Mil is fiercely protective of those he cares for. If anyone so much as looks at the ones he loves the wrong way, he will take action, even if it ends up hurting him. This fatal flaw is what makes people assume that he is a ‘bad guy’ or ‘unapproachable’ when, really, this is his love language. Standing up for people is how he shows his affection and sometimes (most of the time), it causes problems when people don’t understand where he is coming from. He is a man of few words but each one he utters, he means it wholeheartedly. Mil doesn’t dwell on making sure that everyone feels ‘comfortable’ with who he is and how he operates in the world, he doesn’t have time for that. When he throws a punch or spits out venom in the form of an insult, he does it for a reason, not just to start something. He calls it like it is but he also knows that sometimes people don’t view things the same way as him so he’s also open to critique. It’s how he learns as he often doesn’t have a very strong outer eye or big picture view of things. When he’s mad, the world goes red and it can be hard to remember exactly what was said and while he would like to live without regret, sometimes those words and actions have consequences in the form of hurting those he cares for. He is just as passionate about making it up to them as if he about protecting them. He would rather sit down and have a hard conversation than let things stew and go unsaid. He is fine being the punching bag in such conversations as long as the air is cleared and they can move forward. He wants to grow into a better and stronger person but he sometimes needs a helping hand to do so. Some people get thrown off when they see Mil smile and he tries not to take that too personally because there’s nothing that he enjoys more than being inspired to smile because of something a loved one has said or done. When he sees someone that he wants to share space with, his vision blurs and he zeroes in on them. His focus immediately shifts to them and how he can possibly win them over. He realizes that this probably means he comes off a bit strong but, true to his nature, what is the sense of wasting time with overthinking everything? He would rather be bold and direct with his intentions, leaving little room for confusion. This forward approach often leaves people baffled and startled by him. It has even earned him a black eye once or twice, which he wore proudly. When Mil loves, he loves hard - whether it be a relationship or a friendship. He will go to battle and will walk away bearing the scars of other’s judgment or the literal wounds from the fight. Mil is a living and breathing contradiction and while that must frustrate those who share the world with him to no end, it won’t stop him from being who he is.
potential shenanigans mil and sarawat and earn would get up to as bandmates and once mil explicitly grows and apologises to tine as well:
• sarawat finding out mil is dating phukong and going all protective and immediately letting go when phukong goes ‘🥺 i love you p’wat’ (earn is laughing her ass off in the background. sarawat and mil have a friendly argument later.)
• occupying various stances on the ‘is p’dim good actually’ argument. sarawat is pro p’dim (when he’s not stealing his phone and letting him talk to his boyfriend actually), earn just wants to play her guitar, and mil is staunchly anti p’dim and will roll his eyes after everything he says and slam doors into him
• mil draws little pictures of sarawat and earn to keep in his wallet. when sarawat finds out about it, he laughs at him and tells him to tune his damn guitar.
• gushing about their significant others to one another. earn will just sit on the floor and talk about how wonderful pear is, sarawat will ramble on about how kind and sweet tine is, and mil mentions phukong to rile wat up every once in a while. it works very well and ends in pillow fights every time.
• sarawat and mil get into almost-fistfights every other week because they’re both just so damn similar and stubborn. they work this off on the football field, and it’s always an ordeal to see whose team man and boss are on this time (they’re a package deal!). earn plays referee and calls a tie every time because she thinks it’s funny.
• both sarawat and mil learn how to braid earn’s hair during late night jam sessions and do it whenever they’re stressed and need something to work with. earn’s had every type of hair style in varying degrees of skill applied to her and at this point she just shrugs whenever it happens.
• mil will make fun of sarawat and earn all he wants but as soon as it’s someone else (who isn’t, like, their s/o’s or friends), he can and will fight them physically. it’s become such a common occurrence for mil to shit talk other competitors to their faces for insulting sarawat and earn that he’s earned the moniker ‘earnwat bodyguard.’
The Milwat character growth is impeccable. Thank you to the writers and P’oaf for staying true to the actual CORE VALUES of these characters and allowing them to have a CIVIL and HEALTHY conversation rather than resorting to violence (okay yes, Wat had a cleaver in his hand but it can’t always be perfect...).
Tine and Phukong and Mil and Wat as supportive brother in laws gave me LIFE this episode. Now if Mil and Wat could just get their shit together for next week’s episode...
Original story: ‘The Nuisance and the Handsome Prince’. Find the Masterpost here Read on Archiveofourown here.
This is a prequel story exploring Mil and Wat’s friendship. This fic is dedicated to the lovely Nen @sarawatism! Hope you like it!
Mil and Wat had always been rough and tumble. Ever since they had known each other, their parents had pitted them together. Before they even knew to speak, they understood that they were in competition with each other… but that didn’t stop them from being best friend, despite their Fathers positioning them as rivals.
But even though they were thick as thieves, it didn’t stop them from getting into fist fights and physical altercations. They solved their issues with their hands and compared their bruises after as if they were trophies to be shown off. They always had to be careful not to fight around Sarawat’s younger brother, Phukong, because it always upset him greatly to them hurt each other, even though they knew it was all in good fun - until it wasn’t - but it rarely crossed that line.
But one day, a few days before Mil’s eighteenth birthday, it did…
Mil and Sarawat often rode their horses beyond the castle walls in an attempt to escape the monotony of the Kingdom. They could scream and let out their wild side without anyone judging or thinking twice about it. All they had was each other’s company. It was Mil’s favourite way to pass time, to just be free with his best friend out of the public’s eye.
They stopped by a river so that their horses could have water. They had ran them for quite a long period of time and the sun was beginning to set which meant they would have to return to the Castle soon, something that Mil dreaded with every part of him. Mil watched Sarawat take in the view of the setting sun and knew he had to take action if he was going to extend their time together.
“I bet you can’t catch a fish with your bare hands.” Mil challenged, jumping into the river, which was waist deep.
Sarawat laughed at his ridiculous friend, “Only a bear like you could accomplish such a feat.”
“Come on, Wat, are you scared of getting a little wet?” Mil teased and Sarawat quickly joined him in the water.
Sarawat reached down and plunged his hand into the water. Mil did the same as they both randomly reached around, desperately grasping at fish that seemed to dash away at the last moment. Mil looked up to see that Sarawat wasn’t having any more luck than he was. Mil decided to take another approach and stuck his whole head under the water. His vision was blurry but at least he had a better vantage point this way.
“That’s not fair!” Sarawat sqwacked in protest, wading closer to Mil.
Mil could vaguely hear Sarawat but he definitely saw his friend approaching him. He insticitvely went on the defense, anticipating an attack from the Prince, and rushed Sarawat’s legs underneath the water, sweeping them out from underneath him. Had they been on land, the move would have actually been effective but the water slowed down the impact considerably but Mil still managed to pull Sarawat under the water.
They had somehow migrated to a deeper part of the river and neither of them seemed to be able to regain their footing so they resorted to swimming after one another. Mil could see that Sarawat was not exactly pleased with the current arrangement - there was an innate fury in the Prince’s eyes.
Mil surfaced and Sarawat quickly followed suit. Mil saw that his assumption was correct and Sarawat was about to launch an attack. “What the hell was that, Mil? You know I am not a strong swimmer.”
The Prince was struggling to keep himself afloat and Mil felt immediately guilty for his childish action. Sarawat was sputtering and thrashing, exhausting all the necessary energy he needed to keep himself above the water. Mil watched as his friend struggled and knew he would have to take action quickly.
“Wat.” Mil swam close to his friend and Sarawat just looked at him with a mixture of rage and fear in his eyes.
The Wolf was drowning and it was up to the Bear to save him.
Mil quickly pulled Sarawat into a headlock, wrapping his arms around the Prince’s neck so that he tow him back to shore. Unfortunately, Sarawat did not seem to understand the gesture and was screaming and kicking in protest, making it three times more difficult for Mil to save his idiotic friend.
As soon as they got to the shore, Mil pushed Sarawat out of the water first so he was sprawled on his back. The Prince’s chest was heaving, trying to regain its normal breathing pattern. Mil had never been more exhausted. He fell onto his back next to Sarawat and felt his heart pounding in his ears.
The next thing he knew, Sarawat was pressing down on his throat with both hands. Mil did not know how it had happened or why the hell his friend was trying to choke him. Sarawat had a lethal look in his eyes and his teeth were bared, much like the animal he had killed for his coming of age ceremony.
Mil clawed at his neck, kicking at the ground and trying to let out a yell of protest but Sarawat was shockingly strong. Mil realized if he continued to struggle, he would lose his breath. It was likely that Sarawat just needed to get this out of his system, much like a dog biting the person who had kicked them in the first place.
It took Mil a moment to realize that his friend was straddling him. The wild look in the Prince’s eyes was also foreign and Mil was shocked by how much it seemed to suit Sarawat. Mil dug his fingernails into the ground to try to steady his breath as Sarawat released his neck. The weirdest part was that Mil found himself missing the contact as soon as Sarawat released his hands.
It was as if in that moment, with Sarawat’s hands around his neck and his life in the Prince’s hands, Mil could finally surrender control in a way he never had before. He wasn’t allowed to lose control like that. He had been taught to fight tooth and nail to keep control, but he longed to let go again…
Mil found himself reaching up toward Sarawat and pulling his friend’s lips to meet his. It wasn’t a soft kiss, in fact, it was violent at best. There was too much teeth and lips and tongue but it wasn't like either of them had anything to compare it to. They were lost in their own world of fear, exploration and loss of control and neither of them was doing anything to stop it - neither of them thinking of the consequences of what might follow.
But, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Sarawat rolled off of Mil and was lying next to his friend again, both of them breathing heavily. Mil felt like he was on fire and Sarawat was the one who had ignited the flame.
“Was that…. was that your first kiss?” Sarawat wondered, his voice thick with embarrassment.
Mil turned over to his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows. “…..Yes. Was it yours?”
“I think that’s abundantly clear considering how sloppy it was…” Sarawat responded, his cheeks deep red with a blush.
Mil chuckled, “I’m sure I wasn’t any better… by the way, I’ve never seen you like that before… are you okay?”
Sarawat looked away from Mil, a look of deep shame on his face. “I’m sorry I hurt you. It just felt like you needed to fell the way I did…. like you couldn’t breathe.”
“I can’t ever breathe properly.” Mil admitted. “Being within the castle walls is kind of stifling…”
“Tell me about it.” Sarawat agreed with a nod. “Speaking of which, the moon is in the sky which means we’re due back. My Mother will have my head if I’m late.”
Mil sighed, wishing he could make the moment last forever. His eyes fell to Sarawat’s lips and his friend followed his gaze. Sarawat sat up and gave his friend a sympathetic look, “As much as I love you, Mil, you’re my friend. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to think of you as more than that. I’m sorry.”
Mil’s breath hitched in momentary hurt but he appreciated Sarawat’s honesty. He could get over his crush. It was better to have a best friend anyway.
“It’s okay.” Mil shook his head in understanding. “Wolves and Bears aren’t exactly compatible anyway.”
Sarawat smiled softly and jumped to his feet, offering his hand out to Mil to help him up. “Back to that troublesome thing called reality.”
“It was fun while it lasted.” Mil took Sarawat’s hand and the Prince guided Mil to his feet. “A fleeting moment, if you will.”
After that day, Mil was even more protective of the Prince. Even though their love was platonic, it ran deep and was strengthened by history and kinship. He vowed to keep the Prince from any harm, even if it meant his own life was at risk….
