I apologize about the delay on this chapter. Someone important to me passed away very recently and I have been grieving. I'll take this time to remind everyone to please, please, please wear your masks and social distance when you are outside. COVID-19 is nothing to joke about. Seriously.

That aside, as always,

Enjoy.

EDIT 1: Taking a one week hiatus from this story. New chapter will be posted on 1/22, not 1/15.

January 31st, 2020

I walked alongside Seraphine to her car. Our classes for the day were finished and our shift at The Grand Vastaya was starting in about half an hour. During class, she and I had little time to talk to each other because the professors spent almost all of class time lecturing, describing assignments and concepts, and making sure we understood everything for the upcoming exams.

Sera unlocked her car and the both of us entered. I sighed as I slid on my seatbelt.

As we drove, my thoughts began to drift to Lux. I absentmindedly wondered how she was doing on her flight, whether or not she was comfortable, able to get sleep… Really, I just wanted to see her and talk to her again.

"Thinking about yesterday?" Seraphine asked.

"...Yeah."

"Kiss was that good, huh?" She teased.

I chuckled. "It was pleasant. To say the least." I didn't say much more. In truth, Lux's kiss only confused me. Even more than I already was.

Seraphine hummed. "Do you miss her already?"

"I do," I replied honestly. Lux was a dear friend— it would've been foolish of me not to miss her. "But she's going to do great things over there. I know it."

"That she is," Sera agreed. "She's a smart one."

"Mmhm."

"Does everyone at the Vastaya know that she left?"

"They do. I think she told them during her shift last week."

"What'd they say?"

"Xayah and Rakan were understanding. Kayn was as stoic as ever. Jinx cried. And Orianna cheered her on."

"As expected."

I chucked. "Yeah. As expected."

"Did you cry when she told you?"

I shook my head. "I was a little disheartened, but I also understood. Her talents would be put to much better use over there than here. And she's got a lot more to learn."

Seraphine nodded. "I hope she'll shoot me a text sometime. She seems like a ton of fun to talk to."

"She is." I grinned. "Seriously, I think you two would be good friends."

Sera smiled at me. "Here's to hoping, then."

[;]

February 1st, 2020

Lux arrived safely in Seoul and was now staying in an apartment near Seoul National University. And when she got to her apartment, she immediately called me, even before she called her parents.

Fortunately, it was a Saturday, so she and I stayed on the phone for quite awhile, at least until she finished unpacking and made the decision to shower. She told me all about her flight, how comfortable Valor was, and how great of a plane it was to fly in. She also told me that the next time we had the chance, she would do her best to get me a flight on it.

I, of course, didn't refuse. I mean, who would? Not many people got to fly in a private jet, much less one owned by Crownguard Airlines.

Lux stood up from one of her many open luggage bags and grabbed her phone that she leaned against the television in her living room. Then, she dropped herself on the sofa and laid down with her back against the leather surface.

"Taking a break already?" I asked. She'd only started unpacking maybe ten minutes ago, and she had two more bags to unpack in addition to the one she'd been working on.

She sighed. "I'm beat, Jae."

"If you're tired, then at least sleep on the bed," I urged. "Last thing you need is to wake up from a nap with a sore back."

Lux giggled. "Yeah. Guess so." She sat up and glanced at her awaiting luggage bags. "But I should probably get back to unpacking."

"It's midnight there," I reasoned. "I think you'd adjust to the time a lot faster if you slept."

"That's fair…" She trailed off, visibly contemplating whether or not to sleep. "Alright, fine. I'll sleep."

I smiled. "Shoot me a text when you wake up."

"I will." She grinned back in reply. "Goodnight, Jae. Or good morning, I guess, for you."

"Sleep well, Lux."

And the call ended with a blip!

[;]

February 10th, 2020

The next week and a half flew by in a blur. My schedule eventually found a consistent rhythm that I could reasonably manage. I had classes every week day from 7 A.M. to 2 P.M. I worked every day from 3 P.M. to 11 P.M, excluding Saturday and Monday.

Thanks to tips and the healthy wage at The Grand Vastaya, I was making close to a thousand dollars a paycheck. And that wasn't even counting tips. Because I'd been working there for so long, regulars recognized me, and even some new customers had heard about me— and they all tipped well. With tips, that pushed my paycheck to around one and a half thousand. Sometimes even two thousand.

Not bad for working as a waiter at a well-to-do restaurant.

Of course, a lot of the earnings went to bills for the apartment, health insurance, and groceries— the works. But, taking into account Seraphine's advice to take some time to myself, I bought myself a few new things.

The first of which was new clothes— something that Lux helped a bunch with. She was the most fashionable person that I knew, so I made the decision to text her about my interest in clothes. And to say that Lux was ecstatic at the prospect of dressing me would be an understatement.

For the entire time that I was at the mall, she was on the phone with me, her voice ringing in my earphones as she enthusiastically commented on what would look good on me or not. After about two and a half hours of shopping, I left the mall with my wallet much lighter, and my hands filled with bags.

I think I spent around two or three hundred dollars on just clothes that day. But Lux's insistence on it being a good investment comforted me, as did my realization that my wardrobe desperately needed an update.

I'd bought a couple sweatshirts and jackets, a few t-shirts, a couple pairs of pants and sweatpants, a dress shirt, and even two new pairs of shoes. I thanked Lux for her help that day, to which she made a promise that she would bring me clothes when she returned from Korea.

[;]

Seraphine dropped her backpack at the base of the bed before throwing herself atop it. She spread her arms and legs out like she intended on making a snow angel as she looked up to the ceiling.

"Someone's making themselves at home," I commented, walking past the foot of the bed and over to my desk.

"Your new mattress is ridiculously comfortable." Sera breathed a sigh of pure relief. "I feel like I could fall asleep any second on it."

I chuckled. I bought the mattress at the beginning of February, and when I'd told Seraphine about it, she came over the next day to try it for herself. And since then, she'd made it a point to come over at least three times a week just to take a nap on it.

While the mattress was expensive, I considered it the first of my expenditures for myself. "Try not to. We have a bit of work to do today."

"I know, I know." Seraphine adjusted herself so she was sitting upright. She unzipped her backpack and pulled out her laptop, then she moved all the way to the headboard and leaned against it. "Any reason why you sound so driven today?"

I booted up my computer, the machine whirring to life and booting up in a flash. "A lot of things," I replied while typing in my password. "And we haven't made any music since the last EP project, so I miss it."

"I miss it too." Seraphine stretched. "Has it really been that long?"

"It has." I found it a little amusing too. Despite the both of us being musicians at heart, the realization that we hadn't made any music in almost two months was disorienting. And concerning. I loaded up Ableton and set out my MIDI keyboard onto the desk.

"So, what inspired this EP?" Sera asked.

I turned to look at her.

Over the course of the last month, I'd drafted up a few EP ideas and concepts, some outlandish and others unrealistic, but they all revolved around the same set of confusing emotions that I'd begun to experience more often. Especially around one pink-haired, azure-eyed woman.

If I found something as trivial as removing myself from making music for two months to be disorienting, then navigating how I felt about Seraphine was like getting tossed into a tornado. While blindfolded.

However, if there was one thing in my life that I knew better than anything else, it was music. And I figured that if I wanted to understand my feelings, then what better way was there to do so than music?

"Jae?" Sera stood in front of me. Her hands rested on her knees as she leaned forwards, our faces merely a few inches apart, concern strewn across her features. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I…" I trailed off. My gaze was naturally drawn to her eyes. "Yeah," I said, finally mustering the power to turn away. "I'm fine."

"My question?" She asked while moving back towards my bed.

"A lot of things," I replied. More than I could ever tell you, to be honest.

"...Like?" Sera continued.

"How I feel."

Sera pursed her lips. "About?"

"Sera," I murmured. "Please. Let's just stop there."

"Alright." She frowned slightly. "I'm sorry. I did it again."

"It's okay. I forgive you." I smiled back at her. "Besides, we have more important things to focus on, right?"

She pumped her fist and grinned. "That we do."

Over the course of the next several hours, Seraphine and I mapped out the EP's concept, the number of tracks, and the arrangement and theme of each track. She and I sat beside each other, the both of us staring at the stark white computer screen that was littered with text. Several sheets of paper, crumpled or otherwise, rested atop my desk, just as filled with writing or sketches.

"I think it looks good," Seraphine breathed.

"Yeah. Me too."

"Think we can handle the concept?" She asked.

I shrugged. "We won't know 'til we give it a shot, right?"

Sera smirked. "Guess so."

"Alright," I began, pushing myself away from my desk and standing up. "I'm hungry. Let's go and grab a bite to eat."

Seraphine stood up as well. "Was just about to ask. Where do you want to eat?"

"Anywhere's fine with me."

As we headed for the door, I took one last glance at the monitor.

The concept of the EP emblazoned the screen in large, dark letters.

ANGEL.

"Jae?" Seraphine asked. "Did you forget something?"

"No, nothing." With a small smile and a flutter in my heart, I closed the door to my room.

[;]

On the drive back from In-N-Out's drive-thru, Seraphine glanced at me as she turned down the volume of the music. "Any luck with Valentine's Day this year?"

I chuckled. "Not one." I placed my elbow against the armrest and rested my head in the palm of my hand. "What about you?" I asked.

"Surprisingly, I haven't had one either." She pouted slightly.

"Surprisingly, huh? So you usually get one?"

"At least one. Not that I'm complaining. It's just a little surprising." She shrugged. "It's still a little early, so there's time."

The way she said it made it seem like she was asking me to be her Valentine. I chuckled at the thought of me asking her before realizing how embarrassing it would be. Sorry, Ser. Gonna be awhile 'til that happens.

"What about you? Do you get Valentine's often?"

I shook my head. "Not once."

"Wait. Really?"

I nodded. "I've never been the recipient of something like that."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Well, regardless of whether or not you believe it, it's true." I laughed slightly. "Do you remember those Valentine's Day celebrations in elementary school? When everyone would bring candy for another student?"

"Mmhm."

"I was the last to be picked," I said. "And one year, the teacher stepped in to make sure that I was picked."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Jae."

I shrugged. "Not a big deal. It was elementary school. Besides, I think it was because I was always regarded as special. If there was something musical happening on campus, whether it be a school play or a small performance, and it needed a piano player, they asked me to come in." I crossed my arms as the car arrived at a stoplight.

"Don't think the idea of 'out of your league' exists in elementary school."

"But the idea of considering something foreign does. And you know how kids get when they interact with something they're unfamiliar with."

"...Yeah. I do." A hand absentmindedly drifted towards her pink hair before suddenly freezing and returning to the wheel. Sera bit her lip. "Sorry, Jae."

I shook my head. "It's alright. No reason to apologize." Before the conversation could fall into an awkward silence, I spoke up. "So, you've gotten a lot requests to be someone's Valentine, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"And you've still never kissed anyone on the lips?"

Sera blew a raspberry. "Just because I've been people's Valentine's doesn't mean I let them kiss me."

"Never considered just doing it?"

She shook her head. "I…" She chuckled. "This sounds so cheesy. But I want it to be special. And with someone I'm actually in love with. Or could see myself being in love with. I don't want it to just be a one-and-done kind of thing, y'know?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I get it." I ran a hand through my hair. "Looking back, I think I would've had mine happen like that too."

"Disappointed?"

I shook my head. "It was a good kiss. And Sivir is very pretty, so that helped."

Sera smirked. "Satisfied just going around and kissing pretty women? First Sivir, then Lux…" She glanced at me. "Who's next on your list?"

I hummed in thought. "Dunno. Have to give it some more thought. Might have an answer for you in four days' time, though." I threw an exaggerated wink in her direction.

Sera laughed at my antics. "I'll keep it in mind."

[;]

February 17th, 2020

Steadily over the course of the next week, Seraphine and I added working on the EP to our already hectic schedule. We usually worked on it over a call instead of Seraphine driving to and from my house nearly every day. I shared my screen with her to give her a clear view of how the project looked so far so she could provide input whenever she wanted to.

However, we'd spent most of the time as of late writing and brainstorming lyrics.

"I don't even know where to start," Seraphine murmured, her voice just barely picking up on her microphone. She had her notebook in front of her and a pen in her hand. She pressed the cap against her lips in thought.

"Neither do I."

"...That's kinda surprising."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "You seem to always have a place to start."

"That surprising, huh?"

Seraphine shrugged. "Like I said, you're talented. Like scarily talented." A small, sad smile found its way onto her face. "It's even more surprising that you chose to stick with someone like me for this long?"

"'Someone like you?'" I repeated.

"I'm not the most gifted person, Jae," Sera began. "I'm nowhere near as talented as you, and when I think about how lucky I am to have met you—"

"Sera." I sighed. "Sure, let's say that I agree with your sentiment about not being as talented as me. Regardless of that, I still think you're a great musician. Skilled. And talented in your own right." I grinned. "If anything, you should take me choosing you to be my partner as a sign of your talent. I wouldn't pick anyone who wasn't."

"Wasn't what?" She asked.

"Wasn't someone I could learn from," I replied.

Seraphine bit her lip.

My stomach quietly rumbled. "I guess I'll leave you to think on that. I'm gonna grab some food really quick." I stood up from my chair and made my way to the door.

[;]

"New reports of the Coronavirus disease are spreading all throughout the United States," announced the news reporter, his clear tone blaring out of the television speakers. "And with the President closing travel to and from China and neighboring countries, time will only tell if the disease spreads further."

Eunkyung sat on the couch. Her eyes were trained on the screen, until she realized that I was in the room.

"Worried?" I asked.

She bit her lip. "A little bit."

I shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and see, right?"

"Yeah."

I smiled. "Let's just hope that it doesn't mess with my graduation."

Eunkyung shut off the television as the broadcast moved onto another bit of news. "How's Sera?" she asked.

I rounded the corner of the kitchen countertop. "She's good. Once again miffed that I'm still hanging out with her."

"Why?"

"She thinks that our levels in skill are too different. Too far apart for me to consider her a partner. At least creatively." I popped the fridge open and grabbed one of the leftover boxes of takeout from last night's dinner. I closed the fridge, opening the microwave and placing the box inside.

"And what do you think?"

I inserted a time into the microwave, shut the door, then pressed start. The microwave hummed to life. I turned back to face Eunkyung. "I think she's being foolish. Like I told her: the reason I still choose to be around her is because I learn from her. Because she teaches me so much, more than I could ever learn from anyone else in my life. And…" I trailed off, unsure if I should continue.

"...And?" Eunkyung asked.

"I don't know." I scratched at the nape of my neck. "I just… I think I need to find the right words for it."

Eunkyung analyzed me for some time. And just when she was about to open her mouth, the microwave loudly beeped, signalling that my food was finished.

Saved. I silently thanked the creator of the microwave as I lifted my food from the small rotating platform.

"That's why you're writing again, isn't it. To find the right words?"

I swallowed. "Yeah."

Eunkyung's eyes met mine. Contained within them was a series of emotions that all seemed to blur into one, unwavering, unshakeable gaze. "Don't act on it now."

"What? Don't act on what?"

"Your feelings. Whatever they may be."

"I have a sneaking suspicion you already know what they are."

Eunkyung crossed her arms. "I do."

I tilted my head. "Why wouldn't I act on it then? That doesn't make any sense."

Eunkyung looked at me straight on. "Jae. You've worked tirelessly to keep your friendship with Seraphine. If you mess up now, with something as delicate, as precious as this… it'll be almost impossible to get back."

"I..."

"Take my word for it: You don't want your feelings to ruin this friendship, Jae." She glanced to the side, a cold expression on her face. "There's not many things worse than losing a dear friend over something like this." She bit her lip.

I let out a small breath. Eunkyung hardly ever talked about— "Is she…"

"She's doing as well as she can." Eunkyung pursed her lips. "Like I said: learn from my experience." She looked up at me and tried a smile. "Just give it some thought, alright?"

I nodded once. "Yeah. I… I'll think about it."

[;]

February 29th, 2020

"Do you know what you're getting?" I asked Seraphine, looking up from the laminated menu.

"Yeah. I think so."

We sat within a booth at Isoshi, a popular Japanese udon restaurant near UCLA's campus, and about fifteen minutes from my apartment. The soft, paper lantern-lit interior, accompanied the traditional wooden panels across the floors and walls and ceiling. Paintings done in traditional Japanese calligraphy were interspersed across the walls.

After placing our orders and watched as the waiter walked away, I turned to Seraphine. "You know, Ser," I began. "This place is pretty romantic."

"Mmm." She looked around, then looked back at me, grinning widely. "I suppose it is. Why? Thinking of taking someone on a date here?"

I hummed, fighting back my own grin. "Maybe I'll take Lux when she gets back."

"Oh?" Sera placed her elbows on the table and cupped both sides of her face. "Not little old me?" She pouted adorably, the small star on her cheek sparkled beneath the light of the lantern.

"Well, I…"

She giggled. "You're so adorable when you get flustered."

"Not my fault you're so pretty," I mumbled.

Sera sucked in a breath at the unexpected compliment. "Y— Yo— You—" she sputtered. "That's so not fair."

I crossed my arms. "What's not fair about it?"

"You just straight-up complimented me, which is against the rules."

"I wasn't aware that we were playing a game here."

"I mean, I didn't say that it was a game specifically," Sera explained. "Just… that…" She trailed off, a blush slowly growing on her cheeks. "Nevermind."

"And besides, you started it."

With her cheeks still red and steadily becoming as red as a cherry, she tilted her head. "How?"

"You said that I'm adorable when I get flustered," I stated, grinning.

Sera sighed. "Fair enough."

Ever since the week of Valentine's Day, Seraphine and I had been flirting with each other more and more. Her normally underhanded style of flirting morphed into a directness and honesty that I'd never seen in her before. In more than just a few instances, she would tell me how good I looked in my clothes, or how my hair was styled well. But beyond just how often she addressed my appearance, she was touchy.

Far, far more touchy than normal.

Sure, Seraphine liked to be within an arm's distance of me, she liked to prod my sides and poke me with her fingers whenever possible. But with these recent developments, Seraphine clung onto my like a koala clung to its branch.

As pleasant as it was to have someone like Seraphine attached at the hip, it was a little… uncomfortable. Not because she was unattractive, or unpleasant to be around, or whatever else.

It was because it felt like something out entirely out of left field.

Previously, she'd been more subtle about how she went about our relationship. I liked it that way. I felt safe. I felt like I could take my time to understand my feelings. I felt like I could take it slow.

But now, I felt pressured to make a hasty decision. To act quickly. Impulsively.

All things considered, I think I would have acted. However, the words of my sister acted as the stopper to my impulsiveness.

Don't act on it.

I sighed.

"That's a pretty heavy sigh, Jae," Sera commented. She reached across the table to touch my hand. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About?"

"The EP," I said, naturally finding the excuse. "I've barely made any progress on any of the tracks, and it's starting to bother me." There wasn't an ounce of truth to those words, and I was fairly certain that Seraphine knew that as well.

"Me too." Seraphine glanced at our interlocked hands. "I… I think that it's because of how foreign that territory is to me. And to you."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "It's hard to write about something you have no experience with. And it's even harder when you want what you've written to come off as genuine."

"Never fallen in love before, huh?" I dared to ask.

Seraphine's hand froze atop mine. Her mouth hung open, and just as I was about to comment on it, she spoke up. "I… I have."

"Then it should be easy to—"

"It's not," Sera interrupted. "It's not easy, Jae. Some of us aren't born with talent like yours."

"I never said it was about talent."

Seraphine scoffed. "You mean to tell me that you've fallen in love completely with someone? So much so that you can write and sing genuine songs about it?"

I met her gaze, and I nearly lost myself in the brilliant azure pools of water that were her eyes. Her pink hair perfectly framed her face as it cascaded down to her sides in smooth waves. The small, blue star on her cheek shone against the light of the lantern. "Yes. I have."

Oh? Relationship stuff already?!

Thank you so much for reading. Please leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter.

CPG117 - Thank you so much for your patience! I'm a little late on it, but I did in fact have a safe, and merry, Christmas.

pardus9 - Hey, thanks! Welcome to the relatively small fandom we have here. Enjoy your stay. :)

Next Chapter: 1/22