When We Fall Asleep TAYNEW

Real world ☀️

Tay and New arrive at campus together. The sky is clear, filled with the chatter of students rushing to their classes, but for them the noise feels muted, as if there is a thin veil between them and the world. They walk side by side, their shoulders brushing now and then, their steps falling into perfect rhythm.

Tay glances sideways, the corner of his mouth curling into a quiet smile. It is not a mask, not something he puts on, but a warmth that rises straight from his chest. New catches the look, feels his heart stumble and pick up speed. Carefully, he lets a smile spread across his lips in return, small, but real. In that single moment, among the crowd of campus life, they are simply Tay and New. Not Pete and Kao anymore.

They keep walking, and after a few minutes they spot Off and Gun at a table in the hall. The tabletop is cluttered with coffee cups, loose papers, and a phone buzzing loudly against the wood. Off sprawls like he owns the place, arms hooked casually over the back of his chair. Gun, on the other hand, is all motion with hands flying, eyes wide, his mouth racing faster than his thoughts. Even from across the hall, Tay and New can guess exactly what Gun is talking about: how he caught them in the morning.

Amusement flickers across Tay's face, and New feels his own mouth twitch in response. They are sharing the same thought without a single word. Still, a tightness coils in New's chest, a sense of weight pressing down, as if something bigger is at stake. His gaze slides to Tay.

Almost against his will, New's hand drifts closer. Hesitant at first, trembling, his fingers brush against Tay's, searching for something to hold.

Tay startles for a second, his eyes widening, his breath catching. But he does not pull away. Instead, he threads their fingers together, slow and deliberate, gripping firmly as if to say this is no longer a game.

Heat rushes up New's arm and settles in his chest, a burning secret that feels as freeing as it does dangerous. His lips tremble into a smile he cannot hide. Tay squeezes gently, a silent confirmation, an unspoken promise.

The noise of the hall fades, their hearts beating louder than footsteps and voices. Hand in hand, they walk as though they move at a different pace than everyone else.

By the time they reach the table, Gun's voice is already cutting above the crowd. His gestures are dramatic, his tone high with delight. "And then, I swear, I stood there thinking, this can't be real. It's impossible. But no! Tay, half-naked, in New's bedroom!" He clutches his chest, eyes wide with mock horror. "I was traumatized. Traumatized, I tell you. Like stumbling into an unmarked 18+ lakorn."

Off coughs a laugh into his fist, shaking his head. "Gun, you're exaggerating again. Maybe he just lost his shirt because it was hot. That happens to someone like Tay." But his eyes glimmer with curiosity, as though he secretly hopes Gun isn't exaggerating this time.

"Exaggerating?" Gun slams his hand on the table, making the cups rattle. "I have never seen anything like it in my life. I thought I was going to die from the shock!"

And that is the moment Tay and New step closer.

New's stomach knots, heat racing to his cheeks. He wants to vanish into the floor, but Tay walks beside him as if he's on a runway, shoulders relaxed, mouth curved in a faint, knowing smile.

"Well, well," Off says when he spots them, his eyes instantly dropping to their linked hands. His brows shoot upward. "Ah. Maybe Gun isn't exaggerating after all."

Gun reacts the loudest. His eyes bulge, his jaw drops, and then he erupts into a triumphant laugh. He points with a trembling finger at their hands, his voice so loud half the hall could hear. "HA! See that, Papi?! Proof! Living proof! I wasn't imagining things. And now they're showing it off, right here, in the middle of campus!"