Can isn't sure how long he's been sitting on a covered toilet inside a locked cubicle in a random comfort room when he suddenly hears his cousin calling him.
"Can? Are you here?"
"Tar, I'm here."
Can immediately unlocks the door and goes outside. He sees Tar with an amused look directed at him while holding his extra shirt. Can reaches out for the extra shirt but Tar pulls it away from him before Can could even get a hold of it.
"You sneaky little shit, why didn't you tell me the ice prince is after you?"
Can raises his eyebrow and snorts. "The what now?"
"The ice prince."
"Speak human why don't you-Tar, can you give me that shirt already, I feel dirty." Can pulls the extra shirt from Tar's hand and removes his own stained uniform then he wears Tar's extra shirt.
Good thing it's a loose shirt, Can's not really pleased with fitted shirts. Can stands in front of the mirror and begins to fix his appearance when Tar begins to explain to him who the 'Ice Prince' is.
"Tin. The Ice Prince, duh. I've heard what happened at the cafeteria. How the hell did you know him? I thought I'm the only one you know here."
"Well, I now know Pete and about Tin, I literally just met him yesterday-" Can stops fixing his hair and faces his cousin with a cringe on his face. "And really, Ice Prince? He calls himself that?"
"Well yeah- I mean not him but the school gave him that because he has this poker face hence, the title."
Can wants to snort. Really, he should have expected that of course, Tin has that kind of nickname, that guy's literally living in a teen fiction novel.
"Don't tell me his friends have too?"
"Yep. Actually, he and his friends are called The Royal 5-"
"What?" This time, Can does snort and laugh. Who calls themselves that name? It's like being in a 90's band with a bad name.
"It's not funny Can, everyone respects them, well, not everyone because you're here now. Anyway, so about the Royal 5-Stop laughing Can!" Tar rolls his eyes at him when Can continues laughing.
"I can't help it. It sounds stupid to me."
"Anyway, the Royal 5, they are literally the Princes here. Pond's the Pervert Prince, Ae's that Gentleman Prince, Tum's the Talented Prince and Kengkla's the Rich Prince and Tin is the Ice Prince. Basically, it just depicts their personalities."
"So Tin's like Elsa?"
Tar rolls his eyes at Can's analogy. "He can be Jack Frost."
"They let the people call them those names? It sounds stupid, really stupid. Whoever thinks of that must still be stuck in grade school."
"Yeah. Tum also likes to think so."
"Wait, you know Tum?"
Tar nods and raises his eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You know him too?"
"Yeah. I met him earlier at the rooftop." Something dawns on Can. "Is it just me but why does it feel like I'm suddenly meeting all the important people here? My initial plan was to blend in with everyone and now I'm all here, again, creating another chaos. It's like I'm luring all the dangers to me."
Tar gives him a sympathetic smile and hugs him. "Everything will be okay, don't you worry. What happened from your former school won't happen here if that's what you're worried about."
"I can't help it. I don't want to be the school's most hated villain again."
"I'm here now Can. I'll make sure it won't happen again, okay?"
Can nods. "Thank you."
"Welcome."
Can raises his uniform and groans when he catches sight of red stains marring his uniform. "Look at my uniform, it's stained. Mae will have my head if she knew what happened to me a while ago. I'm just starting here, she'll have me move to another school again if she knows, so please, don't tell it to her, okay?"
Tar nods and leads him out of the comfort room. "By the way, the rumor of you and Tin being together is circulating around so beware of his fangirls here."
Can stops walking and looks at Tar incredulously. "He also has fans here?" Can imagines Tin's fangirls holding led boards and light sticks. "Why does it feel like his life is looking more of a novel?"
"It is a novel. Take care of yourself, okay? His fangirls are rabid."
"Ugh what did I say about danger? Well, at least you're here beside me."
Tar tilts his head. "What do you mean?"
"You said you're going to protect me."
"Yeah, but not from his fangirls."
"You shit."
/
"Tin had a boner!"
Is what welcomes Tum as soon as he steps inside Tin's room or what they call their 'headquarters'. It's Pond who says that.
Tum looks at Tin and finds him sulking and lying on his bed. He is staring at the ceiling while scowling with an aura of great sadness emitting from him.
"Can you stop saying it out loud?" Tin grumbles at Pond who just smirks at Tin in return.
"What? But it's the truth. Tin had a boner! Tin had a boner!"
Pond shouts continuously as he runs around Tin's room, both his hands are raised and he's stupidly dancing. They all begin to laugh except for Tin who throws Pond a pillow.
"Shut it! It's not funny!"
"It is funny because it's the first time this happens so are you looking like a cat murdered your fish? Shouldn't you be celebrating?" Tum asks and sits beside Kengkla.
"That's what I told him too. We were all guessing that maybe he's asexual or impotent. Tin, you should be happy your dick's still working." Kengkla.
Tin rolls his eyes and finally sits up from his bed. "Happy? I had already told you why I'm not happy."
"Why?" Tum asks.
"Because it's that Can who's the reason. Next time, can you not be late Tum? I don't want to repeat my stories again."
Tum laughs when Tin begins sulking again. "Can? That guy who embarrassed you made little Tin stood up after a decade? So, does that mean you want him, or you want to fuck him?"
Tin glares at him. "No. I don't want him! Never!"
From outside Tin's room, they heard Pete shouting. "Shut the fuck up Tin!"
"I still can't believe Pete curses like a sailor. He looks so innocent to me." Ae.
Everyone ignores Ae.
"I can smell a great denial from you Tin. Look, dude, you had a boner because of him, just admit that you want him or that you're attracted to him." Tum.
"I'm not. I hate that guy. Maybe it's because our distance is near."
"Dude, you have had girls with big tits literally squashing your face but not once did your dick make them feel like you wanted them," Kengkla interjects.
"Because they're forcing themselves on me."
"Or maybe because you're attracted to Can and you're just denying it because he's the very first one not to swoon because you're both rich and handsome. He's not one of your fangirls who worship every path you walk, isn't that what you want?" Tum
"I hate Can, that's it. There's nothing more to it and until I get my revenge on him, I won't leave him be."
Ae sighs. "Can we just stop this discussion? I had enough of Tin whining how Can should leave him be when it's him who always seeks Can's attention. I just want to drink."
"We should and we shall call this Tin had a boner and surprisingly he's not an impotent day." Pond teases.
"Or, Tin is gay day," Kengkla adds.
"I'm not gay."
"Right. Because having an erection over a guy is not gay."
"Can you stop reminding me of what happened?!"
"Of course Tin, we're not going to remind you again that you had an erection because of Can."
"Fuck you, Pond."
"Or you meant fuck Can?"
"Shut up!"
/
When Tar tells Can of Tin's fangirls at the school, he doesn't imagine that it's this big. Or, this serious.
Can decides to check the link his cousin sends him before he's about to sleep, it's a link to a picture of Tin hovering above him posted on the school's forum. Reading the comments, Can realizes that he's on his way to be the school's most hated person. Again.
Can groans when he sees a comment of a student, obviously Tin's fangirl, of publicly voicing out her despisement over Can. The girl even has the audacity to call him a slut because Can 'stole' Tin from them.
Can also groans and snorts when he sees comments of some people's 'shipping' them because they look so cute together. Him and Tin? Really though? Tin? The very same Tin who has jars of slimes in his closet and literally plans to recreate Carrie on him but fails? With him? No. Can can't see it happening. Not now. Never.
Honestly? Can people get a life already? Don't they have businesses on their own?
Suddenly, Can feels like drinking. Reading the comments make him dizzy, he feels so stressed.
Can pulls out his phone from his desk and texts his cousin to meet him on the bar a few blocks away from their school. His cousin immediately replies 'Yes' and tells him to meet him there.
/
A quarter before 7 at night, Can meets his cousin at a convenience store two blocks away from the bar.
"Hey, why the sudden want to drink?"
"The link you sent me, I read the comments. Made me stressed, now I'm here."
They both walk towards the bar and as soon as they step inside the dimly lit bar, Can sighs at the prospect of drinking away his problems. Tar excuses himself and walks to the comfort room.
Can's about to grab something, a beer perhaps from the counter when he hears someone calling his name from behind him.
"Can? Is it really you?"
Can immediately freezes from his spot. That voice. He knows that voice all too well. All the memories he tries burying punches him square in the face. He's suddenly washed with the feelings he's been through, he bites his lower lip to stop himself from crying.
Can schools his facial expression and slowly turns to face the person.
Can tries smiling. "Hey!"
The man smiles back. He still looks the same. The man who caused him to move to another school. "You're alone here?"
"No, not really."
"What do you mean not really?"
"I'm waiting for someone."
Thinking of a reason, he roams his eyes around. Tar's still not back from the comfort room. From the corner of his eye, he sees Tin drinking on one of the tables, he's alone. Can's eyes almost bulge out. Honestly? Even here, he's no escaped from Tin... and worse, from this guy? Can he be peaceful just for once?
"Who?"
Can looks back at the guy and before he can stop himself, he blurts out, "Actually, there's my boyfriend already."
Shit. Really. His mouth really has a life on its own.
"Boyfriend?"
"Yeah. He's there. Right at that table."
"That guy drinking alone? Are you saying the truth Can or you just want to be away from me?"
Good eye, Sherlock.
"He's really my boyfriend."
The man rolls his eyes. "I bet he doesn't even know you."
"Of course he does."
Can walks near Tin then sits beside him. Tin suddenly glares at him and is about to shout at him probably to shoo him away when Can holds his arm and with a gritted teeth, he subtly tells Tin, "Just agree with whatever I have to say. I'll explain it to you later."
Tin wants to argue but he's cut off when a man tilts his head at Can and questions with a snort, "This is your boyfriend? Honestly Can, what a downgrade."
Tin clenches his teeth, Can guesses he's offended.
"Yeah. I am his boyfriend, what is it to you? And for the record, I can be the best boyfriend if I wanted to be."
The man snorts. Can wants to snort too. "So this is your type? Someone as immature as him. Great pick."
"Leave my boyfriend alone asshole!" Tin grumbles.
"Can, if you suddenly want to drop this kid, you know where to find me."
"Stop calling me kid!"
"You're a kid to me."
The man leaves them. Tin pulls himself away from Can and glares at him again. "Explain everything to me what the fuck just happened."
Can gulps. He has a lot of explaining to do and the embarrassing reason why he suddenly has to move school will be all out in the public and it's his enemy who will know it first. Great. Can, at this moment, believes it's his life is the novel. Not Tin's.
//