Dmitri was sitting in the meeting room, one leg crossed over the other, fingers rhythmically tapping against the polished table. The steady sound echoed faintly in the otherwise silent room—until the creak of the door caught his attention and his eyes flicked up sharply.
Nik had been missing for an hour and a half now. Ever since he'd excused himself from the meeting, he hadn't returned. The memory of Nik's pale face and unsteady posture before leaving gnawed at Dmitri's mind. So he decided to cut the meeting short and focus on finding him.
Still, he wasn't ready to raise an alarm—not yet. Dmitri was certain Nik was still in the compound, but it didn't ease the tension that had been building in his chest with every passing minute.
"Found him?" Dmitri asked as Alexei stopped in, a laptop tucked under his arm, fresh from the CCTV room.
"Yes, sir" Alexei replied, placing the laptop in the table and swiveling it toward him.
"Sir...Nik was last seen with a man".
Dmitri gave Alexei a questionable look, his brows knitting together but Alexei didn't say a word. Instead he bent forward and started the video on the monitor.
On the screen, Nik appeared, speaking with someone. The person's back faced the camera making it impossible to see his face. The man's blonde hair caught the dim light.
With a single, smooth movement, the man swipt Nik up into his arms ,turning sharply so his face come into full view.
ASHLEY!
The name erupted in Dmitri's mind like gunshot, sharp.
From there, he saw the man carrying Nik away, and then the video abruptly cut off.
" They were heading toward the infirmary" Alexei said calmly.
Dmitri swiveled his chair to face him, a frown knitting his brows.
"Then why didn't you send men to check if they made it there?"
Alexei gestured toward the monitor
"Sir, there's another video"
As Dmitri adjusted his chair, his eyes locked on the screen, Dmitri's jaw dropped. Nik… was kissing Ashley. And not just a quick peck—hungrily, passionately, like he hadn't seen air in days.
"No… don't tell me they went all the way," Dmitri muttered under his breath, leaning back in his chair.
Alexei, as always, remained perfectly calm, his eyes following the footage without a hint of reaction.
Dmitri ran a hand through his hair, blinking rapidly. Part of him wanted to scream, part wanted to burst into laughter, and another part… well, he wasn't even sure what that part felt.
*****************
Ash was walking down the hallway, his steps slow as his mind kept replaying the kiss he had shared with Nik. Every memory of that kiss sent heat rushing to his face, his cheeks burning like embers.
He stopped abruptly, pressed both palms to his jaw, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Ash… what's wrong with you? " he muttered to himself. "It's not like it's your first kiss… stop acting like a virgin!"
He shook his head, trying to push the memory away, but a small, whisper escaped his lips , "Am sure it's because I haven't…slept with anyone in a long time."
The hallway felt colder all of a sudden, and the quiet only made his thoughts louder.
After Ash and Nik kissed. He went quietly to the restroom to finish his business and calm himself down. Once he was done, he grabbed a cloth and gently wiped Nik who was still asleep. Only after Nik's temperature had gone down did Ash leave the infirmary.
With all that was swirling in his mind, Ash didn't even notice when he reached the front of his door. He slid his card into the reader, and the door clicked open. Stepping inside, the room was quiet… too quiet.
That's when he spotted Léo, sprawled on his bed with a book covering his face.
"You're back," Léo muttered without moving.
"Yeah," Ash replied simply, starting to unbutton his shirt as he walked past.
Léo pushed the book off his face and propped himself up on one elbow, eyes narrowing.
"Where were you? You had everyone worried," he asked, his tone half-serious, half-teasing.
Ash muttered something vague. "Something came up," as he dropped his shirt onto the chair.
That's when Léo noticed the faint hickey on Ash's neck. A smirk immediately spread across his face. "Is that… part of—?"
Ash's hand shot up to his neck, hiding it instantly.
Léo chuckled, shaking his head. "Two months here, and you've already found someone to hook up with? WOW" he laughed "And all this time I thought you were a straight guy."
Ash just sighed, throwing on his shorts and climbing into bed, turning to face the wall.
"Hey! Answer me!" Léo's voice called out, clearly not ready to let it slide.
No answer.
In retaliation, Léo grabbed his pillow and flung it at Ash. "Bastard!"
The pillow hit Ash squarely, and he shouted back, "I'm Bi! Happy? Now leave me to sleep!"
That only made Léo laugh harder
" Oh, I'm very happy," he said flopping back down and covering his face with his book again.
From under the cover, Ash muttered.
"Asshole."
" I heard that" Léo shot back without missing a beat.