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The sun is shining brightly—no, it's glaring at everyone, and maybe a little more intense at wherever Q is. Whether he's sitting on a bench, standing outside the car, sitting inside the car with the door open, walking toward the resort reception area, going back to the car to get some more stuff, sitting at the cottage, dipping his feet in the pool, or even if he's already in the pool.
Q glared back at the sun, as if it had personally offended him. He almost laughed at himself upon realizing what he was doing—trying to provoke it—but it backfired immediately when his eyes started to hurt, his eyesight blurred, and he had to close them for a few minutes to recover.
"Okay, fuck. Damn, I just want to get cool," he murmured before submerging his whole body in the water, but even if he did, he could still feel the glaring sun shining on his back.
He groaned before approaching the pool stairs and walking toward their cottage. The summer heat was irritatingly intense that day, and out of all the days they're free, that day is the day his best friends planned this retreat.
"You're such an idiot, glaring at the sun like that. You big kid." A towel was thrown to him even before he looked at Peem, who insulted the shit out of him. He arrived at the cottage not too far away from the pool—actually, it's just 10 big steps away—but Q is sulking at everything that he managed to reach it with only 5.
He used the towel to dry his hair a little before hanging it on his shoulder. His friends are still dry, for he's the only one who decided to get in as soon as they finished settling everything.
"We're staying overnight, but you really chose to come here at noon. It's so fucking hot," he muttered, sitting beside Chain, who immediately scooted away from him. He threw him a glare, but the latter just laughed at his face.
"You're saying that as if you didn't jump into the pool as soon as we got here," Tan bantered back, standing beside Peem as if they planned to gang up on Q.
Q, like the big kid that he is, rolled his eyes at him and snatched the fresh watermelon from Pun's hand. The latter's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he watched Q munch his newly cut watermelon. Some juice dripped down Q's chin, making his mouth even more dry.
"Q! Cut your own, you're so childish!" Pun stomped his feet, his hands wiggling, expressing his annoyance, but Q just laughed at him, saying that he's the childish one if he wouldn't want to share.
Chain laughed at them both, scooting away even more to escape the chaos as Pun charged at Q, grabbing the watermelon flesh with his bare hands and starting to smear it onto Q's face.
Peem and Tan watched the chaos with wide eyes and nervous laughter as they saw how Q tensed up. This is trouble.
Q is not hot-headed; he's more calm and precise with his actions. He's the most calculated but also the most chaotic and funniest guy in the group, but what do they say about funny guys? Don't get them mad, or else you're dead.
Pun stopped midway as if he had just realized what he did, and not even a minute later, he jumped into the pool to escape a fuming Q. Q chased Pun in the pool, and when he couldn’t outswim him, he stayed by the poolside, making sure that Pun wouldn’t be able to get out without getting beaten up by him.
His three other friends were now eating peacefully at the cottage while watching them, laughing at how silly they both were—acting like kids in the middle of a public area.
The five of them planned this trip as soon as their sembreak started. They’ve been together for a whole month straight, as they didn’t want to be alone for the rest of the break, since their hometowns are far away from the city they’re studying in.
They’ve been friends since high school, and even after entering the same university but with different programs, they chose to stay close. Q and Peem are together in the Fine Arts department, Pun is in the Law program, Chain is studying to be a dentist, and Tan is in Engineering.
“Don’t butt in, Tan. Q is already irritated; you don’t want to get in the middle of it,” Peem calmly warned Tan as he saw him taking his top off and charging toward the pool.
“He’s just hot, he needs to cool down.” That was Tan’s response before he ran toward where Q was and pushed him. He laughed mercilessly as he saw how Q’s face crumpled after recovering from the shock as he landed in the water face-first.
“Tan! The water got in my nose!” Q shouted, his nose red as he tried to swim toward the stairs. The sun wasn’t glaring too much anymore, but he could feel his head heating up as he looked at his friends ganging up on him.
“Come on, Q. This is our cool-off day. Don’t be too hot-headed. Calm do—”
Tan couldn’t finish his sentence as Q ran toward him, and just like that, it was the three of them chasing each other in the pool. All the heat subsided as they managed to make Q laugh when Pun almost drowned after Tan pushed him toward the deeper side, clinging to him even though he was the larger one.
The sun started to set, and the breeze cooled down. Pun and Chain were sleeping in the cottage, occupying the two benches, making the other three cramped in the only one available.
“Chain slept as if he played in the water all day. He didn’t even change into his swimming trunks,” Q stated, looking at his friend peacefully sleeping.
Peem chuckled at him as he tidied the table, while Tan ran to the van to get their drinks for the night. Of course, they’re on an overnight stay at the pool—they need something to drink.
“Cut him some slack. He was studying earlier while we were playing.”
“How could he study? I locked his books in my closet.”
“He has a phone. Don’t you know digital books now?” Peem looked at him, sarcasm painted all over his face, but Q just sighed—a sign of surrender—and waved his hand before standing up. “Where are you going?”
“Walk. To digest food easily. Wanna come?” he asked, already walking away, but Peem just shook his head as if Q were still looking at him.
“Get back here soon. I’ll wake those two up in a few minutes.”
Q walked toward the mini resort garden, continuing up to the hallways of the rooms occupied by people who would be staying for more nights, until he rounded back to the pool area. A lot of cottages were there, but enough to not make it look cramped. The spaces were good for privacy, allowing people to have fun without getting too close to others.
It was a good resort. Tan made a good choice booking it instead of their usual go-to resort near the university. Some people from earlier had already left, as the resort was only now open to overnight stayers. It only had five cottages open, including their own.
Q looked up at the night sky and braced himself when the breeze whirled. As intense as the sun had been earlier, the night breeze felt like a heavenly refrigerator had opened toward the earth.
“I feel like I’ll get sick with this sudden change of temperature, fuck,” Q murmured as he continued walking, glancing in every direction, trying to familiarize with the new surrounding, when suddenly someone stumbled in front of him.
Q wanted to laugh. The area wasn’t even slippery, but some dumb idiot slipped—
“Ouch.”
His thoughts were interrupted as soon as he saw the person look up at him. Pain was visible on his face but cleared as soon as he met Q’s gaze.
An awkward tension filled the air—and something more—but Q, as a good kid that he is, decided to move forward and crouch down in front of the person.
“Are you okay? Here, let me help,” he muttered, holding the person’s arm as he guided him to stand up. His mind went haywire as soon as the guy was standing properly in front of him.
He couldn’t help but stare at how pretty the man’s face was. His eyes were big and doe-like, mirroring how the stars in the sky looked right now—glittering and beautiful. His cheeks were flushed, maybe out of embarrassment, and his lips were slightly parted as he tried to form words to say, but both of them were left blank, caught in the moment.
“Uhm… are you okay?” Q tried again, his eyes purposely avoiding the way the other’s eyes seemed to glimmer. He had just realized he hadn’t been answered, and he could see how the other was only relying on his other foot to stand properly.
“Uh, yes. You can remove your hand now.”
And as if the man were burning, Q immediately took his hand back, not even realizing he had still been holding the other’s arm. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so he simply shut up.
How could he say anything when the man had just smiled at him out of nowhere? Q would give him everything if he started asking for things right now. It’s not his fault he’s that weak for a pretty face.
“Thank you for helping Toey.” And if his pretty face wasn’t enough, he spoke cutely too, referring to himself in the third person in an actual conversation.
“You’re Toey.”
“Ah, yes, Toey is my name. Toey speaks—i mean, I speak weird, don’t I?” Toey, the pretty guy, asked, scratching the nape of his neck, maybe embarrassed, and Q wanted to punch himself in the face because he felt a smile blossoming.
Oh, god, he’s so easy.
“No. It’s okay. You speak cute—I mean, you speak okay. You can speak more if you like; I wouldn’t mind.” Q wanted to shut up, but he ended up rambling nonsense. He had just met the guy, and here he was, sputtering every down bad thought he could think of.
“Oh. Okay. Toey would talk like this more,” Toey muttered, a little louder now, more confident, as if Q’s validation was important. He smiled brightly too, and his dimples popping out made Q’s heart somersault three times, and he was sure his ears were now red from how embarrassed he felt.
Q wanted to hear him talk more, but all they did was look at each other, then look away after a few seconds of locking gazes. They were in the middle of a pool area where a lot of people could witness how awkward and funny this was, but no one could think about that now.
Not even the socially awkward Q, who didn’t like stranger’s attention, because all he could think about was how soft Toey’s cheeks looked, how deep his dimples were, and how they somehow reached his heart. His doe eyes seemed to confess every hidden monologue Toey might have, just like how Q had his own. His small button nose made Q want to boop it or maybe even munch it—whatever came first—and his lips. His lips were red and stretched into a wide smile at him.
But every good thing comes to an end when Toey looked past him.
“Toey!” Q felt like he was splashed with cold water when Toey walked past him, still trying to hide the small limp caused by his stumble earlier. Toey was walking toward a cottage on the right side of the pool, a little across from their own, and Q could already feel his heart yearning.
He wanted to stop the pout that felt like it was forming on his face, but then Toey looked back at him midway, his eyes still glimmering and a smile still plastered on his face.
“Wait for Toey, Toey have something for you.” And like the good boy that Q is, he waited. He didn’t move an inch from where he was because Toey said to wait, so he’d wait.
Oh, he would never hear the end of it if he told his friends.
Not long after, Toey came running back. Q became alert, ready to catch him if he fell—and he even wished he would fall so he could catch him, or whatever crazy, weird thing he was thinking right now. He really thought he needed sleep.
“Here. For—” Toey handed him a drink while looking at him expectantly, waiting for a name, because Q was a dumb idiot who kept staring and forgot to introduce himself.
“I’m Q. You can just call me Q.”
“Okay, Phi Q. This is Toey’s drink. Toey doesn’t know if Phi Q drinks something like this, but this is Toey’s thank you for helping Toey earlier.” Q looked down at the drink—milk tea. He did drink milk tea, but only certain flavors, and he was certain this wasn’t the one Toey was holding. But why the hell would he say that?
“Thank you, Toey. You don’t have to, it’s okay.” He tried to push the drink back, not because he didn’t want it, but because it was Toey’s drink. Toey must have ordered it and wanted to drink it, yet he was giving it away.
“Oh, maybe you don’t like the flavor.” Q internally sighed. How dare he make this pretty guy sad? Before Toey could take it back, he snatched the drink from his hand and held it close to his chest.
“I’ll take this as your thank you. Be careful next time, okay? We wouldn’t want you stumbling around and some other guy catching you—” He stopped himself, not in time, but at least he stopped. He closed his eyes, silently reprimanding himself, but a soft chuckle made him open them again, and he saw the gorgeous sight of Toey giggling.
God, he needs to be a monk for Tan for bringing him to this resort.
“You’re fun, Phi Q. Don’t forget to look at the tissue, okay? Talk to Phi Q later.” That was the last thing Toey said before running back to their cottage, leaving Q alone in the middle of the pool area, short-circuiting and praying that he wasn’t dreaming, or else he’d really crash out.
It took him a moment before he turned around and walked toward their cottage, still clutching the milk tea close to his chest. Then he remembered Toey’s words—look at the tissue.
He separated the tissue from the drink, and it was almost completely wet. It was just a normal tissue for the drink, but then a small scribble caught his eye—and if he hadn’t been stunned before, he certainly was now as he read what was written.
“@toeythinks you could talk with toey here more :)”
Q’s heart stopped beating.
“Q, your turn.” Chain nudged the person sitting beside him, urging him to look at the glass with liquor and melted ice in front of him. It had been hours since they started drinking; the group had already finished few bottles, and the flush on their faces was visible—especially Pun, who literally had the weakest alcohol tolerance ever.
Tan’s brows furrowed as Q smiled at his phone, which hadn’t left his hand even after they had called him out for it a few times already.
“I thought we were here to bond? Why are you so glued to your phone?” Peem asked, already tipsy. He reached out for Q’s hand, but the latter immediately swerved it away, making the others confused by his action.
“Are you talking to someone?”
“None of your business. Where’s my shot?” Q immediately changed the topic when he felt his ears heating up—not from the alcohol, but from sensing that his friends already knew what was up. They saw him talking to Toey earlier, and they only let him go from interrogation when the bottles popped open.
He reached for the glass and drank it bottoms-up. He put his phone on silent as he saw how his friends were now sulking when he started picking it up again. He tried to glance at the other cottage and saw the people there also drinking. He couldn’t see Toey, and his heart yearned for a glance.
“This is boring. We’ve been together for weeks. All the tea has already been spilled. Let’s play,” Tan murmured and swiftly pulled out a classic truth-or-dare card from his pocket, and everyone sighed as they knew Tan was always up for chaos.
“Just the four of us? Pun is literally drunk,” Q pointed out, looking intently at Pun, who was now clinging to Chain’s arm. The latter didn’t mind, but the reddening of his ears didn’t go unnoticed.
Q took a mental note to interrogate their friend when sober.
“The drunker, the better.” The way Tan winked at Q gave him an ick. Tan was way too flirty when tipsy, and Q had already seen that wink and knew what it was for. He even taught him that.
“Fuck off.”
The first round ended up with Peem blurting out that he was already talking to that guy who kept messing with him after they accidentally stumbled into each other.
It was Tan’s friend.
“I knew you’d fall for him! You’re so gay!”
“I said we’re talking. I didn’t say I’m in love. Erase that smile on your face or I’ll drown you.” Peem reached for Tan and almost scratched his face when Q grabbed him to keep him still.
Besides, between the two of them, it’s Peem that their friends are wary of when mad. These two are best friends and share the same attitude—no wonder they can stick with each other all day long.
The next round, Chain was up, and the question that Q was saving for a sober conversation was now brought up by Peem.
“You like him, don’t you?”
Chain tensed up, eyes shaky and lips trembling as he tried to open his mouth, but no words came out. At this point, he didn’t even have to say anything. The way he blinked rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare, was already an answer.
“He’s asleep. He won’t hear you,” Tan encouraged, really wanting an answer, but Chain just grabbed his glass, brimful of liquor, before taking another card and nudging it toward Q.
“Your turn.”
“That’s not how the game works. What the hell? This is rigged?!” Q complained, but Chain widened his eyes at him, clearly wanting Q on his side to save him from voicing his feelings out.
Everyone was tipsy already, and the way they talked to each other clearly showed that they needed to stop and rest—but no one was thinking about that right now, so they just pushed Q to accept the card.
“Fine. Fine.” He rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat before turning the card around.
A dare card.
“Ohhh, you’re the first one to do a dare!” Tan did a little celebratory dance as he saw how red Q was after reading the card. The latter stared at it as if it would change if he tried hard enough, but the words printed on it were slowly sinking in.
He needed to kiss someone.
And he isn’t Q if he didn’t start thinking of a specific someone who hadn’t left his mind all night long. Drinking, teasing with friends, complaining, eating—everything he did, that certain someone was always in his thoughts. Wondering what he was doing and longing to see him again.
The distance between them wasn’t that far, but that’s what made Q fidget in his seat—the fact that Toey was just a few steps away, and he couldn’t even reach him.
“Come on, what does it say?” Peem asked, trying to look at the card, but Q was frozen in his seat, trying so hard to figure out what to say. It was a dare card—of course he had to do it. He couldn’t take any more full-brim shots that Tan made them drink before the game started.
“It says he has to kiss someone,” Chain answered for him. He was sitting beside Q, and with just one glance, he could read the card. Q glared at him and showed him his middle finger—this was the betrayal he got after saving his lousy ass from confessing to their now passed-out friend.
The cottage erupted as they all squeaked upon realizing that one of them had to kiss Q, and no one wanted to be the sacrificial lamb.
“Just do the shot, Q, or you can kiss Peem. Like, no malice—just a friendly kiss, only a peck.” Tan pushed Peem forward, and the other immediately smacked him in the face. Q looked at Peem, and his face crumpled in disgust. Peem was undeniably good-looking and a good friend, but he was his best friend. He wouldn’t kiss his best friend.
“Just do the shot, Q. No one wants to kiss you here. If we were at the university, a lot of people would volunteer—but not here.” Peem pushed the full-brim shot in front of Q, but the latter just looked at it, contemplating what to do.
He looked at Peem again, and it hit him—enough to sober him up a little. Peem’s cheeks weren’t round; they were flushed, but not naturally. His eyes were small, almost like Q’s, his nose tall and prominent, and his lips… his lips were red but thin. He laughed at something Tan said, but there were no dimples popping out of his cheeks.
If Q would choose someone he had to kiss, a face immediately popped into his head. He reached for his phone—maybe he was still drunk, because sober Q would not really do this. His friends complained as he started to do something, and Tan was about to call him out again when Chain raised his hand to gesture for him to stop, as he was seeing what Q was doing.
Q opened his Instagram app and tapped the message button, where a chat box that had kept him busy all night opened. Toey’s last message was an hour ago, exactly timed when Q had put his phone on silent. He glanced up at the cottage across from them and still saw no sign of Toey. He was now contemplating whether to push through or not.
“Just message him.”
And he did.
@maestroq: can i kiss you?
No hi, no hello, just straight to the point—a very Q-coded message that he only realized after sending it. As if his soul had left his body, he paled, his palms sweaty as the typing indicator popped up almost immediately.
He closed his phone and hid his face in his hand, making Chain laugh at his misery.
“You're bold to ask, but you look like a puppy sulking right now.”
The whole cottage was now holding their breath as anticipation rose, and as if they were wary of a mine bomb, a soft ding from Q’s phone jolted everyone.
“Fuck you, guys.” That was the last thing Q said before opening his phone, his heart racing and his mind in chaos, not knowing what to expect from Toey’s response. It was quite bold for a stranger to ask for a kiss, and Q would understand if the reply was the last message he’d receive before getting blocked.
@toeythinks: come to the poolside, then. toey will meet you there.
The response was short and simple—a command that a puppy like Q immediately recognized. He stood up on instinct and walked toward the poolside, exactly where he had stood earlier when he and Toey talked for the first time. Completely ignoring his friends asking what is he doing.
He was holding his phone tightly, as if it gave him emotional support. He could feel his back burning, knowing his nosy friends were watching him. He was now facing Toey’s cottage, and the people there were still minding their own business. Q knew he must look like an idiot standing there waiting, but he believes Toey wouldn’t let himself be an idiot standing there alone.
But still, when Toey showed up, Q forgot how to breathe. Toey was wearing a white shirt and swimming trunks, his damp hair swept back, making his face more visible, and Q felt his knees tremble. All he could think about now was how pretty Toey looked under the moonlight and how gorgeous he was as he walked toward him.
“Hi, Phi Q. Phi Q wanted to see Toey?” Toey asked, his sweet voice ringing in Q’s ears. As if he was being lulled, Q’s eyes fluttered, clearly enamored by how soft Toey spoke.
The breath he had been holding was released as he gulped and tried to form words. He was so bold for asking Toey for a kiss when he couldn’t even formulate proper sentences to talk to him—he was such an idiot to show up here obviously excited and nervous.
He looked at Toey again, memorizing his face. His round doe eyes reflected the moonlight from the pool, his cheeks were flushed—maybe also from drinking—and his lips were slightly wet and still red. His full lips were something Q really wanted to bite.
“Phi Q?”
“A-ahh, yes. Uhm… sorry… I was dared to kiss someone, and all I have are my friends, and I don’t kiss friends. Also, when I had the card, your face literally popped into my mind, and you know, I couldn’t think of anyone that I would love to willingly kiss, even if not for the—” Q stopped his rambling immediately upon registering his own words. Did he just say all of that out loud for Toey to hear?
He looked at the other, and Toey had definitely heard everything he said, as he was now wearing a shy smile on his face. His dimples were deeper than what Q had seen earlier, and his cheeks were more flushed than ever.
“Phi Q would want to kiss Toey,” Toey repeated, as if confirming it, and Q just nodded. He didn’t trust himself to say another word in front of Toey, or he would only make an even bigger mess of himself than he already had.
“If it’s okay with you?” he asked. He needed consent before doing something that might literally make Toey slip out of his reach, even though what he had just rambled earlier could make someone else run away.
He was intense—he knew that—and Toey wasn’t someone he should be intense with. He looked at Toey again, and the sparkle in his eyes ignited something in Q. Toey deserved gentleness and softness. He was someone Q would want to wrap in a blanket and pepper with soft kisses, hold gently, compose and sing a song for, and Q wouldn’t even mind being teased for it if all his art suddenly became Toey-centric after meeting him.
“Toey would not ask Phi Q to come here if not, right Phi Q?” Toey stepped closer, and Q felt himself freeze once again. He could smell the sweet perfume Toey wore, the way it mixed with a hint of liquor—maybe from what Toey had been drinking.
When Toey stopped moving closer, Q almost exhaled the breath he had been holding—until Toey raised his hands and encircled them around Q’s neck. He leaned in slightly, their faces now just inches apart, and Q could clearly smell the liquor on Toey’s breath, mixed with something sweet.
Toey was sweet all over, and Q’s desire to taste him himself grew with each passing second.
“Toey wants to kiss Phi Q, too. Wonders if Phi Q is as sweet as the drink Toey gave Phi Q earlier,” Toey whispered, and something inside Q stirred at the implication that Toey wanted to kiss him as well. Toey wanted a taste of him just as much as he wanted one of Toey.
Q looked at Toey, their eyes locking before Toey glanced down at Q’s lips and then back up to his eyes. The thread of Q’s self-control was thin—one more move, and he would completely let go and just go for it.
“Toey doesn’t have to beg for Phi Q to do it, right?”
Q, driven like a mad man, reached for Toey’s waist and held him steady as their lips met. It started as a soft peck, but then Toey reached up, grabbing a handful of Q’s hair as he parted his lips to welcome him.
Toey was sweet as expected, but also warm—a perfect contrast to the cold night breeze. Their lips moved slowly and carefully, as if they didn’t want to ruin the intimacy they were both enjoying too much. Q pulled Toey closer by the waist until their bodies touched, earning a soft gasp from Toey that Q lovingly swallowed as he deepened the kiss.
Their heads angled naturally, allowing them to kiss more passionately. Q tasted the hint of liquor on Toey’s tongue, and if he wasn’t already drunk, he felt even more intoxicated now. Toey lightly bit his lip, making Q groan as his whole body reacted. A desire he had been pushing away slowly crept into his mind, but Toey licking his lips afterward kept him grounded.
The two of them kissed for much longer than the dare required. They could have just shared a peck and be done with it, but the universe gave Q an inch, and he took a mile—and Toey met him halfway. The kiss broke only when they both knew they needed air to breathe, or they might have stayed lip-locked forever. At their current state, though, they would have died happily if that had been the case.
They didn’t even hear how both of their friend groups cheered loudly as they kissed, with everyone teasing them to stop when the kiss lasted longer than expected.
Q looked at Toey, and the familiar glimmering eyes welcomed him, staring back at him as if Q were the one who hung the stars in the sky for him to see. Toey’s face was flushed again, and his dimples were present in their exchange of glances, and right there and then, Q felt his heart thundering in a way he hadn’t felt in years.
“Phi Q kissed Toey so good, Toey already misses it,” Toey muttered, his voice shy and weak as he was still catching his breath from the sudden lip exercise they had just gone through. Q, being a puppy again—but only for Toey—leaned in and gave him a loud peck, causing the other to giggle.
The sound registered in Q’s ears and immediately got filed in the catalogue in his head labeled: sounds to die for.
Before Q could even say a word, a laughing Tan called him out.
“Q! The dare is done, come back here, you little lovesick puppy!”
Q glanced back at his friend and showed him his middle finger, all while still holding Toey closer, not wanting to let him go. But Toey’s friends were also calling for him.
“Toey, we’re still here, you know?”
Toey looked at them and flashed a cheeky smile, signaling that he would stay a little longer.
They both looked at each other again and laughed softly, both aware that being this close was what they preferred over drinking—but they had friends waiting to interrogate them.
Q gently released Toey’s waist, making sure he wouldn’t stumble as their bodies slowly parted. Toey’s hand lingered on Q’s shoulder, still reluctant to let go, but they both knew they had to keep some distance—or their lips might meet again without warning.
“Well… our friends have another topic, I guess?” Q started.
Toey giggled again, and the sound made Q’s eyes flutter, like he had just heard something angelic.
“Oh, Toey’s friends know about Phi Q. Toey told them about Phi Q earlier, and they’ve been teasing Toey about it.”
Q chuckled, both embarrassed and fond at how openly Toey had been talking about him. It hit him then—Toey had been just as intentional, just as intense in his own quiet way.
Q’s heart softened even more.
“That’s good to hear. Phi Q will talk about Toey more with his friends then.”
“Phi Q’s copying Toey.”
Q nodded, and Toey’s smile widened even more—if that was even physically possible—his expression glowing brighter than it had since they met.
The night grew deeper, the moon at its peak, but neither of them seemed ready to let go. Still, they knew they had to return.
Q felt it then—this pool trip wouldn’t be their only interaction after all.
“Phi Q said that Phi Q doesn’t kiss his friends, right?”
Q nodded, suddenly remembering his own words from earlier, now feeling a bit shy about them.
“Then Toey is not going to be Phi Q’s friend, right?” Toey lowered his head slightly, then looked back up at him, the sight enough to make Q’s heart flip again.
Of course Q didn’t want Toey to be just a friend.
“Don’t you want to be my friend?”
“Toey doesn’t want Phi Q to be just a friend.”
Q smiled at the implication, and Toey smiled back, receiving that unspoken agreement through Q’s expression.
“You’re already not just a friend, Toey.”
end.