Work Text:
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon at Tui’s place, the kind of day where nobody had the energy for anything productive, so they just gathered to lounge around, snack on junk food, and pretend they’d eventually pick a movie to watch.
The living room was in a comfortable state of chaos—pillows thrown around, snacks scattered across the table, and half a dozen arguments happening simultaneously.
But at the center of it all was the most consistent form of entertainment: Nut and Hong bickering.
“I’m telling you,” Nut said, jabbing his finger in the air, “we have to watch The Fast and the Furious. It’s a cultural reset.”
Hong snorted.“It’s cars going vroom for two hours. A toddler with Hot Wheels could come up with a better plot.”
Nut gasped, clutching his chest like he’d been stabbed. “You take that back!”
“Make me,” Hong shot back, smirking.
William, lying on the couch with a bag of chips balanced on his stomach, looked between them with amused interest. He turned to Est, who was scrolling through his phone. “How long do you think this will last?”
Est hummed, pretending to think. “Ten minutes. Longer if Nut starts talking about family again.”
“I give it five before someone throws something,” Lego added from the floor.
Tui, already entertained, smirked. “I say Nut brings it up again next week just to prove a point.”
Meanwhile, Nut was still going. “You just don’t get the depth of it, Hong! It’s not just about cars, it’s about loyalty, trust, and—”
“Oh my god,” Hong groaned. “Nut, you’re literally in love with a franchise about street racing. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Nut rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t get it, baby.”
Silence.
Nut’s brain short-circuited the second the word left his mouth. His mouth snapped shut so fast it was a miracle his teeth didn’t break.
Across the room, William choked on his drink.
Lego nearly dropped his phone. “Wait—WHAAT?”
Est looked up, eyes wide with delight. “Did you just call him baby?”
Hong, completely unfazed, waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
The room went absolutely feral.
William sat up so fast he knocked the chip bag onto the floor. “NO, NO, NO. We’re notNglossing over this. Nut, what did you just call him?”
Nut was already spiraling. “I—I didn’t—I mean—it just slipped!” He looked around desperately, as if someone would throw him a lifeline. “It didn’t mean anything.”
Lego gasped dramatically. “And Hong just accepted it like it was normal???”
Hong finally looked up, blinking in confusion. “Huh? What’s the big deal?”
Tui pointed at him, grinning. “Nut called you baby.”
“And?”
“And?!?” Lego repeated, borderline shrieking.
William, at this point, was thriving. He grinned, throwing an arm around Nut’s shoulder. “Nut. Buddy. Pal. How long have you been secretly dating Hong behind our backs?”
Nut let out an actual whimper. “We are not dating!”
“Right, right,” William said, nodding seriously. “That’s why you called him baby in front of all of us. Got it.”
Nut groaned. “Oh my god.”
Lego, now fully invested, gasped again. “Wait. Wait. What if this wasn’t an accident? What if Nut calls him that all the time?”
William clapped his hands together. “That’s it. I’m officially a NutHong shipper.”
Est, grinning, nodded. “Yeah, this has big slow burn to lovers energy.”
Tui joined in. “I mean, come on. You two already fight like an old married couple.”
Nut made a strangled sound. “CAN WE NOT?”
“Nope,” William said cheerfully. “I’m personally invested now.”
Hong, still not getting the fuss, just grabbed another slice of pizza. “You guys are overreacting.”
William gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. “Hong. Don’t do this to me. You and Nut are meant to be.”
“I will actually leave,” Nut threatened, standing up.
Tui laughed. “Oh no, baby’s mad.”
Nut threw a pillow at him.
William grinned, leaning toward Est. “Okay, but hear me out—NutHong or HongNut? Which sounds better?”
Lego tapped his chin. “NutHong sounds cuter. HongNut sounds like a weird snack.”
“I like NutHong too!!” Est agreed.
William nodded. “NutHong it is. We need a ship tag.”
Lego gasped. “#NutHongMoments. We start posting clips of them fighting and captioning it like it’s romantic tension.”
Nut groaned. “You people are evil.”
“Or geniuses,” William said smugly. “You know, Nut, I always knew you had a thing for Hong.”
Nut gaped at him. “I—what—WHEN?!”
William smirked. “Oh, I don’t know. The constant bickering, the dramatic speeches, the way you clearly have favorites when you argue. It was only a matter of time before you let ‘baby’ slip.”
“I hate all of you,” Nut muttered.
Hong, finally catching up, narrowed his eyes. “Wait. You ship us?”
William nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, absolutely. Been waiting for the slow burn to pay off.”
Est chuckled. “This is better than any movie we could’ve watched.”
Nut groaned again. “For the last time, we are not a couple!”
William gasped again. “Oh my god, you sound just like a drama protagonist.” He grabbed Est’s arm. “This is giving classic denial arc.”
“I agree,” Est said, pretending to wipe a tear. “We’re so lucky to witness this love story unfold.”
Lego pulled out his phone. “Smile, guys. This moment needs to be documented.”
Nut launched another pillow at him.
Hong, finally done with all the chaos, sighed and stretched. “Okay, okay. Enough. If it bothers Nut that much, we’ll drop it.”
Nut finally let out a relieved breath.
Then Hong smirked. “But Fast and Furious is still mid.”
The room erupted into chaos all over again.
William turned to Est with a grin. “This is the best day of my life.”