YOURSKY, Chapter 7
“I’ll walk you down…”
“No need, Phii Fah. This is already more than enough, and I feel bad… Phii
Fah, you should hurry back to take care of the restaurant.”
“Who’s at home? If there are any adults, I can go down and say hello.”
Theerak looked at the tall figure beside him, who was already unbuckling his seatbelt to get out of the car. He hid a smile while silently admiring the two Pisut siblings. Even though Muenfah and Panli had quite different personalities, one thing they shared completely was their politeness. It was something that made people who met them think back to the good upbringing they must have received from their family. Theerak now believed that a solid foundation of good parenting could shape someone into a gentle and respectful person.
It was just like his mom had always said—listen to the advice of elders a lot, and wherever you go, people will adore you.
Theerak’s eyes shifted from Muenfah to his own house. Every light was off, and there wasn’t a single car in the garage. That gave him a pretty confident answer.
“No one’s home. There’s no car parked, so Phii Babe and Phii Dom probably aren’t back yet. And Dad must’ve taken Mom and Grandpa out to eat somewhere.”
“Then I will walk you in…”
“Phii Fah… we’re already at the gate. I can really go in by himself, okay?”
“Have you ever been so stubborn that you got spanked…?”
“…” The one being asked shook his head until his chubby-cheeks jiggled, met with Muenfah’s stern gaze. That look made Theerak stop resisting and quickly reach to unbuckle his seatbelt to get out of the car. But a large hand swiftly moved in to handle it for him.
Theerak got out of the car and walked ahead of Muenfah toward the front of the house. As he bent down to fish the keys he always carried when going out from his pants pocket, the tall figure who had been following quietly stepped up to stand beside him.
“Can you get into the house?”
“Yes, yes, I have my own spare key…” he replied before taking out a small key with a tiny Snoopy doll keychain dangling from it to unlock the gate.
Theerak looked up at the person beside him as a way of saying goodbye, and Muenfah seemed to understand what he meant, nodding slightly in response. Without delay, he pushed the heavy iron gate open. Normally, Theerak could manage it on his own, but it required a moment to summon strength from every part of his body. That heavy gate practically flew open because of him.
When his dad wasn’t around… the one who handled the heavy iron gate the best was none other than Theerak himself.
But today, before he could even gather strength from any part of his body—just as he started pushing—the gate slid open effortlessly. Theerak pressed his lips together, refusing to look at the other person, focusing solely on sliding the gate while keeping his head down. He knew full well he hadn’t suddenly turned into Superman with surprising new strength.
It had to be Muenfah again…
Even something like this required Muenfah’s help—so embarrassing .
“Watch out for the wheels hitting your feet…”
“Y-Yes…” he replied weakly. Theerak didn’t want Muenfah to see him as so weak that he couldn’t do anything on his own. He was just smaller than the average guy, not some frail weakling. “Then I will head inside now, okay?”
“…” Muenfah nodded in acknowledgment. Seeing that, Theerak slid the gate closed, with the tall figure standing outside helping as well, of course.
When we step away from the spot where we once stood, we can sense the presence of someone else. Even without turning back to confirm it, we can feel that they’re still there, not going anywhere.
And as Theerak stepped away from that spot, he felt that Muenfah was still standing in the same place. It wasn’t because there was no sound of the car engine, but because he could feel that pair of eyes from Muenfah watching him.
“Little troublemaker…”
His small feet stopped in their tracks the moment that deep voice called out. Whether it was “little one.” “tiny.” or whatever else people liked to call him—or even “troublemaker” as Muenfah chose to say—Theerak had to turn back toward the source of the voice anyway.
Muenfah was still standing in the same spot, just as he’d sensed. The man had both hands tucked into his pants pockets.
…No smile, no expression at all.
Just standing there, looking at him.
“…”
And they continued to lock eyes amidst the silence because he didn’t know why Muenfah had called him back.
“Good night…”
Oh… the reason he held him back was because he forgot to say “good night.” huh?
This is insane, totally insane, T___T. He’s crazy for letting his heart flutter with every word Muenfah says. He’s really not okay with himself—this can’t go on like this.
Theerak nodded before spinning around and hurrying into the house without a second thought. Thankfully, his mom wasn’t cruel enough to lock the small door connecting to the living room, or he’d be stuck outside, heart racing. No other door could’ve gotten his flustered self inside.
As soon as he stepped into the living room, Theerak sneaked over to peek through the curtains at the big window. It was a spot with a wide view of the area—especially the fence where Muenfah had been standing.
Right now, the tall figure was walking back to his car with his back turned. Theerak, ever the polite host, watched from a distance until the black Benz sports car pulled away from the front of the house. Once he was sure Muenfah was really gone, Theerak collapsed onto the big sofa, lying still like a lifeless vegetable.
It was just a “Good night,” so why make such a big deal out of it, Theerak!!!!
Phii Babe says it every day… it’s the same thing.
But no matter how much he told himself that or tried to compare it to anyone else, his racing heart wouldn’t calm down. Theerak knew this wasn’t something that happened often—hardly ever, in fact. He wasn’t sure what this feeling was or how to get himself back to normal.
After reflecting for a while on why he kept getting flustered around Muenfah, he came up with an answer. At first, he’d assumed Muenfah was the stern, aloof type who didn’t care about anyone, based on what others said.
So he’d only prepared himself for that. But when they actually met and interacted, everything turned upside down, catching him off guard. It was so unexpected that he felt confused about who Muenfah really was. He’d only planned for scenario A, with no backup plan B, so he couldn’t handle this kind, polite, attentive, and gentle version of Muenfah. It even shocked him.
And the reason Muenfah wanted to get close to him was probably because he rarely met someone who could make him smile, like he’d said. Once he got a taste of smiling, he’d probably want to do it more often—maybe even get addicted to it. As for holding hands at first, Theerak thought it was Muenfah’s way of reassuring him that he wouldn’t be left alone again. But given his personality, Muenfah likely didn’t hold hands with people often. Doing it probably made him feel encouraged—like when he shared his past and gripped Theerak’s hand tighter, clearly needing support. That might be why Muenfah kept asking to hold his hand.
It was obvious that changing himself wasn’t a small or easy thing for Muenfah. That’s why he needed encouragement from everyone—and even went as far as asking to get close to Theerak. Muenfah probably wanted his help to become someone who smiles more easily and connects better with others.
To become a better person for everyone… and a good partner for someone in the future, right?
“Ugh, Phii Fah… so pitiful. All this time, no one’s probably given you any encouragement, huh? Because you act so detached from the world, everyone assumes you’re strong enough not to need it.”
Thinking this way, his heart, which had been racing because of Muenfah, finally calmed down. All that remained was empathy. Theerak now understood both himself and Muenfah. From now on, his heart wouldn’t go wild over him anymore because he understood everything so well. Theerak promised himself he’d help Muenfah change and be the close friend who keeps giving him encouragement.
Rak will make Phii Fah become the love of everyone… someone everyone who sees him will love and find endearing, .
But that empathy and steadfast heart came to a halt with the sound of a car from the front of the house. Theerak was about to peek through the curtains as usual, but a loud creak at the door made him turn his attention there instead.
The moment the door swung open, a small brown-and-white mixed-breed puppy dashed toward him. In that instant, Theerak realized… this is what falling in love feels like.
The small person knelt down on the floor and opened his arms to welcome the puppy his sister had just brought home into his embrace. The four-legged bundle leapt into him as if they were an owner and pet separated for ages, finally reunited—though in reality, he and this puppy had never met before, not even seen a picture. All Theerak knew was that its mother was a stray dog killed by a car, and it was an only pup. Phii Babe had seen someone post about finding it a home on Twitter, asked their mom for permission, and went to pick it up.
That’s all he knew, really… So why did he fall in love so easily?
Maybe falling in love doesn’t need a ton of reasons.
Just knowing you’ve already fallen is enough…
“Moogrob ~” Theerak smiled and laughed as he called out the name that had popped into his head out of nowhere. He thought its brown-and-white coat and chubby, round shape suited the name perfectly. Plus, Moogrob [crispy pork] was his favorite food too.
Now, Moogrob, the newest family member, had climbed onto his lap. Theerak used both hands to support its plump little belly. Its front paws scrambled to climb up and lick his face. The small person laughed and tilted his head back slightly to avoid letting Moogrob’s slobbery tongue reach his lips.
“What… I named it Brown…”
“But Moogrob’s a good name too. A Thai dog should have a proper Thai name.”
Theerak nodded in agreement with Phii Dom, who had just walked in. His sister, the puppy’s real owner, sighed and went to sit on the sofa. He glanced at Phii Babe, who sat with her arms crossed, annoyed at being overruled about the puppy’s name. But Theerak was confident her irritation would fade, thanks to her sweet boyfriend sitting beside her, gently rubbing her head and asking in his usual tender tone:
“What’s wrong, dear?”
“No need for sweet talk. You two are just ganging up on me.”
“Aw… Phii Babe, don’t feel bad. Rak isn’t siding with myself here. But look, it really seems to like the name—check out its tail, wagging like crazy.”
Babe sighed before saying, “Fine, Moogrob it is.”
The small person burst into cheerful laughter once his sister approved the name he’d given the puppy. Theerak leaned down to kiss its head several times. Moogrob had a coat of white mixed with brown patches all over, one eye circled with a big brown spot, and both ears flopped down.
So adorable, this Moogrob…
“So, what do you think, Fah…?”
But Moogrob’s cuteness was interrupted by that question from Phii Dom. Theerak’s eyes glanced at the tall figure who was talking on the phone with someone.
“…”
“I just got here a minute ago. Traffic was insane.”
“…”
“Playing with the puppy right now…”
“…”
Theerak quickly lowered his eyes to look at Moogrob [Moogrob] the moment he heard that sentence. He didn’t know what the person on the phone had asked Phii Dom to prompt that response. Maybe Muenfah had asked about someone else, or maybe Phii Dom just wanted to subtly show off his new puppy, so he said he was playing with it.
But whatever…
“Yeah, sitting with Chubby-cheeks playing with the dog…”
Oh, come on… don’t pay so much attention to me.
“…”
“Okay, cool. See you tomorrow afternoon.”
Phii Babe, who had jumped down to sit in front of him at some point without him noticing, reached out to rub Moogrob’s belly until the puppy flipped over, legs splayed wide, lounging contentedly on his lap.
“I was going to bathe him tonight… but it looks like Moogrob’s really attached to you. Could you give him a bath instead?”
“Sure, I can handle it.”
“The dog shampoo and powder are already bought. They’re out front.” Babe paused to take a breath before continuing, “…So, how did it go?
Everything okay?”
“Huh?”
“With Fah today… Was it alright?”
Theerak furrowed his brows slightly at the unfamiliar hopeful look in his sister’s eyes. “It was fine. Phii Fah’s nice—not at all like what people say…”
“Of course Fah has to be nice. He promised me he’d take good care of you.” Phii Dom chimed in.
“…” The listener let out a soft sigh before nodding and lowering his head to look at the puppy sprawled out with its tongue hanging.
“Phii Babe you don’t need to worry. Wherever I go, people adore me… Even Phii Fah asked if he can get closer to me…” Maybe because he’d hyped himself up too much, his sister sent a small—but surprisingly heavy—hand to shove his head.
“Annoying!”
“Oh… I forgot to thank you Phii Dom…” Realizing he should express his gratitude, he pressed his hands together at his chest and flashed a wide, squinting smile. Phii Dom chuckled lightly and nodded back. “Thank you so much, Phii Dom, for telling Phii Fah what I like to eat. Today, I got to eat all my favorites!”
“What… He spent the whole day with you and only treated you to ice cream?”
“…” The listener frowned, confused by what Phii Dom meant. “No, I had crispy pork basil rice with a non-greasy omelet, ketchup on the side, and chocolate ice cream—exactly like you told him!” Theerak was certain Phii Dom knew his preferences inside out, down to every detail, since they’d lived together for three years.
“Yesterday when I talked to Fah on the phone, I only told him you like ice cream. Just ice cream… I didn’t even mention what flavor.”
“…” Of course, he ordered the crispy pork basil himself, but the ketchup, the non-greasy omelet, the chocolate ice cream—all these little details—did Muenfah guess them all on his own? No way, that’s impossible. So where did it leak from? T___T Mom ~ my head hurts so much!
“Good thing I’m the oldest, so I’m not named Theerak. Someone like me, who isn’t you, doesn’t have to sit here with a headache guessing this and that all by myself…”
“…” Theerak blinked rapidly at his older sister, hoping she’d help solve this messy equation. But judging by her expression, Phii Babe’s only answer seemed to be…
“I don’t know either. You’ll have to figure it out yourself. Didn’t you used to wake up to watch Conan in the mornings as a kid? Now you can finally put it to use.”
“That’s not even close, Phii Babe!” Theerak scolded his sister for not helping at all before turning to Phii Dom again for answers.
“I don’t know either. I really only told him that much… If he knows more than what I said, then that Fah must’ve gone digging for info himself. I never thought Fah would prepare to welcome a guest this thoroughly.”
“…” It seemed like Phii Dom might shed more light on it, but not at all—it just made his headache worse. What reason could Muenfah have for paying so much attention to him?
“Well… then I’ll head back first. Tomorrow, I have to come eat with your Dad in the afternoon too. Or do you want me to stay until everyone else gets back so I can keep you company?”
“You can go now… Rak’s here to keep me company.”
“Okay, call if anything comes up… Don’t stay up too late, Babe.”
“Hmm…”
Theerak sat watching the tall figure walk over and kiss his sister’s forehead once as a goodbye. He didn’t feel shy or awkward about it—ever since Phii Dom started dating Phii Babe, there hadn’t been a single day he forgot to kiss her forehead before parting. It had become a familiar sight.
And he thought it was really cute.
“See you later, chubby-cheeks…”
“Y-Yes…”
Right… and Phii Dom didn’t forget to lightly pinch his cheeks before leaving either.
After Phii Dom left, Phii Babe excused herself to rest upstairs. Not long after, his parents and grandpa returned from a relative’s house. They hadn’t gone out to eat as he’d assumed. Everyone sat and played with the new family member for a while before heading off to rest. So he took Moogrob to bathe out front.
Theerak sprayed water from the hose onto the white-and-brown creature, who shook its fur until water splashed all over him. Real grabbed a dustycolored towel he’d sacrificed for Moogrob, wrapped it around the little guy, and carried him back into the house.
While wiping down the naughty Moogrob, who kept playfully biting the towel, Theerak couldn’t stop thinking about that issue. Of course, he was curious—his brain felt like it might explode wondering how Muenfah knew all this. But who could he ask…?
Panli… Panli must’ve told Muenfah!
How could he forget that dog-faced Panli, the key figure…?
But it seemed the person under scrutiny noticed, because his phone rang just as Theerak was scrolling through his contacts to find him. Theerak didn’t hesitate and quickly answered his friend’s call. He could hear faint music leaking through from the other end, which made him pretty sure his friend hadn’t yet left the old friend’s birthday party.
“Panli, you dog-faced jerk!”
[…If I didn’t love you, I’d have kicked you in the mouth already. How dare you call me dog-faced… Anyway, I was calling to check if you’re home yet. If not, should I swing by Phii Fah’s pup to pick you up?]
“I got back a while ago.”
[Okay, then I’ll keep hanging out with my friends. I was thinking if you needed a ride, I’d skip out…]
Theerak took a deep breath before asking “Did you tell Phii Fah what I like to eat?”
[Huh?…Why are you asking me this?]
“Because your brother knows everything—like, everything. I like my omelet with no greasy oil, with ketchup on the side, and chocolate ice cream… You kinda know this stuff too. Did you tell him? I just want to clear this up…”
[The ketchup on the side for omelets, I know because you always need it separate. The favorite ice cream flavor, I know because you make me buy it all the time. But the no-greasy-oil thing? I didn’t even know that… and I didn’t tell him either.]
“…” Theerak swallowed hard, his throat making an audible gulp. Too tired to wrestle the towel back from the chubby puppy, he let go, and the little dog stumbled, rolling over several times.
[My brother’s something else… He’s been something else ever since he sniffed your head.]
“…Ughhh, Li, I can’t take it anymore. My head hurts, my stomach’s all messed up, all because of your brother. He’s got me flustered all day!”
[Calm down, tell your buddy what’s going on…] Theerak faintly heard a soft laugh from the other end.
“It’s like my cheeks are so hot they’re about to explode, and my stomach’s churning like I’ve got diarrhea… Do I need to see a doctor, Li?”
[Haha, what did my brother do to you? How’d he get you whining like this?]
“Don’t laugh, jerk… He didn’t do anything to me. But he’s so kind, polite, and super considerate. Everything’s the opposite of what I expected—not like what people said, not even like what you said. I couldn’t brace myself for it!”
[…Want me to be straight with you?]
“Just don’t dodge me.”
[My brother isn’t kind, isn’t polite all the time, and isn’t that considerate, for real. Even me, his little brother, gets chewed out. Hell, Phii Fah probably doesn’t even remember what I like to eat. Everything you just said… I think he’s only like that with you.]
“Li, shut your mouth. Did the booze hit you and now you’re talking nonsense?”
He said it even though he knew his friend wasn’t drunk. He scolded Panli because pointing out that special difference made him so embarrassed he could hardly stand it.
[You little punk, telling me not to dodge, but you can’t handle the truth yourself.]
“It’s not just with me. Phii Fah’s trying to change himself into a better person… I think soon he’ll be good to everyone.”
[Did my brother tell you that?]
“Of course… Phii Fah is trying to change himself. He even asked to get close to me, probably wanting someone to support him through the process…”
[From everything I’ve heard and analyzing Phii Fah’s behavior as his real little brother who’s known him since we were kids… straight up, one more time?]
“I kind of wish you’d turn a bit too, Li…”
He heard Panli let out a loud chuckle. Theerak didn’t get what was so funny.
[I’m not turning anywhere… My brother definitely has a thing for you.]
“Ughhh, Li!! Are you drunk or something? How can you say stuff like this…”
[Drunk or not, out of this world or whatever, I don’t care… Phii Fah totally likes you.]
“I just wanted to know how he figured out what I like to eat, not hear your wild guesses, Panli, ughhh…”
T___T, Panli was overdelivering again, as usual.
[Oh, come on… If someone’s into you, they could even find out your underwear size, right? This stuff isn’t hard. But the real question is, how did my brother learn so much about you in just a few days without even asking me? That’s way more suspicious.]
“How would I know what your brother’s up to? Even you don’t know…”
[Here’s the deal: tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to your house for dinner anyway, and Phii Fah’s coming too. I’ll grill that tight-lipped guy myself. With someone like Phii Fah, you’ve got to ask him face-to-face. He’d never spill over a phone call, no matter how much I bug him.]
“Do whatever you want, Panli. I’ll just hide in a jar in front of the house—I don’t want to deal with any of this anymore…”
T___T… Really, he didn’t want to deal with it anymore. Ever since this whole thing started and Muenfah got involved in his life, neither his brain nor his heart had gotten a break. It was almost like being bipolar—one minute he understood, the next he didn’t. He couldn’t take it anymore…
As soon as Theerak hung up on Panli, he flopped onto the floor, letting Moogrob climb onto his chest and lick his lips to comfort him.
But what if what Panli said was true… what would he do then?
Still, it was just Panli’s guess. If he wanted the truth, it had to come from Muenfah’s mouth. But Theerak thought it’d be better to stay calm and not push. He wanted to get close to Muenfah so he could support him for a long time, until he could truly change himself.
If Panli’s hunch wasn’t true, it might make Muenfah distance himself, and then he’d lose someone to cheer him on. But if it was true, the one in trouble would be him. Theerak didn’t know how to act around someone who liked him, and his ability to encourage Muenfah would probably drop because he’d be too caught up worrying about their feelings for each other.
Theerak decided it’d be better to let their closeness grow naturally.
No pressing the other for answers if he wasn’t ready to share…
He just wanted them to feel comfortable together.
But honestly… Theerak didn’t believe Muenfah could like him.
It seemed almost impossible that Muenfah would fall for a chubby puppy like him…
After lulling Moogrob to sleep, Theerak finally got up to rest himself. He tossed and turned on the bed for a while, unable to sleep. How could he, when Panli’s words kept echoing in his head nonstop?
“My brother definitely has a thing for you.”
“Phii Fah definitely likes you.”
“My brother totally has a thing for you.”
“Phii Fah definitely likes you.”
The words kept looping in his head, jolting him awake just as he was drifting off to sleep. And then a familiar deep voice chimed in at the end, snapping his eyes wide open like he’d just downed a cup of coffee.
“Good night…”
Theerak sighed, thinking that the Pisut siblings were like ghosts surrounding his bed, taking turns haunting him until he was too spooked to sleep.
They’re really something, those Pisut siblings…
#However Many Thousand Skies
The little guy who thrashed around in his sleep so much that his messy hair smacked against the headboard with a loud thud. Theerak raised a hand to gently rub his head before blinking awake. He’d been a restless sleeper since he was a kid, and it was a habit he couldn’t shake. But whenever he thrashed so hard that he ended up hurting himself like this it meant a nightmare… And the reason he’d flailed until his head hit the headboard was because…
he was trying to escape a giant albino snake with red eyes that was
squeezing him so tight he could barely breathe. T___T
Theerak rubbed his face with both hands before glancing at the clock on the wall. The hands pointed to 10 a.m. For him, this was still early. Normally, he’d sleep in later since his classes were usually in the afternoon. And on Mondays, when he had no classes, he’d sleep straight through to the afternoon. But that massive albino snake in his dream had woken him up first.
Since he was already awake, he decided to get out of bed so he wouldn’t fall back asleep. If he did, he’d probably sleep until evening, and that would throw his whole sleep schedule out of whack—day turning into night, night turning into day. It’d happened before, and getting back to normal had been a nightmare in itself.
Theerak headed straight to the bathroom. He only washed his face and brushed his teeth before trudging downstairs without showering. He carefully descended the stairs, still half-asleep, wary of tripping over his long pajama pants. Without using both hands to hold them up, he’d easily stumble.
Theerak’s hands tugged the pant legs up slightly as his small feet took slow steps down. Once he reached the bottom, the first thing he looked for was his dad, because he could hear his father talking to someone in the living room.
And his dad was with…
Muenfah.
The tall Muenfah, wearing a white dress shirt tucked into black jeans and that favorite watch of his…
The real, live Muenfah, in the flesh.
… He wasn’t sure if it was because he was afraid Muenfah would see his messy, uncombed hair or if he was embarrassed about his yellow Charlie Brown-patterned pajamas, but he was ready to spin around and bolt back upstairs.
“Fat puppy…”
The small figure froze mid-step, nearly face-planting into the ground, because his father called him by that nickname. Right now, his cheeks felt like they were about to explode from the heat since Muenfah had seen everything—his messy bedhead, his yellow Charlie Brown pajamas, and even the nickname his family used for him. But having been called out like this, Theerak had no choice but to put on a brave face and go to his dad.
“Heh heh, what’s up, Dad…?”
Muenfah stared at the small figure in cartoon-patterned yellow pajamas sitting down next to his father. Theerak looked a hundred times more endearing than usual right now. Whether it was his jet-black hair sticking up in all directions or his puffy Real eyes from just waking up, he couldn’t tell.
But one thing was for sure—he was definitely cuter and more lovable than that Charlie Brown character on his yellow pajamas.
“You’re awake, so why haven’t you showered? Aren’t you embarrassed in front of your senior?”
“Well… uh…” Those swollen eyes glanced at him briefly before turning back to his dad. “We agreed to eat at noon, right…? Phii Fah just came early.
It’s not my fault…”
“I asked Dom to call him to come early. It’s not his fault either…”
“He came early?”
“Yeah… I have to head back to sort out some work soon, so I won’t be here until noon. I wanted to talk to Fah first… As for the meal, your mom said she’s setting up a barbecue party in the backyard for you, since your friends are coming this afternoon, right?”
“Yes…” Theerak didn’t care about anything else anymore. Just knowing his dad had to leave earlier than planned made his heart sink instantly. This time his dad came back, they hadn’t even gone to see the new movie that just hit the theaters together. “What time are you leaving, Dad?”
“Soon, so I won’t get there too late.”
“…”
“Don’t sulk, you chubby little pup. If I’m free next week, I’ll hurry back.”
“Okay…”
“Come let Dad kiss your head…”
“Right here, same spot, Dad…”
Muenfah furrowed his brows slightly as he watched the small figure point to the top of his head before his father pressed his nose down and kissed it with a loud smack. The scene was eerily similar to when Theerak got drunk and begged him to do the same, no difference at all. Feels good.”
“Didn’t you kiss Phii Babe’s head first before coming to me…? Did you secretly go love your daughter a bunch more or what?”
And that question from the small figure made Muenfah certain that on that drunken night when Theerak begged for a head kiss, he must’ve thought Muenfah was his dad. The reason Theerak had whined and caught that he didn’t kiss properly was because the sensation he was used to was firm and distinct. And the fact that he could point to the exact spot on his head was probably from habit. As for the tantrum about loving his sister more than him…
It was all because he did this with his dad regularly, huh?
“Such a jealous little thing, this kid…”
“With just one dad, it’s only natural to be protective.” Theerak grinned and laughed before his eyes flicked to a childhood photo album lying on the coffee table in front of Muenfah.
Suddenly, his throat went dry at the sight of that thick album. He didn’t want to imagine that Muenfah had already flipped through all the pictures inside. Just the first page of the album was enough to make Theerak so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into the ground.
Because the first page had a picture…
“You were so chubby as a kid, huh?”
There were several photos of a chubby, naked toddler.
“Uh, Phii Fah!!”
Muenfah gave a faint smile before raising an eyebrow at him. “Yes?”
“…Uh, Dad!” Theerak, flustered and at a loss, stammered as he called for his father to confirm that what he was thinking wasn’t true—that Muenfah was just teasing him.
“Why are you making a fuss, Rak? Grandpa saw that Fah had been waiting for me for a while, so he brought out your baby photos for him to look at.”
T___T, It’s always like this. Grandpa… Every time someone comes over, he loves showing off those naked baby pictures of me. Truthfully, those photos are just on the first three pages; the rest are normal vacation pictures. He understood Grandpa’s intentions—Grandpa just wanted to brag about how cute he was as a kid.
But this time, Grandpa showed them to the wrong person…
“…”
“Then you two chat for a bit. I’ll go ask Mom about setting up the party for us this afternoon.”
“Yes…”
It was Muenfah who responded to his father. Theerak sat silently, staring at his childhood photo album. He quickly grabbed it and hugged it tightly before glaring at the tall figure sitting there with a faint smile.
“Phii Fah… you shouldn’t look at this.”
“Well, the owner of this album was too lazy, drooling in his sleep upstairs, so I had plenty of time to look through it all.”
“You—Just you wait! One day I’ll go to your place, Phii Fah, and I’ll look through all your photos too!”
“The photo album isn’t at my house—it’s at my condo…”
Whatever, I’ll search everywhere!” If they were really going to get close, Muenfah shouldn’t tease him about these naked childhood pics.
“I like the first three pages… pretty revealing.” After saying that, Muenfah let out a pleased chuckle in his throat. “Phii Fah!!!!!!!”
“Yes, what’s up, you naughty kid?”
“I’m not talking to you anymore, Phii Fah!”
“Sorry, I won’t tease you anymore.”
“If you keep bringing this up to make fun of me, I’ll cancel our whole
‘getting close’ thing!”
“I’m never scared of other threats… but this one? Terrifies me.”
Theerak furrowed his brows even tighter, wondering if Muenfah was genuinely scared like he said. If he was, that smile on his face would’ve faded by now from worry.
But no… there’s a new kind of smile showing up.
A sly, cunning smile!!
After delivering his ultimatum to Muenfah, Theerak scooped up the photo album and hid it in his bedroom. Then he showered and hurried downstairs to see his dad off to the countryside. Before leaving, his dad instructed him to stay and keep Muenfah company, not to go anywhere until all their friends arrived. He was to be a good host and make sure Muenfah was well taken care of, with nothing lacking.
Theerak followed his father’s instructions. He sat in the living room without saying a word to Muenfah, fearing he’d be teased again about the childhood nude photo. However, it wasn’t long before his mother told him to go buy supplies for a barbecue party. There were some additional items they needed, but the family driver, Phii Dom, had taken Phii Babe to buy a sleeping mat for their dog Moogrob
As a result, Theerak ended up sulking in the passenger seat of Muenfah’s black Benz sports car. Naturally, the person beside him was the car’s owner, who had secretly seen his nude photo.
“I just skimmed through it, you know. No need to be embarrassed…”
“Phii Fah, how about you show me a photo of yourself naked for a change!”
“When I was grown up or when I was a kid?”
Theerak’s eyes widened. He had never encountered someone so shamelessly perverted. The speaker showed no sign of embarrassment, while the listener—himself—felt his face heat up until his cheeks nearly exploded.
“P-Pervert!”
Muenfah smirked while keeping his eyes on the road. “No need to be shy. I have seen everything of you… both as a kid and as an adult.”
“Don’t make things up, Phii Fah! When did you see me as a naked adult?”
The car gradually slowed as the traffic light turned from amber to red. Once the car came to a complete stop, Muenfah turned to look at the smaller figure, whose cheeks were now faintly red.
“When you were drunk, of course. When Babe asked me to help change the clothes of a certain stubborn someone…”
“…”
T___T I shouldn’t have asked. That answer hit me like a slap in the face.
“So I saw…”
Enough! Stop it, Phii Fah…”
Muenfah chuckled when he saw the other raise a hand to stop him. He really had seen everything, and to him, it was no big deal. What he had, Theerak had too—perhaps differing slightly in size. But the smaller guy was so embarrassed his face turned red and black, clearly showing his discomfort with vulgar topics. This was unlike other guys, who often used crude language to liven up conversations.
It wasn’t just this that made Theerak stand out. To him, Theerak genuinely seemed different from others. Because when Theerak…
Woke up-Got annoyed-Felt embarrassed. In those different moments Theerak was insanely cute…
But the insanely cute person refused to even glance at him, probably because he was still embarrassed. Muenfah decided to come up with a question to keep the conversation going with the stubborn kid. However, since he wasn’t much of a talker, the topic he chose was inevitably something that had left a lasting impression on him.
“Rak, do you like Charlie Brown?”
“Yes… I like him a lot.”
When the topic of favorite cartoons came up, he quickly turned to talk with enthusiasm, as if he had never been angry or shy before. Though there was still a hint of wariness in his eyes, it was probably because he really wanted to brag about his favorite cartoon character, enough to cast aside everything just to chat with him.
“Why do you like it? Is this cartoon fun?”
“No, it’s not that fun, but it has more of a love story in life. When I was a kid, I really wanted to have a dog, but my mom wouldn’t let me. I was so sad about it. Then my grandpa bought me a Snoopy doll and told me, ‘This is your dog, Rak. Take care of it for now. When you’re older, we’ll get you a real dog.’ So I went looking for this cartoon to watch. After watching it, I really liked Charlie Brown’s personality, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
“Oh…”
“I like it so much that if I had to choose between crispy pork basil with a fried egg and Charlie Brown, I’d pick Charlie Brown.”
“That much, huh, you little troublemaker?” Muenfah asked, laughing lightly with affection.
Theerak had told himself he wouldn’t let his heart flutter for Muenfah anymore, and this morning he had succeeded… for quite a while. But now, his resolve broke, and he couldn’t hold back. His heart raced again, all because of Muenfah’s cute words.
Where does he get them from?
Can I buy that stockpile of cute vocabulary from Muenfah?
I’d even sell my Charlie Brown collection and use the money to buy it all, so he wouldn’t have any left to use. Then my heart wouldn’t keep racing like this.
“Well, yeah, that much, Phii Fah… Don’t you like any cartoon characters?”
“I like Marvel stuff, but I’m not that into it.”
“I like it too. I like Captain America. What about you, Phii Fah?”
“I like Iron Man.”
“Do you collect anything related to Iron Man, like shirts or pajamas or something?”
Even though his heart was still fluttering a bit, he still wanted to keep talking to Muenfah. He could see Muenfah’s effort to keep the conversation going. At the very least, Muenfah made him feel that the encouragement he’d given wasn’t wasted. Muenfah traded that encouragement for courage— courage to ask others first, courage to talk more.
Good job, keep it up, Phii Fah!
As for the heart-fluttering, I’ll deal with it myself. It’s a bit tough, but I’m okay.
“I have some figures, but no shirts. Definitely no pajamas.”
“Why not?” Theerak started wondering if he was the only one obsessed with collecting.
“Normally, I only wears button-up shirts. Marvel stuff is mostly T-shirts, so
I don’t buy them to keep.”
“Oh… That makes sense.”
“But even if there were pajamas, I wouldn’t buy them…”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because when I sleep, I don’t wear a shirt…”
“…”
Theerak didn’t know how to respond. He could only lower his eyes to look at his small belly, thinking that since he was born, he had never slept without a shirt. Perhaps he did when he was very young and couldn’t remember, but as he grew older and became more aware, as far as he could recall, his life had been filled with cartoon-patterned pajamas… and he still liked wearing them to bed even now.
He didn’t dare sleep without a shirt. He was afraid that if he woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he’d be startled by his little belly in the mirror. Plus, it was too cold for that anyway.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting sick or something?”
“I get hot easily… just wearing a single pair of sweatpants is enough.”
“Then you should cover up with a blanket too, or you might catch a cold.”
“Up to my neck, you mean?”
“Something like that.”
“…”
Because Muenfah smiled faintly, Theerak’s heart started to race. He quickly turned his gaze out the window, wondering if the traffic light at this intersection was broken. It hadn’t turned green yet, and the traffic jam was dragging on. For him, being stuck in traffic for too long wasn’t good at all. The longer they were stuck… the harder his heart pounded.
But then, a small boy selling garlands while the cars were stopped at the red light caught Theerak’s attention. He hurriedly pulled out his wallet and, without asking Muenfah’s permission, rolled down the window. Theerak reached out and waved to the little boy, whose head was barely visible above the side mirror, calling him over.
“I want one garland, the rose one. How much, little guy?”
“Twenty baht.”
“I will give you fifty. Keep the change… It’s a bit hot out there, so hang in there, okay?”
Theerak took a plastic bag containing the garland from the boy and even glanced at the small boy through the rearview mirror. Once he saw the boy walk far enough away, he rolled the window back up.
Theerak always liked buying things from children, the elderly, or disabled people who worked to support themselves. He saw it as a way of helping fellow human beings in his own small way. Though the money he gave wasn’t enough to lift them out of hardship, at least he was able to help a little. Theerak had once thought that if he got a good job and saved up a lot of money, he’d help even more.
For now, he’d do what he could as a university student…
But once the window was fully closed and he held the garland in his hand, he suddenly remembered that there was someone sitting next to him— someone he wasn’t very close to yet. Theerak’s eyes slowly shifted to glance at the tall figure who was staring back at him.
“Did you buy it to offer to the Buddha at home?”
Truthfully, he bought it without any real reason, just because he couldn’t resist wanting to help the little boy. Theerak thought that in this hot weather, if he waited to take it home to offer to the Buddha, the garland would probably wilt first. Then an idea popped into his head, and he flashed a wide smile at Muenfah. “I bought it to offer to the car’s guardian spirit of your car. I’ve ridden in your car several times now, and it’s always been safe… I thought it’d be good to make an offering to her. She’ll protect you too, right?”
…He wasn’t sure if the owner of this multimillion-baht car, who was currently keeping a straight face, would allow a fifty-baht garland to stay in it. But Theerak quickly picked up the jasmine-scented garland and placed it on the car’s dashboard.
“…” Muenfah didn’t say anything. He glanced at the garland before reaching out to adjust it slightly. “You better to place it here. If I brake suddenly, it won’t fall.”
“Yes, yes,” Theerak nodded vigorously in agreement with Muenfah.
“You naughty one, you bought a garland for the car’s spirit lady already. Next time, buy some flowers for me too, okay? Because I also drive you everywhere safely.”
Theerak genuinely didn’t understand. Muenfah was even jealous of the car’s spirit lady, but Muenfah’s request made his heart start racing again. Theerak thought that by the time they reached the mall, he might need to ask Muenfah to drop him off at the hospital for a bit.
One moment his heart was fluttering, the next his face felt hot and flushed, then everything felt chaotic.
He wanted a doctor to prescribe something to suppress these symptoms.
… Otherwise, he might end up dying young for sure.
Muenfah was relentless, truly skilled—especially at making others’ hearts race.
#However Many Thousand Skies
TBC
Leave a Reply