Chapter Text
Loud cheers from people erupted in the area; the night, a massive crowd went wild instead of sleeping like regular citizens. It's usually customary for these people to be awake at this hour around this time of the month. They always have something to be hyped out about here, and honestly, Porchay could understand that.
It's the only place you get to be yourself and not worry about the following day because everything that happened here stays. It was their golden rule.
It is forbidden to mention the racing event outside of the event.
Plus, they weren't just hanging out doing nothing like idiots. They weren't in a club where they danced and got drunk until they felt terrible and lost control of everything. Some were watching the race, and some were participating. Both gave the same adrenaline rush that made everyone feel good.
There's nothing terrible about it besides this whole thing being held illegally. But even then, if Porchay was honest with himself, he would say that it was pretty fun and an excellent way to spend his evening instead of brooding at the Major family's mansion about his new life and Kim.
He looked over and saw two men talking to each other, both being the two people who he had frequent contact with, Phayu and Prapai. Phayu, the mechanic here and Prapai, their top racer.
"Hey," Chay said, walking towards them. The both of them turned their attention to him.
"Good to see you're alive, dude," Phayu said, patting him on the back before pulling him into a hug. He hadn't been around for a long time. That would be…a year now. He stopped coming after his brother started his new work and disappeared into oblivion.
Porchay laughed and hugged him back before letting go. "Yeah, I'm still breathing. What are you guys up to?"
He looked behind Prapai and noticed that Khun Phakin's (the race organiser) right man was speaking with a man in a blue suit. He wondered what they were saying since P'Chai never talked to someone unless they held some importance.
"They're recruiting new racers. Only got one so far, and he's here to look around." Phayu explained, and Prapai continued. "Khun Phakin thought it was getting too boring around the event. He found a good racer and recruited him. He used to be competing professionally, but you know, accident and trauma? The man probably cannot go anywhere near the motorcycle, but Khun Phakin thinks it's interesting."
Chay raised an eyebrow, "He finds it interesting to see someone's struggle?" He asked since it wasn't like the middle-aged man to do that.
Phayu shook his head. "No. Not really. As you said, accidents always happen during competitions and nothing is interesting about it. This is more about training, ensuring you do well, and keeping your head down. If the person can do that, they have a chance to win." Which meant Khun Phakin saw something in the new racer. "Means he thinks he can help the new guy and the new guy can make more money for him. It's a win-win situation."
The two fell silent as they watched P'Chai talk to the recruit.
"All set, everybody. We are officially starting now! Good luck!" The announcer said while the racers took place.
As the race started, Porchay sat under the tent where Phayu was fixing a motorcycle. "You're just going to watch tonight?" Phayu asked; Prapai had long gone to the front to watch the race. Porchay nodded, he wasn't sure what role he had wanted to play tonight, but for now, it felt good just sitting around talking to his friends while everything blurred in the background.
Phayu shook his head and continued fiddling with the motorcycle. "What excuse did you use for tonight?"
"Study group extended to a sleepover." He said without hesitation. He didn't mention how he went to a friend's house and snuck out where the guards his brother assigned wouldn't see him.
Phayu seemed amused and gave him a sceptical look. "I mean, I didn't exactly lie." He quickly defended himself. "I brought my books here." He didn't go to the interview for the music faculty, but that didn't mean he didn't have any other universities to offer him a place. Although he attended other interviews, he did not apply for the music course because he could not afford to make music without hating every bit of it. He was now studying in the Communication Art International Programme.
Phayu snorted. "Right." There was no doubt that he believed him. "Of course, you bring books to a race event."
"I need alibis if I want to lie." How can he lie about going to a study group if he didn't bring any books with him?
It was silent again, and he noticed how Phayu had already fixed everything and looked content. "I'm going to look around. You keep doing what you were doing." Chay said, pushing himself off the chair.
The blurry background became clear to him as he heard cheers from people as the racers arrived at the finish line. He glanced at the new racer, which had flinched when the two motorcycles came, but he could see a glimpse of fire in his eyes. Khun Phakin was right; this new guy was not broken beyond repair. He got hopes.
As he walked around, he greeted a few people he knew, and his eyes again went to the new guy in the blue suit. He noted that this person liked wearing fancy things, but it didn't look suitable in this scene. Then someone walked up to the new racer. It was yet another new face…in the event, but not to Chay.
He cursed in his heart when he saw who it was. It was someone he had seen in the Minor family's compound a lot — Macau. They made eye contact…it wasn't supposed to happen. Porchay wasn't supposed to hold eye contact with him for a whole minute, but he couldn't snap out of it. He felt like he fucked up somehow.
Macau raised an eyebrow, challengingly at him. He was surprised to see Chay there, but he was also intrigued. "Study group?" Macau mouthed at him from afar mockingly. He chuckled and turned away from Porchay to talk to the man in blue. Of course, he knew about the excuse.
Porchay sighed, closing his eyes, and tried not to let his fear rise inside him. He never bothered to interact with Macau or talk to him because Macau smelled like trouble. He always avoided trouble. Likewise, he didn't expect his first interaction with Macau would be them staring at each other and Macau mocking him subtly.
Yeah, right. Forget about just being part of the audience today. Chay needed something to wind down himself; this could be his last time here. He didn't know Macau…he wouldn't know how the other would react to this. He had a few guesses, Macau could rat him out to Porsche, or Macau would first blackmail him. It would mean that this was his last time here, and if it was his last time, he better make it the best night for himself. No holding back this time.
"Phayu! I'm hitting the road tonight." He said, approaching Phayu, who was now talking to his lover, Rain. "Thought you said you were only going to watch."
Porchay took a helmet from the older and shook his head, "Yeah, change of plan. I saw something unpleasant. I need to shake it off. Oh, and hi, Rain." Rain nodded at him in acknowledgement.
"Who's up next?" Chay walked to the front, where the announcer was standing. He hoped he could skip the queue and get on with anybody who wanted to race. He needed a distraction.
"We've got a couple left, but I'll see what I can do." the announcer said, winking as he grabbed the microphone and started talking," Now, allow me to introduce our top racer, Paragon. He's been M.I.A since last year, but now he's ready for a comeback, but he's not any less skilled when it comes to knowing the road well. Anyone who wants to go up against him is welcomed!" He paused for dramatic effect, and the crowd started cheering and hollering excitedly, looking forward to the next rider showing up. Porchay required a fake name, obviously, if he was going to stick around here without Porsche knowing. Whatever happens here stays, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Paragon. There's not much meaning to the name… He thought it had a nice ring, and nobody would associate it with his real name. In fact, he was sure half of the racers here used fake names if you excluded Prapai. Prapai wasn't afraid of being known and was pretty confident with the security here. Porchay wasn't scared of many things, but…the only thing he really feared was being exposed to his brother. So he decided to give his name a different sound; Paragon.
That name was more generic than most here (some had gone for weird exotic names — The Flash, The Light Termite... , you wouldn't be sure if they were serious or kidding with their names.)
The next time he saw Macau again, it was in front of the start line. The other had a flint of interest in his eyes, and he intently observed every movement made by Porchay.
Macau was more than just intrigued; he had never expected to see the younger Kittisawasd in a place like this, out of all places. This was his first time coming here since his friend got scouted. He wasn't aware of the existence of this place, but he thought he could go and see it since his brother probably would be interested in such places. However, after seeing Porchay, his curiosity and interest spiked even more.
"Who is he? You keep staring at him." The voice from behind broke Macau from his thoughts. He didn't realise that he had stopped talking and stayed staring.
Macau chuckled lightly at his friend, Kit, "Just someone I know." Then he turned around after he finished mocking Porchay. He heard about his sorry excuse of a study group slash sleepover. Yeah, this was very much a place suitable for such activities.
Macau wasn't one to say anything; he was even much worse. He didn't even tell his brother where he was going, simply saying he would be back by tomorrow. He would be asked where he had gone the next morning, but Porchay gave him an idea for once. Maybe the sorry excuse will work, and if not, he got to fuck around with Porchay.
He took his time to observe the other racers and their reactions to the upcoming race. Everyone was getting anxious and waiting with anticipation for Porchay to enter.
His eyes caught Porchay's as he passed by him, and a smirk appeared on Macau's lips. "Paragon?" He mouthed silently, tilting his head, and Porchay narrowed his eyes, putting on his helmet like he didn't have the time to care about Macau and his bullshit.
He turned his attention to the racers as the countdown began, and the lights flashed red and green, signalling that the race was starting. Porchay closed his eyes and waited for his moment to enter. He felt his hands shaking with excitement. The adrenaline rush was almost too much for his system right now.
He didn't say much to his opponent besides "See you at the finish line." There was confidence and arrogance in his voice.
It was a racer he had never seen before, probably a newbie who came out of curiosity— not personally invited by the organiser. There wasn't any need to taunt a man who had come out of curiosity. He didn't feel offended when this one was eager to go against him. He was going to beat the shit out of this man anyway, and it was fun watching a helpless opponent try to fight against him.
Porchay smirked. It felt great. He could hear the screaming of spectators and the loud music. He knew the finishing line was just up ahead. Just in case, he held his breath, trying to make his movements quicker than usual as he waited for the signal that he had won the race.
The second the buzzer sounded, he leapt off. He smiled widely when he saw everyone standing with their arms extended towards the sky.
It felt good.
"You're not as rusty as I thought you would be." Porchay laughed, taking off his helmet and putting it on the table. Phayu's smile widened.
Porchay stared at him, still laughing softly. "I told you, a year won't make any difference for me."
"Ok, who got on your nerve this time?" Porchay frowned at the question. He opened his mouth to say something in retort but closed them back in when he saw Phayu's interrogative eyes, his right eyebrow raised. His handsome devil-like face made it difficult for Chay to say something back. "You have been rigid all night and suddenly wanted to join the race. Anybody caught your eyes tonight, or did someone pick a fight with you?"
Pick a fight? Porchay scoffed; Macau wouldn't do anything stupid as that here. Khun Phakin's men wouldn't let an idiot ruin the event like that. Even if he was new, Macau should have more common sense… more since he was raised in a crime family.
And contrary to Porchay's worry, Macau hadn't made any move or sign that he would be approaching Porchay for the night, which was only more annoying. Since he would taunt Porchay from afar, mouthing words that were normal but irritating to him, making gestures that just screamed 'annoying'. It added fuel to the fire he had burning in his stomach.
It was frustrating. Every time Porchay felt the urge to run and get rid of him, he'd take a deep breath and calm down because he didn't know Macau personally that he could be this agitated.
"Nobody. The race only happens once a month. I would rather not wait until the next event." He dropped the question instantly, and Phayu didn't question him any further. The older one didn't take his answer for the truth, but there wasn't any reason to push him for it. Porchay was smart enough not to keep himself out of unwanted attention.
As expected, until the end of the event, Macau had not approached him, and he didn't see the youngest of the minor family around for that long. Halfway through the event, he had disappeared — Porchay only noticed after he realised how peaceful the night was for him without Macau's burning gaze drilling a hole at the back of his head.
After the final match ended, Phayu and Prapai went to see each other briefly outside the track before returning separately.
Sneaking into his friend's house was as easy as a walk in the park. He didn't bother knocking or ringing the bell; he simply barged inside through the window without so much as saying hello.
Ohm, his friend, sat in the living room, playing with one of his handheld gaming devices. A large, fluffy white dog was sitting beside him. He squeaked along with the animal when he saw Porchay intruding. "What the fuck-"
Nah, his friend didn't know he was coming there. Even when he first arrived with guards here, he had walked into the house compound, then ran to the back of the house, where he snuck out. "Sleepover." Porchay said, grinning.
"Can't you come in like a normal human?! You've been doing this for years. I almost attacked you! "Ohm complained. He put the pillow in his hand away quickly when he saw it was Porchay and crossed his arms in annoyance, glaring at the younger. "And what were you going to beat me up with? A cloud-shaped pillow?"
"No, with my foot!" Ohm threw the pillow at him, and Porchay caught it with a laugh. "I brought food! Chicken wings! And some ice cream." He placed a bag on the coffee table while Ohm continued frowning at him. He looked over at the sleeping dog sitting at Ohm's feet. "Don't be such a jerk to me, man. It's late. And I'm fucking exhausted."
"I won't ask why you are in the first place. If I do, you will make me do something stupid like massaging you to sleep."
"A great idea-"
"Absolutely not, you prick. If only your brother knows how annoying you are." Wrong; Porsche would gladly massage him to sleep and find it cute. After all, nothing could be wrong in Porsche's eyes regarding Porchay.
~~~
It was almost too good to be true that Porchay won't be bombarded by phone calls from his brother. At least, now he had all the attention he had been craving from his brother when he was gone. It was good until it wasn't. Porsche talking to him meant his brother knew more about him, and he didn't trust himself with not revealing the truth about his non-existence relationship with Kim — not the race, though. He would never spill that info to his brother.
Regarding Kim, he didn't tell Porsche for a couple of reasons. One, his brother was a punch-first and think-later kind of person. Knowing his baby brother had been played with won't end well on Kim's side. Second, Kim belonged to the Theerapanyakul family, which meant if anything happened to him, Porsche wouldn't survive that even if he was Kinn's lover. It would be troublesome. Three, he wasn't sure who was more potent than who, but he didn't want either of them to die.
Last but not least, he tried to be mature about this. Ratting Kim out wasn't the most mature thing he could do when he knew his brother won't stay still. He was doing this for world peace, for Bangkok's peace.
"Can you answer your goddamn phone now?! It's been ringing for over 30 minutes!" Ohm yelled, throwing a bolster towards Chay. He caught it in his hands and threw it back at Ohm. He glared at Ohm while rubbing his eyes.
"What?!" Chay snapped.
"The phone!" Ohm groaned and dived into his pillow to continue sleeping. On the other hand, Chay finally saw his brother's name on the screen before his screen went black — 30 missed calls. Well, damn. He scurried off the bed, almost tripping and falling flat on his face, but his quick reflex helped him to stand straight.
He walked into the balcony and waved at the guards in the car outside Ohm's house before dialling his brother's number.
"Chay-"
"Hia!" He immediately cut off the older. "Sorry for not picking up just now! I slept in...we studied up till late last night." Good, smooth. He indeed did study late. "You're still at Ohm's? When are you coming back? The guards are still there, aren't they?" Too many questions at a time; means Porsche was panicking about him. That was not a good sign.
Chay laughed awkwardly, "You should know if they're there or not, Hia. You can call them." He stated the obvious. In fact, he didn't know why his brother had to call him to confirm his whereabouts when he could just ask the bodyguards.
"I know, Chay, but when did we suddenly start talking through them? If we can talk to each other, it's better if I hear it from you. All I know they can be slacking off and not guarding you properly." Oh, if only Porsche knew about his little nightly endeavour that had gone unnoticed by the bodyguards. He didn't talk back and listened with a few hums slipped into the conversation.
He heard his brother sigh, "What I'm saying is don't get too used to the bodyguards for every little thing. If you can talk to me directly, do that; if you can walk to a restaurant and buy your own food, do that." Porchay understood well. His brother wanted him to live comfortably and protected, but not to the point he was spoiled rotten he could not do regular chores. He was also well aware that nobody liked a spoiled rich kid (as much as he wanted to refute being a rich kid, his brother owned some of the property in that family, and his brother always sent money into his bank account.)
"I know, Hia. Ok, I will see you later. I'm going to take a shower and get them to drive me home. Yeah, I love you too. Have a good day." He hung up and sighed deeply.
"I'm using your shower!" Chay yelled; Ohm, glaring at him again. He chuckled when he saw the annoyance in Ohm's eyes.
~~~
"And where exactly were you last night?" It was at 12 when Porchay arrived at the Minor family's compound. It's a bit difficult to explain, but Porchay both lived in the Major and Minor family's compound. Him living in the former had to do with Porsche being Kinn's boyfriend and the latter, thanks to his brother being the head of the Minor family. He chose to come to the Minor family compound because he had classes in the afternoon, and this house was nearer to his campus. Plus, Chay got some books that he needed for his classes here.
Right when he passed through the alley where stalls were placed, he arrived in front of the house and heard voices arguing. The first one he recognised was Pete's, and Chay physically shivered.
Pete was friendly on a daily basis, but when he was angry, it wasn't so good. He's fearsome when he's mad, and Chay had once been scolded by him for not going out with his guards. His brother didn't know about it, and Porsche didn't need to. Chay already had an earful from Pete, after all.
There wasn't any other way to go into the house other than the entrance, so he had to walk and interrupt the scolding session, although he didn't want to. "You only told Vegas you would be coming back this morning, but you didn't even bring your bodyguards, and you didn't answer our phone calls." As Chay walked closer, the clearer Pete's voice was, and he guessed it was Macau being scolded. "...and it's not even morning now. It's already 12 in the afternoon."
Porchay frowned as he approached the door. He was close enough for them to notice his presence. They continued arguing, and he noticed Pete's glance at him though it went back to Macau, who also had seen him.
A smirk made its way on Macau's lips, and Chay didn't need to take a second look to know he was plotting something. Macau, solemn a moment ago, suddenly straightened his back and stretched the corner of his lips slightly upward. "Study group."
Pete stopped, and Porchay halted. "Study group?" Pete asked, sounding confused, his voice silly but a bit pleased. There was a hint of amusement in his tone. "Yeah, I went studying with Kit last night with some of his friends."
The way he said studying was far too emphasised for it to be the truth. He was mocking Porchay. That's what the smirk means. Macau's lips twitched upwards again, wanting to grin like an idiot, but he managed to keep it in, not giving away his emotions. "Kit?"
"Yeah, a coursemate. We were both studying motorcycle parts last night...just some engineering stuff for a quiz today." He glanced at Porchay and tilted his head. "Oh, Chay! Why are you standing there? Where were you from?" Porchay snapped his head towards him and narrowed his eyes.... that little shit.
How dare he play innocent.
Porchay was about to shout profanity at the guy for acting like that, but then he remembered he wasn't as idle as Macau was.
Porchay smiled. "Just out walking around," he lied. "I have class. I came to take my stuff." The latter was said to Pete, who nodded at him. He seemed to forget about scolding Macau.
"...and Kit? You mean the guy who always goes out partying. That's funny. He's in a study group when he can't focus in class?" With that, he quickly ran to his room. He got his little revenge on Macau and knew it worked when he heard more of Pete's scolding.
When he stepped inside his room, he immediately spotted his bag, which stood under the window near his closet. He picked up his bag and started putting his stuff in it.
Macau wasn't sure why he was taunting Chay, to begin with, but he didn't dislike the look of surprise on Chay's face when he mentioned 'study group'. It's easy to read Chay now after meeting him at the race event.
When he first met Porchay, he was difficult. He can see that Porchay is always smiling and shy around everyone, but it's always difficult to decipher his feelings, whether he is genuinely timid or faking it. He couldn't read Porchay until last night.
He discovered Porchay's little secret (he assumed it was), and now the other couldn't be more fun to poke around with. Only he didn't know Porchay would bite back, and now he had to sit in the living room being lectured by Pete after that lucky boy went to the campus.
He needed to have a talk with Porchay after this. It would be a threat-filled chat.
"Don't you have class after this?" Pete asked, looking at his watch. "Yeah, and I'm about to be late if I don't go....now-"
"I will send you. Get your bag and stuff; I will be at the garage." Macau grinned mischievously when he was free from the lecture torture. "Ok!"
~~~
Porchay took a sip of coffee and groaned softly before setting down the cup. He looked at the clock. Ten more minutes before class ended. His sigh disappeared when the lecturer said they would be let off early. A good thing for him since he was starving and dreading to go home, but he had some other business first.
He stood up, grabbed his stuff, and headed towards the Professor's office.
As usual, on his way, some people greeted him with a smile, and he returned the gesture. When he entered the Professor's office, he was greeted by a pretty lady. She was a student assistant. "Oh, Porchay. Are you here for Mr Aye? He went back home early today."
"Ah, yeah. Mr Aye texted me to take these with me. He wants the class to revise for his class tomorrow." He replied, taking some folders from the table.
"Alright, you may leave." She said. He bowed his head and turned to leave the room. The door of the Professor's office closed behind him when he pushed it open with ease.
Phayu
same place as before.
Chay
noted! \(^0^)/
He chuckled at his childish reply and then recalled the last place Phayu had left his payment. Each time he raced, he got some income from the bets. It was easy money for him.
He still remembered it, a place behind the cafeteria, and he had to walk a bit further from there to where broken chairs and tables were abandoned.
There, a small alcove with some stairs leads to a door. Porchay opened it, and the scent of cigarettes instantly assaulted him, making his nose crinkle in distaste. Phayu must have had a few smokes here before he left.
He went to the back of the room and checked the table at the most right— under it, a packet of money in an envelope was taped safely only for him to find.
He opened it, counted the cash and smiled at his earnings. 200,000 baht for him. He took out his phone and texted the older.
Chay
Got it.
He pocketed his phone and walked out of the room.
Someone was waiting for him outside the room, hand folded and looking all smug. "Macau..." The way he said Macau's name was as if it was cursed. "You followed me?"
"Doesn't take you to be a genius to know that," Macau answered, smirking. "And yes, I did." He said without shame.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Porchay asked, stepping closer. Macau held his hands forwards, calming Chay down. "Woah, Woah! Chill... I'm just making sure you're not up to anything weird."
"...and since when is that your job? We never even talk." The younger retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not like we are friends."
"We could be if you want, and we can talk more about your racing adventure. Paragon , right?"
Porchay pushed him aside and walked away. He chanted in his mind that Macau wasn't real, he wasn't there, and he could ignore Macau if he concentrated enough. The faster he got away from Macau, the quicker he could go home and rest.
"Are you really ignoring me when I know about your secret? Not wise of you, but I guess intelligence is not Kittisawasd's strongest point." That had stopped Porchay, and if Macau knew his brother and him that well, then he should know...the Kittisawasd throw punches first and think later.
He slowly turned around and faced Macau with a fist thrown. "My secret, hm?"
Macau shrugged, dodging. "If you haven't noticed, I'm blackmailing you." Macau didn't mind Porchay's assault. He knew Porchay won't be able to land a hit on him, although it did catch him surprised. He didn't know Porchay got it in him to hurt someone but after what he found last night, everything seemed possible and plausible
Macau was confident because he was fast; his brother told him even if he couldn't fight to save his life mockingly (literally), he could dodge and run fast.
"And why exactly? Why don't you enlighten me? Just because you found me doesn't mean you automatically have to mess with me. We didn't cross paths." Porchay hadn't done anything terrible to Macau and vice versa. They weren't enemies yet but he didn't want to deal with Macau's crap right now.
Macau raised a brow. "Are you really going to argue with me right now? We don't have time. Let me tell you something, Kittisawasd."
Porchay frowned, getting annoyed.
Macau leaned in, his lips hovering over Porchay's ear. "My brother would be more than happy to know that the current head of the minor family's brother is doing something shady behind everyone's back." He whispered into Porchay's ear, sending shivers down Porchay's spine.
Porchay froze, feeling his body tense as he tried to figure out what Macau meant by his words. Evidently, Macau was referring to something bigger and Porchay didn't want it to get back to his brother.
"What I do gets nothing to do with my brother. I was only doing that for entertainment and easy money." Macau lifted his shoulders again. "Nobody knows that. That's why in the meanwhile, I will be observing you. I'll be the judge if you would betray us and side with Khun Phakin...then leak something to him, or you're just whatever you were saying."
"You've crossed the line." Porchay clenched his fists tight, trying to stay calm. "Do you think I'm stupid? You really think anybody is gonna believe I'm working for another mafia family?" Porchay spat. It was too ridiculous! After all, not everybody that came to the event worked for Khun Phakin, just like Macau! Macau knew this, and he was still playing with him.
It was a stupid excuse to mess with him.
(5274 words)