Until the Stars Fade Away [MxM - SaifahZon] [COMPLETED]

Night 11

BAR. IT WAS A BAR.

Just a normal, basic, boring bar...

Saifah's focus was all over the place as he marched toward the source of the rhythmic rumble. Neo had chosen it as tonight's venue for Tutor, Zon, Saifah, and himself, yet Saifah wasn't sold. It wasn't a bad one, of course not, but he couldn't stop analysing the pros and cons, stuck inside his head so deep that when a tap on his shoulder turned out to be Tutor, a splash of relief washed over him like a cold shower.

"Oh." He smiled, taking his earbuds out. "Good timing."

If anyone would ask, it was Tutor that Saifah had hoped to meet first the most. Or—more precisely—anxious to meet the least.

With a hammering heart, he stopped to hide his phone. The parking was full, and the laughter of pairs and groups of people grew into a crescendo of joy, pressing on him with its sound. Saifah took a deep breath, letting the evening freshness in. The colours already drained out, leaving an offset film all over, and only the neons above the entrance were still bright.

Yes, Tutor was the best choice.

"Are you good?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?" Saifah blinked.

He tried to ignore Tutor's persistent peer. He was good. Of course, he was. With his hands deep into his pocket, he was no longer worried. Not at all. Sure, his stomach might've contracted from time to time, but that was nothing to worry about. He was ready to spend the time with all three of them. Ready for it like a baby ready to be born.

Cracking his smile even wider, Saifah pushed the door open. And then, he realised, he wasn't ready at all.

"Well, well, well, look who's here!" Tutor's mocking words came to him as if from afar. The moment they entered the place, a waft of disappointment hit his face, stuck to him like guck as they neared the table. He bumped his forearm with Neo, the eyes of his imagination still seeing the man leaning towards Zon, his arms on the table, and Zon resting in his chair, all smiley and relaxed, his eyes half hidden behind his cheeks.

"I didn't want him to be late," Neo smirked, his eyes set on Zon the whole time, "so I picked him on my way here."

"Pfft! I already left home when you called!"

"Oh yeah? Then what took you so long?"

"I'm off to the bar." Saifah clenched his teeth, his face set in stone. "Anything you want, Tor?"

"Wait, I'll go with you."

Saifah swirled on his heel, a burning ball swelling in his throat. No matter how much he focused on someone or something else, Zon's laugh pierced through the crowd, finding its way toward him like an arrow. It felt so uncomfortable to see them like that, but why? It was an innocent pose, nothing to be jealous about, and yet...And yet it changed the typical whiff of beer into a suffocating stench.

"Where did he hide those arms?"

"Huh?"

"Zon, I mean." Tutor flicked his chin at the two still bickering. Saifah only glanced, but he got what his friend had meant. Today, in contrast to his usual T-shirts, Zon wore a sleeveless top that unveiled how defined his upper arms were. Of course, Tutor wasn't aware of them the way Saifah was.

But so was Neo.

Both of them, oh so well.

Ugh. Saifah shrugged. He shouldn't care. It was clear that Zon did it to show off to his crush, and since they saw each other rather rarely these days, he chose some unexpected option, something that could draw the eyes, evoke some tension, and—