Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Fluke went into the office on his day off that early Friday morning, he knew he was in for a hectic day. Pineare, their usually bubbly and happy receptionist, was not only missing from the front desk, but had donned on an apron and was furiously decorating a massive five story wedding cake. Three other members of his staff were scrambling in the back kitchen, rolling fondant and making intricate sugar flowers. Sure, Fluke and his team have done rushed wedding preparations before, being part of the Lotus Hotels and Restaurants Corporation, but the problem was that he had absolutely no recollection of any weddings happening this weekend, or for that matter, that day.

“Uh, can someone fill me in?” He asked with an uncertain chuckle, dumping his backpack in the staff room and rolling up his sleeves to help Pineare with the next row of frosting. She was technically still a patisserie trainee, but she had a gift for decorating. “Who’s getting married?”

“Fluke,” Pineare whined, pulling herself away from the cake and collapsing onto an empty chair. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming. When I got in this morning, there was a call from the head office who asked us to rush a wedding cake for tonight. Which would be fine, if like Mark was here, but he’s sick with a horrible fever and it was your day off, which you haven’t had in weeks, so I didn’t want to bother you, but—”

“Head office?” Fluke interrupted and pursed his lips in thought. “Wait, you mean, THE head office? Of Lotus Hotel, not just our Restaurant subsidiary?”

Pineare nodded. She rubbed away some stray flour from her cheek. “We’re lucky that you made us bake vanilla cake last night or I’m sure Tommy,” she pointed to the tall baker making wonderful lilies out of modeling chocolate with tears running down his eyes, “would have fainted from the stress by now.”

“They should have told us beforehand.” Fluke frowned, piping the last row of stars on the highest layer. “But, we’ll talk more about that later. From the files you texted me earlier, all that’s left to do here besides tacking on the flowers and swirls, is the lace design. So, I’ll go ahead and finish that. Go help Tommy and Plai with the sugar work. Then, help Aum bake our signature mini cupcakes. Oh, and put a little raspberry filling inside and pop rocks on top to add a more personalized touch to their gift—if we’re doing this, we have to go all out.”

“Fluke, you are seriously the best,” Pineare cried. Then cupping a hand in front of her mouth in a staged whisper, “You shouldn’t just be our team leader, you know. I hear on the grape vine that they’re looking for a new head of R&D. That should definitely be you! You already create Thai desserts for the chain, and you’re practically everyone’s favorite pâtissier!”

Fluke blushed, still unused to the praise. He’s been working at Lotus for five years now, ever since he graduated from culinary school. He’s moved up from being a regular staff member, to sous chef, and now leader of his own dessert team in charge of the hotel’s largest catering events and parties. Fluke even has some of his own creations as regulars in their restaurant menu. But he can’t be thinking of that now. “Pineare, thank you. Let’s focus on this, okay?”

--

They finished the cake and cupcakes just as the event planner rushed through their doors at exactly 4:45pm. They were tired, sweaty, and caked in various amounts of flour, sugar, and chocolate, but they did it. Tommy and Phai had already left for the day after cleaning up their stations. Aum was in the back, checking inventory and preparing supplies for orders scheduled for the weekend. She was Fluke’s second in command – besides Mark – and was his pick to be the next team leader if he ever got promoted.
Fluke browsed through their order book as he waited for Pineare to finish changing in the staff room. They lived in the same neighborhood and usually carpooled back home since Pineare didn’t have a car.

He jumped in surprise as the reception phone started ringing. He glanced at his watch. It was already 10pm. Pineare must have forgotten to set it to voicemail.

Clearing his throat, Fluke picked up the line. “Lotus Restaurants Bakery Division. How may I help you?”

“Fluke, you magnificent pastry god. How could I ever live without you?” A familiar light voice gushed.

Fluke’s lips curled up into a grin. “You better have a good reason for that spectacular rush order, Earth. Thanks for not telling me anything. I thought you were an experienced event planner or are you losing your touch?”

“Excuse me, love! First of all, I’m an amazing head of event planning and secondly, that was so not my fault.” Fluke chuckled; he could hear the sass dripping off his friend’s voice. “We didn’t even know till last night, scratch that, 1am this morning that we had a freaking wedding to plan. Don’t even get me started on that bitch from HR. Oh, I’m sorry if it’s inconvenient for you to make a few calls for our catering employees to come in earlier. But, do you have to organize a 500+ guest wedding in less that 24 hours? Is your ass on the line if a wedding does not happen or the color scheme is not the right shade of baby blue? No, I don’t think so!”

Fluke winced. “Ouch. Sorry, Earth.”

He heard a long, tired sigh from the other line. “No need, my one and only soulmate. Hey, you free tomorrow?”

Fluke raised an eyebrow. “No. It’s Saturday, a pastry chef’s rush hour. Actually, why are you free on a weekend?”

“I’m going on strike.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Fluke nearly dropped the phone from his hands.

“Damn it, Fluke, I am not having this conversation with you on a company phone. You know what, just meet me at corporate at 7am sharp. Call me on your cell when you arrive. Oh, and stop putting it on vibrate. I’ve been messaging you and you know you can’t feel it in your loose slacks.”

“Earth, wait—”

In his signature style, Earth hung up without even saying goodbye. Just as well, Pineare just stepped out of the staff room and was looking at Fluke with furrowed brows.

“Uh, you ready to go, Fluke?” She asked.

“Yeah. Sorry, let’s go.” He responded with a forced smile.

--

Fluke met Earth during Lotus’s summer orientation. They were paired for a company bonding exercise, also known as the annual amazing race, that required them to be tied together and carry out quests around the city. This included guessing mystery drink contents, answering random Thai trivia, and balancing on a tight rope beam. It was plenty exhausting. But, thanks to Earth’s contagious enthusiasm, they got second place in the race and won a paid weekend stay at any of the Lotus Hotels. After that, they became best friends and were often dubbed as twins by their peers for their similar looks and capabilities. However, where Earth was outgoing and talkative, Fluke was shy and contemplative.

In fact, because they matched each other so well, Earth had often called Fluke his soulmate as a term of endearment. My better half, Earth had said once at a drunken corporate party two years ago. But as much as they differ, they had an identical determination and will to grow in their own fields, as a pâtissier and event planner respectively. Which is why Fluke was waiting for Earth in the parking lot of Lotus Hotels and Restaurants Corporation.

“I love you, soulmate,” Earth greeted with affection when Fluke handed him a thermos filled with his home roasted coffee.

“Yes, yes,” Fluke said, stifling a yawn. “Can you tell me why and how long we’re going to be here? I promised Pineare that I would be back before they start making the white chocolate birthday truffles.”

Earth just rolled his eyes, then grabbed his best friend’s hand as they walked through the corporate doors. It wasn’t busy just yet, still too early for the morning rush, but they still had to scan their ID badges for the security guard to let them in. They took a seat in front of the receptionist desk. “We’re going to do what was long overdue, love. This is the seventh time we’ve been asked to handle an event with less than 24 hours’ notice! It’s unprofessional and frankly, shows how much they’re taking advantage of not just us, but those who work with and for us.”

Fluke motioned for Earth to continue.

“So, I made an appointment with the president and told him that if he doesn’t give us the respect we deserve, the head of event planning and the executive pâtissier of the restaurant subsidiary were going to quit.”

“Earth!” Fluke furiously whispered at his friend with wide eyed shock. He didn’t want to cause a commotion as the receptionist, Jaime, was already giving them weird looks.

“What?”

“This is our jobs!”

“It was the only way I could get an appointment!”

“That’s because you threatened to quit!”

“Well, it worked didn’t it?”

“Excuse me,” Jaime said from her position behind the front desk. She had a hand up to her headset. “Mr. Katsamonnat and Mr. Natouch? President Siwaj is ready for you. Please take the elevator to the 40th floor and go through the double doors.”

“Great, now we’re both going to be unemployed.” Fluke muttered under his breath as Earth punched the button on the elevator.

“Hey,” Earth said, grasping onto his friend’s hand again and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m sorry I did this without your permission. I promise we won’t lose our jobs. And, if they want to fire us, then I’ll make damn sure that they don’t get rid of you. I’d start a fire for you, love. You know?”

Fluke couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, I know, love. And, just to be clear, if they fire you, I’m leaving too.”

“Aww, thanks, soulmate,” Earth grabbed Fluke into a tight hug as the elevator doors dinged open. “Now, let’s give them hell.”

Chapter Text

Fluke had never met President Siwaj in his career at Lotus. He might have seen him once or twice at a company event, but the president was always swarmed with executives and businessmen who wanted his attention. From what he’s heard from Sammy, Pineare’s best friend who worked as a secretary at corporate, he was a relatively laidback kind of guy, calm demeanor, never yelled or did any lavish parties. He actually sounded kind of nice from her description of him.

But nothing could comfort him as Fluke and Earth sat on the leather couch across from the president of the largest hotel chain in all of Thailand.

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you both, Mr. Katsamonnat and Mr. Natouch.” President Siwaj said, looking through a folder spread across his legs. Fluke couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing an expensive Armani suit, a stark contrast to his white collared shirts and black slacks. Earth was in his own league as he swore to wear clothing from only mom-and-pop shops or small name boutiques.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. And, please, just call us Earth and Fluke.” Earth responded politely.

The president nodded. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking from his poker face. “Of course. And, I would extend the courtesy to you as well, at least when we speak in this setting. Please call me New.”

“Then, New,” Earth started, “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but as part of the event planning and restaurant divisions, we serve a large number of clients and guests that stay at the hotel. Recently, we have been receiving a, no offense, careless amount of sudden, out of nowhere requests from corporate to prepare for some fairly large events. This includes a fashion show, celebrity dinners, and a couple of weddings. It has come to our attention that though we are thankfully capable of handling these spontaneous orders, it is debilitating for our staff morale and causes strain on other engagements that we had already planned.”

“I see.” New replied with a small hum, gesturing to Fluke. “Please continue.”

Fluke glanced at Earth before speaking. “Earth and I have worked for Lotus for more than five years now. We have grown and learned much from the company. And while we always put our best work forward, it is difficult for us to undertake spontaneous assignments with the care and deliberation we normally do with all of our tasks.”

Earth added, “And, to be honest, we feel that our talents are being taken advantage of.”

A couple of seconds of silence passed before New spoke. “Thank you for your honest feedback. I have spoken to the other executives about the, as you say, carelessness put into these assignments that are causing strain on you and your staff. And, after careful investigation, I have found your claims to be valid.”

New placed the folder onto the table in front of Earth and Fluke and motioned for them to take a look at it as he continued, “So, not only would I like to apologize for the way that Lotus seems to have disregarded your efforts, but I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge your abilities.”

Fluke opened the folder and the two of them scanned the documents closely. It was some sort of collage of their work. Among the array were images of Fluke’s traditional Thai desserts, as well as Earth’s design portfolios.

“What is all of this?” Earth asked, pulling up printed Instagram photos of Fluke’s pop rock mini cupcakes and Earth’s blue floral arrangements from last night’s wedding.

“A collection of your best works. The wedding you helped create yesterday was for the daughter of a well-to-do businessman. She had stopped by one of our Bangkok locations, fallen in love with our ballrooms, and had immediately requested for her wedding to be held at our hotel. Under one of my executives, or should I say former exec’s, carelessness, he had foolishly promised the doting father that he would prepare a reception straightaway, regardless of our previous bookings, which had forced your teams to create a wedding basically from scratch.

New reached over and grabbed the photos from Earth. “And despite that, you did so with flying colors. Pop rocks? The bride was almost in tears when she saw the cupcakes because that’s the name of their late dog. And the blue centerpieces? Why, the father said it was the exact shade of his own wife’s wedding ring.”

Fluke couldn’t help a smile from forming on his lips. It has always been his desire to make desserts that would go well beyond the wishes of his clients. He dreamed of being a pastry chef because he knew he could make people happy with his creations. He squeezed Earth’s hand. And he knew his best friend felt the same way about his job. “Thank you. We do our jobs to the best of our abilities and are happy that clients are pleased with our efforts.”

New laughed. “Happy? They’re not only happy, your thoughtfulness has given us the business of Germany’s largest hospitality service industry. I’m drafting an exclusive contract with them as we speak. They’ll be using our hotels for all of their industry events in Thailand.”

“Well, congratulations.” Earth said with a small laugh, lacing his hands through Fluke’s. “We’re glad we could help.”

“Yes, well,” New pulled out two envelopes from his breast pocket and handed it to the two of them. “That brings up something else.”

Fluke opened up his envelope carefully. To his surprise, inside was a plane ticket to Chiang Mai, along with Lotus hotel reservations for the next three months. “Why are you sending us to Chiang Mai?”

New nodded. “As you may know, we had just opened our first resort hotel in Chiang Mai last month. And while my hotel team has been doing exceptionally well, our restaurant branch is failing to reach their numbers, and there have been a concerning amount of vacancies for use of our ballrooms.”

“I would like to ask the two of you if you’d be willing to relocate to Chiang Mai for the next few months to work with the staff in your respective divisions. Just looking at your portfolios, I am thoroughly impressed by your innovation and skills and would like your help in improving our resort. This, of course, includes a pay raise as well as free lodging and a food stipend while you’re there. What do you think?”

Earth and Fluke shared a look. This meeting was not at all what Fluke was imagining it to be. They weren’t getting reprimanded, or fired, but they were getting what was essentially a promotion and an all-expense paid work trip to Chiang Mai, a city known for their beautiful temples, landscapes, and most importantly, their food.

“I think we would be idiots to say no.” Earth replied, as he and Fluke shook the president’s hands.

New grinned. “Well, looks like we have a deal. Watch out for an email coming in the next few days with more details. Earth, Fluke, I look forward to seeing what you two accomplish.”

--

“I can’t believe you’re going to Chiang Mai! Even Sammy’s going!” Pineare said, clutching onto Fluke’s arms tightly as he loaded up the last of his luggage onto the taxi. He decided to stop by the office to pack up some of his more special pastry tools and say his goodbyes to the team. Earth had already done so earlier and was patiently waiting in the car.

“You’ll be fine, Pineare. Aum is in charge and you’ve been doing amazing work.”

“Yes, I know, but it just won’t be the same without you.” She gestured behind her. Fluke waved to the other pastry chefs giving him puppy dog looks from inside the glass front doors of his workplace. In their arms, they were holding a touching farewell poster complete with a cartoon image of himself and Earth on an airplane with the words “safe travels” in gold glitter on the top. Phai’s idea, he bet. Fluke rubbed away the tears that started to prickle his eyes. He really loved his team.

“It’s only for three months. Then, we’ll be working all together again. Goodbye, Pineare. Text me if you need to. I’m always available.” Fluke said, enveloping the girl in a warm hug.

“Bye, Fluke!” She waved as the he got into the taxi. “Earth, take care of our one and only beautiful pâtissier!”

Earth rolled his eyes, then poked his head out of the car window. “You know I will, sweetheart. And, shouldn’t you say that about your brother? He’s on this trip too, you know.”

Pineare just stuck out her tongue. “Mix can take care of himself. You know what I mean!”

Earth laughed, blowing Pineare a kiss. “Of course. I won’t let anyone hurt our baby. He’s too precious for this world.”

Fluke’s ears turned a deep shade of red as he side-eyed his best friend. “You know I’m right here, right?”

Pineare and Earth had identical grins on their faces as she stepped back and motioned for the taxi to pull out of the driveway. “You take care too, Earth. Have a great time at Chiang Mai. And, if I don’t get at least a dozen texts from you every day, I’m getting my gossip from Sammy!”

--

Sammy jokingly dubbed the four of them as the “Fantastic Four” when they met up to finalize their plans for Chiang Mai. Since Sammy had already been to the resort multiple times as the communications liaison between the head office and the hotel, she would be their main guide. She had a gift for building relationships with all kinds of people and said she would make it her job to get all of them acquainted with the resort staff, which was fine with Fluke since he was shyer than most.

As predicted, Earth and Sammy had gone along swimmingly. They had spent most of the plane ride gossiping about the newest late-night tv series and whether or not they think Tharntype’s relationship was problematic, as well as sharing tips and details on their skincare routines. Fluke thankfully brought his headphones so he could enjoy reading in peace. Mix, who was quite similar to his sister, took a different route and slept through the hour-long flight.

When they arrived at Chiang Mai, Sammy had already arranged a car to take them to the resort. They had all changed to their more professional attire since they were going to meet the other executives running the resort branch for dinner.

“What are they like?” Fluke couldn’t help but ask. He wanted to make sure he gave a good first impression.

Sammy turned around to face Fluke from the front seat of the van. “Well, seeing that you’re working primary with the restaurant crew, they’re honestly not that bad. You’ll meet the restaurant manager Mike, executive chef Poppy, and head chef Best. They’re pretty nice and make some bomb food. Their current pastry chef, Rawintera is a sweetheart, she’s seriously like Aum’s twin.”

Sammy then turned to Earth. “You’ll be most likely working with our events manager, Perth, and maybe the concierge, which is headed by Prem, another sweetheart. He’s a little naïve sometimes, but he’s a hard worker.”

“What about the hotel chain of command?” Although Fluke is part of the restaurant division, the hotel management team was still technically their main boss. They might not know how to cook food, but they know how to run a business, restaurants included.

“Well, for starters, they’re all hotties.”

“Sammy!” Fluke exclaimed, playfully hitting her on the arm.

She laughed and shared a teasing look with Earth who just gave a small dance in his seat. “Okay, okay. They’re honestly all good bosses. Some are scary, yeah, but they respect the staff and are good at what they do. There’s Bosston, the sales and marketing manager, who is always willing to help you if you need it. Boun, the director of operations aka the guy you call when you want something built or fixed, is awesome. He’s pretty chill, so Mix you’re going to enjoy it here definitely.”

Mix gave a little fist pump in response.

“Kao, the hotel manager, is super serious. I mean, he’s not rude or anything, but tends to work by himself. He’s always busy, so if you want to speak with him, you’ll probably have to reach out to his assistant, Title, first.”

“And finally, our boss of all bosses, Mr. Ohm Thitiwat, head of Lotus Resorts.”

Earth raised an eyebrow, “Wait, is this the guy rumored to be the next VP.”

Sammy nodded. “Oh, yeah. The very one.”

Earth then pointed an accusing finger at Mix, “You didn’t tell us he was going to be here.”

Mix just shrugged. “Eh, I don’t know him too well. Sure, he’s biologically my brother, but Pineare and I didn’t live with him growing up.”

Fluke placed a hand on Mix’s tense shoulders. Pineare didn’t speak much about the strained relationship she had with her eldest brother, though it’s clear they were more like strangers than real life siblings. Pineare always made an effort to share what’s happening in her life with Ohm, but it doesn’t seem like her brother was eager to do the same. Fluke could sympathize with them. His younger brother, Ball, currently studies in New York and he couldn’t imagine growing apart from him. Though, Fluke was still surprised Pineare never mentioned Ohm being at the resort.

As if Sammy could read Fluke’s mind, she clarified. “Mix or for that matter, Pineare, probably didn’t know Ohm would be in Chiang Mai. He usually doesn’t stay at one place for a long time, since he’s got to care for the other resorts too. But you might randomly see him, so I wanted to give you a heads up.”

The sun was just hitting the horizon when their van pulled up to the resort steps. “Well, Fantastic Four, welcome to Lotus Resorts and Suites!” Sammy turned to Mix who had already grabbed his stuff and was hi-fiving JJ, another coworker and Pineare’s and Mix’s friend.

Sammy waved to them. “Hey, JJ. Would you take care of our luggage? And, please give Mix a tour of the place before you head to bed or whatever.”

“You’re not joining us for dinner?” Fluke asked with a confused brow.

“Nah,” Mix smiled. “Unlike you two, I’m not here on a special mission from the president. The operations team just needed an extra hand for the next few months, so I joined your flight. He then shared a cheeky look with JJ as they walked into the resort, “Enjoy your dinner, we’re going to have fun!”

Earth looked pitifully at Sammy and pointed his finger at Mix‘s and JJ’s backs. “Can I join them?”

Sammy just shook her head. “Unfortunately, what Mix said was true. You two are my treasured VIPs, so you have to go to this dinner or it’s my head.”

Chapter Text

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Earth said with a cheery grin as they walked towards their room on the fifth floor. President New gave them a hotel suite to share, complete with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and living area.

Fluke looked at Earth incredulously. Sure, their dinner wasn’t horrible. The food was good, which boded well for his review of the restaurant’s quality, and the executive team was very polite. They had the opportunity to meet with a few of the people that Sammy mentioned earlier. Bosston, who Fluke was 100% sure had a crush on Sammy based on the looks he kept shooting at her, was courteous and made an effort at conversation. Boun was funny and charismatic, his blonde hair was a surprise since Fluke was quite sure dyed hair was against uniform code.

Fluke also enjoyed speaking with Mike, Poppy, and Best who talked candidly about their cuisine and their thoughts on improving the restaurant. However, his real concern was Kao. The hotel manager didn’t know it yet, but he’s caught the eye of the most persistent man on the planet. And Earth was going to eat him alive.

“Wasn’t that bad? Earth, you can’t flirt with our boss.”

“And, why not?” Earth asked as he swiped the card to get into their room. Prem had taken their luggage there earlier while they were at dinner. “And, technically, considering our ranking in the company, I’d say we’re more like coworkers than anything.”

Fluke willed himself not to facepalm as he took one of the bedrooms and started unpacking his things. “Still. We were sent here specifically to do a job. Romance would just get in the way.”

“Or it would enhance our jobs.” Earth suggested as he flopped himself on Fluke’s bed.

“No.”

“Yes, love.” Earth said with his token optimism. “This is a resort. And statistically, most of our guests are couples, so I would say being in love is essential to understanding our clientele’s wants and needs.”

Fluke grabbed his PJs and toiletries, then headed to the bathroom. He continued the conversation through the closed door as he changed and washed up. “Earth, I don’t think this is a good idea and Kao doesn’t seem like he wants to be in a relationship.”

“That’s because he hadn’t met me yet.”

“Earth.”

“Okay, okay. I promise I will – like always – prioritize my work while I’m here. But, if someone, specifically a tall handsome man with a jawline made of marble, just happens to come along the way, well, who am I to stop him?”

Fluke opened the bathroom door to glare at Earth who was cheekily grinning at him. “No, Earth.”

“Fine!” Earth said, righting himself up on the bed. “I’ll try to keep my flirting on the down-low, but you know that’s part of who I am, right? I even flirt with girls!”

Fluke just shook his head in amusement, then, tackled Earth into a tight hug. “Well, thank you for at least being willing to try.” He pulled back a little to fix his friend’s hair. “I just don’t want you to get hurt or in trouble.”

“Right back at you, soulmate.” Earth replied affectionately and kissed his cheek. “One day, Fluke, you’re going to fall in love and it’s going to be you – not me – with a problem.”

--

It’s been a couple of days since they’ve arrived at the resort and Fluke was getting the hang of things. He’d gotten a tour of the place, curtesy of Sammy, as well as met with all of the kitchen crew. He even helped with the lunch and dinner crowd a couple of times to get a sense of the workflow. Today, however, he wanted to focus his time on the breakfast menu.

Poppy expressed difficulties with the morning routine since traffic made it impossible for her to get there earlier. She had suggested Best could take lead on breakfast, so Fluke wanted to see the head chef’s skills. And if he was impressive, he was sure to recommend promoting Best to executive chef alongside Poppy.

After he had woken up a sleepy Earth and cooked a healthy porridge in their kitchen, he made his way down the elevator and past the front desk. He spotted Prem giving his daily pep talk and waved at him. They had bonded recently over their love of boba tea when Fluke gifted some as a thank you for helping with the luggage.

“Good morning, Prem.” Fluke greeted as his friend made his rounds fluffing up the pillows of the reception hall. Prem seemed a little on edge by the looks of his tightly wound tie and fluffed hair. “Are you okay?” He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder gently.

“Fluke!” Prem jumped in surprise. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.” He looked about himself nervously before whispering into Fluke’s ear. “FYI, Mr. Thitiwat flew in this morning from New York.”

“He’s here?” Fluke’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, he arrived at like 3am this morning, so I’m just going to try and make sure everything is perfect and not get fired.”

“Prem, he’s seen you work before. You’ll be fine.” Fluke said with an encouraging smile. “Let me know if you want breakfast. I’ll make you something for your nerves.”

“You’re an angel, Fluke!” Prem grabbed him in an affectionate embrace. The lanky concierge gave amazing hugs.

When Fluke got to the restaurant, Best and the rest of the line cooks have already assembled the breakfast buffet outside on the patio. Fluke suggested it since guests would be able to enjoy the early morning sun as well as take pictures by the beautiful beaches Thailand was known for. He double checked to make sure that the food matched the restaurant’s approved buffet menu before heading towards the relatively quiet kitchen.

“Good morning, Rawintera,” he said, watching as the pastry chef took out freshly made sponge cake from the oven.

“Hi, Fluke!” She said cheerfully. Sammy was right. She was exact replica of Aum, dessert making capabilities and all. “I’m just setting everything up for the opera cakes.”

“Great. Just let me know when you’re doing the glaze.” Fluke said, putting on an apron and getting ready to help with breakfast.

“Of course!”

Best had returned from the patio, his arms filled with empty trays. When Fluke gave him a questioning look, he just shrugged. “We got some early diners – soccer team. Man, do they eat a lot.”

“You need any help?”

“Thanks, but I think we’re okay right now.” Best said taking a long look around the kitchen. He glanced at the schedule hanging from kitchen’s office door, then turned to Fluke. “Oh, actually, our specialty chef, First, is out sick today, would you mind covering for him? He just prepares dishes for guests who want to eat off the standard menu and not the buffet.”

Fluke smiled, trying to soothe the hesitant look on the head chef’s face. Although he ranked higher on the kitchen hierarchy, he didn’t like using his authority if he could help it. And from what he’s seen, Best was a fantastic cook and budding leader. “Of course, no problem.”

“Thank you,” Best replied, handing over a copy of the menu. “We usually do standard American breakfast on Mondays, so classics like eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, hash browns.”

Fluke nodded, listing off the ingredients in his head. As the morning droned on, he was pleasantly surprised that most of the patrons have decided to join the buffet. It meant less stress on the kitchen and better turnover all around. He ended up cooking just a few dozen orders from the standard menu, mostly from older guests who had strict dietary restrictions.

Best’s crew had hit a good flow and food was steadily making it out of the kitchen. Suddenly, one of the servers burst into the kitchen, a paper order in her hands. “Guys, guys, shit, sorry, it’s—its—”

“What is it, Amy?” Best asked, grabbing the ticket from her and handing it over to Fluke to process.

“That’s Mr. Thitiwat’s order. Sorry, he just appeared out of nowhere. Wait, don’t look! He’s seated right in front of the service window.”

Fluke took a quick peak. He could only see the back of his head, but it was indeed Mr. Thitiwat talking with a noticeably more on edge Sammy. Best read over his shoulder. “He wants a poached egg, oatmeal, and a side of fruit.”

“Huh.” Fluke processed the order in thought, then turned towards the stove. “I’ll handle it.”

“I really appreciate you taking over for First, but are you sure?” Best asked. “I mean he’s not supposed to be evaluating you. He’s technically my boss, so I should…”

“Best, it’s fine.” Fluke replied easily, noticing the nervous energy dripping off of the head chef. It was getting a little concerning how intimidated the staff seemed to be of Mr. Thitiwat. “Just run the buffet. I’ll take care of it. Trust me.”

Best nodded. “Okay.”

Fluke had instructed a line cook to prepare the freshly cut fruits and warm up the oatmeal as he worked on the poached egg. Just as he was about to break the egg into the boiling water, he hesitated a moment in thought and glanced out the service window again. Something clicked. Not one to go against his intuition, Fluke changed course and moved from the stove to the prepared wok and cracked the egg inside.

“Uh, Fluke, I’m just a pastry chef, but that does not look like a poached egg to me.” Rawintera said with confusion in her voice, still dutifully swirling coffee syrup in her hands.

Fluke just kept cooking the egg in the hot oil, waiting for the edges to turn a crispy golden brown. “You’re right. It’s not a poached egg.” He pulled it out of the wok and let it rest while he prepared rice on a plate. Then, he placed the fried egg right on top.

“Fluke, what are you doing?” Best asked, probably called over from the patio by a concerned Rawintera.

“I’ve just got a feeling about this. Trust me.” Fluke could only reply. Serving up the fried egg over rice to the pass, along with the oatmeal and fruit. He nodded at Sammy from the service hatch before turning towards the anxious server. “Amy, please send this over to Mr. Thitiwat.”

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” was all Best could say at the end. To be honest, Fluke wasn’t sure what came over him. He just thought about Mr. Thitiwat coming back from New York, how he was probably sick of American food, then thought about their guests enjoying the Thai air, and how maybe they’d enjoy a Thai breakfast too.

“Fluke,” Sammy called from the open kitchen doors, “uh, sorry, Mr. Thitiwat would like to speak with you for a moment.” Best and Rawintera froze and shot worried glances at Fluke.

He quickly removed his apron and straightened up his clothes before heading out.

Sammy gave him an encouraging look before introducing him to the man who could make or break his career. “Ohm—I mean Mr. Thitiwat, this is Fluke Natouch, the executive pâtissier from the head office who made your breakfast this morning.”

Mr. Thitiwat looked up from the phone in his hands, before placing it on the table. He gestured to the seat in front of him. “Mr. Natouch, please.”

He sat down nervously but couldn’t help glancing up to look at his boss. Mr. Thitiwat was quite handsome. He was well built with healthy tan skin and broad shoulders. He used to be a competitive swimmer in college, he vaguely remembered Pineare mentioning once, which didn’t help the blush that threatened to appear on his face, nor the sweat that beaded underneath his bangs. He clasped his hands together in front of himself self-consciously.

It was lucky that Sammy had already retreated to the safety of the kitchen, though Fluke was sure she was probably going to watch their exchange from the serving hatch.

“You’re a pastry chef, Mr. Natouch?”

“Yes, though I did get a degree in both culinary arts and baking arts, before settling as a pâtissier." He cleared his throat before speaking again. “And, Fluke is fine, sir.”

“Fluke,” Ohm said, eyeing him for a moment before gesturing to his plate, “Why did you make me a Thai fried egg? I remembered ordering a poached one.”

“Was it not good?” Fluke asked hesitantly. “I could—"

“No, no.” Ohm said quickly. “It was delicious. I just don’t recall it being on the menu.”

Fluke pursed his lips, a nervous habit of his. “Well, I remembered some of the staff saying that you had just returned from the US this morning. So, I thought you might have been tired of the traditional American fanfare and would appreciate something a little more homemade.”

Ohm straightened up in his chair, his pristine white collared shirt did nothing to hide his well-toned chest. Earth was definitely rubbing off on Fluke too much. “I see. And, do you think our guests would like that as well?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Do you think if we substituted some of our global dishes for more traditional, homegrown Thai cuisine, our guests would enjoy it?”

“Well, yes.” He answered honestly. “Although this is a resort and we cater to multinational clients, I think they would value more thoughtfulness in our menu. The food we have already tastes great, but I believe most people would feel like they’re missing out on the real Thai experience. I haven’t had a chance to check out what’s out there in Chiang Mai, but I bet most tourists would rather eat at the night market or mom-and-pop shop than at a ‘regular’ hotel restaurant.”

Ohm raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think some guests would miss their own countries’ meals? We do have, let’s say, unadventurous visitors.”

That was a good point, he admitted, but Fluke knew what he was talking about. After all, he used to work at his mother’s restaurant and did specialize in traditional Thai food. “I think,” he replied with a more confident smile, “if we did Thai cuisine just right, our guests wouldn’t miss their homecooked meals.”

Ohm hummed to himself. His hand which was originally sitting on his lap had settled on the underside of his chin as he seemed lost in thought. He was wearing a Rolex on his wrist, something that Fluke would never have cared to notice, except for how it started to pull on the top button of Ohm’s shirt. Fluke tried to ignore it and pressed on.

“Of course, we have visitors who might not like the idea of trying new foods, but what’s the point of marketing a traditional Thai experience without taking some risks? We can start small. The fried egg, for example, and test how it’s received.”

“Interesting,” Ohm replied, his eyes focusing on Fluke more earnestly. “The marketing team could even work on some anecdotes about the food’s history to emphasize the traditional experience the resort can offer.”

Fluke lighted up at Ohm’s encouragement as ideas started to pour out of him. “We could even attract locals. Maybe for people who don’t know how to cook, we could hold some kind of class? There could even be a contest and we can ask home cooks to make their best dishes and whoever wins can have their recipe served here at the resort and, um…”

Before he could continue on his train of thought, his eyes trailed back to the watch, which was now much more firmly tangled with his boss’s shirt. “Sorry, sir, Mr. Thitiwat, your watch is snagging on your button, let me just—"

Fluke stood up and reached out to secure Ohm’s hand before gently unclipping the wristband from the caught thread. He smoothed out the wrinkles and straightened out the collar unthinkingly.

“Uh,” Fluke’s blushed as he scrambled back into his seat. “Omg, I’m so sorry, I—”

“You are Pineare’s friend.” Ohm interrupted his rambling, a dimpled smile sneaking up on his face. He was more attractive when he smiled, Fluke thought.

Fluke prayed the red tint on his cheeks had faded. “Yes, she works with me in Bangkok.”

“I see,” He replied simply, like he was remembering something funny. “You are just as she had described.”

“How did she describe me?” Fluke hoped that Pineare didn’t share anything embarrassing.

“Don’t worry, my sister gave nothing but compliments. She said you’re hardworking, smart, supportive, and a great team leader.”

Fluke smiled in response. He was sure to call Pineare up later to thank her for the kind words.

“Though she forgot to mention how cute you are when you get flustered.” Fluke’s face flushed a dangerous shade of red.

“I’m so, so sorry to interrupt.” Rawintera rushed out as she stood in front of their table, a chocolate covered whisk in her hand. She turned to Fluke. “You told me to call you when we were ready to glaze the opera cakes. They’ve cooled and have been coated with the coffee syrup already, but the chocolate that I heated up was starting to settle, so—"

“It’s alright, Ms. Rawintera,” Ohm said, gesturing for Fluke to go help the stressed pastry chef. “Fluke and I had just finished our conversation.”

Fluke stood up on jelly legs, bowing politely. “Uh, I will go ahead now.”

“Wait.” Ohm said, grasping Fluke’s wrist lightly before he could follow Rawintera to the kitchen. “It’s just Ohm. Call me Ohm.”

“Then…Ohm. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Ohm offered another dimpled smile and squeezed his arm gently before letting go. “Thank you for spending your morning with me, Fluke. I hope to see you around the resort.”

When Fluke got back to the kitchen, he could hardly hear anything besides the loud pounding of his own heart. Best was giving him a mischievous look and Rawintera was tugging at his arm with a surprising amount of strength.

Sammy leaned against the oven doors, her hands moving around her in disbelief. “Did that just happen? I can’t believe that just happened.”

“I didn’t even know Ohm could smile!” Rawintera replied excitedly. Best nodded in agreement. “It was like seeing a whole new person.”

“Can we just forget about it, please?” Fluke asked, trying to calm down his coworkers before they start causing a bigger commotion. It was lucky their guests—as well as the rest of the cooks—were on the patio with the breakfast buffet, or he was sure they would be getting noise complaints.

“Sorry, Fluke.” Rawintera seemed to pity the desperate look on her friend’s face and handed over the warm chocolate glaze. “Here’s the batch for the opera cakes.”

“Thank you.” Fluke said as he started to coat the sponge cakes with the chocolate. “Best, let me know if you need any help prepping for the lunch menu before Poppy arrives.”

Best saluted him playfully, before pulling out the menu checklist. “Sure thing, Fluke.”

“Sammy,” Fluke eyed his hyperventilating friend who was now pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

“Y-yes?” She asked with a stammer in her voice.

Fluke sighed, “Just please, please, do not tell Earth.”

Chapter Text

“Are you hiding something from me?” Earth asked for the fifth time that day, staring down at Fluke from across the bar counter. He was in the middle of figuring out the profitability of getting a couple of display cases for their desserts and had made himself a makeshift workspace at the bar. It was late morning when the restaurant had closed to set up for lunch, so Fluke could work without disturbing any guests.

“Why would you think that?” Fluke schooled his features into a calm expression. He had been keeping himself busy since his first and apparently, only encounter with Ohm that he’d honestly forgotten about not telling his best friend about it.

“Every time I try to initiate girl talk with Sammy, she gives me an excuse and runs off.”

“Maybe she’s busy.” Fluke made a mental note to bake a dozen double chocolate chip cookies for her trouble.

“Maybe…or maybe she knows something I don’t.” Earth retorted, slamming his hands down on the mess of notes and sales reports on the counter.

Fluke sighed, pouring some jasmine tea in an empty cup to soothe his irritated friend. He slid it over to him. “Any reason why you’re here instead of organizing events with Perth?”

“We need volunteers.” Earth mentioned offhandedly. “We’re decorating the hotel for the Loi Krathong Festival. Prem, Mix, JJ, and half of the reception crew are on board. You’re welcome to join if you’re free.”

Fluke smiled. He loved the floating lantern festival. When he was a kid, his family would always spend the holiday decorating lotus baskets and filling them with little homemade trinkets and candles to sell to tourists. It’s probably one of the reasons why he was so interested in traditional Thai desserts. “Of course.”

“Great!” Earth downed the tea in one gulp. He then pointed at Fluke in an almost threatening manner. “Oh, and just to be clear, I will figure out what you’re hiding sooner or later. Bye, love.”

As soon as Earth turned the corner, Fluke let out an exasperated groan and dropped his head onto the table. Earth could probably see right through his poker face, and honestly, after almost a week, the secret was starting to kill him.

“Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Natouch?”

Fluke looked up to see none other than the blonde-haired operations head. He was holding a box under his arms. “Got your dough sheeter. They sent this down to maintenance by accident.”

“Oh!” Fluke’s took the package from Boun and placing it on the stool next to him. “Thank you. Rawintera’s been waiting for this. We’re going to make fruit pastries from scratch.”

“Sounds delicious.” Boun helped himself to some tea, pouring it in Earth’s emptied cup. His eyes trailed to the pile of papers on the bar counter. “So…it looks like you’ve been busy today.”

“Well, yes,” Fluke opened up the box to pull out the invoice. He needed to send a copy to the head office for processing. “though not more than usual.”

“Good,” Boun mumbled so quietly that Fluke almost didn’t hear it.

“What?”

“Uh, I mean it’s good that you aren’t overworking yourself.” Boun looked back in the direction of the kitchen. “Are you going to help with lunch today?”

Fluke shook his head. “No, Poppy wants Best to run the pass by himself.”

“Got it.” Boun nodded, carefully sipping his tea. “So…are you allergic to anything?”

Fluke pulled away from his paperwork to stare more closely at the operations head. His brows furrowed in confusion. “Um, pollen, why?”

“Just curious.” Boun replied, his face giving zero clues to what he was actually thinking. “Do you get carsick?”

“No.”

“Afraid of heights?”

“No—Boun, what’s going on?” Fluke felt like he was being interrogated and had absolutely no idea why. “Is there something you need from me?”

He flashed Fluke an amused, knowing smile that reminded him a lot of Earth. “Nope, you’ve helped plenty.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“Wow, look at the time!” Boun looked at his wrist, which would have been more convincing if he was wearing a watch. “I’ve got to go. See you around, Fluke.”

And, just like Earth, he gulped down the tea and scrambled away, leaving Fluke a lot more confused than before. “What just happened?”

--

Taking a break from his paperwork, Fluke had decided to check out the lobby to see if Earth still needed volunteers. Although he won’t admit it himself, Earth can be a workaholic if he was excited for an event, and sometimes would try and finish tasks all by himself. He was a perfectionist, which is a great trait for an event planner, but it could tire him out if he wasn’t careful. Fluke also wanted to run the menu by him to see if there was anything specific that Earth would like to add to match the holiday theme.

However, all thoughts about Earth and the festival went out the window when Prem suddenly grabbed onto his arm and pulled him into an empty laundry room. The concierge locked the door behind them, pulling a finger up to his lips.

“Sorry.” Prem mimed and tilted his head towards the door where Fluke could make out two muffled voices that sounded vaguely familiar. Once the noise started to recede did his friend finally slump his shoulders in relief, leaning against the door. Fluke wouldn’t say it was unusual to see Prem flustered, but he wasn’t sure why his friend looked so spooked.

Fluke took a seat on top of an unused dryer, his feet dangling over the edge. He might be there for a while. “So, what happened?”

It took a couple of seconds with Prem making incoherent sounds, before he placed his hands over his face. “I kissed Boun!”

Fluke almost fell from his seat. “What?”

“I kissed that stupid blond!”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Fluke tried to collect his thoughts. “You mean last night? At JJ’s pool party?” It was JJ’s birthday yesterday, so the staff threw an impromptu pool party to celebrate. Most guests didn’t go to the pool since there was a beach literally in walking distance from the hotel, so it was a good place to relax and hang out. It was fun and Mix was a surprisingly good DJ.

“Yes!” Prem grasped onto his friend’s shoulders and shook him so hard that it started to make Fluke dizzy.

“Oh,” Fluke pushed away Prem’s painful hold on him. Now that he thought about it, one of the muffled voices did sound a lot like Boun. “Is that who you’re avoiding? You know you can’t avoid him forever, right? You both work here.”

“I know.” Prem started to pace around the room, his feet making loud thumps on the laminate floor. “It’s just…what am I supposed to say? Hey, I was drunk, so that kiss didn’t mean anything.”

“Sure, that could work.” Fluke crossed his arms over his chest. “But, are you sure it didn’t mean anything?”

“Yes, of course I’m sure!”

When Fluke gave him a pointed look, Prem adjusted his response. “At least…I think.”

Fluke smiled softly. “I’m just saying, maybe you should just have an honest conversation with him. Boun is a pretty chill dude, at least from what I gathered in the week I’ve been here, so I don’t think he’ll take anything you say badly.”

“But, Fluke…” Prem whined.

“No buts.” Fluke jumped down from the dryer. He crossed the room and unlocked the door. “You can—Boun!”

Just as he had opened the door, he spotted the operations head leaning against the doorframe, a large Cheshire grin on his face. “Hey Fluke, can I speak to Prem really quick?”

“Uhhh…” Fluke glanced sheepishly at the concierge who had frozen solid inside the laundry room. Prem’s face had drained of color, his hands curled into fists in his pants. “I don’t think—”

“Great, thanks!” Boun gave a friendly pat on his shoulder and gently moved the pastry chef to the side. It probably helped that Fluke weighed only about 100 pounds and had a petite frame. He really needed to start hitting the gym more. In a blink of an eye, Boun had blocked the laundry room’s only escape, trapping the nervous concierge inside with him. “Oh, and by the way, there’s something waiting for you in the parking lot. Just head down the hallway and out the side door.”

“But…” Fluke hesitated. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Boun, but he wasn’t going to leave Prem vulnerable without a clear okay. They’ve become good friends in the week that Fluke’s been at the resort. Prem was an open book, an empathetic guy, someone who you can talk to without worrying about being judged or criticized. Fluke was sure that when he gets back to Bangkok, they would stay in touch.

Boun ruffled up Fluke’s hair. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to your friend.” And, to back up his claims, he’d moved to the side so Fluke could see Prem give a slight nod in agreement.

“Okay. Please take care of him.” Fluke then headed towards the parking lot.

--

Fluke had a lot of ideas on what was waiting for him when he opened the door to the parking lot. It might have been a delivery truck bringing fresh produce and fruit, or it could have just been some food bloggers wanting an in with the restaurant. Fluke did not expect in a million years to see the head of Lotus Resorts waiting for him. “Ohm?”

Ohm was casually leaning against the front of his car. He greeted Fluke with a small smile as he made his way over to the pastry chef. “I see Boun was able to find you.”

“Uh, yes.” Fluke scratched the back of his head nervously. “Prem and I ran into him just now.”

“I’m sorry for the short notice.” Ohm pushed his own hands in his pockets. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it in time.”

“In time? In time for what?” Fluke asked.

“For lunch.” Almost as if in shock at his own boldness, Ohm cleared his throat and looked away from the pastry chef. “Uh, I mean if you are free, I would like to ask you to lunch.”

Fluke couldn’t help but chuckle at his shyness. It was rather cute for someone who was a head taller than him. “Why didn’t you just ask me in person?”

“I didn’t want to give you any unnecessary trouble.” Ohm glanced at the hotel doors. “The employees here tend to…overshare.”

Fluke nodded in agreement. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I would be happy to get lunch with you.”

“Great.” Ohm smiled brightly as they made their way to the car. The engine hummed to life as Fluke settled into the passenger seat. “I confess, it’s a little more than lunch today.”

“Oh?”

Ohm pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway. Fluke couldn’t help but press his face close to the window to take a look at the scenic beaches and hills. “I’ve been thinking about what you said during breakfast and you were right. We should take some risks, so I wanted to take a look at our competition.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Fluke couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed to hear that lunch was more of a work thing than a date thing. “We should definitely see what’s being offered out there. Where are we going?”

“First, we’re heading to Lucky Café, I know the owner and he offered to let us sample some of his dishes. Then, we will stop by the cooking school and one more location before returning. I probably should have asked first, but we’ll probably be out for the rest of the day if it is alright with you.”

Fluke brightened up at the thought of trying new inventive cuisine. He was, after all, a cook at heart and a food tour sounded amazing. “I haven’t had a chance to look around Chiang Mai, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“Glad to hear it.” Ohm replied, his voice softening a little as if sharing a secret. Paused at a red light, he took a chance to look at Fluke. “And…”

“Hmm?” Fluke asked, turning around to face him. The pastry chef almost let out a startled yelp when he realized how close he was to his boss. Ohm had rested his arm on the center console and was leaning towards Fluke with an unreadable expression on his face.

Fluke held his breath. A couple of inches…really, only a small push and their lips would be touching. He grasped his seatbelt tightly to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut.

“…And.” Ohm’s voice was like a warm whisper in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Fluke felt the briefest touch on his neck and opened his eyes to see Ohm had straightened his collar just like Fluke had done when they first met. “I wanted to return the favor.”