Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
~~~
Perspective - 3rd Person
"It is ready, Khun-chai. Khun-chai Pete, would you like anything else?"
Pete lowers his gaze, staring at the phone screen displaying a sequence of ten digits, which he has memorized since yesterday afternoon.
Of course, none of his school lessons have been sinking into his head at all. Instead, only the conversations and the smiles of a certain someone remain firmly lodged in his mind. This morning, he woke up before dawn just to instruct the household staff… to prepare breakfast for him.
The voice calling snaps him out of his reverie, and he immediately looks up and smiles at Auntie Jeab, his mother's confidante who has taken care of him since he was a child.
"Oh, wow! It looks so delicious. Just looking at it makes me hungry." He tells here. He glances at the large box filled with individual bags of steamed rice, arranged neatly alongside pouches of soup containing plump prawns, tender squid, and delicate white snapper. Not far away, there are finely shredded ginger, scallions, cilantro, and even a bag of fish sauce with chilies for extra seasoning.
It is prepared perfectly for enjoying breakfast outside the house.
"So, will Khun-chai take this? I have made plenty more." Says Auntie Jeab.
However, as the portly aunt inquires, Pete only manages a faint smile, rising from his chair at the dining table. He walks around to give her a warm hug and leans down to kiss her cheek in a gesture of affection.
"Maybe another day. Today, I am running late. Love you, Auntie Jeab."
Smack.
He kisses her other cheek just like he used to as a child, then flashes a broad smile that makes his sharp features even more strikingly handsome. He moves away, gathers the food containers, closes the lid, and strides out of the dining room swiftly, leaving the maid nearby gazing after him with dreamy eyes.
"Auntie, Khun Pete is so handsome." A maid comments.
"Yes, Khun-chai has been handsome since he was a child, but don't get dreamy-eyed. Don't even think about it," Auntie Jeab says in a scolding tone, making the listener pout before replying sulkily.
"I know, Auntie… but it's strange, isn't it? Lately, Khun Pete has been leaving for university so early. It's only six o'clock now. Do universities start classes at seven in the morning? But it doesn't seem likely. Normally, on Thursdays, Khun Pete used to leave the house around seven or seven-thirty."
"And what business is that of yours? Go do your work." As the portly woman speaks dismissively, the listener stomps back to the kitchen.
At that moment, the lady of the house, dressed in an elegant white suit, steps in gracefully, her eyes glancing toward the front of the house where the luxury car has already driven off.
"Phii Jeab, has Pete left already?"
"Yes, Khun Patchara. Once again, he left early this morning. I'm starting to wonder what's so special at the university lately. Khun-chai hasn't stayed to enjoy my cooking for over a week."
Patcharaporn, the mother of the young man being discussed, smiles faintly before stepping forward to sit at the table, remarking casually, as if she knows something.
"Indeed. I too wonder what's so special there." Patchara murmurs.
With that, she lets out a soft laugh, as though knowing full well her son is unlikely captivated by anything the university itself offers. It's probably someone special that has him rushing off every morning like this.
~~~
By the time Pitchaya manages to brave the morning traffic to reach the university, it's almost the same time as the day before, even though he left the house earlier. He doesn't hesitate for a moment to park his car in the lot, grab the fragrant meal box, and hail a taxi—even though the football field isn't far enough to make walking impossible.
Pete pays the cab fare and steps out just as...
"Ai Pete!"
Whip.
The voice calling from behind made the owner of the name turn around. His eyes widen in surprise as he sees a well-proportioned man wearing football shorts and a sweat-soaked t-shirt gripping the edge of the football field fence with both hands, looking straight at him. Instinctively, he glances at his watch.
It's later than yesterday. Is Ae still not done running?
Even as Pete thought that, his legs moved closer to the fence. His cheeks began to heat up as he looked at the man, whose breathing was heavier than usual, face glistening with sweat, yet still jogging lightly in place.
"Why did you come by taxi? Where's your car?" Ae asks.
"I parked it in the usual spot. I was afraid I'd miss you, Ae, so I took a taxi to get here faster."
"What did you just say!" The footballer's sharp voice startles Pete slightly, leaving him puzzled as to what he has said wrong.
"Are you out of your mind, Pete? From there to here, it's less than a ten-minute walk! What a waste. Do you even understand the value of money? Ugh, never mind—I forgot you're rich." Ae scolds him harshly, clearly displeased with Ai'Khun-chai's decision to take a taxi for such a short distance.
But shortly after, he waves the issue off, not because he thinks it unimportant, but because seeing the pale face before him makes him feel pity.
Sigh. I've never been soft with anyone so easily, but looking at your face, I just can't stay mad.
"It's not about being rich or not, Ae. I just... wanted to see you, Ae, that's all."
Thud.
The stern-faced man freezes, staring at the other who looks up to meet his gaze directly. Whatever reprimand he had planned dissolves, swallowed back down. His heart softens, leaving him speechless.
Sigh. Stop giving me that dejected puppy-dog face. With a face like yours, you're more suited to be on a magazine cover with a stoic expression.
In the end, Inthach shakes his head and changes the subject.
"Then why do you want to see me?" As soon as Ae asks, the other smiles broadly—a smile that accentuates Ai’Khun-chai's handsomeness to the point that any observer thinks, I'm definitely outclassed.
Yet it is endearing enough to prompt a small smile in return.
"I brought something for you. It's to thank you for breakfast yesterday," Pete says, opening the lid of the container to reveal its contents.
This makes the onlooker's eyes widen slightly.
"Shrimp rice porridge! Hey, I love shrimp rice porridge."
Seeing his favorite dish, Ae relaxes his stern expression and exclaims for Pete to wait a moment. He runs around the field to reach where Ai'Khun-chai stands waiting, his joy evident—so much so that the one who brought it instantly commits to memory: Ae dislikes wastefulness, and Ae loves shrimp rice porridge.
"Yeah, I haven't showered yet. Do you want to wait in my dorm?" The generous young man jogs up and unexpectedly invites Pete, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"Your dorm..."
"Yes, follow me. I have bowls in my room."
With that, the sight of his favorite food prompts Ae to reach for the container and lead Pete toward his dorm. It surprises the follower just as much that a simple dish of shrimp rice porridge brings him closer to his crush.
I'm actually going to his dorm.
Khun-chai Pitchaya feels as if he has never truly known his university. Even the dormitories amaze him with how... horrifying they can be. Yes, you read that correctly. When he sees the old building that must have stood for decades, with wooden doors that creak whenever someone opens them, and voices from inside carrying loudly through the thin walls, it leaves him uneasy. The dimly lit corridors make him certain he will never walk through them alone. Yet the person leading him seems utterly unbothered by it all.
"Dorms are just like this. Men's dorms are even older. At least my dorm isn't as bad; Dorm One is much older," Ae remarks casually, seemingly noticing Pete's expression, as he leads the way to the third floor.
Ae's room is nearly at the end of the hallway. Along the way, there are some dormmates who greet each other, but what nearly startles the listener is...
"Ai Ae, make sure to call me Phii next time when you're grilling! Oh, that was so hot!"
"I'm not doing it again, that was your thing, Phii. I barely slept all night."
"Haha, come on, consider it stress relief. I love when everyone's playing around like this in the hall!"
The person who seems like a senior walks past. The short guy shakes his head tiredly, unlike the listener who... is thinking intensely.
Um, this is a boys' dorm, and they're playing around all night. It can't be that...
"Don't you dare think beyond what you've heard," Ae, who is looking for his room key, warns in a stern voice.
Sure enough, Ai Pete's face has turned red, looking like he is about to ask but doesn't, so Ae quickly explains.
"Last night, that damn guy, Pond, in my room was playing a Miyabi DVD so loudly, imagine it. The people in the neighboring rooms thought I or Pond had brought a girl into the dorm. When they listened closely though, they heard moaning in Japanese. That's when they all crowded into my room, sitting there watching the whole night. I ended up being late because they were all making noise, and I couldn't sleep." Ae, feeling frustrated, explains while shaking his head, irritated by the whole situation.
It's not like he doesn't get aroused by Pond's DVD, but when others are there watching it too, how can anyone get in the mood? Watching AV is like watching mixed martial arts with the sound of moaning.
Creek.
"Sorry for the mess. Just move it aside. Sit wherever you want." True to form, Ae casually says this while using his foot to kick a pile of clothes towards the bed where someone is sound asleep.
His hand places the box of rice porridge down on the small Japanese table, leaving the listener, who has never seen something like this before, time to explore.
Ae's room is quite small. With two small beds, there is hardly any space left. There is a wardrobe at each corner, a small desk covered with textbooks, and on one side, a large poster of a football player is neatly hung, while a folded blanket lies on the other side.
On the other side of the room though... Pete barely dares to look.
The picture of a beautiful woman topless above the bed must be... Hmm, the Miyabi girl Ae mentioned.
"Ai Pond, wake up!" Ae walks over and nudges the person whose head is buried in the pillow.
The one being disturbed groans sleepily. "Mmm, Miyaaa... snore."
"Wake up!" Ae repeats.
The onlooker can only be stunned, because even though Ae yells into his ear, the half-Asian guy still lies motionless.
Ae sighs and says flatly. "Nong Miyabi, you're playing lesbian with Nong Aoi!!!"
Spit. Sputter.
"Huh! What did you say? Where's the DVD?!"
Pete is even more stunned when the person lying down suddenly jolts awake, looking shocked, and even grabs the person who woke him up to ask where the DVD is. Ae just...
Bang!
"Now you're awake, you bloody fool." Ae's heavy hand slaps the freshly woken-up guy on the head, making Pond yelp and cover his head with his hands, glaring up at him.
"You tricked me! Yesterday you said Miyabi had a husband... and the other day, you said she had uterine cancer! Can you stop waking me up by talking about my beloved Miyabi like that?!"
"I'll stop when you stop babbling... And we have a guest, Pete's here."
"Huh?" The half-Asian guy spins to look at the door immediately, and then sees the handsome Khun-chai who walks in, radiating a charm that makes the shabby room look unexpectedly nice.
"Hey, how'd you get here?" Pond asks.
"I brought him up, don't ask stupid questions," Ae says flatly.
This makes the listener widen his eyes, looking between the small friend and the handsome Khun-chai.
"Wait, you and him... could it be?"
"Your brain only thinks of low things, huh?" Ai Ae asks with a deep voice, making the listener pout and groan.
"This is really happening... You and Pete, huh? Tell me straight, Pete. You like our friend, don't you?" When Ae doesn't engage, Pond continues teasing, even acting as though they have something going on that they're not telling him.
This causes Pete to jump slightly.
The look makes the other one interpret it differently.
Pete must be afraid that Pond knows he's gay.
"Ai Pond."
"Hmm?" Pond answers immediately.
"I'll stop threatening you with Miyabi if you stop with the three S's." Ae holds up three fingers and gives a sly smile, making the listener suspicious.
"Three S's? What's that?"
"Stop being nosy!" The speaker emphasizes, but Pond remains unfazed, curious about what's coming next.
"Stop being crazy..."
"Hey, that's P for fish, not S for tiger." Even though he hears the disagreement, the speaker continues, this time with a deeper tone, eyes fiercer than before.
"And once you stop... sram! Get up and go take a shower, if I have to wake you up again, I'll use my foot to nudge you."
"Ugh, fine, I'll go. Don't let me find out you two have something going on," Pond says, pouting, before Grabbing a towel from the balcony, slinging it over his shoulder.
He digs around, Grabbing a washbasin and toothbrush, and walks out, leaving the room with only two people.
The door closes, and while Ae is clearing some things, he piles them onto his friend's bed before speaking in a concerned tone.
"You don't have to think too much about what Pond says. He just talks randomly, doesn't mean anything," Ae says with a warmer tone, causing the one with a guilty conscience to feel even worse.
Pete feels like he is taking advantage of the other's kindness to get closer, so he bites his lip tightly and lowers his head a little more.
I... do like Ae, though.
Grab.
"I told you not to think too much. Come sit here," Ae says as he gently grasps his wrist and pulls him down to sit on the floor next to the Japanese-style table.
The sudden motion makes Pete tense up, but this causes the person pulling him to interpret the situation in a different way.
"Oh, I forgot. You probably don't want to sit on the dirty floor. You can sit on my bed instead."
"Hey, I didn't think like that," the listener quickly shakes his head, voice sounding startled, making Ae laugh.
Ae then pats his bed lightly. "If you didn't think that, come sit here. I'd feel bad making someone like you sit on the floor."
"I can sit on the floor." Pete repeats.
"Will you sit properly?"
"Uh... I'll sit," Pete replies, and when Ae's expression turns serious, speaking in a more annoyed tone, the listener quickly lowers himself onto the bed, tensing up, eyes following the other, who stands up.
Fizzle.
"!!!"
This time, Pete gasps, quickly turning to the other side when the athletic guy pulls off his sweaty T-shirt and tosses it into the laundry basket, making Pitchaya's face turn bright red as he dares not look back. But what he sees... lingers.
Guhm. Sham-sham. The one undressing doesn't care at all, as he walks to grab a bowl and sits down on the floor, quickly pouring the porridge into the bowl, inhaling the fragrant broth.
"Where did you buy this? It looks delicious."
"No, we made it at my house, and I brought some to you," Pete replies.
Pete can't help but glance at the broad shoulders of the man pouring the broth, and he suddenly feels his cheeks burning.
Ae may not be tall, but his physique gives no indication of weakness. Pete is sure that Ae is the type of guy who works out regularly. Even though Ae isn't fair-skinned, it only makes him appear even stronger... very strong indeed.
"It's not hot anymore. I'll go heat it up in the building's microwave. You wait here," Ae says easily as he tests the porridge and finds it only warm.
He grabs the two bowls and stands up.
However, Pete's eyes widen at these words. "I'll go with you!" He says.
"Hmm, no need. Just stay here."
"Please let me come!" Pete quickly speaks, shaking his head insistently, making Ae place the bowls down and cross his arms, looking at the now shorter Pete.
Right now, Pete is sitting while Ae is standing, making the 'handsome Khun-nu' look almost endearing.
"What are you afraid of... a ghost or Ai Pond?" Ae asks, eyeing him with an amused look.
In here, there isn't much to be afraid of, and he is sure that anyone who knows the habits of his oddball half-human, half-ghost friend would be terrified of him.
"Um..." Pete lowers his head slightly and speaks quietly.
"Both... Heh-heh." He lets out a dry laugh, looking down at his lap.
Ae can't help but laugh too and reaches out, ruffling Pete's hair in a way that seems almost like affection. Any other of his friends would have punched Ae in reaction, but with Pete he just lets him. Pete squirms a little but allows Ae to mess with his hair, feeling how much softer his hair is... much softer than his sun-drenched hair.
"Your hair's so soft," Ae says, making Pete look up, which makes Ae notice something else he hasn't before.
"Your skin is so soft. Seriously, are you even a guy?" Ae asks with a laugh, extending his finger to gently tap Pete's cheek, though Ae doesn't quite understand why he is worried it might bruise.
The tips of his fingers brush against the smooth, soft skin, which feels completely different from his own rough cheek. The more he strokes, the more he is drawn to it, as if...
"Your cheek feels like a girl's cheek."
"Ae... have you ever touched a girl's cheek?"
"Yeah, I have a niece. She's two years old. I like to pinch her cheek like this. It's soft like yours, but she squirms, unlike you who lets me touch it like this." When he mentions his niece, the speaker smiles broadly and leans in slightly, remembering the mischievous little one learning to speak.
Ae's hand, still on the cheek, inadvertently presses his palm against the soft cheek as well.
Soft. Is this really a guy's skin?
Ae's thoughts linger more on the face in front of him. Pete has thick, sharp eyebrows, long lashes, a high nose, pale cheeks, and lips... orange-colored.
Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.
Silence fills the room as one person stands frozen in shock at an unexpected touch, while the other feels strangely affected by the soft skin that is being touched. Moreover, the organ in his chest seems to flinch.
Why, suddenly, does he think that Pete's handsome face... actually looks cute?
"Ae... Ae..." Pete calls out shakily, as the warmth continues to settle on one side of his cheek, his heart racing.
He has to suppress the strange feeling of wanting that warm palm to stay on his cheek longer, because right now, Ae has furrowed his brow, squinting slightly as though he were lost in thought.
"Give me your hand," Ae says, extending his hand toward him.
Pete, still confused, reaches out in response.
Grab.
"Your hands are soft. Are you sure you're a guy?" Ae says, starting to doubt the differences between them.
He takes Ai'Khun-chai's hand and turns it over, running his thumb across the palm. He finds that it is soft, like the hand of someone who had never done hard labor before. The touch makes the one being held tremble, unable to stop his eyes from darting nervously to the fingertips pressing into his palm, along with the sudden warmth in his stomach.
Pete knows that Ae doesn't have any intention of touching him in that way, but it is too close, too intimate. The proximity makes him uneasy, and he doesn't dare meet Ae's gaze.
"When I hold you like this, I swear you might be the first person I'm too scared to slap on the head," Ae laughs, releasing the soft hand and noticing that Pete has fallen silent, realizing something.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot. You probably don't want me touching you like this."
This guy is so considerate. If you don't want me to touch you, just say so, don't sit there stiff like a log.
"N-no, it's fine!" Pete suddenly blurts out, then looks up, his eyes still trembling. "I'm just... worried that you might find me disgusting... I might have forgotten that I'm..."
"You're gay. Yeah, I know. You really don't need to remind me." The young athlete shook his head immediately, seeing Pete's face fall slightly.
Pete starts to lower his head, and something tells Ae that if he lets him continue thinking too much, Pete will spend the rest of the day sulking, depressed.
How can I not take care of you, Pete, when you're this weak?
Grab.
"If I found you disgusting, I wouldn't touch you like this... Heh, your cheek really does feel like my niece's," Ae says, both his hands lifting Ai'Khun-chai's face to make them meet eye to eye.
He gently presses his palms on both of Pete's cheeks, causing Pete's orange lips to draw closer together, a silent message to show that he isn't repelled.
Thump.
But then, as their eyes met, the one who has been teasing... suddenly feels something strange.
"Pete, you..."
Bang!!!
Gasp!!!
At that moment, the door to the room swings wide open, causing the two who had been staring at each other to startle. At the same time, the one who enters just stands frozen in place, mouth agape.
"Hey!!!"
How could I not shout? Pete is sitting on the bed, while Ae is half-naked, his hands on Pete's cheeks, leaning in closer. And from a very low perspective (since I've never had a higher thought than this), it could easily be interpreted as… Pond thinks.
"Ai Ae, are you seriously going to let yourself get caught in this mess?!"
"Bloody damn!"
"Don't try to cover it up by insulting me. I saw it!" Pond quickly shuts the door behind him, stepping inside and switching his gaze between the two. Ae lets out an exasperated sigh, as though annoyed by the accusation.
"And what exactly did you see?"
"Well, you were holding his cheek!" Pond replied with a smirk.
"And?"
"You... you two were about to kiss, weren't you? Oh, my God!" Pond shouts. How could he not react?
The short guy grabs a shirt off the chair and tosses it at Pond's face before speaking coldly, in his usual manner.
"If touching Pete's cheek means we're going to kiss, then I must have kissed Nong Yim a million times already."
"That's your niece."
"So what's the difference?" Pond is clearly playing dumb.
What kind of guy touches another man's cheek like that?
But Ae just purses his lips, too lazy to argue, while Pete quickly speaks up with a flushed face.
"There's nothing, really, Pond..."
"Don't try to explain to him, Pete. It's a waste of breath," Ae interrupts, sitting down on the floor and grabbing a bowl of congee, which makes the freshly showered guy's eyes widen.
"I'm eating too!"
"There's none for you."
"Ai Ae!!! I'm eating too!" When food was right in front of him, any doubts were thrown aside. Pond quickly runs over to sit next to Ae, shoving the congee into his mouth and grabbing his bowl. Ae sighs, but relents, picking up a new bowl of congee for himself.
"Hey, why doesn't my bowl have shrimp?"
"I ate them already."
"You... fucking miser!"
Pond shouts loudly, glaring at the congee bowl in front of Pete. He reaches out, aiming to grab one of the shrimp tails in the bowl.
Grab.
"Don't mess with Pete's bowl."
"Whoa, you're even protecting him! I'm going to tell everyone you've got something going on with that international kid!"
Ae shoots him a glare and mutters one word.
"Damn!"
"You've cursed me twice now."
"Yeah, and there's going to be a third if you don't eat quietly." Hearing this, the one afraid of not getting any food lowers his head and stuffs his mouth, though his eyes keep sneaking glances at Ae, who is sliding a bowl over to the person sitting on the bed, unable to stop wondering.
"Go ahead and eat. Don't mind that bloody fucking cur."
Yeah, don't mind me, because you're paying attention to Pete, right? Look at that—Pete's blushing and nodding like a total pushover, even sending Ae another charming smile… Damn it. Pond wants to know.
He wants to butt in. He wants to know what the hell they are hiding behind his back. Don't let me find out, you little shit! I'll expose you all over social media!
In the end, the half-Thai guy keeps his suspicions to himself, but let it be known, from now on... I'm going to keep an eye on you, non-stop.
~~~
"Ai Pete likes you."
"Shut up!" In the evening, Inthach, who was propping his head up with one hand and holding his phone with the other, browsing the internet for football news, glances at his friend sitting on the bed in surprise. Meanwhile, Pond is nodding to himself with a silly grin.
"Definitely. He's eyeing you. I saw him get shy when you went to wash the dishes. He was smiling at you all handsome. When you went to shower, I asked him if he liked Nong Miyabi or Nong Sora. You know what he said? He doesn't watch AV. What kind of guy doesn't watch AV? He's definitely gay. I told you, he's polite, well-mannered, and looks like a gentleman—he must be gay." Pond lays out his analysis in vivid detail, which makes the listener frown.
"You're crazy." After saying this, Ae rolls over to lie on his side, turning his back, though there was a faint look of concern in his eyes.
Ai Pete wouldn't dare look Pond in the eye if he knew the truth.
"Crazy, huh? Then why does he keep coming after you?"
"He doesn't have many friends."
"He's hitting on you. Be careful, man. A guy like you is gonna fall before you even know it..."
Thud!
Of course, the pillow he is using as a headrest is thrown full force at the analyst's face, making him yelp.
Ae then turns over and calmly says, "If you don't know anything about him, keep your mouth shut."
"Then just tell me, damn it."
Sometimes Ae wonders why the person he has to end up sharing a room with is this idiot. Couldn't it have been someone else? But when he thinks about it, if Sun or Diew had been here instead, they would have figured the truth out by now.
"Shut up. I'm going to read my football news." Ae just says it calmly, pretending to focus on his phone screen.
This makes Pond grumble in a way that implies he thinks Ae is caring too much about Pete.
But Ae has his answer right away. Poor Pete…
He's always helping him, always looking after him because he wants to... because he doesn't want to see Pete cry like that day. That is the only reason.
Although Ae might have forgotten that people don't just avoid seeing someone cry because of pity alone... maybe there is more to it.
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