“Oh, my dear son. How have you been? Have you eaten?” A sound roamed into the living room into the whole family's ears. Both Phuwin’s parents and him turned to look at the window. From a bit far away, there wasn't much that could be seen. But the tall familiar figure could definitely be.

“Had Pond come back already?” wondered Phuwin's mother. Phuwin's eyes lit up, a shy smile taking over his face as he looked away.

“Phu? Shouldn't you go talk to him?” Phuwin's dad asked, turning towards him. Phuwin nodded, a rush of excitement took over him as he stood up. Pond's finally back! It was as if he had been gone for a whole decade. It had barely been a year and yet, the excitement in Phuwin's mind was palpable.

Phuwin walked steps towards Pond's house. Standing at one corner, he watched as Pond hugged his parents and greeted them a few times, lost in a conversation right at the door that he had no interest in listening to. Half his body was hidden behind the house walls so he wouldn't really be seen.

His eyes automatically roamed to Pond. He was not much different from the last time Phuwin had seen him but there were a few differences, just like how his lips had gotten pinker and how he's gotten just a few centimeters taller and probably his body had developed more.

Pond and Phuwin's mother's were best friends. They loved each other so much that they moved in right next to each other. As a result, Pond and Phuwin had been inseparable from each other from their birth, despite the three year age gap. They always managed to find time for each other and spend hours without knowing about the time factor.

Well, that was, until Pond graduated and Phuwin was still left behind in university. Pond moved to Bangkok to find some better things to do after his graduation and ended up taking some jobs. In the end, none of them fit him and now, he was a rookie actor, who acted in commercials and stuff.

Phuwin had kind of admired the man from the very beginning of knowing him, one of the reasons would obviously be him knowing Pond better than most others did as his best friend. But he'd never say it in front of Pond. Even when they were younger, Phuwin always saw Pond as a guide.

But it was normal for best friends to admire each other, right?

But as time passed, Pond had slowly drifted away from his life because of his busy schedule. At first, they'd spend hours texting each other when they separated. But as more time passed, their conversations kept getting shorter. Phuwin would barely see Pond. Sometimes once a week, once a month or even just once in a whole year.

All that separation made him realize that the way he felt about his best friend wasn't the same anymore. It had him replay back to the moments before Pond graduated and moved out.

The shy smiles whenever Phuwin thought of Pond, the strange feeling when Pond came even an inch too close, the strange urge to just come in between when Pond was talking with someone else instead of him, the thinking of Pond almost all day, the looking into Pond's shirtless body out of the shower through the window and getting lost in thoughts, it all begins to make sense. Were those things friends would feel about one another?

That's how Phuwin had come to finally convince himself that he didn't think of Pond as just his friend. It was more than that. And even though it might have been different before when he might have actually thought about him as a friend, it was not that way anymore. He was catching feelings.

But as oblivious as Phuwin was, he didn't want to accept it until Pond graduated and they could no longer talk as much. And now, Phuwin had accepted it with all his heart and yet, he never got the chance to actually say it out loud to the other. How he wished he hadn't been so oblivious earlier, everything would have been different now.

Anyways, Pond's finally home after a whole year so of course, Phuwin was excited. More because he had finally decided to take the opportunity. He wasn't going to waste that time anymore.

But as excited as he was, he was more nervous. There were butterflies all over his body, a strange gut feeling in his stomach and a heart that felt like was about to burst. Didn't matter how confident Phuwin usually looked, he could never get his heart to calm when he was about to do anything like that.

“Come inside, son,” Phuwin's mind snapped back at the sound of Pond's father telling him. Maybe he should give their family some alone time for now. Phuwin smiled sneakily and turned around, attempting to walk away from Pond's house.

But just as he took a few steps, he heard Pond yell. “Win!” Both Pond's parents turned to look at Phuwin, finally noticing him.

He froze in his place. He thought he had hid himself right but of course, Pond could still see him. Phuwin slowly turned around,and awkward smile taking over his baby face.

“Mom, I'll go talk to Phuwin, okay? You sit through,” Phuwin heard Pond murmur to his mother before walking closer towards him. Pond's mother nodded and just walked inside.

“Phu, can we talk?” He asked and Phuwin nodded, his brow slightly crooked. That was a strange question to ask someone when you've barely talked or seen them in a year.

“...Sure.” Even though Phuwin was hesitant about the intention of Pond at the moment, a sense of excitement still worked through him.

Phuwin stood there for a few seconds, waiting for the other to say whatever he meant by talking. “I meant…privately,” Pond said again before grabbing Phuwin's hand. What does he have to talk to me about privately?

Lingering hope sparked inside Phuwin as a small, satisfied smile took over his face, while he got dragged into the back garden of Phuwin's house.

With a light jerk, Pond let go of Phuwin's hand. “So what do you want to talk about?” Phuwin asked, crossing his arms in a slightly sarcastic way.

“I'm sorry for not coming to talk to you the last time I came home. I just had one day to spend and I wanted to spend it with my family,” Pond explained.

Phuwin's eyes widened. He didn't think Pond would say something about that. He expected what he wanted to talk about to be something more…special. In fact, Phuwin didn't really mind that. He hadn't been home for months. It was only fair for him to spend some time with his family. Phuwin tried to hold back a chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand as he stepped back and looked at Pond.

That's when he realized Pond was dead serious about that apology. He raised his eyebrow, finally trying to be serious as well. “That's it?” He asked.

Pond looked around, not understanding why he was laughing at all.

“If that's all you had to say, you didn't have to drag me here,” Phuwin rolled his eyes. He was honestly disappointed. The hope he had over Pond was a bit crushed over the matter. He uncrossed his arms and attempted to walk away from the garden but Pond grabbed his wrist. “What now?” Phuwin asked, acting a bit annoyed.

“Don't you have anything to say as well?” Pond asked, resulting in a crooked forehead from Phuwin, unable to understand anything.

“W-what?” Phuwin asked, his voice breaking in a bit of nervousness as Pond leaned closer suddenly. “I-I don't.”

“Really?” Pond asked again, his eyebrow raising in a mischievous way as his hand worked its way on Phuwin's shoulder to hold him in place.

“You've changed a lot lately.” Pond walked closer, rolling his eyes around Phuwin's body, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he continued to step closer.

Phuwin's body tensed, hand trying to work as a reflex to push the stronger man away but failed. “See? Your body is tense when I come near. Before, we used to be attached by a thread,” Pond continued.

Phuwin hesitated, not knowing what to answer to such an accusation. He had changed a lot. But that was because the way he thought of Pond had changed. He wasn't a kid, oblivious to everything anymore. He was an adult and he was now realizing things he had never ever imagined. Phuwin took a few steps back to avoid Pond from getting so close. “W-well, we haven't seen each other physically. It's only normal for my body to not be used to you anymore, right?” He murmured, satisfied enough with his response. “Ever heard of stranger danger?”

Pond stepped back, nodding slowly in a mocking way. “Ah…so you have nothing to say to me?”

Phuwin stepped back again, shaking his head. “Not at all!” He claimed, his voice pitched high.

Pond shook his head in slow motion. “Always bad at lying,” he murmured. “Do you want me to point out exactly what has changed?” He asked, resulting in a gasp from Phuwin.

“N-nothing had changed,” Phuwin tried to defend himself but there was no escape for him.

“Really?” Pond asked, walking closer again. This time, Phuwin stood still. He didn't even know why he was trying to defend something that he knew was the truth. But he was always like that with Pond. He liked the competition. Even if he knew Pond would win every single time.

Pond walked closer and closer, realizing that Phuwin was not fidgeting enough to step away anymore. He walked until Phuwin's forehead was fixed on the curve of his own neck. It was so close… too close… so much that he felt like Phuwin would run away so one of his hands reflexively grabbed Phuwin's right arm. The body movement was too close even for Pond but he wasn't someone to step away. He could feel every single movement of Phuwin's body, his labored breathing, his slight gulp, the temperature of his body rising, every single signs that proved what had actually changed between them throughout the years.

Pond held in his breath, unknowingly, as if he were afraid that if he breathed, Phuwin would come back to reality and step away from him. Instinctively, Pond's other hand lifted down Phuwin's shoulder, sliding to be just above his heart. Pond closed his eyes, silently listening to the younger’s heartbeat rhythming with his own and their heavy breathing. Everything fell quiet for a long minute that felt like an eternity. The eternity they were more than willing to live in with just the two of them.

With the sound of a song from a cuckoo who sat itself on the branch of a tree in the garden, they both came back to their senses, finally stepping back. Phuwin felt awkward, rubbing the back of his head while looking around but Pond wasn't letting that go, not after knowing that all he felt all along was not just an assumption.

“Your heavy breathing, your heart beating like it's about to burst, your face turning red like a tomato, your body getting hotter, are you sure nothing has changed, Win?” Pond explained, withdrawing his hand from over Phuwin's body.

“I…” Phuwin started. He knew there was no escape out of that anymore. He couldn't avoid him and it was his only chance before Pond went back to Bangkok again.

“I'm serious, Phu. Can we just be honest with each other?” Pond asked again. Phuwin should have and he had realized that Pond was dead serious about everything from the beginning but guess there was just a part of him that didn't want to confront that topic, his feelings. He was ready to confront it, yes, he was but mainly because it was the only chance that he had. Who would know if Pond disappeared again for another year, right?

Accepting his fate, Phuwin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Yes,” he began. “I like you!” He almost shouted.

The sudden braveness from Phuwin made Pond feel proud, for just no reason. A smile took over his face as he muffled Phuwin's hair as if he was a baby. “Me too. I like you too,” he replied.

Phuwin opened his eyes widely and his jaw dropped a bit as if he couldn't believe he had heard it right. When he had been thinking about Pond the whole day and crushing over him, he had never ever thought that Pond could feel the same. Especially with Pond's braveness compared to him, there was no way someone like Pond could have crushes. “If you're saying that just to comfort me, don't,” Phuwin murmured, crossing his arms.

Pond laughed out loud at the shorter’s reaction. “I'm not. I like you, really,” Pond replied.

Phuwin finally turned to look at the other in the eyes. There was true sincerity evident in his eyes, a sign that he wasn't lying. He scratched his head, a bit confused about how that had happened. “Since when?” He questioned.

Pond chuckled, placing his hand on Phuwin's shoulder. “Since… forever. I don't even remember when.” He answered.

Phuwin's jaw dropped again. “You're kidding,” he exclaimed, in a joking way. He looked up into Pond's eyes again. He knew he was in no way joking about any of that. He truly meant it. “Hey, I'm sorry if I ever hurt your feelings unknowingly. I didn't know…” Finally able to stay serious, Phuwin apologized. He really had no idea and didn't know if he had unintentionally hurt the other.

“It's okay. Even unintentionally, you never hurt my feelings,” Pond replied, his smile getting wider as he looked at the other in the eyes.

“But…how did that happen? How did I have no clue?” Phuwin was still confused and had a lot of questions. He still couldn't believe it. But Pond was more than willing to answer his confused questions.

“I always stayed by your side, got jealous when you talked to someone else, was attached to you by a thread and sometimes even threw tantrums when someone said something to you. Weren't those enough hints?”

Phuwin looked around again, trying to remember all those moments with crooked eyebrows. Now that he thought about it, maybe it was obvious. “But I thought… those were… in a friendly way,” he replied.

Pond chuckled again. “Yeah? Which one of your friends kisses your cheek in front of everyone so no one would get close to you?” He asked sarcastically.

Phuwin's mind finally came to realization. He had always thought Pond was just a protective friend over him and he didn't mind that but now, it all made sense. Pond was usually patient when it came to students and wouldn't get into fights but when Phuwin was included, he'd always lose his temper and was even sent to the principal office once because he punched a guy for bullying Phuwin for his braces.

Finally, Phuwin realized how oblivious he really was and began laughing at his own idiocy. In a few seconds, he again fixed his posture and continued asking the series of questions that he had stuffed inside his mind. “And… how did you know I liked you?” He finally asked.

Pond smiled brightly. “You really think I never saw you peeking through your window to see me whenever I came out of my shower?” He asked cheekily.

Phuwin's face immediately turned bright red as he covered it with his palm and cursed under his breath. He knew he should've been more careful.

Pond stepped closer. This time, wrapping his arms around Phuwin's body into a warm hug. “You might have not realized it but all I've ever wanted was to be with you, didn't matter as what,” Pond explained.

Phuwin hugged the other back. He felt warm. And loved. Pond's words were words he never heard or expected to hear from anyone other than his parents. And he really felt loved. From the moment he discovered his feelings for Pond, he hadn't thought that it would actually be reciprocated but now, all the efforts were worth it. All the waiting, figuring out felt worth it. 

“I missed you. I really did,” Pond's words almost made Phuwin want to cry. But he held back strong.

Pond finally stepped back and stood there. “So…what are we now?” Phuwin was the one to ask that. He was always someone who needed clear confirmation of a step before jumping into the next. Otherwise, it'd be complicated.

“What do you want us to be? Friend? Boyfriends? Somewhere in between?” Pond asked. He was happy as long as Phuwin was.

“Boyfriends!” Phuwin almost yelled excitedly before jumping to hug Pond again like a cute rabbit.

A big smile took over both their faces as they bugged again. Phuwin felt braver when his left hand slid over to caress Pond's abs. Pond let out a gasp in surprise. “Hey! You sneaky little…” he didn't finish the sentence and instead pulled away from the hug, dragging Phuwin's hand to feel the curves of his abs through the cloth himself.

Phuwin blushed slightly. “Just let me touch it. You know I've been wanting to do that for a while.”

Pond's hand let go and his index finger ran through Phuwin's ab muscles. He was impressed. He knew Phuwin had a great body too but he didn't know why Phuwin always had that kind of attraction towards his. “You have your own. Why do you have to grab mine?” Pond asked, cheekily.

Phuwin's eyes widened as he stepped back and slapped Pond's stomach in a teasy way with his double meaning joke. “Someone will hear!” He murmured and hit Pond on the shoulder again. Pond acted to be fakely hurt and stood up again.

Before they could continue their sweet little lovey dovey conversation, a voice roamed from Pond's house. It was Phuwin's brother. “If you two are done flirting, aunt said lunch is ready!” He yelled.

Phuwin rolled his eyes as Pond walked towards him and held his hand. “Let's go. Eat at ours today, okay?” Pond murmured, leading the way to his house.

Confessing is not always as bad as you think!

* * * * *

A/n: It's me, Rose 🌹, your author. Thanks for reading this.

Please vote and comment if you liked this fluffy little oneshot. In encourages me to write more.

You can also check out my other works if you want ❤️