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King rolled over in his bed. Letting out a half-awake groan, a slender arm reaching out to search for the warm body he had fallen asleep next to. But finding nothing but empty bed sheets by his side. “Nnn… Ai’ Ning….” King groans, voice low and coarse as his brilliant mind slowly wakes itself up. His hand continues to roam the bed, patting and grabbing at the sheets, searching for the younger boy.
Finally giving up his attempt at some early morning cuddles, King opens his eyes, letting the light assault his retinas, as they adjusted to the waking world. His vision clearing he could confirm once more, Ram was not in bed with him.
‘He was definitely here last night…’ the older boy thought to himself.
Ram spending the night was becoming a recurring situation, much to King’s delight.
‘It’s Saturday, so he wouldn’t have needed to get up for class… and typically on weekends we’re lucky to be out of bed before noon.’
King turns his head, brushing his hair back with one hand to check the alarm clock on his nightstand, 10:14am.
Before King has time to ponder this further he is pulled from his thoughts by a sound, or more accurately, a voice. One that felt equal parts Familiar, and also like something he had only heard very rarely. It was Ram, but not like the older boy had ever heard him before.
He was singing.
“♪Kiss me, out of the bearded barley~♪”
“♪Nightly, beside the green green grass~♪”
The voice echoed down the hallway and into King’s room, despite only having heard it a handful of times before, the younger boy’s voice was unmistakable to King, and yet, this was so unlike any other time King had heard his junior’s voice, so light, so innocent, so casual, and he was speaking - well singing - in English, with the unmistakable presence of an accent,
‘where is that from, Somewhere in America? Canada? England? Australia?’
King knew that Ram was mixed-race, but didn’t know exactly where his non-thai half came from. King made a mental note to ask about Ram’s heritage sometime later, before admonishing himself for not having asked him about his history and family before this.
“♪Swing swing, you’ll swing your spinning step~♪”
“♪You wear those shoes and I’ll wear that dress~♪”
‘Ram in a dress?’ The mental image conjured itself instantly in the engineering student’s mind. Muscular arms and tattoos and pink frills. King couldn’t help but giggle a little at the contrast. Embarrassing and awkward, but oddly endearing. King made a point to log that away in his mind too.
“♪Oh, kiss me, under the milky twilight~♪”
“♪Lead me, under the moonlit floor~♪”
Slowly, king climbed out of his bed, lured in by the Siren beckoning to him.
“♪Lift your open hand~♪”
“♪Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance~♪”
“♪Silver moon’s sparkling~♪”
“♪So kiss me~♪”
King’s chest tied itself in knots, heart pounding, butterflies in his stomach grooving to Ram’s singing as the younger’s voice echoed all around him. The sound growing louder as he continued his way down the hall. Another sound now audible as he drew closer to the source, running water?
Suddenly it became clear where the singing was coming from. “He’s singing in the shower?” King whispers to himself in disbelief as he reaches the bathroom door. “He sings? He does that?”
“♪Kiss me, out by the broken tree house~♪”
“♪Swing me, upon its hanging tire~♪”
“♪Bring Bring, Bring your flowered hat~♪”
“♪We’ll take the trail marked on your father’s map~♪”
Slowly, King’s hand reached for the doorknob, every part of his brain screaming at him
‘Stop, respect Ram’s privacy’
‘Don’t make things weird’
‘What are you doing you idiot!?’
But, as smart as King was, sometimes his brain took a backseat to other parts of him. Especially when Ram’s melodious voice is flowing all around him, charming him and drawing him in by his heartstrings.
Turning the knob, King stepped inside. Sure enough the shower was running, the sound of water droplets hitting the shower floor adding backing sounds to Ram’s singing, the steam of the shower’s heat billowing around like a fog machine set up at King’s private concert. Ram’s obscured silhouette moving around inside the shower, enjoying the warm, flowing water washing over him as he sang.
“♪Oh, kiss me, under the milky twilight~♪”
“♪Lead me, under the moonlit floor~♪”
“♪Lift your open hand~♪”
“♪Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance~♪”
“♪Silver moon’s sparkling~♪”
King stood in stunned silence by the door, Mesmerized. It was clear Ram was no professional singer, and King was pretty sure he got some of the lyrics wrong. But it didn’t matter, nothing sounded more beautiful to the older boy’s ears than Ram’s singing voice, now sounding even louder thanks to the acoustics provided by King’s bathroom. The first year’s voice burrowing further into King’s core with each word.
As much as his brain was calling him a creep for what he was doing, he knew that nothing on earth could make him move away from where he was now, listening to the sound of Ram’s song. Not even Ram pulling back the shower curtain to reach for his shampoo bottle from his bag… uh-oh
“♪So kiss m-…”
The moment Ram’s eyes landed on his senior in the bathroom with him, his singing stopped. Eye’s going wide with horror, as his pale cheeks turned an intense red, brighter and more vibrant than any of the flowers in King’s living room.
The older boy’s eyes widened as well, finally pulled from his trance enough for his brain to take back some control of his body.
Ram stepped back, pressing himself against the wall of the shower, eyes locked on King, a look of terror plastered on his normally stoic face. The first year took in deep, erratic breaths as he tried to will himself to somehow phase through the tiled surface of the shower and slip out of this situation. Forgetting to pull the curtain back to cover him, leaving his toned and tatted body on display, managing to make an already awkward situation all the more worse.
It wasn’t like King had never seen Ram naked before, they’d even showered together a few times in the past. King knew that, and on some level, he was sure Ram knew that too. But as Ram’s heart raced, and his cheeks burned, he had never seemed more embarrassed in front of his senior than he did at this moment.
“Please…. Don’t stop” King whispered, his voice weak and shaky, but gentle not wanting to spook his junior any further than he already had, but also not fully being able to pull himself away “I’m so sorry I came in here… but… your singing… it was…. So beautiful… I just…. I... couldn’t help it…. Cool Boy, please… let me hear you sing some more...”
Ram slid back down the wall slightly, trying to catch his breath, but still looked terrified.
King took a tentative step forward, watching to see if Ram pulled more away or not. When he didn’t move or show any objection King ventured a further step.
“Really Cool Boy, I didn’t know you could sing like that, it really does sound Beautiful”
As King continued to gently reassure Ram, praising him, the younger couldn’t help but let the slightest hint of an awkward smile form, twisting its way into the corners of his mouth.
As King slowly approached, his eyes remained squarely fixated on Ram’s face, his desire to calm the boy down and also to hear him keep singing blinding him to the fact that Ram wasn’t wearing any clothes. “Please keep singing Cool Boy … at least finish the song”
Ram had seemed to thankfully start to calm down, though he was now trying his best to look anywhere than at King, or at his own naked body. The blush still present on his cheeks, as a gentle but awkward smile became more present on his lips. Ram knew that King was being honest with his praise, and used his security in the person who understands him most to reassure and calm himself. But still, he was naked, he was in the shower, and someone heard him SINGING.
‘But that someone is P’King,’
‘it’s ok.’ Ram reminded himself,
‘it’s ok. It’s P’King.’
‘P’King is safety.’
King smiled at the younger boy, a slight hint of mischief visible in his eyes.
“Come on Cool Boy, how did it go? - Kiss me~ under the milky twilight~♪” King began to sing the song himself, thankful he knew it well enough to sing it despite the lyrics being in English.
“Come on, please Cool Boy.” King stepped a little closer “♪Lead me, under the moonlit floor~♪”
Another step closer. “♪Lift your open hand~ - do it for me, Cool Boy. I want to hear your beautiful voice”
King took another step closer, restarting the verse from the top, trying to will Ram to sing again.
“♪Kiss me~♪”
“♪Under the milky twilight~♪”
he paused, waiting expectantly.
It took a while, both for Ram to work up the courage to sing again, and to find his words in general, so at best it came out as a quiet mumble, but sure enough.
“Lead… me... under the m…moonlit floor…”
King took another step closer, now standing right by the shower as Ram semi-reluctantly continued. Slowly getting back into the rhythm, his anxiety easing, as he sang. Staring directly into King’s eyes.
“♪Lift your open hand~♪”
“♪Strike up the band and… make the fireflies dance~♪”
“♪Silver moon’s sparkling~♪”
“♪So kiss me…♪”
“♪So kiss me~♪”
King could feel tears start to prick at the sides of his eyes, so moved as he stared at Ram, listening to the young man singing, now specifically singing TO him.
“♪So kiss me~♪”
“♪So kiss m-…”
As much as King wanted to let Ram keep singing, he just couldn’t hold himself back any longer, stepping into the shower he followed the younger’s “order” and planted a kiss on his lips, gentle and caring, but also passionate, wanting to show Ram how moved he was by his performance, wanting to thank Ram for blessing him with the rare gift of his voice.
Stunned for a moment, Ram didn’t move, but once his mind started moving again he kissed the elder boy back. Any and all anxiety he may have had remaining dissipating, washed away like the running water of the shower ‘… oh right…. The shower….’
Sighing deeply into the kiss, Ram slowly pulled away. “P’King… your clothes are getting wet…” he says with a slight chuckle. “Hm?” King hums, staring at the tattooed boy standing in front of him, eyes half lidded as he looks at him with absolute adoration, before his brain finally switched back on fully. “Oh!” He exclaims. King looked down at his saturated sleep shirt and pajama pants, the wet heavy fabric clinging to his slender body. his eyes drift slightly further away, noting the pale form of Ram’s body standing in front of him, causing a blush to spread across King’s cheeks again. “Oh, right! You were showering… sorry cool boy. I’ll uhh… I’ll let you get back to it now.
King turned, to climb out of the shower, his wet clothes weighing him down and making the movements feel even more awkward than the situation already was. As he attempts to leave the shower though, he feels an all too familiar sensation around his wrist. He pauses and turns again to follow the trail of Ram’s arm, from his own wrist up to his junior’s tattooed shoulder, back to his face. Now seeing a different look than the terror of earlier, all awkwardness gone, and a confident eagerness taking its place.
King stares at him for a moment his blush growing a little redder as a sheepish smile appears on his face.
“You want me to stay and shower with you?”
Ram nods
“well, I am already wet I guess”
he pauses, smile spreading across his lips
“And besides how could I say no when you ask me something like that”
Ram releases his grip on the other boy’s wrist and moves his hands to the hem of King’s soaked shirt. Raising an eyebrow and cocking his head to the side slightly, a Ram-speak way to ask permission, Ram waits for King to smirk and nod before lifting the garment off of him. Letting it fall to the floor outside the shower with a wet, heavy flop, met shortly after by King’s pants. Before King pulled the curtain back across so the boys could continue their shower properly.
(******)
Later that afternoon, King was tending to his plants in the living room while Ram sat at the dinner table working on his homework. As King pruned and watered his children he couldn’t help but find himself humming the tune of the song Ram had been singing earlier. When the younger boy noticed the familiar sound he could feel the redness returning to his cheeks.
“I never pictured you as the ‘sings in the shower’ type, Cool Boy” King muses, looking over at Ram, aware that he had caught on to his humming.
“And that’s not really the kind of song you normally like is it? When we’ve shared earphones before, your music has always been more... Intense than that.”
King’s comments were met with silence, no surprises there.
Letting out a little sigh, King turned back to his plants to resume tending to them.
“It’s a nice song” Ram quietly comments after some time. King’s head immediately whipped around in the direction of the familiar, but rare, voice. The older boy’s hair flopping partially over his face from the speed he turned his head. He brushed it back with a hand before giving Ram his full attention.
“I heard it a lot growing up…” he continued “My mother really likes it,”
‘So many words today, full sentences and everything, and that’s on top of a song. I’m so lucky’
King thinks to himself amused and a little embarrassed at how much worth he puts into getting to hear the other boy speak.
“Soo…” King starts “Do you sing in the shower often?”
“No. only when the mood is right... And only when I am sure no one will hear me” He adds pointedly at his eavesdropper-come bathroom invader. King winces slightly and bows his head in apology.
“So then, if I was here, why did you sing?”
“You were still asleep, and the mood felt right, I was happy” he pauses, “I AM happy” he corrects, “here, like this. With you.”
King feels himself moved again by the younger man’s words. For someone who didn’t talk much, Ram certainly knew just what to say to make king’s heart flutter.
The two stare at each other, smiling in silence for a few moments. Their looks saying more than their words ever could, both knowingly accepting how the other feels, understanding each other on a deeper level that didn’t require speech.
Done talking for what he hoped would be the rest of the day, Ram turned away and resumed his homework, a pleasing warmth running through his body from his heart.
A few minutes of gardening later, a playful smirk emerges on King’s lips
“you know Cool Boy, I read somewhere that listening to music can help plants grow better. I bet my babies would love to hear your singing voice just as much as I did.”
King picks up a small potted plant from one of the shelves and holds it out towards Ram
“Come on, one little song, for the plants. I want them to grow big and strong, just like you. Na, na.” King’s smirk grows into a full blown cheesy smile from ear to ear as he pushes the plant closer to the other man. Knowing he won’t get a song, but also knowing that teasing Ram was fun.
Ram merely looked at king. One eyebrow raised in a bemused smirk, indicating that he was not a jukebox, and there would be no more songs today. No matter how much the older boy waved that potted plant in his face.
The look did little to dissuade King’s eager teasing, causing Ram’s expression to soften, shaking his head with a silent chuckle
‘this dork’
he thinks to himself, watching as King holds the plant aloft, dramatically singing to it himself.
‘MY dork.’