Work Text:
February 14th.
That time of the year where families, friends, and especially, couples, come together to celebrate a day filled with love. Truly a special day.
This year, as they do every year, First and Khaotung have planned to celebrate it together. Because what better way to celebrate Valentine's day than celebrating it with your best friend?
Right. Friend.
The dimly lit restaurant was cozy, the soft hum of chatter and clinking silverware creating a warm cocoon around First and Khaotung. The flickering candles on the table cast a gentle glow on their faces, though both were too distracted by the presence of the other to really notice.
First fiddled with his napkin, his mind drifting as he glanced at Khaotung, who was absentmindedly stirring his drink. The soft hum of a romantic song playing in the background made the moment feel almost too perfect, but neither of them could bring themselves to say anything. Something with air shifted around the two of them ever since they posted songs they would dedicate to each other through their Spotify promotions. They both knew but neither wanted to speak about it.
"The food is good today,” Khaotung says as he snaps the man out of his thoughts. It was a statement that seemed to be formed to lessen the weird air around them.
First smiles, “It is. Wanna try mine?,” he offers, cutting a piece of his food and placing his spoon in front of Khaotung. The latter thanks him as he happily accepts the food offered to him.
“Oh! Yours is really good,” Khaotung holds a thumb up approvingly, eyes wide with joy from the food.
First finds it adorable, everything Khaotung does is endearing to him. He fights the urge to say it out loud. “Do you want more?”
Khao shakes his head, “No, it's okay. I like mine too. You should eat a lot, Fir.”
The man doesn't insist any further and their table becomes quiet once again. Khaotung looks around and scans the people around them. They're mostly surrounded by couples, all being lovey dovey. Something about it makes his heart ache as his eyes land on First. Accidentally, their eyes meet for a second before they're looking elsewhere, cheeks tinted with red.
First coughs awkwardly, “I’m glad it's you,” he says and immediately regrets it thinking that Khaotung might give it a different meaning. “I-i mean… I'm glad I'm spending this day with you. I don't think I'd have much fun with anyone else,” he quickly banters.
A flash of disappointment was evident on Khaotung's face but he replaces it with a smile. “Oh…. yeah of course, I'm your best friend after all.”
There it was again—the word /friend/. That simple term that carried so much weight between them. Could it even be more than that?
As they finished their meal, the tension between them felt like an invisible thread, stretching tighter with each passing moment. Once outside, the cold night air hit them, the city streets now bathed in the glow of streetlights. The festive decorations from Valentine’s Day still lingered around, hearts and flowers lighting up the sidewalks.
They walked side by side in silence, their foot tapping on the pavement the only sound. First glanced at Khaotung. He couldn't help but feel this undeniable pull, this constant ache inside. He sighs, catching the latter's attention.
“What's wrong, Fir?,” Khaotung frowns as he stops in his tracks to face him.
“Khao, hypothetically, would you….,” he says, double thinking if should ask the question. “...would you date me? It's hypothetical. You don't have to answer—”
“I would.,” Khaotung replies almost immediately.
Oh.
Oh.
First feels his heart pound wildly against his chest. He had wanted to say more, but what? He'd just make a fool of himself. They had danced around this for so long—these feelings that neither of them dared to admit. They were best friends, and neither of them wanted to ruin it. But the more they stayed silent, the heavier the air between them became. They knew if they prolonged this, it would only make the situation worse.
“Fir, I have to say som—”
“I like you.”
Khaotung stands in front of him, stunned by the sudden confession. His expression was unreadable and his silence has First thinking that maybe that was a bad idea. He feels the tears well up in his eyes, lips quivering.
“I-im sorry. But I had to tell you now. I've liked—no, I've loved you for the longest time now but I was afraid I'd lose you. That I'd ruin this friendship. And I can't lose you Khaotung, not now, not ever. I don't know if you feel the same but I just needed to tell you now,” he proceeds to confess, holding back his tears. He looks down at his feet, waiting for some sort of reaction from the other.
Khaotung froze, his eyes wide for just a moment before he looked down at the ground, taking a small step back. First’s heart sank. He doesn’t feel the same. Of course he doesn’t. Maybe he just really loved him as a friend.
“I—” First continued, his voice small now with his panic rising, tinged with regret, “Forget I said anything. I just—”
Before he could finish, Khaotung stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He gently cupped First’s face with both hands, guiding his gaze up until their eyes met.
“Khaotung?” First whispered, his voice shaky.
But Khaotung didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned in slowly, his lips brushing against First’s in a soft, tentative kiss. Time seemed to stop, the world fading away as everything inside First stilled.
When Khaotung pulled back, his expression was vulnerable, but there was something more—something warm and certain in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long,” Khaotung admitted softly, his voice a little raspy. "I mean, I kiss you all the time but it's for work and that's not the same. I've been wanting to do that as just us. As Khaotung and First. I’ve been afraid, too. Afraid that it might ruin everything between us.”
First’s breath caught in his throat, still processing the kiss. “But... what if it does?” he asked, his voice trembling. “What if this changes everything? We’ve been friends for so long. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose you.”
Khaotung reached for First’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I don’t want to lose you either. But I don’t think this... whatever this is between us, could ruin what we already have. We’re strong, First. We’ve been through everything together. And if anything, I think this could make us even stronger.”
First looked down at their joined hands, his thumb absentmindedly brushing over Khaotung’s knuckles. “But what if we get it wrong? What if we can’t go back to how it was? I’m not sure I can handle that.”
Khaotung gently lifted First’s chin, so their eyes met again. “We can’t predict the future. But I think, no matter what happens, we’ll figure it out. Together. I care about you too much to let fear keep me from something that feels right. I’ve been scared too. But if we don’t try, we’ll always wonder what it could have been.”
First took a long, shaky breath, feeling the weight of Khaotung’s words settle deep in his chest. “You’re right,” he whispered, his voice steadying. “I don’t want to wonder. I just... I want to be with you, Khaotung. Whatever that looks like.”
A soft smile tugged at Khaotung’s lips, his eyes shining with something warm and deep. “Then let’s not overthink it. Let’s just... take it one day at a time.”
First nodded, relief washing over him. He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Khaotung’s forehead, the cold air wrapping around them as they stood together in the quiet night. The tension that had been building between them was still there, but now it felt like a promise—one they were ready to embrace.
“So, what now?” First asked, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Khaotung grinned, squeezing First’s hand. “Now, we go home. And we figure out how to be more than just best friends.”
First chuckled, feeling lighter than he had in days. “Yeah. I think we can manage that.”
And together, they walked down the street, hands intertwined, ready to face whatever came next, as long as they were together.