Chapter Text
Phuwin has a simple dream; he actually shared it in one interview: He wants to get married and have a child—a family of his own. Despite saying it out loud, truthfully, he has never thought about it seriously, how or when or with whom. It’s just a dream because the thought of having a little loving family like the one his parents created for him is grounding and reassuring.
Yet this moment, this very moment, he sees that dream realised right in front of his eyes, crystal clear and real and warm— almost close enough to hold.
Pond, his closest trusted person in this world, the one he does not know how to label, someone who is not just a close friend, but not a romantic partner, is walking side by side with Permpoon among the crowd of fans cheering joyfully for them.
Permpoon, the cutest creature who regards Pond and him as parents, whom they both couldn’t wait to bring into the world, is swaying to both sides and skipping steps in joy. His big head pumps into Pond; Pond loses his balance and nearly falls. Pond, ever the gentle soul he is, doesn’t get angry and just laughs loudly while giving Permpoon the most gentle knock to the head and mouths: “Be careful, little one.”
Phuwin, who witnesses this entire adorable sequence playing in front of him, is suddenly hit with a whirlwind of unbidden emotions. His eyes blur with tears, and the world around him seems to stop.
His vision zooms into Pond and Permpoon only. Is this an illusion, or is this real life? He asks himself—because this is the first time in his life that the dream he had becomes as clear as daylight. The family he was dreaming of is here and now. The family he nurtured with care, love, gentleness, and with prudence is blossoming into something so real. He might not need to dream anymore because if he just takes some steps forward, he will be able to reach them, touch them, and hold them tight in his embrace—his love, his child.
“You are delusional, Phuwin.” He shakes his head to snap back to reality. Permpoon is a character and not his child, and Pond is his partner, not (yet) his husband. This parasocial relationship he has with a mascot and his co-actor is alarming, and it’s messing with his head.
But then so what? So what if he is feeling all the feels today? He thinks he is allowed to.
Before Permpoon came, Phuwin had been smitten with Pond, and honestly, if anyone ever spends that much time in his vicinity, he or she would certainly fall head over heels anyway. Pond is the single most heart-warming soul in this world, too pure, too innocent, too loving. Sometimes, even after all these years, Phuwin looks at Pond and wonders what he did in his last life to deserve this luck, to have someone so genuine like Pond as a partner, and being spoiled every day by his caring and act-of-service nature.
The day Permpoon, the mascot, came into their life, it was like a dam broke open.
Phuwin thought he understood Pond, but Permpoon revealed a different side of him: an even more gentle and sweet side, with his voice noticeably softer and his laugh unknowingly brighter every time he talked to Permpoon. Phuwin recalls thinking Pond would be a great father someday, but never dared to put himself into his picture.
But today, today, for some absurd reasons, maybe it’s the high of the fanmeet, the overwhelming feeling of love and hard work being celebrated, Phuwin looks at Pond and Permpoon and thinks: “He is such a great father to our child, and I want this with him, with them. I want a family and an entire future with him.”
Here they are, a family of his own. Him, the one he loves, and a child.
All these realisations hit him at once, and he cannot contain them anymore. From afar, as if feeling something, Pond turns back to walk to him, and Permpoon follows suit with his waddling feet. The moment their eyes meet, Phuwin's tears come bursting out as he ducks his head down to cry.
He sobs and sobs, and people around him startle because they have never seen him like this.
Oh, how is he to explain that the reason he is crying is standing right beside him, holding him close, tapping his shoulder to ground him. How is he to explain that he just realised he is in love with the one person whom he met at 17 and has chosen to stay right beside him for these past 6 years? He is in love with Pond, and suddenly, the world slots into place, and everything feels right.