Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
~~~
Externally, Phra Phai might seem like a fun-loving man who appeared to drift aimlessly through life. But this man knew when to play and when to work. On workdays, he was a dedicated company employee who worked conscientiously. He never thought of using his privilege as the owner's son to place himself above others; on the contrary, he tried even harder so that no one could accuse him of relying on the connections he was born with. But these past few days, even this outstanding employee had been somewhat distracted.
The reason was the mobile phone that never left his side.
In this single day alone, he had glanced at it a million times, picked it up to look, opened the messaging application, and found that the messages he had sent…
"Good morning,"
"Are you awake?"
"What did you have for breakfast?"
...had been ignored. The other side had not even opened them to read. He could only sigh.
He could swear this was the first time in his life he had pursued someone for this long.
Usually, once he knew it was impossible, he would retreat and find a new target. But for some reason, he was hung up on this incredibly stubborn youth. This youth was breaking all his previous records. Even though he was clearly being ignored, the corner of his mouth insisted on lifting upwards. He sent an additional message: "I miss you so much."
Sky made him experience new things: being an emergency nurse, being a servant, being the one to find food for him to eat, and even kicking that kind person down to sleep on the floor. Just thinking about the morning he woke up with a backache made him laugh uncontrollably. Instead of having someone worried about him, the first thing Sky said was... "It's morning. You can go now."
So bloody fucking cold, but also so bloody fucking cute.
What was cute about it? Well, the person who chased him away ended up going out to eat breakfast with him.
Lately, Phra Phai felt he was becoming too attached to that youth. To be honest, he couldn't concentrate on work. On days he got off work early, he would even sneak off to deliver supplies. Sometimes he'd see his face, sometimes he'd just leave it hanging at his door. He still didn't want to reveal his trump card, that he had a key to the room in his possession. But whenever he got to see him, to see those glaring eyes and the suppressed smile, the tall figure's weariness would vanish completely.
Even his younger sister had told him he'd been acting oddly lately. How could he not be odd? He went home every day. He usually hung out only at his condo, bringing this or that person to play. But lately, he'd been a good boy, going straight home to let his parents see his face, until his Mâe praised the cause of his newfound docility nonstop.
"I want him to be my daughter-in-law."
She said that, probably thinking she'd never find anyone in this lifetime who could control him.
"I'm not being controlled either," he thought, but in his heart, he knew better.
Ding!
Whoosh!
The man who had been focused on work shot up from his seat. He took long strides into the kitchen. But no, he wasn't going to get coffee for his sleepy afternoon. It was because his mobile phone had a short, concise message that really hit the mark: "Hmm."
["Do you not have work to do?"]
When he called, the person on the other end sounded somewhat exasperated, but it made the listener smile widely.
"I always have time for Sky."
["I'll be damned if I believe that."]
One day, I'll make you believe in me with all your heart! Phra Phai thought.
He felt the youth said things like he didn't believe him too often. He even secretly wondered if Sky had been betrayed before. Why was it so hard for him to trust others? But it was fine. He'd leave that matter for later. Just the fact that he answered the call without hanging up was more than good enough.
"I'll come see you this evening."
Hopefully.
["Don't come."]
"What time is good?"
The tall figure suppressed his laughter until his shoulders shook, because the person on the other end let out a long sigh. But he was going to go, you know? No one could chain him up.
"So, do you want anything special to eat? I'll buy it for you. What should I get? Thai, Western, Chinese, Vietnamese? I will deliver it right to your room," he offered, waiting patiently for an answer. And the person on the other end didn't disappoint.
"If you can buy me something from Beijing within this evening, I'll tell you what I want to eat. That's all. I have more class." Then, he hung up without any affection, leaving the person on this end laughing heartily. His beautiful eyes sparkled with delight. He'd long since stopped wondering why he enjoyed teasing the other person so much.
Today, he's telling me to fly to China, huh.
"Better than telling me to go die."
He had been chasing after him for over a month and hadn't even gotten a kiss. But today there was progress. From using his eyes to tell him to go die, now he was just telling him to go to a foreign country. He concluded that for this evening, Chinese food would be fine. Thinking that, he picked up his phone to see which restaurants could deliver to his company. As soon as he got off work, he could race over.
"Oh, Phîi Phra Phai, are you on a break too?"
No, I'm here to mess with a youth's head, Phra Phai thought. He turned to look at the beautiful young woman who was smiling sweetly.
"Is Chaw Phikun on a break?"
"Yes, I came to make coffee. Should I make some for you too?" The young woman looked at his hands, which held only his mobile phone, and eagerly offered.
Phra Phai thought the same answer again. He turned to look at the beautiful young woman who was smiling sweetly.
Chaw Phikun, a beautiful young woman with a lovely name whom Phra Phai had initially been interested in. But because he separated work from personal matters, he pretended not to notice the gaze that clearly showed interest in him too overtly. But that didn't mean he wouldn't flirt or tease to keep things lively, as men do. This time was no different.
"Phîi Phra Phai, could you help me get the cup on the top shelf?"
He didn't think the cup in question was out of her reach, but the young man was willing to accept the invitation. He walked over and stood close behind her, reaching for the mentioned cup for the young woman. He looked down at the flustered expression of the person who didn't move away from the excessive closeness.
Ding!
"Ah! Phîi Phra Phai!"
Suddenly, the phone chimed softly, causing Phra Phai to step back whoosh. He grabbed it to look so quickly that even Chaw Phikun was startled, and even more startled when the handsome man's smile grew wider and wider. His eyes could not hide his joy at all, as he placed the cup down on the table indifferently.
"I won't have coffee, Chaw Phikun. I have to go."
Then, Phra Phai turned away from there as if Chaw Phikun was invisible. Because...
..."I want to eat egg stew."
A short message from the person who had told him to go buy Chinese food in Beijing!
Okay, I will go search for a delicious egg stew for you myself! Phra Phai thought.
If Praiphan saw his condition, she would probably slap her knee and point at his face, saying, "You're done for!"
Phra Phai spent almost two hours traveling to buy the famous egg stew that had lengthy reviews, and then returned to Sky's dorm, which was on the other side of the city. Then, he stopped to borrow an access card from Phîi Joy, hinting that he would request one for himself, before walking up to the third floor, to the end of the hallway where his destination was located.
Knock! Knock!
Creak
Worth the long trip to buy it.
Just seeing the youth open the door made all his tiredness disappear. The tall, lean figure wearing shorts and a light-colored tank top revealed slender arms and legs. His hair was messy but not unkempt; it actually had more charm. His face looked drowsy, but he gave a faint smile, saying to him...
"You're here, Phîi Phra Phai."
It felt so bloody fucking like he had been waiting!
"I'm here, Khrap. I came with the famous egg stew with pork leg, plus stir-fried crab with chili," Phra Phai held up the food bag with the restaurant's logo for him to see. Sky's eyes followed it, and whether it was because there was delicious food or because he was used to having his personal space invaded, the youth turned and walked to get plates and bowls, letting him enter the room and then closing the door for him.
Trusting me like this, I might just pounce on you, Phra Phai thought.
"Whoa there."
"Have you gotten any sleep at all?" But the thought of pouncing flew out of his head when he saw Sky yawn widely, raising his hands to rub his eyes.
Sky was fully recovered now, no fever, and his voice was back to normal. But the older person couldn't help but worry, especially when the other party took the food from him without arguing or complaining, went to sit leaning against the bed, and tried to open the food container with his short fingernails. After a minute, he still couldn't open it, until Phra Phai couldn't stand it anymore and walked over to open it for him, poured the rice onto a plate, placed the spoon and fork, and stuffed them into his hand. Sky still had drowsy eyes.
"I didn't sleep last night."
"Then what were you doing?" Phra Phai asked, even though he could already guess the answer.
"Working on an assignment for the professor. Finished in the morning. I was afraid I wouldn't wake up, so I went to class like that. Slept a little during the lecture." Sky narrated while shaking his head to drive away the sleepiness that almost made its owner collapse onto the bed. His hand scooped the egg stew over rice. It was clear he wasn't in the mood to savor the delicious food as Phra Phai had initially hoped.
But the young man wasn't disappointed. From his initial plan to come eat and tease the youth, now he had to make sure the youth didn't dunk his head into the rice plate.
"Eat some meat too." Phra Phai served the soft, juicy pork leg onto the plate, watching the room owner who didn't make a sound, shoveling large mouthfuls of rice and chewing vigorously.
"It's delicious."
The listener knew that Sky probably wasn't in the mood to appreciate the aromatic spiced egg stew with pork leg, the rich broth, the flavor penetrating the meat, or to enjoy the fresh, plump crab meat stir-fried with fragrant spices. But he still made the effort to praise it so he wouldn't feel bad, making him smile fondly.
"I bought a lot. You can wake up and eat another round later, okay?" Sky nodded in agreement easily.
After finishing the plate of rice and drinking some water, Phra Phai took the plate from him.
"Go brush your teeth and sleep. I'll wash them." The young man stacked Sky's empty plate with his own, stood up, and put the leftover food in the refrigerator for him. But when he turned back to get the empty glass, the person he told to go brush his teeth had lain down on the floor, looking like he could fall asleep at any moment.
"Go sleep on the bed, Sky."
The other person shook his head in response, then flipped over to face the bed, making the observer laugh.
Yeah, I'm fond of him, Phra Phai thought.
"Come here." Phra Phai walked straight over, supporting the lying person who tried to wriggle back to the floor. He exerted strength to lift and carry the sleepy person properly onto the bed. As soon as he touched the softness of the mattress, the person who had been grumbling grabbed the blanket tightly, snuggling his face into the soft pillow, closing his eyes contentedly.
Sky was so sleepy he didn't brush away the hand stroking his head.
If you asked Phra Phai if he was disappointed, of course he was. He had gone to the trouble of driving to buy it for him and coming to see him, but the other person not only didn't appreciate what he had brought, he also fell asleep before they could talk. But looking at the youth's very tired face, he found he couldn't get angry. He could only continue stroking the soft hair like that.
"If you're this sleepy, you should have just slept. You still went to the trouble of getting up to open the door for me."
Now Phra Phai began to feel guilty for insisting on coming without considering this youth's convenience.
"Dim-wit, I haven't slept yet." The person he thought had fallen asleep spoke in a groggy voice, opening his eyes slightly.
"You said you were coming, so I tried not to sleep. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to get in."
Hmm! Phra Phai thought.
Phra Phai's eyes widened, looking at the person who had closed his eyes again. He wasn't sure if he had heard wrong. Moreover, the speaker's voice was getting softer, so he had to tilt his head closer to listen.
"If I fell asleep, then later... you said you were coming... open the door for you first, then sleep..." The end of the sentence faded away, along with the breathing sound indicating the sleepy person had entered slumber. Unlike the listener, who sat still, stunned.
Was Sky saying that instead of coming back after class and sleeping, he had forced himself to stay awake waiting for him first? Because he had called saying he was coming, afraid he wouldn't be able to get into the room? Even though the one who insisted on coming was himself, who forced his way in to buy food? And this youth could have just fallen asleep and ignored him, but Sky still waited. When he arrived, he consented to sleep.
"I'm not going to be able to take it anymore," Phra Phai thought, growling in a low voice.
Normally, he acts coldly-aloof towards me, but every time he slips up like this, it makes my heart almost fail, Phra Phai thought.
Smack!
This time, his body moved before his brain. By the time he realized it, he was already hugging the youth tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He couldn't help but rub his cheek against the soft cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin. But it still wasn't enough. He wanted to devour this attractive youth to his heart's content!
"Mmm-hmm."
But the sleeping person tilted his cheek away, snuggling even deeper into the pillow, until Phra Phai pressed his nose firmly against the soft cheek.
If someone said I was taking advantage of someone asleep, I'd admit it. It's just that he is so tempting to take advantage of, Phra Phai thought.
Only after sating his craving did he pull away.
"Sweet dreams, Khrap. I won't disturb you anymore."
Phra Phai was still not satisfied. He still wanted to devour the person on the bed heavily—not in the sense of prying two legs apart and thrusting in, you know? He just wanted to hug tightly, kiss until bruised, until Sky squirmed away and glared at him. But since he couldn't do that, he whispered by his ear in an affectionate tone, touched the tip of his nose to the cheek one more time, then stood up straight.
I can accept this much for today, Phra Phai thought.
His sharp eyes gazed at the person sleeping peacefully on the bed, then he gently pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. A smile spread across his face.
When he's awake, he looks cold, aloof, and emotionless, it's true. But when he's asleep, he's so innocent and pure. Moreover, the words he spoke unconsciously made Phra Phai realize that Sky's true nature must be clingy. And he desperately wanted to be the one he clung to. So, something like just running errands to deliver supplies was a trivial matter; he was ready to do even more than this. But right now...
"Mwah! Dream of me a little, okay?"
The young man pressed a kiss to his forehead, gave his blessing, lifted his phone to take a picture, turned off the light, and left the room, letting the sleepy person rest fully.
Sigh! There really came a day when I was satisfied with just getting a single photo, Phra Phai thought.
***
"Hey, have you been here long?"
"Just a little before you."
Phra Phai, who had been sitting and happily looking at the picture on his phone, looked away from the image of the youth sleeping with his eyes closed, snuggling the pillow, to the newcomer who walked over, patted his shoulder, and put his phone in his pocket. The person who greeted him moved to sit beside him.
Today, the young man hadn't gone to bother the person busy with studies but had an appointment with his true Khun Uncle at the rooftop bar of a leading hotel.
"You're still as outstanding as ever."
"Not as much as you."
Phra Phai laughed, knowing that wasn't true. His Khun Uncle was even more outstanding than him.
Khun Uncle Afros, his true Khun Uncle, his Phô's only younger brother. And because he was an unplanned child, his age was more than a round apart from his Phô. Therefore, Khun Uncle felt more like an Phîi to the three siblings than an Khun Uncle in status. Even though they hadn't met much lately because Phra Phai was busy working in his Phô's company, and the other was busy with his own work, it didn't diminish their closeness at all. And his Khun Uncle was still as handsome as ever, so even a confident-faced person like Phra Phai had to raise the white flag.
This year, Afros was thirty-eight, but this man didn't give the feeling of someone approaching middle age. With his sharp, youthful-looking face, tall and fit physique no different from his younger days, plus his attire of dark-colored jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, no one would believe he was nearly forty. Only the stern, imposing aura indicated that Afros was not a person to be judged by his external appearance.
The best proof was the many pairs of eyes watching with interest, even though more than half were looking at him as well.
"Khun Uncle, what business did you call me here for?"
"These days, does it have to be business for me to call you out?" Afros raised an eyebrow, making the listener laugh.
"If you just want to see your nephew's face, you could just come to the house," Phra Phai said knowingly, watching the person who received a glass of drink from the waiter, lifting it to sip slowly. He let silence reign for a moment, giving a feeling of pressure. But that was for others, not for the nephew who knew his true Khun Uncle well.
"Hmm, there's something to tell you." It probably meant his Khun Uncle wanted to consult him before telling the rest of the family.
"And you? How are you? That youth is quite attractive, huh." His Khun Uncle still didn't get to the point but nodded towards the phone in his pocket. That alone indicated that his Khun Uncle had seen the picture he'd been staring at for several minutes. The nephew smiled.
"Not just 'quite attractive.' He's very attractive."
Afros looked at him fully. Phra Phai didn't hide his interest in the person in the photo at all.
"Didn't Praiphan tell you?" the young man continued, knowing full well. Believe me, even if his Khun Uncle didn't live in the same house as him, that little sister of his reported every movement. The listener also smiled at the corner of his mouth and nodded in admission.
"She said you're serious."
"Exactly as stated." Phra Phai lifted his drink to take a sip too. He never thought he'd see the day he'd tell his Khun Uncle he was serious about someone this quickly.
"Oh, did you know? The other day, Phleng called and asked me to open a hotel room for him." His Khun Uncle updated him on the latest news about the middle brother, making the eldest brother frown, using his eyes to ask the question.
"He called whining that he wanted this guy so much but hadn't gotten him yet, so he asked me to open a room for him. He's been quiet since then. Suspect he got his wish fulfilled."
"Khun Uncle, you spoil that Phleng too much. You're ruining all the juniors."
"I spoil all of you until your Khun Mâe is going to make my hair turn white."
The eldest nephew laughed loudly because it was true, as his Khun Uncle said. Part of the reason the three siblings were so willful was because they had their young Khun Uncle backing them up. Look at that Phleng, where else would you call a senior relative to help open a hotel room to drag a man into a room? And his Khun Uncle even opened it for him! But what could he do? His younger brother was his favorite nephew.
"But as long as you guys are happy, it's fine."
Phra Phai stopped laughing, looked at the other person quietly, and sighed tiredly on his behalf.
"Did Khun Uncle have another issue with A-Jun?"
The listener lowered his glass and said simply,
"I'm going to get a divorce."
Phra Phai paused for a moment, then nodded. "I could guess that."
He thought of his aunt-in-law, who was beautiful and coldly-aloof in a way he didn't quite like. He never thought this pair would last, but they had been married for seven years, which was much longer than the three siblings had predicted. It wasn't that his Khun Uncle had bad taste, but his Khun Uncle had been disappointed in love until he didn't care who he married; everyone was the same. He just happened to get a young woman who only looked at his Khun Uncle's money and career.
Afros had been sleeping in separate beds from A-Jun for years; how could he not know?
Since his Khun Uncle didn't love that young woman and never would, getting divorced was better, suspecting this time his Khun Uncle offered enough money that she finally agreed to divorce. When they got married, she cried and yelled that his Khun Uncle had forced himself on her, when in fact it was consensual, and she even complained to his Mâe that his Khun Uncle didn't take care of or pay attention to her. Once she got the money, she agreed to go immediately.
"Is this the matter you wanted to tell me before telling the family?"
"Hmm. Was thinking about how to tell Phleng." Phra Phai, who had been stressed, laughed out loud. At first, he thought his Khun Uncle was troubled about the divorce, but no. It turned out he was consulting on how to tell the middle child, huh.
Among the three siblings, Phleng was the closest to his Khun Uncle, the most intimate. And believe me, when his Khun Uncle said he was getting divorced and would go back to living alone, his younger brother would cry on his behalf, worry about his Khun Uncle until he couldn't do anything else. "That's what I mean, Khun Uncle spoils that Phleng too much."
"He's my beloved nephew." Afros stroked his chin and laughed softly. "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. After this, A-Jun will probably go to the house many times. However it goes, please help keep an eye on it."
'Go to the house' probably meant go to make a scene.
"Ee-hee! I'll tell Âi Praiphan to handle the battle." Afros didn't argue that dealing with his almost ex-Mia required the term 'handle the battle' to manage.
"Just a moment, Khun Uncle." The young Khun Uncle nodded. The nephew pulled out his phone to look, but the moment he saw who it was, his eyes nearly popped out.
His attractive youth.
"Did you miss me, Sky?"
Phra Phai teased, but the other side...
["Come see me, quick!"]
The well built young man shot up immediately. He was even more startled when the call ended abruptly. Moreover, when he called back, the other party wouldn't answer. He could clearly sense that the caller's voice was trembling, as if about to cry.
"Sorry, Khun Uncle, it's an urgent matter. I have to go back first." After saying that, the speaker quickly strode out of the bar in a state of anxiety, not caring if his Khun Uncle had nodded in acceptance or not. He was worried about the person who called him, wondering what had happened. It couldn't be that he was sick again and slipped and fell in the bathroom or something like that, could it?
The more he thought, the faster his heart beat, the more tense his sharp face became. His two legs leapt, carrying his body into the car, and he quickly accelerated away.
Please, don't let anything have happened! Phra Phai thought.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Sky, open the door for me!"
Phra Phai ignored basic manners. The moment he stopped in front of the dorm room, he slammed his fist heavily against the door panel, shouting loudly, worried about the person inside. He was even more startled when the room owner opened the door with a pale face. His heart, beating rapidly with fear, eased a little. At least the person who called him was still able to open the door.
"What happened? Are you okay?" His two hands grabbed the young man's cheeks, turning them left and right, scanning his face.
"What's with you? Whatever, come here, quick." His shock turned into even greater shock when Sky grabbed both his arms away from his face and pulled him into the room with an expression like someone at their wit's end. He swept his intense gaze around the room, looking for the cause of this youth's surprising behavior.
But the room, which looked messier than usual, made his eyebrows furrow together.
"What on earth happened?" Phra Phai didn't believe Sky would call him for no reason. If it were someone else, maybe, but not with this youth who avoided things if he could.
The room owner didn't answer but dragged him towards a pile of messy equipment, pushed his shoulder to make him sit down. Even though he could have resisted, the startled person obediently sat down properly, could only watch as Sky ran around the room, picking up this and that, placing it next to him near some structure that had just been started. Then he said in a serious tone,
"Do you see this? Stick the paper along this line. Don't let it warp, okay? Quickly, Phîi Phra Phai, there's not enough time."
"Ah... Huh?"
"Why are you looking at my face? Look at my hands! Look! I'm showing you how!" As soon as he exclaimed, Sky slapped his arm thwack, pointed his finger for him to look at the hands demonstrating an example, forcing him to look down. The person with the fiercely stern face seemed satisfied, opening his mouth to explain the structure he was working on, which he didn't understand at all. He only knew one thing...
"Okay, then I'll do it. Be careful, okay? It's due tomorrow."
He had been called here... to be used for labor.
And as soon as the person giving orders finished speaking, he rushed back to sit in front of the computer, face stern, editing a 3D structure on the screen, leaving him with the model structure that he equally couldn't guess what it would look like when finished.
"Wait a minute, did you call me here to help with work!?"
Once he regained his composure, he shouted out loud.
"Yeah, help me. I can't finish in time. At noon, the professor assigned new work due tomorrow. And I have another subject due tomorrow too. I don't have any time left. Arghhh! It's already 11 p.m.! Will I get to sleep or not?!" Sky looked at the clock and complained, extremely stressed. But Phra Phai was even more stressed.
In this situation, he couldn't laugh.
The entire way from the hotel to this dorm, he had been worried about the other party almost to the point of madness. But apart from the trembling voice saying to come see him, there was no other explanation. Now, the young man admitted that even if he wasn't an overthinker, he was angry. So angry that his usually playful strong voice held only irritation.
"You called me here from so far away just to make me do work for you? Okay, I know you don't see me as more than a damned nuisance who won't stop pestering you, but did you think for a second how I would feel? How worried I was? But all of this is just because of work due to the professor tomorrow!!!" Phra Phai didn't get angry often, but when he was angry, he was scary. His glinting eyes were fixed on the young man who spun his chair around, also looking startled.
"I..."
While Sky bit his lip, looking guilty, his eyes flickering, he remained silent for a long moment, until the older person himself closed his eyes to compose himself.
"Whatever. I'm the crazy one. Is this due tomorrow?"
For heaven's sake! Furious almost to the point of rage, but I'd still do it, Phra Phai thought.
He didn't know how much help he could be, because his hands were still shaking with anger.
"Phîi Phra Phai."
"Aren't you in a hurry?!"
The youth moved to sit on the bed next to him, who was leaning back, but the young man just asked in a strong voice, his eyes not leaving the damned paper in his hand. Therefore, he almost cut the paper when...
...his cheek was held to receive a soft kiss pressed against his lips.
Phra Phai's eyes widened, looking at the face just a span away. He could see every detail clearly, even the thick eyelashes resting on the white cheek. He could feel the fingertips holding his jaw firmly. And then there were the moist, juicy lips pressing down firmly. They pulled away a little, then came back in, sucking strongly on his lower lip, a soft tongue lingering at the seam and then slipping in.
Soft, attractive, sweet, and made him forget everything.
"Mmm-hmm." Not to mention the faint moan from the person trying to coax him with his tongue. But before Phra Phai could respond, the person who had kissed him until his face was red pulled away.
Then Sky said in an urgent and pleading voice,
"I'm sorry. But please help me. Okay, Khrap?"
Yes, Phra Phai was angry. But he only heard himself answer with...
"Yeah." Then he bowed his head and focused on the assigned work.
The anger had disappeared along with the relieved smile of this youth.
Just how much do I yield to Sky?... A question I don't dare find the answer to, Phra Phai thought.
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