Content Warning: This work is intended for mature (NC17) audiences. If you are younger, please kindly leave this site.
~~~
"Phîi Porsche... are you going to kiss me again, Khrap?"
That's right. I'm about to kiss my Nong again, aren't I, Âi Porsche? Purin thought, his eyes locking with the wide ones just inches away. The gaze of the Nong-next-door clearly showed suspicion, and it was... wavering.
Yes, it was a wavering that should've made Purin uneasy, seeing as Dear plainly felt something for him beyond a Phîi. But... he was glad Dear felt that way.
About to smile, Purin's fingertips, resting on those red lips, gently stroked the lower lip back and forth before he spoke.
"Then will I let you kiss me or not?"
Purin had been asked directly, so he asked back directly, as if probing something. That made Dear pause for a moment, a thought flashing through his mind.
Fine, bring it on, Âi Dear! Dear thought.
Smack
The young man mustered his courage, lifted his hands to hug his roommate-Phîi's neck, smiled, and leaned in, pressing a firm kiss onto Purin's mouth.
"If you want to kiss me, then kiss me. I won't mind," Dear said.
Purin had to admit he was surprised by the easy consent from someone who'd usually raise a ruckus. But he just smiled. No need to say more. The taller man promptly pressed a kiss onto the soft mouth, both hands firmly grasping the little one's neck.
This kiss, this time, wasn't accidental. There was no pretext of settling a score. It was nothing but two people who... just wanted to kiss each other.
Purin gently pursed the soft lips, his hot tongue licking until they grew moist, until the recipient trembled slightly. Yet, Dear tilted his face up, lips parting as if inviting the taller man to slip his tongue inside, sweeping through every corner of his mouth, then hooking, tangling, and pushing, showing the little one what a real kiss was like.
"Hmm," a soft moan escaped Dear's throat. By now, Dear didn't give a bloody fucking damn what he was moaning about; he only knew he felt good... damn good... with this kiss.
His hands pulled Purin's neck even closer, urging the taller Phîi to kiss more fiercely. The sound of swapping sweet saliva echoed through the spacious room with no hint of stopping soon, along with one thought flashing through Dear's mind.
Phîi Porsche kisses damn well, Dear thought.
So well... that his body flared hot. His hands slid into the glossy black hair, gripping lightly, as if it could ease the emotions stirring within him. But even so, he wanted to kiss more... to keep kissing Phîi Porsche.
"Hek... hek..." By the time Purin pulled back, Dear was panting and trembling, his face flushed deep red. The taller older person, still lingering near his red lips, gazed at him silently, sharp eyes glinting, and leaned in again.
Whoosh
"Phîi... aren't you hungry? It's afternoon already," Dear said quickly, voice shaky, raising a finger to touch Purin's mouth. He was bloody embarrassed at how easily he'd let the Phîi kiss him. That made Purin pause.
"Will I make something for you to eat?" Purin asked.
"Uh, sure. What do you want to eat? I'll make it," Dear replied. Purin laughed, his eyes sparkling. He pulled Dear's hand away and said simply.
"No need. Just order a pizza. It's a waste of time." With that, the taller Phîi pressed another kiss onto the swollen red mouth, not letting the little puppy argue, as if saying to use lunch-making time for the master to kiss him properly. And it seemed to make the little puppy yield easily.
No need to spell out what they were to each other now. Though their relationship was murky, it felt like Dear's heart was starting to grasp something. Something neither had voiced yet.
***
"Hey, how'd you guys get here?!"
After finishing morning classes and heading to check out the faculty's star-and-moon contest, the short, stone-faced one and the tall, dark one in a famous university's student uniform were already waiting under the building. Dear shouted, and soon a wide smile spread across his face as he jumped to hug both friends, damn happy.
"Âi Ae! Âi Pond! How'd you guys get here?"
"You didn't know? Âi Sun practically grabbed a bullhorn to announce it in the group chat," Ae said.
"No? Announce what?"
"That he's up for the faculty's moon contest, you dim-wit. He told us to come cheer. But only us two are free. The rest are stuck in class," Pond said. Dear scratched his head awkwardly, admitting he hadn't checked any social media, he thought, looking at his two close friends from high school.
Âi Ae, a friend his same size—whenever anyone called Ae shorty, he'd always point it back at Dear.
But Ae was much stockier. Don't let his small size fool you—this guy was the school's football player, racking up awards. As folks say, he's small... small but spicy-hot like a chili pepper.
As for Âi Pond, though he's a bit dark (he insists it's 'sun-bronzed skin, damn it!'), his sharp features, thanks to a faint trace of Italian blood, made him good-looking, in the same crowd as Nai Dranphat (ptui!). These two friends probably came together since they study at the same university.
"Yeah, yeah. Good thing I'm free," Dear said.
"Hell, Dear. 'Good thing'? How many days you been 'not free'? How many times I asked you to play DotA, and you're 'not free'?" Âi Pond said, smacking Dear's head before pulling him into a tight hug. Dear, who should've smacked back, blushed a bit—a reaction that didn't escape the 'small but spicy-hot' guy's notice.
"Don't tell me I've got a romantic partner," Ae said.
"No! Hey! I don't! I don't have a romantic partner, I swear!" Dear shouted.
I just have someone I'm secretly in love with, Dear thought.
The second Âi Ae asked with a suspicious squint, accusing as hell, the awful liar yelled, denial shaky, totally betraying himself. The memory of lying down kissing Phîi Porsche for an hour till his lips were nearly raw flashed through his mind. And he wasn't even his romantic partner.
The two friends glanced at each other, then Âi Pond made a damn fed-up face.
"Boring. So bloody fucking boring. Why do you all ditch being single once you hit university? Damn it. So dull. Just you pink-world types. Me, I live for the ladies, every one of them," Âi Pond said, sounding bored, then turned to Âi Ae, who just shrugged a bit. But that made Dear's eyes widen.
"Âi Ae, don't bloody fucking tell me I've got a romantic partner already," Dear said.
"No," the short one answered, shrugging, making Âi Pond laugh loud before elaborating.
"Haha! You're asking me? Our group's number-one shorty had someone confess love to him. Tall, fair, great build, big eyes, damn good-looking, you dim-wit," Pond said. Dear made a disbelieving face. Âi Ae, really? No offense, but whoever liked Âi Ae must've got it wrong, be blind as a bat, or skipped cod liver oil as a kid, Dear thought.
If they're that perfect, why not go for Âi Pond?
Whap!
"Âi Ae, that hurts!" Dear yelled.
"Yeah, I smacked you to hurt... Don't listen to him. Where's Âi Sun? I want to see how that face of his—boasting he'll be faculty moon for sure—handles it," Âi Ae said, reaching over to slap Âi Pond's ear hard before turning to Dear, acting like nothing happened. But Dear wasn't letting a juicy story slide.
"C'mon, spill it. Falling for some sea g—" Dear started.
"Gak! Hahaha!" Pond interrupted.
"Âi Pond, what are you laughing at? Eat some laughing mushrooms, Âi-fresh-mushroom?!" Before Dear could get the scoop, Âi Pond doubled over laughing, sticking his face out to mock Âi Ae full-on. Dear cursed him for cutting him off at the good part. That made the laughing guy step back quick and say loud.
"Hahaha! How can I not laugh? The one who confessed to Âi Ae—where's she a woman? It's a man!"
"Haha! Yeah, you heard right. Our pal's about to get his rear eyed. That guy's face is damn fine, you dim-wit. International business student, too. But he goes for this shorty. Probably thinks a small football player's cute to tote around. Pray for Âi Ae's escape. That guy's rich, too, you dim-wit," Pond said.
"Really, Âi Ae..." Dear started.
"You guys done screwing around?" Ae asked.
Thud
Dear could swear even Âi Pond went quiet when Âi Ae turned with a stone face, asking in a cold voice when they'd stop yapping. That shut Dear up, though he glanced at Pond, as if saying, After this, you're spilling how this super-manly shorty caught a guy's eye.
"And you, stop talking about Pete," Ae said.
"Oho, protecting him! Won't be long, Dear, I bet—" Pond started.
"You going or not? To cheer for Âi Sun," Âi Ae cut in, making Dear quickly agree before heading to the main auditorium.
"Yeah, let's go. Âi Sun's probably dying by now," Dear said.
Speaking of which, where the hell's Âi Shin gone? Haven't seen him since morning, Dear thought.
I know where Âi Shin is, Dear thought.
"How'd he get up there?!" Dear yelled.
"What's with you, Dear?" Ae asked.
Dear ignored his friends from another university standing with him in a corner of the event, his eyes glued to the big projector screen showing clips of the star-and-moon contestants. And just now, that damn handsome guy in a suit with a dead face... was Âi Shin.
"Hey, is Âi Shin in the moon contest too?" Before Dear could answer his old friends, he turned to ask another roommate who pushed past. The guy looked confused, then laughed.
"You didn't know? Aren't you his buddy? Whatever. Heard Âi Shin got roped in by his class. They basically nabbed him, tied him up, and tossed him to student affairs to get dolled up for the contest clip. This year's wild. Âi Sun, the cheery guy every girl loves, versus Âi Shin, the handsome, dark half-blood... By the way, both your friends are reps. How'd you not know..." Dear thanked the passing friend, then turned back to the stage, face stunned like the world just flipped.
Okay, I haven't been paying much mind lately. Âi Sun said he was filming this contest clip—I didn't care. But damn it, Âi Shin, even if I don't ask, you should've told me a bit! Dear thought.
Here's the deal, folks. Did I mention Âi Shin's in my major but in a different class from me and Âi Sun? He hangs with us so much I forgot he's not in our room. And honestly... I'm kind of hurt. He didn't bloody fucking tell me at all, Dear thought.
"Alright, folks! The moment you've all been waiting for is here! Everyone knows our faculty's a hub of good-looking folks... Hey, hush up! I'm praising you!" The MC, if Dear recalled right, a third-year named Phîi Ohm, was running the show. And the senior was praising himself, ordering himself, and, damn it, hushing himself.
"If you won't hush, I'll hush myself... Alright! Today, I, Nai Ohm, third year, am your host. Ladies, don't swoon over my Nadech-level looks just yet," Ohm said.
"Woo!"
This time, the roar filled the auditorium without Phîi Ohm asking. The self-absorbed guy grinned, damn it, spreading his arms, closing his eyes like he was soaking in screams, making friends, seniors, and juniors below laugh weirdly.
"Alright, enough with the cheers for my handsomeness. Let's meet our juniors! Lights! Music! Bring 'em out!" Ohm said.
"Damn, this senior's got too much flair," Dear heard Âi Ae say beside him and nodded hard in agreement. The senior's big 'reveal' was just the reps in student uniforms walking on stage. The one walking, waving, smiling wide... stood out most.
"Where'd Âi Sun get a toothpaste ad deal? Smiling like he's in Miss Universe," Dear said. Yep, the one grinning wide and waving was Âi Sun, Dear's close friend. And the one strolling, hands in pockets, looking bored with the world... was also his friend.
Âi Shin was standing next to a cute girl with blue braces from his class. While others smiled shyly, widely, or cutely, he just stood, one leg out, hands in pockets, looking around like he didn't give a damn. And I hate to say it, but you look good, don't you? Dear thought.
Even with a face like an ass, the science girls nearby were squealing with their friends.
Âi Shin's sweeping gaze met Dear's.
You didn't tell me, Dear thought.
Dear mouthed the words silently. Âi Shin just shrugged, sighed, and puckered his lips. If you hate it that much, I'm scared shitless what he'll do next, Dear thought.
Dear could only think worriedly. This handsome Khun-chai is so damn dramatic. Good thing he didn't just spin and walk off stage, Dear thought.
"Alright! Time for the Q&A..." Phîi Ohm ran the program in typical student-affairs style. The standout was the judges. Remember those seniors with eyelashes like palm leaves Dear stared at chapters ago? That's them, the whole gang... the judges.
"Nong Shin, heard you're a half-blood, right?" a Kathoey built like a buffalo asked in a coy voice, tilting his cheek, acting shy, making Âi Shin answer with a bored look.
"Khrap," Shin said.
"Ooh la la! I knew it! Nong, you..." The senior fluttered his lashes before screeching, "...are half-god, half-angel, right? Screeech!" The Kathoey's screech made the audience laugh loud. Another senior jumped in.
"A half-blood like this, with me... can you handle it, Nong?" The whole gang screeched again, showing how much these sisters adored this handsome guy. Âi Shin just moved the mic to his mouth. Dear could swear he was smirking.
Don't do it, Âi Shin! Whole faculty's here, outsiders watching! Don't! Dear thought.
But Dear's thoughts didn't reach the guy on stage, who spoke loud and clear.
"I'm half Thai-Japanese. But not like the kind you..." Shin paused while the auditorium waited. Then he just smiled. "...probably are. Just half-human, half-ghost," Shin said.
Gulp. Silence.
Dead silence. The whole auditorium. If he'd smiled wide, been playful, teased cutely, folks might've laughed. But he acted like a damn despicable villain from a prime-time drama, then went on.
"As for whether I can handle you... you ought to check a mirror before asking if I should even think about it," Shin said. Done, he handed the mic to his classmate, smiled again, and then, damn it... walked off stage, cool as you please.
Stunned. Forget the others; Dear, who knew Shin's personality some, was floored. He watched the half-blood stride off who-knows-where, followed by...
"You demon child! Who? The evil person! Who put him up as a rep? You child—!" The senior who asked about half-bloods shot up, screeching loud enough to echo through the auditorium. Phîi Ohm, nearby, rushed over.
"Hey, calm down. The junior was joking," Ohm said.
"Joking, huh?!" the senior replied.
Before the senior could curse more, a mic screech rang through the hall. Looking back at center stage, Âi Sun—from nowhere—had grabbed the mic from the guy Âi Shin shoved it to and held it, flashing a handsome smile.
"Calm down, beautiful Phîi. Don't mind Âi Shin. Listen to me. To me, you're a half-blood... half-human, half-angel, of course!" Âi Sun dropped the sweet line quick, though his eyes showed worry for Âi Shin, who'd picked the worst time to be dramatic, and moved to fix the situation.
"You said Âi Shin's half-god, half-angel. I'm so hurt. What about us on stage?" Sun said in a wheedling voice, leaning toward the judges' table with a pout that likely made the Phîis forget Âi Shin, turning to give Sun sweet, smitten looks instead.
"Who said that? Nong Sun's more than a half-blood! A face like this is a living god incarnate!" After that, a flood of sweet words pulled everyone's focus back to the charmer on stage. Bet your boots the faculty moon title was his.
But Dear wasn't watching, busy calling the guy who'd walked off stage and vanished.
"Wait up. Gotta call a friend first," Dear told Âi Ae and Âi Pond, then stepped away. With this noise, he'd never hear his friend.
"What's up?" Shin asked.
"Don't 'what's up' me, Âi-damned-goose! Do you know what you just did?!" When Shin picked up, his mood sounded damn chipper, nothing like the half-human, half-ghost from moments ago.
"I know. Just spoke the truth," Shin said.
"Bullshit!" Dear yelled.
"Âi-damned-nuisance, you crazy? By now the Phîis hate your guts! What were you thinking?!" Dear said.
"Easy. Don't fret over me," Shin said. Listen to him talk, Dear thought. How could Dear not worry? Making a scene at the faculty's annual event, with Phîis, classmates, and some professors watching the evening contest. How could he not worry?
"Where are you now?" Dear asked.
"Drove out from under the building. Gonna check out a new guitar," Shin said, in a damn good mood. Didn't he care about his friend Mim, competing with him?
"What about Mim? Poor Mim. For the talent part, you're supposed to perform together," Dear said, reasoning, and admitting he was a bit mad Shin wasn't thinking of his other friend. But Âi Shin answered right away.
"Nah. Mim told me he'd dance. I told my class if I had to go up, I wouldn't dance. They said, 'Then stand still on stage.' Besides, the moon's not picked as a pair. My answers don't affect Mim," Shin said. A damn reasonable answer. Clearly, the guy who seemed reckless had thought it through. Dear sighed.
Heavily.
"Then why couldn't I just stand there and say 'Khrap, Khrap, Khrap' to wrap it up?" Dear asked.
"'Cause I wanted a Twisty. Been stuck since noon. Couldn't even grab a snack," Shin said.
Âi-goose! Huh?! So you gave those harsh, rude answers 'cause you wanted a damn snack, Âi-salad! Dear thought.
"Whatever. I wanted Âi Sun to win anyway. He really wanted it," Dear said, giving up on Shin's sensible and absurd reasons. Couldn't change anything now.
"Sigh. Why am I worried about you when you aren't even worried about yourself?" Dear sighed heavily, making Shin laugh on the other end.
"Don't fret over me. Go fret over my Phûa. Yeah, that's it. Found a 7-Eleven. Getting my Twisty," Shin said.
"Again? Pushing it. I don't want Âi Sun. I want—" Phîi Porsche, Dear thought.
Dear yelled into the phone Shin had already hung up, then went dead silent, cheeks burning as he nearly let something slip. He stuffed the phone into his pants pocket, turned to head back to his friends, if not for...
Hey, the black-top Phîi wák! Dear thought.
Because the tall senior with a thick beard stood nearby, holding a Red Water and a green drink, face blank.
[Translator's Note: น้ำแดง (nam dang) or Red Water refers to red 'strawberry' flavored Fanta which is much more popular in Thailand than the rest of the world.]
Dear managed a dry smile. Not scared, but that senior hazed us so damn hard the other day, Dear thought.
"Uh... Sawasdee Khrap, Phîi. Gotta go," Dear said, ready to bolt, but not because...
"Dranphat," the senior said.
"Uh, Khrap, Khrap," Dear replied. Why's he calling me? Dear thought. Or... was it about Âi Shin disrespecting the Phîis?
"Your friend..." the senior started.
Âi Shin, you said no trouble, Âi-damned-shit-lizard! Dear thought.
"Kha... I mean, my friend didn't mean it, Khrap, Phîi! I'm sorry for him! Sorry to all the Phîis on stage! It's just... he's a good guy! Not a dog-mouth or bad mouth like he seemed! He was forced to compete, see? So he acted like that. But he's not really like that, Khrap! Please don't be mad at him..." Dear's hands clasped in a pleading wai over his head, words tumbling fast as he made excuses for his friend, desperate to keep Âi Shin out of hot water.
His worried-friend act nearly made Oat smile.
"I can't likely let it slide. This'll have to come up at the next cheer meeting," Oat said flatly, watching Dear's neck droop. He shouldn't be telling a Nong this—he might warn his friend to skip the cheer—but he was just... making talk, maybe.
"Can't you let it go?" Dear asked.
"What do you think Phîi wáks are for?" Oat said, his low, strong voice shutting Dear down.
"Khrap. I get it," Dear said.
Whoosh
"Khrap?" But then, Oat thrust the Red Water glass in Dear's face. Dear looked up, brow creased, puzzled, making Oat glance away briefly.
"I'm giving it to you... call it thanks for the other day," Oat said evenly. Dear let out an 'oh' before shaking his head fast.
"It's nothing, Phîi," Dear said.
"Take it. Just a glass. If you don't drink it, it'll melt," Oat said, voice a tad firmer, making the attractive-faced Nong pout and reluctantly take the glass. His big, almond-shaped eyes looked up, their clear gaze seeming harmless.
"Thanks, Phîi..." Dear said.
"My name's Oat," Oat said. Dear looked at the senior, terrifying in cheer practice but now... quiet, calm, maybe kind. Dear had just carried a bag; no need for a thank-you drink. But the senior got him one.
"Khrap, Phîi Oat," Dear said. It was odd—why was the senior chatting? Thinking positive, Phîi Oat probably just wanted to thank him. And he was thirsty from yelling at Âi Shin, so Dear raised the glass.
But then his phone blared, making him grab it. He thought it was his friends, but the screen made his wide eyes double in size.
"Khrap, Phîi Porsche!" Dear answered instantly, no pause.
"Is Dear at the university? I'm in front of the building," Purin said.
"Khrap? Phîi Porsche is in front of the building? Which one?" Dear asked.
"The one with lots of folks at your university. Is there an event today? Yeah, I meant to pick you up, get some food, then head back to the room," Purin said. His words made Dear's eyes widen more, heart pounding, grip tight on the phone.
Phîi Porsche came to pick me up at uni and take me to eat. Good Lord! Don't flirt with me! Dear thought.
"It's the star-and-moon contest today, Phîi," Dear said.
"Oh, really? Should I wait then?" Purin asked. Purin didn't get why, instead of saying he'd head back to not bother his Nong's time, he offered to wait. Dear went quiet a moment, like he was deciding.
"Then I'll come find you now. But I gotta tell my friends first, Khrap," Dear said, hanging up, grinning wide, not caring a damn about the faculty event. Looking up, he realized he'd left another talk hanging.
"Uh, I'm off, Phîi Oat. Sawasdee Khrap," Dear said, giving a quick wai and darting back to the event to find his friends, not caring if they'd gripe for leaving early after coming all this way. When the tide's high, paddle fast! Phîi Porsche is giving me hope—I gotta grab it! Dear thought.
Oat watched the Nong who'd been smiling so wide, a faint smile curling his own lips.
Dear, huh? ...Kinda cute, Oat thought.
Bang
"I'm here, Phîi Porsche!" The little one yanked the car door open and climbed in, panting, tiny sweat beads on his face. Purin turned to crank up the AC a bit.
"Thanks, Phîi," Dear said, panting hard, fanning his shirt vigorously. No wonder he was panting—he'd run all over the event hunting his friends. Dim-wit, Dear thought. He had his phone but was so excited he forgot he could've called them. Found them, let Âi Pond yell a bit, then bolted.
Meanwhile, Purin glanced at the Red Water glass in Dear's hand, ice mostly melted, just as Dear looked up.
"Oh, why'd you buy two drinks, Phîi Porsche?" Dear asked.
"Saw the juniors selling drinks over there, so I went to support. Got one just in case. Didn't know you'd bought one... You never drink Red Water. Odd," Purin said, sucking his Coke fast—looked like he'd have to handle both drinks himself.
"No, it's... never mind. Give me the Coke. You got it for me, right?" Dear said, setting the Red Water in the cup holder and snatching the Coke from Purin's hand. The older man handed it over willingly.
But after gulping it noisily to quench his thirst, Dear found his roommate-Phîi still eyeing him, smiling, making his cheeks heat up.
"What are you staring at... Ugh!" Dear started.
Before he could finish, a heavy kiss landed on his red mouth. Purin simply said,
"Price of the Coke," Purin said.
Then he turned to shift gears, taking the little puppy to get food, leaving Dear gaping before he pursed his lips tight and looked out the window.
A wide smile. For a moment, Dear saw his reflection in the car window... smiling.
Phîi Porsche is nuts. 'Price of the Coke'? Just wanted to kiss me, you dog, Dear thought.
The thoughts of the one who let the Red Water sit untouched in the car, ice fully melted, while he sucked the Coke dry and chewed the ice till the glass was empty...
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