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The air felt heavier than usual.
On a usual day, by now, Cheewa would've began one of his astronomy spiels, eyes wide and asking him.
"did you know that..?" and Niran would watch him ramble, amused yet fully invested in a way no-one else would understand.
He would never admit to his friends (even though they probably already knew) that this precious moment in time, a daily routine, had become one of Niran's favourites.
Hence, that afternoon, the tangible tension between was much more noticeable.
Fingers interlinked, they stepped off the bus together, both caught up in their own thoughts.
This is the last time we'll walk together as schoolmates.
Niran felt his stomach sink.
Hell, he'd been emotional all day.
Graduation, with the heartfelt letters and embarrassingly large love confession from Cheewa had left Niran already a mess.
And then, seeing Cheewa perform, glasses tucked away and rolled sleeves, hadn’t helped at all, as he was hit with conflicting feelings of
i love my boyfriend
and
this is the last time i'll see him as my junior
So yeah. A lot.
He didn't want to be upset at school.
It was his last day after all, and he spent it with his friends, excited for the journey to come.
And he was.
Yet, now that it had hit him, he wasn't as strong as before.
He sniffled, and felt his eyes tearing.
He didn't cry often.
But he was with Cheewa, his tall, gorgeous endearing boyfriend, and tear absorbing planet, after all. The one he trusted with his life and his heart, that had cherished him for so long, and he knew, would continue to do so,
Niran began to lift his hand, the one not intertwined with Cheewa's but felt the soft pads of the other boy's fingers, already cradling his face.
"P'Niran, what's wrong?"
Cheewa asked him while gently wiping away the now falling tears, those adorable eyes peering down at him through his dorky lenses, clearly worried in the most endearing way.
Niran, through the tears that began to fall harder, giggled, which only confused Cheewa even more.
He led them to the undercover bench, the same one they'd taken shelter under so many times.
From the basketball games when Cheewa swore he wasn't faking, to times when they were walking home late, after Niran's judo and Cheewa's school council, that bench held memories so dear to Niran, that it didn't help his tears at all
Instead of deflecting the topic, or asking Cheewa to turn around like he once would've, Niran let himself cry, the other boy's hands still gently wiping the tears from his face.
"Phi, I'm getting worried. Can you tell me if Cheewa did something wrong?"
Niran, upon Cheewa's voice crack out of concern, felt his heart strain.
He decided to finally look up, and was met with his boyfriends' supporting gaze.
He couldn't help but smile, even through the tears
"Cheewa, tell me something interesting."
Cheewa, finally understanding that Niran wasn't upset, but just emotional, went along with this request.
"Phi, did you know that some orbit paths, even if there aren’t repeated, are still preserved in space through the movement of matter around it? Just because they don’t cross the same way, doesn’t mean that they were any less important. It's just that change is happening, and all we can do it adapt to it."
Niran grinned. Cheewa, with his roundabout ways of heartfelt confessions, sometimes so sweet it left Niran blushing. Yet somehow, he always said the right things.
His friends really were right. They truly did had their own way of communicating with each other.
"Even though we won't see each other as much, I'll still be here. Cheewa will always be by P'Niran's side for as long as he needs me."
Of course Cheewa had figured out why he was so emotional. He knew Niran better than Niran knew himself.
"what if I need you now? And tomorrow? And every day after that?"
Cheewa smiled. That soft, reserved smile that was meant only for Niran, and he felt his heart burn, the same way he felt from the very beginning, when he looked into those eyes and just knew this person was going to be important to him.
"Then I'll be here."
And the thing is, Niran wholeheartedly believed him. For someone that had been hurt for years, about the distance, the leaving, as people the most close to him drifted apart, Niran had a lot of faith in this boy.
Cheewa had proven himself time and time again. Of course, Niran would believe him.
He felt the last of his tears dry up, as Cheewa's hands shifted away. Upon realising how close they were, his ears immediately burned as he avoided eye contact. Niran, in a moment of confidence, grabbed his hands, gently yet with intent.
Cheewa's eyes shot up to look at him, tears welling, as Niran observed him, properly this time.
This was probably just as emotional for him, he thought.
After all, they'd both gotten used to this arrangement, this routine. It wasn't much, but it was theirs.
Yet, with cheewa blinking down at him with those sweet eyes, he knew he had nothing to worry about.
God, Niran could stare at this boy for hours.
He's gorgeous.
With that thought, he became acutely aware of his grip on Cheewa's fingers, as he gently let go. Instead, he gathered all the courage he could, and flung his arms around the younger boys' shoulders.
Burying his head in the space between Cheewa's shoulder and neck, he glanced up to see the bright red of his ears, and felt his stiffened posture relax as he held tightly onto Niran's back.
Niran closed his eyes, breathing in the faint smell of perfume, as he spoke, his voice muffled in the boy's now tear-stained shirt.
"You did really well today, Cheewa. You’re so cool and talented. Everyone had eyes on you the entire time."
Niran's tone hardened with the last statement, a change that did not go unnoticed by the drummer, as he let out a small, deep laugh that hit Niran straight in the heart. Thank god Cheewa couldn't see his face right now, he just knew that he would secretly take pleasure in it.
"I didn't know that, Phi. But Phi knows the only one I have eyes on is you, right?"
It was Niran's turn to flush, a patchy pink as he pulled back from the hug, already missing the warmth it had given him.
God, Cheewa looked gorgeous right now, his eyes bright, shining with the remnants of tears, and the love he held, so pure, for his P'Niran.
"Cheewa. I'm proud of you. And I'm proud of us. Phi Niran will always been on Cheewa's side too, for as long as he'll let me stay. I love you. Even if I don’t say it often, please remember that."
Niran's voice wavered, clearly giving away the lack of confidence in himself, a direct contrast to the comforting words he'd just spoken.
Cheewa knew. He always knew. And yet-
"Of course Phi. It's just emotional. And I love you, we'll make it work."
Niran grinned, a bright smile, and he knew he probably had the puffiest, reddest eyes and patchy cheeks and looked a mess, and yet Cheewa still looked at his as though he was his North Star.
He couldn't resist himself.
He gently held the side of Cheewa's face, feeling the goosebumps awake as his finger traced the side of his chin, before leaning up to plant a small kiss on his cheek.
The reaction was immediate. Cheewa's face flushed a deep red, causing Niran to laugh out loud.
"What? Acting like you've never kissed my cheek before?"
"that’s different, Phi! You usually don't-
"But I did now. You don’t like it?
Cheewa's eyes shifted from the ground, momentary panic flashing through his face.
"I do! You can do it whenever Phi wants."
They made eye contact, and Cheewa, upon seeing the teasing glint in Niran's eyes, immediately relaxed.
Embarrassed grins erupts on their faces, as the nature of the situation, pressed close together on the small bench, hit them.
Niran's laughter died down, as Cheewa stood up, sneakily picking up both Niran's and his own bag in one go.
Reaching out his other hand to him, Cheewa looked down at the teary senior and smiled gently.
"Come, let me walk you home."
Previously, Niran would've complained, what kind of phi lets his nong look after him?
But he'd changed.
Grown.
Knew it wasn't a weakness to ask for help anymore.
Especially from the boy he loved so dearly, and planned to do so for many years to come.
His expression softened, as he interlaced his fingers with the others', and allowed him to lead him home.
And just like that, they left, walking that path as schoolmates for the last time.
Their story, on the other hand, was only just beginning.