More than just Art - Changlix

Chapter 3:

Changbin kept stealing quick glances over Felix's sketch and the boy smiled, "you can pick it up and look at it any time, I wouldn't mind" he said as he drew the finer details like Changbin's scar on his chin, and the faint mole on his ear. Felix wanted to get everything perfect, his best sculpture yet in his 21 years of living, "I don't want to bother you as you do your thing, you seem so focused. It's quite adorable I must say" Changbin retorted and he swore he could feel his heart explode, the two boys so caught up in their own little conversation, they didn't even notice the sun starting to set in the back. Sooner or later the sound of the familiar horn was played and Changbin had to go back, "Already?" the older complained crossing his arms as his face formed into a pout. "Don't worry, I'll wait for you" Changbin smiled at his comment patting him on the head, "I'll be back, sooner than you think" he left his final remark and made his way out the door waving one more time before leaving.

Changbin felt all giddy after visiting the sculptor, something about the way the boy smiled, his laugh, for once Changbin felt comfortable. All the tension that was once on his shoulders dropped after spending time with him, Changbin arrived home in the matter of minutes. He sluggishly dragged his body to the awfully large dinner table and sat down only to pick at his food, "So, how was today?" his mother asked as she put a piece of food between her lips, "same as always" he lied. "When I was your age, Mr. Lee sculpted this one of a kind" his father said proudly while admiring every detail of the statue, from the little chips of plaster falling off, to the pose he made. Changbin's face remained bitter and his mother grew tired of his attitude, "Seo Changbin why won't you just listen without that stupid bitter expression!?" she yelled as his father went after her, gently holding her porcelain like hands preventing her from having a go at her own son. He smirked at the comment pushing his plate away from him, "then so be it. Mother, Father, I'll be excused"

His mother was bound to faint and his father yelling insults, none that Changbin hasn't heard before. The boy ran up to his room only to plop onto his bed with an exasperated sigh, he never admits it but tears rolled down his already red cheeks, he wipes them again and again but they don't seem to stop. On the other hand, Felix felt empty again, no other sound in his room besides the never ending sound of the chisel hitting against the humongous rock and the static like feeling in his head, he hears a knock on his door. "Come in!" He said as the chiseling noises grew louder using it as a way to vent his pent up frustration, "Felix dear, if you hit it any harder it'll crack into pieces" his mother tsked while grabbing Felix's chisel and hammer from him to demonstrate like when he was a child. "Now Felix, don't hammer too hard. Don't you remember what happened when you were thirteen?"

Felix smiled, reminiscing at the now bitter-sweet memory. It was his first sculpture that wasn't made of clay, he aspired to make one of his now long gone cat, Figaro. He remembered the way he was so close to finishing the sculpture till he hit it too hard and the figure shattered, he can still feel the disappointment he felt in himself back then but Figaro was always there to keep him company, till his final breath when Felix was 16. His mother putting his arms around him chisel in one hand, and the hammer in the other, just like how she did back then when carving the figurine that sits by his table at night, slowly carving bits and pieces of the rock off based on Felix's sketch. They soon stopped to laugh as they remembered the good old times, "where did my little boy go?" She smiled while Felix held her hand, "he never left" he said and they laughed some more.

"I'll stop bothering you know my love, you're doing amazing" she said as she kissed his forehead, "Thank you, goodnight!" He exclaimed and the woman nodded.

"Goodnight"