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Michelle (Fan Account)

Nov 16 • 43 tweets • 26 min read

~Blind Night~ (MA AU - 2 of 2)
#CentralEmbassyxMileApo
If there was one guilty pleasure for Apo, it was Christmas.

One semester spent abroad in New York; he fell in love with the holiday.

Huge Christmas tree, decorated with all its trimmings, its golden shine, the ceremony.

Now back home, he depended on the local malls to fill the hole. His friends thought him eccentric, a nerd, but he didn’t care. It was his tradition.

“I think we’re in time for the ceremony!”

“Ceremony?” Mile only chuckled, kept a solid grip on the camera bag, the purchases he had made, and Apo’s hand. The latter the most important.

Apo’s excitement could not be helped as he pulled Mile to stand beside him, relatively center and glad for their tall statures to be able to see the stage. A singer normally came to sing, get the crowd in the holiday spirit.

“I never knew this was a thing.”

“Yeah, it’s a tradition to see them do it! I thought I’d missed it with my portfolio project.”

“What does it entail?”

“They turn off all the lights in the mall, someone comes to sing a Christmas song, sometimes I mouth along. I’m hoping it’s something I know. It’s magical!”

“Magical…” Mile had repeated, curiously, not mocking. And saw how animated Apo became talking about it, so he noted it down with a thoughtful expression.

Despite his happiness at being able to see the event he looked forward to every year, he froze. Mile. That’s right. He was on a date and selfishly dragged the man there.

Hand went slack, pulled away from those perfectly situated fingers, turned to look up the slight difference into Mile’s face. The other frowned, “What’s wrong?”

“I understand if this isn’t your thing… if you want, we can part ways here?”

“Are you assuming again?”

“Huh?”

“You thought I wanted to leave earlier and now here you are shooing me,” A little sad expression on Mile’s face, “Are you not having fun?”

“I am! I – I just…” Apo looked hard pressed for words, tugged at the sleeves of his sweater once again. It wasn’t Mile’s fault he felt insecure.

“Just what?”

Sighed, looked away. His friends warned him to tone it down.

"Apo?"

“You see-no one really likes my quirks. When I start to ramble about something, they think I’m weird. I didn’t want to scare you off.”

Mile didn’t answer, processed a moment till a sound from the stage came on, everyone’s attention honed onto the speaker.

“We’re going to have to reschedule everyone we’re so sorry.”

Collective groans, disappointed questions that were answered, “The performer for tonight was unable to come due to illness, we’ll push it to next Saturday.”

Apo mumbled next to him, “I have finals…it’s fine. Guess it wasn’t meant to be.” He remarked out loud, not directly to Mile. Arms wrapped around himself. Mile could read the lines of sadness that oozed.

As indecisive as he was, Mile was impulsive as he looked over the stores.

The guitar store. Not bothering to think twice about his own madness, he zoomed to it. Leaving Apo behind to simmer in the crowd.

In the time span of two minutes, a card left to charge the items, Mile had acquired a new guitar, a sound box, then hauled himself onto the stage, “Wait!”

“Sir you can’t be up here.”

Apo blinked out of his disappointed stupor to notice that Mile was no longer next to him, but on the stage.

“Mile?”

“I may not be a singer, but I can play something. Don’t cancel. You’ll disappoint the kids…”

They mouthed ‘thank you’ to Mile who grabbed the strap of the guitar, sat on the stool set up for him.

“That’s what the season is about. Giving.”

Mile gave a smile, comfortable and familiar with performing. His band did it at the school all the time. Except now on the fly, he was a little nervous. His impulse a gamble.

“I think I’m going to need a little help, Apo?” He waved over; the crowd helped to push Apo towards the stage where Mile readily grabbed his hand. And pulled up.

“What’re you doing?” Apo’s eyes were wide. He told Mile that he mouthed the words, not sang. He wasn’t musically inclined despite loving to do so.

“What’re WE doing?”

“I don’t sing!”

“Your friends said you love to sing.”

Damn them he thought. Handed a mic, “Mile…”

“All I Want for Christmas is…You…” Mile began to pluck a familiar tune, sang low toned to cue the younger man. "You got this."

The lights turned off except the ones on them, the sound of Mile’s guitar, Apo’s soft yet hesitant singing started, and together the audience swayed to the music. Not sure who the two were, but happy and cheered them.

They played, sang, stared at one another as Apo’s voice carried him more confidently, a smile on his face as he pointed to Mile at the ‘You’.

Earned a broad smile in return that twisted Apo's heart into knots.

“All I want for Christmas…is you…”

The group joined in with clapping their hands in time, swayed, someone shook their keys around like a shaker, it was an all-hands-on deck.

The song came to its end, Mile just sat there, removed his guitar, held by the neck as motioned to Apo who bowed lightly.

The spotlight removed. Pitch black. They turned to face the green tree that suddenly became brighter than a diamond, warmer than the sun, the reflection of Apo’s face made it worth it.

He was stunning when he was happy. The sunshine on a rainy day. Mile could get lost in it all day.

Apo felt overwhelmed, happy, and in all the vibes. It was because of Mile and without much thought, his heart sang.

Mile felt Apo squeeze his hand, turned, noticed eyes that brimmed with a sheen of tears behind them but not fallen. Immediately concerned, he scrambled to set the guitar down on the stool, “Apo—"

The rest of his thought caught up in a kiss. Hands trapped his face. The gentle, firm, assuring press of lips. Mile could feel Apo’s happiness radiate and fill him to the brim.

Apo had been riding the high – between the audience, the stage, all of it because Mile made it happen. Mile scrambled to give HIM his wish.

How could he let this man go now? The dazed-out smile Mile gave him when they broke free had Apo laugh, “I gave you two opportunities to leave.”

“I know, I should’ve taken it huh?” Mile laughed, wrapped his arms around that waist, squeezed as he tugged Apo to his chest as they devolved into another stronger kiss, one that left them dizzy and drunk on each other.

“Does this mean we get another date?”

“Oh, minimum one hundred Mile Phakphum.”

“I’m looking forward to all of them,” Mile replied, fingers laced again, ushered off the stage with a bag of goodies, Mile’s credit card returned as the guitar was gifted by management, invited him back anytime.

The two of them talked about it fondly all the way back to the car, pausing every minute or so to peck each other’s lips, any doubt of where they wanted to go with this, disappeared.

Apo made a mental note to buy something extra good for his friends this year and how to rope them into helping him send Mile home for Christmas with himself as a tag along.

Best date ever.

-Done-
#CentralEmbassyxMileApo