GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 47: Two Suns

The phone rang incessantly for a while because the owner wouldn’t wake up. Singha furrowed his brows in irritation before flailing his hand around to grab the phone and put it to his ear.

“Yeah?”

[Took you long enough, I almost sent a patrol to your house.] The yelling from the other end made his tightly closed eyes slowly open.

“What’s up?”

[Where are you? It’s almost ten. King is waiting for you.] The words from the caller made Singha turn to look at the bedside clock before cursing. [Aren’t you supposed to be at the department?]

   “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”

The thick hand hung up the call before sitting up on the bed. The arm around his waist made him turn to look at the kid beside him, who woke up later than usual today. The white skin was covered with love marks, including nail scratches on his back. Looking around the room, it resembled a small battlefield. It was almost three in the morning by the time they slept last night.

Singha lifted Thup’s arm away before getting out of bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready for work. The reflection in the mirror made him chuckle lightly. He had told the kid on the bed not to leave marks on his neck because he had to work, and indeed, there were none there, but from the chest down, there were kiss marks and bites all over, especially on the inner thighs and chest.

Singha took a quick shower; he only had half an hour left to make his appointment. Upon opening the bathroom door, he encountered the mischievous pup who should have been asleep on the bed. Thup was holding a fairground toy in one hand, while the other rubbed his eyes as if still not fully awake.

“Don’t rub, you’ll hurt your eyes.” Singha reached out to stop him. “And why are you up?”

“I woke up to make breakfast for you.”

“No time to eat now. Go back to sleep.”

“I can make a sandwich for you to eat on the way, just for a moment.” Thup leaned in to kiss the older man’s cheek before leaving the room.

It was a new feeling that Singha wasn’t used to. Usually, in past encounters after the pleasurable activities in bed, they would each go their separate ways. Even with King, although they’d together sleep till morning, they’d both head off to work separately. Perhaps it was only this kid who’d greet him and offer to do something for him.

Thup didn’t take long; a fragrant chicken sandwich was soon in a box alongside a cup of coffee. Seeing the older man coming down, he walked over, handing both items with a smile.

“Have a smooth day at work.”

“You look cheerful.” Singha gently ruffled the soft hair. Who would have thought a face so innocent could leave him with a sore waist?

“I’ll wait for you at home.”

“Oh, the card is on the bedside table, take it if you need to buy something.”

“Can I buy more time with you?” Thup pleaded playfully.

“Enough, you rascal.” Thup tilted his head, looking adorable.

“Hahaha, just kidding.” Thup laughed brightly to greet the new day, then went to hug the older man as he wanted to. “Go to work. Tell me what you want for dinner tonight.”

“Hmm.” Singha patted the broad back before walking out to his bike. He chose to use the motorcycle today to navigate through the heavy traffic. Singha glanced back into the house one more time, and what he saw was Thup yawning while starting to clean the house, which was why he wanted to come back home every day.

Singha arrived at the station just in time, the young inspector greeted his subordinates before entering the bustling office.

“Hey, inspector. Why not come tomorrow instead?”

“Then I’ll go back.”

“Hey, hey, can I joke or what?” Merk hurriedly stopped the man who was about to walk out the door.

“What’s going on?”

“Um.” King stood up to his full height, his sharp eyes catching a faint red mark under the arm of the man standing at the door.

“Rin, how about the examination results of that damn kid?”

“Like I said, the psychiatric and specialist doctors concluded he has severe mental issues. Plus, the kid has had lupus since birth; the drugs Say found in his room are immunosuppressants. And initially, the doctor thinks his claims of seeing ghosts might be linked to brain and vision issues. So, he might not end up in jail, Singha.” [1] Lupus, or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, affecting various systems like joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.

   “Or maybe he really does see them.” Say added, “or perhaps Thup should take a look.”

“You just went to the department to submit the case documents for a brief moment, right?”

“Yep.”

“Then as soon as we get back, head straight to the hospital. We’ll go pick up Thup and wait there.”

“Alright then.” Singha nodded to his two friends before following King out to the car. While getting into the passenger seat, his thick hand was dialing a number on the phone, searching for the saved contact.

[Yes, Phii Singh.] Almost without waiting long, an overly excited voice on the other end made Singha want to strongly hug the person on the line.

“What are you doing?”

[I’m entering the page to greet the customers. I was thinking about getting back to drawing.]

   “Am I bothering you?”

[Not at all, I was just missing you.] Thup laughed with a clear, cheerful sound.

“Rin and Say will come to pick you up soon.”

[Huh? Where are we going?]

   “To the hospital.”

[Is this about Bom?]

   “Yep.”

[And… will you be there too?]

   “Yes, we’ll meet there, but it’ll be a while. So, you can keep working for now.”

[Have you eaten a sandwich yet?]

   “King, wait a sec, let me grab something first.” As Thup mentioned it, Singha just remembered, so he turned to tell the person next to him who was about to back the car out of the parking spot. He got out of the car and ran back into the station to pick up the sandwich box he left in the office.

[Is Khun King there with you?] The slightly dejected voice from the other end stirred Singha’s affection.

“Jealous?”

[Don’t make me jealous, Inspector.] The young inspector paused because he thought the person on the other end of the line would be too shy to admit it with such a firm tone.

“Who was on the bed with me last night?”

[Me.]

   “Well, what are you still being jealous about?”

[I am being possessive over who is mine.]

   The soft whining made the older brother shake his head with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. Singha opened the door to the room and saw Say and Darin sitting comfortably as if it were their private lounge, each holding a sandwich, with the box now empty.

“That’s all for now.”

[Okay, take care at work, Phii.]

   Singha hung up before looking at his good friends, stuffing the last sandwich into their mouths.

“Hey, Singha, why are you back? Forgot something?” Darin asked before grabbing a cup of coffee to drink.

“Yeah, forgot my sandwich.”

“…In the box?”

“Yep.”

“Say was the mastermind.” Darin pointed at Say, who was about to make a run for it.

“Such a nice box doesn’t seem to be bought from a store, and someone like you wouldn’t make it yourself…” Say edged towards the door but was blocked by Singha’s arm across the doorway. “Was it Thup?”

“Yeah.”

“Pretty tasty, huh?” The two best friends exchanged looks before reluctantly smiling, in the morning like this made other officers puzzled about what was going on between the inspector, the station’s physician, and the forensic doctor.

Thup spent the entire morning responding to messages and posting job openings. Even though he had been away from updating everything for a while, seeing the number of people waiting for him made him feel delighted. His notebook was closed before Thup stretched to relax his muscles. The young man cleaned the house and then went upstairs to shower, getting ready to go out, just as a car parked in front of the house with someone calling his name.

“Nong Thup, are you awake yet?”

“If he is not, by your freaking loud mouth, he’d be up by now.”

“Well, I worked late, didn’t I?” Thup smiled at the conversation of the two people at the door.

“Hello, Phii Rin, Phii Say.”

“Wow…”

“Wow.”

Thup tilted his head, not understanding, as the two in front of him looked at him and exclaimed before they both grabbed his arms and pulled him into the house.

“Definitely Singha’s handiwork.” Darin started the conversation first, pulling down Thup’s t-shirt collar slightly. The love bites all over his neck made her eyes light up. “Who else could it be?” Say added, resting his arm on Thup’s shoulder.

“Oh, Nong Thup of mine, did that beast hurt you this much, my child?” Darin leaned on Thup’s shoulder, patting his back comfortingly.

The sound of a pearl-white phone ringing made Darin pull it out from her pocket. Seeing the name of the caller made her instinctively move away from Thup.

“Singha, you dog-hearted man. How could you do this to Nong Thup!”

[What? Where are you?]

   “At home with the little one.”

[You’ve picked up Thup already, right? I’m on my way back.]

   “You’re cruel, Singha, I’ll take the kid away from you!”

[Why don’t you ask him if he’ll go?] The kid next to him, with wide eyes, immediately upon hearing this, Darin turned to him.

“Thup, want to stay with me, or with Say? Escape from that cruel person.”

“No way. I’ll stay with Phii Singha.”

[Heh, clear as day.]

   “You’ve left kiss marks all over the kid, Singha.”

[Have you checked under his shirt yet?]

“Why should I?” Darin didn’t let herself wonder for long. She took action, lifting up Thup’s light blue t-shirt to find numerous red marks and bites. Say, who saw this, could only chuckle softly because he already knew where this was heading. “Screaaam, Singha! You’ve hurt the feelings of someone who’s like a mother to me too much!!”

[Tell him to grab a shirt from the closet, one that covers his neck.]

   “Nong Thup, Singha says to go get a shirt from his closet, one that covers your neck.”

“Okay.” Thup got up to change his top easily. “So, are you and the kid a couple now? When, where, how?” With only friends he could talk to left, Darin turned on the speakerphone to ask the person on the other end out of curiosity.

“He hasn’t asked yet.” Say interjected.

[Yeah.]

   “Oh! Look at this, you leave marks on him like mosquitoes but haven’t asked him to be your boyfriend.”

[Do I have to?]

   “Of course you do! So if I ask right now what you are to him, can you answer?”

[…] Only silence came back from the other end.

“See? Some things need to be said, Singha.”

[We’ll talk later, see you at the hospital.] After hanging up, Darin looked up at Say sitting beside her.

“What should we do, your friend calls him ‘dog’ this, ‘dog’ that, will he himself be a dog?”

“Let’s wait and see.”

“Done.” Thup came down in a new black shirt, an expensive brand, definitely belonging to his older brother without a doubt.

Once they were all ready, the three of them went to the prison hospital. On the way, Thup tried not to look around too much because, being a hospital, there are always spirits lingering around. Even wearing a sacred necklace doesn’t mean he won’t see these things. [1] Prison Hospital is a hospital that treats prisoners who are sent from various prisons and correctional facilities.

   “Are you okay, Thup?” Darin turned with concern to the boy walking behind him, “Or did you see…”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t have asked.” Darin said, immediately turning to cling to Say’s arm. Although she seemed cheerful now, she still had nightmares at night, was paranoid, and needed ongoing treatment for PTSD. [1] PTSD, [Post-traumatic Stress Disorder] or the disorder following severe emotional shock, is an emotional condition that occurs after experiencing a traumatic event.

They arrived at the door of the special recovery room where a police officer was stationed. Even though Bom couldn’t walk normally, he was still considered a dangerous suspect who might cause trouble at any moment, necessitating an officer to watch over him.

“Should we wait for Phii Singha first?”

“Let’s do that.” Say replied shortly before serving as a pillar for his friend to cling to as she pleased.

Singha had just arrived at the front of the hospital. As he was about to open the car door, his shoulder was grabbed. He turned his sharp eyes to the person in the driver’s seat and sighed.

“What?”

“Are you dating that kid now?”

“Not yet… I guess.”

“Heh, next week I’ll be moving back to the investigation department. We probably won’t see each other much.”

“So what?”

“I just want us to talk nicely no matter what our status is.”

Singha sighed before returning to sit properly as before, those matters, they’ve broken up quite a while ago. Now, both of them are living separate lives. There isn’t any status between them anymore except for work, from this case King has reported everything as it is. Including both the successes and his own mistakes, so if this could be considered a redemption in the right way, it probably wouldn’t be wrong.

“Yeah. Hope your work goes smoothly. Don’t get scolded by your dad again.”

“Thanks, Singha.”

“Are you going down?”

“I’ll follow later, and I need to talk to the front desk officer about bringing Bom to court.”

“Okay.”

King watched the broad back walk away until out of sight, once upon a time. He had a good relationship with him but overlooked everything. Now that he sees the value, the other no longer sees him in the same light.

Singha walked up to the special room floor and as he was about to turn into the recovery ward, he overheard a conversation at the water dispenser first, and it wouldn’t have been interesting if one of the voices wasn’t familiar to him.

“Do you have to guard here, Phii?”

“Yes. Even though it seems like an easy job, it’s actually quite tough.”

“And like this, will I be able to go back to my old job?”

“I’ll probably have to stay until the suspect can return to prison or go to court, usually.” The deep voice that sounded like it was teasing, Thup, made Singha, who happened to overhear, ruffle his jet-black hair in annoyance, “Your name is Thup, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s almost noon, Thup, have you eaten? It’s my break time now.”

“Uh. I’m not really available.”

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Like…” Thup hesitated a bit, not knowing if he should speak his mind.

“Wait, anything else you want to know?” Singha stepped out from around the corner with an annoyed look.

“Inspector Singha!! Good morning.” The young uniformed police officer quickly saluted, “Uh… is this your brother, Inspector? I’ve never seen him before.”

Singha glanced at Thup with an irritated look before turning back to face the officer, who was about his size but had a cunning face that he didn’t like, confirming what Darin had said. If things aren’t clear, it’s best to stay guarded. Plus, how could the pup he raised go to someone else?

“Not a brother… this is my boyfriend.” Not only was the officer in front of him shocked, but Thup was equally taken aback, dropping his juice can onto the ground. Singha bent down to pick it up and then led Thup away by the hand, not forgetting to signal a warning to the officer behind, “Go find someone else to flirt with, Lieutenant. Don’t mess with this one.”

“Un… understood.”

Thup looked at the broad back of the man in front of him before his gaze fell to the hand that held him. A small smile gradually widened until his fangs showed. Cute. Singha had never talked about their relationship, which he understood, but hearing it like this made him feel touched and overjoyed. He truly belonged to Singha now, and Singha belonged to him.

“Phii Singha.”

“What?”

“Phii Singha.”

“Speak up if you have something to say.” Once they were out of sight, Thup squeezed the hand he was holding, chuckling softly with delight. The young man pulled the older man’s hand towards a restroom they were about to pass. Ignoring the eyes of passersby, the tall youth then lunged into a hug with the older man, unabashed. Thup’s joyful face almost made Singha smile too.

He really was a kid who could smile so brightly.

“It’s real, you know. Not teasing me.”

“Really that happy? Last night you nearly killed me. If we’re not boyfriends, then what are we?”

“Mhm.” Singha gently stroked the soft hair before cupping the charming face, just as Thup hugged his elder’s waist tightly.

“Will you be my boyfriend, little pup?” The eyes of the young man in front of him sparkled brighter than ever, his smile, already bright, was like a sun entering Singha’s dark life.

Or perhaps, they were each other’s suns.

“Thup loves Phii Singha, Thup will be a good lover to you, Phii, won’t be stubborn. Won’t clash. Won’t make you tired, both physically and emotionally. I’ll be the one you’ll find whenever you turn around.”

“I might not get tired emotionally, but physically? You sure? I was pretty tired last night.”

“Well… that was…” The fair face flushed pink once again, “If I turn around, I won’t see you, Thup.” A large hand gently stroked the clear cheek as tenderly as he could, “Because you’re not walking behind. You’ll walk beside me.”

Their lips met to affirm all that had been said. Singha savored Thup’s soft lips, nibbling gently, just as the young man responded to his older lover’s touch, his arms still wrapped tightly around him.

“So, will you be my boyfriend?”

“Yes, I’ll be your good boy, just yours.”

“Then a good boy must open his mouth now.” Singha slipped his tongue in to tease the inside of Thup’s mouth, the sweet taste from the juice Thup had drunk earlier masking the taste of cigarettes in his own mouth. After a long kiss ended, Thup rested against Singha’s neck, giving light kisses like a teething puppy, making his lover need to restrain him before they went too far.

“Let’s continue at home.”

Say and Darin were sitting and talking in front of the recovery room, waiting for their friend and Thup, who had gone to get drinks, to return. As soon as they saw the reddened face and slightly swollen lips of the young man, both narrowed their eyes at their friend leading the way.

“Thup.”

“Yes!!” The person whose name was called jolted, instantly acting suspiciously. “Why are you so jumpy? I was just going to ask where the water is.”

“Well… uh, you see…”

“Didn’t press it. There was no water available.” Singha replied in a flat tone before opening the door to his room as if nothing had happened, then turned to Thup instead.

“Why is your face red?”

“Your collar is crumpled.”

“I, uh, Phii Singha…” Thup stuttered before averting his eyes from the scrutinizing gaze of the two in front of him.

“Or perhaps…”

“Hey, Thup, come here for a second.”

“Phii Sing called, so I better go in.” Thup said, then made a quick dash away.

“Two hundred bucks.” Say held out his hand in front of Darin, giving him a wink. “Damn it! Not even two days.”

“I told you he’d ask for sure.”

“Use the money to pay off that cop too.” Darin placed two red banknotes into Say’s thick palm, not too pleased about it.

“Half each, dude. It was your plan.”

“You hired him to flirt with Thup. And I’ll pay the hospital bill if he gets punched by Singha, so if he doesn’t get hurt, I’m not paying.” Darin stuck out her tongue at Say before running off to another room.

Inside the room, there was a strong smell of medicine and the sound of medical equipment. Bom, now on the bed, hardly resembled the person they once knew. No trace of the old child remained; his skin had turned hard and black, hair and body hair wouldn’t grow back, his body was stiff from scar tissue all over, his eyes slowly rolled to look at the visitor, his lips trembled as he struggled to speak, making him look pitiful. It was pitiable, indeed, but considering his past deeds, this was perhaps one punishment Bom had to endure.

“Pl… please… he… help.” The hoarse, nearly breathless voice made Thup turn away. He looked around the room for any lingering spirits, but found none.

“There’s nothing at all.” Thup said to Singha, who was standing next to him. “So, could it be some psychological issue?” Singha turned to Darin, barely glancing at the person on the bed.

“It might be.”

“We’ll probably need to consult a fortune teller first. King has gone to talk about court proceedings and confinement with Kan.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll wait outside then.” Darin said, not being a hard-hearted person. Just working on this case and coming here was already very kind considering what Bom and his father had done to her.

“Let’s go too.” Singha spoke up.

“Yes.” Thup looked at Bom one last time with pleading eyes, which made him sigh. If there were spirits here, he would choose to help by telling Singha to find a monk to chant away the spirits, but there was nothing. He didn’t know how else to help.

As they left the room, Thup felt like he saw something at the bed out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked back through the glass in the door, there was nothing there. It must have been his imagination. With today’s mission over, the four of them left the area, except…

   Once they had gone, the previously empty recovery room was filled with dozens of spirits standing around. Spirits with sewn eyes and mouths, spirits still bound by resentment from their unjust deaths. They say when we are ill, our minds are weaker, making it a time when we can sense things we never could before.

   Like now.

   Bom couldn’t move without a nurse turning him. Tears rolled down from the corner of his eyes because of what he had to see day and night: each spirit walking up to stomp repeatedly on his chest as if full of vengeance. He lay there, never breathing fully, feeling a tightness in his chest like he was about to die, but all he could do was lie still and watch the spirits repeat their actions.

   It was a living hell he could not escape.

   It was the karma he had to endure, a life akin to being dead while still alive.

  

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