Chapter 45

"No more buying guns from him, that's seriously illegal. If you want one, I'll get it for you."

"I only bought it for self-defense. Having a gun makes me feel safer."

"And just to be clear, I'm giving you a gun so you can protect yourself, not to shoot me with it. No more pointing it at me. If it goes off, you'll be a widower."

Suddenly, he remembered the day when Brian had pointed a gun at his head. He had to make it clear now that the gift was not meant to be a tool for his own murder.

Brian rolled his eyes at him.

"You'd be safe if you stopped doing things that tick me off."

His goodwill never lasted more than three seconds. He always managed to ruin the pleasant atmosphere they had barely managed to build.

"I feel like I've messed up again. I was already at my wit's end with you. If you get upset and attack me with brass knuckles or shoot at me with a gun, it seems like my only option is to die. Isn't this like digging my own grave, jumping in, and then burying myself?"

William muttered to himself, feeling like he had really messed up this time. He was handing over a weapon to Brian and then facing an armed Brian bare-handed. If he got beaten or maimed, there would be no compensation, and he wouldn't even have a place to complain.

Brian stood up, looking down at him.

"Scared? If you leave me, you won't be in danger."

William shook his head so vigorously, it was as if he was trying to shake it off his shoulders. He wouldn't leave! He'd rather die by Brian's hand than divorce.

"I like submachine guns. Send me a few more. If you piss me off, I'll go full-auto."

William shrank back, full-auto? A submachine gun could fire a whole magazine of bullets with one pull of the trigger. Take the Type 05 submachine gun from our country, for example, one burst is fifty rounds. How could he outrun bullets or dodge a fifty-round burst?

"This spendthrift is really prepared to be a widower. He's really going all out on me."

In order to survive, to avoid actually dying at Brian's hands, he had to treat him well. The key was that Brian was really capable of doing it, especially ruthless.

Since his husband was all in, he shouldn't hold back either. He had Brian change into sportswear, and they practiced together.

The key was that he observed that Brian was really interested in these three things, especially the brass knuckles. He put them on, tried them out, took them off, and studied them over and over again. He kept playing with them, unable to hide the excitement and curiosity in his eyes. He put them aside, then picked them up again after a while, then put them in the drawer, and then took them out again. He repeated this several times. It was only then that William understood that Brian wouldn't say how much he liked something, but his liking was expressed in a very subtle way. Since his husband was eager to try, he would accompany him to play well.

He put on the brass knuckles, clenched his fist, and the brass knuckles fit snugly over his knuckles. Because of their slanted blade shape, William demonstrated that you shouldn't attack directly, but swing your arm, slash down, chop up, and swipe diagonally. He broke down the movements, showing Brian how to use them, one move at a time. You have to be quick, swipe, and make a cut.

Brian was very interested in this thing. He watched William's movements with bright eyes. William put it on his left hand.

"Don't move your right hand, try your left. Being ambidextrous can save your life in key moments."

William pointed to his own nose.

"Come on, babe, attack me with the brass knuckles."

Brian looked at the sharp brass knuckles, very sharp, gleaming coldly. William wasn't wearing any protective gear.

"If I hurt you, no whining."

"If I can't even beat you, how can I carry out missions? Come on, babe, don't hold back."

"I'm going all out."

"Just don't move your right hand, use your left."

Before William could finish speaking, Brian rushed up. He had watched William's movements a few times and had learned most of them. It was a good opportunity to practice on William.

He rushed up and swung his left hand. The brass knuckles scraped past his neck. William dodged back, and Brian's move missed. He swung back up, and William's T-shirt had a cut in it. This time, William really couldn't take it lightly. Brian was fast and agile, his hand flying up and down.