Chapter Text
The thing is, Gun has always had a thing for assholes. His first boyfriend? Total garbage. Second? The biggest failure of parenting that mothers did not want to see in their worst nightmares. It's even better not to mention the third one. In fact, every man he dated was the type of person you didn't want to date if you valued your mental and physical health. It wasn't even that they were bad boy types, no. Gun just loved assholes. He fell madly and uncontrollably in love with them, and then, when it turned out that the said asshole boy was totally different from his expectations, the spell broke and the relationship fell apart.
It's not like Gun was a playboy or flirt either! He was just something of a hopeless romantic, looking for that one, perfect person with whom he could spend his life... or at least some part of it. Let's not exaggerate, it wasn't yet the time to look for a husband - maybe by the way, but during the second year of college, he simply just wanted to find someone to spend romantic moments with, who would surround him with care and all the affirmation he deserved. It's good if the boy was a total asshole, a controlling jealous and possessive aggressor. It was unfortunate that no one like that had ever taken root in Gun's life for long, but that didn't mean his exes were any less hopeless than that. Death threats and stalking that accompanied the breakup were a daily occurrence in his life. But hey, as they say: when someone is trying to reach you through the door, go out the window!
Life was definitely too short to accept such situations. He promised himself a long time ago that the philosophy of his life would be focused on looking for positives even (or maybe especially where) they were much harder to see. So say goodbye to worries and hello to flowers and rainbows.
His friends watched in horror as he deleted subsequent threatening messages with complete indifference.
"It's quite sweet to see how much they care." He told them, smiling fondly to himself.
"You are totally crazy." They responded more disbelief mixed with worry than with any real offense intended. “This won't end well for any of us. You'll see, not only will you lose, but it will also bite us."
He appreciated their concern. He really took their warnings and comments to heart. The hell, they were running away with him and fought for him more than once, like good friends do! So yes, Gun was truly super grateful to them and valued their opinion and concern above all else, but there was nothing he could do about it. Gun just loved bastards. And it so happens that he recently encountered a quite promising specimen of such an individual.
To make a long story short, Gun and his friends founded a band with the proud name of Chinzhilla. You may or may not have heard. They were quite popular not only within the university, but also in local bars, as frequently hired stars of the night. They're slowly climbing the ladder of popularity, and as we know, with fame comes a lot of haters. Gun wasn't even sure if he could call Tinn one of them - of the haters. It wasn't that the boy didn't like their music. He seemed to hate music in general, or more precisely, he disliked anything that didn't provide any real benefit. Strictly speaking, the guy wasn't a fan of entertainment in the general sense. His achievements as president of a student council included getting rid of the drama, comedy and poetry club. It's natural that he finally decided to take care of them as well. Unfortunately for him, the musicians were totally inept. He could threaten them, try to bribe, sabotage or even send on them his council cronies, and the members of Chinzhilla had no intention of submitting to his dictatorship anyway.
Tinn really did everything he could to make their lives difficult, and since he had the authority, power, and way more free time than he would probably ever like to admit, the band had a hard time.
"I'm closing your club! This time for good, with no rights of appeal." The asshole shouted for probably the thousandth time during their not very long acquaintance, with the difference that this time, apart from empty threats, he brought with him, like spoils of war, an offensive piece of paper which was an unspecified document. This looked like a real threat to their existence, and Tinn's nasty sneer only reinforced their fears.
Gun should be angry. Of course he should! This guy wanted to get rid of his beloved band! Deprive him of the opportunity to create the music he loved so much! But he couldn't help but feel his heart beat faster in his chest every time he heard the words come out of his mouth.
"You're done!"
"Geez! What's wrong with you, asshole?!" Sound almost choked on the instant noodles he was eating. He was as confused by the sudden intrusion as he was ready to pick a fight with the handsome bastard. "What, the hell, is that?"
"What does it look like? I'm getting rid of you once and for all!" The boy threw the paper in the face of Phat, who least expected this attack. "I have allowed you to stay here for too long. You are a disgrace to this facility! Worms that had to be gotten rid of during recruitment. Starting tomorrow, this place will be taken over by a student council. This document signed by the principal empowers me to close the club with immediate effect." He beamed with triumph, crossing his arms over his chest, absorbing each of the confused students' reactions.
Slowly, his words began to sink in, and after a quick glance at the scrap of paper he had brought, they became absolutely certain that Tinn wasn't bluffing. This activated unimaginable levels of anger within them and made them swell up bloodthirsty red. Gun's cheeks were also as scarlet as his friends' faces, but for a completely different reason. With all his authority and vibe of absolute superiority, Tinn was intimidatingly attractive. Gun thought about all the hatred this guy had for their club, how much work he had to do to get to this point. Maybe he fell asleep every night with the words repeated like a mantra: I MUST DESTROY GUN AND HIS STUPID BAND.
What a selfish sweet bastard!
Gun felt himself getting warmer, and his fingers tingled, curling in the folds of his clothes. Any longer and he might melt just by looking into those irritated, arrogant eyes. Yes, of course what Tinn was doing with their club was quite offensive, but what can we do about the fact that Gun's fantasies are strange and his tendencies aren't very sane?
"Hold me, otherwise I won't be able to stand it anymore! I'll kill this bastard!" The usually calm Por threatened, clenching his trembling fists in anger.
"Just try and I swear you will never set foot in this university again." Tinn hissed through clenched teeth, treating the boy with the contempt he only had for harmful bugs. Gun might faint or squeal. Possibly both at the same time if possible.
The atmosphere around them was starting to become more and more tense and there was a serious risk that if no one intervened, they would soon actually come to blows. Naturally, it was up to the group leader to alleviate such conflicts and who would Gun be if he had not grabbed the opportunity that literally presented itself to him like the most exquisite bowl of noodles on a richly set table.
Gun cleared his throat and gently, with a gallant smile of the person, who knows what he's talking about, said to his friends:
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Por, do you hear me? There is no reason to be angry. Just go home, I'll take care of everything."
This shut their mouths for a moment. Everyone looked at him in unison as if he had suddenly started speaking in a completely different, unknown language.
"Gun, we really appreciate your unbreakable optimism, but there's nothing you can do in this situation. Whatever you're planning, this asshole is not someone you can negotiate with." Win said, looking as defeated as he was incredulous. The rest of the boys were nodding in agreement, and even Tinn from where he sat looked as if, for the first time in his life, he could agree with his enemy.
They might have doubted him, but Gun knew the strength of his determination and charm, so he just shook his head, grabbing his friend's hand and shaking it vigorously as if that would strengthen his argument.
"Have I ever let you down?" Of course not. He always kept his promises and words, and they knew it. "I'll take care of it. I promise. Just go already. Don't tease him anymore."
They looked at him for a moment, as if they weren't sure how much they could trust his words, but finally they came to terms with the fact that Gun was Gun and: first of all, there was no point in stopping him, because whatever he was planning, he was going to do it anyway. Secondly, somehow his plans always worked. Even if he had the strangest, craziest visions, in the end he always achieved them, whether it was through incredible luck, a host of other qualities and serendipity that always led him to his main destination. So in the end, maybe it was better for them not to ask what the hell he came up with again, but to accept it as a fait accompli.
"I hope you're not wrong." Sound patted him on the back as he grabbed his bag and left the club room without any more words. One by one, the friends did the same, giving Gun alternating glances of pleading and reassurance as they said goodbye.
"Please, I don't want to collect our instruments from the college trash can." Phat mumbled, engulfing him in a hug, and then everyone left, leaving him and Tinn completely alone.
Then (finally) the president of the council's gaze focused entirely on him, and Gun wanted nothing more than to soften those stern eyes and kiss open those tightly pressed lips. Literally Gun fell, Cupid crawled him across the cobblestones and threw him at this arrogant, snobbish boy. Gun for him had fallen and had no intention of getting up.
"Whatever you're going to do, it won't work. Your club is going to end." Tinn said in a dismissive tone, completely unaware that at that moment the issue of saving the club was secondary to Gun - a success that he intended to achieve 'by the way' of implementing his original plan.
Poor Tinn could be preparing for havoc, because as soon as Gun puts his delicate, yet strong paws on him, nothing will remain of the ice with which he wrapped his heart so hard. Gun was going to win that cold bastard's heart! And just like with everything else, he had no intention of taking half-measures!
***
Tinn has always known that he was drawn to power. Since he was a child, he watched with delight films about great dictators and leaders, admiring their strength and unwavering authority. He loved the way they made people tremble as they gave orders with one wave of their hand that could affect the lives of others. He saw himself in a role no less than that of a self-proclaimed, undisputed president, holding the whole world at his feet. This line of thinking might be considered alarming, to say the least, but it wasn't as if Tinn cared about it for any nefarious reasons or innate psychopathic tendencies. He was simply fascinated by the idea of power and the privileges that came with it.
Such as admiration. And devotion. Eyes staring at him, maybe a hand wrapping intimately around his arm. Maybe someone pretty, standing by his side like a marble statue, a pillar for his infinite ambitions. Someone who could adore him and lo- NO! This wasn't what he needed at all. It would be foolish to think that someone like him bases his visions of the future on the need to satisfy his feelings in another person. While Tinn thought about power, he didn't think much about love. At all! He didn't think about it at all! It was the right thing to say. He used to think 'that's stupid' when he saw his schoolmates blushing at girls and boys from neighboring classes. 'That's weird,' he would mutter when colegues went on dates in high school. 'It's... incomprehensible' he thought when he was a university student, when people around him were in long term relationships, getting married, adopting dogs together and doing other, equally absurd and unnecessary things that he couldn't and didn't want and had no intention of understanding. The feelings were pointless, they brought nothing, they provided no benefits. And no pretty boy could change that.
That's what he thought.
He graduated from high school with the best results, went to college, got into a student council, and finally became its president. Many sarcastic people may say that it was mainly thanks to the participation of his influential mother, but he himself knew well how much work had to be put in to stay in a high position. A LOT. If someone asked Tinn if he believed in making dreams come true, he would have laughed in their face. Dreams are for fools. If you want something, just go and take it!
Now he was at the top of the food chain and he knew the only person he could congratulate for it was himself. However, he did not rest on his laurels. He understood well that with great power comes responsibility, so Tinn pushed forward without thinking about love and other nonsense. He did his job to the best of his ability, often working hard to achieve it and he wasn't ashamed of it at all.
But then Gun came along, and from then on, everything he believed in before might as well have been thrown out the window, because none of it made as much sense as it had before.
It all started inconspicuously, with the transformation plan he was implementing. Tinn came up with a simple investment plan, which was to get rid of all unprofitable clubs and invest the funds obtained in this way in other clubs: mainly science clubs, whose success in the academic arena had a direct impact on the reputation and rank of the institution. As he thought, so he did. One by one, the useless groups submitted to his dictatorship until finally it was their turn - Gun and his stupid Chinzhilla band. He didn't turn his life upside down right away, but from the very beginning of their acquaintance, he knew that it would not be an easy relationship. And by 'not easy' he meant damned annoying, because what else could you call someone who constantly stood up against him, protested and questioned his words?
They were constantly provoking him. They stuck posters (completely illegally!) on the walls of buildings of various departments, and during breaks they made public performances to draw attention to the way in which oppressed groups were treated by a student council. As if these idlers ever had any rights to claim! Pathetic losers with no ambition! The fact that they were given the opportunity to study at this university was the pinnacle of goodness that idiots like them could gain. And what they did was a bold declaration of war!
Yes, it was war! And the one whose result had to be the complete and irreversible crushing of the opponent. It took him quite a long time, almost unimaginably, but he finally managed to obtain the necessary documents and negotiate arrangements allowing him to liquidate this damned music club. And just when he thought he was getting close to the finish line, something stood in his way to victory. Gunthapon Wongwitthaya - the leader and singer of the cursed music band that he hated so much. Probably the most beautiful, and therefore most dangerous boy he had ever seen. As a strict man with a logistician's mind, Tinn didn't really pay much attention to other people's visual aspects, but, objectively speaking, yes, Gunthapon Wongwitthaya was a man so beautiful that he was probably dreamed up by Aphrodite herself in her moment of greatest weakness. And that's how Tinn felt as the beauty on two legs approached him with a completely innocent and overly happy (for someone who had learned of the removal of his beloved club) expression on his face. The stupid boy probably thought that just by batting his eyelashes he could convince him to change his decision.
"You can beg me on your knees but I won't change my mind. You are finished." Tinn smiled to himself, feeling victorious just for seeing through the boy's cunning plan, but as soon as his eyes landed on him, that proud attitude broke down and he was disoriented. What he saw completely disturbed his thoughts. "W-what are you doing?"
"I'm on my knees." The boy replied, because he was indeed kneeling with the most charming expression of someone who could do this. It sounds absurd, but basically everything Gun did was the definition of charming.
"You-... Y-you get up, I don't know what you're thinking, but whatever you try, it won't change anything!"
"That's not the point, Tinn." The boy said his name in the absolute sweetest way Tinn had ever heard, and as if that wasn't enough, he kept blinking his impossibly long eyelashes. "I just thought that looking at you from a lower position would make you look even more handsome and powerful! I wanted to check and I was right."
"Don't call me Tinn. We are not friends." The president was outraged, because that was the only reaction he could take to the words the other boy had confessed to him. Gun flinched, but Tinn had a feeling that it wasn't a reaction he should have seen as negative in any way. And damn it, there must have been something wrong with that guy's eyes, because they had some strange, unreadable kind of twinkle in them.
"I can't help it, Mr. President." Somehow that nickname sounded even stickier on his tongue than his name. Tinn felt like he was missing something. He didn't understand what was wrong with this boy. Maybe he was sick? Even so, it definitely won't influence his decision! As someone with a reputation for being 'heartless', Tinn didn't believe in compassion or doing favors out of pity. If Gun thought he could convince him this way, there must definitely be something wrong with him.
Trying to carry out his evil plan, Gun crawled to him, walking on his knees like a very cute penguin, and when he was close enough, he made an unexpected move, grabbing the leg of his pants.
"What are you-"
"Mr. President, why are you so handsome?" Gun groaned. His cheeks were rosy, his lips were slightly pursed, and his eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a trapped butterfly. He looked a bit drunk, but Tinn could be sure that the boy next to him wouldn't have alcohol in his mouth any time soon. Gun was definitely weird, and he didn't understand the reason for this behavior. He must have clearly been missing something.
"What does this have to do with anything-"
"How am I supposed to focus on saving my club when you're so handsome?" When the pressure from his trouser leg moved to his hand, Tinn felt electricity pass through his body. An electrifying sensation that turned into a pleasant tingling, the source of which wasn't directly in the touch of the hand but somewhere in the area of the presidents's extremely heavy chest.
"It's very distracting. So much so that I don't even think about my club." Gun murmured, not letting go of his hand even though Tinn tried very hard to get out of his grip. For someone with such a slight stature and small hands, the leader of the music club turned out to be surprisingly strong. And very tempting. If Gun found him distracting, he should have looked at himself first! As he got up from his knees and moved even closer, Tinn ran out of breath in his lungs and oxygen in his head.
The boy smelled like strawberries. Is that his shampoo? Or maybe some perfume? Or maybe Gun himself had somehow produced pheromones intended to render Tinn speechless?
"Of course it would be a pity to lose my club. I think I'd be really sad if that happened, but I don't even know if there's anything that could convince someone like this president." Gun moved even closer.
Tinn definitely wasn't expecting this. He didn't expect this.
Gun's hands were magically on his neck and why did he suddenly feel so hot? He stood rooted to the ground, unable to move, as this beautiful boy pressed more and more, pushing the unwritten boundary of intimacy that Tinn had never crossed. If that wasn't enough, he didn't seem like he was going to stop anytime soon.
"Maybe... Is there any way we could come to an agreement? Maybe there's something I could do to convince a guy like him?" Gun whispered these words into his ear like a great secret, and when he pulled away, his pink glossy lips formed a sly smile. Not that Tinn was examining his lips, but why did the boy's smile have to be so unimaginably dazzling, and why did his eyes have to be impossibly deep and beautiful, as if the entire galaxy was reflected in them? Gun's fingers played with the short hair at the nape of his neck as if it was something completely comfortable and permissible. In any other situation, Tinn would have been outraged by this blatant lack of respect, but somehow now he thought he would probably be more outraged if Gun decided to stop. What the hell did he done with him?
"What do you think, Mr. President?" They were impossibly close, and at that moment daring disappeared from his face. What was left was raw uncertainty - delicate and innocent. It left Gun pure, exposed in his feelings and character. "Can we somehow come to an agreement?"
Tinn could only respond with a nod.
He always thought that to achieve success and power, cunning, intellect and unwavering self-confidence were more effective than violence. That day he learned that there was another force capable of bringing them all down. Everyone could probably name it completely differently, but there is no doubt that even a short description of it will accurately lead the reader to the right thought path. It is a force capable of bringing down the greatest empires and world powers, attacking by surprise, with an intensity so great that the only salvation for the attacked is to simply surrender.
In Tinn's case, this force was called Gunthapon Wongwitthaya, and its attack didn't appear to be ending any time soon. Horror of horrors, Tinn even wished they would ever end. It was terrifying. And equally pleasant. As Gun's eyes shone like stars and his embrace ignited fireworks within him, Tinn felt as if his soul was leaving his body. And maybe he leaned in just a little when the boy's lips stuck together into a cute, not at all provocative pout.
***
It wasn't difficult to imagine the surprise that the members of Chinzhilla and everyone who had the opportunity/misfortune to wander the corridors of the university lobby experienced the next day. Some people may have experienced a real shock when they saw the shining sun of the university in the form of the music band leader walking arm in arm with the slightly less sulky than usual president of the student government. Gun was chattering incessantly about something as insignificant as the undone buttons of his student shirt - something that certainly wouldn't go unnoticed by a student council member, and yet the president himself seemed completely unconcerned by this blatant violation of university code. He was much more absorbed in this charming gibberish that seemed to have no end. The fact that his face didn't show even a trace of irritation was reason enough to worry, but then there was that soft look in his eyes and that gentle smile that had probably never appeared on that stern face before. Tinn let the other boy almost hang from his shoulder as if that was where he always belonged, when in fact they had never even had a chance to talk together before! It was as if they had gone from fierce enemies to lovebirds in one day, almost as if they had been pulled out of some cliched, old-fashioned romantic comedy. Anyone who could think like that was, horror of horrors, not that far from the truth.
"No way." Sound said as the group saw their friend blush with the most embarrassed expression that hypocritical liar could possibly make (they knew well that Gun was far from embarrassed) as Tinn reached into his hair to brush the non-existent dust from it.
The two of them were exchanging sickeningly sweet comments to such an extent that anyone who happened to hear a small part of them turned pale in the face and bulged their eyes like an owl. Fortunately, it didn't last too long, because Tinn soon had to leave Gun from what seemed to be his student counsil's job - most likely something related to destroying other people's lives. The president said goodbye to Gun, not forgetting to give him a hug, which other boy returned with a kiss on the cheek, and then Gun jumped up and down happily to the group of his scowling friends.
"I knew you had terrible taste, but this definitely lowers the bar." Said Por, his tone slightly absent as he was still trying to pick up his jaw from the floor.
"Or raises. It depends on how you look at it." Muttered Phat, continuing to stare at the place where the couple had just been standing, as if he couldn't quite process the whole thing.
"Definitely not what I expected when you said you'd 'get it'. Whatever, I think you somehow kept your word and that asshole won't bother our club." Sound, for a change, looked more like he had been punched in the face. "But I still can't understand how it happened that you… So suddenly… Whatever happened there yesterday, I have no idea how or why."
"What can I say? It was love at first sight." Gun sighed dreamily. His friends' response definitely sounded more like a martyr's groan than something consistent with his happiness.
"Don't even start with that shit. Definitely NO, I don't want to hear it. Not again."
"I'm serious! This time I feel that I have found my destined other half. I think I love him." Gun clutched his chest, demonstrating how seriously they should take his words. And it seemed to all of them that even without this gesture they could be sure that Gun's faith in this statement was serious.
"I miss him already…" The boy confessed after less than a minute of silence, because of course, someone like him couldn't stay long without embarrassing his friends with lovey-dovey lines.
"Geez, Gun, get over yourself! You just saw him a minute ago!"
"I think I should go to him. This 'minute' is definitely too long to be apart! I can't help but miss him."
Gun's friends couldn't do anything about it either. Just sigh and mentally prepare for the amount of PDA they were about to receive in a narcotic dose. Tinn was a total asshole, Gun was an emotional trash, and they were a bunch of losers who had to put up with both of them from now on. Life was so damn unfair. But after a while they had to admit to themselves that as much as they hated Tinn, when he was with Gun he became a little more bearable and Gun seemed to be happy. Maybe his penchant for assholes won't end as badly this time as all the previous ones. All they could do was stay quietly and watch.