The kiss Pravat and Tiwa share is only five seconds old, but the damage is already done. No one can stop this brutal fight because it's like stopping the flow of divine force. Tears brim in Tiwa's eyes as he stays behind and stares at Pravat, who puts all the blame on himself and faces Jaran's wrath. Just like last time, Tiwa remains silent and witnesses the hard-hearted fight between two alphas.
They jump at each other and claw one another's skin ruthlessly. It's not anything playful, just an intense fight for their hatred. Their anger is palpable in the air, fueling the ferocity of their attacks. As cultured as their world is, things remain true. Their nature and instincts as alphas and omegas, for example, sometimes make two omegas fight over who is best, and sometimes two alphas fight over who is more powerful. It varies.
Normal people often look up to their idols not just because of their talents and charm but also because of their control over their natural instincts. However, sometimes this control fails and brings out their worst. That's what's happening there now. No matter how powerful anyone is, they can't stop Jaran and Pravat from biting, clawing, and tearing each other apart in a fight like this. Not their manager, their bandmates, or their fans. Not even Tiwa. Wait!
For a second, Tiwa asks himself if it is true. Absolutely. He's not a fool. There is no way he can stop them from fighting because it is years of pent-up animosity that drives them to push the boundaries of their physical endurance.
Gluing himself to the wall in silence, Tiwa tangles up his mind. It's like looking into the past. Its magnetic, impelling force draws from his mind while he discerns the dark vortex. Each is drawn closer to the center, and one by one, he relives their last moment that has burned into his memory even after ten years—something rote that he can't forget even if he tries.
On one of those days, their teacher allowed them to play outside. Tiwa hadn't realized at that time that his life was about to change without his consent. He also hadn't anticipated that someone would disappear from his life just as they had appeared. He didn't think that the place that had helped something bloom would also be the same place to destroy the beautiful thing.
Without knowing any of those, he sat near the willow tree and enjoyed the warm caresses of soft burning on his skin. It was pleasant, so it had taken away all the distress from his heart and brought up why all days were not like these questions in his mind. Running his fingers on the soft grass, he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.
His peaceful nap was suddenly interrupted by a presence beside him. His heart had been beating loudly in his chest at the familiar sensation. Slowly opening his eyes, he turned to his side and saw Pravat staring at him fondly. Tiwa's heart had momentarily stopped beating, not because of how close they were but because of the bruises on Pravat's body that he noticed.
Tears welled up in his eyes, though he couldn't comprehend why. "What happened?" He inquired as he reached out to wipe blood from a cut on Pravat's cheek.
"It's nothing. I just got into a fight," Pravat said casually.
"How could you say it casually?" Tiwa pouted, slapping Pravat on the shoulder and feeling tears fall onto his cheeks.
He couldn't imagine how bad the fight had been, but he had heard his adoptive father mention once that wounds from fights tend to heal slower. There was no way to speed up the healing process except by using saliva from a mate. Tiwa didn't fully grasp the meaning behind it, but as he looked at Pravat's bruises, a certain urge began to stir in his chest.
Without giving it a second thought, he closed his tear-filled eyes, stuck out his tongue, and slowly licked at the scratches and cuts on every part of Pravat's skin that he could see. It seemed right because saliva was believed to have some sort of healing property. Feeling a sense of contentment, he pulled away and observed the wounds covered in saliva, mixed with his tears, before lifting his gaze upward.
Pravat stared at Tiwa with some kind of admiration, which contained a new wave of feeling coursing through him. Without blinking or looking away, he moved his hand up and tugged his collar to show a huge cut between his shoulder and neck that had been bruised because of the strangling.
Tiwa didn't hesitate, as his senses were blocked for multiple reasons. He moved upward to the slope between Pravat's shoulder and neck and licked the skin. Immediately, the air surrounding him brought a faint musk scent that engulfed his mind, causing him to miss the cinnamon and jasmine scent emitting from his own body.
He pulled away and let out a shaky breath when he came face-to-face with Pravat. His first thought had been, when did he end up in Pravat's lap? His second thought had been, had he always felt mesmerized by this closeness to Pravat? It was a ridiculous thought, of course, but it hadn't stopped knocking the breath out of his lungs and causing his mouth to become as dry as a desert.
Pravat gently wiped the tears from Tiwa's cheeks with his thumbs, and Tiwa looked down at Pravat's hands silently for a moment. Instead of continuing to comfort him, Pravat's hands moved through Tiwa's hair, and he leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was quick and intense, just like one would expect from two curious kids, but it went further.
Pravat got too rough with Tiwa, drawing a whimper and blood before being pulled back by some unknown force. His head was then pushed into a tree brutally, and he hit the ground hard, the air rushing out of him. Blinking, he realized he was looking up at Jaran, who was snarling down at him before delivering a solid punch.
Tiwa found himself stuck and glued to the tree, tears filling his eyes as his body trembled. This was the first time he had seen his brother like this; it seemed as though some wild animal had possessed his body. He flinched each time Jaran threw punches at the struggling Pravat, who was desperately trying to break free.
Realizing that his body was giving up, Pravat quickly changed tactics and kneed Jaran in the face before shoving him into a tree, causing him to fall hard to the ground. As Pravat grabbed a rod to strike Jaran, Tiwa intervened by subtly hooking his fingers with Pravat's, silently urging him not to retaliate. Taking advantage of the distraction, Jaran pushed Pravat to the ground with a mixture of anger and desperation evident in his eyes.
The fight had been escalating when the principal arrived and warned both of them about their actions. He scolded them and made them kneel at the playground to reflect on their mistakes until classes ended. Despite that, he suspended them for a week and assigned them a significant amount of homework.
Tiwa believed that everything would go back to normal once they regretted their mistakes. He knew he had to justify the brutal fight and defend himself at home against his adoptive mother. Despite knowing a big punishment was waiting for him, he felt relieved that at least the boys would drop their hatred and move on from the incident.
After classes ended, he walked out of the school gate with his cousins, filled with fear about the trouble waiting for him at home. His cousins tried to cheer him up when they saw his mindset, but it seemed like no help. He hung his head low as he walked down the street until he noticed a pair of feet approaching him.
Looking up, he saw Pravat standing in front of him with guilt in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen Pravat's walnut-brown eyes lose their brightness. Even though Pravat didn't say anything, Tiwa could feel that Pravat regretted his actions. Tiwa opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and looked away hurriedly when Jaran appeared out of nowhere and hit Pravat from behind.
The fight, which had paused inside the school, quickly resumed outside. Their eyes were filled with intensity as they clenched their teeth and struggled against each other. Tiwa and his cousins intervened, pulling Jaran away, while some students followed suit and helped separate Pravat from the altercation. The remaining students watched cautiously, afraid to get involved in the conflict.
The tense moment stretched on for what felt like more than fifteen minutes before Jaran finally broke free and lunged at Pravat. They exchanged blows fiercely until something shifted, resulting in Jaran getting struck by a passing car and wailing in agony. Time seemed to freeze at that instant, leaving everyone stunned. The accident might have been minor, but its repercussions were significant.
Tiwa's eyes filled with tears as he turned to Pravat, who vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Despite wanting to believe him, Tiwa couldn't ignore Jaran's injuries as evidence of Pravat's recklessness. With a heavy heart, Tiwa shook his head and extended his hand to prevent Pravat from approaching him. "I hate you, Pravat. You shouldn't have done that," he muttered.
Pravat was shocked by the words; the look in his eyes turned pitiful as he realized Tiwa didn't trust him. Nevertheless, he tried to approach again and pleaded, "Baby deer, please listen to me."
"Go away!" Tiwa yelled at the top of his lungs and cried loudly. "I said go away!"
It was clear that Pravat was not happy about the situation. Despite being blamed by everyone around him, he stood still and gazed at Jaran with pure hatred before walking away.
The swirling mess Tiwa finds himself in fades away instantly as something snaps painfully within him, jolting him harshly back to reality. With his head pounding and his heart drumming in his chest, he watches their fight. The smell of iron fills him with the blood on his nose, but perhaps it's his anxious scent that causes the two bloodied alphas to hesitate for a moment. And then he passes out.