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It’s past 2am and Phuwin should have been sound asleep by now but his brain isn’t letting him rest. He’s sharing a room with Fourth who somehow has managed to fall asleep while talking to him. If not for Fourth wanting a heart-to-heart talk, Phuwin wouldn’t have been kept awake by his own thoughts at this very moment.
Physically, he is exhausted. It’s the first day of what was meant to be a relaxing road trip with Pond, Fourth and Tawin, but an entire day of fun-filled activities which only brought them back to the holiday accommodation close to 11pm was still enough to tire them out, let alone Phuwin who has also been driving the whole time. And when they should really have been getting ready for bed, Fourth had excitedly pointed out how the stars were sparkling in the clear night sky. Phuwin’s not complaining though because it was indeed a beautiful sight. That kept them awake for another hour or so, chilling and chit-chatting under the night sky, before they went back to their rooms - Pond with Tawin, Phuwin with Fourth.
Honestly, Phuwin doesn’t mind the late-night conversations with Fourth at all. They always have conversations like this when they hang out together but tonight, Fourth’s reflection on the past year and worries about the new year has somehow got Phuwin's own mind on overdrive too. Phuwin has always lived in the moment, doesn’t really read too much into things or sweat the small stuff, so it’s odd that he’s spending a little too much time reflecting about his life.
Maybe new year anxiety is really a thing. Phuwin thinks about the projects that are lined up for him, both individually and, of course, with Pond… Pond who has become an indispensable part of his life that it actually scares him sometimes.
Phuwin decides some fresh air may do him good. Quietly, he gets up from the bed and leaves the room, wanting to head out into the patio where they were star gazing before.
The lights in the living area are all off but there is some natural light coming from outside that guides him towards the patio. To Phuwin’s surprise, he finds a familiar silhouette standing there, as if waiting for him.
Phuwin slides the patio door open and naturally comes to stand beside Pond.
"Can't sleep?" It's Pond who speaks first as he turns towards Phuwin.
"How'd you know it was me?" Phuwin asks, slightly stunned but mostly amused.
Pond shrugs and ignores answering Phuwin because there are other more important things to say.
"You should go back in. It's late. Get some sleep." Pond instructs with a frown when he notices that Phuwin's eyes has gone slightly puffy, "You're really tired."
Phuwin groans before muttering out loud, "You think I don't know that myself?"
Pond pats Phuwin's arm in an attempt to nudge him indoors but Phuwin stays firmly rooted in his position.
"How about you? What's keeping you awake?" Phuwin asks instead, poking Pond on his side and easily diverts his attention.
"Um, well..." Pond smiles awkwardly while running his fingers through his hair, "You guys were talking..."
"Wait, what?" Of all things that could keep Pond up at night, Phuwin doesn't expect it to be them, "You mean you could hear us?"
Pond shakes his head and quickly explains himself so Phuwin doesn't misunderstand, "No, it was just noises, I couldn't hear what you guys were talking about. It was just a whole lot of muffled chatter. Don't worry, I-"
"Hey, it's ok." Phuwin interrupts Pond and reassures him that he wasn't upset or questioning him, "I was just wondering if we were too loud."
"Nope, it's just really quiet in the night, and the walls are quite thin." Pond clarifies, relieved that Phuwin didn't think otherwise of him. The last thing he wanted was to invade Phuwin’s privacy.
Phuwin nods and thinks out loud, "Anyway, it's nothing you couldn't hear..."
Reminded of his conversation with Fourth about the new year, Phuwin drifts off into his own thoughts as he looks up into the night sky.
Pond silently watches Phuwin as his nong takes in a deep breath and lets it out. Honestly, he's not at all curious about what Phuwin and Fourth were talking about. He's only concerned if there was something troubling Phuwin. One look at Phuwin and Pond could tell he had something on his mind.
Before Pond could decide if he should check on him, Phuwin turns to look at him.
"Pond..."
"Hmm?"
"You know I always want to work together with you right?"
Pond is taken aback by Phuwin's sudden statement that he doesn't know how to react. He doesn't understand where Phuwin is coming from - was it coming from a good or bad place? Did Phuwin feel there was some misunderstanding he had to clear up, or did Pond do something that made it seem like he needed some reassurance from Phuwin? Clearly, his confusion is apparent on his face because Phuwin reaches out to hold his hand.
"Not because people love us paired together... but because it's my own choice." Phuwin squeezes Pond's hand, holding on to his thumb, "I want to continue working with you."
Not giving Pond a chance to respond, Phuwin rattles on, "I mean, of course, it's great that we're more popular now. That definitely gives us more reason to work together. It'll help both our careers too. We can even take on individual projects and go after our other dreams. I can't deny that us together brings us more opportunities... but that's not why I want you as my partner."
Upon hearing Phuwin's thoughts, Pond doesn't think it's important to know why Phuwin is suddenly sharing all this with him anymore. What matters is the actual words Phuwin is telling him. He's so sincere about it that Pond finds him kind of adorable. Pond really should be taking this a bit more seriously given that it’s also not common for Phuwin to share his honest thoughts with him, but Phuwin is just too cute that he really can't resist teasing him.
"So why do you want me as your partner then?" Pond asks playfully, a small part of him is hopeful to hear out loud what has typically been left unspoken between them.
There's an annoying grin on Pond's face that Phuwin just wants to smack away. But he doesn't (because the smile is actually quite charming). Instead, Phuwin squints his eyes and lets go of his hand before he punches Pond on his arm.
'I'm going to sleep." Phuwin ends the conversation and turns around to leave.
But Pond is faster. He takes a big step to close the distance between them and swings an arm around Phuwin, giving him a side hug, before walking them both back into the house.
"I love you too." Pond singsongs, his happiness evident in his voice.
"Love?" Phuwin raises an eyebrow, giving his partner a judgemental look, "Who said anything about love?"
Pond chuckles while ruffling Phuwin's hair, "You did... on New Year's Eve, remember?"
"That was fan service." Phuwin huffs and half-heartedly tries to shrug Pond off him.
"Ow." Pond acts hurt because he knows better that Phuwin doesn't mean what he says.
Phuwin rolls his eyes, "Your acting sucks."
"But you still want to work with me."
"Carry on like this, and I will reconsider." Phuwin teasingly nudges Pond on his side.
As they get closer to the rooms, Pond stops playing around and turns serious.
"Phuwin." Pond releases Phuwin from his embrace and stands in front of him, hands now on Phuwin’s shoulders.
"Yeah?" Phuwin recognises the shift in Pond's tone and knows he has something important to say.
"Thank you." Pond says, biting his bottom lip nervously, "For choosing me back then… and for staying with me now. I just wanted you to know that."
Their eyes lock for a moment, both sharing a smile, knowing there's a lot more left unsaid behind their words, but it’s alright to leave it like this. They already understand each other’s feelings. And especially for them, actions always speak louder than words.
"Tell me something I don't know?" Phuwin can't help but joke.
"Hmm..." Pond thinks out loud, "I get jealous of Fourth sometimes?”
Phuwin scoffs, “I know that too.”
Avoiding eye contact with Phuwin, Pond rubs his neck sheepishly and mumbles, “You don’t do anything about it though…”
“Why would I when I like it when you’re jealous?”
Phuwin can’t hold back a grin when he sees Pond looking like he went into shock just because of his bold statement. Heck, since it’s the new year, Phuwin throws caution to the wind and moves to give Pond a kiss on the cheek. But in his haste, he misjudges the position and ends up kissing Pond at the corner of his lips.
“Uh. Right. So-” Phuwin gulps, “Good night.”
Before Pond can recover from the double surprise, Phuwin hurries back into his room and closes the door securely behind him. (He misses the opportunity of seeing Pond smiling like an idiot.)
The moment he gets into bed, his phone vibrates. Phuwin picks it up from where he left it on the bed and sees a message from Pond.
Actually, I’m not that jealous of Fourth anymore.
Phuwin smiles defeatedly. He already knows it’s going to be yet another eventful year with Pond, and he honestly can’t wait for all that 2025 will bring them.