Moon clung to Sun's shirt with trembling hands and threw himself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms tightly around Sun's neck, burying his head into the nook of his shoulder, shaking as if he wanted to disappear there.
Sun gripped Moon by his waist and legs, pressing him against his chest. He looked at Earth, who was groaning and clutching his face, with pure disgust and spat toward him without hesitation.
"We'll settle this with you later," Sun said, his voice ice-cold.
As Moon's sobs echoed against Sun's neck, Sun held him steadily. Without looking back, he left Earth in those dark rocks and walked quickly toward the hotel, avoiding the crowd on the beach.
~~~
When they entered the room, he kicked the door shut and locked it. He still hadn't let Moon down. Moon huddled closer into Sun's neck and whispered "Don't let me go."
Sun stroked Moon's hair and rested his forehead against his head. "I'm here, you're safe. No one will ever touch you again." he said as he carried him toward the bed.
After five minutes, the room fell into silence, broken only by Moon's faint sobs.
Sun had left his side, promising "I'll be right back, I promise I'll hold you again." and returned from the fridge corner with a glass of water, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Moon took the glass with trembling hands and took a sip. Trying to suppress his sobs, he asked. "How... how did you find me?" his voice still very low.
Sun pushed the hair falling over Moon's face back with his hand.
"I was waiting for you to come back. When you didn't come, I went to check. I saw your beer spilled in front of the snack counter."
Sun took a deep breath and continued:
"Earth wasn't around either. I knew something was wrong at that moment and started running toward that side of the beach."
Moon could see how tense Sun was even while explaining this. Although he tried to control himself, his chest continued to heave, and sobs caught in his throat.
"If you hadn't come..." he whispered, his eyes filling up again.
Sun placed the glass on the nightstand and immediately took Moon back into his arms.
"But I did. I'm here."
Moon buried his face back into Sun's neck, letting his sobs fall against his skin. Sun, keeping his promise, held him tighter than ever before.
Moon, while trying to control his sobs, slightly lifted his head from Sun's neck. Although his eyes were red from crying, he succumbed to his curiosity and asked:
"But... why wasn't P'First around? He usually sees everything about me and causes a scene directly over it."
Sun smiled slightly to disappear the painful expression on Moon's face and gave him a relaxing look.
"P'First?" Sun said, adding a hint of mockery to his tone.
"He went to his room with Bank long ago. He got pretty drunk after entering a beer competition and drinking more than everyone else. Bank had to pull him away from it."
Sun raised his eyebrows meaningfully to gauge Moon's reaction.
"You know, Bank was quite eager about keeping him 'safe.' First is probably passed out by now, and Bank is standing taking care of him."
This suggestive explanation and the knowing attitude Sun made caused a faint but sincere smile to appear on Moon's lips.
After months of tension, Sun using such gossip to make him laugh had worked.
Moon chuckled softly and leaned back against Sun's chest, murmuring, "Bank has his work cut out for him then."
Seeing that Moon was finally relaxing a bit, Sun took a deep breath and continued to run his hand through his hair.
"Yes, he does. But right now, you're the only thing that matters. Come on, try to get some rest."
In the darkness of the room, only the sound of the waves could be heard. Sun and Moon were lying in bed, tightly warpling each other up, staring at the ceiling.
Neither was closing their eyes, but they knew from each other's breathing that they were both awake.
Moon broke the silence with a whisper:
"I was in the tenth grade. When I first met him..."
Noticing the tremble in Moon's voice, Sun gently ran his hand through Moon's hair and began stroking his hair.
"You don't have to tell me." Sun said in a low voice.
"Don't force yourself if it makes you feel bad."
Moon shook his head slightly and snuggled closer into Sun's neck.
"I need to tell you. Because this burden hasn't left me alone since then. Back then, everything seemed so different."
Sun pulled Moon closer and rested him against his chest. "I'm here." he murmured into his hair with his warm breath.
"I'm listening. Just know that you're not alone anymore."
Moon took a deep breath, seeking refuge in Sun's reassuring warmth. "I know." he said and continued:
"Back then, I never thought he could go this far P' Sun..."
~~~
"We first bumped into each other in the hallway." Moon started spilling the truth he always kept as a secret because of his traumas.
"I was studying for an exam, and my notes flew everywhere. He helped me pick them up. At first, it felt like magical because it was just like those movies. He apologized and introduced himself out of pocket."
He took a shaky breath. "But then I found out he already knew who I was. It did not make me uncomfortable back then because everybody knew each other at our school somehow. He was in eleventh grade, a year older than me. We started talking, but it wasn't even flirting though. We were just like new friends. There was no spark there."
Moon paused, feeling Sun's hand moving gently through his hair. "One day, we were at a cafe. He asked me to come to his house to study. He said he had more books there. I said okay."
"The first time I went there... nothing happened at first, it was normal. But then, he just started undressing and changing clothes right in front of me out of nowhere.
I panicked and couldn't say anything. When he saw I was embarrassed, he apologized first and then told me I could use the bathroom to change and wash myself to get refreshed.
And that's what I did, because I trusted him."
Moon then explained how the messages started. "He began calling me 'love' or 'baby,' pretending it was a mistake. I tried to joke about it and told him not to say those things."
"And then?" Sun asked quietly.
"It continued. It became too much to handle for me because I only saw him as a friend always. I told him we weren't even dating and that he was making me uncomfortable. I told him I was going to stop talking to him, cut our connection. But he..."
"What did he do, Moon?"
Moon gripped Sun's shirt tightly and swallowed hard. "He sent me a video. It was a recording of me in his bathroom... from when I was changing and taking a shower."
"That son of a bitch…" Sun growled.
"I called him immediately. I was shaking. I told him to delete it and leave me alone. He said he would, if I met him one last time.
I believed him because I wanted to see the good in him, I thought he just wanted to make me stay in his life. We met after school in a quiet part of a park. There was no one around."
Moon's voice got smaller. "He apologized at first. He said he was sorry. I didn't forgive him, but I promised not to tell anyone. He gave me this fake smile of his, and then..."
Sun stopped stroking Moon's hair. His body went stiff. "Tell me he didn't."
"He pulled me to a darker corner. I tried to get away, but he started kissing me and pulling at my clothes. I cried P' Sun, I screamed for help. I pushed him, but it didn't work. His hands... they were everywhere. Every touch that he made with his dirty hands made me feel sick."
Moon was sobbing unconsciously now, not knowing what to do but just huggin Sun tightly as he continued spilling the truth.
"He told me if I let him do 'it', he would delete the video right in front of me. I was so young, didn't even have my first kiss at that time... I believed him again, like a total idiot. I let his dirty hands touch me. I let him leave marks on my lips like it was nothing. I let him enjoy it.
I thought that was the end, that he will finally let me go. But it wasn't. He didn't delete anything. Instead, he somehow filmed what happened in the park too. He sent me that video and used it to threaten me again and again."
"I'm going to break every finger of his that touched you out of your permission." Sun whispered, his voice dark with rage. "I'm going to pull his eyes out for looking at you like that."
"I wanted to die, P'. I didn't want to live anymore. I was stuck in a paradox. Every time I tried to stop, he threatened to send everything to my family."
Sun pulled him closer, tucking Moon's head under his chin.
"Don't talk about it and make yourself suffer anymore. I know. It's okay now. You are here, right next to me. You are safe in my arms."
~~~
The morning sun filled the room. Moon opened his eyes. He felt something heavy on his waist. He turned his head slowly.
Sun was behind him, holding him tight while sleeping. Moon liked this. He smiled secretly and did not move. He wanted to stay like this.
After a few minutes, a voice came from behind his back, making him froze:
"I think you are comfortable like this right? Since you're not moving at all..."
Sun was already awake. He was smiling like a little kid. Moon's face turned red after the sudden statement he made. He tried to move away from Sun because of the position they were in.
"I… thought you were sleeping!" Moon said.
Sun did not let him go. He held him tighter than ever.
"Don't lie…" Sun joked. "You liked it."
Moon quickly sat up in bed. He tried to hide his red face from the bigger boy laying next to him.
"Stop talking nonsense, Sun. It is not like that. I was just sleepy." he said while scratching his head.
Sun laughed softly. He also sat up and moved closer behind Moon. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arms around Moon's waist.
He then put his head on Moon's shoulder like it was nothing. The morning sun was warm on their skin.
"I was comfortable too. You are not alone about your feelings." Sun whispered. His voice was soft and deep. "Since I slept holding you, I had the best sleep of my life."
Moon stayed still. He could feel Sun's fluffy morning hair on his neck and his warm breath. Moon's heart started to beat fast, but this time it was because he felt happy.
He slowly put his hand on Sun's arm, encouraging him about his confession. In the quiet room, the storm from the night was gone. They were finally at peace together.
~~~
Sun and Moon were walking to the restaurant for breakfast as birds were chirping around them like an opera. Suddenly, First ran to them with revenge on his eyes, it was clear the he was very angry.
He hit Sun in the face very hard like a rock. Sun fell to the floor in seconds. First shouted "I should not have trusted you, you bastard!"
Moon quickly stood in front of Sun to protect him. "P'First, stop! What is happening? Please stay calm!" Moon yelled in shock.
Ten and Bank arrived in no time. They tried to hold First's arms as he was shaking with rage. He then showed a post on his phone. "This is what is happening! Why are you still defending this son of a bitch?" First shouted.
The post was a photo of Sun carrying Moon in his arms last night. The text under it said: "P'Sun carrying his drunk Nong to the bedroom."
Sun looked a bit dissappointed about First's sudden rage, he then cleared his throat and said:
"You know I am not the one to stay calm in these situations, but Moon cares a lot for you and I know that, so I'm not going to break his heart by making this deal get bigger. You should've thought this before too."
As he heard this nonsense talk Sun tried to pull on him, First tried to hit Sun again. But instead of Sun, he accidentally hit Bank ,that was trying to hold him back, in the mouth.
Bank fell down as his lip started bleeding. Bank, looked at First in total devastation with his teary eyes. The room went totally quiet. First regret what he did there for a second deeply in his heart.
But instead of letting Bank stand up and making sure he was okay, he turned around and went after Sun again. He grabbed Sun by his collar and continued with his threatening.
Bank slowly touched his lip that was covered in blood. He saw that First did not care about what he did to him nor what happened to him.
Bank's eyes filled with heavy tears. This was the first time he actually found out about First's real side.
He got up quickly and ran away from the shameful situation he got in, crying silently while trying to catch his breath.
Wee went after him to make sure he was okay after what happened. He was also pretty sure his friend was devastated.
Moon looked at the photo. He was very angry as he finally realized what was happening.
"It is not what it looks like, P'First! Sun actually saved me from Earth's dirty hands! Earth probably took this photo after we ran away from him and come up with this lie!"
Moon shouted at his cousins face.
As Bee was watching everything with Mint next to her, she walked up to First. She was very mad about what was happening.
Her friend was not the type to assume things this easily, but if it was about his little cousin Moon, he would let the world burn.
"Because of your uncalled anger, you hurt Bank. He was only trying to protect you!" Bee shout loudly at his face.
She then slowly pushed First with her index finger and added, "I hope you are happy with what you have done now!"
First stood still, froze in his place.
He looked at the empty hallway where Bank ran away, but it was too late to do anything now. He scratched his head in worry, not knowing what to do about what he has done.
~~~
First was shocked by Bee's words. His hands let go of Sun's shirt at that moment. He saw the blood on the floor and remembered Bank's devastated face. Suddenly, his anger was gone, he felt extremely ashamed.
"I should go see…Him." he whispered.
He started running nonstop. On the stairs, he saw Earth. Earth was leaning against the wall with a mean smile on his face. First stopped and pointed his finger at Earth's face as his eye twitched.
"I will settle this with you later, just wait for me you fucker!" First shouted. "You will pay for those photos."
Earth's smile disappeared as he heard the chilling threat the boy has made. First did not wait any second. He ran to the beach to find Bank. His heart was beating fast not because of running but worrying. He could only think about Bank's crying eyes that he caused.
He found him on the wooden pier. Bank was sitting at the edge, moving his feet over the water. He was zoned out as he was trying to clean the blood on his lip with a cloth.
First headed directly to him as Wee was walking away from Bank that said he wants to be alone. The wind was blowing as Wee threw a shady look at First and went on his own way.
"Bank..." First said softly when he got to the edge where Bank was sitting.
Bank did not look back. "Go away First, please. I don't want to hear your voice." he whispered.
First knelt down next to Bank. He tried to touch Bank's shoulder, but Bank moved away. First felt a sharp pain in his heart. "I am so sorry." First said. His eyes got glassy.
"I lost control. When I saw the photo... I wanted to protect Moon, but instead I hurt you. I am a complete fool for that."
Bank turned his head slowly. His lip was swollen. "You actually did not care about your cousin First." Bank said with tears.
"You only cared about your own anger that was eating you alive. You didn't even see me nor Moon's scared face in front of you, you were blinded by your rage."
First took Bank's shaking hands. This time, Bank stayed still. Not because he gave up, but he was just straight up tired.
"I promise." First said, pressing Bank's hands to his chest.
"Never again. Next time, I will never let my anger win over you again."
Bank took a deep breath. He looked at the blue sea and said. "There will not be a 'next time' anyway."
His voice was very quiet. "It is better if we stay away from each other from now on."
First felt a sharp pain in his chest. He could not breathe easily. "What... what do you mean?" he asked with a shaking voice.
Bank slowly turned his face to First. His eyes looked empty, but one tear fell down his cheek.
"After this holiday, let's just try to not be together in the same places again."
Bank said firmly."I am not good for you, and you are not good for me; even as friends."
First was very worried of what might happen next, he quickly held Bank's face with his hands as he looked into his eyes.
"How are we not good for each other? Who took me to our room yesterday? Who helped me shower and cleaned me? Who put me to bed and rubbed my back and stroked my hair until I got asleep?"
Bank did not look away. First's words hurt his heart, but he had to speak the truth for the better.
He pressed his lips together to stop his chin from shaking. "But also..." Bank continued. "Who hurt my face like this because of his own greed?"
First looked at Bank's swollen and bruised lip. His hands started to sweat as he saw the damage he caused.
"Bank, I am only just scared of losing you." he said.
Bank slowly moved First's hands away from his face. "Your greed is bigger than your fear, First. and this greed is destroying us." he said.
He stood up on the pier. He left First standing on his knees for forgiveness and walked slowly to the beach. First was left all alone in the cold wind.
"I really fucked up everything." he said, watching the sun that reflects the blue on the ocean unconsciously.
~~~
Wee walked back from the beach slowly. He was thinking about what he saw: First on his knees and Bank walking away silently.
He felt that their newly created group of friends was breaking for the first time before it even started.
He went to the restaurant terrace to see what happened after he was with Bank. Everyone except First and Bank was sitting at the table.
The air was heavy and sad. Sun had a white bandage on his eyebrow, his cheek was bruised. Sun did not touch his breakfast, he was just staring into space.
Moon was sitting next to him. He was afraid to leave Sun alone after the tensed fight between him and his cousin.
Wee sat down in an empty chair that was next to Ten. Everyone looked at him.They surely wanted to ask, but they were afraid.
"Did you see them?" Sun asked. His voice was low and fed up.
Wee took a deep breath. "I saw them." he said. "Bank was on the pier. First went after him, but... it did not look like it ended well."
Bee put her fork down. She was angry about his friends tough acts towards everyone. "I still don't understand. How can First be so blind? Bank does everything for him, but First hurt him because of his own greed."
Ten held Bee's hand to calm her down. "It is not just about the punch." Ten said.
"Bank was dealing with First's mood swings for a long time. First the bus situation that he got in because of Earth, and now this. I think that punch was the last thing he could take."
Moon also held Bee's hand tightly. He looked at Wee. "What did Bank say? Was he okay?"
Wee remembered Bank's sad eyes as he took a sip from Ten's drink. He continued on his talk as Ten rolled his eyes.
"Physically... his lip was still bleeding. But his pride was hurt more, Moon. He told First that they should stay away from each other if I heard it right."
The heavy silence after that was broken by Mint's wondering voice. She looked into Moon's eyes.
"Moon... I don't understand. Why did Earth cornered you? And why did Sun carried you like that? What is the truth behind the photo?"
Moon stopped for a second. Under the table, where no one could see, he suddenly reached for Sun's hand and held it tightly. Sun's warm hand gave him courage as Sun looked him in the eyes with an encouraging stare.
He felt safe now more than ever, knowing Sun got his back. He told the whole story: the nightmare since high school, the video threats, and Earth's bad actions.
When Moon finished explaining the whole story, the room went very quiet. Mint started to cry like a crybaby as she hugged Bee tightly. Bee was crying too, looking away with anger.
Ten was also very angry. Hearing this messy thing again made him furious about how unfair this was.
He squeezed his fist until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to stand up, but Wee grabbed his fist and held him down all of a sudden.
"Shhh... stay calm, little guy." Wee said. His voice was cold and firm.
"We will not hit him with our hands; we will beat him with our brains. Don't worry, he will pay for everything. He will be ashamed to show his face again."
"What do you mean by that?" Bee asked.
"So, this is what we are going to do…"
~~~
After breakfast, everyone walked to the beach. Wee went back to the hotel for the restroom. As he was walking, he bumped into Earth in the hallway. Earth's bag fell down, making everything spill out from it.
As Wee kneeled down to tidy up the things that got spille all over, Earth just rolled his eyes and didn't care. Wee said "Sorry" and walked away with a secret smile on his face...
On the beach, the Professor started the roll call. Wee was already back there. When the Professor said "Bank?" Mint said, "He is sick, he is resting in his room."
Then the Professor announced: "The second game we selected for today is beach volleyball!"
The games were very exciting. In the final, it was Moon's team against Earth's team. Everyone was clapping and shouting to support their friends.
Before the match, First and Sun looked at each other and nodded. They had a plan. Then, they both looked at Earth very angrily. Their eyes said: "You are finished now."
The match started. Bee, Wee and Mint made great passes. Ten and Moon sent perfect serves to the other team smoothly.
But First and Sun were the real danger. Every time they jumped, they hit the ball very hard directly at Earth. Earth tried to stop the balls, but he failed. Every hit left a mark on his body.
In the end, Sun and Moon's team won easily. Earth was lying on the sand, covered in purple bruises and breathing hard.
The group made a circle and started clapping and jumping together as Ten looked over at Earth with a smirk while talking with his friends, making everyone hear him.
"This is what this trip is for right? Now, everyone have each others back, no matter what or 'who' the problem is."
End of Chapter 12.