Chapter 5 : First Date - Mew

They were supposed to leave the hotel early, at least after breakfast, but that obviously wasn't happening anytime soon given the fact that Gulf flat-out refused to leave the bed while muttering something about cruel husbands and going back to sleep , successfully crawling his way under the covers with minimal effort. This close, Mew could barely see anything apart from the mop of dark hair Gulf hadn't managed to hide under the comforter sticking in all directions.

The sight was adorable as it was hilarious and Mew had no idea whether to be amused or charmed or both. But given the fact that he was giggling helplessly watching Gulf's tall body settling under the covers and making himself seem as tiny as he possibly could while he himself was simultaneously trying his very best not to reach out and run his fingers through the younger man's hair, the answer was pretty obvious.

Part of him was convinced they were going to be reprimanded for today, given his husband's unwillingness to leave the bed but for both their sakes, he decided he should at least try.

"Nong, our schedule says we need to be out of the hotel by 9:30. The gallery opens around 11, and the drive there might take at least half an hour. I'm not sure if we can finish checking everything out before 1, since we're supposed to have lunch at 1:30 so -" he said, words trailing when all of Gulf disappeared beneath the comforter, leaving him gaping at the younger man.

"Oh my god, are you seriously going back to sleep? Gulf? Hello?" he whined, poking Gulf through the covers and snickering when his husband visibly vibrated under the covers before grunting in answer.

"I have no idea what you just said, Nong." he countered, grinning.

More rustling as he sat there, amused beyond amusement itself. "I said I heard you, P'Husband. Now, will you go away, please." his husband bit back, almost like a whine, his voice muffled by the pillow where he had his face mashed against but was clear enough for Mew to hear.

He'd honestly considered tugging the covers off, if only to remind his husband that they were here on a mission - that was how he referred to the tasks written on their itinerary in his head - and not just for their supposed honeymoon, but the sight of Gulf curling in on himself and making himself as tiny as he could possibly be made Mew stop just the same.

He glanced at the clock sitting on the nightstand before darting his gaze back into the lump Gulf made under the covers and sighed. It was already half-past eight; the itinerary said breakfast should have happened an hour ago, but Gulf obviously wasn't interested. He himself had been awake since six, had already showered and got dressed to start the day according to their schedule, but he obviously didn't count on his husband being quite this difficult to deal with so early.

So he married a pretty boy who disliked mornings. Good to know.

His stomach growled on cue, his body clearly making the decision for him despite wanting to stay here and wait until his husband decided to join the land of the living. Unlike the younger man, his body was used to this - waking up early and going through the necessary steps that would enable him to be ready within minutes. Obviously, Gulf was not.

He heaved another sigh and gave his unmoving husband a look.

"Fine, you sleep in. I'm going down for breakfast. When I come back, I hope you're awake enough to discuss our itinerary for today." he said, leaning over to drop a quick kiss to the top of Gulf's head before he could even stop himself.

He was pulling away just as quickly when he realized what he'd done, chuckling to himself as he stood. He was about to turn around when he caught sight of the covers being thrown aside, Gulf emerging from beneath it before he could say anything. The younger man seemed to be struggling to pull himself into a sitting position, eyeing him blearily from the cocoon of covers he had gathered around his person. He looked so tiny and vulnerable sitting there, squinting at Mew from that relative distance and making Mew's chest tight at the sight.

"Uh, sorry Phi," Gulf mumbled as he kicked the comforter out of the way. "I'm coming with you. Give me ten minutes?" his husband asked. He looked barely awake and Mew almost felt bad for waking him.

He gave Gulf a quick once over and shook his head. "You don't have to force yourself just to accompany me to breakfast, you know? As I said, you can go back to sleep if you want to. I'll bring your breakfast back with me, that's not a problem. As for that gallery trip, I think an hour there would be enough. We don't really have to stick to the schedule so long as we accomplish our assignments."

Well, it wasn't like they had trouble doing that, even from the start. Apart from the fact that he and Gulf both admitted knowing they were going to marry each other, it was the knowledge that they were enjoying each other's company that made the whole thing even more interesting.

To be fair, the tasks given to them weren't even that hard to accomplish anyway. Mostly, they were just mundane stuff, like the usual activities that normal couples liked doing together. Dining out, checking into the hotel together, sleeping in one bed, stuff like that. Sex wasn't listed (thank goodness for little mercies) although their mentors weren't exactly subtle at encouraging them to go right into it if they felt like it.

Gulf shook his head in turn. "No, Phi. I swear I'm awake now. I'll join you for breakfast. Ten minutes. I'll be ready by then, I promise." his husband insisted, stumbling out of bed and almost losing his balance in his haste, luckily, Mew was there to catch him around the waist before he ended up falling face-first on the carpeted floor.

"Nong! Are you okay?"

Gulf wriggled out of his hold, grinning and blushing furiously. "I'm fine! Sorry about that. Uh, ten minutes, Phi. Be right back. Please wait for me." he said, waltzing his way towards the bathroom and leaving Mew staring after his husband's retreating back with a helpless grin stretched across his face.

-

Breakfast was nice. Quiet and a little awkward, but nice. Gulf had been a little out of it at the beginning, only nodding his agreement when Mew had directed them to a table far from the entrance for some privacy. His husband's silence stretched until his plate was half-empty, and Mew was convinced of his earlier theory regarding the younger man's dislike of mornings.

Gulf was visibly more awake when they left the hotel under an hour later, and Mew couldn't be more charmed than he already was as he checked his husband out from time to time during the entire ride to the gallery. They made small talks in between, discussing the importance of accomplishing their tasks for the sake of the marriage.

Clearly, they both understood the merits of going through these stages together. They both agreed that the assignments weren't simply meant to be fulfilled, but they were created for the couples to accomplish them together for a reason. Obviously, the main thing was to establish a common ground for both parties to learn about each other, simple activities disguised as missions so they could have an excuse to hang out and just talk.

It sounded pretty simple, but it wasn't really. The uniqueness of their situation aside, Mew knew that nothing about this marriage was simple to begin with. In normal circumstances, learning about your partner wasn't always an easy feat, even when you started liking each other from the very beginning.

Marrying a complete stranger, however, was an entirely different matter altogether.

It was like walking towards an unknown path with a blindfold, with just your partner's hand to hold on to, trusting him to steer you into the right direction even though you could tell he had no idea where to go either. Because you didn't know this person but you have no choice but to trust him, because you married him.

It sounded pretty silly even in his own head, really.

"So you like art?" his husband's voice pulled him out of his mental musing. Gulf was obviously inquiring about their upcoming art gallery mission, which he was warmly looking forward to despite himself. He threw his husband a quick sideways glance, smiled, then nodded.

"And you like shooting monsters on screen. That's why we're going to an arcade center after lunch, right?" he countered, amused by the fact that their missions for today are activities he and husband liked. Gulf shrugged, but the way his mouth turned up into that would-be smile was enough to make him want to reach over and touch it.

"Won't you get bored, though, if you come with me? I mean, checking out art pieces could be pretty boring." he asked, curious as to what his husband would say.

Gulf chuckled as if the question was funny enough to warrant his reaction. "Well, you'll be going to the arcade center to shoot stuff on screen with me afterwards so I guess that should compensate for the boredom at least. But let's see. I haven't been to an art gallery, so I can't say if a trip to one with my husband as my first time is going to be boring. What if it's not? What if I end up enjoying it too? We'll never know if we don't try, right?"

For some silly reason, the answer made him smile. Especially when he realized Gulf was smiling too.

"Of course, Nong," he agreed readily, reaching over to take Gulf's hand for a quick and reassuring squeeze. "Of course, you're right."

-

It wasn't the first time he'd visited the Queen's Gallery, but he could say that it was different being here, now, with Gulf walking beside him as they checked the paintings hanging on the walls, the sculpture pieces on display. There were new art pieces he was certain hadn't been here when he'd first visited, and he told Gulf as much as they both checked the pieces with interest.

They walked the long hallways leading towards the spot that housed the collection for Thai artists and telling Gulf about it. Those pieces were his favorite, he'd told Gulf, pretty certain he was beaming from ear to ear the moment they stepped into the door and right into the room where large paintings were hanging on the wall.

"Wow," Gulf breathed next to him when they stopped, both of them staring up and looking at the paintings in awe.

"I know, right?" he agreed, grinning as he said so. There were several paintings hanging on this side, and more from the other, apart from the contemporary pieces lining the ceiling. Mew took in the sight with glee, catching his husband staring at him when he turned to check him out.

"What?" he asked, smiling through the uncertainty that lodged in his throat at the look on Gulf's face. It was intense and equal-parts intimidating but Mew found it difficult to look away.

Gulf bit his lips and stepped forward without a word. Mew stepped backward on cue, but stopped when Gulf's hands found his wrist to hold on to.

"Nong?"

"Phi, I want to kiss you," Gulf said, all of a sudden, fingers tightening around Mew's wrist to keep him in place. "Can I kiss you? Is it okay?" he asked.

Mew honestly had no idea how to verbally answer that so he just nodded his head, only vaguely glad they were the only ones there as Gulf crossed the tiny distance between them and pressed their lips together, his husband's mouth soft and warm against his own.