Chapter Text
Should it be a surprise that he and his parents got into an argument in the house? No.
Will it continue to surprise (and scare) him? Yes.
"You need to break up with that Sadie girl—"
"I'm not going to!"
"You don't have time for this dating jig."
"I do! And she helps me improve—"
"By what? Challenging you?" his father mocked. "That's not feasible. It's going to change since you are dating—"
"It's not—!"
"You need to focus on your damn studies, Julius. This is never going to work out. Fix it."
Julius gritted his teeth. How can his parents speak as if he and Sadie are a problem? Fuck, James once dated a girl during high school and they didn't say anything—just confirming that the girl was a good influence. She never followed him after college due to their separate views leading to their eventual separation though.
He gazed towards his mother—the one who's usually more lenient about things since he's the one she basically gets to keep. He's her son, the one bearing her surname, her tutelage during his younger years before his lessons got so abstract that she couldn't provide any more help.
She didn't look his way at all.
"Look," his father started again, "You always said that your older brother is your role model, so if you wanna go to Harvard like him—"
His anger bubbled beneath the surface. "It was never about the Harvard—!"
"Then his success?"
"Partially but—"
"Julius. I do not care what your business is regarding what you want from James, but all I care about is your success," his father reiterates. "I do not want a disappointment."
"You think a disappointment as someone who is second to James—"
"So overcome your brother. You're already falling behind. He, at your age, has already started to write his bestselling book. And soon after, he—"
Something broke inside of Julius.
All of this damn comparison. Was it so fun to make him suffer?
"I'm always the second fucking option!" Julius snapped. "You never let me voice my thoughts, always cut me off, regard my analysis on situations second to James—"
"Julius Gong, I am not going to tolerate you raising your voice like that to your parents—"
He didn't even deny it, Julius thought. Fuck this. Fuck all of this.
He runs out of the door, slamming it behind him. He didn't even bother to open the gates with his keys—fuck that, he didn't even grab his keys.
He runs back to somewhere familiar, somewhere he can fall back onto.
Even as the school captain, he never ran so quickly, so desperately that his legs were on fire.
His sweaty hands open his phone. Sunday, June 11, 12:34.
The bakery is still open then.
His girlfriend wouldn't mind him crashing in... right?
"'Ey sis! Your boyfriend just crashed in!" Sadie's brother's voice rang through the silent bakery.
If they weren't dating, he was sure that she'd pop up and scold him for misnaming them.
But they are dating now so...
Sadie's head popped out from the counter, a roll of paper for the receipts in her hands. Her face was like a tomato. He was sure that his face was just as red, if not worse.
'Sooooo, uh," she starts, her gaze trailing towards the kitchen door. "Wanna go into the kitchen? I'm sure hearing about basketball for a while will be annoying."
Julius almost laughed at the jab to her brother—in which her brother responded with a "Hey!"
"Something's up?" Sadie asked. Why does she always hit the jackpot? "You never came here, up until last time where you, uh, you know."
"...Yeah. The same thing happened."
She huffed, rolling her eyes. "People come to a bakery for pastries, and you come for me? I don't know whether to be complimented or horrified that our pastries are inferior," she slightly jokes, her hand smoothing out the frown on his forehead.
"Be complimented," he replies, leaning into the touch.
"Good. Now, according to my ten years of knowing Julius Gong, you should be more calm now to talk. So, you wanna talk?"
He stared at her for a minute and then huffed.
What can he say? They did tell each other that they are obsessed with each other.
"Yeah," he murmurs after a minute. "Got any chairs though?"
"The floor."
Julius chuckled. Of course Sadie's the one to make him laugh.
"I see... So you're here to seek shelter then?" Sadie says, her voice gentler than he ever heard before. He knew she could be gentle, but he was never the person worthy of her affections, up until now, he supposes.
"Mhm."
She had an arm curled around his waist, pulling him close and making themselves comfy and a shoulder to cry on if he needs it.
It was oddly comforting.
He wouldn't say he was someone who was emotionally fragile, just someone who tolerates things until he breaks.
Huh. He was oddly similar to Sadie then, in that regard.
They stay in comfortable silence for a bit, just his head on her shoulder, her arm around his waist.
Safe.
Vulnerable.
"Wanna crash at my place then?" she asked after some thought. "I don't think my mom would mind. I'll convince her anyways."
"Can I?" he spoke after he managed to compose himself a bit more.
He felt so... weak in her arms.
She could destroy me, beyond academics, he thought. I knew that and fell in love anyway. Best decision of my life.
"Yeah."