Archive of Our Own

The tour bus smelled faintly of upholstery cleaner and artificial air conditioning, a sharp, sterile contrast to the heavy humidity building outside. It was the first vehicle in a long, imposing line of coaches parked in the company lot, ready to transport the entire agency to their weekend outing destination.

Sea bypassed the front rows entirely. He didn't want to be easily accessible; he didn't want to be tapped on the shoulder for polite, early-morning small talk. He walked straight down the narrow aisle to the very back, sinking into the deep corner of the long backseat where the shadows offered a small pocket of privacy.

He was entirely, utterly drained. His body felt heavy, a physical tax collected after a brutal twenty-four-hour sprint. He had spent the entire previous day and night buried under the suffocating weight of schedules, draining every last drop of his energy it. And instead of recovering, he had forced himself awake at dawn, enduring the exhausting commute from Ayutthaya to the company just to make the departure time.

Now, sitting in the dim, quiet belly of the empty bus, the adrenaline had completely faded, leaving behind a hollow ache in his chest and a burning fatigue behind his eyes. He rested his temple against the cool, tinted window, watching the empty parking lot and praying the rest of his colleagues would take their time getting on board.

Within a few minutes, the deceptive quiet of the parking lot shattered. A flood of colleagues poured into the tarmac, their voices carrying through the crisp morning air in a wave of loud greetings, laughter, and high-energy chatter. The excitement for the weekday getaway was palpable as groups began separating, making their way toward their designated coaches.

Slowly, the heavy silence inside Sea’s bus began to evaporate. The front seats filled first, the aisle vibrating with the rustle of bags being lifted into overhead bins and the bright, forced cheer of early-morning social politics.

Wanting to isolate himself from the rising noise, Sea reached into his pocket and pulled out his headphones. He slipped them on, letting a track of soft, slow music filter through the speakers to drown out the cabin. He let his head loll back against the headrest, his dark bangs falling over his eyes like a protective shield, and let his eyelids flutter shut. He was desperate to catch even ten minutes of deep, restorative sleep before the wheels started rolling.

"Hey, P’Sea! Mind if I sit here?"

The voice broke through his music, accompanied by the heavy thud of a backpack hitting the floor. Sea opened his eyes to see Aou standing in the aisle. Without waiting for a formal invitation, Aou slid into the empty space right beside him. He was grinning, practically vibrating with the collective energy of the trip.

"Good morning, Phi," Aou greeted him warmly.

Sea immediately pulled down his headphones, forcing his muscles to relax. He dragged a soft, practiced smile onto his face, relying on sheer muscle memory to hide the bone-deep exhaustion that threatened to pull him under. "Morning, Aou. Good to see you."

They exchanged a few casual, meaningless lines about the upcoming drive and how brutal the traffic out of the city was bound to be. Sea kept his tone light, nodding at the right moments, hoping the brief interaction would conclude naturally so he could slip back into his sanctuary.

Instead, Aou leaned in a bit closer, shifting the conversation with a casual tilt of his head. "Hey, by the way... do you know if P'Jimmy is coming on this bus? Or is he running late? I haven't seen his car in the lot yet."

The question hung in the air, sharp and heavy.

Sea’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he caught himself. He offered Aou an awkward, tightly controlled smile, one that carried a quiet, knowing edge he couldn't entirely mask.

"I don't know, actually," Sea said, his voice dropping into a neutral, polite register. He looked out the window for a brief moment before meeting Aou's eyes again. "We didn't talk this morning. Honestly, I haven't seen or heard from him in over a day.”

"Ah, okay. He's probably just stuck in that morning rush hour," Aou replied easily, nodding as he accepted the answer. "You know how the traffic gets near the expressway. He'll probably make it just before the wheels roll."

Sea simply smiled and nodded in agreement, keeping his expression neutral. He didn't offer any more details, letting the conversation taper off naturally. Sensing that Sea was still trying to rest, Aou gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and stood up, moving down the aisle to greet some of their other colleagues who were calling out his name from the middle rows.

Taking advantage of the sudden quiet, Sea slipped his headphones back over his ears. The soft, familiar melody started up again, but this time, the music couldn't quite act as a shield. Despite the gentle rhythm humming in his ears, his mind began to race, instantly filling with a frantic swirl of thoughts he had been trying to suppress all morning.

It wasn’t that he and Jimmy had fought. There was no argument, no slammed doors, no lingering tension from a disagreement. It was just the unsettling reality that they hadn't spoken at all in the last twenty-four hours. Between Sea’s grueling sprint to finish his own workload and the sudden, chaotic announcement of this company outing, they had completely missed each other's schedules. Because everything had happened so fast, Sea genuinely had no idea if Jimmy was even planning to attend the trip, or if he had opted to stay behind to handle the leftover schedule mess.

He let out a quiet breath, actively forcing his shoulders to drop. He tried to push the anxiety aside, telling himself it was useless to overthink it now. Deep down, past the exhaustion and the sudden distance of the last day, a grounded sense of certainty remained. He knew how they operated. He knew that if Jimmy did show up, no matter how crowded the lot was or how many buses were lined up, Jimmy would come find him. He always did.

Within a few minutes, the chaotic energy inside the coach began to settle. The remaining empty seats were quickly claimed, overhead bins were slammed shut, and the heavy pneumatic doors of the bus hissed closed with a definitive thud. The engine roared louder as the driver shifted into gear, and the bus began to crawl forward, ready to pull out of the corporate lot and hit the main road.

Sea kept his eyes glued to the tinted window, his gaze scanning the fading perimeter of the parking lot. There was still absolutely no sign of Jimmy. No familiar car, no tall silhouette rushing through the main doors, nothing.

"Hey, P’Sea! Let's take a quick photo before we lose the light," Aou said suddenly, leaning over the back of his seat with his phone already raised. "We should post something on Twitter. The fans would love to see us in the same frame.”

The sudden request caught him off guard, but Sea’s professional instincts took over instantly. Despite the cold knot of worry that was beginning to gnaw at his stomach, he forced his features to soften. He looked directly into the camera lens, tilting his head slightly to flash a bright, effortlessly cute expression that betrayed absolutely none of his internal panic. The screen flashed, capturing a perfect, polished moment of corporate fun.

As soon as Aou turned back around to type out a caption, the smile vanished from Sea’s face. The bus bounced slightly as it turned onto the bustling expressway, leaving the office completely behind.

His mind began to spiral into a loop of anxious questions. Was Jimmy genuinely just running late, caught in some unprecedented traffic jam? Or had he decided to skip the outing entirely without telling anyone? Sea’s thumb hovered over his phone screen, unlocking it instinctively. He opened their chat window, his fingers resting on the keyboard. He wanted to text him,just a simple, casual *'Are you coming?'*

But he hesitated. He stared at the blinking cursor, a wave of second-guessing washing over him. If Jimmy was currently driving through heavy traffic, or worse, trapped with some emergency, a demanding text would only be a distraction. Not wanting to seem overly anxious or clingy, Sea let out a quiet sigh, locked his phone, and slipped it face-down into his pocket.

As the bus finally rolled past the security gates and left the lot behind, hitting the steady rhythm of the highway, Sea gave up on his phone. He pulled his jacket tighter around his chest, let his head sink back against the glass, and closed his eyes, finally letting the exhaustion pull him under into a light, uneasy sleep.

— — —

Meanwhile, back at the company headquarters, the absolute last coach was idling by the curb, waiting for any final latecomers before officially closing the gates.

Jimmy practically threw himself through the front doors of the vehicle, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. It had been a disastrous morning. For the first time in months, he had completely slept through his alarms, waking up in a sheer panic with barely any time to spare. He had rushed through his apartment, grabbed his bags, and practically sprinted to his car, only to be immediately greeted by bumper-to-bumper city traffic. Thankfully, the gridlock had cleared up just in time, allowing him to pull into the lot by the skin of his teeth before the final bus could abandon him.

The moment he stepped into the cabin, he was hit by a wall of pure, unadulterated chaos. The energy in this specific bus was running on a completely different frequency.

Right in the middle of the aisle, Gun was on an absolute mission, aggressively cornering everyone to ask if they wanted their official black outing shirts "tailored" by him. With a mix of relentless charm and chaotic persuasion, Gun had already laid siege to Prem, taking a pair of scissors to Prem's shirt and cutting it up to match his own avant-garde tastes while the rest of the rows cheered and laughed.

Jimmy stood at the front, taking in the wild scene with an amused blink. As soon as Tay spotted him standing there, he yelled over the noise and subtly gave him a warning without making a eye contact, "Jimmy! If you're staying on this bus, you have to let Gun cut your shirt too! He’s doing it to all of us, no exceptions!"

Jimmy didn't even hesitate. A lazy, amused smirk spread across his face as he replied smoothly, "If he's doing the shirt, tell him he can do the pants too," which immediately drew a chorus of groans and laughter from the surrounding seats.

Shaking his head, Jimmy began navigating his way down the narrow aisle, looking for a place to finally settle down. Just like Sea had done in the first bus, Jimmy instinctively tracked toward the very back, looking for a pocket of relative quiet away from the center of the madness. He found an open spot in the backseat next to Neo.

The moment Neo looked up and saw him, he immediately raised his hand into a polite but friendly wai, offering a wide grin. "Mornin’ P', You're late!”

Jimmy nodded, offering a tired but warm smile in return as he slid into the seat, finally letting his shoulders drop as the last bus shifted into gear and set off after the others.

Once the initial wave of shirt-cutting chaos finally burned itself out, the occupants of the final bus began to settle down into the rhythm of the long drive. Before the energy completely dipped, someone at the front shouted for a group photo. Jimmy leaned into the aisle, joining the rest of the backseat crew as they piled into the frame, flashing easy, practiced smiles for a quick snapshot to upload to Twitter so the fans would know the late-arrival crew was officially en route.

With the social media obligations out of the way, Jimmy was finally able to just breathe. He slid deeper into the vinyl seat, stretching his long legs out into the aisle, and let out a long-overdue sigh. The morning adrenaline was completely gone now, leaving behind a dull ache from his rushed awakening. To keep himself awake a little longer, he fell into an easy, low-key conversation with Neo and Mint in the back row, exchanging casual gossip and teasing.

As the kilometers ticked by, the bus naturally grew quieter. The morning sun climbed higher, warming the tinted windows. Around them, the atmosphere shifted into standard road-trip behavior, some colleagues pulled out their phones to scroll through feeds, others clustered together over handheld consoles to play video games, and the loud banter dissolved into low hums. Eventually, the heavy weight of his missed sleep caught up to Jimmy. His eyelids grew heavy, his head lolled back against the headrest, and he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Miles ahead on the same highway, a nearly identical scene was playing out in the lead bus.

Sea was navigating the journey in the exact same pattern. If a colleague leaned over the seat to ask him a question or strike up a conversation, he would pull down his headphones, offer a polite, soft smile, and chat amiably until they turned back around. The rest of the time, he spent asleep, using the gentle rocking of the bus as a lullaby to mend his fractured rest from the night before.

By now, the frantic swirl of anxious thoughts from earlier had completely numbed out. He had actively stopped checking his phone, deliberately pushing the image of Jimmy out of his mind. He reasoned with himself that if Jimmy had made it to the company or handled an emergency, he would have sent a quick text to check in. Since his lock screen remained completely blank, Sea figured it was better to stop overthinking it and just sleep his way through the provinces.

What Sea didn't know was that Jimmy hadn't intentionally gone radio silent. In the sheer, blind panic of his morning rush, fighting his alarm, sprinting to his car, and battling the expressway gridlock, Jimmy’s mind had been entirely focused on survival and not getting left behind in Bangkok. By the time he actually sat down, his brain was so fried that sending an update completely slipped his mind. In Jimmy's head, it wasn't even a cause for concern; he simply assumed all the company buses would pull into the exact same highway rest stop in a couple of hours anyway, and they would meet up there like they always did.

— — —

About half an hour later, the caravan of buses finally pulled off the highway, their engines rumbling to a stop at a sprawling roadside rest area lined with restaurants and convenience stores. The heavy pneumatic doors hissed open across the fleet, unleashing a wave of restless passengers. Staff members who were stiff from the ride eagerly stepped out onto the sun-warmed pavement to stretch their legs, while others immediately made a bee-line toward the restrooms to freshen up.

Jimmy was among the first to step off the last bus, shielding his eyes from the sudden glare of the afternoon sun. The moment his boots hit the asphalt, his sleep-deprived haze evaporated, replaced by a single, sharp focus. His first thought, overriding everything else, was to find Sea.

He stood near the edge of the parking lot, his tall frame cutting through the crowd as his eyes scanned the sea of matching black outing shirts. He looked around the immediate vicinity, checking the nearby cafe entrance and the shaded pathways, but there was still no sign of a familiar, lean silhouette.

"P'Jim! Over here!"

Before he could widen his search radius, Book caught sight of him and navigated through the crowd. "What are you looking around for so intensely? You look like you lost a briefcase." Book didn't even give Jimmy a chance to open his mouth before launching into his next train of thought. "Wait, did you end up on the last coach? Were you actually running late this morning? I saw P'Tay’s IG story earlier, you looked like you barely survived the morning."

Jimmy opened his mouth to explain the alarm disaster, but the explanation was cut short as Junior appeared beside them, adjusting his collar. "Hey guys, the lines inside are going to get crazy fast. Do you want to hit the restroom now before the other buses completely unload?"

"Yeah, definitely. Let's go before we get stuck in there forever," Book agreed immediately.

Jimmy instinctively started to shake his head, shifting his weight to back away so he could continue looking for Sea. "You guys go ahead, I actually need to—"

But his protests fell on entirely deaf ears. Neither Book nor Junior gave him a single second to decline. Junior casually hooked an arm through Jimmy’s elbow, while Book nudged him from the other side, effectively trapping him between them. Operating on pure, high-energy momentum, the two younger colleagues dragged Jimmy right along with them toward the crowded restroom building, completely drowning out his half-hearted resistance with their non-stop, animated chatter about the drive and the upcoming schedule. Jimmy could only let out a defeated sigh, casting one last, futile look over his shoulder into the crowd as he was swept away.

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the bustling activity out in the parking lot and the small rescue mission Jimmy was trying to execute, Sea remained in a world of his own. He was fast asleep in the deep corner of the back seat, his body completely yielding to the exhaustion he had been carrying for days. His head had tilted slightly against the soft headrest, his breathing deep and even, and his phone lay forgotten and dark in his pocket.

Aou, who had originally planned to stretch his legs, looked over at his seatmate before getting up. He stopped himself, leaning back slightly to study Sea's face. Even in sleep, the faint shadows under Sea’s eyes spoke volumes about the brutal schedules he had completed. He looked completely worn out, his usual sharp, composed posture replaced by a fragile, quiet stillness.

Deciding against waking him up just for a brief bathroom break or a quick snack, Aou quietly slid out of the row without making a sound. He figured a few extra uninterrupted minutes of sleep would do Sea a world of good. *I'll just let him rest for now,* Aou thought to himself as he stepped down the bus aisle into the warm afternoon air. *There's no point in pulling him out of it yet. I'll just wake him up when we finally pull up to the restaurant for lunch.*

With that, the bus grew entirely quiet again, leaving Sea alone in the dim, cool cabin to catch up on his much-needed peace, still completely unaware that the person he had been wondering about all morning was only a few hundred yards away, desperately looking for him.

The brief respite came to an end after just a few minutes. The rest stop’s overhead speakers crackled to life, and the agency coordinators began herding everyone back toward their respective vehicles to get the caravan moving again.

The moment Jimmy finally managed to break away from Book and Junior's relentless chatter, he made a direct line back out onto the sun-baked asphalt. His main objective hadn't changed: he was going to find Sea, abandon his spot on the chaotic late-comers' coach, and steal the empty seat next to him for the remainder of the journey.

But as his eyes scanned the row of departing vehicles, his chest tightened with a wave of frustration. The lead coach, Sea’s bus was already rolling. Its heavy tires kicked up dust as it smoothly pulled back onto the main highway ramp, cutting off any chance of a sudden seat swap.

Jimmy stood on the pavement, watching the back of the coach disappear into the midday traffic blur. He really had no choice now. He let out a defeated sigh and turned on his heel to trek back to the loud, shirt-slashing atmosphere of the final bus.

As he climbed the stairs and reclaimed his spot next to Neo, his thumb hovered over his phone screen. He thought about finally shooting Sea a quick text, something to explain his disastrous morning and ask how he was holding up. But looking at the erratic signal bars on his screen as the bus shifted into high gear, he thought better of it. They were already more than halfway there. There was no point in starting a fragmented text conversation now when they were bound to pull up to the exact same restaurant in an hour.

*I'll just wait,* Jimmy told himself, locking his phone and shoving it into his pocket with a quiet, determined smirk. *He can't escape me at lunch.*

— — —

An hour later, the low rumble of the highway faded as the lead coach smoothly pulled into the gravel parking lot of a sprawling, open-air restaurant reserved for their lunch stop.

The sudden cessation of movement, paired with the hiss of the pneumatic doors opening, pulled Sea out of his heavy slumber. He blinked against the bright afternoon light filtering through the windshield, his body instantly protesting the transition. Every single muscle in his torso practically begged him to stay exactly where he was, curled up in the deep corner of the back seat where it was cool and quiet.

But his stomach had other plans. He hadn’t eaten a single bite since forcing himself awake at dawn in Ayutthaya, and the hollow, gnawing ache in his core was a harsh reminder that he couldn't survive the rest of the day on sheer willpower alone. Realizing he had reached his physical limit, he let out a quiet sigh, uncurled his legs, and forced his heavy feet to carry him down the narrow aisle of the bus.

The moment he stepped off the bottom stair, a wall of thick, oppressive midday heat hit him squarely in the chest. The intense contrast to the freezing, artificial air conditioning inside the bus was a violent shock to his system, instantly burning away the lingering cobwebs of his sleep and forcing him fully awake.

Shielding his eyes from the glare, Sea began navigating through the maze of parked coaches, stepping around clusters of colleagues who were already making a bee-line for the shaded restaurant pavilion. As he rounded the back of the second bus, he spotted Force standing near the entrance, deep in conversation with Mark.

The moment Force’s eyes scanned the crowd and locked onto Sea, his face lit up. He immediately began gesturing wildly with his arms, waving him over like a beacon. Sea couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, a genuine, easy smile breaking across his face as he picked up his pace and headed straight toward them.

He barely had time to utter a greeting before Force moved in. With practiced, elder-brotherly mischief, Force instantly threw a heavy arm around Sea's neck, trapping him in a sudden, playful headlock that caught Sea completely off guard.

"Where the hell did you disappear to, huh?" Force demanded loudly, his voice filled with feigned offense as he rustled Sea’s messy hair. "We looked all over for you before we left the company!"

Sea let out a breathy, helpless string of giggles, his hands instinctively coming up to grip Force’s forearm as he tried to twist his body and break free from the suffocating, affectionate grip. "I was on the first bus! I was just sleeping the whole time, P'Force, let me go!"

Mark watched the chaotic struggle unfold with an amused smirk, shaking his head as he leaned back against a wooden pillar. "Seriously, Sea, you missed absolutely all the fun on our bus. You definitely should've sat with us from the start.”

Sea managed to twist out of Force’s lingering grip, smoothing down his rumpled hair with a breathless chuckle. He turned to Mark, flashing an amused but pointed look. "Honestly, if I had sat anywhere near you guys, I wouldn't have gotten an ounce of sleep. Knowing P’Ju and P’Book, I would've had a headache on top of it.”

Mark laughed, conceding the point with a nod. As the immediate banter died down into a comfortable lull, Sea’s attention involuntarily began to drift. His eyes left his friends, quietly scanning the bustling, open-air pavilion. He tracked the sea of black shirts, subtly sifting through the crowd in a desperate bid to spot a specific, tall silhouette, even just for a split second, just to confirm he had actually made it.

Mark, highly perceptive to the sudden shift, noticed the way Sea’s gaze lingered on the incoming groups. He didn't call him out on it, keeping his observations to himself. Meanwhile, Force was entirely checked out of the physical world, his fingers flying across his screen as he drafted a quick update to feed the fans on Twitter.

"Alright, boys," Force said suddenly, locking his phone and sliding it into his pocket with a satisfied smirk. "Junior and P'Jim are already inside waiting for us at the tables. We should head in before all the good food gets cleared out."

At the mere mention of Jimmy’s name, something visual sparked in Sea. His eyes instantly lit up, the heavy, lingering exhaustion momentarily forgotten as a subtle, genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Mark caught the reaction instantly, the small, telling giveaway but he kept his mouth shut, offering only a knowing, quiet look as he stepped into line.

Force, entirely oblivious to the silent communication passing between the two, confidently stepped ahead to guide the three of them through the crowded restaurant queue. They navigated past the buffet lines and the noisy tables until they reached the very front of the pavilion, where Junior and Jimmy were already standing, waiting for them to arrive.

A rush of relief flared up in Sea’s chest, instantly clearing away the lingering haze of his long morning. *He came.* The pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place, Jimmy must have been running incredibly late, which explained why he ended up on the final coach and why they hadn't been able to sit together. Making peace with that realization calmed the frantic anxiousness in his mind, but his heart was operating on a completely different frequency. More than anything, he just wanted to look at Jimmy. He wanted to see that familiar, glowing, calm face that always served as his grounding anchor. It was a ridiculous feeling to harbor, they literally saw each other every single day at the office but out here, isolated in the chaotic, high-stakes ecosystem of a company outing, everything felt entirely different.

They began threading their way through the dense, noisy crowd toward the front of the food line. Book materialized out of the swarm of colleagues, smoothly joining their little group just as they reached the buffet queue. Because the restaurant was packed to maximum capacity with hungry agency staff, the line was tight and heavily congested. Jimmy was positioned at the very front of their makeshift queue, followed closely by Force, Mark, Book, and Junior.

This ordering left Sea at the absolute back of the line.

The physical arrangement was a subtle form of torture. Even though they were separated by only a few meters of space, the dense crowd and the shifting shoulders of their friends made it impossible to catch even a fleeting glimpse of one another. Jimmy tried to casually glance back several times, subtly craning his neck over his shoulder to check the line, but the taller frames of Force and Book completely blocked his line of sight, obscuring Sea from his view. Sea, too, kept his eyes trained forward, hoping the crowd would part just enough for a single look, but the gap remained stubbornly closed.

The frustrating near-miss lasted all the way through the food line until they finally navigated out of the bottleneck and reached their designated table.

As they began settling into the wooden chairs, the seating arrangement fell into place with agonizing proximity. Junior claimed a center spot first, and Sea, carrying his tray, slid into the empty seat right beside him. A second later, Jimmy took the seat directly on the other side of Junior. They were finally at the same table, separated only by a single colleague, yet still lacking the direct, uninterrupted connection they had both been chasing all morning.

Even though they were finally sharing the same table, sitting so close that the casual shift of a shoulder felt amplified, neither of them dared to initiate direct eye contact. They didn't even risk starting a conversation. In the hyper-observant, gossipy ecosystem of their group, a single lingering look or an overly familiar tone between them would instantly trigger a relentless wave of teasing from Junior and Book. Both of them knew the rules too well to slip up now.

Sea kept his gaze trained firmly on his lunch, using his chopsticks to pick at his plate while tuning into Force’s animated chatter. Force was leaning across the table, enthusiastically breaking down the metrics of the videos he had just filmed for social media, completely oblivious to the silent undercurrents around him. Sea nodded at the right moments, forcing a soft, agreeable smile onto his face as he took a quiet bite.

Taking advantage of Force’s loud distraction, Jimmy finally allowed his gaze to drift across the table.

With the protective barrier of Junior sitting between them, Jimmy leaned back slightly, his eyes locking onto Sea. It took only a single, practiced glance for Jimmy to read him completely. He could see the slight rumple in Sea’s hair, the faint shadows tracing his lower eyelids, and the heavy, relaxed slope of his shoulders, clear, undeniable signs that Sea had spent the entire bus ride completely knocked out. Watchful and quiet, Jimmy also noticed the steady, ravenous pace at which Sea was eating. He hadn't just been tired; he was running on an empty stomach.

It wasn't a grand, dramatic reunion. There were no spoken words, no shared smiles, just a few stolen, fleeting glances across a noisy restaurant table while their colleagues laughed and babbled around them. But for Jimmy, it was more than enough. Seeing Sea safe, filling his stomach, and laughing gently at Force’s ridiculous antics brought a profound sense of calm to his chest. The frantic energy of his chaotic morning officially dissolved, replaced by the quiet satisfaction of knowing that, despite the distance of the last twenty-four hours, Sea was right where he belonged.

The rest of the lunch hour passed in a quiet game of near-misses. While Jimmy’s protective gaze lingered on him, Sea found his own opportunities to look back when Jimmy was pulled into conversation with Book. Through the narrow gap between Junior’s shoulders, Sea quietly studied the man across the table. He took in the slight dishevelment of Jimmy’s collar, proof of his rushed morning and the familiar, calm curve of his jawline. Watching Jimmy laugh at a joke, completely relaxed and grounding, brought a wave of warmth to Sea’s chest. Yet, they remained entirely disciplined. Not once did their eyes directly lock; they never dared to hold a gaze long enough to let the ambient light trap them, ensuring no one at the table could catch onto the unspoken gravity pulling them together.

Gradually, the heavy clatter of utensils and loud chatter began to wind down as the agency staff finished their meals. The crowd slowly started to scatter toward the sun-drenched beach stretching out right in front of the restaurant pavilion. Along the perimeter, a vibrant line of food trucks and vintage vans had parked, offering iced coffee, cold beverages, and local sweets for anyone looking to grab a quick refreshment before the caravan hit the road again.

As their table finally emptied, Jimmy was the first to stand up, throwing a casual word to Junior before stepping out into the aisle. Sea sat frozen for a fraction of a second, his eyes automatically tracking Jimmy’s broad back as his tall silhouette easily navigated the crowded exit and disappeared into the bright glare of the afternoon sun.

A heavy, hollow ache settled in Sea's throat. As much as he understood the corporate game they had to play, a selfish part of him deeply wished they could have shared at least a single word. Just a simple, quiet hello would have been enough to carry him through the rest of the drive. Stifling the sigh building in his chest, he picked up his glass and gulped down the remaining cold water, letting the icy chill shock him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Sea! Look at that line over there," Force said, suddenly clapping a heavy hand onto Sea’s shoulder and pointing toward a brightly painted coffee van near the sand. "They have that special iced espresso. Come on, walk with me to grab one before we have to get back on the furnace of a bus."

Sea forced his melancholy aside, offering Force a resilient, easy smile. "Sure, P'Force. Let's go." He pushed his chair back and followed his friend out into the heavy coastal heat, entirely unaware of what the afternoon still had in store for them.

–– — —

Force and Sea made their way over to the coffee van parked right by the edge of the sand, but the moment they arrived, it was clear the situation was descending into minor logistics chaos. The poor owner was completely overwhelmed, his hands flying across the espresso machine as the line of thirsty, heat-exhausted actors and staff members grew longer by the second.

An uncontainable extrovert like Force couldn't just stand by and watch. Being part of a tight-knit entertainment company where everyone knew everyone, he treated the entire roster like family. Without a second thought, Force stepped right up to the van, rolled up his sleeves, and practically hijacked the counter to help out. His chaotic intervention was an instant success. He started taking orders, calling out names, and chatting up the directors, crew members, actors in line, turning a stressful bottleneck into an impromptu meet-and-greet while keeping the drinks moving.

Left at the front of the van, Sea watched his friend's antics with an amused grin.

"Hey, Sea. Long time no see."

Sea turned around to see Bright and Great stepping up beside him, both of them holding onto coffees and looking effortlessly casual despite the heavy afternoon heat. The sudden presence of his senior colleagues caught him off guard, but he immediately adjusted his posture, offering them a respectful, polite bow of his head.

"Hello, P'Bright, P'Great," Sea greeted them warmly, his smile turning soft and genuine.

"How have you been lately?" Great asked, leaning back against a wooden post and tilting his head toward Sea. "We haven't seen you around the main building much these past couple of weeks. Are you surviving the schedule?"

Bright nodded in agreement, his eyes crinkling with a friendly, supportive look. "Yeah, everyone's been preparing for your new series. You look a little leaner than the last time we ran into each other at the gym."

The gentle concern from his seniors was comforting, a stark reminder of the tight-knit community hidden beneath the hectic demands of showbiz. Sea shifted his weight, his eyes briefly darting toward the crowd before focusing back on them. "I've been okay, khrup. Just a bit swamped with the script reading. Yesterday was a bit of a marathon shoot that went straight into the night, but getting to touch grass at the outing today definitely helps.”

As Sea continued chatting with his seniors, a soft *clink* on the wooden counter of the van drew his attention. A chilled bottle of fresh juice had been placed right next to his arm, condensation already pooling around the glass base in the heavy heat.

Sea looked up, expecting to see Force handing out random drinks, but found Book standing there instead. Book was leaning against the counter, a thoroughly suspicious, knowing smirk plastered across his face, his eyes gleaming with an amused glint that immediately set off alarms in Sea’s head.

Unbeknownst to Sea, Jimmy had been watching him from a distance. Still sitting in the shaded restaurant pavilion alongside Junior and Mark, Jimmy had noticed how pale and drained Sea looked at the lunch. Wanting to take care of him without drawing the collective teasing of the entire roster, Jimmy had quietly tasked Book with delivering the refreshing drink.

"Here," Book said smoothly, nodding toward the bottle before leaning in slightly so Bright and Great wouldn't hear. "And you might want to check your phone right now."

Confused but curious, Sea pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen. A single, fresh notification was waiting for him at the top of his display. It was a direct message from Jimmy.

> Hia Jim: Hi.

A small, instinctive breath escaped Sea's lips. He quickly typed back, his thumbs moving rapidly across the glass.

> Sea: Hi.

He watched the screen intently. Within seconds, the three little typing dots appeared, dissolving into a brand-new message that made Sea's chest tighten in the best way possible.

> Hia Jim: Meet me in our room as soon as we check into the hotel.

Looking at the text, the heavy weight of the entire morning, the frantic overthinking on the bus, the exhausting heat, and the frustration of the near-misses at lunch completely evaporated. A brilliant, undeniable smile broke across Sea's face, radiant and completely unbothered by the crowd around him. It was the look of someone who had been quietly dying to see their person all morning long and had finally been given a countdown.

Watching the transformation unfold, Book let out a quiet chuckle, looking like a secret agent who had just pulled off a flawless mission. He gave Sea a subtle nod of approval before melting back into the crowd to find the others.

With his heart finally at peace, Sea looked back down at his phone. Instead of typing out a long, risky paragraph that his nosey colleagues might peek at, he sent back a single, definitive response: a solitary blue heart emoji.

Sea stood by the edge of the van, pressing the cool glass bottle against his palm before twisting the cap off. As the chilled, fresh juice slid down his throat, a wave of profound relief washed through him. The icy liquid worked quickly, lowering his core temperature and instantly soothing the harsh edge of the midday coastal heat that had been draining his energy.

A few feet away, Force was still a whirlwind of high-energy motion behind the counter. Even though the initial bottleneck had broken, he was still locked in his self-appointed barista role, laughing loudly as he handed out the final rounds of iced beverages and traded inside jokes with the stragglers.

Slowly but surely, the vibrant, chaotic crowd that had taken over the beachside pavilion began to thin out. Staff members and actors, carrying their sweating plastic cups and iced coffees, started drifting back toward the parking lot in small clusters. The calls from the agency coordinators began echoing across the sand again, signaling that the lunch break was officially over.

With the line finally cleared and his mission accomplished, Force stepped down from the van, wiping his hands on a napkin with a thoroughly satisfied grin. "Alright, let's move out," he said, slinging an arm over Sea’s shoulder as they turned back toward the row of waiting vehicles.

All around them, the heavy diesel engines of the coaches roared back to life, their exhaust pipes puffing faint plumes into the shimmering air. Sea walked with a lighter step this time, his phone tucked safely away in his pocket with that single blue heart delivered. The collective energy of the company shifted from the restless excitement of the morning to a relaxed, quiet anticipation as everyone boarded their respective buses for the final, short stretch of the journey toward the resort.

— — —

An hour and a half later, the long caravan of coaches finally rolled through the grand, palm-lined entrance of the resort. As the tires crunched to a stop on the gravel driveway, a collective cheer echoed through the cabins. This stunning beachside property was going to be their home for the next two days and one night, a whirlwind itinerary packed to the brim with team-building activities, elaborate costume changes, and a massive, high-energy party scheduled for the evening.

The moment the pneumatic doors hissed open, Sea stepped off the bus, the humid ocean breeze instantly catching his hair. Ever since receiving Jimmy’s message at the coffee van, a quiet, electric current of excitement had been humming right beneath his skin. Every nerve ending was on high alert, urging him to sprint straight to the lobby, but he forced himself to maintain his composure. With dozens of cameras, staff members, and sharp-eyed fellow actors milling around the luggage bay, he carefully masked his anticipation, adopting his usual calm, easygoing demeanor as he grabbed his duffel bag.

Around him, the resort lobby dissolved into a chaotic sea of black shirts as everyone scrambled to get their room assignments. The plan was tight: everyone had a brief window to head upstairs, freshen up, unpack their costumes for the night, and immediately change into their team gear before gathering in the main hall for the afternoon games.

Sea threaded his way through the bustling crowd, navigating past groups of colleagues who were already planning their strategy for the team-building events. He made a direct line for the front reception desk. Leaning over the counter with a polite smile, he gave the receptionist his name to check his room allocation.

The receptionist tapped away at the keyboard for a moment before looking up with a helpful nod. "Ah, Mr. Tawinan? Your room key has actually already been picked up. Your roommate arrived a few minutes ago and took the key card."

A private, sudden spark flared in Sea's chest. *Jimmy's already upstairs.*

"Ah, I see. Thank you," Sea replied softly, keeping his voice entirely casual so as not to betray the sudden leap his heart had just taken. "Could you just let me know the room number, please?"

"You're in Room 3302, sir. Just take the elevators on the left to the third floor."

"Thank you very much."

Swinging his bag over his shoulder, Sea turned away from the desk without a second glance. He didn't wait around for Force, Book, or anyone else to catch up with him. Guided by a sudden, intense focus, he hurried toward the elevators, his mind entirely fixed on Room 3302 and the person waiting just behind the door.

Sea stepped into the elevator, the heavy metal doors sliding shut to mute the chaotic roar of the lobby. A few junior actors from the company were already inside, laughing and holding up their room keys as they discussed who was pairing up with whom.

Sea offered them a polite, quiet nod, but he deliberately stayed back, refraining from joining the conversation. His mind was entirely preoccupied. He had spent the last five hours navigating missed connections, crowded buses, and a suffocatingly loud lunch queue. At this point, the sensory overload of the company outing was fading into background noise; his only real goal was to see Jimmy’s face clearly, without a barrier of friends or an audience of colleagues between them.

Unbeknownst to him, Jimmy had been operating on the exact same wavelength. The moment the buses had parked, Jimmy had bypassed the luggage commotion entirely, sprinting straight to the reception desk to snag their key card before Junior, Book, or anyone else could catch him and drag him off to check out the resort amenities. He wanted to ensure they had a clear, unbothered window of time before the schedule officially locked them in.

The elevator chimed, and Sea stepped out onto the carpeted fourth-floor corridor. He navigated past a maze of identical doors, his eyes scanning the brass numbers, until he finally stopped in front of his room. He reached up, his fingers lingering over the handle for a brief second, before pushing the door open.

The room was stunningly spacious, flooded with natural afternoon light. Two neatly made beds occupied the center of the space, framed by a massive set of floor-to-ceiling glass doors that opened up to a private balcony overlooking a breathtaking panorama of the turquoise ocean. But the most striking feature of the room was the bathroom, designed with modern, sleek glass walls that offered an unobstructed view right into the shower area and a bathtub from the main bedroom.

Sea stepped inside, the heavy door clicking shut behind him, cutting off the outside world completely. He let out a breath he felt like he’d been holding since Bangkok, his eyes automatically sweeping the pristine space. He checked the beds, looked toward the open balcony, and glanced through the glass walls of the bathroom.

The room was entirely empty. Jimmy was nowhere to be found.

Without thinking twice, Sea let his heavy duffel bag slide off his shoulder and drop to the floor. He practically collapsed onto the nearest mattress with a dull, exhausted *thud*, his body sinking gratefully into the crisp, cool white sheets. He was utterly beaten. The brutal combination of a sleepless night on a filming set, a long, cramped bus ride, and the suffocating midday heat had finally caught up to him. And now, this anticlimactic empty room. He simply didn't have a single ounce of energy left to go hunting for Jimmy through the massive resort complex.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he rolled over onto his side, curling his knees slightly. He pulled out his phone and began aimlessly scrolling through his timeline, the bright screen illuminating a face clouded with heavy fatigue.

He was so deeply lost in his own exhaustion that the world around him completely faded, until a sudden, warm breath brushed against the shell of his ear.

"Sleepy again?"

The familiar, low murmur cut through the quiet room, loud and crystal clear. Sea’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn't heard a single footstep, the soft carpet completely masking Jimmy's entrance from the balcony or the entryway.

Startled but instantly wide awake, Sea scrambled to sit up, scrambling his limbs as he turned to face the speaker. There, sitting right on the edge of the mattress mere inches away, was Jimmy. He was looking at Sea with an intensely soft, amused expression, a gentle smirk playing on his lips.

After hours of searching through crowded windows, dodging loud colleagues, and missing each other by mere rows of seats, Jimmy was finally right there. Sea sat frozen for a second, his eyes drinking in the sight of that familiar, grounding face he had been chasing all morning. His throat felt suddenly dry, his mind scrambling in a thousand directions as he tried to find the words to reply.

Jimmy tilted his head, his gaze locked onto Sea's face as he asked softly, "Where did you disappear to anyway? I was looking all over for you before the bus set off."

Sea let out a soft huff, a rush of indignant energy temporarily replacing his fatigue. "I wasn't the one who disappeared," he countered, his voice carrying a playful, accusing edge. "You were the one who went completely missing and left me all alone on that bus."

Jimmy let out a quiet, apologetic chuckle, leaning forward slightly as he reached out to gently smooth down a stray lock of Sea’s rumpled hair. "I didn't do it intentionally, trust me. I ran as fast as I could, but your coach pulled out of the parking lot literally seconds before I could hop in. I had no choice but to squeeze into the very last bus with Neo and the others."

Hearing the explanation, a soft, involuntary pout formed on Sea's lips. The slight irritation melted away, leaving behind only the comforting warmth of finally being in the same room. Shifting a little closer across the mattress until his knee was almost brushing against Jimmy’s thigh, Sea looked up at him through his lashes.

"I figured that's what happened," Sea murmured, his tone softening completely as he settled into the close proximity. "I had an idea you were running late. But it still felt way too long.”

Jimmy stared at the prominent pout on Sea's face, a soft, fond smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Don't look at me like that. Stop sulking Sea," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave as he playfully nudged Sea's knee with his own.

Sea immediately pulled back a fraction, defensive but entirely unconvincing. "I'm not sulking," he insisted, though his lower lip didn't move a millimeter. He looked down at his own hands for a brief second before forcing his eyes back up to meet Jimmy's. "It's just... I was worried about you. When I didn't see you at the company before the departure, I thought you weren't coming at all. I thought maybe there was some kind of emergency."

Jimmy’s expression softened even further at the confession. He leaned in across the small gap separating them, reaching out to gently pat Sea’s head, his fingers lingering in the soft strands of his hair. "Well, you aren't entirely wrong. There was an emergency."

Sea’s eyes widened instantly, his posture turning rigid as a flicker of genuine panic flashed across his face. "What? What happened?"

Jimmy let out a low, breathy chuckle, his thumb lightly sweeping against the side of Sea's crown to soothe the sudden tension. "An emergency called: my alarm clocks completely betrayed me. I woke up with exactly fifteen minutes to throw my life into a bag and sprint out the door."

The sudden spike of adrenaline in Sea's chest dissolved into pure, utter relief. A bright, breathless smile broke across his face, a soft laugh escaping his lips as he shook his head in disbelief. "Are you serious, Hia? How can punctual Doctor Jimmy sleep in like that? Aren't you supposed to be the disciplined one?”

Jimmy let out a helpless laugh, his hand sliding down from Sea’s hair to briefly cup the nape of his neck, his thumb tracing a comforting circle against his skin. "Hey, even doctors are human. Especially doctors who were locked in a studio doing script readings until three in the morning with you."

"Fair point," Sea conceded softly, his voice dropping into a comfortable, quiet register. The playful banter had done its job, burning away the residual stress of the morning and leaving them wrapped in the quiet sanctuary of the hotel room. Outside, the distant sound of the crashing waves and the faint muffled shouts of their colleagues down on the beach provided a sharp contrast to the stillness between them.

Jimmy’s gaze lingered on Sea's face, taking in the soft curve of his smile and the way the tension had entirely melted from his eyes. "You look exhausted, Sea. Did you even manage to rest on the bus?"

"A little," Sea murmured, leaning slightly into the warm touch of Jimmy's hand against his neck. "But it wasn't the same. It was too loud. Aou and others were chatting nonstop, I just wanted to get here."

"Well, we're here now," Jimmy said smoothly, his eyes dropping briefly to the chilled bottle of juice Sea had placed on the nightstand, then back to Sea's face. "And we have a long day ahead of us. Force is probably going to rally everyone for the team-building games in less than twenty minutes."

Sea let out a dramatic, exaggerated groan, flopping back down onto the pillows, though this time his expression was bright and relaxed. "Don't remind me, Hia. I don't think I have the energy to sprint across the sand or wear whatever ridiculous costume they’ve prepped for the party tonight."

Jimmy leaned over him, propping his weight on one elbow as he looked down at Sea with a quiet, reassuring intensity. "You'll survive. Besides, I'll be right there with you this time. No more sitting on separate buses."

The promise anchored something deep in Sea's chest. He reached up, his fingers lightly brushing against Jimmy's forearm, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken pact they always carried between them. The corporate outing was going to be loud, chaotic, and exhausting, but looking up at Jimmy’s calm, grounding face, Sea knew he could handle whatever the rest of the day had in store.

Sea remained melted into the mattress, his head buried deep in the plush pillows as he watched Jimmy through half-closed eyes. The sheer comfort of the bed, combined with the reassuring presence of his partner, was pinning him down. Across the room, Jimmy was already on the move, unzipping his duffel bag and rummaging through the chaotic layers of packed clothing to hunt for a fresh change of pants before the afternoon activities officially kicked off.

Pulling out a pair of casual trousers, Jimmy walked over to the bathroom. He stepped inside, only to immediately freeze as he looked around. The modern architectural design of the room was striking, but the execution was an absolute privacy nightmare. The sleek glass walls partitioning the bathroom from the main bedroom were entirely, crystal-clear transparent. From the beds, you had an completely unobstructed view of the entire shower and vanity area.

Jimmy frowned, his eyes scanning the doorframe until he spotted a digital control panel embedded in the wall. Assuming it was one of those high-tech smart-glass systems, he pressed the button labeled *Privacy*.

Nothing happened.

He pressed it again, harder this time, then tried tapping the surrounding toggles. The glass remained stubbornly translucent, refusing to turn opaque.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Jimmy leaned his head out of the bathroom doorway, looking back toward the bed. "Hey, Sea? Do you have any idea how to work these smart-glass panels? I keep pressing the switch, but nothing is happening."

Groaning softly at the forced movement, Sea dragged himself off the mattress. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and padded across the carpet in his socks, stopping right next to Jimmy at the glass threshold.

"Let me see," Sea murmured, leaning in close to inspect the digital interface. He pressed the main button, held it down for three seconds, and even tried tapping the master light switches to see if they were interconnected. The glass walls didn't even flicker.

Frowning, Sea unlocked his phone and quickly pulled up a browser window, typing in the resort's name along with *'bathroom glass wall privacy button not working.'* He scrolled through a few travel forums and recent guest reviews, his thumbs flying across the screen.

"Okay, a blog post from a few months ago says you have to double-tap the lower sensor to activate the frosted tint," Sea muttered, tracking the instructions. He reached out and precisely double-tapped the bottom of the panel.

Still, absolutely nothing changed. The glass remained completely clear.

A sudden, sharp wave of panic began to rise in Sea's chest, his eyes widening as he stared at the flawless, transparent cube. He aggressively tapped the button three more times, his voice rising in pitch. "Are you kidding me? Hia, it's not working at all! Look at this, it's literally a fishbowl. Anyone who walks through that front door or even stands near the beds can see everything inside."

He pressed his forehead against the cool glass, staring in disbelief at the fully exposed shower stall. "How are we supposed to even use the toilet or shower like this? What if someone knocks or if just barges in without warning? There's absolutely zero privacy!"

Jimmy watched Sea's mounting frantic energy, a mix of amusement and calm rationality crossing his face. He reached out, gently catching Sea by the wrist to stop him from breaking the digital panel with his furious tapping.

"Hey, calm down, don't break the wall before we even unpack," Jimmy said smoothly, a reassuring smile tugging at his lips. "It's fine. The system is probably just glitched out or turned off from the master circuit downstairs. We don't have to stress about it right now. I'll just head down or call the reception after the hall activities and have them send a technician up to fix it.”

Sea let out a shaky breath, looking from Jimmy’s reassuring grip on his wrist back to the completely transparent glass wall. "Fine. But reception better have a technician on standby, because this is insane," he muttered, though the panic in his chest hadn't entirely subsided.

Jimmy glanced down at his watch, his eyebrows pulling together as he noticed the time. "Well, speaking of the hall activities... we have exactly ten minutes before the opening briefing. And after that grueling night shoot yesterday, I really need a quick rinse to wake myself up."

Sea blinked, his eyes darting to the crystal-clear glass box and then back to Jimmy. "Wait. You're going to shower now? In there?"

"I don't exactly have a choice, Sea," Jimmy chuckled, already pulling his fresh clothes out of his bag. "Unless you want to sit next to a sweaty zombie during the team games. Just... turn around and stick to your phone. It'll take me five minutes."

"Right. Yeah. Obviously," Sea stammered, feeling a sudden, completely different kind of heat rush to his face.

He scrambled back to his designated bed, quickly hopping onto the mattress and turning his back completely toward the bathroom. He picked up his phone, locking his eyes onto the screen with a sudden, intense focus. Within seconds, the sound of rushing water echoed through the room, bouncing off the sleek tiles and glass walls.

Even with his back turned, Sea’s mind was traitorously hyper-aware of the layout. The glass was flawlessly clear; if he so much as tilted his head or looked at the reflection in the balcony doors, he would see everything. He aggressively started scrolling through his Twitter feed, trying to drown out the sound of the shower, but the sheer lack of visual boundaries made the room feel incredibly small.

*Don't look. Do not look,* Sea chanted to himself like a mantra, his thumbs moving so fast across the screen he was barely reading the captions. He focused entirely on a random dog video, forcing himself to stare at the screen until his eyes watered, determined to give Jimmy whatever shred of privacy this high-tech room was trying to strip away from them.

The sound of splashing water continued to echo through the spacious bedroom, a constant reminder of just how thin the boundaries were in the room. Sea kept his eyes locked onto his screen, his knuckles white against his phone case as he clicked on an edit a fan had made of them from a recent event, using the upbeat background music to try and drown out the reality of the situation.

"Sea?" Jimmy’s voice suddenly cut through the rush of the water, muffled slightly by the glass but still perfectly audible.

Sea jumped a little, his posture stiffening. "Yeah, Hia?" he called out, careful to keep his eyes strictly trained on the blank wall opposite his bed.

"Can you grab the small black pouch from the side pocket of my bag? I forgot my face wash."

Sea’s brain stalled for a fraction of a second. *The bag is right next to the bathroom door.*

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Hold on," Sea replied, his voice a little tighter than he intended.

He stood up from the bed, deliberately fixing his gaze entirely on the carpeted floor. He walked over to Jimmy's duffel bag, dropping to his knees to unzip the side compartment. He rummaged through it blindly until his fingers brushed against the canvas pouch.

"Got it," Sea said. Standing up, he took a deep breath and walked toward the glass partition, keeping his eyes aimed strictly at the frame of the door, completely blurring his peripheral vision to avoid looking through the transparent walls. He reached his arm through the open doorway, holding the pouch out like a shield.

A warm, wet hand brushed against his fingers as Jimmy took the bag. "Thanks," Jimmy said, his voice laced with a heavy dose of amusement. "You know, you can look up. You look like you're executing a high-stakes tactical mission."

"I am trying to respect your privacy, Hia," Sea huffed, a vibrant blush creeping rapidly up his neck. "Just hurry up before someone decides to break our door down."

Jimmy let out a low, echoing laugh that vibrated through the glass tile. "Alright, alright. I'm turning off the water now."

True to his word, the rushing sound died down, replaced by the squeak of a towel being pulled from the rack. Sea practically bolted back to his bed, throwing himself face down onto the pillows to hide his burning cheeks.

A few minutes later, the rustle of clothing signaled that Jimmy was finally dressed. Sea heard the bathroom door click open, followed by the soft sound of footsteps on the carpet.

"Okay, safe zone. You can breathe now," Jimmy teased, stepping into Sea's line of sight as he buckled his belt. He looked refreshed, the exhaustion from the night shoot finally washed away, leaving him looking bright and ready for the chaotic afternoon ahead.

Jimmy let out a low, breathy chuckle, tossing the towel onto the desk chair. He walked over to the edge of Sea’s bed, leaning his hip against the mattress. "Why are you acting so flustered? It's not like we haven't been vulnerable with each other before. Why act like we've never seen each other naked?"

Sea’s head snapped up, his cheeks instantly flushing a deep, brilliant crimson. "Because we haven't!" he stammered, his voice jumping an octave in sheer indignation. "What are you even talking about? We have always been clothed, Hia!"

Jimmy’s eyes crinkled with a sudden, deeply mischievous glint. Instead of backing off, he leaned down over Sea, closing the distance between them until Sea was forced to tilt his head back against the pillows. Jimmy reached out, his thumb and forefinger gently catching Sea by the chin, lifting his face so their gazes were locked entirely.

"Is that so?" Jimmy murmured, his voice dropping into a low, quiet register that vibrated right through Sea’s chest. "We might be clothed most of the time... but what happened during the company outing last time, in that hotel room... I think that says something completely different.”

Sea stared up at Jimmy, his heart hammering against his ribs as the memory threatened to resurface. He forced a scoff, trying to shake off the intense heat of Jimmy’s fingers on his chin. "What are you even talking about, Hia? That was literally a year ago, and you were drunk as hell."

Jimmy didn't flinch. His gaze remained steady, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face. "I know I was drunk," he replied softly, his thumb lightly brushing the edge of Sea’s jaw. "But I know exactly what I did, too."

Sea’s face burned a brilliant crimson, and he defensively swatted Jimmy’s hand away. "It was just a cheek kiss in front of everyone because it was your birthday! There was nothing else to it."

"I know that part," Jimmy said, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper as he leaned in a fraction closer, refusing to let Sea slide away that easily. "But why are you acting so oblivious now? Are you seriously forgetting that something else happened afterward, right in our hotel room?"

"I’m not forgetting anything!" Sea protested, his voice cracking slightly under the pressure of Jimmy's proximity. He placed both hands flat against Jimmy’s chest, feeling the solid warmth beneath his palms as he pushed him off with just enough force to create some distance. "You were the one who was completely wasted, Hia. You're probably remembering it incorrectly. It was nothing."

"Sea—"

"Just get dressed, please! You're going to be late again," Sea cut him off hurriedly, scrambling backward on the mattress until his back hit the headboard, his eyes darting anywhere but Jimmy's face.

Before Jimmy could press him any further, a loud, aggressive pounding exploded from the corridor outside, shattering the heavy tension in the room. The door handle rattled violently.

"Hey! JimmySea! Open up right now!" Force’s booming voice barked through the thick wood, accompanied by another furious round of knocks. "Everyone is already heading down to the main hall! If you two are making us wait, I'm seriously getting the receptionist to open this door! Hurry up and come down fast!"

Sea let out a massive, audible breath of relief, silently thanking Force for his terrible timing. He pointed a frantic finger toward the door and then at Jimmy’s unfinished outfit. "See? Go! Get your shirt on!”

Jimmy let out a quiet huff of laughter at Force’s impatient shouting, finally turning away from the bed to grab his team shirt from the desk chair. He quickly slipped it on, smoothing down the fabric and checking his reflection in the mirror for a brief second before taking his phone.

Turning back to the bed, Jimmy expected to see Sea tying his shoes or grabbing his wallet. Instead, Sea had uncurled his legs, pulling the plush white duvet right back up to his chin. He buried his face halfway into the pillows, looking like a stubborn hedgehog.

"I'm not coming down," Sea mumbled, his voice heavily muffled by the fabric. "Go ahead without me, Hia. I'm just going to sleep here."

Jimmy paused, his playful demeanor instantly vanishing. A flicker of genuine worry crossed his face, and he walked back over to the bedside, looking down at the small bundle Sea had made of himself. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen, or are you feeling sick?" He reached out, his palm automatically moving toward Sea’s forehead to check for a fever.

Sea shifted slightly, dodging the hand but offering a soft, reassuring smile from beneath the sheets to ease Jimmy's panic. "No, I'm fine, Hia. I promise. It's just total exhaustion. My body feels like lead after the whole packed day yesterday, and I don't think I can survive the hall games right now. I just need a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep."

Jimmy watched him closely for a moment, scanning his face to ensure he wasn't just hiding discomfort. Satisfied that it was truly just fatigue, Jimmy’s shoulders dropped in relief. He reached out, gently patting the top of Sea's covered head. "Alright. Sleep then. But keep your phone close. Call me anytime if you need me to bring you food, medicine, or anything at all, okay? Don't just suffer through it alone."

Sea nodded sleepily, his eyes already beginning to flutter shut as the comfort of the mattress claimed him. "I will... Oh, and Hia? While you're downstairs, please check with the reception desk about this glass wall situation. We seriously need a technician."

Jimmy walked toward the main door, the furious pounding outside having finally subsided into Force’s muffled grumbling. As he placed his hand on the handle, he paused, looking back at the quiet room and then at the completely transparent bathroom cube. A small, enigmatic smirk played on his lips.

"Yeah," Jimmy murmured softly, glancing back at Sea one last time before slipping out into the corridor. "I'll think about it.”

The heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving Sea in absolute, blissful silence. The distant, energetic bass of the music echoing from the main hall downstairs was the only reminder that a massive corporate retreat was happening right below his feet. But up here, the room felt like a secluded island.

Sea let out a long, shuddering breath, letting his muscles completely relax into the mattress. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, his mind a chaotic blur. He was exhausted, yes, but Jimmy’s parting words and that lingering, maddening smirk were making it entirely impossible for his brain to shut down.

“I’ll think about it.”

Sea groaned, rolling over and burying his face entirely into the pillow. What did that even mean? Was Jimmy deliberately trying to leave the bathroom glass fully transparent? The sheer thought of it made Sea's cheeks burn all over again. And worse, Jimmy’s stubborn refusal to let that hotel room memory drop from a year ago was dangerous. Sea had spent twelve months convincing himself that Jimmy had been too drunk to remember the soft, quiet shift in the air between them once the party had ended and the bedroom door had closed. Apparently, he had miscalculated completely.

Frustrated with his own racing thoughts, Sea forced his eyes shut, determined to let sleep win.

— — —

Meanwhile, down in the spacious main hall, the energy was absolutely electric as the entire GMMTV roster and staff gathered for the afternoon activities. The vast room had been transformed into a vibrant arena, decorated with banners representing the different team colors.

The festivities kicked off with the highly anticipated team parade. Each group had been instructed to design a grand, dramatic entrance, and they did not disappoint. Jimmy’s group, Team Green, was up first. The heavy double doors of the hall swung open, and the crowd erupted into cheers as Jimmy led the charge—straddled precariously on a tiny, bright pink plastic toy race car. He scooted frantically with his long legs, his knees practically touching his chin as he steered the ridiculous vehicle down the makeshift runway with a deadpan, fiercely competitive expression. Behind him, the rest of the green team marched in, waving makeshift flags and throwing confetti.

The other teams followed in quick succession, each attempting to outdo the last with chaotic dance routines, dramatic piggyback rides, and loud chanting. It was pure, unadulterated chaos, setting a wildly fun tone for the rest of the afternoon.

Once the parade concluded, the official game activities began, and the competitive spirits truly flared. One of the individual highlights was the notorious "tissue-pulling game," where one of the player had to pull the tissue and the other was just holding it. Jimmy found himself matched up against Phuwin. Despite his surgical precision, Jimmy’s rhythm faltered, allowing Phuwin to smoothly snatch the victory.

The loss instantly ignited a spark Junior who got hilariously furious seeing Jimmy lose. However, the bravado was short-lived; the enthusiastic Junior stepped up for the very next round, only to be utterly dominated by New, who didn't even have to do anything, leaving the junior staring in mock defeat.

As the afternoon rolled on, the games shifted from physical challenges to mental ones. Throughout the entire event, Jimmy, Book, and the Junior stuck together like glue, forming an inseparable trio on the sidelines. They huddled up to strategize, loudly cheered for their teammates, and playfully heckled their friends on opposing teams.

The day concluded with a fast-paced Q&A activity that tested everyone's company trivia and pop-culture knowledge, leading to a lot of dramatic shouting, buzzed-in arguments, and collective laughter. By the time the hosts wrapped up the segment, everyone was thoroughly entertained, exhausted, and riding a wave of genuine camaraderie as they began to disperse to prepare for the night ahead.

— — —

With the main events concluded, a welcome break was announced before the evening’s costume party, giving everyone a few hours to unwind. The main hall emptied out quickly as people scattered across the massive resort. Some of the artists eagerly headed straight down to the beach to catch the late afternoon sun, while others jumped into the infinity pool for a refreshing swim. A few drifted toward the lounge to grab snacks, some hit the gym to burn off residual energy, and many just like Sea retreated to the quiet comfort of their rooms to catch up on sleep.

Jimmy, however, remained seated on one of the plush lounge areas inside the hall, enjoying the sudden quiet alongside Junior and Book.

Book stretched his arms over his head, looking out the grand glass windows toward the shore. "Hey, Mhor," he said, turning to Jimmy. "Do you want to head down to the beach with me? The lighting is perfect right now. We could take some aesthetic photos for our social media feeds."

Jimmy let out a tired sigh, leaning his head back against the cushion. "I'm completely wiped out, Book," he denied gently, waving a hand in dismissal. "I think I'll pass on the beach shoot today."

Junior, who had been listening intently, let out a low chuckle. A deeply mischievous smirk spread across his face as he nudged Book’s elbow. "Oh, come on, Book, don't be oblivious," Junior teased loudly, throwing a playful look at Jimmy. "He doesn't want to go to the beach because Sea is up in the room, right? Why bake in the sun when you have a direct incentive upstairs?"

Jimmy didn't even try to deny it. He offered a slight, unbothered nod, a fond expression softening his eyes. "Sea is up in the room," he countered smoothly. "But he’s probably fast asleep by now. He was completely exhausted from the night shoot."

Book grinned, his eyes twinkling as he joined in on the teasing. "Yeah, he did look totally drained on the bus ride over. But you know... that chilled bottle of juice you left for him definitely cheered him up. It works like magic every time, doesn't it?"

Jimmy caught Book’s eye, a genuine, warm smile breaking across his face. "Yeah," he admitted softly, his voice dropping into a tender register. "It did."

"Whoa, look at that!" Junior immediately squealed to Book, pointing an accusing finger at Jimmy's face. "Look at that smile! He didn't even try to hide it!"

"Shut up," Jimmy laughed, leaning over to deliver a swift, playful punch to Junior's shoulder to silence him.

Junior rubbed his arm, giggling, while Book stood up from the lounge, dusting off his shorts. "Alright, alright, we'll leave you to your daydreams," Book said with a warm, knowing grin. "Mhor can go ahead and sleep with Sea if he wants to. If you change your mind and actually want some fresh air, you can come find me near the beach.”

Jimmy nodded to Book with a quiet "Thanks," watching him walk away toward the sun-drenched beach. As the double doors closed behind Book, Junior turned to Jimmy, pocketing his hands. "Well, since I have zero desire to become Book’s personal photographer, I’m heading up. You coming?"

"Yeah, let's go," Jimmy replied, pushing himself up from the lounge.

The two walked together toward the elevator bank. Their room assignments were convenient, located side by side on the third floor, Force and Book were sharing a room with Junior and Mark, while Jimmy and Sea had the room right next door.

As the elevator doors slid shut and the lift began its quiet ascent, Jimmy suddenly froze. He let out a loud, heavy sigh, running a hand over his face as a sudden realization hit him.

Junior looked up from his phone, raising an eyebrow at the sudden dramatic display. "What's wrong with you? Did you lose your room key already?"

"Worse," Jimmy muttered, leaning his back against the elevator wall. "I completely forgot to talk to the reception desk about our bathroom."

Junior blinked, looking thoroughly confused. "Your bathroom? What’s wrong with it? Did Force clog the toilet before we even checked in?"

"No, it's one of those high-tech rooms with smart-glass walls," Jimmy explained, a weary smile tugging at his lips. "The whole cube is completely transparent. Sea tried messing with the digital panel to turn it opaque, but the buttons are totally dead. He was practically vibrating with panic before I left, muttering about how it's a giant fishbowl and there's absolutely zero privacy."

Junior stared at him for a beat, and then a slow, wildly mischievous grin spread across his face. He locked his phone and leaned in closer, his eyes gleaming with a sudden, scheming energy. "Wait... so you're telling me the bathroom is a crystal-clear glass box, and Sea is currently trapped in there with you?"

Jimmy gave him a deadpan look. "Yes. And I was supposed to ask the front desk to send up a technician."

"Jimmy, are you insane? Do not call a technician," Junior hissed, lowering his voice into a dramatic, conspiratorial whisper. "This is a golden opportunity. Use it to your advantage!"

Jimmy immediately shot him a sharp, warning side-eye, his tone shifting into something fiercely protective. "Shut up, Junior. I would never do something like that if Sea is uncomfortable with it. If he doesn't want it, it's a hard no."

"Oh, come on, I'm not saying do anything crazy!" Junior laughed, raising his hands in mock defense, though his smirk didn't fade. "I'm just saying... you don't have to be the one to fix it. Just make up an excuse! Tell him the hotel staff said the master control for the entire floor is undergoing a system update and it won't work until tomorrow morning. It’s a flawless lie. He’ll believe you, he'll stay glued to his phone, and you get to watch him blush all night. Where is the harm in a little harmless teasing?"

Jimmy just listened, keeping his face entirely expressionless as Junior continued to passionately map out the perfect excuse. Outwardly, Jimmy wasn't agreeing to a single word of the scheme. He kept his arms crossed, playing the part of the responsible older brother.

But internally? Inside his brain, the gears were turning furiously.

Junior's ridiculous excuse was dangerously close to the lie Jimmy's own mind was already constructing. His thoughts drifted back to their conversation right before Force had banged on the door, specifically, Sea’s frantic insistence that nothing had happened during their previous company outing a year ago. Sea had been so sure that Jimmy was too drunk to remember the quiet, heavy shift in the air when the lights went down in that hotel room.

A small, unreadable smirk played at the corner of Jimmy's mouth. Maybe a night in a high-tech fishbowl was exactly what they needed to finally get Sea to stop pretending.

The elevator chimed, announcing their arrival at the third floor, but Junior didn't make a move toward the doors. Instead, he planted his feet, looking at Jimmy with the delighted expression of a mastermind who had just cracked a code.

"Look at you," Junior pointed an accusing finger at Jimmy’s mouth. "You're doing the doctor-plotting face. You're totally going to use the system update excuse, aren't you?"

Jimmy stepped out of the elevator first, his long strides forcing Junior to trot a little to keep up along the carpeted corridor. "I didn't say that," Jimmy replied smoothly, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead. "I'm just saying... the hotel industry is known for unexpected maintenance."

"Right, and I'm the CEO of GMMTV," Junior snorted, rolling his eyes as they walked past the ice machine. "Come on, Mhor. Admit it. You like it when he gets all flustered. It’s been a year since the last outing and you’re still holding onto whatever happened in that room. If you don't shake things up a little, you two are going to be playing this 'we are just very disciplined roommates' game until retirement."

Jimmy stopped right outside their rooms, turning to look down at Junior with a raised eyebrow. "We aren't playing a game, Junior."

"You are, and it’s exhausting to watch from the sidelines," Junior countered, leaning against the doorframe of his own room next door. "Think about it. If the glass stays clear, he has to look at you, or actively try not to look at you. Either way, his brain is occupied with you 100% of the time. It’s psychological warfare, Doc. Quite brilliant if you ask me."

Jimmy let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he pulled his keycard out of his pocket. "You put way too much thought into this. Don't you have your own roommate to go scheme against? Where is Mark, anyway?"

"Probably downing protein shakes at the gym or practicing his runway walk," Junior waved a hand dismissively. "Don't change the subject. Are you going to tell Sea the truth if the front desk actually fixes it, or are you going to 'forget' to check your phone?"

Jimmy tapped his keycard against the electronic lock, the light flashing a bright, steady green. He paused, his hand hovering over the handle as he glanced back at Junior, a slow, incredibly wicked glint finally surfacing in his eyes.

"Let's just say," Jimmy murmured, his voice dropping into that quiet, confident tone that usually meant trouble for Sea, "if the system happens to be down... I'm not going to play mechanic. A doctor should stick to his own specialization."

Junior let out a delighted, muffled squeal, clapping his hands together. "Yes! That’s what I’m talking about! Go get 'em, Mhor. I’ll make sure Force stays out of your hair for the next couple of hours so you can enjoy the fishbowl."

"Just go to sleep, Junior," Jimmy laughed, finally pushing the door open and stepping into the quiet, sunlit sanctuary of his room, the heavy wood clicking shut behind him.

— — —

The heavy door clicked shut, instantly sealing out Junior’s giggles and the distant hum of the resort. Jimmy stepped into the quiet room, where the amber afternoon light was stretching long, warm shadows across the carpet.

His eyes immediately drifted to Sea’s bed. Sea hadn't moved an inch. He was still completely buried in the plush white duvet, curled up tightly on his side like a stubborn, oversized hedgehog. Only the very top of his head and a few stray strands of dark hair were visible against the pillow.

Jimmy felt the tension from the chaotic games downstairs completely melt away at the sight. He quietly dropped his room key, phone, and wallet onto his own mattress, not wanting to break the peaceful silence. Moving with practiced, deliberate softness, he walked over to Sea’s side of the room and sank down onto the edge of the mattress. The bed dipped slightly under his weight.

Leaning over, Jimmy looked down at the soft curve of Sea’s face, which was half-hidden by the blanket. He reached out, his long fingers gently brushing a few messy strands of hair away from Sea’s forehead, his touch impossibly tender as he traced a slow, comforting circle against the crown of his head.

Sensing the familiar warmth and the gentle friction in his hair, Sea stirred slightly. His eyelashes fluttered, his eyes opening just a fraction as he looked up at Jimmy through a haze of heavy sleep.

"Hia..." Sea murmured, his voice dropping into a soft, tiny, incredibly raspy register that was completely wrecked by sleep. "Are you back? Did you... have fun down there?"

Jimmy’s heart did a sudden, violent flip in his chest. The sheer, unadulterated vulnerability in Sea’s sleepy face, combined with that quiet, needy tone, triggered a massive wave of cuteness aggression in him. He wanted nothing more than to lean down and squeeze the life out of him, or rough up his hair until he complained, but he forced himself to maintain his composure, keeping his touch light.

"Yeah, I'm back," Jimmy said softly, a fond, helpless smile pulling at his lips as his fingers slipped lower to gently cup the warm slope of Sea's jaw. "The parade was pure chaos, and Neo managed to take out half the room during the games. It was fun... but it would have been a lot more fun if you were down there with me."

Sea let out a tiny, pathetic little whine, burying his nose deeper into the edge of the white blanket, refusing to let go of his cocoon. "Too tired," he whispered in that same impossibly small, cute voice, his eyelids fluttering shut again. "My body feels like mush, Hia. Don't make me move.”

Jimmy let out a low, defeated groan, his heart practically bursting from the sheer, overwhelming cuteness of the boy huddled in front of him. "You can’t just say things like that in that voice, Sea. It's dangerous. I’m seconds away from dragging you out of that blanket and making you go down there to run the relay loops with me just to wake you up."

Sea didn't even open his eyes, merely letting out another muffled, lazy huff against the pillow. "If you touch this blanket, I’m locking you out of the room tonight. Go away, Mhor. Go get some rest or get some shut-eye yourself. You look like you’re about to collapse, too. The costume party is going to go on until midnight, and you know how P’Force gets when people start losing energy."

Jimmy stared at him for a long beat, watching the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of Sea’s shoulders under the thick fabric. "Get some rest, huh?" he murmured, a slow, incredibly deliberate smile spreading across his face. "You know what? That is actually the first logical thing you’ve said all day."

Instead of standing up and walking the three feet over to his own designated bed, Jimmy reached down and grabbed the corner of the heavy white duvet. With a smooth, practiced movement, he lifted the edge and slid himself right into the cocoon, sliding his legs beneath the warm sheets.

Sea's eyes snapped wide open, the heavy haze of sleep instantly evaporating as he felt the sudden, solid weight of Jimmy's body invading his space. Before he could even process a protest, Jimmy shifted closer, placing himself right behind Sea. He curled his body along Sea’s spine, aligning their postures perfectly, and threw a heavy, possessive arm over Sea’s waist, pulling him back tightly against his chest.

"Hia!" Sea gasped, his voice jumping a full octave as he tried to twist around, only to find himself completely pinned by Jimmy’s solid grip. "What—what are you doing?! Your bed is literally right there! It’s three feet away!"

"Too far," Jimmy mumbled into the back of Sea’s neck, his voice thick with a sudden, mock-drowsiness as he buried his face right into the soft crook of Sea’s shoulder. "Too much walking. Exhausted. You told me to get some shut-eye, so I'm getting some shut-eye. Stop squirming, you're letting the cold air in."

"Jimmy!" Sea kicked his legs out a little under the blanket, his face rapidly turning a furious shade of pink as the sheer warmth of Jimmy's chest pressed flush against his back. "Don't use my words against me! This is my bed! Go to your own side! You smell like the main hall and outside air!"

"I literally just took a shower, Sea, I smell like expensive hotel soap and you know it," Jimmy pointed out, his arm tightening just a fraction around Sea's waist, completely anchoring him in place. "And besides, this mattress is clearly softer than mine. It’s a medical fact. Doctors can sense these things."

"That makes absolutely zero sense, they are the exact same identical twin beds!" Sea huffed, though his frantic movements were beginning to slow down as his body traitorously realized just how incredibly comfortable it was to be held like this. He lay there, stiff as a board for a few seconds, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. "Hia, seriously. What if someone walks in? What if P’Force barges back in here to look for his shoes or something?"

"The door is locked, Sea. And if Force tries to break it down again, I'll charge him for property damage," Jimmy murmured, his eyes closed as a deep, content sigh escaped his lips. The scent of Sea’s shampoo, something sweet and familiar was working better than any sleeping pill. "Just close your eyes. We have an hour and half before we have to put on those ridiculous costumes. Stop overthinking."

Sea grumbled under his breath, a tiny, petulant pout forming on his lips. He tried to wiggle his shoulders to create at least an inch of space between them, but Jimmy simply shifted with him, refusing to yield a single millimeter. "You are the most stubborn doctor on the planet," Sea muttered, finally relaxing his spine against Jimmy’s chest with a defeated sigh. "A complete menace to society."

"Only to you," Jimmy countered smoothly, a quiet chuckle vibrating through his chest, right against Sea’s back.

They lapsed into a comfortable, warm silence for a few minutes, the steady ticking of the room's clock the only sound filling the space. Sea stared at the sunlit wall opposite the bed, his mind gradually drifting back to reality as the initial shock of Jimmy's closeness began to wear off. His eyes wandered across the room, eventually landing on the gleaming, crystal-clear glass structure sitting near the entryway.

The reminder hit him like a splash of cold water.

Sea cleared his throat, his posture tensing up just a tiny bit under Jimmy’s arm. "Hey... Hia?"

"Mmh?" Jimmy hummed, his voice sounding genuinely half-asleep now.

"While you were downstairs... did you actually remember to do what I asked? Did you talk to the reception desk about the glass walls situation?”

Jimmy didn't move an inch. His breathing remained slow and steady against Sea’s neck, the picture of absolute, unbothered innocence.

"Hia," Sea nudged Jimmy's heavy forearm with his elbow. "Don't pretend you're asleep already. Did you talk to them or not?"

Jimmy let out a long, theatrical sigh, tightening his grip around Sea’s waist just enough to make his point. "I'm a busy man, Sea. I had to steer a plastic race car, maintain our team's dignity, and defend my honor against Phuwin in a high-stakes tissue battle."

"Jimmy," Sea said, his voice dropping into a warning tone. "The glass. Did you ask about the glass?"

"I did," Jimmy murmured smoothly, though his eyes slid open beneath the covers, a quiet, calculating glint returning to them. He leaned in a fraction closer, his breath brushing the shell of Sea’s ear. "I stopped by the front desk right before the team headed to the dining hall."

Sea immediately tried to twist around in the cocoon, managing to turn just enough to look at Jimmy sideways. His eyes were wide with desperate hope. "And? What did they say? Are they sending a technician up before the costume party? Because if I have to change my clothes in a literal display case, I'm going to lock myself in the wardrobe."

Jimmy maintained a flawlessly deadpan expression, looking right into Sea’s anxious face. "They said the smart-glass master control for the entire third floor is undergoing a major system update. The digital grid is completely offline."

Sea’s jaw dropped. "An update? Now? In the middle of a massive corporate retreat?"

"Apparently," Jimmy lied effortlessly, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "They said it won't be operational until tomorrow morning at the earliest. The receptionist apologized profusely, but there's nothing they can do manually from downstairs."

Sea let out a dramatic groan, throwing his head back into the pillow. "You have got to be kidding me. This is a five-star resort! How can they just turn off the walls? Hia, this is a disaster. Everyone is going to be running in and out of rooms to help each other with makeup and costumes later. What if someone just walks in while one of us is in the shower?"

"Then they get a free anatomy lesson," Jimmy joked, a slow, wicked smirk finally breaking through his serious facade. He propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at Sea’s thoroughly panicked, flushed face. "Besides, why are you so stressed about it? It’s just the two of us in here. Unless... you're worried about keeping your eyes to yourself?"

"I am worried about basic human decency!" Sea protested, his face burning a brilliant crimson as he reached up to push Jimmy’s shoulder away. "And you are entirely too comfortable with this! Why aren't you complaining? You're the doctor here, shouldn't you be demanding a room change for hygienic or psychological reasons?"

"As a medical professional, I can assure you that transparent glass poses no direct threat to your physical health," Jimmy countered, his voice dripping with amusement as he easily resisted Sea's weak shove. He leaned down a bit closer, his gaze dropping to the frantic rise and fall of Sea’s chest. "And as your partner... I think it’s a great opportunity for you to practice your focus."

"You are infuriating," Sea muttered, his voice cracking slightly as he realized he was completely trapped between the mattress and Jimmy’s heavy frame. He looked away, his eyes traitorously darting toward the gleaming glass box across the room and then back to Jimmy's face. "I'm changing in the closet. I mean it."

"The closet has a mirror on the sliding door, Sea. Reflection physics will still betray you," Jimmy pointed out, his thumb casually brushing against the fabric of Sea's shirt. "Don't overthink it. Just close your eyes when I'm in there. Unless, of course... you still haven't forgotten about what happened during the last outing?"

Sea froze, his breath hitching in his throat as the conversation circled right back to the one topic he was desperate to avoid. He stared up at Jimmy, his heart pounding so loudly he was certain Jimmy could feel it against his own chest. "Hia..."

"We have an hour, Nong Sea," Jimmy murmured, his smirk softening into something much more dangerous, his eyes locked entirely onto Sea’s. "Let's see who breaks first tonight.”

Sea didn't reply. He couldn't. His throat felt completely dry as he stared up at Jimmy, whose face was entirely too close, his dark eyes holding a heavy, intense weight that made Sea’s mind completely short-circuit.

"I'm sleeping," Sea abruptly blurted out, his voice a little squeaky as he forcefully wrenched himself around. He turned his back to Jimmy once more, burying his face so deeply into the plush pillow that his nose smashed against the fabric. He pulled the duvet all the way up over his ears, effectively cutting off his line of sight to the rest of the room and more importantly, to the smug doctor currently radiating heat against his spine.

Jimmy let out a low, deeply satisfied chuckle behind him. He didn't press any further, knowing exactly when he had pushed just enough to leave Sea completely flustered. Instead, he simply adjusted his arm, draping it heavily back over Sea’s waist, pulling him in flush against his chest until there wasn't a single inch of space left between them.

"Fine, sleep," Jimmy murmured, his voice dropping into a soft, gravelly rumble that vibrated right through Sea's back. "We have forty-five minutes left."

For the first ten minutes, Sea lay completely rigid, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, desperately trying to focus on his breathing. But the steady, slow rise and fall of Jimmy's chest against his back, combined with the heavy, comforting weight of Jimmy's arm locking him in place, gradually began to work its magic. The residual exhaustion from the grueling night shoot finally dragged Sea under, and before he knew it, his muscles relaxed, his mind cleared, and he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

— — —

An hour floated by in deep, absolute stillness. When Jimmy finally blinked his eyes open, the amber sunlight had shifted across the floorboards, casting long, peaceful shadows. He didn't move immediately; he just lay there for a moment, savoring the quiet weight of Sea sleeping soundly against his chest. Sea’s breathing was soft and perfectly rhythmic, his face relaxed and entirely free of the frantic panic from earlier.

A wave of immense fondness washed over Jimmy. Moving with painstaking care so as not to disturb the heavy sleep claiming his partner, Jimmy leaned down just a fraction. He planted a soft, airy, barely-there kiss onto the crown of Sea’s messy hair, a touch so light and fleeting that Sea wouldn't feel it even in his dreams.

Satisfied, Jimmy expertly uncurled his long limbs and slipped out from beneath the heavy duvet, leaving the pocket of warmth entirely to Sea. He quietly walked over to his luggage, quickly swapped his casual shorts for a fresh pair of pants, and grabbed his room key. Glancing back at the peaceful cocoon on the bed one last time, he softly padded out of the room, heading straight downstairs toward the beach where he knew Book would still be catching the late afternoon light.

The sharp, distinct *click* of the heavy wooden door shutting echoed through the quiet room.

The sound drifted into Sea’s consciousness, slowly dragging him up from the depths of his heavy nap. He stirred, rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes as he adjusted to the warm, dimming light of the room. He felt entirely refreshed, though a little disoriented. Reaching out blindly toward the nightstand, his fingers brushed against his phone. He picked it up, and the screen instantly illuminated with a fresh direct message.

> Hia Jim: Went down to the beach to find Book. Figured I'd give you some space to freshen up and get ready in peace without worrying about the fishbowl. Call or text me when you’re done. I’ll stop by the reception desk again on my way back up to check on that update.

A helpless, genuine smile broke across Sea’s face. Even when he was playing the teasing, relentless menace, Jimmy’s instinct to protect his comfort always won out. A sudden, vivid wave of heat rushed right back into Sea's cheeks as he remembered just how tightly they had been wrapped around each other just an hour prior. Shaking his head to clear the stubborn blush, his thumbs flew across the screen, and he sent Jimmy a single blue heart emoji in response.

Setting the phone down, Sea finally tossed the blanket aside. Despite the air conditioning humming a cool, steady breeze through the room, he felt completely flushed and a little sweaty, the sheer, unyielding closeness of Jimmy’s solid frame under the duvet definitely hadn't helped lower his body temperature.

He walked over to the transparent bathroom structure, his eyes tracking the flawless glass. Just to be absolutely certain, he pressed his fingers against the digital control panel, aggressively tapping the privacy toggle. Nothing. The buttons remained entirely dead.

With a defeated sigh, Sea accepted his fate, stripped down, and stepped into the glass box, quickly turning on the water. Thankfully, with Jimmy out of the room, the lack of opacity didn't matter. The hot water felt incredible against his tired muscles, washing away the lingering exhaustion of the previous night shoot.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Sea stepped out of the shower, drying off quickly before throwing on a comfortable undershirt and a pair of casual shorts. Remembering his instructions, he picked up his phone and dialed Jimmy’s number, letting it ring once as a missed-call signal to let him know the coast was clear.

Just as he set the device back down, a loud, hurried knock rattled the front door.

Thinking Jimmy had made it back up remarkably fast, Sea walked over and pulled the door open. Instead of his partner, he was met with the familiar, bright face of Mark.

"Hey, Sea! Glad you're finally awake," Mark said, gesturing down the corridor toward their shared suite next door. "Get over to our room right now. P’Force brought the shirts, our costumes for the theme night have officially arrived!”

Before Sea could even utter a word of protest or grab his room key, Mark reached out, snagged him firmly by the wrist, and practically dragged him out into the hallway. The heavy door of the room clicked shut behind them, locking automatically and leaving Sea’s phone sitting uselessly on the nightstand inside.

"Wait, Mark, my phone—" Sea started, but he was already being hauled across the threshold of the bustling suite next door.

The moment they stepped into the room, Sea was hit by a wall of high-decibel noise. The space was in absolute disarray, garment bags tossed over the furniture, and right in the center of the living area, Force and Junior were locked in a heated, highly animated dispute. Well, more accurately, Junior was aggressively lecturing Force, who was holding up a brightly white t-shirt with a look of stubborn defiance.

Feeling completely bewildered, Sea dropped onto the nearest open armchair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he tried to grasp exactly what crisis had unfolded in the five minutes since the wardrobe racks had arrived.

"For the last time, Force, 'chaos' starts with a 'C', not a 'K'!" Junior yelled, exasperatedly throwing his hands in the air. "It is basic English spelling! You cannot just reinvent the alphabet!"

"I am telling you, it was printed wrong by the shop! But actually, it works out perfectly because it should be a 'K'!" Force shot back, completely unbothered by Junior's lecture as he proudly stretched out the fabric of the shirt in his hands. "KH-A-O-S. Chaos is our official gang name. It’s an aesthetic choice. It’s edgy."

Junior looked like he was about to faint from sheer frustration. He turned to Sea, pointing at the shirts draped over the sofa. As it turned out, the genius plan for their group costume involved a six-person matching set, where each individual shirt had a single giant letter printed on it to spell out a word when they stood in a line. Because "Chaos" only had five letters, the final, sixth shirt simply featured a giant black heart.

Sea couldn't help it, a loud, breathless laugh bubbled out of him as he watched Junior and Force continue to bicker back and forth over linguistic semantics. The sheer absurdity of Force defending a printing error as an "edgy gang name" was peak entertainment.

While the debate raged on in the background, Mark completely tuned out the noise. He walked over to the sofa, sorted through the pile of fabric, and pulled out two shirts. Walking back over to the armchair, he handed the first one to Sea.

"Here," Mark said, a knowing smirk on his face. "This one has the letter 'S' on it. It’s yours." He then handed Sea the final shirt in the lineup, the one with the giant heart printed right across the chest. "And you need to give this one to P’Jimmy when he comes back up. Make sure he wears it."

Sea took the shirts, nodding with a soft, slightly embarrassed smile as his fingers brushed over the graphic heart. Leave it to the group to assign the heart shirt specifically to Jimmy.

Completely ignoring the ongoing spelling war between Force and Junior, Mark casually set up the room's ironing board. He plugged in the iron, laid his own t-shirt flat against the surface, and meticulously began smoothing out the wrinkles, completely in his own world.

Amused by how unbothered Mark was amidst the shouting, Sea leaned over, pulled Mark’s unlocked phone off the side table, and opened up the camera app. He switched it to video mode and began recording Mark, panning from his laser-focused, serious expression down to the iron moving perfectly across the fabric.

Sea’s own soft, melodic giggles echoed clearly in the background of the video, capturing the exact brand of affectionate, chaotic madness that defined their inner circle.

— — —

Meanwhile, down on the sun-drenched shore, the atmosphere was much more tranquil. The late afternoon sky was bleeding into deep shades of amber and violet as the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon. Jimmy and Book spent a solid hour wandering along the coastline, acting as each other's personal photographers. They took turns framing aesthetic shots against the shifting tide, posing with the vibrant sky in the background, and pausing to snap casual group photos with the other artists who had drifted down to the water.

Just as the last golden sliver of the sun dipped below the ocean line, Jimmy felt his phone vibrate briefly in his pocket. He pulled it out to find a single missed call from Sea, the exact signal they had agreed upon.

A quiet, knowing smile touched Jimmy’s lips. He locked his phone and immediately turned to Book, pocketing the device. "Alright, photo session is officially over," Jimmy announced, reaching out to drag Book up from the sand by his arm. "Come on, let's head inside. We need to get dressed for the night before Force starts hunting us down."

However, instead of heading straight back to the elevator bank to continue orchestrating his little scheme with Junior, Jimmy’s conscience got the better of him. He looked toward the third floor and thought of Sea’s genuine, wide-eyed panic over the fishbowl situation. Deciding to actually handle it, he veered away from the lift and walked over to the grand, marble-topped reception desk in the main lobby.

"Excuse me," Jimmy said, catching the attention of the front desk supervisor. "I'm staying in Room 3302. The digital control panel for our bathroom privacy glass seems to be completely dead. The buttons aren't working at all."

"Ah, let me check the system registry for you, sir," the receptionist replied politely, tapping rapidly on her computer keyboard. She picked up a nearby desk phone, dialing an internal line to consult with the maintenance department. Jimmy waited patiently, leaning his elbow against the counter while Book stood a few paces back, watching with a curious expression.

After a brief, muffled conversation over the receiver, the receptionist clicked the phone shut and turned back to Jimmy with an apologetic smile. "I am very sorry for the inconvenience, Khun Jimmy. The technician on duty gave me a specific reset sequence to try. You just have to hold down the power icon and the lower toggle simultaneously for ten seconds to force a manual reboot of the panel."

She paused, her expression turning slightly sheepish. "However, if that sequence doesn't work, I’m afraid we won't be able to send anyone up to fix it tonight. Because your company has booked out the entire resort for this private retreat, most of our specialized tech and maintenance crew were dispatched to our sister location for an off-site event today. They won't return until tomorrow morning."

Seeing Jimmy’s brow furrow slightly, the receptionist quickly offered an alternative. "If it is an absolute emergency, we do have one standard room left available on the lower floor that wasn't part of the block booking. We can happily switch your room keycards right now."

Jimmy stood there for a split second, weighing his options. He could take the new room, remove the stress, and give Sea his absolute privacy. Or... he could take the troubleshooting instructions upstairs, see if fate was on his side, and potentially enjoy an entire evening of watching Sea turn a spectacular shade of crimson every time he had to brush his teeth.

The image of Sea’s sleepy, pouty face from just an hour ago flashed in his mind. The inner, mischievous doctor won out completely.

"No, that’s alright," Jimmy replied, offering the receptionist a smooth, charmingly polite smile as he declined the switch. "There’s no need to move all our luggage around for one night. I'll just try the manual reset buttons myself. Thank you for your help."

With the reset instructions locked in his brain and a renewed sense of playful anticipation, Jimmy turned on his heel and made his way toward the elevator, ready to see how his partner would handle the night ahead.

Book looked over at Jimmy as the elevator doors slid shut, a knowing grin playing on his lips. "So, you didn't take the room change, huh? You’re really going to risk the walls?"

Jimmy just leaned back against the mirrored wall, a quiet, unbothered smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Moving all that luggage is a hassle, Book. I’m just being practical."

"Right, practical," Book snorted, rolling his eyes in mock disbelief. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mhor."

The elevator chimed as it reached the fourth floor, and the two walked out into the corridor, heading straight toward the noisy suite shared by the others. The moment Jimmy pushed the door open, he was met with a sight that made him stop dead in his tracks.

Mark, Junior, and Force were already fully transformed into their costumes. Standing in a somewhat coordinated line, they looked incredibly vibrant. Jimmy had known they were rushing to get these custom shirts printed just a day before the retreat, Force had been aggressively polling the group chat about layout designs until late at night but seeing the final physical result was highly entertaining.

Jimmy burst into a sudden, breathless laugh, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes scanned the printed letters across their chests. He immediately picked up on the residual tension in the room. "What on earth is going on here? Why does Junior look like he’s about to commit a crime?"

"Because Force is an idiot, Mhor!" Junior instantly complained, gesturing wildly at Force's chest. "He spent the last twenty minutes arguing with me that 'chaos' is spelled with a 'K' and that the shop printed it wrong. I literally had to force him to look at the shirt in the mirror to show him that it is, in fact, printed with a perfectly correct, giant letter 'C'!"

Force rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly but still trying to maintain his dignity. "Hey, in my defense, the font choice made the curve look a little sharp at first glance! I was just preparing an aesthetic backup plan in case it was a 'K'. It was a strategic misunderstanding."

"It was a reading comprehension failure," Junior corrected deadpan. He spotted Jimmy and immediately flashed him a sharp, conspiratorial look, silently asking about the bathroom situation with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Jimmy just offered a subtle, tight-lipped smile in return, keeping his cards close to his chest.

Jimmy walked further into the room, looking around for a specific missing person. "Alright, alright, the spelling is correct, crisis averted. Where's my shirt then? Let me see what letter you guys saved for me."

Mark looked up from where he was finally wrapping up the power cord of the iron. "Oh, I gave yours to Sea a little while ago. He took it back to your room." Mark paused, a highly amused, mischievous glint entering his eyes. "You’re going to love it, Mhor Jim. It really suits your role in this group."

"My role?" Jimmy echoed, raising an eyebrow, though a fond, knowing smile was already breaking across his face as he realized what shirt was left.

"Don't worry about it, just go get changed!" Force waved a hand dismissively, checking his watch to deflect from his spelling blunder. "We have twenty minutes before the official photos start downstairs. If you and Sea make us late, I’m broadcasting your transparent bathroom to the entire company."

"Good luck getting past the lock, Force," Jimmy laughed, turning on his heel. He exchanged a final, playful nudge with Junior at the door before stepping back out into the quiet hallway, his heart beating with a sudden, sharp spike of anticipation as he made his way to room.

— — —

Jimmy swiped his keycard against the electronic lock of the room. The little LED light flashed a steady green, and he pushed the heavy wooden door open, stepping into the quiet comfort of their shared space.

He didn’t even have time to call out Sea’s name before the scene in front of him made him freeze.

Right in the middle of the room, Sea was in the middle of getting ready. He had just pulled a fresh, crisp shirt over his head, but it was only halfway down his torso, leaving his shoulders and the smooth line of his back completely bare. The sudden rustle of the door opening made Sea gasp. He whipped his head around, his wide, startled eyes locking directly with Jimmy’s intense gaze for one highly charged, breathless second.

As if struck by lightning, Sea’s face flushed a brilliant, instant crimson. He violently twisted his body away, turning his back entirely to Jimmy to hide his bare skin. With frantic, uncoordinated movements, he forcefully yanked the rest of the shirt down over his torso, smoothing the fabric over his chest with trembling hands as he tried to stabilize his breathing.

"Hia!" Sea scolded, his voice jumping a full octave as he kept his back rigidly turned toward Jimmy. "A heads-up would have been nice! Do you not know how to knock on a door?"

Jimmy didn't say a word at first. A slow, incredibly amused smirk crawled across his face as he watched the rapid rise and fall of Sea’s shoulders and the dark, telltale flush creeping all the way up to the tips of his ears. "It’s my room too, Sea," Jimmy pointed out smoothly, closing the heavy door behind him with a soft click. "And besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Why are you acting like we're strangers all of a sudden?"

"Shut up," Sea muttered, finally turning around to face him, his arms crossed defensively over his chest. He glared at Jimmy, though the fierce expression was completely ruined by the deep pink painting his cheeks.

Jimmy let out a low chuckle, but before he could tease his partner any further, his eyes caught the gleaming glass box of the bathroom structure. The instructions from the receptionist flashed vividly in his mind. *Right, the reset sequence before I forget.*

"Hold that thought," Jimmy said, gesturing with his hand as he walked past Sea, heading straight toward the dead digital panel mounted on the side of the transparent glass wall.

Sea frowned, his defensive posture melting into curiosity as he turned on his heel to follow Jimmy's movements. "What are you doing? I told you, the buttons are completely broken. I aggressively tapped them earlier and nothing happened."

"The receptionist gave me a secret troubleshooting code," Jimmy murmured, his fingers hovering over the slick, dark surface of the digital screen. He located the primary power icon and the lower toggle switch. "She said the maintenance crew is off-site, but we can try to force a manual reboot from up here. Let's see if it actually works."

Sea walked over, stepping closer until he was standing right beside Jimmy, his shoulder lightly brushing against Jimmy’s arm. He leaned in, his eyes fixed on the control panel with a mix of skepticism and desperate hope. "A secret code? If this doesn't work, I am literally changing inside the wardrobe, Hia. I'm not joking."

"Have a little faith in your doctor, Sea," Jimmy teased softly.

Aligning his thumbs perfectly, Jimmy pressed down on both the power icon and the lower toggle simultaneously. "She said we have to hold it down for exactly ten seconds. Count with me."

"One... two... three..." Sea counted under his breath, his eyes wide as he stared at the completely blank, unyielding display. By the time they reached "seven," Sea let out a pessimistic huff. "See? I told you. It's totally dead. The resort just wanted to trick you into leaving the desk."

"Eight... nine..." Jimmy ignored the commentary, maintaining a firm, steady pressure against the glass panel. "Ten."

For a terrible, agonizing second, absolutely nothing happened. The bathroom remained a crystal-clear, unyielding fishbowl. Sea opened his mouth to deliver a triumphant *'I told you so,'* but before the words could leave his lips, a sharp, high-pitched *BEEP* echoed through the room.

The dark digital screen suddenly flashed to life, glowing with a bright blue back-light as lines of code rapidly scrolled down the display. A second later, a soft, mechanical whirring sound hummed through the walls.

Right before their eyes, the flawless, transparent glass cube began to change. Starting from the ceiling and bleeding down to the floorboards, a thick, milky-white cloudiness spread across the surface. Within three seconds, the crystal-clear box had transformed into a completely opaque, solid white structure, entirely shielding the interior from view.

Sea’s jaw literally dropped. He stared at the perfectly frosted glass, then slowly turned his head to look up at Jimmy, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief. "No way. It actually worked? Magically?"

Jimmy pulled his hands away from the panel, pocketing them as he looked down at Sea’s stunned, expressive face. A slow, wicked, incredibly knowing smirk spread across his lips as he leaned down just a fraction closer to Sea's ear.

"Looks like your wardrobe plans are officially canceled, Nong Sea," Jimmy whispered, his voice dripping with pure amusement. "Disappointed?”

Sea’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, his brain desperately trying to process how a simple ten-second button press had completely ruined his perfect excuse to keep Jimmy at a distance. He looked from the flawlessly opaque glass back to Jimmy’s smug, towering frame, his chest tight with a mix of absolute relief and intense embarrassment.

"Disappointed?!" Sea echoed, his voice cracking slightly as he took a hasty step back, trying to escape the dangerous proximity of Jimmy's grin. "I am thrilled, Hia! Thrilled that I don't have to put on a public performance just to brush my teeth! You are the only one here who is disappointed that your weird little fishbowl experiment failed."

"Hey, I was just following corporate protocol," Jimmy countered smoothly, taking a slow step forward to close the distance Sea had just created. He leaned his shoulder against the now-frosted glass wall, crossing his arms over his chest with an air of supreme satisfaction. "A good employee solves problems. I deserve some appreciation, don't you think?"

"You deserve a reality check," Sea mumbled, though the rapid beating of his heart told a completely different story. To deflect the sudden, heavy tension settling back into the room, Sea quickly spun around on his heel and marched over to his bed.

Sitting on the edge of the mattress were the two t-shirts Mark had handed him earlier. Sea snatched them up, turning back to face Jimmy. He separated the fabric, holding up the first shirt, the one with the giant letter "S" printed perfectly across the front.

"Anyway, look," Sea said, his tone shifting into something a bit more practical as he smoothed out the fabric. "While you were down playing photographer on the beach, Mark practically kidnapped me and took me next door. The custom shirts arrived. P’Force was having a minor existential crisis because he thought 'Chaos' started with a 'K', but P’Ju fixed his brain. This one is mine."

Jimmy looked at the shirt, a soft chuckle escaping him. "S, huh? Let me guess, the whole lineup spells out C-H-A-O-S?"

"Exactly," Sea nodded, a sudden, deeply mischievous glint entering his eyes as he looked down at the second shirt remaining in his hands. The nervous flush from earlier completely vanished, replaced by a triumphant, teasing grin. He stepped closer to Jimmy, holding the second shirt out with both hands, deliberately presenting the front of it.

Right across the center of the chest was a massive, black graphic heart.

"And Mark told me to give you this one," Sea said, his voice dripping with playful malice as he jingled the hanger right in front of Jimmy's face. "Since 'Chaos' only has five letters, they needed a sixth filler shirt for our group lineup. Everyone unanimously decided that the big, soft, romantic heart belongs entirely to the Doctor."

Jimmy stared at the giant heart emblem, his eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "A heart? They gave me a heart? Force is wearing a 'C' and I have to walk around the resort looking like a walking Valentine's Day card?"

"Oh, it completely suits your role in this relationship, Hia," Sea mocked, perfectly parroting Mark's earlier words with a brilliant, satisfied smirk. "You’re the big protector, the soft-hearted Mhor who leaves magic juices and fixes bathroom walls. Put it on. Let’s see how it looks."

Jimmy looked from the shirt to Sea's highly amused, glowing face. Instead of looking annoyed, a slow, incredibly fond smile broke across Jimmy’s lips. He reached out, his long fingers wrapping around the hanger, but he didn't pull the shirt away immediately. Instead, he tugged gently, pulling the fabric and consequently, a very surprised Sea one step closer into his personal space.

"Alright," Jimmy murmured, his voice dropping into that quiet, heavy register that always caught Sea off guard. His dark eyes locked directly onto Sea's. "I'll wear the heart. But only if you promise to stand right next to me in every single photo tonight, Nong Sea. Deal?”

Sea tried to pull back, but Jimmy's firm grip on the hanger kept him anchored right where he was, their personal space practically nonexistent. Sea’s heart did a treacherous little flutter at the sudden drop in Jimmy's voice, but he forced his chin up, refusing to let the doctor win the banter.

"I don't have a choice, Hia," Sea pointed out with a defiant, triumphant grin, gesturing with his chin down at the two shirts bridging the gap between them. "Even if I wanted to run away to the other side of the lineup and stand next to Force, I can't. The heart is strategically placed right after the letter 'S'."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, a slow, delighted chuckle vibrating through his chest. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," Sea said, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he confidently mapped out the group logistics. "Think about it. The spelling is C-H-A-O-S. Force has 'C', Book has 'H', Junior has 'A', Mark has 'O', and I have 'S'. That means to complete the sequence and look like a proper team, the heart has to be right next to the 'S'. It’s an alphabetical, structural necessity."

"So what you're saying is," Jimmy murmured, his smirk widening as he easily twisted Sea's logic to his own advantage, "the group officially designated you to be the one attached to my heart tonight?"

Sea’s confidence instantly crashed. His jaw dropped slightly, a fresh, fiery blush invading his cheeks so rapidly it made his ears tingle. He frantically tried to let go of the hanger, but Jimmy smoothly caught his wrist, keeping him right there.

"Hia! That—that is not what I meant at all!" Sea stammered, his articulate composure completely failing him as he looked everywhere but at Jimmy’s intensely amused eyes. "It's just spelling! It's basic literacy! Don't make it weird!"

"I'm not making it weird, I'm just analyzing the data, Nong" Jimmy teased, finally letting go of Sea's wrist to take the shirt from his hands, though his gaze never left Sea’s flushed face. "If the lineup says the heart belongs next to the 'S', who am I to argue with the corporate vision? I’ll go get changed."

With a final, devastating wink that left Sea standing frozen and completely breathless in the middle of the room, Jimmy turned on his heel and walked into the newly frosted, completely private bathroom, sliding the opaque door shut behind him.

Left alone in the quiet space, Sea let out a long, shaky breath, burying his face in his hands as a helpless, ridiculously happy smile broke through his mock annoyance. "Incorrigible," he whispered to the empty room, his heart still hammering a frantic, joyful rhythm against his ribs as he waited for his heart-bearing doctor to emerge.

From behind the frosted glass, the sound of the shower turning on finally broke the spell, giving Sea a much-needed moment to collect his scattered thoughts. He dropped his hands from his face and looked toward his bed, still feeling the residual warmth of the duvet from their shared nap.

"Get it together, Sea," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He snatched up his own "S" shirt from the mattress and quickly pulled it over his head. The fabric was crisp and smelled faintly of the steam from Mark’s iron.

By the time Jimmy slid the opaque bathroom door open, stepping out into the room with a cloud of warm, clean-scented steam, he was fully transformed. The white t-shirt fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and the giant, graphic heart across his chest was dark, bold, and entirely impossible to miss. He was casually smoothing down the collar, looking completely unbothered by the fact that he looked like a walking declaration of romance.

Sea, who had been busy checking his reflection in the full-length mirror, caught Jimmy’s entrance through the glass. He quickly turned around, leaning his lower back against the vanity table, crossing his arms as he tried to look critical.

"Well," Sea said, trailing his eyes down to the massive heart. "It’s... loud. Very loud. You look like you're about to burst into a love song, Hia."

Jimmy stopped right in front of him, looking down at his own chest and then up at Sea, a soft, incredibly fond expression replacing his usual teasing smirk. He stepped closer, matching Sea's stance until their matching white shirts were just inches apart—the "S" and the heart practically aligning perfectly in the mirror's reflection behind them.

"I think it looks exactly how it’s supposed to," Jimmy murmured, his voice dropping into that quiet, reassuring tone that always made Sea's defenses crumble. He reached out, his long fingers gently tugging at the sleeve of Sea's shirt to straighten it out. "Come on. We have five minutes before Force starts spamming the group chat with angry stickers. Let's go meet the alphabet."

Sea let out a soft, breathless laugh, his eyes meeting Jimmy’s in the mirror. The panic about the glass walls, the teasing from Junior, and the embarrassment of the spelling mix-up all faded into comfortable background noise.

"Fine," Sea smiled, finally reaching over to grab his room card from the table. "But if P’Force makes fun of your heart, I’m standing next to P’Book."

"You can't," Jimmy reminded him smoothly, opening the heavy wooden door and gesturing for Sea to step out first into the corridor. "Alphabetical necessity, remember? You're stuck with me all night Sea."

"Unfortunately," Sea teased, though he didn't miss the way Jimmy's hand naturally found the small of his back as the heavy door clicked shut behind them, guiding him toward the evening's chaos.

— — —

The heavy wooden door clicked shut behind them, and within seconds, the room's quiet sanctuary was replaced by the booming energy of the rest of the crew. Force, Junior, Book and Mark were already waiting at the elevator bank, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Finally!" Force bellowed, slapping Jimmy on the shoulder as the elevator doors slid open. "Look at that heart! It’s magnificent. You look like a giant teddy bear, Mhor."

"Shut up, Force," Jimmy laughed, though he subconsciously shifted just a fraction closer to Sea, their sleeves brushing as the lift began its smooth descent to the grand ballroom level.

The moment they stepped out of the lobby elevators, Sea’s jaw dropped. The entire resort ground had been transformed into a brilliant, swirling sea of neon lights, music, and the most bizarre collection of costumes he had ever seen. Because the rest of the company had been given the letter "M" as their theme designation, the creativity was off the charts.

As the "Chaos" group threaded through the crowd, they had to pause every two feet to greet their fellow artists. They ran into a perfectly coiffed, glittering Michael Jackson doing a moonwalk near the buffet, passed by someone dressed in full, serene monk robes holding a mock blessing bowl, and almost tripped over a trio of incredibly detailed Masked Riders who were aggressively posing for a fancam.

"This is insane," Sea laughed, dodging a rogue leather fringe from another 'M' costume as they mingled. He turned to find Jimmy right behind him, effectively acting as a human shield against the bustling crowd.

"Hey! The lineup is up next!" Mark shouted over the bass of the music, waving them toward the main corporate media backdrop. The professional photography crew was waving them over, and a dedicated camera team was already setting up a gimbal for the exclusive *Live House* segment that would air to fans the following day.

"Alright, alphabetical order! Don't mess this up!" Junior commanded, taking charge as he physically shoved Force to the far left. "Force, you're 'C'. Book, 'H'. Me, 'A'. Mark, 'O'..."

Sea naturally moved into his spot next to Mark, smoothing down his crisp white shirt with the giant letter 'S'. Before he could even look around, a warm, solid presence stepped up right against his left shoulder. Jimmy moved in flush beside him, his broad chest proudly displaying the massive graphic heart.

When they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, the white fabric of their shirts seamlessly connected, spelling out a perfect, flawless ‘C-H-A-O-S’ followed immediately by the dark black heart.

"Perfect! Hold that exactly!" the photographer yelled, the studio lights flashing in a rapid, blinding sequence.

Sea flashed his signature bright, dimpled smile for the lens, but he could feel the intense, steady warmth radiating from Jimmy right next to him. Just as the photographer called for a casual, playful pose, Jimmy casually threw his long arm over Sea’s shoulders, pulling him in tightly. Sea's heart did a familiar, traitorous flip, but he leaned into the touch, tilting his head up to laugh as the camera captured the moment.

"And now for the ‘Live House’ promo video! Give us a five-second intro, boys!" the videographer called out.

The red light on top of the video camera blinked to life. Collectively, the group struck a synchronized, dramatic boyband pose.

"We are..." Force started, leading the chant.

"CHAOS!" the entire line shouted in unison, waving at the lens.

As the camera panned from left to right, capturing each letter, it finally landed on the final pair. Sea pointed a playful finger directly at his 'S', and Jimmy, without breaking his gaze from the lens, tapped the massive heart on his chest before looking down at Sea with a slow, devastatingly fond smirk.

"Cut! That was brilliant, guys! The fans are going to lose their minds tomorrow," the director called out, reviewing the footage.

As the crew began to disperse toward the beachside dinner tables, Jimmy kept his arm securely anchored around Sea's neck, leaning down to whisper over the noise of the music. "See? I told you. Structure and necessity, Sea. You're stuck right next to my heart for the rest of the night.”

Sea rolled his eyes, though the wide, helpless grin stretching across his face entirely betrayed him. He reached up, lightly swatting at Jimmy’s chest right in the center of the giant graphic heart.

"You are shameless, Hia," Sea whispered back, trying to keep his voice steady over the thumping bass of the music as they walked. "It's a font placement, not a fate. Stop turning a costume t-shirt into a drama script."

"I'm just appreciating the symmetry of the alphabet," Jimmy chuckled, his arm still draped comfortably over Sea’s shoulders as they navigated the maze of candlelit tables toward the beachside dining area.

The production crew had set up a long, beautifully decorated VIP table right on the edge of the sand, where the sound of the crashing waves mingled with the party music. As the "Chaos" gang piled in to claim their spots, the seating arrangement naturally shifted. Junior slid into a chair first, and Sea immediately sat down right next to him. Mark took the seat on Sea's other side, leaving the chair at the far left end of the table for Jimmy and ForceBook sat next to each other.

When they finally settled, Sea was happily sandwiched between Junior and Mark, while Jimmy sat directly to Mark's left. Even though they weren't sitting shoulder-to-shoulder anymore, Jimmy kept his gaze fixed on Sea from across the table, his eyes dancing with lingering amusement.

"Wow, look at us," Force said, leaning back in his chair and proudly looking at the group. "The spelling worked, the outfits are clean, and we are officially the most organized table at this retreat. Someone pass the crab sticks."

"We are organized despite you, Force," Junior corrected instantly, reaching for a pitcher of iced water. "If it were up to you, we'd be spelling 'K-H-A-O-S' like a bunch of rogue internet trolls from 2012."

"Hey, the vision was there!" Force defended himself, pointing a fork at Junior. "The vision was strong!"

Before the bickering could escalate into another full-blown debate, a shadow fell over their table. One of the company’s main project directors stepped into the warm glow of the overhead fairy lights, holding up his phone with the camera app already open and recording.

"Alright, layout check! Don't move, guys, I'm doing a casual vid for my ig story," the director called out, laughing as he pointed the phone lens at the group. "Let's see the legendary 'Chaos' squad. Spell it out for the camera!"

The group instantly turned on their charm, shifting in their seats to present their chests to the lens. The director slowly panned his phone from right to left, tracking the letters in reverse from Jimmy's side.

"We have the heart right here," the director narrated, zooming in briefly on Jimmy, who gave a smooth, effortless wave, completely owning the Valentine's Day look. The camera then panned to Mark’s 'O', Junior's 'A', Book's 'H', and finally landed squarely on Force, who was proudly puffing out his chest to show off the letter 'C'.

"Perfect, perfect—wait, Force," the director paused, lowering the phone slightly with a highly amused smirk. "I heard a rumor from the wardrobe team downstairs. Is it true you were throwing a tantrum earlier because you thought the shop messed up the printing?"

The entire table immediately erupted into loud, merciless laughter. Junior buried his face in his hands, shaking his shoulders, while Sea clapped his hands together, giggling so hard his eyes crinkled into tiny crescents.

"A tantrum? Me? Never!" Force yelled over the laughter, though his face was rapidly turning the color of a cocktail shrimp. He leaned forward, pointing aggressively at the phone screen to explain himself. "Look, P', let me tell you the truth! I had to manage the entire shirt printing order by myself a single day before the outing! No one else took the responsibility!"

"Because you volunteered, Force!" Mark shouted from down the table, entirely unsympathetic.

"I volunteered out of love for this team!" Force shot back, gesturing wildly. "I was the only one dealing with the shop at midnight. When the courier dropped the box off today, the font curve on the 'C' looked a little sharp, okay? I was just trying to protect our group's dignity in case we had to pivot to a 'K'. I single-handedly carried the logistics of this gang, and this is the disrespect I get!"

"You almost made us look like a typo, Force," Book chimed in dryly from the side, passing a plate of appetizers down the table.

The director kept the camera rolling, capturing the chaotic overlapping voices, the clinking of glasses, and Force’s passionate defense of his printing saga. Through the lens, the sheer, unscripted warmth of the group was palpable.

As the director finally lowered his phone with a satisfied nod, promising to edit the clip for the fans, Jimmy caught Sea’s eye across the table. Sea was still out of breath from laughing at Force, his cheeks rosy from the sea breeze and the absolute joy of the moment. Jimmy offered him a quiet, incredibly soft smile, raising his glass in a silent toast. Sea caught the gesture, his laughter softening into a fond, private smile just for his doctor, completely content to be exactly where he was.

The night deepened, melting into a vibrant blur of thumping bass, clinking glasses, and the salty sea breeze. Once the heavy dinner platters were cleared, the formal structure of the evening completely dissolved. The main stage at the front of the complex lit up with a brilliant, pulsing display of strobes, and the DJ turned up the volume, drawing a massive crowd of artists and staff out toward the center of the hall.

At their long table, the "Chaos" crew began to scatter. Some of the boys headed straight for the front rows by the stage, eager to watch the impromptu dance battles breaking out, while others drifted off into the warm night to mingle with different circles.

Jimmy stayed behind for a bit, sliding down a few seats to join Neo. The two of them leaned back in their chairs, drinks in hand, completely relaxed as they watched the madness unfold. Neo was gestures wildly, loudly narrating a hilarious story about a botched stunt from his recent shoot, while Jimmy listened with a steady, amused smile, casually swirling the ice in his glass and enjoying the unhurried break.

Sea, on the other hand, was in his element. Recognizing the rare opportunity of having the entire company gathered in one place, he decided to put his social butterfly wings to work. He wandered through the sprawling, neon-lit party, deliberately seeking out the senior directors, crew members, and fellow artists from different production units, people he rarely had the chance to cross paths with during the frantic schedule of his.

As the music thudded heavily through the floorboards, the atmosphere grew thick with celebration. The signature scent of premium cocktails, beachside barbecue, and the crisp, electrifying air of a full-blown party hung heavily over the crowd. Everywhere Sea looked, people were facing the stage, cheering on whatever chaotic performance was happening under the spotlights.

Even while laughing and exchanging polite, bright conversation with a group of writers from another project, Sea’s eyes instinctively drifted back across the crowded sand. Through the swirling haze of the party lights and the sea of "M" themed costumes, he caught sight of the far end of the hall.

There Jimmy sat, still deep in conversation with Neo. The dark graphic heart on Jimmy's chest practically glowed under the amber fairy lights, making him ridiculously easy to spot. As if sensing the gaze, Jimmy shifted his head, his eyes cutting directly through the moving crowd to lock onto Sea from across the distance. He didn't wave or call out; he just raised his glass a fraction of an inch, a quiet, knowing smirk playing on his lips that told Sea exactly what he was thinking, no matter how many people Sea greeted, the "S" was still tethered to the heart.

— — —

The night showed absolutely no signs of slowing down as it surged past midnight. The warm beach air was thick with the heavy bass of the music and the carefreeness of a company in full celebration mode. Down at the end of the terrace, Jimmy and Neo had settled into a steady rhythm, nursing their drinks and laughing over old filming stories, while Sea was having the time of his life floating through the crowd. Every group he greeted welcomed him with open arms and a raised glass, and he happily shared a few sips with everyone he met, his cheeks flushing a bright, warm pink from the combination of the alcohol and the high-energy atmosphere.

Up by the front of the stage, a massive circle had formed around the dancers, the strobe lights painting everyone in chaotic flashes of blue and purple. Having thoroughly exhausted his social rounds, Sea finally navigated his way back to the quiet sanctuary of their group table. He sank into a chair right next to Jimmy, with Book sitting just a spot over.

As the clock finally struck twelve, a sudden roar of cheers erupted from the main stage. The music shifted, and the spotlights swung over to capture Junior and Mark standing right under the center lights. It was officially Mark’s belated birthday celebration. The sight brought an immediate wave of nostalgia over the table, it felt like an exact mirror of last year's company outing, where everyone had gathered around the very same stage to celebrate Jimmy's birthday.

Down by the edge of the stage, Force was already in position, holding his phone up high to record every single second of the birthday boy and Junior standing in the spotlight. Seeing the crowd's energy reaching a fever pitch, one of the passing production staff members urgently nudged Sea’s shoulder. "Sea, go grab that extra cordless mic from the stage coordinator! Quick!"

Sea didn't hesitate. He scrambled out of his seat, rushed over to the side tech table, and snagged the live microphone. Sprinting back to the table, he sat right next to Jimmy again, clicking the power switch on.

Taking his cue directly from Force, who was currently screaming instructions at the birthday duo from the front row, Sea raised the microphone to his lips. A mischievous, incredibly hyper grin broke across his face as the alcohol and the excitement took over.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Sea shouted into the mic, his amplified voice booming across the entire beach layout, perfectly leading the crowd's chant.

Up on stage, laughing at the sheer peer pressure being broadcasted by Sea, Junior leaned in and planted a giant, affectionate birthday kiss right on Mark's cheek. The crowd went absolutely wild, cheering and whistling at the display.

As Sea laughed into the microphone, his eyes instinctively darted sideways to look at Jimmy. The moment felt completely full circle. It was an exact, beautiful echo of last year’s outing, when the crowd had chanted the exact same words, and Jimmy had leaned down to plant a soft, unforgettable kiss on Sea's own cheek.

Jimmy was already looking down at him, his dark eyes sparkling with a heavy, intense warmth under the fairy lights. He didn't say a word, but his gaze traveled from the microphone in Sea's hand up to his flushed, dimpled cheeks, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his lips that made Sea’s breath catch in his throat all over again.

The roaring cheers of the crowd and the heavy thud of the bass faded into absolute white noise the second Jimmy leaned in.

The heat radiating from his body pressed firmly against Sea’s side as he bowed his head, his lips hovering just a fraction of an inch away from the shell of Sea’s burning ear. The scent of clean sea breeze mixed with the faint, sharp undertone of his drink washed over Sea, making his grip on the microphone tighten automatically.

"They're loud tonight, aren't they?" Jimmy’s voice dropped into a low, gravelly whisper, vibrating right through Sea’s skin.

Sea kept his eyes fixed firmly on the stage where Mark and Junior were still laughing, but his entire focus was completely pinned on the man beside him. He gave a small, breathless nod, trying to keep his composure. "Yeah. P’Force is really leading the circus."

Jimmy let out a soft, low chuckle that brushed warmly against Sea’s neck, sending a sudden, involuntary shiver straight down his spine.

"Looking at them up there..." Jimmy continued, his tone softening into something incredibly intimate, entirely meant for Sea alone. "It feels like no time has passed at all. Do you remember last year, Sea? When it was my birthday on the stage?"

Sea’s throat suddenly felt completely dry. The vivid memory of last year’s outing rushed back in an instant, the humid night air, the chanting crowd, and the exact sensation of Jimmy’s lips pressing firmly against his cheek while his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.

"I remember," Sea murmured, his voice barely audible over the microphone he was still holding near his lap.

"The crowd was chanting the exact same thing back then," Jimmy whispered, his lips moving even closer until they brushed the very edge of Sea’s hair line. He paused, a slow, devastatingly fond smirk playing in his voice. "But I didn't need a microphone to tell me what to do. I already knew exactly where I wanted to put that kiss."

Sea’s face burned a brilliant, furious red. He finally snapped his head around to glare at his partner, only to find Jimmy already staring back at him from mere inches away. Under the flickering purple and amber party lights, Jimmy’s dark eyes were deep, intense, and completely unblinking, holding a weight that made Sea’s mind short-circuit all over again. The giant graphic heart on Jimmy's chest seemed to pulse right along with the rhythm of Sea's frantic heartbeat.

"Hia," Sea warned weakly, his fingers trembling slightly against the plastic casing of the mic. "People are looking."

"Let them look," Jimmy murmured smoothly, not backing down even a single millimeter. He reached down under the edge of the table, his long, warm fingers unerringly finding Sea’s hand and locking their fingers together in a tight, unyielding grip. "They already know the heart belongs right next to the 'S'.”

Sea tried to pull his hand back, but Jimmy’s fingers remained securely locked with his beneath the shadow of the table, warm and completely unyielding. Sea looked from their joined hands right back into Jimmy’s intense, dark eyes, desperately trying to ignore the frantic pounding in his chest.

"You are talking absolute nonsense, Hia," Sea shot back, a breathless laugh escaping his lips as he used his free hand to gently push Jimmy’s shoulder away. "You're definitely drunk. You’re acting exactly the same way you did on your birthday last year, just completely bold and full of excuses."

"I'm perfectly sober, Sea," Jimmy murmured, though the slow, incredibly lazy smirk on his lips suggested otherwise.

Before Sea could formulate another comeback, the spotlight shifted away from the stage. Junior and Mark were finally stepping down from the platform, greeted by a barrage of high-fives and chaotic cheers from the surrounding crowd. But the peace at the "Chaos" table was short-lived.

Force, still holding his phone like a weapon, came sprinting back over from the front row. Without giving anyone a single second to protest, he grabbed Mark and Junior with one hand, reached over to snag Book by the shirt sleeve, and loudly commanded the rest of the gang to move.

"Alright, Chaos squad, up! Move, move, move!" Force bellowed, practically dragging the entire group by force toward the empty space right in front of the main stage speakers.

"P’Force, wait, I still have the microphone!" Sea protested as he was pulled out of his chair, though he didn't miss the way Jimmy smoothly rose with him, never truly letting go of his presence as they were swept into the crowd.

Just as the six of them stumbled into a rough, disorganized line in front of the stage, the DJ dropped a familiar, heavy bassline. The intro chords of the very song they had performed together at the LOL began to blast through the massive resort speakers. The crowd instantly recognized the track, letting out a deafening roar of approval.

Force’s eyes lit up. He whipped around to face the group, aggressively pointing his fingers at them and signaling that it was time to drop into the choreography.

What followed was the absolute epitome of their gang name.

Without the structure of a proper stage rehearsal, the entire routine collapsed into beautiful, hilarious madness. Junior started off strong but immediately tripped over a patch of loose sand, sending Mark into a fit of breathless laughter that made him forget the next transition entirely. Book was doing his absolute best to stay on beat, but he was completely out of sync with Force, who had decided to abandon the actual choreography altogether to perform his own dramatic, highly energetic freestyle dance.

Sea stood in his designated spot, trying to recall the hand movements from the concert, but his limbs felt heavy and awkward under the influence of the alcohol and the sheer hilarity of the situation. He completely missed a turning step, bumping right into Jimmy’s broad shoulder.

Jimmy wasn't doing any better. He was casually swaying to the rhythm, completely unbothered by the fact that he was supposed to be doing a sharp hip-hop routine. When Sea crashed into him, Jimmy simply reached out, catching Sea by the waist to steady him.

Looking around at the absolute disaster of their synchronized dance, Sea burst into a loud, joyous laugh, his eyes crinkling shut. They were out of step, half the group was just making up their own moves, and nobody was looking at the actual camera Force had set up.

It was messy, uncoordinated, and completely imperfect, a literal embodiment of the word printed across their chests. But as Jimmy pulled Sea just a fraction closer amidst the dancing crowd, the giant graphic heart on his chest pressing right against Sea's "S", Sea realized he wouldn't trade this specific brand of chaos for anything else in the world.

— — —

The beautiful, unscripted madness in the hall kept going until the clock bled past 1:00 AM. By then, the heavy bass of the music had begun to slow, and the high-energy adrenaline from their impromptu dance battle finally crashed, leaving Sea completely exhausted. His eyes felt heavy, his limbs weighed a ton from the alcohol and the sea air, and his bed was calling his name. Leaving the rest of the boys still laughing by the stage, Sea quietly slipped away from the party and navigated his way back up to the room.

The room was blissfully quiet, the frosted glass bathroom wall standing as a solid, private sentinel in the dim light. Too tired to even think about a proper nighttime routine, Sea kicked off his shoes, collapsed onto his side of the bed, and face-planted directly into the soft pillows. He pulled out his phone one last time, squinting through bleary eyes to scroll aimlessly through a few social media notifications, but within minutes, his grip loosened. The screen timed out, and he drifted off into a deep, heavy sleep, the device resting precariously on his chest.

Around half an hour later, the heavy wooden door clicked open. Jimmy walked in, accompanied by the muffled voices of Force and Junior lingering in the hallway before the door softly shut them out.

Yes, Jimmy was undeniably drunk, his head was spinning slightly and his steps were a little looser than usual but he was still Mhor Jimmy. No matter how many drinks he had, his internal radar was always sober enough to prioritize taking care of Sea.

Stepping into the room's warm ambient light, his eyes immediately found the bed. A soft, incredibly tender smile broke across his face. Sea was completely passed out, still wearing his custom shirt, curled into a defensive little ball with his phone precariously balanced on his stomach, rising and falling with his steady breathing.

Jimmy moved quietly, crossing the room with careful steps. He leaned over the bed, his long fingers gently sliding the phone off Sea’s chest. He tapped the screen to ensure the alarm was set before placing it safely on the nightstand next to the room keycard.

Then, he sat down on the edge of the mattress, the dip in the bed causing Sea to let out a soft, protestive whine.

"Sea," Jimmy murmured, his voice incredibly low and gentle as he reached out, his warm hand softly shaking Sea’s shoulder. "Hey, wake up for a second."

Sea didn't budge. He merely buried his face deeper into the pillow, pulling the duvet tighter around his shoulders. "Mm... go away, Hia... sleeping," he mumbled, his voice thick with heavy, slurred drowsiness.

"You can't sleep like this, Sea," Jimmy persisted, a fond chuckle vibrating in his chest as he leaned closer, his fingers casually brushing a stray lock of hair away from Sea’s forehead. "You've been sweating in the hall and you're still wearing your costume. Get up and take a shower."

"Don't want to..." Sea pouted, his eyes still tightly shut as he blindly swatted at Jimmy's hand. "Too tired. Leave me alone."

"At the very least, you need to change your clothes. I'm not letting you sleep in a starched t-shirt," Jimmy argued smoothly, his doctor instincts taking over. He gently grabbed Sea’s wrists, pulling him up into a sitting position. Sea felt like a literal ragdoll, his head lolling back as he stubbornly refused to open his eyes, a deep, sleepy scowl settling on his face.

"Hiaaa, stop torturing me," Sea whined, his lower lip sticking out in a full, dramatic pout that Jimmy found entirely lethal to his composure.

"Five minutes, Sea. Just change your shirt and brush your teeth, and I promise I'll let you sleep all night," Jimmy persuaded, his voice dripping with patient warmth as he practically coaxed the sleepy younger boy out of the covers.

After a few more moments of soft begging, gentle tugging, and Jimmy's relentless whispering, Sea’s stubborn resolve finally crumbled. He let out a long, dramatic sigh of defeat, his eyes cracking open just a sliver as he glared at the smiling doctor.

"Fine," Sea muttered, stumbling off the bed on unsteady, sleepy legs. "You are the worst, Hia."

"I'm the best and you know it," Jimmy shot back with a triumphant, wicked smirk, watching fondly as Sea dragged his feet toward the private, frosted bathroom, completely defeated by his doctor's care.

Behind the solid, milky-white privacy glass, the cold air of the air conditioner had kept the bathroom crisp, but the moment Sea stepped inside, the heavy fog of sleep finally began to clear from his brain. Realizing that simply changing his shirt wouldn't wash away the sticky sweat clinging to his skin, he decided to just go ahead and take a full shower. He squeezed some toothpaste onto his brush, quickly cleaned his teeth, and then reached over to twist the heavy metallic shower handle all the way to the hot side.

Outside in the bedroom, Jimmy let out a long breath and sank back against the headboard. The alcohol was finally catching up to him, making his limbs feel delightfully heavy. He grabbed the hem of his white t-shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing the giant graphic heart onto the nearby chair. Sitting there shirtless in his comfortable sweatpants, he picked up his phone and began aimlessly scrolling through the chaotic photos and videos Force and the others had already started dumping into the group chat, a quiet, sleepy smile on his face.

Inside the bathroom, a thick, dense cloud of warm steam began to billow from the shower head, rapidly filling the enclosed space. The heavy, rhythmic thrum of cascading water echoed softly through the bedroom wall, creating a soothing background noise.

Neither of them had any idea that the resort's high-tech digital control panel had a severe software glitch when it came to rapid humidity spikes.

As the dense, hot steam rolled over the sensor wires inside the wall, the system registered a critical error. Without a single warning beep, the manual reboot sequence Jimmy had applied earlier completely crashed. Starting from the top corner and bleeding downward in a terrifyingly swift, silent wave, the milky-white opacity vanished. Within a matter of seconds, the solid wall dissolved into flawless, crystal-clear transparency.

Because the water pressure was high and his back was turned to the room, Sea remained entirely oblivious. He stood directly under the streaming water, tilting his head back to rinse his hair, his bare shoulders and the smooth, elegant line of his spine fully exposed to the bedroom.

Jimmy was completely hyper-focused on his phone screen, chuckling at a video of Junior kissing Mark on the cheek, totally blind to the sudden transformation of his environment.

The peace shattered with a sharp, echoing *CLATTER*.

Inside the stall, Sea’s soapy hand had accidentally knocked a heavy plastic bottle of body wash off the built-in ledge, sending it bouncing loudly against the tiled floor.

The sudden, sharp noise instantly pulled Jimmy out of his screen. His eyes snapped upward instinctively toward the source of the sound and his entire universe ground to a sudden, breathless halt.

The protective white wall was gone. In its place was a perfectly clear, brightly lit glass box, and standing right in the center of it, entirely framed by the swirling mist and streaming water, was Sea.

Jimmy’s fingers froze against the cold glass of his phone screen. His breath hitched sharply in his throat, the air in his lungs suddenly feeling heavy and scarce.

For a long, agonizingly intense moment, he couldn't move. The sheer unexpectedness of the sight had pinned him to the mattress. Through the fine mist and the erratic droplets clinging to the outside of the glass, every line of Sea’s back was rendered in heartbreaking clarity under the warm bathroom lights, the sharp definition of his shoulders, the elegant curve of his spine, and the water tracing a glistening path down his skin.

Inside the glass cube, the sudden clatter of the bottle had startled Sea, too. He stood frozen for a second, his hands still buried in his wet hair as he blinked through the water streaming down his face. Slowly, with a sleepy, confused frown, he began to turn around to retrieve the fallen bottle.

As he turned, his eyes instinctively drifted toward the bedroom.

The moment Sea’s gaze swept past the perimeter of the shower, his brain experienced a violent, jarring disconnect. He didn't see the comforting, solid white wall he expected. Instead, his wide, dark eyes locked directly with Jimmy’s intense, unblinking stare across the open space of the bedroom.

Sea stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw dropped, his hands slipping from his hair as his mind desperately tried to process why he could see Jimmy sitting shirtless on the bed, staring right at him.

It took exactly two seconds for the terrifying reality to click.

"H-Hia?!" Sea choked out, his voice a high-pitched, strangled gasp that was almost entirely swallowed by the roar of the shower.

A furious, brilliant crimson wave rushed up his chest, flooding his neck and face so violently it felt hot against the steam. Panic completely hijacking his motor skills, Sea didn't know whether to dive for the towel, grab the fallen bottle, or simply vanish into the floorboards. In a blind frenzy of motion, he whirled his back to the bedroom again, effectively pressing himself as close to the tiled front wall as humanly possible, his hands flying up to cover his face in absolute, mortified horror.

"Turn around! Turn around right now, Hia!" Sea screamed over the sound of the running water, his shoulders trembling as he tucked his chin tightly into his chest. "Why is it clear?! Turn the panel off! Don't look!"

The sound of Sea’s panicked shouting finally broke the spell holding Jimmy captive.

Shaking his head violently to clear the sudden, intoxicating haze from his brain, Jimmy scrambled off the bed. His heart was hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against his ribs, partly from the sudden shock, and partly from the heavy, lingering pull of the alcohol that made the imagery burn behind his eyelids.

"I'm not looking! I'm turning around!" Jimmy called out, his voice rough and slightly strained as he threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender and forced his body to spin 180 degrees away from the glass.

He lunged toward the digital wall panel mounted on the bedroom side, his fingers aggressively tapping the dark surface. But the screen remained completely unresponsive, locked in a frozen error loop, its bright blue backlight mocking him.

"The panel is frozen, Sea!" Jimmy yelled back, his eyes fixed firmly on the blank wooden surface of the entry door to keep his promise. "The humidity must have short-circuited the reboot sequence. It's not responding to the touch!"

"Are you still looking?!" Sea's voice came muffled from inside, tight with a mix of betrayal and extreme embarrassment.

"No! My back is completely turned to you, I swear," Jimmy promised, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck as he let out a low, breathless laugh to break the heavy tension. He could feel the heat radiating from his own cheeks, the residual image of Sea framed in the streaming water refusing to leave his mind. "Just stay where you are and finish rinsing off. I'm going to grab your towel and pass it through the door crack without looking, okay?”

Jimmy kept his eyes locked firmly on the blank wooden surface of the entry door. Moving entirely by feel and memory, he reached down to the edge of the mattress and scooped up the large, plush resort towel they had left out. Keeping his body rigidly turned away from the clear glass structure, he stepped backward until his hand reached the vertical handle of the bathroom door.

"I'm opening the door a crack, Sea. Just reach out and grab it. I'm completely blind over here," Jimmy murmured, his voice still holding that rough, breathless edge.

He slid the glass door open just a few inches, extending his arm straight into the warm, misty gap without a single glance. Inside, Sea didn't waste a millisecond. A dripping, trembling hand snatched the fabric away instantly, and the soft rustle of terrycloth followed as Sea frantically draped the towel around his waist, tucking the corner in securely.

Only when he was entirely covered did Sea let out a long, shaky breath, his shoulders finally dropping from his ears. He stepped out of the direct line of the shower head, wiping the stray droplets from his eyes.

"Okay... okay, you can look now," Sea muttered, his voice still incredibly breathless and his cheeks a brilliant, unmistakable pink. "But Hia, you have to reset the system again. You need to shower too, right? We can't leave it like a fishbowl all night."

Jimmy finally turned around, his dark eyes instantly finding Sea. Up close, the fresh, clean scent of the resort's mint-and-tea-tree soap washed over him, completely cutting through the heavy aroma of the party and the alcohol. Sea's hair was slicked back, flat against his forehead, and tiny water droplets were still tracing paths down his bare collarbones. Jimmy took a slow, deep breath, his gaze lingering just a second too long before he forced himself to focus on the problem at hand.

"Alright, let's see if the secondary manual override works," Jimmy said, stepping past Sea into the warm, humid air of the wet bathroom.

He stood directly in front of the interior digital panel, right next to where the water was still heavily cascading from the shower head. Jimmy raised his hands, aligning his thumbs against the glass screen to input the receptionist's troubleshooting code again. He pressed down firmly, holding his breath.

But the buttons completely refused to cooperate. The digital interface remained frozen in its bright blue error loop, entirely unresponsive to his touch.

"Nah, it's completely dead," Jimmy sighed, shaking his head. "The steam must have fried the internal circuit—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the frozen panel suddenly emitted a sharp, erratic static pop. Without anyone touching the physical plumbing, the system experienced a massive electrical surge. The secondary overhead rain-shower nozzle which had been turned off this entire time suddenly blasted to life with absolute, violent force.

A heavy, freezing torrent of water sprayed directly down upon both of them.

"Whoa!" Jimmy yelled, instinctively stepping back as the sudden deluge soaked his hair and ran down his bare chest in seconds.

Sea gasped as the cold spray hit his face. Being closer to the actual plumbing fixture, Sea was the first one to react. He lunged through the downpour, his wet hands gripping the heavy metallic mixing taps to manually cut the water supply. "I've got it! Hold on!" he yelled, bracing his feet against the wet tiles and twisting the lever with all his might.

But the tap wouldn't budge. Unlike when Sea had smoothly turned it on just minutes ago, the electrical surge had locked the electronic valve completely in place. "It's stuck! Hia, it's not nudging at all!" Sea cried out, his fingers slipping off the slick chrome as the water continued to drench them both.

Seeing Sea struggling against the pressure, Jimmy didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them in a single, fluid stride.

Coming up directly behind Sea, Jimmy leaned down over his shoulder. The sudden movement pressed Jimmy’s bare, solid chest flush against the smooth, wet skin of Sea's back, effectively trapping Sea between his heavy frame and the tiled wall. The intense, radiating heat of Jimmy's body immediately cut through the freezing spray of the shower, making Sea's breath hitch sharply in his throat.

"Let me," Jimmy growled softly against Sea’s ear, his large, warm hands reaching around Sea's waist to lock firmly over Sea’s slippery fingers on the metallic tap.

With their hands joined and their bodies moving as one, Jimmy anchored his feet against the floorboards. Applying a massive amount of brute force, he pulled the lever sharply to the left, then jerked it upward in a deliberate, heavy counter-direction.

*CLICK.*

The mechanical valve inside the wall groaned, and with a sudden, sharp snap, the lever finally gave way. The roaring cascade of water instantly choked, sputtering down into a few harmless drips before dying out completely.

An absolute, heavy silence fell over the glass cube, broken only by the sound of their frantic, synchronized breathing. Jimmy didn't move away immediately. He remained leaning over, his chest still pressed firmly against Sea’s back, his hands still encasing Sea’s wrists against the metallic tap as the thick steam slowly began to settle around them.

Sea stood frozen, his front practically pressed against the cool tiles of the wall, while the entire length of his back was engulfed by the intense, solid warmth of Jimmy’s bare chest. The sudden silence in the bathroom was deafening, save for the heavy, synchronized rhythm of their breathing and the slow *drip... drip... drip...* of the defeated shower head.

Jimmy’s hands were still tightly locking Sea’s wrists against the chrome tap. Neither of them moved. The cold water that had drenched them just seconds ago was rapidly heating up between their skin, trapped by the sheer lack of space between their bodies.

Sea swallowed hard, his throat tight. He could feel the rapid, frantic thudding of Jimmy’s heart beating directly against his shoulder blade. The alcohol, the late hour, and the ridiculous sequence of events had stripped away all of Sea's usual witty defenses, leaving him completely breathless.

"Hia..." Sea whispered, his voice trembling slightly as he tilted his head back just an inch. "It stopped. You can let go now."

Jimmy didn't let go. Instead, he let out a low, ragged breath that fanned hot against the wet skin of Sea's neck. Slowly, deliberately, Jimmy loosened his grip on Sea’s wrists, but rather than pulling away, his large, warm palms slid down to rest securely against the sides of Sea’s waist, right over the damp edge of the tucked towel.

"I know," Jimmy murmured, his voice incredibly deep, dropping into that quiet, gravelly register that always made Sea’s knees feel weak. He leaned in just a fraction closer, his chest expanding against Sea’s back as he took a deep breath of the minty, clean scent radiating from the younger boy. "But if I let go, the system might decide to flip the lights off next. I'm just securing the perimeter, Sea."

"Shameless," Sea breathed, a helpless, beautifully genuine smile breaking through his mock irritation. He tried to turn around within the tight space, and Jimmy accommodated him, stepping back just half a pace to let Sea pivot.

When Sea finally faced him, the view was entirely overwhelming. Jimmy stood there shirtless, his broad shoulders glistening with water droplets, his dark hair slicked back and dripping wet. The giant graphic heart shirt was gone, but looking into Jimmy’s heavy, intense eyes, Sea knew the sentiment hadn't changed one bit.

The glass walls around them were still completely transparent, showcasing their dripping, intimate standoff to the empty bedroom, but neither of them was looking at the room anymore.

"You're completely soaked," Sea pointed out softly, his eyes tracing the path of a water droplet sliding down Jimmy’s collarbone. "You look ridiculous, Doctor."

"And whose fault is that?" Jimmy teased softly, a slow, incredibly fond smirk finally returning to his lips. He reached up, his wet thumb gently wiping a stray drop of water from the edge of Sea’s dimpled cheek. "I came in here to save you from a flash flood, and this is the gratitude I get?"

"You didn't save me from a flash flood, Hia, you became the flash flood," Sea shot back, though his voice lacked any real bite. He tried to look stern, but the way his fingers were lightly anchoring against Jimmy’s wet forearm entirely gave him away. "Maximum drama, as always. You could have just reached over, but you had to use brute force."

"In engineering and medicine, Sea, precision and proper leverage are everything," Jimmy countered smoothly, his voice dropping an octave as his eyes locked onto Sea's lips.

He didn't make a move to step back. In fact, Jimmy's hands shifted slightly, his palms flattening against the wet tiles on either side of Sea’s shoulders, effectively trapping him in a loose, incredibly intimate cage. The transparent glass walls around them didn't matter anymore; the frozen digital panel didn't matter. The entire universe had narrowed down to the space between them in this humid, brightly lit stall.

"I think I'd rather just stay right here," Jimmy murmured, his dark eyes darkening further under the damp fringe of his hair. "The rest of the resort is freezing, the room is chaotic, but it's warm right here next to you."

Sea’s breath hitched, his chest rising and falling rapidly against Jimmy’s bare torso. "Hia... you’re dripping wet. You're going to catch a cold."

"Then keep me warm," Jimmy whispered, leaning down until his forehead gently rested against Sea's, their shared breaths mingling in the heavy, scented steam.

Jimmy slowly let his head drift downward, his forehead sliding from Sea’s to find a comfortable resting place directly in the crook of Sea's neck. He let out a long, heavy sigh, his broad shoulders finally relaxing completely as he leaned his weight into the younger boy.

"Let's just stay like this for a few minutes," Jimmy murmured, his voice sounding small and muffled against Sea's warm, damp shoulder. "Just five minutes Sea."

Sea didn't protest. The lingering sarcasm completely melted away, replaced by a gentle warmth that spread through his entire chest. He slowly raised his arms, his hands coming up to rest against Jimmy’s bare, broad back, his fingers tracing the wet skin to offer a comforting, steady hold. "What's wrong, Hia? Did the alcohol finally hit your head?"

"No," Jimmy whispered, his breath hot against Sea's skin, sending a soft shiver down his spine. "I just... I missed you all day."

Sea let out a soft, breathless chuckle, his fingers lightly tapping Jimmy's back. "What are you talking about, Hia? We've been together since this morning. We saw each other all day."

"It's not the same," Jimmy complained gently, shifting his head slightly to press closer, his arms wrapping securely around Sea's waist. "We were surrounded by everyone. Force was shouting, the staff were running around, you were busy greeting people... even when you were right there within my reach, I still missed you."

The raw, quiet honesty in Jimmy's voice made Sea’s heart ache with a sudden, overwhelming fondness. He tightened his grip around Jimmy, his chin resting against Jimmy's wet shoulder as he looked out through the clear glass into the empty bedroom.

"I know," Sea whispered softly, his voice dropping into a tender, private cadence. "I missed you too, Hia."

The moment the words left Sea’s lips, Jimmy’s entire body went rigid. Slowly, almost disbelievingly, he lifted his head from Sea's shoulder. He looked up, his dark, heavy eyes suddenly sparkling with a bright, intensely hopeful light that completely exposed how vulnerable he was in that moment.

"Really?" Jimmy asked, his voice barely a breath, his gaze searching Sea's face as if looking for any sign of a joke.

Sea met his gaze directly, a soft, incredibly sweet smile curving his lips as he nodded. "Really. Even when the bus was full of the other guys laughing and playing games on the way here... whenever you weren't sitting right next to me, it just felt empty. And lonely. I felt that the entire time we were traveling."

Jimmy stared down at him, his dark eyes searching Sea’s face, entirely captivated by the admission. The hope in his expression didn't fade; instead, it deepened into something hungrier, shifting with the quiet intensity that always took over whenever they were left alone in the quiet hours.

"Just while you were traveling?" Jimmy asked, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register that seemed to vibrate against Sea’s skin. He slid his hands a fraction higher on Sea's waist, his grip tightening just enough to pull their bodies completely flush. "Or do you really feel lonely and miss me whenever I’m not around, Sea?"

Sea looked up into those intense eyes and let out a soft, knowing laugh. His dimples flashed briefly as he tried to defuse the sudden weight in the air. "Hia, you already know what my answer is going to be. Why do you keep asking?"

"Because I want to hear you say it," Jimmy murmured, completely unbothered by Sea's attempt to dodge. His hold tightened further, his large hands anchoring Sea against him like he was making sure the younger boy couldn't slip away. "Say it out loud for me."

Feeling the heat rising rapidly back into his cheeks, Sea instinctively tried to laugh it off. He placed his palms flat against Jimmy’s bare, wet chest, trying to push back and create some distance. "Okay, okay, enough drama for one night, Doctor. Let me go, it's getting freezing in here—"

But Jimmy didn't let him go. Anticipating the escape, Jimmy stepped forward, using his height and leverage to smoothly guide Sea backward. Sea’s back met the smooth, wet surface of the transparent glass wall with a soft splash of trapped water. Before Sea could even gasp, Jimmy leaned in, trapping him completely. He brought his face down until their foreheads were pressed together, their warm breaths mingling in the confined space.

Up close, with Jimmy's dark eyes locked entirely onto his, Sea's mind went into absolute overdrive. The sudden proximity, the solid weight of Jimmy pressing against him, and the sheer vulnerability in Jimmy's gaze sent a wave of pure panic and fluster straight through him. His heart hammered violently against his ribs, and his eyes darted around erratically, looking anywhere but at Jimmy's lips.

"Look at me, Sea," Jimmy whispered, his voice a commanding, yet incredibly gentle plea against Sea's skin. "Tell me. Do you miss me?"

The teasing was entirely gone. Looking into Jimmy’s eyes from mere inches away, Sea saw the raw, unfiltered truth of how much his words mattered to the older man. The walls of his own defenses, the witty comebacks, the playful deflections completely crumbled under that gaze.

Sea's breathing slowed, his hands softening against Jimmy’s chest, his fingers lightly curling into the wet skin. A sudden, heavy wave of emotion washed over him, making his eyes grow soft and slightly glossy under the bathroom lights.

"I do," Sea answered, his voice cracking slightly, stripped of any pretense. He leaned his forehead harder against Jimmy's, closing his eyes for a brief second to ground himself. "I miss you all the time, Hia. It’s not just on the bus. When you're busy at the clinic, or when we have separate schedules and I look next to me and you aren't there... it feels like a part of me is missing. I hate it. I get lonely, and I just count the hours until we're back in the same room. You know you’re my safe zone, right? So stop asking me like you don't know."

The emotional weight of the confession hung heavily between them, turning the clear, steamy glass box into the safest, most private place in the world.

The raw honesty of Sea’s words echoed softly in the quiet, humid space of the glass stall, cutting right through whatever lingering haze the alcohol had left in Jimmy’s mind.

For a long moment, Jimmy didn't say anything. He just held Sea, his forehead still pressed firmly against the younger boy's, his breathing shallow and slightly ragged. A wave of profound relief and fierce tenderness washed over his face, softening the sharp, intense lines of his features.

"Thank you," Jimmy whispered, his voice incredibly thick with emotion as he tightened his arms around Sea’s waist, pulling him so close there wasn't a single millimeter of air left between them. "Thank you for telling me that, Sea. Because it's exactly the same for me. Actually... I think I probably miss you even more. Sometimes, even when you're standing right in front of me in a crowded room, my heart still aches because I just want to pull you away from everyone else. Just like this."

The overwhelming gravity of his own words seemed to draw Jimmy in. Unable to resist the pull any longer, he tilted his head down. His lips, warm and slightly damp, found the sensitive, soft skin of Sea’s inner neck.

Sea let out a sharp, trembling gasp, his fingers instantly tightening into the skin of Jimmy's bare shoulders as a violent shiver raced straight down his spine. Jimmy pressed a slow, feather-light kiss there, letting his lips linger against the pulsing warmth of Sea's throat, before trailing a path of soft, burning kisses up the side of his jaw. Finally, he leaned in and planted a large, deeply affectionate, and lingering kiss right on the center of Sea’s flushed, dimpled cheek, a perfect, solid reassurance that made Sea’s eyelids flutter shut.

But as Jimmy’s lips slowly pulled back from his skin, the reality of the situation came rushing back to Sea's flustered brain. He placed his hands firmly against Jimmy’s chest, gently but deliberately forcing a small amount of space between them, his eyes wide and clouded with a sudden, anxious vulnerability.

"Hia... stop. Don't do this right now," Sea pleaded softly, his voice shaking as he looked up into the older man's dark eyes. "You’re drunk. You’ve been drinking all night, and the alcohol is just making you overly emotional."

Jimmy didn't back away. Instead, he gripped Sea's waist a little firmer, locking his gaze onto Sea's with absolute, unyielding clarity. "I'm not drunk, Sea. I'm absolutely sober right now. I know exactly who I'm holding, and I know exactly what I'm saying." He let out a low breath, his thumb tracing the curve of Sea's hip. "And honestly, even if I had a few drinks, it wouldn't change a single thing about how I feel."

"But it matters to me, Hia!" Sea interrupted, his voice suddenly cracking with a raw, painful emotion that caught Jimmy completely off guard.

Sea's eyes grew glossy under the bright bathroom lights, a deep-seated fear finally breaking through his defensive exterior. He looked at Jimmy, his lower lip trembling slightly as he let out the truth that had been quietly weighing on him all night.

"It matters to me... because if you're drunk, you won't remember any of this tomorrow," Sea whispered, his fingers curling tightly into the fabric of the towel around his own waist. "Just like last year. You drank so much on your birthday, and the next morning you acted like nothing happened while my heart was turning upside down. I can't do that again, Hia. I can't give you my whole heart in the middle of the night just for you to forget it by breakfast.”

The raw, trembling honesty of Sea’s confession hung heavily in the steam-filled air, the vulnerability in his glossy eyes striking Jimmy right in the chest.

Jimmy froze, his chest heaving as he stared down at the younger boy. The realization of the quiet, agonizing doubt Sea had been carrying since last year’s outing washed over him, completely obliterating any remaining trace of playfulness or alcohol-induced haze. His expression shifted from intense longing to absolute, fierce sincerity.

"Who said I forgot?" Jimmy’s voice dropped into a low, gravelly register, vibrating with a sudden, intense seriousness that made Sea’s breath hitch. He brought his hands up from Sea’s waist, his large, warm palms cupping Sea’s flushed cheeks, his thumbs gently wiping away the moisture gathering at the edge of Sea's eyelashes. "Why would I ever forget something like that, Sea? Why would you even think that in the first place?"

Sea blinked up at him, his lips parting in a silent, startled gasp, but Jimmy didn't give him a chance to pull away.

"I remember every single thing," Jimmy continued, his dark eyes locking onto Sea’s with an unyielding, magnetic force. "Be it that specific night, or every single day we’ve shared over the last five years. I remember it all. Even though I had too much to drink that day, even though my head was spinning, that memory is permanently etched into my brain. I didn't forget a single second of what happened between us."

Sea wasn't just shocked; he was completely blindsided, a wave of sudden, breathless disbelief crashing over him. His hands instinctively gripped Jimmy’s wrists, his heart hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against his ribs as he searched the older man’s face for any sign of a joke.

"You... you really remember?" Sea whispered, his voice cracking with a fragile blend of hope and fear. He swallowed hard, his eyes wide and demanding the absolute truth. "Then tell me. What exactly do you remember, Hia? If you didn't forget, then say it."

Jimmy didn't flinch. He leaned in a fraction of an inch closer, their foreheads almost touching again, his thumbs tracing the smooth, burning line of Sea’s cheekbones.

"We didn't just stop at the cheek kiss on the stage, Sea," Jimmy stated, his tone entirely steady, stripped of any hesitation or doubt. He didn't say it as a question, and he didn't say it to tease; he stated it as an absolute, undeniable fact of his reality. "I remember when we finally got back to the hotel room. I remember pulling you against the door, and I remember exactly what it felt like when I finally got to kiss you for real. The way your hands held onto my shirt, the taste of you, the way neither of us wanted to stop, I remember every single second of it."

Sea’s jaw dropped, a hot rush of blood turning his entire face a brilliant crimson as his mind short-circuited. The sheer intimacy of the memory being laid bare in the middle of the humid bathroom made his knees go weak. Jimmy had known all along. He hadn't forgotten the real kiss. He had been carrying the exact same memory, the exact same breathtaking turning point, in his heart for an entire year.

"I remember everything that happens between us." Jimmy murmured, his voice softening into a deeply emotional, fiercely protective vow that completely filled the quiet, clear glass box. "Everything related to you, the things you love, the moments you smile, the way you breathe when you're nervous, I remember all of it. I remember you more than I remember things about myself. So don't ever think an extra drink could erase you from my mind. You are completely permanent to me.”

Sea stared at him, the heavy silence of the bathroom rushing back into his ears. The revelation thudded in his chest, a mix of profound relief and a sudden, sharp ache of frustration swirling together. His fingers tightened around Jimmy’s wrists, his eyes searching the older man's face with a fierce, demanding intensity.

"Then why did you pretend, Hia?" Sea’s voice came out as a ragged, emotional whisper, his throat tight. "Why did you act like you didn't know for a whole year? The next morning, you woke up, you looked at me, and you just... skipped right past it. You acted like absolutely nothing happened. Do you have any idea how much that hurt? How much I doubted myself?"

Jimmy’s expression softened, a look of deep, crushing regret pooling in his dark eyes. He didn't pull away from Sea's grip; instead, he leaned his forehead back down against Sea's, letting out a long, heavy breath that felt warm and shaky against Sea’s skin.

"Because I was terrified, Sea," Jimmy confessed, his voice dropping into a raw, vulnerable whisper. "I thought... what if you didn't actually want it to happen? What if you only went along with it because I was drunk, and the next morning you woke up thinking it was a massive mistake?"

He paused, his thumbs gently brushing the sides of Sea’s face, anchoring them together.

"I was so confused." Jimmy continued, the honesty bleeding out of him. "I didn't know what to do. We work together every day, our lives are completely tangled up, and you are the most important person in my world. I was so scared that if I brought it up and you regretted it, I would push you away or make things awkward between us. I couldn't risk losing you. So I waited. I stayed quiet and let you lead, because I needed to be absolutely sure you wanted me the same way I wanted you.”

"If only you had brought it up that day," Sea said, his voice cracking with a mix of exhaustion and a year's worth of built-up frustration. He looked directly into Jimmy's eyes, his own vision blurring slightly. "If you had just said something the next morning, we wouldn't be standing here like this right now. We wouldn't have wasted a whole year guessing and doubting everything."

With a sudden, sharp movement, Sea broke free from Jimmy’s hold. The spell of the humid, clear glass box was instantly broken as he stepped out into the crisp, air-conditioned chill of the bedroom. His skin prickled at the sudden temperature drop. Walking quickly over to his unpacked duffel bag sitting on the luggage rack, he began rummaging through it with agitated, jerky movements, desperately searching for a pair of dry pajamas to cover his vulnerability.

He could hear Jimmy’s quiet, heavy footsteps following him out of the bathroom. Even without turning around, Sea could sense Jimmy’s broad, shirtless presence coming to a halt directly behind his back, the heat radiating from the older man cutting through the room's chill.

"Hia, just... go take your shower," Sea muttered, his hands trembling slightly as he finally pulled out a soft t-shirt and shorts. He kept his back rigidly turned to Jimmy, staring down at the fabric. "Get cleaned up. I’m going to change, and then I’ll be waiting outside on the balcony or downstairs in the lobby until you’re finished."

But Jimmy had absolutely no intention of letting him walk out that door. Not now. Not when a year of silence had finally broken and all their raw, unfiltered vulnerabilities were laid out in the open.

Before Sea could take a step away, Jimmy reached forward. His long fingers wrapped gently but securely around Sea's arm, pulling the younger boy backward until Sea's back was once again anchored firmly against Jimmy's bare chest.

"Don't go, Sea. Don't leave the room," Jimmy pleaded, his voice tight and rough with emotion as he tightened his arms around Sea from behind, holding him close. "Listen to me. I didn’t want to do anything and I wouldn't ever want to do anything that you didn't absolutely want. You say I should have spoken up, but I was terrified that if I pressed you on it, you would have pushed me away completely. I couldn't risk that."

Jimmy rested his chin heavily against Sea's shoulder, his breath hitching as he held him tighter against the chill of the room.

"You knew I was drunk that night, Sea," Jimmy whispered, the truth pouring out of him. "You knew the state I was in. If it was hurting you so much that next morning, you should’ve been the one to tell me. You should have confronted me and told me that the kiss mattered to you too.”

Jimmy’s words struck Sea like a physical blow. The remaining fight drained out of him instantly, his tense shoulders dropping in defeat under the weight of Jimmy’s chin resting against him. Sea stared blankly at the crumpled pajamas in his trembling hands, his throat working as he swallowed down a thick knot of emotion.

It was the truth. It was the terrifying, undeniable truth.

"How could I?" Sea whispered, his voice shaking so badly it barely carried over the low hum of the air conditioner. "You were the one who was drunk, Hia. In my head, that gave you an excuse. But me? I was completely sober. If I had been the one to bring it up the next morning, and you had looked at me and apologized... if you had told me it was just the alcohol talking and that it was a mistake... it would have broken my heart. I wouldn't have survived hearing you take it back."

A sharp, ragged breath escaped Jimmy’s lips. The hands wrapped around Sea's waist shifted, unwrapping just enough to gently but firmly turn the younger boy around within his hold.

When Sea finally turned to face him, his dark eyes were brimming with unshed tears, the protective walls he had painstakingly built over the last year completely shattered. Jimmy looked down at him with an expression of such profound, overwhelming love that it made Sea’s chest physically ache.

"I would never take it back," Jimmy said, his voice a fierce, unyielding vow in the quiet room. He reached up, his large, warm hands cupping Sea's face, his thumbs gently sweeping across the flushed skin under Sea's eyes. "Not then, and definitely not now. I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I've wanted to for a very long time. The alcohol just stripped away the filter I usually use to protect our friendship."

Sea let out a wet, breathless laugh, his hands coming up to loosely grip Jimmy's forearms where they held his face. "We are both such massive idiots, Hia."

"The absolute biggest idiots," Jimmy agreed softly, a tender, immensely relieved smile finally breaking across his tired features. He leaned in, pressing his forehead against Sea’s once more, letting the reality of their mutual confession settle warmly around them. "A whole year wasted because we were too busy trying to protect each other from our own feelings."

"Don't remind me," Sea murmured, his eyelids fluttering shut as he leaned into the solid warmth of Jimmy's touch, the freezing air of the resort room suddenly feeling a million miles away. "I'm still mad at you for it."

"That's completely fair," Jimmy whispered, his lips brushing affectionately against the tip of Sea's nose. "You can be mad at me for as long as you want. You can yell at me, punish me, or make me sleep on the very edge of the mattress tonight. Just... don't walk out that door. Stay right here with me, Sea.”

"Okay," Sea whispered softly, his voice finally losing its defensive edge as a quiet peace settled over him. "I'm not going anywhere, Hia."

Hearing the words he had desperately needed, Jimmy let out a long, grounded breath. His hands slowly slid down from Sea's face, his fingers lingering on Sea's shoulders for a tiny second before he finally stepped back. "I’ll be back in no time," he promised, his voice low and warm. "Don't fall asleep on the floor."

Sea nodded, offering a small, tired smile as Jimmy turned and walked back into the humid, brightly lit bathroom.

Once he was alone in the bedroom space, Sea quickly peeled off the damp resort towel and pulled on his dry, oversized cotton pajamas. The plush fabric immediately chased away the lingering chill of the air conditioner. Even though the high-tech glass walls were still completely transparent, turning the bathroom into a glowing, crystal-clear fishbowl—Sea was determined to respect their boundaries. He intentionally kept his eyes fixed on the floorboards, carefully navigating around the bed without a single glance in Jimmy's direction.

He climbed under the heavy, crisp white duvet, sinking deeply into the pillows. The handful of alcoholic sips he had taken with others at the party had completely washed away under the intense emotional rollercoaster of the last hour. He was entirely sober now, but the mental exhaustion was real.

To keep his brain occupied and his eyes safely averted, Sea pulled his phone off the charger. The familiar rhythmic thrum of the shower filling the space became a soothing background noise as he stared intently at his screen, aimlessly scrolling through the chaotic group chat notifications and social media vids.

Inside the glass cube, Jimmy stood under the cascading water, finally washing away the sticky beach sand and salt. He knew Sea was intentionally keeping his eyes glued to the phone screen, but Jimmy couldn't help himself. Every few moments, he would wipe the water from his eyes and steal a quiet glance through the clear glass, his chest swelling with an immense, protective fondness at the sight of the younger boy curled up safely in their bed.

Within just a few minutes, the steady warmth of the room and the rhythmic sound of the water did their work. Sea’s eyelids grew too heavy to fight. His scrolling slowed down to a crawl until his thumb stopped moving entirely. His grip loosened, and he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep, his phone slipping from his fingers to rest on the mattress.

By the time the shower sputtered to a stop, the room was completely quiet. Jimmy walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a fresh towel, now dressed in his own loose grey pajama pants and a soft t-shirt. He kept his movements incredibly quiet, placing his watch and his phone next to Sea's on the nightstand.

He looked down at the sleeping boy. The silence was broken, and the distance was gone. Not wanting to stay away for another second, Jimmy carefully lifted the edge of the heavy duvet. He slid into the bed, his large frame settling into the mattress right beside Sea.

As Jimmy slid under the heavy duvet, the mattress dipped under his weight. Even in his deep, drifting state of sleep, Sea immediately sensed the shift. The crisp chill of the room’s air conditioning vanished as a solid, radiating wall of warmth pressed along his spine. Jimmy didn't hesitate; his large arm slid smoothly around Sea’s waist, his fingers curling into the soft cotton of Sea's pajama top as he effortlessly pulled the younger boy back against his chest.

Feeling the sudden, overwhelming closeness, Sea let out a sleepy, muffled murmur. He shifted slightly against the pillow, his eyes still closed as he tried to find his voice through the fog of exhaustion.

"Go sleep on your own side, Hia..." Sea mumbled, his voice thick with sleep as he made a half-hearted attempt to shrug off the heavy arm anchoring him. "Go to your bed."

Jimmy didn't budge. Instead, he tightened his hold just a fraction, tucking his chin right into the space behind Sea's ear. "Can I not stay here?" Jimmy murmured back, his deep voice a low, gravelly vibration that sent a familiar warmth straight through Sea's chest. "Just for tonight."

Sea sighed, his fingers lightly gripping Jimmy's forearm, not to pull it away, but just to hold it. "Hia... don't be like this," he whispered softly, a lingering touch of vulnerability in his tone. "Don't do this to me anymore."

Hearing the slight crack in Sea's voice, Jimmy's entire demeanor shifted. The sleepy playfulness vanished. Shifting his weight, Jimmy propped himself up on one elbow, using his other hand to gently but firmly grasp Sea’s shoulder and roll him over.

The movement pulled Sea completely out of his slumber. His eyes fluttered open, blinking against the dim light of the bedroom as he found himself looking directly up into Jimmy's intense, unblinking gaze.

Jimmy looked down at him, his dark eyes wide and incredibly soft, those honest, doe-like eyes that always completely stripped away Sea's defenses. There was no teasing left in his expression, only a profound, careful respect.

"Do you really not want me to sleep next to you, Sea?" Jimmy asked softly, his voice cutting through the quiet room. "Tell me the truth. Because if you truly want your space, if you don't want this, I'll move right now. I won't press you. But... if you do want it..."

He left the question hanging in the air, giving Sea the room to decide.

Sea stared up at him, his mind completely clear now. For a second, the sheer weight of the choice made him panic. Instead of answering, Sea abruptly rolled back onto his side, turning his back to Jimmy once more without saying a single word, burying his face halfway into the pillow.

Jimmy let out a soft, patient breath. He leaned over slightly, his hand resting gently on Sea's hip. "Sea, look at me," he pleaded gently, his voice a low, tender whisper. "Don't just hide. Turn around and actually tell me what you want."

Sea stayed frozen for a heartbeat. Then, with a sudden, decisive movement that caught Jimmy completely off guard, Sea whirled back around.

He didn't waste time on words. Reaching up through the small distance between them, Sea’s fingers tightly gripped the soft fabric of Jimmy’s pajama collar. With a firm, emotional tug, he pulled Jimmy straight down into his space, obliterating the last remaining inch of distance between them.

Before Jimmy could even gasp, Sea’s arms wrapped securely around his neck, burying his face tightly into the crook of Jimmy's shoulder. He held onto the older man with a fierce, possessive strength, his entire body relaxing the moment they locked together. He didn't need to say the words out loud; the tight, unyielding hug said everything he had been hiding for the past year.

For several minutes, the room fell into an absolute, breathless stillness. The only sound was the quiet, synchronized rhythm of their breathing under the heavy duvet. Sea held on with a fierce, desperate strength, his fingers firmly bunched into the fabric of Jimmy’s shirt, as if he were trying to anchor himself to the reality that Jimmy was finally, truly here. Jimmy simply folded his arms around Sea's smaller frame, pressing him close, letting his warmth serve as a silent promise that he wasn't going anywhere.

Slowly, the tension in Sea’s shoulders began to melt. He loosened his grip on Jimmy’s collar and gently pulled back from the embrace, creating just enough space to look up.

When their eyes met in the dim light of the bedroom, Jimmy’s heart pinched sharply. Sea’s dark eyes were glossy, swimming with a heavy layer of unshed tears that threatened to spill over his flushed cheeks.

"Hey..." Jimmy murmured, his voice cracking with an instant, profound tenderness. Shifting his weight, he carefully brought his hand up, his thumb gently brushing against the damp heat of Sea’s cheek to catch a stray tear before it could fall. "Don't cry, Sea. Please don't cry. We're okay now."

Sea swallowed hard, his throat working as he stared into Jimmy’s soft, worried doe eyes. The sheer emotional weight of the last hour, the confession, the relief, the lingering fear of the past year all came rushing to the surface, stripping away the very last of his filters.

He parted his lips, but his voice caught. In a tiny, trembling whisper that barely carried an inch through the quiet air, he stuttered out a small request. "H-Hia... can you kiss me again?"

Jimmy blinked, leaning in slightly. Sea’s voice had been so small, so completely swallowed by the soft hum of the air conditioner, that the words hadn't fully registered.

"Huh?" Jimmy asked softly, his brow furrowing in gentle confusion as he tilted his head. "What did you say, Sea?"

A fresh rush of crimson flooded Sea’s cheeks, his entire face burning with a mix of intense fluster and raw determination. He wasn't going to let his courage slip away this time. Reaching up, his warm fingers gently but firmly gripped the back of Jimmy’s neck and pulled Jimmy’s ear right down to his mouth.

"I said," Sea breathed, his voice vibrating directly against Jimmy’s skin, clear and unmistakable this time, "can you kiss me again? Just... just like a year ago?”

Jimmy’s entire body went completely rigid, the breath hitching sharply in his throat. The heat of Sea’s lips against his ear sent a violent jolt straight down his spine, scattering every coherent thought in his head.

Slowly, deliberately, Jimmy pulled back just an inch, his dark eyes wide and burning with a sudden, overwhelming intensity as he stared down at the younger boy. Sea was flushed a brilliant, beautiful crimson from his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears, his lower lip trembling slightly under Jimmy's heavy gaze. But despite the sheer panic and embarrassment rolling off him, Sea didn't look away. He kept his eyes locked onto Jimmy’s, raw and completely unguarded, demanding the answer he had waited an entire year to receive.

"Sea..." Jimmy’s voice was completely shot, dropping into a rough, breathless register that was barely a growl.

He didn't wait for another second. The agonizing caution that had governed his actions for the past twelve months completely disintegrated. Sliding his hand from Sea's cheek, his long fingers tangled firmly into the soft, damp strands of hair at the back of Sea's neck, tilting his head up. At the same time, his other hand anchored securely around Sea’s waist, pulling him up and flattening their chests together under the heavy duvet.

Jimmy leaned down and captured Sea’s lips in a deep, bruisingly sweet kiss.

A soft, broken sigh escaped Sea’s lips as his eyes fluttered shut, his hands instantly flying up to grip Jimmy’s broad shoulders, pulling him even closer. Unlike the hesitant, alcohol-fueled blur of last year's birthday night, this kiss was entirely different. It was sharp, deliberate, and undeniably real. It carried the absolute weight of a year’s worth of silent longing, of lonely bus rides, of stolen glances across crowded rooms, and of agonizing doubts finally being wiped away into nothingness.

Jimmy’s lips parted over Sea’s, his touch demanding yet incredibly tender, as if he were trying to physically pour every single unspoken feeling straight into the younger boy’s heart. He drank in the minty, clean taste of Sea, his thumb caressing the sensitive skin right below Sea's ear, making the younger boy let out a quiet, helpless whimper into the kiss.

When Jimmy finally pulled back just a fraction to let them breathe, their foreheads remained pressed tightly together, both of them panting heavily in the quiet dark of the bedroom. Jimmy’s lips brushed against the corner of Sea’s mouth as he spoke, his breath hot and ragged against Sea's skin.

"Does that feel like a year ago?" Jimmy whispered fiercely, his chest heaving against Sea’s.

Sea opened his eyes, his gaze beautifully dazed and his lips slightly swollen, a breathtakingly genuine smile slowly breaking through his flustered expression. He tightened his grip on Jimmy's shoulders, burying his face directly into the older man's chest as a quiet, incredibly happy laugh escaped him.

"No," Sea murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he listened to the frantic, hammering rhythm of Jimmy’s heartbeat right beneath his cheek. "It feels much better.”

The soft laughter faded into a heavy, charged silence that filled the space between them. Shifting his weight, Jimmy moved smoothly, his large frame turning until he was hovering completely over Sea. The heavy duvet bunched around their waists as Sea’s back pressed flat against the mattress again, trapped beneath the solid, commanding weight of the older man.

Jimmy propped himself up on his forearms, framing Sea’s head with his arms, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the dim room. He didn’t drop down immediately. Instead, he played with the sudden, suffocating wave of sexual tension that flooded the space. Their lips hovered a mere millimeter apart, close enough that each ragged breath from Jimmy fanned hot against Sea’s mouth, but not quite touching. It was an agonizing, deliberate tease.

Sea’s breathing hitched, his chest heaving sharply against Jimmy’s chest. The dim light from the bathroom caught the stark, dangerous change in Jimmy’s expression; the gentle doe eyes were gone, replaced by a dark, heavy gaze filled with a raw, unfiltered lust that sent a violent shiver straight down Sea's spine. They traded deep, unblinking eye contact, the unspoken desires of the past year burning fiercely between them.

Jimmy’s eyes dropped to Sea's slightly parted, swollen lips before rising back up to lock onto his gaze.

"Can I kiss you for real this time, Sea?" Jimmy whispered, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that vibrated with absolute intensity. "Not like last year. With everything I have for you. All the love, all of it."

A shaky, breathless gasp escaped Sea's throat. The last twelve months of waiting, doubting, and longing completely dissolved. He didn't say a word; he just nodded against the small space between them, his eyes dark with the same burning hunger. Reaching up, his hands slid past Jimmy’s broad shoulders to wrap tightly around the back of his neck, and with a desperate, firm pull, he dragged Jimmy down.

The collision of their mouths was explosive.

The lingering caution of the past vanished, replaced by a fierce, desperate friction. Jimmy broke into the kiss with a deep, possessive groan, his lips crushing against Sea’s as his tongue swept forward, demanding entry. Sea parted his lips instantly, welcoming the invasion, his tongue tangling with Jimmy’s in a slick, heated rhythm that made both of their minds go entirely blank.

The tension turned chaotic and wild. The sharp click of teeth clashing briefly between them only fueled the fire, turning the kiss deeper, hungrier, and utterly relentless. Jimmy’s hands left the mattress, one burying deep into the strands of Sea’s hair to tilt his head at a sharper angle, while the other slid down beneath the duvet, his large palm flattening against the bare skin of Sea’s side where his pajama top had ridden up. The contrast of Jimmy’s rough, warm hand against his sensitive skin made Sea arch his back off the mattress with a muffled whimper, his fingers curling like claws into the muscles of Jimmy’s back.

Jimmy shifted his weight down, his hard torso pressing firmly against Sea's pliant body, pinning him to the bed. Every point of contact, the heat of their skin, the frantic tangling of their legs beneath the sheets, the slide of their wet lips felt heightened, vibrating with a desperate need to make up for a whole year of lost time. Jimmy dragged his mouth away from Sea’s lips for a split second, only to trail a path of biting, wet kisses down his jawline to the sensitive skin of his throat, his tongue licking over the frantic pulse point there before his teeth nipped at the skin, leaving a burning mark.

Sea let out a loud, undone gasp, his head snapping back into the pillow as his entire body trembled beneath Jimmy's. The sheer carnality of the touch was overwhelming, a beautiful, dizzying overload of sensation. Unable to bear the distance even for a second, Sea pulled at Jimmy’s hair, dragging the older man’s mouth back up to his own, sealing their lips together once more in a deep, bruising kiss that consumed the quiet night.

The frantic, wet slide of their mouths slowed only when oxygen became an absolute necessity. Jimmy pulled back a fraction of an inch, his lips swollen and slick as he rested his forehead heavily against Sea’s. Both of them were panting, their chests heaving violently against one another, the heat trapped beneath the thick duvet making the air feel thick and intoxicating.

Sea’s eyes slowly fluttered open, dark and completely glazed with desire. His fingers were still tangled tight in Jimmy’s hair, refusing to let him move too far away. The absolute vulnerability on Sea’s face, his cheeks flushed a deep, beautiful crimson, his chest rising and falling rapidly made Jimmy’s heart thud painfully against his ribs.

"Hia..." Sea breathed out, his voice completely wrecked, a low, needy whisper that went straight to Jimmy’s core.

"I'm here," Jimmy rasped, his large hand sliding up from Sea's bare waist to cup his jaw, his thumb smoothing over the damp skin. He looked down at the younger boy with a gaze so fiercely possessive, yet so deeply reverent, it made Sea’s breath hitch all over again. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

To prove it, Jimmy shifted his weight, settling his lower body more securely between Sea’s thighs, the friction of their covered legs sending a jolt of pure electricity through the mattress. Sea let out a soft, broken sound at the sudden, solid pressure, his hips instinctively tilting up to meet the warmth.

Jimmy groaned into the crook of Sea’s neck, the last shred of his professional restraint completely dissolving in the dim light of the room. He pressed a heavy, open-mouthed kiss to the base of Sea’s throat, his tongue tracing the frantic, hammering pulse before his lips trailed slowly back up to Sea's mouth.

This time, the kiss wasn't just a collision of hunger; it deepened into a slow, agonizingly thorough rhythm. Jimmy’s tongue swept inside, claiming every corner of Sea's mouth with a lazy, heavy confidence that made Sea’s knees weak beneath the sheets. Sea whined softly into the kiss, his hands moving from Jimmy's hair down to his broad, bare shoulders, his nails digging into the skin as he tried to pull Jimmy even closer, wanting to dissolve into the older man completely.

The ghosts of the past year, the silent longing on the bus, the polite distances they had forced themselves to maintain, the terrifying fear of rejection were completely burned away in the heat of the bed. There was no more guessing. Every rough slide of their skin, every slick clash of their tongues, and every desperate, breathless murmur spoken against each other's lips was an undeniable vow.

They belonged right here, trapped in their own private world, making up for every single second they had lost.