3rd

"Look, Ice, I know he did it-"

"But you just can't prove it?" Ice asked while yawning, clearly bored and tired of hearing Solar go on and on about this investigation that seems to be going nowhere.

"Yes! I know he did it! Thorn would never just suddenly disappear like that without telling me, we've been best friends since we were like two years old and we have always told each other everything! He hasn't showed up to work for the last week, he missed our weekly wine and dine chat which he has never missed, and when I went looking for him that snake had the audacity to tell me he was 'away'!" Solar rambled heatedly, clearly entirely convinced that there had been some foul play involved in Thorn's mysterious disappearance as he said the last part with heavy air quotes.

"But Fang? Killing Thorn? Don't be ridiculous, Sol," Ice sighed.

"I have evidence that he did it, it's just not conclusive enough for the police, apparently…" Solar trailed off, remembering the last conversation he and Thorn had together.

"Sol, I think Fang is cheating on me," Thorn whispered shakily to his best friend, his constant, his rock as they shared a meal together at a small pasta shop, a favorite of theirs they kept going back to for their weekly tête-à-têtes*.

Ever since they became adults with jobs, two friends have always shared dinner every Tuesday evening, stretching back a decade of their friendship. Normally, they contented themselves with engaging in some small talk about their day, occasionally celebrating good news like a promotion, or the fact that Solar's mother, who was like a second mother to Thorn, was able to win her battle against tuberculosis. It was almost sacred for them; with both Solar and Thorn having no qualms canceling appointments and rearranging schedules so that they could always meet up and enjoy the night together somewhere, preferably with a glass of wine in each of their hands as they chatted about their lives and enjoyed each other's presence.

However, today was different. Thorn seemed off; he was anxious and fidgety, two emotions that in the twenty-six years they knew each other Solar has never once witnessed in his normally soft, innocent, and naïve (even into their twenties) best friend. Deciding that he would prod around and try to find out what, or who, was causing Thorn such distress that it was overtly displayed in all his little subconscious movements.

Solar wasn't as prepared for the answer as he thought he was going to be. He choked on his Pinot Noir as soon as the confession exited Thorn's mouth, the deep violet liquid causing a cold burning sensation in his throat and in the back of his nose forcing a cough out of him as he tried to process Thorn's claim.

"W-What? What do you mean, Fang is cheating on you?" Solar spluttered out, still coughing in an attempt to rid his throat of the persistent, uncomfortable heat.

"Well, he's been really weird lately," Thorn started, tearing up slightly. "When I wanted to kiss him a few days ago, he pushed me away, which I thought was really odd, so I just kissed him anyway. I tasted Merlot on his lips, Solar! I never drink Merlot!"
"But-"

"I know what you're going to say, 'maybe he just had dinner with a friend or went to a corporate party or something', right? I thought so too, but then I licked my lips and tasted chapstick! There was chapstick on his lips! He doesn't own any chapstick, Sol! When I couldn't get any more suspicious, I noticed something else, you know. I saw acrylic fingernail marks on his hands! He's been holding some bitch's hands!" Thorn wailed, his already trembling voice devolving into sobs as he continued to speak about his boyfriend of four years.

Solar was shocked. Has Thorn always been so observant? He was secretly proud of his best friend's analysis, but now was not the time to point it out. Solar got out of his seat opposite to Thorn and changed over to the seat beside him, holding him in a gentle embrace as the man next to him wept over the all but confirmed fact that his boyfriend, who he was hoping to possibly marry one day, was having an adulterous relationship behind his back.

"That motherfucker. I'm going to get his ass for this," Solar mumbled to Thorn, trying to comfort his best friend.

"No, Sol. I need to confront him myself, this is my relationship, not yours," Thorn replied with determination, his crying fading off into sniffling as forest green eyes filled with sadness were replaced with bright pools of acid, laced with poison and resentment.

"If you want to. Remember I'll be with you, come hell or high water,"

"Come hell or high water," Thorn agreed.

The two best friends finished their dinner, unaware of fate's plan to have this be the last time they would see each other.

"So?" Ice questioned, not understanding the point of Solar recounting this narrative to him.

"So?!" Solar roared. "Ice, I've always known that you were a callous prick but could you please use your brain!"

This earned Solar a trademark "tch" from the man clad in arctic blue, which only served to infuriate Solar more.

"Isn't it obvious, Ice? Obviously, Fang killed him after that confrontation in favor of his mistress! It's that bitch, Ying, that he's cheating with," Solar snarled out.

"You don't even have evidence that he died!"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? THE FACT THAT THORN DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR DINNER TWO NIGHTS AGO IS PROOF HE'S DEAD!" Solar bellowed, frustrated at his private investigator friend's levelheadedness and pragmatic attitude. He had every reason to believe that his best friend was murdered in cold blood by that raven-haired bastard and he was not going to let it go. He was never letting it go for as long as he lived.

"Okay." Ice breathed in, realizing that he was getting nowhere with trying to convince Solar to get over it. "What evidence do you have that Fang did it?"

"YOU MOTHERF—" Solar was clearly prepared to fire a string of abuse at Ice before he processed what the private investigator asked him. "Wait, you believe me?" he asked as his fury was replaced with shock, incredulousness painted across his face.

"Of course not," Ice said matter-of-factly, which earned him a glare from the man wearing white and gray sitting before him. "But since you're obviously not going to fuck off and leave me be, I'll humor you. Let's say, hypothetically, that Thorn is dead. How do you know Fang did it?"

"Well…"

Thorn didn't show up for dinner tonight, which was extremely odd of him; he was always the one on time to all their dinners for the last decade, unlike Solar who was admittedly a few minutes late on occasion.

"Maybe I'm just anxious because it's the first time he's late to one of these," Solar mumbled to himself in an effort to calm himself down.

Ten minutes passed, and Solar grew nervous, his breathing became heavy as he worried about Thorn's whereabouts.

Twenty minutes passed, and Solar became anxious. Even when he was late, he was never more than fifteen minutes late, and he was possibly the most disorganized person on the planet.

Twenty minutes became thirty, and Solar quickly punched Thorn's number into his phone, preparing to give him an earful for not telling Solar that he'd be late or that he didn't want to come tonight for some reason.

Beep. Beep.

Solar began to hyperventilate, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to contact Thorn.

Beep. Beep.

"Come on, pick up the phone…" Solar murmured.

Beep. "The number you tried to contact does not exist. Please check if you entered the correct number and try again," the prerecorded female voice told him before the call ended and all he could hear was an irritating blaring noise.

"Fuck, Thorn, where are you? I'm going to go look for you."

Solar parked his car in front of the mansion that Fang owned and Thorn had moved into a few years ago. He stepped out and smashed the intercom button beside the gate, anxiously waiting for the owner so he could question him.

"Solar? What the hell are you doing here at 9? Whatever, come in," Fang's voice rang through the intercom before he hung up. The automated gate swung open soon after, allowing Solar entry onto the estate. He dashed through the garden and towards the door, unable to wait a second longer for answers about Thorn.

After about five minutes, a partially clothed raven-haired man of about thirty years walked out, his arms crossed over his bare chest and his expression one of impatience. Fang raised an eyebrow, prompting Solar to speak.

"Fang, have you seen Thorn anywhere?" Solar asked the man with the purple glasses.

"No, he's been away all day, what's wrong?" Fang replied, the concern in his voice audible. "Doesn't he usually have dinner with you today?"

"He does, and he didn't show up; I have no clue where he is! I don't think he's showed up to work either!"

"Well, I have no idea, as I said. Is there anything else you want to ask me? Also, you need to be gentler with my intercom; I had to get the button replaced because of you,"

Solar stared into Fang's violet eyes for a second before shrugging.

"That's it, really. I'll be going. And no, your intercom deserved it," Solar replied, earning him an eyeroll from Fang.
"Night," Fang replied curtly.

"So… where's the evidence again?" Ice drawled, bored of hearing Solar's narrative.
"Be patient! I was just getting there!"

"Fang's pants had an odd-colored splotch on them…" Solar muttered, lost in thought.

Indeed, Fang's violet pajama shorts had a brown spot around the bottom rim where his ankle was. It seemed unintentional, as if the shorts had briefly touched a substance and was stained by it rather than part of its original design.

Solar strolled through the small garden that Thorn took care of in front of the villa, deciding to take a walk around the place that so strongly represented and reminded him of Thorn. Under the silver gleam of the moon, the garden was like a miniature forest; the flowers and shrubs glowed in the moonlight while simultaneously casting a dark shadow over all that lay underneath them, obscuring them view. Even in the darkness, the slightly perfumed fragrance of the flowers surrounding him was relaxing, almost dissolving the tension in his core at Thorn's sudden disappearance.

Solar wandered the garden, unknowingly being led by his feet to the pièce de résistance of the yard. It was a flower custom bred by Thorn; he was only ever able to make two seeds for it. One of the seeds was kept in a climate-controlled jar in his study, a gift for his twenty-fifth birthday from Thorn. He could vividly remember every word, every emotion, every expression that he and Thorn exchanged on the day he received the seed; it was one of the happiest moments of his life.

"This is for you," Thorn said, placing a small white seed in his hand.

"Uh… thanks?" Solar half-asked, confused. "What exactly is it?"
"It's the seed of a plant I custom bred; its flowers are a bright white and I was able to make them glow when in contact with sunlight or moonlight. I called it the Sun's Crown, because it reminded me of you," Thorn said, giggling.

"Wow…" Solar managed, speechless. The seed in his hand was now priceless to him, something that would forever remind him of their friendship. He gingerly placed the small seed into a paper packet Thorn offered him and slid the packet into his shirt pocket, before tackling Thorn with a hug, knocking him onto the sidewalk

"Ouch…" Thorn rubbed his head, complaining about the sudden tackle he was given by Solar.

"Oops. Sorry, hehe," Solar gave a small awkward laugh while scratching his head, offering Thorn a hand up.

"Thanks, Thorn; you always give the most meaningful presents," Solar said softly as he pulled Thorn into an embrace, a lone tear of happiness welling in his right eye, threatening to spill.

"You deserve it," replied Thorn simply, hugging Solar back.

'Now he's missing…'

As Thorn said it would, the Sun's Crown glinted like a silver pearl in the moon's gentle glow, its brilliance washing over its surroundings like a light bulb. However, he felt there was something off; something was wrong, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was.

Resorting to staring at the flower that represented his and Thorn's friendship, Solar recalled another memory from the day he got the seed.

"It should grow upright, since it's proud and arrogant like you are," Thorn teased, earning a slight blush out of Solar.

"I-I am NOT arrogant!" Solar hmphed, crossing his arms and turning away from his green and black clad best friend.

"You shouldn't deny it~" Thorn further teased, much to Solar's irritation.

"It should grow upright…"

It was then that Solar understood what his subconscious was telling him. As he observed closer, the solitary flower at the top of the stalk was very much not upright; instead, it leaned ever so slightly, pointing towards him. On instinct, Solar did a 180° spin, eyes following the direction the plant was pointing. The Sun's Crown pointed towards a small bush of flowers that were in a corner of the garden, in which an odd shape ever so slightly protruded out. The bush was one of camellias, their red color mirroring the sirens in his heart which pounded against his chest erratically as he quietly approached it, footfalls light in order to not alert Fang of his presence still on his property.

Gently parting the bushes to not make noise, he found two car tires crusted with an unknown substance which gave a bizarre, but familiar smell.

"It smells kind of like rust…" Solar mumbled.

However, as car tires are made of rubber, they weren't supposed to smell of rust at all. He sat there, arms still parting the bushes as he tried to interpret the scene before him.

'Unknown crusty substance + rusty smell = ?'

Realization struck Solar like a train as his mind was able to find the solution to the equation in his head.

'Crusty substance + rusty smell = dried blood'

He immediately felt around for more evidence that he could use to make a reach conclusive answer. While hastily searching the dark scene with only his sense of touch to guide him, something scraped the side of his hand, causing him to wince. But the object that scratched him felt nothing like a branch or a thorn. Instead, it felt… metallic? He reached back towards where he was scratched and waved his hand around until it came into contact with a small, cool, and flat object stuck in the tire. Stupidly using all of his strength, he pulled out the object but not without his arm smacking into a camellia branch, causing the plant to make a rattling noise as it shook. Solar held his breath, staring at the darkened villa window a few meters above him. Five seconds passed. Ten. Fifteen. As anticipated, the dim glow of a lamp flickering to life inside the villa popped into existence, signifying that the owner of the villa had indeed heard the disturbance and was coming to investigate.

"Shit!" Solar whisper-yelled to himself. If Fang noticed that his car was still outside, or if he got caught, he would surely get jailed for trespassing if Fang pressed charges against him. Solar rushed towards the exit, his mind no longer functioning as his body was being commanded instead by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Solar was unsure whether the sound was Fang's heavy footsteps treading down the staircase or his own racing heart which threatened to explode any minute, but he didn't care. He just needed to get the hell out of here. His legs worked at maximum capacity, sprinting through the garden at top speed. A split-second of elation washed over him as he spotted the lanterns that presided over the brick pillars that marked the entrance. Sadly, he had made one fatal miscalculation that made his blood run cold with dread. One that was so obvious that he couldn't believe he missed it.

The gate was locked.

*French for literally head-to-head, meaning conversation.