"Why did you do this to me, P' Non?" Nick shouted as soon as they entered his bedroom. Non threw Nick onto his bed.
"Do you love that guy this much?" Non asked in a dark tone with an angry look on his face.
"Yes... I love Neil. Both of us are lovers. How could we not fall in love with each other... or are you going to say that two men shouldn't love each other, Non?" Nick argued with a trembling voice from crying.
"I don't care about whether or not you're gay, but I don't let you be with anyone!" Non said out loud. Nick looked at Non in confusion.
"P' Non, you have no right to stop me," Nick argues back. Non looks at Nick with a painful expression.
"Is that so, Nick? Why don't you refer to me like you did when you were talking to father, earlier?" Non asked. Nick frowned in confusion.
"What did I call you, and what does it have to do with anything?" Nick asked back. Non listened to his answer, but he just stared at Nick's face blankly.
"P' Non... How did you find me? Why did you have to call Papa to come see me and Neil?" Nick curiously. Non smiled slightly.
"I followed you to Neil's condo. I waited until you left that bastard's place. I followed you to the mall. I wanted to see how close you and that bastard were. I can't bear to see you belonging to someone else. That's why I called our father," Non said flatly. Nick was stunned when he heard this because Neil and he had slept for hours. Non was able to patiently wait in front of the condo for all that time.
"What... why did P' Non go that far? Why were you following me?" Nick asked, praying that it was not what he was thinking.
...
"Well, because I love you, Nick. Not like brotherly love, Nick. You understand, right?" Non said, causing Nick's heart to drop because it was exactly what he had guessed in his mind. He was still shocked, though. He had hoped what he was thinking would not be true.
"...but you and I are siblings. Even though we have different mothers, we still have the same father," Nick said.
"Because of that! Is that why you're acting crazy, like this? Did you know that I have been watching all this time, Nick? But you never even considered being interested in me. You never thought to come and talk to me once. Nick, you've tortured me a lot, did you know this?" Non said.
"P'... P'... Non... that's impossible, you know. Even though the two of us are not full brothers, I can't love you. The person I love is Neil. It's Neil alone," Nick said, earnestly.
"Huh... I'm not going to let you belong to anyone. You must belong to me and only me. You must be with only me," Non said again. Nick was starting to feel very frightened by the look in Non's eyes and by his behavior. Non walked over to Nick. Nick was a little taken aback when Non reached out and stroked his cheek. Nick knocks his hand off. Nick was starting to feel very annoyed.
"Why? Are you going to die if I touch you a little bit, Nick? Why? Doesn't that bastard get to do more than this to you? Why does he get to do it?" Non shouted out.
"P' Non, don't you understand that I love Neil? The only person who can touch me is Neil. I won't let anyone else touch me ever again," Nick said earnestly.
Suddenly!
"Oh, stop... What are you going to do? Let me go," Nick struggled when Non pushed Nick to lie on his back on the bed. Non straddles Nick and pins both of his wrists down, so that he can't hit him or resist.
"With others, you give in so easily. If you give in again to your brother, how will it be?" Non said. Nick's eyes widened in shock. He didn't think Non would think of doing this.
"No, P' Non... Help me... Uh, uh, uh, uh," Nick tried to shout for his mother. His voice disappeared when Non bent down and crashed his lips onto Nick's lips, to silence him. Nick's sweet face tried to dodge, but Non was using one had to pin Nick's wrists and the other hand to squeeze his chin tightly. Nick bit his lip, not allowing Non to invade his mouth his hot tongue. Tears flowed down Nick's face. He was terrified. Nick didn't think his half-brother would think of doing such a thing. Nick doesn't want anyone other than Neil touching his body. Non pinches Nick's chin, hoping Nick would open his mouth to allow him to taste his sweetness, but Nick pressed his lips together tightly.
Knock... Knock...
"Non. Nick. Open the door for mom," Nick's mother's voice sounded, like a life-saving bell. Non grunts in frustration before getting off of Nick who had tears running down his cheeks. Nick fled to the other side of the bed. Non went to open the door of the room.
"Mother Lek, what is wrong?" Non asked in a normal voice. Non always calls Nick's mother Mae Lek.
"I came to bring Nick some warm milk," After she finished speaking, she quickly walked over to bring Nick the milk. Non looked annoyed, but he didn't say anything.
"Mother Lek, can you take care of Nick, for now? I will go out and talk to father. You must keep Nick locked in here like father ordered. Mother, do you understand me?" Non said in a calm voice before walking out of Nick's room. The small figure quickly walked over and hugged his mother. Nick's mother put down the glass of milk and turned to give her son a hug.
"Mom... I'm so sorry... I am sorry... Are you mad at me? ...huh?" Nick sobbed.
"What is there for me to angry with you about?" Nick's mother asked back, staring at her son from the foot of the bed.
"About... uh... Me... liking men," Nick said straightforwardly. His mother sighs.
"...I can't tell you how I feel about that, right now, Nick. I can just tell you that I'm not angry with you at all. I know what kind of person my son is," Nick's mother said.
"I was just a little shocked because I didn't know my son was. er... gay," Nick's mother said trying to avoid the word gay, at first, because she didn't know how it would affect her son. How do you even comfort your son in this situation?
"Huh... so you are disappointed?" Nick asked again.
"No, I'm not... Nick, you didn't do anything to disappoint me. Nick, you are still my good boy. Even if you're a little stubborn sometimes," Nick's mother said with a smile to relax her sobbing son.
"But Papa must be very disappointed in me... uh... Papa has always been disappointed in me," Nick said in a low voice.
"Don't talk about him. What I want to know now is about the person you love. What's his name?" Nick's mother said. Nick looked at his mother with a puzzled look on his face before telling her about Neil. She listened to everything, but Nick didn't tell her about what had happened with Non moments ago.
...
After leaving the steakhouse, Neil didn't go see Day at the hospital. He went back to the condo, instead. He sat and drank alone while thinking to himself. Neil tried to call Nick, but he was not able to reach him. Neil assumed that Nick's father had taken his phone. Neil was used to dealing with this alone. He didn't want to vent to his friends or disturb them. Everyone was dealing with their own problems. Neil continued to drink alone in the dark, feeling very lonely without Nick around.
Ring... Ring... Ring...
Neil's phone rings. The tall figure quickly picked his phone up to look at it because he thought it was Nick. He was surprised to see a strange number on his phone. The tall man immediately answers the call.
"Hello," Neil answered.
"Yes... that's me..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next day...
Nick stared up at the ceiling with red and swollen eyes from crying all night. Nick didn't think he would be facing the same problems as his friend, Brick. But it's a little harder when you know what your brother is thinking and hoping for. Last night, after Nick's mom left Nick's bedroom, Non took the look and locked the door from the outside to prevent Nick from going out to see Neil. Non unlocked the door, the next morning, but he kept Nick in the house just like his father had ordered.
Knock... Knock...
There was a knock on the door as it opened. Nick turned to look before.
quickly sitting up, not wanting to risk lying on the bed while he was alone with his brother.
"What are you afraid?" Non asked in a low voice when he saw Nick's expression.
"..." Nick didn't say anything in response.
"Why didn't you eat?" Non asked sternly when he saw that the food Nick's mother had brought into the room had not been touched at all.
"I'm not hungry," Nick replied dryly.
"Are you being sarcastic, Nick," Non said in a stern voice.
"I'm not being sarcastic, but I can't eat! Let me go, Non. I miss Neil," Nick said, causing Non to grit his teeth.
"I have already told you that I won't allow you to belong to someone else. Eat rice before father finds out and gets angry again," Non said before walking away. Nick would only look at the food before letting out a sigh. He was a little embarrassed too. He wouldn't be able to eat anyways. Nick's mother and sister took turns coming up to see Nick and talk to him to make him more comfortable. That didn't stop Nick from missing Neil.
Nick wanted to know what Neil was doing right now. Is he worried about Nick? As for Non, he came in periodically to kiss Nick. It was inconvenient to do anything else because Nick's mother came in so often to see Nick. All he could do was hug, kiss, and touch Nick while he was reluctant and struggled every time. He wanted to tell others in the house, but he didn't think anyone would believe him. Non was their father's beloved son. He always acted like a saint in front of everyone.
"Nick... do you miss Neil?" Nick's mother asked as she came up to check on her son again in the early evening.
"Yes... Mom... Can you help me? I want to go see Neil?" Nick asked his mother.
"How can I help you with Non sitting here watching you the whole time?" Nick's mother said.
"Mom, try asking Non to do anything, or distract him so that I can find a way to escape," Nick said what he wanted to his mother.
"Nick... and where do you think you are going to run off too? If you run away, what will you do next? Dad and Non will just go and bring you back here anyway," Nick's mother said. Nick's face darkened when he heard this.
"And what would you have me do? I can't think of anything else. I can't even contact Neil," Nick said in a low voice.
"Don't worry. I've contacted him," Nick's mother said. Nick's eyes widened in anticipation.
"Mom... What do you mean? How did you contact him?" Nick asked, in shock. Nick's mother turned to look at the door.
"Don't ask too much. Wait until midnight tonight. Open the balcony door. He can help you with this. Talk to him and figure out how to handle this matter," Nick's mother said in a low voice.
"Mom... why?" Nick didn't understand why his mother was helping him.
"I don't want you to suffer, but please don't run away from your problems, Nick. You must face them head on. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Nick's mother said again. The think figure looked at his mother with tears in his eyes.
"Yes... I won't run away," Nick promised.
"Mom, I love you so much. Thank you very much," Nick hugged his mother lovingly while thinking to himself. Nick's mother and sister have always given him love, but Nick craves the love of his father too. He acted the way he did because he thought it would be better to fill the void, thinking his mother and younger sister's love would be enough.
After talking to Nick, his mother left the room. Non came and locked the door again. Nick walked over to the balcony door. His heart raced when he found out Neil was coming to him tonight. In fact, Nick even thought about jumping from the balcony. But when his mother told him to face his problems head on, he gave up on that idea.
Clack!
Nick's bedroom door opens. The small figure turns to look. His face tenses when he saw Non walking in.
"Your face is getting better, but what is wrong with you?" Non asked.
"What do you want, Non? Why did you come into my room?" Nick asked calmly.
"It's just your bedroom. Do I have to have a reason to enter?" Non asked in a deep voice.
"Yes," Nick replied. Non looked at Nick from head to toe before licking his lips.
"Nick, if you want to say something, just say it. I talked to our father. He saw that he would send us to study abroad, allowing me to be in control. Father has opened a factory in the US. So, I took this opportunity to ask father if I could take you with me," Non said. Nick immediately turned to look at his brother's face.
"I'm not going!! I'll stay here," Nick argued back.
"So stubborn. You can't upset father anyway. I'm just here to tell you this. Go to sleep now," Non said before walking away, leaving Nick to sit and stress alone. Nick sat and watched the clock, hoping it would be midnight soon. Nick hasn't unlocked the balcony door yet. He intended to wait until Neil got here. Then he would slowly walk over and open it. He drifted off into sleep while he waited.
"Ugh... ugh," the small figure, with his eyes closed, felt a burning sensation on his stomach. He slowly opened his eyes.
"P'... Non!! ...let go," Nick struggled when he saw his half-brother straddling his flat stomach. Non quickly slides up and pins Nick's arms before gagging his mouth with a cloth to prevent Nick from screaming out.
"Ugh," Nick let out a groan. His heart was beating fast when Non went down and tucked his face in the crook of his neck.
"This is the only way for Nick to obey me. Then, you will belong to me alone. Don't be angry with me. I'm a good man. I love you, Nick. That's why I must do this," Non said in a hoarse voice. Nick shook his head as a strong hand ran across his waist. Tears filled Nick's eyes as he looked at the clock and saw it was midnight on the dot.
"Ugh," Nick was startled when he felt a sharp pain when Non bit into the crook of his white neck. Nick didn't think his half-brother would touch him like this. Nick desperately tries to struggle to buy some time for someone to come help him. Nick looked out on the balcony to see the person he had been waiting for climbing onto the balcony. He was standing there, but Non didn't see him because he was too obsessed with Nick's body.
"Oh, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Neil, who could see inside the room because of the lights, clenched his fists.
Rattle... Rattle...
Neil tries to open the balcony door. This startles Non. He immediately turns to look.
"Neil," Non gritted his teeth before looking at Nick in anger.
"How did you get here him? Were you planning on leaving?" Non asked angrily. Nick looked at Non with trembling eyes. Non smiled, turning to Neil.
"Come on, then. This is good. Please, stand and watch me and Nick be happy together," Non said before continuing to lean down to snuggle up with Nick. Neil felt himself growing furious as he watched the sight in front of him. It was the image of Nick snuggling with another man, but he wasn't reciprocating.
Wham! Wham!
Neil kicked the glass balcony door, causing it to shake the whole door.
"Shut up!! Let go of my wife, now!!" He was here because Nick's mother set up a time for him to meet with Nick. She prepared the ladder for him to easily approach her son without having to go through the house. Tonight, Nick and Non's father went to sleep at their smaller house next to the main house and left Non to keep an eye on Nick.
Smash!!
Neil threw a pot of plants at the balcony window, breaking the glass, before stepping inside to help Nick.
"You're dead, you bastard!" Neil shouted before yanking Non off Nick.
Smack!!
Neil punched Non in the face, causing Non to fall backwards. Neil went straight for him again. Non was able to gain his balance and immediately rushed towards Neil. They both exchanged punches around the room as stuff scattered around the room.
"Stop!! P'... Non, don't hurt Neil," Nick, who had removed the gag from his mouth, shouted as he tried to stop them from fighting. He was knocked down and fell to the floor.
"What happened, Nick! Open the door for Papa, right now," There was banging and yelling outside of the room, causing Nick to immediately get up and open the door that Non had locked.
"Come quickly... Mom... help Neil," Nick leaned over and hugged his mother, but his father went straight in and yanked Neil up. He slapped him hard on his face.
Phew!
"How did you get in here? How dare you hurt my son?" Nick's father snapped loudly. Nick's eyes widened when he saw his father slap Neil. He immediately ran away from his mother to hug Neil.
"Damn it... Why did you slap Neil!!" Nick yelled at his father.
"He's hurting your brother, Nick!!" Nick's father said loudly. Nick looked at Non with resentment in his eyes.
"But that bastard hurt Nick, first!!" Neil snapped back, pointing at Non.
"No, father, I heard a strange noise and came up to see Nick. I saw him in here when I entered Nick's room, so I had to stop him," Non said. Nick was stunned when he heard this.
"P No, you're lying!! Stop!" Nick shouted.
"You're going to side with this guy, Nick??" Nick's father said out loud. Nick looked at his father with disappointment in his eyes.
"Humph... Papa, you always listen to P' Non. Have you ever thought about listening to me?" Nick hugged Neil tightly. Non went straight over and pulled Nick, but he was stopped by Neil.
"Never touch Nick again unless you want to die. I don't care if you are Nick's father, brother, or whoever," Neil shouted impatiently.
"What- You really want to go to jail, don't you?!!" Nick's father snapped back, but he was shocked to hear Neil yell like that.
"If you want to call the police, call them. I'm willing to go to jail, but I'm going to drag this bastard with me," Neil said sternly, while staring into Non's eyes with furious eyes.
"What happened... Neil... Nick, Non, tell me. What happened?" Nick's mother asked eagerly.
"Nothing..." Non said.
"Huh... P' Non tried to sexually assault Nick," Neil decided to say out loud, causing Nick's parents to turn to look at Non who was standing with a pale face.
"That's not true, Father. It's not true, Mae Lek. I was only here to help Nick," Non quickly tries to make excuses.
"You fell in love with Nick to the point of lying about his brother?" Nick's father still believed his eldest son.
"Neil isn't lying. Damn it... Nick is telling the truth. When are you going to listen to me?" Neil wailed with tears running down his face.
Smack!!
A slap sounded, causing everyone to freeze when Nick's mother slapped Non on the face.
"Mae... Mae Lek," Non called out Nick's mother in a faint voice.
"Why did you hit Non?!" Nick's father asked in shock.
"Our son deserves a slap, sir," another girl's voice came out, causing Non to lose more face than before.
"Mae Yai," Nick calls to another woman in a low voice because Non's mother, Nick's father's ex-wife. She normally doesn't ever come to this house often.
"What are you doing here?" Nick's father asked.
"A servant came to tell me what was going on. She heard the noise. I came out to see for myself. I heard everything. Non, I didn't think you would do something like this," his mother said in a stern voice.
"But Non didn't do anything," Nick's father argued back.
"You're siding with Chao Non? Have you ever really cared about your other son? Have you even noticed what happened to your own child? I never said anything. I allowed his mother to live here with you for you to be together. I allowed her to keep her son here with our two children, all for you, but you can't even accept all your children. You're biased," she said again.
"Non did nothing wrong," Nick's father still urged until he saw Non's mother turn to look at her son's face.
"Non, will you confess, or are you going to let me say it? You will tell them you have been lying. You're still going to say it's not true, right?" Non's mother said in a stern voice. Non didn't know what to say.
"What's wrong with you, Non?" Nick and Non's father asked curiously.
...
"I love Nick, father," Non said in a low voice.
"That's right. You love your younger brother. What is wrong with that?" said the father.
"But I don't love him like a brother. Do you understand? ...I love Nick like a lover... but this guy came and took Nick away from me," Non looked at Neil with angry eyes. Nick's father was stunned when he heard this.
"Is it... True?" Nick's father's voice came out unexpectedly.
"It's true. I didn't think it was like that either. If I didn't go into Non's room, I probably wouldn't have known how much Non thinks about Nick. In Non's room, there are only pictures of Nick. At first, I didn't pay much attention because I thought Non had only liked him from afar, but not like this. I didn't think Non would hurt Nick," Non's mother said. Non collapsed to his knees, on the floor, with tears streaming down his cheeks. Nick sobbed while looking at everyone, including Neil.
"I, myself, just noticed it today. Non went into the room and molested Nick several times. Non didn't lock the door each time he went into the room. As for why Neil is here, I called Neil to have him come to Nick himself," Nick's mother said. Nick's father collapsed into a chair, feeling numb over the whole incident.
"I... I'm sorry, Father... I'm sorry," Non crawled over and hugged his father's leg. His tears didn't do anything for his father right now. He turned to look at Nick. He turned to flee into Neil's strong arms.
"All this time... I've been doing everything wrong, all this time. I wanted Nick to be just like Non. Studying. Working. I just didn't want to give anyone a reason to say anything insulting about my two sons," Nick's father said in a low voice.
"Papa, they are not the same... It's true that you want your children to be equal, but you forget they are not the same person. Different people live different lives and have differences. Instead of forcing him to do what you want, wouldn't you be better off supporting and encouraging him to do what he's not doing?" Neil said when he finally had the opportunity to speak. Nick's father was silent because he was feeling guilty over all the times he had never listened to Nick's reasons or needs. He should have waited for him to follow the path he had for him. When Nick strayed away from what he wanted him to do, he was angry and always argued with him.
"Then what should I do?" Nick's father said weakly, not knowing how to deal with the problem. It hurts every time he sees Non hugging his leg and crying. He also regrets that he couldn't stand up to give his other son a hug.
"Mae Lek, let's make this decision for him," Non's mother said.
"Thank you," Nick's mother said before turning to look at her husband.
"Khun, how about you let Non work in America, but agreed to let him go alone. Non, your mother knows how difficult it is to cut off feelings for someone you love, but your mother knew this was something you have to do. Over time and with being apart, these feelings will be forgotten. As for Nick, Neil, can you make me a promise that you will take good care of Nick?" Nick's mother said.
"Yes... you don't have to make me promise because I will do this for him," Neil said in a serious tone. Nick's mother smiles a little.
"Good... can you let Nick go live with Neil and let Neil take care of him?" Nick's mother said. Non bit his lip to suppress the pain he felt inside his heart. His father's eyes grew wide.
"If we send Chao Non to a foreign country, and Nick to live somewhere else, who will be left in our house?" Nick's father said back.
"What about me, father?" Nick's sister said quietly as she stood and watched the whole event.
"Yes, Nan and I will still be here. You don't be in this house alone," Nick's mother said, leaving his father speechless.
"It's a good idea. You can agree with what was said. Non is going home with me," Non's mother said before gently pulling her son's arm to stand. Non looked up at Nick with genuine guilt and pain on his face as he saw Nick hugging Neil tightly. Non followed his mother back home.
"Neil, take Nick back. You can go. I'll take care of everything else," Nick's mother said again.
"Wait," Nick's father said, causing his son and Neil to freeze.
"Will you come home to visit sometime?" Nick's father asked. Nick bit his lip slightly while looking up at Neil.
"I'll bring him over here often," Neil replied, leading Nick to the door.
"I... I'm sorry... I love you, Nick," Nick's father said, causing Nick to stop and start crying once more. Neil took him out to his car that was parked outside the fence.
Neil was only able to enter the house because Nick's mom had father the gate open for him. Nick sits and cries the whole car ride back to the condo. When Neil brought him to his room, Nick was still sobbing.
"Stop crying, now... everything is okay now, don't you see?" Neil said in a deep voice.
"Why... ahh... am I like this?" Nick said, sobbing.
"Like what?" Neil asked suspiciously.
"Well... well... uhh... I thought you'd be the one to sort it all out and put an end to it all, but in the end, it was Non and my mother who did. Well... eh... why didn't you try to be the hero?" Nick yelled out, making Neil angry.
"Damn it, shorty... is that what you were expecting? Have you been reading too many romance novels? Do you think I want to be a hero? I just so happened to save you in time. That doesn't make me a hero," Neil said. Nick smiled through his tears.
"Hehe... I'm just teasing you to see your reaction. Just know, no matter what, I will always be with you and will never leave you. I'm so happy," Nick said in a trembling voice while hugging Neil tightly. Neil hugged Nick back while rocking him back and forth.
"Do you know how stressed out you had me? At first, I almost grabbed you and took you back to England with me, but your mom called me just in time. She taught me the importance of facing a problem, head on and not to run away. So, I decided I would fight for you. I would do anything to make your dad accept me, but it ended so easily that I felt overwhelmed," Neil said with a smile. Nick looked up at Neil.
"I want to know, why did you not just give up on me?" Nick asked, his heart pounding in anticipation. Neil smiled slightly.
...
"Because I already knew... how much I love you, Nick," Neil said, causing Nick to stand still. Tears streamed down his face, but he wasn't sad.
"W-w-what? Can you tell me again... I... uh... I want to hear it again," Nick asked again. Neil put his face close to Nick's ear.
"I said I... love... you... I love you, Nick. Only you," Neil said. Nick smiled through tears.
"I love you too, Neil. Only you. Forever," Nick said back as they embraced each other. The bad things they have gone through could not compare to the happiness they brought each other. Neil and Nick were both convinced that the person they were embracing was their last lover and would be forever.
END (Special Chapter Nick & Neil)