Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)

Shawn immediately got a reply asking if Athan could call him. He did not wait for him to and pressed the call button instead. He glanced at Knoa who was watching cartoons, and he slowly stood and went over to the kitchen, and sat on the chair where he still could see the kid.

"Shawn."

A low and deep voice entered his ear.

"Yes," he curtly answered. Athan had a habit of calling his name, and then going silent for a good minute. It was as if he was carefully constructing what to say or maybe filtering them, only telling him what was necessary.

It was one of the reasons why, despite having him known since childhood and getting in contact four years ago, constantly exchanging greetings and short messages, their relationship still seemed distant. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Athan built walls between them, although it could be considered as just a fence he could always put his arms over, it’s a clear boundary that he set between them. And Shawn never tried to step over that fence.

A minute of silence passed, and Shawn waited for Athan’s voice again. "What are you doing?"

Shawn sighed. "I’m just watching over Knoa."

"You? Why? Where’s Knox?" Athan’s voice sounded surprised and confused.

Shawn furrowed his brows in wonder. "Didn’t he go to you?"

Athan quickly answered, "He’s not here."

"What? Then, where did he go? He was in a rush after receiving a call." I’m certain it was after he talked with someone. Shawn became worried.

"Did he not say where he’s going?" Athan asked again.

He shook his head despite knowing he won’t be seen. "No," he mumbled. There was silence on the other line, longer than before. He heard distant voices from the background, and he couldn’t help but be worried. "Hey, is there something going on? Are you okay?"

It took another minute for Athan to answer. "Yeah. What about me?"

Shawn leaned at the edge of the table without his eyes leaving Knoa. "I saw the news. That’s why I thought that Knox was with you because of that. Is that true though? Even though it’s on the news, I’m skeptical to believe that you punch someone without reason. You’re not that kind of person."

"... you think so?" Athan’s soft voice sounded weary and made Shawn feel something.

He bit his lower lip and straightened his posture. "Yes. You’re very gentle, Athan, and soft-spoken compared to other alphas. You are kind too, so I won’t believe the news unless you confirm it to me yourself."

A soft chuckle echoed from the other line. Shawn clutched his chest. There was something itchy underneath his clothes.

"What should I do? Will you look at me the same if I tell you I really punched someone and even thought of killing him right on the spot?" Athan whispered.

Shawn stiffened. He didn’t expect that, but he knew Athan just well, even though there was a line between them. "Then, that CEO might have done something so awful to anger you. Tell me what is it and I’ll be the judge."

"What are you going to do if I tell you?"

Shawn could imagine Athan smirking. "Hmm... I’m good at hacking! I’ll hack his phone and expose his nude photos to the public...? Or maybe photoshop them and make his wiener smaller?"

A melodious laughter rang in his ears. Shawn paused. He suddenly wished Athan was right in front of him, so he could see him laughing. He’d never seen him like that before.

"How are you sure he has some nude photos on his phone? Who keeps their own naked photos in their gallery anyway?" Athan asked between laughter. The weariness in his voice faded, to Shawn’s relief. He was glad that he could lighten his mood through just small talk.

"Oh. There’s a lot of them, I’m telling you," Shawn remarked, nodding his head as if trying to convince his conversation partner.

Athan went silent for a few seconds. "...have you hacked someone’s phone before and saw something like that?"

Shawn pursed his lips tightly. "..."

"Shawn..." A reprimanding voice echoed. Shawn bit his lower lip and gulped. Athan sounds scary when his voice is serious, paired with his face that lacks sympathy and is full of indifference, someone might pee his pants by just the way he stares. "You shouldn’t hack the phones of just anyone who crossed you. How do you even do that without getting caught?"

"I’m skilled at it," Shawn quickly replied. He immediately realized how proud he sounded, and thought that Athan might misunderstand again, so he added immediately, "But hey, I didn’t keep the photos, okay? It’s the phone of someone who kept extorting and blackmailing an omega using his naked photos! I felt pity for the guy, so I took action. It’s just that one time..."

Shawn’s voice trailed off. He remembered it wasn’t just once... but he can’t admit that to Athan, right?

However, just as how he knew certain things about Athan, Athan knew some things about him as well. "That last line doesn’t sound so convincing."

Shawn grinned behind the phone. He cleared his throat and said, "Hey... just leave it, will you?"

A sigh escaped Athan’s mouth. "You should be careful about doing that from now on."

"I’m always careful. In any case, you’re the one who should be careful! You’re against the CEO of that DV Group. Why did you cross paths anyway? Is it because of business?" Shawn tried to change the topic, and he succeeded.

"It’s something personal," Athan replied. His voice changed, and Shawn knew better than to probe any further.

Whatever it was, he was certain Athan wasn’t in the wrong.

"I’ll just go there," Athan’s voice came up again. But it seemed like he wasn’t talking to Shawn.

Go where? He wanted to ask but was sure Athan would just ignore him. If it’s something personal, then is it okay for him to ask?

"I’ll call you back, Shawn."

The call ended. Shawn stared at the phone for a minute before standing up and accompanying Knoa to watch another series. However, his mind was racing to Athan. He seemed like he was in a rush. Is everything really alright?

Everything seemed fine after the case against Athan was withdrawn. However, Knox’s schedule became more hectic and Shawn almost took care of everything Knoa needed. He wasn’t complaining, rather, he was grateful.

His salary increased, and he doesn’t even have time to think about his family problems. However, one fine summer day, after he picked Knoa from the daycare center, he received a call from his uncle.

"Uncle, what—

"Go to the hospital right this instant. Your father collapsed."

Shawn’s blood turned cold as the words sank in. The news was like a punch to the gut, his mind a flurry of panicked questions as he gripped the phone tightly. "Wha...what happened, uncle? Is he okay?" His voice trembled, betraying his fear.

"Just get here as soon as you can, Shawn. He’s in critical condition," his uncle replied with a tone laced with worry.

Shawn didn’t hesitate. "I’ll be there."

Hanging up, he turned to look at Knoa, whose eyes were fixated on the candies in his hands. Shawn bent down, trying to hide the worry in his face, and forced a smile. "Hey, buddy, Uncle Shun needs to go somewhere. Do you want to go with me, or do you want me to drop you to Uncle Franz first?"

Knoa’s face turned excited after hearing that they were going somewhere. He chose to tag along with him, so without wasting any more time, he grabbed the keys and carried Knoa to the car. The ride to the hospital felt surreal—he barely registered the turns, the cars, or the surroundings passing by, his thoughts were just entirely focused on his father’s face, their last argument, and his indescribable guilt.

His father was strong and dependable. So, the idea of him lying in an emergency room, helpless, seemed impossible. But he knew it was real; it wasn’t just a ploy to bring him back home; his uncle’s tone had confirmed that.

When they reached the hospital, Shawn hurriedly parked and lifted Knoa into his arms. The child clung to his shirt, picking up on his unease. Inside the building, the sterile smell hit him immediately. He approached the reception desk, voice shaky as he gave his father’s name, and was directed toward the emergency ward.

He finally spotted his father’s motionless body surrounded by doctors and nurses, trying to revive him, while his uncle stood nearby, watching with a weary and fearful face. He could see his father’s body jerked upward from the electric charge, while the beeping of the monitor deafened him.

His shaking hands clasped his mouth, covering half of his face, as though he was ashamed to show his face, too frightened to let his sobs escape. He looked lost and extremely guilty. He kept dismissing his family’s calls, kept ignoring their words, and now it happened.

His father, due to stress because of his unfilial and ungrateful son, had a heart attack and collapsed.

"Shawn..."

He heard a worried voice. He blinked, and finally, the tears fell in his eyes. Knox immediately pulled him in his arms, and he could feel Knox patting his head.

"D-Dad..." he called out tearfully, his voice muffled by Knox’s shoulder.

Miraculously, the vitals of the patient went back up. Shawn lifted his head in glee and relied, and he dared to walk closer, but Shana blocked him, glared at him with anger, and shouted, "This is all your fault! If only you hadn’t left home and obeyed Dad, this would have never happened!"

Shawn knew. It was his fault. His resolve which strengthened his wings to fly free... crumbled.