Echoes of Us: The CEO and His Soulmates [BL]

Ryan strolled into Callum's office like he owned the place, completely ignoring the fact that the door had been closed. 

"Hey, boss." He dropped a thick folder onto Callum's desk, the papers landing with a satisfying thud. 

Callum deadpanned, "Thank you for knocking, Ryan. Would you like a cookie?" 

Ryan shot him a grin and flipped him the bird. "You'd ignore me if I knocked." 

"Fair." Callum sighed, glancing down at the folder. "What's this?" 

"Budget for the LevelUp community event." 

Callum blinked at him, clearly drawing a blank. 

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Figures you weren't paying attention during the meeting. Genesis pitched it—y'know, her whole 'give back to the community' thing. It's a week-long event: gaming stalls in underserved areas, basic coding lessons, free consoles and laptops for kids, art contests… you get the picture. A PR dream, but also genuinely good for the industry." 

Callum flipped through the proposal, nodding absently as he skimmed the details. "Sounds solid." 

Ryan leaned against the edge of the desk, his arms crossed. "Yeah, well, Genesis has been pulling out all the stops for this one. She wants kids to see there's a future in gaming, even if they don't have the resources now." 

Callum's lips twitched at the corners. Genesis's unrelenting optimism was something he envied. She had a way of making him believe that, just maybe, the world wasn't entirely a dumpster fire. 

The event did sound promising, but more importantly, it sounded like something Micah might involve himself in. Callum could already imagine him manning the gaming stalls, painting kids' faces, laughing into a cloud of cotton candy. 

He pushed the thought to the back of his head. Work first. 

He signed the papers and set the folder aside. "All right. Anything else?" 

Ryan hesitated, and Callum immediately knew something was wrong. 

"What?" he asked, his voice sharp. 

Ryan sighed. "You're not gonna like it." 

"Spit it out." 

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. "The investors pulled out of the deal for the new game." 

Callum froze. "What?" 

"They didn't think it was worth the risk," Ryan explained. "Small, quirky games aren't exactly what investors are looking for right now. They want big, flashy blockbusters. Stuff that makes headlines and sells headsets." 

Callum leaned back in his chair, his expression darkening. "That's ridiculous," Callum snapped, his voice cutting like steel. "If we keep catering only to people who can drop half a paycheck on a VR setup, we're boxing out an entire generation of gamers. Not everyone grows up with privilege. Gaming should be for everyone—not just the rich."

"I told them that," Ryan said. "Didn't matter. They're throwing their lot in with Paragon Interactives." 

Callum scowled. "Paragon Interactives? They're a joke. Their whole business model is built on empty promises and unrealistic timelines." 

"Doesn't matter," Ryan said with a shrug. "Bottom line is, we've gotta do something. Otherwise, we'll have no one left to back us up." 

Callum clenched his jaw, frustration simmering just beneath the surface. He didn't trust himself to respond without saying something he'd regret, so he simply waved a hand, dismissing Ryan. 

Ryan took the hint and headed for the door. "Good luck not breaking something," he called over his shoulder. 

The door had barely closed behind him when it opened again, this time revealing Micah. 

"Mr. Pierce?" Micah's voice was hesitant as he stepped inside, clutching the strap of his bag. "Are you… okay?" 

Callum's frustration ebbed the moment Micah appeared in the doorway, his wide green eyes full of concern. He hated how easily Micah could disarm him, like a single glance could strip away the layers of cynicism he'd built over the years.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to shake off the dregs of his irritation. "I'm fine." 

Micah didn't look convinced. "I know I'm just an intern at your company but… but I care. You don't have to say everything is fine if it isn't." 

Callum's tension eased slightly at his words. He let out a short, dry laugh. "If you care so much, you'd learn that my name is Callum." 

Micah flushed. "Right. Sorry. Callum." 

Callum stood, grabbing his keys. There was nothing more he could do here tonight. He'd sort out his problems in the morning. "Ready to go?" 

Micah blinked. "Oh! Uh, yeah." 

Callum led him down to the parking garage, where his sleek black Porsche 911 Turbo S was parked. Micah's eyes widened as they approached. "Wow," he breathed. "This is yours?" 

Callum smirked, unlocking the car with a beep. "Impressed?" 

Micah nodded, sliding into the passenger seat. "I mean, I figured you'd drive something fancy, but this is next level." 

Callum chuckled, starting the engine. "Buckle up. Where am I taking you?" 

Micah rattled off his address, and Callum entered it into the GPS before pulling out of the garage. 

They drove in silence for a few minutes, the city lights streaking past them. Finally, Micah spoke up. "So… what's really going on?" 

Callum sighed. "You're persistent, you know that?" 

Micah smiled faintly. "I've been told." 

Callum could feel Micah's gaze on him, like the boy was trying to bore holes into the side of his head with sheer willpower. He relented. "Investors are losing faith in the company." 

Micah's eyes widened. "No way! Catalyst is the best!" 

Callum snorted. "Tell that to our recent flops." 

"Hey, that game about the time-traveling fox was an underrated gem," Micah said. "And okay, the other one had some rough patches, but it's still fun!" 

Callum smiled despite himself. "Investors don't want fun. They want billion-dollar blockbusters." 

Micah sighed, slumping in his seat. "I thought making games would be more fun than this." 

Callum glanced at him. "Your… boyfriend—" heavens, the word felt awful to say— "mentioned you want to make your own game." 

Micah blushed and pushed his glasses up his nose, fiddling with his hoodie strings. "Maybe someday… it's still a far off dream. I don't think I can even come up with an idea good enough for a game and—"

Callum cut him off, "You can." He sighed, taking a hand off the wheel long enough to run his fingers through his hair. "Micah Liu, I need you to be more confident in your abilities. Telling yourself you can do it is half the work, so never assume you can't do anything."

Micah said nothing at first and Callum glanced at him just in time to see his lip tug in a smirk. "Isn't that, like, every CEO's favorite motivational quote on LinkedIn?"

Callum scoffed. "Please."

"I'm joking!" Micah laughed then his voice turned serious, "It's just… you say I'm good at what I do but…"

Callum guessed, "Your parents?"

Micah looked out the window, his gaze growing sad and wistful. His hands sat clenched on his lap, the knuckles white. Without thinking, Callum reached over and placed his hand on Micah's, his grip firm but gentle. He felt the warmth of Micah's skin beneath his palm, a fleeting touch that sent a jolt straight to his chest.

Micah turned to stare at him, his bright green eyes flashing under the streetlights. "No offence, Micah but your parents are stupid," Callum said before pulling his hand away. "Remember that when next their negativity gets you down."

It was stupid advice, by all accounts. Bad advice. But Callum wasn't so poignant when he'd just come off an eight-hour shift at the office. It certainly didn't help that he was locked in a metal box with Micah Liu, the very same intern that had his ass pressed up against him a few hours ago, effectively sending all the blood in Callum's body straight to his dick.

Micah made him confused, dizzy and… extremely happy because, the moment Micah processed his response and blushed fiercely, Callum was reminded that he'd do absolutely anything to be the origin of Micah's blushes.

"Thanks, Mr. Pierce," Micah responded, a smile gracing his lips.

Callum said, "Micah…"

Mr. Pierce was his dads name, for fucks sake.

Micah's smile increased in both blush and nervousness. "Thanks Callum."

And hearing his name on Micah's tongue felt so damn good that it was a shame that they had arrived at Micah's apartment building.

Callum threw the car in park but neither of them made a move to get out. It feels like they're both waiting for something. It felt like the awkward moment after a first date, where you're not sure if you should go in for a kiss or just say goodbye. Callum felt like a scared teenager and he hated that feeling. Even as an actual teenager, he was always so confident, so sure of what he wanted. Now, all he could think was; 'Micah Liu has a boyfriend.'

And, more importantly; 'He doesn't know what he means to me…' 

Callum switched off the car's engine and turned to face Micah, 'So, let's hear it."

Micah looked confused, "Hear what?"

"What's this game idea?" 

Micah hesitated, then said, "It's been brewing in the back of my mind since I was a kid, but it's still kind of fuzzy. It involves Kinnarions and my OCs—Ashur and Caelan. But I don't know if it should be a romance RPG or a political strategy game where you're trying to uncover traitors in the royal court." 

Callum's grip on the steering wheel tightened. He swallowed hard. "Ashur and Caelan?" The names hit him like a sucker punch. Micah said them so casually, oblivious to the weight they carried, the memories they stirred. Callum's chest tightened, but he forced his expression to remain neutral.

"Yeah." Micah's voice softened. "I know it's silly. I should have figured this out a long time ago. Dating sims are so niche and strategy games are so boring! Who even plays them anymore?" He sighed, "I'd love to make it a story-based RPG, like Pantheon, but I just… don't know the story yet." 

Callum's throat felt dry. "What about a tragedy?" he whispered. 

"A tragedy…" Micah's lips parted slightly, his brows furrowing in thought. "I never considered that before," he murmured, as if the word itself had unlocked something. His fingers twitched against his lap, like he was already sketching ideas in his head.

Before he could say more, a loud knock on the car window startled them both. 

Both their heads whipped to the window where a grinning woman stood, waving at the. Micah's voice was high-pitched in surprise, "Rosa!?"

Rosa's grin widened, her wild curls bouncing as she rapped on the window again. "Get out, bitches! It's game night!"