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Perspective - 3rd Person
After Ae finishes his shower and steps out, he sees Ai'Khun-chai, who has now pulled on a bathrobe. Guilt stirs in his heart—of course it does. After all, he just satisfied himself while thinking of that soft skin he had touched earlier.
"I'm sorry." Naturally, someone like Inthach doesn't like leaving things unresolved, so he blurts out an apology that leaves Pete staring back at him, confused.
"Wha... why are you apologizing to me?" Pete asks with a stammer, avoiding eye contact as a fiery sensation lingers where Ae's searing fingertips had just brushed his abdomen, sending a wave of warmth through his body.
"I... I'm sorry for applying the ointment and making you hurt." The football player speaks honestly from his heart, though it leaves Pete—who hadn't felt pain but rather an electrifying heat coursing through him—gazing out the window instead.
"I... I'm sorry too."
Sorry that I secretly feel more for Ae than just someone applying ointment.
The two fall silent, each interpreting the situation in their own way. Ae exhales heavily, roughly scratching his own damp hair. He almost laughs at himself—coming here to shower in Pete's room only to run off and get dusty again while heading back to his dorm at ten o'clock at night.
The contrast between the IC hotel and his dorm... they might as well be in separate worlds.
"Alright, I'll head back to my dorm. If you're staying alone, make sure to lock up properly. I'll come find you tomorrow morning..."
"Ae, don't go!"
Before Ae can even finish speaking, Khun-chai Pete interrupts impulsively, unable to restrain himself. This leaves Ae momentarily stunned. He turns back to meet Pete's trembling gaze, which betrays a fear of what has just happened, prompting Ae to step closer.
"Are you scared?" Ae asks, his words making Pete bite his lip hard as his heart wages a chaotic battle between politeness and selfishness.
Right now, Pete wants Ae to stay with him, even though he knows it is an imposition.
Pat.
"Ai'Pete, I've told you many times that I'm a straightforward guy. Whatever I think, I say. This one likes to be reminded of that," the football player says as he places his hand on Pete's soft head and gently tousles it.
Pete, caught in his heavy thoughts, looks up, his orange-tinged lips tightly pressed together. His gaze landed on Ae, who he thinks is the most handsome and remarkable of anyone, and he softly speaks.
"Ae, stay with me... please?"
Grab.
Pete raises his hand to clutch the hem of the student's shirt as Ae stands beside the bed. His unsteady gaze is filled with uncertainty, and he stammers as he confesses his feelings.
"I'm scared... really scared. I don't want to be alone. Ae, could you please stay with me?" His question, paired with the pleading, childlike eyes, softens Ae's resolve. Ae can't understand how anyone could think Pete was this cool and striking.
Sure, Pete's sharp eyebrows make his eyes piercing, and his angular face is model-like. However, when his eyes tremble and his nose reddens, all Ae can see is a helpless little kid. Ae lets out a long sigh.
I'm definitely going to start seeing you as another one of my nieces.
"Fine, fine. I'll stay with you. If that bloody fucking cur comes back, I wouldn't feel good about leaving you alone anyway."
With that, Ae, who has agreed to stay, pulls out his phone to call his close friend, who by now is probably imagining worst-case scenarios.
They're probably thinking I dragged Ai'Pete off to snuggle for sure.
Pond answers his phone. "Heeeyyyy, where've you disappeared to, huh? Oh, I see. Did you go ba-ra-hee-ya-kee-ya-kee with Ai'Pete?"
See? I knew it. Ae sighs to himself.
He snaps back at Pond, "Ba-ra-hee-ya-kee-ya-kee your house! I'm not going back to my room tonight. Don't get any weird ideas. I'll explain tomorrow."
"But I want to hear it tonight! I'm betting with Ai'Piing right now on whether you ended up with Ai'Pete or Ai'Pete ended up with you." Pond taunts from the safety of a phone call.
Ae glances at the person sitting on the bed and scratches his head roughly. This is just like Ai'Pond. Seriously, how can they think Ai'Pete has the nerve to get the upper hand on anyone? If something happens, it's me taking charge, no doubt.
Wait, what the bloody hell am I thinking?
Ae replies to Pond, "If you don't quit it, I'll make sure you end up under my damn feet."
"Ooohhh, feisty, aren't we, darling?" Pond quips.
How do I put up with an idiot like you for so many years? Ae asks himself.
"Ugh, that's it for now." Ae sighs into the phone and hangs up without waiting for more teasing to spill out.
He swiftly turns off his phone, preventing further annoying calls every ten minutes. Then, he takes off his student uniform, leaving just his undershirt.
"Is it okay if I sleep in boxers and a tank top?" Ae pauses as he is about to undo his trousers, turning to ask Pete, who quickly looks away.
Ae completely forgets that Ai'Pete isn't like his other friends. If it's anyone else in his group, he'd strip without a care for what they think.
"Uh, whatever works is fine," Pete answers nervously.
At first, his fear is all about P'Trump, but now he's more afraid of his own heart, being alone in a closed room with the person he secretly likes.
"Then I'll take a pillow and this robe," Ae says, grabbing a pillow from the king-sized bed and opening the wardrobe to pull out another bathrobe.
Pete nods in confusion until clarity strikes like lightning when he sees Ae toss the pillow and bathrobe onto the floor.
"Ae, you're going to sleep there!"
When they first entered the room, Pete didn't think much, still overwhelmed from earlier. Ae had been the one to speak to the receptionist while Pete slumped onto the floor. The room has only one king-sized bed, a TV corner, and a bathroom—no sofa or cushioned chair in sight. Pete's sudden outburst draws Ae's attention, making him glance back from where he's preparing his improvised bedding.
"Of course."
"B-but... Ae, you should sleep on the bed," Pete stammers, unable to bear the thought of someone who just helped him sleeping on the hard floor. Ae bursts into laughter at the suggestion.
"Don't worry about me. The mattress at my dorm isn't much better than sleeping on the floor anyway. Just take the bed. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable?" Pete asks, puzzled.
If anything, he's the one worried Ae might feel awkward. Ae scratches his head, looking unsure how to explain.
"Well... because you're gay."
Double-take.
The word from the football player's mouth sends a chill through Pete, hitting him harder than three punches could. His mind races as he calculates the implications: Ae must be disgusted.
Pete sighs internally. Of course, Pete. Even though he says he's not disgusted, sharing the same bed must be crossing a line.
"I... I understand."
"Hey! It's not what you're thinking!" Ae exclaims with a pale face.
Sitting on the floor, Ae widens his eyes, only just realizing what he's said. He rubs his head in frustration, clearly struggling to find a way to fix the situation.
Ae continues… "It's not that I'm disgusted by you. Don't make that face... How should I put this? When I said you're gay, I just meant... I don't know if a gay person would be comfortable sharing a bed with a guy they don't like. As for me, I don't mind because it's just sharing with a friend. Let me ask you instead—if I get in bed, will you feel uncomfortable?"
The long explanation soothes the pain in Pete's chest a little, though it replaces it with the sting of being labeled as just a "friend."
He sighs to himself. That's good enough, Pete.
"Ae, just come up and sleep... It's just sleeping with a friend... one friend." Pete tries to reply with a slightly more cheerful tone and shifts to the edge of the bed, making room.
Ae hesitates for a moment before climbing in.
"You're sure I can sleep here?"
"Yes, as long as Ae isn't disgusted by me." Pete's quiet voice answers, though he edges himself closer to the bed's side, not wanting Ae to feel uneasy.
"Then I'll turn off the light. We've been arguing so long it's almost eleven."
"Okay."
The room goes dark, illuminated faintly by the light from outside. For a fleeting moment, fear grips Pete as the loneliness he felt earlier resurfaces in his mind.
"Ae..."
"Hmm? I'm here." The rustling sound beside him signals that Ae has returned to the bed and slipped under the blanket. Without thinking, Pete...
Grab!
"What's wrong?" Ae asks, feeling Pete clutch at his tank top.
Ae peers through the darkness to see Pete squeezing his eyes shut, his eyebrows knitted together. Ae shifts closer.
"Are you scared?" Ae softly pokes between Pete's furrowed brows, prompting Pete to open his eyes and force a smile.
"Just a little," Pete admits quietly. "I thought no one would find me."
As soon as Pete speaks openly, Ae falls silent for a moment, guilt settling heavily in his chest. Why hadn't he reached Pete in time? If he hadn't stayed late, Pete wouldn't have had to face this fear alone.
Pat.
"You don't have to be scared. I'm here now." Ae's thought prompts him to place his hand on Pete's soft cheek, gently stroking it to reassure him that he's by his side.
Pete, trembling slightly, grips Ae's tank top tighter.
"Ae..."
"Hmm?"
"Can you keep holding my cheek like this until I fall asleep?"
Pete knows he's asking for too much, but since Ae has been exceptionally kind to him today, he decides to voice his request. He enjoys the rough texture of Ae's palm, so different from his own, lightly stroking him. It reminds him that he's not alone.
Ae remains still, even though his eyes can't see clearly in the darkness. He senses Pete's hesitation. More importantly, this is the first time he's seen this side of Khun-chai Pete.
"You're so clingy."
"I... I'm not," Pete stammers, shaking his head slightly, startled to realize he's inadvertently acted clingy.
Pete's reaction makes Ae laugh.
"You're clingy. You totally are. Just like my niece." Ae can't resist teasing, and Pete takes a deep breath before softly asking,
"And if I am clingy... would you mind?"
The uncertainty in Pete's voice is clear, and it prompts Ae, the well-proportioned football player, to shift closer. Ae gently places his hand more firmly on Pete's cheek, finally speaking with a faint smile.
"Then let me tell you something... I like it when you're clingy. I think it's cute."
Pete admits he feels shy—extremely shy—about receiving a compliment he's never heard before. People have always praised him for his good looks, handsomeness, charm, and gentlemanly demeanor, but no one has ever thought of him as cute.
"You once said I might be the only one who sees you as cool. So... I guess I'd say the same—that you might be the only one who thinks I'm cute."
Ae immediately laughs at Pete's reply, which throws back a comment he once made. Yet, his fingertips continue to lightly play with Pete's soft cheek as his heart desires.
"Alright, alright. If no one compliments us, we'll just flatter each other."
Despite his words, the shorter man can't help but admit to himself:
I like the idea that you're only cute for me, Ai'Pete. No one would ever guess that someone as handsome as you, Ai'Khun-chai, could be this adorably clingy.
With that thought, Ae closes his eyes while his hand keeps gently stroking Pete's soft cheek. When the scared boy finally drifts off to sleep from exhaustion, Ae follows suit, his hand still resting on Pete's cheek. Meanwhile, Pete's hand continues to clutch tightly onto Ae's tank top.
The feeling between the two of them... draws them closer than ever before.
~~~
Soft... sweet-smelling... My niece is so adorable, I just want to cuddle her all day.
Inthach can't help but think, being the doting uncle he is. He breathes in the faint, pleasant scent deeply, his lips brushing against the soft cheek. Unable to resist, he presses his lips closer, wrapping his arms tightly around the mischievous little one.
But seriously, why is my niece growing up so fast? She feels so big and solid in my arms now.
That thought lingers as Inthach slowly blinks his eyes open, though the sky outside is still pitch dark.
Despite staying up late last night, his body, accustomed to waking early, stirs at its usual time. At first, Ae thinks it must still be very dark out, which is why he can't see anything except the wall in front of him. But then, he suddenly remembers—last night, he didn't sleep in his dorm. He slept with...
"Ai'Pete..." His deep voice mumbles softly before recoiling from what he thought was his niece's cheek.
Then, he finds the answer to why his niece seemed to grow so quickly—both of his hands are wrapped around Ai'Pete's waist. Furthermore, they are not holding from outside the bathrobe but have slipped beneath it, feeling the smooth softness of white skin.
As for what he thought was soft… his face is buried in Ai'Pete's chest.
What have I done?
Ae shakes his head as though unable to believe it himself. He fell asleep with his hand on his cheek, yet woke up with his head resting on his chest. Moreover, Pete's clothes are so loose that both shoulders are exposed.
It's late already!
This is the thought of someone slowly pulling away, because upon seeing the tired and weary expression, along with the small furrow of the brows of Ai'Khun-chai, Ae doesn't want to wake Pete. Instead, he turns to look at the clock by the bedside, which shows 4:04 AM.
He fears that if he returns to his dorm to change clothes, Pete might wake up and find no one around.
Ae can only shake his head, sitting up against the headboard, looking at the person sleeping soundly in front of him with compassion. His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, gaze at his handsome face, and he can't help but brush the hair covering his face and eyes away. However, his gaze drops lower, and the feeling of curiosity rises in his heart.
Why did I have to masturbate simply from touching Pete's skin?
Pat.
The curiosity that causes Ae to place his hand on its chest, then rub down absentmindedly. The soft smoothness, so different from his own, sends his palm sliding lower than before, until he feels the stomach where yesterday he applied the medicine.
"Soft."
Yes, the more he touches, the softer it feels. The further his hand slides down, the softer it gets, until now his large hand rests on Pete's lower abdomen, feeling the soft skin above the navel.
"Mm~"
A soft sound from the sleeping person who shifts slightly makes Ae pause. He may have misheard, but is the sound sweeter than usual?
The doubt of a person who has zero sexual experience makes the large hand gently stroke back and forth on Pete's lower abdomen, being careful not to go lower than that. Then, Ae looks at the person who twists their body slightly, Pete's orange-colored lips pressing together, as if the owner suffers from the turmoil that occurs.
Although Ae is not the type of person to seize opportunities, he is still only eighteen. There are moments when he knows he shouldn't, but he still wants to try. His fingertips move up and down, while he looks at the handsome face, which seems to have sweat beading on the forehead. Then, those damn eyes happen to notice something that stands out.
"Ah"
Eck
Hiss
Ae quickly pulls his hands away from what he was touching and drapes a blanket over the person still sleeping, covering them completely. He murmurs a soft apology to the sleeping person, then walks toward the bathroom, trying to shake off the strange feeling. He relies on the cold water to wash away the emotions that shouldn't have arisen.
"What the hell did I just do?"
Ae looks at his own fingers, which had just brushed against something soft. With just a light touch, it had hardened, making his face burn with embarrassment.
He grabbed Pete's breasts.
"I know you are interested in football, but you need to try to release your emotions with something else too. I'm worried you'll deteriorate before you even get old. Bloody damn, I don't even know if you've ever used it. Should I find something exciting for you to watch? I guarantee it'll let you release easily and you'll sleep like the dead."
Ai'Pond once told him this when he was scolding him that watching AV so much wouldn't do him any good. Did it really make him progress? So, he started a course to teach that as young men, we have full desires that need to be released. But he never agreed with it. Playing football a lot can make you sleep like the dead too. Until today.
"Sigh, because I'm a young man, I have a lot of desires."
Ae thus concludes to himself that the desires he has just felt were because he had touched someone else besides himself.
But sometimes... the football player may have forgotten to think that with other friends, he has never felt this way even once.
~~~
This morning, Pete may be a little surprised when he wakes up and finds Ae sitting at the foot of the bed watching television. However, he is even more surprised when his body reacts in a way it shouldn't at this time in the morning, so he can only accept the greeting from the person who briefly looks at him before quickly heading to the bathroom.
"If Ae knew, he'd hate me to death." Pete tells himself.
He can only lower his head, telling himself that his waking up with an erection is probably because he got too excited sleeping in the same bed with the person he likes, unaware of what happened to him more than an hour ago.
After that, once he finishes his shower and gets dressed in the same clothes, the person who showered first turns off the television.
"What do you want to do? Are you going to class? But I think... you should just go home." Ae asks.
Not just Ae, Pete also knows well that his clothes are completely dirty. If he doesn't want to get them washed (by the hotel staff), it's better to go home and change first.
"Yes, I guess I have to skip today." Pete replies.
"Good. Go rest. Your face still looks pale." Ae says this before slinging his bag over his shoulder.
The person who knows not to waste the other's time grabs the car keys and the remaining wallet and heads downstairs to check out, ignoring the breakfast at the hotel.
Then, both walk together silently, with the rare sound of a tram passing by or a cyclist going the other way.
"I'm sorry for making you miss your run, Ae."
"I won't die from not running for a day, but I'm more afraid that you'll wake up and find no one around." Ae says bluntly, making the listener smile slightly, then pause a bit when the person next to him continues.
"Actually, it's me who should apologize to you."
"Apologize to me?" Pete asks.
Ae makes a bit of a hard face but speaks frankly.
"When I woke up, I thought you were my niece. Good thing I woke up first, otherwise, I probably would have tackled you with all my might already." He only says that, not revealing any details about what happened beyond tackling his niece, causing Pete's face to heat up a little before he gives a stiff smile.
Pete doesn't even want to think about it, because if he had woken up at that moment, he probably wouldn't dare look Ae in the face now.
"It's okay, I was just sleeping."
The morning conversation ends there, as the two walk to the parking lot where the luxurious Benz stands out among the few cars.
"Ai'Pete."
"Yes?" As Pete slides into the car, the person who has been thinking about something all night calls out.
"From now on, before you get to the university, call me ten minutes before. I'll come to pick you up. And from now on, if you have to leave after six o'clock, call me before you leave the building. If I'm with someone else, it's fine, but at 8 PM, I'll come pick you up and drive you to your car. Same goes for during the day. You're not walking back to your car alone anymore. From now on, take your faculty's car or the tram. Understand?" This time, the football player rattles off the instructions with a serious expression, clearly concerned.
Now, Ae doesn't trust that Trump guy. Even at university, he dared to rob, so if he leaves Khun-chai alone, he's afraid something might happen again.
"He probably won't be back for a while, Ae." Pete says softly, since everything Ae took with him is worth hundreds of thousands.
"I won't be careless. I told you, I'll protect you. I have to do it."
Ae says this with a firm tone that makes the listener pause.
"I don't want to trouble you that much, Ae."
"You'll trouble me more if you make me worry about you, almost driving me crazy like last night." Ae says clearly, making Pete's face heat up even more. His heart races, and when he sees Ae's serious expression, Pete can only nod slowly, watching the person who holds the door, then crouches down to give a smile.
"If you are considerate, just let me kiss your cheek instead of my niece's, and I'll be fine with it."
Ae is clearly at a disadvantage. Pete can only think to himself.
Of course, spending time taking care of him in exchange for just kissing his cheek, which he is sure Ae would never actually do, but says it to make him feel at ease. He smiles in response because getting to know this man over the past few weeks has taught him that...
Turning down Ae's kindness is something that should not be done.
"If you ever want a kiss, just let me know, okay?" Pete stammers.
"Haha, go already. Let me know when you get home... Oh, your phone is not here, and my number is probably gone, huh?"
Then, the well-proportioned young man remembers, turns, grabs a pen from his backpack, and pulls Ai'Khun-chai's hand without asking. After that, he writes his phone number down.
The touch of their hands conveys warmth to both of them, with each trying to hide it.
"Once you get a new phone, call me and let me know."
"Yes, I'll tell you first, Ae."
The response makes the other laugh.
"You can tell your mom first, then tell me." After saying that, he closes the door and steps back a bit, waiting until Pete drives off from the parking lot.
However, Pete can't help but look through the rearview mirror to make sure that Ae is still standing there, and a smile slips out.
"But aside from my mom's number, I'll make sure Ae's number is the first one in my new phone."
Sometimes, facing something scary the night before may not always be so bad.
Inthach watches until the luxury car disappears from sight, then turns to walk back to the dorm. He checks the time and realizes he still has some time to change clothes and grab a bite.
"Arghhh! Crazy, crazy, crazy! What am I going to do now?!" But then a loud scream echoes from the other direction, causing him to look over and see a girl in a demonstration school uniform struggling to use a stick to fish out a bright pink file that has fallen into a canal. It is teetering on the edge, and without the weeds, it would have already fallen into the water.
[[Translator's Note: Thai universities that have teaching and education research colleges have โรงเรียนสาธิต (pronounced rohng rian saa-thit) where students attend like in other schools. These demonstration schools are why there are often high school students wandering through Thai dramas set on college campuses.]]
"Please don't fall, please don't fall! I need to turn this in today!"
"What are you doing?" Ae asks as he walks up, causing the girl to turn around with a face that looks like she's about to cry.
"I dropped my file, Phii! I was swinging my arms and didn't think it would slip out of my hands, and then it just floated and fell right in," the cute girl with shoulder-length hair and big, clear eyes that look like a cat's, says, pointing down as if to accuse.
"See, see! I'm using a stick to try to get it out, but it's going to fall into the water again! I need to turn this in today!!!" She whines, making everyone around feel sorry for her.
"I'll get it for you."
"Huh? How are you going to get it?" she asks in confusion, since the canal is so steep that jumping in would definitely land you in the water.
However, the older student takes off his shoes and socks, rolls up his pants, and shows her how to retrieve it by climbing into the canal just like that.
"Do you want me to hold your hand? You might fall in."
"It's fine. If we're going in, we'll both go," Ae says, extending his arm as far as he can, but still not reaching. He braces his legs with all his strength, but the edge of the canal, covered in dew-covered grass, causes his feet to slip with a screech.
Splash!
Sure enough, one leg plunges into the shallow water, soaking up to the knee. But Ae manages to grab the file and hands it over to the girl in front of him, who stares with wide eyes.
"Here you go, little one."
As she takes the file, Ae climbs out awkwardly, glancing at the clock and realizing it's almost late.
"Don't swing it around anymore," Ae says, only managing to grab his socks and hold them while putting his shoes back on.
He runs toward the dorm as quickly as he can, unaware that his selfless act will cause the girl standing still at the spot to become lost in thought.
"You're so cool."
It seems like another problem that will cause more trouble has just added itself.
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