Chapter Text
"I didn't say I would."
Korn, Mo and Chang stopped in their tracks. They'd recognize that voice anywhere, and currently, it seemed to be just one bookshelf away. Korn was about to push the books separating them to the side and call out to his friend when he caught a glimpse of who Pat was talking to through an empty spot on the shelf: It was the leader of the architecture guys.
The guys' brows collectively furrowed, unsure of how to proceed, since this didn't seem to be a fighting situation. Maybe Pat was just provoking the guy? But then the friend in question continued talking, and the three guys froze: "Can you return Nong Nao to me tonight? I forgot it in your room."
Korn almost chocked - he was supposed to be the only one knowing about the doll that Pat needed to fall asleep (in actuality, both Mo and Chang knew too after a night out drinking with Korn gone wrong, but they swore secrecy), since it kind of sabotaged the whole gangster vibe he got going for him, so for this... architecture guy to know about this? And not only that, Pat had said he forgot it in his room, so he must've... Korn stopped that train of thought.
While Pat kept talking to the guy, the three engineering students exchanged panicked looks and argued silently through hand gestures. Chang seemed visibly uncomfortable with eavesdropping on their friend, yet they all couldn't help but be curious. So they nodded, and crouched in front of the free space again, trying and for once succeeding at making no sound. Which became increasingly more difficult as they saw the architecture guy getting into Pat's personal space - and Pat not doing a thing about it - and then actually lifting his arm to lean on the shelf that Pat was standing against.
"Why don't you just come get it yourself? My door isn't locked."
And Korn would be damned if that didn't sound exactly like flirting. The conversation, the tone, the proximity... and now that damned guy was moving aside again, giving the engineer students a clear sight of the way Pat's eyes glistened with something akin to excitement.
Yet he managed to school his expression, as he slightly turned away from the other, and proclaimed: "I'm too lazy. Forget it."
The three boys looked at each other, horrified. They knew Pat was deadly serious about Nong Nao, so for him to say this could only mean... he was flirting back?!
It even seemed to work, as the other boy stepped up to Pat, apparently conceding. "Fine."
Chang had to clasp both his hands over Korn's and Mo's mouths to stop them from making a sound - whether a gasp, a shout of outrage, or just an unintelligible noise was unclear - when the architecture leader put up a hand to the shelf again, and the three on-watchers almost feared being subjected to watching the two kiss when he came extremely close to Pat's face. Everyone's attention - clearly including Pat's - was on the guy, as he stated: "Tonight, I'll take it... to your room."
There was a second where neither moved, the air thick with tension. Then the architecture student turned around, and Pat was left standing there, smirking and so incredibly fond. With one last look behind, Pat also left the bookshelves.
Once the three eavesdroppers made sure that the other two had left, they turned to one another, processing what they had just seen. It was Mo who eloquently put into words what they all thought:
"What the fuck?"
Turns out, the architecture leader's name was Pran.
"Fuck Pran", Korn slurred, and Chang lightly hit him on the shoulder, so Korn decided to change tactics: "Fuck Pat." That earned him an eyeroll and an exasperated sigh. Mo was content with just watching the two of them, waiting for someone to address the actual elephant in the room: Pat was dating Pran. Their leader dated the leader of the enemy.
What felt like the umpteenth time that evening, Korn sighed. This time, Chang didn't even bother to clap him reassuringly on the back. Why bother? They were all pissed at Pat.
"Why didn't he tell us?"
Okay, so. Maybe they weren't exactly pissed. Or at least not as much as they would like. And if one looked closely enough, then maybe the scowls on their faces weren't annoyance, but instead hurt. In any case, this whole situation was bullshit. Pat's best friend made sure to voice that opinion out loud. Again.
After all, he was Pat's best friend. They'd stick through thick and thin, beat up people together, go out to drink together; tell each other everything, keep no secrets. At least that's how Korn had thought about their friendship. Apparently, he was wrong. Because a romantic relationship is a big thing, right? Something you cherish and show off. Korn had never been shy with bragging about his dates, or that one girl he dated for a couple of weeks. Even Chang - who was arguably the most responsible one in terms of social constructs - talked about the girls he crushed on, or who he found pretty and who less so. But Pat hadn't.
Korn downed the rest of his glass and ordered another.
After seeing no progress being made in the last half an hour or so, Mo finally decided that enough was enough, and he spoke up: "So. What do we think?"
To no one's surprise, Korn made a face, although ultimately settling on not saying anything. There was an epiphany in Mo's head about kicked puppies and drenched dogs, but he decided to shove the thought aside for later. Since Korn seemed reluctant to answer, Chang was the next target. Said boy looked contemplative, before finally speaking up:
"I mean, in a way, it makes sense, right? That he wouldn't tell us?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
No one mentioned how it didn't seem to matter who Pat was dating; the problem lay elsewhere - he hadn't told them about it.
Chang groaned, because talking about feelings and responsibility hadn't exactly been on his agenda of the day, before proceeding to explain: "Well, that Pran guy is from architecture." Three collective winces. "And our faculties fight all the time. Like, doesn't that mean we have been beating up Pat's boyfriend's friends the whole time? Also, remember that one time we actually cornered the guy himself to beat him up on video? We hate their faculty. They hate ours. How is Pat supposed to know that we won't start hating him for being with that guy?"
Korn grabbed his still empty glass, affronted: "We would never!"
Chang raised his hands placatingly and nodded: "True. But did we give him reason to believe so? I mean, if I think back on it, don't you guys think that maybe Pat was trying to keep us at peace with the architecture assholes? Like when he scolded us for the video and deleted it, or when he told us not to fight at the bus stop? We didn't really care." Mo's eyes widened as he gasped dramatically: "You think they had a thing going on since the video incident?" Chang shrugged. "How should I know? We should just confront Pat, and ask him ourselves. It's not like he can lie now."
"Wait."
The two boys looked expectantly at Korn, who seemed to be thinking really hard. "What if we don't tell him?" The other two motioned for him to continue talking.
"Like, okay, I get it. We hate those guys' guts. Which, totally understandable, but okay. Maybe that Pran guy isn't as bad, and if Pat likes him, then so be it. He still kept it a secret from us though, right?" And while Mo and Chang were trying to be reasonable and understanding, they couldn't hide the fact that they, too, felt slightly disappointed by Pat's mistrust.
"Still", Chang weakly argued, "he's not obliged to tell us." Even to his own ears, he didn't sound entirely convinced. There was a grin spreading on Korn's face, and the other two couldn't help but be drawn closer: "Who says we're obliged to tell him that we know, then?"
The other two frowned. There was doubt in Mo's voice as he questioned his friend: "So we just... pretend we don't know? What's the use in it? Wouldn't we just keep going like before, and not talk about it?
And maybe he had imagined the small flash of something that passed Korn's face, before his expression turned gleeful again, along with his voice:
"What if Pat does tell us about it though?"
Realization dawned on the other two's faces, and they all moved closer, ready to listen to their friend's scheme. Yet at that moment, the waitress arrived with their new drinks, and they had to disrupt their conversation for a moment. Once they were alone again, Chang's expression had turned from excited to sour.
"We shouldn't force him to come out. If he's not ready, then he isn't, and we should accept that."
There was a sober silence. Then Korn swiped with his arm in Chang's direction. "That's not it, dumbass!" At Chang's unimpressed look, he actually looked a bit sheepish.
"Alright, that's mostly not it. But you said it yourself: The reason why Pat is not telling us about his sweet business is that he thinks we can't be trusted. Which, rude, but okay. Your points are maybe somewhat valid. Going by that logic though, Pat should be able to tell us about his relationship if we show him that we are actually great friends that he can entrust with this, right? We just need to show him that we won't overreact when he will eventually tell us and that we are understanding and cool and chill."
At that, Korn raised his full beer glass, waiting for the others to do the same. Mo and Chang exchanged a look, but eagerly picked up theirs too, clinking glasses.
"Alright, what's the plan?"
The first chance presented itself during the rugby try-outs. Which Korn obviously passed (Pat did too, and one of the asshole architecture guys as well). Said asshole was currently talking with Korn's target on the field, so the engineering student stayed close, trying to listen in, or just wait for a chance to catch Pran alone.
To Korn's surprise, Pat was also nearby, eyes full of murder. It only took a few seconds to realize why, and Korn honestly had to hold himself back from snorting. His friend was jealous. And his boyfriend seemed to bully him about it.
Maybe it was also a little mean, but then Korn remembered why these two had to hide their relationship in the first place, so he decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he continued watching a fuming Pat kicking the ball at the other architecture guy, seeing a totally different side of his friend that day. Huh, Korn mused and promptly crept after the two rival students when they started to retreat.
They were walking towards one of the buildings, that one guy seeming to explain something, while Pran listened. Then, the other guy quickly pulled him into a hug, kissed him on the cheek (Korn stored that notion in his mind, although he approved of seeing Pran shove the guy away), and then left. Pran watched him for a few seconds, before he shook his head, and made to enter the building.
Korn decided to seize his chance and ran after Pran, making sure not to lose him in the halls. Luckily, he soon caught up, and not a second too late: The guy seemed to go straight for the theater room. Right, Pat had mentioned something about the architecture play, so he'd probably join to spend time with his boyfriend. After mentally gagging at his friend, Korn quickly charged towards his goal. He'd prefer not being seen in the theater hall, especially since it was full of architecture students, and if Pat actually managed to end up in the play, then that should be their place; Korn wasn't going to ruin that by putting his plan to action there.
"Pran!"
The guy in question froze on the spot and slowly turned around. Only belatedly did Korn realize that they never properly introduced each other. Well, that didn't matter now. He hastily skidded to a halt in front of the boy, who seemed to eye him warily and full of suspicion. Okay, fair. Korn could work with that.
Smiling lazily, he nodded towards the other boy. "Uh, I'm Korn."
Pran raised an eyebrow, slowly reciprocating the nod. "Korn... from engineering?" Ah shit, right. You've got this, man, just play it cool. Say something nice. "You, uh, look good." Ow, now that was smooth. Pran looked like he was unsure whether to laugh or to hit him. Again, fair. "Can I help you somehow?"
Korn cursed. Not out loud, of course, but it was a near thing. He should've thought this through. "Yes, actually!" If possible, Pran's brows raised even higher at that. They'd soon join his hairline. "I, uh, heard you have great grades. In, uh, our joined course. So I wanted to ask you to give me a tutor lesson?" At that moment Korn sincerely hoped that the other boy had actually alright grades, otherwise his excuse would be immediately detected.
Apparently it wasn't, although Pran still seemed disbelieving. "Can't your friends help you with that?"
The engineering student vehemently shook his head. "Nope. They're being dicks about it, or they suck at explaining. I don't understand shit. Please?" He was once more met with doubt: "You do realize that I'm an architecture student, right?" That question brought a grin to Korn's face, as he exclaimed: "Well, not all of you are assholes!" At that, he was met with shock and disbelief. So Korn decided to just be a bit more daring: "I've actually always quite admired you."
That evening, a message popped up on Korn's phone:
pat-ato
Hey, u free tomorrow evening?
nah man i have tutoring
His message was left on read.
Korn steeled a glance at his phone, to see that there still was plenty of time left before he'd meet Pran at the café. They had agreed the previous day that Pran would tutor him after rugby practice, in a rather unknown place in a rural area. Now it almost felt like he was someone's dirty secret--
"Ay, Korn!"
The engineering student bit his lip, to prevent himself from grinning, and then turned around, feigning surprise. "What're you doing here, Pat?" His best friend seemed to scan his face for a second, looking for some sign, before nodding down the street. "Getting Pa her favorite cookies, she's been nagging me about it for days now. Might stay and eat something, too. What about you?" Pat looked around, seemingly searching for something. "Where are the others?"
"How should I know? I told you I'm getting tutored today, trying to be a diligent student and stuff." Pat still looked suspicious. They walked on in silence until they finally stopped at the café. Upon realizing they were both headed into the same place, they entered, and Pat immediately started looking around indiscreetly, until his face lit up. It lasted only half a second, but Korn was pretty sure now he knew where Pran was sitting. "Who's gonna tutor your dumb head?" With an offended huff, Korn hit the other. "Pran. Oh, you probably don't know who he is. He's the class president of architecture."
Pat choked on nothing.
"You're meeting up with someone from architecture?!"
There was only a shrug as answer, which definitely didn't satisfy the other party. "What, you gonna beat him up or something?" - "What the hell man? No, I just heard he's smart." Then Korn chanced a glance at Pat and realized that his friend actually seemed on edge, so he quickly added on: "What does it matter whether he's from Architecture or not if he can help me bring my grades up?" The skepticism didn't completely fall away, but Pat let it go. Korn then pretended to look for Pran, and upon seeing him, excused himself from Pat.
"Hey Pran! Thank you so much for helping me, you're great!"
Half an hour into their study session, with Korn being on his best behavior, Pran typed something on his phone. Korn felt himself grin when he noticed Pat leaving the booth he had been sitting in right afterward. That could count as a small win.
He tried not to be too disappointed when Pran got called the moment they finished their tutoring session.
Goddammit, Pat, I'm not here to beat your boyfriend up!
There was a knock on the door.
Korn found himself very aware of the fact since he was the one doing the knocking. At Pran's door. Which just so happened to be exactly on the opposite side of Pat's room. Korn mentally cursed his friend once more, and did decidedly not think of tea drinks and uninhibited knocking and an exclamation of, "It's a guy!"
Yeah, I can see that now.
Then the door was opened, and Korn plastered on his most pleasant smile. He was met with a mix of a smile, a grimace, and shock. Maybe some confusion, too, if he paid close attention.
"Uh, hey Korn."
Korn contemplated whether it would be too soon to hug the other guy, ultimately deciding against the action. "Hey, Pran. You free?" It was only a small moment, in which Pran glances nervously towards his room, and the engineering student wanted to groan. Pat was somewhere in there, wasn't he?
"Actually, I'm not planning on staying anyway. Just wanted to drop something by." He held out a bag, which Pran hesitantly took. "How do you even know where I live?"
"Oh, I lied to the principal, saying I found something of yours on campus that I wanted to return. So, uh. Please cover me? If anyone asks?" Pran was scowling at the lie, and before Korn could get reprimanded, he simply continued talking: "Hey, you're neighbors with Pat, right? Tell him I said hi if you happen to see him."
It looked like the other boy was going through the five stages of grief, twice, and then seemingly settling on either denial or acceptance. Korn couldn't quite tell.
"What's this for?" There was a nod at the bag, and the visitor just waggled his eyebrows, gesticulating for the other to check himself. Inside, there was a bottle of tea and seaweed snacks in different flavors. Korn grinned. Pran looked confused.
Seeing his friend's boyfriend draw a blank, Korn decided to take initiative: "It's an apology! For that time that, uh, my friends and I tried to beat you up? I'm very sorry about that. I hope you forgive me." He did a wai and waited for the other's reaction. Just to be petty, he added loudly: "I wouldn't want you to have the impression that I and my friends can't be civil, or can't see the wrong of our ways. We're always open to change. Especially for someone as nice as you." The other seemed unsure how to proceed. "You already paid for me in the café, shouldn't that be enough?"
"Then, take it as an act of kindness!" With that, he wai'd one last time and walked down the corridor, as he heard the door close behind him.
There was a loud thump and muffled shouting coming from Pran's room.
Students were starting to shuffle into the room. For once, Korn was already in his seat, Mo and Chang sitting to his left. Not soon after, Pran arrived, only to be followed a few seconds later by Pat. Korn could only roll his eyes, because this had been happening every lesson so far, now that they actually paid attention. Totally not subtle. How had they not noticed before?
In any case, Pran was now in class, so Korn could step up his game. With a thumbs-up from his two friends, he passed Pat who first seemed confused, and then - barely two seconds later - horrified, as he realized where Korn was heading. There was shuffling, and Korn sped up his steps and managed to reach Pran's seat before Pat could stop him. Now they were standing there, together, receiving death glares from the other students on this side of the room, and a confused glare from Pran.
Before anyone had the chance to say anything, the guy to Pran's right stood up and bared his teeth. "What do you want, asshole?"
Now that he saw that familiar face, Korn really felt the urge to punch something. Someone. God, it had been so long since he got into a fight. What a pity. Maybe they should find a new rivalry faculty after this was all over.
"Hey Pran", Korn greeted, ignoring both his thoughts and the guy who was looking increasingly annoyed by the second. Pran refused to answer him, only staring at him and occasionally blinking at something behind him. Ah, right, Pat was here too. Well, that'd make things even better.
"I was going to ask you recently already, but forgot", Korn carelessly continued after realizing Pran wouldn't greet him back, "Do you know who put the picture of you on the projector?"
Then three things happened in quick succession:
Pran coughed and started blushing.
Pat behind him seemed to choke.
And Korn? Korn was caught in a fit of coughing and choking at once because,
Oh.
How could he have not realized?
Korn was definitely gonna clap Pat on the back for that one once he opened up about his relationship.
(If he ever did, a traitorous part of his brain whispered, but he quickly stomped it down.)
It was once more that friend of Pran's that answered, and he was already standing as if preparing himself to punch Korn in the middle of the classroom. "Why the fuck do you care?" Then he actually made to move but was held back with a hand on his arm by Pran, who clenched his jaw. "Wai, calm down. He's not worth the trouble when the teacher comes." The guy seemed to ponder it for a moment, then slumped back into his seat, declaring bloody murder with his eyes. And hey, I feel ya, man.
"Actually, Wai, I was just curious about whether that was someone's attempt at hitting on your dear friend."
Wai's face morphed between different emotions, ultimately settling on something that could be considered a frown or someone taking a shit. In Korn's humble opinion.
"What, you wanna know if he's got a girlfriend or what?"
And now Korn frowns too, and Pat is actually grabbing his elbow, and this makes Korn realize that the Wai guy isn't glaring only at him but also at Pat. Huh, is his fleeting though, so he doesn't like that Pat is Pran's boyfriend or what?, but then he sees Pran's panicked face; a look that isn't reserved for Korn only, but also the other architecture guys, especially Wai. There is a second epiphany during the short span of time that is today, and another Oh forms in Korn's brain before he starts practically glowing.
This was great.
yo yo yo
yo
yo
YO
Moo
???????polichang
dude, what the fuck? pat is sitting right next to me at the lunch tableso this better be good
remember my great wooing attempt today in class?
i made some DISCOVERIES
polichang
just spit it out
the ass-chitecture guys don't KNOW that pat and pran are a thing!!!
Alright, so maybe the engineering gang felt a bit smug.
Only the tiniest bit.
(And maybe they also felt just the tiniest bit of relief.)
But they were the first ones to know. No one else. And alright, Pat and Pran hadn't exactly told them about their relationship, but still. They figured it out. They knew.
Which Pat still wasn't aware of.
Which was probably also why Pat sat in front of his three friends, visibly on edge, stabbing his curry to death. Korn raised an eyebrow at him and received a heavy sigh in return. Pat put the fork down and glared at his best friend. Finally.
"Can't you go a single week without trying to get into a fight? I know it's tempting, believe me; I do", his eyes darkened and Korn felt like he could guess who Pat must've thought of at that moment, "but we can't keep solving our shit with violence." Then, as if only an afterthought, he added: "Or we'll get suspended. Or actually, you will, because I have stopped beating people up left and right."
A moment passed, and Korn obnoxiously stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, chewing extra slowly and loudly. "Who says I'm trying to beat someone up?"
And now Pat just looked exasperated, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. "You literally tried to start shit with Wai earlier."
Korn pretends to contemplate for a second. "Nah, can't remember anything of the sort." Then, because he was petty and just to be difficult, he added, as if only an afterthought: "I just wanted to talk to Pran."
His best friend stilled at that, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Why would you want to talk to Pran?"
Korn shrugs. "I just like talking to him."
To the guys' amazement, Pat still seemed absolutely lost. "Why?"
"Cause I like him."
At first, Pat's face stayed eerily the same. There was no reaction at all.
Then: mortification.
"W-what?", his best friend choked out, staring at him; but Korn only shrugged, as if to emphasize: you heard that right.
Defensively, Korn crossed his arms and leaning back, as if daring Pat to say something wrong. Although to be quite honest, Pat still didn't even seem ready to say anything at all - he was busy staring Korn down, wide-eyed and incomprehensive, before looking back and forth between Mo and Chang, as if asking them whether he was imagining things. Now it was Mo and Chang's turn.
"Huh", Chang hummed, completely ignoring Pat's intense gaze and inclining his head, "wouldn't have thought he's your type." Korn just shrugged with a grin. He then turned to Mo, who seemed really concentrated. "Pran was the leader, right?"
Korn nodded enthusiastically and unlocked his phone. Previously, he had made sure to download the pictures that got uploaded unto their university website, for the bus stop. He then zoomed in on Pran's face, and turned his phone around. Pat seemed to pale tremendously.
"That's him!"
"Well, I suppose he does look cute."
The three of them nodded in unison, so Korn pocketed his phone again, and they started eating again. With the exception of Pat, of course, who seemed to be in some sort of trance.
"Wait."
Chang, Mo and Korn looked up from their food, doing their best expression of "what's up bro? we're totally confused and innocent". Korn even raised his eyebrow. They saw Pat swallow nervously, still unsure whom exactly to address: "But... he's from architecture?"
The other three exchanged a look. It was Chang who turned to Pat first, shrugging. "So what?"
"What do you mean, 'So what?', isn't it obvious?! You hate those guys' guts! And, and beat his friends up! What about our rivalry?"
Chang only tsk'ed, while Mo - who sat next to Pat - slung an arm around his shoulder. "Pat, Pat, Pat. Now don't be so narrow-minded, will ya? This is Korn we're talking about. He's our friend, isn't he? So it's our duty to support and encourage him. If he's fallen for a guy from architecture, then he can't help it. We still care for him and have to accept it. What kind of shitty friends would we be if Korn can't pursue the love of his life because of some ancient feud?"
Pat looked pensive.
So Chang quickly added: "We just want Korn to know that we won't stand in the way if he really likes that guy. Bros before enemies."
That seemed to pull a small smile from Pat.
And - just to be a little shit - Korn finished with: "If you crushed on, I don't know, that Wai guy, for example, we'd totally respect that."
The hit on the shoulder was totally worth seeing Pat's grimace at those words.
Step A, B and C of operation 'Reassure Pat that he can tell us about his relationship' had been a full success: Korn went on a tutoring date with Korn, approached him in class, and confessed his "feelings" to Pat. Everything was going according to plan. So now they could take the next leap: Getting Korn and Pran alone.
This was mostly accomplished by the engineering students doing some work to find out what Pran usually did throughout the day, so Korn could randomly stumble across him, offering to carry his bag or buy him a drink or walk him to his dorm. The former was mostly declined, though the drink offer would've been rude not to accept. Korn learned that Pran could be pretty polite when he wanted to be.
Like when he tried to politely reject his advances.
Korn politely ignored the rejections.
A week passed by in this fashion. It wasn't exactly Korn's intention to make Pat jealous, or steal his time with the boyfriend - he argued that they'd probably spend the rest of the day together anyway, what with living right across the hall. And besides, this was a double mission: Not only was Korn trying to make his crush believable, but he also used the time to properly assess Pran and make sure that he deserved his best friend.
To his great relief, that seemed to be the case.
During the first couple of days, their conversations had been rather awkward. Most of the time the engineering student had made a point out of mentioning his super great best friend Pat in some way. Throughout the days, Korn actually found that he could have pleasant conversations with Pran. They'd talk and sometimes joke, and were pretty chill. Korn would sometimes talk about his studies, or Rugby, or shows he watched, and Pran would - in turn - open up a bit about his studies, playing the guitar, or how Pat had now joined the drama club.
At times, Korn almost forgot that he wasn't just talking to any pal, and actually had a plan to follow. Right. Flirting.
And even though Korn's occasional advances seemed to turn the moment slightly awkward, Pran seemed to otherwise not hate his company.
Everyone was tense.
Which wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence when the two faculties clashed, although today seemed to be extra charged. For starters, the two gangs definitely hadn't met by accident: After all, how could the engineering gang accidentally trespass into architecture territory? And surely they weren't accidentally hanging around the entrance, not going anywhere? If anything, it looked like they were waiting for someone.
Someone who was surrounded by a flock of architecture students.
"Korn, for real, leave it be. We'll get suspended."
Korn shoved Pat's arm away, hissing: "We're not going to get suspended if we don't start a fight. I know what I'm doing, so- oh, hey Pran!" With a grin plastered on his face, Korn turned to the student and waved. He noted that Pran looked rather pale. Whatever.
Before his fake crush had any chance of answering, Wai stepped to the front, already dropping his bag to the ground. "Do you have a death wish?" It was a feat to keep his grin from becoming mocking; to control the itch in his fingers, as he saw that extremely punchable face.
"No death. Only the wish to give something to Pran."
With his other hand, he lifted a bag he'd been carrying. Color slowly seemed to return to Pran's face, and the shock was replaced by annoyance. He almost matched the look that Pat had sported their whole walk upon realizing what Korn planned; surely they were currently having a silent argument just by looking at each other, those lovesick fools.
"What the fuck do you want from Pran?"
Now, this was what he'd been waiting for. With an exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows (he knows they're expressive), Korn declared simply: "Isn't it obvious?"
Wai was totally read in the face. He looked ready to implode. At that moment, Pat stepped to the front, raising his arms defensively at both gangs. "Guys, let's not fight", he then added quietly so only Korn could hear, "You can talk to Pran later, can't you?" But Korn decisively ignored his question, and turned to Wai while speaking his next words:
"Why would I beat up my crush's friends?"
There was a beat of silence. Even Pran and Pat seemed shellshocked, even though they both knew about the so-called crush already. It was one thing to know about it, and another thing to hear the guy declare it in front of both faculties. Although Korn wasn't yet finished.
"And I know my friends also won't beat you up for my sake, since we're all loyal. Though I guess I can't expect the same of you architecture assholes. You'd probably still fight us even if one of you dated us; or worse, you'd betray your friend by doing something like ignoring or publicly outing them. I guess not everyone can have the superior friend group."
The ruse seemed to work, as Wai huffed angrily, pointing at Korn. "What's that supposed to mean? If Pran actually liked you - which he doesn't - then we would obviously be better friends than you could ever wish to be." Korn sincerely hoped that would be the case, once they found out. But for now, he'd make do with this competition of sorts.
And now he was coming closer to them, standing right in front of Wai and Pran, though he knew Pat was probably right beside him, and he could see the worry and anger in both their eyes. Korn puffed up his chest and snarled at Wai: "Well, how do you know he doesn't like me back?" And suddenly all eyes were on Pran.
The moment he saw Pran steel himself for an awkward rejection, Korn surged forward and clasped his hands over Pran's mouth. "Actually, don't answer yet. I want some more time for you to think it over." Now completely invading the guy's personal space, Korn was already expecting Wai to raise his fist. There's a fleeting thought of, Wow, this is the first time I'm allowing someone to punch me, before Korn steels himself for the impact - which never came.
Because suddenly Pran was grabbing his friend's arm, holding him back, and one of the other guys in their group put a hand on Wai's shoulder, murmuring: "Let it go, Wai. He actually seems serious about this, don't be a dick for someone having a crush." Wai still glared, but seemed to retaliate.
Korn took it as his sign to turn back to Pran and hold out the bag, which - to everyone's surprise - Pran accepted. He didn't say anything else, before grabbing Wai by the elbow and pulling him along, their other friends following.
Chang, Mo and Korn silently approved.
"Korn, are you really sure about this...?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I be? Or do you have a problem with me liking an architecture guy?"
Pat gaped at the irony of it all, but eventually shook his head. "No, it's just... Do you even know him? You've only met a handful of times."
"It was love at first sight."
“... You literally tried to beat him up!?”
“I was shy.”
"He doesn't even seem to like you back."
"I've only started with my wooing. Give me some time, man."
"You're really loud and obnoxious, and he seems like the quiet and orderly type."
Korn tried not to look affronted as he said in a deadpan voice: "Opposites attract."
Pat deflated and seemed like a kicked puppy, and so Korn decided to take initiative: "You sure do seem bothered by me being interested in that guy."
"Uhh. I'm just. Worried for my best friend."
Korn hummed. "You haven't been like this with my previous crushes."
"Well, the situation was different."
"How so?"
"The faculty rivalry?"
Korn sighed and raised an eyebrow. "We talked about this. Our friends don't mind and will hold themselves back for my sake. Or do you have another reason for being bothered by my feelings for Pran?"
"It's, uhh. Uh. Oh! Shit, I forgot to ask the professor something about the exam, I need to find her! Right now! Bye Korn, don't kiss people without consent!"
Korn was accompanying Pran as they left the campus. It had taken quite the effort to get Pran to stop being annoyed with Korn with the stunt he had pulled a couple of days ago. For the sake of the plan though, Korn had managed, and so they were chatting in a friendly manner again.
They were about to pass the canteen when someone shouted their names. The other engineering guys were approaching them, Pat, Chang and Mo being part of the group. There were also some of their other friends, who had quickly gotten used to Korn liking Pran, and therefore also not causing any problems.
The two of them nodded at the group, and since Pat seemed to be in an especially longing mood (he had that look in his eyes), Korn decided to bully him. With an overly cheery smile, he slung one of his arms around Pran, and exclaimed cheekily for the rest to hear: "Oi, you've ruined the moment! I was just about to ask Pran for a kiss!" He winked at the guy next to him, who roughly shoved his arm off. With a glance in Pat's direction, Korn thought he might actually get kicked in today's rugby practice.
"I feel flattered, but I need to decline."
Being used to this, Korn prepared to answer in his usual manner ("Just give me some more time!", "You haven't yet seen my hardcore flirting" or, Korn's personal favorite, "Why not give it a try if you're single anyway?"), but got interrupted by Pran raising his hand and sighing tiredly, resignedly.
"Because I already have a boyfriend."
Total silence. Pat was gaping like a fish, and Korn, Mo and Chang were also caught off-guard. The others only seemed politely surprised. Suddenly, a hint of a smirk appeared on Pran's face, as he continued:
"I would've asked my boyfriend if he'd be okay with me introducing you officially, but I have an inkling that we might be too late for that."
Immediately, Pat butted in, somehow having gotten closer to Pran in the span of two seconds, and stating indignantly: "Of course I'm okay with that, you know that I want them to know", before he seemingly caught up to the rest of the sentence. "Wait." He stared disbelievingly at his engineering friends. "... what?"
There was a moment where most people were just gaping at each other - Korn and his two accomplices because how did Pran know?, Pat because how did his friends know?, and the other engineering students because what the fuck was going on?
Pran, ignoring everyone else and oh, he was definitely amused, turned to his boyfriend: "I think they know already. I don't know why else Korn would've told me earlier about his date on Friday."
And oh.
Oh.
Maybe Korn had begun to be too casual with Pran, after all.
He felt Chang and Mo glaring at his back.
It was kind of weird to see Pran and Pat be a couple in front of them.
Not because they acted like a typical couple - quite the opposite. Pat would try to initiate hugs and pecks and kisses, or take Pran's hand, and the other would usually push his face away or bully him away. Which, Korn did think was kinda funny. But also weird.
"So when did you find out?"
They were sitting in the small café that Pran had used to tutor Korn, though right now, there were only the five of them. The rest had promised not to spread the word and went about their day. They liked Pat and Pran just fine, and also didn't forget Pat's reputation. Even though Korn found it quite hard to remember right now, what with his big, muscled friend clinging to Pran's side and making puppy eyes at him. Chang cleared his throat.
"We overheard you two flirting in the library a couple of weeks ago, and since then it kinda became obvious. You really suck at hiding this. So, uh. Maybe think about telling your gang too, or they might find out in a less pleasant way and decide to be dicks about it."
Korn snorted at that. What was the worst they could do? Publicly out them?
"Wait, a few weeks ago?"
Pat and Pran looked at each other, and now it was Pran who cleared his throat, looking rather embarrassed. Pat looked smug, especially when he hummed: "We actually only got together last week after I joined the play." So, naturally, the three engineering students probed and prodded until they got at least some details. Idiots.
"For real though, you should probably tell your people, too. No need to worry about us starting any fights", and Korn had meant it in a supportive way, though maybe it had sounded a little off, since Pat kind of winced at his words. "Thank you for not being dicks about it." The three nodded, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Almost apologetically, Pat pointed at the drinks and food in front of them. "It's on me." Korn was glad that his best friend didn't actually apologize, and he thought about telling him he didn't need to pay. They weren't upset with him anymore. They understood. They considered them even now.
They got that Pat wasn't obliged to tell them, and besides, the past weeks had honestly been pretty fun.
But Korn also wouldn't say no to free stuff, and neither would Mo and Chang.
"We definitely earned the title of Most Supportive Gang!", the engineering student suddenly declared, and was pleased to note that not even Pran interjected. Korn couldn't wait to see the architecture students' faces once they realized that the en gang knew about the relationship before they did.
They might not be allowed to fight those assholes anymore, but at least they won in this.