First Date

Ru gazed into Dr. Claude's eyes, envisioning himself strolling along a rainbow.

Claude was about to dive into Ru's emerald green eyes when he stopped himself. After all, he was Ru's doctor, and Ru was three years younger than him. For Claude, he was a child as well as a patient.

"Doctor, are you feeling a little guilty for whisking me away?" Ru asked with a playful charm.

"Oh, come on, I didn't kidnap you," Claude said, a playful blush creeping onto his cheeks.

“I don't feel that way, though,” Ru said, gently placing a hand on the doctor's palm resting on the table.

Claude swiftly pulled back his hand and dashed away from the table, with the excuse, "I need to grab something to drink."

"I wonder what I did wrong?" Ru thought.

Claude arrived shortly after and said, "Drinks will be coming."

Ru revealed his attitude by turning his face.

"What happened, all of a sudden?" Claude asked.

"Nothing," Ru said, tapping the ground with his foot and keeping rhythm.

Claude struggled to make a topic. He first talked about the weather and then suddenly asked Ru an important question.

"Lirui, why did you refuse to become Vaelan's brother?"

The question belonged to Dr. Claude Leblanc and triggered all the voices that had accumulated in Ru's mind.

"Like, seriously? Even after you, like, totally messed with his son a couple of times, even stabbed him once, the guy still wants to adopt you. Can you even wrap your head around that?"

"Come on, you wouldn't want to miss out on such a fantastic opportunity. I mean, the guy's loaded, you get me?"

"Bro, seriously, think about it. Rui, you cannot afford to miss this opportunity. It's an opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime, don't you think?

"Dude, you're on the brink of exiting the realm of childhood. Next year, you're gonna be this pimply, awkward teenager, trust me."

"Otherwise, you'll end up in some back alley gang or mafia, dude."

"You dreamed of being a rock star, right? This is your opportunity, Lirui."

"Dreams equal cash, Lirui. Think about it, buddy."

"Why'd you think the doc blew you off? Cuz you're broke, dude!"

Ru covered his ears. He was tired of hearing similar sentences. But the voices did not stay silent.

But then he assumed he heard Vaelan's voice. "Why can't you be my little brother, man? Why can't you be my little brother? You could be a member of our family, but you are keeping me out."

Then the girls started talking.

Ru's mind screamed, "Shut up!"

"Are you there, Lirui?" Dr. Claude Leblanc asked, passing his hand in front of the boy's eyes, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah, kinda," Ru replied, struggling to shake off his inner voice(s).

"Are you like this because of the beer?" Dr. Claude Leblanc asked, sounding incredulous.

"I guess not. Sometimes I just zone out like this. I guess I'm hitting puberty, getting all those pimples soon, yuck," Ru mumbled.

"Hmm, it's probably because of the proposal," Claude thought. He had only mentioned the Thargata family once, and it seemed that Ru was extremely uncomfortable with their offer. "Would you like some fries?" Claude asked to end the topic.

"Sure," Ru said, still absentminded.

When Claude couldn't find a waiter, he got up from the table and said, "Wait."

"Okay," Ru said and sipped the beer.

"I don't think; shut the fuck up," Ru hissed. He found it hard to keep quiet, probably because of the alcohol. Occasionally, words escaped his lips.

Back at the table, Dr. Claude Leblanc coughed lightly to grab Ru's attention. "Ahem, Lirui, I need to continue our conversation. I need to share some concerns of mine, particularly regarding you," he said.

Ru suddenly turned his gaze to the doctor and raised his eyebrows. "What could your concerns possibly be? Everyone already has a multitude of worries," he remarked.

Dr. Claude Leblanc stayed silent and nudged the plate of potatoes toward the boy.

At first, Ru replied, "Thanks, I'm full." After a while, he said, "But I'll give it a try since you served me like a waiter. It would be rude not to eat even one potato; you'd feel bad," and grabbed a potato. Moments later, he blurted out something like, "Hmm, not bad. Actually, I'm a better fryer than these," and grabbed three more potatoes. Before he realized it, he was dipping each potato in the sauce and devouring them one by one.

With a smile on his face, Claude waited to initiate a conversation. Simultaneously, Claude experienced a peculiar exhilaration from his successful escape from the hospital with a dangerous patient, while observing the influx and departure of people. He had also pampered that patient with an alcoholic drink. "Oh, Claude, oh," he thought to himself.

"Hey, get us another beer," Ru said to Claude, pointing towards the empty plate of potatoes. "How about two more plates of fries? And if there's any sausage, toss that in too, would you?"

Claude chuckled, his hand instinctively covering his mouth as he struggled to contain his laughter.

When Ru noticed his reaction, he pouted and leaned back against the seat. He grumbled, "You kidnapped me from the hospital, and now I'm hungry and thirsty. What kind of psychiatrist are you? I just don't get it."

"Me? Ha ha, I didn't exactly kidnap you, Lirui. Let's just say I led you a little astray," Claude said with a sheepish grin.

"You kidnapped me," Ru said, rolling his eyes.

Claude's smile suddenly faded. "But please don't say that," his voice trembled.

"I don't know, but you've given me enough ammunition to blackmail you," Ru said with a wicked grin.

"You're joking... You're joking, aren't you?" Claude said, his tone filled with doubt as he came to grips with his loss of control and felt foolish for his actions.

Ru suddenly smiled sincerely and said, "Of course, I was joking; you're nuts, man."

Claude tried to smile too, but it came off as forced because of his anxiety. "I will place the order," he stated, rising from his seat.

Ru had a startling thought: "Can I manipulate Mr. Thargata too, I wonder?" He grinned devilishly and mused, "Why don't try?"

This little escapade with potatoes and beer was fun for Ru, but he never saw the rookie doctor again. He didn't know if they had been caught. Ru became more convinced that Claude had admitted his mistake the more they thought about Claude's naivety.

After two weeks, the critical moment had finally arrived. Ru's ambition had grown to the point where it had eclipsed clarity of thought. Without hesitation, he perused the guardianship document in front of him and affixed his signature, even though he was fully aware of the consequences.

Ru's new stepfather, Mr. Thargata, whom he targeted for manipulation, was a middle-aged, handsome, and impeccably dressed man. Among all his attributes, his wealth undoubtedly stood out as the most significant. Ru viewed him as a valuable asset, pretending to show respect while secretly strategizing. On the contrary, Mr. Thagarta's obsessive attention to Ru exceeded even his love for Vaelan, his wife, his dogs, his property, and his cars put together.

Mr. Thargarta had only one desire, and it was something Ru could easily fulfill. However, it was a secret, and Ru was strictly forbidden from divulging it.

Mr. Thargarta had never explicitly stated that recording or filming was prohibited.

Ru was determined to capture his stepfather's "secret game" and transform it into a web series. By documenting Mr. Thargarta's perverted obsession, Ru believed he could not only satisfy his current desires but also gain leverage for his benefit in the future.

After all, Mr. Thargata wasn't touching him as he promised. But...