A Vihokratana's tragedy

11. A bond

"Good morning, Papa." Pluem greeted his father, his hand on his head.

"Morning, Pluem. Headache?" Pluem just nodded. "I’ve left some medication in the second drawer of your bedside table. Take it if it hurts too much."

"Yeah, thanks, Papa."

"Good morning." Nanon greeted, his mood not as cheerful. His puffy eyes didn’t go unnoticed by his father.

"Did you cry before sleeping?"

Before Nanon could answer, Tay entered the dining area in his formal wear. He, too, was not in his usual upbeat mood, but when Tay saw Nanon at the table, he forced a smile. New sensed something was off— the Vihokratana family wasn’t acting like themselves. Last night, when New was sleeping, he felt Tay quietly entering their bedroom, but he was too sleepy to wake up. Did something happen that New didn’t know about?

Pluem, noticing his Papa’s question was ignored, asked again, "Non, is something wrong?"

Nanon stiffened and looked at his father. Tay smiled at him reassuringly.

"I told you it’s OK, son," Tay said, seeing the fear in Nanon’s eyes. It pained him to see his son afraid in their own home. New could see the hurt behind Tay’s smile. After all, he knew his partner better than anyone.

"Seems like something big happened that I don’t know about," Pluem remarked, looking between his dad and brother. Frank, entering the dining room, quickly understood the tension and chose to remain silent.

"I-I..." Nanon stuttered.

Tay, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up and knelt beside Nanon, who was seated on his right. Tay didn’t care that his pants were tight, and if they ripped, so be it. Comforting his son came first. Even if it meant his family would laugh at his clumsiness, it would be worth it for Nanon’s smile. He held Nanon’s hands and smiled softly.

"Non, do you think I’ll beat you or get angry because you’re secretly friends with someone I don’t like? It’s OK. You can tell us what you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter what it is. See? Our whole family is concerned for you, son," Tay said, trying to reassure Nanon.

After a long silence, which felt like an eternity, Nanon whispered, "I’m sorry." His tears started to fall again. "I’m so sorry, Dad." Nanon sobbed into his father’s arms.

New frowned the entire time but didn’t interrupt the moment. Pluem was stunned by the scene unfolding before him. Something significant had happened the night before, something even his dear Papa wasn’t fully aware of. Frank seemed to know, though; his expression revealed that he wasn’t surprised at all.

"It’s OK, son. Everything’s good. No one is mad at you," Tay said, gently rubbing Nanon’s back to soothe him. He didn’t want Nanon to stop crying; he wanted him to let out all his worries, all the pain he had been hiding. He wanted to show Nanon that it was safe to open up.

After a few minutes, Nanon had calmed down.

"New, after work, I’ll be taking Nanon somewhere..." Tay began to speak, but as expected, his pants ripped. His face turned red, but he didn’t feel embarrassed. What was there to be embarrassed about in front of his family? Absolutely nothing. Yeah, ABSOLUTELY nothing.

Tay quickly stood and walked toward the bedroom, tottering slightly as he did.

As soon as he left the room, laughter filled the air. The tension was gone, and Nanon, who had been a crying mess just moments ago, was now laughing as he sniffled, trying not to let his snot drip. Frank, seeing his twins struggle, handed Nanon some tissues, chuckling.