Chapter Text
Disgust. Fear. Anger. All three emotions hit Cher with full force as he neared the alley of his apartment.
"Come on baby… don’t be shy..." “Damn, look at his walk…” “Pretty boy, come give me a kiss…”
Four men, some even his dad’s age, hollered at him as he passed by. They nudged each other, blowing out their cigarettes. Cher knew they were going to follow him. He walked faster, clutching his bag tighter. He should have let Ice drop him at his place after the party. Why didn’t he just listen to her?
He could hear footsteps now. His pace fastened, and he didn’t dare look back, his heart beating faster with every step.
Just a few more houses down.
He was suddenly jerked back by his shoulder, one of those men now holding him in a tight grip. "Stop playing hard to get now, come on… it will be fun.”
His group was getting closer and closer, but Cher couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak either. The full force of the worst possibilities hit him altogether. He tried to snap out of it, but everything felt too compact, too scary.
All he could hear were their laughs and a faint voice inside his head telling him to scream, run, or do something.
So he did.
“Help! Somebody! Please help!” he screamed and tried to back away from the man, but one of his companions caught him by his waist, his other hand grabbing his mouth. The adrenaline rushing through his veins made him kick and scream even louder. He did everything to get out of his grip. Another man held his legs, and they dragged him into a dark alleyway.
Cher kept screaming, hoping, praying to the higher power for something, someone.
---/---/---
It was near midnight.
Since their mother passed away a few months ago, Yak spoke to him for the first time. He asked for instant noodles because he was hungry. It had been weeks since Yak had left his room, and he hadn't stopped crying since the funeral. Yei didn't have to drag him out of his room to eat for the first time.
Oyei wasted no time grabbing his phone and whatever money he had left and running to the 24/7 store in their neighborhood.
Yak had taken the biggest hit from their mother’s death. It was Oyei who took care of everything, from organizing the funeral to moving into their mother's estate. There was an old warehouse on the land that had not been used for many years, and there was also a small house in its backyard that their mother had inherited from her parents.
He is holding the last of the funeral condolences left by his family and friends. Is it possible for him to earn a living from boxing tournaments for a long time? The only degree he has is a high school diploma. Damn, he should have asked the shop owner if he needed a helper
And Yak. What about his school now? How will he pay fees?
All his thoughts came to a halt by a bloodcurdling scream piercing through the silence of the night. He ran instantly towards the sound, now coming from a dark alley.
Seeing what was happening before him, his legs stopped.
And all he saw was red.
The next thing he knew was that he was being pulled back by someone. He looked around to see two policemen pulling him by his shoulders. His eyes travelled to his hands, now covered with blood, his knuckles burst, and the men assaulting that boy all lying unconscious in the alley.
He snapped back to reality as his eyes fell on the boy silently crying while standing still in shock, his shirt torn, barely hanging from his body. He looked young, only a few years older than Yak, which only made him more angry. The police paid no heed, and started picking up the men on the ground, all while he stood there looking around, his eyes begging for help.
Yei took off his jacket and covered him up quickly. He picked up what he assumed was his backpack lying in a corner and guided him out. He refused to move, heaving for breath as his eyes were fixed on one of the men being dragged out by the police.
“You’re safe now. They’re gone.” Yei spoke.
The boy looked at Yei, grabbing his jacket closer to his body, and nodded.
---/---/---
“What do you mean you can’t press charges!” Cher flinched at the booming voice of the man beside him, the same man who'd just saved him. Everyone in the police station turned their heads as the man's argument with the grizzled officer behind the desk escalated
“I already told you,” the man boomed, his voice echoing in the police station. “I saw it all! This wasn't a robbery – they were trying to hurt him!” He shot up from his chair, his outrage palpable even across the room.
“We can't take action without a statement from him,” the officer countered as he looked at Cher, his voice dripping with scepticism. “We have no proof anything happened.” Cher gripped the fabric of the man's jacket, his knuckles white with restrained anger.
“He’s in shock.” That’s all he said, his bloody fists clenched in anger, he could practically feel the man's struggle to keep himself from lashing out.
"Listen, young man,” the officer barked, towering over him. “We have witnesses who claim you assaulted four men in an alleyway, leaving one needing an ambulance. Perhaps we should consider pressing charges for assault?”
“You…” he was cut off by the loud noise of the station door opening. Ice, still decked out in her sequined 70s costume, burst through the doors with her girlfriend Lita in tow. Her eyes locked with Cher's, and she rushed towards him. Cher met her embrace, clinging to her warmth as if it were a lifeline.
“What happened?” Ice's voice, though gentle, cracked the dam of his emotions. He buried his face in her shoulder, tears stinging his eyes.
Yearning for the comfort of his own bed and the oblivion of sleep, Cher just wanted this whole ordeal to vanish. Ice rubbed his back, holding on tighter, “we’re going home, okay? Lita will handle this.”
And as on cue, the man’s shouting was now replaced by Lita’s.
Lita, a whirlwind of power, clad in her sharp business suit, took over the conversation with the officer. Her voice steely as she threatened lawsuits if charges weren't pressed against Cher's attackers.
“Khun, listen to me right now, you either press charges on all four of those men right here, or as Mr. Cher’s attorney I will make sure to drown them and your station under so many lawsuits you will be counting them until your retirement. And until you do so, I am not leaving.”
Watching Lita in action, Cher finally understood why his parents had gone to such lengths to send her to Australia for law school. The woman was a force of nature.
“Let’s go Cher, okay, come on.” Ice gently guided him towards the exit, but Cher stopped.
“Khun,” Cher addressed the man who'd saved him, his voice thick with emotion. The man met his gaze, his scowl replaced by a look of concern, “Yei, I’m Yei.”
“Thank you, P'Yei,” Cher rasped, his throat tight with gratitude.
Yei nodded, and immediately went back to the conversation between Lita and the policeman doing his best to help him still as Ice, his best friend, held Cher tight.
He was safe.
To be continued...