(**SA trigger warning**)

Consequences

"My head…" Niran groaned as he sat up, his memory fuzzy. Last thing he remembered, he and Bap were sitting at the table with his family while they tore into him relentlessly. He held a hand to his head, what happened after that? "Bap?"

He looked around, finally realizing he was not in his parents' home, but somewhere in some dark and desolate room with a metal cot and a window the size of his hand in the top corner of the room! He began to panic, "no, no, no!" This couldn't be happening! He stood and collapsed, immediately wincing in pain. His ankle… he looked down, it was injured?!

What in the world happened?

Tears began to fall from his eyes, he should have known this was a trap! He should have just listened to Bap… who he needed now more than ever! What even happened? He remembered them harassing him… then they told him he wasn't welcome… then he left, and that was when he told him he wasn't planning to go to the event.

He pat down his pants for his phone, he didn't have it on him, of course! Heavens, the thoughts that were probably going through his head! They were supposed to leave that morning… was it even the next day? How much time had passed? How long had he been out? Was he even still in Thailand?

He stood from the cold concrete floor as best he could on his injured ankle, looking up at the window in the corner. Even if he stood on the cot, he wouldn't be able to reach! With the color of the light that poured through the bars, he deduced it was at least early afternoon, if not late in the morning. To have gone this long without talking to Bap, surely, he was worried sick!

In times like these, Niran was glad he'd evolved enough to not need his kit for certain abilities. He threw down a pink platform in the shape of a flat lotus and stood on it with a limp, being raised up just enough to reach the window. He gripped the bars, "water?" Surrounded by deep blue, he barely saw a silhouette of land in the distance.

An unsettling pit sat in his stomach. He knew all too well where he was, but he didn't know about the man-made island off the coast of Chennai! It wasn't on the map, satellite or otherwise! As the timer on his platform ran out, he jumped down to the cot, forgetting that his ankle was hurt. What went down between seeing Bap off and now?!

He sat on the cot, rubbing his leg. He had to thank himself for the thin carbon fiber on his ankles and the bottoms of his feet. They served many purposes, but the most important one was the healing aspect. Over time, they output a small amount of heals to counter any injuries he may get during his skirmishes or in his day-to-day life. But how did he even get hurt, to begin with?

He racked his brain for the answers, trying his best to remember what happened. He remembered going back into the dining room… then his dad offered him some tea? After that, it gets fuzzy. He wiped the moisture from his face furiously, he had no right to be crying in a situation like this! He was the one who used their resources to create his biolight.

These were his consequences, and it was time for him to own up to his mistakes.

He curled up on the uncomfortable sheet of metal they called a bed, wishing for some miracle and Bap would come bursting through the doors to save him, but how realistic was that? How would he even know where he was? It was one thing to know he'd been finally captured, but how on earth would he know where he'd be held? He had no connections to Vishkar! And the fact that he was still alive only meant he had torture to look forward to.

He only saw a grim future ahead of him.

His stomach growled, how long had it been since he'd eaten? He still didn't know how many days it'd been, but his intuition told him it was only the next day, which he supposed was a good thing. And it was another good thing that Bap told him to leave his work at home.

"My samples!" He sat up with a gasp. He hadn't been able to care for them and make sure they got the proper sunlight, and he never got around to showing Bap exactly how to do it, either! All that hard work digging around in the dirt, for nothing!

Leave it to Niran to think about his plant samples at a time like this!

"It's not like I'll make it out of this alive anyway," he muttered. He was having a hard time coming to terms with his certain, upcoming death. He'd fought for his life before, but never in this way. How would they react when he refused to tell them anything? He'd tell them he didn't have any of his research with him, then they'd try and force his home location out of him. And when he refused that, what would they do then?

His mind ran rampant at the numerous things that could happen to him at any given moment. People were finicky. They had their good days and their bad ones. Who's to say the first person to enter that dark cell with him would be in a pleasant mood? Who's to say the one after wasn't a sadist? All he knew was he was trapped without a way out, and all he could think about was his knight in shining armor. "Oh, Bap…" Tears welled in his eyes again. "Please… come find me."

At that moment, he heard laughter outside of the door and his stomach dropped. He was completely defenseless without his glove! Sure, he could fight his way out, but he wasn't strong like Bap! He hated this! He hated feeling scared and helpless! How embarrassing! He nearly jumped out of his skin when the large steel door opened, and an older man walked in with a malicious smile on his face. He was done for.

"Looks like you're finally awake." The man eyed the so-called scientist. So, this was the one who stole from the company and fled? How cooperative would he be? He shut and locked the door behind him before approaching the prisoner. He was a tall, but tiny thing, with muscles that most likely didn't get any use. "What a coward." He was just hugging his knees on the cot, refusing to look at him.

"Won't speak?" The man already knew this was going to be no easy task, and he was prepared to pull out all of his wild cards. All of them. He grabbed him by the ankles and yanked him off the bed and to the floor, tightening his grip when he tried to kick his way free. Ah, so he wasn't completely weak. "How's the ankle?" The man grinned. "I thought I'd start you off while you were knocked out."

At this point, Niran didn't want him to know about his self-healing abilities. The less they knew about him, the better, and that's why he vowed to himself he'd keep his mouth shut, even if it meant death. The best he could do was try to kick himself free as the man pulled him to the floor.

"Now," the man crouched, just about eye level with the scientist. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Your choice." He stared down at him, getting more and more annoyed with his silence. "I'm in a pretty decent mood today, so let's try the easy way first."

The man grabbed him by white hair and dragged him over to the corner of the room as he tried his hardest to pry his fingers loose. "It's a good effort," the man tossed him completely to the floor and watched, amused as he scrambled to the corner and began hugging his knees again. What, did he think that was going to save him? "Let's start with your name. What is it?"

Niran glared up at the man, who was arguably bigger than he was and maybe even bigger than Bap. If he was going to end up killing him anyway, then he should just get it over with! He scoffed. "Seeing how you finally captured me, you must already know my name."

"So, you can speak," the man said before kicking him in his leg. "You've got a smart mouth. It's about time someone put you in your place!"

Niran winced, trying his hardest not to show any emotion. He refused to give him the satisfaction!

"The biolight," the man decided to just cut to the chase. This one was stubborn! "Where is it?"

"You might as well just kill me now," Niran said strongly. Even if he didn't make it out of this alive, he trusted Bap to carry out his work in Haiti. "I'll never tell you."

"As much as I'd like that," the man bent down and gripped his chin forcefully. "I can't kill you yet. Not until we have the biolight."

"Then I guess we'll be in here forever," Niran fought the urge to spit in his face, instead settling for jerking his head away.

"So naïve," the man yanked on his hair again, pulling his head back. He was a cute little thing. Perhaps he could get some other use out of him while he was here. "Everyone has their limits. You'll be beaten so badly that you'll wish you were dead."

He punched him in his face almost as hard as he could, satisfied at the cracking noise coming from his nose. "Niran, was it?" He asked, rubbing at the growing stiffness in his pants. Yeah, that look on his face was nice. It was the look of fierce determination.

Oh, God. Niran saw what was about to unfold for him and screwed his eyes shut. He could heal from his injuries, but this…? He already wished he were dead. "Get… the hell… away from me!" He used everything he had in him to shove the man back and down to the floor. He got up and looked around, why did he fight back? There was nowhere for him to go. Now his punishment was going to be even worse! He scurried over to the bed as the man chased him down.

"You're gonna regret that!" The man pounced, pinning him down and straddling his torso. How amusing it was that he flailed beneath him, trying his best to fight him off. He was stronger than he looked, but not strong enough! Wrapping his hands around his neck, he squeezed a bit, just enough to scare him… hopefully,

Niran coughed and choked for air, trying his might to pry the icy grip from around his neck with no luck. How shitty was this? He had a broken nose, was being choked—presumably not to death—and would probably be raped soon, when all he wanted to do was provide free medicine to those who couldn't afford it. Why was he being punished for being a good person?! All because he used some of Vishkar's resources?!

In the beginning stages of creation, had they offered him money for it, he possibly would have considered it, but they'd been nothing but aggressive and selfish from the start! He was right to flee, and he was right to keep it to himself!

But at what cost? At the cost of his body and mind? At the cost of his life?

Yes. The world deserved something good. Even if he had to be tortured to death for them to receive it.

He felt himself getting lightheaded and his energy dissipating, maybe he'd get to go without his body being defiled. Either way, this was the worst experience of his life.

"Where's all that energy?" The man sneered before seeing the life slowly starting to fade from his eyes. "Shit," he muttered, letting his neck go and undoing his pants. "Don't die on me just yet, I still gotta get some information from you!"

Niran could do nothing but watch in horror as the creep freed himself right in front of his face with evil intent. He held his breath and snapped his eyes shut; he reeked like body odor and sweat! He'd rather die than go through this!

"Come on, open wide," the man slapped it across his face a few times, getting even more aroused at his displeasure. Oh yeah, his face must be in a lot of pain. Oh, well. He grabbed his chin and used a thumb to pry his mouth open. "I said, open wide. No way a pretty thing like you doesn't know how to use your mouth—ouch!" The man hissed, yanking his hand back and shaking the pain away. Stupid twink bit him!

"You little bitch!" The man brought his fist across his face again, using his cry of pain as his opportunity to shove himself into his mouth. His head fell back as he met warm wetness, this was the stuff. "And you better not bite, either!"

Niran kicked his legs as he again choked out for air. It was hard to breathe through his nose after being punched in it twice, not to mention the dirty… thing that was being shoved down his throat! Tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his cheeks as the behemoth on top of him violated him hard enough to tear the corners of his mouth.

"I said no teeth!" The man grabbed his hair and yanked him off before slapping him in his face. Holding his face, he bent down. "Y'know, you're not that bad for a man!" He forced his way back into his mouth with a groan of relief. "And a pretty one at that."

Niran sobbed or tried to sob with girth thrusting into his mouth. This was awful. He could deal with the verbal and physical abuse, but he couldn't deal with this. His body was a well-taken-care-of temple, for Bap only, and now it's been desecrated by the likes of scum! Even if he did make it out of this alive, he'd have some serious trauma to work through.

And when he felt that warm, salty liquid shoot down his throat, his eyes widened with disgust, unable to stop his initial reaction to bite down. The man bellowed in pain as he yanked himself out of his mouth and went down to strangle him again, this time much harder than the last.

"Little faggot!" The man socked him in the face again and went back to choking the life out of him. "I told you not to do it, and you did it anyway?! How's about I bring you to the brink of death and let you sit there?!" He squeezed his neck as hard as he could, an evil smirk playing on his lips as he gurgled on his semen. "Yeah, choke. Like the slut that you are."

It wasn't until he blacked out that he let him go, making sure he was still breathing before climbing off his body. He rubbed his now sore groin, he was going to pay for that! He dragged his eyes along the limp body lying on the cot. Perhaps he'd come back and try out that ass of his. Eventually, he'd cave and give him what he wanted.

The biolight.

"Gotta keep you alive," he muttered, tucking himself back into his pants. He'd drop off his daily meal, just enough to keep him up and running, and then torture him some more. But for now, he needed to make sure this fucker didn't do serious damage with those teeth of his!

Niran didn't even want to wake up, but the piercing hunger forced his eyes open. He'd lost count of how many tears had fallen and how much time had passed, though with the fresh pain in his face, it could've only been a short period of time after his assault.

He sat up with a quiet whine, feeling his face for injuries. His lips were split, his nose was broken, and he was certain he had a black eye or two, but after a few days, he should be all healed up… if he wasn't killed by then.

He gave a dry, painful cough; his throat was sore from before, and he had the worst taste in his mouth. His eyes zeroed in on the plastic tray of food on the floor in front of the door and scrambled over to it pathetically. Honestly, it looked more like slop than food, but it was better than nothing, he guessed. At least they were nice enough to leave him a minuscule amount of water to drink.

They were literally doing the bare minimum to keep him alive.

He leaned against the wall and forced down the "food", washing it down with an unsatisfactory amount of water. Should he just kill himself? That sounded the most reasonable, right? That way, he wouldn't be subjected to any more torture, and they'd be out of luck in terms of getting his biolight. But… what would Bap do? How would he react once he found out his partner in crime was dead? Surely, by now, he must've known he'd been taken. And if he knew that, he was probably going through hell trying to find out how to get to Chennai.

So, no. He couldn't kill himself. Not with Bap out there looking for him.

Bap. How he missed him desperately. More tears, unavoidable as he thought about just how nice it would be to be safe in his arms again. He never should have come here. He should have listened to his gut when it said not to. He should have listened to Bap when he told him it was a trap. And even if he didn't listen then, he should have left with him when his family started ragging on him. But no, he was stubborn and had to find things out on his own, so he had to face the consequences.

But even if Bap did come to rescue him, would things be the same between them? This was nothing to take lightly! This could take a toll on any relationship. How would they cope and work through this? Knowing him, he was either drinking his stress away or driving himself mad trying to come up with a solution… or both. He likely wasn't sleeping or eating… "poor Bap," Niran cried to himself. "I'm okay. I'm a big boy. I can handle myself."

But could he, though? If he could, he wouldn't be in this situation! God, he was such an idiot! He just knew when—if Bap was able to rescue him in time, he'd spend the rest of his days making it up to him.

A sudden bang on the door startled him and he curled into himself, the same asshole entering the depressing cell. How very worthless he felt, hiding like a little kid with no way to protect himself. He had no combat training; he was just a medic! At least Bap served some time in the Coalition and acquired even more skills working with Talon, which was way more than what Niran could say for himself. He was just a scientist! He was only here in this world to heal. He didn't really care to fight… at least not for his life!

"I see you're finally conscious again," the man stalked toward the coward on the floor, ready to dish out more punishment. "Wanna try this again?"

Niran looked away, refusing to concede.

"The biolight," the man bent down and grabbed him by his collar, nearly lifting him off the floor. "I know you weren't dumb enough to bring it, so where is it?" He found himself getting aroused again, something about this Thai femboy stirring up something in him he didn't know existed until now.

Niran didn't stop himself from spitting in his face this time, just to add insult to injury. Regardless, he was going to be beaten and probably molested again, he figured he might as well attempt to defend himself… if that's what he could call it.

The man recoiled as saliva made contact with his face and he let him go, wiping his cheek with his sleeve. "You little…" Sure, go ahead and give him a reason to try out that taught ass of his! He dragged him across the room by his hair and threw him on the cot, a hand on the back of his neck pressing his head down. "It's like you're begging for it."

Niran went into panic mode, immediately trying to protect himself by kicking himself free. No way this guy was going to take him without a fight! And when he kicked him back a few feet, he subconsciously tossed his petal down and clambered onto it as it raised him several feet in the air. "Crap," he said under his breath as the man was too stunned to speak. He wasn't trying to demonstrate his biolight to the enemy! Now, he was sure to want it more!

Not to mention the short time limit he had before it dissolved in thin air!

The man would have been angry, but to be shown a display of what biolight truly could do outside of healing people was extraordinary! The money Vishkar could get from this?! What else could this scientist do? He didn't have anything on his person, so the technology must have been embedded within him somehow. That only made the hunt ten times better!

He grinned with evil intent as the platform started dinging softly, something like that couldn't last forever, right? There was no way his was killing him any time soon, not knowing the biolight was within him! "Fancy digs you got there," the man said as the platform vanished and the scientist fell to his feet. He walked up to him and held him by the neck, slamming him against the wall. "I wonder what other tricks you have up your sleeve. Will you show me?"

"Just… kill… me…" Niran gasped out. Over his dead body, they'd get anything out of him!

"Oh, no." The man turned him around, keeping him against the wall as he felt up his body through his somewhat baggy clothes. He sure did have an ass on him. "Not with what I know now. I can't kill you!" He undid his pants, extremely grateful that the asshole didn't do any damage earlier. "I'll just use you until you give me what I want. Then I'll kill you."

"I'd rather just kill myself," Niran said into the concrete wall. Anything was better than this!

"Don't tell me you don't like this," the man grunted into his ear as he pulled down his pants. Fuck, this ass was just as nice as he thought it was. He hoped it'd feel even better. "All homos are the same. They like taking anything up their ass."

Niran cursed in Thai, this guy was too strong, too aggressive! What a nightmare! He'd never been in a situation like this! To get raped at the age that he was?! He'd never recover from this! Tears dampened his face again as he mentally screamed out for Bap, the man covering his mouth to muffle his noises while he worked himself free from those hideous pants.

"Shut up and take it. No one's coming for you," the man fondled his ass a bit with a hum. "A tight ass like this must get a lot of action. What's a little more?" Without warning, he shoved his entire length in with a loud groan, not caring that he tore his hole. This sensation was infinitely better than he imagined! To think, he'd try out his first twink in a situation like this! Surely, he'd acquired a taste for them now! "Holy fuck, this ass! It's so damn tight! Much tighter than a pussy!"

While the man was in heaven, Niran was in his own personal hell, being used and abused relentlessly. He couldn't do anything but sob, he was in so much pain! He was certain he was bleeding, and this fucker didn't give two craps! He thrust with no remorse, it was painfully obvious that it was his first time sticking it in a guy's butt!

He could only hope it ended soon.

But what would that matter? He'd only be getting a short break before he or someone else came in to rape him again. He was serious about wanting to kill himself. He didn't know if he could wait for Bap to rescue him. He couldn't take this. He physically couldn't handle this happening again, constantly.

Bap would understand, right? Once he learned about the heinous things he went through, he'd get it, no?

But how could he even do it? There was nothing in the room but a metal cot and a barred window. He guessed he could go without food or water, but his demise would take days. He wanted to go immediately.

"Such a pretty, obedient bitch," the man crooned, nearing his release. He was definitely coming back for more in a few hours!

"P-Please… s-stop this," Niran begged, pleading for him to gain a heart and stop this madness.

"Oh, yeah," the man shuddered. "Beg some more. I'm almost there…!" His thrusts got sporadic, and with a few more pumps, he met his apex. "Mmm, how's it feel to be my own personal cum dumpster?"

The man slid out of him and Niran crumbled to the floor, his consciousness slipping from him again. He couldn't even pull himself or his clothes together, but what did it matter? He'd only be discarded again later, like the trash that he felt like he was.

The man fixed himself while he watched the scientist lie on the floor, a sniffling, crying mess. "Oh, shut your mouth. It wasn't that bad! You should be used to this, anyway."

All Niran could do was reflect on his life and the decisions he made that led him to this point as the man left him alone again. He'd never recover from this.

"Niran!"

Niran was at his lowest point, and now he was even hearing Bap call out for him! Why would his mind play such tricks? He knew what was real, and that was the cell he was currently locked up in. Why would he willingly bring himself to consciousness knowing what lie ahead?

"…up, Bua!"

Okay, now this was getting freaky. It almost… sounded like he was in the cell with him! He was going to be truly disappointed if he woke up and he wasn't there to save him.

"Bondye, Bua! Tanpri!"

Niran forced open his eyes and couldn't even comprehend exactly what was going on yet before being held tightly by the one he needed the most. More tears fell as he timidly wrapped his arms around his savior. "Bap…?"

"I'm here, Bua." Bap pulled away and held his face, getting a good look at him. God. The abuse he suffered. "In the flesh." He took him into his arms again, holding him so carefully, so tenderly. "I'll take care of you, cher. Everything's going to be okay."

Niran just sobbed, holding onto him like his life depended on it. He didn't even care that he was in his gear and covered in blood, he was just so, so relieved that he came to save him.

"Vini la," Bap pulled him up and off the floor and held him steady. "We need to get out of here."

Niran would follow him to the ends of the Earth! Though, this did raise a few questions, like how was he able to find him in Chennai so quickly? How did he manage to get to him on the water?

As he walked through the corridors of the building he was kept in, he saw corpses, dead bodies littered throughout the halls! Oh, Bap… he looked over at his knight, a stoic look on his face as he led them through the nightmarish hallway. He must have tapped into his old mindset to rescue him!

He couldn't bring himself to speak. As much as he wanted to thank him over and over again, to tell him about the piece of shit that raped him, he just couldn't say anything. And by the looks of it, Bap couldn't really say much, either.

But what could he say? That he was upset for bringing him into this mess? God, what if Bap was really angry with him? Niran began to panic, who wouldn't be? To have to go and murder a bunch of people to save your lover when the situation could have been easily avoided? When he knew he hated being in that state of mind?

"Bap…"

"We've got a ways to go until we get to the airstrip," Bap didn't mean to cut him off, he just really wanted to get out of there and get him on the plane for… other reasons.

Niran knew it! Bap was upset with him! Why else would he respond so coldly? He held onto him tighter as they walked outside, a small boat ready and waiting for them to make a quick escape.

"I've got a car ready to take us to the plane when we get to the port," Bap said, helping him into the boat and wrapping a blanket around him. He hated seeing him like this!

Niran nodded before Bap started the engine and took off as fast as he could, and he couldn't help but notice they were actually passing a port, so why was he going to another one further out?

He didn't care. All that mattered was that he was free again, with the most important person in his life. While locked up in that cell, he did a lot of reflecting, and what he knew one hundred percent was that he wanted to marry him. And knowing that he plowed through hoards of men just to come to his rescue only intensified his need to be wed to him.

But damnit! He didn't know if he felt the same way! There was certainly a change in his energy! Although, this was a pretty intense situation to go through. How long would it take for them to recover?

Bap was extremely uneasy, for valid reasons, of course! Which was why he skipped the port they just passed and was going to another one. That way, they could take a ride alone to the airport and finally get back home and recover from this nightmare together.

Niran bundled more into himself as the salty sea air whipped around him. He needed a shower desperately. He could still taste that awful food and he could still feel the aftermath of what that man did to him. He was so tired. How could he properly thank Bap?

He spent the entire duration of the boat ride trying to figure it out, and most of the car ride to the airport trying to figure out how to apologize to him. He couldn't really tell what he was feeling if he were honest. He still had that stoic look on his face as he stared through the window, he was even keeping his distance! But why? He was probably just trying to give him space, but after what he just went through, space was the last thing he wanted!

He felt so much safer when he was in his arms.

"I…" Niran started, fidgeting nervously. "I'm sorry…"

Bap whipped his head to the side in surprise, he wasn't really thinking this was his fault, was he? He extended an arm and he was like a magnet, quickly attaching to him. "You have nothing to be sorry for." What else could he say? He had no idea how to handle this! He just knew he needed to be there for him now and forever and isolating him like this wasn't helping!

Niran hugged him tightly, feeling a little clingier than usual. He felt his eyelids getting heavier and he just wanted to sleep like this! He said he wasn't at fault, but if he didn't have this dying need to be liked and loved by his family, they wouldn't be in this situation! He'd carry this guilt for a long time.

After a thirty-minute ride, they finally arrived at the airport and Bap couldn't be any more relieved when he saw his friend's jet waiting for them. He scanned the area; did he really make it scot-free? Thank God. He looked down at a now sleeping Niran. He hated to disturb him from the rest he so clearly needed, but the less time they spent in that city, the better. He nudged him gently. "Bua, come on. We're at the plane."

Niran opened his eyes with a small gasp, still somewhat stuck in a fragile state. Quickly realizing he was safe, he looked up at a worried Bap.

"It's okay, cher," Bap kissed his forehead. "Let's go home. Lord knows we both need the peace." He offered a small smile and helped him out of the backseat and up the steps to the plane. "All of our luggage is already boarded. Let me pay the cab driver and get the itinerary from the pilot, and I'll be right there, dakò?"

"Okay," Niran didn't want to be apart from him for even one moment! He grabbed his wrist as he descended the steps. "Hurry, please?"

"Don't worry, cheri," Bap knew he'd be like this for the foreseeable future, and that was perfectly fine. He could just send his friend a quick text instead to let him know it was okay to take off. It wasn't like the flight plan was any different than the last. "I won't take long."

"Okay," Niran reluctantly let him go and got fully on the plane. He was planning to stretch out on the couch and sleep the entire time. His eyes zeroed in on an unfamiliar bag on the floor, tucked behind the couch and he ignored it, thinking it belonged to the pilot.

Bathroom, he needed a bathroom! At least he could wash his face and try to wipe himself down as best he could until they got to the comfort of their own home. And that he did, staring up into the mirror at his wet, abused face. How unattractive! He touched the corners of his mouth and hissed, the pain still fresh. And his bottom half hurt even worse! "Toothbrush," he mumbled to himself as he dug around his bag for it and a fresh change of clothes.

Baptiste heard him cleaning himself up in the small bathroom and knew he couldn't have been comfortable in there. When they got home, he'd draw him a nice bath and rub him down just how he liked it… if he'd let him.

Bap was no fool. He knew what went down in that cell of his, which was why he was giving him space to breathe, but it sort of seemed like he didn't want the space. If anything, he was a little clingier. And that was okay. He sat and waited for him to come out of the bathroom, happy that he looked even just five percent better than he did before he went in there. "Come."

Niran went into his arms with no hesitation, curling up on the couch tucked securely against him. Finally. He was close to being at peace again. He wasn't sure he'd get there anytime soon, but as long as Bap was by his side, he could conquer anything!

The plane started moving and Baptiste let out the biggest sigh of relief. Thank God he was getting out of this absolute nightmare! And to be honest, he didn't think it would go as smoothly as it did. He'd gotten nicked by a few flying bullets, but nothing a little adrenaline and bandages couldn't fix… which is actually what he needed to go tend to. He couldn't imagine what was going on under his gear!

After they were in the air, Niran fell into a deep sleep and Bap took that opportunity to get out of all his heavy equipment and clean himself up. And it wasn't until he finished that he saw a backpack that he didn't want to see. His blood ran cold, no fucking way this guy stowed away on this flight! It was very possible he accidentally left it, so he just kept his thoughts positive and went to hide it before Niran woke up and saw it.

"Bap…?" Niran woke up in a panic, where was he? He was just right here! He looked around and saw him in a new set of clothes.

"I'm here, cher. I didn't mean to scare you," Bap sat back down and let his lotus get comfortable against him again. "I won't ever leave your side. Never again."

Niran teared up, annoyed that he was even crying again. God, how could he call himself a man?

"Don't cry, Bua. Please?" Bap held his face as gently as he could, wiping tears from his pretty skin. His beautiful, injured face. He was so sad. They both were. "I'm here, okay? I promise."

"I'm sorry, I just…" Niran looked away, Bap had never seen him all sad and pitiful like this, so he was very embarrassed!

"Hey," Bap reached over, grabbing his bag. He knew just what would cheer him up! He opened it and pulled out the special case his lotus brought for his samples.

Niran's eyes grew, his samples! "You… saved them for me? But… how? I didn't teach you!"

"You underestimate how much I learn from you just by watching," Bap chuckled. It was really refreshing to see him smile. Finally. He watched him investigate the containers, and he could see on his face that he'd done a good job keeping them preserved. "How'd I do?"

"Thī̀rạk, they're perfect!" Niran threw his arms around him; he was so happy! The first thing he planned on doing when he got back was testing out these samples! But before he could say anything else, the door to the cockpit opened, distracting him.

"Sorry to interrupt," a burly voice said.

Niran assumed it was the pilot since he hadn't met him. Wiping his cheeks, he straightened up, putting on his best face. "Hi, sorry, no, you're fine. We were just talking!" But as soon as Niran looked back at Bap, he paused. Why was he so agitated?! "Dàalíng, you're clenching your jaw again!"

"Damnit!" Bap cursed, shooting out of his seat and facing the culprit. "Why the hell are you here?!"

"I had a feeling you were gonna skip the port I left you at and go straight to the plane, so I figured I could just meet you here," Mauga shrugged, playing innocent.

"I have half a mind to knock you out right now!" Bap fumed. Of course, this asshole would wait until the plane was already in the air to reveal himself! This was the last thing Niran needed!

"Bap…? Who is this?" Niran was more than confused, but he didn't have the energy to try and figure it out on his own.

"Oh, Baptiste didn't tell you about me? How hurtful!" Mauga sat on the other couch, giving the scientist a once over. By the looks of him, he knew exactly who got their grubby hands on him. He scoffed. He was who Baptiste risked his life for? Yeah, he had a pretty face, but that was about it!

"Cut the shit, Mauga." Bap immediately went back over to Niran, keeping him close.

"Looks like the mission was successful," Mauga snorted. As long as his hands were clean from it, it didn't really matter to him! He directed his attention to the scientist with a mischievous grin and extended a hand. "Mauga. And you must be Niran."

Niran nodded cautiously and shook his rather large hand. He had to have had some augmentation done to his body because there was no way someone could be that huge! "So, um…" Niran looked between him and Bap, who was pinching his brow in frustration. "How do you two know each other?"

"Bondye," Bap muttered. Why did he have to ask that?!

"What?" Niran looked at Bap in slight confusion, what was the problem?

"Your man and I used to be squadmates back when he worked for Talon," Mauga said nonchalantly. "That, plus a whole lot more."

Fuck, the cat's out of the bag now. Bap tightened his hold on Niran, who was slowly shutting down like he did when he was extremely upset. "Don't bring that up, asshole. Can't you see You're making it worse?!"

"God," Niran couldn't take this! First, he was kidnapped and abused, now Bap's ex was in the picture?! What in the world happened between them while he wasn't around?! He got up and shut himself in the bathroom. It was the only place he could be alone, away from… from… whatever that was out there!

What a nightmare.