Work Text:
The morning sun casts a scorching glow on the school's red-brick facade. Inside, the hallways echo with the distant murmur of students settling into their classrooms. The air is charged with the anticipation of another day of learning.
As the clock ticks toward the official start of the school day, the door to Room 18 swings open with a creak, and the students fill in, their backpacks slung over shoulders and the chatter of conversation filling the air. Ms. Leana, a vibrant and dedicated teacher, stands at the front of the room with a welcoming smile.
"Good morning, everyone!" she calls out, her voice cutting through the hum of conversation. The students quickly find their seats, exchanging greetings and shuffling notebooks into position. The room buzzes with energy.
Ms. Leana claps her hands twice to signal the start of the lesson. The room hushes, and all eyes turn toward the front.
"Happy Monday, class! I hope you had a restful weekend," she begins, her enthusiasm contagious. “As you know, tomorrow we have St. Valentine’s Day. It’s a very special day when we show extra appreciation and love to the people we care about. Now, who can tell me how we can do that?”
One of the students, Tong, raises his hand.
“We let them pass the door first!” he says eagerly.
Ms. Leana smiles warmly. “Yes, little gestures are definitely a beautiful way to show love, Tong. What else?
“By sharing Tao Kae Noi with them,” suggests another student, Win. He’s almost always seen with his favorite snack and asking for some is like pulling teeth.
“That’s right, Win, sharing is caring and the more love we share, the more we receive in return, yes? Very good. What else?”
Chawarin, who’s been silent so far, finally raises his hand.
“We can give cards and flowers.” He knows that, because last year Pruk gave him a Valentine card he made in his own classroom and a little bouquet of pink roses. He even made sure to remove all thorns beforehand, so that Chawarin wouldn’t hurt himself. Rin didn’t have anything for him, and was very upset about that, but this year he is determined to give Pruk the best Valentine card ever.
“Yes, exactly, giving cards and flowers is a wonderful way to express your feelings. And that brings me to our assignment today.” Ms. Leana begins to write today’s topic on the board. “I want you to create a Valentine card for the person you care about. It can be your friend, relative or someone you admire or like. You don’t have to give that card to them personally. The goal is to express your feelings and appreciation for that person in some way. Remember, this assignment is not just about the final product, but also about the process of expressing your feelings through creativity. Have fun, and let your imagination run wild!”
The kids start to whisper furiously among themselves about the assignment. Some outwardly say to whom they’re dedicating their cards; some, just like Chawarin, are too shy and stay silent. But he knows that his card will be for Pruk. He’s almost one hundred percent that tomorrow he will receive another gift from his soulmate, so he must beat him this time and be first.
He quickly gets to work, folding one sheet of pink paper in half. He has lots of supplies on his desk, so he knows his card will turn out to be fa-bu-lo-us (that’s his new favorite word).
He spends most of his day at school on this card, making it absolutely perfect. He doesn’t say a word to Pruk when they meet on the lunch break, because it’s supposed to be a surprise, but he’s very giddy and wriggles in his seat. Pruk, of course, is very perceptive about his little soulmate, and has his suspicions, but he doesn’t say a word, just stares fondly as Chawarin wolfs down his lunch, his own for now forgotten.
He’s so happy that they are finally together in the same school. The first two years were very hard for him. Of course, they’ve seen each other quite often, but it wasn’t the same as before. He feels better knowing that Chawarin is close and that he can always check on him.
They haven’t told anyone out of their closest circle of friends about them being soulmates, but not because they are ashamed, but no one really asked them in the face about their relationship, and their bond feels so natural at this point that they don’t feel the need to speak publicly about it. It’s like the fact that he’s nine, and Chawarin is seven; they don’t go around telling that to people. But anyone who has working eyes knows that they’re special to each other, no words needed.
***ZNN***
Chawarin is really proud of his card. He drew his soulmate and lots of pink and blue hearts, some even in 3-D, because Ms. Leana recently showed them how to do it, so he thinks it’s pretty cool. At first, he didn’t know what to write, but then he opted to go for something simple and from his heart.
You’re so beautiful and I love you. I love your eyes, I love when you smile, I love everything about you. Let’s stay together forever. Love, Rinnie.
He even wrote little hearts above ‘i’s, and it looks so, so cute. And Ms. Leana praised him for his card! Now it’s just a matter of giving it to his soulmate. He’s clutching the card to his heart all the way to the school, telling Tee and his Papa, who drives them today, how he’s excited about the Valentine’s Day and what he might get from Pruk.
When he enters the building, it’s like Cupid himself came to visit their school. String heart-shaped garlands hang along the entryway and down the hallways and pink and red balloons are placed at various places, waiting to be picked up by the students. Near the staircase there’s a big banner with All You Need is Love made from hundreds of little paper hearts.
It all makes Chawarin’s little heart flutter, and he giggles at his own reaction. It’s silly, he knows, but he cannot help himself. He straightens his card and takes a look around. Pruk had early classes today, so he should be somewhere near his classroom by now. Chawarin strides confidently in the direction of room 10, when he sees him. He’s standing near vending machine with some books in his hands.
Rin is about to call him when he sees that his soulmate isn’t alone. He tilts his head to the side. He knows that boy. What was his name? Santa? No. Sean? Oh yeah, Saint! He’s the boy from Pruk’s class who often cuts in their time together, asking some trivial questions about school and engaging Pruk in useless conversations. And he often throws nasty looks towards Rin when Pruk doesn’t look. Chawarin doesn’t like him at all, but he’s too polite to say anything, and besides, he doesn't want to create an unnecessary fuss between Pruk and his schoolmates.
But this time this meanie is giving his soulmate something what looks like a… Valentine card?
Chawarin feels a painful stab to his chest that only multiplies tenfold when he sees that Pruk takes that damn card from Saint’s hand, and that the said boy puts his hand on his soulmate’s shoulder.
“Hia?” he says brokenly, not believing his eyes. In the middle of the school bustle his voice is almost lost, but Pruk must have felt his emotions, because he raises his head and looks around, until his gaze lands on Chawarin. There’s a flicker of guilt in his eyes, and that’s all it takes for Chawarin.
With tears filling up his eyes, he turns around, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Saint is smirking victoriously, and he runs, the card laying crumbled on the floor. He doesn’t hear Pruk’s frantic calls, nor does he see him shrugging his classmate’s hand of his shoulder with almost disgust and taking off after him.
Barely able to see what’s in front of him, Chawarin weaves his way through the mass of bodies, wanting nothing more than to hide somewhere and cry his eyes out. He wished to be the one to give Pruk the card, it was supposed to be the token of his love for his soulmate. And instead, he witnesses him accepting it from someone else. Why??? Does that mean Pruk doesn’t want to be his soulmate anymore? That he found someone better?
He blindly opens the first door that leads to storage room. He slams the door shut, throws his backpack in the corner and crouches down between cleaning trolley and mops, hiding his head in his arms. The tears flow like rivulets down his face, and his sobs are choked, escaping from his throat in ragged bursts.
His shoulders quiver with each heart-wrenching sob, the weight of his emotions evident in every tremor. He presses his fingers into his arms painfully, welcoming the ache. The initial shock gives way to a profound sense of betrayal. His chest feels too tight, and if he wasn’t so engrossed in his anguish, he would at once sense frantic panic that doesn’t belong to him, but which simmers right under his pain. But soon it starts to escalate so much that he cannot ignore it. These are his soulmate’s emotions: fear, panic and trepidation.
Something starts to tug at his mind, like some foreign presence. It’s such a strange feeling, he doesn’t register it at first. But it keeps nagging at him, making him forget about crying for a moment. He tentatively reaches towards it.
…nie? Rinnie! Please, Rinnie, where are you?
Chawarin freezes.
H-Hia?
Rinnie! Oh my god, Rinnie, where are you? Are you okay?
He looks around but Pruk’s voice doesn’t come from the hallway, but rather from his own head. Is this his imagination?
I won’t tell you!
Why? Rinnie, please, I need to know that you’re okay.
He stubbornly crosses his arms across his chest, and it’s not like Pruk can see him, but he feels better doing it.
Rinnie…
Silence.
Rinnie! Pruk’s voice gets impatient.
Silence.
Chawarin!
Why did you take that Valentine card from Saint?! He suddenly shouts in his head, the dam broken. You shouldn’t accept cards from other people, I am your soulmate, not him!
Of course you are, Rinnie! There’s no one besides you! Pruk says that so earnestly that Chawarin can’t help but believe him. And I didn’t accept it from him! He said he wanted to show me his card and ask for advice, I didn’t know it was for me!
So, it was for you?! Chawarin feels something hot and raging bubbling in his chest. His hands itch to do something, but he doesn’t even know what. He feels as if he is… threatened somehow? And needs to protect his… but what exactly?
I think so? I gave it back to him, Rinnie, you must believe me. Please, where are you? I need to see you.
Suddenly, all the fight leaves his body.
In the storage room, he says finally, because he feels his soulmate’s remorse and his need to be close to him as strong as his own.
A few seconds later the door opens with a bang. Pruk, in a clear state of agitation, barges in, and without saying a word, crashes straight into Rin, wrapping his arms around the smaller body. Chawarin instinctively reciprocates the hug, squeezing as tight as he can and starts to frantically scent his soulmate to get rid of his distressed pheromones.
Pruk needs to smell like him. He doesn’t know why, but it’s very important.
“Rinnie, Rinnie, don’t do this to me again, please.” Pruk is trembling so much that Chawarin feels guilty. He’s the one who brought him to this state, and it really kills him, so he raises his hand and strokes his soulmate’s dark hair, trying to calm him down.
They sit like that for some time, hugging and scenting each other. They don’t even care that their period has already started and that teachers may search for them.
Please, don’t ever be mad at me again, Rinnie. I won’t stand it.
“Hia?” Chawarin looks at him inquiringly. “Why do I hear you in my head?”
“That’s because we are soulmates, Nhu.” Pruk strokes his hand along his arm. “You are the other half of me, just like I am the other half of you.”
Suddenly, Chawarin remembers something.
“Oh no, your card,” he whines miserably. It probably ended up in the trash by now. He poured all of his heart in this gift and now it’s gone.
But Pruk as always proves that he’s absolutely the best.
“I have it with me” he says, reaching to his pocket. He retrieves the card that Chawarin so rigorously decorated. It’s slightly crumpled but still in one piece.
“It’s not as pretty, I so wanted it to be perfect for you.” Rin looks down, defeated.
“But it is perfect,” Pruk reassures him. “It’s perfect, because it’s from you.”
“Really?”
“Really. Hey, look at me.” Pruk hooks his finger under Chawarin’s chin and raises his head. “We’re a team, right? You and me.”
Chawarin smiles, feeling myriad of emotions that threaten to spill out. He nods his head briefly.
Yes, Hia, you and me, always.
(When lunch break comes and Pruk asks him to be his Valentine, in front of all school, and gives him another bouquet of roses, Chawarin accepts happily and if he sneakily casts a brief look towards Saint’s table and sticks his tongue out, feeling all smug, then well, no one else needs to know about it.)