You Again

Ch. 26

Gabriel POV

I watched as Sang and Ryker hovered over a tablet, organizing a song playlist for tomorrow night. She was sitting between his legs, leaning against his chest. A wave of sadness washed over me. It was hard to see her with another man. When she and Ryker were acting like a fucking adorable couple with that piece of pizza, I wanted to shatter. It was hard to act like I was the same person.

Sang had changed so much in the past three years. When we left, I was in love with a shy Sang who needed us. Now she was strong, confident, and beautiful. I could still see the sang that I loved all those years ago in this Sang, and I am happy for her. Although I wasn't part of her life anymore. My heart hurt to see her with another man. with another team. It will be hard to know that she won't be reaching out to use like she once did but it was our fault and now we have to live with the consequences.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luke quietly leaving the room towards the kitchen. Quietly, I got up and followed him. He had his arms on the counter and was leaning heavily on them. His eyes were scrunched shut as he tried to regulate his breathing. Once he managed to control his breathing, he opened his eyes but they were blank as he looked out the window. His eyes met mine, and my heart cried at the exhausted look in his eyes. The prankster that I had grown up with was gone, leaving a person tired with life.

I walked up next to him, brushing my arm gently against his. I stared out the window, but I didn't see anything. Right now, Luke needed a silent shoulder to lean on. A few minutes had passed before he lightly breathed out. "It hurts."

I pressed my lips together. "I know. We were stupid."

And we were. It was that fucking mission's fault. Luke and I didn't want to leave Sang. We knew what it would do to her, and both of us protested until Mr. B pulled rank. As always, Kota and North backed him up, believing that Sang would be okay without our presence. That mission had taken most of our time, limiting us on our time to communicate with Sang. When that text that supposedly came from Sang's phone appeared, that became the first crack in the team's relationship. Ever since then, the team had been separating. It wasn't until the unspeakable mission that it was made clear that we had separated into our own teams.

Anger welled up in me at the memory of the mission before the last one. Luke and I had suffered the most but acted as if nothing had happened to us. But it had. It messed us both physically and mentally. No one had noticed. Not even the ever-aware, pain-in-the-ass Mr. Blackbourne until it was almost too late.

I stared at the hand that ran through his long hair. The dozen or so leather bracelets covered the scars but didn't do anything except hid the actions of the past.

I gently nudged his arm. "Hey, I can cut your hair if you really want it." I looked at his face, hoping to see a real smile.

Luke smiled, but it was forced. He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Nah. I think I might keep it for now. Thomas gave me another offer to become his model. He's trying to get you back, too, Gabe."

I chuckled. Thomas Prior was a rising designer and had noticed Luke as he posed as a model. I had been his assistant, and when he saw some of my sketches, he had been trying to get me to work along with him. Even though that mission was done a week ago and we had given him the answer no, he still contacts us in hope that we will join him. "What did you say?"

He shrugged. "I told him that I'd think about it."

I stared at him until his weary brown eyes met mine. "Like I said, Luke, I'll leave with you when you're ready."

He frowned. "You shouldn't carry all that anger Gabe."

My smile disappeared and I looked away. "I can't Luke. I'm so angry at them. They didn't see it. The signs were there. None of them cared. None of them."

Luke shrugged. "They were too busy to see us, Gabe, especially since both of us are exceptional actors." We chuckled, but Luke became solemn. "Will you start singing again?"

My smile withered once again. "I don't know. That part of me broke in the past three years, and I don't know if it will ever heal."

We became quiet. Minutes passed until soft footsteps halted at the entrance. I turned around to see Sang standing in the doorway and looking hesitant to enter. I smiled. "Hey."

She gave us a small smile before grabbing a glass. She turned on the faucet and filled her glass. Taking a sip, her green eyes never left us. When she set her glass on the counter, she looked at us in confusion. A frown marred her face. "Are you guys okay? And don't give me your bullshit that you're fine."

I snorted. She was so cute when she cursed. "We're in the process of getting to that point." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Don't worry about us, Dang. We will be okay eventually."

She narrowed her eyes and turned slightly. Unfortunately, her elbow caught the glass and knocked it onto the floor. The plastic cup banged onto the floor, but her eyes weren't on the spilt drink but on the man next to me.

Luke froze and his eyes went distant. It wasn't the same when he used to daydream but when he was trapped into the horrors of his memories. I shook off my own terror at the sound, and grabbed him despite his thrashing against me. I led him to the chair and forced him forward until his head was in between his knees.

Sang gasped, falling to her knees beside me as we looked at Luke. "I'm so sorry."

She took his hand in hers, her eyes widening slightly at the cool temperature of his skin. She rubbed his hand in small circles, waiting for him to come out of his memories. A few moments later, Luke chuckled hoarsely. "It's okay, cupcake. We're not the same men you used to now."

Tears filled her eyes. "What happened?"

I looked down at my arms covered by my long sleeves. My eyes flickered towards hers when I couldn't bear to look at myself anymore. I smiled sadly. "A mission happened, Sang. There's nothing you can do."

"Bullshit," she cursed once again. "I'm your friend. I can be here for you." She looked at me with her serious blue eyes. "For both of you."

A tear streaked down my cheek as the feeling of sorrow swept through me. I stood with an exhausted Luke.  "One day, Sang, I'll tell you my story but not right now. Tell the others we went back to our apartment."

Sang sadly nodded and followed us out the door. I forced myself not to look back at her even as we were driving away. Luke and I were broken. We were so used wearing a mask that we no longer know how to live without the mask. The sad part is that we no longer have brothers in this team that knew about our suffering.  

Hey, I'm back. I'm sorry that the chapter ended on a sad note. The team has a long way to heal but Sang got this. Thanks for reading. It would be better if you commented on anything you liked, disliked, or wanted to rant on. Thanks, and love ya!! <3