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Camera flashes, hushes of whispers, excited conversations filled the hall as DEXX sat on the elevated stage, markers in hand, smiles on their faces.
Their first fansign after their comeback of their new single.
Por flashes a smile at the fan in front of him, nods at her words, draws a tick mark onto an option she had put to the question in a sticky note in front of him, signs her poster. A habit now.
He's waiting for the next fan as the fan in front of him moves to Auau who was next to him. He takes a break as his manager brings him water.
It's when he takes a sip that his attention gets forced onto a shrill that came from the row of two members next to him, "Oh my god Teetee!!" He pauses, "I love you so much!"
He sees Teetee smile at her, eyes crinkling with the usual warmth he gave to all their fans. Por feels as if the water was a stone in his throat as if suddenly felt hard to swallow when he sees their hands brush when Teetee takes the poster from her.
Por puts the bottle down onto the table, his eyes glancing at the girl in front of Teetee. She had a wide smile on her face, excitement bubbling, "You were so amazing in 'Skinship'. Seriously, I couldn't stop thinking about the song and you!"
Teetee looks at her with heart eyes—fanservice but yet makes Por feel his jaw clench, "Thank you kha, I'm glad you liked it."
When Teetee passes the poster back, their fingers brush again. She gasps—actually gasps.
Por swore he felt something twist in his chest. He could see the way the fan lingered just a little too long, her fingers tracing the ink on Teetee’s poster with a little too much enthusiasm.
Why is she staring like that?
Why is he smiling at her like that?
Why does she get to be that close?
The questions piled up before he could stop them — and then another followed, sharper, one that shut the rest down.
Why does it matter? He told himself.
We aren't together. He hasn’t promised me anything.
His fingers tightened around the marker he was holding. He tried to distract himself by looking at the next fan in line, tried to convince himself that this feeling was pointless. But his gaze kept drifting back to Teetee and the fan, and that… that stupid smile on Teetee’s face.
After a few moments, Teetee turned to him, catching his eye. The usual playful smile plastered on his face, but Por couldn’t help but notice that his smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Teetee had definitely noticed his jealousy and Por didn’t know whether to feel relieved or frustrated.
And to make matters worse, a second fan approached Teetee asking, “Can I hold your hand for the photo?”
Por almost choked on air.
Teetee laughed lightly. “Sure—”. But his eyes flicked to Por first — a sharp, quick, knowing glance.
Por stared straight ahead, pretending he didn’t care — pretending his heart wasn’t punching the inside of his ribs.
Por’s signature turned into a miserable scribble on the next poster.
The fan blinked at it. “Um… P’Por? Is this your name or—”
“Sorry!” Por blurted, grabbing the poster back and pretending to fix it while silently screaming at himself.
-
When the event finally wrapped up and the last fan drifted away, the members leaned back in their chairs, stretching and exhaling in relief.
Teetee stood first. “I'm gonna go grab something to drink,” he said casually. “p’por i’m getting you your usual okay?”
Por barely looked up “Hmm, okay”
“Does anyone else need anything?” teetee asked, turning to the group.
“Nahh, we are good,” James replied “thanks tee”
The moment Teetee disappeared down the hallway, Auau let out a low whistle and por knew what was coming. They all noticed— of course they did. He wasn’t exactly subtle with his feelings.
“Wow,” he said, glancing at Por. “Didn’t know signing posters was that emotionally exhausting.”
James snorted. “Yeah. Your marker almost died back there. Or was it your soul?”
Por dropped his forehead onto the table with a dull thud. “Please. I’m already dead.”
Auau wasn’t done. “I mean, the way you almost stabbed that poster? Fans are brave these days.”
James nodded solemnly. “Sharpie abuse is a serious issue.”
Por groaned. “Why are you like this?”
As Auau and James continued laughing, Tutor leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Ignore them. You okay?”
Yim quietly slid a bottle of water toward Por. “You don’t have to joke it off, you know.”
Por hesitated, then sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I just… didn’t expect it to bother me that much.”
Tutor nodded slowly. “That usually means it matters.”
Yim offered a small, understanding smile. “And it was obvious he noticed.”
Por glanced toward the hallway where Teetee had gone, his chest tightening. “…Yeah. That’s the problem.”
Auau caught the look and smirked. “Wow. He’s gone for five minutes and you’re already like this.”
“Don’t talk like you’re any better when you’re around Save,” Por shot back, though despite the teasing, the quiet support around him helped steady his breathing.
-
Back in their shared dressing room—the one that was assigned just for por and tee — the chaos of the fan event still ringing in their ears, Por slumped back in a chair, his phone in hand. He tried to make himself busy, but his mind was racing.
While Teetee was being, well, Teetee—too close, too warm, and way too affectionate. He dropped down beside Por and immediately pressed his shoulder to Por’s.
Teetee’s knee brushed Por’s leg, and he rested his chin on Por’s shoulder, peering at the phone in his hand. “Are you bothered because of that fan phi?”
“What fan?” he asked quickly, his voice sharper.
“The one that couldn't get enough of me,” Teetee said, voice smooth, mischievous. “You know, the one who practically tried to get her hands on me.” He let out a playful chuckle, though his eyes were studying Por’s reaction closely.
“I wasn’t jealous,” por said quickly, though his words sounded like a lie even to his own ears.
“Really, phi?” he asked, and then nudged Por with his shoulder, a little too hard this time, making Por yelp. “Because you seem pretty jealous to me, even the others noticed. I thought you didn’t care about things like that.”
“I do not care!” Por almost snapped, but his voice faltered as Teetee leaned in even closer, his warmth radiating against Por’s side.
“Sure you don’t”
His hand casually found Por’s knee, a little too close, too intimate.
Por swallowed, his heart doing somersaults in his chest. He was trying his best to focus on anything other than how close they were now. “I’m just tired, alright?”
Teetee didn’t budge, not an inch. He let the silence stretch between them, his hand still on Por’s knee, as if waiting for him to crack.
And por did crack.
The silence was thick now, the kind made it impossible to think clearly for Por. Teetee’s hand was still there, resting on his knee, and every time Por moved, it felt like it burned through him.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you being extra clingy now, tee?” Por finally asked, his voice rough. He didn’t even know why he asked. Maybe because he was frustrated or maybe because of the jealousy that had been gnawing at him.
Teetee smiled, but this time it was soft, gentle, like he understood por more than por himself.
“Because I know what’s going on with you,” he said quietly, his fingers moving in slow circles on Por’s knee. “And maybe… I want you to know how much I care about you too, phi.”
“What do you mean?”
Teetee’s hand slid up to Por’s thigh, his touch warm and lingering. “I saw the way you looked at her and I could tell you didn’t like it. But it wasn’t just jealousy, was it?”
Por swallowed his gaze dropping away from teetee’s. He never wanted him to know— never wanted anyone to see the mess of thoughts inside him. It was easier to keep it to himself, pretend everything was fine. But sitting here, with teetee so close, the words pressed against his throat until holding them back was pointless.
That was when realisation hit him, that if it happened again— if someone ever crossed that line again— he wouldn't be able to hold himself back. That realisation unsettled him because por had always been in control of himself. So he admitted. “I was jealous, tee. I don't like how intense it gets” he said finally “ I'm scared that next time I won't be able to stop it.”
Teetee’s expression softened even more, and without saying another word, he cupped Por’s face gently with both hands. “You don’t have to hide it,” he murmured, his thumbs brushing over Por’s cheekbones. “I don’t want anyone getting close to my phi either.”
Por felt something shift inside him, the knot inside his chest loosened as he looked up into Teetee’s eyes.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke — it was just the two of them, sitting in the quiet of the room, the air between them thick with unspoken understanding.
Finally, Teetee grinned, breaking the silence. “How about we go grab dinner p’por, just the two of us?”
—
The restaurant Teetee chose was small and quiet, tucked away from the city noise. The soft hum of music filled the air — soft, almost like a lullaby. It felt worlds away from the fanmeet they’d just left behind.
As soon as they sat down at the table, Por could feel the shift between them. It was different from the usual teasing banter they shared. Teetee wasn’t being his usual playful self. His eyes were soft, a little vulnerable, and Por couldn’t help but feel the weight of it.
They sat across from each other, teetee’s knee brushed against por’s, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
The waiter came by and they both ordered something simple, food that felt comfortable just like the atmosphere around them. Teetee’s eyes never left Por's face, like he was memorizing him, like he was studying him.
When Teetee finally spoke, his voice was soft, honest. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to look at me like that?”
The honesty in teetee’s voice, the sincerity in his eyes, the fondness in his face — all of them made Por’s heart skip a beat.
“I’ve liked you for a long time p’por.” Teetee admitted, fingers brushing Por’s wrist.
Por froze. His heart pounded in his chest as the words registered. Teetee liked him. For how long? Was it real? Or was he just saying it because of the moment, because of the emotions lingering from earlier?
“You’ve liked me?” Por repeated, needing to hear it again, just to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
Teetee nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving por’s “ And today… you finally saw me.”
The weight of those words hit Por harder than he expected. The way Teetee was looking at him—so open, so vulnerable—made Por’s chest tighten.
Teetee’s hands slowly moved towards his, it was involuntary but it was enough to make por’s mind race.
“You don't have to say anything right now p’por,” teetee added, soft but firm “just… dont shut me out. let me in, just a little”
Por sat there absorbing Teetee’s words, the quiet hum of the restaurant around them making everything feel intimate as if it was just the two of them existing in this moment.
When they finally stepped out into the cool night air, Teetee’s hand brushed Por’s, this time he didn't hesitate. His fingers slid in between Por's, holding on like it was something special, precious. And for the first time Por felt like he was holding onto something real.
—
The walk back was quiet. Not the awkward kind—just comfortable, unhurried. Teetee didn’t let go of Por’s hand, but he didn’t squeeze it either. He held it like it was something precious, something that didn’t need proving.
Por noticed everything.
The way Teetee slowed his pace so they stayed in step.
The way his thumb brushed Por’s knuckle every so often, absentminded and gentle.
The way neither of them said a word about it—like acknowledging it might make it disappear.
When they reached the dorm, the lights were dim and the hallway was quiet. Everyone else had already turned in. Teetee unlocked the door and stepped aside, letting Por enter first like he always did.
Inside, the room felt familiar in a way that suddenly meant more.
Por dropped his bag onto his bed and stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do with his hands, his thoughts, his heart. Teetee lingered near the door, watching him with that same calm, unreadable expression he’d worn all evening.
Finally, Por spoke. “So… about earlier.”
Teetee hummed softly. “Mm?”
Por rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not good at this. I don’t know how to suddenly… change things.”
Teetee smiled—not teasing this time, not playful. Just warm. “I know p’por and like I said, I’m not asking you to,” he said quietly. “I don’t want anything sudden. I’m just letting you know.”
That made Por look up.
Teetee stepped closer, stopping just short of touching him. “I just want, honest. Whatever pace you need.”
Por exhaled slowly, like he’d been holding his breath all day. “I care about you,” he said, voice steady despite the way his chest felt tight. “More than I realized. And I don’t want to pretend I don’t anymore.”
Teetee’s eyes softened, something bright flickering there. “That’s enough for me.”
They stood there for a moment, neither moving nor reaching out. And somehow, that restraint felt more intimate than anything else could have.
From that night on, nothing changed—and everything did.
They didn’t label it. They didn’t announce anything. But now there was understanding more than jealousy, patience more than tension.
Weeks passed.
One night, after practice ran late and exhaustion settled deep into their bones, Por reached for Teetee’s hand first. Teetee looked down at their fingers, then up at Por, eyes shining.
“You sure?” he asked softly.
Por nodded. “Yeah.”
Teetee smiled—wide, radiant, unmistakably happy—and squeezed back.
Nothing rushed. Nothing forced. Just two people choosing each other, slowly, surely, every day.
And that was enough.