MYMOON, Chapter 13:
The small person with a flushed face looked down, avoiding eye contact. Panli reached out to gently lift their delicate chin, urging them to look up so he could check on them. Klaijai said that while walking to the badminton court, the weather was quite hot, and they felt faint, almost collapsing, so they rested under this tree. But Panli didn’t know how long they had been sitting in the shade, as he had only stepped out to smoke with the boss not long ago. Panli was worried about them not arriving at the court yet, even though some time had passed. So, he decided to message Klaijai.
However, every time he sent a message, someone’s LINE notification kept ringing. To make sure, he sent several more messages, and each time the notification sounded, he followed the sound to find its source.
Because Panli didn’t let it slide, he found the sneaky Klaijai, who had been resting here after nearly fainting. He looked at their bright red face, frustrated with himself for letting them walk alone in the hot sun. Even though the sun wasn’t too intense, Klaijai didn’t seem to handle hot weather very well.
The small person blinked rapidly while looking at me, their chocolatecolored hair sticking to their forehead with sweat. “KhunKlai, let’s head to the court.”
“Mhm,” they responded, standing up to their full height with my support. “I… I’m feeling better now, Panli.”
“KhunKlai, hop on my back.”
“N-no, it’s fine, Panli. I can walk now.” Their small hands waved in refusal, their thin lips parting as if to say something. But because I accidentally gave them a stern look, they pursed their lips tightly. “…I-I can really walk on my own, okay?”
I didn’t mean to be harsh, but it slipped out. “Don’t be stubborn,
KhunKlai. I’m really worried about you.”
The small, initially stubborn person nodded in agreement. I turned my back to them, and they obediently leaned onto me. Since Klaijai wasn’t very heavy, I stood up easily and carried them to the badminton court where my friends were waiting.
“Panli… am I heavy?” The small person, loosely holding onto my neck, tilted their head to ask before continuing, “I’m sorry.”
“KhunKlai, you need to eat more,” I said with a chuckle to ease their mind.
“If I eat more, it’ll be even harder for you, Panli.”
I laughed at their cute words. A faint, baby powder-like scent wafted past my nose as they tightened their arms around me, as if afraid of falling. I guessed Klaijai loved using perfume because every time we met, they always wore a different scent.
And Klaijai had great taste.
Every scent they chose suited me perfectly.
“Over here, Li!”
“Yeah…” I nodded, walking toward the long bench where the boss had somehow set up a fan. I gently set the small person down. Klaijai loosened their arms as both feet touched the ground. I turned to check on them again. “KhunKlai, rest here for a bit, okay?”
“Mhm.”
Klaijai sat down obediently. This time, he really couldn’t hold out, because normally he wouldn’t give in so easily. He’s the type to push himself, like when he refused to call me even though he was about to faint. Klaijai rarely follows my instructions on the first try; he always has some counterargument. And I, wanting to help him, have to constantly persuade him to agree.
But that doesn’t mean he’s stubborn. He’s just overly considerate, hesitant to accept help from others because he’s afraid of troubling them. Klaijai always tries to do everything himself to the very limit first.
Standing there, he reached out one hand to brush back his sweatdampened bangs. His smooth, pale forehead was covered in tiny beads of sweat. So, he used the back of his other hand to gently wipe the sweat away for him. The small guy sat still, gazing toward the exit door. His slender hands, holding his wallet and notebook, rested on his lap. Then Klaijai looked up, meeting my eyes. His faintly flushed cheeks and clear, innocent almond-shaped eyes made me unconsciously bite my lip lightly.
Damn, it’s intense…
And in that moment, when Panli was utterly charmed by the person in front of me, he had to find a way to restrain himself from pinching his cheeks too hard, like he often does with close friends. Instead, he gently “squeezed his nose” and spoke softly to Klaijai…
“Feeling better yet, KhunKlai?”
“Mhm, I’m feeling much better.”
Even though Klaijai said that, Panli couldn’t help but worry. He lightly touched his soft cheek with the back of my hand. The scorching heat on his smooth skin made me glance at the fan, where the boss stood guard as if afraid it’d disappear. He nodded, seemingly reading his mind, and turned the fan up a notch.
“Are you really feeling better, KhunKlai? Don’t push yourself, okay?” “Mhm, I’m really better,” the small guy said, flashing me a smile.
It was a gentle smile, always ready to comfort others. Perhaps it was Klaijai’s smile that made him move closer to him. Panli pulled his fluffy head to rest against his stomach, one hand gently stroking his soft hair while the other rubbed his thin back.
“Sorry for letting you walk here alone.”
The small guy reached one hand to pat my back, whispering softly,
“Don’t overthink it, Panli of mine.”
Panli couldn’t help but smile at the phrase “Panli of mine.” he’d never felt so delighted to belong to someone before, but being his made me feel more than just “delighted.”
“Want some water, KhunKlai?” The small guy, with his face still pressed against Panli stomach, shook his head slightly. He let out a quiet sigh, thinking… just Klaijai nearly fainting had me this worried. If he got seriously ill…
You’d lose it, you idiot…
“…”
“You little troublemaker… have some water, okay?” Panli didn’t like seeing Klaijai so down like this. Others might see him as calm and proper, but he see the mischief hidden inside him. Sometimes, those innocent eyes turn playful and cheeky, making him want to spank him till his hand leaves a mark. But he can only think it… and choose to do what’s more realistic instead, like, “Have some water, okay? I’ll go get it for you.”
“Panli… I don’t want water.”
Panli used both hands to gently hold his face, tilting it up so their eyes met. The small guy’s eyes were back to their usual bright, clear sparkle. Panli heart wanted to lean down and playfully nip at his little nose, maybe sneak a couple of bites at his faintly red cheeks, but all he could do was flash a smile at Klaijai and coax the sneaky guy as I always do…
“Better drink some water, okay? Trust me.”
The small guy furrowed his brows slightly, as if thinking it over. He scanned the surroundings before asking, “Is you going far to get the water?”
Those twinkling, innocent eyes and Klaijai’s sweet words.
They completely melt his heart.
“Not far. Just over there,” Panli said, pointing to the blue cooler at the other end of the field. Klaijai followed my finger with his gaze and gave a small nod.
“Come back quick, Panli. Besides Boss, I don’t know anyone else here,” the small guy said, nodding toward the field before continuing,
“…and Boss is already playing badminton.”
He’s like this… how could I leave him for long?
Honestly, Panli want Klaijai to change his name.
Change it from “Klaijai” to “KlaiPanli.”
So they could be near together forever.
“Okay, I will be right back.”
Klaijai raised his hand in an “OK” gesture before saying, “Okay.”
Panli reached out to ruffle Klai’s messy hair before walking to grab water from the ice cooler. Dozens of water bottles were chilling in the ice. He felt bold enough to grab one without asking because his friends and Panli’s had reserved the whole field. There was no one else here— just his high school buddies and their girls. Normally, they’d be all up in his business, but right now, they were too busy enjoying badminton and flirting with the faculty beauties they’d invited to play.
But that’s fine…
No need to deal with them.
So annoying…
“Phii Li…”
A soft, hesitant voice called out, pulling his attention from the cooler. When he turned toward the sound, he saw a pretty girl standing there, smiling at me. He furrowed his brows, trying to recall if we’d met before.
“It’s really Phii Li… Earlier, I only saw your back, so I wasn’t sure.”
Panli remembered now. This girl was the star of the business faculty at his university. They’d met a few months ago at an old friend’s birthday party.
“Yeah.”
“Have you been here long, Phii Li?… I had no idea you’d be here too.”
“I didn’t plan to come, just stopped by to see a friend.”
“Where’s you sitting?”
Panli glanced away from my junior and looked at the long bench where Klaijai had been waiting for a while. But the sight made him want to chuck a water bottle at his annoying friend’s head.
“That bastard Tew,” I muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration as I saw his close friend from high school, who’d just returned from China, sitting on the ground in front of Klaijai, grinning like an idiot. “You flirt with anyone, you jerk.”
Without hesitation, Panli grabbed a cold water bottle and scooped a handful of ice with his other hand before turning to his junior, who was waiting for an answer.
“Close the ice cooler for me, okay?”
“Uh, sure, Phii Li.”
“Just wait, you bastard Tew. You’ve been in China so long, you must be craving a kick from me.”
The closer Panli got to Klaijai’s bench, the more he noticed Tew’s sparkling eyes as he looked at Klaijai. What made me want to knock him flat was that he managed to get a smile out of Klaijai.
“You bastard Tew!” Thud!
“Ow! My head!”
“Yeah! I meant to hit your head with that ice!”
“Uh, Panli…”
The remaining ice in Panli hand was thrown at the target again. Tew raised both arms to shield himself before clasping his hands and raising them above his head. He probably realized he was genuinely pissed. Even though they usually roughhouse as guys do, this time he must’ve sensed the intensity was higher than usual—and it’d only get worse if he kept pushing me.
“Alright, I give up! I give up!”
“You ugly jerk.”
Panli tries to be a good person in Klaijai’s eyes. He doesn’t want to curse or act like a brute in front of someone so kind. But his annoying friends always provoke him into letting this side of him out.
He looked at the small person blinking rapidly, tempted to scold them for smiling at Tew. But instead, he just opened the water bottle and handed it to Klaijai. They took it, drank, and—probably sensing his annoyance—glanced at him while sipping. After finishing, they handed the bottle back with a wide, pleading smile, as if trying to make him less mad.
“Panli, want to drink together? It’ll be refreshing~”
“No thanks.”
Panli replied while scanning the small person from head to toe again. He was wearing an oversized short-sleeved T-shirt tucked into lightcolored skinny jeans, paired with white Adidas sneakers. It made him deeply worried because even in such a simple, casual outfit, Klaijai was this charming. If one day they decided to dress up more, he’d probably struggle to fend off everyone buzzing around them. And if you ask why he got so mad when he saw that jerk Tew talking to them…
It’s because… Klaijai
Is totally Tew’s type.
Hot-headed as Panli, he is not very rational when he feels possessive over something. Like now, when he stepped in front of the small person to block Tew’s view of his good person. he knows he being foolish, especially since he has no claim over him. he should stick to his original plan and not rush the relationship. But because he so possessive, he couldn’t help but place one hand over their thin lips. Klaijai, looking up at his, widened their eyes slightly, seemingly startled that he covered his mouth.
“Can you not smile at Tew?” Even though his actions clearly screamed “don’t,” I knew I didn’t have that much right over them. So all his could do was
Beg Klaijai.
The kind-hearted person nodded hesitantly. Selfish and possessive as he is, Panli let them go, slowly withdrawing his hand. he admits he deliberately let his palm lightly brush against Klai’s soft lips.
Those pink slips…
Panli desperately wanted to touch them…
Panli froze when someone tugged at the hem of his shirt. He sighed heavily before turning around. Tew sat on the ground, smirking smugly. Reluctantly, Panli sat opposite him, then slid back to settle between Klaijai’s slender legs.
Looking up, Panli saw Klaijai press their lips tightly before offering a faint smile. Klaijai probably wasn’t used to this closeness, but Panli believed they’d adjust soon. He leaned back against the edge of the long bench where Klaijai sat, rubbing the white sneakers on either side of him.
Rubbing to make them feel safe.
Rubbing in hopes… that Klaijai would touch him back.
But if Klaijai wasn’t ready… that was fine.
Panli would step back… give them time.
Then approach again…
“Haven’t seen you in a while, and you’ve gotten way tougher, huh?” Tew said.
“Tough my ass, I’m the same as always,” Panli shot back.
“My head… doesn’t feel the same. It’s swollen like a damn lime, you bastard.”
“Over the top, you bastard,” Panli said, laughing.
“Wanna try getting hit in the head with an ice cube?”
Panli chuckled, watching Tew rub his head sheepishly. “You come back and don’t even tell your friend, you idiot.”
“Honestly, I came back all heartbroken… got dumped by a Chinese girl. Didn’t have the energy to message my friends.”
“Pathetic, getting dumped just means you chug some booze. Why make a big deal out of it?”
“Ugh… a handsome guy like you probably never got dumped like me.”
“How would you know?”
“I just know.”
“Those damn bosses keep reporting my business all the time, don’t they?”
“Boiled peanuts.”
“Nosy bastards.”
“Wanna party tonight?” Tew asked, his eyes flickering past Panli to Klaijai.
“Who’re you asking, you bastard?! Be straight with me.”
“Uh, asking you, duh… ugh, you’re overthinking!”
“Overthinking, huh? Wanna eat my foot that bad?”
“Haha… so, you’re really not going?”
“Yeah, I’m done with parties.”
“Gimme a reason.”
“Not giving one.”
“Ugh, I hate secretive people.”
Panli laughed, but then Klaijai’s slender hands rested on his shoulders, and they leaned down, calling softly, “Panli…”
It felt natural. Panli reached up to hold the hand on his shoulder and asked, “Yeah… what’s up?”
“Can Panli be my chin rest for a bit?” Klaijai said, gently patting his head.
Panli turned to the small figure blinking cutely and said, “Sure thing.”
Panli didn’t know what prompted Klaijai to rest their chin on his head, but the brush of their hair deepened their bond. As he turned to keep chatting with Tew, Klaijai’s slender chin settled gently on his head, their hands dropping to rest on his chest.
Tew glanced between Panli and Klaijai, sighing and shaking his head.
Panli knew Tew was jealous and regretful, but powerless. To flaunt Klaijai’s affection, Panli grabbed Klaijai’s slender arms and wrapped them around his neck. Tew rubbed his temple and changed the topic.
Give it up, buddy… This one’s mine.
“So, how’s school going for you?” Tew asked.
“It’s fine… professors are piling on assignments,” Panli replied.
“Haha, same as me, then.”
While talking, Panli caught Boss gesturing from a distance out of the corner of his eye. He ignored it, focusing on Tew. Boss was likely egging Klaijai on. Sneaking another glance, Panli saw Boss push his bangs up, revealing his forehead. Boss probably wanted Klaijai to do the same to Panli. After showering in the locker room, Panli hadn’t styled his hair to show his forehead like he did for soccer, letting it dry naturally.
If Klaijai followed Boss’s cue, it wouldn’t faze Panli—he often styled his hair that way anyway. But Boss would likely relish seeing Panli in full “puppy mode.”
Panli was testing if Klaijai would do it.
Puppy or not… we’ll see.
Then, one of Klaijai’s slender hands moved to Panli’s forehead. A small palm slid under his hair, sweeping it back to expose his forehead.
The other hand pinched both of Panli’s cheeks, unable to resist.
Tew’s eyes widened, probably expecting Panli to snap at Klaijai. But Panli wouldn’t. He knew Tew was ready to tease Klaijai. Instead, Panli kept talking with Tew as Klaijai’s hands, satisfied with pinching, let go, leaving only the hand holding his hair back.
Go for it, Klaijai… Give it all you’ve got.
Tew burst out laughing, giving a thumbs-up to Klaijai giggling behind
Panli. “Well done! You’ve got Li completely tamed.”
Klaijai’s soft laughter showed their joy. When they finally released Panli’s hair, Klaijai kindly smoothed and neatened his bangs back into place.
It’s like you patted my head and fixed it, Klaijai…
Panli turned to Klaijai, who’d been beaming with mischievous eyes but suddenly went quiet, lips closed, as if worried Panli was upset. Their eyes locked in a quiet moment that settled in Panli’s heart.
His friends probably saw him as Klaijai’s puppy, and soon they’d tease him as “puppy” whenever they met. Panli didn’t love the nickname.
But then Klaijai wrinkled their nose, flashed a sweet smile, and softly said, “Puppy.”
And with that, Panli didn’t mind it so much.
Panli fought to hide a grin. Klaijai had a knack for calming him down. He wasn’t wrong to label them “mischievous”—they were far more playful than he’d ever guessed. Gazing at Klaijai, still wearing that sweet smile, Panli thought,
Scold them, Li… Say,
“Don’t call me puppy again!”
If he didn’t nip it in the bud, his carefully built tough-guy image would shatter. But seeing Klaijai beaming so brightly…
Forget it. Let the image crash.
What was the use of being tough? Chuck it, Li. It’s pointless anyway.
That’s all it took. He’d do it for Klaijai.
“Mischievous,” Panli mumbled, turning back to chat with that jerk
Tew. He wasn’t accustomed to being someone’s person, or this tender “puppy” who melted for them. He couldn’t fathom he’d turned into this, yielding so much it felt unreal. As his hand glided up to softly rub the slender arm around his neck, he had to face it…
You can resist… but you’re completely smitten with them.
Boss: sent a photo
Tillll: LOLOLOL, you puppy Lotto: For real?
F: Who’s the one straddling Li?
Tillll: Straddling where? Don’t be crude. I was sitting right there.
Klai wasn’t straddling anyone. It was Li who squeezed in between Klai’s legs. Don’t make it sound like Klai’s some wild person, you jerk.
F: Damn, I didn’t know. The side angle in the photo makes it look like they’re straddling Li.
Lotto: I zoomed in on the pic, and they’re pretty cute, not gonna lie.
- Panli: @Lotto, Easy there. Zoom in lightly, you bastard.
Boss: LOLOLOLOLOL
- Panli: @Boss, You too, you jerk Boss. Tone down your sleazy vibes.
Panli shook his head in frustration while tapping on the keyboard. After parting ways with his friends and getting in the car to head home, those devilish friends immediately started messing with him. They sent a photo to their close friends’ LINE group—taken when Klaijai playfully ruffled his hair, exposing his forehead. This group only has Panli’s high school friends, none from university.
And there are almost 30 people in the damn group.
Tonight, most of them are partying together.
That photo of me is definitely going to be the source of their entertainment.
- Panli: If anyone saves that photo to their phone, you bastard, I’ll come to your house and beat you up.
- Panli: And if you don’t stop sending this photo to mock me, Boss, I’ll burn your house down.
F: Delete it, quick!
Boss: If you don’t come to the party, I’m not deleting the photo. P. Panli: You scum.
Tillll: Go beg Klai first, you puppy. P. Panli: …No need to beg.
- Panli: Just telling him is enough.
Lotto: You were almost cool when you said, “No need to beg,” but then you turned into a puppy again with, “Just telling him is enough,” lololol.
Done… I’m completely done for.
My tough-guy system is totally malfunctioning.
F: Come on, man. No girls at this party, just friends. Come catch up on life.
- Panli: Fine, I’ll go, but I’m leaving early.
Tillll: Cool, see you there!
Panli locked the screen and let out a tired sigh. Tonight, they’re definitely going to tease him nonstop. he slipped the black phone back into his pocket and turned to look at the person beside him, who was flipping through a notebook. Panli wanted to pull the small person over and playfully scold them for going along with Boss’s antics, but all he could do was… gently pat their fluffy head.
When Klai turned and smiled at him…
All he could manage was, “Is your seatbelt fastened properly?”
That’s all he’s got…
Yeah, I’m totally the pathetic puppy you said I am, Boss.
“Mhm, all set.”
“Don’t stay up late tonight, KhunKlai…” Panli said it because he was genuinely worried about him, but he also admits he used it to segue into something else he wanted to say. “I was planning to sleep early tonight, but my friends are insisting I go…”
“Going to a party, huh?”
“Yup.”
“Don’t drink too much, Panli…” the small guy said with a concerned tone and expression. “If you can’t drive back, take a taxi, okay?” “Okay,” Panli replied. Phew, got that out of the way.
Panli let go of his fluffy head, moved my hand to shift gears, and drove out of the parking lot. On the way, they chatted casually. Klaijai has gotten so much better at talking. He glanced at the guy beside him, who was now nonstop sharing cute stories. When Klaijai is this lively, mischievous self… It makes him want to… …protect him forever.
Keep him as his little troublemaker forever.
Since traffic wasn’t bad today, he got Klaijai to his condo faster than expected. The small guy left his wallet with him on the car’s console, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got ready to get out. He turned to flash me a smile and waved goodbye.
It was at this moment he thought…
Man, you gotta be a bit clearer now.
“Klaijai…” Panli called out, stopping him as he was getting out. His almond-shaped eyes looked at me with curiosity. “I know we’ve known each other for a while now… and you have already let me be your friend.”
“…”
“But I want things to be clear for both of us…” Every step, every stage of our relationship… I want it to be as clear as possible. Of course, I hope it deepens over time, but it has to be clear too. “KhunKlai…will you be my friend?”
The little troublemaker gave a shy smile, then nodded firmly. “I agree.”
Damn…
So freaking cute.
Mom’s Winnie the Pooh could never compete with Klaijai…
“Have sweet dreams tonight, okay?”
“Mhm, sweet dreams to you too, Panli.”
The small guy opened the door to get out, but then he closed it again and turned to meet his eyes. At that moment… his heart trembled. It wanted to say something to him, but he could only bury those words deep inside and give him a reassuring smile, so he’d feel safe enough to say what he intended.
“Um, I… I know Panli is kinda impatient…” Klaijai looked down, avoiding my gaze, before continuing, “Honestly, it won’t be long before we’re even closer, I’m sure.”
“…”
In the next second, Klaijai looked up and met his eyes again. “We could just skip straight to being best friends, you know.”
Panli burst out laughing before replying, “Sure… so we’re best friends now, then.”
“Mhm… I’ll head off now.”
“Okay… sweet dreams, round two, Klaijai.”
Klaijai nodded before saying, “Sweet dreams, round two, to you too.”
Panli watched the small guy get out of the car, his eyes following him until he disappeared into the condo. Then he picked up his phone and typed a message to send him on LINE.
- Panli: Sweet dreams, round three, sneaky guy.
Panli: sent a sticker glaijai: sent a sticker
The sticker of a rabbit sleeping soundly on a bed with the English phrase “Good night” brought a wide smile to my face. The little hearts floating around the rabbit…
They made him lose…
Lose to Klaijai in every way…
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