Tiwa rushes into his room and throws himself on the bed, thinking about what he has just done. His whole body feels as if it is on fire as he tries to hold back the urges that are slowly winning the fight. It's nothing. It's just gratitude. He expressed his gratitude to Pravat for helping him out of danger. It isn't supposed to mean anything, yet he's making the biggest deal out of it and freaking out. Why is this getting to him so much?
His stomach feels slightly sick as some fear starts to creep into him. He doesn't know what it is, but he feels like something wrong will happen. Despite his efforts, he can't shake the thought from his mind. He closes his eyes and rubs them for a minute when a strong hand grabs him by the arm and pulls him up. Flinching, he opens his eyes and puts his hand on the other person's, who used to be his brother.
"B-Brother!!" He stutters, not knowing the reason behind the deep hatred in Jaran's eyes.
"Stop calling me that," Jaran growls, his eyes burning with anger as he grips Tiwa tightly. "I treat you like my own blood, but you don't deserve it. You're nothing but a worthless, pathetic omega who deceives me with that lunatic Pravat Hiranwong. I should have known better than to trust you," he grits his teeth, emanating an unpleasant scent.
Upon hearing that, Tiwa freezes and stuns in place because it's huge. Even in his dreams, he didn't think to fool Jaran, but something made him feel like that. What is that? There is no telling what Jaran is capable of when he's livid.
Jaran laughs maniacally as he watches Tiwa's shocked expression and clutches his arm even tighter. "Are you thinking about how I figure it out or what lie to cover up this time?" He pulls Tiwa against him and shouts in his face, the rage boiling inside him evident.
"How dare you bring him here, huh?" Jaran growls. "Don't you have shame when clinging to him at the front of the bakery, huh?" He yells and shakes Tiwa violently. "Wait! How could you when it's not the first time?"
Tears roll down Tiwa's cheeks at Jaran's venom-filled words. It tears at each nerve in his heart. "Don't talk like that, brother. It hurts! I didn't do anything, I swear. I didn't lie to you about anything. I didn't bring him here. At the bakery," The words halt in his throat when Jaran slams him against the table. As a result, the vase falls on the floor and breaks into several pieces, just like Tiwa's heart.
"Shut up!" Jaran shouts, never having been this enraged before. "I don't want to hear your lies anymore. Maybe you're the one who brought him to our band to be with him."
"No!" Tiwa winces, squeezing his eyes closed tight and dropping more fresh tears. It feels a lot like being trapped underwater. Not having the strength to hold back anymore, he releases a bitter scent of cinnamon and jasmine to disgust the alpha and make him stay away. His silent tears turn into a high-pitched cry of pain and grief as he pleads, "I didn't do anything."
Jaran seems to sense the change in Tiwa's scent and pulls back. Looking down, he sees the dark bruises forming already—a bracelet of blue around Tiwa's upper arm. His heart clenches at the sight, knowing that he is the one responsible for causing him pain. He gently reaches out to touch the bruises, his fingers hovering just above the discolored skin before pulling away.
"I hate you!" He groans, pushing Tiwa away before leaving the room. His anger blinds him to his mistake, causing Tiwa to fall onto the shards of a vase, cutting his wrist and palm, and blood starting to flow.
Despite the physical pain, the emotional pain in Tiwa's heart hurts even more. "I really didn't do anything," he whimpers while palming his face with blood-covered hands and sobbing heavily.
He curls himself on the floor, wishing the floor would swallow him up so he wouldn't have to face tomorrow. If today is this bad, he's terrified of what tomorrow will bring. Staring blankly at the wall, he knows that God won't show him mercy anytime soon because he believes he doesn't deserve it. Despite trying hard not to hurt his adoptive family, Tiwa feels like he is failing again after ten years, all because of Pravat.
He knows he should be more careful around Pravat, even though he can still feel the love he has for him. He should have calmed his frantically beating heart when he was surrounded by him, but he didn't. It results in him ending up with this punishment. He is happy and accepts it gratefully if he is the only one suffering, but it's not just him. It gives all his loved ones stress, worry, hurt, and sadness.
He flinches and pulls his hand away when he feels a sudden pain. His eyes turn toward Achara, who sits beside him with tears in her eyes. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he lets her grab his hand again and checks the wounds. Her tears fall on the wound in his palm and settle there. He winces and squeezes his eyes tight as she sniffs. He hates making her cry. He hates being the reason for her sadness.
She takes a wet towel and a basin of water to clean his wounds. Each time her fingers brush over the bruises, he keeps sniffling due to the pain, and thankfully, the torture doesn't last long. She wraps a bandage over his wounds and keeps them uninfected. Then she glances at him and puts her hand on his cheek, rubbing it gently. "What happened?" She asks, wanting to know.
He explains everything that has happened with Pravat at the bakery, tears staining his cheeks. "I swear, sister, I didn't lie. I didn't do anything… I didn't bring him here. You believe me, don't you?"
She wipes his tears and pulls him into a hug, saying, "I believe you, Tiwa." The warmth of her embrace calms him down, making him feel understood and supported.
Everything goes silent for a few minutes until she moves away and pulls him up to sit on the bed. He steals a glance at her and keeps his gaze downcast, not wanting to see the concern and anxiety on her face. It will kill him, surely. Shifting on the bed, he lies down and puts his head on her lap to get comfort from her sweet scent.
His bleeding heart should heal the moment her fingers stroke his hair gently, but it doesn't because it's severely damaged by taking all the blame. "Poor heart!" He smiles pathetically and stares at the clock on the bedside table, knowing that sleep isn't going to come to him anytime soon. It's going to take some adjusting.
He pretends to be asleep, not wanting to cause any more worry. Feeling her gently lay his head on the bed and kiss him on the forehead before she exits the room, he blinks his eyes open and gazes at the clock once more as he hears the door shut. Enduring the pain silently for so long, tears stream down his face and dampen the pillow that absorbs his sorrow.
***
Outside the door, Jaran is listening intently to the conversation happening inside. He recalls Tiwa's pleading voice, repeating, "Don't talk like that, brother. It hurts! I didn't do anything, I swear. I didn't lie to you about anything. I didn't bring him here. At the bakery," Regret fills him as he realizes his mistake. He can feel the weight of guilt settling in his chest as he remembers the hurt in Tiwa's voice.
He slaps himself, making sure not to disturb their peace inside. Each time he hears Tiwa's whimpering, it feels like standing in a fire. It hurts. He should have given his little brother a chance to explain himself before jumping to conclusions. He clenches his fists at his sides and holds himself back from hitting anything because it will definitely scare the omega and beta inside. He has literally no idea where all that venom has come from, but he should be careful with words.
He hears footsteps reaching the door and quickly hides, contemplating his next move. It's not easy for him to face Tiwa after what he has done, so he takes his time before approaching. Pushing the door open, he hears Tiwa sobbing, but when he gets inside, Tiwa pretends to sleep.
Jaran feels ashamed and swallows hard as he sits on the bed and places his hand on Tiwa's. "Tiwa," he whispers, lowering his voice that had been screaming just moments before.
Tiwa shivers under the touch and sits up slowly, looking down from his hand to Jaran's. "I-I.." He starts to speak but then stops, staring at Jaran as he contemplates something.
Knowing Tiwa's gaze is on him, Jaran stares at the floor tiles, which seem more interesting. "I'm sorry," he says quietly before snapping his gaze toward Tiwa, who forces himself not to flinch. "I'm really sorry, Tiwa," he apologizes sincerely.
When Tiwa is pretty sure that Jaran has gotten the anger and rage out of his body for the time being, he works up the courage and curls his other hand around Jaran's. Feeling a soft hand, Jaran breaks down and reaches out to hold Tiwa by the back of his head and bring their foreheads to press against each other. Tears cascade through Jaran's eyes as he begs for forgiveness, which he knows he's earned already. Otherwise, the omega wouldn't let him near.