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“P’Arthit!” Kongpob calls, knocking on his boyfriend’s door. “I know you’re there!”
Arthit rests his back against the door. He knows Kongpob has a key to his room, and he’s glad Kongpob still has the decency not to use it. He can’t let Kongpob see him now. He can’t let Kongpob be near him now.
Eventually, the knocking becomes less forceful and more of a resigned tap. "Why are you avoiding me?" Kongpob murmurs against the door.
Arthit heaves a sigh and finally unlocks the door, opening it for his boyfriend. He steps further back into the room as Kongpob comes in. He really needs to work on his resolve, especially when it comes to Kongpob.
“We were all worried about you,” Kongpob says, attempting to hug Arthit, but Arthit takes another step back. Arthit’s response gives Kongpob’s chest a slight tug. He doesn’t understand anything about what’s going on.
“I texted you. I told you not to worry,” Arthit says, head bowed.
“That’s not enough! You locked yourself in your room for almost a week now! You don't attend your classes! You don't even come out to your porch to see me!”
Arthit can only close his eyes at that.
“What’s wrong, P’Arthit? What’s going on?”
Arthit can feel the rare annoyance radiating off Kongpob. The increased heart rate, slowed breathing, and stern look are making him feel trapped in his own room. He briefly wonders how long it will take him to rush past Kongpob, open the door to the porch, and jump off it, but he then realizes doing any of that won’t do anything at all. He moves his eyes towards Kongpob and rubs the back of his neck. “Okay,” he says.
Kongpob quirks his eyebrows.
“I— Don’t be too shocked by this, okay?” Arthit says, because he supposes being shocked by it is natural, just not too much.
Kongpob retains his stern look and nods.
Arthit takes another deep breath that he doesn’t need and nods back. He never expected he’d come out twice this year. “Okay, so something happened, and…”
“And?”
“I’m a vampire now.”
~
"So, do you have...like... super strength?" Tutah pokes Arthit as if he’s a kitten in a pet store.
Arthit swats his hands away in annoyance. "I don't know. Maybe? I haven't really had the chance to see what I can or can't do yet."
"He definitely has super speed," Prem says after gulping his soda. They are all in Arthit’s room. Oddly enough, this isn't even their weirdest closed-door conversation ever. “He’s never late after being turned.”
"Let's see what else you can do," Tutah says, jumping off Arthit’s bed. He drags Arthit by the wrist and motions the others to follow them to the porch. "Have you checked whether you can turn into a bat?" he asks.
Arthit suddenly steps back. He admits he’s curious despite the matter’s stereotypical implications, but realizes he doesn’t want to take the chance.
“Can you all stop?” Knot says, grabbing Arthit by the shoulder and putting him back into his room. “No one is jumping off the porch,” he says.
“Fine,” Tutah says, folding his arms on his chest.
“Thinking about it, somehow, this opens an opportunity for you, Arthit,” Prem says.
Arthit quickly faces him. “How?”
“You know my father works at a construction materials company, right?”
The others nod.
“He said many of their repeat clients are vampires. They always have a new house or building to build. You know… eternal youth and watching your savings account collect all that interest."
“Oh,” Arthit reacts, suddenly realizing that. However, the idea of living forever and watching his loved ones grow old and die isn’t exactly appealing as Prem thinks it is.
"That's all nice to know," Bright says, picking up the wooden chair he’s sitting on. "But I’m still curious about your new capabilities, so let's see if you really have super strength."
"Wait," Knot says, suddenly anxious, "what if he doesn't―"
Bright smashes the chair over Arthit’s head before Knot can further object.
~
Kongpob looks like he really, really has smooth skin... really, absurdly smooth. The way his neck seamlessly flows down to his collarbones and chest is truly a marvel. He should really consider wearing loose shirts more often.
"P’Arthit?"
"What?" Arthit trails his eyes from Kongpob's neck up to his face.
"P’Arthit," Kongpob is looking at him with a mix of confusion and worry on his face. "What's wrong? You look really pale."
He nods in agreement. Of course, he’s pale. He can’t exactly go out during the day and get a tan. Kongpob, on the other hand… Kongpob looks really, really good right now. Kongpob has always been good-looking in his eyes, even though he denied it multiple times before, but something about right now is really doing it for Arthit.
“Phi…”
“Sorry,” Arthit says.
Suddenly, Kongpob gasps and covers his mouth with his hand. He’s now looking at Arthit in full shock.
“What?” Arthit asks. He’s already a vampire, and Kongpob knows it. There's not much else that can really be shocking anymore. But uttering that one syllable gives his tongue a sharp poke. “Oh,” he says upon realizing what has shocked Kongpob. He purses his lips in an attempt to hide his fangs. “Sorry, I don’t know... how to control them yet.”
Kongpob’s face goes from shocked to intrigued. “Does that mean you’re hungry?”
“That was what was said to me. I’ve been told they pop out when we’re hungry or excited.”
Arthit isn’t really sure which one he is at this particular moment. Regardless, it’s pretty bad for him to be either of them. He’s out of instant blood, they are alone in his room, and Kongpob is looking really, really good.
“Do you need to... hunt?” Kongpob asks.
“No, I can manage, though I think I need to stock up on blood tomorrow. I think I also need to buy a fridge so that I don’t have to buy as often.”
“Can’t you have a cup delivered right now? It’s nighttime. Vampire businesses should be open and ready to serve, right?”
Arthit chuckles at that. “You’re a bucket head, do you know that?”
Kongpob laughs back. “I can also be a bucket of blood if you need me to,” he says with a serious face.
Arthit gives him a wide-eyed stare.
“Look, you're clearly hungry and looking paler than usual. So, just do your thing and feed on―"
“No!” Arthit exclaims.
"It's not a big deal. I researched this thing, and you can feed without actually turning or draining someone. You just need to sip the right amount.”
“I said no.”
“And I'll probably taste better than those cups of blood you've been drinking. I’m fresh," Kongpob adds, smiling and selling himself.
"Kongpob, no. I'm not―I'm not going to do that, and I'm not going to let you offer." Arthit speeds to the bathroom, effectively ending the conversation.
He knows Kongpob, with his smooth skin and pulsing neck, can make him change his mind, which is why he isn’t going to give him any chance.
~
"C'mon, it's not fair. Everyone else has seen them except me!" Bright whines.
“I also haven’t seen them!” Tutah says, raising his hand.
"They only saw by accident! And why are you guys always here?" Arthit says. His friends now spend most of their free time in Arthit’s room these days. It's not that he finds it bothersome, but rather... watched. It seems like they’re all just waiting for him to snap and go on a rampage. He feels guilty for even thinking about it since they've been nothing but supportive. But sometimes, he just wants to drink blood in peace and admire how his fangs look good on him.
“Please?” Bright and Tutah say in chorus, pleading with their hands.
“Fine,” Arthit says after rolling his eyes. He opens his mouth, and with a small pop, his fangs extend.
Bright gasps in amazement, and Tutah claps his hands.
"For both of your sakes, I hope you don't ever meet another vampire," Knot says from the opposite side of Arthit’s bed.
“Okay, Dad,” Bright mockingly says. He stands up and grabs Arthit’s arm.
“Anyway, c’mon, let's go to the park and scare some kids.”
~
He shouldn’t be here. He knows he shouldn’t be here, but his needy self got the best of him. He is, again, locked inside a room with Kongpob, and something tells him there’s no escaping now.
"Are you okay?" Kongpob’s grip on his face tightens, and Arthit takes a step backward.
"Yeah," he says. He’s doing that thing where he nods for no reason again. If his heart still had functioned, he's pretty sure it would be thumping out of his chest right now. "Actually, no. I… I think I should go."
"Why?" Kongpob tilts his head inquisitively. But in doing so, he bares his neck even more and— Arthit really needs to get out of here.
“Because it’s dangerous.”
Kongpob sighs. “How many times do I have to tell you? I trust you, P’Arthit.”
"Well, you shouldn't." He has to leave, if not for his own sake then for Kongpob's. "You know I'm new at this. I can't control my urges."
"Oh," Kongpob’s gaze falls to Arthit's mouth, no doubt looking to see if his fangs are out.
They are.
But Kongpob knows Arthit has just gulped two cups of “the red matter,” as Arthit wants to call it, so there’s nothing to worry about. He steps closer to Arthit, closing the gap between their bodies. “You aren’t hungry... You’re excited.”
Arthit’s gaze falls from Kongpob’s face to his feet, their feet. He supposes Kongpob is right. After he was turned, they haven’t really done anything, and every sleepless night spent regretting how he declined the advances Kongpob made in the past, it’s driving him insane.
He moves his stare back to his boyfriend’s face, and Kongpob watches his boyfriend with his mouth hanging slightly open, sharp teeth exposed.
“Have I told you your fangs look good on you?” Kongpob says.
There's a pause. Then, Arthit smirks. “You haven’t, but you don’t have to tell me that.”
And with that hint of confidence, Kongpob grabs his chance and moves his lips towards Arthit’s.
Arthit gasps at the sudden move.
He doesn’t need to breathe anymore, but within a fraction of the kiss, he learns Kongpob’s air is an exception.