Its half past seven by the time football practice winds down. The sky has long since turned black and the stadium lights are the only bright beacons in a sea of darkness casting long shadows near the bleachers where a lone figure waits.

The engineering team players slowly shuffle out in small groups, their chatter echoing loudly in the open area. An odd bunch of three members head out nearly last, quieter in comparison to others and equally lost in their own conversation bubble. Just as the tallest person of the trio reaches the narrow lane to exit the football grounds, Bright steps out of his hiding place and blocks his path.

They both seize each other up in silence. Gulf neither appears startled or surprised by his presence unlike his friends, Mild and Boat. He recognizes the shorter one among the two, from when he hung around Gulf since their final year of high school. Wonders just how much Mild and now the new guy knows of their situation.

"Can we talk?" Bright didn't mind making the first move. He knows Gulf won't do it anyway. Waits patiently, the best he could, while watching Gulf take his time contemplating his request. His friends wear identical tensed looks and swivel around shocked when Gulf agrees, after deliberately making him sweat for a couple minutes longer. Okay, maybe they know enough to be concerned and stunned by this turn of events then.

"Sure. You guys go ahead. I will see you both in class tomorrow."

"Are- are you sure, Gulf? Maybe we should stick around ... just in case." Mild offers, still appearing worried. Boat, their other friend, however nods conceding to Gulf and dragging Mild away. "Okay. See you later, man."

Bright waits until those two guys leave and they're the only ones left inside the pitch. As much as he wants to jump in and hit the reason for this impulsive meeting, Bright finds it strangely difficult to open his mouth once they're completely alone. Couldn't even meet the cool gaze of Gulf, aware of the mocking and sharp remarks he will surely receive from his end. His eyes seek past every crook of the pitch except for the man standing right in front of him, suddenly queasy.

"I thought you wanted to talk?" The voice that Bright remembers fondly from his childhood has turned mean when addressing him, a constant since the past three years. "Or were you planning on getting me alone just to throw a punch?"

Bright immediately bristles. "A'Gulf, if I wanted to pick a fight, do you really think I'd wait this long? And I'm certainly not a bastard to intentionally ambush you when you are without any backup."

"Why not? If I remember correctly that is your style, isn't it? Being an asshole while donning on the perfect gentleman act. Fooling a guy into believing you're being nice and helpful, only to turn around and stab them in the back." Gulf growls, equally annoyed. His demeanour quickly changes from indifference to furious now that they are finally touching a long-buried subject, which was out of sight but never out of their minds.

The angry words thrown in his face cut deep and Bright flinches at the years long hurt underlying them. He wanted to defend his actions that he didn't set out to hurt Gulf. But it was too little and too late. Also, he wasn't exactly innocent here and knew Gulf was right in accusing him.

"I don't want- That's not what I'm here to discuss." He offers weakly in return. They should talk about this - it is the root cause of their issues. Their history was the reason Gulf was targeting Mew in hopes of hurting Bright and getting back at him. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to take the opening Gulf provides. Can't be the one to touch the subject, guilt sealing his lips shut.

Gulf laughs, humourless and cruel. "Newsflash, Bright. I don't care what you want." His dark eyes turn impossibly colder as his smirk widens, spelling trouble. "And guess what? I feel like talking about this now- yup, only this. If you can't handle it, then run away like the coward you are! I'll simply find someone else willing to listen to me then."

Terror explodes as Gulf's thinly veiled threat registers and Bright stares back, his fears clearly showing on his face. Does that mean Mew is still in the blind then? Well, not for much longer if Gulf's vengeful threats are to be taken seriously. "No. Y-you can't... you wou-wouldn't."

"Oh yes, I can, and I would!"

Gulf's visible gloating, joy at seeing Bright suffer and most importantly, the casual cruelty his former best friend seems to be capable of - all of it freezes him to the spot, making Bright wonder where everything went so wrong as to lead them to this. He shakes his head, unable to process that his Guppie has turned into this heartless version because of what he did.

True, Bright made a huge mistake. Although, he really didn't mean to do it- didn't set out on purpose to betray Gulf's trust or make him suffer. Yes, it still doesn't change what happened though. Bright is so freaking sorry it came down to this and would do anything to make amends if possible.

But this- what Gulf's doing now ... its way worse. He's knowingly doing everything in his power to turn Bright's life into a living hell and rejoicing in his apparent misery. More than that, the vengeful guy has no clams dragging Mew into their sick game as collateral damage. And that is something Bright absolutely refuses to take lying down.

"Is revenge so important to you that you're even willing to harm Mew in the process?" Bright flexes his hands by his side. He continues, masked hurt spilling in his words as Gulf remains untouched. "I thought you drew a line by not involving others in our battle. I was the one you're mad at, the person responsible for breaking your trust and our friendship. Why would you- why are you doing this now, Gulf? Why bring innocent Mew into it? You want to punish me, then go ahead. But just leave Mew out of it. Please..."

"Why?" Gulf asks, there's this incontestable vulnerability and pain peaking beneath his facade at last. Bright finds glimpses of his old friend in the stranger present before him. "Why must I listen to you, huh? Why would I ever give up, when this approach is clearly working wonders in bringing the great Vachirawit to his knees? I mean, you're here in front of me ... after all these years, ultimately in a position to willingly plead with me. Tell me, why the hell should I leave Mew - your only weakness - out of this?"

He closes his eyes, taking deep breaths to avoid losing his temper. Gulf's arguments make sense, and any smart person will agree with his reasons. After all, Mew is an extremely important person to Bright and if anyone wants to extract revenge on him, the quickest way is to target Mew. Although, Bright isn't without his own logical counters, an irrefutable claim to stave Gulf off from this tactic either.

"Because I know you care about Mew too ... perhaps, a lot more than me even. Or at least, you used to."

<*>

"Say Bai, um, remember how you said I can speak to you, er about stuff whenever I'm ready...?" Gulf is uncharacteristically shy, lounging in Bright's room and picking at his nails. His books remain discarded by his side.

Bright looks up from the desk, suspicious and taps the pen in his hand against his English assignment in rhythmic motions, subtly examining his friend's body language. He can see his nervous tics clear as day - except nothing about Gulf's flushed ears, fidgeting legs or extra stilted chatter screams major trouble or a plea for Bright to dish out some ass-kicking around. If anything, he recalls noticing this weird behaviour of Gulf only a few times in past, but that had been when he was crushing hard on a movie star or celebrity...

Bright instantly straightens up and jerks the chair across the floor with a loud screech with his sudden movement, intrigued to high heavens. "You like someone?"

"Er- what? No!" Gulf squeaks. If Bright was in doubt before its easily confirmed by the way Gulf's entire face heats up resembling a ripe tomato. The plainly embarrassed teenager tries to feign ignorance but soon surrenders upon facing Bright's unimpressed look.

Gulf sighs, shoulders relaxing as he gives in dropping his notes to the side and slumps against the bed's headrest. "Yeah. Okay, you're right. How did you know though?" He perks up, horror etched in his expression. "Did you hear something? Oh god! Did everyone know? They must have- if even you managed to learn about it. Was it through the school grapevine? Shia! How the hell did it already leak-"

He laughs, couldn't help it. Gulf absolutely panicking over the details of his infatuation breaking across their all-boys school campus akin to major headline news is too cute to witness. This also means his bestie has got it bad and for a while too. Bright simply cannot see Gulf losing his cool over a brief fling or relatively new attachment. Actually, now that he thinks about it, their conversation from that evening was around three months ago. If Gulf was already carrying a torch for someone by then and is still invested ... well, it could only mean he is pretty serious.

Bright badly wants to know who successfully stole his bro's heart and turned him into such a lovesick idiot. His same brother, who always advocated the advantages of playing around to settling in a committed relationship since they understood what going out meant. Forget that, neither of them ever dated anyone for real, which in their books meant longer than two weeks at most (the early stages of getting to know each other) before parting ways. In fact, Gulf leaned more towards quick hook-ups rather than a lengthy courting process, ever since puberty hit and he shot up in height, finally drawing attention from the opposite sex. Which makes this whole adorable blushing at the mere mention of his secret crush all the more fascinating topic to discuss. He's eager to tease him mercilessly once Gulf spills the beans and stops freaking out.

"Relax Gulfie. I was just guessing until you basically confirmed it for me." Bright hums, gently. "Is it- someone from our school? Perhaps our class?"

He could think of no other reason responsible for Gulf's recent evasive and nervous wreck routine than falling for a guy out of blue. Gulf has had crushes in the past on several girls from their neighbouring campus and was quite vocal about his interest too. The only possible conclusion Bright could draw from his veteran observation of Gulf throughout these years regarding his strange new changes is that Gulf might've been dealing with a sexuality crisis on top of his crush. He kind of feels bad that Gulf didn't approach him earlier with this. Bright was open about his bisexual status from the start, his mother being extremely supportive during his figuring out stage to acceptance of his identity.

Nevertheless, he exhales deeply, pushing away his disappointment to focus on his friend. This is about Gulf finally opening up about the issues he's been handling on his own for so long. It doesn't matter if he didn't come to Bright then - Gulf is here now and that's what is more important than his butthurt at being told things late.

"You know it's totally fine if you happen to like a guy, right? I mean, you won't find me complaining about this. Even more things we have in common!"

"How do you always know what I'm going to say even before I mention it?" Gulf whines, the remaining tension from his stiff posture vanishing and Bright just can't help laughing. "Seriously, are you reading my mind or something, Bai? Should I be worried?"

"Like I'd ever do anything to hurt you." He rolls his eyes at Gulf and carefully saves his notes to work on later. Bright can tell they won't get any more studying done for tonight. He crosses the room to settle next to Gulf, nudging to make more space for him. "And wouldn't it be better if I can actually read your thoughts, huh? We can save a lot of time and jump right into devising a plan to get you the boy of your dreams!"

Gulf arches a brow, "Ah, hang on for a sec! So sure of yourself, huh. What makes you think I even need your help, Vachirawit?"

"Because Kanawut," Bright drawls, confident in his hypothesis. "Had you already managed to win over your crush, you'd have been insufferable and gloating about it ages ago. Now, why don't you tell your wise Nong all about this special person of yours and I'll help you sweep him off his feet. I'm not consistently crowned the handsome prince for nothing, y'know?"

"Pfft," Gulf snorts elbowing him in the ribs. "Some prince! You've always steered clear of romance, ignoring every flirting and confession attempts from your fans - guys and girls alike. You're telling me that I should rely on you in the matters of love, my friend?"

He shrugs, conceding to his points but having a valid argument at fingertips to counter them. "I'm not a fan of superficial gestures, yeah. But that's exactly why I'm going to be a great wingman to you, Gulfie."

Figures out really quick that maybe what Gulf needs right now is a healthy dose of reassurance, a trusted friend in his corner to cheer him on. Bright can be that person for him, no problem. "Think about it, na - how many times have I been proposed and approached by people over the years? I've seen it all and can advise you on the best ways to go about wooing this guy, who obviously got you hooked good. Come on, you're clearly having trouble getting his attention or else, we wouldn't be here in this situation."

"Yeah. That part is true!" Still, there's something a lot like hesitance swimming in the depths of Gulf's dark eyes as he worries his lips, deep in thought. "I don't know if- he's so out of my league ..."

"What's really bothering you, Gup?" Bright drapes his hand over Gulf's shoulder and squeezes it lightly. He, of course noticed the thinly veiled insecurity in his earlier statements disguised as sarcasm. Couldn't help wondering whether there was another reason holding back his typical vocal and brash friend from going after what he wants. Is wounded at the thought of Gulf holding onto more secrets but refuses to make this about himself when his bro is plainly suffering in front of him.

"It's just that- I really, really like him, Bai. I've been secretly admiring this incredible boy, who's just perfect and beautiful in every way - hoping to be near him or even speak to him- for so long, years actually." He chuckles dryly catching the look of surprise from Bright. "Yeah, I know. Should have told you earlier ... but guess-, I was simply content to experience these alternating pangs of longing and joy, a well-worn habit by then. And I know if you'd learned about this, you would've convinced me to do something like talk to him instead of just yearning from distance."

Gulf laughs again, hollow, hiding his face in his hands as though scrubbing the palpable bitterness will help. "Who would have thought I'd be the one to silently pine after a guy from afar? Pathetic, right?"

The emotional teen shakes off his best friend's swift affronted protests, downcast and seemingly weary all of a sudden, leaning his head on Bright's shoulder. "I'm just so goddamn scared of making a move, Bright. What if he turns me down?" His soft confession dwindles into a wet hitch of breath. "I don't think I can handle that. I just can't. I'd rather not know and wonder than face his rejection."

The genuine terror torturing Gulf alive (for years now, apparently!) is impossible to hide once he bares his soul and it right away triggers Bright's protective instincts and an older brother attitude, despite being a single child. He immediately envelops Gulf in a comforting hug, cradling him close. His heart aches in response to the wretchedness in Gulf's admission as he tenderly caresses his hair, through the steady tears soaking his shirt.

Bright didn't have a single clue that his brother, his platonic soulmate is hurting this badly from unrequited one-sided feelings. Hates himself for not noticing the agony Gulf underwent alone sooner, which seems pretty obvious in retrospect. Bright simply drew wrong conclusions regarding the distance he felt from Gulf, attributed it to different classrooms, unavoidable changes, new friends, and possibly wrong influences. When in reality, it had been Gulf attempting to clumsily make his existence known to his mysterious love without outing his interest. Suddenly, the crowd he ran with a couple of months ago and his subsequent rash decisions all made sense.

Corroborating his hunch, Gulf haltingly admits to trying everything in his power to stand out and be desirable. Doesn't deny his miserable failures or foolish thought-process responsible that was backed by said wrong friends. Becomes even more desolate at his continued screw ups, at long last, deciding to come clean before Bright.

"I didn't intentionally keep you in the dark, Bai. I swear! It's stupid, really. I don't even know why I ever paid heed to their idiotic words ... Fuck, I'm done with those assholes." Gulf craned his neck to look at Bright in the eye. "I was always going to tell you. You're like my own brother, Bright. I never intended to keep this huge thing from you - that I also happen to like guys and loved one, in particular. Those bastards, um, they just got in my head every time I came close to telling you ... and before I know it, I was second guessing- didn't want to see, er your disapproval or anything. So, I- er, kept this a secret from you..."

"Hey, I believe you, Guppie." Bright thumbs away the wet trail on his cheeks. "Don't beat yourself up, okay. Now that I know, you can let go of this stress and leave everything to me. Rest assured; I will find a way to win this guy's heart for you. You have faith in me right, Gup? Then let your brilliant and capable brother handle this for you, okay na?"

The smile he's waiting for reappears, lighting up Gulf's face, sun peeking behind clouds. "Yeah. Of course, I do. I trust you more than anyone else in this whole world, Bai. I know you got my back and, I have yours too."

"Good. The you know you're in safe hands." Bright nods, happy that he was able to console Gulf and instil positive outlook in him again. "Alright, first order of things. Who is this guy? Do I know him?"

The reply is again somewhat tentative. "I think so..."

Another long beat of silence stretches, while Bright burns with curiosity, impatient for the highly anticipated reveal. Gulf is obviously jumpy, though lord knows why. He finally breaks out from his musings when Bright flicks his forehead, groaning in mock outrage. At least, it stops him from overthinking enough to utter his beloved's name in a revered tone.

"It's Mew. Mew Suppasit."

Huh. Why does that name sound familiar to him?

<*>

"Are you seriously throwing that in my face right now, Bright ... as an excuse? After what you did?!" Gulf barks, nostrils flaring and eyes twin pools of fire. He strides forward as if to grab Bright's shirt but then turns away glaring in the opposite direction instead. "Oh, you got some gall, huh! No, you really think I would let you manipulate me again, as though I'm still that naive idiot, who put you on a pedestal since we're kids? Boy, you must have turned delusional in the intervening years to believe that."

Bright rubs his neck, squeezing the scruff tightly to ground himself and stave off his anger. He's sick and tired of this same old tune, getting blamed repeatedly and feeling like scum in the aftermath. Focus, he tells himself. Was aware this could happen from the start - of old wounds resurfacing and Gulf headed after him with a sharpened spear, intent on drawing blood. Reminds himself why he's doing this in the first place, thinks of Mew and forces his simmering annoyance to fade into white background noise.

"I get that you're mad. Hell, you have every reason to loathe me for eternity, Gulf. I don't begrudge you the right to hold me accountable." He stops briefly composing himself, careful while trekking on thin ice. "I gotta ask though. What exactly did you plan to achieve by bringing Mew into this? Surely, you realise it will also hurt him, don't you? You wanna see me miserable, fine. But if you think that you're doing this due to Mew for some twisted sort of justice, then I'm sorry ... because that's just a sure-fire method to set yourself up for a heartbreak, again. And, I won't let you do that, for Mew's sake!"

Gulf throws his hands in the air and paces, muttering under his breath that Bright had no trouble recognizing as digs in his direction. "Typical. Just typical."

He narrows his eyes, nails biting inside his palms and knuckles turning white under the continued pressure. "Is it that unreasonable asking you to spare Mew from our battle? You used to be madly in love with him. Whatever happened to your claims of wanting to cherish him forever - protect Mew from any harm, Gulf? Is this what taking care of him means, huh? Messing with his head and placing him as pawn in your revenge fantasy."

"Shut up." Gulf's voice hits a dangerous thread and for once, Bright revels in the challenge of it. If he can't make Gulf bow to logic then he can certainly make him listen to the power packed in his fists.

"Why? Why must I listen to you, huh?"

Hearing his own words tauntingly spewed out by Bright causes something to crack beneath that tough guy exterior. Bright readies himself for a brutal exchange of blows - to take a hit and land a kick. Rationality has long since taken a backseat, his body defaulted to an autopilot mode. His blood sings for retribution and a tiny part of him agrees this could arguably be the closure they needed to finally bury their hatchet for good. Or to slash away the last shreds of affection they might've still nurtured for each other in some dark corner of their bleeding hearts.

"Nice try." Gulf is back to drawling in a sardonic tone, composure regained pretty quick. "I'm still not going to kick your ass tonight, even if you totally deserve it."

"Why the sudden generosity?" Bright is genuinely angsty for answers ... and lowkey disappointed. The Gulf he knows, wouldn't hesitate to lock horns at a mere slight aimed at him. This cruel stranger though? He stands unaffected, despite Bright nearly goading him into a physical brawl.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Another short laugh that raises hair on back of Bright's neck with its chilling intonation.

"Besides, you expect me to freely offer a sympathy card for you to slide back into Mew's good graces? Nah, I don't think so! What was that you said? Ah, I was messing with his head and going back on my promises to care for Mew, of putting him first over everything else. Tch. That is a bit rich coming from you, don't you think? Ai'Vachirawit, unlike you, I'm not in the business of going back on my word. Mew has been and always will be my first priority. Why would I treat someone, who's incredibly precious to me in that manner? But you on the other hand..."

Gulf tilts his head to the side, deliberately raking his eyes over the way Bright's fingers are curled tightly and face set in a perpetual frown. Snickers to celebrate his plight and then abruptly turns quiet, the grim expression of his stark under the shadows of starry night.

"Didn't you figure it out yet? I've only stayed away from you bidding my time to seek payback till now due to him. You were safe from my wrath and vengeance because of Mew. Now that he voluntarily chose to part ways as your friend, no longer interested in staying by your side ... I'm going to make it my business to make your life a living hell. Get ready Bright, soon you're going to learn just how merciless and excruciating a betrayal feels like."

He should take this more seriously; Bright is aware of that. Gulf has proved himself to be a formidable enemy enough times in the past to warrant his complete attention. Except, he's stuck by a particular line from his rant which runs on a loop, confusing the hell out of him. It's strange and if true, makes no sense at all.

"Wait," Bright raises a hand stopping him mid-spiel. "You mentioned, Mew opted to- to walk out on our friendship ... of his own volition." He swallows thickly past the painful lump in his throat.

This next part is tricky, but he (somehow) still believes in Gulf, ready to take his word for it. So, Bright makes sure to demand a response that cannot be in any way fabricated to suit Gulf's agenda. "You really didn't do anything to influence his decision? You didn't involve others or used more of your sneaky tricks to drive a wedge between us ... did you?"

Gulf's eyes flash in hurt (if Bright reads it correctly) briefly before turning stormy like the untamed waves of the ocean. He could sense the thin hold on restraint Gulf is currently asserting in his clipped words. Bright hates that he's making the situation worse - any hopes of ever mending the bridges between Gulf rapidly sinking - the more he runs his mouth and continues unintentionally offending Gulf.

"Again, I'm not in the habit of ruining people's trust or friendships. I'm not you, asshole! I wasn't lying when I told you that Mew's presence in your life is the only goddamn reason I didn't come after you. I didn't drive him away, Bright. Uh-huh, that's all on you, buddy. I merely waited to swoop in once it became obvious Mew wants nothing to do with you anymore. I'm free to be your deadly foe out in the open now. And I can be his friend too ... and maybe more in due course."

There's no trace of lies and tinkering either in Gulf's statements or his body language. Whatever it is that he's not revealing, Gulf certainly isn't lying to him at present. Bright can gamble on the prior knowledge of his former best friend enough to feel the avalanche of hurt slowly burying him alive. This means- whatever has happened to chase Mew away, Bright must have been responsible somehow. He ruined another amazing bond by his careless actions doing something wrong. It must be truly terrible if Mew didn't even want to yell at him. No, the polite nerd would rather ignore, and pretend Bright didn't exist than to call him out for causing their friendship to crash and burn.

He pauses, another observation registering. "You know the reason, don't you?"

The loaded silence and nonchalant shrug tells Bright everything he needs to know. "Of course, you won't say anything. Why would you? It will mean helping me, after all. That won't do since you intend to win Mew over." He's lightheaded from the assault of revelations, raging with the desire to shake off this excess energy. Picks the available opening to provoke Gulf into revealing something, anything for Bright to make a connection.

"Wasn't it you that threw Luke Plowden in his path just to spite me, though? Right, I forgot- this circles us back to our original contention - you not really giving a damn about Mew. Figured you would take this opportunity to ask him out ... but you preferred tormenting me over being there for Mew, as a genuine friend. You could've-"

Gulf rolls his eyes. "Save it, Bright. Already told you I won't be falling for your traps anymore. I have my reasons for what I do, and I owe you absolutely no explanations or jack-squat anymore. And yes, ultimately I'm going to finish what you failed at, in spite of facing no competition or issues from me these past three years. Mew will be my faen and there's nothing you can do about it."

He glares, words evading him. Gulf's cocksure attitude is like splinters in his fresh wounds, digging deep within and causing further infection.

"If that's all, I'll be leaving now. You see-" Gulf apparently seems to have one last bullet left in his gun. "Mew will be waiting for me. I'm supposed to have dinner at his house and finish up our assignment. Maybe ... I'll sleepover too if it becomes too late. Gotta hurry. See you around, Brightie."

Hitting him with that fatal shot, Gulf leaves grinning and without a backwards glance, content in his knowledge that Bright is going to bleed dry from his attack. And there's nothing he could do but stew in irrational jealousy envisioning Gulf and Mew spending more time alone together, perhaps even becoming more than friends based on how tonight goes...

No. Bright won't let that happen. Not when Gulf isn't pursuing Mew with the purest intentions at the moment. Whatever the devious guy says (or didn't say) regarding Luke - Bright is not going to let another person slither into Mew's life under false pretences. Starting tomorrow, he's going to play Gulf's game and win it, by hook or crook, and convince Mew to give him another chance. Whether as friend or more- that will be up to Mew. Bright is more than happy to take anything he gets from the love of his life - just as always!

>*<*>*<

A/N: Love to hear your thoughts on story so far. What do you think of Bright and Gulf's backstory? Did anyone guess this?!
Please vote if you enjoyed this chapter. Xoxo