The next morning, Beam awoke to the sunlight from Forth's window shining on his face. He frowned and covered his eyes from the sun then sat up and stretched. He looked around the room remembering last night. That was a night that he would never forget. Forth had been so considerate of him throughout the entire time and Beam was so grateful. While there had been some moments of pain, they didn't last long and Forth made sure to take it easy with him.
Beam looked back at Forth who was still sleeping and smiled. He rolled over and leaned close, propping himself up on his elbow so he could get a better view of Forth while he slept. He stared at his face, taking in all his features. Forth had a defined jawline and very smooth skin. Since he was asleep, his facial muscles relaxed and spread out more and he actually looked quite soft as opposed to his usual stoic expression.
Beam glanced at the clock and saw that he only had an hour to get ready for his first class.
"Forth." Beam called, rubbing his chest a little. "Forth."
"Mmm." Forth responded but he didn't move.
"It's time to wake up."
Forth still didn't move so Beam began to pat his chest. "Wake up, sunshine. You have class this morning too." He sat up and was about to throw the covers off when suddenly Forth rolled over and grabbed him into a big bear hug.
"Ayyyee! Ai'Forth!"
"Mmmmm." Forth grumbled. "Staayyyy."
Beam chuckled as he squirmed in Forth's arms. "We have to get up. We can't miss class."
"Just this once?" Forth asked with hope in his voice.
"Mai."
Forth groaned and buried his face in Beam's neck. He really was still tired. He felt he could have slept for at least two more hours.
"I'm gonna head back to my room and shower."
Forth finally opened his eyes at that and popped his head up to look at Beam.
"Can I join?" He asked excitedly.
"Ai'Forth!" He wiggled out of Forth's arms and slapped his shoulder.
"Is that a yes?"
"No!"
Forth poked his lip out in a pout. "Fine." He rolled over so that his back was facing Beam.
Beam stared at his back for a while before quietly grabbing the pillow he slept on. He was going to hit Forth with it but Forth was already a step ahead of him.
"Don't even think about it!" He quickly rolled over and reached up and grabbed Beam again, rolling on top of him and pinning his arms at his sides.
"Ahh, Forth!"
"You were going to attack me??"
"No! I was just making sure you didn't fall back asleep." Beam said hurriedly.
"Liar." He said as he began to tickle him.
They began to play fight until Beam called out.
"Forth, look. Your phone is ringing."
Forth stopped for a moment to glance at the night stand where his phone was resting. It was on silent so he wouldn't have heard it. But it wasn't lighting up with a phone call. Beam took the opportunity to quickly grab his pillow from before and gave Forth a strong thwack!
Forth dramatically fell off of Beam, hollering in mock pain and Beam scurried away, getting out of bed.
"You tricked me!" Forth yelled.
Beam laughed and immediately started looking to put some clothes on. They had fallen asleep naked and truth be told, Beam couldn't have felt any more comfortable. Forth had already seen everything, touched everything, and kissed everything. What else was there to hide?
Forth watched him as he looked around. Despite only living four doors down from Forth, Beam really didn't want to put on his clothes from yesterday. They were all smelly and dirty from playing basketball.
"Bottom left drawer of the dresser." Forth said. "You can put on some of my lounging clothes."
Beam went to the drawer that he mentioned and quickly found some shorts and a t-shirt. He put them on and turned to face Forth who immediately started laughing.
"My clothes make you look small." He smiled. Beam made a face at him and he went to pick up his old clothes and keys, then put on his shoes. Forth watched him silently, enjoying just looking at him. Then Beam turned to face him again.
"Wanna meet for lunch? I get out of class at one." Beam asked.
"Of course." Forth smiled. "But..."
"But what?"
"What are you gonna do about your neck?" Forth smirked. There were red and purple markings all over Beam's chest and neck. His clothes would cover up his chest, no problem. The ones higher up on his neck would be a bit difficult to hide.
Beam's eyes widened and he ran to the bathroom to examine himself in the mirror. After a short moment his voice echoed throughout the room and Forth felt guilty for laughing.
"Ai'Fooorrtthhh!! What have you done to me?"
Forth sat up in bed as Beam came sprinting back out the bathroom.
"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it."
"You couldn't help it??"
"You weren't complaining about it last night." Forth raised his eyesbrows in a challenge. And with that Beam had to shut his mouth. No, he wasn't complaining last night, but who would?
Beam sighed. That means he would have to run to the 7/11 and buy some makeup to try and cover it up. If he didn't, Kit and Phana would never let him hear the end of it.
"Whatever..." Beam grumbled then looked at Forth and squinted at him. "Don't skip class today."
"Okaaayyy." Forth faked annoyance.
"I'll see you later."
Forth nodded and Beam left. As soon as he heard the door close, he rolled over to look at the spot where Beam had slept. He already knew that last night was going to be running through his mind all day. He didn't want to go to class; he wanted to stay in bed with Beam and maybe order a pizza when they got hungry, then try for round two...you know...if Beam was up for it.
Forth shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head and at that moment his alarm started going off. He quickly turned it off and groaned. Time to get up.
****
Lunch time couldn't come fast enough. Forth stood waiting at the entrance to the canteen for Beam to arrive. They had chosen to go to the better canteen today, mostly because Forth was hoping to dodge his friends.
Beam had his shoulder bag on and shielded his eyes as he looked around trying to spot Forth. As he got closer, he saw Forth's blue engineering jersey.
"Forth!" Beam shouted to him as he jogged over. Forth looked over and immediately started smiling.
"Hey, what's up?
"I'm starving! Let's go." Beam barely stopped. He grabbed Forth's arm and pulled him inside. Beam quickly scanned the area and spotted an empty table. "Let's sit there." He pointed.
They walked over to the empty space and Beam set his bag down. Forth on the other hand, carried nothing.
"You did a good job covering those uh...bites." Forth whispered, trying not to smirk. Beam nudged him in the ribs and changed the subject.
"I'll get the food. What do you want?" Beam asked.
"Chicken pad Thai."
"Extra noodles?"
Forth looked at Beam in surprise. "You remember that?"
Beam tried to hide his embarrassment. "...yeah."
"Yes...extra noodles."
Beam nodded and walked off. Before Beam and Forth had gotten really close, they had run into each other in the canteen and had an incident where Forth had placed an order for Pad Thai before him. So, when Beam made his order – chicken pad Thai with extra chicken and peanuts – there was no more left because Forth had ordered so much extra of everything. When Beam couldn't get his order, Forth gave Beam his food instead. Needless to say, Beam never finished it all because there was so much food on the plate.
When Beam came back with the food, he was wearing a big smile on his face. He handed Forth his plate then sat down and rubbed his hands together. "Let's eat." He said excitedly.
Forth had to chuckle at Beam's childlike excitement for food. Food never failed to make him happy.
They began to eat and chat, enjoying just the two of them when Beam's eyes trailed off and he noticed Phana and Kit entering the canteen.
"What are they doing here? They don't eat at this time on Thursdays." Beam said aloud.
Forth turned to see what Beam was looking at and immediately spotted tall Phana. Kit was right next to him. They were scanning the canteen and it didn't take long for them to spot Beam and Forth. They were sitting alone at an empty table. Empty tables in a crowded canteen were easy to spot.
Forth saw Phana point and say something to Kit. Kit nodded and walked off toward the food stalls and Phana headed towards the table. Forth couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He was really enjoying his solo lunch with just him and Beam, but at least Phana and Kit weren't annoying like his friends.
"Hey Beam. Hey Forth." Phana greeted them as he took a seat.
Beam greeted him in return with a head nod. "What are you doing here? You and Kit are supposed to be in class."
"Emergency cancellation. We were only there for ten minutes when the professor got a phone call that his wife went into labor. First child." Phana set his bag next to him then really looked at Beam and Forth. "Am I intruding on a date?"
"Date? Well, no, uh."
"I wouldn't call it a date...or anything..."
"Just meeting for lunch..."
"Pad Thai, you know...my favorite..."
"And uh..."
They were both talking at the same time and Phana looked from one to the other, confused, before he finally put his hand up. "Forget I asked. Let's just eat."
Beam breathed a silent sigh of relief and looked at Forth. Forth glanced at him then looked down at his own food. Why did they have to be so nervous about this?
Kit approached the table with him and Phana's food and sat down. "What's up guys?"
They all began to eat and chat about nothing in particular. Forth and Beam had just begun to fully relax again when a loud group of people walked in the canteen. Forth's eyes grew wide and he whipped his head towards the door. Of course, it was his crew of loud friends. Oat, Lek, Gear, Mai Ding, and Duke. Chris was nowhere to be found.
"Oh God..." Forth quickly turned back around and ducked his head. Please don't see me. Please don't see me...
They scanned the canteen then walked off towards different food stalls. Forth breathed a sigh of relief then turned his attention back to the conversation. But he couldn't concentrate on it fully because his eyes kept darting around the canteen trying to make sure that his friends didn't see him. He had turned his face to listen to something Kit was saying when Oat's loud voice rang out from a few tables away.
"Forth?? Ayye Forth!" He called loudly as he waltzed right over with his food, squeezing next to Forth on the bench. "I didn't know you were here. Scoot over."
He gave Forth a shove and slammed his plate down. "Hey guys, over here! Look, it's Forth!" Oat called to the rest of them who had been scanning to see where Oat had gone.
"Oat, stop yelling." Forth said with mild irritation in his voice.
"Sorry about that. Had to make sure they can hear me." Oat looked up and around the table, his eyes resting on Beam, Kit, then Phana. "Ahhhh, making friends with the enemy, I see."
Phana raised his eyebrows at that and Beam and Kit gave Oat a weird look.
"The enemy?" Beam asked.
Oat nodded confidently. "Forth here is the real Campus Moon."
Forth rolled his eyes. "Oat, don't start that."
Oat threw his hands up in surrender and shut his mouth just as the rest of the crew arrived at the table, squeezing their way in.
"Making new friends, Ai'Forth?" Duke smiled as he looked at Beam and the other two new faces. Lek squeezed in next to Kit and gave him the 'what's up' motion with his head. Gear sat down without greeting anybody and immediately began eating. Mai Ding squeezed between Gear and Phana, scooting too close for comfort to him. Phana leaned back and looked at him. Mai Ding smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at him. Phana slowly turned to look at Beam who was looking just as confused as he was. Beam then turned slowly to look at Forth who was trying so hard to hide his frustration.
After an awkward moment of silence that Forth's friends clearly didn't feel, Duke spoke first.
"Well? You gonna introduce us to your new friends, Forth, or what?" Duke said with a mouth full of food.
Forth sighed heavily. "Guys. This is Beam, Kit, and Phana." He said, motioning with his hand. "Phana, Beam, Kit. These are the guys." Forth gave a general sweep of his hand and went back to playing in his food.
Mai Ding, who was still way too close to Phana stuck his hand out for Phana to shake it. Phana took his hand slowly and Mai Ding gave him an excited and rough shake, catching Phana completely off guard.
"You call that an introduction?" Oat said loudly, setting down his spoon. "My name is Oat. This is Gear. That's Duke. That one down there next to short stack is Lek." Kit sucked his teeth at the 'short stack' comment. "And that one over there next to Mr. Moon is Mai Ding. He doesn't talk much." Oat finished.
Kit glared at all of them while Phana nodded and gave a halfhearted wai. Beam gave an uncomfortable wave. Wow. They sure know how to crash a party. Beam thought. He would have been highly content with just eating alone with Forth.
"I can't believe how close you and Beam have gotten, Forth. And to think you were too scared to ask him out." Oat laughed. "Good thing you lost the game."
Beam frowned. Game?
"Game? What do mean, 'game'?" Phana asked, pulling his plate away from Mai Ding. Mai Ding had his chopsticks in Phana's plate trying to take some of his meat.
Gear rolled his eyes and threw some of his meat on Mai Ding's plate. Mai Ding looked down and smiled happily then left Phana alone. Kit was staring wide eyed at the ridiculousness of all of this.
"Forth can be a bit boring at times, see? He never likes to go out with us anymore and turns down girl after girl-"
"Oat, can you go get us some drinks or something?" Forth cut him off.
Oat looked around the table. "Drinks! I knew I forgot something." He threw his spoon down and prepared to stand up.
"What does that have to do with a game?" Kit asked.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot." Mai Ding sang quietly, making the movements with his hand as he continued to eat.
Phana, Beam, and Kit all looked at Mai Ding then exchanged looks with each other. What the heck was going on right now?
Gear saw their confused faces. "Forth lost a game of rock paper scissors." He said.
Forth was internally screaming. This could not be happening right now.
"Yea." Oat chimed back in, standing to his feet. "We dared Forth that if he lost a game of rock paper scissors, he had to ask out the next person that approached him. You know, just to have some fun since he doesn't go out with us anymore and all."
"Oat. Stop. The drinks." Forth's heart started to pound in his chest. Shut up, shut up, shut up!
"Well he lost, and the next person to approach him was you!" Oat laughed. "Can you believe it?"
"We never thought he would actually do it." Duke said as he wrapped an arm around Forth's shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze. "But look at our big guy busting out of his shell." He cooed.
This can't be happening...
"And you guys have become really close now. Are you dating yet?" Oat looked at Beam.
Beam looked so taken aback all he could do was stare in silence.
"Oat!" Forth shouted.
"I know, I know. The drinks." He groaned. "If you're so thirsty, you can go get them yourself, you know." Oat said, completely missing why Forth was shouting.
"Oat, I don't think-" Lek started, but Oat wasn't listening.
Oat turned back to Beam. "You're quite the lucky one. Forth normally doesn't have eyes for anyone." He smiled then turned back to Forth. "Good catch, Forthie poo. You can thank us all later." He tried to poke at Forth in a teasing way but Forth swatted his hands away in annoyance. Again, Oat completely missed it and bounced off happily to go get the drinks.
After Oat left, the table became silent. Gear, Duke, and Mai Ding all ate happily. Forth stared down at his plate. Phana and Kit exchanged looks then looked at Beam who was staring at Forth silently. Lek looked at Beam then at Forth. He could feel the tension in the air. Forth pushed his food around on his plate in silence before he finally looked up and met Beam's eyes.
"So let me get this straight." Kit was already working his face into a scowl. "That weirdo," He pointed at the spot Oat had been sitting, "played Forth in rock paper scissors. Then all of you dared him to ask out the next random person to approach him..." He turned full body to face Forth. "And you did it??" His voice went up an octave after each word in his question.
Forth looked at Kit then quickly flicked his eyes back to Beam. Beam began to shake his head as he looked at Forth. Hurt filled his eyes and the heat of shame and embarrassment quickly worked its way up his neck. He knew something had to have been wrong. He knew it was too good to be true. Stoic and stern Forth asking him out when their only previous interaction was him taking Beam to the hospital for a potentially broken nose. Yea...it was too good to be true.
Beam threw his spoon down, snatched his bag, and fled from the table.
"Beam." Forth called after him.
Everyone's head popped up from eating and they saw Beam rushing away. Kit got up and sprinted after him. Phana got up too.
"Beam, wait." Forth got to his feet and Phana threw his hand out to stop him.
"Don't." He said with an authority that Forth was not expecting. "You've done enough."
Forth glared and took a step closer. They stared at each other for a moment, each alpha trying to hold their ground. Lek, who no one had noticed was even on his feet, grabbed Forth gently by the arm.
"Forth..." He said tentatively.
Phana glared a little longer then broke eye contact and followed after Kit and Beam. Forth watched them leave as guilt filled up inside his gut. How was he ever going to get Beam to listen to him? Yes, he asked him out because of a stupid game, but he hadn't lied. Nothing that he had ever said or done with Beam was a lie.
At that moment, Oat came back carrying a bunch of drinks in little plastic baggies with handles.
"I've got the drinks!" He announced. He scanned the table and noticed the empty seats. "Where's our new friends?"
Our new friends?? More than anything, Forth just wanted to punch Oat in the face right now. The rest of his crew could use a good punch in the face too.
"Why are you so. Fuckin. STUPID??" Forth exploded at him, giving him a hard shove. Oat stumbled backwards trying not to drop the drinks and looked at Forth in shock. Lek immediately grabbed Forth again.
"Forth, stop."
"Don't touch me!" He threw Lek's hands off of him. He looked at Lek briefly then glared at Oat and the rest of his friends before storming off.