As midnight descended upon the neighbourhood, the vibrancy of the bustling streets gave way to a quieter, more subdued atmosphere. Weathered buildings stood in the moonlight, casting long shadows over the maze of narrow alleys. The silence was interrupted by the rumble of a motorbike, its engine echoing through the night as it stopped in front of one of the apartment buildings.

Jay jumped off the bike, and with a casual, almost unnoticeable wave of goodbye, he walked towards the building, checking his phone for the first time in hours.

Sean watched his retreating figure with a slight sadness in his dark eyes. It had been only a few days, but he could already picture Jay's back in his mind down to the tiniest detail... slender with perfectly outlined muscles. He recalled the passionate kisses he had planted there while buried deep inside him just moments ago. Back then, Jay had felt closer than ever before. But now, as they returned to their separate lives, this intimacy stretched into an unbridgeable chasm. It was a bittersweet feeling as a small part of him acknowledged that this person, just beyond his grasp, was someone he could envision himself committing to.

Just as he was about to turn the key and start the engine, Jay unexpectedly spun around on the doorstep with a playful smile. Yet, beneath the surface charm, there was something that instantly put Sean on guard, a subtle shift in Jay's demeanour that set off alarm bells in his mind. The effect was magnified when Jay used Chinese – a recent discovery that made them laugh at how oblivious they were about it.

"Are you coming, or should I roll out a red carpet?"

"You can't blame me for getting distracted when you wear such skinny trousers," he quipped back at him, playing along.

"What's wrong with my trousers?"

Sean grinned. "Nothing, absolutely nothing... besides making me want to strip you here and now," he added, closing the distance between them and kissing him hard.

To potential onlookers, it appeared like any other hook-up or foreplay between the couple – nothing suspicious or alerting.

"What is it?" Sean whispered as he nibbled at Jay's earlobe.

"Unwanted visitors," he breathed out, tilting his head to the side and enjoying Sean's sensual kisses descending down his neck. "Art is here, and two others are watching from across the street."

"I still find it unbelievable that you have some special ops security following you around."

"They don't follow me per se. They just make sure no one else is following me. A completely different thing," Jay replied, gripping his chin and pulling him into a kiss.

"Fine, fine," Sean chuckled softly against his lips. "Shall we pretend I don't speak English and see what he wants?"

They suspected that Art must be running out of time and patience to come here out of nowhere. Was it possible Chaiyawat demanded either repayment or concrete information about their group? While it was undoubtedly risky for Sean to be here, the alternative was equally dangerous. Especially now, when they had been seen together. They both agreed it was safer to take control of the situation and set their own narrative before someone jumped to conclusions and invited unwanted trouble.

As they ascended the stairs, they maintained their facade, punctuating their progress with laughter and frequent pauses for kisses – though there wasn't much acting involved in those moments. Upon reaching Tay's floor, Jay halted in surprise at seeing Art while Sean gave him a questioning look, playing his part flawlessly.

"Who is this guy?" Art asked, hopeful it was someone from Tay's group.

"Is everything alright?" Sean asked worriedly in Chinese, leaning closer and wrapping his arms around Jay's waist.

"You are impossible," Jay replied, giving him a quick kiss. "And you are enjoying it too much."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Like you don't."

"Touche."

Art looked at them with a furrowed brow, unable to understand their conversation. Yet, it appeared as if they were shamelessly flirting right in front of him. He suppressed his irritation, but the scene before him only confirmed everything Tay had mentioned about his brother – a privileged brat having fun on his mother's dime. Jay probably saw this as one massive party, while his life depended on it. It must have been sheer coincidence that they hadn't been able to tail him. Still, despite his annoyance, Art couldn't help but feel envy. How he longed to indulge in such a carefree lifestyle again.

"We are just having fun while I'm here," Jay said playfully. "What do you need?"

Art deflated in disappointment. Was the whole idea of bringing him here useless? Was it possible that no one from the group approached him because they had realised that Jay was an imposter? Art sighed. "We should talk in private."

"I'm listening."

"Private," he insisted.

"He can't speak English," Jay explained, opening the door and pulling Sean inside. They settled on the bed, and he switched back to Chinese. "Since you are already here... why not simply stay longer?"

Sean nodded, looking confused and slightly worried, but there was a playful glint in his eyes that only Jay could understand.

"So, what can I do for you?" Jay asked, reverting to English.

Art fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. He looked stressed, as any person would in a situation with their back against the wall and no way out. "I can't believe you are having fun when your brother is like this," he huffed, trying to put some pressure on Jay.

His eyebrow cocked nonchalantly while his expression remained indifferent. "I was raised as the only child, so forgive me if I don't share your sentiment. Besides, you dragged me to the city designed for having fun. What did you expect?"

"I don't know! Finding out who did this to Tay?!" Art snapped, unable to hide his annoyance. "Or literally, anything else than fuck a random guy you found on the street!"

Jay's gaze dropped several degrees, turning icy cold, indicating his disdain for Art's comment. Sean maintained a facade of confusion, but his silent agreement with Jay's sentiment was unmistakable. It was obvious that Art was lucky they needed to keep the charade up.

Art suddenly recoiled as if realising that he couldn't afford to offend him. "Sorry, I'm just really stressed out recently with all of this, and when you suddenly disappeared for a couple weeks...," he trailed off, making a rather dramatic pause. "I was worried something happened. Where were you?"

"Yeah, you seem a bit on the edge," Jay commented, sidestepping his inquiry. "Is this a reason why you are here?"

"On the edge? I'm about to die," Art grumbled without thinking, his shoulders sagged a bit. "I mean, I've been dead worried ever since Tay disappeared from the hospital," he hastily corrected himself.

"You made it sound as if he could get killed there at any moment, so I moved him to a better facility abroad," he lied, not missing any detail about Art's nervous behaviour. "He is still in a coma but stable."

"Oh, I see...," Art sighed, feeling cold sweat covering his back. Chaiyawat wanted Tay back to make an example out of him, but now he couldn't even deliver it. Suddenly, his future looked very bleak. He desperately needed something, anything. "What about the group?"

Jay shook his head. "Are you sure they attended university with him? It feels like a dead end."

"I'm sure of it! Maybe if you would focus more on it instead of," Art hissed, gesturing towards Sean. "We would make progress."

"We?" His eyebrow raised questioningly. "I'm rather curious. What exactly is your contribution here... aside from calling me and proposing this cliché idea? Are you sure this group even exists? Maybe Tay lied to you or made it sound bigger than it was?"

"Impossible..."

"Is it really?" Jay questioned him. "You don't even know who we should look for. Maybe he just got in trouble with someone and made up the whole story? If he was part of some group, there must have been a trace of it on his phone, but there is nothing besides messages with a guy from uni about studies and a massive list of girlfriends."

Art looked uncomfortable as a dreadful feeling gripped him. Was it possible he got into all this trouble because of a lie? Could it be Tay was never part of the group Chaiyawat was after? Impossible... he saw them beating the shit out of Tay. Who would bear with it for a stupid lie?

"There must be a reason he refused to talk," Art thought out loud, then cleared his throat as if nothing happened. "There must be something... he wouldn't break into a factory for fun."

Jay shrugged as if he couldn't care less. "Maybe he was short on money and thought he could steal something? Without our father's help, keeping his lifestyle would have been hard or even impossible," he commented, looking around the studio. "But you know better than me what happened, right?"

"Why would I know?!" he shrieked in panic.

"Weren't you there?"

Art paled, and his palms turned clammy. "H-how do you know?"

Jay's expression didn't betray anything, while Sean looked as bored as possible. However, the meaning behind Art's slip-up didn't escape them, and it was massive. It confirmed their suspicions but also revealed the extent of his involvement in the assault.

"I assume that as his best friend, you know exactly what happened after Tay broke ties with our father. Did he not tell you?" Jay asked innocently, looking utterly confused by Art's reaction.

His face went through several different shades while a single drop of sweat trickled down his temple. "Yes, of course... sorry, sometimes I misunderstand English," Art chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway, we must focus on the group and find something soon."

"Face it, you are chasing after something that doesn't exist."

"Then why are you still here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jay chuckled, looking knowingly at Sean. "Plus, I was bored, and this is a nice change of scenery."

Art's jaw tightened with a surge of frustration as the reality dawned on him: he had pinned his hopes on someone who seemed more interested in having fun and fucking around than in the gravity of the situation. "You're exactly as Tay described," he muttered through gritted teeth, then left slamming the door.

They remained still for a moment, partially stunned by his outburst.

"Did he just say..."

Jay looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, he did."

"I guess now we know who found you," he said, falling back on the mattress.

Tay's condition lingered in the recesses of their minds. Yet, they skirted around the topic, never daring to confront the reality of it. Sean, in particular, found himself frequently pushing it aside, almost forgetting about it. But tonight, hearing that Tay refused to talk and betray them, Sean couldn't help but respect him for it.

Suddenly, Sean smiled as his gaze settled on Jay's profile. He couldn't help but admire the way his handsome features seemed to effortlessly command attention, his chiselled jawline accentuated by the play of light from the bedside lamp. There was a quiet strength in the set of his brow and a subtle confidence in the curve of his lips, bordering on nonchalance yet undeniably captivating.

But it wasn't just this that caught his attention. It was the way Jay handled Art. His composed demeanour and every carefully chosen word. It was as if he held the strings of the conversation, effortlessly guiding its flow while maintaining an air of calm authority.

"You are incredible, you know? The way you got him to talk without even realising what was happening... You will make an amazing prosecutor one day."

The mattress shifted slightly as Jay settled back, his shoulder lightly brushing against Sean's. "I wonder what he meant by it," he mused, his gaze drifting up to the ceiling. "But judging from his tone, I suspect Tay hates me more than he does you."

"We are on his bed, right? Imagine his reaction when he learns that two people he hates the most had sex in his bed."

Jay looked at him with a cheeky smile, clearly impressed by the idea. "Sex out of spite? Yeah, I can definitely do that."

The room became unbearably hot as Jay leaned in, his lips brushing against Sean's with a hunger that spoke volumes about their endless need for one another. They smiled into the kiss, and soon Sean's face sank into the pillow... it smelled like Jay... but at that moment, Jay was all he could think about anyway.

As the morning sun filtered through the small window, it cast a soft glow upon the bed, gently illuminating the room. A light duvet covered them halfway, offering a teasing glimpse of their underwear. Sean spooned Jay, his bare chest pressed firmly against Jay's back, his arm draped over his waist, holding him close in a tender embrace.

It was a deviation from their established rules – staying over carried risks they agreed to avoid. While they were all in for sex, intimacy and affection were not supposed to be part of the equation. It made things complicated. Yet, somehow, they were unable to follow their own rules.

As his eyes fluttered open, Sean was greeted by messy brown hair, with a single strand teasing his nose. In that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, a content smile curved his lips as he soaked in the comforting warmth of Jay's skin. Waking up like this felt undeniably right, even though it shouldn't happen.

Sean was acutely aware of how dangerous it was to think like this... to let himself feel like this. Yet, despite this awareness, he found himself inexorably drawn deeper into Jay's orbit with each passing moment, edging ever closer to the point of no return.

Suddenly, Jay stirred slightly and Sean threw caution out the window as he pressed a soft kiss against his shoulder and pulled him closer. There was a moment of tension in Jay's muscles, a familiar reflexive response to displays of affection, which Sean had noticed multiple times before. Jay would always withdraw, but this time it was different. Just as swiftly as it had appeared, the tension melted away, replaced by a subtle relaxation. Sean couldn't help but smile, seeing it as progress.

"Did you manage to get decent sleep?"

"Mhm," Jay muttered, still more asleep than awake. "Somehow, I sleep much better with you around."

Sean's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't quite pinpoint why, but there was something deeply satisfying about Jay's simple statement. "I told you I don't mind being your pillow."

The ensuing silence weighed heavily on Sean, casting a shadow across his features. He couldn't shake the feeling that this situation, as intimate and comforting as it was, would inevitably complicate things between them. Sooner or later, one of them would want something the other couldn't give.

Deep down, Sean acknowledged that he may have been lying to himself from the start. It was more than just fleeting fun or experimenting with new things. The way his attention would always gravitate towards Jay, this content feeling when they were close... wasn't just physical attraction. He wanted to know him as a person, find things that made Jay happy, and simply be together. A small part of him always wanted this, but he managed to keep it hidden, foolishly pushing it aside and hoping it would disappear. Because he also knew that these were things Jay would never agree to.

That morning, Sean realised that falling in love hurt... but also that he was too stubborn to give up. After all, no one knew what might happen in the future.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Jay said slowly, sitting on the bed.

"I'm fine with it, so why not?"

"I don't want you to regret it later," he replied without looking at him.

The tone of his voice was different, something Sean hadn't heard before, but it was clear that Jay was struggling with something. His instinct was to pull him closer and never let go, but he froze with his hand inches from Jay's shoulder. Perhaps it was best to patiently wait and give him room to sort out things on his own?

Izzy was humming alongside the song playing on the radio as he wiped his hands clean with an oily rag, leaving smudges on his already stained overalls. He glanced at the vintage engine sitting on the workbench, its intricate parts spread out like a puzzle waiting to be solved. With challenge written in his eyes, he reached for the wrench when the garage door slid open. Startled by the sudden noise, Izzy spun around on a rotating stool to face his little brother. His instinct was to tease him about last night, but something about Sean's expression stopped him.

"What's the matter?"

Sean sighed and leaned on the bench beside him. "Is it foolish to chase after something that will never be mine, Izzy?"

"No, because the outcome isn't predetermined."

"Then why does it feel like it is?"

Izzy looked at him with concern. "What's going on between you and Jay?"

"Nothing," Sean replied with resignation.

"It didn't look like nothing to me when I went back to get my phone yesterday," Izzy pursued, growing more worried about him.

"We are just having fun, so keep it to yourself, okay?"

Even before the Full Moon Party, he could say that his little brother was falling for Jay fast and hard. And it seemed like their meddling made things worse for Sean. Maybe they should have listened to Fort and stayed out of it? It was too late for regrets. Izzy sighed and gave him a sympathetic look. "It's not just fun for you, isn't it?"

Sean slowly shook his head. Fully aware now that one doesn't go through a complete overhaul of their sexuality just for fun. "It never was..."