How dare he?

"Ahh, let me take you out for coffee and cake to celebrate your tremendous success," Pong exclaimed, leading Noah to the café. Noah threw a sheepish look at Kai before walking off with her.

Kai merely stood there, observing them out of sight. "I hate this," he grumbled, stamping his foot.

At the same time, Noah was sitting with Pong at the café, relishing each drop of coffee, not knowing that Kai was watching them from the outside.

---☆---

"Hey, Fist."

Fist shifted his attention to the voice addressing him, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, Than? What do you want?"

"Nothing much. Do you have plans this weekend?" Than smiled.

"Yes, why?" Fist nodded ever so slightly.

"Then I have some good news for you," Than said, his eyes shining brightly with excitement.

Fist's eyes shone like a shining star. "What is it? Tell me!"

Than grinned at Fist's excitement before finally announcing, "There's going to be an art gallery at Noah's university. They'll be exhibiting his artwork. Want to go?"

Fist rushed over to Than and hugged him happily. "Seriously?! You're so sweet to tell me! Which university?"

"Winston University," Than said.

Fist's eyes bulged. "Wow! I graduated from that last year!" Than nodded affirmatively.

"Fist!"

Fist turned. "Dae! Come on, bro."

Dae approached them. "What are you guys doing?" he asked questioningly.

"We're going to Noah's university to view his artwork," Than clarified.

"Oh, wow! An art exhibit? That has been my fantasy to visit!" Dae burst out in amazement.

Fist smiled. "Well, the entire Star Streakers crew is attending anyway."

Dae's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Sweet! I'll go tell the others!" He skipped out of the room, nearly skipping with enthusiasm, leaving Than and Fist behind.

Than smiled mischievously. "So, eager to see the art of your first love, aren't you?" He pushed Fist good-naturedly. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be so psyched about an art museum."

Fist's face turned bright red just from hearing Noah's name. "N-No! It's not like that!" he stammered, nervously playing with his fingers.

Than chuckled. "I know you love him, Fist. Don't lie."

Fist lowered his head and simply nodded.

---☆---

The auditorium was abuzz with tiny chatter as individuals gazed at the various types of artwork displayed. Among them, one of the canvases was in bold relief—a stunning landscape of an evening showing a white-and-green house, nicely textured and signed at the bottom: "Noah."

Gradually, the room was filled with students, visitors, staff, and professors.

Noah was standing frozen staring at his own masterpiece, in awe of the painting he had created.

A warm hand suddenly fell on his shoulder. He turned to find Fist standing behind him, with the rest of the Star Streakers.

Than leaned forward and whispered in Fist's ear, "Hey, your future boyfriend is way more handsome than you, bro."

Fist smacked Than's arm quickly, making a forced smile in front of Noah.

"Well, welcome, Fist. I'm glad to see you here," Noah said with a wide smile.

"Ahh, my pleasure," Fist responded with a smile back.

Than wasn't finished teasing. "Oh my God, you're dying inside, aren't you? I can tell," he whispered once more.

Fist hadn't had time to react when a friendly voice echoed, "Hey, Noah!"

Fist's smile vanished as he looked up to see Kai coming with the rest of the Neon Hype crew.

"How's everything going, sweetie?" Kai chimed in with a friendly smile.

Than leaned in towards Fist once more, smirking. "Sweetie?! Someone's going all out to steal Noah away from you, bro. And, oh? Do I catch a whiff of jealousy?"

Fist gritted his teeth. "Shut up, Than," he growled.

Noah clapped his hands gently. "Okay, everyone, let's go examine all the paintings one at a time."

Fist, not even hesitating, slung an arm over Noah's shoulder. "Yes, sure! Let's go."

The rest trailed behind, grinning—except for one individual who appeared to be absolutely livid. Kai, despite reminding himself over and over again that he didn't care, felt a strange annoyance simmering within him. "Why do I even care?" he thought, yet still, he trailed behind them.

As they walked through the gallery, Noah enthusiastically described the various techniques and styles employed in each work of art.

Fist, however, was not listening to one word. He was not here for the art—here for Noah.

They finally came to Noah's artwork: the five-foot-high canvas on the gallery wall, painted with the stunning evening scene.

Then something registered.

"Hey, why is this familiar?" East asked, arching an eyebrow.

Noah laughed. "Oh, I only had two days to finish my painting, and I didn't know what to do. So, I took inspiration from Kai's house."

Kai beamed.

"Wow! This is so realistic!" Ash said.

Fist scowled a little. "Well, the evening landscape looks far more pretty than the house itself," he said, his jealousy betraying him.

Noah gave him a suspicious stare. "Hmm?"

Fist immediately retreated. "I mean, I just love evening views. Just expressing my opinion, you know."

The group all made an "Ohhh" face, with Cherry laughing and picking up on what was really going on.

"Okay, Dadas! Let's go eat something," Cherry trilled adorably.

Noah picked her up in his arms. "Okay, my baby. Let's eat! Come on!"

Fist practically melted at the word "baby" coming from Noah's lips. Meanwhile, Kai had been watching the whole thing, his mood worsening by the second.

Fist quickly caught up to Noah. "Yeah, I'm hungry too!"

The rest followed after. Though all of them were satisfied with the meal, Kai was not pleased at all. He could not help but notice how clingy Fist was being to Noah. He kept telling himself it did not matter, but his eyes kept drifting to the two of them.

When it was time for all of them to depart, Fist hugged Noah tight and said, "Let's meet again," with a very cheerful smile.

Noah smiled back. "Sure thing! Just call me, and I'll be there."

Fist suddenly had an epiphany. "Wait, how can I call you when I don't even have your number?" He offered Noah his phone.

Noah took it appreciatively and stored his number.

Someone did not approve of this, though.

Kai balled up his fists, burning with rage. He had told himself a thousand times not to care.

But this was too much.

His brain cried out with ownership as he stared in outrage at the sight before him.

"How dare he lay hands on what belongs to me?"