Thame had never wanted to skip work this much in his life.
He didn't want to leave Po's bed. He didn't want to do anything else but sit and watch Po all day and all night. If that could be considered work, then he'd gladly do it.
Po opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Thame staring at him.
Thame spoke first.
"Morning."
Po, flustered from being stared at for who knows how long, replied shyly, "Morning."
Thame smiled.
"Why are you staring at me while I'm sleeping?"
"Because you're cute."
"Idiot," Po mumbled, blushing, and buried his face in the blanket. "Go to work already."
Thame pouted slightly. "Can't I just stay?"
"Thame, don't act like this. You know everyone's waiting for you," Po scolded lightly, but Thame didn't budge. Po sighed, got up first, and only then did Thame reluctantly follow.
Over their morning coffee, Po noticed that the mug that used to bear Earn's name had been replaced. Thame had a new one made, with his name on it instead. The mugs in Po's room now read "Thame" and "Po." Earn's belongings were packed away, replaced by Thame's.
"Do I really have to go to work?" Thame asked halfheartedly.
"Thame..." Po gave him a firm look. As much as Po found Thame's playful whining adorable, he knew he had to remind Thame of his responsibilities.
"Fine, fine. I'm going." Thame leaned in to kiss Po's forehead before leaving the room. Po waited for about ten minutes before heading out himself. They avoided taking the elevator together, entering the building at the same time, or calling rides from the same spot, not knowing who might be watching.
As Po and Thame got into separate rides, Thame texted Po.
Thame:
Can we call ourselves a couple yet?
Po:
That's up to you.
Thame:
Then I'll call you my boyfriend. You're my boyfriend now.
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When Thame returned to the band's house, the moment he opened the door, Jun, Dylan, Nano, and Pepper threw confetti and shouted in unison:
"Hooray!!!!"
Startled, Thame asked excitedly, "Did we get a PAK?"
"No," Dylan answered flatly.
"Then why are you celebrating?"
"We're celebrating the fact that our Phi is now a proper adult," Nano said, winking knowingly.
"Proud of you, my protégé," Pepper said with mock pride.
"You? It's all thanks to me," Jun interrupted quickly.
"Wow, taking all the credit as usual," Dylan muttered, unable to resist a jab.
"Enough. What's the chart looking like? This is the toughest one. If we get number one here, the other three charts will be in the bag," Thame said, ignoring their antics as he walked into the living room.
"I already have it open; just need to refresh," Dylan said nonchalantly, clearly unbothered by the earlier celebration.
All five members of Mars crowded around the computer, waiting for Dylan to refresh the page.
"Okay, I'm refreshing now."
Everyone held their breath as the screen loaded.
"Number one!" Nano shouted first, causing everyone to cheer together.
"Yes! We did it, we did it!" they all exclaimed in celebration. However, Thame and Pepper soon slipped away to a corner, causing the others to shake their heads.
"Wow, can't even stick around to celebrate with us. Total lovebirds," Jun teased.
Because both Thame and Pepper were busy texting their respective partners about the good news.
Then suddenly, all their phones pinged with a notification at the same time.
They looked at the message and collectively froze.
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Po stepped out of his car and headed into the office. His phone rang just as he was about to enter the building-it was Baifern.
"What's up?" he answered.
"Have you seen the Mars scandal?" Baifern asked, her voice tense.
"What?"
"Check it out. I bet you'll have some explaining to do."
Po quickly opened social media and froze at the sight of a headline from Leak it!
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Leaked Photo: Idol from Mars spotted with his Faen entering a condo.' Baifern's voice came through the phone immediately. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Po tried to think back to where he and Thame might have slipped up. Was it the supermarket yesterday? Or when they were heading to the condo? Of course-the elevator. They'd used the same elevator.
"Baifern, listen, I can explain-" "Explain? It's too late for that!" Baifern's voice cracked with sobs. Guilt overwhelmed Po as his eyes teared up.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
"Why?" she cried. "Why did it have to be my kid ?"
Po froze at Baifern's words-my kid . He scrolled back to look at the news images again. It wasn't him and Thame. The photos were of Pepper and Phi Kaem.
TO BE CONTINUED.