1. Ignored

Bangkok, Thailand. November, 2022.

Back off, asshole. Kai hits “ignore” on his phone, the device vibrating persistently before he lets it drop onto the table. His forehead thuds against the surface, a habit he’s formed after years of stress and unanswered questions.
“Are you trying to concuss yourself?” Zone’s voice is a mixture of amusement and concern.
Kai doesn’t lift his head from the table, just turns it enough so he can look up at his best friend. “Why?”
“Because you keep slamming your head into the table.” The sound of Zone’s chair scraping back suggests he’s leaning in. “That’s the fourth time you’ve done it in the last five minutes. It won’t get you out of finals.”
“I thought you were finished.” Iris steals a sip from Zone’s macchiato. Zone steals it back.
“He’s got one more,” Zone explains. “He’s sure he’s flunked the rest of them.”
Kai keeps his head on the table for one more second, hoping Iris won’t ask for further details. Flunking his exams is just one more thing he’s done wrong. One more thing he can’t control. One more unresolved issue on top of everything else he’s had to deal with lately.
“My brain doesn’t function the same way yours does.” Kai finally looks up and makes a grab for Zone’s macchiato.
Zone holds it out of his reach. “This will not improve your brain function, and it’s mine.”
Kai glares at him. “You let Iris steal it.”
“Iris happens to be my girlfriend.” Zone smirks. “What’s your excuse?”
Zone and Iris are two of the people who have never lied to Kai, never manipulated him, so he’s kept them around. Somehow over the years, they’ve become friends. They’ve met up at the same place in the campus quad since the day they started university. Today there is a breeze, which blows across the quad, carrying with it the scent of blooming frangipani and coffee from the campus cafe. For Kai, this place represents connection and understanding, something he hasn’t really had for a very long time.
“Here,” A styrofoam cup appears in front of Kai, and the smell of cinnamon tickles his nose. “Cafe con Miel. You’re welcome.”
Kai’s sister Mali sits down next to him as he takes the cup, the styrofoam rustling softly against the surface of the table. Mali graduated last semester, which means the only reason she’s on campus today is to find Kai and make him talk about Certain Things. Like the reason his damn phone is going off every five minutes.
Mali squints at the red mark above his eyebrows. “Your forehead is going to bruise.”
“He’s trying to make a new fashion statement.” Zone’s response makes Iris smack him.
“Kai’s worried about his last final.” If Iris thought she was being helpful, she’s sorely mistaken. Kai’s glare shuts her up.
Mali furrows her brow as she looks at her younger brother. “What did you do instead of study?”
“What’s the point of studying if I’m never going to use any of this shit?” Kai’s retort is to the coffee cup rather than his older sister. His phone buzzes again. He hits “ignore” without even glancing at the screen. He knows who’s calling, but that person doesn’t deserve an answer.“I’m going to Nightshade tonight. Anybody want to come with?”
The whisper of styrofoam against the surface of the table is the only sound that greets his announcement. Zone shifts in his chair, exchanging apprehensive glances with Iris. Kai swallows a sigh. He knows what those looks and that silence means.
“You're graduating soon.” Mali’s face hardens slightly. “And you’ve got your internship to finish. You can’t afford any distractions.”
“It’s not a distraction.” Kai retorts. “Sometimes, people need a break. That’s all Nightshade is.”
Kai’s phone buzzes again. Zone swipes it, reading the caller ID before Kai can stick it back in his pocket.
“Asshole?” Zone’s eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline at the name flashing on the screen.
This time both girls smack both boys.
Only Kai squalls.“Ugh, Mali! The hell was that for?”
His sister doesn’t look the least bit sorry. “I’m supposed to ask you why you aren’t picking up his calls.”
“He knows why.” Kai snaps. “And he should take the hint.”
That same number has been calling him for weeks now. Kai was tempted to block the number, but changed the caller ID instead. It was easier to ignore the pain that flared up inside him by labeling the caller as simply an “asshole.”
Mali narrows her eyes. “Kai. You can’t keep pretending this doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Kai retorts. “Not anymore.”
Mali’s voice sharpens. “You think changing his name to ‘asshole’ will make the calls stop hurting?”
“That’s not the point!” Kai snaps.
“Shutting Jet out is not going to fix everything.” Mali crosses her arms. “You don’t have to forgive him, but ignoring him won’t help either. You’re just burying your feelings.”
Kai shoves his phone back into his pocket. “Maybe my feelings like staying buried.”
His footsteps echo as he walks away from the table, each step a small escape from the pressure that seems to close in on him. The noise of the campus quad fades into a dull hum. Kai clutches the Cafe con Miel, hoping the warmth would somehow numb the ache inside him. Knowing, at the same time, that it won’t.
He knows they’re still talking about him. He’d seen Zone and Iris’ concerned glances and Mali’s sympathetic one as he walked away. The phone calls, the unanswered questions, and the unresolved pain—everything is catching up with him. Each buzz of his phone is a relentless reminder. The name on the screen is more than just a label. It’s a gaping wound he won’t let heal.
◼️◼️◼️◼️
Jet watches his phone screen dim as another call goes unanswered. He’s half tempted to throw the thing against the wall, but one, he’s not a toddler and two, Kit would kill him if Jet left so much as a scratch on his newly painted walls. Instead, Jet stares out of the floor-to-ceiling window. The city skyline glitters with light. The hum of traffic is a distant murmur of sound this high up, so it does nothing to distract him from the whirl of his thoughts.
Bangkok should not feel this unfamiliar to Jet. He was born and raised here, hell, his day job had its headquarters here. At the same time, he’d spent years trying to escape it. He’s not even sure he would have come back at all if he hadn’t needed to. If Kit hadn’t called and said he’d needed Jet’s support on their latest business endeavor. And if Interpol hadn’t offered him this assignment. An assignment that was personal as well as professional.
Jet’s fingers tighten around his phone. He hasn’t seen Kai in ten years—it’s hardly surprising his little brother won’t pick up. That thought would hurt less if he didn’t have a sneaking suspicion that Kai knew exactly who was calling and refused to answer. Which meant Kai hadn’t forgiven him.
Not that Jet blamed him. Jet had left without a word, believing he didn’t have any choice. He’d expected to just slip away, avoid the potentially awkward goodbyes and hope he’d be forgiven or forgotten or both. The last thing he’d expected was to see Kai standing across the street as Jet had been driven away, looking for all the world like an abandoned puppy.
Jet could have waved, or asked the driver to stop so he could explain, but it had been easier to turn away from the car window and stare at his hands, pretending he’d seen nothing. Remembering the confused, haunted look on Kai’s face always made Jet’s chest seize up. Why had he thought this would be so easy? Just because Jet had decided to try and make it up to Kai after all these years didn’t mean his younger brother was interested in anything Jet had to say.
His phone buzzes, jolting him back to the present. Half of him hopes the text will be from Kai. The other half knows better.
MALI: Kai’s going to Nightshade tonight. Maybe you can catch him there.
Jet’s jaw clenches. He’s heard Kit mention the name "Nightshade" once or twice, but can’t remember in what context. It conjures images of dim lights and shadowy corners—the last place his little brother should be. It’s also the kind of place Kai would be drawn to, if he was still as reckless and impulsive as Jet remembers.
He paces the floor, his thoughts a tangled mess. Kit’s request had been clear: come support him as he tried to expand ManiratInfiniteDrift’s clientele, the details of which Kit hadn’t elaborated on yet. The mission from Interpol had been clearer: gather intel on OmniVentures and take down Chalam Tian Samongkonchai. But the lines between professional duty and personal vendetta blur with every unanswered call to Kai.
Jet pauses at the window, looking down into the neon tangle of the city. A tangle that matches the mess inside him. How the hell did everything go so wrong?
His phone buzzes a second time.
MALI: He’ll be there around midnight. That’s his usual routine.
Midnight. Jet glances at the clock on the wall. He has a few hours. He could head to Nightshade now, wait for Kai, confront him. But something holds him back. The thought of seeing his brother, of facing the anger and defiance in his eyes, makes his heart pound.
Jet moves to the sleek, modern kitchen, his thoughts still racing. Kit’s at work so the condo is currently empty. He pours himself a glass of water, takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The cool liquid offers a brief respite, but not much. He leans against the bar, staring at the patterns in the marble. The weight of his assignment, the personal stakes, press down on him. He needs to see Kai, to talk to him, to make him understand. Even if Kai wants nothing to do with him afterwards, Jet has to try. The memory of Kai’s face from across the street flickers again across his mind. That look of abandonment, confusion, and fear.
His phone buzzes a third time.
MALI: Please be careful.
Jet pockets his phone and steps out onto the balcony. The night air is heavy with humidity and the smell of the city. The thought of confronting Kai, of seeing him for the first time in years, is both exhilarating and terrifying. He grips the balcony railing, the metal cool under his palms. As the minutes tick by, Jet’s resolve hardens.
Jet failed Kai once. He won’t do it again.