Each And Every Star Out There » felix

Chapter 9: She Was Home

"Align your stars with mine and let me dive into your galaxies."

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As soon as she realized that he had asked her to help him lift his stuff, she blinked and nodded, struggling to lift one of the two travel bags and grunting to pull it over the stairs.

"Yeah, I know," Felix shyly giggled, "Brought a little too much. I'm sorry that you have to help me with this."

Chaeri vehemently shook her head, gently slapping his shoulder and narrowing her eyes at him, attempting to tell him that he was talking utter nonsense, and perhaps understanding her signals, he laughed, throwing his head back, "That's so cute."

She averted her eyes, redness spreading across her face. Felix, realizing what he had so easily said, cleared his throat and spoke, "I-I'm supposed to be on the second floor."

She looked at him again, a bright smile spreading across her face, and pointed to herself and nodded. He stood confused for a second before he rejoiced, "You too?! Oh, my god!"

So the two happily struggled to drag the bags up two floors, and minutes later, they sat on the stairs of the second floor; the bags were neatly placed on the level, while Chaeri and Felix were sweaty and tired from all the hard work, sitting on the top two steps.

"That... was hard, and I'm t... tired?" Felix spoke in Korean, and she lightly clapped for him, appreciating him for trying to be able to learn the language quickly. He sheepishly rubbed his nape, and smiled widely, "Thanks."

A moment passed when Chaeri stood up, dusting her bottom and catching her breath, the lack of stamina already troubling her. She shook her hands to ask 'what', having that motion be universal and easy to understand for a person who didn't know sign language. She knew that she was not carrying her notebook with her, and that was a fault on her part. But how could she know that she was going to meet him when all she was going to do was to go to the rooftop?

Brushing off that thought, she watched him perplexed as to why she was shaking her hands randomly. Understanding how puzzled he was, she pointed at the room numbers and shook her hands again, and realization dawned upon him when he went like, "Ahhh, room number!"

She chuckled at his childish reaction, and he spoke, "119."

It was three doors next to her and Jeongin's.

But she had no idea how to tell him that.

Sometimes, even the minuscule failures frustrate us. The idea of not being able to achieve the most basic thing fuels a destructive fire within us, so to say, and it comes out of us through acts of anger or despair. And the sole thought of not being able to communicate is terrifying, but for her, she was used to it.

But somehow, on this very night, Chaeri was sick of being mute. Telling him that she lived just a few doors away was such a basic task, but with her condition, it was next to impossible. Her mind went into a frenzy and she balled her fists to stop the frustration from oozing out of her actions, but she trembled unconsciously, and before she knew it, an anger-filled tear left her eye.

Felix didn't notice it until she was visibly shaking, and he peeked from the side to see her subconsciously sobbing. It wasn't until she released a whimper that she realized that she had started crying, and the boy got up from the stairs and held her shoulders firmly, softly asking her, "Hey, what happened? Did I do something wrong?"

And she shook her head, still having no idea how to convey her message to him.

Chaeri sobbed harder, trying to cover her face with her hands to hide her useless tears from him. She didn't want him to see her so weak.

But when Felix gently held her hands, parting them to see her red nose and teary eyes, she looked back up at him. He kept holding the hands at an odd angle, until he intertwined his fingers with hers (shy as ever), and in a soothing voice, he vocalized his thoughts, "Don't hide. It's okay to cry. Crying doesn't make you weak; it's a sign of bravery to admit that you feel low. And don't worry; I'm here with you, alright?"

Chaeri couldn't stop herself from stepping closer to him, wrapping her arms around his body, and burying her face in his chest. She felt embarrassed to be someone who was staining his hoodie with her tears; but at that moment, with his arms wrapped around hers in a loving embrace, she felt like she belonged.

She felt like she was home.

And she barely knew him. How could this boy, whom he had barely known for a few days, be so comforting? His compassion was something she adored, and it was the first time she had felt that an outsider could understand her.

Was he even an outsider anymore?

She clutched his hoodie's cloth tighter; even though she wasn't able to communicate, she felt at ease. It was an odd feeling, since she still was unsuccessful in conveying her message, but in his warm embrace, it wasn't a need anymore. It was just... satisfying. At peace.

Minutes later, with Felix rubbing her back to get her to stop shedding tears, she complied. Still not being able to understand how she felt so comforted by him, she awkwardly parted, sniffling and wiping her face.

He rose his hand, and with his hoodie paws, he wiped her tear-stained face and grinned, "Are you feeling better now?"

Chaeri nodded, composing herself.

What they didn't hear was the slight giggle coming from the room behind them.

(a/n: please i love cute stuff T_T

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