"He asked you to be his son’s private tutor?"
Julian looked at his husband’s face as Arcane recounted what Donald had said to him. He loosened his red tie and nodded his head. He didn’t expect to receive such an offer from him.
"What do you think... Should I accept this offer?" he asked Julian about this.
The young man paused for a moment to think. Arcane himself wanted to accept this so he could get more information from Donald. Moreover, by entering his house, he might find something there.
"But... will you be okay?" asked Julian. He was worried about Arcane’s decision.
He didn’t want Arcane to feel sad when he saw Donald’s family up close. His father’s family could be very happy, in contrast to his and his mother’s life. Julian knew Arcane wasn’t weak enough to feel that way.
"But the feeling of comparing your two lives will surely arise on its own. Even if you try to avoid it," he said.
"What if the reality is... your father doesn’t remember your mother and he’s already happy with the life he has now?"
Julian’s words were enough to silence Arcane. He had indeed thought the same thing. What if he later found out that his father had only considered his mother a temporary love in his youth, nothing serious.
Realizing Arcane was just standing there silently, Julian touched him gently. He then held his hand, as if giving him strength without words. He knew Arcane didn’t want to talk right now, so he held his hand to show him that he was there for him.
"Come here," he said, pulling Julian to sit on his lap. He hugged his waist tightly. He buried his face in his neck and sighed heavily.
He had come too far to turn back now. The more he learned about Donald, the heavier his heart felt. Julian understood that Arcane just wanted his father to see him. He just wanted to know why his father had never looked for him and his mother if he really cared.
Or perhaps, behind his friendly facade, Donald only saw Wilona or Arcane’s mother as a temporary game. This was different from what Wilona had said in her letter, that Donald truly cared.
"Damn... Sometimes I question my decision to go this far. What if what you said is true?" he muttered, loud enough for Julian to hear.
"I don’t know either. Only you can decide what you want to do. Are you going to stop searching for your father’s life or continue because you’ve come this far?" Julian tried to answer what he could say even though he himself doubted Arcane would listen to him.
But for now, Arcane just needed Julian by his side until he felt better. He kissed Julian’s neck and shoulders, inhaling the scent of his husband’s body, which made him feel calm.
"Don’t go, I want to stay like this a little longer. Let me hold you a little longer."
He tightened his arms around Julian’s waist, as if he never wanted to let go. Julian returned his embrace, burying his face in Arcane’s soft red hair. It was unusual for the man to look so fragile like this.
He always looked energetic, mischievous, and very annoying to Julian, but he still liked him. After all, Arcane was still human and had feelings, no matter how annoying the man was, Julian would be there for him.
"It’s okay. You’re always there for me when I miss home. I understand, when I miss my parents, it makes me feel lonely. But I can still contact them there, unlike you. It must be very painful," he whispered, gently stroking Arcane’s head.
Seeing Arcane looking sad, Julian tried to lighten the mood by saying that Arcane would finally get to meet his half brother.
"But isn’t that great? It means you have a half brother, right?"
"Yes, I just found out about this. I didn’t know he had a son. All I knew was that he had a daughter who was still in elementary school."
He explained that Donald’s son, Arcane’s half brother, would be entering high school next year. He wanted Arcane to teach him math so he could pass the entrance exam for his favorite high school.
Donald was confident that Arcane’s abilities could teach his son to pass because the school entrance exam would be held in two months.
"Do you know what that means? It means he trusts you and your abilities! He knows you have the great ability to teach his son to get into his favorite school!" Julian said to cheer him up again.
"And if he finds out you’re his son! He’ll definitely be very proud because you are a very smart teacher like him. Teaching physics and math is very difficult!"
This time, Julian’s words made Arcane feel much better. Indirectly, Donald acknowledged his abilities, as if he was proud of him even though he didn’t know the truth.
And that unconsciously made Arcane feel that his hard work was not in vain. He studied mathematics not solely to get into that school and teach mathematics there.
He could have taken other subjects to become a teacher. However, he was interested in mathematics, which turned out to be one of the genes he inherited from his father.
"It turns out you can entertain people. It seems like you’re more suited to being a clown than an art teacher," said Arcane with a laugh.
Julian pouted, annoyed by the teasing, but he was happy to see Arcane laughing again as usual. If the man had made him angry, it meant he was feeling better because that was the Arcane he knew.
"A minute ago, you were like a kitten clinging to me and begging me not to leave. Now you’ve turned into someone who’s really annoying!" Julian replied.
"But I know even though I’m annoying, you’ll still love me, right?"
"Oh, you think so?" Julian raised his eyebrows, looking at his husband’s face, which was smiling teasingly at him.
He then kissed his lips deeply, wrapping both arms around his neck. Arcane returned the kiss for a long time until Julian finally pulled away.
"Yes. Yes, I do."