Author's Note: Before I get into this chapter..... HOLY--I can't get over this pic of our boy Wookie. Why is he so hot??? Someone tell me!!!
Also, someone tell me why he looks like V from BTS in this pic. Definitely not complaining...
And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...
The Dance from Ri Eul's Perspective:
"Real magic happens when you say the magic words... Annara.... sumanara."
As the words leave my mouth, I study Y/N's face. The same look of mild skeptisism is plastered on her features. It's the look she always has whenever I talk to her about my magic. I knows she doesn't believe in real magic. She seems to think that all magic is just some combination of misdirection and tricks. And I can't blame her. That's the way most of the world thinks, after all.
But I know the truth. Magic is REAL. And I am a REAL magician. The only reason that everyone else in the world thinks differently is because they stop believing as they get older.
For years now, I've wanted to help my best friend come to the realization that my magic is real. I desperately want to share my world with her, and allow her to feel the same freedom I feel. After all, she's my only true friend. The one who helped me regain some meaning in my life all those years ago. She'd stuck with me through everything, and now I can't imagine my life without her.
So as my eyes bore into hers, I plead silently that she will say the magic words--that she'll believe--so I can show her what she was missing.
Please, after all these years... trust me? I think, wishing she could read minds. Believe... just try to believe... and say the words.
As I watch, her expression seems to change slightly, and slowly her lips part. And in a voice softer than a whisper I hear her: "Annara... sumanara..."
For a moment, nothing happens and then I catch a glimpse of a familiar flicker of blue light. My butterflies begin to appear and flutter about the room. Y/N seems to notice them as well, and even appears almost entranced as she watches them.
A feeling of triumph bubbles within my chest and I feel a wide smile spread across my face as I realize what's happening. She's believing! Even if it's just for a short time. After all these years I spent trying to convince her, she's finally opening her mind a little! It takes all of my willpower not to leap to my feet and hug her. Now I can show her what real magic looks like...
But I don't know how much time I have. I know her too well. Sooner or later, she's going to dismiss this all as a dream and the magic will fade... At that thought, I'm suddenly filled with determination. I have to show her a bit of my world while I still have time.
I watch as she gets up and turns around the room that's now full of butterflies. The sight gives me a burst of joy and excitement that I've never experienced before. I force the huge grin off my face with some difficulty. For some reason, I don't want to show her how insanely happy this is making me. I manage a small smile instead.
I stand up, and with a silent command, our clothes change in an instant. I'm suddenly in my best suit and top hat, and she's dressed in a blue gown that looks like someone took some of the stars and sewed them into the fabric. The dress hugs her upper body and flares out, accentuating her waist. Her hair is pulled back into a loose up-do and some of the stars from her dress even seem to have settled in her hair, casting flattering warm light onto her face.
She could almost be one of my butterflies, I think with some amusement. She looks beautiful...
My eyes connect with Y/N's and to my surprise, my heart flutters a little in my chest.
After a moment, Y/N breaks eye contact as she looks down at herself. She smiles and twirls around a few times in her dress, and the fabric twinkles as it ripples around her. She looks simply angelic as she spins, but my eyes are still glued to her face.
It's just Y/N, I tell myself firmly. It's the same familiar face I've become so fond of over the years. Nothing about her has changed... So why did my heart suddenly decide to pound such an irregular pattern in my chest? Is it because I'm just so caught-up in the excitement of finally having someone believe me? I'm confused by this sudden feeling, but I don't want any more distractions. I need to show her my magic.
A single thought from me, and the room around us melts away. Suddenly we're standing in a brightly-lit ballroom with golden chandeliers, just like the one I pictured in my mind. I stride forward and stop just behind Y/N. I'm maybe even a bit too close, I realize after a moment. As I approach, I suddenly become aware of how little Y/N is compared to me. I've never really noticed before, but she's adorably small...
I reach out and gently turn her around, smiling softly down at her. My eyes are instantly drawn to her lips, which are parted slightly. I've never been close enough to realize, but she has the most perfect lips I've ever seen. I notice her cheeks becoming more and more pink by the second, and I can't help but think how cute she looks.
I'm not prepared as my heart seems to do another backflip at the thought. What's wrong with me? I reprimand myself.
As our eyes meet, I can make out every intricate fleck of color in her (Y/E/C) eyes. I can even see myself reflected in them. As she looks up at me, I become aware of just how close we are. With a jolt, I realize that if I move my head down even just a couple of inches, our lips would meet....
The thought of kissing Y/N sends an unexpected burst of excitement through me like a current of electricity. It's something that's never occurred to me before. I've always been too focused on my magic to really let my thoughts wander there. I mean, sure I've always recognized that Y/N is pretty, but I haven't really let myself explore beyond that. As I dwell more on the thought, I realize that the idea doesn't bother me. Suddenly I'm wondering, what would it be like to kiss my best friend? Would it be weird? Her lips look like they would feel incredibly soft against mine.....
I've never thought about her in that way before, but now that the thought occurrs to me, it feels surprisingly natural...
I mentally shake myself, forcing the distracting thoughts out of my mind. I don't have much time, I remind myself.
Now more focused than ever, I gently take her in my arms. My heart pounds as I briefly savor the feeling of having my arms around her in this way. But I don't give myself much time to think about it. The next moment, we're ready to dance.
I lead her spinning around the room to no music but the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, and she follows my lead, her sparkling eyes boring into mine. Her eyes seem to tell me that she trusts me to guide her through the steps.
I show her all the magic I possibly can, wanting it to be an utterly unforgettable experience for her. Finally I twirl her one final time, and as the dance comes to an end, I pull her close to me once more.
My heart races wildly as I feel Y/N's breath on my face and suddenly I can't stop thinking how nice it would be to stay like this for a while, locked in each other's embrace. I really want to hold her more... touch her more. Again, I'm surprised at how natural it feels to think that way towards my childhood friend. If it had been anyone else standing in front of me right now, I wouldn't be so sure, but with Y/N... this feels familiar... this feels right.
I abruptly realize just how lonely I've been over the years. Sure, I'm constantly desperate for social interaction. After all, I live by myself and hardly have any visitors or friends except Y/N. But it's slowly dawning on me that over the years I've also been starving for physical touch. Dancing with Y/N just now--holding her in my arms--has slowly awakened a hunger for physical closeness that I've always pushed away before. I've always wanted to be close with someone like this...
I'm pulled from my thoughts as I feel her hand--the one resting on my shoulder--gently slide downward as she feels my arm. I'm not sure why, but the gesture gives me butterflies. I notice her cheeks turn a light shade of pink as she does so. Is she possibly... feeling the same things I'm feeling right now? I wonder. The movement and her reaction lights a sudden fire in me. I need to be closer to her.
I give her hand a gentle squeeze, and slowly move my other to the small of her back, accidentally brushing against the exposed skin there as I lower it. I feel her shiver at the contact, and I'm a little surprised, but for some reason, I can't help feeling oddly satisfied that the simple touch had elicited such a reaction from her.
I tug her closer to me until our bodies are nearly flush against each other, and she gently sucks in a breath. The sound nearly sends me over the edge. What is she doing to me?
I can see in Y/N's eyes now that we both want the same thing. As her (Y/E/C) eyes flicker down to my lips briefly, my heart starts racing at a dangerous speed. Has she ever looked at me this way before? If she has, I've never noticed. But right now it seems to be all I can focus on, and it takes all my willpower not to pin her to the nearest wall and kiss her senseless...
My gaze locks on her enticingly pink lips, and I lean in, dying to know how they'll feel against my own. She closes her eyes gently.
(Pic not from The Sound of Magic, but it's still our Wookie, so I felt like it needed to be in here to capture the moment... enjoy)
"Y/N..." I breathe in a low whisper.
Suddenly, a noise like the sound of a cord snapping echoes in my mind. The magic‐‐
Maybe it's an after-effect of the magic being broken, but for a brief moment, I distinctly hear her voice in my head.
No, I have to be dreaming... her voice says. In what reality would Min-ah kiss me?
Then I know what happened... she stopped believing. I ran out of time. I hadn't been able to convince her that it was reality she was experiencing...not a dream. And with that, this magic world that she created with her belief starts to fade. The scene around us melts away and we're suddenly back in the abandoned theater.
She goes limp in my arms, fast asleep, and I have to quickly scoop her up before she falls to the ground. The disappointment from losing someone who--even if it was only for a brief moment--believed in my magic is almost crushing. I feel a sudden emptiness knowing that I wasn't able to convince her, even after all these years.
I lean down and place her in the chair near my desk. She leans forward in her sleep, placing her arms on the desk, and resting her head on her arms. I just study her sadly. It's as if nothing happened just now.
With a heavy sigh, I sit down in the chair on the other side of my desk. Well, it's probably best to let her sleep. I'll wake her eventually.
Who knows, I think with some hope. Maybe when she wakes up she'll think differently. Maybe I can convince her that it wasn't a dream somehow...
I really hope with all my heart that I can. I need this sudden emptiness to be filled. I don't know if she'll listen or believe me again, but I have to at least try.
I realize with some comfort that even if I don't convince her to believe in real magic...I still discovered that I have surprisingly strong feelings for my childhood friend. And from the way she was looking at me earlier when she was in my arms, I'm guessing she feels the same way about me.
And that, alone, is its own kind of magic...
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A/N: Thanks so much for the reads! PLEASE VOTE!! And stay tuned for the next chapter!!!
Love you all!