Work Text:
"Everyone reached a conclusion and told me to tell you that everyone agreed."
A smile works up on Pang's lips, one that tells Namtaan that all his doubts on himself have finally paid off, one that symbolized the weight that finally got off his shoulders.
"Do you agree with me?"
Namtaan doesn't hesitate, and responds with a simple nod. Pang is happy. Because Namtaan is back, because the director and his rotten system is gone for good, because his friends have finally agreed with him on one thing, like the skies and the seas have combined and formed an uncomparably serene shade of blue. And because they finally get to live their lives as normal teenagers again. (Okay, maybe not so normal teenagers, rather teenagers with superpowers.)
Namtaan searches her pocket and hands Pang a piece of folded paper. "This fell from Ohm's backpack a while ago."
"What is it?"
"See for yourself."
He unfolds the paper and immediately recognizes Ohm's handwriting that seemed like it's been blown off by a hurricane, but not too bad to be unreadable.
OHM'S ULTIMATE EXTRAORDINARY GIFTED BUCKET LIST!!!! (for when the old stinky man is finally defeated)
- go on a summer trip
- MAKE FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS
- spend the night at Punn's uncle's resort because he's been talking about it with me nonstop
- sit around a campfire and roast marshmallows
- get drunk yeahhh
Pang shakes his head and chuckles at the scribbles. Typical Ohm.
"So, what do you think?" Namtaan asks, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Let's make it happen."
"Awesome! I'm sure he'll be surprised. He deserves it. We all deserve it."
Pang smiles, glad that their trio is still as in tact as ever.
"Is everything in there?" Namtaan asks as she hugs her neck pillow close to her. Jack, Jo, and Mon finish up putting their luggages in the trunk of Mr. Pom's car (which they borrowed), including Ohm's which Punn had secretly packed while he wasn't in their dorm room.
"Yup. Everything's here." Mon says with a thud following after. Everything is set. The sandwiches which Claire had made, including some chocolate drink boxes were packed for their picnic, a little bonus that wasn't in Ohm's bucket list but they wanted to have one anyway. The only one missing was Ohm.
"Okay, we'll get Ohm now. In your places, people!" Namtaan commands as Pang follows him. "Yes, ma'am!" Mon responds, earning a quick glare from the curious lady.
After a few minutes, the two come back with a blindfolded class clown scrambling to his feet. Korn gets out his camera to film the mess that Ohm is, chuckling uncontrollably in the process. "H-hey! What is this?! Where are you taking me?!!! Don't wait for me to call 119! Or was it 991? 911? Yes! 911! Let me go!"
Pang and Namtaan finally let go of the kid, and he takes his blindfold off immediately. "Surprise!" Colorful confetti bursts out of the poppers as well as cheers and whistles from his friends.
"We kinda saw your bucket list, so... we're making it happen!" Namtaan gleams.
Ohm pauses, taking in everything that was happening and was about to happen. "You guys..." was all he could ever come up with before a tear manages to escape and roll down his ever so chubby cheeks which eventually burst into sobs. Soon enough the whole class enveloped Ohm in a tight group hug, ruffling his hair and giving words of encouragement. Each one of them felt like home. Having spent the last four years in Ridtha fighting oppression and fucked up adults, they finally found themselves right here, basking in the warmth only they could give each other, and they wouldn't trade it for the world.
A couple of sobs and 'we love yous' later, they finally decided to leave. They have agreed that Mon should drive because she was pretty good at it, and she volunteered too because she thought she looked hot when she drove (which was a fact Namtaan may have or have not secretly agreed with). Korn sat in the passenger's seat, Jack, Jo, Ohm, and Namtaan in the next row, while Pang, Wave, Claire, and Punn sat in the last.
Korn connects his phone to the aux, scrolling through some songs from his Spotify playlist specifically curated for this trip. He settled on an upbeat, indie record which he made sure everyone was familiar with so they could sing along. And they did. Give it up for the twins who sang to the top of their lungs, while Ohm sang the guitar riffs and Punn did a little bit of beatboxing. Wave hums slightly, but Pang manages to hear it atop Jack and Jo's bass boosted vocals, making him shake his head and smile absentmindedly until he found himself humming too. Claire claps her hands with poise, making sure to flaunt her newly embellished nails that she paid some extra bucks for than she usually does. Namtaan sings along quietly, stealing glances at Mon whose hair is magically blown by the wind, wearing an ever so charming smile.
Korn notices his camera was still recording, so he points it at Mon. "This is Mon, our self proclaimed bodyguard. Don't mess with her, one flick on the forehead and you're knocked out. Literally." He narrates.
"Hoie, that's not true. It never works on you."
"Of course, I'm the one who can't sleep. Not even if Mon beat me up. I'm edgy like that."
"That's also not true. In fact, all you've ever done in the past week is sleep."
Mon chuckles, and so does Korn. A genuine chuckle, not one that he usually does to make the atmosphere lighter. He flips the camera and zooms in to the twins next. "This is Jack, and that is Jo."
"Korn, I'm Jo, this is Jack."
"Whatever. These are the twins. Two people, but they act as one. Watch this." Korn reaches his arm out to the back and hits Jack softly on the head.
"Ow! Ai'Korn!" They both yelp synchronously. "Cool right? They can communicate with their minds too, so people," he coughs teasingly, glancing at Pang and Wave at the mirror, "use them as mediums of communication sometimes." Jack and Jo hit Korn back on the head as revenge, but he laughed it off.
"This is Ohm. The class clown. He's the reason we're on this trip today. What can you say, Ohm?" The edgy kid asks.
Ohm clears his throat and beams like a kid in a candy store. "This. Is. AWESOME! I've been looking forward to this for a while now. I can't believe this is happening, I feel like I'm in a movie!!" Ohm pauses and frowns for a while when he remembers something. "Hey, I didn't pack any clothes!"
"I packed them for you."
He turns to the voice in the last row. "Aww, that's sweet of you Punn, my dear. Wait, did you pack my stuffed dinosaur too?"
"Of course. I figured you'd want to bring it with you since you always carry it around the dorm."
"Him, not it." Ohm corrects him. "Anyways, thanks bud. You're the best!!"
Korn holds the camera above his head and points it to Namtaan who sits behind him, looking out the window like she's in some sort of music video. "That's Namtaan. She's a very curious girl, as you can see. She just got back from abroad."
"Korn, what are you doing?"
"I'm making a vlog, you know, so we can look back at these memories some time."
"Oh."
"Say hi."
"Hey, future Class XV. This is me, eighteen year old Namtaan. As of the moment we're on our way to the countryside to spend time together and have the time of our lives." She says with a bit of an American accent which she picked up from living abroad for two years, and to which Korn and Mon almost gasped in amusement.
"Now to the last row, that short guy over there, he's pretty cool, he can do anything but reach the top shelf. Hey, Punn!"
"Oho, Ai'Korn. You say that as if you're the tallest guy in the world when you're only 1 centimeter taller than me. But I guess I am pretty cool." Laughter followed at the exchange of short jokes from the two. It was refreshing to see Korn and Punn tease each other without any sort of heavy tension, they thought. Claire was relieved to finally see the two most important people in her life finally get along.
Korn chuckled as he shifted the camera's direction to Claire, who, like a reflex, stroke a pose before flashing a dazzling smile. "This is Claire, our Idol. I'm sure you've heard of her. Claire, what do you wanna say?"
"Never let anyone dull your sparkle." She says concisely and follows it up with a flying kiss and a wink, because she's sassy like that. Korn shakes his head, thinking his best friend hasn't changed one bit.
"Now let's turn to the tech wizard, hey Wave! Say hi to the camera, won't you?" He points it a bit to the left, where Wave sits sandwiched in between Pang and Claire, looking like the tiniest human being ever.
"I'm surrounded by a bunch of idiots." He says with a smug look on his face, but everyone understood that that's just how Wave is. They know he enjoys their company, sometimes he would be caught slipping a smile or even a giggle in a split second.
"You like it though." Pang says, and Wave responds with a scoff while rolling his eyes. Wave does like it. If he didn't he would've complained by now about how Pang was almost squashing him into his seat.
"And last but not the least, give it up for our not so great leader from class 8, Khun Pang Pawaret Sermrittirong!" A round of hoots and makeshift drum rolls from Jack and Jo followed as Pang shakes his head and blushes a bit at the sudden grand introduction.
He simply salutes and flashes his dimples™ at the camera, not knowing what to say and afraid that he would just come up with some dumb motivational shit like always.
Korn directs the camera back at himself, flashes a small smile at it and presses the stop button before he turns it off and packs it back into its case gently.
“We’re here!” Mon says as she turns off the engine and pulls out the car keys. They go out one by one, dispersing into the green fields. The sun beamed with all its might and shone on their faces, basking in the wonder that is the scenery before them. It brought them a different kind of peace, and it felt so good they didn’t ever want to leave. Ohm runs around in circles and screams “This is the best day ever!!” over and over. Claire puts on her big brim hat and so does Wave, so Jack and Jo came up with an idea to take a picture of them both and post it on Instagram with the caption, “Who wore it better? #Twinning”. Claire’s phone notifies her immediately so she glares at the twins. Wave, on the other hand, was about to hack into the twins’ phone and delete the post when he heard Pang giggle and comment at how cute they both looked in the picture. He decided to just leave it there. One embarrassing picture wouldn't hurt, he thought.
“Woah, this is amazing. How did you find this place, Mon?” Namtaan asks.
“I may or may not have asked Time for help.”
Namtaan nods in reply as Punn interrupts. “I agree. This place seems really peaceful. Mon, can you help me carry the blanket and the baskets?” And so the bodyguard does and they come back to their friends gathered around below a fairly tall tree, providing them just the right amount of shade. They all spread out the blanket, laying out their snacks and drinks in the right places and chomping down on Claire’s sandwiches almost immediately.
Punn groans in awe. “Woah, Claire. These are out of this world.” He lays his head on her shoulder, clutching the sandwich close to his heart while Claire rolls her eyes at the gesture. “Oh come on, I make these for you every week.”
“Well, they taste just like the first time everytime.”
Claire shakes her head but a smile works up on her lips, thankful that she gets to see Punn like this, relaxed and in his most human state. The rest of the class complimented her sandwiches, which brought delight to her heart. She wondered when she could ever make some for them again.
The breeze blew gently, carrying with it the stories and silly escapades they shared and reminisced under the beaming sun. It was a long time since they’ve got together like this without having to worry about what the director might have up his sleeve next, or if the virus is going to find its way through them. This time they were having normal conversations, about the weather, their likes and dislikes, and their whole lives apparently. The grass and the trees are lucky to witness such a wholesome exchange of laughter and warmth, to witness ten high school kids agree through their eyes that they were, indeed, a family.
After Korn took some pictures of his friends (of Claire, mostly, because she insisted her feed looks bland lately), Namtaan asked Mon for the keys to the compartment. She came back carrying a big blue bin of some sort which Mon rushed to help, handling it with ease like a feather in contrast to Namtaan’s wobbling posture.
“What’s that?” Ohm asks.
Namtaan removes the lid and reveals cases of colorful charms and beads and all sorts of other beading supplies. “You said you wanted to make friendship bracelets, so I brought my whole stash from when I was a kid. Indulge yourself.”
“Namtaan, this is a lot. The nerd that you are. It’s cute though.” Mon says as she fiddles with the small compartments that hold pink round acrylic beads. Namtaan felt heat rising up in her cheeks, but brushed it off and convincing herself it was just because of the weather.
“Hoie, these are so cool! Okay, let’s do it like this. We pick one person here to make a bracelet for, do you guys agree?” Everyone nods in agreement. “Okay, Wave, you start.”
Wave shots up with a straight face. He clearly thinks this is a horrible idea, but he also thinks that Ohm deserves this simple wish to be granted. He may have also been convinced by Pang’s little nudge when he noticed Wave’s unamused expression. “I’m stuck with this dumbass, I guess.” He says casually as he points to Pang’s direction. Pang flashes his teeth and grins widely, causing his dimples to show and Wave’s heart beat a little bit faster.
“I’ll make one for Wave too, then.” Pang replies.
“I’ll make one for Korn!” Mon almost screams.
Claire’s face falls. “Ow, I was planning to make one for him.”
“Let me.” Everyone turns to Punn, a slight shock on their faces because he was least likely to offer.
Mon and Claire exchange glances at each other for a short while, and they end up agreeing that Punn should indeed make one for Korn. Korn, on the other hand, couldn’t help the small smile working up on his lips as it settles in, that three of his friends wanted to make a little sentiment for him. He realizes he wasn’t so lonely after all. Man, was he lucky to have this found family. “Okay, I’ll make one for Punn too.”
“We’ll make one for each other! And for Ohm, too.” Jack and Jo reply in unison.
“I-I’ll make one for Mon, if that’s okay with her.” Namtaan offers.
“Hoie, I’d love that! I’ll make one for Claire, then.” Mon says.
Claire hesitates for a while, before she says “I’ll make one for Namtaan because I called her a nosy bitch before. Sorry.” She looks at Namtaan’s direction, and the girl with the glasses smiles at her ever so sweetly.
Ohm clears his throat. “Okay, okay, attention. I have decided to make one for everyone because you guys are so sweet and you deserve it for making my stupid bucket list happen and I love you all so much!”
A few spilled beads all over the place later, they all finally finished, just in time to watch the sunset. Pang ended up making a plain bracelet for Wave, with black and white letter beads that spelled out ‘WIZARD’ and small black round beads all around, which fit perfectly on his wrist even without measuring it firsthand. Wave made one that spelled ‘CALSS 8 KID’ with letter beads and whatever green beads his hand landed on (because green was Pang’s favorite color), not bothering to redo it even with the typo because this was the one thing he sucked at. At one point, Punn even helped tie the knot for him. Pang liked it a lot though, in fact he wore it immediately and couldn’t take his eyes off it for the love of God.
Punn and Korn made brown and black paracord bracelets for each other, which was made possible by Punn’s potential and Korn’s knot tying skills from when he went to summer camp before. It surprisingly fit their style and it was sure to stay on their wrists for a long time. It was a good idea they chose to make one for each other, after all.
Jack and Jo made blue and yellow chevron bracelets with thread like they used to make when they were still seven, which the rest of the gifted found amazing because it took patience and skill to make those, but the twins managed to finish quickly and at the same time, thanks to their potential and the afternoons they were grounded before. They each made one for Ohm too, Jo’s was spelled out as ‘CLASS’ and Jack’s as ‘CLOWN’ with round rainbow beads. Ohm liked it so much he gave them a very tight hug and hair ruffles.
Namtaan made a semi-intricate daisy chain bracelet out of yellow and transparent seed beads, which Mon held so fragile, afraid that her rowdy hands were going to break it so Namtaan put it on her instead, and it looked beautiful on her. Claire even took a peek and fell in love with the design, asking Namtaan to teach her how to make one sometime. Mon looked at the bracelet and then at Claire proudly, before giving her what she made. It was a mix of different shades and textures of pink beads and some letter beads that spelled ‘IDOL’. Mon blinked, waiting for Claire’s reaction. It wasn’t her best work, Claire thought, but she saw her frowning and really focusing on the bracelet when she was making it and it was pink, so she loved it nonetheless and flashed two thumbs up at Mon. She then gave Namtaan hers, with alternating blue and white faceted glass beads with a small gold charm shaped like a pair of glasses dangling in the middle. It was absolutely beautiful, Namtaan thought. It even matched her favorite blue cardigan. Claire has great taste.
Ohm went around giving each and everyone his masterpieces, which spelled out their names in rainbow letter beads with white beads all around. “I hope you like them.” He says calmly with a smile on his face, because he genuinely wishes they do. It’s a little something in exchange for what they’ve done for him today, but he poured his heart and soul into it. The rest of the gang smiles at him in approval, and they stay a little longer to watch the array of oranges and yellows that paint the afternoon sky before the sun bids goodbye.
Mon looks at the rear view mirror and sees all her friends knocked out, even when it was only 6:30 in the evening. Wave’s head was on Pang’s shoulder, which made her chuckle. She looks beside her and sees Korn, fast asleep too. He looked so peaceful, and an overwhelming amount of relief washed through her to see her best pal with his closed eyes, not worrying about a thing. She could look at the sight forever if only she wasn’t driving, so she shifts her focus back on the road.
*Beeep! Beeep!*
She pressed on the horn long enough to wake her friends up. “We’re here! Get up, idiots!” Groans and cracking joints followed as a bunch of sleepy kids wake up to a glorious view, looking outside their windows. “Woah, Punn. You’re a rich motherfucker.” Korn spats. Punn scoffs. “My uncle is, not me. Let’s go.”
They get out one by one to admire the warm fairy lights on the bushes and the tall building before them. More lights welcome them as they enter, the sea kissing their faces with its aroma. The place was a dream, like it was out of a movie. Pang takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. It’s been long since he’s been to the sea, or somewhere as close to it. He almost forgot how much comfort it brought him. Wave admires how Pang looks at the water so fondly, how the lights reflect from it and into his eyes when he opened them, which seemed a bit more filled with life than ever before, and he is happy for him.
One of the resort’s staffs came to assist them. “Good evening, Mr. Punn. Sir Taweesilp has reserved a room for you and your friends. Would you like to see?”
“Sure. Thank you.”
The lady led them to an extra spacious room, which was well ventilated and had everything they needed. If they didn’t know, they would’ve mistaken it as a very expensive AirBNB. “Sir Taweesilp said you’re free to use everything in here. Make yourselves at home.” They exchange wai’s before the staff leaves. Sounds of excitement suddenly burst in the room. Jack and Jo flops on one of the extra soft beds, while Pang and Namtaan check out the other doors which revealed more extra soft beds. Wave sits in one of the lounge chairs and opens his laptop to research about the place because he didn’t know what else to do and he needed a reason to keep on looking at his friendship bracelet without making it too obvious. Claire takes some selfies, taking advantage of the great lighting. Mon and Ohm gasps in awe of the place and does a brofist just because while Korn sits on the couch, browsing through Netflix.
“Hey, Uncle. Thank you for the room. My friends like it very much.” Punn speaks into the phone, and everyone takes it as a signal to keep silent for a while.
“No problem, Punn. By the way, suit yourselves in the buffet. Everything’s on me so don’t worry. You guys deserve it.”
“Woah, thank you so much, Uncle. We’ll be there in a few.”
“Okay, just tell me if you need something else.”
When they arrive at the restaurant, an array of delicate menus welcome them, ranging from pasta to sweets and everything in between. They immediately got their food, lining up like kids in a bus stop and went back to their table with plates full of expensive meat and grease. Wave sneakily picks the raisins off his dish and puts them in Pang’s bowl, which he devours right after. He will never understand why Pang, or anyone really, would like raisins. It’s like a demon’s seed, he thought. The rest of the class pretends they didn’t see what the two just did, chomping down on their food like there was no tomorrow.
They were lucky there weren’t that much people in the restaurant, because for some reason they were unexplainably loud, complimenting the food and the place, exchanging more stories, teasing each other with whatever they could think of. After a few burps and belly rubs, they went back to their room to rest for a while.
It was already 9 in the evening when Pang decided they should probably start building the campfire. Mon, Punn, Pang, Jack, and Jo helped gather and assemble the logs by the sand, while Namtaan lingers along the seashore looking for seashells she could add to her collection with the help of the fairy lights wrapped around the trees and draping along the building while Claire tags along. Korn tries out some new techniques he learned quite recently in taking night shots, adjusting the settings on his camera from time to time. Wave fiddles with Pang’s guitar which he insisted he brought, strumming a few basic chords he’s been learning. Ohm sits beside him and snaps his finger, and another guitar appears from thin air and into his arms. “Hey, Wave. I didn’t know you played guitar.”
“I’m just trying it out. I didn’t know you played too.”
“Sometimes. Here, let me teach you some chords.” Ohm felt proud, teaching The Wave Wasuthorn who always bragged that he was better than everyone, but mostly he felt delighted to see him finally putting his guards down and letting them in his life. He admits he’s been rude to Wave before, but seeing him grow into who he is today, into a friend he never thought he would have, was one of the best decisions Ohm had made in his life. (And his decisions pretty much always sucked, so that was a compliment to a great degree.)
Little orbs of orange emerged from the fire and disappeared into thin air. The soft crackling of wood harmonized with the sound of water kissing the sand, along with Pang’s slow strumming echoing through the night. They watched the white marshmallows turn brown on the edges, dancing in the fire before feeling them melt in their mouths. Ohm thinks it’s too early to be quiet so he whispers something to Pang, to which he nods to.
“1, 2, 3, go!”
Pang plays a familiar upbeat melody while Ohm bops his head and claps before he clears his throat and sings.
Let’s gather ‘round the campfire and sing our campfire song
Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song
And if you don’t think that we can sing it faster then you’re wrong
But it’ll help if you just sing alooong!
“Bom, bom, bom…” The twins chant, signaling everyone to cooperate. And so they do.
C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song!
C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song!
And if you don’t think that we can sing it faster then you’re wrong
But it’ll help if you just sing along!
C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song!
“Namtaan!” Ohm points at her quickly, while Pang strums faster. “C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song!” She babbles with her eyes closed, which made everyone laugh. “Wave!” Ohm shifts his hand onto his direction, and Wave responds with nothing but a straight face. “Good!”
It’ll heeelp, it’ll heeelp!
If you just sing alooong!
More boisterous laughter erupts, bringing them laying in the sand and clutching their stomachs. “This feels good, doesn’t it?” Korn asks, not to anyone specifically. “It sure does.” Pang responds with a sigh of relief. They stay like that for a good few minutes, admiring the balls of gas that light up the night sky exquisitely. The night was cold, but other than the warmth of the fire, the company of each other felt like a fluffy wool blanket wrapping them in the most comfortable way ever. Who would’ve known that these ten kids would find solace in each other despite everything they’ve gone through? It felt like a cliché. It felt like a coming of age movie. It felt like the very stars they were gazing upon have all aligned and brought them together like puzzle pieces. But mostly, it felt lovely. A feeling they wouldn’t trade for the world, not even for a lifetime supply of chocolate drink boxes and green tea.
“There’s still one thing left to do.” Ohm sits up, teasingly smirking as he snaps his fingers and bottles of beer make their way into each of their hands. He sure wouldn’t let the day end without them being wasted. It was one thing he long wanted to do because they were still teenagers after all, and what better way to do it than with his extraordinary friends?
“Woah, Namtaan. You drink now? Honestly, I thought you’d be against this.” Mon says when she sees Namtaan chug down the bottle almost halfway. “I’ve been drinking with some friends I met when I was abroad.” Mon gasps and flashes two thumbs up, genuinely amazed at how much the innocent, curious girl has changed. It wasn’t a bad thing, though. It was good to see her letting loose, even just a little bit. That way, Mon wouldn’t be so guilty about showing off her high alcohol tolerance for tonight.
“You guys up for Never Have I Ever?” Claire suggests, wanting some thrill because she’s Claire.
Everyone responded with affirmations but Wave. “Hoie, how about you, Wave? Come on, this is gonna be fun!” Ohm encourages. Wave thinks about it for a while, but he says “Fine, whatever,” anyways because one, he did miss the blazing heat down his throat whenever he drank, and two, what bad could joining a fun little game could do? Besides, he trusted these people to keep it a secret if ever he does something stupid, which he doubts was even going to happen.
“Okay! I’ll start. Never have I ever had less than 50 likes on an Instagram post.” Claire smacks her lips and flashes her signature smile.
Ohm, Namtaan, Mon, Pang, Wave, and the twins take a shot, wincing at the bitter taste while the others cheer them on. Claire was pretty good at this, they thought. “Oho, good job. That’s more than half of us.” Punn compliments. “I’ll go next. Never have I ever placed last in a competition.” This time, only Pang, Ohm, and the twins (again) took a swig. Claire was always in the top three in theater auditions, Mon almost always won in sports, Namtaan and Wave were always in the top spots in quiz bees, and Korn was pretty good in photography contests, even though he seldom joined.
Ohm switches their empty bottles with new ones whenever they finished theirs. “My turn. Never have I ever heard Wave laugh.” He says , immediately looking towards Pang’s direction because he knew it would only be him that would witness such a rare occassion. Wave rolls his eyes, and Pang (and Pang alone) downs his third shot, as expected. “Damn, you guys are good at this.” He utters with a husky voice when he puts down his bottle, brushing his hair back. Wave could barely control his heart that was almost bursting from his chest at the simple gesture and his hand that was threatening to fix Pang’s hair, but he gathered all his might to look composed.
“Okay, okay. Listen up.” Ohm claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Never have I ever finished reading a full-length novel. Ha-ha!” As he expected, everyone from class one drank, leaving him and Pang high-fiving each other. “What a bunch of nerds,” he adds.
After about an hour of exchanging questions, the statements somehow evolved into more tensed ones, pertaining to a more personal perspective of their lives. Everyone was already tipsy but Mon, their eyes draping over their red swollen faces. It was Pang’s turn to ask. “Hmm, I don’t really know what to ask anymore. Let’s see. What exactly have I never done before?” He asks himself, emphasizing on every word and lazily ruffling his hair hoping to squeeze out answers until his eyes land on the sight of Punn lying on Claire’s lap while she caresses his once perfectly styled hair. They looked exactly straight out of a romance book he’s never bothered to touch at least.
“Never have I ever fallen in love.”
Everyone almost jolts awake at the words that just came out of The Pang Pawaret’s mouth, the same boy who’s only ever cared about taking down the system or being the hero of the day, or at least that’s what they thought. Claire couldn’t care less though. Even without her potential giving away the faint glows of pink from the boy from time to time, she’d know from another kind of faint glow of pink from another one’s cheeks. And right at this moment, it wasn’t pink emitting from the two, it was a blinding shade of purple which made her want to hug them, but she wanted to let the two figure it out themselves because she’s learned to trust her friends as much as they trusted her in the course of time.
Punn, Claire, and Korn took their shots but what surprised them was Namtaan finishing her bottle too. “Hoie, Namtaan. Looks like you’ve got some storytelling to do tomorrow.” Ohm says, bumping his shoulder with hers a little bit harder than expected, which made Namtaan teasingly punch his arm to return the favor. They were interrupted by Wave gulping down his bottle in one go, up to the last drop. They couldn’t control their widening eyes and jaws dropping on the floor. It wasn’t like they had no clue about Wave’s love interest, they just didn’t expect him to earn the courage to confirm it just yet. Plus, they didn’t want to assume things so they just kept silent about it, not wanting to pressure their friend.
He wipes his lips with the sleeves of his sweater and gathers all his might to stand up despite his wobbly knees. “I-I gotta go to the restroom.” Wave walks away from the group, leaving nine dumbfounded drunk kids behind.
He finds himself in a hammock between the trees, somewhere secluded. He was ready for this day to come. He just didn’t expect it to affect him this much. It was so much more painful hearing those actual words coming from Pang’s mouth than when he imagined it in his head, it felt worse than when he figured out Miss Nara used him, it was worse than when he’d run codes for hours without using his potential only for it not to work out at the end. He was a smart guy. In fact, he never failed to rub that in everyone’s faces, but this time he felt like the dumbest fool ever. He promised himself he wouldn’t ask, nor at least expect anything in return, but deep down he hoped with the slightest glimpse that those stares, the clandestine rooftop meetings, the times he’d secretly catch Pang put a blanket on him whenever he fell asleep on the desk, would at least mean anything to Pang other than them being friends. But he just couldn’t suppress that thought because friends don’t forgive you that easily without even a single apology. Friends don’t crave for each other’s presence all the time, and most importantly, friends don’t risk their lives in exchange for a few minutes of seeing one’s face. Wave wasn’t an expert at friendship, but he was sure of all of these and it broke him the more he thought about it.
A small sting lingers on his palm. He didn’t realize he’d closed his fist too tightly, his nails boring into his skin until small droplets of red come out. His eyes shifted on the piece that hugs his wrist. Everything becomes a blur when he realizes that he just couldn’t fucking escape the thought of Pang no matter what he did. He was in this stupid friendship bracelet adding salt to the wound, he was in the faint scent lingering in his jacket, and he’s embedded on the back of his mind. He’s had him memorized like a code, how his hair was disheveled everytime, how he wore the first three buttons of his shirt undone, what food he liked and what time he ate lunch. But Pang wasn’t a code, and he still couldn’t read him no matter how long they’ve spent together. It was a mix of emotions, and Wave couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“You fucking idiot.” He says to himself, in between sobs.
“I sure am.” A voice responds out of nowhere, and Wave wipes his tears out of reflex. His swollen eyes and red nose would give it away though. The weight of the swing shifts on his side as Pang invites himself into it, and for the first time ever, Wave felt suffocated beside him.
Wave breathes deeply, calming himself down to keep his voice from shaking. “Leave me alone for now.” He says in a hushed, serious tone. He doesn’t want Pang to see him in such a vulnerable state, especially over a petty reason that involves him.
“No.” Pang starts sternly. “I’m not leaving you this time. Not when you’re like this. I’m not going to walk out on you again like I always did.”
Wave scoffs and smirks, but not one that was full of conviction, but rather a smirk out of pity for himself. “See, you’re doing it again.”
Pang doesn’t get it. His peripherals caught a sight of Wave’s wounded hand and he grabs it immediately. “Hoie, what happened to your hand? Tsk.” He gets out his handkerchief and ties it around the bleeding area. He hadn’t finished tying it when Wave pulls his hand back and returns the stained cloth.
“Stop it, Pang. Just… fucking stop it. I’m tired of this shit.” Wave doesn’t raise his voice, he was too tired to. The headache from the alcohol and the crying was starting to get to him, and he was feeling pretty exhausted.
Pang’s brows furrow and his hands reach out to touch Wave, but it felt like there was this bubble surrounding him and he felt as distant as ever despite the proximity they were sharing. He didn’t like that feeling at all because Wave felt like a whole different person.
“I- What do you mean?”
Wave meets Pang’s gaze, and the world suddenly felt heavier on their shoulders, contrary to the usual comfort they brought to each other. Wave looked really exhausted this time, Pang thought.
“Do I really have to explain everything to you? You’re such a fucking dumbass.” Wave takes a deep breath and composes himself, putting on a straight face. “Okay. I’m gonna spell it out for you. I’m tired, Pang. I’m so fucking tired of you putting me through this cycle of questioning myself, questioning what we really fucking have. Every day I ask myself why you treat me like I’m the most important person in the world with your silly little gestures, but the times you don’t, you make me feel like I’m just some kind of stress ball. I don’t want to give myself hope that maybe, maybe you do feel the same. And then a while ago you said you don’t but here you are and you’re doing it all over again and I go back to zero every single time. I don’t want any of the in betweens anymore. It’s either you want me or you don’t. Because I’ve made my choice, Pang, call me selfish, but I want you whole, every bit and piece of you, all to myself.”
Wave didn’t have time to be taken aback by all the words that spilled out of his mouth, his tears brimming and finally falling completely. He looked away, embarrassed because he didn’t know what in the world was going to happen next. Would they go back to being strangers? Would they still be friends, but not closer than before? He was going to deal with it tomorrow, he thought. Right now, what’s important is what he’s been hiding for so long is finally out in the open, hopefully loud enough for Pang to hear.
“I- I’m sorry,” were only what Pang could come up with, a rush of emotions and realizations surging in along with the waves from the sea. It all makes sense now and Pang wanted to pull all of his hairs out in frustration. Maybe, at some point, he was dumb and oblivious for not considering the idea that maybe Wave liked him, not as a foe turned friend, not as a partner in crime. But mostly, he was afraid. Afraid that if he confronted the lingering feelings he’s been burying deep down for so long, Wave would put up his guards again. He didn’t want Wave to reset and throw everything away if he tried to put his feelings first, that was one risk he wasn’t willing to take. But now he realizes that a part of him was selfish, that Wave’s world didn’t revolve around him, and he’s taken him for granted out of that very fear. Now he realizes what actual fear is, and that was losing Wave. He wasn’t about to let that happen.
“Thank you for telling me.” He takes a swig from his bottle, losing count on how much he’d drunk. “Can I talk?”
Wave doesn’t respond.
“I was afraid. I kept brushing away the amusing feeling I felt whenever I was with you, or whenever you used your potential, or whenever you gave me my favorite chocolate drink. I was afraid you’d distance yourself from me if I confronted how I felt. I was afraid that you’ll be overwhelmed and build your guards up again and I couldn’t afford to risk that especially when I saw your eyes sparkle whenever we’re with our friends. It’s stupid, I know, and I should’ve just told you, and that’s what I’m doing now. I, Pang Pawaret Sermrittirong, surrender myself wholly, every bit and piece of myself to you.”
Wave sniffles and looks directly at Pang’s eyes. It felt like a fever dream. A part of him tells him to go back and run away because Pang might have been doing what he always did again, but another says that he deserves to make a risky choice, too, and that he should trust Pang now more than ever. Whatever happens next is up to fate, or whatever invisible being the human race blames whenever they fuck up. Right now, he was looking at a hot dumbass who just said he offered himself to him, and he couldn’t ask for anything else.
“Are you saying that because you’re drunk?”
Pang looks straight into Wave’s eyes with all his conviction. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Then no. I said all of it because that’s how I feel, Wave.”
Their eyes brimming with long held emotions were starting to pour out, staring at each other intently than ever. As the waves splash against the current, their lips meet, and the stars and the sand are lucky to witness such a wonderful scene. They were longing for each other and the taste of relief and warmth overpowered the bittersweet alcohol. Wave realizes it’s fun to be dumb sometimes, especially when he has an even dumber boyfriend who he just realized was a very good kisser. Pang realizes just how much Wave meant to him and how he craved his presence even when he was right here, all caught up in him.
They pull away and a smile works up on their faces. “You fucking idiot,” Wave says, not to himself but to Pang this time. Pang holds his hand and squeezes it. “I love you, too.”
“Ow.” Wave winces.
"Oh, right.” Pang finishes tying the handkerchief this time. “That bracelet looks really good on you.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Silence envelopes them for a while before Wave asks. “Why did you say you’ve never fallen in love before?”
“Maybe because I got jealous of Punn and Claire and wanted something like that for myself too. I didn’t realize that until now. God, I’m so dumb.”
“Yeah, you are.”
“You love me though.”
Very much. “Shut up.”
Wave stands up and almost stumbles to his feet when Pang quickly grabs a hold of his waist. “Let’s go back, I’m exhausted and this headache is killing me.” Pang nods, and suddenly plants a peck on Wave’s lips. Butterflies flock in Wave’s stomach, and his red cheeks heat up even more. “What was that for?”
“Nothing. Your lips are really soft.”
Wave shakes his head as a smile works up on his lips. They walk back together, with their hands intertwined, taking all the time in the world and passing longer routes. When they arrive, they see Korn and Punn were lying on the sand, asleep with an empty bottle in their hands, Ohm was buried in the sand, with only his head showing, smiling and blabbering whatever what was in his weird vocabulary. Mon’s cheeks were as red as the fire she was roasting her marshmallow in while a drunk Namtaan lies on her lap. She waves at the two. “Oh, the idiots are back. Come here, quick.” Claire roasts a marshmallow too, a satisfied smile working up on her swollen face when she catches sight of Pang and Wave. Jack and Jo were still drinking, looking into the fire intently and drifting off into whatever universe their mind brings them too until Jack falls asleep eventually. “Cheers!” Claire and Mon toast their marshmallows together before indulging in the sweet goo in their mouths.
“Me and Pang kissed.” Wave suddenly blurts out of the blue, taking Pang, Mon, Claire, and Jo aback. Pang rubs the back of his neck, blushing more than he already was. He didn’t know Wave was this confident when he drank.
Not knowing what to say, Mon goes “Good for you. Good for you,” nodding her head in affirmation.
“That’s great. Now you wouldn’t have to use me and Jack as your telephones.” Jo mumbles, his eyes sleepy and cheeks puffy.
“I’m happy for you guys.” Claire sincerely says (and she almost cries) which warms Wave’s heart. He’s thankful to have these soft crackheads as friends, even though he rarely lets them know. Wave smiles at her. “Thanks.”
Pang clears his throat. “Uh, it’s already 3 am. Do you guys wanna go back to the room now?” They look around to see the drunk mess that their friends are, and Pang suddenly regrets his offer. “I ain’t carrying these motherfuckers all the way up there. Nah-uh. No way.” Mon says defensively.
“That’s fine, I guess we can stay here until morning.”
“I agree. I’m so sleepy though.” Wave yawns and Pang has the urge to kiss him again but he gathers up all his might to control himself. Instead, he crosses his legs and pats them, signaling for Wave to lay on it, and he does. He closes his eyes with a warm smile on his lips and Pang takes off his glasses, hanging it up on his shirt before he fiddles with Wave’s soft hair. Mon realizes Namtaan still has her glasses on too, so she does the same. So they sat there, waiting for another day to come, but this time they were extremely looking forward to it.
Man, were they exhausted. It was the good kind, though. Not the usual tired they felt whenever they completed a mission, or went against the director. It was the kind of tired that was worth it. For the first time in forever they truly felt like everything they endured has finally paid off. Beautifully. And if they were given a choice, they would go through all of it again as long as they had each other. It was rewarding, like the whole world was finally off their shoulders and they can finally live their lives for themselves. And when the sun rises, it will shine on them as ten dumb (and drunk) kids who managed to overcome anything and everything, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.