Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
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"Ouch!"
"What are you doing, Phîi Phai!"
"Just nicked my finger a bit. It's nothing."
On a weekday evening, Phra Phai was still acting as the delivery line-man for a second-year architecture student. He had intended to ask to have dinner together, see his face a bit more, and then go home, so as not to disturb his work time. But after waiting and waiting, Sky had said 'five more minutes' three times. The young man killed time by tidying things up. Then, out of goodwill, seeing the tape Sky used for his models rolled up on the floor with the ends tangled and messy, he decided to grab a cutter (which had become his weapon of choice) to cut it. But... he just ended up nicking his own finger.
His cry made the people working immediately turn to look. He tried to hide his hand, but it was too late. He could only offer a wide smile to say it was okay.
"Nothing where? I just changed the blade." But the youth came over immediately, pulling his hand to look at the cut. He had to resist, offering a relaxed smile.
"It's just this. I'll buy you new tape later. It's got blood on it now." Phra Phai realized the cut was deeper than he thought because it was starting to sting. The hand he was pressing down was squeezing out bright red blood, dripping plop… plop… onto the tape. But the other party seemed not to care, his eyes only on his wound.
"Never mind that. Stained or not, I can still use it. Don't cover your hand." The young man liked the concerned tone, but seeing the youth's pale face, he still tried to cover his hand. Until...
"Move your hand!"
Sky looked up, his eyes glaring, his voice cold. Strangely, the man who was never afraid of anything immediately lowered his hand.
"A cut this deep and you still say it's nothing? Should we go see a doctor?"
"It's just a small cut like this. Falling off a bike hurts more." He wanted to make him laugh, but was only met with an intensely stern gaze that swept over him. Moreover, the person who could barely tear his eyes away from his work stood up and pulled him into the bathroom, turning on the water to clean the wound. He bowed his head, staring intently at the cut, looking more stressed than when he was working.
"Don't think it's just a cutter cut, Phîi. My friend once slipped and cut himself so bad he needed stitches from a doctor. And I just changed the blade this evening. It's sharp enough to kill someone. And you call this not deep? The blood is flowing heavily." As Sky spoke, he squeezed his finger tightly, his face becoming even paler. His gaze was fixed solely on the wound, not noticing at all that the injured person had stopped hurting and stinging long ago, and was only smiling wider and wider.
"Ouch, Phîi really hurts." But his mouth still complained.
"See? I told you it was deep. I think we should go to the doctor... What are you smiling about, Phîi Phai?"
"Nothing. I guess the pain is making Phîi go crazy."
Sky looked up at the handsome face. Phra Phai couldn't hide his smile in time and could only give a muddled excuse, looking at the person whose eyes were now even more shining, lips pressed tightly together, and then...
Splat!
"Ouch! Phîi is injured, you know. See? It's all wet now."
The youth splashed water on his face and immediately let go of his hand, making him groan softly. His heart wanted to evoke pity, but it seemed to only increase the level of irritation.
Sky walked out of the bathroom, but there was no way he didn't hear it.
"A waste of my concern." If it weren't for the fact that the blood was still flowing, Phra Phai would have happily gone to kiss the concerned person's cheeks three or four times. But now he had to press on the wound first. He could only let out a soft laugh. When he looked up at the mirror, he saw a man smiling from ear to ear, his expression showing no trace of someone who had just lost blood.
"I'm even more handsome now."
"Did the pain make you go crazy or something?"
The tall man laughed loudly, but he wasn't deliberately trying to be annoying. He genuinely thought the man in the mirror was much more handsome, because... he was so damn happy.
He didn't need to be told who he was happy because of.
Once he was sure the bleeding had stopped, leaving only a slight ooze, Phra Phai turned off the water and stepped out. He wouldn't have been surprised if a certain youth had gone back to work and completely ignored him. But instead, Sky was sitting at the end of the bed. In his hands were band-aids, Betadine, cotton wool, and cotton buds. Moreover, the irritated expression from before was now only concern. When he walked out, he even saw the youth craning his neck to look, unable to pull it back in time.
"Phîi... uh, come sit here." Then the person who usually wanted him to get bored quickly beckoned for him to sit beside him. Phra Phai complied without needing to be asked twice.
"Give me your hand."
"Does Sky see me as a dog?"
Instead of glaring back, those eyes were fixed only on his hand, so he obediently offered it.
Damn it! I can't stop smiling.
Phra Phai used his other hand to cover his lips, afraid the youth would see and swat his hand away again. He watched as Sky meticulously applied Betadine, his expression serious, pulling the injured hand up until it was almost touching his eyes. How could this not make affection surge in his chest?
"It might sting a little."
"Mmm." He replied meekly.
No, if he opened his mouth any wider, the only words that would come out were... Whose Mia is this? So cute!
For now, he'd just enjoy the sight of the necessary nurse.
The thoughts of the man sitting still wished the cut was a bit longer so he could look longer. But after just a moment, Sky placed the band-aid over the wound, stroking it gently as if soothing a child. His expression hadn't improved one bit.
"Anyway, try not to get it wet for now. And you should apply medicine every day too."
"Are you worried about me?" He really couldn't help it, damn it!
The youth looked up hesitantly, and he knew Sky wouldn't talk about this directly. He was used to hearing questions like when would he get bored, when would he leave, when would he go home. But anything that showed he felt something for him was usually met with silence. So he made a joke, saying in an amused tone.
"If Sky gives me a kiss, I guarantee it'll be completely healed by tomorrow."
He's definitely going to give me a cold glare...
Kiss!
Hmm???
Phra Phai, who had been smiling, was left with a frozen smile when a soft touch landed on the band-aid. It was quick, light, and caring. Then the youth, who usually chased him home every time he saw his face, looked up at him uncertainly, bowed his head again, and mumbled in a very, very soft voice.
"Get well soon, Phîi Phai."
"Uh..."
"If you're hungry, you can eat first. I'll be done in just a bit." Finished speaking, Sky quickly got up from the bed, but Phra Phai regained his composure and grabbed him just in time.
"Worried about me?"
His sharp eyes stared at the profile of the person trying to avoid his gaze. The heart of the fun-loving young man swelled, because...
"Mmm."
It wasn't just Sky's ears that were bright red; it spread to his cheeks and neck, making the onlooker want to pull him in for a tight hug, hold him close, and tell him how incredibly cute this youth was. However, all he could do was squeeze his hand firmly once and then slowly let go, watching the person quickly dart back to his work desk, his smile wider than ever.
"Phîi isn't hungry yet. Phîi would rather wait to eat with Sky."
"Mmm."
He'd finished work and come all the way here. Even though there were no sweet words, no coaxing tones, nothing that showed Sky was happy he came to eat together, the fact that the other finished his work in just a few minutes and then sat there with a red face made Phra Phai feel it was utterly worth it.
Who said a small cut like this was far from the heart? Phra Phai said it wasn't true. If the person treating the wound was this cute, if your heart didn't race, you'd be crazy.
"Hehe, so cute~"
***
"Phai, I'm starting to get scared of you, man."
The next day, Phra Phai didn't drop by to see Sky as was his routine. It wasn't because the youth chased him away, but because the other said he had group work with friends. He himself thought it was a good time to take his beloved bike for a check-up and an oil change. The woman who had seen the bike before thus brought it to the garage of the twin brothers... Payu and Sai-fah.
Although Payu was a skilled mechanic for the city's racing scene, during the day he was just a regular architect, special only in that his family had a large garage specifically for custom cars, currently managed by his twin brother, Sai-fah.
The reason Phra Phai got to know this pair of brothers was because someone recommended that if he wanted to trust anyone, it had to be this garage.
Right now, Phra Phai was sitting in the glass-walled office inside the garage, waiting for his beloved. But the way he looked at his bandaged fingertip and laughed 'heh heh' made Sai-fah surprised.
That Phai has a good-looking face, but he's laughing like a psycho until no one dares to come in here!
Sai-fah shook his head in exasperation.
"I'm not as scary as you. Shave your beard sometimes."
While Payu was a handsome, serious-looking guy, Sai-fah was a good-humored, scruffy-looking guy... his beard was so overgrown it was a mess!
"That's called having style, man!" Sai-fah retorted, then laughed.
"I'll consider it later. My romantic partner tells me every day to shave, calling my beard leg hair already. Hey, and you, what's with the good mood? You've disappeared lately."
"I go to the track every time."
"In case you forgot, it's Payu who goes. I haven't been going lately."
Phra Phai turned to look at his face, asking with his eyes if it had been that long since they'd seen each other.
"Well, you and Payu are twins. I get confused sometimes."
"If you confuse me with Payu, it's like you're saying you can't tell a Siberian Husky apart from a Bulldog." One was intensely handsome, the other had a scruffy beard. If you couldn't tell them apart, you were crazy.
"You admit to being the Bulldog so easily, huh." Phra Phai laughed brightly. Sai-fah didn't think much of it, just slumped down to sit beside him, throwing the vehicle receipt onto his friend's lap, asking as he did so.
"So what were you laughing about anyway?"
"My youth is cute."
"Your youth? Which one this time? The one you won the race against and dragged home, or the one you picked up from the side of the road?"
"This one is the real one."
"Hey!"
Phra Phai frowned, looking at his friend who wore an expression like the world was about to end.
"What are you so surprised about?"
"With a playboy like you," Sai-fah said bluntly.
"Why? Even Payu has a real one."
"My twin may look like a cunning, well-fed tiger, but he's as single-hearted as a younger brother like me. But you, man, I've seen you playing around all over the place." The listener shrugged because what his friend said was true. Before this, he really had played around with everyone. But he could definitely say it wasn't the case this time. He narrowed his eyes to look at the same band-aid, still remembering the feeling of those soft lips touching it.
"This one isn't like the others, man. This youth, whoever he is, likes to keep a straight face, but in bed, he's clearly a Mâe tigress. At first, I just thought I was attracted. But after being close, I knew he isn't some strong youth at all. He's weak, clingy, hates being lonely, likes to think of himself as straightforward, always asking me when I'll get bored of him. But when he really needs something, he won't say it out loud. I don't know how many times I've seen him look at me like he's so happy I came to see him. When he thinks I don't see, he smiles at me. When he thinks I'm asleep, he holds me tight... This youth, whoever he is, is so damn cute." As Phra Phai spoke, his smile grew wider and wider, with no hint of joking like usual.
He wanted to preserve Sky's smile.
The young man didn't say it out loud, but told himself.
Meanwhile, Sai-fah narrowed his eyes.
"Are you just trying to show off your youth to me?"
"Hahaha." Phra Phai laughed in response, while taking the pen to sign the vehicle receipt.
"I feel sorry for him. I felt sorry for Rain back then when Payu took a liking to him. Now do I have to feel sorry for another youth who's fallen into your devil's snare?"
"Devil's snare what? It's an angel's snare, different. Your friend is rather handsome."
That Sai-fah shrugged, took the documents back, then stood up, waving his hand as a signal to follow, and led the way to the large, spotlessly clean big bike. The engine had been checked and the oil changed. He brought up another topic.
"So, are you going this week?"
"Going where?" His hand stroked his beloved bike with satisfaction, but his heart was preoccupied with the person working with friends.
"Phîi Off's birthday party. You're close to him, right?"
Phra Phai thought of one of the racing club members. He'd completely forgotten he'd been invited a long time ago. And as expected, he's the good-natured type. Others might think they're close, but Phra Phai never considered anyone special. Guys like Payu and Sai-fah were a bit better, counted as friends. As for the rest, they were all the same. However, the members of this event weren't just any random people; they were all from business circles and well-off. Not going at all would be rude.
"I can drop by for a bit."
It's Sunday, after all. He really wanted to cuddle the cute youth from Saturday evening onwards.
Buzz!
Phra Phai took out his phone to look, then smiled widely.
"I'm not going this week."
"Huh! Why the sudden change of heart? Something come up?"
"Yeah, something important came up."
The important matter came in the form of a short message.
...Can you go shopping with me this week...
No matter whose birthday party it was, no matter how important, he was ready to ditch it. Because going shopping with the person who rarely sent him messages was more important than anything else.
"I really feel sorry for that youth."
Phra Phai didn't know if his expression was too much. That Sai-fah shook his head, but he just took the bike, swung his leg over his beloved, put on his helmet, and said with a gleaming smile.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, man. My youth is friends with Rain, that's all. I'm off!" Having said that, he immediately revved the engine and left, ignoring the garage owner who was wide-eyed.
If Warain said he was lucky to have a romantic partner like Payu, then Sky must be damn lucky to have a devoted romantic partner like him!
What? Who said he was egotistical? He had the qualities to be egotistical about, so there.
"Phîi Phai, are you coming home today? The adversary is attacking."
"Handle it yourself. I'm busy."
This was the short conversation between him and Praiphan. He could guess that their aunt-in-law had probably stormed in to cry and wail, demanding sympathy from their Mâe. Seemed she wanted more alimony money. Usually, Phra Phai would help handle it, but today he was busy. He headed straight for the student dorm he now visited more often than his own home. And a smile spread across his handsome face when he saw who was already waiting for him.
"The dashingly handsome wind has arrived to pick me up."
"I thought it was Phra Rahu."
"But this Rahu doesn't swallow the moon. Can I swallow the sky instead?"
The moment Sky got on the bike, Phra Phai teased him. He saw the other's eyes widen a bit, his cheeks redden a little, but he looked back with a cool gaze.
"Pervert."
"Sky thinks deeply."
"As if Phîi thinks shallowly like that?"
"Yes. Phîi is a profound person, his brain is excellent. He got a good romantic partner, huh." Phra Phai, being the smooth talker he was, went along with it, not denying that he was lecherous, because he really thought so. And then he wanted to devour...
"I think I'll go by myself."
Slap!
Before Sky could get off the bike, Phra Phai grabbed his arm first, pulled him to sit properly, then reached over his shoulder to grab the seatbelt and fasten it for him.
Today he had brought the car instead of his beloved bike, thinking that since they were shopping, a car could carry more anyway, and Sky could sit comfortably. But before he could pull back to sit properly on his seat, his sharp eyes noticed the flickering, trembling eyes, and he couldn't help but press a kiss to those soft lips.
"Don't you really want to go with me?" he asked close to his lips, looking at the person who closed his eyes to avoid it.
"I'm going to use you to carry the heavy things. Use you until you can barely escape me."
"Hehe." Phra Phai just said that, his eyes sparkling brightly. He pressed his nose against the soft cheek once more, then straightened up.
Let's see if Sky could bear to see him carrying things alone.
"Drive carefully," the youth mumbled in a faint, wispy voice, making him smile widely.
Phra Phai was confident he wasn't the only one in a good mood about meeting on a day off. And believe him, it wasn't egotistical.
On a holiday like this, the department store was crowded with people out to relax, an atmosphere Phra Phai usually enjoyed. But today he felt strangely irritated. Maybe because he noticed some pairs of eyes staring at the youth beside him with interest.
Usually, when at the dorm, Sky liked to wear comfortable clothes like shorts and a tank top, or a loose shirt. But now that they were out, he just noticed he was dressed more formally than ever: well-fitted long jeans that showed off his slender legs, making him look tall and slim, a bright colored t-shirt, his wavy hair wasn't messy but neatly combed and glossy, framing his good-looking face. Put together, Sky was an attractive young man, making many girls look at him with interest.
Phra Phai was always sensitive to looks directed at him, but today he was even more sensitive to the looks directed at Sky.
"Has Sky ever dated a woman?"
"I'm not like you, who can have both women and men."
He was retorted, true, but he still grinned widely.
Means he's not interested. Okay, let it go.
"It's because Phîi is too handsome to be kept for just one gender, you see."
Seems he teased the wrong point.
The young man, who was pulling stationery from the shelf, looked at him with an unreadable expression, then walked off in another direction without a word, forcing him to quickly follow.
"Phîi was joking. There, there. Right now, Phîi only lets Sky look, right? And Sky has to only let Phîi look too."
Still! Sky still didn't turn to talk to him, just pulled out a ruler to hold and went to look for more things.
"Phîi doesn't like anyone looking at Sky, huh? How about this? Later, Phîi will have matching shirts made for us to wear. Which design is good? Phîi wears 'Will you marry me?' and Sky wears 'Yes.' Or Phîi's says 'The person next to me is taken' and Sky's... let's have 'The person next to me is my Phûa.' Yeah, I like this one. What do you think? After we finish shopping, let's find a shop to make matching shirts."
"Your brain must have a problem."
"But the person with the brain problem can make Sky smile, right?"
Phra Phai wiggled his eyebrows at him, because the angry person's mouth had been twitching since 'Will you marry me,' and now he let out a laugh, handing over all the selected items for him to hold instead.
"Smile where?"
"On Sky's lips." The youth turned abruptly, quickly walking on, his ears red again. He resigned himself to changing the subject.
"So, the things you said you needed to buy are these? Phîi sees your room is already full of them."
In his hands were pens of various shapes, both small and large, rulers, pencils, and an electric eraser, which he'd seen filling the room. That made the person leading the way slow his pace and heave a heavy sigh.
"The other day I left them at the faculty. After I went to talk to the professor and came back, they were all gone. I can't grab everyone's hand and smell it, but it's always like this. In my faculty, even if you leave your wallet, it doesn't disappear, but a single pencil can disappear every single day. And I can never find out who took it. Next time I'll write my name on them. Plus, someone spilled green ink on the tracing paper. Not a single roll is usable now." As Sky spoke, he led the way to the cashier, but Phra Phai didn't follow.
"Is something wrong, Phîi Phai?" The young man turned to look, until the thoughtful-looking person asked one question.
"And don't they sell these things near the university?"
Sky looked at his eyes. Phra Phai looked back.
Crackle!
Then suddenly, Sky's face turned bright red. He lifted one hand to cover his mouth.
"Be... because it's cheaper in the mall." Having said that, he walked to the checkout counter, unlike the tall man who laughed out loud.
Cheaper in the mall than near the university? I'm not a youth who sucks his thumb, you know.
Phra Phai followed unhurriedly, with a smile that anyone who saw would know just how happy and amused he was.
If it weren't for the fact that they were in a department store, he would have dragged Sky into a room, locked it tight, and kept him imprisoned without seeing the sun or moon. If the youth was going to be this cute, making excuses to come walk around the mall with him and cause such a fuss, if he'd just asked nicely, he would have come out with him anyway.
Sigh! I'm hopelessly infatuated.
"Aren't you going to help Phîi carry some?"
"No."
"But there are sixty volumes here."
"If that's heavy to you, then you're too weak."
Phra Phai had wanted to laugh loudly since half an hour ago. Once Sky was caught making excuses to go out with him, the young man covered his embarrassment by using him as a pack mule. Into that store, buying things from this store, swiftly, without looking at his face, until he turned into a comic book store and bought sixty volumes in one go, not knowing if he'd even have time to read them. The ones on his bookshelf at home still hadn't had their plastic wrappers removed.
He could tell this was clearly an attempt to cover embarrassment.
Sky might be stubborn, but his demeanor was never stiff. The more embarrassed he was, either his ears or his cheeks would be bright red.
"Phîi is weaker than Sky thinks. You have to take good care of me, you know?" Phra Phai continued his exaggerated complaints. The listener glanced at him several times, then stopped walking, turned back with a straight face, until the one who had teased a bit too much offered a smile, asking for forgiveness. He thought he'd annoyed him enough for today. If he wasn't allowed to stay over tonight, he'd wilt for the whole week.
And if Sky was busy with homework, it might be two or three weeks...
"Phîi won't complain anymore, okay? Are you hungry? Let's go find something to eat." The handsome man asked in a soft voice, looking at the person who walked back to stand in front of him. He thought he'd be met with sarcasm or a condemning look, but...
Thump!
"I've lightened it for you now." The cute youth instead took the bag of books to help carry, mumbling softly, then turned and walked ahead again. The one who had pretended to be weak could only follow. If he had a free hand, he would have raised it to clutch his chest, because he was hit by... love, struck until he felt choked.
Anyone who gets bored of Sky is crazy.
Moreover, Phra Phai's heart beat fast when Sky walked towards the entrance of a certain restaurant.
Not because he was afraid he'd have to carry more things, but because...
"I want to eat here." Sky said willfully, then led the way into the restaurant... a barbecue place.
This couldn't be called willful. It should be called... thoughtful.
A certain youth who remembered perfectly well how much Phra Phai loved to eat meat. That made Phra Phai frown, raising the hand carrying the bag of comic books to touch his chest, and found that it... was beating damn fast.
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