Saturday mornings usually felt softer.
Neo woke up with the weight of exhaustion still clinging to his bones, his body heavy against the mattress as sunlight filtered through the curtains. He groaned quietly, rolling onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. Coming home late from the estate had a way of doing that to him draining, bone-deep tired but this time, beneath the fatigue, there was something else.
Relief.
His chest rose slowly as he exhaled. He and Aiden had cleared themselves. The air around them no longer felt suffocating with suspicion, no longer thick with unspoken doubt. For the first time since stepping into Lucas' world, Neo felt like he could breathe properly.
He pushed himself out of bed and went through his morning routine on autopilot shower, brushing his teeth, fixing his hair movements practiced, familiar. By the time he was done, the house had fully woken up, the quiet replaced by soft sounds drifting up from downstairs.
Laughter.
Neo paused for a second before heading down, the sound tugging something warm in his chest.
He joined Pia and his mother at the dining table, the smell of breakfast already filling the space. Pia was mid-story, hands animated as she spoke, exaggerating every detail the way she always did. Their mother shook her head fondly, amusement clear in her eyes.
"You're lying," Neo said, dropping into his seat, already smiling.
"I am not," Pia shot back immediately. "You just weren't there."
They talked. They laughed. They gisted about nothing important and everything at the same time small stories, harmless teasing, a normal Saturday morning unfolding exactly the way it should. Neo let himself sink into it, into the simplicity of being just a son, just a brother.
Then his phone buzzed.
Once.
Neo glanced at the screen, the smile still on his face until he saw the name.
Lucas:
Come to the estate. Bring Aiden. A car is waiting.
The warmth in his chest shifted, tightening just a little.
Neo frowned at the phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. I hope all is well, he thought, unease flickering briefly through him. Still, he didn't hesitate. He typed out a quick message to Aiden, keeping his expression neutral as he slid the phone back onto the table.
"You're quiet," his mother said, studying him.
"Just work stuff," Neo replied easily, forcing a smile.
He finished breakfast, exchanged a few more words, then excused himself and headed back upstairs. This time, he dressed with more intention simple, casual, nothing that drew attention. Just Neo. Just the version of himself his family knew.
A few minutes later, he was already on his way to Aiden's house.
Saturday mornings there were always louder.
The moment Neo stepped inside, the familiar chaos greeted him voices overlapping, teasing remarks flying across the room, Aiden's mother laughing while his father pretended to complain. It felt lived-in, warm, noisy in the best way.
Neo found Aiden almost immediately.
He leaned close, lowering his voice. "Did you get the text?"
Aiden glanced at him, then smirked faintly. "Yeah. Lucas doesn't waste time, does he?"
"There's a car waiting down the corner," Neo murmured.
Aiden rolled his eyes but nodded. "Figures."
They ate together Neo, Aiden, and Aiden's parents another moment of normalcy neither of them acknowledged out loud. Conversations flowed easily, jokes exchanged, the kind of morning that made it hard to believe what waited for them outside these walls.
Too soon, they were standing up, goodbyes exchanged, excuses made.
They hurried out.
The car was exactly where Lucas said it would be, dark and quiet, engine already running. The door opened, and once they were inside, it pulled away smoothly, disappearing into the streets without ceremony.
The estate came into view far too quickly.
The car slowed, then stopped.
Neo stepped out first and froze.
Lucas and Kellan were already outside. Elena stood between them, composed, unreadable, her presence sharp and commanding. The formation hit Neo immediately, a memory snapping into place.
The first time.
The first training. The first lies.
He exchanged a glance with Aiden, confusion written clearly across both their faces.
Lucas walked toward them, his expression calm, almost polite. "Hope you both slept well," he said. "You'll need the strength today."
Neo didn't bother pretending this time. "What's going on?" he asked, straight to the point.
Kellan stepped forward, eyes sharp as they locked onto Aiden. "Since the cat is out of the bag," he said evenly, "we want to see your full potential. Your abilities. How you move with a gun. How you shoot."
Aiden's lips curved slowly, something familiar and dangerous sliding back into place. "When you say full potential," he said, voice light but eyes calculating, "you mean all out? No holding back? And you won't stop us?"
"Yes," Lucas replied simply, his gaze shifting to Neo. "Exactly."
There was a brief pause.
"Elena will be in charge," Lucas added. "As always. Please lead the way."
Elena turned without another word, already walking toward the entrance.
Neo and Aiden followed heading down the familiar hall.
The doors to the main hall opened, and the space revealed itself in full vast and imposing. Long tables stretched across the room, neatly arranged, lined with weapons of every kind. Pistols. Rifles. Submachine guns. Familiar metal glinting under the lights.
Neo felt it settle into him.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only something steady and sharp.
This was where the pretending ended.
From the edges of the hall, Matteo, Elijah, and Ethan watched initially curious, then increasingly still. The air shifted the moment Neo and Aiden stepped forward, their posture changing subtly, their movements fluid in a way that didn't belong to amateurs.
Aiden reached first, fingers closing around a Glock 17, checking the weight like it was an extension of his hand. Neo followed, selecting a Beretta 92FS, rolling his shoulders once before lifting it.
The first shot rang out.
Clean. Precise.
The target shattered dead center.
Another shot. Then another.
They moved switching positions, covering angles, trading weapons without words. Aiden swapped to an HK MP5, firing in controlled bursts. Neo followed with an AR-15, stance grounded, breathing measured, every shot intentional.
Targets dropped.
Metal clanged.
Silence followed each echo.
Matteo's mouth had fallen slightly open.
Elijah forgot to blink.
Ethan's breath hitched, eyes wide as he watched the transformation unfold.
Lucas stood perfectly still, his expression unreadable but his focus absolute.
Kellan exhaled slowly, something like awe flickering through his hardened gaze.
Elena watched them with narrowed eyes, sharp and assessing but there was no mistaking it now.
This wasn't training.
This was revelation.
Neo and Aiden moved like war had already lived in their bones.
And when the last target fell, the hall went quiet.
The innocent versions of them the ones who had pretended to flinch at the sight of a gun were gone.
What stood before the familia now were something else entirely.
Weapons.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Gun smoke lingered faintly in the air, curling toward the ceiling as Neo lowered the AR-15 and Aiden rested the MP5 against his shoulder. Neither of them looked winded. Neither of them looked surprised. If anything, they looked… settled. Like they had finally stopped pretending to be something they weren't.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Matteo was the first to move, dragging a hand down his face slowly. "What the hell…" he muttered under his breath, eyes still glued to them.
Ethan swallowed hard, his fingers curling into the fabric of his sleeve. He had seen violence before had grown up around it but this was different. This wasn't reckless. This wasn't chaos. It was controlled. Calculated. Beautiful in the most terrifying way.
Elijah let out a low whistle without even realizing it. "They didn't miss once."
Lucas finally stepped forward, his shoes echoing softly against the floor as he stopped a few feet away from them. His gaze moved between Neo and Aiden, sharp, thoughtful, like pieces finally sliding into place.
"Guns are one thing," Lucas said calmly. "But they're not everything."
Neo met his eyes without flinching.
Lucas turned slightly. "Bring them in."
Four guards stepped forward immediately.
They were big trained, broad-shouldered men who had seen their fair share of fights. Knuckles scarred. Expressions neutral but alert. The kind of men who didn't hesitate when ordered to hurt someone.
Aiden's lips twitched. "Four?" he asked lightly, tilting his head. "Is that supposed to be flattering or insulting?"
Kellan crossed his arms, watching closely. "Don't get cocky."
Aiden laughed under his breath. "Too late."
Elena raised a hand. "Hand-to-hand," she said. "No weapons."
Neo and Aiden placed their guns down without argument.
The shift was immediate.
Neo rolled his neck once, shoulders loosening as his stance changed feet planted, weight balanced. Aiden cracked his knuckles lazily, eyes sharp now, playful edge gone.
The first guard lunged.
Neo moved.
He sidestepped smoothly, catching the man's wrist mid-swing and twisting hard. Bone popped. The guard barely had time to gasp before Neo drove an elbow into his throat, dropping him to the floor in a choking heap.
The second guard charged Aiden from behind.
Big mistake.
Aiden ducked low, spun, and swept the man's legs out from under him. Before he hit the ground, Aiden was already on him knee pressing into his chest, fist stopping just an inch from his face.
"Yield," Aiden said softly.
The man froze.
The third and fourth guards attacked together.
Neo took one head-on, blocking a punch and returning it with brutal precision rib, jaw, temple each strike deliberate, efficient. The guard staggered, and Neo finished it with a sharp kick to the knee that sent him crashing down.
Aiden flipped backward as the last guard tried to grab him, landing lightly on his feet. He grinned. "You're slow."
The guard roared and swung.
Aiden stepped inside the arc, grabbed the man's collar, and slammed his forehead forward. Once. Twice. The guard crumpled.
It was over in seconds.
Four men on the ground.
Neo and Aiden stood in the center of the hall, breathing steady, eyes alert but calm like this was nothing new. Like this was muscle memory.
The room was dead silent.
Matteo let out a sharp breath. "Okay," he said slowly. "I officially take back every thought I ever had about you two."
Ethan's heart was racing now. He looked at Neo, then Aiden, awe written plainly across his face. "You… you weren't scared at all," he whispered.
Lucas said nothing at first.
He walked forward, boots crunching faintly against the floor, stopping right in front of them. He studied Neo closely really studied him then shifted his gaze to Aiden.
"So," Lucas said finally, voice low. "This is what you were hiding."
Neo didn't look away. "This is what we survived."
Kellan shook his head slowly, disbelief giving way to something darker. "You didn't just learn this," he said. "This kind of control… this kind of instinct… it's built."
Elena's eyes gleamed with something sharp and knowing. "You don't fight like trained men," she said. "You fight like people who learned young."
Aiden shrugged lightly. "We told you. No hiding anymore."
Lucas exhaled, long and measured.
Then, slowly, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth not amused, not mocking.
Impressed.
"Looks like the familia has been underestimating you," he said.
Around them, the weight in the room shifted again but this time, it wasn't suspicion.
It was respect.
The room hadn't even finished processing what it had just witnessed when Kellan stepped forward.
Slow. Deliberate.
The kind of movement that didn't need speed to be dangerous.
"Again," Kellan said. Not loud. Not sharp. Just enough to carry. "But this time no holding back. Everyone."
Neo's jaw tightened slightly.
Aiden, on the other hand, laughed.
"Everyone?" he repeated, eyes bright now, adrenaline humming through him. "You sure you're ready for that?"
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
He removed his jacket instead, folding it neatly and handing it off to Elena. When he rolled up his sleeves, the room shifted again. This wasn't a CEO standing there anymore. This was the man who ran the familia.
"If you want us to understand your limits," Lucas said calmly, eyes locked on Neo, "then you'll face ours."
Neo nodded once.
"Fine."
The guards moved first. Matteo followed. Then Elijah. Even Ethan stepped back instinctively, heart pounding as the circle widened. They weren't attacking recklessly this was coordinated. Calculated. A test designed to break them.
Aiden cracked his neck. "Try not to die, yeah?"
Neo exhaled slowly. "Same to you."
They moved at the same time.
The next few minutes were nothing short of chaos.
Neo took a hit to the shoulder grunted but recovered instantly, pivoting and driving his elbow into Matteo's ribs hard enough to knock the air clean out of him. Elijah rushed him from the side; Neo ducked, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over his hip with brutal efficiency.
Aiden fought like a storm.
Fast. Sharp. Unpredictable.
He dodged a punch, laughed as it barely missed his face, then spun and kicked a guard square in the chest. Another tried to grab him from behind Aiden slammed his heel back, catching the man in the knee before twisting free.
Bruises bloomed. Breath came heavier now.
They were good. Even Neo could feel it the sting in his knuckles, the ache in his ribs. But they didn't stop.
They couldn't.
One by one, bodies hit the floor.
Not unconscious just defeated.
Silence fell again, broken only by heavy breathing.
Neo wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Aiden straightened slowly, chest rising and falling. "Okay," he said, voice still teasing but edged with strain. "That was… fun."
Then the real pressure stepped forward.
Lucas.
Kellan.
The air shifted entirely.
Neo and Aiden exchanged a look quick, knowing. No words needed.
They split without hesitation.
Aiden turned to Kellan, grin sharp despite the bruise forming along his cheek. "Guess it's you and me."
Kellan smiled faintly. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Across the room, Lucas stopped in front of Neo.
"You don't have to do this," Lucas said quietly.
Neo met his gaze, steady even now. "Yes," he replied. "I do."
Lucas nodded once.
And then he attacked.
Lucas was fast faster than Neo expected. A punch came hard and precise; Neo barely blocked it, the impact rattling up his arm. He countered immediately, landing a solid hit to Lucas's side but Lucas didn't flinch. He grabbed Neo's wrist, twisted, and sent him stumbling back.
Neo barely caught himself before another blow came.
They moved like mirrors experience against experience.
Neo ducked, rolled, came up swinging. Lucas blocked, redirected, used Neo's momentum against him, slamming him into a pillar. Neo hissed as pain exploded across his back but pushed off instantly, refusing to stay down.
Across the hall, Aiden and Kellan were a blur.
Kellan fought clean efficient, disciplined. Every move had intent.
Aiden fought wild but smart.
He laughed even as Kellan clipped him across the jaw, staggering him sideways. "Damn," Aiden muttered. "You hit like you mean it."
Kellan didn't respond. He went in again.
Aiden barely avoided a takedown, twisting out at the last second and slamming his shoulder into Kellan's chest. They crashed into the wall together, breath knocked loose, neither willing to yield.
Neo and Lucas collided again.
Lucas landed a punch to Neo's ribs this time solid. Neo gasped, pain flaring, but he caught Lucas's arm and headbutted him hard. Lucas staggered back a step, surprised for the first time.
Neo didn't miss it.
He lunged but Lucas recovered fast, sweeping Neo's legs out from under him. Neo hit the ground hard, vision flashing white for a second.
Lucas stood over him. "Stay down."
Neo laughed softly, even as he pushed himself up. "No."
They fought again slower now, heavier. Every movement hurt. Every breath burned.
Aiden was bleeding now a split lip, sweat soaking through his shirt but his eyes were alive, sharp as ever.
"You're insane," he told Kellan, panting.
Kellan's expression softened just a fraction. "So are you."
The fight ended not with a knockout but with exhaustion.
Neo dropped to one knee first, chest heaving, blood streaking his knuckles. Lucas stood across from him, breathing just as hard, a bruise already darkening along his jaw.
Aiden leaned heavily against the wall, shoulders rising and falling, while Kellan steadied himself a few feet away, eyes still locked on him.
No one spoke.
Then Lucas straightened.
"That's enough."
The room exhaled.
Neo looked up slowly. Aiden did the same.
Lucas surveyed them really looked at them now. Not as subordinates. Not as liabilities.
But as equals in something far darker.
"You didn't break," Lucas said quietly. "Even when you should have."
Kellan nodded once. "You adapt. You endure."
Elena smiled, sharp and approving. "You belong here."
Aiden laughed weakly. "We told you."
Neo wiped his mouth again, meeting Lucas's gaze.
"We're not your weakness," he said.
Lucas held his stare.
"I know," he replied. "You're our shield."
The estate slowly emptied itself of noise.
One by one, everyone peeled away guards limping off, Matteo grumbling as Elijah helped him, Ethan hovering between concern and awe. The hall that had been a battlefield minutes ago returned to marble silence, stained only by sweat, scattered weapons, and the lingering heaviness in the air.
"Go clean up," Lucas finally said. "All of you."
And everyone obeyed no arguments.
"Neo with me, kellan clean up Aiden"
Lucas's room was quiet in a way that felt heavier than silence.
The door shut behind them with a soft click, and suddenly the space felt smaller too aware of the two bodies inside it. Neo stood just inside, shirt damp with sweat, a faint bruise blooming along his collarbone, knuckles split and red. He hadn't realized how much his body hurt until the adrenaline drained, leaving behind a dull throb that settled deep into his muscles.
Lucas moved first.
Not with authority. Not with command.
With intention.
"Sit," he said, low, not sharp this time.
Neo obeyed, lowering himself onto the edge of the bed. He rested his forearms on his thighs, breathing steady, eyes fixed on the floor as if grounding himself. For a moment, Lucas only watched him. The way Neo's shoulders still carried tension, the way his jaw clenched like he was bracing for impact that wasn't coming.
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"You didn't have to push yourself that hard."
Neo gave a small, humorless smile. "You asked for everything."
Lucas crossed the room and crouched in front of him, close enough that Neo felt the warmth of him immediately. Too close. Close enough that Neo's breath hitched before he could stop it.
"I asked for the truth," Lucas said. "Not for you to bleed for it."
Neo finally looked at him then.
Their eyes locked and the world narrowed.
"I needed you to see me," Neo replied quietly. "All of me. Not the version that asks permission to exist."
Something in Lucas's expression cracked. Not visibly. Not dramatically. But Neo saw it the shift, the way Lucas's gaze softened just a fraction, like steel warmed by fire.
Lucas reached out.
His fingers wrapped gently around Neo's wrist, turning his hand palm-up. Neo didn't pull away. Didn't flinch. Lucas examined the split skin, thumb brushing carefully along the edge of the wound. The touch was light, almost reverent and it sent a slow, dangerous shiver up Neo's spine.
"You're reckless," Lucas murmured.
"And you like it," Neo said before he could stop himself.
For a second, Lucas said nothing.
Then slowly his thumb pressed into Neo's palm, grounding, deliberate. "I don't like that you think you have to break yourself to stay."
Neo swallowed.
"I don't know how to stay any other way."
That did it.
Lucas stood abruptly, turning away as if he needed the space to breathe. He moved to the dresser, grabbing a first aid kit with more force than necessary. Neo watched him, chest tight, heart doing something dangerously stupid behind his ribs.
Lucas returned, kneeling again, this time closer. His knee brushed Neo's thigh.
Neither of them moved away.
Lucas cleaned Neo's knuckles in silence. Every touch was careful. Intentional. Too intimate for what it was supposed to be. Neo's pulse jumped under Lucas's fingers, betraying him completely.
"You don't trust easily," Lucas said quietly.
Neo's laugh was soft. "Neither do you."
Lucas's gaze lifted. Their faces were close now. Too close.
"I trust you more than I should," Lucas admitted.
Neo's breath stuttered.
"Then don't stop," he whispered. "Please."
The word hung between them raw, unguarded.
Lucas reached up before he could think better of it. His hand came to rest at the back of Neo's neck, thumb brushing the warm skin there. Neo leaned into the touch instinctively, eyes fluttering shut for half a second like he'd been waiting for this permission his whole life.
Their foreheads touched.
Just that.
No rush. No kiss.
But the tension was electric every breath shared, every heartbeat loud in the silence.
"This is dangerous," Lucas murmured.
Neo smiled, barely there. "We passed dangerous a long time ago."
Lucas didn't argue.
He stayed there, hand still at Neo's neck, grounding him, holding him together like he mattered. And for Neo who had spent so long surviving instead of being held it was everything.
Across the estate, Kellan's room was lit low, the atmosphere completely different and just as charged.
Aiden sat on the edge of the bed, shirt already discarded, a bruise darkening along his ribs. He was grinning, because of course he was, even as Kellan knelt in front of him with a roll of bandage in his hands.
"You enjoyed that a little too much," Kellan said dryly.
Aiden shrugged. "You didn't seem bored."
Kellan shot him a look. "You're insufferable."
"And you adore me."
Kellan huffed, fingers pressing into Aiden's side a little harder than necessary. Aiden sucked in a breath not in pain, not really but his grin softened into something warmer, more real.
"You scared me today," Kellan admitted, quieter now.
That wiped the grin clean off Aiden's face.
"Oh."
Kellan wrapped the bandage carefully, movements slower now, more deliberate. "You fight like you don't care if you come back in one piece."
Aiden's voice dropped. "I fight like I know you'll have my back."
Kellan froze.
Then he looked up.
Their eyes met, and suddenly the teasing fell away, leaving something dangerously sincere behind.
"You don't get to gamble with yourself like that," Kellan said. "Not with me watching."
Aiden leaned forward, resting his forehead against Kellan's. "Then keep watching."
Kellan's hands slid up Aiden's sides, firm, grounding, pulling him closer without fully realizing he'd done it. Aiden's breath caught not because of pain, but because the closeness hit different when it wasn't a joke.
"You're trouble," Kellan muttered.
Aiden smiled, soft and unguarded. "For you? Always."
Kellan didn't pull away.
He stayed there, close enough to feel Aiden's heartbeat, close enough to know this wasn't just banter anymore. Not after tonight. Not after seeing what Aiden was willing to become when pushed.
Aiden's smirk softened.
Before Kellan could pull away, Aiden shifted.
In one smooth movement, he leaned forward, arms lifting then settling around Kellan's shoulders. The sudden closeness stole the air from Kellan's lungs. Aiden didn't stop. He crawled fully into his space, settling onto Kellan's lap on the floor, legs falling easily on either side of him like that was where he belonged.
Kellan froze.
"Aiden—"
But Aiden was already looking at him.
Not playful. Not teasing.
Just… open.
Their faces were inches apart, breaths mingling, the room suddenly too small, too warm. Aiden's gaze flicked down to Kellan's lips, then back to his eyes, searching asking without words.
"You didn't tell me to stop," Aiden said quietly.
Kellan's jaw tightened.
Slowly, deliberately, Aiden leaned in.
It wasn't a kiss.
Not really.
Just a soft peck at the corner of Kellan's mouth barely there. A whisper of warmth. A promise more than an act. His lips brushed Kellan's, light enough to make it ache.
Kellan didn't pull away.
Instead, his hands came up, firm now, gripping Aiden's waist and dragging him closer until there was no space left between them. He exhaled against Aiden's temple and wrapped his arms around him, holding him there like he'd disappear if he didn't.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
The tension sat heavy between them unspoken, unresolved, burning slow and deep.
"You drive me insane," Kellan finally murmured.
Aiden smiled, resting his forehead against Kellan's.
"Good. I was hoping."
They stayed like that breathing, grounded, undone knowing damn well this was only the beginning.