"I don't need a thousand lifetimes—
Just one, and he beside me, is enough."
—Kao Neptune
They finally caught sight of themselves—clothes blotched with yellow stains spreading across the fabric, a few stray grains of rice clinging stubbornly to their necks and tangled in their hair. Gazes locked. For a moment, silence held—then their lips parted, and both broke into unrestrained laughter, voices colliding, filling the room with a rare, unguarded warmth.
Nil's eyes curved with mirth, but midway, something caught his attention. His laughter faltered, breath stilled. He whispered, voice hushed,
"Strangerrr..."
A pause, heavy with realization. His lips trembled as he added,
"I just realized... "
"I've never seen you laugh before."
Yet across from him, Kao still laughed, shoulders trembling, lashes lowered, the corners of his lips refusing to fall.
"Gulp." Nil's throat bobbed as his eyes fastened on Kao.
That man—usually cold as marble, lips pressed thin with restraint—was now utterly transformed. His laughter burst out, unguarded. The corners of his mouth, usually taut, curved upward into a sharp arc, lips stretching wide, exposing the clean line of his teeth. His upper lip lifted slightly, making the curve seem almost boyish; his lower lip, usually pale, looked softer, flushed with life. That smile—was unrestrained, careless and free.
For Nil, it was the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen. He wanted to seize it, hold it forever. His gaze darted restlessly; his phone lay only half a meter away. Almost without breathing, he reached, fingers trembling, and snatched it up.
He barely raised the screen before Kao's senses stirred. The laughter cut short. Kao stilled, and his voice came low,
"What are you capturing?"
Nil froze. His eyes dimmed with a sudden hopelessness, shoulders sinking. His voice was soft, almost pleading, "Couldn't you... laugh longer?"
Kao blinked, the curve of his lips fading, "...?"
Nil turned his back, head lowered, clutching the phone. His words stumbled, heavy,
"I only wanted... to capture your laughing."
A breath. He added, voice faint as if afraid it might shatter in the air,
"Since I came to Bangkok, I've never seen you laugh like that."
" I just wanted to keep it... even once."
Kao's arms wrapped around Nil's waist, drawing him close until the warmth of their bodies fused into one. His voice, low and husky, brushed Nil's ear,
"Since you are with me... "
"You will have countless chances to capture my laughter."
Kao like smoke curling through the night. "Promise me!"
"You will never leave me. And I... I will always keep laughing for you."
"I'll laugh... even if you won't kiss me,"
"Not listen me, "
"Or curse me..."
Nil's breath hitched. His fingers trembled as they sought Kao's hand where it rested against his front, holding it tightly,
"Then hear my curse—you will never be rid of me."
At that, Kao's embrace tightened, pulling Nil against him with unyielding force, as if to lock him inside his very skin. His eyes darkened, voice low as a vow sealed in fire.
"Then Never stop cursing me."
Mary sank onto her bed in the servant's quarters, letting out a sigh heavy enough to rattle the room. Techno was rummaging through the shelf beside her, brows furrowed.
"Do you... miss him?" she asked softly, eyes curious.
Techno didn't look up, humming, "Mn..."
Mary groaned, flopping onto the bed. "Then let's just go to his apartment."
Techno spun toward her, mock annoyance twisting his features. "You're impossible! It's... 1:27 a.m.!"
Mary blinked, undeterred. "Then... a little phone call?"
"No." Techno's voice was final.
Mary's eyes narrowed. "What are you looking for?"
He froze. "...I kept my new toothbrush here."
Mary's gaze sharpened, "...Purple?"
Techno's head snapped to her. "...How do you know? I never—" His voice dropped into suspicion.
"...Did you steal it?"
Mary's cheeks flamed. "...Steal? I'm not a thief... I just saw it on the shelf and took it..."
Techno leapt upright, pointing a finger like a sword.
"How dare you! Touch my things without asking?!"
Mary's eyes brimmed, but she couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from twitching.
"...Nil already left... And you're never nice to me."
Techno buried his face in his hand, muttering, "Such a drama queen..." and stalked out.
Mary wiped a tear from her cheek—half-laugh, half-sigh.
"Idiot... Techno..."
Kao lay back, eyes closed, chest steady beneath Nil's weight. Nil's head rested lightly on him, fingers tracing idle patterns over the soft fabric of Kao's t-shirt. The room was quiet except for the faint rise and fall of Kao's breathing.
"Stranger," Nil murmured, voice hesitant but curious.
Kao made no move, only a soft, "Mn..."
Nil tilted his head, warm hair brushing Kao's chest. "Why... your family name is so different?"
"Every Thai family has a surname long... and complex," Tilted his head.
Kao's gaze flicked down at him, "Mn..."
"As far as I know... it wasn't always 'Neptune.' Once, it was 'Worawongse Phanupong.'"
Nil's head pressed lightly against Kao's chest, ears attuned to the soft cadence of his words. "Then... what happened?"
Kao exhaled, a quiet, almost weary sigh. "My great-grandfather... Phra Worawongse Phanupong... went to Paris for higher education."
"There, he fell in love with my great-grandmother, Madeleine Dubois—she was French. Her eyes so blue... so bright, that he used to call her... 'Neptune.'"
Nil blinked, "So... Neptune was... first a nickname!"
Kao's lips pressed into a thin line, a low, almost muffled, "Mn..."
He shifted slightly, "But... when my great-grandmother was just twenty-three, she gave birth to my grandfather... "
"And she... she died from excessive blood loss. After that, my great-grandfather... never accepted my grandfather as his son."
Nil pressed closer, fingers digging lightly into Kao's chest, "Why?"
Kao's gaze remained soft, "He might believed... if she hadn't given birth to my grandfather, she would never have left him. So... he never married. Just worked. Stayed locked in his room."
"My grandfather... was left alone, raised by maids."
Nil's brow furrowed, "But...he shouldn't have done that."
Kao's hand moved over Nil's, gentle but firm, "Everyone has their own understanding."
"We... can't change it."
Nil's grip on his chest tightened.
Kao leaned slightly closer, "My great-grandfather loved her... deeply. He wanted even the generations to come to remember her."
"That's why he registered our family name... 'Neptune.'"
He paused, eyes tracing Nil's face, "And later... it became our company, our brand, the ultimate recognition. Unchangeable."
Nil tilted his head, tracing the sharp line of Kao's jaw.
"Was it really that simple? Thais... are so bound by tradition."
"Didn't anyone oppose him?"
Kao let out a soft yawn, the corner of his lips twitching faintly. "They did oppose... but he was stubborn."
"Never listened to anyone."
Nil's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Your great-grandfather... he made love the ultimate recognition of his family."
"Good... but your grandfather," Nil added softly, frowning, "he didn't deserve this."
Curiosity pricked at him again. "Tell me about your father?"
Kao's expression darkened, low and impenetrable. "Nil... enough for today." His voice was calm but carried the weight of command.
"Sleep."
Nil's voice small and pleading, "But... Stranger... I want to know..."
Kao tightened his arms around him, drawing Nil flush against his chest.
It was 7:23 a.m. Kao lay curled beneath the soft blanket, chest rising and falling with slow, even breaths, eyes closed in the quiet comfort of sleep. Nil, already awake, had a shooting at eight. In the kitchen, he had prepared Jok—steaming rice porridge—Khao Kai Jeow, golden and fragrant, and fresh orange juice glistening in the morning light.
Then Nil approached softly, seating himself beside Kao. His fingers traced lightly through Kao's dark hair, brushing against the strands with care. A small, tender smile curved Nil's lips.
"Stranger..."
"Mr... Neptune... wake up..." His voice was gentle, coaxing, but Kao didn't stir.
"...Husband."
At that word, a shiver passed through the room. Kao's eyes opened in an instant, dark and piercing, and he pulled Nil flush against his chest, fingers tangling in Nil's hair. His gaze locked onto Nil's, a low growl,
"Again... provoking me."
Nil's fingers pinched gently at Kao's nose, a teasing tug that made him scrunch his face.
"You wouldn't want to be late for work..." Nil murmured.
Kao tightened his arms, drawing Nil closer, and a small, pained "Ah" slipped past Nil's lips.
"I... don't want to go," Kao muttered, voice low, tangled.
He leaned closer, inhaling the faint scent of Nil's hair. "This smell... so comfortable," he whispered, fingers threading through Nil's curls at his temple, tracing delicate paths that made Nil shiver.
"Can't we stay like this... forever?" Kao's voice was husky. Their breaths mingled, lips hovering, separated by only a heartbeat.
And then, the sharp, insistent call of Than cut through the moment,
"Nil! We're going to be late for the studio!"
Nil pulled back, eyes curious. Kao muttered under his breath, low and clipped,
"Oooo... this asshole Than."
His fingers clenched the blanket beside him, a flicker of annoyance in his otherwise calm mask.
Nil tilted his head, "Did you just say something?"
Kao's jaw tightened, lips twitching into a faint smirk, voice husky and quick, "Aye... aye... might be your script lines..."
"Are roaming in your head."
Their lips hovered again, almost brushing, breaths mingling. Nil's fingers traced the curve of Kao's jaw, a tentative pull closer, and Kao felt the warmth of Nil's lips ghost over his own. A slow, electric tension wrapped around them—then Than's voice shattered it again.
"Oooo, Nil, come on... "
"Or that pig-faced Kob will scold you again!"
Nil froze for a heartbeat, then called out apologetically, "Than, sorry for being late! Just wait two minutes... I'm coming!"
He turned to Kao, eyes soft, a tender curve on his lips. "Sorry, I have to go, Stranger. I've already prepared your breakfast, okay?"
Kao grip loosen, Nil slipped out, Kao's frustration snapped. He grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it across the room with a sharp, furious toss,
" That bastard..."