95. A Strange Place

"Niel I'm exhausted. How much longer are we supposed to go?"

Niel stopped briefly and looked at his fated's panting self and laughed. Elric had been complaining the entire time during their journey and despite Niel being exahausted himself, it was fun watching this side of Elric too. "If this is your stamina then just give up on life."

"What stamina? This is an endurance test!" Elric exclaimed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "The sun is scorching hot, we might as well die of dehydration before we get to where we are going."

Elric had been following behind Niel carring a big backpack which despite complaining of it's weight, Niel had refused to assist him with it.

"I'd warned you not to carry anything but you refused. We are the same size and I have clothes at my grandmas..."

"You honestly don't expect me to wear that!" Elric pointed at Niel's short. "I can endure your saggy polo shirt but not your shorts."

"I only put these on since I don't want my good clothes to be ruined. Look at you? You have black-jacks, dried leaves and twigs all over you. I warned you we were going to walk a few kilometers before we get to our destination."

"Why couldn't we just go to the states and see your parents instead? Why come all the way here to this jungle?"

Niel remained silent but kept on walking and Elric deduced he must have struck a nerve. Thinking back to how Niel had rumbled on the previous day, playing reverse psychology on him an calling it play, he decided it was time he had had his revange.

"So, you also do have things you don't wish to share with anyone hehe! How selfish of you to expect me to share more of myself than you already know after taking my imprint away."

"I'm not in good terms with them. Besides, it's a long story."

Running infront of Niel, Elric brought Niel to a stop and bent down to look at his face that had been hidden under his cap. "You literally took me on a three hour train ride, an hour's drive to this jungle and we've been walking like what now, thirty minutes? Then you say it's a long story? Oh, we have time..."

"My parents are pairs and got married without my grandparent's approval and each party held a grudge after a big disagreement. Afterwards I was born and they left to the states for greener pastures, leaving me with my grandparents. We are not a well off family so I'm guessing you don't know why they left me behind. When they got a good financial standing, they wanted me back and took me forcefully to the states but once I became an adult, I came back to live with my grandparents who were more of a family to me than my own parents."

Walking past Elric, Niel continued as he strode on. "My grandparents helped me secure a scholarship in collage and luckily, I was selected and here we are." Stopping to look back at Elric, Niel asked. "Are you satisfied now?"

"That's it? No drama?"

"That is the drama. What else did you think happened?"

"I don't know...you probably killed someone or were a serial killer in the states so you came here to hide."

"What the- What made you come to that conclusion?"

Scratching his chin, Elric replied, "Your threatening scent...is quite... How should I put it...pungent."

"And yet it turns you on."

"Well, not necessarily..." Elric shrugged his shoulders.

"Not necessarily? What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm more turned on when you touch me or come closer."

"Are you saying all this time, that is what turns you on?"

"Yes."

"Then why the heck would you put me through play every time? Do you think I enjoy whipping you? Or using the scent on you?"

"I don't know, I guess I enjoy being your sub. This switch is still new to me and to think I missed out all this time."

Niel seemed baffted by Elric's confession for he stated at him for a while and concluded. "You're a machinist arent you? You like it when I humiliate you."

"Something like that."

"So it isn't the pain you're after is it?"

"I used to think it is but with your constant yapping during our play, I started to think differently."

"Huh?" Niel looked confused.

"It's not like I don't listen to the things you say to me. I'm extremely alert when I'm excited you know, I like to devour every moment with my lovers..." Clearing his throat, Elric clarified, "I mean with you."

"Elric..." Niel frowned, turned and resumed walking.

"Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue!"

"And I'm sure you want me to humiliate you correct?"

"No! That's not..."

"Nelnel? It's Nelnel!" A voice called out and Elric watched Niel's face lighting up in an instant as he ran towards an elderly man whom he later found out had been his grandfather.

"My goodness, you grow handsome by day!" Glancing at Elric he inquired who he was but Niel brushed off the question, asking after his grandmother.

"She's been waiting for you since morning. What took you so long?"

"I took a train this time. You know the stops are a lot coming here."

"You should have asked us to wire you money so you can take a taxi instead you lousy child!" Said Niel's grandfather as he spanked his grandson's arm. They both laughed as they walked on.

Elric suddenly felt invincible, a feeling and situation that was very new to him. As watched his fated and the grandfather walk away from him, he didn't feel bad at all for he'd never seen Niel that happy before. He had always been on guard that as he watched him laugh wholeheartedly and chatter on with his grandfather, Niel appeared more relaxed like a child who'd been waiting for his parents to return home from work.

Suddenly, that comforting feeling disappeared as soon as it came. It appeared to Elric that Niel looked like someone who'd had a proper upbringing and enjoyed his childhood. Him on the other hand was forced to mature at a young age when his mother couldn't leave him in the house alone after his father's passing. Elric's mother would take him along with her for her meetings, both formal and informal since she couldn't trust anyone with her son. If Elric had not met with Stan while in school, he'd never have experienced a fraction of a normal childhood.

"Not that mine was normal in the least." He thought you himself.

"What a handsome young man! You seem to be from a well off family judging by how soft your hands are and your skin..." Niels grandmother had been frisking Elric for a while until he no longer felt uncomfortable but was laughing it off instead. He'd wanted to reveal his relationship with Niel however, upon his conversation with Niel yesterday, they were neither dating nor in a serious relationship. What linked them together was the fact that they were simply fated.

"You haven't brought Mijin for a while..."

Niel tried to change the subject. "Ah..! Grandma, Elric here is..."

"A close friend." Elric interrupted. "We graduated yesterday and I thought of tagging along in this trip. I hope it won't be a bother."

"No bother at all! Nelnel has only brought Mijin and Yeon here. I'm glad he is making more friends..."

"Grandma..." Niel cut in. "He is my fated mate."

"What?" Both of his grandparent's exclaimed in unison and after a few seconds, their face lit up with joy as they looked at a shocked Elric.

"Yes." Niel nodded at Elric briefly then added. "I hope you can welcome him as part of the family."

"Oh my word! Look at how flustered he's become!" Niel's grandfather exclaimed happily as him and his wife both reached to embrace Eiric, whose eyes were still fixeted on Niel.

"Congratulations my dear Nelnel! You did well to bring him here to us...and he smells so nice too..."

"What a nice scent you have."

"We have to...aah...freshen up before eating..." Niel panicked at the sight of his grandparents mesmerized by Elric's scent. He pulled away Elric from them and said. "We haven't had anything to eat all day..."

"How careless of you! You should have carried snacks along instead of keeping your fated this hungry if you knew you were going to take a train..."

"He said he couldn't afford a taxi..." Elric snitched.

Niel could feel a cold sweat at the bck of his neck when his grandparents glared. "Grandpa! Ah...I'll take Elric to my room..." Pulling Elric towards him, he spoke. "We won't be long I promise!"

"Don't take long Nelnel or else the food will get cold..." His grandmother called out as she watched Niel drag Elric towards his room and slammed the door shut.

"Damn it, calm down.." Niel whispered. "My grandparents are pairs so you know they can smell your scent much better.."

"Why..." Elric seemed to be trembling. His head was buried in Niels shoulder.

"Are you crying?"

"You could have just agreed that we were friends..."

"Why would I lie about us and why did you lie to begin with?" Elric didn't respond, neither did he lift his head from Niel's shoulder. "You think you can lie about us being fated? They are not stupid..."

"I didn't do that because I wanted to hide our status, rather....I thought it would make you uncomfortable."

"So, you can think of other people other than yourself? That's new."

"I'm not that selfish you know."

"Sorry." Niel chuckled. "I was being sarcastic."

"How will you hide the fact that you don't love, I mean...like me?"

"Do you think I'd introduce you to my grandparents if I disliked you?"

Lifting his head to look at his fated in the eye, Elric spoke. "Be careful Niel. Because of Yeon, like means something very different to me these days."

"I didn't say I like you, I said I don't deslike you. That's two different meanings."

"I don't care. They both mean the same thing to me."