"So, Solar is the one who will design the building?" The muralist's eyes sparkled brightly. "Please help, Solar!"
Solar smiled. "Of course, Thorn."
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Disclaimer: BoBoiBoy © Monsta
A Luta Continua (Latin: the struggle continues) © Roux Marlet
The author gained no material profit from this work of fiction.
Alternate Universe, No Pairing, Grown-up Characters.
Genre: Friendship, Family, Angst.
Rated M (Mature) for the ADDICTIONS theme (to be explained later).
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Important side notes: Tok Aba and Amato in this story were not father and son.
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"Solar is great!"
"Solar is a smart boy!"
Ten-year-old Solar bin Amato smiled broadly as he received a gentle, affectionate pat on his head. His tiny body is brought into a warm embrace.
"Mom and Dad's child is great!" Amato repeated once more as he held Solar, who had once again achieved first place in his school report card. "That's right, isn't it, Hanna?"
Amato's wife smiled happily and nodded as she rubbed her son's head. The hijab-wearing woman said softly, "Solar dear, what do you want this year?"
"I want a Lego toy," Solar replied confidently. He had been thinking about it for several years. Solar always had the right calculations and he was sure that he would always be at the top of his class, he even had some things planned for the next few years.
"Lego?" Hanna repeated in amazement, glancing at her husband. Solar had asked for toy blocks that could be arranged into miniature buildings? "Does Solar want to be like Dad?" guessed Hanna.
Solar nodded happily. "Yes!"
"Does Solar also want to be an architect like Dad?" Amato asked enthusiastically.
Again, Solar nodded. He often saw his father sketching various buildings on a wide table. High-rise houses, skyscrapers, villas or lakeside cottages. Solar quietly observed how his father could draw straight lines without using a ruler and his entire hand from fingertips to elbows didn't seem to shake at all. The look in his father's eyes and the deep furrowed brows as he stared at the large sheet of paper, the diligence with which he added detail after detail to the already complex design, and the deftness with which he sharpened the granite rods in his hands. It was clear Amato loved his work.
And Solar was interested in the same thing, even compiling a list of gifts he'd like to ask for in the coming years: a sketchbook, a set of drawing tools, a drawing table. He was sure they would make his parents love him even more.
Solar was born and raised by a couple who got along well, were financially prosperous, and he himself was blessed with a brilliant brain, believed to have an IQ above 130. He always excelled academically in school, winning various math and physics Olympiads. Not to mention the many trophies and certificates that adorned his study room, and by now had taken up most of the living room.
"Mom, Dad... next year I can go to the academy."
Solar's announcement stunned his parents.
"Solar is taking accelerated classes?" asked Hanna.
"Yes!" Solar replied, smiling confidently again.
"Solar can do it!" Amato encouraged. "The important thing is ..."
"What's important, Solar?" asked Hanna.
"The important thing is that Solar doesn't get cocky!" the child said with a bright smile.
"Good boy!"
It's not Solar when he fails to live up to what's expected of him. In fact, he managed to pass his primary school exams the following year, started his secondary school education, and then finished it a year earlier as well. Like his father, Solar studied architecture. He was going to help Amato work at the construction bureau, but that wasn't enough for him. Solar wanted to surpass his father: to become an architect and a civil engineer at the same time!
The perfect series of achievements. The perfect family. The perfect life.
Unfortunately, the perfect Solar only lasted until he was in his early twenties. It was around this time that he became acquainted with Bora Ra and the Tengkotak gang.
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Fang mumbled as he tripped over a chair leg in the office one more time. He traced the wall as he searched for the light switch.
CLICK!
The light flashed brightly and someone moaned. Fang let out a gasp as the person rolled down from his position on the sofa. Too late. The person's body had already hit the floor.
"Ow."
"Solar!"
Naturally, the civil engineering lecturer panicked and rushed over. Solar was thrown by the shock and fell face first.
"Are you OK?"
"Ruined my pretty face!" grumbled Solar as he carefully felt his forehead, already sitting up on the floor.
Fang rolled his eyes. If he could say that, it meant that Solar was all right. "Sorry, I thought no one was here."
"The door wasn't locked. How could there be no one?" Solar reached for his visor glasses on the table, adjusted them in front of his nose, then slid his finger to one side. The laptop, which had a dark screen on the table, instantly lit up.
"Are you still practising?" asked Fang, looking at the screen. A projection of the layout of a building. It was the AutoCAD application, a three-dimensional construction software, the ultimate weapon of today's architects.
"Yes. We have a new project coming up," Solar replied, struggling with some keys on the keyboard, half squinting, probably because the screen light was too bright for him. Sure enough. A moment later, the brightness of the screen dimmed.
"How was the meeting with the artist earlier?" Fang opened the conversation as he sat down on the opposite couch.
Solar was silent for a moment. "It went well."
"Did you eat?" Fang asked again. "It's almost seven."
"Relax. Later."
The answer indicated that Solar hadn't filled his stomach for the night. And from the way the young man's attention was focused on the laptop screen, it looked like he was going to be even later.
"Shall I take you home?" Fang said again.
"Hmm? No need, Fang."
"What are you taking home? The last bus leaves at seven, right? Or are you going to walk?"
Solar paused for a moment before answering without turning around, "Mr. Boss wants to come here, then we'll go home together."
Fang's eyebrows raised as he noticed the emphasis on the word home, which was different from the purpose he himself had intended when he offered to take Solar home. "Oh," he said abruptly.
"To discuss the project," Solar added unasked.
Fang asked no further questions. Solar hadn't lived with Amato for years. Just then, a car engine roared outside the office and was quickly shut off. They both knew the boss had arrived.
A short time later, a baritone voice came from outside the door. "Oh, you're here, Fang."
"Hi, Uncle Amato. I just came from the campus."
"Anything left behind?" the older man asked as he looked around and met his son's eyes.
Fang replied, "No, Uncle. I was just checking. Turns out Solar's still here too."
Solar shut down his laptop and turned to his father. "I'll clean up for a while."
"How's campus?" Amato made small talk with Fang while Solar cleaned up.
"Midterms are coming up," Fang replied. "Everyone's busy."
"When are you going to start your master's degree?"
"Next year, Uncle."
"I hope it goes well."
"Thank you." Fang grimaced, uncomfortable with Solar's silence as he finished cleaning up. "I'm going home first, Uncle, Solar."
"Be careful on the road," Amato said.
"Bye, Fang," Solar continued.
As Fang left the room, Amato left as well. Solar followed in silence, not forgetting to turn off the lights. The young man locked the door as his father started the car. Fang bade them farewell once again as he rode off.
A few moments later, the father and the son were driving away in the car.
"Solar," Amato began, "did you know that Fang comes from a broken home?"
Solar looked up in surprise. "I didn't know," he replied, half stunned, even though he had been studying with Fang for three and a half years. "He never told me."
Amato didn't speak again right away. "His parents divorced when Fang was a toddler and his brother, Kaizo, was a teenager. Kaizo is our client this time."
Yes, he had heard from Fang that this client was his biological brother. Solar waited for his father to continue.
"Kaizo followed his mother, Fang followed his father. Kaizo worked hard to help his mother and had become a successful businessman overseas, while Fang... I guess he wasn't independent enough when his father died of an illness."
Solar silently agreed. Working at Surya Gamma Sentosa and still desperately trying to balance his teaching at the university and pursuing scholarships, Fang's minimalist lifestyle was also evidence of this. This friend of Solar's had some financial difficulties.
"Before their father died of illness, he regretted the divorce because he had been deceived by slander about his wife. He told Fang that if he could see Kaizo and his mother again, he would apologize. On the other hand, their mother also died of illness. Kaizo had a wish to build a skyscraper to... commemorate their parents, especially their mother, who was a lily lover. Kaizo also recently reunited with Fang".
The son remained silent after the story ended.
Amato commented, "Every family has its own problems."
Solar remained silent and didn't reply. Then Amato looked at him and asked, "How's your rehab going?"
There was a brief pause. "Sort of. It's going well."
"Do you have any appointments at the hospital tomorrow?"
"Nope." Another short pause. Solar added, "Only once a week lately, on Saturdays."
"Oh?" muttered Amato, sounding like something new to him.
Then they both fell silent, looking at the still quite crowded streets.
"Then you can come to meet our client tomorrow, right?" Amato concluded.
Solar thought for a moment. "Is Fang coming too?"
Amato shook his head. "You are the architect and the engineering manager. Fang will come later in the internal engineering meeting. I don't think Kaizo would like his brother coming to the meeting tomorrow."
"I'm a double?" repeated Solar, half in disbelief. A peculiar feeling rippled through his chest. Odd, but strangely familiar to him.
"You can do it, can't you?" replied Amato, half looking back at him.
"I'll try," Solar said, carefully considering how to proceed, "Dad."
Amato still didn't smile. "Have you eaten?"
It was the second time that question had been asked of Solar. "Not yet."
"I have some fried chicken, just heat it up in the microwave."
Solar nodded and closed his eyes, keeping his complaints to himself. He should know that it was impossible for him to expect a warm dinner at this point.
Coming home had never been so cold since Mom passed away.
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to be continued.
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Author's Note:
I did some revision for chapter 1, since it's my first time translating my own fanfiction into English. If you still find something odd, please kindly message me :)
Thank you for reading!
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January 28, 2023.