♡︎|25

chapter twenty-five—✧♡︎✧—

It was now aroud 3am, and the dimly lit living room was littered with blankets, empty snack wrappers, and a few spilled soda cans. Seungmin and Jisung were both sprawled out on the floor, fully asleep—one arm thrown dramatically over a pillow, and the other half of Jisung's body tangled in the blanket. The soft sound of their snoring was the only thing breaking the quiet.

Meanwhile, Felix and Hyunjin were sitting on the couch, surrounded by the chaos of their friends passed out on the floor, but neither of them seemed to mind. They were far too busy laughing at their ridiculous late-night conversations.

Felix leaned back on the couch, letting out a lazy sigh. "How are they already asleep?"

Hyunjin chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. "We're too cool for them, I guess."

Felix rolled his eyes, nudging Hyunjin's leg with his foot. "Too cool, my ass. They're just tired from dealing with our chaos."

There was a pause between them, and as Felix leaned back into the couch again, his gaze drifted to the ceiling, deep in thought.

"You know," Felix said suddenly, a hint of seriousness in his voice. "I've never really talked about this with you, but... I'm not into girls and i'm sick of hiding it from you."

Hyunjin blinked in surprise, his body going a little stiff at the sudden shift in conversation. "You—what?" His voice was quieter than usual, clearly caught off guard.

Felix let out a breath and shrugged. "I mean, it's not like a big secret or anything. Jisung's the only one who knows, now you do too. Remember that day at the cinema? I told him that day, or...I mean, he asked me and i confirmed it."

Hyunjin's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the cinema. His brain was spinning for a moment, processing what Felix had just said. A small wave of heat rose to his cheeks as he glanced at Felix, who was now looking at him expectantly, but Felix didn't seem to realize the weight of the situation. He just kept talking like it was no big deal.

"Honestly, I was scared at first. Like, I didn't even know if I was ready to tell anyone, but I'm kind of glad I did." Felix laughed lightly, his eyes meeting Hyunjin's for a split second before looking away. "I mean, it's not like I want to go around shouting it from the rooftops or anything, but it feels good to have it out there, you know?"

Hyunjin blinked again, still not quite processing the words. His mind was racing—his heart rate picked up, and there was a weird feeling in his chest that he couldn't quite place. Felix was so casual about it, and for a moment, Hyunjin wondered why it felt so... unsettling. Maybe it was the way Felix said it—so effortlessly—and Hyunjin couldn't help but feel this pull toward him.

"So, um..." Hyunjin's voice cracked slightly, and he cleared his throat to steady it. "What does that mean? I mean... like, if you're gay... does that mean you think about guys... differently?"

Felix raised an eyebrow, but then gave a sly smile. "Are you asking if I think about you differently?" he teased, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Hyunjin froze, his face immediately flushed, his heart thumping louder in his chest. "W-What? I—No, that's not—" He cleared his throat again, a little too quickly. "I just... didn't expect you to say that, that's all."

Felix raised his hands in mock defense. "Okay, okay, no need to panic. I was just kidding." He winked.

Hyunjin felt his stomach do a little flip, his mind continuing to swirl. He could feel his heart speeding up, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "You know, I... I think I'm just really into Lego Friends."

Felix blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden change in subject. "Uh, what?"

Hyunjin immediately regretted the sentence. "I mean—Lego Friends, like... the little Lego sets, y'know? With the girls and their houses and the cute little pets?" Hyunjin immediately started laughing nervously, trying to backtrack.

Felix stared at him for a moment, and then—against all odds—he burst into laughter. "Oh my god, what?" Felix laughed so loudly that Jisung stirred slightly from the floor. "You did not just switch the topic to Lego Friends. You're insane."

Hyunjin, both relieved and mortified, leaned back into the couch. "Lego Friends just seemed like a safer topic." He laughed weakly, though there was an awkwardness in his voice.

Felix shook his head, still laughing. "You're impossible."

But the laughter faded into silence again, leaving a strange tension that neither of them acknowledged. Both of them were left in their own heads, trying to figure out what exactly had just happened.

Felix sighed and threw his head back against the couch. "I don't know why it's so complicated. I just wish I could feel normal about it, you know?" His voice was softer now, and there was a little sadness that crept in. "Like, I just want to be myself. But it's hard when people—"

Hyunjin suddenly felt the urge to reach out, to offer something, to comfort him. He didn't know why—but he found himself cutting him off. "Felix, you're fine," he said, his voice much quieter now. "You're just... you."

Felix paused and turned his head, catching Hyunjin's gaze. For a long moment, the two of them stayed there, looking at each other, the air between them thick with something unspoken.

"Thanks," Felix said softly, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

Hyunjin's heart did that weird fluttering thing again.

Felix blinked slowly as he processed Hyunjin's words, and then it hit him. The sudden realization made him laugh out loud. "Wait a second," he said, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "Lego Friends, huh? Really? You picked Lego Friends as your escape from this conversation, Hyunjin? That's so gay," he teased, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Hyunjin's eyes widened in horror as his face flushed bright red. "What? No! No, I don't—" He quickly backpedaled, flustered beyond belief. "I just... I just didn't want to talk about that stuff, okay? I don't actually like Lego Friends! Lego ninjago is way better!" He grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it over his face as if to hide his embarrassment.

Felix raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the reaction. "So you're saying Lego Friends isn't your thing, but... Lego Ninjago is?" His voice dripped with mock disbelief. "Interesting choice, Hwang Hyunjin."

Hyunjin pulled the pillow off his face, looking flustered but stubborn. "I swear to god, Felix, Lego Ninjago is way better! There's action! There's cool ninja moves!" he exclaimed, trying to defend his random diversion. "And it's not—it's not gay, okay? I'm not gay and never will be!" He was getting more and more defensive.

Felix watched him, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, so now you're saying Lego Ninjago is straight?" He feigned a dramatic gasp, putting his hand over his heart. "I'm offended, Hyunjin. You think Lego Friends is 'gay' but Lego Ninjago is somehow more masculine? How dare you."

Hyunjin froze for a moment, eyes wide with panic. "What? No, wait, I didn't mean it like that, I—"

Felix dramatically put a hand to his forehead, leaning back on the couch with a mock sorrowful expression. "You've hurt me deeply, Hyunjin. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this. You've rejected the Lego Friends community," he said, trying to suppress his laughter but failing miserably.

"Felix! I didn't mean it like that! I just—" He threw his hands in the air, his face completely flushed now, and in his panic, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Felix in an apologetic hug.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you, okay? I just... I just wanted to change the subject," Hyunjin said quickly, his voice softening as he pulled Felix into a hug, squeezing him tightly. He then pulled back slightly and kissed Felix gently on the cheek, whispering an embarrassed, "I'm sorry, okay?"

Felix's eyes widened for a moment, then a huge grin spread across his face. He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "I'm kidding, Hyunjin! You should see your face right now!" He laughed even harder, clearly enjoying the way Hyunjin had reacted.

Hyunjin, still holding onto Felix, felt like he had just embarrassed himself beyond belief. His heart was racing, and he couldn't figure out whether he should laugh or crawl under a rock in humiliation. He pulled away, looking at Felix with wide eyes. "You... you were just messing with me?" he asked, feeling both relieved and ridiculously embarrassed.

Felix wiped a tear from his eye as he nodded. "Yeah, I'm messing with you, idiot. You're too easy to tease!" He continued to giggle.

Hyunjin sighed dramatically, letting his head fall back onto the couch. "I can't believe you just scammed me into apologizing over Lego Friends," he muttered, shaking his head.

Felix smirked. "I can't believe you actually kissed my cheek over Lego Friends," he shot back, raising an eyebrow. "That was kinda dramatic, don't you think?"

Hyunjin's whole body tensed as he turned his head slowly to glare at Felix. "I panicked, okay?! I thought I actually offended you!" He groaned into his hands. "I hate you."

Felix gasped in fake offense, placing a hand over his heart. "Hyunjin! How dare you say that after you just kissed me!"

Hyunjin choked. "Stop saying it like that!"

Felix cackled, throwing his head back against the couch. "What? It's true!"

Hyunjin groaned and buried his face in a throw pillow. "I hate this. I hate you. I hate Lego Friends. I hate everything."

Felix poked at Hyunjin's side again. "Yeah? Then why are you still hugging the pillow like it's me? That's a little suspicious, Hyunjin."

"Felix." Hyunjin's voice was a low warning, but Felix could see the way his ears were turning red.

Felix smirked. "It's okay, I get it. I'm very lovable."

Hyunjin threw the pillow at his face.

Felix yelped, but he was still laughing, curling up against the couch like he was completely unbothered. "So, now that we've confirmed you have a dramatic streak and that you secretly adore Lego Friends—"

"I don't," Hyunjin grumbled.

"—what else do I need to know about you, hmm?" Felix tapped his chin, pretending to think. "Like, do you have any other hidden secrets? Maybe you secretly cry over romance movies? Oh! Or maybe you have a journal where you write about your undying love for me."

Hyunjin rolled his eyes so hard they nearly got stuck in the back of his head. "You wish I wrote about you in a journal."

Felix grinned. "Oh, so you do have a journal?"

"Oh my god." Hyunjin dragged a hand down his face, exasperated.

Felix giggled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. He loved messing with Hyunjin like this—it was too easy.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Felix absentmindedly playing with the strings on his hoodie while Hyunjin stared at the ceiling, probably questioning all of his life choices. The only sound in the room was the faint noise of Seungmin and Jisung breathing heavily in their sleep.

Then, softly, Felix spoke. "Hey, Hyunjin?"

Hyunjin turned his head, blinking at him. "Yeah?"

Felix looked at him for a moment before flashing a small, sleepy smile. "I like nights like this."

Hyunjin's expression softened. He didn't say anything at first, just watching Felix, taking in the way the dim light from the TV screen made his features glow.

"...Me too," Hyunjin admitted quietly.

Felix yawned and stretched, his arms brushing against Hyunjin's. "We should probably sleep soon."

Hyunjin snorted. "Yeah, no shit, it's like... what? 4 AM?"

Felix hummed. "Worth it, though."

Hyunjin chuckled, nudging Felix's leg with his foot. "Yeah. It was."