Chapter Text
Summer was always the busiest time of the year.
Ever since the start of June, campus had been a mess - Students were rushing to form units, busting their brains to come up with a song that'll chart, not to mention practicing it all in time… Cherilyn, however, couldn't have been less affected.
Laying flat on her bed with her limbs sprawled out, she groaned as she heard a playful rhythm knock on her door. She rubbed her eyes and lazily called out, "C'min…"
"It's locked, bro."
"...Oh. In a second…"
With a heavy sigh and great, great effort, Cherilyn flipped on her stomach, waited a few seconds, then got on her feet to drag herself to the door. The lock and handle clicked, and before her stood Hyeonjun, grinning, the glint of their canines meeting her eyes.
"I considered yelling fire while I knock," they cackled as Cherilyn dragged them inside by their wrist, kicking their shoes off beside her door. "Don't think that's worth the trouble today, though."
"Mm." Cherilyn hummed, flopping right back onto her mattress, hugging around her favorite fuzzy pillow to get comfortable. "Wouldn't work. I'd hear your voice and know it's a bluff."
Hyeonjun scoffed. "Nah, people say my impressions are like totally different people."
"It's the rasp that gives it away."
"Ugh. Well, of course you can tell." Hyeonjun hopped onto the bed with a huff, crossing their legs. "How's your act goin'?"
Cherilyn flicked them in the knee as it bounced up and down. "Guess."
"You didn't do anything, didja?"
"Ding ding ding," Cherilyn dryly announced. "But it's not just because I'm lazy. My group is like… weird."
"Oh, to be fair, same." Hyeonjun gave an understanding huff. "Some of them get on my nerves, I swear."
"Really? I thought you said they were cool."
"I mean, yeah. Some of 'em just… give me an off vibe? Like… there's this one guy. Also an organist. They said they'd do some compositions, song concepts. Not that their music sucks, it's infuriatingly not-sucky but like…" Hyeonjun rubbed their nose as it scrunched up slightly. "It's like. They're zoned out all the time."
Cherilyn shrugged. "Just like me for real. Why's that weird?"
"No, I mean… they act like a robot. Like, a game NPC." Hyeonjun snickered, "You know that one Volton in our year, super tall, colorful ponytail and glasses? Poe?"
"Um." Cherilyn's eyes wandered over the barren ceiling as she tried to recall the at least 10 people that fit the description. A Volton? She didn't talk to any of those. On average, Cherilyn could name about three students in a class, that being if she was lucky. "No, sorry."
"Don't worry, I haven't run into 'em before band either, it's just like… dude, I dunno. I've tried to figure out what makes 'em tick, make fun of 'em a little… but-" Hyeonjun gestured with their hands, stammering a bit. "But- literally, they just- ignore it. Every time. I mean, they laugh I guess, but it's like, hello, did you even get what I just said. Like- they're hard to talk to, you know? I can't loosen up the mood. At all."
They rolled their eyes, harshly sighing. "They make band feel like a job interview. I hate it."
"Oh. That's not fun." Cherilyn poked Hyeonjun's knee, gazing up at their disgruntled face as they chewed on their lip. She hummed, "Is everyone else like that too?"
"I mean, no. One of them's their sister, but they're still all stiff and boring even when she's there," Hyeonjun replied, "The others are generally fine, I just. Bro, I do not like their vibe. It's too polite."
"Fair."
"Urgh. And, y'know what's more? Poe's composition is so decent. Dude, I shouldn't show you, but I can show you what their concept MIDI sounds like later, they sent us so we can add stuff or whatever. I mean, artistically, I'd totally work with them. Our whole group's only made bangers of suggestions, so I'm pretty set for Summersong but- them in particular, they're weird, you know? I have no clue what they're thinking about. Their stare is… eternally blank," Hyeonjun continued to rant, accentuating their frustration with their hands.
"Hey." Cherilyn nudged their leg with her head, before gazing up at them through her tired eyes. "I have a blank stare, too."
"Well, yeah, but yours is chill. Not. I dunno, fake mysterious but actually just stupid." Hyeonjun huffed as they ruffled her bedhead.
"Mmm." Cherilyn tapped her fingers on the back of Hyeonjun's hand. "Sounds to me like you're just trying to find a reason to dislike them. Maybe you're jealous."
"Jealous of them? Pffshhhh! Nah. Forget it." Blowing a raspberry, Hyeonjun waved it off. "They just give me a really awkward vibe, okay? I scurried the heck outta there earlier 'cause it was just us today, I shared some ideas for our track and dipped. Y'know, don't wanna decide too much without the others. Who, by the way, freakin' bailed, wanted to check out that other group's thing. Were… giving out stickers or whatever, I don't know."
"I bailed because nobody said anything," Cherilyn muttered and shrugged. It wasn't like she couldn't have asked, but any excuse to be free after classes was one she'd gladly take. "Anyway, you can admit you're jealous."
Hyeonjun scoffed, crossing their arms. "I just said I'm not, bro."
"Okay. If jealousy isn't it, then…" Cherilyn sat up, inching closer and closer towards Hyeonjun's face with an uncharacteristically wide stare.
"Maybe you like them."
Through her blurred vision, Cherilyn watched Hyeonjun's eyes closely as they squinted, and she wasn't sure if they were offended, disgusted, or considering it.
"…Cher, that is so bullshit."
"Is it though?" Cherilyn giggled as Hyeonjun pushed her face out of their view. She wiped her palms down her cheeks, before shaking her head and dryly whining, "Ewww, your palms are sweaty."
"No they're not? Actually, wait, lemme make 'em sweaty juuust for you-" Hyeonjun started vigorously rubbing their palms on their jeans, leaning in and keeping grossly intense eye contact with Cherilyn as they did.
"Ew, ew. Okay, sorry for suggesting a possibility," Cherilyn snorted, grabbing Hyeonjun's wrists, trying to ignore the growing feeling of discomfort in her chest.
…No, maybe discomfort wasn't the right word, it felt too strong. Her heart didn't feel unusually heavy or light - she only thought she could feel a sting, maybe just a pinch… but either way, it was so slight it might as well have never been there.
"Yeah… well." With a soft huff, Hyeonjun backed off, uncrossing their legs and letting themselves bounce on the bed for a few moments. Cherilyn heard the frame squeak as they slowly scooted closer to the edge.
She hugged around her pillow a little tighter. "Consider it, though. Maybe they're a baddie."
"…A huh? Dude. Nahhh." Hyeonjun laughed, and Cherilyn's heart felt lighter when they did. "They look fine, I'll say that. Fine as in okay. They're just too distant for someone like me."
"Fair." Cherilyn extended her hand, kneading the air. "Do you have a picture?"
"No, sorry." Hyeonjun's hand met hers, but only to brush against her palm in what felt like a missed high-five. "I could try to take one though."
Cherilyn's hand dropped into her lap. "In secret? Maybe that's mean. It's okay, you don't need to do that."
"Ehh, I can try to get everyone together for a group selfie."
"True. Okay, that's fine." Cherilyn rubbed her eye, placing her pillow beside her to lay back down. She watched Hyeonjun hang their legs off the side of the bed and promptly grabbed their shirt, tugging at it repeatedly. "What are you gonna do now?"
"Go to my dorm and send you the MIDI, probably." Hyeonjun gently pinched the top of Cherilyn's hand.
"Oh. Okay."
Cherilyn let go, rubbing her knuckles on her cheeks. "Close the door on your way out."
"No. I'll leave it wiiiiide open." Hyeonjun snickered as they strolled towards the exit, humming a tune to themself. "Don't fall asleep, I'll send it to you literally right now."
"No prommy." Cherilyn closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
"You'd better prommy." Cherilyn couldn't see Hyeonjun, but she pictured them standing in the doorframe, pointing at her with a menacing stare.
"Alright, talk to you in a sec."
"Okayie."
With that, the door fell shut, and the whirring of Cherilyn's desk fan took up the room.
She let the breeze tickle her face each time it reached her. Did she actually want to fall asleep right now? There was nothing stopping her, and the most Hyeonjun ever did when she fell asleep was haughtily roll their eyes and click their tongue, as if light and interrupted sleep was better than a little too much. And the MIDI could wait, seriously… if anything, she only cared to know what its composer was like.
She weakly chuckled to herself. Hyeonjun had always been the jealous type. Not the concerning kind, just the petty kind, petty and painfully obvious while denying it.
She could semi-vividly recall her last relationship, back in her senior year of high school, with a girl named Wanda. They shared a physics class, and whenever one nodded off, the other would fill them in. Wanda's gums showed whenever she smiled, and after thinking about them one time too many, Cherilyn didn't sleep through any of her classes again - her deskmate was more important.
Wanda was funny, and so was her smile. She looked out for Cherilyn, and Cherilyn would return it. After many hushed, but pleasant conversations that were definitely not about Spurrit's laws, she had nothing to complain about.
…Hyeonjun, however, despised her.
They'd joke around with her as they would with anybody else, but under four eyes, they'd complain. Lean over to Cherilyn with a sneer of poorly contained salt as they'd point out every little nitpick about her girlfriend, like the way she rarely thanked anyone when people held the door open, the way she only challenged people to games she was good at, or even just the way her shoes never matched her shirt. They'd try to pick at all her flaws, yet it never sowed any doubts in Cherilyn, at least not until after the relationship ended.
Wanda wasn't the only one of Cherilyn's exes to receive that treatment, either. Though nothing more came out of it, there was a guy who'd caught Cherilyn's attention before university, whom she hung out with for no more than three hours at some informational event for freshmen… Yet, Hyeonjun would harp on about how he'd talk over her "all the time", while interrupting Cherilyn before she could refute or defend him. Granted, that was a case she could understand in hindsight. Hyeonjun was just looking out for her, in their dismissively protective way, she knew that…
But maybe part of her enjoyed how petty they could be.
Annoying as it was at times, the thought of Hyeonjun trying to convince Cherilyn not to be with someone, not because the person sucked, but just because they were jealous was… flattering. Highly. The thought of them subtextually convincing her to be with them instead, because they liked her…
…But not right now.
Not now, and not anymore. Cherilyn buried her face in her pillow, feeling her own breaths warm against her face. She liked to think about it in passing sometimes, sure - but actually picturing herself in a relationship with Hyeonjun was weird. They were her best friend. Not that one thing exempted the other, but in her brain, it just… didn't work. Something like hugging and holding hands was fine, but as soon as they were located in a fancy restaurant, an amusement park or a cinema, the daydream vanished right in front of her eyes. She physically couldn't imagine dating them if she tried - the fantasy would just pop.
Cherilyn lightly kicked her mattress with her feet. She didn't actually think Hyeonjun liked them. This… Poe person. That joke was entirely unprompted, and she only made it to tease them… but it wasn't really funny per se. It felt awkward, and she didn't feel good saying it.
So she had to consider. Could it be she was the jealous one…?
…Absolutely not.
Even if she was. Cherilyn still didn't want to be with Hyeonjun. If someone wanted them, in all their clown-shoed glory, there they were. She didn't want them, so there was nothing to be done. There was nothing she had to do for the entire rest of the day in general, actually. Right.
Basking in the reminder that she was completely free of responsibilities, at least in her mind, she yawned, long and drawn out. Had her phone not been on silent, she'd probably have heard it vibrate by now. And not to leave Hyeonjun hanging, but… her bed was awfully comfy right now. There was no fighting it. Not with the way the cool wisps of air from her desk glided through her room, slowly from one side to the other, gently brushing through her hair…
Surely, an hour or two couldn't hurt…
Before Cherilyn knew it, she was lulled to sleep by the breeze, dreaming of the seaside for reasons unbeknownst to her; idly looking over it as fresh seafoam hugged around her calves.
Even as the salt began to seep into her skin, she felt it was the best place to stand.