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Pete opened his eyes; he felt a tightness in his chest, and his eyes were brimming with tears. He had done everything he could to bring Niran back, yet he didn't know if it had been enough. What he did know was that he had witnessed Niran's entire past. Not only had he encountered all of Niran's past selves, but he could also feel exactly what Niran felt. Pete had met Niran as a child, as a teenager, and an adult, and he met the version that was, somehow, most familiar to him: Pete met Saint Thamnithit Nitiroj.
There it was, the truth he always knew. They've been bound by fate for many lives. In front of him stood his past life bestfriend, and he could feel everything Saint felt at that moment. He felt Saint's heart skip a beat when they got close, he felt how nervous Saint was around him, he felt every bit of Saint's unwavering love for him.
He didn't know if Niran would remember everything that happened in the Life Spirit Realm but it didn't matter right now, he wanted to know if Niran was alive and well. He needed to know Niran was safe.
He was lost in thoughts when he heard a distant sound. He rushed to grab his phone to answer a call from Jia Hao.
"Niran is awake"
Pete had never felt such a mix of relief, happiness, and fear all at once. He looked at the dolls Niran used for the soul binding ritual and he was sure that If this wasn't love, he didn't know what was. The thought of losing Niran forever was enought to make him realize his feelings
Pete hung up and immediately rushed to the hospital to see Niran.
Pete arrived at the hospital room within 10 minutes and found Ji Hao, Fei, Tong, Jack, Yok, Thua and Tao by Niran's side. Niran was alive, awake, doing well, and as hadsome as ever, Pete thought.
"Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?" Niran asked before he could say a word.
Pete moved closed to Niran until they were so close that his heart began to race.
"How are you feeling?" Pete murmured.
"Okay, just a little dizzy. Thank You, Pete. For what you did for me" Niran said softly
"Hey, don't worry. I got you, I promised you. You saved my sister, and I saved you" he chiped
"Is that the only reason you saved me?"
"I mean, mostly yes" He rubbed his head
"That's not how I remember it"
Pete's world came to a standstill for a moment. Did Niran remember what had happened in the Life Spirit Realm? Did he remember the conversations they had shared? Did he remember him desperately saying that he was the most important person in his life? Did he remember his past life?
"Excuse me, what?" Pete blurted, his eyes wide with shock
"You heard me" Niran asserted
"Oh my God. I'm sorry" he panicked. "My mind is going crazy right now" Pete whispered very low but Niran could still understand. He would've understood even if Pete didn't say anything because that's how it has always been.
"What are you thinking about?" He knew exactly what Pete was feeling but he wanted to hear from him. He was tired of all the miscommunication and he couldn't let anything be left unsaid, not again, not in this lifetime. This was their second change, he wouldn't waste it.
"I don't dare to say" Pete said as he lowered his head and looked away from Niran.
"Then show me, Shin" Niran begged "But please, let me know how you feel about me"
"Shin? So you already know too. You do remember."
"Yes. I guess I've always somehow knew we've met before, I knew my feelings had deeper roots than the spam of one lifetime. Please look at me"
Pete raised his head astonished at the world he had just heard. He was not convinced that those feelings belonged to Niran.
"This is not you, Niran. This is Saint" Shin was scared, he knew his feelings very well, he knew exactly how he felt about Niran. He wanted to be by his side, he wanted to protect him, to take care of him, to be his parter in crime, his bestfriend but also his lover. He wanted, more than anything, to be allowed to love him, to be jealous, to hold his hand, to kiss him, to touch him, he wanted it all. But he wanted Niran to give it to him, he didn't want it to be memories of another life - traces of a feeling that was no longer true.
"Pete, don't do this to me. Please, listen, it's true that I have memories of our past life. It's true that I remember loving you as Shin far more than I could’ve ever admitted back then. It is true that when I first met you, I felt like we already knew each other. Yes, It is true; it is all true. But it's also true that I fell in love with you, Pete. In this life, in this space and time. Not because of some stupid soul binding ritual either, it has nothing to do with that. I fell in love with your heart, your strenght, your ability to endure hardships, the kind of brother you are, how you never gave up, your trust in me, and the way you're always by my side. That is true, too. And it is also true that I will love you in the next life. So, please, don't be afraid"
Pete wanted to believe those words more than anything in the world. He was already happy enough just knowing that Saint had loved him in their past life, too. Knowing that Niran loved him in this life was beyond anything he could have wished for. He knew they had just emerged from the life spirit realm; Niran might be confused overwhelmed by all the feelings he had been forced to relive. He might be conflating the present with the past, but Pete was tired of running, of fleeing, of pretending, he wanted Niran, he wanted his best friend in whatever form he could get.
"Honestly, who am I talking to right now? Niran or Shin?" Pete asked on the verge of tears
"Who would you like to be talking to?
"It depends, do you really want this as much as Saint did?"
"No" Niran took a deep breath as he pulled Pete by his waist "I want it more".
Pete sat on the edge of the bed where Niran was lying. Their faces drew closer; Pete could feel Niran’s breath and sense him staring intently at his lips. Niran pressed his nose against Pete’s. Pete’s heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. Niran kissed Pete’s forehead, then his cheeks, trailed down to his jawline, and finally pressed a kiss to the tip his nose before meeting Pete’s lips with his gaze once more.
"I won't do anything you don't want me to."
"Fuck it."
Pete cupped the back of Niran’s head, pulled him closer, and kissed him. Niran’s lips were soft, he was kissing him firmly as if it were their last chance, as if he had been waiting for this his entire life. Their bodies were pressed tight, leaving no space between them, their breaths growing heavier with every passing second. Pete could feel Niran shiver as the scent of his perfume lingered between them.
They smiled into the kiss, unable to contain the happiness they felt. When they finally drew back, only enough to catch their breath, Niran gently tilted Pete’s chin up.
"I can't believe you're finally in my arms. What an idiot I was to wait two lifetimes."
"I'm here. And I'll be here forever. Now you're mine. My Niran. My Saint."
Niran looked deep into Pete’s eyes. "I promise I won't hurt you this time."
"Hey, that's in the past. Why dwell on it? In this life, it's just you and me—Pete and Niran. Okay?"
"Okay," Niran replied with a faint smile and teary eyes.
They heard a knock on the door.
"Come in" Pete called out.
Fei entered the room to let them know the doctor was coming to check if Niran could go home. She knew her brother well; she could tell something had changed.
"So, did you two finally work things out?"
"How do you know?"
"I know you; I've never seen you smile like that before. Besides, everyone already knew you liked each other, it was just a matter of time before you realized it."
Niran smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."
"I don't want to ruin the mood, but what do we do now?"
Pete and Niran looked at each other. "We're going to seal Qi Rong."