Chapter Text
The shooting range smelled like metal, oil, and gunpowder—clean, sharp, controlled.
Nut liked it here.
It was one of the few places where the world shrank into something manageable. No politics. No gray morality. No people lying to his face while smiling. Just stance, breath, and the quiet truth of where a bullet landed.
For a month, he hadn't been allowed near a gun because of doctor's orders, Chelsea's threats and how Hong hovering like Nut might shatter if he moved too fast.
A month off the field felt longer than any injury ever had.
Then came the desk work. Weeks of paperwork, case reviews, strategy meetings. Necessary, but suffocating. Nut was good at planning, yes—but his body remembered motion. Remembered weight. Remember the steady reassurance of a firearm settling into his grip like it belonged there.
And now the gun rested in his hands again, solid, familiar.
His shoulder still carried the faint memory of pain if he thought about it too hard, but it didn't protest when he lifted his arms. That alone made his chest loosen, something close to relief slipping through him.
"Relax your shoulder," Est said calmly beside him.
Nut hadn't even realized he was tensing. Est stepped closer, professional and focused, adjusting Nut's stance with easy confidence. Fingers pressed briefly at Nut's upper arm, guiding rather than correcting. "You're guarding the injury without meaning to."
Nut exhaled slowly, deliberately. Rolled his shoulder once, feeling the joint settle back into alignment. The ache didn't flare.
He raised the gun again, aiming before the shot rang out—sharp, clean—and the target jumped.
Inner ring.
"There," Est said, approval is quiet but unmistakable. "That's your normal aim."
Nut lowered the gun slightly, breath steady. "Missed this."
"I know," Est replied. "You've been pacing like a caged animal for weeks."
Before Nut could respond, a voice echoed from behind them.
"Wow."
Both men turned.
William leaned casually against the divider, arms crossed, eyes bright with mischief. "Hot. Extremely hot. Est, are you still single?"
Nut huffed a laugh, lowering the gun fully this time. "You're going to get banned."
William grinned. "Worth it."
Est didn't even look at him at first, already lifting his own gun and stepping into the next lane. "You're disturbing us."
"I'm not," William said cheerfully. "Don't blame me if you miss the target."
Est fired.
Of course, Est is one of their best marksman, so no wonder that it hit perfect grouping, though it didn't stop William to made an impressed noise that was entirely too loud.
Nut shook his head, amused despite himself. He stepped back, letting Est run a short sequence, watching with a trained eye. Est was precise—no wasted movement, no dramatics. Efficient. Calm.
Dangerous, if anyone ever underestimated him.
William clearly did not.
Est finally turned, fixing William with a flat look that suggested he'd dealt with worse distractions than this. Then—without warning—he leaned in and pressed a quick, teasing kiss to William's cheek.
"There," Est said. "Shut up."
The effect was immediate, William froze completely, hand halfway to gesturing, mouth slightly open and his eyes wide like his brain had short-circuited.
Nut snorted, the sound escaping before he could stop it. "You two are unbearable."
William touch his cheek like it might combust, blinking once as he's still in trance.
Then twice.
"Did that just—"
"Yes," Est said calmly, already turning back to reload.
William stared after him, stunned and suspiciously quiet while Nut smiled to himself, chuckling lightly at how these two still acting like that, though maybe William is still a bit oblivious even when Est already tell that he likes him, or he's just scared to take the next step.
At this point, Nut decided to observe the drama
"NUT—!"
The screech cut through the range, sharp enough that every instinct Nut had left over from fieldwork snapped into place. He set the gun down immediately, fingers open, body turning before his mind fully caught up.
Sangt burst in like a human alarm system—hair half-tied, jacket slipping off one shoulder, phone clutched in her hand like evidence from a crime scene.
"HAVE YOU SEEN THE PHOTO?!"
Nut blinked, sighing.
"...Is this about Hong again?" he asked mildly, already bracing himself.
At this point, he'd accepted it as a fact of life: Sangt adored Hong. Fan-level adored. She asked for photos constantly—behind-the-scenes shots, candid smiles, screenshots from streams. Nut didn't mind. Mostly. There were just... categories.
Some photos were for public consumption.
Some were for Sangt.
And some were for Nut's eyes only.
Sangt gasped like he'd committed a personal betrayal. "OF COURSE IT IS."
Before Nut could even begin to ask what photo, the universe decided today wasn't chaotic enough.
"NUT—"
Tui came in at full speed and promptly crashed straight into Sangt.
There was a loud oof, a startled squeak, and the sound of two bodies colliding with zero spatial awareness while the existing people in there just stared and let it be. Sangt stumbled sideways; Tui bounced off her, then grabbed Nut's arm with both hands like he was clinging to a lifeline.
"Is it true?" Tui demanded, eyes wide, tragic, already assuming the worst. "Please tell me it's not true."
"What?" Nut started, exhaustion creeping in already.
Behind them, William had his phone out, filming openly. "This is already the best day I've had all week."
Est, meanwhile, calmly checked the gun load nearby, face neutral, posture relaxed—every sign saying he was ignoring them, which is a lit because they knew very well that Est is as nosy as everyone else after years of training with them.
Sangt reappeared in Nut's line of sight like a vengeful sprite and shoved her phone up toward his face. "THIS."
Even though it was intended for Nut, both William and Est leaned forward, curious as they peeked on Sangt's phone. The screen showed a crisp, professionally lit photo.
Hong stood there, posture polite, and a restrained smile. An actor stood beside him, shoulder brushing, hand hovering just shy of familiar, as Jun recognized him as one of the rising actor, Jim, a biracial who is well-known for his handsome and sharp features, which honestly triggered a small jealousy in Jun (but it died immediately after Dylan kiss him in front of Jim).
He thought that was enough to show off that Dylan is taken. But the caption below was worse that what he expected.
Heart emojis. Congratulations. Headlines screaming NEW COUPLE ANNOUNCED.
William sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh my god."
Est actually covered his mouth once he processed it. "That's... bold."
Nut didn't say anything.
His eye twitched.
He stared at the photo longer than he needed to. The angle. The timing. The calculated way it had been released—like someone had planned this, like they knew exactly what they were doing.
His mind betrayed him immediately.
Did something happen?
Did I miss something?
This morning, Hong kissed him goodbye—soft, lingering, entirely unguarded. They'd argued over breakfast about nothing, laughing, comfortable. Last night, they even had a mind-blowing sex to the point that Dylan can't technically walk and let Jun carry him around throughout the house before Jun went to work (also the fact that they do have a quickie at the kitchen)
There's no way Hong would leave him, right?
Nut cut that thought off sharply, jaw tightening.
"This is bullshit," Nut said flatly.
Just in time, the phone vibrated in his hand.
Chari.
The sound of her name on the screen grounded him just enough to answer without snapping the device in half.
He raised the phone to his ear, voice controlled to the point of danger, ignoring how everyone's attention is practically trying to eavesdropping his conversation with Chari, all leaning closer to Nut's phone. "What the hell happened?"
Chari sighed. It wasn't just tired—it was the kind of sigh that came from damage control already spiraling. "The actor posted it. He thought—" another sigh, heavier, edged with irritation, "—that if he went public, Hong would give him a chance."
Nut's grip tightened.
"We're at the company now," Chari continued. "Trying to contain it."
"Send me the location," he said.
There was no hesitation on Chari's end. "Already did."
The call ended as Nut didn't waste anytime. He grabbed his jacket, movements sharp, controlled only by years of discipline, and headed straight for the door as Sangt watched him go, eyes wide. "Oh. Oh no. He's doing the walk."
Tui swallowed. "That's the I'm about to ruin someone's life walk."
The door swung open before Nut could open it and he nearly ran straight into Chelsea and Acare.
Acare blinked, startled, then frowned. "Where are you going?"
Nut try not to scowled as he turned, heading out without looking. "To punch someone."
He left, a heartbeat of silence were left as everyone just stands there, until Chelsea's lips curled into a slow, delighted smile. "Give me ten seconds."
Sangt already grabbed her bag. "I'm coming."
"Obviously," Tui said, scrambling after them and even dragged Acare with him.
William hooked a finger around Est's wrist. "Road trip."
Est sighed, long-suffering, resigned. "I knew today would be chaotic."
Chelsea laughed as she followed Nut out, dangerous and amused. "Someone really chose violence today."
The shooting range was abandoned in seconds.
And somewhere across the city, someone had just made the worst miscalculation of their career.
Nut didn't remember the drive.
Only the feeling, white-hot and vibrating under his skin as the city blurred past and the steering wheel groaned under his grip. He parked like the laws of traffic were optional, the car crooked across two spaces, hazard lights still blinking when he shoved the door open.
"Nut—" Acare started, trying to at least calm him down, but he was already gone though. The lobby of the company was all glass and marble and corporate calm, the kind that pretended nothing bad ever happened inside. Nut stormed straight for the elevators, his team on his heels.
"Sir, you can't—" a guard stepped forward.
Est didn't even break the stride as he flashed his badge with practice ease. "Government agents." The guards froze, watching the team passed by to the elevator as William waved cheerfully as they passed. "Have a great day."
Sangt blew them a kiss. Tui nodded solemnly, like this was a funeral procession.
The elevator ride up was silent except for the hum of the cables and Nut's breathing—controlled, but only barely. His knee bounced. His jaw locked so tight it hurt.
The doors opened on a higher floor.
They didn't even need directions.
Voices echoed down the hallway—sharp, raised, overlapping. Staff clustered outside a glass-walled meeting room, whispering with their phones half-raised like this was entertainment instead of a disaster.
And Nut saw everything in a single glance.
Lego was shouting at a staff member, finger pointed, face red. Pream looked ready to launch herself across the table, only Jaoying's iron grip on her arm keeping her grounded—though her glare alone could've set someone on fire. Chari stood near the center, arms crossed, expression razor-thin patience stretched to breaking.
And Hong was at the corner of the room. He was tense, lips pressed together, brows drawn, hands curled into fists at his sides like he was holding himself together by force alone.
That was it.
Nut shoved through the gathered staff without slowing. Someone yelped as he clipped a shoulder. Someone else protested, words blurring into static. Papers rustled, chairs scraped. None of it registered.
The door swung open hard enough to rattle the glass.
"Nut—!" Lego started.
Nut didn't hear anything else.
He crossed the room in three strides and pulled Hong straight into his arms, instinctively. "Are you okay?" Nut asked, voice low and urgent, hands already moving—checking shoulders, back, neck, grounding himself in the fact that Hong was here, solid, breathing.
Hong inhaled sharply.
And then he broke.
Just... the tension left him all at once, like a string cut too fast. His shoulders sagged. His grip tightened. His forehead pressed into Nut's collarbone as if he'd been holding himself upright purely out of spite until this exact moment.
"I'm okay," Hong murmured, voice soft, tight around the edges. He nodded, but his fingers curled into the back of Nut's jacket like he needed proof. "I'm okay."
Nut felt it then. The restraint, the way Hong's body trembled just a little, the way his jaw was clenched too hard. The anger he was swallowing. The tears he was refusing to let fall in front of strangers. Nut's arm tightened around him without thinking, one hand flattening protectively between Hong's shoulder blades. He leaned his head down, murmuring so only Hong could hear, "I've got you."
The room didn't just fall silent—it collapsed into silence, like the air had been sucked out all at once. Every movement stalled, every breath caught halfway.
"That's his boyfriend!" Lego snapped, the words slicing clean and sharp. "He's already dating. And he's right here."
Pream tore herself out of Jaoying's grip with a force that bordered on frantic, stepping forward and pointing across the room like she was delivering a final verdict. "Respect that!"
"Take the post down," Lego continued, voice low but vibrating with anger as he stepped closer. "Now. And post an apology."
A staff member tried to step in, hands raised in a weak attempt to regain control. "Let's all calm down—"
"I like him."
Jim's voice cut straight through the tension, steady, stubborn—almost arrogant.
Heads turned.
He stood near the table, arms crossed tightly over his chest, chin tilted upward like he was refusing to back down even now, like he still believed this could go his way. "And Hong seemed to like me back."
The reaction was immediate.
Sangt let out a loud, disbelieving gasp. "Oh my god."
Tui's expression twisted, like he'd just witnessed something deeply offensive on a moral level. "Absolutely not."
William tilted his head slightly, the faint smile on his lips too calm to be harmless. "Oh," he said, voice light, almost conversational. "He didn't."
Nut didn't say anything, when Chelsea moved.
The crack of her fist meeting Jim's face echoed through the room, loud and sickening. His head snapped to the side, body stumbling backward into a chair as blood immediately spilled from his nose.
Chaos exploded.
Gasps, shouts, someone swearing under their breath.
Jaoying clapped once, sharp and satisfied. "Thank you."
Pream had already pulled out her phone. Click. "For documentation."
Chelsea flipped her hair back into place like she'd just fixed something minor. "You're welcome."
Before anyone else could speak, Nut stepped forward.
There was no rush in his movement, no outward anger—but something in the way the room shifted around him made it clear he didn't need to raise his voice to be heard.
"You knew," Nut said quietly.
Jim's eyes flickered, clenching his jaw to check, glaring at Chelsea before glancing back at Nut. His gaze didn't waver. "You knew he was my boyfriend."
Jim exhaled through his nose, shrugging like it didn't matter. "So what?" he shot back, a defensive edge creeping in. "That doesn't mean anything. I'm better for him."
The audacity of it seemed to ripple through the room.
Nut didn't react immediately. He didn't need to. The calm in his expression sharpened instead, turning cold at the edges when Hong's voice, soft but clear, broke through., "I don't like you."
All eyes snapped to him, he was still close to Nut, still half-shielded by him, but he lifted his head now, his fingers tightening slightly where they clutched the fabric at Nut's side. There was no hesitation in his expression only quiet certainty, his face tilted toward Jim though he didn't bother to turn to Jim, leaning closer to Nut who immediately fix his hold to pull Dylan closer.
"Nut is my boyfriend," Hong continued, his voice steady despite everything. "And I like him."
Jim opened his mouth, but Hong didn't give him the chance.
"He's sweet," Hong said, the words simple, honest before he turned to Jun, smiling softly as he leaned his head on Nut's temple. "He's caring. He listens to me—even when I don't say things properly. He notices when I'm uncomfortable before I even realize it myself."
Nut's expression shifted, his tense figure now relaxed. "He pays attention," Hong added, softer now, like the chaos around them had faded into the background. "He makes sure I'm okay. He... protects me. Not in a controlling way," he clarified gently, "Just... he makes me feel safe."
The room stayed utterly still, as if no one dared interrupt.
"And warm," Hong finished quietly. "Being with him feels warm."
Jim scoffed, though it sounded thinner now, less certain. "I can do that too."
Hong looked at him fully then and shook his head. "No," he said.
"Only Nut can make me feel like that," Hong continued, his voice unwavering. "No one else does. You don't."
That landed harder on Jim than anything else that had been said.
Jim staggered toward Dylan. his eyes seems to filled with determination which everyone knew he would try again, "I can if you just give me a—"
That was the moment everything shifted, Est moved before anyone could process it, raising a gun in his hand, steady with his expression flat, eyes empty of anything resembling hesitation while some immediately gasped in surprise, unlike his team who proudly watch him.
"Wrong move," Tui said calmly, stepping beside him, arms folding like this was just another ordinary situation. "He'll shoot. And trust me—Est is not someone you want to test."
The room froze as Est still holding Jim at a gunpoint even though Jim in not a threat as it is not necessary for him to be in stance. But Jim need to be knocked by the head (figuratively) to realized his dumb decision to post that.
Then Nut spoke, his voice was quiet, controlled, final. "You will take the post down," Nut said. "Immediately."
No one interrupted him this time.
"You will post a public apology—to Hong, and to me. You will retract every statement implying consent, interest, or a relationship."
A staff member swallowed hard, bravely voice out while glancing at Est. "Perhaps we can negotiate—"
"No."
Chari's voice cut through, sharp as glass.
She stepped forward, heels clicking against the floor with deliberate precision, her expression composed but icy. "There will be no negotiation. Any further communication goes through me."
Her gaze settled on Jim, unwavering. "Do not contact Hong again. Ever."
Then, just as cleanly, she turned.
"We're leaving."
The tension didn't disappear but it shifted, breaking apart as movement returned. Nut didn't rush, he simply guided Hong forward, his hand firm and reassuring at his back. Hong followed without resistance, naturally slipping back into his space, close enough that it looked like second nature—like that was where he belonged.
And this time, no one questioned it.
The rest of them moved after, flowing around the stunned staff like a tide pulling back—leaving nothing but silence and consequences behind.
The elevator doors closed on chaos.
For a moment, there was nothing but the low hum of descent.
At the corner of the elevator, Nut leaned back against the wall, Hong still wrapped in his arms.
"I'm sorry," Hong murmured again, softer this time, guilt threading his voice.
Nut sighed quietly and tilted Hong's chin up with two fingers. "Stop," he said gently. "It's not your fault."
Hong hesitated. "I should've—"
"You're handsome," Nut interrupted dryly. "Annoyingly so. People liking you is something I prepared for."
Hong blinked.
Then his lips twitched. Despite everything, he leaned in and kissed Nut—brief, firm, deliberate. "I love you."
Nut didn't miss a beat. "I know."
Hong pulled back just enough to pout. "You're supposed to say it back."
Nut grinned, thumb brushing Hong's cheek. "I love you too. Now stop pouting."
Hong shamelessly melted back into the hug, snuggling closer like a cat reclaiming territory. Nut let him, chin resting briefly against Hong's hair.
The silence shattered almost immediately.
"Oh my god," Sangt breathed, staring openly at Lego. "Your outfit is incredible. Is that custom?"
Lego blinked. "Thank you??"
Jaoying turned to Chelsea with awe. "That punch was perfect."
Chelsea beamed. "I've had practice."
Acare snickered. "Don't raise her ego."
Chari exhaled and glanced at Tui and Est. "Thank you. Both of you."
Tui nodded seriously. "Anytime."
Pream had already sidled up to William, eyes bright. "You're... very good-looking."
William laughed. "I get that a lot."
"So," Pream said casually, "are you dating anyone?"
William chuckled before casually turning to Est.
He grabbed his hand and lifted it. "Yes. Him."
The elevator exploded.
"WHAT—" Tui shrieked.
William grinned, unapologetic though Est just sighed and rolled his eyes.
The elevator dinged.
And for the first time since the photo dropped, Hong laughed—quiet, relieved, safe in Nut's arms.