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Alex’s heart warmed with their unspoken agreement. It felt nice to be on the same page with Jun again. He didn’t realize how much he missed it.

“Then it’s settled. We wait for your report. Don’t fail us.” Alex pointed at every single soul present. “Also, all of y’all,” he said. “Nothing leaves this room. What happens in the garage stays in the garage.”

“Aight. Cool, cool,” said Hal. He clapped his hands once, then gestured at the hot pot mess they’d made. “I need y’all to do a team-building exercise. If ya ate in this room, y’all are cleaning up this mess.”

“Oof! Good luck with the cleanup guys! Later!” Robin chirped with a distorted giggle. The Skype call ended with a beep, leaving the spacious garage with the bubbling hot pot and Michael Buble’s sultry voice, singing “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.”

***

Alex shoved the last of the dirty paper plates into the trash bag and hauled it out through the back door. The cold night air nipped at him. The back lot was empty while cars cruised by on the main road—the late-night rush picking up. The gas station would soon have its hands full with stragglers.

Under the yellow glow of the back door light, Jun was hunched over the drain beneath the wall faucet, pouring out the last of the broth. Some of the soup sloshed onto the asphalt.

“Yo,” Alex called to him, throwing the bag. It clanged as it hit the bottom of the dumpster.

Jun’s head snapped up, but there was no shock in those tired eyes. He grunted and offered a slight nod, then went back to scraping fat and vegetable trimmings down the drain with a wooden spoon.

Figured. Jun was going to act like nothing happened—no slap, no fight, no weeks of silence. The grating itch in Alex’s chest wouldn’t let him do the same. He tore off the black rubber gloves.

“Remember when I first moved in with you?”

Jun didn’t look up. He kept his gaze on the disgusting stream of broth swirling down the drain. After a moment, he nodded.

Alex balled up the gloves and tossed them into the dumpster. “Did you ever question why it was so sudden?”

Jun gave a half-hearted shrug. “Ruki told me it was because you were tight on cash and had nowhere to stay.”

Alex raised his eyebrows and exhaled. “I mean, that’s not wrong.”

He lifted his eyes to the sky, noticing for the first time how bright the stars got this time of night. He let out a slow breath and looked back at Jun.

“The reason why I moved in was because I was doing a job. It was the job that made me leave the Garras for good.”

Jun straightened, pot and ladle still in hand—really looking at Alex, not flinching away. It made Alex’s chest tighten in a way he didn’t expect.

“I was overconfident and unprepared. At first, I thought it was gonna be like any other job,” Alex continued. “This one in particular was a hit.” He formed his hand in the shape of a pistol and pretended to shoot into the night’s void. “And it ended up costing the lives of people I cared about.”

He dropped his hands, hating that he choked on his words, but he had to control himself, especially in front of Jun.

Alex squeezed back tears and gruesome memories before turning to Jun, whose soulless gaze never faltered from him. “The reason why I’m telling you this is because I don’t want you to go through the same thing as me.

“And no offense, I say this out of love, you don’t got the experience that I have. So you gotta be on your toes. If something fucks up, and I guarantee you it will, you need an exit plan for your exit plan.”

“You’re making this sound real serious,” Jun muttered. “I’m just driving him around.”

Alex stepped into the lamp’s blinding light and aimed two fingers directly at Jun’s forehead. “And that is the kind of attitude that will get you and others killed.” He huffed, lowering his hand when Jun’s expression didn’t change. “I’m not joking. You don’t want to bloody your hands if you don’t have to.”

A long pause settled between them, filled only by the sound of cars winding past the gas station.

Jun held still. He finally spoke after what seemed like forever. “I wanted to do this. I made the decision myself. I may not be you and not have that experience, but I am willing to do anything if it means clearing Ruki’s name.”

Alex put his hands on his hips, staring at the dirty tips of his Converse. “At least that’s something we got in common.” This was not the same Jun he knew, and Alex couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride bloom in his chest. He glanced back at him, their gazes meeting again. “If anything comes up, just reach out.”

Jun’s expression lit up. Whether it was from the garage lamp or the bright stars above, Alex swore a wave of hope and color returned to him.

“Yeah, thanks,” Jun replied, the corners of his lips pulling into a smile.

Alex returned it with a reassuring nod. Stepping away from the light and back into the darkness, Alex headed back inside.