Chapter Text
Pi was dying.
The life of "Pi" Pattawee Sithong was ending. A rather pitiful case, really. He will bleed out and someone will find his cold body in the morning.
But no one will care anyway.
Who cares about orphans with no money or connections? His aunt might remember him when he doesn’t send any money for a month or so. But that’s it. His only friend was an elderly lady who sold fruits on the corner of his shabby apartment building. Would she care if he didn’t show up tomorrow morning to say hello?
The robber that put his knife through Pi’s stomach out of scare couldn’t even take from him more than a hundred baht. Money was always tight; it was quite bizarre that someone decided to rob Pi in the first place. And commit such a heavy crime like murder as well. Probably some methhead.
Pi was such an insignificant human being. Hard work since childhood has made him look older and constantly tired for his age of 24. He was of average height and nothing special to look at. He never even kissed another person. All his time since he was 15 was spent earning.
The only joy he had in life was an hour here and there that he could spend reading BL novels. Deep down he knew he was attracted to men, but Pi couldn’t even imagine being able to act on it. Escaping into simple worlds where characters were good or bad, their love pure and earned after some manageable struggle, where they didn’t have to hide who they were and had courage to express themselves — it was a guilty pleasure and something beautiful that could be touched and owned by Pi, even if it was just a cheap book.
In his last moment of life, Pi turned his head. He was freezing and felt light spasms – his body was losing too much blood. Black dots started to cover his vision. There was his bag with several of his books scattered around due to a quick fight he was trying to give for the slim content of his wallet. The robber was long gone and Pi was looking into the dark, thinking about what kind of miserable life he had. This miserable end is all that he deserves. A dirty-poor virgin with nothing but several BL novels…
If only life was as clear and easy as it was depicted in them…
If only there was something else… to his existence aside from the constant struggle to earn survival…
If only there was true love…
he would’ve been grateful just to know that he loves and was loved…
If only he had a family… if only…
***
"Pi, honey, you will be late if you don’t get up now!"
The woman’s voice sounded muffled, as if she was calling from another room.
It was quite a weird feeling. There was something wrong with his body. It didn’t feel the same. He was warm and comfortable, lying on a soft surface… probably bed. Through his eyelids he could feel that the room he was in was full of light. The smell of something really delicious was noticeable in the air…
HIS WOUND!
Pi jumped up and even before he managed to open his eyes, the searing dumb pain blossomed on the crown of his head. Pi fell back on the bed, with tears from the pain and moans from the unpleasant feeling. What was that?!
He finally managed to open his eyes while nursing the top of his head, trying to massage it to well-being again.
A bunk bed. How, for the sake of everything, did he end up in the bunk bed? Wasn’t he dead?
Pi threw away his covers and inspected his body – no visible wounds in sight. And this weird feeling, his body never felt like that. Aren’t his legs too long and slim? Why did his skin become so light-toned?
Pi started losing himself in panic, trying to remember anything. He felt as if the world had darkened and his mind became one pulsing point of a nerve-wrecking thought that he couldn’t breathe. Through the rushing sound of his erratic heartbeat, he was able to hear someone stepping into the room.
"Pi? What…" a quick inhale and warm arms embraced him; one palm started making soothing circles on his back, a calming voice commanding softly, "Breathe, love. In and out. I’m here, just breathe; everything is all right. Mommy is with you, mommy is here…" she was lulling him into safety and light again. Her smell of warm honey and bread made Pi huddle closer to her body. In this very moment, everything was indeed right.
***
This beautiful, kind lady was his mother. She worriedly inspected him, asking what had happened. Her big brown eyes were looking at him with such sincere concern and care that Pi almost started to cry again. He could barely remember his own mother, and this woman made his heart melt with love – the body he was in knew she was the real thing. Was Pi going crazy? Is he dead and this is his afterlife? Maybe he was hospitalized and now, in some sort of comatose state, he was dreaming of a better life?
She sensed his inner struggle because she suddenly hugged him.
"I think it would be better if you stayed home today. I will call school to notify them that you are not feeling well. I will be back in a minute," she patted his cheeks and walked out of the room.
The feeling of panic started to rise again and Pi got up from the bed. He silently followed her. There were stairs just outside his room. He slowly stepped down, trying to catch any sound.
"… too worried. He needs to rest. Someone has to stay with him. What if there is something wrong with him? He had never had panic attacks before. I don’t want to drag him to the hospital, but he clearly needs to be monitored," she said, evidently stressed too.
"I think you're exaggerating. Calm down, our baby boy is ok, he just overworked himself with studies. This is his graduation year, and many students suffer some sort of emotional struggle. Call Duean, he should take care of his brother today. And I’m sure that Pi will be more comfortable with him. Knowing that you took the day off will probably upset him further," man spoke confidently, having a reassuring quality to his voice.
Pi peeked out from the corner. He looked like a typical dad you would find in a rom-com or a commercial.
But he could potentially be left alone, and Pi, in all his confused state, managed to gather some courage. He stepped into the room and tried to look normal, "I’m fine, really. You don’t have to worry about me. I just had a nightmare". This was an ordinary thing to say, right?
"Are you sure, honey? You looked really scared", she walked closer, looking attentively at his face. And oh man, Pi definitely was much taller than before, because he had to look down at her.
"Yes, I think I’ll just stay home today and be fine by tomorrow. You know, I’ll read something and sleep a bit more. No need to call… er… Duean," that was the name of the potential brother. Pi and Duean – yes, easy to remember.
***
With a lot more convincing and a threat that they would be late, the beautiful lady, his mother, finally allowed her husband to lead her out of the house. She strictly instructed him to call her if he felt worse and she said that she would call him too during her break to check on him.
The forehead kiss and another warm hug—it was heaven. Pi is definitely dead to be treated this way.
Waving them farewell while their car drove down the street, Pi was finally able to inspect his surroundings. The house was amazing. He had never lived in a house this nice: two-storey, with a huge balcony and a small garden. The fence was covered with plants. It looked quite fancy and very welcoming at the same time. This family was loaded compared to his situation.
He cautiously walked back and slowly roamed around, trying to see where everything was located. But the greatest question was who he was as of right now. So he headed back to the room he woke up in. There on the door of a wardrobe was a full-length mirror, and he finally allowed himself to look properly at his new body.
Well… this was impossible. He could see some kind of resemblance to his original body, but this new person staring back at him was clearly more in… everything.
He was taller, as Pi had already noticed. His body was lean and well-built, with long, straight legs and broad shoulders. He had a handsome face. The nose became more prominent on his face with a higher bridge and a more narrow tip; his lips were fuller and such a lovely shade of pink you can find mostly on girls; Pi’s eyes got thick lashes and appeared to be more almond-shaped than before; additionally, he got a defined oval frame of the face and a high forehead. Even his hair became richer in texture and looked shinier. Still, he looked too young, with round cheeks and baby fat evident on his face.
Pi looked like a teen model from a fancy magazine. He could still recognise himself, but this version was as if he was previously in 3rd class economy and now upgraded to a VIP lounge. He was a premium version of himself.
Pi’s brains are short-circuited right now. He opened and closed his mouth several times, gaping like a fish, and finally managed to squeeze out some bleating-like sound.
Ok, it was time to focus on more important things than ogling himself in the mirror. Pi started to go through this guy's stuff… that was his stuff now. Nothing indecent.
AHA! The student’s ID is exactly what he needed.
Pattawee Panichapun. 18 years old. Grade 12 of Senior Secondary School meaning he will graduate this year. Neat.
Pi looked through books and records and… there were a lot of preparation books for the medical field. On a computer screen was a background picture of a building that had a huge sigh: "Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University". So this Pi wanted to enrol in Medicine.
Wait… this was familiar. THIS NAME! Pattawee Panichapun… it was the same as in that book… what was the title? Something about the sky and stars. A typical romance type of thing. Not really that great, so Pi was kind of not really sure about particular details. But Pi was dead set on the fact that this WAS the same name as one of the characters in that BL novel he read maybe two years ago.
The novel was popular, not that Pi found it really appealing or interesting. He finished it only because one of the characters coincidentally had the same name and nickname as he did. And he really liked the snarky and smart comebacks this fictional Pi was coming up with. He was the best character of the all-one-dimensional ones in the novel. And the only one that stuck with Pi himself and who he still remembered, even 2 or 3 years later.
The issue here was that in fiction Pi was an antagonist, a villain of the story, and ended up bad. Like "ruined life" and a "prison sentence" bad.
Pi tried to nitpick his own memories for details. What did he remember about Pi?
Ah! The Time joke! He and his brothers should be addressed as time-measure triplets or something like that. Because… their names were "day", "month" and "year". There was also some crude joke about how long it took to conceive each one or something.
Pi looked around and on one of the walls, a picture was hanging. It was a photo of three people. Getting closer, he could see that one of them was a younger version of himself. Maybe Middle school. The other two were probably his relatives or even brothers. They were all standing in some yard, and the oldest was holding a framed certificate. And right under the photo was written "Wan, Duean, and Pi. June 17, 2017, Wan’s Graduation".
Well, fuck.
***
The story was quite simple. Pi could barely recall that it might even consist of two parts.
The main protagonist of the novel was the young, attractive, and kind Muang Nan. The first part of the book described his tragic affection for his stepbrother and the misery that he inflicted upon himself by following his desires. This ended with a broken heart. Pi really skipped most of it. Too depressing. But there was the protagonist’s best friend, Mork, who supported him and tried to make Nan’s life easier. Pi almost categorised him as a comfort character.
That was until he got to the second part. Nan and Mork entered university. And the focus started to shift to Mork’s life too. They were in different faculties. And Pi remembered very clearly that Mork enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine. That’s where he met "Pi" Pattawee Panichapun, an ambitious, hard-working, but obsessive character. The novel’s Pi was described as charismatic and attractive, but with something sinister in his eyes. He and Mork were voted to participate as Moon of the faculty. And Pi lost. That’s what piqued his interest and jump-started his downfall. Pi in the book had a snarky personality and ruled his faculty like a true king. The only person he couldn’t get to was Mork, who, according to his description, was very good-looking, at the top of his class, and had a cool personality.
The triggering part for PI himself, when he read the novel, was that someone as amazing and determined as Pi would fall for someone as bland as Mork, with his trivial whiny little speech about wanting himself a soul mate that he could take care of. Furthermore, his favourite antagonist, Pi, started spending his time on stupid shit like bullying Muang Nan and trying to seduce Mork using every possible legal and illegal means. And if he thought that the first part was depressing, this one made him want to slap the author of the book. She really was too lazy to make Mork properly attractive, and Pi is unquestionably not likeable. Because Pi was actually quite likeable, and compared to the main characters of the book, he was consistent in his desires and interesting to read about.
In the end, Muang Nan got together with his best buddy Mork, and Pi was imprisoned for assault. Lame.
Pi was cheering for the best but ended up hating the main couple, NanMork. Hence, the book never returned to his reading list, but his namesake was forever imprinted in his mind as a pitiful example of the unsuitable use of an outstanding character.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Pi wondered if this really was a dream. Is he really pulling an Isekai and transmigrating into a BL novel? What chances does he have with that?
What if this is all true? And now he has amazing, loving parents and an actual family. He also has a bright future. He can do whatever he wants; he can study and become a doctor. He can also date; with a body like this, he will probably be popular, and finding a boyfriend won’t be difficult.
If this is a dream, then Pi didn’t want to wake up. He wanted to experience it fully while he could.
All he needs to do is avoid the main couple. Mork and Muang Nan are blacklisted starting at this very moment.
The only issue was that he couldn’t remember anything about them except their nicknames and general synopsis. But that won’t be a problem, right? Many-many-many isekai-type novels showed that characters who fought for their freedom could succeed. And this was already a book. So, Pi will do anything possible to fight for his dreams and avoid Mork at any cost.
BANG!
The door was opened so rapidly that the sound of it hitting the wall made Pi jump.
"Oi, oi! Hia is here to take care of you, baby brother!" a loud and obnoxious voice announced. The guy that entered the room looked at him dumbly, "What are you doing?"
***
It was almost May already. This reality still existed and had no intention to vanish.
Pi finished his school year discovering that he inherited not only the body but the brain and its content as well. Studying has never been as satisfying and easy as now. To his surprise, he could even speak perfect English and understand some Chinese. The unfortunate part was that his application to the university had already been submitted. All he managed to pull off was a change of faculty. Considering his whole family was working in the medical field, except Duean of course, he decided not to take an extreme turn and enrolled in Dentistry. Besides, it was interesting, and what can be more amazing than having this high-demand, respectable job with normal working hours. Perfect.
Pi was at the top of his class, and people smiled at him and spoke to him with admiration. But there were no close friends. So the slight change in his character was not very noticeable. Besides, he managed to catch glimpses of "previous" Pi’s life and recover some of his original memories. That helped too.
His main goals were to change his destiny and be happy in his new life with his new family. The first part included a change of character and circumstances, so he could avoid everything that could lead to a possible obsession with Mork. Pi decided to start by reversing everything his character was.
Novel Pi was outstanding and charismatic. Also nice-looking. This has to go. That’s why, instead of aligners, Pi convinced his parents to get him braces. He also stopped using contact lenses and found the most old-fashioned frame of glasses. He grew out more of his hair and let his bangs cover his face as much as possible. Looking into the mirror, he felt accomplished. Now with this image, no one will pay him any attention, especially not a popular kid like Mork.
Personality-wise, he had nothing to worry about. Pi was selfish in pursuit of his own happiness, but he was fine with a quiet, uneventful life for a couple of years while he managed the main couple getting together and disappearing from his life. He will be staying low, watching from the bushes, and cheering them up in his head every time they don’t notice Pi’s presence. And while NanMork will spend their time realising their feelings for each other, Pi will put all his efforts into becoming the best dentist in the country. That will be a true villain thing to do, bwahaha! Awesome!
Pi deleted all social media accounts, maintaining only the necessary ones, because a huge part of Pi's deeds in the book were made through cyberstalking and manipulating people’s opinions through creating fakes online. This will shield him from any influence from Mork’s fan groups. Also, it will make Pi less trackable. He even came up with the explanation that he was a victim of online bullying if someone asked. That will shut anyone up.
On the other hand, the second goal was already coming to life. His family was amazing, and everyone loved each other. Father was funny, Duean took after him and was hilarious and troublesome. And his mother... Pi tried to spend time with her, helping with shopping and the preparation of breakfasts and dinners. He sometimes sensed her thoughtful eyes on him, but she kept quiet, probably thinking that Pi was going through some teenage phase.
Her hugs were still the best thing in the world.
***
This was truly the happiest he had ever been. Life was beautiful, and Pi couldn’t contain his good mood, smiling and whistling while heading to the library.
His university was amazing, lectures demanded his full attention, and auditoriums were big and filled with so many students that Pi barely recognised even 10% of them. There were so many attractive young men and women that no student with names like Mork and Muang Nan came up in conversations with his classmates even once. And when they chose their responsibilities for this semester, Pi insisted on taking over making copies for his group. It was the most boring and inconspicuous task he could take on. The additional bonus was that he had to spend a lot of time in the library, as he was planning to do anyway. Being so far away from the crowds and main commotion and never crossing paths with students from other faculties was a blessing. No one dared disturb people in the library anyway, and even if Mork showed up, he would pass by without Pi even noticing him.
Pi was sitting at the table, enjoying his afternoon while waiting for his group to bring their books to him so he could make copies for everyone. It was an empty corner, and he allowed himself to hum quietly to the beautiful music playing in his headphones.
Click-click-click.
Pi turned his head.
Next to a copy machine, some student was bent over trying to make it work.
Hmm. Pi needs all the good karma he can get. And being helpful means that people are usually nice to you. So he approached the student and, staying true to his introverted image, just took over and fixed the jammed paper problem. He pressed the copy button and handed the student his papers.
"Thank you." his voice was soft and deep and had this velvet quality to it.
But Pi never raised his eyes; he just nodded and returned to his table. Now that this one is gone, he can continue with his amazing life. He only managed to put on his earphones when his classmates surrounded him. They were children and had bad taste in humour, so they teased Pi. A more sensitive person could’ve taken this close to heart, but Pi just shook it off and started with the task. He has a bigger fish to catch… or more precisely, NOT to catch.
***
"Hi, can you show me what you did last time? The copy machine doesn’t seem to work for me".
Pi looked up in surprise. The guy who was standing next to his table made him freeze for a moment. Because, daaaaamn… he was hot. Really handsome and prince-charming-like. He had wavy short hair, cheekbones to die for, full pink lips, and the most melting dark eyes Pi ever saw, with this small cute mole right under his left one. And for some reason, this person was asking something from Pi.
Just in case, Pi looked around to make sure there was no one, as usual. Then he stood up from his seat and finally noticed a book in the hot guy’s hands. Oh, the velvet voice guy!
Pi nodded and squeezed out, "Sure".
He then proceeded to wordlessly show what to press to open the gate so the stuck paper could be pulled out. He also took this guy’s book and, with one confirmative nod from him, made a copy of the marked page.
When he took his book out of the machine, he noticed on the first page the name "Meen Sittha Nithikornkul". Considering they were already kind of talking, when the guy thanked him again, Pi answered, "You are welcome, Meen".
Meen stopped in his tracks and looked at him with confusion. Pi suddenly realised how this could be seen from outside, so he hurriedly explained, "Armm, no! I don’t know you. Your name is in the book. Here," Pi put a finger on the cover, and the guy looked down, "See? I saw it just now, so I just… yeah," Pi should stop talking and also never speak to this guy again.
Meen raised his eyes to Pi’s face again and just watched him for a moment, as if he were searching for something. Then he just nodded and walked off. Weird.
***
"You seem to like classic music", Meen said, staring from the opposite side of the table.
He probably was taking a break and was just bored and decided to watch Pi. Pi realised that it was like a mannerism or a habit of his. Meen just generally liked to let his eyes rest on something for a prolonged period of time, hence "the staring". It could be a bit confusing with a sexy face like his, but Pi did not pay a lot of attention to this. He knew that Meen would never be interested in Pi while he maintained his nerd image so vigorously. But Meen was introverted like Pi, so he started to show up in the library and preferred to sit at Pi’s table. They had short conversations from time to time. Pi also noticed Meen sometimes in an auditorium filled with students during general studies. They nodded to each other for greetings but never spoke publicly.
Pi looked up, gathering his thoughts: "I like the fun and grandiose ones only, though. You know, something curvy and rich in sound with a lot of brass and different instruments. Like Tchaikovsky or Haydn orchestra variations".
Meen’s smile was almost nonexistent, but Pi still saw it, "You sometimes hum and I can recognise the melody".
Pi worriedly turned off his music, saying, "Sorry, I didn’t know I was so loud. I will try not to bother you during study time anymore" .
Meen waved his hand, "No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought it was cute", he probably realised what he said and that it might sound the wrong way, because he pressed his lips as if stopping himself from talking, "I don’t mind, you can listen to your music".
Pi smiled bashfully and took one of his earphones out. He extended his hand with it to Meen, "Do you want to share? We can both listen to it," Pi expected Meen to turn him down. He offered just to show that they were good.
Meen gave him "the stare" again and, with a moment of hesitation, took it.
Well, they probably are study buddies now after such a commitment.
***
Meen bought them sandwiches and bubble tea. They were sitting on the grass in the park. It was getting dark and Pi was heading home from the library when he met Meen just outside the university.
"I never see you participating in student activities during festivals", Meen handed him some paper napkins.
Pi took them and just shrugged, "I don’t want to go there. Too many people. Crowds give me anxiety".
"Really? And fairs or amusement parks? You won’t go too? As well as the mall?" Meen stopped eating and watched him intently, waiting for his answer.
Pi thought about this question. It was a white lie that he hated crowds and it helped maintain his secluded life, but Meen was his friend. Maybe he wanted some help or company?
"I can go if I need to. Mall is easy, especially early in the morning", Pi gave his friend wide smile.
Meen turned his head away, as if thinking about something. Apparently he finally made a decision, because he looked Pi in the eyes and asked with far more confidence than this question required, "Do you want to go to the amusement park with me this Saturday? We can ride a couple of rides and then have lunch together. Or if you're against amusement parks, we can do some shopping. And then we still have lunch together".
Meen probably really wanted to visit some specific place for lunch but didn’t want to make it like a date, so he offered an additional option with entertainment before that. And it actually sounded nice. Pi never spent time like that with a friend. A happy life is full of hidden opportunities. And he really hoped that Meen’s lunch place was something embarrassing, like a maid's or cat's café. It would be so much fun to visit a really unusual place.
Pi smiled again, "I hope that lunch will be amazing. I vote for the rides".
Meen took a bite from his sandwich with a more open smile. We're not hiding anymore, are we?
"Oh, I will need your Line", Meen hastily reached for his phone.
Pi got his own out, "Line is good. I don’t have Facebook anyway". Meen shook his head in astonishment and provided his patent stare. Still smiled affectionately, though.
And you know what? Pi had so much fun with Meen. They screamed on roller-coaster and Pi almost threw up on a Freefall ride. It was the best. They made several funny selfies and ate ice cream.
That special café, though? It was not as exciting as Pi imagined. Just some fancy place with hipster vibes. Probably more of a fashionable choice. This is the place you come to make nice photos on Instagram. But the food was great. And Meen tried to feed him as if it were their last lunch or something. He kept asking if Pi wanted anything else. Is he a foodie and wanted his opinion? Or maybe he wanted to try as many items on the menu as possible?
It was decided then: they got three deserts, which they shared.
Awesome.
***
Pi was watching a funny cat video Meen just sent him while walking to his classroom. He never imagined Meen would be the type to watch LOL cats. It was adorable.
"Would you sign a petition against budget cuts?"
Pi stopped and looked at the student who addressed him. Another cute and charming guy. This BL world was rocking.
"Yes, of course", Pi quickly put down his name and phone number.
"Thank you," the guy gave him a smile and it was blinding. Pi literally took one step back, despite the fact that this guy looked really disarming. He was like a warm comforter.
The guy’s smile faded a bit, "Are you all right?"
Pi took a calming inhale and tried to smile back, "Yes, you just blinded me with that smile for a second". It was a bizarre thing to say, but Pi discovered that giving blunt answers created an additional layer of that feeling that caused people to cut short any communication with him. They are allowed to think he is crazy if that helps get them away.
Not this case, apparently, because the guy actually stepped closer, "Oh, sorry. I’m just a bit excited that we are following through with this initiative. I thought that I needed to convince more people with this, but everyone was really responsive and eager to help".
To be honest, everything in Pi’s life was going too smoothly, and future possible misfortunes turned into some Boogieman—a scare that might exist somewhere theoretically but not really. Pi has been too relaxed lately with his blossoming friendship with Meen and his successful studies and family life.
"It’s because you’re cute. People will probably gladly speak with you anyway," starting with honesty and going with it till the end. Something made Pi completely forget himself. Kind of like with Meen.
The other student laughed and stretched out his hand for a handshake, "I’ll take it as a compliment. My name is Muang Nan, and I’m from Aligned Studies".
It took everything not to jump away as soon as possible. Pi shook his hand with his own cold fingers, "My name is Pi. Dentistry".
He should’ve lied! Why did he say his name?! Was it even important?!! This handsome dude was freaking Muang Nan, the goddamn protagonist!
Pi suddenly looked around. Is Mork also lurking somewhere nearby? He completely forgot how close his crushing destiny was! Dumbass!
"It’s nice to meet you, Pi".
Muang Nan smiled like it was the end of the world — beautifully and consumingly terrifying.
***
This reality check was unpleasant. But Pi was actually glad it happened. Now he knew Nan’s face, at least. And Pi had to brace himself and eventually check the Final Boss out as well. He needed to look into Mork in case he ran into him too. They will have shared classes for smaller groups, and it was a legit possibility to end up in the same group as Mork. Terrifying thought, really.
"You are from the Faculty of Medicine, right?" Pi was expectantly looking at his friend. They were sitting at their spot in the library.
Meen looked up and set his notes and book aside, "I am. Do you want to ask about something?"
Pi was not really concerned about what Meen thought of it, and he just told him straight away, "Do you know this guy named Mork? I think he was the Moon of the faculty, and he is sort of popular?"
His friend stayed strangely still while looking back at Pi. He wetted his lips and finally answered with his own question, "What about him?"
Pi looked down at his hands, trying to find words, "I just need to know… can you get me his schedule?" Meen was frowning, and Pi quickly assured him, "I am not a stalker, and I won’t give it away to other people. I just wanted to meet him… maybe… just once".
Or more like NOT meet him ever.
"I don’t get it. Why are you interested in Mork all of a sudden? What business do you have with him?" there was something strange about Meen’s face. It was like he was strained or really tense.
How do you explain to a person that you need his services to avoid another person you don’t even know? Pi decided that he didn’t have to explain anything. Meen can take it or leave.
"Forget I asked," Pi gathered his books and left. He doesn’t need to drag Meen into this.
"Pi, wait!" Meen followed him to the library doors and said, "I wanted to talk to you for a long time. Can we meet after lectures?"
Pi looked at Meen. He really tried to see what this was about. Something was off: his friend was waiting for his answer, but it was like he was preparing for the worst. It was really difficult to read Meen; he always appeared to be so stoic and cool, but Pi could see all microexpressions, like slight curve of his lips, a tiny tension in his brows and the way his eyes was opened slightly wider than usual.
This was not good. Will he tell him that they have to stop being friends? Was it because of his weird question about Mork? Or did he sense that Pi had a boner for him?
Pi shook his head, "I’m busy today. Let’s meet another time. Bye!" he gulped cheerfully and quickly walked away, not waiting for an answer from Meen.
Avoiding problems became Pi’s new religion. And this might be problematic.
***
Pi always thought that being cute was far more advantageous than being handsome. Cuteness made people aware of you; it made them kinder and evoked a desire to take care of you. Handsomeness sometimes scared: people did not only admire your looks but also get envious and feel intimidated if they are self-conscious. That’s why, in Pi’s rational mind, cuteness was seen as a more valuable asset. And Muang Nan was handsome, but at the same time he possessed a soft, inviting aura and was disarmingly cute. He did not scare people off. Like sunlight, he was pleasant and made others turn his way so they could experience a bit of his brightness and warmth.
Watching Muang Nan talk to some students, Pi was wondering why Mork in the novel waited for so long? How could he ignore, for almost two full parts of the book and some three hundred pages, this amazing potential partner? How come only the threat to Muang Nan’s well-being made him realise that he was harbouring feelings for his best friend? Maybe Mork was slow? Or was he deficient? Pi wouldn’t be surprised, that asshole.
The whole point of stalking Nan was to find out how Mork looked. After Meen turned him down, Pi actually tried to ask here and there about Mork, but people just said to follow him on Facebook. Even his fangirls didn’t want to share any pictures and told him that "Mork is not some piece of meat" and to "show some respect". WHAT?! Where did that come from? In the novel, everyone posted everything, and novel Pi actually used these gossiping groupies to manipulate public opinion on Muang Nan. Why was everyone suddenly so considerate? Besides, Mork’s account on Facebook was private, and his photo was some smudged backside of the head with a lot of hazy shadows—a photo from a nightclub, it seems. Well, at least Pi found out Mork’s full name was Sutthaya.
Even Google search was unsuccessful. Who was powerful enough to wipe out all information on a popular guy like Mork? Was that even humanly possible? Pi was quite concerned that this was turning into some "The Bourne Identity" type of book. What’s next? An international spy mission to kill some villain in Colombia?
The more Pi dug into this whole story, the more questions came up concerning Mork. With so much effort put into just seeing his freaking face, Pi was not so scared anymore to be struck with a curse of eternal obsession over this guy’s mythical handsomeness. And! Pi was annoyed as hell—this Mork guy was a real pain in the ass to deal with, and Pi refused to spend his University life in a state of uncertainty and being afraid of shadow monsters. Pi had to face Mork and laugh in his face because... cuteness over handsomeness is real. And Pi was cute himself and very much done with Mork.
"What are you doing here?" this velvety, calm voice made Pi turn his head and smile. He was avoiding Meen, and it was nice to see him in an environment where all serious conversations could be avoided. By this point, Pi was a true master of avoiding his problems. Ignorance is bliss. Meen was looking at him with his infamous "barely there" smile. Oh, the BL gods did create a true beauty, and it was Meen. Another good weird question: how could people admire Mork and not see how gorgeous Meen was? The guy smelled nice too… like a wooden forest and something fresh.
Pi nodded, faking confidence, and said, "I am investigating the bizarre and mystical case of a lost and not found student. I kid you not, this is a unicorn hunt. I am almost convinced that Mork is a figment of my imagination, or you have to be pure and virginal and step in the early hours of the leap year's highest point into a magical forest with a jar full of children's tears of joy to meet him. I am literally lost on ideas of what outlandish ritual I have to perform to find that guy".
"Huh," Meen frowned and followed with his eyes where Pi was looking. "And you what? Stalking Muang Nan now?"
Pi shrugged but did not deny it, "I heard that they are best friends. They should meet sometimes, right? Friends eat lunch together or at least have coffee dates in between classes. And if this won’t work, my last resort will be to actually step into the Faculty of Medicine and find him there", Pi turned back to Meen and said, "To be honest, I was supposed to enrol there myself but decided to change faculty at the very last moment".
Meen was looking at him thoughtfully, "Pity, we could’ve been studying together," and he suddenly took Pi’s hand, entwining their fingers "Let’s get some coffee. You said it yourself, friends have coffee dates".
All Pi was able to do was give Muang Nan’s face one last longing look before Meen dragged him outside.
Nice, soft, warm hands were added to a mental list of Meen’s assets.
***
It did not happen the way Pi expected.
This was the university’s Blood Donor Day and almost the end of the first semester. So he was tight on time. Pi’s typical strategy was to never show up at student functions. But Pi had a mission, and it was way more important than any possible risks. Besides, he saw on a news board that one of the responsible people for organising Blood Donor Day was none other than Muang Nan. Mork should definitely show up to help his friend.
With the determination of a young shark that sensed fresh blood in the water and pushing away all his fears, Pi started his preparations to go to the event. His prey should not be aware of his presence, and no more friendly dates should avert Pi’s attention. So he texted Meen that he won’t go.
The disguise was basically Duean’s engineering uniform, a baseball cap and a mask, so he won’t be recognised by anyone and stalled during the mission. By that point, Pi was sure that this novel was taking the piss at him. He even watched "Braveheart" just for the sake of being able to properly scream "Freedom!" when he sees Mork and won’t feel anything, only derision.
Nothing could beat Meen’s hidden smiles and sexy stares anyway.
And by the time Pi got to University, he actually felt confident enough to achieve all his dreams.
The music was playing—a band performing a cover of some pop song. Stalls with food and displays of faculties achievements were set in rows. A joyful crowd was circulating around. Most of the people could be seen in a separate area, where the big posters with pointers agitated them to donate blood for the sake of others. Several students were handing out pamphlets and flyers and showing where the registration table was. So Pi went that way.
Muang Nan, along with several other students, was proceeding with checking weight, IDs, and medical cards. Pi sneakily stepped to the farthest person at the register from him, which turned out to be Narog, Pi’s close acquaintance from Dentistry. He handed over his ID and quickly showed his face, instantly putting his mask back on.
"Hey, Pi. Are you sick?" Narog was diligent and methodical, as usual.
"Nah, I'm just afraid of the germs all these people are spreading. Covid-19 is still in full motion, you know".
Narog nodded, gave him his queue number, 718, and put his registration wristband on his hand.
Pi quickly muttered thanks and positioned himself a little bit behind the registration stall so he could watch Muang Nan closely.
It only took him standing there for about twenty minutes before Muang Nan started jumping and waving his hand in the air to attract the attention of someone in the crowd. "Mork! We are here!"
As if in some movie Slow Mo, the crowd parted, and in bright light, a figure stepped closer. A very familiar figure of Meen, who was smiling at Muang Nan and handing him and his fellows a bag full of drinks.
It all went DOWN in flames. The world was crumbling, and Pi was terrified to no end.
"Thank you, Mork. You are a lifesaver! Would you stay here with us?" cheerful pleasant voice of Muang Nan was cutting like a knife.
Meen-now-Mork, in a completely unfamiliar confident manner, smiled widely and leaned closer to Nan, saying, "I would rather get back sooner. I just decided to drop by and support you. I will be out as soon as they take my blood".
Muang Nan patted his shoulder and said teasingly, "You became so cautious recently, not showing up anywhere and avoiding us. Are you sure you want to skip?"
Not-Meen-But-MORK smiled and teased back, announcing haughtily, "I have to deal with something first. Till then, sorry buddy, I have to focus on my studies and personal life".
"All right then. At least join us during Valentine's." Nan was putting a registration wristband on Mork’s wrist.
"We’ll see about that. I ac…. " his voice was fading in the sounds of the crowd because Pi couldn’t bear it anymore, he turned and started making his way to the exit, forcing his legs to move.
Was he hyperventilating? No, it was just his loudly beating heart and trembling hands that made him stop for a moment to calm his breathing. Why was this happening? Why would Mork lie to him, a nobody from a library, and for such an extended period of time? How did Pi manage to get himself involved with FREACKING MORK?! The most forbidden person in the world! Is Pi destined to be imprisoned? Does he have to suffer the pitiful fate of his character? Is it even possible to save at least his happiness within his amazing new family? How can that bastard Mork take that away from him? And for what, some pretty face?! NO WAY!
Yes, Pi became greedy and acted as if it was his birthright to have this family and this life, but he had already decided to set aside all remorse for the original inhabitant of this body. It was his life! And, oh, Pi was angry now. He was so furious. Yes, he can admit that it was partially his fault to assume the name because of the book. But that sleazy asshole was hanging around for months and never found it in himself to confess! He is dead to Pi! However attractive he is, he can’t treat people this way! And this will help Pi; now he has the right to kick Mork to the curb for his lies. He will catch that bastard red-handed and give him a piece of his mind.
Pi held his head high and turned around, aiming to see that traitor again and confront him.
"Seven one eight! Seven one eight is next!"
Pi had to stop in his tracks and head to the room with medical personnel.