Chapter 41: Red light

Third POV

The sun had yet to rise. The house remained quiet, with the darkness of the night still covering the halls and rooms. Ethan was still asleep on the couch in the living room, one arm hanging over the edge while his phone rested on the floor beside him. His sleep was cut short when the phone suddenly began ringing, the sound disturbing the silence around him. Ethan groaned loudly and shifted on the couch, blindly reaching for the phone without even opening his eyes. His hand missed it once before he finally rolled over, losing his balance and stumbling onto the floor with a dull thud.

"What the hell..."

Still half asleep, Ethan stretched his hand toward the phone and finally managed to grab it. He rubbed his eyes before glancing at the screen, expecting some insignificant call that could easily wait until morning. The moment he saw the name of the caller, however, every trace of sleep disappeared from his face. His eyes widened, and he immediately pushed himself off the floor before answering.

"Hello, Uncle."

The voice on the other end spoke, and Ethan’s expression quickly became serious. He listened carefully without interrupting, occasionally nodding even though the other person could not see him. Whatever he was being told seemed important enough to make him forget that he had just been sleeping.

"I get it. Right away."

The call ended, and Ethan wasted no time. He hurried down the hallway barefoot, moving quickly enough that he nearly stumbled twice before reaching Fabio’s bedroom. He knocked once and waited, but there was no response. He knocked again, this time harder, yet the room remained silent. With a sigh, Ethan reached for the handle and opened the door himself.

The bedroom was dim, and Ethan immediately switched on the light. He stepped inside and called out, "Fabio, get your fucking ass up."

His eyes moved toward the bed, and he stopped. Fabio was there, but he was not alone.

Marco was lying on the mattress, apparently still deep in sleep, while Fabio was lying on top of his back as though that was the most comfortable place in the world. One of Fabio’s arms rested loosely around Marco while his face was turned toward Marco’s shoulder, lying down there. The sight was enough to make Ethan stare for several seconds before a smirk slowly appeared on his face, and even a slight blush crept on his cheeks.

Ethan suddenly snapped out as he cursed under his breath. "I feel like a fucking shipper. Eew!"

He walked toward the bed and called again, this time louder.

"Fabio, get up."

Fabio stirred slightly. Instead of getting up, he shifted his body and settled into a more comfortable position while remaining directly on top of Marco. A tired groan escaped him before he finally opened his eyes halfway.

"What?"

Ethan placed his hands on his hips and stared down at him. "Your father is about to hunt you down himself because you have not been answering his calls since last night. He is pissed. Like super pissed."

Fabio remained still for a moment as though he was trying to remember where he was. Eventually, he slowly raised his head and looked at Ethan.

"What does he want?"

"Do not know," Ethan replied with a shrug. "It sounded urgent. He said you should call him now or he is going to make barbecue out of your plump ass."

At that point, Marco also began to stir beneath Fabio. His eyes remained closed, and he made no attempt to speak, but the slight movement was enough to tell Ethan that he was awake.

Ethan handed Fabio the phone. Fabio took it and immediately made the call. The moment it connected, he spoke in a low voice.

"Father."

He went quiet as he listened to the voice on the other end. His expression remained unreadable until he finally answered.

"I was a little busy."

Ethan immediately gave him a side-eye. He glanced toward Marco, then back at Fabio, and a knowing smile spread across his face. Fabio noticed the look and slowly turned his eyes toward him, giving Ethan a warning stare before returning his attention to the phone.

"I understand, father."

The call ended, and Ethan was already waiting for him.

"Busy, huh?" he said, looking around the room. "I can clearly see that. Very bussy, indeed."

Fabio sat up, finally removing himself from Marco’s back. His attention was now entirely on Ethan, who noticed the change and quickly asked, "What did Uncle say?"

Fabio remained silent for a moment. His eyes shifted toward Marco, who was still lying on the bed with his eyes only half open, before returning to Ethan. Ethan immediately understood what Fabio was silently telling him. He raised his hands and made a zipping motion across his lips.

"Not a word."

He began walking toward the door with an amused smile. "I will leave you two lovebirds to enjoy your comfort. Don’t be too loud though. I’m going to crush in the next room"

Ethan had barely taken another step when Fabio suddenly spoke.

"Stop!"

Ethan turned around, already preparing to complain. Before he could say anything, Fabio’s voice became sharper.

"Do not fucking move."

Ethan froze for a second, before the amusement disappeared from his face as he slowly looked down at himself. "There is a red light on me, is there not?"

Fabio did not answer. His eyes remained fixed on Ethan.

Marco, who had finally awakened, pushed himself up slightly and looked toward Ethan. The moment he saw the small red dot moving slowly across Ethan’s stomach, his expression changed. The red light continued moving upward, inch by inch, toward Ethan’s head.

Fabio spoke first.

"In the count of three, everyone lies down on the floor."

Nobody questioned him. Ethan immediately lowered his body while Fabio reached for Marco. "One..." Fabio began, his eyes still fixed on the red dot. "Two..."

He grabbed Marco.

"Three."