All the Butterflies of You (A Boboiboy Halitau fanfic)

Chapter 2

I watched as Thorn ran up to me just as I stepped into the school campus, and greeted me with a tight hug.

"Hewoo, Taufan! So long since I saw you!!" He clutched onto me like a koala to his mum, and I grinned, looking at that cute smol bean.

"Oh, Duri! How are your grandma n' grandpa?" Thorn had just returned from his grandparents' place, and yesterday when he was talking to me on the phone, he seemed really excited to come back today and tell me all about his small vacation.

A cute smile lit up his face as his big brown eyes sparkled with joy. "They are okay, Fan-fan! They said to bring you along next time, and Hali too!"

He perked up on hearing his name. He had been staring at the ground all this while, zoning out, and just came back to his senses now.

"What?" He blinked, looking from me to Thorn.

"I said, will you come to my grandparents' place next summer with Taufan?" He stared at Hali with big eyes, earnestly waiting for an affirmative response. 

"I don't have money," he grumbled, cursing under his breath when he remembered he was kicked out of his previous part-time job, that of a helper in a supermarket down our street, only because he couldn't keep his temper in check and ended up terrorising a fifty-year-old lady who wasn't sure what she had come to buy in the store. 

It had been a few weeks since then, and he had been looking for a part-time job in the locality, but oh boy, people already seemed to be aware of his reputation while dealing with customers and clients. And that angered him more. 

"It's okay! I'll pay for your tickets! Come no, Hali, pwease!!" Thorn pouted, and god, he looked so cute like that! 

I turned to look at the lightning elemental user, wondering if he was convinced to come along. And, woah, he had pulled the bill of his cap down a bit, only to hide those reddening cheeks! 

"Don't bother, Duri. I don't want to owe you anything." 

And here comes his self-respect. 

Hali is the type of person who likes to stay independent. Be it emotionally, physically, financially, mentally, he didn't like depending or relying on anyone. Ever since he turned thirteen, he has been trying to become independent. There was some sort of narrative in his head which told him it was wrong to depend on mom for everything, and even though mom didn't mind it one bit -after all, I continue to be a baby in front of her all the time even though I am seventeen now- he really isn't comfortable with it. 

"Aww, come on!" Thorn pouted again, and puffed his cheeks. Yeah, he wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"Hali, he's talking about next summer, no? You have a lotta time till then to find a job and start saving money." I thought it was quite obvious, really, but Hali didn't seem convinced.

"Who'll give me a job, though? People already know I lose my shit with useless customers," he sighed to himself, eyebrows knit together in a handsome frown.

This guy looks drop-dead in whatever he does! Crap... I tried to calm my racing heart as I smiled at him, a cheeky, pestering smile.

"Look, Hali, we can slowly figure it out, right? And... the bell is about to ring. Let's go," and I waved a bye at Thorn, who waved back enthusiastically now that he was assured there was a way Hali could accompany him next summer, and I grabbed Hali's hand and dragged him to the corridors of the ground floor of our school.

"What's your first class?" I stopped and turned to him. Those glowing ruby eyes never failed to make me gasp out loud, but this time, I kept it in.

"Mathematics?" He took out his schedule from his bag and checked, "yeah, that fucking subject which always obsesses over x. Why the fuck will anyone care about that dang x?" And he went on a cursing rage, muttering about how Mathematics, especially Algebra, is the most useless subject taught in school for god-knows-what-reason.