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Kongthap pushed the cart with patience, stopping every time Atom spotted a target. The produce aisle had become Atom’s personal battlefield.
”This broccoli has the florets too far apart, Kong. It means it’s old,” Atom informed him, holding a piece in each hand. “But this other one… this one has a vibrant green. Do you see the difference?”
Kongthap didn’t see any difference. To him, both were tiny green bushes, but what he did see was the passionate spark in his boyfriend’s eyes.
Unable to help himself, Kongthap closed the distance, wrapping one arm around Atom’s waist while the other remained on the cart’s handle.
”You know? All we’re missing is adopting a cat,” he commented. “You already have all the energy of a worried husband.”
Atom tensed instantly. A pink hue crept up to his ears. He dropped the old broccoli back on the shelf and, without thinking, grabbed the first thing within reach in the cart to defend himself.
”Someone has to look after your health, Kongthap!” he exclaimed, gently tapping his boyfriend’s bicep with a bunch of celery they had just picked. “And don’t call me husband in public, you’re making me lose my focus.”
Kongthap let out a loud laugh, drawing a curious glance from a lady picking out apples near them.
”You’re losing your focus?” Kongthap teased, stealing a quick kiss on his cheek before Atom could use the celery again. “I thought you had already accepted the position. Yesterday I heard you complaining that the dish soap doesn’t come with the same amount as before. That is very «husband» of you, Atom.”
Atom buried his face in the bunch of celery, trying to hide his smile and his embarrassment at the same time.
”It’s just that the price went up four bahts and the bottle is smaller, it’s a scam!” Atom grumbled, carefully putting the celery back in the cart. “Now walk, Thap, we have to go to the dairy aisle.”
Kongthap sighed dramatically but pushed the cart with an unerasable smile.
”Yes, Mr. Husband.”
”Kongthap…” Atom murmured, though he was already interlacing his arm with his as they walked toward the refrigerators.
. . ݁ ˖ 🧺 ٬٬ ࣪ ، 🧸 ، ࣪ ⊹ ֶָ
Atom received a message from his boyfriend. On the screen glowed a photo of Kongthap in the sports faculty cafeteria; his hair was a bit sweaty and unruly, and he was holding between his fingers the small note Atom had placed in his fruit container that morning: « Good luck with training, Thap! You’re the best 𖹭 ».
But it wasn’t the photo that took Atom’s breath away, but the text message underneath:
‹ My husband is so sweet. What’s for dinner tonight? Or am I dinner? ›.
Atom dropped the phone as if it were burning and felt the heat rise to the tips of his ears, painting them pink because of his boyfriend’s lack of filter. Most of the time he left him notes, but Kongthap had started expressing himself like this.
Atom picked up the phone again and, with his heart hammering against his ribs, typed at superhuman speed:
‹ KONGTHAP! I’m in class! Don’t say those things! ›.
‹ And I’m not your husband! Not yet! ›.
Almost instantly, the phone vibrated again with Kongthap’s reply:
‹ You said «not yet», I’ll take note of that. See you at home, my husband ›.
Atom dropped his head against the cold table. He knew Kongthap was doing it on purpose, enjoying the mental image of Atom panicking.
”That dummy…” Atom muttered, though he couldn’t help the joyful smile that formed on his face. “I’ll make him wash all the molds I used today.”
. . ݁ ˖ 🧺 ٬٬ ࣪ ، 🧸 ، ࣪ ⊹ ֶָ
The faculty kitchen was usually the place where Atom felt like an artist, but that afternoon it looked more like a disaster zone. He had attempted a Chinese recipe for orange chicken with special spices he read about on a blog, but the final result in the glass container looked nothing like the photo.
When they met at their usual wooden bench, Atom handed the box to Kongthap with trembling hands.
”I made something new… it’s supposed to be sweet and sour.”
Kongthap, always willing to be his official taster, opened the container with enthusiasm. He took a generous piece and began to chew. At the first contact, his eyebrows rose slightly. The texture was… interesting. The chicken was so dry it required extra effort from his jaw, and the orange flavor was strong.
Atom, who didn’t take his eyes off him, saw how Kongthap’s adam’s apple moved up and down with difficulty as he swallowed.
”I’m sorry, Thap…” Atom blurted out guiltily. “You can throw it away if you want.”
Kongthap stopped, took a long swig from his water bottle to clear the way, and then looked at Atom calmly.
”No way,” Kongthap declared, poking another piece with his fork. “A good husband eats his partner’s experiments; besides, it’s not that bad… it tastes like… effort and a lot of orange.”
Atom went from sadness to blushing in less than a second. The term «husband» still caused brain short—circuits for him, especially when Kongthap said it so naturally.
”You’re a dummy!” Atom exclaimed, reaching out his hands to snatch the container away. “Give me that right now, Kongthap. I don’t want you to get indigestion before training; I’ll buy you something decent at the cafeteria, something that doesn’t taste like dry effort.”
But Kongthap was faster. He used his arm to hug the food against his chest, protecting it as if it were a gold trophy, while blocking Atom’s advance with his other arm.
”No, it’s mine. You made it for me,” Kongthap said with a spark of amusement in his eyes, enjoying how Atom tried to climb over him to recover the chicken. “Besides, love is like that, isn’t it? Sweet and sour, like this chicken. A bit difficult sometimes, but it leaves you wanting more.”
”Kongthap! That doesn’t even make sense!” Atom complained, his face flushed as he struggled fruitlessly against his boyfriend. “Let go, you’re going to end up in the infirmary and they’ll say your «husband» tried to poison you.”
Kongthap let out a vibrant laugh, lowering his arm to grab Atom by the waist, seating him back by his side without letting go of his precious haul of questionable food.
”If I die by your cooking, I’ll die happy,” Kongthap joked, giving a quick kiss to the tip of Atom’s red cheek. “Now hush and let me finish my meal. Tomorrow it’s your turn to try my flavorless protein shakes, so we’ll be even.”
Atom also wrapped his arm around Kongthap’s waist, resting his cheek on his shoulder, as his happy smile finally won the battle against his embarrassment. Seeing Kongthap eat that inedible chicken with such devotion was proof that no matter how badly his recipes turned out, he would always have someone willing to eat every last «experiment» just to see him smile.
. . ݁ ˖ 🧺 ٬٬ ࣪ ، 🧸 ، ࣪ ⊹ ֶָ
Kongthap had just finished an intense endurance session and his stomach was growling. Just as he was resigning himself to walking toward the university dining hall, he saw a familiar figure crossing the training field.
It was Atom. He was almost jogging, his backpack on his shoulder and a cloth bag clutched against his chest. The sun made his black hair shine, and as he got closer, Kongthap couldn’t help but let an automatic smile settle on his face.
”Thap! Kongthap!” Atom exclaimed, stopping in front of him, panting slightly. “You… you forgot this on the counter. I knew if I didn’t bring it to you, you’d end up eating just protein bars and air.”
Kongthap took the bag, feeling the heat of the freshly prepared container.
“Thanks, honey. You really saved me; I was about to collapse.”
At that moment, some of Kongthap’s teammates approached, wiping away sweat with towels and watching the scene curiously.
”Well, well… if it isn’t our captain’s personalized delivery service,” one of them teased, giving Kongthap a friendly nudge. “What’s on the menu today? Because what’s waiting for us in the dining hall looks like shoe soles with rice.”
”Some guys have all the luck,” another added, looking at Atom with a mischievous grin. “Hey, Atom, don’t you have a brother who can bring me lunch too? This bachelor food is killing me.”
Atom felt the heat rush to his cheeks at an alarming speed. He began to fiddle with the straps of his backpack, avoiding the athletes’ gazes.
“It’s… it’s not that big a deal. It was just a little sweet and sour pork with rice… I didn’t want Kongthap to go hungry.”
Kongthap, noticing how the nerves were making Atom want to disappear, draped an arm over his shoulders, pulling him to his side.
”Stop bothering him,” Kongthap said calmly, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. “It’s normal for us to look after each other like this. Between husbands, these things are the bare minimum, right?”
The silence lasted half a second before the training field exploded in shouts and whistles.
”HUSBANDS?!” the soccer team captain shouted from the other bench. “Our captain is already giving out the ring and we didn’t even know! So jealous, so jealous!”
”We didn’t know there was a marriage already!”
”My respects, man of the house! That pork smells like a marital blessing!” his teammate commented, making an exaggerated bow to Atom.
Atom closed his eyes tightly, wishing the earth would swallow him right then and there. The pink in his cheeks turned from rose to a bright red.
“Kongthap! Don’t tell them that!” Atom complained, giving him a gentle hit on the arm. “We’re only boyfriends still! Students! Normal people who don’t use marriage terms in public!”
Kongthap laughed, enjoying his boyfriend’s reaction, giving his shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
”Next time I’ll bring you just raw celery for saying those things.”
”I’d eat it anyway, because my husband brought it.”
Atom left the gym almost running, hearing the shouts of «Goodbye, brother—in—law!» and «Take good care of him, the captain is delicate!» «Very sensitive!» in the background, while Kongthap headed toward the dining area with a satisfied smile.
. . ݁ ˖ 🧺 ٬٬ ࣪ ، 🧸 ، ࣪ ⊹ ֶָ
Kongthap had an early lecture from a famous professor, while Atom had the day off due to the workshops being disinfected.
Kongthap was putting on his backpack when Atom appeared. He was wearing one of Kongthap’s oversized t—shirts and in his hands, he held a thermal bag with lunch along with a thermos of coffee he had prepared early.
”Here you go, Thap.” Atom said, holding out the bag and the coffee with a radiant smile.
Kongthap smiled, taking the bag and the coffee, then left a kiss on Atom’s forehead.
“Thanks, my love.”
Atom wrapped his arms around Kongthap’s neck and began a session of soft kisses. First on the left cheek, then on the right, moving down the jawline until reaching the chin.
”Atom, I’m going to be late…” Kongthap murmured, though his body made not the slightest effort to move; he let out a sigh of surrender and tilted his head to make the job easier for his boyfriend.
”One more,” Atom asked, leaving a kiss on the tip of Kongthap’s nose. “This one is so you don’t get tired in class.”
Kongthap let out a little giggle and tried to take a step back, but Atom stood on his tiptoes, holding him by the shoulders of his jacket to plant one more kiss on his forehead and another on the corners of his mouth.
Atom left another kiss on his cheek, then on his chin again, and then between his eyebrows.
”At this rate, I’m going to arrive when the lecture is over and I’ll have to explain to the professor that my husband wouldn’t let me leave the house.”
Atom paused for a second, his cheeks igniting at the word «husband», but he didn’t pull back.
”Okay, this is the last one, I promise.” Atom whispered.
Atom sweetly kissed Kongthap’s lips; his lips moved calmly, savoring the moment.
”If I get marked absent for this lecture because of a late arrival, it’ll be your fault,” Kongthap whispered against his lips, giving him one last kiss.
”Fine, fine,” Atom laughed. “Now go, before I lock the door and force you to stay and watch series with me all day.”
As Kongthap walked out into the hallway, he turned around to see Atom waving him goodbye, looking small and adorable in his clothes.
”Goodbye, husband!” Kongthap shouted from the hallway, loud enough for the neighbor taking out the trash to turn around and look.
”KONGTHAP! SHUT UP!” Atom complained, slamming the door shut, though Kongthap could have sworn he heard a jump of joy from the other side.