Reader: Female - Tumblr Posts

𝕮𝖆𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙?

Yuu has reached her limits, tired and without the strength to fight anymore, it is up to Leona to care for and restore her body and mind with devotion. Notes: Leona in this fic may be a little ooc, but I firmly believe that when he enters into a serious relationship with someone he will become more vulnerable and soft, taking care of the smallest details so that the person feels protected. He's very soft and sweet here, which we all need, right? (Fem!Yuu) You are not a machine, you do not run on steam and electricity. You are a human and you deserve to have your rest days. May this fic be a break for you and so that like Yuu you can have your rest.

This was one of those weeks.

Terrible. Exhausting. Desperate. With sleepless nights and days without eating properly.

And after finishing everything in the early hours of Friday to Saturday and handing over his work to Dire Crowley, because taking care of Grim and doing tasks in a magical world where you parachuted in is tiring enough, imagine the injustice when you still have to do the work of a therapist and do all the paperwork that Crowley forgot to do and threw everything into the shaking hands of the young woman without magic is even more tiring and an overload.

Yuu said goodbye to Grim who went yawning to Ramcharkle and called a sleeping lion to come get you, which was quick, considering he was just waiting for the sign of his love to pick her up on the flying broom and take her in bridal style .

Her friends started to worry because the symptoms were getting worse and worse, frequent headaches, irritation with the squad, confusing people's names and potion ingredients, refusing to stop to rest, because she always responded that she wasn't tired. But everyone saw and turned a blind eye when she fell asleep in the middle of classes, when she shook so much that she couldn't drink water properly, when her nails were always bleeding and her hair became brittle. Everyone was worried and didn't know what to do.

She was becoming increasingly sick and weak, a workaholic, and was unable to share the heavy burdens with anyone. She held the world on her shoulders, dividing herself into 100 so that the work could be done with excellence. Terrible idea, but necessary. She had water up her neck and was running out of air and options.

Jack, as a loyal friend, had the courage to tell Leona everything that was happening to Yuu, and that he, as her boyfriend, should do something. It was then that Leona swore that she would take care of her now, because if the discrepancies didn't lead anywhere, he would have to take drastic actions, like wrapping up an act in a burrito.

"Are you okay?"-Leona looked worried at her strangely cold and quiet form.

"Hunhun.." a yawn interrupted the little princess-"just tired…but fine" with a voice as loud as the whisper of a little mouse.

It didn't take long for them to get to Leona's room, and it took even less time for Yuu to trip on the carpet and hit the arm of the dresser next to the bed. Since when was that damn thing there? And then she threw herself on his spacious bed, still wearing her uniform and sneakers, and with makeup slightly smeared from the day's course on her face.

"Tsk… this herbivore."

The powerful and feared lion gently took off the girl's sneakers and placed her in a comfortable position, being careful not to wake her. And with the greatest care that hands made to destroy, he takes a cloth of warm water and delicately cleans Yuu's face of makeup, removing the excess mascara from her eyes, and the concealer that tried to hide the deep dark circles that were demonstrating the Yuu's exhaustion. Leona almost feels responsible for her tiredness, for her sadness, for not being able to help her enough, for not having been by her side when she deals with giants bigger than herself, for not having talked more about her carrying the world on her shoulders. That she is not alone.

And do you want to know the worst? That it wasn't the first time this was happening and it was getting more intense than before.

Leona was never one to believe in gods or be religious, but that night he prayed at the foot of the bed to whatever powerful being was in the heights, that he would always be by her side, that he would be strong enough to hold her. without trembling, so that one day she can be free and happy.

And when he went to lie down next to Yuu, he held her tight in her sleep, because at least in his arms she wouldn't have to deal with the threats of the world.

It was noon on Saturday morning when Yuu woke up from her more than deserved sleep, but she didn't have the strength to move enough and chose to sleep like a log for another 10 min…20…30… .. until her body decided it could become conscious.

By rubbing her eyes she tried to get used to the light in the place, or rather, the lack of light. Disoriented, she noticed that she wasn't in her precious Ramcharcle room, if she had been Grim would have woken her up for breakfast, meowing loudly until she had her tuna toast. She was then in….

"Good morning, princess." - said the gentle voice of the lion, he crossed the room and opened the curtains letting the sun shine. "How did sleeping beauty sleep?" he took the chance to get into bed with her

"Morning…" Yuu gave a heavy sigh and replied in a slightly worn voice, almost moaning from how refreshing the sleep was "Well…I slept well, my love. Did I give you trouble?"

"It's going to be trouble now" with a smile, Leona stood up and took her hand like a gentleman guiding her to the bathroom.

"Hey…I shower alone."

"This time you're going alone, but next time we'll be together" - he said with a damn smirk - "I have a gift for you"

At the entrance to the bathroom there was a beautiful gift basket. A basket with luxury skincare, recommended by the queen of Sunset Savanah herself and by a brand designed only for celebrities.

"Actually, I was going to give you this gift on our date next week. But my plans were advanced and today seems like a great opportunity." he smiled fondly and gave Yuu a kiss on the forehead before leaving to prepare something for her to eat.

The shower water was like a cold current that took away the thick layer of frustrations, fears, desires, and slowly brought the lightness of Yuu's heart, she smiled involuntarily when she saw that the basket's theme was for sleeping and relaxing, having exquisite notes of lavender and chamomile. He must be really worried. The body scrub renewed her skin, giving her a feeling of deep cleansing and freshness, and when she applied the shampoo and conditioner to her hair, she realized that it had been a long time since she had time to take care of herself with such patience. No spa day for days. No money for a new perfume. No time to take care of your body and mind. Even her nails, which were previously so vain and painted in different colors and interesting details, were bitten, she took out all her anxiety and stress on her nails, because what else could she do?

After a while in the bathroom, she came out and found a pair of clean, folded oversized pajamas on the bed. And she knew it was there for her, because Ruggie had perfected the lavender scent of the fabric softener, because Leona hates strong smells in his clothes.

"How do you feel? Do you want to sleep more?" Leona appeared at the bedroom door suddenly and approached Yuu.

"You arrived just in time, love. I'm just out of the shower" - Yuu wrapped her arms around the prince's waist, pulling him into a hug that was soon returned.

"We'll be eating in a bit. Ruggie is making your favorites and will bring them when ready."

"Great, now I'm going to comb my hair-"

"Nah nah nah bun, let me do it. Sit here." He said sitting on the bed, waiting for Yuu to sit in front of him. And she goes, used to his grooming.

You might think he wouldn't know how to take care of a person, and something as simple and intimate as combing someone else's hair could turn into a disastrous situation. But when it comes to Yuu, his partner, his mate, his equal, he makes a point of applying a cream first and massaging his princess's scalp, combing it with a comb designed for her hair, untangling the strands with tenderness and love. , mentally cursing the knots that dared to remain in Yuu's delicate mane.

How many times had Yuu done this for him in the dark and distressing days he had already gone through? And all he wants is to repay the love he received on a silver platter a thousand times over. Leos are very possessive of their mates, you know? An intense and protective love.

"Did you like the present?" he said, sniffing deeply Yuu's neck, inhaling the calming notes -" Farena's wife who recommendend this to me"

"Wow, what an honor that the queen personally chose my gift." she said laughing "But I did like it, just what I need at the moment."

"hey, I helped too. Don't give her all the credit."

"Oh yeah? And how did you help?"

"Saying whether it was approved or not, of course."

Yuu would comment further on this when he saw the strange pattern Leona was making in her hair.

"Hey baby, what are you doing?"

"I'm finishing your hair, it's like this, right? I researched your hair type online and saw that it's supposed to be styled like this."- If Vil saw this he would be horrified by Leona's messy hairstyle, but Yuu didn't care. This was because she was immensely grateful that her partner was taking care of her so well.

"Ow kitten, thank you." her heart was static, like a wound being healed little by little and it didn't hurt that much. "come here."

Yuu turned around and hugged the big cat, placing kisses on his cheek and mouth. "You're the best, love."

"Everything for you, darling." caressing her cheek and looking deep into the girl's eyes, he continued- "Just for you."

The moment was as delicate as a flower, vulnerable, two people healing each other through gestures and words, enjoying the calm and peaceful moment they hadn't had in days. And if the moment could last longer, it would, but a certain hyena had to enter just in time.

"Leona-sammm~ Yuu's lunch is here. Yuu, are you awake?"

Ruggie found Yuu sitting on the bed, smiling at him.

And Leona staring at him with a hateful face that said: "Don't you know how to hit, hyena?" with its tail wagging in annoyance, like a cat.

"How are you Yuu? This time you scared us so much shi shi shi~" he laughed in relief seeing that his friend, despite being tired, was recovering and left the snack on a small table next to the bed

"I'm getting better little by little… but I'm very hungry!" she said, getting up towards the table and enjoying the smell of the delicious food.

There were two sandwiches with shredded chicken, cheese and ham, lightly toasted, with a protein cream to accompany and two glasses of citrus juice.

Leona knew everything about Yuu and when he saw the eyes lit up by a simple food he knew that the plan had worked: Right at the beginning of their relationship, in a conversation about their childhood Yuu had confessed that her mother always made this sandwich when she was sick and tired to regain her energy, and always, always with a citrus juice to go with it.

He never forgot.

And he wants Yuu to know that even in her smallest details, he hasn't forgotten.

"Eat to your heart's content, we're going to need you tomorrow!" Leona immediately glared at Ruggie the moment he profaned those words.

"Uat weonna do?" with a voice full of food she asked

"Well, tomorrow will be-"

"There won't be anything Ruggie, let her rest. It's Sunday, she'll spend the day here." Leona roared quickly and to the point, wrapping an arm protectively around Yuu's waist.

"Ok ok relax, I'm joking bro shi shi shi~" covering his hand over his mouth he laughed softly, impressed as in any situation involving Yuu, Leona will show her claws to protect Yuu, that's a material for profocation later.

They spent the afternoon relaxing, he was sprawled out on Yuu's lap, while she responded to friends, comments, posts on her cell phone, laughing at her boyfriend's sarcastic comments, watching movies while eating popcorn, and when it was time to go to sleep, they were both cuddled up together, underneath with soft covers, in each other's arms whispering words of love.

"Thank you for today kitty, I felt like a spoiled little princess" she thanked the equally spoiled prince, who was currently having his ears stroked while listening to Yuu's heart, buried in her chest.

"Well, you better get used to it, from now on the treatment is real. And another thing, it doesn't scare me like that. If I see you working yourself to the bone, I'll ruin that crow's race myself."

The two laughed and when a comfortable silence reigned, he could only hear Yuu's breathing slowing down, calming down, and watching how her eyelids slowly became heavier, the good side of night vision.

"Hey Leona….." "Hmm?"

"…I love you" she approached and whispered incoherently with the sleep already taking over her body, on the lips of the lion prince who smiled and returned the kiss

"I love you too, my love." and with that his tail wrapped around Yuu's leg, pulling her closer. The stars are witnesses to this delicate romance, and between the purring of a lion and the slow massages of the princess's hair, the two got the rest they deserved.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Every like, repost and comment is very welcome and appreciated. ♥

@nickson-lol I think you'll enjoy this <3

Write Me A Melody - Part Two

❥ pairing: lee felix x female reader, han jisung x female reader ❥ genre: one-shot, angst, fluff, best friends to acquaintances to ??, high school!au, school play!au, high school musical-ish!au, baseball player!felix ❥ warnings: none (let me know if i am missing something) ❥ word count: 8.4k ❥ requested! ❥ summary: Now that you and Felix have to work together on the school play, you try to make things less awkward between the two of you. However, your efforts are threatened by the differences between you that Felix can't seem to ignore anymore. ❥ A/N: Hello, I hope you're well! Here's part two since a lot of you wanted to read more of this! If you'd like, I could write part three as well since I have more plans for this story. Just to explain, Felix and Y/N are merely friends and I imply that Jisung may have feelings for Y/N, hence the new pairing. I recommend you read part one first (link below) and then read this one so it makes more sense. Still, you can enjoy this one on its own. Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts through an ask, if you feel like it; I am always appreciative of your feedback! As always, happy reading!

[part one] ● [stray kids m.list] ● [join my taglist]

The house in front of you was only two stories high but you felt like an ant in front of it. The music pounded from the inside matching the rhythm of your heart. You gulped and glanced around, trying to find something to bring you comfort. Everything was strange, this wasn’t your typical Saturday evening.

Usually, you’d be spending your evening either in bed reading a book, or sitting by your desk in front of books studying or doing some school work. Tonight, however, you were at a party. One with people you didn’t know, people you had seen at school once or twice, and people who you were now friends with.

“This party is lit!” Jeongin fixed his glasses and nodded, satisfied. “I can’t wait to dance the night away.”

You laughed as he did a cool dance move and jumped excitedly towards the front door, greeting everyone on his way with a handshake or a fist bump.

“Does he know any of these people?” You asked, glancing at Jisung. He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to look at you.

“They might now know who Jeongin is, but he probably knows them. I mean… there’s a lot of people from our high school here… Come on.” He gestured with his head and started to walk towards the front gate. When he noticed you weren’t following him, he made his way back and stopped in front of you, studying your expression. You avoided his eyes on you and glanced at the house once again, the lights on from every window with shadows dancing in the curtains. How many people were inside?

“I’ve never been to these kinds of parties, you know?” You admitted, biting your lower lip. “I feel like I don’t properly belong here. It’s… different. Out of my comfort zone, I guess?” You shook your head, meeting Jisung’s eyes. “Should I be here?”

“Well, you were invited. And just because it’s out of your comfort zone or different doesn’t mean that it’s bad. Or that you don’t belong to it.” He extended his hand to you, smiling softly. “Let’s try and have fun. Maybe chat with a bunch of people, play a couple of games too? Don’t let fear stop you from experiencing great things, Y/N.”

“Is a high school party such a great thing?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll never know if you leave now. Besides,” he bumped his shoulder against yours, “I was looking forward to spending this evening with you.”

You nodded, taking in Jisung’s words. Ever since the two of you started to work closely together because of the school musical, your friendship had flourished into something you truly enjoyed. Suddenly, you didn’t feel as lonely at school and you had company to have lunch with. Jisung tended to come and wait for you at your classroom door and the two of you shared your breaks, cracked jokes and made each other comfortable. It was a blessing you didn’t expect to find so soon but you were so glad to have it.

“You may be right…” You eventually answered and wrapped your arm on his. Jisung’s smile widened. “Let’s have fun at this party and enjoy each other’s company!”

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

The two of you started to make your way towards the inside of the house, the music growing louder the closer you got. Voices that were murmurs a few steps took shape and a couple of people even yelled your name to get your attention.

“Y/N!” You turned to look to your left and saw Seungmin, the host of this party, walking towards you. He offered you a hug that you accepted, confused by the gesture. “Welcome! I was honestly afraid you wouldn’t come.”

“It took some convincing,” Jisung said and crossed his arms, glancing your way with a soft smile. “But we’re here.”

“Make yourselves at home.” Seungmin let go of you and gestured for you and Jisung to follow him. He quickly guided you around his place and told you where you could find everything: pizza and soda in the kitchen, board games in the living room - that were more than mere board games by the way people were playing them - and the backyard where everyone danced to the loud music playing from a sound column placed near the patio sliding doors.

“This is not that scary,” you admitted when Jisung and you were alone again. Your head started to nod at the rhythm of the music and you smiled, giving him a big smile. “This is actually kind of nice.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

More people greeted you and Jisung as they entered the living room or exited, joining the small crowd dancing in the backyard. You were expecting people to ignore you or even be rude, but so far, everyone had been kind and welcoming to you and Jisung.

This was a change you embraced with all of your heart. After Felix asked most of the baseball team to audition for the school musical, groups and cliques at your school started to fade. Now, you were invited to parties and baseball games as well. The drama club, once disrespected and considered unworthy of other students’ attention, was something worthy of being a part of again. Suddenly, you didn’t feel so much like an outsider and here, at this party, you started to feel like you belonged with all of these people, despite the obvious differences you all shared.

“Maybe we should get something to drink?” Jisung suggested, leaning closer to you, smiling. “Or we could explore…”

His smile faded and you followed his eyes to find them landed on Felix on the other side of the backyard. He walked with a red cup in his hand, greeting everyone with a happy smile, sometimes a handshake or a laugh.

Despite seeing him at the school play’s rehearsal almost every day, you were still unsure as to how you should act around one another. You kept your interactions to a minimum, only doing it if it was necessary which led to a lot of awkward glances and exchanges. After everything that happened, you couldn’t look Felix in the eyes. Whenever you did so, you were scared of what he would see, of what you would see in him.

“We should go and get some drinks.” You turned to face Jisung and forced out a smile. “You still remember where the kitchen is?”

He nodded, his eyes not leaving Felix. When you glanced his way again, he was walking in your direction with slow steps, his eyes glancing at you as he did so. You gulped ready to find the kitchen on your own.

“I’ll-”

“-Stay here,” Jisung stated, finally looking at you. “I’ll go get our drinks. You should… talk to him.”

As you were about to argue with him, he offered you a consoling smile and started to walk away, leaving you alone. You cursed under your breath and massaged your temples as your heart started to race in your chest.

“Hi.”

At the sound of his deep and inviting voice, you took a deep breath, glancing at everyone in this party, looking for someone you could escape to, maybe blend in and pretend you hadn’t listened to him. However, when your eyes found him, a wave of nostalgia took over.

“Hi…” You shoved your hands in your jacket pockets, balancing your weight in between your heels and tiptoes, avoiding glancing at Felix again. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well.” He took a sip from his drink, keeping his eyes on you. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here. You’re not one… for parties.”

“Well, it’s not like I used to be invited to them…” You scratched the back of your neck. “But I guess some things change.”

Like us, you thought but didn’t say out loud. We’re acquaintances now, aren’t we?

“Yes.” He cleared his throat and glanced at the crowd. “Are you… here with someone?”

“Jisung.” You answered right away. “We… came to the party together. He went to pick me up.”

Felix nodded, smiling at you. He pondered for a while with his lips pursed. “I can… take you home once the party is over if you’d like…” He chuckled and looked away from you. “We’re… neighbours, after all.”

Acquaintances. Neighbours. Not friends yet.

As much as you wanted to say no to Felix’s suggestion, as much as you wanted to admit that you were no longer part of each other’s life as you used to be, part of you wanted to see where this would take the two of you. After all, you saw each other at school every day and you had to at least talk about this and figure something out. There were too many unspoken words that needed to be let out.

“That’d be nice.” You finally answered, looking at him. Felix took a deep breath and smiled at you, nodding. “I guess I’ll go find you once I want to leave…?”

“Sure.” He waved at you and started to walk away towards a crowd that called his name. “Or I’ll find you instead. Have fun!”

“You too.”

Slowly, Felix made his way towards the crowd on the opposite end of the backyard and you sighed, scanning your surroundings once more. You found Jisung leaving the inside of the house with two red cups, one on each hand and started to walk towards him, ready to enjoy this party and make the most of the night in Jisung’s company.

Despite your worries at the beginning of the party, all of them were gone by the time you were leaving. You laughed with Jisung, tried new dance trends with Jeongin who got too excited when you nailed a move and tried to learn how to hit a ball with a baseball bat under Seungmin’s guidance. You failed every time, but you still had a good time out of it.

By the time the party ended, you were exhausted. It had been a long time since you had this much fun with other people and you were already looking forward to the next party you’d get invited to. Thankfully, when you were leaving Seungmin’s house to go to Felix’s car, he made sure to say a proper goodbye and drop an invitation for a future party.

Felix and you made your way towards his car in silence, your steps slow and steady as you glanced at everything in your surroundings except each other. You kept your hands in your pockets, glancing at the stars that pierced through the clouds, the breeze softly greeting the fallen leaves and taking them somewhere else.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, smiling. This was comforting and enjoyable.

“Did you have fun?”

“I did.” You smiled and glanced at the concrete below your feet, biting your lip. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was nice. Everyone was very cool and I had a good time.”

“I’m glad.” After a while, Felix started laughing under his breath and you stopped, glancing at him, confused. He tried to recover his posture, but couldn’t. “You are really bad at baseball, though.”

“I can’t be good at everything!” You argued, shrugging. “I hope you had fun at my embarrassing moments with a baseball bat.”

“You looked cool, don’t get me wrong!” He shook his head and the two of you started to walk again, side by side. “But whenever you swang the baseball bat? You looked like you were made out of jelly. How did your arms not jump off?”

“Now you’re just being mean, Felix.” You rolled your eyes. “You’re also not that great at acting, you know? Every time you’re supposed to show you’re in love with your love interest in the play it feels like she’s talking to a stick.”

“A stick?!” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can act as if I’m in love!” You raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes, giving you a challenging look afterwards. “Well, how do I act, then? If I am that bad, why did I get the lead?”

“It was you or Jisung and he didn’t want it. He likes to work behind the scenes. Kind of like me, away from the spotlight.”

“Oh…” He scratched the back of his neck and looked away from you, pursing his lips. “He’s good, I guess…”

“He is.” You sighed and smiled softly at the thought of Jisung. “He’s very good, indeed.”

“I see…”

The sadness in Felix’s voice took you by surprise and your heart shrunk in your chest. You were having a good time with him, something you didn’t think possible after what had happened, and you were afraid you might have ruined it with your comments and not so subtle opinions about Jisung.

The rest of your journey home was made in awkward silence again. After you got inside Felix’s car - that you soon concluded was his father’s car - he drove the two of you to your neighbourhood. The music from the radio played through the speakers as you and Felix mumbled the words to the songs under your breath, avoiding looking at each other but always singing in harmony with one another.

Outside your window, the streetlights kept the path softly lit, being more intense as you passed by the town centre and dimming again when you moved away from it. When Felix stopped at a red light, you opened the car window slightly and allowed the evening breeze to greet your skin, cooling off the burning sensation in your chest.

He cleared his throat and lowered the volume of the radio and you turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

“I like the sound of the wind,” he justified, smiling apologetically at you. “It’s comforting… The night is comforting. To me, at least.”

You nodded and glanced at the trees around you, seeing the leaves rustle with the wind, the sound melting with the roar of the motor. Felix was right, it was comforting, reassuring.

“It makes you feel less lonely.” The words escaped your lips and your eyes widened in slight shock. Felix chuckled and shook his head slightly, getting ready to continue driving as soon as the light turned green.

“I never wanted you to feel lonely, Y/N.”

“I didn’t say it was you.”

He sighed and turned to look at you, defeated. “You didn’t have to say it. Besides, I know what I did to you.”

You were ready to answer Felix, but the light turned green and he focused on the street ahead of you and continued driving. As much as you tried to distract yourself with the scenery outside of the car, you couldn’t help but feel your heart sinking in your chest at the thought of what you had said to Felix.

I just make it worse, you thought as you mentally slapped yourself for the words that left your mouth each time you said something to him. Maybe you hadn’t been able to move on from your friendship with Felix, after all. Or maybe, you were trying to make him understand the pain he had caused you. It could also be none of that, he could be taking your words out of context. But you knew he wasn’t.

You had both been living in the context of a broken friendship for the last couple of weeks and every action, every word, every interaction was a reflection of that.

After what felt like an eternity, you finally reached Felix’s driveway. He parked the car inside the garage and when he turned the motor off, you gulped and removed your seatbelt, making your exit from the car in silence.

“Thank you for driving me home safely.” You shoved your hands inside of your jacket pockets and bit your lower lip as you glanced at the familiar walls.

It had been a while since you had been in here and not much had changed. Felix’s garage corner remained the same as you remembered it. Even the drawings you made when the two of you were kids were still on display, slightly damaged by the pollution of the cars. You cleared your throat when you realised you were once again trying to cling to a past that wasn’t coming back. Slowly, you started to make your way out of Felix’s garage and he followed you, keeping his distance. When you were in his driveway, you turned around to find him staring at you, avoiding your gaze.

“I’ll get going,” you gestured to your house and waved at him afterwards, offering him a polite smile. “Thank you once again and good night.”

Felix nodded and when he didn’t say anything else to you, you took that as your cue to leave. With steady steps, you started to make your way to your back door and opened it, choosing to enter your house through the backyard door and not the front door. If your parents were up, they would be in the living room and you’d be able to greet them right away.

“Y/N?” You took a deep breath and turned to find Felix looking back at you, worried. He scratched the back of his head and bit his lip, clearly struggling with what he wanted to say to you.

“Just go straight to the point. That usually helps in your case.”

“Right.” He gulped and pursed his lips. “I… I know that what we had won’t come back, we’re… different people now. We’ve grown, we have different interests, different friend groups… but,” he looked you in the eyes, “I still care about you. So if you… need a ride to school or need help with anything, I’m here. For you. As… a friend…?” At that word, he felt the need to reassure you. “I mean that, Y/N.”

If shock came first, then confusion settled in right after. As you stared at Felix, you tried to make sense of his words, of how to react to them. He was right, what you had was not coming back, you were different people now. It was good that you were finally acknowledging it and accepting it as well. Still, you saw each other every day at school and during the school play rehearsals. You couldn’t properly pretend everything you once shared was gone. And you also cared about him. Your hurt might have masked that feeling but watching Felix be vulnerable with you reminded you of the trust you had in one another. The comfort his mere presence brought you.

“Likewise, Felix.” You smiled at him and he took a deep breath, his eyes seemingly lighting up in the dark. “I can’t offer you a ride to school, but I have a pretty cool swing set in my backyard.” He laughed. “We could try to move past these… new differences. After all, we see each other often and I want to make things less awkward between us.”

“I do too!” Felix nodded excitedly. “I mean, we also work together at the school play and we should make it the best it can be, right? And that means not being awkward around each other.”

“You’re right.” It felt like you had taken a weight off of Felix’s shoulders. You smiled and took a deep breath, gesturing to your house. “I’ll get going now, but I’ll see you at school.”

“Yeah, it’s late.” He ruffled his hair and smiled at you. “Thank you for listening to me, Y/N. Good night.”

“Good night.”

You opened your gate and closed it behind you, seeing Felix make his way back to his garage. Only when the lights on his garage turned off did you allow yourself to take a deep breath and relax too.

Maybe this was a good thing, learning to be friends with Felix again. At least, you were pleased with it.

You were happy you were friends again, even if you didn’t know what that meant right now.

Your favourite time of the day was now the afternoon after classes. It was so refreshing to enter the auditorium sharing laughs with Hyunjin as the two of you made silly bets on what would happen at the day’s rehearsal.

“I bet you’ll finish painting the moon over there.” You pointed at the back corner of the stage where a couple of stage props stood. Hyunjin rolled his eyes and you playfully slapped his shoulder. “Come on! We already have the sun, we also need the moon!”

“I don’t like how it turned out.” He sighed and removed his bag from his shoulder, throwing it softly to one of the empty seats in the front row. “Doesn’t it look… childish? When I put it next to the sun, they don’t match in style and-”

“-and that’s because you worked on the moon and someone else did the sun. It’s good enough, Hyunjin. You’re a great artist! Trust your talent a bit more.”

You offered him a kind smile and a thumbs-up. He pursed his lips, glancing between you and the prop on stage. He eventually took a deep breath and nodded, extending you a hand.

“I accept your bet.” When you were about to shake his hand, he moved it away and smirked at you, patting his lip. “What should I bet on?” This time, you rolled your eyes. “I used to bet on you making things awkward with Felix but now things aren’t awkward anymore.”

“That’s true,” you confirmed. Thankfully, you and Felix had talked about your friendship and now, things weren’t awkward between the two of you at rehearsal. You were able to carry a conversation normally and give each other honest feedback that wasn’t tainted with remorse or sadness. This new phase you were both in was comforting. You liked the light friendship you were starting to share with Felix again, even though you barely saw each other when you were out of the school play rehearsal.

Hyunjin glanced between you and someone on the stage, sitting by the piano and chatting with your English teacher. As soon as his eyes met yours, he waved at you and you reciprocated the gesture, smiling softly at him. Hyunjin cleared his throat next to you and you looked at him sideways, noticing the smirk on his face.

You took a deep breath and ignored him, placing your bag on the red cushioned seat next to Hyunjin’s and fixing your outfit before walking on stage to join Jisung by the piano.

“Well,” you turned to face your friend, “I will be at the piano with Jisung and you will finish that moon. Are we clear?”

“Of course. Can you and Jisung give us a nice soundtrack to work with? Like a ballad, a… love duet, perhaps?”

You punched his shoulder playfully and he rubbed it afterwards, giggling slightly. Just like before, you ignored him and made your way towards the stage and climbed the stairs, glancing at the small crowd of students that arrived as you joined Jisung and your English teacher.

“Good afternoon, Ms Kim!” You greeted her with a smile.

“Oh, good afternoon, Y/N!” She smiled and gestured to Jisung. “Jisung was showing me the lyrics you two worked on for the last songs of the musical.”

“Ah, that’s… great.” You raised an eyebrow at her, worried. “Do you think they’re good? We tried our best for the lyrics to reflect the character’s emotions and-”

“They’re wonderful, Y/N.” Your teacher waved a finger between you and Jisung, nodding in approval. “The two of you make a great team. I am very happy you’re both working together on this play and writing these incredible songs for your colleagues to perform!”

At the back of the stage, Hyunjin called your teacher and she left you and Jisung alone. You collapsed on the piano bench next to him and he fixed his music sheets, the smile on his lips never fading.

“You’re happy today,” you glanced at him and gestured towards his smile, raising an eyebrow. “What’s all of this for?”

“Can’t one just be happy for no reason?”

You shrugged and crossed your arms, focusing your attention on the crowd in front of the stage. All the students that weren’t from the baseball team were already here, either practising their lines with someone, catching up with their friends or just checking their pitch as they prepared to sing for the crowd. The murmur of voices was exciting, a tingling sensation that put all of your senses on edge. This was what made the rehearsals your favourite part of the day.

“Miss Kim said we’ll be singing the new songs to everyone before the rehearsal starts. Do you… want to go over the lyrics?”

“Sure!”

You moved closer to Jisung, and he spread the music sheets on the music rack for you to see them. Under your breath, you read the lyrics softly, remembering the emotions you were supposed to convey. He did the same, but instead of focusing on the melodies he had written, his eyes never left you as he glanced at your features slowly, amazed and lost in whatever he was looking for.

At first, you tried to pretend you didn’t notice it, but when your cheeks started to warm up, you had to look him in the eyes while singing some of the last words of your verse. Surprisingly, he didn’t look away from you. His smile widened and he continued to sing the song to you as if nothing else mattered. And right now, you weren’t sure if anything else mattered either.

Being next to Jisung, singing and writing songs with him was easy, uncomplicated. Your friendship was nice, comforting. However, you knew that whatever was happening here could complicate things and you didn’t want that. At least, not right now.

Your moment with Jisung was interrupted when the baseball team erupted into the auditorium, all cheering and chanting the group song of the school’s musical. Soon enough, the rest of the participants were singing as well, all out of tune, but the excitement they shared was contagious. Whoever wasn’t singing their hearts out was clapping, laughing or overly expressing the emotions of the song. Still, it was nice to see everyone spontaneously having fun together.

“Well, well, well!” Your English teacher clapped excitedly after everyone finished their performance. “I assume you’ve been practising at home as we agreed?”

“Every day, Miss Kim!” Seungmin added, placing his backpack on the seat behind him. “We also practice in the locker room sometimes.”

“We still have a long way to go, though,” Felix spoke and every member of the baseball team nodded, looking down at their feet. “We’re a bit pitchy, after all.”

The entire room laughed and Miss Kim shook her head and asked everyone to sit down. After the space grew silent, she gestured to you and Jisung with a bright smile. “Well, Y/N and Jisung have finished composing and writing all of the songs for the musical and they will perform the new ones that they’ve written. Afterwards, we’ll start rehearsals from the first scene, ok? I’d like us to cover four or five scenes, do you think we can do it?”

“Of course, Miss Kim.” Whether intentional or not, the entire auditorium spoke at the same time, causing everyone to suppress a giggle as they glanced around the other students.

Without wasting any more precious time, Jisung and you got to play the new songs for the crowd. Whereas the first few times you did this you were extremely nervous, now it was almost a second nature to you. It also helped that, as Miss Kim pointed out earlier, you made a great team and you trusted him whenever it was time for the two of you to perform.

The songs were well received by everyone in the crowd, who clapped and cheered for the two of you. You explained the meaning of the songs and how they tied into the character’s story and the people playing the characters who would be singing those songs were eager to ask you both more questions so they could develop their characters and interpret the songs in the best way possible.

As the afternoon went on, people came onto the stage and performed their scenes, receiving feedback from your teacher and some very opinionated students. Today, you wouldn’t be practising the songs yet, so you and Jisung were able to join the rest of the crowd and watch the rehearsal as everyone else.

When you got closer to your seat, you saw Felix nearby and smiled at him, waving your hand shyly his way. He reciprocated the gesture and quickly got back to his conversation with Seungmin as the two had a heated debate about their next baseball game happening on Saturday. You knew how important this game was for the entire team, it decided whether or not they could continue to the championship or not.

“How are things between you and Felix?” Jisung asked. You blinked slowly and got back to your senses, noticing you had been staring at Felix this whole time. When you looked at Jisung, you saw expectation and worry in his eyes. You shrugged.

“We’re… trying to be friends again. Just to make things less awkward than they have to be.”

Jisung hummed and relaxed, leaning back on his chair. He had been one of the few people that noticed how cold you acted around Felix and the only one who had asked you about the past you shared. At first, he thought you were exes, people who had been romantically involved and broke up after a while, but when you told him what had happened, he was both surprised as he was relieved. You weren’t sure exactly why he reacted that way, but you also never bothered to ask. The less you talked about Felix, the better.

“Well, next up is Felix’s first solo scene!” Your teacher announced and searched for Felix in the crowd, smiling at him. “Have you prepared your monologue?”

“I… hm…” Felix ruffled his hair, glancing down at the pages resting on his lap. He gulped nervously and took a deep breath. When he lifted his eyes, he glanced at the small crowd staring back at him in expectation. He cleared his throat and put on his confident smile, but you could see through him. Felix was nervous. “I… have, yes. I have some questions about certain parts but-”

“Well, then get on the stage so we can work on them!” Your teacher clapped and gestured to Felix to join her. “Come on.”

Reluctantly, he stood up from his seat and left his belongings behind, carrying the script under his arm as he made his way towards the stage. When he climbed up the stairs, he scanned the crowd and when his eyes landed on you, you offered him a reassuring smile.

“When you’re ready, Felix.”

He nodded and glanced at the wrinkled pieces on his trembling hands, his eyes glossing over every word. The entire room shared a painful silence, one that didn’t help the situation nor Felix’s nervousness.

“I…” He cleared his throat and closed his eyes, focusing on his lines. “I have travelled far and wide in search of…”

“He may be good at singing, but he’s not great at acting,” Jisung commented and crossed his arms, looking judgingly at Felix.

Your friend on stage kept pacing around, saying his lines with intent at first, only to shy away from all of it after a while. The suppressed giggles from the crowd didn’t help either and Felix grew even more anxious. Eventually, he shook his head and glanced at your English teacher, defeated.

“I’m sorry, Miss Kim. I don’t think I can do this.”

“It’s fine, Felix. We can do this some other time. Thank you for trying, though!” She offered him a comforting smile and he nodded, walking away from the stage as fast as he could.

When he reached his seat, he grabbed his items and shook his head, abandoning the auditorium right away. The door behind him closed with a bang and everyone glanced at it, including your teacher. She gulped.

“Can anyone go and check on Felix, please?”

Murmurs grew as people exchanged comments and strange looks. You sighed and when you noticed no one volunteered to go check on him, you lifted your arm and stood up from your seat.

“I’ll go see if I can find him, Miss Kim.”

“Thank you, Y/N.”

You grabbed your items slowly, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on you. Right now, your heart broke for Felix. Who were these newfound friends of him who weren’t willing to check up on him when he clearly was going through something? It was heartbreaking.

When you reached the corridor, you looked for his familiar figure and found it near a locker. He kept on shoving things inside with more strength than necessary and mumbling under his breath hurtful remarks towards himself. You slowly made your way towards him, fixing the bag on your shoulder, aware that, right now, you were probably the last person he wanted to see.

You leaned on the locker next to his and sighed, waiting for him to close his. He kept complaining but you didn’t say anything. Whenever Felix was like this, it was better for him to let it all out on his own until he was ready to talk about it. After a while, he closed the door of his locker aggressively and looked at you, rolling his eyes.

“I’m not going back in there,” he announced, upset. “This is enough embarrassment for a day.”

“I’m not here to ask you to join us again.” You crossed your arms and sighed. “I came to check up on you. Do you want to talk?”

Your words seemed to startle Felix. He took some time to process them, and afterwards, shook his head, dismissing you.

“You wouldn’t understand. You’re not like me. You don’t have to play baseball and have good grades while you also participate in the school play as one of the leading characters. You don’t have to be what everyone wants you to be, you don’t have eyes on you all of the time waiting and praying for your downfall. You’re not like me, Y/N. You’ll never understand what I am going through. You’re,” he looked at you from head to toes and sighed, “different.”

“Oh…” You scratched the back of your neck, feeling awkward and hurt at his remark. Maybe Felix was saying this because he was angry and frustrated at himself, but the pain his words carried you weren’t able to push aside.

Here you were again, trying to save a friendship that was on life support, and apparently, only you wanted to keep alive. The way Felix spoke to you, the words he used, the way he glanced your way, he didn’t see you as a friend.

“I’m a burden to you, aren’t I?” You whispered, looking down at your feet, afraid of looking him in the eyes. You shook your head and took a deep breath, facing him after a while. “Just get some rest, Felix. No one forced you to join the school play. That,” you gestured to the auditorium entrance, “was your choice. I think you need to be honest about what you want since you can’t have it all, apparently. But I’m not sure you’d like my help. After all, I don’t understand you, I am… different. I am wishing you the best, though.”

Instead of waiting for his answer, you shoved your hands in your jeans’ pockets and made your way back to the auditorium. When you reached the door, you glanced back at Felix’s locker to find it empty, his steps echoing on the corridor as he walked away from you.

You were giving him some time, maybe he hadn’t meant what he said to you. But you weren’t sure you were willing to give him many more chances if that meant being made aware of how different you now were and you shared nothing in common anymore.

The sun was setting outside of your bedroom window, the golden hour slowly greeting your backyard with warmth and comforting colours. You kept your window open allowing a soft breeze to swing your curtains as you tried to get some studying done for a test you were having in the following week. Despite having been invited to a party, you decided it would be best to stay home and study for the entire weekend.

As lonely as it was, you were glad this part of your routine was back. You enjoyed spending your afternoons studying, listening to the birds chirping outside as a soft melody filled your bedroom. Most people found this boring, draining, but you enjoyed your company. After all, you had to learn to spend time by yourself after your first falling out with Felix.

You weren’t sure how he was doing at the moment. Ever since your last conversation, Felix and you started to avoid one another again. You were back at square one, acting as colleagues and not as friends. Whenever he looked at you, you noticed the regret and hurt in his eyes, but you weren’t sure how to bring it up. Besides simple interactions, you and Felix didn’t share much else. He still went to rehearsals but he always avoided performing. Your English teacher warned him that if kept with this attitude, she’d have to give his role to someone else. He didn’t seem upset about that, if anything, he seemed relieved with the possibility.

When your alarm played on your phone, you took a deep breath and leaned back on your chair, glancing at the work you had done for the afternoon. It wasn’t everything you had planned, but it was progress. That was worth celebrating and cherishing. Besides, you’d do the rest on Sunday morning.

As you grabbed your phone to turn off the alarm, you saw you had a couple of texts from your friends. Hyunjin asked if you were going to the party. You quickly answered him, letting him know you had decided to stay at home to study. Jisung was also checking up on you, asking how your studying was going. You informed him it had gone well, but you still had a lot to do the next day. The last text you had received caused you to narrow your eyes as you read it.

Can we talk? Maybe in your backyard? Felix.

You gulped, realising he had messaged you an hour ago. Still, only now were you available to answer him. You hoped it wasn’t too late.

Sure, you answered him. Meet me at the swingset, the gate is unlocked.

Without wasting any more time, you exited your bedroom and climbed down the stairs, startling your parents who were watching a movie in the living room.

“You’re not going out tonight?” Your mother asked, following you with her gaze as you crossed the living room towards the sliding doors that led to the backyard.

“I had to study,” you informed her. “I have an important test next week and I want to have a good grade.”

“I’m proud of you!” She gave you a thumbs up and you smiled at her, opening the door.

“Don’t forget to have fun too, though.” Your father stated and you nodded at him, walking to the outside of your backyard. He raised an eyebrow. “Are you meeting someone?”

You nodded. “Felix asked if we could talk and I said yes.” Your father opened his mouth to speak and you shook your head, starting to close the sliding door while glancing inside at him. “I’ll answer your questions after I talk to him.”

“Tell him he is always welcomed here!”

You pretended you hadn’t listened to that remark and didn’t answer your mother. After closing the door, you took a deep breath and glanced around your backyard, looking for Felix. Since he wasn’t around yet, you made your way to the swingset, and sat down, glancing at your phone.

Jisung had texted you back, suggesting that the two of you could go on a small lunch tomorrow after your morning study session. You smiled and agreed to his idea, excited to spend more time with him. The two of you quickly agreed on the details. Where you would go, when he would come to pick you up, if there was a chance that this would be more than just lunch.

It depends on how my studying goes in the morning.

I hope it goes well. I’d like to spend my afternoon with you.

You bit your lower lip, trying to contain your excitement as you pondered on what you’d text him. Jisung wasn’t as shy anymore when it came to dropping hints that maybe he had feelings for you. And truthfully, you didn’t know how you felt towards him. Right now, you enjoyed the friendship you had and you were somewhat terrified if it became something else. You weren’t sure how you could love someone, you had never been in a relationship.

The swing next to you screeched and you got startled. You glanced at it and found Felix swinging softly, avoiding looking at you.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your moment,” he said in his low voice, a bittersweet smile greeting his features. “You seemed happy.”

“Oh…” You chuckled, glancing at Jisung’s text. “Jisung texted me. I was… about to reply to him.”

Felix hummed and scanned your backyard slowly. The sun was lower and most of the shadows had doubled their size, but it was starting to get dark. In a few minutes, the lights around you would turn on and a new atmosphere would settle.

“You should reply to him. I can wait.”

You gulped and took Felix’s suggestion and quickly replied to Jisung, letting him know that you were also hoping you could spend your afternoon with him tomorrow. Afterwards, you kept your phone in your hand and focused your attention on the dark orange sky above you, occasionally glancing at Felix. He kept his eyes on his feet and, for a while, none of you said anything.

The chirping of the birds faded and soon enough, crickets carried on with the night melody. The backyard lights turned on and you sighed, aware of the unsettling atmosphere you shared with Felix. He parted his lips to speak, glanced your way and shook his head afterwards, defeated by his inner thoughts. Eventually, you decided to break the silence hoping this would help him talk about whatever had brought him here.

“I’m sorry I replied to your text so late. I was studying.”

He hummed, a soft breeze messing up his hair. “I figured. Seungmin told me you weren’t going to tonight’s party so I assumed you’d stay home for the evening.”

“You’re not going?” Felix shook his head and let out a heavy sigh, moving his hair away from his eyes.

“I’m not in the mood for parties tonight…”

You could tell. The more you looked at him, the more it seemed like someone or something had sucked all of the energy out of him. The light he carried in his eyes, the smile that charmed his lips, it wasn’t there right now.

“Is that why you texted me?” You couldn’t help but ask. He pursed his lips and gulped, nodding afterwards and turning to look at you, a regretful expression greeting his features.

“I wanted to apologise because of the way I spoke to you. You didn’t deserve that…” He shook his head and chuckled. “I just have a lot on my plate and I lashed out on you because of that. I’m sorry. I really am.”

You nodded and kept your eyes on the wooden fence a couple of steps away from the two of you. Its surface had a couple of half-erased chalk drawings that you and Felix had made as kids. You had always been very creative and you constantly fueled each other’s imagination.

“I forgive you.” You offered Felix a comforting smile and sighed. “But that is not all, is it?”

After all, you still knew him. His mannerisms hadn’t changed that much. And just like in the past, whenever he was struggling with something, he tended to look for you to help him make sense of his mess. Whenever you received a text or a small rock on your bedroom window, you knew Felix wanted to talk about something, to open his heart and mind to you. However, you were afraid that this time, you wouldn’t be able to help him.

After all, to him, the two of you were different. Could you still relate to his worries and help him find the way out of them?

“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me. About… having to be honest about what I want. About who I want to be. It’s not easy, though.” He chuckled. “I thought I could do everything. But, you’re right, I have to make a choice. But what if I end up making the wrong choice?”

It had been a very long time since you heard this tone in Felix’s voice. The sadness, frustration and fear it carried, it was palpable. How long had he been struggling with all of this on his own?

“There’s nothing like a wrong choice, Felix.”

“Tell that to my father,” he bit his lip and gulped, glancing at the house on the other side of the fence. “He wants me to… get a sports scholarship at a prestigious university. I… don’t know if I want that. I am good at baseball, but…”

“…but you don’t want it?” He shook his head in despair.

“I… I actually don’t know. I thought that joining the school play would help me figure it out but now I am just more confused than before. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Felix got up from his swing and started to pace around in front of you, ruffling his hair as he did so. Eventually, he sat down on the grass and after a while, he laid back to stare at the sky.

“Are you happy with the baseball team?” You asked him. He hummed and closed his eyes. “What about the school play?”

Felix pondered for a while. At one point, his silence made you think he had fallen asleep but when he spoke again with his low voice, your heart shattered slightly in your chest.

“I’m afraid of falling in love with that world again. It wouldn’t do me any good, honestly.”

That was why Felix was always so shy and scared whenever he stepped on stage. After his audition and the first couple of rehearsals, his entire attitude changed. He became more reserved, more doubtful when performing. His emotions were never there, he was overthinking his character too much. And whenever he was singing, you could tell he was too much in his head, probably to prevent himself from giving his all to the performance.

“Can I ask you something?”

You got up from your swing and sat next to him on the grass, keeping your eyes on him. Felix studied your expression wary as he sat up to look at you better. When he nodded, you took a deep breath and pondered your words, unsure of how to express yourself to him. Eventually, you figured something out.

“If the school play was the last time in your life you ever performed, how would you like to feel about it? How would you like other people to feel about it?”

“Like I have given my all. I don’t want to have any regrets.” He answered right away with no doubt in his voice, no uncertainty in his stare. “I’d like people to enjoy my performance and be happy. That’s how I’d like them to feel about it.”

You allowed his words to settle in as the soft breeze brushed against the leaves nearby, causing them to twirl on the grass and shake in the trees. Your smile widened softly at Felix and he raised an eyebrow at you. You shrugged at him and laid back on the grass, finding the starry sky above, specks of hope amongst the vast darkness of fear.

“I think you have your answer, Felix.” You whispered your words and he laid next to you again, and you turned your face to look at him. “Give your all. Have no regrets. As cliché as it sounds, you only live once and this might be the last time you get to step on a stage and perform your heart out. Don’t stop yourself from enjoying life the way you want to. Live.”

After offering another comforting smile to him, you took a deep breath and placed your arms behind your head to have a better view of the stars above. The backyard lights cast shadows around you, but they weren’t bright enough to ruin the view. It had been so long since you had laid next to Felix like this, doing something simple, mundane. Still, his presence was what made it special, unique. The stars seemed to shine brighter whenever he was around.

“I’ve missed this.” He chuckled. “It’s been so long since I’ve been in your backyard but it’s like time hasn’t changed things around here.”

You hummed and closed your eyes, trying to take in this moment and engrave it in your memory. It wouldn’t last for much longer and you weren’t even sure if it would ever repeat.

“You’re always welcome here,” you stated, turning to look at him. Felix found your eyes and smiled softly at you. “We may be different, but we still care about each other just the same.”

And maybe, that was what you both had failed to realise about one another until now. That despite your differences, despite the seas that kept you apart, despite the choices that bound you to new worlds and experiences, your care and appreciation for one another hadn’t faded. It wasn’t the differences that kept you apart, it was those differences that brought you together. They allowed you to help one another and watch each other grow.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime,” you whispered to him. “I’m here for you, Felix. No matter how different we become. I’m here.”

Because you would be. And as Felix looked into your eyes, as the charm returned to his lips, you knew he reciprocated those thoughts just the same, if not more.

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