The climbing gym was filled with the earthy scent of chalk and the distant echo of climbers conquering the towering walls. The space was expansive, with high ceilings allowing for ample verticality. Brightly coloured routes snaked their way up the walls, some posing a challenge even for the seasoned climbers. Soft lighting bathed the room in a gentle glow, casting shadows that danced playfully across the textured surfaces. A soundtrack of upbeat tunes added to the lively atmosphere, mingling with the occasional laughter or encouraging shout.

Sean never expected to find himself in a place like this, especially not on this side of the river. And even less to feel welcomed. But this was probably on his companion, who seemed well acquainted with an employee at the front desk.

At first, he was taken aback by the challenge presented by the climbing walls and impressed by Jay's patience as he explained the necessary techniques. However, Sean couldn't help but find himself distracted by his effortless agility and speed as he scaled the walls. 'Damn, where is he hiding all these muscles in this skinny body?'

Despite initial reservations, Sean soon lost track of time, immersing himself in the experience. As a result, their session was punctuated by laughter and friendly competition, bringing them closer with each climb. Jay's infectious enthusiasm and expertise made even the most daunting routes seem conquerable, and Sean found himself pushing his limits in ways he hadn't anticipated. It has been a while since he had so much fun.

During a well-deserved break, Sean gestured towards a steep overhang, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "How do you deal with this?"

"Ah, the overhang," Jay remarked, leaning back against the wall with a relaxed grin. "It's all about finding your centre of gravity and using momentum to your advantage. The key is to keep your core engaged and your body close to the wall. That way, you're using your legs to push up and take some pressure off your arms."

"This is the first time I've actually heard you excited about something outside law-related topics," Sean said with sudden realisation, his tone light and playful. "Almost like you are either busy with work or trying to kill yourself by falling from high places."

"The whole idea behind it is to not fall from high places. Although this can be fun as well."

Sean blinked in surprise. "The fuck... which part of falling can be even considered fun?!"

"You should really give deep water soloing a shot," Jay chuckled. "Picture yourself climbing a cliff over the sea, no ropes or harnesses, just you and the waves below. The rush you get as you ascend is like nothing else," his tone softened, a touch of nostalgia in his eyes. "It's addicting, really. The adrenaline, the feeling of being truly alive. In that moment, nothing else matters but the thrill of the climb. And when you finally reach the top, there's this incredible sense of freedom, like you're on top of the world, untethered from the constraints of everyday life."

Something deep inside told him this was important. After all, it was the second time Jay mentioned he felt alive when teetering on the brink of death. But he also remembered how swiftly Jay switched the topic when he asked about it. It made him realise that maybe it was better to give it time and listen to him carefully to learn more instead of straightforwardly asking about it? "This sounds like you have a death wish," Sean commented, trying to sound natural. "What happens when you make a mistake? Plunge into the sea?"

"Yep, hoping the waves will cushion your fall and won't smash you against the cliff."

"See? Death wish."

"I could say the same about breaking into a factory belonging to a guy who clearly can get away with a murder."

Sean wanted to argue that reasons mattered, but he couldn't. What if Jay's reasons were as valid as his? Instead, he decided to be honest with him. "It felt like we had no other choice back then."

"And now?"

"Possible consequences sunk in," he replied with a heavy sigh. "I may dislike him to the bone, but Tay didn't deserve to end like this for trying to do the right thing. I can't even imagine how it feels to see your brother like this,"

"Just like any case file," Jay shrugged. "I know it sounds harsh, but when you grow up as the only child, it's hard to remember that somewhere, a person who looks exactly like you exists," he added, his voice indifferent, void of any trace of emotions. "Anyway, wanna try this overhang?"

"Sure," he muttered, unsurprised by the sudden shift in the conversation. It seemed a reoccurring pattern, but Sean could understand it. Some things were better left unsaid, or where they belonged, in the past.

They spent the whole afternoon engrossed in challenging climbs and easy banter, enjoying each other's company. After their last wall, Jay headed to the locker room to respond to a work-related email, while Sean decided to give the overhang another shot, hoping to conquer it this time.

After several more attempts, Sean pushed open the door to the locker room. His mind laser-focused on a hot shower. But as he stepped inside, his breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped a beat. His brain seemed to crash on two words: topless and Jay.

The skinny low-waist jeans and exposed white waistband with the Calvin Klein logo accentuated his slender, athletic frame, creating an irresistible view. Unintentionally, Sean's eyes followed the contours of Jay's upper body, sculpted with a seamless balance of sinew and grace. Finally, his gaze came to rest on elegant Chinese symbols vertically descending along the right side of his torso, a silent mantra etched into Jay's skin. "Do your best, obey the fate."

(as a reference, here is the picture of this tattoo, which the person Jay is modelled on actually has)

It wasn't just Jay's physique that caught his eye – it was the sudden realisation that his gaze lingered longer than it should. This wasn't right – it couldn't be. There was no way he was attracted to him like this. But then, in a rush, memories of the last month flooded his mind. Their first meeting, with this intoxicating scent of cedarwood and cypress. The countless times his attention had gravitated towards Jay whenever he entered his field view. The lingering gazes, the playful banter that bordered on flirting. That moment when they were merely inches apart... And dinner... which, in hindsight, felt a lot like a date.

He had always considered himself straight, never once questioning his sexuality. But now, faced with an undeniable attraction to Jay, he felt like his entire identity was being thrown into disarray. It was like someone had suddenly switched the channel to a completely different programme, and he had no idea what to do with it.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the bewildering thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him. This was ridiculous. He couldn't be gay. Could he? Impossible. After all, he enjoyed sex with women. Maybe he was just overthinking things. After all, it was perfectly normal to appreciate another guy's physique, right? But then, why did he pay so much attention to him whenever Jay was nearby?

Maybe he was just imagining things. Perhaps this was all just a momentary lapse in judgment. But deep down, he knew that he couldn't ignore this. And as much as it scared him, a small part of him felt strangely exhilarated by the prospect of exploring this further.

As if sensing his scrutiny, Jay stopped towelling his hair and turned, his usual indifferent gaze meeting dark, startled eyes. Sean's throat felt dry, a lump forming as he struggled to find words, his heart thudding erratically in his chest.

"I didn't expect you to have a tattoo," he uttered, desperate for distraction. "What's the story behind it?"

"Well, it's a reminder of sorts," Jay started with an unreadable expression. "It's from the novel I read shortly before my A-Levels. It made me realise that no matter how much effort I put into something, there are certain things beyond my control, aspects of life that I had to adapt to. Getting this tattoo was a way for me to acknowledge that balance between effort to forge my own path and things I find myself resigned to accept."

Something in Jay's voice made his internal panic feel inconsequential, replacing it with an urge to pull him close and never let go. It took immense effort to not follow this instinct. If the last week had taught Sean anything, it was that Jay seldom opened up about himself. He could easily picture Jay withdrawing if he probed further, perhaps never revisiting the topic again. So, instead, Sean chose to play safe. "It sounds meaningful and looks great," he remarked casually.

A flicker of surprise danced in Jay's brown eyes, followed by a small but genuine smile. "Thanks."

Sean took it as a win.

As the days rolled on, Win couldn't help but notice a new addition to their lunchtime routine at university – Sean. This development caught Win off guard. The odds of Sean ever joining them for lunch seemed slim to none. After all, he spent years trying to get him to hang out with them between classes, but to no avail. Enter Jay, and suddenly, Win saw Sean more frequently this week than in a whole month. It was amusing, to say the least.

Another observation that caught Win's attention was the shift in their group meetings at the garage, which had now become a daily affair – partially due to Araya giving them the green light with a mission. Surprisingly, Jay no longer needed to be persuaded to attend. However, Win didn't dare to mention it to him as he would rather stay alive. Yet, he found himself oddly fixated on the interactions between Sean and Jay. It was hard not to notice how their gazes lingered longer than necessary or how their once playful banter now seemed to grow more flirtatious with each passing day. Ironically, those who seemed most unaware of what was happening were the most involved.

"The resilience of the human brain and self-persuasion is magnificent, isn't it?" Fort remarked from his usual spot on the sofa, mirroring Win's amusement at the unfolding situation.

"I dare you to tell them this," Win chuckled, keeping his voice low.

Fort cocked his eyebrow. "Do I look like I have a death wish?"

"Fair enough," he agreed, deciding that keeping quiet was indeed the safest option. "Although, I was sure Sean had a girlfriend."

"No, he didn't," Izzy chimed in, leaning from behind the sofa between them. "As far as I know, they treated it as stress relief with no strings attached. But this seems serious. I never saw Sean so interested in someone. Although, he won't admit it."

Win looked back at Izzy with a shameless grin. "Maybe he just needs a little push?"

"You shouldn't meddle in it," Fort scolded him. "We still barely know anything about Jay, but he doesn't seem very interested in other people. Unless it's related to his job. What if you make things worse and someone gets hurt?"

"Oh, c'mon, Fort," Win whisper yelled. "The chemistry between them is off the charts."

"I know, you mean well, but Fort has a point." Izzy ruffled his hair. "It's something they should figure out on their own."

"Plus, Jay is leaving in less than two months," Fort added. "It's best to leave it be and don't push them into something that has no chance of surviving."

Win sighed, knowing they were right, but still... bringing them closer felt like the right thing to do. In his eyes, Sean and Jay looked incredibly lonely, but it felt less prominent when they were together. Like now, when they were simply fooling around near Sean's bike under the pretence of maintenance. As a result, despite his friends' warnings, he hatched a plan.

The air carried the crisp freshness of morning dew, mingling with the enticing scents of street vendors setting up their stalls. The rising sun bathed the sky in delicate shades of pink and orange, casting a serene glow over the bustling cityscape. Typically, this time of day would find Sean on his morning run, but today, he stood at the entrance to Tay's apartment building. A small favour for Win, who had an urgent family matter to attend and couldn't pick up Jay for their morning classes. Despite his later start, Sean agreed without hesitation.

Sean knocked at the door repeatedly, but there was no answer, and Jay's phone also went unanswered. Frowning, he glanced at his watch and knocked harder. Finally, the door opened, and Sean froze. Jay stood there, wearing only pyjama trousers with the waistband temptingly low on his hips. His hair was a tousled mess, highlighting his half-asleep state. Yet, something about his dishevelled appearance only heightened Sean's awareness, sending a jolt of unexpected electricity through him. 'God, I need to stop seeing him like this,' Sean groaned inwardly.

"What are you doing here so early?" Jay questioned, his voice tinged with irritation.

"It's actually late...."

"It's so much morning that it's actually still yesterday," Jay cut him off, sounding like this conversation was a massive chore to him.

"It's after seven," Sean deadpanned, feeling somewhat confused. Win sounded like it was urgent, while Jay looked like he couldn't be bothered.

"My point exactly," Jay muttered, drifting back to the bed and leaving the door open.

Sean took it as an invitation and stepped inside, his eyes sweeping through the studio he visited almost two weeks ago. It was still neat and well-organised, except for a stack of documents and a laptop on the floor by the bed.

"Do whatever you want. I'm going back to sleep," Jay stated unceremoniously and disappeared under the covers.

"Not a morning person, eh?" he chuckled, lifting the blanket. If looks could kill, Sean would most likely drop dead this instant. "Don't you have classes soon?"

His eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "In a few hours."

"Huh?! Then what I'm doing here?"

"Don't ask me," Jay shrugged, pulling the blanket over his head. "But, since you are here, you can make breakfast."

"Excuse me?" he exclaimed, utterly stunned. "You want what?!"

"Congee. The rice is over there," Jay added, vaguely waving his hand towards the kitchen.

Sean wanted to protest and focus on figuring out this mess Win got him into when, suddenly, all his thoughts paused. When they spoke, Win was adamant they had classes in slightly over an hour, but Jay claimed otherwise. None of this made sense.

Even more confused than before, Sean crouched by the bed and poked the person under the blanket. "Are you sure we don't need to leave for uni now?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Jay grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

"Definitely not a morning person," Sean laughed lightly, leaving him be and pulled out his phone.

Me

Choose your burial spot wisely.

Win

Why? What happened?! 😱

Me

When do your classes start today?

Win

OMG, I'm so sorry, Sean!

I must have confused days.

My bad!

Me

Say it to Mr I-will-fucking-kill-you-for-waking-me-up.

Win

It can't be that bad!

Me

Worse.

Make sure to prepare a nice funeral photo.

Sean sighed and decided to leave it for now. After all, it could be an honest mistake, and he didn't mind helping. Even if he had to face Jay's wrath, which led to another startling discovery. Half-asleep, Jay was borderline adorable, pissed off, Jay was unapologetically hot. 'Oh fuck...'

His initial reaction was to leave and return much later, but the now more aware part of him refused to move. Besides, how difficult can it be to make congee?

When Jay finally resurfaced from beneath the pillows, the sun had climbed significantly higher in the sky, flooding the room with a warm light. The air carried a peculiar and unfamiliar scent that Jay couldn't quite place, but if he had to describe it, it would be like stumbling into a spice bazaar run by daredevils. Deadly spicy, in the sense that it could strip paint off walls. Then, an odd recollection of encountering Sean shortly after he went to sleep flashed through his mind, a memory that seemed implausible.

Reluctantly acknowledging that Sean was occupying more of his thoughts with each passing day, Jay couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief, knowing he would soon catch a break in London. Back in his comfort zone, fully immersed in work. With a weary sigh, he sat on the bed, his fingers kneading his neck to alleviate the strain from pulling an all-nighter working on case files.

"You seem in a much better mood," a playful voice remarked, drawing his attention to the floor near the desk, where Sean sat comfortably on a cushion with an open textbook on his lap.

Suddenly, hazy memory made sense, but he couldn't dwell on it as his nose scrunched involuntarily. "What is this smell?"

"You asked me to make a congee."

Jay looked at him perplexed, clearly struggling to remember Sean's arrival. "Ugh... how did you manage to turn congee into a biological weapon?"

"I'm offended," Sean replied with a hurt expression. "It's delicious congee."

Against his better judgement, Jay slipped out of bed and took a peek inside the pot, then he looked at Sean, utterly terrified. "W-what is this monstrosity? I'm sure it just moved... yeah... it definitely moved..."

"Rude," he huffed, trying to hide the amusement at Jay's reaction. "You will appreciate it once you try it."

"There is no fucking way...," Jay trailed off as Sean shoved a spoonful of his creation into his mouth. His eyes widened in horror as "congee" hit his taste buds, unleashing a torrent of fiery spice that seemed determined to set his mouth ablaze. He gasped for air, his face contorting into an expression of sheer agony as he struggled to swallow whatever this thing was supposed to be. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed between coughs and wheezes. "I thought you said this was edible."

"It is!" Sean argued, unfazed by his reaction.

"Say it to my deceased taste buds," Jay quipped back at him, reaching for a bottle of milk from the fridge. "Besides trying to kill me, what are you doing here?"

"Win asked me to give you a ride to uni for morning classes, which you apparently don't have. You were rather pissed about it and went back to sleep after asking me to make you breakfast. I owed you for dinner, so why not," Sean explained, then continued seeing Jay's confusion. "I figured you would be up in fifteen minutes top, but then lost time track studying. That was around seven."

Jay glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten. "Sorry, I was working all night and crashed after six."

"That explains a lot, but you sure are a ray of sunshine when someone disturbs your beauty sleep," Sean retorted, his tone laced with sarcasm but accompanied by a playful smirk.

"Yeah, I've been told...." he muttered, running his fingers through his messy hair.

Sean couldn't help but notice how Jay's muscles shifted beneath his skin, and his hair fell effortlessly into place. There was a tinge of panic in his eyes as he realised what seeing Jay like this was doing to him. "Err, do you always work this late... or early?" Sean asked, trying to direct his mind to more neutral ground.

"Normally not, but timezone doesn't do me any favours. My usual hours in the office cover from afternoon till three in the morning here, then there are things I would take home with me," he added thoughtfully. "So, I guess I would often stay up till three at least."

It wasn't hard to calculate how little sleep Jay was getting. The hard part was to admit how worried he was about him. About a person he met a little over a month ago. "That's... harsh."

"It's not that bad," Jay chuckled casually, his tone light as he shrugged. "Plus, I've always been a bit of an insomniac," he added and glanced disdainfully at the pot. "Anyway, do you want to catch some lunch that's actually edible?"

"Yeah, sure," Sean replied, slowly getting used to these sudden shifts in their conversations.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Win watched with satisfaction as they arrived together for the afternoon classes, a sense of accomplishment washing over him. Despite the lingering worry that Sean might still follow through with his threat, seeing them together made it all worth it.