Death

"He...that bastard is dying Tiza. My father."

"What?" Tiza says, taking a step back. That...definitely wasn't what he was expecting.

Sean side-eyed to make sure Momo wasn't listening. He continues in a hushed tone.

"Somehow he got my information and reached out over email. He's dying. And he wants to see us. As much as I didn't want to tell you, I figured I've lied enough."

"He wants to see us?"

'He wants to see me!?' Tiza thinks.

There were times where his uncle couldn't even stand to look at him. Why would he want to see him now? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to that. Still, Tiza was curious…

"What are you going to do?"

Sean scoffs.

"Nothing. The bastard can rot in hell, I'm not giving him the pleasure of seeing me. Besides, after all these years he's getting what was coming to him, he deserves to suffer alone. Right?"

"..."

"Tiza?"

The Omega's face is downcast, his fingers tugging at the end of his sleeves. He...he didn't know why he didn't feel happy to hear this. He knows that he should feel the same way as Sean, but… he just doesn't. After all the pain that man had caused him, all the trauma he had inflicted, shouldn't he want to see the bastard dead?

When someone has wronged you, sometimes seeing them suffer was enough, sometimes it wasn't.

There were many times Tiza envisioned himself confronting Uncle and telling him off. During the moments where his past became too heavy to bear he would see himself yelling all his grievances at the man, in some daydreams he would hurt him like he had once done to himself. These daydreams never left him feeling better. He always felt empty.

"Tiza?"

The sound of Aosh's voice shakes Tiza from his thoughts. The other two men are looking at him.

"How long does he have?" he says, voice tight.

Sean's face scrunches up before he answers, "What does it matter?"

"Just answer him, Sean." Aosh hisses out.

Sean bites back a scowl, "All he said is that he didn't have long. Maybe a week or two."

"Can you forward me the email?"

"I guess…" Sean pulls out his phone and fiddles with it for a moment before putting it away, "There, it's sent."

Tiza can feel his phone buzz in his pocket confirming what Sean just said. In the next moment he's walking back to Momo, all smiles and cooing at the baby.

Sean and Aosh exchange worried looks. That wasn't the reaction either of them expected the Omega to have.

.................................................

"Has anybody ever wronged you?" Tiza asks, hiding much of his face in their comforter, his gaze glued to the ceiling. It was very late but his mind kept wandering, inhibiting his sleep after they returned from the hospital.

The Alpha's eyes flutter open, he was just on the edge of sleep, the only thing keeping him awake was the person beside him and his restlessness. Aosh can think of quite a lot of people who have wronged him, yet he decides to keep the conversation away from him and all the grievances he had.

"A few." he says.

"Have you ever wanted to hurt them back?"

Was it worth mentioning he had once wanted to rip Valencia's head off and bring it to Tiza as a trophy? It probably wouldn't help. Best not to mention it.

"No," Aosh responds, after some thought.

Tiza sighs, turning on his side to latch onto Aosh's arm, "I didn't think so, you're not the type."

"Have you? We...are talking about your uncle, right?"

He nods his head and nuzzles closer, " I thought I wanted to, but I don't know anymore. I- I should hate him shouldn't I?"

"I hate him, because he hurt you," Aosh growls lowly, but he doesn't let his agitation sit for long, "But I'm not going to tell you how you should feel. You can't make yourself happy that he's dying if you don't already feel it," he says in a softer tone.

Tiza runs his hand slowly over the curve of Aosh's bare chest, "I was hoping that I would be after reading his words for myself. But I still feel weird. Empty. Like I care but I don't. That sounds stupid doesn't it?"

"It sounds like you need closure," Aosh yawns, gently moving Tiza's hand off his chest. After what had happened this morning, just the casual acts of intimacy they shared had started to sting. The hugs, the hand holding, being in the same bed even was becoming too much. Now wasn't the time to talk about it though, Tiza had bigger problems to worry about than having to deal with Aosh's one sided feelings.

"What do you mean? Like seeing him before he dies?"

Aosh nods his head, settling himself deeper in his pillows. Tiza's eyebrows furrow and he sits up.

"And how am I supposed to get there?"

It's not like he had thousands of dollars lying around to just throw away on a trip to France.

Aosh's eyes, drowsy and half-lidded, shift as if in thought, "I can always take you. If you really want to go."

"You're kidding."

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it."

Tiza's mouth opens, about to protest-

"Your birthday is at the end of the week anyway. Just think of this as an early present. Now get some sleep, we can talk about it more in the morning." he says, turning on his side away from the other.

Emerald eyes bore into Aosh's back. The aura between them had been weird since that morning. Even though he chose to put a pin in it, Tiza is still troubled by what Aosh said. Aosh must still care about him. What he was proposing wasn't anything small. Who would offer to fly someone who they didn't care about halfway across the world?

And...it wasn't just his birthday coming up. They were fated mates, they shared the same birthday. And here Aosh was willing to sacrifice any plans he had for it just for him. That had to mean something. Tiza really hoped it meant something.

He watches the slow rise and fall of Aosh's back, the other fast asleep now as the minutes go by. This man...Tiza really was the center of his whole world. And Aosh was becoming the center of his. Aosh had given him the strength to come this far. To be able to find love for himself, confront his brother, and now face his abuser. None of this would be possible if not for Aosh. He wonders if Aosh would understand how much that means to him. Or at the very least what Aosh means to him.

Suddenly he feels it, a speck of courage brought on by Aosh and his selflessness. What Tiza does with it is what he should've done this morning; when that seed of doubt planted itself in both of their hearts. The Omega leans over and gently presses his lips to Aosh's cheek.

"I love you," he whispers, "And I hope you still love me too."

At the very least, on their birthday, Tiza was going to make sure he knew that.