All You Need Is Love (MewGulf AU)

🌞Chapter 5🌻

PRESENT
🌞🌻

"Thank you for your help." Gulf bowed his head quickly and picked Kashima up from the sofa where he had buried himself, supporting his weight. Kashima was dead drunk, so naturally he hadn't been paying any attention to this exchange. Why did he have to be such a pain about everything?

"I didn't hit him, y'know."

"I know, I know. It's all right now. Let's get you home," Gulf anxiously calmed Kashima, laying a hand on his shoulder, tried to hurry him out of the bar. He might still make it. He might still be able to get out of here looking like just another customer.

"Where do we pay?"

"Please don't concern yourselves with that. You didn't have a good time, so we can't charge. We offer you a bottle of something on the house. Why not stay to drink it?" the man in glasses offered.

"No, I appreciate the offer, but my boss getting drunk is what started all this, after all," Gulf answered, trying to move his lips as little as possible.

He tried to hoist Kashima up, but he was amazingly heavy considering how short he was. And supporting someone who doesn't want to walk is never easy. Gulf staggered, and they almost fell over.

"You won't make it home like that. We can call you a cab. In the meantime, we can help you outside."

When the man came up to tear Kashima from Gulf's arms, he suddenly froze.

"Oh---"

'He knows.'

"No. We'll be fine. Sorry for all the trouble we've caused." Gulf tried to make a hasty retreat, dragging Kashima with him. It was all he could do to escape the gaze of the man in glasses who had frozen in front of them.

"Sir, there's no need to go to take such unnecessary risks."

But because Gulf was only worried about what was behind him, he wasn't paying any attention to what was in front of him. The other man stood before a closed door, his arms closed.

Gulf's heart pounded. Sweat trailed down his back and his arms, his knees trembling. He tried to keep his gaze down to keep the man from seeing his face.

Eight years lay behind them. His hairstyle and clothes were different now. Just because Gulf had recognized the man didn't mean the man would recognize him. He hoped he wouldn't.

His head bowed, fulled with these thoughts, it was as if he was truly praying.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble."

He turned toward the open door and pulled hinself forward one step at a time. Trying not to be noticed. Trying not to be recognized.

Gulf stifled his breathing and twisted his body away from the man. He thought he had made it past when Kashina said, "It's the next door over, Gulf. Not that one."

His drunk, idiot boss had called Gulf by name, and in an obnoxiously loud voice.

"Mister Kashima!"

By the time he'd gotten the idea to try and cover Kashima's voice with his own, the man in front of the door, Mew Suppasit, had already noticed him.

"Gulf?"

He raised his eyebrows, and his well-shaped lips pronounced this name, heavy with memories. The instant Gulf heard it, a shock like an electric current ran through his body.

"Is that you?"

It wasn't a question. Gulf bit down his lips at the certainty in Mew's voice. He noticed that the man in glasses, AA Pattarabut, was standing beside the door now too.

Trying to escape their eyes, Gulf didn't respond and simply bowed his head deeply, stopped a taxi that was passing outside, and hurriedly climbed inside with his boss.

"Gulf!"

Gulf gave the taxi the direction before Mew could run out of the bar after shaking off his shock.

Mew watched the taxi pull away, his image reflected in the taxi's rearview morror for a long moment.

TBC

A/N: There were two men who helped Gulf, AA and Mew, the one who stopped the rude customer in the previous chapter was AA.