Chapter Text
He saw her in the corner of his vision. Quickly, he waved to make sure she saw him. Although there weren’t many people in the aquarium today, it was better to be certain.
As soon as she reached him, they hugged. It had been a while since they saw each other. Although he wasn’t entirely sure why, probably just because life and school got in the way, it was nice to see her again.
“What are you listening to?” pushing on his right earphone, the song playing paused and he threw his arm over her shoulder. He showed her his phone, where it was still displaying the media. She hummed, interest dimming in her eyes. “I don’t know them.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t either, really. Just came up in my recommendations.”
Something about the way she was pouting made him change topic. “Shall we go to the next room?” a laugh, “I know you don’t like sharks.”
She nodded and they began to walk, still joined shoulder by shoulder. “I don’t know why you like them, they’re big and scary.”
“Like me.”
“No,” she whined, “you’re big and cuddly, like a puppy.”
The words didn’t really register. Ohm looked back to the shark tank room one more time, feeling like he was forgetting something.
“A puppy, huh.” He said just to say something.
“Yep,” the girl made a loud popping sound at the end of her words. Letting go of her shoulder, Ohm grabbed her hand. Instead of entangling them like he’d expected, she swung their arms once, twice, before letting go.
The date ended up not being too bad. It wasn’t spectacular, like sparks would fly off of their chemistry, but it was nice in a soothing and welcome way. They went on another, and another.
The comfort Ohm felt in her presence ended up becoming their doom. ‘Not too bad’ ended up being ‘not good enough’.
“It’s not that I don’t like you,” she said, a couple of days after their latest date while they were strolling through town. “You’re muscular, handsome, really sweet,” the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Ohm saw the words coming from miles away. “It’s just… nothing special, between us, I feel.”
Ohm liked that it was nothing special. He didn’t like overly complicated relationships, he didn’t long for that special spark. He just wanted a friend that wasn’t just friends. He saw love as something simple and plain, not some grand romance of the ages.
She wanted more, and he could not give her that, however much she deserved it.
So he nodded at her words, didn’t try to interject, and stared at her as she left him behind on the bench where they’d broken up. Putting his earphones in, he closed his eyes as the first notes of the song started playing.
“At least they’d understand,” he murmured, finding solace in the lyrics.
Maybe Ohm had listened to their latest release one too many times to get over the heartbreak – though, he had to admit, the breakup wasn’t actually that painful, but his ego still felt pretty bruised – because there’s no other way than that he was imagining things.
This voice, it can’t be, right? Searching for the origin of the sound, he opened his eyes abruptly and whipped his head around. Was he wrong? Was his mind playing tricks on him?
“Let’s just say we are his friends from Rrrrr high school, and we’re looking for his address.”
“Right, because the city hall will give us that information without any questions. Great idea, Chimon.”
“Let Gun do his things and I’m sure it’ll be fine, I got a great feeling about this place.”
“I hope so, otherwise I don’t know where to look next.”
There it was, that last voice! He couldn’t be making it up, right, since it was clearly coming out of that boy’s mouth. They were standing behind Ohm, lingering near the stairs of the city hall. 4 boys around his age, clothes and hair tussled like they’d hurried along the way. He could swear he still saw a hint of a school uniform underneath the smallest one’s hoodie.
A pang of jealousy ran through him. Sometimes, he really hated the fact that he was homeschooled.
They continued to talk among themselves, eventually switching to a lower volume Ohm couldn’t make out anymore, making him at loss at what to do next. Was the singer he’d been listening to still a high schooler – just like him? Would he be okay with being approached like that, or would it just be really awkward?
Ohm wasn’t even sure why he wanted to approach him – Pran, that was the name written on the mixtape published online. Maybe it was because he was sure Pran’d understand, the meaning behind his lyrics. Maybe Ohm just wanted someone to tell him this break-up was going to be alright, and that no, it wasn’t his fault.
Because it felt like it was. It always did.
One of the boys with half bleached hair walked up to Pran, throwing his arm around his shoulder in the same way Ohm often did with his date. It stopped him in the middle of standing up. Then, watching the arm slip off the shoulder instead to entangle their fingers, Ohm sat down again.
The boy with the bleached hair pulled Pran inside, the two others following at their heels.
Ohm raised the cap of his own hoodie over his head, pulling at the strings in an attempt to smolder his own face.
Stuck imagining what it would be like if he’d been along them, if Pran or the bleached-hair boy had done that with him, he didn’t catch the slight hesitation in Pran’s step, or the way the singer looked in Ohm’s direction for just a second too long.
Ohm stood up. He’d been dawdling far too long anyway. He sighed as he walked towards the entrance of the library, just at the other side of the street. His mom had made him promise he’d get some work done, today.
Which was why it was inevitable that not even halfway the second chapter of today’s matter – Political Movements in historic Thailand – Ohm felt so tired and bored he fell asleep. On top of the book, which surprisingly made a good pillow with how thick it was, and covered still by the cap of his hoodie like a fluffy blanket around him.
He could’ve been drooling, though he wasn’t really sure, because when he actually returned to semi consciousness, there were other pressing matters more important.
Like the chair next to him, in front of him, just chairs really at his secluded table in the library, being pulled and pushed back. With people sitting on them, whispering among themselves like Ohm wasn’t there. They probably figured he was still asleep which – fair, his eyes were still closed and he hadn’t moved yet.
“Well, that failed,” the boy that’d been addressed as Gun just earlier today – for some reason, Ohm recognized their voices instantly – sighed under his breath. “Win, do you think we’re safe here?”
“Should be,” Win said, followed by the scraping sound of the chair being pulled even closed to the table. Ohm could feel the collision tussling him, just a bit. “Chimon?”
“There was no one following us, I kept an eye out. Just pretend you’re studying like the sleeping dude over here.”
“Or take a nap,” Gun basically giggled, making Ohm unable to stop the slight frown from appearing on his face. He wasn’t sure whether anyone could see it. Somehow, he didn’t want them to be aware he was awake. Maybe he was scared they’d disappear if they noticed.
Usually he wasn’t one for listening into other people’s conversations, but sometimes the loneliness became too much and boredom struck.
It was quiet for a beat or two, long enough to make him wonder if they really started studying, or napping, around him. “Well, at least we’ve found out he really went to Rrrrr high school. Sadly your charm wasn’t strong enough into her telling us his address,” Win broke the silence.
A hurtful sound came from Gun’s general direction, but he didn’t actually sound offended. Ohm was confused. Earlier, he hadn’t really thought much about their conversation. Now, though, he figured that they were looking for someone of their school for some reason and, however, had failed to get any information. Why go all the way to the city hall, though, couldn’t they just ask that person at school, or the teachers?
Man, he really hated being homeschooled sometimes.
Also, a deeper part of him wondered, had one of the four tried to flirt to get the information, or something? That must’ve been a funny thing to see – a high schooler making advances on one of the old aunties who worked for city registrations. Or uncles.
“I even held his hand.”
Finally, Ohm’s suspicion that Pran was also sitting at the table – right next to him! – was confirmed as he spoke up. “You’re a liability either way, Chimon.”
Laughter followed at the table, and for some reason, Ohm couldn’t stop from smiling as well. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or just him being happy to hear that voice again.
“Hey! This dude is awake!”
Of course Chimon had to ruin it all.
“Morning sleepyhead,” as Win said those words, Ohm wondered if he could kindly ask Thanos to snap him away, but he was pretty sure movies hadn’t actually become reality yet. He moved to stare at the page right in front of him for a couple of seconds, blinking to try and get used to the light. “Did you hear us talk?”
“I did,” he told the paper while clearing his throat. Feeling it was better to get it out of the way quickly, he swiftly sat up-right, using the right hand he’d deffo hadn’t been drooling on just minutes earlier to wipe his hair out of his eyes.
The pregnant pause that followed the action was just a little too long to be comfortable. Ohm used the time to study the boys around him. Chimon was sitting right in front of him, Win and Gun at his sides, if he recalled the directions of the voices earlier correctly. While Gun was the smallest, Chimon looked the youngest. Win looked… well, like some kind of ikemen. Not that the others weren’t good looking.
Pran, the one that Ohm kind of looked forward to actually talking to, sat on his right. His eyes were big as Ohm turned to him, his mouth was open in… shock?
“Pawat?” How the fuck did Pran know his name? Set aside studying how the group looked, Ohm’s mind was in complete chaos all of a sudden.
“You – you know my name?” he had to restart the sentence twice, his heart suddenly beating against his chest. This was too creepy.
All of a sudden, a hand poked his forehead. He looked away from Pran to see Chimon retreat his finger. For a brief moment, he considered fake biting it, before he remembered these people weren’t his friends. “The fuck is happening,” Gun muttered, Ohm immediately agreeing inside the safety of his own head.
“This can’t be a coincidence, right?” Chimon all but knocked over the table as he stood up, pretty much crawling over it to poke more of Ohm’s forehead again. Looking for any kind of cover, he shuffled his chair behind Pran’s, who was staring at him with an unnerving look in his eyes. “The guy we’re looking for just so happens to be sitting right next to us?”
Someone cleared his throat. “There’s no such thing as coincidence,” Win said, voice deep like he was quoting something. Then, after clearing his throat again, he went back to his own voice. “At least, not with my potential.”
Ohm blinked, he couldn’t seem to catch up to the conversation. “Wait,” he held out his hand, effectually pushing away Chimon’s wandering ones while still hiding behind the singer. “You were looking for me, earlier?”
“Earlier?” Pran whispered. He had been sitting too still the entire time, not even moving a muscle. It occurred to Ohm that he might find his close presence uncomfortable, so he took extra effort to shuffle just a little away from the other.
Four pairs of eyes were awaiting his reply. “I mean, that’s why you went to the city hall right? To look for your… friend?” No, wait, this didn’t add up. Ohm wasn’t their friend. They hadn’t even met before this day.
“You’re not wrong,” Gun was the first to recover. “We were looking for someone, and if your name is indeed Pawat, then you’re our guy.”
Ohm nodded. The way his movements were closely followed by everyone present made him feel a tad uncomfortable. He had half a mind to run away, but on the other hand, something in him really wanted to try talking to Pran, even just once. The universe had literally given him a chance, and they’d even been looking for him! He had to at least listen and try… right?
He swallowed. “I usually go by Ohm, though. Why…” are you looking for me?
Pran still hadn’t moved, and while Chimon had retreated back to his chair, the way he eyed Pran made Ohm’s stomach turn. Luckily, at least Win and Gun would still answer his questions.
“That’s a very good question,” Gun laughed. “We’re trying to find out why, too.”
Even though said answers didn’t really explain anything at all.
“Did you use to go to Rrrrrr high school?” Win interrupted his confusion, though his words ended up somewhat muffled. Still, at least this was a question Ohm had a clear answer to.
Shaking his head, he sat back just a little bit to the left. Pran really looked… he wasn’t sure. Not happy to be there, at least, yet he didn’t stop staring. It was getting really unnerving, bothering on creepy. “I’ve been homeschooled my whole life,” sadly. He tried asking his parents over and over for a chance to go to a public school, but it hadn’t been in the cards for him.
This made Gun frown and Win facepalm. “Are you sure?” the first asked.
Ohm rolled his eyes. “I’m sure I’d remember if I had gone to school before,” he was getting a little annoyed. This whole thing started to feel like a big prank, slowly but surely. Where was it even going? It felt like any moment now a hidden camera would appear, pranking a casual fan with his idol. Surely this didn’t happen in real life, though?
Finally, Chimon looked away from Pran and blinked slowly. “Not necessarily,” he said, “Right, Nanon?”
Nanon?
Who-
But it was Pran who spoke up. Barely, since his words were still as quiet as a whisper. “What exactly is your potential?”
And Ohm was back to being completely lost.
Ohm had a lot of things he liked doing in life. While being homeschooled limited his social life in one way, on the other hand he had more freedom and was mentally more adult – at least, according to his parents – than most kids his age. He liked going to the gym, going to a café to drink coffee in the morning. He liked driving around the neighborhood, watch people talk and play, joining them in their bantering. He liked looking at the sky in the depth of night, playing his favourite songs loudly on his car speakers until someone complained.
While at one hand he easily befriended people, those friendships never really seemed to last. Things like best friends forever, or soulmates, he hadn’t really experienced those ever before.
Still, it was fine. He had his family and his passions. Sometimes, he could even play along with some of his favourite songs, even classics that made his parents proud.
In hindsight, it was a little bit chaotic, being surrounded by this group of four friends.
He ended up loving it, even through the confusion.
“Like I said, Pran, I still don’t understand what a potential is?” he asked.
“Doesn’t matter!” someone answered, while someone else tried to call “It’s like a superpower,” over the other.
“Should we contact Gulf to inform him we found Pawat?” Someone asked.
“Who?” Ohm asked at the same time Pran – wait – Nanon shook his head. “Did you just call me Pran?”
“Who’s Pran?”
Ohm couldn’t help it, he grinned at the chaos. In the end, they ended up being thrown out of the library on the account of making too much noise, which, fair, so they walked nowhere while continuing their weird conversation that made zero sense to Ohm. Shuffling a bit closer to the singer – whose name was Nanon, not Pran, because apparently it was an artist name he hadn’t told his friends about – he looked at the boy.
Through the whole time, he’d been the only one not explaining a thing and only asking questions to Ohm. If he were honest, he was feeling a bit disappointed about his first meeting with him. Although he never imagined meeting one of his favourite songwriters before, if he had, it definitely wouldn’t have gone like this in his head.
“So,” he said, making Nanon snap his head towards him so abruptly Ohm could basically hear his neck crack. Had he not noticed Ohm approaching? “Why don’t your friends know you’re a singer-songwriter?”
Call him shameless, he was interested. Also, the whole way everyone had casually approached him, he felt like it was totally okay to stop any inhibitions he usually had with new people.
“Didn’t,” Nanon answered, which Ohm made a confused sound as reaction to. “They didn’t know – now they do.”
“Ah.” Ohm stilled, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. Bouncing on his feet, he wondered what to say next. The other three were still engaged in conversation, basically shouting something along the lines of kidnapping Ohm back to school.
Ohm was sure it was fine and that they would not do that. Probably. He’d like to see them try, though. His muscle mass was at least three times Gun’s.
Nanon coughed a little, breaking him out of his inside joke. “It’s fine,” he assured, “I wanted to tell them, but never really had the guts to do so. I guess this is the easiest way – while they’re distracting by something else.”
Ohm followed Nanon’s amused glare at the trio to their right. They had walked away from the bench they’d been circling towards a tree, like searching for some kind of privacy. Ohm’s gaze lingered between them, but he followed Nanon nonetheless.
“Why didn’t you?” Ohm wondered out loud. “Your songs are really good.”
Ohm was pretty sure he saw a blush appear in the corner of his eye, he couldn’t be sure though, so he turned towards Nanon. Yeah. Confirmed. He couldn’t help but compliment him just a little more, wondering if the colour would turn brighter. “Your lyrics are super interesting and relatable.”
It did.
“That’s exactly why,” Nanon didn’t stop staring at the trio. “He’d wonder what they were about.” Since he’s been looking himself, it wasn’t hard to figure out which direction.
It was Chimon, the person Nanon’s gaze was concentrated on. Ohm suddenly understood a lot of things, though it wasn’t about those three, nor about the crazy things they were discussing. Just about Nanon.
“He’d wonder who,” Nanon whispered.
Yeah.
Ohm could understand.
Just about this much.
“Ohm! Nanon!” Chimon interrupted their silence after… no idea how much time. “What are you doing?”
“Coming!” Nanon shouted back, and all Ohm could do, all he could ever do, was follow.