Smoke Signals • EarthMix AU

CHAPTER 3: Cinder

"Hey, da—"

"P'Mix, how was your date last night?"

"Date? What date? You said you had an event out of town." Eyebrows already furrowed in confusion, Gun looks up at his eldest son, waiting for an answer. Mix could only shoot daggers at Chimon, who was already mouthing 'sorry' from across the room.

"Honey, calm down." Off saunters over to his son and pats Mix's head before shielding him from his husband who was already going off about 'the value of honesty'.

"...I'm just saying we agreed on a family dinner last night. This one's leaving. The other's leaving in a year. And the other one can barely hear us over his loud music. Can't we have one night where we all sit down togeth—"

"P'Mix, pssst." Win, his other brother, motions Mix to his room and he gladly sneaks past their parents, but not before catching his dad Off point threateningly to himself and then to him which, in the Phunsawat-Adulkittiporn dictionary, only means one thing—we're not done here.

"Help me pack your things, I'm moving here on Sunday."

"That excited to get me out of here?"

"No, just excited to finally have a room for myself. Chi's been a pain in the ass. If I stay one more week with that kid, I'd go crazy. He's been singing KPOP songs a lot lately. Off-key." Win emphasizes the last word and rolls his eyes before sighing.

Mix is finally moving out of their family home to find a place in the city. He's been working as a graphic designer and all around "design guy" at a small design company for over two years now and the commute is just killing him. His fathers wanted to buy him a car and they've been persistent, but Mix insisted he wanted to move out—anticipates it even—so he declined their offer until they finally yielded.

"So how was your first Hook Up experience?"

"It was goo— wait, how did you know?"

"Khaotung." Mix and Win say in unison. "I sometimes forget you guys are friends, too."

Mix watches his brother load a few of his stuff inside a box. He sits next to him, wondering how best to describe the experience without scarring his brother for life.

"We stayed until morning."

Win stops what he's doing and looks at Mix like he swallowed a cat. "Wait, so you lingered?"

"Why? Is that bad?" Mix asks, but from Win's tone, he already surmises that it is.

"I mean, for casual sex... definitely? Lingering is kinda intimate. And you told me you're not ready for any of that just yet, Phi."

"Well we didn't stay and have breakfast together, you know."

Win raises his eyebrows and asked, "What then?"

"We uh... we listened to music on the balcony and waited for the sun to rise." Mix wished he worded it differently and regretted even saying anything as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Even he knew that sounded too sappy—too intimate—for casual sex.

Mix watches his brother grimace and this made him blush even more.

"Oh, dear god."

As if on cue, Mix's mind then wanders to Earth and the vivid memory of this morning. A curious, interesting epilogue to a rather intense evening. After the song ended, he and Earth kept sharing that comfortable space, sitting next to each other, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Bound by a singular moment suspended in time. Together but also, not really.

After a while, Earth stood up and nodded at him. Mix gave him a small smile, his version of 'thank you for not making this awkward'. He understood then that the 'contract' has ended. And that they're ready to part.