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MARCUS GOT HOME LATE after meeting with Hans and the rest of BND. They were preparing for Max's return, which one could assume is this year's biggest event. Not only is Max returning to J.S High after literally saving an entire school, but Kim Hee-joon is also coming back, not as a leader of PHD, but a white uniform and possibly an underling of one of the brotherhoods in their house. Everyone is definitely going to lose their minds.

     "Good morning," Marcus, who's already wearing his black uniform, greets the maids who are busy cleaning the living room.

     "Good morning, Sir Marcus. You're up early today," one of the maids says as the rest of them approach him with bright smiles. The workers in their residence don't particularly hate Max, but Marcus is just much more approachable in their opinion.

     "Where's my father?" he then asks while letting a maid help him with his cape.

     "Master Denzel is already eating breakfast in the dining room. He just woke up a couple of minutes ago."

     "Okay, thank you," Marcus says, heading to the dining room where he finds Denzel Sinclaire having a bite of his baked beans and bread.

     Marcus approaches and greets him properly before taking a seat on his left. While grabbing some warm butter and toast, Denzel looked at him, staring at the cape and wondering why the hell he was wearing such a thing. He was almost tempted to comment about how ridiculous it looked, but he decided to just ignore it as he said instead, "Where's your brother?"

     "Max? Why?"

     "The butlers said he wasn't in his room this morning. Étienne is nowhere to be found as well. Did they not return home last night? I already told him about the risks of going out without anyone guarding him. I can't believe how stubborn he is," Denzel complains, obviously angry at the idea that Max would sneak out at night after what they already talked about.

     Marcus grabs a glass of juice and takes a sip of it, trying his best not to lose his composure because, in his understanding, he's the one who snuck out last night. He wasn't aware that Max hadn't come home either so Marcus cleared his throat and thought of something so his brother could avoid getting in trouble.

     "Oh, didn't he tell you? Max went out for a jog early this morning, and since you didn't want him to go alone, he let Étienne come with him," Marcus explains with a calm expression. He's not certain if their father bought the explanation or not, but thankfully Denzel only clears his throat once and doesn't say anything anymore as the two continue eating their breakfast.

     While Denzel is busy reading the newspaper, Marcus secretly pulls his phone out from his pocket to send Max a message. "You went out on a jog," Marcus texts under the table before hiding the phone inside his pocket again and finishing the eggs and bacon on his plate.

     A couple of minutes passed, and lo and behold, Max entered the dining room looking sweaty while wearing his workout clothes. Marcus didn't know how the hell Max was able to act out his role so fast. Maybe the lie he said about Max going out for a jog was true, but Marcus is just glad that Max came back safe and sound.

     "Good morning," Max greets, wiping his sweat with the towel he's holding before approaching Marcus to give him a quick kiss on the head. "Thanks for the heads up," Max then whispers before looking at his confused father. "How's your hangover?" Max asks before sitting down on Denzel's right. He didn't even give the old man the chance to question him.

     "Shouldn't you take a shower first before joining us at the table?" Denzel asks him instead, and Max almost smirks victoriously since his father is more concerned about that now instead of him being nowhere to be found all morning.

     "Well, I'm already here so I might as well grab a bite first," Max says, taking a piece of bread and devouring it in one go. He then grabs a pear and eats that as well. To be honest, Max is already full after eating breakfast in Gav's apartment, but he doesn't want their father to get suspicious. He already hates the idea of being followed by this special guard unit. But if Denzel finds out that he's been sneaking out at night, he might really send him to Paris like what his grandmother wants.

     "Wow, I'm so full. Guess I should take a shower now," Max briefly says, standing from his seat as fast as he sat, and then running upstairs before anyone could even react.

     Max sighed in relief when he got to the second floor. He walks his way to his bedroom but stops when he remembers someone. So Max stops by the guest room first and starts knocking on the door. No one answered even when Max knocked louder, so Max thought Joon hadn't returned yesterday and assumed that he'd be with Viktor instead To check if he was right, he unconsciously opened the door and went inside, only to be welcomed by Joon who was still lying in bed.

     "Shit," Max curses, startling himself, and that soft sound instantly wakes the prince up.

     Joon sat up from the bed in a hurry, grabbed a gun from under his pillow, and suddenly pointed it in Max's direction, surprising the young heir even more.

     "W-Wait! It's me! Max!" Max shouts, reaching out to turn the lights on so Joon can see him properly, but Joon continues to point the gun in his direction despite it. Max wanted to shout at him for bringing a gun inside his house, but when he noticed that Joon's hands were actually trembling, Max calmed down and slowly closed the door behind him. He admits that he was wrong for sneaking up on someone while they're sleeping like that, even if this is his house, but he wasn't expecting Joon to act that terrified.

     "Okay, Kim Hee-joon, let's put the gun down. If you accidentally fire that here, or if my father sees you holding that, we are gonna be in big trouble and I don't want you to get kicked out," Max tries to explain as calmly as he can. "I'm gonna walk towards you, okay? Just please, put the gun down."

     Max starts to walk up to Joon, but Joon is still holding the gun and pointing it at him. His hands were gripping on the weapon, acting like someone would attack him if he let it go. Max also noticed that Joon's eyes were hazy. He doesn't know much about Joon's past and traumas, but he knows what those eyes mean. He knows exactly what those empty and distant eyes are because he used to have the same look in his eyes too.

     "Hey, Joonie, it's me, Max. You're staying at my house, remember? I'm not going to hurt you, okay? No one's going to hurt you here," Max reassures him as he finally stops in front of the dazed prince. Max eventually touches the gun and pulls it away from his hand. Joon doesn't react, but soon after, he flinches and then blinks, and in an instant, he's teleported back to reality, finally waking up from what seems to be a terrifying nightmare.

     "S-Sinclaire?"

     "Yeah," Max says as he puts the gun aside. "Sorry. I scared you, didn't I? I promise I won't enter your room anymore. This will be the last time. I promise."

     Joon was confused for a second, but then he noticed the gun that was on his bed. As soon as he realized what had happened, Joon immediately looked away from Max, his ear suddenly turning red because of humiliation.  He wasn't expecting to go on such a defensive state, especially in front of an heir like Max. As a leader, he wasn't supposed to show his vulnerable side to anyone other than his brotherhood.

     "You're such an eyesore in the morning," Joon suddenly complains, and instead of getting mad, Max smiles in relief. Looks like Joon was back to normal.

     "I didn't know you weren't a morning person," Max says as he starts walking to the exit so he can finally leave the room. "Marcus and my father are eating breakfast downstairs. You can join them if you're  comfortable with it, or I can just ask the maids to bring the food to your room."

     "I don't eat breakfast," Joon answers, grabbing the gun from the bed and hiding it inside his suitcase.

     "You should. A healthy breakfast can help you get some energy for today. I'll ask the chef downstairs to make something for you. You're allergic to shellfish as well, right? I'll keep that in mind," Max stubbornly says. 

     Joon was about to tell him no, but he stopped himself and looked back at Max who was already by the door. As much as he wanted to act tough or cold, Joon wanted to apologize for randomly pointing a gun at him, or at least tell Max to forget everything that happened. But before he could even put a word out, Max suddenly turned to look at him again, startling the prince because of the simple reason that their eyes met each other.

     Joon never really was good with direct eye contact. He just never showed it.

     "Oh yeah," Max begins as he turns back to Joon with a reassuring smile, "Good morning, by the way."

     Without waiting for Joon's response, Max was already out of the door. And as soon as he was gone, Joon clenched his fist, and then he touched his chest, which had this piercing feeling that he never felt before. He couldn't understand what that unpleasant emotion was, and that uncertainty started making the wall he created around him crack. And Joon knew enough to know what happens once it finally crumbles down.

...

Max and Joon were now wearing their white uniforms, sitting at the back of the car so they could head to J.S High together. But while Max was busy rereading J.S High's handbook, Joon has been anxious since this morning. He was waiting for Max to open up about what happened earlier. He was expecting him to ask why he was sleeping with a gun under his pillow or why he acted the way he did, but Max never opened up about it, and somehow that bothered Joon more.

     "What the hell is wrong with him?" Joon thought to himself as he glanced at the boy sitting beside him. Joon was never interested in anyone besides Viktor, but he couldn't help but notice Max's long eyelashes, his nose, his lips, the brooches on his collar, and even the way he just sat there. He remembered during the Lemiuex anniversary party when he felt something burn inside him when he saw Max's dominance for the first time. Joon couldn't help but be bothered by it now.

     "By the way," Max suddenly starts, making Joon unconsciously flinch. Thankfully Max wasn't able to notice since his eyes were still glued on the handbook. "Gavriil told me that you can't show yourself to anyone for the time being since you're not an underling yet. I suggested that you hide in the greenhouse while you wait. Hans wasn't that excited about the idea, but he eventually agreed since we're going to have to meet with the other brotherhoods anyway."

     "It's not like I have a choice," Joon answers with a soft voice before turning to look out the window.

     Max looks away from the book and stares at Joon before releasing a sigh. "Did you meet up with Viktor yesterday?" Max suddenly asks him.

     "I already told you that I'm not planning to do such a thing. How annoying," Joon replies, irritation present in his voice.

     "Well, he's gonna find out eventually, you know? I don't want a king to get mad at me because I'm secretly housing his prince, so I think it's best that you tell him now before it's too late," Max explains. The mere thought of Viktor finding out that Joon's living under his roof just sends a shiver down his spine.

     "And what reason do I have to do such a thing? Why? Did you tell Alexeev that I'm staying in your house?" Joon suddenly asks, the question catching Max off guard because he wasn't expecting him to mention Gavriil all of a sudden.

     "I mean...we were...I kinda d-didn't have the chance to tell him? And it's not like—" While Max was trying to defend himself, he suddenly stopped and realized something. "Wait a minute, why on earth am I even explaining this to you? This isn't about me. This is about you hiding from that mad king and using me as your scapegoat."

     "Whatever," Joon replies like an angsty teen, angering Max even more. But before he can even complain, Étienne—who is driving the car—looks at Max through the rearview mirror and chuckles, making Max sigh in defeat.

     "I should really get PHD back as soon as possible. I'm not gonna survive you any longer," Max complains as he and Joon finally sit in the car in silence like two behaved kids.

     "We're here, Master Leigh."

     After reading through the rules again, Max closes the book and looks out of the window. He couldn't help but smile as the large gate opened, revealing the magnificent campus that he missed dearly. St. George Academy was breathtaking in its own right, but nothing will ever beat J.S High. It really gave justice to the name House of Kings.

     "It's good to be back," Max says, still smiling. He then looks back at Joon, but the smile on his face instantly disappears when he notices the sad look in Joon's eyes despite still wearing an eyepatch. Max only noticed that he and Levi were similar in a way. There's this sadness in their faces that they can't seem to wash off, even if they tried. It made Max wonder if he had the same sadness too whenever others looked at him.

     "You're gonna be okay by yourself?" Max asks out of concern, which only seems to annoy Joon.

     Étienne drives inside and parks at the main entrance. Max takes a deep breath and looks at his reflection to fix the brooches on his collar, as well as his golden armband. "I'm not officially announced as the Elites' Representative yet so I'll just hide this in my pocket for the time being," Max explains as he shows Joon the Roman numeral five (V), which he knew was something that Joon would care less about.

     "Where's your brother?" Joon then asks.

     "You rarely ask me anything and yet it's about my brother," Max jokingly says as he puts his peak cap on. "He has his own driver. We sometimes go to school together but Marcus usually gets mobbed by his fanboys so I tend to go to school by myself. Does that answer your question, you annoying little prince?"

     Joon rolls his eyes as Étienne finally heads out of the car to open the door for him. Max steps out, and then he leans towards his butler's ear and tells him, "Drop him off near Gate 2. And make sure no one sees him stepping out of the car."

     Étienne nods his head, and then Max pats his shoulder and starts walking towards the steps that lead to the Keep.

     "Enjoy your day, Master Leigh."

     Max takes a deep breath and grips the strap of his suitcase. Before entering the Keep, he turns around and spots the two black vans just near the guard house. It was the same van that had been following them since they left the house. Looks like his father was serious about that special guard unit.

     "They really followed us here," Max says before shaking his head so he can ignore them and enjoy the rest of the day with ease.

     There weren't any students around so the young heir thought that he was too early. But as he was a couple of steps away from the main entrance, two figures suddenly rushed towards him at full speed, making Max's eyes widen in shock. Before Max could even react, the two white uniforms grabbed him by force, carrying him like he was a sack of potatoes and making him drop his suitcase to the ground.

     "What is the meaning of this!?" Max shouted in disbelief, looking at the two who were wearing familiar masks.

     "Ashes?!" Max shouted in realization. But before he can question them, the other underling started covering his eyes with a cloth so he wouldn't be able to see anymore. Max continued to struggle as the Ashes carried him to who-knows-where. At first, Max thought that this was all CJ's doing. No one in the right mind would dare kidnap Max like this other than Charles Justin Mills.

    "Is CJ fucking serious right now? Can't he like...welcome me back normally?!" Max exclaims, but soon after, the two members of Ashes finally put him down. Max reaches out to remove the cloth that's covering his face. As soon as he got his vision back, Max was welcomed by a dark room, a single spotlight directly shining above his head like he was being interrogated.

     "What the hell is going on?" Max confusingly asks. He was about to step out of the spotlight, but all of a sudden, siren sounds were heard, and before Max could comprehend what was happening, the lights finally turned on, and Max was instantly startled as the white uniforms in the stadium roared.

     "Welcome back!"

     "Max!" One of the students shouted in excitement.

     "You fucking did it, Max!"

     Max looked around the stadium, staring at the white uniforms who were standing in their seats, cheering their lungs out as they welcomed their Mr. Brains & Brawn back. Max couldn't believe that he was put in the spotlight like this—literally. But as he was looking at the white uniforms which he surprisingly missed a lot, the brotherhood banners hanging from the ceiling suddenly started to fall.

     First, it was Jokers' banner, and then followed by Cigarettes, and then Crazy 8, and finally BND. 

     The students cheered even louder as Max stood in the middle of the stadium, unsure of what was even going on. Before he knew it, Professor Vincent Coleman was already on stage holding a microphone. With a bright smile on his face, he looks at Max and winks at him before turning to the white uniforms.

     "Students of J.S High! Welcome to our morning assembly!" He shouts like an announcer in a boxing match. "Today is a special event because not only are we welcoming our school's pride, but he will also be showcasing to us everything he has learned during the exchange program!" Mr. Coleman announced, making Max furrow his brows in shock and confusion.

     "But of course, before we proceed, let us first welcome the people who approved this exciting event...the Elites!"

     The stadium practically erupted as the five highest-ranking students of J.S High entered. Heaven J. Carter, who is still posing as the School Representative, shamelessly waved his hands like he was making the most out of this moment. Treasurer Dustin Griffiths followed, but he wasn't as enthusiastic. Soon after, Secretary Richard Young made his appearance, and like the Rose that he was, he gracefully smiled and waved at everyone. The Vice President came in next, and despite seeing him just this morning, Max's heart still skipped a beat as Gavriil Ivanovich Alexeev walked in.

     "Never knew I'd miss seeing him in his uniform," Max thought to himself as his eyes continued to follow the vice president.

     Finally, the highest-ranked and the most respected white uniform in all the houses stepped inside the stadium, and Max, who just realized recently that this was the person he wanted to be compared to, couldn't help but swallow the lump in his throat as Ian Rothman walked past him, the rest of the Elites following behind him.

     "Welcome back, Max Sinclaire," Ian says with his famous political smile, his charisma oozing out to the point where Max himself might even start cheering.

     Gavriil nods his head towards Max, and then Richard smiles at him too while Dustin and Heaven ignore him completely. The rest of the Elites walked up on stage, finally facing the white uniforms who cheered even louder at their arrival. Like Max, everyone in J.S High dreams of standing in the same spot as them. And as much as Max doesn't want to compare, the Elites really are on a different level compared to the Saints. Justice Thorndyke, and whoever the new vice president is, won't stand a chance against them.

     "Wow, our house hasn't been this lively since the Exchange Program began," Mr. Coleman jokingly says. "Anyway, I don't want to keep you all waiting so let me introduce these next remarkable students so we can finally get this show on the road. J.S High, please welcome, your one and only kings, Busters!"

     Max practically covers his ears from the noise as the doors open, revealing the 10 kings of J.S High. Hedeon Stallion, with his strong presence and large build, was now among them, which Max found strange since he had seen him wear a white uniform for an entire month. Walking beside Hedeon was none other than the beautiful Serpent, Tanis Hedrix, which others might mistake as the group's leader because of how he carries himself. 

     All the members of Busters had their own titles to uphold, but even Hedeon nor Tanis could beat the suffocating aura that the man in the middle was emitting. Because as soon as he stepped inside the stadium, the cheers started to mellow down, and everyone began to bow to their king, Viktor Ivanovich Stepanov.

     Max couldn't help but swallow the lump in his throat as he watched Viktor and the others walk towards him. The last time Max had a normal and calm conversation with Viktor was during Grey's death anniversary, and since then, they haven't spoken again. And even though Max was able to bring Joon back to J.S High as he promised, he still couldn't help but feel nervous, especially since Viktor wasn't aware of it yet.

     Max thought Busters would walk past him like the Elites did, but then as he had expected, Viktor stopped right in front of him, and everyone in the stadium became completely still and quiet in an instant.

    "My kings," Max respectfully greet, touching his chest and bowing his head without any hesitation. "I have returned," he adds.

     Viktor didn't say anything, so Max got back up to face him. But as soon as he did so, the hair on his skin instantly stood because Viktor was actually grinning from ear to ear like a villain ready to release his final blow.

     "Oh my, one of my subjects has returned," Viktor sarcastically says. "You seem confident. What have you learned in St. George Academy, white uniform? Did you discover something useful? Did you learn anything from the Saints? Or did you waste your time fixing a house that has done nothing for us?" Viktor asks. And as scary as the question may sound, Max somehow expected it already.

     He helped St. George Academy, and that was an achievement that he definitely takes pride in. But at the same time, he admits that he could have used all those days searching for the suspect who was involved in PHD's demise. He understands if Viktor is pissed since the only reason why he was sent to St. George was for that very reason. Saving the House of Bishops was not part of the plan.

     "My king," Max begins, looking calm and composed, which is different from what the white uniforms expected to see from him. "I have assisted St. George Academy in the name of the House of Kings. My achievements are yours, and everything I have discovered and learned will no doubt be useful to you. And you may not believe me now, but one day, the House of Bishop will no doubt repay our kindness," Max explains.

     Viktor stares at him for a couple of seconds, but then, as you might expect from a king like him, Viktor starts laughing at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing throughout the stadium.

     "Kindness, kindness, kindness. You're ignorant because you still believe in kindness," Viktor says with a playful tone. "Oh you poor little thing. Kindness will get you..." Viktor pauses, and then he uses his fingers as a gun and directly points it to his own temple before making a gunshot sound. Some would think nothing of it, knowing Viktor's personality, but for Max, it was more than just a silly gesture. It made him angry. Furious even. It was almost like Viktor was mocking Klyde's death.

     "Curse you..."

     When Viktor saw Max's reaction, he started laughing even harder and tears were already forming in his eyes.

      "That's it," Viktor says as he looks back into Max's eyes. "Those are the eyes that I'm looking for. Anger...annoyance...despair. Kindness will not get you anywhere, white uniform. If you haven't noticed yet, everyone who believed in it...is already dead," he then reveals before turning away from the young heir.

     "Well then, welcome back. I'm also excited to see what your pets have planned for us all," Viktor says as he finally starts walking away, the rest of the members of Busters following right behind him.

     As Max watched Viktor's back, he couldn't help but clench his fist in irritation. Viktor always knew how to get him fired up, but at the same time, it made the side of his mouth twitch. The loud cheers from the students, the powerful Elites on stage, Viktor's very existence...everything made Max feel the rush again, the rush that he never felt when he was in St. George Academy. 

     So as Max was standing in the middle of the stadium with his heart beating faster and faster, staring at the fallen banners of his protectors on the floor, he finally realized something that made him grin from ear to ear,

     "Wow. I fucking missed this school."

- END -