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I’ve done it again.
Sand’s inner voice nearly purrs as he gives his outfit the once-over in his full length mirror. Pairing his leather jacket with the white Cage the Elephant t-shirt is nothing groundbreaking, but the light wash jeans add an air of punk that his normal dark denim ones don’t. More than a few heads will turn tonight, although he only cares about one.
He bends down to lace up his boots. “Ray, are you ready yet?”
“Yeah.” Ray strolls over to stand next to him. “What do you think? Cool enough for Buddha and Pals?”
He’s referring to a jazz bar that Sand managed to get them a table at for tonight, where a famous Thai trio is playing for the first time in nearly a decade. It’s not his usual thing, but his dad (who still doesn’t know Sand is his son, but he’s working on it) had recommended it, lamenting that he would be out of town. Ray was up for it, so Sand called ahead, and he’s been eagerly anticipating the date night ever since.
He bites his lip, unable to resist a tease. “I guess. It’s a little plain, but that suits you.”
Ray pushes him playfully so he can admire himself in the mirror. “Shut up. I always look hot.”
Sand eyes Ray’s clothes. He’s toned them down a bit from his typical loud and colourful style, but he’s still pretty because… well, because he’s Ray. He could wear a paper bag and look gorgeous, and after dating for nearly six months now, Sand can attest to the fact that Ray looks especially good in nothing at all.
“Aw, we're almost matching,” Ray comments. He smiles at their reflections, adjusting the sleeve of the black corduroy jacket he borrowed from Sand.
Sand can hear the delight in his voice and smiles too. Their outfits are similar, dark jackets with light tops and jeans. They’ve been doing that a lot lately without realizing. “Mmhmm. Pretty much.”
He turns to grab his keys from the bedside table, but before he can even stretch out his arm, Ray reaches for him instead and wraps his fingers around his wrist.
“Let's do a fit check!”
Sand raises a brow. “A what?”
“Fit check.” Ray fiddles with his phone, opening the camera and setting it to video mode. “It's a TikTok trend. You show your outfit and say, ‘Fit check!’ and then you describe what you're wearing and where you bought each item.” He swivels in place, eyes bright with excitement. “Please, Sand?”
Sand snorts. “No way. That sounds lame as hell.” He looks down at his carefully curated clothes. “Besides, everything I have on is thrifted.”
“So?” Ray steps closer and tugs on his lapel. “You're the eco-friendly half of this relationship, na? It'll be cute.” He presses his lips together in a pout and blinks his long lashes, a move sure to melt Sand's cold exterior. “Naaaaaa, Sand? Please do a fit check with me?”
Before he met Ray, the singer was never big on stereotypical couple things, not even with Boeing. He almost never uploaded pictures of them on IG (which made the social media wipe after the breakup so much easier), and any dates they went on were lowkey, anniversary celebrations done privately. The most Sand ever did was write cute notes to leave in his ex's lunchbox. If anything, Boe was the showier one of the two, although Sand suspects he was trying to hide his infidelity by being affectionate.
But Ray's never been in a relationship before, and so his idea of how one works comes from romance movies and internet trends. He loves cliché gestures like buying flowers, watching fireworks together, holding hands, walking on the beach under the stars. Most of all, he loves taking pictures with Sand, whether they're eating at some dingy roadside cafe or kissing in a photobooth at the mall.
And Sand can't lie… he’s begun to like it too.
A lot.
He rolls his eyes even though his grin is surfacing at the corners of his mouth. “Fine. But make it quick. Our reservation—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ray positions his phone against the lamp on Sand's bureau. “Okay, when the light blinks, say ‘Fit check.’ I'll go first. Just do what I do.”
Sand laughs and gives his signature headshake. “Okay.”
He stands with his hands on his hips, holding back a snicker. The red light comes on.
“Fit checkkkkk!” Ray draws out. His smile fades into a frown as soon as he realizes he's said it alone, and he stomps his tiny foot in frustration. “Sand!”
“I'm sorry, baby,” Sand replies, fully chuckling now. He kisses the top of Ray's head. “I got camera fright.”
“You're a musician.” Ray walks over to the camera to reset the video, then returns to the spot in front of Sand's closet door. He looks at him as sternly as he's capable of. “How can you be afraid when you perform for hundreds of people every weekend?”
Hundreds is certainly generous; Sand doubts the crowd at P’Yo’s exceeds fifty most nights. But he shrugs. “Playing music is cool. Fit checks aren’t,” he teases.
“Don’t be meeeeeaaaaaaan.” Ray yanks him closer by the sleeve of his jacket. “I'll count, okay? Three, two, one…”
“Fit check!”
They both burst into laughter. Ray does a little twirl and stumbles over Sand’s laundry basket, losing his balance. Sand manages to catch him before he falls, but they both end up doubled over, cheeks red with mirth.
“What are we supposed to do after that?” Sand asks, holding his stomach.
Ray straightens himself up to full height and wheezes. “We… you have to kind of show off your outfit. Like turn around or something.” He snickers. “Then say where you got each piece.”
He resets the camera again and fluffs his hair. “Just watch me.”
Sand does. Ray is so cute, and he can tell that his boyfriend doesn’t really care about making the video perfect. It’s more so about preserving this silly moment with Sand, reveling in their shared pastime of fashion despite having different styles. The red light ignites for a third time.
“Fit check!”
Sand spins to the right, Ray to the left. They both giggle, and Sand steps back, allowing Ray the spotlight while he observes him with a grin.
“Okayyyyy.” Ray lifts his foot. “Shoes—Crockett and Jones. Jeans—Levis.” He pulls the hem of his shirt to show the graphic. “T-shirt—Zara. Jacket—Boyfriend's closet.” He leans into Sand’s chest and does a peace sign, winking at the same time.
Sand figures this is his cue. He clears his throat, trying to hide the embarrassment by letting his hair fall across his eyes. “Uh. Shoes—Docs from Chatuchak.” He raises his leg so his beat-up boots show in the frame and coughs. “Jeans… Not sure. Might be our drummer’s.” He laughs. “Shirt—Bang Sue Junction. Jacket—Chatuchak.”
Ray beams, the garish lighting of Sand’s room highlighting the glow of his cheeks. He’s so damn cute. Sand fights the urge to squeeze him like a stuffed toy.
Suddenly, a thought occurs to him. It’s out of his usual fanfare, but he’s indulged Ray this far…
Why not all the way?
He wraps his arm around Ray’s shoulder and gives him a kiss on the cheek, then proudly addresses the camera. “Boyfriend—YOLO.”
Ray’s mouth hangs open in surprise as the camera continues to record them. Sand’s face burns. It feels like an eternity has gone by, but it’s probably only a second before Ray breaks into a wide smile and kisses him back.
“Mine too,” he replies, kissing Sand on his full lips. “But they’re sold out. He’s one of a kind.” He waves, then detaches from Sand to turn the camera off.
Sand leans against his closet door and cocks his head to the side, arms folded across his chest. “That was the corniest shit I’ve ever done in my life,” he admits, still beet red from his display.
“Ohooo.” Ray kisses him again, hand around the back of his neck. “But you’re so cute, na, Sand? You really are.” He bumps his nose against the singer’s. “That’s why I love you so much.”
Sand laughs and buddy-punches him. “Don’t get used to it. I’m never filming another TikTok.”
“Ah, you will,” Ray teases him. He opens the door to Sand’s bedroom so they can head out on the town. “There’s a trend where you fall together into different places, it’s like an edit… I’ll show you sometime. We can do it when we go to Glastonberry.”
“Glastonbury,” Sand corrects him.
“Yeah, that.”
Their evening at the jazz bar is everything Sand hoped it would be—mouth-watering pizza, delicious mocktails, good music, and of course, the best company. Ray sways along to the groovier songs and chats with him between sets, lost in their own world.
They return back to Sand’s place when it's over, mostly because it’s closer than Ray’s and the two were getting handsy in the final quarter of the night. Ray doesn’t even make it to the apartment; he tugs Sand into a shadowy corner of the parking garage and sucks him off, only marginally keeping an eye out for anyone coming back from the bars.
Soon enough they’re in bed and Sand returns the favour, burying himself inside Ray until he’s gasping for more. Afterwards, Ray curls up on his chest. It’s never not amazing, but tonight it’s even more special. Something vulnerable has come loose all because of a silly couples’ fad, and Sand couldn’t be happier.
“Check it out.” Ray holds his phone up to Sand’s bleary eyes, the screen open to his TikTok page.
He’s posted the goofy video in its entirety, but he’s also spliced in the failed attempts where they were laughing and kissing and tripping over each other. Some trending song he’s never heard of plays over the outtakes, and Ray has put a vintage film filter on it too, making the whole thing look like an already-distant memory. Sand smiles at the caption.
my perfect fit <3
“You’re so sappy,” he murmurs sleepily. He runs his fingers through Ray’s hair. “But you can post it. It’s cute.”
“I wasn’t asking permission.” Ray grins and taps the upload button. “I bet we go viral because of how adorable you are.”
Sand yawns. “I’d rather go viral for my music,” he retorts, because Ray expects his sarcasm, and he likes riling him up. Like clockwork, Ray scrunches up his nose.
“Aiii Sand. You’re my boyfriend.” He pouts, but it quickly relaxes into a smile, and he gives Sand one last little kiss on the cheek before burying his face in his collarbone. “Thanks for doing that with me, baby. I’m so glad I found you.” He squeezes Sand’s arm. “You’re priceless.”
Maybe there was a reason Sand never felt like doing couple-y things with Boeing, and not because he found them cringey or cheesy. His ex had never inspired those butterfly feelings in him that made him want to show their relationship off. Not like Ray, who he’d profess his love for from rooftops or sold-out stadiums. He’s never experienced such pure affection before now.
He tucks the covers over their shoulders. “Mn. You’re welcome,” he replies lazily. “Thanks for wanting to do it with me.”
“Always.” Ray closes his eyes. “Goodnight, Sand.”
“Goodnight.”
***
Nick [7:28am]: uhhhh sand why did i just see you and ray on some queer couples fashion page
Nick [8:03am]: youve officially been reposted into the #couplegoals hashtag 555555
Nick [8:30am]: SAND??
Nick [screenshot]
Nick [9:42am]: WAKE UP YOUR VIDEO WITH RAY HAS 100k likes???
[Missed call: Mae <3]
[Missed call: Nick]
[Missed call: Bangkok Post]