The slow strum of a guitar filled the empty break room. There was nothing playing, but their fingers brushed the strings aimlessly. A boy in orange stared blankly at the large window that showed the view of a blue planet. All thoughts were directed to the planet they sorely missed. Their heartache for home.
The memories created on the planet slowly played in his mind like a movie. From the earliest memories they could remember to the patches of memories they had while visiting it; they were all fond memories. Then the movie stopped. It paused to the time where it was still dark but the sound was crisp to the ear. A hum. They knew from it was. That gentle, feminine sound belonged to their mother.
They held the tears back as they tried to remember the melody she played. Their fingers then mimicked the tune on their guitar. It took a few tries to get it right, mostly because they had forgotten which notes they should pluck. But after much persistence, they were finally rewarded with a guitar rendition of their mother's hum. Over and over it was played, longing eyes fixated on the view in front of them.
Then came a gentle touch onto their shoulder. It was fleeting that BoBoiBoy did not realise it at first, but then the owner started cupping their chubby cheek. That had gotten their attention. They turned to see who it was.
"Took you long enough. Can't believe you're so fixated on that guitar that you didn't even hear me coming."
BoBoiBoy plastered a smile and greeted their guest.
"Fang! You're here. I thought you're still on a mission."
Fang vaulted over the sofa and plopped himself beside them.
"I'm already done with it. A lucky break came in and poof the power sphera was already captured." Fang looked around the break room. He finally realised that BoBoiBoy was alone. "Where are the others?"
Their eyes scanned up, trying to remember their station. "Yaya and Ying are going to Planet Stakaan to indulge in the planet's massive archives and Gopal went with the Mop-Mop aliens to taste the cuisine in Planet NitNak."
"And you?"
BoBoiBoy giggled. The answer was obvious. "Well, I'm here of course."
Fang shook his head. "No, I mean, why didn't you follow them?"
"Oh…" They trailed off and eyes were fixed back onto the view before them. "Going on an adventure is fun and all, but sometimes rest is just what I need to have to be back on my feet tomorrow."
Fang's eyes were still on his friend as he realised the shift in their mood.
"I heard from Shielda that your application for a time off was rejected. Is that why you're here instead of going out?"
They shook their head. "Well, not rejected. Laksamana allowed us for a day off, but Ochobot was needed for research by the lab, so we couldn't go back to Earth. We used alternatives instead."
"But you could've had Ochobot to transfer you back to Earth and then open the portal again when it's time to go back."
BoBoiBoy gave a knowing smile. "I know. Ochobot said that too." They sighed. "But it wouldn't feel right being back on Earth without him. He's part of the family too."
"I see…" He then turned his attention to the view. The planet was still as pretty as he first saw it. And it brought back the memory of being abandoned for a mission and found by someone he dearly called a friend. He smiled to himself.
"I can see why you would want to stay here instead of being with them. The view is beautiful."
"Yeah…"
The conversation died. But the atmosphere between the two of them was not at all awkward. They both relished in each other's silent company.
"Fang?" BoBoiBoy whispered.
Fang's ears perked upon his name being called. "Yes?"
"Can I lean into you?" They sheepishly asked.
A silent pause. BoBoiBoy's cheeks were burning with shame upon recalling the awkward question they uttered. How they wished they could take it back.
"On second thought, I-"
Fang quickly cut them off. "Okay."
They honestly did not expect that response from him. But it was a welcomed change. As they turned to see their reaction, Fang too sports the same shade of pink on his cheeks as they did. That was endearing.
BoBoiBoy and Fang scooted closer. The former then leaned their head into Fang's muscled arm, but he quickly lifted it, so now they were into his one-arm embrace now. For a pair of best friends, this was the most intimate moment they had ever shared.
They both stayed that way until it was unbearable for BoBoiBoy. They were shaking. Fang realised this. He asked them if there was anything wrong with them.
"My side hurts. I think I strained it."
"I'm sorry!" Quickly realising his mistake, Fang set them onto his lap. "Lie down then. It'll go away soon."
Now their eyes met Fang's mauve eyes over BoBoiBoy's brown ones. This was getting dangerous. Both the boys' hearts were racing. But no one made the effort to move. That brought delight to both of them. Still, it was awkward for BoBoiBoy to be staring at Fang, so they shifted to see the view in front of them. Thanks to that, their hearts now settled to a steady rhythm of relaxation and peace.
A million thoughts ran through BoBoiBoy's mind as they watch the blue pearl turned on its axis. The home they left behind, the family that they missed, the life they could have had. Thinking had made them tire. BoBoiBoy yawned and Fang felt it.
"Are you tired, BoBoiBoy? Want to get back to your room?"
BoBoiBoy turned to look at him, then took his cap off. They set the cap onto their stomach.
"No, I'd rather stay here and enjoy the view."
Fang's annoyance masked the blush that dusted his fair cheeks. He took the cap off of them and covered their face.
"Don't look at me as you say that, you tease."
BoBoiBoy chuckled and lifted Fang's hand, along with their cap, off their face. Fang then placed the cap beside him. They turned their attention towards the view of the planet Earth and made themself comfortable. His reaction was automatic; he brushed their hair in between his fingers. They both felt the comfort of each other's presence.
But BoBoiBoy could not sleep. They needed something to listen to let them. Fang was there. Maybe he would help.
"Fang," they began. "Lull me to sleep?"
Fang sighed. They kept getting him with all these requests that honestly was out of his character but still, it was because they asked politely. So he could not help but indulge them. This time included.
"Fine. But don't complain if I'm horrible at it, or I'll push you."
They beamed. "I won't. I promise."
Choosing a tune to lull this big baby to sleep was difficult. He had not listened to many children's songs ever since he grew out of it. And the ones that he did recognise were already forgotten. But he had remembered a melody. The one that they played so solemnly just now. He briefly recalled the tune and hummed. His fingers brushed their silky locks, playfully twisting them sometimes.
The coming of tears came automatically to the one that was serenaded. BoBoiBoy tried to blink them away, but they kept gushing out. They tried to stop him, but they were afraid their voice would give their grievance away. There was no way out. They silently listened to the hum that brought so many emotions and memories.
He could feel his trousers were wet. He was already grossed out if they had drooled on his good pair of trousers. His hands turned their shoulder, making them face him.
"Stop drooling, you big buffoo-…n..."
Seeing their eyes red from tears shocked him. Once they had realised that he had seen them in such an embarrassing state, they quickly wiped the tears with their sleeves. But he stopped them. Using both hands, he held theirs so that he could see their face. The look of concern was written all over his face.
"What happened, BoBoiBoy? Was it the song? Did it give you bad memories?"
BoBoiBoy was fighting against the hands that held theirs as they tried to shield their face from view. To no avail. Fang's grip on them was stronger.
"No… It's just, that was my…" They could not get themself to say it. The memories came flooding in, choking them in nostalgia.
There were no signs of them to stop crying, but they were not resisting anymore. Fang took that as a sign to let them go. They quickly wiped the tears and plastered a small smile.
"I was surprised to hear you sing that song. Where did you hear it?"
"What do you mean 'where'? You played it just now, here, in this room. I heard you played it on repeat. You didn't even hear me coming in until I touched you."
"Oh?" They gave an uncomfortable giggle. "How long were you listening in though because I'm pretty sure I've only played it for like… ten minutes or so."
Fang scoffed. "Ten minutes my foot; I stood at the door for about half an hour."
"Oh…" They sat up and looked around. Then the sudden realisation hit them. "You listened to me playing the guitar for thirty minutes?!" Their eyes had gotten big as they glanced back towards the blushing boy.
"I- It's your fault for not responding when I called you dozens of times."
They turned to look at him, their body now facing the other.
"But you could've either called me louder or prod me as you did. Just… earlier, I guess. I didn't even know I was playing that song for that long." They just scratched their cheek and teetered shyly.
Fang just observed the features on his friend's face. There were still tears at the corner of their eyes. He wanted to know the reason behind it.
"Is there a special reason why you were crying?"
They just froze a little and smiled. "That huh… Well… How about we make a trade?"
Fang crossed his arms. He did not like it when they were trying to deflect the situation, but if he would be promised the information he needed, then maybe he would entertain him.
"What do you want?"
"If I told you about me… then I want to know something about you too. Let's trade questions and when we're done throwing our questions, then we'll answer them. How about it?"
He weighed his options. BoBoiBoy was not the one to lie, but then again, he was not good at detecting one either. Maybe when things get a little too personal, he could… probably twist some facts. Oh, what did he have to lose?
"Okay, but I'm going first." They nodded. "Why did you cry just now?"
BoBoiBoy shook their head as they contemplate their answer. Then it was their turn.
"Did Captain Kaizo sing you lullabies when you were little?"
Ooh, that was a little embarrassing to share. But it was about his brother more than it was about him. So he allowed it. But he gestured them to answer first.
BoBoiBoy tapped their chin and looked up. "My mother used to play that lullaby when I was little. When I close my eyes, she'd hum it instead. I remember the hum more than the singing because she'd always stay by my side until she was sure that I'm fast asleep." They smiled softly as they remembered all the fond memories.
Well, great. They were oversharing. He did not want to seem like the bad guy here, so he needed to reciprocate.
"He did. That was until I was seven. After my seventh birthday…" He shrugged. "He never changed his lullaby though. It's always that one song."
BoBoiBoy's eyes lit up as they heard the answer. "Really? Would you play that song please?"
Fang was displeased. He certainly did not want to sing that again. Not when he received such bad reception from it a long while back too. But maybe after he saw their reaction to his second question, he would reconsider.
"Where are your parents?"
BoBoiBoy was shocked alright. They looked conflicted as they tried to come up with an answer for that. Then the look of determination appeared. It looked like they will not stand down on this.
"My parents are somewhere in this vastness of space, working. But I don't know where they are, exactly. My father's job requires secrecy."
Fang just nodded. If BoBoiBoy themself did not even know where their parents are, then it was useless to pursue this any longer. He needed to change his strategy.
"What other secrets are you still hiding from us?"
Then he saw it. BoBoiBoy grinned. He kind of regretted his questions earlier.
"Tell me about your parents."
There it was. He knew it. After asking them a question about their parents, of course, it would get them curious about his parents too. But honestly, even if he wanted to lie, he cannot. He did not know anything about them. What should he tell them? While he tried to figure out how to answer that, he gestured for them to answer his question first.
"Well, one thing, I missed eating petai. But I would never eat it here since this place doesn't have windows."
Fang did not even listen to them as he was drowning in his thoughts about his parents. Now that they brought it up, he had a million questions about them. Fang scratched his head, his arms crossed.
"Fang?"
He heard them calling. His attention was now focused on them.
BoBoiBoy's face was laden with worry. "Are you okay?"
That was a stupid question. Of course, he was okay. There was no-
They reached out and cupped his cheek. Their thumb ran over it, wiping away the tears he did not even now we're falling. Since when did that happen-?
"I'm sorry for asking about your parents, Fang. I didn't know that it'll be such a sensitive topic for you."
No no no. He was fine. Thinking about his parents definitely did not bring discomfort to him whatsoever. But why did his heart throb at the missing gaps in between his memories? Were they about his parents? Try as he might, he had no recollection of them. Just a pair of shadows embracing and showering him with unconditional love. How he longed for them to be by his side again.
He thought he was over it, crying about them.
Today's incident proved him wrong.
He then snapped into reality again. But now he was confused. Part of him knew that crying over this will not bring his parents back, but then again, he was tired of keeping it all in. All these years of buried emotions now came gushing out, thanks to this boy who was currently concerned about him right now.
But there were no looks of scrutiny that came from him. Only care and concern. And that was what he needed right now. Someone to listen, someone to wipe his tears.
That someone could be them.
"I'm fine, BoBoiBoy. Thank you." He held the hand that touched his cheek, bringing it to his forehead as if thanking them. "Truth be told, I couldn't remember about my parents." He choked in the tears. "My older brother wouldn't tell me about them."
BoBoiBoy made themself comfortable and scooted closer. Fang let go, showing them his tear-stained face.
"I'm okay if you don't want to tell me. So don't-"
"Please, I need to get this out. I've held it in long enough."
BoBoiBoy nodded. He took it as a sign to continue.
"I could only remember bits and pieces of the memories before I was five. Kaizo filled me in with what happened to my parents when I was ten. I was inconsolable. Then he enrolled me into Tempur-A Academy. I was broken inside, but I know enough that I need to suck it in and move on."
He wiped his tears with the back of his hand.
"But he never told me the name of our planet, or who did them in. I tried getting info from the archives, but I don't have the necessary clearance. So I have to forget about them."
He then glanced at BoBoiBoy, their eyes still filled with worry. He snickered.
"Until today, that is."
That panged BoBoiBoy's heart with guilt. They did not know how to react.
"Fang, I'm sorr-"
Fang interjected. "But what my older brother kept consistently told me that the lullaby he used to sing to me is originally heard from our mother. I've sung it to you. But you didn't like it."
That distracted them. Did he really sing it to them? If so, when?
"When you turned into Api for the first time. You needed to sleep."
Something clicked in their head. They went "ohh…" and then went scarlet. It was weird because looking back, Fang has always been there, trying to help them in times of need. They felt the need to reciprocate too.
"Fang," they began, "want to share our burdens together? Maybe we'll feel better after that."
Their eyes were big, full of swirling emotions. Their cheeks red, lips pouty. He cannot believe how vulnerable they looked at this moment. It was hard for him to say no to that. He resigned. They won.
"Okay, but this stays between us. Promise?"
That put a big smile on their face. "Promise!"
For the next hour, BoBoiBoy and Fang shared their secrets and insecurities. Laughter was shared and tears were shed. Little by little, the burden they both felt weighing on their shoulders chisel away.
And still, they both have one last secret to share.
"Fang?" BoBoiBoy called.
"Yes?" Fang replied.
"I genuinely like to spend my time with you, like this. Let's do this again sometimes."
Now it was Fang's turn to smile.
"Sure. This stays between us, okay?"