5

Fiat whacks the annoying thing at he cheek and turns away from it. The annoying creak from the bunk slabs ring at his ear and he groans as he feels a ghostly touch along his neck. He shoots up, ready to throw hands only to be met with a smug face who casually leaned over the barrier that saves him from falling over. A simple mention about breakfast and their morning game makes him groan as he lays onto his back. Fiat runs his hands over his face and grunts saying he was getting up. Leo pats the wood barrier and lets him know he'll be outside with Ann and Fern.

Fiat waits for Leo to leave the cabin before taking a deep inhale and stretch his limbs as he squints to find his phone and was surprised to find how much he had slept. His annoyance fades at the sight of the bright numbers and he hops off his bunk to freshen up. Quite a few early birds strolls around the area and Fiat realizes he missed his morning hike. Rescheduling it for the next and last morning of their trip, Fiat is at least glad he had a good rest. A yawn escapes his lips again as he makes his way forward and finds his group just as groggy as he was. Ann noticed him first and she smiles. "Mister Early Bird slept past 7? How does it feel to get some extra sleep in and not bike around to be molested by those older women?"

"I do not get molested, Ann! Watch what you say. I still hear people bringing up the time I came with lipstick on my cheeks. Sleeping in feels great, but those grandmothers and aunties are lovely people, okay? I wouldn't continue going to the market if they weren't," Fiat huffs as he settles onto the seat across from her. Him and Fern exchange nods while Leo arrives with plates full of food. Ann had really gotten Leo to do all of the work of their lost bet.

"What did I come back to?" Leo glances around the table as he settles into the seat beside Ann. He had obviously came into a conversation without context and he could not help but glance at Fiat few more times than he should have. Fiat gives his best friend a pointed glance before explaining to the newcomer that they were talking about his morning schedule. He had intended to just keep it vague, but Ann joins in exaggerating his morning job before classes. Fiat rolls his eyes as he starts serving his best friend and the girl beside him food before taking some for himself. "Ah, explains the playboy rumors going around earlier in the year. So, Fiat, do you enjoy 'good morning' kisses?"

Fiat stared at him with wide eyes and the girls giggle. The playful look on Leo's face makes Fiat narrow his eyes at him and play along. "In fact, I do. If I can wake up to multiple 'good morning' kisses, I'd be energized for the entire day. Do you not like waking up to soft lips, Leo?"

The two males exchange challenging glares and smirks play on both of their lips. Fiat finds himself always wanting to retort back to Leo's readings and it was exciting for him to see if he can crack him down. Fiat tilts his head wondering if he really saw Leo's eyes flicker down to his lips, but before he could debate on it, Leo glancing at Ann. Was Leo thinking about Ann's lips? Fiat had a small smile on his lips as Ann had obviously caught the side glance of her crush as a faint blush fills her cheeks. "Who doesn't like soft lips? But depending on who is laying one on me, morning breath blows. I personally hate the feeling inside my mouth when I wake up."

The three end up agreeing collectively that they all felt the need to rinse and brush the moment they wake up. Eventually, they start discussing on whether or not to brush again after their breakfast and if any of them actually brush after every meal. The sudden topic of hygiene filled their breakfast. It is such a mundane conversation, yet the four of them finds themselves having an actual intellectual debate and discussion on the topic. "It's mouthwash, floss, then brush."

"What? Isn't it brush first? Like you'd be gargling and swooshing dirt around the entire mouth using the mouthwash first."

"You definitely brush first. Then you floss and mouthwash after. 100% no other way to it."

"I'm telling you. I read about it. It's mouthwash, brushing, then flossing. If you feel a bit extra, there's a different mouthwash to use for after coating." The three stare at Fiat incredulously and he drinks his cup of water while glancing between them. "What?"

"Do you swallow every book you come by?" Fern questions. Fiat's brows knit together and reasons that there are multiple days where the library is slow and he had nothing better to do. "Maybe read fiction? Who voluntarily chooses to read up on things architectural or hygiene related? At least pick a genre my dude! It's hardly been a year, there's no way you breezed through the interesting sections already."

"Don't you guys just search things when you have random thoughts? It's not that weird!" Fiat tries to defend himself and the three glance at each other knowing that their version of searching things for random thoughts and his version were completely different.

"I honestly never realized how quirky you are," Leo blinks. He turns to Ann, "Why do you even look surprised by all of this? Aren't you guys like best friends and know practically everything about each other?"

"I don't know everything about him, but even if I do know he entertains himself with research like that, it's still a crazy and weird thing," Ann clarifies and Leo nods. Fiat huffs and crosses his arms. Ann turns to him and coos. "Aww! Is little Fiat feeling ganged up on?"

"Shut it, Pipsqueak! I'm not little! Don't forget I know secrets of yours!" Fiat threatens and the frightened expression on Ann's face was enough for him. He will never tell her secrets and she was well aware of that, but letting her crush know that there were juicy secrets of her that she did not want people to know is what she feared more. "That's what I thought. There's nothing wrong with a bit of curiosity and wanting to learn more."

"As much fun learning is, we have a morning rally scheduled this morning," Leo cuts in and waves a racket in the air. Fiat nods and the four clean up their area before heading to where they had last set up the net. The girls sit at the side while the other two warm up their bodies a bit and work to digest their breakfast enough to not want to barf while playing.

"Don't cry later when you realize that this game won't be any different than yesterday's. A bit of extra sleep has already given me more energy than normal," Fiat smirks as he stretches out his shoulders while rolling out his ankles. Leo gives him an amused glance and comments about how last game was all for fun and that he would be more serious this time. The two banter back and forth with light hearts as a ritual for their usual competitive hearts. In a real game against outsiders, the two were polite and respectful for their opponent, but when versing someone from the club or a friend, they loved playing mind games to make it more fun as sometimes it truly did change the result compared to a clean game.

"Exhale, Fiat! Your head's blowing up!" Ann calls out from the sidelines. Fiat looks at her appalled and she goes on even further to show her support for Leo. He rolls his eyes at her and points is racket to the body across the court. Leo give an arrogant shrug and waves the shuttlecock in his hands. They bounce on their toes before settling down to start. Leo sends the bird across and the teasing faces were nowhere to be found. The entire time, Ann openly cheers for Leo and causes a few others who had woken up early to stop and watch. "Game point! You can still play deuce, Leo! Woo!"

Fiat pauses from his serve looks at his best friend in disbelief. He had three points over Leo and with the serve being on his side, he knew he had the advantage. Ann glares at him and the two have a silent argument on whether or not he was going to give up the win. Fiat had to admit that Leo is in good condition this morning, but still had holes in his technique that made it easy for him to have the upper hand. With a final look from Ann, Fiat rolls his eyes and easily sends it over. He refrains from making tricky shots, but he never misses a smash when offered to him. To his surprise, Leo was able to catch a few, but the result was inevitable. Fiat wins without a hitch and the two meet at the center and shake hands. "Not bad, Leo, but you're still sending a lot of it straight to me instead of trying to make me work for it."

"My eyes and aim seem to be trained right for you I guess," Leo smirks and Fiat rolls his eyes unable to find a response. Ann rushes to them and kindly hands them waters and towels that they had brought along with them. Fiat pats her head and she gives a cheesy grin. Fern follows behind and gives a quiet congratulatory comment to him. He gives an acknowledging nod back before turning back to Leo as they start discussing techniques. The two girls find themselves left out from the conversation and roll their eyes.

"Just make sure you two get freshened up before today's activities. Don't forget we are in a group," Ann reminds them as Fern links her arm with hers and walk off. Leo and Fiat respond distractedly. Leo walks over to Fiat's side of the court and the two go over certain swings that work better as receives for specific attacks. They nearly forget that they needed to shower to wash off the morning sweat and runs back to their cabin to hit the stalls. The pair are seen shoving at each other as they race towards the group and curious eyes are once again on them. Their antics continue silently until the leaders call for everyone's attention. Fiat felt happy that morning and swings an arm around Ann's shoulders and puts his weight on her playfully as they listen to the morning's schedule. It was a surprise to not find everything be a typical list of activities. There were group games and an activity where they had the entire day to think of a product to sell and prepare a presentation to finish the day.

To start their morning in fun spirits, a playful game of keeping everyone on the newspaper took place. Some people groan as they look at the physical state of their group mates while others cheer, happy to have a balance group. For the four, they were in the later group and has a well balanced group. They cheer amongst themselves as they get handed the newspaper. At first, Fiat stands beside Ann before realizing that he was between her and Leo. He clears his throat and shifts Ann over to take his place and he looks away as if he did not purposely do it. The game begin and the many of the groups pass the first few rounds. As the newspaper reaches a third of it's original size, groups have one or two members falling outside of the space resulting in a disqualification. Reaching a fourth of the size, Ann is on Fiat's back with Fern was in Leo's arms. Ann is too nervous to be held by her crush and the pair's competitive spirit made them do anything to not lose. "Same as last round, but you guys need to be on your toes. Hold onto each other for balance. Sometimes swinging with the person does more than against them."

They were against one other team that were both strong and petite. Stepping onto the sheet with opposite legs, Fiat and Leo adjust the bodies on their backs with a reassuring nod. The leaders blow the whistle and everyone holds their breath. Fern and Ann have their hands firmly held together as they try to move as little as possible. Fiat and Leo have their shoulders against the other, but with Leo being taller, the balance was slightly off. Ann reassures Fiat that she was gripping his waist securely with her legs and he lets go slowly to hold onto Leo. Their stance was a bit shaky and they slowly give instructions to find their center. Sharp glances to the other team finds a bit of relief as they too are wobbling on their toes. What is only a minute felt like ten and the leaders start counting down for the draw at three minutes. Beads of sweat run down the sides of their faces and their eyes shut as they focus on staying still.

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"Fern, Ann, Leo and Fiat win with the other team falling at a mere fraction of a second left!" Not believing their ears, the four collapse and laugh as they are overwhelmed. There was hardly any time to really recover when they started the next game. By noon, tables mixed with different groups to get to know each other outside of their set group. Meals were handed out and chatter filled the air. Rambunctious students sit on the tables rather than the seats and others hop from table to table. Ann and Fiat stay with each other while Fern and Leo go off to talk with other friends.

"What do you think we can do for out product? I heard some people thought of some everyday items like for school or an office job. I kinda want to do something more lifestyle. You think Fern or Leo would like it?" Ann asks, munching on her rice. Fiat tilts his head back and forth and nods his head while asking if she had anything specific in mind. "You know how mood rings and stuff like that usually base on one's body temperature? Well what if it went of both temperature and heartbeat? It would probably be like a necklace or a bracelet or even an anklet. Ones that would not only naturally fall onto a pulse point, but also get a more accurate body temperature. People have naturally cold hands, so those rings don't work accurately. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Ann, that sounds great. Is it important to know your own emotions though? How would you sell it? For the sake of the presentation, what made you want to do this and know this bit information. Would you not already know yourself without a device telling you?" Fiat turns to her and leans his elbow onto the table. A rare sight for the pair is when the two become business consultants and open minded lay went back and forth with ideas. Fiat listens to her talk about how there are actually people who fail to compartmentalize the actual emotions one was feeling. Of course it can have its flaws as some symptoms resemble the other, but this is a concept that needs growth with actual research and specialists. The idea in itself is already developed enough for a one day presentation and Fiat clasps a hand on Ann's shoulder to join his smile. "We shall run it by them when we get the chance. It seems our Pipsqueak here has quite the brain of ideas."

"Annoying," Ann grumbles as she fights the smile threatening to form on her face. They finish their meal and were grateful for the spare couple of hours to turn in for a nap. Fiat stretches as he lays on his creaking bunk and pulls out a book to read before napping. His eyes droop before he realizes and he falls asleep with his book laying across his chest. His lips part at the slightest and his front teeth peek between the pink flesh. Steady breaths follow the rise and fall of his chest. Lashes kiss his cheeks as his lids flush close. His head jerks with a passing dream. Full brows becomes waves as the pull together. Discomfort is expressed with a soft moan. He feels the world shake around him. Suddenly pressure is felt on his arms and chest. One. Two. No. It is ten fingers and two palms firmly against his body, shaking him awake. A gasp for air and the urge to get up hits him only to be pressed down. His eyes are wide, pupils dilated and his heart rate high. He is suddenly encased in a weird warm sheath. It stays, surrounding him as he calms down. His eyes start processing the things before him and he sees a tan arm across his front. He turns his head slowly and a hand cups his cheek. There is a pair of worried eyes in front of him and he realizes Leo had saved him from his dream. He closes his eyes and lets his head drop in exhaustion. Leo lets him rest his head against his shoulder and the warm hand gently rubs his back.

"I'm sorry." Fiat's voice is hardly a whisper, but Leo reassures him that it was fine and that he was fine. While he knows that Leo had said that ignorant to what was going on in his head, being told that he was fine made him feel better. He leans back and pulls his legs in as he rubs his face. "You're right. I am fine. Thanks for waking me. I think I had enough napping. I'm going to go find a water bottle."

"Do you need me to go with you? You were just shaken," Leo asks with concern as Fiat slides down his bed and hops onto the floor. Leo steps down from his own bed that gave him leverage and watches Fiat with worry. "There's still a bit of time until we are needed to reconvene. You can rest a bit more."

"I just need to walk and get some air. You can continue resting or whatever you were doing before. I'll be fine. Air and water will do," Fiat nods and turns away before hearing a response. He wiggled his fingers to prevent himself from clenching them close and goes straight for the stock room. His fingers clutch onto the plastic bottle that crinkle with pressure. "Get a hold of yourself, Fiat. Don't let it consume you."

He lets out a frustrated sigh and charges out towards the opening where he watched the stars. Others were playing frisbee and he finds a spot by a bordering tree and collapses against the trunk. He shuts his eyes for a moment to focus on his breathing and he suddenly recalls the last sentences he had read before falling asleep.

And I was nothing to them. A figment of their imagination. Someone from their dreams that comforted them. But then I was alone. And I was nothing to them.

*******

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

thoughts??

Do you ever end up writing the emotions you feel at the time?

This part alone, you can see the highs and lows. I had to take a lot of breaks in between to keep the mood of the story light and playful enough.

You get to see how being so infatuated with someone can be healthy and not creepy and obsessive with the way Ann behaved after simply playing a game of badminton with Leo. I really like the idea of a full blow crush not turning into a crazy obsession and possessiveness.

As for the ending with Fiat, we can find that even the most sane and sorted person has their hidden demons. I'm trying to build up on the storyline of why Fiat has to work so many jobs to pay bills and his schooling.

Does sharing these thoughts processes take up useless space or do you guys want to see where my mind is going with the story? I really love seeing bits of feedbacks and comments here and there. Even the votes encourage me to write a good story. Silent readers are also always welcomed. As I too find myself breezing through a story without leaving a trace other than my read count.

Anyway

Much love to everyone

xxdctuan