Kindergarten AU (ZeeNuNew FF)

Chapter 10

"Nhu," says Pruk one lazy Sunday. The thirteen-year-old is propped against the headboard in his room, reading a book. His soulmate rests his head on his shoulder, playing a game on his phone, while Priknoom naps on the carpet near the bed. Earlier that day they played football with their friends, so after quick shower and dinner, they decided to spend the rest of the day just lazing around. The school year is finally over, so now they have time to do many little things, like cuddle all afternoon, eat snacks and watch cartoons.

Nhu, Pruk repeats when the younger boy doesn't respond, too engrossed in his game. They spent a lot of time training their mental link. After a few days of constant presence of the other one in their heads, it started to be less fun and more troublesome. So they learned how to channel their thoughts into direct messages without having to hear every single thing that came across their minds. And the best thing is that no one besides them knows about it.

Now they alternate between speaking out loud and in their minds, choosing mental speech mainly when they're apart or when they don't want to be overheard. Pruk especially likes this way of communication as he always can reach to Chawarin and check if he's okay.

And once or twice, he helped Nhu when he had exceptionally hard test. Not that Chawarin asks; he just sometimes thinks so loud that Pruk can't help but hear him and well, what kind of soulmate would he be if he didn't help his Nhu? So don't judge him, okay?

Rin finally raises his head and looks at Pruk from under his bangs.

"Yes, Hia?" he says softly, locking his phone.

"Have you ever thought who would you like to be when you present?" The older boy finally asks the question he has been thinking about for a long time. He's nearing fourteen and he knows that soon he may present as Alpha, Beta or Omega. Two of his classmates already presented, one Omega boy named Poppy and a Beta girl named Farah, and while the girl had it easy, as Betas were quite common, the boy was at first treated as misfit.

Omegas are rare because they carry the recessive gene; that's what their teacher said in A/B/O Biology class. They make up only 7 percent of the population, and only one in a thousand is a male Omega. So having one in their school caused quite a stir. Kids didn't know how to behave around Poppy, so many of them bullied him, despite teachers' efforts.

Chawarin taps a finger against his cheek.

"Not really? I mean, it would be the best if I were a Beta, right? I can't see myself as an Alpha, and Omega? No, thank you. I saw how everyone treated Poppy."

"Hey, what about me? I wasn't weird to him," Pruk feels that he must protest against his soulmate's last statement.

Chawarin looks at him with raised eyebrows.

"Because you're Hia, duh," he says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Last week you apologized to a lizard because you almost stepped on it."

"I almost crushed him, Nhu!"

"Exactly. But back to the topic, I hope we'll both present as Betas, without all this Alpha/Omega bullshit. Imagine being like Jenna with her anger issues." Chawarin shudders at the thought. Pruk's oldest sister Jenna, who is now twenty and away for university, always seemed a little gruff.

"Awww, don't be so harsh on her. She's okay now," Pruk replies, ruffling Chawarin's hair. "But yeah, being Alpha or Omega seems like too much trouble. The only cool thing about being an Alpha are red eyes; they look so dope. And think about heats or ruts. Jenna was obnoxious when she was nearing her ruts."

"Yeah, do you remember that one time when she growled at me when I sneaked past her on the stairs? I was afraid to look her in the eyes for almost a year." To be honest, Chawarin is still a little bit afraid of Jenna. Mimi, on the other hand, is his absolute favorite. She's a Beta, and she's so nice; she always finds time for him and treats him as his equal. And she never ever growled at him! It's such a shame she's also away for her studies. "And heats? Yuck!"