such a beauty and a mess

Crab

"Now this is what I call relaxation," Win remarked, looking in all ways content as he submerged himself neck-deep in warm water. He lazily slit his eyes open to stare at the lush gardens just outside.

Briefly glancing over to the nearby sliding door leading inside, where Bright was still scrubbing himself with soap, Win tried to gather his thoughts.

Not many words had been exchanged between the two of them on their way to the jacuzzi, both lost in thought.

Win was grateful for the downtime. It provided him a moment to gather his thoughts in peace, though no conclusion was made. He still wasn't sure exactly how he felt about the whole situation. Sure, he'd heard that Bright's client's name was Drake before, but he hadn't even dreamed him to be that Drake. What were the odds?

The door slid open, breaking Win's train of thought, and Bright stepped out. Win admired the naked body until it disappeared within the water, sending small waves on Win's chin.

"You look comfortable," Bright said lightly, rolling his shoulders. The water felt wonderfully cozy.

"Feels nice," Win mumbled, closing his eyes, "Though I hope you know you can't run from your father forever."

"Thanks for the reminder," Bright replied dryly, resting his elbows on dry surface. He knew it to be true, but the idea of coming here was to not think about that stuff. When the hell had this guy become the voice of reason anyway?

...

Well, he had since the day Bright met him, actually. Bright frowned at the thought, trying to convince himself that it was a voice of unrealistic ideas instead.

"This is your fault, you know."

Win's eyes snapped open.

"My fault?"

"Yeah. If I wasn't worried about you running off, I might not have had the guts to tell Drake my father's true intentions."

Win was taken aback at the idea of Bright worried about him, but didn't voice it.

"True intentions?"

Bright sighed, staring blankly at the water.

"Drake is having financial difficulties right now, and all my father wants to do is kick him while he's down. He planned on selling Drake's part of the company off once he merged with us. Little parts of the contract in extremely fine print; it's something my father prides himself in. I warned Drake of this tonight against my better judgment," Bright explained, vividly remembering the scene that had just occurred in Bangkok. He felt like a coward for rushing out like that, not even taking the time to wait for a response.

Win tried to soak the new information in, with some difficulty.

"... what do you think your father is going to do?"

Bright gave him a wry smile.

"I have no idea. I'm hoping my disappearance will give him time to calm down. Not likely, though."

Win knew this was a serious situation. He almost felt bad, considering he was somewhat behind this new-found courage within Bright to stand up to his father. He'd thrown so many words around... and sure, he meant every one of them. He hated seeing Bright so over-worked and controlled. Win would literally choose his current occupation than to be subjected to that!

But at the same time, he had to make himself realize that this was messing with Bright's family, his career, his life. He could tell Bright was a proud man. It wasn't something that could so easily be let go.