Chapter 15: A Trip Called Family

Author's Preface

- Present Day -

Morning in the Lang mansion never arrived quietly.

Even the sunlight felt careful here- spilling through tall windows in soft gold, brushing polished floors, warming the heavy curtains like it didn't dare interrupt the household's rhythm.

Nathan sat on the edge of the bed with his cuffs undone, tie draped loose around his neck, a folder open in his lap.

Calm as always. Focused. His eyes moved across pages like the world outside could wait.

Across the room, Knight was packing.

Not his luggage.

Both of theirs.

Nathan's suitcase lay open on the bed like it belonged there, and Knight moved around it like a man who'd been doing this for years- folding Nathan's shirts with unnecessary precision, dropping socks in pairs, tucking a spare tie into the side pocket like it was a sacred ritual.

Nathan watched for half a second, then went back to reading.

Knight didn't look up. "You're taking the gray coat."

"I'm not."

Knight's hand paused mid-fold. "Yes, you are."

Nathan's voice stayed cool. "It's too heavy."

Knight finally glanced at him, eyes bright with quiet authority. "It looks good on you."

That was not an argument. That was a command disguised as taste.

Nathan blinked slowly, the faintest exhale through his nose. "Tyrant."

Knight smirked and tossed the gray coat neatly into Nathan's suitcase anyway. "Husband duties."

Nathan didn't say anything.

He only adjusted his tie and continued reading like his heart wasn't doing anything stupid.

The door burst open.

Chen appeared like a storm wearing pants, dragging two suitcases behind him- one large enough to hold a small human and another bag slung over his shoulder like he was moving countries.

"I AM READY!"

Knight stared. "It's a two-day business trip."

Chen nodded gravely. "Exactly."

Nathan's gaze flicked to the luggage. "You packed for a month."

Chen lifted his chin. "I respect the unknown."

Knight walked over, unzipped Chen's bag, and instantly a ridiculous amount of snacks tried to escape- chips, chocolates, instant noodles, energy drinks, something that looked suspiciously like a mini toolbox.

Knight zipped it back up like sealing a bomb. "No."

Chen clutched the suitcase handle. "YES."

Knight leaned in, smiling sweetly. "Chen Rang."

Chen's spine went cold. "Don't use my full name like it's a weapon."

"It is," Knight said pleasantly. "Half of this stays."

Chen gasped as if stabbed. "This is oppression."

Nathan stood, slipped his folder into his bag, and calmly lifted his own suitcase with one hand. "Leave him alone. He'll suffer naturally."

Chen pointed at him. "SEE? Bro understands me."

Knight muttered, "He tolerates you."

Minutes later, the car rolled out of the mansion gates.

Knight drove. Naturally.

Nathan sat in the passenger seat, documents on his lap, posture composed- untouchable even in comfort.

Chen flopped into the back seat like a dramatic prince exiled from his throne and immediately tore open a packet of chips with violent enthusiasm.

The crunch echoed like gunfire.

Knight's jaw tightened. "Already?"

Chen spoke with his mouth full. "I'm stress-eating. You two are too in love. It's intimidating."

Nathan didn't react.

Knight glanced at Nathan anyway- brief, warm, intimate. "Do you remember our first trip?"

Nathan's eyes shifted to the road ahead, quiet for a beat too long.

Then, softly- so softly it almost sounded like surrender- he said,

"Yes, I remember."

"Not the road... not the distance... but the noise-

Chen eating like a starving king, Ping whining like the world was ending, Paola disappearing every five minutes, Jenn watching us all like a silent judge.

And Knight beside me, steady as Fire-

Turning a simple trip into the first memory that felt like home."

And with that words, the present loosened its grip- memory rising like warm light, pulling Nathan back to the very first road that changed everything.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

- Fourteen Years Earlier -

Nathan would remember that morning not by the date, but by the noise.

The Lang mansion didn't wake up- it erupted. Suitcases lay open like defeated enemies. Clothes were scattered across chairs. Someone was yelling about socks like it was a national emergency. The air smelled like perfume, hair oil, breakfast- and incoming disaster.

Somewhere down the hallway, Chen was shouting at a suitcase like it had personally betrayed him.

"WHY ARE YOU NOT CLOSING?!"

The suitcase did not respond. Chen took this as disrespect.

Mrs. Lang's voice cut through it all, dramatic and unstoppable. "If anyone forgets anything important, don't come crying to me later!"

Mr. Lang sat in the living room like a calm island in a hurricane, newspaper in hand, tea appearing beside him as if the universe personally served him.

Nathan was in the middle of it- quiet, focused, already dressed neatly. Not because he was excited, but because he believed order was the only shield against chaos.

Chen's head poked in for exactly two seconds, eyes scanning like a thief.

He plucked a biscuit from Nathan's side table, whispered, "Bless this household," and vanished again before anyone could breathe.

And then there was Ping.

Ping sat on the bed like a tiny, stubborn prince, legs swinging, hugging Snowball so tightly the poor thing looked like it might suffocate. His cheeks were puffed, eyes glossy with offended emotion.

"I don't wanna wear this," Ping declared, voice trembling with betrayal.

Nathan knelt in front of him, patient as stone. "It's just a shirt."

"It's a mean shirt."

Nathan blinked slowly. "Shirts can't be mean."

Ping hugged Snowball harder. "This one is."

Nathan didn't argue. He simply picked up the shirt and held it out calmly. "Arms up."

Ping hesitated like he was being asked to surrender his dignity.

Then slowly, dramatically, he lifted his arms.

Nathan slid the shirt over his head with practiced care, then began buttoning it- one by one- fingers precise, gentle, unhurried. Ping watched his face like Nathan's expression alone could decide if this day would be safe.

When Nathan reached the collar, Ping squirmed. "Too tight."

Nathan loosened it immediately. "Better?"

Ping sniffed. "Maybe."

Nathan's mouth twitched faintly- almost amused. "You're acting like we're going to war."

Ping stared at him very seriously. "We are."

Nathan didn't correct him.

Behind them, Knight barged into the room with the energy of a small storm, already half-annoyed and fully awake.

He took one look at Ping's hair- messy, stubborn, sticking up like it had opinions- and made a face.

"Ping," Knight said like the name itself was a complaint.

Ping immediately narrowed his eyes. "Knight."

Nathan didn't look up. "Be nice."

Knight huffed. "I am nice."

Then he grabbed a comb from the table like a weapon and moved behind Ping, gently tugging Snowball away.

Ping clutched Snowball tighter. "NO."

Knight tried again. "Your hair looks like it fought a storm."

Ping gasped, scandalized. "It's fashion!"

Knight grinned, combing anyway. "It's tragedy."

Ping tried to turn his head and bite him in revenge.

Knight dodged smoothly. "Stop moving."

Ping growled. "Stop touching me!"

Knight leaned closer, voice sweet and evil. "If you bite me, I'll tell Nate you didn't eat vegetables at breakfast."

Ping froze in horror. "You wouldn't."

Knight smirked. "Watch me."

Nathan sighed. "Knight."

Knight behaved instantly- still combing, but less evil about it. "Fine. I'm fixing his hair because I'm a good brother."

Ping muttered, "You're a flame demon."

Knight flicked his ear lightly. "And you're sunshine nuisance."

Ping gasped again. "NATE! HE'S BULLYING ME!"

Nathan finally looked up, calm eyes sharp. "Knight."

Knight lifted both hands. "I didn't do anything. He accused me."

Ping clutched Snowball and whispered like it was a secret weapon, "I hope you run out of snacks."

Knight snorted. "That's not even a curse."

Ping's face scrunched. "IT IS TO ME."

Nathan finished buttoning the last button and stood, smoothing Ping's shoulders gently. "There. Looking good."

Ping brightened instantly. "Really?"

"Yes."

Ping leaned forward without thinking and hugged Nathan's waist, Snowball squished between them. Nathan's hand settled on Ping's head, steady.

Knight watched, rolling his eyes like he'd seen this a thousand times. "Disgusting."

Nathan didn't react. "You're jealous."

Knight scoffed. "Of that?"

Ping lifted his face, offended. "I heard that."

Knight stuck his tongue out.

Ping did it back- harder.

Across the hallway, a smaller chaos war was happening.

Paola's voice shrieked like a theatre queen mid-performance. "MOMMMMM! THIS DRESS IS UGLY!"

Mrs. Lang roared back, louder. "PAOLINA LANG-DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT ABOUT MY CHOICE!"

A crash. A stomp. The sound of someone dramatically dying.

Nathan closed his eyes once, like he was praying for strength.

Knight grinned. "Paola's starting early today."

From the corridor, Jenn appeared- small, neat, and ready, holding her tiny bag with both hands. She looked at the chaos in the room with calm curiosity, like she was observing wild animals.

Her eyes landed on Chen sprinting past the hallway wearing sunglasses indoors, dragging a bag twice his size.

Chen shouted, "I'M READY!"

Knight yelled back, "YOU LOOK STUPID!"

Chen yelled, "THAT'S MY BRAND!"

Jenn blinked slowly, then said in her small, quiet voice, "He's loud."

Nathan replied, equally calm, "Always."

Jenn nodded like she'd solved a mystery, then walked off without another word- calm and composed.

In the next second, Paola burst into view wearing an outfit she clearly chose herself. She spun dramatically like she was on a runway.

"KNIGHT!" she cried, striking a pose. "LOOK!"

Knight paused, then gave her a quick up-and-down look. "Nice."

Paola's whole face lit up like she'd been blessed. "SEE, MOM?!"

Mrs. Lang appeared behind her, hands on hips, eyes blazing with maternal fury. "Your brother supports criminals!"

Paola shouted back, "I'M NOT A CRIMINAL, I'M A PRINCESS!"

Mr. Lang's calm voice floated in from downstairs. "Car's ready."

Mrs. Lang turned instantly into Commander Lang. "EVERYONE OUT! NOW!"

The mansion exploded again- footsteps, shouting, bags being dragged, Snowball almost left behind until Ping screamed like the world ended.

Chen sprinted past them toward the front door- then froze like he'd been shot.

"MY SNACK BAG!"

He turned and ran back inside like the war had restarted.

Knight watched him go, deadpan. "We're not making it out alive."

Nathan picked up the last suitcase with one hand, reached down, and took Ping's free hand with the other.

Ping clung like it was law.

Knight grabbed another bag, muttering about chaos and suffering like he wasn't smiling.

And as they rushed toward the front gates- children yelling, Mrs. Lang commanding, Mr. Lang somehow sipping tea-

Nathan knew, even then, this trip wouldn't be quiet.

It would be a storm.

And storms... in the Lang family...

were always Love.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

The front yard looked like a battlefield of luggage.

One car. One driver. One exhausted Mr. Lang already seated behind the wheel, calm as ever, as if driving six children to Chiang Mai was a normal Tuesday.

Mrs. Lang stood beside the open car door like a commander sending troops to war. "Everyone in! No fighting!"

They immediately fought.

Chen was the first to sprint- launching himself toward the front passenger seat with the confidence of a king claiming his throne.

"SHOTGUN!"

Knight grabbed him by the back of his collar mid-dive and yanked him back like an unruly kitten. "No."

Chen flailed. "YES!"

Nathan stepped forward, calm and terrifying. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't even frown.

He only said, "Rules."

The entire chaos paused like someone pressed a button.

Knight released Chen. Chen stumbled, offended.

Nathan faced them like he was announcing laws to a kingdom. "No screaming. No fighting. No throwing anything inside the car."

Chen nodded solemnly. "Understood."

Nathan continued. "No eating snacks until we stop."

Chen blinked. "That's illegal."

Nathan's gaze didn't change. "No leaning out of windows."

Ping raised his hand like a student. "Can I lean out a little?"

"No."

Ping pouted instantly, clutching Snowball like it was a hostage. "But-"

Nathan added, "And everyone stays in their seat."

Chen smiled brightly. "Okay."

Nathan stared at him for one calm second. "If you break the rules, you lose snacks."

Chen's smile died. "That's abuse."

Knight muttered, "That's justice."

Mrs. Lang clapped her hands. "Positions! Now!"

Seat war resumed.

Ping lunged toward the backseat- specifically the spot behind the driver- because it was closest to Nathan. He tried to climb in, but Paola shoved him with full dramatic fury.

"I SIT THERE!"

Ping yelped. "NO! I SIT THERE!"

Paola screamed, "I'M SMALLER!"

Ping yelled back, "I'M MORE IMPORTANT!"

Knight rolled his eyes, grabbed both of them by the backs of their shirts, and shoved them into the car like packing groceries. "Both of you. Move."

Jenn climbed in quietly on the far side, holding her bag neatly like she was boarding a train.

Chen tried again for the front passenger seat.

Knight blocked him without even looking. "Back."

Chen gasped. "But I'm the entertainment!"

"You're the headache."

Mrs. Lang leaned into the car and pointed like a judge. "Ping sits with Nathan."

Ping lit up instantly. "YES!"

Chen shouted, "UNFAIR!"

Mrs. Lang turned on him. "Then behave."

Chen whispered, offended, "I have never behaved a day in my life."

In the final shuffle, Nathan slid into the backseat first- middle position, because he always became the anchor whether he wanted to or not.

Ping climbed in immediately, practically sitting on Nathan's side, Snowball pressed between them. Knight got in last, shoving Chen farther away with one hand like a barrier.

Chen ended up squished near the door, outraged. "I'm being oppressed!"

Knight buckled his seatbelt with calm menace. "Good."

Mr. Lang started the car.

For exactly three seconds, there was peace.

Then Chen loudly whispered, "I'm gonna break like six rules."

Nathan replied, without looking, "Try."

The car rolled forward.

And the war officially began.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Next in A Trip Called Family

They called it a family trip.

But somewhere between laughter, chaos, and a boy who refused to stay quiet-