#2gether fic

Tine’s day has been one of the roughest ones he remembers having in a while, feelings of inadequacy and failure he hasn’t felt in a long time rushing back to the front of his mind throughout the entire afternoon. However, coming back home to Sarawat has always made all of those feelings go away, and today is no exception. 

Sarawat drops the wooden spoon he was using to stir the soup on the counter, and puts one of his hands above Tine’s where it’s still resting on his stomach. 

“Hi,” Tine finally answers quietly, and he feels more than hears Sarawat chuckle against his chest. 

“Hi Tua Woon Wai,” his boyfriend repeats softly. 

Tine turns his head a little from where it’s resting against Sarawat’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to the side of his boyfriend’s neck and nuzzling the skin there, before pulling back from his hiding place so he can talk. 

“You’re cooking Tom Yum Goong,” Tine whispers in wonder against Sarawat’s neck, fondness for his boyfriend warming his entire body. 

“Yeah, I thought you could use the comfort tonight. You sounded kind of rough on the phone earlier,” Sarawat replies, and although he doesn’t ask outright, Tine hears the question in the words anyway, an invitation to talk about the day’s event should Tine choose to do so. 

He presses another kiss to the side of Sarawat’s neck when he hears the worry still clouding his voice, but keeps silent about his day for now. 

This is so much like Sarawat. 

They’d spoken on the phone earlier and although Tine hadn’t been able to tell Sarawat about what had happened, too many ears still around in the office to hear their talk, Sarawat had obviously read his boyfriend’s tone enough to know today hadn’t been good and had taken it upon himself to cook Tine’s favorite dish to comfort him. 

Five years into this relationship, Tine can’t really say he’s surprised by his boyfriend’s constant gestures of love and support, but he’s still as touched by them as he was when they were in their first year of university. 

When Tine remains silent, Sarawat pulls away slightly, just enough to turn around in Tine’s arms and face him. He cradles Tine’s face between both of his hands, as his eyes move around his boyfriend’s face, studying him and trying to read his emotions. 

Tine smiles softly at the concern he can read in his boyfriend’s eyes, his own eyes crinkling slightly at each side with the gesture. 

“I’m okay now,” he reassures Sarawat gently, and he’s relieved to find out that it’s the truth. 

Today had been awful, with him finding out that one of his clients had withheld important information from him which could compromise her custody trial and might mean her child has to go back to the care of her abusive ex-husband.

It had been a mess, but as soon as Tine stepped foot into their apartment and saw Sarawat, the disappointment, bitterness and worry that had been weighing on his stomach all afternoon took a back seat, replaced by the love and fondness he feels for his partner. 

There truly is nothing better than coming home to this man every day. 

After a minute of studying him silently, Sarawat finally nods in acceptance of his words, before he uses the hands he still has cradling Tine’s face to pull him into a soft kiss, their lips pressing together gently, before pulling back to rest their foreheads together, prompting Tine to melt completely. 

After a couple minutes of silent comfort, Sarawat pulls away and removes his hands from his boyfriend’s face, and Tine is surprised when he feels a rugged texture travel down his cheek. He catches Sarawat’s hand in his, and frowns when he sees the paper towel wrapped around one of Sarawat’s fingers, faint traces of red splattered on it. 

Sarawat looks down at his hand, before shrugging noncommittal. 

“I cut myself while chopping up the shallots earlier. But it’s okay, it’s stopped bleeding a while ago,” he explains. 

Tine frowns deeper and uncovers the wound from the paper towel, seeing a tiny but deep red gash on the edge of Sarawat’s index finger, but noticing that it has indeed stopped bleeding. 

“We need to clean the wound and cover it up. It could get infected if spices get into the cut,” Tine says, squeezing the finger gently. 

He pulls Sarawat’s finger to his mouth and presses a soft kiss to it, then to the palm of his hand, before he moves away and makes his way to the bathroom, retrieving the small first aid kit they keep there. 

A few seconds later, Tine walks back into the kitchen carrying disinfectant and a plaster, and he sees Sarawat leaning against the counter and looking at him fondly. 

“It’s not that big of a deal Tua Woon Wai. It’s a tiny cut,” his boyfriend says with a teasing smile. 

“I know, but we shouldn’t risk it,” Tine answers, prepping the plaster and a cotton swab with disinfectant as he speaks. “I want you around for a long time.”

Sarawat lets out a laugh of disbelief at the words, before dropping his head to push his forehead against Tine’s shoulder, causing the other man to smile. 

Sarawat may have been the king of uttering the cheesiest lines when they were still in university, but Tine learned quickly that he could also fluster his boyfriend with a few timely chosen lines, and he loves using the knowledge to elicit the blushing on Sarawat’s cheeks when the man least expects it sometimes. 

After cleaning up Sarawat’s wound, Tine pulls a plaster around his boyfriend’s fingers, straightening it gently and effectively covering the cut up. At the gesture, a memory of them in a similar position while they were still in university and before they even got together comes rushing back to the front of his mind, taking his breath away. 

“Wat… Marry me,” he says suddenly, looking up towards Sarawat, only to see his boyfriend whip in his direction, shock written all over his face. 

“What did you say ?” he asks, voice wavering on the last word, and Tine straightens back up to look him straight in the eyes. 

“I said marry me. We should get married. I know we haven’t spoken about this in awhile, but it’s just… You cooked Tom Yum Goong,” Tine explains, and as much as he didn’t expect to pop the question tonight, Tine has never been more sure of anything in his life either. 

Sarawat is still looking at him in shock. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, no sound coming out, before swallowing nervously. 

“You want to marry me because I cooked Tom Yum Goong ?” he asks, clearly not following Tine’s train of thought. “But it’s not even that complicated of a dish.”

“Yes,” Tine replies, laughing at Sarawat’s comment and at the confusion that is still easily read on his boyfriend’s face. “I mean no. That’s not the reason, it’s just…”

Sarawat studies his face but keeps silent, clearly giving Tine a chance to organize his thoughts and waiting for the explanation for this sudden proposal. 

Tine reaches forward to take Sarawat’s second hand in his, cradling both of them between his own hands, as if holding the most precious treasure, before he takes a deep breath and stares at Sarawat, wanting his boyfriend to see through his eyes how much he means the words he’s about to say.

“It’s because you knew today was a difficult day for me, and you cooked Tom Yum Goong. It’s because I came home, and the sight of your shoes alone was enough to make my worries dissipate. It’s because as soon as my day got worse today, I wanted to talk to you and see you because I knew you would make me feel better, and because I want to be able to do the same thing for you, forever,” Tine says, emotion making his voice crack. He sees Sarawat is studying him in wonder, and the sight gives him the courage to continue. “It’s because whenever anything happens to me, good or bad, you’re the one I want by my side and the one I was to share it with. And I just… I don’t see that changing. Ever. I want what we have today, and what we’ve had for more than 5 years now, for the rest of our lives, and I know that won’t ever change. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, bandaging your fingers, playing music and being happy.”

Tine reaches the end of his improvised speech, and he sees small tears prickling in Sarawat’s eyes. 

For all that Sarawat can sometimes wear his heart on his sleeve, Tine can count on one hand the amount of times he’s seen him cry, and he doesn’t know if this is a good or a bad sign. 

“I’m doing this all wrong aren’t I ? I don’t even have a ring,” Tine says self-deprecatingly.  “But… Sarawat Guntithanon. I love you, and you are my heart. So will you marry me ? Please ?”

Sarawat stays silent for a few seconds, and although Tine doesn’t think he’ll outright deny him coldly, the love Sarawat feels for him too evident in everything the man does for Tine to still doubt it today, he still feels his stomach clench in his belly with nervousness. 

Before he has the time to let it consume him though, Sarawat suddenly throws both arms around Tine’s neck, and hugs him tightly to his body. 

At the gesture, Tine laughs in relief, tears clouding his own eyes, before hiding his face in the crook of Sarawat’s neck and pressing a kiss there. 

“So is that a yes ?” he asks, and Sarawat pulls back to look him in the eyes, before cradling his face with both of his hands and pulling him forward to kiss him, pressing 4, 5, short consecutive pecks to his lips. 

“It’s a yes. Of course it’s a yes ! It’s always a yes to you Tine,” he finally says, and although Tine can see the small tears still pooling in his boyfriend’s eyes, Sarawat is also wearing a blinding smile and Tine drinks in the sight of his boyfriend’s… no, his fiance’s happiness. 

He pulls Tine towards him to kiss him once again, but the kiss turns messy quickly with both boys smiling too much to be able to press their lips together properly. 

After a minute of giggling and kissing, they pull away from each other and Sarawat shakes his head in disbelief, laughing softly. 

“I can’t believe I’ve been planning on asking you to marry me since we were 19, and you still managed to propose before I did,” he laughs. “And I can’t believe you proposed while bandaging a cut, of all things.”

At those words, Tine starts laughing and looks at Sarawat, raising both of his eyebrows in judgement. 

“Oh, isn’t that how a proposal is done ?” he asks teasingly, and Sarawat looks confused for a couple seconds, before a huge smile starts overtaking his face and understanding hits him, likely remembering the same scene Tine had thought of earlier. 

Them sitting in Sarawat’s old bedroom, and Sarawat bandaging each of Tine’s fingers delicately, before asking the boy he wasn’t even dating yet to marry him. Twice. 

“Sometimes,” Sarawat finally answers, laughter evident in his voice. “Only the best propose this way though.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Tine teases him. “And we are the best after all… husband-to-be.”

Sarawat’s breath catches in his throat at the words, before a brilliant smile illuminates his face. 

“I love you,” his fiance whispers, dropping his forehead to rest against Tine’s. 

“And I love you. I can’t wait to spend forever with you, Sarawat Guntithanon.”

Sarawat smiles once again, pushing forward to press another kiss to Tine’s mouth only to be stopped by one of Tine’s hands landing on his chest. 

“If you manage to burn the Tom Yum Goong though, I’m taking the proposal back.”

At the words, Sarawat’s eyes grow infinitely bigger in shock, before he whips around towards the counter to check on the dish that is still cooking on the stove, making sure that nothing has burnt while they were talking and making one of the biggest decisions of their lives. 

Laughing at the sight, Tine leans forward again to hug Sarawat from behind, his arms once again making their way around his boyfriend’s waist, before he bends forward to press a kiss to the back of Sarawat’s neck. 

“I love you,” he whispers against his fiance’s skin, and although he isn’t sure Sarawat heard him, he knows he got the sentiment loud and clear when Sarawat moves one of his hands against Tine’s own hand where it’s still resting against his stomach, weaving their fingers together and squeezing gently. 

Today has really been awful, and Tine knows that tomorrow will be taxing. But if occasional days like those are the price to pay to allow him to come home to Tom Yum Goong and Sarawat all the time, then he knows he’s still one of the luckiest people on earth. 

“Nope. It’s for you.” Ohm muttered shyly. “Today marks a month of us being together.”

“Ohm, you are ridiculously sappy.” Fong accused with a grin on his lips. “I love it.”

“Open it.” Ohm urged, eyeing the present anxiously.

Fong obeyed Ohm’s order and gingerly unwrapped the package, being sure not to rip the wrapping paper. Ohm bit his lip in anticipation as Fong opened up the box that held the necklace that he had purchased for Fong. It was a simple silver chain with a dangling bar that read ‘F+O’ on the side that would face Fong’s heart.

Upon reading the inscription, Fong whispered, “I love it, Ohm. Thank you so much. Can you help me put it on?”

Fong turned and Ohm helped to put the chain around Fong’s neck. Fong tucked it under his t-shirt and turned back to face Ohm. “I feel guilty that I didn’t get you anything.”

“Knowing you are wearing that is the perfect gift.” Ohm hummed with satisfaction. He was about to lean down to kiss Fong when someone came barging into the room.

“What are you two doing in here?” Phuak slurred as he stumbled into the room.

Though it was not as if they were being caught in the act, both Ohm and Fong froze as Phuak approached them and threw his arms around both of their shoulders. He was completely drunk and Phuak was not exactly perceptive on a good day so it didn’t seem like he had any sense that something was going on between Ohm and Fong.

“We were just, uh, reminiscing.” Fong responded lamely and Phuak seemed satisfied with the answer.

He nodded before pressing a sloppy kiss to both Ohm and Fong’s cheeks. “I love you guys. I’m going to miss you so much… are you guys going to be okay without me?”

“We love you too, man.” Ohm reached behind Phuak and squeezed Fong’s wrist with a fond look in his eyes. “As much as I think we’re going to miss you, I think we’re going to be just fine.”

2.

The whole gang was at a CtrlS concert when Sarawat winked at Tine from the stage. Everyone was dancing and having a great time and Tine waved back at his boyfriend. Fong saw this and felt a bit jealous about the fact that Sarawat and Tine could be so open about their affection while he and Ohm were still choosing to keep their relationship under wraps fro the time being. They wanted to see where things would go but Fong could not wait to be able to hold Ohm’s hand in public without worrying about his friends noticing.

Ohm looked at Fong and could tell that Fong was deeply thinking through something as Fong’s brow was furrowed in thought. Tine, Man and Boss were in the throws of an epic dance party so he felt emboldened enough to reach over and squeeze Fong’s hand with his own. It was over before it even started but the look of relief from Fong was well worth the risk.

“You know that I am ready to tell everyone whenever you are.” Ohm shared and Fong nodded appreciatively.

“Tell everyone what?”

Ohm and Fong prickled when they heard the question come from behind them. Green had posed the question and Dim was standing there with an arched brow as well. Ohm and Fong exchanged a look before Fong blurted, “Uh, tell them how ridiculous they look dancing like that!”

Green narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious but Dim shrugged it off, convinced. Dim wandered off to join the dance circle and Green followed behind shortly but not before giving them another suspicious look before joining the rest of the group.

As soon as they were left alone, Ohm gave Fong an apologetic look and Fong gave him an understanding look. They were going to have to decide sooner rather than later to tell the group because keeping a secret like this was starting to weigh on the pair of them.

3.

“So, have long have you and Ohm been together?” Earn asked casually one night at L C Hol.

Fong turned to her immediately and whispered, “How did you know? We haven’t exactly told anyone.”

Earn’s eyes widened in surprise at this. She never really understood why people decided to keep things like relationship a secret but she obviously respected her friends enough not to blow it. She looked over at Ohm who was sitting further down the table and he smiled back at her and  Fong.

“Sorry.” Earn answered, keeping her tone lowered. “I don’t mean this to be rude or anything but.. it’s kind of obvious that you guys are together, at least to me. You can tell by the way that the two of you look at each other. It’s the same as how I look at Pear.”

“You and Pear are a thing?” Fong sputtered, completely thrown off by Earn’s words.

Earn chuckled at how oblivious Fong was. “Yeah, we’ve been girlfriends for almost a year. I guess you’re about as perceptive as Boss because he tried to ask her out a few months ago. Needless to say, we set him straight about the viability of that endeavour. I guess maybe you don’t have to worry about any of the guys finding out if you all are like this…”

“As much of an insult as that is, it’s kind of a relief to hear.” Fong relaxed slightly. “We’ll tell people when we’re ready.”

“There’s no rush.” Earn shared supportively, putting one hand on Fong’s shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“When did you know that you and Pear were ready to tell people?” Fong wondered, feeling a bit self-conscious but still wanting to know the answer.

Earn considered this for a moment before responding, “I think you will just know. It won’t feel like you need to hide it anymore and second guess anything. But, honestly, it’s nobody’s business who you are dating and if you two aren’t ready, then keep it to yourselves. Being in a relationship is such a personal thing. You don’t owe it to the world to the share every last part of yourself. Do what you need to do to feel happy with the person that you love. Nobody is going to judge you for taking your time to share it with others.”

“Thank you, Earn.” Fong shared and wanted to hug her with all his might.

“You look like you could use a hug.” Earn opened her arms wide.

Fong accepted the hug without a second thought and couldn’t wait to tell Ohm later that night about what had happened.

4.

“I don’t want to go to class.” Ohm complained, his head resting on Fong’s chest as they both lounged on Fong’s bed.

“Well, no boyfriend of mine is not going to be a slacker.” Fong shared, trying to sit up but the weight of Ohm’s head kept his pinned to the bed.

Ohm flipped himself so he could look at Fong and wrapped his arms around Fong, trapping him even more. “It’s just one class. Come on, let’s just stay here for a few more minutes. Pleaaaaaaaase?”

As tempting as it was to spend the rest of the afternoon lying in bed with Ohm, they had a project due that day and Tine was relying on them to show up. Fong flailed around and tried to wriggle out of Ohm’s grasp but Ohm just tightened his hold on Fong.

“Ohhhhhmmmm! Let me go!” Fong cried out in protest. “Don’t make me bite you.”

“Go ahead.” Ohm shared casually. “Maybe I’ll be into it. It’s never too late to discover a new kink.”

“Seriously, how old are you?” Fong rolled his eyes and Ohm laughed fondly at the reaction.

Ohm pressed a kiss to Fong’s cheek and nuzzled his face into the crook of Fong’s neck, dropping kisses there as well. As much as it was difficult to resist Ohm’s kisses, Fong’s need to keep a perfect attendance record outweighed the current situation. Fong poked Ohm in the side which caused Ohm’s arms to release enough for Fong to make his escape.

Fong immediately ran from the bed an slipped on his shoes, slinging his book bag over his shoulder. Ohm chased after him, laughing all the way until they were running through the halls of the dorm to make their way to class, Ohm hot on Fong’s heels.

Once they got to class, both of them looked ridiculously dishevelled. Tine gave them a relieved look when he saw that they had made it. He remarked, “Took you two idiots long enough. I thought I was going to have to do this presentation alone.”

Ohm and Fong shrugged apologetically. Tine narrowed his eyes at Fong and asked, “Do you have a love bite on your neck?”

Fong’s hand flew up to his neck and he pulled his collar up, hie cheeks burning with a blush. Ohm just smirked and said, “That’s why we were late. Fong got attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes so we had to run to the store to get some medication before class.”

“Oh…” Tine answered, although he did not seem thoroughly convinced with the answer.

Thankfully, Tine did not have time to question it any further as the professor walked in to start the class. Fong elbowed Ohm in the ribs but Ohm just continued to grin proudly.

5.

The music club was hosting a fundraiser carnival and everyone had pitched in to help set it up the booths. Tine, as the secretary, had enlisted Ohm and Fong to set up and run the kissing booth. There was a list of freshmen who were signed up in shifts to be the ‘kissers’ so all that Ohm and Fong had to do was take the tickets.

Aside from the screaming girls, the booth was running smoothly until one of the freshmen did not show up for their shift. Fong, in a panic at the ever-growing mob of angry people who were expecting a kiss, called Tine over to figure out what to do.

“What the hell should we do? One of your volunteers didn’t show up.” Fong muttered to Tine, trying to be discrete as Ohm attempted to satiate the frustration of the people in line. “It looks they’re about to revolt if we don’t do something quick.”

Tine checked through the schedule on his clipboard and frowned, “Everyone else is busy right now. Ohm or you will have to jump in for the time being until I can figure someone else to jump in. You guys are both single so it won’t be an issue, right?”

The idea of someone else kissing his boyfriend made Fong feel ill. He assumed that Ohm would feel the same way but he didn’t feel like it was the right time to tell Tine about their relationship without at least consulting Ohm first.

“N-no.” Fong stammered. “That’s fine.”

“Sorry, Fong. I’ve got to run. Green just set fire to the barbecue.” Tine rushed away before Fong could object. “I’ll send someone over as soon I can!”

Fong groaned before returning to the booth and leaning in to whisper to Ohm. “One of us has to step in…. I can do it if you want…”

“Ohm’s eyes widened in surprise before he stood up to his feet and walked to inside the kissing booth, plopping himself down on the stool. “I’ve got it.”

The entire line cheered with excitement as Fong felt a wave of nausea roll through him. He hated the idea of a complete stranger kissing his boyfriend but, without outing their relationship, there was nothing he could do. He knew Ohm was doing it because he didn’t want Fong to so Fong forgave him as he took the first ticket from an extremely excited girl.

Fong watched as she approached Ohm and sat on the stool across from him. She closed her eyes and began to lean in. Ohm looked at Fong and mouthed ‘sorry’ before turning his attention back to the girl.

Before he registered what was happening, Fong found himself standing between the girl and Ohm. The girl was no kissing his stomach and he was sure it made for a bizarre image to any outsiders. Ohm gave him an amused look and the girl pulled back in surprise.

“Uh, sorry.” Fong muttered, “But I can’t let you kiss him.”

The girl furrowed her brow, “Why? I paid the money. Shouldn’t I get the kiss?”

“He’s taken.” Fong explained and turned toward Ohm who was looking at him with a steady gaze.

“By who?” The girl protested, growing more and more upset by the situation.

“Me. Actually.” Fong shared and the girl stood up and countered, “I don’t believe you. Kiss him if he’s actually your boyfriend.”

Without missing a beat, Ohm stood up, directed Fong’s shoulders to face him and pulled Fong in for a kiss. The girl stumbled back in surprise but Fong and Ohm were too wrapped up in the kiss to give it a second thought.

They both melted into the kiss and were somewhat exhilarated by the fact that they were display their love for each other so publicly. Finally they could be themselves without constantly worrying about what others thought and might read into their every interaction. It was incredibly freeing.

When they finally separated after what felt like an eternity, they heard a small crowd cheering in support of them. Ohm and Fong turned out to see Tine, Wat, Earn, Pear, Dim, Green, Man, and Boss cheering them on. Some of them look surprised by the kiss but most of them just looked extremely happy for Ohm and Fong.

Ohm took Fong’s hand and turned to the girl, “Sorry, uh, there will probably be someone here soon that you can kiss.”

“You two are so sweet. Sorry for giving you trouble.” She responded before rushing back to the front of the line where her friends were gushing with excitement.

Ohm and Fong approached their group of friends. Earn was beaming at Ohm and Fong proudly and Tine was looking a little dejected, “Why didn’t you guys tell us sooner?”

Pear elbowed Tine in the ribs and he winced. She scolded, “This is NOT about you, Tine. They needed to take their time and so, they did.”

“Thanks, Pear. Yah, we just wanted to keep things between us for a while as we figured it out.” Fong explained, squeezing Ohm’s hand.

“Sorry for making it about me.” Tine stated. “I think you make a great pair. It kind of just makes sense.”

“You guys look great together.” Sarawat chimed in with a small smile.

Fong blushed deeply and Ohm slung his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder, proud that they could be so open with their relationship now. Ohm responded, “Thanks.”

“We still need someone to be in the kissing booth.” Tine piped up, flipping through his schedule again to see if anyone was free. “The only single person here is Boss and he is… already in the kissing booth working his ‘magic’.”

The group all turned to see Boss making kissy faces at the lineup as he sat in the booth, waiting for his first victim. Everyone shared a laugh at this and Ohm and Fong were just happy how normal everything felt.

He wondered if Fong had ever been in love. How else would he be so good at giving love advice?

They had reached the door to their room, and Fong pulled out the key. Ohm patiently stood behind him as Fong unlocked the door. 

“That was fun,” he heard Fong say, the warmth in his soul coming out through his voice. Fong sighed, turning his gaze upwards with a hand on the unlocked handle. “I’m really happy for Tine.” His eyes focused on the door again, and he gently pushed it open, the hinges quietly groaning from the motion. 

Ohm only hummed in agreement, unsure of what to say. He also didn’t know if he could trust himself to say the right words. 

Fong stepped inside the room and padded over to the bed while Ohm trailed behind. Because they had called to reserve the room so late, they had to get one with a single bed, much to Ohm’s nervousness. Fong all but threw himself onto it, his body bouncing up a little before he settled onto his stomach. 

“I really am happy for him, it’s just…” Fong’s eyes bored into the wall opposite the door, while Ohm, who had turned to close the door, paused, his fingers around the handle coming to a halt. “I’m a bit jealous.”

Ohm swallowed, choosing his words with utmost caution as he finally pushed the door all the way closed. “Jealous of what?” He tugged himself away from the door and walked the short distance over to the open spot on the bed. His eyes darted to the side where Fong laid facing away from him, then just as quickly went to staring at his feet directly in front of him.

Fong’s fingers twisted the top blanket, the happy little smile from the party finally disappearing. Should he say everything he thought he felt? Or keep the most exposing feelings he wasn’t even sure of to himself? He settled for a partial reveal. “I want to be in love like that. I want a faen like that.” His body felt heavy as he lifted himself upright and turned to sit beside Ohm. His head tilted as he came to terms with his own words. Now that he had spilled them to Ohm there was no running away from his feelings for him. Fong knew the truth. He knew how he felt.

Ohm played with his hands in his lap, a nervous habit. “To be honest… I feel the same way.”

“You do?” Fong turned to look at his friend, but Ohm’s gaze was fixed on the ground, occasionally glancing sideways at Fong’s bright red shoes. 

“Mmm,” Ohm acknowledged, accompanied by a hesitant nod of his head. Suddenly, words started to pour out of his mouth like water out of a broken faucet, and he could do nothing to stop them. “But you… you’ll find someone, Fong. You’re going to meet someone who loves you just as much as Tine and Sarawat love each other. That person is going to know how smart and kind you are, how caring you are and how reliable you are. The good kind of person you are doesn’t go unnoticed or unloved, trust me.” All this time holding his thoughts in had built up inside him, and if this was the water from a broken faucet, Ohm didn’t know if he could hold himself back from the dam about to break within himself. He felt Fong’s softened gaze on his face, felt the dip in the mattress begin where Fong’s weight pressed it down, felt his heartbeat pounding throughout his entire body. 

“You want to know, right? Then go ask him.”

“Thanks, Ohm. You too.”

Ask him. Ask him. Ask him.

Ohm thought to himself. He knew he wasn’t as smart as Fong, not as brave as Tine, but he could be honest. At least, he could do that. If only for one night, when it mattered the most. 

And so he began to ask.

“Do you… Did you mean what you said?”

Fong thought back to everything he had said that night, unsure of which words Ohm was talking about. “What did I say?”

Silver moonlight reflected along the waves outside, far from the window and far from the two boys. But it reached their little room, and it delicately cradled the edges of their faces and rested in their brown eyes. 

“Whatever in your mind, you must speak out,” Ohm repeated Fong’s words to Tine like they had been meant for himself all along. Perhaps they were even the words Fong wanted to say to himself.

“Well yeah. Tine needed to asked Sarawat directly. And I…” a look of realization crossed over his features, taking in Ohm’s avoiding eyes and vulnerable words while trying not to get his hopes up. “Do you… want to say something?”

Ohm looked to his right, moving his eyes upwards until finally they met Fong’s moon-drenched ones. He could be honest. 

“I like you, Fong. I want to be that someone that I talked about for you.”

Fong’s lips parted, his matched gaze with Ohm unbreaking. Moments passed, and slowly he looked down at Ohm’s hands in his lap, and he tenderly reached for one of them with his right hand. The heat of his palm settled against the top of Ohm’s hands. Milliseconds turned into minutes and seconds turned into hours in Ohm’s mind. He could only look dumbly at their hands as he waited for Fong to say something, anything.

Fong struggled with his word choice before finally landing on the right ones.

“I’d like that.” Fong timidly smiled up at him, moonlight in his hair and warmth in his heart. 

Ohm felt his insides flip, wondering if what was happening was actually, truly happening. 

“Do you mean it?” Ohm turned his hands around to hold Fong’s, bringing it up between them.

Fong let out a nervous but happy laugh as he nodded in affirmation. “I’d like it if you were that someone. I like you, too.” A full smile adorned Fong’s face. Ohm didn’t know when he started hugging him, but pulling away from it was something he never wanted to do again. Nor did he ever want to shy away from his feelings again. He would prove to Fong that he could be that someone for him, someone who loved him with his entire heart. Fong would do his everything to do the same.

A familiar fluttering sensation cursed through Earn’s body, signaling another message has appeared. She was mid conversation with Sarawat in the process of telling him what time their gig for tomorrow was but never got to.

Full of excitement and butterflies Earn quickly yanked her sleeve up—it’s been thirty six hours since her soulmate last sent a message. It was normal for Pear to disappear for days on end so Earn was used to the delayed reply.

As she glanced down at her forearm she expected to see a reply to the conversation she asked a few days ago but instead it was a drawing.

Once again no big deal—Pear was artistic. She had always sent doodles to Earn.

However, this drawing was not simply just of animals or flowers. She couldn’t exactly tell what it was right now because Pear was still drawing it.

Curiously, Earn lifted her arm and brought it closer to her face so she could examine it. Sarawat obviously understood what was happening, also recently finding his soulmate, so he just leaned back in his seat, sipping on his drink, and quietly observing the own messages on his forearm.

After nearly seven minutes of waiting Pear was done and it was...definitely not doodle of a cat. No, it was something else.

“Oh god. Did she draw a penis?”

Sarawat choked on his drink in surprise. “What?” He gasped. “What did you just say?”

“I said my soulmate just drew an anatomically correct penis on my arm.”

Sarawat looked shocked and positively scandalized but he was not the only one. Earn was just as confused. She held her arm up for him to see and after a few seconds of studying it he came to the same conclusion.

“She drew an anatomically correct penis on your arm. With labels. Why did she send you an anatomically correct penis on your arm?”

Earn lifted her shoulder up in a shrug, leaning down to rummage through her bag to find a pen. Once she did she yanked the cap off and scribbled a quick message.

um...is there like context or a reason that you drew that?

She waited awhile for a reply, staring intently down at her arm for any new piece of ink. It did not matter how long she waited it never came. At least a reply to that question never came. As she studied her arm for what seem like forever the conversation with Sarawat died away.

He knew she was far too preoccupied with with waiting for a message to appear. He was probably the only one in the band who could truly understand what Earn was feeling since he was the only one who had recently discovered his soulmate mark.

Tine was terrible, if not more so, at replying in a timely matter. Sometimes Tine would wait hours just to answer back with a single letter, either forgetting to reply or simply not noticing it.

So Earn waited. Minute after minute. Nothing. Just as she was about to give up that familiar fluttering sensation came back, making her heart soar.

But it was not a reply to Earn’s question. No. It wasn’t even a word.

It was just a smaller anatomically correct penis that was colored in instead of labeling.

Earn pursed her lips in bewilderment but decided that she obviously would not get a reply any time soon.

“I don’t know.” She admitted, shrugging once more. “I really don’t know.”

The first Earn noticed her soulmate mark she was seventeen. She had gym during school today so in between classes she hoped in the shower for a quick rinse off. She didn’t notice any ink nor did she feel abnormal as she scrubbed the dirt and sweat away.

It was afterwards, when she was towel drying her body and trying to slip back on her uniform that she saw pink ink near her wrist.

Confusion coursed through her as she brought her arm toward the light for a better look. She didn’t remember writing anything on her arms.

At first Earn didn’t quite understood what it said due to how faint it was but the longer she stared the more she could understand it.

Mitochondria is the powerhouse cell.

She was shocked, that was sure, but she didn’t have time to think too critically about it because the bell signifying her next class was about to begin snapped her out of it.

Earn forgot about that day in the shower for a few weeks. She knew that soulmates and soul marks were real but it never registered to Earn that was what it was. She didn’t have a soulmate. No way did she have a soulmate. Earn just...forgot that she wrote that. Yeah. That is exactly what happened.

It wasn’t until she was laying in bed one day, laptop perched on her lap as she hummed along to her favorite band, that the memory of that day came flooding back.

A stinging sensation started at the base of her spine and slowly traveled up until her fingertips were tingling and her her throat was constricting. Soon enough the sensation had made its way all over he body, from her fingertips to her toes Earn felt it.

It didn’t hurt, quite the opposite, but it was enough to pause what she was doing.

Then the stinging feeling evaporated into thin air. It was like it never happened. Instead it was replaced by something akin to butterflies but vastly more intense.

A half done math equation appeared near her elbow. A math equation Earn never even learned.

A few beats of silence passed before more ink appeared. It was of a cartoon bunny holding up a sign that that had a phrase on it: Susu Pear!

Earn could no longer pretend like she forgot about writing on her arm. No. This was a soulmate mark.

She practically threw off her laptop off and hastily scrambled out of bed to her desk to grab a pen. Once she found one she tore off the cap and scribbled out a word, feeling as if her heart would leap out of her chest.

hello?

Earn waited for a reply what seemed like years but in reality it was only half a minute.

...hello?

Oh god. Oh my god. She had a soulmate.

None of her friends of family got their soulmate marks yet so she was utterly confused on what to do next. She could search the web for answers but she was scared that her soulmate would disappear.

cute bunny drawing. is your name pear?

The reply was almost instantaneously, showing up before Earn even finished her own message.

thank you! yes, my name is pear. what’s your name?

Before Earn could reply again Pear wrote something else back, just below her previous message.

you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to! i know that some people ignore their soulmate marks.

Butterflies erupted in Earn’s stomach once again but this time it was not because of the ink. Soulmate. Pear just confirmed it. There was no backing out of it now.

my name is earn and...i don’t want to ignore this. unless...you want to?

no! i don’t want to ignore this. i want to um, get to know you. can we do that?

of course. what do you want to know?

everything.

That’s exactly what Earn did, she told Pear everything. Not that night but over the next few years they essentially bared their souls to each other in every sense of the word. Sometimes they would write whole entire essays to each other, forced to erase the earlier conversations or come up with new creative places to write. Sometimes they would send doodles back in forth.

After a few months of talking when the two settled into a comfortable routine, somehow becoming each others biggest supporters. Before every exam, Pear would send Earn the same little cartoon bunny cartoon drawing. Every time the message on the poster was different.

susu earn!

you can do it.

good luck!

earn! you got this!

i'm always rooting for you!

you got this, babe!

Sometimes the messages were so cheesy that Earn felt color flood her cheeks and often never replied because she didn’t know what to say. She would feign innocence when this happened, claiming she was just so nervous about her exam that she forgot to reply.

It was ridiculous—she was so tongue tied and bashful over the same messages you would find on motivational stickers. If anyone else drew these things Earn would think it was dumb but because it was from Pear she thought it utterly adorable.

Earn in return took up to expanding Pear’s musical knowledge and interests. She would use her arms to write down random bits of lyrics she thought of instead of on paper. Pear always took care to never erase those lyrics until Earn gave her the green light.

However, most of the time they just talked. About anything. About nothing. After a few years went by of this Earn grew fond of the soulmate she knew virtually everything yet nothing about.

Unlike most people who got soulmate marks she dated. It was nothing serious, it never was, but she got to experience many different firsts.

Pear, on the other hand, apparently never dated—before or after the soulmate mark appeared—swearing she was far too busy with trying to get into college and than medical school to date. Besides, she wrote one day, I have you. That’s enough.

Messages like that always left Earn melting into a puddle of goo. The thing with soulmates is that they didn’t exactly have to be romantic. Hundreds of thousands of soulmates got their mark but decided to just stay platonic. That’s exactly what Earn thought would happen to them.

It’s not as if she never thought about them in a romantic sense, Earn did more than she cared to admit, but she would always quickly shake out of when she realized that it would never between them too like that.

It has been almost four years and neither of them has asked to meet yet. Surely if they wanted to meet each other they could of. At the start they found out that they only lived three hours apart. After they began college, Earn and Pear found out that they were even closer to each other.