YOURSKY, Chapter 16
“Naughty guy, for this trip, should I buy a new camera?”
“So, does the new camera you planning to buy have a lot of different functions compared to the old one?”
“I have five cameras, and each one has pretty similar functions, but this one’s different from the others.”
“Hmm… then I think it’s a good idea.”
“If I buy it, Naughty has to be the model for me to test the new camera, okay?”
“Sure thing!”
The small-framed person thought back to yesterday’s conversation while standing in front of the mirror. That evening, Muenfah had called to say he’d already bought the new camera. Originally, Theerak had planned to wear a tshirt and shorts because he wanted to jump into the water as soon as they reached the sea. But now, he found himself picking out the best outfit to model for Muenfah’s new camera.
Theerak tilted his head, studying himself in the mirror with a serious expression before letting out a sigh of uncertainty. He didn’t really enjoy dressing up. Most of the time, he preferred comfortable clothes over anything else. Being a model for Muenfah was, therefore, a challenge for him.
He stared at himself wearing a short-sleeved yellow shirt paired with long black overalls for a moment before deciding to change into something else. Theerak stepped out of the bathroom, deep in thought. The small-framed boy paused in front of the wardrobe again, only for his attention to be drawn by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
“Oh, sunscreen…”
“Thanks!” Theerak took the sunscreen from his older sister and immediately tucked it into his backpack.
“Are you wearing that tomorrow?”
“…” Theerak swallowed hard, expecting Phii Babe to tease him about his lack of fashion sense as usual. “Uh, I’m not sure yet, Phii Babe.”
“This outfit’s cute…”
The compliment made him hold back a smile before he asked, “Really, Phii Babe?”
“Yeah… it suits you well.”
“Then I’m safe—I don’t need to change into something else…” Theerak grinned widely, slipping his hands into both pockets and spinning around in front of the large mirror next to the wardrobe. “Actually, I’m pretty handsome too, huh? ~”
“What… Just a second ago, you didn’t seem confident at all.”
“Hehe, well, I got my confidence from you, didn’t I?”
“But if you wear this, you’ll have to change again when it’s time to swim.”
Theerak nodded and walked over to grab the new hat he’d specially ordered for this trip. “True ~”
“…”
“But what can I do… he wants to test his new camera first…” Theerak said as he put on a yellow bucket hat embroidered with a sun and ocean waves in the center. “This hat goes perfectly with this outfit… Don’t you think, Phii
Babe?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you dress decently.” Phii Babe said, stepping over to adjust the hat for him. “With the hat on, you’re cute as can be.”
“Am I as handsome as Phii Fah?”
“Sigh ~ Your handsomeness can’t compete with Muenfah, but when it comes to cuteness, I believe you’re second to none.”
“With all this praise, tell me what you want to eat. I’m giving you a twenty-baht budget.”
“Save your money for snacks instead.”
Theerak laughed until his mouth stretched wide before asking, “So, has
Phii Babe finished packing yet?”
“It’s just a day trip—leave in the morning, back in the evening—so no need to prepare much… just sunscreen, soap, shampoo, and a change of clothes for the ride back, since we’ll probably wear our water-play outfits there.”
“I’m only bringing swimwear and sunscreen.”
“Check again tomorrow before we leave, just in case you forgot something important.”
“Okay…”
“Has Fah told you yet what time he’s picking you up?”
“Not yet. Once Phii Fah gets back to his condo, he’ll probably call and let me know.”
“You two usually talk every night, right?”
“Yeah, before bed, Phii Fah always calls to chat.”
“Lately, you’ve been glued to each other, huh? At uni, if I see Fah, I see you—or if I see you, I see Fah.”
“Phii Fah likes eating lunch with me, so you see us together a lot.”
“And what about those breaks when you both hang out at the library together?”
“…” True, he and Muenfah really were inseparable lately.
“I’m going to shower… don’t stay up too late.”
“Okay…”
Theerak flopped onto the bed after his sister left. He couldn’t deny that over the past week, the two of them had been together a ton. During lunch breaks, they always ate together. Theerak wanted to be closer to Muenfah after that day when he realized something was starting to take shape in his heart.
…Even though Muenfah could still make his heart race like before, Theerak chose to step a little closer instead of pulling away. He figured the side effects of this budding love were making him braver— Brave enough to get closer; Brave enough to feel.
Theerak didn’t know how far Muenfah’s feelings for him had developed, but he knew they were both happy and comfortable every time they were together. These feelings made him want to move forward because he could sense something between them. Right now, he might just be a close friend who makes Muenfah happy whenever they’re near But for Theerak…
Muenfah had long surpassed the label of “close friend.”
Now, Muenfah was someone important—
Someone he wanted to be with for a long, long time.
No matter how optimistic Theerak was about the world, he still accepted the truth that no one can stay together forever. Everyone has to face goodbyes. In reality, it’s not just loss that causes separation—changing hearts over time play a part too. Knowing this, Theerak preferred to be a giver rather than a taker.
Giving love to others without expecting anything in return; Which means…
… Not feeling pain when facing a goodbye Yet Theerak also knew that… once he’d upgraded Muenfah to someone important, things that used to be easy became difficult in an instant. Now, he’d turned into a giver who secretly hoped for something in return. Theerak hoped Muenfah would send those good feelings back to him forever. Even though he knew that forever didn’t really exist He still hoped…
“Phii Fah… are you sleepy?”
“Yeah.” Muenfah, who had his face slumped on the table, answered softly.
“You can sleep, Phii Fah. I’ll wake you up once I’m done studying.”
“Okay… we can start recharging now, my sea.”
“Yes, my sky.”
Muenfah gave a faint smile and reached out his hand. Theerak placed his free hand over the larger one. Muenfah had said that holding hands was a way to recharge their spirits, and every time Theerak studied for exams, Muenfah would come to cheer him on.
Like today, when Muenfah didn’t have classes but still drove over to see him, even though he’d been at the restaurant until late last night. Theerak had asked him to rest at the condo for a bit and come by in the evening, but the stubborn Muenfah insisted his energy was completely drained and he needed to recharge with Theerak too. Hearing the tired tone in his voice, Theerak couldn’t help but let Muenfah come to the university.
Theerak smiled faintly while looking at the stubborn Muenfah, who was already asleep. He gently moved his hand to stroke the chocolate-colored hair. “Sleeping in the library isn’t as comfy as the condo, Phii Fah…”
“…”
He moved his hand back to rest on Muenfah’s larger one, squeezing it a little tighter before saying, “Take lots of energy, okay, my sky… I’ll keep refilling it for you.”
Theerak smiled to himself as he recalled a memory from not too long ago. He had to admit again that Muenfah was truly amazing. Everything Muenfah did didn’t just make him feel good—it turned into cherished memories for Theerak.
Muenfah was making his hopes come true…
By making every memory last forever.
The word forever… it really did exist.
LINE ~
But all his thoughts stopped when a notification sound chimed. Theerak got up to grab his black phone from the desk to see who’d messaged him. If he had to guess, at this hour, it could only be one person… and that was Muenfah.
And just as he’d thought, he was spot on. He grinned widely and sat down in his favorite chair at the desk, ready to dive into My Sky Time. Every night, Muenfah would video call him before bed, so Theerak dubbed it My Sky Time.
M.FAH: Phii Fah’s home now.
Theerak: You’re back home today, my sky?
M.FAH: Yeah, because tomorrow I need to take another one of my family vans.
Theerak: Oh…
M.FAH: Can I call you?
Theerak: Yes, you can.
Muenfah video-called him right after he agreed. Theerak answered the call and propped his phone up next to his usual notebook. Meanwhile, the tall figure was lying on his bed, his typical position.
[Naughty one…]
“Yes, Phii Fah?”
[You’re dressed up so cute. Where’d you go?]
Theerak laughed before replying, “Nowhere. I’m just trying on an outfit for the beach tomorrow.”
[You have to be this cute just to go to the beach?]
Theerak rubbed the back of his neck to ease his embarrassment. Even though he’d built up quite a bit of immunity to Muenfah by now, hearing him call him cute multiple times still managed to chip away at that resistance.
“If I’m going to be your model, I have to look good, right?”
[Heh,…not just a little good.]
Theerak, who’d been holding back a shy smile, slowly let it fade and pointed at Muenfah through the phone screen. “There you go again, Fah.”
[Yes?]
“Did you forget what I told you?” he asked in a stern tone, still keeping his hand raised. Muenfah frowned in thought before giving a small smile and pulling the blanket up to cover his bare chest.
Since Muenfah was someone who got hot easily, he often slept shirtless. At first, Theerak wasn’t used to talking to him while he was bare-chested like that, but over time, it became a familiar sight. After that, he’d constantly check Muenfah’s chest to remind him to cover up. Before hanging up, Theerak would always tell Muenfah to use the blanket because the overly cold air could make him sick.
But Muenfah kept forgetting to cover up, so he got scolded by Theerak often.
[Sorry… From now on, I won’t forget to cover up.]
“I scolds, I warns… It’s all for you, Sky.”
[Thank you, Sea.]
“…”
[Did naughty one tell me to cover up to my neck?]
Theerak nodded and watched as Muenfah pulled the blanket up to his neck. “You don’t have to cover up to your neck right now. Do it before you sleep. That way, if you accidentally kick the blanket off while sleeping, at least it’ll still cover the rest of you.”
[If you slept with me, you probably wouldn’t sleep all night.]
“Why not?”
[Because you would probably watch over me all night.]
Theerak gave a small smile before saying, “I would probably keep covering stubborn you with the blanket all night.”
[Heh.]
“Phii Fah, so how many cars are we taking tomorrow?”
[Two vans, one from Hia’s house and one from my house. Some friends asked to bring their partners along, so Hia’s van alone won’t be enough.]
“Oh… then who’s driving the van from your house?”
[My family driver… By the way, I will pick up you at 7 a.m., okay?]
“Okay, just a moment ago Phii Babe asked me what time Phii Fah was coming to pick me up. I’ll hang up and let Phii Babe know.”
[Got it…]
When his older sister was mentioned, something occurred to him. Theerak wanted to know if Muenfah felt the same way, so he asked, “Phii Babe said lately we’ve been stuck to each other all the time. Does you think that’s true?”
[If we say we’re stuck together all the time, that’s not entirely true since we both have our own personal time… But if it’s about me being super attached to you and always wanting to see you whenever I have free time, then yeah, I think Babe’s telling the truth.]
Theerak burst out laughing, his mouth stretching wide at Muenfah’s cute response. “Oh, Sky, you~”
“And what does Sea think? Are we really stuck together?”
The one being asked pressed his lips together to hold back a smile. The answer in his heart made him feel shy, but Theerak truly thought so. And because he was too embarrassed to say it, he scrunched his nose at the other instead.
[Heh…] Muenfah shook his head slightly, as if to say that what he did couldn’t substitute for an answer.
“I think…” Theerak felt like there was a fire smoldering on both his cheeks. And when he saw that familiar smile from Muenfah directed at him, the fire on his cheeks spread throughout his entire body.
[What do you say, Naughty… Or is it just me who’s attached to you one-sidedly?]
“I think… we’re attached to each other, both ways.”
[…]
“Even the fried dough sticks Grandpa likes to eat in the morning can’t compete with us.”
[Heh…]
“Phii Fah, don’t laugh… I really think that, okay?”
[Won’t Grandpa’s fried dough sticks feel sad that they can’t beat the two of us?]
“Phii Fah!! Every time I says what I feels, you tease me like this. Next time, I won’t say anything—I’ll just let you wonder!”
[Aw, okay, I won’t tease anymore.]
“Hmph!! You really love getting on my nerves, Sky…”
[Let’s change the subject before a tsunami hits.]
“There you go again!”
Muenfah laughed, clearly delighted at teasing him. Besides tsunamis, it seemed Muenfah now had fried dough sticks as another thing to tease him about.
[So, Naughty, are you wearing this outfit to the beach, right?]
“Yeah…”
[Then don’t wear that hat, okay?]
“Why not?”
[I think just this outfit is enough—you don’t need to bring the hat.]
“Is wearing it really that bad?”
[It’s not bad, but it’s better not to wear it…]
Theerak didn’t understand what Muenfah meant at all. He’d gone out of his way to order a sun and ocean wave design embroidered just for Muenfah. “Okay… if you don’t want me to wear it, I won’t.”
[It’s almost 1 a.m., are you sleepy yet, stubborn one?]
“Starting to get sleepy.”
[Then go to bed, stubborn one.]
“Okaaaay…” Theerak replied in a tired voice.
[Good night, my ocean tummy.]
“Good night, Sky.”
Theerak let out a big sigh after hanging up with Muenfah. He took off the hat and stared at the sun and ocean wave design. He’d ordered this hat embroidered when he found out they were going to the beach, wanting to wear it for a photo with Muenfah. But it seemed like Muenfah hadn’t noticed what the embroidery meant.
It’s supposed to represent sky and the ocean, you know.
Guess this hat won’t get the chance to be in a photo with the real sky after all…
“Rak…” Theerak turned toward the voice calling him. Phii Babe walked into the room easily since he always left the door open. His sister stopped in front of him, frowning slightly before asking, “What’s wrong… your face looks like Moogrob when it doesn’t get to run around.”
“Nothing…”
“Didn’t Fah call you?”
“He just hung up…”
“Your voice sounds weak too… It’s not like Fah scolded you, though. Fah wouldn’t scold you.”
“…” Theerak looked up at his sister. He put the hat back on and pointed at the troublesome item. “Phii Fah doesn’t seem to like this hat at all.”
“Why not?…It looks cute on you.”
“I don’t know. Phii Fah said it’s not bad, but it’s better if I don’t wear it.”
“Huh?…” Phii Babe went quiet for a moment, crossing her arms and eyeing him from head to toe before giving a faint smile. “Wear it anyway… Fah doesn’t dislike it. I think Fah likes it a lot.”
“…” Not only did he not understand Muenfah, but now he was starting to not understand Phii Babe either. “It’s obvious Phii Fah doesn’t like it. If he did, he’d tell me to wear it.”
“They say friends tend to have similar habits…”
“…”
“When Dom gets possessive… he likes to forbid things like this too.” “Possessive?”
“Yeah… doesn’t want anyone complimenting how cute we are, doesn’t want anyone looking at us… the stingy type.”
Theerak laughed at Phii Babe calling Phii Dom and Muenfah stingy. He couldn’t believe someone like Muenfah would be possessive—judging by his usual personality, he seemed like the type to share and not sweat the small stuff. Besides, Theerak was just a close friend; Muenfah probably wouldn’t be that possessive over him.
But if he’s not possessive… then why doesn’t he want me to wear it?
Besides really not liking it…
“If you don’t believe me, try wearing it tomorrow… I guarantee you’ll see someone get jealous for sure.”
“…”
“When did you buy this hat?…It’s new, right? I’ve never seen it before.”
Theerak nodded. It wasn’t surprising that Phii Babe could tell it was a new hat—she remembered every piece of clothing he owned. “I ordered it after the soccer match day.”
“From Instagram?”
“Yeah.”
“The pattern’s pretty cute…” Phii Babe took the hat off his head and ran her hand over the embroidered design. “The stitching’s really detailed too. Does the shop have a lot of patterns like this to choose from?”
“They don’t have patterns to pick from, Phii Babe. You have to draw a sample and send it to them yourself.”
“…”
Theerak sighed and lowered his gaze as he saw his sister’s frown deepen. “I had this pattern embroidered specially… for this trip.”
“…” Phii Babe laughed before putting the hat back on his head. “You little puppy ~”
“This puppy was hoping to wear it for a photo with him, Phii Babe, but he told me not to.”
“He doesn’t know this little puppy did it for him…” Phii Babe sat down beside him and continued, “Some people, no matter how much they pay attention to details, are bound to miss something once in a while. We’ve got so much going on every day—we can’t always notice or keep track of everything about the other person. Him not seeing the effort you put in doesn’t mean he doesn’t care enough.”
“I’m not saying Phii Fah doesn’t care enough, Phii Babe… Phii Fah is someone who notices so much about others. Even though I’m just a close friend, he knows almost everything about me… But Theerak’s sitting here sulking because he feels bad for the hat that didn’t get to take a picture with
Phii Fah.”
“You’re not feeling bad for the hat—you’re upset with Fah. You’ve never been upset with anyone before, Rak, so you don’t even realize this is what it feels like to be disappointed in someone you care about so much.”
“…”
“Fah hasn’t stopped paying attention to details, but some of the things you do might go beyond what he expects… and he probably never hoped you’d do anything for him.” Phii Babe tapped the hat with her finger. “That’s why this embroidered pattern slipped past him.”
“Ugh… he could hope a little, you know.”
“Don’t sit here sulking… Wear it tomorrow and tell him why this hat is special to him.”
“Okay… Tomorrow, I’ll wear it and take a picture with Phii Fah.”
“Mhm…” Phii Babe stood up to leave the room, but then she seemed to remember something and turned back around. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Fah right now—whether you’re just close friends or something more… But if you’ve decided to let him into your life, you have to do your best. Keep this relationship going for as long as you can… Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Theerak fell silent. It was the first time Phii Babe had spoken to him with such a serious expression and tone. And it was also the first time she’d referred to herself as Phii —his older sister. That made Theerak realize she was trying to tell him something important, even if she couldn’t say it outright.
If the matter that Phii Babe is trying to tell is directly related to Muenfah,
Theerak would respond with…
“Yes, I will try to do my best.”
#However many Thousand Skies
A tall person wearing a black Hawaiian shirt and white three-quarter pants stood in front of a single-story house waiting for the time. Theerak’s house was the meeting point where everyone would gather before heading to his uncle’s resort in Rayong.
Muenfah arrived an hour early. He stood waiting for the stubborn one in front of the house without calling to say he’d arrived. If Muenfah did that, the other would feel pressured and rush everything even though there was still more than an hour left, because someone like Theerak doesn’t like making people wait too long.
“This is it… they say just seeing the roof of the house makes you feel happy.”
Muenfah shifted his gaze from the window of Theerak’s room and looked at his younger brother, who was standing there smoking.
“…”
“How many hundreds of thousands have you spent on this one? …” Panli smirked before glancing at the camera hanging around Muenfah’s neck. “Buying a nearly hundred-thousand-baht Leica just to take pictures of that chubby-cheeked one… I really admire you, brother.”
“If I ever see you splurging on your wife… I’ll stomp you into the ground.”
Panli burst out laughing and offered a cigarette to his older brother. “Have a puff before that chubby-cheeks comes out.”
“No… I’ve started quitting.”
“Okay, Rak really changed you a lot.”
“…”
Panli brought the white cigarette to his lips and scanned his surroundings. Besides his brother and himself, there was also a driver at Theerak’s house. He thought Phii Fah was using traffic as an excuse because this morning, the uncle who drives confirmed that the traffic was clear today. But his brother still insisted on leaving early. The truth was, Phii Fah just wanted to see his close person sooner, more than anything.
“If you miss him, just call and say you’re here so he’ll come out faster… Want me to call for you?”
“Why would you rush him…”
“You keep craning your neck like that… I feel bad for you.”
“Crane your dad’s neck, not mine.”
“Keep your insults away from me—and yourself too. My dad’s your dad too, you know.”
“Don’t mess with me, Panli.”
“Why do you look so worried, Phii Fah?”
“I’m on edge…”
“On edge about what?”
Muenfah sighed before pulling his phone out of his pants pocket to show his brother a picture of the guy wearing a hat. “I secretly screenshot this from our chat… Does he look cute in a hat?”
Panli gave his usual smirk, the one he does when he sees someone he likes.
“Super cute. My friend’s just as adorable.”
“I’m on edge wondering if he’ll wear a hat or not.”
“…”
“Yesterday, I told him not to wear a hat to the beach.”
“Huh?! Why not?”
“When he wears that hat, he’s just too cute… I don’t want Hia to see him.”
“Phii Fah… aren’t you being a bit too possessive?”
“I think it’s over the top… but I’m protective of what’s mine.”
“At least you’re aware of it… but you should tone it down a bit, or it’ll feel suffocating.”
“I’ve been trying to be careful about this… but I messed up anyway. I shouldn’t have stopped him last night.”
Muenfah pushed his tongue against his cheek, annoyed with himself for overstepping into the other’s personal space too much. Theerak had every right to choose and decide things for himself. Thinking back on it made him feel even guiltier—if Theerak really wanted to wear that hat to the beach, he probably felt bad about it.
…Not even his boyfriend yet acting more controlling than one…
“It’s fine, Phii Fah. People make mistakes.”
“But this is something I shouldn’t have messed up… because it’s all about his feelings.”
“Come on… that chubby-cheeked guy doesn’t overthink stuff like this.
Ever since we’ve known him, he’s never dwelled on little things.”
Muenfah sighed again before scrolling through photos of Theerak. Just wearing those overalls, he was already so cute. Add that hat, and he was even cuter.
He’s cute without limits like this— how could I not feel possessive…?
But the embroidery on the yellow hat made Muenfah start to furrow his brows in suspicion. The sun and ocean waves seemed to carry some meaning. He thought this design probably wasn’t some generic pattern sold in stores.
Because it must mean sky’s heart, and, the sea.
“For real?”
“What’s that, Phii Fah?”
“Why didn’t I notice this last night?!”
“Whoa, what’s got you worked up now… I told you to stop feeling guilty.”
“That hat—it’s like he had it custom embroidered.”
“…Seriously, to that extent?”
“…” Muenfah fell silent, hardly believing it himself that he’d go this far. But the embroidery on the hat was too specific for him to just be flattering himself.
However, an incoming call from an unknown number made Muenfah pause all his thoughts to pick up. He stayed quiet, waiting for the other end to speak first. If it was some bank rep calling to pitch a credit card, he’d decline and hang up right away.
[Fah…]
“Babe?”
[Yeah.]
“What’s up, Babe?”
[Yesterday, you told Rak not to wear the hat, right?]
“…Yeah, I’m sorry. I got too possessive. I won’t do it again.”
[I get it, jealousy’s normal. Last night, Rak was a little upset. At first, he didn’t even realize he was upset with you, but I helped explain it for him.]
“Thanks a lot.”
[I told him you said that because your possessive… My little brother’s never been in love before, so sometimes he’s a bit slow to catch on. Bear with him a little, okay?]
“No matter how slow, I’ll wait…”
[Just now, I went to his room. Rak was getting ready. I told him to wear the hat too, but he didn’t seem very confident about it…]
“Leave the rest to me.”
[Okay.]
“Babe, that hat… the one with the sun and ocean wave embroidery.”
[Yeah… Theerak got upset because he specially ordered it embroidered for this trip.]
Muenfah let a smile slip. “Thanks so much, Babe, for calling to tell me.”
[I saw you standing there waiting for a while, and I was worried you’d get discouraged, so I wanted to let you know Rak’s on his way to you now.]
“…”
Muenfah hung up with Babe and let himself smile without holding back. He’d once thought it’d be nice if one day “his person” turned to look at him, but this time, it wasn’t just a glance—Theerak was choosing to walk toward him. Muenfah couldn’t describe the overwhelming feeling inside. All he knew was it was a hundred times more than just happiness.
“Standing there grinning… spill it, Phii Fah.”
“Babe said… he’s walking toward me now.”
“Wha—You mean he’s starting to like you, Phii Fah?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so happy for you, Phii Fah… I could cry.”
Muenfah glanced at his little brother and realized he wasn’t exaggerating.
Panli stood there with a wide grin, looking back and forth between him and Theerak’s house. He must really be happy for him. “I’m happy too.”
“And the hat—did chubby-cheeks really order it embroidered?”
“Yeah, he specially ordered it for this trip.”
“So cute… both of you are cute. I don’t wanna hype you up, but damn, your pair is perfect together.”
“You’re hyping us up right now.”
“Haha!”
Muenfah shifted his gaze from his laughing brother to a black van pulling up beside them—his ride. As the door slid open, Hia’s signature loud complaining spilled out. Several friends, including Dom, piled out of the van. Muenfah shook his head as he watched Real and Hia bickering while walking toward him.
“I told you not to go that way, but you wouldn’t listen, you idiot.”
“How was I supposed to know the traffic would be that bad?”
“I told you it’d be jammed!”
“What, is your dad a traffic cop or something, Real?”
“You don’t need a traffic cop dad, you jerk. Just listen to the traffic radio in the morning sometimes.”
Muenfah sighed before turning back to look at the front of the house again.
It was then that he saw the small guy in the yellow hat sliding the iron gate open. Without hesitation, he rushed over to help his stubborn little one, as he always did.
“Phii Fah ~”
“Yes, stubborn little one?”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not long.”
Muenfah glanced at the small guy, who was craning his neck to look at Muenfah’s friends with excited eyes. “With this many people, it’s gotta be super fun, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Phii Fah… I have something to confess.”
“…”
The stubborn little one stepped closer to him and pointed at the hat he was wearing. In Theerak’s eyes, there was a mix of uncertainty and worry, but he masked it all with a bright smile.
“This hat is special, you know.”
“…”
“I had the sun and ocean waves embroidered on it because the meaning matches how we refer to ourselves.”
“…”
“I wanted to wear it to take pictures with you, Phii Fah. And what I want to confess is… last night, I was secretly upset when you told me not to wear it.” “…”
“Instead of just telling you straight up why it’s special, I sat there sulking.” “…”
“Even if I don’t look that great wearing it, could you like it just a little for me, Phii Fah?”
Muenfah never thought his heart could swell like this while feeling guilty at the same time, but today, Theerak showed him that anything was possible. He gently touched the hat and said, “I’m sorry, stubborn little one. Last night, I didn’t notice. If I’d known you made it specially to take pictures with me, I wouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay. I get that you’re possessive, Phii Fah.”
“Yeah, I am possessive of you.”
“…”
“This hat makes you too cute, and I was worried Hia might get too tempted to tease you and not hold back. That’s why I didn’t want you to wear it… but honestly, I like it when you wear it.”
“My Sky really is as possessive as Phii Babe said.”
“But from now on, I’ll tone down the possessiveness. I don’t want you to feel bad.” “…”
“The truth is, I don’t have any right to stop you from doing anything. Whatever you want to do, I should let you decide for yourself… I’m sorry for accidentally making you feel bad last night.”
He smiled and brought one hand up to gently hold Theerak’s face. “There, there, Sky, no need to feel guilty anymore, okay?”
“…”
“I think it’s not about having the right or not, because it’s about feelings.” “…”
“I think feelings are pretty complicated. Sometimes even I don’t understand them… The best way to avoid misunderstandings is to be honest with each other.”
“…”
“From now on, if there’s anything bothering us… we’ll tell each other straight up, okay, Sky?”
“Yes, naughty one.” As soon as he agreed, his hand pulled away from his face. Muenfah followed the retreating hand with a hint of regret. He admitted to himself that he was greedy.
A touch from him… no matter how much, it’s never enough.
“You’re looking down again… Are you still feeling guilty, Sky?”
“No.”
“Then what’s wrong~?”
At that moment, the smaller figure leaned in close, wrinkling his nose before reaching out to scratch Muenfah’s chin like he was playing with a kitten. Muenfah burst out laughing and grabbed his hand. If he let him keep scratching, he’d probably get so lost in it they wouldn’t make it to the beach.
“You’re good at being sweet and taking care of me now, huh?”
“I am, forever, the best at it, right~?”
“Heh.” Muenfah chuckled in his throat, feeling a playful urge to tease the person in front of him who was grinning ear to ear. But then he sensed some kind of energy secretly watching them. When he lowered his gaze, he realized a living creature was indeed staring at them. “This must be Moogrob, right?” Muenfah smiled at the chubby puppy wagging its tail beside its owner.
“Yes… Why’d you come out, Moogrob? You can’t go with me. Go back to
Grandpa in the garden.”
Muenfah watched the smaller figure bend down to the chubby puppy. He explained with quick little words why Moogrob couldn’t come along, but the pup didn’t seem to understand and kept trying to climb onto his lap.
“Ah… Moogrob’s getting stubborn. Looks like I will have to carry you back into the house…” Theerak scooped up the chubby pup and gave
Muenfah a sheepish smile. “Heh, Moogrob’s as stubborn as me owner, huh, Phii Fah?”
“And just as cute as his owner too.”
Muenfah gazed at his fair cheeks, which were starting to flush faintly. Probably embarrassed, he avoided eye contact by leaning down to kiss the puppy in his arms. “Then I will take Moogrob to Grandpa first, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Hey, Sky!”
Muenfah shifted his gaze from the small figure carrying the puppy into the house and turned toward the voice calling him. Hia stared at Theerak without blinking before nudging Muenfah’s arm lightly with his elbow.
“How’s that kid so cute?…And who told him to wear that hat with those overalls?”
“Why?”
“Because it makes him even cuter…”
“…” That’s the reason he didn’t want him to wear the hat—because of friends like this.
“If I could just squeeze his cheeks once, I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”
“Squeeze my foot instead. I’ll let you do it as many times as you want.”
“So possessive.”
“If there’s nothing to be possessive over, then shut up.”
Hia fell silent, as if the words had struck a nerve. “You’re so harsh with friends, you jerk. But with your little one, you just stand there quietly letting him scratch your chin.”
“…” Muenfah shook his head and walked away from the jealous guy. He’d rather spend his time preparing a seat for Naughty.
Once all the friends had gathered, they started dividing up who’d ride in which van. Naturally, Muenfah’s van was reserved for close friends only. Anyone bringing a partner had to ride in Hia’s van instead.
“Phii Fah, where do we sit?”
“The first row.”
“Okay~”
The small-framed person stepped into the van and slid over to the long bench in the first row, scooting right up against the window before Muenfah climbed in to sit beside him. As for the other friends, Muenfah let them choose their seats freely.
“Wanna sit near me, Klai?”
“No thanks, Phii Babe. I’ll sit in the back instead.”
“Come sit with us, Klai?”
“It’s fine, Rak. There’s space in the back.”
“You’ll get lonely, Klai…” Muenfah turned to look at the small-framed person, who was craning his neck to check on Klai with concern. It wasn’t surprising that he’d worry about Klai feeling lonely since Klai wasn’t close to anyone.
“…”
“I won’t be lonely…” Panli said, getting up from the second-row seat to move to the back with Klai.
Theerak smiled faintly before saying, “Dog-faced Li’s secretly kind, huh?”
“Is everyone here in our van?” Muenfah asked.
“Not yet.”
“Who’s missing?”
“Hia…”
“Why the hell would he ride in my van?”
“I don’t know, but he messaged saying to wait a sec—he’s talking to the driver first.” Real said.
Not long after, Hia came running up to the van, panting heavily. He climbed in and squeezed in next to Muenfah without a care. Muenfah glared at his friend and asked, clearly annoyed “Why are you riding in my van?”
“I’m lonely.”
“Lonely my ass… The van’s full of friends.”
“Yeah~ It’s a kind of loneliness I can’t explain.”
“…” Muenfah sighed and asked, “Everyone’s here now, right?”
If you start dating, no breaking up, okay?”
“You idiot!”
“Haha!”
His friends burst into laughter as Hia got scolded by him. Muenfah turned to the person beside him, who was busy rummaging through a black backpack. He told the driver uncle to start the trip before asking the little guy, who was still focused on his bag.
“What are you looking for, stubborn one?”
“I’m checking if I brought everything…”
“And did you?”
“Yeah, everything’s here.”
Muenfah was about to keep chatting with the stubborn one, but Hia nudged his arm, interrupting. “You stole my line, huh, buddy… ‘If you start dating, no breaking up.’”
“What a dumb line.”
“Hey! Don’t use it, okay!”
“…” Muenfah shifted away from Hia and turned his attention back to the little guy. “Did you bring snacks too?”
“Yeah, I brought some for you too.” The small guy spoke while opening a pack of jelly—his favorite kind. Theerak popped a bear-shaped jelly into his mouth and chewed happily before grabbing another piece and feeding it right to Muenfah’s mouth. Muenfah hadn’t liked jelly since he was a kid, but if the little guy was feeding him like this; Guess he could like it…
“Ooh!…Bear jelly! I love eating those so much, Theerak. Can I have one?” Sure, Phii Hia.”
While the little guy bent down to grab a jelly for Hia, Muenfah—fed up— lifted his foot and kicked his friend hard, sending him tumbling down to the footrest area.
Thud!
“Ow… Damn it, Fah!”
“Sorry, my foot twitched.”
“P-Phii Hia… Sky, can you help pull Phii Hia up?”
“Serves him right…” Real, sitting in the back, said while laughing.
“No need to worry about him, stubborn one. Hia just loves attention.”
“No, no, this time I really can’t get up. Help pull me up!”
“Here… I’ll help.” Dom, sitting in the second row, got up to awkwardly hoist Hia back up.
“Then move over and sit with me, you jerk.”
“Fine, I’ll go.”
Hia shot him a glare before obediently moving to sit with Real in the back. He probably realized this time Muenfah wasn’t just making empty threats. Muenfah felt relieved to finally get rid of the troublemaker. Now he could sit and talk with the little guy, just the two of them, without interruptions.
“Phii Fah, sit properly, okay? Or you’ll end up falling like Phii Hia.”
“Last night, Hia stayed up late and passed out.”
“You didn’t get teased by you, did he, Phii Fah?” The small guy raised a finger and narrowed his eyes at him, trying to catch him out.
He teased me first.”
“I knew it… My Sky can’t be left alone for a second—always up to mischief.”
Muenfah gave a faint smile. “…”
“Are you sleepy, Phii Fah?…” The little one asked, patting his own shoulder with a few light taps. “If you’re sleepy, you can rest on this pillow.” “Heh.” This guy’s cuteness never stops.
Muenfah sat listening to him chatter away the whole ride. Whenever he went quiet, the small guy would find something new to talk about. But soon, that lively voice started to soften.
“Phii Fah ~ I’m sleepy now ~”
The one being whined at chuckled in his throat before gently guiding the sleepyhead to rest on his shoulder. “If you’re sleepy, sleep.”
“But if I fall asleep, won’t you get lonely, Phii Fah?” The small guy asked, rubbing his eyes to fight off sleep.
“I won’t be lonely… Don’t worry about me, stubborn little one.”
“Okayyy ~”
Muenfah looked at the head resting on his shoulder. The faint, sweet scent reminded him of that day when he first smelled it. He slid his arm around the small guy, shifting him to rest against his chest instead. In this position, the fragrance was even clearer, and because he loved this scent so much…
He couldn’t resist…
Muenfah kissed the top of his head again.
#However Many Thousand Skies
“We’re here, damn it!”
“If we’re here, then get off, you jerk. Stop dragging it out!”
“Get off slow, and Fah’ll kick you again.”
“Chill, guys. I’m getting off.”
Theerak grabbed his black backpack from beside him and slung it over his shoulder before stepping off the van. He stood watching the seniors and friends unload stuff from the vehicle, then walked around the vacation house toward the beach. He was about to help one of Muenfah’s friends who was carrying a large ice cooler, but his steps halted when someone pulled him back.
“No need… They’ll handle it themselves.”
“But I can help, you know.”
“The cooler’s full of beer—it’s super heavy. You won’t be able to carry it, stubborn little one.”
“…”
“Come with me instead…” After saying that, Muenfah took his hand and led him into the resort.
The two of them reached a spacious lobby area right by the sea. Theerak figured this must be a lounge for welcoming guests, since there were quite a few foreigners and Thais sitting around.
“Wait here a sec, stubborn little one.”
“Yes.” Theerak nodded while watching Muenfah walk to the front counter. He stood talking to a woman, likely a resort staff member, for a moment before returning to Theerak with the woman walking alongside him.
“Did you wait long?”
“No.”
“If you want anything extra, Fah, just let Jaeng know. I’ll have the staff bring it to you.” the woman said.
“Yes…” Muenfah replied before wrapping an arm around Theerak’s shoulder and giving him his usual smile. “I just ordered food with Uncle
Jaeng. Does my naughty one want anything special?”
“Uh, no, I can eat anything…”
“There are big shrimps, just like you like, Rak.” Jaeng added.
“Th-thank you, Uncle Jaeng.”
“No need to thank me. Fah’s the one who told me to prepare it for you, Rak.”
“Oh… right…” The staff woman’s words made it instantly clear to Theerak who he should thank. He looked up at the tall figure smiling faintly. “Thank you, Phii Fah.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Did he order for the others too?”
“Yes, but I ordered something special for my naughty one.”
Theerak nodded and smiled at the tall figure. “…”
“I’ll go greet some other guests first, Fah.” Jaeng said.
“Go ahead.” Muenfah replied.
Muenfah led him out of the lobby toward the beach. Theerak saw the older guys spreading out a mat and arranging things, while Panli was happily splashing in the water with Hia.
“Is this your uncle’s resort, Phii Fah?”
“Yes.”
“The vibe is amazing, and the houses are beautiful, right next to the sea too.” Theerak said, glancing at the row of neatly lined-up cottages. Without the wall separating the houses from the sandy beach, it’d truly be right on the water.
“My uncle once told me he regrets only building fifteen cottages.”
“Because that’s all the space there was?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s already a lot.”
“Only ten are actually open for tourists to stay in.”
“Huh? What about the other five?”
“My uncle kept one for himself, gave two to his sons, and then one each to me and Panli.”
“Oh, wow, your uncle’s so generous, Phii Fah!”
“Yeah… like where everyone’s sitting, that house belongs to Panli.” Muenfah said, pointing at a cream-colored single-story house before continuing, “And that one farther out is mine.”
“…” Theerak burst out laughing because Muenfah’s house seemed isolated, standing alone. It was quite a distance from Panli’s, and only then did he see Muenfah’s single-story house painted a dusty blue. “Why’s it so far from Panli’s?”
“When we were kids, I told Uncle that he didn’t want to stay near Panli because he talked too much, so Uncle gave me that house to…”
“Your family is really lovely, aren’t they?”
“It’s family has a nice surname too.”
“…” Theerak looked up at the person beside him who was smiling faintly. Although he didn’t fully understand what Muenfah was saying, that smile and those eyes were enough to make his face flush with warmth. “Niran is nicer, though.”
“Heh.”
It was the first time Muenfah chose to avoid his gaze, and when he finally mustered the courage to look back, it was Theerak who lost to Muenfah once again and had to look away too…
“Where have you two been?” Phii Real asked as the two of us walked toward the spot where everyone had spread out a mat to relax.
“I went to talk to the manager about our lunch…”
“Oh…”
“Did you order crab for me?”
“Weren’t my kicks enough to fill you up?”
“You bastard!”
“Haha!”
… It wasn’t just our friends or Muenfah who laughed at this banter; Theerak couldn’t help but laugh too. However, Hia charged straight at him alone.
“You’re so annoying… Let me pinch your cheek just once!”
“Ai-Hia!!”
The person reaching out to pinch his cheek froze at the shout from the bigger guy. Hia quickly pulled his hand back to his side and gave Muenfah an awkward smile.
“Sorry, I got carried away… He’s just so cute.”
“…” Muenfah stood still and took his hand. “Let’s go take some photos instead.”
“Sure ~”
Theerak walked quite a bit ahead of the taller man. Muenfah told him to wander around as he pleased and that he’d act as his personal photographer. The smaller guy stood still, letting the waves crashing onto the shore wash over his feet. Theerak smiled faintly as he watched the foam spread over the tops of his feet before disappearing.
“Phii Fah… come over here for a sec.”
“…”
Muenfah walked over and stood beside him. Theerak told him to stand still and wait for the next wave. When the new wave rushed in and hit the shore again, both of our bare feet felt the refreshing sensation the sea offered.
“Doing this feels so nice… like recharging ourselves before heading back to keep fighting.”
“…”
Since Muenfah didn’t respond, Theerak turned to look at the taller man standing beside him. At that moment, he saw Muenfah lift his camera to take a close-up shot. After lowering the camera and reviewing the photo he’d just taken, Muenfah smiled faintly before speaking while looking down at the image. “Yeah, I feel good every time I’m near the sea.”
“…”
This time, Muenfah took his eyes off the camera and looked into his eyes before saying, “Your sky, will be much brighter if it’s paired with the sea.”
At that moment, Theerak wasn’t sure which sound was louder—the sound of the waves and the sea breeze or the sound of his own heartbeat. But if he had to choose, Theerak thought that the sound of your sky, Fah, was the loudest.
“Your sky, will be much brighter if it’s paired with the sea.”
Because it echoed through his entire being…
And that familiar smile… lingered in his heart like a photograph.
Theerak lowered his gaze and pursed his lips to hide his embarrassment. He chose to keep walking without turning back to invite the taller man. And when he looked back, the one following him was still the same Muenfah, keeping some distance to take photos of him. It was at that moment that Theerak wanted to look at Muenfah through the camera lens too.
If he could watch Muenfah for once… what would it be like?
“Phii Fah… can I take a photo of you?”
Muenfah fell silent for a moment before handing him the white camera. “I don’t like being photographed… this stubborn one might have to work hard with this model.”
Theerak laughed and took the camera from Muenfah. “Don’t worry, Rak will take cool photos of this model.”
“Heh.”
“Phii Fah, walk ahead of me, and I’ll follow and take the shots.”
“Okay…”
“…”
“Just walk naturally, okay?”
“Sure… do as you like.”
This time, Theerak took on the role of personal photographer for Muenfah, trying out what it was like to follow him for once. Theerak didn’t know how good it would feel to see things from behind, but it must have been nice since Muenfah always liked following him.
Theerak looked at the tall man through the camera lens. Muenfah turned to look at him and flashed a smile he had never seen before—a smile that made Theerak realize Muenfah wasn’t exaggerating…
“Your sky, will be much brighter if it’s paired with the sea.”
That sentence from Muenfah replayed in his mind as he pressed the shutter.
And his heart started pounding again when he got to be the one watching Muenfah.
“Did you get any good shots?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Can I see them?”
“Sure…”
Theerak handed the camera to the man who walked back toward him. The man smirked when he saw his own photos. He scrolled through the images for Muenfah to see until they came across a photo of himself that Muenfah had taken.
A photo of him smiling so widely his eyes squinted…
“This picture is cute… I like it.”
“Smiling so much that your eyes disappear… what’s so cute about it, Phii Fah?”
“Everything about it is cute…” Muenfah finished speaking, let out a low laugh, and started walking ahead. Theerak touched his cheek with the back of his hand to check his temperature. He understood that the weather here was normally hot, but it was his own body temperature that felt abnormal.
It was… so hot it could make the sea boil, -___-
“Come take a picture with my house, naughty one.”
“Okayyy…” Theerak quickly ran to the spot Muenfah indicated. He stood in front of a single-story house painted in a dusty blue color.
“I will count from one to three, okay?”
“Can I pose however I want?”
“Yes… one, two, three.”
As soon as Muenfah counted to three, Theerak jumped into the air, raising both arms and smiling widely. Muenfah must have liked his posing a lot, judging by how much he laughed.
“Did the picture come out well, Phii Fah?”
“It’s good…” Muenfah handed him the camera to see the photo. “I like all the pictures.”
“But I especially love the picture I took for you…”
“…”
What did I just say? T___T “…”
“You like my picture?”
“Uh…” Theerak swallowed hard while looking at the taller man waiting for an answer. “Y-yes, because it’s my own handiwork.”
“I understand…”
“…”
“Let’s head back… I think the food has probably been delivered by now.”
“Okay…”
Theerak lowered his head to look at the sand while walking beside Muenfah. He felt uneasy about lying to the other man. The truth was, Theerak liked that picture because… it was a picture of Muenfah…not because it was his own handiwork as he had claimed…
“Is something wrong, naughty one?”
“Uh…”
“Why are you walking strangely?”
Theerak stopped walking and looked at his feet. Everything seemed normal on the outside, but he felt a slight pain in his ankle when he walked. It must have been from the jump in front of Muenfah’s house.
“I’m fine, Phii Fah…”
“Try walking a bit, naughty one.”
“…” Theerak tried his best to walk normally, but Muenfah noticed something off and grabbed his arm.
“You don’t need to walk anymore…”
“…”
“Ride on my back, you naughty one.”
“Well, I can walk, Phii Fah… just a bit slower than usual.”
Muenfah didn’t pay the slightest attention to what he said. He crouched down in front of him and told him to get on his back. Theerak thought for a moment before deciding to do as the other had instructed. Muenfah carried him on his back with ease.
“You naughty one… hug my neck quickly, or you’ll fall.”
The one being ordered pursed his lips before wrapping both arms around
Muenfah’s neck. “Sorry, okay?”
“For what?”
“For me being naughty and getting hurt, making you have to carry me back…”
“It’s just this, it’s not a hassle at all.”
“And one more thing…”
“…”
Theerak rested his chin on the broad shoulder and gazed far ahead to avoid feeling too shy to speak the truth. The smaller one took a deep breath before saying “Sorry for saying I liked your picture because I was the one who took it.”
“…”
“The truth is, I liked that picture because you were smiling…” “…”
Theerak peeked at the side profile of the tall, silent figure who didn’t respond. Muenfah’s subtle smile made him smile along too. He didn’t know what the other was thinking. Theerak only knew that the two of them cared about each other’s feelings.
It was as if they wanted to see the other smile all the time…
…and whenever he smiled, they would smile too.
“I will try to smile more often, okay?”
“Okay…”
Theerak nodded in agreement and tilted his head to look at Fah’s face. In the moment when Muenfah turned to look at him, he saw the other’s smile up close… so close that his heart started pounding again.
Thump, thump, thump, thump…
He quickly averted his eyes from the handsome face and looked straight ahead at everyone gathered together to distract himself and keep his heart from beating even harder.
“Are you afraid of heights, naughty one?”
“N-no, not at all.”
“…”
“Why does you think I’m is afraid of heights?”
“Because your heart is beating so fast…”
Theerak hurriedly loosened both arms from around Muenfah’s neck. He must have pressed himself too close to Muenfah’s back, allowing him to feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.
“W-well, I am just afraid of falling, that’s all.”
“Heh heh.”
“…”
“I think that a racing heart isn’t caused by fear…” Muenfah said before reaching out to take his hand, which was resting on his shoulder, and placing it over his left chest. Theerak blinked rapidly as he felt the rhythm of Muenfah’s heartbeat. “Because right now, I’m not afraid of anything, but my heart is still racing…”
Theerak pulled his hand away from Muenfah’s left chest and rested his face on his shoulder. Once he realized that the rhythm of their heartbeats was nearly identical…
Theerak felt his heart swell as big as the sun.
#However Many Thousand Skies
“Pass me some shrimp, Li…”
“The shrimp on the plate all have owners already.”
“What?…Almost thirty of them?”
“Uh-huh…”
“Who’s the owner? Come settle this with me.”
“Stop making a fuss. I’ll order more for you…”
Theerak looked at Muenfah, who was about to get up from the mat to order more shrimp for Hia. But Phii Real stopped him and offered some shrimp from his own plate to his friend instead.
“No need to go, Fah… I’ll share some with him.”
“…”
“First it’s crab, now it’s shrimp. Are you a glutton or something? Eating everything in sight.”
“If you’re going to complain this much after sharing, just keep it for yourself, Real.”
“Haha!”
Everyone burst into laughter at Hia and Phii Real’s exchange. But there was someone sitting quietly, peeling shrimp in silence. Theerak smiled faintly when he saw the large grilled shrimp in Muenfah’s hand. He knew instantly that soon that shrimp would be fed to him. So, Theerak rested his round head on the taller man’s arm to wait.
“Wait a sec, you little troublemaker.”
“Okayyy…”
“Oh man… that waiting-for-shrimp pose is melting my heart.” Hia said.
“If you’re not as handsome as Fah, don’t expect to find someone as cute as Theerak.”
“You little interrupter, always cutting me off, Hia!”
“If Ball shows up too, I’m telling you… Hia, you won’t stand a chance.”
“Good, don’t let him come… That jerk Ball loves to contradict me too.”
“Little troublemaker…” Muenfah called before feeding the shrimp into his mouth. Theerak took a big bite of the large shrimp and chewed happily. “Is it good?”
“It’s delicious…”
“Eating something tasty really puts you in a good mood, huh?” Phii Babe said.
Theerak, who was happily eating his shrimp, glanced at the person beside him who was also eating shrimp. “Close… is it good?”
“It’s good… Want some of mine, love? I can’t finish it all by myself.”
“Eat up soon… we’ll wait for you, Phii Fah.”
“Okay.”
Theerak craned his neck to look at the person sitting next to him peeling shrimp, Klai, before saying, “Li… peel some shrimp for Klai too, Klai likes eating shrimp.”
“The shrimp on his plate… I peeled them all.”
“Oh… I thought Klai peeled them himself.”
Klai put down his spoon and gave him a dry smile. “Panli peeled them for me…”
“Stubborn one…”
“Klai, keep eating… our shrimp is here, so we need to go back to eating our own shrimp too.” After saying that, Theerak turned to take a bite of his second shrimp. Muenfah, with a neutral expression, used the back of his nondirty hand to gently wipe the corner of his mouth.
“…”
Phii Fah, eat some too…”
“I can eat later.”
“…” This happens every time… Theerak reached out to pick up a crab. He tried his best to extract as much crab meat as possible. While he was focused on peeling the crab, large, sweet shrimp were continuously fed to him without pause.
“Does the stubborn one want to eat crab too?”
“No… I am peeling the crab for you, Phii Fah.” Theerak replied while turning to flash a sweet smile at Muenfah. The man probably wanted to pat his head like he usually did, but since both of Muenfah’s hands were dirty, he could only return the same familiar smile.
“Why are you peeling crab for me?”
“Because it’s hard to peel.”
His answer made Muenfah use the back of his clean hand to lightly tap the tip of his nose. “Good boy…”
“…”
Theerak smiled to himself and lowered his head to continue peeling the crab. He wanted to raise his hand to rub the back of his neck to ease his embarrassment like he usually did, but since his hands were dirty, he couldn’t.
“I want to be called a good boy too…”
“First of all, Hia, you’d have to stop being a jerk.”
“You damn jerk, Ko!”
“Stubborn one, you don’t need to peel anymore…”
Why not? One crab won’t be enough for you to feel full.”
“I can eat something else.”
“Then eat this first…” Theerak said as he picked up a small piece of crab meat to feed Muenfah. “Is it good?”
“It’s delicious.”
“Then I will feed you another piece…”
This time, Theerak picked up the largest piece of crab meat for Muenfah. The man prepared to take a bite as usual, but Theerak pulled his hand back first. Theerak laughed, delighted at teasing Muenfah. He held the crab meat in his mouth, preparing to eat it in one bite, but Muenfah, biting his lip as if annoyed, suddenly lunged forward so quickly that Theerak couldn’t react in time.
Muenfah used his mouth to snatch the tiny bit of crab meat left on the edge of his lips before pulling away. Theerak stood there with his mouth agape, blinking rapidly. Meanwhile, the person who got to eat the crab meat to their heart’s content sat there with a smug smile, peeling shrimp next.
Cough, cough
Theerak shifted his gaze from Muenfah to his older sister sitting across from him. Phii Babe choked on her food, her face turning red, but thankfully Phii Dom was there to hand her water and rub her back.
“I think I’ve got to try it…”
“Try what, Hia?”
Everyone followed Hia, as he stood up and walked toward the sea. Theerak furrowed his brows as he watched the senior scoop up seawater with his hands and drink it before returning to sit down.
What the hell are you doing?”
“I went to taste the seawater, duh. I wanted to see if the people around here could make it sweet.”
“Haha, it’s not like you couldn’t do it.”
“So… is it sweet?”
“Sweet… but now it feels like my kidneys are done for.”
“Haha!”
“Seawater and crab meat—what’s sweeter?”
“How would I know? I didn’t eat the crab. Ask the one who did…” Hia jerked his head toward Muenfah.
“So, Fah… is the crab meat sweet?”
Theerak sat still, waiting for Muenfah’s answer. He silently prayed that Muenfah wouldn’t respond because if Muenfah said it was sweet, he’d be so embarrassed he’d explode.
“Super sweet.” Boom!!!
Rak Niran, self-explosion complete.
T___T
#However Many Thousand Skies
After finishing lunch, everyone went their separate ways to change for swimming. Some, like Phii Babe and Phii Dom, who had worn their swimwear from home, could jump into the water right away. But for Theerak, he needed to change first.
“Phii Fah, are you changing too?”
“I’m just changing my pants, but keeping the same shirt.”
“What about you Klai? Did you bring a spare shirt?”
“I did.”
“Then I’ll go change first, okay?”
“There’s only one bathroom here… let’s go in together.”
“W-Wait, Phii Fah…” Theerak, standing in front of the bathroom door, was quickly pulled inside by the taller figure. He hadn’t even agreed to Muenfah’s suggestion yet. “Uh, the room’s so small… I-I think we should take turns instead?”
“…”
“We can take turns. You change first, little troublemaker, and I’ll wait.”
“Uh, well…” I started to explain, but he looked confused, like he didn’t want to listen. He turned toward the door, not looking at me. I sighed before saying, “Hey, please…”
“Can’t you change, little troublemaker? Should I turn around and help you?”
“N-No, it’s fine… I can change myself.” Rak stepped back from him, clutching his swimwear tightly. His thought to himself that he’d never shared a bathroom with anyone in his life. Even at camp, he’d wait until his friends were done before using it. But this situation was forcing him too much. “D-
Don’t turn around, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to change now, don’t turn around, okay?”
“Okay.”
Rak hadn’t even taken off a single piece of clothing yet. He was just testing him. No matter how stubborn or clueless he seemed, he knew Phii Fah wasn’t the sneaky type. Rak took a deep breath and finally changed into my swimwear.
It took him less than five minutes to change, but Rak didn’t tell him he was done because he wanted to see if Phii Fah’d sneak a peek. Several minutes passed, and he showed no sign of turning around.
“Hey… I’m done.”
“Okay…” Muenfah turned back to face Rak. “Are you going to face the door like I did, or stay where you are, little troublemaker?”
“Uh, where are you going to change?”
“Right here.”
“Then I’ll face the wall instead.”
“Okay…”
Rak quickly turned to face the white wall. he stood there waiting as Muenfah changed, and after a short while, he tapped Rak’s arm to let me know he was done.
“Hey… why are you dressed so revealing?”
“Huh?”
“…” Rak stared at him. Muenfah had changed into short black pants and unbuttoned his shirt completely, exposing his bare chest and abs.
“You can’t dress so revealing like that!”
“Where’s it revealing, little troublemaker?”
“Here…” Rak pointed at his chest, then at his abs. “And here too.”
“This is considered revealing?”
“Yes!”
“No, it’s not…” Muenfah frowned as he smiled faintly. He leaned down a little and whispered softly, “This is called jealousy.”
“…”
He chuckled in his throat and opened the door. Muenfah took Rak hand and led him out of the bathroom. Rak was still thinking about what he’d just said when he noticed several women in the lobby sneaking glances at them.
“You’re too exposed!” Rak couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled the taller person to a stop, taking the liberty to button up their shirt. “Button it all the way up, okay?”
He had to admit… he was possessive.
“Can I leave the top three buttons undone?”
“…” Muenfah knew the other was sensitive to heat, so his request softened his heart. “Two buttons are fine, no more negotiating, alright?”
“…Okay.”
“There, all done. Now Phii Fah, you can go play in the water.”
“I don’t like playing in the water.”
“Huh? Then why did you change?”
“I’m going to watch you play in the water.”
Rak smiled to Muenfah. “You can watch from the beach.”
“No way… your ankle still hurts, doesn’t it?”
“A little bit.”
“That’s exactly why I need to stay close. You don’t know how rough my friends can play…”
“Are they really that rough?”
“They’re a bunch of wild ones.”
“…”
He nodded in acknowledgment and followed the taller person’s lead. As soon as they reached the gathering spot, everyone headed to the middle of the sea to play monkey-in-the-middle with a ball. The older guy said playing it on the beach was too ordinary, so they increased the difficulty by moving it to the water.
The smaller one glanced down at the seawater, which reached his knees, though for others it only came up to their shins. He felt a bit jealous of the taller seniors who weren’t affected by the waves crashing in, especially the one standing calmly behind him.
As for him? When a big wave hit…
His legs nearly gave out! T___T
“Stubborn one, are you okay?”
He nodded shakily. He really wanted to play with the older guys, no matter how tough it got—he was determined. “I’ll keep going…”
“Alright, let’s start… you, the older guy, be the monkey first.”
“Me again?”
“Yeah, you!”
Everyone spread out into a circle around the older guy. He turned to look behind him and saw the taller one standing with arms crossed. The taller one didn’t join in the game but was there just to watch him. They gave a nod, signaling they’d stay in place.
“Hey, you, Fah, aren’t you going to play with us?”
“…” The taller one shook their head. “Just watching him is enough for me.”
“Up to you.”
“Come on, let’s get started!”
The first person to hold the rubber ball was him, close by. Hia dashed straight toward him, but the ball was passed to Panli before Hia could snatch it. Then, as Hia returned to the center to intercept the next pass, Panli tricked him by passing the ball to the person next to him instead, ensuring Hia couldn’t escape being the monkey.
“You bastards! Ganging up to mess with me!”
“Haha!”
“Nong Rak!… Catch it!”
“Yes…” Theerak caught the ball passed to him by Phii Real. Without hesitation, he quickly passed it on to Phii Dom, but Hia ignored the ball and kept walking toward him. “The ball’s not with me anymore…” Theerak waved his hands back and forth in denial.
“I don’t want the ball anymore. Can I have your cheek instead?”
“No way…”
The smaller figure stepped back until his back bumped into someone. Theerak looked up at the tall person standing close behind him. Muenfah wrapped one arm around his chest. Hia, who had reached out to grab his cheek, froze and let out a dry laugh.
“I’m so annoyed with you, Fah…”
“You still haven’t learned your lesson?”
“Heh, can’t I just touch him once, Fah?”
“Not this one.”
“Hia! Please don’t interfere, I’m begging you. Fah is so possessive of his stuff.” Real said.
“Fine, I won’t meddle…”
Theerak laughed as he saw Hia make a heart shape with his hands and send it his way, thinking how playful all of Muenfah’s friends were. But a whisper in his ear drew his attention away from Hia.
“Naughty boy…”
“Yes, Phii Fah.”
“Should we head back to rest?”
“Are you tired, Phii Fah?”
“No, but I noticed that you’re still hurting your ankle. If you push yourself to walk too much, it’ll hurt more.”
“…” He still wanted to play, but what Muenfah said was true. “Alright.”
“I’ll take him to rest first, okay?”
“Okay, okay.”
Muenfah carried him on his back and brought him back to the beach as before. While resting, Muenfah excused himself to use the bathroom, so Theerak watched the others play monkey-in-the-middle absentmindedly.
“Still want to play?”
Theerak turned to the tall figure sitting across from him and nodded. “Yes.
If my ankle wasn’t hurt, I could’ve had fun for longer.”
“I’ll bring you back to visit again.”
“Invite lots of your friends again, like this time. It’s more fun with a big group.”
“Alright…” Muenfah smiled before pulling something out of his pants pocket. “But right now, I think you should put on more sunscreen, or your face might get burned.”
“Phii Fah, you carry sunscreen with you all the time?”
“I always carry it, but not for myself.”
Muenfah squeezed the white cream onto his fingertip and drew lines on both of his cheeks. He smiled faintly before dabbing a bit of sunscreen on the tip of his nose too.
“You look like a kitten…”
“Does a kitten have to make a face like this?” Theerak said while wrinkling his nose at Muenfah.
“Can you make that face again? Phii Fah wants to take a picture to keep.”
“Sure…” Theerak complied with Muenfah’s request easily. The latter raised his camera to snap a photo before helping him apply the sunscreen.
“…”
“Phii Fah, aren’t you going to put on sunscreen?”
“I’ll do it later.”
“Want me to apply it for you?”
“No need… I’ll do it myself.”
Theerak sat still, watching Muenfah carefully apply the sunscreen for him. He didn’t know when he started liking to watch Muenfah, but it was at this moment that he wanted to get a little closer to him.
“You… let me take care of you too, okay?” Theerak said as he gently held the other’s face with both hands. He looked into those sharp eyes and smiled. He didn’t know where he got the courage to do this but then again… it was because the person in front of him was Muenfah that he dared to.
Theerak moved his face closer to the other. He closed his eyes and touched the tip of his nose to Muenfah’s. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his attempt to share the sunscreen with Muenfah had succeeded perfectly.
…There was a dab of his sunscreen on the tip of Muenfah’s nose.
“Naughty one…”
“I want to share the sunscreen with you…” Theerak’s hand reached out to spread the white cream on the tip of Muenfah’s nose before saying, “And I also want to take care of you like I said.”
“Thank you.”
Theerak smiled. “Phii Fah you have taken care of me a lot already. Let me take care of you Phii Fah too, okay?”
#However Many Thousand Skies
“Have you packed everything?”
“Yeah…”
Theerak stepped into the car and sat in his usual spot. Not long after, Muenfah, who had gone to talk to the resort manager, returned. He checked everything one more time before getting in and sitting next to him as usual.
“You can start the car now.”
“Yes, Khun Fah…”
“Are you tired, Fah?”
Muenfah smiled and shook his head in denial, “Not tired.”
“What about sleepy?” Theerak asked while patting his own shoulder with a few light slaps, “If you’re sleepy, you can rest on this pillow like usual.”
“Heh,…right now, I am starting to feel sleepy,”
Muenfah said as he let his head drop onto his shoulder. Theerak smiled and started telling funny stories, wanting to make him laugh. But not long after, the sound of laughter began to fade. It was then that Theerak realized Muenfah had fallen fast asleep. He turned to look at the chocolate-brown hair that carried a pleasant scent to his nose.
It was Muenfah’s signature scent.
And because he was genuinely starting to like this scent Theerak secretly took a whiff of Muenfah’s head…
TBC
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