"I think I've figured it out!" Seungmin exclaimed, turning to look at Jeongin.

The younger boy was half asleep, and when he heard the redhead's voice, he turned onto his stomach and shoved his face into a pillow. Seungmin had been excessively thinking about Felix and Changbin's relationship, because he wanted to make sense of something that he couldn't understand. He wasn't ever one to let ignorance lead the way in his life, and he was absolutely determined to find out why a cold, heartless person like Changbin would become intertwined with a happy, people pleasing boy like Felix.

"Seriously Jeongin, listen to me," Seungmin said to the younger boy from across their room.

"Shut up! It's, like, two in the morning! You've been talking to yourself for hours!" Jeongin snapped, bringing his blanket up to cover the entirety of his body.

The younger boy was annoyed with the redhead. Seungmin had become obsessed with figuring out Changbin's mind. So much so that he had been greatly neglecting his partner and his training since he blew up on Felix a week and two nights ago.

"Really, I think I've got it!" The redhead said excitedly.

"In retrospect, I just can't see why Changbin's personality type would ever be able to match with Felix's. That leads me to believe that one of them is faking their affections for the other. Probably Felix, considering he's only been here for two weeks, give or take a few days. There's also the fact that Felix is a massive people pleaser, so he most likely wants to please Changbin. I think that may be why-"

"Shut the hell up!" Jeongin yelled, stopping Seungmin in the middle of his analysis.

"The problem with you is that you think everything is something that can be handled with your mind. Some things aren't meant to be thought about! Some things just need to be felt in the heart."

The redhead pursed his lips for a moment before speaking up again. Truth be told, the way Jeongin had just yelled at him made him a bit afraid. Sure, the younger boy was loud at times, but it was always in good fun. He wasn't one to yell at someone when he got angry; and Seungmin of all people knew that to be true. There was many times when Seungmin would say something hurtful, not that he meant to, and Jeongin would get upset with him, only to shut himself off and not speak to the redhead until he coughed up a sincere apology. He got angry and closed Seungmin out...He didn't get angry and yell.

"That...Doesn't make a lot of sense," the redhead replied slowly.

"Exactly. Some things don't need to make sense inside your head. Sometimes, you just need to trust your heart," Jeongin stated.

"But, if you do that, then what's the point of having a brain? If you don't use it, isn't it just dead weight between the ears?" Seungmin noted.

Jeongin rolled his eyes at the redhead who clearly wasn't getting the message.

"You can do whatever you want, Seungmin. I'm going to sleep; so keep it down. But I'm right. I promise I am. And whatever Changbin might feel for Felix...It's not really any of your business."

With that said, Jeongin shoved his face back into the pillow, determined to fall asleep before Seungmin started up with his ranting again.

*🔥*🔥*🔥*🔥*🔥*

Since seeing Felix embrace Seungmin in the yard a week prior, Changbin had been thinking a lot. The redhead wasn't exactly complimentary of him, though, to be fair, Seungmin wasn't necessarily complementary of anyone at all. He was the type of person that simply spoke his mind. The most annoying part of it all was that he was rarely wrong. The raven haired boy could only imagine what Seungmin had said to Felix that day. He wanted to ask, but he didn't think it was any of his concern. He didn't think he had the right to ask about the Australian's conversations with others. Still, that didn't stop Changbin was jumping to conclusion after conclusion; ending up miles away from the truth. He didn't understand why he was so worked up about it anyway. People had been talking about him behind his back for his entire life. It wasn't like it was anything new. Plus, he didn't even know what Seungmin had said. He didn't even know if it was about him or not. The older boy felt helpless in his own skin. As the days passed him by, his sleeping and eating schedules became worse and worse. He rarely ate breakfast, even before the incident, and after, he stopping eating it completely. Lunch was usually nothing more than a few orange slices, even though Felix would constantly offer to share his lunch with the shorter boy. Dinner was eaten late at night, usually around eight o'clock so that he wouldn't be disturbed in the kitchen. Even still, it was usually small and unfilling, and his body began to adjust to the constant state of fatigue.

Changbin's sleeping schedule also took a massive beating. He was constantly deprived of sleep anyway due to fighting it each night in fear of having another nightmare, so actually having a reason to stay awake and think himself into an even deeper slump wasn't at all what he needed. When you pair poor eating and sleeping habits alongside a prolonged exertion of energy for multiple hours a day, it was only a matter of time before Changbin crashed. Hard. Felix took notice of the older boy's poor eating habits, and wondered off and on what would be a good way for him to approach the subject. But, in the end, he didn't want Changbin to get mad at him. After all, the Australian thought he was being a little creepy. He was monitoring the older boy's food intake. He was only worried for Changbin's health, but when he put the situation into perspective, he had to admit that he seemed rather stalkerish. Felix offered time and time again to make dinner for the older boy, disguising his true intentions by saying that he wanted to thank Changbin for training him so well over the past two weeks. But, every time the older boy turned down Felix's offer.

"Changbin, are you alright?" Felix questioned, waving his hand in front of the older boy's unblinking eyes.

After nearly three full minutes of calling his name, Felix walked over to the shorter boy. Frankly, Changbin just wasn't himself. He was even more closed off than normal, which Felix found hard to believe was even possible. The raven haired boy finally snapped back to reality, a bit startled by Felix suddenly being so close to him.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Felix studied his face, noting the dark circles under his eyes. He also looked sickly pale. His powers seemed weaker that day, too, and the Australian became increasingly worried for Changbin's health.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, gently bringing his hand upward to touch Changbin's head and feel for a fever.

"I'm fine," the raven haired boy said bluntly, pushing Felix's hand away.

He'd only had it there for a couple of seconds, so he couldn't be sure whether or not he was right, but he could have sworn that Changbin was warm. The older boy's eyes looked even more lifeless than usual, and now that Felix was up close and personal with him, he could see the redness that was creeping along the edges of his irises.

"I think you should go rest," Felix said hesitantly.

He didn't want to make Changbin upset, but he knew that if he were to keep going at the rate that he was; it wouldn't be long before he did some major damage to his body.

"Didn't I just say that I'm fine?" Changbin questioned irritably.

"You don't look fine, Changbin. You're sick," the younger boy said.

The shorter boy already knew that. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out. He'd made himself physically ill by worrying about whatever Seungmin said to Felix. Even after he saw the two hug, nothing changed between himself and the Australian, and he tried to remind himself of that. But, no matter how hard he tried, he always ended up thinking bad thoughts about himself and about his relationship with Felix.

"I said that I'm fine!" Changbin snapped, and the brunette shrunk a bit when the sharp words hit his eardrums at full force.

When Changbin tried to walk away, Felix grabbed his wrist.

"Missing one day of practice won't kill you, Changbin," the younger boy told him.

The raven haired boy pulled his arm away roughly, turning around to look at Felix. The Australian was a bit frightened, but he didn't think that Changbin would actually do anything to physically hurt him. Cringing, the taller boy braced himself for harsh words.

"If you're going to leave me like everyone else, then just hurry up and do it already," Changbin choked out quietly.

Felix's eyes widened as he looked at the raven haired boy. He wasn't himself, and the Australian knew that he was in pain; both emotionally and physically. Changbin couldn't keep going on like he was, and that fact became more and more obvious to him as the days went by. He was tired of wondering about Felix all the time, because there wasn't a reason to do that. The raven haired boy longer for a way to switch off all the emotions that Felix's arrival brought. He'd never needed them before, so why did he need them now? Why couldn't he just shut himself down? It had never been something he needed to think about. Normally, he'd be able to just close his eyes, straighten up his thoughts, and when his eyes reopened he could stop the flow of emotions completely. He didn't need them, and he'd spend the vast majority of his life convincing himself of that.

"W-What the hell are you talking about?" The younger boy stuttered out.

Felix didn't understand what was going on. He was just as confused as Changbin. The brunette couldn't wrap his head around the raven haired boy's thoughts. He didn't think her ever be able to understand them completely.

"You! You do things to my chest...You make me feel weird, Felix. I've never felt this warm on the inside. But, if you plan on leaving me alone like everyone else in my life; just hurry up and get gone already before you do anymore damage," Changbin said.

Felix didn't even know that he had any type of effect on the older boy. He knew that Changbin made him happy with the subtle ways he showed his caring, nurturing side, but he had no clue that he'd ever made Changbin feel anything at all. Unbeknownst to him, Felix had lit a fire inside the raven haired boy's chest, and it terrified Changbin to the core. Everything in his life had always been temporary; people, thoughts, emotions, -everything. So, he had no real reason to believe that Felix would stay in his life for the long run, and he refused to let himself get attached to a temporary person.

"I'm not gonna leave, Changbin. I'm your partner," Felix assured the shorter boy.

"And...I'm your friend," he added hesitantly.

Changbin looked at Felix like he was completely confused. And he was. He'd never had a friend before. He'd never had the luxury of having someone like Felix before he met the Australian. He was sheltered away for so long, no human contact at all, and nobody to care if he were to simply disappear. But now, Felix was standing in front of him, telling him sincerely that he wasn't going to leave. But how could he believe that?

"Friend...?" Changbin said the word out loud, making it sound more like a question.

It was as if the word was from another language and he didn't have a single idea what it meant. That word, and the concept of friendship in itself, was foreign to Changbin. He'd never had a friend. But now, he did. He had a friend in the Australian, even if he didn't recognize that just yet.

"Yeah. I'm your friend, Changbin," the younger boy nodded.

The raven haired boy didn't quite know what to do or even how to feel. Changbin had experienced so much hurt in his past whenever he'd made himself vulnerable, and he didn't want to experience that hurt again. The problem was that Felix poured warmth into the older boy every chance he got, and as much as it scared Changbin, he liked it. Loved it, even. He knew he did. Then, in the blink of an eye, Changbin would turn on the cold to shut Felix down. It hurt. Every time it was a new wound, a new scar to add to the collection. Felix understood that he couldn't really help it, though. He did his very best to be understanding of the shorter boy, and to be accommodating to his needs and wants. But still, the hurt covered Felix like a cloak that he never even wanted to wear in the first place, bonding his skin to the darkness, even though all the Australian wanted was the sunshine.

Suddenly, Changbin's thoughts simply stopped. Just moments ago they'd been racing like a bullet fired straight from the barrel of a gun, but now, his brain had completely ceased to work. His legs began to feel incredibly weak, and Felix watched as his eyes glazed over. As his eyes closed and everything faded into darkness, Felix stepped forward to catch the falling boy in his arms.

"C-Changbin?"

Just as he and Felix both knew he would; Changbin had crashed. And when he did, he did it hard.

*🔥*🔥*🔥*🔥*🔥*

Hours later, inky darkness had fully engulfed the sky. Changbin stirred from his dreamless, faint induced sleep, only to find Felix curled up at the end of his bed like a cat. The older boy just sat there for a few moments staring at the younger, his mouth twisting upward lightly. He paused when he realized what he was doing.

Did I just...Smile? He asked himself, bringing his hand up to touch his own lips in amazement.

He hadn't smiled since...Honestly, he couldn't even remember the last time he had, or even if he ever had at all. He remembered watching others smile when he was younger, and he once asked another girl why she did it so frequently. The little girl had told him that she did it because it showed how happy she was. That was the time when he realized why he didn't have the urge to do it...He never smiled because he'd never been happy. But, as he stared at Felix, his friend Felix, he was smiling. And it was genuine. And, once again, there was that warm feeling that he felt whenever he was in the younger boy's presence. Breaking up the moment just seconds later was Seungmin, who quietly opened the door in order to check on Changbin and Felix. He was still trying to figure out their relationship, but he'd been the one to help Felix calm down after Changbin passed out that evening. The redhead had also been quick to diagnose the raven haired boy. He's passed out from malnutrition, dehydration, and exhaustion. Not at all shocking after the way he'd been treating his body that week.

"Oh, you're awake," Seungmin noted.

"Do you feel okay?"

Before he could answer, Felix jerked awake at the sounds of the voices. He used his fingers to brush his hair out of his eyes, only to lay eyes upon the fully awake Changbin.

"Do you feel okay?" He asked quickly, crawling forward on the bed to press his hand to Changbin's forehead.

Seungmin had instructed Felix to keep a damp cloth over the raven haired boy's forehead for about an hour, and the Australian did just that. Thankfully, Changbin's fever had broken, and after some much needed sleep, he felt a whole lot better than he had that whole entire week. It was a quick fix, but Changbin passing out had really, really scared Felix.

"I feel okay," Changbin nodded, pulling away from Felix's hand.

The Australian sighed.

"There's water on the nightstand," Felix pointed.

"Drink it. All of it. Every last drop."

The shorter boy picked up the water bottle and removed the lid, quickly bringing it to his lips. Seungmin took the hint that his presence wasn't really needed because Felix had everything covered just fine, and he left the room without saying anything else.

"I had Red make you dinner," the younger boy stated, pulling himself off the bed.

"It's been in the fridge, so I'll have to warm it up in the microwave. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

"Wait," Changbin called out, gripping onto Felix's wrist.

The younger boy was shocked that Changbin had initiated contact with him. Sure, he pulled his hand away as soon as Felix froze in place, but that didn't change the fact that he'd touched him in the first place.

"Yeah?" The taller boy asked quietly.

"Why did you sleep at the end of my bed like that?" The older boy questioned.

Felix's cheeks turned red. In truth, he'd done it so that he could stay near Changbin. He'd been so incredibly worried when the older boy passed out. He almost cried, but Seungmin calmed him down with his logical thinking.

"W-Well, I wanted to make sure that you were okay. And, I knew you needed the sleep, so if you woke up because of a nightmare I...I wanted to be there to sing you to sleep," Felix admitted, his face growing redder by the second.

Thankfully the lights in the room were off, so Changbin wasn't able to see the redness of Felix's cheeks. The raven haired boy stared blankly at the Australian, and after a few seconds of unbearable silence, Felix turned his back again.

"I'll go get your dinner," he mumbled, making his way into the kitchen.

And as Changbin watched the younger boy walk away, his lips curled upward ever so slightly.

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