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)

The warm aroma of home-cooked food filled the dining room as Yumi set the last dish on the table. "Eat up, boys."

Taro, now freshly showered and wearing comfortable clothes, sat down, feeling much better after washing off the exhaustion of work.

Elian smirked as he took a seat beside him. "Good. At least you don't smell like a long workday anymore."

Taro scowled. "Why do you always have to say things like that?"

Elian shrugged. "I just appreciate cleanliness."

Ignoring him, Taro picked up his chopsticks. "So, where are you staying while you're here?"

Elian set down his tea cup. "At my uncle's house."

Taro blinked. "Oh. You mean the one near our old neighborhood?"

Elian nodded. "Yes, but they moved to a different area now."

Taro hummed. "Makes sense. We moved, too."

Taro's mother smiled warmly. "Oh, you must bring your uncle over for dinner sometime. It's been ages since we last saw him."

Elian returned the smile. "I will."

Taro took another bite before glancing at him. "Still, you're always here anyway. Why don't you just stay with us?"

Elian raised an eyebrow. "Are you inviting me?"

Taro hesitated. "I mean… it's not like we don't have space."

Before Elian could reply, Yumi clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's a wonderful idea!"

Taro's sister nodded excitedly. "Yes! You should stay here! It'll be fun!"

Elian looked at Taro, amused. "You're the only one hesitating."

Taro sighed. "I just meant—if you're gonna be around all the time anyway, it makes sense."

Elian leaned slightly forward, his emerald-green eyes twinkling. "If I stayed at my uncle's place, your mom and sister would be sad. And since you'll be at work all day, I'd be lonely."

Elian smirked. "Besides, this is my vacation for a whole month. I have to enjoy it properly, don't I?"

Taro narrowed his eyes. "Enjoy, huh?"

Yumi beamed. "It's settled, then! Elian, you're always welcome here."

Taro sighed in defeat. There was no winning against this family.

Chapter 5: A Temporary Stay… Maybe