Page 5 of Breeding Justice

He had suggested it, so I didn't lose anything by asking.

"Alright, Zane. Will you show me?"

Chapter Two: Zane

"Show you?" I echoed.

Hassan nodded.

My eyes widened in surprise, the sudden directness of his request caught me off guard. I looked into his eyes, my hand on his face, my thumb on his lower lip. "You're such a beautiful man," I said. "I would love to show you. But that very much defeats the point of this exercise, doesn't it?"

He blinked, his eyes reflecting understanding and a hint of disappointment. He nodded, retracting from my touch. “You’re right,” he murmured, taking a deep breath, “It does. I’ll...I’ll figure it out on my own.”

He glanced up at me, a hesitant nod as he swallowed hard. He looked terribly vulnerable at that moment, a stark contrast to his usual confident demeanor.

"Good. And honestly, this is what the internet is for. I can give you a quick anatomy lesson if you want, but this was totally a doctor-patient talk. Not a..."

"A what?" he said, holding back a smile.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. But it doesn't matter," I continued, shrugging my shoulders. "My point stands. This is your journey. It's about exploration, self-discovery, and healing."

He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath as he continued to look into my eyes. He seemed to be studying me, evaluating what I'd said. I watched as he mulled over the idea, and I hoped he would take my suggestion to heart.

"Okay," he said again, sounding more confident this time. "I'll give it a shot."

Then he did something he had never, ever done before, in all of the time we had known each other. He rested his head on my shoulder.

Hassan's vulnerability took me by surprise. His muscular frame, once rigid, was now melting into mine. I froze momentarily, unsure of how to react. Then, slowly, instinctively, I lifted my arm, draping it gently around his broad shoulders. We sat like that for a while, basking in the silence.

I had never seen Hassan this vulnerable before; he was always putting up this front of being cool and collected, but now he allowed himself to be weak, to be comforted. It was a side of him that I cherished.

He took a deep breath. "I can't tell Bash because he'll feel guilty, Justice because she'll worry and Skylar because...well, I could tell Skylar, but I'm sure he'd just like, crack a joke about it."

"He's British. That's how he deals with things."

Hassan chuckled softly, his laughter vibrating through his chest against my side. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It's just... I'm really lost here, Zane."

"I know you are," I replied gently. "But you're also strong. You've been through so much and yet you're still here, still fighting. That takes a lot of courage."

"Courage doesn't feel like this," he mumbled against my shirt.

"No," I agreed, "Courage doesn't always feel like strength and invincibility. Sometimes it feels like admitting when you need help or when things aren't okay. And that's what you're doing now."

Hassan chuckled softly, his laughter vibrating through his chest against my side. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It's just... I'm really lost here, Zane."

"I know you are," I replied gently. "But you're also strong. You've been through so much and yet you're still here, still fighting. That takes a lot of courage."

"Courage doesn't feel like this," he mumbled against my shirt.

"No," I agreed, "Courage doesn't always feel like strength and invincibility. Sometimes it feels like admitting when you need help or when things aren't okay. And that's what you're doing now."

He didn't say anything for a long time, and I wondered if he had fallen asleep. The weight of his head on my shoulder was oddly comforting, a reminder of the complex and interwoven lives we led. Bash, Justice, Skylar—they all had their parts to play in our tangled web of friendships and more-than-friendships. But this moment with Hassan felt like something separate, something uniquely ours.

Hassan lifted his head, his eyes searching mine as if he were looking for some hidden truth. "Why are you always so good to me?" he asked, his tone more subdued than I'd ever heard it.

"Because you're my friend," I said simply. "And because I care about you.”

He lingered a moment longer, then slowly pulled away, sitting upright. The warmth of his body left a cold void beside me.

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