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“So did I get this right?” Suzy showed him the cup of hot chocolate.
Boboiboy nodded at the result, an exact craft of Tok Aba's hot chocolate. Just as he expected.
“You did good, now give that to Gopal over here.”
Suzy did as she's told. Just this morning she qualified to work here for extra credit as a working student. And as much she knew how easy this was, a part of her expected this to be quite challenging.
After all, this is just her first day working in the Kokotiam. But the challenging part is to serve many customers when they come by, Boboiboy always says it gets busy here every weekend.
And she's gonna give her all.
Gopal finished his hot chocolate with such delight. “Hmmm! You actually did good, Suzy!”
“I would take that as a compliment if you pay your dues.” She started with a smug grin.
“Actually, that's a good idea.” Boboiboy agreed.
Gopal rolled his eyes. “Yeah sure, I'll pay tomorrow.”
“Whatever you say, man.” She replied and Boboiboy giggled.
“Hehe, awesome!” He remarked. “Anyway, there's still so much to be done. One of the orders is already overdue, and the customers are waiting.” He gestured towards the crowd that were waiting in their seats.
“I'll help with the deliveries, Boboiboy.” Suzy volunteered.
“Great! Let's do this!”
And so he splits with Quake, Ice, and Thunderstorm.
“Alright, I'll help Tok Aba with the drinks,” he pointed at Ice. “You and Ochobot count the cheques.” Then he gestured to Thunderstorm. “You and Suzy go on with the deliveries.”
They all nodded in response and went to their assigned tasks.
Thunderstorm grabbed the paper bags with the orders inside hot and ready.
“Come on, girl.” He called her to follow him.
Suzy grabbed a few plastic bags and followed Thunderstorm out of the park and on their way to the first location. After this, she'll definitely head back to the Kokotiam and help out even more.
Minutes passed by and they still haven't made it to their first destination.
Thunderstorm groaned. “Ish, we are so late and the address is still far.”
"You have super speed, right?” She asked as they stopped walking next to the bus stop.
He snorted. “Yeah, sure. Who would've thought of that? I can always do this.”
He then zoomed away and left a big trail of red behind him.
“Hey! You know I can't run that fast!!” She shouted for him to come back and he did.
“See?” He retorted. “If I use my speed, I'll leave you behind. I can't have Quake to lecture me if I get you lost out here.”
Suzy glared at him. “I never thought you'd be such a jerk.”
Thunderstorm can understand where she's coming from. “Look, you may see me as Boboiboy, your only friend.
But remember this, we are elementals so we may have his looks because he's our master, but we're all just his elementals.”
Suzy takes her time to process their logic behind it. “So…you're saying that while you guys are Boboiboy, but at the same time, you're not him?”
Thunderstorm shrugged. “Well, if you put it that way, yes.” He checked the time on his watch. “We're running super late.” he grumbled.
“Then how do you suggest?”
He tapped his chin for an idea to pop up. “I got it! I'll just grab your hand and then we'll be there within seconds. That always works.”
“Well, since you have his face and all, I trust you.” Suzy agreed.
He takes her hand and now they both teleport away from the bus stop and zoom their way through the empty streets. At least no one is using this road.
After a short bit, they appeared in front of a big, white house that's twice the size than the other houses in this neighborhood. This might be the place so to speak.
Suzy double checked the drinks in the paper bag before approaching the door. “I got this, you wait here.”
He crossed his arms with a grim look. “Be quick.”
Suzy refrained from letting out a groan. While she knew that this guy wasn't the real him, she couldn't help but felt it's like Boboiboy himself was demanding her and being a little mean too. But also knew that he's part of Boboiboy's anger, so that might be understandable.
If her heart could understand it at all.
She stepped on the porch and knock with the rhythm that one could recognise hearing it from Frozen. But she'd never expect to meet who was behind the door.
And the last person she expects.
“Well, well, well, if it isn't a very rare , treat, Mary Raya Josefina. ” She froze at the tall man, his voice, and his entire existence. How could she be so stupid to even fall for his trap?!
The man standing before her was in his late thirties and had red hair, he also wore a lab coat and expensive reading glasses. That lecherous grin he showed made Suzy tremble and her feet shaking as she stared at him in fear.
“Mr-Mr Frank?!” She stuttered and took a step back but his presence forced her to stop. “Y-You live here?!”
Mr Frank answered with a nod as he stared down at her with his lecherous gaze. “And here I thought you might not be interested in my offer to give you a special tutor. And judging by that bag you're carrying, I'm assuming you have my order, yes?”
She forced her head to nod back. “Y-yes…here it is.” He gently took the bag while his devilish gaze stayed intact. “I didn't know you lived here, sir.”
“And I didn't know you'd be working at that cafe, correct?” He questioned.
“Yes sir.” She answered as small tears formed in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away with a swipe of her fingers.
Mr Frank claimed his order and handed her a few wads of money. “Pleasure doing business with you. And if you want your tip, you can come with me and discuss business matters. ” At the last part he also laid his hand on her lower back and subtly gestured her to come in.
Suzy stayed still like a statue, even though she's protected from the fabric of her sweater, she knew it's only a matter of time for Mr Frank to go deeper. If he gets his way, then she'll be traumatized for life.
She pushed his dirty hand away in an apprehensive manner “Stop touching me!” She screamed and Thunderstorm noticed the commotion as a result.
“What's going on there?” He wondered as his hands sparked up with red lightning.
Mr Frank glared back at her and firmly grabbed her arm. “Why you little brat!” He growled as Suzy helplessly attempted to resist once and failed. “I'm the one who taught you everything in chemistry. And if you don't allow me to have my compensation for teaching you, then consider your scholarship to be terminated! And I will convince the school board to make it appear so!”
Suzy responded with a small whimper. “But sir I have a friend waiting for me.” Thunderstorm came by just as she needed him.
Mr Frank begrudgingly released her with a huff. “Very well then.”
Thunderstorm finally intervened. “What's going on here?” Suzy didn't look back at him but he noticed her lip moving and teary eyes. And he glanced at the chemistry teacher who gave him an annoyed look.
“Nothing that needs to concern you, Boboiboy.” He retorted. “I'm just reminding her of her overdue assignments.”
Suzy flinched at his sick tone and lecherous gaze before he spun around and closed the door behind him. Thunderstorm gently escorted her away from the house and they sat down on the sidewalk. She buried her head into her arms as she began to cry over the encounter of that creepy teacher.
Thunderstorm watched in worry and pissed off too. While he's not suitable for their ‘sappy sessions’ his master had with her, he still had to do something. Boboiboy wouldn't like it if anything happens to her.
He let out a deep breath. “What did he do to you?” He muttered but enough for Suzy to hear him.
Granted, he's not Boboiboy. But when she looked at him again, it's like the real him was here, with her.
“Well,” she explained, wiping the tears away. “I haven't done well in chemistry, so Mr Frank tutored me for a while. And because of him, I have gotten better on the subject. But…” she paused. “Every time I was alone with him in class, he made me do things…Things that I don't want to do. Things that kept happening and turning into things with things on the side that made me scared of other things.” She rambled with her sentences that had “things” in them.
Needless to say, he was shocked and even more angry, but not directly at her. He may be a brute, a tsundere and a freaking psychopath when it came to battle but deep down, he cared for his brothers. Just like them, he's fiercely loyal to his master and will do anything to help him with his friends and loved ones.
Exactly like he'll do now. If there's one thing that even Solar underestimated him, he's not stupid. He knew exactly what she's implying. And that's not good.
He stands up and picks the ice cocoa drink. “Wait here and don't do anything.” He then walks back to the house.
Suzy has no idea what he's up to, but if he's a part of Boboiboy, then she'll trust that he won't do anything stupid.
He banged the door until Mr Frank appeared with a disappointing and annoyed look.
“Hmph, I'm expecting Mary to be back already, not you, Boboiboy.” He hissed.
Thunderstorm gritted his teeth, how dare this man speak ill of his master and her first name like that? Out of all the villains he fought, he never realized that men like this creep were ever allowed to exist in the entire galaxy and had their with god knows how many girls they abused.
“Well actually sir, there's a little problem with your order.” He sneered. “It turns out that you are a premium customer who doesn't need to pay up. Not even with your dirty money, you old creep.”
Mr Frank narrowed his eyes in annoyance and resisted facepalming. “Now what are you insinuating, boy?”
He fished out the ice drink and aimed it towards him. “This one's on the house!! SERANGAN KOKO HALILINTAR!!!”
Flash of red lightning engulfed the cocoa and Thunderstorm threw it with brute force. It went straight to Frank's face and it electrified him as a result. He screamed in agony and begged for mercy. Fortunately for him, the lightning disappeared and fell on his back, knocking him out cold.
He wore a satisfied grin on his face and returned to Suzy.
“What did you do?” She demanded him while getting up on her feet.
“I just teach him some respect.” He said confidently. “I'm sure you won't be seeing him for a while.”
Suzy stared in silence without a slight movement. Until she lunged forward for a much needed hug and cried into his embrace. She didn't care if he's not her real best friend, but she knew this was exactly what Boboiboy would've done, and it's like he actually did.
Thunderstorm didn't move either, nor returning the gesture, he stayed still.
After a while, she let go of him and her despair morphed to express her gratitude. “Thank you.” She whispers.
Thunderstorm nodded. “Don't mention it.” Then his eyes went stern. “But we need to talk.”
Suzy was taken back by this decision, but she longed for someone to turn to. She didn't think it would be one of the elementals.
“How long?”
Oh, so he doesn't like small talk.
“Four weeks.” That's her answer.
He narrowed his eyes. “For a fucking month?! Then why don't you say anything?!"
She crossed her arms. “I've been trying to but you guys are always in space. And I can't bring myself to tell my grandparents about it.”
He scoffed. “For the last part, I would understand. But you clearly forgot that we have a secret base just underneath the Kokotiam. We're always back home after a mission. So are there other reasons why you didn't tell him sooner?”
She started with a deep breath, then hesitated for a bit, then she vented. Thunderstorm was disappointed her afterwards.
“Still think telling him about your problems is a bad idea, huh?” He questioned her. “Kid, he's always open with you, and no matter how hard it was, especially the kind of life he led, you still took away his doubts and fears that none of us can. But it's unfair to prevent him from doing the same thing for you, especially that it took you four years to let out that pent up fear and trauma you bottled up for that long.”
Suzy felt ashamed, because he's right. Boboiboy had always been great to her, and she never stopped giving him comfort whenever he needed. But it's wrong to not let him give back the same kindness.
“I understand you for keeping your trauma for that long,” he continued with his stern tone intact. “But now you're doing it again, that's unacceptable. You really need to open up a lot more. My boy has it worse, but he still comes to you to talk about them. And you're not doing the same and that's wrong!”
Suzy deeply sighed. “You're right, that is messed up. I'm sorry.”
He waved it off. “Don't be, you deserved better.” He told her. “Now, I'll tell you something. Boboiboy remembers everything that we see once we merge, because we have this mental connection where he has our memories and we have his. However, we can block that connection so he won't remember anything we do.”
“If you don't like small talk, get to the point.” She said.
He huffed in annoyance. “Basically, I won't let him remember this, so you're gonna have to be upfront about the problem. Do you get it?”
Suzy finally smiled, now feeling better of herself. “Yes. Thank you again, Boboiboy. And now that I think about it, if you weren't here then I'm bound to become a piece to add to his collection.”
Thunderstorm returned the gesture but with a rather devilish grin. “Like I said, don't mention it. Let's get back to Kokotiam.”
When they returned, the Kokotiam was fully occupied. Quake and Ice were already finished with their tasks and just about to have their break.
“Oh, you guys are back.” Ice said, sitting next with Gopal.
Quake noticed their arrival and so he and Ice walked off from the Kokotiam to join with Thunderstorm to merge back.
“How did it go?” Quake asked.
“It went well.” Thunderstorm replied.
Quake affirmatively nodded. “Good, now it's time we call it a day.”
Ice stretched out his arms with a loud yawn. “Finally, let's get this over with.”
Thunderstorm glanced at Suzy one last time before his physical form faded into red aura and the same goes for Ice who also turned into cyan aura. They both merged into Quake and he returned to Boboiboy.
“So Suzy why don't you sit down? You could really use a drink to after all that.” That's the first thing he suggested.
But he needs to know this. “Actually, can we talk for a moment? Despite feeling tired as he looks, he gets concerned for her the second she asks this.
“Okay, let's sit over there.” He led her to the empty seat that one of their customers had left just now.
Now that they're fully seated with some privacy, Suzy told him everything, well except for Thunderstorm teaching Mr Frank a lesson. She explained the suffering she went through like a child would to their father.
And like the father, Boboiboy knew what to do.
And so for the past few days, Suzy had gotten better and feeling safe in school now that she never saw Mr Frank again. Boboiboy also transferred his seats next to her in every classroom to keep an eye on her. As much she liked to imagine him burying her former teacher alive (though knowing him, he wouldn't but it'd still be a satisfying thing to happen)
Needless to say, she's grateful for the effort he put in to ensure her safety. And also glad for the reality check she received from Thunderstorm, though still can't help but feeling like Boboiboy was on her side that day. And right now, she's currently drawing a sketch on her notebook in class. It's still morning and no one has shown up yet.
As much as she enjoyed some peace and quiet, she could always use a company, a good one actually.
“Morning Suzy,” her smile wide at his presence just close to her.
“Morning Boboiboy,” she greeted back.
“How are you doing lately?”
She turns away from her notebook to the question. “I'm doing okay, thank you.”
He smiled in contentment. “I'm glad about it. If there's anything you need, call me right away.”
She smirked. “I know, dude. You kept telling me that over and over again.”
“Well, all I wanted is to make sure you're fine.” He said. “After all, you did the same for me before.”
“And I'll still do it again if it ever comes to it.” She replied.
He chuckled. “Oh Suzy. You know that I can handle myself.” He reminded her.
“I'm just kidding, man.” She giggled. “I know it's me you have to worry about.”
“Yeah,” his mind wandered off for a second. “Wait, I just realized something. How did the deliveries go anyway? I couldn't quite remember how, that tends to happen whenever I split for too long.”
She hummed. “Oh uhm…actually, it went well without any problems.” she said while keeping her smile.
Boboiboy is satisfied with that answer. “Good.”
Before she returned to her sketch, a careful whisper called her. “Psst, hey.”
She passed him a glance. “Yes?” But then she noticed there's something off because his eyes are red and his large grin was slightly familiar with how devilish he seemed.
“Great job, kid. Seriously, you did good.”
Suzy focused on him until the realization dawn on her. “It's you! ”
Thunderstorm let out a grim laugh. “What can I say? We're him but we're not him.” He winked.
“You guys are making my friend look badass so to speak.” She commented.
“Yeah, it's one of those perks to make him look good as he is.” Thunderstorm replied. “All you have now is him, whatever he'll do for you, we'll do it too. That's how we helped him a lot when he needs it, remember that.”
Suzy nodded again as her smile went wide. Soon, his eyes returned to its normal state.
“Earth to Suzy, hello?” she snapped back. “Do you need anything?”
“No, it's just that…” she hummed. “You know, you're the only boy I ever feel safe and comfortable with.”
Boboiboy liked that feeling, because that had always been true. “I know, girl. I know.”
Boboiboy proceeded with his science book with the girl now dozing off on his shoulder.