Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kim Suho just landed himself in hot water. With only a measly sum as some sort of severance pay, he had been kicked out of his part-time job at a construction site after landing a punch on his superior's face. It didn't even matter that the superior started it by spitting at his face and speaking badly about his deceased parents, or that he had been on Suho's case about being an orphan for months. In the end, all the police decided to believe was the old bastard's claims that Suho's assault was unprovoked. Now the already-broke university student struggling to pay off the remainder of his parents' debts was saddled with the hospital bills. To add insult to injury, he also had his scholarship revoked after getting a temporary suspension from  Magentano University for misconduct. 

Ever the optimist (or as he preferred, pragmatist), Suho knew there was no point to whinging about it. It wasn't as if life wasn't hard for him to begin with, and he always managed to survive somehow. He didn't even have the time to mourn for his parents' untimely death before having to sit for his university entrance exam, and managed to get into the civil engineering program he had always dreamed about. Everything was... manageable, he managed to balance his studies with three part-time jobs, in the hopes of graduating on time and scoring a good job at an established company like Frontera Estate. Of course, he had to kiss his plans goodbye thanks to one asshole who had to talk shit about how his parents raised him.

Well, beating the old guy and seeing him cower in fear was gratifying, at that moment at least. But what now?

"Master Lloyd! There you are!"

That must the old man who had been circling the neighborhood for some time now, accompanied by some mysterious looking men clad in uniform suits. Look at all the hassle they're going through to find this young master (who gets called that nowadays? Pfft). Not that it concerned Suho. He had bigger, more pressing problems to think about. 

He's going to have to think about how to cover his rent and living expenses now that he had to kiss his scholarship goodbye. He still had his mail delivery job and a few students that he's tutoring, but that's definitely nowhere enough to pay off the installments from his parents' debts and the hospital bills. Not to mention that news travel fast and they might have already heard about his altercation with the law. 

'Maybe I should move somewhere cheaper?' Suho doubted that he could find anywhere cheaper than the dump he was already living in. 'I need to find some sort of job with food and accommodation covered, but where the hell am I supposed to do that?'

He continued on walking and minding his business, but why did it sound like the footsteps are getting closer? Just as he was about to glance back at the suspicious looking figures, all of the sudden, he was pinned down on the ground. 

"Oof--Hey! What gives?"

"Bayern here. We've found the young master, sir," the man he noticed from before spoke into a microphone, before glancing over again at Suho. "It looks like he dyed his hair to evade us. We'll bring him home right away."

The man helped him back to his feet, but maintained a strong grip on Suho's arm. "I'm sorry for the rough handling, young master, but you have to come with us."

"Us?? And you are??"

The old man sighed. "This is getting old, Master Lloyd. Let us go back." With a gesture of his hand, two lackeys suddenly showed up and pushed him into a car, which also appeared out of nowhere. 

"I'm telling you, I'm not Lloyd!"

***

"I can't believe this... So you really aren't Master Lloyd."

"Exactly, like I've been trying to tell you for the thousandth time now. Look at my ID if you don't believe me."

His abductor sighed. "I believe you now, since there is no way that the young master would speak so... eloquently. It's just that you really look almost identical." He inspected the front and back of Suho's student ID. "Are you sure this isn't forgery? Kim Suho. Second-year civil engineering student at the University of Magentano."

"Well, supposed to be, at least..."

SLAM! The door suddenly barged open. "Lloyd, you scoundrel! How many times have I told you to stop giving Mr. Bayern a hard time! We were so worried about you!"

Suho recognized from the news the face of the man suddenly leapt in to give him one of the strongest hugs he ever received. It was none other than Arcos Frontera, the founder of Frontera Estate Corp., the biggest real estate company in Magentano. While they're not a national household name yet in Laurasia, they've made a comfortable position for themselves in the growing town and are known for their affordable housing complexes.

Arcos and his wife Marbella were also very active in doing charity work and it seemed that Arcos also had a bit of a talent for sculpting, having donated some of his work to public parks and museums. If you asked Suho before, he might have been skeptical about how sincere all of their actions were, but now that he'd met Arcos in person... He considered himself to be a good judge of character, and he could not sense any superficiality from the concern that Arcos showed towards his son.

He couldn't help but be reminded of his own late father. Suho gave a polite smile. "Sorry, sir. You got the wrong person, unfortunately."

Before Arcos could interrupt, Bayern cleared his throat to draw his attention. "Apologies, Mr. Frontera... It turns out we did get the wrong person. This man with an uncanny resemblance to the young master is Kim Suho, a civil engineering student."

Suho only nodded, as Arcos turned towards Bayern, pointing towards him with a flabbergasted expression.

"But he looks exactly--! So... You're... not Lloyd?"

"No, I'm not," he said. Suho glanced at his watch: perhaps it's time to bring this happy accident to an end. He should be finding a solution to his situation instead of humoring a man who's misplaced his son somehow. "What I am is, uh, late for my tutoring session though... So would you mind letting me go?"

"Not at all! We are so, so sorry for taking up your precious time. It was rude of me not to have introduced myself. I'm Arcos Frontera." The man shook Suho's hand, firmly but gently. Bayern handed over Suho's ID card to him, and he narrowed his eyes to get a read. "Mr. Suho?"

"Um, my parents came from Korea, so Kim is my last name. But just call me Suho, I'm not big on formalities."

"Alright, Suho. Let me apologize again. It's just that, looking at you and your photo... the resemblance is uncanny. But you're incredible! You're studying at a prestigious university, but you're also working a part-time job. Your parents must be proud to have such a diligent son. Now, if only I could find out where mine is..."

Suho gave a light smile. Not sure how proud his parents in heaven would be about the fact that he has been kicked out of his job for assault. But still... it was nice to hear sincere phrase from someone who looked and acted, by all accounts, like a concerned parent. "... Thank you, sir. I'm sure if they were still around, they'd say the same thing."

Arcos' eyes showed something like sympathy for a brief moment when Suho mentioned his parents' passing, but spoke nothing of it, which Suho was thankful for. The silence was getting a bit awkward, though. "... Just out of curiosity, did something happen to your son, Mr. Frontera?"

The man sighed. "Yes, but it's all his own doing, to be honest. My son and academic pursuits.... Well, let's say they don't mix. He thinks school is a waste of his time. Alas, we may have been too lenient on him... Now that he's had his birthday and officially turned into an adult, he's been acting more recklessly."

"Uh... I see..."

"Last we heard from him, he told us he was leaving the country and there was nothing we could do to stop him. We could probably track him down eventually from his credit card spending, but there is still a major problem."

"With the number of absences the young master has, he's not going to be able to pass high school at this rate," Bayern added matter-of factly.

Arcos nodded, rubbing the tear that was forming at the corner of his eye. "... Marbella, my wife, she managed to transfer him over to an acquaintance's school last minute, but the term starts next week and we still have no idea where he is. We really have no idea what to do."

At first Suho was starting to regret asking and having to listen to Arcos' woes, but suddenly the gears started to turn and he felt a lighbulb going off in his head. A briliant idea struck him: with his near-identical looks to Lloyd and his own education on hold... It might just be crazy enough to work.

He just had to make sure that that he could get his mark, uh, his client, to agree to it.

"I see..." Suho made sure to choose his words carefully for the next sentence. He has to make sure that the proposal was delivered as a good-willed idea and the only reasonable solution to Arcos' problem. "Well... I don't know if you'd like to hear me out. But I have this crazy idea... Nevermind! I'm sure someone as honorable as you wouldn't want to do it. Forget I said anything. I just couldn't think of anything else."

Yes! It seemed he managed to pique Arcos' interest. "No, it's fine! Please tell us. We'd be happy to hear any ideas, you have, Suho. It couldn't hurt."

"Yes! I mean, sure. You said that I look and sound exactly like your son, except for my black hair, right? So, what if... I take Lloyd's place? Just temporarily, until graduation? Or when he returns, whichever comes first."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea..." remarked Bayern, who was actually being the rational one in this instance. "It would be committing fraud..."

"Bayern..."

"No, no, Mr. Bayern's right. I shouldn't have suggested it. I'll see myself out."

Suho started walking, and stopped right in front of the door frame. "Buuut! it hurts my heart to imagine a young man like our Lloyd, with so much potential, becoming a high-school dropout." He turned around, mentally high-fiving himself when he saw Arcos had been chasing after him. "I mean, I'm a scholarship student. My academic credentials are no joke, but even I have to struggle with three part-time jobs just to get by and pay my bills! Imagine throwing poor Lloyd out to that cruel, cruel world, without even a high-school degree..."

"Uh, I'm sure it would be different for the young master..."

Arcos' eyes were already becoming teary. He took Suho's hands between his own with a pleading expression. "No! He's right, Bayern! Lloyd is going to have a hard enough time as it is without becoming a high-school dropout! Help us, won't you, Suho?"

Suho gently released his hands from Arcos' grip, and bowed. "Gladly, Mr. Frontera. It's just that... This means I'm going to have to take an indefinite leave from the university and quit my part-time jobs, but it's alright. I'll do it, if it's for the sake of..."

"Don't worry about a thing! We're going to make sure that you are compensated handsomely for your help! Thank you, Suho! We really will try to make it up to you. We owe you our lives!" Arcos bowed, even more deeply than Suho did.

He was starting to feel bad seeing that Arcos was actually grateful to him, even though all he had in mind was a way to turn this accident into a financial breakthrough. "Please, no need to bow to me, Mr. Frontera... I'm just doing what anyone would, really." Not that he believed that, but... Anything to get rid of this lingering feeling of guilt. He needed the money and Arcos Frontera was going to be that lottery ticket out of debt. "I can make a discreet contract, just so that you could make sure that I will not be bailing out on our agreement," he glanced over at Bayern, who sighed, but eventually nodded, giving his implicit approval to the arrangement.

"Yes, yes! Just get in contact with Mr. Bayern here and I will definitely sign!"

"Glad to be of service, Mr. Frontera,"

Arcos laughed and patted him in the back. "Please, I think you're going to have to start calling me 'Dad' now, don't you, 'Lloyd'? You don't have to worry about settling in, by the way. We've already prepared an apartment and a roommate for you to stay with!"

"Uh, what?" The apartment part was jackpot, since that would also fix his housing problem, but what's this about a roommate?

"He's known Lloyd from childhood. He was actually the one who suggested us to enroll Lloyd--I mean, you--in the same school as his. He even told us that he was willing to help Lloyd stay out of trouble! Truly an outstanding young man, just like you, Suho. Ugh! I mean Lloyd." 

"I see..." Yikes, this was going to complicate things, but it's too late to back out now. Suho will figure out how to handle this guy, he told himself. "That's... good to know."Not like he was lying about that.

Arcos rubbed his chin as he tried to remember something. "Ah! He's been making a name for himself as a fencing athlete, so you may have heard of him. Do you know... Javier Asrahan?"

Shit, Javier Asrahan? The so-called Knight of Blood and Iron, who earned that name for himself as a newcomer when he took the national fencing tournament by a storm? The one whose match and interview videos have populated Suho's YouTube history, that Javier Asrahan? 'Do I know the guy? At least his entire fencing career and random tidbits of information about his personal life, probably.'

"I think... I may have heard his name somewhere."

Arcos beamed. "That's great! You guys are going to live together, so it's important that you make sure he doesn't figure what we're doing. They--you last met when you were kids, and you didn't seem very close, so I think he shouldn't notice anything."

That's an understatement, if there ever was one. Suho's got a pretty good memory, and he suddenly recalled one of Javier's interviews, which went into the topic of his childhood. He lost his parents at a young age and was taken in by an orphanage ran by Frontera Estate. When Suho lost his parents himself, he found himself drawn to the promising young athlete and began to follow his prowess.

Back to Javier: due to his outstanding talent and Arcos Frontera's generosity, he was given plenty of financial support to pursue his talent and dream as a fencer. Javier professed that one of the first gifts he received was a custom-made fencing sword from his patron, but when asked where that sword was now, apparently it was damaged in an accident involving Mr. Frontera's son.

So... none other than the Lloyd he will be impersonating.

Suho gulped. He had the feeling he was going to have his work cut out for him, but he will definitely make sure that he will be the one profiting the most from this arrangement.

Chapter Text

Kim Suho looked out of the tinted car window, trying to distract himself from the unbearable sense of not belonging in the back seat by himself. He was going to have to get used to this at one point… He felt his stomach churn. The ride to the apartment where he was supposed to spend the next few months living as Lloyd felt like it was going to be the most awkward 30 minutes of his life. He couldn’t be more grateful when Bayern wordlessly handed him a dossier–one on Lloyd Frontera.

From a brief glance, Suho could tell it was meticulously prepared and organized. He looked at the man driving him in awe. “Did you prepare all of this by yourself, Mr. Bayern?”

“Why yes, who else would have?” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

Almost immediately after his boss agreed to go through with Suho’s outlandish plan, Bayern was tasked with personally looking after him for the entirety of his stint as Lloyd’s replacement. He had an inkling of Bayern’s capabilities when they drafted together the contract for Kim Suho’s “internship” at Frontera Estate Corp and Bayern followed through with all the necessary preparations, including booking a hairdresser appointment in the middle of the night to dye his hair the exact same shade of brown as Lloyd's. 

Now he was sure: Bayern was more than just a run-of-the-mill PA. He definitely could have had his pick of working managerial level anywhere, but ultimately decided to serve Arcos Frontera for some reason. ‘Maybe I should be worried that I have someone this competent watching over me...’

“Feel free to ask me about anything you find difficult, Master Suho.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate that, but you really can’t drop the ‘Master’ part?”

“I’m afraid not, so long as you’re acting the part of the young master.”

Well, at least Bayern didn’t insist on calling him ‘Lloyd’ all the time, even in private, like Arcos. He was starting to feel that the company CEO was enjoying the whole ploy as an exercise in method acting. ‘Or maybe it felt like getting his son back, in a way.’ Suho decided to focus on the dossier and take in as much information as he could before they reach their destination: Lloyd’s personal history, likes, dislikes, speech mannerisms… “Most of these are just swear words and threats.”

Bayern, whose eyes remained on the road in front of him, just shrugged. “I don’t think you’d have to go to that extent, especially since that's bound to get you in trouble at school, but keep it in mind when you interact with people who have met the young master before.”

“You mean like the roommate I’m about to meet now?”

“You catch on quick, Master Suho,” Bayern remarked, and Suho swore a smile flickered on the man’s face for a brief second. “It is imperative that you convince Javier Asrahan that you and Master Lloyd are one and the same. He has a discerning eye.”

‘That I’m aware of already…’ Suho shuddered as he imagined Javier’s gaze. He was also aware that if Javier found out that he was the one who talked his patron and savior into committing fraud, the young fencer was probably going to quarter and skewer him.

“On the other hand, he’s going to be your strongest ally and protector at school. You should also get along well with him, which is why I prepared a second dossier for you.”

Now that was asking for the impossible. How the hell was he supposed to get along with someone who, by all accounts, despised him, all while making sure that he didn’t realize the switch? “Thanks, I guess…” 

Still, there’s no harm in knowing more about Javier so that he could put on a more convincing act. Javier’s dossier was almost as thorough as Lloyd’s, and Suho found himself engrossed in it instead. He raised an eyebrow as he came upon Javier’s school records. While his grades were definitely not as abysmal as Lloyd’s, it looked like he was struggling with the exact sciences, like Calculus and Physics. ‘Who would have thought?’

Time flew by as he read through both dossiers. The car suddenly came to a stop in front of a small but lavish apartment building. And standing right in front of the entrance…

‘Shitshitshitt…. It’s the real deal after all.’

Suho–wait, he was supposed to be ‘Lloyd’ now, stepped out of the car and tried to put on his best impression of what a hooligan looked like. Well, Javier certainly looked like his eyes just landed on the most off-putting thing he’d ever seen and Bayern, who opened the door, gave a secretive nod of approval, so he must have done good… right?

He tried to think of how to be as rude as possible while still remaining within the bounds of civility. “Out of the way,” he said callously, not even acknowledging Javier’s presence, as he made his way to the trunk of the car to bring out his…

He saw Bayern’s face sink into panic, and one of Javier’s eyebrows slightly raised.  ‘Shit.'  He screwed up, there was no way Lloyd would carry in his things all by himself.

The situation was quickly remedied when Bayern leaped in to take over and gestured for Lloyd to make his way into the apartment with Javier. ‘What a sweet place to live in…’  He almost whistled in appreciation the moment he walked into the unit. It was tastefully-designed, and at least four times the size of the studio apartment he lived in before. Even though Arcos said he and Javier would be roommates, they each had their separate rooms, although they still had to share a bathroom. The kitchen (it had an island!!!) was furnished with household appliances and furniture he could never have afforded. 

But it would not do for ‘Lloyd’ to look happy at the situation, so he scoffed and tried to put on the sourest face he could, before plopping down onto the sofa and crossing his legs like he was the one who owned the place.

“I have moved all your belongings into your room, Master Lloyd. If that’s all…”

He waved his hand without looking at Bayern. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just go.” 

Bayern bowed to both young men, and excused himself. Shortly after, ‘Lloyd’ felt his new mobile phone ring in his pocket. ‘Must be Bayern.’ He should probably check the message once he’s alone, away from Javier’s watchful eye. 

He rose from the sofa and started walking towards his room, but a muscled arm on the doorframe suddenly blocked his path. 

Javier was probably only a head taller than him, but his presence was far more imposing. Still, Lloyd wasn't supposed to back down from just being stared at. “The hell–”

“We need to lay down some ground rules,” Javier interrupted. “I know what kind of trouble you’ve gotten up to, and that this semester’s your final chance.”

The way he was looking at Lloyd, it was like looking at an insect not worth his time. “Personally, I don’t care even if the shame of the Frontera family drops out or ends up in a ditch somewhere, but I’ve made a promise to keep you out of trouble, and I intend to keep it.” 

“Okay, Mr. Bodyguard. Do you still have something to say, or is that all?”

Javier raised one of his eyebrows. Lloyd looked exasperated, but in an unexplainable way, not in the way that he expected. He was prepared for Lloyd to have thrown a punch then and there (which he would have blocked effortlessly as a show of power, of course). But no way was he going to show that Lloyd’s action (... or lack thereof) and laid-back attitude took him by surprise. He had to stand his ground. 

“I'm not finished. Let’s set something else straight here, ‘young master’. I’m not your bodyguard or errand boy. The only reason I’m here is to make sure that you go to school properly every day, and I will use force, if necessary, to drag your sorry ass there. Got it?”

Lloyd didn’t say anything. He must have made his point clear enough already, Javier thought. That was what's important: ensuring that Lloyd knew his place and would not stir up any trouble in the coming months. This was the least he could do for Arcos. He put his arm down and moved from the door to allow Lloyd to pass. He couldn’t help but notice, though, as Lloyd walked past, that he appeared to be doing something Javier never would have expected of him. He actually looked… deep in thought .

The thought of spending any more time than necessary to look at the human trash got Javier flustered. He rubbed his eyes, which must have been playing tricks on him. However, he couldn't stop thinking about it, even as he retreated to his own room. He plopped down on the bed, and stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. Arcos' words after Javier promised to look after his one and only son came to mind.

“Please take care of him… and be his friend, Javier.”

“Sorry, Mr. Frontera…” He could remember as clear as day the cruel words Lloyd spat out to him, as he broke the precious gift his father gave Javier into two, many years ago. Call it childish resentment, but he knew for a fact that people could not change that easily. He certainly didn’t expect Lloyd to. 'I could never find it in myself to like someone like Lloyd.'

Chapter Text

‘Ugh… What a first day.’ 

Suho rubbed his temple, the image of Javier staring him down and threatening him still fresh and replaying in his mind. He was practically finished formulating a strategy for both Javier and school tomorrow, and had placed his planning book (along with the dossiers Bayern had given him) in a locked drawer, but couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was forgetting something important…

Then he knew what it was: the phone! He recalled the vibration he felt just as Bayern left the apartment. It might have been an important message from his handler, Suho thought, as he took out his newly procured gadget from his pocket, but it turned out the one who contacted him was not Bayern, but his boss. Arcos Frontera, with his contact saved as none other than Dad . 

Suho internally groaned. This was probably the actual hardest part for him, pretending to be a son to the CEO. Not only because it made him all the more aware of the absence of his own parents and their tragic passing, but also because it reminded him that he was taking someone else’s rightful place as a beloved son. 

Which, to be fair, was in the job description, so he really had no right to discomfort over that.

Dad

Hi lloyd! Is everything alright with your move? 

Hope you’lll have a great first day of school tomorrow. Rest well.

👍 👍 👍 

Me

Hi, thank you. Sorry for replying so late...

Arcos is typing…

Suho stopped typing his next line the moment he saw the typing notification, which suddenly disappeared. His phone immediately rang right after with a call from Arcos. He hurriedly picked up. 

“Hello? … Dad?”

“Hey son! So you’ve already moved in with Javier, huh? Everything okay?”

“Yes, totally,” he replied, a little too quickly. He should definitely leave out the part about Javier straight up threatening Lloyd to behave. “He seems nice. I really want to get along with him.” The last part was true, at least. 

“You’ll get plenty of chances to, don’t worry! Javier told me he’s been assigned as your peer mentor, so he’s going to be the one keeping you well-adjusted at school! You’re in good hands!”

More like, in a tight grip, Suho thought, but knew better than to mention.No wonder Javier was so intent on preventing Lloyd from even putting a toe out of line. “... He did mention something like that.”

“Oh, good! So Alicia–I mean, Ms. Termina, the principal, will see you and Javier at her office tomorrow and explain it in more detail.” 

“Perfect.” Suho wanted to see her and confirm something right away. Technically-speaking, Suho was only contracted to make sure that Lloyd would have enough attendance points and not get expelled by the end of the school year. He could breeze through the next few months by simply doing the bare minimum and staying out of trouble. 

Still, the idea of leaving a fragile legacy for Lloyd to take over rubbed him the wrong way. He wanted to make sure that it was fail-safe, that there would be no way for Lloyd to screw up his graduation. He already thought of one way how, but he had to make sure to get the principal’s approval right away tomorrow. But it wouldn’t be possible if Javier intended to stop him in his path any time he suspected Lloyd of attempting anything the least bit unordinary.

“... Lloyd? Are you listening?”

“Sorry… Dad. I was just deep in thought. You were saying?”

“It was nothing important, don't worry. Look…” Arcos paused for some time, “I just want to tell you again… I really appreciate you taking all of this seriously. But I hope you’re not stressing yourself out with… everything. I get the feeling that you’re going to do just fine, no matter how you do it. I just feel that... I trust you.”

“I... won’t let you down,” he offered to Arcos, trying to lend a bit of business-like credibility, but ending up delivering more sincerity than he wanted to let on. He didn’t want to mess up this steady stream of revenue, that’s all. “Um. It’s pretty late. I think I should…”

“Of course, sorry for holding you up. Good night, son.”

“... Good night.”

Suho hung up, chucked his phone onto the bedside table, and plopped down on the mattress, feeling more exhausted than assured from the conversation. He felt his eyes grow heavier, and fell to slumber as he tried to imagine what Javier would look like without that look of hatred on his face every time he saw him.

‘What am I gonna have to do with you?’

***

Morning came, and Javier woke up with a stinging headache, as he almost always did these past few weeks. With school about to resume, he had been trying to catch up on the materials from Physics and Calculus classes he missed due to fencing practice, but he had no luck understanding any of the concepts of his own. 

He groaned. Things weren’t looking good. He was already barely getting by the previous term, but he was getting further and further behind. While the exact sciences did not really factor into his future plans to pursue a career in fencing–he was confident that he would be able to get into university through a sports scholarship after all–passing all subjects in his final exam was a prerequisite.

A loud ‘ ding!’ rang and brought him outside his room. The smell of eggs wafted through the air, and the sizzling sound became more audible. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, taking in the sight of Lloyd cooking in the kitchen–wait, what? 

Lloyd Frontera was awake before him, and cooking. He wondered whether he was still having a lucid dream or something. “You’re in the kitchen.”

“What? Is that a problem now? I’m not even allowed to use my own kitchen?”

Javier had been impressed for a split second, but whatever appreciation he had was immediately replaced with annoyance. “Not at all, I just had no idea that you could even figure out how to turn on a stove.”

Lloyd placed not only one, but two plates on the table. The plating left a lot to be desired: two pieces of toast, scrambled eggs, and grilled tomatoes, all heaped on top of each other in a hearty portion. Appearance-wise, it looked on par with what someone who never stood in the kitchen before would prepare, but everything seemed to be cooked to perfection. At least, that’s what Lloyd’s expression told, when he dug into his own cooking like a man who hadn’t seen proper food for days.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna eat, after I went to all that trouble to prepare a nice meal for you?”

There was something in Lloyd’s playful expression which provoked him, but in a different way that Javier was accustomed to feeling about him. “Why? I’m nothing but a lowly bodyguard, I wouldn’t dream of eating food made by the young master himself.”

Lloyd was either thick-headed or thick-skinned, as the mocking remark seemed to have gone over his head entirely. “Yeah, yeah, so you know I’m giving you a special service, right? I’m not doing this for free.”

“Then what do you want?”

The brown-haired man’s expression suddenly turned serious. After a few seconds of silence and a sigh, he spoke in a low voice. “Look–I know I may have been a troublemaker, but I’m not an idiot.”

Javier was showing an expression which basically screamed DOUBT, but again, Suho pretended he did not see it, and continued his act as Lloyd. “ Okay. At least, I know I screwed up and that this is really my last chance. And… I’m done with disappointing them. Mom and Dad. I’m really trying to turn over a new leaf, and I’d like to have your trust here.”

He tried to get a read on Javier discreetly. This was the conclusion Suho reached after racking his brain all night. The first option he crossed out was trying to fully imitate Lloyd. First of all, Suho didn’t think he had it in him to play the part of a hooligan non-stop, no matter how much he knew about Lloyd from his dossier. Second of all, it was already proven that simply being Lloyd got him on Javier’s bad side. Doing that with the expectation that Javier would warm up to him would simply be a fool’s errand. Third, although he said he was only doing this until Lloyd returned, he was fairly certain at this point that the Frontera heir was going to bail all the way up to ‘his’ graduation, so he did not have to worry about anyone at school getting suspicious should the real Lloyd return midway. Even then, he was sure he could come up with an alibi on the spot to wrap things up nicely. 

All things considered, what was the best way to bring Javier over to Lloyd’s side, based on everything he knew about the guy? There was only one solution: show Javier that Lloyd has changed for the better, but just absurd enough to be believable . Behind that expressionless facade, he knew the young man was upstanding by nature and had a soft spot for people who showed sincerity.

Almost impossible for him to accept from someone he despised like Lloyd, of course. But Suho was nothing but persistent. He would hammer the message into Javier’s head as much as possible, to the extent that he would find it more believable that Lloyd has changed than for him to have gone missing with a random stranger taking his place. Haha. Not much of a plan, he had to admit, but he was determined to make it work.

As for the breakfast? That was just meant to be the nail in the coffin. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, after all. Plus, Bayern stocked the fridge with enough food for two people, and there was no way he was going to let any food go to waste, not in his household. He breathed an internal sigh of relief when Javier finally put the food in his mouth, after poking it cautiously with his fork, as if inspecting it.

Javier noticed that Lloyd was looking at him intently. He swallowed the food in his mouth, which tasted a lot better than what he’d like to admit, so that he could speak. “ Trust , you said. That depends entirely on you, and what you plan on doing with it.”

“It’s no big deal, really. I just want you to stop acting like I’m a liability. I really could handle myself better these days. Just… don’t stop anything until you see for yourself whether I’m getting myself in trouble or not.”

Javier didn’t appear fully convinced, even though he showed less resistance as he continued munching upon his breakfast. Suho knew he needed to give him another push. “Look, when I said this wasn’t for free, I’m not expecting you to trust me with nothing to gain either.”

Uh-oh. He wasn’t liking the way Javier was gripping his knife. “If you think I would turn a blind eye to your antics for money–”

“Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, son! That’s not it! I’m just talking about your grades.”

“ Excuse me? ”

“I overheard it at the teacher’s office when I was getting enrolled,” he lied, “that our promising athlete Javier Asrahan is failing his Calculus and Physics classes.”

It wasn’t as if there was any other way Lloyd would have known, so Javier had no choice but to believe and listen to him. At least for now. “How is that related to any of this?”

“I can give you private lessons to bring your grades up in one term, guaranteed.”

“That’s insane. You’re failing more classes than I am, probably. No, definitely.”

Ouch. “Yeah, for inattendance ,” he bluffed. “But I really started getting into all these science videos on YouTube, you know, all that Samarkand Academy stuff, and I’ve really gotten the hang of it. I think I’m a science whiz after all.”

“That’s not even–”

“What? I’m not allowed to be a genius now? You won your first fencing match only weeks after picking up the saber but I’m not allowed to realize I have a hidden talent for learning?”

How did Lloyd even know that? And how does that even make any sense? Why does he find this guy so punchable and convincing at the same time? So many questions were popping up in Javier’s head, but he knew that if he asked further, Lloyd was just going to get even more annoying with his stubborn insistence. “Fine. But if this isn’t working out, we do things my way.”

“No problemo! Let’s shake on it–”

“No.”

“Sheesh, okay. Oh, looks like Bayern is already here. Let’s go now.”

Before he could clear the dishes himself, Javier and his lightning-fast reflexes had beaten him to it. The young man had perfect manners after all. “Good job, thanks,” he said as he patted the silver-haired man’s shoulder twice, not unlike the way he would encourage younger recruits at his workplace. 

Lloyd was whistling a tune as he strode casually to pick up his school bag and , leaving Javier alone, nearly gaping in his confusion.

It was odd. Moments before, he wanted nothing less than to “shake on it” and touch Lloyd’s hand, since there was nothing positive he could associate with having physical contact with the wayward Frontera son. But what was that just then? Javier prided himself on his ability to recognize when someone had ill or hostile intent towards him, and yet he felt no such thing from Lloyd’s touch. It was… dared he say, genuine appreciation. And Javier, to his own disbelief, did not feel repulsed by that. Did not feel repulsed by Lloyd’s touch.

Ba-dump. 

“Oi, you coming?”

He tried to ignore the lingering sensation on his shoulder, and followed the other student out the door. He was going to leave the question of who this devious guy was and what he did with the real Lloyd Frontera another time.