Chapter 11 - Run To Me

Mick didn't run far. He headed straight for the nurse's office, hoping that she was still in, but it was already locked. He looked around desperately for any sign of an adult. The teacher's staff room was nearby, so he ran there instead.

Brother Sakda was still at his desk. He groaned inwardly. First Om shows up, now Mick had to beg help from the discipline master himself. He had no choice; there wasn't anyone else in the room. 

“Sir! There's been an accident in the music club room!" Mick said urgently. The Masser blinked at him in surprise.

“Accident? Is someone hurt?” he asked. Mick nodded quickly, and the both of them wasted no time hurrying out of the staff room.

“You’re the new transfer, right? In the 8th- no, 9th Grade,” Brother Sakda said to Mick.

Almost two years in this school and I’m still the new kid, Mick thought. “Yes, sir. It’s Mick, sir.”

They burst into the music room, where Om was still treating Mum from the first aid kit. Om looked up in surprise at the two of them. 

"Mick! I really thought you - Brother Sakda!" Om exclaimed.

“Let’s take a look at your head,” Brother Sakda said gently, going to where Mum was sitting against the wall. The boy was white as a sheet, and he stared accusingly at Mick, who just hung his head. Om had put gauze on him, but it was almost all soaked in blood, and some of it had gotten onto Mum’s uniform, and even the floor.

“Hmm the cut doesn’t seem to be deep, but the blood still seems to be flowing. We’ll have to take him to the clinic nearby," the brother said after a moment. “What happened?” He asked Om. Om looked at Mick, then at Mum. 

“I’m not sure. I think Mum fell and hurt his head. I wasn’t in the room at the time,” he said carefully.

“I pushed him,” Mick said in a small voice. “It was an accident, I swear.”

“And why did you do that?” the brother asked.

Mick looked at Mum, who looked back with pleading eyes. It would have been easy to point at Mum and accuse him of setting up Mick. All the evidence was on Mum’s phone, and he could get Mode and Heng and Loy to corroborate. 

Instead, Mick shook his head and stared at the floor. 

Brother Sakda looked between the two of them. “Okay, we’ll get to the bottom of that later. For now, let’s get him treated. Om, help me get him to the car. You too, Mick."

The clinic was thankfully just a short drive away from the school, and Mick stood helplessly in the waiting room as Brother Sakda and Om helped Mum into the doctor's office. Om came out a minute later, though and they sat in the lounge to wait. There wasn't anyone else at that time of the day, except the receptionist who was watching some lakorn on her phone.

Om didn't say anything, which made Mick feel even worse. He wrung his hands and stared at the floor, fighting tears back. He wished he'd never come to this school, then he'd never have to meet creeps like Mode and bullies like Mum. 

But then I'd never have met Om either, he realised. The thought nearly tipped him over the edge. Mick felt like he was going to be hysterical any time now, especially if anything serious happened to Mum because of him.

Suddenly he felt Om out a hand around his shoulders, and a strong chin resting on his head, just like the first day. Om had pulled him into a quick embrace. 

"It's okay, Mum doesn't look that badly hurt. It'd take a lot to crack that fat skull," he said. 

"P'Om! I really didn't mean to! You have to believe me!" Mick said in a trembling voice. He was relieved that Om wasn't mad at him.

"I know," Om said quietly. He pulled back and looked at Mick's face. "But why did you do it?"

Mick stared at Om, unsure of what to answer. Om had probably known Mum since they were kids and he didn't want to be the one who broke that bond. In the end, he didn't have to say anything, because Brother Sakda and Mum finally came out, with the latter's head in a tight bandage.

Om stood up and went to them immediately, with Mick close behind. "How's he sir? What did the doctor say?"

"The wound is in the hairline, but the doctor still gave him four stitches, to make sure it heals cleanly. He'll have to be monitored tonight for any signs of concussion. I've already called his parents," Brother Sakda turned to Mick. "We'll have to call yours too. This had potential to be a really serious issue. I'm sorry, but it might have to go on your record."

"But it was an accident! He didn't mean to!" Om argued. 

“What he meant to do is irrelevant. The fact is, someone got hurt and there’s consequences for that,” Brother Sakda said grimly. “I’m so disappointed in you, Mick. You moved to this school because you were bullied in your previous one, weren’t you? And now you have to get yourself involved in this,” he said, shaking his grey-haired head. “You’re really not going to tell me why you hurt Mum?"

Mick stared at the floor, blinking back tears. His mom would be devastated, he knew, but he already decided to be responsible for his actions. He had cause to be angry at Mum, certainly, but it still didn’t justify the violence.

“Brother…” Mum called weakly. Everyone turned to look at Mum. He hadn’t said a word since he left school. “Please don’t punish Mick. I- I know he didn’t mean it. We were just playing around.”

Mick looked at Mum in surprise. He was the last person he thought would defend him.

"Please brother, Mick is a really good kid. He and Mum were in the same band during the Live Show," Om begged. 

“Yeah. We were…having a discussion about our performance and we got carried away. I’m just as much at fault, brother,” Mum insisted. 

Brother Sakda looked between Om and Mum’s earnest, pleading faces and then finally at Mick, before coming to a decision.

"Well…alright. But Mick, you'll have to report to me during break every day for a month. I'm sure we can find chores for you to do. And you'd better be on your best behavior from now on,” Brother Sakda said. “You’re lucky, your music club members sure know how to stick up for each other. And that’s what I like to see.

"Thank you, Brother! I will!" Mick said, relieved that his mom didn't have to get involved. He looked at Mum gratefully, who gave him a small nod in return.

Brother Sakda turned to Om. "Could you get the medicines from the prescription counter? I'll bring the car around."

As the two of them left the waiting area, Mick sat next to Mum. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"What for? I was just saving my own ," Mum muttered. "I didn't know you were bullied in your previous school. Thanks for not…ratting me out, too."

"It's okay. None of us would be happy if I had, especially Om. How's your head? I'm really sorry I pushed you, by the way," Mick said apologetically.

"Throbs like . It didn't really hurt that much until the doctor started cleaning it like I was a piece of meat or something. I'm never coming to this clinic ever, even if I'm dying, the doctor's a ing hack," Mum grumbled. Mick stifled a snicker.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"Yeah, yeah, I was being an anyway," Mum said, pulling out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Mick asked.

"Getting rid of the evidence, what do you think?" He said, deleting the pictures of him and Mode that Mum had captured earlier. He went further back, and deleted more photos of Mick and Om at MBK. 

"Oh wait...!" Mick exclaimed. "I, er, kinda like that one of both of us..."

Mum looked at him incredulously, then shook his head. "Unbelievable. Fine, I'll send it to you." 

He looked at Mick for a while. "I saw the way Om looked at you when he thought you were in trouble. And how he leapt to your defense.” He sighed. "He's really, really into you, you know."

Mick looked at Om, who was still chatting with the nurse. "I'm really into him too," he said softly. "No matter how much unwanted attention I get from other guys, I still only want to make him happy."

Mum nodded. "Well I've got my eyes on you," he pointed at his eyes with two fingers of one hand, then pointed them at Mick, who just laughed. "I'm serious. He's like the big brother I never had while growing up. In the end, I just want him to be happy, I guess. If you break his heart you're gonna wish the ghosts really had gotten you in the toilet that day."

Mick nodded, and squeezed Mum's shoulder. Mum patted his hand in return. Om came back just then with Mum's medicines, "Alright let's get you home, your parents are gonna pick you up from school." 

They rode Brother Sakda's car back to school, where Mum's parents were already waiting. There was a brief explanation as to what happened, and they seemed to accept it without complaint. "Boys will be boys," his father shrugged. He actually sounded proud that his son had received stitches on his head without shedding any tears. They offered Om a ride home, too, but he declined, saying he had other things to do. They watched as Mum's parents fussed over him. 

"Mick..." he said hesitantly before getting into his parent's car. "Come over my place anytime, ok? We’ll play some Playstation with the rest of the guys. If you want to, that is."

Mick nodded and smiled in return. "I will...thanks, Mum."

“Come on, help me clean up the music room?" Om said to Mick. The younger boy nodded, and they headed towards their empty club room. There was still some blood on the floor, and the overturned table where Mum had hit his head. 

Om broke out the cleaning supplies, and turned to Mick. "You know, I really thought for a moment you had run away because Mum got hurt. I was a really angry at first but when you came back with Brother Sakda I realised how wrong I'd been to doubt you. I'm sorry," he said. "Will you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, p'Om. It was all my fault anyway. If I hadn't started the fight..."Mick shuddered, remembering the sound of Mum impacting the table. 

"Hey, you alright?" Om asked Mick. 

"I don't know how I'll be able to forget this, p'Om," he said in a shaky voice. "I didn't think I was capable of ever hurting anyone but at that moment..."

Om came around to him and took his small hands in his. "Look at me," he said. 

Mick obediently raised his eyes to Om's face. The senior smiled and planted a soothing kiss on his forehead, causing Mick to giggle slightly.

"You don't want to forget, because that's what makes us who we are. Just learn from it and move on. You're not a saint, Mick. None of us are. God knows I'm not," he said with a short laugh. "Just take it one day at a time. By the way..."

His face took on a serious look. “I bumped into Mode the Mad outside, earlier before all this. You know, that creepy 12th grader who's always hanging around you? He was looking for you and Mum, and he was clearly guilty about something he did. I had to threaten him a bit, but he just kept wanting to apologize to you, saying he was set up by a chubby 8th grader...." He paused, looking intently at Mick. "Was it...Mum who locked you in the toilet the other day?" Om asked tentatively, as if he already knew the answer, but didn't want to know. 

Mick pondered for a while. "Let's just say, that person won't be bothering us anymore. I really can't say more than that, p'Om."

Om nodded at that and Mick fell silent, though they still held each other's hands. Mick had no intention of letting go, and it looked like Om didn't, either, which made him glad. It had been a strange and stressful day, but he felt closer to Om now than he'd ever been before, and he needed to let the older boy know that. 

"P'Om...I can't thank you enough. For defending me, and for always believing in me," Mick said. "I came to this school a nobody, and I felt so lost but...you gave me a purpose in life."

"What purpose is that?" Om said, puzzled but smiling.

"To make you happy," Mick said, and stood on his tiptoes to kiss Om on his lips.

He felt Om's surprise, then Om's arms were instantly around him, holding on as the senior bent his head down to kiss Mick back with passion. Mick felt Om's questing tongue run across his lips, and he parted them to let it in. Their tongues danced, Om's playfully and Mick's furtively, but with growing confidence. 

Mick was in heaven. He now knew what all the fuss about kissing was about. It was beyond anything he could ever imagine. The taste of Om in his mouth, the press of the older boy's hard body against his...

It was a good long while before Om broke the kiss and in a deep breath. "," he said softly. 

"What's wrong?" Mick asked with a trace of concern. Was he going to regret this kiss as well, like their first one?

"Nothing, just...you make me wanna...!" He rubbed his closely-cropped hair sheepishly with one hand, but the other was still around Mick.

Mick raised an eyebrow. "I make you want to..."

"No! I mean, yeah...but no! Wait! Argh!" Om covered his face with his hands and shook his head. 

Mick giggled, then pulled Om's hands from his face. Om was actually blushing! It was too cute for words, so he just pulled Om's face down to his until their noses were almost touching.

"Well, one day at a time, right?" Mick whispered, and kissed Om again, taking the lead this time, tongue-wise. He thought of all the things he could do with Om, and couldn't feel any happier.

Hmm where'd I put the condoms mom gave me?

The End?

Wingedman's Note: Thanks for reading the final chapter of Om & Mick. I really didn't expect it to span so many chapters and develop into a soap opera, but I kinda dug myself into this hole, lol so there's no one else to blame. I hope you all liked it anyway and that it did justice to the novelised version of Mick & Om, now that they're having their own storyline in the Season 2 of the series. There'll be a Special Chapter or two coming up soon-ish, and it'll be about Mick's Birthday. Stay tuned!