that was a vibe."

Jack muttered under his breath. "Yeah, a ’Netflix thriller’ kind of vibe."

"Not to be nosy," Mei said, eyes narrowing at Chris, "but... are they really siblings?"

"Well..." Chris rubbed his neck. "Vale’s adopted."

That landed like a eureka moment. Everyone nodded as if that explained everything.

Henry whispered, "Was it just me or...?"

"Nope," Rain whispered back. "Not just you."

"I think you should look out for Cory," Rain said seriously to Chris.

Her tone made Chris’s stomach sink, thinking about his oblivious cousin who was an easy pushover.

Well, things were probably going to get messy in the future. But he prayed they were all just overthinking this.