Chapter Text
Lee Felix or as Changbin refers to him, a fucking menace, is fucking loud.
Changbin tries to cover his ears as the kid screams even louder, drowning Jeongin out. There's some sort of decibel-shattering contest happening out in the kitchen, with both kids straining their already loud voices to shatter all the glass. No one flinches, except for Jisung because his heart is known for being crafted in delicate glass, and Changbin is left with the risk of going permanently deaf in one ear. Hyunjin watches him punch his pillow for a solid minute before sliding from under his blankets, opening the door and telling the kids something. The screaming ceases, miraculously, by the powers of Hyunjin but then Jeongin along with Felix flood into the big dorm room instead, talking loudly.
Changbin throws Hyunjin a look like Why did you bring them here? Hyunjin either ignored him or he didn't see it.
"Hyung, hyung!" Felix screams. "Help me with my raps!"
"I'm busy," he grits out, pulling his cap further onto his eyes. "Go away you loud monkeys."
"Kids!" Chan calls from the kitchen. "I bring food!"
The raucous pair descends into the kitchen like a pair of hungry vultures, ripping Chan apart without mercy, all in their puppy dog eyes glory. Changbin digs his pencil tips onto the sheet of paper with more force than needed for writing and ignores Hyunjin's eyeballs over his shoulder.
"HA I WON!" Felix springs up from the sofa, already dancing across three people's faces. Jisung and Woojin quickly rescue their snacks before they reach their untimely demise on the dirty, unswept floor of three days. "I won I won I won!"
"What's your wish, kiddo?" Minho pulls him down and onto his lap, probably preventing someone getting smacked on the face. Felix curls onto the brunette, pouty lips tinted dark against the dark living room, lights turned off for their gaming night. He's tapping his knee, once, twice, before he makes a decision, sitting ramrod straight on Minho's knees.
"Someone should do the dishes for me for the next week," he tells them, white teeth flashing.
"He's good," Changbin hears Woojin whispers. The boys try not to make eye contact with the blonde, pretending to look elsewhere, even Minho, who should have immunity. Felix is anything but unpredictable and he's giggling as he's poking Seungmin as Unlucky Member of the Week.
"I thought we were mates. I thought we had something special," Seungmin wails, throwing popcorn at Felix and Minho.
"I love you, Seungminnie, I do," Felix giggles, shielding his eyes, "I'll do it with you, don't worry."
"You better, or I'm revoking our roommate's code of conduct and terms of services," Seungmin huffs, curling into Jisung who pats him as per his duty as respectful older sister.
"You're probably gonna sneak off to nap on Hyunjin's bed anyways, with him on it, why bother," Woojin mutters softly but it's heard across the couch. By the time it reaches Hyunjin there's three popcorn bowls being overturned, Jisung shielding Seungmin who's being slapped at on either side of him, Jeongin screeching, Chan screaming and Hyunjin being shoved off the couch.
"You fucking menace," Changbin mouths at Felix. It's too dark for the boy to see.
When Felix totters over him for the second mission, Changbin knows he's fucked up big time. Karma either is punishing him for getting into fights back in primary school with the idiot who insulted his friend or it just doesn't like him. It doesn't matter why - it matters that he's here and they're stuck together for at least a whole week, granted that they can patch Minho back up fast enough so that all nine of them can debut. Felix is clinging onto Minho and giggling, flashing him puppy dog eyes and promises of loud screaming over the next week. He doesn't know what the other boys say about him and Minho, but Felix and Changbin are beyond awkward with each other. The kid here threatens his barely-intact ear drums. Changbin can feel the cameras feeling pity for him, the crew telling them they're allowed a short break before filming resumes. He leans against the practice room's wall, breathing in and out. His lids flutter, up and close. Changbin can see Felix staring at him, or rather feel the penetrating eyes boring into his closed lids. He's not opening his eyes, hoping the wall will take him with it into oblivion.
"Kiss...as in," Changbin hums at the English slip up, Felix stuttering to recover from the slight language buffer, "as in on the cheek? With lips?"
Minho curls away in silent laughter, his head muffled into the air sofa. Changbin is frozen, watching Felix flicks his eyes to the crew and to him, unreadable expression sitting on pouty lips.
He stares at the boy. What?
Felix looks away. Nothing.
"I want Changbin-hyung and..." he meets that flick of Felix's eyes again, "me."
One of the makeup artists behind the camera director drops her brush in surprise. Changbin too is frozen in shock, half tempted to throw Minho under the bus, half tempted to get it over and done with. Seeing him buffer, Felix opens his mouth to maybe change the kissing partner, maybe to make a fool of himself, but Changbin gets up and seizes him by the neck, tilting his cheek to his face.
Felix flaps. A lot. He hits everything around him and Changbin.
"Stop - Fe - seriously ya got to stop moving," he growls, both hands now clapping Felix in place. The boy flashes him a brief panicked look before swallowing, baring his cheek for Changbin. This is weird. It looks like he's forcing the boy to pay him ransom or something.
"Do it!" Minho cheers.
"I'm sorry," Changbin tells Felix and presses his lips onto the pale smooth skin.
And nothing.
Literally that's just it.
Damn this kid has nice skin, Changbin breathes through his nose. He smells nice too.
Felix shoves him off, flinging himself away, not meeting Changbin's eyes. The camera crew signal for them to take a break until the next segment comes on, giving the two boys a brief reprieve.
Felix curls away from Minho's encouraging hand, ears bright red. He peeks an eye at Changbin who stares evenly back, lips parted.
"You're scaring him," Minho scolds, successful at last in gathering the blonde boy inside his arms, rubbing his back. "Stop staring."
"I will literally fight you," Changbin retorts back, for a lack of a better response.
"We're filming again. Please sit down," a staff reminds them.
On the way back to the training studio, Changbin is stuck with Felix in the back, Minho adamant on them two sorting this out. It would work out if Felix replies to Changbin or make eye contact at all. All he's done since the kiss is walk as far away as humanly possible from Changbin and speaking through the staff and Minho to him.
"Kid," Changbin starts.
Felix flinches, back straight, eyes fixed on the windscreen.
"You know you're fucking annoying right. Plus you're goddamn loud," Changbin rattles off quietly under his breath. "You're always with Channie and on half the guys' laps when you're sitting down."
Felix whimpers, hands digging into the seat.
"If you wanted to get my attention that badly, you could've just told me straight up. None of this dilly dallying will get you anywhere."
"What?" Felix whips his head to him, big puppy eyes blown even bigger. "You what?"
"Close your mouth, Felix," Changbin rolls his eyes, "and speak Korean."
"When did you find out?" The blonde continues in English, even though Changbin has no issue with understanding, he's pretending he can't hear him. "Hyung!"
"Felix," he finally turns his head, grin slicing up the left side of his mouth, "let's put this on hold until we've debuted, yeah? Hyung will tell you everything after we make sure that dead weight Minho can debut."
"I can hear everything you know," Minho comments from the front. They both ignore him.
"But I want to know now!" Felix bounces up and down, coming closer to Changbin, puppy dog eyes wide.
"Any closer and you're on my lap, Lee-ssi."
Felix pinches him. "Bully. I don't know why I like you."
Changbin only hums and allows himself to graze the back of the boy's hand. Warm and soft. Like his cheek.
Some time in the future Changbin would wake up to a blonde head of hair with dark roots showing all up his nose, a mix of his cologne, Seungmin's shampoo and Chan's laundry detergent around him. He would not be able to go anywhere without a penguin following closely, grasping his fingers. He wouldn't be able to get insurance for permanent ear damage because of the human version of a boom box that is Felix constantly wanting to do better, to stand out more.
But that's the future. Right now they have what they have.