hidingwriter

Elian Volkov, a world-renowned model and actor with striking emerald-green eyes, has everything-fame, fortune, and admirers across the globe. But beneath the glitz and glamour, he longs for the one person who once made his world feel real: Taro Fujimura, his childhood best friend from Japan. Years have passed without contact, but Elian never forgot their bond. Determined to reunite, he travels to Japan unannounced, showing up at Taro's doorstep with nothing but memories and a hopeful heart.

Taro, now a hardworking manager at a small branch of an international company, has built a modest but stable life with his mother and sister. The sudden reappearance of Elian-a man who now belongs to an entirely different world-shakes him to his core. As he struggles to process their reunion, lingering emotions and unspoken words from the past resurface, challenging everything he thought he had moved on from.

However, Elian's return does not go unnoticed. A powerful billionaire with haunting ruby-red eyes, obsessed with claiming Elian as his own, watches from the shadows. With wealth, influence, and a dangerous level of obsession, he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Elian by his side-even if it means tearing him away from Taro once again.

As love, desire, and obsession intertwine, Elian finds himself caught between two forces: the warmth of a long-lost friendship that could bloom into something more and the intoxicating pull of a man who refuses to let him go. In a world where love can be both a treasure and a curse, will Elian follow his heart, or will the past and present collide, leading to a fate neither of them expected?

Toxic Gems is a story of rekindled bonds, dangerous attraction, and the fine line between love and possession.

TOXIC GEMS (BL)

Taro groaned as the morning sun crept through the window, nudging him awake. His body felt heavy, exhaustion from work still clinging to him like a stubborn blanket. He turned over, burying his face into the futon, determined to steal a few more minutes of sleep.

Then, reality struck—Elian was here.

"Elian—" Taro's voice cracked from sleep, and before he could process anything else, a pillow landed right on his face.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Elian's voice was far too cheerful.

Taro peeled the pillow off his face and groggily sat up, blinking at the man standing over him. Elian, already dressed in casual yet effortlessly stylish clothes, looked like he had stepped out of a magazine. Meanwhile, Taro was sure his hair resembled a bird's nest.

"You're still sleeping?" Elian smirked, arms crossed. "If you get ready fast, I'll drop you off at your office."

Taro frowned, rubbing his eyes. "Huh? You drive?"

"No," Elian said flatly, "but I have a car. And a driver. Unlike you, I don't need to struggle on crowded trains." He glanced at Taro's face and snorted. "You look terrible. Did you even sleep?"

Taro scowled. "Excuse me for being a working man."

Elian grinned. "Hurry up, or I'm leaving without you."

Taro groaned and stumbled out of bed. But just as he tried to rush to the bathroom, his foot caught on the futon, and he tripped, barely catching himself before face-planting.

Fifteen minutes later, a disheveled but somewhat presentable Taro emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying his hair. The smell of breakfast hit him immediately. Yumi had prepared a simple but warm meal—rice, miso soup, and grilled fish.

As they ate, Yumi looked at Elian. "So, will you be staying here today?"

Elian shook his head. "No, I have to go to my uncle's house. But I'll visit again when Taro gets a day off."

Taro, mid-bite, paused. "Oh, so I get to enjoy peace and quiet until then?"

Elian smirked. "Enjoy it while you can."

After breakfast, Taro grabbed his bag, and the two stepped outside. A sleek black car was waiting at the curb. Taro sighed, shaking his head. "You really live a different life now, huh?"

Elian opened the door and grinned. "Hurry up. I don't have all day."

With a resigned sigh, Taro climbed in.

Chapter 7: A Chaotic Morning