Chapter Text
It was Friday today.
Prem loved Fridays.
It meant that he wouldn't have classes for the next two days. Truthfully, it wasn't that much of a break since his professors gave them so much schoolwork to do that if he only worked on it on the weekdays, he wouldn't be getting any sleep. But anyway, a break is a break. He's just thankful he's not one of those poor souls with Saturday classes.
So Fridays always gave him a little boost of joy, but this Friday in particular made him happy knowing he'd get to spend a lot of time with his girlfriend soon.
When the bell rang ending his final class of the day, Prem excitedly packed up his stuff.
"Prem! You coming to Pichit's tomorrow?" His friend, Kit, asked him.
"I can't," Prem replied. "I'm going to a lakehouse with Som and her band over the weekend."
"Ah, with Midnight."
"Yeah!" Prem said with a smile. Prem was incredibly proud of Som, his girlfriend. She was the bassist of the band 'Midnight' and, he can say with certainty, the most beautiful one there too. It has been more than a year and a half since their band formed, and since then, their following has been growing and spreading throughout the school and outside of it.
In the six months they've been dating, he's met the band on a few occasions, but this trip would be the first time he'd be with them for more than just a quick greeting.
He knew that they go on trips together almost every other month or so and some of the long-term partners of the other members go with them. Being invited to come for the first time this trip felt like it would be a meet the family kind of situation and it was honestly a bit nerve wracking.
"Will Tinn be there?" His friend suddenly asked.
"Tinn?" Prem tried to recall, but he doesn't know anyone named Tinn, much less a Tinn that's part of the band.
"Gun's boyfriend." Kit clarified.
"Oh." Now, that's a name Prem knew. It was pretty hard to forget the energetic vocalist of the band. "Probably. Som said everyone's bringing their boyfriends, or girlfriends."
"Good luck then," Kit said, patting his shoulder. "Tinn and Gun make people feel single even when you're not."
"I don't think that will be a problem." He told his friend in bafflement.
"Trust me. I went to high school with them." Kit gave him a pat on the back with a goodbye and left for his next class.
Shaking off the strange warning, Prem hurried back home to finish packing for his trip the next day.
-----
Prem and Som arrived at the lakehouse early Saturday morning, just as the sun rose into the sky. They'll only be staying until morning the next day, so the whole band agreed to meet there early.
It was a beautiful place. The lake was huge with its clear waters sparkling under the sun. Leading to it was a grass area furnished with tables and chairs to lounge in and a fire pit. To the side, there was a separate lodge that had a collection of instruments in it. And overlooking the whole view was the lakehouse.
The lakehouse itself was amazing. It had five bedrooms, all with its own bathroom. Three of them were on the second floor and the other two on the ground floor. Aside from the two bedrooms, there was a common space that was sectioned into a shared kitchen, dining, and living room.
Being the first to arrive, Prem and Som got first pick of the rooms.
They didn't have to wait long for the others. They only just placed their bags in their room before the rest started to arrive one after the other.
The first to come in after them was Preaw, their keyboardist, barging into the lakehouse with an excited shout. Trailing just behind her was her boyfriend Kob, who was just as excited as her.
Then, Nok, who plays the drums, and his girlfriend Pear came in hand in hand. Both a lot less energetic than the pair before them, but still as excited.
Just a few minutes after them, Film arrived and called dibs on a room before being joined by the guitarist of the group and her boyfriend, Pond, who was carrying all their bags with him.
Last to arrive were Tinn and Gun who walked in bringing along their bags and arms slung around each other.
"Gun! Tinn! It's about time you arrived!" Pond shouted as if he didn't just arrive as well.
"Hey! You just got here too!" Gun retorted pointing out the unpacked bags around his feet.
Tinn just laughed as they argued and went to put the bags in his hand on the kitchen counter, greeting the people he passed by along the way.
Prem watched all of them interact for a moment, Tinn being greeted by the group with hugs or shouted 'hello's, Gun and Pond bantering, Pear and Film fighting over a room.
The whole group was so close and comfortable with each other. They felt like one big family.
"Have you seen the music room?" Preaw loudly asked, distracting the arguing bandmates.
Both their heads whipped to her.
"Where is it?" Gun excitedly asked her.
"Come!" Preaw walked out of the lakehouse and into the separate smaller lodge a distance away from the lakehouse. The rest of them eagerly followed just a step behind her. The band especially was very excited to use the music room as it was one of the reasons they chose this lakehouse in the first place.
"Woah!" They all gasped in wonder the moment they stepped into the lodge. They looked around in awe. It was a modestly decorated space with light streaming through the windows lining the walls, creating a well-lit space with a great ambiance. On one side of the room, there was a vast collection of instruments including different kinds of guitars, pianos, percussions, and other instruments.
Preaw and Kob beelined to the collection and immediately grabbed the keyboard and drums from their place and started setting them up. The rest of the band also started checking out the other instruments and trying them out.
Except for Gun.
What caught Gun's eye the most were the beanbags set in one corner of the room, especially the neon green beanbag that was a lot bigger than the rest. It was at least twice the size of the others.
He immediately threw himself on it and rolled around getting himself comfortable while Tinn watched him adoringly from the side.
Settling on his back, now half submerged in the beanbag, Gun opened his arms, inviting Tinn to join him.
With a fond huff, Tinn carefully settled himself next to Gun and wrapped his arms around him.
Gun happily snuggled into his boyfriend's side with his face resting on the crook of the other's neck and let out a soft sigh.
He placed a small kiss on the side of Tinn's neck and murmured, "I like this."
"Hmm." Tinn hummed in agreement and pressed a kiss on Gun's head. "Me too," he whispered as he ran his fingers through Gun's hair.
Prem felt himself flush a little at the display. He was very unused to seeing people show this much affection in public, but seeing how the others are completely unbothered, this was probably a common occurrence. So he followed in their example and just let them be as he continued to look around the place.
He fiddled with the instruments on the racks. Pressing some keys here, plucking some strings there, but there were so many different instruments there that there were some he didn't even know the name of.
After satiating his curiosity, Prem glanced at the band as he joined the others and dropped on a beanbag. He was watching Som tune her bass when he heard Preaw start playing a melody.
Tung t-tung tung, tung tung
Smiling at the joyful tune, the rest of the band started playing along with her.
Nok picked up the beat on the drums. Som played to the rhythm. Pond strummed his guitar.
Even Gun who was still cuddled up with Tinn started nodding his head to the beat before starting to sing. "Mai roo wa bpen arai~ (I don't know what happened) Klai klai lok man bplian bpai~ (It’s like the world has changed)"
"Mong bpai tang nai suay ngam gwa koey took krang~ (Every place becomes more beautiful)" Gun continued singing as Pond approached him with a spare guitar.
Tang non go doo bplaek bpai~ (The roads aren’t the same)" Gun got up, extracting himself from Tinn's embrace, and put on the guitar. "Huaro dai jon sud tang~ ( I burst into laughter)"
"Lok chang sodsai~ tang wan~ (The world today is just livelier)"
Gun joined the rest of the band in playing as he continued to sing with a big smile on his face.
Prem smiled fondly at the group making music together. They looked like they were having so much fun just playing together and vibing off each other.
He laid back and enjoyed being their audience for a few minutes. After all, it wasn't every day you'd get to see the Midnight play so close to you.
The five of them just watched on their beanbags, swaying and nodding to the songs until the band started to practice seriously and focus more on fine-tuning their performances.
"Let's go." Prem heard Film say from beside him.
"Let's go. Let's go." Kob agreed, getting up from the beanbag.
Everyone not part of the band slowly extracted themselves from the room and returned to the main lakehouse.
"I'm Tinn, Gun's boyfriend," Tinn said to him when they reached the common area. "Nice to finally meet you."
"Prem," he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you too."
"Yeah!" The over-excitable man with a feral grin constantly on his face exclaimed and slung his arm around Prem's shoulder. "I'm Kob. Welcome to the family."
"Film." The lady with a fiery personality who Pond, the usually gruff grump is soft for, introduced herself.
"My name is Pear." The woman with a calm demeanor said in a soft voice. "I'm so glad we're finally complete."
Pear grinned and turned to Tinn. "Remember when it was just the two of us?"
"Ah~ It was so peaceful then," Tinn said teasingly with a pointed look at Kob and Film as he made a beeline to the bags he and Gun brought over that he placed on the kitchen counter. He placed some food and groceries in the fridge except for an apple which he started to peel.
"Hey! Be glad we make things lively!" Film said proudly.
"Yeah!" Kob wholeheartedly agreed. "I could have saved you two from boredom four months earlier!"
"Four months?!" Film yelled at him, incensed. "I dated Pond for two years before I was invited!"
Prem was very confused. Although looking at Tinn and Pear with amused smiles on their faces, he was the only one that wasn't in the loop.
Seeing his look of confusion, Pear explained taking pity on him. "Me and Tinn had been dating a member before the band formed, so we were invited to the trips since the first one that happened. Kob and Film met the band only after the trips started, and Preaw and Pond, and now Som, waited a bit before inviting them here. I'm not sure why they did though."
"What do you mean 'not sure'? That was all your fault." Kob accused.
"It really was." Film joined in, pointing a finger at Tinn and Pear. "Both of you."
"Listen here, Prem," Film commanded, ignoring the half offended half confused protests Tinn and Pear sent her way. "We're basically the in-laws in this family. You don't get invited unless you're staying for a long time. You don't get invited unless they," she emphasized, gesturing in the direction of the band members, "don't plan on being without you for a long long time, or ever."
She let that sink in for a moment, watching the emotions rush through Prem's face: awe, happiness, a hint of nervousness, love.
"That's why they wait before we get invited." Film finished her little speech.
"And that's our fault how?" Pear asked.
"You set the standard!" Film replied. "I mean- Tinn! When are you proposing to Gun?"
"Graduation." Tinn immediately answered.
Wow, thought Prem, that was... a lot. It was a pretty big decision, but from what he's seen of them so far, it didn't seem out of place. Even the way he said it was as though he thought of it a long time ago and now he's just waiting.
As if he didn't drop a bomb on Prem, Tinn just casually put his bowl of freshly cut apples in the fridge. Weirdly cut, if Prem might add. He was cutting it in flat circles, and did he form them into hearts?
"See? He's been like that since I knew of him." Film told him flatly.
"Anyway! Why are we still here? Let's enjoy the wind and sun on this cloudy day." Pear said as she walked out towards the table by the lake.
The four of them followed her out with Kob carrying bags of food. Apparently, breakfast was already too long ago and they should be snacking right now. It was something Prem agreed with, honestly, so he was a bit concerned for the band who was lost in their own world.
Maybe sensing his worries, Pear reassured him. "Don't worry about them. They'll come out when they're hungry."
"You'll probably see us more than the band," Tinn added. "You already know what they're like."
Prem huffed a laugh at that. "Oh, I know alright." They'll spend hours and hours in the music room, sometimes they start before the sun rises and end after midnight.
He didn't mind spending his time with the 'in-laws' though. It hasn't been long since he met them but he already felt like they get along really well.
They talked and joked around, slowly finishing all the food Kob brought. They were probably already there for hours, but enjoying the company, Prem didn't notice the time pass by.
Their conversation only faltered when they noticed Tinn's attention turning away from them.
Prem looked in the direction Tinn was staring at and saw Gun roaming around the common area in the lakehouse looking for something.
"Tinn! Where did you put the water we brought?" Gun called out as he looked around the area.
"It's in the fridge," Tinn replied, his eyes never leaving the other.
All their attention now pulled away from the conversation, they watched as Gun rummaged through the fridge and got out five bottles of water. He was halfway through closing the fridge when he suddenly froze with a bright grin growing on his face.
He reached back into the fridge and brought out the bowl of apples Tinn prepared a while ago.
With a beaming smile, Gun gathered the bottles of water in his arms and clutched the bowl in his hands. He walked towards them and stopped next to Tinn.
"Hey," Gun said, smiling down at Tinn.
"Hey," Tinn repeated with a lovesick smile of his own.
Prem was starting to see what his friend meant watching the two of them stare into the other's eyes. They weren't doing anything much, just smiling lovingly at each other in silence. But somehow even this simple interaction exuded so much sickeningly sweet vibes that he felt like he was intruding on something just by watching them.
It's almost like they're in a completely different world when they're together, a world where it's just the two of them, and nothing else mattered.
After smiling and staring at each other for a few moments, Gun leaned down to kiss Tinn's cheek.
"I love you too." He said cheekily but with an undertone of sincerity, took a bite from his heart-shaped apple, then skipped back to the music room.
Prem noticed the soft smile Tinn wore as he watched Gun walk away, as well as the whispered 'narak' that left his lips.
This guy was whipped, he thought. It's not like he didn't understand though, Prem empathized casting a glance at Som. But then again, he thought, eyeing the heart-shaped apple Gun was munching on, this guy was WHIPPED.
"Whupshhhh." Film sounded, breaking the silence, miming the action of flicking a whip.
Prem and Pear laughed while Kob groaned beside her. "Why do you still do that?" He complained.
Film shrugged. "It'd be weird not to."
"Aren't you bored of it when you don't get a reaction? Look at him! He doesn't even care!" he aggressively gestured to Tinn, who did, in fact, look very unbothered, if not a little amused.
"But it gets a reaction out of you." Film pointed out smugly.
Everyone snickered at her reply and Kob's disbelieving face.
With that, they went smoothly back into conversation as if they were never interrupted, and Prem temporarily forgot how smitten Tinn and Gun were for each other, but of course, TinnGun being TinnGun, as he's now beginning to realize, made sure his lapse in memory didn't last long.
The next time he got a front row seat to their brand of PDA was only an hour later.
To no one's surprise, the band only came out of the music room when they started getting hungry. By that time, it was already noon, so Gun volunteered to make lunch for everybody while the rest went to settle in their rooms or freshen up.
Prem took a few minutes to unpack his things in their room with Som then joined some others in the living area outside while his girlfriend washed up.
He approached Gun and Tinn in the kitchen offering to help but he was shooed away despite them not knowing he has been kicked out of every kitchen he tried to cook in. Really, his mom and all his friends have banned him from kitchens. Som did too after she watched him try to cook instant noodles. Which, now that he thought about it might be the reason why he was shooed away from the kitchen.
A bit sheepish, he took a seat on the couch next to Preaw and Kob who were passing the time finger wrestling.
With some free time suddenly on his hands, Prem scrolled through the messages he missed throughout the morning. He was replying to some of them when he heard a shout from the kitchen.
"No!" Gun laughed grabbing the cabbage Tinn was about to chop. "Go get something else. You don't know how to chop this." He said, waving the vegetable teasingly.
"Hey! You know I know how to chop that!" Tinn protested with a pout. "I was just trying to flirt with you that time."
Tinn took back the cabbage and sulked as he skillfully cut pieces of it.
"Yeah?" Gun watched him in amusement then suggested coyly. "Why don't you try again?"
Tinn paused and looked at him. Gun stared back with a coaxing smile.
"Hm?" Gun cajoled, his smile growing wider as he repeatedly tapped the underside of Tinn's chin.
Tinn turned his eyes back to the chopping board and straightened up. He loosened his grip on the knife and sloppily cut the cabbage.
"Ouih~ What's the right way to chop it? Why is it so difficult?" He recited peeking a glance at Gun from the corner of his eye.
Gun watched with delight clear on his face then schooled his expression. He cleared his throat stepping next to the taller. He casually snatched the knife from Tinn, moved to stand next to him, and demonstrated his knifework deliberately like a professional. "You have to hold the knife like this."
He continued his explanation very unromantically with glinting eyes and an amused smile fighting to stay on his face. Tinn meanwhile, was looking at him blankly, completely unamused.
Gun took a glance at Tinn and burst into laughter.
Tinn pouted once again and sulked even more.
He moved to take back his knife, but Gun pulled it out of reach and started to sloppily chop the cabbage the same way Tinn did.
"Ouih~ What's the right way to chop it? Why is it so difficult?" Gun mimicked sending a playful glance Tinn's way.
Tinn gave him a considering look before he huffed and wrapped his arms around his adorable and mischievous boyfriend from the back and pulled him closer, bringing his back flush against his front.
He positioned his mouth right next to Gun's ear and whispered in a low voice, "My love,"
An embarrassed but extremely enamored smile formed on the musician's lips as he turned away bringing attention to the red tint darkening his ears. His blush spread down his neck as Tinn gripped the knife and the cabbage over Gun's hands and properly cut the leaf.
"This is how I wanted you to teach me." Tinn continued in the same deep tone of his voice.
Gun stayed flustered as he let Tinn do whatever he wanted, so obviously enjoying it with that bright grin on his face. Tinn indulged him and continued his skit before a certain someone had enough of it.
"Hey! Stop flirting!" Pond complained, cutting the moment short. "We need to cook lunch!"
Prem was so surprised when he looked at Pond who was over at the other end of the counter preparing some other ingredients. He must have come in and started cooking in the middle of Tinn and Gun's flirting session. Prem was just too distracted by the display the lovebirds put on to notice him.
"Eu," Tinn and Gun voiced their agreement and broke away from each other sharing one last lingering glance, before they continued their tasks properly.
Prem looked at his couch mates who seemed unfazed by their flirting. "Are they always like this?" He asked.
Kob snorted. "You get used to it."
"If you survive it first," Preaw added.
After that, there weren't any more incidents and lunch was served. It was a very pleasant meal, the ten of them coming together and talking about the most random things. It was a very comfortable and peaceful experience despite the energy some of the members bring.
It would be nice if the whole trip would be as peaceful and calm as it has been so far, Prem thought. Maybe he'll even be able to spend some time relaxing with Som in the afternoon.
"Guys! I found the canoes!"
But we don't always get what we want, do we?