LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 18: Duck Duck Donkey
What about a tragedy?'
Micah sat cross-legged on the carpet, staring blankly at the coffee table as he mulled over the word. A tragedy? He hadn't really thought about it before—hadn't wanted to. Sad stories weren't his style. His art had always been a form of escapism, a way to carve out something beautiful from the uglier parts of his life.
Some of his earliest memories were of hiding in the crawl space under his bed, clutching a tiny sketchpad and drawing a family that actually loved him. A dad who taught him how to strum chords on a guitar, a mom who held his hands while kneading dough, and a Kinnarion perched at his feet—because back then, Micah couldn't accept that they didn't exist.
Even now, his OCs carried scars, sure, but they always found their way to happier endings. Their wounds eventually stopped bleeding and their scars stopped aching.
But a tragedy.
It shouldn't have felt so right. Ashur and Caelan—the reckless prince and the broken stablehand—finding each other had always sounded like the start of a fantasy romance novel. But Micah knew, deep down, it was doomed from the start. It didn't matter how many stolen moments they shared, how many kisses they pressed into dark corners of the castle. Their love wasn't meant to last.
"Micah."
Micah startled out of his thoughts and looked up to find Callum staring at him from across the room, brows drawn in concern.
"All good?" Callum mouthed silently, his voice not interrupting Rosa and Elle's, who were squabbling over something in the kitchen.
Micah nodded quickly, cheeks heating up. Why was Callum Pierce, his impossibly broody boss, sitting on the couch in his living room?
One word: Rosa.
She'd knocked on the car window earlier, demanding Callum join their game night because, in her words, "The donkey demands sacrifice!"
Micah had protested, insisting Mr. Pierce had already done so much for him, and Callum himself had been ready to decline. But Rosa, being Rosa, wasn't having it.
"Please," she'd said with a grin. "It's game night, and Elle and I are tired of outnumbering Micah. You'll like it—more fun games with four people."
Callum had sighed and agreed, clearly out of sheer exhaustion, and now here he was. Sitting in Micah's living room, brooding even harder than usual, still dressed in his expensive suit, though his hair had gone slightly disheveled.
Micah swallowed hard, glancing away when Callum raised a brow at him. The man looked like a model, all sharp edges and cool indifference, and those 'shadow prince vibes' the internet swooned over? Completely justified.
'No,' Micah scolded himself. 'Stop staring. You love Damian.'
Before the silence could settle again, Rosa barreled back into the room, arms flailing with dramatic flair. "Gentlemen, now that we finally have enough people," she said, grinning, "we can play Duck Duck Donkey!"
Micah groaned, already anticipating the chaos. "Why can't we just play video games like normal households?"
"You video game nerds will never understand the raw energy of a game of Duck Duck Donkey!" Rosa declared, hands on her hips.
Callum looked mildly intrigued. "Duck Duck what?"
"Duck Duck Donkey," Rosa repeated proudly. "Elle! Bring forth the donkey!"
Elle walked in, holding up a hat that somehow managed to look even more absurd every time Micah saw it. It was shaped like a floppy gray donkey head with oversized ears and googly eyes. Micah threw his hands up. "Elle! Don't encourage her!"
Elle shrugged, slipping the hat onto Rosa's head with a grin. "Sorry dude, gotta support the wife."
Rosa froze, turning slowly to look at her girlfriend with wide eyes. "The wife?"
Elle just winked at her.
Rosa shook herself out of it, turning back to the two seated men. "The sacred game of Duck Duck Donkey is a game of four or more. The rules are simple—"
"No they're not!" Micah cut her off.
But Rosa, in true Rosa fashion, ignored him and continued. "Step one: The donkey wears the hat, by default I go first," she held up a finger indicating each step. "Step two: The donkey chants 'Duck, Duck…' while walking in a circle before pointing to someone and yelling 'Donkey!' That person becomes the runner. Step three: The runner has to sprint down the Path of Doom—"
"That's the hallway," Micah clarified to a very amused looking Callum who just hums.
"The runner has to make it back to the 'kitchen tile of safety', which is that one missing tile in the kitchen that the landlord refuses to fix, while avoiding 'The Stink.'"
"If I may," Callum said, carefully interrupting Rosa. "What's the stink?"
Micah groaned again, his face burning with embarrassment. He would not be able to survive seeing Callum at work again after tonight. "Don't humour her!"
Rosa's grin widened. "I'm glad you asked, kind sir. Behold! The Stink!" She triumphantly held up a battered crab plushie. The toy was just as small as a baseball but not as hard. It used to be Micah's stress toy before Rosa decided back in their old apartment that 'Duck Duck Donkey' would be their thing and the crab had to become 'The Stink.'
"Oh," Callum said, a smile tugging on his lips. "Please continue."
"Thank you!" Rosa said with a flourish, holding the toy up. "Whoever has The Stink will attempt to hit the runner with it when they reach the kitchen. Hitting the runner with The Stink automatically makes them the donkey. And the person who throws The Stink is exempt from being the donkey or the runner next round."
"If the runner ducks and dodges the stink," Elle added, "the thrower becomes the next runner."
"Those are the rules of Duck Duck Donkey," Rosa concluded.
Micah groaned. He was going to have to quit Catalyst after this. Heck, he needed to move countries, get plastic surgery and change his name. With the way amusement danced in Callum's eyes, the man had never seen anything so hilarious before and it was all because Micah's friends were weirdos.
Weirdos he loved but still...
"Why is this game so complicated?" He complained.
"Because life is complicated," Rosa shot back, adjusting the donkey hat on her head. She then pointed dramatically at Callum. "What say you, sir, about this sacred game?"
Callum relaxed further into the couch and a small grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "Are you two the fabled upstairs neighbors everyone complains about?"
Micah choked on his laugh, clapping a hand over his mouth.
Rosa gasped as if mortally wounded, then spun toward Elise. "They've found us out!"
"You don't have to play," Micah said hurriedly. "Heck, I'd prefer if you didn't."
Callum Pierce's deep, dark eyes met his and Micah almost forgot how to breathe from that look alone. "What? Scared you'll lose?" The CEO said cockily.
"You wish!" Micah replied automatically. He hated losing at games and Callum had poked the beast. If he wanted to play, Micah would show him why he was the Duck Duck Donkey reigning champ.
Rosa grinned at the two men. "Let the games begin!"
---
The first few rounds descended into utter chaos.
Micah barely avoided being tackled into the couch by Elle. Elle, in turn, avoided The Stink expertly, leaving Rosa to grumble about 'betrayal' while chasing after her.
When it was Callum's turn to run, Micah almost didn't believe his eyes. The man sprinted down the hallway with unexpected grace, dodging The Stink like he'd been preparing for this moment his entire life.
"What is your problem!?" Rosa shouted as she missed him.
Callum smirked, stepping back onto the tile of safety. "Skill issue."
Micah laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch.
But of course, his turn came eventually.
"You're up, Micah!" Rosa declared with a wicked grin.
Micah skidded across the floor, bolted down the corridor, his socks skidding against the hardwood floor as he turned back toward the kitchen. He laughed breathlessly as Callum raced after him. The man was fast but Micah was nimble. The missing kitchen tile was in sight, he just had to—
Callum lunged after him. "You're cheating!" Micah gasped, narrowly dodging the edge of the kitchen counter.
"I don't cheat," Callum said smoothly, grabbing Micah's wrist at the last second.
The sudden contact sent a jolt through Micah's chest, and he froze as Callum's fingers lingered for just a moment too long. The air between them felt like raw electricity. Callum's lashes were long, soft. They tickled whenever Callum rested his head in the crook of his shoulders and blinke—
Wait a minute! Micah's mind faltered. What was he thinking? That had never happened before.
Callum smirked, pulling the donkey hat from his own head and plopping it onto Micah's.
"Your turn, Micah."
Micah shook his head off the thought and focused on the game. Making it a few more rounds before it was his turn to be the runner again with Rosa as the donkey. He raced down the corridor, making a beeline for the kitchen. Just as he thought he might make it, The Stink came flying through the air—hitting him square in the chest.
He stumbled to a halt, staring at the crab toy in disbelief. "Really?" he asked breathlessly, looking at Callum, who was still lounging on the couch, one hand outstretched from his perfectly executed throw.
Callum just winked at him. "You didn't duck."
Micah sputtered. "That's not fair! You're supposed to miss!"
"Do better," Callum replied, unbothered.
Micah's cheeks burned as he picked up The Stink and tossed it back to Rosa. "I hate this game," he muttered under his breath.
"You love this game," Rosa corrected with a triumphant grin. "Let's go again!"
---
Hours later, Elise and Rosa announced they had to leave for a 'very important double date' at a local gay bar.
Micah flopped onto the couch with an exhausted groan. "Finally."
Callum chuckled, standing and straightening his shirt. "I should be heading out too."
Micah followed him to the door, a little reluctant for the night to end. Since Callum suggested what Ashur and Caelan's story should be, he hadn't been able to shake off the feeling that he was forgetting something important and that Callum's presence here would help him remember. Beside, his boss was fun. With the way Callum spent most of his time at work frowning exchanging less than 5 words with everyone, it was nice to him in an environment where he could let loose. The other interns didn't know what they were talking about, Callum Pierce was far from mean. He was reserved, sure, but not mean.
It was a shame he didn't smile as much as he used to.
Micah froze. 'Used to?' The thought came out of nowhere, and it didn't make sense. He barely knew Callum. He'd only been working at Catalyst for a few weeks. Where did that thought come from?
"Micah Liu?"
Micah jerked out of his fugue state, peering up at his boss. "Mr. Pierce."
Callum smirked, leaned back against the closed door. "And I thought that after chasing me with a donkey hat on your head, you'd learn to call me by my name."
As if controlled by a switch, Micah's face heated up. "Callum," he corrected.
Callum paused, pulling a small piece of paper and a pen from his pocket. He quickly scribbled something onto the paper and handed it to Micah with a rare, almost shy smile.
"What's this?" Micah asked, looking down at the words on the note. '@SirPierceALot.'
"My gamer tag," Callum said. "You know, in case you ever want to play something other than Duck Duck Donkey. I had a lot of fun but I don't think I can ever do that again."
Micah blinked, surprised. His heart felt like it was going to explode. "Thanks, Callum."
He clutched the note, his heart racing faster than it did when he was running around his apartment. He should have been overjoyed—playing his favorite game with its creator was a dream come true. But as his fingers curled around the paper, a quiet guilt settled in his chest.
What would happen if he accepted the invitation? What would it mean if he and Callum kept getting close outside of work? And, most importantly, What would Damian think? What would Damian say?
"I'll see you on Monday, Micah Liu," Callum said quietly.
He turned to leave, but as the door swung open, they both froze. As if summoned by Micah's own guilty thoughts, Damian stood there, his expression darkening the moment he spotted Callum.
"Micah," Damian said sharply, stepping inside. "What's he doing here?"
Callum's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Micah glanced nervously between them. Damian's voice carried venom, it was cold in a way that made the joy of the evening vanish like a popped bubble. Oh boy.
He was in so much trouble.