Starstruck on You [Mile x Apo] [MileApo]

Chapter 15: The Sky is Gray

Falling into illusion sometimes was the only way to survive.

Mile never dreamt that he would meet someone who he would love so powerfully as he did. The fact that he also had to lose them in a way that was out of his control just made it ten times worse. He was a go-getter, always willing to put in the work, despite his own pride, and instead, the wicked played their hand and won.

His mind filtered through his failed attempt at the hospital as he sat on the plane to Seoul. Eyes soullessly dazed as they stared at the tufts of clouds that separated him and his heart song. The string that kept them connected being stretched by literal miles. But he knew. Even if Apo had been seated next to him at this moment, the feeling would be the same. The man had forgotten him.

Temporary amnesia. They could have just run Mile over with a truck, stabbed him again, anything that was equivalent to physical harm; it'd probably hurt less.

His bandmates thought he was exaggerating, except Decha; Decha could tell that the heartache was serious. It hadn't been too long ago that he and Apo confessed their love. Decided to use this trip as their excuse to get closer. Mile remembered his elation of knowing that his lover was joining the band on their tour around Asia, and they didn't have to be apart. Apo ensuring that he wouldn't be in the way and it propelled Mile to perform his absolute best in Manilla. Only to be paid back with his boyfriend drowning and forgetting about their time together.

He almost wished that he also had amnesia. It'd make it bearable to leave Apo behind in the Philippines. Pressing his forehead to the glass of the airplane window, headphones in his ears as Mile listened to the song he'd written, played, and had used to confess with. Their song. He felt nausea build up in his body instead of the bloom of happiness it normally brought.

"Mile, you didn't eat anything again and we're going to land."

"I don't like the food."

"Do you want me to pretend to be Apo and feed it to you?" Decha ignored the look of abhorrence from Mile as he knew his friend was just like a wounded lion. His mate rejected him and now he was circling, looking to see what he did with himself now that he was alone, and who to hurt as well. The drummer's hand moved to pat Mile's thigh casually. He made sure to be the one seated beside his friend, he had to see this through after he'd managed to communicate with Kasem. Kasem was equally lost at what had transpired, worked with Decha to get a plane from Bangkok to Manilla to come be with his friend.

Decha made the executive decision on Mile's behalf to leave Apo behind to continue to recuperate on his own without either of them there. He met with reservations and sadness, but he wanted them safe first.

~~Flashback~~

The interaction went as well as he could have imagined.

Decha arrived at Apo's hospital suite, a bouquet of flowers with a note from Mile that he wrestled with his friend to compose. It had been a literal struggle to get Mile to pack up, get himself ready and tell Niran and Kiet to keep an eye on the man at the airport.

As much as the drummer was suspicious of leaving his best friend with the other two, he had no choice. They were the lesser of two evils with Kamala. He'd vaguely noticed a bruise on Kiet's face that was covered with a mask when the keyboardist said he woke up with a cold. Decha's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he could only tackle one beast at a time. He knew that Mile wanted nothing more than to go back to the hospital after his temporary bid to 'let Apo go' the night prior; he woke up determined to win him back. It wasn't the time. Whoever was after his friends wanted them to break up. If they got back together immediately, the force would return tenfold, and Decha wanted to figure it out first before putting them in the predicament again.