~24th March, 3 am ~

Beam woke up to the rustling sound around his apartment. He saw a silhouette get into his room. Beam assumed it to be Phana or Kit and decided to continue his sleep on the couch. Even though he is not as drunk as his best friends, he still needs his goodnight's sleep.

He told them to sleep in the guest room on the left, but the too-drunk Phana walked into his room, and Kit followed him blankly. Therefore, he settled on the couch for the night.

The following morning, Beam woke up to a high-pitched scream from his room. He quickly rushed to his room, only to see a dumbfounded Phana on the floor, an angry Forth on the bed with a still sleeping Kitty on the corner.

"Why the hell were you hugging me? Why are guys on my bed?" accused Forth as he hid behind the blanket while Phana was not sober yet to process the whole ordeal.

"Huh?! What?" he asked, confused.

His head hurts like it's going to split into two, and his butt hurts from the fall.

"Get out if you're going to keep shouting," complained Kit as he resumed his sleep.

"Come out and argue, guys. Kitty is still sleeping," said Beam as he looked at his stupid best friend and husband.

After the morning routine, Phana and Forth settled by the kitchen counter as Beam served them breakfast, nothing much, just a cup of milk with butter toast each. But the two other guys are still throwing glares at each other.

"I thought you won't come back this weekend," stated Phana as he gritted his teeth in the offence. He finally remembered that Forth hugged him first in sleep and dared to accuse him.

"I always come back. Why were you on our bed?" replied Forth grumpily.

"They both were too drunk to find the right room last night, and I didn't bother to correct them," Beam answered on behalf of Phana.

"Baby, where did you sleep then? I hugged him since he slept on your side of the bed," complained Forth with a pout.

"On the couch. You came back quite late last night. Why didn't you stay there and come back in the morning? I thought you were not coming this week too," commented Beam solemnly.

"Are you guys fighting or something?" asked Phana in doubt as he drank his milk and kept looking at both of them.

"YES! NO! " Beam and Forth answered simultaneously, confusing the still not sober Phana.

"Baby, we are not fighting," said Forth, whining, which Beam ignored.

"I'll explain everything to you. Please don't be mad,"' begged Forth pleadingly.

Beam was silent despite Forth's begging and pouty face.

Phana noticed how Beam was indifferent towards Forth, and Forth continued to plead and was reluctant to say or convince Beam with Phana's presence.

"You guys are loud....," complained Kit as he settled on one of the chairs and hugged Beam's arm.

It's one of Kit's signature behaviour which shows he is not back to his usual clearheaded self. Phana took that as a sign as he pulled Kit from Beam when he noticed Kit had already freshened up.

"I need my morning caffeine intake to sober up, and I'm bringing this fellow with me," he announced and dragged the confused Kit with him without waiting for any of their responses.

The studio apartment became quiet without Phana and Kit as both Beam and Forth were too silent for their own good.

Beam continued to do the house chores without acknowledging Forth's presence, even though he won't do the house chores alone. They both do it together. That was the rule in their household.

"Babe, I'm sorry I hide the information from you. But it's not like what you think. Please talk to me," begged Forth as he back hugged Beam, who was doing the dishes.

"Huuh," deeply sighed Beam as he turned around to face Forth, still in the hug.

"You have 15 minutes to explain the whole damn thing," said Beam with his stern voice.

"Okay. I'll share everything I know," Forth replied with the same seriousness.

~ The time skip to 30 minutes ~

"You dare to keep this away from me?!" scolded Beam as he punched Forth's chest repeatedly.

But not strong enough to hurt him, just with the suitable strength to show his dissatisfaction.

"Beam, Baby, I didn't want to put you in danger. Beam, Your research about this is already risky enough. The more you know, the danger it gets," Forth reasoned worriedly.

"And it's okay to put your life in danger? Forth, I want to kill you right now," rebuked Beam again.

"Beam.....," whined Forth beseechingly.

"Quiet! So, I was right about this DDT all this time? It is harmful to nature and the island people. And your damn company is illegally smuggling it. Unbelievable! Why do people are too greedy?" Beam replied angrily.

"Beam, calm down. I got the inside information for this DDT case. It is illegal in Thailand to smuggle this chemical. That's why the higher-ups are obscuring the evidence. We only need solid proof of this DDT smuggling crime to take legal action," explained Forth calmly.

No war got won with panicked or rushed actions. At least one of them has to be calm.

"Forth, can we believe this Kong guy you mentioned? He has the same Sir name as your company CEO. Are you sure they are not related?" asked Beam worriedly.

"To be honest, they are related," stated Forth as he avoided eye contact.

Beam was silent for one whole minute before,

"Are you fucking kidding me right now, Jaturapoom?!!" he roared.

"Baby, he volunteered to help us. He was the one who approached me first. He wants to help the people as much as we want to. We can trust him, Beam," he commented as he tried to calm down Beam by patting his back.

"I don't know, Forth. I don't feel good about this. I get how you felt each time I wanted to get involved in this case. I'm sorry I made you worried. But, is it safe?" Beam worriedly asked as he stared at his husband for clarification.

"It is risky, as I always said.

But baby, if we don't take action now, as you said before, the future generation of that island will suffer a great deal.

We need to do this, but I don't want you to get involved openly," stated Forth firmly.

"I won't if that makes you feel secure, But I need you to promise me to be always safe. Never do anything that could sabotage your safety. If things get out of your hands in this case, you will back off, as you always advised me. And I'm still not convinced with this Khun Kong. Please use your hazer head and be safe," said Beam as he hugged Forth after one whole week.

"I will, baby. How would I leave you by putting myself in danger? I love you, Beam," confessed Forth as he pecked Beam's forehead.

"God, I missed this. I missed you," replied Beam as he snuggled close to his husband's neck.

"I missed you like hell," he replied with a happy smile.

"Forth, does Park knows about this? Do you want to involve him in this? I say no, na.

It's better that way. They will be safe. I'm planning not to get Phana and Kit involved too," stated Beam as he got comfortable on Forth's chest.

"I'm thinking the same. The fewer people know about this, the less damage when things go south. Let's be safe while handling this case," replied Forth as he snuggled close to Beam's nape.

As Beam was getting showered by kisses and smooches from his husband and as he was melting into Forth's warm embrace,

his phone goes off right at that time with Kit's name.

"What do you want, Kitty?" asked Beam grumpily as he answered the call still in Forth's embrace.

Can't they let him have some alone time with his husband?!

"Well, we have been out in this cafe for more than 2 hours now, and I'll get diabetes if I eat one more dessert. You know how bad Phana is with sweet tooth and dessert. Save me!" begged Kit, which sounded more like an order than a request to be saved.

"Oops. You both can return now. Grab something for lunch, please. I'm not cooking today," answered Beam.

"Well, ask your husband to cook then," ordered Kit in a grumpy tone.

"He is not too," answered Beam with the same tone as he hung the call.

"Phana has a sweet tooth? I thought all those sweet desserts were for Nong Wayo," commented Forth as he laughed a little.

"Nong Yo is not a dessert person. Phana is like a child in a giant's disguise," mocked Beam as he smiled and hugged his husband tightly.

Their little misunderstanding had kept them away for more than a week, and Beam needed his hugs back with interest, which Forth provided happily.

~

~1982, 26th June~

Forth and Beam collected as much information as they could with the help of Khun Kong, and Beam ran his research about DDT in his lab to get solid proof for the last two months.

Today Forth has to return to the rig in the evening, but he seemed restless and edgy, which concerned Beam to the core.

"Why are you acting suspicious, Forth? Are you hiding anything from me again?" questioned Beam with his ice-cold eyes and stern voice.

"Baby, it's... You know that my rig will have an anniversary celebration coming Thursday, right?" asked Forth as he stared at Beam worriedly.

"Yes, and you said you'll be back home on the same night. Why?" questioned Beam, worried.

"Khun Kong suggested getting photo evidence and DDT samples from the rig during the event to make our claims strong," replied Forth slowly as he watched Beam's frowns deepen.

"No. Drop the plan!" ordered Beam, unlike his usual dare self.

"But, baby..."

"No! Forth. Your CEO, Khun Saen, will be there for the event, and some of his trusted people will be there too. Forth what you're suggesting is a suicide mission. I won't allow you," stated Beam heatedly.

"I know the risk very well, baby. But, Khun Saen will be busy handling his partners and the event. We won't get another chance like this," Forth tried to convince him.

"Screw the case then. I'm not doing this with your life in the line," replied Beam, more terrified and angry.

"I'll be careful. I won't do anything that could make you lose me. I promise you that," said Forth while caressing Beam's cheeks softly.

"At least bring me with you. Please," pleaded Beam with teary eyes.

"Baby, I'll be alright. And I need you here to do me a favour," said Forth as he pulled an envelope out of his back bag and handed it over to Beam.

"This is the official report about DDT which I applied a few weeks ago to the district court. The case is still pending at the moment cause we don't have solid proof.

Beam, please bring this to the nearby Navy office coming Thursday after I contact you. I'll get the evidence on time and leave the ship before the event ends.

I'll fetch you from the camp, and we will submit it to the court together," explained Forth with confidence, which Beam lacked at the moment.

Even though the plan seemed harmless, Beam was not convinced. He felt an unknown fear creeping on his skin.

"Promise me that you will be back to me safe and unhurt, Forth," requested Beam with tear-glistened eyes.

"I promise, baby. I love you," vowed Forth as he hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead.

"I love you too," replied Beam softly as he basked in his husband's warm arms longer before he watched him leave by the ferry.

For an unknown reason, Beam felt like this was the last time he saw Forth, and he hated that feeling. He waited by the port till he saw the ferry reach the rig in the middle of the Phuket ocean.

~

~1982, 30th June~

Today was D-Day for their mission, and Beam was on standby since the morning. He followed Kit to the Similan Highland for volunteer work and waited for Forth.

He became restless when the clock struck noon, but Forth didn't contact him yet.

The event would have started by 9 am, and Forth should be here before noon. But there is no sign of him.

Kit misunderstood his nervousness as excitement to spend the long weekend with his husband. Only Beam knows the terror he was feeling at the moment.

Kit noticed Beam's uneasy behaviour as he walked to the railing in front of the campsite, which provides a view of the oil rig multiple times. Beam kept checking his phone as if his life depended on it.

Well, Forth is Beam's lifeline, only that Kit doesn't know about that.

When finally Beam's phone rang with its loud ringtone, Kit snatched the phone out of Beam's hand and put it on speaker.

"Hello, Beam. Baby, send the envelope now!" Forth's voice got muffled by the background sound, and they could hear Forth's heavy breathing.

"Forth, when are you coming here? What's going on there?" questioned Beam, alarmed.

"Beam, s-stay with Phana a-and Kit," added Forth.

From the background sound, they could predict that the former is running while talking to them.

"Forth, what happened there?" asked Beam, terrified with teary eyes again.

He could join the dots and guess what could have happened, but his mind refused to be analytical right at the moment.

Kit got confused with the conversation shared by the couple, and he was more worried as he saw Beam tearing up.

"Beam, I-I can't-t....c-come. Be s-safe," and the call got cut.

Beam stood there like a statue for a minute despite Kit shaking him vigorously. As his sympathetic system activated, he decided to be brave and rational rather than scared.

"Beam, what's going on?" asked Kit, alarmed and concerned.

Beam took a few deep breaths to calm his racing mind and rapidly beating heart. He pulled out the envelope Forth passed to him from his bag.

"Kitty, listen to me carefully. Please pass this envelope to the nearby Navy office as soon as possible. I got to reach Forth now. So, don't mess this up," said Beam seriously while trying to keep his voice calm.

"Beam, Forth asked you to stay with us. At least wait till Phana got here," requested Kit worriedly.

Kit has no idea of what's going on. But, his inner instinct told him to hold Beam back and never let him go.

"Kitty, I- " as Beam was about to explain, they heard a loud explosion outside.

They both rushed out to check, and the sight in front of them made Beam's stomach drop. In front of them was the Blue Flame marine ship/oil rig burning in the middle of the ocean.

The black smoke from the burning ship is too huge. It was forming dark clouds on top of it.

"Oh my god," Beam dropped to his knees as he saw the sight in front of him. Kit was quick to help him stand and call 911.

"Kitty, make sure you pass the envelope," said Beam as he ran towards his car to get to the port as he got out of the initial shock. He has no time, no more.

Kit was shocked by all the commotion happening in mere minutes. He contacted Phana as he rushed out to do the only task Beam left for him.

As the call connected to Phana, Kit informed him about the explosion and his task. He also requested Phana to stop Beam from doing or being reckless.

But Phana was too late to stop Beam as he took the personal watercraft or jet ski parked at the port and rushed to the marine ship.

~

Flames exploded from the top tower as some marine engineers ran out of the collapsing building to the lifeboat. The enormous marine ship was on fire. There was the toppling of oil vessels, cranes, and metal container stands everywhere.

'I can't be late. I'm coming for you, Forth,' thought Beam as he got on the ship.

Forth promised him to be safe. He said it was going to be alright and nothing would go wrong.

Then how the hell did the ship get on fire suddenly?

Why are the marine cops and ambulance not here yet?

Beam saw the captain, the engineers on the boat, and other staff running for their dear life. Who would have expected a fire accident in the middle of the ocean on an oil rig marine ship?

All he could see and hear were the cries and toppling of burned cranes on the ship. The victims were running towards the emergency lifeboats.

Forth should be there too. But Beam can't spot him in the safe part of the ship.

'Where is he?'

He ran around as I looked for him. Beam was running towards the angry fire while the others ran in the opposite direction to save themselves.

They had to abandon 'The Blue Flame' marine ship, which they consider their home, for months. There's no way to save it now.

It's better to protect themselves by moving away from the marine ship, which would sink or explode at any moment.

'Is Forth still in the tower? But the fire is raging dangerously there,' Beam was bewildered to find Forth but didn't know where to start.

The image of a signboard named Blue Flames is burning at the corner. The once great and proud Blue Flame marine ship is now a mess due to the wildfire. The ship being a part of oil vessel storage is not doing any good in the given situation.

The remaining victims were running out of the tower, but still, Beam couldn't spot Forth among them.

"Where is he?" he asked the running away engineers.

"Get away from the tower?" replied the marine engineers, who were on the run.

"Where is Forth?" Beam asked as he tried to find his husband.

"Beam, listen to me. Forth is not in there," replied Park as he tried to stop him from running into the burning tower. Park left his lifeboat to get Beam.

"Forth!!!!" Beam called out.

'Please, Please be safe.'

"Beam, let's get on the lifeboat first. Forth was with our boss earlier. I'm sure that he is safe," Park tried to calm Beam down, which did the opposite.

If Forth is with his boss, then he is in dreadful danger.

"Park, where did you see him last?" Beam asked as he tried staying in the same spot without getting pulled away by him to the lifeboat.

"He was-" before Park could reply to anything, a sudden loud sound gained their attention.

Beam's POV

It was the sound of the fire bursting from the top tower. The window panes broke out due to the fire outburst as it landed everywhere.

Everybody ducked down to avoid getting hit by the glasses. All of the fire victims were looking terrified at the dark smoke which came out of the topmast.

But mine and Park's eyes land on the person below the tower? He was lugging himself out of the fire as he held onto his abdomen, which was bleeding.

That's Forth, and he looked severe with bruises on his face and gunshot wound in his arms and leg.

//BRAK! BRAK!//

The top tower toppled right beside him, which caused him to wobble along the edge of the marine ship. I can't spot his face clearly due to the dark smoke. Any moment now, Forth could drop into the ocean.

"Forth!!!" I tried to rush to him.

I could at least drag him away from the edge. I could attend to his other injuries when we reach the shores safely.

"No, Beam. It's dangerous. I can't let you run into the fire. Forth will kill me," Park argued as he attempted to keep me away from the flames.

"Well, he is dying himself. Let me go, Park!" I shouted as I tried to push him away with my angry voice and glare.

I saw Forth stagger due to the fire as he tried to stand up, and he quivered as the ship went through turbulence. The fire explosions and the massive waves in the middle of the ocean are playing against me.

With Forth condition, he might fall into the vast ocean any minute now. He is not stable, and he is definitely not in the correct shape to swim if he drops into the sea.

As I tried to push Park with my wearing-off strength, we suddenly heard another loud sound.

//Splash//

"No!!!!!!!!" I screamed as I saw the love of my life drop into the sea with the sound of a gunshot.

I finally shoved Park away from me and ran towards the edge. I can't spot Forth on the water surface. Without thinking much, I dived into the endless ocean to find my love as I heard Park call out my name.

I swim back to the surface as I can't find him for the first minute.

I took a deep breath, dived even deeper this time and spotted him.

He was sinking to the bottom of the ocean, and he was losing consciousness. I swam to him as I held him in my arms.

I tried to wake him by tapping his cheeks. That way, I at least could drag him back to the surface without sinking.

Forth barely opened his eyes, but he pushed me upwards to the surface.

Why is he pushing me away? Why did he give up?

Forth was pushing me up with the remaining life he had to save me instead.

I tried to drag him up with me, but my husband was not cooperating, and I could feel him slipping through my arms as I was having difficulty holding my breath myself.

If you have given up on your life and would save me instead of protecting yourself? Then I would rather die with you than live alone for the rest of my life.

'Remember, Forth. You broke our promise,' thought Beam as he held Forth tightly.

I vowed to be with you till death brings us apart. But now I decide that even death can't take you away from me, Forth.

I tighten my grip on Forth's hands as I hug him with all of my life as both of us sink into the dark blue sea.

I looked at Forth's closed eyes as I released my last breath keeping him close to me.

Till death do us apart.

_____________

End of Chap 12.

TBC.

_____________

~

My lovely cupcakes, that's a wrap to the main flashback.

But I would add scenes from flashbacks to support the future settings later.

Thank you for waiting for my updates and for not abandoning this story.

Please comment on what you guys think of this flashback and overall story. Please vote and share as well.

I'll try to upload the next chapter by this weekend or latest, by coming Monday.

Till we meet again, stay safe.

See you, cupcakes.

~