An Angel's Heart

Brothers

Arthit walked into the dorms with a pleased smile. This looked like the perfect place. It was clean, well lit, and thanks to its recent occupant, was being carefully protected. Only a few problems remained, and that was what Arthit was here to fix.

First though, he needed to stop at a certain room. Even from the hallway he could smell the wonderful food inside. He knocked on the door, being careful to speak his name to ensure that Yo's home would recognize him as a friend.

As soon as the door opened, someone jumped into Arthit's arms, making him smile happily, "Did you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you," Yo answered. He pulled back to get a better look at Arthit's face and then dragged him inside. "Are you hungry?"

Arthit took a look around and his smile froze on his face. He stared at the tall man that was inside Yo's room with surprise. What was this stranger doing in Yo's home?

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Arthit asked, putting his arm around Yo's shoulder as a warning to the other man. He'd looked around and found Mau missing. She was supposed to be keeping Yo safe. What could possibly be more important?

"Arthit, this is Pha," Yo said, giving Arthit a tight hug. Pha gave Arthit a dark, unhappy look. But before either of the men could say anything, Yo continued, "Pha, this is my brother, Arthit."

"B-brother?" Pha stuttered out, exuding his relief.

Arthit's face took on a stern expression that he reserved for people he didn't much like, but he didn't have time to inspire real fear in Pha because Yo stood in front of him. Arthit quickly modified his face, so that he was smiling again. No need to upset his baby brother.

"We were just eating some sandwiches," Yo said happily, unaware of his brother's thoughts. "I'll make one for you."

"Please," Arthit said, sitting down at the small table. "I'm starving."

Pha, who wanted to make a good impression on his prospective boyfriend's brother, asked Yo for a cup and filled it with cold water from the fridge. He brought it to Arthit with an anxious smile, and returned to his seat at the same table.

"What relationship do you have with Yo?" Arthit asked, giving Pha a thorough once-over.

Pha picked at the remains of his sandwich, trying to think of a way to explain. Options ran through his mind: I'm a friend — not a total lie, but also not enough; I'm his boyfriend — well that wasn't actually true yet; I'm planning to make him mine — he couldn't say that to Yo's brother, he wanted to live.

Pha's hesitation must have shown on his face, because Arthit gave him another hard look, "Was my question too difficult or are you just unsure of the answer? If you don't know where you stand, you should stand further away. I won't let anyone hurt my brother."

Before Pha could think of a response, Yo walked over with a sandwich for Arthit. Yo knew what the two men had been discussing, the room wasn't so big that he couldn't hear people less than 10 feet away, but he chose to pretend ignorance. He was starting to feel uneasy about Pha's lack of courage. In front of Ming and Pha's friends, Pha had shown his preference for Yo easily, but when Pring came he'd done nothing to protect the young man. Now, while being questioned by Yo's brother, he hadn't even managed to declare a simple friendship.

Yo sat down to finish his sandwich, quietly avoiding eye contact with his irresolute love interest. He sighed a little, trying not to think too hard. Yo wasn't used to the ups and downs of love, but he knew that it wasn't always easy. Relationships required determination, communication, and trust. He couldn't expect Pha to be confident in a relationship that was so new and he couldn't expect an enduring love to come so quickly.