Chapter Text
Names are something special, something that were created with love by our parents and given to us, their children.
Solar's name reflected their love to him and other than the meaning of his name, he never thought much on how other people view his name.
Oh sure, he's pretty aware with how people would sometimes raised their eyebrows at his name (his teachers and some other adults) but they never said anything about it, so he just shrugged his shoulder and labeled it as nothing.
(Why makes something out of nothing, right?)
But then, something happened, something that made him questioned his own name as a whole.
It began like this;
“Don’t you find your name weird?” A classmates of his---Ying---asked him.
Now, Solar knew she didn’t mean anything with her question, just pure curiousity. But it got him thinking about it and yes, in an outsider perspective, his name does sound weird.
Don’t get him wrong, he still loved his own name (it was given by his mother after all), he really do! But well....he also realized how weird it was, how strange that Malay people like him had name unlike common Malay people name---well, only the Solar part---but yeah, it was pretty strange.
“...I don't know" He said awkwardly as he scratched his cheek.
Ying nodded at his responses. "That's fine, I was just asking for the sake of asking, nothing more" She said before she walked towards her seat when the English Teacher came.
She may thought her question as nothing, merely a curiousity of her own, but to him, her question planted something in his head and made him think long and hard about it until recess time arrived.
(He wasn't even paying attention to the subject at hand.)
It was silent between them as they were busy with their own food. Solar with his Nasi Goreng and Sopan with his three flavoured filling (corn, chocolate and strawberry) bread when Solar broke the silence.
“Is my name weird?”
Sopan, who was sitting across him, shrugged his shoulder, munched on his corn flavored bread, swallowed it before he opened his mouth.
“I mean, my own name was ‘Sopan’” He said before he continued munching on his bread.
“But that's your nickname, not your true name!!” He protested before he shoved a spoonful of Nasi Goreng in his mouth, puffing out his already chubby cheek.
Sopan blinked. "Sometimes I forgot that my name is originally Solihin" He admitted, before he then continued his bread mukbang.
Or he tried to, as when Solar looked up again, he saw his friend was struggling to open the wrapped plastic of his strawberry flavoured one.
After a few tries, Sopan gave up. He handed it to Solar who rolled his eyes but he wordlessly opened it for him and handed him back to enjoy it.
Solar continued eating (not without whispering a 'bismillah' first) his Nasi Goreng all the while pondering over his name.
Muhammad Solar Ramadan Bin Amato....Muhammad Solar Ramadan Bin Amato----
"Muhammad Solar Ramadan Bin Amato" He abruptly said his name out loud without him meaning to.
Silence.
"...It does sound weird when you said it out loud" Sopan commented before he then shoved the remaining bread inside his mouth, making his already chubby cheek bulkier.
Solar hearing that, shoved his empty plate to the side and thumped his face into the canteen's table.
Then, the bell rang.
In the evening, after he was done showering and praying, he went straight towards the living room and plopped himself down on the sofa, letting his legs dangling from there.
Solar then opened the television, changed to the channel he wanted and waited as the commercial (something about woman's shampoo) played in it.
Back and forth, back and forth, his legs swung while waiting for it to end, until finally, it end.
He excitedly leaned towards the screen as the familiar opening of his favourite cartoon show began playing, though his excitement dampened a bit when the picture quality seemed blurry.
Maybe it was raining.
(It was, in fact not raining. Like, at all.)
Oh, well. As long lightning didn't strike the sky yet, then who cares.
But then, he abruptly remembered Ying's question about his name.
“Don’t you find your name weird?”
And immediately forget about the cartoon show he was currently watching.
Weird, huh...?
His eyes become unfocused, his swinging legs slow down in its speed until it finally stopped altogether as he was deep in thought.
Then---
"Assalamualaikum..."
---He heard a familiar voice gave salam, successfully distracted him from his own thoughts.
"Waalaikumussalam, wait!" He yelled out his response (answering salam is a must) as loud as he can before he shoot of towards the door to open it.
And when he opened the door it was to the sight of his oldest brother with rumpled clothes, tie missing and hair that looked like a bird nest (still unfairly handsome though), standing while slightly leaning against the wall beside the door, hugging his school bag like a lifeline.
He looked tired---no, to be more accurate, exhausted.
(Ah, typical look of SPM students.)
Although Abang Halilintar was tired, he still try to smile at him while Solar kiss his hand as his usual greeting.
But---
"Where's Abang Ufan and Abang Gem?"
And in response, Abang Halilintar only shifted his body wordlessly to the side, revealing a pile of....something near the front gate.
He squinted his eyes to make out what it was, looking at it for a long time until Abang Halilintar sighed and said; "Sol, you forget your glasses"
Solar blinked.
(Oh, no wonder the world looked blurry today.)
"Should we brought them in, Abang?" He asked his brother who was currently taking off his shoes like it wasn't a laced one.
"Hm?" A long paused before finally he said,"They have their own legs" And left Solar alone at the front door like he hadn't just said something cold about his own twins.
Solar scratched his head, looked again at his other brothers near the gate before he followed Abang Halilintar lead while also leaving the front door wide open for when Abang Gempa and Abang Taufan wanted to come in.
When he got back to the sofa where he had sat earlier, he saw Abang Halilintar laying himself down on it.
He still wanted to sit there though.
So, he took an initiative to nudge his brother a few times until he shifted a bit and finally Solar could sit again on the sofa.
His cartoon show had ended while he was busy nudging his brother for a space to sit but oh well, he could just watched it again later online.
He watched the television boredly, now it was showing Abang Taufan's favourite drama (something about a man and his cat), which Solar had no interest with.
After spending a few minutes seeing but not really watching, he then took a peek at the front door and saw that it was closed.
'Ah, Abang Ufan and Abang Gem were already inside--hm?' Solar's thought was interrupted when he realized something.
Wait.
Abang Halilintar. Abang Taufan. Abang Gempa.
Their name---
"...Doesn't it sound like a natural disasters?" He unconsciously mumbled to himself.
(He wondered what his Mama was thinking at that time for his brothers to have such strange-sounding name.)
His brothers had stranger name than him, why he never thought of that?
Ah, Solar thought. Maybe because none of them ever react strangely with their own names...?
Hm, it was pretty logical actually.
Solar pressed his back on Abang Halilintar's back, acting like his brother was his own back-rest. Ignoring his brother weak protest about it.
(It was his fault for taking away Solar's seat.)
After a few seconds, his brother's protest quietened down and was replaced with his brother's snoring.
He ignored that and went back to his earlier thoughts.
Abang Halilintar. Abang Taufan. Abang Gempa.
And him, Solar.
Strange huh...
Their name may sound strange----maybe even weird to other people----but well, it was theirs and Solar himself was content.
Unconsciously, he smiled to himself.
Because they were enough as they were.