Chapter Text
Pond loved his mother.
How could he not? When Pond was little and afraid of thunder, trying his best to act like a big boy and pretend it didn't bother him, his mother would always seem to just know. She would suddenly tell him that she wanted to read him a story.
It was thanks to his mother that he discovered playing with his hair made him sleepy. When he played hooky in high school because he didn't want to go to class, it was his mother who told his father to just leave him alone.
And when Pond expressed that he wanted to study abroad, that he wanted to visit Spider-Man's city, his mother hadn't hesitated for a single second. She rolled out the red carpet for him and sent him off to another country, even though she knew she would miss her son terribly.
Since he was the firstborn and his birth had been a bit complicated, Pond knew his mother treasured him deeply. But sometimes, he wished.
I wish you wouldn’t smother me so much, Mama.
"TWO DAYS?!" Pond winced and pulled the phone away from his ear at the sound of his mother’s shrieking voice, which he was certain was echoing through every corner of the family mansion. "Are you mocking me, Nara? You tell me you're coming at the last minute! You choose to stay in a hotel when you have a warm home right here, and now you say two—"
Pond wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder, nervously rummaging through his tote bag with his head down. His flight had just landed, he was sleep-deprived, and past experiences—bless them—constantly compelled him to check his belongings. Pushing his AirPods aside with the back of his hand, he gave his mother a distracted hum.
He had clamped his carry-on suitcase between his legs, dropping anchor right in the middle of the airport, and he could feel the strange looks from people passing by, wondering why he was blocking the way. But he had priorities, okay?
He couldn't lose his passport again. The mere thought of it gave him goosebumps.
"Is this how little your mother matters to you? I haven't seen you in months, and you can’t even bother to visit the mother who carried you with love for nine months? Should I just faint from heartbreak?" His mother's complaining was sounding more guilt-inducing now; he was positive she was even faking a weird sniffle.
He involuntarily rolled his eyes, but his hands kept moving fast, opening every single pocket of his green messenger bag as panic slowly began to seep into him. He bit his lip.
Okay, calm down. Camera, tissues, allergy pills, gum, charger, tangled wired earphones, three-year-old mints—
Ah, fuck, he couldn't multitask to save his life. What hellhole had he shoved that stupid passport into?
"Are you even listening to me?" his mother yelled again, her voice snapping back to angry. "Don't just keep humming at me. You aren't listening, are you? You never do anything your mother asks! You didn't even look at the candidates I sent you, did you?"
"Ah, come on, Mama!" Pond said, finally snapping. The words came out through gritted teeth, almost like a hiss. Defeated, he lifted his hands from his bag and let them drop onto his knees. "I told you I'm not marrying anyone. Just drop it. Is this really the time?"
"I can't even have a proper conversation with my son for there to be a right time! I would have loved to grab coffee, have a meal, and talk about your prospects when we're both relaxed. But no!" Pond closed his eyes and took deep breaths, praying to the gods for this torture to end. "Yena! Bring my medicine, my ungrateful son has dropped my blood sugar again! Pond, I swear, if you don't look at that file—"
"Mama, please..." Feeling like he was on the verge of tears, Pond pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers, shaking his shoulders like a whining child. He was an inch away from throwing a tantrum and stomping his foot. His voice had lost the battle, dropping to a thin, vulnerable tone. "I'm still so young. How many times do I have to say it? I don't have the capacity to be a husband. My school isn't even finished—"
"You rascal, that school of yours is never-ending. You're a smart kid, I don't understand how you haven't graduated yet. You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?" Catching her breath, his mother dove back into her speech between what sounded like sharp, dramatic gasps. "You just don't want this old mother of yours to see some happiness. Look! You came all this way for your friend's wedding, would it kill you to take a page out of their book?"
Exhausted and crushed under the weight of the jet lag, Pond realized there was no getting through to her. As his shoulders slumped, he just let his mother ramble on, letting her dump every ounce of her grievances right in his face.
He had no choice. If he argued, she would resort back to nagging him to fulfill his duty of calling her every single day. His mother’s wrath was nothing to play with.
Taking off his glasses, he pushed them up into his messy black hair and massaged the aching corners of his eyes, throbbing from the lack of sleep. Meanwhile, he couldn't stop himself from instinctively nodding along to show he was listening. As he stared down into his wide-open bag sitting on top of his carry-on, a fresh wave of despair washed over him.
I'm dead, he thought to himself. How am I supposed to get back home? Damn passport!
"Mama, you know that's not true. No, I don't have a partner. No, I'm not interested in unusual orientations either. An Alpha? Mama—Mama, listen to me. I still like Omegas, okay? I'm just not ready to be a husband."
When he absentmindedly plunged his hand into the pocket of his parachute pants—which were the same green color as his tote bag—his breath suddenly caught. His eyes went wide. The textured feel brushing against his palm felt like a bucket of boiling water had been poured over his head.
"Oh my god, Pond," he muttered to himself in an utterly exhausted tone, unable to suppress the urge to curse his own stupidity.
Because when he lifted his hand up, his passport was sitting right there. It caught the sunlight filtering through the airport's skylights, glittering with an infuriating sheen that practically blinded him.
The stupid little booklet—the one he had spent the last half hour searching for everywhere, the one he had just finished imagining a whole scenario about where it fell on the plane and he'd have to go to the office, drop to his knees, and beg while filing a lost item report—had been in his pocket the entire time.
His expression went deadpan. He didn't even have the energy left to get angry about it. Letting out a heavy sigh, he shoved it back into his pocket, took the phone wedged against his ear back into his hand, and pushed the strap of his bag back up onto his shoulder. Adjusting the handle of his suitcase to match his height with his other hand, he finally began to walk.
He needed to check in at the hotel, rent an iron to press his suit, and grab a damn sandwich from some convenience store to silence the growling monster in his stomach. And oh... even worse, he had to deal with Gemini's pre-wedding jitters.
He was carrying the inevitable stress of a man who knew he was about to get a holy lecture from Gemini about how he could possibly be late for the groom's rehearsal.
His friend, just like everyone else in his circle, was another expert at exaggerating.
The moment his skin hit Thailand’s humid, stifling, brutally hot air, leaving behind the comforting air conditioning of the airport, he winced and immediately scanned the area for a taxi. At the same time, he was still trying to explain things to his mother.
"Mama, it's only two days. I have exams right after. I barely managed to make time for the wedding as it is. Otherwise, why wouldn't I come visit my sweet mother?"
This was a massive lie. Or maybe Pond had just started counting four days as two. Of course, as long as nobody found out, there was no harm done.
*
Thailand's convenience store sandwiches surprised him big time. Serving lightly grilled spiced chicken with sweet mayonnaise and lettuce wasn't exactly an unpredictable menu choice, but it didn't take much to please Pond, and it had almost made his day.
Almost.
For instance, why do grooms have three suits? Is this necessary, or is it just a voluntary form of torture? What difference does it make which one he wears while walking down the aisle, or during the traditional Thai ritual, or while sipping a martini at the after-party?
You'd have to ask Gemini about that. And Pond, honestly, did. He couldn't care less whether his friend wore a dark blue shirt with a navy suit or a baby blue shirt with a navy suit. And when Gemini told him that one of them reflected the light better while raising a toast, Pond's half-closed eyes shot him a deeply judgmental look.
A circumcision ceremony—ah, no, no, sorry. The groom's rehearsal.
How the fuck could a rehearsal take three hours? Which brain cells had Gemini lost to hitting golf balls during Pond's absence?
A thousand different attentive employees were bustling around, offering precise critiques with professional smiles on their faces, paying sweet compliments to Gemini as he spun around on the platform like a dog chasing its own tail right in front of him.
Pond, buried in a luxurious down sofa that practically swallowed him with its cushions, couldn't stop grunting every single second. It was boring—disastrously so—to the point where he was about to lose his mind watching his friend stare into the mirror with smiling eyes, listening intently to a description of a tie made of fabric from Italy.
And it wasn't like Gemini was some lonely guy with no friends. He could have brought other people instead of Pond, but of course not. He just had to push Pond's patience to the limit.
Supposedly, this was punishment for calling him so rarely over the past month. Pond was considered a hopeless case because he hadn't replied to the arguments over whether they should use gold embossing on the invitation cards...
That day, while choking on the scent of rose-scented fabric softener swirling through the luxury suites, Pond's eyes had widened in disbelief as he drank his third coffee. "Jesus, Gem, you asked me if the floral decorations should be lavender or lily. What exactly did you expect me to say?"
"It’s not about the flowers," Gemini said, clutching his heart and sighing, though his face instantly dropped back into a flat expression as he tried to fold the pocket square for his suit in the mirror. There was something lacking in his orange scent; his voice trembled again. "It’s about replying, about being the person who is there, about not leaving your friend alone on this important day!"
Such a dramatic bastard...
Pond, in his dirty Air Forces, buried inside a gray hoodie and looking like any other student—a far cry from the look of the black suit he had brought along to wear for the wedding—pushed his glasses back up his nose and let out another deliberate groan. It came out of his chest like a snort.
"You're exaggerating so much, baby."
He was seriously too sleepy for this nonsense.
"No, because you are a caveman!" Gemini finally lost his patience and threw the pocket square in his hand right at Pond. Ducking out of reflex, Pond let the handkerchief hit his shoulder and slowly slide down onto his hoodie.
"Thank you," Pond said shamelessly, taking the handkerchief and pretending to blow his nose with it. "I’ll use this at the after-party."
He could hear a few of the employees around them laughing now. Gemini, meanwhile, was staring at him with a look of pure horror on his face. "I hate you."
"Liar." Pond took another sip of his coffee. The ice had melted ages ago. "You love me."
"Not right now."
"That's just your wedding stress talking."
"Pond."
"Gem."
"Pond Naravit—"
"Alright, alright. Geez, fine." Pond raised his hands in surrender, finally sitting up a bit on the sofa. "Look, I'm sorry. I've been a bit MIA lately."
The dramatic expression on Gemini's face softened for a moment. Seeing this, Pond let out a quiet, internal sigh. Because that was the thing. Gemini could be one of the most exhausting people on the planet, but Pond could always tell when he was genuinely hurt.
And guilt, unfortunately, was one of Pond's least favorite old friends.
"How's New York?" Gemini asked, his voice much more normal this time. He looked at Pond through the mirror as one of the employees came over to adjust the sleeve of the jacket on his shoulder. "Are you still scraping by?"
"Financially or mentally?"
"Both."
Pond pretended to think about it. "Yes."
Gemini finally snorted. "How's your studio?"
The question made Pond’s shoulders instinctively relax. "Good," he said, faster this time. His voice sounded more genuine. "It's actually really good. We did a cover shoot for a band last month. Joong is still trying to hand out discounts by flirting with the clients, but we're paying rent now. So, technically, we're successful adults."
"Whoa." Gemini’s eyes widened. "You guys have actually grown up."
"We haven't. We forgot to pay the electricity bill last week."
"Okay, now that sounds familiar."
Pond smirked and downed the last of the coffee at the bottom of his cup. His face immediately contorted. It was ice-cold. As it sent a jolt to his brain, the white lights on the ceiling suddenly caught his eyes so sharply that he had a mini heart attack, thinking he was ascending to heaven or something.
He immediately rubbed his eyes with his hand. "Oh my god, man, there are way too many lights in this place."
Gemini fixed his brown locks with his hand and looked at him through the mirror, letting out a soft laugh. "By the way," he said, returning his gaze to his reflection, unable to hide the smug expression forming on his face. "When my mom found out you were coming, she put every single worker in the house on high alert."
Pond grunted. "Am I some kind of state official?"
"Worse than that." Gemini sighed, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. "The woman got up at six in the morning and went down to the kitchen. She made the chef cry, going, 'Pond has become skin and bones, is the boy starving over there?'"
"You're exaggerating."
"No, really, the woman actually cried."
Pond’s face contorted. "Mama's dramatic flair is contagious."
"Well, we've been neighbors for 18 years, so it's about time," Gemini said, raising and lowering his arms as if doing some warm-up exercises, looking like he was getting ready to go for a run in a bit. Pond's eyebrows knit into a comical line. "But honestly, I think it's in your family genetics."
Pond's face fell. "I'm taking that as an insult."
"I meant it as a fact."
Pond rolled his eyes. When one of the employees bustling around handed him a fresh coffee, he took it with both hands as if it were a sacred object. "Finally," he muttered. "Civilization."
Gemini scrutinized him from head to toe. "Have you slept at all?"
"Two hours on the plane."
"Why do you look like you just crawled out of a grave after two hours of sleep?"
Pond stared blankly at him as he brought the cup to his lips. "Because I thought the guy next to me on the plane died from snoring."
Gemini burst out laughing. "No, I'm serious," Pond added immediately. "At one point, I thought about calling the flight attendant. Because the guy suddenly went dead quiet. He literally wasn't breathing."
"Why is your energy always like an old lady's?" Gemini asked as he hopped on his patent leather shoes. When he twisted his waist, it made a horrific cracking sound that made Pond feel like he was losing his own soul. What was this guy doing, preparing for the Olympics in a suit?
"Because my soul is 78 years old."
"I can agree with that."
As one of the employees placed a different jacket onto Gemini’s shoulders, Pond let his head fall back against the sofa. His eyes drifted to the ceiling. "You guys are really getting married, huh."
The expression on Gemini’s face changed for a moment. It softened into something sweeter. "Yeah," he said quietly. The memory of Fourth’s excited smile flashing across his mind made him break into a stupid grin.
Pond exhaled through his nose. "Terrifying."
"Thank you."
"No, I mean..." Pond waved his hand in the air. "Isn't it so weird that a person wants to see you for the rest of their life? When I stay in the same house with someone for three days straight, I feel like I'm being held hostage."
Gemini smirked. "Because you are not falling in love, and generally, you run away."
"I don't run away."
"Pond, you’re like an emotional customer service hotline. You talk politely to everyone, but you don't let anyone inside."
"Whoa." Pond raised his eyebrows. "That's therapy talk. Is Fourth teaching you this stuff?"
"My fiancé is an educated man." Gemini gave himself a reassuring nod, finally deciding that the suit wouldn't rip no matter what he did. As the conversation came back to him, he puffed out his chest, bragging. "And he's a lawyer, Pond. Not a therapist."
"Stop saying 'my fiancé,' it sounds so terrifying."
Gemini laughed and shook his head. "What did you think? That we were going to live like university students forever?"
"That was my plan."
"Walking around in a hoodie at 35, surviving on coffee?"
"I feel personally attacked right now."
"Because the truth hurts."
Pond dramatically clutched his chest. "I find this relationship toxic."
"Shut up and give me an honest opinion on one of these suits."
"They all look the same."
"Pond."
"Alright, alright..." Narrowing his eyes, he looked at his friend on the platform. He pretended to actually think about it for a few seconds. Then he shrugged. "The blue one."
Gemini stared at him blankly for a few seconds. "All three of them are blue."
"Exactly," Pond said in a flat tone. Then, his eyes widened as he watched Gemini take off the jacket and hand it to the woman who had politely extended her arm, and he immediately sat up straight on the sofa. Raising his voice, he suddenly shouted, "Are we going to the barbecue now?"
"Yeah." Gemini laughed quietly, unbuttoning his shirt as he nodded. "I hereby officially approve your decree of release."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Pond pretended to wipe away tears to show the sheer torture Gemini had put him through. He didn't care even when his friend offered him an utterly unimpressed roll of the eyes, nor did he mind that every employee around them was hiding their laughter behind their hands.
It took a while for Gemini to strip out of all those clothes, but this time, waiting wasn't an issue for Pond, who watched him with the satisfaction of someone who had reached ultimate victory. Waiting for an indefinite amount of time was exhausting, but acting with the knowledge of exactly how many seconds were left before you could leave was pretty bearable.
By the time they finally stepped out of the two-story shop, dusk was starting to fall. The reddish glow on the horizon tinted the hood of every car in the city center with a different hue, and people passed them by laughing, fresh off of work, with nothing on their minds but hanging out and passing the time.
And it was still incredibly hot. As a Thai person, the heat shouldn't have been a problem for him, but he had never really liked the heat. Pond couldn't stop himself from constantly wiping his sweaty neck.
They decided to go to a Korean barbecue three blocks away. Naturally, Gemini drove, because Pond didn't enjoy driving; he couldn't stay calm in traffic and couldn't stop himself from cursing at other people's non-existent driving skills.
On top of that, he was a very stressed driver. His ability to control the clutch would completely collapse, especially while waiting eight seconds between lights, and because he hit the gas way too quickly every time he took off, he would stall the car several times.
But the real reason was... why should he drive anyway? He didn't have a car. How was he supposed to bring a car to Thailand?
Just when he thought it couldn't get any hotter, every single grill fire on the restaurant tables blazed up even more. As they took their places at the mahogany tables and tiny stools under the orange exhaust hood lights, the stifling environment was quite packed, with the intertwined scents of various pheromones mixing into the smoke of the grill.
A couple, a group of friends, office workers in formal clothes presumably out for a business dinner, an elderly couple, a family with two kids... To an outsider, seeing everyone laughing and smiling was a clear indicator that the restaurant owner was making a fortune.
As Gemini ordered, Pond instinctively took out his phone and checked his messages from Joong. There was no specific reason; it was just a reflex. His best friend was the type to constantly text anyway.
Pond: What's the deal with the water bill?
Joong: Paid it. That married couple from the other day brought the other half of the money today. I'm thinking of taking Dunk out to dinner.
Pond: Don't eat anything ridiculous just for the sake of "having an experience."
Joong: That happened one time, okay? How was I supposed to know duck meat could be that tough?
Pond: Experience 🤙🤙
Joong: Shut up. Call me when you get to the hotel. Give Gemini my regards.
Gemini laughed as he flipped the pre-served appetizer chicken breasts on the grill, sizing up Pond's look as he focused on his phone from under the table. He was now down to a white shirt with three buttons open down to his chest, and with one eyebrow raised through his brown locks, he looked ready to say something suspicious.
Pond didn't give him the chance.
"Joong sends his regards."
Pond was completely at ease as he locked his phone and left it on the table. Grabbing the hem of his hoodie, he pulled it over his head, leaving him in just his black t-shirt. He immediately slicked his messy black hair back with his hand and pulled at the neckline of his black sleeveless shirt, trying to create some airflow in hopes of cooling down his burning skin.
"Hmm..." Gemini murmured, the smile still on his face. He was picking at the surface of the grilled chicken with a spatula. "And here I was getting happy, thinking you had finally grown tired of bachelor life."
Pond reached for one of the beer bottles and began pouring it into both Gemini's glass and his own, paying no attention to the comment. "I have absolutely no time to flirt with anyone right now."
"That's a lie." Gemini gave him a calm, annoying look and winked. He placed a few pieces of cooked chicken onto Pond's plate. His own was still empty. "You have plenty of opportunities. Hook up with someone you met at school or someone who comes to the studio."
"Eww..." Pond grimaced. "I'm not Joong, man."
"It's obvious Joong does that just to be polite; otherwise, Dunk would snap his neck." Taking one of the glasses Pond held out, Gemini took a long sip, his eyebrows lifting with satisfaction. He drew a deep breath and laughed. The cold beer hit the spot. "Stop backing away just because you claim you're shy. You're very handsome. Even just giving someone a green light would be enough."
Pond closed his eyes and grunted. "Please stop talking like Mama. She’s already constantly pushing me to marry someone anyway."
As Gemini finally started putting some chicken onto his own plate, the waitress came over to their table and brought the main course meats. After turning to give the woman a warm smile to thank her, Gemini wrinkled his nose at the way Pond was practically stuffing chicken into his mouth.
"Your mom is rushing things. Isn't it way too early to get married?"
"That's exactly what I said." Finishing his mouthful, Pond stabbed another piece of chicken with his fork. As he chewed, he took the lead this time and started lining up the pork on the grill. "Why don't you tell her that too? Maybe she'll listen to you. Hearing it from someone who is actually getting married makes more sense."
Gemini nodded in agreement as he cut the large pieces of chicken with a knife. When he finally popped a piece of food into his mouth, he hummed at the taste. "Still, though..." He swallowed loudly, his eyes lighting up. He immediately shoved another bite into his mouth. "Oh my fucking god, I was starving to death."
Pond chuckled as he continued to carefully place the meats around the edges of the wire rack. Gemini must have gotten way too caught up in the groom stuff and forgotten to eat; he already looked like he had lost quite a bit of weight.
"Still, though, what?"
"Ah, right." Gemini nodded as if he had just remembered. "Still, it’s normal that she's trying to marry you off. She wants you to take over the company early. She didn't make you study finance and management for nothing."
"Can I not become CEO without getting married or something? What's the deal?" Pond said, grimacing as he popped another piece of chicken into his mouth. "Besides, you know that kind of work isn't for me; it's way too stuffy. Do you like it?"
"I've always loved the jewelry. Jewelry making is fun. I can still work with the masters in the workshop." Gemini paused, his lower lip twitching as he looked a bit thoughtful. He sighed and took a sip of his beer. "But yeah, the meeting stuff still suffocates me. I wasn't built to manage people, man."
Pond continued to eat his food, smacking his lips. He snapped his fingers right in front of Gemini's face. "Exactly. I still feel like throwing up whenever I read data and trading terms. And on top of that, I have to deal with Mama obsessing over finding a match. It's annoying."
"Lately in high society, almost everyone takes over the company after they get married. I don't know, it's that whole nonsense of proving to the family that you're responsible, and so on and so forth. Alpha expectations," Gemini said, making a few gestures with his hand out of habit. "Your mom is probably influenced by what people around her are saying too. Tawin is studying far away, the house is empty, so she’s just hyper-focusing on you."
"It's not just that. She's also gone into full 'I want to spoil grandkids early' mode."
Gemini couldn't stop himself from bursting into a huge laugh while eating, immediately shielding his face with his hand so he wouldn't spit out his food. "I think that's the real issue. Your mom loves kids way too much. Remember your cousin's birth?"
"Fuck." Pond let out a terrified gasp, his eyes widening. He immediately rubbed his arms as a shiver ran through his body. "I had forgotten about that, why are you reminding me? She was about to move into Santa's house at one point, she was so stubborn about looking after the kid."
Both of them burst into a huge laugh again at the memory. Gemini leaned forward, holding onto the table for support, while Pond's head fell back. In that moment, feeling like a part of the lively crowd around them was wonderful.
The topics drifted from one thing to another. They talked about all kinds of things—family matters, simple things from regular life... It felt just like being back in high school. It carried that same warmth.
Except now, the questions about which class they were going to fail or what they were going to eat during lunch break had transitioned into a more adult phase.
They kept eating, and since they had given the bottle opener to the table behind them, Pond had to open the cap of the third beer bottle with his teeth. As he began to refill their glasses, Gemini had gone quiet, busy watching him intently. He was weighing something in his mind.
Scratching the back of his neck, Gemini took a deep breath. Pretending not to care, he picked at his food with his fork, his eyes wandering across his plate. "I'm going to say something, but I'm not entirely sure if I should tell you or not."
Pond didn't notice the subtle tension in Gemini’s tone at that exact moment. Taking a large gulp of beer and hissing as it burned his throat, he let out a careless "Hm?" with one eyebrow raised.
Gemini looked into his eyes for a long moment, deliberately maintaining eye contact. There was a warmth in his irises and an understanding smile on his face, while the sweet scent of orange sent out calming pheromones. Since Pond didn't fully grasp it, he merely returned the smile in anticipation.
"A friend of Fourth’s has been staying at his place for a while now," Gemini began slowly. Seeing nothing unusual in that, Pond simply nodded and went back to his food. But Gemini’s eyes were still fixed on him. "Phuwin Tangsakyuen."
The hand Pond used to lift his fork froze in mid-air.
Before he could even stop it, his brain began tearing through every single memory from the past. The hundreds of burdens weighing down on him forced his upright posture to slump. It was painful—like someone reminding you of the nightmares that used to take your breath away, corner you, and terrify you.
Except Phuwin had never been a nightmare. In his eyes, Phuwin was no different from an angel with honey-toned skin, a brightness in his eyes that held the moon, and a smile that was unique, soft, full of hope, breathtaking, and capable of causing a dull ache in his soul.
Pond had always put him on a massive pedestal. He hadn't been able to stop himself. Back when Pond was just a quiet, acne-prone boy with glasses, the kind of kid everyone only approached when exams rolled around, Phuwin was enchanting an entire country.
He remembered how Phuwin's brown locks would sway as if caught in the sunlight when he walked down the hallway. Pond used to be just one of the hundreds of fans present at every single competition in Bangkok, hiding his face under his hoodie.
He remembered how the world seemed to slowly start spinning whenever Phuwin glided across the ice.
Phuwin always looked so carefree and happy under those glittering costumes. While Pond couldn't fathom how a human being could possibly manage such a feat, he couldn't tear his eyes away from watching him glide through the air with fearless grace, curving his body.
He was like a swan. A captivating swan. Pond had thought he would die from liking him so much.
It was inevitable for his teenage self to fall in love with someone like that. Pond had always processed beautiful things like a treasure worth charting.
Fortunately... it was just a harmless high school crush. It had been hard to get over, but Phuwin had never noticed him anyway. Pond never confessed, and since Phuwin was two years younger, Pond eventually graduated and moved on. And Pond, to avoid reawakening his feelings, had never searched his name ever again.
It was supposed to pass. And it did.
This was a very, very long time ago.
So Pond did exactly what he had to do. He was aware that he hadn't moved for a brief moment, but he covered that deliberate pause with a low hum. Tilting his head to the side with one eyebrow raised, his innocent eyes turned back to Gemini. He had already popped a fresh piece of meat into his mouth and was chewing.
"Phuwin Tangsakyuen?" Another hum. He pulled his eyes back down to his plate, avoiding Gemini’s knowing face. "Sounds familiar..."
The expression on Gemini’s face didn't change. He still looked calm, but Pond recognized that look. It was too careful. Too measured.
Because of that, Pond cursed internally. Here we go again...
"Mhm." Gemini finally nodded slowly. In an attempt to return to their casual dynamic, he popped a piece of meat into his own mouth as well. "I'm not surprised it sounds familiar. The figure skater. The one who won national competitions and stuff."
"Ahh." Pond nodded immediately, pretending as though he had just remembered. "Heh. Right. Yeah, I know him. I remember."
He was speaking way too fast, the way people do when they lie. Gemini noticed. Of course he noticed. "So you remember him."
"I mean, anyone who has lived in Thailand probably knows him." Pond shrugged. "He was famous." He kept chewing the food in his mouth, trying to look normal. The problem was, it felt as if he had suddenly forgotten how to act normal altogether. His hands trembled slightly and his throat had gone dry.
The meat was sizzling on top of the grill. People in the restaurant continued to laugh and chat, and someone at another table clinked their beer bottles loudly. The world hadn't stopped moving. It was just that someone had swung an old door wide open right in the middle of Pond’s chest.
"Well..." Gemini cleared his throat. He used the spatula to unnecessarily flip a piece of meat. "I think Fourth is close friends with his cousin. And then Fourth and him became extremely close. After we graduated."
Pond let out a low "hmm" through his nose.
"He didn't have a place to stay for a while. So he's been staying with them for a few weeks." Gemini stopped, tilted his head. “Or… like a monht I think?”
Pond finally looked up. That stupid, relaxed expression was still plastered on his face. As if they were truly just having a casual conversation. "And why are you telling me this?"
Gemini looked at him for a few seconds. "Because he’s coming to the wedding."
Pond’s hand froze yet again. It was a miniscule movement. But Gemini noticed. Of course he noticed. He tried to hide it by holding back a smile, but seeing his best friend like this was breaking his heart.
Pond immediately reached for the beer bottle. He didn't even actually want it. He just needed something to do with his hands. "Ohoo," he said with a forced air of lightness. "Half the country is coming anyway. Wasn't your dad making jewelry for the queen? Might as well have the former prime minister show up too."
Gemini didn't laugh. This was bad. Pond immediately averted his eyes.
"Look," Gemini finally said in a quieter voice. "I didn't mean to make you tense."
"It didn't."
Gemini called out to him in a warning tone. "Pond."
"I said it didn't." The words came out a little too fast this time. Realizing this, Pond immediately pretended to cough. "I'm just surprised. That's all."
Another lie. They both knew it.
Because Pond's mind had already drifted back to years ago. The biting cold of the ice rink. The grandstand lights. The way those brown locks flew up during a spin. The sound of people cheering. And Pond, his gloved hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets, holding his breath as he watched him.
God. Adolescence was truly a horrific thing.
"I remember that your..." Gemini didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to anyway. "...thing for him was pretty serious."
Pond immediately grimaced. He covered his face with his hand; in that exact moment, it felt like the absolute best time for the earth to open up and swallow him whole. "I want to die."
Gemini finally let out a soft laugh. "Look, I just wanted you to be prepared. That's all."
"I am prepared," Pond answered instantly.
"Pond."
"Gem."
"You're currently making eye contact with a piece of chicken while drinking your third beer."
Pond looked down. The tongs in his hand had indeed frozen mid-air. He silently flipped the meat.
"By the way," Gemini said slyly, "Phuwin is still incredibly handsome."
"May God give you what you deserve." Gemini burst out laughing. Pond covered his face with both hands, groaning as he slumped forward in his chair. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Honesty?"
"This isn't honesty, it's psychological warfare."
"You're exaggerating."
"No, because look..." Pond finally pulled his hands away from his face. His ears were bright red by now. "This is ancient history, okay? Literally teenage hormones. My brain was stupid."
Gemini raised an eyebrow. "You used to go to every single one of his competitions."
"I liked sports."
"You liked figure skating?"
Pond paused. "...Maybe."
"You used to sit at the very back, hiding under a hood."
"I was a supportive citizen."
"When he fell and tore up his knee that one time, you were the one who cried."
"Okay, wow." Pond looked at him in sheer horror. "Why do you remember all of this?"
Gemini shrugged. "Because you were incredibly bad at hiding it. Don't you remember? You even dragged me along once. Afterwards, we talked about how people's legs don't just snap out of place in that position."
Pond leaned down, almost slamming his forehead onto the table. "God... why do you remember every single piece of shit?"
There was a few seconds of silence. The heat of the restaurant was still bearing down on them. A distant table shouted again in a cheer-like roar. The clinking sound of beer bottles echoed through the air.
This time, Gemini looked at him with a softer expression. "I know it’s over," he said in a calm voice. "That's not the point anyway."
Pond didn't look up. He didn't want to, either. Within his faded memories, he could now even remember confessing to Gemini that he loved Phuwin. His friend was practically doing him a favor right now by not even bringing those details up.
"But you spent years trying to avoid even hearing his name," Gemini continued. "So I only told you so you wouldn't freeze up if he suddenly appeared right in front of you at the wedding."
Pond finally let out a deep breath. Then, he slowly straightened up. A tired but small smile played on his face. "Dramatic," he said, raising his beer. "You're talking as if he's my ex-boyfriend. The kid didn't even know I existed."
Gemini lightly tapped his glass against Pond's. "Are you sure?"
Pond immediately nodded. "One hundred percent." Taking a long sip of his drink, he was actually trying to suppress his own disappointment. "You know it too. It was just the two of us. Back then, all I did was try to survive. I hated school."
"You still hate it."
"Yeah. But high school was different." This time, Pond wrapped his voice in an authoritative air, signaling that he wanted to drop the subject for good. Those days were left far behind; Pond wasn't the old Pond anymore. "I was like a ghost, and I didn't want anyone to know me either. And then I left."
Gemini watched him for a long moment. He didn't make a rushed effort to speak right away. He knew that Pond was continuing to eat his food with a calm demeanor, striving hard to put on an indifferent face. He couldn't help but sigh.
Because of his family's wealth, Pond had always been prone to making himself invisible. When he was little, his appearance had constantly made him feel insecure. Gemini hadn't looked all that great either, but that was just the way youth made you look; nobody could be perfect as a teenager.
Still, Gemini remembered a time when a distant relative had come to their house, back when Pond was staying over for a project assignment. He had overheard what the woman said to his mother, crouching down while hiding on the steps of the stairs.
"Pond Naravit Lertratkosum? The ones who built the King's palace? Ah... I thought Alpha heirs would be a bit more dazzling."
Gemini hated the perception of high society, and he was certain Pond did too. Because outside of their families, everyone around them gossiped, constantly looking for a flaw to judge and envy, a piece to use just to elevate their own children.
It was the absolute worst punishment of being the firstborn Alpha child. Yet, they were both just young kids back then.
Life was so cruel.