Pond's shoes scraped the tile as he stepped forward, one hand rising to push the hood back from his face. The morning light caught him properly now—dark circles carved beneath his eyes, his jaw shadowed with stubble, the gold chain resting against his collarbone like it was the only thing holding him together.
"Phuwin." His voice came out rough, scraped raw. "I need to—"
Godji moved faster than anyone expected. She planted herself between them, both palms flat against her hips, her flour-dusted apron the only thing soft about her. "You told him you needed time, and now you're back before the sun's even up? Talk to me first."
Pond's jaw tightened. His eyes stayed fixed past her shoulder, locked on the spot where Phuwin stood frozen near the counter. "Just a couple minutes. That's all I'm asking."
Behind Godji, Phuwin wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand, smearing the damp across his cheek. He glanced at the stairs—Siyh stood halfway up, one hand on the railing, watching. She gave him a single nod. Slow. Deliberate. Your call.
Phuwin let out a breath that shuddered through his whole chest. "It's okay, Aunty. I'll talk to him."
Godji turned to look at him, her mouth pressed into a thin line. For a long moment she didn't move. Then she stepped aside, arms crossed, chin lifted. "I'll be right here. Keeping an eye."
Pond didn't wait. He turned and pushed open the front door, the morning light flooding in, and stepped outside. The door swung shut behind him with a soft click.
Phuwin's feet carried him before his brain caught up. He pushed through the door into the narrow alley beside the bakery, where the morning air still held the night's cool and the only sounds were distant traffic and the buzz of a streetlamp that hadn't clicked off yet.
Pond stood with his back to the brick wall, hands shoved into his jacket pockets, shoulders hunched like he was bracing for impact.
Phuwin opened his mouth and the words came out sharp, honed by hours of crying and staring at the ceiling. "You fucking left me. You left me here to sit and cry until morning. Do you have any idea what that felt like? To make my hardworking auntie come back from her vacation because I couldn't stop shaking?"
Pond flinched. "Phuwin—"
"You left and didn't tell me why." Phuwin's voice cracked but he pushed through it, stepping closer. "You were so angry or mad or—I don't even know what. And I was right here. Waiting. Ready to listen to anything you said."
"I needed to think."
"Think?" Phuwin's laugh came out wet, broken. "Think about what? What was so important that you had to think about it so badly you left me after fucking me in a storage room and kissing me until I wanted to give up on my knees?"
"Phuwin—"
"No. No, you don't get to cut me off." His hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against his thighs. "I laid in bed crying because I thought I was losing someone I loved. Someone I love so fucking much it feels like my chest is caving in. And I thought—" His voice dropped to a whisper. "I thought I messed something up. Or that you didn't feel it. That you didn't love me the way I love you."
Pond's throat moved. His hands came out of his pockets, flexing at his sides. "I love you so much. That's why I walked out."
Phuwin stared at him.
"I needed to tell myself," Pond said, each word slow, like he was pulling it from somewhere deep, "that the love I was getting was mine. That no one else would be loved by Him so much they would just—step in front of a car for them. And I know that person is you, Phuwin. I knew it. I just needed to believe it."
Phuwin's face crumpled. That awful, adorable pout—lips trembling, eyes glassy—and then he was stepping forward, pressing his face against Pond's chest, fists gripping the fabric of his jacket. "I wouldn't ever think about leaving someone I love," he said into the cotton, voice muffled and wet. "I dream that in the end, it'll just be us. That we could make each other happy. I just want to be someone who makes you feel happy. And comfortable. And—"
Pond's arms wrapped around him, tight, crushing, his chin dropping to rest on the top of Phuwin's head. "I know. I know. I'm so fucking sorry."
Phuwin pulled back just enough to look up. Their eyes met—Pond's dark and swollen with exhaustion, Phuwin's red-rimmed and shining. The space between them filled with something that didn't need words.
Pond leaned down. His hand came up to cup the back of Phuwin's neck, thumb brushing the soft hair at his nape, and he kissed him.
Deep. Slow. A kiss that tasted like apology and relief and the edge of something desperate. Phuwin's mouth opened under his, and he made a sound—small, broken, grateful—that vibrated against Pond's lips.
Pond's other arm slid under Phuwin's thighs and he lifted, hoisting him up until Phuwin's legs wrapped around his waist, his back pressed against the brick wall. Phuwin's fingers tangled in Pond's hair, pulling him closer, and he laughed—a wet, breathless laugh—against Pond's mouth.
"Mmph," Phuwin managed between kisses. "You're so—"
Pond kissed him again, swallowing the rest.
Inside the bakery, Godji stood at the counter, arms crossed, a single eyebrow raised as she watched through the front window. Siyh and Santa had drifted to the other side, craning their necks to see the alley.
"Well," Santa said, adjusting his glasses. "That escalated quickly."
Siyh mimicked Pond's lifting motion, hooking her arms around an invisible waist. "'Oh, Phuwin, I need to think,'" she said in a low, mocking voice. "'I need time.' Then he comes back and practically tackles him."
Godji snorted. "I knew it. I knew that boy was head over heels."
"Mae Godji," Siyh said, turning with a grin, "you might need to gift Phuwin some toys and condoms for Pond to wear."
Godji's laugh rang out, warm and unashamed. "I might definitely need to do that."
Santa shook his head, but he was smiling. "You two are impossible."
Outside, Phuwin pulled back, his hands moving from Pond's shoulders to his jaw. He cradled Pond's face, thumbs tracing the sharp line of his cheekbones. "You have such a handsome face," he said softly.
Pond's breath hitched.
Phuwin's hand drifted up, finger tracing the bridge of Pond's nose. "Such a tall nose." His hand moved to Pond's eyes, fingers brushing the dark lashes. "And such sexy eyes." He slid his hand lower, palm pressing against Pond's chest, feeling the rapid thud beneath his palm. Then lower still, over the hard swell of his bicep. He squeezed. "Such huge, strong, hot biceps."
Pond's grip on him tightened. "Phuwin—"
Phuwin's hand kept moving, sliding down Pond's torso until it reached the waistband of his pants. He didn't stop. His palm pressed against the growing hardness there, fingers curling around the shape of it through the denim.
"Fuck." Pond's head tipped back, his mouth falling open, breath coming hard and fast. His grip on Phuwin's thighs loosened, just a fraction, as Phuwin's hand worked him through the fabric, gripping and squeezing with deliberate slowness.
"You have such a big, long, broad cock," Phuwin said, his voice low, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips. He pressed his body closer, his hand still moving, watching Pond's face—the way his eyes fluttered, the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed.
Behind the glass, Godji let out a sharp whistle. "That's my nephew." She turned and headed toward the kitchen, waving a hand over her shoulder. "I'm going to make coffee. Someone's going to need it."
At the top of the stairs, Tai and Jungkook emerged, rubbing sleep from their eyes. They froze on the bottom step, taking in the scene through the window: Phuwin's back against the wall, legs wrapped around Pond, hand firmly gripping something through his jeans, that unmistakable smirk on his face.
Tai screamed. Jungkook screamed louder.
"What the—" Tai grabbed Siyh's arm, spinning her around. "What is going on?!"
Siyh grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Phuwin is being a very dirty and direct man right now. He's making his aunty proud." She raised her voice. "Isn't that right, Mae Godji?"
From the kitchen, Godji's voice floated back, warm and amused. "It couldn't be any better."
Santa pushed his glasses up and sighed. "I'm going to need more coffee for this."
Outside, Pond's forehead dropped against Phuwin's shoulder, his breath ragged. "You're going to kill me."
Phuwin laughed, soft and genuine, and pressed a kiss to the side of Pond's neck. "Good."