Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
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Perspective - Third Person
In this moment, the entire football team that follows can only stand motionless, stunned as they watch the human-shaped demon raining blows upon the one who has already lost consciousness, while two or three others hold the ground around him. Two accomplices merely look on, horrified by the scene before them.
The violence escalates further. Trump's body is little more than a battered cushion, stuffed and smeared with blood. The man standing over him shouts his sole intent—to kill him. His face, void of expression, grows colder with malice.
It is a sight that silences any who might otherwise call for it to stop.
At that moment, Type, one of the first to rush in to help, keeps his presence of mind, turning quickly to the one lying on the wooden bed. He hurriedly removes his shirt, covering the naked body whose trousers are stripped down to his ankles. Checking the pulse at the base of his throat, he finds his junior is still breathing.
"Pete, wake up. Pete, can you hear me…? Pete, if you don't wake up, Ae will become a murderer." Type tries to rouse the blood-streaked figure, gently shaking him. His voice brings others back to their senses—if no one intervenes, Ae will certainly become a killer.
Grip.
"Hey, stop it! He's going to die if you keep this up! Ae, stop… you have to stop… damn it, don't just throw your fists wildly!" Champ lunges forward to restrain one arm while Techno rushes in to seize the other.
"Ae! Calm down! You don't want to end up in prison, do you?"
"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!" Ae shouts, his face red with fury as he jerks free from their grip, aiming to strike the unconscious figure once more. Despite his smaller size, Ae's rage fuels his strength, and he breaks free. Several seniors rush forward, grabbing hold of him again.
Meanwhile, Type frantically shakes the unconscious body lying on the floor.
"Pete, Pete, you have to wake up... wake up, damn it!" He knows that the only person who can stop Ae from killing is the one whose eyes slowly begin to flutter open.
"A…e…"
Though he can barely see who's holding him, Pitchaya utters a single name, and it is enough to make Ae freeze. His fists and legs stop mid-movement, and he turns to look at the figure cradled in his senior's arms.
"Ae... I... I'm... afraid... I..."
Fwoosh.
"Ai'Pete! Ai'Pete, how are you? Are you alright… does anything hurt? Where are you hurt…" Inthach rushes to his partner's side, voice trembling, staring at him, his face now unrecognizable under bruises and blood.
Both hands reach out, hesitant, wanting to touch but fearing the pain it might cause, leaving his hands hanging, shaking.
"Where… does it hurt…" And the sight that none can believe unfolds: the man who had been on the verge of madness now lets his tears fall, droplets spilling onto Pete's pale face. Pete opens his eyes, seeing the one he most wants to see, weeping for him.
The one who has come to save him once more.
"Ae... hic... Ae..."
Grip.
As Pete lifts his hand to reach out, Ae pulls him tightly into his embrace. Ae presses his face into Pete's soft hair, holding the fragile figure with all his strength, as if to affirm that Pete is safe now—he is back, safe once more in his arms.
"Ae... you came... hic... to save me... I knew you would come..." Pete whispers, his voice hoarse and faint, and at those words, Ae's tears break free.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I was late. I'm sorry… I broke my promise. I couldn't protect you, Ai'Pete," Ae sobs, gently rocking Pete's pale form in his arms, his own tears causing the entire team to feel the weight of his anguish.
"No... hic... Ae, you kept... your promise..." Pete murmurs, shaking his head slowly as he rests his exhausted face against Ae's broad chest.
"Ae, we need to get Ai'Pete to the hospital," Techno says shakily, looking at the barely conscious Pete in Ae's arms. Ae nods quickly in agreement.
"We're going to the hospital, Pete… the doctors will take care of you," Ae says, voice trembling, just as the sound of an ambulance nears. Without a moment's hesitation, Ae scoops up Pete's taller frame as though he weighs nothing, swiftly carrying him toward the door.
Outside, Khaen rushes out of the ambulance with the emergency responders.
"Ai'Tinn told me to bring the ambulance here. Hey, what happened to Ai'Pete?!" Khaen exclaims, panicked by the sight of Pete's condition in Ae's arms. Ae doesn't answer though, moving straight toward the paramedics, who immediately take Pete to the ambulance.
Just as Ae is about to step inside with him—
Grip.
"Ae." Type's gaze meets Ae's, and he asks in a voice filled with apprehension, "If… If Pete… If he was violated… what will you do?"
"I love him for who he is, not just his body. Even if something happened to him, I would never stop loving him!!!" This reply echoes out as the short man climbs into the ambulance, leaving his teammates watching with visible relief.
"Ai'Khaen, did you call the police yet?"
"I did, Phii, but no one's taking it seriously, so Ai'Tinn headed to the station himself. I sent him the address—he'll be here soon." Khaen responds to his senior and steps into the rental house, curiosity leading him forward. He cries out as he takes in the scene.
"Hey, Phii! Is this guy dead or what?!"
This question makes everyone glance at one another. Techno squats down to inspect.
"Almost… I really thought I was going to see Ai'Ae kill someone for real just now."
"Scared the hell out of me. If I ever think about messing with Ai'Ae, someone needs to remind me not to. I'll admit, as a former boxer, I'm genuinely afraid of that guy," Champ chimes in as the brains of the group, Type, follows Khaen into the house.
Type eyes the other two assailants who have been tied up, then turns to pull a video camera off its tripod.
"How many years, you lot… How many years do you want to be in prison?" Type asks, turning to see someone reaching out with a stick to poke the figure lying in a pool of blood.
"Ai'Khaen, already getting into it, eh, Pheuak Monkey? Let's get moving," Type says as the sound of police sirens fills the air.
"What's that, Phii?" Khaen asks, looking at the device in Type's hand. The older boy sighs.
"Evidence… I need to review it before handing it over to the police… at the very least, to edit out the footage of Ae almost killing someone." Finishing speaking, he slips the camera into his bag, as the police officers storm in, arresting all three offenders, one of whom is now barely clinging to life.
This incident teaches everyone a crucial lesson… never to make Inthach angry. That would probably be for the best.
"A hospital is a place of rest that requires tranquility, yet no one dares to tell off the middle-aged woman in a sleek suit whose high heels clack loudly with each hurried step, as her face and eyes reveal her intense anxiety, until…
Bang.
"Pete… Pete, my child! How are you?!"
Patcharaporn, who received the news from her son's partner, has abandoned her meetings immediately and rushed to the hospital to see with her own eyes that her beloved son is safe. The sound of her voice stirs Pete, who has just woken up again, and he almost lunges for the comforting embrace of his mother, who pulls him close.
"How are you, Pete? What happened to you? What did they do to you?" she asks, gripping her son's bruised and swollen face with deep concern. He holds back tears as he slowly shakes his head.
"I'm alright, Mom… Ae and his friends came to help."
Grab.
"It's good you're safe. I was so worried." She hugs her son tightly to her chest, resting her face on his soft hair and gently rubbing his back in a soothing motion. Then, she lifts her gaze to the young man sitting vigilantly by the bedside.
"Thank you, Ae, thank you for helping Pete… truly, I am so grateful." Patcharaporn doesn't realize when her tone shifts to warmth, as Ae looks down at his own hands and replies softly,
"If I had come sooner, no—if I had been more aware sooner…"
"Don't say that, Ae. You saved Pete. The fact that both of you are safe now is all that matters."
"But…"
"What is it?" The person who rubs her son's face and eyes turns to ask, causing the one about to speak to quiet down and shake his head slowly.
"Nothing, Mother."
Creek.
At that moment, the door of the room opens again, and Type pokes his head in, raising his hand to greet the elder.
"Ai'Ae, regarding the police…" Type says only that, prompting the listener to quickly rise. Then before he steps out of the room to allow the mother and son to talk…
Grab.
"Ae… don't go…" Pete grabs the hem of the other's shirt in a manner resembling panic, looking up with tear-brimmed eyes that cause Inthach to move closer and gently squeeze his hand.
"It is alright. You stay with your mother. I will go talk for just a moment." The one who is afraid looks hesitant before finally releasing his grip.
"I will really be back shortly."
Smack.
Then Inthach has no shame in lifting his bandaged hand to press a kiss upon it, even in front of the elders. He squeezes again and then gently pulls away to find the senior who is waiting. Once the short young man has left, Khun Patchara turns to look at her son, raising her hand to softly touch his bruised cheek.
"I am glad to see that you are safe, Pete, and I am glad that there are people who care about Pete so much… Do you know how worried he sounded when Ae called me?" The mother asks gently, causing Pete to press his lips together before quickly releasing them due to the sting.
"I am glad that you have someone important like this."
"Mother, I... Ae helped me... he helped me again... when... when I was beaten, I thought I would not survive... sniff... but I believed that Ae... would come to help... that Ae would help me..." the son says with a sob, which makes the mother gently wipe away tears, stroking his hair as a form of comfort.
"He is... the best thing... in my life..." The words elicit a smile from the listener.
"Hearing this makes me feel somewhat better... if there is someone who can take care of you, Pete, this much, then I can be at ease..." The mother, who has been fearful that her son would never experience love due to the broken image of his father, smiles with the greatest relief.
Moreover, she was unsure if Ae truly was the right person for Pete, this incident proves that the young man is someone she can entrust her little son to. He is the one who called her to share what happened and repeatedly said...
"I am sorry for not taking good care of Pete. I apologize... I am sorry."
She wants to say that he does not need to apologize to her at all. It is she who should thank him for keeping her little boy here, telling her who is the most special in his heart, regardless of what society may say... These two boys are her sons whom she will protect.
"Ae, you must see this."
At the same time, Inthach is looking at the senior who hands him a video camera, furrowing his brow.
"I will not watch it." No matter what is in there, he does not intend to watch it, for no matter what his partner has gone through, he will never turn his back on him. Type shakes his head, pushing it into his hands.
"You must watch it because even if you say you do not care about what happened to your partner, it is better to see it clearly than to be constantly anxious or worry alone," the senior insists firmly, prompting the listener to comply.
He holds it, feeling his hands tremble.
"I skipped ahead for you, and reluctantly watched a little, Ae." Upon hearing this, the short young man takes a deep breath and presses play on the paused video. The image of Pete being beaten on the bed appears—an image in which he cannot intervene, making him want to throw it away, yet his hands still grip it tightly. He observes what is happening and sees his partner fighting with all his might, yet it is to no avail until...
Whoosh.
Ae turns his face away as his partner's clothes are being torn off, understanding what the senior says at that moment. Although he does not care what is being done to him, looking back, he feels pain at his inability to help.
"You must look here," however, the listener gathers his composure and turns back just in time to see himself rush in with a stick to save him.
"Ae, Pete is not being fully sexually assaulted... you should be relieved about this," Type says in a heavy voice, prompting the younger one to look up and meet the gaze of the other who is smiling.
"I let you watch this so you can feel at ease... Pete was not fully raped... Do you understand?" No matter what the other wants to convey, all this makes Ae feel an incredible sense of relief. His legs buckle as he sinks down into a squat, and his hands lift to cover his face, uttering only...
"Thank God." That is all he can say.
If Pete was harmed in any way, he is unsure if he can prevent himself from killing Ai'Trump, while Type himself slaps him on the back.
"I tell you only this: go be with Pete as a friend. As for this video, I edited your part out and sent it to the police. With this solid evidence, those guys will be sitting in jail for a long while."
"Thank you, Phii Type," the short young man finally manages to say, prompting the senior to smile widely.
"We are like family. How can I remain idle when a family member is harmed?"
Even though what happened is terrible, Type and the rest of the team's actions demonstrate that there are still good people in this society willing to help.
~~~
"Ai'Ae, I came to visit youuu."
"Do not be ridiculous; you came to visit Pete, not Ai'Ae."
"Damn! But you told me Ai'Ae was in the hospital!"
Today, if no nurse comes by to remind them to be quiet, it will indeed be strange, as Pitchaya's hospital room is now crowded with his romantic partner's high school friends, who have all come together as a gang. Adding to the confusion, the most 'adorable one' in the group seems clueless as to who exactly is in the hospital.
"You did not let me finish, Ai'Dīe. I said, 'Ai'Ae's romantic partner' is in the hospital… Do not blame me if your hearing is poor," Sun retorts to his pale-faced, red-lipped friend, who pouts in response.
"Are you sure I have poor hearing? It might actually be you who spoke unclearly."
"Do not make excuses, Ai'Dīe. It is you who did not listen carefully. you were busy playing 'Ghost Blanket' with your husband," Dīe's face flushes bright red as he bares his teeth at his friend, then jumps to sit beside the injured person, giving a sheepish smile.
"Got into trouble, huh, Pete? Want some fruit? I brought a basket. Eat plenty so your skin heals faster," the group's resident cook offers, as he starts unwrapping the fruit basket, choosing an apple and looking around for a knife to peel it.
This scene prompts the friends to tease even further.
"These days you are all about beauty, Shorty, eating fruit to take care of your skin. Afraid of getting old and your husband losing interest?"
"Liver of a goose! How long will you keep teasing me? And quiet down; you're disturbing the patient," Dīe snaps at Mai, who only laughs in response before turning to look at the football player friend who refuses to leave the patient's bedside.
"And you, is it true you almost beat someone to death during practice?" Ae looks over at the one speaking and confirms with a nod.
"Yeah, I even wanted to kill him for touching my Ai'Pete."
"Whooo! 'Mine,' you say! Did you hear that too, Ai'Pond?" Sun chimes in immediately, prompting a roar of laughter from the 'Three Stooges.'
"You don't even know, Ai'Sun. When Ai'Pete disappeared, Ai'Ae was like a rabid dog. I even got to punch him in the face once—guess that'll bring me luck all year," Pond laughs, while the so-called 'rabid dog' only sighs.
"I owe you for that punch—it brought me back to my senses… you can punch me again, Ai'Pond," he says, smiling at his close friend.
"Let's help each other out, you hear? If I ever lose it like you did, feel free to snap me out of it."
"Want me to snap you out of it instead?" The gang leader offers, sounding a bit too eager, making everyone shake their heads vigorously.
If anyone dares mess with him, they'll be left toothless, no question about it!
"Speaking of which, next time something happens, call us. The word 'friend' is not just for show, you know... And Pete, you too. Whatever's going on, let us know. You're Ai'Ae's romantic partner, so you're our friend too." It's rare for Mai to say something meaningful, so naturally, the others boo him in jest. But to the one on the bed, his smile only widens.
"Thank you, all of you. Really, thank you."
Pete can only respond with deep gratitude as he turns to look at the person by his side.
If he hadn't met Ae, he might never have known that there are people out there willing to help each other like this.
Ae has truly changed my life.
"Are you tired? Only lunatics are coming to visit."
After the patient endures a tiring day, besides Dīe's group visiting, Money, whose face is bruised and swollen, comes with her classmates. Once the classmates finish their visit, the football team arrives, causing the recovery room to be anything but restful. Therefore, when everyone leaves (and the latecomers take all the gifts back), Ae turns to the smiling figure on the bed.
"I'm not crazy, Ae… I'm actually happy to have so many people visiting me." The listener laughs before gently touching the bruise on his cheek.
"But to be honest, I don't want anyone to see me like this." He teases himself, for when he first looked in the mirror, Pete was startled by his own disheveled appearance. How can anyone help but stare?
"A few days and it'll be fine." The short young man moves to sit beside him on the bed, lightly touching the bruised area.
"Yes, these wounds heal in no time."
"But you still seem scared." Ae shoots back as if he knows, causing the one reclining to lower his smile. He moves closer and wraps his arms around Ae's waist, burying his face against the warm chest. This position is their way since spending many days in the hospital, and the darker-skinned young man embraces him back gently.
"Last night I dreamed… I dreamed I was in that house again."
Thud.
The listener clenches his fist tightly, knowing that the event will haunt the other for a long time. Before Pete continues…
"But I see you come to help… I might be scared, but I know you always come as promised." Though his voice is soft, Pete speaks with confidence as he presses his face deeper into the warmth of Ae's chest, almost coaxing the shorter one to stroke his hair in comfort. Ae even leans down to plant a light kiss on his temple.
"Do you know how scared I am the moment I saw you lying there?"
The hug is shorter than before, indicating that it is not just Pete who feels haunted. The speaker is also troubled by his own weakness.
"I am scared of everything... I won't be scared like this again, Ai'Pete. I won't allow myself to see you like that ever again... Believe me, from now on I will take better care of you, I will protect you more, and I won't let you face anything like that ever again."
The listener nods against his chest. "I believe... I always believe in you, Ae... There is never a day that I do not believe in you."
These words cause the embrace to tighten, and the short young man whispers. "I love you, Pete... I love you the most."
The declaration of love from the usually reticent one makes Pete stammer the same. "I love you too, Ae. You are important to me, as important as I cannot be without you."
At this moment, only the embrace conveys how significant they are to each other.
"Will you be okay? Earlier, you did not want your father's side of the family to know."
After the caretaker moves to cuddle the patient, the conversation flows aimlessly until it settles on this topic. The one who previously stated he would not press charges smiles, though he seems somewhat concerned.
"My mother says it is okay... She will talk to Grandmother herself. Now too the case goes in the direction that I was kidnapped for ransom and physically harmed. My mother does not mention that I was threatened last year... Grandmother probably thinks it is just a money extortion case." Pete says, exhaling heavily, for this matter has reached his grandmother's ears.
Pete is not surprised that Grandmother knows, as he is aware that she has many connections. Just seeing his surname at the police station, the story must have reached that point already. However, it is still fortunate that no one has meddled in his life yet. He must thank his mother for taking the initiative to discuss it.
"Your family has many issues and is strange... You end up in the hospital, and no one shows their face. Even your father seems the same. He does not call to ask anything about you." The question causes the listener to shake his head.
"Not coming is better, Ae. If they came, who knows what trouble might arise... I think it is best that they are not interested in me at all."
Inthach frowns, for no matter how many times he hears it, Pete's father consistently displeases him.
He has a mistress, abandons his wife and children, and flees to live abroad, yet he is still authoritarian, attempting to control his old wife and the child he has left behind.
"I only wish to have my mother and Ae, that is enough for me. I do not want him to come to see me in this state," the one in the embrace says softly, looking up to smile and also leaning in to snuggle close as if to coax the person to look at him. He props himself up on his elbow and reaches out to tuck the hair behind his ear gently.
"If you keep acting like this, I might not be able to hold back and do something to the patient," but if he thinks the injured person will feel shy, he is slightly mistaken, as Pete immediately returns the smile. "If you do not mind my battered face right now, then I do not mind anything."
The short young man laughs, leans his face closer, and gently kisses him on the lips. "To me... you are always cute."
Touch.
Warm lips touch the orange lips, gently sucking and nibbling before pulling away. Then he reaches out to hug the pale, battered body.
"But I will not do anything. Whenever you recover, I will hug you to my heart's content!!!" It sounds like a teasing desire, but the next sentence is truly from the heart.
"I want to assure you that you are really okay." And this is what is truly in the heart of Inthach.
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