One-Shots [Boboiboy]

Break The Cycle [Part 3]

He couldn't do it.

Gempa just couldn't bring himself to tell him.

Even if Petir was at peace with himself and with them, the guilt doesn't just recede. He could tell that he was the one that caused Petir all that agony in the first place. If it wasn't for him, Petir wouldn't have committed suicide when they were younger. If it wasn't for his interference, Petir wouldn't have been so hard on himself.

But was this really the best way? Petir hadn't questioned their sudden shift in appearance. He noticed, for sure—but he didn't mention it. One wrong move and their years' worth of barriers would go down in flames.

Solar had the chance to reveal the truth to Petir, but he didn't. Gempa knew this fact because he'd seen them converse late at night, where he had no sleep due to his worrisome mind.

Was letting go of this secret really worth it?

How would Petir react? Would it cause a relapse of his insecurity and anxiety? Would it worsen his condition?

Now, looking at Petir's silhouette at the living room, who barely acknowledged the infamous Troublemaker Trio's presence nearby and fully focusing on his task at hand. He was dead serious about his art, but he was also casual and peaceful at the same time. It wasn't what they would expect from him, but it's been so long.

Four years.

Every single week, he would always wake up at random times and head off to Petir's room. It was cold and empty ever since he had left. There were no blasting rock music or questionable stains on the walls. It was simply dead.

And he would always wake up at Petir's empty desk.

It hurt.

It really did.

It hurt to have someone he'd known all his life to leave, and return to reveal a completely inversed personality. He couldn't accept it. That was not Petir. Petir would never leave.

Gempa looked down. He didn't deserve to be Petir's family. Not like this. He turned away and headed to his room, but someone stopped him by cinching his shoulder.

"You alright?" Petir asked, his glasses dangling off the bridge of his nose. "Care to share?"

Gempa put on his best smile he could muster. "Oh, I'm fine. What's the occasion? It's Air you should be worried about. We're twenty and he still sleeps like an infant."

Petir frowned slightly and removed his glasses. After pocketing his spectacles, he stared Gempa dead in the eye. It unnerved Gempa that Petir was still able to stare him down despite being shorter and less battle-ready.

"I've known you all my life, Tanah," he said. "I didn't study psychology for no reason. I want to help those who are suffering and you are too. Just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you."

The gyrokinetic avoided eye contact, but he could still feel those searing eyes staring him down, picking his every flaw apart. His smile crumpled, and tears brimmed his eyes. He threw his arms around the former electric elemental and buried his head in his shoulder, holding him tight.

Petir was surprised at first, but unlike the past, he didn't reject it. His arms raised to Gempa's muscled back and returned the embrace.

"I'm so sorry," Gempa choked. "I wasn't understanding enough before."

"It's okay." Petir stroked his back soothingly. "You were just trying to look out for me. I was idiotic enough to think that I was strong enough to do everything alone."

Gempa's heart clenched further. The memories of Petir suffering in silence crawled back to haunt him, and he decided that he wouldn't want that. But before he could make amends, Petir had left the team.