Stay ~ A Stray Kids Fanfic

Felix

Felix's POV
That Night

     "And action!"

     Hyunjin straightens up and looks to Jia. "Don't go with him," he says, his face pleading through the camera lenses.

     "Why?" She replies, just as the script follows. Chris watches from where Jisung was holding the mic, his arms already trembling from the 15th take. Changbin steadies the camera as he does a slow loop around the couple.

     Hyunjin looks down at their hands barely touching. His uniform is ruffled from the scene we previously shot when he threw a fit. It looked natural as hell. Better than I had seen in any movie.

     "If you go to him, nothing will change. You'll crawl right back into that corner of your heart because he can't bring you happiness," he says.

     Jia makes an effort to look unconvinced. "Why should I go to you instead? What do you have that you can provide for me?"

     "She's really getting into this role," Chris murmurs to me, our eyes still set on our actress. He was right, though. Her eyes gleamed with fresh tears. It seemed that their emotions were finally revealing themselves on screen.

     I nod once with a smile. "This is good," I whisper back.

     Hyunjin looks to her with his mouth slightly ajar. Those lips pierce back at me as if some evil temptation was luring me. And just as I break from his trance, he stumbles on his line, a flow of curses expelling afterwards.

     "Cut!" I call, going over to him with his script. Jia is wiping away her tears, unmistakably shaking her head at the inconvenient mishap. "You okay? We got the first half, so you won't have to say it all again-"

     "I'm fine," he huffs, pushing away the bottle of water. Rolling his neck, he yells, "let's go again."

     I scurry away unevenly, taken aback by his tone. 'He's just tired and stressed. We've been doing this for over an hour. It's okay,' I tell myself. I allow a few breaths to enter and exit my system before calling "action."

     Jia huffs a breath, readying herself for the tears. After a few seconds, she begins. "Why should I go to you instead? What do you-"

     I didn't register the scene before us until I looked around to see everyone else pull the same expression. Chris sucks his lips in while Changbin keeps filming, not knowing how to go about the sudden kiss Hyunjin just pulled on Jia. My heart quivers as I too press my lips together silently.

     They break the kiss, and Hyunjin gazes into her eyes as he says his final line. "Because I will listen to your silent cry no matter what." The words flow from his tongue like an ancient song. They don't part away from one another until the camera and mic are lowered and all eyes are on them.

     Jia is the first to break the tense stare and go to Jisung for water. Chris and Changbin exchange a few words, consulting how Seungmin would care for the script change. I just stay standing, my hands gripping the clipboard as Hyunjin saunters off set. I feel my chest hollow out as the scene imprints into my vision. I go to Jisung to help pack everything.

     I say nothing during the time it takes to haul everything from the dock and to the car. I only wished the others were here. Minho would've definitely brought light to the matter.

     Taking the clipboard, I begin to erase the Expo marker from the front until a presence enters. "It only took 16 takes. That's pretty impressive," says Chris from beside me, his hair ruffled from the sea breeze, but his mood bright as always. I see the last spotlight he just finished packing into the car. I don't say anything as I rub the rest of today's scripture, inking my palms temporarily black.