"See?" Win's voice was low and steady. "This is why I told you. Nobody else wants you. Not even your mother." He brushed a thumb against King's damp cheek. "The only one who cares is me. Only me."
King shook his head, voice breaking. "That's not true… someone out there wants me. I just… I just haven't gone outside to see who does."
Win's gaze hardened instantly, his tone snapping like a whip. "Nobody wants you, King! Accept it." His grip on King's chin tightened, his words pressing deep like a brand. "The sooner you stop dreaming, the less it'll hurt. You belong here, with me. No one else."
King trembled in his arms, caught between the pain of rejection and the suffocating comfort of the only arms holding him.
He just stared at Win with wet eyes, like a wounded animal.
Win released King's chin, his thumb brushing the red mark his grip had left. "Shh… don't cry," he murmured, voice now velvet instead of steel. "I didn't mean to shout."
