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The drive towards Nat's house was relatively quiet. They had just attended another DMD couple's successful concert. After sending their congratulations, grabbing some pictures, and having a quick chat, the couple decided to leave early as they still had a schedule the next day.
Nat can't help but notice how eerily quiet the older man is. Max was driving but had not said a word since they left the venue. The younger man thought his partner was tired, but this was a different quiet type.
He immediately tried to remember if there was anything that happened today that might have caused Max to be this quiet, and nothing came to mind until he saw white signage peeking from the older man's bag.
Oh! Now he remembers!
Cameras surrounded the seats reserved for the DMD members, and Nat recalled one of those panning over to them. It was a typical shot of him waiving at the crowd, together with Tutor, Jelly, and Papa. Max was sitting beside him, waving the signage with a wide smile.
Except he was not supposed to. At least not yet.
So, he was immediately reprimanded by Nunew and Papa, who playfully slapped Max's hands and gestured for him to hide the sign. He laughed because of how silly the older man was acting and did not realize it would be a cause for concern.
The concert went on as usual, and Max was chatting with the people behind them. He even had his arm behind Nat's back and thought the older man was acting as usual. And now that the older man is in melancholy mode, Nat immediately knows how to cheer him up.
Smiling, he reached out and grabbed Max's free hand and intertwined his fingers with it. The fact that Max can drive one-handed has always been hot in Nat's eyes.
The older man seemed surprised, but then he turned to Nat and smiled before bringing their intertwined hands close to his lips and kissing the back of Nat's hands. Seriously, this man is too sweet for his own good.
Finally happy that the cloud surrounding Max was slowly disappearing, Nat did not let go, nor did the older man, so they continued driving, holding hands until the car stopped in front of the Uareksit mansion.
Max turned off the car's engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. Before he could leave the vehicle, Nat gently pulled him back to his seat. Max immediately turned his attention to Nat, something the younger man loved about his partner. If he needs attention, Max will always give it, no matter what.
"Is there something wrong?" the older man asked, his thumb gently caressing Nat's hands absentmindedly.
Nat smiled and locked eyes with Max. "You did well today, P'Max."
The older man stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. He then settled back into his seat, his head leaning against the car's headrest.
"Did I really?" he said as though it was to himself, his eyes gazing far into the distance.
Nat scooted closer and rested his head on Max's broad shoulders, knowing he would be welcomed. The older man immediately adjusted his position so the younger man's head rested comfortably before kissing Nat on his hair.
"Yes. You always did well, Phi. You don't have to take into heart what happened today."
Max hummed but did not say anything. Nat knew the older man was probably feeling guilty about that small mistake. One of the things that Max hated was to make a mistake and cause trouble for anyone.
With his free hand, Nat cupped Max's face and turned it in his direction. He looked tired but still very handsome in his eyes. Max feeling this way makes Nat even more proud to have this man as his partner. He probably felt guilty because he thought he spoiled the surprise for his friends due to his overexcited behavior. He's so cute!
"Aren't you the one who always tells me not to dwell on the mistake of the past and focus on the present? The concert went well, including the surprise. You did not spoil anything, and the crowd took it as an endearing gesture from you."
Max stared at him for a while before smiling. The clouds residing in his eyes are slowly drifting away, and Nat feels proud that he was able to comfort him. Nat blushed when the older man pinched his chin and gave his cheeks a quick sniff kiss.
"Thank you, Nong. I feel a lot better now."
Nat giggled and gave the older man's cheeks a sniff kiss too.
"No problem. Now, let's enjoy this short privacy before our schedule tomorrow."
Max grinned and nodded. "Movie night it is?"
Nat nodded. "Sure!"
The younger man left the car first and started gathering their things, releasing Max's hands in return. Though sad about the loss of contact, Max felt better than he did the last few hours. Nat worked on his magic, and it was very effective.
He had always felt lucky to have Nat, but he thinks that even more today. Max aims to protect Nat to the best of his abilities from the moment they meet until forever. He thought Forever sounded nice before following his younger partner inside the house. Soon though. Very soon.