SUNSHINE | changlix

sixteen

"Were you waiting for me?" Changbin sighed as the younger boy asked him that question, his response being to simply put his arm around him, an action in itself that shocked the people around them. 

When Felix had left his classroom with Jisung and Seungmin in tow, the first person he saw was Seo Changbin himself, leaning casually against the lockers with his arms folded as he looked around. Although Felix assumed that it was just mere coincidence that he had been standing there right when his classes ended, the second they made eye contact told him that it was more than that. 

A smile formed on Changbins' face as he approached Felix, both Seungmin and Jisung already having head off in their own different directions for their respective after school activities while Felix, on the other hand, had nothing to do ( his sunshine therapy sessions were closed on Fridays ). 

"I told you we're going on a date didn't I?" Changbin replied, pushing Felix into motion as they walked towards the front door of the school, his arm still wrapped around Felixs' shoulders. "I never go back on my word."

Felix felt heat rush to his cheeks as he nodded, his mind reeling with a million thoughts that his voice couldn't quite articulate into actual words yet. 

"So let's go on that now shall we?" Changbin smiled, fixing the collar of the jacket that Felix was wearing ( which was still Changbin's jacket since Felix forgot to remove it earlier ). 

And, before Felix could even utter a response, Changbin had ever so gently taken his hand in his, interlocking their fingers and guiding him down the hallway and out of the school premises. 

✧˖*°࿐

If someone had told Felix that he would be on a date with a senior, Felix would have thought that they were pulling his leg, the thought alone so ridiculous to him that he was certain that he wouldn't believe them for a single nanosecond. 

And yet, there he was, slowly walking side by side with Changbin himself, the older boy never once letting go of his hand ever since they left the school, the warmth of his hands never once leaving Felixs'. 

While Changbin looked around for a place that they could go to, Felix found his gaze glued onto their intertwined fingers, the simple contact between them enough to send a million thoughts through his head and heart. He knew that he shouldn't be so trusting, so naive, but a part of him wanted to be - a part of him wanted a chance to feel something other than fear and exhaustion.

He wanted to feel what love was like. 

In all his years, he had never once fallen in love and yet, his heart had been so badly bruised and shattered to a point whereby it felt as though he had gone through thousands of heartbreaks. All those cracks that ran deep in his heart connected to his mind, constantly sending alarms whenever people seemed to want some form, any form, of intimacy which in turn led to him pushing people away or further strengthening the facade that he had built ( to protect himself and to protect others from him ).

Despite his instinctual responses, Changbin never shied away from him. Instead, he let him take his time. He treated him with utmost care, every single form of physical contact between them so calm and gentle that Felix didn't feel the urge to run away or hide himself. 

With Changbin, he felt a sense of tranquility that he had never felt before - to put it simply, Changbin gave Felix someone to run to for solace. 

"You wanna eat there?" His voice snapped Felix out of his daze, his eyes averting from their hands as it slowly found Changbins'. "You alright? You look out of it-"

"You said you'd let me get to know you on this date right?" 

Felix half expected Changbin to make mention of how he was doing his job again but instead of doing that, he nodded gleefully. "A deal is a deal counselor boy but in turn, if you don't mind, you could tell me about yourself too."

"You want me to talk about myself?" 

"Why do you sound so shocked? I've said it before and I'll say it again - I want to see the real Lee Felix. Not the student counselor, not the famed sunshine boy, not any of them. I want to see you, I want to get to know you for who you are."

When Felix didn't respond, Changbin sighed and reached up to pat his head and mess up his hair. "If no one has wanted to get to know you before then I'm glad that I'm the first."

"Th-thank you hyung," he whispered quietly, aware of the fact that Changbin wanted him to speak casually to him yet for some odd reason, he felt that it wouldn't do his thanks justice. 

"Why thank me?"

"Because,  you're one of the first few people I've met who actually wanted to listen."

✧˖*°࿐

Jeongin stared at the ceiling, an action that he found himself doing frequently ever since he had been admitted to the hospital yet again. 

Recently, he had constantly been brought for checkups time and time again and when he had woken up in the hospital bed wearing the hospital gown a week ago, he knew that his heart had finally succumbed to the pressure. 

He released a sigh when he turned his head to the left, the familiar sight of flowers that were far too bright causing his eyes to hurt as he sat up and slowly placed the vase of flowers on the floor before leaning his head back on his headboard and closing his eyes. 

Although his parents visited him daily, he still felt alone within the confines of his room, the most common people he saw being the nurses and the doctors that came every once in a while to check up on him and his stress-induced cardiomyopathy or more commonly known as the broken heart syndrome. 

He stood up slowly, his legs wobbling slightly as he made his way out of his room, his desperation for some fresh air overruling his need to rest but the second he opened the door, he quickly shut it again, his legs giving up on him as he curled into a ball, tears running down his face and yet, the only words he could muster, the only person he could call, was the one who had put him in such a position.

"Hyunjin hyung...Please-" He hugged his legs closer to himself, forcing a smile on his face in an attempt to force himself to be happy. But his smile faltered the second he caught glimpse of the flowers he had placed on the floor. "Please...I-I need you."

And, when the nurses opened the door to find him asleep on the floor again, they immediately knew who he had been thinking about.

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sorry for the late update! and also i really hope that this chapter made sense ;-;