taynew drabbles ﹆

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No one expected Tay and New to have a blossoming connection when they initially met. Tay, a clumsy workaholic, and New, a man who seeks happiness and inner serenity in his life.

When Tay contacted him one night and said he needed him by his side, New didn't hesitate to go out and check on his boyfriend.

Tay was apparently overworked and couldn't sleep. It was a good thing the following day was a weekend, since Tay slept for over 24 hours with New by his side.

Since that day, New made a mental note to always be there for Tay, as a way to convey his love.

Recently, New has started working, and he and Tay rarely have time for one another. They continue to phone each other every night, but New believes that it isn't enough, so he makes an effort to see Tay every other day.

“Hin, you don't have to do this. I'm all right.” Tay sat on his office chair, engrossed in his work. They're at Tay's, and New chose to pay him a visit while the former is working from home.

“I'm not doing this just for you. This is something I'm doing for myself as well.”

When Tay heard New's comments, he sighed. New was splayed out on the bed, staring at Tay. His worried expression was accompanied by a smidgeon of resentment.

"Okay, I'm sorry" Tay got to his feet and walked over to New, arms outstretched to help him up. Tay held New's hands for some time as he sat on the bed. He tries to poke New's face while holding his hands, "smile for me," he says.

New adores how quickly his boyfriend can make him grin. He intended to continue playing hard to get, but his face muscles betrayed him.

“There it is!” Once Tay saw the smile, he sat beside New and stared into his eyes. “I care about you just as much as you care about me.” Tay smiled as he kissed New’s forehead.

---

It has been almost a month.

Almost a month of not seeing each other.

New became overworked all of a sudden. When their department head resigned, he was buried in paperwork, and for some reason, New was designated as the interim department head until his boss returns from a month-long business trip.

Every time New attempts to meet his boyfriend, the world seems to be against it.

“I'm sorry, Hin, but I won't be able to join you for dinner. This has been arranged by my colleagues since last week.”

“You should take a rest. Go home now; stopping by my place would be inconvenient because it’s far from your place.”

And that one time where they had finally agreed on a dinner date.

Where New waited all night until he was approached by the waitress to tell him the restaurant was already closed.

New felt useless. He went home that night, not receiving any texts or calls from Tay. He didn’t even bother to reach out, as he felt like he would just be a disturbance to Tay’s work or whatever reason he had for not showing up to dinner.

That night, New blamed himself. Was he too demanding for Tay’s time? Did Tay get annoyed by his presence? Was he really a disturbance in Tay’s work-life balance? Was his way of showing his love not enough?

When New woke up that morning, he felt relief when he saw Tay’s name on his notifications. There were two texts. One, apologizing for failing to show up last night because of a splitting headache and mild fever, and two, setting another date to make up for the lost time.

New didn’t bother to reply and proceeded to quickly change his clothes and go to Tay’s place.

He saw his lover, resting against the wall with his arms crossed, the moment he opened the door to Tay's flat. A saucepan was simmering on the gas stove near him. His eyes are closed, most likely due to exhaustion.

He marched over to Tay and immediately switched off the stove. Tay opened his eyes as a result of the sound, and New noticed the exhaustion in them. "Hin," he said, rubbing his eyes. "You're here."

New gazed at Tay's dark circles under his eyes, his dry and damaged lips, and his flushed cheeks. He let out a sigh. "Sit down, and I'll take over from here. We'll talk more later." Tay complied and walked over to the couch. He simply observed New as he waited for the soup to boil and prepared the pills for him.

"How long have you not been feeling well?" New asked after letting Tay drink his medicine. He put the empty bowl of soup and the glass of water aside.

"Just last night."

New raised an eyebrow, a face that said, 'Are you sure?

"I swear. At first, it was just a mild headache, but as time went on, it got worse. I'm so sorry I missed dinner. I lost track of the time. It was supposed to be a short nap to get rid of my headache, but when I woke up, it was already midnight. I feel terrible, Hin." Tay had a firm grip on New's hands. New  can't blame him. If it were the other way around, he would understand that it's difficult to function with a headache.

New let go of Tay's hand and ran it through the hair of his boyfriend. "It's okay, I'm glad you're okay. Are you feeling better?"

Tay nodded. "Still have a headache, but it's not as dull as it was last night. I'm guessing it's the stress."

"I'm telling you, it won't hurt to take a break. Your pay would be the same if you slept!"

Tay laughs and gives New a hug on the torso. "I'm sorry, I know."

"To be honest," New says, squeezing Tay. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

Tay looked at him with a confused face but told him to go on.

"I failed to check on you. I'm the one who knows very well that you work nonstop, and I should know that you're at risk of getting sick. I feel like my efforts aren't enough because you're here feeling sick. I failed, didn't I?"

“Hey,” Tay got up and turned toward New. "You have nothing to apologize for, get it? I'm also responsible for myself, so if one of us failed in this situation, it's me. I didn't take care of myself. And regarding your efforts... I feel like the luckiest person in the world, Hin. You understand? Because I have you. You've never failed to show me through your actions how much you care and love me."

New's eyes are cloudy. "Okay, thank you. I love you."

"I know," Tay said with a grin. "I love you, too." "So much."