The inside of Felix's car was stiflingly hot.

He'd done everything he could to make it cool in the car. Rolling down the windows only made the car hotter, since the temperature outside had miraculously increased. The air conditioning didn't work for some reason, and Felix couldn't safely drive the car while fanning himself. He simply had to suffer through it.

Thankfully, as the heat started to get unbearable, he spotted Shane's house up ahead. The sun, which was closing the gap between it and the horizon, was reflecting brightly off the white siding of the house. It was like a beacon, calling Felix with its allure.

He pulled into the driveway, quickly shutting off his car and parking it. He adjusted his rearview mirror, staring at himself in it. It'd been too hot to wear any of his better clothing, so he had opted for a polo and some semi-decent shorts; it was the best he could do. He fixed his hair meticulously before finally opening his car door.

Felix wasted no time getting out of his car. A bundle of anxiety was tight within his chest, ready to bloom at any moment. Felix's only hope was to beat it to the punch and get its trigger done before it could do anything. He opened the back door of his car and grabbed the violin, shutting the door before hurrying to the front steps.

That was the moment the anxiety chose to rustle. A shiver ran through Felix's body despite the heat, and his skin began to tingle. He ignored it, knocking on the door. It only aggravated it more, his body becoming light as it started to buzz with nerves.

"Coming!" Hazel shouted from inside. There were heavy footsteps, a bit of rustling, then the door opened, Hazel's face appearing. She smiled at Felix. "Oh hey Felix."

"Hi," he said, waving awkwardly. "Shane invited me over for another video."

She nodded. "He told me. Come on in."

Hazel stepped back, opening the door wider. Felix stepped in, getting hit by a rush of cool air. Hazel closed the door behind him, sealing off the heat that was beginning to leak in. She walked ahead of Felix, motioning for him to follow.

"Shane's in the backyard with his friends."

Felix felt a pang of disappointment. He'd hoped it would just be him and Shane making a video. Then he was hit by a slight bit of confusion, suddenly wondering why he was disappointed. He chalked it up to not wanting to play in front of many people before realizing he'd forgotten to follow Hazel, and she was nearly at the backyard door.

Felix hurried after Hazel, jogging through the house. He realized he'd left his shoes on and immediately turned around, quickly taking off his shoes and neatly placing them off to the side. He then ran to a confused and amused Hazel.

"You didn't have to take off your shoes, we're going into the backyard," she said, pointing out the deck door. Felix glanced at his socks, his face heating up.

"I didn't want to dirty your house," he said weakly. Hazel laughed.

"Oh my god, you're adorable," she said, laughing. Felix felt the words I'm gay begin to crawl up his throat, but wisely bit them back. If Shane knew, he might get weirded out and distance himself.

Hazel opened the deck door, stepping outside. Felix followed her, gently closing the door behind himself. He had to squint his eyes slightly because of the water reflecting brilliantly off the clear blue water. Across the pool he could see several lounge chairs set up, some of which containing bodies that were difficult to see through the glare of the pool.

"Hey Shane!" Hazel said, walking around the edge of the pool. "Felix is here."

One of the people, who Felix realized to be Shane, leaped from his chair, a large grin on his face. He pulled his sunglasses off his face and placed them on the top of his head, the corners of his eyes crinkled from his wide grin. His green eyes reflected the sunlight almost as brightly as the water, giving them an enthralling shine.

"Felix!" He said, rounding the pool towards Felix. Felix moved as well, meeting him halfway. "How was the drive?"

"Hot," Felix said, smiling. "Almost horribly so."

Shae frowned. "Why's that?"

"No way of cooling down my car."

"No AC or anything?"

"Nope, just the temperature outside."

"Well that sucks. Aren't you going to get it fixed?"

"Not for now," Felix said. "I make barely enough money for my bills, so the luxury of car climate has to go."

"You don't have a good job?" Shane asked, tilting his head. Felix thought of his boss and smiled wryly.

"You could say that."

Shane opened his mouth to say something, then his eyes flicked down to Felix's feet. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared, and a bemused smile grew on his face.

"Why are you in socks?" He asked in an amused tone. Felix glanced down, his face heating up again as he stared at his shoeless feet.

"I didn't want to track dirt through your house," he muttered. Shane's smile grew into a grin, and a laugh escaped from his throat. He covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughing.

"That's very considerate of you," Shane said through his hand. Felix glared, his face heating up more.

"I try my best," Felix said drily.

"Why are you wearing only socks?" Luther said, popping up beside Shane. Shane had to stifle more laughter as Felix's face started resembling a tomato.

"I was taught to not wear shoes in houses, okay?" Felix defended. Luther raised an eyebrow.

"Were you taught by an 1800's servant or something?" he asked. Marc appeared beside him, shoving him lightly.

"That doesn't even make sense," he said. "Stop making fun of Felix, dickwad."

"I am not making fun of him!" Luther argued.

"Yes you were!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

Luther and Marc's voices kept escalating as they started shoving. Soon, it became a full blown fight as they wrestled one another. Felix started to think that it was going to have to be broken up when Shane shoved both of them into the water. They fell beneath the surface, then resurfaced a few moments later gasping.

"What the fuck?" Luther spat, pushing his hair from his face.

"What was that for?" Marc asked, glaring at Shane. Shane shook his head.

"You two are idiots, that's why."

"We are not!" They said in unison. They glared at one another, then launched at each other, resuming their fighting.

Shane turned to Felix, rolling his eyes. "They're idiots."

Felix smiled. "I can see that."

"Fun idiots, but idiots all the same."

Felix glanced at the fighting siblings. They were splashing one another, having given up on physical force. Felix smiled, finding the interaction silly, but wholesome. It made him start to wish he had siblings, then wonder if maybe he did at some point. He didn't realize he was staring until Shane cleared his throat, grabbing Felix's attention.

"Sorry," Felix said, his face flushing. "Got lost in thought."

"I know," Shane said, smiling. It seemed disappointed, almost; a complete contrast from his behavior only moments before. "Want to get started on a video?"

Felix nodding, suddenly remembering the violin slung over his back. Shane led him to a set up camera, where Antonio was pressing several buttons. Antonio spared Felix a glance and nod before returning to the camera.

"Hey Felix," he said.

"Hey," Felix said, peering curiously at the camera. "What are you doing with the camera?"

"Fixing aperture, focal length, ISO, shutter speed, etc."

Felix stared at Antonio with a blank face. "What does that mean?"

Antonio pointed at the sky. "I'm making the film look good based on the current brightness."

"We just typically go along with whatever Antonio does," Shane whispered. "He's the only one who knows anything about cameras."

"Damn right I am."

Felix smiled, shaking his head with a small laugh. He turned to Shane, tilting his head slightly. "What is the video going to be of?"

Shane's face lit up. "Right! So basically, we're going to have you play a 'majestic' piece, which we'll put under slow motion videos of Luther, Marc, and I jumping off the diving board. We'll jump shots to you as well, whenever it seems like a good time."

Felix nodded, struggling to picture the vision in his head but trusting the idea. "Sounds good. Where would you like me to stand?"

"Right over here," Shane moved to a nearby spot beside the pool. Felix followed him, standing where Shane was pointing. "Antonio, is the camera ready?"

"Almost," Antonio responded. A few moments later, he nodded at the camera, looking satisfied. "It's ready."

"Perfect!" Shane turned to Felix, grinning. "Are you ready?"

Felix took a deep breath, nodding. Shane flashed him two thumbs up, his grin growing.

"I'll get out of the way, and Antonio will set up the camera. Then you'll be all set."

Shane started to back away, but Felix stopped him.

"What song do you want me to play?" He asked. Shane shrugged, smiling warmly.

"You pick," he said. "Your choice will be better than any I could make."

Felix smiled, his face flushing slightly. Shane resumed backing up, standing a dozen feet away. Antonio rolled the camera up beside the pool, facing it at Felix. He pressed more buttons and adjusted a few knobs, then flashed Felix a thumbs up. Felix nodded, setting his violin case on the ground.

Felix quickly grabbed his violin and bow, speed tuning it. The camera's small red light was flashing, meaning Felix was currently wasting film. Hurriedly, he composed himself, racking his mind for a song. Hundreds of tunes flowed through his head at once, one standing out against the others.

"Lacrimosa dies illa," he blurted. He got strange looks, especially from Luther, who had stopped his fight with Marc to watch. Felix cleared his throat, his face heating up as he put the violin to his chin.

He lightly pulled the bow against the strings, a tiny, almost screeching note coming out. He moved the bow again, this time a different note. The notes ran up and down with one another, crescendoing before fading away. Felix slowly got louder, the notes becoming slightly faster and heavier. He closed his eyes, the notes pictured perfectly in his mind.

As he played, something nagged at him in the bag of his brain. A small, tiny voice, just barely inaudible underneath the sound of Felix's violin. The more he played, the louder it grew, slowly beginning to be heard. It was only a few words at first, but as Felix reached the quarter way mark of the song, its first full sentence was heard.

Your notes are screeching.

It was the voice of his boss, taunting him. It'd decided to resurface, back in full swing to tear Felix down from where he stood. It grew more confident, as if sensing Felix's faltering confidence.

Ever heard of Legato? It's this cool thing where your notes flow, not mash together like-

Felix's finger slipped, causing a slight screech. His face contorted, every muscle in body tensing at once. He'd made a mistake. He'd ruined the whole performance by making one slip up. Felix's breathing began to speed up as the song continued.

Someone who actually knows violin needs to teach him.

This time it was the woman from Felix's talent show, her face burning in his mind. It took over the picture of the melody within Felix's mind, making him mess up again as his fingers struggled to remember what to play. His muscles tightened more, almost painfully so.

Is there a little child here? There's so much screeching.

Who told him he was good when he was little? They did a disservice to us all.

What's the quickest way to go deaf?

A chorus of voices festered within Felix's head. They were drowning out the voice of reason within his mind, swallowing it within the void of their hate. Felix had lost complete control of the melody, his fingers fumbling somewhat successfully over the keys. His breathing was getting worse, becoming shallow and fast.

Get a teacher, dude.

Felix's fingers slipped.

Someone please burn every violin so this guy can't play.

Felix could feel his head thundering as his heart rate grew more rapid.

Stop wasting your life and find something you're actually good at.

Felix's chest heaved as it gasped for oxygen.

I've never seen someone as bad as you. If you want to be good, chose something else, because you will NEVER become good at-

A hand gently placed itself on Felix's shoulder. The voices disappeared as Felix's eyes shot open. He gasped for breath, his playing stopping sharply. He glanced around as he panted, the light digging painfully into his eyes. He locked eyes with Shane, who was standing beside Felix, staring at him with eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. Felix blinked rapidly, his eyes darting around. There was something warm and wet on his face, which Felix quickly realized were tears.

"Shit, sorry," Felix rubbed at his eyes with the backs of his hands. "The song got away from me."

"Got away from you?" Luther commented. "I think it did more than that."

Shane shot him a glare, his gaze softening as he looked back at Felix. It was then that Felix realized it was Shane's hand on his shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing back and forth against his shirt. Felix stared at the hand, blinking slowly. Shane seemed to notice and moved his hand away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he apologized.

"You didn't," Felix commented, then froze.

It didn't make him uncomfortable.

Felix stared into Shane's eyes, his heart beating fast. He suddenly realized how close Shane was, his face barely a foot away from Felix's. Felix spiraled as he wondered how he didn't notice before, and how he didn't pick up on the warmth that was radiating from Shane before. Shane's expression was unreadable, his green eyes scanning Felix's face.

"What happened?" Luther said, interrupting Felix's spiraling thoughts. He looked at Luther, smiling half-heartedly.

"My fingers slipped, and I just couldn't recover," It wasn't a lie, necessarily, but it wasn't the full truth either. Shane seemed to notice, but didn't say anything.

"Do you think you could retry?" Marc asked. Felix opened his mouth to say yes, but the moment he thought about playing, his boss' face appeared in his mind, accompanied by the woman from the talent show.

Felix shook his head, eyes cast towards the ground. "Not today. I don't think my fingers are up for it today."

"So I came here for nothing?" Luther whined, throwing his head back. Felix's face heated up, his gaze remaining locked on the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Shame began to envelop him, clutching at his fast-beating heart.

He'd failed. He was told to play a song, one he knew well, and he had failed. Not only had he failed, but he'd let down everyone around him. He'd ruined their schedules and plans simply because he let people's voices get to him. His shoulders hunched slightly as the guilt began to squeeze him tightly.

"Well, I'm going to a strip club," Luther announced, ripping Felix from his mind. "Anyone who wants to come with me can."

Everyone shared a look as if to ask one another if Luther was being serious. After a moment of silence, the gazes shifted to stare at Luther. Their gazes remained there until Antonio cleared his throat, shrugging.

"Sure, if we aren't going to do a video now," he said, glancing at Shane. Shane nodded, confirming as he glanced at me.

"Guess I'll go too," Marc said hesitantly. Luther grinned, turning to Felix.

"What about you, sore fingers?" He asked, winking. "Wanna put those spindly fingers to good use?"

Felix froze as he battled the laughter building in his chest against the urge to contort his face in disgust. He slowly blinked at Luther, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. Realizing he was one hundred percent serious, Felix took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"I'm good," he said, forcing a smile. Luther gaped at him.

"What do you mean, you're good?!" He exclaimed. "There's no way you're turning down a chance to go to a strip club!"

"I just don't think I'll like it."

"Wait, you haven't even been before?"

"No."

"Oh my god, you absolutely have to go then! We can be there for your first time and guide you through it, and it'll be so-"

"Luther," Shane interrupted, stepping forward. "Stop."

Luther looked at Shane in surprise. "What? I'm telling Felix about-"

"He said no," Shane said, hostility creeping into his voice. "Leave it be."

"All I'm doing is-"

"Luther, shut up," Shane snapped. He didn't seem angry, but his voice was sharp, and he glared daggers into Luther. Luther glanced around, confused, asking for an explanation through his eyes.

"Okay," he said after a while, looking at Shane strangely. "I'll stop."

"Thank you," Felix murmured quietly, glancing at Shane. Shane smiled warmly; a complete difference from his expression only a second ago.

"What about you, Shane?" Marc asked softly. "Do you feel like going?"

Shane glanced at Felix before shaking his head. "I'm good. Felix came here to do stuff, I'll stay back and make sure he didn't waste his time."

"You don't have to stay back," Felix argued weakly, the words harder to say than he would've imagined. "I'll be fine, it's my fault for messing up the video schedule."

"The video was last minute, you didn't mess up anything."

"Even still, you should go, I can just go home."

"No," Shane said firmly. "I'm going to stay."

"Whatever you say, dude," Luther climbed out of the pool, marching around the house without glancing back. Marc rolled his eyes, climbing out of the pool.

"Ignore him, he's being a baby," Marc wrung out his shorts, water pouring onto the pavement. "Have fun you two. I'll see you sometime later."

Marc jogged to follow where his brother went, disappearing around the corner of the house. Antonio sighed, rolling the camera towards the house. He disappeared inside, then returned a moment later, hands messing with his ponytail. He waved to Shane and Felix before rounding around the house after Marc and Luther.

Once everyone was gone, Shane turned to Felix with a dazzling smile.

"What do you want to do?"