9

Nani wakes up with a pounding headache, groaning softly as he presses a hand to the side of his head.

He glances around his room, eyes still adjusting to the dim light, when he notices a figure slumped against the wall, fast asleep in the most uncomfortable position.

Sky sits there, head drooping forward, lips slightly parted, breathing slow and even.

Nani swallows hard.

"Sky," he calls softly, a frown pulling at his brows.

No response.

He tries again, louder this time. "Sky!"

Sky jolts awake, blinking groggily as he looks up at Nani.

"What?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, clearly disoriented.

He starts to rise from the floor, still half-asleep, but Nani steps in and places a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Next time, don't sleep like that," Nani says, his voice low, eyes avoiding Sky's.

Sky frowns. "Who said there's going to be a next time?"

"You're not leaving," Nani replies shortly, turning away and slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

Sky immediately looks away, a flash of discomfort in his eyes.

Nani notices, smirking. "Don't act like you've never seen me naked before."

He lets the shirt fall from his shoulders and pool onto the floor, his fingers moving to the waistband of his pants.

Sky reaches out, stopping him with a firm grip. "You're drunk. Stop."

"I'm sober enough, as you can see," Nani says, his tone sharper now. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

Sky sighs and rubs at his temple, clearly frustrated.

"What? Are you turned off now that you know who I really am?" Nani asks, a line of hurt in his voice.

Sky looks up, startled by the vulnerability behind the words.

He studies Nani for a moment, then slowly lets go of his wrist.

"That's not it," he says, voice quieter now. "This has nothing to do with who you are."

Nani's expression falters. "Then why are you pulling away?"

Sky steps back, enough to give them space. "Because I don't want to be something you use to forget what's actually hurting you."

Nani scoffs, but it's not convincing.

His posture remains defensive, but the fight in his eyes dims. "I'm not that fragile."

"I didn't say you were," Sky replies gently.

"And you think you can fix me?" Nani snaps, anger flashing through the vulnerability.

"No," Sky responds, unfazed. "But I don't want to be another wound you try to cover with heat and impulse."

Silence stretches between them.

The tension is still there, thick in the air but it has changed.

Softer now. Sadder.

Nani looks down, eyes fixed on the floor. "You should go."

But Sky doesn't move.

He steps forward again, close enough for Nani to feel his presence.

Close, but not touching.

"Go before I change my mind," Nani commands, his voice sharp, stubborn.

Yet Sky sees through it.The fear, the fragility behind the mask.

"You want to have sex with me?" Sky asks bluntly, catching the line of surprise in Nani's expression.

"If you're not here for that, then leave," Nani snaps, turning to head back toward the bed.

But Sky moves in, quiet and calm, closing the distance between them.

"I'm not leaving," he says softly, wrapping his arms gently around Nani's lean frame from behind.

He presses a light kiss to Nani's exposed shoulder, making the man shiver beneath the touch.

"But I'm not giving you tonight," Sky adds in a low voice. "Maybe next time."

Nani doesn't move.

He stands frozen in Sky's arms, unsure what to do with the sudden warmth around him.

Not demanding. Not taking. Just there.

He slowly exhales, the fight in him fading like mist.

"You're not what I expected," Nani mumbles, voice quieter now. "Most people don't stay unless they get what they want."

Sky rests his chin lightly on Nani's shoulder, his hold steady but not forceful. "Maybe I'm tired of being like most people."

Nani's lips curve into a faint, bittersweet smile. "That's dangerous, in our world."

"I'm already in it," Sky replies. "Either I want it or I don't."

A long pause settles between them, filled with something heavier than silence.

Trust, maybe, or the fragile beginnings of it.

Eventually, Nani pulls away gently. Not to push him out, but to turn and look at him fully.

His eyes aren't as sharp now. There's something softer beneath the surface.

Tired. Alarmed. But open enough.

Nani has always been the giver, not the receiver.

Being held like this.Receiving instead of giving brings back memories of his past with Fai.

But this is nothing like that.

Fai had never been gentle. Never cared. Never held him close the way Sky does now.

And in this quiet moment, with Sky's warmth surrounding him, Nani realizes how deeply he craves a touch born from genuine care.

And Sky is giving him that without asking for anything in return.

"Stay," Nani whispers, his voice cracking as he lets himself lean into the embrace, letting Sky's arms wrap tighter around his bare skin.

Sky doesn't respond with words.

Instead, he guides Nani back onto the bed, settling in behind him, holding him close.

He doesn't let go.

And Nani doesn't ask him to.

The room falls into silence, dim and warm under the soft glow of a bedside lamp.

Something still rages quietly in Nani's chest, less like a force and more like a twist of something long kept tightly wound.

Sky's steady breathing against the back of his neck comforts him, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Nani allows himself to relax.

No lust. No sex.

Just a body holding his.

A heart beating near his.

Sleep doesn't come quickly.

His thoughts tangle like threads.

Dunk's whereabouts, Fai's threats and now Sky. Somehow, right in the middle of it all.

He shouldn't be here, Nani thinks.

But he doesn't say it out loud. He doesn't want him gone.

Not now. Not yet.

***

The next day, Nani goes about his usual routine while Sky follows Joong to the gym used by the gang's henchmen.

"Nani is a threat," Joong says as they enter the facility. "I don't want him to be the next one who disappears after Dunk."

Sky looks around, taking in the scene.

The sharp scent of sweat hangs in the air, mingling with the thudding sound of fists hitting punching bags.

In the center of the ring, two henchmen are locked in an intense sparring match.

He watches from the sidelines, silently observing.

Every person who notices Joong gives him a respectful wai, acknowledging his authority as the mafia leader.

"We're involved in a lot of illegal business. Drug deals, weapons, bribing officials," Joong says casually, nodding for Sky to take a seat on a nearby bench. "But we draw the line at human trafficking."

Sky's eyes follow Joong as he moves to change into his training gear.

"The fights between mafia gangs? That's nothing new," Joong continues.

"Everyone wants to flex their power, stake their territory. But our gang, we're focused on expanding smart. Staying ahead without losing our soul."

Sky doesn't say anything right away.

He listens, the noise of the gym pulsing in the background.

Joong finishes tightening his gloves and turns toward Sky.

"Come on," he says. "Let's see what you've got."

Sky stands slowly, eyes scanning the sparring ring as Joong steps inside and rolls his shoulders.

"I'm not a fighter," Sky says, hesitant. "I mean, I've trained, but not like this."

Joong smirks. "Good. That means you won't come in here trying to prove something."

Sky follows him into the ring, adjusting his stance as Joong gestures for gloves to be tossed over.

"Just defend," Joong instructs, slipping into a low stance. "Let me see how you move."

Sky raises his fists, falling into a guard he hasn't used in a while.

His body still remembers the basics, how to shift weight, how to read a hit coming.

Joong throws a light jab, testing.

Sky blocks. Another. Sky wards it off.

"Not bad," Joong says, circling him. "You're tighter on your left."

He lunges forward, this time with real weight behind his strike.

Sky moves quickly, dodging and countering instinctively.

The sound of gloves meeting gloves echoes in the gym, drawing a few henchmen to pause and watch.

Minutes pass, each exchange in the ring more intense than the last, until Joong finally raises his hand.

"Enough," he says, panting. "You fight like someone without proper training, but you've got potential."

Sky wipes the sweat from his brow, glancing to the side where a few henchmen still watch.

He doesn't need their approval, but somehow, earning Joong's nod feels heavier than expected.

As they both sit in the center of the ring, catching their breath, Sky says, "I met Fai once. On the auction night."

Joong takes a sip from his water bottle, then accepts a towel handed to him by one of the men, tossing another toward Sky.

"Fai, he's manipulative," Joong says flatly. "The kind of man who doesn't believe in limits. He wants control over everything, including our gang."

Sky listens quietly as he wipes his face.

"He's got politicians and authorities backing him. That's what gives him the confidence to pick fights with other mafia gangs."

Joong's gaze roams the room before settling again.

"Nani volunteered to take him down. That's why I gave him the position he holds now."

Sky glances up. "He offered?"

Joong nods. "Yeah. Everything was going well for a while. We even started getting support from politicians, high ranks, because they thought we were the less harmful option."

A bitter smile pulls at the edge of Joong's mouth as he turns to Sky.

"Then the threats began. Fai didn't back down."

His voice lowers, thick with control.

"He has this sickening principle. What belongs to him stays his. Even after selling Nani off like he was nothing, he still thinks he owns him."

Joong clenches the towel in his hands.

"He doesn't let go. He never does."

Sky remains quiet for a moment, digesting everything.

The buzzing of the gym fades into the background as Joong's words sink in.

"That's why Nani's like that," Sky finally says, more to himself than to Joong. "He seemed tense the moment he met Fai."

Joong nods solemnly. "He doesn't talk about it. Not really. But I know what Fai did to him. I've seen the aftermath."

Sky's jaw tightens.

"And Dunk?" he asks. "What's his story in all of this?"

Joong exhales slowly. "He was younger. More naive. The gang used him for their high-end clients, people with money and zero morality. He clung to Nani because Nani protected him, as much as he could."

Sky's stomach churns.

He pictures Nani being sarcastic, guarded, broken in ways he still can't fully understand yet still finding the strength to shield someone else from that hell.

"Dunk disappeared," Joong goes on.

"No message. No signs. Then we got word, he's back with the Chakrit Gang. We don't know if he was taken or if he went willingly. That's what scares Nani the most."

Sky nods slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes. "He thinks it'll happen to him too."

Joong doesn't answer. He doesn't need to.

After a beat of silence, Joong stands, tossing the towel over his shoulder.

"I'll be honest with you," he says, voice low.

"You being here, it unsettles him. But it also keeps him still."

Sky looks up, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Joong gives him a small, tired smile. "You're the first person he didn't push away. That means something. To him and to me."

Then, without waiting for a response, Joong steps out of the ring, leaving Sky with a thousand questions and one broken truth.

Nani is deeper in this mess than he lets on.

And Sky is already in too deep to walk away now.