Chapter 34 - A TEST TUBE
"Because of me?" Kris parroted as he looked at the other man with a baffled expression.
Sometimes, Kevin was like a surprise gift box. The Kevin box didn't contain coins or gems, but it contained remarkable statements and questions.
"Yes, it's because of you," Kevin answered. His gaze returned to the mysterious door as his hand lightly touched the handle of the iron door. "I want to research your body here. So, welcome to my new laboratory, Kris," he continued as he pushed the doorknob and opened the metal door.
After the iron door opened, a staircase that extended down to the ground welcomed them. The two handsome men glanced at each other for a moment, then they nodded their heads together.
Kevin then led the way down the stairs. The stairs were narrow and just enough for one person, so Kris had to trail behind him.
It didn't take long for them to reach the basement, but Kevin was instantly flabbergasted. It turned out that the place was not quite what he had imagined. He expected to see a lot of useful tools, and there were indeed a lot of tools in the laboratory, but they were outdated!
Tools like microscopes, test tubes, glass beakers, crucibles, beakers, bunsen burners, and other tools that Kevin hadn't seen in a long time were outmoded now. Even high schools nowadays had more sophisticated equipment.
"What happened to you?" Kris asked after he sensed Kevin's reaction that a bit off.
The other man looked dispirited as he leaned on the wall beside him. "I forgot that time has passed for seventeen years, and now all these tools are no longer used," he replied weakly.
The answer made Kris giggle. "Of course, the time has passed. Aren't you now using more digital equipment?" He asked.
"Yeah," Kevin answered. "We use modern tools that are all computerized and digitalized. For example, we no longer use a microscope to examine microscopic objects because we have a digital scanner that will scan deeply through the specimen up to its smallest part. The result will directly be shown on a digital monitor."
In addition, scientists also used robotic equipment to do their research. They didn't need to use manual tools like test tubes, glass beakers, crucibles, beakers, bunsen burners, and other old-fashioned tools.
"What should I do now? Do I have to examine your body manually? How much time will it take for that?" He whimpered sadly, lamenting his bad luck today.
The 'examine your body' words sounded a bit erotic in Kris's ears, but he didn't tease the latter with that material. He knew that Kevin was not in the mood now.
"What else can we do? I won't let you examine my body in a public laboratory. I don't want to expose my identity," Kris replied as his right hand grabbed a dusty thermometer. "But, can these things still be used? Look how thick the dust is on them," he added in the end.
Kevin rubbed his face roughly and said, "I think I will just borrow some modern equipment from our laboratory tomorrow. Why am I so stupid that I can't remember that it's been nearly two decades and things have changed?"
Kris put the dusty thermometer back on the table and gently ruffled Kevin's hair with his left hand. "Not everything has changed even though the time has passed for nearly two decades," he said while keeping his eyes fixed on Kevin.
The young scientist frowned at the statement and said, "We have known each other for a few months, and I also know about your secret, but you still say things that sound mysterious to me. You must still have a lot of secrets, right?"
Kris just smiled faintly and retracted his hand away from Kevin's head. His hooded eyes scoured every corner of the room that the humans had not touched for a long time. "Your parents often spend time here?" He asked later, not intending to answer Kevin's question.
Kevin also didn't want to force Kris. He straightened up again and replied, "After they got home from work, they immediately continued their work here. They spent their time in this place and rarely played with me even though they are technically at home."
Kris ended his observation and turned to look at Kevin. "But, it seems you never get angry even though you don't get much attention from them." That sounded more like a statement than a question.
Kevin then gazed at him in disbelief. "Am I like an open book in your eyes? Why can you read me so easily?" He looked like a little kid when he asked the question.
Kris didn't answer right away and instead started walking around the room. His hand then reached out to grab a test tube and pointed it towards Kevin. He then softly said, "To me, you are not like a book, but like a test tube. No matter what chemicals are put in here, I can see it. That's what I feel about you too. I can see you clearly as if you are transparent."
Kevin was stunned to hear Kris's answer. He thought Kris would respond to his question with jokes as usual, but this time it didn't seem like it. Even though Kris liked to joke sometimes, but when the young man talked seriously like this, his aura looked completely different.
The handsome scientist cleared his throat for a moment and then started walking around the room. "I thought there would be a lot of documents here containing the results of my parents' research, but I seem to be mistaken. Perhaps they kept all those documents in the laboratory which was blown up seventeen years ago." He chose to change the subject to eliminate the awkward atmosphere that had whacked them.
Kris looked around again and replied, "I think you are right. There is only outdated equipment here. You won't find a clue in this place."
Kevin nodded, feeling a little disappointed after finding that fact. But, his disappointment was interrupted by the vibration of the phone in his jacket pocket. He reached into his pocket to fish out the thin object. He then looked at the screen, and suddenly hit his forehead quite hard.
Kris who saw that immediately looked at him with a questionable look, but Kevin gestured for him to wait because he had to answer the call first.
"Hello?" Kevin greeted the caller. There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, and it did not escape the keen ears of the werewolf.
"Kevin Beischel! Where have you been? Didn't you say that you were only going to be away for a moment? It's been almost five hours, but you are not back yet!"
It was Andre's voice. Yes, Andre was the one on the phone.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to notify you after I left," Kevin said guiltily.
"Where are you now? I'm really worried about you. Are you being kidnapped by werewolves?"
Truly a very typical question coming from Andre Concord. The strange question made Kevin stare a little at Kris, and the handsome man also stared back at him.
Without breaking the gaze, Kevin answered Andre's question, "You are wrong, I'm not being kidnapped by a werewolf, but I'm kidnapping a werewolf." The answer came out in a mischievous tone as he winked at Kris.
"Kevin, I'm not joking, I'm really worried about your condition."
Andre's reply immediately made Kevin's expression change. His ignorant look was now replaced by a look of regret. It looked like Andre was serious right now, and he shouldn't be joking in this situation.
"You don't have to worry about me," Kevin finally stopped teasing his colleague. "I'm fine, and sorry for making you worry."
Kris glanced secretly at Kevin. In his heart, he was curious about who was the person on the other end of the phone. He was standing close to Kevin, so his sharp ears could hear their conversations. He had to admit that their interactions over the phone made him feel uncomfortable. It felt like Kris didn't like the human who was now chatting on the phone with Kevin.
After a few moments passed, a sighing sound came from the end of the phone, and Andre spoke up again, "I'm glad to hear that you are fine. Then, when are you going back to the laboratory?"
Kevin did not immediately answer the question and again he turned to stare at Kris. For a long time, he stared at the young man as he contemplated what answer he should give his colleague.
And, after a fair amount of deliberation, Kevin finally said, "I'm not going back to the lab tonight."
Even though they were in two different places and did not see each other, Kevin could guess that Andre was experiencing a tremendous sense of shock now.
"Did I hear correctly? It's not even 7 PM yet, but you are not coming back here?"
Hearing Andre's question, Kevin grinned briefly and answered, "I'm tired today, so I want to rest. You better go home now too. I'm sure your wife is waiting at home."
Kevin had already answered, but Andre was still silent. He did not hear Andre's voice for a long time, and he thought that maybe Andre had ended their call unilaterally.
But, his guess turned out to be wrong because he again heard Andre's voice on the other end of the phone.
"Kevin, you better be honest with me," Andre's voice sounded very urgent. "Are you with a woman right now?" He asked later.
Kevin's eyes widened at the question. He glanced back at Kris, and it turned out that the latter had been staring at him since earlier.
The black-haired man swallowed his saliva roughly at that time, and in a slightly whispered voice, he answered Andre's question, "I'm not with a woman, but I'm with a man now."