Forget Me Not

Collision Course

Sarawat returned home with Man and Boss, enveloped in a somber mood. After the CDO ensured their family's protection and erased their identities from every database, the gravity of the situation became painfully clear.

"I have to tell Pear..."

Both Sarawat and Man turned to look at Boss, who had been staring at his phone since they arrived. He had been out of character since P'Dim revealed they needed to stay hidden to avoid dragging their loved ones into their mission. They couldn't see them until the issue with Thierry Renault was resolved, and it was safe to return to their ordinary lives.

"Don't you think you should've done that years ago?" Man commented. "Before she filed for divorce?"

"Easy for you to say," Boss snapped. "You guys are single; you don't have any responsibility. I have a son!"

Man snorted. "Yeah, a son you don't get to see unless your ex-wife leaves you threatening voice messages!"

With their heightened emotions, it was impossible to keep things calm between them. Sarawat knew this even before Man and Boss started bickering.

"You're one to talk," Boss retorted. "You've been screwing things up with Type since the day you started dating him! He's going to hit the wall with you, just like everyone else you've been with. You never let anyone in. You're just like Sarawat—"

"Oi, leave me out of it!" Sarawat said to Boss.

But Man came back with a vengeance. "And you'll never stick around long enough for Pear to stay with you," he spat at Boss. "By the way, it's a shame it only took Thierry Renault cornering us to finally make you act like a dad."

"Okay, that's foul! You mother—"

Sarawat, exhausted, tried to intervene. "Stop it, you two..."

But Man dived at Boss, and they started punching and fighting like kids on a playground. They rolled around, hitting and parrying fiercely like martial arts trainees. Sarawat stood there, hands on his hips, switching glances from one to the other. "Are you two done? You know, this isn't really helping."

Both turned to Sarawat, who remained calm and composed. "Why aren't you fighting with us?" Man questioned. "Is Tine so meaningless to you?"

Sarawat narrowed his gaze. "Don't ever go there. Tine is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I intend to keep him by my side. We're just... running through a rough patch at the moment."

"You ain't running through a rough patch!" Man blurted out, offering a hand to Boss as they stopped wrestling on the ground. "This is more than just a rough patch because you need to break up with him—"

"You're breaking up with me?"

They didn't know when or how it happened, but it felt like a scene from a movie when they all turned to see Tine standing in the doorway, watching and clearly having heard everything. Sarawat was so shocked to see him that he jumped back against the wallpaper. Running away was futile; Tine had seen him. Heard them. They looked at him, and Tine stared back with shock, anger, sadness, and disappointment.

"You're Man, right?" Tine questioned, his eyes finding the other guy. "You're dating my brother."

"Actually..." Man's voice trailed off, unable to find the right words. What was he supposed to say? He had thought he might be found out by Type, not Tine, the younger brother.

"Tine..." Sarawat cleared his throat, but it still came out sounding more like a whimper. "I can explain..."

"Wait," Boss interrupted, which was a good thing because Sarawat's mind was blank anyway. "How did you get inside?" he asked Tine.