The events from that day haven't left your mind. At all.

There are times where maybe, just maybe, you'd be better off imagining the whole interaction as some dream you had this morning. Entertaining the thought doesn't sound too bad. Perhaps you can pretend you chased Gopal around with your powers in hopes he'd repent for the embarrassing position he placed you in too?

Maybe you can do that after you finish grabbing everything on your shopping list.

You sigh, scanning the long piece of paper once again. The weight of the shopping basket ready to snap your arm off its socket as your free hand scratches the back of your head.

"Seriously, why am I doing this on a weekend...?" You mumble through your tired conscience. Another yawn escapes your lips. Being the only one in the grocery store aside from the cashier doesn't lighten your mood either. "Especially so early in the morning. Whoever wakes up and buys ingredients at this time are crazy—"

"Oh, (Name)! Nice to see you this early!"

Your face twists in surprise, recognizing the voice of the crazy person who wakes up around these hours on the weekend shakes all the z's off your body, and you turn around. Adjusting your weary vision to the sight, from the dark blue and white get-up alone, it doesn't take a genius to guess who it was.

But it does take a good solid minute to guess why he's here so early.

"BoBoiBoy... Taufan? What the...?" You must still be dreaming. Yeah. That must be it.

The wind element bounces over, an overabundance of energy impossibly radiating off him in the changing hues of the sky, and his grin aligns perfectly with the joy in his eyes.

"What's up? Shopping?"

Scratch that — you aren't dreaming. Your heart racing through your ears is proof enough thanks to his hand on your shoulder. This is all too real for you at these early hours.

"Uh, yeah." Forcibly blinking away your sleepiness, you pull away a little. "Mom wanted me to run her errands since we ran out of ingredients."

You miss the way his smile fractures at your gesture, but it fixes itself when you rub your eyes with the back of your hand.

"Ohhh." His gaze falls to the basket hanging off your arm. "Do you need help?"

You shake your head. "Nah, it's fine. I'm almost done anyways. Just gotta find one more thing on the list and I'll be good." This lets you shoot a questioning glance back at him. "Speaking of, what are you doing here?"

"Just the usual!" He points over to the rack.

"Newspapers again? For the shop?" He nods. "I thought there were still enough yesterday."

Taufan rubs the back of his neck. "The Cendawa people and Tok Kasa really like reading what's on there so we run out pretty easily!"

"Oh. It's amazing how you can get up this early all the time and still have this much energy."

"Eh? It's not that early?"

You deadpan, "the sun isn't even out yet."

Taufan giggles when his eyes trail outside to the pitch black shade fading into indigo, scratching his cheek. "Ah, sorry. I'm pretty used to waking up now so that I can help Tok Aba set up the shop."

You huff another tired yawn behind your hand. You give him a small wave with the other. "Don't sweat it. I'm just—" you stifle the second yawn that comes quicker than you anticipated, "—not a morning person."

The amount of talking and thinking you're doing this early isn't good for you, you swear. Though it could've been worse.

The urge to drop your basket right there and then has been poking at you. Instead you focus your gaze over to the newspapers stocked up. "Don't you need to get back to the shop soon? I don't want to hold you back."

Confusion splashes over his face for a moment before following your gaze behind him. "Right! Hehe..." The sheepish look wipes off his face when he stares down at the basket and list in your hand. "What about you though?"

You shrug. "I can manage." It's the most half-hearted thing you ever said today. Well, it's not like you'd fallen over yet (even if there were some instances but you wouldn't tell him that) so it's not a complete lie on your part. "I think I'm done anyways. I haven't seen this one ingredient the whole time I've been walking around so maybe it's out of stock."

"Eh? What do you need?"

The paper creases softly when you try raising it to your face again. Squinting at the thing that's stopped you from going home for the past fifteen minutes, and the thing you're so close to giving up on.

You sigh, "it's the stupid flour. I couldn't find it after walking around the aisles three times now."

Taufan peers over your shoulder. The closeness of his face near yours does wonders with a quiet hum between closed. It's not like it's the first time it's happened, but it still sends butterflies in your stomach—

"Oh! It's right over here!"

...what?

His presence slips away from you and you spin around to find him disappearing behind the shelves. You trail him all the way to the front of the store; the first shelf you've overlooked. He kneels down by the lower right and pulls exactly what you need with a proud grin.

"Here it is!"

Dumbfounded. That's all you can feel right now. You are so thankful your mom isn't here to give you the lecture of using your eyes more than your mouth. You're just really tired. Yeah, that's justified. It still doesn't explain why it's not in the far back like you remembered.

"I could've sworn it used to be near the third last row of goods?" You mumble, rubbing your eyes again. From disbelief, frustration, or sleepiness — you aren't sure anymore.

He looks at you, brows crinkling with the rest of his confusion. "Don't you remember?"

You mirror his expression. "No? Remember what?" However the realization flashes in your mind when recalling his words again. Ah, they rearranged all of this two weeks ago when some thugs tried robbing the place and...

Well, you were there when it happened and stopped said robbery.

"Wait, don't answer that. It's all coming back to me." The jetlag of memories finally hits you, massaging your temple when you remember the events. "Guess I was so used to its old spot to realize..."

"Or you're still sleepy to remember," he adds gently, passing the flour to you, "there's nothing wrong with that."

"That too."

Plopping the last of that cursed item, the relief can at last sink in. That's all your worries gone for the morning. It can almost make up for the numbing pain your arm's been undergoing the longer you spent standing around here.

You let a small smile grace your face. "Thanks, Taufan."

"No problem!" He playfully salutes with his forefinger and middle finger linked together.

It does leave a sense of guilt when you stare between your basket and the clock perched on the wall. It wouldn't be bad to help get him the newspaper when you glance towards him.

Wait, why's he walking the other way from the newspaper rack?

"Ey, where are you going?"

He turns around and cocks his head at you. "We're going to pay for your basket, aren't we? Did you still need something?"

"More like it's you who needs something this time." You can't help the small grin at his airheadedness, gesturing to the newspapers before folding your list in your hand.

It's easy seeing the light bulb in his mind flip on when he shrinks into his shoulders, sheepish chuckles following right after with his lips stretch up awkwardly. The sweet way he's willing to help you, but ultimately forget what he needs in the midst? You shake your head at the irony. The bundle of joy he is to light up your morning is something you'd never thought you'd need.

In the end, you tell him you'll wait for him to grab as much as he needs and pay, which he complies with when you pass each other.

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Somewhere deep down, placing the items down on the surface, you think your embarrassment could've been saved if you weren't too grouchy to remember the cashier behind the counter.

Standing before him while he counted and registered the contents in your basket now... it's like avoiding the obvious presented to you. You best decided for your dignity that you'd purposefully ignore any eye contact with the guy until you left.

Once the brunette came back, stacks of paper on hand, you paid for everything in return for his little help.

(Taufan wasn't having it at first, but you were very insistent on paying him back at the very least. You might've held him back longer than he needed to be here, after all.)

Despite the grogginess from earlier gradually fading from your body, the appreciation for the boy's presence still shows when you offer to carry the rest of the newspaper.

Again, his doubt climbs up his face when he places the heavy stack onto his hoverboard. Blue hues eyeing the plastic bag in your hand.

"You sure?"

"It's not like I'm gonna faint from carrying a stack of them. Plus," you point over to his gadget. "I don't think strapping the newspaper onto your hoverboard would make things better."

Taufan purses his lips. The silent contemplation that's been going through his mind after you paid for everything and stepped out of the store shows crystal clear to you. He doesn't usually worry this much, is your first thought, and it's true.

As touched as you are, the power watch fastened around your wrist tells as much.

"A little help wouldn't hurt?" You add.

His shoulders slump, a sigh heaves from his chest, and finally he meets your hopeful eyes. He stares for a second. "Just a little," he resigns to your request. There's a small sense of pride when he takes a partial amount manageable for you and raises it for you to take. "But..."

Hm?

It only hits you when you adjust the newspaper in your arm. When his other hand sneaks a surprise to where you were holding the groceries.

"Wait, Taufan!"

His mind blocks out any protest you had once his finger scoop the bag from you. Fingers brushing against yours for a split second; you almost shudder from the gentle touch. Leaving the lighter stack of newspapers for you to hug close to your chest while taking the larger two stacks safely kept under his elbow. A small part of you feels guilt eating at your conscience while your mind also rejoices at being free from not losing your arm today.

Nevertheless, it doesn't make you feel better. Taufan notices your displeasure and simply smiles at you. "It's fine!" He assures, "you even paid for the newspaper! I don't wanna leave you hanging like that."

"You don't have to help me all the time, y'know." You tell him. "You still owe me a drink so that can be your payment to me first."

"Are you sure your mom wouldn't be mad at you?"

"She'll understand," you shrug, internally praying she'd let you off when you return with less ringgits than she expects. You snap away from the idea before glaring at him. "Hey, don't change the topic. Now it's just being unfair to you."

"Not if I don't mind!"

"But I do?"

You sent him a look. You hate how you can't hate him sometimes.

He pouts back at you. "I just wanna help! A little help doesn't hurt anyone, right?" Oh, he did not just use your words against you. His board disappears from his side. The cunning words behind his innocent smile says a lot about him right now.

You also sometimes hate the fond feelings you have for him to not hate him too much.

"So, what are you gonna do afterwards when you get home?" Taufan chirps, evading the conversation entirely when starts walking ahead of you. Seriously, how did he grow used to this? You can never get yourself to act this giddy waking up without being bargained by your mom.

Actually, you'd still be grumpy, but that's not important.

You eventually drop the small issue trying to catch up to him, knowing he won't budge, and settle on the first idea that comes to mind. "Sleep in, maybe. Unless Adu Du or something happens, I have nothing to do for the whole day. It's not like I got anything better to do when I get back aside from assignments I'll do at the last minute."

Taufan hums. You turn to ask him why but he beats you to it. "Do you wanna stop by the shop? You did say that I can treat you as payment!"

Kokotiam? Well, it's not like it's closed, considering he came to restock newspapers and all. Tok Aba's hot chocolate comes as a special bonus to your day, too. You could use a nice drink to take your mind off things for a while.

The gears in your head shift for a few seconds. "Why not? We can just drop off the groceries at my house so that I won't forget."

"Great!"

The brightest of smiles smacks straight on his face, and the joy in his expression highlights one of the reasons you like him so.

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As mentioned, you were quick to drop the plastic bag of food at home (and quick to avoid your mom's inquiries about BoBoiBoy being with you around six in the morning) before leaving for the Kokotiam.

The walk back to the shop is peaceful, thankfully. Between the small chit chat you both were having, it's kept you awake enough to stop catching sleep dust in your eyes.

It's why you're surprised when you see a silhouette waiting in the open seats. Red and black catching your attention before all else until it falls on the cap sitting atop his head. The small situation dawns on you when Taufan skips past you and it begins to piece the questions you should've had earlier about being in his elemental form.

BoBoiBoy Blaze perches on the stool, back turned to you. The notable cleaning cloth hangs off the edge while he whistles what sounds like the TAPOPS theme song.

He split himself? You blink. In hindsight, you have been calling him Taufan instead of BoBoiBoy for some time now, but you blame it on your jumbled brain to even correct yourself. If you'd been more alert, you'd likely have asked why he was even transformed in the first place.

Taufan plops the newspapers in his arms onto the table. "I'm back," he announces his return.

"Well, you took a one-eighty from earlier," Blaze grumbles tiredly, "what's got you so excited?"

You opt to push aside the many thoughts and greet the fire element slumped on the counter. "Oh, hi Blaze!"

What you didn't expect was his elbow to slip on the table. His chin almost smacks down on the cool platform before jumping out of his seat, shifting his attention to you. His eyes dilate at the sight of you. Hand gripping the counter to steady himself. The few stutters when he raises a finger at you, back to Taufan, and the cycle repeats while the latter grins.

"What—?! I—! But you—" He exclaims, pointing at you and looking at his other self. "Why's (Name) with you?!"

"We met up at the store." Taufan explains. However, his lips curl up into a smirk. Arrogance drilling into Blaze's disbelief further with his boosted ego. "You know? The one job you gave to me since you didn't wanna do it yourself."

"I...!" He bites his tongue, puffing his cheeks and looking anywhere but you. "No, I was...! Tok Aba wanted someone to clean the Kokotiam while you went to buy newspapers so I volunteered! Yeah!" Blaze folds his arms across his chest.

You, on the other hand, are clueless as you prompt the rest of the newspapers in your hold on top of the stack. Clueless to whatever happened between the elements before your arrival.

What you aren't clueless to, however, is Blaze's attempt to play innocent. Bemusement written all over your face when you scan him and the poor rag he hasn't bothered to put away.

Actually, it's best to not think about it. You sit next to the poor boy and pat the table. "I have no idea what's going on between either of you, but I hope this doesn't stop me from getting a special hot chocolate."

"Special hot chocolate coming right up!" Taufan nods at you before letting himself enter the shop.

Your fiery friend takes a seat beside you. The proud facade mellows down, his chin resting on his fist while he glances at you. "What were you doing at the store so early?"

Shrugging, "my mom wanted me to buy her ingredients."

The incredulous look he gives you is understandable. You gave your mom that same look too. "Couldn't you shop another time?"

"Believe me, I would've if I'd convince her."

"That's rough buddy."

The familiar line makes you huff amusedly. The sound of the machine buzzes through your ear while your mind flies to Blaze's strange reaction. The shock painted over his face and sprawled in red.

"Say, Blaze," —he hums in response— "what's up with your reaction a while ago? I'm kinda hurt that you look at me as if I was Yaya's cookies or something."

You tease him a little. A harmless joke to pass the time. In fact, you expect him to tease you back considering his playful nature.

You didn't expect to break him.

His face combusts redder than Halilintar's thunder spear, grabbing your hand. "It's nothing like that!" You wince at the volume of his voice. "I was just gonna clean the last table! I wasn't expecting you to show up! (Name), it's nothing like that I swear!"

Why does he act like you're about to die?

"Uh, don't think too badly about it," you furrow your brows with a worried smile. Pulling your hand out of his sudden hold and patting it. "I was joking, Blaze."

"Well, (Name) does prefer the nice, responsible types." Taufan butts in with a grin. He slides the beautifully decorated drink in front of you.

The sweet scent of chocolate wavers instantly into your nose that makes you sigh in content. Though it takes a moment, you pause from drinking the hot chocolate when you repeat his words in your head.

Wait, weren't those your words from a few days ago? Not really your exact words but the convenience is pretty suspicious. Also, your type? What's this about?

Peering over the cup, Blaze is burning daggers into Taufan, who pokes his tongue out at him.

"Oh, and you're one of them?" Blaze rolls his eyes.

Taufan leaps over the counter, locking gazes with him for a second, before shrugging. "Nope," he answers, "but I have a way higher chance of being them than you."

Eye twitching, you sigh, "Taufan, what do—"

"Taufan, you...!" The both of you flinch when Blaze's eyes lit flames from Taufan's taunting, fire circling his fist when he glares at his other self.

This is far from the nice morning you were hoping for earlier. But for some reason, you aren't surprised. "Blaze, calm down." You raise your hand at him, putting your cup down. "Taufan's just kidding around." Seriously, what did 'your type' have to do with this?

"Heh, who's the sore loser this time?"

"Fire Punch!"

You stare at him flabbergasted before he jumps out of the way of a fireball. The place he stood now burnt into black. The wind element hides behind you right after. It's turning, what? Six-thirty right now? If Tok Aba comes back to this, you don't know what their consequences would be.

And for being such a great friend, you rather not let that happen over... what they're arguing over.

"Taufan! Stop provoking him!" You groan at the mess.

"Oi! Stop using (Name) as your shield!"

"I'm not! You stop trying to attack me first!"

"What are you even fighting about?!"

"He started it earlier! And he won't attack you so it's fine!"

"I feel very reassured by that, thank you!"

If looks could kill, Taufan would've been dead on the spot. You may as well be collateral damage if that's how it is.

Using your power isn't the best idea either if you want to stop him. Knocking him out is easier said than done, but you don't want a grudge over your head the next time the pyro user comes back. It does beg to question where the third element of the trio went off to. You hadn't seen him after arriving.

"Taufan I'm gonna—!"

The familiar magma glove lightly smacks down on Blaze's head, enough to extinguish the flames that were growing from each second.

"Ow—!"

"Are you trying to set the Kokotiam on fire?" The voice of reason scolds him, and it brings relief to your face when you see him for situations like these. Speaking of the devil...

"Gempa?"

Said boy tilts his head back at you, a smile easily spreads across his features. "Hi (Name). What're you doing here?" The rocks formed around his hand fell to the ground.

"I met up with Taufan back at the grocery store and he brought me here."

"Gempa!" Blaze whines, rubbing his head, "why'd you hit me so hard?"

Ochobot flies past all of you and drops the box he was holding next to the newspapers. "Hays, you guys were fighting again." You snap over to the power sphere. Again? This was from earlier?

Bright orange hues widen, offended. "Taufan started it!"

"No I didn't!"

And they're at it again. You blow some of your (hair color) strands off your face before looking next to you. Gempa looks ready to whack both of them on the head if his hands weren't full of the boxes he had to put down minutes ago.

Huh, thinking back at the store, you didn't question him for being in his elemental form nor did you have any qualms in calling him BoBoiBoy either. You'd argued with your brain that you were too tired to think it through.

"Wait, I forgot to ask, but why'd you split?" You blink at the three of them. The question you've meant to ask finally comes through. "You've been doing this whole thing without using your powers before. What's changed this time?"

"Ish, we just wanted to see which one of us y—" Blaze's cut off with a muffled gasp when Taufan jumps on his back, hand slap over his mouth as they both try to balance from falling over. "Oi! What's wrong?!" Is all you heard before the rest of his words suffocate behind Taufan's hand.

To say you're surprised is an understatement. No, no. You are beyond bewildered by the amusing sight before you.

Gempa shakes his head and coughs, "Tok Aba needed extra hands to help him move some boxes from home to here. Since it'd take a while, splitting felt like the best choice to get everything else done faster."

You don't comment on the blush around his face and around the other two's. Neither do you try asking about Taufan slapping a hand over the fire element's mouth about his supposed response.

It's six-thirty in the morning, and you'd rather enjoy the hot chocolate right now, so you nod along. The sigh of relief (Taufan also releasing his hold around Blaze and jumping off of him) all three of them exhaled in synch is also something you don't question for the sake of your sanity.

"Blaze, are you done cleaning the tables?" Taufan shoots the sudden question to him. "I heard you telling (Name) that you had one more you were supposed to clean, right?"

Blaze freezes on the spot, frantically looking over to the cloth that's fallen to the ground, before meeting Ochobot and Gempa's unimpressed stares.

He laughs nervously at the unfortunate circumstance. "Eheh..."

"C'mon (Name)! We can come back later when he finishes cleaning. We wouldn't want to distract him!"

"What—"

Taufan doesn't say more aside from snatching your hand and bolting the other direction.

"W-Wait, my hot chocolate!"

"Hey!" Blaze attempts to chase after you, only for Gempa to circle his arms around him. "Why're you letting him go?!"

"We'll go after them after you calm down! You're gonna try using your powers again"

"I won't this time!"

The complicated feelings of a teenage boy. Ochobot can only watch BoBoiBoy's other elements with a tired sigh. It's a sad, but mostly funny, sight to watch. He should've gotten a recording of it.

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"Aren't you worried that we might be too far?" Propping your hands on your knees, panting from the lack of air in your system from running all the way to the park. You're surprised you can still get a word out.

Taufan shrugs from the ground, the lop-sided grin he beams your way does not reassure you. It's a miracle how BoBoiBoy's elemental split has gotten better compared to back then. While he doesn't split as often for safe measures, it's definitely lasting longer than it used to.

Which isn't bad —you're more ecstatic about it than anything— but it did suck the one time you had a bet with Fang and Gopal and had to treat them with your money. The grievance for your poor wallet will be avenged another time.

"We'll come back once Blaze calms down!"

There lies the energetic boy's teasing. From sudden terror to enjoying the chase when running away from Blaze's wrath. Thinking back on it now, this is the few times they don't get along.

Your body collapses to the ground once the exhaustion overcomes you, falling on your rear. "Yeah, if he does, that is. I think you ticked him off more than usual."

"This isn't as bad," Taufan waves off, "not like the time Duri and I drew on his face. Now that was funny."

"It's funny if you don't count how the area almost turned into Planet Volcania 2.0 for a day." You brought your knees against your chest, the exhilaration calming down in your chest when you breathe through your nose. "But seriously, what was that about? The both of you usually don't..."

"Fight?" He finishes, which you nod, before humming. His eyes glue onto the dark color gradually shifting into a lighter blue. "It wasn't really a fight. He just got petty."

You make a noise under your breath, unconvinced, though you're pretty sure of one thing:

"Speaking of a fight, what did you say about my type being the nice and responsible one?"

Taufan doesn't take a glimpse your way. "Hehe... Isn't that what you told Gopal?"

"So you were listening in?" His only response is that little grin of his. The smile that tells you how you've caught him in the act. One you've known for a good few years now (even if it's in his other forms) from being close with him.

Looking back, your days have been getting weirder and weirder than the missions you had with TAPOPS. First, Gopal interrogates you on a love life he never cared about and secondly, BoBoiBoy's own elements are acting weird around you. Lastly, well... you still have the next chapter to plan an excuse for that, but besides the point. What kind of shoujo-esque universe did you fall into by mistake?

Ah, a thought hits you. The momentary silence between you both and the relaxing atmosphere of the surrounding rings a bell in your head. You peer over to the trees out of disinterested musing. "What were you guys even talking about?"

"Oh... You mean from earlier?" There's a slight stutter in his voice.

"You kept talking about something you both argued about before meeting me at the store." Whether that involved you or not at the time, you don't want to assume. Instead, you'll hold these suspicions to yourself for the meantime, and peek at him. "Anyways, just make it up with him when we get back. Gempa's gonna have an aneurysm if you caused more property damage."

Taufan's tense form slackens back into the ground before laughing, "fine, fine. He'll have to apologize back though!" You shake your head at his words, which cause another set of giggles to fly from his lips, before you stifle a yawn with your hand. "You're tired?"

"Shush. I didn't drink my hot chocolate and had an early run thanks to a certain someone." You playfully narrow your eyes at him. "We should probably head back. I think we gave him enough time to cool it."

You make the decision to stand when his hand grabs your wrist. Surprised, you snap over to him where his upper body lifted slightly off the ground to reach for you. Quirking a brow, his frantic gaze switches between your stare and the sky. He's been blushing a lot these days, too.

Taufan bites his lower lip from the bold move he took. He meets your stare this time. "Let's stay for five more minutes."

"The last time you said that, you got sucked into a video game." Despite your reluctance, you sit back down just as he falls back to the ground, his hat falling off from his head.

"That won't happen!"

"Right..."

The sarcastic tone is met with giddy chuckles. Reaching your hand out to comb through his hair, you ruffle it gently. It's softer than you imagined. Matching well with the shy look on his face when he turns away from you. Too bad you've already seen his face this way.

The sight lets your own chuckles flutter from your chest. "You goofball."

The forgiveness that comes easily mocks the quick pulsing of your heart.