I want you to

King guided Kane to his room before leaving. 

He was about to go to the secret fortress to message Raze and get an update on their ongoing operation, but then he changed his mind. 

He wanted to make sure Kane was asleep first. 

He waited for an hour as he watched a movie, and afterward, he opened the door to Kane's room. 

He sighed in relief upon seeing him lying on the bed, sleeping soundly. King was hesitant to go near him, but he still did. This was one of those rare times he could see Kane looking so peaceful. 

"Never have I ever," he paused, still appreciating the serene view before him. "Never have I ever... not lied to you." 

Before he even realized it, a lone tear fell from his eye. He chuckled at the thought that crossed his mind. "Just when can I be honest? I already miss my friend... I already miss you, Kane." 

He could still remember the times they were together before everything was taken away before their eyes. They were just children back then, but he had always taken care of Kane like a little brother. 

Everything took a dramatic turn after what happened, and he felt like apologizing wouldn’t even make sense. 

"I'm just so tired of this..." He knew he couldn't show any weakness. 

"I want to go home now," he whispered under his breath. 

He left Kane after that. He still had a lot to do, and he couldn't afford to break down. 

He went to the fortress and immediately took his phone. 

"Raze." 

"Boss," Raze greeted him formally. "I have reached out to Kane's team. As per your request, I gave them all the evidence we gathered." 

He nodded as if Raze could see him. "How did they react?" 

Raze chuckled, remembering what happened. "Just like you expected, we fought. I had a hard time fighting them, Boss," he said, as if asking for pity, making King snort. 

Raze just laughed. "Of course, I did everything to convince them. Especially those three wise bunch—Stan, Ven, and Marco." He cleared his throat. "That included telling your side of the story, and since I’m great, I also provided them with more evidence to prove that I wasn’t lying." 

King fell into silence upon hearing that, so Raze continued. 

"That only means you’re not a villain in their eyes anymore." 

"I’ll forever be a villain, Raze. That won’t change till the day I die." 

Raze was dumbfounded hearing that straight from King. "We’ll do something about that. I won’t let you suffer anymore after this is done." 

"You don’t have to do that, Raze." 

"Oh? Yes, I have to. But for now, we have to—" The other line went silent, and King thought they had been disconnected, but then he heard a faint sound from Raze, as if he was in pain. 

Hearing that, King blamed himself over and over again, but he couldn’t do anything. "Are you alright, Raze?" 

There was a short silence before he heard Raze. "Y-yeah, I can manage." 

"I’m sorry you’re getting punished in my stead." 

"Boss—or can I just call you King right now since I am literally the acting 'Cabecilla' at the moment?" Raze laughed, though he was wincing from time to time. "Don’t worry about me. I’m strong enough to handle this." 

"The documents were placed in storage along with the artifacts and those encrypted files Kane had hidden through paintings. They are properly secured. Now, all you have to do is wait for a month. Hopefully, the poison will gradually kill the bastard," Raze said. 

King sighed upon hearing that. He couldn't believe it had to come to this for everything to stop. He felt his chest tightening. 

"After all of this is done, let’s tell Kane the truth, okay?" 

King didn’t answer. He just looked down. 

"Boss," Raze called again, waiting for his response. 

"I don’t know how to tell Kane..." 

King said that in a low voice, and Raze could hear the sadness in it. 

Another silence filled the air before he heard Raze again. 

"I’ll have to hang up now. I’m receiving a call from your father," Raze gritted his teeth in annoyance. "That bastard." 

The line was disconnected, but King was still rummaging through his thoughts, blaming himself. 

"You don’t know how to tell me what?" 

He froze in place upon hearing that. He didn’t even want to face the person speaking to him. 

He shut his eyes tightly. 'Did he hear the whole conversation? How did he even open the door to this fortress?'

"I followed you here twice already, if you’re wondering. I saw the password while you were unlocking it. I’m not that dense, King." 

His breathing was heavy, and he had no intention of facing Kane and his questions. 

"Face me, moron." Kane forcefully turned King to face him. King just looked down, avoiding his gaze, so Kane caught his chin and lifted it up. 

There, his black raven eyes met the amber-hued eyes of King. Mesmerized by the sight, Kane held the back of King’s neck and pulled him closer. 

"I’m sober now. I can do this, right?" 

He pressed his lips against King’s, as if his hunger could be fed through King’s mouth. 

"I’m no fool, King. Just tell me the truth." 

He pulled away and pushed the stunned King onto the mattress inside the fortress. Kane climbed on top of him, letting their bodies collide. 

He didn’t care anymore. He wanted answers, and he would get them no matter what. 

He had his own deductions, but they were just assumptions. What he wanted were answers straight from King’s mouth. 

"We were both young when I first saw you," he started. "I never saw you as an older brother or a friend, but rather an object to be fascinated with."

Tracing every outline of King’s body, he sent shivers down his spine. 

"Kane..." 

Kane just smirked at him. "What?" He continued touching him, his hands slowly moving downward while King tried to suppress his moans. 

"I hate you..."

"S-stop," King hissed. "Are you doing this to get your answers?" He was catching his breath as Kane stopped and just stared at him. 

"Yes," Kane answered nonchalantly, making King frown. "And no." 

King’s brow furrowed at that. "Don’t tease me. I might bite back," he said seriously, his amber eyes burning. 

Kane was actually glad. Those amber eyes weren’t lifeless anymore. There was a glint in them now, and Kane was enjoying every bit of it. 

"Then bite," he provoked King. "Tell me," he whispered into King’s ear, making his ears turn beet red. "What are you hiding from me?" He bit King’s ear, and King, on the other hand, tried his best not to falter. 

He knew he was close to being breathless from the tension and heat consuming his body. 

"Damn it," he snapped at Kane, who was stunned. Within seconds, their positions had flipped. King was now on top, holding Kane’s hands tightly. 

"I told you, this is for your safety. I know the last thing you’d do is trust me, but I’m begging you," his eyes pleaded. "Trust me just this once." 

"Trust is earned, not begged for, you dumbass." 

"I’m just the frontman of the organization—I’m nothing but a puppet," he confessed. "Those bruises you saw..." He looked away. "Someone I used to look up to caused them." 

Pain was visible in his eyes. Kane had his theories, but hearing King say it still caught him off guard. 

"I’m protecting you because I care for you. That’s all the reason I can give." He grimaced. "Because of what you’re doing—using encrypted files that expose most of the company’s illicit crimes and misconducts—I’ve been obedient to your requests, haven’t I? I’ve given you the money you asked for. But the organization found out. They’re the ones backing the company, and now they’re looking for you." 

Kane smirked inwardly. He thought he had hidden everything well.  

They both fell into a deep silence after that. It's obvious to Kane that King wouldn't say more than that so he didn't say anything either.

King was still on top of him and desire was all over his face.

King then glanced at an empty canvas resting on an easel.  He deliberately brought that for Kane in case he'll miss his hobby.

All of a sudden, he thought of something.

"Want to draw me like one of your French girls?" he asked playfully as if they didn't talk about some serious stuffs earlier.

Kane was baffled. Was that a joke? He wanted to laugh, but King looked so charming. 

"Will you be bold enough?" Kane countered. 

"If you want me to." 

"Oh, I want you to," Kane winked before looking for brushes and paint around the fortress.