Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 48: The Defender

Chapter 48: The Defender
Nael was still in shock. As soon as he regained consciousness, he immediately grabbed Nathan’s hand, as if anticipating that the boy wanted to fight.
"Nathan, don’t!" Nael warned.
Nathan was still overcome with anger. He roughly pushed Nael’s hand away, then stared at Franc, who was standing there rubbing his cheek.
He shook his head cynically. "You’re still asking if I hit you, you idiot," Nathan said.
Of course, his words made Franc’s anger peak. Even so, he just stared with red eyes. His breathing was irregular, he was still too shocked.
Nael felt the tension. No one spoke for a few seconds, until Franc walked closer.
"You think I’m afraid of you?" he hissed, his mischievous smile completely gone, replaced by a reddened face.
Instead of backing away, Nathan moved closer. "I hope not," he replied.
And in the next second, a fight broke out.
"No! Don’t fight!!" Nael shouted in panic. He tried to pull one of them away, but they pushed him instead, sending his body flying.
Nael groaned, his body shaking with fear. He stared at Nathan and Franc as they punched, rolled, and kicked each other. He stomped his feet, trying to think hard.
He had no choice but to ask for help. "ALEX! ROGER!!"
It didn’t take long for the game in the hall to stop and for everyone to move to the balcony.
Roger held Nathan tightly, while Malvin blocked Franc, who was already battered and bruised. But Franc seemed to be trembling, showing no signs of wanting to fight back, unlike Nathan, who was still filled with a murderous aura.
Amanda had been screaming frantically, rubbing her son’s body.
Antonio broke through the crowd, standing in front of the two teens.
"What are you doing?" His loud, booming voice immediately silenced the whispers around him.
Nathan was even surprised. The anger that had consumed him suddenly subsided for a moment as he stared at Antonio, who was staring back at him with sharp eyes.
Amanda broke the silence. "Look, he clearly hit Franc! You can see he’s bruised!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling, as if she had never seen a fight before.
Nathan snorted. "He started it!" He was used to being in this position, and he had to defend himself because no one else would do it for him.
Before Amanda could speak again, Nael stood beside Nathan. "Oh, no! Franc grabbed him first. He called Nathan a bad luck kid!" he exclaimed loudly, glancing nervously at Antonio, afraid his grandfather would punish Nathan.
Franc defended himself in a trembling voice. "But I didn’t hit him. He hit me! In the face!"
"Enough!" Antonio exclaimed. "You are family, you should protect each other! You can kill other people, but not family! How could you hit your own cousin?!" Antonio stared at both of them.
Nathan gritted his teeth. "So I should just keep quiet when he calls me a bad luck?!" he retorted.
Antonio looked at Franc. "Why did you call him that?"
Franc cringed at Antonio’s loud voice and fell silent.
Amanda quickly interrupted. "Whatever he said, he shouldn’t have hit him! You can see he’s wild and uneducated, right?"
Nathan was surprised to hear that. Then anger took over him again.
Uneducated?
But before he could explode, Alexander stepped forward and held his hand.
Alexander sighed. He looked at Amanda, then at Franc. Then at Amanda again.
"Auntie, Franc is clearly more educated. Why can’t he watch his mouth? Doesn’t he know his mouth could lead him straight to hell?" he said calmly but with a piercing gaze.
Amanda glared at him angrily. "You’re defending that brat?!"
"He may be a brat, but he’s not evil." Alexander looked around at the judgmental stares.
"If I were in his position, I might have killed Franc."
His words stunned everyone.
"He, a child cast out by his own family, forced to grow up without the ’upbringing’ you’re so proud of, without parents, and left to survive on his own for seventeen years. And now that he’s back, the people who call themselves his family hurt him again by calling him a bad luck. Tell me, what do you expect me to do in that position?"
Everyone held their breath. They fell silent, as if imagining themselves in the same situation. Slowly, the judgmental looks faded.
Alexander looked at Franc. "He was wrong to hit you, but if you say something like that again in front of me, calling him a bad luck, I’ll hit you myself."
Amanda was stunned silent.
Franc swallowed hard.
Julian stared without saying anything.
Nathan was silent, more because he was surprised. He hadn’t expected Alexander to protect him. He had even prepared an argument in case he was scolded.
He felt something strange. It felt... comforting to have someone defend him.
Alexander looked at Nathan. "I know you’re hurt, but don’t hit your cousin like that, understand?"
Nathan stood there pouting, but he nodded.
Antonio gave a lecture in a voice that, rather than motivating, created tension.
"Apologize, both of you!" he said finally. "If not, we will not continue the event."
Nathan grumbled, glaring. Franc did the same, his face red with bruises, but he was too afraid to defy Antonio.
"Apologize!" Antonio repeated.
Roger held Nathan, urging him to apologize immediately. "Come on, just think of him as an annoying little bug. Apologize and it’s over!" Roger whispered jokingly.
Nathan took a deep breath. "I’m sorry," he said half-heartedly.
Franc looked around, frowning as he realized no one was supporting him. It felt as if everything was his fault. They were all waiting for him to show remorse.
Franc felt anger rising again, but he was powerless. His reputation felt ruined. He sighed, not wanting to make things worse. He was also afraid of Antonio and Alexander. And he knew his parents couldn’t defend him.
"Me too... I’m sorry," he said.
Antonio pulled them toward the center. "Shake hands. Don’t do it again. You must support each other."
Nathan frowned at his grandfather’s loud voice. He hissed softly but extended his hand. Franc accepted it half-heartedly.
As soon as their hands parted, Nathan wiped his palm on his pants, a gesture of disgust he didn’t bother to hide. Franc saw it, eyes narrowing with lingering resentment, but with Antonio watching like a hawk, he didn’t dare say anything.
"Good," Antonio said firmly. He clapped his hands once, the sound echoing sharply. "The show is over. Get back to your drinks. The game won’t run itself!"
The crowd hesitated for a moment, the tension still thick, before slowly dispersing. Whispering began immediately, the hiss of gossip Nathan knew was entirely about him.
Amanda wasted no time. She wrapped her arm protectively around Franc, throwing a hateful glance at Nathan and Alexander. "Come on, honey. Let’s get some ice for your face before it swells," she said loudly, deliberately bumping Nathan’s shoulder as she passed.
Nathan staggered slightly but remained standing. He watched them leave, his chest heaving as the adrenaline faded, replaced by a sharp pain in his knuckles.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder. Nathan flinched, his muscles tensing to attack, but he froze when he saw it was Alexander.
Alexander wasn’t looking at him, he was staring at the receding figures of Amanda and Franc with a cold, unreadable expression.
"Calm down," Alexander said in a low voice. "It’s over."
Nathan relaxed his shoulders, though still tense. He looked at Alexander, a burning question in his throat. He expected a reprimand, a lecture, or at least a sigh of disappointment. He wasn’t used to this, being defended.
But Alexander wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he rubbed Nathan’s cheek, which was red from Franc’s punch. His gaze was gentle and soothing.
That made Nathan feel uncomfortable. He stared at Alexander briefly before looking down. "Thanks..." he said softly.
Alexander finally looked at him. A slight, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips. "It’s good you defended yourself. Don’t hold back. You were winning," he said calmly.
Nathan was taken aback. He had never heard advice like that in his life. All this time, he had been forced to restrain himself. If there was a problem, he was always blamed, even when he was the victim.
"As long as you know you’re right, don’t hold back," Alexander said. He only wanted to make sure Nathan didn’t feel alienated or afraid to react. Even though he was surprised by Nathan’s response, he felt there was no point giving long advice; at Nathan’s age, he probably wouldn’t listen.
"Besides," Alexander added, noticing Nathan’s red and swollen knuckles. He frowned slightly. "How you fight is terrible. If you’re going to punch someone in the face, try not to break your own hand."
"How?" Nathan grumbled, pulling his hand back, though he couldn’t stop massaging his sore joints.
"Nathan!"
Nael ran over, Roger still standing behind with a big grin. Nael looked like he was about to cry. He grabbed Nathan’s arm, checking it frantically.
Malvin also hurried over. Lucas looked curious but satisfied, as if he had been the one to punch Franc.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Oh my God, you’re shaking!" Malvin exclaimed.
"I’m fine," Nathan said weakly.
Roger laughed, wrapping his arm around Nathan’s neck, trapping him in a headlock. "You little animal! Did you see Franc’s face? He looks like a crushed tomato!" Roger ruffled Nathan’s hair roughly. "That’s what he gets for calling you a bad luck, right? Remind me never to make you angry."
"Let me go!" Nathan struggled, but for the first time that night, the tension in his chest began to ease.
Alexander looked at the three of them, Roger laughing, Nael fussing, and Nathan pretending to be annoyed while secretly enjoying the atmosphere.
"Go get some ice for your hand," Alexander ordered, stepping back. "And don’t cause any more trouble tonight. I can’t save your ass twice in an hour."
Nathan stopped fighting Roger. He looked at Alexander.
"You didn’t save me!" Nathan muttered, almost inaudible. "But... thank you!" he said louder.
Alexander said nothing, just nodded briefly before turning and walking back into the hall, his shadow blending in with the elite crowd.
Nathan watched him go. For seventeen years, he had learned that the world was a battlefield where he stood alone. But tonight, standing on this balcony with his throbbing hand and his annoying brothers, the battlefield felt a little less lonely.
"Come on, kid," Roger teased, pulling him toward the door. "Let’s get some ice and maybe some tequila. I think we all need a drink after that."
Malvin immediately intervened. "No tequila. Alexander will kill you if you give Nathan that."
Roger tugged Nathan. "Just a little!"
Nael ran alongside them. "Me too! I want some!"
The evening continued with Nathan’s official introduction and Antonio briefly announcing that after what had happened, if anyone still said anything bad about the kid, he wouldn’t stay quiet.
His warning made Julian frown, he knew Antonio was talking about Franc. That Antonio blamed his son.
But in the end, Nathan tasted tequila for the first time. Before Alexander took his glass away.
Nael groaned when his brother took his glass too.
"No alcohol for kids."
The two teens pouted when Alexander handed them sweet non-alcoholic cocktails. Nathan thought rich kids could do whatever they wanted. He was a little disappointed.