The late evening had draped the city in a dusky embrace by the time Sean finally returned to the garage. As he approached the familiar, slightly worn door, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise. The lights were still on. Izzy didn't usually work this late, which made Sean wonder if someone from the group had dropped by. A slight annoyance crept into his mood at the possibility of running into Tay.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "This asshole is the last thing I need right now."

With a resigned sigh, Sean pushed the door open and wheeled his motorbike inside. To his relief, he found Izzy hunched over an engine, his hands deftly tinkering with its inner workings. The soft glow of a work lamp illuminated his focused expression, highlighting the streaks of grease and oil smudged across his face and hands.

"You're up late," Sean commented, breaking the silence.

Izzy glanced up from his work and wiped his hands on the rag. "Yeah, an extra job. One or more cylinders in the engine are not firing correctly, and there is leakage. Honestly, the whole thing is on its last legs, but they can't afford to replace the engine. They can't go without a car either.... He literally begged me to fix it by morning so he wouldn't miss work. I couldn't say no."

"Need help?" Sean asked, already heading towards the back room to grab his work clothes.

"I thought you had an essay to write," Izzy yelled after him, knowing that Sean wouldn't listen to him anyway. He was more than aware of how stubborn his little brother could be. Besides, he could genuinely use his help to ensure the car was ready on time.

They worked seamlessly in silence for a couple of hours, focusing on their tasks. The quietness of the garage was occasionally broken by the clutter of tools or simple commands and instructions. They always enjoyed fixing cars together, ever since Sean was old enough to reach the engine from the stool. 

Izzy was already in secondary school when nearly five-year-old Sean stayed with them for the first time at night because his parents were stuck at work. Initially, he was scared, asking when his mum would be back, but then Izzy took him to the garage and showed him all his father's tools, showing off some things he learned from him. Since that night, every time Sean stayed with them, he wouldn't leave Izzy's side, following him everywhere. Even now, Izzy sometimes liked to tease him about it and never stopped seeing him as his little brother.

"Do you still remember the first car we fixed together?"

Sean looked at him questioningly, whipping his forehead with the back of his hand. "You mean your father's old Honda? Poor thing was never the same," he grinned shamelessly. "I still remember the look on his face. I was sure we would die on the spot."

"Yeah, same here... not sure what was scarier. The look on his face when he saw his beloved Civic or the way he laughed right after."

"He never actually punished us for utterly destroying his beloved car, didn't he?"

Izzy shook his head. "Although, he did start to teach me more seriously after that... It got me all the way here."

"This place will never be the same without his dad's jokes."

His eyes unwittingly swept over the garage his father left for him. His gaze was tinged with nostalgia. It had been a couple of years since his father passed away, and on days like this, he still missed him, wondering if he was up for the task.

"So, where are you going with this?" Sean questioned him, waving the socket wrench.

"Do I have what it takes to be a father?"

Dark eyes widened in surprise at this rather sudden question. If anyone Sean knew was father material, it was Izzy. Where did these doubts even come from? "If being a father is anything like being a big brother, you got this," he replied honestly. "You are a pain in the ass, but at the same time, you always know what to say or do to keep me out of trouble. I imagine raising a child is something along these lines. So, I guess you are welcome for letting you practise your parenting skills on me."

"I'm a pain in the ass?!" Izzy exclaimed playfully, throwing a dirty rag at him. "Did you try to spend a day with yourself?"

"Obviously," he rolled his eyes in mock exasperation as he walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers. "Is there a reason you are worried?"

"Dunno," he shrugged, but the troubled expression didn't leave his face. He swiftly opened the bottle and took a large sip. "I was thinking recently... can I teach them properly with all this mess around us? How do I make sure they have a good life? My pops had everything sorted out, but I don't even know where to start. What if I mess up, Sean?"

"You won't," he replied without hesitation. "I guess having a child is a big thing, but I'm sure you will figure it out. Besides, isn't parenting literally making things as you go? As long as you have time for them, everything else will work out. Not to mention, it will be a little girl, Izzy. There is no way she will be nearly as bad as we were," he laughed.

"Having a daughter that behaves like a mini you is my worst nightmare."

Sean burst out laughing even more and almost choking on the beer. "That would be a sight to see."

"Are you sure it's okay for me to take a step back? I promised to help you get him behind bars for everything he did."

"Yes, you have much more at stake now," Sean replied resolutely. "You can't afford to take risks. What would happen to Sari and Lizzy if you were to get into trouble because of us? Letting us hang out here is enough. Not to mention, you are still here to make sure we don't do anything too dumb."

"When you say it like this, I can't even argue."

"Perfect," Sean chirped and turned back to the car. "Let's finish this so we can get some sleep today. By the way, did you see anyone over last week here?"

"Only Fort. He popped for a moment to check if we were doing anything. Why? Do you miss your nemesis?"

Sean glared at him as if Izzy had killed his non-existent cat. "We were supposed to work out what next, not completely disappear."

"It's good for all of you to take a break after what happened last time," he commented, replacing the spark plug. "You need to be in the right mindset to do the right thing."

"Are we really doing the right thing?"

Izzy looked at him, confused. It wasn't like him to question his own actions and choices. "Something on your mind?"

"I was thinking recently... I mean, don't get me wrong, I still want to see him punished for everything he did, but is this enough? What about other people who suffer because there is nothing and no one to protect them? What if the issue is bigger than labour law abuse?"

"It means you are finally starting to see the whole picture," Izzy replied, relieved that Sean had started to consider other things than revenge. It was much healthier this way, and he was determined to keep him on this path. "Give it some thought and decide what you want to do. These problems need to be approached carefully. We may cause more harm than good if we just jump at it. Once you are ready, we can discuss it with the group and choose the best path to achieve our goals."

Sean looked at him speechless for a moment, then grinned. "See? Father material."

Izzy rolled his eyes playfully, shifting his attention back to work. By the time they finished, he was in much better shape, ready to face whatever life would throw at him.

The large auditorium was buzzing with noise as all majors gathered for a mandatory seminar about future employability and work ethics. These were common occurrences throughout the year, even though most students considered them a waste of time.

Sean sat at the back of the auditorium and was far from thrilled about attending the assembly. His head rested on folded arms on the bench, his thoughts drifting towards the unfinished essay he could be working on in the library instead of wasting his time on something irrelevant. Unfortunately, with all the mess around scholarships, Sean couldn't afford to draw attention to himself, especially by something as silly as a missed assembly. At least he could use it to catch up on sleep.

Suddenly, he was jolted from his near-slumber as someone placed a familiar pink bag near his elbow and sat beside him. Sean instantly recognised the amine character keychain and lifted his head.

"It has been a while, Cherry."

She smiled suggestively at him and brushed her fingers over his hand. "Yeah, I was visiting my hometown for my sister's wedding. What have you been up to the last couple of weeks?"

"Not much, mostly studying," he replied, returning the smile. "I had a massive exam yesterday."

"How did it go?"

"Pretty good, I think."

Cherry cocked her eyebrow teasingly. "Only pretty good? Knowing you, it will be closer to top marks than 'pretty good'," she said, making air quotes. "But I can see now why you look so tired."

"Is it that bad?" he chuckled.

"Mhm, do you need some stress relief?"

Sean leaned in slightly, his voice hushed and laced with playful undertones. "I wouldn't say no to that, and your methods are... quite effective."

Her eyes sparkled as she mirrored his playful tone. "I thought you might say that."

"My place or..." he trailed off as he caught a whiff of a unique blend of cedarwood and cypress, his eyes instinctively drawn to the tall, slender figure with perfectly sculpted muscles. Black skinny trousers, classic Converse, and his uniform shirt with rolled sleeves, leaving the top buttons casually undone. His dark brown hair was artfully tied into a mini ponytail atop his head, with a few stray strands framing his handsome face.

"Did Tay always look this good?" Cherry asked, following his gaze. "Anyway, I heard he totally burned some first-year yesterday. My roommate told me all about it. Poor thing was crying her eyes out the whole night."

Sean slightly shook his head as if shaking away a mirage. There was a flicker of annoyance in his features, but it quickly vanished under his usual composed and uncaring demeanour. "Did he?"

"Don't tell me you didn't hear anything?!" she whispered-yelled. "It was such a shock! I thought he liked playing around."

He shrugged as if he couldn't care less. After all, it was none of his business with whom Tay was sleeping. Sean had bigger problems on his mind than someone he genuinely disliked. Between his mother's hospital bills, anxiety about his scholarship, their group activities, studies, and simply trying to survive, there wasn't much mental space left to deal with things that didn't matter. Yet, he somehow couldn't look away. And that irritated him even more.

"So, I will see you later at your place?" Cherry asked, getting up to join her friends a few rows below.

"Sure."

The next morning, Sean slowly opened his eyes, the soft morning light filtering through the window. His gaze shifted from the ceiling to Cherry beside him. Her peaceful expression now felt like miles away from the one she had earlier. They had spent the night together, as they occasionally did when they both needed a bit of break and fun. Neither wanted a committed relationship at this stage of their lives, so this worked perfectly for them. Without waking her up, Sean detangled himself and soon disappeared into the shower. His deadline for the essay was fast approaching, and he was still not nearly finished after changing the plan yet again.

The remnants of the sun poured through large windows, giving the library a warm and intimate atmosphere, with students scattered among the rows of bookshelves – their soft murmurs and the rustling of pages – it created a soothing backdrop for focused study.

Sean groaned with frustration as he once again deleted his essay. It was related to international laws and human rights, one of his more challenging classes this year. The study case and the suspect's claims seemed straightforward. The defendant – a Thai student in the UK – argued that he was discriminated against because he was refused a free Thai native defender based on his cultural background, despite facing language barriers and challenges in understanding the British legal system. Still, somehow, he couldn't build a reasonable argument to write a solid essay supporting the defendant's claims.

Frustrated with himself and the mounting stress, Sean decided to take a much-needed coffee break and clear his cluttered mind outdoors. Juggling his textbooks and notes in one hand and a steaming cup in the other, he deftly nudged the door open with his back. Just as he spun around to step outside, a sudden collision sent textbooks and notes scattering in all directions, leaving his once-pristine shirt drenched in a scalding coffee stain.

"Sorry," Jay said habitually in his distinct English accent as he crouched down to pick up the scattered books.

Sean, too preoccupied with the burning sensation on his skin, didn't even register who he bumped into and their apology. "Sorry, my bad... too hot... fuck..." he muttered as he pinched his shirt, frantically shaking it to cool down the searing liquid.

Meanwhile, Jay picked up a page with the study case in English. A few legal terms instantly drew his attention. His eyes scanned through the document, his brow furrowing as he progressed, but as he reached the essay question and defendant's claims, his expression changed into a mixture of surprise and disbelief. This wasn't something the British legal system would even entertain unless there was some gross misconduct during the investigation and prosecution. Most likely, it was a trick question to see if someone would fall into the trap of playing the human rights violation card over laws and legislation. He quickly gathered the rest of the scattered books and stood up, only to find Sean equally shocked by his unexpected presence.

"Did he get a translator?" Jay inquired as he handed over the stack of textbooks and notes.

Surprised by a sudden question and more serious, business-like tone, Sean confirmed before anything more argumentative or offensive could leave his mouth.

"Then his claim has no legal grounds."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Everyone has a right to a fair trial and proper legal representation, including cultural and language considerations."

Jay chuckled lightly, but his expression remained very professional. "Maybe in American movies. Our legal system is designed to provide legal aid based on means and...," he hesitated momentarily, trying to remember the correct term for 'merits' in Thai, then continued. "If it has a reasonable chance of success, not cultural or racial background."

"I'm not sure if I follow," Sean said, slightly taken aback by Tay's sudden change in behaviour. Still, if it could help him finish this essay, he was ready to keep it civil for a day.

"To be eligible for free legal representation, a defendant must meet specific criteria. First, their financial situation must demonstrate a genuine need for assistance. Second, the case must show sufficient... merit to warrant such support," he explained, suddenly remembering the right word. "In this situation, the defendant was apprehended at the scene, which makes an open-and-shut case. There is little merit in granting him free legal representation. His discrimination claim won't hold as he was offered a translator to address potential language barriers or cultural differences."

Sean stared at him slackjawed, partially wondering if it was some lucid, bizarre dream. "How do you know this?"

Internally, Jay cursed himself for momentarily forgetting his cover. He had to maintain the facade of hating Sean, and revealing his legal knowledge might complicate things. But then he glanced at the stress etched on his handsome face and realised he didn't mind helping him, even if it meant breaking character for a moment.

"Part of my hobbies," he replied with a slight shrug. "If you want, I can give you links to official government websites you can use as reference."

"Why would you do that?" Sean asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I guess I can later gloat over you that you owe me for it," he said, rolling his eyes.

There was something in his voice that made Sean feel less agitated than usual around Tay. It was a subtle, barely noticeable shift, but it was there. If only Sean hadn't been so preoccupied with his essay, he might have noticed it, along with all the other things he had been missing.

"You already owe me a coffee," Sean stated with slight playfulness.

Jay's expression shifted to something that could only be described as 'are you fucking kidding me'. "After my dead body," he deadpanned. "But if you insist on compensation for your clumsiness, I can get you a green tea."

"A what?!"

"Take it or leave it," Jay said, unbothered by his reaction. Cover or not, he would never willingly get a coffee, and he wasn't going to change it now. But since he was the reason for Sean losing his drink, he didn't mind getting him something else.

Sean blinked in surprise, now seriously wondering what in the world possessed Tay today, but this wasn't the person that always annoyed the hell out of him just by existing. First, he helped him with reasonably sounding advice, now offered to somewhat compensate him for pure accident. Where were his usual insults and arrogance? Was this some elaborate prank? It must have been, right? After all, Tay was always an insufferable asshole. But then a free drink was a free drink, and maybe he could get more out of him for the essay.

"Fine."

To Sean's astonishment, they spent the next few hours discussing his essay at the university's café. He had no idea Tay knew so much about the British legal system, especially criminal laws and prosecution processes. Or that he was so easy to talk to. By the end of their unexpected meeting, Sean had a concrete solid essay plan and an extensive list of references to support his claims. Not to mention, the whole idea sounded much better than any other of his previous attempts. To say that he owed Tay for it was a massive understatement, but somehow, it didn't bother him that much.