The world outside their safehouse didn't matter that night. The war, the fathers, the threats, and the silence all stayed beyond the walls.
Inside, it was just them.
Jay had barely stepped in when Jack's fist met his shoulder, but what followed was no ordinary reconciliation. It was desperation. A hungry, aching reunion that didn't start with words. They devoured each other, not because of lust alone but because for hours, days, maybe longer, they hadn't known if they'd ever be in the same room again, breathing the same air, whole.
The first time Jay pulled Jack down onto the couch, it wasn't rushed. It was a slow, aching kiss that deepened until it bruised. Hands roamed familiar territory like explorers rediscovering a homeland they feared lost.
They kissed like they were still proving something.
They made love like they were begging the world not to tear them apart again.
And when their limbs stilled, when their skin cooled with sweat and silence, Jack turned on his side and said, "Talk to me. I want to know everything. Every word he said."
Jay chuckled, voice still husky, eyes gleaming in the low lamplight. "Everything?"
Jack nodded, fingers tracing a lazy path over Jay's ribs. "Everything. Every word. Every expression. Even the stupid ones."
Jay smirked. "They were all stupid."
Jack grinned. "Tell me anyway."
So Jay did.
He told Jack about the question that had almost made him laugh mid-confrontation. About Vavaporn asking why, of all the people in the world, Jay had chosen him. Jack. The enemy's son. Not a girl. Not even just a random guy. But him.
Jay laughed again, eyes squinting with amused disbelief. "He looked like he expected me to say I was under a spell. Or drunk. Or cursed."
Jack sat up slightly, pillow tucked under his chest. "I used to wonder the same."
Jay blinked. "Seriously?"
Jack's gaze dropped. "Yeah. In the beginning. I used to lie awake thinking: what if I'm being played? What if this is all a long con? Like… some sick way to get back at my father."
Jay's smile faded, replaced by something softer. "And you still let yourself fall?"
Jack met his eyes. "I let myself love you because even if it was a trap, it was the first time I didn't feel hollow."
Jay didn't speak. He leaned forward, kissed Jack slow and deep again. The kind of kiss that says I'm sorry and thank you at once.
They didn't sleep. They didn't try.
They broke off into laughter sometimes. Then fell into silence again. Jay would roll over to kiss the side of Jack's neck; Jack would slide his hand down Jay's spine like he was memorizing every notch.
Between it all, they talked.
And when they did, it wasn't about sex or danger—it was about fear.
Real fear.
Jack stared at the ceiling and whispered, "You know what scares me the most?"
Jay waited.
"My dad's silence."
Jay turned to face him.
Jack exhaled shakily. "He didn't call. Didn't text. No accusations. No screaming. No death threats. Nothing. And Charlie… Charlie isn't a man who does nothing."
Jay nodded slowly.
Jack's voice dropped further. "Every time my phone rings, my chest tightens. I keep thinking—this is it. He's calling to say I've been disowned. Or worse—he'll call and won't speak, and that'll be worse than yelling."
Jay reached for him. Pulled him close until Jack's forehead rested against his chest. "Maybe he's still processing."
Jack's voice was muffled. "Or maybe he's plotting."
Jay didn't answer. Because both were true.
Minutes passed in quiet hums and breath. Jay ran his fingers through Jack's hair and whispered, "If he does plot… he won't win."
Jack looked up. "You sure?"
Jay nodded. "Because he doesn't have us."
Morning crept in slowly, golden and cautious. It spilled across the floor in streaks of pale fire. But neither of them moved. They were tangled in each other like thread and shadow.
Eventually, Jack stirred, dragging himself to sit up. "Jay…"
"Mmm?"
"I want you to tell Jeff to be careful."
Jay blinked sleep from his eyes. "Jeff?"
"And Rin. They're close to us. Too close. If anyone's trying to uncover our secret, they'll start there."
Jay sat up fully now. "You think someone suspects?"
Jack's mouth twitched into something between a frown and fear. "I think all eyes are on us now. Especially after what Juhu pulled. That photo… that wasn't just a threat. It was a warning."
Jay nodded grimly. "You're right."
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Jeff's smart. But he's loyal. Sometimes too loyal. And Rin? Rin's always looking out for me—but that makes him visible. I need them both to lie low until we figure this out."
"I'll talk to them today."
"Promise?"
Jay leaned over and kissed him. "Promise."
Later that afternoon, the boys suited up. No silk, no luxury. Just clean, simple black shirts and calm, controlled faces.
They went to see Juhu.
He was still locked away in the coldest part of the basement—surrounded by shadow, stone, and silence. No windows. Just a flickering bulb overhead and the smell of sweat, blood, and time.
Jay and Jack stood over him like kings visiting a fallen traitor.
Juhu smirked when they entered. His face was bruised and swollen, but his eyes…his eyes still gleamed with something close to amusement.
"Well, well," he drawled, voice cracked and raw, "the lovers return."
Jack didn't flinch. "We're here for answers."
Juhu tilted his head. "I gave you one already."
Jay narrowed his eyes. "You gave us games."
Juhu grinned wider. "What makes you think they're not the same thing?"
Jay stepped closer. "Who's backing you? Who gave you the resources, the men, and the power?"
Juhu leaned back in his chair, head tipping lazily. "You still think this is about me? I was just the knife. Someone else held the handle."
"Who?"
Juhu didn't answer immediately. He coughed once. Spat blood at the floor. Then… smiled.
"Tell me something, Jack," he said, eyes shifting. "Does your father ever talk about the women he's wronged?"
Jack stiffened.
Juhu's smile grew. "No? Not surprising. Men like Charlie never look back. They destroy and forget."
Jay frowned. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," Juhu said slowly, deliberately, "that maybe… just maybe… your enemy isn't a 'he' at all. Maybe the one backing me is a 'she.' A woman with a soul that burned too long in silence. A woman whose name was erased by your fathers' wars. But she didn't forget. She never did."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"
Juhu looked directly at him now. "Ask your father who he offended. Years ago. A woman. One who doesn't forgive."
And with that, he leaned back again. Silent.
Jay's voice was sharp. "You won't tell us more?"
"I just did."
Back in the car, Jack couldn't stop shaking his leg. His mind spiraled with possibilities. Names. Memories. Shadows from childhood.
Jay drove in silence for a while before saying, "are you okay?"
Jack didn't answer.
Jay pressed. "Do you think it's true?"
Jack looked out the window. "Charlie's done a lot. He never apologized for any of it. Not to enemies. Not to allies. Not to family."
Jay glanced over. "You think it's someone he betrayed?"
Jack whispered, "I think it's someone he forgot."
Jay parked the car outside the safehouse and turned to face him. "Then we find out who she is. Together."
Jack looked at him, expression cracked and raw. "Even if she wants to kill us?"
Jay smiled faintly. "Let her try. But she'll have to get through both of us."
Jack took a deep breath.
He didn't know who this woman was or why she was coming for them now.
But he knew one thing.
The war wasn't over.
And the next battle wouldn't be fought with bullets.
It would be fought with secrets and reveals.