Archive of Our Own

Miss Jan enters the classroom with a mischievous smile on her face, which is quite unusual for her.

“I have great news for you,” she declares, depositing her belongings on the desk before her.

Knot raises his hand. “Are exams cancelled?”

The teacher rolls her eyes. “You wish.”

Eve takes the lollipop out of her mouth. “So, what else?”

Miss Jan puts her hands on her hips and approaches the students in the first row. “So, the school board has decided that the final-year students will get to have a prom.”

Saint, who was dozing off with his head on his arms, perks up. He looks at Shin, sitting beside him. Shin raises an eyebrow and encourages him to keep listening to the teacher.

“Like in the TV shows?” asks someone.

“Like in the US?” inquires someone else.

Miss Jan smiles. “Yes, exactly.”

Whispers and murmurs travel through the classroom until someone finally speaks up.

“What is going to happen, then?” asks Tangmay.

Miss Jan leans on the desk behind her and crosses her arms. “Why do you all look so hesitant? It’s going to be fun!” Dozens of eyes look at her with distrust. “Ok, the prom will take place in the gym, a couple of weeks before finals. You will dance, there’ll be games and prizes, you’ll get to dress up-”

“Are you going to serve alcohol?” asks Nate.

The teacher frowns. “I don’t think so.”

“I’m not coming, then,” whispers Nate to Ken next to him.

“Your loss,” rebuts Miss Jan.

Eve raises her hand. “Are we supposed to come in pairs?”

Miss Jan beams, her eyes actually sparkling. “Yes! You can invite your significant other, your crush, your best friend…”

Saint looks over at Shin, but the other boy’s attention is focused on the teacher, his brows furrowed.

“It sounds nice,” comments someone at last.

“Yes, it seems cool…”

“I can’t wait to choose my outfit…”

“I hope we can invite people from other classes…”

Saint kicks Shin’s chair.

“Who are you going to invite?”

Shin squints. “What?”

“Are you going to invite someone?” repeats Saint.

“Where?”

Saint scoffs. “Haven’t you listened to Miss Jan? Are you inviting someone to the prom?”

Shin shrugs. “I don’t think so.”

“Are you going to wait for an invitation, then?”

Shin stares at him unblinking. “Yeah,” he answers at last.

Saint blushes. “Okay,” he says, turning his attention to the front once again.

When he realises that the talk about the prom is over and the actual class is about to start, he goes back to sleep.

***

The entire school is buzzing after the news of the prom. The initial hesitation has been replaced by excitement. For most of the students, at least.

Since Shin has football practice, Saint is having lunch with the girls today. Understandably, they haven’t stopped talking about what they are going to do at the prom. He has listened attentively to their conversation, but hasn’t had the chance to contribute yet.

“You know, it would be very cool to wear a traditional dress,” says Tangmay. “You can rent them.”

“I was leaning towards a tuxedo,” admits Eve.

“That would be so hot!” replies Tangmay. “I mean, you would look so hot in one.”

Airy touches Eve’s wrist and winks. “Yes, totally.”

Eve giggles.

Saint, caught between two of his friends flirting, scrapes his plate with the fork to catch their attention. “Who are you going with?” he asks suddenly.

“I’m going with Airy, of course,” says Eve.

“Of course,” echoes Saint.

“I’m going to wait for someone decent to invite me,” says Peeta, sounding pessimistic.

“I’m going to invite a guy from another class,” informs them Tangmay. “I have my eyes on a couple of boys.”

Saint frowns. “Wait, are you sure girls can invite boys?”

Eve slaps him on the back of his head. “Of course, they can! What’s with this patriarchal nonsense?”

Saint massages his head. “Sorry, I thought-”

“Girls can invite boys but they can invite girls too,” continues Eve.

“I figured,” mumbles Saint.

“And boys can invite girls but they can invite boys too.”

“I know.”

“So why did you ask?”

“Eve, don’t be so harsh, Saint is not stupid,” jumps in Peeta. “Besides, I know why he asked.”

Saint snaps his head to look at his friend. “What are you talking about?”

Peeta smiles cheekily and leans forward to whisper to her friends. “Saint is afraid of the competition.”

Saint’s eyes widen. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eve and Airy snort, while Tangmay has a knowing expression on her face.

“I think you should ask Shin to the prom before a random girl steals him from you,” declares Peeta.

Saint groans. “Fuck me.”

“No, thanks,” replies Peeta.

They all burst into laughter, apart from Saint who is holding his head between his hands, miserable and embarrassed.

“Do you think he will receive many invitations?” he asks.

“I think he will,” answers Tangmay with conviction. “He’s hot.”

Eve touches Saint’s arm. “Don’t worry, you will too.”

Saint pouts. “I don’t care, I want to go with my best friend.”

Eve spits the iced tea she was drinking in his face. The other girls snicker. “Your best friend,” she echoes as she wipes her chin. “Sorry, who would that be?”

Saint steals a tissue from Peeta. “Shut up,” he grumbles.

“This situationship between you two is funny,” observes Eve. “And by ‘funny’ I mean ‘sad and ridiculous’.”

“There’s no situationship between us,” denies Saint.

Eve rolls her eyes. “Right, you’re just two losers in love.”

Saint stands up without notice. “I don’t know if I have the guts to ask him to the prom.”

“Do you want us to ask for you?” offers Peeta.

Saint throws her the crumpled-up tissue. “Don’t you dare.”

“Loser,” mumbles Peeta.

“Do you think that inviting someone to the prom equals to confessing? Does it work like this in your American rom-coms?”

“Pretty much,” confirms Tangmay as she scrolls on her phone looking at Thai traditional outfit ideas.

“Saint, you need to hurry up,” Eve urges him.

Saint stomps his feet. “I’m not ready! What if he says no? What if he misunderstands?”

“What do you mean by ‘misunderstand’?” asks Eve. “Are you afraid he’ll think you’re inviting him as a best friend?”

“I don’t know as what I want to invite him.”

Eve rolls her eyes. “Sure.”

“I’m leaving,” announces Saint.

“Ok, go get your best friend,” teases Peeta.

Saint flips her off.

***

Saint jogs to the football field and intercepts Shin as he is leaving the locker room.

“Has anyone asked you to the prom yet?” he asks, still panting after his run.

Shin frowns. “When? During practice?”

Saint grimaces. “Maybe before or after.”

Shin chuckles. “No, of course not. The prom is two months away, I don’t think anyone is in a rush to ask me.” He tilts his head to the side. “Or…are they?”

Saint tousles his own hair in the attempt to brush it. “Will you say yes if someone asks?”

Shin fixes his bag on his shoulder. “It depends on who’s asking.”

Saint rubs his hands against each other. “Do you think those girls over there want to ask you to the prom?”

Shin follows his gaze. “Don’t you think you’re being a little paranoid right now?”

Saint grabs him by the elbow to drag him further away from the group of girls on the other side of the field. Maybe they are just minding their business, or maybe not.

“I didn’t think you were going to be this invested in this prom,” comments Shin when Saint takes him back to the main building.

“I’m not,” replies Saint.

Shin elbows him. “It’s all you’ve been talking about since morning.”

“How would you know?”

“I left you with the girls, what else would they talk about?”

Saint opens his mouth, outraged. “Shin, that’s a little misogynistic of you.”

Shin scoffs. “See? You spend so much time with them that you talk like them now.”

Saint deflates. “Okay, we actually talked about the prom.”

Shin reaches for a cigarette and lights it up. “Are you…?” He clears his throat. “Are you going to ask one of them to the prom?”

Saint screws his eyes up. “Of course not, they’re my friends.”

As soon as he finishes his sentence, the sudden realisation that he doesn’t want to invite Shin as a friend hits him right in the head. He flinches.

“Do you have your eyes on someone?” asks Shin, his gaze on something over Saint’s head.

Saint looks at the ground. “I’m not sure,” he lies. “Do you?”

Suddenly, Shin moves closer to him. “I told you, I won’t be the one doing the asking.”

Saint snaps his head up and watches Shin as he exhales smoke from the gap between his lips. “Why?”

Shin narrows his eyes as a smirk takes over his face. “Because I like to be chased.”

Saint blinks. “Do you?

Shin leans forward. “Didn’t I make that obvious when I made you beg for my forgiveness?”

Saint licks his lips, entranced by Shin’s attitude and words. “Yeah, you did,” he replies, his eyes flickering to Shin’s mouth.

Shin chuckles and takes a step back. He throws the cigarette butt on a nearby pot and grabs a still stupefied Saint by the sleeve of his jacket. “Let’s go back to class.”

***

Since he has not gathered the courage to ask Shin to the prom yet, Saint is on a mission: he must prevent anyone from inviting Shin.

That’s why he has to stick by his side all the damn time, lest some girl approaches Shin and steal his chance to take him to the prom.

Saint has not made up his mind yet on how, when or with which excuse he will ask Shin, so he has to buy himself time. It’s exhausting and rather humiliating and he can only hope that Shin hasn’t noticed what he is doing. His girl friends obviously know and always make fun of him for it. But he doesn’t care. If it’s not him, no one will have Shin.

A few girls and even a couple of boys have asked Saint to the prom. He has politely declined and moved on with his life. Not before telling Shin to gather his reaction, of course.

“A girl from a class below us invited me to the prom this morning,” he informs Shin as they go to the canteen.

Shin tenses. “Bold of her. What did you say?”

Saint shrugs. “I said no.”

Shin clenches his fist. “Why? You didn’t like her?”

“Nah, not really.”

Shin looks at him from the corner of his eye. “Have you asked anyone yet?”

Saint’s hand brushes against his. “No, I’m waiting for the right moment.”

“The right moment?” asks Shin, moving his hand away. “So you have someone in mind?”

Saint inhales. “Would it be a problem for you if I did?”

Shin grips the strap of his bag tighter. “Why would it be a problem for me?”

Saint sighs. “Never mind.”

As they are walking along the corridor, he notices a couple of giggling girls on the other end. They are holding some envelopes and looking straight at them. He panics and pushes Shin through an open door. They stumble inside an empty classroom.

Shin holds on to the desk behind not to fall. “Saint, what the hell?”

Saint scratches his head, looking bashful. “Sorry, I…”

Shin frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I felt dizzy.”

Shin gets in his space. He grabs him by his shoulders and makes him sit on the desk. “Why? What’s going on?”

Saint blushes deeply. “I’m just hungry, probably.”

“Do you want to go back to class? I can grab some food for you?”

Saint feels grateful and guilty at the same time. “No, I’m fine, I’m coming down with you.”

Shin touches his forehead with the back of his hand. His breath is warm on Saint’s face. Saint’s stomach does a flip. “You’re not hot.”

Saint chuckles. “Ouch, you hurt my feelings.”

Shin looks down at him with a puzzled expression. When he finally gets the joke, he laughs softly. “Don’t worry, you’re not that bad.”

Saint bites his lower lip. He can’t help but touch Shin’s wrist. “I know I’m not as hot as you,” he murmurs, maintaining eye contact with the other boy.

A faint blush creeps on Shin’s face. “You’re only flattering me.”

Saint massages Shin’s inner wrist. “Being this hot, it’s impossible you haven’t received any invitation,” he asks, just to check if he has missed any attempt at what is rightfully his.

Shin’s breath catches in his throat. “I’m just waiting for the right one.”

Saint squeezes his wrist possessively. “So, you have received invitations.”

“Would it be a problem for you if I did?” echoes Shin.

A firm yes is about to spill from Saint’s mouth, but he doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction. He lets go of his wrist and gets to his feet. They are so very close for a few seconds, before Saint pushes Shin with a hand on his chest. “I’m hungry, let’s go to the canteen.”

***

Saint spends the next few weeks warding off any of Shin’s potential suitors. Word has spread at school that he is acting like Shin’s bodyguard, scaring away innocent girls who want to approach Shin. Shin hasn’t commented on it, on the contrary, sometimes he even seemed grateful for Saint’s protectiveness.

And yet, Saint has not found the courage to ask Shin to the prom himself. The prom is two weeks away, and he is still acting like a chicken.

“You seemed so invested in this prom at first and now you want to tell me that you haven’t found someone to go with yet?” teases him Shin.

Saint is rather confused by his behaviour. Sometimes it seems like Shin is only waiting for Saint to ask him to the prom, while other times it looks like he just wants Saint to find someone so he can find someone.

“You haven’t found anyone either,” rebuts Saint.

 Shin raises an eyebrow. “I wonder why.”

Saint scrunches up his face.

They are in the locker room getting changed after P.E. Shin rounds the bench where he was sitting to corner him against his locker. “When will you make your move?”

Saint shudders. “I…”

Shin puts a hand beside Saint’s head and leans in. “You either ask them out or let them go. Which one will you choose?”

Saint’s mouth becomes suddenly dry. Shin knows. Well, he should have expected it, Shin is not an idiot. He swallows to try to gather some saliva in his mouth. He realises that Shin is cool with being set free, so maybe he should do just that. He should stop following his every move and just give up on him since he is a fucking chicken. If he is not ready to basically confess to Shin, he might as well give someone else the chance to take Shin to the prom. Maybe seeing him with someone else would give him the push he needs not to be a chicken anymore.

Shin stares at him with an intensity that makes Saint realise that he would rather die than ask him to the prom. He’s never been a coward except for when it comes to Shin. Shin scares him shitless.

“I thought so,” murmurs Shin.

He gradually backs off, still looking at Saint. He then grabs a towel and goes to shower.

The morning after, Saint finds out that Shin has accepted Prang’s invitation. It hurts, but he knows that it doesn’t mean anything.

Or at least he hopes.

***

Saint finds Peeta on one of the benches outside.

“Come with me to the prom.”

Peeta frowns. “Why would I do that?”

“You said you were waiting for a decent boy to invite you, so here I am.”

The girl gapes at him for a few seconds, then the realisation dawns on her and her expression finally softens. “Oh, my poor Saint.”

Saint sits beside her, deflated. “Shin is going with Prang.”

“So you want to invite me to make him jealous.”

“No!” shouts Saint. “Besides, he won’t be jealous of you. You’re my best friend. Wait, my other best friend.”

Peeta chuckles. “The one you don’t want to fuck.”

Saint groans. “Please, don’t say things like that.”

Peeta crosses her legs. “Sorry.”

Saint starts picking at the skin on his thumb. “I gave up on him.”

“You did not.”

“Ok, I didn’t technically give up on him, but I was so scared to ask him to the prom, so I let him go.”

“Well, he didn’t waste any time accepting Prang’s invitation,” deadpans Peeta.

Saint elbows her. “Why would you say that?!”

Peeta touches his shoulder. “Sorry, lover boy, that was insensitive of me.”

“Well, come with me to the prom if you want to be forgiven.”

Peeta uncrosses her legs and looks at the sky. “Why don’t you go solo?”

“Look, I am lonely as I am, I don’t want to go even to the prom alone. And neither do you.”

Peeta squeezes his shoulder. “You’re right, you’re the only decent boy who asked me to the prom.”

Saint smirks. “Maybe I’m the only decent boy around.”

“Fuck, I hope not.”

***

Later that day, Saint finally confronts Shin on the rooftop.

“Is she the right one you were waiting for?” he asks, sitting next to him.

Shin looks at him side-eyed. “What do you think?”

Saint shrugs. Right, what does he think?

“Do you like her?”

When he turns to look at Shin, he finds the other boy already staring. Shin says nothing.

“So?”

Shin keeps looking at him and refuses to say a word.

“Are you trying to answer me telepathically?”

Shin slides closer to him and leans forward. He ends up so close to Saint’s face that Saint has to cross his eyes to look at him. The warmth emanating from Shin’s body is so tempting.

Shin head-butts him.

“Ohi, Shin!” complains Saint, massaging his forehead. “What the fuck was that?”

“I answered you with my mind.”

Saint pushes him. “You’re an idiot.”

“You are the idiot, asking stupid questions.”

Saint’s forehead still hurts. He wonders how Shin could come out of it unscathed. “Questions you still haven’t answered.”

Shin grunts. “What do you want me to say? The one I was waiting for didn’t show up.”

Saint’s heart skips a beat. Did Shin just…? He doesn’t press further and tries to still his throbbing heart. He might have lost a battle, but the war is not over yet.

“I’m going with Peeta.”

Shin tenses for a second. “You said you weren’t going to ask your friends.”

“What can I say? The one I wanted to ask wasn’t patient enough.”

Shin flinches. It looks like he is going to say something, but in the end he just puckers his lips and turns to the other side.

Saint stares at his profile and smiles to himself. Maybe Eve is right, they are just two idiots in love. But what should they do? He hears Eve and Peeta’s voices in his head, calling him all sorts of names. He shakes his head. They will figure it out eventually.

“Do you know how to dance?”

Shin turns towards him. “I don’t think knowing how to dance is a requirement. There’ll be a DJ putting shitty music, I will just go with the flow. Or, more likely, I won’t dance at all.”

Saint laughs. He jumps up and offers Shin his hand. “Come on, I’ll teach you. I don’t want you to humiliate yourself in front of Prang.”

“You know how to waltz?”

“Sure,” lies Saint.

Shin takes his hand hesitantly. Saint guides his other hand on his shoulder. Having Shin so close to him makes his heart flutter. “I will lead, of course.”

“I would expect you to since you’re the teacher,” jokes Shin.

Saint squeezes his hand. “Show some respect to your teacher.”

Shin snorts. “You have no idea how to do this, admit it.”

Saint puts his other hand right below Shin’s shoulder blade and draws him closer with a sudden pull. Their chests almost come into contact.

“Isn’t this too close?” whispers Shin.

His eyes turn into a different colour when the light hits them. And also when he is excited, or scared. Or both. Like now, for example.

Saint licks his lips, looking at Shin’s mouth. He clears his throat and looks beyond Shin’s shoulder. “I’ll take a step forward, you will take a step back.”

“With which foot?”

Saint moves his left foot forward, forcing Shin to move his right foot back. “Then to the side.”

“What?”

Saint starts spinning Shin around, with no technique or rhythm or…grace.

“Saint, you said you knew how to waltz,” complains Shin. “But you are just stepping on my feet and making me dizzy.”

Saint laughs. “Come on, why would I know how to dance?”

“Why would you pretend, then?”

Saint moves his hand to Shin’s waist. He can feel the other boy shudder. “Maybe I just wanted to get my hands on you.”

Shin’s lips tremble. Saint laughs and spins them again. “Time for a little dip,” he announces.

“What?!”

Saint presses his hand on the small of Shin’s back and pushes him forward with his chest. Shin can’t help but bend backwards. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Can you go lower?”

“What the fuck, Saint.”

“You’re not very bendy, what a shame.”

“Oh, I promise you I can bend.”

Saint suddenly pulls him up. Their noses almost collide with each other. They are both breathing hard because of the exertion.

“When will you show me how bendy you are, then?” whispers Saint, his gaze flickering between Shin’s eyes and his mouth.

Shin flutters his eyelashes, his cheeks tinted pink. “Fuck, Saint, at least ask me out first.”

Saint wants to close the – very small - gap between their mouths so bad. Shin’s lips are just there and he looks so beautiful and so ready. “But I’m too late for that, am I not?”

Shin squeezes his eyes and sighs. “You’re so fucking stupid,” he murmurs as he rests his head on Saint’s shoulder.

Saint’s whole body relaxes. He hadn’t realised how tense he was. “You’ve always been the smart one between us.”

“Don’t say this to justify your…arghhh.”

Saint chuckles. They are still embracing each other, he can feel every vibration of Shin’s body against his. “My…what?”

“Nothing.” Shin disentangles himself from the embrace. He bows to Saint. “Thank you for the lesson, teacher Saint. I’m sure Prang will appreciate my prowess.”

Despite himself, Saint bursts out laughing. “Please, don’t do this to that poor girl.”

***

“I should have invited Cable to the prom,” complains Peeta.

They are sitting on the tables outside, books and notebooks spread out in front of them.

“Am I not enough for you?” jokes Saint. “Wait, what? Cable?”

Peeta rests her cheek on her fist. “Yes, Cable.”

“Do you like him?”

“Kind of.”

Saint tries to intercept her eyes but fails. “You never told me.”

Peeta sighs. “I didn’t know. But anyway, he’s going with Tangmay.”

“What? She didn’t tell me.”

Peeta drinks a sip of water and sighs again. “Whatever.”

Both of them turn when they notice two people exiting the school doors. It’s Shin and Prang. Peeta watches Saint watching them. “Are they spending time together now?”

Saint shrugs. “They are ‘planning’ for the prom.”

Peeta frowns. “Are you okay?”

Saint chews on the top of his pencil as he looks at the couple. “Yes, it’s not like she’s the love of his life.”

The girl stares at him for a good five seconds before laughing brazenly. “If you’re so sure of yourself, why didn’t you ask him to the prom?”

Saint bites into the rubber of his pencil. “I don’t know why, but confessing to him feels like the end of the world.”

“It’s not like he is going to reject you.”

“I know, but…it’ll change everything.”

Peeta hits him with her ruler. “It won’t change anything. Except you will finally get to fuck each other.”

Saint’s ears turn red. “Why are you so obsessed with us fucking?”

Peeta flips through the pages of her book. “I’m not, let’s go back to studying.” Saint opens his mouth, but she puts a finger on his lips. “No more talking about this stupid prom, we have finals in a few weeks and I also need to study for Uni admissions tests.”

“But you started it.”

“Shush.”

Saint sighs and turns his attention to his book, even though he is still acutely aware of Shin and Prang in his peripheral vision.

***

Even though they are not going as a couple, on the day of the prom, Saint goes to pick Shin up as usual. It’s just convenient and, besides, Shin doesn’t own a vehicle nor does he have the money to rent a limo to pick Prang up or do anything fancy like in the movies.

At the agreed time, Saint stops his bike outside Shin’s house. He looks in the rear-view mirror to fix his hair, then he wears his sunglasses – even though the sun is about to set and they’ll be useless very soon – just because they make him look cool and distinguished.

When he hears the gate opening, he looks up to find a – very, very handsome – Shin staring at him. Saint removes his sunglasses to have a better look and his breath catches in his throat. He waves at Shin, because his tongue is literally stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Shin is wearing a Thai traditional attire: a dusty rose buttoned-up shirt with a mandarin collar and long sleeves, mauve linen trousers and a chequered piece of fabric, in pink and lilac, wrapped around his waist and knotted in the middle. He looks breathtaking and unreal.

Saint swallows the lump in his throat.

Shin looks a little rigid and a lot uncomfortable as he approaches Saint. “You look like an FBI agent,” he comments. “Or straight out of Men in Black.”

Saint frowns and looks down at his shiny black shoes, black trousers, black jacket. Only his shirt is white, a little creased, no tie. “Thanks?”

Shin laughs. “It wasn’t exactly a compliment.”

Saint pouts. “Ohi!”

Shin reaches out to grab Saint’s sunglasses. He tries them on and then he places them back on Saint’s head. “I’m kidding, you look great.”

“I borrowed this from my father.”

“I figured.”

Saint can’t stop staring at Shin. He licks his lips. “You look…like a prince.”

Shin’s smile is small and shy. “Thank you.”

Saint shakes his head. “Are you matching with Prang?”

“Yes, we rented our dresses together.”

Finally, Saint looks away.

“I need to be extra careful not to damage it, because I have to take it back tomorrow in the same condition they gave it to me.”

Saint nods. “Yes, of course.”

“I’m already sweating, I hate everything about it.”

“You’ve made your bed….”murmurs Saint, a little bitter, as he hands Shin his helmet.

In retaliation, Shin flicks Saint’s sunglasses so they fall on his nose. “Come on, take this prince to the ball.”

Saint climbs on the bike and looks behind him. “Am I your servant now?”

Shin gets on the bike and leans forward to talk in Saint’s ear. “Would you rather be my princess?”

Saint starts the engine and revs up without notice. Shin squeals and wraps his arms around Saint’s middle. They ride to the party with their bodies pressed tight against each other, despite the heat and the humidity.

***

When they get to the school’s parking lot, the music coming from the gym is already loud. Dozens of final-year students are making their way to the party, all of them wearing fancy clothes, from suits to tuxedos to evening gowns to traditional dresses.

Saint feels underdressed but, truth be told, he doesn’t care. He messages Peeta to let her know he has arrived.

“I have to find Prang,” says Shin, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he looks at Saint as if waiting for a reaction.

Saint turns to put their helmets away just not to show Shin his grimace.

He feels a touch on the small of his back. “I’ll be with you as much as I can throughout the night,” whispers Shin.

Saint turns to face him. “Okay, don’t worry, go to her for now.”

Shin hesitates. “Saint…”

Saint’s heart is hammering in his chest. The selfish part of him would like for Shin to suggest ditching the prom and having their own party, just the two of them. However, he doesn’t want to fantasise about Shin dumping Prang and attending the prom with him officially, because it wouldn’t be fair to Prang. Or Peeta.

Shin grabs the knot of the sash wrapped around his waist and unfastens it.

“What are you doing?” asks Saint, perplexed. It must have taken a while to knot the fabric.

Shin steps closer and puts the sash around his neck. “I want you to have it.”

Saint’s heart is beating so fast that his head starts spinning. “Why?” he asks, grabbing both ends of the sash. “You…you just ruined your outfit.”

Shin tries to smooth the rumpled fabric around Saint’s neck with his fingers. “Saint, I don’t give a shit about my outfit.”

Saint laughs weakly. “You gave it to me because you want us to match as well?”

Shin’s eyes turn soft but sharp at the same time. He puts his hands on top of Saint’s. “I gave it to you so you won’t forget who you belong to.”

Saint’s breath hitches. “I don’t need an expensive piece of fabric to remind me.”

Shin laughs. “It’s not that expensive, but please be careful and remember it’s a rental.”

Saint blinks, taken aback by the sudden change of mood. Shin takes a step back and winks at him. “See you later, princess.”

“Ohi!”

As he watches Shin jogging towards the gym, Saint brings the fabric to his nose. It smells like Shin. He will have the other boy’s scent wrapped around his neck all night long.

***

Saint meets Peeta at the entrance of the gym. She is wearing a red satin mini dress with black closed-toe heels. Her hair cascades down her shoulders and her lips are tinted scarlet. She looks beautiful and fierce.

Saint whistles. She waves a hand in front of his face to make him stop.

“Seriously, you look fantastic.”

Peeta grabs one end of the fabric hanging from Saint’s neck. “What is th- oh.”

“Shin gave it to me.”

Peeta rolls her eyes. “Of course, he did. I saw him a few minutes ago and I couldn’t quite pinpoint what was missing from his outfit.”

Saint squeezes her arm. “Shall we go inside?”

As soon as they enter the gym, the first thing Saint notices is the huge mirror ball hanging from the ceiling, for the moment still and unused. The lights in the gym are dim, the music, the voices, the laughter loud. It’s hot even though all the doors are open and there are way too many people. This looks like Saint and Shin’s personal nightmare, but here they are. Or, here he is, Saint has no idea where Shin is.

Peeta and he join Eve and Airy, sitting on the benches on the side. Eve is wearing an oversized white tuxedo jacket with black lapels, a red rose inside her front pocket, her hair arranged in a low bun. Airy’s outfit is a simple black dress, a corsage made of red roses tied together by a black ribbon wrapped around her wrist.

“Why are you wearing a scarf?” asks Eve straight away, pointing a menacing finger at Saint.

“It’s not a scarf.”

 “It’s Shin’s favour,” explains Peeta. “You know, in the Middle Ages during tournaments ladies used to give their knights a token to show their support and affection, like a glove or a scarf, and the knights had to wear it so everybody could see that they were...promised to someone already.”

“What are you talking about?” huffs Saint, embarrassed.

Eve blinks. “Wow, thank you for the impromptu history lesson, I had no idea.”

Peeta smiles and makes a curtsy.

“Does this mean Saint is Shin’s betrothed?” jumps in Airy.

Saint grabs Peeta by the wrist. “Shall we dance?”

“Do you like to dance?”

Saint shakes his head but drags her to the dance floor anyway. As soon as they reach it, the loud and annoying music suddenly stops and a live band shows up on the stage.

Saint beams. “This is way better.”

They dance to a few Thai pop/rock songs that everybody knows. Saint can’t help but look around for Shin, but he is nowhere to be seen. He sniffs Shin’s ‘favour’ to feel better.

“My feet already hurt, shall we sit for a bit?” suggests Peeta.

Saint accepts because his feet hurt too in his stupid, fancy shoes. When they go back to their friends, they find that other classmates have joined them – like Tangmay and her improbable date, Cable. But still no trace of Shin. Has he been kidnapped by Prang and her classmates?

Eve thrusts a hip flask into his hand.

“Did you sneak alcohol to the party?”

“Did you want me to drink some boring juice all night long?”

Saint laughs and hides behind her back to take a swig. He has no idea of what he has just drunk, but his chest feels warmer after a couple of sips, and his mind lighter.

“This band is cool, I’m going to dance,” announces Eve when Saint gives her hip flask back. She tugs Airy by her hand and takes her to the dance floor.

Saint is so focused on looking for Shin in the crowd that he doesn’t realise that it is in fact Shin himself the person who has just flopped down on the bench next to him.

“Were you looking for me?” whispers Shin in his ear.

Saint almost jumps out of his skin. “Shin, you scared me.”

Shin smirks. “So, were you looking for me?”

Saint crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I couldn’t find you. You literally disappeared.”

Shin moves closer to Saint, his thigh pressing against Saint’s. “What if I told you I’ve been watching you this whole time?”

Saint frowns. “Stalker.”

Shin laughs, but he abruptly stops to inch even closer to the other boy. Saint stays still as Shin’s face stops a few centimetres away from his. Shin sniffs him. Once, twice, three times. “Have you been drinking?”

Saint licks his lips, darting a glance at Shin’s mouth. “Eve offered it to me, but she is on the dance floor now.”

Someone taps him on the shoulder. Saint turns to find Tangmay. She cups Saint’s ear with one hand and leans in. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Go to the boys’ bathroom on the first floor. The password is: Knot is hot.”

“What?”

Tangmay shrugs. “It’s basically a speakeasy.”

“This clarifies nothing for me.”

Tangmay touches his shoulder. “Of course.”

After she leaves, Saint turns to Shin who is looking at him with pouting lips. “Fancy a trip to the boys’ bathroom on the first floor?”

***

When Saint enters the bathroom, he finds Knot, Nate and Ken leaning on the sinks behind them. His first thought is  ‘this is an ambush’, but it doesn’t make any sense, they are friends now.

“How can I help you?” asks Nate.

Saint stares at him for a few seconds, then he puckers his lips and utters the words he has never ever dreamed of saying, like ever. “Knot is hot.”

Shin snaps his head to look at him, his eyes wide.

Knot laughs. “I am indeed.”

Nate steps forward. “Welcome to our bar, what would you like to drink?”

Saint had figured that Tangmay had sent him here for this very reason, but it still seems so surreal.

Ken kicks one of the stalls’ doors open. Saint peeks to find an array of bottles of spirits and mixers. They even have ice. How professional.

“You pick,” he says. “Are you the bartender?” he asks Ken.

“We take turns.”

Shin looks at all of them suspiciously.

“Are you paying cash or card?” asks Nate.

“Paying?” shouts Saint.

“We’re running a business, what did you expect?”

Saint groans. “I’ll transfer the money to you,” he mutters.

Ken hands him two drinks. “Two Rum and Coke for you, sir.”

“Don’t go back to the gym with these,” warns Knot.

“Of course,” says Saint, still puzzled by this…establishment they stepped in. “Shin?”

The other boy steps forward to take his drink.

“Nice outfit,” tells him Knot.

Shin raises an eyebrow. “Nice bar.”

“Should we go to the football field?” suggests Saint.

They bid goodbye to their entrepreneur friends and head to the benches along the football fields. They sit down and start sipping on their drinks.

“Sure Ken didn’t go easy with the alcohol,” observes Shin, coughing.

Saint pats his back and laughs. He is so happy to be here with Shin, drinking cheap Rum in an empty football field.

Shin is looking at the sky and the very few stars scattered on his surface. When Saint puts a hand on his knee, he lowers his head to look at him.

“How is it going with Prang?” asks him Saint before sucking on his straw.

Shin gulps a generous amount of his cocktail before replying. “Are you jealous, Saint?”

Saint stirs the ice inside his cup. “Of course, I am, but just a little bit.”

Shin leans forward. “Just a little bit?” he teases. “How come?”

Saint squeezes his knee. “You don’t like her.”

Shin puts his hand on top of Saint’s. “How can you be so sure?”

Saint rolls his eyes and takes off his hand. “Shut up.”

Shin snorts and scoots closer to Saint. “She knows that I’m not into her and she took it well. She told me she wanted to come with me because I’m handsome and the pictures would look nice.”

Saint spits his drink from his nose. His laughter is disrupted by a coughing fit.

Shin massages his back. “Are you okay?”

Saint wipes the corner of his eyes. “Getting there.” He takes deep breaths in as he leans his shoulder against Shin’s. When he turns to look at him, Shin is staring. Saint frowns. “What are you looking at me like that for?”

Shin smiles and brushes the fabric around Saint’s neck. “Maybe I just can’t take my eyes off of you.”

“You told me that I look like an FBI agent or a character from Men in Black and now…you are complimenting me?”

Shin tugs on his sash. “Well, maybe I have a thing for both. Have you thought about that?”

Saint almost chokes on his drink for the second time. They have always flirted, at least since they got back together. Saint has almost always initiated it, but lately, Shin is getting the upper hand. He guesses that they are reaching the tipping point. Saint just knows it’ll be the end of the world when they’ll cross the line. But also the beginning of a new one. He is terrified and thrilled at the same time.

Shin is still staring when Saint finishes his drink with a loud suction noise. “Should we take a picture together?”

“Here? In the dark?” asks Shin, blinking rapidly.

Saint points at the floodlights above their heads. “It’s not that dark.”

Shin rests a hand on Saint’s inner thigh. “Okay.”

Saint raises his hand and moves his phone looking for the best angle. Shin squeezes his thigh, hard. “What?”

Shin doesn’t reply but he moves his head close to Saint’s, strands of his hair intertwining with the other boy’s. His hand trails higher on Saint’s thigh.

Saint swallows. “You’re right, there’s not enough light.”

Shin turns his head so that his nose brushes against Saint’s jaw. “Told you.”

“Should we try anyway?” asks Saint, distracted. He couldn’t care less about the picture right now.

Shin nods, looking sideways at the camera. Saint is about to capture the moment, Shin looking hot and mischievous, when the naughty boy in question moves his hand even higher on his thigh, bordering on Saint’s crotch.

“Shin, you’re entering a dangerous territory,” he warns.

Shin laughs, his breath warm and wet on Saint’s face. “I thought you liked danger,” he murmurs, grazing Saint’s jaw with his lips. He sounds tipsy.

Saint almost drops his phone. “Shin, you either stay still and let me take our picture…”

“Or…?”

Or you fucking kiss me.

A flashing light suddenly blinds them both.

“Hey, you can’t be here!”

It’s one of their teachers. Saint kicks the plastic cup under the bench and stands. Shin holds him by the wrist, but stays seated.

“Sorry, we needed some fresh air, we’re going back inside.”

The teacher waves his flashlight. “Hurry up!”

They scurry along the benches, giggling. When they are about to reach the gym entrance, Shin pushes Saint against the wall, grabs the lapels of his jacket and…kisses his cheek.

“Sorry, I really needed to do at least…this.”

A swarm of butterflies takes over Saint’s stomach.

“Shin, life is too short to kiss someone on the cheek,” he jokes. He is not disappointed, just hungry.

Shin looks flustered. “Let’s go back inside for now, smart mouth.”

Before he can leave, Saint grabs his sleeve. “Shin, are we…?” He doesn’t know what to say or what he wanted to ask. He mostly needs to know that they are on the same page.

“By the end of the night we will,” answers Shin.

Saint scratches his head. “Okay,” he murmurs. He follows Shin inside the gym as he touches his own face, the ghost of Shin’s lips still lingering. He trusts Shin. By the end of the night, they will…do something. Or be something?

He’ll find out.

***

Back inside the gym, Saint takes off his jacket and decides to knot the fabric Shin gave him around his waist. He may look ridiculous, but he doesn’t care. This is the intended purpose of the fabric, after all.

As soon as he spots Peeta on the dance floor, he approaches her. “Hello,” he greets her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

The girl turns in surprise. “Oh, hi! Where have you been?”

“I went to the first-floor bathroom with Shin.”

Peeta covers her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide in shock.

“Oh, no, no, it’s not like that,” Saint rushes to explain. “I…I’ll tell you later.”

She doesn’t look convinced, but Saint doesn’t want to risk exposing his friends’ secret in the middle of the dance floor.

A pair of hands squeeze his shoulders. He doesn’t need to turn to know who they belong to. “I didn’t expect you to come back to me so soon.”

One of Shin’s hands travels down his spine. “Who said I’m here for you?”

As soon as he finishes his sentence, Tew and First basically throw themselves at him.

“Ehi, stranger!” shouts Tew. “Did you finally remember your real friends?”

Shin rolls his eyes. “You are my only friends.”

“Saint, why did you steal Shin’s sash?” asks First pointing at the fabric wrapped around his waist.

Saint scoffs. “I didn’t steal it, it was given to me.”

Shin laughs but doesn’t deny or confirm it, the fucker.

“Have you been to the bathroom?” asks Tew conspiratorially.

Peeta elbows Saint. “What’s with this bathroom?”

“You’re not supposed to talk about the bathroom,” tells them Eve, taking a break from her dancing.

“Can someone explain?” whines Peeta.

Since no one seems willing to do it, Saint takes pity on her and whispers an explanation in her ear.

“Why am I not surprised they started an illegal business inside the school?” she comments.

Saint touches Shin’s hip subtly. “Are you dancing with us?”

“As long as there are no waltz steps involved…”

Eve grabs him by the elbow to drag him towards the centre of their group. “Don’t worry, it’s just Western pop music.”

For the next half an hour – probably less, probably more - Saint sweats through his shirt, pulling off improbable dance moves with his friends and singing songs he doesn’t know the word to. Shin is sweating too, his elegant face shiny, but his smile big and carefree. He seems to be enjoying himself, even if this is not exactly his place or his crowd. Maybe the alcohol has worked its magic, or maybe he is not as uptight as he pretends to be sometimes.

Unfortunately, Saint’s fun is spoiled by Prang’s arrival. She looks like a doll in her light pink silk shawl wrapped around her chest, leaving one shoulder exposed, her long tube skirt, her golden jewellery, her wavy hair.

Saint scowls as he watches her tugging on Shin’s sleeve. The other boy immediately bends to listen to what she has to say. Saint’s stomach twists. He is not technically jealous of her, but rather of the time she is stealing from Shin. Time that could have been his.

Shin catches him glaring and shakes his head, a small, affectionate smile on his lips. Saint relaxes slightly. It turns out Prang wants them to take official pictures, so they leave.

“We should go and have our pictures taken as well,” suggests Eve. “It’s not like we dress up every day. What do you say, my love?”

Airy rests her head on Eve’s arm. “Okay, but then we go sit for like…the rest of this shit. My feet are killing me.”

Saint turns to Peeta and offers her his hand. “Shall we go?”

Having spent most of his time on the benches and the dance floor – and outside with Shin - Saint hadn’t noticed that they had built a red carpet sort of setting in a corner of the gym, with a professional photographer and professional lights.

Shin and Prang are posing for their pictures, looking exactly like a royal couple. Prang looks pretty and graceful, her figure so tiny next to the tall boy. Shin is holding himself very still, stiff almost, his face glistening with sweat. Saint cackles. Shin hears him but doesn’t pay him any mind.

When the photographer is satisfied with the results and informs them they can leave, Shin bends to whisper something in Prang’s ear. After she nods, Shin looks straight at Saint and beckons him forward.

Saint hesitates until Eve pushes him forward. He stumbles on the red carpet and bows to the photographer to apologise.

Shin pulls him next to him.

“I saw you hating every moment of that photo shoot, why would you want to go through something like this again?”

Shin shrugs. “We didn’t manage to take that picture earlier, so…”

Saint looks at him in disbelief.

“What?”

“Who are you and what have you done with Shin?” teases Saint, incontrollable warmth spreading inside his chest.

Shin pinches him on the side. “Shut up.”

Saint notices that there are some props inside a basket next to the photographer. He asks for his permission before grabbing one.

“Here,” he tells Shin, showing him a plastic crown. “Prince Naruebet.”

Shin looks unimpressed. Saint inches forward and positions the crown on top of his head. Surprisingly, Shin doesn’t protest. He chuckles and then turns to look at the photographer who has just started snapping their pictures.

“Look forward,” he tells Saint.

Saint’s eyes move from Shin’s head to his face. “Mh?”

“Look at the camera.”

Saint smiles. “Sorry, I was taken by the view.”

Shin shakes his head. “You’re always so cheesy.”

Saint fixes a strand of his hair. “You’re complaining just for the sake of it.”

The other boy grabs his chin to force him to look at the photographer. Saint complies and puts an arm around Shin’s shoulders. Shin’s hand finds his rightful place on Saint’s waist.

“Who’s going to pay for these pictures?” asks Saint lifting just a corner of his mouth.

Shin turns to look at him. Saint bites his lip and forces himself not to turn to meet his eyes. It appears that Shin doesn’t have an answer to his question, since he is just staring at Saint speechless.

“Look forward,” echoes Saint.

“I’ve just realised that I’ll have a stupid crown in all our pictures, maybe you should pay for them.”

Saint bursts out laughing.

The photographer is about to dismiss them when Eve, Airy, Peeta, Tew and First crash their photo shoot.

“Let’s take a group picture!” shouts Eve.

After all of their friends have grabbed some props, Saint and Shin have to squeeze impossibly close so they can all fit in the picture. Saint puts one arm around Peeta’s shoulder and hides the other behind his back. He gets startled when Shin’s fingers wrap around his hand. Well, no one can see them, so might as well.

***

After Saint is done taking his couple pictures with Peeta, the band takes a break and the MC announces it’s time for the raffle (which Saint didn’t know anything about) and the contest for the best outfit (which he didn’t sign up for).

His stomach grumbles, so he finally pays a visit to the refreshments table. From there, he can see Shin and Prang laughing with her friends. The sudden dryness of his mouth makes it hard to swallow the snacks he is munching on. He understands that Shin can’t just ditch her, he is her date and it would look very bad if he did that, but he can’t help feeling bitter and lonely.

However, Saint knows that he brought this on himself: if he wanted Shin glued to his side all night long, he should have asked him to the prom.

He considers going to the first-floor bathroom again, but he is lazy and stingy. Besides, alcohol would make him even more miserable. He just can’t wait for the party to be over and for Shin’s ‘prophecy’ to become true. Something is going to change by the end of the night.

Saint wanders around the gym like a lost puppy, sipping a non-alcoholic drink with a paper straw. When his feet start to hurt and his loneliness becomes too unbearable, he goes back to his seat.

“What did I miss?” he asks, plopping down next to Peeta.

“Tangmay won a new phone at the raffle, Tew and First are drunk, Eve and Airy are probably making out in the bathroom and…Shin came here looking for you.”

“When?”

Peeta steals his slushy. “I don’t know, he is long gone now.”

Saint sags on the bench. “Great.”

It looks like the contest he didn’t pay any attention to is finally over. The MC screeches into the microphone, giddy and excited. “My favourite moment of the night is approaching: the slow dance! Couples make your way to the dance floor!”

Saint sighs and casts a glance at Peeta.

“Please don’t ask me to slow dance with you,” she mumbles.

Saint crosses his arms. “I wasn’t going to.”

As the band comes back on stage, the huge mirror ball Saint noticed when he entered starts rotating. People scream in awe.

Saint gets transfixed by the mirror ball and the beams of light flashing all over the ceiling, the walls and people’s faces. Immersed in his rapture, he doesn’t notice that someone is standing in front of him.

The first notes of a slow-beat song fill the air the same moment Shin stretches out his hand.

Saint is…not sure of what is going on. Peeta elbows him to wake him up from his reverie.

“May I have this dance?” asks Shin.

Saint blinks. “But we’re not a couple.”

Peeta’s snort is louder than the music.

Shin smiles. “I have a feeling that’s about to change.”

Saint grabs Shin’s hand and gets to his feet in slow motion.  Shin turns and, dragging a puzzled Saint, makes his way through the crowd. His palm is warm and slightly damp.

Saint’s heart somersaults. This is so…not what he was expecting. He feels giddy with anticipation.

Shin finally stops and turns to look at him. He takes hold of Saint’s wrists and positions his hands on his waist, before draping his own hands on the sides of Saint’s head.

Saint is as mesmerised by Shin as he was two minutes earlier by the mirror ball. Shin, though, is shining just for him.

They start swaying.

“Sorry, I never planned to do something this…public. But Prang suggested-”

Saint frowns. “Prang suggested?”

“Yes, Prang suggested asking you to dance.”

Saint can barely suppress a pang of irritation. “Aren’t you worried about the message you’re sending to these people?”

Shin squeezes Saint’s nape and pulls him even closer. “ I only care about the message I’m sending you.”

Saint watches the myriads spots of lights dancing on Shin’s face. “Oh.”

Shin’s eyes soften dramatically. “Saint.” He inches closer slowly and when he finally, finally kisses Saint, Saint forgets to close his eyes. Shin presses his lips against Saint’s so gently, a feathery kiss.

It is over way too soon.

Shin draws back slightly, his brows furrowed.

Saint licks his lips to chase his taste. “Sorry, what was the message again?”

Shin relaxes immediately and dives back in to kiss him again. This time, Saint closes his eyes. And maybe it’s the hypnotic rhythm of the song, or the image of the rotating mirror ball still stuck behind his eyelids, or maybe it is the end of the world, but he feels like they are on a carousel, spinning, spinning, spinning…

To anchor himself, he grips the fabric of Shin’s shirt. Shin exhales inside his mouth and presses his whole body against Saint’s.

When they come up for air, the world goes finally still.

Shin puts some space between them and clears his throat. “So, what do you think?”

Saint squeezes his hips. “Yes!”

Shin laughs. “To what question?”

Saint pouts and Shin hugs him, so, so tight. They start swaying on the spot once again. “You know,” he whispers against Saint’s ear. “I was waiting for you to grow some balls and ask me to this stupid prom, and I waited and waited and waited but, in the end, you didn’t.”

“Sorry, I’m a chicken.”

Shin laughs inside his ear. “That’s why I had to take the matter into my own hands.”

“Well, thank you.”

Shin presses a light kiss against his ear. “Do you want to get out of here?”

Saint’s hand hovers over Shin’s ass. “Please.”

As the last notes of the song are playing, Shin takes him by the wrist and drags him over the dance floor.

The MC informs everyone that they are going to crown the best three couples of the evening.

Saint finds Peeta at the edge of the dance floor with…Cable? He touches her shoulder. “We’re leaving. Take care, okay?”

Peeta looks flustered. “Okay, have fun.”

They are nearing the doors when the MC calls Shin’s name.

“What the fuck?”

“I…I think you won…something.”

The MC calls Shin and Prang’s names again. Apparently, they placed second.

Shin groans. “But Prang and I are not a couple.”

Saint smirks. “Why, are you dating someone else?”

Shin looks like someone who wants to flee.

“Shin, don’t leave Prang alone on that stage, got get your prize.”

Shin grabs Saint’s face. “You are my prize tonight.” He kisses him quickly and runs towards the stage.

“That was cheesy as fuck,” mutters Saint, grinning like an idiot.

He looks for Peeta in the crowd. He finally finds her close to the stage, Cable by her side. This is…new, Saint will have to investigate it later.

“I’m sorry the MC took Shin from you,” she says when she sees him.

“No one can take Shin from me.”

Peeta rolls her eyes. “You’re about to become waaay more insufferable than you already were, am I right?”

Saint pokes her cheek. “What about you?” he rebuts, his eyes darting towards Cable.

Peeta turns to the stage, ignoring him.

Throughout Shin’s ‘crowning’, Saint can feel Shin’s discomfort as if it were his. He releases the breath he had been holding only when the whole thing is finally over.

Eve and Airy win first place. They make out in front of the whole party. Confetti falls from the ceiling and the speakers start blasting the same loud music that was playing at the beginning. The party is over but at the same time, it is not.

Saint needs to find Shin and bolt.

It’s Shin who finds him in the end. “Hi.”

Saint’s heart flutters. “Hello, Prom King.”

Shin grimaces. He removes the plastic tiara that the MC had placed on his head and breaks it in two. He places one half in Shin’s hand.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“If I’m the Prom King, you are my Prom Queen.”

Saint blinks. “I’d rather not steal this title from Prang, but thanks?” He puts the piece of plastic inside his pocket.

Shin pulls him in by the sash around his waist. “Shall we go to my house?”

Saint bats his eyelashes. “Yes, I love your house.”

Shin puts a hand on his cheek. “Is my house the only thing you love about me?”

Saint licks his lips. “Take me home and I promise I’ll tell you what else I love about you.”

Shin laughs against his mouth. “Deal.”