Chapter Text
Kan stares despondently at the green and blue toothbrushes on the kitchen sink and wonders for the nth time which one is Meen’s and which Duean’s (and if he is Duean then his.) He thinks green is Meen’s because his lab has the green code except they could have switched it up so Kan can never be too sure. The toothbrush Kan is using a spare one that he had found in the bathroom cabinet.
Thankfully, several such items are lying In surplus all over the condo minus Duean’s clothes. With disgust, Kan has been putting the boxers on with the logic that if he is Duean then it is his body and if he isn’t then they just swapped souls because this outer physical body is not his.
After a lot of dilly-dallying, Kan brushes his teeth, takes a shower and steps out in the towel and fishes in the cupboard for a not-too-soiled pair of clothes.
Luckily, underneath the dump that Kan concludes must be Duean’s he manages to find a t-shirt and shorts that he can wear at home.
Duean’s home.
He puts those clothes on and then takes a deep breath.
He exercises too for a bit to stretch his limbs and then thinks,
Shit, stop trying to delay it further.
Not to be too cowardly, Kan slowly approaches the door and opens it to find Meen at the table next to the kitchen island pouring over his book.
He clears his throat.
Meen looks up startled, cutely blinking his eyes and then turns to look at Kan, a smile beginning to cover his lips before it falls.
“Good Morning. I was waiting for you.”
There goes the ‘good’ in the morning, Kan laments and moves closer. “Good Morning to you as well, P’M- Meen.”
Kan hopes his slip hasn’t been caught. It is hard to tell from Meen’s expression.
“Duean.”
“...”
“I am talking to you.”
“Ah yes, Of course. Duean.”
Meen sighs, slides a pen in and shuts his book. “Please, take a seat.”
Kan who is probably right now the poster picture of nervousness on unsure legs moves to the chair opposite to the man who looks everything and nothing like Thua.
“What is it?”
“It may be pointless,” Meen begins, watching Kan with a scrutinising gaze, “to ask you to not lie and be honest about my question,” he pauses as he looks unhappy with whatever he finds and then says, “but I want you still try and answer honestly.”
“Of course, P’.”
Kan winces at his obvious mistake.
Meen continues watching him with an unnerving gaze before saying, “Do you really believe you exchanged your soul with Duean?”
*
Thua is trying to sketch one of the panels of the new manga he is reading. He has recently taken to sketching because he had read in some blogs that drawing, and painting help with mitigating stress.
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:13 PM]: Can you step outside?
Thua frowns when his phone vibrates and picks it up out of curiosity.
His eyes widen when he realises who the text is from and immediately texts back.
[Thua Thuaphu Teeraphosukarn, 19:21 PM]: Step out where?
The reply is immediate.
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:21 PM]: Outside your house
[Thua Thuaphu Teeraphosukarn, 19:23 PM]: My house?
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:23 PM]: Duh
Thua drops his pen in shock and stands up abruptly, startling his mother.
“Is everything okay, son?” she asks, pausing to wash her vegetables. Tonight it is just her and him home.
“Yes, khrab.” He pushes the chair back and his mother watches him as he flails about.
“What’s wrong?”
Thua laughs nervously. “Mae.”
His phone vibrates. Thua glimpses at the screen.
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:27 PM]: C’mmon I’m waiting
“Yes, son?”
They both watch the phone vibrate with new notifications.
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:27 PM]: I need to tell you
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:27 PM]: I told you I will
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:27 PM]: I’m not Khanlong
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:28 PM]: Will srsly create disturbnc here
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:28 PM]: U’ll be forced to come out
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:28 PM]: R u coming or not???
“Mae - I need to go outside.”
His mother starts to move towards him, her face crinkling with worry.
“Everything is fine. You know how friends are. They are calling.”
“Friends?” Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say. “Now?”
“I will be back in a few minutes.”
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:30 PM]: Waiting
“Don’t worry!” Thua shouts as he hurries out of the kitchen and runs down the stairs, down the hall to outside.
[Thua Thuaphu Teeraphosukarn, 19:32 PM]: 1m
[Kan Khanlong Chaipanha, 19:32 PM]: What?
Thua doesn’t reply as he asks the guard to open the door.
As the gate slowly slides open, Kan who is still partially in school uniform turns around, whistling.
“Big house. Didn’t think you’d be this rich.”
Thua frowns. “I am not rich,” quoting his childhood lesson.
Kan stands with his arms on his hips, his school shirt halfway unbuttoned showing off his hardened muscles and a pair of tightest blue jeans and a shiny new pair of shoes.
Kan wiggles his eyebrows. “I know, I know. I turn eyes everywhere I go.”
Thua blushes and hurries out.
“Why are you here?” He hisses at him.
Kan pockets his also new phone and says, “I owe you an explanation so I…” He runs a hand through his hair and trails off.
“Let’s walk,” Thua says, trying to direct the conversation away from his house staff who may accidentally hear.
“Actually, I have a better plan. I’ve parked there,” Kan points at a car a few yards away.
Thua turns back to look at the lit-up first floor of his house where his mother is waiting and then turns back to Kan.
“Okay.”
*
They ride in the car in silence till they arrive at the beachside where there are a few food stalls still open with their fancy lights and fun music.
Thua is usually never in this crowd. He knows Khanlong’s family isn’t either.
Kan stops the car on the side and knocks the window twice to catch Thua’s attention before they both step out of the car.
“I don’t know if we need to build up any more suspense,” Thua says sullenly, worried about the prolonged delay.
Kan casually walks around the car over to him and wraps his big hand around his wrist and tugs his towards him.
“There’s no suspense. I’d think you’d be just disappointed.”
Kan still has a smile on his face and Thua forgets to ask him to let go of his hand.
They stop at the very first stall where Kan excitedly buys nom yen. Then next, they buy some fried noodles and next they buy shaved ice cream.
Thua used to think Kan wouldn’t appreciate food from the street side but then again, how much does he know about Khanlong?
*
They are sitting at one of those makeshift plastic tables by the beach.
Kan devours the food at a go before Thua can contemplate what he should buy. He just watches fascinated as Kan goes crazy on his food.
He ends it with a loud belch and Thua looks away disgusted.
Kan laughs.
“I haven’t done that in so long.”
“...”
“I missed when you made your face like that at me.” Thua looks at him in confusion. “I miss the time when being in each other’s presence was fun.”
“...”
Kan sighs, looking really upset and he stands up.
“Are we going back?”
“No,” he shakes his head. “I think I’m finally ready to tell you.”
Thua raises an eyebrow but nevertheless follows Kan silently towards the beach.
*
They remain close to land, choosing to sit on a closed folded-down shop cart.
“You won’t believe me,” Kan starts, “but I’m tired of pretending and lying constantly.”
Thua chooses to watch his feet dangle above the sand.
“My name is Duean. Duean Dollawee Panichapun. I’m not Khanlong. I’m not eighteen and I’m sure as fuck, not a high school student. Do you know how many fucking years I spent at the college?” He looks at Thua in some unexplained agitation and then resumes, “Sure as hell not again, mate. I’m twenty-six. I work at probably the world’s dullest office. I have a boyfriend who is the absolute cutest. He is about to be a doctor, unlike my brother who is a dentist. I’ve got a brother. Have I mentioned this before? In fact, I have two brothers. One of them is dating your - Meen’s brother. Fucking crazy. Anyway. I have a family. Mom and dad. A loving mom and dad. I love them so so much and I -” his voice cracks and he quietens.
Thua raises his head up and watches Kan from the corner of his eyes.
“I dunno why or how I’m here but I just woke up at this place and suddenly, all the people in that house are family. I call my mother ‘Mae’ and not ‘Maa’ and these new parents of mine barely tolerate each other instead of the loving environment I grew up in. Suddenly, I have no siblings. Not one of them. I am in Pattaya and not Bangkok! I barely know this place. My friends are not here as well. Places I used to visit - so many of them are just fucking gone? How does an entire fucking building just up and disappear? I went to Bangkok so many times and looked for my brother, you know? I looked for the juniors I love so much. I tried calling my parents’ numbers. I called Meen’s. Nothing. Sometimes they do connect but it is a stranger. I was forcefully made to come to school and then I saw Jeans - of all people! Can you believe it?! But then you were there and I was so relieved. If no one else, if I had you maybe things were going to be okay. We could figure something out. But- you are not even my Meen.”
Kan - Duean tries to catch his eyes but Thua looks away.
“But you kept insisting on calling me Kan. You get tense when I’m close. I kept hoping that I was wrong but…”
“I am not your Meen,” Thua forces himself to utter.
“I dunno what to do. I dunno how to find my family. I don’t -”
Thua freezes when it seems like Kan’s eyes fill with tears.
Kan’s laugh is nasal as he continues, “They say I have had an accident. I’m behaving differently. That I’ve amnesia. I wouldn’t just make up a long backstory if it was simply that I’m suffering from memory loss, right? Even I’m not that stupid.”
“I hardly think you are stupid, K- uh.”
Kan gives him a hurtful look.
“If you are not Kan but actually Duean then where is Kan?”
“I think we swapped our souls. I’m serious! Don’t gimme that look, kid! I swear! What else could happen? Everything is different. Our age, background, families, friends.”
“Except for me.”
“Your face. Meen is not my age. He’s four years younger than me. And Jeans, as well.”
“Jeans is …?”
“Kan” scrunches up his nose and says unsurely, “Wai?”
“Wat. Wat is Khanlong’s best friend.”
“Right. Well, I wouldn’t know,” he shrugs.
“Kan” stretches his arms. “I am absolutely telling the truth. I wish I was joking but this in hundred per cent real. The irony, I think it is that the one time I am being honest it is so hard to believe.”
Thua cannot disregard the absurd change in Kan’s behaviour so he says,
“I will think about it. If you’re not Kan and if it isn’t a simple memory loss we can test over the next few days.”
“Test?” “Kan” tilts his head and leans in further, slightly swaying. “Test, how?”
Thua wants to pull back and put some distance between them but he feels drawn in, losing his train of thought. His eyes rove over the messy hair standing up that is usually cowed down with gel, over his eyes that have red lines running through, over the sharp cheekbones, exposed collar and the goosebumps raising over Kan’s skin from the cool breeze. Thua’s eyes linger on the visible smooth, hard chest and down to his abs-
Thua raises his eyes up to find “Kan” staring back at him, his lips pulled back in a sly smile.
Duean leans forward slowly watching Thua underneath his eyelashes as his smile turns impish when he meets no resistance and then kisses him.
*
“H- how do you know?” Kan stammers caught unexpected.
“P’Koh told me that you are under the impression you are not Duean.”
“He told you that?” Kan nearly shrieks but controls himself. He feels betrayed. He is never going to say anything to that man.
“He is worried and asked if you had an accident.”
“...”
Meen crosses his arms in his lap, deliberating his thoughts and says, “I have also observed you have been behaving very.. differently.”
“D- different?” Kan croaks. “Different how?”
“You don’t notice if and when I address you with P’.”
“But he is older than you.”
There is a slight smile that tugs on Meen’s lips. “Well… Now we are sure.”
“You believe me? That we exchanged our souls?!”
“Duean will never reject my kiss. So…”
“So???”
“So, you are not Duean,” Meens says it like it is a simple fact.
Kan feels dizzy.
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
He wonders if the medical student will now kick him out of the house. Where will he go? Maybe ask P’Koh or P’Yoh or P’James.
“However, you have to come with me to the university hospital.”
“Why?!”
“We still need to take some tests to make sure.”
“But y-”
“You also need medical documents to submit to your office for your present leave.”
“Oh.”
“If the results show you’ve not been afflicted by any medical conditions then…”
“Then what,” Kan asks, impatiently.
Meen stands up slowly and says gravely, “I have to tell my parents we broke up.”