HEMP ROPE AKA BETWEEN US.

That medicine tube.

The cellphone rang with an alarm. A hand reached out to turn it off before the music could end. Team groggily turned on his back. He'd taken a sickie today, couldn't go swimming, studying wasn't his style, and he was too lazy to bring himself to the mall. The boy attempted to sleep again but failed, tossing and turning for half an hour. Finally, he got himself up, had a shower and ate something before he plopped back down on the bed and settled on a mobile game.

 

Team was interested in online games, but opportunities had yet to arise since he was an athlete. Training already exhausted him; the best he could do was mobile gaming. E-sports, he might try later for a change. He could be a pro e-sports player. The game's music congratulated him on his new high. He was about to crack a smile when his screen morphed into the score ranking of his classmates. He was only at the second; the first was the name that bugged him.

 

Winnie the pool 7,420,700/ (*_ *) / 4,870,700

How did he get seven million? He shouldn't have added his contact information. He tossed his cellphone on the bed, arms over his face. 

 

The memories of that night returned to his restless mind. He was out of his mind to follow that guy to his room, knowing full well what the invitation was for. But his curiosity and the impulsive need for release got the better of him. He had never slept with a man. He was just too naive, expecting himself to top Bro. And then what...

 

On that day, one step into the room, and he was flattened against the wall. He was caught off guard. He attempted to top in the second round but stood no chance.

 

"Damn it!" He cussed, grabbing a pillow to punch it. He had been penetrated again on the bed. Team pushed himself up, hands buried in his head with frustration. There was no undoing for what was past.

 

"What's done is done." Ever since he was a child, he had regretted every decision he made, regardless of the consequences. At the very least, he'd gotten to know what it was like.

 

He knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep, and having nothing to occupy his mind made it worse. He jumped out of bed, grabbed a bag of potato chips from the cupboard and settled for a newly bought movie. Without a class and a club, he'd just chill the day out.

 

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"A cold?" The kind-looking man with eyeglasses gave the girl he remembered as Manow a soft smile. She came in early at the swimming club to notify them of Team's sick leave.

 

"What's up, P’Pruek?" The club Vice president slung his arm over his senior's shoulder and looked at the girl before him with curiosity

 

"Team's caught a cold" Pruek, one of the very few fourth-year seniors, smacked his cheeky junior's head with documents in his hand.

 

"Team? The wild kid caught a cold, really?" Win raised his brow.

 

"Yes, he did!" The girl gave them a bright smile and pushed her other friend to the front. 

 

"Right? Pharm?"

 

The young man, Pharm, started, baring his teeth at the girl for blowing his cover.

 

"He sent us a message last night. That's why he's not here for class and the club."

 

"Hmm, okay then. We're taking it easy today; everyone's still exhausted after returning from the trip. Thank you for letting us know, Manow, Pharm." Win grinned at them, but before the juniors could respond, the club president walked in on them with a doubtful look.

 

"Who's absent..."

 

Before the question could be asked, the two news bringers disappeared in the blink of an eye. They were so fast that it left the three seniors flabbergasted. In other words, Pharm dragged Manow away in a flash, escaping before he had to face someone he had a thing for.

 

"With that speed, he should've been in a running club." Win joked heartily while the club president's face looked restless. His greyish-green eyes followed where the juniors had left. Too bad they hadn't even talked. Pruek shook his head with a smile. 

 

"Well, I'd better be training. Don't you skip your training, Mr Vice President?" The vice president flinched as if he was caught reading his mind. No matter how hard he trained, the eccentric vice president could skip the drill to his heart's content whenever he wanted.

 

Once the senior was out of sight, the problem guy turned to his friend. "Hey, Dean. Where do you keep the club members' application form?"

 

"What do you need it for?" Dean did tell of the application form's whereabouts, although he had his doubts. Win was never a person interested in the members' application form.

 

"I need it for something. But not in a bad way."

 

"That's even more suspicious."

 

"Whoa! You're overthinking it." Win went over to grab the application form file. He browsed through it, looking for a specific one. His brow went up at a particular piece of information. Oh, so he's living in the same dorm. He closed the file and returned it. His honour-elect student's brain had memorised the phone and room numbers.

 

"I'll skip a class this afternoon."

 

"Uh-huh." Dean nodded. Win's studying was worry-free, given that he usually got A's. Plus, Win's absence would favour him as he wouldn't need to hear his damned teasing when he'd go lurk about the Faculty of Economics.

 

Phawin's dormitory was a private dorm not far from T University. Ninety per cent of the occupants were university students. The rental was expensive, but the place provided comfort, safety, and a whole parking lot. Once it was ten past one, the big black bike parked in its usual spot. The rider took off his helmet, ran a hand over his blond hair, and set it back into place. He grabbed his belongings and went straight to the 9th-floor elevator, even though his room was on the 10th.

 

"Room number 919." He read the room plate along the hallway and stopped at the room he was looking for. He knocked on room 919; his mischievous eyes shone as he anticipated the little brat's reaction. The voice in the room yelled in response. He took note of how normal and free of sickness that voice sounded.

 

"Yes?" The boy poked his face out, and he went rigid.

 

"Hey there…..sick man."

 

Slam!! The door slammed shut in front of the visitor. Win's eyes went wide before he pounded his fist on the door.

 

"Open up!!"

 

"Hia! What are you doing here!?"

 

"Your friends said you're sick. I'm here to see if you're ok." He kept banging on the door.

 

"Arghhh, I'm not sick. I just want to sleep. I'm lazy, get that?" Team muttered, scrambling a door chain into place. He was already sweating. What the hell? What the hell is Hia doing here?

 

"You're lazy, or you're too sick to go to school." The senior started bad-mouthing, provoking him. "Or… was it that night, I was too rough-"

 

Slam! Tmp!

The door swung open. The room occupant pulled at his arm and yanked him so hard into the room that Win almost face-planted.

 

"Shut your hole! What are you going on about, Hia? Why the heck are you here?" The kid's brows knitted. He had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at him from head to toe.

 

"Here." The plastic bag was swung in front of him. Team narrowed its eyes at it with distrust. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be...a plastic bag of food.

 

"Your lunch. I thought you were sick, that's why I came here with food." When the kid didn't accept it, he sauntered over to place it on the Japanese table and grabbed bowls and plates from the cupboard, preparing the food.

 

"Hold on, hold on. What the heck, Hia? If you came here just for a visit, then place the food down and get lost."

 

"Really?" Win grabbed two more plates for the rice. "I'm hungry too, you know this is my lunch too."

 

Team's jaw dropped at how brazen this visitor had been. "Then go back to your room to eat."

 

The senior just shrugged. He poured the rice on the plate and started eating. Team cussed in annoyance, but he finally caved, seeing no point in resistance. He walked over to grab two glasses and a bottle of cold water from the fridge.

 

"...Wait a minute." The boy went still, partly wondering how these could be food for the sick. They were all chilli paste and fresh salad. Partly, he had to ask, "How did you know my place?"

 

Win shrugged again. "The club's application form."

 

"Hey, how come! That's an abuse of authority, oof!" The senior just stuck a spoonful of food into his mouth. Team coughed and coughed, but did swallow down the food.

 

"Shut up and eat. Why do you care?"

 

"I need to know. And how did you get in here anyway? You'd need a keycard."

 

The senior let out a long breath. He fished out a keycard from his pants pocket and showed it off with a smug grin on his face.

 

"What a coincidence that we're in the same dorm." He pointed upward, "Room 1019."

 

"What!?" Team's eyes went wide. There must be some karma shit pulling at his legs right about now.

 

After a tiring argument, lunch was finished with both of them eating away. The benefactor senior sagged back casually while the junior did the dishes, his face exasperated.

 

"So why didn't you show up at the club?" Win asked, lying on the bed and changing channels with the television controller.

 

"I'm lazy." The kid put the last dish away. He dried his hands and ambled over to the bed, then sat on it.

 

"You skipped classes is understandable. But you love swimming more than anything, you shouldn't skip training." He grabbed the younger boy's ankle, and the kid almost tripped over.

 

"Argh, it's personal." Team wriggled away from that octopus hand, but it seemed like a lost cause. The hold was even tighter.

 

"Just admit it, your body is too painful to swim." Win leered and grabbed the other's feet, shoving his way to kick him forcefully.

 

"Screw you! Can't you spell lazy? Hey!! No, stop fooling around!" Team wailed when the senior perched on top of him. He drew his fist back to punch the senior, but it was pushed back down by a much stronger hand. His feet meant to kick the douche senior, but it was impossible since said senior was in between his legs.

 

Win snickered, pressing down the other's wrists, overpowering him. Thanks to his weight training, this junior might have knocked him into oblivion with an uppercut.

 

"I also got the medicine for you." Win's other hand pulled out a tube from his pant pocket while the kid slipped away from his grip. Next thing he knew, he tumbled back down the side of the bed from Team's kick.

 

"Ouch."

 

"Have it for yourself!" Team fumed, face turning dark red. He pulled down his shirt, showing what was on his body. "Look who's done all these? How can I go swimming with all these marks on me!?"

 

Win grumbled at the pain, hand stroking his sore waist. His jaw dropped, then he scratched his chin, looking sheepish. He wasn't aware that night would take him that far.

 

"Hey. I'm sorry, ok?" He admitted without any excuse. "But you don't have to be so angry."

 

"Hia, you have a foul mouth."

 

"Oh, you. I said I got you some pain relief. How is that a foul mouth?" His expression was that of a confused puppy.

 

"You said I was in so much pain I can't swim!" Team raised a pillow, targeting his face. Win was quick to cover himself as an act of surrender.

 

"Wait, so don't you feel pain? The others are skipping the training because their muscles are in pain from the camp."

 

"What?" Now Team took a turn to be flabbergasted. Even more so when Win handed him the tube. "..It's a muscle pain reliever?"

 

"Yeah, what did you think it was?"

 

Team was dumbfounded. Lucky for him, his blood wasn't as pumped as Pharm's; he could still play along with a straight face. But damn did he think it was a pain reliever for down there...

 

"Nothing!" His voice was unusually high. The senior's eyebrows went up. He pushed himself up and nudged the little brat onto the bed.

 

"You have strained muscles, and you're tired. Here, lie down on your belly. I'll apply it for you." He ordered, looking serious as he took the tube back from his junior. Team almost rejected him, had he not made a fool of himself earlier, making him slower to process. He reluctantly lay on his stomach, allowing the other to apply the cream.

 

Well, then, everyone at the club did this regularly. Even Pharm did this for him. Win smiled in satisfaction as the storm had passed. He applied the cream to the back, covering all the bites and marks he had made, thinking he was being this sadistic?

 

The junior quite welcomed the light massage as his eyes drifted closed; his shoulders and back relaxed, relieved of pain. Team hugged the pillow to his face, yawning. Out of nowhere, he received a lunch delivery and a free massage from a masseuse. This wasn't bad.

 

"Hmm, that's good. Pop will tip you."

 

The young man stopped short at the mumbling. The smile tucked at the corner of his mouth turned annoyed. This brat was getting too comfortable! The big guy leaned down, touching the bare back and slid down to Team's waist as he whispered.

 

"Must apply a lot here...because"

"It's"

"for"

"heavy"

"duty."

 

Each word was spelt out for him.

 

Fuck you!!!!!!!!

Bammmm!!

The senior found himself tumbling back on the floor once again.