Chapter Text
the beginnings were humble and trivial.
swallowing his hesitation, chenle waved the persistent thoughts away, letting the ink of his pen guide him forward.
i saw this half written letter with a rather long list of requirements. i’m writing back with your letter attached.
best regards,
chenle.
chenle's repressed thoughts still fought to break free, his body shaking slightly from the nerves, yet his resolve never wobbled. pacing towards the mail box, he dropped the letter into the slot with shaking hands, finally letting out a heavy sigh laced with resolution.
days passed as his attempt to reach out proved futile, or so he thought.
when the thought almost faded away into blissful obscurity, he was greeted with a letter back, grateful for his little effort.
dear chenle,
thank you for sending this letter back. i could not recall the whole list, so i was sort of disheartened that i have to write it again.
yours faithfully…
curry.
his heart bubbled in gleeful, satisfactory joy— the kind that blossoms into existence when one initiates an act of good, no matter how small or trivial.
paper in his hands, chenle tried to stash it away in a drawer to not be opened back again, but the page curled in the wind, revealing a message that he accidentally skipped away.
by the way, do you want to be friends ? it would be nice to befriend a kindred soul.
awkward semantics aside, chenle kept staring, almost burning holes on to the page. the persistent feeling itched under his skin again, yet he decided to scratch out the itch for good.
content bubbled in his heart and mind as he pulled a sheet, writing in part ink, part excitement. he withheld his usual impulsive attitude to not overwhelm this person as he explained in the affirmative.
chenle does not know why, or what was the reason to accept, but his heart was ever so vehemently stubborn that he had to give in.
the letter arrived quicker this time, whether it was the improvements in mail, or the writer’s excitement actually fuelling its transport, one never knows.
of course,
it quoth, devoid of any previous formalities.
i’m stephen curry, born on march 14, currently 37 years old. currently in shanghai with colleagues, residence is in charlotte, north carolina, if you want to keep in touch.
it’s your turn, tell me more about yourself.
chenle reciprocated, or perhaps overdid himself a bit more than the writer himself, summarising his identity to the best of his abilities — born in the 22nd of november and currently living in shanghai with his friends, a freelance vocalist with a passion towards basketball.
the mere mention of said sport singed the surface of his mind, pure ecstasy coursing through his veins like hot blood, yet he grounded himself in his reality.
the air was soft, fleeting like cherry blossoms wafting through the river it falls onto. the cold winter breeze tickled his skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. chenle slipped the paper into the frigid metallic box, awaiting his reply.
stephen curry.
what an intriguing name.
nice, i’m passionate about basketball as well. it’s one of my main hobbies. we should play together one day.
the newest letter sent chenle into a spiral of overwhelm.
nothing but mere squeaks fell from his lips as he tried his level best to compose himself, convulsing with nothing but pure excitement invading his brain.
chenle always loved people, he relished in the conversations and the attention, and had garnered the reputation of a guy who anyone can approach.
but he resonated even further with basketball enjoyers, sharing the very same fruit of passion as him. it was the surefire way to win his heart forever.
and he struck nothing but pure, radiant gold.
this time, the restraints of his excitement shattered into a million pieces, pouring his all into the page that was now horribly thumbed at the edges with how haphazardly he held the page.
of course, i’d love to meet with you and play. my favourite team is the warriors, i kind of got one of their jerseys while visiting the stadium. of course, i’m practicing and all, but now i feel like i should work even harder with you coming over to play.
i’m very competitive though, i’d love a good challenge!
fingers trembling in pure exaltation, he could not help but scream into a pillow, leaving soft, broken giggles that dampened into the the fabric.
more letters greeted his feverish hands, although the letter was dampened by the bad news he shall receive— his new companion was just too occupied with his job, his friends, his colleagues to scrape some time for basketball playing with his pen pal.
shanghai is a vast place after all.
that’s perfectly alright, i’ll still wait for you when you have the time.
a few words that were supposed to be purely platonic, dipped in mayhaps slight desperation mixed with excitement to form a concoction like no other.
and it only reduced to a simmer in his heart as no reply came back.
chenle’s friends were the farthest from oblivious about his behaviour the days that proceeded.
the only happy, impulsive, i-need-no-man attitude flipped upside down although chenle strived to be completely subtle about it but they saw through the haze.
they could do nothing other than witness the way the colour faded from their best friend’s face as the days go by.
brooding, yearning like a lovelorn victorian woman waiting for her lover to finally meet her, his gaze was always darting towards the mail whenever he walks by, hoping maybe, just maybe, he will write back.
until then he shall wait, even if it meant ages.
“are you seeing someone?” jisung asked in a hushed voice, eyes glancing at renjun’s side in nervousness. the clique fell silent as the question hit the air, all curious on what was happening. they needed closure, and their best friend to be back to his old happy demeanour back again.
“n-no…” a stutter fell on chenle’s shivering lips, a bold yet desolate attempt at a lie. “it’s just been hard at work…nothing too bad, it’s just a bit of problems.”
jisung fell silent, knowing well enough to not overstep on his best friend’s vaguely built boundaries. the clique followed suit in a stance of silence but jaemin couldn’t help but ask.
“why are you hiding this from us…?” jaemin asked in a soft voice that hid the hurt of the sting that was brought along with his unspeakable problem. holding chenle’s hand in his, haechan spoke up, not wanting to keep this façade up anymore.
“we’re not oblivious. we can see you’re hurt. whatever it is, we just want to help.”
chenle’s lips trembled, his pent up feelings, diminishing hope and conflicted thoughts of betrayal powering his trembles. “even though i’m so glad y’all asked…” he trailed off with a squeaky, bittersweet voice.
“this problem is mine alone to take care of. i’ll be fine.”
the conversation rung in his head a million times, over and over like a skipping vinyl record. his heart weighed in his chest like it was filled with water. tears threatened to well up every time he waits for the mail and gets nothing.
no, he cannot be like this. he is stronger, much more resilient than this.
never has he ever felt so shaken over a hiatus in a friendship yet he wont let his tears fall. the diminishing hope still stayed till the end, even after months of waiting and nothing returns to him.
until he let one fall.
drip.
and another.
drip.
his nose felt stuffed as his vision blurred, his voice squeaky and broken as he silently cried in his bed, clutching his bedsheets as he curled up, his heart shattering from the glue of hope that was holding it together.
“stephen…” chenle called out with a whisper to no one, still hoping he will listen. “i miss you so so much…”
“i lied…i can’t do this anymore…”
“i can’t wait for you, i…fucking love you too much to let you go like this!”
an ear shattering silence ensued as the words echoed through the thin walls of his house.
eyes went wide as the residual tears dried up, letting him see clear again. a slight crimson dusted his cheeks as his skin went stiff with goosebumps, as he sank in what he had just screamed out.
his heart fluttered bittersweetly as he silently mouthed what he said. that he loved him too much.
“i’m…in love…”
a crooked smile slowly grew as tears fell once again. clutching a pillow, he snickered for a second as he cried silently once again…
…now knowing that he was completely in love, for better or for worse.
“so, curry, huh?” haechan trailed off as he snickered at the unkempt letters in his drawers. “what a funny name. we should definitely meet this guy.”
“our main priority is to make them meet together somehow, but we don’t even know anyone named that way, let alone a way to get it contact,” mark grimaced, rubbing his temples.
“god i can’t see him brood like this,” jisung commented, holding the letter close. “there must be some sort of way out there.”
meanwhile, jeno analysed every word of the letter in his hands, brainstorming ideas until it finally hit him.
“i…might have an idea,” he broke the ice, staring at another letter, garnering the attention of everyone else.