CHAPTER 24
---
Later, Pond appeared beside him without much warning.
He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
Phuwin immediately flinched.
"Hey-!" He squirmed slightly, covering part of his face. "It's embarrassing..."
Pond didn't move away.
He just stared at him quietly, eyes soft and calm, like he wasn't affected by anything around them.
Phuwin peeked at him through his fingers.
"...Why are you like this in public," He muttered, still red.
Pond blinked once.
"...Because I want to."
That made Phuwin sigh, shaking his head a little, though his expression softened anyway.
After a moment, he lowered his hand and looked ahead.
"...Semester's going to end now."
His voice was quieter than before.
Almost reflective.
Pond hummed lightly beside him.
"...Mm."
Phuwin glanced at him briefly.
"...Everything's been... A lot lately."
Pond didn't respond right away.
He just walked beside him, steady as always.
Then finally said, calm and simple:
"...But you're still here."
Phuwin paused at that.
Then let out a small breath, like he didn't know whether to laugh or agree.
"...Yeah," He murmured.
"...I am."
Pond glanced at him.
"...Did you talk to your father?" He asked quietly.
Phuwin shook his head almost immediately.
"No."
He adjusted his grip on his bag, eyes forward.
"...He's never home anyway. So... Let it be."
A brief silence settled between them.
Pond's expression softened slightly, but he didn't push.
"...You're just leaving it like that?" He asked, calmer this time.
Phuwin gave a small shrug.
"What else am I supposed to do?"
A pause.
"...I can't force someone to care if they don't."
Pond looked ahead for a moment, thinking.
Then spoke gently.
"...You're not forcing. You're just showing up."
Phuwin let out a quiet breath, like the words landed somewhere heavy.
"...Showing up for someone who isn't there sounds pointless."
Pond slowed his steps a little.
Then said, softly but firm enough to stay with him:
"...Then show up for yourself instead."
Phuwin didn't answer right away.
But his gaze dropped slightly, quieter now, as they kept walking side by side.
---
1 week later, Phuwin was sitting on his bed when he heard the front door open.
He paused.
Slowly, he stood up and walked out of his room.
At the railing, he looked down.
His mother stood near the entrance.
And beside her-
His father.
Phuwin blinked once.
Then he went downstairs.
Step by step.
When he reached the bottom, his father turned.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them moved.
The air felt tight, heavy with everything that had been unsaid for years.
Phuwin spoke first, voice cold and controlled.
"...Welcome home. Again," He whispered.
---
Later, they were seated in the living room.
Just him and his father.
His mother had stepped away, leaving them alone.
Silence stretched between the couch and the distance in their eyes.
Phuwin leaned back slightly, arms resting loosely at his sides.
His gaze didn't waver.
"...If you're here to scold me," He said flatly, "I won't hear it."
His father's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Why are you like this?" He asked.
Phuwin let out a small breath through his nose, almost like he couldn't believe the question.
Then he looked directly at him.
"...Why wouldn't I be?"
A pause.
"You left."
His voice stayed steady, but something underneath it sharpened.
"...You left your kids every single time. You forced us to be perfect, but you were never there to see what it did to us."
His grip tightened slightly on his own sleeve.
Still calm.
Still controlled.
But no longer soft.
"...Where were you," He continued, voice lower now, "when I graduated high school?"
A beat.
"...Where were you when Book graduated?"
Silence.
"...Where were you on our birthdays?"
He didn't look away.
"...You weren't there."
The room went quiet after that.
Even the air felt still.
Phuwin's father didn't answer.
And in that silence, everything Phuwin had been holding in for years finally stood between them- unhidden, unavoided, and impossible to ignore.
Phuwin's father exhaled slowly.
For once, the cold certainty in his expression faltered.
"...I'm sorry," He said quietly.
Phuwin didn't react.
He just stared at him, unmoving.
His father leaned forward slightly, hands clasped together.
"I know that doesn't fix anything," He continued.
"...But I need you to understand why I did what I did."
A pause.
Then he spoke again, more carefully this time.
"In politics... Everything is watched. Everything is judged."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I thought if I built a perfect image, a perfect family, it would protect all of you. Protect our name. Protect your future."
He looked at Phuwin, searching for something in his expression.
"But I focused so much on control... That I forgot what it cost you both."
Silence settled between them again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Phuwin's face didn't soften.
Didn't change.
His father let out a slow breath.
"...I wasn't there," He admitted.
"...And by the time I realized it, I had already lost how to come back properly."
The room went still.
No one spoke.
Even the air felt paused, like waiting for something neither of them knew how to say next.
And in that silence, there was no resolution-
Only the weight of everything that had already happened.
Then-
Phuwin finally spoke again, his voice quieter but firm.
"...Saying sorry doesn't fix anything."
A pause.
"But if you actually try to make things right- slowly- then maybe... I'll forgive you."
He stood up from the couch.
The moment felt like it had reached its end.
Phuwin turned slightly, ready to walk away.
"Pond."
His father's voice stopped him.
Phuwin froze.
Just for a second.
His hand tightened slightly at his side.
His father continued, more measured now.
"...Why don't you invite him to dinner sometime? With us."
Silence.
Phuwin slowly turned his head a little, just enough to look back over his shoulder.
His expression stayed controlled, but something softer flickered underneath it.
"...I'll tell him," He said simply.
Then he turned away fully.
And walked off, leaving the living room behind in quiet tension that neither of them rushed to break.
Phuwin's father stayed seated on the couch, unmoving, his hands still loosely clasped together.
For once, he didn't look like someone in control of anything.
Just tired.
---
A few moments later, footsteps approached from the side.
Phuwin's mother appeared quietly and stopped beside him.
She didn't speak right away.
She just looked at him.
Then, gently, she sat down beside him.
"...You did what you could," She said softly.
His father let out a slow breath, almost like he had been holding it in for years.
"That's the problem," He murmured. "What I thought I could do... Wasn't what they needed."
A silence passed between them.
Not cold this time.
Just quiet.
His mother leaned slightly closer, her voice calm but steady.
"...Then don't stay stuck in what you did wrong," She said.
"...Start from what you can still do right."
His father didn't answer immediately.
His gaze stayed forward, distant.
But something in his expression shifted- subtle, uncertain, like the first crack in something long set in place.
And for a while, they just sat there together.
No arguments.
No defenses.
Just the weight of everything... Finally being acknowledged in silence.
Phuwin's mother slowly reached over and took her husband's hand.
Her touch was gentle, but steady- like she was grounding something that had been shaken for too long.
"...Maybe it's time," She said softly, "to change this family."
His father didn't pull away.
He just stayed still, listening.
She looked at him for a moment before continuing.
"...And about Pond."
A brief pause.
"He's a good man."
Her grip tightened slightly, reassuring rather than demanding.
"I know what people saw in those viral videos... They think he's violent."
She shook her head faintly.
"...But when I saw him with Phuwin when he was hospitalized,"
Her voice softened further, almost thoughtful.
"He spoke so gently. Like he was afraid of hurting him even with words."
She glanced down for a moment, remembering.
"I was standing by the doorway. I didn't interrupt... I just watched."
A small, quiet exhale.
"...And I knew then. He cares about him. Deeply."
Then she looked back at her husband.
"...It's time we accept whoever our sons love," She said calmly.
"Because in the end... It's their happiness."
Silence followed.
Not heavy like before.
But different.
Thoughtful.
Like something inside the room had finally been allowed to breathe.
---
2 weeks later...
Phuwin arrived at the café earlier than usual, arms full of neatly packed boxes.
Sammy was standing nearby when she saw him.
"...What is ALL of this?" She asked, eyes widening.
Phuwin placed the boxes down one by one.
"...Cafe supplies," He said simply.
"...For you."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Sammy suddenly gasped dramatically.
"PHUWIN-!!"
Her voice cracked as she rushed forward, staring at the boxes like she had just been handed a miracle.
"...You didn't have to- I'm going to cry- I AM crying-"
Pond, who was already inside helping stack some of the heavier boxes labeled ingredients, glanced over calmly.
He didn't say anything.
He just continued organizing them like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Phuwin watched Sammy panic- cry for a second, then added casually,
"...Also, I hired someone to help you."
Sammy froze mid-tear.
"...You WHAT?"
Phuwin continued, unfazed.
"One employee. To help you manage things so you don't overwork yourself."
A pause.
"But I have one condition."
Sammy narrowed her eyes slightly, suspicious now.
"...What condition?"
Phuwin looked toward Pond briefly, then back at her.
"...I'm still working here."
Silence.
Then Sammy grabbed her chest dramatically.
"YOU CAN'T JUST SAY NICE THINGS LIKE THAT SO CALMLY-!! AND YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE!"
Pond finally spoke, glancing over with a small amused look.
"...She's going to pass out."
Phuwin gave a faint shrug.
"Then she should sit down."
Sammy pointed at both of them, still emotional.
"I'm surrounded by insane rich kids and a man who looks like he eats people but carries boxes like a saint-"
Pond paused.
"...I do not eat people."
Phuwin spoke, very softly:
"...Debatable."
And somehow, the café felt a little lighter that day- like things were finally settling into something stable, even if it was still a little chaotic.
Sammy suddenly pulled Phuwin into a tight hug, still crying dramatically.
"...Kids these days are SO blessed... SO nice..." She sobbed into his shoulder. "Why are you like this... I don't deserve this kindness-!"
Phuwin stiffened for a moment, clearly caught off guard.
Then he let out a small, awkward laugh and carefully patted her back.
"...Phi Sammy, it's okay," He said softly. "Just... Breathe."
Sammy only hugged him tighter, as if letting go would break the moment.
"NO I CANNOT brEATHE, THIS IS TOO WHOLESOME-!"
Pond still standing nearby, watching the scene with a faint smile.
He shook his head lightly, amused, then went back to organizing the boxes without interrupting.
Phuwin glanced at him briefly, then back at Sammy.
His expression softened, and despite the awkwardness, he kept gently comforting her- patting her back in slow, steady motions.
"...You're really dramatic," He murmured, but there was no real complaint in his voice.
Sammy finally loosened her grip slightly, still sniffling.
"...I raised good kids in my café..." She whispered proudly, then hugged him again.
Pond let out a quiet exhale, smiling to himself.
Phuwin, half-trapped in the hug, just sighed softly and continued patting her back- accepting the chaos as part of the place he now called normal.
---
1 week later, in the university courtyard...
Phuwin sat at the table outside, leaning back slightly as the warm air of the campus shifted around him. He looked calmer than before- lighter.
Pond sat on the bench beside the table, relaxed as he watched the others.
Gemini stood nearby with his arms crossed, expression composed but clearly amused.
Then-
"IT'S FINALLY DONE-!!"
Fourth suddenly shouted, throwing his papers into the air.
Louis immediately followed, jumping up beside him.
"WE SURVIVED THE SEMESTER-!!"
They both started hopping around in circles, laughing and yelling as sheets of paper fluttered everywhere like confetti.
Fourth jumped higher, almost spinning mid-air.
"NO MORE DEADLINES-!!"
Louis grabbed another stack of paper just to throw it again.
"NO MORE SUFFERING-!!"
Phuwin let out a quiet laugh under his breath, shaking his head slightly at the chaos.
Pond glanced at him, then at the two still jumping wildly, and smiled faintly.
Gemini exhaled through his nose, arms still crossed, clearly entertained despite himself.
Fourth grabbed Louis's shoulders and shook him excitedly.
"WE DID IT- WE ACTUALLY DID IT-!!"
Louis screamed back, equally loud.
"I'M NEVER STUDYING AGAIN-!!"
Phuwin's smile lingered as he watched them, his eyes softening.
"...They're insane," He murmured quietly.
Pond nodded once.
"...Yeah," He agreed, still smiling.
But none of them looked like they minded it at all.
Suddenly, Force and Book appeared from the walkway, walking toward them at an easy pace.
Book's face lit up immediately.
"Guys! We survived this semester!" He beamed, spreading his arms a little like he couldn't believe it himself. "We should celebrate!"
Force walked beside him with a slight smirk, hands in his pockets. He tilted his head casually, then raised a card between his fingers.
"...I'm treating."
There was a beat of silence.
Then-
"YOOOOO-!!"
Fourth and Louis immediately screamed again, doubling their jumping like they had somehow gained extra energy.
Gemini's brows lifted slightly, impressed but calm.
"...That's dangerous information to announce out loud," He muttered.
Pond let out a small amused breath, shaking his head.
Phuwin, still seated, blinked once before a faint smile formed on his lips again.
"...Of course you are," He said quietly.
Book turned toward Force with a proud grin.
"I told you they'd react like this."
Force just smirked a little more.
"Obviously."
Fourth rushed forward, practically vibrating.
"WE'RE GOING TO EAT GOOD-!!"
Louis followed right behind him, pointing dramatically.
"FOR FREE-!!"
The group erupted again into cheers, laughter mixing with the rustling papers still floating down around them like the last signs of the semester finally letting go.
And for once, it wasn't chaos that felt overwhelming-
It was celebration.
Phuwin stood up on the table, balancing for only a second before he jumped down lightly.
Pond rose right after him.
Then they started walking away.
Without a word, the rest followed- Force slipping his hands back into his pockets, Book still smiling, Gemini adjusting his stance as he walked, while Fourth and Louis kept talking over each other in excited bursts.
One by one, they fell into step together.
Sunlight filtered through the trees above the campus walkway, breaking into soft gold streaks that moved across them as they walked.
The wind picked up lightly, brushing through uniforms, rustling papers into the ground drifting away behind them like the end of something heavy.
Phuwin glanced forward, expression calm now- no tension, no weight pulling at him like before.
Pond walked beside him quietly, close enough that their shoulders almost brushed with every step.
Beside them, laughter rose again.
Fourth said something dramatic.
Louis answered even louder.
Book laughed under his breath.
Force smirked like he already knew this was going to be a long celebration.
Gemini just sighed faintly- but didn't stop smiling.
Phuwin let out a soft breath, almost like a quiet laugh to himself.
Pond noticed and looked at him briefly.
"...Happy?" Pond asked lowly.
Phuwin didn't look away from the path ahead.
"...Happy." He said simply.
And just like that, they kept walking.
Not toward something perfect.
Not toward something fixed.
But toward something that finally felt like theirs.
And under the warm, shifting sunlight- they moved forward together.
Inside the café, the afternoon light spilled through the windows in soft gold, settling over the small table by the corner.
Phuwin placed a plate of chocolate cake in front of Pond, followed by a coffee topped with whipped cream.
No cherry.
Pond looked at it quietly for a moment.
Then he glanced up at Phuwin.
Phuwin spoke, voice calm.
"...Still want it?"
Pond's expression softened immediately, and a small smile formed on his lips.
"I told you," He said gently. "I never came for the cherry."
For a second, everything felt still.
Like even the noise of the café had faded into something distant.
Phuwin just stared at him.
Then-
A faint smile formed on his lips too. Almost shy. Almost disbelieving.
Time seemed to slow.
And then-
Phuwin smirked.
Before Pond could react, Phuwin dipped his finger into the whipped cream on Pond's coffee and suddenly smeared it onto Pond's cheek.
Pond froze for half a second.
Then his eyes widened slightly-
And he grinned.
"Oh- so that's how it is," Pond said, standing up slowly.
He reached for the whipped cream too and dragged it across Phuwin's cheek before he could move away.
"Pond!" Phuwin snapped immediately, wiping at his face.
"Phuwin!" Pond shot back, laughing.
Phuwin grabbed more whipped cream and tried again.
"Stop-!"
Pond dodged easily, laughing harder now.
"Make me-!"
They moved around the table now, both half-standing, half-laughing, smearing whipped cream onto each other without care, voices rising over each other.
"Pond-!"
"Phuwin-!"
"Stop smiling-!"
"You started it-!"
Chairs scraped lightly.
The café echoed with laughter.
Not loud enough to disturb anyone-
But enough to fill every corner of it.
It didn't feel like chaos now.
It felt like home.
—————————————————————————
Cherry On Top
By cthyqq
· Canva
· IbisPaint X
—
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading Cherry On Top. ????
· PondPhuwin
· GeminiFourth
· ForceBook
· Louis
· Sammy
· Phuwin and Book’s Parents
· Derek
—
Hello everyone!
To those who made it all the way to the end— thank you so much for reading Cherry On Top! ????
I literally speed-ran this in 3 weeks. Yes. THREE. WEEKS. And after that, I realized… Maybe that was a bad idea because I ended up with the worst headache of my life. My head was hurting so much I started questioning all my life decisions ??
The reason I rushed this is because I have another book coming soon, so I was trying to finish this before my deadline. And let’s be honest… I wrote this in maximum lazy mode. Like, simple writing, fewer brain cells, and just vibes.
So please forgive me if some parts feel rushed, messy, or like my brain just said, "yeah this is fine, publish it." Especially the ending— I KNOW it was rushed. I was literally racing against time like it was an exam I didn’t study for.
At some point, I wasn’t even writing anymore, I was just surviving the chapter.
My fingers were tired, my eyes were fighting for their life, and my brain? Gone. Completely gone. Left the chat halfway through.
BUT despite all that chaos, I really hope you still enjoyed the story. I put effort into it (even if my body was suffering while doing so ??).
Thank you for staying until the end, for reading, and for supporting me. It truly means a lot.