Disclaimer: I Do Not Own The Lion King. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Hidden Desires"

Written By

SlimyNSatisfyin

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" was the first words out of his mouth.

Hanging upside down on the jungle gym at recess, I just stared at him. "What does it look like I'm doin'?" I reached my hands up and swung my body, landing on my feet with a triumphant grin. I was secretly relieved that I didn't fall on my butt. He just stared at me with a goofy, snaggle-toothed grin.

"Well, you was over here alone so, just thought I would come over and say hi."I just blinked at his words, and simply nodded. I wasn't one of the popular kids and nobody ever went out of their way to say hello to me. Even in elementary school, the other kids weren't exactly nice. I held out my hand, a friendly and welcoming grin formed on my lips. "Hi! I'm Pumbaa."

The air swirled around me and the atmosphere changed. Right before he shook my hand, the young boy with the friendly grin had faded and everything around me had changed. The room was bright and I stood alone, staring over what looked like to be a closed casket. Once my eyes adjusted and the ringing in my ears had faded, I furrowed my brows in curiosity. I took a few short steps towards the casket and opened it slowly, just wanting to peek inside.

In that moment, a loud gasp escaped my mouth and tears started to fall freely, I clutched the side of the casket for support as I just stared, my brain scattered as I wondered how or when… or even why. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't be dead… This is not how things were supposed to turn out.

My best friend, the person I was closest too, laid there lifeless and cold, perfectly still in an endless sleep. I regained my composure just enough to straighten up, holding back the dry sobs as my hand reached out, my fingers brushing along the perfect line of his jaw. So cold, unmoving he was, but I couldn't bring myself to pull away.

"This isn't supposed to happen. You weren't supposed to leave me like this." I whispered as I tasted the salt from my tears on my lips, fighting back a sniffle.

With a loud gasp, I jerked upright in bed almost instantly, my breathing erratic as the disorientation started to fade. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and I could feel my eyes watering, it had felt so damn real. I wiped my eyes quickly before I grabbed my phone and stared at the time and date. Today was the day. In just a few short hours, he would be gone for ten weeks. No contact whatsoever the whole time.

Timon and I hadn't ever been away from each other for more than a week. Hell, we even went with each other on family vacations. Now that we were both out of high school, I knew things would be different. Never, did I think our futures would end up so differently though. Timon was going into the army, and I was heading off to college. We had always talked about which school we would go to, which were our top picks to apply for. We had both always agreed to apply at the same places, because neither of us wanted to be without our best friend.

But now this...

I didn't know where he would end up stationed, or when he would possibly get deployed somewhere. No matter what, he agreed to keep in contact and visit as much as possible. When he was filling out on his paperwork, Texas one of the top bases he requested to be stationed to after basic training.

I've never been the greedy type but, I didn't want to lose Timon.

"Pumbaa, hey Pumbaa wake up!" I heard his voice before I felt him kick the edge of my bed. I opened an eye, catching him just staring at me and grinning like a fool.

"Okay. Okay, I'm up!" I sat up and stretched before finally moving to stand up. I grabbed a pair of pants and slipped them on, running a hand through my hair. "Guess I passed back out."

"I thought maybe, we could go get something to eat… you know, before I have to go?" His smile faltered slightly at the mention of his own leaving.

I threw on a shirt and slid my feet into my flip flops before grabbing my wallet and followed him out of my bedroom and through the house. "Sounds good to me, you know I can't and won't pass up the opportunity to eat."

The ride to the local diner was silent, I don't think either of us wanted to think about what was coming ahead. Tension was so thick in the small cab of Timon's pick-up, that you could cut it with a knife. I glanced over at him every now and then, just memorizing his features and letting the images burn into my mind. Breakfast, was pretty much the same. Neither of us wanted to talk, afraid to ruin the moment. At least, that is what it was for me. I allowed my eyes to travel over his face, the sharpness of his jaw line. The way his hair fell perfectly above his eyebrows. Deep down, all the signs were there and I knew it. Fear of losing my best friend or pushing him away, made me keep everything in.

I was in love with my best friend...

Repeatedly, I told myself that he had a right to know. "What ifs" were not something, I liked to deal with. I played out the scenario in my head repeatedly, with a few different outcomes. I was running out of time, I just didn't realize until now, how quickly that time would run out.

Timon and I went back to his place, I finished helping him pack. It wasn't as awkward as breakfast, we made jokes here and there as well as laughed. It didn't take away that feeling in my gut though, I knew a piece of me was going to be gone. Only Timon, would be able to fill that void with his return. Before I knew it, time was up. He walked me up to my door after we made our way back to my place. My parents were gone for the day, but I didn't care. It was now or never, and never wasn't an option for me. We said our quick "see you, later" routine, since we had both agreed that this wasn't going to be goodbye. I felt the tears threaten to make an appearance as Timon turned his back and headed towards his truck. Without even thinking, I leaped off the porch and ran towards him. The phrase "now or never" kept playing on a loop in my mind.

"Timon, wait!" My voice was louder than it should've been, and quite anxious but he turned around and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Yeah, Pumbaa?" His voice seemed questioning and also concerned as his brows furrowed, the look of confusion evident on his face. I had never been one to show emotion or to be clingy, but with the tears streaming down my cheeks, I'm sure that was the main reason for the look he was giving me. I cleared my throat and wiped my eyes, trying to regain some sort of composure before adjusting my shirt as I made my way closer to him. My voice was clear and confident and my eyes were locked on his as I spoke the words I had ever only imagined until now, "I love you."

"I love you, too man." a soft chuckle escaped his lips and he pulled me into a huge hug, I quickly pulled away. My eyes narrowed slightly as I took a step back from him, eyeing him cautiously.

"No, you don't understand. I am in love with you. I've always known, I just didn't actually realize it until about a year ago." My words slurred and the tears began to rush down my cheeks once again, I took a deep breath and continued, "The only reason I didn't tell you sooner was because… I didn't want to ruin anything. Ruin us. You're leaving and I am out of time, I just can't let you leave without being honest with you… And myself. I don't know where this leaves us, but now you know. I love you." Timon just stood there with wide eyes and a shocked expression, no words came out of his mouth as I tried to collect myself. All the cards were laid out on the table and the fate of our future was in his hands.