Chapter Text
Pae waits not very patiently outside Duang and Qin’s house, his feet shuffling against the paved ground. He has already messaged Duang to let him know that he is there, but Duang read the message without responding. He lets out an all-suffering sigh. He knows that Duang is probably saying goodbye to Qin and being super clingy while he does it. His brain doesn’t want to think about the other ways he could be saying goodbye… And while he is happy for them both, still so in love years later, he wishes that he could feel the same.
He’s been on a few dates but nothing has ever clicked. He knows the reason why too, knows that no matter who he dates, there is only one person he wants sitting across from him. But he has never had the courage to do anything about it. They’ve been friends for so long that the thought of crossing the line terrifies him, makes him feel like he is going to throw up.
The door finally opens and Duang spills out, blowing kisses to a smiling Qin who sends him a small wave with one hand, holding Khonfu in the other, then raising her paw to wave to her papa. Duang runs over to Pae, a big smile on his face. Pae can tell from Duang’s flushed face that they’ve just been all over each other, there is no way that Duang would seem this happy about leaving his boyfriend for two nights otherwise.
“Have you got everything?” Pae asks as he unlocks the car for Duang to put his things in the back.
“I think so, I’ve brought lots of snacks for the drive!” Duang says as he arranges his things so that his portfolio is lying flat.
Pae smiles knowing that Duang’s penchant for bringing an abundance of snacks everywhere started when he was first seeing Qin, his boyfriend somehow always able to eat.
They drive to Jettana’s house and Mars waves at the window before disappearing, presumably to chase his boyfriend. Jett opens the door about 5 minutes later, Mars pulling him back for a passionate kiss that has Pae blushing and turning away. Jett rushes torwards the car, excitement evident as he holds up his art supplies and waves them around. All the friends smile at each other, it has been such a long time since they’ve done something just the three of them.
Jamie sits in the back eating a snack as Pae drives and Duang chats non-stop. Jett scrolls on his phone, adding to the playlist that he started the night before, before he got distracted by Marvis’s perfect legs. Who was he to turn down the chance to run his hands all over them when he was going to be without them for a while?
After about an hour and a half, they arrive at their destination, a small cabin beside a beach. They carry everything in and stretch their legs with a walk down the beach.
“I’m glad you asked us to do this.” Jett says, stretching his arms above his head as they walk barefoot in the sand.
“I’m glad too.” Duang admits.
Pae can only smile at them. He loves doing things with just them, and this has been needed for a long time, but he can’t admit to them that he has another motive, at least not yet.
“Should we head back and get something to eat?” He asks. The other two nod enthusiastically so they turn around.
When they are all full, they chat about their plans for the next day. They all want to be up early so that they can get as much painting time as possible so they all head to their rooms. Pae can hear through the thin wood of their doors that the other two are calling their boyfriends. He flops back on his bed, lying with his arms and legs splayed out, and stares at the ceiling.
He wants what they have so badly, he wishes that he could call someone, a certain someone. As he dreams of something that seems impossible, his phone pings. He rolls onto his front and pulls it out of his back pocket, a little smile lighting up his face when he sees who it’s from.
Tong : Are you having a nice time?
Pae buries his face into the covers, muffling his small squeal of happiness, kicking his legs a few times before he composes himself and types a reply.
Pae : Yeah, excited to paint tomorrow!
The reply is almost instantaneous.
Tong : Send me some photos, I love seeing your work ❤️
Pae stares at the message for far too long, a blush staining his cheeks. He can’t stop looking at the word love, even if it’s about his art and not him, but that heart… It’s not unusual for Tong to use emojis but he doesn’t usually send a heart and Pae can’t help but read into it.
Pae : Sure 😊
Tong : Send me a selfie too
Pae swears that his heart stops for a minute, his eyes wide as he stares at Tong’s last message. Why was he asking him for a selfie? He’d never asked before. Although Pae did occasionally send him one when he was doing something fun, so it wasn’t unheard of. Pae’s phone pings again.
Tong : It’s been so long since I’ve seen you three together
Pae’s heart falls. He was asking to see them all together. Of course he wasn’t asking for a selfie of just Pae. Why would he? They’d been friends for years and he’d never made a move on him, why would he suddenly start flirting now? But then again, Pae hadn’t exactly done anything about it before either. He’d thought about it so many times, his hands itching to reach out and just touch Tong, stroke his arm, rub his back, lace their fingers together. But he’d held back every single time, knowing that crossing that line would either be the best decision ever or, more likely, be the biggest mistake of his life. He wasn’t ready to lose Tong, but forever pining would be too painful.
He thought of the reason he’d suggested this trip in the first place. He’d watched for so long as his friends had happy, healthy relationships. They were the only people that he knew he could ask for help on this and, after some teasing, they would help him with anything. After all, Duang owed him big time for all the help he gave him when he was trying to win Qin. So he quickly sends a thumbs up emoji, and starts to get ready for bed. The sooner he slept, the sooner it would be morning and he could start on the real mission of their trip.