As soon as Changbin stepped out of his house the next morning, he saw Felix standing next to the porch, waiting for Changbin to show up as he usually did.

Changbin snuck up behind Felix without making too much noise, and slammed his hands on the taller's shoulders, scaring him.

Changbin laughed at Felix's expression, and laughed even more when the Australian looked like a kicked puppy.

"That, was evil," Felix commented after Changbin's laugh died down. "I've also never heard you laugh like that before."

Changbin fixed his beanie, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You were laughing, and that's good. You know what would be better? Pulling down that mask so I can hear your laughter even more."

Changbin looked away, before shaking his head. "Felix."

"Okay, okay," Felix chuckled, raising his hands up in defense. "But...what you did to me earlier was horrible. I might just get my revenge."

Changbin shrugged, before starting to walk away. "Okay. Whatever you say."

"I mean it, Chang," Felix continued, trailing behind the half demon.

"Sure," Changbin said again, before replaying Felix's whole sentence in his mind. "What did you just call me?"

"Chang," Felix beamed, circling around Changbin as they neared the bus stop. "Super neat, right?"

"I...I don't like it."

"What about Binnie then? Or Changbinnie? I like the both of them. You just have to choose--"

Felix's next words went through one of Changbin's ears and out the other, because across the street, a group of students were gathered in front of the school bus. Changbin would've dismissed them, like he usually did, but he recognized two people that he needed to avoid, who were Jisung and Jaeha. They were standing with their friends, surveying the area like they owned it. Changbin internally panicked when Jisung's eyes met his for a brief moment.

"Shit," Changbin muttered. Felix was still talking, and Changbin knew that Jisung and Jaeha had spotted him now for sure. Changbin then proceeded to step inside his bus, gripping Felix's hand to pull him inside.

The Australian immediately stopped talking, wondering why Changbin was acting so frantic. He refrained from saying anything for a few minutes after they'd settled in the bus, but then he couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Hey, Changbin? Why do you look as if you've seen a ghost or something?"

Changbin unattached his hand from Felix's own, not realizing that he'd been holding it until then. Glancing at the taller male, he shook his head. "It's nothing."

Why are you not telling me what's really wrong? Don't you trust me? Changbin felt like he could almost hear those questions coming from Felix, even if the blond didn't say anything.

Changbin felt guilty once again for something he had no control over, because that was how he dealt with any kind of conflict. He avoided or ignored them, and brushed them under the rug, hoping that they'd never see the light of day again. But it was apparent that he wouldn't be able to ignore this conflict for much longer though.

"...Is it about them?" Felix questioned, pointing to the school bus across the street from them. Jaeha now appeared to be talking to Jisung about something, and it was obvious it wasn't about something good with how pissed off she looked. Jisung answered Jaeha's heated remarks with nonchalant nods, so it was hard to read how he felt about what she was saying.

"Yeah. But you don't need to worry. They just saw you and I together, and I bet they're just angry about that," Changbin explained. He looked up at Felix, but the Australian was still staring at the duo. "Felix."

"I'm not hanging out with them again," Felix finalized, "If what you said is true, and they're pissed because I'm your friend, then I won't speak to them again."

Changbin widened his eyes, before quickly shaking his head. He was as shocked as he was alarmed, because this was what he never wanted at all. He knew how ruthless Jisung and Jaeha could be, so people never messed with them. They'd offered Felix their friendship (which they rarely gave out), so it wouldn't be the best decision for Felix if he stopped hanging out with them because of someone like Changbin.

"No, you shouldn't."

Felix raised his eyebrows at Changbin's answer. "Why?"

"I...I don't want anything you to get hurt, and I don't want to get in the way of you making friends," Changbin admitted, and Felix's previously annoyed expression softened. "Jisung and Jaeha are going to try things, and they're not going to let you off the hook if you choose to stop hanging out with them."

"So you want me to stop being friends with you?"

"...I'm not saying that--"

"Then what are you trying to say? That I should continue hanging out with Jisung and Jaeha even if they and their friends treat you like shit?"

Changbin gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated with Felix's stubborness. "I'm not saying that! I'm just worried about you."

"Don't worry about me, Changbin, or try to protect me," Felix replied. "I don't need it."

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you..." Changbin whispered, and even though his voice was nearly inaudible, Felix still heard it.

Felix looked taken aback for a few seconds, before a warm smile made its way over his face.

That was what Changbin felt when Felix smiled: warmth. No wonder he liked seeing Felix's smile so much. It was what the smile represented, including the sheer beauty of it. Felix's smile never failed to make Changbin speechless.

"Nothing bad's going to happen to me," Felix assured, before wrapping his hand around Changbin's own, which the half demon didn't expect at all. His hold was firm, but not too constricting, and it made Changbin feel the same way he felt whenever he saw Felix's smile. Warm. "Okay?"

Changbin nodded, staring at his and Felix's hands. His hand didn't look so bad by itself, but it looked imperfect next to Felix's own. A mismatched puzzle, a clashing sight. Their hands didn't belong together, and they never would be. Changbin pulled his hand away soon after, and focused his gaze outside the window, ignoring Felix until they got off the bus.

Felix's hand somehow found its way in his own again, but unlike last time, Changbin didn't pull away, even with the stares casted their way by some citizens heading the same direction they were.

"Mind doing that temperature controlling thing again?" Felix asked, and Changbin couldn't help but agree to it. Spreading warmth to Felix was easier this time, because their hands were connected, so the transfer was quicker. Once again, Changbin was able to witness first hand the content smile that bloomed on top of Felix's face because of what he did.

Changbin felt sort of accomplished at that, not minding it at all when Felix's grip on his hand increased as they neared the school. Maybe his and Felix's hands didn't match physically, but this, this felt right. Changbin felt amazing when Felix held his hand, gentle happiness trickling up the tip of his fingers and around his chest, resulting in a wildly beating heart.

Half demons didn't have long lifespans, but Changbin felt more alive in that moment than he'd ever felt before.

_______

Felix didn't meet Changbin at the back of the school during lunch. For the whole period, Felix had been absent, and Changbin wondered where he was.

It also made the half demon nervous, because what if something bad had happened to Felix? What if Jisung and Jaeha had convinced Felix to stay away from Changbin once and for all? Changbin wondered if Felix was at the cafeteria right now, eating and laughing freely with the people who called themselves his friends. The half demon could imagine that happening.

He was just dragging Felix down with him, and eventually he'd have to let Felix go. Felix would get tired of him soon enough, and they'd be nothing more than strangers, just like the first time they met. It was inevitable, so Changbin didn't have any other choice but to accept it. But, why was he so reluctant to imagine his life without Felix in it now?

_______

Physics was about the only class that Changbin didn't share with Felix, so when he entered the class that afternoon, he retreated to the back to find his seat, only to see that Jisung was occupying it, along with his closest friend Hyunjin.

"What? You want your seat?" Jisung asked, raising one of his eyebrows. Hyunjin just snickered next to him.

Changbin shook his head, and took a seat off to the sids by the windows. He hated those seats, because cold air usually entered through the openings and blew against him.

The half demon could feel Jisung's and Hyunjin's eyes on him, and he tried to ignore them and focus on the teacher's words as she explained Kinematics. It proved to be hard though, especially when Jisung and Hyunjin made fun of him behind his back and threw paper balls at his head, hoping that he'd react.

Changbin didn't know how the teacher hadn't seen what they were doing by now. But then again, Mrs. Kwon was one of those teachers that turned a blind eye to him whenever he got targeted by the other students.

Changbin winced when a paper ball hit his left eye. It fell on the floor, and Changbin looked at it. Half of the ball was scorched with smoke blowing out from it, which shocked the half demon. He hoped no one had seen that.

When Jisung and Hyunjin sensed that Changbin wasn't getting affected by his words, they resorted to targeting the person they knew would get Changbin's attention for sure.

"I can't believe Felix confronted us today and told us to stay away from that demon. He sure had guts to do that," Jisung laughed, making sure that Changbin heard every word. "I would've socked Felix if I had the chance, but I don't want to hurt that pretty face of his. Girls love him."

"They do," Hyunjin agreed. "Wonder if demon boy does too. Probably."

"Obviously," Jisung spat, "but Felix wouldn't like him back, when he's such a freak. No one likes demons anyway. They're meant to be alone, or else they'll turn psycho." He paused, laughing. "And that's what demon boy deserves anyway."

Changbin tried so, so hard to write down equations in his notebook without his hands quivering, but he failed miserably. The pencil in his hands started disintegrating.

"Bet Felix doesn't know what that demon actually is," Hyunjin spoke up. "That's probably why Felix is still with him until now."

"Obviously. Felix would run if he saw his true form, and take back all that he said to us."

Changbin's pulse raced, anger and resentment boiling through his veins. The completely destroyed pencil fell from his grip, and Changbin bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything that he'd regret.

"Uh oh. I think demon boy's getting angry," Jisung sing-songed.

Anger and Changbin weren't meant to get along. Anger didn't belong inside Changbin, because it couldn't be controlled. Changbin rarely felt angry, but at this moment, the emotion enclosed around him until he couldn't breathe, until all that he could see was red.

So when Changbin slammed his hands on his desk and pushed it away with full force, interrupting the teacher's speech, he didn't care that Jisung and Hyunjin at won.

The anger in Changbin burned and ignited within him like fire on gasoline. He stood up with balled fists, and the students in the class inched back with fear and shock.

Jisung looked amused, while the teacher called out Changbin's name over and over again.

"Is this what you wanted?!" Changbin asked Jisung and Hyunjin, his voice two times lower than normal. Anger did that to anyone who had demon blood inside of them.

Jisung just smirked. "See? He is a psycho."

"Han Jisung!" Mrs. Kwon exclaimed, but Jisung didn't listen.

"Can't you see? You're a monster, Changbin. I bet if Mrs. Kwon wasn't there, you would've tried to kill us right?" Jisung continued. "Oh, sorry--am I making you cry?"

"Jisung, Principal's office. Now," the teacher commanded, and Jisung stood up, walking past Changbin without a care in the world.

Changbin averted his eyes from Hyunjin, who was still smirking, and landed them on the students in his class. Some of them looked frightened, and some even had their phones out. A majority of them carried the same expressions as Jisung and Hyunjin.

"Changbin--" Mrs. Kwon called out, but Changbin grabbed his bag and headed out of the classroom, ignoring the murmurs that began to surface.

Tears brimmed on the surface of Changbin's eyes and cascaded down his cheeks. They were cold, so, so cold. Demons weren't meant to cry. They weren't supposed to cry, or else they'd get hurt. That was what Changbin's tears were doing to him right now.

Even his body hated him.

_______

Felix: changbin, are you ok?
Felix: answer me please
Felix: are you fine?
Felix: your mother told me you weren't feeling well
Felix: i hope you're better now
Felix: i heard some students talking about an incident that happened in physics class this afternoon
Felix: they said a guy went crazy in there
Felix: hope it didn't affect you ♡
Felix: you're reading this but not responding
Felix: please respond.
Felix: come to your window. maybe we can talk
Felix: i want to hear your voice
Felix: let's hang out
Felix: please
Felix: why arent you answering me
Felix: just an 'i'm good' is enough for me
Felix: okay
Felix: i'm probably annoying you
Felix: i'm sorry
Felix: but on the bright side, i told jisung and jaeha and their friends to leave you alone
Felix: please text me back
Felix: can i call you?

Changbin: don't

Felix: why?

Changbin: i don't want to talk to you right now

Felix: are you okay?

Changbin: leave me alone

Felix: you don't mean that

Changbin: i don't want us to talk to each other again
Changbin: i don't want us to be friends anymore
Changbin: leave me alone
Changbin: you dont need me as a friend
Changbin: you have jaeha and jisung
Changbin: stay away from me

Felix: changbin
Felix: dont do this
Felix: why would i stop being friends with you

Changbin: fucking leave me alone, goddamit!
Changbin: it's what i deserve anyway
Changbin: i dont need anyone
Changbin: i was perfectly fine without you in my life

Felix: please
Felix: you dont mean it

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