Happiness - MileApo ✔️

30. Safe Bubble

Apo had been spending most of his days in the room. If Mile didn't bring him his meals, Apo would surely starve. 

The only time he came out of their room was when he knew Tong would be visiting. Mile realized all too soon that he was only keeping up appearances. He didn't actually care. 

Apo shrugged, not really giving an answer. This was becoming a more common response as the days went on. Apo was beginning not to talk as much. That scared Mile. He realized he didn't have much time left till he was completely gone. 

He left the room and put Nolan in his playpen, before he continued into the kitchen to make something. 

***

"So how are you doing?," Tong pondered. He came almost every day to spend time with him. This time Pong had tagged along to take Mile out to lunch. 

The two Omegas were watching their soap opera. Well Tong was watching it; Apo was more or less zoned out. 

"I'm good Hyung." Apo answered with about as much energy as he was putting into watching the show. 

"How are you and Mile?," Pong tried again. He was worried about his friend. He had been acting different since he can come home from the hospital. He didn't know how to help him and Tong didn't want to lose his best friend. 

"We're fine." He stated. He should be annoyed with all the questioning he got from Mile and Tong, but he wasn't. He couldn't bring himself to care. 

Everything was passing by while nothing was sticking with him. Apo let himself sink deeper into the safety he had created. He needed to be in this place. He could survive here. 

"Nolan seems to be thriving." Tong commented. He was pushing for something to make him react. Positive or negative it didn't matter at this point, everyone just wanted something to change. He wasn't himself anymore. 

Apo shrugged. He didn't care about how Nolan was doing. He should. Deep inside of himself he knew he should care about his pup. Right now though, he couldn't love his pup right. He knew somewhere inside him that he did care and love Nolan; however, trying to care about Nolan mean to opening the door to all of his emotions. He couldn't do that. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't be able to survive that type of pain again. 

Apo made sure that his bubble was perfectly intact as he floated further and further away from reality. 

"Apo..." Tong begged as tears swelled in his eyes.

"Everything is fine Phi." He repeated. 

***

"How's it going at home?," Pong asked as they sat down in the diner's booth. 

Mile sighed and wiped his face. 

"It's great Hyung," Mile sarcastically responded, staring at his hand on the table. 

"He hates me. I hate myself, it's great. At least Nolan still loves me," He admitted numbly. 

He wasn't good at sharing his emotions, never had been. Yet he felt like he was overflowing with anxiety that bordered on desperation. 

"He's just hurt Mile," Pong offered. 

"I know, and it's my fault. I don't know how to fix it," Mile was miserable. 

Pong hated seeing his brother in law this way. He could smell shame and sadness that rolled off of him in waves. 

"He's like a ghost, he doesn't care about anything. I can't get a reaction outta him. He's even off with Nolan, like he's just going through the motions," Mile sighed. His stomach was in knots twisting with guilt.