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"WHERE ARE MY TURTLES?!" Rak’s roar shook the corridors, startling everyone within earshot. His heavy stomps echoed like thunder, each step reverberating with his mounting frustration.
Endorsi looked up from where she was lounging, casually inspecting her nails. "What’s his problem now?" she muttered, feigning disinterest, though her sharp eyes followed the source of the commotion.
Shibisu leaned against the wall nearby, smirking as he casually tossed a snack into his mouth. “Apparently, Bam and Khun shoved him aside to go be alone.” His grin widened. “He’s taking it as well as you’d expect.”
“Shoved him aside?” Hatz sat up straighter, intrigued. “You’re telling me Khun and Bam, Khun and Bam, ditched Rak? That’s new.”
Rak stomped into view, his usual bravado tinged with something else. Hurt, perhaps, though it was hard to tell under the layers of his gruff exterior. “They betrayed me!” he bellowed, gesturing wildly. “Said they needed a moment! A moment from me! What could possibly be more important than spending time with their leader?”
Shibisu, ever the instigator, leaned closer to Endorsi, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Bam and Khun sneaking off alone? That’s definitely not just ‘strategy talk.’”
Endorsi’s frown deepened. The idea irked her more than she wanted to admit. "Whatever it is, it can’t be that important. Knowing Khun, he is probably trying to convince Bam not to follow a plan that may end up putting him in the mouth of the wolf” Her words were sharp, though they carried an edge of another thing, something harder to pin down. Jealousy, maybe. After all, Bam was her little lamb, she had claimed him a long time ago.
“Or,” Shibisu interjected, his tone turning playful, “maybe they’re plotting to overthrow Rak’s ‘leadership.’”
Rak huffed, his shoulders stiffening. “My turtles wouldn’t scheme against me!” he snapped, though the doubt in his voice was faintly audible. “They’re probably just… planning. Or talking. Or… something.”
"Or, Khun’s pulling strings again," Endorsi said, crossing her arms. "He’s manipulative like that. Always trying to keep Bam to himself."
Hatz, who had been silently observing from the side, finally spoke, his voice calm but tinged with amusement. “Whatever it is, they didn’t want Rak there. That’s weird, even for them.”
Rak bristled at the implication, his eyes narrowing. His betrayal now bordered on indignation, and after a long moment of fuming silence, he stomped his foot with enough force to make the floor tremble.
“Fine! If they’re hiding something, we’ll find out what!” Without waiting, he turned on his heel and marched off, his determination dragging the rest of the group in his wake.
With a huff, Endorsi trailed behind, her steps brisk and irritated. The thought of Khun, so annoyingly similar to herself, with his sharp wit and even sharper tongue, monopolising Bam’s attention gnawed at her. It wasn’t fair. Bam didn’t need anyone else like that. Not Khun, with his dumb cold exterior and calculating gaze.
The trail led them to the meeting room, where Rak claimed his so-called betrayal had taken place. The air seemed quieter here, the usual din of their chaotic lives muffled, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. The group exchanged glances, their earlier banter giving way to genuine curiosity. Endorsi pushed the door open a fraction, her irritation bubbling under the surface as she prepared to confront the two. But the sight that met her eyes made her stop short.
And there, bathed in the soft light streaming through the window, were Bam and Khun.
The two were curled together on the couch, wrapped in the kind of effortless intimacy that spoke of familiarity and trust. Bam lay nestled against Khun, his head tucked under Khun’s chin like a bird seeking shelter beneath the arch of a wing. One of his hands clung lightly to Khun’s shirt, as though even in sleep, he sought reassurance. Khun’s arm rested around Bam’s waist, holding him close, protective and secure. The usually sharp lines of Khun’s face had softened, his expression unguarded and serene in the stillness of their shared slumber.
For a long moment, the group stood frozen, the sight stealing the words from their lips. The quiet was heavy but not uncomfortable, like a secret shared between the two that no one else had the right to disturb.
Endorsi’s breath hitched. Her emotions were swirling in a confusing storm. Jealousy pricked at her chest, sharp and persistent. Of course Khun would worm his way into Bam’s trust like this. He was too much like her: clever, resourceful, and stubbornly loyal. But as she stared at the two of them, a warmth she couldn’t entirely deny began to creep in.
Bam looked… safe. The way he clung to Khun wasn’t just familiarity, it was a need for security, for comfort. And Khun, for all his infuriating qualities, gave that to him without hesitation.
Rak’s whisper broke the silence, though his usual bluster had melted away into disbelief. “They’re… they’re napping? Together?”
Shibisu’s jaw dropped slightly before a soft grin spread across his face. “I mean… look at them. They’re so comfortable, like they’ve done this a hundred times.”
“They probably have,” Hatz said quietly, his gaze lingering on the peaceful expressions of their friends. “And we just never noticed.”
Endorsi snapped, her irritation returning in full force as she tore her gaze away. But her voice lacked its usual bite. "What could you even know? Let’s just leave them."
"Really?" Shibisu raised a brow, incredulous. "I thought you’d—"
"I said let’s go," she hissed, spinning on her heel and striding away. The others exchanged glances before following her, Rak muttering something about "traitorous turtles" under his breath.
As they walked down the hall, Endorsi kept her eyes ahead, her steps brisk and purposeful. The image of Bam and Khun lingered in her mind, though, unshakable. As much as it stung to see Bam so close to someone else, she couldn’t deny what she had seen in that quiet moment: Bam wasn’t just attached to Khun, he needed him. Khun’s presence grounded him, gave him the peace he so rarely found in the chaos of their lives.
And if that’s what Bam needed, she would let it be. For now.