Chapter Text
Kim’s Little Reindeer
Kim looks at the schedule details on his Google Calendar and he frowns. His manager mentally starts counting to five and before she can even reach four, her charge clears his throat and says,“I don’t like playing games.”
“The organisers of the event requested it. They think it will be cute.”
“It’s cute because they know I am going to lose and make a fool of myself. Again,” Kim grumbles.
His bad luck with games is starting to be a running joke among his fans and the people in the industry, thanks to that livestream that he did where he lost eight times in a row playing a variety of games with the host.
“Are you sure we have to play games with the fans?”
“Yes, because that’s what WiK will do for his fans,” she says with a shark-like grin. “Besides, it’s Christmas.”
“Fine.” Kim puts on his Ray-Bans and proceeds to sulk backstage until the start of the fan-meeting when he has to channel Christmas Wik instead of Pissed-off Kim.
========
The Christmas-themed fan-meeting starts off smoothly with the emcee making small talk and promoting the brand of bottled drinks from the organisers. To boost sales, the company had come up with new flavours, a frosty mint lychee and red pomegranate peach, just in time for Christmas.
The crowd at the fan-meeting today is made up of mostly university students as they are on Christmas break. The mall is somewhat packed for a Friday afternoon as it is the last few days before Christmas for last-minute Christmas shopping.
The singer proceeds to sing two of the more popular songs from his YouTube channel to resounding screams and applause. Wik hits all his high notes and he can see that his songs had attracted the attention of some of the shoppers who stopped to listen. Wik is feeling quite pleased with himself until he remembers what is up next.
It is time for the dreaded game segment.
Today’s game is to knock over a small pyramid of nine empty drink bottles using a tennis ball. The winner is the one who knocks over the most number of bottles. Kim tends to do well at ball games and most physical activities. He has kept up with his mixed martial arts and sparring sessions with the bodyguards at the main compound in addition to clocking hours in the shooting range.
The catch, however, is that they will first play scissors, paper, stone before each turn and the winner gets to go first. Kim is not so good with that. The emcee’s assistant brings out a box of Christmas party costumes and accessories and those irritating Christmas stickers.
“The loser will get to be decorated by the winner or serenade the winner,” the emcee announces.
“I feel like you already think that I’m going to lose the games,” Wik tries to protest but to no avail.
The emcee laughs it off and starts by picking a long-haired, slim, young and pretty female fan. Wik knows that the majority of his fans are teenage girls but he has a diverse set of fans and he would like to get them up onstage too. Wik selects a fan in her twenties standing right in front of the stage who has been waving her home-made placard of a cute anime-chibi version of WiK.
He looks around as the emcee calls for one last volunteer. That’s when he spots the two young men wearing rainbow-colored surgical masks standing near the right side of the stage. One of them is looking like all hope is gone while the other is waving frantically for his attention. The waving gets more ridiculous when he notices the pop idol looking his way.
“What about one of you?” Wik points in their direction and asks.
The enthusiastic one immediately whoops for joy and all but pushes his friend up onstage, holding a handphone up the whole time, presumably to film the entire encounter. His shy fan goes up on stage and stands right at the end of the line.
The first thing that Wik notices is his deep-set eyes and soft mop of curls. All of his fans take off their masks except for the shy one. With the COVID situation still fresh in everyone’s mind, wearing a mask is still considered the norm at this point in time. Briefly, he wonders what his male fan might look like under the mask.
The emcee pulls his attention back to the game and predictably, Wik loses the first round of scissors, paper, stone and can only watch with resignation as his first fan knocks everything off the table with the first hit. For a teenage girl, she has a surprisingly good aim.
“I am on the school softball team,” she reveals with a toothy grin and Wik ends up wearing a headband with two fluffy-looking light brown reindeer ears with white spots and red antlers.
The second fan knocks everything off after winning three straight rounds of scissors, paper and stone. She asks for a short serenade of a recent cover that he has done and he obliges. The crowd bursts into scattered applause.
“Wik, do you think you will get to touch the ball at all today?” The emcee asks, grinning like a lunatic.
Kim bleeds through his Wik persona and he sighs for real. Kim shakes his head and the tiny bells attached to the headband make annoying jingling sounds while his fans laugh at him.
“We have our third and final contestant for today. What is your name?”
“I’m Chay,” a soft, pleasing baritone says into the microphone through the mask. Ah, the shy fan. At least Kim has something to look forward to for the next game.
“Do you feel lucky enough to win this today?” The emcee questions.
“I don’t usually have a lot of good luck,” Chay explains into the microphone given to him. “I think I used it all to meet P’Wik today.”
Kim could not stop the small grin from spreading across his face. It is something that Wik would be happy about. Chay’s eyes crinkle invitingly in happiness as Wik’s fans coo over how adorable the fan is. However, Kim is finding it difficult to resist the sweetness as well.
“Let me pass you some of my good luck today,” Kim says into his microphone. He takes a step closer to Chay and can see the doubtful look in his expressive eyes.
On the spur of the moment, Kim decides to come out to play a bit. He removes the reindeer headband from himself and places it carefully over Chay’s head instead. He takes advantage of everyone’s surprise and combs through the other’s soft curls with his fingers under the excuse of ensuring that the headband would not fall. And yes, the boy’s curls are as soft as he thought they would be.
Finally, he reaches for Chay’s right shoulder and pats it gently, garnering some envious screams from the crowd. Kim takes a step back and he can see Chay's eyes are now as wide as saucers and his ears have gone a delightful shade of cherry red.
“Thank you, P’Wik,” Chay thanks Kim and reaches a hand up to touch the reindeer ears, a little dazed over what just happened.
“Well, I’m not sure if you should thank him for the luck, seeing how it has been for the past two games,” the emcee snickers, butting into their little bubble of intimacy.
Kim shoots the man a glare and spitefully makes a mental note to never hire this emcee again for his future events.
“Let’s…Let’s see who is the luckier one today,” the MC wraps the conversation a little shakily and starts the game. “Ready? Scissors, paper and stone!”
As expected by everyone, Kim loses to Chay who is the only one surprised at winning. Kim smiles at how much he is jumping around.
There is a determined glint in his eyes as Chay picks up the ball, swings back his arm and throws the ball forward with as much force as he can muster.
Unfortunately, the ball hit only one bottle and it barely moved. Kim had to hide his smile behind his hand while waves of disappointment rolled off the younger man.
“Don’t worry, you still have two more chances,” the emcee consoles and the game is back on.
To Chay’s continued surprise, Kim loses again, his seventh straight loss at a simple scissors, paper and stone.
“How are you so bad at this?” Chay cannot help but blurt out and his fans are rolling around in laughter. “I mean I’m a huge fan of yours but this is a bit ridiculous.”
“I gave you my luck, remember?” Kim reminds him gently, tugging on the reindeer ears and there is now guilt in those expressive eyes.
“Sorry, P’Wik,” he apologises.“Let me finish this round and I will return it to you.”
Chay picks up the ball and throws it. It is off the mark by quite a bit, rolling off the stage at the end. He sighs in an adorable manner as he raises his hand to take off the reindeer headband. “Here, P’Wik! Thank you for the good luck!”
“It’s alright. You can keep the headband.” Kim stops him by grabbing his hand. That elicits another round of blushing from Chay and catcalls from his fans. Kim realises that his cute fan has similar calluses from playing the guitar, like him.
“Wik, one last round!”
Kim is going to torture this annoying man personally. Reluctantly, he lets go of Chay’s hand.
“Scissors, paper and stone! Wik! You’ve finally won a game today!” The emcee shouts in disbelief. Kim looks down at his ‘scissors’, victorious over Chay’s ‘paper’.
“Wow! Finally! Maybe my luck is looking up,” Kim says with a wink at Chay. He makes quick work of the nine bottles, knocking all of them out with a fast and hard throw.
“Punishment time! Time for our unlucky fan here to be punished! What do you want to do, Wik?”
“Hmmm…I think I will go with the stickers.” Kim pretends to think about it even as his hand reaches for the Christmas-themed stickers. This is a good opportunity to see exactly what his huge fan looks like under that mask. He closes in on his little reindeer fan.
“Are you comfortable taking off your mask? It will be easier for me to paste the stickers.” Kim asks and his shy fan nods, the tips of his ears burning red at how near they are to each other.
When the mask comes off, Kim is mesmerised by warm, doe-like mocha-colored eyes under the strong lights, a cute button nose, and a rosy-red tint across prominent cheekbones.Then finally, those full, pouty lips that would look downright at home sinfully wrapped around his fingers or better yet, his…
“Woah! Your fan is quite cute, don’t you all agree?” The emcee teases, much to the fans’ delighted cat-calls and breaking into Kim’s filthy thoughts that are wholly inappropriate for the current situation. He promptly regrets getting Chay to take his mask off, feeling oddly possessive about the fan he has just met today.
Even as a deep curl of heat begins to settle in Kim’s chest, it is a reminder that he still has to play Wik for his fans. Although it is not going to deter Kim from fanning the flames a little and leaving a bit of his mark on him.
“Come on, place the stickers on his face,” The emcee eggs Kim on.
Chay blushes beautifully under Kim’s intense scrutiny as he leans in closer and pastes a snowflake sticker high on his left cheek. His fingers accidentally brush against the soft skin and the blush deepens, to the screams of his fans. Chay drops his gaze to the floor, his eyelashes fluttering alluringly as the shyness overtakes him.
“I need to paste another one,” Kim reminds the teenager in a hoarse voice and proceeds to lift up his chin with his index finger, resulting in more excited screaming.
The poor boy is really as red as a tomato at this point in time. Kim could not help but chuckle at his predicament. He picks a mistletoe sticker and presses it down on the left corner of the teenager’s tempting lips. This time, Kim deliberately brushes his index finger right along the curve of his lower lip and he definitely hears him choking off a moan.
“All pretty now,” Kim says into his microphone and smirks, looking at his masterpiece. The fans’ screaming are a notch higher than usual, as if they sense that the usually cool as a rockstar Wik is a little different than usual.
Unexpectedly, fire flashes in Chay’s eyes at Kim’s playful but embarrassing teasing. The teenager holds up the microphone that is still in his hand to say, “P’Wik, you lost a round just now. I should paste a sticker on your face too.”
Kim raises an eyebrow. His little reindeer has some pluck in him. That was not part of the rules but the emcee claps his hand gleefully and Wik’s fans turn on him now, like sharks in the sea in a blood-lust frenzy.
“Sure, why not?”
Everyone is more than happy to see him punished for losing a silly game and Kim is looking forward to what he will do. Kim is all smiles at the teenager as he picks out the exact same mistletoe sticker that is currently kissing the corner of his pouty mouth. A tiny part of his pink tongue is sticking out of his mouth as he peels off the sticker.
“How do you want me?” Kim asks demurely into his microphone and tilts his head a little to the side, showing off his sharp jawline and baring his long neck at his little reindeer who is gaping at his faux presentation of submission. The screaming of the fans fades to the background. Kim can’t help but part his lips in anticipation of playing with his prey a bit longer.
However, it is Chay who moves in for the kill as he traces a finger from Kim’s mouth to paste the sticker right at the right corner of his lip with an innocent smile. “You are all pretty now too, P’Wik,” Chay repeats Kim’s previous words, a good answer to Kim’s little teasing.
Oh, Chay’s got some teeth and he’s not afraid to use it once he gets over the whole Wik persona and sees the more dangerous Kim. The older man is both impressed and intrigued at whether Chay would like to spend more time with him after the event and how Kim is going to achieve that.
All that singing must have really done a number on him. Kim has to clear his throat before he can thank the teenager.
“Thank you, little reindeer,” comes out of Kim’s mouth and through the mall’s sound system where the fans scream their lungs out.
Kim belatedly realises that he is still holding a microphone between them and it has captured the entire conversation. That was pure Kim and Chay’s reaction to him is like having a cup of hot cocoa on stormy winter’s night.
The teenager cannot help but reach up to touch the fluffy reindeer antlers on his own head. His doe-eyes turn a little hazy with desire. His blush covers his entire face and goes down his neck.
Not that Kim is doing any better himself. He can feel his manager’s eyeballs drilling into his back and the tips of his ears burning away from the heat that has consumed his entire body.
Kim has never been so untethered before during a Wik engagement. He darts a look at the youth who is now actively avoiding his gaze. Usually, Kim is a brilliant strategist at most board games especially chess but he is a bit at a loss as to how to minimise the embarrassment to Chay.
Thankfully, the emcee picks this time to do his job beautifully.
“No need to scream so loudly. All of you are Wik’s little reindeers, alright? Let’s give all the fans and Wik up here a round of applause!”
Without missing a beat, the emcee manages to divert everyone’s attention. Kim concedes that the emcee can live to host another gig with him.
“Thank you for your participation! Before you go, can you tell us what your Christmas wish is?”
The first fan wants her school team to win next year’s National School Games. The second one wants a new set of copic markers.
When it was Chay’s turn, he says without much hesitation, “I would like to spend this year’s Christmas with my loved ones, especially my hia!”
“What about you, Wik?”
“I think it will be nice to spend time with my loved ones too,” Kim says, meeting Chay’s eyes briefly before the younger man looks away bashfully.
With that, the emcee announces the end of the game segment. He hurriedly ushers all the fans off the stage as Kim has to prepare for the final song of the day. Kim notices that Chay has sneakily kept the reindeer hairband and left the snowflake and mistletoe sticker on his lovely face.
In the end, Kim can only watch with a sinking feeling as Chay runs off the stage to join his friend and disappears into the crowded shopping mall before his last song is over.
How on earth is Kim supposed to find him now?
===========
Once the event is over, Kim takes off the mistletoe sticker from his face and sticks it to his handphone case.
“Not a single word,” Kim snaps to his manager who is silently judging him from behind her handphone and rapidly texting away backstage.
He hopes that she is not texting Tankhun as she usually does after all of Wik’s events. Kim had let his oldest brother bankroll his manger’s salary after much tears but he regrets it every single time she gets sassy with him.
They make their way past the fans who stay to say goodbye but there is no sign of Chay anywhere. They get into the van and begin the journey back to his apartment.
As if on cue, Kim’s handphone lights up with a few messages in succession. He opens it up and wishes he hadn’t. They were all from Tankhun. His phone rings and he lets it ring until it stops.
There is a moment of blessed silence where Kim thinks his brother has given up.
Then, his manager’s phone rings and she answers it at the speed of light.
“Hello, Khun Nu. Yes, Khun Kim is here. Yes, I can put you on speaker phone now. Just wait for a moment,” she responds in the most polite tone that she never uses with him and puts her phone on speaker mode.
“Nong!!! Kim!!! Did you really eye-fuck the adorable baby boy in front of everyone in the mall?”
“Eye-fuck? Baby boy?” Kim repeats, trying to figure out where on earth his oldest brother has been learning these terms from.
“Do not mock my fanfiction and Taylor Swift songs!”
“I’m not. Nothing of that sort happened. Whatever you have heard is not true,” Kim says as cool as he can even as his ears start burning again.
“I saw it with my own eyes from the fan videos! Oh my gosh! It was exactly right out of one of those steamy BL drama series!” Kim wonders again who has been introducing his brother to all these things.
“Don’t worry! If the authorities try to arrest you for acts of public indecency, Kinn will get you out of jail. He has a lot of experience by now with his boyfriend.”
“Fan videos?” was what Kim decided to focus on.
He is not keen on knowing more about his second brother’s exhibitionist streak with his new boyfriend, Porsche. He has only met Porsche once and somehow, Kim did not leave a good impression on him. He was happy that Kinn managed to open his heart and find someone after Tawan did a number on him but he really didn’t need to know details.
“There are videos and photographs everywhere on Twitter and Instagram now. Social media is going nuts! You’re trending! Hashtag Wik’s little reindeer!” Tankhun screams in delight while his manager seems pleased about the whole thing for once.
Kim looks out of the van window resolutely but he could not resist the little smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Kim wouldn’t mind having a video of their delightful interaction as a keepsake of their first meeting. Once he gets back to his apartment, it might prove useful in helping him to identify who his lovely little fan is.
“You better start saving those videos and photographs though. They will be gone pretty soon.”
Tankhun’s last line got Kim’s attention. “Why do you mean?”
“Ooh… someone is wiping the hashtags off as we speak. He sure works fast.”
“What?”
“Bye, little Kim! Oh, don’t forget to come to the Christmas party. Wear something festive!”