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“Oh they’re gonna be pissed.”
Pooh tore his eyes away from his phone to look back at his elder.
“Mmh?”
“Our fans. Your photo dump for the year. There are so many they haven’t seen before. And,” Pavel squinted at his phone to have a closer look, “did you drop two photos of unreleased projects?”
Pooh shrugged, a small smirk tugging his lips. “You know, it’s just to give them an appetizer for what’s to come next year.”
“P’Chod is going to murder you.”
“I’m willing to take the risk.”
Pavel shaked his head but a fond smile was gracing his face. Nobody could resist this guy, and he was the best placed to know that. He watched Pooh get up from his seat to go to the kitchen, then looked back at his phone, scrolling through his social media. After a while on Tiktok, he went back to Instagram and watched his friends’ stories of them going to different New Year’s Eve parties.
Had he been a few years younger, he would have longed to be with them. Now though, he just wanted to stay at home under his blanket. Granted, his eye infection didn’t help. He had just spent the day at the hospital getting his eyelid checked, turns out he had an infection on top of his allergies. Just to end his year a shitty way. But a few years back, he would have sucked it up, gulped a few drinks and gone out to join his friends partying. Now, he didn’t have the energy, and, to be completely honest, neither the will to do it. Maybe that was what getting old was all about. He was already 28 years old, and in 2026 he would be 29. His twenties were almost over. How time flew…
Feeling the nostalgia, he went to his balcony, filmed the skyline with fireworks at the horizon, and posted a story with it saying exactly that. Not really the vibes his friends were going for with their New Year’s stories, but who cared, he was in a mood. As he kept scrolling, he went back to sit on his couch.
“What the fuck is that about?”
Pavel glanced back only to see Pooh coming back from the kitchen, showing him his phone displaying his just posted story.
“What? It’s true.”
Pooh sighed and came back to join him on the sofa. “Why are you thinking about your birthday already? It’s in five months.”
“It’s basically tomorrow.”
“So what about being 29? It’s just an age.”
“You wouldn’t understand, you’re 22.”
“Again with the ‘you’re growing up while I’m getting older’ agenda?”
Pavel looked at him deeply for a moment.
“Pooh, you should go.”
“Go where?”
“Out. Partying. I’m sure Nong Kong has a party for you to join.”
“I told you, I’m staying with you.”
“I’m fine, Pooh. Don’t waste your time on me. You’re 22, you should be out partying and celebrating the new year with your friends, not get stuck with me and my allergies. You can’t take back those years.”
“I’ve partied and celebrated many New Years before and I’ll have plenty more afterwards. I can skip one year just fine. I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”
“If it’s me being alone that worries you, I’m sure I can facetime my mom, or my sister, or someone, I don’t know. Don’t worry about it.”
“Pavel, I want to stay with you.”
Pooh said it so firmly, Pavel just shut his mouth. After a few seconds, the younger man followed, a little softer, “don’t you like me staying with you?”
Pavel softened at that. “Of course I do.”
Pooh nodded and settled back on the sofa, not looking at him. “Good, then it’s settled.”
Pavel stared at him. His partner was visibly angry and hurt. How had he managed to make the silliest, most positive person on Earth genuinely pissed at him. He needed to make up.
Pavel slid closer to the younger man, leaving only a few centimeters between their bodies. “I’m sorry,” he started quietly. “I just had a shitty day, I’m ill, and that always makes me moody and emotional.” He saw Pooh swallow and unclench his jaw, so that was a good start. “I just don’t want you to get stuck with me and my fucked up body when you could enjoy your evening. But I’m really grateful you’re with me.”
“But I like your fucked up body,” Pooh replied, glancing back at him with a teasing glint.
Pavel smiled knowingly. “Shut up”, he answered, playfully shoving him. Pooh smiled back at him but said nothing. They stared at each other, the tension easing off, before Pooh looked away again, his smile decreasing but not disappearing. Pavel slid closer again to the student, this time leaving no space between them. He slowly wrapped his arms around the student’s broad shoulders and put his head on his right one, looking up at him. He did that anytime they had to play the ‘sulky puppy whom the cat has to make up to’ act at events; little did the fans know it was a real thing between them, and that it always worked on Pooh - or maybe they did know, seeing how red Pooh’s ears always got when they did that. Tonight was no exception.
Pavel looked at his partner trying and failing yet again to remain pissed at him, and he knew exactly what he needed to say to make all his anger go away for good. “Thank you for staying with me,” he said, then pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before whispering in his ear, “P’Pooh”.
The younger man turned to look back at him, his eyes burning, and Pavel just grinned at him. Pooh stared at him for a few seconds before coming to kiss him briefly but with intent. Pavel welcomed it with a loving smile blooming on his face then watched him as the student tried to come up with the words he wanted to say.
Pooh wasn’t the best with words. One would say his love language wasn’t words of affirmation. Rather, he expressed his love through gifts and acts. Mostly acts. When Pooh loved you, when you were lucky enough to be loved by him, he would care for you, protect you and devote all his attention to you. Pavel was the luckiest man in the world to be the foremost recipient of that love.
So his partner didn’t need to say the words for Pavel to know what he meant and wanted to say. He just smiled fondly at him and answered, “I love you too.”
Pooh gave him one second before plunging on him, kissing him fiercely yet still with his own softness. He laid Pavel back on his sofa and went to his rightful place on top of him, never leaving his mouth, exploring it with his tongue. Though to be honest, there wasn’t anything left to explore. They had kissed each other so many times, in all possible variations of it, they knew each other’s mouth by heart. Yet they never grew tired of it; it was as if their bodies were drawn to each other on an anatomical level, as if they were literally made for one another. Pavel’s mom had told him that it was the sign of true love, but he tried not to think too much about it, as it kinda scared him a little bit. He just enjoyed it anytime it happened.
Pavel eventually broke off the kiss but didn’t let Pooh go anywhere; rather, he tugged the younger man’s back so he fell off on him and they could have a full-body hug, Pavel stuffing his face in Pooh’s neck, breathing him in. The latter did just the same. They just found such comfort in each other’s embrace, as if the world around them fell quiet all of a sudden, and all that was left was each other, the scent and the feeling of their bodies wrapped around one another.
They stayed like this for a while, just hugging and soaking in each other’s smell, until their bodies grew stiff. Pavel reluctantly tore his face away from his lover’s neck. “Pupu”, he whined.
Pooh just let out a mumbled questioning sound in response, keeping his face stuffed in his throat.
“Let’s go to bed”, the older man asked.
Pooh pushed himself off on his arms so he could look at him. “Already? It’s not even 11pm.”
Pavel looked up at him with pleading eyes and a pouting mouth, partly because he knew Pooh never resisted him like that, partly because he really wanted to pout. Unsurprisingly, Pooh gave in. He raised a hand to caress his face softly, the older man closing his eyes and leaning into it. “Okay, teerak”, Pooh agreed.
He rose up from the couch, quickly straightened his clothes before turning back and offering Pavel his hand to help him get up. The latter took it with gratitude and stood up with his help. He didn’t let it go and let Pooh lead him to his own bedroom in his own apartment.
“Did you see the fans clocking my ass?” he asked while rubbing his eyes tiredly with his free hand.
“They do that a lot. About a lot of things. You’ll have to be more specific.”
“About me being addicted to your cheeks, regarding the last BTS.”
As they got into the bedroom, Pooh turned back to look at him with a smile. “Are you saying you are addicted to my cheeks?”
Pavel smiled back at him. “Well, they’re pretty addictive.”
Pooh laughed softly at that, and Pavel, as the fans had seen, couldn’t resist him, so he went and kissed his cheek. Pooh just watched him with a smile, but the older man couldn’t stop once he started. He contained himself in public, but right now they were in his room and he had no reason not to indulge himself. So he started pampering his partner’s face with kisses left and right, and the student pretended to shove him off, but he was laughing and there was no strength in his gestures. Pooh had said he didn’t like it, something about not being a baby, but if not baby, why baby smelling and feeling? His skin had no right to be that soft and smooth, so Pavel took advantage of it whenever he could. And Pooh could pretend all he wanted, the dancer knew he liked it just as much as him.
Their little pretend fight led them to fall on the bed, this time Pavel on top of Pooh, caging him. They stopped at that, taking their breath while staring at each other smiling. In that position, Pooh questioned him with his eyes, and usually, Pavel would agree right on the spot. But tonight he was really feeling tired and sick and he really couldn’t get in the mood. He smiled fondly at his partner but shook his head at his silent question.
Pooh immediately lost all questioning heat in his eyes. He smiled fondly back at him, then slid up to bed head, opened the blanket and patted the mattress next to him. Pavel crawled on his bed until he got to the designated place. He slid under the covers and cuddled up to the younger man, resting his head on his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed contently as he felt the student’s hand gently caressing his hair. “Thank you”, he softly said.
“What for?” Pooh asked.
“For not listening to me. This is exactly what I needed.”
He felt Pooh kiss the crown of his head in response.
“You can sleep if you want.”
Pavel slightly shook his head. “I still wanna be up for the countdown.”
“I can wake you up when it’s time.”
“Noooo,” Pavel whined again.
“You really are a baby girl,” Pooh laughed fondly.
“And you love it.”
He felt another kiss on his head. “Yes I do,” he heard Pooh whisper, and smiled at that.
“So what do you wanna do until midnight?”
“I don’t know, can’t we just stay like this until then?”
“Cuddle until the new year?”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
So they just stayed like that, cuddled up to one another, listening to each other’s breathing in the quiet of the apartment, the faint sound of fireworks outside lulling them. Eventually though, they both took out their phones and went back to scroll on social media, Pooh on Twitter, Pavel on Tiktok, still cuddling.
“I keep seeing Singsa Latai in everyone’s list of their best shows of 2025,” Pooh said after a while. “Can you believe it? We’ve been so worried if it was gonna be successful, and now…”
Pavel looked up from his phone to watch him only to see his lover teary-eyed. He raised his hand to dry the few tears that had come out. Pooh smiled softly at him. “I’m just really happy.”
“You’re so gonna win all the awards next year. Everyone loves Thup.”
“You too.”
Pavel shrugged, half convinced. “I did my best but… It’s not Babe.” He looked up at the student again. “It’s okay. It’s your time.”
Pooh looked at him intently. “You’re gonna be there though, right?” He asked with a small voice. “I don’t want any award if you’re not there with me.”
Pavel took his free hand and kissed it softly. “If I’m not there, it means I’m dead.”
Pooh slightly slapped his forehead. “You better not.”
Pavel laughed and went back to scroll on his phone, Pooh doing just the same.
“Have you seen the edits?” Pavel asked after a while.
“Which ones?”
“The recap of our year.”
“I’ve seen a few. They’re sweet.”
“Yeah,” Pavel answered as he was watching another one. After it ended, he followed, “we’ve lived through a lot again this year, haven’t we?”
“We have,” Pooh responded. He turned off his phone, put it back on the bedside table before wrapping his arm around his elder. “What’s your favorite memory of 2025?”
Pavel turned off his phone to think about it. “I really liked my birthday.”
Pooh smirked at that. “You mean the time you grinded on me while pretexting to be dancing?”
“I do that all the time. No, I mean the time you publicly claimed me as your baby.”
“You had finally agreed to be my boyfriend like, two weeks before that. I had to make it known.”
“Well it was worth it. It was like my own prince charming came to wish me happy birthday and make it sure everyone knows I’m his. I liked it.” Pavel snuggled up closer to him. “What’s your favorite memory of 2025?”
Pooh thought about it for a moment. “I think our first Singsa Latai event in October. When we sang ‘Pray’ for the first time, showing our characters to the public. I was so hyped.”
“So hyped you even called me your husband,” Pavel snickered.
“It was a misunderstanding!” Pooh shouted. “I’m YOUR husband, you’re MY wife.”
“Well, I guess you’re right, since we got married in July.”
“Oh, that’s another good one,” Pooh replied with a smile, going back to the memory.
“Yeah. You look way too good in a groom tuxedo.”
“I could say the same thing.”
Pavel preened under the compliment. “And then we had a kid.”
“You mean B’Boss?”
“Him too, but I was talking about the baby.”
“You mean the one you stole from one of your fan and then told it to call me daddy?”
“Hey, I was worried about where the mom was too. It’s my fans who shoved it into my arms.”
“Didn’t seem like you were complaining though.”
“Well, I love kids.” Pavel let a few seconds pass before adding softer, quieter, almost a whisper, “The wedding, the baby… It felt… Real.”
“Hey, don’t say that. I’m still in college.”
Pavel sulked again. “See? This is what I mean. You don’t think about stuff like that, but me? I’m almost 30.”
Pooh poked his finger in Pavel’s soft stomach as punishment. “Stop it. You’re saying that as if it’s a fatality. I’m not saying never, I’m just saying let me finish college first. It’s in less than a year.”
Pavel pouted but snuggled back against him. “Fine. You did say you’re going to graduate for me.”
“With the way fans have been reminding me about every other day, I can’t forget about it.”
“You better propose to me on that day.”
“And you better come with the biggest money bouquet that ever existed.”
“Deal”.
They settled back in the quiet, and Pooh looked at his watch.
“Wait, it’s past midnight already!” he exclaimed.
“Really?”
Pooh detangled slightly from Pavel only to turn fully to him and kiss him with all the love he could pour in it. Pavel slid his hand behind his neck to tug him down on him, lying fully on the bed now. They kissed slowly, taking all the time they wanted. After a while, they broke off, a string of saliva between their lips.
“Happy New Year, my babe,” Pooh said.
“Happy New Year, my one and only.”