Ren avoided crowds whenever he could, but today the university felt impossibly loud. Students rushed between buildings, the afternoon sun warm on the stones, voices rolling across the courtyard like waves.
But Ren didn't hear any of it.
His power was humming beneath his skin quiet but insistent like fingers tapping on the inside of his ribs.
Something was shifting.
He just didn't know what.
Bom walked beside him with an energy that could have powered the entire campus. "Ren. Ren. Are you listening? Hello? Earth to emotionally unavailable mystery boy?"
Anurak sighed. "Stop bothering him, Bom."
"I'm not bothering him, I'm giving him opportunities to emotionally grow!"
Ren shook his head. "I'm fine."
Bom glared. "That's exactly what people say right before they do something dramatic."
Ren tried not to flinch at that.
His friends didn't know how easily something *dramatic* could happen around him.
---
Harit's Disquiet
Across the courtyard, Harit watched the trio walk, his textbook forgotten in his lap.
Noah followed his gaze. "You're staring."
Harit blinked. "I'm not—"
"Harit," Noah interrupted, "you've been looking at that guy for the past five minutes."
Harit felt heat rise to his cheeks. "I was just… thinking."
"About Ren," Noah concluded, very satisfied with himself.
Harit groaned. "It's not like that."
"No? Then what's it like?"
Harit hesitated.
He didn't know how to explain the feeling. The tug of recognition every time he saw Ren. The strange, quiet warmth. The sense that something about Ren connected to a memory he couldn't reach.
The windy night from ten years ago.
The invisible guardian he convinced himself wasn't real.
"I don't know," Harit admitted softly. "He just… feels familiar."
Noah's teasing expression disappeared, replaced by something interested.
"Maybe you should talk to him," Noah suggested gently.
Harit shook his head quickly. "No. I don't even know him."
"Exactly," Noah said. "But maybe you should."
Harit didn't answer.
He only kept watching Ren.
---
Jun's Growing Jealousy
Jun's patience was wearing thin.
From the balcony above the courtyard café, he watched Harit's gaze drift toward Ren again. Just a flicker. Just a passing glance.
But it was enough to make Jun's grip tighten around his coffee cup.
Lucas leaned back in his chair lazily. "So. This is bothering you."
Jun kept his voice light. "Why would it?"
Lucas tilted his head. "Because Harit is obviously curious about him. And you hate when people look anywhere but at you."
Jun's smile curved, but it was knife-sharp.
"Ren has always irritated me," Jun said softly. "He thinks he's above everyone. Silent. Cold. Unimpressed."
Lucas raised a brow. "Or maybe he just doesn't like you."
Jun froze.
The thought hit harder than Lucas intended.
Ren didn't like him.
Ren didn't fear him.
Ren didn't fall for his charm like everyone else.
And now Harit was looking at him.
Jun's expression darkened.
"I need to remind Harit where his attention belongs," he murmured.
Lucas smiled faintly. "Let me know if you want help."
Jun didn't answer.
He was already planning.
---
Paths Cross
Ren turned a corner and froze.
Harit stood right in front of him.
Bom and Anurak stopped beside Ren, both equally startled.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The wind brushed through the trees.
Harit opened his mouth then closed it again. His eyes softened with something like recognition, something unsure, something hopeful.
Ren's heart slammed against his ribs.
He felt that old pull, the same instinct that had drawn him to Harit years ago in the rain. A tether between them he didn't understand. A connection he wasn't ready to face.
"Hi," Harit said finally, giving a small, nervous smile. "Ren… right?"
Ren nodded, unable to speak.
"I, um…" Harit scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I've seen you around. I thought I should say—"
Before he could finish, a voice cut through the air.
"Harit!"
Jun approached with Lucas a step behind, his smile too bright, too polished.
Ren's power flinched.
He did too.
Jun slipped seamlessly between them, placing himself at Harit's side like he belonged there.
"There you are," Jun said sweetly. "You didn't answer my messages."
Harit stepped back slightly not enough for anyone but Ren to notice, but Ren *did* notice.
Jun's eyes flicked to Ren, sharp and unreadable.
Bom shifted protectively beside Ren.
Anurak quietly evaluated the situation.
And Lucas watched everyone with unsettling calm.
A strange tension rippled through the group.
Ren felt his power pulse in warning.
Something about this moment…
this meeting…
this shift in gravity around the six of them…
It wasn't accidental.
It was the beginning of something none of them could avoid.
---