Max lingered behind Zee, arms crossed, watching Nunew run lines with Nat.
"I know you think you are doing the right thing by ignoring your feelings for him," Max said quietly. "But he has already shown you he is interested in you, and he is old enough to know what he wants. Stop overthinking things."
Zee nodded in response because he knew all that Max was saying was true.
The rest of the shooting session wrapped without a single misstep. Every cue was clean, and every kissing angle rehearsal was made with ease. If anyone walked into the room, they would've thought Nunew and Zee were perfectly fine with each other, even though that wasn't the case.
When the director finally yelled, "That's a wrap for today!", Nunew bowed, thanked the crew, grabbed his bag, and headed straight for the exit.
Zee took a step toward him, but Max was faster, sidestepping and blocking him from going after Nunew.
"Not now," Max murmured under his breath. "If you go now, you won't be able to settle anything."
Zee clenched his jaw. His chest felt tight in a way he wasn't used to. He had been rejected before by partners, by coworkers, by the industry itself, but this felt different, like losing something he didn't have a right to lose.
"Later tonight," Max repeated.
Zee nodded because he didn't have a better plan.
He finished his goodbyes with the staff and stepped outside into the evening air. His mind was running through every possible opening line, every apology, every explanation that didn't sound pathetic.
On the drive to Nunew's house, he switched radio stations without listening. He replayed the workshop moment in his head, the soft "Kiss me, Hia," the disappointment in Nunew's eyes, the cold voice on the phone, the words that kept replaying over and over:
We are nothing to each other.
Zee gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white.
He didn't know when it happened when concern turned into affection, when affection turned into attachment, when attachment turned into something he didn't dare to name.
Nunew had just stepped out of the shower and was towel-drying his hair when the doorbell rang.
"Ding dong."
He mindlessly walked to the door to open it, thinking it might be one of his neighbors or something.
Zee stood outside Nunew's door with takeout in his hand, anxiety crawling through him as he waited for Nunew to open the door.
"Who is it?" Nunew asked as he opened the door without waiting for a response.
He froze when he saw Zee standing there with an awkward smile plastered on his face.
Zee's eyes dragged over Nunew's bare feet, damp hair, and towel slung low on his hips, and something dark flickered across his face before he masked it.
"Hia, why are you here?" Nunew asked.
I thought maybe we could talk," Zee said, his voice uneven.
"We already talked." Nunew didn't move aside. He stayed planted in the doorway, not bulging. "What else do you want from me?"
Zee took a step closer. Too close.
"Please, Nu." His gaze didn't waver. "Let me in. I need to tell you something."
Nunew's chest rose sharply. He hated the expression on Zee's face. Hated how it made him feel, it pierced into places he'd been trying to seal shut.
He stayed silent for a long second, then stepped aside. For Zee to walk in.
The door shut behind them with a heavy click.
"I brought your favorite," Zee said awkwardly, showing Nunew the bag of food he'd brought on his way.
Nunew crossed his arms, the towel tightening against his body. "Hia." His voice was flat now. "Say what you came to say."
Even though he's being a hothead, he really wants them to work out their issues and move on. He's accepted that he and Zee can be nothing more than they are right now.
Zee didn't answer right away.
He set the takeout bag down slowly. Then he turned back to Nunew, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"I lied before," he said.
Nunew stiffened. "About what?"
"About being okay with us being Phi-Nong." Zee's mouth twitched. "I told you that because it sounded like the right thing. Like the mature thing to do."
He took a step closer.
"I'm not okay being just your brother, I want more Nu."
Nunew's jaw tightened. "Hia"
"I tried," Zee cut in calmly. "To stay away. I told myself that the age difference between us is too much that if I ignore it, the feeling would die."
He shook his head once. "It didn't, if anything, it became worse ."
The air between them felt heavier now.
"I think about you every day," Zee continued.
"I wonder where you are. Who are you with? Whether you're eating properly. Whether you are with someone else, especially last week, I couldn't function."
Nunew swallowed. "Hia, what are you trying to say?"
Zee's gaze dropped briefly to the towel at Nunew's waist, then back to his eye. "I can't stand the thought of you and someone else."
Zee moved even closer, closing what little space remained between them so close Nunew could feel his breath ghosting over his lips.
"I'm also here to correct a misunderstanding," Zee murmured.
Before Nunew could react, Zee's hand slid firmly around his waist and pulled him in. The grip wasn't rough, but it was possessive. Then Zee leaned down and claimed Nunew's mouth.
Nunew was so shocked by this that he gasped as their lips met, the sound slipping out before he could stop it, and Zee took advantage of it immediately, deepening the kiss without hesitation. His hold tightened even more around Nunew, steadying him as if he already knew Nunew's knees would weaken.
For a moment, Nunew's mind went completely blank.
This wasn't a rehearsal. There were no cameras. No script. He had imagined kissing Zee before countless times, on set, under lights, but never like this. Never in his thoughts has Zee been the one to cross the line.
"Hia-ha-" Nunew tried to speak, but the sound dissolved into a breathless moan instead.
His fingers fisted in Zee's shirt, gripping hard, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.
Zee didn't rush. He let his tongue massage every corner of Nunew's mouth like it was needed for him to survive.
When Zee finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against Nunew's, their breaths tangled, uneven.
"This," Zee said quietly, voice dark and steady, "is what I'm here to correct."
"I avoided kissing you during the workshop because I didn't trust myself not to get turned on," Zee said, breathing hard as his fingers traced Nunew's warm skin around his navel, then he slowly moved up to tease Nunew's hard nipple.
"Ah-ah-Hia'Zee" Nunew arched his body closer to Zee as he moaned, pressing his body into Zee's until his bulge rubbed against Zee's visible erection, even through Zee's pants. Nunew could feel Zee's bulge twitching, wanting to be touched.
"Let's go to bed, Hia," Zunew whispered, looking into Zee's eyes.
"Are you sure about that?" Zee asked, his voice laced with desire
Nunew nodded as he led Zee to his bedroom. He leaned in and kissed Zee's mouth relentlessly as they moved to the room, his tongue drawing messy saliva as they parted when they got to the bed.
Zee pushed Nunew gently to the bed and followed, pinning Nunew beneath him before letting his mouth on Nunew's nipple.
A breathy moan escaped Nunew's mouth, his eyes closed as he threw his head backwards, his legs hooked around Zee's waist.
This pulled Zee even closer.
Nunew opened his eyes to Zee taking off the towel on his waist, his mouth still clamped down on his nipple, biting on it as if he deliberately wanted Nunew to cry out loudly while his thumb circled the tip of Nunew's member.
Nunew's body twisted in so much pleasure that it made him forget how to breathe.
Pre-cum oozed out as Zee began stroking Nunew's length. Nunew moved his hips to the rhythm of Zee's hand movements as Zee jerked him off mercilessly.
Zee didn't intend to be rough, but the flushed red skin and Nunew's moans were making Zee lose his mind. He wanted to do more to make Nunew cry in pleasure, even though his dick is so hard it wants to burst, he held back because he wanted to drill the feel and taste of every inch of Nunew's body into his head.
Zee's tongue continued to explore Nu's body as the rhythm of his hand on Nunew's shaft became intense. He leaned forward and bit Nunew's lips before eating his mouth again, not giving Nunew space to breathe as his hand sped up a little as he moved up and down.
Zee felt a sharp pain on his back from Nunew's nails digging into him as his breath became frantic and his body tensed as he came into Zee's hand.
"Hia, that felt good," Nunew said weakly as he watched Zee spread his legs and used his cum to smear and rub it into his hole, and hurriedly pulled down his pants to his ankles.
Nunew watched him, taking in the sight in front of him. He still couldn't believe that this was real, that he was about to lose his virginity to his first love; everything that was happening today felt surreal.
Zee took a lubricant he saw on Nunew's bedstand, poured some on his fingers, and pushed it deeper into Nunew's passage. "Mmh." Nunew let out a suppressed moan, biting his lips while staring at Zee, who was so engrossed in opening his entrance.
From one finger to two, Zee kept thrusting slowly and then quickly, creating a wet squelching sound that filled the room.
Once the folds around Nunew's hole were relaxed and a bit loose, Zee removed his fingers and aligned himself between Nunew's legs.
Nunew watched Zee's every action; his eyes hadn't left Zee's dick.
That part looks so big that he wondered if it would fit, but at the same time, he couldn't stop thinking about how it would feel inside him.
Zee rubbed his hard member on Nunew's entrance slowly while looking up to Nunew, "Can I? " Zee breathed as he was using every bit of restraint in him to stop himself from slamming in.
"Hmm," Nunew let out a low whimper, nodding his head frantically as the feeling of Zee's hot shaft rubbing against his wet hole was doing things he couldn't explain. "Fuck me, Hia," Nunew said in a shaky, breathy voice as he pulled Zee in, making him thrust so hard his whole length went inside Nunew.
"Hi-a ah-aa it hurts," Nunew cried. His grip on Zee tightened as he tried endure the pain he felt.
"Ha-aa- fuc–k" Zee moaned as Nunew's hole squeezed tightly around him.
"Should I stop?" Zee asked while still moving in and out slowly inside of Nunew
Nunew shook his head in response as Zee started to move faster and faster inside him.
He was trying to hold himself from slamming hard into Nunew, but it was hard. Nunew felt so good, and the wet sluty sound that filled the room every time he slammed into him didn't make it any easier.
"Nu"
"Hmm?"
"Nu" Zee moaned, Nunews Name again, his waist slamming into him.
"Nu I love you, you feel so fucking go-od so tight," Zee said in a stifled groan.
"Hia, I'm close," Nunew cried as he moved his waist desperately trying to meet Zee's strokes.
"Faster Hia"
"Good boy, I love how you are squeezing me, you feel so warm inside, I feel like I would melt," Zee hissed as he picked up his pace, slamming into Nunew.
He leaned forward and claimed Nunew's mouth. The kiss was messy and filled with both of them groaning into each other's mouths.s
"Hia-Im cum-fuck." Nunew's mind went blank as his body contracted, lost for words as sensation overtook him. His fingers curled as he came.
The overwhelming sensation of Nunew tightening around Zee made him snap as he came deep inside Nunew.
They lay beside each other, breaths still uneven, the room heavy with warmth and the lingering proof of what they'd done.
Neither of them spoke at first, as if words might fracture the fragile reality settling between them.
Zee stared at the ceiling, his arm resting close to Nunew but not quite touching.
His thoughts spiraled.
What have I done?
Does he regret this already?
The questions clawed at him.
As if he could feel the shift in Zee's breathing, Nunew turned slightly. "Hia."
"Hmm," Zee answered, his voice low and careful.
Nunew studied him for a long moment, eyes searching Zee's face like he was afraid he might disappear if he blinked.
Then, without asking, he rolled closer and tucked himself into Zee's arms.
Zee stiffened just for a second before instinct took over, and his arm wrapped around Nunew, pulling him in, holding him as he belonged there.
"You're very different in bed, Hia," Nunew murmured, his voice lazy and honest.
Zee let out a quiet breath. "Different how. Good or bad?"
Nunew smiled against his chest. "Good." A pause. Then softer, almost teasing, "I like it. I want more of it."
Something dark and satisfied curled in Zee's chest. He smiled, brushing his thumb lightly along Nunew's arm. "Stop being naughty, Nu."
Nunew tilted his head up, eyes bright but serious. "So... what are we, Hia?"
Zee didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tightened his hold, grounding himself in the weight of Nunew against him before speaking.
"Nu, I love you," he said finally. "If you'll let me." His voice dropped, steady and sure. "I want to take care of you. I want to love you openly on set and off it. I want to grow with you. Be your partner in every sense."
He lowered his forehead to Nunew's. "Would you let me?"
Nunew didn't hesitate. He smiled and nodded. "I love you, Hia."
Zee closed his eyes, his grip firm but gentle, like he was afraid the world might try to take Nunew away if he loosened it.
They drifted to sleep tangled together, hearts heavy with hope, hoping their years together would lead to a good ending.
〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️
The End