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"Okay, goodnight krub. See you tomorrow," First and Khaotung say, waving at First's camera as they end the TikTok live.
"Ah, that was fun," First starts, grabbing his phone off the table and fidgeting with it in his hand. "You were so funny for sending me all those roses and competing with the fans. That was so cute."
"No, they're the cute ones. But they must've enjoyed it for sure," Khaotung says jokingly as he moves, walking toward the door.
"Already going back?" First asks in a whiny voice. "Let's chill a bit, please."
"We have to be up early tomorrow, Fir. You don't want us to have dark circles, do you?"
First just stares at him with a small pout, and that does it for Khaotung. He sighs, then starts walking toward the bed.
"Just 20 minutes, okay? We have a busy day tomorrow," Khaotung says as he sits down.
"Yeah, yeah. You want something to drink? Did you eat?" First asks, walking toward the mini fridge in his room.
"I'm good. I was already getting ready for bed when I saw you were live. Why didn’t you call me? I would've come and joined you from the beginning," Khaotung says as he gets comfortable on the edge of the bed, crossing his feet and putting his phone to the side.
"I thought you were tired, and I figured I’d just go live for a few minutes while I ate, then head to bed too. Until you joined and made it a whole thing," First says with a chuckle, walking toward the bed with a bottle of water and settling next to Khaotung, crossing his legs.
"Don’t act like you didn’t love it," Khaotung teases, playfully poking First on the arm. "I saw you blushing the moment you realized I was sending roses."
"Hey, I was just surprised, that’s all," First says, reacting dramatically as if Khaotung's poke had been much harder. "It was a lovely surprise," he adds softly, his tone shifting as he looks at Khaotung with a sudden, tender gaze.
Khaotung’s breath hitches as he looks into First’s eyes, then quickly clears his throat and looks away. First, meanwhile, opens the water bottle and takes a quick sip.
"Ready for tomorrow?" he asks, breaking the silence before it stretches too long. "It’s always fun when we come here. I’m excited to sing My Fuel with you again."
"Just don’t cry again," Khaotung teases, his tone playful.
"Me? Cry? Never," First jokes, and they both break into a fit of giggles.
"It just means a lot to me, that’s all. You know that," First says.
"I know," Khaotung responds softly, looking down as he plays with the hem of his shirt.
"I just always think about how far we’ve come and can’t believe we’re here, still going strong. I know I sound like a broken record, but you’ve made my life more fulfilling, in ways that I never imagined. You fuel me in ways I can’t even explain." They both giggle at the intentional pun.
"You’ve been a constant source of motivation, the thing that keeps me going. Every time I sing the song, I can’t help but think back on everything we’ve been through, and how you’ve always been there. Pushing me. Cheering me on. Never doubting me. I can never say it or show it enough, just how much I draw strength from you, and how much you make me want to keep going."
He lifts his head as he finishes, only to find Khaotung already staring at him, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"No, no, no. I didn’t mean... sorry, didn’t mean to get all mushy again," First says as he gently cups Khaotung’s cheek and wipes away a tear that had just escaped his right eye.
"I just... I just appreciate you so much, Tung. I’m so happy and grateful to have you and to be doing this with you. Look who’s the crying mess now. He teases, and Khaotung chuckles as he quickly rubs his eyes.
"God, Fir," Khaotung says, sniffing as he pulls a tissue from his pocket to wipe his nose. "We’re definitely crying again tomorrow, aren’t we?" They both laugh.
"I appreciate you too. You mean so much to me, and I’m happy I get to do this with you. We really lucked out with each other, didn’t we?" He moves his legs from beneath him and lets them hang off the edge of the bed, now facing forward.
They both sit quietly for a moment. First shifts his position, mirroring Khaotung by letting his legs hang off the bed. This moves him closer to Khaotung, making their arms brush against each other, but neither of them moves away.
"What time is it?" Khaotung asks softly with a voice just above a whisper, he feels as if his throat has suddenly gone dry. He does not lift his head but continues staring at his feet. It doesn't occur to him that he could just tap the screen of his phone which now lies just behind him. The atmosphere between them changes, thick with something neither can ignore.
First hums softly, his eyes drifting around the room before landing on Khaotung’s phone. He reaches for it, but the movement requires him to lean back slightly, stretching his left arm, the one closest to Khaotung’s right side.
The shift causes the bed to dip, and Khaotung sways backward, landing in the space between First’s outstretched arm and his chest.
First freezes. They're too close. His chin now hovers just above Khaotung’s right shoulder. Neither of them moves.
Khaotung slowly turns his head to the right, his face now mere inches from First’s.
"Tung," First says, his voice barely a whisper.
Khaotung lifts his gaze, locking eyes with him. They can both feel it, the way their heartbeats quicken, the way every breath suddenly feels heavier.
This isn't the first time they've found themselves in a moment like this. But somehow, they've always managed to hold back.
Tonight, however, neither of them seems eager to stop.
First’s gaze flicks downward, lingering briefly on Khaotung’s lips before quickly returning to his eyes. There’s a silent exchange between them, a quiet confirmation that they’re feeling the exact same thing, and that, this time, they both want it.
Without another moment of hesitation, First closes the small distance between them and captures Khaotung’s bottom lip.
His right hand lifts instinctively, cupping the back of Khaotung’s neck and drawing him closer.
The kiss is gentle, but it's full of everything they've been holding back.
Khaotung shifts his whole body, slowly turning so that he’s now fully facing First. He places his left hand on First’s right thigh, and his right hand rests on the bed just behind First’s back for balance.
First adjusts his posture too, straightening up and planting his feet more firmly on the ground. His left arm wraps around Khaotung’s waist, steadying them, as if to keep them both from falling onto the bed. The kiss deepens, both of them becoming breathless, pouring in all the love they’ve felt for each other for years.
First hooks his hand into Khaotung's hair, softly caressing his nape. It feels so good to be doing this. It feels right. The feeling is so intense, they both feel their chests tighten with emotion.
Khaotung is the first to pull away, but not too far from First's face. He keeps their foreheads together, breathing deeply.
First keeps gently caressing his hair, then tightens his grip on Khaotung's waist. As he pulls him closer, Khaotung lifts both hands and wraps them around First’s back, hugging him tightly.
They stay like that for a while, slowly catching their breaths, tightening their grip on each other as if they weren’t already close enough.
"I love you," Khaotung says softly.
"I love you," First replies just as gently.
First slowly pulls back, and they look at each other for a moment, just trying to read if there’s any regret in the other’s eyes. But all they see is love, and something else, something deeper that they won’t unpack now, because it would require a much longer conversation.
Khaotung smiles, and First’s heart melts. He smiles back and gives a small shake of his head, as if saying, I can’t believe we finally did that.
Then First gets up and offers Khaotung his hand, which he takes as he stands.
"Let me walk you to your door," First says, trying to sound as normal as possible. "We only have a few hours to sleep."
"You should’ve let me go right after the live," Khaotung jokes.
"Khaotung is always right, kub," First says mockingly.
They walk to Khaotung’s hotel room, which is right next to First’s. When they reach the door, Khaotung opens it, then turns around to face First.
"See you tomorrow?" First asks with a soft smile, looking into Khaotung’s eyes.
"Yeah. Goodnight, Fir."
"Night, Tung."
He leans in and presses a quick kiss to Khaotung’s cheek, then immediately turns back to head into his room.
Once inside, he only takes a moment to set his alarm before going straight to bed.
Lying there, he thinks about what just happened, then wonders why it has taken so long to get to this, when they clearly both want the same thing.
He thinks back to when he once told Khaotung to always walk ahead of him, and that no matter what, when he looked back, he'd find First right behind him.
But now, he wonders why he said it like that.
Because what he really wants is to take every step side by side instead.
He promises himself to tell Khaotung this, to make it clear that what he wants is to be with him, only him, and to walk together. Just them. For as long as they can.
He’s ready to say it.
Openly.
In front of everyone.
That’s how much he loves Khaotung, and how deeply he wants him in his life, for the rest of his life.