Just Add Water [End]

003

The next morning, Pon is jolted awake by strange soft splashes and faint hum sounds coming from the bathroom. He sits up, disoriented, thinking he’s still dreaming. But the noises continued to get louder. His heart pounds as he gets out of bed and moves toward the bathroom door. Hesitating, he slowly pushes it open and freezes.

There, sitting on the edge of his bathtub is a man, a real, living, breathing man.

The man is dripping wet, with messy hair and a dazed look on his face, as if he’s trying to remember something important.

And...he’s naked.

Pon’s mouth opens but no sound comes out. He stumbles backward, nearly tripping over his own feet.

The man looks up at him, his eyes brightening as he smiles warmly. "Good morning, boyfriend."

Pon feels his head spin. "B-b-boyfriend? Who...who are you? How did you get in here?" His voice cracks, and he looks around the bathroom as if someone is going to jump out and yell, “Surprise!”

The man’s smile softens, and he speaks with a calmness that feels out of place in this surreal moment. "I'm Sailub. I think...you grew me. My name’s on the packaging, remember?"

Pon stares, blinking rapidly. "Grew…what? No, wait, this is some kind of joke, right? This is…Michael’s idea? Or Aon’s?” He looks around wildly, searching for hidden cameras. “They probably hired you to mess with me or something."

Sailub tilts his head, looking genuinely puzzled. "Mess with you? No, I’m here because you wanted me to be. You wished for me, Pon."

Pon swallows, his hands shaking slightly as he tries to process everything. "So you’re…my ‘Grow a Boyfriend’?” The words sound ridiculous as he says them out loud, and he immediately wants to take them back. “That little toy I dropped in the tub? You’re...that?"

Sailub just nods, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yes. I’m here because of you."

Pon’s brain feels like it’s in overdrive. “Alright, alright…” He raises his hands, signaling for Sailub to stop talking, as if that might somehow make all of this disappear. “Let me get this straight. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, the ‘Grow a Boyfriend’ toy…turned into you? You just appeared here, like...magic?”

Sailub chuckles, a gentle sound that somehow puts Pon at ease. “Yes, if that helps you understand it. Magic, or maybe just a little bit of a wish come true.”

Pon pinches the bridge of his nose. “This is ridiculous. This can’t be happening.”

Sailub looks around the bathroom, still smiling. “Well, it is happening. And I’m here because you wanted someone to…well, to be here with you.” His voice is soft, his gaze gentle. “Isn’t that right?”

Pon opens his mouth, ready to deny everything, but his heart skips a beat. The words get caught in his throat. He doesn’t know how to explain the pang of loneliness he felt the night before, when he joked about the toy being his only chance at a “real” relationship. The fact that Sailub seems to know this, that he’s standing here calmly, like he was always meant to be here, makes Pon feel oddly vulnerable.

Finally, Pon sighs, glancing around. "Alright…okay. This is crazy, but…I’ll figure it out later." He rubs his face and gestures toward the hallway. "Uh, let's…get you some clothes first. I think we’d both feel better if you were, you know, covered."

Sailub laughs, getting up and following Pon into the bedroom. Pon hands him some spare clothes, trying not to look directly at him as Sailub dries off and gets dressed. He still can’t shake the surreal feeling of all this, but somehow, Sailub’s presence feels...natural.

As Sailub pulls on the shirt Pon gave him, he turns to Pon with a curious expression. “What’s for breakfast, boyfriend?”

Pon’s cheeks flush. “Don’t call me that. I still don’t know who you are…or what you are.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Sailub’s eyes sparkle mischievously. “You grew me, and I’m here to be whatever you need me to be. Like a boyfriend.”

Pon rubs the back of his neck, unsure whether to laugh or scream. "Alright, fine, you can stay…for now. But only because I have way too many questions to let you go running off."

Sailub’s grin widens. "Thank you, boyfriend."

Pon huffs, heading to the kitchen. “First rule if you’re staying, stop calling me that. And don’t go anywhere while I make breakfast.”

“Actually,” Sailub says, surprising Pon as he steps into the kitchen and starts opening drawers, “why don’t you let me cook?” He smiles, a playful gleam in his eye. “I am here to make you happy, after all.”

Pon crosses his arms, watching as Sailub expertly finds ingredients and pulls out a pan. "You’re just going to...cook? Right here?”

Sailub winks. “Let me show you what I can do.” He starts cracking eggs and chopping vegetables, humming quietly as he moves around the kitchen as though he’s done it a hundred times.

Pon stands back, unable to shake the strange warmth that’s spreading through his chest as he watches Sailub work. He’s stunned by how natural Sailub seems—how he seems to belong in Pon’s kitchen, in Pon’s life.

As the smell of pancakes fills the room, Pon sighs, feeling himself soften just a little. “Alright, Sailub.. right? You can stay…for now.”