Dance with the Dragon [Mile x Apo] [MileApo]

Chapter 16: The Flame Inside

The plane ride was unbearable.

The tension was horrendous.

The company was detrimental to the foundation that he and Mile had spent months building up together. Carefully laid plans, lightly interweaving their lives and careers so it wasn't a burden to the other, and of course, flowery confessions of adulation. The hammering away at one another's bricked up walls, only able to chip away debris with sweet words, elegant promises of love, and sugar-coated praises of efficacy in Apo's ear, hadn't prepared him for this throat-burning stifling feeling he felt at the present time. It was as if someone had picked up the stones that fell away from both him and Mile, laid them atop of Apo's ribcage, stacked with the infallible purpose to suffocate him to death.

And he knew who that someone was.

"Are you planning to be silent the entire trip, baby brother? I know Mile ran away like a kid, thinking he was giving us some brotherly bonding time, so it doesn't mean you can."

Inwardly, Apo seethed at the condescending words trickling from the offensive party in question, a man seated across from him in the confines of the small jet that was meant to be his and Mile's hideaway for the duration of the trip. Instead, it became their prison. Mile holed himself in his office with the concept of looking over contracts before they landed in Laos as well as allowing the two brothers to catch up on lost time. Outwardly, Apo graced his lips with a honey smile that could catch bees as much as it caught flies that buzzed around the trash that was this new opponent. "I'd prefer if you didn't call me that."

"Why is that?"

"We're not brothers."

Chatri gave a sardonic laugh that sounded insane in Apo's ears as the elder was handed a glass of champagne from Gemi when beckoned with a sharp whistle from Chatri, the woman looked as out of place as Apo felt, then was dismissed as easily. Her and Diah had established a comfortable rapport with Apo since he'd freely told them to consider him a friend as well as an equal instead of just Mile's boyfriend. He never thought himself better than anyone else and relished that Mile was the same (despite the other's obvious wealth). Yet here was Chatri, proving to be the complete opposite, demanding things from them as if he owned the plane instead of Mile, and just sat cross-legged in front of Apo, in Mile's seat. "We are brothers, Apo. Just because you seemed to have blocked it out of your mind doesn't mean we're not."

"I didn't block out anything. You died. End of the story."

A stillness appeared in the plane's cabin as the two women just inhaled sharply, immediately covered their mouths to whisper about that information, and barely dodged when a glass flew in their direction. It shattered against the floor. It was Chatri's empty champagne flute that he had tossed in an aggravated manner, disregarding how they squeaked in fear of the flying shards hitting them as well as the sound it made. "Clean up the glass and leave us."

Apo's jawline was taut at the command. He watched as Diah was about to crouch to do as instructed when he shook his head, "It's alright. I'll clean it up in a minute," He offered them an assuring smile, "Can you make sure that Mile's eaten something please?"

They looked grateful at Apo's interjection, immediately bowed at the waist as both turned to scurry out of the cabin, relieved to be out of that situation. They continued to whisper behind their hands; however, this was definitely something the pilot and the rest of the staff would be dying to hear. Khun Nattawin's long lost brother, back from the dead, and somehow was connected to the Romsaithongs from the send off Mile's parents gave the trio at the airport. It came with the whirlwind reunion of the night before. If Apo wanted to block out anything, it would have been Chatri rearing his head back into his and apparently Mile's lives. He hadn't gotten a word in edgewise because his boyfriend had gathered to his feet, trailed over to the man to give him a bone-crushing hug, and Apo was having flashbacks to Choochai in Egypt.