Chapter Text
Bangkok’s traffic had never once in his life done Boom a favor and today was not going to be the day that changed. Unfortunately.
He had already woken up late and did not need any more problems, but everything in this world had decided to be against him.
Boom brushed his teeth in a rush as he threw on the first hoodie and pants he found lying on his bed. On a usual day, he would be dead before being caught wearing the same clothes two days in a row, but usual could go to hell right now, because class credits were more important.
He put on his shoes in a haste, not even caring to tie them properly as he rushed out the door, barely managing to lock it. He had already called out a ride half an hour ago.
It should be here anytime, he thought as he pulled out his phone and unlocked it. Before he even had a chance to open the app and check, a notification popped on.
Your ride has been cancelled.
“Fuck!” He groaned loudly, not caring of the stares he got. Those didn’t matter right now, not when he was about to miss his class, not this one at least. This professor already seemed to have a problem with Boom and he definitely didn’t want to give him another reason to deduct his grade.
He opened the app to try and book another ride.
Could this day get any worse?
Not-so-fortunately for Boom, as soon as he thought that, another problem came whistling towards him.
Quite literally.
Thanaboon Kiatniran. Or Aou as he was called. Came casually walking behind boom, whistling a melody that was far too perfectly pitched for Boom’s liking. Aou walked behind Boom, not caring of the frustration in his face as he threw an arm around his shoulder, like they were old buddies.
They were not.
Not exactly.
They just knew each other. Kind of. Their whole life.
It was neither of their fault that their parents went to university together and had been best friends since then. And if that wasn’t enough already, their houses were in the same block, so they were forced to grow up together.
Boom didn’t like Aou.
According to Boom’s opinion, and opposing everyone else's, Aou wasn’t likeable.
He just… wasn’t.
Aou on the other hand, had made it his life long mission to not let Boom live peacefully.
It was just too fun. The way he rolled his eyes, or shot Aou that annoyed glare, or the way he always looked seconds away from stabbing Aou if he didn’t shut up.
He loved it.
It was his only source of real entertainment after dealing with fake smiles and high expectations the whole day.
Coincidentally. Or maybe not so. They had gotten into the same university. Different faculties though, but apparently that wasn’t enough for Boom to get rid of the shadow bound to him, or for Aou to let go of his not-friend. Aou wasn’t complaining, but Boom definitely was.
It so happens to be that by some unwanted fate, their condos were right next to each other.
“What’s wrong pretty?” Aou teased, a smirk already forming on his lips. “Need a ride?” He spun his keys on his index finger.
Boom tried and failed to suppress the urge to roll his eyes as he shrugged off Aou's arm.
“First of all, ew!! Secondly, no thanks.” Boom shot him a glare as he looked back at his phone.
“Are you sure about that?” Aou said, clearly not taking a hint. “Because I’m pretty sure you’re about to be late for class.”
Boom didn’t care to respond as he continued to stare down at the phone screen, which now read the text “Searching for a ride.”
Right below that, his queue number read: 73.
Why did he have to have a class mid day right during rush hour? And why the hell did he have to oversleep? Why did everything wrong have to happen on the same day?
He groaned at his phone as his eyes involuntarily peeked at the person in front of him. Standing there with folded arms and a smirk on his face which Boom badly wanted to wipe off.
Desperate times do indeed call desperate measures, Boom thought as he started to walk outside, turning around just once to make sure Aou was following, which he was.
Of course he was.
He didn’t say a word, nor look at Aou’s face to see that expression of victory, of satisfaction he didn’t want him to have, but was sure he did.
He walked directly towards the parked bike he had seen one too many times.
“Here you go,” Aou said, handing Boom the other helmet.
Boom took it and wore it with practiced precision, as if he had worn it a million times before.
Which he had.
Aou hopped on the bike and gestured for Boom to do the same and when he was sure Boom had gotten comfortable he revved the engine.
The ride was… normal. Nothing new, for them at least. It was the same old practice of Boom trying his best not to hold onto Aou too tightly, but still clutching onto his shirt and Aou accelerating just enough at calculated times, making sure Boom did the opposite.
Thankfully, they reached the university just in time before Boom’s class, but he still had to rush. He quickly got off as Aou parked, shoving the helmet back to Aou as he rushed off without another word.
“Not even a thank you?” Aou yelled, still not getting up as he saw Boom disappear into the crowd of other students.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Just because.
Aou didn’t see Boom that day again. Or more like: Boom made sure to avoid Aou for the rest of the day. He was already dreading the awaited teasing he would get because of his desperation.
This was the thing about Aou. He was simply not capable of doing him a favor without rubbing it in his face, but apparently, as he had begun to notice more and more, especially since they started university. Aou only did that with Boom.
So, yes, Boom preferred to avoid it.
That lasted for a total of 3 days, which was honestly miraculous.
It was a saturday which meant no class, so unlike any normal university student and very much like Boom himself, he had decided to spend the day alone in his condo cuddling with his pillows and maybe watching a show he wasn’t really interested in. And then think about completing his pending assignment later on.
He had — willingly, this time — woken up late and proceeded to brush his teeth and eat a small breakfast before finding his place on the couch, in front of the TV where he had decided to spend the whole day.
The first few hours… or minutes were quiet, which was perfect — exactly what Boom wanted, he was surrounded by nothing, but the sound of the random drama he picked alongside the soft hum of the air conditioner and the distant sound of traffic, which was exactly what Boom described as peaceful.
That peacefulness was broken not long after by the constant ringing of the bell. Did Boom order food? He didn’t remember doing so. He groaned before lazily getting up and off the couch.
Boom was still in his at-home clothes: A hoodie that was too big on him, making one side hang off his shoulder showing off his collarbones and the soft curve of his neck, along with a pair of grey sweatpants. It somehow made his 187cm self look way smaller than he actually was.
He walked with heavy steps to the door and opened it, then proceeded to close it again after one glance which was unsuccessful because of the foot now in-between, preventing it from closing.
“Oh come on! At least hear me out,” Aou said, trying to push the door open.
“No thanks,” Boom replied as he tried his best to close it.
After much struggle, Aou somehow managed to pry his way in forcefully stepping inside as he managed to overpower Boom.
“Boom please, just listen to me”
Boom sighed, let out a long breath and looked at Aou directly, “You have five seconds, or I’m calling the cops on you for forceful entry.”
Aou smiled.
That same annoying smile that Boom hated so much. He did.
“Five is good”
“Four,” Boom continued to count.
“Wait no–”
“Three,”
“Oh come on Boom! Don’t be an asshole,”
“Two,”
“Okay, okay, I’ll just– it’s um just that– I kind of need a favor,”
“One,”
“Shit– Be my boyfriend!!”
Boom’s eyes widened for just a second. His expression went from shocked to confused to annoyed.
“Wow, you’ve really lost it,” He said, feeling something he couldn’t exactly name. “You’ve gone completely crazy. Get out of my house.”
“No! I mean, yes. I mean, just for a day, please,” Aou begged as if he had not just made the most crazy request Boom had ever heard.
“Aou, what?” Boom asked, making sure his frustration was clear, “Are you even listening to yourself? What is wrong with you?”
“Oh right, It’s just that, um… you know Ben right?” Aou started to explain, finally realising that he should probably give Boom some context.
Ben.
Of course he knew him. He was the guy always lurking around Aou.
“What about him?” Boom asked, trying and failing to sound uninterested.
“So um– apparently, he kind of uh– likes me?” Aou swallowed.
“And?”
“Wait, what?” Aou raised a brow. “You’re not shocked?”
“He practically follows you like a dog on a leash. If you didn’t realize it, you’re either blind or extremely stupid,” Boom answered casually as if it was the most obvious thing ever.
“Oh–”
“And if it’s not already obvious, you’re clearly the latter.” He smirked.
“Yeah sure,” Aou squinted, annoyed. He rolled his eyes, but somewhere in between his gaze got stuck.
There was a short pause between them. So small that blink and you’ll miss it. Aou’s gaze had drifted, only a little bit, not even for a second, but Boom noticed. He noticed Aou notice. He reached up and tugged his hoodie back up his shoulder without a word and something about the silence that followed felt different than the usual silences.
It was broken when Boom raised a curious brow.
“Right. Um– so he asked me out yesterday,” Aou started again, “but I said no, I promise,” he added quickly, his expression no longer the smugness Boom was used to, but rather… guilty?
Boom shrugged, still confused, “I still don’t see how that’s relevant to me,” A pause. “Or to whatever you just asked.” He said, his voice coming out a bit too steady as he refused to repeat that absurd request.
“Ughh– It’s just that I said no, but he was really insisting and then I panicked and told him I was already dating someone. Which he did not believe for some reason, because we are never together whatsoever. Like do I have to show others if I’m in a relationship or what?” Aou ranted. “Anyways, I told him that we were just being lowkey of our relationship and–”
“Wait, we–?”
“Yeah,” Aou laughed a soft, guilty laugh. “It just made sense.”
“What made sense?” Boom snapped.
“You. Me. Us.” Aou said, gesturing between them as if that would clear all the questions in Boom’s mind. “Just think about it. We’re like the perfect couple. We both look good. We’ve practically known each other our whole life. Hell, we even live next to each other, so of course something sparked somewhere in between all that and on a dark, lonely, rainy night when you forgot to bring an umbrella I rushed out, drenching myself to make sure you don’t get wet or sick, but I ended up catching a cold instead. Then you took care of me the whole night, which made you realize how different I am than you thought and you fell for me. Then we started dating.”
“Why am I the one falling for you?”
“I mean– Look at me. Who wouldn’t?”
“Wow–”
“I know, right?” Aou huffed, proud of himself
“–you really are crazy,” Boom stood there, still trying to process if all of this was actually happening. “Get out before I really call security.”
Aou’s smile dropped.
“Oh, come on Boom. I already told him we’re dating and he is coming over tomorrow, because we have a stupid project together. I invited him before this whole confession thing and now if he comes over he’ll find out I lied about everything. I don’t want to be rude, but he’s really not my type. He’s a bit annoying honestly.”
You have a type? A voice in Boom’s mind asked, but he quickly shushed it away choosing a better reply.
“Why would he?” Boom couldn’t help but ask, his voice still carrying annoyance.
“Have you seen my place? It practically stinks single,”
Boom nodded. “Sounds like a you problem. Get out.”
“Boom listen–”
“No, get out,” Boom practically shoved Aou until he was outside before quickly closing the door in his face.
“Please, ugh–” Aou banged at the door as Boom made his way back to the couch.
The banging continued for a while before it eventually stopped and the quiet returned, the same peaceful quiet that Boom found calm in, just a few moments ago. Now it felt too loud. His brain was ringing too loudly for him to think rationally and all he could make out was the absurd request that dumbass had just asked.
Is he crazy?
Yes, he is.
But, Boom never thought he had completely lost it, maybe it’s Boom’s own fault, maybe he was too hard on him, maybe that’s why that idiot had started imagining things. Boom almost felt bad for him. Almost.
Him and Aou? No. Never. Not in a million years.
Boom would rather give up on jellies.
Well… maybe not on jellies, but that was beside the topic.
Him and Aou were nothing, not even friends and there was no way in hell he was helping Aou with this stupidity.
He brought this upon himself, so he should find a way to deal with it himself.
Boom didn't care.
He absolutely did not.
Aou and his absurdity could go to hell for all that he cares.
His mind thought of that boy — Ben. He had seen him around Aou too many times to not notice. If Boom wasn’t lying, he thought that they were dating, but apparently, as he had just discovered, they weren’t.
At least he isn’t an asshole, Boom thought, thinking back at the amount of times Aou had randomly started to stupidly flirt with him. He thought that Aou had a boyfriend at that time and was just being a jerk, but apparently he didn’t.
If it were anybody but Aou he might’ve felt bad for judging too quickly, but since it was the man himself he didn’t feel even an ounce of bad.
It wasn’t like he had maybe, just maybe, deep down started to feel just a tiny bit guilty. Or maybe somewhere deep down in his heart he had started to feel sorry for a human being. Even if that were true it had nothing to do with Aou. That was just the kindness and love Boom had inside for humanity as a whole.
Yes, that’s what this was.
Love for humans.
No, wait– not love.
Just feelings.
Normal human emotions.
Not that they might lead him to Aou’s doorsteps to do a favor.
Never.
Boom somehow managed to return to the show he had now lost all interest in. His thoughts quieted down but still not disappearing completely.
That day passed in a haze. The day Boom had planned for himself was now consumed by someone else completely. That someone being no other that the most annoying idiot Boom hated.
“Fuck you Aou, Get out, Go away,” he mumbled to himself, already half asleep as his eyes fell heavy and his body relaxed. After a long day of unsteady beating, his heart finally felt calm as he fell into deep sleep.
Unfortunately, that boy had decided to follow Boom to his dreams too.