brightwin AUs

24: Peter Pan (1)

prompt: A coming of age tale of  two friends who knew each other from milk mustaches, childish gibber and mysterious heart beatings which in a wisp of forgetful smiles and broken hearts, turned to distant memories they would try to forget. Only time made them cross paths again-- one where they wish to never grow up. 

"I want to go to Neverland." A six year old Bright whispered beside his friend who was too engrossed on the film to agree.

"Did you hear me? I said, I want to go there too!"

"Stop talking!" Win's own shriek resonated back making the two of them commence a glaring contest.

And the film, long forgotten.

That was always how things ended between the two boys. They attempt to do normal activites as friends but in the end, it all comes down to two sparring bodies.

Until puberty happened and they became teenagers. Just until one of them discovered that he didn't really kind of like girls.

"You're not driving with me?" Eighteen year old Bright asked his friend of almost a decade, the same one who made his life a lot harder and easier, there's no in between.

"No, I'm going with this one I met a week ago. We'll be attending the same University so that's equivalent to seeing a lot of each other." Win's cheeks subtly reddened at the hidden context of his words.

But in his peripheral vision, he could already see the rise of Bright's eyebrows.

"A he or she?" Bright was quick to confirm. Never letting the subject go so easily along with Win's physical freedom as he grasped on the younger lad's gym bag.

"Does it matter? A she, obviously. " Win rolled his eyes before stepping away from a still puzzled Bright. He let him settle his expression for a moment before adding, "But she's really cute, like your type cute but I saw her first."

Bright's frowned deepened at this. As far as he knows, he only ever had one type in his life. Only one that out of the other 7 billion people in the world, it just had to be someone he couldn't go for.

With a hard gulp, Bright forced an entertained laugh before stepping away from his friend.

"Are you all packed?" He changed the question within a snap. The possibility of what he was fearing was eating him up so Bright decided to face the other bullet, head on.

"Yeah, just waiting for the heads up for my dorm. They were fixing the water pipes." Win gushed in excitement but his mind was too busy fantasizing about the potential friendship he was about to make. "What if we become roommates? I swear man, I'd ace all my classes."

Bright snorted but his heart ached and he didn't know why. The signs were all there since they had the teen at the end of their age especially when Win got his first lady love at 13. The once innocent eyes of his became wilder. Only this time, it was set on a preference that Bright had no business being so troubled for.

"It's going to take a miracle because I can assure you that they would never mix boys with girls; but what if you're rooming with her for real? What will you do?" It was a silly question but Bright's delivery made a chill run down Win's spine. He was being too serious for Win to give a real answer.

"We're going to probably braid each other's hair?" Win tested while slowly meeting Bright's eyes. "Or like paint each other's nails and everything? Maybe cook for each other too?"

Bright's face remained indifferent so Win tried to invalidate whatever chills he had a while ago. He couldn't pinpoint why the atmosphere suddenly skyrocketed to this suffocating bubble.