unforgiven ➽ a Halilintar-centric fic

12 | when hell freezes over

Taufan and Gempa were chatting away with Tok Aba when the front door slammed open, with brute force that splintered wood. There, stood a furious and rampaging Halilintar, clutching a bag of tarts and pastries while Api and Daun cowered behind him.

The pair were covered in dried soap suds, hands wrinkled as if they've been soaked in water for hours. Their hair clung to their skin, but other than their half-dead postures and the folds in their fingers, they looked fine.

Halilintar, on the other hand...

He kicked off his sneakers and stormed into the house, completely uncaring of the reunion occurring in the living room. Without regard for social context or the fridge's well-being, he tossed the bag into the fridge and slammed it shut, airing out all his grievances onto inanimate objects.

He ignored Taufan, Gempa and their grandfather's calls, stomping straight upstairs, making it clear that being disturbed was the last thing he wanted at the moment. The footsteps faded upstairs, then followed by silence, where they assumed he'd retreated into his room.

Struck with confusion, Gempa whipped towards his protégés, demanding answers but faltered when he noticed the soulless expression plastered on their paled faces. He shifted uncomfortably in the sofa, mouth hanging open in lieu of a question.

"What happened?" Taufan gawked, taken aback by the entire ordeal.

"Dishes," Api groused, massaging his sore ears. "So. Many. Dishes."

"Why?" Gempa asked, appalled.

"Long story," Daun added. "I—it was horrible. I take back everything I said about our laundry! That's nothing compared to this."

Gempa and Taufan exchanged looks of unadulterated confusion. If one looked close enough, you could see the bold question marks hovering around their heads.

"Anyway." Gempa coughed into his fist, grimacing at the state of the two. "What's gotten Hali so riled up?"

"Well... we were at a restaurant, but our wallet and phones got stolen," Api explained, shuddering at the memory. "We washed dishes all day, then the scary lady demanded to know who our parents were. When I told her our guardian works at the Kokotiam, she changed her tone and smothered us with chocolate cake."

"Halilintar had to fetch us," Daun continued. "And I've never seen someone so afraid of baked goods and an affectionate old lady before. He got so spooked that he didn't even care that we got into trouble."

"It was like watching a scary auntie spoiling her equally scary niece," Api agreed. "Gave him a big hug, smooch on the cheek, pocket money, and pastries – the entire package."

That... was a lot of gaps in the story. Gaps that definitely needed filling in, but Gempa had a feeling that they weren't up to the task any time soon.

Taufan poked Gempa's shoulder, getting his attention. "You don't think that's who I think it is, right?" he asked him. "Remember the lunch lady from our school who retired?"

Gempa's eyes widened in realization. "No way," he said. "Puan Suzi, right? She hates us."

"Maybe she's changed her ways," Taufan pointed out. "We haven't been back for years, and I still need to check whether if the Papa Zola series released a new sequel!"

"Uh." Daun shuffled in place, catching their attention. He clenched his teeth, wincing when all eyes were on him, unwavering. "I don't know Halilintar that well, but—shouldn't you check up on him?"

Api nodded, lip quirking. "He's not looking too hot," he agreed.

To their surprise, Taufan waved their concerns off. "That's just Hali being Hali. He's perfectly fine," he assured them, but it wasn't reassuring at all. "If we go now, he'll kick us out. Give him a couple hours to recuperate and he'll be up and running in no time."