**TW/mention of SA**
"Porchay I don't understand why you need to try the same shirt on in every colour when you know what size fits you," Macau grumbled holding the shirt out for Porchay who was still in the changing booth.
"Some colours look awful on me sometimes so I need to make sure the colours I buy work," the boy replied matter-of-factly before drawing the curtain.
Macau huffed and leaned against the wall pouting as he waited for Chay to finish changing, "Couldn't you ask one of your girlfriends to help?" he grumbled.
The curtain flew open to reveal a scowling Porchay with half his buttons still undone, "I asked you out because Som and I have very different tastes and I also happen to know you would've been cooped up in your room staring at a wall or something," he finished buttoning his shirt and turned around to look at his reflection, "Tell me...should I buy it?"
Chay turned back to face Macau who seemed to be looking above his head. The shirt in question was a satin wine-red button-down that flowed around Chay's small frame. The red was strikingly contrasting against his pale skin making him look somewhere between sickly and the kind of pale you'd expect from a vampire. The light in the booth cast a soft halo above the boy's head highlighting all his facial features and for a moment Macau was caught in a trance as he took in the sight before him. At that moment Chay's eyes looked like endless pits that bore into Macau's soul as he stared at the boy. His hair fanned messily around his face having been tousled during the endless wardrobe changes but it made him look somewhat more youthful as he stood chewing on his bottom lip. "No, it looks like something my brother would wear. Put it back," the boy remarked snapping out of it.
"Bruh..." Chay stared at Macau jaw slackening, what the actual hell? "Are you kidding me right now?"
"I'm being serious. Put on a pair of black slacks, open two or three buttons for no reason, throw on a random silver chain and extremely uncomfortable dress shoes and bam...mini Vegas wannabe."
"My pride," Chay whimpered drawing the curtain and staring at his reflection.
He had just wanted to try something different but it had blown up in his face. He was getting sick of the cute boy look. While it felt safest and like him, people didn't take him seriously most of the time because he looked soft and harmless or like he needed saving. It annoyed him half to death but not as much as the catcalling. He hated the catcalling most. Sometimes grown men would make advances at him offering him money in exchange for keeping them company, sometimes people around his age would voice their twisted inappropriate fantasies of having a fem-boy at their feet and sometimes people would put their hands on him and Chay hated it. He just wanted to feel comfortable in his own skin and dress how he wanted without people looking down on him or making him feel unsafe. As he took in his reflection he let out a deep sigh; he did look a little odd in the deep colour.
He changed back into his clothes and walked out of the booth to find Macau waiting with him with the pile of clothes he had hauled into his arms, "You done?"
"I'm over it and extremely hungry," Chay walked pasted Macau leaving the boy to scramble after him while trying not to drop the clothes he was carrying.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Pasta," Chay walked out of the store leaving an alarmed Macau behind.
The boy didn't know if he had to put all the clothes back or pay for them so he stood there looking so scared that he apparently drew sympathy from a store clerk who walked over and helped him get rid of the clothes smiling softly at him. He thanked her briefly before running out of the store to find the small dark-haired boy who had left him behind in a fit of anger...or was it irritation?
He found Chay sitting in an Italian restaurant pouting with his arms crossed. He didn't say anything as Macau slid into the seat across the table from him only huffing and turning his head away dramatically. Macau leaned back in his seat smirking at the boy's antics.
So Chay was mad at him for some reason. That meant that he had to choose his words carefully or he'd be getting ignored until further notice or just straight out getting berated in public; the former sounded more appealing. "Have you ordered yet?"
Chay's eyes shot to Macau's face narrowing briefly before darting to a spot over the boy's shoulder. He was waiting for me, "What do you want to eat? Order anything, I'll pay for it."
"I'm not hungry," the boy grumbles still not meeting Macau's eyes.
"Are you mad at me?" Macau asked trying to suppress a smirk. Chay was just too cute for his own good sometimes.
"The hell I am!" the boy yelled.
"You're mad at me," Macau sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, "What should I do to make you not mad at me?"
Porchay finally looked at Macau blinking at the boy sitting in front of him. Porchay was upset but not with Macau. He was just upset that he looked like an easy target and that he really was an easy target. Chay knew he was weak and probably wouldn't be able to hold his own if a threat ever did arise. He was mad at the fact that he stupidly thought changing his appearance would be enough to make him look tougher and he was a little irritated at the fact that Macau had called him a mini Vegas wannabe.
Macau cocked an eyebrow at him waiting for an answer and Chay just chewed on the inside of his cheek. He knew what he wanted. He also knew that Macau wouldn't refuse but he also knew that he'd get teased for it so he sat there looking like a lost bunny while Macau just waited. "Teach me to defend myself," he finally said.
"That's a little...shouldn't you get a professional coach or ask your brother? I don't think I'm exactly qualified for that," Macau replied.
"I'm leaving," Chay pushed his chair back only to have the chair halted by Macau's foot which had found its way around a leg chair.
"I'll teach you if you tell me why you won't ask your brother to help you."
With that, he pulled Chay's chair back while the small boy pouted and rolled his eyes, "I'm hungry," he mumbled.
"Order what you like," Macau crooned leaning back in his seat.
The boys waited for their food in silence. Porchay was trying to stall answering Macau's question and Macau didn't want to push Chay to give him an answer until he wanted to tell him and so they sat in silence. Just as Porchay was about to speak the waiter returned with their food disturbing the boy. "Have you ever done combat sports?" Macau asked as the waiter walked away.
"No."
"I did taekwondo and MMA, what do you want to learn?"
"How does that work? They have different sets of rules and stuff," Chay asked stuffing pasta into his mouth.
"I did taekwondo until I got to high school but I got bored and switched to MMA, also I was angrier in high school so..." Macau responded thoughtlessly reaching across the table to wipe the sauce Porchay had managed to smear on the side of his mouth.
"Why were you angry?"
"If you lived with Khan you would have been angry too," Was all he said before taking a bite of his own food.
"Why do you call him Khan? Isn't...wasn't he your father?" Chay asked staring at the boy in front of him who paused at the word 'father'.
"Calling him that would be a stretch," Macau huffed "Only family I had growing up was Vegas and for a time your brother's boyfriend and Kim."
"You and P'Kinn were close?" Chay asked genuinely shocked.
From what he had seen of the interactions between Kinn and his brothers and Macau and his brother, they were anything but close, "Once upon a time," he responded staring at his food, "What about you? Aren't you a new addition to the family? Why do you hate Kim so much?"
"What?" Porchay choked on his food causing him to go into a coughing fit.
Macau hopped to his feet to get the boy some water while rubbing circles on his back. Once the boy had calmed down Macau returned to his seat smirking at the red-faced boy who now refused to meet his gaze, "Now I really want to know."
"No," Chay replied trying to sound as stern as he could which only made Macau snort. Porchay looked a lot like an angry tomato what with being all red in the face and pouting, "MMA," he added turning his attention back to his food.
"MMA," Macau mimicked turning to his own food.
After lunch, the boys made their way outside with fro-yo cups in hand. They had ridden Macau's motorbike to the mall which meant they would have to finish their frozen treats before they could leave so the boys found themselves a bench and settled on it talking about workout plans. Both boys had light schedules at school so it wouldn't be too difficult to meet for sessions but they both had insufferable older brothers and Macau had a Pete who insisted they spend time at least once every week and had a habit of showing up unannounced. It shocked Macau how Pete hadn't shown up while Chay was in his room but he wasn't going to dwell on it until it happened.
"Porchay what are you doing here with Macau?" a voice suddenly broke them from their conversation.
Had it been literally anyone else Chay might have thanked them for saving him from Macau's bullying but it just had to be the one person he disliked most. He turned around to find Kim marching up to them wearing his usual black leather jacket and combat boots, "Hello cousin," Macau smiled wiggling his fingers.
"Shut up Macau," he snapped.
"Rude..."
"Porchay why are you with...him?"
"Because we're friends P'Kim," Chay said standing up from his place on the bench and sizing the man up, "Is that a problem?"
"Does your brother..."
"Could you please stop using my brother as an excuse to try and dictate what I do?" Chay interrupted, "I don't care what weird beef you have with Macau but that's between you two, keep me out of it."
"Porchay..."
"No, Kim, no! I don't want to hear it. You don't get to choose my friends for me, you don't get to say anything about anything I do actually. Not anymore," he said shocking himself as much as he seemed to have stunned the older man "Now if you please, my friend, and I will be leaving, goodbye," with that Chay grabbed Macau's hand and dragged him in the direction of the bike. Before they got far the boy turned back around to look at the man who was now looking at him in pure shock, "One more thing, telling hia will only give me more reason to hate you not that it's any business of his or yours."
With that, he turned around and walked to the motorbike where Macau sat waiting with his helmet. The boy helped him put his helmet on before making sure he was sitting comfortably with his hands around his waist. "Goodbye cousin," Macau winked at Kim before zooming off.
"Are you okay?" Macau asked helping Chay take his helmet off.
The boy hummed in response while Macau ruffled his hair. He didn't want to talk about Kim and he definitely didn't want to be alone because he'd probably end up going off to get himself hammered because feeling sick would be better than crying because he couldn't decide if he was sad or angry. He followed Macau up to his room and slumped onto the couch with a loud grunt burying himself under the cushions. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you and Kim just got divorced after years of marriage," Macau said sitting on the floor next to the couch.
"If you sat that again I will wax your eyebrows off in your sleep," Porchay said pulling a cushion against his face.
"Why are you trying to smother yourself Porchay?" Macau asked pulling the cushion off the boy's face to be met with a pair of glazed eyes and a flushed face, "No..." Macau breathed having managed to figure out that what he had said was probably true.
Chay just pouted at him as he sniffed before pulling another cushion to his face. Macau sat back down blinking at the wall. The thought of Kim and Porchay having been together bothered him for some reason. The boy sat in silence listening to Chay sniffling before standing up and pulling the cushion off Chay's face again, "Do you want some cake?"
"Yes," Porchay said rubbing his eyes, "Getting sick from too much sugar is better than getting sick from too many shots of gin right?"
"Um..."
"Just bring me cake Macau...please?"