break a leg (not my heart) | matsuno chifuyu x fem!reader ✓

3 | the pause button

We're soaring, flying
There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach
If we're trying,
So, we're breaking free

''Y/N, CAN YOU PLEASE go throw the-''

Y/n froze in her place as Zack Efron continued singing in the background, her fingers gripping the paper with lyrics tightly. Y/n and her mother kept eye contact for a few, rather uncomfortable, seconds before Y/n quickly pressed the pause button, stopping the movie just before the chorus started.

''What're you doing?'' her mother asked in curiosity.

''Practicing.''

''Practicing?''

''Yeah. The new drama teacher is directing High School Musical this year. I'm going to audition.''

''That sound like fun! Before you continue following your dreams and aspirations, can you please throw the trash away? It's starting to smell.''

Y/n laughed and agreed, after she finished the song. Rewinding back a bit, she started the song from the beginning and waited until Troy's part passed and Gabriella's started.

If we're trying
So, we're breaking free
You know the world can see us
In a way that's different than who we are

As she sung, she looked towards a stuffed animal she'd put on her bed to play Troy, in a way. She knew that part by heart, since she used to sing it all the time with . . . with Chifuyu. She used to sing it with Chifuyu when the two of them would watch High School Musical. He'd sing Troy, she'd sing Gabriella, or sometimes vice-versa, and they'd always dance around her room.

Y/n stopped singing, throwing the hairbrush she was using as a microphone fall on her bed. Now that she was looking at the plush koala that was staring back at her with its lifeless, doll eyes, she realized it was something Chifuyu had given her. She picked it up and threw it at the wall, though as Gabriella and Troy continued on with their duet in the back, she felt bad and picked it up, hugging it to her chest.

Chifuyu had hurt her. Her best friend, her first love had broken her heart. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to get rid of the things that reminded her of him. Maybe she hasn't actually moved on as much as she led Hina and her friends believe.

Shaking her head, she put the plushie on her bed, pausing the movie and walking out of her room to throw away the trash.

And as her mother had said, the trash stunk very, very bad.

°•. ✿ .•°

Chifuyu sat on the couch in the living room, his arms crossed across his chest as he watched Troy bounce his ball around and telling himself he had to focus back on the game. He couldn't help but whisper the lyrics under his breath, since he pretty much had them memorized after watching it so many times with Y/n.

Was she watching the movie right now, too?

''How do you know the lyrics to every single song?'' Takemichi had been dragged along in Chifuyu's High School Musical time, forced to listening to his friend grumble and mumble lyrics under his nose. ''Maybe you should audition for Troy, after all. This could be your way of winning Y/n back!''

Chifuyu scoffed as Troy jumped up dramatically to score in the basket. ''Yeah, no way. This is Y/n's thing, I can't ruin it for her. She'll hate me even more.''

''Or maybe she'll see that you care about her interests. It's a double-edged blade, Chifuyu. Anything could happen.''

No. Takemichi was wrong, Chifuyu knew he was. Y/n wasn't going to forgive him this easily and if he suddenly showed up at auditions saying he wants to be Troy considering he knows she's auditioning for Gabriella, she might just murder him on the stage. Figuratively or literally, Chifuyu wasn't sure.

''Chifuyu, if you care so much about Y/n, why did you ask her for a break? Why did you guys end up like this?''

Chifuyu's eyes were glued to the screen, though his mind was not into the movie. He thought about what Takemichi had asked, his mind traveling back to hat day four weeks ago. How has a month already passed since Y/n started hating him?

Y/n was sat on her bed and Chifuyu laid his head on her lap, the two of them laughing at the story Chifuyu had just told her. Y/n ran a hand through his hair before she spoke. ''You know, now that we're home, I can give you your anniversary present.''

Chifuyu had already given her her present at school. A big stuffed animal with a sweetly cringey note attached to it, written by himself. He wondered what Y/n's present could be.

She picked up her guitar, the one with the cat sticker on it, and started strumming on it. Chifuyu listened, quickly realizing that it was a love song. Y/n had written a love song. A love song for him.

''And I think I kinda, you know.''

Chifuyu's eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape. Y/n cared so much about him that she spent her precious time writing a song to tell him how much she loves him, how much she appreciates him. Yet, he couldn't utter a word.

''I love you, Fuyu.'' Y/n said reluctantly, gripping her guitar anxiously. Why was he so quiet? ''Do you . . . like it?''

And then, Chifuyu spoke the words he'd come to regret forever.

''We should take a break.''

Y/n's smile was now one out of shock, her eyes wide. "What?''

''You . . . heard me.'' Why did he keep on going? He didn't mean it, he didn't mean a word of it. Why is he making the situation worse? Why, why, why?

"I . . . see.'' Y/n put her guitar down on her bed and stood up, walking over to her bedroom door and holding the handle. ''I think you should go.''

''Y/n, I-''

"Just go, Chifuyu.''

He couldn't save the situation now. Y/n was hurt and so was he, yet he didn't have the courage to apologize. Not right now. And he was going to regret it later, he knew he would.

And yet, he simply stood in front of her bedroom door, listening to her sobbing on the other side.

''I don't know.''

''You've been using the same excuse for a month now. Don't you think it's time to actually find the reason?''

The reason? Maybe the reason was that he was scared. Scared that he'd get too attached to Y/n and once she decides he actually isn't good enough, she'll leave and then he'll be heartbroken. And in order to protect his own hear, he ended up breaking Y/n's.

Maybe that was the reason. Or maybe he was just finding excuses because he didn't know why he actually did it.

''I'll try to figure it out.''

Chifuyu promised Takemichi, but that could as well turn out to be an empty promise.

°•. ✿ .•°

Chifuyu stuffed his feet in his indoor shoes and then proceeded to walk to the poster announcing the musical for that semester. He looked at the green paper next to it, half-filled with names of students that were going to audition and the role they were going for. His eyes found Y/n's name first, on top of the list. She was going for Gabriella, just as he'd thought - and as Hina had informed him, of course.

Taking a ballpoint pen out of his trousers' pocket, Chifuyu clicked it a few times before looking around, making sure no one was looking at him, especially Y/n. If she saw him doing this, she'd probably yell at him right in the middle of the hallway.

With a shaky hand, Chifuyu filled the paper.

NAME: MATSUNO CHIFUYU
CLASS: 2-2
ROLE: TROY BOLTON

He backed away from the paper as if it were about to bite his head off or electrocute him. His eyes moved between his and Y/n's name and he took a sigh. There was no going back now, was there?

Matsuno Chifuyu was auditioning for a musical. Who would've thought such a day would come.