The translation and posting of The Love Contract on Twitter coincided with someone finding Sempai Mel's page and realizing that her current and most read fan fic was loosely based on Noh and Secret's romance.
The internet had a small implosion.
The link to Secret Lover appeared in so many dms, it was dizzying. Mel saw a mass leap in views to her other stories as well and could only crackle in glee. Secret and Elevation's many social media pages saw a sizable leap in followers.
The band landed themselves on the social 50 charts as their mentions and engagements shot up.
With the buzz surrounding them and the knowledge that they were working on new music, there was a hum of anticipation that was slowly building. It didn't go unnoticed in the company either.
Elevation was used to working by themselves and pulling in resources literally out of thin air. That was about to see a big change. They were no longer small scale. They had presence and power now. Their label needed to make some changes to suit. A meeting was arranged the moment they left their retreat. Mr. Kim was waiting for them, quietly chatting with Phun, some folders sitting between them on the kitchen table.
They all greeted Mr. Kim with a wai and took in the scene. Phun stood and hugged Noh before telling them all to go drop off their things and get comfortable. The food had only just arrived so it would still be warm when they got back.
Once everyone dropped their items off, changed quickly and came back and sat down, he smiled. "Please feel free to eat to your heart's content while we chat. This is going to be a while. I have several folders here for you. Before, you had several temporary teams on tour. Most of them are included here. We have stylists, all 3 are here. Would you like to make them your permanent team?"
The boys shared looks. "We like them all but Ari Nona has to be in charge. She keeps Kemi and Song Song in line." Noh turned back to Mr. Kim.
"Noted. Next is your Hair and Makeup team." He moved the files for the stylist to Phun who rest them in a new and clearly already labelled organizer. Once that was done he pushed forward another set of folders for the H & M Team. There were also 5 files in total.
"There were only 2 of them with us on the tour." Noh recalled as he eyeballed the stack. "Can we add one more to that team as well?" Noh remembered the madness that would happen behind the scenes.
"We can. Here is Tenali and Fizz's files. You can look through these other 3 for one more. Did you have someone in mind to take charge?"
"No. They both are really good."
"Might I suggest looking deeply at Olive and Zing. They both have great leadership skills. Riza is good too but she also has other priorities."
"Can we still see her file?" Ohm was curious as to what he meant by that.
"Of course. Now we need to deal with your transportation team. Your vans have been upgraded. You'll automatically be compensated for the one you have now. We will need to assign you to teams. Do you have a preference?"
"Don't assign me with Ohm. We have way too much history and chances are we will get carried away in the moment and egg each other on to do some random shit we really should be avoiding." Noh looked at Ohm who nodded in agreement. There was no use lying about it. Their history was long and convoluted.
"Oh great. Then may I present this option; Team OhmFlex and Team NohDyeEx."
"That's... That's actually a really solid move," Ohm was surprised. Flex was the member who would joke with him and laugh in his face and herd him back onto the rails when he went off. Chances of shit happening with Flex were very slim.
"Thank you. We had a long discussion with Mick." Oh now that made a lot of sense. Mr. Kim slid a card marked 1 in front of Ohm and a card marked 2 in front of Dye. "You'll be riding in the van ending in 1 and you in the van ending in 2. Each van comes with it's own driver. They are going to always be your drivers from now on. They are well travelled with experience travelling overseas. Where you go, they go. They also have another duty; they are part of your security team."
Now they were all staring at Mr. Kim in surprise.
"I would like you to now understand where you are in terms of world fame. Your tour was a massive success. This means we will have a higher influx of news stalkers, fan interactions and just general hubris. We have to ensure that people aren't going to come close to you or hurt you. You will have a team of 12 personal guards including your drivers. These men will be picked by us. This is not negotiable.
"Also I know you want to ask about Phun. He will have his own team. When with you, he will be joining team 1. I hope that is fine."
"It is." Noh and Phun said at the same time. Ohm just nodded and Flex smiled. He might need to sit in the middle of these 2 but he didn't see any major issues occurring besides the usual squabbles they had now.
"He'll have his own team that will be working as your extras. They will fill in where needed so your team will look bigger than it really is. Once Phun is with you as Secret, they will be assigned to him and only him. Outside of the security detail of 2 men, just like each of you, he will have the option of choosing his team from the files here or any we have at the office or having them chosen for him."
Phun nodded and glanced at the files. He was actually a little excited about this.
"Mr. Sou will continue to be your personal manager until such time as Mick is ready to take his place. I want to reassure you that we put sufficient pressure on the school in investigate what happened to him recently. I expect to get a report on my desk very soon. I think he handled the situation well despite his lack of experience and his post assessment report shows that he learns quickly as he was able to identify the areas where he went wrong. In my opinion, he is your best asset. In addition, you are now going to have your own PR team. Before you were under the general team but now the group account will be managed by these individuals. In fact they have already started and there has been a significant leap in the Elevation Official account following."
"So we are really doing well?" Noh wasn't trying to be insecure but there was a feeling of needing to know their general position in terms of fame and how much they were contributing to the music industry. "I just want to have an idea of where we are you know?"
"Your already leading the pack here in Thailand. You have largely surpassed all the past boy group projects that have been implemented here and I assure you, they weren't doing that poorly. Despite being a band in an age where choreo driven boy groups are ruling, you have still managed to carve out your own slice of the pie. Sure the issue of Secret is alluring but at the same time, your skills and talents are what is keeping the mass of new fans loyal. They know Secret will not be hidden forever. While they anticipate the eventual reveal, they are just as, or even more focused on the music. It's clear from the album sales as well. Most telling is the US. They are well known for their difficulty in accepting new and foreign acts.
"Your charts account on twitter is even doing a better job than the company of keeping abreast with your data. I was just chatting with Phun about your YouTube and Spotify stats only to realize I am a bit behind."
"Oh I don't know who the admin(s) are but they work so hard and they are always on top of their game. I've been relying on them a lot too." Noh confirmed.
There was some more chit chat but the main reason for the visit was now over. Mr. Kim only stayed a moment longer before leaving. Everyone stood and Phun saw him out while the band wrapped up their meal and made their way out to rest in their own apartments.
"I'll clean up Noh then I'll join you," Phun said softly before carefully wrapping what was left of the food and packing it all into the fridge. He cleaned down the counters and washed any stray dishes before making his way to their bedroom.
Noh had only opened his bags. Phun could hear the shower running from the open bathroom door so he reached for the bags and started unpacking. Still he had one ear out listening so when the water cut off he glanced over at the door as he finished putting the items in his hand away.
"Oh, The clothing in that bag are dirty." Noh said as he walked out and took in what Phun was doing.
"I know." Phun said with a smile. Noh tilted his head then smiled too.
"Yeah you would. I don't know why I bother." He walked up and leaned into Phun, just soaking in his smell. Phun turned and wrapped his hands around Noh, dropping soft kisses on his face. Noh sighed in satisfaction and smiled. He snuggled even deeper into Phun's arms and wrapped himself around his mate.
"How did things go?" Phun whispered. He swayed a little as they just stood there, letting all the familiar feelings and scents of Noh wash over him.
"Great actually. Dye is taking the lead on this one. It's going to be very interesting. I'm wondering how the fans will take it." Noh raised his head to look at Phun better.
"Hum. Tell me the plan?"
"Yeah. Let's_" Phun's phone rang and they both looked at it. Phun wanted to ignore it but Noh was already moving to it, his eagle eyes making out the name on the screen. "Khom? As in_?" He looked back to see Phun snap his fingers as he recalled something important.
"Oh yes! Answer Noh!" Noh burst into a big smile and grabbed the phone. Phun had forgotten that this guy had called the day before. Khom was a friend of Noh who had gotten into Friday College on a athletic scholarship. He was a powerful swimmer and it had taken him all the way to the Olympics. He even had a bronze and a silver medal. It had been a while since they had seen each other but when he was free and in Thailand, they would connect. Since Noh had been offline with the guys, he had gotten in touch with Phun.
As Noh sat on the bed and chatted, Phun lay next to him, taking in the conversation. He nodded when Noh looked at him with a raised brow, knowing he wanted to invite his friend over. When Noh finally put down and sprawled all over him, he tickled his side.
"Ahhhh! Stop! Ok!" Noh wiggled against Phun who chuckled before he stopped. "He's coming over for dinner ok? But he may come by earlier if only just to catch up one on one. Anyway, how was work and how did that twitter business go? Did you get jumped or was it pretty calm for twit?"
"Work is fine. Things have improved there. Some people had a lot to say but your older fans are very protective of you. They really came out to defend our relationship. You remember when Eskimo Kings even talked about me? About how they saw me backstage during the competition? Even a clip of that was circulating. So this one account was like if they saw me, why couldn't other fans right? This other account was like, none of the bands in the competition speak on me because it's not their place. I which to remain anon for a time and that is my right. No one should be demanding to see me or actively trying to out me like paparazzi. Fans have their place and that take isn't it."
Noh nodded, swept his hair back and eyed Phun. "Sooooooo_"
"I'm personally not ready yet. Like I actually considered it to just put this mess to bed but then when I consider all the things I want to do and I want to accomplish it on my own merit. This isn't a case of any of us being in the closet. It isn't like we are ashamed of each other and trying to hide. Our entire love story is up for public consumption. The only thing they haven't seen is my face. I just want to keep it that way for a little while."
Noh kissed Phun's cheek softly. "OK so I will not be further concerned about this situation. So I'm back Phun. What do you want to do?"
Phun's eyes darkened and glittered like stars. "Is this a trick question? I mean Noh..."
Noh actually laughed. Heaving up, he settled over Phun and stared down at him with a soft but sly grin. "Tell me what you need. Ok?"
"You. Slow. Can I have that? Like exactly how we are right now?" Phun looked hopeful and Noh was absolutely willing to comply.
Noh nodded and slowly eased his body down on Phun. They both sighed because while Noh had been on the phone, Phun had gotten rid of his shirt and jeans so he was matching Noh in just shorts.
With slow care, Noh ran his hands through Phun's hair as they kissed. He swiped his tongue against Phun's lips then slipped inside and slowly wrapped their tongues together before drawing Phun's into his mouth and just suckling, creating a pulling sensation Phun felt in his belly.
Phun moaned and wiggled. Noh moved one hand, gripped his side and held him still. "Want me to tie you up?" He said it in jest but Phun looked at him, black eyes considering for a moment much to Noh's shock.
"No. Just want these off. Please." He mumbled, tugging at Noh's shorts. "Just want to feel you. Nothing else but you."
Noh eased up and shimmied the both of them out of their shorts. Phun immediately became pliant. He felt open and receptive, his defenses down. Noh was always so astounded at the level of trust that required. To be so bare to a lover knowing they could hurt you. Noh would never betray this.
Their hands roamed each other as they continued kissing, relearning all the spots they hadn't touched in a couple of weeks. Noh cradled himself over Phun, rocking their bodies softly so there was gentle friction. He whispered how much he missed Phun, his scent, the feel of his skin, his touches, his smiles. He skimmed his lips over his neck and chest, lapping at his nipples and sweetly suckling them.
"Noh," Phun called his name with a sigh, his voice trembling, almost giving out.
"Don't worry." A soft kiss pressed against that quivering spot, making Phun jump. "I will take care of you. I'll do it all this time. Just let me." Noh's voice carried despite the hushed tone. Then he swooped in and took just the head of Phun in his mouth.
A choked cough came from Phun. Noh registered the sound then put his focus where it was most needed. With just the head in his mouth he sucked strongly, swiping with his tongue when he paused to breathe. He wrapped one hand around the length with a squeeze and release motion that had Phun's mind going blank before shocking him back awake when he rolled his balls gently and held them in his hands.
"No! I_ Ohhhhhh shit! Noh I'm_" Noh sucked harder, now moving down his length and taking as much of him in until he nudged the back of his throat. Noh pulled off, took a deep breath, then went back in, letting Phun down the back of his throat and swallowed.
Phun came with a sob, his mind hazy and blissed out. Noh swallowed and pulled off with a pop. He rested his head on Phun's thigh as they both took a moment to gather themselves, to take deep breaths, to feel.
Noh didn't say a word when he got up placed a towel by the pillow. Then he opened the draw and took out the lube. He also held up a condom to the watching Phun who contemplated then shook his head. They really only used them to prevent messy spots but there were times when they really just wanted to feel each other and this was one of those times for Phun.
With care, Noh circled Phun's hole and slipped a finger inside. He crooked it, nudging at Phun's button, listening as the moans started. He slipped in another finger and started working the muscle, stretching it to take another finger while he continued to nudge that spot.
Noh's name came out as a sob as Phun felt the sensations build. He felt a little burn as Noh slipped in another finger but he was expecting it. It had been a while for them like this. Besides, the pain was very little and the pleasure was 100 times better. Phun was very intimate with those feelings.
Noh took his time stretching Phun, making sure he was ready. With the greatest of care, he lifted one of Phun's legs over his shoulder, lined up and pushed in. They both sighed as he smoothly slid in. Phun wiggled a bit then stilled, took a deep breathe then called Noh's name with clear command.
Noh smiled and slid out, took aim and fired at Phun's inner pleasure spots without mercy. He concentrated solely on Phun, on the way he moaned, shifted to meet his strokes, on the way his walls squeezed and milked him.
At some point they locked eyes and were lost in each other, the only sounds coming from their colliding bodies, moving now in complete sync.
Noh felt it first, that sensation in the pit of his stomach. He hummed, taking Phun in hand and stroking him, bringing him closer to the edge. Yet their eyes never left each other, and when Noh started moving faster, his thrusts sharper, Phun already knew and moved his leg, wrapped them both around Noh to pull him closer.
Hovering, he kissed as much of Phun as he could reach before concentrating again, bringing them both to the edge. They danced on the precipice, their hearts in their eyes before Noh tipped them over in a long drawn out orgasm. It washed over them, making Phun's body shudder, his legs shaking with the effort of remaining as they were. Noh pulled out, reaching for the towel he had placed on the side of the pillow. He wiped them both up and then just lay next to Phun.
Their eyes remained locked on each other through it all and Noh could feel that Phun wasn't ready to rest just yet. He propped his head on his hand and lightly stroked Phun's chest.
"Talk to me?"
"I still need you." The words were honest and bare.
"I feel that. I missed you a lot these couple of weeks. Like I'm glad we talked very evening."
"Me too. Come closer." Noh gave in and rested half on Phun. He felt more than heard his mate sigh and smiled a little.
"Tomorrow is Sunday. I plan to sleep all day." Phun warned, or maybe gave permission. Either worked
"You going in to work Monday?" If Phun wanted to go all night he would still be limping on Monday.
"No. I will be home on Monday and Tuesday. I have work to do still but I pushed and finished most of it." Phun slipped his hands into Noh's hair and pulled him in for more long drugging kisses that got them immediately back in the mood.
"Back at it again?" Phun laughed at the tease.
"When have I ever not been horny for you? Please get back inside me." Noh sucked in a breath, his eyes wide. This was new, Phun asking like this. And it was a thing Noh had never realized he needed.
With a moan, he nudged Phun onto his side and moved behind him, slipped inside. They both sighed in blissful contentment.
"I love you Noh. Welcome home, my star." The words were whispered but not so low they couldn't be heard.
Noh kissed Phun's neck and started moving slowly. His eyes closed and he smiled softly before answering.
"I'm glad to be home Phun. I love you too."