SOTUS: The University Days (and Other Universes)

breathe me in (like air tonight)

"P'Arthit!" Kongpob calls, knocking on his boyfriend's door. "I know you're there!"

Arthit rests his back against the door. He knows Kongpob has a key to his room, and he's glad Kongpob still has the decency not to use it. He can't let Kongpob see him now. He can't let Kongpob be near him now.

Eventually, the knocking becomes less forceful and more of a resigned tap. "Why are you avoiding me?" Kongpob murmurs against the door.

Arthit heaves a sigh and finally unlocks the door, opening it for his boyfriend. He steps further back into the room as Kongpob comes in. He really needs to work on his resolve, especially when it comes to Kongpob.

"We were all worried about you," Kongpob says, attempting to hug Arthit, but Arthit takes another step back. Arthit's response gives Kongpob's chest a slight tug. He doesn't understand anything about what's going on.

"I texted you. I told you not to worry," Arthit says, head bowed.

"That's not enough! You locked yourself in your room for almost a week now! You don't attend your classes! You don't even come out to your porch to see me!"

Arthit can only close his eyes at that.

"What's wrong, P'Arthit? What's going on?"

Arthit can feel the rare annoyance radiating off Kongpob. The increased heart rate, slowed breathing, and stern look are making him feel trapped in his own room. He briefly wonders how long it will take him to rush past Kongpob, open the door to the porch, and jump off it, but he then realizes doing any of that won't do anything at all. He moves his eyes towards Kongpob and rubs the back of his neck. "Okay," he says.

Kongpob quirks his eyebrows.

"I— Don't be too shocked by this, okay?" Arthit says, because he supposes being shocked by it is natural, just not too much.

Kongpob retains his stern look and nods.

Arthit takes another deep breath that he doesn't need and nods back. He never expected he'd come out twice this year. "Okay, so something happened, and..."

"And?"

"I'm a vampire now."

~

"So, do you have...like... super strength?" Tutah pokes Arthit as if he's a kitten in a pet store.

Arthit swats his hands away in annoyance. "I don't know. Maybe? I haven't really had the chance to see what I can or can't do yet."

"He definitely has super speed," Prem says after gulping his soda. They are all in Arthit's room. Oddly enough, this isn't even their weirdest closed-door conversation ever. "He's never late after being turned."

"Let's see what else you can do," Tutah says, jumping off Arthit's bed. He drags Arthit by the wrist and motions the others to follow them to the porch. "Have you checked whether you can turn into a bat?" he asks.

Arthit suddenly steps back. He admits he's curious despite the matter's stereotypical implications, but realizes he doesn't want to take the chance.

"Can you all stop?" Knot says, grabbing Arthit by the shoulder and putting him back into his room. "No one is jumping off the porch," he says.

"Fine," Tutah says, folding his arms on his chest.

"Thinking about it, somehow, this opens an opportunity for you, Arthit," Prem says.