CHAPTER 10
---
Later, at the café-
Pond sat across from Phuwin.
Quiet.
Calm.
In front of him-
A slice of cake.
With a cherry on top.
He picked up his fork.
Took a slow bite.
Phuwin just... Stared.
Blinking.
Still processing everything that just happened.
"...You," Phuwin started slowly, "just dragged me away from everyone."
Pond didn't look up.
"...Yeah."
Phuwin blinked again.
"...And told your friends 'next time'?"
Pond took another bite.
Still calm.
Still unbothered.
Phuwin leaned forward slightly.
"...Why?"
Pond finally looked up at him.
"...Didn't I say," He murmured, "if we win, we're gonna eat a cake with a cherry on top together?"
Phuwin froze.
Oh.
Right.
That.
His eyes dropped to the cake.
Then to the cherry.
Then back to Pond.
"...You were serious?" He asked quietly.
Pond raised a brow slightly.
"...Why wouldn't I be?"
Phuwin opened his mouth-
Then closed it again.
Because somehow-
He didn't expect Pond to actually remember.
Or... To choose this.
"...You left them," Phuwin muttered.
Pond shrugged lightly.
"...They'll survive."
Phuwin let out a small breath.
Half disbelief.
Half something else.
"...Book is going to kill me," He added under his breath.
Pond took the cherry from the cake.
Held it between his fingers for a second.
Then-
Placed it gently on Phuwin's plate.
"...Eat," He said.
Phuwin blinked.
"...What?"
Pond leaned back slightly.
"...You bought me a lot of cherries."
A pause.
"...I can give you one."
Phuwin stared at the cherry on his plate.
Then-
His chest felt weird again.
"...You're really weird," He whispered.
Pond didn't deny it.
He just kept looking at him.
Sammy was at the cashier counter, wiping it down slowly.
Too slowly.
Like she had all the time in the world.
Her eyes flicked toward the table.
Toward Phuwin.
Toward Pond.
Pond was still sitting there.
Calm.
Eating cake like he owned the place.
Phuwin, across from him, still holding a spoon but clearly not eating anymore.
Just... Sitting there.
Awkward.
Sammy tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling dramatically.
"...Friends, huh?" She said out loud.
Phuwin snapped his head toward her instantly.
"...Yes," He said quickly.
Too quickly.
Then he smiled.
A smile that looked very polite.
Very controlled.
Very fake.
"...We're just friends," He repeated.
Sammy hummed.
Still looking at the ceiling.
"...Mhm."
Pond didn't even react.
Just took another bite of cake.
Sammy finally looked back down, lips twitching like she was holding back a laugh.
"...Sure."
Phuwin's smile stayed frozen for another second.
Then slowly dropped as he turned back to his table.
"...Eat your cake," He muttered under his breath, mostly to himself.
Pond glanced at him.
"...I am."
Sammy quietly shook her head behind the counter.
Still wiping.
Still watching.
Still definitely not believing a single word they just said.
Phuwin exhaled, finally pushing his spoon aside.
"...Anyway," He said quietly, "when is the semifinals?"
Pond leaned back in his chair, still calm.
"...In two days," He answered.
A pause.
"There are a lot of teams left."
Phuwin nodded slowly, processing it.
"...That soon?"
Pond gave a small shrug.
"...Yeah."
Then, after a beat, his tone shifted slightly.
"...You know that university nearby?"
Phuwin blinked.
"...The one's you fought with?"
Pond's eyes narrowed a little.
"...Yeah. That one."
Phuwin tilted his head.
"...What about it?"
Pond exhaled through his nose.
"...If they win their side of the bracket," He said, "we're going to face them in the finals."
Phuwin went still.
"...So they're our-"
"Enemy," Pond finished simply.
Phuwin frowned a little.
"...Why do you hate them so much?"
That made Pond pause.
Just for a second.
Then he leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the table.
His voice dropped.
"...There's a lot of bullies there," He said. "Bad influence. Everyone knows it, they just don't stop it."
Phuwin listened quietly.
Pond continued, eyes fixed somewhere past the table.
"...My cousin."
A pause.
"...He and his friend were just walking home one day."
Phuwin stayed silent.
"They got targeted," Pond said flatly. "Beaten up. Just because they looked weak. 'Nerds,' they called them."
His jaw tightened slightly.
Phuwin's expression shifted.
"...That's horrible."
Pond nodded once.
"...Yeah."
A silence settled between them.
Pond leaned back again.
"...If they hadn't touched my people," He said, "we wouldn't be enemies."
A pause.
"But their leader made the wrong decision."
Phuwin's gaze softened slightly.
"...So that's why it turned into fighting?"
Pond nodded.
"...Since then, it's just been like that."
Phuwin looked down at the table for a moment.
Processing.
Then quietly-
"...Got it," He said.
Pond glanced at him.
Calm again.
"...Don't think too much about it."
But this time-
The air around them didn't feel as light anymore.
---
The next afternoon, Phuwin was walking down the street on his way to the café when suddenly Derek appeared out of nowhere and slammed him against the wall.
Then-
He slammed both of Phuwin's wrists up against the wall, pinning him there.
Phuwin gasped sharply as Derek pinned both of his wrists against the wall.
"Hey- what the hell are you doing?!" He shouted, struggling against him. "Let go of me!"
Derek didn't step back. His expression stayed cold, almost amused.
"Relax," Derek said flatly. "I'm just talking."
Phuwin's breath hitched.
"Let go of me- what the hell is wrong with you?!" He snapped, struggling hard against his grip. "Are you insane?!"
Derek didn't even flinch. Instead, his mouth curled slightly like he was entertained.
"...You're really loud for someone in your position," He said coldly. "It's pathetic."
Phuwin glared at him.
"Pathetic?" He repeated sharply. "You're the one pinning people to walls like a psycho!"
Derek tilted his head, eyes scanning him like he was evaluating something.
"You've always been like this," Derek said. "Acting all clean. All perfect. Everyone liking you for no reason."
Phuwin's jaw tightened.
"Get to the point," He spat. "Why are you even here?!"
Derek leaned in slightly, voice dropping.
"...Do you even know I'm interested in you?"
Phuwin froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
"...What?" He said slowly, like he didn't hear it correctly.
Derek's expression didn't change.
"It means," He said calmly, "I want you to be mine."
Silence.
For half a second, the street felt completely still.
Then Phuwin's expression twisted in disbelief and anger.
"...Are you serious?" He snapped. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Derek watched him like his reaction amused him.
"You've always had attention," Derek said. "But none of them see you like I do."
Phuwin let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh.
"Like you do?" He repeated. "You bullied me. My whole life. And now you're standing here saying you like me?"
His voice rose.
"That's insane!"
Derek's lips curled again, almost casually.
"My love language," He said, "is pressure. Breaking people down. It makes things real."
Phuwin's face hardened.
"That's not love," He said coldly. "That's just you being sick in the head."
Derek's gaze darkened slightly.
"You'll understand eventually," He murmured.
He leaned in closer-
Too close.
Phuwin tensed, turning his face away immediately.
"Don't touch me," He warned sharply.
Derek ignored him.
"...You'll stop resisting," He said softly.
Before anything else could happen-
A voice cut through the air like a strike.
"LET GO OF HIM!!!"
A force slammed into Derek's shoulder.
Hard.
Clean.
Derek was thrown off balance and yanked away from Phuwin.
He hit the ground with a rough impact.
"Phi Phuwin- move!" Fourth shouted, already stepping forward.
He stood over Derek, breathing hard, jaw tight.
Louis rushed in right after him, grabbing Derek by the arm and wrenching him back.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Louis snapped. "What the hell are you doing to him?!"
Derek scoffed even while on the ground.
"...So this is the backup," He muttered.
Fourth clicked his tongue.
"Backup?" He repeated sharply. "You just assaulted someone in public!"
Louis tightened his grip.
"Say another word," Louis warned, "and I swear I'll make this worse for you."
Phuwin was still pressed against the wall for a second, stunned.
Then he pushed himself forward slightly, breathing uneven.
"...Fourth... Louis..." He said quietly, like he was trying to process what just happened.
Fourth glanced back at him quickly.
"You okay, Phi?" He asked, voice still sharp but concerned.
Phuwin nodded once, a bit shaky.
"...Yeah."
Derek slowly stood up, brushing himself off.
His expression was annoyed now, but still calm in a disturbing way.
"This isn't over," He said flatly, eyes briefly flicking to Phuwin.
Louis stepped forward immediately.
"It's over the second you touch him again," He snapped.
For a moment, the air was tense.
Heavy.
Then Derek gave a small, humorless smile.
"...Interesting," He said, before turning away.
And walking off.
Silence fell.
Only broken by Phuwin's slightly uneven breathing.
Fourth turned fully toward him now.
"...That guy is insane," He muttered.
Louis nodded.
"Yeah," He said. "We're not letting him anywhere near you again, Phi."
Phuwin looked down for a moment, still processing.
Then quietly-
"...Thanks," He said.
Fourth huffed.
"Don't thank us yet," He replied. "We're telling Pond about this."
Phuwin's eyes widened slightly.
He reached out instinctively.
"Wait- don't-!"
But Fourth and Louis were already gone.
Running.
Fast.
Phuwin's hand slowly dropped.
"...Oh no," He muttered under his breath.
---
The next morning.
The hallway buzzed with students.
Lockers opening.
Voices overlapping.
Footsteps echoing.
Then-
It shifted.
People started going quiet.
Whispers spreading.
"...Is that Pond?"
"...Why does he look like that?"
"...Something's wrong..."
Pond walked straight down the hallway.
His group behind him.
Silent.
But Pond-
Was different.
His eyes were sharp.
Cold.
Dangerous enough that students instinctively moved out of his way.
No one dared to block his path.
At the end of the hallway-
Derek stood casually, chatting with someone.
Laughing.
Completely unaware.
Pond stopped behind him.
Close.
Too close.
Derek froze.
Slowly-
He turned around.
He barely had time to react-
THUD.
A punch landed straight across his cheek.
Fast.
Hard.
Derek stumbled back from the impact.
Gasps echoed around them.
"...What the-?!" someone whispered.
Derek staggered for half a second-
Then his expression twisted.
"...You think you can just-"
BAM.
His fist flew forward.
It landed hard.
Pond's head snapped to the side from the impact.
A sharp sound echoed.
Blood immediately split at the corner of his lip.
The hallway gasped.
"...Oh my god-"
"...They're fighting-"
Phones were already out.
Recording.
Pond stayed still for a second.
Head tilted slightly from the hit.
Then-
Slowly-
He lifted his head.
His eyes darkened.
"...You're dead," Derek muttered, stepping forward again.
But Pond moved first.
THUD.
His punch landed straight into Derek's jaw.
Derek stumbled back-
Then lunged again.
The two of them collided.
Hard.
Shoes screeched against the floor.
Bodies slammed into lockers.
"Stop them!"
"No- don't get close-!"
The crowd backed away-
But didn't leave.
They watched.
Filmed.
Whispered loudly.
Derek swung again-
Pond blocked-
Then drove his fist straight into Derek's stomach.
Derek grunted-
But grabbed Pond's shirt-
Pulling him down with him.
They hit the ground.
And that's when it got worse.
Pond moved fast-
Pinning Derek down.
Punch.
Derek's head snapped to the side.
Punch.
A sharp gasp echoed.
Punch.
"Pond- stop!"
But he didn't.
His movements were relentless.
Fury pouring out with every hit.
Derek struggled-
Trying to push him off-
But Pond didn't let up.
Another punch-
Then another-
The crowd went louder.
Chaotic.
"...Someone call a professor!"
"He's not stopping-!"
Pond's breathing turned heavier.
Rough.
Uncontrolled.
Completely gone in the moment.
Blood smeared across Pond's face, streaking from his split lip down to his jaw.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Fast.
Uncontrolled.
He grabbed Derek by the collar, fist still raised-
Eyes wild.
"You dare harass him?" Pond shouted, voice raw with anger. "You dare try to kiss him?!"
The hallway fell into stunned silence.
"What's mine-" his voice cracked with fury, "-is MINE!"
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Phones still recording.
Derek barely managed to lift his arms, trying to shield himself-
But Pond didn't stop.
Another punch-
"POND!"
His group rushed forward now.
"Stop- stop it!"
"You're going too far!"
One of them grabbed his shoulder-
Hard.
"Pond, enough!" Another shouted. "You're going to seriously hurt him!"
But Pond barely reacted.
His grip tightened.
His breathing uneven.
Like he couldn't hear anything anymore.
"Pond!" One of them yelled again, louder this time. "That's enough! You proved your point!"
Another one pulled at his arm.
"Let him go- now!"
For a second-
Nothing.
Then-
Pond's fist trembled mid-air.
His breathing hitched.
The noise around him slowly started to come back.
Voices.
Shouting.
Footsteps.
Reality creeping in.
But his eyes-
Were still burning with anger.
Meanwhile-
Phuwin slowed as he reached the crowd forming a tight circle in the hallway.
His brows furrowed.
"...What's going on?" He asked, but no one answered.
He stepped closer.
Pushed past a few students.
"Move," He muttered, forcing his way through.
Then-
He saw it.
Derek.
On the floor.
Face bloodied.
And Pond-
Sitting a few feet away, his group crouched beside him, trying to calm him down.
"Pond, breathe-"
"Hey, look at me- calm down-"
But Pond wasn't listening.
His eyes were locked on Derek.
Still burning.
Still furious.
His knuckles were bruised.
Red.
His lip split.
Blood still fresh.
Phuwin's eyes widened.
"...What the hell happened?" He breathed out.
He rushed forward without thinking.
Dropped beside Pond.
"Pond," He called, voice urgent. "Pond-"
No response.
Pond didn't even blink.
Still staring.
The crowd shifted behind them.
Whispers rising again.
"...Phuwin's here."
"...He's friends with him, right?"
"...He must regret it now."
"...That guy's a psycho..."
"...He's a monster..."
Phuwin's expression hardened slightly.
Then-
He looked at Derek.
Bleeding.
On the floor.
Then back at Pond.
Silence.
Heavy.
Tense.
---
Later that afternoon, inside the café-
Phuwin sat across from Pond, gently holding his hand.
Careful.
Focused.
He dabbed cotton against Pond's bruised knuckles, cleaning the dried blood.
Slow.
Precise.
Pond didn't move.
Didn't pull away.
He just stared at Phuwin.
Blank.
Unreadable.
At the counter, Sammy exhaled quietly and shook her head, already tired to whatever this was.
Then went back to work.
Phuwin finished cleaning and set the cotton aside.
He reached for a bandage and started wrapping it carefully around Pond's knuckles.
The café was filled with soft noise.
Low chatter.
Clinking cups.
But between them-
It was quiet.
"...Does it hurt?" Phuwin asked softly.
Pond blinked once.
"...No."
Phuwin paused for a second.
Then continued wrapping.
"...You don't have to do this," Pond added after a moment. "I usually just treat it myself."
Phuwin exhaled sharply.
Not loud.
But enough.
"...You shouldn't have done that," He said quietly.
Pond's gaze didn't leave him.
"...He touched you," Pond replied.
Simple.
Flat.
Phuwin's hands stilled for a second.
Pond continued.
"...Louis and Fourth told me."
Silence.
The air shifted.
Phuwin tightened the bandage slightly.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to finish it.
His eyes stayed on Pond's hand.
"...So you beat him up like that?" He murmured.
Pond didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it either.
Phuwin pulled his hand back slowly after finishing the bandage.
Then finally looked up at him.
"...What if you actually killed him?" Phuwin said, voice low but firm. "What if he hit his head the wrong way? What if something worse happened?"
Pond didn't respond.
Phuwin continued, his tone tightening.
"...What if this gets reported? What if you get sued? What if you end up in prison over something like this?"
Pond's jaw clenched slightly.
"...He harassed you," He said again.
Phuwin exhaled.
Sharp.
Tired.
"I know," He said. "I know what he did."
A pause.
"But you don't have to solve everything with violence."
That-
Made Pond freeze.
For the first time, his expression shifted.
Just a little.
Phuwin looked at him, eyes steady now.
"...You're used to it," He continued quietly. "Fighting. Throwing punches. Letting your anger take over."
Pond didn't move.
"...But that doesn't make it right," Phuwin added.
Silence.
Heavy.
Pond looked down at his wrapped knuckles.
Then away.
The noise of the café filled the space between them again.
But neither of them spoke.
Then-
Phuwin exhaled softly. "...I'm sorry."
He lowered his head, resting his chin on his hand, elbow against the table.
For a moment-
It was quiet.
Then-
"...Am I a monster?"
Phuwin froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't expected that.
Slowly-
He straightened.
Lifted his head.
Looked at Pond.
Pond's eyes-
were red.
Glossy.
Like something was breaking underneath.
"...Am I a monster?" He repeated.
Phuwin didn't answer.
He just stared.
Frozen.
Pond's eyes glistened.
The tears were right there-
On the edge.
About to fall.
Phuwin's chest tightened.
"...No," He said.
Soft.
Immediate.
Pond stilled.
Phuwin held his gaze.
Steady.
Certain.
"You're not a monster," He repeated quietly.
Pond's breath hitched.
Just a little.
Phuwin swallowed.
"...You just don't know how to handle it," He added. "The anger. The way you protect people."
A pause.
"But that doesn't make you a monster."
The first tear slipped down Pond's cheek.
He didn't wipe it.
Just sat there.
Listening.
Phuwin glanced around quickly.
The café was still full- people chatting, some eating, a few eyes already starting to drift toward their table.
His expression shifted immediately.
Panicked.
He leaned forward fast and reached out, wiping the tear from Pond's cheek with his thumb.
Quick.
Careful.
"...Stop it," Phuwin muttered under his breath, a little flustered. "Or they're going to think I'm the one bullying you."
Pond blinked.
Still frozen.
Phuwin pulled his hand back, straightening up like nothing happened.
Trying to act normal again.
But his ears were slightly red.
"...Seriously," He added quietly, looking away.
"I'm sorry for scolding you. I won't do it again," Phuwin murmured.
Pond sniffled quietly, still looking down.
Phuwin exhaled, like he didn't know what else to say.
Then he stood up.
Without another word, he walked behind the counter.
Sammy glanced at him briefly but said nothing, just watched as he quietly prepared something.
---
A moment later, Phuwin came back holding a small cake with a cherry on top.
And a coffee with whipped cream- also topped with a cherry.
Carefully balanced in his hands.
He placed both in front of Pond.
"...Eat," Phuwin said softly.
Pond looked up at him.
Still a little red-eyed.
Phuwin avoided his gaze and cleared his throat.
"...I'm going back to work."
Then he turned and walked off behind the counter again.
Pond stayed still for a moment.
Looking at the cake.
Then the coffee.
Then the cherries on top.
And slowly-
He picked up the fork.
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