"So what game do you have in mind, pal?" Marc asked abruptly, smirking at Drake, who didn't waste time suggesting something polemic.
"What about truth or dare?" Drake asked the group suddenly.
"No!" Both Nanon and Ohm answered at the same time. They really didn't want a reprise of what happened right after the GMMTV FanFest in Japan. Although that nasty game led to their first time, those dares were quite traumatic.
"What about Never have I ever?" Prom suggested. "It's less brutal, but still quite revealing."
"Most of you are low-key drunk. You guys wouldn't survive even a single round of Never Have I Ever." Love shook her head in disagreement.
"I second that." Milk added.
"I have a better idea. I came prepared, folks! I've brought Twister!" Lotte announced, as he took a huge mat out of his backpack lying in the sand. "No alcohol involved. All we need is the Twister mat, a spinner, a flat surface, and flexibility. It can surely guarantee us some laughs."
"Never heard of it. Care to explain the rules of the game?" Jimmy asked curiously.
"It's pretty simple. It's like putting two people against each other in a contest of contortionism. I've got this mat with 4 different colors of circles on it, you see?" Lotte explained, spreading the mat on the sand. "Players should face each other from opposite ends of the mat. Then, a referee spins a wheel to determine where a player must place their limbs. Players cannot move any limbs not specified by the referee. Whoever cannot reach one of the circles, or lets a part of their body hit the floor is the loser."
"I've played this one before, it's pretty fun." Love said ecstatic.
"We'll be falling all over each other. The girls might not be comfortable with the physical contact part. It might be a little inappropriate when we only have two female participants. "Ohm pointed out, as he glanced at the singer. Deep down, his concern wasn't mainly for the girls there, but for someone else. Nanon was the only one there aware of that. His lover's look was very easy to read, 'This is a warning, and take this warning very seriously. I do not want anyone in this group forcing you to the edge of a mat or spreading you out across it. No limb of these people shall touch your body. I am half drunk, and I'm not responsible for my actions.' Nanon couldn't help smirking at his silent message. Ohm was not just being unnecessarily possessive, he was being incredibly silly, after all, every single one of their colleagues there were straight. At least, that's what he thought.
"Exactly. Plus, Non can't play this one. He hurt his back." Jimmy reminded them, discarding that possibility.
"It's okay, P'Jimmy. I wasn't planning to join any game after all. I can just watch you guys bend and twist your bodies and laugh at your sorry faces." Nanon grinned, and for the first time that night, he sounded more relaxed around his peers. It seemed that his social interaction button was pushed at last. Ohm's jealousy reminded him why they were there. It reminded the singer that Ohm just wanted to spend some time alone with him during that weekend, and that he himself joined him in that trip to the Zero Waste Village because he knew the older needed a distraction from his problems. Abandoning a tipsy Ohm that night to deal with the antics of the BBS gang by himself wouldn't be fair of him.
"There's actually a role for my Nong here. He can be the Ref. He can be responsible for calling out the color, and instructing the participants which hand or foot to move. And for the 'uncomfortable' part that Ohm mentioned, I can be Love's opponent. We can form the girls' team, and when the guys' team has a winner, one of us will just play one round with the boys' champion as the final match." Milk suggested, and everyone seemed to agree.
"Wait, are we really going to play that? But I'm not even that flexible!" Prom protested.
"That's what will make the whole game more enjoyable!" Marc laughed at the younger's desperate face. "I'm not sure I have any chance of winning this though. I know Ohm is the flexing MVP among us."
"Are you worried about Ohm?! Don't feel so intimidated by him, he's on the boy's team after all. You should really watch out for Love and I though. At the end of this game, your team might tragically lose to the girls' team." Milk commented cheerfully, and the group cackled, not taking her too seriously.
"It's settled! Shall we start, then?" Drake asked excitedly. Everyone nodded, even Ohm. As long as no one was touching his Non, everything was fine with him.
When the game started, lots of laughs erupted from the players. Nanon, and even the lowkey drunk Ohm were suddenly grateful to have the BBS gang there. That stupid game did entertain their troubled minds. Most male players were incapable of bending and twisting like the girls. Love and Milk's match was the longest, but the boys' matches didn't last more than 15 minutes, even though they were in a larger number than the girls. Lotte almost strangled Prom when his hands had to be in different edges of the mat and the younger's neck was practically squeezed by his arms. Prom couldn't handle the pressure and soon fell on the mat. Lotte's next opponent was Drake, who quickly turned his battle mode on and made Lotte's knee touch the mat. Drake also defeated Marc and Jimmy, but his winning sequence was stopped by Ohm. Love ended up winning the girls' game, and because of that, she had to compete with Ohm, the champion of the male team, for a final match.
She didn't look uncomfortable playing against Ohm, the others were mostly hyping them up, clapping hands and cheering. But the ref was not very happy about the way the girl was practically seated on Ohm's lap. Nanon wouldn't admit it, but he hated to see them like that. They laughed at each other's poses and they seemed to be having the time of their lives whenever their limbs became more entangled. Nanon was about to break the spinner with his very hands when Love ended up falling on top of Ohm. She suddenly blacked out for good, and the whole group gasped before approaching the pair.
"Oh, geez. She gets like that when she drinks too much." Milk shook her head in frustration, not really surprised by her colleague fainting.
"Is she okay?" Ohm asked worriedly as he held the girl in his arms. Nanon almost felt bad for the Love, even though her head was occupying a place which was not hers, Ohm's chest.
"Just asleep. Don't look so worried. If she were sober, you guys would be in trouble. The victory would certainly be of the girls' team." Milk informed them nonchalantly.
"Yeah, but obviously, your teammate can't continue the match, and this can be considered a forfeit. You guys lost the game." A pleased Marc pointed out.
"The boys' team rocks! Girls are no match for us! Yay!" Prom shouted like a kid, and high-fived Lotte, who scoffed, and rolled his eyes at the too enthusiastic teenager. "Since P'Pansa is from the losing team, she's gotta face a penalty, right? Will she, perhaps, dance for us?"
"In your dreams, you little rascal." Milk scowled at him and ruffled his hair roughly. The others laughed at the boy's disappointed features.
"Ohm, would you be a gentleman and carry the sleeping beauty to her accommodations?" Drake discreetly winked at Ohm, who shook his head uneasily. He knew Nanon was the one glaring at him now, but he still stood up from the sand with Love in his arms.
"She probably could use some rest indeed. Do you need help?" Milk offered, getting up to examine the state of her friend in Ohm's arms.
"No worries. She's not heavy at all. I'll probably need someone to open the door of her room though. Non, wanna come with me?" Ohm turned to the singer abruptly, and gave him another loaded look. 'You can follow me, if you don't trust me.'
Nanon was taken aback, but before he could answer him, the teenager of the group let out an inconvenient joke.
"The two of you? Phi, look at her state. She can't handle a threesome at this point." Prom chuckled, but no one laughed. Ohm and Nanon gave him a murderous look. Drake self-palmed his face, a wide-eyed Milk was beyond disgusted, both Marc and Lotte had a huge frown on their faces, but it was the oldest of them who scolded the teenager.
"Hey, have some respect, punk. All Ohm is gonna do is put his Nong to bed. Don't be dirty-minded." Jimmy called him out and slapped the boy's nape.
"Kid, one of these days, your mouth is gonna be the end of you." Marc told the kid in a dry tone. "You'd better watch out, you don't want to be the next cancelled actor of GMMTV." he added, and glanced at Ohm, "no offense, buddy."
"No offense taken." Ohm spoke sourly, and then turned to Prom. "Theepakorn Kwanboon, don't expect me to go easy on you because you're the youngest here. Tomorrow morning, when your Phi is awake, you're gonna apologize to her, you hear me?"
"Sorry, Phis. I didn't really mean it, it was just a joke." Prom eyed him with fear in his eyes.
"That's just an excuse. Bad jokes can shatter people's lives. Trust me, I know what it's like." Ohm stated and walked away from the group with Love in his arms. Milk gave the kid on last look of disapproval, and followed Ohm inside the hostel with the key of the room she shared with Love.
"Well, this gathering is ruined. Thanks to you, kid!" Drake announced, throwing a handful of sand at Prom's direction. "Don't say everything that comes to your mind without filtering its content first. You can be smarter than that." He added, and also returned to the hostel.
"You should go back to Bangkok earlier." Lotte suggested, before putting the Twister mat and spinner back into his backpack. "We came here to cheer up our friend. But you did exactly the contrary. You insulted both Ohm and Nanon by insinuating that they would do what? Sexually assault their unconscious female colleague? How sick is that? Imagine if you said shit like this around the wrong people! Geez,, you should go away before Ohm comes back to beat the shit out of you. I bet he would have done it if he wasn't carrying Love in his arms-"
"P'Lotte, let me talk to him, will you? I'll make him understand why he did wrong, and why he shouldn't do it again." Nanon finally broke his silence and gave Jimmy, Marc and Lotte a reassuring look. "You guys must be tired from your trip, let me handle this."
The trio nodded and agreed to let Nanon counsel the kid. They said their good-byes and went back to the hostel, leaving the two alone.
"Phi, I'm so sorry!" Prom said in a crying voice. "I just wanted to make everyone laugh, but I know I went too far-"
"Shut up!" Nanon spat, and the kid just nodded. "Your parents should've done a better job with you. You're not a child, and I don't plan to treat you like one. I'm not gonna give you a sermon here. I don't have time for that. You shouldn't be drinking, or acting like a shameless piece of shit, and most of all, you shouldn't have brought everybody here. You do deserve a few slaps, but I'm not gonna give you any."
"You're not?" Prom seemed alarmed, as he thought of the worst. "You're gonna let P'Ohm beat me up, then?"
"Don't be stupid. He's not going to lay a hand on you. He's incapable of hurting a fly in the current state he's in. Count yourself lucky." Nanon said impatiently. "Now listen to me very carefully." He stared hard at him, and the boy gulped. "How well do you know this hacker guy who is helping me find the person who's behind those tweets?"
"He was a classmate of mine, more like a childhood friend. Since very young he was able to do all kinds of things with a computer and internet connection. We still hang out, and-"
"Is he trustable?" Nanon cut him off.
"Yeah. Why?" The boy looked confused.
"I don't just want him to find out who is doing this shit, I want him to give these people a taste of their own venom."
"But P'Ohm told us to stop-"
"Ohm is not thinking straight. He believes he deserves everything that's happening to him. That's just his guilt talking. I've gotta look after him, since he's unable to do it by himself." Nanon told himself that maybe, in Ohm's case, the best form of defence should be a good offense. He felt that he needed to do something fast about that situation. The way his boyfriend sounded hopelessly broken when he said earlier that bad jokes could shatter people's lives, crushed his heart. He couldn't stand seeing Ohm so dispirited, and he felt entitled to end his lover's misery. He thought that by being proactive rather than passive, was the key. Waiting for people to just get tired of badmouthing Ohm wasn't acceptable. If the company wasn't doing anything to stop those cyberbullies, he was going to take matters in his own hands.
"What do you mean by 'it's just his guilt talking'? Prom was puzzled. Nanon sighed.
"Go to bed, Prom. It's late, and you've gotta leave tomorrow morning. You and all the others. I don't know how you're gonna convince them to go back to Bangkok with you, but you must. Ohm and I came here to have some peace of mind. This whole gathering idea was a mistake. I know that Drake and the others meant well, but Ohm doesn't want his peers' pity, he doesn't need people around him telling him how sorry is the fact that he's being cancelled. He needs someone who can fight for him when he's unable to. He needs someone who can lend him some strength, and who will tell him that his career will survive this goddamn turbulence." Nanon said confidently, as he stood up, took a deep breath and decided that it was time to go looking for his boyfriend. "Now go to your room, and start packing, kid."
"What happens when P'Ohm finds out that you're fighting his battles for him behind his back?" Prom asked before Nanon walked into the hostel.
"He will thank me for being a good friend." The singer replied shortly, and went back to his room. To his dismal, his lover wasn't there, and Nanon even imagined for a second that he had decided to go back to the city, but a little note left on a pillow made him feel more relieved.
'I'm sleeping in one of the backyard hammocks tonight. The starry sky looks beautiful, but none of these tiny sparkling lights glued to the dark horizon are as shiny as your cinnamon eyes. Sorry for hurting your back. I promise the bed is all yours until tomorrow morning, so enjoy it. I told our friends a white lie. I told them that Drake and Jimmy were recognized in the common room, and within a few hours this place would be probably packed with fans. All of them are preparing to leave first thing in the morning. Soon it will be just the two of us again. You can thank me later. Good night, Non.' :*
~~~~~~~
"Hey, shouldn't you be asleep? Do you have insomnia? Are you okay? Does your back hurt?" Ohm looked worried suddenly, as he noticed a barefoot singer wrapped in a few blankets walking in his direction. He quickly hid underneath him a tiny notebook and pen he had in his hand as his lover approached. He didn't want the singer to find out that he was already working on their song. That was supposed to be a surprise for a less tempestuous day.
"I'm fine. I just thought you would feel cold." Nanon stopped on his trails and stood a few feet away from the hammock, wondering if he should come closer. He didn't know if Ohm was still hurt by what he said to him at the beach, so he decided not to be careless this time.
"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern though." Ohm smiled in relief. He signalled him to come closer, and even patted a spot beside him on the hammock, offering him a seat there.
"How's Love?" Nanon asked casually, before he sat next to Ohm's legs, just to face him directly.
"She's fine, I guess. Pansa is looking after her." Ohm replied in the same casual tone. "What about Prom? The others told me how you decided to lecture him about how to avoid sexist behaviors, misogynist discourse and harmful male chauvinistic beliefs." He chuckled, and raked a hand through his hair. Nanon was mesmerized by that simple action. Ohm didn't look relaxed like that in a while, and Nanon liked to see him smile, even though he knew that alcohol played a part on that almost serene mood of his.
"I wasn't that hard on him." Nanon said, unwilling to tell his boyfriend that the subject he discussed with the teenager had nothing to do with any of those topics. "But I also told him to leave first thing in the morning and convince all the others to do the same. I guess great minds think alike." He added with a grin.
"So, you found my note." Ohm sounded a little uneasy then.
"Pretty hard to miss." Nanon chewed on his bottom lip, as he spread the blanket wrapped around his body on both of them. He imagined that perhaps, it was time for their deep talk.
"Look, I'm really sorry for hurting your back-"
"Hey, it was just a couple of scratches. It doesn't hurt anymore. You didn't do anything without my consent. You don't have to always be gentle with me. I'm a man too, you know? I'm not some chick made of glass, and I don't mind when you get a bit rough sometimes." Nanon muttered, blushing a little. Ohm smirked and decided to tease him.
"Non, if I knew you had this kind of kink, I would've banged you against every tree I could find in Bangkok-"
"Stop it, you asshole!" Nanon cut him off and slapped his leg, as his ears turned crimson red. "You lost a great opportunity of taking me tonight and you are the one making fun of me?" Nanon shook his head in frustration.
"If Pawat junior had gotten anywhere near inside you, it would have wrecked you behind that old bungalow, and it would refuse to leave you for a while. It would have taken hours for me to take it out of you, and Drake would have caught us in the act." Ohm said playfully, enjoying the multiple layers of growing embarrassment on his lover's exotic features.
"You talk as if it had a mind of its own. Like an uncontrollable beast that takes over you." Nanon looked away, avoiding the shameless look the older was giving him.
"My love for you has a mind of its own. Your well-being is still my priority. That's why only my fingers were allowed inside you tonight." Ohm winked at him. Nanon gulped. The older's words made him have a flashback of the movements those digits made in his core, and he automatically felt too warm underneath those blankets. He needed to change the direction of that conversation fast.
"I didn't feel jealous when you carried Love in your arms earlier, you know. I trust you." Nanon said out of the blue.
"Liar." Ohm chuckled and gave him a knowing look. "Let's face it, baby, we're both territorial. I wasn't happy when Milk held your hand, and brought you back to the circle just to sit beside her. The fact that you obliged, and acted too comfortable beside her didn't help appease my annoyance."
"She's not into me, Ohm. And I'm definitely not into her." The singer assured the older and reached for his hand under the blanket. "I'm solely into you, remember?" He added with a sweet smile as he entwined their fingers.
"So, if Love, or any other girl did invite us for a threesome you wouldn't be up for it?" Ohm asked in a serious tone. Nanon frowned.
"What?!" The singer narrowed his eyes, and disentangled his hand from his. Ohm inhaled.
"You still like girls, don't you?"
"I like you!" Nanon exclaimed, as he blinked repetitively, trying hard to understand why that question suddenly popped up. It scared him that Ohm kept giving him hints that he wanted to open their relationship and be with other people. "I love you. What's the matter with you? Stop asking nonsensical-"
"But you dated girls before. That means you're bi like me, so you might start missing being with girls-"
"Do you want to be with a girl?" Nanon cut him off abruptly, looking genuinely irritated now.
"No! I never said that." Ohm shook his head emphatically.
"Why the hell are you trying to make me fee insecure then?" A distraught Nanon swallowed. "What is it? Am I not enough anymore?"
"Hey, Non!" Ohm's reprimanding tone wasn't very convincing. "Don't you ever think you're not enough for me. You're my everything and nothing is gonna change that. There's no need for you to feel insecure. I just want to make sure we're on the same page here." Ohm insisted, as he tried to reach for his hand more than once but Nanon brushed his fingers away.
"I told you I'm monogamous, like really monogamous, but you still don't get it-"
"Okay, okay, no girls. What about other guys?" Ohm pushed, making the singer gasp. Nanon felt like crying and screaming at the same time.
"Ohm, you're fucking worrying me, you know? I know what you're going through, but if you keep saying shit like that I'm gonna drop your ass for real." Nanon wondered if that was some sort of bad joke. He couldn't stand those questions, and he suddenly didn't want to share that hammock with Ohm anymore. If the older hadn't gripped his arm and pulled him back to him, Nanon would've returned to his room without looking back.
"Babe, just chill." The older managed to bring Nanon back to the hammock, making him lie on top of him. The singer didn't resist him, but Ohm could feel the tension emanating from his body as it collided with his. "Please, don't be like this. I didn't mean to make you angry. We're just having a conversation here. It's normal for couples to discuss stuff like that. Please stay." He added as he wrapped one arm around his waist and used his other hand to massage his scalp. Nanon slowly relaxed, burying his nose further in the crook of his neck. Ohm's familiar scent and strong hold calmed his heart a little.
"Just don't mention this stuff again, I beg of you. I can't bear the thought of you with somebody else." He squeezed Ohm's shirt in his fingers and snuggled around him.
"Sorry. I guess I'm the one being insecure here. Maybe I am the one who's not enough? I can't help having these thoughts sometimes. Should I be worried about the girls or the guys around you? At least I know for a fact you've been with girls. I remember how depressed you got after a certain girl broke your heart. You had a couple of break ups before her, but that one was different. I wondered what that girl had to wreck you like that. I guess I always envied her. Man, I know you liked her for real. You told me about her multiple times, you cried on my shoulder...I guess I'm just terrified of being just a phase of yours. I'm the only guy you've ever-"
"You're not a phase, Ohm. You are enough. Don't fool yourself into thinking the contrary. Whatever relationship I had before you doesn't even come close to what we have now. Our situation is more complex and far more painful than anything I've ever experienced in my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Nanon spoke firmly against his chest. "Labels are pointless. We're past these kinds of concerns. I don't know if I'm gay, or bi, or whatever. All I can guarantee you is that you're the one I want. You don't have to envy anyone from my past. You're the one I love now, and forever." A determined Nanon finished his speech and placed a peck on his boyfriend's collarbone.
"Okay then. I believe you." Ohm whispered. "And I'm sorry our relationship is the most painful thing you've ever experienced in your life." He added, somewhat resigned.
"It's the most fulfilling too. Don't take it the wrong way. Sometimes, there's a kind of pain that feels good. It hurts to love you this much, but I don't want to stop loving you because of it. It's hard to explain...My life could be easier if I still saw you as a friend, but I'm glad I don't. It felt weird at first, when I realized that my happiness depended on yours, but I made peace with my heart and mind now. My soul wants what it wants. You're my better half. My delicious half." Nanon revealed bravely, as he rubbed both his hands against the older's chest and gave a little suck on one of the nipples that popped out of the loose tank top Ohm was wearing.
"Humm...Do that again and I won't be responsible for what happens in this hammock." Ohm groaned and closed his eyes, as he felt lips, tongue and teeth wet the thin fabric barely covering his torso. Nanon giggled, stroking his lover's clothed pecs with his cheek.
"Why? Is Pawat junior having a hard time down there?" Nanon asked, as one if his hands started to stroke Ohm's lower abdomen. The older grunted, and quickly stopped his hand.
"I am drunk, Non. Don't take advantage of my state in the middle of an apparently desert backyard, please." Ohm opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The singer relented, and ceased his seduction when Ohm let go of his hand.
"Sorry." He said in a tiny voice, though he wasn't really sorry.
"It's okay. I'm just afraid Pawat Junior might take charge, you know. I might lose my authority over him." Ohm confessed and nuzzled his hair. Nanon snorted, but behaved.
"Let's go to our room. Aren't you uncomfortable here?" Nanon suggested. Although it was dark, and Ohm's warmth was enough to make him feel at home in his arms, the risk of being seen with his lover in that backyard couldn't be ignored.
"Are you?"
"No." Nanon said promptly. He knew that if he mentioned anything about protecting their career, Ohm would flip.
"You don't want to take me to our room so we can have some deep talk about a subject I'm clearly not interested in discussing, right?" Ohm frowned. The singer huffed.
"Listen, I know why you didn't tell me about the Laneige issue, and I know why you didn't like the fact that I asked Prom for help." Nanon blurted out. Ohm exhaled tiredly.
"So?"
"I just think that since we're together, we could share our burdens with each other. You don't have to spare me from-"
"You would've done the same, Non." The older cut him off gently. "You would have kept me in the dark in order to protect me too, and you would've carried your burden all by yourself. You were being harassed and blackmailed for months, before you finally told me what was going on, remember?" Ohm was forced to bring up that unsavory topic, even though he didn't want to.
"That was different!" Nanon protested as he lifted his head a little just to meet his lover's eyes. "You know it was. I didn't have a choice."
Ohm felt Nanon's breathing accelerate a little bit. The singer's eyes darkened, and somehow, his expression became slightly agitated. Ohm immediately regretted mentioning those nightmarish days, and redirected the course of that conversation to himself.
"Have you ever thought that maybe I deserve everything that's happening to me? Aren't you curious to know about my delinquent past? Since I am drunk, why don't you ask me about the kids I tormented in middle school?" Ohm stared into his eyes, ready to confess whatever Nanon asked of him. "Wouldn't you like to hear about the disabled one?"
"If you don't want to talk about it, I told you we don't have to." Nanon assured him.
"But I should. I've gotta stop being a chicken shit, right?" Ohm raised an eyebrow at him. Nanon shook his head.
"I didn't mean what I said back there, I was-"
Before Nanon could apologize again, Ohm brought a finger to his lips in order to silence him. The singer went mute and just gazed at him as he started pouring his heart out.