Alpha narrowed his silver brown eyes at the small jar that was full of tiny coloured paper stars that concealed miniature messages as if it had displeased him in some way.
His lips curved into a small pout while he greeted his teeth as he gnashed and grimaced at the jar. In some weird sense, he felt as though this jar was more cherished than he was inside this house. And that was something he could not look past.
The poor, nonliving jar had no clue that it had become a rival.
"What's the matter, baby?" Suddenly, warm arms wrapped around from behind pulling him into a chest that was way too soft and full of love.
Lia rubbed her cheek against his and placed a light kiss right beneath his ear. "Why do you keep staring like the jar?"
"I'm just curious…" Alpha said, still gripping the jar as though it was guilty of stealing his lover, "How long are you planning to keep this thing around?"
Lia let out a sigh, here he goes again with jealousy.
He leaned to rest his chin on Alpha's shoulder. "You mean this thing you made for me?"
Alpha turned his face and narrowed his eyes at him. "How long?" he insisted, like it was a very serious matter.
"The rest of my life," Lia grinned and announced without missing a beat. "My Alpha wrote these for me. They're pieces of your heart. Why wouldn't I keep it forever?"
Alpha pouted harder.
"You're seriously jealous of a jar of paper stars."
Alpha didn't deny it. He crossed his arms with a dramatic huff and mumbled, "You shouldn't love anything else. Only love me. Think about me, breathe for me, and dream only of me."
Lia laughed, the kind of full delighted sound that made Alpha's heart flutter even when he didn't want to admit it. Lia turned Alpha in his arms and cupped his face with both hands, brushing his thumbs across those pale and ever-cold cheeks.
"I already do, my love," Lia whispers and rests his lips against Alpha's. "You're the air I breathe, the home I return to, and the dream I never want to wake up from."
Alpha's cheeks flamed but he still grumbled. "I'm still mad at the jar."
Lia pressed a kiss to his lips. "Then I'll make another one just for you. They'll say things like 'Lia loves you the most' and 'you're the prettiest and grumpiest boyfriend in the world.'"
Alpha's lips twitched upward before he could stop them. "Say it again,"
"Which part?"
"All of it."
Lia laughed again and pulled him close so that their hearts could pressed tight together. "I love you the most. Forever and ever."
Alpha finally let himself melt and hugged Lia's waist as he buried his face in his neck.
"I love you too."
Lia's lips brushed against Alpha's softly like a whisper meant only for him. A chuckle bubbled between them when their noses bumped. Alpha's fingers gripped the front of Lia's shirt to tug him closer as if the inches between them were far too many.
"You smile too much when you kiss me," Alpha smiled bright just like his pink cheeks.
Lia grinned wider at those words, he brushed his thumb under Alpha's eye. "I can't help it. You just make me so damn happy, love."
Alpha rolled his eyes, but the way he leaned into Lia's touch gave him away. Their kisses grew deeper and desperately fierce, lips tugging and pulling against each other roughly. Lia trailed his hand up Alpha's spine making him squirm uncontrollably.
"Mmm.." Alpha moaned when Lia bit down on his lower lip before pulling back. He was grinning ear to ear gazing at Alpha's pouty face.
"Stop smiling like that," Alpha whined again but got cut off when he felt Lia's warm fingers grazing against his cold waist. "I-It's embarrassing."
Lia nuzzled into his neck, laying small kisses along his collarbone. "But you're the cutest when you're annoyed."
Alpha was stunned into silence for a second before huffing and burying his blushy face into Lia's chest. "Shut up…"
But even as he mumbled, his fingers curled into Lia's back and his lips tilted into the sweetest of smiles. Lia's warmth was everywhere around him, inside him, and holding him like he was made of glass but adored like he was everything worth touching.
Wrapped up in each other's arms with hearts fluttering and hands stealing soft touches they smiled, kissed, and forgot the world beyond the walls of their love.
Their love wasn't soft like petals or sweet like fairy tales. It was wild and bruised. Torn apart numerous times and stitched back with trembling hands and desperate hearts. It bled, screamed and cried in the dark when no one else was listening. But it still survived despite every pain.
Lia and Alpha didn't fall in love the way others do. They fought and suffered for it. When the world dragged them through fire, they didn't let go and held tighter onto each other even if their hands were burning. Even when they stood at the edge of death, with guns in their hands and blood in their mouths, they chose each other.
Their love is possessive, because they had to fight the world to keep it. Alpha didn't just love Lia, he belonged to him. And Lia…Lia would burn down the world a hundred times over if it meant Alpha could sleep in peace one more night. No one could understand what they shared, because no one else had lived through their hell.
They don't say "I love you" like a promise. They say it like a vow, one sealed in scars and tragedy, in whispered apologies and bone-deep forgiveness.
Their hearts are messy and their souls are damaged. But the way they hold each other now it's not just love. It's a refusal to be torn apart again, a refusal to let go, a refusal to forget. And that is what makes their love unbreakable.
Lia was never meant to become what he did.
He was once just a boy trying to survive every day. Then, he found a reason to not just survive but thrive each day. So when that reason was taken from him, when blood stained his hands and his soul became a graveyard of everything he lost, he didn't just become a monster to destroy the world.
He became one to protect his love and that reason to live.
He dove into darkness Alpha ingly not to lose himself, but to find Alpha again. He clawed through lies, torture and death itself. He faced guns and monsters, men like Wagnar, and even himself. And in that madness, he found a terrifying power: he didn't care if he burned, as long as he could drag Alpha back into his arms.
And Alpha, the broken and cold-blooded weapon, feared by everyone. Lia tamed that beast with nothing but love.
He made the impossible possible. He made a weapon feel. He brought a beast home.
He became a psycho, yes, but a psycho who would destroy everyone to make sure the person he loved smiled again.
And now? Now they have a life. A quiet and warm one where there is no more blood, no more war, and just quiet mornings, playful kisses where they hold their intertwined fingers under the blanket.
"Take your cock out," Lia moaned as his hungry eyes transfixed on the bulge in Alpha's pants as he positioned himself between Alpha's spread legs. "I want to suck it."
With shaky hands, Alpha undid his pants, revealing a massive veiny cock that stood at attention and throbbed with anticipation. The head glistened with a bead of precum, which Alpha teasingly flicked against Lia 's open mouth. A moan escaped Lia 's lips as he eagerly lapped up every drop.
Lia's lips slurped and sucked the head as he greedily took inch after delicious inch of Alpha's member into his hot and wet mouth.
"Mmm...yeah," Alpha groaned, throwing his head back in pleasure.
Lia continued to eagerly lick and stroke it, he gasped out a pleasurable moan and teased his own stiffening cock through his boxers, the fabric providing just enough friction to heighten the sensation. As Alpha's cock slid in and out of his mouth, Lia followed suit with his hand, matching the rhythm of his strokes to the bobbing of his head.
"Fuck, your mouth feels so good," Alpha moaned and hips began to thrust wildly as he neared the edge. "I-I'm going to…!"
Lia couldn't form words, instead, he responded by sucking harder and squeezing the base of his own cock, preparing for their mutual release. But Alpha doesn't want to cum so soon he pulls out of Lia's mouth with a pop sound and pushes him back on the bed.
"Keep rubbing your cock, I want to fuck you like this," Alpha growled as his fierce gaze looked down at Lia with a sinful look which made Lia's heart to skip a beat. Lia nodded with a moan and continued to stroke himself gently as Alpha worked himself into position between Lia's thighs.
Lia's eyes widened as he observed the size of Alpha's erection coming closer, until the tip made contact with his entrance. As the pressure increased, Lia gasped when the first inch slipped past his entrance, forcing him to stretch and adapt to the penetration. His breath hitched and he stared up at Alpha with a tear slipping down his temple.
Alpha was worried whether he was hurting him but his worry faded when Lia wrapped his legs around his waist and pushed him further to enter. "Don't wait and enter all at once. I feel really empty inside."
Feeling more confident, Lia offered a wicked little smirk at Alpha, his lips parted, eyes glazed over with pure aching lust. He deliberately rolled his hips in hungry circles, grinding himself down and taking Alpha in even deeper like his body craved to be wrecked from the inside out.
"Fuck! You're so desperate," All Alpha could do was just stare at the sexy mess in front of him. Lia's lips curled into a wicked smile, he reached up and grabbed Alpha's hand and slowly brought it to his mouth. Without breaking eye contact, Lia parted his lips and took Alpha's finger in his mouth to suck it in deep and slow pulls. His tongue traced along the length of Alpha's long fingers as he dragged his teeth lightly over the tip before letting it go with a soft pop.
Alpha couldn't breath suddenly and came right then and there. Knowing his influence, Lia raised one leg and draped it over Alpha's shoulder and yanked him down over him until their faces were inches away.
"What's the matter? Why are you being so sofr with me as if we haven't fucked each other thousands of times?" Lia smirked, mischief dancing in his eyes as he pinched Alpha's nipples, drawing a gasp from the man above him. "Should I rather fuck you instead if it's too much for you?"
That was it. Lia watched as Alpha's expression twisted wildly before he aggressively gripped Lia's thighs and slammed into him in merciless thrust. Lia cried out both in pain and euphoria, his fingers clawing at the sheets as Alpha filled him all the way up. He was knocked out of his breath, his hole burned with the stretch, and he ached from the pressure of being filled so suddenly yet his body welcomed it and hungrily swallowed Alpha down like his hold starved for days.
The size, the fullness, and the heat, it all left him shaking. Lia gritted his teeth and threw his head back on the pillow and let out the breath he was holding. His nails raked down Alpha's back dragging him closer and demanding more.
Alpha pulled out enough to make Lia feel the emptiness and then slammed back in with enough force to make the bed jolt. The stretch, the slap of skin, and the unbearable tightness, it all came crashing down on Lia like a wave, stealing every word from his lips except Alpha's name.
"You're so fucking tight," Alpha punded his ass nonstop like an wild animal. "Look at you, already fucking yourself on my cock like a needy little slut. Do you love being stretched open for me? What–?! Can't speak anymore?"
Lia could only whimper in response, a breathless moan ripping from his throat. "So full…so fucking full…I love it!"
"Oh fuck, baby your greedy little hole's gripping me like it never wants to let go," Alpha hissed as right after those words Lia's tight, clenching heat threatened to milk him dry right then. Alpha gritted his teeth, pulling out with a wet obscene squelch.
"Put it back in, please!" Lia cried out while his hips twitched and his hole fluttered open like it was begging. "I need it…need your cock—please, please…"
With a dark chuckle, Alpha shoved again, making Lia's head numb and making it hard to keep his mouth close. With Lia writhing beneath him, gasping from the force of each deep thrust, Alpha leaned down and kissed Lia's shoulder before trailing down and bit down on his right nipple sharp enough to make Lia jolt as an overstimulated bliss ran through his body. Alpha soothed the bite with his tongue. Moving to the other nipple he sucked harder on it, circling his tongue and claiming him piece by piece.
"Anghhh—fuck!" Lia let out a drooling gasp as Alpha's cock slammed right into that spot…that maddening and devastating place inside him that made his vision white out. His back arched violently, a helpless cry ripping from his throat as Alpha hit it again mercilessly, while still latching onto his nipple with greedy hunger.
"F—fuck," Lia moaned, legs trembling over Alpha's shoulder. He wasn't sure what wrecked him more, the wild rhythm splitting him open from below, or the savage attention to his chest that made his whole body burn. Alpha growled low in his throat, as if savoring every twitch, every broken sound Lia made beneath him.
Alpha was everywhere, inside him, on him, around him and Lia was wearing out fast. Lia screamed, head snapping back as the monster cock kept thrusting him harder and deeper. He could feel it in his guts, every inch of his insides being split open and rearranged. The pain was white-hot, and the pleasure was addictive, dirty, delicious, and overwhelming. A bulge rose visibly in his lower belly, obscene and beautiful.
"Fuck, fuck—your cock's in my stomach! It's too big—I can feel it everywhere!"
Alpha leaned down and captured his lips, devouring every sound his drooling mouth made. He huffed when he pulled back. "You're the one who wanted this, darling. Being stuffed full like a filthy little toy. Look at you…so cockdrunk you're drooling."
"I fucking love your cock...angh! It's so fucking big, I can't—can't stop clenching around it..." Lia wrapped his hand around Alpha's shoulder and lifted his hips to take more.
Alpha increased his already violent pace too. He fucked Lia like he owned him, like no one else would ever be allowed to touch this body again. Alpha's cock began hammering into him, the brutal rhythm making Lia's entire body wreck with every slam of his hips. Skin slapped against skin and his ass was being destroyed, fucked so hard it echoed off the walls. The squelching noises of Alpha's cock spearing into his stretched hole mixed with Lia's blissful moans.
Lia couldn't stop the sounds pouring from him, whimpering, crying out, panting like a bitch in heat. "Your cock—fuck, it feels so fucking good! Pound me, baby, ruin my tight hole!"
Desperate for release, Lia fisted his cock with shaking hands and began stroking it as fast as he could. He was leaking like a faucet, soaking his abs in pre-cum. Alpha growled when he saw Lia doing so. It was hot beyond words.
"Choke me! I want to feel it…I want to black out with your cock still in me…"
His eyes went dark as his hands moved to Lia's throat. Without hesitation, he wrapped his fingers around that pale and slender neck. Alpha didn't hold back and tightened his grip, thumbs pressing into Lia's throat and cut off his oxygen inch by inch. The pressure and the possessiveness of it made Lia's cock twitch violently in his hand.
"You're such a fucking slut," Alpha smirked, watching Lia's eyes roll back with pleasure. "A perfect little fucktoy that lives for this."
Lia's body grew tense and thighs were shaking which went completely limp under Alpha's grip leaving him blissed-out and breathless. Alpha released his throat and slid his cock out, flipping him over like he weighed nothing. He grabbed Lia's hips, spreading his ass wide to admire the mess he created himself. Lia's hole was gaping, twitching, and leaking with Alpha's pre cum. Alpha's eyes darkened and with a growl he shoved his cock back in.
He started slamming into him again, balls slapping against Lia's used ass, the sound of destruction sending a cold chill down his spine.
"Let's fill your slutty ass up. I'm gonna pump you so full you'll be leaking my cum for hours."
And then he did, he let out a guttural moan as hot ropes of cum flooded Lia's insides. So much that it spilled back out, dripping down his thighs. But Alpha wasn't done. His hand reached under, grabbed Lia's cock, and jacked it roughly.
"Ahhh!" Lia came with a strangled cry, spurting thick hot cum all over his chest and the sheets beneath him. His mind was blank from the overloaded pleasure, his hole leaking Alpha's cum and his were eyes half-lidded with fucked-out bliss.
"My Lia," Alpha embraced him affectionately.
"My Will," Lia hugged him back. Alpha's soft gasp melted into a breathless laugh when Lia nuzzled against his jaw and pressed teasing kisses down his neck. His heart was racing, not from the heat of their closeness, but from the overwhelming love flooding his chest.
"I love you," Alpha cupped Lia's cheek and rested their foreheads together. "And I don't think I can ever get enough of you."
"I love you too," Lia grinned and they shared a few more burning kisses, like two people who had died and come back just to feel this one thing again.
Suddenly, the sound of the phone shattered the moment making them both froze.
Alpha groaned and flopped back into the pillow. "If that's your stupid friend Dexter again asking if we need more groceries, I swear I'll fake my death again."
Lia chuckled, reluctantly rolling to grab the phone off the side table. "Well, to be fair, we are supposed to be dead."
Alpha reached up and pulled him back down with a grin. "Then let him leave a message."
Their lips met once more, the phone kept ringing and ringing. Lia cursed and finally picked it up, not bothering to hide the groan in his voice.
"What," his voice was hoarse and raspy from their recent encounter.
"Are you two lazy lovers coming or not? It's snowing! The whole street looks like powdered sugar. Come out and enjoy winter with me!" A bright and overly excited voice rang through the speaker.
"It's Enzo," Lia sat up slightly and looked over at Alpha who was now buried under the blanket like a grumpy burrito. Lia brushed his fingers through Alpha's messy hair. "He's demanding our presence in the snow."
Alpha groaned under the covers. "Tell him to shove the snow up his as—"
"Language," Lia warned with a chuckle as he pulled the blanket down slightly to kiss Alpha's forehead. "Come on. He's been waiting for us at the cafe.
Their little cat café, Whisker Whisper, was born out of a quiet dream. A cozy corner on a peaceful street filled with rescued cats and the scent of coffee and warm pastries. Lia ran the place and Alpha handled the finances and decor though, mostly, he just spoiled the cats and occasionally burned cookies trying to bake. And Enzo worked there too, though his only job was to run around like an excited puppy taking care and playing with the cats.
Alpha finally peeked from under the blanket. "If I go out there and get hit in the face with snow by him, I swear I'm killing him and you can't stop me this time."
"You say that every time," Lia smiled and stood up pulling Alpha with him. "But you still laugh when Sage falls on his face."
Just like Lia had promised River back in the Sunford that he would take Sage with him to show him the world beyond dark corridors and metal doors. Lia hadn't just taken him away. He also gave him a life.
"That part is worth it," Alpha muttered, letting himself be dressed by Lia like a spoiled prince after they took a shower together. "But only because you always promise to kiss me after."
Lia kissed his nose. "Always."
◾◾◾
The bell above the café door jingled softly as snowflakes clung to the glass, melting slowly in the warmth of the little cat café. Inside, the air smelled of cinnamon, freshly brewed coffee, and a hint of vanilla from the cupcakes Alpha had baked earlier and miraculously hadn't burned this time.
Enzo was crouched on the floor near the front window, surrounded by three sleepy cats piled on top of him. His cheeks were pink from the cold, his scarf loose around his neck as he whispered excitedly to a kitten curled on his chest. The boy who had once known only cold labs and cruel voices now laughed gently and stroked soft fur.
Behind the counter, Lia stood with Alpha who was supposed to be organizing the register but had instead been staring at Enzo for a suspiciously long time.
"Why are you pouting again?" Lia asked with a sly smile, nudging Alpha's side with his elbow.
"I'm not," Alpha grumbled but still glared daggers at the back of Enzo's head. "He clung to your arm earlier."
"He tripped, baby. And I just helped him."
"Why does he have to latch like a koala to you?"
Lia chuckled and reached out to cup Alpha's cold face, leaning in to brush a warm kiss over his cheek. "He's like a younger brother to me now, love. You know that already," He kissed the tip of Alpha's nose. "And you're the only one I smile at like this." Lia let his smile soften, lacing their fingers together and holding his gaze. "The only one I love."
Alpha looked away, though his ears turned pink. "Hmph. He still gets more hugs than I do."
"Because he doesn't growl at people who touch him," Lia teased and pulled Alpha into a warm embrace. "But I like that about you. Don't let anyone touch you except me."
Alpha leaned into his chest with a quiet grumble, letting himself be held.
Across the room, Enzo threw his head back laughing as one of the cats stole his scarf and tried to climb it like a tree. He had no idea he was being the subject of such jealousy or such bittersweet thoughts.
Lia watched him for a moment, his smile dimming slightly. Sage had grown so much. He bloomed like a daisy pushing through cracked cement. And though he smiled every day now, Lia still sometimes thought about River. About the man who had given up so much. Who had let go of everything including Sage to protect him.
If only River could see him now. Playing with cats, glowing with a joy he never used to know. Maybe somewhere out there, Lia still hopes River and Sage meet again or maybe…not every love story gets its happy ending.
Some love stories end in silence. And some in the quiet warmth of a cat café, where those left behind learn to love again.
◾◾◾
"Any doubts or questions before we end?" In the hall of one of the country's most prestigious universities, the sound of a confident voice echoed.
River Palmer stood before a room full of eager medical students, detailing a complex case on psychological trauma and the effect of early intervention. His posture was impeccable, his speech was calm and fluent. He looked every bit the brilliant doctor he was trained to be.
It was his first day as a guest lecturer and also his first day truly back in the world after three long years.
Three years of sterile white walls and counseling sessions where he was forced to speak of things he'd rather bury. Three years of learning how to breathe again without someone's name hurting in his chest.
He wrapped up the session smoothly. "That's all for today. Next week, we'll explore dissociative disorders in adolescents."
As he turned to leave, murmurs broke out among the students, mostly girls.
"Who is he?"
"I heard he worked in a top-secret trauma center abroad…"
"River Palmer, right? That's what the board said."
"He's way too handsome to be a doctor."
River nodded politely at a few of them and made his way out of the hall with his leather shoes echoing on the marble floor.
Once outside, he exhaled deeply and slid into his black car. His smile vanished almost instantly.
His cheeks ached from holding it all day. He touched the corner of his mouth and winced slightly. Too much pretending, he thought. Too much smiling for a man who's been hollowed out.
His phone rang suddenly. He picked it up without looking at the screen.
"Yes?"
A calm voice spoke on the other side. "The boy you were looking for. He's at a café. They call it 'Whisker Whisper Cat Café'. I have sent you the address though it's a bit far."
"Thank you, check your bank for your reward."
River hung up and stared at the message. His fingers clenched around the phone. His breathing halted for just a second before he pulled the car into full speed.
Three years.
Three endless years where River Palmer tried every method within his reach to scrub a name from the aching corners of his mind. He told himself it was for the best. That some people weren't meant to be in your life even if your heart begged otherwise. But still, that name throbbed beneath his skin like a half-healed wound.
He tried therapy in the first weeks. When that didn't help, he moved on to hypnotherapy, hoping that somewhere in a trance, his heart would release what his mind couldn't. But it didn't work either.
Next came the medications, the pills that dulled his emotions, blurred the sharp edges of his memory. There were moments when he couldn't even remember his own voice, but that person's voice never stopped echoing in his dreams.
He checked himself into rehab-like facilities that specialized in trauma and memory reprocessing. He promised himself that he would forget Sage and let him live with his new memories. River submitted himself to months of silence and solitude, disconnected from the outside world believing that if he starved the longing, it might die. But it didn't. It only grew quieter and sharper.
And so, as soon as he was discharged, his first instinct wasn't to run toward freedom.
Rather, it was to find him.
Within hours of signing his discharge papers, River hired a private investigator. And now that he had the address, that hollow part of his chest throbbed all over again.
Even now, as the car sped toward the café, River couldn't shake the fear. What if he doesn't remember him? He clenched the wheel tighter, breathing shallowly. He knew he might be just being reckless and setting himself up for another heartbreak. But even with that truth in his bones, he didn't ask the driver to turn back.
Because sometimes, love makes fools out of those who try too hard to forget it.
After eleven hours of constant driving River reached his destination and got out of the car. He felt dizzy and his body was aching from a long drive.
Under a dull gray winter sky, River stood frozen at the entrance of the little cat café.
It looked pretty ordinary. He heard a little bell jingled softly as he pushed the door open. The warmth hit him immediately but it did nothing to thaw his ice-cold hands, or the nervous weight nesting in his chest.
He scanned the room slowly. Some customers were tucked into cozy corners, sipping coffee and sharing hushed conversations. A little girl squealed as a cat climbed into her lap. Behind the counter, someone was arranging cupcakes.
But he wasn't the person he came here for.
River walked further with nervous breaths. He felt heartbroken thinking Sage wasn't here until he heard a familiar laugh.
River turned so fast his vision blurred.
By the play area, half-covered in a pile of cats, he saw Sage laughing and playfully batting away a girl who was trying to steal one of the sleepy kittens from his lap. His hair was a little longer now, skin a little fuller, but that smile…River forgot how to breathe.
Not even years of silence, therapy, or drugs. Not even electric shocks or locked doors could ever erase this face from his soul.
His hands trembled as he took slow steps toward him. Does he remember me?Does he remember our nights?Does he remember when he used to trace circles on my wrist to fall asleep? Does he remember…?
River's mouth went dry. His heart was pounding so loud it hurt his ribs. He reached out, fingers hesitating just a second before he rested his hand on Sage's shoulder.
The boy turned, the laughter still in his mouth until his eyes landed on River.
And the boy froze. Sage's entire body stiffened. His hands dropped from the kitten. Those soft, warm eyes were suddenly wide and cold and confused.
River's entire being screamed to close the distance and pull him close to bury his face in the crook of his neck and whisper "I missed you" a thousand times.
But all he could manage was one word. A name carved into the softest part of his heart.
"Ziggy…"
The name slipped from his lips like it had been waiting all these years. But the pain came crashing down on him when Sage didn't answer. Didn't smile how he expected and just stared at him.
The silence was unbearable until the girl beside him looked at River and gently corrected. "His name is Enzo and not Ziggy. I think you got the wrong person."
River stopped breathing as his worst fear had come true. H-He doesn't remember…me.
River's throat ached as he held himself from breaking down in front of everyone. He had waited three years for this moment. And in one second, it shattered.
His Sage was gone. And in his place was standing Enzo. And River didn't know how to breathe anymore.
He unconsciously took a step back as his vision was already blurring with the sting of unshed tears. He shouldn't have come, shouldn't have gotten out of that mental hospital, he would have survived somehow. But now after knowing that Sage really doesn't remember him, he doesn't know how he's going to survive from now on.
He abruptly turned away and just as his hand touched the door to leave, the entrance bell chimed.
Lia entered with Alpha trailing behind him grumbling about the snow in his boots. But the moment Lia saw River, his steps halted mid-track. Alpha bumped into him and paused too.
"River?" Lia said slowly, disbelief coloring his tone.
River lowered his eyes and let out a shaky breath, his lips tugging into something that barely resembled a smile. "Hey."
Lia immediately stepped forward. "Come with me."
River followed him through the hallway and into a small back office. Alpha lingered near Lia.
"When did you return?" Lia asked without wasting any time.
River exhaled slowly and rubbed his cold hands together. "A week ago."
Lia nodded solemnly. "For Sage?"
"Wasn't it obvious?" River's voice cracked ever so slightly. He gave a bitter, tired laugh and leaned against the desk.
"If you want to talk to him in private, I can arrange—" Lia began.
"No," River cut him off with a sad face and clenching heart. "What's there to talk about? He looked me in the eyes and didn't even flinch. He doesn't remember me. He's not the boy who used to sob in my arms anymore."
Lia looked at Alpha, and Alpha usually too gruff for sentiment softened just slightly. They shared an unspoken conversation.
"So…how're you two doing?"
Lia smiled faintly. "We're doing good. The café's small, but it's ours."
River turned to Alpha. "And him, does he still give you a hard time?"
Lia let out a small laugh. "All the time."
Alpha grunted in offense.
River chuckled, this time more genuinely. He looked between the two of them, the pain behind his eyes more pronounced now.
"Thank you," he said quietly, turning to Lia. "For keeping your promise. For showing Sage the world outside. I saw him smile. And…that's enough for me to live through this life knowing he's happy. I came to see that. So, I should leave."
"What's the rush?" Lia stepped forward. "You just got here."
"Staying would only hurt more," River shook his head with a tight heart. "I'll take tonight's flight back. Maybe I won't ever return. But I'm glad I came. At least I get to see my Ziggy."
River turned toward the door again when Lia took a step forward.
"There's something you should—"
River cut him off gently. "Is there a back door I can take? Because I swear…if I see him again, even once more, I won't be able to walk away."
Lia hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. This way."
As River followed quietly, Lia's gaze lingered on the broken man walking behind him, one who had burned in silence for years, searching for a love that perhaps the world decided was too cruel to continue.
River walked out, snow landing on his dark coat and melting against the warmth of his grief. Each step he took left behind a lonely mark, quickly swallowed by the whiteness. The cold winter air was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.
He still couldn't believe he really saw his Ziggy again even if he was another person now. Enzo. It felt wrong on River's tongue, like a stranger had borrowed his love's face, like someone—
"River!"
His steps halted instantly, heart skipping a beat and a shiver colder than the winter itself ran down his spine because he could recognize this voice even in another lifetime.
Slowly, like waking from a dream, he turned around. And standing there with his chest heaving and cheeks flushed from the cold, with a look of desperate disbelief in his tear-bright eyes was Sage.
No. Ziggy.
River's breath caught in his throat. Maybe he was hallucinating and finally lost it, still his mouth opened on its own and he whispered. He was scared that he might be wrong again and that he's making another mistake. But one could only hope.
"Z-Ziggy?"
Sage flinched at the name but not like it was unfamiliar. More like because it hurt. He stared at the taller person standing a few steps away from him and then with a deep breath he ran towards him. Through the snow, like a bullet of warmth cutting through winter's sorrow.
River couldn't think as his arms moved before his mind and just like old times spreading his arms wide and ready to catch him.
Sage crashed into him with the force of years lost. Their bodies slammed together and River wrapped his arms around him so tight it couldn't be opened by any power. Their hug was not delicate, rather it was violent. Full of trembling breaths, hands fisting into coats, a thousand things unsaid echoing in that single embrace.
"Are you…are you leaving me again…?" Sage's voice broke as if he was crying.
River shattered right there and the dam he was holding broke. His tears poured freely as he buried his face in Ziggy's neck and inhaled the scent he missed so much. "No..no, I'm n-not—I didn't know—I didn't know you remembered—"
His phone buzzed and River barely pulled a hand free to answer.
"River. Did you meet him?" Lia asked hurriedly.
River looked at the sobbing boy in his arms. "Yeah…"
"He ran out as soon as I told him you left. I wanted to tell you sooner but—River, he remembers everything."
River froze and couldn't speak for a moment. He hung up and dropped the phone into the snow without thinking. He didn't know what to do first, laugh, cry, scream, or collapse.
So he did the only thing he could. He hugged his Ziggy again. And this time, he will never let him go.
Lia had long discussions with Scout when it came to Sage's memories. Scout had advised memory erasure and said it would be easier for Sage to live a peaceful life if he didn't remember the horrors of Sunford, the trauma, the experiments, and the pain tied to River. But Lia had quietly resisted. Because Sage, even after all the suffering, didn't want to forget anything.
He already knew everything. Removing the memories wouldn't erase the scars on his body or the ache in his heart. More than anything, Sage clung to the only pure thing that bloomed in the middle of that nightmare...River.
Even with a new name and a new home, Sage carried that love with him every day. It was the only thing he refused to surrender. And it was easy.
Adjusting to a life where he didn't have to flinch at every loud sound or cold hand. Where he could wake up without being strapped to a bed. His body reacted to kindness like it was poison at first, shaky, doubtful, and confused. But he kept going quietly.
He worked in the café with Lia. Still, there was an emptiness only he understood. No one knew how hard it was for him to sleep. Or how many times he stood under the moon and whispered River's name like a prayer, hoping someday that prayer would be answered.
Because for Sage, forgetting River would mean forgetting the only reason he survived.
Snow still clung to Sage's hair like a crown of frost as he stood trembling in River's arms. His cheeks were flushed from running, from crying, from feeling and River still couldn't believe that this wasn't a dream.
Sage slightly pulled back and their eyes met and for a very long moment they just stared at each other.
"Ziggy–" Before River could speak, Sage reached up with shaking hands and cupped River's face like it was the most special thing he'd ever touched. His fingers grazed over the lines time and pain had carved into River's expression. River leaned in without needing words, and when their lips finally met, it wasn't just a kiss it was a homecoming.
Soft, slow, and trembling with years of longing, their kiss melted the cold around them. Sage clung to River's coat, trying to press every piece of himself into him again, like maybe they could stay like this forever with no labs, no pain, no nightmares and just them.
River kissed him like he was breathing again for the first time. It was a kiss of apologies whispered without sound. Of promises rewritten in every press of their lips. Of tears finally wiped away. When they parted, River rested his forehead against Sage's, smiling through his tears.
They stood in the snow under the pale winter sky surrounded by falling silence, two souls stitched back together.
"Why did y-you let me go, River? Why did you think you had the right to decide for both of us?" Sage accused him but there was no anger behind his words.
"I'm sorry, Ziggy," River reached up to cradle Sage's face, thumbs brushing under his eyes. "I thought I was protecting you. You'd been through hell and I was scared that I'd only hurt you more if I stayed in your life."
"You were my safe place so how can you say that!" Sage choked out, angry tears falling freely now. "I didn't care about the pain. I would've gone through it all again if it meant waking up next to you."
"I'm s-sorry," River's own tears finally fell. "Every day, for three years, I've regretted it. I tried everything to forget you. I tried to erase you from my mind like they erased you from your past but I couldn't because I love you so damn much, Ziggy. I never stopped loving you."
Sage stepped closer, fists gripping the front of River's coat. "Then don't ever leave again."
River bent his head and kissed him again, deeply, like a vow. "Never. I promise. Never again."
Years of separation and longing had led to this one fragile eternal moment.
And this time, they weren't letting go.
Their story didn't need to be perfect. It was stained with darkness but from that darkness bloomed the most selfless kind of love, one that remembered, one that endured, and one that returned again and again.
And finally, at last, one that got to stay.