A history with TENsion

Chapter 1

Tin sat at a table in a Japanese style tea house, Can's ever calming presence at his side, wondering why the hell they had been brought here when the door to the room slid open on his parents. His father, still looking displeased with the world for challenging him, and his mother who seeing Can, fell into a glare that Can had an unnatural immunity to. Tin was always amused that she still tried after all these years to intimidate Can with the Medthanan family glare, she would have better luck bribing him with food to get him to do what she wants.

Her current extra distaste for Can was to be expected, since he had publicly called her out on her parenting at a recent event that Tin had dragged him to. Can had hoped that after the six years he and Tin had been together they would have at least warmed up to him. But Tin's mother had steadfastly refused to and it always rubbed Can the wrong way.

"So care to tell me why you have brought us here?" Tin asked making sure they could see he was holding Can's hand in his own.

"I was about to ask you the same thing" his father said raising a brow at his youngest son. It was actions like this that Can could see the family resemblance. "I thought you two might be announcing your engagement" the undignified sound that came from Mrs Medthanan at Mr Medthanan's words caused a smile to pull at Tin's lips and a snorted laugh from Can.

"Sadly not this time" Tin said squeezing Can's hand "but if you didn't call us here then who did?"

Tin regretted his question as, appearing like some cheesy movie villain, it seemed to have summoned Tul. Him and his evil smirk stood in the now open doorway looking far to smug for a man who had lost everything after doing so much to get it in the first place.

Just before the end of his final year at school Tin had, in all his luck, been around a very drunk Tul who had been trying to forget about his recent divorce at the bottom of a bottle of scotch. Upon seeing Tin Tul had started taunting him and eventually started rubbing it in Tin's face that he had gotten away with setting him up for the colossal fall he had taken. Tin had been smart enough to record every word. Deciding not to play Tul's game Tin had taken it to their father and before long Tul had been pushed into a nothing position in the company and Tin was slated to be the next CEO. With him standing there looking smug it was obvious to all that Tul had been the one that called them to the tea house.

Tin and Can started to get out of their seats not interested in whatever nonsense he was going to try when Tul held up a photo. The girl in the photo was beautiful, with long blond hair and a pretty smile shown coyly at the camera. Showing no change in his determination to leave Can continued to head for the door but Tin had frozen in his place stopping Can's progression. Looking at Tin's face Can could see worry set in "what have you done to Alyson?" Tin growled at Tul who looked like he had won some game they hadn't known they were playing.

"Calm down little brother I haven't touched your precious girlfriend" Tul paused to take in Tin's anger, his parent's shock and Can's confusion "well, ex-girlfriend I should say" Tul walked himself over to the table and dropped the photo down in front of their father.

Not able to help herself Tin's mother jumped on the photo looking between it, Tin and Can with hope in her eyes "she is quite pretty isn't she. Are you still in touch with her?" Can arcked up at the hope in her voice.

"No step-mother, he is not" Tul turned his full attention on Tin while he continued to talk to her "he hasn't been for a little over eight years I would say" Tin looked at Tul with suspicion, there had to be a reason for digging up his past. The answer came when Tul pulled a second photo out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Tin.

The child in the photo was like a tiny copy of Tin, only his hair was a lighter brown and his eyes were a mix of green and brown. Looking at it Can knew instantly what it all meant, what Tul was trying to do. With a heavy breath Can dropped back into the chair he had been in before and waited with a strange quietness for Tin to decide what to do. After a moment Tin lifted his eyes from the photo to Tul "what do you want? What are you hoping to achieve with this?"