11

[Next Day][Late Evening – Living Room]

Felix was curled up on the couch with Hyunjin, a blanket lazily thrown across both of their legs, the soft hum of a drama playing in the background. Hyunjin wasn’t even watching — his eyes were half on the TV, half on the boy beside him, fingers ghosting along Felix’s wrist as if tracing invisible lines there.

Everything felt still. Almost peaceful.

Until—

The front door clicked open.

Hyunjin’s hand stilled.

Felix sat up slightly. “Are they back already?”

“No.” Hyunjin frowned. “Too early.”

Footsteps echoed down the hall.

Then a familiar voice called out, casual and calm.“I’m home.”

Felix’s heart jumped a little — not sure why — and Hyunjin slowly removed the blanket off himself like it had suddenly gotten too warm.

Minho appeared a second later, rolling his small suitcase behind him. Dressed in sleek black slacks and a half-unbuttoned shirt, his tie loose around his neck, his usual sharp presence somehow even more magnetic in the fading sunlight.

“Where’s everyone else?” Felix asked, standing up.

Minho smiled, a little tired. “They stayed at the penthouse. The elders want to finalize some stuff for the ceremony, but I had work.”

He walked over, stopping just in front of them. His gaze briefly flicked to Hyunjin before softening at Felix. “Missed me?”

Felix gave a light laugh, unsure how to answer.

Hyunjin answered for him. “You’ve only been gone four days,” he said, voice flat.

Minho arched a brow. “A lot can happen in four days.”

There was a beat of silence.

Felix looked between them, then cleared his throat. “Um—should I help you unpack?”

Minho smiled, charming and effortless. “Only if you’re offering.”

Felix gave a little nod, already stepping forward.

Hyunjin didn’t move. Just sat there. Still.

Watching.

Felix brushed past him — didn’t mean to — but Hyunjin’s hand clenched into a fist as the warmth disappeared from his side.

And when Felix and Minho disappeared upstairs, Hyunjin’s jaw tightened.

He didn’t even realize the remote in his hand had cracked slightly under pressure.

--------

[Upstairs – Minho’s Room]

The soft hum of the suitcase zipper echoed in the quiet room as Minho placed his bags on the bed. Felix stood beside him, carefully taking out the neatly folded clothes, already moving toward the closet to hang them up like it was second nature now.

“You didn’t have to,” Felix said, glancing at the amount of things Minho packed for just four days.

Minho shrugged, rolling his sleeves up. “Old habits.”

Then, as Felix reached for the last shirt, Minho pulled out a small box from the side pocket of his bag. “Actually—” he said, holding it up. “Got something for you.”

Felix blinked, surprised. “For me?”

Minho opened the box with a soft click. Inside, nestled against dark velvet, was a sleek silver bracelet, minimalist but elegant — just a little shine, just a little extra.

Felix’s eyes widened. “It’s… really pretty.”

“It reminded me of you.” Minho smiled, stepping closer. “Let me?”

Felix lifted his wrist but laughed under his breath. “I can wear it myself.”

Minho tilted his head. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”

His fingers were careful — almost too gentle — as he clasped the bracelet around Felix’s wrist. The cold metal contrasted against his warm skin, a subtle weight he could now feel, resting above his pulse.

“There,” Minho said, voice low. “Fits perfectly.”

Felix swallowed, throat suddenly dry. “You should go wash up, I’ll bring something to eat.”

Minho nodded, giving him one last look before heading into the bathroom. “Don’t take too long. I missed your voice.”

Felix rolled his eyes with a smile and turned to leave.

But the moment he opened the door, his breath hitched.

Hyunjin was there.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, one leg propped against the other — like he’d been standing there for a while.

His eyes flicked down to Felix’s wrist.The silver caught the hallway light.

Hyunjin’s voice was calm — too calm.

“Nice bracelet.”

Felix opened his mouth, startled, but before a single word could escape, Hyunjin pushed off the frame and walked away, not sparing him another glance.

Just left him there.Heart suddenly loud in his chest.Wrist suddenly heavy.

-------

The scent of linseed oil and old wood filled the quiet air as Felix stepped into Hyunjin’s studio, the door clicking softly behind him. The sun had already started its descent, casting dusky gold slants across the floor, over scattered canvases, crumpled tissues, and jars full of murky water.

Hyunjin sat at his easel, unmoving, brush in hand.

He didn’t even turn when the door opened.

Felix hesitated near the threshold.

“Hey…” he tried gently, but Hyunjin’s eyes stayed on the canvas.

Felix’s voice dropped lower. “I told the maid to prepare something for Minho. Thought I’d… come see you.”

Nothing.

Just the sound of brush to canvas — slow, steady. Annoyingly calm.

Felix sighed. “Hyunjin, seriously? You’re ignoring me now?”

A pause. Still no glance. Still no word.

Felix took a few steps forward, his footsteps light but deliberate. “Look, I didn’t know he’d give me something, okay? I didn’t ask for the bracelet—”

He stopped.

Hyunjin hadn’t flinched once. He just kept painting. Felix’s frustration buzzed at the edges.

“Fine. Keep acting like a Victorian ghost,” Felix mumbled, crossing his arms.

Hyunjin dipped the brush into a pale blue without comment.

That’s when Felix pulled out the big guns.

He took another step closer, leaned in slightly, and softly said, “Jinnie…”

It landed like a soft punch.

Hyunjin’s hand paused mid-stroke.

Another second passed before he finally set the brush down and let out a quiet, deliberate exhale. “Stop doing that,” he muttered.

Felix blinked. “Doing what?”

“That thing with your voice,” Hyunjin said, gaze still fixed on the canvas. “You know what you’re doing.”

Felix grinned, relief rushing in like light through cracked glass. “It works though.”

Hyunjin finally looked up — eyes flicking to him, unreadable. A pause, then the ghost of a smile played at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re such a brat,” he said, voice too fond for it to sound like an insult.

Without thinking, Felix leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to his lips — brief, but certain. Like a peace offering.

------

[MINHO'S BALCONY]

The sky stretched above him like black velvet stitched with pinpricks of stars. The wind whispered through the trees, and the faint hum of crickets filled the silence. Minho stood at the edge of the balcony, one hand resting against the cool stone rail, a cigarette burning slow between his fingers.

He didn’t flinch when footsteps padded quietly behind him.

“Didn’t think you smoked anymore,” came Hyunjin’s voice — soft, but edged. Too calm.

Minho didn’t turn around. Just took a long drag, the ember flaring at the tip of his cigarette. “Didn’t think you snuck around anymore,” he replied, just as quiet.

Hyunjin came to stand beside him, wordless.

For a while, there was only smoke.

Then Minho spoke, voice low — a warning masked as a question.“What’s going on between you and Felix?”

The air tensed.

Hyunjin didn’t answer immediately. He stared into the dark yard, jaw ticking. He rolled the cigarette between his fingers like he was weighing his response.

“I’ve seen the bruises,” Minho added, gaze cold. “Don’t insult me with lies.”

Still, Hyunjin didn’t look at him. But he lifted his hand, lit his own cigarette with a silver lighter that clicked shut like a gun cocking. His inhale was deep. When he exhaled, the smoke curled upward like secrets trying to escape.

“You don’t want to hear the truth,” Hyunjin murmured. “Not really.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

Hyunjin tilted his head, finally meeting Minho’s eyes. His stare was unreadable, almost tired.“Then yes. I've fucked him, More than Once"

Minho’s grip tightened on the railing. The cigarette trembled slightly between his fingers, but his voice remained calm.

“You really think this ends well for either of you?”

Hyunjin scoffed, almost laughed. “You’re one to talk.”

Minho turned to face him fully now. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means.” Hyunjin’s voice was soft, but the edge underneath it could cut bone. “You’re playing house with someone you don’t love, while sneaking off with someone you do. So don’t stand there like you’re innocent.”

Minho’s stare sharpened.

“You think you know everything, don’t you?” he said.

“I don’t have to know everything,” Hyunjin murmured. “but I know more than I should.”

Minho said nothing. His silence was louder than any denial.

Hyunjin took a step closer. “So tell me. Why go through with it?”

Minho’s voice cracked slightly — just enough to betray him.“Because I owe them everything.”

“You owe them your life, not your happiness.”

“They gave me both,” Minho said sharply. “When I had nothing. When I had no one. They gave me their name, their home. You think I can just throw that away because I want something else now?”

Hyunjin leaned against the rail beside him again, smoking slowly.“Then be honest. You’re not doing it out of loyalty. You’re doing it because guilt feels safer than freedom.”

Minho’s jaw locked.

A long beat passed.

Then Hyunjin whispered, too calmly:“I’ve fallen for him.”

Minho’s breath caught.

“I didn’t plan to,” Hyunjin continued. “It just happened. Quietly. Slowly. All at once.”

Minho turned his face away, blinking hard.

“So here’s what’s going to happen,” Hyunjin said. “Either you call it off. Walk away before it becomes a disaster. Or—”

His voice dropped, razor sharp.

“—I’ll tell them about your little secret.”

Minho’s head snapped toward him, eyes wide with fury. “You wouldn’t.”

Hyunjin held his gaze. Steady. Cold.

“I don’t want to,” he admitted. “But I will.”

The balcony went silent again — heavy with smoke, secrets, and the kind of pain only two people who know each other too well can inflict.

Then Hyunjin flicked the ash off his cigarette and smiled faintly, like nothing had happened.

“Good night, hyung.”

He walked back inside, leaving Minho standing there, alone — the cigarette between his fingers now just a burning stub.

And for the first time in years, Minho felt the cold.

--------

[FELIX'S ROOM — NIGHT]

Hyunjin stepped inside, the soft click of the lock falling into place behind him. The room was quiet except for the distant patter of water running — the shower.

He smirked, tongue grazing his cheek.

Still seething from the balcony exchange. And now?

Now he needed to see him.

Hyunjin padded across the dim room, stopping just outside the bathroom door. The mist curled out from beneath it, warm and inviting.

He knocked once — sharp, low.

A moment of silence.

Then Felix’s voice floated out, muffled but unmistakable. “Who is it?”

“Me.”

A second later, the door creaked open just enough to reveal a damp mop of blond hair, flushed cheeks, and a wide pair of startled eyes. Felix held the door tight to his chest, clearly naked behind it — a single towel clenched against his body like a shield.

“Y-Yeah? Do you… need something?”

Hyunjin’s gaze flicked down, lingering. His voice came out low, hungry. “Yeah.”

He reached out and slowly — deliberately — pushed the door open wider, careful not to startle, but firm enough that Felix had to step back.

The door clicked closed behind him.

“Hyunjin—” Felix started, panic flickering in his voice as he clutched the towel tighter. “Minho’s here, he could hear—”

Hyunjin didn’t let him finish.

He grabbed Felix’s wrist, spun him gently but swiftly, and pressed him back against the cold bathroom door. The towel slipped a little lower.

His eyes darkened as he leaned in, breath brushing Felix’s jaw.“Don’t care about him when you’re with me,” Hyunjin whispered, voice like gravel laced with smoke. “Got it?”

Felix swallowed hard. Then nodded. Just once.

Hyunjin smirked, lips barely brushing his.

“Good.”

And then — he kissed him.

Not soft. Not sweet.

Rough. Starved.

Felix gasped into the kiss, knees buckling slightly as Hyunjin’s mouth devoured his. The towel finally gave up the fight — falling to the floor with a quiet thud. Hyunjin’s hand slid down Felix’s side, palm dragging over damp, flushed skin until it gripped firmly at his hip.

"Shower’s still warm,” Hyunjin muttered against his lips, voice low, thick with heat. “We should make use of it.”

Felix didn’t answer — just looked at him with wide, glassy eyes before nodding again.

Hyunjin guided him backward with slow, forceful steps until the steam enveloped them both — tile under their feet, water misting across their skin as they crossed the threshold into the glass-walled shower.

The second the door closed, Hyunjin pressed him back against the wall — cold tile making Felix shiver, or maybe that was Hyunjin’s mouth trailing down his neck. Hot kisses. Rough nips. Tongue flicking against his collarbone, over his chest, until Felix was squirming.

"You're always so responsive,” Hyunjin murmured, biting down lightly on a nipple, then soothing the sting with his tongue. “One touch and you melt.”

“I—do not,” Felix panted, back arching as Hyunjin sucked a bruise into his ribs.

Hyunjin smirked against his skin. “Liar.”

His hand wrapped around Felix’s cock — wet and hot, already hard — stroking slow, just enough pressure to draw a needy sound from Felix’s throat.

Felix's fingers gripped Hyunjin’s shoulders. “Please…”

“Tell me what you want,” Hyunjin said, voice rough with restraint. “Use your words.”

Felix looked dazed — breathless under the water streaming down his face and chest. “I want you—inside me.”

Hyunjin stilled for a second. Then something feral flashed in his eyes.

“Turn around.”

Felix obeyed without hesitation, bracing his hands on the slick wall, water cascading down his back, steam curling around his body like a halo. Hyunjin reached between them, guiding himself slowly against Felix’s entrance, teasing him with shallow presses — just enough to make Felix whimper.

“Fuck—Hyunjin—”

“You sound so pretty when you beg.”

He pushed in — slow at first, inch by inch — until Felix cried out, fingers scrambling for grip on the tile. Hyunjin gritted his teeth, letting out a low, drawn-out groan as he bottomed out.

“So tight… always so fucking tight.”

Felix was panting now, completely at Hyunjin’s mercy — water sliding down both their bodies, mixing with the sounds of skin against skin, moans echoing off the tile.

Hyunjin set a rhythm — deep, punishing thrusts, his hands gripping Felix’s hips hard enough to bruise. Every time Felix rocked back into him, Hyunjin met him harder.

“You love this, don’t you?” he growled, leaning in to bite Felix’s shoulder.

Felix whimpered, voice cracking. “Yes—yes, I love it.”

Hyunjin reached around, stroking him again in time with his thrusts. “Then come for me. Come with me still inside you.”

It only took a few more strokes.

Felix came with a choked cry, body convulsing under Hyunjin’s grip. The tight pulsing around him dragged Hyunjin right over the edge — his hips stuttering, a deep moan leaving his lips as he came hard, burying himself to the hilt.

For a moment, neither of them moved — just stood there, breathing hard, the water washing away everything but the afterglow.

Hyunjin finally pressed a soft kiss to Felix’s shoulder, hands sliding around his waist.

-------

They barely made it out of the bathroom.

Felix was still breathless, towel barely slung around his hips, hair dripping water down his flushed chest as Hyunjin shoved him gently back onto the bed.

“Hyunjin—” he started, voice hoarse, but Hyunjin cut him off with a kiss — deep, filthy, tongue dragging against his like he hadn’t just ruined him minutes ago in the shower.

“You think I’m done with you?” Hyunjin muttered into his mouth. “You’re not getting any sleep tonight.”

Felix whimpered as Hyunjin’s mouth trailed down his throat, sucking fresh marks over damp skin, tongue hot where the shower water had left goosebumps. The towel was gone in seconds — Hyunjin ripped it off like it offended him.

Felix tried to move, to catch his breath, but Hyunjin was already sliding between his legs, spreading them wide with firm hands.

“You’re still sensitive,” Hyunjin murmured, eyes fixed between Felix’s thighs. “I can see it.”

“I-I just came—” Felix stuttered, body twitching as Hyunjin’s fingers grazed his entrance again.

“Exactly.”

Without warning, Hyunjin leaned down and licked a long, slow stripe up Felix’s inner thigh — then lower, his tongue teasing right where Felix was still sore and overstimulated. Felix cried out, hands fisting the sheets.

“Hyun—shit—!”

Hyunjin didn’t stop. He kept going — licking, sucking, tongue pushing in slowly until Felix was gasping, his whole body trembling under the pressure.

Then he pulled back, wiping his mouth, eyes dark and gleaming.

“Hands and knees,” he said, voice low and wrecked.

Felix obeyed — legs weak, arms shaking as he positioned himself on all fours. He didn’t even get a second to breathe before he felt Hyunjin behind him again, lining up, sliding in with one slow, deep thrust.

Felix choked out a moan, arms nearly buckling under the weight of it.

“You take me so well,” Hyunjin groaned, hips grinding into him as he bottomed out. “Like your body was made for this.”

Felix whined, back arching as Hyunjin started to move — rougher this time. The bed creaked beneath them with every thrust, skin slapping, Felix's moans growing louder and more desperate as Hyunjin pounded into him, one hand gripping his waist, the other trailing up his spine to fist in his damp hair and pull his head back.

“Say my name.”

“Hyunjin—!”

“Again.”

“Hyunjin—please—fuck, please don’t stop—”

“You think I could stop when you sound like that?” Hyunjin growled, thrusting harder. “You love this. Love being used.”

Felix was falling apart — too sensitive, too full, and yet begging for more.

He collapsed onto his elbows, cheek pressed to the sheets, moaning helplessly as Hyunjin kept going, chasing his own release.

Felix came again — sudden, loud, back arching as he screamed Hyunjin’s name, body spasming under him. The clench of it dragged Hyunjin over the edge, slamming into him one last time with a broken groan as he came deep inside.

They stayed there for a moment — bodies tangled, skin hot, breath catching in their throats.

Hyunjin finally pulled out gently, collapsing beside him and dragging Felix into his arms without a word.

Felix’s voice was barely a whisper.

“…You’re insane.”

Hyunjin smiled, brushing damp curls from his forehead. “And you’re addictive.”

Felix hummed, already drifting, face pressed to Hyunjin’s chest.

“…Round three in the morning?”

Hyunjin’s hand slid down his back. “Baby, I’ll wake you up with it.”

------

Golden morning light filtered through the half-drawn curtains, warm and quiet. The room smelled faintly of skin, sweat, and something soft—like linen and leftover cologne. Felix lay still, curled into Hyunjin’s bare chest, cheek pressed against warm skin that rose and fell with every slow, even breath.

His legs ached in places he didn’t know could ache.

But he didn’t regret a second.

His fingers traced faint, invisible lines across Hyunjin’s torso — over his collarbone, down the dip of his sternum, mapping out the man he swore looked like he was painted by the gods. His gaze wandered up to Hyunjin’s face, still slack in sleep, lips slightly parted, lashes dark and soft.

Felix smiled to himself.

His own body was a mess. Hips sore. Inner thighs bruised. Every time he shifted, he felt the aftershocks.

But still, he stayed close. Let himself admire a little longer.

Then — Hyunjin shifted.

His arms tightened around Felix instinctively, and a moment later, those eyes opened — lazy, golden brown, a smirk already tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“You were staring,” Hyunjin murmured, voice still rough with sleep.

Felix blinked, caught. “I wasn’t.”

“You were.” Hyunjin grinned. “What, falling for me or something?”

Felix huffed and tried to roll away, but Hyunjin caught him, dragging him back against his chest effortlessly.

“Hey,” Hyunjin whispered near his ear. “Round three?”

Felix choked on air. “Hyunjin!”

“What?” he laughed, clearly enjoying himself. “You literally said last night—”

“I was delirious! I can’t even move my legs properly,” Felix said, his voice high and scandalized. “My thighs feel like they got hit by a truck.”

Hyunjin snorted. “That was me, baby.”

“Hyunjin!”

Hyunjin was grinning now, wide and shameless. He leaned down to press a kiss to Felix’s temple. “Fine, fine. I’ll let you recover. For now.”

Felix buried his face in Hyunjin’s chest, completely red. “I’m never walking again.”

“You say that every time,” Hyunjin said smugly, running a hand down Felix’s back. “And then beg for more by nightfall.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

Felix didn’t answer — just clutched Hyunjin tighter and mumbled something too low to catch.

But the small smile tugging at his lips said enough.

------