The tension in the room shifted the moment Jake stepped closer.
Not explosive—yet. But sharper. More personal.
Kai felt it immediately.
Jake had always been like this—pressing, provoking, pushing until something cracked. Unlike Richard's cold precision or Leon's suffocating control, Jake went straight for the reaction. And right now… Kai was an easy target.
Jake stopped a few steps away, crossing his arms, eyes fixed on Kai with a mixture of irritation and something else he wasn't bothering to hide.
"Seriously," Jake said, tilting his head slightly. "This is it? This is what you've got after two years?"
Kai's eyes narrowed. "Back off."
Jake ignored that completely. "I mean, I expected a fight. A real one. Not…" his gaze flicked down briefly, "…this."
Something in Kai snapped.
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
Kai suddenly squirmed, twisting sharply in Leon's lap, trying to slip out of his hold. It wasn't frantic like before—but it was real. Intentional. His body shifting, shoulders pulling, trying to find an opening in Leon's grip.
"I said back off!" Kai snapped, frustration breaking through.
Leon's arm tightened instantly. Not harsh—just absolute.
Kai tried again, pushing against him, shifting his weight, trying to slide free—but it was like trying to escape iron wrapped in calm. Every movement was anticipated, contained before it could go anywhere.
Jake's eyes lit up slightly. "There it is," he muttered.
Kai ignored him, focusing on getting free. His heart pounded, irritation and something deeper tangling together as he twisted again, more urgently now.
"Let go—"
The words came out sharper this time, more instinct than thought—
"Dad, let me go!"
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Kai froze.
The moment the word left his mouth, it was like the entire room shifted. The air itself seemed to still, heavy and suffocating.
Kai's eyes widened slightly, his body going rigid in Leon's hold.
He hadn't meant to say that.
Again.
Jake blinked. Once. Then again, slower this time, his expression shifting from irritation to something far more intrigued.
"…Wow," Jake said under his breath.
Richard, still silent by the wall, didn't move—but his gaze sharpened just slightly.
And Leon—
Leon didn't speak immediately.
His grip didn't change. Didn't tighten. Didn't loosen. But something about him stilled in a way that carried far more weight than any reaction.
Kai's throat felt tight. His hands, which had been pushing against Leon moments ago, stilled completely.
"I didn't—" he started, but the words fell apart before they could form properly.
Leon finally spoke.
"Say it again."
The command was quiet. Calm.
Absolute.
Kai's breath caught. "No."
Immediate. Defensive.
Jake let out a quiet exhale, something between a laugh and disbelief. "Oh, this just got interesting," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
Kai shot him a glare, but it lacked its usual bite. His focus snapped back to Leon almost immediately.
"I didn't mean it," Kai said, more controlled now, though tension still laced every word. "It just slipped."
Leon's gaze lowered to him, piercing, unreadable—but not empty. Never empty.
"Twice," Leon said.
Kai flinched—barely noticeable, but it was there.
The silence stretched again, heavier than before, pressing down on all of them.
Kai didn't try to move this time.
Didn't squirm.
Didn't push.
Because now it wasn't about escaping Leon's hold.
It was about the word he couldn't seem to take back.
And the fact that, no matter how much he resisted—
It kept coming out.
Kai grit his teeth. He didn't have an excuse now. His subconscious mind was taking over his words and actions.
The unseen ties that bound him to his family.
Kai hated it, but it was real.