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"Do you really have to leave?" Pat asked his boyfriend with puppy eyes while hugging him tightly from behind. Pran has been trying to pack his bag for the past 30 minutes, but it was almost impossible to get anything done with this giant puppy clinging to his back. Pran had been staying with his boyfriend in Bangkok for the past two weeks, but it was time for him to return to Singapore. His heart hurt even thinking about leaving Pat again, but his contract required him to stay in Singapore for at least four more months. After that, he planned to move back to Bangkok for good to stay by his lover's side.
He sighed, turning in his lover's embrace to instead look at him, meeting Pat's puppy eyes internally, scolding himself for being so soft for him. Some days he just wanted to quit everything and stay inside with Pat forever. Pat used the opportunity to kiss Pran softly, both enjoying the closeness to the other. "I love you," Pat murmured after a while, pressing another peck onto Pran's lips. Not able to contain his smile Pran looked up into Pat's eyes, his eyes shining with love. Pran didn't say 'I love you' as much as Pat did, but Pat still knew how his boyfriend felt and never doubted his love. Whenever Pat did feel self-conscious, though, Pran made sure to shower him in 'I love yous' for as long as he needed them.
Pran pulled away from the lips he loved so much to instead bury his nose against the taller's neck. He inhaled, letting Pat's scent take over his senses. Pat did the same to Pran's head, burying his nose there. "Promise me after this we'll never be apart again," Pat begged, looking for reassurance in those doe eyes which never failed to make his heart skip a beat.
Pran felt himself tearing up, "I promise. I'll never leave your side again." and he meant it. He never wanted to leave him ever again. Back then, when he had to transfer schools and had thought he'd never see Pat again, it had hurt, but the pain was still nothing to what he felt now. After experiencing life with Pat, it seemed impossible to live without him.
Goodbye days were always the hardest for them. They spent them just basking in the other's presence, not doing much else. They would kiss, talk, make love or enjoy domestic moments like cooking together or watching a movie until they longer could ignore the fact that they needed to leave for the airport. The whole drive there, Pat wouldn't let go of Pran's hand, ignoring his weak attempts at pulling it away. It wasn't like he wanted him to let go; he was just afraid he would disturb Pat while driving, but Pat would hold it even tighter then.
"I talked to my parents a few days ago," Pran started trying to conceal how nervous he was, "they asked me whether you would like to come over to my house for dinner." After being together for almost five years, they still never had a real conversation with the other's parents, often just exchanging quick hellos and goodbyes when they met by chance. His first instinct when his mother had asked him was to refuse. He didn't feel comfortable with the thought of leaving his parents alone with his boyfriend, too afraid they would try to hurt him. His mom, however, had promised him that she just genuinely wanted to finally meet the real Pat and that this talk was long overdue. Pran had promised her to think about it, and he did. The past few days, he had thought about the pros and cons of said meeting, and in the end, he just decided to ask his boyfriend for his opinion.
Pat remained silent for a few moments and then smiled at Pran before turning back to concentrate on the road. "You know I've wanted to talk to them for a while. Shall we meet them when you return back home?" Pran gulped, "They actually wanted to meet you tomorrow. You can always say no, and then we'll meet them when I'm back." he didn't want his boyfriend to feel pressured about this.
"Oh," Pat said; he didn't seem opposed to it and was genuinely thinking about it. One of the many qualities Pran loved about Pat, at first, Pran had thought that Pat didn't really think much about his actions and just followed his instincts, but as they got closer, he realized that Pat always took his time to think about important decisions not taking them lightly. "I'll meet them." Pat decided after a while, he seemed sure of himself and kissed Pran's hand to reassure his boyfriend even further. "That way, I can finally ask for their son's hand."
"Pat," Pran whined, trying to ignore his burning cheeks, "don't you dare ask my parents that. They'll tease me forever."
Pat seemed proud of himself for making his lover blush. His mood was dampened again when he realized that they had almost arrived at the airport now. "When they say something rude or inappropriate, please feel free to leave at any time, don't worry about them or my feelings. I want you to feel comfortable. You are my priority, okay?" Pran wanted to make sure that Pat knew that even with all the distance between them, he would still be there for him.
Another kiss was pressed to his knuckles as an answer, and a few moments later, the car was parked at the airport. They got out, and Pat got Pran's luggage out of the car as well. He dragged the bags behind him with one hand while his other hand grabbed Pran's again to intertwine their fingers. Pat accompanied him until security check, where he wasn't allowed to follow his lover anymore. It was time to say goodbye one last time, which didn't make it hurt any less.
Pat opened his arms for his lover, pulling him close by the waist while Pran held him close around his neck. Tears were streaming down both of their faces mumbling I love you to each other multiple times. "Don't forget about me, okay?" Pat sniffled, holding Pran even closer. "Never," Pran replied, his voice unstable from crying.
"I can't do it, Pat." Pran sobbed after a minute, "The thought of leaving terrifies me, and I can't stand it anymore."
Pat's heart broke, his lover had never broken down like this before, and all he wanted to do was take him back home to their bed, never letting go again. But he had to be strong for Pran because he knew that Pran just had to go. A broken contract wouldn't look good in his resume and could affect his career negatively. "I'll wait for you right here," Pat promised, kissing Pran's forehead "we went through so much shit we'll manage this as well. In four months we'll meet again, and then we can spend forever together. No more goodbyes, only me annoying you for the rest of our days."
The chuckle Pran let out sounded watery, but at least he was smiling again. He looked so pretty right there that Pat just had to kiss him. The airport was packed, but neither cared too engrossed in each other. A few kisses later, Pran had to leave, so he did. Pat kept an eye on him for as long as he could, Pran waved at him one last time, and then he was gone. Pat left for the bathroom, and it now was his turn to break down. It had become his routine to lock himself in one of the stalls after every goodbye until he had calmed down enough to make it back to his apartment safely.
It was late evening when Pran arrived in his apartment in Singapore, and the first thing he did like usual was call his lover, already missing him like crazy. They talked for a while, Pat sniffing Pran's shirt with closed eyes, so it felt more like they were next to each other, but then it was time to say goodbye. Both were exhausted and had to wake up early for work, so they hung up with heavy hearts.
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After work the next day, Pat drove to his parents' house just like he had promised Pran. He was both nervous and excited. He had often dreamed about a future where they could get along with their in-laws just like a normal couple would, but he was worried about how Pran's mother would react to his presence. He knew that what his father had done to her was unforgivable, and he could understand her hatred towards his family, yet he hoped that she would be able to see that he wasn't his father.
He arrived about five minutes earlier than they had agreed on, so he parked his car in his own garage before walking to Pran's house. He could count on one hand how often he had entered the house through the main door, so his nerves were through the roof when he rang the doorbell. Just before, Pran had sent him a good luck message with a selfie of him smiling cutely, which made Pat feel more at ease. He could do this for Pran; he could do anything for Pran.
The door opened, and Pran's father invited him inside with a smile. Pat thanked him and bowed before entering the house. He never had found the time to really look at the inside of Pran's house, but now that he could, he saw the many differences compared to his own home. Pran's family was definitely more organized. Many books could be seen on the shelves, and classical music was playing from somewhere. The house reminded him of Pran, which made his heart feel heavy, but Pran's dad interrupted his thoughts just before he could get sad again. The middle-aged man had walked towards the dining room, offering Pat a seat.
Pat sat down and accepted the glass of wine the man gave him with a smile. "My wife will join as in a second; she's just finishing up dinner. So tell me how is work."
Talking about work, something he was confident about, definitely calmed his nerves, and he was grateful for the other's efforts at making him feel welcomed.
A few minutes passed before Pran's mother joined them, she was visibly feeling uncomfortable because of Pat's presence in her house, but after a few seconds, she schooled her expression to a smile. "Pat, I'm happy that you accepted our invitation. I made us some curry, Pran's favorite." She sat down next to her husband opposite Pat, immediately filling everyone's plate generously. Pat gulped. He knew that Pran loved spicy food, and as it seemed, so did his parents. Even though he wasn't too good at eating it, he would do it. There is no way he will admit that he can't eat the food they cooked for him in front of his in-laws.
"Thank you so much, aunt. I really appreciate it. When Pran told me that you had invited me, I was delighted."
The woman seemed surprised by that. "You were? I wasn't exactly nice to you the past few years. I know it must have been difficult for you two."
"It wasn't, but I can understand your hostility towards me. What my father did was unacceptable, and I'm so incredibly sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. That's not why I invited you here. I want to get to know you. The Pat, our son, fell in love with. I have spent so many years seeing your father's children as another version of himself that I never gave you a chance to see you as your own person. Pran loves you so much that I can't help but want to meet you as the real you." For the first time in his life, he saw a genuine smile of her being directed towards him. Now that she was smiling, he could see the resemblance between her and her son, making Pat smile.
The dinner went better than he ever could've expected. It felt like they finally made a step in the right direction after years of just ignoring the other's presence. After a few glasses of wine Pat said his goodbyes before walking to his house with a big grin on his lips. His parents looked at him like he had gone crazy, but he just ignored them, making his way upstairs to his room. Pat flopped down on his bed before looking for his phone in his pocket.
"How did it go?" Pran asked after the first ring. He must've been waiting for Pat's call.
"I think they fell for me just like you did back then." He grinned, imagining his lover rolling his eyes on the other side of the call. Not a single detail was left out of his story, even adding proudly about how he had managed to eat all the curry on his plate. It felt good to share everything with his lover, and hearing him chuckle every now and then made his heart beat faster. Pran wasn't able to stifle his yawn after a while, and Pat smiled, knowing it was time to let his lover go to bed.
They were about to hang up after wishing each other a good night when Pat realized something all of a sudden, "Shit, shit, shit," he mumbled, looking through his bag frantically. "Whats's wrong?" Pran asked, sounding very concerned. "I'm such an idiot. I left your shirt back at my apartment. What am I going to do?" He was panicking now. He hadn't been able to sleep without it ever since Pran had left for Singapore. The scent of Pran was the only thing that could calm him down enough to fall asleep.
"Shit, okay. Don't worry, I have an idea. I'll have to hang up for a second, but I'll call you after immediately, okay?" Pat felt terrible for making his boyfriend worry so much; he felt like a baby, so he didn't protest when Pran hung up. He started pacing around his room nervously, trying to calm himself down while thinking of Pran. Just like he had promised, Pran called him back after a few minutes.
"Okay, baby, you can go to my room. My mom opened the window for you so you can spend the night there in my bed." Pran assured his lover, and Pat felt like he might cry with relief rushing through his body. He didn't hesitate for a second and immediately climbed to Pran's room, and just like he had promised, the window was opened.
"Thank you, baby, for doing this for me." Pat thanked the other male. He was now wearing one of Pran's older shirts while under the covers of Pran's bed, completely engulfed in his comfort scent. "Love you so much."
Pran chuckled, definitely blushing on the other side before wishing him a good night again and hanging up.
The following day Pat woke up with a smile on his face. After that night, it was normal for Pran's mother to leave the window of her son's room opened for when Pat was visiting his family so that he could spend the night in Pran's room. Their relationship improved over the next few months, and when Pran finally returned four months later, he couldn't believe his ears when he heard Pat call his mother no longer aunt but mother as well.