Knight found the sunscreen inside the bag buried beneath Chen’s growing collection of beach crimes.

“Come here,” Knight muttered, pulling it out from the bag.

Nathan barely glanced up from where he sat beneath the umbrella, one arm resting lazily across his bent knee while the ocean reflected silver-blue through his sunglasses. “What?”

“Sunscreen.”

“I don’t burn.”

“You absolutely do.”

Nathan gave him the kind of look usually reserved for unreasonable board members and unstable governments.

The sea breeze shifted around them, warm now beneath the lowering afternoon sun, carrying salt and fried food and distant laughter from the shoreline.

Knight uncapped the bottle anyway.

“You’re impossible.” Nathan sighed and shifted, turning his back slightly towards him.

“And yet,” Knight murmured, squeezing lotion into his palm, “you keep me around.”

Then he moved closer.

The smell of coconut rose between them as sunscreen warmed across his hands, and then his palms settled against Nathan’s shoulders—firm, slow, familiar enough to feel instinctive rather than careful.

Sunlight had already warmed Nathan’s skin beneath the open collar of his shirt, heat lingering there beneath the sweep of Knight’s hands.

Nathan’s posture remained calm and relaxed.

Mostly.

Only the slight tilt of his head betrayed awareness when Knight’s fingers spread lower across his back, thumbs pressing slowly beside his spine before dragging upward again.

Knight’s touch was thorough, deliberate, not rushed.

Beach noise blurred around them in soft layers—waves breathing against shorelines, distant gulls crying overhead, tourists laughing somewhere farther down the coast.

The world kept moving while Knight worked sunscreen carefully over Nathan’s shoulders and arms like he had done this a hundred times before.

Sand clung faintly near Nathan’s elbow. Knight brushed it away automatically before continuing.

Nathan’s hand lifted once when Knight leaned closer, fingers settling briefly against Knight’s thigh for balance while he shifted beneath the umbrella. The touch stayed there longer than balance required.

Knight noticed.

His hands slowed slightly.

Nathan’s sunglasses reflected the sea.

“Face forward.”

Nathan turned just enough for Knight to reach the front of his collarbone, and suddenly the distance between them narrowed into something smaller than air itself.

Knight sat down directly in Nathan’s lap without hesitation, one knee pressing into the beach mat beside him while Nathan’s hand slid automatically to his waist to steady him.

Knight spread sunscreen slowly along Nathan’s throat and collarbone. The angle forced Nathan to lean back slightly beneath the umbrella pole, gaze lowering toward Knight through dark lenses while sunlight caught along the sharp line of Knight’s jaw.

Knight’s thumb dragged once beneath Nathan’s throat, smoothing lotion slowly across sun-warmed skin before his hand settled briefly against Nathan’s chest.

Nathan’s fingers tightened once at Knight’s waist.

Then Knight leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Nathan’s cheek as he capped the bottle, casual, unhidden.

“Done,” he announced proudly.

Nathan took the sunscreen bottle from his hand instead.

Knight blinked once. “What are you doing?”

Nathan reopened the bottle, “Turn around.”

Knight stared at him for a moment, then obeyed without argument, shifting fully into Nathan’s lap this time, his back settling against Nathan’s chest.

Nathan squeezed sunscreen into his palm.

Cool lotion spread slowly across Knight’s shoulders beneath his hands, and unlike Knight’s efficient thoroughness, Nathan’s touch carried a quieter kind of attention.

His hands moved slower than Knight’s had, more deliberate, pressing the sunscreen in with careful pressure as if memorizing the shape beneath his palms.

His fingers dragged along Knight’s spine before spreading outward again.

Knight’s breathing changed first.

Subtle.

Barely there.

Nathan brushed sand from Knight’s side with his thumb before continuing lower across his back.

The sunscreen gleamed briefly gold beneath sunlight before disappearing into skin beneath steady pressure.

Knight leaned back slightly against him without thinking.

Nathan’s hands moved down Knight’s arms next, thumbs sweeping carefully across sun-warmed skin.

One of Knight’s hands settled loosely against Nathan’s knee behind him, fingers flexing once beneath damp fabric.

Nathan’s fingers dragged once slowly across the center of Knight’s back, spreading the last traces of sunscreen there while Knight remained half-reclined against him, eyes lowered beneath the brightness of the afternoon.

His head dipped slightly forward, quiet, as the breeze shifted around them, carrying salt and heat and the distant crash of waves.

Footsteps pounded back toward them.

“I HAVE RETURNED VICTORIOUS,” Chen announced crashing back into existence like a natural disaster.

Both of them looked up.

Chen stood several feet away buried beneath approximately every poor financial decision available on Jomtien Beach.

The ridiculous straw hat from earlier had somehow evolved into an even larger one decorated with fake tropical flowers.

Oversized star-shaped sunglasses covered half his face while the neon inflatable ring remained trapped around his waist.

One arm balanced grilled corn skewers, the other held drinks and fried squid, and hanging from his shoulder was what appeared to be an aggressively fake designer beach towel featuring cartoon dolphins wearing sunglasses.

Behind him, two furious seagulls were still following.

“I have supported local economy,” Chen announced proudly while marching toward them through the sand, “and possibly illegal enterprise.”

Knight closed his eyes briefly against existence itself.

Nathan’s hands lowered from Knight’s shoulders. Knight, however, made absolutely no effort to move out of Nathan’s lap immediately.

Chen dropped onto the sand beside them with the exhaustion of a war veteran returning from battle, all the food collapsing around him in colorful chaos.

“Beach food,” he declared while shoving fried squid into his mouth, “Tastes like decisions you regret but spiritually.”

Knight glanced sideways toward the growing pile. “That’s enough food to feed a village.”

Chen spoke with his mouth full. “You say that every time and every time I prove history wrong.”

One of the seagulls swooped lower.

Chen screamed instantly and shielded the corn against his chest.

“YOU FOLLOWED ME.”

The bird landed nearby with criminal intent.

Knight laughed outright this time, loud and helpless.

Nathan put the sunscreen back to the bag, expression calm again, sunlight reflecting off his lenses.

Chen pointed accusingly toward the sky. “Even birds want my success.”

“They recognize weakness,” Knight corrected.

Chen ignored him completely and shoved one grilled skewer toward Nathan instead. “Eat. The squid vendor called me handsome and gave me extra sauce.”

“That’s because you paid double.”

“It’s called supporting artisans.”

Nathan accepted the skewer anyway, sunglasses catching sunlight while his gaze drifted briefly between Chen’s ridiculous beach form and Knight still half-sprawled against him beneath the umbrella.

Something faintly warmer settled across his expression.

Small enough most people would miss it.

Knight didn’t.

Chen had already moved on to explaining how he nearly entered illegal jet ski racing after “forming alliances” with three Australian tourists and one deeply concerning Thai vendor named Preecha.

“…and then the seagull tried to rob me.”

“It’s still trying,” Knight pointed out.

The same bird remained nearby.

Watching.

Waiting.

Chen glared at it over his corn. “You will never break me.”

The seagull stole half the corn anyway.

Chen’s scream echoed down the shoreline.

By late afternoon the sunlight softened into amber.

Heat loosened.

The tide crept steadily higher across the beach while umbrellas cast longer shadows over the sand.

Chen stood near the edge of the surf again, damp shirt snapping lightly in the ocean wind while foam curled around his feet in cautious white lines. The inflatable ring still hung around his waist like failed armor.

He narrowed his eyes toward the sea.

The sea rolled toward him calmly.

“I’m ready.”

Knight sat nearby wringing seawater from his sleeves after Chen had previously “accidentally” splashed him during a hydration incident. “For what?”

Chen pointed towards the sea like it had insulted his ancestors.

“Closure.”

Nathan had just stepped closer to the shoreline when Chen suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“WITNESS ME.”

Cold water swallowed Nathan’s feet a second later.

The shock shot up his legs, fabric clinging instantly while foam surged around his ankles, and before Nathan could fully react Chen scooped both hands into the surf and launched an attack.

Water smacked into Nathan’s chest.

“WAR!” Chen screamed.

Knight moved immediately without hesitation. He charged straight into the shallows and tackled Chen sideways hard enough to send a wall of spray crashing through afternoon light.

Chen howled like he’d been mortally wounded. “ASSASSINATION!”

“Shut up,” Knight launched another wave directly into his face.

Chen retaliated instantly by throwing himself bodily at Knight.

Knight dragged Nathan in fully.

Water exploded.

They splashed, shoved, slipped.

Chen shrieked with unfiltered joy. Knight moved like a predator, launching attacks.

Nathan stepped deeper into the water instead of retreating. The tide surged around his knees now, sunlight fracturing across the ocean surface in shattered gold around all three of them.

Then Nathan bent calmly, gathered water in both hands—

—and sent a wave crashing into both of them.

Knight sputtered.

Chen stared in betrayed delight.

Then—

THE WAR BEGAN.

Chaos erupted instantly beneath the lowering sun.

Chen tried climbing Knight like emergency rescue ladder while Knight dunked him beneath the surface with absolutely no mercy.

Chen resurfaced, hair plastered to his forehead, yelling, “THIS IS POLICE BRUTALITY!”

Nathan moved through the fight with terrifying strategic precision, every splash perfectly timed, every attack landing exactly where intended.

Knight lunged after him through the surf.

Nathan sidestepped smoothly.

Knight slipped anyway when a wave crashed unexpectedly sideways against his legs, and Chen immediately launched himself onto his back like a victorious sea demon.

“I CLAIM THIS LAND.”

“You’re insane.”

“That’s not legally binding.”

Water crashed around all three of them while sunlight burned gold across the moving sea.

Tourists nearby openly stared now as the three adults attempted mutual destruction in knee-deep water like overgrown children abandoned by civilization.

Nathan grabbed Chen by the inflatable ring and dragged him backward through the surf.

Chen shrieked with delighted betrayal.

Knight retaliated by splashing both of them hard enough to soak Nathan’s shirt completely through.

Wet black fabric clung instantly against Nathan’s frame.

Knight noticed.

His gaze lingered one second too long.

Nathan saw it happen.

Then calmly shoved an entire wave directly into Knight’s face.

Chen nearly drowned laughing.

Another larger wave surged toward them suddenly, taller than the others before it.

Neither reacted fast enough.

The ocean hit them together.

Hard.

They collided mid-step and lost balance simultaneously crashing sideways into the surf beneath exploding foam and saltwater chaos.

Water roared in their ears, salt and light and noise swallowing the world whole for half a second—

Then they broke the surface, gasping, laughing, shoving each other upright.

Chen clung desperately to Knight’s shoulders like a shipwreck survivor. “I HAVE NO REGRETS.”

Knight shoved him off immediately.

Nathan grabbed Knight by the collar and dragged him sideways just as Chen tackled both of them again.

Another wave hit.

This one taller.

It crashed into their chests and spun them apart.

Chen stumbled backward, tripped, vanished under foam—then popped up with both arms raised like he’d conquered something.

“VICTORY.”

Knight splashed him square in the face.

Chen retaliated wildly with full intent.

Knight ducked at the last moment.

Chen missed and accidentally splashed Nathan directly across the face.

Everything paused.

Nathan stood dripping seawater in the middle of the surf while wet hair fell across his forehead.

Chen slowly backed away. “…Strategic mistake.”

Nathan finally broke.

A sound left him as he laughed.

Actually laughed.

Not the small rare exhale he usually allowed himself.

Not polite amusement.

Something fuller broke loose instead, low and real and completely unguarded beneath the sound of crashing waves.

Knight froze for a second watching him.

Then Nathan grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him violently into the next incoming wave.

The fight dissolved after that.

No strategy.

No winners.

Just pure chaos.

They slipped, shoved, crashed into each other beneath rolling surf.

Chen launched himself onto both of them, arms locking around their necks.

Knight nearly dropped all three of them trying to throw Chen off his back while Nathan kept dragging both idiots deeper into the water whenever they attempted escape.

At one point they all staggered together beneath a larger crashing wave, shoulders colliding hard enough to nearly send them down again.

But they held.

Three silhouettes against burning gold sunlight.

Water rushing endlessly around their legs.

Breathless.

Dripping.

Laughing like the world had never once demanded anything from them.

Chen panted hardest first, chest heaving beneath his soaked floral shirt while the inflatable ring floated crookedly around his waist. “Best vacation ever.”

Knight wiped water from his eyes. “You’re impossible.”

Nathan pushed wet hair back from his face, sunlight catching on his lashes. His breathing steadied, gaze sweeping over both of them like he was anchoring something wordless in memory.

Chen grinned between them despite exhaustion.

“Family.”

The word hung there, light as salt air.

No one answered.

No one needed to.

Behind them, the sea continued breathing against the shore in endless patient waves.

Ahead of them, the beach waited beneath soft gold evening light.

And for one suspended moment the afternoon held them exactly as they were—

Loud, Soaked, Ridiculous.

But Alive.

End of The Road Back to Present

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