The doors to the East Wing creaked open.
Soft sunlight spilled across the hallway as Pond stepped out first, his shirt loose, collar askew, and his scent still wild but now\... *tethered*. Behind him, Phuwin followed, cheeks flushed, a lazy, content smile tugging at his lips as he adjusted the sweater he had clearly stolen from Pond's closet.
It had been **three days**.
Three days of isolation. Of heat. Of bonding. Of love that burned the walls.
The house had gone quiet by the third morning-no one dared knock. No one risked breaking the aura that leaked from the sealed wing.
Until now.
As soon as Pond and Phuwin appeared at the top of the stairs, Joong spotted them from the dining room and *yelled.*
"WELL, WELL, LOOK WHO SURVIVED MATING SEASON!"
Everyone turned.
Santa dropped a fork. Fourth gasped dramatically. Dunk covered his face with a groan.
"Phuwin!" Gemini shrieked, half-running over. "You're glowing! Wait-are you actually glowing or is that just what being *bitten by a legend* looks like?!"
Phuwin blushed instantly, hiding behind Pond, who instinctively shifted in front of him, eyes narrowing slightly.
Joong smirked, arms crossed as he leaned against the counter. "Did you break the bed or the walls? Because I heard something crash on night two."
"Shut. Up." Pond muttered, not amused. His hand rested firmly at Phuwin's lower back, guiding him through the house like someone might *snatch* him if he wasn't careful.
Phuwin leaned into him, smiling softly. "We're okay now."
But the room felt it-how *different* Pond was now.
He was quiet, tense, only speaking when necessary. And when he did, it was low and clipped, his eyes constantly flicking to Phuwin like he couldn't bear to look away for more than a second.
Dunk slid a plate of pancakes toward the couple at the table. "Welcome back to the land of the living. You want syrup or just each other's souls?"
Phuwin laughed, but Pond didn't.
Instead, he took the syrup, poured it carefully over the pancakes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces-and fed Phuwin the first one himself.
"I could've-" Phuwin began.
"I'll do it," Pond said simply.
Joong raised a brow. Dunk nudged him.
Pond never stopped watching Phuwin eat. Every twitch, every sigh, every drop of syrup on his lip-he noticed it.
Possessiveness radiated off him like steam. Not angry, not cruel. But primal.
Protective.
*Obsessed*.
When Fourth made the mistake of touching Phuwin's arm during a joke, Pond's voice sliced through the laughter like a blade.
"Don't."
Silence fell.
Fourth blinked. "It's just his arm, Pond."
"He's mine."
Phuwin looked up, gently placing a hand on Pond's wrist.
"I'm okay."
Pond relaxed only slightly, gaze darting over Phuwin's face as if checking for any sign of discomfort.
Gun watched the exchange from the hallway, arms crossed beside Off.
"They're fully bonded now," Gun whispered. "But Pond... he's changed."
Off nodded. "He's always been intense. But now, he's *anchored.* And anchors get dangerous when threatened."
Inside, the teasing resumed, albeit more cautiously.
Santa leaned toward Phuwin with a grin. "So... how does it feel to be claimed by the most powerful being alive?"
Phuwin looked at Pond and smiled, soft and honest. "It feels like I finally found home."
Pond, for a moment, softened. He kissed Phuwin's forehead in front of everyone. Tender. Reverent.
And then returned to watching the room.
As if daring someone to take that *home* away from him.
It started with silence.
Not the comforting kind.
The *watchful* kind.
Pond didn't let Phuwin out of his sight. Not when he bathed. Not when he ate. Not even when he walked into another room. If Phuwin stepped too far ahead, Pond would follow. If someone spoke to Phuwin too long, Pond would interrupt-gently, but firm.
At first, everyone chalked it up to post-bonding instincts.
But then it became clear-it wasn't *just* instinct. It was something deeper. Something *consuming*.
So the friends gathered-quietly, cautiously-in Off and Gun's study.
Joong was the first to speak. "He hasn't spoken to *me* in three days. Me. His *brother.*"
Gemini frowned. "He didn't even let Phuwin come to the library yesterday. Said 'too many people, too many scents.' It's like he's building a wall."
Dunk added, "When I tried to help Phuwin with his tray this morning, Pond was right behind me. Hand *on my neck.* I thought he was going to snap."
Off sighed, rubbing his temples. "I've never seen him like this. Even when he was younger. Even when his Enigma side was out of control, it never looked like this."
Santa sat quietly. "It's not just possessiveness. He's afraid."
Everyone turned.
"He almost *lost* Phuwin. Almost gave him up. He trained like a beast to control the Enigma inside him. And now that he's claimed Phuwin, I think he's terrified someone's going to take him away again."
Gun nodded slowly. "But love without freedom isn't love at all."
Joong finally stood. "We have to talk to him."
Phuwin was trimming the roses again, Gun's old shears in hand, when Pond came to find him. As always, his presence sent a ripple of power across the flowers. Phuwin looked up with a smile-until he saw the look in Pond's eyes.
Tense. Shadowed.
"Are you okay?" Phuwin asked softly.
Before Pond could answer, Joong stepped out from the trees. Then Dunk. Then Gemini and Fourth. Then Santa.
Pond's body tensed immediately, eyes darting around, calculating exits.
Off appeared beside Gun at the gate.
"This isn't an ambush," Gun said gently. "It's family."
Phuwin stood and placed a hand on Pond's chest.
"Just listen," he whispered.
Joong stepped forward. "You love him. We know. We *see* it. But you're hurting him by holding him so tightly."
"I'm protecting him," Pond replied, voice flat. "I *have* to."
"No," Dunk said gently. "You're *trapping* him."
"Every time he talks to someone, your eyes flash. Every time he moves too far from you, you panic," Gemini added. "This isn't about love anymore. It's fear."
Pond's jaw clenched. "You don't understand-"
"I do," Gun interrupted. "Because I saw it in myself once. When I first bonded with Off, I was terrified of losing him. But I had to learn that love isn't chaining someone to your side. It's *trusting* they'll stay, even when they could run."
Phuwin turned to him then, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm not going anywhere. I *chose* you. But I need to breathe, Pond. I need you to see me as more than something you *have to keep safe*."
Pond's eyes shimmered.
He looked at them-all of them. His friends. His family. Phuwin.
The people who had stood beside him through everything.
And for a moment, his walls trembled.
"I..." he whispered. "I don't know how to let go without losing everything."
Phuwin stepped forward and took his hand.
"Then let's *learn* together."
Pond sank to his knees in the grass, arms around Phuwin's waist, head pressed to his stomach like a man finally letting himself break.
And everyone stood in silent respect-not because they won, but because they *reached* him.
Because the Enigma inside him wasn't the enemy.
It was the boy who'd been alone too long.