Chapter Text
4:30 PM University’s Courtyard
The sun shined brightly above the buildings, casting a golden hue over the courtyard. Most of the students had already filtered out, chattering about their break plans, end-of-term rankings, and upcoming internships. The banners congratulating graduates still fluttered above, though the celebration had given way to a more nervous buzz—the final round of exams had just finished for some of the top programs.
Outside, under the wide branches of a flame tree near the admin building, the Med Students had claimed a long table like kings of their own private kingdom.
Arthit, Hill, Tonfah, and Johan weren’t just well-known. They were unavoidable—the kind of students everyone recognized whether they wanted to or not. Rumor, admiration, and thirst followed them through every hallway. Med students. Upperclassmen. Tall, sharp, terrifyingly brilliant. And completely off the market.
Not that it stopped people from looking.
A girl passing by with a design portfolio in her arms openly did a double take at Tonfah, who was scrolling through something on his phone, legs stretched out, one arm slung lazily across the back of the bench. A group of juniors walked by in silence, only to burst into frantic whispering once they were far enough away.
Arthit smirked.
“Still staring,” he muttered, not looking up from his iced coffee.
Daotok, who finished his exam early, seated comfortably beside him with one leg crossed over the other, let out a soft hum.
Hill leaned forward on the table with his arms folded, his gaze flicking toward the building entrance. “They’re taking forever.”
“They’re finishing up their last written exams,” Johan said, voice calm but eyes sharp. He was dressed with quiet precision—white button-down, sleeves rolled to the elbows, black slacks pressed like he’d just come from a business lunch instead of a university table. “Give them a minute.”
“You say that,” Tonfah said, sipping his soda, “but you’ve checked your watch five times in the last two minutes.”
“I have a meeting,” Johan replied smoothly, but the edge in his tone gave him away.
“A dinner meeting your dad pushed on to you,” Arthit said dryly. “You’re not thinking about your calendar. You’re thinking about N’North.”
Johan didn’t deny it.
Hill chuckled. “You’re all edgy. I like this side of you. It’s like watching a CEO lose patience with traffic.”
Johan exhaled, leaning back in his chair. “He gets nervous about these things. Overstudies. Skips meals. You know how he is.”
Arthit raised a brow. “And when he walks out of that building and sees you waiting? He’s going to melt.”
“I just want him to feel proud,” Johan murmured.
“You mean you want to drag him into a corner and make him forget his name,” Tonfah said.
Johan gave him a sharp look, but the small smile on his lips betrayed him.
“Careful,” Hill teased. “You’re getting soft.”
Easter would have had a field day with this, but he and Typhoon were still inside finishing their exams alongside North. They were in different programs, but all three had tests scheduled until nearly dusk.
Arthit turned slightly in his seat, glancing toward the building doors again.
“You’re really dragging them out tonight?” Daotok asked him.
“Hell yes,” Arthit said. “We just survived finals, presentations, and clinical rotations. I want drinks. I want dancing. I want to watch you grind on me in public and embarrass everyone.”
Daotok snorted. “You sound romantic.”
“I’m a man of many layers.”
“You sound desperate.”
“I prefer ‘ready for chaos.’”
Tonfah lifted a brow. “You do realize that if you say ‘let’s go out’ around Easter, you’ve basically signed us up for a full runway show, right?”
“I expect nothing less,” Arthit said with a grin. “Let them shine. We’ll meet them out front and act like we are stunned.”
“Who says we’ll have to act?” Hill mumbled, tilting his head toward the entrance.
The doors opened.
And Easter emerged first, practically glowing with post-exam giddiness, hand in hand with Typhoon. North trailed a step behind, holding his bag against his chest, brows furrowed in concentration like he was still calculating an answer in his head.
“There they are,” Tonfah said, standing.
All five rose as the boys crossed the courtyard toward them.
Typhoon’s shirt was slightly untucked, cheeks flushed from rushing, but the way his eyes lit up when he spotted Tonfah made him look like he was already halfway undressed. Easter didn’t even try to hide his excitement—he let out a loud, “Finally!” and launched himself right into Hill’s arms.
“You survived,” Hill murmured into his ear.
“Barely,” Easter breathed. “But now it’s over. And tonight? I want tequila and terrible decisions.”
“You’ll get them.”
North approached slower, his gaze flickering toward Johan—and stopped dead when Johan stepped forward without a word and pulled him in for a kiss.
Not soft. Not polite.
Claiming. Needy.
When Johan finally let go, North was red from the tips of his ears to the base of his throat.
“I missed you,” Johan said simply, fingers still brushing North’s hip.
North smiled, shy but brighter now.
“Let’s go home,” Johan added.
“We’re going out,” Easter corrected loudly. “P’Arthit said so. We’re celebrating!”
Johan frowned. “I have that meeting—”
“And you’re coming after. No excuses,” Easter said. “I’m dressing North. You won’t recognize him.”
“I don’t like surprises,” Johan muttered, but he was clearly intrigued.
“You’ll like this one,” Typhoon said, catching the look in North’s eyes. “Trust me.”
“We’ll meet you outside the apartment by 9,” Arthit said, already grabbing Daotok’s hand. “And if any of you bail, I swear I’ll drag you out in your pajamas.”