The clouds drifted beneath the moon.
Like eyes watching the sky each day, people never stopped dreaming of reaching those bright, imitating stars. Perhaps, at least, they could become one.
"When will you wake up...?"
Sitting by the edge of the bed, Mok extended his arm, leaving his hand just inches away from Toffee's.
His eyes never left the unconscious boy as he softly recounted everything that had happened. He spoke of how Lamon had visited, breaking into tears and nearly fainting at the sight of him. He shared that Toffee's parents had been keeping watch by their son's bedside, too—until Mok finally urged them to return to the hospital, reminding them that as respected doctors, they had other lives to save.
It had become Mok's daily routine.
Every day, he brought a handful of flowers that Toffee liked—yellow in the morning, white in the evening.
He sat on the floor beside the bed and talked to him, leaving out no detail, from the kitchen drama to the cat.
"Do you want to hear something, Toffee? These people are unbelievable. Just because we're not going to college, they even changed the date of the festival. When you wake up, ask them yourself. We can scold them together."
The door behind the room was already half-open. Through the gap, someone was quietly listening.
He stepped forward looking immaculate—his shirt neat, his short black hair tidy, and his skin completely untouched by sweat.
Gripping the doorframe, his left hand revealed a small black mole on the pinky finger. When he spoke, his voice carried neither the weight of old age nor the youth of a teenager.
"So that is Mok... right? Our Toffee's sweetheart."
"Is he here to cause trouble, or just to check on Toffee?" Kao muttered.
"Why aren't you answering me, Kao?"
"Khap... P'Mix, what's so funny while you're looking at my baby?"
"Not bad... 'My baby,'" Mix repeated with a surprised look. "Are you two in a relationship?"
Kao's eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. "No..." He looked farther into the room. "But we will be. Mok likes me too."
"Did he say that?" Mix's arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh boy, so he didn't..." A smirk spread across Mix's face.
Smack!
A light thud landed on Mix's head.
"Owch—" Almost cursing the sneaky attack, Mix turned and swung his fist, but Nut caught it before it could land.
Their fierce eyes met.
"You jerk. You're already late, and you didn't even bring the reports."
"Damn... The intel was wrong. I thought Nut was at the temple... I can still run..." Mix's mind raced, but before he could make a plan, Nut grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.
Like a rabbit caught by a lion, Mix struggled helplessly. The strength difference between them was far too great.
"Hear me out, Nut! I'm guilty! I tried!"
His whining continued from the upstairs hallway down to the main entrance, then faded far away. Who knew where Nut was carrying him off to? Even Mix's expensive shoes became helpless victims, scraping across the floor behind them.
A sudden commotion made Mok glance over.
"Kao..." he called. "What are you doing there? Come inside... quickly."
Kao's heart pounded nervously.
On the floor, the cold surface chilled their feet as Kao threw his arms around Mok, hiding his face against him to gently bite his ear.
"P-Phi Kao... Who were you talking to?"
Kao took Mok's other hand and placed it against his own cheek. "P'Mix... Artit's older brother."
"But Artit is an only child."
"Not by blood. P'Nut, P'Mix... they all live like one family... Artit is just spoiled by them. That's more accurate."
He let out a sigh.
"Well, forget about that worm. Can you call me Phi again...?"
Blinking twice, Mok wisely chose not to argue.
"Mok... Mok..." Kao teased, threatening to never stop until Mok complied.
"Phi Kao..."
"Khap... Again, Mok."
"Phi Kao..."
"You can only call me that when we're alone. I'm jealous of other people hearing your soft voice."
"Your hands are naughty... Phi Kao... don't tease me, my nipples are already sensitive... I'll only call you... when... we... are... alone..."
Gasping for air, Mok whispered, "Phi... stop..."
Their gazes quietly aligned.
With a faint smile, Mok leaned his head against Kao, his warm breath fanning across the collar of his shirt.
"When is your competition?"
"Saturday or Sunday ... Are you coming, Mok?"
Shaking his head, Mok pressed a kiss against Kao's neck. "Did you cook?"
"Right..."
"You taste like..." Mok gently pinched one of Kao's nipples before adding, "...carrots."
"Go and take a shower. You smell."
Mok looked back at Toffee like nothing had happened, while Kao ducked his head to sniff his own shirt.
Wondering if he actually smelled bad, Kao headed back to his own space. Mok kept his eyes fixed ahead, sending a wave of disappointment through the older boy's chest.
Taking off his shirt, Kao tossed it onto the bed.
The breeze from the open window swept against his fit body.
Wearing only his pants, he entered the bathroom, the marble floor cold beneath his feet. After checking that the bathtub was filled with warm water, he stripped down and sank into the tub.
He tilted his head against the edge, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Only a few minutes passed before soft footsteps echoed from the bedroom.
Mok slid into the tub behind Kao, guiding him forward and causing the water to overflow.
Tender lips grazed against his back as large hands trailed across his damp skin.
"I thought you wouldn't come..." Kao whispered, leaning back.
"Aren't you expecting me? You didn't even lock the door... Kaopun, what if it wasn't me?" Mok's deep voice vibrated against his ear, his tongue tracing along Kao's shoulder, making the older boy shiver.
"Only you get to come past that door... nobody else," Kao mumbled.
Mok anchored himself against Kao's waist, tucking his forehead into the nape of his neck as water streamed around them.
"What was that?"
Kao rubbed his jaw against Mok's, pretending he had uttered nothing.
Tracing the scar on Kao's wrist, Mok let the stillness linger for a moment before asking, "Don't you hate it when I call your full name?"
A smile appeared on Kao's face. "No."
"Then I'll call you Pun. Do you like it?"
"Pun... But didn't you like calling me Kaopun? Don't change it."
Mok tightened his embrace. "Pun... I like that."
"Then let's keep it. Only for us, right?"
Mok hummed in response, closing his eyes.
The water rippled around them as they quietly resonated together, absorbing each other's heat.
Maybe the lotuses were no longer afraid to show their most beautiful side.
Later, their damp footprints marked the floor.
Kao got into a fresh set of clothes while Mok, still clad in a towel, silently tracked his movements.
"Phi... I need to see a doctor."
Leaving his shirt unbuttoned, Kao rushed over.
Tiny droplets of water still clung to Mok's body. Panic rising, Kao cradled his face and urgently asked, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt." Mok nodded toward a glass jar filled with water. "It's because of the water. I'm okay when I'm with you, but..."
"Thara Mae already made an appointment at the hospital. The doctor is actually my uncle, so... let's go together. I don't want to go alone."
Mok slowly buttoned Kao's shirt.
"Will you come with me?" He buried his face against Kao's shoulder.
"Phi... Please..."
Instead of answering with words, Kao kissed Mok.
After drying Mok's hair and wiping his body with a white towel, Kao helped him get dressed. Even though Kao had bought him new clothes, Mok still preferred wearing Kao's old ones.
That night, they quietly shared a single blanket as their soft conversations continued.
"Phi... I can't come to your competition."
"It's okay... It's not that important."
Their hands intertwined.
"After I go to the dorm, it will be hard to see each other..." Mok admitted, settling against Kao's chest.
A few minutes ticked by.
"Mok... Can you be my boyfriend...?"
Receiving no answer, Kao breathed against his hair, "Are you already asleep...?"
"Good night... my nong..."
Fascinating, yet frightening, how quickly time could change everything.
The night had the moon, and the day had the bright sun. But no matter how hard they tried, they could never relive the same moments as yesterday.
A week had passed since Toffee fell unconscious.
His parents, Lamon, Oat, and even May had all come to visit him. They had left earlier, leaving Mok alone with Toffee once again.
He replaced the flowers on the table and changed the curtains from dark colors to the lighter ones Toffee preferred.
"Okay... Everything's done." Mok prepared to head back and take a shower. Before leaving, he stole one last look at the unconscious boy.
Dropping back to the floor, he kept talking, spinning stories about his everyday life. Most of them ended with complaints about P'Mix, who had somehow made Mok his favorite target.
Silence...
Taking a slow breath, Mok picked up the half-withered flowers from the marble and rose to his feet. Then, a faint sound came from the bed.
Mok's eyes widened. "Toffee...?" His voice caught in his throat.
The pitiful, faded petals tumbled from his fingers, spreading across the marbles.
"Mok..." Toffee's weak voice finally reached him.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Don't cry... You'll be in pain." Mok tried to steady his emotions, forcing the words out.
"Kao... P'Nut... P'Mix..."
"Kao!" His frantic shout rang through the mansion as he cried out for everyone.
The fresh flowers he had just arranged scattered their scent, while the old ones were entirely forgotten.
"Kiat..." A faint smile appeared on Toffee's face as he softly murmured the name.
The storm had finally died.
Toffee's room quickly grew crowded with guests.
"Peaceful, truly," Toffee noted with an exhale, adding after a brief hesitation, "When will you go back... Mok...?"
"Actually, I don't know, I will come see you before I leave."
Setting Toffee's favorite jasmine on the table, Mok hugged him one more time.
"Toffee... Thank you... for coming back... to us."
Toffee answered with nothing but a tight embrace.
He kept waving with a bright smile until Mok was completely out of sight, though Kao's voice could still be heard from downstairs.
"I'm the one who should be saying thank you..." Toffee's gaze settled back on the table.
"Such a sweet scent..."