Chapter 4 - Nice Trouble

"Repeat!" The harsh, booming command tore through the humid afternoon air, echoing across the wide expanse of the dirt field.

Every single freshman standing in the grueling heat flinched in unison. The much-needed lunch break was officially over. The brief period of rest had done nothing to cool Dominic Rhodes’s explosive temper. If anything, the head hazer had returned to the pitch looking even more lethal.

Dom stalked across the uneven ground. He planted his heavy combat boots into the dirt with punishing force. His broad hands rested firmly on his hips. A dark, dangerous scowl twisted his handsome features. The raw, intimidating aura radiating from him seemed to suck the confidence straight out of the atmosphere. The upperclassmen hazers scrambled to keep the perimeter secure, carefully avoiding their leader's wrath. The freshmen practically scurried backward, frantically trying to redo the physical drill he had just ordered them to repeat. The field descended into a state of eerie, suffocating tension.

Nobody dared to make a mistake. Nobody dared to look away.

Then, a figure stepped into the periphery.

Julian strolled along the edge of the grass. He wore a crisp, immaculate all-white outfit that looked strikingly out of place in the middle of a dusty engineering boot camp. He looked fresh, ethereal, and unbothered by the stifling heat. He glided past the rows of suffering freshmen with agonizingly slow, effortless grace. Heads began to turn. The exhausted students gaped at the angelic, pale figure drifting past their nightmare.

"Repeat! Where the hell is your focus!?" Dom roared.

He glared furiously at a cluster of stumbling freshmen. Then, he whipped his head around to follow their dazed sightlines.

Dom’s fierce glare crashed directly into Julian’s cool, unreadable stare. Time stalled. The aggressive momentum driving the head hazer shattered. A sudden, uninvited heat flared in Dom's chest and crept rapidly up his thick neck. The sheer intensity in the medical student's eyes felt like a physical burn against his skin. Dom struggled to hold the eye contact. He swallowed hard. His fierce composure cracked under the weight of the silent standoff.

Dom broke first. He abruptly jerked his head away, severing the connection. He clenched his jaw so tight the muscles in his cheek twitched. Desperate to reclaim his dominance, he spun around and stomped further down the line of freshmen. He barked another string of harsh, unreasonable orders. He looked angrier than before, terrifying the underclassmen and his fellow hazers even more, all to mask the sudden, flustered panic beating against his ribs.

Julian let a faint, arrogant smirk touch his lips. He continued his unhurried walk toward the shaded medical tent.

Reid stood waiting at the entrance. His arms were crossed tight over his chest, and his expression was dead serious. "You are late, Julian."

"I know." Julian replied with pure indifference. He stepped under the canopy, ignoring the reprimand.

Reid gritted his teeth, his patience already wearing thin. "Doctors should be on time."

"I am still not a doctor." Julian countered casually. He moved to stand comfortably beside Reid and Cassian, turning his gaze back out toward the sunlit field.

Reid turned to him with a look of sheer incredulity. "Soon you will be."

"Do not worry. I will be on time when soon comes." Julian responded. His voice retained its usual, infuriating calmness.

Reid closed his eyes. He inhaled a deep, ragged breath, silently praying to whatever higher power would grant him the patience to deal with his friend. He only released the heavy sigh when Cassian reached out and placed a firm, calming hand on his arm.

"I had to take a quick shower. I refuse to stand around smelling like a horse all day." Julian elaborated smoothly. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead on the ongoing activity.

Reid and Cassian shared a brief, exhausted look. They opted to keep their mouths shut to avoid escalating the pointless argument.

"You cannot just be a primadonna all the time, Julian." Cassian mumbled under his breath, refusing to look at the man in white.

"I am not. Though I have all the right to be one." Julian stated with pure arrogance.

Cassian clicked his tongue in annoyance and rolled his eyes hard. There was no winning. Julian would always have a razor-sharp comeback chambered for any scolding they attempted to deliver. The three medical students fell silent, settling into the shade to watch the engineering drills.

Julian grew eerily quiet. He stood perfectly still at the boundary of the tent. His intense, predatory gaze locked firmly onto the head hazer pacing around the dirt field.

Dom looked dangerously serious. The heavy scowl on his face was dark and aggressive. Even his closest friends were giving him a wide berth. The freshmen were trembling, messing up their synchronized movements in sheer panic. Anyone in their right mind would be terrified of the man. A single wrong move looked like it would result in a broken jaw.

Julian was not terrified. He was engrossed in watching Dom's every single movement.

He openly ogled the angry engineering student. The white, short-sleeved t-shirt clung tightly to Dom's broad chest, soaked through in patches from the afternoon heat. The bright sunlight highlighted his gorgeous tan skin. Every time Dom pointed a commanding finger or shouted an order, the prominent, thick muscles in his arms flexed and rippled with raw power. Julian tracked the heavy beads of sweat rolling down the side of Dom's neck. He admired the aggressive masculinity on display, appreciating the dangerous, primal energy the head hazer exuded.

Reid noticed the heavy, unblinking stare. He did not even bother turning his head. "What are you thinking about, Julian?"

Julian clicked his tongue softly. "Tsk. Reid Harrison."

Reid dropped his casual act. The rising anxiousness leaked straight into his voice. "What is it, Julian? Do not do things that you would regret."

Julian let out a light, breathy chuckle. A mysterious, wicked smirk formed on his lips. "When did I?"

Reid turned fully to face him, his eyes wide with frantic warning. "Do not ever think of trying, Julian."

Julian slowly shifted his gaze to meet his friend's panicked look. His expression remained unnervingly smooth. "I am not thinking."

"Julian, do not." Reid pleaded quietly.

Cassian stood in the background, shaking his head in silent despair. He knew Reid was fighting a losing battle. Trying to argue Julian out of a destructive decision was like trying to reason with a brick wall. Reid cared too much not to try.

Julian offered a calm, earnest smile. "You have been telling me to be human. To be warmer."

The gentle, logical tone made Reid's stomach drop into his shoes. It was a trap. "Julian, please. Not this way."

Julian stared right into Reid's panicked, worried eyes. His calm expression did not falter for a single second. "Too late."

Reid squeezed his eyes shut and released a heavy, defeated sigh. Cassian mirrored the gesture, dragging a hand tiredly over his face.

"Julian, this is trouble." Cassian whispered. His tone was thick with sheer exasperation.

Julian smiled. The look in his eyes turned sharp and thrillingly challenging. "It might be worth it."

Reid swallowed hard. He stepped closer, throwing his hands up in a desperate bid to negotiate. "Julian, I take back what I said. You are good on your own. Cassian and I are here, and we get along quite great. Just please, do not do this."

Julian offered a sincere smile in return. However, the predatory calmness etched into his features remained solid. The terrifying contrast made Reid gulp nervously.

"Too late." Julian repeated. He held Reid's worried gaze, letting the finality of the decision sink deep into his friend's chest.

"Julian, please." Reid tried one last, desperate time.

Cassian leaned in, his voice dropping to a frantic whisper. "Big trouble, Julian."

Julian stared at Cassian for a brief moment. Then, his eyes flicked back to Reid. The faint smile vanished entirely. His face smoothed out into an expressionless, impenetrable mask.

"I am Julian Alistair Blackwood." Julian stated.

The calm, dismissive tone left zero room for further debate. It was a statement of supreme confidence, a blunt reminder of exactly who he was, the power he wielded, and his refusal to back down from what he wanted.

Julian pulled a pair of dark sunglasses from his pocket and slid them onto his face. He turned his back on the argument, his attention immediately locking back onto the sweating, muscular head hazer commanding the dusty field.

Reid and Cassian slumped their shoulders. They exchanged a look of pure, dejected failure. They heaved identical sighs of defeat and turned to watch the field. There was no stopping Julian now. The arrogant ice prince had openly selected his target, and the dangerous head hazer had no idea what was coming for him.