Night Sky Bloom

11- Lily

[Soobin took Yeonjun's hand, leading him down the interminable hallway filled with portraits of people Yeonjun had never seen.

"Wait... where are we going?"

Soobin huffed in annoyance, not knowing how to outright answer his question. They had never made it this far. They had never taken these steps. They had never crossed this line.

"I'm tired of pretending." He finally answered, stalled in front of his room. He had never felt less like a prince than in this moment. He was so emotionally exhausted- taxed. He had one thing on his mind: to make Yeonjun feel like royalty, for once.]

Jisung sighed, placing his book down before it got to a part he wasn't ready for. Enemies to lovers- how stupid. These kinds of books always frustrated him to no end. Lovers who started off hating each other, where burning anger and passion were just a step away from romance and happiness. It always seemed too easy in literature- one moment they're at each other's throats and then the next they're tangled in bed sheets. Like some sort of invisible line is crossed and everything changes.

The main characters must be masochists.

Just as he was about to drift off into a peaceful slumber, his phone started vibrating, disturbing the tranquility. With a groan of protest, he swiped it off the nightstand next to his bed and squinted at the caller ID.

Felix. At three in the morning.

A sense of trepidation filled Jisung as he accepted the call. "Felix?" His voice was heavy with sleep and surprise.

"Ji..." Felix's voice was slurred, drowned out by loud music and raucous laughter in the background.

"Jisung, I need you to... pick me up."

"Lix, you're drunk." Jisung sat up straighter on his bed, rubbing at his eyes to keep any traces of sleep away. "Where are you?"

"Minho's party in the orchard... I think I drank too much..." Jisung could hear the chaos of the party in the background, echoing voices colliding into one. He immediately stood and quickly got dressed, heading out as he kept Felix on the phone.

Felix didn't usually call him when he'd been drinking; he was more likely to laugh it off and sleep wherever he landed. But tonight was different. Tonight, there was an edge in his voice that worried Jisung.

Stepping into the night air, Jisung was met with a chilly wind that had him hunching his shoulders against the cold. His heart pounded anxiously in his chest as he navigated the worn pathways, illuminated by the moonlight overhead. The orchard was a good twenty-minute walk from his house, but Jisung found himself running, his breaths shallow and uneven.

When he finally reached the orchard, he found it transformed into an illuminated spectacle; soft fairy lights wrapped around trees, casting a dance of shadows onto the ground. The air was crisp, perfumed with sweet fruit. He could see silhouettes of a few bodies, much less than he'd expected, dancing to the rhythm of blaring music, their laughter and cheers somehow creating the deafening chaos he'd heard through the phone.

Jisung hurriedly navigated his way through clusters of revelers. He found Felix huddled near the edge of the party, swaying alone and away from the bonfire's amber glow that danced on his face. His eyes were glassy, pupils dilated, and he looked smaller than usual- vulnerable. Jisung's heart clenched at the sight.

Jisung reached him just as Felix started to slump forward. His arm automatically looped around Felix's waist, stabilizing him. "Lix," he murmured with relief.

"Let me get you home."

Felix turned bleary eyes toward him. There was a vacant expression that made the ache in Jisung's chest deepen. "Ji... I don't feel so good."