Chapter Text
Felix wakes up in a vaguely unfamiliar place; shrouded in darkness as a cold breeze surrounds him, and for a brief moment he panics before the events of last night come rushing back. They'd left the club to end up Changbin's place where they post-gamed on whatever alcohol he had in his apartment, Felix realizes that is definitely why his head feels like he hit the side of a building; mixing alcohol is never a good idea.
He sighs, relaxing a bit as he remembered making his way to one of the spare bedrooms, he's pulling the blanket around him to combat the cold that's filled the room. However, his moment of relief is shattered when he hears the creak of a floorboard, the whistle of wind, his eyes fly open as he turns to see a vaguely human shape hovering by the window. The dim light from the window makes the shape more obvious. He feels his heart pick up speed as he lays still, holding his breath.
"Sorry, Yongbok," Minho's voice whispers through the dark, "I didn't mean to wake you."
Felix huffs as he sits up, looking towards him. "What the hell are you doing?" he asks, flinching at how croaky his voice sounds.
"Um," Minho starts, now that Felix's eyes are adjusting to the dark, he notices that he's shifting on his feet. There's a backpack in his arms. "I just needed some air."
Felix nods, heart still pounding from the scare and adrenaline coursing through him, but despite that, he yawns. He can't see much due to the lack of light, nor is his brain fully awake, still feeling fuzzy by sleep, aware he'd be out like a light as soon as he shuts his eyes. But he knows that there's something off about this whole ordeal.
"You couldn't just open the window in the room you were in?"
His eyelids feel heavy, but he fights against them closing as he squints through the dark. Minho clears his throat, a habit that Felix has recently picked up on whenever Minho seems uncomfortable with the topic at hand.
"Jisung runs cold," he answers, "You know, how he gets. So, figured you wouldn't mind so much. I... I didn't realize you were a light sleeper."
And it's probably the sleep and remnants of alcohol in his bloodstream that are begging him to let it slide despite the nagging feeling that something is not right. His brain is battling the questions that arise from his suspicion against the pull of sleep begging for him to return. He yawns again.
"Whatever, close the window," he murmurs, laying back down, deciding to let sleep win. "Good night," he adds, turning over and pulling the blanket around himself.
"Good night, Yongbok."
He shuts his eyes, a moment of silence follows, the cold is still filling the room. The floorboards creak briefly, the sound of the window lowering follows, he still feels a chill. He waits for the sound of the door but it never comes as he feels sleep pulling him under.
He briefly wakes up a few times through the night.
When he finally fully wakes, the sun is shining through the windows and he hears voices down the hall. He trails to the bathroom first to wash up, but once he's done, he follows the voices to the kitchen where Jisung looks half asleep wrapped in a blanket and Hyunjin has his hair in a mess as he's talking about something that sounds like a fight, he pieces together it's another save that Spider-Man must've done this morning. There's food spread out between them at the table, Changbin spots him as he's bringing over juice from the fridge.
"Felix!" he says, "Tell Hyunjin to shut up!"
Jisung flinches before glaring at Changbin. "No, you shut up."
Felix laughs heading over to Jisung, he rubs his shoulders for a moment as Jisung grumbles. "Shut up, Hyunjin," he says, voice raspy. He leans forward to grab a piece of bacon from Jisung's plate.
Hyunjin gasps, looking completely offended, "How dare you!"
Jisung groans, followed by some whining as he slides his plate towards the empty spot next to him, letting his head rest in the now empty spot. He makes some more whining noises.
"Why do you want him to shut up?" Felix finally asks, sitting down next to Jisung where the plate now is.
Changbin sits down beside Hyunjin and sighs, "Why do you think?"
"Spider-Man?" he asks, earning an eye roll from Hyunjin as he sets down his phone.
"Spider-Man," Changbin agrees, pouring the juice into a cup. "Drink up, Jisung."
Jisung listens as he downs half of it before registering that it's orange juice and making a face. He pulls it away and coughs. "Why the fuck is there pulp?"
Felix laughs, reaching out to rub Jisung's back, he turns around noticing that someone is missing. "Where's Minho?"
Hyunjin smirks, sharing a look with Changbin, his annoyance from before completely forgotten in exchange of annoying Felix instead. Felix sighs, already bracing for it, he knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth it would be a mistake. He would wonder what he's done to deserve this, but he can list many things he has done. If he'd known they would be annoying about him finally giving Minho a chance, he would've never started talking to him more. He would take the way things used to be, as much as he complained about it and about Minho, over their friends being annoying about their friendship any day.
"He made breakfast and dipped," Changbin answers, "He said he has work."
Jisung shakes his head, making a face like he has something he wants to say but doesn't. "I'm never drinking again," Jisung grumbles after a moment.
"You said that last time," Changbin says, smirking in amusement.
Jisung glares. "I hate you."
"You also said that before."
When Felix was fourteen he met the Kingpin for the first time, it was the same day he met Jeongin. His own father had been doing odd jobs for Kingpin for years at that point. It turns out Felix's father was the guy they called when they needed something stolen, hidden, or on a few occasions someone broken out of jail.
At first, Felix was not privy to this aspect of his father's life; like most young kids, he had no idea what his dad did for a living for most of his childhood. He was left purposely out of the loop. However, he did pick up on the strangeness surrounding his father, rather he knew that whatever his father did for work did not make his mom happy. She'd always have that pinched look of disappointment when he mentioned work even in the most vague of terms.
"You said you'd quit," she would whisper harshly in the dark of the night when they thought the kids were asleep. What they never knew was that Felix had a nightmare and wanted to seek comfort from his parents when he realized they were not in the room, instead he found them downstairs far from any of the rooms. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he didn't walk away either. The curiosity is far too much to ignore.
"You said you'd be done once you paid your debts," Mom said.
"He's not the kind of man you say no to," Dad answered, it made Felix frown as he leaned against the wall. He hadn't known what to make of that confession, or even who his Dad was talking about.
Mom sighed heavily. "What about the kids?"
"I'm doing this for the kids! It's for us!"
He couldn't hear the reply, for a few moments he had to strain to hear the whispers. When he hears the footsteps and slips away before he can get caught.
Felix hears similar arguments whispered in the dark of the night, in the early mornings when dad comes home from "business trips", it was frequent enough of an occurrence despite how often they managed to hide that anything was wrong. The pieces of information he'd overheard were vague and confusing and all he knew was that mom did not want dad to continue doing whatever he was doing. He grows suspicious, though he isn't sure what to make of these conversations, he knows he's missing far too many details to make sense of what's going on.
It's not until Felix turns twelve that his suspicions get the confirming pieces to make it all make sense, it's when he hears things he knows he shouldn't, hidden in the corner away from them.
He dad catches him. At first, he's upset; but that's quickly followed by a look of consideration, "Huh, you were quiet as a mouse."
That was the beginning.
Felix learns to pick a lock, about security, and how to pickpocket; he learns about what his dad really does for a living. His dad beams with pride when Felix succeeds in everything he teaches him, but along with all of that, he learns what it feels like to have that disappointed look from his mom being directed at him. It causes a turmoil of guilt to claw it's way up his throat because as fun as learning from dad is, it sucks that he's hurting his mom. (She insists that she's not mad at him, holds him close and smooths over his hair. She just hopes he's not doing this to make his dad happy.)
He feels bad admitting that he's happy when he finally cracks open the safe Dad has been teaching him to. Felix learns all there is to know about being a thief even though he hasn't stolen anything in his life before.
He's fourteen when he meets Kingpin for the first time; the man is tall and imposing with sharp features. He's handsome but Felix is unsettled and can't explain why. Jeongin is by his side, face rounder with the same sharp eyes, dressed down in comparison. Small and delicate and looking like he wants to hide away from sight.
The reason that Felix gets for the meeting is that Mr. Yang thinks his son needs friends, he's too shy and quiet. That it'll be a good thing for them to be friends. They're in the same year, Jeongin is transferring to the same private school that he attends and they need to look out for each other.
As Felix grows older he realizes that they were just setting up connections, that they were hoping that they would take up their father's places at some point.
It's what he remembers when he thinks about the what if's. As much as he finds himself wondering what would be different, he finds himself realizing that in the end, he thinks this was inevitable, they were raised for this. They were always going to end up on the path they now live.
Felix is twenty-three when he gets a message from Chan that makes him stop in his tracks. He opens up a browser to check the news and feels his heart stop as he stares at the headlines.
Prison Break: Robert Yang Sr. AKA the Kingpin Among Those On the Loose
Green Goblin Involved in Prison Break
The Kingpin (Robert Yang Sr.) Found Dead
Jeongin's usually pristine apartment is now filled with broken objects scattered throughout it as soon as he steps in. He's immediately greeted by the sight of Jeongin throwing things at the wall while cursing someone out on the phone. Chan is sitting calmly on the couch, watching Jeongin like a hawk. Felix realizes that Jeongin must've been distressed since early this morning, given the fact that he's still in his pajamas and a silk robe thrown over it; his hair's a mess and eyes red rimmed. It's an awful sight, that reminds Felix of when they were kids and Jeongin's mother had died; that time he had to hold a sobbing Jeongin for hours, he was far more fragile then. He'd probably have a gun aimed at him if he even offered him a hug now.
What makes this worse is that Mr. Yang was not a nice man, Felix knows that, everyone does. He cared in a detached way about his son, far more concerned with money and power and raising the perfect heir. But he was still Jeongin's father and as much as Jeongin has changed since they first met, he is still the loyal kid who wanted nothing more than to make his father proud.
"I want him and everyone working with him dead," Jeongin announces turning towards them, after throwing his phone across the room. "Find that bastard. I want everyone on it."
Felix holds his tongue, keeping himself from saying something about relaxing and thinking it through, he knows that won't end well. He shares a look with Chan. Although he knows Chan likely won't air those thoughts even if he did have them, always ready to follow Jeongin's lead.
"I'll put the word out," Chris agrees, tilting his head, "His head on a platter or do you want to do the honors?"
Felix watches Jeongin still, laughing; bitter and harsh. He can already guess the answer that Jeongin is going to choose. There's no other option for him, they all know that.
"Bring him to me alive," Jeongin answers, nodding firmly, his back is to them as he walks over to the bar against the wall. "High value."
Felix's brows jump up, high value usually means a seven figures outcome. He admits that it makes him a bit tempted, he's willing to turn a blind eye to what Jeongin would do. It's not the first time he's done it, won't be the last either. Besides it's not like he's the one getting the blood on his hands.
"Of course," Chan says, phone already in his hand, typing up a storm to send out the order. He glances at Felix. "Unless you want to take a crack at it first?"
Felix feels stuck to the floor as if he stepped into tar. He sees Jeongin turn towards them abruptly as if he's only now seeing Felix standing here for the first time, there's a wild look in his eye.
"Felix," Jeongin says, rushing towards him, pulling him into a hug. Felix's startled by the impact of it.
It's on instinct that his arms wrap around Jeongin. He catches Chan sitting up, looking at them with an unreadable expression. Felix swallows, hand rubbing Jeongin's back. "Uh, I'm so sorry."
Jeongin pulls away, sniffling, and it feels strange to see him so emotional. It's been a long time since he's seen him so much as tear up. "Appa always liked you. He liked that you were there for me. He thought of you and your dad as family."
Felix smiles, reaching up to squeeze Jeongin's shoulder, nodding, "I know. We are family." And he makes a decision right there, taking a deep breath. "I... What do you need?"
Jeongin looks at him, it's almost like most of his anger has fizzled leaving him exhausted. Though that wild look is still there, a mix of exhausted and frantic. "I need Goblin found," he says, tone firm.
Felix nods. "I... I can do that. But if you want it done as fast as possible, you should let—"
"No," Jeongin says, abruptly turning towards Chan, "Chan hold off on the order." Chan nods, though looks a bit annoyed, sharp look directed towards Felix. "If... If he escalates things or you can't bring him in by the end of the week, you'll have competition," he says, posture straightened out, "I trust you."
Chan snorts, mutters something under his breath. Likely something about how he doesn't or that Jeongin shouldn't.
Felix fights the urge his eyes, instead focusing on Jeongin, "I got it."
Before he leaves he finds out whatever Chan knows, which isn't much, Felix's sure that he's purposely withholding some sort of information. It's hard to say for sure, but he does have an inkling that Chan would rather see Felix fail, likely for his own amusement. Or the far more likely reason is that he just wants to annoy Felix.
It becomes clear that he's going to have to do things the old fashion way, as in, he has to get information for himself. This includes any police documents on the incident. He's usually done his best to avoid police stations, and cops for that matter, but he knows that it's far more important to get the information as soon as possible. He'd normally just break in and steal any files he needs, though to make things easier, he reaches out to one of Jeongin's contacts. A jaded man with pockets he likes having lined with money, as is usual with cops on the take.
The meeting is quick, Felix is granted access to all the files available on Green Goblin and on Mr. Yang; and the so far small file on Mr. Yang's escape and death. He's even given the information that the Feds have been having nearly monthly meetings with Mr. Yang. It's information he tucks away and tries to figure out how to get access to said files they may have.
He thinks that's going to be the end of his day at the police station, walking down the hall towards the exit when he collides with a body. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he says, hands holding the other person, he finds himself facing Minho.
"Felix," Minho says, blinking fast, clearly caught off guard.
"What are you doing here?" he asks, frowning as he takes in Minho, baseball hat pulled low and his camera hanging around his neck. He's wearing a loose jacket, almost drowning in the fabric.
"Um. Investigative reporting," Minho says, after a pause, lifting the badge for him to see; he offers a quick yet awkward looking closed mouth smile.
Felix glances down at the badge, it's obviously a press badge. But it certainly is not Minho's, it's not even one that belongs to the Daily Bugle. "Right. I'm sure you are, Eduardo."
"Pen name," Minho answers easily, "What are you doing here?"
"Um," Felix starts, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't cause worry or suspicion. "Investigative reporting," he lands on, figuring that if Minho won't be honest, he doesn't need to be either.
Minho doesn't seem to share that sentiment, squinting at Felix, it's hard to say if it's only judgement or something else entirely. "Right," he says, frowning.
"I won't ask questions if you don't?" Felix offers, smiling.
His attention is drawn by an officer making her way towards them, she stops a few steps away, her annoyance clear when she says, "Excuse me, you're blocking the door."
"Oh, sorry," Felix says, offering a smile, she pauses before returning the smile. He steps out of the way, Minho having already done so and is further away from the door than he'd been moments ago. He's even clearly trying to make sure the officer doesn't see his face. It raises several red flags in Felix's brain.
Felix frowns, taking in Minho with his hands covered by the sleeves of his coat. He looks at the door, noticing that it's a records room that Minho had been suspiciously hanging out in front of. And it's all clicking together in his brain, he knows this kind of behavior; he doesn't think much further before he yanks Minho's arm and leads them further down the hall.
Minho startles, letting himself be pulled but clearly unhappy about it. "Felix, what the hell?"
Felix abruptly turning towards him and whispering, "I should be asking you that." Minho is glaring at him, tilting his head as if he doesn't follow. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Hm... Nothing."
Felix hardens his gaze, but Minho doesn't budge, his glare lessens though, as if he's surprised by the way Felix is reacting. He looks around them, the coast is clear, and Felix sighs, "It looks like you're about to do something stupid and get caught."
Minho looks away from Felix, looking distinctly uncomfortable, "I thought we agreed no questions."
"So you were trying to break in?"
Minho's eyes widen slightly, his eyebrows disappear beneath the bits of his hair sticking out from under his cap. He clears his throat. "No questions," he repeats, though now there's a worry lingering, "Don't judge me or tell the others."
It's practically confirmation of Felix's accusation.
Felix softens up, he's still got a hold on Minho's arm. He would've never judged, or told anyone, though Minho has no way of knowing that. Or of knowing how much of a hypocrite that would make him. "What exactly are you trying to get?" he asks, mentally preparing for the extremely stupid decision he's made to help him. Minho opens his mouth and Felix rolls his eyes, "Right. No questions."
Minho nods, a small pleased smile crossing his face.
"You know there's a camera in the hall," he points out, tilting his head towards it.
"Doesn't work," Minho answers smugly.
Felix hums, "And in the room?"
Minho's smugness wipes away, making a face, "Was going to deal with that when I got there."
In that moment, Felix sighs, letting go of his arm and rubbing his face. He shakes his head and opens his mouth when he hears the door down the hall. They're just hanging around in the hall, he knows that they look suspicious so he says, "Trust me."
Minho blinks at him rapidly, confusion written all over his face, he's clearly about to ask questions, but Felix knows there's no time for that.
"How many times do we have to go through this," Felix continues, louder than the whispers that they'd previously been speaking in, and effectively ending anything Minho was about to say, though he can tell there's a wave of new questions forming as his frown deepens. Felix reaches up to push Minho slightly towards the wall, using the opportunity to take the press badge from him. "You always do this!"
"Is there a problem?" the officer asks, slowly coming closer.
Felix sighs, stepping away, "Sorry, we're fine. I'm just... My drunk brother is always pulling shit."
The officer nods, glancing behind at Minho, Felix follows her gaze and finds Minho slouching all his weight against the wall. Felix is glad that Minho is quickly catching on, letting Felix take the lead.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," Felix says, sidestepping to hide Minho from view, attempting to keep her gaze on him instead. "I've had to bail him out one too many times."
"Right." She looks him over, nodding. "You shouldn't be in this area."
"We were trying to find the bathroom," Felix explains, smiling at her and she nods. "Got a bit turned around, you know?"
She smiles, "Back down that way. To the right."
Felix beams, holding his hand out, "Thank you, Detective. I'm sorry for being in your way, he just has to be right," he goes on, she does grasp Felix's hand, he uses the fact that she is focusing on him, slipping off the ID badge hanging from her belt, switching it with Minho's stolen one. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on him."
"Alright," she says, smiling in return, then nods towards the entrance of the hall that leads to the bullpen and the other halls for the bathrooms. "You should get going."
"Of course," Felix beams, turning to gesture at Minho. "Let's go." He grabs Minho's arm and they walk away, he calls out, "Have a good one, Detective."
"You too."
Minho is keeping up the drunk act, stumbling slightly and leaning against Felix. They make it to the end of the hall, the detective is right behind them, he turns towards the right towards the bathrooms. As soon as they're through the door, Minho immediately steps away from Felix, looking around the room. Luckily it's completely empty.
Felix is counting down in his head.
"What was all that?" Minho asks, eyes sharp. There's something odd in his demeanor, there's a strange look in his eye, almost impressed and confused. Felix figures he's trying to make sense of what just happened.
"I thought we agreed no questions," Felix says, holding out the ID badge; Minho's eyes widen in surprise and he looks impressed. "I'd make it quick if I were you."
Minho opens his mouth, clearly having questions, which only makes sense. Felix would have a bunch of questions too, he just wishes he wasn't on the receiving end of it. But Minho seems to shelve them for another time which is better for both of them since Felix does not want to deal with any of that. He's got no intentions in being truthful on anything Minho might come up with to ask. Instead, he takes the ID from Felix.
Felix smiles, though Minho looks torn for a moment, as if he's seeing Felix for the very first time. He moves to avoid that look, pushing open the door to see the coast is clear down the hall. "You should hurry with whatever it is you're doing," he says, holding the door open.
Minho nods, "Thanks."
It takes him a moment as Minho hesitates, staring at Felix with that odd look, before he goes forward through the door.
Felix watches as Minho dips into the fluorescent lit hall, the door shutting behind him, separating them for the time being. He's about to make his way out when he realizes how badly this can all go, even if the detective doesn't realize that her ID is missing for hours, there's still the chance someone in charge of security feeds may catch on. He groans and ducks out, going towards another hall, somewhere he can directly tap into their servers and internet.
He knows he has no right to question, or even judge Minho for whatever mess he's gotten into; he does know that he would feel awful if Minho were to get caught especially if Felix could prevent it.
He makes quick work on wiping any evidence of Minho even being in the building; looping the feeds in each moment he had shown up on the screen. Once he's satisfied with his work and satisfied that Minho did not, in fact, get taken into custody, he slips out one of the back doors. (Not before planting his own bug in the system, to be able to access any updates added to Mr. Yang's file. He figured he might as well go all in since he already had access. He's only human after all.)
As he's out of the station, he's immediately embraced by the cold and gray embrace of winter. Snowflakes fluttering around him as he rounds the building, heading home so that he can begin working on finding Green Goblin.
In all honesty, Felix is prepared to let the incident with Minho be forgotten. Sure he's curious to know about what exactly Minho is caught up in, but he thinks it's better to let it slide. Especially since Minho will likely have his own questions about Felix.
Case in point, he's with Jisung hanging out when he hits a dead end on tracking down Green Goblin; the two are playing video games at Jisung's place. They're in a tense round when Minho returns home with Mrs. Lee, the two bundled up with bags of groceries in their hands.
"May!" Jisung greets loudly, immediately dying on screen and leaving Felix to shut it down as he practically hops over the couch. He takes the bags from Mrs. Lee as they chatter in Korean heading towards the kitchen.
Minho follows them before coming back out, he's removing his scarf; bright red and knitted, it looks warm and Felix realizes he has never seen him this bundled up before. It's adorable and he assumes done entirely for Mrs. Lee's benefit. He even has matching gloves in the same red thread.
He huffs as he takes off everything, glancing up to find that Felix is watching him. He scrunches up his nose, before ducking his head. It must've been far more freezing than Felix assumed since Minho's face looks flushed in pinks; Minho's turning his back as he goes towards the door where the coat rack is and hanging his belongings up.
Felix looks away, he can hear the gentle chatter and movement from the kitchen. Jisung's laughter ringing out.
"So," Minho says, startling Felix as he pops up in his view, moving to sit down beside him. "Where'd you learn to pickpocket?"
Felix freezes, shoulders tensing, he considers what to say for a moment. He turns to find that Minho doesn't look judgmental, rather he looks amused with that small smirk of his and eyes dancing as he waits for Felix's response as if he figures it'll be an entertaining one. It's as if he is delighted by the fact that Felix isn't as good as he thought, which Felix isn't sure how to feel about. You'd think he'd be far more worried, or something along those lines. He smiles in response, moving to rest his elbow on the back of the couch to fully face Minho.
"Do you want to tell me what you stole?" Felix asks, voice low; he watches as Minho's expression shifts, going from amused to thoughtful to scrunched up in something akin to anger but not quite. He's annoyed, Felix thinks. And it's funny, how truly expressive Minho is now that he's paying attention.
Minho huffs, leaning against the couch, eyes never leaving Felix. "I'm starting to think you're a menace. This," he says, gesturing to Felix's face and general existence, "All a front. You're evil. I see it now."
Felix frowns, shifting uncomfortably, "Evil?"
Minho's eyes widen, shaking his head abruptly. "Sorry," he apologizes, "Not evil. Just..."
"A menace?" Felix offers, bitterly amused. Though Minho looks hesitant to agree and as much as Felix is bothered by the evil comment, he decides to let it slide, if only to make Minho not look so upset at offending him. "Says the thief."
Minho relaxes, laughing. "You're one to talk."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he answers, blank faced and as neutral as possible.
Minho's laugh patters out, a slight smirk on his face, "Right. Of course not."
Felix nods. "I mean, unless you want to admit what you were doing," he says, already knowing that Minho won't admit it. They have plausible deniability on their side. It's better this way, and if by any chance, Minho does admit to whatever he did that day, it'd be a form of mutually assured destruction. They would both know something damning about the other.
Besides, it's not like Felix would admit the full truth. He'll admit that his Dad taught him to pickpocket and leave everything else out. He is not going to admit to being the Black Cat, he's not an idiot.
"Nope," Minho answers, popping the p, the reply far too fast. He grins as if that would cover up what exactly he's denying. "You know, now that I think about it, a few secrets between friends is nothing."
"Yeah, exactly," Felix answers, "So, we'll keep anything that may or may not have happened to ourselves. Right?"
"Right," Minho answers, looking surprisingly relieved. He's probably glad that he didn't have to tell Felix not to say anything, although he never had to worry about that. After a pause, he mimics zipping his lips up and tossing away the key.
Felix laughs; Minho's expression softens, a small smile forming as he looks at him. It causes something to stir beneath Felix's sternum, it has to do with just how fond Minho seems, it's making him realize they have become friends after all.
"Hey, lovebirds," Mrs. Lee calls out from the kitchen, it startles Felix as he turns towards her. Minho practically jumps away from Felix, all the way to the edge of the couch, much to Mrs. Lee's amusement.
"Eomma!" Minho says, from here Felix can see his ears turning red.
"If you two want to eat, you need to come help," she continues, clearly ignoring Minho's complaints.
"Felix can't cook," Jisung says, "He burned ramen once."
"That's not true!" Felix defends himself, getting off the couch to go to the kitchen. He can't cook but he has never once burned ramen; he will not let Jisung slander him in such a way, especially not to Mrs. Lee.
It doesn't take long before he's being put to the work of chopping up vegetables, the job split between him and Jisung; he doesn't need to be told that it's because neither of them aren't trusted with anything more important. Minho is at the stove cooking whatever meat Mrs. Lee has seasoned and passed his way. She's humming to the music Jisung is playing, asking questions about the kinds of food Felix likes, Jisung occasionally interjects with answers of his own. Then, the conversation goes onto other topics. It's nice and calming and once again Felix is surprised by the way Minho is around his mother. He's doing everything she asks and even things she doesn't, the two working in tandem as if this is how they've always cooked dinners. He can picture a younger Minho following Mrs. Lee around and learning everything he can.
He's always figured Minho must've learned to cook from his parents; he was one of the only ones good at cooking in their friend group. At least when he had the time to cook.
It's sweet to see the proof of it.
Once the food is done, they're sitting at Minho and Jisung's slightly beat up table with its mix matched chairs and it feels so warm and homely as food is plated and utensils passed out. The food is just as good as it smells and Felix feels an ache for his own Mom's cooking, for family dinners that they rarely have these days.
"Felix," Mrs. Lee says, they've just finished listening to Jisung recount a story of an unruly customer from work. He's blaming the Christmas season for the even more entitled customers than usual. "Do you have plans for Christmas?"
"Um, I spend it with my mom and sister," Felix answers, he's never missed; though considering it's three days away and his sister came down with the flu, the fever rising quickly, he doubts they'll be having much of a celebration; they'll likely keep it as simple as possible. He says as much.
"Ah, I'm so sorry," Mrs. Lee says, shaking her head, "Maybe you could spend Christmas Eve with us. Then head home the next day?"
"I don't know," Felix says, "I don't want to intrude."
"Dude," Jisung says, mouth half full of food, "My mom and May practically invite half of Queens to dinner."
"Jisung," Mrs. Lee chides, shaking her head; Jisung sheepishly smiles as he keeps his mouth shut and chews. "Hyunjin and Changbin are going to be there with their families."
"Don't you want to see Mr. Seo in an ugly Christmas sweater?" Minho asks, earning a snort from Mrs. Lee, "Or finally meet my brothers? You look like a cat, you'll fit right in."
Felix laughs, shaking his head, "Tempting. But Mom's expecting me."
"Let me talk to her," Mrs. Lee says firmly.
It becomes apparent that saying no to Mrs. Lee is easier said than done. Felix attempts to brush off the offer but before he knows it, he's calling up his Mom and introducing them over the phone. It makes him feel like a kid asking for permission to sleep over his friends house, Mrs. Lee takes his phone while walking to the other room. From what they can hear, it's almost as if their mothers are speaking to each other as if they're old friends catching up. He frowns as he strains to hear as much as he can.
"I think we'll be seeing you at Christmas Dinner," Minho announces, raising his cup up in mock salute.