MYMOON, Chapter 23:
As the elevator doors slid open, Klai stepped out, holding bread and milk that his older brother always left in his locker every Wednesday, accompanied by his two close friends. After submitting documents to request the use of the branch’s mascot costume for the open house event, Klai and his friends headed straight to the wide courtyard behind the university. A few days earlier, the head of the art department, responsible for the branch’s booth, had sent a message in the group chat asking for additional volunteers.
Seeing no one else respond, Klai, who had already finished his own tasks, volunteered to help, which led him and his friends to this courtyard.
Klai… where’s Leaf?” Pie asked, noticing students from various faculties painting their booths in the same area.
“There, Leaf’s over there…” Klai said, pointing at a friend from their branch waving at them, before adding, “…let’s go.”
“Looks like Leaf’s group is almost done with the booth, right?” Mai asked as they approached their branch mates.
“But Leaf might have other tasks for us to help with…”
“I was thinking the same as you. When Leaf messaged us for help, it seemed like there was a ton of work,” Klai said.
Mai and Pie, walking on either side of him, nodded lightly in agreement. They stopped in front of Leaf, the head of the art department, whose sweat-covered face betrayed a sigh before he spoke.
“Sorry for dragging you guys into this… really, we shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“It’s fine, Leaf,” Klai replied.
“So, what’s left for us to do?” Mai asked.
“The booth’s all done now. Just waiting for the paint to dry, that’s it.”
“…”
“But the task we want you guys to help with is making a brochure… one we can hand out to the juniors when they visit our booth.”
“Oh…”
“You guys can use Photoshop, right?”
“Yeah, I can manage,” Klai replied, nodding slightly.
Even if we don’t know how, don’t worry, Leaf…” Mai said, turning to him with a sly smile. “…Because Klai’s soon-to-be boyfriend studies graphic design. We can just ask Klai’s future boyfriend to help.”
“Mai, really?!”
“Oh… you mean Panli?”
Mai and Pie burst out laughing at the question from their department mate. Klai rubbed his ear, feeling a flush of heat, before nodding in confirmation.
When Leaf asks so directly like that,
Klai figured he had to answer just as directly.
“I knew it… cause I’ve seen you with Panli a lot.”
Leaf’s comment made Klai even more embarrassed, and he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. “…”
“So, we’re counting on you for the brochure, Klai.”
“Sure thing, I’ll get it done.”
“When it’s finished, send it to me via email, and I’ll print it out in the morning…” Leaf said, letting out another sigh. “…It’s a good thing you guys are helping. Otherwise, we’d have no brochures for the department to hand out tomorrow, for sure.”
“What about the others? Aren’t they helping with the event?” Mai asked.
“Some are helping… but only a few. The rest said they’re tied up with classes and can’t come. Honestly, I’m also busy with classes, but this is a group responsibility, so we have to make time for it.”
“I get it…” Klai said.
Yeah, that’s how it is…” Leaf gave a wry smile before continuing,
“Anyway, thanks a lot, you guys.”
“Mhm… we’ll head out then. After the next class, we’ll hurry back to work on the brochure.”
“Okay.”
With the confirmation from their department mate, Klai turned and nodded to his two close friends, signaling them to go. He, Mai, and Pie left the area, and along the way, the three of them agreed to work on the project at his condo after the next class.
“Klai… I’m gonna stop by to grab a blended cocoa real quick.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Come with~”
Klai watched Pie chasing after Mai toward the drink shop under the faculty building. He plopped down on a long chair, took a swig from a milk bottle, and unwrapped a piece of bread from its plastic packaging. His thin lips bit into the soft bread, chewing heartily.
However, the vibration of his phone in his pants pocket made Klai set the milk and bread on his lap. He reached in and pulled it out, and the name on the caller ID brought a sweet smile to his face.
‘My Moon’
“Done with class, little pup?”
[Yes, kha.]
Klai pressed his lips together to suppress a grin when he heard Moon’s voice. They hadn’t seen each other all day yesterday because he had a presentation and classes until evening, while Panli had to attend a meeting with business partners at Once in a Blue Moon until late. No matter how often they called each other, it didn’t lessen the overwhelming longing one bit.
“Panli…”
[Huh…]
“What time does you finish class today?”
[Honestly, I’m already done, but I have to help a friend set up a booth first.]
“Oh…”
[Is something up with you? Did someone do something to you?]
“Nah, no one’s done anything to me.”
[Even if no one’s done anything, I’m guessing something’s up…
Otherwise, you wouldn’t ask what time I’m done with class.]
“I just wanted you to help me design a brochure. A friend from the art team asked me to help with it.”
[Oh… sure, I can help.]
“But if you are busy, it’s fine. I can manage, though it might not look as nice,” Klai said with a chuckle.
[I can help, but it might be a bit late in the evening. Is your friend in a rush to use it?]
“My friend needs it for tomorrow morning. They’re printing the brochures to hand out to the juniors tomorrow.”
[Oh… then it should be fine. We’ll probably finish it tonight.]
“…”
[But we’re not working on it at the university, right?]
Klai smirked before saying, “Mai, Pie, and I agreed to work on it at my condo.”
[Oh…]
“Why do you have to make that sly ‘oh’ sound, you little pup?”
Klai broke into a wide smile when he heard soft laughter from the other end of the line.
[KhunKlai, you’re overthinking… I’m just talking normally.]
“You’re gonna get it~”
Moon laughed with delight. Klai listened to that sound, which warmed his heart, before deciding to say something that might make the other person’s heart swell too.
“The truth is… asking you to help with work was just an excuse.”
[…]
“An excuse for someone who misses me.”
[You naughty thing…]
Klai chuckled softly before saying, “I miss my little pup so much.”
[I miss you too.]
“Then hurry over after you’re done with work.”
[Okay, see you this evening!]
“Mhm.”
If it were before, Klai wouldn’t have known why he was sitting there smiling at his phone alone. But now, he knew exactly why he could smile so happily.
Because of Panli alone.
The one who made Klaijai smile again… Because of that same moon.
The one who brought happiness back to Klaijai…
PANLI
Panli stopped in front of the naughty one’s room at 8 p.m. The reason he was late was because he stopped by home to shower and change. He wouldn’t dare come to him covered in paint after helping a friend with a booth for tomorrow’s open house.
Panli noted that Klaijai said his two close friends would also come to help with work at the condo, which made him even more determined to go home and dress nicely before coming here. But the most important reason he decided to change into a new shirt, new pants, and spray on the cologne he thought Klaijai would like the most was because he said…
“I miss my little pup so much.”
Panli figured Klaijai must be feeling a ton of longing after not seeing each other for a full day, so much that it overflowed into words. And if a loyal pup like him was going to be smothered with affection by his owner, he wanted to make sure he was impressed from the moment he got a whiff of him.
Panli knows full well there’s no trace left of “Panli” or “that guy Panli” to anyone anymore. All that remains is… a puppy whose owner is named Klaijai.
Panli’s fist rapped on the large white door. Not long after, the door creaked open slightly, and the room’s owner appeared. The small figure, dressed in a white T-shirt and gray shorts, flashed him a sweet smile.
Normally, Klaijai’s gentle smile would make him smile back every time. But this time, he furrowed his brows, staring at his faintly flushed cheeks.
“Why are your cheeks so red?” Panli asked, reaching out to cradle his face with both hands. The burning heat radiating from his cheeks told him Klaijai had a fever. “KhunKlai, you’re burning up…”
“Ugh… it just came on all of a sudden.”
“Have you taken any medicine?”
“I did…” the small figure answered softly, nodding weakly.
“Klaijai… should we go see a doctor? I’ll take you.”
“I already took medicine. I’ll probably feel better soon. It’s not a big deal, puppy. Don’t worry,” Klaijai said with a faint smile before adding, “Come on, let’s go inside.”
Panli followed the sick boy into the room. Mai and Pie, who were sitting on the floor cutting paper, turned to greet him with smiles as usual. The helmet he’d brought along was placed on Klaijai’s desk before he sat down on the floor near the long sofa. After leading him into the room, the feverish owner had immediately collapsed back onto the sofa.
“Are you really okay?” Panli asked.
“Mhm… really okay. The pharmacist said some of the meds would make me sleepy like this.”
“…”
“But I’ll feel better when I wake up.”
“We told him to go to the doctor, but he wouldn’t. Just ran off to the pharmacy,” Mai, sitting not too far away, chimed in.
Panli let out a quiet sigh, watching the sleepy-eyed patient. Klaijai, lying on his side facing him, gave a small smile and reached out to pat his head.
“Puppy… don’t make that face.”
“But this puppy’s worried.”
The sick boy smiled before saying, “You can worry… but stay a little farther from Klai, okay? Or the puppy might catch the fever too.”
“The hospital’s not too far from home. If I get stuck, so be it. Do not be scared.”
Panli said, before getting up to grab Klaijai’s MacBook from the work desk and placing it on the glass table near the sofa where Klai was, so he could sit and work beside him. He plopped back down on the floor, leaning against the edge of the sofa while opening the MacBook. Just then, someone reached out and gently ruffled his hair. He didn’t need to guess who the playful hand belonged to—he knew it was the sick person lying on the sofa behind him. He must’ve been dying to rest, but was fighting sleep and the effects of the medicine just to keep chatting with him.
“This little pup’s so stubborn.”
“Stubborn like Klaijai,” Panli teased, starting the work for him before continuing, “What kind of work does your friend want?”
“I wrote the project brief in a Word doc. The file’s called ‘Project
Brief.’ Take a look, Panli.”
Panli nodded. “Okay.”
Panli spent a little time reading the details and soon understood everything Klaijai’s friend wanted. He turned to glance at the person on the sofa and saw that the sick guy couldn’t fight the medicine any longer. His pale eyelids were now shut tight, and the slender hand that had been playing with his hair had slipped down to rest lightly on his shoulder.
Panli took his slender hand off his shoulder and placed it by his side, then turned to look at the deeply sleeping figure. Both of Klaijai’s cheeks were still flushed red, making him worry. He reached out to lightly touch his forehead. His body temperature hadn’t spiked higher, but it hadn’t gone down either.
“Panli…”
“Yeah?” Panli responded, turning toward the voice. Mai, holding scissors and some paper, looked at the sick guy with a worried expression.
“I think you should take Klai to rest in the bedroom… He looks like he’s out for the long haul.”
“I was thinking the same…”
“I’ll open the door for you,” Pie said, dropping everything in his hands and standing up with a smile. He walked over to open the bedroom door, gesturing with one hand as if inviting them in.
Panli stood up to his full height, then leaned down toward the sick guy. “KhunKlai, I am gonna carry you to the bedroom, okay?”
“…”
Panli noted the small figure stirred slightly as he slid one arm under his neck and the other under the bend of his knees. When he lifted his slight frame close to his chest, his slender arms wrapped around his neck, and his pale eyelids slowly fluttered open.
“Oh… Panli.”
“What’s up?”
“I can walk myself…”
“Stop being stubborn, Klaijai,” Panli said, glancing at his thin lips and the cheeks that were starting to flush red again. He tried to keep his eyes open while speaking, but this time, Klaijai couldn’t fight it. He nodded obediently and nestled his face against his chest.
“Little pup… I’m making you go through trouble again. I’m sorry.”
Panli smiled faintly while listening to the small figure speak in a soft voice before leading him into the bedroom. After laying his delicate frame on the soft bed with white sheets, he turned to look at the person standing at the door. Pie gave him a smile and nodded lightly before the door to Klaijai’s bedroom was closed tight. Panli stood in the bedroom, where it was just… Panli and Klaijai.
Panli adjusted the sick person, who had fallen back into a deep sleep, into the most comfortable position. A thick, fragrant blanket was gently pulled up to cover his small frame up to his chest with just a slight shake. He sat down beside Klaijai, his thoughts drifting to his own childhood.
Panli recalled that when he was a child, there was one thing Mama always did before he went to sleep. She said it would help him sleep and have “sweet dreams.” Back then, he believed her with all his heart, and he did have good dreams every time she “kissed” his forehead before bed.
Panli realized, as he grew older, it was simply a mother’s way of showing love. He wasn’t angry at his Mama for saying it, because he knew… even if she understood it wouldn’t protect him from nightmares, there wasn’t a single night she didn’t pray for him to sleep well and dream sweetly.
Panli considers himself lucky that he rarely encountered nightmares, whether they were just in dreams or in real life—unlike the person he loves. Klaijai must have faced quite a few nightmares.
Panli knows full well that this gesture can’t free Klaijai from his nightmares. But because he still hopes and believes that the immense love he has for him… can drive away the nightmares in both his dreams and his real life.
Panli leaned his face close to his sweet one and gently pressed his lips against his thin ones. The warm heat from his lips drew him in, urging him to deepen the kiss, making it more heartfelt than before.
Panli’s heart raced as it did the first time he met him, and it continued to pound even as he pulled back from his lips. One of his hands moved to cradle his slightly flushed cheek before he shifted his lips to press against his smooth forehead.
Panli recalled his Mama never said a kiss on the lips would bring sweet dreams.
Panli declares… whether it’s on the lips, the forehead, or anywhere on the body…
Panli vows, if it’s a kiss he gives you with all his heart,
Panli believes, Klaijai… you’ll never have nightmares again.
Panli hopes, but if they’re truly unavoidable,
Panli wishes, let it be him. Let him be the one… to dream those nightmares in your place.
Panli pulled his lips away from his forehead, his gaze dropping to Klaijai’s lips once more. He’ll admit, he couldn’t resist and kissed his thin lips again. But in the next moment, he quickly pulled back, knowing he’d already taken too much advantage of him. He smiled faintly while gazing at his sweet face, brushing his finger along his cheek before whispering so softly, as if only he could hear.
“I never thought I could love someone this much…”
“KhunKlai…”
“…”
“KhunKlai…”
KLAIJAI
Klai began to stir when he heard the gentle, repeated call, accompanied by a large hand lightly nudging his arm. His pale eyelids slowly lifted, and he blinked rapidly to clear the blurry image in front of him. But before he could fully make out the person sitting before him, his lips were suddenly claimed by someone. Klai felt his face flush hot as the other person pulled back from the kiss, revealing a bright smile.
“P-Panli…” he stammered hoarsely, staring at the beaming figure. Klai vaguely recalled that Panli had carried him to the room to rest, but after that, he’d lost track… until now, when he’d been blatantly stolen a kiss right in front of his eyes.
The smaller man pursed his lips tightly and glanced at the clock on the white wall. The hands pointing to 11:30 p.m. made him sigh. He’d accidentally slept for hours, completely failing his plan to help his friends make a sign for the mascot to hold. Worse, it had caused Panli to stay at the condo until late.
“Sorry for waking you… I need to head back to fix some work real quick.”
“…”
“Phii Pi is rushing to get the work tonight, so I have to go revise it.”
“Oh…” Klai said, sitting up. “You go fix your work, Panli. Don’t worry about me.”
“I was planning to stay and watch over you, but Phii Pi, that guy…”
Klai gave a faint smile before saying, “I’m feeling better now… Go fix your work, Panli.”
“…”
“Besides, tomorrow morning, you’ll probably have to be at the faculty booth welcoming the juniors too. So tonight, you should go rest.”
“…”
“I ended up sleeping so long… Otherwise, I would’ve told you to go rest by 9 p.m.”
The listener smirked, then leaned closer to Klai, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “It’s fine… It’s just this.”
Klai lowered his eyes, thinking how his hours-long nap had clearly changed his loyal pup. The once-obedient pup no longer settled for just sniffing his hand. And because this pup was starting to get a bit spoiled, Klai was caught off guard. That’s why he was sitting there, blushing like this.
Okay, sure, they’d kissed on the lips once before.
But that was an accident, alright?
And okay, he’d let the pup sniff his hand before.
But now, a forehead kiss?
His heart was not okay with this.
“Alright… I’ll walk you out then.”
“Sure thing.”
Klai shifted and got up from the soft bed, following the taller figure out of the bedroom. He thought his two close friends were still working outside, but when he stepped out, no one was there.
“Mai and Pie…”
“Oh, those two left around 9 p.m.,” Panli said. “But Mai said she’d take some work home to finish.”
Klai nodded weakly, “…”
“I finished the brochure, KhunKlai. Saved the file on your desktop.”
“Okay, thanks, puppy.”
Panli didn’t say anything, just flashed him a smile before grabbing his favorite helmet. The two of them stopped at the large door. As Klai reached to open it, a thick hand from the taller man moved to rest on his waist.
“Once I’m gone, don’t do anything else, okay, KhunKlai?”
“…”
“Go straight back to bed, got it?”
“Uh…”
“A grunt’s not enough. You’ve gotta do it.”
Klai pursed his lips and nodded as Panli shot him a stern look. “Got it.”
“I’m heading out…” Panli said, leaning down to press his nose gently against Klai’s head before adding, “Good night, Klaijai.”
“Good night to you too, Panli.”
The handsome face broke into a bright smile again. Panli let go of his waist, raised a hand to wave goodbye, and walked out. Klai closed the large door, pursing his lips as he thought about that touch. Both slender hands reached up to rub his ears before he spoke with a smile.
“Puppy…”
This puppy, indeed.
The one who chases away his nightmares…
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