Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
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congested during the day. But at this hour, the four-lane road was surprisingly empty, as if someone had cleared the way. Then, two cars parked illegally, blocking the road, leaving only a single entry and exit lane. The skilled mechanic slowed down and parked his own car by the curb.
"Not many people today, Phîi?" Rain, who was excited, looked at the road where only the organizers' cars were driving on to manage the finish line area, asking the driver.
Even though Phîi Sai-fah had said the actual event wouldn't take more than three hours, he had seen Phîi Payu bustling around the garage since evening. Then, past midnight, they had to carefully load over ten race cars into a container truck and head to this road, which... wasn't the same one he had been to before.
The event host must be quite significant.
"It hasn't started yet. These are just the staff," the listener said, getting out of the car. He couldn't resist running to the middle of the road—something you definitely couldn't do during the day without getting run over—spreading his arms and jumping around excitedly.
"Awesome! It's like we own the road, Phîi!"
"That's right. Because we make everyone who participates feel that way."
Snap!
Rain turned towards the sound and quickly lowered his arms to his sides. He looked up at the large man in a pure black suit. For some reason, just meeting those sharp eyes made his small heart tremble with fear, even though the man was smiling at him.
His instincts warned him that this man was dangerous... very dangerous.
"Uh, are you the event host, Khun?"
Although Rain had imagined the host would be an older man exuding power, and the man before him wasn't as old as he'd thought, his stern face with a beard and mustache, sharp, piercing hunter's eyes, and lips surrounded by a thick beard made it easy for Rain to superimpose the image of a mafia boss. He asked with a trembling voice, wanting to retreat far away.
He never thought he'd be afraid of anyone at first glance.
"No, I'm not. I'm just overseeing this event."
"Phîi Chai, hello."
Rain almost sighed with relief when Phîi Payu stepped up beside him, raising his hands in a wai to the other man, despite the sudden chill.
Just the overseer? Then isn't the actual host so terrifying that seeing his face would make you piss yourself?!
"Rain, this is Phîi Chai, a close associate of the event host. Phîi Chai, this is Rain... my romantic partner." Rain quickly raised his hands in a wai to the other party, understanding that the man before him wasn't someone he could be casual with. Just look at Phîi Payu; he usually playfully calls him 'Mia' every time, but now he seemed all formal.
"Pleased to meet you," the man named Chai said in a polite tone, but the listener felt a chill down his spine.
Gulp!
Rain grabbed Payu's shirt and immediately shifted to hide behind him, which Payu found endearing.
"Hahaha! Looks like our young Rain is scared of you, Phîi Chai." Rain felt even more relieved when Sai-fah got out of the other car and walked straight over, followed by an extremely handsome man. He felt another chill as the loud guy walked over, put his arm around the scary man's neck, and slapped his shoulder loudly.
A Master's degree.
"What about me is scary?"
"Everything," Sai-fah said with a laugh in his voice. But Rain saw it—the man who wondered what was scary about him... had a twitching smile.
Ugh, seriously, no matter how handsome you are, I'm still scared.
"And your boss?"
"Not coming today. He's busy."
"Oh! If he's busy, why hold the event today?"
Chai was silent for a moment, then answered in a way that confused Rain.
"A youth suddenly got sick."
"Ah! Got it." Sai-fah nodded in a way that made Rain want to ask more, but he didn't dare ask here. He could only glance at the event overseer, who seemed to realize he was scared.
"Then, I'll excuse myself to check the guest list... Have fun." At the end of the sentence, the scary man addressed the little one here, then turned and walked away gracefully towards the security personnel, who all bowed their heads respectfully. Once sure he was out of earshot, Rain tugged at Payu's sleeve.
"Phîi Payu, he's scary."
"If you're this scared just meeting Phîi Chai, wouldn't you die if you met Phîi Pakin?" Sai-fah teased before turning to look at the friend who had come with them.
"Right, I'll introduce you to my friend. This is Âi'Oat, the friend I told you about who helped Âi'Payu with the model in our second year. You're lucky to meet him, Rain. He's not often free lately." Rain looked at the mentioned friend and had to admit the other guy was very good-looking, but he was much quieter than the twins.
He wasn't very good at approaching people like that, unsure how much he could interact with them.
"Hello, Phîi Oat. My name is Rain."
"Hello, nice to meet you. I've heard a bit about Rain from Âi'Sai-fah."
Why not from Phîi Payu?
"I don't see him often. Âi'Sai-fah likes to drag Âi'Oat out for drinks a lot," Payu answered the question in the little one's eyes and added, "He might look handsome and quiet like this, but he's the former number one here."
"Former?" Rain repeated, looking at the 'former's' face, which tilted slightly as if he didn't really want to revisit the past.
"After he graduated, he barely competed anymore. So he became an undefeated legend that no one has ever toppled, then just stepped down from the top spot like that," Payu said regretfully, because no one he built cars for to race could compare to this friend from a different faculty. But what could he do? Everyone chooses to spend their time differently.
"So, are you racing today?"
"Maybe," Oat replied, which made Sai-fah continue, sounding equally regretful.
"I told Âi'Payu's story to Âi'Oat. He was free today, so he said he'd accept the challenge. But it's a shame, man. I called Âi'Payu, and the bloody fucker had flown abroad. No way he'd be back in time. Money was yelling so much my ears went numb." Rain looked at one person, then the other, understanding some parts, not others. The gist was that this Phîi Oat was so skilled that everyone wanted to challenge him. He himself just listened quietly, not thinking to interrupt the friends who were chatting animatedly.
Rain didn't feel left out of the circle because the person beside him kept using the arm around his shoulder to stroke his upper arm, showing he was still paying attention.
So, he let Phîi Payu chat with his friend uninterrupted, secretly smiling because Phîi Payu, when with friends, joked around no differently than he did with Sky.
In his eyes, Phîi Payu was just an ordinary person—a bit wicked, a bit cunning—but not out of reach like the people in the faculty worshipped him. Like now, the big guy was laughing loudly, talking nonstop about some engine part Rain didn't understand.
Rain was glad he decided to come... Not everyone gets to see this side of Phîi Payu, after all.
"Âi'Top, you're the best! I've heard rumors about this event for ages but could never get in."
"Of course. My Bpǎa is close with the host, you guys. Khun Pakin, it's Khun Pakin we're talking about."
Half an hour later, the once empty road, occupied only by staff cars, had changed as if flipping a hand. Now, luxury cars of immense value were steadily streaming into the event, making the atmosphere heat up intensely. Standard track race cars were lined up for the invited guests to choose and challenge for speed. Inside one car, the latest guest who had just gotten an invitation was bragging loudly to his friends after the gate guards let them pass.
Top, a arrogant youth whose Phôwas an executive at a securities firm, scanned the event with satisfaction.
He had spent three full months getting his Phôto use financial influence to find a way into this event. No wonder he had to boast about this success, which wasn't something just anyone could achieve.
This event wasn't just about being rich enough to get in, because the host didn't care about money.
"The girls are so hot, man!"
"Tch! Women, you can find them anywhere. But this event, I came to win." Top said arrogantly, leading the way to the center of the event where several pairs were already racing. He remembered his Phô's words that the host had a fondness for race cars to begin with. If he could show he wasn't just a rich man's son, building a good relationship wouldn't be difficult anymore.
Just dealing with fellow amateurs, how hard could it be?
Although this race event was mostly rumor, he had used his connections to find out that no professional racers competed. Most were wealthy people who loved speed and sought new challenges in life. So, beating those who just bet money shouldn't be too hard. He himself wasn't a novice with high-performance cars.
He owned several cars known for powerful engines.
"Hey, Âi'Top, is your Phô really close with Khun Pakin? I heard from my family he's incredibly hard to approach."
"Of course. Very close. I've even had meals with Khun Pakin." The more his friends asked excitedly, the louder Top boasted, drawing looks from many people.
"So cool, man!"
"Later, I'll show you just how cool. Whoever thinks they're good, I'll beat them for you to see."
The young man said confidently, which made someone who had been watching since he entered the event walk over and stop behind him.
"Then, how about a race with my friend?" The listener turned sharply to look, meeting a man with a thick beard.
"My name is Sai-fah. I've been to this event many times. And you? I haven't seen you before."
"I'm Top. First time. Khun Pakin invited me." Top used the host's name to intimidate, which made Sai-fah widen his eyes.
"Wow! You know Khun Pakin personally? That's amazing!"
"It's nothing special." When met with envious looks, the speaker puffed up even more, his expression showing superiority. This made Sai-fah quickly steer back to the topic... before getting annoyed and not wanting to talk further.
"I heard you earlier saying you'd race. How about racing with my friend?" Sai-fah gestured towards his close friend standing not far away, making Oat frown and glare at his friend as if asking what the hell he was playing at. But the speaker quickly continued in a tone of...
feeling sorry for him.
"No one wants to race with my friend. So if you, Khun Top, want to race, please race with him. Otherwise, he just came for nothing." The braggart turned to look at the mentioned friend, looking down on his attire which wasn't branded like some others. Even though he was good-looking, his demeanor didn't seem like that of someone from a privileged background—you could tell at a glance not to pick a fight.
Just an ordinary person who probably shouldn't even be at this event.
Is the event's standard lower than I heard?
"Why does no one race with your friend?" He still voiced his suspicion.
"He doesn't bet money like the others. He races for pride only," Sai-fah replied, then added, "You're also here for the first time. Mostly, no one agrees to race newcomers. This works out perfectly. My friend gets to race, you get your debut. Win-win for both sides."
The listener paused for a moment, looking at Oat's face, who sighed heavily, and grew even more confident.
Looking that scared of losing, it probably won't be difficult.
"Deal."
"Then, did you bring your own car, or will you choose from the event's selection? I recommend choosing from the event. Khun Pakin specifically imported race cars for this event. The engines and specs are different from what you can buy generally." Sai-fah recommended amiably before calling out to someone else.
"Hey! That mechanic there!"
The mentioned mechanic turned to look with a dark expression... Payu.
Sai-fah could barely hold back his laughter as he led the newcomer to his twin brother. In the dark like this, no one would know they were brothers, especially since he was in work clothes with the other mechanics checking every car to ensure no accidents. The other's eyes asked... What the hell are you playing at?!
But the younger twin ignored him, handing the show-off over to his sibling, who would then recommend a car. Then he turned and strode back to his close friend and his brother's partner.
Rain had been standing the whole time, though Oat's frame blocked him completely once.
"What the hell are you playing at, Âi'Sai-fah?" Oat immediately started in on him.
"Just playing around, that's all. That damned kid, man. I didn't like his face since he walked in. What the hell, shouting like a megaphone saying he knows Khun Pakin. If he really knew him, he'd be like you and me, calling him 'Phîi'. I've been in and out of Khun Pakin's houses many times and never boasted about being close. You should help him out a bit too... make him lose face so badly he never comes back here again. I'm helping Khun Pakin screen participants, you know!" Sai-fah said, sounding amused, which made Rain unable to stay silent.
"But you shouldn't have lied to him, Phîi."
"Hahaha! What lie did I tell? I didn't tell a single falsehood."
"You said no one races with Phîi Oat." Rain remembered clearly that as people started arriving, many came to greet Phîi Oat. Sai-fah understood what he was thinking.
"That's true. Those people Rain saw greeting him are all ones who lost to Âi'Oat before. The regulars here all know that if you don't want to lose face, don't challenge Âi'Oat. Today, the real top contenders aren't here, so no one dares to be humiliated. So I just wanted to liven things up."
"Don't you think he might actually be skilled? Uh, I'm not saying you're not skilled, Phîi Oat," Rain quickly corrected himself, not wanting to be rude. But he was the type who thought if people tried, they had a chance to win.
Meanwhile, Oat added,
"I haven't raced on the streets for years."
"And you think you'll lose?" Sai-fah raised an eyebrow, which made Rain begin to understand why his partner's brother had challenged someone on his behalf like that.
There wasn't even a shred of the word 'lose' in Phîi Oat's eyes.
The stoic-faced man just gave a twitching smile, but Rain could see a crazed thirst for being on the track in his gaze.
"Consider it stress relief, man." Sai-fah slapped his friend's shoulder, while Rain gave a dry smile.
He had a feeling he was about to see more than just stress relief this time.
Do you understand the phrase 'left in the dust'? ... Yeah, that's exactly the result.
Rain was stunned when the man the twins had highly praised did not disappoint in the slightest. He accelerated his large superbike beautifully across the finish line, leaving the boastful competitor who had bragged so much far behind, even though many previous pairs had won by a split second.
The atmosphere inside the venue grew even hotter, bets circulated, and those hoping the newcomer would win were disappointed as expected.
Crash!
"You cheated, didn't you?!"
Meanwhile, Top threw himself out of the multi-million baht car, flung his helmet away, and rushed to grab Oat's collar, shouting loudly in extreme anger and humiliation.
"How did I cheat you?" Oat asked in a strong voice.
"If you think I cheated, you can request proof from the event controllers. This road has cameras all along it to prevent situations like this. But no need to request, you should know well enough that I didn't play dirty." The winner didn't trample the loser, just used reason to explain, but it seemed the other party wasn't interested in listening anymore.
"Otherwise, how could I have lost?!"
"No skill, that's how."
"What did you say?!" It wasn't Oat who replied, but Payu, whose voice was cold, making Rain, who wasn't far away, break out in goosebumps.
A tone like this... I remember it well... The storm is coming.
Payu looked at the race car lying awkwardly on its side, then turned to look at the bully with a fierce glare. He strode over and stopped in front of him, speaking loudly.
"If you were truly skilled, you wouldn't have lost. Conclusion is, you just suck."
"You!" The listener's face flushed with anger. He released Oat's collar and swung a fist aiming for the mouthy mechanic who dared insult him. But...
Snap!
Chai caught the fist in time, making Top turn to look at him furiously.
"What are you interfering for?!"
"No violence at this event," the man whose eyes Rain feared stared into the eyes of the one who had come to show off but ended up being crushed. Top faltered, quickly pulling his hand back from the grip.
He remembered this was Pakin's close associate. But so what? A close associate and a subordinate weren't that different.
"You damned servant!" The loser spat in his face.
But that single word caused a stir. The fun atmosphere turned frightening in an instant.
"What did you say?!" It wasn't Chai who asked, but the surrounding underlings who stepped in to surround the newcomer, making Top start to feel afraid.
"You damned fuckers! I know Khun Pakin, you know! Damn it! I'm leaving. What a shitty event, not fun at all!" The more Top looked around and saw his friends had retreated far away, the more he left with a final remark, then rushed to his group who, seeing the situation was bad, decided to leave the event early out of anger mixed with shame.
He had never been this humiliated in his life!
I won't accept losing face like this!
For this racing event, on days the host was present himself, problems rarely occurred. But whenever he was absent, there would often be minor conflicts. So, after the loser left, the event became lively again as before, even more so, as everyone talked about the person who dared call Chai a 'servant'.
Not only was there no one who dared mess with the event host, but the same went for his close associates.
Now Sai-fah himself made an incredulous face, clapping his hands pat pat.
"In all my life, this is the first time I've met someone brave enough to call Phîi Chai a 'servant'. I got chills for a second there."
"Wasn't it because of you?" Oat asked, sounding weary.
As calm and stoic as ever.
"Huuu, it's not my fault. I just thought he was a show-off kid wanting to try his luck. Who'd have thought he'd be brainless too? If you can get into this event, you should know who Phîi Chai is... What are you going to do, Phîi?" Sai-fah turned to ask the overseer, who had returned with a dark expression.
"Not doing anything. As long as it didn't escalate to physical violence, it's not against the rules."
Rain immediately hid behind Sai-fah because the man who said he wasn't doing anything had eyes so fierce they looked like they could kill someone. But in a flash, they returned to normal.
"The one who's angry seems to be that one over there." Rain looked where Chai was looking and saw that his partner was squatting, looking at the race car with a displeased expression.
"Sorry, Phîi. As soon as I arrived, there was trouble."
"Your coming is good. Khun Pakin was pleased. It's a shame he was busy today."
Rain wasn't paying attention to Sai-fah and the others because he walked over to the big guy who was checking the 'wounds' of the race car, assessing how badly it was hurt. His pale hand rested on a broad shoulder.
"Phîi Payu."
"Load the car onto the truck. Need to take it back to check its condition." Payu stood up, ordered the workers, then turned to look at his face.
"Does Rain want something?"
"More like, is there something wrong with you, Phîi?"
He could tell immediately that Phîi Payu was angry.
When Rain asked with concern, the other grabbed his wrist and pulled him away in another direction, forcing Rain to try to keep up, running worriedly.
Once they were hidden behind a car with no one around, Payu pushed until Rain's back was against the car door, the big guy standing guard outside. His handsome face didn't try to hide in the slightest how irritated he was, but the one looking knew it wasn't because of him. So, both his hands rose to touch the cheeks and stroke them gently.
"Don't be like that, Phîi Payu. Don't be angry."
"Huuuuh." The tall figure let out a heavy sigh, but whatever was stroking his cheeks...
"I almost threw a punch into that damned kid's face."
Rain didn't think Phîi Payu was angry because his friend was picked on, but more likely because of what that guy did to the car. Getting to know Phîi Payu over several months told him that the other might be a bit wild and crude, but one thing he cherished greatly was cars. From being taught that knowing how to drive means knowing how to take care of them, to the meticulous attention given to every car that passed through his hands, it was no wonder why someone named Pakin trusted him so much.
This car lover couldn't stand seeing what the loser had done to the car.
He somewhat understood, but didn't know what he should do to make him feel better.
"Not doing anything was good. Rain was scared to death of that person named Phîi Chai." The little one made a frightened face, which made the irritated person feel a bit better.
"Worried about me?"
The little one nodded firmly.
"If not worried about you, then who? You're my Phô, my Phûa, and my partner all in one."
Strangely, the person who thought he'd be irritated for a while longer, as if cold water had been poured on his hot head, saw his anger dissipate incredibly. His sharp face broke into a smile.
"There, you smiled. You like it when your Mia talks like this, don't you?" The little one teased, having found the right spot.
"Smiling so soon? Your Mia is afraid things will get bad! Make a scarier face, or I'll cry on you."
"Heh."
"Laughing now! Then your Mia will give a reward." Once Payu laughed out loud, Rain stood on his tiptoes a little to press a kiss onto the warm mouth, then pulled back, pleased to see his partner in a better mood. He raised both arms to wrap around the strong neck.
"In a good mood now, right? Your Mia was scared, you know." Once he found the right approach, he kept using the cute pronoun for himself, making Payu pull the small frame tight against his chest, swaying back and forth endearingly. His warm mouth pressed kisses on the cheeks and ears, which made Rain stand still obediently, not making a fuss or being stubborn to irritate him.
"Has my Mia ever been scared of her Phûa before?"
Thud!
Ouch! When he calls himself 'Mia', it's whatever, but when Phîi Payu refers to himself as 'Phûa'... I'm overwhelmed.
The little one never thought Phîi Payu was cute. Someone like this shouldn't be endearing in the slightest. But when he referred to himself like that, using such a coaxing tone with him, Rain couldn't handle it. His cheeks began to redden, his heart beat fast, and he hid his face against the broad shoulder in shyness. The big guy seemed to know, because he still nuzzled his lips against the earlobe.
"What is it, Mia?"
"Um... scared, of course. Phûa likes to look at his Mia."
"Because my Mia is stubborn."
Now it seemed like someone had slipped and spoken the same way before losing, but it was Âi'Rain who wanted to surrender right now.
When Phîi Payu talks this cutely, I really can't take it.
"Stubborn where? I'm letting you hug me right here. If you want to kiss or nibble, I haven't complained once."
Payu finally broke into a wide smile, looking at the cute person still trying to cheer him up, even though he was now completely pliant.
"Are you in a good mood now?"
He even lifted his reddened face to ask with concern, forcing Payu to bend down and press their foreheads together.
"It seems Rain loves me a lot, huh?"
"What's that got to do with anything? Don't change the subject." The little one quickly refuted because it had nothing to do with what they were talking about, though he was starting to not dare meet his eyes... Phîi Payu's gaze was like when he was singing for him.
"If you didn't love me a lot, you probably wouldn't act this cute, right? Hmm?"
It was true that Rain had never acted this cute with anyone before.
"It's because you were in a bad mood."
"That just proves you love me a lot. Seeing me in a bad mood, you immediately tried to please me. Right?" Payu kept cornering the listener, and the little one started not daring to look him in the eye, avoiding his gaze.
"Probably not true."
"Okay, then I'll go settle the score with that damned kid."
"Phîi Payu!" Rain startled when the pleasant voice turned cold and quickly pulled the other's neck back. Payu even acted like he would really break away and go as he said. Looking at the person whose face had tensed up again, he had to shout out. You like to say I'm willful, but you're the one who's incredibly willful!
"Okay, okay! I give up, I give up!"
Payu raised an eyebrow as if asking 'Give up what?', which made Rain look away.
"It's... it's fine."
"What? I didn't hear you."
"It's... it's fine," the little one still said the same thing.
"I don't understand at all."
"Phîi Payu! If you keep pretending to be dumb, I won't talk to you anymore!" The one in a bad mood couldn't hold back his laughter any longer because, having been tricked into acting dumb once, he should act smart for the other, right?
"Then I'll ask again..... It seems Rain loves me a lot, huh? To try so hard to put me in a good mood."
Payu looked into the large, round eyes that were trembling slightly but didn't look away from him. Then the little one answered.
"Ah... yeah."
The person who spoke softly, with downcast eyes, biting his lip shyly, had to be gathered into a tight hug.
Right now, who lost, who won, who wrecked a car—none of it was in Payu's thoughts anymore. He knew only one thing... he had already lost to the show-off kid in his arms. If he was this cute, losing to him once wasn't a bad thing.
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