Work Text:
A sharp slap to his shoulder brought him back to the land of living. Sarawat turned to his side to glare at Man while rubbing the now very sore area.
"You're doing it again..." Man whispered, an apologetic smile on his face and Sarawat sighed, shaking his head.
He stabbed the poor piece of pork in his plate, frustrated, a small pout on his face. He lifted his head up briefly and almost smacked his head straight on the table he currently occupied together with Man and Boss.
However much Sarawat willed himself to look away, his eyes seemed to only focus on that particular individual.
Tine Teepakorn Aekaranwong. Faculty of Law. Freshman.
It has been quite sometime that Tine had genuinely started to hang out with Sarawat and the White Lions after the whole 'Green Episode' was solved.
"Quit staring, Wat. Again." Boss croaked out, snickering and Sarawat wished he could just stab him with a fork instead of the meat in his plate.
Tine was so animatedly talking and laughing with his friends, radiating hope and warmth. Sarawat frowned.
Was Tine not getting his hints? Isn't this how courting is supposed to work?
He followed Tine on IG. Liked all his posts. Bought snacks for him. Played Scrubb songs for him. Dropped him to his room. Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with him whenever possible.
He'd done everything a person did for someone he liked. So why was Tine not responding?
"He may be a smart law student, but he's a bit dense." Man started. "Stop glaring, Wat. You know it's true. And to be honest? I don't blame him. You're too subtle. Whatever you do, Tine might think you do because you're 'good friends', you know."
"Right. You aren't that good in expressing, so..." Boss piped in.
His gaze shifted towards Tine again. A loud sigh escaped him.
Is it my fault if I’m not that good at expressing?
He remembered the time Tine told that his flirting is weird and that he needs to practice it.
He did. He really tried.
But a small problem arose : Sarawat figured out soon enough that he wasn't good with words.
Everytime he flirted, Tine would just tell him to quit playing with him.
Why couldn't Tine understand?
"Sarawat. That boy keeps his heart on sleeves and expressions on face. Tine is expressive, very much so. And you..."
"I'm expressive too, Man. I don't hide how I feel and tell things straight to face, don't I?" Sarawat argued.
"Wat." Boss pat his back. "That's called being brutally straightforward, more commonly known as being savage. And for your information, being straightforward and being expressive are different."
Man and Sarawat both stared at Boss munching on his food, jaw hanging over the table and disbelief visible in their shaking pupils.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's accurately correct." Man pointed.
Sarawat let out a small pout. He too thinks that Man and Boss are probably right.
He has a nice heart if he fell in love, right? Someone emotionless can't really feel love, can they?
A half smile came on his lips.
Even though he can't compare to Tine, but Sarawat is warm too. People just don't see it over his emotionless face.
I’m a warm boy in a cold city
He so much wanted to do it, wanted to tell Tine about his feelings.
Wouldn't it be so much more easier if Sarawat could just pull Tine to a place where no one would disturb them, pin him to a wall, giving the bunny no chance to escape and just blurt out how he feels, loud and clear?
Can’t I just tell you I like you?
But then again. If Sarawat confessed his feelings straightforward on point, Tine would most probably slap his arm and shout at him to quit teasing.
I just want to be honest
He couldn't help but feel a little hopeless. How come he's like this? What kind of situation is this even?
He can't tell or show Tine his feelings directly to his face. He agreed to the whole fake boyfriends thing only to spend time with the other. He had no other intentions, and now...
And now he's in it too deep. So deep, Sarawat almost feels like drowning in love.
"Wat?"
A familiar voice, the one which haunted his dreams every night, pulled him out of his thoughts.
It's him.
"Oh, Tine! What's up?" Man asked, gesturing him to sit.
Tine plopped down on the empty space beside Sarawat.
"Y'all don't have any morning class? How come you're still eating?"
"Afternoon lectures. And what about you?" Boss inquired.
"Oh we don't have any lectures to attend today. We just came because Ohm was hungry. Phuak suggested we shoot for his vlog but then Fong wasn't very entertained with the idea."
Sarawat snorted.
"You don't eat that shit food anymore?"
Tine smiled. Placing his arm on Sarawat's shoulder, he turned to give him a look.
"I'm sure you're aware that Tournament is close. The principal cheerleader cannot fall sick, you know."
The smile Tine gave Sarawat made his heart beat twice as fast and he wanted to jerk himself away from the bunny boy, afraid he might hear how loud it's beating. But the feel of Tine's hand resting on his shoulder made him happy. Tine was comfortable with him enough to use his shoulder as an arm rest.
Go away, no don’t go away
He glanced at Tine to see him bantering with Man about some recent news. Tine talked enthusiastically, a wide smile seemed permanently etched on his face.
Does Tine smile at everyone so radiantly?
Tine smiled a lot when he was talking. It made Sarawat warm but it also kind of irked him. Tine didn't behave differently with him. He wasn't anything special to Tine.
It absolutely boggled him that even when Tine was so open with his emotions, Sarawat often couldn't really tell what is going in his heart. He would also not admit that he's not really ready to find about Tine's real feelings.
Show me your heart, no don’t show it to me
It was getting difficult for Sarawat. Restraining his feelings when they were threatening to spill out of him with every time Tine smiled at him so brightly.
All day, only your smile is in my head
If only Sarawat was actually bold enough to just say it out and tell him all about his feelings. Sarawat wanted to be brave enough to say those words to Tine. He just wanted to say...
"Tine."
Tine turned to look in his direction, innocent doe eyes gleaming.
"Hmm?"
"You..."
Do you wanna just go out?
"Wanna play FIFA after my class ends?"
Sarawat wanted nothing more than to bang his head against the huge Banyan tree near outside of his room. Repeatedly.
Tine gave a small confused frown before his eyes lit up with his same signature sunshine smile and Sarawat was once again lost in his light.
"Sure. My room or yours?"
Sarawat choked on a piece of pork and Tine quickly passed him his glass of water, face full of worry.
"What?!"
Tine flinched hearing Sarawat shout.
"I- Just wanted to know w-where do you wanna have the match. Y-Your room or mine. I-I already have the game set up, s-so..." Tine said softly.
Sarawat, still in a coughing fit, stared at Tine and saw his innocent, confused bunny face.
'He surely didn't know that question sounded like an invitation for sex. There's no way it was intentional.' Sarawat concluded.
"Y-Yeah, umm... Your room is g-good." Sarawat managed to wheeze out between the coughs and was rewarded with another angelic smile from Tine.
"OK. I'll be going the- Are you sure you're alright, Wat? You seem a bit out of it."
"Yeah, I'm fine..."
"I'll take your word for it then. Call me when you get over."
And with a wave, Tine was gone, leaving behind a dreamy Sarawat.
Starting from today, I’m gonna have something with you
Sarawat diligently paid attention to the lectures, just like he should. But he couldn't help the little shifts his concentration took when the image of a tall smiley bunny boy popped in his mind.
Classes seemed to just pass like a breeze to Sarawat (Man argued that a century would feel like a more correct term) and he hurriedly headed back to his room to change into more comfortable casual wear. He also stuffed an extra pair of shirt and boxer shorts in a small bag just in case he could convince Tine to let him crash at his dorm.
On his way out, he quickly dialled Tine's number.
"I'm heading towards your room right now."
"Great! I finished setting up the controllers. And the snacks are on their way."
"Okay, I'm there. Hang up."
"Yeah."
Pocketing his phone in his trousers, he climbed up the stairs two at once, excited to spend the evening with Tine.
I’m gonna call you every day
"Oh you're here. Make yourself at home." Tine opened the door wide for Sarawat to enter. He himself had on a light blue oversized jumper which looked pretty worn out and white shorts that barely covered half his thighs.
Sarawat felt his cheeks warm up at how comfy and soft Tine looked with his jumper that seemed to engulf him whole, and his cute sweater paws as the jumper covered his hand past his knuckles, and mused up long bangs that fell in his eyes and Sarawat wanted nothing more than to tuck them behind his ears and his-
"Wat?"
And his thoughts got astray again. Sarawat shook his head to try and clear off his mind.
He plopped down on Tine's bed when he saw him move to his study desk.
"Here."
Tine handed out a Blue Hawaii to him.
"Americano sold out. I'm sorry."
Sarawat shook his head and gingerly accepted the drink, taking a huge gulp of the sweet blue concoction.
Even though I can’t eat too much sweet
"I'll buy you Americano tomorrow morning. I know you don't like too much sweet."
"Doesn't matter."
"Take these." Tine produced a huge packet of chips from his bedside table and threw it towards Sarawat. "I managed to get a hand on the super big ones. That's the flavour you like, I guess?"
Sarawat glanced at the packet before giving a small lopsided smile and Tine chuckled.
"You're quite easy to impress. Team Sarawat Wives should learn from me."
I’m gonna go around eating delicious food with you
"Thanks, Tine."
So so sweet, you’re really so sweet
"Hoho, don't thank me. You also bought me so many snacks before. It's only fair if I return the favour..."
So so sweet, you are
Falling into a comfortable silence, both the boys played rounds after rounds, Sarawat winning mostly.
Tine suddenly dropped his controller on the floor, clutching his head, annoyance written all over his face.
"I give up." He announced.
"So fast?" Sarawat couldn't help but tease.
"Oi. How do you expect me to play against a star player, huh? And also win against them?"
"You won sometimes." Sarawat quipped.
"Don't even. That alone is an achievement for me. Honestly, did you just wanted to flex your skills? That's the only plausible reason you asked to play a game you're Pro at."
Sarawat chuckled at Tine babbling.
Can’t I just tell you I like you?
He didn't want this day to end.
I just want to be honest
He didn't know what they were right now but he felt like even if he didn't know Tine's heart, he would never mind spending time with him like this.
Go away, no don’t go away
Their alone time was certainly some of the most precious memories Sarawat had. Even if he didn't know Tine's feelings towards him.
Show me your heart, no don’t show it to me
Sarawat was satisfied with all the moments he'd collected with Tine so far. For now, it was enough.
All day, only your smile is in my head
His smile was enough. The warmth it gave Sarawat was enough.
Tine was more than enough for Sarawat.
Do you wanna just go out?
At the moment, he was alright not knowing what the future held for him.
Starting from today, I’m gonna have something with you
Sarawat is satisfied being able to see Tine everyday, by his side.
I’m gonna call you every day
He's satisfied with their small talks over the phone.
Even though I can’t eat too much sweet
He's satisfied drinking the disgustingly sweet, tooth rotting Blue Hawaii as long as Tine buys it for him.
I’m gonna go around eating delicious food with you
Sarawat is satisfied eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with Tine whenever their schedules would allow them.
As they're munching on the snacks, having small talk about this and that, Sarawat couldn't hide the fondness that flowed out of him like a river at Tine being so enthusiastic about everything.
Sarawat had come to the terms that as long as it's Tine, he wouldn't mind the over brimming enthusiasm and optimism, and the extra warmth and sunshine that he provided.
Isn’t this how love starts?
It still confused him how he's so calm and patient but also nervous about it at the same time.
Tine's feelings mattered to him. Sarawat will never force his feelings on Tine. He's rather die of nervousness than see Tine pretend to be happy when he's not.
Maybe it’s like hanging half my heart on you
He wouldn't lie. It did hurt his heart knowing that he wouldn't get to experience the first love like he'd imagined when he first saw Tine in the Scrubb concert during his last high school year.
Sarawat wasn't a particularly hopeful and optimistic person and liked to believe in reality more. But meeting Tine, who was so full of sunshine and warmth, made a small flower of hope bloom in his heart.
Even though it feels like you’ll reject me
He knows that the reality will be far from his dream. He knows that this is his limit and he's given a choice of 'take or leave' - he can be close to Tine, being a good friend or he can risk their friendship and lose that too.
I’m gonna give it a try once more
But Tine had taught him hope. He will try to take care of the flower as best as he can and nurture it to grow before it permanently wilts.
Even though he would be putting their friendship at stake, he want to try just once to confess his feelings and maybe, just maybe, relieve the weight of these heavy emotions.
Starting from today, I’m gonna have something with you
"What are you thinking? You seem so lost. Am I boring you?" Tine asked, lightly shaking Sarawat's shoulder.
Sarawat smiled, poking a finger to Tine's cheek. Tine screeched, swatting his hand away.
"Just a bit tired. It's-" He was cut off mid sentence when Tine interrupted.
"Tournament, right?" Tine huffed, gently patting his shoulder "Don't worry. I know you practice hard. I'm sure you'll win. You are a Pro."
Sarawat smirked.
"How come you're finishing my sentences?" He mused.
Tine smiled at him, his warmth filling Sarawat's core.
"Of course. We talk a lot."
I’m gonna call you every day
A knock on the door interrupted their talk, popping their small, private bubble they'd built a while ago.
Tine quickly got up, marching towards the door. Sarawat waited for Tine to finish his dealings while munching on the chips.
Tine returned to sit on his spot with two big poly bags. He pointed to one of them.
"Pad Kra Pao, Moo Ping, Sai Ooah, Poh Pia Tod and Kluay Tod. Serving for 3 people here in this one."
He gave the bag to Sarawat, gesturing for him to take out the dishes and arrange them on the mini table in front of them.
"Egg breads, Kimbap, Kimchi bread, Banana and Strawberry milk, KBBQ, Potato Hot Dogs and A huge tub of spicy Tteokbokki. For two."
Even though Sarawat was hungry just from listening Tine call out the menu, he couldn't help the amazement he felt at so much food being served to him.
"That's a lot."
"You backing out or what?" Tine inquired, a challenging smile on his face.
"You know a lot about me, right?", Sarawat smirked, "Then you would also know that I love to compete."
"Game on, then..."
A while after Sarawat engulfing all he could and watching Tine almost inhale his share of food, he eyed the big bucket of spicy rice cakes that Tine had just opened, still sipping on a small pack of Banana milk.
"I told them to make it mild. Can you take spicy well?" Tine mumbled lowly, a bit worried. He then proceeded to grab a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks before holding a small rice cake near his mouth, dark red sauce dripping from it.
Tine took a bite. He kept chewing slowly, trying to savour the taste before his eyes went wide.
"Try it..." He pushed the bucket in front of Sarawat, holding out another clean pair of chopsticks in his hand for him to take.
Sarawat took the chopsticks, jabbing them in a red chilli coated rice cake, before putting it in his mouth.
Even though I can’t eat too spicy food
"How is it? Not too spicy, right?" Tine asked, expectantly.
Sarawat couldn't help but moan at the taste. The rice cakes were properly spiced and even though he didn't eat too much spice, this was perfect.
"I see you like it. Good to know we have similar tastes..." Tine sounded smug and Sarawat couldn't deny it.
It was cute how Tine payed attention to him, his eating habits, his preferences. Tine often bought him Americano in the morning and also offered to pay for meals most of the time.
I’m gonna go around eating delicious food with you
A small 'ding' pulled him out of his reverie.
Tine pulled his phone out from below his pillows, a huge smile spreading on his face instantly. He showed his phone screen to Sarawat, who was still busy chewing the rice cakes.
"Look! Pear got a cat! It's so fluffy and cute, right? She got a cat that's cute just like her..."
Sarawat's chopsticks dropped from his hand, mouth stopped chewing. He lifted his head up to see that Tine had liked Pear's IG post.
Press “like” on my photos like you do for her
"Yeah... Cute..." Sarawat whispered, appetite suddenly gone. He put the bucket of rice cakes down, staring at Tine scrolling through his IG, most probably looking at the pics of Pear's cat.
"You two seem close..." He blurted out even before he could slap his mouth shut.
Tine gave a small smile to him, cheeks going pink.
"Yeah, we're good friends. We talk a lot and she's great at advice that actually works. I sometimes rather go to her than ask help from Fong, Ohm or Phuak."
Let me talk to you too
His heart sank listening to Tine talk so greatly about Pear.
She was a good girl. Small, cute, pale - everything Tine liked in a girl.
She was a match with Tine.
I feel so down so I’m giving up today
"Oh I just remembered. I need to finish a report so I'll get going now. Thanks for the food-"
"You can't leave anyway. It's late already. Stay here tonight."
Sarawat wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Even though he had previously planned to try and convince Tine to let him stay, he definitely didn't want that now.
He isn't really sure if he could restrain his feelings anymore. It suffocated him.
"But I-" Tine pulled his hand down before he could even get up.
"It's raining. Didn't you see?"
Sarawat shook his head and then turned to look towards Tine's balcony.
It really was a heavy downpour.
"I talked to Pear before you came here, you know. I told you she gives good advice, right?" Tine continued after Sarawat have a small dejected nod. "Usually, when I do what she says, the results are in my favour. So, I asked her for advice today. I wanted to know what should be the first thing someone does when they like someone."
"Really? What did she say?" Sarawat cursed at his voice crack.
"She said that the most logical thing would be to confess about the feelings straight up." Tine stated.
Sarawat sighed. He didn't like where this was going and wasn't really sure if he even wanted to listen Tine talk at the moment.
His heart felt like it was slowly ripping apart.
"That sounds about right..."
Just when I’m about to look back...
Tine hummed satisfied with Sarawat's agreement.
He crept towards Sarawat, plopping down right in front of him, so close that their knees almost touched.
Sarawat's eyes narrowed in confusion when Tine held his hand tightly, slowly interwining their fingers.
"Pear told to be transparent about my feelings. I'm gonna do it now." Tine took a long breath before he looked deeply into his eyes, his smile wide.
"I don't know when it happened, but it did. I've gathered so much confidence to do this so here it goes... I really, really like you, Sarawat. And even if you're gonna say a 'no' to me, I want you to remember that you've to remain my good friend, okay? I have confidence in Pear. She gives good advice. So if you reject me today, I won't feel very bad and I'll just pretend that this day never existed. That way our friendship won't break."
You hold onto me
Sarawat didn't even know if he should laugh or cry. He never expected these words from Tine.
"Tine..."
Tine looked determined. His gaze was focused on Sarawat, ready to embrace whatever his decision was.
"Look, if you're rejecting me, you've got to be clear to my face, got it? I don't want false hope."
Sarawat quickly shook his head, eyes wide.
"No, it's not-"
"I knew it!" Tine exclaimed, a frown on his face. "I fucking made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry, Wa-"
Sarawat clamped a hand on Tine's mouth to shut his babbling. Tine had misunderstood him and he was terrified.
"Listen to me, Tua Woon Wai." Sarawat removed his hand from his mouth once he was sure Tine wouldn't talk. He wrapped his arms around Tine, tugging the boy in his embrace. "You have no idea how long it's been."
"You don't mind being friends, right?"
He heard Tine's soft voice and Sarawat wanted to smack some sense into the stupid boy's brain.
"You stupid bunny. I love you, Tine. You idiot, really..." Sarawat claimed, loud and clear.
Tine pulled back, surprised. He looked so shocked that Sarawat wanted to laugh at him.
It was his turn to be surprised when Tine suddenly pulled his face in a kiss, soft plump lips planted against his. Tine pulled back with a grin, still cradling Sarawat's face in his hands. He ran his tongue on his lower lip, nose scrunching up.
"You taste spicy."
So so sweet, you’re really so sweet
Sarawat chuckled.
"You taste like Banana milk."
"Yeah? You didn't drink yours. Don't wanna try it?"
Sarawat smirked.
"I did. Just now..."
The blush on Tine's face was worth the heartache he suffered before.
"I told you. Pear's advice is generally good for me..."
"Hmm. Say thanks to her for me. She got me such a cute boyfriend."
"Wat!"
So so sweet, you are...