𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨

𝐻𝑜𝑤'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛? 𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑟. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 40 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠!

𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑎 🎀

The night was still heavy with smoke and gunfire when Sky was finally pulled out.

Vegas's men moved like a shadowed tide-efficient, merciless. Ohm's groans faded behind them, ignored, forgotten. No one spared him a glance as they walked past the fallen bodies and broken walls.

"Move!" Vegas's voice cut through the noise, sharp and commanding.

Sky's body was weak but his steps were steady. Nani clung to him, trembling, his face buried against Sky's chest. The metallic scent of blood clung to both of them.

Vegas cast his son a look-stern, unreadable, something between fury and relief-but he said nothing more. Instead, he jerked his head toward the exit. "Get them out. Now."

The men parted instantly, making a clear path through the debris-strewn courtyard. Outside, the night wind hit them, carrying the burnt stench of gunpowder and death. The vehicles waited-sleek, black, bulletproof.

Sky slid into the back seat, pulling Nani onto his lap. The younger man curled into him without a word, eyes half-closed, fingers gripping Sky's shirt as if afraid he might disappear again.

Vegas entered next, his expression carved in stone. For a long stretch of silence, only the low rumble of the engine filled the air.

Then Sky broke it. "Where's William?"

The question made Vegas's hands still on his lap. His gaze flicked to the window, avoiding his son's eyes. "...Let's go," he said finally, his tone unreadable. "You'll see him soon enough."

Sky frowned. "Are we going home?"

"No," Vegas said flatly.

"Mae Hong Son?"

Vegas nodded once. "It's secured. No one will follow us there."

Sky's eyes narrowed slightly. "And everyone? They all made it out safe?"

"Yes," Vegas replied, his voice firm this time. "The area is under our control now. You don't need to worry."

For a moment, Sky seemed to relax. His hand absently stroked Nani's hair, grounding himself in the steady rhythm of the younger man's breathing. But then his brow furrowed again. "Where's Re-"

"You don't need to worry about him." Vegas's interruption came quick, sharp. "Focus on Nani right now."

That tone-too clipped, too dismissive-made something twist in Sky's chest. He looked at his father, studying him in silence. Vegas's face gave nothing away, but Sky knew him too well. He knew that tone meant avoidance, not reassurance.

He turned his gaze forward, voice cool. "You still despise him, don't you?"

Vegas didn't answer. The silence that followed was heavier than the gunfire they'd left behind.

Sky exhaled slowly, pressing a kiss to Nani's hair before speaking to the driver. "Amol."

"Yes, young master?"

"Find Red. Did he get out safe?"

"Yes, sir," Amol replied immediately, eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror.

"Tell him to contact me," Sky added, his voice low, firm. "I want him safe and sound."

From beside him, Vegas's jaw tightened-but he said nothing.

The long drive to Villa Ramphueng was silent-too silent. The air inside the car felt heavy, almost suffocating. Nani stayed tucked close to Sky, his hand never once leaving Sky's sleeve, as if the simple touch could stop him from vanishing again.

The moment the car rolled past the villa gates, Sky exhaled. The sight of familiar walls should've brought peace. It didn't.

The doors opened, and before Sky could take a full step, Pooh came running. The moment his eyes landed on Sky-bruised, blood still crusted at the corner of his temple, exhaustion clinging to him-Pooh's lips trembled.

"You-idiot!" Pooh's voice cracked before he could hold it together. "You absolute idiot!" He pulled Sky into a tight hug, his voice muffled against Sky's shoulder. "You scared us to death, do you even know that?!"

Sky laughed softly, even as his own throat tightened. "If I knew I'd get hugged like this, I might've done it sooner."

"Not funny!" Pooh hit his shoulder, tears threatening to spill.

Before Sky could answer, another voice boomed from the hallway-firm, commanding.

"Sky Theerapakyun!"Papa Pete's voice made everyone still. Sky looked up sheepishly as his father approached, face stern and eyes blazing with anger and relief all at once.

"You reckless boy!" Pete scolded, jabbing a finger toward him. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Disappearing without a word, getting yourself caught, do you think your life is some game?!"

"Papa, I-"

"No!" Pete's voice cracked like thunder. "Not a word! Your brother is crying his heart out,your father nearly destroyed half the city looking for you, and you stroll in here like you've come from a picnic!"

Jimmy stepped in, half to ease the tension, half to make things worse. "Yeah, honestly, if I'd known he was alive, I would've punched him first before hugging him."

Sky sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I missed you too, Jim."

But amidst the chaos-the shouting, the relief, the unspoken fear-Sky's eyes were scanning the faces, searching. Pooh, Jimmy, Papa Pete, Vegas, Nani... but no William. His chest tightened.

"Where's that monkey?" he asked suddenly, his voice low.

The room fell silent.The joking, the yelling-it all stopped in an instant. Nani's fingers twitched before he quietly stepped closer. "Come with me," he whispered.

Without another word, Sky followed him upstairs. The corridors were quiet, eerily so. Nani pushed open the door to a softly lit room-and there, lying still amidst the faint hum of machines, was William.

For a moment, Sky didn't breathe. His legs almost gave out as he stepped forward.

He stared. Tubes. Monitors. Bandages wrapped around his brother's head. William-the man who always smiled, who always teased him first-was unrecognizable.

"What-" Sky's voice broke. "What happened to him? When I last saw him, he was just stabbed-he was fine. How did this happen?"

Nani swallowed hard, his voice barely steady. "After you were taken, there was... an accident. Cornal appeared, there were gunshots, chaos. He lost too much blood, and the back of his head-he hit it during the crash."

Sky's fists clenched, fury burning through his veins. "Cornal-he's still breathing, right? Because if he is-"

Nani caught his hand, gripping it tight. "Not now, Sky."

Sky glared, his jaw tightening. "You expect me to sit still-"

"Yes." Nani's voice was sharp, trembling but firm. "You're injured, exhausted, and William needs you calm. You can do whatever you want later-but right now, pray he wakes up."

Sky looked at him, eyes dark, torn between rage and helplessness.

Nani's next words were barely a whisper. "Because if he doesn't wake up in the next forty-eight hours... he might not at all."

Sky's breath hitched. He looked at his brother again-pale, unmoving-and all the fury drained away, replaced by a hollow ache in his chest.

He sank to his knees beside the bed, his hand hovering over William's, whispering so softly that only Nani could hear-

"Come on, monkey... your supposed to be my best man."

𝘼 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧

The night was silent except for the rhythmic beep of the monitor. William's eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, shapes melting into clarity under the dim bedside lamp. His head pounded with a dull ache, every breath pulling against his chest, but the familiar warmth beside him grounded him.

His left arm felt heavy, numb even, until he realized why - Est's fingers were wrapped tightly around his own, as if afraid letting go would make him disappear again.

A faint smile ghosted across William's lips. He gave the slightest squeeze.

It was enough.

Est stirred, eyes blinking open, confusion flashing for a split second before it was replaced by shock, then overwhelming relief. "Will..." His voice cracked, tears spilling faster than he could stop them.

William wanted to reach up, wipe them away, but his arm wouldn't obey. So instead, through the oxygen mask, his lips moved, voice rasping but soft -"Hey, darling."

Est choked out a laugh that broke halfway into a sob. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to William's, whispering, "You scared me. You- you idiot. You almost-"

William's faint chuckle vibrated weakly between them. "I promised I wouldn't leave, didn't I?" he murmured, eyes hazy but full of that same warmth that always melted Est's defenses.

Est's tears fell onto his gown, and William's thumb brushed against the back of his hand - barely a movement, but it was everything.

For the first time in days, Est could finally breathe.

Est refused to move, even when the door opened and a nurse peeked in. "He's awake," she whispered excitedly to someone outside before slipping away to call the others.

But Est didn't hear much beyond the soft sound of William's breathing. His hand still in William's, his thumb gently tracing over his knuckles, as if memorizing them all over again.

William blinked slowly, trying to keep his eyes open. "You didn't sleep, did you?" His voice came out rough, muffled through the oxygen mask.

Est shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "How could I? You were too busy scaring everyone half to death."

William's lips curved into a lazy smirk despite his exhaustion. "Mmm, drama's in my blood."

Est sniffled a laugh, half sob, half giggle. "You're unbelievable."

"Yet you still love me," William whispered, eyes half-lidded but steady on Est.

Est's throat tightened. "Too much." His hand moved to cup William's cheek, brushing his thumb against the stubble there. "Don't ever- ever do something that stupid again, you hear me?"

William wanted to tease him again, but the tremor in Est's voice stopped him. He nodded, slow and serious this time. "I'll try, darling. For you."

Est let out a shaky breath, leaning forward until his forehead rested gently on William's shoulder. He could feel the steady heartbeat under the hospital gown, weak but real - proof that William was still here, still fighting.

"Sleep a little," William murmured, his words faint but soothing. "You've been crying too much. Your eyes will swell."

Est shook his head stubbornly, not lifting it. "Not until you sleep first."

William gave a tired chuckle, his hand twitching weakly until Est held it tighter. "You win," he whispered.

Est lifted his head just enough to look at him again. The soft glow from the bedside lamp made William's pale skin look even softer, fragile almost - and for the first time, Est could really see how close he'd come to losing him.

Tears blurred his vision again before he could stop them. "You almost died, Will..." His voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

William blinked slowly, the corner of his lips quirking up. "Almost. But not quite."

Est let out a trembling laugh, brushing his tears with the back of his hand. "That's not funny."

"Didn't mean it to be," William murmured. "But I'm still here. That counts for something, right?"

Est nodded furiously, then pressed his forehead to William's chest. "You idiot... I thought I lost you," he whispered. His words were muffled against the thin fabric of the hospital gown.

William's right hand moved, shaky and slow, but enough to rest gently on Est's head. "Hey... you didn't lose me. You won't. I promised, remember?"

Est's shoulders trembled, his fingers clutching tighter at the sheets. "You can't make promises like that when you're out there fighting people with guns, Will. I- I can't handle it."

"I know," William whispered. "I'm sorry."

The sincerity in his voice broke something inside Est. He finally let himself cry - not the quiet kind, but deep, aching sobs that had been building up for days. The kind that shook through his whole body. William said nothing, just let him cry, his own eyes stinging with guilt and relief.

Minutes passed like that - raw, quiet, real.When Est finally looked up again, his eyes were swollen and red, but he still smiled. "You look terrible," he said softly, wiping William's cheek with his sleeve.

William gave a weak laugh. "You're one to talk, love. You've been crying enough to flood the room."

"Shut up," Est muttered, but he was smiling now, leaning in to press a soft kiss to William's forehead.

William's eyes fluttered shut at the touch. "That's better than any medicine," he murmured, his voice trailing off as sleep finally pulled him under.

Est sat there for a long time, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. And for the first time in days, he smiled - a small, peaceful smile that reached his tired eyes.

"You better keep your promise, Will," he whispered. "Because I'm not letting you go."