Their secret brewed for a week like an ember under glass, hot but not showing.
Classes continued, deadlines piled up, but Fah didn't care. His days passed in a muted routine: projects, coffee, and somewhere in between, Tawan. Always Tawan.
They still performed in public. Tawan rolled his eyes when Fah agonized over a lab circuit. Fah groaned when Tawan bragged about acing another exam. But behind closed doors or under the open sky, they were different.
Then one Friday evening, they got reckless.
It started after a day of presentations. Fah was exhausted, and Tawan looked just as tired. They both snuck up to their rooftop, their unofficial territory, to catch some air.
"You look half-dead," Tawan said with a laugh, handing him a water bottle.
"Thanks," Fah muttered. "My brain's fried."
That's what happens when you work all night and don't sleep." Tawan leaned back against the wall, unfairly perfect in the fading twilight.
"Hypocrite," Fah replied. "Didn't you have a 6 a.m. surgery rotation?"
"Touché." Tawan's smile was lazy. He drew Fah into position next to him by the sleeve.
They just sat for a while, watching as the city lit up beneath them. Then Tawan moved, leaned forward, and with the confidence of someone who'd done this a time or two, pulled Fah into a kiss.
It started slow—just a hello, easy and warm—but soon deepened. It was the kind of kiss that resonated through Fah's entire chest. His hands slid up Tawan's shoulders, and Tawan made a gentle hum, smiling against his mouth.
That was when footsteps scraped behind them.
They jumped apart instantly, hearts in their throats.
The door to the rooftop creaked open.
A voice called out, "Fah? You up here?" It was Poom, one of Fah's lab partners, emerging into the fading light with a frown.
Fah jumped up so fast he nearly toppled over. "Poom! Hey! I—uh—was just. checking the sky?"
Poom gazed. "Checking the sky?"
"yeah." Fah waved vaguely. "For. weather."
Tawan, perfectly calm despite his rumpled collar and flushed lips, offered a slow smile. "Hey."
Poom's eyes flicked between them—Fah looking guilty, Tawan too casual—but he didn't comment. "Okay.? Anyway, the professor sent notes about next week's project. Thought you'd want to know."
"Oh! Great. Thanks," Fah said, maybe a little too quickly.
Poom paused, suspicion barely hidden, then shrugged. "Right. Don't fall off the roof or whatever." He went inside.
The moment the door was closed, Fah emitted a shaky laugh and buried his face in his hands. "That was close."
Tawan laughed, leaning in close so that their shoulders touched. "Relax. He didn't see anything."
"He suspects," Fah groaned.
"Let him." Tawan's voice was smooth, teasing but soft. "Kind of exciting, isn't it? Being a secret."
Fah glared half-heartedly. "Exciting is not the word I'd use."
Tawan leaned in, close enough for his breath to ghost against Fah's ear. "Thrilling, then?"
Fah's pulse stumbled. "You're impossible."
"And yet you're still here." Tawan smirked, tugging him back in for a brief, stolen kiss—quick enough that if anyone returned, they could pretend nothing happened.
Fah pulled away, shaking his head but smiling despite himself. "You're going to get us caught."
"Worth it," Tawan said simply, eyes soft but shining with mischief.
That night, back in his dorm, Fah stared at the ceiling with a grin he couldn't wipe off. It wasn't just adrenaline. It was them—messy, secret, a little reckless, and somehow perfect.
For the first time, he caught himself speculating about how long they could keep this hidden. And for the first time, the prospect of others discovering their secret didn't scare him nearly as much as it used to.