Work Text:
As Tian was gathering everything he needed for the day, a knock was heard from the door.
Tian opened the door and a smile slipped into his lips. “You know, you don’t have to walk with me to the school all the time, I know the road there by heart.” He went back inside to get his bag. “And don’t tell me you’re here because it’s your duty to take care of me, I have half of the village already looking out for me at every second.” Tian sighed and turned to the man waiting by the door frame. “It’s kinda exhausting, actually.”
He couldn’t quite tell if the red in his neck was from how hot it was or because he had made him blush somehow, but Tian still added a point to himself for getting a reaction out of the man.
“It is still my duty regardless of what everyone else is doing, but I just…” Phupha looked away from Tian’s eyes. “I like spending time with you. And I’ve been busy lately so these walks to school are the only time I get to-” Phupha cleared his throat. “To spend with you.”
Tian knew he wasn’t being subtle about the love pouring out of his own eyes, and he thanked Phupha’s unexpected shyness for him not seeing right through his heart right now in this moment.
He wanted to reach out to the beautiful man in front of him, hold his hands, his face, his heart, and kiss the shyness away, but they weren’t ready yet, so Tian had to put himself together before Phupha somehow realised he was daydreaming about how soft his lips would be.
“Well, I guess we’re going to be seeing each other every morning then?” Phupha turned to see him at that question, and the smile that appeared on his lips made Tian feel special, feel loved, feel adored, and he knew. He was gone for Phupha for good.
The smile disappeared as soon as the Chief seemed to realise he was smiling in a way that looked almost comedic and he cleared his throat. “I guess so. Are you ready to go?” Tian nodded and they took off to the school.
Tian had convinced himself everyone would hate him after he told them all about Torfun and his heart transplant, but instead as the days passed, the villagers had become more fond of Tian and if he was completely honest, he didn’t understand. He had expected everyone he knew to leave him, to reflect their hurt by Tian’s words to him and him taking them all, because he felt as if he deserved them because he had lied to them for over 2 months. But none of that happened, and as Tian finished telling everyone what had happened that night, he felt Meejoo’s arms around him, and soon enough the whole village was hugging him too. Tears silently fell down his cheeks and Tian felt like home.
Now as he walked through the village to get to the school, everyone greeted Tian and Phupha, who the village rarely saw apart besides the times Tian was seen with the kids and Longtae. Tian felt as if he had showed them the engraveture he had of Phupha’s name in his heart when he told them about the heart transplant, because somehow the looks he had gotten ever since every time he saw out with Phupha were different, a kind of knowing and understanding that he had never seen before, and it made Tian’s heart beat faster. His own smile tightening a little as he greeted them back. He somehow felt exposed and stripped bare whenever anyone saw him with Phupha, and it felt weird. He liked that he didn’t have to really come out to the village, but it still felt strange.
“We’re here.” Phupha’s voice interrupted his thoughts and the half-white school stood right in front of him. The change of colour made it look out of place in Tian’s opinion, but the villagers had taken time out of their day to paint it, so he appreciated the effort they put into it.
Tian stepped inside and left his bag on his desk as he turned to the clock. “There’s still time until the kids arrive, do you want to stay until then or are you thaaaat busy?” He smirked and prayed to every God out there for Phupha to stay a little longer, for Tian to see him a few seconds more.
The man in front of him walked into the classroom with a grin on his face. “I am busy, but I guess I can make time for you.” Phupha stepped closer to Tian, and Tian already felt like he was suffocating with the space between them, but he would’ve gladly choked if it meant the distance between them disappeared completely. “It’s still my duty to take care of you, anyway.” Tian moved back a bit, because he wanted to look at Phupha and not have his heart give out again (and again and again and again… seriously his heart should stop doing that, one heart transplant was enough), but Phupha didn’t stop his movements and the distance kept getting shorter.
“I wouldn’t want anyone having any chance of hurting you here when I’m not around.” It’s been over two weeks since anything happened, Chief, no one is going to do anything to me. Tian had wanted to say, but instead he found himself being unable to move back any further, his butt touching his desk and the wood hurting a little bit. Phupha had his hands behind his back and yet he felt caged, trapped by his mesmerizing eyes and how big his shoulders looked. He had dreamt about them in dreams he couldn’t retell right now, mostly because if he did he’d have another whole different problem and the one in front of him was enough, he didn’t need any other problem in any other direction, thank you very much. He must’ve daydreamed for way too long about his shoulders because now Phupha was really fucking close and Tian couldn’t really breathe. “And I don’t want the people that I love and deeply care for to be hurt in any way.”
Tian was sure Phupha wanted him to pass out again in his arms because there was no way he thought he’d survive any of that without either his fainting or his heart failing him again, for the Nth time during his stay in Pha Pun Dao. His jaw had dropped a little bit and everything he saw and felt was Phupha . His eyes, with a glint of an emotion Tian had never seen on his eyes before, his nose, so adorable and perfect, his lips, so full and soft-looking it almost made him do something he had been wanting to since he had first seen him in that weird dream, his breath, smelling of mint and being way too close to own lips for his own sanity, his shoulders, the only place Tian had been wanting to rest his head ever since he had gone down to the waterfall, and he didn’t even dare thinking about any other part from Phupha’s body because it would be too much for his poor little heart.
“You’re one of them. And, honestly, the only one lately.” A giggle could be heard from somewhere in the classroom Tian couldn’t quite place, his sense all filled with Phupha and his smell and his lips and-
Wait, a giggle?
Oh fuck.
Tian’s eyes opened comically big and he pushed Phupha hard to get him off his personal space that he had clearly trespassed (not that Tian had any complaint, if anything he wanted Phupha to only do that), to have him at a distance where it was acceptable for kids to see. The teacher looked at the classroom and found Inta and Meejo, who had a hand over Inta’s mouth.
Clearing his throat, Tian spoke up. “You’re both early, girls. I wasn’t expecting any of you until 9.”
Both of the girls’ cheeks reddened and Inta took Meejo’s hand off her mouth and smiled brightly. “Meejoo and I came here early because we wanted you to braid our hair again.” Tian noticed Inta had a brush and a few hair ties on her hand. “Sorry if we interrupted anything, P’Seetian.”
“It’s okay, girls. You didn’t, uh,” Tian looked at Phupha and he looked like he wanted the Earth to swallow him whole. “interrupt anything.” He cleared his throat again and looked at the girls again. “Well, let’s get to it before the others arrive! Say goodbye to Chief Phupha. He has to leave now.”
The girls saluted and Phupha saluted them back with a tiny smile on his face and if that same face hadn’t just been centimetres away from his just a minute ago, he would’ve completely missed the way his cheeks looked redder. Phupha looked at him and his smile turned softer, the kind he would sometimes give him when it was just the two of them, and Tian couldn’t help the blush running to his face. The Chief turned and he looked at him until he was out of sight.
“P’Seetian?” Meejo asked. Right. The kids. They were waiting for him to braid their hair.
He changed his longing look into a smile and answered. “Yes, Meejo?”
Meejo handed him the brush and Tian started brushing her hair, parting it in three parts for the braid. “Were you and Chief Phupha about to kiss?”
Oh, God.