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After that first night, Jamie and Marvis had met up a good number of times. At first, it was to keep up the whole fake boyfriend pretense, even if Earn had stopped trying after a few futile attempts and now didn’t even look at them anymore
But since the great majority of those encounters ended up with them in bed once again, both boys made a deal, a friends with benefits deal.
And for some time it worked. It was simple: whenever one of them needed a good night, he would call and the other would answer. No strings attached, just like Jamie had asked and Marvis had agreed.
But with time things started to change. Jamie would go watch Marvis singing any time he could, so Marvis started waiting for him any time he had a performance. Once the performance was over, they would sit together -sometimes with Marvis’ friends, but more often than not they wouldn’t show, knowing Jamie was going to steal all of Marvis’ attention anyways- and lose track of time chatting, so invested in the other that talking would be all they did some nights
They started calling each other for other things as well: to get coffee together after Jamie had a long class, or to help on a project Marvis couldn’t finish by himself before the deadline, or to study together. It got increasingly harder to blame it on the “fake relationship” excuse, but Marvis didn’t comment on it so Jamie never said anything
Their texts also changed. They went from where and when to meet to random updates about their day, complaints about college life, comments of something that reminded them of the other or anything they felt like sharing. And they texted constantly. So constantly, Jamie’s friends noticed
“Oi Jettana, are you listening?” Jamie was brought back to reality by Duang, shaking him by the shoulders as if to make Jamie look at him “Yeah yeah” he wasn’t listening, but he was fairly sure Duang was talking about his latest “advance” with Qin (probably his crush replying to his messages with the coldest tone Jamie heard anyone use). He no longer remember a time the boy was capable of talking about something other than Qin
He heard Pae laugh beside him “Of course he wasn’t. He’s been glued to his phone the whole week” He tried to catch a glimpse of Jamie’s phone over his shoulder, where Marvis’ chat was still opened “Who are you talking to?”
“No one” He realized he answered way too fast as soon as the words left his mouth and he saw the self-satisfied smiles on his friends’ faces
"Oho, what happened to warrior Jamie? Found a princess?” On second thought, he loved when Duang was focused on Qin, it kept him from getting on Jamie’s nerves
He was surprised when all the answer his mind provided to Duang’s question was he’s a prince
Thankfully he managed to keep his mouth shut, ignoring his friends and making his way to their last class of the day, Duang and Pae trailing behind him, asking him more teasing questions he couldn’t be bothered to answer
~♥~
Jamie found himself alone at the bar one night some days later. He needed to get rid of all these confusing feelings about Marvis. Feelings he hadn’t realized he had been harboring until the truth looked him right in the eyes after that conversation with his friends.
He started thinking about their time together. He thought the nights would be what he would look back to the most but he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the way Marvis’ eyes turn into moons every time he laughs, the way they widen when he tries some drink Jamie insisted he would like, the form of his mouth when he says Jamie’s name, he couldn’t stop thinking about Marvis snuggling up to him in the -increasingly frequent- nights Jamie stayed
He couldn’t stop thinking about Marvis
“Figured you’d be here” Jamie turned his head so fast he almost got whiplash from the movement and was surprised to find Pae leaning onto the counter next to him. He was more surprised to notice that Duang was nowhere in sight
He made his best to school his expression so his faced showed no sign of his astonishment -and, more importantly, of his earlier thoughts- and took a deliberate sip from his glass before addressing the boy
“Where’s Duang?” Pae turned around to take the glass the bartender slid in front of him and resumed his position beside Jamie “He texted something about staying over at Qin’s. God knows what he’s putting the poor boy through”
“Why aren’t you with Marvis?”
“... What?”
Pae shrugged, sounding a lot more innocent than he looked when he said “Well, the last couple of times I saw you here you were with him”
It was true: Pae had caught Jamie more than once waiting for Marvis to finish a performance or simply sharing a table and a couple of drinks with the older. He didn’t think Pae had bought their insistence of the encounter being for the sake of their fake relationship status
Seeing as Jamie had lost himself in his head again, Pae decided he might as well just ask him directly “How long have you been meeting up?”
Jamie didn’t even try to keep up the act. He took a deep breath and admitted “Since the first time I watched him perform” Pae raised an eyebrow, mouthing a small “wow”, amusement clear in his face, which Jamie pointedly ignored
“How’d you know?” Pae observed him for a moment before casting his eyes away and replying “I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think he isn’t looking… Or even when he is”
Jamie couldn’t help but get a little defensive at that “You've seen us together maybe like three times” Pae fixed him with a deadpan look “Exactly, and even so I could tell”
They stayed silent for a few moments after that, Pae letting what he said sink in and Jettana trying to process the fact that he was apparently very obviously smitten for his fake boyfriend turned bed buddy
He wondered then if his friend had understood exactly what was going on with them, but he got his answer when Pae announced “Also, I saw him coming out of your apartment at like 3am once, so that was pretty telling” Suddenly, Jamie couldn’t look the other boy in the eyes
What was wrong with him? He was never shy about his hook ups, no matter who it was. Marvis was affecting him a lot more more than anyone ever had, a lot more than he was willing to admit just yet
Then what Pae had just said registered, and he couldn’t help but ask “What were you doing in my apartment building at 3am?” Pae hesitated for half a second before giving a simple “Drinking with some friends” Jamie could swear he saw his cheeks darken just a touch but with the bar lights he couldn’t really tell. He’d question his friend about it some other time, when he wasn’t having an existential crisis
“You like him” It wasn’t a question. Even when Jamie tried to deny it, all Pae said was “I haven’t seen you with anyone else since you met him” He opened his mouth to reply, to counter, but found he had nothing to say
He had been with other people. After their first night together he hooked up with a couple of people, but he was still counting the days until he could see Marvis again. He thought he just had to get him out of his system, but they had quickly agreed on the friends with benefits deal and he hadn’t looked back
He realized now he didn’t want to look back. He hadn’t thought about anyone else, not for months now
His friend only looked at him, like he was aware of the storm happening inside Jamie’s mind and all he offered was “Well, if you like him so much maybe you should do something about it” before he went to find them a table
~♥~
Jamie tried to avoid the feelings any time he was with Marvis, but every attempt proved futile. They invaded him when he so much as thought of the older boy
So he settled for the next best thing: he tried to ignore them whenever he was with him -turning them over incessantly in his mind when he wasn’t- and attempted to pretend like everything was normal, like he wasn’t potentially falling for the last person he was supposed to fall for
And the fact that Marvis had been asking him to meet up more often than usual was not helping him much. Even if some meetings did end up the way they usually did, they would usually involve some rather date-like settings, things they may have done before but seemed so much more domestic now that Jamie was trying desperately not to admit his newfound feelings
This time, they were going running together
Jamie didn’t really know how it happened but sometime last week Marvis complained he had no one to work out with and Jamie had instinctively said he’d go with him. It was after Marvis agreed and started excitedly talking about his latest time and distance record that Jamie remembered the boy’s preferred training was running, something Jettana wasn’t very accustomed to
But he was in too deep. He had said he’d go and, honestly, he didn’t want to waste an opportunity to spend time with Marvis, even if he would have a bit of a hard time catching up, even if his dignity would suffer a bit
~♥~
It turned out he didn’t have to worry about the workout. What he did have to worry about losing his dignity over was Marvis dressed with his signature shorts -shorter than usual-, wearing a white sports cup over his soft, unstyled hair
He didn’t have any makeup on, which was predictable, but Jamie wasn’t very used to it and Marvis looked so soft, all round edges and flushed cheeks, greeting him with the cutest shy smile directed at Jamie
He greeted him back, trying a little too hard to sound casual. The other boy looked so adorable Jamie had to avert his eyes for a moment to avoid saying something stupid, like telling him how pretty he was
It was a mistake. When he turned his gaze back to Marvis, he was applying lip balm -slower and more sensually that was strictly necessary-, asking Jamie if he wanted a taste once he was done
He wanted to answer, he really did, but Marvis looked so unbelievably adorable with the white cap on and he was looking up at Jamie with the brightest smile as if he wasn’t going to torture him with god knows how long of a run and-
And he was leaning closer, or maybe Jamie was leaning closer and didn’t realize it, so close he could almost kiss him. He had never wanted to kiss him so badly
Just a few centimeters and he would be able to taste those lips again, just one step and-
And his foot slipped in the stone and he was looking at the floor instead of Marvis, the boy catching him by the arm before he could faceplant and make an absolute fool of himself
He looked back when he regained his balance, dreading to see whatever expression Marvis had on his face but the boy was doubled over, pulling Jamie closer by the arm, laughing openly at him
Marvis made sure Jettana regained his balance properly and wasn't in any immediate danger of falling before he stood on his tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on the younger’s lips “There”
Jamie could only stare, eyes wide, frozen in place, as if even after everything they had done in all their meeting that small kiss had broken him. Maybe it had
His brain was screaming at him to say something, to do something that didn’t indicate he was hopelessly smitten for the boy, but he could only follow as Marvis tugged him along, still smiling that devastating smile, cheeks flushed a deeper red than before
~♥~
They ran for an ungodly amount of time, Marvis leading them to sit on the side of the path when he realized the other was tired
“Are you okay?” The younger tried not to look like he was having a hard time regulating his breath, although the way he practically flopped onto the sidewalk might have given him away. He decided to change the subject to something a little less embarrassing, even if the way he hesitated and looked anywhere but at the older was almost as awkward "Do you wanna have dinner together?”
Marvis, in turn, didn’t hesitate to answer “Sure, but you pick the place”
Jamie chose a small restaurant, more cozy than the bars they were used to, far enough from campus he knew there wouldn’t be any uncomfortable encounters -he still didn’t trust Earn not to come back, but he was also a bit skeptical of Duang and specially Pae seeing him simp over Marvis after their conversation
They were waiting for their meal, making small talk about Jamie’s oncoming exams and Marvis’ final project -he had asked Jamie to be one of his models and Jettana had, predictably, accepted- when a boy who had been dining a few tables away from them approached theirs
He barely spared a glance at Jamie and looked directly at Marvis “Excuse me” The older had the decency to hide his bewilderment, but Jamie knew him enough to notice he was as taken aback as him as he addressed the stranger “Yes?”
“May I have your Instagram?”
Jamie, on the other hand, did nothing to hide his disapproval. Who did this guy think he was? To stroll over to Marvis while he was having dinner with him and hit on him out of nowhere
He cleared his throat, loudly, and looked at the guy up and down. That earned him an annoyed look and a direct “Are you guys a couple?”
Before Jamie could voice the couple of harsh comments on the tip of his tongue, he felt Marvis take his hand on top of the table -as if to calm him down- and speak for himself “No, we are not”
Jamie wanted to argue but what would he say? They weren’t together, he had no claim on Marvis or his love life and he never would if he didn’t grow a pair and make a proper move on him
“... but I won’t give you my Instagram”
The guy seemed like he wanted to insist but he took a look at their hands and left with nothing but a mumbled “Alright”
Their evening carried on, but Jamie was a lot less talkative and the atmosphere between them a bit more awkward
Only when they were outside Jamie dared to talk about it “Good thing you didn’t give that guy your Instagram. Judging from his looks, he’s definitely a player” Marvis looked at him, his eyes mixing amusement and something else Jettana couldn’t put his finger on. He looked almost hesitant, which was very unlike him
“Possessive much?” Jamie was quick to deny it “I’m not! It’s not like I can be, right?” He tried to play it off but he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, wishing he could erase the troubled look on Marvis’ face
He had stopped making eye contact, dropping his hand from where it was holding Jamie’s arm as they walked “Right” The look was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, but Jamie could tell it was an effort for the boy to hold his smile “I should go, I- I have and early class tomorrow, so…”
He started to walk away from Jamie, he could not have that. Not now, not ever. He was tired of not admitting his feelings to Marvis “Marvis, wait”
“I just didn’t like him. I was being protective” That was not what he meant to say at all. And it only made the frown on the older’s face deepen.
"Oh my god, I'm terrible at this" Marvis turned towards him again, one step closer "What do you mean?" Jamie stilled himself for a second, and admitted "I don't know how to act with someone I actually want to date"
“What?” It was small, almost whispered, but Jamie heard him. He scanned the older’s expression: shock, confusion, still a little bit of hurt in his eyes, but they seemed hopeful as well. He didn’t think about it anymore, he just said it
“I like you, Marvis”
“Are you serious?” The boy's eyes widened further but he took another step closer. Jamie closed the rest of the space between them, standing right in front of him, taking his hand from where Marvis was fidgeting with them, slow enough to give him the time to retreat if he wanted to. He didn't
“I like you. I have for god knows how long now. I want to date you, to be allowed to be possessive over you… If you’d let me”
Marvis was definitely more hopeful now, holding his hand back and breaking into a small, careful smile “You better not be joking”
That gave Jamie all the confidence he needed "Let me take you out on a date. I’ll show you I’m serious" The smile widened, turning from cautious to playful "I am so confused, what have we been doing?"
Jamie let a small laugh escape him, the tension finally easing from his shoulders "I know, it’s just… I want to take you out on a proper date. Where we both know and admit what it is. Can I?"
Marvis was fully smiling now, it brightened up his face and Jamie’s existence "You better sweep me off my feet"
~♥~
The following Friday, Jamie was standing in front of Marvis’ door, a small bouquet of roses held securely in his hands. He was wearing a blue and white button-down, with some embroidered patches here and there. He tried to tone down the way he was used to dress for the bar, so he only undid one button and paired it with simple jeans
As soon as the door opened, his breath caught
Marvis had also ditched his usual shorts and opted for jeans, paired with a fluffy blue and green striped sweater, a delicate necklace resting at the base of his throat. The sweater was skin tight, so it accentuated his curves but still gave him a softer look than usual. He looked gorgeous
Once Jamie was able to regain the ability to think -at least partly-, he was quick to let Marvis know his thoughts “You look beautiful” The other boy smiled and, even though Jettana could see the slight flush that now colored his cheeks pink replied “Thanks, you look very handsome yourself"
Jamie looked down at that and suddenly realized he was still holding the flowers, he handed them over “I uh… I brought you these” He mentally cursed himself, that was not the smooth start he wanted for the evening
Marvis didn’t seem bothered, he thanked him for the flowers and placed them carefully in a vase before he closed the door behind himself “So, where are you taking me?”
Based on what Marvis had told him before, he had never been taken on a real date (not counting all the unofficial ones they had before Jamie had confessed). He couldn’t decide what to do and he was so nervous about it going well he could barely think, so he had to -very embarrassingly- ask Duang and Qin for advice to plan their first official one. After a very embarrassing talk with the couple he took Qin’s advice and settled for something rather typical but fun
“How do you feel about a movie?”
~♥~
Jamie took him to a movie theatre that was doing a rerun of one of his favorite romcoms -Marvis was touched the younger had remembered his comments about it from all those months ago- before taking him to a restaurant way fancier than the one they had gone to the last time but just as cozy
The pair was still fairly new to restaurants, they had rarely eaten out before -except at the bar or one of the cafes they frequented- so the experience wasn’t really common for them, making it that much more special
Marvis could see how hard Jamie was trying: giving him flowers, opening the doors for him, and taking him to new places. He could also see how different he was, unafraid of being himself around him, which basically meant leaving behind the nonchalant act and showering Marvis with affection: complimenting him any chance he got, looking at him fondly and freely, and planning the date so they would be doing things they had done before but now with very clear intent
It made him nervous, he didn’t know how to reciprocate -he had never been good with words- and was still scared Jamie would grow tired of him eventually. But it had been months since their fake relationship had started and Jamie seemed to grow closer to him rather than farther. Marvis wasn’t the only one who had never had a serious relationship before, he wanted to let Jamie know how much this meant to him as well
It wasn’t until they finished dinner and Jamie was walking Marvis to his door, hands intertwined between them, not ready for their first date to end, that the latter finally said something about it
"I really like this side of you" Jamie looked at him with wide eyes, clearly not expecting that to be what Marvis told him at the end of their evening "What?"
It was obvious how nervous he was (even if he was trying to hide it), how doubt laced the surprise in his eyes, as if one small movement would make Marvis take it all back and leave him. As if Marvis wasn’t just as smitten with Jettana as he was with him
"I like you being sweet and carefree… It feels so much more real than the hooking up persona you had going on"
Jamie’s cheeks darkened at that, but he didn’t say anything, giving Marvis the same starstruck look he had been giving him the whole night. It gave the older the courage he needed. He tugged their hands to make Jamie face him once they made it to his door
“I like you too, in case it wasn’t already obvious”
It wasn’t the most romantic thing he could’ve said but judging from the smile Jamie broke into -as though is had in fact not been obvious to him- he could work on it with time
~♥~
It took them a few more dates but soon they found themselves back in the bar where they first met, Jamie proudly introducing Marvis as his boyfriend to his friends -and Qin’s- for real this time
They were all laughing at Duang teasing Jamie about leaving behind his former warrior title and joining the lover boys club when Pae commented “Isn’t it crazy that all three of us managed to get boyfriends in the span of like a year?”
Duang and Jamie chuckled at the realization “Yeah… Wait, WHAT?”
~Fin ♥~