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Chapter Text

The streets were all almost empty. A sparse fog was making its way through the first lights of dawn. It was early, and no one took the train at that hour.

No one except a gray-haired boy.

Yawning without bothering to cover his mouth, the boy had arrived at the station, got into the train and thrown himself into an empty seat.
Actually, they were all empty, so he had just chosen one near a window, so that he could look out.

After a few minutes of staring into space, the boy had taken a battered notebook out of the bag he was carrying over his shoulder, which seemed to be bursting with tons of folded and refolded sheets.

He had opened it, and was now scribbling with a chewed pencil in a free corner of an already full page.

If someone had payed attention to what the boy was writing, the would have found a bunch of crossed out sentences and many words written again and again, so much that the sheet was almost torn through.

In fact, in the middle of the page there was a big strip of transparent tape, which was holding the two parts together.

And, to an even more careful eye, those casually written sentences could have started to seem like the lyrics of a song.

Exactly. The quiet boy with eyebags bigger than a house, who took the train at five thirty every morning, was an aspiring musician.

His name was Till, and that morning too he was racking his brain on the song he had been working on for months now.

As the train stopped at each station, the vehicle would become more crowded, and Till would punctually find himself crushed between students like him and anxious adults.
Huffing and unable to concentrate anymore, Till would then turn the page, abandoning the song and beginning to draw.

The subjects varied, but the most recurring one was the face of a smiling girl with glasses and long hair, often tied in an high ponytail.

Till drew her with an expert hand by now, perhaps due to the fact that he had been doing this for months. Drawing, turning the page, drawing, turning the page, drawing.

Again and again, until Till put down his notebook and pencil and struggled to extricate himself from the passengers around him. He then would get off the train alongside dozens of other students, and start his slow walk towards the school.

He usually listened to music in the meantime, blasting it in his headphones. His playlist had now reached the modest lenght of more than seventy hours.

Then, finally, having walked the distance that separated the station from his school, Till would finally enter the building, and as usual join his friends.
He always found them near the lockers, waiting for him.

Ivan, the other boy in the group, was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He was listening to the two girls chatting, occasionaly taking part in the conversation.
He had big dark eyes and black hair always so irritatingly perfect, according to Till. His smile never left his face, and a slightly sharper canine tooth peeked from it.
The smile-tooth combination had made a lot of students fall at his feet, but no one seemed to have caught his attention.

Then there was Sua. She had her hair tied in a low ponytail. They were black just like his cousin's, Ivan, only a little longer than his.
Unlike Ivan, however, Sua rarely smiled. She was pretty, but her constant cold attitude hadn't made her very popular. Not that she cared anyways.
The friend group was born because of her, the day that she introduced his cousin and Till to her best friend.

And then, there was Mizi. Every time Till saw her, he couldn't help but panic a little. When he met her, Till had immediately fallen head over heels for the sweet pink-haired girl.
As she grew up, Mizi had retained the thin features she had as a child, making her, in Till's eyes, more and more similar to an angel come down to Earth. He would have never said it out loud, but he always thought so.

Yes, in case you hadn't understood, Till had a big fat crush on Mizi, his muse, to whom he had dedicated, without her knowing, numerous pages of his trusty notebook.

Even that morning, when Mizi turned around to greet him with her usual bright smile, Till's stomach jumped. He returned the greeting, trying not to blush too much, as he took his place near Sua, back agains the lockers.

"Good morning!" Mizi exclamed. "Did you sleep well?"

Till nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, thank you."

Sua gave him a nod. She never wasted time on unnecessary words, but Till knew that all things considered, she tolerated him.

Ivan, on the other hand, didn't hold back like his cousin. He threw and arm around Till's shoulder and rubbed his hair playfully, ignoring his protests.

The gray-haired boy often complained about how clingy Ivan was, but he had always been like that since they were kids, so he was used to it by now.
Ivan had always loved physical contact. Whether sitting or standing, the closer he was to the other person, the more confortable the boy was.
Till, as much as he preferred not to be touched, allowed it. Ivan was his best friend, after all.

The four continued to chat for a while longer without a clear argument, until Mizi said: "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! Apparently, there's a party at the school gym this weekend.
The guys from the club asked me to come, and they said I could bring you guys, too!"

Sua grimaced. It was obvious that she was skeptical, but when Mizi turned and mad her puppy eyes, Sua sighed and nodded.
"Okay."

Mizi smiled, hugging her.

Ivan smiled too. "Count me in! Thanks for the invitation, Mizi."

"You're welcome!"
Then, Mizi turned to Till, curious.
"And you, Till, will you come? They told me there's a stage for the music club, since they will be performing, and if you want you could play too! Didn't you say you were writing a song?"

Till looked away. "I don't know, it's not that great..."

Mizi took his hand and squeezed them, cherfully. "I am sure it's awesome! Come on, Till, we will all be there with you!"

Till blushed violently at the contact. "Yeah, I guess I can try..."

"Yay!"

In that moment, the bell rang, and the four began to head towards the classrooms.
"So, Till, what's your song about?"
Mizi and Till continued chatting (or rather, she chatted, and he listened adoringly), leaving Ivan and Sua behind.

The two cousins walked side by side, in silence. Sua was checking her phone, turning it off before class, and Ivan was staring at the two a little further ahead, hands in pockets.

Having reached the threshold of their classroom, Ivan was about to go and sit down at his desk, when Sua stopped him by grabbing his arms.
She pushed him behind a wall, so that no one in the classroom could hear them, nor see them.

"Listen." The girl began, staring at Ivan with seriousness. "Are you going to tell him? Or will you just let him hang around Mizi forever?"

Ivan shighed, running a hand through his hair. Then, a forced smile took over his face.
"I wish I had an answer for that."

Without giving Sua time to respond, Ivan walked past her, and entered the classroom.

Sua stood there, shaking her head, helpless. Oh, her friends were such idiots.

Chapter Text

"I don't know, it doesn't convince me..."

"Come one, it's perfect! Don't worry, Till, you're so cute!"

"Ugh, Ivan, stop it!"

Till and Ivan were arguing, as usual. It was late afternoon now, and soon the two of them would have to head to the meeting point with their friends (Mizi's house), from where they would all leave together to go to the party.

They had met a few hours earlier at Ivan's to get ready together, and to give the girls privacy.

Too bad both boys were serial procrastinators, and had wasted time playing various video games before realizing they had less than half an hour to get dressed.

Now, Till was standing in front of the mirror, a doubtful grimace painted on his face, and Ivan was standing next to him with his usual smile. Till had realized at that moment that the clothes he was wearing didn't quite convince him, and Ivan was replying with a kind tone, telling him that no, Till, they look good on you, I want to hug you just by looking at you!

Till clicked his tongue, annoyed. Ivan, however, wasn't lying. He was seriously convinced that the other boy looked really good.

Till was wearing a light white shirt with a black sweater over it, a thick belt, oversized black pants, and black combat boots. He had (or rather, Ivan had) added a silver chain on his belt.

The gray-haired boy was not used to such stylish clothes, as he usually preferred baggy sweatshirts and ripped pants.

That evening, however, he had asked Ivan to help him find something more elaborate, and the dark-haired boy couldn't help but be delighted by the request.

Was there something better than helpin Till choose his clothes, and admire him in the process?

Not that his crush on his best friend was a secret. Apparently, everyone had noticed, except for the subject of Ivan's feelings, of course.

Mizi, when Ivan had confessed to him, had pretended not to have understood, only to then not be able to bear the lie and reveal that Ivan was not hiding it very well.

Sua had been much less delicate than her pink-haired friend. During a conversation, Ivan had mistakenly mentioned Till and how much he liked him. Realizing his mistake, he had covered his mouth, but Sua had immediately reassured him.

"What, you think I didn't get it? Pfft, idiot."

As for Till, Ivan couldn't deny that he hadn't tried to make some advances towards him, but he had given up when he realized that the boy was absolutely blind in the field of flirting.

So, he had simply stuck by Till's side as a friend.

His position, however, especially lately, was starting to feel a bit tight. Till had told him that he had a big fat crush onMizi, and in his naivety he had already decided to tell the girl too about his feelings.

Ivan knew that Mizi didn't reciprocate Till's feelings (she already had someone else in mind, but that's another story), but the real problem wasn't Till's crush, but rather, Ivan's.

Ivan had long since realized that what he felt was no longer a simple infatuation, and he was afraid that, even if Mizi refused, Till would never consider him as a potential partner.

The two boys had been best friends for years, and Ivan feared that since nothing had happened between them before , it certainly wouldn't happen now , or in the future.

That evening, however, Ivan was determined to let go of all his worries for a while, and have some genuine fun with his friends.

He had chosen comfortable clothes (black jeans, a white turtleneck and a dark coat, which, by the record, made him feel like a model), and was ready to spend a carefree evening.

"Ivan."

The raven snapped out of his thoughts, his pensive expression changing into a smile.

"Yeah?"

"You know, the song I wrote..?"

Ivan nodded.

"I, uhm... I'm going to sing it tonight, and... I wanted to take this opportunity to..."

Till swallowed, blushing slightly. Ivan twisted his head: why was he so nervous?

"Yeah, to tell Mizi everything."

Ivan's smile froze. Oh, what had he done to deserve this? For one night, just one night , he wanted to ignore all the mess in his head about Till, and Till had to chose that very evening to confess to Mizi!

"Oh, but that's- Um... Fantastic!" Ivan forced himself to spit out.

Till apparently hadn't noticed Ivan's lack of conviction, and his eyes lit up. "You really think so?! I don't know what to expect..."

The aspiring musician continued muttering about what he was going to say, all embarrassed, but at this point, but Ivan wasn't listening anymore.

He had no doubt what Mizi's response would be, and while he felt truly sorry for Till, he couldn't help but be a little happy.

However, he couldn't get the idea out of his mind that Till's confession would further distance him from Ivan, romantically.

The modus operandi of the next few days would have been something like this, according to Ivan's troubled mind: Mizi would reject Till; Till would be hurt; Ivan would console Till; Till would fall in love with someone else; Ivan would be left alone all on his own.

It took all of Ivan's self-control to keep himself from running into the bathroom and start crying in front of the mirror, and it helped that he and Till had to set off for Mizi's house.

Even though leaving meant confession , Ivan didn't want to be late and explain to Mizi and Sua that his brain had short-circuited when Till told him about his plan (Oh, Sua would have teased him for months).

So, Ivan exclaimed, trying to control his nerves: "Till, we have to go, come on."

Till snapped out of his thoughts, nodding.

The two left Ivan's room, and while Till called Sua to let her know they were on their way (he would never have called Mizi, he was too embarassed), Ivan talked to his parents. Or rather, he argued with them.

"You better be home by midnight," Ivan's dad was saying, his gaze vacant as he stared at the television.

"Yes, Dad."

"Ivan, why do you have to go out with those... guys?" his mother asked, without looking at him, with her usual tone halfway between disgusted and disappoined.

"Because they're my friends, Mom."

"Ugh... But they're so... Abnormal , Ivan."

Ivan remained silent for a few seconds, ignoring his mother's completely out of place statement. If he had held back less, Ivan would probably have blurted out something like 'Mom, you have a gay son, what kind of friends do you expect him to have?', but that would have been too blunt. He wanted to go to the party, not be grounded for the next three years.

So, his next sentence was, "Can I go?"

His mother sighed deeply.

"Go."

Ivan held his breath until he had closed the front door behind him. As he stepped through the door and turned the key in the lock, Ivan's face relaxed.

His parents weren't bad, but they were decidedly closed-minded, and Ivan's unconventional friendships weren't the best, in their eyes.

From Sua, who along with her eccentric family (Ivan's uncles were two of a kind) was not welcome in Ivan's house, to Till, who had the aura of a tormented musician and dragged scribbled sheet music around, there was not a single one of his best friends that his parents could tolerate.

But they were friends with Ivan, not his parents. So Ivan just didn't care.

"Shall we go?" asked Till, who was putting his phone back in his pocket.

Ivan sighed, and then smiled.

"Sure!"

---

Mizi's house was a detached cottage painted in creamy white. Both inside and out, it reflected the family that lived there.

Mizi's father, unfortunately, had died when the girl was still young, and her mother had to raise her alone.

Like her house, the lady, on the outside, appeared as a calm middle-aged woman, over whom a veil of sadness hovered.

Then, however, you entered, and everything changed.

The rooms of the house were a rainbow of colors, full of fancy furniture and whimsical patterns. Likewise, Mizi's mother was an artist, who possessed an immense imagination.

There was never a dull moment at Mizi's house.

When they arrived, Till and Ivan rang the bell, and Mizi's voice reached them through the intercom.

"We're coming!"

The intercom clicked off, and a few seconds later an enthusiastic Mizi and an uncertain Sua appeared at the door.

Mizi was wearing a lovely black dress, with long sleeves and a high collar. The skirt reached her knees, and underneath she was wearing black tights and leather ankle boots with gold buckles.

She had kept her glasses on, and Ivan couldn't deny that she was really cute. Glancing at Till, he found him blushing.

It made him a little jealous, but he couldn't blame him.

Hers, on the other hand, had opted for a white dress that was a little tighter than Mizi's, but not at all vulgar. Over it, she wore a short wool sweater, and she, like Mizi, was wearing tights, and she had white ballet flats on her feet.

It was obvious that she wasn't used to such clothes, so when she and Mizi reached the boys, Ivan was quick to compliment her.

"It suits you, little cousin!" exclaimed the dark-haired boy, nudging her.

She immediately regained her usual cold expression and raised an eyebrow.

Mizi chimed in, putting an arm around her shoulders. “He’s right, Sua, you look really cute!”

Ivan could swear he saw Sua blush, and now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

“You guys look really good too!” Mizi continued, looking at Ivan and Till.

Ivan smiled in response, and didn't need to turn to Till to know that he was now an even darker shade of red.

"Good!" the pink-haired girl then exclaimed. "Let's go!"

---

The party had only just started, but it seemed already in full swing.

Till looked around.

The large room used for the party had been decorated with colorful streamers and lights, it was crowded and decidedly noisy. For Till's tastes it was all a bit too much. The noise, the colors, the people...

Some were chatting, some were dancing to the music of the band playing on stage, some were playing spin the bottle (already?) and some were just fooling around.

Immediately, Mizi dragged Sua to a corner of the room where hats and other accessories were hanging to take fun selfies.

Till followed them with his gaze, and was startled when Ivan touched him on the shoulder.

"You have to put down the guitar, right? I'll walk with you!"

Till started to grumble that there was no need, but Ivan seemed determined, so the boy just dropped the argument and started walkin.

The two headed towards the stage, on which four boys had just stopped playing, next to which a tent-like space had been erected that was supposed to serve as a backstage area. Behind it, the cases of the instruments that the guys on stage had brought were placed.

Till leaned his guitar against the wall, when a slap on the back knocked him off balance.

Turning around, he found himself faced with none other than the members of the music club.

Ivan quickly stood alongside him, smiling.

The group consisted of three boys and a girl. She had long hair, was wearing a black tank top, and camouflage trousers, and Till recognized her as the voice of the group.

Next to her, a very similar boy was smiling at him. They had the same smile and the same complexion: he looked like her male version. He must have been the keyboard player.

The other two guys, who Till knew played bass and drums, were a muscular guy with dyed blond hair and a slightly shorter guy with a black cap and a grim expression.

"So you must be... Till, right? The one who sings the song!" the girl exclaimed, winking at him. She took his hand, squeezing it vigorously, and Till thought he could hear his own bones breaking.

"I'm Hyuna, it's a pleasure to meet you! And these are Hyunwoo, my brother, - the keyboard player smiled at him - Dewey, our bassist, - the blonde one winked at him - and Isaac, drummer! - he just nodded at him - Maybe you'll know us as the music club!"

Till blinked a couple of times, confused, then nodded. "It's a pleasure for me too- for us," he amended, remembering Ivan.

The dark-haired man was glaring at the boys from the music club, but at Till's correction his grimace changed to a smile. "Ivan, nice to meet you!"

"Nice one there, big guy!" Hyuna said, turning and shaking his hand too.

Ivan responded to the squeeze, and Till recognized his smile as a fake one. He wondered why.

"Anyway," Hyuna continued, taking a pair of sunglasses out of her pocket and putting them on. "We're going on break now. You run the party, sing, do whatever you want. We'll be back in ten minutes!"

Without giving Till time to reply, the four of them slunk away in a second, leaving the two boys standing there staring at the spot where the club members had been standing moments before.

"Well," Ivan muttered, breaking the silence. "They surely have personality."

But Till was too nervous to listen. Now, the realization had hit him. The song he had been working on for the past three months, and was about to sing, was dedicated to Mizi, and the decision to confess everything to her was now made.

Till slumped against the wall with an indefinite moan, collapsing to the ground.

“There, there.” Ivan exclaimed, bending down and giving him a few pats of encouragement.

"You make it easy! You don't have to propose to your crush in less than ten minutes!" Till snapped nervously.

If he hadn't been so focused on what he was about to do, Till might have noticed Ivan's face darken for a millisecond.

"Come on, Till. Pull yourself up."

Without waiting for his words to sink in, Ivan grabbed Till with one hand, and his guitar with the other. He picked the boy up off the ground, and handed him the instrument.

Then, with his usual perfect smile and that stupidly attractive snaglletooth, he said, "You're the greatest musician I know, and you're one of my favorite people (Ivan refrained from saying my favorite ). I know it's going to be okay!"

Till started to mutter something, but Ivan cut him off. "Shut up! Now get up on that stage and show them what you are made of! Do it for... For Mizi!" With that, Ivan turned Till around, and before pushing him onto the stage, he whispered in his ear, "I'll be right there watching you!"

Till stumbled, but before he could give Ivan a rude gesture he had already slunk away, probably to reach Mizi and Sua and watch the performance together.

The gray-haired boy took a deep breath.

That song was everything to him. He had packed months of feelings into just over two minutes of music, and he wanted Mizi to hear what he had created just for her.

Till wasn't good at speaking, but he wanted to say thank you to Mizi for playing such an important role in his life. And so, he would do it by singing.

The boy took a few steps forward, coming out from behind the scenes, and positioned himself in front of the microphone.

When he appeared on stage, those who had stopped to drink returned to the middle of the dance floor, ready to dance again.

Till searched the crowd for Mizi, spotting her in a corner with Sua and Ivan. The other girl was holding her hand, and the dark-haired boy had his arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on his face.

But the adrenaline of the moment did not allow Till to think clearly.

'Look at me, Mizi!'

With the track starting, Till took one last breath, and lowered the pick to the strings of his guitar.

🎵 Come on!
(Go away now!)
Nothing was my everything
The melody that filled the empty me,
it's you, alright, my feelings are ERROR: No better options

Till could already feel his head spinning, but he remained focused on the position of his fingers despite the fog. For Mizi

A shaking paradigm
I don't care if my world turns upside down
I wanna know all about you!

No more t akin' it slow
The edelweiss of my feelings blossomed because of you
(You'll never know) I don't wanna stop
Don't even think this time's enough!
Cause baby still it's not enough!
(For me, alright?)
Don't leave me
Li li dadada

'Do you see me, Mizi?'

'Cause baby still it's not enough
How dare you think this time's enough
Ain't nobody but you're the one that I'm feeling it's love!
(Don't be afraid)

Come on!
Woah
Cause I like it better
Woah
(Feel like I'm crazy, I'm going crazy!)
Come on!
Woah
I can't stop, it's an overdose!

As the last notes of the base rang out, the crowd of students erupted into a thunderous applause. Till was out of breath, but as he looked around, a satisfaction he had never felt before filled him.

There were Hyuna and the rest of the club cheering like crazy, waving their arms in the air.

There was Sua, who applauded without exaggerating, but with a smile painted on her face.

There was Ivan, whistling with two fingers in his mouth.

When his gaze lingered on Mizi, Till began to walk away without even thinking. He put his guitar away; he would come back for it later. He had sung, and now he had to end it on a high note.

Reaching his friends, he looked Mizi in the eye and exclaimed, determined, "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, um... Sure!" Mizi replied, taken aback for a moment.

The pink-haired girl followed Till with a confused smile just outside the door, safe from prying eyes and the noise inside.

Sua and Ivan followed the two friends until they disappeared from their sight, then the girl turned to her cousin. "You already know how this is going to go, right?"

Ivan did not answer, but remained silently staring at the door.

---

"What did you want to tell me, Till?" Mizi asked, curious.

Till scratched the back of his neck. The adrenaline from singing had worn off, and embarrassment had taken its place. The boy prayed that his abnormally red cheeks wouldn't show in the darkness.

"Uhm..." he paused, trying to choose words to begin with.

"Yes?"

"Well, Mizi... We've known each other for a long time, and..." Till swallowed, finally looking up and meeting his friend's eyes. "...ever since I first saw you, I thought you were like an angel."

Mizi smiled. "Thank you-"

But Till didn't let her continue. "And, um, I just wanted to thank you for always being kind to me. You've been the reason I've been able to do certain things, and I can never put into words how I feel."

Come on, Till, you're almost there. "So, I just wanted to say..."

Be brave.

"...that I like you!-"

Till spat out the last four words, his eyes snapping shut, as if fearing that Mizi might explode upon hearing the sentence.

Seeing that there was no danger, Till slowly raised his head, meeting Mizi's gaze.

Oh.

The girl was smiling, but it wasn't her usual cheerful expression.

It was a sad smile. His eyes avoided Till's, not with nervousness, but with sincere regret.

“Um…” she began, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Till, really, I'm really grateful, but... I don't think I can reciprocate your feelings."

Part of Till had expected this.
He knew there wasn't much hope.

But, in any case, he had continued to hope until the end. And now that the end had come, the boy would have preferred to postpone it a little longer.

In a trance, Till simply nodded. Mizi hesitantly stepped forward and hugged him. It was a quick hug. Before Till knew it, Mizi had pulled away.

"I... I think I'll go back inside. I'll give you some time to..."

Mizi paused, searching for words. Apparently, she couldn't find them, because she shook her head.

With a final smile, she disappeared from Till's sight and re-entered the room.

Till stared at the door for a few more seconds, before collapsing against the wall and sitting on the floor, his head between his legs.

He knew how it would end. But as he wiped away his tears, Till thought it was nice to believe otherwise.

---

Meanwhile, a figure among the trees was staring at the gray-haired boy from afar.

The girl pushed her long brown hair away from her face, taking another drag on the cigarette in her hand.

"Cheer up, little guitarist."

Chapter Text

If anyone had spent time looking at the tables in the café next to Mizi's house that cold morning, they would have seen a pair of best friends pining over their unrequited loves.

Luckily for them, there were few people around, so no one witnessed their "gay crises" (because yes, there was no better term to describe what Mizi and Ivan were going through).

Ivan was literally lying on the table, a blank stare and a hysterical smile painted on his face. Mizi was nervously rocking back and forth in her chair, chewing her nails and staring at Ivan without really seeing him.

The meeting had been set by Mizi, after returning home from the party, via a message that read: 'emergency #4'.

Ever since Sua introduced them as children, Mizi and Ivan had gotten along very well. Their relationship was something special.They were the sibling that neither of them had ever had. They shared every secret and helped each other through hardships, always ready when the other called.

When they grew up, the two invented a secret code (which no one knew, guaranteed), to be used only in case of problems that need to be discussed together.

The code read:
Emergency #1 - In case of gossip or secrets that are particularly difficult to keep to oneself. Alarms of this type were mainly raised by Ivan.
Emergency #2 - For school-related issues, such as last-minute revision or notes to catch up on before a test.
Emergency #3 - When one of them just wanted to get away from home, and detox from their family. For Ivan, being with his family often became exhausting, and as much as Mizi adored her mother, she also sometimes needed a break from her eccentricity.
Emergency #4 - Strictly referring to Till and Sua, and any problem associated with the word 'homosexuality'. Although it might not seem so at first glance, existential romantic crises often affected Mizi too, who was in fact infatuated with Sua, and what better way to resolve them than to talk about it with Ivan.
Emergency #5 - Used very few times since the code was created, the last emergency referred to the possible inability of one of the two boys to leave the house due to a punishment. It might have seemed useless, given their age, but following a particularly heated argument between Ivan and his mother, the two thought it appropriate to add it to the code.

That being said, when Ivan read Mizi's message, the morning after the party, he rushed to the bar designated as their meeting point. By now, the two of them frequented it so often that they no longer even needed to consume to sit down, since they had become friends with the owner.

Once he arrived and met his friend's gaze, Ivan suddenly remembered the events of the previous evening, which his subconscious had evidently decided to archive.

So, the raven started to panic, and the two had not yet uttered a word since they had sat down at the table. And it continued like this for a few more minutes, until Mizi, tired of seeing her friend slumped on the table, clapped her hands, calling Ivan back from his spiral of negative thoughts. 

"Crying over spilt milk won't do any good!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed, a determined look on her face. "We have to do somethin, or we'll throw away our chances and die single!"

"But Mizi, I'm in love with my best friend , who just confessed to you! If that doesn't condemn me to a life alone, I really don't know what does!"

Mizi nodded, but she was too fired up to give in to Ivan: "Okay, I agree that you're not in a good position, but now Till will move on, right? And you could be his 'moving on'! You just have to try a little harder..."

Ivan stood up, wagging a finger. "Hey, hey, hey, slow down! I tried, but it's not my fault he doesn't understand signs!"

"Then try again! At least he doesn't ignore them, like Sua does!" Mizi clicked her tongue, crossing her arms.

Ivan fell silent. He had nothing to say to reply to his friend's last statement.

Mizi snorted. "See? At least you agree with me."

Suddenly, Ivan remembered something he had completely forgotten about the night before, so absorbed as he was in the whole Till affair.

"Yesterday, when you hugged her, in front of your house, I'm pretty sure she blushed."

"She's been blushing all afternoon! It was because of the dress, I'm sure of it." Mizi's gaze went a little blank at the mention of Sua's dress, and Ivan rolled his eyes, smiling. Then, he snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of his friend's eyes, who snapped out of her thoughts.

"Ah, yes, sorry, but you have to agree that it was really adorable."

"Never as much as Till."

"You wish."

"Hey!"

After some laughter, the two became serious again.

"I don't know, Mizi... I think Till can't see me as anything but his best friend anymore," Ivan muttered thoughtfully.

"I understand how you feel." the girl nodded, adjusting her glasses on her nose. "It's the same for Sua and me. Lately, I've been thinking I need to get a grip and take a break. She seems more and more uncomfortable every time we go out."

Ivan smiled sadly, placing a hand on Mizi's shoulder and pulling her towards him. The girl sighed, leaning on her friend. "We're a mess, aren't we?"

Ivan remained silent, but to Mizi, his silence was worth more than a thousand words.

---

An hour or so later, Mizi and Ivan's special meeting was over, and the boy, bundled up in his thick overcoat and with a woolen cap pulled over his head, was heading home.

Before returning, he had to stop by a shop to buy a couple of things for his mother, and, concentrated as he was on remembering what those two objects were, he didn't notice the figure who had come up beside him.

At least, that was until the figure gave him a forceful slap on the back, causing him to jump a few feet.

Ivan turned around, confused, finding himself faced with the cheerful face of Hyuna, the leader of the music club. The girl had what looked like a lollipop in her mouth, a black sweatshirt with the hood up, and an amused look on her face. "Oh, I was right! I thought I'd seen you before, and in fact I have seen you before! Ivan, right?"

Ivan pushed aside the question 'and if it wasn't me, would you have slapped a stranger?', and replied, with a forced smile, "Yes, Ivan. And you're Hyuna, if I'm not mistaken?"

The girl laughed. "You're not wrong, buddy!" Then, coming up to him, she asked, "Well? How are things going?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow, keeping his tone joking. "Why do you want to know?"

Hyuna shrugged. "Just to chat a bit..." Then, turning to him and taking on a more serious tone, she added. "...and you look like you have a lot of thoughts going through your head."

Ivan was shocked for a second. He was pretty sure that his worries were not visible from the outside. He was used to covering them up with his usual smile, and as far as he could remember, no one except Mizi, Till and Sua had ever asked him if he was actually okay.

And even with them, it had happened very few times.

So how could Hyuna, a complete stranger, see so easily through his facade and understand what he was up to?

The boy silently turned away. Nodding, he murmured, "Things could be... better."

He expected Hyuna to say something, but to his surprise, the girl remained silent. The two continued walking for a while longer, then, slowly, Hyuna spoke.
"Are Mizi and Till involved?"

Ivan froze. "How... What... How do you..?"

A sardonic smile took over Hyuna's face. "Yesterday, at the party, I was smoking a cigarette just outside, and I happened to hear your two little friends talking..."

Ivan felt himself sink. The confession. Again.
But something didn't add up.

"Excuse me," the raven exclaimed, interrupting Hyuna's explanation, "but why do you think my problems are connected to those two?"

Hyuna raised an eyebrow. While keeping one hand on her hip, she raised the other, marking the first point with a finger.

"One: Your reaction when I said their names pretty much confirmed it for me."

Ivan had to admit that Hyuna wasn't wrong.

"Two: At the party, when I was introducing myself to Till, I shook his hand, and I thought you were going to bite it off. I was seriously scared. Dude, you need to calm down."

Ivan blushed, turning up the collar of his jacket to hide his embarrassment. "Yes, sorry."

"So..." Hyuna exclaimed, as she started to walk again and put her hands back in her pockets. "...how long have you liked him for?"

"Too many years, I've lost count." Ivan replied, looking down. It confused him that he was able to talk to Hyuna without having to maintain his usual calm exterior.

Something about the girl reassured him. Being able to talk about his problems with her, a person not involved in the whole mess he was living, didn't make him more serene, but at least it allowed him to get his thoughts in order.

"Mmm... And... What do you feel now?"

Ivan started to reply, but the words were stuck in his throat.
What did he feel?

“I always knew Till didn’t return my feelings,” he began, choosing his words carefully. "But seeing him have the same feelings I have for someone else was a confirmation that things will never work out the way I'd like them to."

Ivan raised his head to the cloudy sky of that day.

"Every time I think about it, I feel like I'm sinking into this black sorrow I've been feeling since yesterday. Everything... Everything now seems faded. It hurts, Hyuna."

Ivan turned towards the brown-haired girl, his lips tightening, only to find out Hyuna wasn't looking at him. "Yes, I understand."

Ivan tilted his head to the side. "You do?"

Hyuna sighed. Then she lowered her hood, meeting Ivan's gaze. "When I was fifteen, I met a boy. We were young, and it was..."

Hyuna waved a hand, as if trying to push the words out.

"...love at first sight, we could say."

The girl sighed.

"We didn't know each other at all, but we decided to give it a try anyway. And to be honest, it worked out for the first weeks."

Ivan listened to the brown-haired girl in silence. What was the point of her story?

"Then, the arguments began. We didn't get along at all, but, stubborn as we were, we insisted on continuing our relationship."

"Slowly, however, we both realized that we had bitten off more than we could chew."

Hyuna smiled. It was a sad smile, and Ivan could tell that the story she was telling him had had a big impact on her.

"So I took some time for myself, and I put my priorities in order: as much as I was still fascinated by him, we were only causing problems to each other.
It had even started to affect my personal life, at school, at home.
So, before anything worse could happen, we ended it."

Hyuna seemed a little lost in thought, then she recovered and smiled at Ivan.

"It was one of the best choices I could have made! He's one of my best friends now, and we've both changed so much since... those days.
We promised each other that if anything happened between us again in the future, we'd think about it as mature people. Together. Without forcing things out of selfish desires."

Ivan nodded. The night before, Hyuna had seemed like a slacker without a shred of common sense, but after that story...

He had definitely changed his mind.

"So!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "What I'm telling you isn't 'let go of your feelings, there's no point, they'll only hurt you'." Hyuna stared at him resolutely.

"It's more of a 'take your time and think about how you want to move forward now.'
I know you mean a lot to Till. If he doesn't love you back now, it doesn't mean he never will. You still have time to grow and look at these feelings more objectively. Don't rush it, Ivan. If what you're feeling is genuine, you'll figure out what to do on your own."

Ivan looked down, staring at the tips of his shoes. He knew Hyuna was right. Wallowing in despair could not be the solution.

"Thank you, Hyuna."

The girl returned his smile brightly, winking at him.

"You're welcome, buddy!"

Ivan smiled back, continuing to walk.

"By the way, why do you say I'm important to Till?"

Hyuna snickered, a sly look taking over her face.

"I may have talked about you two with Mizi."

Ivan's jaw dropped to the ground, and Hyuna burst out laughing.

"Don't look at me like that! I met her last year, and we hang out every now and then to chat. And sometimes the conversation might have turned to you, your handsome guitarist, and our friend's little crush."

Ivan raised an eyebrow. He had absolutely no idea that Mizi and Hyuna knew each other. He had to talk to the pink-haired girl and pretend an exhaustive explanation on  how she and the singer met.

"Don't worry, she didn't tell me much, and clearly she didn't tell me any of your secrets. She just told me about Till's obvious infatuation with her. Honestly, I don't think he's very good at hiding it."

Ivan laughed. "Yeah, he's never been good at handling embarrassment. Seeing him blush, even if it's not because of me, is always one of the nicest things that happens to me."

Hyuna elbowed him.

"Okay, Casanova, calm down!"

Ivan chuckled. Then, with an inquiring look, he continued: "And what about you? We talked about my situation, now it's your turn."

Hyuna rolled her eyes, and Ivan quickly added, "Only if you want."

"Sure, sure, don't worry. I'm happy to talk about it for once with someone who doesn't have a single brain cell like my brother or Dewey, or a wall like Isaac." Hyuna calmed him down, laughing. "So... What do you want to know?"

"Who is this boy you're talking about!" After receiving the girl's approval, Ivan decided to take a more direct approach. If the boy was from their school (which was likely, considering he and Hyuna were close friends, according to what she said), then Ivan had probably seen him before.

Hyuna sighed, smiling. "His name is Luka. He's my age. To be honest, I don't think you've ever met him. He's a very reserved guy, you know what I mean?"

Ivan nodded. Oh, of course he understood. Two of his best friends were terrible at social interactions, and he and Mizi weren’t much more experienced.

"He has very light blonde hair. Sometimes he has cute little clips holding it up, and he almost always dresses in white."

Ivan noticed that Hyuna's expression had become softer, and her smile was no longer amused as before, but more... nostalgic.

Ivan's lips curved up. "You care about him very much, don't you?"

Hyuna nodded. "Yes, a lot."

She didn't add anything else, and Ivan decided to remain silent. Hearing Hyuna, who he had known as a troublemaker, make such serious and sweet spechees, had definitely taken him by surprise.

He had definitely reevaluated his view of the girl.

After talking to her, he felt much calmer, and the whole thing involving Till and Mizi didn't bother him as much anymore.

Sure, the problem was just sitting in the back of his mind, but a distraction was just what he needed.

Now, he felt he could go home and think about what to do next without anxiety.

Ivan's train of thought was interrupted by Hyuna, who began speaking again.

"Listen: since we're practically best friends now... - at Ivan's confused expression the girl replied with her tongue sticking out - ...I have to meet the guys to prepare for a little concert we have to perform at tonight. Do you want to come and listen to the rehearsals?"

If yesterday's Hyuna had made that proposal to him, Ivan would probably have responded something like 'not even dead'.

But now, thinking about it, there really wasn't anything wrong with that. And plus, if Hyuna was so nice, the rest of the band could be like her too, right?

"Yeah, why not."

---

So, within minutes, Ivan found himself sitting on a couch with the springs blown out in the midst of pandemonium.

The four guys from the music club were a herd of buffalo when they moved, and they were definitely not organized. Around their rehearsal room (a broom closet emptied of furniture), the band had scattered a bunch of musical scores, instrument cases, and—wait, what? When did they appear?—garlands of flowers.

Ivan had watched the four of them prepare in silence, chuckling every now and then at the messes the musicians continued to make. He had had the opportunity to chat a little with each of them, to introduce himself a little better and explain why he had suddenly appeared in their rehearsal room.
Dewey, the dyed-haired bassist, was a sarcastic guy whose only method of conversation seemed to be flirting with whoever he met. Ivan could swear that since he entered the room, he hadn't heard Dewey utter a single sentence that didn't have a double meaning.

Then, there was Isaac. He was wearing the same hat as the night before (Ivan had begun to think he never took it off), and he had said very little since the start of rehearsal, except  at Dewey or Hyunwoo, Hyuna's brother.

His expressions were still eloquent enough to show what he was thinking most of the time. The main emotion was 'pissed off', but Ivan had seen a few others, such as absolute indifference or profound boredom.

And finally, the fourth member of the band: Hyunwoo.
Hyuna's brother was basically her male version. If Ivan had thought this the night before because of their physical appearance, now that he had chatted with both of them he could only confirm his theory. The keyboardist was a mix of over-the-top self-confidence, undeniable charm and irrepressible cheerfulness.

I mean, Hyuna, right?

After a few more minutes of preparation, the band finally seemed ready to rehearse. Hyuna pushed her hair back with one hand, grabbed the microphone and turned to Ivan, a sly smile plastered across her face.

"Ready to hear the most amazing song of your life?"

Ivan smiled. "I was ready an hour and a half ago, but yes, surprise me ."

Dewey let out a chuckle, but Isaac shushed him with a glare. "If you'd tuned the bass first, maybe we could have started sooner." The blonde was about to reply, when Hyuna, with a clap of her hands, put an end to all the arguments.

Still glaring at the bassist, Isaac sighed, then raised his hands and banged his drumsticks together. "And one, two, three, four!"

As soon as the band started playing, a thought flashed through Ivan's mind, and he froze.

"...oh shit, the groceries for mom!"

Chapter Text

Till sat cross-legged on a bench, surrounded by scribbled papers. He had his eyes closed, and with his fingers he was miming the gesture of playing a guitar.
The strange position had earned the boy numerous dirty looks from passers-by, who had moved away in annoyance, but he had other things on his mind to worry about.

In fact, Till hadn't written a single line since he sat down. The inspiration seemed to have simply deserted him.

Till snorted for the sixtieth time in a row, dropping his arms to his sides and opening his eyes again.

The scene of his confession and Mizi’s rejection had been playing on loop in his mind since the night of the party. No matter what the boy did, nothing seemed to make sense anymore.
What would he do from there on? Would he continue to live like this, with that gripping and perpetual sense of emptiness to keep him company forever?

Till shook his head frantically, as if to chase away the thoughts, which of course didn't disappear.

Without even thinking, the boy stood up, hastily gathering the crumpled papers and stuffing them roughly into his bag. Till began to walk aimlessly, his hood pulled up over his head and his hands shoved into his pockets. He knew that feeling sorry for himself like this would only make him sink deeper into a spiral of decidedly negative thoughts, but he wasn't lucid enough to stop.

Suddenly, however, an exclamation roused Till from his trance. Without changing his expression, the boy turned in the direction from which the sound seemed to have come.

Not far away, in the shade of some leafy trees that hid them from view, stood a small group of boys, who seemed to be surrounding another one. Till could hear them arguing heatedly, but he was too far away to make out their words clearly.

The boy forced himself, step by step, to approach the group. Although he was definitely not in a position to do anything good, the four seemed to be arguing, and Till couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

Reaching a tree behind which he could hide without fear of being seen, Till crouched in the grass, then peered up at the four people.

The one who immediately caught his attention was the boy who faced the other three alone. He was wearing a white shirt with puffed sleeves (very 1800 vibes, Till couldn't help but think), which had a small bow on the back of the neck. He had very light blond hair, in which white hair clips had been meticulously inserted.
He had a blank, almost bored expression, and Till couldn't understand how he could be so calm: one of the three boys, in fact, was tugging at him, holding him tightly by the wrist. The blonde didn't seem to be making any attempt to remove his hand from the other's grip, and Till noticed that he was wearing indigo nail polish.

The leader of the trio was staring at him with a condescending air, an angry smile painted on his face. "Look at him, all wrapped up in ribbons! What a faggot, you even have nail polish on!" he hissed, meanly, drawing inane laughter from his equally insipid friends.

Till wrinkled his nose. Where had these three come from?

The blond boy kept staring at an undefined spot on the lawn, so much so that one of the other boys snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of his face.

"Hey, little bitch, I'm talking to you!"

The other looked up, bored. Apparently annoyed by the lack of reaction, the three boys moved closer.

"Didn't anyone teach you how to answer when someone's speaking at you? I guess we'll have to teach you some manners. What do you say, boys?" said the leader, still holding the boy tightly, glancing at his friends.

They nodded, snickering, and the third looked at the blond again. "Now I'm going to beat you up, so maybe you'll stop wanting to dress like that, and start acting like a real man!"

Till jumped up, his eyes wide, just as the leader of the thugs raised a fist with a maniacal grin on his face. "Hey, stop it!"

The three attackers turned in surprise, and Till saw a shadow cross the boy's face.

The blond boy nimbly wriggled free from his attacker's grip, grabbed the fist that was about to land on his face, and twisted the other's arm, making him groan in pain. Then he let go, and his companions quickly came to his aid.

"Ouch!" the boy exclaimed, clutching his arm. His two helpless henchmen stammered useless advice, all agitated.

"Let this be a lesson to you." The blond boy had dusted off his shirt, and had taken a step towards the delinquents.

"How I dress is my problem, definitely not yours, and next time you try to insult someone, at least base your words on facts. I can easily dress in more feminine clothes even if I don't like men." The blond continued his speech with the usual apathetic expression on his face, leaning slightly towards his attackers.

"I hope for your sake this is the last time we meet," he said, turning away. A spark crossed his eyes. "Next time I won't be so kind."

The three boys, grumbling, quickly stood up and in a few seconds disappeared, leaving the blond boy and Till alone, who gaped in shock as he watched the boys run away with their tails between their legs.

Then, he glanced furtively at the blond boy, who had his back turned to him.

Till was considering running away without looking back when the boy's voice reached him.

"What were you doing?"

Till felt a shiver run down his spine, and scrambled to answer.

"I wanted to help-"

"It was useless."

Till wrinkled his nose. How dare that Dru-wannabe insult him like that? Okay, he could admit that his intervention hadn't been necessary, but from there to useless...

"Well, sorry, but you didn't seem to be in the best of situations..."

"I could have done it on my own."

Till snorted. He was definitely getting nervous.

"Look, I don't want to argue, I just thought-!"

The boy barely gave him a glance, turning again to leave.

But Till, who had now let his anger take over, leapt forward, grabbed the blond by the shoulder and forced him to turn around, glaring at him with bared teeth. "Can you at least let me finish talking?!"

The boy looked back blankly, and Till had to take a deep breath to keep from punching him. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the things they said to you, and maybe some company would have made you feel better!"

Till let go of the other boy, who watched him as he took a deep breath. He would have liked to continue arguing (yes, talking back to annoying people made him feel good), but he wasn't in the best shape to continue at the moment.

Looking up, he took one last look at the boy, shrugged, and began to walk away, only to stop at a phrase muttered by the other. "You're Till, right?"

Till's eyes widened, whirling around. "How do you know that?!" he exclaimed, confused.

The blond didn't respond, moving closer until he was less than a meter away. Till took a few steps back, uncomfortable, when the other boy held out his hand.

"I'm Luka."

The gray-haired boy stared at Luka's hand, not grabbing it, and the other raised an eyebrow: "It's a hand, not a dragon. It doesn't bite."

Blushing, Till quickly returned the squeeze. Then he looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "Umh..." he began, searching for the right words. "How do you know who I am?"

"I've heard about you," Luka said simply, shrugging.

Realizing that he wouldn't obtain any more informations from the blond, the boy quickly changed the subject. "Okay... And, um, is everything... Is everything okay?"

Luka cocked his head to the side, genuinely confused, then a flash of understanding crossed his face. "Oh, you mean with the three from before?" he asked, his expression unchanged.

The fact that his face showed no emotion other than pure indifference made it difficult for Till to understand, but the boy forced himself to maintain eye contact, nodding.

"Well," Luka said, rolling his eyes. "It happens."

Till, shocked, opened his mouth wide. "What the hell?! Aren't you mad? I mean, I don't see what's wrong with you dressing like that... - he gestured vigorously in Luka's direction - And also, if you like guys, it's not a problem... I mean, my best friend is a lesbian, so..."

"Till," Luka called, holding up a hand. Till looked at him, falling silent. "Sorry, I talk too much sometimes," he muttered, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Yes, I noticed." Luka replied, adding to Till's embarrassment. "Anyway, thanks, but I'm not gay."

Before, Till was already purple with shame, and now he was also redder than a normal human could ever be.

Luka smirked, walking up to Till. "I think you'll always remember this day."

Till, covering his face, muttered with a sigh: "The shame I'm feeling these days reaches a higher peak every hour."

Just before Mizi's refusal, there had been that too. In the milliseconds before the girl's response, Till had wanted to disappear underground. He didn't like being so vulnerable.

Luka laughed softly. "Are you that easily embarrassed, Till?"

Till turned away, trying to avoid meeting the blond's gaze. "Let's just say... A lot of things that I'm ashamed of have happened to me recently." And there it was again. That horrible feeling of emptiness.

Luka frowned. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Luka, I'll be honest, I have the feeling that you don't give a damn."

The blond shrugged. "Yeah, I don't really care. But you offered to support me, so it seemed only fair to do the same."

Till sighed. But then again, what did he have to lose? He didn't want to talk to someone who would just pity him, so maybe Luka's stoicism and his answers (which he was sure would be ruthless) would help. Normally, Till would never have stopped to talk to a complete stranger with a face that could be slapped. Normally.

But his state of mind was far from normal , so...

"I told my best friend I liked her, she rejected me and now I can't think straight, write my songs or play the guitar at all."

Till looked at Luka, waiting for an opinion, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, skeptical.

"Could you please stop laughing in my face?"

"Yes, sorry."

Luka composed himself, clearing his throat. “So,” he began, pacing slowly around Till. “Who is she?”

Till had no idea what Luka would gain from knowing who Mizi was, but he described her anyway: "She's a girl I've known for a long time. She has pink hair, very bright eyes, she wears glasses..."

Luka interrupted, clapping sarcastically. "Good, you officially have the ability to describe a person, just like a five-year-old! Congratulations!"

Till snorted, ignoring the blond boy and continuing, "From the start, I thought she was amazing. She's... So cheerful! When I see her, I can't help but be happy. She really seems to light up everything she comes near. She's graceful, never boring and it's physically impossible to hate her."

Luka stared at him, squinting as his speech continued. When Till paused, Luka held up a hand to stop him from starting again. "Till, do you want a handkerchief?"

"Why?"

"You're crying."

Till put a hand to his cheek, wiping away tears he hadn't even realized he'd let fall. "No." he said quickly. "No, no... I'm okay, thanks."

“Are you sure?” Luka insisted.

Till looked into the blond boy's eyes for a few seconds before dropping his hand and giving up on trying to hold back the tears. "No. Luka, I'm not okay." He dropped tothe groun, holding his head in his hands, wetting the dirt with the small drops of water that dripped from his eyes.

Luka, sighing, couching down near Till, balancing on his toes and resting his elbows on his knees. They remained silent for a while, the only noise being Till's soft sobs. Then, after taking a deep breath, Luka began to speak: "A long time ago, I had a girlfriend."

Till didn't react, but Luka knew he was listening.

"We were both younger. Not that we're adults now, but we were definitely dumber." The blond boy gave an ironic laugh. "When we met, something attracted us to each other. So, in our ignorance, we started a... Calling it a relationship is nonsense, it definitely wasn't."

Luka shook his head, glancing at Till who had not yet recovered, and continued, "Things started going bad very quickly. We had never really known each other well, and as a result, we didn't get along at all."

Till, his eyes red and puffy, lifted his head, looking at Luka.

"What I mean is, we didn't get to know each other very well. To her, I was a cute guy; to me, she was a cool girl. Both are true," Luka gave Till a meaningful look, making him chuckle, "but they weren't us. In the same way, I think that's kind of what happened with you and this girl."

The reference to him and Mizi caught Till's attention, and he sniffed and composed himself a little.

"I don't know her, but from what you tell me... I think you've idealized her too much, Till. I don't know if... Do you really know her, or are you in love with the image you've formed of her?"

Till was definitely hurt by those words. He recognized that Luka was (definitely) not suited to comforting him, and that the blond was struggling to find the right words. But even Luka's commitment couldn't diminish the fact that questioning his love for Mizi was painful.

"Till." Luka shook him a little, putting a hand on his shoulder and snapping him out of his spiral of thoughts. Till looked up at Luka, and felt a rush of affection for this stranger who was supporting him through his crisis despite his emotional incapacity.

"Does that sound so strange to you?"

Till stared at him, trying to think. Him idealizing Mizi? He had always been clear about why he thought he was in love with Mizi, but... Was everything Till saw in the pink-haired girl true, or was it just an idea he worshipped ?

"I..." Till felt Luka's gaze pierce his skull. "I don't know, Luka, I honestly don't." he spat out, exasperated. "It's never... It's never even occurred to me that the things I hear aren't true, or at least not completely. I'm afraid of ruining everything, and I'm afraid of everything being ruined. I don't know what to do."

Luka smiled (which was supposed to be a consoling smile, but came out as an evil grin), and muttered, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what to do."

Seeing that Till's eyes were shining and he was on the verge of crying again, Luka quickly added, hiding a chuckle, "But what I can tell you what the girl I was telling you about before and I did."

A spark of hope shone in Till's eyes. Had the solution to his depression come?

"First," Luka held up a finger, "we took some time away from each other, and thought about what to do. Given your obvious uncertainty, you definitely need to take some time for yourself. And second," Luka held up another finger, "when you've recovered, and thought about it a bit, you need to act accordingly."
Seeing Till's confusion, Luka snorted, and added, "I mean, if you realize you've fallen in love with an idea, you get over it. If you're in love with the actual person... Well, it'll be more complicated, but that's another problem."

Luka was getting definitely nervous, and becoming more sour, so Till quickly responded, "Thanks, Luka. You've been a great help."

Applied to Luka's last sentence, those words were a blatant lie. Applied to the things he said before, it was all true

"You're welcome." Luka stood up, dusting off his clothes and stretching, waving his arms. Then, reaching out to Till, he helped him up. An ominous shadow crossed Luka's eyes, and Till had the horrible feeling that the blond boy would let go of him, making him fall straight into the mud, but the boy took pity and simply set him on his feet.

"Well..."

Now that he had calmed down, the realization had hit Till, who realized that he had started crying like a little baby.

"Sorry for... The breakdown."

Luka shook his head, his indifferent expression magically returning to his face, signaling him not to worry. "Everything's okay, don't worry."

"And... Um... I have to go home, can you at least walk me to the park exit?" Till would never have asked normally, but being alone meant thinking about Mizi, and he wanted to postpone that moment as long as possible.

Luka pursed his lips, wearing a caring expression that definitely didn't suit him. "Oh, little Till doesn't want to go home alone!"

"I'm joking, I'll do without you, go away."

"No no, you've asked and now I'm coming with you." After some more arguing and Till finally agreeing, the two headed toward Till's house.

---

"Oh, Luka, listen, who is that girl you were talking about? Do I know her? Do you still speak to eachother?" Till asked, curious.

Luka snorted. "We broke up, but she's my best friend right now."

Till's eyes widened, grabbing Luka by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth. "What?! So now you two get along!"

Luka shrugged. "Yes, quite a bit."

"What? 'Yes, quite a bit'?! Isn't that weird?"

Luka shook his head, but Till could swear his eyes were brighter than usual. "No. We care about each other, and we've changed since we were younger."

Till sensed that there was something bigger behind it, but investigating didn't seem possible, since Luka was definitely not willing to give any more details. But he had to try at least for one last piece of information: "What's her name?"

Luka turned to him, smiling mischievously. Putting a finger to his lips, he shook his head, leaving a disappointed Till to whine about why won't you tell me and whyyyyy.

Finally, after a long chat that mostly consisted of Till begging for the blond's secrets and Luka making pissed-off retorts, the duo reached the gray-haired boy's house. Before he went back inside, Till turned and held out his cell phone to Luka. "Can I have your number?"

Luka raised an eyebrow, taking the other boy's phone, "Are you hitting on me, Till?"

Till blushed violently, leaving Luka to scoff as he saved his number.

"Fuck you."

"Nah, I know you love me now."

---

That evening, while Till was scrolling through his phone, waiting for some inspiration that still wasn't coming, he came across Luka's contact, which read 'ruler of my heart'.

Huffing, Till quickly changed it to 'dru's ripoff".

"Okay, now it sounds more realistic."

 

Chapter Text

There were three things Mizi loved about Sua.

The first thing was her very rare smiles, which she saw once a century but which always seemed to be brighter than the sun itself.

The second thing was the fact that she made her feel comfortable without even trying. She didn't have to act differently to make Mizi feel good. The pink-haired girl knew that her friend was sincere when she was with her, and she loved it.

The third thing was that she accepted even Mizi's worst flaws. If Mizi spent half an hour complaining about an injustice, Sua found a way to make her laugh. If Mizi needed a break from her mom, Sua found a way to keep her out of the house. If Mizi just wanted to excape the pressure, Sua was there to lend her a shoulder to cry on.

Mizi loved Sua, for who she was and how she made her feel.

And it was for this reason that Mizi was in front of Hyuna that day, begging her on her knees for help.

A few hours earlier, while chatting with Sua, the conversation had turned to a series Mizi was watching. It was one of those soap operas full of the most obvious and embarrassing clichés, called Our Wild Love , that Mizi couldn't help but get addicted to. She loved crying in front of the television watching Juan chasing Carmela to confess his love to her, and she had to let Sua know what happened in the last episodes.

In the last one she watched, in particular, the female protagonist tried in every way, with the help of her faithful friends, to get noticed by her beloved, even going as far as changing the way she dressed.

"Can you believe it, Sua?!" Mizi was exclaiming, showing her friend the various outfits that the protagonist (called Carmela) had tried on during the episode. "Look, she even got to the point of dressing like this! Isn't it a little ridiculous?"

Sua nodded. "But you have to admit, she looked nice."

Mizi, caught up in her speech about not changing to please someone, didn't understand a thing Sua had said. The brunette was pointing to a photo on Mizi's phone, which showed Carmela in a stereotypical bad girl outfit, complete with studs and black lipstick.

"What did you say?"

"I said I like the way she's dressed here."

Mizi leaned over to look at the image, and his gaze went blank. "Sua, do you like bad girls ?"

Mizi knew that Sua liked girls (yay, she had a chance), but she had absolutely no idea what her ideal type was.

She looked thoughtful, then spoke: "Not exactly. This," she said, nodding to Carmela, "is a bit extreme, but... I really like Hyuna-sunbae's style, for example."

Mizi stared into space for a while, then stood up quickly, startling the other. "Uhm, Sua, I have to do something... See you later!"

With that, the pink-haired girl stumbled away, leaving a confused Sua staring after her.

---

"Please, Hyuna!"

"Sweetie, I really don't know how to help you-"

"Pleasepleaseplease..."

"Really, Mizi, why are you asking me something like that?"

"Pleasepleaseplease ...!"

"Okay, enough!" Hyuna leapt forward, covering Mizi's mouth, who was kneeling on the ground with her hands clasped together, and looked at her in bewilderment.

Mizi shook her head frantically, pushing Hyuna's hands away. "I beg you, I implore you, I need your help, my life depends on it! My happiness !"

Hyuna sighed, bringing a hand to her temple. After a few seconds of silence, which seemed like ages to Mizi, Hyuna nodded, rolling her eyes."Okay, I'll do my best-"

"HURRAY!"

Mizi stood up and started hopping around, twirling every now and then. She quickly approached Hyuna and hugged her from behind, almost making her lose her balance. "You're my savior!"

Hyuna, who was always pleased by a compliment, smiled, gloating. "Okay, when school is over we'll meet in front of my house, and I'll give you all the tips to conquer the girl who has bewitched your heart."

Mizi smiled from ear to ear. "Yay!" she exclaimed "See you this afternoon then!" After that, she walked out of the music club room the way she had come, leaving a very confused Hyuna staring at the door, rubbing the back of her neck.

---

Mizi stood in front of Hyuna's house, swaying back and forth. She had taken off her school uniform and put on lighter shorts and a blouse. That day, spring had finally begun to make itself felt, and she had seized the opportunity.

Likewise, when Hyuna caught up with her on the street, Mizi found her wearing more comfortable clothes. Specifically, a black T-shirt and khaki green shorts.
Mizi couldn't help but glance at Hyuna's left leg.The brown-haired girl, in fact, had lost her limb in an accident as a child, and wore a prosthesis to be able to walk without the aid of crutches. Mizi greatly admired the fact that her friend wasn't ashamed or embarrassed by her differences.

In fact, Hyuna was very proud of it. The year before, on Halloween, she had even cosplayed as Cherry Darling, the protagonist of Planet Terror.

Hyuna noticed her friend's gaze, and winked at her. "I know, I am too hot."

Mizi chuckled, then said, clutching the bag she was carrying over her shoulder, "So, um... Where are we going now?"

Hyuna clicked her tongue, put on her iconic sunglasses, and smiled. "I'll take you to all the shops I usually go to, and you'll be a perfect bad girl by the end of the afternoon!"

Mizi's eyes were already sparkling. She couldn't wait to see Sua's face when she saw her new look. "Let's do it!"

Hyuna took the pink-haired girl by the arm, and the two of them started laughing as they headed towards the first stop.

---

"What do you say?"

Hyuna brought a hand to her chin, tilting her head a little.

Mizi was trying on some dresses that her friend had recommended to her.

Ripped jeans, a black top, a leather jacket... Exactly what Hyuna would have worn! Mizi was bursting with joy - it was also very similar to Carmela's outfit in Our Wild Love, the episode that started it all!

"Wait wait..."

Hyuna approached her, and with the hair clip she kept attached to her shirt, she gathered Mizi's hair into a messy bun.

Then, walking away, she stared at her work in complete happiness.

"Perfect!"

Mizi turned around, looking at herself in the mirror that the shop's dressing room provided.

"Wow, Hyuna, it's beautiful! Thank you so much!"

Hyuna smiled, pulling her towards her and stroking her hair with her fist. "It's my duty, as your sunbae! Now tell me, once you've learned the theory, what are you going to do?"

Mizi thought about it. To be honest, she hadn't thought about it. When she found out about what Sua liked in girls, that morning, she immediately pictured her and the other girl as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune (she was obviously Haruka, her first 2d-crush), and her brain short-circuited. But now that she learned to dress like a bad girl, what would she do?

She would go out with Sua to show her her progress... and then?

“You know,” Hyuna said, clasping her hands behind her head. “I think you should tell her.”

Mizi turned around, her eyes widening. "Really?"

Hyuna smiled, lowering her glasses to look Mizi in the eyes. "Of course! Mizi, you see what holding back your feelings has done to Ivan! He's depressed, do you want to end up like him?"

As much as Mizi loved Ivan, and was willing to support him in any situation, she definitely didn't want to end up like him.

Maybe Hyuna was right... And also, if Mizi wanted to learn to behave like her, she had to learn how a bad girl made decisions!

"It might be a good idea..."

"Of course it is! Trust me, everything will be fine!"

Mizi nodded, staring into space, but her train of thought was interrupted by Hyuna dragging her towards the exit. "Come on, darling, we're not done yet!"

Mizi smiled. Hyuna's optimism was contagious, and she just couldn't bring herself to worry with that volcano of energy by her side. "But before," Hyuna stopped, causing Mizi to bump into her, "I can't think on an empty stomach! Let's eat something!"

Mizi didn't have time to reply (not that she wanted to, she was so hungry she could have eaten an entire Ivan) because Hyuna had already taken her to a fast food restaurant nearby.

As they gorged on chips and chicken nuggets, Mizi asked, "What should I tell her?"

Hyuna thought about it for a while. "Well, I can give you some advice, but it has to come from you first. You can say it in a corny way, like in your shows (yes, of course, Mizi had told Hyuna about Our Wild Love , too), or however you want, but it has to be true. You know what I mean?"

Mizi nodded, thinking. "I'll try, but... I don't know what Sua will say to me, but I want whatever I say to her to at least please her."

Hyuna smiled, resting her chin on her hand. "Ahh, Mizi, it's like watching my sweet bird-daugther learn to fly and finally leave the nest." Pretending to wipe away a tear, Hyuna hugged her shoulders, doing a pirouette. "Oh, my daughter, remember your old mother, and invite her to your wedding!"

Mizi covered her face, blushing with embarrassment.

"You're blushing? Will you blush like that when you and Sua will ki-?"

"SHUT UP" Mizi widened her eyes, trying to cover Hyuna's mouth, glancing nervously at the other people stitting at the tables, who were staring at them in confusion.

"What? Are you so ashamed of the thought of kis-"

"NOOOO!-"

---

"Cheer up, Mizi, I believe in you"

The afternoon had flown by, and in a few minutes the pink-haired girl was supposed to meet Sua, and finally confess her feelings. Being with Hyuna had eased her nerves, but now that the end time was approaching, Mizi could no longer shake off her fear. For half an hour the girl's left hand had been unable to stop shaking, and her right hand was dangerously threatening to follow suit.

To Hyuna's encouraging words, Mizi responded with an indistinct, "Mghhhngmmmgn..."

Hyuna tilted her head to the side, sighing. "Mizi." she began, becoming more serious. "You're one of my best friends, and you're a wonderful person. I don't know Sua like you do, but I know for a fact that she has plenty of good reasons to reciprocate your feelings. You're special, honey, don't forget that. Come on, I'm with you."

A smile broke through Mizi's worries, and the girl hugged her friend.

"Thank you, Hyuna. I'm lucky to have you."

Hyuna returned the hug, smiling sweetly. "You're welcome." Pulling away, the brunette put her arms on her hips. "Now go and show her what you're made of!"

Mizi took a deep breath. "I'll try." Turning around, the pink-haired girl began walking towards the place where she was supposed to meet Sua.

Hyuna looked at her with a proud expression, then put her hands to her mouth like a megaphone and shouted, "Then call me, I want to know if you kiss!"

"HYUNA!"

---

"Sua!"

Mizi waved her hand in the air, to get her friend's attention. She was still nervous, but after Hyuna's words, she was much more relaxed. Whatever was going to happen next, she knew her friendship with Sua was strong.

Whether the girl loved her back or not, she knew she wouldn't lose her.

When Sua noticed her, she walked toward her, a small smile painted on her face.

Mizi could already feel her heart racing. Sua was as adorable as ever. She didn't need elaborate clothes or special accessories to catch Mizi's attention (who, in any case, only had eyes for her).

"Hello, Mizi."

"Hi!"

"I really like your new clothes."

That was Sua. Without mincing words, she always said what she thought.

Mizi blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Thank you, Hyuna-sunbae helped me picking them."

Sua nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. "What did you want to talk about, anyway?"

Mizi swallowed. "I just wanted to... Chat a little, you know, like best friends like us do!" she replied, trying to imitate Hyuna's bright tone.

Sua tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes.

Didn she buy it? Mizi's brain began to desperately search for another excuse, but Sua interrupted the rush."Okay. I had something to tell you too."

Mizi breathed an imaginary sigh of relief, and began walking alongside Sua. Putting her hands in her pockets, Mizi began to whistle, looking around. She wasn't ready to give that speech yet, so she had to find something to talk about.

As she contemplated explaining the lore of Our Wild Love to Sua for the twenty-seventh time, the dark-haired girl exclaimed, "Do you think we should do something about Ivan and Till's situation?"

Mizi definitely didn't expect the other girl to ask such a question. Turning to her, surprised, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Sua paused, weighing her words. "So, you've noticed that Till has been... pulling away from us since the party, right?"

Mizi nodded. Of course she had noticed.

"I think it's the best thing for him to do, if he wants to figure out what to do next, even if it seems strange to me that he found a solution all on his own." Sua wrinkled her nose: she didn't think much of her friends' IQs. "However, Ivan is feeling even worse now, and he can't go on like this."

Mizi's mouth dropped open, staring at Sua. The dark-haired girl had always been someone who didn't care about all this stuff, much less about her idiot cousin and the equally idiot best friend they had in common. Because of this, Mizi couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised that Sua wanted to talk about their (non)relationship.

"I even considered going to Till and talking to him. Ugh, I never thought I would stoop to this level.."

Mizi shook her head. "No, it has to be natural. We can't force Till to talk to Ivan, or Ivan to let go of his feelings."

She sighed. "You're right, but sometimes I just wish they'd talk about it. I've always thought that keeping these things inside doesn't do any good."

Mizi wiped away a drop of sweat.

"But," Sua continued, without looking at her, "I have to admit that talking about how you feel can be... Difficult."

Mizi bit her lip. Was this her chance? The idea of ​​acting like Hyuna to impress Sua, she realized, had been a big load of crap. But now that she was in the game, she had to dance. "Sooooo..." she began, careful not to meet her friend's gaze. "If you liked someone, would you tell them?"

Mizi could feel Sua's gaze boring into her skull, but she resisted and didn't turn around.

"Depends."

"Depends?"

"Exactly. Think about it: if they felt the same way, I would be happy. If they didn't, I would risk losing my relationship with that person. And..." then, Sua added something in a low voice, which Mizi couldn't hear.

"And..." Mizi cleared her throat, blushing. "Do you like anyone at the moment..?"

She fell silent, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why all these questions?"

"Uhh..."

"Anyway, yes."

It took Mizi all her self-control to keep from leaping toward Sua and begging her to tell her name.

"The same thing applies to this person as before. I don't dare to think what I would be without her..." Sua shivered, and Mizi's stomach did somersaults.

So, Sua liked someone. They had never talked about it before, mainly because Sua didn't like to discuss things like that. From what she had said, the mysterious girl was someone she was very close to, and without whom she couldn't live. Mizi wasn't stupid. She fit the description perfectly, and she knew without a doubt that she was Sua's closest friend. But before she jumped with joy or jumped to conclusions, she had to be sure.

"What do you like about her?"

A tender smile took place on Sua's face, who seemed immersed in her own world.

"It may sound cliché, but everything. The high regard she has for me, the fact that she makes me feel unique, everything she's willing to do to make me feel better..." Sua spoke in such a tender tone that Mizi almost wanted to cry.

The pink-haired girl was melting with sweetness, and she couldn't hold out much longer. So, trying to control the trembling in her legs, she turned to Sua and took the girl's hands in hers.

"Sua, I'm in love with you."

Her eyes widened - her beautiful, deep purple eyes - and Mizi blushed violently.

"You are the most special person in my life, and you deserve to know it. I can't thank you enough for everything you do for me every day. When everything is so heavy that it's hard to even get out of bed, the thought of you waiting for me to go to school is the only thing that keeps me going.
You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Sometimes I wonder what I've done in my past lives to deserve a blessing like you."

Mizi paused to breathe, gripping Sua's hands tighter. "Please, let me make you as happy as you deserve. I promise I will do everything I can to ensure nothing bad ever happens to you!" Mizi bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut, mostly to hide the growing embarrassment that was showing on her flushed cheeks.

Then, a celestial sound forced her to raise her head.
Sua was laughing.

The black-haired girl placed a hand on her cheek, moving her thumb to caress her. "Oh, Mizi. You said so many beautiful things. I don't think I deserve them all..."

Mizi started to reply that yes, of course you deserve them, but another smile from Sua silenced her. "I love you too, Mizi."

And so, all the anxiety, worries, and nervousness that had only grown throughout the day melted away, and Mizi let out a smile. A tear of happiness escaped her, which Sua quickly wiped away.

Leaning forward, the pink-haired girl hugged her friend, resting her forehead on hers and squeezing tightly. She returned the hug, looking into Mizi's eyes with an expression she had never seen before, but which was without a doubt the most beautiful she had ever seen.

"Can I...?" Mizi asked, even redder, nodding to Sua's mouth. She nodded, smiling.

Slowly, Mizi closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to Sua's. It was a sweet, inexperienced kiss, but far better than any fantasy Mizi had ever entertained.

Sua's mouth was soft and warm, and Mizi felt like a million flowers were blooming inside her. It was a wonderful feeling, and she never wanted to let it go. Unfortunately, however, both of them needed to breathe, and so Mizi detached herself by a few centimetres.
She still couldn't believe it. Just a few hours ago she was freaking out with Hyuna imagining everything that could happen, and now she had kissed Sua, and was still hugging her! Oh, finally things were going right!

Sua giggled as she watched Mizi's ecstatic expression. She gave her another kiss on the cheek, then rested her face on her shoulder. "Thank you for existing, Mizi."

Mizi's stomach had now transformed into a gymnast, and was performing his floor routine, complete with somersaults and pirouettes."You too, Sua."

---

That night, after returning home from the date with Sua (Mizi couldn't believe she could call their hangouts dates, now!), Mizi was hidden under the covers in front of the phone, on which the excited faces of Ivan and Hyuna appeared.

"Ooh, Mizi, I'm so happy for you! What will I do now that my best friend has a girlfriend? I'll have to share my single-ness with Hyuna!" Mizi sensed a bit of sadness in Ivan's words, but she appreciated that he was hiding it for her.

"Don't worry, Ivan, your sunbae is always ready to listen to you! Anyway, Mizi, did you end up kis-?" Hyuna said, winking at the screen and miming with two people kissing passionately with her hands.

Mizi kicked Hyuna out of the call, blushing at Ivan's raucous laughter.

Chapter Text

Ivan walked with his hands in his pockets, his face buried in his heavy woolen scarf and the tip of his nose red from the cold. The brief respite from the cold weather that had occurred a few days earlier seemed to be over, and so the raven was forced to dress in heavy clothes again.

He wasn't really paying attention to his steps: he had walked that path so many times that it was now automatic. Following the sidewalk, the boy stopped in front of the main door of an apartment building, looking for the doorbell he had already rung so many times.

Shortly after, the door opened, making him jump.

"You're early. I came down so you knew where to go. The intercom isn't working—" Till paused, looking him up and down, a confused expression settling on his face. "Ivan?"

Ivan smiled, stepping inside."Hi, Till."

The gray-haired boy let him pass, closing the door, then turned and watched him in confusion as he unrolled the scarf from around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

Ivan looked up. "Can't I visit my best friend?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, an amused look on his face.

Till snorted, crossing his arms. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh, yeah?" Ivan's smile didn't extend to his eyes. "Who?"

"Non of your business" Till complained, clicking his tongue.

Ivan approached, putting his arm around Till's shoulders. "I just wanted to know who you're replacing us with," he announced, pinching his friend's cheek.

Till didn't bother to stop him, and looked down. "I'm... I'm not replacing you. I just... I need some time, okay?"
away
"Relax, Till, you don't have to justify yourself to me." Ivan chuckled, distancing himsef from the gray-haired boy and approaching the stairs that lead to Till's apartment.

The other boy stared at him, confused, then shook himself out of his thoughts and hurriedly followed him.

Till and his father lived in a small, cramped apartment building on the outskirts of town. There was very little interaction between the two, but not because they didn't love each other. As a child, Till had received a ton of parental love, but when his mother left them after the divorce, his father had been forced to work twice as hard to manage to look after him properly, and as a result, he wasn't home often.

Till, alone in that apartment, over the years had decorated it as he liked, hanging old vinyl records (his passion for music was something his father had passed down to him), drawings and other things on the walls. Ivan loved going to Till's house. It was much more comfortable than his own, and there were pieces of Till everywhere.

There was nothing Ivan loved more than listening to Till talk about his songs with sparkling eyes, or watching him draw intently, his tongue between his teeth. Or even watching him cheer after beating him at Mario Kart.

Till preceded him, opening the door to let him pass. Ivan entered the flat, removing his shoes. Then, he turned to Till with a sardonic smile and asked: "Can I sit down?"

Till snorted, pushing past the raven and throwing himself onto the couch. Glaring at him with an annoyed look, he nodded. "Go ahead." Ivan joined him, sitting down next to him with his legs crossed.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Till staring nervously at a very interesting spiderweb on the ceiling and Ivan staring at Till.

At one point, breaking the silence, Till sat up abruptly, turning to Ivan with a resolute look. "Listen, Ivan, what did you come for? I can't deal with your weirdness right now. What do you want?"

Ivan dramatically put a hand to his forehead, sighing: "Ow, your words hurt me!" Ivan avoided the gray-haired boy's attempt to punch him, then assumed a more serious tone. Choosing his words carefully (he knew well how easily Till got nervous, and he didn't want to get slapped), Ivan began to speak. "What have you been up to these days?"

Till was clearly skeptical. Running a hand through his hair, he cast an inquisitive look at Ivan. He knew full well that there was a very specific purpose behind that disinterested statement."I've been thinking about a few things."

Ivan pursed his lips. "Elaborate..?"

Till turned away, uncomfortable. "You already know."

Ivan sighed. Till didn't seem prone to respond without cryptic phrases or monosyllabic remarks. If he wanted answers, or explainations on how Till was feeling, he had to take a more direct approach. But right now, the only phrase that came to his mind was...

"Sua and Mizi are together now."

Till felt as if all the air in the room hd vanished. Blinking a couple of times, he slowly turned to Ivan, straightening up. "What did you say?"

Ivan nodded, locking eyes with Till, an unreadable expression on his face. "You heard me."

Till shook his head slightly, confused. What was Ivan saying? Why... Why was he telling him those things?

What was that repulsive sensation he was feeling?
What was that tremor spreading throughout his body?
What was that strange light he saw in Ivan's eyes?
What was that thing touching him on the shoulder?
What was happening?
What was Ivan saying?

His friend's voice was muffled, as if Till was wearing headphones. But instead of music, the only thing the gray-haired boy could hear were questions. Loud voices he didn't recognize were shouting in his ears, and one in particular rang out above all the others. And now?

"Till."

The silence that had fallen on the room was broken by Ivan's sharp voice, calling him. Till's clouded eyes focused on Ivan's face, who was looking at him worriedly, while holding his face between his hands. Till clung to Ivan with all his strength, resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. Ivan's body was warm, and Till wished for a moment that he could bask in that warmth forever.
But he couldn't. He had to make things clear.

Ivan, in the meantime, was a bit taken aback by Till's reckless gesture, but once he registered it he began to slowly move his hand on his friend's back.Bending his head toward Till, Ivan searched the boy's face for some sign that would tell him how to act.
In his head, even after the argument with Hyuna (which he still couldn't believe had actually happened), there was still a collision between Till-his-best-friend and Till-love-of-his-life.

But right now, Till needed Ivan-best-friend , not Ivan-I'd-give-my-life-for-you, and Ivan knew that very well. The boy sighed, as if trying to infuse himself with the courage he knew he didn't have, and held Till by the shoulders, gently pushing him away. "Sorry," he began, weighing his words. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Till said nothing, avoiding Ivan's gaze with a blank expression.

"Till. Can you talk to me?" Ivan asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

Finally, the gray-haired boy raised his head slightly. He wasn't crying, but there was immense desperation in his eyes. Ivan understood perfectly how the boy felt. It was that feeling of helplessness that made you think "What am I going to do now?". Ivan was used to it by now, but he knew that Till, in his naive innocence, had never considered the negative aspects of his crush on Mizi.

And now that they had hit him like a train, the gray-haired boy was left devastated. Till nodded, looking at Ivan without seeing him.

"Breathe. I'm here, I'll help you. It looks worse than it actually is. Relax."

Till nodded again, taking a deep breath. He didn't seem to have any trouble doing so, Ivan noticed. Good, one less problem. Slowly, he straightened, breaking away from his friend's desperate embrace and sitting down beside him. After a few minutes of silence, during which Ivan hadn't stopped leaning towards Till for even a second, checking that he was okay, the gray-haired boy seemed to have finally calmed down.

"When did it happen?"

Ivan, confused, jerked away from Till, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um... What?"

Till waved a hand, swallowing. "The Mizi and Sua thing."

"Ah. Two days ago."

"And... Did they want you to tell me?"

"No. They said I could tell you if I wanted. They were more worried about you leaving us than about your reaction about it."

Till grimaced, fidgeting with his fingers nervously. Then, with a sigh, he began to speak: "Ivan, I don't think my love for Mizi is true."

Ivan turned his head so quickly it almost hurt, but he didn't care. "What... What do you mean?" he asked, blinking a couple of times in shock.

"I mean... Do I really know Mizi? I don't know a single thing about her... I have no idea what her favorite color is, what she does in her free time, what her favorite subject is... Ivan, being around her always made me too embarrassed, but by being away from her, I've reduced her to an idea, you know?" Till was shooting out words like a machine gun, and Ivan was catching every single one of them, nodding vigorously.

"I like Mizi because she's sweet, sensitive, and cares about others... But is she really like that? I can't remember a single moment-" Till said, holding up a finger and staring at it as if it wasn't his, "-when I thought I saw the real Mizi."

Without giving Ivan time to intervene (not that he wanted to), Till continued, undaunted. "And then, the thing that happened to me before... I wouldn't want to be in Sua's place. I felt like... Like I was falling, and there was nothing I could hold rely on. See? I created a false 'Mizi' because I felt like I needed it. I needed inspiration for my songs, a reason to keep going, someone to live for. And so I made her... That ."

For the first time since he'd known him, Ivan saw Till talking about Mizi with a disgusted expression. But it wasn't the thought of her that was making him grimace. It was the thought of himself.

"Now that the lie I've created is crumbling, I'm losing everything. I can't write songs, I don't feel like getting up in the morning..." Till's gaze grew more vacant, and the gray-haired boy clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms. "I think this is the truth: I never liked my life because it never had a purpose . And so I created one using Mizi, but it was all a lie I made up to not feel worthless." Till paused, looking at the fingers he still held clenched.

Ivan was shocked. Till had always been someone who didn't like to talk about his feelings. He downplayed them, repressed them. But Mizi's rejection must have shaken a lot in him. The dark-haired boy wondered what Till had been through in the few days since they'd last seen each other.
Had he perhaps sat at his desk every afternoon, staring at the gray sky, while he pondered what to do with himself?

He couldn't even imagine the emptiness the boy sitting next to him felt at that moment. He knew it was something different from what he felt. He had accepted loving Till with all the pain that came with it, but the gray-haired boy only ever felt joy thinking about Mizi. It mus have been hard for him.
Looking at his tired, dejected expression, Ivan felt himself falling apart. The boy he loved was destroying himself, and he didn't know what to do to help him.

Ivan reached out to Till's face, turning the boy towards him. Till's beautiful teal eyes, which usually shone with a lively light, seemed to have faded, turning gray. The sight of them made Ivan's heart sink even further.

"You have an emptiness inside." Ivan's words hit Till like rocks, but he didn't have the strength to dismiss them with a sarcastic quip or an annoyed phuffat, as he usually did. The gray-haired boy slowly looked away.

"So let me help you fill it." Ivan watched Till as a confused expression crossed his face. He smiled, his gaze softening, before continuing.

"You don't know what to do with your life? That's fine. You're out of inspiration? No problem. You have been holding on to a lie for years? IIt may seem hard right now, but it will all work out. Till, we're all a mess, but we're not alone. You have me, Sua, and of course, Mizi, by your side! We're your best friends, we're here for you. We can share joy, happiness, and keep you company if everything seems too much. Nothing is lost, just don't give up. I'll never give up on you, so try to do the same. Don't let yourself go."

Ivan pushed aside the idea that those words sounded a bit too much like a confession, and continued: "You're a wonderful person, and even if you misunderstood some of your feelings, the fact that you're special doesn't change. You're loyal, determined, and hilarious. Never forget that And even if it were to happen..."

Ivan's expression deepened as the dark-haired boy let go of Till's face to take his hand and squeeze it vigorously. "I'll be here to remind you."

The two remained silent for a few seconds, and just as Ivan was about to throw himself out the window fromt the embarrassment, Till let out a small sigh, relaxing, feebly returning the squeeze.

"Thank you, Ivan. Thank you for being here for me."

The tips of Ivan's ears turned redder, and he broke into a huge smile. "Always, Till."

Ivan and Till stared at each other for a while longer, when Ivan realized he was still holding his friend's hand. He abruptly let go and stuffed it in his pocket, knowing damn well he wouldn't wash it again for the next seven years, masking the blush with a nervous laugh. Luckily Till didn't pay attention, and Ivan breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, trying to lighten the still heavy (and awkward) atmosphere, he suggested, pointing to Till's console: "Hey, fancy a game?"

It probably wasn't the best thing to propose to someone who had just recovered from a mental breakdown, but that's how Ivan and Till were, and in fact the gray-haired boy accepted immediately. Neither of them were focused enough to play properly (Till was still a little shaken, and Ivan was still recovering from the emotion), but for that day, that was fine.
It was simply Till and Ivan playing as they always had, and some things, just as the raven had said earlier, never change.

Fervently punching the controller buttons, Ivan glanced at Till, who was intently watching the screen, his tongue between his teeth. The boy still seemed a little off, but he had regained some of his vitality. One step at a time, together, they would be able to do everything.

---

Countless games later, after yet another victory by Till (who even when exhausted was stronger than Ivan), the sound of the doorbell interrupted the two.

Till was pushing Ivan away from his controller, who was trying his best to steal it and end the gray-haired boy's winning streak. For Till, the 'ringggg' was a godsend, as in a matter of seconds his sixteen consecutive wins would be gone, since Ivan was really close to snatching the controller.

As he pushed Ivan away with a grin, Till stood up and headed for the door, ready to go down the stairs and greet his guest. Ivan hurried after him, nearly tripping down the stairs.

Reaching out to his friend, Ivan asked smoothly, "You still haven't told me who you're waiting...!"

Till nodded, not looking at him. "Oh, yeah. It's a long story... Let's just say I met him a few days ago at the park. I'll tell you the whole story another time."

Ivan added that to the list of things he had to ask Till, ready to take note of every detail about a potential rival, as Till pushed open the door to let the newcomer in.

Ivan stopped a couple of meters away, watching the boy as he entered. He was about ten centimeters shorter than him, was wearing a white coat, a matching scarf, and his blond hair was tied in a low ponytail. Just as Till began introducing him, a memory surfaced in Ivan's mind.

He was with Hyuna, on the sidewalk, and he was staring at her as she described her ex with eyes a little too dreamy: ''...He has very light blonde hair. Sometimes he wears cute little clips to hold it up, and he almost always dresses in white ...

"Wait, you're Luka!"

Till and the blond boy turned to him, the former with a confused expression and the latter with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

"What..?" Till asked, only to be interrupted by Luka's intervention. "How do you know me?"

Ivan gasped. What kind of strange coincidence had caused him and Till to meet Luka and Hyuna around the same time? Raising a finger and pointing at the blond, he exclaimed: "Hyuna told me about you!"

The confusion on Till's face would have been hilarious, if only Luka and/or Ivan had focused on him for a moment.

"Did Hyuna tell you about me?"

"Yes! He told me about when you were together..."

"You were Hyuna's boyfriend?!"

"I see... What did she say?"

"Well, a few things... Why should I tell you, by the way? They're private!"

"You were Hyuna's boyfriend?!"

"You've just screamed about our past relationship, you might as well spill the rest."

"I wasn't thinking about what I said, okay? Now I don't wnat to continue..."

"You were Hyuna's boyfriend?!"

"Yes, Till, I was Hyuna's boyfriend, stop it." Luka, annoyed, turned sharply towards him. Ivan, like the knight in a shining armor he was, immediately stood before Till, determined. "Don't talk to him like that!"

"Does he need you to protect him? I highly doubt it."

"What do you know?! Find someone to protect you, because I'm about to beat you up!"

"Okay, okay, I think that's enough." Till stepped between the two, separating a pissed-off Luka from an enraged Ivan. He glared at the latter, then turned to the former. "Luka, stop being such a bicth, thanks. And Ivan, I can handle this on my own, don't worry."

Luka snorted, crossing his arms, and Ivan quickly masked the grimace he aimed at the blond boy with a diligent smile. "Sorry, Till."

"Better," the gray-haired boy commented, crossing his arms and taking a step back, realizing the fight alarm seemed to have died down. "Now: Luka, this is Ivan. Ivan, this is Luka. And since you're both civilized, you'll shake hands now, like good guys."

Skeptical, the two did as Till had ordered, twisting their fingers in deadly grips and eliciting an exasperated snort from the third boy.

When they all reached Till's apartment, Ivan quickly gathered his things and headed for the door. He was torn between staying to prevent Luka from hitting on Till (very unlikely, but he wasnt aware of that) or leaving, but in the end he opted for the latter.

"I'm going, Till. They're waiting for me at home," he announced, preparing himself for the scolding that awaited him at home. Approaching Till, Ivan gave him a quick hug, trying not to blush. "If you ever need me, just call me! You know I'm always here!"

And then, sticking out his tongue at Luka one last time, Ivan left, closing the door.

Till, confused, stared at the spot where Ivan had been standing a few seconds earlier, then shrugged and turned away. "Well then-" He stopped immediately as soon as he met Luka's skeptical gaze.

"What's up?"

"You know he likes you, right?"

"WHAT-"

Chapter Text

That day, Sua really didn't feel like going out.

Truth be told, Sua never felt like going out. But that particular day, staying home was all she wanted. Just outside the city, a large, long-advertised amusement park had opened, and the streets were crowded with people eager to blow their savings on cotton candy and roller coaster tickets. She wrinkled her nose at the mere thought: how could anyone voluntarily abandon the quiet of their room for something like that? No, she would never have done that.

Maybe she'd call Mizi later, to chat a bit. She still couldn't believe what had happened a few days earlier. If it had been up to her, she would never have confessed. But Mizi had dived right in, and she couldn't help but follow her.
In the end, things had gone well.

She rolled over in bed, putting a hand to her forehead and huffing. Now, however, there was the problem of Till. The gray-haired boy had distanced himself, and it had been a long time since the four of them had seen each other. Even at school, he avoided them. Mizi felt guilty and believed she had to do something to make up for it. Ivan was feeling worse than usual, and while Sua had never cared much, she was worried. She knew that the raven had gone to talk to Till the day before, but she had no idea what they had said to each other.

She told herself she'd think about it tomorrow. Now she wanted take a nap, and maybe sleep till the following morning, and then she could think about the matter with a clear mind. But before the girl could even close her eyes, the sound of a notification startled her.

Turning around, she reached for the nightstand, freezing at the four 'dings!' that followed the first.She stared at the phone with a confused expression. Who had texted her?

As she turned on her phone and opened WhatsApp, she discovered that the five messages came from the chat she had with the friends she had been thinking about just a few minutes earlier.

Mizi 💗
are you free to go to the amusement park?? It's been a long time since we went out! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Ivan
gladly :)

Till
i'm in

Mizi 💗
hurray!! (˶;ᗜ;˵)

Mizi 💗
suaa are you coming??

Sua, shocked, stared at the messages for a few seconds. How could Mizi, Ivan, and especially Till, after what had happened last week at the party, be so resigned to the idea of ​​going out? And also, why go to that damned amusement park?! The dark-haired girl seriously considered responding with a plain 'no' to the last message and going back to sleep, but if it was Mizi asking, she had no choice.

Huffing, Sua typed a brisk 'yes' in response and rose from the bed, giving it one last, heartbroken look before heading to the bathroom.
Damned extroverts.

---

"Hurray!" Mizi broke into a huge smile when Sua's message arrived, and she was tempted to flood the chat with hearts. But what stopped her was the thought of Till.

She had no idea what had been going on in the boy's mind after the party, but she couldn't help but feel terribly guilty, both for him avoiding them and for the further hurt that had been inflicted on Ivan's feelings. Even the happiness that came with the discovery of being loved by Sua didn't last long, knowing that she was happy while her dearest friends suffered like this.

But Mizi was not weak, and sitting around doing nothing was never the choice, for her.

So, as soon as she had gathered some information from Ivan regarding his meeting with Till, planned after an emergency n.4, the pink-haired girl didn't hesitate to organise a hangout with the others.
And that day, once and for all, she would set the record straight.

---

Ivan, lying on the bed, had been staring at the ceiling for at least twenty minutes.

That morning, when he woke up, he felt a new sensation wash over him. For the first time in a long time, he felt as if things were finally taking a turn for the better.He had talked to Till, promised him he would help him, and, he still couldn't believe it, he had held his hand for more than ten seconds without Till pushing him away with a grimace!

He was still worried about Till's mental state, but now that he knew he was doing something that could help him, he felt much more reassured.And then, he was so happy for Mizi and his dear little cousin, who had finally gotten together. His single-ness was going to be even heavier now, but at least he wouldn't have to listen to Mizi's desperate complaints every time they went out. Ivan smiled. Yes, everything was under control.

---

Till rubbed his eyes, cursing at the sunlight streaming in from the window in front of his desk, blinding him and preventing him from writing. Not that he could, but still.

Inspiration showed no sign of returning, and now Till's mind was crowded with thoughts of a certain dark-haired boy, in addition to those of Mizi. Luka's statement from the night before had sent him into a spiral of rambling thoughts about Ivan, and Till couldn't get out of it. Ivan was in love with him?! Ah! Since when was Luka able to make jokes?

Till was absolutely convinced the blond was wrong, and he'd told him so over and over again, chuckling in disbelief. Out of all the people that were head over heels for him, and with whom he interacted every day, Luka thought Ivan had a crush on Till?! Introverted-loser-Till? Of course, the gray-haired boy could see why Luka saw Ivan like a loving and somewhat naive boyfriend, after the impression he had given him the day before, but he had assured him that this wasn't the case.

So, Luka had kindly (as if he was able to be kind) pointed out to him that Ivan had clearly been acting jealous, had hugged him longer than how friends did and had blushed heavily before leaving. Till had retorted that Ivan was always like this, it wasn't anything new, and at that point Luka had raised an eyebrow.
"There are two possibilities: either Ivan is a sociopath, or you're in denial. Hint: the correct answer is the second one. Not that the first one is completely wrong, but you get the message," the blond boy proclaimed, clicking his tongue.

Till remained silent, and the argument was dropped for that evening. But as soon as Luka left him alone, the thoughts flooded his head. He, however, had other things to worry about, so he decided to show Luka he was wrong by writing a quick list of pros and cons about the theory 'Ivan doesn't like Till in that sense'.
Unfortunately for him, the list currently had two pros and seventeen cons. The latter were actually much more, but Till had stopped when his hand hurt from writing so much.
And, truth be told, the two pros were:
- I don't know if Ivan likes boys.
- He always listened to me when I talked about Mizi.

Yes, Till already knew that the second one could be considered a cons. Staring sadly at the paper, completely blank on one side and covered in writing on the other, Till sank onto the bed, groaning. The problem with Mizi and the loss of inspiration weren't enough: now he also had to deal with the Ivan issue. Even though they bickered often, Till couldn't deny that Ivan was his best friend. And if Luka was right (seventeen points in his favor), he had liked Till for a long time. Perhaps even before Till became infatuated with Mizi. As a result, he couldn't help but be at least a little worried about how Ivan was feeling.

"Aaaaaahh..." Till rubbed his face, trying to think clearly. There was no need to resolve everything now. It was enough to keep things calm so no one got hurt. First, he definitely had to talk to Mizi. It would be difficult, he knew that, but he had to do it. Then, he would pay attention to Ivan's behaviour around him, to see if Luka was wrong. He would take care of the rest later.
Dropping his arms on the bed and sinking into the mattress, the gray-haired boy sighed. He could do it. He just had to be strong.

---

The four decided to meet at the entrance of the amusement park, and were now waiting in the queue to buy tickets. Luckily, it was flowing quite quickly, so they would be able to get in within ten minutes. None of the four could deny that the meeting had been really awkward. Sua and Mizi had nothing left to hide, so they'd arrived hand in hand.
When Mizi noticed Till, she'd shot him a nervous glance, which he'd returned with a wave.

Ivan hadn't arrived yet, so the three had to engage in a conversation that was completely unforced (sure). Mizi asked how things were going at home, Till responded 'well' and asked the same question, to which she responded with a smile and a thumbs up. Till, through all this, could feel Sua's sharp gaze piercing him, but he didn't expect to hear her intervene.

The dark-haired girl, however, crossed her arms and exclaimed, stopping the awkwars conversation: "You two need to talk."

Mizi's smile froze, and Till's eyes widened, as he slowly turned to face Sua. She continued, undaunted. "When we get in, I'll take Ivan aside, and you two will sort things out. Have I made myself clear?" Mizi and Till nodded obediently. They both knew Sua was right, and more importantly, that if they opposed her, it wouldn't end well. Soon, Ivan arrived, hugging Mizi and Sua tightly (eliciting a disgusted grimace from the latter) and throwing an arm around Till's shoulders.

As Sua complained to Mizi, Ivan leaned near Till's ear, whispering, "Are you okay?" Till looked at him out of the corner of his eye, nodding. When Ivan spoke to him, he always had to have at least some form of physical contact, whether it was a hand on the shoulder or a touch of fingers. He did it with others too, but after careful consideration, Till had come to the conclusion that with him the physical contact was significantly more.
By now, he had established that Luka was right, but the thought that his best friend had a crush on him was still really strange. Aside from that, Till decided not to elaborate on how he felt. It was a problem of the tomorrow-Till.

Finally, the four managed to buy tickets (not before Sua complained about the excessive cost) and entered the amusement park. Overall, since the park was quite large, it wasn't too crowded. The queues for the rides weren't miles long, nor were the ones at the snack stands.

Spotting one of them, Sua immediately took Ivan's arm, pulling him away from Till and gaining a confused reaction from him. "Come on, little cousin, let's get some cotton candy." Ivan, obviously, was a little surprised by Sua's sudden request, but when faced with an offer to buy sweets, he could never say no. So, he let Sua drag him away. The girl turned furtively toward Till and Mizi, raising a thumb with an overly serious expression that in a normal situation would have made Till burst into laughter. Too bad he was too nervous to even smile.

Swallowing, he turned to Mizi, avoiding her gaze, but before he could begin to speak, the girl stopped him. "Till, I'm sorry. I wasn't fair at all at the party. I didn't explain things to you, and I left you alone when you needed comfort. I'm so sorry, I'm a horrible person." Mizi began to speak, waving her hands furiously. "And even now, while you were sad, I thought only of my own happiness. I'm not worthy of your friendship."

The girl finished her speech, catching her breath and looking straight into Till's eyes. The boy sighed, forcing himself to maintain eye contact, and broke into a small smile. "Mizi, don't worry. I understand how you felt, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. And also, I don't want you to suppress your happiness for me. I'm figuring things out..." Till waved a hand, as if trying to find the right words, "...and little by little I should be able to understand how i wan to act."

Mizi returned Till's slight smile. "And... I wanted to apologize, because I think I lied to you. My feelings for you are real, but they're not exactly... the way I confessed them to you. I mean, I've always admired you as a person, and to satisfy my discomfort, I turned a simple admiration into a crush. I'm still trying to sort out all my thoughts, but... I thought it was right you knew."
The pink-haired girl listened curiously, then nodded gently. "I understand. Well, just know that we'll all be there for you when you need us." Till rubbed the back of his neck, blushing slightly. The crush, or whatever it was, was fading away, but Mizi still had a certain effect on him.

"By the way... Congratulations. You know, for you and Sua." "Oh, thanks! It was Ivan who told you, right?" Till nodded, careful not to reveal what had happened following Ivan's revelation. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. "Yes. And speaking of Ivan... Well, I talked to someone, and... I was wondering if..." The boy cleared his throat, looking away. "Yeah, well, if Ivan happened to like me."

"Oh." That was definitely not the reaction Till was expecting.

"I'm sorry, Till," Mizi continued, a sad look on her face. "I'd rather not answer. It would be better if you figured it out myself, don't you think? If the answer is yes or no, I mean. It wouldn't be fair for me to address Ivan's feelings." Till nodded quickly. This was kinda what he was thinking she would've said. He knew Mizi was a loyal person, and definitely not one that spill secrets.
With that last question, he decided to leave the topic aside. He'd think about it later. Now, finally, he had patched things up with Mizi, and could live with one less weight on his shoulders. "Okay, thanks, Mizi."

The girl smiled, giving him a friendly nudge. "You're welcome! I owe you." The two chatted (a little nervously) for a while, and Till felt like he was truly talking to Mizi for the first time. It was a pleasant feeling. Shortly after, Ivan and Sua returned with two large portions of pink cotton candy. Sua quickly approached Mizi, whispering something that probably was: " Everything's okay?"

Mizi responded with a happy nod, then snatched a piece of cotton candy from her. The sweet smile she reserved to Sua was something Till had never seen before, and he had to admit they were really cute together.

A touch on his shoulder made him turn, and Till was met with Ivan's usual sardonic smile, his sungletooth peeking out , as he offered him a piece of cotton candy. Till accepted it, taking more than he should have and chuckling at Ivan's confused face. The black-haired boy rolled his eyes, then smiled again, looking at Till. "Okay, you can take as much as you want, you're too cute when you eat!"
Till pushed Ivan away, hiding his embarrassment with an annoyed expression (which was actually completely genuine). He wondered why he hadn't noticed before. It was more than obvious.

Once the cotton candy was finished, the four, chatting, finally headed towards the first ride. Although they'd barely spoken for a few days, that period seemed to have been forgotten by everyone, thanks to the fact that their friendship was too long-lasting to be shattered by such a trivial incident.

---

For their first ride, the four chose the dodgem, spurred on by the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Mizi-Ivan duo. The two dragged Sua and Till into two carsrespectively, and at the start of the ride, they catapulted themselves into the middle of the track. Ivan, as everyone expected, was a sadistic madman behind the steering wheel who enjoyed crashing into others just for a laugh, tossing a desperate Till from side to side.

But the real surprise was Mizi. The girl, resolutely determined, aimed at an opposing car and wouldn't stop until she made it skid. She was so terrifying that half of the people on the ride was afraid to even get close. At the end of the ride, which was a trauma for everyone except the two friends, Sua got up, very pissed off, and headed towardsTill, kicking Ivan out of the car and sending him to Mizi. Turning to Till as she tied her hair in a ponytail, the brunette gave him a creepy smile. "Ready to make them regret being born?"

Till stared at her, shocked, then started laughing. "Always."
Soon after, Mizi was huffing, rubbing her side, while holding onto Ivan, who was equally sore. Till and Sua, high-fiving each other, looked at the fruit of their labor with satisfaction, chuckling evilly.

(just to be clear: till and sua didn't beat them up, they only were very evil on the dodgem like mizi and ivan had been before :D i felt the need to explain myslef better since someone previously thought they actually got into a fight :3)

---

Then, the quartet took a roller coaster ride, at Till's insistent request. The gray-haired boy, obsessed with adrenaline and extreme sports, decided to go on the roller coaster even before entering the amusement park, ignoring the fact that Ivan suffered from a terrible fear of heights. And sure enough, Till kept his hands up the whole time, while Ivan screamed in fear at the top of his lungs.
Sua, like a good ice queen, remained almost impassive, while Mizi clung to her girlfriend's arm, screaming.

As they got off the ride, disheveled and sweaty, Till exclaimed: "We have to do this again!"
Unfortunately, his proposal was cut short by the sudden sound of puking that forced Ivan to run to the bathroom, and the three friends to follow him with tears in their eyes.

---

Sua, then, decided to try one of those booths where the goal was to shoot cans to win prizes. "So, Till, do you want to challenge me?" If Till had thougth before responding, he probably would have refused. But the adrenaline was still high, and the boy was convinced he could beat Sua. "Of course!"

Obviously, the desire of glory Till had was completely shattered, alongside his dignity, by Sua's pinpoint shots, as she mocked him while she picked up a stuffed animal of Mizi's choosing - a black kitten - as her prize. (Frankly, she hadn't played for the ultimate reward at all, but rather to thrash Till.)

Till, on the other hand, with his measly three hits out of twenty, twon a miserable keychain in the shape of something that look like a ball of dust...? Honestly, he didn't even understand what it was meant to resemble.

Ivan stood beside him as they headed to the next ride. "Well, Till, you could have done better, but at least you got a prize!" he exclaimed, leaning over Till's shoulder to peek at the keychain. Till snorted, looking disappointed at his winnings. "Meh. You want to keep it?" Ivan's eyes widened, smiling. "Oh, sure! Thanks, Till!" The dark-haired boy took the trinket Till handed him, eyeing it curiously, and slipping it into his pocket.
'Ah, Till, when are you going to stop giving me all these mixed signals?' Ivan found himself thinking, knowing that the keychain had just become his most prized possession.

---

At the end of the day, the four decided together (Ivan wasn't very happy about it, actually) to go on the huge ferris wheel overlooking the amusement park as their last ride. Sua and Mizi, sitting next to each other, began to chat quietly, holding hands. Looking at them, Ivan couldn't help but think how lucky they were to have found each other. Then, he turned to Till, and began to stare at him, hoping desperately that he wouldn't turn around.
The gray-haired boy was facing the park, staring blankly at the people below. The sky was already dark, and the moonlight was shining on Till's face, giving a somewhat mystical atmosphere to the situation. Till was tapping his fingers on his thigh, and Ivan had to summon all his self-control not to grab his hand and squeeze it.

It had been a beautiful day.

Ivan was happy.

He was finally happy.

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since the four had gone to the amusement park, and now Ivan was sitting on the sagging couch in the music club, telling Hyuna everything that had happened.

"...and look, he gave me this!"

Overjoyed, the boy lifted his bag, showing Hyuna the keychain that Till had won (only because the lady at the booth had taken pity on him) and then gifted him. "Isn't it cute?"

Hyuna looked at the keychain (which was absolutely not cute) in confusion and made a doubtful noise."Meeeeeh..."

Ivan slapped her arm, snorting. "You don't understand art!"

Hyuna sighed, dropping the argument, since it was definitely difficult to have Ivan realize the trinket was a monstruosity when he was so in love. "Of course, of course, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

After receiving the apology, although insincere, Ivan relaxed and lay down on the sofa, fiddling with the keychain. "Anyway," he began again, straightening up and resting his face on his hand. "Do you know who I met a few days ago, at Till's house?"

Hyuna, checking her nails with a disinterested expression, replied, "Nah, who?"

Ivan, with the tone of someone who was about to drop some crazy gossip, whispered: "Your dear Luka..!"

Hyuna sat up quickly, ("WHAT") and her reckless movement snapped one of the last working springs in the sofa, sending the girl flying in the air and then face down on the floor.
Ivan started laughing loudly, almost crying (who would expect a sofa spring to be that powerful?) and Hyuna gave him an annoyed look, spitting out some hair that had gotten into her mouth when she flipped over.

"Anyway—Stop laughing!—how did you meet him?" Hyuna was obviously trying to hide her interest, and Ivan couldn't help but use this to turn the tables in his favour.

"Mmm, I don't know if I should tell you, it's classified information..."

"Ivaaaan!" Hyuna stood up, reaching out to Ivan in an attempt to force him to speak.

The dark-haired boy jumped to his feet and began running comically in circles, with the brunette behind him shouting all kinds of insults at him. The comical chase ended when Ivan, too busy taunting Hyuna, ignored the pillow in his path, tripping over it and falling heavily to the ground.

"Ah-ha! It's karma!" Hyuna exclaimed with a sneer, stepping in front of Ivan as he stood up in pain. "And now speak, man!"

Luckily for Ivan, he was saved by the providential arrival of a student, who knocked on the club's door. Hyuna snorted, signaling Ivan that she was watching him, and went to open the door.

Ivan saw her exchange a few words with the student and accept a piece of paper from him, before closing the door. "What did he say?"

"The principal has a request, and all the details should be here," the girl replied, waving the piece of paper.

"Uh, what is it?" Ivan leaned towards Hyuna, who pushed him away and began reading the contents of the paper. "Hyuna, let me see!"

But when the girl didn't bother to answer, Ivan began to grow suspicious. As she continued reading, Hyuna's brows furrowed more and more. With a sigh, reaching the end of the paper, Hyuna shifted her gaze to Ivan.

"Call your friends, quick. Emergency meeting."

---

Within fifteen minutes, the reinforcements called by Hyuna and Ivan had arrived, and they were all sitting on the floor of the music club, confused.

Ivan swept his gaze over the seven boys watching him. Till and Mizi were genuinely confused, and he responded to Mizi's questioning look with a shrug. Honestly, he didn't know what they were there for either. Sua just seemed annoyed to be there, and Ivan couldn't blame her.

Hyunwoo and Dewey were bickering as usual, and Isaac, whose look showed he absolutely had no desire to put up with them, was chatting with Luka.

Ivan had met him only once, but he was deeply convinced that the blond was capable of expressing only one emotion, that is, a complete lack of emotion. Just as the dark-haired man was staring at him, Luka glanced back, and Ivan had the unconscious reflex to shiver.

Hyuna's intervention was providential, as she stepped in to get the boys' attention, quieting the hubbub.

"Hem hem"

Eight heads, including Ivan's, turned towards her, eager to understand why they had been called to school in the afternoon.

“Soldiers,” Hyuna began, her hands clasped behind her back, and she began pacing back and forth with a stern expression. "I have received a mission of the utmost importance from the Supreme Leader, and I require your assistance in completing it."

Dewey, being the pain in the ass he was, raised a hand and smiled. "What makes you think we're willing to help?" Hyuna shot him a murderous look. "Because my every wish is my command, soldier! Now get down and give me ten push-ups."

Dewey raised an eyebrow, but another meaningful look from Hyuna made him snort, and the boy started doing as she commanded. "Well, now, any more objections?" Hyuna asked, satisfied, as Dewey continued his series of push-ups.

Luka raised his hand, and a nod from Hyuna allowed him to speak. "Why not twenty?" Hyuna pretended to think about it for a moment, then nodded ecstatically. "Thanks, rookie! Dewey, make it twenty."

The victim turned to the two, perhaps on the verge of protesting, but then seemed to think better of it, shaking his head. If he didn't want to do push-ups for the rest of his days, he'd better suffer in silence.

Hyuna clapped her hands, smiling. "What were we saying? Oh, yes! You know how there's the school festival every year around this time, right? Well, we have to organize the concert, and I thought we could use some help. That's why you're here too, darlings." The brunette glanced at Till, Mizi, and Sua, who were still a little confused.

"Obviously, none of you have the right to choose whether or not to participate, as the decision is mine. Is that clear?" If anyone was tempted to say no, they definitely changed their minds at the sight of Dewey, who was still doing push-ups with Hyunwoo tickling him while he did it.

Hyuna nodded, satisfied. Then, dragging a rickety chalkboard to the center of the room, usually used by the music club, she exclaimed, "Now I'll proceed to explain the division of tasks!"

Grabbing a marker, Hyuna began scribbling cheerfully on the board.

"My favorite girls," she exclaimed, winking at Sua and Mizi and writing their names in a corner, surrounded by stars, "will be in charge of the flyers and advertising. The rest of the city can come and listen to us, too, so make sure they know!"
The pink-haired girl gave a thumbs-up and smiled, while the dark-haired one didn't waste any unnecessary gestures. It was obvious to everyone (even more so in the last few days) that the two were inseparable.

"Dewey-ficient, Isaac the Terrible and my sweet little brother will be responsible for getting the supplies. Props, etc."
The sweet little brother in question, with an angelic face that didn't suit him at all, responded with a very confident "Yessir, sis!" while literally sitting on Dewey with Isaac, giggling like a maniac.

"Ivannie and Lukey, you're the ones in charge of the organization. Go ask the principal about the available spaces, that kind of stuff, you know?" Ivan, who had meanwhile sat down next to Till, glanced at Luka. The blond was staring at him with a smirk that didn't bode well, and Ivan shivered, hiding behind an annoyed Till.

"And finally..." Hyuna announced solemnly, putting the cap back on the marker after writing the last two names and drawing a crown on top. "...Till and I will take care of the music!"

Till wiped his sweaty hands on his pants when Hyuna pointed at him. "Actually, I..."

But he was interrupted by the brunette, who clapped her hands and shouted: "Come on, snap, snap! And yes, Dewey, I explained very well what you have to do, if you don't understand it's because you're incompetent!"
In the blink of an eye, fearing more push-ups, everyone cleared out of the music club room, leaving a very agitated Till in the center of the room.

Hyuna wasn't looking at him, just staring contentedly at the blackboard. "Oh, I forgot that none of them will be able to do anything until we think of ideas for this show first! Well, never mind!" She turned to the gray-haired boy, smiling. "We're artists, it won't take long! Aren't we, kid?"

Till swallowed, looking down.
"Sunbae..."

But Hyuna wasn't paying attention. Still babbling about her ideas, she was grabbing pens and papers from around the room.

"Sunbae! I don't... I don't think I can help you."

Hyuna spun around, smiling. "Why not? No one's better at it than you! You have to help me, kid!"

Till sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I haven't... I can't write lately. Everything's jumbled up, and I'm out of ideas. Sorry, but I don't think I can be of any help to you." Till heard Hyuna put the materials on the table and approach. She threw an arm around him, stroking his hair, and exclaimed, "Don't worry! I'll take care of the songs, you can give me your opinions! And if you can't manage, just keeping me company is fine!"

The brunette stood in front of him, giving him a thumbs up. "I had a case of musician's block, too, a few years ago! Hang out with people you like, do fun things, and it'll pass!" Hyuna gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, turning around and rubbing her hands together."Good! Let's get to work!"

Till broke into a smile. He couldn't help it; Hyuna's optimism was contagious.

"Okay, let's do it."

---

Mizi and Sua walked through the school, hand in hand.

"Honestly, I don't understand anything about what we have to do."

"Me neither, but Hyuna is like that! Let's find some flyer templates, that's more than fine."

"If you say so."

Sua shrugged, while Mizi took out her phone and started searching the web for ideas for the work they should do.

As she cotninued to walk, Sua glanced at the pink-haired girl, who was intently scrolling through her Pinterest home screen. Sighing, Sua approached her, resting her head on her shoulder. She felt Mizi flinch, and her walk slowed. The two continued on, fingers intertwined, shoulders touching, happier than they'd ever been.

---

Ivan was casting maledictions on everyone he could think of.

Luka, for existing. Hyuna, for pairing him with the insufferable blond boy despite his explicit statement that he'd rather eat a live cricket than speak to him again. Mizi, for introducing him to Hyuna and betraying him by getting together with Sua, condemning him to an eternity of single-dom. Sua, because casting maledictions on Sua always amused him, and his parents, because casting maledictions them never hurt either.

(Till obviously not, a corner of his mind was constantly dedicated to hosting a small altar in honor of the boy.)

Ever since they'd left the music club room, Luka hadn't stopped staring at him with that creepy, annoying half-smile of his, and Ivan was starting to have a hard time suppressing the urge to punch him.

There was nothing he could do about it. Ever since hee'd met the blond at Till's house earlier, their interaction had sparked an immense antipathy.How did Hyuna get involved with someone like that? Luka was slimy and sour and rude and...

"Excuse me, but do you hate me, by any chance?"

Ivan snapped out of his very unflattering tirade and turned to Luka with wide eyes and a very fake smile. "Nooo, what makes you think that?"

Luka raised an eyebrow, and Ivan clenched his fist. "Okay, then I'll be direct. Till is in no condition to be in a relationship. Don't push him to do anything he doesn't chose to do himself.."

Ivan's smile cracked, and the raven decided not to bother maintaining it any longer. Stopping his pace, the boy cocked his head slightly. "Excuse me?"

Luka turned around, glancing sideways at Ivan. "You understood everything I said, don't pretend."

Ivan couldn't believe it. Luka knew about his crush on Till. Okay, it wasn't a problem, he'd expected it. But how dare he...? Before he could reply, however, Luka snorted, crossing his arms. "I don't know how you feel, by not being reciprocated, but I have an idea. I guess it hurts, doesn't it? Imagine if you added the feeling of seeing Till sad. Would you survive?"

Ivan definitely wasn't expecting a speech like that. From Luka, after all. Perhaps he'd misunderstood the relationship between him and his beloved guitarist.

"Exactly." Luka nodded at Ivan's non-answer. "So, for your sake and especially for his, don't force him. If something's going to happen, it will happen. Till... He's got his own things to worry about, you understand?"

Ivan gasped in disbelief. He tried to find the words to respond, marshalling all his thoughts. A part of him, a very powerful one, was pushing him to punch the blond boy. The other, however, acknowledged that what Luka was saying was true, but was too proud to agree with him.

Sighing deeply, Ivan shook his head slightly. "I know."

Luka looked at him, and the dark-haired boy continued speaking.

"I don't know what ideas you've got in your head," and while saying that, Ivan slowly approached Luka. "But I know Till well, and I know what I have to do to let him be happy." Turning, Ivan shrugged. "And, um, I gave up a while ago."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Ivan knew full well that, especially now, given his mental state, he had no hope with Till. That was precisely why, a few days earlier, he had put his own feelings aside and prioritized Till's. Because that was love. Putting the other's good before your own.

Ivan was lost in thought, but Luka's touch on his shoulder brought him back to reality. Turning toward him, Ivan saw a strange expression on the boy's face. Was it... understanding?

"I admit..." he began, looking him straight in the eye. "That I misjudged you."

Ivan glanced at him sideways, smiling. "It's about time."

Luka wrinkled his nose, but continued anyway. "Yes, that's it. If you're hoping I'll compliment you again, you're wrong."

The dark-haired man sighed. He had misunderstood Luka, but not entirely. "Thanks. Me too, um...You have a less slap-worthy face now..?"

Luka shrugged. "They often tell me that."

Ivan raised an eyebrow, grinning. "And you have a decent sense of humor, too. Not better than mine, but on par with Till's, let's say."

Luka rolled his eyes and started walking off toward who-knows-where. Ivan came up beside him, nudging him. "Come on, that's a lot!"

"Did you compare me to the love of your life? Yes, that's a lot."

Ivan thought for a second, startled. "I'll take it all back!"

"Too late."

"Fuck you!"

---

Meanwhile, Dewey, Isaac, and Hyunwoo, without even knowing how, found themselves with snot, broom, and dustpan in hand, all busy cleaning the third floor of the school.

"Hey," Hyunwoo interrupted at one point, his expression confused, as if he'd suddenly realized what he was doing. "Hyuna didn't tell us to do... something, did she?"

Dewey chuckled. "Oh, no, I don't think so. Hyuna giving us something to do? Ah! What a joke!"

"Oh yeah, you're right."

Isaac paused from scrubbing a windowsill to cast a weary glance at the two idiots beside him. He couldn't help but think that if aliens had abducted them, everything would have been better.

---

By they all finished their tasks, it was evening.

The gang had spent the whole afternoon wandering around the school, completing the various tasks that Hyuna had assigned them.

Mizi and Sua had been brainstorming flyer ideas, and they'd thought about asking the pink-haired girl's mother to design a poster to hang outside the school. ("Ah, girls, that's a great idea!" Hyuna commented, giving them both a bone-crushing hug.)

Ivan and Luka, having (more or less) put aside their disagreements, had obtained a map from the principal showing how the festival would be organized, and consequently where the stage would be located. ("Better than nothing," Hyuna had nodded, taping the map to the blackboard under the irritated gazes of the two.)

Dewey, Hyunwoo, and Isaac had managed to find a few boxes of art supplies after cleaning the school for like two hour, still not understanding how they'd gotten into that situation. ("You exceeded my expectations, congratulations!" Hyuna had proclaimed, delighted.)

The brunette, despite trying not to show it with her energetic demeanor, was exhausted. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and the sweatshirt she'd been wearing was thrown on the floor.

Till, on the other hand, wasn't much better. He was staring into space, fanning his sweaty face with one hand, and looked like he was about to faint. The only one who, observing the disastrous conditions of the two, dared to ask what was wrong was obviously Luka.

"Excuse me," he asked, all composed. "But are you okay?"

Hyuna laughed nervously, waving her hand. "Oh, yeah, all good! We just, um... went through a creative rush."
​​Till nodded absentmindedly, and if you looked at him, you could almost see the music notes coming out of his ears.

"Don't worry! I created a WhatsApp group, I'll send you all the details there!" Hyuna exclaimed, smiling. "I think we've done enough for today. See you next time!"
After listening to the girl's speech, the audience began to chat, starting to collect their things and then leaving the music club.

Mizi and Sua were the first to leave, as they lived far away and had to take the bus.

Then it was Dewey, Isaac, and Hyunwoo's turn. The third boy, dismissed by his sister who had "one last thing to do at the club," nodded and followed the two, who were going home in the drummer's van.

Ivan, who had now come up beside Till and was waving a hand in front of him, gave Hyuna and Luka an apologetic smile. "I'll take him home. See you!" The two watched Ivan drag his friend out of the club, and the blond couldn't help but comment: "Don't take advantage of this!" Eliciting a laugh from the brunette.

Ivan blushed, nervous, pointing to Till and giving Luka the middle finger. Not that the gray-haired boy had heard, anyway. He was too tired.

Ivan, eager to distance Till as much as possible from the blond's dangerous remarks, hurried out into the corridor. He remained silent, looking everywhere except at the boy literally hanging on him.

"Thank you," Till muttered suddenly, straightening up a little and loosening his grip on Ivan's shoulder, which he had been using as a human crutch. Ivan pulled away abruptly, chuckling nervously. "Haha, you're welcome!"

The boy stared at a strip of tiles that suddenly seemed very interesting, a little confused.
What was happening to him? Normally, being so close to Till wouldn't have had that effect on him.

Perhaps it was the unconscious idea that he really had (not as he had told Luka) some hope that made him so embarrassed. Ivan couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, it was good to delude yourself a little.

"Why are you smiling? You're creepy." Till's frankness, as usual, didn't fail to bring him back down to Earth.

“I’m just happy to spend some time with my best friend!” Ivan exclaimed, batting his eyelashes languidly.

"Stop it!" Till commented, pushing him away and gaining a chuckle from Ivan.

---

Meanwhile, alone with Luka in the music club, Hyuna sank into a chair, closing her eyes and resting a hand on her forehead. "Ah, we're finally done! I couldn't take it anymore..."

Luka sat down next to her, looking at her. "You don't have to push yourself so far, Hyuna."

"I know, I know. But I had to, you know? Till needs stimulation, and music is the only thing that can get him back on track."

"Mh."

A heavy silence fell over the two of them. Luka shifted his gaze to the blackboard, and Hyuna shot him several sidelong glances.
It was weird. In the last few days, she had spoken so often about her past relationship with Luka that being near him made her feel strange.

And now she would have to bring it up again. Hyuna snorted, steeling herself.

"Listen, Luka, I have something to ask you."

"Go on."

"Till and I put together a setlist, and... So, would you like to sing at the show?"

Luka turned to her slowly, and Hyuna swallowed. She and Luka were practically best friends, but when he looked at her, she always felt confusing feeling.

"What do I have to sing?"

There it was, the question. Hyuna wiped away a drop of sweat, rummaging through the papers scattered on the table she and Till had filled that day. Finding what she was looking for, she pushed it toward Luka.

The blond looked at it. It was, exactly as Hyuna had prefaced, a list of songs. Five, in total, each scribbled and rewritten over and over again. Every single one except number four, which remained untouched in the center of the sheet.

Next to his name, in Hyuna's messy calligraphy, it was written 'ruler of my heart'.

"So? What do you say?" Hyuna urged nervously. "Do you want to...? I understand if you're not up for it, that song is... I mean, if it's too personal..."

Luka interrupted her, shaking his head. "No, that's fine. I'll sing it."

Hyuna looked up abruptly, her face brightening. "Are you serious?!

"Yes."

"That's fantastic!" Hyuna jumped up, stroking Luka's hair affectionately. "I haven't heard that song since..." Hyuna stopped, jerking her hand away, a nervous expression appearing on her face. "You got it."

Luka nodded. Yes. He understood.

"Okay. Thanks. I'll go, then." Hastily putting on her sweatshirt and quickly gathering her things, without looking at him, Hyuna waved goodbye, rushing out of the room. Luka stayed still, staring at the corner where Hyuna had disappeared, his expression stoic.

Then, as if it hurt, the boy took out his phone with deadly calm, opening the notes app.

Scrolling back almost three years, he finally found the document he was interested in. Opening it, the boy's clear eyes flickered to the lyrics. It was a song lyric, entitled, appropriately, "Ruler of My Heart."

And, at the bottom of the page, two last, solitary words appeared.

For Hyuna.

Chapter Text

"So, this is what Hyuna-sunbae and I have in mind."

Sua, Mizi and Ivan, huddled together on the sofa in Till's house, leaned towards the gray-haired boy curiously, looking at the paper he was holding.

"Each of us is supposed to sing a song, and Hyuna told me to give you the exact words..." Till cleared his throat, mimicking the brunette's joyful yet disturbing expression.
"Mizi, Ivan, if you don't sing, hours of WhatsApp calls will be made public. Sua, you can do whatever you want, but if you don't want your future wife traumatized, you know very well what the best choice is."

Mizi and Ivan exchanged a worried look: neither of them was dying to have their secrets aired to the four winds, especially when they were their shared passion for My Little Pony (a very respectable show, okay?!?) and their heated discussions during nights spent playing Dress To Impress.

"We'll gladly sing..." Mizi spoke for everyone, after Sua had also shrugged her shoulders.

"Excellent," Till exclaimed, too focused on the papers in front of him to notice his best friends' trembling. Having found what he was looking for, he handed a piece of paper to Mizi and Sua, and another to Ivan.

"Hyuna was thinking about having you sing first," he began, gesturing toward the two girls. "We've got a couple of ideas for what your song might be, but feel free to tweak it as you like."
As he spoke, Till twisted the rings on his fingers. Ivan's eyes lingered on Till's hands. He'd learned to recognize the other boy's signs of nervousness, so he made a note to ask him later if everything was okay.

"Ivan," Till continued, swallowing. "Your song... Hyuna did it all, okay? She said if you have any questions, you can talk to her." Ivan looked from Till's worried face to the paper he'd been handed, shooing away a curious Mizi who was trying to peek.

Despite being a good singer overall, Ivan didn't have a great understanding of meter and musical notation. But it didn't take a genius to figure out the song Hyuna had commissioned him to sing about.

In one corner of the sheet, a small message appeared, signed with an H and a little heart.

If you don't want to sing it, I understand. Change it however you want, and give it a title. Till hasn't read it.

Ivan smiled weakly, looking up at Till. "I will, thanks, Till."

The boy muttered an indistinct "You're welcome," then coughed and continued talking.

"Then it's the music club's turn. Hyuna said they already have a song ready, they just need to rehearse." Till's eyes were sparkling: you could tell he couldn't wait to hear his sunbaes play again.
"Luka... Yeah, well, then there's Luka". He didn't need to continue: everyone knew the story of the blond boy's song, told to Till by Luka himself, to Mizi and Ivan by Hyuna, and to Sua by Mizi, who couldn't keep secrets.
And no one wanted to delve deeper.

"And in the end, it'll be up to me." Till shifted a little uncomfortably. "I still have to work out the right ideas, but... I think I can do it." Till's words seemed to be spoken more to convince himself than others, and they didn't seem to be having much effect.

Mizi and Ivan exchanged a worried look, but it was Sua who spoke, surprising them all.

"Till, inspiration will return, don't worry," he said simply.

The two beside him gaped in disbelief, and Till scratched the back of his neck. "Thank you, Sua."

The dark-haired girl nodded, leaning back on the couch. Turning to Ivan and Mizi, she raised an annoyed eyebrow. "What, can't I be nice?" Mizi quickly shook her head vigorously, and Ivan exclaimed, in a dramatic tone: "Sua, the ice queen, being kind?? Oh, what evil spell has befallen you?!"

A fist hit him hard on the head, making him groan in pain, and easing the tension that had built up in the room.

Till and Mizi chuckled as Sua looked at her cousin with a satisfied smile. Even in the toughest of times, the Sua/Ivan pairing was always a blast.

Once the hilarity had subsided, the four continued chatting, spending the afternoon laughing and playing board games (Risk in particular was their favorite, because one way or another Till's goal was always to annihilate Ivan's troops, and he always failed, while Mizi and Sua were too busy conquering the Americas).

---

"See ya tomorrow!"

Ivan and Till were saying goodbye to Mizi and Sua, who would be returning home early. Ivan, who didn't want to go back to his parents yet, would stay with Till a little longer.

Till closed the door behind him, following Ivan who was already skipping happily up the stairs. "Hurry up, Till!" the dark-haired boy shouted from above, just before entering the house. "I want to start writing the song, and I need a brave musician to help me!"

Till snorted, reaching Ivan. The dark-haired boy was lying on the floor, scribbling on the piece of paper Till had given him earlier.

The gray-haired boy's eyes lingered on his friend for a moment: they were alone, the two of them and their songs.
His, for which he hadn't the faintest inkling of an idea.
Ivan's, which was about a more or less unknow topic.

And then there was Ivan, lying next to him, chewing on a pen, staring at the words on his paper with an unreadable gaze.

Ivan, who had supported him during his mental breakdown when his life had lost its meaning.
Ivan, who had a crush on him and still endured the terrible feeling of being next to him without being able to confess anything.
Ivan, who was writing his song on the floor of his house, shooting him not-so-sneaky glances.

"What..." Till coughed, trying to get the words out of his throat. "What's your song about?"

Ivan didn't look at him. In fact, it seemed to Till that he had even turned in the other direction. "Um... It's about... Pain, I guess."

Till felt himself sinking. This was all he needed to know. Ivan was suffering, and it was all his fault. If a few seconds before it seemed that his life had no meaning, now it did: hurting his best friend.

"But it's a nice kind of pain," Ivan continued, twirling the pen between his fingers and resting his chin on his hand. "I don't know if you understand. I've been living with it for... years now, and I've given it a name and a face. And while I still suffer every day, this suffering has brought me numerous benefits."

Ivan sighed, his tight grimace softening into a relaxed expression. "So, for now, I'm fine with this." Ivan smiled, a happiness so blinding that Till was overwhelmed by it, the corners of his mouth curving upward.

"Oh, um, sorry—I mean, I'm sorry." Till muttered. Ivan shook his head, hugging him and rubbing his hair. "Don't worry, it's not your fault!"

Ivan wasn't lying. Sure, the constant friendzone he was subjected to while with Till was the root of all his troubles, but at the same time, it had allowed him to be by his side regardless.
And the dark-haired boy didn't need anything else: as long as he could bask in Till's company, in the butterflies that invaded his stomach every time he thought of him and in the familiar warmth of when they were in contact, he would never lose his smile.

He could accepted never being able to be with Till. His love for him was too big; seeing him unhappy would have destroyed him, especially knowing that he himself was the cause of his sadness.
It was as Luka had said: Ivan was a poor guy who was head over heels for someone who didn't love him back, and he was going to stick by his side caring for him from the sidelines.

"Thank you, Ivan. If you want to talk about it, I'm here."

Both boys' eyes widened at that. Ivan pulled away abruptly, his hands covering his mouth, and Till blushed.

"What did you say?!"

"Ah, I don't know, what did I say?!"

"Yes, you know, don't be a liar!"

"Okay, I know, but it's not... I don't... It just came out, I didn't mean to say it!"

Ivan fanned his red face with one hand, leaning back against the couch. "Holy shit, Till, that was weird."

Till nodded, placing a hand on his temple. "...Yes. It was."

What was wrong with him? He knew exactly what Ivan was talking about, and he knew exactly that he would never tell him anything, if it was up to him. But... Ivan didn't blame him. He didn't harbor resentment. Maybe Till had misunderstood.

Ever since Luka had delicately revealed Ivan's feelings to him, Till had never stopped thinking that Ivan probably wasn't happy about them. That, if he had the choice, he would have let them go.
It didn't seem like that. Ivan... Till couldn't remember a single moment when Ivan had ever blamed him for anything.

Lately, he'd even found himself cursing Mizi for making him feel those things, and wishing he'd never met her, to avoid the pain he was feeling. The pain of loving and not being loved in return.

Perhaps that was why Ivan hadn't said anything when Till had confided in him that his feelings for Mizi weren't sincere. Because he knew it was true.
He felt the anger, the disappointment, the resentment in Till's words, and he recognized that he had never felt those things. Never, despite the stinging pain, had he prayed to move on, to forget Till.

Ivan had thrown himself into his love. He had accepted it, as he'd said earlier, and he had also accepted the flood of feelings it would bring.
Because no resentment or fear was stronger than the passion the raven harbored in his heart.

And for a moment, a brief, fleeting moment, Till had felt the urge to return to Ivan all the care he had given him. He had felt the urge to be the one, for once, to hold Ivan up. To share with him the enormous burden the boy was carrying, and to help.

The gray-haired boy felt his head heavy, and he almost didn't notice that he had stood up.

"S-sorry," he muttered, holding his head and squinting, taking a couple of hesitant steps. "I have to go to the bathroom."

With that, Till walked past a very confused Ivan and ran to the bathroom, locking himself inside and flopping onto the toilet.

Ivan watched the boy helplessly until he disappeared around the corner. Once certain that he was alone in the room, Ivan put his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

He had to admit it, his reaction to Till's statement hadn't been the best. Luckily, the musician didn't seem to had paid much attention to it, confused as he was by his own words.
It was simply strange to receive a "You can talk to me about it, if you want," after a speech about his unrequited love, from the subject of his feelings.

He should have apologized to Till, but as he thought about how to put down his apology, another idea popped into his head.
When Till had said those words earlier, it seemed like he almost felt guilty. As if he thought it was his duty to comfort him, as if he thought it was his fault he was feeling sad in the first place.

And, thinking about it, at the end of his speech, Till had apologized. Why on earth would he apologize?! He expected for him to be sorry for his pain, not to feel like ha caused that!... Till had told him he felt sorry too, immediately afterward, hastily covering the word he'd muttered before.

Ivan connected the dots.

Perhaps...

Perhaps Till, no longer blinded by his love for Mizi, had finally realized that Ivan had had a crush on him for years...?

Ivan put his head in his hands, quickly glancing down the hallway to see if Till was coming back. Had Till figured it out? Probably: after all, he wasn't really good at hiding it. Everyone kept telling him his crush was obvious. Mizi, Sua, Hyuna... Even Luka!

And now, Till too.

Ivan forced himself to take deep breaths, finding himself less nervous than he'd thought. Sure, he was a little weirded out at the thought, but at the same time, he felt... relieved.

He felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. Finally, things were moving. Ivan couldn't deny he was a little excited at the thought. The fact that Till (perhaps) knew meant that a lot of new possibilities would open up.

From the most terrifying ones, such as a definitive separation on Till's part (the days in which they hadn't spoken had been terrible for Ivan), to the lighter ones, until reaching the climax, that is, the happiest possible scenario.

What Ivan's deluded mind had proposed to him many times in his dreams, and what the boy never completely stopped thinking about.

Him and Till, together .

At the mere thought, Ivan blushed and chuckled. Ah, that was one of the best things about his love. The fact that she could go from blushing like a middle-schooler to imagining questionable scenarios without batting an eye. (He didn't deny it; he'd had a few thoughts every now and then.)

Rubbing his sweaty palms together, Ivan regained composure. Calm down.
There were too many "ifs" in his story. If Till had understood, if Till didn't hate him, if Till loved him back, if Till would ever really want to be with him...

But Ivan was tired of thinking about everything that could go wrong.

Picking up his phone from a few meters away, Ivan nervously searched for Hyuna's chat, typing a message at top speed.
He would have texted Mizi too, but he was sure she was still with Sua, and he really didn't want to disturb them.

"HYUNAAA," he typed, his fingers slipping on the phone's keypad. "I HAVE SOME UPDATES."

---

Meanwhile, Till had taken refuge in the bathroom.

Leaning against the sink, he was looking at himself in disbelief in the mirror, still a little embarrassed by the sentence he had said without meaning to (Actually, it was mainly because he couldn't say no to an Eren Yeager moment).

Attack on Titan references aside, besides the shame, something else had struck him shortly before.

Till could hardly believe it.

The inspiration had returned.

Sure, it wasn't quite like before. Usually he could visualize the notes and lyrics in his mind, but now he just had a jumble of words and sounds clogging up his brain.
But it was still better than nothing!

And what surprised him most was that the inspiration had returned thanks to Ivan.

The sentence that the raven had said shortly before, in which he told him not to worry, to stay calm, had been the lever that had activated the barrier obstructing the flow of ideas of the young musician.

His artistic streak, which had seemed dormant and unwilling to return, had suddenly rekindled, and a jolt of electricity had run through Till. The boy felt as if he had been cured of a bedridden illness.

Like it always happened when an idea for a song arose, his thoughts began racing. Keeping track of them was difficult, but there was always a logical thread. It was then up to him to unravel it by writing the lyrics.

In particular, in that moment, Till had just felt a sudden urge to get up and live. Not that he felt dead, no. But he felt he wasn't living his life to the fullest. Mizi's rejection of his feelings had held him back.

And Ivan had freed him.

In his words, Till saw a person with a goal, who gave his all for it. He would have to thank Ivan, sooner or later, for taking care of him only to receive further wounds to his already broken heart in return.

He could have done it with his song. He would have sung about how much he wanted to free himself from regrets and fears, and how much he wanted to be able to repay all those who loved him and stood by him, despite everything. Because they deserved it. They deserved to be thanked.

Ivan, first and foremost. Till wasn't sure of his true feelings, and he didn't even know how the situation would evolve or if they'd ever talk about it face to face. But he felt he had to thank his best friend for always being there for him.

Then Mizi, who even in the moment of absolute happiness, had spared him a thought and made sure he was okay. He should have apologized for worrying her.

Sua was also on the list. Unlike the other two, the black-haired girl's acts of comfort were much more sporadic, but no less appreciated.

Luka had wasted an entire afternoon comforting him, even though he didn't even know him. Till knew that dedicating a "thank you" to him in a song would swell the blond boy's ego, but he knew he owed it to him.

Hyuna had given him a push and a huge help in getting out of that damned musician's block, and thanks to her he already had an idea for the instrumental part of the song.

Till looked up, smiling slightly. He had to start writing, as soon as possible. He wanted to express his thoughts as best he could, and he knew the song would require countless hours of deleting and rewriting words to be the best it could be.

But first...

He'd promised Luka he'd let him know as soon as inspiration returned, and he was a man of his word. Even though his apathetic friend wouldn't let it show, he knew he was concerned about his mental health, and so he had to text him.

Taking out his phone, Till searched for the chat with 'fake-dru', and quickly typed out a message.

"I have an idea for the song"

---

Hyuna, lounging on the music club couch like she did practically every day at this time, was playing Candy Crush. She was at level 11754, and she wasn't gointo give up until she'd reached at least 11800.
(Yes, she was addicted, but who isn't?)

Unfortunately (or fortunately), a notification from a WhatsApp chat interrupted her.

Huffing, Hyuna paused the game, opening the other app to check what that unburdened fool Ivan wanted from her.

HYUNAAA

I HAVE SOME UPDATES

Hyuna rolled her eyes, starting to type in a bored manner. "i swear if you want to talk to me about till i'll block you" she texted.

NONONO IS IMPORTANT

Hyuna raised an eyebrow. "has till got something to do with it?"

Yes, but it's really, really important.

Like, my life depends on it.

Hyuna was so tempted to throw her phone out the open window next to her, but she held back (just for Candy Crush's sake) and wrote: "well, okay, tell me"

So

I think

Till realized that I like him

A smile spread across the brunette's face. "Sorry, Ivan, but you'll have to wait now," she muttered into the phone, chuckling. Then, she raised it in the air, waved it, and exclaimed, "Hey, Luka, listen to this! I think something's moving!"

The boy she called looked up from his phone, cocking his head to the side. He was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the room, and he also appeared to be in the middle of a chat conversation.

"Did Ivan write to you?" he asked, waiting for an answer he already knew.

"Mh-hm!" Hyuna replied, excited.

Picking up his phone, which displayed messages with a saved contact named "emo boy", Luka nodded.

"Something is definitely moving."

Chapter Text

this chapter contains a fair amount of hyuluka (I love them, okay) and is literally useless to the story, but i wanted to write about them soooo bad

 

"Chairoplane!"

"Rollercoaster!"

"Dodgem!"

"CHAIROPLANE"

"ROLLERCOASTER"

"DODGEM"

By now, a fair amount of people had gathered around the five, from large families with noisy children to couples in love whose dates had been interrupted.

In the center, among the crowd, Hyuna, Hyunwoo, and Dewey had been yelling at each other for a good twenty minutes, each trying to take the others to their favorite ride. All three were too proud to let their ride be last on the list of attractions to visit, and so they were arguing furiously.

"The dodgem?! What are you, two years old?!" Hyuna was screaming, enraged, glaring at her brother.

“Better than some idiot who just wants to kick people's asses!” Hyunwoo retorted, his arms crossed and a pissed off expression on his face.

"Sorry?! Do you prefer rollercoasters?! They are boooooring!" Dewey exclaimed, waving his arms and rolling his eyes.

Meanwhile, Luka and Isaac were standing nearby, watching the scene skeptically. The former wasn't even bothering to react in any particular way, paying more attention to the crowd, while the latter was pulling the brim of his black cap down over his forehead, refraining from dragging the three idiots who were his best friends by the ears.

One thing was certain: right now, neither of them had any intention of ending the feud.

Taking on the role of peacemaker that neither Luka nor Isaac wanted was a very bored amusement park employee, with dyed green hair, the park's colorful uniform, and a stick of gum in her mouth.

"Listen," she mumbled, not even looking at the three, checking her nails. "The high-ups are telling me to send you away; you're 'disturbing the peace.'" The girl mimed the quotation marks around the last three words.

Hyuna, still engrossed in the debate, quickly turned towards the girl, an annoyed expression on her face upon being interrupted. "What?!"

"Listen, sis, if it were up to me, you could stay as long as you want," replied the green-haired girl. "You are funny. But they're the ones giving the orders, so bye bye."

The girl's face accepted no replies, and Hyuna, Hyunwoo, and Dewey had the brilliant idea of not saying anything, ​​bowing their heads and murmuring, with their tails between their legs: "Yes, sorry..."

Slowly, amid excited murmurs, the crowd dispersed, and the five were escorted out by the bored employee.
Just before the entrance to the amusement park was closed in front of them, Dewey, with a smug smirk, winked at the green-haired girl, and exclaimed: "Hey, would you mind giving me your number?"

Isaac had to hold back with all his strength to keep himself from slapping Dewey's forehead, Luka snorted in disbelief, and the siblings' jaws crashed to the ground.

The girl raised an eyebrow and replied, "Nah, you're not my type. If she asked me that - she said, pointing at Hyuna - the answer would be different."
And so, turning around, the young woman closed the door.

Not even two seconds of silence, and the raucous laughter of Hyuna and Hyunwoo pierced the air.

"HAHAHAHAH, what a loser!" Hyunwoo exclaimed, while Hyuna wiped away a tear, holding her stomach.
"You...!" Dewey lunged at the two, starting a fight that soon caused all three of them to fall to the ground.

But at that point, Isaac couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you idiots?! You get us kicked out of the park, you make us look like idiots, and you have the nerve to laugh?!" The three fell silent, turning slowly to face to the boy with the black hat. Isaac was sually quiet, but when he raised his voice a little, he was terrifying.

"I have no words..."

"I'll suggest one to you: really funny, let's do it again! Oh, that's words, oops..."

Dewey and Hyuna's eyes widened, and a vein popped out on Isaac's neck. Luckily, just before he could pounce on poor, naive Hyunwoo, Luka spoke for the first time since they'd been kicked out of the park. "Has that always been there?"

The four turned in the direction Luka had indicated, finding a large, seemingly abandoned house. The window shutters were either missing or falling apart, the walls were peeling, and the garden was unkempt.
The strangest thing was that none of the five actually had the slightest memory of that house, nor had ever seen it in that position.

"I... I don't remember..." Hyuna muttered, squinting at the house because of the sunlight. The girl adjusted her sunglasses, grimacing.

“No, I’m pretty sure it wasn't there last week.” Isaac agreed, casually letting go of the collar of a terrified Hyunwoo’s shirt.

Luka nodded, staring at the house without saying anything.

"Hey..." Dewey smirked, casting unpromising glances at his friends. "What if we went in?"

There was a round of mutual glances among the five boys. Hyuna and Hyunwoo were clearly in agreement, and it showed. Isaac, hands down the most responsible of the group, enjoyed the adrenaline rush just as much as the others, and was nodding, with a calm smile.
And finally, Luka, who was their best friend after all. The blond boy was a mix of sarcasm and indifference, seasoned with a pinch of sadism, who never wavered even in front of something scary.

So, the answer to Dewey's question was obvious.

---

"Okay, Hyuna, you go first."

"No way! Dewey suggested it, it's up to him!"

"I'll do it, give me the flashlight."

"Luka, marry me, please."

"No, ew."

"Hey!"

Yeah, the members of the music club seemed brave and determined, but deep down, they were all just big scaredys.

Picking up the flashlight that Hyunwoo somehow had in his backpack, Luka began walking with a huff, the other four hiding behind him. After a few minutes of exploring inside the house, which they had entered through an open window, Luka turned sharply towards his friends, eliciting a frightened shriek from Dewey.

Giving him a disgusted look, Luka muttered, "Listen. What if we played hide-and-seek?"
Exactly, a pinch of sadism.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Hyuna exclaimed, waving her hands toward the dark corridors of the house. "Do you want to play hide-and-seek in here? "

"Since someone got us kicked out of the amusement park, I thought we could spend the rest of the afternoon here," Luka replied, walking over to Hyuna and tilting his head slightly to the side.
Hyuna huffed, crossing her arms and looking away.

Luka continued, hiding a sardonic smile. "Oh, sorry, you're too scared to go on. All right, let's go home then."

Ignoring the , Luka walked past them, turning off his flashlight.

Isaac, Dewey, Hyuna and Hyunwoo exchanged a few nervous glances, before the bassist spoke up on everyone's behalf.

"Wait-"

Luka turned around, smiling. As expected. "Yes?"

"You-... Ugh, okay... Let's play."

"Good. I'll explain the rules to you." No one asked why Luka had the rules ready. He just worked that way, and they had simply gotten used to it.
"One of us, chosen at random," he quickly explained, seeing the nervous expressions of the other "will count to fifty, and then look for the others. As soon as one is found, send a message on the chat. We'll go back to base, and the loser will be the seeker. Is that clear?"

Dewey raised his hand. "I have a question."

"Don't care. Pick a number. I have a random drawing app on my phone."

Dewey blinked a couple of times as the others shuffled past him, ignoring him, to say their numbers to Luka. He huffed and stood up. Well, worst case scenario, he'd cheat a little.

After inserting all the numbers into the app, Luka began the drawing. "And the first to count and..." Filled with suspense, the five huddled around the phone.

"...the number three."

"Shit!" Hyuna exclaimed, putting her hands in her hair.

“Haha, good job, sis!” Hyunwoo whispered in her ear, as Luka passed her the flashlight with an unpromising grin. The boys began to walk away, making faces at Hyuna who responded with a rude gesture.

"Uff, here I go, I guess. One, two, three..."

---

"Oooh, Luka, can I stay with you??"

"No, go away."

"Come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon-"

"Ugh, okay, shut up."

"Yay!"

Luka snorted. He definitely hadn't suggeste the game so that he could end up paired with Dewey and be bored by his chatter.

Dewey and Luka walked silently down the corridor, climbing the stairs, when Hyuna's voice reached them. "I'm coming..." Luka glared at Dewey. "If you start blabbering, I'll beat you." Dewey, who was already starting to babble to annoy Luka, covered his mouth, shivering.

"Good," Luka began to whisper, pointing to a nearby room. "Let's hide there, quick."
Dewey nodded, following the blond boy into the room.

That room had probably once been a kitchen. A moth-eaten table stood in the middle of the room, and some obviously disused appliances were leaning against the wall.

"If you get me caught, I'll put you in the dishwasher."

"Sorry, sorry..!"

Quickly, Luka hid between the refrigerator and the wall, in the shadows, while Dewey squeezed into a floor-level pantry. "I'll pray she finds you first," Dewey whispered into the darkness, squinting in Luka's direction (or at least, what he thought Luka's direction was.)

"You wish, but you're closer to the door."

"Fuck."

Dewey strained his ears. Hyuna's footsteps were inaudible, and he couldn't keep quiet for more than two minutes.

"Luka."

"Shut up."

Okay, trying to start a conversation was impossible. He just had to drop the bomb, corssing his fingers and hoping that Luka wouldn't stab him right there (he was too handsome to die in an abandoned house). Dewey whispered, "Hey... Luka, listen, do you have a crush on Hyuna?"

A millisecond of silence, then a loud BONK rang out in the room, and Dewey stifled a laugh. "Did you bonk your head?"

"No, shut up."

"Oh, did I catch you by surprise? Almighty Luka, caught in an unexpected situation? Nooo!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So? You're stalling!"

Luka sighed deeply, and in the deafening silence of the room, the sound resonated powerfully. Dewey held his breath: finally, the answer to his existential question was about to arrive.

"...mind your own business."

Dewey was about to reply when a faint sound from just outside the room interrupted him. The two boys turned toward the door, staring into the deep darkness that looked back at them.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, two floors below, Isaac and Hyunwoo were walking, having chosen the opposite route from the real-blonde/fake-blonde duo. While Luka and Dewey had gone up, Hyunwoo and Isaac had gone down, finding themselves in the basement.

Hyunwoo shivered, shining his phone's flashlight on a spider descending from the ceiling, clinging to its web. “Isaac, help,” he gasped, hiding behind the boy, who was still wearing his hat, despite it being completely useless.

The drummer snorted, crossing his arms. "Pff, it's just a spider, you idiot."

"You're the idiot!" Hyunwoo quickly retorted.

Isaac glared at him, and the memory of the earlier joke came flooding back.

Hyunwoo was quick to pick fights, and Isaac wasn't known for his patience. Soon, the two were punching each other (lovingly, mind you) on the dusty basement floor.

"I'll make you swallow the spider!"

"Try it, you louse!"

Secrecy had gone to hell, and sure enough, Hyuna had soon arrived in the cellar with an evil grin painted on her face. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, pointing at the two boys lying on the ground. "Wait, what were you guys doing? Did you have a fight?"

"What makes you think that?" Hyunwoo asked ironically, spitting out some blood.

"Ouch, naughty little brother. Since I'm the eldest, and I have to educate you..." Hyuna approached, grinning, touching Hyunwoo's aching shoulder. "...it's your turn to count."

"Damn..." Hyunwoo hissed, gritting his teeth, while Isaac laughed with satisfaction.

---

"Well well!" Hyuna rubbed her hands together, pacing. "It's your turn to be the seeker, light of my eyes, treasure of my life!" Hyunwoo reciprocated with a raised middle finger, walking over to the selected section of the wall to count.

Dewey and Luka exchanged worried glances. Returning to the base after Hyuna's message, neither of them had identified the source of the noise, and by unspoken agreement, they'd decided not to mention it to the others.
Dewey had already been teased enough, and Luka couldn't be a coward after accusing the others of the same thing.

As for the fake blond's question, it had (fortunately) fallen into oblivion by the end of the round.

Hyunwoo started counting with a grimace, and the four friends hurried away.

With a look that didn't bode well, Dewey followed Hyuna. His foolproof plan had to continue, and for that to happen, the bassist needed to double-check by asking the girl.

"Hyunaa," he chanted, dulcetly, looking back to make sure he was far enough away from the terrifying blond assassin. "I have something to ask you!"

"Sure, bro, shoot!" Hyuna exclaimed, as she peered into the rooms she passed by, looking for decent hiding places.

"Listen... Do you have a crush on Luka?" Dewey had the heart of a gossipy old neighbor, and discovering information about other was what he did almost all day. Especially when it involved his dearest best friends.

"Pfft, what are you talking about?!" Hyuna giggled, unable to hide the nervousness that had gripped her. The girl waved a hand, entering a room. "Luka? Nah!"

Dewey raised a doubtful eyebrow, following her into the dim light. "Why does that sound lika a lie?"

"Because you're an idiot."

"Liar."

"Moron."

"Okay, you'll never admit it, I get it. Now shut up, or he'll catch us." Dewey cut her off, covering Hyuna's mouth with one hand and dragging her into a hiding place.
She snorted, but remained silent. Seekingagain—that is, wandering around the house alone again—was not something she wanted at all. At worst, she would sacrifice Dewey.

.

.

.

Isaac and Luka, meanwhile, were also looking for a hiding place. Being the quietest of the group, the two boys always worked well together. Luka was searching on the right side of the corridor, and Isaac on the other.

“What?” Luka exclaimed at one point.

"What do you mean 'what'? Nothing..?" Isaac replied, confused, pausing his search.

"Don't be silly, you touched me on the shoulder."

"Luka, I'm here, how could I have touched you?"

Luka turned around, annoyed, ready to unleash a barrage of insults on the boy in the hat, when he noticed Isaac standing ten meters away. Unless he was hiding a secret identity from Elastic Man, there was no way he had touched him on the shoulder.

The blond shook his head. "I must have imagined it," he muttered, continuing on his way and checking inside the rooms. Having found one suitable for their purpose, Luka was about to call his friend, when a scream startled him.

Whirling around, he found a pale Isaac lying on the ground, his hat thrown a few feet away, staring at something in the darkness of the corridor.

"What...?"

"I... I don't know, I saw something, I think..."

"Ah-ha!"

Hyunwoo jumped out from behind Luka, startling the boy, who, quick as lightning, darted past Isaac with a tongue sticking out and around the corner.

“Damn you…” Isaac muttered, clenching his fist, as a satisfied Hyunwoo slapped him on the head.

"Got ya!"

---

"I swear I saw something!" Isaac was complaining. "There was something in the dark, and it even touched Luka's shoulder. Come on, tell them!" Luka nodded, bored, following the exchange between a breathless Isaac and an adamant Hyuna.

"Look, Isaac, we've already seeked two times and nothing's happened. If you don't hurry up and get started, I'll lock you in the cellar and come get you tomorrow morning."

Huffing and hissing threats, enraged, Isaac began to count.

Luka and Hyuna immediately slipped away, distancing themselves from the dangerous pairing of Hyunwoo and Dewey, who, however, made no attempt to follow them. Hyunwoo, like Dewey, suspected that, even after their relationship didn't end well, there was still something between the blond boy and the singer.

And who was he to deny the two of them some time alone together? Exchanging knowing glances and mimicking not-very-family-friendly gestures, the two boys giggled, running off to find a hiding place.

.

.

.

Hyuna walked almost with a skip, looking around. She wasn't worried about being too loud: they'd gone up two floors, and there was no danger Isaac would hear. Dewey and Hyunwoo's shouting would have attracted his attention sooner anyway.

Luka, on the other hand, almost dragged himself along, occasionally casting bored glances at the rooms they passed.

Dewey's questions were still ringing in their minds: neither had answered, and neither had a clear answer.

Hyuna had no time for relationships. She was in love with music, and she was happy that way. But she couldn't deny that Luka was important to her, in a different way than the others.
Hyunwoo was her brother, and Dewey and Isaac were her best friends. But Luka... Luka was Luka. There had always been something, despite the blond's oddities, that drew her to him.

Luka didn't want to be in a relationship. He had friends he cared about, and he was happy that way. But he couldn't deny that Hyuna brought an unfamiliar emotion into his life.
Luka was used to having everything under control, and to never being caught off guard. But Hyuna... Hyuna was Hyuna. There had always been something, despite the brunette's unpredictability, that attracted him to her.

Hyuna pursed her lips, glancing at Luka. Her eyes met his clear ones, and she quickly looked away, blushing.

"Look, um..." she began. "Dewey..."

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, he asked me too."

Hyuna coughed. She expected everything, but not for Luka to respond so suddenly. Luka slowly shifted his gaze to Hyuna, impassive.

"I didn't answer him."

"Ah... No?"

"No."

Hyuna covered her face with one hand, looking away. "Me neither."

Luka nodded, looking at Hyuna for a moment. Then, sighing, he approached her, taking her hand and moving it away. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, hey, hey!" Flustered, Hyuna took a couple of steps back. "Get away, Luka, get away!"

Luka ignored her, and Hyuna would have rolled her eyes, if only she hadn't been in the midst of a powerful straight-panic (?).

The blond boy was so close that the brunette could count his eyelashes. She could see every single freckle, from the most obvious to the smallest. And she would kiss them all.

No, that sounded a little too loving. No, no, better not.

Chuckling nervously, Hyuna shifted her gaze to a very interesting spot on the wall, and stammered, "Luka, if you don't back off, Dewey might pop up out of nowhere and accuse us of doing 'dirty things' at 'inappropriate times,' and you know how much of a pain it is when he does that—"

"Hyuna, I'll be honest." Luka spoke for the first time since they'd ended up in that Mizi's telenovelas-esque position, lifting his chin slightly to look Hyuna straight in the eye.
"I don't care."

Hyuna blinked a couple of times.

"You know how I am," Luka continued, squeezing Hyuna's hand, which he still held in his. "I don't care what Dewey thinks. He's smart enough to know better than to spread strange rumors about me, and that's more than enough."

"B-but..." Hyuna muttered, trying not to think about Luka's grip on her hand. "Okay, but I don't understand why you're doing... this," she added, waving her free hand at Luka.
She was running out of room to move back, and Luka didn't seem inclined to move. In fact, he almost seemed to want to move even closer.

"Hyuna," the blond boy said, and she pursed her lips. The way Luka had always drawn out her name still had an effect on her. "I think I need to get a few things straight before the show."

Hyuna swallowed, and Luka kept his gaze fixed on her eyes, letting go of her hand.

"I've never been with anyone other than you, so I'm not very experienced. But I know for a fact that even though my feelings have changed since we broke up, they certainly haven't diminished." Luka spoke without hesitation, and Hyuna listened. "Tell me, do you remember the words of ruler of my heart? "

Hyuna nodded, unable to tear her gaze from Luka's face. Oh, the effect that boy had on her, even years after their relationship ended.
The brunette knew that if everything had ended, it was for the best, and she'd always been okay with it. She'd still managed to stay close to Luka.

Perhaps that was why she had never given so much weight to the attraction she felt and that it had not yet faded. But hearing those words from the blond boy, feeling him so close... They had rekindled the desire to satisfy that attraction.

"Good," Luka noted, not showing the slightest hint of blush, unlike the girl who was sweating. "Just know that they're all still true."

With that, he pulled away from Hyuna, leaving her free to move. He took a few steps back, looked at her one last time, and gave a small smile.
Then, without another word, he continued walking, turning the corner and starting down the stairs.
Hyuna stared at the spot where the blond boy had disappeared, running a hand through her hair and sighing.

She was still pondering what to do when a scream reached her from behind, making her jump and turn around sharply.

At the end of the hallway, a very nervous Hyunwoo was bridal carrying an even more anxious Dewey, both screaming like twelve-year-old girls watching a horror movie. Behind them, Isaac ran like his life depended on it.

Hyuna cocked her head to the side, confused, but before she could ask for explanations, the drummer rushed past her and down the stairs.

“RUN!” Hyunwoo yelled, rushing past her, still holding onto Dewey who looked like he was running out of air.

"What the f—" Hyuna's exclamation was interrupted by a black figure at the end of the corridor that caught her attention. The girl paled, starting to tremble, then turned and followed her friends down the stairs.

As she turned the corner, a doubtful Luka gave her a questioning look. Sure, Hyuna was still a little embarrassed, but she wanted to survive. She grabbed the blonde by the arm and quickly followed the rest of the band, screaming like a madwoman.

After running down three flights of stairs screaming, the five rushed towards the front door and tried to open it.

"Hurry up!" Hyuna urged Dewey, holding Luka tightly to release her anxiety.

"I'm trying!" he exclaimed, yanking on the handle. Shit, why wouldn't it open?!

"Uh, guys..." Hyunwoo raised a trembling finger, pointing at the black figure that had appeared in the ground floor corridor, starting to walk towards them with disturbing slowness.

"Fuck, Dewey, hurry up!" Luka said, losing some of his usual composure, while Isaac swallowed, sweating coldly.

"I'm trying- Oh, done!"

Dewey didn't have time to open the door before his four friends rushed out, running over him. Hyunwoo had the decency to catch him before running away, still screaming.

.

.

.

The black figure appeared at the door, watching the five speed away. Three more individuals joined her, snickering among themselves and patting each other on the back in satisfaction.

The figure pulled down their black hood, revealing shoulder-length black hair and a sadistic grin plastered across their face.

"This will remain our little secret, eh?"

She looked at the three friends beside her. Mizi and Ivan nodded, laughing, and Till gave a thumbs up.

Ah, another day spent doing productive things, as always.