Chapter 44 – "Pants on Fire"

Chapter 44 – "Pants on Fire"

Moon had just returned from brushing his teeth, his hair slightly damp, the minty aftertaste still lingering on his tongue.

Ruby was still lounging on the bed, scrolling casually through her phone like nothing in the world could disturb her peace.

Moon's eyes drifted over to the two figures on the other side of the room.

Kai was passed out on the bed, perfectly composed even in sleep.

James, meanwhile, lay sprawled awkwardly on the floor with his arm dangling over his face, mouth slightly open—snoring like a broken fan.

A mischievous grin slowly spread across Moon's face.

"Hmm… perfect opportunity."

He rubbed his fingers together, summoning a harmless jolt of electro element—just enough to give someone a good scare but not actually cause damage. A tickle, really… a zapping tickle.

He tiptoed closer.

And then, with both hands outstretched, he whispered—

> "Wakey wakey…"

ZAP!

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Kai and James launched themselves into the air like rockets, their limbs flailing.

Kai landed near the dresser and instantly dropped into a defensive stance, eyes burning.

James rolled to the corner of the room with all the elegance of a startled lizard, fists raised like a boxer.

Their wide, panicked eyes searched the room.

And then they saw him.

Moon.

Standing there with the world's most punchable grin on his face.

Ruby glanced up lazily from her phone, eyebrows raised, then saw Kai and James ready for war. She followed their line of sight—and spotted Moon's smug expression.

For a second, silence.

Then Ruby smiled.

A wide, amused smile.

But she said nothing. Just kept scrolling, her laughter held quietly behind her lips.

Kai's face turned bright red—not the kind of blush you get when you're shy or embarrassed.

No.

This was the kind of red that only came from boiling fury. A silent storm gathering behind calm blue eyes.

Moon immediately noticed.

The smile on his face faltered… just slightly.

His feet shuffled backward instinctively.

His voice came out light, like a man trying to charm his way out of a death sentence.

> "Hey, hey… I was just waking you guys up! It was just a little zap—barely even a tickle! I swear!"

But the look in Kai's eyes said one thing:

You're dead.

Before Moon could blink, Kai moved.

Fast.

He closed the distance in a single step—almost like teleportation.

> THUD!

Moon's back hit the floor hard, knocking the breath out of him for a second. His limbs sprawled, stunned by the speed of the takedown.

And then, before he could even recover—

Kai's arm slipped under his chin and locked around his neck. The other hand gripped the side of Moon's head for leverage.

> "You call that waking someone up?" Kai growled, his voice low and deathly calm.

Moon choked slightly, squirming under the pressure.

> "ACK—Kai—C'mon, man—friends don't—use sleeper holds—!"

> "Exactly," Kai said. "And friends don't electrocute each other before breakfast."

James, still groggy from the shock but now wide awake, blinked a few times.

Then grinned.

> "Oh, it's on."

He crouched beside Moon's legs, cracking his knuckles with exaggerated flair.

> "You picked the wrong morning to mess with the Kings, buddy."

Moon's eyes widened in panic.

> "James—don't you dare—DON'T TOUCH MY—"

Too late.

James yanked off one sock. Then the other.

Moon's bare feet were now completely exposed.

And James began.

Tickling.

Not gently.

Viciously.

He targeted the softest parts—the exact spots Moon hated the most. The inner arch, the base of the toes, the back of the heel.

Moon screamed like a dying goat.

> "AAAAAHAHHHH!! STOP!! STOP!! I CAN'T—I'M—HAHAHAHA—I'M GONNA DIE—!!"

His limbs flailed helplessly, but Kai's grip on his upper body was like iron.

He had no escape.

His laughter echoed like a madman's—raw, broken, uncontrollable.

His stomach muscles twisted, his eyes flooded with tears.

> "I'M BEGGING YOU!! HAVE MERCY!!"

James only tickled harder.

> "Ohhh, you wanna zap people in their sleep, huh? THIS is what you get!"

> "YOU MONSTERS!! MY SPINE IS LEAVING MY BODY!!"

Kai smirked, tightening the hold just enough to keep Moon from rolling.

> "That's what you get for being a little gremlin first thing in the morning."

> "I'M NOT A GREMLIN—I'M A VICTIM—!!"

Moon's voice was cracking now, his body twitching and jerking under the double assault.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and he looked like a man who had just been tortured for hours instead of mere seconds.

"NOOOO!! STOP—HAHAHA!! PLEASE!!" Moon screamed, tears forming in his eyes.

His laughter echoed like thunder.

His stomach hurt.

His eyes were red from crying.

> "This… this is TORTURE!!"

Moon was a mess.

Pinned to the floor in a tight chokehold, with Kai's arm locked under his chin like a vice and James relentlessly tickling the soles of his feet, he looked more like a twitching noodle than a warrior. His body convulsed with every jab of fingers, every teasing stroke on his sensitive arches. His laughter was no longer joyful—it was desperate, unhinged, almost pleading.

> "HAHAHA—STOP—I'LL TELL YOU WHERE THE TREASURE IS—PLEASE—HAHA—I CAN'T FEEL MY RIBS!!"

Kai didn't flinch.

James looked like he was conducting an orchestra.

And Ruby?

She had finally put her phone down.

Now curled on the bed like a lazy cat, her sides heaving with uncontrollable laughter, she was red in the face and breathless.

Tears lined her lashes.

> "Oh my god… he's actually crying…"

She barely managed the words between gasps for air.

Moon's tear-filled eyes met hers, a pitiful expression painted across his red, sweaty face.

> "Ruby… please… help me… they're insane—!"

She looked at him—really looked.

Then burst into even harder laughter, rolling onto her back and clutching her stomach.

> "You look like a gremlin drowning in shampoo!!"

Moon let out a tragic whimper. "That's not even a real metaphor…"

Just then, the bathroom door creaked open.

Minji stepped out, a towel still around her shoulders, her damp hair clinging gently to her skin. She wore a loose white T-shirt tucked into grey trousers, the kind of outfit that made her look effortlessly regal, like a warrior princess fresh from a morning meditation.

She stopped mid-step.

Right in front of her, in the middle of the room—chaos.

Moon was pinned to the floor by his own brother and being tortured like a prisoner of war.

James was sitting cross-legged, grinning like a five-year-old with crayons.

Kai had his calm, elegant face—except twisted with a devilish smirk as he held Moon firmly in a chokehold.

And Ruby?

Laughing like the world's best stand-up was performing in her brain.

Minji blinked slowly, processing the absurdity.

For a few seconds, she just stared.

No one noticed her.

Moon continued to cry out.

> "I—I was only trying to wake them up—this isn't justice, it's—IT'S A HATE CRIME—!!"

Finally, Minji stepped forward, arms crossed.

Her tone was flat. But her presence immediately changed the energy in the room.

> "Alright. That's enough," she said calmly.

Everyone froze.

Kai loosened his grip slightly but didn't let go.

James paused mid-tickle, fingers still hovering ominously near Moon's twitching toes.

Ruby sat up on the bed, watching with amusement.

Minji crouched next to Moon, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

> "Let the poor guy go," she added.

> "What did he even do to deserve this?"

Moon gasped.

> "THANK YOU. Finally. Someone with sense in this mad house."

James scratched his head. "He… uh… electrocuted us awake."

> "Lightly!" Moon protested. "It was basically a buzz. Not even a shock!"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "I saw a spark."

> "That was for aesthetic."

Minji sighed.

Then, with a fluid movement, she gripped Kai's arm, pried it free, and helped Moon sit up.

Moon leaned against her, panting like he had just survived a demon raid.

> "You're… a savior… a goddess…"

Minji gave him a look.

> "You smell like panic sweat."

> "It's the scent of trauma," Moon said proudly, puffing out his chest and immediately wincing from the pain.

Ruby leaned off the edge of the bed, still giggling.

James had retreated a few steps, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Minji stood up and turned to the others.

> "Next time, just throw a pillow. Or water. Not torture."

She turned back to Moon.

> "And you—stop starting wars first thing in the morning."

Just then… something very eggy was about to happen.

She bent down, pried James off first, then gave Kai a firm slap on the shoulder.

> "Move."

Kai and James retreated reluctantly, laughing to themselves as they leaned near the kitchen wall.

Moon groaned and sat up, wiping tears from his face.

Then, very dramatically, he stood up, brushed off his pants, turned toward the two, and—

> Flipped them off.

> "Yeah, yeah. You had your fun. That's your level, huh? Real mature, both of you."

Kai's eye twitched.

He looked to the side, spotted an egg tray on the counter.

Without a second thought, he picked one up.

Moon's eyes narrowed.

> "Don't you dare—"

FWOOSH!

Moon dodged left—grinning triumphantly.

> "Hah! Missed—"

SPLAT!

The egg hit Minji. Right on the forehead.

She stood still, yolk sliding down her fresh-washed hair.

Moon's jaw dropped. So did James's.

Ruby froze mid-laughter.

The temperature dropped like a dead weight.

Minji slowly turned toward Moon, her hands curling into fists.

> "I just took a shower."

Moon raised his hands defensively. "It wasn't me! I swear—"

Minji cracked her neck.

In a blink, she grabbed Moon by the hair and delivered a series of firm, flat-palmed slaps to the back of his head.

> "You think that's funny!?"

Moon whimpered. "No… yes? Ow!"

Kai tried to intervene—big mistake.

Minji turned on him like a storm and body-slammed him into the couch.

> "You threw the egg!"

> "I DIDN'T THINK IT'D HIT HER!!"

James tried sneaking away.

Minji glared at him.

He froze.

> "I didn't even—"

WHAM! A pillow slap to the face.

---

15 Minutes Later...

The steam floated gently in the air, swirling above the surface of the large round bathtub like ghostly threads.

Inside, four bodies sat still in the hot water.

Soaked.

Defeated.

Emotionally broken.

Moon, slouched with his arms resting on the curved tub rim, had a towel draped pitifully over his face. His soaked bangs stuck to his forehead, while faint red slap marks decorated his cheeks like ceremonial war paint.

Kai, seated directly across from him, looked somewhat composed—but the swelling above his right eyebrow betrayed the violent reality he'd just been through.

James was curled into himself, arms wrapped around his knees, still occasionally wincing from the accidental elbow Minji had thrown into his ribs mid-chaos.

And then, sitting on the edge of the tub with tiny little paws dipped in the water, was Kuro—Moon's raven-black wolf cub. His ears twitched, eyes wide, head tilted curiously at the defeated humans soaking below him.

A heavy silence hung over the bathroom.

The only sounds were water droplets falling from hair… and the soft hum of the heater.

No one said anything.

Until—

> "This…" Moon finally muttered, his voice hoarse, "...is all your fault."

He didn't lift his head.

But his voice was aimed directly at Kai.

Kai's eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained calm.

> "My fault?"

> "Yes. Yours," Moon grumbled. "If you didn't overreact to a little wake-up zap, none of this would've happened."

Kai raised one eyebrow.

> "Oh, so now electrocuting your own brother in his sleep is justified?"

> "It was a jolt!" Moon sat up a little, water sloshing. "A soft one! Barely had any voltage! It was like a static handshake from the universe!"

Kai's voice dropped cold.

> "Static handshakes don't smell like burnt socks."

Moon crossed his arms.

> "Says the guy who dropped me in a chokehold like I was a criminal trying to steal his ramen."

James chuckled under his breath. "You kinda looked like one."

Moon threw a glare his way but didn't argue.

Then it began.

Without warning.

No transition.

Just pure sibling chaos.

> Kai: "Moron."

> Moon: "Liar."

> Kai: "Moron."

> Moon: "Liar."

> Kai: "Moron."

> Moon (grinning): "Liar, liar, pants on fire."

Kai narrowed his eyes sharply.

> "Okay okay . too far. Too far."

Moon held his smirk, leaned back in the water slightly, and whispered—

> "Sorry… pants."

Kai looked down slowly.

Then back up.

> "They're clearly not on fire."

Moon nodded solemnly.

> "That's what makes it scary. You never know when it'll ignite."

James stared at them both.

Then burst into laughter.

A loud, unfiltered cackle that echoed off the bathroom walls.

> "You two are literally incapable of being normal for five minutes!"

He laughed so hard he accidentally dipped his face into the water, came up sputtering, then laughed again.

Kuro, who didn't understand a single word, saw James laughing—and gave a happy bark, followed by a delighted high-pitched howl that was probably meant to mimic laughter too.

Moon smiled through his bruises.

Kai sighed, but a corner of his mouth twitched.

Despite everything… it wasn't a bad way to start the day.

A While Later...

Everyone had changed into clean clothes.

They exited the bathroom, back into the hallway.

Moon noticed in his watch.

> "Hey… the crowd at the teleporter's thinned out."

He turned to the group.

> "What do you say? Should we head back to Nova Lumina… or keep exploring?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

> Ruby: "I say… adventure continues."

> Minji: "Agreed."

> James: "Let's see what more chaos we can cause."

Just as they were about to move, all three—Ruby, Minji, and James—suddenly paused.

Their smartwatches started vibrating at the same time, followed by a strange ringtone.

They checked the screens.

Then, in unison:

> "You guys better leave without us."

Moon and Kai stared at them, confused.

> "What happened?" Moon asked.

James sighed and raised a brow.

> "The Xiao Clan and Hale Clan just scheduled an urgent joint meeting. All allies, all heirs , all candidates… top priority."

Moon and Kai looked at each other and slowly nodded.

> "Alright."

> "We get it."

Within seconds, the three were gone—teleporting back to Nova Lumina.

Moon scratched his head.

Kai crossed his arms.

> "Guess it's just us again…"

To be continued