Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘵, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘚𝘬𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦?”

“…𝘐 𝘥𝘰.”

“𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘚𝘬𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘦, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰.”

The voices echoed through the living room, through the television speakers. On screen there were two younger men standing at the altar. The young men were smiling and they looked handsome in their tailored suits.

The video had aged slightly, but the moment still played in Nani’s mind.

“𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥.”

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘚𝘬𝘺.”

Neona turned from the TV. “Pa, were you nervous when Pho kissed you?”

Smyle nodded, curling into Nani’s side. “I like your suit, Pa. It was very pretty.”

Nani smiled, fingers gently brushing through Smyle’s soft hair. His gaze remained on the screen. He was looking at the younger version of himself, standing beside a man he had grown to love in silence.

“It was a little scary,” he answered. “But it was a special day. That wedding happened and we begain our married life which gave me you two.”

Neona sighed contentedly and looked up at him. “You looked really pretty, Pa. I think Pho was shy to kiss you.”

Smyle giggled. “Pho was nervous! I saw him blink like ten times.”

Nani smiled faintly. “He was nervous,” he said. “I was too.”

Neona beamed. Smyle’s eyes followed the screen again, looking on the way Sky had pulled Nani close.

“Pa,” Smyle said suddenly. “Where’s Pho?”

Nani blinked. “Your father… he’s busy with work. But he’ll be home this weekend.”

“Okay!” Smyle said excitedly. “I hope he brings us snacks.”

“I’m sure he will, love.”

Nani said it with a smile, as he wrapped his arms around his children. But for a split second, a thought flickered through him.

A selfish one.

𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.
𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦… 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

It hurts to sit here in this home, surrounded by love, and still feel like the loneliest person in the world.

To look at his husband, even through a screen, and know that…𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.

𝐒𝐤𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐝

~

The restaurant was too quiet.

There was music, the occasional clink of glasses and silver, but it was the kind of silence that settles between two people who’ve shared too many dinners without ever 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Sky watched his food, his appetite already fading. Across from him, his father carved through his steak.

“So,” the older man said. “How are my grandchildren?”

Sky nodded, clearing his throat. “They’re doing well. Neona’s reading ahead of her class, and Smyle’s learning to ride his bike without training wheels. They’re growing fast.”

His father grunted. “Good. Smart kids. Probably get it from their father.”

Sky smiled faintly.

“And,” his father continued, “your husband. Is Nani well?”

There was a moment of silence.

Sky glanced down. “He’s doing fine.”

“Hmm.”

“You know it’s been almost nine years,” his father said.

“I hope you’re not still clinging to the idea that we ‘robbed you of your precious bachelor years.’ ”

Sky’s jaw clenched.

“I’ve grown…Father,” he said quietly.

His father didn’t reply for a moment. Then he shrugged. “That’s good. Took you long enough.”

Sky forced a breath out of his nose.

It had always been like this. A test. A game he wasn’t allowed to lose.

Marry Nani.
Make it work.
Be a good son.
Provide an heir.
Smile for the cameras.
Pretend like you chose this life, even when you didn’t.

Sky looked down at his plate. His phone buzzed once in his pocket. It was a message from Nani, probably about the twins.

He didn’t check it. He’d reply when dinner was over. He always did.

“You know,” his father said.

“When we chose Nani for you, we knew he’d be good for your image. Good for your future. His family was stable. He was and still is beautiful. Most importantly, quiet. That’s not a man you throw away.”

Sky’s stomach twisted.

“I’m not throwing him away,” he muttered.

“Are you even paying attention to what you have?” his father pressed. “Or do you just assume he’ll always be there because he’s never caused trouble?”

Sky looked up, confused. “He’s not — He’s not going anywhere.”

“Hmm.”

“You sound very sure of something you’ve clearly taken for granted.”

Sky didn’t respond.

He wasn’t worried. Not really. Nani had always been dependable. Always did what needed to be done. Took care of the house, the kids, the press.

Even when they argued, it never lasted. Nani never raised his voice. Never walked out. Never said he was unhappy.

That had to mean something, right?

Sure, they hadn’t talked much lately. Sure, Nani seemed tired.

More distant than usual. But Sky thought that was just the routine of it all. Life. Work. Kids. Marriage wasn’t always fireworks. Sometimes it was just surviving together.

And Nani hadn’t said anything. So he must be okay.

Right?

Sky glanced at his phone again. The text was still unopened.

He’d reply later.

It was past midnight when Sky turned the key in the front door.

The house was quiet.

The usual padding of little feet from the twins or the sound of Nani’s quiet voice humming some song, was absent. Instead, the air inside felt heavy.

He set his suitcase down quietly in the hallway and took off his shoes. His shoulders ached.

His body guided his feet toward the living room. He wasn’t sure why he thought he could guess what he would see in their living room.

Maybe he thought he’d find Nani asleep on the couch again.

Instead, he found Nani sitting in the dim glow of the television, sipping from a glass of juice. The screen played their wedding ceremony.

The video flickered slightly, footage from a nearly decade old recording. Sky paused in the doorway.

Nani didn’t turn to look at him. His back was straight. Sky felt like an intruder.

He cleared his throat gently.

“I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Sky stepped closer, slow and unsure.

He wanted to say something else, but the words caught in his throat when he heard the sound from the screen:

“𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘵, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘚𝘬𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥…”

The screen showed them standing stiffly beside one another.

Nani had worn ivory. Sky, midnight blue. They had barely known each other then. Their hands were touching, but only because the officiant had told them to.

“𝘐 𝘥𝘰.”

Sky sat down beside him, not too close, not too far. Nani didn’t move.

They watched in silence as the camera panned over cheering relatives. His mother had cried.

Then came Nani’s voice.

“Do you remember our wedding?”

Sky turned toward him slowly. “Mmm.”

He paused for a moment.

“Of course I do. Why?”

Nani didn’t answer at first.

The TV flickered again, cutting to the part where Sky leaned in and kissed him. It was an awkward kiss; it was quick, and they both sealed it with the faintest smile.

“What do you remember about it?” Nani asked.

Sky blinked. “What do I remember?”

He tilted his head slightly, watching the video.

“…You looked like you were about to run away. During the vows.”

Nani laughed under his breath, but it was a bitter sound.

“I was,” he admitted.

Sky glanced at him.

“But I didn’t,” Nani continued. “Because my mom squeezed my hand before I walked down the aisle. And I thought… maybe it won’t be so bad.”

“Nani…”

“It wasn’t bad,” he said. “It was… fine.”

Sky stayed quiet.

“We were polite. Respectful. We made it work. We had the twins. We did everything we were supposed to.”

Sky nodded slowly. “We did more than that. We’ve built a life.”

“Have we?”.

Nani turned his head, just enough to look Sky in the eyes. And then he smiled.

“If we hadn’t gotten married,” he said, voice barely above a whisper, “if our families hadn’t pushed us… would you have ever chosen me?”

Sky didn’t answer. He…couldn’t.

“Would you have loved me?” Nani asked.

“…Nani—”

“Because I think I did,” Nani said, his voice wobbling. “Somewhere along the way, I think I really did love you. And I don’t even know when it started.”

He stared at the glass in his hand.

“Maybe when you stayed up with me when the twins were teething. Or when you bought me those ridiculous pregnancy socks.”

He laughed bitterly. “But I kept waiting. Waiting for a sign. For you to say it. For you to look at me like I was more than the man you married out of some twisted sense of duty toward your family... and you never did.”

“That’s not true.”

Nani looked at him.

Sky wished he hadn’t.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. “Not once. Not even when I cried after giving birth. Not even when I handed you our children and said, ‘ 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.’ Not even when I told you how Smyle had your nose.”

Sky opened his mouth, but Nani shook his head.

“You don’t have to say it now. It’s been eight years, Sky.” His voice cracked.

“Don’t say that you love me… because it hurts. Just… let me go.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the wedding video had faded to black.

Sky sat there, stunned. For the first time, he saw the truth in Nani’s eyes. There was no anger, not even sadness.

Just…resignation.

And that terrified him more than anything else.

Nani didn’t wait for a response.

He set the empty glass down gently on the coffee table and stood.

Sky stayed still.

Nani didn’t look back.

He walked past Sky without brushing shoulders, without a glance. Sky didn’t move until he heard the faint sound of their bedroom door closing upstairs.

Then he blinked, slowly.

He was still sitting in the same position. Hands on his knees. Mouth slightly open like he’d meant to speak but forgot what words were.

𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘰.

He swallowed.

What did that mean?

He looked at the black screen of the TV again. Their wedding had ended. The memory had played out.

He leaned forward and rubbed his palms over his face.

𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦?

His chest twisted sharply.

The thing was, Sky didn’t know how to answer that. Not because he didn’t care. Not because he hadn’t thought about it.

They’d been handed a marriage and made a life out of it.

They had the twins. A routine.

It wasn’t perfect…but he thought it had been enough.

Hadn’t it?

He'd never heard Nani talk like that before. Not with that kind of tone. Not with that kind of pain.

Nani never snapped. He never raised his voice. He was careful. Controlled.

Until tonight.

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥.

Sky shut his eyes. The words echoed in his head.

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

He’d never asked for that. He’d never expected it. It wasn’t part of the arrangement.

But…

Hadn’t there been moments?

He remembered the way Nani tucked the twins in, how they always fell asleep faster when it was his voice reading the stories.

He remembered the time Nani sat on the bathroom floor, crying silently with a hand over his mouth after a panic attack, and how he hadn’t known what to do except sit beside him.

He remembered how Nani had looked at him, once, when he was playing guitar by the window.

Had that been love?

And had he missed it?

He stood slowly, walking toward the staircase. But halfway up, he paused.

Nani’s door…their bedroom door… was shut.

Sky stood there for a moment.

What did he even plan to say?

He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything anymore.

Not when things started to go wrong.

Not when silence became a habit.

Not when his husband stopped hoping.

He turned and walked back down the stairs.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

~

Sky got up early the next morning to make breakfast. He wasn’t fully awake. His body had gone through the motions of his morning routine on autopilot: shower, change into a plain t-shirt and soft pants, check for texts, and walk quietly down the stairs.

He hadn’t slept.

He’d laid in bed with his eyes shut, listening to the stillness of the house and wondering if Nani was awake too, or if he’d cried himself to sleep.

Sky plated the eggs, and set the pan aside. He was just reaching for the soy sauce when he heard the familiar padding of little feet.

“Pho!!” Neona’s voice rang out.

Sky turned in time to catch her barreling into him. She clung to his waist, burying her face into his side.

“You’re back!” she squeaked.

Sky smiled.

“I’m back,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Good morning, baby.”

Smyle followed soon after, less dramatic but no less energetic. He hopped up onto the stool at the kitchen island and gave Sky a squinting look.

“Did you bring snacks?”

Sky blinked. “What?”

“You said last time you were gonna bring us snacks from Taiwan. You promised.”

Sky rubbed the back of his neck. “I… didn’t forget,” he lied smoothly. “They’re in the suitcase. I’ll get them after breakfast.”

Smyle nodded seriously, satisfied. “Good. I want the sour jelly.”

“I got it.”

Neona tugged at his sleeve. “Pho, can I have the egg with the crispy edge?”

“You always get the crispy edge,” Smyle whined.

“Because she asks nicely,” Sky said, teasing, as he reached over to plate the breakfast.

He set out their cups and poured them orange juice. Neona grabbed her favorite pink plate while Smyle grabbed his.

Everything felt normal…deceptively normal.

But Sky felt it… the crack in his chest that hadn’t sealed since last night.

He sat down across from the twins, trying to eat. But mostly he just listened. They talked over each other, tumbling into conversation like they always did when he came back from trips.

“Did you ride on the big plane?”

“Did you see a mountain?”

“Do you have to go again next week?”

“Can we come next time? Please, Pho, I wanna go somewhere on a plane!”

Sky chuckled through it all, answering when he could, shaking his head when he couldn’t.

Then it happened, the moment he’d been waiting for, the one he knew would come.

“Pho,” Neona said, her mouth half full of rice. “Where’s Pa?”

Sky froze for a second. His chopsticks hovered above his bowl. He glanced at the clock. 07:52.

Smyle looked up too. “Yeah. He always eats with us.”

Sky cleared his throat, setting the chopsticks down.

“Your Pa…” he started.

“He’s a bit under the weather. So he’s still resting upstairs.”

“Oh no,” Neona pouted. “Did he get flu?”

“Maybe,” Sky replied gently. “Or maybe he just needs some rest today.”

Smyle squinted. “He didn’t look sick last night.”

Sky held his breath for a second.

“He was tired,” he said finally. “And sometimes when grown-ups get tired, it makes them feel a little sick.”

Neona nodded, satisfied with the explanation. “Okay. I’ll draw him a card later.”

“Me too,” Smyle added. “And then maybe he’ll feel better.”

Sky forced a smile.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Maybe he will.”

The twins went back to eating, arguing lightly. Sky watched them. He noticed the curve of their cheeks, the way Neona’s lashes fluttered when she chewed, the way Smyle tapped his feet against the leg of his chair.

And all he could think was how Nani had made all of this possible.

And how maybe, Sky had never told him how much he loved him for it.

It was just past 08:30 when Nani came downstairs.

Sky had started washing the dishes, he needed something to do with his hands. Something to keep his thoughts from unraveling.

He heard the soft pat of feet on the steps before he saw him.

𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪.

Hair still slightly damp from a shower. Loose robe tied at the waist. A white T-shirt underneath and dark, soft cotton pants. He looked tired. A little pale.

“Pa!” Neona chirped, hopping down from her stool and running over. “You’re up!”

Smyle followed, a little slower.

Sky wiped his hands on a dish towel as he turned, feeling his breath catch slightly in his throat.

Nani knelt just enough to kiss the tops of their heads and mutter a soft, “Morning, babies,” as if nothing had happened the night before.

He didn’t spare Sky a glance.

Sky stepped closer. “Nani—”

But Nani straightened and turned to the kids instead. “Come on, let’s get you ready for school. Backpacks, toothbrushes, hair. I’ll drive today.”

Sky blinked. “It’s alright,” he said. “I can take them.”

There was a pause.

Then Neona clapped. “Can Pho take us today? Please, Pa? You said last time we’d go with him next time!”

Nani looked down at her. Just nodded once.

“Okay. If that’s what you want.”

He walked toward the hallway, past Sky, brushing past him. Sky moved on instinct, reaching out gently when he noticed Nani’s robe had slipped off one shoulder.

“Wait—your robe’s—” His fingers grazed Nani’s arm, intending to fix it.

But Nani flinched… barely, but enough.

And without a word, he pulled the robe up himself, clutching it tighter to his chest, and walked silently back up the stairs.

Not a glance. Not a word.

Sky stood there, frozen, his arm extended in the empty air.

It stung more than he expected.

The sound of Neona’s backpack zipping broke the silence.

Smyle looked between the two of them.

“…Pho?”

Sky blinked and looked down. Smyle’s face was scrunched.

“…Did you make Pa mad?” the little boy asked, his voice so small, like he was afraid of the answer.

Sky crouched slowly, placing a hand on Smyle’s back.

“No,” he said softly. “Pa’s just… tired.”

“But he didn’t say hi to you,” Neona pointed out.

Sky gave her a tight smile.

“That’s okay. Sometimes grown-ups have things on their minds.”

“Are you fighting?” Smyle asked.

Sky looked down for a moment, exhaling quietly before meeting both of their eyes.

“No,” he said again. “We’re just… having a slow morning.”

The twins didn’t look fully convinced, but they nodded anyway.

Sky ruffled their hair gently.

“Go get your shoes on. I’ll start the car.”

As they ran off, Sky stood there for a moment longer.

He stared at the staircase like it might give him answers. But it didn’t.

Once he dropped the kids off at school. The twins had waved enthusiastically from the school gates.

Sky waved back, smiled, held it together. Pretended like everything was normal. Like he wasn’t unraveling inside.

He got into the car, gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

And then, without even thinking about it, he drove to the bakery near the corner of the kids’ school. The one with the too-sweet vanilla glaze that Nani always said he hated, but somehow always finished eating them either way.

He bought a box. Just one.

He didn't know why.

Maybe he thought it would count for something. Maybe he wanted to remember what it felt like to bring something home that made Nani smile.

The drive home was quiet. Unbearably so.

When Sky entered the house, shoes kicked off at the door, he followed the faint sounds coming from the kitchen. He heard a  sound of clattering pots.

Nani was standing at the stove, apron tied at the waist, sleeves pushed up.

There was rice cooking, some chicken cut into thin slices. It was probably for the twins.

It always was.

Sky set the donut box down on the counter.

He waited a second. Then he took a breath.

"Smells good."

Nani didn’t turn. “Are…you hungry?”

“No. I’m just saying… it smells good.”

.“It’s lunch for the kids.”

Sky stepped closer, hesitantly.

“I, uh… I went to the bakery. Got your favourite.”

That made Nani pause.

“I don’t like donuts anymore.”

Sky swallowed. “Since when?”

“Since I stopped pretending I did.”

The silence between them stretched.

Sky breathed in slowly.

“You don’t have to talk to me like that.”

“Like what?” Nani said, finally turning around. “You mean with honesty?”

“That’s not fair.”

“No,” Nani said, shaking his head, “what’s 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 is you standing in this kitchen like you haven't spent half our marriage in other time zones.”

“I travel for work—”

“To provide for us. I know. We’re grateful.”

“What else do you want me to say?”

Sky stepped forward. “Last night. Can we talk about it?”

“What about it?”

“You said—” Sky’s throat tightened, “you said to let you go.”

Nani looked at him…and it broke Sky more than anything else had, because there was no softness in that gaze anymore.

No warmth. Just Nani’s tired eyes.

“I meant it.”

“Nani—”

“Let me go,” he repeated.

“We’ll work something out. I’ll take care of the kids. We’ll find a schedule. A routine. They’ll be okay.”

“Nani, don’t do this.”

“I have to.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t live like this anymore,” Nani said.

His voice cracked just slightly.

“In a house where I feel like a placeholder. A trophy. A responsibility you were given when you were too young to know what you wanted.”

“That’s not how I see you.”

“But it’s how I feel!” Nani snapped. “And I’ve felt it for years. I kept trying. Kept hoping that maybe one day you’d look at me and choose me for real.”

“I did choose you—”

“No,” Nani said. “You accepted me. You tolerated me. You stayed. But you never chose me.”

He turned back to the stove.

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life waiting for a man who never did.”

Sky didn’t say anything.

He stood in the kitchen, staring at the back of the man he had called his husband for eight years.

The man he shared a home with, a bed with, children with… and suddenly felt like he didn’t know him at all.

Nani had gone back to cooking like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just said the most final thing Sky had ever heard.

And Sky couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. His tongue felt heavy. His mind, blank.

It was supposed to be a conversation. A miscommunication. A bad day.

Not… this.

Nani didn’t look at him when he spoke next.

“If it’s okay… I’d like to start talking to the twins over the next few months.”

Sky blinked. “What?”

“About the possibility of us living apart.”

“...Living apart.”

Nani nodded once. “I want to give them time. To ease into it.”

His voice was so calm. It made Sky’s blood run cold.

“I don’t want it to be sudden,” Nani continued “They deserve an explanation... something stable. But I think they’ve already started noticing.”

Sky opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Nani turned off the stove.

“I’d also like to have majority custody,” he said. “Not to take them from you. But because I’ll be here. And I think it’s best, for now.”

Sky’s throat tightened. “You want to take the kids?”

“I want them to have consistency. I’m not trying to punish you, Sky. But if you still hold anything for me in your heart… please, just make this part easy.”

The words didn’t register in Sky’s head.

Sky stood there, mouth parted slightly. His jaw was tense. He didn’t even realize how tightly he was gripping the edge of the counter until the corner of his palm began to throb.

He had done everything.

He’d gone to every doctor’s appointment. He flew home when Nani’s water broke, cancelled a press conference in Hong Kong.

He’d learned how to swaddle, how to warm bottles.

He made money. He kept them comfortable. Safe. Respected. He showed up at the twin’s recitals even when he was jet-lagged.

He brought home souvenirs from every country he went to.

He hadn’t cheated. He hadn’t left.

So why…

“Where is this coming from?” Sky asked softly.

Nani didn’t answer right away.

He simply looked at him for a moment.

“From years of being in love with someone who was only ever married to me.”

Sky’s heart stilled.

“That’s not—”

“I don’t want to fight, Sky.”

Sky’s voice wavered. “I don’t even know what I did.”

Nani blinked. His face didn’t change. His expression stayed exactly the same.

His eyes dimmed, just a little.

“That’s exactly the problem.”

And with that, Nani picked up the pot from the stove, carried it to the sink, and turned on the tap.

Sky watched him, he had no idea what he was supposed to say.

No idea how to fix this.

Sky stepped into their bedroom quietly, like he didn’t belong there. Like he was trespassing into something that used to be his.

The bed was made.

Too neatly. Nani always made it that way.

It used to make Sky smile, how Nani was fussier about beds than hotel housekeepers, but now, it just looked… untouched.

He sat down on the edge. Slowly. The mattress barely dipped under his weight.

And then he just sat there. Breathing. Blinking. Trying to feel something.

When did this start?

He thought about it. Really thought.

Had Nani always looked that tired?

Was there a moment when he stopped smiling?

Sky couldn’t remember.

He remembered there being laughter. Early mornings with the twins crawling all over them. He remembered brushing Nani’s hair back from his forehead as he dozed on the couch.

Whispering that he’d carry him upstairs. He remembered kissing the top of Nani’s head when he cooked. Holding him in the kitchen. Breathing him in.

Was it fake?

Were those moments just muscle memory? A performance they both signed up for?

Sky had memorized the curve of Nani’s waist. The softness of his skin after a bath. The way he curled into Sky’s chest, fingers brushing under his shirt while he slept. The way he whispered “don’t forget your charger” before every flight, and kissed Sky like it meant something.

Had it ever meant something?.

Did he… not see it? Had he missed all the signs?

Was every night they made love just Nani being patient? Every kiss just... polite affection?

His gaze drifted to the nightstand.

There was still a photo there. The four of them. Taken on the twins’ first day of preschool.

Nani was laughing, crouched beside Neona, who had a sunflower clip in her hair. Smyle was clinging to Sky’s leg, grinning. Sky himself was caught mid laugh, reaching out to pull Nani closer.

He was touching him in the picture. But now?

He couldn’t even reach for his robe without Nani flinching.

Sky looked at his own expression. The curve of his mouth. The joy.

It was real.

He knew it was. He wasn’t acting that day.

So when had they become strangers?

Was he really the only one who didn’t see it happening?

“I did love you,” he whispered into the silence. “I swear I did.”

But even he didn’t know if he was saying it to the photo… or to himself.

Sky rubbed at his temple, staring at the spreadsheet on his laptop for the fifth time that afternoon. His work had stopped making sense an hour ago.

The house was too quiet. No gentle footsteps. No humming from the kitchen.

Eventually, he gave in.

He closed the laptop, put on a hoodie, and grabbed his keys.

He picked up some of the things he remembered the kids liked: the potato chips Neona always finished too quickly. Smyle’s favourite sour jellies. He also got strawberry milk. A packet of biscuits for each.

The school bell had already rung by the time he parked outside the gate.

“Pho!” Neona came running out first. Sky opened the car door just in time to catch her in a hug.

Smyle followed, a little more composed but eyes lighting up at the sight of him. “You really picked us up again.”

“Yeah,” Sky smiled, ruffling his hair. “I missed you two.”

They drove with the windows cracked open and Neona singing softly to herself in the back. Sky glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

They looked so much like Nani sometimes.

He pulled into their favourite ice cream shop.

“Are we getting two scoops?” he asked.

“Three!” Smyle shouted. “Because you came home late!”

Sky laughed.

Neona had bubblegum. Smyle went with his usual chocolate.

Sky barely touched his own.

Halfway through their cones, Neona looked up at him with wide eyes. “Pho?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Can we go to the zoo this weekend? As a family?”

Sky blinked.

Smyle perked up. “Oh yeah! We haven’t gone in forever! Last time I got to feed the goats!”

Sky hesitated.

𝘈 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱.

His heart thudded.

“Um… we’ll have to check with Pa, okay?” he said, voice careful. “See if it’s a good time.”

Neona pouted but nodded. “Can you ask him? Please?”

“…Yeah,” Sky murmured. “We’ll ask.”

They got home just as the sun started to set.

The kids bolted through the door first, yelling, “Paaa!”

Sky followed slowly, a paper bag of snacks in one hand, backpacks slung over his shoulder.

Nani had just stepped out of the kitchen. Still in house clothes, but his hair was tied up now, a clip holding a few strands away from his face.

He looked up, startled for a second, maybe at the noise. Maybe at Sky.

“Pa!” Neona ran into his legs, hugging him tightly. “We got ice cream!”

“Pho took us!” Smyle added proudly. “And he said we can ask if we can go to the zoo!”

Nani softened slightly. Kneeling down, he hugged them both. “Ice cream again? You’ll both get cavities at this rate.”

“But can we go to the zoo?” Neona asked again, grabbing onto his hand.

“Please, please, please?” Smyle pleaded.

Sky stood quietly in the doorway, watching the scene.

Something twisted inside him. They looked like the family he used to believe they were.

Like nothing was wrong.

Nani looked up his eyes meeting Sky’s for just a moment.

Sky cleared his throat. “They asked. I said it depends on your schedule.”

Nani didn’t respond at first.

Then, turning to the twins: “We’ll talk about it, okay? Maybe.”

“Yay!”

And just like that, they scattered off to go change for dinner.

Sky stepped further into the house, setting down the bags quietly.

Nani hadn’t moved.

“I wasn’t trying to—” Sky started.

“You don’t have to explain,” Nani cut in.

“I just thought... I was trying,” Sky said.

Nani nodded once. “I know.”

Then he turned, walking back toward the kitchen, leaving Sky all alone.

The house was quiet again.

Dinner had come and gone without him.

Sky had meant to join them. He really had. But the emails wouldn’t stop, and the calls kept piling in. Meetings to reschedule. Contracts to review. His phone buzzed so much it was a wonder he didn’t throw it into the wall.

By the time he looked up from his desk, the clock read 7:47 p.m.

The house was too still.

He left his office, his body sluggish from hours of sitting. He padded through the corridor barefoot.

The light in the twins’ room spilled into the hallway. He meant to walk past their room. He didn’t want to disturb bedtime.

But then…

“Pa?”

Neona’s voice, which was muffled.

Sky paused for a second.

“You look sad.”

A moment of silence passed.

“Yeah,” Smyle’s little voice added. “Even yesterday. You looked sad then too.”

Sky’s hand tightened on the wall.

He didn’t hear Nani’s reply at first. Just the rustle of sheets.

“…I’m okay, babies,” Nani’s voice finally came. “Just… tired, that’s all.”

“You promise?” Neona asked.

There was a pause.

“I promise.”

Sky stood frozen outside the door.

He didn’t realize his breathing had gone uneven until he blinked hard and turned away.

He walked back down the hall.

It wasn’t just him who noticed the cracks now.

His children… his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 thought their Pa looked sad.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯.

They saw what he didn’t.

That the man who used to hum in the kitchen. Who used to fall asleep beside Sky without fear or hesitation. The man who once believed this marriage could bloom into love…

That man was dying.

And Sky hadn’t noticed until it was too late.

Chapter Text

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞

~

Lately mornings have been loud.

Neona’s voice came first. Smyle was next, dragging his feet down the hallway, rubbing at his eyes.

There’d be a clatter of dishes, a soft thud of chairs being dragged across tile, and the occasional argument over which bowl belonged to which twin.

Nani poured milk into their cereal, smiling without showing his teeth.

“Eat up. We’re leaving in twenty minutes,” he said.

His back ached.

Maybe from the way he slept last night, curled up too tightly on Sky’s side of the bed.

“Can we stop by the bakery today?” Neona asked.

Nani didn’t answer immediately. He stared at the empty dish rack in front of him. He’d done the dishes three times yesterday…

“If we’re early enough,” he said finally, without turning around.

“You always say that,” Smyle grumbled.

Nani leaned on the counter and closed his eyes. Not for long. Just enough to gather himself.

Sky hadn’t called last night. Not even a text. Maybe he was busy.

He was always busy.

Nani used to wait up for him, phone in hand, heart jumping every time the screen lit up. Now, he kept the phone on silent. He told himself it helped him sleep better… it didn’t.

Neona and Smyle finished eating without much fuss. Nani packed their lunchboxes, braided Neona’s hair, and even remembered to find Smyle’s missing shoe.

Everything was done right. Everything was done as expected.

So why did it feel like something inside him was breaking…

On the drive to school, Neona sang along to a playlist Sky had made them a while back. Smyle tapped his fingers against the window.

Nani drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his lap, his thumb pressed to the ring on his finger.

The moment he dropped them off, he pulled over two streets down and sat in the car.

He hadn’t been sleeping.

He hadn’t told anyone.

He was still functioning, cooking, cleaning, parenting, working. Everything he was supposed to do. But there was this ache in his chest that hadn’t gone away since the night of the party last week.

~~

𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤

It was a charity gala. Nani had gone alone.

𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

The smiles were stiff, the compliments were all backhanded…and he said nothing, because that's what was expected of him.

His husband had no clue what people said to Nani’s face.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘒𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪! 𝘖𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥?”

“𝘖𝘩, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮…𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦? 𝘛𝘢𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘪? 𝘛𝘰𝘬𝘺𝘰? 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬.”

“𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴? 𝘔𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴…𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

They laughed. Nani didn’t. He couldn’t.

Instead, he was trying to recall when exactly he started despising the taste of champagne.

Perhaps it was the countless events he’d spent pretending he was someone that he was not.

For so long, Nani told himself the whispers didn't matter, that these shallow people simply didn't understand.

But the bitter truth gnawed deeper each time.

He forced a smile for the cameras.

He smiled at each inquiry about Sky.

Where is he? Why didn’t he come with you? How do you keep it together, Khun Nani?

He smiled until his jaw ached.

When Nani finally made it home, he didn’t even have the strength to remove his shoes. He simply drifted into their bedroom.

In the silence, he sank down onto the carpet.

He just… stared blankly at Sky’s side of the wardrobe.

Pressed shirts, pristine and untouched for months. Custom-tailored suits for events Sky hadn't attended.

He raised a trembling hand, fingertips brushing the sleeve of Sky’s favourite jacket. For a moment he considered pulling it close.

A part of him hated himself for still yearning, still craving a presence that had abandoned him.

Another part hated Sky for making him feel this way.

~

𝐒𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐰𝐚𝐧

Sky sat on the edge of the bed, laptop open beside him with his phone in hand.

He stared at the call log.

𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 – 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘵

No reply. No message.

He debated calling again but decided against it. Maybe Nani had fallen asleep. He’d been quiet lately, more than usual, but Sky figured that it was probably exhaustion. The twins were a handful. Parenting was hard.

He opened their LINE chat. The last message he’d sent was:

Sky: Landing soon. Tell the kids.

That was from 2 weeks ago.

Nani had responded:

Nani: Will do. They miss you.

There was no heart. No emoji. No photo of the twins holding signs like they used to send him. Not even a "come home safe."

But Sky hadn’t read into it. Nani could be formal with him. He was allowed to.

Sky just… didn’t think it meant anything.

He leaned back, letting his head drop against the pillow. The pillow smelled of lavender-scented detergent, not like their sheets back home.

𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦.

He tried to picture it. Were the kids asleep? Had Neona asked if he was coming home this weekend? Was Smyle being stubborn about brushing his teeth again?

He knew Nani would’ve handled it all. He always did.

Sky had never worried about the household. Not once in the last eight years. Nani was dependable. Organized. Graceful under pressure.

He’d never asked for help. Never shouted. Never guilted him about work.

Even when Sky missed birthdays, some school events. He still came home to a clean house, warm food, and Nani’s presence.

He thought that meant they were okay.

The board meeting that he had earlier that day had run late, and then there was dinner with the sponsors. Everyone asked about his family. He smiled. Said they were well.

“They’re growing fast. My husband’s doing a great job at home. I’m lucky.”

And he meant it.

He was lucky. Nani never made demands.

Sky didn’t know how to explain the arrangement. There were no fireworks, no grand declarations, but wasn’t that normal after this many years?

Wasn’t comfort enough?

He opened his phone again. Watched the chat screen for a few seconds.

Typing…

He paused.

Deleted the message.

Tried again.

Sky: Did you sleep already?

He hit send.

It remained unread.

Sky sighed and set the phone down. He looked at the ceiling for a long time.

He didn’t know what he expected.

A call back. A soft voice. Maybe even a smile through the screen.

But there was nothing.

And yet, in his mind, he still told himself it was fine.

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙮, 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 (after chapter 1)

Sky had barely moved from his home office, fingers tapping against the keyboard, trying to concentrate on quarterly reports and upcoming production schedules. The afternoon had arrived. But Sky barely noticed.

The house was too quiet.

He had sent the twins off to school earlier, kissing their foreheads like always. A soft knock at the office door broke through his concentration.

“Come in.”

The door opened slowly.

Nani stepped in. He didn’t walk forward, just hovered by the entrance.

Sky gestured lightly toward the armchair in front of his desk. “You can sit, Nani.”

Nani nodded and crossed the room, sitting down.

Sky tried to keep his breathing steady. His laptop screen glared against his face, but he closed it halfway, enough to give Nani his attention.

“You need something?” he asked carefully.

Nani looked at him for a moment.

“No. I mean… yes. I wanted to talk.”

Sky leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes trained on him. “About?”

Nani hesitated.

“The gardener,” he said softly, eyes dropping to his lap. “You said sometime back you’d call him. I just… I’ve been meaning to repot some of the hydrangeas with Neona. She’s been asking about it.”

Sky blinked. Then nodded.

“I’ll call him today.”

“Thank you.”

“.....”

“.....”

“That’s not… all I wanted to talk about.”

Sky stiffened.

He swallowed and nodded again. “Okay. What else is on your mind?”

Nani sat up straighter.

He didn’t look at Sky when he began.

“I’ve been thinking… a lot. About us.”

Sky didn’t move.

“I know this isn’t sudden for me. But maybe it feels sudden for you. I know we’ve… been together. For a long time. But I can’t pretend anymore.”

His voice was calm. Too calm.

“I know we both got married young. And maybe we both thought that… with time, we’d grow into it. That we’d find comfort in the routine. In the twins. In our lives…or at least that’s what I thought.”

“But it’s not enough,” Nani whispered. “It’s not living. I thought I could cope with that. I really thought I could.”

“But I wake up,” Nani continued, “and I don’t know what’s real anymore. I smile, I make breakfast, I play along with whatever this is. And every time you leave for another country or come home with souvenirs like that’s all it takes to fix things… I feel like I’m slowly disappearing.”

Sky finally spoke. “So…you want a divorce.”

It wasn’t a question.

Nani blinked. “I want peace.”

Sky exhaled.

“Do you think so little of me?” he asked, his voice breaking slightly. “Do you really think I’ve just… been going through the motions all these years?”

Nani didn’t answer at first.

Instead, he looked at him.

“I think I’ve given you all of me, Sky,” he said, voice trembling. “Even when I shouldn’t have. Even when I didn’t get the same in return. And maybe that’s on me. Maybe I’m the fool for falling in love with a man who never looked at me like I was anything more than his obligation.”

Sky’s eyes dropped to the desk.

“That’s not fair,” he whispered.

“You’re right,” Nani said. “It’s not. But that doesn’t make it untrue.”

“You know damn well this wasn’t what I wanted. You know my father set everything up. You know this marriage was arranged before we even had a chance to say no.”

“I do know that,” Nani snapped.

“And I accepted it. I signed that fucking contract, Sky. I stood beside you and said ‘I do’ with the little hope that I had that maybe…you’d learn to love me.”

He laughed bitterly..

“I was so naive.”

Sky gripped the desk harder. “That’s not what happened.”

“Then what did happen?” Nani asked, louder now. “Tell me. Explain to me why I spent eight years sleeping beside a man who never said he loved me.”

Sky looked away.

“I was trying,”

“I did everything I could. I gave you everything I had—”

Nani cut in. “You gave me gifts, travel, effort in all the ways I never asked for.”

“Then what did you want?” Sky asked, frustrated.

“I was never unfaithful. I never disrespected you. I worked. I showed up. I provided. I stayed. What more did you want?”

Nani stared at him, tears burning in his eyes.

“I wanted to be seen,” he said. “I wanted to be heard. I wanted you to say my name like it meant something. I wanted you to tell me I was beautiful. That I was yours. That this wasn’t just a performance.”

Sky was silent.

“I needed words, Sky,” Nani whispered. “Not just presence. I needed love that spoke, not love that assumed I’d understand.”

The silence stretched between them.

And then Nani stood.

“I’m tired,” he said simply. “So if it’s selfish to ask for a life that feels honest, so be it.”

He turned toward the door.

Sky’s voice cracked.

“Nani…”

But Nani didn’t stop.

He opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind him.

Sky sat back down slowly.

The screen of his laptop was still half-shut.

He had nothing to say.

𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 —  𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐨

Sky stood stiff in front of the large oak desk, his fingers curling into his trousers.

His father sat behind the desk, flipping through a file thick with papers, contracts, and photographs.

Sky didn't need to look again. He’d already seen the top photo. A formal portrait of a man just barely past boyhood.

Pale skin, sharp cheekbones, big doe eyes, small face.

Nani Hirunkit. 20 years old. Model. Son of a respectable Thai family. Minimal scandals. Good reputation. Attractive. Bilingual. Polite.

The list went on.

“This is ridiculous,” Sky said quietly.

“You can’t just… marry me off.”

His father didn’t even look up. “I can. And I will.”

“You said after university, I’d have space. That I’d have a say in my own life.”

“This is you having a say,” his father replied smoothly. “I didn’t say you’d get to have the only say.”

Sky stepped forward. “Why him? Why now?”

His father finally raised his eyes.

“The Changkham family has something,” he said. “Legacy. Stability. They’ve been relevant for decades. They’ve aligned with our values. With our long-term vision.”

Sky’s stomach twisted. “So I’m a pawn, is that it?”

“You’re my son,” he said.

“Which means everything you do reflects on this family. Do you think we can afford for you to keep dating actors and disappearing off to Europe in the summer? Do you know how many board members have asked about your maturity?”

“I’m twenty.”

“Exactly. That makes it an even better idea to get married young.”

“This isn’t about romance. This is about longevity. We build dynasties in this house. Not love stories.”

His father walked back to his desk, sliding the profile photo toward him again.

“Nani is quiet. Obedient. He’s been raised well. He won’t embarrass you. Or me.”

Sky stared at the photograph.

“Is he okay with this?” he asked.

His father shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. His family already agreed. He’ll do what he’s told. Just like you will.”

Sky didn’t say anything after that.

Because in the end, he knew it wouldn’t matter.

The date was already set.

𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵

Sky hadn’t actually processed anything in the last two hours. He’d sat there, still as stone, after Nani left the room. After the word divorce had been said again.

His throat was dry. His hands were cold.

The house felt… too quiet.

It took him another full minute to realize what was wrong.

The twins.

He hadn’t heard them laughing or running or asking for snacks. No voices down the hallway. No cartoon sounds from the living room.

He made his way toward the bedroom.

The door was slightly ajar.

Sky knocked once, before pushing it open. Inside, Nani was folding laundry.

Sky leaned on the doorway.

“Where are the twins?” he asked.

Nani looked up.

“They went to my mom’s place,” he replied. “It’s Friday.”

Sky blinked.

“Right,” he said, quietly. “Of course.”

It had been a regular thing. Sky just… hadn’t noticed how regular.

How long had it been since he was home on a Friday?

He lingered in the doorway for a moment longer before stepping in. Nani continued folding clothes, focused, as if there was nothing strange about the distance between them.

Sky swallowed hard.

“What… what can I do?” he asked suddenly.

Nani looked up again, confused.

“To fix this,” Sky clarified.

“Tell me what you need, Nani. Do you want a trip? Do we all go somewhere, just the four of us? I can make time. I’ll move things around.”

Nani stared at him.

“It’s not about a trip, Sky.”

“Then tell me what it’s about!” Sky said, stepping closer, his voice cracking with frustration.

“What do you want me to do? Just tell me what to do.”

Nani let out a slow breath and looked away.

“It’s not about doing something, Sky. It’s about what you haven’t done for eight years.”

Sky flinched.

“That’s not fair,” he said, softer now. “You know I’ve done everything to provide for this family. I’ve given you a life. I never let anything fall apart.”

Nani let out a laugh.

“Except me .”

Sky’s mouth opened, then closed. He didn’t have a response.

“I asked you if divorce is really what you want,” he said instead. “Is it? After all these years, after the twins…did you really think so little of me?”

“I think I’ve thought about you too much. That’s the problem.”

“You can let me be selfish now,” Nani added. “I’ve been everything your family asked me to be. I’ve been a good husband. An ideal dad. The obedient image that made your life look picture-perfect.”

Sky's jaw clenched.

“You know it wasn’t my idea. The marriage. You know that was my father’s doing.”

“I was a contract to you, Sky,” Nani said bitterly. “A well-negotiated deal. A name that looked good beside yours. A match that kept your family’s legacy intact.”

“My father is a fucking psycho,” he said suddenly. “You think I don’t know that? He’s obsessed with his legacy. That’s the only thing he cares about. Not me. Not you. Just what he can build, and he used your family to expand it.”

“Then why did you stay?” he asked.

Sky blinked.

“Because I—” he stopped. Swallowed. “Because I thought I could make it work. I thought we could build something out of it and live out our lives peacefully.”

Nani’s voice dropped.

“And did we?”

Sky hesitated.

“I tried.”

“You showed up,” Nani said. “You worked. You paid the bills. You were a good father. But you were never my partner, Sky. You never even tried to be.”

“This is fucking crazy,” he said.

Nani didn’t reply.

“Look at me and tell me that you still don't believe we can fix this,” Sky said. “Look at me and say it.”

Nani looked at him then.

“I don’t think I have anything left to fix it with,” he said. “I’m tired.”

Sky stepped back like he’d been punched.

“I need to start choosing myself,” Nani added. “And if that means walking away from a marriage that was never really mine to begin with… then so be it.”

Sky stood a few paces away, still by the door, his fingers curled tightly at his sides. His jaw clenched once… then again.

𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧?

Sky’s mind reeled. The disbelief expanded into something darker.

“…No,” he said at last.

Nani blinked, startled by the sound.

“...No?”

Sky took a step forward. “No,” he repeated, firmer this time.

“You don’t get to say that and walk away.”

Nani exhaled, shaky. “I’m not walking away, Sky. I’m trying to survive.”

“You’re trying to survive?” Sky’s laugh was humorless.

“Then what do you think I’ve been doing all these years? Running on zero sleep, flying back and forth to make sure you and the kids never had to lift a finger? Making sure my father never touched you with his fucking lunacy?”

“I never asked for that—”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You were the only good thing in that arrangement, Nani. You and the twins. I endured everything else for that. For you.”

Nani looked away, his lips pressed together. His fingers trembled slightly.

“I get it,” Sky said.

“I know I’m not good at… words. Or romance. I don’t give what you need in the way you need it. But don’t you dare think this marriage meant nothing to me.”

Sky stepped forward again.

And for the first time, Nani backed away.

“You keep saying you want me to let go,” Sky said.

“But if you think I’m going to sign some piece of paper and let you walk out of this house like the last eight years meant nothing to me…”

He paused.

“…You’ll have to kill me first.”

Nani’s breath hitched.

“What?” he whispered.

Sky looked at him. And Nani realized something terrifying in that moment: Sky wasn’t bluffing.

He looked... exposed.

In a way that Nani had never seen before.

“You’ll have to kill me,” Sky said again, “because I won’t let you go. I can’t.”

Nani’s back hit the wall.

“I can’t let the kids grow up in a broken home, and maybe that’s the better part of me talking, maybe that’s the father in me,” Sky went on, stepping closer.

“But there’s another part. A selfish, sick part that doesn't want to lose you. That can’t imagine waking up and you’re not there. That can’t picture coming home and you’re not waiting for me.”

His hand reached out.

And this time, Nani didn’t move.

Sky’s fingers curled around his waist;

“You think I’ve been distant?” he murmured, gaze locked to Nani’s. “Maybe I have. But don’t mistake my silence for indifference. You’ve been the only constant in a life I never had control over. You and the twins are the only reason I haven't burned this whole life to the ground.”

Nani’s mouth parted slightly.

“Sky,” he breathed.

Sky leaned in.

And when their lips met, it was not gentle.

It was desperate.

It was hunger. It was something else masquerading as passion.

Sky kissed him like he was trying to undo years of damage, like he was clinging to the only thing left binding him to something real.

And Nani…Nani kissed him back.

He didn’t mean to. He didn’t plan to.

But his hands had a mind of their own.

Their mouths moved in sync. Sky pressed closer, pinning him against the wall, pulling him close.

For a moment, they were just breathing each other in.

Then—Nani pushed him.

Sky stumbled back..

Nani wiped at his mouth with trembling fingers.

“No,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Don’t do that. Don’t make this harder.”

Sky just stood there, stunned.

“I kissed you,” he said quietly. “You kissed me back.”

“I was weak,” Nani whispered. “Don’t confuse that for anything else.”

Sky didn’t answer.

He couldn’t.

Nani stepped around him, brushing past him.

Sky didn’t go after him.

He couldn’t. His legs wouldn’t move.

He stood there, hand still trembling from where it had just gripped Nani’s waist, from where he’d kissed him.

And Nani had kissed him back.

Even if it was only for a second.

That second was enough to ruin him.

Sky staggered backwards, collapsing onto the edge of the bed. His lungs were burning, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the kiss.

He sat there for a long time. Hands on his knees. Staring at the floor.

And then it came. A small realisation.

The truth.

Not the one he told everyone. Not even the one he tried to convince himself of.

The real one.

He didn’t want a divorce because…

Because he couldn’t let Nani go.

Not out of love.

…Sky couldn’t let Nani go because…

Because he needed him.

Because Nani was the only thing in Sky’s life that hadn’t changed.

He thought about his childhood.

Years of living in different cities, in houses that didn’t feel like homes. His mother’s silence and his father’s overbearing presence.

Everything was fleeting. Everything was temporary.
Except Nani.

Nani was always there. For nearly 9 years he was there.

At home, in the morning, handing him coffee even when they hadn’t spoken the night before. Nani was there during the quiet nights, brushing Neona’s hair. There when Smyle was sick, Nani somehow made it all better.

Sky came home from flights and knew the smell of dinner meant Nani was in the kitchen. That the laundry was folded. That the twins were safe. That the world made sense for five minutes.

He had someone to return to.

That mattered.

And now he was losing it.

Now that someone was slipping out of his hands.

Sky was realizing he’d never learned how to build anything to last.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴.

Not in the way people mean when they say it sweetly.

But in the awful, selfish way that said, 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.
Mine to come home to.
Mine to hold together the pieces of this house I’ve neglected.
Mine to stay.

Even if you’re unhappy.
Even if it hurts you.

He was selfish.

He knew that now.

But in the twisted, lonely part of his heart…he didn’t care.

Because if Nani left…

There’d be nothing left for Sky to hold onto.

His job would go on. The press would say what they always did. His father would sigh and shake his head, disappointed again.

But Sky?

Sky would come home to a house where nobody hummed in the kitchen.

Where no one reminded him to take his vitamins.
Where no tiny feet pounded the floor at 7 a.m.

And that thought scared him more than anything else ever had.

He wasn’t ready to let go of that.

He didn’t know if he’d ever be.

He wasn’t keeping Nani because he loved him.

He was keeping him to remain sane.

He only wished Nani understood that.

Even if it made him a monster.
Even if it made him… his father’s son.

Because Sky would rather be hated than be alone.

Nani’s hand was trembling

His chest was rising too fast. His legs were shaky beneath him.

Nani leaned against the wall, willing his heart to slow down. It didn’t listen. It kept thudding out of rhythm.

He blinked hard.

Then once more.

And still, the feeling didn’t leave.

The heat of Sky’s hand on his waist.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵."

Nani pressed the back of his hand to his mouth.

What the hell just happened?

He slid down the door, landing on the floor with a thump. The house was quiet again, but inside his mind everything was spinning.

Sky had never been like that. Never that intense. Never that unhinged.

He’d been angry before, sure. Disappointed. Cold, distant.

Sky could shut him out like it was second nature. Could ignore an argument by sleeping in the guest room and pretending it never happened.

But this?

That kiss?

That… desperation ?

It didn’t make sense.

Sky wasn’t supposed to behave like that.
Not after all this time.

He was supposed to nod. Say "I understand, Nani." Shake his hand. Help him pack. Arrange visitation like two emotionally intelligent co-parents trying their best for the kids.

He wasn’t supposed to grab him like he’d break if he let go.

He wasn’t supposed to kiss him like that.

Nani closed his eyes, groaning.

It wasn’t fair.

Because now everything was tangled again.

He had been so sure. So fucking certain that he was ready to walk away. That the love he carried for Sky had dulled enough to let him choose himself. That the distance between them had finally done its job.

But the way Sky kissed him, it brought that hope.

And what scared Nani the most?

𝘏𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬…𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺.

His hands had found Sky’s shoulders. His lips had parted. He let himself feel it. The weight.

He felt wanted.

He felt like maybe, all those years hadn’t been one-sided. That maybe Sky had felt something for him all along, just in the worst way.

And that terrified him more than anything else.

Because what if he stayed again?

What if he said, Okay, let’s try, and the cycle began again.

The silence. The waiting. The quiet heartbreak. The aching alone in bed.. The never-enoughs.

He didn’t think he could survive that a second time.

He didn’t want to survive it.

He needed more. Words. Affection. Reassurance. He needed to know .

And Sky… never told him.

Not once.

But now, Sky was spiraling.

And worse, he was serious.

He’d meant what he said.

𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.

That wasn’t love.

That was obsession. Desperation.

Nani brought trembling fingers to his lips.

𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.

He should . He should feel ashamed. Disgusted at himself. Furious.

But instead… all he felt was cold.

Cold and confused and tired.

Because he missed Sky.

And that kiss tasted like everything they could’ve been if they’d just loved each other.

Nani wiped his eyes. He hadn’t even realized they were wet.

He didn’t know what he was going to do.

But he knew one thing for certain:

He wasn’t over Sky.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮

Sky reached for the handle, pouring the hot water over the tea bag. His breath even. But inside… Everything was chaotic.

The kiss from last night hadn’t left his body.

Not his mouth.

Not his mind.

He hadn’t slept. Not really. His body had laid itself down, but his thoughts had gone rogue, replaying the scene in the bedroom over and over.

Nani’s face, the softness of his lips, the way he kissed him back, the way he pulled away like he hated himself for it.

Sky’s fingers tightened around the mug as he heard the front door open.

Light footsteps first. High-pitched voices.

“Phoooo! We’re back!”

Neona’s voice rang through the hallway. Sky stepped out from the kitchen, forcing a smile onto his face just in time to crouch down and open his arms.

Neona flew into them like always, squeezing his neck tight and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Welcome home,” Sky murmured.

Smyle trailed in next, carrying a plastic bag filled with what looked like leftover snacks from Nani’s mother.

Sky stood and ruffled his son’s hair, smiling gently. “Good trip?”

“Yup. Grandma let me put all the soap in the bath. It was sooo bubbly..”

Sky laughed softly. “Of course she did.”

And then Sky looked up, and there he was.

𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘪.

He hadn’t changed out of his jacket yet, car keys still in his hand. The moment his eyes met Sky’s across the room…he looked away.

Like it burned.

But Sky didn’t look away.

He couldn’t.

Not today.

There was a tension in the air that the children didn’t notice, too distracted by the babble of their own stories, the back-and-forth chatter about their visit and cartoons.

But Sky noticed.

He noticed the slight tremble in Nani’s jaw.

The way he busied himself with taking off his shoes too quickly, asking the kids to unpack their bags like he didn’t hear Sky’s “good morning.”

But he had heard…he always heard.

Sky just stood there with his mug in hand, eyes trailing after him shamelessly.

His gaze burned into the back of Nani’s neck, then to his shoulder, and further down.

The same body he had kissed last night, one hand pulling him in while the other trembled at the thought of letting him go.

He hadn’t meant to kiss him like that.

But God, he had needed to.

And now, every inch of Sky’s skin felt like it was on fire.

Every movement Nani made, the way he turned, the way he lowered himself to speak to Neona… made Sky’s throat dry.

He didn’t even need to touch him.

Just watching him was enough to drive him half-insane.

And it scared him.

Because Sky had never been this aware of Nani.

Not like this.

Now he wanted.

He wanted Nani to look at him.

To talk to him.

To touch him back and not regret it.

But Nani wouldn’t even meet his eyes.

The robe Nani wore brushed against his thighs as he walked past the living room, and Sky’s eyes followed the movement. He swallowed hard.

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

He’d told himself that already.

But being in the same room with Nani and pretending not to ache for him was becoming impossible.

Nani paused by the dining table, helping Smyle unpack his lunch bag. Neona handed him a drawing she’d made.

And Sky…

Sky stood at the archway of the kitchen, sipping tea that had gone cold in his hands, watching the man he had spent eight years beside but only now realized he’d never fully understood.

Nani laughed softly at something Smyle said. 

Sky’s heart clenched.

He could see the exhaustion behind Nani’s smile. The sadness in his shoulders.

And he replayed the memory of Nani’s mouth against his.

The way he had kissed him back like he needed it just as badly.

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭?

𝘖𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺?

Sky didn’t know.

All he knew was that he wanted more.

And that wanting more from someone who’d already asked you to let them go… that was the cruelest kind of want.

He was still staring when Nani finally looked up.

Their eyes met. For a split second.

Then Nani broke it.

He turned away again. Sky pressed his lips together.

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥.

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴.

But his body itched.

His fingers twitched.

“Pho?” Neona called, tugging at his sleeve. “Can we go to the park later?”

Sky blinked down at her. Forced a smile. “Of course we can, baby.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Nani moved away again.

The kids had just finished changing into their home clothes.

Neona had grabbed her sketchpad and planted herself on the living room floor. Smyle was halfway through organising his box of lego pieces.

Sky watched the hallway.

Nani was in the laundry room.

He had gone in with a basket, like it was the most important thing in the world.

Like laundry couldn’t wait. Like Sky didn’t exist just a couple metres away.

And maybe, to Nani, he didn’t.

Maybe the kiss meant nothing to him.

But Sky wasn’t going to accept that, not when his hands still remembered the shape of Nani’s waist.

Not when his mouth still tingled from how he’d tasted.

So he waited until Nani stepped out again.

“Hey,” Sky said, quietly.

Nani didn’t look surprised. Just tired.

“What is it?”

“Can we talk?” Sky asked. He flicked his eyes briefly toward the kids. “In private.”

Nani hesitated.

There was a moment, maybe two. He looked toward the living room.

Then he nodded once.

Sky stepped aside, letting Nani pass him. He followed.

They moved down the corridor, past the guest bathroom and the kids’ playroom, into the spare study Sky sometimes used when he needed space.

Sky didn’t waste time.

“You’ve been avoiding me...”

Nani’s back was straight, arms folded across his chest. “And?”

“And I get it,” Sky said. “But we need to talk. About what happened.”

“Which part?” Nani asked. “The part where I told you I wanted out? Or the part where you said I’d have to kill you first?”

Sky flinched.

“I meant it.”

“I know,” Nani said. “That’s what scares me.”

Sky stepped closer. “You kissed me back.”

“I was caught off guard.”

“But you kissed me back,” Sky repeated. “And for a moment, it felt— Don’t lie to me now, Nani.”

Nani’s jaw clenched. 

“Don’t do this,” he murmured. “Not now. Not when I’m trying to get some distance—”

“Distance from what?” Sky’s voice rose. “From me? From our kids? From the life we built?”

“From the pain, Sky!” Nani snapped. “From everything I’ve buried just to stay sane. From waiting and waiting and waiting for something you were never going to give me.”

Sky swallowed.

“I didn’t know how to,” he admitted. “I still don’t.”

Nani shook his head, closing his eyes. “That’s not good enough anymore.”

“I’m not good at saying things,” Sky said, stepping forward again. “But I feel them, Nani.”

“You only started saying that when I told you I was leaving.”

“Because I didn’t know I could lose you.”

“You never had me in the first place, Sky.”

Sky’s throat tightened.

“I let you in, Sky. Bit by bit. I made room for you in every part of my life—”

“And I came home to you,” Sky cut in. “Every time.”

“But never as someone in love with me.”

Sky didn’t have a reply for that.

He stepped closer, hand twitching at his side like he wanted to reach for him.

Nani finally turned back around. “Last night… you kissed me. And for a second, I believed it. But then I remembered—”

He didn’t finish.

Sky took a breath. “What if I want to try now? To fix things?”

“You’re too late, Sky.”

“I won’t believe that,” Sky said. “Not after how it felt.”

Nani opened his mouth, but the doorknob turned.

They both froze.

Smyle peeked his head in.

“Pa?” he asked innocently. “Where’s the scissors? Neona wants to cut out a butterfly.”

Nani blinked rapidly and turned his back to Sky.

Sky rubbed his temple. “Check the drawer next to the fridge, buddy.”

Smyle nodded, grinned, and disappeared.

The door clicked shut.

And Nani stayed exactly where he was, facing the bookshelf, staring at nothing.

Sky watched him. Then Nani spoke.

“You don’t have to keep doing this.”

Sky blinked. “Doing what?”

“This,” Nani said. “Pretending we can fix something you clearly don’t even want to admit is broken.”

“I’m not pretending.”

“You don’t want this,” Nani said, finally turning to face him.

“You never did. Not really.”

“That’s not true,” Sky replied, jaw tightening.

“Then let me go,” Nani whispered. “Let’s stop dragging each other through this. We’ll figure it out with the kids. We’ll co-parent. You’ll be free.”

Sky's eyes narrowed.

“And you?” he asked. “You’ll be what? Happy? Whole? You think walking away fixes everything?”

“I think it gives us a chance to live honestly.”

Sky laughed under his breath.

“Honestly,” he repeated. “Is that what you think this is about?”

Nani didn’t answer.

Sky stepped closer.

He didn’t touch him. 

“You want honesty?” he asked. “Here it is.”

“I don’t want to be free.”

That made Nani blink.

“I don’t want a new life. A fresh start. I don’t want to meet someone else, or sleep in a new bed, or split holidays with the twins.”

Sky’s eyes darkened.

“I want what I’ve always had. What’s always been mine.”

He took another step.

“You.”

Nani’s breath caught in his throat.

“I want you where you’ve always been, right here. In this house. In that bed. In this life. Because no matter how fucked up everything else was… at least I knew where to find you.”

Nani’s voice shook. “Sky…”

“You were my constant, Nani,” Sky said.

“When everything else fell apart… you were still there.”

His voice cracked.”

He stepped closer again. They were inches apart now.

“And now you’re leaving? Now that you’ve decided to be brave, you want me to play the gracious one? To sign some shitty paper and wish you well?”

He leaned in.

“I can’t.”

“Sky—”

“You want me to be honest?” he said again.

“Fine. If I have to become the worst version of myself to keep you, I will.”

He touched Nani’s jaw. His thumb grazed the edge of his cheek.

“Because you don’t get to leave me. Not after everything.”

“That’s not fair,” Nani whispered.

“No,” Sky said. “It isn’t.”

Then, slowly, his hand slid down. Around Nani’s waist. Holding him in place.

“I won’t let you go just because you think the idea of love is better than what we already have.”

Nani trembled slightly. “It’s not just an idea—”

“It is,” Sky cut in, firm.

“You think there’s something better out there. Something that’ll align with your fantasies. But we’ve bled for this. We’ve built this mess together. You think I’ll let that go just because you’ve decided to be brave now?”

“I’ve already made peace with being the bad guy,” Sky whispered. “So if you need a villain to push you away…. I’ll be that.”

“But I’ll keep you.”

And then… he kissed him.

It was desperate and raw.

And for a moment, just a moment… Nani gave in.

His hands clutched at Sky’s shirt. Their bodies pressed together, old muscle memory kicking in. But it didn’t last.

Nani pulled back, breathless, eyes wide, heart racing.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t do that.”

Sky’s gaze didn’t waver.

“Why?” he asked quietly. “Because you’ll kiss me back again?”

Nani turned away, running a hand through his hair, pacing now.

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore,” he admitted, voice cracking.

“Good,” Sky murmured. “Then we’re finally on the same page.”

Nani looked at him, conflicted.

“You can’t just use that to trap me.”

“I’m not trying to trap you,” Sky said.

He stepped forward again.

“I’m trying to remind you that no one else will ever know you the way I do.”

“I don’t belong to you.”

Sky laughed bitterly.

“I don’t think either of us believe that.”

Chapter Text

𝘈/𝘕: 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯…

8 years ago
~

They’d been married a little more than a year when the first contractions came.

It wasn’t exactly the timing Sky would’ve chosen for starting a family, but following his father’s wishes, he and Nani had agreed to try early on.

His father had been very clear. A marriage like this works better with children in it.

Sky didn’t know if he believed that, but he hadn’t argued.

When the call came from Nani’s assigned nurse saying he was already at the Hospital, Sky had left the company without a second thought. He didn’t even stop to collect his things from the meeting room. Whatever else he might have failed at, he wasn’t going to miss this.

The maternity ward smelled faintly of antiseptic. Through the doorway, he caught sight of Nani on the bed, one hand gripping the rail while a nurse adjusted the drip.

The room was a bit chaotic, there were monitors beeping, nurses giving instructions and checking Nani and the twins' vitals.

Sky stepped in quietly, keeping to the wall. His eyes caught on the counter where a stack of patient folders lay open. The one on top was Nani’s.

Nani Changkham.

The surname sat wrong in his chest. That wasn’t his name anymore. On paper, at least, they’d done everything right.

His gaze slid to the two small plastic wristbands set out beside the file. White bands, printed in neat black text: Baby Changkham 1 and Baby Changkham 2.

He didn’t know what it was exactly that flared in him, maybe he was irritated.

When one of the nurses passed near, he stepped into her path, “Can I speak to you for a second?”

She blinked, pausing.

“The patient’s name is wrong,” Sky said, keeping his voice even. “It should be Nateetorn , not Changkham.”

“Oh…he was registered that way in the system—”

“It’s incorrect,” Sky cut in. “We’re married. He’s having our children. Fix it.”

The nurse nodded quickly, murmuring something about updating the records, and moved off toward the desk.

Sky’s gaze returned to the bed. Another contraction hit; Nani had his fingers curling around the bedrail. He didn’t look at Sky this time, too focused on breathing through the pain.

Sky didn’t tell him about the mix-up. He just stood there.

The beeping of the monitor was quite loud as Sky moved closer to the bed. Nani’s breaths were short and erratic.

“You’re doing well,” Sky said.

Nani gave the smallest nod. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but the doctor was already leaning in, murmuring about the next contraction, about pushing.

𝘈/𝘕: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵…𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵😭 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭…

Everything focused on that moment, the nurses guiding Nani’s legs, the doctor’s hands waiting for the arrival of the twins.

Sky stayed just at the side of the bed, his own hands gripping the cold rail. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Everything was about to change.

Minutes passed by that made seconds feel longer. There were low murmurs, sharp intake of Nani’s breaths, and then—

A cry.

A high-pitched sound..

Sky’s chest tightened. The doctor spoke to the nurses, passing the small, squirming body into their hands. Another contraction came quickly after, another push, another rush of movement, and then a second cry, a bit different from the first, but just as loud.

Nani slumped back against the pillows.

Sky stayed by the bed, silent, watching as the nurses moved with precision, wiping each baby clean, checking their vitals, wrapping them in the soft hospital swaddles.

When they were satisfied, one nurse bent toward the bed. “Would you like to hold them?”

Nani’s eyes softened in a way Sky rarely saw. His arms trembled as he reached out, and the nurse laid the first baby into his arms..

The room seemed to quiet down. Nani looked down at the small face, brushing his thumb carefully over the baby’s cheek.

The second baby was placed in his other arm, and Nani adjusted them carefully, his whole body leaning protectively around the two small bundles. His gaze moved between them.

“They have your eyes,” he murmured, looking up at Sky.

Sky’s mouth tightened. He didn’t answer.

“And the boy…” Nani glanced down at the baby in his left arm, “…has your nose.”

One of the nurses gently stepped in then, murmuring about taking the babies for their final checks. Nani let them go slowly.

Sky watched as the nurses worked. And then one of them turned toward him.

“Would you like to hold them?”

This time, Sky stepped forward. The nurse passed him the boy first, then the girl, and the weight settled into his arms.

“You’ve done well,” Sky said, looking over at Nani. “I promise I’ll take care of our family.”

Nani smiled faintly. He looked away.

Sky didn’t notice. Or maybe he didn’t let himself.

Nani’s arms felt strangely light once the babies were gone from him, as though some essential part of him had been lifted away.

The nurse was tucking the blankets back over his legs, murmuring something about rest, but his gaze was fixed on the other side of the room.

Sky stood near the bassinet where the twins had been laid after their checks. He wasn’t holding them, just watching.

When the nurse stepped back, Sky leaned down and slid his arms under the girl first, cradling her against his chest. Nani watched his fingers, adjusting the swaddle so she was secure. Then he reached for the boy, holding them both together, one in each arm.

They looked impossibly small against him.

Something in Nani’s chest tightened. He wanted to remember this: Sky’s broad frame bent over the two tiny lives they had made together. The way his eyes softened when he looked down at them.

But there was also a hollow feeling, just beneath the warmth.

Sky’s promise from a moment ago still hung between them, replaying in Nani’s mind. I’ll take care of our family.

It was… good. Solid. Practical. The kind of thing you could rely on.

But it wasn’t what he’d wanted.

He wanted something warmer. He wanted to hear that Sky was glad. That he was proud. That this wasn’t just a responsibility, but a joy.

Instead, he got some sort of vow to protect, not to feel. Not to love.

Nani’s fingers twisted lightly in the hospital blanket. His smile was still on his face when Sky finally looked over at him. Sky crossed the space between them and bent slightly so Nani could see the twins more closely. “They’re quiet now,” he said, almost to himself.

Nani nodded, eyes flicking to the babies’ faces. “They like you.”

Sky didn’t answer.

The silence wasn’t foreign to Nani, but it wasn’t warm. It just… was.

The room was dimly lit by the time the nurses finished their last round of checks.

The twins were asleep in the bassinet beside him, their breathing so light he had to look twice to be sure they were still moving. Every now and then, one of them would twitch.

Sky was standing by the edge of the bed, scrolling briefly through something on his phone before tucking it into his jacket pocket. The movement caught Nani’s attention.

“You’re leaving?” he asked.

“I have to,” Sky said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “There’s a flight tomorrow morning, and I need to be at the office first.”

Nani’s brow furrowed. “You can’t stay? Just for the night?” His voice was soft, but there was an edge under it.

Sky shook his head, almost apologetic. “If you get discharged early, I’ll have two people come by and help you with the twins until I’m back.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

“I can’t miss this flight,” Sky said.

“It’s important.”

Nani stared at him for a moment, searching his face for some sign that he might reconsider. All he found was that same steadiness that he knew as his husband.

He looked away first, down at the twins. “Right,” he murmured. “Work’s important.”

Sky didn’t respond.

There was no fight, not really. Just the heavy kind of silence that left things unsaid. Sky reached for his bag, gave the twins one last look, and then leaned over the bed.

“You’ll be fine,” he said, almost like a reassurance.

Nani forced a smile. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

But when the door clicked shut behind him, the room felt colder.

The room became quiet once Sky was gone. Nani sat propped up against the pillows, staring at the bassinet. Both babies were asleep.

His hand rested lightly on the edge of the bassinet, close enough that if either of them stirred, he could touch them.

Sky had been there.

That should be enough.

Plenty of people did this alone. He’d heard the stories, fathers who never showed up, partners who didn’t even make it to the hospital, men who stayed in meetings while their children were born.

Sky hadn’t done that. He’d left work in the middle of the day. He’d stood beside the bed. He’d held the twins in his arms.

He’d promised to take care of their family.

Wasn’t that what mattered?

Nani told himself it was all that mattered. He thought about it over and over…to prove it didn’t hurt.

Still, the image of him leaving lingered. The way Sky had stood there, jacket over his arm, voice steady as he said he couldn’t miss the next flight.

The way he’d talked about sending people to help…as if help was interchangeable, as if presence could be replaced.

Nani’s chest tightened.

He was here when it counted, he reminded himself. He didn’t have to be, but he was.

And if a part of him wanted more, wanted Sky to stay, to sit here through the night just to be near.

Well, that was selfish, wasn’t it?

You couldn’t expect someone to drop everything just because you wanted to feel less alone.

He brushed a finger gently against the little girl’s cheek.

“You’ll see,” he whispered. “Your father…he’ll take care of us.”

The words were meant to reassure, but they tasted strange in his mouth..

And so he lay back, pretending that the space beside the bed didn’t feel emptier than it should.

Chapter Text

Present day
~

It had been a week since Sky had looked him in the eye and said Nani would have to kill him first before he’d let him go.

And yet… everything was normal.

Eerily normal.

The kids went to school and came home. Meals were cooked, laundry was folded, and the house carried on as if nothing had changed seven nights ago.

Nani didn’t know what to make of it.

The only thing that wasn’t normal, if you could even call it that, was Sky himself.

It started the morning after when he insisted on driving with Nani to pick up the twins from school.

Then it was the supermarket, Sky pushing a separate trolley, drifting into a different aisle but always in sight, his eyes watching Nani between the shelves.

Once, in the fruit & veg section, Nani had looked up from choosing some bananas for the kids to see Sky a few metres away, leaning on the trolley handle, watching like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And then there was yesterday. Nani had told him casually over breakfast, I’m going to see my mom today.

That afternoon, his mom opened the door smiling and said, “Oh, I got a call from Sky earlier, he said he called just to check in and ask how I was doing.”

Nani had blinked at her, unsure what to say.

It was weird.

Sky was still distant—not in the way Nani had grown used to. Sky had anchored himself to Nani in a way that didn’t need conversation, just presence.

Too much presence.

It was everywhere.

He was everywhere.

When he reached for milk in the fridge, Sky was standing in the doorway. When he unlocked his car, Sky was already sliding into the passenger seat.

He wasn’t touching, wasn’t demanding, wasn’t saying anything out of line. But he was there.

Always there, for the past week.

And Nani wasn’t sure if that was supposed to make him feel safe or trapped.

The next day was the twins’ bake sale, and he’d promised Neona and Smyle a dozen cupcakes each, with pink and blue frosting.

Nani stood at the counter in an old shirt and sweatpants, hair tied back, carefully spooning batter into cupcake liners. The house was quiet. The kind of quiet that only came when the kids were asleep.

He didn’t hear Sky at first; he just felt that subtle shift in the air behind him. When he glanced over his shoulder, Sky was leaning in the doorway, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on him.

“Do you want property in your name?”

The question was so out of place that Nani froze. “What?”

Sky stepped further into the kitchen. “I’ve been looking at the trust fund lately. The kids are secured, but you don’t have anything in your name. I could change that.”

Nani let out a laugh. “What, you want to buy me a house? So I can have more money and an even better reason to leave you?”

Sky froze, just for a moment. His gaze flicked over Nani’s face. Then he moved until he was right behind him.

His hands settled on Nani’s waist; the grip was firm enough to make his pulse spike. Sky’s breath was warm against his ear when he spoke.

“You know…”

“It’s okay to hate me, Nani.”

“It really is.”

Nani’s hands tightened around the mixing spoon.

“I just…” Sky’s tone shifted.

“…I just don’t think you realise that, that’s not working on me.”

“You can close the distance from me all you want...but as long as you are all pretty and wrapped up in our house, in my bed…” He leaned in closer.

“…I don’t have a single worry.”

Nani’s breath caught.

“And if you’re worried that I’ll give you time to plot while I’m away at work,” Sky went on, “you’ll be delighted to know that I’ve told my fool of a father I’ll be working from Bangkok now. Permanently.”

“Where I can keep my eyes on you.”

The spoon clattered onto the counter. Nani felt the frustration rise in his chest.

“Oh my fucking God, Sky—are you a psycho?”

“Shhh, Nani…” Sky’s gaze didn’t waver. “The babies are asleep.”

Nani’s jaw tightened. “If you want to talk,” he bit out, “let’s go to our room.”

Sky’s mouth curved into a smirk as he stepped back just enough to let Nani pass. But his eyes stayed locked on him, like a man who already knew he’d get exactly what he wanted.

Nani’s mind wasn’t on the cupcakes anymore.

Sky’s voice was still blasting in his head. “ Where I can keep my eyes on you”.

Without a word, he turned on his heel and left the kitchen.

His bare feet padded up the stairs until he reached the bedroom. He went straight in and turned sharply toward the far corner, his breath quickening before he’d even decided what to say.

Behind him, Sky entered the bedroom a minute later and locked the door.

The bedroom door clicked shut.

Nani spun around, eyes narrowing.

Sky was leaning against the door, his gaze fixed on him, as if he’d been expecting this.

“You should let it out,” Sky said, his voice low, almost coaxing Nani.

“I’ll learn to know you better than anyone, Nani.”

“I’m sorry that the only thing I’ve learnt in the past eight years…” His eyes dropped briefly to Nani’s frame. “…was your body.”

Nani felt his stomach twist. He moved before he could think, crossing the space and shoving Sky hard against the door.

Sky didn’t resist.

Nani shoved again, harder this time. “You think this is a joke?”

One corner of Sky’s mouth twitched.  “No.”

“You’re bringing out the worst in me,” Nani spat, pushing him again, though Sky didn’t budge.

“Good,” Sky murmured. “Then I’m seeing the parts you’ve been hiding.”

“And I’ll learn how your mind works. I’ll keep you here, in this house, with me… forever.”

“You have to be kidding me!” Nani shouted.

“Why now, Sky? Why, when I finally decided to move on—why the fuck are you ruining me?”

“Why are you pushing my fucking buttons!”

Sky’s eyes didn’t leave his. “You know the reasons, Nani. I told you.”

He leaned forward slightly. “You’re my one constant thing that I get to keep. My flower.”

The word landed like a slap. He reached up and grabbed Sky by the neck. His fingers pressed into the warm skin just below Sky’s jaw.

“I’m not your fucking flower,” he said.

Sky chuckled. His hands moved slowly, deliberately, to Nani’s waist, pulling him closer until their hips brushed.

“Oh, but you are,” he murmured.

“A pretty flower kept in a glass vase.”

“And you know what…”

Nani’s gaze flickered to Sky’s mouth before forcing itself back up to meet his eyes. “What?”

“My flower has thorns that it’s been hiding,” Sky said.

“Thorns that could hurt me… but no big deal.” He leaned closer until his breath was warm against Nani’s ear. “I’ll trim the thorns so I can keep my flower looking pretty.”

Nani’s grip on his neck tightened. “You’re a sick fuck, Sky.”

“Mmm,”

Sky tightened his fingers around Nani’s waist.

“You make me crazy, Nani.”

Nani’s lips parted, a response dancing on his tongue, but Sky beat him to it.

“And I’m…beginning to like it so much.”

Nani’s heart was racing, his mind urging him to push Sky away and pull him closer all at once. It was the same maddening loop they’d been locked in for years.

Sky’s thumbs stroked his waist as if he were soothing him.

“You’re mine, Nani,” Sky said softly. “And I’m yours. No matter what you say, or who you try to be without me.”

Nani’s grip on his neck didn’t loosen. His eyes burned with frustration. It was driving Nani crazy, knowing that no matter how hard he pushed, Sky would take it. Would absorb it. Would find a way to twist it into proof that he’d won.

“You can’t keep me like this,” Nani said, though his voice faltered just slightly.

“I already am.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the vibration of the air conditioner and the uneven rhythm of their breathing.

Nani let go first, his hand falling away from Sky’s neck. But he didn’t step back. He stayed close, their foreheads nearly touching, as if proximity was a punishment they both deserved.

Sky didn’t move either. His hands stayed on Nani’s waist, his eyes searching Nani’s face like he was trying to commit it to memory.

And though Nani wanted to believe this was just another fight, a part of him knew it wasn’t.

“I’ll be joining you for tomorrow’s charity event,” Sky said, like he didn't just threaten his husband.

Nani blinked, thrown by the sudden declaration. “What?”

“I’ll be there.”

“No,” Nani said instantly. “You won’t.”

Sky tilted his head. “I will.”

“You’ll make me the laughingstock of the entire event,” Nani said. “People will know. People will talk. You don’t understand—”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Sky cut in.

“Dress comfortably for tomorrow.”

Nani’s jaw dropped for half a second before he shut it again. “You don’t care about my reputation?”

“I care about you being there. With me.”

It was too blunt, too simple, like the only logic that mattered was his own.

Nani exhaled, stepping back far enough to create real space now, folding his arms as if it might shield him from Sky’s gaze. “Why me?” he demanded. “Why did you pick me as your constant? Why not someone else?”

Sky’s brows pulled together slightly in confusion. “Who else if not you?” he said.

It wasn’t tender, it wasn’t romantic. It was a fact in his mind.

The words made Nani’s stomach twist in a way he didn’t want to acknowledge.

Sky moved past him then, heading for the door. The lock clicked softly as he slid it open. He glanced over his shoulder. “Sleep well,” he said. “I’ll finish the kids’ cupcakes.”

Nani didn’t answer.

He stood there, watching Sky’s hand on the door. “So will you ever love me, Sky?”

The question left him before he’d even decided to ask it.

For a moment, Sky didn’t move. Then he turned, his expression unreadable, and crossed the space between them in three slow strides.

When he stopped in front of Nani, he lifted one hand and cupped his cheek.

“I’ll claim you, I’ll provide for you, like we said in our vows,” Sky said quietly.

“Like I always have, Hirunkit Nateetorn. Don’t forget that you are my husband.”

“Don’t you forget it.”

Nani’s breath caught. The way Sky said my husband made it sound less like a title and more like some sort of branding.

Sky’s eyes searched his, looking to see if Nani would protest.

Then he stepped back. “I’ll be in the kitchen,” he said simply, turning and walking out as if the conversation was over.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Nani stood where he was for a long moment, staring at the space Sky had just vacated. His cheek still felt warm where Sky’s hand had been. 

He sat on the edge of the bed. Nani dragged a hand over his face, groaning quietly into his palm.

He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about tomorrow’s event, about the way Sky would stand beside him like he belonged there, unbothered by the whispers.

He told himself he hated it. He told himself Sky was a sick person for thinking this was what marriage was.

But deep down, under all the resentment, there was the truth he couldn't deny… Sky’s presence had always been a constant. And all fixed things were hard to walk away from.

The next morning
~

Nani had slept harder than he meant to.

When he finally blinked his eyes open, the clock on the nightstand told him he’d overslept. He felt oddly refreshed. He also felt like staying in bed.

Beside him, Sky was still in bed, one arm tucked under his pillow, the other resting loosely on the blanket. His hair was messy from sleep.

The house should have been quiet, but then there was a knock on the bedroom door, followed by Smyle’s small voice: “Pa? Pho? We’re hungry!”

Nani froze; he felt like sitting up. But before he could, Sky’s arm shifted.

“I know you’re awake, Nani.”

Nani’s breath hitched.

Sky didn’t even open his eyes when he said it, his tone as sure as if he’d seen him move. “Your feet have been moving restlessly.”

“I’ll handle the kids. You can stay in bed.”

Nani’s fingers tightened in the blanket.

Sky swung his legs over the edge of the bed, pulling on a shirt from the chair. Before standing, he glanced back and reached over, patting Nani’s head.

“Don’t go anywhere till I get back.”

Then he got up, crossing the room. The door clicked softly as he left.

Nani lay there with his eyes still shut, but his heart was racing.

How did Sky know he was awake? Was he that obvious? How long had Sky been reading his gestures so well?

It wasn’t just the words, either. It was the way Sky’s voice sounded in the morning.

It made him think of years ago, when the twins were still babies and Sky would come home from work trips in the middle of the night.

His voice back then had the same texture. Sky would find him in bed, slip in behind him, and have his way with him…and Nani enjoyed it more than he’d like to admit.

Back then, Sky had been younger, his energy endless. Nani had been younger too, full of life, still believing there was something more between them waiting to bloom.

He rolled onto his back now, staring at the ceiling. Those mornings had been the closest thing to feeling wanted.

Now, the feeling was different.

And yet, his body still reacted to the sound of Sky’s voice.

It didn’t take long for the sound of Sky’s footsteps to return down the hallway.

Nani stayed still, breathing slowly and even, his eyes shut like he was still half-asleep.

The mattress dipped under Sky’s weight. He didn’t say anything at first, just sat there long enough.

“You’re not a kid, Nani,” Sky said quietly. “If you want something, you should tell me.”

Nani’s lashes fluttered, but he didn’t open his eyes.

Sky leaned in a little. “You look like you need to get off .”

Nani’s fingers twitched in the blanket, but he didn’t move, didn’t give Sky the satisfaction of a reaction.

Sky chuckled under his breath. “I can always tell.”

Nani’s heartbeat thudded harder, and he hated that Sky would be able to see it in the subtle shift of his breathing.

Sky lingered by the bed, his shadow spilling across the sheets, waiting for Nani to crack.

Nani cracked.

He rolled onto his side and looked at him sharply. “A marriage isn’t just sex, Sky.”

Sky’s mouth curved slowly.

“I know,” he said easily.

“But our bodies say differently. And I’ve never had you complain once.”

Sky’s gaze slid down his body, shamelessly. “No matter how much you hate me,”

“You definitely don’t hate my body.”

The audacity…and the accuracy in his words made Nani roll his eyes.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Nani shot back, even though it sounded weaker than he wanted.

“Oh, I’m not flattering myself,” Sky said.

“I’m stating facts.”

After a couple of minutes, Sky straightened up, raking his eyes over him one last time. “I’ll be dropping the kids off,” he said, “and I’ll be back after I get us some food.”

Nani raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I want to eat with you?”

Sky smirked, ignoring Nani’s words.

“Take a shower and… ‘fix’ yourself since you don’t want my help, husband.”

Nani grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it higher, trying to look indifferent.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Sky tilted his head, his eyes glinting.

“I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.”

“Psycho,” Nani muttered under his breath.

“Mmm.”

Sky’s smirk widened, like the insult was a compliment. He stepped toward the door, without looking back.

The door shut softly behind him.

Nani stared at it for a long second before flopping back onto the bed. He buried his face into the pillow and let out a muffled yell.

Why did Sky have this effect on him? Weeks ago, he’d been ready to divorce him. Ready to sign the papers and be free of this...

And then Sky had turned out to be a psycho.

Nani rolled onto his side, glaring at the faint dent Sky’s body had left in the mattress. His mind conjured the image of Sky’s morning hair, that lazy, confident smirk, the way his eyes had dragged down his body without hesitation.

He hated it.

He hated that he didn’t hate it enough.

And that was the worst part.

Knowing that no matter how much he thought he’d built walls high enough to keep Sky out, the man always found the cracks.

Nani pressed the pillow harder over his face and groaned into the fabric. “Fucking psycho,” he muttered again.

Out in the hall, the faint sound of the twins’ voices floated through, followed by Sky’s voice.

Nani exhaled slowly. He told himself that this was temporary.

That whatever game Sky thought he was playing would burn itself out.

But deep down, he knew better.

Sky didn’t play games that he didn’t intend to win.

By the time Sky came back, the kitchen counter was cleared except for the takeout he set down between them. He unpacked it without asking, sliding a plate toward Nani like they were just any couple on any day.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Nani tapped his fork against the edge of his plate.

“What will you wear to the event?”

Sky glanced up from his coffee, eyebrows lifting with deliberate slowness. “I thought you didn’t want me there?”

“I don’t,” Nani replied. “I just don’t want you to embarrass me.”

“One of my pressed suits. I sent it out yesterday.”

Nani gave a short nod, his eyes still on his plate. “What time are we leaving?”

“Six pm”, Sky replied. “I assume the kids will be at your mom’s?”

“Yes,” Nani said. “As always.”

“Good,” Sky murmured, taking another sip of coffee. “I have some work to take care of in the office. Should be done by three, then I’ll get ready to leave.”

“…Okay.”

“Nani.”

“….”

“Nani, look at me.”

Nani’s head jerked up. “What?!”

Sky chuckled. “You look like our children when they’re upset.”

“Sky, you—”

“Don’t forget to wear your wedding ring, Hirunkit.”

Nani tilted his head, giving him a dry stare. “I’ll check… if I still have it.”

Sky’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re playing very dangerous games with me.”

“Am I?” Nani shot back.

“Yes,” Sky said simply. “And I’m warning you—don’t test my patience.”

That was the last thread. Nani’s hand reached towards his plate, and he nearly slammed it to the floor just to wipe that calm expression off of Sky’s face.

“You can’t just act like things have always been this way!” he snapped.

Sky chuckled, like the outburst barely fazed him. “Finish your food,” he said. “Then go get your outfit and makeup ready for the afternoon.”

Nani glared at him, wanting to retort, but Sky was already standing, like the conversation was settled.

He picked up his coffee mug like there wasn’t still tension in the air thick enough to choke on.

Nani sat perfectly still, glaring at his plate like it had personally offended him. He could feel Sky moving behind him when he passed toward the hallway. 

Just as Sky reached the doorway, Nani muttered under his breath, “Feels like I’m a fucking maid in my own house.”

Sky stopped. Slowly.

He turned his head just enough for Nani to see him. “Maids don’t use foul language,” he said.

That was it. The last shred of Nani’s patience. He shoved back his chair so hard it scraped the tile with a loud screech and crossed the kitchen until he was standing right in front of him.

“Say that again,” Nani hissed.

Sky’s gaze flicked lazily down at him. He didn’t move back. If anything, he leaned in slightly. “Why? You want me to clean your mouth?”

“Keep talking and I’ll slap you.”

A flicker of amusement passed through Sky’s eyes.

“Go ahead,” Sky murmured. “I welcome you to try.”

The invitation wasn’t even fully out of his mouth before Nani’s hand came up and slapped him hard across the face.

Sky’s head turned with the impact, before he slowly brought his gaze back to Nani. His cheek was red.

“Feel better?” he asked.

Nani didn’t flinch. “Not yet.”

Sky’s nostrils flared in a sharp exhale. He stepped in so close their chests brushed.

“Go calm down before I do something I’ve been dying to do, Nani.”

Nani’s glare didn’t waver. “You think I’m afraid of you?”

“Oh, I know you’re not afraid of me,” Sky said.

“But I promise you this, I won’t slap you, Nani. I’ll break your back.”

“And I’ll leave you aching for days.”

Nani’s pulse spiked. “You’re disgusting.”

Sky’s smirk widened just enough to show teeth. “And you’ve never once turned me down.”

“Because you—,” Nani snapped.

“Because you don’t mean it,” Sky countered instantly.

“You can lie to yourself all you want, Hirunkit, but I’ve known your body longer than I’ve known my own patience.”

“Patience?” Nani scoffed. “Is that what you call stalking me through grocery aisles and showing up where you’re not wanted?”

“Patience is what’s keeping me from pinning you against this counter right now,” Sky shot back.

Nani’s hand twitched like he might slap him again, but Sky caught his wrist mid-air this time, fingers wrapping around it in a firm, unyielding grip.

“Try it twice in one morning,” Sky said, his tone lowering into something dangerous. “I dare you.”

Nani’s voice broke the silence. “Weeks ago, I was ready to divorce you. I should have gone through with it.”

“Weeks ago, I thought you’d always be here. I’m just keeping you here with me.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” Nani spat.

“No,” Sky said. “It is.”

The grip on Nani’s wrist loosened, but Sky didn’t step back. Instead, he leaned down, his breath brushing Nani’s ear.

“Finish your food. Go upstairs. Get your outfit and your makeup ready. You want to look good for all those people tonight, don’t you?”

Nani jerked back just enough to glare at him. “I want to look good for me .”

Sky’s smirk returned. “Then make sure you do. Because when they see you, they’ll see me.”

With that, he stepped away, picking up his coffee mug again like the conversation hadn’t just nearly spiralled into a fight. 

Nani stood there for a long moment, chest heaving. His palm tingled from the slap, and his whole body buzzed.

The urge to throw something was still there. But so was the awareness of exactly what Sky had done.

He had gotten under Nani’s skin.

He hadn’t lost control. He’d wanted that slap. He’d wanted Nani to snap. Every word, every infuriating smirk, every sultry, taunting line had been carefully dropped like bait. Not to push Nani away, but to draw him in.

Because now, Sky could say it again.

Look how you react to me.
Look how your body still wants me.
You still care.

Nani’s throat tightened. Sky hadn’t screamed. He hadn’t begged. He hadn’t even raised his voice. He’d just steered the argument like he always did.

And now Sky had the upper hand again.

When the sound of Sky’s footsteps faded, Nani let out a broken, frustrated sound and grabbed the nearest pillow.

He pressed his face into it and screamed until his lungs burned. The worst part wasn’t that Sky had this effect on him.

The worst part was Sky knowing… that he was right .

Chapter Text

After breakfast, Nani retreated upstairs, hoping that putting space between them might cool the heat still thrumming in his chest.

He moved through the motions, tidying the bedroom, stacking the laundry basket near the door…but his mind kept looping back to the kitchen.

Maids don’t use foul language.

Don’t forget to wear your wedding ring, Hirunkit.

The conversation replayed in sharp fragments, each piece making his jaw clench tighter.

Was Sky always this infuriatingly calm? Like nothing Nani said, no matter how sharp, how personal, could land deep enough to rattle him.

Why didn’t he break? Why didn’t he even flinch when Nani told him he’d been ready to divorce him?

It was maddening. Sky’s composure wasn’t just stubbornness—it was deliberate.

A wall built high and smooth enough that Nani couldn’t find a single handhold. And every time Nani thought he’d found a crack, Sky somehow turned it into a grip on him instead.

And then there was the damned wedding ring.

Nani didn’t want to admit it, but the marquise diamond had been sitting in his drawer for weeks, tucked away carefully in its velvet box, not out of neglect, but because he didn’t want to ruin it while doing dishes or scrubbing the counters.

Still, Sky had noticed its absence. Of course he had.

What bothered Nani wasn’t that Sky noticed...it was the memory of Sky’s gaze when he wore it.

That subtle, infuriating look, like he was almost proud. Not smug, not arrogant, but proud. And maybe that should’ve felt flattering. Maybe it should’ve been harmless.

But something about it got under Nani’s skin, made him feel like the ring wasn’t just a piece of jewelry, it was a claim, a flag planted in plain sight.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his hands idle in his lap. He hated it. He hated Sky’s gaze. And yet…  he didn’t hate Sky.

Not entirely.

It was a lie he told himself because it was easier than admitting the opposite...that, in ways he didn’t want to name, he found Sky alluring.

It was the way his voice could wrap around a word and make it sound like something else entirely.

Nani sighed, leaning back onto the bed until he was staring up at the ceiling. He could still hear Sky’s voice in his head:

Don’t test my patience… I’ll break your back… Don’t you forget you’re my husband.

God, he hated him.

The keyboard keys clicked softly under Sky’s fingers as he finalised the last draft of the contract. He adjusted a figure, cross-checked a margin, and hit save. 

A familiar voice came through the screen.

“Phi, are you still there?”

“I’m here,” Sky said, eyes still on the screen.

The dark screen changed to a video call where Pond could be seen cradling a cup of iced Americano in one hand and a colourful doughnut in the other.

“You finishing that pitch deck for the Seoul deal?” Pond asked.

Sky didn’t look up. “Almost. I’ll send it in by tomorrow.”

“I thought the deadline was this evening?”

“I have other obligations.”

Pond raised an eyebrow. “What kind?”

Sky clicked his mouse. “I’m accompanying my husband to a charity event tonight.”

Pond blinked. “Oh. That’s... unexpected. You never do events.”

Sky didn’t answer that.

Pond took a loud sip. “So… how’s he doing?”

“Fine,” Sky said smoothly, fingers still typing. “He’s well.”

“Good, good. Married life’s insane, right?” Pond chuckled.

“Phuwin kicked me in the balls during the first two weeks we lived together. Over a towel.”

Sky looked up then, one brow raised. “And you’re telling me this because…?”

Pond grinned. “Just wondering if your husband is sassy too. I mean, he is a pretty thing.”

Sky’s fingers paused over the keyboard.

A small silence settled in the room.

“Pond,” he said slowly.

“What do you mean… ‘pretty thing’?”

Pond blinked. “Sky… bro. You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I definitely am.”

Pond hesitated, sensing something shift. “Okay, okay—relax. I meant no harm”

“Don’t refer to him as anything else other than my husband, ” Sky said, his gaze pinning Pond in place.

“…Understood,” Pond mumbled. “Don’t be so controlling.”

Sky made a soft noise in the back of his throat, something between a scoff and amusement.

Pond tried to redirect. “Phuwin would kill me anyway if I called anyone besides him pretty. He doesn’t play around.”

Sky tilted his head slightly. “You let your husband control you?”

Pond chuckled. “Phi… Have you ever heard of the phrase happy wife, happy life ?”

Sky blinked slowly. “So you’re saying it applies to husbands too?”

“Exactly,” Pond said with a grin. “If I have to grovel at Phuwin’s feet, I’ll do it. I’ll whine, cry, beg…whatever it takes to live another day. I can’t live without him.”

Sky watched him.

“I don’t see the need,” he said finally. “Just tell him to never leave.”

Pond looked up from his doughnut. “It’s not that simple, Phi. He can be physically present if I do that, sure. But emotionally, he won’t be there.”

Sky didn’t flinch.

“And why does that matter, Pond?”

The younger man paused.

“Because I’m considerate about his feelings?” he said, like it was obvious.

Sky leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his lap.

“ Mmm, ” he hummed. “Seems tedious.”

Pond frowned. “Caring is tedious to you?”

“No,” Sky said. “It’s a bit inefficient.”

He looked at his screen again, as if that concluded the matter.

Pond didn’t respond immediately. His fingers tapped softly on the side of the cup.

“Phi… with all due respect, I think maybe you’ve never been in love.”

Sky’s eyes flicked up. “Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m not trying to be rude,” Pond said.

“I just mean…you act like people are pieces on a board. If you want someone to stay, you trap them. If they act out, you corner them. That’s not love…”

“It’s not a game, either.”

“No,” Pond agreed. “It’s not. But sometimes you treat it like war.”

Sky’s lips twitched. “Wars are fought to protect what matters most.”

“Love isn’t about war, Phi.”

Sky tilted his head. “Isn’t it? If it’s not worth fighting for, it’s not worth having.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

Sky’s voice was quiet but firm.

“I don’t need Nani to be overflowing with affection. I just need him here. ” He glanced at Pond.

“I’ll give him everything, shelter, safety, provision. He never has to lift a finger.”

“But what about his heart?” Pond asked. “What about giving him peace?”

Sky leaned forward slightly. “If peace means he drifts from me… I’m not interested.”

Pond stared at him for a moment.

“Phi,” he said finally, voice low. “That’s not love.”

Sky didn’t respond.

He turned back to his computer and clicked open another tab.

“Make sure the Seoul files are compiled by noon tomorrow,” he said, like nothing had happened.

Pond got up slowly, his face unreadable now.

“Understood,” he said softly.

But before he left the Teams call, he hesitated. “Phi Sky?”

Sky didn’t look up.

Pond sighed. “I hope one day… you’ll realise that your partner should never be the one who needs to be kept like a caged animal.”

The Teams call ended with a soft chime.

Sky sat still, fingers resting on the desk, watching the screen go dark.

The silence that followed felt like it had been waiting all morning to settle.

His eyes didn’t leave the screen.

Emotionally, he won’t be there…

Why does that matter, Pond?

Because I’m considerate about his feelings.

Sky’s lips twitched, not into a smile, not even into amusement.

The sentiment was noble, he supposed.

Romantic.

Deluded.

He rose from his chair, walking toward the window, hands sliding into the pockets of his pants.

Emotionally, he won’t be there.

So what?

What did that even mean?

Sky had never understood the obsession with emotional presence. As if love had to be proven in words. In warmth. In soft touches and soft-spoken reassurances.

He didn't need any of that.

He didn’t want it.

He wasn’t wired that way.

He gave what mattered…stability, safety, control. He gave a home, a future, a world where Nani didn’t have to worry about anything but himself. In return, he asked for presence. For compliance.

That was fair.

Love wasn’t tears and pillow talk. It was sacrifice and strategy. It was choosing to stay even when things were broken…especially when they were broken.

Sky turned slightly, his gaze dropping to the empty cup of coffee on the side table.

He thought of Pond’s expression. That mildly offended, vaguely confused look when Sky had asked why emotional presence was relevant.

Because I am considerate about his feelings.

Sky exhaled quietly through his nose.

Feelings are inconsistent.

They came and went like tides, like hunger, like lust.

One day Nani loved him, the next he wanted a divorce.

One week, they were raising children side-by-side; the next, Nani couldn’t even look him in the eye without shaking.

Emotions were unstable.

Sky didn’t build his life on what wavered.

He built it on what stayed.

And Nani had stayed.

Eight years.

Eight years in Sky’s house. In Sky’s bed. Carrying Sky’s children. Sleeping beside him, breathing beside him. Even when things were quiet. Even when they were cold.

That meant something. That was proof.

So what if Nani didn’t laugh like he used to?

So what if his gaze had dulled and his voice cracked sometimes when he was tired?

He was still here.

Sky could tolerate anger. He could tolerate distance. What he would never tolerate was absence.

So yes. If he had to keep Nani here with silence, with routine, then so be it.

That was his vow.

That was the only love he knew how to give.

Sky’s eyes fell to the wedding band on his left hand.

His.

And whether Nani cried or screamed or threatened to leave...

He would still be his.

Sky returned to his desk, picked up his pen, and jotted a note in the corner of the calendar:
6PM – Event w/ Nani.

He underlined it once.

Then he leaned back in his chair, adjusted his collar, and let a faint, unreadable smile play at the corner of his mouth.

Emotion is overrated.

What matters is that he’s mine.

Sky left the office right on time. His calendar had been cleared.

As he walked into the bedroom, the sight that greeted him slowed his step.

Nani sat at the vanity, head slightly tilted, a brush delicately sweeping along the tops of his cheekbones.

His brows were already done, lips slightly parted as he blended colour at the corners of his eyes. 

Sky leaned against the doorframe, just watching for a moment longer than he should’ve.

Pretty thing , Pond had said.

Sky supposed he was right. Nani did have delicate features. High cheekbones, soft lashes, the kind of mouth that made people look twice.

But that wasn’t what held Sky’s attention.

It was what was underneath.

The real Nani wasn’t soft at all.

That quiet, composed exterior was just another layer of presentation. Sky had come to know the moods beneath it. The sharp-tongued flares of temper. The cold silences. The way Nani would retreat, then snap, then retreat again.

He was a handful.

Sky didn’t mind. Not anymore.

In fact… he thought it was cute.

He smiled to himself, just faintly. Nani’s moods reminded him of the twins.

The way Smyle pouted when he didn’t get his turn on the PlayStation. The way Neona crossed her arms and refused to speak after being told no.

They definitely got that from Nani.

He stepped further into the room, slow and quiet, like he was approaching something fragile.

“Have you found your ring?” he asked.

Nani’s hand froze mid-motion.

His eyes met Sky’s in the mirror. He didn’t blink. “Can you leave me alone,” he said, “until we leave, Sky? Please. ”

Sky held his gaze for a moment longer.

Then he moved.

He walked across the room without a word, opened the wardrobe, pulled out his pressed suit. 

As he turned to go, his eyes flicked once more toward the vanity.

Nani had gone back to his makeup, like the conversation never happened.

Sky paused by the door. “As you wish,” he murmured.

“I’ll be downstairs… if you need me.”

The door closed behind him with a soft click , leaving Nani alone in the silence he asked for.

But Sky knew he hadn’t really been dismissed.

The hours passed like clockwork.

Sky dressed in silence, pulling the black suit jacket over his shoulders. The fabric hugged his frame in all the right places, it was tailored to precision, not a thread out of place.

He adjusted the collar, smoothed the sleeves, and reached for the small, velvet-lined tray beside his cufflink box.

His Rolex sat gleaming inside. He slid it on. He picked up his cologne bottle, sprayed once over his chest.

He leaned toward the mirror, ran a finger across his lips, and dabbed some lip therapy on them. Just enough to catch the light. Nothing showy.

Sky didn’t need to impress anyone tonight.

He just needed to arrive .

He walked down the hall, polished dress shoes clicking lightly against the flooring, and took up his post near the base of the staircase.

He stood still.

He waited.

The air was hushed in the house, but not for long.

A moment later, he heard it—the click of heels against the second-floor.

Then came the slow, descending sound of Nani’s heels that pulled his eyes up.

He didn’t show it on his face.

Didn’t raise a brow. Didn’t let his jaw drop. Didn’t even blink longer than he should have.

But Sky, who could bluff through high-stakes deals and stare down the most arrogant men in the industry…felt something shift in his chest.

Nani appeared at the top of the stairs like he’d walked straight out of a Vogue editorial.

The soft click of his red Louboutins echoed with each step.

He wore a cropped white jacket that shimmered faintly under the lighting. The high-waisted trousers followed the natural curve of his hips, hugging him just enough before falling into a graceful flare at the ankle.

He was glowing. His skin was smooth and pale against the faint gold chain he wore around his neck, the necklace catching Sky’s eye with its delicate initials:

NN

Nani Nateetorn.

His husband.

On Nani’s fingers, two rings gleamed: the wedding band that Sky had noticed missing for weeks, and a large ruby from his own jewelry line. Both sat proudly on his hand, perfectly styled, perfectly displayed.

His makeup was soft, but sharp where it needed to be. A smoky edge to the eyes. A glimmer on the inner corners.

And his hair is gelled slightly back, exposing his full face.

He looked unbothered.

He looked devastating.

He looked like he’d dressed specifically to make Sky choke.

Sky didn’t speak right away.

He let the moment drag out.

When Nani reached the bottom of the stairs, his heels stopped centimeters away from Sky’s shoes. He didn’t glance up.

Sky’s voice came out low, like it had to push through something in his throat.

“Mmm,” he said simply. “Let’s go.”

Nani didn’t reply.

He walked past him instead.

His cologne brushed Sky’s cheek.

Sky followed, watching the sway of his hips, the way the soft trousers clung to every step. For a man so silent, Nani’s presence screamed.

It screamed in white silk and red-bottomed heels. In the way his ring finger glinted under the lights.

Sky let the silence hang between them as they made their way toward the front door. The door closed behind them with a quiet  thud.

Sky walked a half step behind him as they moved down the path. Nani’s heels clicked softly.

Their car gleamed in the driveway. Jet black. Polished to reflection. Sky had chosen it deliberately. The kind of car people noticed when it pulled up outside of places that didn’t expect it.

He opened the passenger door without a word.

Nani paused beside him.

Sky noticed the way Nani hesitated. Like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind.

He got into the car instead. Sky closed the door gently and walked around to the driver’s side.

Once inside, the air between them shifted again.

Sky adjusted the aircon, dropped his hand to the gearshift, and pulled away from the curb.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

The city lights flickered ahead. Nani didn’t turn to look at Sky. He just stared ahead, one hand resting lightly in his lap, his thumb brushing over the edge of his ruby ring.

Then, suddenly, quietly:

“Sky…”

Sky’s eyes flicked to him for a moment.

“Don’t make a scene.”

The words weren’t said cruelly. They weren’t even cold. They were soft.

Sky blinked.

The request caught him off guard.

He wasn’t sure what shocked him more, that Nani said it, or that he said it calmly.

It wasn’t a warning. It was a plea. A small one.

Sky didn’t answer immediately.

“…We’ll see.”

His voice was even. Not dismissive. 

Nani didn’t respond. He didn’t look surprised either.

He just looked back out the window, letting the city pass them by.

Sky’s grip on the wheel tightened by a fraction. He didn’t know what part of him wanted to honour Nani’s request…and what part of him wanted to break it just to prove a point.

Because Nani was right.

Sky could make a scene.

But more than that, he could make a statement.

The moment the car pulled up to the curb, the flashes started.

Camera lights popped. Event staff and photographers swarmed the entrance like bees to a hive, all of them craning for a better angle, a better shot, a better headline.

Sky didn’t flinch.

He stepped out of the car slowly, deliberately, straightening his suit. The black fabric clung to his frame, his hair immaculately styled.

He didn’t look at the cameras.

He didn’t have to.

They were already looking at him.

He moved around to the passenger side and opened the door for Nani, offering a hand like a gentleman. Not because he had to. Because it sent a message.

When Nani took it, sliding out of the car, the noise from the cameras doubled.

There were gasps. Compliments. Some whispered. Most of it was for him.

“Is that Nani Nateetorn?”

“Oh my God, look at those shoes—”

“He’s so—stunning—”

“He’s glowing—”

“Look at them—together?”

Sky’s jaw twitched, but only slightly. His face remained calm. Neutral. Unbothered.

He heard the compliments.

Of course he did.

He nodded .

Let them all look.

Let them all see.

He placed a palm lightly against Nani’s lower back, guiding them gently forward, and they smiled for the photographers.

Not too big. Not too forced. Just enough to make the tabloids print what they already suspected.

The power couple. The enigma.

Inside the venue, the atmosphere shifted. Classical music playing from the speakers. The chatter was refined, muted by candlelight and champagne.

People greeted Sky as they entered, with smiling faces, outstretched hands, polite bows. Industry acquaintances. Old connections. A few politicians. A few people who wished they were him.

Sky returned each greeting with a nod, a brief pleasantry, a handshake if necessary, but he never stayed long enough to be cornered in a conversation.

He wasn’t here for them.

His eyes stayed on Nani.

He watched who he greeted.

Who he smiled at.

Whose arms he lingered in longer than necessary.

Watched the way his fingers adjusted his jacket between interactions, the way his body curved slightly when laughing, even if the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

There was something he was missing.

Someone , who was missing.

Something that tugged in the corner of Sky’s mind.

Where was the loud one?

Nani’s annoying best friend.

The one who always clung to his side like a second shadow, chiming in with commentary Sky never asked for.

Sky narrowed his eyes slightly.

He moved toward the bar, lifting two glasses of champagne from a tray. He didn’t sip from his own, he just carried both back to where Nani stood.

“Here,” Sky said, offering the glass.

Nani accepted it without a word, the rim of the glass brushing his lips.

Sky watched him for a moment. Then, casually:

“Where is your friend?”

Nani blinked. “Who?”

“Your tail. The one always stuck to you like a leech.”

A small smirk ghosted over Nani’s lips. “Mim?”

Sky gave a short nod. “Hmm.”

“She’s moved out of the city,” Nani replied. “She’s married now.”

Sky raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”

“She’s been married for six months, Sky.”

There was an almost chiding tone in the way he said it, like Sky should have known.

Like not knowing was a crime.

Sky took a sip of his own champagne. “Do I know her partner, perhaps?”

Nani didn’t look at him.

“Her wife ,” he corrected. “Is a partner of yours.”

Sky paused.

He had a handful of female business partners, they were all competent, powerful and quite ruthless.

But only one came to mind.

Striking.

Sharp.

A woman who never smiled at him unless it was to mock him. Who called him an egomaniac to his face. Who once said, in a boardroom, that if Sky wanted loyalty, he should buy a dog.

View Benyapa.

Sky hummed softly. “I didn’t think she was the type to marry.”

Nani turned to him then, arching a brow. “Well,” he said. “Neither are you.”

Sky’s smile curved.

“Well, that’s not true, husband. ”

“I’m clearly married to you. ”

He sipped on his glass again, eyes never leaving Nani’s.

“Even if you hate the fact,” he added softly. “You can’t deny the truth.”

Nani’s expression didn’t change. Not visibly. But Sky saw it.

The brief inhale.

The way his thumb tightened around the champagne.

The way his mouth parted like a response was forming…and then stayed unspoken.

Sky’s smile widened.

“You wore the ring,” he said. “That’s already an admission.”

Nani took a long sip of his drink, like he needed something to do with his mouth.

Sky leaned in, just a little. Close enough that only Nani could hear him when he whispered:

“They can all look at you tonight. They can all talk.”

“But I’m the one you came with.”

“And I’m the one you’ll leave with.”

Sky lingered at Nani’s side for a few more minutes. Eventually, a voice called his name.

“Khun Sky.”

He turned, face slipping into that cool, quiet expression he always reserved for acquaintances.

It wasn’t an acquaintance.

It was Nani’s parents.

His mother, draped in soft lavender silk, with matching pearls around her neck. His father in a sharp grey suit, nursing a drink.

Sky blinked once before his posture shifted.

He greeted them politely. Bowed slightly. Shook their hands. Called them Mae and Pho like he was supposed to.

Nani’s mother smiled gently, though her eyes were sharp, curious maybe. Measuring him.

His father simply gave a short nod and moved on, like always.

Sky stood there a moment longer before turning back toward the ballroom floor.

That was when he saw him.

Nani.

Near the left side of the room, just past the floral centrepiece and the champagne tower. Standing among a small cluster of women in designer gowns, their mouths moving like annoying birds, quick, useless and extremely loud.

He didn’t hear all of it.

But he didn’t need to.

Their expressions said enough.

The fake sweetness.

The soft sneers.

The pitiful laughs.

One woman who was older, dripping in gold chains that didn’t suit her, tilted her head as she said something, and another reached for Nani’s arm like she was comforting him.

Sky slowed down.

His gaze narrowed.

He moved along the side of the ballroom, pretending to study the architecture. Pretending to look for someone. But he was listening.

And when he caught it.

“He hasn’t even glanced at you all night”

They were talking about him .

They were mocking Nani.

His husband.

His pretty little flower, who could slash someone with a word behind closed doors, but now stood with his head slightly bowed, letting it all happen.

Sky’s brows furrowed.

He didn’t understand.

He’d seen Nani slap him. Yell at him. Spit venom with all the rage he’d hidden for years.

But this?

This silence?

This humiliation , in public?

He watched Nani nod politely, excusing himself from the group.

Sky intercepted him before he could vanish into the crowd.

“What was that?” he asked.

Nani looked up, startled.

“What was what ?”

Sky didn’t answer right away.

He glanced back toward the group of women, now laughing among themselves again. Loud enough for their joy to feel forced. Loud enough for Sky to hear it.

He turned back, leaning in a little closer to Nani.

“It’s funny,” he murmured, almost like he was talking to himself. “You’ll scream at me. Slap me. Call me a fucking psycho in the kitchen…”

He tilted his head. “But when they taunt you about your own husband … you just stand there and smile?”

Nani blinked. “Sky—”

“No, no,” Sky said gently. “I’m just trying to understand.”

Nani sighed. “I wasn’t going to make a scene. Not here .”

Sky stared at him. His lips parted like he was about to say something cruel.

Instead, he smiled.

A small, chilling smile.

“Nani,” he said. “I don’t care about any of this.”

“These people?” he continued. “I’ve done enough deals to survive a few scandals. Let them talk. Let them whisper. Let them post their little photos on their social media pages.”

He leaned in, closer now, close enough that his breath tickled Nani’s neck.

“If you want to scream at someone, scream at them.”

“If you want to start a fight, start one. ”

“If you want to throw your champagne in someone’s face, do it. ”

Nani’s brows lifted. “Are you out of your mind?”

Sky tilted his head slowly. “Maybe.”

“But the fact that you let them get away with it, when you’d bite me for less…”

He stepped forward again.

“That makes me feel…” He paused, searching for the word. “ Possibly homicidal. ”

Nani gave him a warning look.

Sky’s smile didn’t waver.

“You can ruin me if you want, Nani. I’d help you do it.”

“Because even if everything burns to the ground…”

He took Nani’s hand then, slowly lifting it to press a kiss to his knuckles…right over the wedding ring.

“…you’ll still be mine.”

Nani pulled his hand back gently, eyes darting around to check if anyone had seen Sky kiss his knuckles.

“Stop being dramatic,” he muttered.

“I’m not being dramatic,” Sky said simply. “I’m being honest. ”

He glanced back toward the women across the room, watching them.

“I don’t care what they say. But I do care that you think my reputation matters more than your name. ”

Nani didn’t reply.

Sky took another step closer, lips brushing just near his ear.

“So if they say something again…”

“… don’t you dare let them think I wouldn’t set this place on fire for you.”

He stepped back just as a waiter passed by with fresh glasses.

Sky picked one up and took a sip, like the conversation had never happened.

Nani stood still for a long moment, watching him.

Then, quietly: “You’re insane.”

Sky smiled behind the rim of his glass.

“Only for you, Hirunkit.”

~

TBC👀

Chapter Text

Continued from previous chapter

~

Sky’s glass was half-empty when he turned to Nani again.

“I thought you were bold, Nani…”

His eyes raked lazily over him.

“…but here I come to find you’re as quiet as a mouse at these events.”

He took another slow sip, letting the words settle between them.

“What a pity.”

Nani scoffed under his breath. “I don’t need your pity.”

“Of course you don’t,” Sky said smoothly, stepping closer. “You need honesty.”

“And it’s fun, isn’t it?” He tilted his head. “Being a little crazy?”

Nani’s eyes narrowed. “Sky.”

“What?” he asked, tone feigning innocence. “Now tell me…”

He leaned in just slightly.

“If you were to divorce me, go live out your silly little fantasies… who here would you ‘love’? You love throwing that word around, don’t you?”

Nani didn’t answer.

“I know for a fact your lovely mother and father would never let you marry a nobody. So it would have to be someone appropriate, wouldn’t it?”

“One of these horrid men who cheat on their wives and husbands like it’s a game. Or maybe someone twice your age? A crusty CEO who buys his lovers diamonds, maybe?”

Nani turned to face him. “What’s your point, Sky?”

Sky shrugged.

Nani leaned in. “You’re fucking delusional if you think you’re the best option I have.”

Sky’s lips curled. “Oh yeah… I forgot. I’m a psycho, remember?”

Nani’s fingers tightened around the champagne glass.

“I could find a better man to be with any day. It’s got nothing to do with these people here. You don’t understand how unwanted you really are.”

Sky set down his glass.

“Okay,” he murmured. “Listen to me, husband.”

He leaned in, his mouth brushing against Nani’s ear, his hand on the small of his back as guests across the room began to glance in their direction.

Sky chuckled.

“I have a little secret to tell you,” he whispered.

Nani didn’t move, but his pulse spiked.

Sky’s breath was warm against his skin as he spoke.

“I know your ass is lying to me.”

“Because guess who has never been with anyone else in the last eight years?”

His mouth grazed Nani’s ear and then he pulled back, just enough to meet his eyes.

“You’ve been mine,” he said softly. “From the first time I touched you.”

Sky’s expression shifted…something almost reverent passing through his eyes.

“And if you’re thinking of giving yourself to someone else…” He trailed off, his gaze dragging slowly down Nani’s neck. “You’ll be disappointed.”

“Because they won’t know how to read you.”

“They won’t know the face you make when you’re begging me without a sound.”

“They won’t know how you cry when you come.”

Sky leaned in again.

“They won’t know the scent of your skin after I ruin you.”

Nani’s breath hitched, Sky grinned.

“See, that’s the problem,” he whispered.

“You think I’m trying to trap you in a marriage. But I already own the parts of you no one else will ever get close enough to touch.”

Nani’s face didn’t move, but his hand trembled slightly where it rested by his side.

People were definitely staring now.

Someone across the room whispered his name.

But Sky didn’t care.

He never did.

He slid one finger along Nani’s waist.

“From your first to your last,” he said quietly. “It’ll be me.”

“You might dress up like an angel…”

“…but you were never innocent. I know exactly what games you're playing.”

Nani finally looked up, and there was a flash of something wild in his eyes…he felt anger and shame all at once.

Sky smiled.

He stepped back, straightening his suit jacket.

“Finish your drink, flower.”

Nani’s gaze was sharp now, he felt like slapping Sky once again…to prove a point.

“You’re always so obsessed,” he said quietly. “Always talking about my body. Like you own it.”

Sky tilted his head, studying him.

“So what if I gave it to someone else?” Nani asked.

“Willingly.”

“What would you do then, Sky?”

For a moment, everything froze.

And then Sky laughed.

Not like someone who found it funny.

It was a manic, an unhinged laugh…it was low at first, then louder. Heads turned from around the room. Glasses paused mid-air. One or two people flinched.

Sky didn’t care.

He wiped under his eye with his pinky, like he might've teared up, then looked at Nani with that dangerous smile.

“You’re kind of funny, you know that?” he said.

“I didn’t take you for a comedian, Nani.”

“I never claimed to be one,” Nani shot back.

Sky stepped in close.

“You know…”

“I’ve never killed a man before,” Sky murmured.

Nani’s smile dropped.

“Many people have said that it’s messy,” he replied dryly. “And there's a lot of paperwork involved.”

Sky didn’t blink.

“But… I'd do it, Nani.”

His hand brushed down the front of Nani’s jacket.

“I’d do it without hesitation,” he whispered, “because for some reason, some twisted reason…you keep talking like you want to see me do it.”

“You keep poking like you want to know what I’d look like if I snapped.”

“I never told you to kill anyone,” Nani hissed, stepping back, trying to find room to breathe.

Sky followed him.

“And yet here you are,” he said. “Dropping hypotheticals like a man desperate to be proven wrong.”

“You can’t even answer a fucking question,” Nani snapped. “That’s your fucking problem.”

Sky’s smile widened. “I did answer. The answer was blood.”

Nani looked at him like he was insane. “When did you become so goddamn talkative, Sky? I fucking hate how smart you think you sound now.”

“I thought I needed to be quiet,” Sky replied. “ ‘To be the calm to your calm.’ ”

“But since you were faking the whole time… since you were hiding…”

“Why the fuck should I shut up now?”

Nani’s breath hitched.

“I liked it better when you were cold,” Nani muttered. “At least then I didn’t have to listen to your delusions.”

Sky grinned.

“You liked it better when I was cold,” he repeated. “But now you get to feel the fire.”

“I’m not afraid to burn with you, Nani. I’ll light the match myself. But you…” He tilted his head. “You’re afraid of how much you like it.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You do.”

“I don’t want this.”

“You need this.”

Nani’s jaw clenched. “I swear to God—”

“Fucking hell Nani! You swear to me,” Sky interrupted. “Every time you kiss me, every time you scream my name, every time you crawl back into my bed, you swear to me all over again.”

Their faces were breaths apart now.

People were definitely watching.

But neither of them gave a damn.

Nani’s fingers twitched at his side.

Sky leaned in again.

“You want to give your body to someone else?”

He smiled, whispering against his skin.

“Then do it.”

“Go ahead.”

“But I swear to every god in this country…when I find out who touched what’s mine...”

“I’ll make them watch while I fuck you back into remembering who owns you.”

A/N: Sky believes in consent...he's just being delulu...😕

Nani’s breath stuttered.

His grip on the champagne glass faltered.

Sky stepped back with ease, straightening his jacket again.

Adjusting the collar like he hadn’t just promised murder.

“Now,” he said brightly. “Smile.”

“The photographers are still watching.”

The air in the ballroom was suffocating.

Nani’s head throbbed from the tension still buzzing under his skin.

He needed to breathe.

“I’m going out for air,” he muttered.

Sky raised a brow, saying nothing.

“And don’t follow me,” Nani added.

Sky gave him a mock bow. “As you wish…husband.”

Nani turned on his heel before he did something regrettable. He made his way down a hallway, and then, with one gentle push, the glass doors to the balcony opened.

The noise of the ballroom dulled instantly behind him.

He stepped forward, resting his hands on the railing, breathing deeply. The night sky was black, dotted with stars barely visible above the city.

Then, a voice came.

“First time I see your husband here.”

Nani blinked.

A figure stood near the edge of the balcony.

The figure was lean, poised, dressed in a deep wine-red suit. His hair was styled immaculately, one hand tucked in his pocket, the other adorned with a flawless diamond ring.

Phuwin Lertratkosum.

Nani had heard of him. A quiet legend in their circles. Pond’s husband.

“......” Nani said nothing at first.

Phuwin turned slightly to face him. “If you want him to leave you alone, why don’t you just…leave?”

Nani blinked. “I have kids.”

Phuwin raised his eyebrows at Nani’s answer.

“I know,” Phuwin said simply. “I do too.”

He took a slow sip of his drink, unbothered. “I have my son. And the moment my dumbass husband pissed me off, I threatened to leave. Bags packed.”

Nani turned to look at him, surprised.

Phuwin’s mouth curved just slightly. “My husband begged for three months. On his knees.”

“Three. Whole. Fucking. Months.”

Nani said nothing. It was hard to imagine Pond begging.

“I thought you had him on a leash,” Nani muttered.

Phuwin’s smile widened, just slightly. “Well…now I do.”

Nani stared at him for a second, caught off-guard by how effortlessly he held that power.

There was nothing loud about Phuwin, nothing exaggerated, but he owned his space. Even the way he stood said I don’t chase. I’ll watch you crawl.

It was... elegant.

Unbothered.

And the complete opposite of what Nani was feeling tonight.

Phuwin turned slightly again, meeting his gaze. “He works with your husband sometimes. I’ve heard a bit about Sky.”

Nani exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry.”

Phuwin smirked. “Don’t be. You seem like the one who’s suffering.”

Nani looked away.

“You let him control you like that?” Phuwin asked softly, no judgment in his tone, just genuine confusion.

“I don’t,” Nani replied quietly.

“Then what?”

“…He just knows me too well,” Nani muttered. “He gets under my skin. He always has.”

“Hmm.”

There was a long pause.

Then Phuwin said, “Would he ever hurt you?”

Nani turned sharply. “No.”

He didn’t even think about it.

“Sky’s crazy but… he’s not that kind of cruel,” Nani added.

“He’s never touched me like that. Never raised a hand.”

Phuwin nodded, slowly. “Then what do you want from him?”

Nani hesitated.

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“I….want to be loved.”

Phuwin looked at him for a long moment. Not pitying. Not surprised.

Just… understanding.

Then he stepped closer, not too close, but enough that his voice felt more private now.

“Then make him fall for you.”

Nani blinked. “What?”

Phuwin’s expression didn’t change. “Men are all the same. You just have to read them.”

“Find what makes them tick. Twist it. Make them bleed if you have to, but get into their head.”

“I just tried that,” Nani said bitterly. “I asked him what if I slept with another man.”

Phuwin raised a brow, intrigued. “And?”

“He said he’d kill them.”

Phuwin was quiet for a moment.

Then he tilted his head.

“Hmmm…”

He sipped his drink, thoughtful. “Well, that’s a start.”

Nani frowned. “A start?”

Phuwin smirked. “You touched a nerve. That means you found something worth cutting deeper.”

“Maybe the trick isn’t threatening to leave him.”

He looked over his shoulder, back toward the ballroom, where Sky still stood.

“Maybe it’s showing him what life would look like if he couldn’t keep you.”

“Not just threatening it,” he added. “But actually living it.”

Nani didn’t reply.

Nani hadn’t moved from the railing, Phuwin’s words still circling in his chest, when the sound of the glass door sliding open cut through the quiet.

“Khun Phuwin,” Sky’s voice drawled out.

Phuwin turned, unbothered, as if he’d expected the interruption.

“Khun Sky,” he greeted lightly, swirling the last sip of champagne in his glass.

“Good to finally meet you outside of emails and conference calls.”

Sky nodded, politely.

Phuwin’s lips twitched into the faintest smirk. “Do me one favour, will you? Have shorter meetings with Pond.”

Sky raised a brow.

“My husband needs to be home with PermPoon more often. He’s useless when he’s tired,” Phuwin added.

Sky tilted his head. “I’ll… keep that in mind.”

“Good,” Phuwin said, setting down his empty glass on the railing. He gave Nani a small nod and then glided back inside.

The door clicked shut.

For a long moment, Nani said nothing. He just stared out at the glittering skyline.

“I told you not to follow me,” he muttered out tiredly.

But Sky cut in before he could say more.

“I was waiting in the ballroom for thirty minutes,” he said, voice low, steady. “And I wanted to check if anyone was bullying you.”

Nani froze.

Sky stepped forward. “Like before,” he added.

“You don’t think I notice?” Sky murmured. “The way they whisper? The way they laugh?”

He tilted his head slightly.

“You think I’d just stand there again while people talk about my husband?”

Nani turned, brows furrowed, his voice sharper than he intended.

“Why do you care so much, Sky?”

Sky’s face was unreadable at first. His lips parted, but no sound came. For a moment, it looked as if he might let the silence win.

Then, slowly, he stepped closer.

“I don’t care about your little feelings,” he said finally. “I’ve told you that before.”

Nani’s jaw clenched. “Then why—”

“Because it’s not about feelings,” Sky cut in. “It’s about you.”

He lifted his hand and gestured vaguely back toward the ballroom. “All those people in there…they look at you like you’re fragile. Disposable. Like you’re standing in my shadow.”

His gaze sharpened.

“But you’re not my shadow, Nani.”

“You’re my husband.”

“I don’t need to feel a certain way to know what that means. And I won’t let anyone make you look small because of me.”

Nani blinked, startled by Sky’s tone.

Sky stepped closer. “They should respect you as yourself. And if they won’t do that, they’ll respect you as mine.”

Nani’s chest rose and fell unevenly. “Sky—”

“You think I let them laugh at you?” Sky’s voice cracked.

“No. I’ve memorised every face that’s whispered your name tonight. And I’ll remember.”

He exhaled, tilting his head. “I’m not interested in being kind, Nani. I’m interested in making sure the world knows what’s yours, and what’s mine.”

Nani let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

“If you care so much, Sky… why won’t you just treat me properly?”

Sky froze. His brows pulled together slightly, confusion flashing across his face.

“I have treated you properly,” he said, voice even, almost offended by the suggestion.

“You’ve never wanted for anything. You have a home, security, freedom to raise our children without lifting a finger. I’ve given you everything.”

Nani’s eyes burned as he turned to him. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

Sky’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Then what do you mean?”

“You’re too attached,” Nani shot back. “It’s suffocating. You began to smother me, Sky. You call it care, but it’s not…it’s just control.”

Sky stared at him for a long moment.

Then, slowly, deliberately, he nodded.

“Of course I’m attached,” he said softly, almost like it was obvious. “Rightfully so.”

“You’re mine, Nani. I claimed you. I vowed to you. You carry my children, you sleep in my bed, you wear my name.”

“Tell me why I shouldn’t be attached to that.”

Nani’s breath hitched, Sky tilted his head at the movement.

“You call it suffocation.”

He leaned in, his mouth near Nani’s ear.

“I call it devotion.”

Nani’s patience snapped.

“Do you hear yourself?” he hissed. “You stand there saying you’re devoted, but you don’t even know what that means. You don’t listen. You don’t see me. You just… wrap me up in this cage.”

“You think buying me houses and suits and parading me around is enough? That’s not treating me properly, Sky. That’s just—”

“God, you’re impossible.”

“I wish…I could just fucking leave this place right now.” Nani whispered out.

For once, Sky didn’t argue. He just watched him with that calm, unnerving stillness…like every insult, every lash of anger was already accounted for in his calculations.

Nani shook his head and turned back toward the railing. “You’ll never get it.”

But before he could retreat any further, Sky reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Enough air,” Sky murmured. “Come back inside.”

Nani opened his mouth to protest, but Sky was already steering him toward the glass doors. 

They moved side by side, the picture of perfection, even as tension buzzed between them.

Nani leaned in slightly. “You really don’t understand how suffocating this is, do you?”

Sky glanced at him, his expression unbothered. “You said you wanted to leave?”

“Yes.” Nani’s voice cracked with frustration. “I want to leave.”

“Then we’ll leave,” Sky replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Nani blinked at him, startled his answer, but before he could say anything, a familiar figure stopped them.

“Leaving already?”

Phuwin stood near the exit.

“Mmm,” Sky hummed. “My husband wants to go.”

Phuwin’s gaze flicked to Nani with a smile.

“Nani… take my advice.”

Nani exhaled slowly. “I’ll try…thank you.”

Sky’s hand pressed subtly against the small of his back, guiding him past the crowd. Together, they slipped out of the ballroom, down the steps, and into the night where their car waited.

The valet opened the door. Sky helped Nani in without a word, then circled to the driver’s side.

The doors closed. 

The tension was thick enough to choke on.

Sky’s hands gripped the wheel, veins visible beneath the cuff of his suit. His eyes locked on the road as if the traffic was the only thing in the world.

Nani stared out of the window, furious, restless. His chest still heaved with leftover words he hadn’t spoken.

But then his gaze flicked sideways, just once.

Sky’s profile.

The dark sweep of his hair, styled back with some gel. The angle of his nose, the perfect cut of his jaw. The lips that had murmured threats and devotion in the same breath.

He’s…handsome.

Undeniably handsome.

God help him, Nani knew it. He’d always known it.

And worse, Sky knew it too.

That calm, suffocating confidence. It oozed from him as naturally.

It got under Nani’s skin.

His thoughts spiraled.

Why does he have to look like that?

Why does he get to be crazy and beautiful at the same time?

Why does my body betray me when my head is screaming at me to hate him?

Nani turned sharply back to the window, pressing his lips into a thin line.

But his pulse betrayed him.

Because it wasn’t just anger burning inside him anymore.

It was attraction.

Unwanted. But clearly, unavoidable.

Nani’s forehead rested lightly against the cool glass. He told himself to breathe. To shut Sky out. To shut everything out.

But the silence pressed harder than Sky’s words ever did.

And when his eyes flicked sideways again, they landed on the line of Sky’s throat, the way his tie sat perfectly against his collarbone, the steady movement of his hands on the wheel.

God, he hated him.

God, he wanted him.

The thought hit before he could stop it. And then another.

He pictured himself leaning over, fingers curling into that jacket, tugging Sky toward him. Their mouths colliding. Hot. Desperate.

His anger burning itself out against Sky’s lips.

Sky in his mind wasn’t mocking, wasn’t cruel. He was soft. Gentle. His hand cupped Nani’s cheek.

“Do you want more?” he whispered in that fantasy. His voice coaxing Nani.

Nani’s chest heaved. In his head, he nodded, breathless, desperate for more, his lips chasing Sky’s as if they’d been starved for years.

The car jolted slightly over a bump.

He snapped back to reality.

Nani jerked upright, heat crawling up his neck, his pulse hammering. He tore his gaze away, staring at the road ahead as if he could erase what just played out in his mind.

Sky sat beside him, silent, eyes on the road.

Unbothered. Unaware.

Nani’s nails dug into his palms.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Nani thought his head might split open.

The ride home had been torture. Every time the car hit a turn, every time Sky’s forearm flexed against the steering wheel, Nani’s thoughts spun back to that cursed daydream.

He told himself it would stop once they were home. That the silence of the house would give him distance.

But then Sky peeled off his jacket in the bedroom, unbuttoned his shirt, and shrugged it from his shoulders.

Nani froze.

Sky didn’t look at him, didn’t even acknowledge him. He simply carried the discarded sheets to the laundry room down the hall.

When he returned, he dropped fresh linens onto the bed with ease, stripping the mattress bare, before making the bed.

He was shirtless the entire time.

Nani’s throat went dry.

It was maddening. Sky’s body was… a contradiction.

Hard planes and soft lines. The sharp abs and the broad, sculpted torso. Biceps that flexed effortlessly when he tugged at the fitted sheet. His legs were long and lean.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair for someone so unbearable to look like that.

Nani told himself not to stare. Not to linger. Not to want.

But his eyes betrayed him.

They traced the dip of Sky’s waist as he bent forward, the way the muscles in his arms swelled.

God, no wonder I’m fucked up. Who wouldn’t be?

He tore his gaze away, but his pulse didn’t slow. His body buzzed with a restlessness he couldn’t shake.

He hated Sky?

But he couldn’t blame himself for being attracted to him.

Not when his husband looked like that.

Sky smoothed the last corner of the sheet. Nani sat stiffly on the edge of the mattress, pretending to scroll through his phone, though he hadn’t registered a single word on the screen.

His eyes kept betraying him, flicking up, dragged helplessly back to the shape of Sky’s torso.

Sky noticed.

Of course he noticed.

A faint smirk tugged at his mouth as he reached for the blanket. “You keep staring,”

“Do you want me in your bed, Nani?”

Nani’s throat tightened. He didn’t answer.

Sky chuckled. “No response? That’s unlike you.”

He let the blanket fall neatly across the bed, then he turned, until he was standing directly in front of Nani.

Nani’s breath stuttered.

Sky stepped closer.

Nani’s phone slid uselessly onto the mattress as his hands dropped to his lap.

And then Sky stopped…right there, towering over him.

Nani sat frozen, eye level with the sharp lines of Sky’s abdomen, the faint trail of hair that disappeared into the waistband of his trousers, the bulge pressed behind his sweatpants.

Sky tilted his head, watching him with an amused face. “Mmm,” he murmured.

“Looks like you already have me where you want me.”

Nani’s face burned.

But he still said nothing.

Sky stood there.

“Do you want me in your bed, Nani?” he asked again, slower this time.

His fingers lifted, brushing through his own hair, sweeping it back casually, though his eyes never left Nani’s face.

The silence stretched.

Nani’s lips parted, but nothing came out. Sky’s smirk lingered a second longer before he sighed and stepped back.

“Mmm,” he hummed. “You won’t answer, so I can’t do anything.”

His tone was maddeningly calm.

“I’m not deranged enough to take something from you like that,” he added, almost conversational, as if that were a line he refused to cross.

He turned slightly, about to move away, when Nani’s voice cracked the silence.

“I’d regret it…”

Sky froze.

Nani’s eyes burned into his back. “…If I slept with you.”

For a moment, everything was still.

Then Sky laughed.

Like Nani had just told the best joke of the night. He turned his head slightly.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, almost mocking. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Hirunkit.”

Nani’s chest ached, but he didn’t look away.

Sky finally moved toward the door.

“If you need help,” he murmured, his hand reaching for  the doorknob, “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Nani alone with the sound of Sky’s laugh still ringing in his head.

Nani lay back against the headboard, his phone lighting his face in the darkened room. He scrolled through his contacts until he stopped at her name.

Mim.

He tapped, and to his surprise, she picked up almost instantly.

“Ni!” she squealed, her voice bright. “You’re awake!”

“You’re awake too,” Nani teased.

“Of course. View and I just came back from something important today—our first OB-GYN visit.” Mim’s voice was buzzing with excitement.

“We’re seeing if we can start a family.”

Nani blinked, warmth tugging at his chest. “That’s… that’s great, Mimmie. Really.”

“It was so surreal,” she gushed.

“View’s already acting like a protective mom, it’s ridiculous. But she’s so cute with it.”

Nani smiled faintly. “That’s really good news.”

They chatted for a while, Mim asking about Smyle and Neona, Nani telling her about their school bake sale, the cupcakes, the way they’d been practicing their little play at school.

“I miss them,” Mim sighed.

“They miss you too,” Nani said softly.

But then he fell quiet...too quiet.

Mim picked up on it instantly. “Okay. Spill. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he deflected. “Everything’s okay.”

“Nani,” she said, her voice firm but affectionate. “You’re lying.”

He sighed, closing his eyes. “…I don’t know what to do, Mim. Sky’s been an ass recently. You remember when I told you I was thinking about divorce?”

“Oh yeah, I remember.”

“It’s been difficult. He’s… he’s super against it. He just wants me in this house, all the time. Like I can’t even breathe without him there.”

“Oh my god, Nani,” Mim’s voice softened. “Do you need me to come over? I can book the earliest flight and be there tomorrow.”

“No, no,” he protested immediately. “Stay with View. She probably needs you right now.”

“She doesn’t,” Mim said without hesitation. “Well… maybe a little.” He could hear her smirk. “But I’ll definitely come for you. You’re my family too.”

Nani smiled despite himself. “You don’t need to do that. I just wanted to hear your voice. Maybe get some advice.”

“Alright,” Mim said. “So… what’s he been doing recently? Trying to piss you off on purpose?”

“Exactly.” Nani let out a bitter laugh. “Every single minute of the day. He finds new ways to get under my skin.”

“Sounds a bit psychopathic,” Mim muttered.

“Yep,” Nani sighed. “That’s what I thought too. At first.”

There was a pause. Then, quieter: “Mim… I just feel… out of my skin lately.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know. I feel pent up. Like I can’t…like I’m stuck in myself. I need to get laid…”

Mim snorted. “Well, can’t you take care of that by yourself?”

Nani’s ears burned. “…I’ve never… done that since...”

There was a moment of silence, then Mim burst into laughter. “Wait. Wait—never? You’ve never touched yourself?”

Nani groaned, covering his face with his hand. “Why are you laughing at me?”

“Because you’re so damn cute,” she teased. “Always the demure one, huh? I guess Sky’s had you spoiled.”

“Mim—”

“I mean, seriously, Nani.”

“If you want sex… just get a toy. Or, I don’t know, a new man?”

Nani pressed his lips together, heat crawling up his neck. “It’s not that simple.”

“I still can’t believe you don’t touch yourself, Ni.”

“Mim, don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing,” Mim laughed. “I just can’t believe you’ve never done anything by yourself. Not once?”

“…Not once,” Nani admitted, his ears burning. “Ever since I got married, I’ve only… I mean, Sky and I always…” His words faltered.

“Oh my God,” Mim gasped dramatically. “You’re blushing, aren’t you?”

“I’m not...”

“You are,” she cackled. “You’ve been married how long? Eight years? And you’ve never touched yourself because Sky was always there to do it for you?”

Nani dragged a hand over his face. “You’re making this worse.”

“Cute,” Mim teased, her voice softening but still playful. “So pent-up little Nani doesn’t know how to blow off steam without his psycho husband.”

“Don’t call him that,” Nani muttered reflexively, then sighed. “…Okay, maybe he is. But still.”

“So what’s the plan, then? You gonna sit there, all repressed, until he drives you insane? Because, honestly, you sound halfway there already.”

Nani bit his lip. “…I don’t know.”

“Go to a bar, then,” she said lightly. “Find someone. You’re gorgeous, Ni. Men would line up for a chance to kiss you.”

Nani’s chest tightened. “I don’t think I’d like that.”

“Why not?” Mim asked, genuinely curious now.

Nani hesitated“…Because I don’t think I’d like kissing a stranger.”

The line went quiet for a moment. Then Mim’s voice came softer.

“See? That’s why you’re so tied up in knots. Because no matter how much you complain, no matter how much he drives you crazy, you’re still wired to him. It’s him, or no one.”

Nani pressed his lips together. “I just… don’t know what to do, Mim.”

“Well,” she said cheekily, “option A: buy a toy. Option B: get a stranger. Option C…” She paused, and he could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

“… Straddle your crazy husband, since that’s what you clearly want to do but won’t admit.”

“Mim!” Nani’s voice cracked, scandalized.

She laughed so hard she almost choked. “God, you’re adorable when you’re flustered.”

Nani buried his face in his hand. “I shouldn’t have called you.”

“Yes, you should have,” she said warmly. “Because someone has to remind you that you’re not crazy, you’re just… touch starved. Figure out what you really want, Ni.”

Nani was silent for a long moment.

“…I’ll think about it,” he muttered.

“Good,” Mim said. “And in the meantime? Maybe… just try it once, you know. You might surprise yourself.”

Nani groaned again, mortified. “Goodnight, Mim.”

“Goodnight, lover boy.”

The call ended, but Nani’s face was still red. And worst of all, when he closed his eyes, the only image that came was Sky’s smirk.

Ten minutes after his call ended, the door clicked open.

Nani jerked upright from where he sat on the bed. Sky walked in, his shirt still absent. He didn’t say a word as he crossed to his dresser, unlocked one of the drawers, and slid it open.

Nani frowned, watching him.

Sky pulled out a foil square. A condom. Then, beside it, a small bottle of lube. He set them neatly on top of the dresser.

Nani’s eyes widened. “W-what do you think you’re doing?”

Sky glanced at him lazily, then back at the items. “What, this?” He tapped the foil with one finger.

Nani’s throat went dry.

“Sky…”

“Oh.” Sky’s lips curved. “I think you’re mistaken.”

He picked up the condom. “It’s not for you. You don’t want anything, remember?”

Nani’s chest tightened. His voice spiked, sharper than he meant.

“What do you mean it’s not for me? Are you—are you seriously going to see someone else right now?”

A/N: hehehe I'm sorry this scene was hilarious to draft😝😂

The words burst out, before he could stop them.

Sky’s brows rose, and then he laughed. A rich laugh filled the room and made Nani’s face burn hotter by the second.

“No,” Sky said finally, still smirking. “You idiot. I told you I would never do that.”

He leaned back against the dresser, the condom dangling loosely between two fingers.

“It’s for me.”

Nani blinked. “For…you?”

“Mmm,” Sky hummed, tilting his head. “To use on myself.”

The room went silent.

Nani’s mouth opened and closed. “You’re—you’re insane.”

Sky’s smirk widened. “Do you get it, Nani?” He leaned in slightly.

“Or do you want me to give you a demonstration?”

Nani’s entire face went red. His ears burned.

Sky chuckled, watching him. “Mmm. I thought so.”

He set the condom and lube neatly back down, but the damage was already done. Nani’s body was betraying him again.

Nani’s breath hitched. “You wouldn’t.”

Sky raised a brow. “Wouldn’t I?”

He stepped closer, until Nani was forced to tilt his head up.

“I told you,” Sky murmured, leaning down. “I’m not deranged enough to take something from you without asking.”

“But if I wanted to show you what I do to myself when you’re being stubborn…”

“…I could. Right here.”

Nani’s body went rigid. “Sky…”

Sky chuckled. “Mmm. That blush again. You’re curious.”

“I’m not,” Nani snapped, too fast, a tad too defensive.

Sky straightened, smirk widening. “Of course you’re not.”

He reached down, brushing his thumb along Nani’s jaw. “You’d regret it, remember?”

Nani’s lips parted, but no sound came.

Sky leaned even closer. His hand slid into Nani’s hair, threading through the strands.

“Want me to prove it, husband?” His voice dropped to a whisper.

“Want me to show you how I fuck myself to the thought of you?”

Nani’s stomach twisted. His body betrayed him again. His face burned hotter than ever.

Sky grinned, watching every flicker of emotion cross his features.

“That’s what I thought,” he said finally, pulling back just enough to release him.

“If you change your mind…” His tone was infuriating. “…you know where to find me.”

And with that, Sky walked out of the bedroom, leaving with the condom and lube.

The door clicked shut.

Silence swallowed the room, but Nani’s head was anything but quiet.

His jaw tingled where Sky’s thumb had brushed him. The memory wouldn’t stop replaying.

And then, worse…a thought that happened to blossom in his head uninvited.

He’d felt… thirsty.

His lips burned with the need to open, to close around something…

Something big. Warm. Long.

A/N: 😈😈😈

Nani jerked, slapping a hand over his mouth as if the thought had been spoken out loud.

“Snap out of it,” he hissed to himself, dragging both hands down his face.

Why the hell was he acting like this?

Like some teenager who’d just hit puberty, hard and restless at the sight of someone shirtless?

It was just Sky.

Just his stupidly sexy, infuriating husband, who smirked too much, took up too much space, and knew exactly how to get under his skin.

Nani groaned, throwing himself back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling as if it had answers.

“God, I hate him,” he muttered.

But his body was still buzzing. His throat was dry. His thoughts were filthier than they’d been in years.

Nani turned over, sheets twisting around his legs. He pressed his face into the pillow, but it didn’t help, the more he tried to block Sky out, the clearer the memories became.

One memory in particular clawed its way back.

The time Sky had let him ride him.

Nani’s breath stuttered. His body tensed, then softened against the mattress.

He remembered everything…

How Sky had leaned back against the headboard, eyes locked on him like he was the only thing in the world.

He remembered the way Sky’s hands had rested firm on his waist, guiding him up and down, the sharp sound of his breath every time Nani sank down all the way.

But most of all…he remembered the words.

“Good job.”

“Look at you, Nani.”

“You feel so good…so perfect.”

Nani’s nails dug into the sheets.

He hadn’t realised how much he’d craved it…being praised. Being seen. Not just used, not just claimed, but cherished.

That night, for once, he’d felt wanted. Needed. More than a body.

And he’d liked it. Too much.

His chest squeezed.

Because Sky had never done it again.

Not once.

Every time after, Sky had been closed off.

Nani bit down on his lip. His hips shifted restlessly against the sheets.

“Fuck,” he whispered into the pillow, hating himself for remembering. For wanting.

Because the truth was worse than anything Mim could tease him with:

He didn’t want a toy.
He didn’t want a stranger.
He wanted that version of Sky.

The one who praised him.

The one who made him feel loved, even if it was a lie.

Nani felt exhausted…he was uncomfortable and hard. He had finally started to drift off. He lay curled on his side, his covers shoved halfway down the bed.

The door opened with a soft click.

Sky stepped in quietly. He paused by the bed, eyes dropping to Nani’s half-uncovered form.

For a moment, he didn’t move. He just watched.

Then, Sky bent, tugged the blanket up, and draped it over him. The fabric settled across Nani’s shoulder.

Nani’s lashes fluttered. He was awake— Sky knew it, but he didn’t move. His body stayed frozen, pretending.

What is this guy doing?

Sky lingered a second longer. And then, almost under his breath, he let out a low chuckle.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “You’re really acting so cute.”

Nani’s heart stuttered. His chest burned.

Before he could gather his thoughts, Sky crossed the room, opened a drawer, and pulled out what he needed.

He didn’t look back as he headed for the door.

The soft click echoed once more as it shut behind him, leaving Nani in silence again.

Nani stared at the ceiling, heat rising to his face.

“You’re really acting so cute.”

His jaw clenched, and he buried his face into the pillow.

Confused. Flustered. Infuriated.

And he hated that part of him wanted to smile.

Chapter Text

The first thing Nani noticed that morning was how quiet the house was. It was too early for the kids’ voices to be bouncing down the hallway, too early for the clatter of spoons or the patter of little feet.

When he padded out of the bedroom, towel draped loosely around his shoulders after a quick shower, he caught sight of a familiar glow spilling from under the office door.

Sky.

Of course.

Even on weekends, even when the kids had events, he was always at that desk before sunrise.

Nani lingered for a moment in the hall, listening to the faint clack of keys, the occasional low shuffle of paper. Then he exhaled, and carried himself downstairs.

Nani set to work quickly, gathering ingredients for pancakes. He whisked batter in silence, the sound filling the quiet space.

By the time the first batch was steaming on a plate, he wiped his hands on a dish towel and made his way back upstairs, pausing at the office door. He knocked once.

There was a pause. Then Sky’s voice. “Come in.”

Nani pushed the door open. Sky sat at his desk, shirt rolled to his elbows, a folder open in front of him. His eyes flicked up at once, catching Nani’s.

“I think the kids and I will leave early for the sports day,” Nani said, leaning against the frame.

Sky’s gaze lingered. Then, with a small nod: “You do that. I’ll meet you at the school at noon.”

“Okay,” Nani said, his voice quieter now. “Don’t be late.”

Sky’s lips twitched into something almost like a smile. “I won’t be,” he said. He didn’t blink, didn’t break eye contact.

The silence stretched.

Nani shifted first, pushing himself off the doorframe. He nodded once and left, closing the door gently behind him.

Back in the kitchen, he stacked the pancakes into neat towers and drizzled honey over the top. He’d just set the last plate down when he heard the inevitable commotion upstairs, the high voices of the twins arguing over who got to brush their teeth first.

“Smyle, Neona,” Nani called up the stairs. “Wash your faces, brush your teeth, and get dressed. Then you can come down for breakfast!”

A chorus of “Okay, Pa!” came tumbling back, one voice louder than the other, followed by more hurried footsteps.

By the time they tumbled into the kitchen an hour later, the pancakes were ready and warm.

“Sit,” Nani told them. “Eat first, fight later.”

Neona giggled, sliding into her chair, while Smyle immediately reached for the top pancake like he hadn’t eaten in days.

As they ate, Neona looked up. “Pa?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Will Pho be at the sports day too?”

Nani’s hand stilled on the pan for a second. He turned, smiling gently. “Yes. Pho will be there.”

“Yay!” Smyle shouted, crumbs flying. “Then Pho can see me run super fast!”

“I’m sure he’ll love it, Smyle,” Nani said, warmth tugging faintly at his chest. “Now finish your pancakes before they get cold.”

The twins chewed happily, chatting to each other about the races and who they wanted on their team.

When the plates were nearly clean, Nani clapped his hands together. “Alright, kids. I’m going to get dressed and grab some essentials. You two, put on your sneakers and be ready downstairs in fifteen minutes. We have to get to school early to collect your badges and team shirts.”

They nodded, already chattering about which colour team they’d get.

Nani left them to their excitement and went upstairs.

He opened his wardrobe, pulling out what he knew would work best for the day: a pair of shorts. Short shorts, to be exact. The kind he rarely wore outside the house.

He paused, staring at them for a moment.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

Maybe today I’ll test something out.

He moisturized his legs carefully, rubbing lotion into his skin until it gleamed. The cropped white top he pulled on next wasn’t revealing, not really, but short enough that his waist flashed when he moved.

He layered a thin vest underneath, just for practicality, but the silhouette still gave him a younger look.

To balance it, he added a cap and sunglasses, enough to say I’m here for the sports day.

By the time he tugged socks onto his feet, the bedroom door clicked open.

Sky.

He walked in, in the middle of searching for something on his dresser, and stopped dead when his eyes landed on Nani.

For a second, the air stilled.

Nani stood, stretching slightly, his legs catching the light. He saw Sky’s gaze drag down and it lingered.

Nani smirked. Adjusted his cropped top deliberately.

Sky didn’t say a word. His eyes did enough.

Nani turned back to the mirror, slipping on his sunglasses, smoothing his hair back with his fingers before tugging his cap into place.

He grabbed his tote bag and began packing: sunscreen, tissues, sanitizer, plasters, small medications, toilet paper, fruit, cookies, extra bottles of water. Everything a parent needed.

By the time he swung the tote over his shoulder, Sky had turned back to his own drawer, pretending to be occupied.

Nani left him there, carrying himself down the hall toward the kids’ room. He grabbed spare T-shirts and trousers for Smyle and Neona, packed their sneakers, and double-checked their bags.

“Kids!” he called from the kitchen. “Are you ready?”

“Yes!” two voices chimed back in unison.

He smiled faintly and gathered the last of the fruit and snacks.

When everything was packed into the car, water bottles, cookies, the children’s clothes, he called the twins down.

“Shoes on. Let’s go,” he told them.

“Coming, Pa!”

With one last glance at the house behind him, Nani shut the front door, ushered the kids to the car, and started the drive to school.

The day was only just beginning.

Once they arrived at the twins’ school, Nani eased the car into the parents’ lot, he glanced at the backseat where Smyle and Neona were dancing, then cut the engine.

“Let’s get your badges first, then shirts,” he said, half to himself, half to them.

“Then I run super fast,” Smyle added, already unbuckling.

“Then I cheer super loud,” Neona countered.

They walked out together, and followed the tide of families to the registration tent with white tablecloths and clipboards, manned by three moms and a teacher with a megaphone.

“Morning,” Nani smiled, giving their surname, spelling out the twins’ names. “Two for the Primary division.”

Twenty minutes later after looking for the Nateetorn twins’ names, Smyle and Neona had their race number on their chests. Their team shirts were sunny yellow,  along with paper wristbands for the relay.

“Okay, go on,” Nani said, crouching to pin the last corner on Smyle’s shirt. “Find your class, stay where the cones are, remember no wandering. I’ll be right over there with the parents.”

“Pa, look!” Neona stood on her toes, showing off her number. Smyle, already half-turned towards his friends, waved goodbye.

They scurried toward the cluster of kids and teachers near the field.

The sudden quiet around Nani felt familiar, that small ache when the children were not with him at events.

He took a breath, smoothed his cropped top out of habit, and wandered toward the parents’ area.

“Khun Nani!” one of the moms sang out, beaming. “You’re even prettier than last time.”

“Please,” Nani laughed. “All of you look younger than me today. I feel underdressed.”

They were all dressed like him with caps, sunglasses, shorts…just… longer shorts.

“I’m so excited for the kids today,” a mom in navy biker shorts said, tying her hair higher. “They’ve been practicing everyday at breakfast.”

“My little boy, Smyle, is convinced he’s got super powers,” Nani said, and the circle broke into laughter.

“You look very… summery,” another mom said, eyes flicking to his bare legs, the flash of midriff. Nani smiled and kept the conversation moving.

A line of teachers drifted through, shaking hands. Nani greeted each of them. He liked their earnestness; it reminded him how much childhood depended on these adults quietly doing the work.

Then the whistle blew, and with it, another voice:

“Morning, parents!” called a man in a polo and track pants, with a clipboard in hand. “Welcome to our annual Sports Day. Please make sure your children are in their marked zones, the races begin in twenty.”

Coach Nick.

He seemed to be at every school thing—sports, recitals, even the talent show last term when Smyle did a magic trick with a paper cup.

He was friendly the kind of coach who high-fived the shy kids and talked to the loud ones at eye level.

Nani lifted a hand. “Morning, Coach.”

Nick’s eyes warmed. “Morning, Khun Nani. You look ready to run the race yourself.”

“Just here to carry water bottles,” Nani said.

“Well I could always use a hand,” Nick grinned. “If you’re bored of those, we could use help putting out hurdle markers on Field B.”

Nani shouldn’t. But today wasn’t about shouldn’t.

“Happy to help.”

He fell into step beside Nick, carrying a box of neon cones. They knelt in sync, setting distances, Nick explaining spacing and safety checks with clean, simple movements.

Nani listened, nodding, passing cones, adjusting the cones when Nick asked. 

A glint of red at the edge of the field caught his eye, it was Phuwin, elegant even against the bright green of the field, with Pond at his side and a small boy clinging to Pond’s pant leg.

PermPoon.

The kid had Pond’s eyes and Phuwin’s face.

Nani lifted his hand. “Khun Phuwin.”

Phuwin’s gaze slid over, amused. “Khun Nani,” he said. “You’re here.”

“I am,” Nani said. “Thank you again for your advice… from weeks ago. I think I might test it.”

Phuwin tilted his head. “Good luck, then.” He glanced toward Pond.

“We’ll see how permissive fate is feeling today.”

Nani laughed under his breath. “Give PermPoon my energy.”

“It’s too much, he’s more of an artsy kid.” Phuwin said dryly, then lifted his chin in a small goodbye and walked back to his family.

Nani turned to the moms again. He checked on the twins, waved when Smyle jumped like a rabbit to be seen, and helped a teacher.

He was… okay. He was busy. He was being useful.

He turned back to Coach Nick, who was taping down a start line.

“Here,” Nick said, offering the tape. When Nani reached for it, Nick’s fingers brushed his. Nani didn’t move away.

“Could you help me carry this ice tub to Field C?” Nick asked. “I promise your arms won’t fall off.”

“They’ll detach later,” Nani said.

As they walked, a pair of moms watched with bright eyes. Nani knew how it looked. 

They set the tub down, and Nick clapped a grateful hand to Nani’s shoulder.

Nani stood, dusted his palms on his shorts, and finally let himself look, to the parents’ tent where Sky had taken a place. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t frowning. He was simply… looking.

At Nani.

At where Nani stood. With Coach Nick. Not touching. Nani felt his eyes on him. He didn’t look away.

He turned just enough that his profile was in sight. He tipped his face up, laughed at something Nick said. He didn’t care. 

From the field, Smyle called, “Pa! Pa! Did you see me? I did a practice run with my friends.” Nani waved both arms, yelling, “I saw! You were perfect!” and felt the laugh shake his chest.

When he lowered his hands again, Sky had moved, closer now.

Nani didn’t step back. “Coach,” he said, innocently enough, “do you need me on the finish flags next?”

Nick smiled. “You read my mind.”

Nani held his gaze for a moment longer than strictly necessary. He could almost feel it when Sky’s jaw ticked once.

Nani turned toward Field B, flags in hand.

Time to set the plan in motion.

The twins had already scattered into their groups. Nani lingered near the edge, sunglasses perched on his nose, cap tilted just enough to shade his eyes. The morning had been a swirl of small talk, moms and teachers greeting him.

But the real moment would start when Coach Nick would come to have a friendly chat with him.

“Khun Nani,” Nick said warmly. “I hope you’re excited for today.”

“Very excited. Smyle was super excited last night.”

“Kids are like that, right?” Nick replied. “The kids must want to win for their dad.”

Nani tilted his head. “Is that so?”

He knew.

He’d always known Nick had a thing for him. He’d never played into it before. But today…today was different.

By the time they circled back to the tent, the heat of the day had climbed, parents fanning themselves. Nani stood beside Nick, both of them watching the kids line up for the 50-meter race.

“You’re not running the adult race, are you?” Nick asked suddenly, eyes flicking down to Nani’s shorts, then back up with a teasing smile.

Nani snorted. “No. I’m not made for running. Not fit enough.”

Nick laughed. “I think you’re lying.”

“I’m not,” Nani said. “But you are, I assume?”

“Oh, I’ll run.” Nick’s grin widened. “And if I win… will you buy me lunch?”

Nani turned his head toward him. “Hmm. I’m not sure. Are you even that good at running?”

“I’m good at many things,” Nick said smoothly. “Running included. Do you want to find out?”

Nani let out a soft laugh, tilting his sunglasses higher up his nose. “Okay. Fine. Win, and I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Deal,” Nick said.

The words hung in the air, but threaded with meaning. Nani could feel it in the way Nick’s eyes lingered, in the heat of his smile.

He could feel it even more in the shift of attention from the edge of the tent.

Because Sky was here to witness it all.

At first, Sky simply scanned the field. He saw the clusters of kids, the scatter of parents. His gaze found Nani, of course it did, and he registered the proximity and the way Nani’s body angled toward Nick.

For a moment, it didn’t click.

Sky had never seen this before…Nani playing coy, Nani letting another man lean in close, Nani laughing at jokes that weren’t meant for the kids or the moms.

But then his eyes caught the way Nick leaned in, how Nani smirked instead of pulling back, how the words “I’ll buy you lunch” sounded far less innocent than they looked.

The first race kicked off, a blur of sneakers pounding the grass, the shriek of whistles, and the parents’ tent erupting with cheers. Smyle darted down his lane.

“Go, Smyle!” Nani yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. He was smiling, real and wide. Nick whistled too, clapping with genuine enthusiasm, and Nani turned to him, their shoulders brushing.

“Your son’s fast,” Nick said, still grinning.

“He gets it from me,” Nani answered easily.

It was innocent on the surface.

Under the tent, two moms exchanged a glance.

And across the field, Sky’s eyes narrowed.

He’d been watching from the parents’ side, his gaze was locked. He’d seen the brush of fingers, the angle of Nani’s body leaning in, the smile that wasn’t the polite one Nani gave strangers.

Sky’s mind turned over the little details.

Nani wasn’t careless.

Nani was performing.

It was subtle…the way his cropped top rode up when he reached for a water bottle. And now this: fingers on Nick’s wrist, sunglasses pushed down his nose.

Sky felt it click.

This wasn’t accident. This was strategy.

Meanwhile, Nick, clueless or not—was eating it up.

“Hey,” Nick said, leaning closer as the next group of kids lined up. “The adult relay’s after the sack race. You sure you won’t sign up? I’ll run slower so you don’t get embarrassed.”

Nani tilted his head. “I told you. I don’t run.”

Nick chuckled. “Then you can cheer for me.”

Nani shrugged. “Maybe. Depends on if you make it interesting.”

“Oh, I will,” Nick promised. “You said lunch if I win, remember?”

Nani tipped his sunglasses down, looked at him over the rim. “If you win.”

Nick laughed, leaning back.

Sky’s jaw ticked.

The heat of the sun pressed harder, but it wasn’t the weather making the back of Nani’s neck prickle…it was the weight of his husband’s gaze, boring into him from across the crowd.

Nani felt it. He didn’t look. He sipped from his water bottle instead. He let the drop slide down the corner of his mouth.

Nick noticed. He chuckled, offering him a napkin.

“Thanks,” Nani said, brushing his fingers against Nick’s again when he took it.

Across the field, Sky shifted at last, his composure stretched thinner than it had been all day.

The sack race ended in chaos, the kids toppling into one another, laughter spilling across the field and all the parents erupted with applause.

Nick clapped loudly, shouting encouragement to the kids. Nani leaned closer, shoulder brushing his, a smile flickering across his lips.

That was when Sky moved.

He cut through the crowd. The tent felt smaller as he approached, his eyes locked on the scene unfolding in front of him.

Nick noticed first. He turned, blinking at the tall man who’d suddenly appeared at his side. “Oh—hello. And you are…?”

Nani opened his mouth. “The kids’ father—”

“Husband,” Sky cut in smoothly. His gaze never wavered. “I’m Nani’s husband.”

The air tensed.

Nick nodded, unfazed, his grin never dimming. “Ah, good to meet you. I think I’ve seen you from afar at drop-offs once or twice, right?” He extended a hand, but Sky didn’t take it.

Instead, his eyes slid back to Nani.

Nani’s lips quirked. He tipped his head toward Nick and said, just loud enough, “Coach thinks he’ll win the adult race today. I told him maybe.”

Nick laughed, nudging Nani’s arm. “He doesn’t believe I’m that fast.”

Nani smirked, brushing invisible dust from his shorts. “I told him if he wins, I’ll buy him lunch. He wants to prove himself.”

The boldness landed like a slap.

Sky’s jaw tightened. His eyes flicked to Nick, then back to Nani, but Nani’s attention was firmly ahead on the field, on the kids bouncing in line for the relay. He got up, slipping out from under the tent, clapping his hands above his head as he shouted, “Neona! Smyle! Come on, babies!”

Nick followed, laughing as he joined him, their voices tangled in the cheer. Nani’s smile was dazzling under the sun.

Sky remained where he was, frozen in place…he was being played.

His chest burned.

He turned away before he did something reckless, moving to the back of the tent where the shade was better. He hadn’t gone three steps before someone bumped into him.

“Phi Sky.”

Sky glanced up…Pond.

“Naravit,” Sky acknowledged.

“You came,” Pond said, smiling faintly. “Are you here with your husband?”

Sky didn’t reply.

Pond followed his gaze forward, toward the field where Nani stood clapping wildly as the kids sprinted. His cap was pushed back, sunglasses tipped down, his cropped top lifting slightly each time he raised his arms.

“You two are very different,” Pond mused, sipping his water.

Sky’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

Then Pond frowned slightly, squinting. “Wait…who’s the man touching your husband?”

Sky’s eyes snapped forward again. Nick had leaned close to say something over the roar of the crowd, his hand briefly brushing Nani’s elbow as they laughed together.

Sky’s voice was flat. “He’s a school teacher.”

Pond studied him. “Does he know Nani is married?”

Sky didn’t answer. His silence was heavy enough. Sky stayed under the tent.

He couldn’t piece it together.

Nani and the coach. Smiles. Touches. Lunch.

Was it innocent? Was it deliberate?

No. It was deliberate.

His husband was up to something, and Sky couldn’t decide if the heat pressing against his chest was anger… or something darker.

“Pho!”

Two voices cut through the haze. Smyle and Neona came tearing across the grass, faces flushed, medals hanging around their necks.

“Pho! Did you see? I ran the fastest!” Smyle shouted, leaping straight into his father’s arms.

Sky caught him easily, lifted him high into the air until the boy squealed. He swung him once, twice, then set him down to grab Neona, who was already bouncing on her toes.

He lifted her into the air too, tossing her lightly before catching her against his chest. Her giggle cracked through his composure like sunlight.

“Both of you did well,” Sky said. “I’m proud.”

Nani turned from the field at that exact moment, lips parted in a smile that was both for the kids and for Sky's gesture.

Their eyes met, and something in Nani’s smirk flickered like a dare.

A whistle blew. 

“Next up: the adult relay!”

Nick laughed, tossing his clipboard onto the table. “Guess it’s my turn.”

Then, with that same too-familiar grin, he looked at Nani. “Cheer for me, okay?”

Nani tilted his head. “I already promised you lunch if you win, didn’t I?”

Sky’s jaw ticked.

A teacher glanced his way, smiling politely. “Khun Sky, will you be joining the race as well?”

For a moment, he almost said no. He didn’t run at these things. He showed up, stayed in the background, signed a few forms, and most importantly left.

But then his eyes slid back to Nani, who was smirking, cropped top lifting slightly as he clapped his hands for the announcement. And beside him, Nick, leaning close, laughing.

Sky’s lips curved.

“Yes,” he said simply.

There was a murmur in the tent, most of the other parents were surprised or curious.

Sky reached up, pulled his black tee over his head, and tossed it onto the back of a chair.

The conversation stilled for a moment.

The sun hit his skin, over hard planes of his torso and arms carved from years of discipline. His chest was broad, his biceps taut as they flexed when he adjusted his watch. Veins ran down his forearms, his stomach ridged with muscle.

“God,” one mom whispered, not quietly enough. “No wonder.”

“Look at his arms,” another said, fanning herself with the program sheet.

“I didn’t think he was that built.”

Sky ignored them all. His gaze never moved from Nani, whose smirk had faltered. Nick let out a short, surprised laugh. “Guess I have competition after all.”

Sky stepped past him, as he moved toward the start line.

The field buzzed with heat and noise as the adults lined up for the relay. Parents gathered along the rope barrier, children bouncing as they screamed for their favourites.

Sky rolled his shoulders once, stretching his neck. His body gleamed faintly under the sun. To anyone watching, he looked calm. But inside, his mind had already decided, he was not going to lose. Not today. Not to him.

Nick sauntered up beside him, bouncing lightly on his feet. “Ready, Khun Sky?” he asked with a grin.

Sky didn’t look at him right away. His gaze drifted sideways, through the crowd, to the tent. To where Nani stood.

When Sky finally turned back, his voice was quiet but sharp. “When I win,” he said, his eyes still forward, “I want you to stop flirting with my husband.”

Nick blinked, then chuckled. “Oh? I thought you weren’t interested in him.”

Sky’s lips curved faintly. “My only interest is him. So stop fucking doing what you’re doing.”

Nick’s grin faltered, just for a moment.

The starter raised his whistle. The crowd hushed.

Sky crouched low. The whistle blew.

Sky exploded forward.

Grass tore beneath his shoes. The world narrowed into a single lane, the sound of the crowd dissolving into a hollow roar in his ears. He barely saw Nick at all. Nick was behind him, lost in the dust almost immediately.

“Go, Pho! Go, Pho!” Smyle’s voice pierced the air, with excitement.

“Run, Pho! Faster, Pho!” Neona squealed, jumping up and down, her pigtails flying.

Their voices tangled, pulling every other parent’s eyes toward the twins.

Nani stood still under the tent, his chest tightening with every pounding step. He didn’t want Sky to lose…not really. Some part of him, buried deep, wanted to see him triumphant.

Wanted to see those long legs eat up the track and the crowd erupt in awe.

But another part…the part that still burned with spite, wanted him to stumble. Just once. Just enough to let Nick pass, just enough to let Nani turn and say, good job, Coach.

The contradiction gnawed at him.

On the field, Sky ran like a man possessed.

The finish line approached, the ribbon fluttering in the sun. His stride stretched longer. He left no space for doubt, no mercy for second place.

And then—he was through.

The tape snapped against his chest. The whistle shrieked.

The tent erupted.

“Oh my gosh,” one mother gasped. “No wonder Smyle was so fast! he gets it from his father!”

“Look at him,” another murmured. “He barely broke a sweat.”

“No kidding, he’s built like an officer.”

Parents fanned themselves, whispering, while Sky slowed to a stop, barely heaving.

“Pho!”

Smyle and Neona tore away from the tent their voices cracking with joy. “Pho, you were amazing!”

“You ran so fast!” Smyle shouted.

“Like a police officer!” Neona added.

They crashed into him, tiny arms wrapping around his thighs and waist. Sky bent, sweeping them both up in a single lift, one arm under each child. They squealed, legs kicking as he spun them once in the air.

“See?” Neona announced proudly, looking at Smyle. “I told you! Pho can carry us both at the same time.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Smyle yelled, clinging to Sky’s neck. “My Pho, my Pho is the best!”

Sky chuckled, as he pressed them tighter against his chest. The children’s laughter rang out.

From under the tent, Nani watched.

Sky walked back toward the tent, the twins draped across his arms. Smyle was still chanting, “My Pho! My Pho!” while Neona twirled her medal in her fist.

The parents’ eyes followed him, a mix of awe and envy buzzing through the crowd.

Nani stood there, arms folded, sunglasses hiding his eyes. He watched Sky’s every step, the pride etched across his mouth…but then Nick cut in.

“Wow,” the coach laughed, clapping his hands once. “That was something, Khun Sky. I didn’t think anyone could beat me by that much.” He was grinning, unbothered, his chest still heaving from the loss.

Sky said nothing, just set the twins down. His hand lingered on Smyle’s head, smoothing his hair. His silence was enough…it said of course I won.

Nick didn’t stop there. He turned to Nani, eyes gleaming. “Guess I actually owe you that lunch after all, huh?”

Nani tilted his head, smirking. “Guess so.”

The moms nearby gasped at Nick’s boldness.

Sky’s jaw ticked.

And then Nick did something no one expected.

He leaned closer, with a boldness that shocked even Nani, he brushed his fingers across Nani’s lower back…as if it were nothing.

The tent went still.

Nani’s heart jumped, but his smirk didn’t falter. He didn’t step away. He let it happen.

Sky’s eyes darkened instantly. His fists clenched, veins sharp in his forearms. For a split second, the image of grabbing Nick by the collar and breaking his face on the grass blazed through his mind.

But Nani turned just then and smiled.

At Sky.

Not at Nick.

That smile said See?
It said Now you know how it feels.
It said You don’t control every move I make.

Sky froze.

The kids were still clinging to his legs, beaming up at him like he was the coolest man alive. Parents were watching, whispers already slipping between them. He couldn’t move, not without proving Nick right, not without handing Nani the victory.

Nani adjusted his sunglasses, brushed his cropped top down, and stepped slightly away from Nick, not too far. He kept his voice even as he said, “I’ll think about that lunch, Coach.”

Nick chuckled, oblivious to the storm brewing a meter away. He left for a moment to help one of the teachers set up the hurdles.

But Sky knew.

Nani had the upper hand.

Smyle was still bouncing around his father’s legs like a puppy, tugging on his arm.

“Pho, you were so fast! Faster than anyone!”

“You looked so cool, Pho. Everyone was staring at you!” Neona added, as she tugged on Sky’s other hand.

Sky crouched, pulling them both in, his arms folding protectively around their small frames. “Obviously,” he said, “I’d never lose if you’re watching.”

The twins squealed, hugging him tighter.

Sky glanced up at him, expecting to see his husband's eyes. But Nani’s sunglasses hid his eyes.

The twins ran off toward their friends, still chattering about how their father could “beat the whole world in a race.” Sky straightened slowly. His eyes locked onto Nani.

“What are you playing at?” Sky’s voice was quiet enough that only Nani could hear.

“Nothing,” Nani said easily, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Just enjoying the day.”

Sky’s eyes narrowed. “Enjoying him?”

Nani smirked faintly, turning his head toward the field where Nick was resetting hurdles with a teacher. “I don’t feel like going out for lunch,” he said casually. “Maybe I’ll invite Coach Nick over for dinner instead.”

The words landed like a slap to Sky’s face.

Sky’s breath hitched, nostrils flaring as his jaw clenched. “What are you trying to do?”

Nani finally looked at him, pulling off his sunglasses so their eyes met properly.

“What you’ve told me a hundred times, Sky.”

Sky froze.

“Nothing I do matters,” Nani said softly, tilting his head. “Because in your words, I’m already yours. Forever. So what does it matter if I invite him for dinner?”

The smirk widened just a fraction. “You said it yourself…you don’t care what I do, as long as I stay in your house. In your bed. Isn’t that right?”

Sky’s hands flexed at his sides, every muscle in his body tight, fighting the urge to drag Nani out of the tent and remind him exactly what those words meant.

“You’re testing me, Nani.”

“And you’re letting me,” Nani countered, sliding his sunglasses back on.

“So who’s really at fault here?”

Sky’s jaw ticked again. He said nothing.

Because the worst part was that Nani was right.

Sky’s silence stretched. Every instinct screamed at him to close the distance, to grip Nani’s arm, to remind him that no amount of playing hard to get could change the truth of who he belonged to.

But they weren’t alone.

The tent was full of parents, teachers, and children. The twins were still darting back and forth, their laughter carrying across the field. And Nani knew it. 

He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only Sky could hear. “Relax, husband. It’s just dinner.”

“You said it yourself, you already have me. So what are you worried about?”

Sky’s jaw ticked.

Nani chuckled softly, sliding his tote bag higher on his shoulder. “Or maybe you’re afraid. Afraid that someone else might show me the attention you never could.”

He tilted his chin, studying Sky’s unreadable face. “Tell me, which is it?”

Sky’s breath came heavier, slower. His eyes darkened. But he didn’t answer.

Nani smiled wider.

He had him.

“Thought so.”

He turned then, walking casually back toward the field where the twins were gathering for their next event.

The sun caught on the edge of his cropped top, his legs gleaming where the lotion hadn’t yet faded. Every step was deliberate, confident, like he knew Sky’s gaze was glued to him.

Sky stayed rooted under the tent, his fists flexing at his sides. He was seething…but he couldn’t move. Not without giving Nani exactly what he wanted.

And Nani knew it.

He’d tested the psycho, and the psycho had reacted.

The kids’ laughter spilled across the field. Smyle and Neona had lined up at the beanbag toss, their little voices shrieking when they landed one, missing the next, then landing another.

Sky stood half in the shade, arms folded, pretending to be casual while every nerve in his body strained toward one place: the far side of the field.

That was where Nani stood.

With him.

Coach Nick was crouched with a tray of paints balanced on his knee, brush in hand.

“Hold still,” Nick chuckled, and Nani laughed lightly, tilting his head as Nick painted a small red heart just below the slope of his jaw.

Sky’s stomach twisted.

What the fuck was happening?

Why was Nick so close? Why was Nani letting him?

When Nick leaned back, satisfied, Nani took the brush from his hand. “My turn,” he said. And then he bent forward, their faces close, as he painted a small flower against Nick’s cheek.

A flower.

For him.

It was nothing. It was face paint. It was a children’s game.

So why did it look so intimate?

Why did Sky feel like someone was pressing a fist into his ribcage?

He couldn’t understand it.

This was Nani, the same man who, many weeks ago, had sat across from him and asked for divorce, who had been cold, distant, unreachable. The man who insisted he wanted freedom, space, love.

Sky had told himself it was all theater. That Nani’s tantrums were just noise, a hunger for sex disguised as longing. That the coldness was only to make Sky chase him.

But now…this?

Nani wasn’t chasing. He was provoking. He was fighting back.

And worse…he was good at it.

Sky’s mind looped through the last two months: the late-night arguments, the slap across his face, the cutting lines Nani threw like daggers. He’d thought it was all about attention. He’d thought…He just wants me to fuck him and tell him he’s beautiful.

But standing here, watching his husband smirk and lean in close to a man who wasn’t him, Sky felt it in his bones…this wasn’t about sex.

Does he really want to leave me?

The thought sliced through him.

No. That wasn’t possible. Nani belonged to him. Sky had decided that long ago. But the way Nani was looking at Nick made doubt creep where certainty used to live.

Why now?

Sky’s chest burned, his composure thinning. He clenched his jaw, eyes fixed on Nani’s hand as it brushed Nick’s cheek, leaving a painted flower that looked childish and yet somehow…pretty.

He is supposed to be mine.
He is supposed to hate everyone else.
He is supposed to sit still in my house, in my bed, waiting for me.

And yet…here he was. Laughing. Flirting.

He never thought Nani would go this far.

And that scared him more than anything.

Sky stood rooted at the edge of the tent, fists loose at his sides, eyes burning holes into the scene of Nani and Nick painting each other like schoolkids.

“Enjoying the show?”

Sky’s head snapped to the side. Phuwin stood there, immaculate as always, wine-red two piece that consisted of shorts and a cropped tee and a huge diamond ring adorning his fingers.

“You look like a man watching his house burn,” Phuwin said lightly.

Sky’s jaw tightened. “Don’t mock me.”

Phuwin tilted his head, eyes glinting. “It’s hard not to, Phi. The great Sky Wongravee, standing here with his veins about to burst, while his husband plays games with another man in broad daylight.”

Sky exhaled through his nose. “He’s testing me.”

“No,” Phuwin corrected smoothly. “He’s showing you.”

Sky’s gaze darted back to Nani, laughing as Nick turned the brush on him again, a heart bright red against his pale skin.

“I didn’t think he was serious.”

Phuwin’s smirk faded. “And that was your first mistake.”

Sky looked at him sharply, caught off guard by the bluntness.

“You keep thinking it’s a performance,” Phuwin went on. “That all Nani wants is to rile you up, drag you back to bed, and call it love. But look at him, Phi.” He gestured with his chin toward the field.

“That man isn’t just fighting you. He’s tired of you.”

Sky’s throat tightened. His chest felt heavy, a strange pressure building under his ribs.

“He’s mine.”

Phuwin let out a short laugh. “Possession doesn’t equal devotion. You can cage him all you want, but if you don’t change, he’ll slip out through the bars. And when he does, you’ll be the only one left holding onto an empty house.”

Sky’s gaze stayed locked on Nani. The words cut, but they cut differently than insults.

Phuwin’s voice softened. “You need to change before you lose him for good.”

For a moment, Sky’s façade cracked. His voice came out quiet.

“I don’t have to.”

Phuwin studied him for a moment, then shook his head, disappointed. “Then maybe you don’t deserve him.”

The words landed heavy. Before Sky could reply, Phuwin was already walking away, until he disappeared among the parents.

Sky stayed where he was.

10 min ago

Nani’s laughter carried faintly across the field. And for the first time, Sky wondered if he’d already lost.

Nani laughed softly, tipping his chin as Nick drew one last streak of red along his cheekbone. 

“Done,” Nick announced, leaning back. A neat little heart sat against Nani’s skin.

Nani touched it with his fingertip. “Not bad,” he said. “Better than I expected from a coach.”

Nick chuckled. “I told you, I’m good at more than running.”

“Oh, really?” Nani’s smirk curved higher. He dipped the brush into yellow paint. Then he leaned closer and carefully stroked a petal onto Nick’s cheek. 

Parents watching nearby smiled, some whispering, some nudging each other. It was harmless in their eyes. Sweet. Playful.

But Nani knew. He felt the weight of eyes from the other side of the tent. He didn’t need to look to know Sky was watching.

That was the point.

“Beautiful,” Nani said when he was finished. Nick grinned, oblivious to the sparks he was fanning. “Coming from you, that’s something.”

Nani chuckled, wiping his paint-stained finger against a napkin. He didn’t move away immediately; he lingered in Nick’s space, as if savouring it.

And across the field, Sky’s chest felt like it was collapsing inward.

Phuwin’s words echoed sharp in his head: You need to change before you lose him for good.

Sky’s gaze burned.

He didn’t understand. Nani had always been distant, cold, angry, upset…but he had never been bold. Never smirked at another man like that. Never tilted his head just so, like he was welcoming someone else into his space.

Why now? Sky’s mind screamed. Why him?

Watching him laugh with Nick, watching him choose intimacy with someone else, Sky realized the truth he had refused to see.

Maybe Nani wasn’t playing anymore.

Maybe he meant it.

The field was thinning out. Kids waved goodbye, parents barreling their families toward cars, teachers packed away cones and ribbons. The sun was setting.

Nani stood near the bench, tote bag open as he slid in water bottles, spare shirts, and half-eaten cookies. Smyle and Neona ran back and forth, shrieking goodbyes at their classmates.

Sky watched from a distance.

When Nick excused himself Sky finally moved. His steps were slow, deliberate, carrying him straight to where his husband stood.

He crouched. Right in front of him.

Nani straightened slightly, startled at first, his sunglasses slipping down his nose. “What are you doing?”

Sky didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the red heart painted against Nani’s cheek. “Do you have wipes?”

Nani frowned. “For what?”

Sky’s gaze didn’t waver. “So I can wipe this off you.” His hand lifted halfway, but he stopped.

A laugh bubbled out of Nani. “Why? It’s just paint.”

“I don’t like it.” Sky’s tone was simple. “That it’s there.”

Nani tilted his head. “Why should you care? You never care when I ask you to consider my feelings. Why now?”

For a moment, Sky’s eyes softened. Just a flicker of something quieter. His mouth opened, then closed, and finally, he let out the smallest breath.

“I understand.”

The words were so quiet they almost disappeared in the air.

Nani’s mocking smirk faltered, his heart kicking strangely in his chest. He studied Sky, the way his eyes refused to look anywhere but his face, the strange sincerity that felt out of place on him.

Then Nani leaned in. “If you understand… then you’ll watch me walk around with the heart another man drew on me.”

The words landed heavy.

Sky didn’t move. He didn’t grab his wrist, didn’t bark back like he usually would.

He just looked at him. Watching the red heart glow faintly against Nani’s skin. And Nani turned away first, zipping the tote bag closed and calling out for the twins.

Sky stayed crouched there a moment longer, before he finally rose to his feet. His eyes stayed on the heart until the very last second.

The last of the crowd thinned out, cars pulling from the parking lot. Smyle and Neona were still buzzing.

“Pho, can we drive with you?” Smyle asked, eyes wide, his small hand already curling around Sky’s fingers.

“Please, Pho,” Neona echoed, her face tipped up.

Sky glanced down at them, his expression unreadable. He bent slightly, smoothing Smyle’s hair and adjusting Neona’s medal. “Alright. You’ll ride with me.”

They squealed, bolting toward his car with the certainty that their father could fix the whole world.

Nani stood beside his own car, his tote bag slung over one shoulder. For a moment, he hesitated, caught off guard by the twins’ choice. Then he reached for his keys, unlocking the door.

“I’ll drive myself,” he said.

Sky’s head lifted, his dark gaze locking onto Nani. He didn’t say anything. Not a single word.

He just… watched him.

Nani swallowed, sliding the tote bag onto the passenger seat, his hand tight on the wheel.

For once, no psycho smirk. No taunt. No reminder of possession.

Just silence.

And it stunned him.

He slid into the driver’s seat, the slam of the door sharper than he meant. His heart raced, not from anger this time, but from the shock of it…Sky was speechless. Sky, after a day of games and tests, unable to say a single word.

Nani gripped the wheel tighter, eyes forward, refusing to let himself turn and look again.

Because he knew if he did…if he saw that silence on Sky’s face—he might start questioning whether he’d gone too far.

But he didn’t. So he drove.

And behind him, in the other car, Sky’s eyes stayed fixed on his husband’s headlights, the turmoil inside him deeper than Nani could have ever imagined.

The house was quiet when Nani stepped inside. He’d beaten them home. For a moment, he stood there in the silence, thumb brushing against his phone screen, his mind running fast.

He scrolled to Nick’s number.

It rang twice before the coach’s voice answered. “Khun Nani.”

“Hi Nick…about that lunch,” Nani said quickly, lowering himself onto the couch. “Maybe… maybe we can have dinner instead?”

There was a pause. A moment too long. Then Nick chuckled lightly. “I’d love to, really. But… your husband kind of freaked me out back there.”

Nani’s stomach dipped. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t even know you two were still together.”

“We’re not,” Nani said, faster than he meant.

Another pause. Then Nick’s voice, softer: “Well, I kind of noticed how your eyes wandered throughout the day, Khun Nani. You kept on looking at him.”

The silence on Nani’s end stretched.

“I don’t want to get between a married couple who isn’t strictly broken up yet,” Nick added gently. “You understand.”

Nani’s grip tightened around the phone.

“Well,” Nick finished, “I’ll see you at the next school event. Take care.”

The line clicked dead.

Nani stared at the black screen, the faint reflection of the red heart still staining his cheek. He set the phone down a little too quickly, shoving it away from himself on the couch cushion.

The sound of the front door jolted him.

Smyle and Neona tumbled inside, their backpacks sliding off their shoulders. Sky followed behind, carrying their bags with ease. He dropped them on the kitchen counter and crouched down just enough to look his children in the eyes.

“Go wash up, both of you,” he said. “If you’re done in thirty minutes, I’ll order Chinese food.”

The twins shrieked with delight, already bolting toward the stairs, arguing over who would use the bathroom sink first.

Sky straightened, dusting his hands lightly before turning his gaze.

It landed on Nani. On the phone abandoned by his side. On the red heart still painted against his cheek.

Something cold slid into Sky’s chest.

His mind shifted gears. When there’s a problem, find the root.

His first hypothesis was that Nani wanted attention. That’s what he thought Nani wanted. Attention in bed, attention in fights, attention anywhere he could grab it.

But that theory… was wrong. Dead wrong.

He needed a new one. Fast.

Before things got worse.

His gaze lingered on his husband, sunglasses gone now, his face was bare but marked with another man’s heart.

After dinner, Sky decided.

After the kids were asleep.

He’d get closer. He’d try to speak to him. 

The smell of fried noodles and sweet pork filled the kitchen. Smyle and Neona sat cross-legged on their chairs.

Sky had taken the head of the table. Nani moved in and out of the kitchen quietly.

Sky leaned back, chopsticks in his hand, and asked, almost casually, “So. What do you want me to do for you during the holidays?”

The twins lit up immediately, with their mouths full.

“What did you do when you were a kid, Pho?” Neona asked.

Sky paused for a moment, the question catching him off guard.

He cleared his throat.

“…My dad sent me to school.”

“On holidays?” Smyle squeaked, a bit scandalised.

Sky’s mouth twitched.

“Yes.”

“Was Grandpa that mean?” Smyle asked.

“No,” Sky said firmly. “Not mean. Just very strict.”

Neona blinked. 

“Pho… you won’t send us to school, right?”

Sky shook his head without hesitation.

“No. Holidays are meant to rest. To recuperate from the long school year.”

“What’s… re-coop-a-rate?” Neona asked, her tongue struggling to pronounce the word.

“It means,” Sky explained, “to let your mind and body heal. To get your energy back.”

“Ohhh.” Neona nodded seriously.

Smyle, leaned forward. “Can you play games with us, then?”

Sky blinked, a bit awkward. 

“Games? I don’t… really know how to.”

“We’ll teach you!” Smyle said instantly.

“Yeah, Pho,” Neona chimed in. “It’s easy! You’ll be good at it.”

Sky hesitated, the corner of his mouth quirking like he didn’t know how to answer. 

Then he nodded once. “…Alright. You’ll teach me.”

The twins cheered like he’d just won them a trophy.

Nani, from the kitchen doorway, felt something tug in his chest.

But the twins weren’t finished.

“Pho,” Smyle said, “will you take us on a date?”

Sky arched an eyebrow. “…A date?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Neona confirmed with a nod.

“Our friend said their mom and dad went on a date for Valentine’s Day. They said it was fun. Can you take us too?”

Sky was silent for a moment.

Then his lips curved faintly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He said it simply, but inside, he was already making a note.

From the kitchen, Nani watched. He expected it...that gentleness, that awkward effort Sky gave only to the twins. 

Only to them...

What he hadn’t expected was the way his chest would feel… warm. Just for a moment.

The cartons were half-empty now.

Their conversation bounced back and forth, a thousand little questions tumbling out until Smyle suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing like he’d just remembered something important.

“Pho,” he said, “how come you don’t go on planes anymore?”

Sky froze mid-bite. He lowered his chopsticks slowly, his gaze flicking to his son.

He could have lied. He could have brushed it away like business didn’t require him anymore. But Smyle’s wide eyes, Neona’s curious tilt of the head, they were waiting. They deserved the truth.

“Because your Pa told me you miss me,” Sky said. “So I decided to work close by. That way, I can see your faces every day.”

Neona gasped, her eyes widening. “Pa was right!” She turned immediately to Sky, her small hands gesturing to the kitchen. “Pho, do you know how sad Pa is when you’re not here?”

Smyle nodded quickly, with his mouth full. “Yeah! It’s boring. And when we go to Granny’s, Pa is left here alone.”

Sky’s chest tightened. He exhaled slowly. “I promise,” he said softly, “I’ll do better.”

Neona tapped her chopsticks against her plate. “Then you should buy Pa a teddy to make up!”

Sky blinked. “…A teddy?”

“Yes!” Neona said firmly. “Like a big one. So when you’re gone, Pa can hug it.”

Smyle cackled at the idea, already imagining it.

Sky’s lips twitched. “I’ll think about it,” he said.

“Good,” Neona said with satisfaction, returning to her noodles like the matter was settled.

Sky leaned back slightly, studying them both. “Tell me something else, then,” he said. “How did you get so good at sports?”

The question opened a floodgate.

Smyle launched into a ramble about racing his friends at school, how he was the fastest on the field because “I ate the most bananas.”

Neona countered with her story of practicing jumps at recess. They overlapped, interrupted each other, laughed so loudly the whole house seemed to warm with it.

Sky listened quietly, his chopsticks abandoned.

And from the kitchen doorway, Nani stood with the water pitcher still in his hands. He hadn’t moved in minutes. He hadn’t expected to hear Sky admit that.

He hadn’t expected the twins to press so bluntly on the very thing he’d been saying for years, that Sky’s absence left holes.

His heart ached, even as his head reminded him how much he resented it.

Smyle and Neona had bolted upstairs, still arguing loudly about whose medal was shinier.

Nani moved quietly, stacking cartons into a trash bag, wiping down the table. He kept his face neutral, but inside his chest, the kids’ words echoed.

Pho, do you know how sad Pa is when you’re not here?

Sky entered silently, gathering the chopsticks and empty water glasses. He didn’t brush against Nani, didn’t speak. He carried the glasses to the sink, set them down, and turned on the tap.

Nani dried his hands on a towel, forcing himself not to look.

But Sky’s voice came. “Do you need help with the rest?”

The words were simple. But Nani froze.

“I’ve got it,” Nani said flatly, though his fingers tightened.

Sky hummed softly. He rinsed the glasses anyway. For a moment, the only sounds were the water running from the tap.

Their eyes met when Nani turned toward the door. Just for a second.

And in that second, Nani felt it…the weight of Sky’s gaze.

Nani’s throat tightened. He broke eye contact first, brushing past him.

Sky stayed by the sink, staring after him, his mind echoing with his children’s words.

He’s sad when you’re not here.

He clenched the edge of the counter.

He couldn’t let this slip any further.

Tonight. After the kids were asleep.

He’d find the root.

After the twins' laughter had faded into silence Sky had decided to go up into their bedroom.

Nani stood by the dresser, folding a clean shirt. He could feel it in the air…the heaviness.

The way Sky lingered in the doorway, watching him too closely, breathing too evenly, the psycho always had something hiding underneath.

“What’s this about?” Nani asked, tiredly. “Where’s your usual self? Where’s the psycho who doesn’t let me breathe?”

Behind him, Sky smirked faintly. “He’s still here.”

Nani set the shirt down harder than necessary. “Then I don’t want to speak to him.”

“You won’t be,” Sky said, stepping into the room. “I want to speak with you.”

Nani turned then, arms crossed. “Go on.”

Sky’s eyes softened. He sat on the edge of the bed, his voice quieter than Nani expected.

“Today,” Sky began slowly, “made me sick.”

Nani tilted his chin. “So now you know what it feels like.”

Sky looked up at him. “I don’t understand you. Have I been wrong this whole time? I thought you wanted my attention. That’s why I gave up traveling, why I stayed close. I thought… that was what you needed. But you’re still upset.”

Nani scoffed, folding his arms tighter. “You thought I wanted you to stand near me like a shadow? That’s not attention, Sky.”

“I thought you wanted me to speak more,” Sky pressed on.

“But whenever I try, you dismiss me. You only talk to me when you want to argue. What am I supposed to do with that?”

Nani’s laugh was bitter. “I told you what I wanted months ago. Love.”

Sky’s breath hitched. “I do love you.”

Nani’s eyes burned. He stepped closer.

“You don’t.”

Sky stiffened.

“You don’t,” Nani repeated, voice breaking with frustration.

“Look at our kids. You love them. Even though you didn’t at first...you know what they like, you feel sympathy for them, you understand their feelings, you keep your promises to them.” His voice cracked. 

“But not me.”

Sky blinked, confusion flashing across his face. 

“…They’re kids.”

Nani’s jaw tightened. “And what difference does that make?”

Sky stood suddenly, his voice raw, defensive.

“It makes all the difference, Nani. When I was a kid, no one listened to me. No one cared what I thought. I was told to shut up, to behave, to be useful.”

“I swore my children would never feel like that. That’s why I pay attention, why I protect them, why I keep my promises to them.” 

His breath shook, chest rising and falling too fast.

“I thought you understood that. I thought you saw it.”

Nani’s throat bobbed, but his voice came out trembling and furious.

“So do adults, Sky. So do fucking adults! Do you think because I’m grown I don’t need to be seen? That I don’t need promises kept?” His words tumbled out, breaking apart. 

“Do you even hear yourself? You’ve been giving the love you should have given to our family to the kids because you think I should already know how to live without it.”

The words hit like a slap.

Nani stepped closer. “Do you really think I fell in love with you on a whim? Out of boredom?”

”I saw good in you, Sky. I saw a man I could love. I gave you my heart when I didn’t have to. And what did you do?”

Sky’s lips parted, but no words came.

“You can’t even see that part of yourself,” Nani said, his voice breaking now. 

“You’re so fucking dense. You keep telling me I’m yours, that you’ll never let me go...but you don’t even see that all I ever wanted was the part of you that listens. The part that cares.”

For once, Sky didn’t smirk. He didn’t taunt.

“…Dense?” he repeated.

“Yes.” Nani stepped closer, close enough that Sky could feel the heat radiating off him.

“Dense. Blind. You walk around thinking possession is love. That locking me up in this house is love. That hovering over me in silence is love. You don’t even try to understand me.”

Sky’s jaw ticked. “I understand enough. You’re here, aren’t you? Still in this house. Still wearing my ring.”

Nani laughed, sharp and bitter. “God, you’re impossible.”

Sky’s eyes narrowed.. “And you’re still my husband?.”

“See?” Nani snapped, his voice cracking. “That’s it. That’s all you have. A claim. A title. But you don’t know me. You don’t know what I need.”

“You said you wanted love. I told you—I love you.”

Nani’s stare cut through him. “You love the idea of me. You love the possession of me. But me? The man standing in front of you, the one who’s begged for you…you don’t love him. You don’t even see him.”

Sky’s chest clenched.

“I gave up everything for you,” he spit out. “Traveling, business trips, opportunities…I stayed. I chose to stay. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“It means you chose proximity,” Nani shot back. “Not love. Proximity.”

“…Then what the fuck do you want from me, Nani? Tell me. Spell it out. Because I’m here, every day, and it’s still not enough.”

Nani’s voice broke. “I want you to treat me like a person, Sky. Not a vase on your shelf. Not a flower to look pretty. A person. Someone you talk to. Someone you trust. Someone you fucking respect.”

Nani’s eyes softened for just a flicker before hardening again. “If you don’t change, I’ll leave.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Sky stared at him, his husband, his torment, his constant. For the first time, he didn’t have an answer.

And Nani knew it.

Nani stood there trembling, his chest rising fast, the words burning the back of his throat. For so long, every argument had been sharp, every outburst a slap of fire.

But tonight… it broke differently.

“Do you know what this marriage has been, Sky? A fucking failure.”

Sky’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t interrupt.

Nani’s breath hitched, tears threatening to spill out.

“Four years ago, Mim came to me. She was nervous about going on her first date with View. She asked me for advice. Advice.” He laughed bitterly, wiping at his cheek even as tears escaped.

“And do you know what I realised? That I had nothing to tell her. Because I had been married to you for four years and you had never even taken me out on a date.”

Sky’s chest rose sharply, but still he said nothing.

Nani’s words kept tumbling. “You’ve never woken up and surprised me. Never said, ‘Let’s get out of the house and just be together.’ Not once. Not in eight years. Do you know how humiliating it is to sit across from my best friend, married for months, and realise she had already experienced more romance than I had in years with my own husband?”

He choked, tears sliding down his face. “All we’ve had is this house. Sex when we’ve wanted it. Meals cooked. Silence. Raising kids together when we’re practically strangers. That’s what you call a marriage?”

“I know you like things to be a certain way,” Nani pressed on, voice breaking, “and I know you had a fucked up childhood. I’ve told myself that a hundred times. But that doesn’t excuse how you’ve treated me. How you’ve made me feel. Like some… accessory you dust off and put back on the shelf.”

“You think sex is everything. That intimacy is me in your bed, that living under one roof is enough. But it’s not. It’s never been enough.”

His voice cracked so hard he had to stop. When he found the strength again, it came out raw.

“I won’t touch you again if that’s what it takes for you to understand how broken this marriage is. Because all I ever asked for was so little. So little, Sky. A date. A day together. A moment where I wasn’t begging.”

Nani shook his head violently, words pouring out.

“You had some weird pride, some ego that told you lowering yourself to be my partner would make you weak. You’ve never been my partner, Sky. You’ve been my jailer, my… my fucking roommate with benefits. And I loved you anyway. I loved you because I thought one day you’d see me, that you’d give me the smallest proof that I mattered outside of your bed.”

His chest heaved. “But you never did. And maybe you never will.”

The silence that followed was thick.

Sky stood frozen. He had always been able to twist arguments, absorb insults, stand tall against slaps and shouts.

But this…Nani crying, Nani confessing that eight years had given him nothing, cut through him like nothing else ever had.

He wanted to reach for him. To grab him. To insist that he was his, that he’d never let him go. But for once, Sky stayed still.

Nani’s sobs filled the room. His chest heaved, his hands trembling as he tried to scrub at his face, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

Sky finally moved. His hand lifted, reaching for him.

“Don’t,” Nani choked, stepping back. “Don’t touch me.”

Sky froze, his hand suspended uselessly in the air. His lips parted, a thousand retorts and commands on the edge of his tongue, but none of them fit.

“Nani—”

“Stop.” Nani’s voice cracked, his whole body shaking. “Just stop.”

Sky dragged a hand down his face. The dots connected in his head.

Nani didn’t just want attention. 

He wanted something Sky had refused to give.

Something Sky didn’t even know if he could give.

And for the first time in years, Sky sat silent, not because he was in control, but because he wasn’t.

Sky stood there as the door slammed. He heard the uneven footsteps, the bathroom door clicking shut down the hall. The sound of running water followed, masking Nani’s sobs.

He’d seen Nani cry before. A handful of times.

When Smyle had fallen sick for the first time, a fever burning his tiny body, and Nani had broken down in fear.

When Neona had to be wheeled into a minor surgery, Nani’s hands shaking so badly he couldn’t even sign the paperwork.

That one time when Nani had a panic attack.

When Nani’s grandmother had passed, and he’d cried so quietly at the funeral Sky had almost mistaken it for silence.

All of those had made sense. They had explanations. They were grief, fear, loss.

But this?

This was because of him.

TW: Panic attack

The cold tiles pressed against Nani’s bare feet. His eyes were swollen, face blotchy, tears sliding faster than he could wipe. His breath came sharp, shallow, chest heaving as if the air in the room had thinned.

Nick’s voice replayed in his head.

I don’t want to get between a married couple who isn’t strictly broken up yet.

The click of the call ending. The rejection in those words.

His stomach twisted. His throat closed. Not Nick. Not Sky. Not anyone.

He bent forward, pressing his face into his hands. His chest constricted tighter.

Does no one want me?

His panic spiraled. His vision blurred. He gasped, dragging for air that wouldn’t come. His heart hammered too fast, too hard, like it might burst through his ribs.

Then.

A pounding on the door. “Nani.”

He flinched.

The knocking grew louder, sharper, and desperate. “Nani, open the door.”

“Go away,” Nani croaked, but his voice cracked.

The knob rattled, Sky’s fists slamming against the wood again. “Please. Open the door. You’re worrying me.”

The words startled him. Worrying him?

Why did Sky play with his emotions so much?

A sob wracked his chest. His hand fumbled at the lock. The door swung open.

Sky stood in the doorway eyes locking on Nani’s trembling body.

“Are you okay?” Sky asked, his voice low but frantic. “Nani—”

“I’m fine,” Nani choked, though his chest betrayed him with ragged gasps.

“You’re not fine.” Sky’s voice shook. He stepped closer, his hand finally reaching, brushing against Nani’s damp cheek. “Don’t cry. Please… don’t cry.”

Nani blinked through his tears, his chest heaving. “Why shouldn’t I cry?” His voice cracked. “Why the fuck shouldn’t I?”

“Because—”

Nani’s body trembled harder. He let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t want to hear your lies.”

Nani’s sobs shook through the room, his body curling inward as if he could fold himself away from the pain. 

Sky reached out slowly. He brushed damp hair back from Nani’s forehead. The gesture was awkward and clumsy. It was what he’d do for Smyle or Neona when they were inconsolable.

“I’ll fix it,” Sky murmured. “I’ll try.”

Nani let out a broken whine, shoving weakly at his chest. “Don’t...don’t talk to me like a child.” His voice cracked.

Sky froze, then drew back just enough to meet his eyes.

“I apologize for making you cry. And I’ll fix things.”

Sky stood frozen.

Then, gently he stepped forward and slipped his arms around Nani. His movements were cautious, as if Nani might shatter.

“Don’t.” Nani whimpered, trying to pull back, but his limbs had lost their strength.

“You’ll get sick,” Sky murmured. “The floor is cold. You're sitting on tile, Nani. If you get sick… Smyle and Neona will cry.”

That made Nani flinch. His fingers curled weakly into Sky’s chest. The mere mention of the kids was enough to disarm him.

Sky took that silence as permission.

He scooped Nani up into his arms. Nani was light, his body trembling from the weight of everything he’d been holding in.

For a moment, Nani hid his face in the crook of Sky’s neck, but the moment they passed the doorway and Sky kicked the bedroom door gently closed behind them.

Sky laid Nani down and eased onto the bed beside him, not touching.

Then, suddenly, Nani turned on him. His eyes were red, his face streaked with tears, his body trembling. He struck at Sky’s chest with both fists, with messy blows that barely landed.

“Why did you have to make everything so difficult?” His words cracked between sobs. “Why couldn’t you just… just be kind?”

“Why were you so fucking mean to me?”

Sky sat frozen. His chest burned, but he didn’t move. His eyes tracked every tear as though he couldn’t believe they were real.

“And why...” Nani’s voice rose and broke again, his whole body shuddering. “Why didn’t you love me, Sky? Why? Was I that hard to love? Was I not enough?”

“Eight years, and you couldn’t even try…”

Sky’s jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. He had no defense. Just the hollow sound of his husband breaking in front of him.

Nani pressed his face into the pillow, sobbing harder.

“Why did I have to use fucking Nick…who doesn’t even want me because of you? Why did I have to go so far just to get into your head? Why do I hate myself because of you?”

“Why can’t I stop thinking about you? Why did I fall for you? Why does my heart hurt so badly—”

Sky’s stomach twisted. His hands flexed against his knees, wanting to seize him, to stop the words, to silence him…but he didn’t. He just sat there.

Finally, his voice scraped out. “Stop crying.”

“Don’t you dare tell me to stop crying!” Nani’s voice broke, hoarse and sharp through the sobs. 

The sound of the sobs pressed into Sky like knives.

“I can’t stand to hear you cry.”

Nani’s head snapped up, his face blotched. His voice broke into a scream:

“Then don’t listen! I’ll cry if I want to! I don’t care what you want, I don’t want to hear you either, Sky!”

The words cracked against the walls, his chest heaving harder as he sobbed again, loud and messy, throwing himself back into the pillow.

Nani’s sobs wracked the room until his throat burned. Then suddenly, through the tears, he screamed:

“Do you even know why they mock me? Why they laugh? Why they say shit about me in public?”

Sky’s head snapped up.

Nani’s chest heaved as he pushed the words out. “Because I can’t fight back, Sky! Whatever they say, whatever I throw back at them, all they have to do is bring you up. All they have to say is that my own husband doesn’t love me. And I lose. Every time. Because they’re right.”

“From my husband, that’s the one thing I should’ve had. The one thing that was mine. And you couldn’t even give me that!”

He collapsed back into sobs. He wiped his face with his hand. “I deserved better from my husband.”

He didn’t look at Sky when he said it.

Chapter Text

Nani left their house.

Not permanently. Not yet.

He left with the kids in the early hours of Friday morning, a small weekend trip to visit Mim and View…nothing out of the ordinary.

He had mentioned it offhand while folding the kids’ socks, as if it were something he did every month. As if he hadn’t broken down forty-eight hours ago in Sky’s arms, sobbing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

Sky had said nothing when Nani packed. He watched from the upstairs hallway instead, unsure whether to intervene or let him go.

The children were bubbling with excitement. Smyle was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Neona clung to her stuffed unicorn, already wearing sunglasses indoors.

Nani crouched and zipped their bags. There was not a trace of a tremor. Not a hint of the panic Sky had seen in the bathroom.

It was like watching a stranger dress up in Nani’s skin.

Smiling too much. Laughing too easily.

Not once looking up to where Sky stood, hidden in the shadows of the stairs.

Sky didn’t stop them.

He didn’t ask much about what they were going to do. He didn’t ask when they would return.

Just stood there and let them go.

Because deep down, he knew.
Nani needed air.

And Sky had taken all of it.

Sky locked himself in his office for the rest of the day.

Not to work…just to breathe.

There was still a pillow on the couch where he had slept that one night…after the worst of it, when Nani had kicked him out of their bed and Sky hadn’t fought back. The door to their bedroom had been locked when he tried to check on him.

Not that he was surprised.

Sky knew Nani’s trip wasn’t really about the kids.

It was about space.

A moment to think.

Or maybe, according to Sky’s spiraling brain…a final trial separation, disguised as something innocent.

A “weekend away” that might stretch into “a few more days,” and then slowly, silently, into forever.

He didn’t understand Nani.
But worse…he didn’t understand himself.

That’s what kept him up.
Not guilt.
Not love.
Not even the fear of being left.

It was confusion.

A quiet, creeping horror that maybe he didn’t know what love looked like.
Maybe he had never learned.

He loved his children. That much was obvious. Even Nani said so.

But loving them had been...easy. Instinctual.
They were small and fragile and curious. They needed someone.

Sky had always had a soft spot for vulnerable things.

Nani, though, Nani was different. Nani wasn’t as fragile. He was fire. He was different. He was sharp eyes, biting words and beautiful and calm all at once.

He made things difficult.
He didn’t always want to be held.
He wanted to be understood.

Or maybe…Sky just didn't understand Nani.

He had grown up in a house where doing what you were expected to do was the safest option. Where love came in the form of expectations and scoldings and conditional praise. Where no one hugged you unless you won. Where feelings were inefficient.

He thought adults were supposed to survive things.

That’s what his father always said. Sky was fourteen when he was told to get over his sister’s death

“People die, but you still have school in the morning.” he was told.

So if a fourteen-year-old boy could survive heartbreak.

Why couldn’t a twenty-seven-year-old man survive feeling lonely in a house filled with love?

Sky didn’t get it.

But the image of Nani crying…that he couldn’t unsee.

That haunted him.

The way Nani's body shook, the way his voice cracked when he said:

“Even strangers pity me… because my own husband doesn’t.”

Sky felt like something had broke inside him.

He didn’t know how to fix it.

The next day

Sky didn’t sleep again.

He tried. God, he tried.
Turned off his phone. Laid still. Even stared at the ceiling for hours in the dark, but nothing worked.

Nani’s voice still echoed.
His tears. His questions.

“Why did I fall for you?”
“Why can’t I stop thinking about you?”
“Why is my heart hurting so badly?”

It wasn’t the volume of the sobs that haunted Sky.
It was how honest they were. How unfiltered.

For a man like Nani to fall apart like that in front of him…

Sky buried his face in his palms. He sat at the edge of their shared bed and stared at the sheets Nani had last touched. The scent of his shampoo still clung faintly to the pillows.

He got up. Walked to the window. Opened it. Closed it. Sat again.

For hours, he did nothing but think.

Think about the fact that when Nani left…he didn’t look back.

It was past 2AM when he reached for his phone.

He stared at the screen. His finger hovered over one contact for a long time before he finally tapped it.

Sky:
Morning Pond.

Are you available to come visit me? Or… can I come visit you?

He stared at the text for a full minute. Then hit send.

The response came five minutes later.

Pond:
Phi...? You okay?
Why are you awake at this time??
That’s a surprise. You never text me unless it’s about work.
Um sure. But... do you even know where I live? 😅 I can come to you if you want?

Sky exhaled. Then typed back.

Sky:
No. It’s better if I come to you.
Send me the address. I’ll be there in the morning. I need to talk to you about something.

The “…” bubble flickered for a bit, then stopped.
Pond never replied after that.

Sky didn’t blame him.

The next morning, the house was still silent.

He washed up in record time. Threw on a white button-down and some jeans, grabbed his car keys, and left the house before 08:00.

The drive was quiet. There was barely any traffic. Sky wasn’t sure what to expect, he hadn’t visited Pond outside of professional events.

He had no clue what his home looked like, or even if Phuwin would be annoyed by an early visit. But when he arrived, Pond was already waiting by the front gate.

“Phi Sky,” Pond said. “You really came.”

Sky nodded, stepping out of the car. “You said I could.”

Pond grinned. “I did. I just… didn’t think you’d follow through.”
He moved aside to let him in. “Come in, Phuwin’s inside with PermPoon. We were just finishing breakfast.”

Sky stepped into the house.

There were toys scattered neatly in one corner of the living room. Sunlight poured through the curtains. The scent of toast and jam was in the air. It was… peaceful. .

Phuwin greeted him briefly with a slight bow of his head and a small smile. “Khun Sky.”

Sky nodded back. “Sorry for coming so early.”

“It’s alright. You’re…uh… welcome here,” Phuwin replied, scooping their child into his arms. “Pond just owes me breakfast on time.”

Pond rolled his eyes and grabbed two plates. “Give me five minutes. I promised him eggs and toast by 09:00.”

Sky said nothing. He stood in the corner quietly, observing them, how easily they moved around each other, how natural it all felt.

He wondered if he and Nani ever looked like that to someone else.

Ten minutes later, Pond reappeared. “Okay. Breakfast is served. Come on, Phi. We can go upstairs to my office. It’s quieter.”

Sky followed him up the narrow staircase to a small room with a desk, a comfy chair, and a couch pushed against the wall. Pond shut the door behind them, then turned to face him.

“So,” he said. “What’s going on?”

Sky hesitated.

“…What’s wrong with me?”

Pond blinked. “Excuse me?”

Sky sat down on the couch. His voice was low, almost a whisper. “You’re married. You have a husband. A kid. You seem…happy. Functional.”

“Functional,” Pond repeated, trying not to smile.

Sky ignored the sarcasm. “So I’m asking. What’s wrong with me?”

Pond folded his arms and leaned against the desk. “You want the nice version, or the honest one?”

“The honest one.”

“You’re emotionally constipated. And dense as hell. You’re also a bit…uh…stupid, Phi.”

Sky looked at him. “I-I-I…deserve that.”

“You do.” Pond sighed. “Phi… what happened?”

Sky didn’t answer immediately. He looked out the window, his jaw tightening.

“…My…my Nani cried.”

Pond’s expression softened. “Like… cried, cried?”

“Like…” Sky exhaled shakily. “Like I’ve never seen before. Screamed at me. Hit me. Broke down.”
He paused. “He said I make him hate himself.”

Pond moved closer. Sat in the chair across from him. “That’s… that’s heavy, Phi.”

Sky nodded slowly.

Pond gave him a long look. “Is that why you’re here?”

Sky didn’t speak. But he didn’t need to.

Pond didn’t speak for a while. He leaned back slightly in the chair and studied Sky.

“…You know,” he said eventually, “I always wondered how Nani put up with you.”

Sky blinked. “Excuse me?”

Pond raised a brow. “You heard me.”

Sky didn’t respond. He didn’t even flinch. He just kept staring out the window.

“I mean it,” Pond continued. “You’re not an easy person to live with, Phi. You’re emotionally unavailable. Cold, even when you don’t mean to be.”

“You compartmentalize everything. You never talk about how you feel, and when you do, it’s like pulling teeth. You act like affection is a transaction…it’s unhealthy.”

“That’s not—” Sky started, but Pond cut him off with a look.

“Don’t argue with me. You came here. You asked me what’s wrong with you. Let me answer.”

Sky’s mouth pressed into a thin line.

“I’m not saying you’re a bad person,” Pond said. “I’ve seen how you are…uh… with the kids. How you protect them. You’ve got your reasons for being the way you are. I get it. But Nani?”

He exhaled slowly.

“Nani’s probably soft,” he said. “Not weak. Soft. There’s a difference. He will speak his mind. He’ll be fiery, sure, but underneath all of that? He probably just wants someone to hold him. To look at him like he matters.”

Sky’s throat tightened.

“You know how rare it is to find someone like that? Someone who gives and gives, even when it hurts? He waited for you, Phi. For years. For years.”

Sky’s eyes dropped to the floor.

“He stayed by your side. He raised your kids. He kept the house running. He put up with you being away from home, for weeks at a time. He put up with your silence. Your moods. Your coldness. You think people do that for fun?”

“…No.”

“So why do you think he did it?”

Sky didn’t speak.

Pond leaned forward slightly. “It’s either one of two things. He either really, truly loved you… or he loved the idea of you so much that he tried to convince himself it was enough.”

Sky’s brow furrowed. “Why are you speaking in past tense?”

Pond gave a sad little smile. “Because love has limits, Phi.”

Sky looked up at him slowly.

“You think love is infinite. Unbreakable. That someone who loves you will always come back, no matter how you treat them. But that’s not love.”

Pond’s voice was gentle now, but it cut deeper than any slap could.

“You want to know what’s wrong with you?” he said. “You assumed he’d never leave.”

Sky’s stomach twisted. “He hasn’t.”

“Yet,” Pond said. “He hasn’t yet.”

Sky’s breath caught.

“Phi,” Pond said softly. “There’s only so much a person can tolerate before they fall out of love with you.”

Sky’s chest ached. He swallowed hard.

“He said I made him hate himself,” Sky murmured, more to himself than to Pond.

Pond’s face didn’t change.

“I didn’t think…I was cruel,” Sky added.

“I want to believe that you weren’t trying to be. But that doesn’t matter,” Pond replied. “Intentions don’t mean shit when the result ends up being pain.”

Sky leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “What if it’s too late?”

“It’s…not?” Pond said.

“How do you know?”

“Because he still cried in front of you.”

Sky blinked.

“He still fought,” Pond said. “He still yelled. Still broke down. That means he hasn’t given up completely. But if you don’t do something…really do something, you’ll wake up one day and realize the house is empty.”

Sky’s mouth went dry.

Sky looked at his hands. They felt suddenly too big. Too useless.

“What do I do?” he asked.

Pond gave a half-smile. “Don’t start by asking me that. What did he say about it? Ask him.”

“I tried to…he told me to love him.’”

Pond raised an eyebrow. “So do that.”

“I’m…I’m too broken.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Nothing worth having ever is.”

Sky’s voice cracked faintly. “What do I do?” he repeated.

Pond stared at him for a moment, like he wasn’t sure he’d heard right. “You’re asking me?”

“I don’t know if he even wants anything from me anymore,” Sky said, his eyes fixed on the floor.

“He told me our marriage has been a failure. He had a panic attack in front of me. He said I’ve never even taken him on a date. I…” He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face.

“If I try to push something on him now, if I force it…he’ll hate me. I thought it would be fine if he hated me but…”

“Obviously he’ll hate you if you force it. You can’t force someone into love, Phi.”

“I’m not forcing,” Sky muttered. “I’m… I’m trying to figure out how to start. What to even offer him.”

“You’re telling me, in eight years, you’ve never once just… done something romantic for him? Not one date? Not one surprise?” Pond’s voice rose with disbelief.

Sky’s mouth twisted faintly. “We had kids.”

The silence that followed was so heavy.

Pond just stared at him for a long moment, his expression blank, like Sky had said something obscene. “…That’s it?” he asked quietly.

Sky’s jaw flexed. He didn’t answer.

Pond let out a slow breath, leaning back in his chair. “Phi Sky,” he said.

“You’re not going to be able to fix this with a single gesture. This isn’t about flowers or dinners. You’ve built eight years of distance between you two. You don’t erase that by buying a teddy bear or saying sorry once.”

Sky’s fingers tightened on his knees. “So what then?”

“Start small,” Pond said. “Start by doing exactly what he asked. I don’t know…speak to him nicely. Show him you actually see him.”

“It’s not that easy.”

Pond gave him a look that was almost pity.

“You need to book a therapist,” Pond said after a long pause, his tone more matter-of-fact than judgmental now.

“I’m serious, Phi. I’m saying this as your… friend. You need help.”

Sky’s head turned toward him. His expression didn’t shift, but the silence between them tightened.

“I don’t need a therapist,” he said.

“You do,” Pond said. “You’ve got issues, and I don’t mean it to insult you, I mean it because it’s hurting you. It’s hurting Nani. It’s hurting your family.”

Sky didn’t answer. His hands were on his knees again, motionless. His jaw clenched once, but he didn’t fight back. That was unusual.

Pond noticed.

But Sky didn’t stay long in that discomfort.

Instead, he asked, “Those women. At the events. The ones who mock Nani. Do you know who they are?”

Pond blinked. “What?”

“You’ve seen them,” Sky said. “The ones who smile at him, then laugh behind his back. Do you know which families they’re from?”

“I… I don’t really pay attention to gossip like that,” Pond said carefully. “But Phuwin might know. He’s more observant than I am at those things.”

Sky nodded slowly. “I’ll ask him. Is he still downstairs?”

“Yeah,” Pond said cautiously. “He’s with PermPoon. You can ask.”

Sky stood up.

Pond narrowed his eyes. “Phi Sky—why do you want to know who they are?”

Sky paused with one hand in his pocket. He didn’t look back at Pond when he spoke.

“Nani said they made him feel like I don’t give him any regard,” he said. “That I never defended him. That I made him look unloved.”

Pond’s eyes softened. “And… you want to make up for that?”

Sky frowned faintly. “No,” he said. “I want to make sure it never happens again.”

Pond sat up straighter. “Wait…what do you mean by ‘make sure it never happens again’? What exactly are you planning to do?”

Sky looked at him then. The corner of his mouth lifted in something that was not a smile.

“I’m just going to get rid of them.”

Pond’s heart dropped. “Sky, what does that mean?”

Sky didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked toward the door.

“Phi—Sky—!” Pond called out after him, but Sky didn’t stop.

He didn’t need to say anything more. The set of his shoulders said it all.

He wasn’t going to let them laugh at Nani again.

No matter what it took.

Phuwin was crouched on the floor of the living room, coaxing PermPoon into his shoes when Sky appeared in the hallway.

The child was latched to his father’s side, he had his arms around his neck, legs stubbornly gripping his waist even though Phuwin kept murmuring, “You’re a big boy, come on, let’s get you dressed.”

Sky didn’t speak at first. He watched.

Phuwin was smiling. Softly. Not once did his tone turn irritated.

PermPoon whined something about staying home and not liking the sun. Phuwin kissed his cheek, murmured something Sky didn’t catch, and the boy giggled, loosening his grip.

Phuwin stood up slowly, lifting the boy with one arm and glancing toward Sky. “Phi,” he said, surprised. “You done with Pond?”

Sky nodded. “Can I talk to you?”

“Uh…of course,” Phuwin said, bouncing PermPoon slightly on his hip. “Let me just—”

But PermPoon, as if sensing the shift in energy, tightened his hold again.

“Nooo, I wanna stay with Papa.”

“You’re with me all morning, sweetheart,” Phuwin said gently, trying to pry him off.

Sky’s eyes locked on the boy’s small hands fisting Phuwin’s shirt.

His mind reeled without warning.

Was that how Smyle clung to Nani when Sky was away for days? Was that how Neona pouted when she was being clingy?

Were they that attached to Nani?

Of course they are. How would he know.

Watching how PermPoon nuzzled into his father’s shoulder, how Phuwin stroked his hair like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Suddenly, he was picturing Neona resting her head on Nani’s chest. Smyle kissing Nani’s cheek before school.

And he wasn’t there.

He hadn’t been there.

His heart was already spiraling.

“Sky?” Phuwin asked, now holding PermPoon in one arm and motioning toward the kitchen with the other. “We can talk here if that’s okay.”

Sky nodded, following wordlessly.

PermPoon still clung to his dad.

Sky cleared his throat. “Do you know the names of those women who talk badly about Nani?”

Phuwin blinked. “At the gala events?”

Sky nodded.

Phuwin hummed. “I have a vague idea. A few of them are socialites. Two are from one of the production houses, I think. Why?”

“They’re... unkind.”

Phuwin arched a brow. “They are. But most of them are cowards. They like whispering more than confronting.”

Sky’s grip tightened slightly around the glass. “I never noticed.”

“Of course not,” Phuwin said. “They don’t talk that way around you. They talk when Nani’s alone. Or when they think you’re too far to hear.”

Sky said nothing.

Phuwin looked at him closely. “Did something happen?”

Sky shook his head once. “He told me.”

Phuwin’s face softened. “Nani?”

Sky nodded.

“He told me they made him feel unloved,” Sky murmured. “That I made him look unloved.”

Phuwin exhaled slowly. “And what do you plan to do with their names?”

Sky didn’t answer.

“Sky,” Phuwin warned gently. “Are you planning something drastic?”

“No,” Sky said. But his voice was too calm. Too low.

Phuwin shifted PermPoon slightly. “You need to be careful. I know you’re angry. I know you feel like you need to fix it.”

“I do.”

“But hurting them won’t fix it. It won’t erase what Nani felt.”

Sky’s gaze dropped. “I can’t erase it.”

There was silence.

Phuwin PermPoon on his lap.

PermPoon had drifted off a bit, now just clinging half-asleep to his father’s neck.

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” he said suddenly. “I stayed. I provided. I didn’t cheat. I was consistent.”

“You weren't a husband. You were… silent,” Phuwin said.

Sky looked up.

“Consistency isn’t love, Sky,” Phuwin said softly.

“Silence doesn’t equal comfort. Nani wanted you. Not your calendar. Not your money. Not your stability. You. The father of his children.”

Sky’s throat tightened.

Sky didn’t respond.

Phuwin shifted again, brushing PermPoon’s bangs out of his face. “You know, this little one... he cries when I’m gone too long. Sometimes I think he’s overreacting, but I never tell him to stop. I let him cry.”

He looked back at Sky. “Because if he doesn’t cry with me, he’ll cry alone...and he just wants his dad to be near.”

Sky felt that like a brick to the chest.

“I’ll send you the list of names,” Phuwin said after a moment. “Not because I think you should do anything. But because I trust you not to do something stupid.”

Sky nodded faintly.

Phuwin smiled, tired but sincere. “You still have time, Phi. But you’re running out of it. Don’t waste it. Don’t be stupid.”

Sky stood a few seconds later. He thanked him and walked toward the door without another word.

But his thoughts were screaming.

Sky drove home. The house was still empty.

The house felt wrong without them.

Sky closed the door behind him. No small shoes by the mat. No high voices in the kitchen. Just the faint tick of the clock.

He set his keys on the counter. They made too much noise.

For a long time he didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at the place where Nani usually sat to help Smyle with homework, the chair where Neona always swung her feet. Empty now.

He went to his office because that was where his body knew to go, but even sitting at the desk, his hands on the keyboard, his mind wouldn’t attach to anything. He read the same line of an email three times and still couldn’t tell what it said.

Nani’s voice wouldn’t leave his head.

This marriage was a failure.

Sky hated failing. In school. In business. In sport.

He’d built himself out of spite to never lose. And yet here he was, sitting in a house he built and paid for, realising he’d been losing for eight years without even noticing.

He thought about the way Nani had said it. Just that raw, trembling voice. The panic attack. The bathroom door. Tears sliding down his husband’s face.

His husband.

Sky hated himself

He’d thought the panic attack was a tantrum, at first. Just like he’d thought the jealousy was a game. But the look on Nani’s face… there was no game in that. Just exhaustion.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his jaw.

Nani had said, You love the kids. You know what they like. You keep your promises to them.

Sky’s stomach knotted. He did. He really did. But when had he last kept a promise to Nani?

He dragged a hand down his face, trying to think. When was the last time he’d taken Nani out to eat?

There had been restaurants. Dinners. Hotels. But always as a family. Always with the twins or extended relatives or at company events where Nani was more of an ornament than a partner.

Never one-on-one.

When had they been alone except in a bedroom or in the car on the way to some obligation?

He thought about their mornings. Always him in the office, Nani in the kitchen. About their nights. Him at the desk, Nani watching TV with the kids or scrolling his phone, falling asleep on the couch.

How had he missed it?

Sky turned in his chair, looking at the door like Nani might walk through it now and he could ask him. But the house stayed silent.

He pushed away from the desk and walked into the living room. Stood in the middle of the carpet. Then sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor.

He remembered Pond’s words. You can’t force someone into love.

Sky exhaled slowly.

He’d thought he was giving Nani stability. What he’d actually given him was a cell.

He tilted his head back against the couch and shut his eyes.

He thought about Nani’s face when he said he’d never been taken on a date. The bitterness, the humiliation.

Sky tried to picture Nani, A young Nani watching Mim asking him for advice about View, pretending he knew what romance felt like when he didn’t.

Sky felt something strange in his chest…he felt sick.

Was he really that blind?

He pictured Nani at the sports day. He’d thought it was a performance. Maybe it was also a test. Maybe it was also a scream.

Sky pressed his thumbs to his temples. The house felt like it was shrinking around him.

When had he last been alone with Nani? Not for sex. Not for a fight. Just… alone.

He couldn’t remember.

He stood up abruptly, pacing the room. He’d never hated quiet before. Now it felt like punishment.

This marriage was a failure.

He had no answer for that. Not one. Only the image of Nani clutching the bathroom sink, gasping for breath, and the sound of his kids cheering from the stands while Nani painted hearts on his cheek with another man’s brush.

Sky clenched his fists.

He didn’t know how to fix it. He only knew one thing with a clarity…he couldn’t stand the thought of losing.

Not at work. Not at sport. Not at this.

But unlike business, there was no contract he could enforce. No clause to pull out of a drawer.

He had to figure out how to earn it.

And he didn’t even know where to begin.

Sky sat at the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees, his head bowed, staring at the floor like it might give him answers.

Nani’s voice wouldn’t leave him.

This marriage was a failure.

He’d replayed it so many times that it had stopped sounding like a sentence and more like a verdict.\

Sky exhaled shakily. His hands were clasped so tightly between his knees that his knuckles had gone white.

Everything else in his life had changed. Companies. Projects. Deals. Houses. Faces.

He’d rebuilt himself so many times he’d lost count. But through all of it, Nani had been there. In the house, in the bed, in the photographs, in the background like a fixed point.

His constant.

And now even that… wasn’t looking constant anymore.

The thought terrified him.

He hated how his chest felt. Empty. Like there was a hole under his ribs. 

He had to fix it.

He didn’t know how. But he had to.

Pond’s words from earlier kept slicing back into him:

You assumed he’d never leave…
He waited for you for years.
Love has limits, Phi.

Sky felt pathetic. That was the word. Pathetic.

A man who could close billion-baht deals but couldn’t figure out how to take his own husband out for dinner.

A man who had everything but was now staring at an empty house because he’d starved the one person who’d stayed.

He stared at his phone on the nightstand for a long time. His thumb hovered over it, then drew back. He sat there, fingers twitching, thinking about Pond’s face when he’d asked, What did you do in your marriage? and Sky had said We had kids like it was an answer.

He leaned back against the headboard, staring up at the ceiling.

A failure. Eight years. Never took me on a date.

He shut his eyes and saw Nani smirking at the sports day. Heard his own children saying, Pa is sad when you’re not here.

Sky clenched his fists.

He had to start somewhere.

NANI

Nani sat cross-legged on the floor cushion near the wide glass door that opened into View’s garden. Beyond the patio, laughter rang out.

Neona shrieked with delight as View chased her through the grass, growling like a monster. Smyle ran behind, his tiny legs pumping furiously as he waved a plastic sword. Nani smiled faintly.

“They’re so happy,” Mim murmured beside him, setting down a second cup of tea and joining him on the cushion. “They love View.”

“She’s so good with them,” Nani said quietly. “They’re comfortable around her.”

Mim nodded, watching the scene unfold with a fond smile. “She’ll be a great mom one day.”

Nani tilted his head, soft amusement on his face. “Are you planning on making her one soon?”

Mim flushed. “Maybe.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “We’ve talked about it more seriously since our last visit to the clinic. Nothing final yet. Just… dreaming a little.”

Nani’s smile slipped into something softer. “You’ll be good parents.”

They watched for a few quiet moments, just the sound of children playing and the sound of nature around them. Then, gently, Nani said, “I’ve been thinking about… talking to my lawyer.”

Mim didn’t react immediately. She simply turned her head and looked at him.

“Not to file anything,” Nani added quickly. “Just to understand what us being separated would look like… for the kids.”

Mim exhaled slowly. “Nani…”

“I know I can’t just… disappear with them,” he said. “Sky’s still their father. And they adore him. He’s not… he’s not cruel to them.”

“But he’s cruel to you,” Mim said. “You’re bleeding out in that house, Nani. And I hate watching it happen.”

Nani didn’t answer.

“I know it’s complicated,” Mim continued. “And I know you’re thinking about Smyle and Neona. That’s just who you are. But this… it’s about you, too. You can’t stay with someone just because they share DNA with your kids.”

“I’m not,” Nani whispered. “Not just because of that.”

Mim turned to him. “Then why? Why are you still thinking of giving him another chance?”

He was quiet for a long time.

Finally, he said, “Because before I left, he said he wanted to fix things.”

Mim’s breath hitched.

Nani stared out the window. “He said he was sorry for making me cry. That he’d try to be better.”

“And you believe him?” Mim’s voice was soft, but there was a sharp edge underneath.

“I don’t know,” Nani admitted. “That’s the thing, Mim. I don’t know if I believe him or if I just want to.”

Mim didn’t answer. She reached out and placed her hand over his. 

“I can’t bear to see you like this,” she said. “You’re my best friend. You’ve always been the strongest person I know. And Sky…” she broke off, pressing her lips together. “Sky broke you.”

Tears sprang to Nani’s eyes before he could stop them. He looked away.

“I want to believe he means it,” he said. “But I’ve wanted that for years. And nothing changed. I just… I don’t want to be a fool again.”

“You won’t be,” Mim said. “Not if you choose yourself this time.”

Nani looked at her.

“You can still be a good father,” she said, “and choose yourself. You can still let your kids love him and protect them from what you’re going through. But you don’t have to stay. You don’t have to wait for him to grow a heart.”

“I’ll think about it,” he said finally. “I need to… when I’m back home. When I can look at him and see if he means it. If he even knows what it means.”

Mim nodded, squeezing his hand. “Just don’t let him take advantage of you again.”

Nani swallowed the lump in his throat. “I won’t. I promise.”

She smiled faintly, then leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m always on your side, you know.”

“I know.”

Outside, View shouted, “Last one to the swing gets tickled!”

The kids screamed and bolted across the garden.

And for a moment, Nani let himself breathe.

Later that night

The house was quiet. Nani stood outside the guest bedroom, listening to the soft murmurs and shifting of the twins tucked safely under their blankets. Smyle had one leg dangling out, as usual, and Neona’s arms were wrapped around her plushie.

He stepped in just long enough to cover Smyle’s leg, kissed each of their foreheads gently, then pulled the door halfway closed behind him.

The clock in View and Mim’s spare room blinked 22:47.

Nani sat on the edge of the bed, phone in hand, hesitating.

He could’ve texted. Could’ve waited. But the words Mim said earlier wouldn’t stop circling his head.

You can’t wait for him to grow a heart.

So he tapped the screen and opened his email.

Subject: Personal Consultation

Hi Khun Tawan,

I hope this message finds you well. I’d like to request a private consultation next week to discuss some personal matters regarding my family and potential steps forward. Please let me know your availability.

Best regards,
Hirunkit Nateetorn

He read it twice. Rewrote it. Then hovered over the send button.

Is this really what I want?

He tapped “Send” before he could talk himself out of it.

Then, with a quiet sigh, Nani plugged in his phone, turned off the lamp, and lay flat on his back in the bed.

The ceiling was painted eggshell white, just like theirs at home. That realization made his chest twist unexpectedly.

Sky would be in that bed tonight…alone.

He didn’t know if that meant anything to Sky at all.

His hand rested flat on his stomach as his thoughts drifted…back to the beginning. Back to the blurry line between duty and affection.

Sky had always been hard to read, hard to reach. Nani spent eight years decoding silence, convincing himself that Sky’s loyalty was love.

But lately… that silence had become unbearable.

Sky had changed. He showed up more. He picked the kids up from school. He offered to help.

But none of that ever made its way to Nani. Not really.

He turned his face toward the pillow.

It could’ve been beautiful. A strange, complicated kind of beautiful…if only Sky had held him when it mattered.

He didn’t remember falling asleep.

But the dream came heavy and fast.

He was standing in the garden of their home. The sun wasn’t shining, but the sky was clear.

Nani stood barefoot on the stone path in a loose white shirt, his hands hanging at his sides.

Sky was on his knees in front of him.

Breathless. Shaking.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice rough, almost unfamiliar. “Please. Don’t leave.”

Nani’s chest ached. “You never heard me when I asked you to stay.”

Sky looked up. “I didn’t know how to listen.”

“Then listen now,” Nani whispered. “If you love me, let me go.”

Sky stared at him… a flicker of devastation in his eyes. The kind of expression Nani had never seen before. 

And then, slowly, Sky nodded.

His hands fell away from Nani’s wrists.

He let him go.

Nani sat up with a gasp, hand flying to his chest.

It was still dark. The light from the hallway crept in under the door. His cheeks were wet.

Tears.

He reached up, confused, and touched them.

His own voice echoed faintly in his head.

If you love me… let me go.

He wiped his face with trembling fingers.

It was just a dream. A ridiculous dream.

And yet, it hurt. More than he expected. The image of Sky, on his knees, letting go,  it shouldn’t have left this hollow ache in his ribs.

He lay back down, heart racing. The bed felt colder now.

Would I really be happy… if I let him go?

He didn’t know anymore.

And that scared him more than anything.

The next day

Nani woke up. His limbs felt like stone. He blinked against the light.

His mouth was dry, and for a second, he didn’t know where he was.

Not his bedroom.

Right. Mim and View’s place.

He inhaled, let the scent of warm vanilla and something faintly toasted drift in. Down the hallway, laughter spilled into the air. His children's laughter.

“Again! Again!” Smyle shouted.

“No, my turn now!” Neona insisted, her voice high and bossy.

He pushed himself up slowly. A familiar voice cut through the kitchen’s chorus—View.

“And if someone tells you they don’t like your sparkly water bottle,” she said in a dramatic tone, “you say what?”

“I don’t care, it’s not for you!” Neona replied sassily.

“Good! And if they say your shoes look like robot shoes?” View prodded again.

“They help me run fast, so you’re just jealous!” Smyle chimed in, giggling.

“Exactly! Period. End of story,” View declared, clapping her hands.

Nani smiled softly into the quiet of the bedroom. View and Mim always had a way of making the air around them feel easier..

The ache in his chest didn’t vanish.

He ran a hand through his hair as he moved to the mirror. His eyes were puffy.

God. I look like I’ve been through a war.

He splashed some water on his face, not bothering with skincare. His body still felt like it belonged to someone else.

Why am I still crying in my sleep?

He grabbed the hoodie he’d tossed over a chair and pulled it on before heading toward the noise in the kitchen.

The sight that greeted him made his heart pause in his chest.

Smyle was seated on the countertop, legs swinging happily while he chewed on a strawberry. Neona was standing like a little boss in her unicorn pajamas, arms crossed sassily as she gave a mock-glare to View, who mimicked a shocked gasp.

“Excuse me, miss ma’am,” View said, playing along, “don’t you get smart with me!”

“Too late!” Neona grinned, puffing out her cheeks.

Smyle laughed so hard he nearly fell off the counter, and View reached out to steady him, laughing too.

It was ridiculous.

It was sweet.

And it was something Nani hadn’t seen in a while. He leaned against the doorway, just watching.

View noticed him first. “Oh, look who’s finally decided to join the land of the living,” she teased.

Nani chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I… overslept.”

“You needed it,” she said gently, moving to pour him a cup of coffee. “You were out cold.”

Nani walked toward them, pressing a kiss to the top of Smyle’s head, then kneeling to hug Neona.

“Morning, my angels.”

“Morning, Pa!” they both said in unison, throwing their arms around him.

“Did Auntie View teach you how to sass people again?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They need to be prepared,” View said, sliding the mug toward him. “Kids these days are savage. You gotta fight back with flair.”

“They’re seven,” Nani said dryly, but his smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Never too early,” View winked.

Smyle tugged on his sleeve. “Pa, when are we going to the zoo?”

“What zoo?” Nani blinked.

“Auntie View said if we’re good today, we might go see the lions!”

“Only if your Pa says yes,” View added quickly. “No pressure.”

Nani smiled at his kids’ expectant faces. “Let’s see how today goes, hmm?”

“Yay!” they shouted, running off to get changed.

When they were gone, Nani sank into the chair by the counter, wrapping his fingers around the warm mug.

View leaned against the sink, watching him for a moment before speaking.

“You look a little less haunted this morning.”

Nani raised an eyebrow. “That’s your compliment?”

She shrugged. “You’ve had a rough time.”

He nodded. “I… emailed my lawyer last night.”

View just nodded slowly. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Nani admitted. “It feels like… like the world is ending and I’m the one pressing the button.”

“You’re not ending the world, Nani,” she said softly. “You’re trying to save yourself.”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he took another long sip of coffee

Whether he liked it or not, something had shifted.

The kids were practically bouncing in their sneakers by the time noon rolled around. View had managed to pack them sandwiches, snacks, wet wipes, tissues, sunscreen, and juice boxes.

Nani barely got a word in before she was announcing, “Right, zoo squad, let’s roll!” and wrangling them into their little jackets.