YOURSKY, Chapter 28
“Dad, just now the doctor came to check while you were down at 7-Eleven.
The doctor said Grandpa can go home tomorrow.”
“Will you stay with Grandpa again tonight?”
“I want to stay with Grandpa, Dad. You can go back home and rest.”
“Tomorrow, when Grandpa is discharged from the hospital… should you have me or Muenfah come pick him up?”
“…”
“If Muenfah comes to pick him up, I can stay home… As for the hospital expenses, I’ll transfer the money to you later.”
Theerak smiled faintly as he recalled the conversation between him and his father from yesterday. Knowing that his father had accepted Muenfah made him so happy that he forgot to respond. At that moment, Theerak stood stunned, staring at his father without blinking until his father burst out laughing and made the decision for him. His father chose to have Muenfah pick Grandpa up instead of doing it himself.
“All done,”
“Khrapom.”
Theerak flinched in surprise when the nurse, who was helping Grandpa change clothes, spoke up. He nodded in acknowledgment before walking over to Grandpa, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling. The small boy went to grab the bag of clothes his father had brought for Grandpa to change into yesterday and then returned to help support Grandpa off the bed after the nurse left the room.
“What are you smiling about all by yourself, Rak?”
“Dad has accepted Phii Fah, Grandpa.”
Grandpa looked at him and laughed before saying, “I already knew that. If
Rit didn’t accept him, how could he let Muenfah come pick me up?”
“…” Theerak smiled faintly.
“How’s Muenfah doing? Is he very happy?”
“Less than an hour after I found out that Dad accepted Phii Fah, Phii Fah called to tell me he had talked to Dad in front of the room while heading back to the condo.”
“…”
“Phii Fah is good at hiding his feelings. Whether he’s happy or sad, others can’t tell. But Rak is the only one who can…” Theerak said with a proud smile. “I know Phii Fah is very happy.”
Grandpa chuckled softly before asking, “Where’s Muenfah now… Is he definitely coming to pick me up? He wouldn’t be so cruel as to let me stay another night in the hospital, right?”
“Let me call Phii Fah first, okay?”
Theerak let go of supporting Grandpa and reached into his pants pocket to pull out his phone to call Muenfah. It didn’t take long for the call to connect.
[Phii Fah is turning into the hospital now.]
“Then Rak and Grandpa will go wait at the exit door, okay?”
[Have you taken care of everything, little one?]
“All done, Grandpa has finished changing too.”
[Okay, Phii Fah will drive around and wait at the exit door.]
“Yes…”
After hanging up, Theerak put the phone back in his pants pocket and continued supporting Grandpa. He helped Grandpa walk out to wait for Muenfah at the exit door as planned. Not long after, the black BMW—the one Theerak had ridden in from the airport—pulled up in front of them.
Muenfah quickly got out of the car to open the door for Grandpa to sit in the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, he sacrificed his spot and took the back seat instead, since Grandpa couldn’t sit there.
“I can’t sit in the back; it makes me dizzy. I’d rather sit in the front.”
“Whatever makes you comfortable, Grandpa.”
Theerak smiled faintly while watching Muenfah drive away from the hospital. Since Muenfah came into his life, Theerak felt like he thought to himself, “I’m such a lucky person.” dozens of times a day. And seeing how much Muenfah loved and cared for his family, Theerak thought that even thinking he was lucky a hundred times a day wouldn’t be enough.
Muenfah didn’t just love him.
Muenfah loved everyone in his family.
This is what a good partner is like.
…Even though it was evening, the traffic today was light and clear. They arrived home in less than an hour. Theerak took on the task of helping Grandpa into the house, while Muenfah volunteered to carry the bags and medication inside. Upon entering the house, Theerak saw everyone gathered together—a rare sight on a weekday.
He looked at Phii Dom, who was carefully removing leaves from roses and handing them to Phii Babe. She always took on this role whenever his older sister arranged flowers for the dining table, because Phii Dom was worried the thorns might prick Phii Babe’s hands. Meanwhile, Mom was likely in the kitchen as usual, since he could hear some noises coming from there. And Dad was sitting with a serious expression, engrossed in a large stack of documents, probably brought home from work.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Dad looked up from the pile of work in front of him and asked. Theerak nodded and helped Grandpa settle onto the sofa beside Dad. Everyone in the house immediately dropped what they were doing to come over to Grandpa.
“I’m fine now. Everyone, go back to what you were doing.”
“Dinner will be ready soon, Dad. Just a moment.”
“No rush, I’m not hungry yet. But the kids might be… right, chubby puppy?”
“Yes…”
“Muenfah… join us for dinner tonight.”
Theerak shifted his gaze from Dad to the person beside him, who was setting things down on the table. This time, Dad had personally extended the invitation, and Muenfah surely wouldn’t refuse.
“Khrapom.”
Theerak suppressed a smile before saying, “Today, the seat next to me is already taken.”
“You chubby little puppy!”
Everyone burst into laughter as they saw Dad speaking with an exasperated yet playful tone. Theerak walked over and hugged his father tightly, then pointed his index finger to the top of his head, playfully asking for a head kiss. Dad leaned down, pressed his nose to Theerak’s head, and gave a loud smooch before hugging him back. In truth, Theerak wasn’t hugging his father to act cute; he was thanking him.
Thanking him for giving him a chance For letting him love Muenfah For letting Muenfah love him For letting them love each other…
“Rak, stop clinging to Dad for a sec, son. Come help your siblings set the table quickly.” “Yes…”
Theerak let go of his father and went to help Phii Babe set the dining table. Meanwhile, Muenfah and Phii Dom went into the kitchen to bring out the food. Perhaps because Muenfah was helping today, the preparations for dinner were completed faster than usual.
Everyone took their usual seats and passed their plates to Mom to serve the rice. Theerak glanced at Muenfah, who was holding his plate but hadn’t handed it over yet. After observing for a moment, Theerak realized Muenfah was waiting for Mom to finish serving everyone else before passing his own plate.
“The chubby puppy’s favorite…” Dad scooped two pieces of fried chicken onto Theerak’s plate before adding, “Share some with Muenfah, okay?”
Theerak smiled to himself, knowing that Dad wanted to serve Muenfah some food but was too shy to do it himself. Theerak knew his father loved to tease. When he was little, Dad often jokingly said, “I’m starting to get tired of this chubby puppy.” which made Theerak feel upset. In the end, Dad would laugh as Theerak cried and clung to his legs. Today, Theerak decided it was time for a little payback.
“I won’t share with Phii Fah. Fried chicken is my favorite.”
“Just give Muenfah one piece, Rak. It won’t hurt. I can scoop more for you if you want.” Dad replied.
“Then why doesn’t you scoop some for Phii Fah yourself?” Theerak said before lowering his head to take a bite of the fried chicken. He tried to suppress a smile as he heard Dad grumble under his breath.
“Muenfah, hand me your plate… These kids around here are so stingy it’s ridiculous.”
Theerak chewed on Mom’s delicious fried chicken while watching Dad scoop some onto Muenfah’s plate as Muenfah extended it toward him. Both of them seemed a bit tense under the watchful eyes of everyone at the table. Seeing this, Theerak spoke up.
“Meet halfway, right?” Dad came halfway.
Muenfah came the other half.
And so, Mom’s fried chicken ended up on Muenfah’s plate.
“You talk too much, you chubby puppy.”
Everyone burst into laughter, knowing Dad said it out of embarrassment. Normally, Dad wasn’t one to easily accept people, and even when he did, he didn’t show care or affection to this extent. Even Phii Dom, who had been with Phii Babe for years, had never had Dad serve him food. Dad believed that as a man, you should be able to take care of yourself. But Theerak knew the real reason Dad served Muenfah.
Dad probably wanted to apologize to Muenfah… for walking away back then without a care.
Today, at the Niran family dinner table, it was full of smiles—a familiar sight Theerak had seen since he was a child. He believed that the heartwrenching incident from that day would be the one and only time it happened, the last of its kind. From now on… the Niran family would know only happiness. Every meal at the table would be filled with nothing but smiles and laughter.
Silence, tears, and discomfort
… could no longer intrude upon us.
#However Many Thousand Skies
After finishing dinner, the Niran family’s usual routine was to sit together and watch the evening drama every day. However, since Grandpa had just returned from the hospital today, everyone thought he should rest, as it was already past 8 p.m. They decided to head to bed separately to avoid making noise that might disturb Grandpa, who was sleeping in the room downstairs.
“In that case, I will take my leave now.”
Theerak looked at Muenfah, who raised his hands to pay respects to his parents and Grandpa, preparing to head back to his condo. Though Theerak wasn’t particularly eager for this moment, all he could do was walk him to his car.
“Do you have to rush back to take care of the restaurant today?” Dad asked.
“The restaurant is closed today.”
“Then why are you in such a hurry to leave?”
“…”
“Today is my last day at home. Tomorrow, I’ll have to go back to work…
It’s rare for our family to be together like this.”
“…”
“Stay the night here.”
“Yay!”
Theerak was so overjoyed that he let out a loud cheer without thinking, earning a stern look from Dad. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands and lowered his head to avoid Dad’s gaze. However, Theerak secretly glanced at the tall figure standing silently nearby.
“…”
“…Are you going to let someone around here get their hopes up for nothing?”
Theerak suppressed a smile and winked at Dad once as a signal. He wanted Dad to help convince Muenfah to stay. At this point, Theerak wasn’t afraid of Dad getting upset anymore—he just wanted Muenfah to stay with them more than anything. “…”
“Stay here. You can head back tomorrow morning…” Dad said before turning to Phii Dom. “Dom, you should stay here too.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Today, the Niran house has four kids,” Mom said with a laugh.
Then let’s let the kids go to bed,” Grandpa concluded.
Once Grandpa finished speaking, everyone dispersed to their rooms. Theerak watched his older sister playfully smack her boyfriend’s arm as he openly showed his excitement. It wasn’t surprising that Phii Dom was so thrilled—since they started dating, the two had never spent a night together, not even once.
Theerak smiled to himself, thinking…
Muenfah was totally outshining Phii Dom.
As soon as Dad gave his approval… he got to sleep over at the house right away.
His Muenfah is the best, hands down.
#However Many Thousand Skies
Theerak turned to look at the tall figure who was nodding to his close friend. He then turned back to Phii Babe, who stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Phii Dom. Theerak didn’t understand everyone’s reactions at all.
“Come sleep with me.”
“Fah… I want to sleep with my girlfriend.”
“Keep it down a bit…” Phii Babe said while hitting Phii Dom’s arm again.
“Once Dad gave permission, you are going all out, huh?”
“Do you know how much we’ve wanted to sleep hugging you?”
Now Theerak was starting to understand the situation in front of him. They were divided into two sides: Muenfah and Phii Babe were on the side that prioritized propriety, while he and Phii Dom were on the side that didn’t care about anything except wanting to be close to their loved ones.
“That’s exactly why I don’t want to sleep with you—because I know I’d get squeezed to death.”
“Oh… darling.”
“Go, go sleep with Fah.”
“Is there a spare room at the house, Babe?”
“There is. I’ll go prepare the guest bedroom for you.”
Theerak looked back and forth between his older sister and Muenfah, then saw Phii Dom nodding at him as if signaling him to do something. Otherwise, they’d regret missing out on this night for the rest of their lives. Besides, Theerak thought Muenfah hadn’t consulted him at all and had made all the decisions on his own.
Muenfah didn’t know anything at all.
He… wanted to sleep hugging Muenfah and say good night… not just send a good night text like usual.
“Wait!!!” Theerak shouted to stop them, raising his hand to emphasize his point.
Phii Dom smirked before saying, “The ‘stopping the relatives’ pose has arrived… Babe, you are done for.”
“What?” Phii Babe turned to glare at Phii Dom.
“What’s wrong, Theerak?”
“How could Phii Fah make decisions on your own without consulting me?”
“…” Muenfah fell silent and looked at him.
Phii Fah you should’ve asked me first… about which room you should sleep in.”
“…”
“Which room has fierce ghosts, and which one doesn’t?”
Muenfah bowed his head and laughed before looking up at him. “Does the
Niran house have ghosts too?”
“The mango ghost… both of these schemers are about to get it,” Phii Babe said, raising her fist as if to knock both his and Phii Dom’s heads.
“Little one…” Muenfah said while raising his hand to pat his head. “I have to respect you and everyone in the family. It’s better if we sleep separately.”
“Damn it, Fah… I look like a bad person now.”
“I’m not a good person either. Do you think I don’t want to sleep hugging him?” Muenfah sighed, “But I don’t want to repay your father’s trust by taking the chance to hug, kiss, or cuddle his kid before bed.”
“…”
“No matter how cute the kid from Niran house is, you know it well… we wouldn’t be able to hold ourselves back.”
Phii Dom raised his hand to his temple upon hearing this, before saying, “True… I give up. I’ll sleep with you then.”
Theerak lowered his head and let out a heavy sigh, realizing there was no hope of sleeping next to Muenfah and saying goodnight face-to-face. He now understood how it felt to go from extreme joy to disappointment—like a flower basking in sunlight, blooming fully, only for a cloud to suddenly block the light, causing it to wilt rapidly.
“Ugh… the dreams of this chubby puppy are completely shattered.”
Muenfah chuckled in his throat before leaning closer to him and saying, “What dreams?”
“I wanted to hug you while sleeping… and say goodnight to his face, not just through LINE anymore.”
Phii Babe let out a big sigh. Theerak looked up at his older sister, whose eyes had visibly softened. At first, he hadn’t intended to make Phii Babe feel sorry for him with his sadness. He was genuinely upset, but seeing a sliver of hope, Theerak decided to play the sly kid. He exaggerated his sad expression even more. “Kid…”
Now it wasn’t just Phii Babe who softened—Muenfah was melting too.
This must be what they mean by “killing two birds with one stone.” huh?
“You… don’t you feel sorry for him? He looks so sad.”
“No need to psychoanalyze me… let us decide for ourselves.”
“…” Phii Babe was still somewhat firm, so he had to make his sad face even more pitiful, lowering his head even further.
“Theerak…”
“Fah…”
Theerak bowed his head even more because he was afraid his sister would catch him holding back a smile. Just hearing Phii Babe call out to Muenfah, he instantly knew his dream was about to come true.
“…”
Honestly, if Dad’s okay with it to this extent, he wouldn’t mind. But I agreed with Fah’s reasoning, so I wanted to sleep separately from Dom.”
“…”
“But since this kid around here is making a face like his heart’s about to break…” Phii Babe paused, letting out a long sigh, “I’ll let Dom squeeze me for one night.”
“Yay!”
Theerak accidentally shouted in excitement again, and this time he even high-fived Phii Dom. Phii Babe glared at the two of them. Theerak flashed an awkward smile at his sister before turning to Muenfah, who was smirking and shaking his head. Afraid that Muenfah might harden his heart and refuse to sleep together, he walked closer and pressed his cheek against the man’s sturdy arm.
“I promise to just sleep and cuddle with Phii Fah, not doing anything else.”
His words made everyone burst out laughing. Theerak knew exactly how to soften Muenfah’s heart, and just as he had predicted, Muenfah nodded and gave him that same familiar smile.
“I can sleep with you, sure.”
“Nuu loves you the most!” Theerak grinned widely before turning to his older sister. “I love Phii Babe the most too!”
“No need to sweet-talk me…” Phii Babe said, then turned to glare at Phii Dom, who was standing there smiling. “If you don’t stop grinning, I’ll make you sleep outside the room.”
“If you keep scolding, tonight I’ll squeeze you until you can’t breathe.”
“Dom!! In front of the kid?!”
“Phii Fah, let’s just leave these two to argue… How about we head upstairs?”
“Rak!! You’re inviting Fah upstairs right in front of me?”
Theerak laughed until his mouth stretched wide. Right now, the most pitiful person was probably his sister, Phii Babe, who had to scold both him and Phii Dom at the same time. She must be exhausted.
“Wait, I need to grab some clothes from the car first.”
“I will come along!”
“They’re gone now. Let’s head upstairs, dear.”
The smaller figure following Muenfah turned back to wink at Phii Dom once. He grinned and winked back before following Phii Babe upstairs.
Theerak tried to suppress a smile as he trailed behind the taller figure to the car.
Tonight, he wouldn’t have to text Muenfah goodnight anymore.
Because Theerak would say goodnight in person.
Muenfah opened the trunk and pulled out a pair of long gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt from a box. Inside the rectangular box, there were several sets of clothes. Curious, Theerak asked “Why does you keep clothes in the car?”
“I like driving this car out of town. Just in case I ever have to stay somewhere overnight, I’ll have clothes to change into.”
“…”
“And today, I just happen to be staying over at your place.”
If you had brought a different car… you’d probably end up sleeping without anything on.”
“Wait, I will go borrow some pajamas from Dad!”
Muenfah laughed before saying, “I’m scared now. Tonight, I won’t dare mess around with you anymore.”
Theerak laughed before grabbing Muenfah’s clothes and keeping them with him. Tonight, he would take on the role of looking after Muenfah himself. Theerak led Muenfah up to his bedroom. As soon as they entered, Muenfah scanned the room with his eyes.
“my room isn’t dirty at all. Plus, the bed’s huge—Phii Fah you can sleep comfortably.”
“Do you have a mattress, Theerak?”
“A mattress?” Theerak’s eyes widened before he continued, “You mean a mattress to sleep on, right?”
“I will sleep on the floor next to your bed, Theerak.”
“Phii Fah…” Theerak plopped down onto the bed and said in a soft voice, “I do have a mattress… but if you sleep on the floor, how will I hug you?”
“Hmph.” Muenfah walked over, took the clothes from his hands, leaned down, and pressed his nose to sniff Theerak’s head. “I will go take a shower first, okay? Please prepare the mattress for me, little one.”
Theerak sighed as he watched the taller man disappear into the bathroom. Muenfah was strong-willed and resolute. Once he decided on something, he wouldn’t easily change his mind—just like how he had never wavered from
Theerak. The smaller man knew full well how difficult it was to sway Muenfah’s decisions. So, he walked over to the wardrobe to pull out a mattress and set it up beside the bed for Muenfah. However, Theerak wasn’t one to give up on his own intentions either. He was determined to make Muenfah change his mind and sleep on the bed with him.
Changing Muenfah’s mind was indeed tough. But Theerak thought that if he pleaded hard enough, just a little, Muenfah might soften and agree to sleep on the bed with him. Since Muenfah took quite a while to shower, Theerak turned on the TV to pass the time while waiting to bathe next. But he was worried that Muenfah might fall asleep first while he was showering. So, Theerak quickly grabbed his pajamas from the wardrobe and dashed to use his father’s bathroom instead.
If Muenfah fell asleep first, he’d miss his chance to coax him onto the bed…
“You chubby little pup! Dad’s going to take a shower!”
“I will shower first, Dad!”
Theerak hurriedly shut the door after rushing past his father into the bathroom. Just before closing it, he saw his father widen his eyes and open his mouth as if about to say something, but since Theerak shut the door first, his father couldn’t do anything. He didn’t take long to shower, but he lingered in there a bit, mentally preparing himself to face his father afterward. Theerak slowly cracked the door open. His father, standing there with arms crossed and a towel draped over his shoulder, made Theerak flash an awkward smile to cover his nerves.
“Dad…”
“What’s going on, huh? Doesn’t your own bathroom work or something, that you had to come steal mine?”
The smaller man walked over and hugged his father tightly. His mother, who had just opened the door to the bedroom, furrowed her brows when she saw him clinging to his father.
Coming to sweet-talk Dad this late—what do you want this time?”
“This time he’s sweet-talking because he messed up… He stole the bathroom from me, barged right in without a care.” his father explained.
“Really?” his mother asked, laughing.
“Really… He ran in like his life depended on it.”
Theerak laughed before pulling away from his father’s embrace, “Love you, gotta run!”
“Where are you rushing off to, huh?”
“…” Theerak swallowed hard. He definitely wasn’t brave enough to tell his mother the truth.
“Probably scared his boyfriend will fall asleep before he finishes showering, right?”
“Uh, how did you know, Dad?”
“For real, Rak?” His father’s eyes widened even more than when he’d darted in front of him earlier. “I was just teasing, didn’t think it was true!”
“Hehe…”
“Looks like I was about to warn the wrong person, huh? At first, I was going to go tell Muenfah not to… well, not to do whatever it was.”
“…”
“But now I think I need to warn my own kid instead.”
“…” His mother laughed before saying, “Don’t go messing with Phii Fah, okay, son?”
His father shook his head and chimed in, “Just a little puppy thinking he can take on a tiger.”
“Don’t underestimate this puppy, Dad. He’s fierce enough to take down a tiger!”
“By the time you wake up, you ’ll realize it’s you who got taken down by the tiger.”
Theerak blinked rapidly, watching his father shake his head and head into the bathroom. His dad clearly didn’t believe a puppy like him could take on a tiger like Muenfah. And his mother was another one who thought the same, since she just kept laughing.
“Earlier, when I opened the door to your room, Rak… I saw a mattress laid out next to the bed. Why’d you pull the mattress out, son?”
“It’s Phii Fah, Mom… he refuses to sleep on the bed. He said he’d sleep on the floor.”
“Muenfah really is a good person… Doing that shows he respects both you and everyone in the house, you know.”
“Yeah, but I’m about to make your good person sleep up here with me… If
Phii Fah sleeps on the mattress, his back’s going to hurt like crazy.”
“You’re right… Why don’t you tell him, son, that your Dad and I are okay with it? He can sleep on the bed with you. Better than waking up all sore.”
“Okay… I’ll head back to my room then.”
“Sure…”
Theerak left his parents’ room and hurried straight to his own. When he opened the door, he saw a tall figure, shirtless, sitting at the foot of the bed watching TV. Though he’d brought a shirt, Muenfah, being someone who got hot easily, was only wearing his usual sweatpants. He was using a small towel from the bathroom to dab at his damp chocolate-brown hair. Hearing the door close, he turned to look.
“Where’d you disappear to, little one?…Leaving me all alone for so long.”
Hearing that, the smaller figure quickly crawled onto the bed to comfort the one left behind. Theerak knelt behind Muenfah, wrapping his arms around the thick neck. He pressed his nose into the soft, sweet-smelling cheek of the taller man and mumbled in a muffled voice “I went to take a shower.”
“Heh.” Muenfah lowered the hand holding the towel and used his other hand to ruffle his hair instead. “Leaving me all alone and then coming back to cuddle like this, huh?”
“…”
Theerak laughed before reaching out to grab the towel from Muenfah’s hand. He pulled away from the hug and used the towel to dry the damp chocolate-colored hair. Theerak pressed his nose to Muenfah’s head for a quick sniff before saying “Phii Fah, you use the shampoo in the frosted bottle, right?”
“Yes, I did, na khrap.”
“Yes, I did, na khrap… again.”
Theerak was now convinced that this phrase never got any less cute.
“I use the same shampoo from that bottle, but why doesn’t it smell as good as when you use it?”
“Because you love me, that’s why.”
Theerak broke into a wide grin, though Muenfah probably didn’t see it.
“…”
“Where did you go shower just now, Theerak?”
“Dad’s room.”
“Why didn’t you wait to shower in your own room?” Muenfah asked while pressing the remote to flip through channels, skimming the news as he liked to do.
“I was afraid I’d take too long showering, and by the time I got out, you would already be asleep… then I’d definitely miss out on sleeping with you.”
Muenfah chuckled in his throat before turning his gaze from the TV to look at him. “I want to sleep hugging you so badly too…”
“Then come sleep on the bed with me.”
Muenfah gave a small smile and looked at him with an expression Theerak had never seen before. He decided to call it the “cute look”—like a mix of Muenfah’s pleading gaze and his sly one, blending into this unique expression. Right now, Muenfah was so adorable it was almost overwhelming. He shook his head slightly in refusal. If Muenfah weren’t acting so cute, Theerak would’ve been annoyed at how stubborn Khun Muenfah could be.
“…”
“When did you learn to use that look?”
“When I started feeling that you’re really, really cute.”
Theerak stopped drying Muenfah’s hair once it seemed dry enough. He wrapped both arms around the thick neck like before, resting his chin on the broad shoulder. He was certain this round of coaxing would work.
“Phii Fah, come sleep on the bed with me.”
Muenfah chuckled in his throat again before saying, “Kid… don’t do this to me. I’m about to lose my resolve here.”
The smaller one laughed, knowing Muenfah was close to giving in. So, he pulled out his final trump card to ensure his mission—to get Muenfah to sleep on the bed—succeeded. Still, Theerak felt a slight worry and asked “Phii Fah, are you afraid Dad might walk in and see us kissing?”
“Yes. It wouldn’t be good if your dad saw us.”
“I’m worried about that too. I’ll go lock the door then.”
Theerak jumped out of bed and hurriedly locked the door. Muenfah, sitting at the foot of the bed, laughed while watching him. Whenever Theerak saw Muenfah smile widely like this, he felt incredibly happy.
“Does you usually lock the bedroom door?”
“No.”
“If you lock the door, won’t your dad get suspicious?”
“If Dad comes… Phii Fah, please handle it for me. I’m is scared of getting scolded.”
He looked at Muenfah laughing heartily. Theerak hadn’t thought that admitting he was afraid of his dad would amuse him this much. He admitted to himself that he wanted to be brave, but he was still very scared of his father.
Theerak climbed onto the bed and knelt behind the taller figure as usual, wrapping both arms around Muenfah’s neck again. He remembered how
Muenfah had taught him to play the guitar, which inspired this clingy tactic.
“Does you play the piano?”
“Yes.”
“I knew it… because I saw a piano at your house.”
“But I’m not as good as Panli.”
Perfect opportunity for the chubby puppy. “I can teach you to play better in just a few minutes… Are you interested?”
“I have one question for you…”
Theerak furrowed his brows as he looked at the taller figure who turned to meet his gaze. “…”
“Your way of teaching piano… it won’t wake up my little son, right?”
Theerak lowered his eyes and immediately let go of Muenfah upon hearing that. His face flushed hot as he recalled something he’d once felt against his thigh. He realized he shouldn’t use this method to coax Muenfah.
The chubby puppy didn’t want to take the risk…
“…”
“Little one…” Muenfah turned to him, using a thick hand to lift his chin so their eyes met. “You can teach me. I’ll endure it.”
“Honestly, if you just came up to sleep with me, that’d be the end of it.”
“…That’s exactly why I’m afraid it won’t end, so I’m not coming up to sleep with you.”
“I believe you can handle it.”
“Then let’s try you teaching me piano first, so I can see how much I can endure…”
“You have to sit facing away like before.”
Theerak hid a smile as he saw the taller figure obediently follow his instructions. He thought this method of his was adorable. Maybe Muenfah would soften and agree to sleep together. But it was risky too, because he’d have to kiss Muenfah several times.
The last time Muenfah’s “little son” woke up was because he’d teased him with kisses.
But this time, it’d just be light pecks.
Muenfah’s little son wouldn’t wake up that easily, right?
If you want to sleep hugging him… you’ve got to be a bit braver, you chubby little pup!
“I will teach you how to follow the notes first, okay?”
“Khrapom.”
Theerak lifted his finger to poke Muenfah’s shoulder first, saying, “This is the note, Do.”
Kiss…
Not only did he poke with his finger, but Theerak also leaned down and pressed his lips onto the taller man’s shoulder. Then he pulled his lips away and moved his finger slightly past the shoulder. “And this is the note, Re.”
Kiss…
He slid his finger a little further from that spot…
“This is the note, Mi.”
Kiss…
Finally, Theerak moved his fingertip to the base of Muenfah’s neck.
“Here…”
“Here, you need to stop, little one.” Muenfah interrupted before turning to look at him. He bit his lip as if teasing, then gently brushed his thumb over Theerak’s lower lip.
“I really want to kiss you.”
“…”
Muenfah’s words made Theerak’s heart pound wildly. He pursed his lips tightly before asking, “Where will you sleep?”
“On the mattress.”
Theerak realized just how much self-control Muenfah must be exerting. The man was steadfast in both his thoughts and feelings. No matter what Theerak did, he couldn’t change Muenfah’s mind.
“…I give up.”
“Let’s just sleep holding hands, okay?”
“Okay…” Theerak replied in a small voice.
He looked up at Muenfah, who stood up straight. The taller man chuckled in his throat when he saw Theerak’s sulky expression. Muenfah bent down, scooped up Theerak from the edge of the bed, and carried him to lie down properly. He tucked the blanket around him neatly before planting a kiss on his forehead.
“Good night, My Theerak.”
“Good night, My Sky.”
Theerak watched as Muenfah lay down on the mattress beside the bed. He rolled onto his side and reached out his hand for Muenfah to hold. Muenfah laughed and clasped his hand.
…He didn’t get to sleep hugging his sky.
But holding hands was still nice.
The smaller man lay there, gazing at Muenfah holding his hand before closing his eyes. Theerak let out a soft sigh, secretly feeling a pang of envy toward Phii Dom, who was probably cuddling Phii Babe right now. Yet, his wilted heart swelled again when Theerak thought of something.
Since Muenfah wouldn’t come up to sleep with him he’d just go down himself, Theerak smirked before closing his eyes and pretending to squirm around until he fell onto the larger man’s body. Muenfah looked quite startled, but he still wrapped both arms around him.
“Little one…”
“I was squirming in my sleep… so I fell.” Theerak said before burying his face into the strong chest and wrapping both arms around Muenfah’s torso.
“…”
“Let me sleep with you, Phii Fah.”
Muenfah chuckled softly, pressed his nose into his hair to smell it, and said, “You’ve got so many tricks up your sleeve, don’t you?”
“And do you love it?”
“I’m head over heels, almost too much…”
Theerak laughed before lifting his face to meet Muenfah’s gaze. The taller man gave him that same familiar smile, so Theerak moved his face closer and pressed a kiss onto those full lips.
“Good night again, my beloved.”
“Yes, na khrap.”
Bzzzt ~
But the notification sound from the phone on the nightstand irritated Muenfah quite a bit. He let go of one hand from his waist to grab the phone.
“Who’s calling at this hour?!”
“No getting grumpy before bed…”
Muenfah nodded, “Alright, I’m not grumpy anymore.”
“…”
Theerak lay there watching Muenfah stare at the phone screen for a moment before answering the call.
“Yes, Ma.”
“…” So it was his mom calling.
“Arriving in the morning, right?”
“…”
“I haven’t invited him yet, but today I’m is sleeping over at his place.” “…”
“Got it, Ma.”
“…”
“See you then.”
Once Muenfah hung up with his mom, Theerak finally asked, “Are your dad and mom coming back to Thailand, Phii Fah?”
“Yes.”
“When do they arrive?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“…”
“Pa and Ma want to meet you too. They told me to invite you to have dinner with us.”
“Sure, I’d love to meet Pa and Ma too.”
“I’ll come pick you up on that day, okay?”
“Okay…”
“You can sleep now, good boy.”
Theerak nodded before turning his face to rest against the sturdy chest and closing his eyes. He let time pass for an hour before opening his eyes again. By now, he was certain Muenfah was fast asleep. Carefully, Theerak shifted to lie beside him, wanting Muenfah to sleep more comfortably. But since Muenfah was used to having him sleep on top, he stirred awake, groping around for him before blinking his eyes open.
The smaller one moved closer and hugged the larger figure, who turned to face him. Once Muenfah had him in his arms, he closed his eyes again and murmured softly “Kid… don’t drift away from me.”
Theerak smiled faintly and said, “I’m holding onto you already.”
Theerak tightened his embrace, gazing at the closed eyelids of the man beside him while silently thanking Pa and Ma in his heart. He wanted to thank them for raising Muenfah so well, turning him into his Muenfah—his sky.
And there was one particular thank-you he felt he’d never use for anyone else in his life, because it seemed too grand to give away lightly.
But Theerak thought this sentiment was worthy of… his sky.
Thank you for being born, Phii Fah.
TBC
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