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Pond and Phuwin had been married for three years.
Three very peaceful years.
Somewhere between learning each other's coffee orders, arguing over whose turn it was to do the dishes, and silently stealing bites off each other's plates, they'd figured out the secret to a happy marriage.
- Good communication.
- Mutual respect.
- And keeping Pond's younger brother at least five kilometers away from their house.
The first two had worked beautifully and the third had failed so spectacularly it wasn't even worth discussing because somehow, despite owning his own apartment, his own car, his own fashion brand, ZAVEN and more than enough money to survive as a functioning adult, William had quietly, effortlessly and completely invaded their home.
Not officially, of course.
Officially, he still lived alone.
He'd even invited them over for dinner after buying the apartment, proudly giving them a tour of every room while declaring that he was finally an independent adult who didn't need anyone to take care of him anymore.
"I'm going to cook for myself, clean for myself, and survive without bothering either of you." Pond had almost applauded and cried with this news, while Phuwin had smiled warmly and wished him luck but little did he know this was a 11 day arrangement.
Yes.
William's independence had lasted exactly eleven days. On the twelfth, he'd appeared at their doorstep carrying an overflowing basket of laundry.
"Phi Phuwin," he'd greeted with the brightest smile imaginable. "Whatcha making for dinner?"
From that moment onwards, things had only escalated. Nobody knew when it happened. One day his Spider-Man mug had appeared in their kitchen cabinet then his favourite blanket somehow found its way onto their couch. A charger permanently occupied the socket beside the guest bed. His skincare products had colonised one corner of Phuwin's bathroom. Half the snacks in the pantry mysteriously belonged to him, and every time Pond reached for something he liked, there was a sticky note reading, DON'T TOUCH. LIAM'S.
The neighbours had stopped asking questions a long time ago, as far as they were concerned, Pond and Phuwin simply had an unusually affectionate twenty-five year old son.
At some point, William had even stopped knocking. He simply walked in, shouted, "I'm home!" and went to hug Phuwin like they had been away for 67 years and Phuwin always answered instinctively.
"Welcome back.", returning his hug with the same enthusiasm. As though William had actually returned from work instead of travelling twenty minutes across the city to raid their refrigerator.
To Pond, the concerning part, however, wasn't William.
It was Phuwin, because somehow, his husband had become the first person William called whenever the slightest inconvenience disrupted his life.
Pond still remembered exactly how the night had been going before his phone started buzzing violently on the bedside table, things had been... progressing.
Candles were involved.
Someone's shirt was already a casualty on the floor. Pond was hovering over Phuwin, his fingers grazing his jaw, things were finally getting heated when...
BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ
Phuwin froze mid-motion, Pond leaned closer "Ignore it."
BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ
"But, it's not stopping baby."
"I noticed my love, I have ears."
Phuwin groaned into Pond's shoulder like a man being personally betrayed by the universe, then reached over, without fully disengaging, mind you, very impressive multitasking, and squinted at the caller ID glowing in the dark.
His whole face changed, he turned the phone towards Pond's face
Pond groaned looking at the caller ID, curses about to escape his mouth but Phuwin stopped him.
"Pond be good na, Liam doesn't call at two in the morning unless something's on fire. Literally or emotionally."
Pond flopped backward onto the pillow with the deep, weary sigh of a man who had seen this exact scene play out before.
"Answer it then. Go be a good father.
Phuwin answered, voice doing a valiant impression of someone who had not been otherwise occupied thirty seconds ago. "Liam? What's wrong?"
Pond lay there next to him, eyes closed, mourning the loss of momentum, silently cursing whoever invented phone and taught William how to use it. Beside him, Phuwin listened quietly for a few seconds before letting out the tiniest sigh.
"You thought it broke?"
A pause.
"No, liam stop mumbling, I can't understand a single thing..speak clearly..and don't cry?"
Pond cracked one eye open.
"...He's crying?"
"I think so."
Another pause.
"Did you... plug it in?"
Silence.
Then Phuwin slowly rubbed his forehead.
"It wasn't plugged in."
Pond buried his face back into the pillow.
"...Coffee machine?"
"Mhm."
"...Thought it died?"
"Mhm."
Pond gave a tired nod.
"Sounds about right...he was quite excited yesterday for using it."
Unfortunately, the conversation wasn't over, "He's asking if I can come over."
"...What?" Pond sat up straight.
"He says he needs emotional support...."
Pond stared at Phuwin, then at the phone and then back at Phuwin.
"....and hugs." Pond dropped back on the bed with a loud sigh knowing they definitely weren't continuing and Phuwin tried very hard not to laugh.
The worst part was that Phuwin never minded.
Maybe because he had known William since the latter was barely eighteen.
Maybe because William had attached himself to Phuwin almost immediately the day Pond introduced him to william or maybe because William had the face of an angel and the survival instincts of a lost puppy.
Whatever the reason was, Phuwin always ended up taking care of him.
Which only encouraged him.
⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢
"Do you think Phi Phuwin loves me more than you?"
Pond didn't even look up from his laptop.
"No."
William nodded.
"Me too."
Silence.
Then—
"Wait."
Pond sighed.
Across the living room, William sat cross-legged on the floor, helping himself to snacks from a cabinet he had absolutely no right to open.
He narrowed his eyes as though studying a particularly difficult business proposal.
"You know, overconfidence has been the downfall of many powerful men."
"And eating someone else's snacks without asking one day will be yours."
William looked down at the half-empty packet of chips in his hand before looking back up with complete innocence.
"Oops!! I didn’t ask? Maybe..anyways thats not the point." He shrugged.
"You answered way too fast Phi Naravit"
Pond finally looked up.
"Stop annoying me that’s not my name and I answered because I know the answer."
"And?"
"And he loves me more."
William frowned.
"How do you know?"
"We're married you see."
"and I am your not yet adopted child and moms tend to love the child more than the dad."
Pond stared.
"You are our what-?"
"Your son..more handsome than youu"
"You are living in my house."
"Our house phor."
Before pond could counter, the front door opened.
Both of them turned instinctively.
Phuwin stepped inside with two grocery bags hanging from one arm and another tucked against his hip. He had barely managed to slip his shoes off before a blur shot past Pond.
"Liam—"
Too late.
"Mamaaa!"
William practically launched himself across the hallway.
Pond didn't even flinch anymore. Three years ago, he might've been alarmed by the sight of his younger brother throwing himself at another grown man the second he walked through the door.
Now? Just another day.
Phuwin laughed as William wrapped both arms around him from behind, nearly making him lose his balance.
"Easy easy," he chuckled, adjusting the grocery bags before they slipped from his grip. "At least let me get inside first."
"You're back."
"I was gone for forty minutes liam"
"It felt longer." William said, wiping non existant tears from his eyes.
Pond gagged dramatically from the couch but nobody paid attention to him.
Phuwin had finally made it into the kitchen, although "made it" was a generous way of putting it considering William was still attached to his back like an oversized koala. He set the grocery bags on the counter with a relieved sigh before feeling William immediately reach inside one of them.
"What're you looking for?" Phuwin asked.
"Chips chips chips~"
William pulled out a packet of pasta, frowned, and set it aside before digging deeper.
"No chips?"
"Keep looking"
"I am..but why do we have broccoli in here?"
"Wrong bag" Phuwin said moving towards Pond who looked annoyed due to the lack of attention.
"Oh!! get lost broccoli"
He moved to the next one abandoning the previous one. Pond watched the entire thing unfold with the same expression one might wear while observing a particularly strange wildlife documentary.
"You know," he called lazily, snuggling into Phuwin "most people say hello before robbing someone."
William didn't even look up,"I already said hello."
"You screamed 'Mama' loud enough for the neighbours to hear."
"Well I have great communication skills now they also know he came back home safely." William snickered.
Pond pinched the bridge of his nose, "I regret teaching you how to speak."
"You didn't"
"I regret whoever did."
A triumphant gasp echoed through the kitchen.
"I FOUND THEM!"
William held up two family-sized packets of his favourite chips like he'd discovered buried treasure. His face lit up so brightly that Phuwin couldn't help smiling.
"I knew you'd buy them, you're the best person alive Phi, omg why did you even marry this strict dad"
"How else would you have met him then?" Pond asked.
William slyly smiled.
"I would have married him" as he stuck his tongue out at Pond who nearly threw a cushion at him while Phuwin burst out laughing.
A year ago, Pond had actually tried banning William from the house. It had lasted exactly three days.
T H R E E.
On the first day, William had called Phuwin sixteen times.
On the second day, he had sent pictures of every meal he cooked.
Most of them were burnt. On the third day, he had shown up outside their gate and sat there dramatically like an abandoned golden retriever puppy.
Phuwin had found him at six in the morning when he was about to leave for jogging.
"Liam?"
William looked up. His eyes had actually been watery as if he was contemplating between crying silently or wailing.
"Phi" he murmered in a small voice, bottom lip sticking out in an adorable pout.
"What are you doing here liam?"
"Phi pond said I'm not allowed inside."
"So?"
William sniffled before he flung towards phuwin, throwing his arms around him.
"I missed you phi..not lying at all"
Phuwin immediately hugged the younger, muttering comforting words in his hair, and later let him in and even gave him his favourite pancakes. Pond had never forgiven either of them for an hour before he ruffled William’s hair to annoy him and trailed behind Phuwin chanting apologies for abandoning his puppy liam.
⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢
By now, William wasn't just Pond's brother anymore. He was their unadopted son as he said, a part of the household. An extremely loud and inconvenient part which was why on a rare Saturday evening when he hadn't shown up all day, both Pond and Phuwin found themselves glancing toward the front door every now and then.
"Did he text you?" Phuwin asked casually.
Pond immediately looked up.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because he's your brother."
"You ask him, you are practically his mom."
Phuwin checked his phone.
"Mhmm no messages."
The house felt strangely quiet.
Peaceful.
Neither of them admitted it, but after years of William barging into their lives whenever he pleased, silence felt a little unnatural. Phuwin settled against Pond's side on the couch. The TV played softly in the background. For once, there were no interruptions or complaints or random requests for food. Just the two of them and lately, that had become rare. Life had gotten busier. Work had even gotten busier. The conversations they wanted to have kept getting pushed back. Pond intertwined their fingers.
"We should start talking about it seriously."
Phuwin looked up.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"I know."
The future. The family they wanted. The next chapter of their lives. Something they had been thinking about for months now.
Maybe it was finally time, maybe it was high time they have kids, small babies runnin—
The doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then continuously.
Like someone had their finger glued to the button. Pond immediately dropped his head backward.
“Oh nooo the doorbell pattern." Pond groaned.
Phuwin was already laughing.
"That’s what I thought"
The bell continued.
Relentlessly.
Without mercy.
Without shame.
Withou—
"PHI PHUWIN!"
William's voice echoed through the entire house.
Both men froze, then looked at each other and then started laughing because of course.
Of course it was him. Who else could ruin a heartfelt moment this efficiently, looking adorably annoying and annoyingly adorable?
The front door swung open moments later as William marched inside carrying an overnight bag and a folded blanket and a pillow and ofcourse a container of takeout.
"Phi Phuwin, I brought dinner, though I’d love to eat that spicy dish you make"
Pond pointed at the luggage.
"Don’t even think about it"
William blinked.
"What?"
"Absolutely not."
"I'm staying just for a few days phiii"
"No"
"A week?"
"No, not at all"
"A weekend?"
"No means no."
William turned dramatically toward Phuwin.
"Your husband hates me.”
Phuwin sighed then smiled.
"Ignore him.. so spicy dish and ice cream for dessert?"
William's face brightened instantly.
"YAYYYYYYY I LOVE YOU PHI!!!”
Pond watched in disbelief as William followed Phuwin into the kitchen like a duckling following its mother.
"Phi winnn, can I help too?”
“No liam..how about you sit here an tell me about the football match you had yesterday”
And William started like a radio, rambling about anything and everything.
Pond buried his face in his hands.
And at that exact moment, watching his husband happily cook for his little brother while William chattered away without taking a single breath, he realized something.
No matter how much he acted annoyed, the way William fit into their lives with his chaos made their lives complete. The sunshine who was too loud to be called normal but nonetheless brightened their days. Pond was 4 years older than William but after their parents died, Pond stepped in the role of William’s mom, dad, brother..basically everything. Pond had lived 4 years without William but William... he only knew the world with his Phi Pond in it.
And because he was too busy filling up spaces in William’s life he didn’t see the cracks in his own, and that is when Phuwin came into the picture. They met in college, he was a freshman in Pond’s final year and that one year was enough for them to promise a lifetime to each other. He loved Pond like breathing and eased his biggest tension the day he started loving William as his own.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
The conversation started because William had, once again, made himself comfortable exactly where he was not supposed to. This translated to: sprawled across both Pond and Phuwin on the couch, head in Phuwin's lap, legs thrown over Pond's thighs, effectively taking two grown men hostage with his body alone.
“Can you move..you have a self claimed room in this house.. go there” Pond asked for the third time.
“I’m comfortable here phi..let me live”
“You’ve been living here for an hour”
“And I've been comfortable for an hour. See? Consistent"
Pond looked like a man doing long division in his head, specifically the division of how many seconds it would take to physically throw someone off a couch. Phuwin, unhelpfully, chose that moment to run a hand through William's hair, and William immediately melted like a man with no bones.
“There,” he said, insufferably smug “See? He loves me so much” hugging Phuwin’s waist slightly.
“One day,” Pond muttered, “I’m changing the locks.”
“You say that every week and all you do is alternate between your anniversary date and his birthday. So honestly, I don't fear you anymore. ”
Pond swatted at William’s thigh who just laughed and didn’t even look remotely concerned. After years of attaching himself to the couple like a particularly clingy barnacle, he’d become impossible to get rid of, mostly because he knew he was loved. The room settled into comfortable silence for a moment before Phuwin suddenly glanced down at William.
“You know,” he said casually, “have you ever considered dating?”
William’s eyes remained fixed on the television.
“Nopeeee”
“Why?”
“Too much effort phi”
Pond made a noise like a kettle. "You saying that is diabolical. You make everyone else put in the effort. You once made me carry you up three flights of stairs because you 'didn't want to ruin your outfit.'.
Phuwin rolled his eyes.
“But seriously liam..although you are still 25.”
"Thank you for that reminder, very needed, very kind of you."
“Sooo when was your last relationship?”
William thought for a moment.
“…that’s not important.”
Pond immediately started laughing and William avoided eye contact.
“Am I missing out on something..why are you laughing?”
“…” William went mute, cheeks tinted pink in embarrasment
“It’s because, at 21, his crush rejected him saying he was too baby faced and they can try once he gets older.” Pond said before bursting into a fit of laughter while William kicked him in the ribs, huffing in annoyance.
Phuwin’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my god my liam..how dare they? Look at my tomato he is so cute”
William groaned again, “You both are insufferable plus it was a fleeting crush huh, now I have standards”
“You’re impossible” Pond said boringly.
“I’m selective now that's it.”
Pond folded his arms, “Go on then…let me listen to your standards”
Phuwin immediately perked up, “Oh, this should be good.”
William sat up slightly, as if preparing a serious presentation, "Hmmm first of all, pretty eyes.”
“That’s your first requirement? Seriously?” Pond questioned.
“Yes, now sshhh old man listen to me”
Pond sighed before gesturing him with his hands to continue.
“I like soft eyes..like doe?..no… Bambi eyes…YES”
Pond immediately burst out laughing again, “Bambi eyes? You want a partner or a deer?”
Phuwin was laughing too by now.
William pointed accusingly, “Don’t judge me.. if I spill how you compared Phi Phuwin to a swan after your engagement and how you said his waist looked way too holda-”
“FINE FINE OKAY. Bambi eyes. Noted. Moving on" Pond immediately intervened sensing he’d be doomed if William actually said the truth.
William started counting on his fingers.
“Not too much taller than me.”
“Reasonable enough”
“Nice smile.”
“Reasonable again”
“Calm voice.”
“Ofcourse because you scream like a dying flamingo.”
“Phi phuwin will you be okay with a mute husband?” William said nonchalantly looking at Phuwin pointing at Pond.
“Anyways..Pretty lips..like you know..full lips.”
Pond groaned while Phuwin nearly choked, this guy was way too straightforward. William ignored both of them, “And oh yes..most important ..a small waist.”
The room fell silent. Pond and Phuwin stared at him as if he was a ghost.
Then—
“A small waist?”
William nodded confidently, "I want to be clear," Willam said, hands up, very serious now, "I am against body standards as a concept, this has nothing to do with worth as a person, I'm simply stating a preference, and also if they gained weight I genuinely would not care, it would probably be cute, I just — this is what my brain suggested, don't @ me."
“You’re ridiculous what is that even supposed to mean?” Phuwin shook his head.
“See seeee I’m never finding someone that specific…so no dating for me …I’ll live with you both, my wholee lifeee.”
As if the universe wanted to shove an answer in his face, the doorbell rang. Nobody moved. William immediately pointed at Pond.
“Get it.”
“It’s my house idiot”
“Exactly… your house, your door and your doorbell..now go shoo shoo”
Pond got up grumbingly while William snickered placing Phuwin’s hand back in his hair, a few moments later, Pond returned with someone following behind him.
William looked up unbothered.
Then stopped being unbothered, immediately and completely.
(His lungs, for the record, briefly forgot how lungs work.)
The world seemed to slow down, because standing beside Pond was probably the prettiest man- no not a man…no mortal could look this beautiful, prettiest angel William had ever seen in his life.
Soft brown eyes and a gentle smile as dark hair fell across his forehead. Comfortable clothes, a white button up and blue jeans.
“Hey,” the man greeted.
Phuwin immediately brightened, shifting William to stand up.
“Suphaa!!” Phuwin stepped ahead and tackled him a bone crushing hug.
William’s brain stopped working entirely, he could hear short circuits happening in his body.
“Oh please, Supha sounds so formal from you, call me Est like you do” The pretty man, ‘Est’ said. Phuwin laughed at that and was about to speak something when Est handed him a folder.
“Here..I ran into Prat this morning, he was rushing somewhere but asked me to hand this to you..and I was nearby anyway soo..”
“Perfect timing, come sit with us for a while.”
Meanwhile William was still looking…..
okay staring..…
geez FINE gawking at the man infront of him, he had entered a state that could only be described as system failure. Because—
Bambi eyes.
Check.
Almost no height difference.
Check.
Calm voice.
Check.
Pretty lips.
Check check check.
And—
William discreetly glanced downward.
….
….
Small waist.
Oh.
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
'This is terrible. This is ridiculous. This is not making sense at all. This is the man of my dreams- WAIT WHAT?'
Phuwin was saying something, Est was responding and Pond was probably involved somehow.
William wasn’t listening, not a single word. He was too busy staring, and then immediately looking away whenever Est glanced in his direction, which happened three times and somehow made everything worse.
“Oh!! I forgot to introduce him.. so Est, this is William, Pond’s younger brother, if you had come to our wedding you’d have met him,” Phuwin said eventually.
William straightened his posture so fast it looked like a wave of current ran through his spine.
“Hi.” The response came out much too quickly, but too small…almost shy?
Est blinked once...taking in the boy’s presence and then he smiled, and William swore his heart skipped a beat. (THAMEPO REWATCH TIME)
“Hi..William”
oh..Am I hearing angels singing? or he just took my name.' William forgot his own name, forgot who he was, why he was there, whose house it was, why sun rose in the East- basically forgot everything. This was not a metaphor, this was a full system crash. Across the room, Pond noticed and then looked at Phuwin slowly, but knowingly and Phuwin noticed too. The two exchanged a glance. A very specific glance. The kind married couples developed after years together. A conversation without words.
‘Do you see this?’
‘Who wouldn’t?’
‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’
‘There’s no other possible explanation’
Because for the first time in years, William wasn’t talking. He wasn’t even moving.
He wasn’t being chatty, instead, he was sitting there like a nervous schoolboy fidgeting with the sleeves of his clothes while Est casually chatted with Phuwin. An hour later, after Est finally left, William waited exactly twelve seconds before turning to Phuwin slowly, trying to look nonchalant
“Well..your friend..what was his name again? Jet? best? West?”
“Est.. full name's a mouthful, don't worry about it."
"Give me the full name."
"Est Supha Sangaworawong” Phuwin said calmly, trying to stiffle his laughter but Pond laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch.
William threw a cushion at him.
“Yeah Yeah..Est..whatever…well. .he..looked cool..nothing special. Though objectively I did briefly ascend to a higher plane of existence but that's neither here nor there, cool guy overall, forgettable, moving on—"
Phuwin’s efforts to stay calm gave up the moment William’s eyes shined after learning the full name. He started laughing along with Pond while William groaned, face turning red every second.
"I don't know why you're both laughing but — anyway. Is he — like — around? Often?"
Phuwin looked suspiciously innocent again, “Define often.”
“Often enough that he might, hypothetically, come over again sometime?”
“Hmmmm...maybe”
William narrowed his eyes then looked toward the front door and then back at Phuwin and then toward the front door again. Pond could practically see the wheels turning in William’s mind and suddenly the idea that had started as a joke didn’t seem like a joke anymore, because maybe they weren’t just looking for someone to keep William occupied.
Maybe William genuinely needed someone. Someone patient, someone kind, someone who would love all the ridiculous, annoying, lovable parts of him and judging by the look on William’s face?
He already wanted that someone to be Est.
"Soooo.. you done?" Pond asked.
"Done what?"
"Judging by your face you were somewhere around the wedding vows already. So — done?"
William turned the color of an overripe tomato, muttered something about Pond being a delusional old man, and fled to his room at a speed previously unseen in recorded history. The moment he disappeared into the guest room/his room that night, Pond turned toward Phuwin.
“We should invite Est over again.”
Phuwin looked up from his phone.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Pond smirked, “You saw his face too, right?”
Phuwin immediately laughed. How could he not? William had spent an entire hour pretending not to stare. Unfortunately for him, he had a subtitled face which was terrible at pretending.
Every time Est spoke, William looked.
Every time Est smiled, William looked.
Every time Est breathed—William looked.
“He likes him I guess”
“He definitely likes him.”
From down the hall, came a muffled voice—
"I CAN HEAR YOU BOTH. STOP PLANNING WHATEVER THIS IS."
Pond raised his voice right back.
"BOLD OF YOU TO ASSUME WE'RE STOPPING."
⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢
To finally drag William out of his shining solo era, Phuwin soon found himself sitting inside Est’s pet café, Paws and Matcha. After helping a customer, Est took the seat across from him. Almost immediately, a brown cat climbed onto his lap, demanding attention which made Est smile as he happily began petting it.
“So?” Est asked. “What’s this important thing you wanted to tell me?” Phuwin smiled, looking almost sheepish. “Remember my brother-in-law? William?”
Est nodded.
“Was he your type?”
Est blinked, tilting his head at the sudden question. “Huh?My type?” Phuwin stared at him hopefully. “Was he your type?”
Est thought for a moment, continuing to pet the purring cat on his lap. Just then, a puppy ran past him and bumped its head against his arm for absolutely no reason.
“Well… he was cute. Yeah.” Est shrugged. “But I don’t really have a type. Why are you asking though?”
Phuwin’s eyes immediately lit up. “Well, you see…” He leaned closer. “William seems to have taken an interest in you.”
Est chuckled, “Is that so?” He wasn’t exactly surprised, he had noticed William’s not to subtle stare at him that day. The way he seemed nervous whenever their eyes met.
“What else?” Est asked casually.
Phuwin paused, “What?”
“About William.” Est looked down at the cat, pretending to be completely interested in it. “You said he’s interested in me. What kind of person is he?”
Phuwin’s smile slowly widened. ‘Oh, he’s interested.’
Phuwin nodded eagerly. “and we’ve been trying to get him together with someone for ages. He’s basically become the permanent third wheel between me and pond, and its not like we are trying to get rid of him, it's just that we are afraid he'll feel lonely after sometime. We think he should have someone by his side. WOW I FEEL LIKE I AM HIS PARENT”
Est laughed lowly while Phuwin continued, completely serious. “He’s clingy like a koala, sweet and adorable like a puppy, but he has the territorial instincts of a raccoon.”
Est’s lips twitched. “A raccoon?”
“An affectionate one at that.”
That made Est laugh again. The more Est heard, the more fond he became of the boy. “He sounds…” Est paused, smiling. “Adorably exhausting.”
“Exactly!” Phuwin nodded immediately. “But he’s a total green flag. Trust me.. So we both know how you've literally been acting like a celibate since college..what I was suggesting that..maybe you should go on a date with him?”
Est thought for a moment, “How old is he again?”
“Twenty-five. So, what? Two years younger than you.”
“Hm…” Est hummed thoughtfully. “Is he financially stable? I’m not going on a date with a bum—”
Phuwin cut him off, “Owns his own established fashion brand.” Est immediately nodded, impressed. “Oh…So he’s young, successful, cute…”
Phuwin smiled hopefully. “So…?”
Est looked at him for a moment before finally nodding. “Sure. When is he free?”. Phuwin’s face lit up, “Oh, just give me the time. I’ll make him free and send him!”
Est giggled at the enthusiasm, “This Saturday works?”
Phuwin nodded so eagerly that he nearly bounced out of his seat. “Perfect!”
Est smiled to himself after Phuwin turned away.
He didn’t know William well enough to be excited about a date. But he was definitely curious.
And, perhaps more importantly, he was looking forward to finding out if the cute, clingy puppy Phuwin had described was really as adorable as he sounded.
Phuwin waited until after friday dinner to drop the bomb, which was either very strategic or very cruel depending on who you asked.
"So," he said casually, like he wasn't about to obliterate William's entire world, "Liam, you remember my friend Est?"
The name made William pause mid-chew. He looked up from his plate, eyes suddenly shining like someone had turned on every light in his head at once.
"Of course I do, he is unforgettably beautiful, like I would prefer getting into an accident and losing all my memories if that makes me live that moment again when I saw him for the first time, goddd so pretty and I—"
William froze. The words hung in the air like a neon sign announcing his complete and total demise. Beside him, Pond snickered, not even looking up from his plate. "I should probably ask Est if someone has ever complimented him like... THIS."
"Shut up," William said immediately, shoving rice into his mouth.
"I'm just saying, that's the kind of confession that either lands you a relationship or gets you a restraining order, and honestly it could go either way." Pond laughed.
William didn't look up from his plate. He was going to set it on fire. He was going to set himself on fire. He was going to combust right here at the dinner table and spare everyone the embarrassment of his continued existence. Phuwin, though, he was clearly trying very hard not to laugh. His shoulders were shaking slightly, and he was taking a very deliberate sip of water.
"Anyway," Phuwin said, with the composure of a man who had just watched his liam have a complete meltdown over complimenting someone,
"I think you both should go out tommorow, I already asked him, he said he is up for it"
William looked up from his plate, rice still in his mouth, and froze completely, "I'm sorry. Did you just say— wait what did you say-?"
"My beautiful husband set your loser ass up on a date with Est, so YOU better behave." Pond said.
The rice fell out of William's mouth. He didn't notice pond calling him a loser. All he heard was date and Est.
HIM ON A DATE WITH EST!?
"No. No, you're lying. You're lying and this is a prank and I'm going to laugh when I realize—"
"I'm not lying liam” Phuwin replied with a tight smile.
William's chair scraped backward so fast it nearly fell over. "I'm going to my room. I'm going to my room and I'm never leaving again. I'm moving into that room permanently. You can bring food to the door like I'm a prisoner..but please bring ice cream too."
"William—"
He was already gone.
By the time Pond wandered in twenty minutes later, William was in full teenage meltdown mode. He was lying face-down on the bed, limbs sprawled everywhere, surrounded by clothes he'd apparently torn from his closet in some kind of fashion-induced rage. His phone was on the ground. His shoes were off. He looked like he'd been hit by a truck.
"I'm dying," William announced to the mattress. "I'm actually dying. This is how I die. Humiliation. Sheer humiliation."
"You haven't even gone yet."
"That's not the point!" William flipped over dramatically. "The point is I'm going to go and I'm going to say something stupid and he's going to realize I'm a complete disaster and—" His voice went three octaves higher, "AND I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR PHI NUTRAVIT."
"My name is pond you brat"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR NAME IS, YOU'RE EVIL."
Pond grinned, pulling up a chair like he was settling in to watch a show. "Okay, but like, what specifically are you panicking about. Be specific."
"Everything! I'm panicking about EVERYTHING." William grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. Muffled. Desperate. The sound of a man losing his mind. "My face is weird. My voice is weird. I laugh weird. I eat weird. I'm just a walking disaster and P'Est is going to take one look at me across the table and regret—"
"Don't be dramatic will—"
"I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR." William stood up, pacing like a caged animal. "Everything in this closet makes me look either like a failed uncle or a man going through a midlife crisis. This shirt—" he held one up, "—makes me look like I'm going to sell you a pyramid scheme. This one makes me look like I'm going to ask you where your parents are. This one—" he gestured wildly, "—makes me look like I should be asking teenagers for spare change."
Pond leaned back in his chair, clearly delighted. "don't fret too much, just don't look baby faced." and pond laughed like a maniac again. William stopped pacing and turned to stare at him. "OH GODD don't remind me. I am going to be rejected on the DATE because first I have these squishy cheeks and second P'Est is going to realize that I'm annoying and boring and he's going to politely excuse himself to the bathroom and never come back."
"That's very specific... pay the bills if he doesn't come back."
"PHI POND YOU ARE SO USELESS"
Pond didn't mind any of those words, he just grinned, happy at the misery of the man who was always causing some chaos, while William continued his crashout.
"I'm going to ruin this. I'm going to open my mouth and something insane is going to come out and he's going to see it as a sign that he made a terrible mistake."
He made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob, "What if he is only going because Phi Phuwin asked him??"
William grabbed another pillow. Screamed into it. This one lasted longer. More desperate. Footsteps approached, and then Phuwin appeared in the doorway, as if summoned. He took in the scene with what could only be described as the expression of a man who had been expecting this exact disaster. Pond was still laughing and William was still crashing out.
"Oh my God," William said, looking up at him with wild eyes. "Phi Phuwin. I need to tell you something."
"Okay—"
"You would be such a pretty widower."
Silence.
"William, what—"
"I'm serious, Phi. You have good bone structure. You'd handle the grief really well AND YOUR HUSBAND IS UTTERLY BUTTERLY USELESS."
"liam, are you okay—"
"I'M DYING, PHI. I'm dying from panic-induced heart failure and you'll be so elegant in black at my funeral, please call P'Est too. WOAH he'll look so good in black!!! and the way he looks so elegant he'll probably bring a really nice flower arrangement and—"
"WILLIAM."
He stopped.
Phuwin was standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips, looking at William like he'd just emerged from an alternate dimension.
"Get up."
"No."
"Get up liam"
"I'm staying on this bed forever. They're going to find my skeleton here when they demolish the house."
"Get. Up. Young. Man."
Something in Phuwin's tone made William actually obey, standing up on shaky legs like a newborn fawn.
"Now," Phuwin said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him with very deliberate finality, "you're going to stop spiraling about your date—"
"I wasn't—"
"—and you're going to stop catastrophizing about every possible scenario, and you're going to breathe for five seconds."
"But Phi—"
"Breathe."
William breathed so badly as if it was his first day of breathing. He was hyperventilating a little.
"You're going on a date liam, not in a warzone," Phuwin said, his voice suddenly very calm, very certain. "You are going with a person who you probably have a crush on, not because I forced him, because he wants to."
"But—"
"No buts. Est looked at you and decided he wanted to spend time with you. That's it. That's the only thing that matters."
William's voice came out very small. "What if I mess it up."
"Then you mess it up and you survive it."
"But what if—"
"William." Phuwin stepped closer, his expression softening just slightly. "Stop. You're spiraling like a sixteen-year-old before prom and it's not helping anyone."
"I feel like a sixteen-year-old before prom."
"Are we going to ignore how his hair looks like chicken right now?" Pond said from the corner and immediately burst into a fit of giggles before Phuwin attempted to kill him with his eyes. He turned back to William and softly patted his hair.
"I know liam" Phuwin actually smiled at that. "But you're going to get dressed, you're going to go on this date, and you're going to stop planning your own funeral outta nowhere. Deal?"
William nodded mutely.
"Good." Phuwin turned to Pond, who was still grinning in the corner. "And you. Out."
"But—"
"Out. Now. or you take the couch."
Pond left, still laughing, and the room was finally, blessedly quiet except for William's still-slightly-panicked breathing.
"Come on," Phuwin said gently. "Let's find you something to wear that doesn't make you think about death."
They spent the next hour doing exactly that. Phuwin moved through William's closet with the efficiency of someone who had done this a hundred times before — pulling shirts, holding them up, listening to William's increasingly unhinged commentary on each one.
"This makes me look sad."
"You look fine."
"FINE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH, PHI. I need to look like someone who deserves to be on a date with the most beautiful man alive."
"You already do."
"That's not—" William made a strangled noise. "You're not helping by being nice. I need you to be mean so I can argue with you and distract myself."
"Absolutely not. I'm not enabling that spiral."
Despite his best efforts, William continued spiraling anyway and by the time they'd narrowed it down to two options, William was pacing again, muttering under his breath.
"What if we go and it's awkward. What if we have nothing to talk about. What if he realizes that I'm just... I'm just a lot. I'm too much. I talk too much. I'm too loud. I—"
"William."
He stopped.
Phuwin was holding up a soft blue shirt- one that actually made him look put-together without looking like he'd tried too hard.
"This one," Phuwin said simply. "You wear this, and you stop spiraling for approximately thirty seconds."
"But—"
"Thirty seconds. That's all I'm asking."
William looked at the shirt then at Phuwin and then back at the shirt.
But 11 in the morning, as William was waiting for himself to get some courage to leave the house but the panic was back in full force. He was sitting on the edge of the couch, bouncing his leg frantically, after he checked himself in the mirror for the millionth time.
"The time is coming soon," he whispered, like a man announcing his own execution.
"Yes, stop sounding like it's your sacrifice day." Phuwin said, sitting beside him with the patience of a saint.
"Oh my god I am going to be with P'Est ALONE. TOGETHER!!!"
"Yes, William, that's generally how dates work."
"THAT'S NOT COMFORTING."
"But then you survive it and move on."
William stood up. Sat back down. Stood up again.
"What if my hair looks bad. I didn't check my hair. Did I check my hair?" He ran his hands through it frantically. "I don't think I checked it. It probably looks bad. It looks like I got hit by a tornado—"
"Your hair is fine."
"You're just saying that—"
"William." Phuwin grabbed his arm gently, forcing him to make eye contact. "Listen to me. You're going to have a good time because he's going to be there and he's going to want to be there with you. That's the only thing that matters."
William's voice wavered. "Promise?"
"Promise."
"Yes now you're going to go outside, get in that car, and be yourself. Can you do that?"
William nodded mutely, standing up on legs that felt like jelly.
At the door, he turned back.
"Phi?"
"Yeah?"
"If this goes horribly wrong—"
"It won't."
"But if it does—"
"It won't. Now go. Before he thinks you've changed your mind."
William opened the door, looked back one more time at Phuwin's encouraging smile and then a glance at a quiet pond because he was placed in timeout by his husband till 'liam's date ends'.
==============================================================
William stepped into the pet café, and the first thing he saw was Est. Est was leaning against the counter with a fluffy puppy nestled comfortably in his arms, the little thing clinging to him as Est gently patted its head. He was dressed in a simple brown casual shirt paired with cream trousers, his makeup subtle and his hair neatly styled. There was something effortlessly pretty about him, especially with that soft smile on his face. For a few seconds, William simply stood there, completely mesmerised. He ignored some puppy barking. He couldn’t look away.
Then Est noticed him. His eyes brightened as he looked over, and he took a moment to properly take William in. The younger man was dressed in a soft blue shirt, looking effortlessly handsome.
‘Oh.’ Est’s gaze lingered for a second longer than necessary. ‘Forget what my type is supposed to be, he’s completely my type.’ A small smile appeared on his lips.
“Let’s sit down?” Est said and William sat down, mentally scolding his lungs to breathe properly, “What do you want to eat?.”
"You." William realised what he said and finally snapped back to reality. “Uh—I mean whatever you give me- I MEAN” His mind scrambled to find the right words, “I’ll take whatever you recommend.”
Est smiled a little and disappeared behind the counter and his smile widened so bad his jaw almost hurt 'Phuwin didn't say he is THAT cute'.
A few minutes later, he returned with two matcha lattes, a chocolate pastry, and a slice of pistachio cheesecake. William looked at the table, then at Est.
“We can share the flavours,” Est said casually. “I don’t mind.” William’s brain stopped working for approximately three seconds.
‘Share?’
His ears immediately turned red, 'we are already sharing dessert one day we'll share rooms and closets and clothes and-'
"William?" Est tapped the table slightly, snapping William back to reality. "Let's eat?" He nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Yeah yes yes. Sure.”
Est had to hide his smile. ‘Sweet lord he is adorable.’
Once they started talking, the awkwardness disappeared surprisingly quickly, not to mention the furry babies helped a lot. They talked about their favourite colours, songs, movies, hobbies, and all the little things they usually wouldn’t think to ask someone on a first meeting. William was easy to talk to. More importantly, he was funny. He had a way of turning even the most ordinary stories into something that made Est laugh, and every time Est laughed, William looked a little too pleased with himself.
Est, on the other hand, had a quiet way of making William feel adored. He listened when William spoke. Remembered the little things. Asked questions instead of letting the conversation die. There was no pressure, no awkward silence they needed to fill. Just two people slowly discovering how easy it was to enjoy each other’s company.
“So what do you do again?” Est asked.
William stared.
“…Me?”
“Do we have another William on the table, Nong.”
And William flushed the deepest shade of red known to humanity.
“Uhm..I..actually own a brand..small brand phi.”
“What’s the name?” Est asked out of curiosity.
"Uhm..ZAVEN...I am not sure if you know-"
A flash of familiarity passed Est’s face as soon as the name rolled off William's tongue, he slowly pulled the bracelet hidden under the sleeve of his shirt and turned it around, and there in golden letters, were engraved the letters,
ZAVEN.
William felt like crying and smiling at the same time..what do you mean, Est had the newly launched ZAVEN bracelet, which William wasn't sure If people will like it, if he had known Est had bought one, he would personally deliver it to him HECK he would get him a customised one.
Est grinned looking at William, “Looks like I am already aware how small your brand is”
William didn’t trust his voice at the moment so he just smiled and nodded. By the time their date came to an end, neither of them wanted to say goodbye. Est eventually drove William back to his place. The entire ride was filled with William’s voice. He sang along loudly to every song that came on, occasionally getting the lyrics completely wrong and confidently continuing anyway.
Est tried his best not to laugh and laughed anyways. “You know that’s not the lyrics, right?” Est asked, glancing at him at a red light.
William didn’t even hesitate. “I’m adding my own artistic soul’s blood and love.”
Est giggled,“Of course you are.”
A few songs later, Est found himself quietly singing along too. William immediately looked over, looking far too pleased.
“See! You like this song!”
“I never said I didn't."
"But you made the face that looked like you'll throw me out of your car if I play this song again, but you are actually vibing now!!."
Est shook his head, laughing,“You’re very annoying.”
“But you had fun.”
“…yes I did.”
William grinned at the compliment.When they finally reached his place, Est parked the car and turned off the engine. “We’re here.”
William looked out the window, then back at Est. His smile slowly turned into a pout “Right…” He sounded genuinely disappointed. “I was having a blast.”
Est chuckled. “Yeah. You were.” He turned toward William with a small smile.
“Should we have another blast on our next date?”
William’s eyes lit up instantly. He looked like a puppy who had just been promised a treat “Yes!” Est laughed at his reaction. William suddenly became a little shy. “So…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It was a successful date?”.
Est looked at him for a moment. “Yes, William. His smile softened. “I really enjoyed your company.” William’s face brightened with pride. Mission successful. Although every part of him wanted to stay in the car and cling to Est like a koala for another few hours, he had to be a gentleman. So, reluctantly, he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out.
He closed the door, jogged to Est’s window and knocked on it. Est lowered the window, amused. “What is it?” William leaned down slightly, giving him his brightest boyish smile. “Thank you for coming, Phi.” His voice was completely sincere. “I loved today. Like, really loved it.”
Est’s expression softened. “Me too, Nong.” William smiled. “Good...”
He turned to leave when he heard the click of the car door, he looked back to see Est stepping out of car. William stood there, waiting, while Est silently came forward till they were close enough to breathe each other's cologne. Est lifted his hand and ruffled William's hair, "Take care willy, I've never met someone like you." and if that was not to fasten William's heartbeat, Est tilted his head and placed a light kiss at his cheek and stepped back. William's eyes widened like saucers. He stared at Est who just smiled while his eyes turned crescent moons.
“See you on our next date Willy?” Est asked, smiling. “I’ll text you the details.”
And before William could process what had just happened, Est sat in the car, ignited the engine and drove away leaving a red faced William.
William stood there, completely frozen. His hand slowly rose to his cheek. His ears turned bright red.
“Did… did he just—“
He stared at the disappearing car. Pond who had stepped out hearing the car looked at the wide eyed William with his hand plastered to his cheek and red flush rising on his face.
"What the- William?? I told you to behave didn't I? DID HE JUST SLAP YOU? OH MY GODD!!!"
William slowlly turned towards him and a ridiculously wide smile spread across his face. Pond looked at him, "How hard did he slap you? Have you lost your mind?? Why are you grinning like a maniac-"
"Phi Pond"
"WHAT NOW?"
"Start preparing" William stared at him blankly.
"For what? your funeral?"
"My wedding, with P'Est. This man who just drove away is coming back one day in the same car in the prettiest white suit to take me to our wedding venue. He is going to be the father of my kids." William rambled while he kept his hand plastered to his face. The realisation settled in both Pond and William a minute late. Pond just groaned at his ridiculous brother and the ridiculous brother suddly started jumping like a kangaroo, Pond being the first target of attack. He jumped on Pond
"OH MY GODDD OH MY GODDD PHI POND!!!!1 I AM GOING TO GET MARRIED TO PHI ESTT!!!!! OH MYYY HE EVEN KISSED MY CHEEK HE DIDN'T FIND ME WEIRD YAYY I LOVE PHI PHUWIN FROM BRINGING THIS ANGEL IN MY LIFE-" and he kept screaming and babbling like that. Pond knew there was no use of asking him to stop so he just sighed and moved inside the house with his barnacle of a brother clinging to him.
LATER AT NIGHT
William was laying in his bed, grinning so wide even the ceiling would get creeped out by him"
“Next date…”
William whispered to himself for nth time. He was definitely not sleeping tonight.
FEW WEEKS LATER:
William's room was now a museum.
The first time William didn't come home for three days, Pond didn't notice. He was busy at work. Phuwin was on a project. The house stayed quiet and it was fine. The second week, when William texted that he was staying at Est's because they'd gone to a late movie and his apartment was closer, Phuwin acknowledged it with a thumbs up. No big deal. Normal boyfriend stuff. By week three, there was a pattern forming. William would text in the afternoon, casual, like an afterthought. Staying over at P'Est's. Don't wait up. Or sometimes just a location pin, no explanation necessary. The understood thing hung between the words anyway: he wouldn't be coming home.
"He's staying at Est's again?" Phuwin had asked, not even bothering to hide his smile.
"Apparently."
The Spider-Man mug sat untouched in the kitchen cabinet. The snacks in the pantry had started to expire. Pond found himself looking at it every time he opened the cabinet, like it might suddenly explain where his brother had gone and when exactly he'd decided to stop coming home. On day five, William showed up for dinner. He lasted approximately forty minutes, most of which he spent giggling at his phone under the table like a seventeen-year-old, not man in his twenties who supposedly lived here.
"What are you laughing at?" Pond asked.
"Nothing."
"You're clearly laughing at something."
"Just P'Est being so cute and blushy and..." he trailed off, not bothering to speak anymore because he was typing again.
He left at eight o'clock, citing an early morning with Est, and didn't come back until the following Sunday. When he did, he wasn't actually there to stay. He was there to grab clothes and his laptop and something he claimed he needed from the kitchen, though he never actually specified what it was.
By week three, William's drawer was looking sparse. His toothbrush had migrated to Est's apartment. The snacks in the pantry had started to expire because William wasn't here to eat them.
And Pond had stopped mentioning it, had stopped waiting up to hear the door, had stopped noticing that the house was quieter now, that dinner was just him and Phuwin, that the guest room stayed empty and pristine like a showroom.
It was fine. This was fine. William was happy, he was doing what he was supposed to do, moving on with his life. This was healthy. This was good. This was what he wanted.
One morning, Pond wandered into the kitchen before Phuwin had even woken up, still in that half-asleep state where nothing quite made sense and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
He opened the cabinet to grab a mug for coffee.
The Spider-Man mug stared back at him. That ridiculous, childish, bright red Spider-Man mug that William had insisted on buying three years ago and had used approximately seventeen times since then. It had survived being shoved to the back of the cabinet, survived being knocked aside for Phuwin's fancy ones, survived everything except William actually being home to use it.
Pond stared at it for longer than was reasonable for a mug.
Phuwin's voice came from behind him, sleep-rough and amused.
"Aww is the old dad missing his son after he wed him off?"
Pond didn't turn around. "What?"
Phuwin laughed, "You look exactly like that, looking at his mug and all" Pond huffed.
"When he first started staying at Est's. You were thrilled. Finally got your vacation to yourself. Finally got the house back. Remember?"
"I don't remember saying that."
"You didn't say it. You just spent two weeks looking like a man whose dreams had come true." Phuwin appeared beside him in his old college t-shirt, hair sticking up on one side, and looked at the mug with something that might have been sympathy or might have been amusement.
Pond closed the cabinet. "He doesn't need it. He has mugs at Est's apartment."
"He does."
"Better mugs, probably, matching ones even, like there's no reason for William to come home just to use a Spider-Man mug that he bought as a joke."
Phuwin was quiet for a moment, then he stepped closer, pressing against Pond's back, hands circling around his waist as he placed his chin on Pond's shoulder.
"You miss him," Phuwin said simply.
"I don't miss him."
"You're being weird about a mug."
"You wanted him gone, now that he is, you are being soggy about it."
Pond leaned back against him, which was basically an admission of defeat.
"He's been gone for three weeks," Pond said quietly.
"I know."
"He used to be here for dinner. He used to complain about things. He used to—" Pond stopped, because this sounded pathetic and also accurate and he didn't particularly want to examine it too closely.
"He used to fill the house up," Phuwin finished for him. "All that noise and chaos and completely unreasonable requests at odd hours."
"Yeah."
and Pond suddenly turned around, hands settling on Phuwin's waist, "let's make it up for all the times we were interrupted."
Pond grabbed him by the collar and kissed him properly, the kind of kiss that tasted like morning breath and coffee and three years of knowing exactly how to fit together. Phuwin made a soft sound and pulled him closer, and Pond was just thinking about how they could probably make it to the bedroom, or maybe just stay here because he was impatient, when the doorbell rang.
Once. Twice. Then five times in rapid succession, the rhythm of someone who had absolutely no patience and knew exactly which button would get him inside fastest.
Pond made a sound that was more growl than word and didn't let go of Phuwin.
"Ignore it," he said against his mouth.
"Could be important—"
"Ignore it."
The doorbell rang again, and Phuwin was already laughing, already pulling away, already smoothing down his shirt like he hadn't just been pinned against the counter by a man who was rapidly running out of patience for interruptions.
"Baby no-"
But Phuwin was already opening and what or precisely who tumbled in was,
........
.............
William,
like he'd been waiting just on the other side, all chaotic energy and bright eyes, and he launched himself at Phuwin before the door was even fully open.
"Phi!" He hugged him like he hadn't seen him in months instead of three weeks. "I missed you so much. So so much. It's been forever."
Behind him, Est stood holding a canvas tote bag filled with what looked like marinade ingredients, pink to the tips of his ears, looking like he wanted the porch to swallow him whole.
"I mistakenly summoned the devil, leave my husband it's been a few days.." Pond said flatly from the hallway.
"Eleven days is a long time, Phi Pond. That's like... a lot of days."
Est gave a small wave, looking apolegetic when he took in Phuwin and Pond's disheveled sight.. Pond pulled him in a side bro hug.
William held up the tote bag like a peace offering. "We're barbecuing in our yard. I brought everything. Including P'Est.
Phuwin said, "That's very thoughtful of you." already pulling William inside properly, already stepping aside to let Est through.
"I know, I'm very thoughtful," William said, completely missing the way Est mouthed I'm so sorry as he shuffled past. Phuwin just squeezed his shoulder and smiled in that way that said welcome to the family, good luck surviving this.
Pond remained in the hallway, regarding the sudden invasion of his afternoon with all the enthusiasm of someone who he was missing a few moments ago but waned to strangle now.
William hugged a very grumpy looking pond, who reciprocated but his face was giving 'Get tf out of my house'
"Helloo phiii, why do you look like you've not been getting enough-"
"Don't complete that sentence"
"-sleep. I meant sleep, what did you think?" William pulled the most innocent face as Pond shoved him away.
The barbecue, as it turned out, was mostly William directing traffic from his position of self-appointed grill master while Pond operated the actual grill with the grim efficiency of a man who'd rather be literally anywhere else.
"The coals need to be hotter on the left side," William called, holding a chicken breast aloft like it was Exhibit A in a court case.
"The coals are fine."
"They're not fine, they're lukewarm, you're going to ruin this chicken and then I'm going to have to tell P'Est that you sabotaged dinner and he'll think you don't like him."
"At this point, I like cockroaches more than I like you idiot, atleast they don't interrupt me and my husband."
"Ohhh so something was going on hmm" William wiggled his brows.
"Ofcourse something was going on and a lot more would have went on if you didn't sabotage it, but how'd you understand you are not married." Pond rolled his eyes and William immediately smirked patting his shoulders,
"Oh phi... you really think marriage is the entry form I'll fill to know everything...I know everything...you know my boyfriend and I made sure to go through everything... theoretically and practically." His smirk widened while Pond looked like his eyes would fall out of the socket,
"OH MY GOD KIDS THESE DAYS HAVE NO SHAME" he whispered loudly while William laughed like crazy.
On the back steps, well away from the bickering, Phuwin and Est had settled with beers, watching the show with the relaxed appreciation of people who knew better than to get involved.
"What do you think they are talking about?" Phuwin asked, looking at them while Est shrugged, "They look adorable, I bet it's something nice."
"Both of them are just big puppies."
Est laughed, that soft, unguarded thing that William had apparently fallen for first, and across the yard William's entire body went still. His head snapped up from the grill like a meerkat caught mid-sentence, mid-argument, just to look over at him. Est went scarlet. William nearly dropped the tongs, caught them at the last second, and then pretended he'd meant to do that.
"Young love~," Phuwin sighed, taking a long pull from his beer.
The sun went down slowly. The chicken got eaten. Someone turned on the porch lights, and the yard took on that golden, stretched-out quality that only happened in summer when evening decided to take its time.
William sprawled across the living room rug after they'd moved inside, his head finding Est's lap like it had mapped out the geography months ago. Est's hand settled into his hair without discussion, without negotiation, like this was already their language.
That's when William did it.
"We're sleeping over."
Pond didn't look up from his phone. "No."
"Yes."
"You literally moved in with Est. You have an entire apartment. Go sleep over there."
"But I want to sleep over here." William's voice took on that specific quality, the one he'd perfected over years of getting his way with Phuwin. He tilted his head back, eyes huge, deploying what could only be described as weapons-grade puppy dog eyes. "P'Est wants to sleep with me."
There was a moment of perfect, profound silence.
Est choked on his beer. Actually choked, bent forward, face going red, while William pounded his back with the kind of concerned dedication that suggested he genuinely hadn't realized what he'd said.
"I mean," William's ears went scarlet, climbing up toward his hairline, "I mean he wants to have a sleepover, with me. A sleepover. The sleeping kind."
"Mm," Pond said without looking up. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
"Pond," Phuwin warned, fighting a smile so hard it was visible in his shoulders.
"Go to your apartment or his apartment. You have two apartments between you."
"But the vibe here is better!"
Pond actually looked up at that. "The vibe?"
"It's cozy! There's a big TV! P'Phuwin makes the good popcorn!"
"I do make the good popcorn," Phuwin agreed, not helping.
"Don't encourage him. I'm begging you."
Est, recovered, cleared his throat carefully. "Actually, a sleepover does sound nice. We could set up mattresses in the hallway, all four of us. A proper one. Movies, snacks, that thing where you pretend to be tired but you're really not tired—"
"Yes!" William pointed at him triumphantly, like Est had just solved a complex equation. "See? P'Est wants to —"
"Don't," Est and Pond said in unison, a harmony born of mutual self-preservation.
"You guys are no fun, I meant to say he wants to watch a movie" William grumbled, but he was grinning. "We're doing this. I've decided. It's happening."
Phuwin stood up. "Okay. But you're helping set it up."
"Deal."
Two hours later, the hallway had been transformed.
Mattresses arranged wall to wall, overlapping in places so no one would accidentally roll off onto cold floor tiles. Fairy lights strung along the upper molding, casting everything in soft gold. A mountain of blankets piled in the corner like a nest, and the good popcorn in the good bowl, the one Phuwin only broke out for occasions.
Some terrible action movie played on the TV but nobody was actually watching it. William had taken it upon himself to provide his own narrative over the top, complete with voice acting for all the characters.
"And then the guy goes," William was saying, in what he presumably thought was an intense action hero voice but sounded more like a man with a cold, "I will defeat you with my muscles and also with my—"
A piece of popcorn hit him square in the forehead.
"What?" William turned to Pond with the indignation of someone personally wronged. "You don't like my commentary?"
"I would rather listen to the smoke alarm."
"That's very harsh, Phi."
"That's very accurate."
It was around the second movie, somewhere between William falling asleep and then suddenly waking up to complain about plot holes, that Pond staged what could only be described as a tactical retreat.
He stretched with theatrical casualness, the kind of stretch that involved elaborate groaning.
"Well," he announced, "my back's absolutely killing me. These mattresses are terrible for posture. Very bad for spinal health, Phuwin, I think we need to sleep in our actual bed. For health reasons...."
Phuwin didn't even bother fighting a smile. "Right?"
"Very serious spinal health situation, could be a big problem if we don't go to our room"
"Mm-hm." Phuwin let himself be hauled up anyway, knowing exactly what was happening and choosing not to fight it. "Night, both of you. Don't stay up too late."
William waited exactly ninety-three seconds, Pond counted later, before he turned to Est with a yawn so elaborate and obviously fake it deserved its own award show.
"Wow," William said, stretching like a cat, "You know what, me too. My spine, actually my whole spine, P'Est. I just realized. The entire thing is tired."
"Your entire spine is tired?"
"And also the movie's too loud out here. Very loud. I don't think I can sleep with all this sound pollution. We should go to the my room, for sleeping purposes, with a door that closes."
Est looked at him for a long moment, at this ridiculous, beautiful boy with popcorn in his hair and stars in his eyes, and smiled so softly that William forgot his entire practiced bit. Whatever he'd been about to say dissolved into nothing.
"Okay," Est said simply, and let himself be pulled up, knowing sleep was the last thing they'd do.
In the guest room, door shut against the hallway noise and the lingering sounds of the movie, the teasing finally quieted.
William pulled Est down onto the bed and into his chest with the kind of urgency that suggested he'd been waiting for this, for quiet, for the absence of an audience. He tucked Est's head under his chin, breathing in the familiar smell of his shampoo, some kind of lavender thing that always made William feel calmer somehow.
"Eleven days was too long," William mumbled into his hair. His thumb traced slow circles on Est's back. "I missed them. But I kept thinking the whole time, what if I come back and everything's different? What if P'Pond's finally convinced P'Phuwin to change the locks?"
Est tilted his face up, and in the darkness William could just make out his expression, soft and certain and something that looked like love, though they hadn't said it yet. They were circling around it, getting closer every day, but they hadn't done the actual thing yet. The proposal, which was waiting for them somewhere in the future.
"Is it different?" Est asked quietly.
"Yeah." William's hand came up to trace Est's cheekbone, slow, wondering, like he was learning his face all over again. "It's better... I didn't lose them instead I got you too."
William pressed their lips together, unhurried, the kind of kiss that suggested they had all the time in the world. No rushing, no performance. Just the two of them and the dark and the way Est's hand slid up to curl at the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair.
The house settled around them, warm and full and exactly as chaotic as it was meant to be.
Down the hall, Pond yelled through the wall that some people were actually trying to sleep, and could they please stop with the giggling because it was disgusting and also very loud.
Nobody stopped giggling.