Chaotic Loyalty & Repressed Panic | Emotion: Masked Through Madness
The private jet cut through the night sky like a silent oath kept too long. Inside, Nox sat still, head tilted against the window, lips parted slightly as he breathed through the pain. His black shirt clung wet to his chest, darker where blood had soaked through the bullet wound, just off his heart.
"I told you to sit back," the doctor barked in Russian.
"I am sitting back," Nox muttered, hand pressed lightly against the gauze taped hastily over his chest. "You'll wake the children."
Nine people—two rescued families—sat across the cabin in silence, eyes wide with exhaustion and disbelief. Children hugged backpacks. Mothers clutched hands. Fathers refused to sit, standing guard like they didn't quite believe they were safe.
Nox had bought them all freedom. In return, he had nearly bled out beside a freezing shipping port, dragging one last crate of encrypted blueprints to a hidden cargo route, just to ensure the weaponry tech couldn't be tracked. It would be waiting at the docks in days: new arsenals, identity-masked rifles, even a modified missile AI system.
All funded. All clean. All real. Their company could begin.
But now, as the jet descended over the villa airstrip, all Nox could think about was the burning pain in his chest, and how Leo would look at him when he saw the blood.
At the Villa – 2:41 A.M.
Dominik had barely finished his midnight tirade about Leo sleepwalking again when the perimeter alarms blinked green. Jet incoming. Leo was already outside before Dominik could fake another limp.
The runway lights glowed cold blue as the private jet touched down. Leo stood like a statue in loose sweatpants and a black undershirt, arms crossed, face unreadable. When the ramp lowered, his eyes didn't go to the passengers.
They locked on him.
Nox limped down the ramp, steps uneven but eyes steady, mouth twitching like he was trying to remember how to smile.
"I'm back," he said hoarsely. "For college."
Leo didn't move. Not when he saw the blood-soaked shirt. Not when he noticed the wince in Nox's gait. Not even when two kids holding teddy bears walked past him and bowed politely.
"You brought back nine people," Leo said evenly.
"They had families. I had space."
Leo's jaw tightened. "You're bleeding."
"I'm standing."
"You're half-standing."
"I said I'm back."
Leo closed the distance between them in three long steps, and for one terrifying moment Dominik, peeking through the hallway blinds, thought Leo might punch him. Instead, Leo reached up, grabbed the lapels of Nox's jacket, and leaned in, whispering through clenched teeth.
"You could've died."
"I didn't."
"You left me a Hello Kitty piercing and a sticky note!"
Nox blinked. "You kept it?"
Leo shoved him gently toward the villa. "Go. I'm not bandaging your chest in front of children."
Behind them, Dominik screamed into his fist. "WHY IS THAT THE MOST ROMANTIC THING THEY'VE SAID ALL YEAR?!"
Later That Morning – Inside the Villa
Dominik pushed the former boss's wheelchair to the window so they could both spy freely without shame.
"He brought back nine people. A bullet wound. Two researchers. New arsenal. Weapons that could start or end a civil war." Dominik sipped tea like it was wine. "And the first thing Leo does is yell at him for not bandaging properly. That's true love."
The boss nodded sagely. "And a company launch in two weeks."
Dominik leaned in. "He also whispered something to Nox in the hallway last night. I lip-read it. He said, 'If you smile in front of Dominik again, he'll faint.always using me as an excuse.'"
The old man snorted. "He's right."
They both turned to look through the window again.
Inside, Nox was seated on the couch, shirtless, bandages wrapped tight around his chest. Leo was kneeling on the floor in front of him, carefully checking the gauze.
Nox winced.
"Still hurts?"
"Doesn't matter."
"You're not allowed to die until we launch."
"Copy that, boss."
Dominik sobbed into his croissant. "It's not even flirting! They're just emotionally bankrupt married idiots!"
Afternoon – The Office
Stacks of documents. College re-enrollment forms. Campus housing blueprints that would be used as the company's dummy shell. Leo sat behind the desk with Nox at his usual spot across the room, laptop open as he continued silently hacking into city governor files.
Nox paused only once.
"They're afraid of us now," he said.
Leo didn't look up. "Good."
"We'll need a PR strategy."
"We're a shipping logistics company."
Nox smirked faintly. "With a kill count."
Leo finally looked up. "No more solo missions."
"I had to. We needed the money."
"Then next time, we go together."
Nox blinked. Slowly. Then looked back to his screen.
Dominik, watching from the garden again, muttered, "Next time we go together?! WHO SAYS THAT LIKE A MARRIED COUPLE PLANNING VACATION?"
The former boss simply patted his hand. "Let them have this. It's all they understand."
Evening – Bedroom
Leo threw a hoodie at Nox's chest. "Wear something non-bloody. College starts in two days."
Nox caught it midair. "You're making me wear clothes?"
Leo shrugged. "Don't want people staring at your wound. It's ugly."
"You're the one who keeps looking."
Leo turned away too fast. "Shut up and get dressed."
Nox pulled the hoodie on slowly. It smelled like Leo. Lavender detergent and something that used to be cologne and gunpowder. Home, maybe.
"I missed the dorm couch."
"You missed the paperwork."
"And the part where you steal my cigarettes and i have to throw knife at you ."
Leo turned back, eyes flicking up. "Don't say dumb things before bed."
Nox blinked. "Why?"
"Because if you smile again," Leo said under his breath, "Dominik secretary will faint. And I'll have to clean it."
Nox chuckled, quiet and warm.
End of Chapter