The room was cold. Not because of the air, but because Sea had been left alone with nothing but darkness and the echo of pain ringing in his bones.
His wrists were bruised from being tied too tightly. His lips, cracked. His body ached, each breath pulling against sore ribs. But none of that compared to the emptiness clawing inside him. That aching space where his voice used to live. Where hope once whispered.
He was back at Boss's mansion now—rescued, if that word even applied.
But rescued didn't mean healed.
The moment they found him, Boss had carried him like glass. Like something broken and priceless. His shirt soaked in blood that wasn't just Sea's—it was also the blood of the people who took him. Boss hadn't held back. Not for a second.
Sea remembered seeing him through half-lidded eyes, drenched in red, knuckles raw, breathing like a beast. And for a moment… Sea was terrified.
Terrified of what Boss had done.
Terrified of what he would do next.
Now, lying in a silk-sheeted bed, everything felt wrong. Too quiet. Too clean. Too soft.
Sea flinched when the door opened.
Boss stepped in slowly, his eyes shadowed and sleepless. His jaw clenched. There was a long pause. Just… watching.
Sea didn't say anything.
Boss moved closer, then sat beside him, but not touching. His fingers curled into fists on his knees. He was trying. Fighting the monster still roaring inside him.
"You should've screamed louder," Boss whispered, voice low and bitter. "I would've come faster."
Sea didn't answer.
"You didn't deserve that."
Sea turned his head, staring at him. "But I got it anyway."
Boss looked at him now, and there was something wild in his eyes. "I should've killed them slower," he muttered. "I should've made them beg."
Sea blinked, breath shaky. "That won't fix me."
Silence.
Then Boss leaned closer, and his hand hovered, trembling, near Sea's cheek—but he didn't touch. His voice dropped.
"You think I don't see it? The way your eyes won't meet mine. The way you flinch."
Sea bit his lip. "I don't know how to feel anymore."
Boss nodded, swallowing hard. "I'm not asking you to love me right now." His voice cracked. "Just stay. Let me fix what I can. Even if it's just keeping you warm."
Sea's eyes filled. Not tears of relief. Just exhaustion. Confusion. He was still trapped—but this time, in a mansion with soft pillows and someone who'd kill the world for him.
And that was terrifying in its own way.
---
To be continued