More Than Anything

1.

[Greeting to everyone who read this. I've been really excited to write about Gepard lately, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing this. English is not my first language so don't hesitate to correct me if I made mistakes. Feel free to request or talk to me through the message, comment, or ask box!]

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Gepard didn't remember the first time he met you. Probably in his freshman year in high school, when Serval brought you home for the first time to hang out in her studio. He just remembered he saw you awfully a lot since then. Singing to Serval's off-tune guitar melody, eating cereal while writing lyrics on the kitchen bar, saying "Hiiiii, Gepard" in a sing-song voice whenever you saw him.

Not gonna lie, he didn't find you lingering around the house to be pleasant at first. If you're over, the house would be blasting with deafening music that he didn't get where the hell is the enjoyable part from them? And you sing almost everywhere, dear God. It's not like you have a bad voice, but should you sing everywhere??? It didn't help that if you saw him, your eyes lit up and you immediately danced, seemingly to tease him. So annoying.

Yet, that's how you become familiar. He didn't mind you singing around the house anymore. Sometimes, he even joined, humming softly to your melody. He found himself hanging around the kitchen island every time you were there writing lyrics, giving you his thought and opinion about it. Sometimes he asks for a piece of paper from you, drawing you.

"Oh, Picasso~" you said teasingly, "The resemblance is uncanny."

He knew you were kidding, but it made him feel happy. If he doesn't feel like doing anything, he will be just admiring you while you're writing. Art is creating a piece of art. How's that possible?

You're one thing that he wonders about whenever class finished. Are you going to be there when he comes home? Are you gonna sing along to your deafening music, that he comes to like too, and dance for him today? Are you gonna greet him with your bright eyes?

Sometimes he caught himself smiling at the thought of you. Does he have feelings for you? Maybe. You are beautiful, smart, and charming. And you treated him nicely. He thought it was only normal if he felt something toward you. But it's nothing serious. Though he didn't really know which category should he put you in. Crush? Well, he's a guy. He also felt things to some girls at school, went on dates several times with them. Any relationship he had with them is short-lived though. Did he want to date you? But that might ruin this comfortable bubble he has with you, right? He didn't want that. He wanted to be close to you, and he's okay with whatever he had with you right now. And it has been years since you're around. He didn't want to risk anything.

If only he's good with music, he'd follow you along to major in music. But he thought artistic traits only ran through Serval's blood in the family, so he's fine to enter the same university as you. This is a silly crush, nothing more, anyway. It would be nice to see you in the same class as him though. But seeing you greeting him in his house is enough. Dancing and singing to your silly music.

However, he rather wishes you didn't come today.

When he arrived home, he was greeted by heavy metal music blaring in the room. A bunch of people lounged around the living room area, seemingly too busy talking or jamming to the music to notice him.

And you are there too, singing and bobbing your hair left and right to the music. Looking so beautiful as your hair goes wild swaying here and there following the rhythm. Looking so beautiful with a man draping his arm around your shoulder.

"Ah, you're home already, Gepard?" he didn't even realize that his sister was also there, sitting opposite you. Everyone's eyes were immediately on him. Including you. He felt like a deer caught in the headlight. He didn't even care about the other people that surround the table. His eyes immediately found yours, which lit up when they met.

"Hiii, Gepard~" Oh, aren't you so cold? Calling him with that sing-song voice with a man around you.

He tries to ignore the tightened feeling around the pit of his stomach as much as he tries to ignore the gaze of the dark-haired man beside you. His eyes travel to your hand which rests on top of the guy's thigh. Your boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend?

Gepard just nodded his head as an answer to both his sister's question and your greeting. He's trying really hard to mask the upsetting feeling that rapidly built up inside his chest. Disappointment? Anger? Or this is jealousy, perhaps?

He doesn't waste one more second to be there and immediately walks to his room. Hopefully, no one notices his weird behavior. Hopefully, you don't notice it.

But slowly that day he noticed something. You are more than a silly crush he had just to fill his adolescence experience. You are more than a familiarity that greets him whenever he was home. You are more than the song he constantly hears. You are more.

Feeling defeated, he dropped his body to his bed. Now that he realizes you are more than everything he thought you are, it feels like it's too late.