In the present...
Pang screeched when she saw Noh and flung herself in his arms. Noh laughed and spun her around as Pop greeted the family.
A susurration swept over the arrival gate as people recognized Noh and started pointing and whispering. Noh ignored them and greeted Pop with the bro hug. Ohm stepped up and greeted them both too then waved when he saw Dye walking out of the gate.
Dye grinned and waved back then hurried towards them. He had gone home then decided he didn't want to stay because his parents had way too many events planned. Noh had laughed and Phun had invited him to come because the cabin had room. Dye had shelled out money and booked his flight online as they spoke.
Dye greeted Phun and his sister then they all went in separate vans and went their separate ways... wink wink. Noh's parents were already in his car so they set off to the cabin with Noh driving. The moment he saw Noh behind the wheel, Dye buckled up. Ohm saw him and laughed but he was buckled up tightly too.
"Where's Mick?"
"He couldn't come. His mom has plans so I have to live without him for a week. I wasn't going to come either but I'll be home alone and Noh took pity on me."
"Who is Mick?" Noh's dad asked.
Ohm turned and looked at him with a dangerous smile. "My lover."
"Oh." Was all he said and looked back out the window.
"He's doing the management program at our school so he's currently our temporary manager. It was his hard work on exposure for us that helped us get so many votes for the Battle. He did an outstanding job and booked us way more gigs than we would have normally gotten. He really went above and beyond what needed to be done. By the way, grades or in." Dye said. He was well aware or the shaky relationship between Noh and his father and was always trying to smooth things over when he was there.
The moment Noh saw a clear bit of road his foot went heavy on the gas and the vehicle shot forward and took off. His mother shook her head and looked at her husband. Noh hadn't taken his driving skills very far. He snorted but he didn't look away from the window.
"I checked mine already. Only one B. Ohm did you add that class you need to take?"
"Yes mother and keep your eyes on the road. Shit."
Noh laughed and passed Phun who only shook his head. He had quickly found out, Noh drove like a lunatic when he had an open stretch of road.
"Anyway. I have 2 Bs but I'm ok with that. I never did complete that assignment for Beramin. He wouldn't give me extra time so I did what I could."
"I didn't have that class."
"No. That's why I didn't sign up for that other class that time. I can't handle both Kotch and Bera. Shit! What the fuck is wrong with you? Drive like a normal person!"
"Why? That's boring."
"If the fans could only see this side of you. Stupid fucker. Oh, sorry Aunty."
"Hummm. So if you only have one B, what are your other grades?" She asked.
"A's of course. Your son is a pretty ok student Ma. Don't let past situations fool you."
"Past situations?" She asked innocently. "Whatever do you mean my son?"
Noh snorted and swerved around a minivan with an elderly couple inside. Ohm glanced at them and made a face. He looked at Noh again and shook his head. This guy was going to give him constipation.
"By the way Dye. Did you get the stuff we sent you?"
"We? I only got from you Noh."
"Ohm didn't I tell you to send those class notes to Dye?"
"Didn't I tell you to watch the fucking road?! Let me drive for shit's sake! Just... Shit! Why are you trying to scare me? I hate you!"
Noh laughed as Ohm raged and swerved around a corner as he laid on the horn. Ohm bared his teeth and smacked Noh, forgetting that Noh wasn't above taking his hands off the wheel and smacking him back which is exactly what he did.
"Did you just let go of the wheel?" Ohm gasped out, his face slack with shock thought he shouldn't be. He knew his friend best.
"You smacked me you asshole. Why are we friends again?"
"I don't have a fucking clue but that can change very quickly." Ohm threatened.
Noh bared his teeth at Ohm and drifted into another lane. He turned in time and quickly swerved back or he would have side swiped an incoming car.
"Noh." Was all his mother said and there was silence for the rest of the trip as they all settled down and behaved. Noh even slowed down and kept his eye on the road.
They made it to the cabin in relative silence and everyone could only stare at its opulence.
"This isn't a cabin. This is a mansion." Eve said in shock.
"Actually it's a bunch of mini-cabins connected together by an inside pathway with an outside eating area in the middle. It's pretty awesome. Pang sent me a video a couple of years ago."
"I see. Well then lets... Oh, here they are. Thank goodness." Eve felt strangely uncomfortable in the face of the grand structure. She had always wanted one so she had a rough estimate of the cost of the cabin and it was more money than she had even owned in her entire life.
"You drive like a lunatic Noh! I want to be in your car on the ride home!" Pang practically screamed as she rushed out. "Let's go Pop. I'll show you our room."
Pop waved with a bemused face as Pang hauled him away. Phun only shook his head and sighed.
"That girl needs a sedative. Seriously. Come on. I'll show you guys where you will be staying."
They all followed Phun who dropped of Noh's parents in a spacious room with a gorgeous sitting area and led Ohm and Dye off to the two room apartment.
"Oh this is perfect because Mick is coming for work reasons tomorrow so he can stay here with Ohm."
"He's coming with his parents you ass." Ohm shot back.
"Oh? Well then never mind. We have space for him and his family right?"
"There are 12 rooms here Noh and we're only using six of them."
"Six? I thought Pop was with Pang?" Noh looked at Phun with a squint. Pang had spoken to her parents and asked that she share a room with Pop. They had given the OK because Pop had already come to them and told them that he intended to marry Pang in the future and he wasn't going to change his mind. They were pretty much engaged and she didn't even know.
"I thought you should have your own room."
"What? Why?" Ohm and Dye glanced at each other then went into their room and shut the door. Noh didn't even notice he was so annoyed.
"Because I want your dad to be comfortable. I don't want there to be issues on this trip." Phun heard himself speak and even though he knew how insecure he sounded, he couldn't seem to help himself.
"Well you have an issue right here. What the fuck are you thinking? I already said I was sleeping with you." Noh poked Phun in the chest.
Phun blinked at Noh in shock.
"What did he say?" He demanded. Why did the man have to make him feel so self-conscious without even trying?
"Nothing. He asked and he got an answer. If he didn't want to hear it then he shouldn't have asked. Listen Phun. We survived my dad. If we break up now, it's not because of him. So take me to your room already cause I'm tired. Driving makes me sleepy."
Phun nodded slowly and took Noh's hand. He led him to his room, still pondering the situation. He knew where all of this was coming from really. Noh didn't know about this but Phun and Gun had had an encounter that had rocked Phun to his core...
Just over three years ago...
Phun stared at his phone and couldn't shake a bad feeling. Yesterday, Noh and himself had come out to their parents by force. It hadn't been great but it hadn't been terrible either. Pretty much everything Noh had predicted about his father had come to pass.
Noh had called him on the special phone. The one Phun had bought and kept for this day. He had given it to Noh so that they would be able to stay in touch because Noh said his dad would take his phone and computer. The rules of the phone were clear. When Noh was home, Phun would just have to wait for Noh to contact him. It was going to be horrible but Phun would have to endure.
Still, the pain in Noh's voice just now was already shredding at him and he couldn't stop the impulse to check on him. He grabbed the car keys and snuck out. He didn't actually expect to see Noh but he couldn't help the need in him to check and make sure everything was ok.
He parked a short way before the house and listened. There was no loud shouting or anything like that and he was relieved. Noh's house was as open and airy as ever when he got out of the car and strolled quickly by. If there had been fighting he would have heard... Right?
Inside Noh had gone to his mom. She was on her veranda and he knew she was crying so he walked up and gave her a back hug.
"Ah Noh." She said softly and held on to his arms. "This had been a trying day."
"I'm sorry Ma."
"Not your fault. This world is different now. I had friends like you who liked the same sex and that was ok because they did it quietly. This world now is all about everyone being equal. Still that will not happen without acceptance. Your father has had dreams for you and they were good dreams but he forgot that you are your own person and at the end of the day, you have to live the life that makes you happy. I would rather you be happy in your failures than miserable in your successes. Within reason of course."
Noh chuckled. "Of course Ma. I will succeed thought. I have a lot to prove now. I'll make the best band I can make and we will sing and play our way to the top. The top that never has a ceiling."
"That's right baby. Don't worry about your father ok. He will come around one day. Just focus on yourself and what you need to do. Got it?"
"Yeah Ma. I got it."
Down in the yard, Gun watched Phun pace around his car and slipped out the side gate. He was so mad that this toot had shown up when he wasn't even supposed to come by without Gun knowing about it. Technically, he was in the street. He wasn't even in front of the house. But he was in Ekamai and that was a no.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
Phun visibly started and turned to face Gun. He remembered the man's demeanour from yesterday and knew he couldn't show fear. This man was a fire plug and he would feed off any sign of weakness.
"I was trying to reach Noh. I couldn't get through."
Snort. "Noh has more important things to do. He has a lot of work now. He doesn't have time for you."
"Noh always has a lot of work to do. So do I and yet we still had time for each other." Phun pointed out. He watched Gun grit his teeth and step closer. Phun waited for what he had to say next.
"Listen. I'm never going to accept this or you. I'm not one of those people. I know my son and you are nothing but a moment in his present that wouldn't make it into his future. He'll come around and when he does I can wipe the smear of your taint from this family's history."
"And what if this isn't just a passing phase? What if this is the future? Will you accept it then?" Phun demanded. His heart was beating so hard in his chest and his eyes were burning though he didn't feel any tears.
"Never! You will never mean anything to me. I can never accept you. So leave. Stop pushing yourself on my family. Stop trying to make yourself important here. You are not welcome."
In the present...
Noh shook his head. "Why did you never tell me about this Phun? Why have you been holding this?"
"Because I hate to admit that he got to me. He got under my skin. He really sowed the seeds of unhappiness in me. It was you on Monday who made me feel at peace again with your smile."
"Er er er." Noh blushed and looked at the bed. "So are you feeling better now that you got that off your chest? Want to lie down with me?"
"Yeh. For a little bit. I'm tired." Phun muttered, suddenly very tired and drained.
Noh pulled Phun onto the bed with him and wrapped his arm around Phun. They were still carrying a lot of baggage from that time. Maybe this was a good time to have a purge. He would find a way to get Phun and his dad alone with him and have a talk. To do that he needed his mother's help.
A soft snore interrupted his thought and Noh looked down. Phun was sleeping with a crease between his brows. He pressed his lips against it and felt Phun slowly relax.
Yes. He definitely needed to work on that talk.