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darkness– felix finds comfort in darkness, especially at night, when the shades of black are blanketing the wide floating canvas above his head, adorned with stars of varying colors and sizes. he used to bring an atlas of constellations with him, that is until staring at the night sky became a habit of his that he had memorized every detail it has to offer. nighttime gives him solace that he always crave for. the stillness and calmness of it– he loves it, more than he admits it.
light– contrary to his usually dark clothes and intimidating dark and sharp eyes, changbin seeks happiness in light. no matter how late he had slept the night before, he would always make sure that his alarm clock is set to wake him up before the sun crawls its way up and bid the moon and the stars goodbye while its rays illuminate the city. he loves looking at how the sky changes its colors, from deep violet to orange to blue. he savors every moment of it.
and so that's why, when the two crossed paths at dawn, at an ungodly hour when neither is usually awake, it was a weird occurrence.
felix accidentally fell asleep on the curb while staring at the stars. for some reasons, exhaustion took over his system earlier than it usually does. sure, he had fallen asleep before earlier than he intends to, but never when he is stargazing and is, of course, outside when the street isn't the safest option to sleep in, not until today.
changbin had just finished applying the final touches to his group's new track. he worked way past than he usually does as he had fallen sick two nights ago when he's supposed to be working on it. jisung and chan offered to let him have more time, up until tomorrow night, but changbin insisted that he will finish it today. but today turned to tonight and tonight turned to until 2:47 am without him noticing it. he stretched his arms up and twisted his torso a little to ease his tired body. when multiple yawns had raced out of his mouth, he finally called it a day (or a night, or a dawn, whatever you call it). he made sure he had turned off all the equipment, including the main switch, as they cannot risk having a high electric bill. he had just graduated and jisung is still on his last year. they cannot rely fully on chan either as that would be unfair since he pays for his apartment rent as well.
his walk home was peaceful and uneventful until a droplet fell on his nose, and two more did on his shoulder and on the back of his palm. he quickly fixed his hoodie on top of his head and searched for his umbrella as the sky starts to cry a little more, but not more than a drizzle, yet.
however, as he made a turn on the next street, with umbrella finally fixated above his head, a small figure, but still somewhat bigger than him, caught his sleepy eyes. a guy with dishevelled, perhaps, dark brown hair was sleeping peacefully amidst the now drizzle. as his footsteps finally almost closed the gap between him and the guy, enough for him to tap his shoulder, the guy, who was once in deep slumber jolted upwards and staggered a bit.
"uh, i'm sorry, but–", changbin pointed to the sky and to his umbrella and only then did his senses finally alerted him to scurry his way under the umbrella.
felix hissed under his breath as he realized that not only had he fallen asleep outside, with the possibility of him being ganged up or kidnapped, but also he had forgotten to bring an umbrella with him.
a small "thank you" was his only answer as the hooded guy just nodded his head.
much to both of their dismay, the drizzle turned into downpour and neither of them are near their houses. felix motioned the two of them to head inside the coffee shop in front, greeting them with its comforting lights. changbin agreed as that is his only option, unless he wants to head home with possibly wet socks and leave the guy, maybe a year younger than him, stranded in the rain.
the coffee shop was warm and inviting. the smell of the coffee and the toast kissed their noses as soft music dares to lull the both of them to sleep. changbin closed his umbrella and placed it on the holder near the entrance while felix eyed for a place to sit. although the coffee shop is obviously almost empty, if not because of the guy in his 40s sipping on his cup of hot coffee at the corner with laptop within his reach, he chose to sit facing the glass window to watch the droplets race down it. he motioned changbin to sit beside him and moved a little so he could situate himself on the chair. changbin sighed, out of impatience as the rain worsens.
both of them were just sat facing the window, no words were uttered, and looking outside until felix broke the silence.
"would you order something?", his deep voice abruptly cut changbin's train of thoughts.
"uh, right. you first?"
"fine with me, but do you want to, maybe tell me your order so i could do it for you? my treat.", felix offered, as his shoulders moved up then down. "it's my way of thanking you. i would've been soaked if ever."
"yeah, but–"
"also, i insist."
changbin doesn't have enough energy to stretch the conversation further so he sighed and agreed. besides, ordering another cup of coffee in a span of 24 hours is not a part of his budget for the week. "i'll have an americano. hot, please."
felix nodded and headed his way to the cashier. changbin returned to look outside while furrowing his eyebrows. he checked his phone for the time. 3:11. shit. he barely has enough time to sleep before his morning shift in the eye clinic later.
"uh, hello.", same deep voice interrupted him from worrying. he turned to look at him. "sorry, i don't know what name to put on your–"
"changbin. i'm changbin."
"okay, changbin.", and just like that, felix made his way back to the cashier and paid for the drinks. the cashier then passed the order to the barista and the whirling of the machine started.
felix went back to his seat with a small huff as he placed his elbows on top of the table and cupped his face. he silently swore to himself that he won't stare at the sky too long more than his body could take anymore and would bring his own umbrella.
"why were you sleeping outside?", changbin decided to finally ask. the idea of the guy sleeping outside had been bothering him since the time they made their way inside the cafe. "please tell me you weren't kicked out of your house or something."
for the first time since they've met, felix lightly chuckled. changbin let a smile grace its way to his face as the other shook his head a little.
"no, of course not. i was just looking at the stars and fell asleep. that's all."
changbin's mouth formed a small "o" as he takes in the information. "you must really like the stars, huh."
"yeah. they're beautiful.", felix answered while scrunching up his nose. only then that changbin noticed the freckles on his face, as if they're forming their own constellations.
"drink for felix and changbin?", the barista called out. felix excused himself and carried the tray to their table before changbin had the chance to volunteer to do it. the smell of americano made changbin purse his lips.
when changbin saw felix's choice of drink, he questioned him before he could stop himself. "really? it's raining."
felix answered by rolling his eyes. "oh come on, we've just met and you're already judging me?", he answered jokingly as he sips on his drink. "iced latte is for every occasion, season, and weather, mr. changbin."
changbin just shook his head and replied an okay while raising both of his eyebrows. he proceeded on sipping his coffee.
it was felix's turn to ask him a question. "anyway, why are you out so late? you don't look much older than me."
"i uh...", changbin slid a hand down his cheek as he realized that he really stayed out later than usual. "i was finishing our group's song?", his answer came out unsure.
felix choked on his drink as changbin finished answering his question. "a song? you make songs?"
a light shade of pink made its way to changbin's cheeks. "uh yeah... i belong in this group called 3racha. we rap and sing. well, technically, the other two are usually the ones singing. we're what people call underground artists, i guess."
"wow" was all felix could say before sipping on his latte again. "how long have you been doing this? do you post your songs somewhere?"
changbin looked at the ceiling before answering. "two? no, three years. by the way, our youngest maybe shares the same year as you. we have songs online. you can find them on youtube and soundcloud."
"can i listen to it?", felix happily asked.
"s-sure?", changbin took out his phone and his earphones and clicked on one of their songs, specifically broken compass. he plugged the earphones on his phone and offered felix the right bud as he placed the other on his left ear. a familiar beat to one of their somewhat well-known song played through them.
"i-i think i've heard this somewhere...", felix answered as he lightly hummed to it. "i didn't know it was you guys who did this."
a nervous chuckle came out of changbin's mouth. "yeah..."
they stayed like that for a little more than three minutes– side-by-side, their shoulders touching, with felix tapping on the table and changbin lightly rapping his parts.
as the song came to an end, the first thing felix did was to look at changbin and give him a satisfied smile. changbin returned the gesture.
"you know, i really like this. i haven't heard the song fully before, but now that i have done it, i am pretty impressed."
"ah, t-thanks."
felix smiled wider as he placed a hand on changbin's shoulder. "also, i really like the lyrics. i love how it's meaningful but catchy at the same time."
at that moment, when felix's palm made contact with his shoulder (technically, on the fabric of his grey hoodie), he felt something unsual, not in a bad way but he's not sure if it's in a good way either. his cheeks heated up as he tries to choke out a "thank you". why am i blushing so much, he thought.
"you're welcome."
"oh, um, felix.", felix was just sipping on his drink again then when changbin thought of popping a question. felix looked at him with his lips slightly forming a pout while raising his eyebrows. changbin felt his face heating up even more. "what do you do? i-i mean, tell me something about what you do."
felix looked outside the window before answering. "well, i... i'm still on my last year. thankfully, finals had just finished so i have time to take a rest. i dance with our dance crew and compete a lot, but i'm closest with my classmate, hyunjin and my cousin, minho, out of all the members. both of them help me with my korean, too, as i had just moved here a couple of years ago."
"my friend, chan, is a foreigner, too." , changbin stated with wide eyes.
"oh really?", felix eyes widened like changbin's. "where is he from?"
"ah, he's from australia–"
"oh god, me too", felix exclaimed a little louder than expected. changbin just smiled and sipped on his drink again. "um, hyung?"
"yeah?"
"what do you do other than making music?"
"i just graduated recently but i am lucky enough to land a position at an eye clinic owned by my mother's friend. you know, the one with a huge ass quirky and colorful sign? it's just a few blocks away from the studio we use and from here. i assist on the desk. i plan on continuing to college and take up optometry so being exposed to the environment is a good thing, i guess. plus, the owner pays me good."
"oh, i think that's where hyunjin goes for eye check-up. he's the tall and pretty guy with a mole on his one eye. i'm pretty sure you have seen him before already."
"i think i might have, yeah."
felix looked at him intently and smiled with adoration. "you really have your future planned already, huh? you're cute."
changbin choked as he heard those last two, unexpected words that caught him off guard. on the other hand, felix's eyes widened. he bit his lips as he realized what he had just said. his fingers made its way to his neck to quickly check his pulse as a reflex. a blush made its way to his face, a shade darker than what's already painted on changbin's cheeks. "oh god, a-are you alright?"
"y-yeah, yeah. that was disgusting of me, i'm sorry.", changbin facepalmed.
felix smiled and shook his head, a blush of pink still adoring his cheeks. "what? n-no, don't be sorry."
both fell silent as their eyes met. their eyes, as if they have their own minds, subconsciously appreciated the view in front of them, scrutinizing what flower in a crevice in this first meeting it could offer.
changbin finally had the chance to stare properly at felix's face. he likes how his somewhat rounded eyes are emphasized by a plethora of freckles dotted across his tiny, but cute, face. he noticed that he has quite a number of ear piercings, and he has decided, then and there, that the double helix is his favorite. he also likes how his small lips turn when he smiles, barely parted and slightly stained with the latte. maybe changbin is a little enthralled at the younger boy, and his (now confirmed) dark brown hair is just worsening his feelings.
as for felix, he adores changbin's sharp features– his feline eyes, his slightly intimidating eyebrows, and his prominent jawline– and how they are paired with a boopable and small nose and pinkish lips. he likes the way a few strands of purplish hair fall just right on top of his eyelids. he noticed only then that changbin has a dangling earring that fits perfectly on him. felix may or may not be enjoying the view in front of him. what he's sure of, however, is that his pulse is quicker than usual and he doesn't know how to slow down its pace.
they were both interrupted when the sound of a phone sliced through the silent air. felix was a little startled but he proceeded to get his phone out of his pocket.
"oh hell...", changbin awkwardly trailed off. "it's almost 4 am.", the both of them slightly panicked. "who was it?"
"i-it was minho.", felix placed his hand on his forehead. "he asked where the hell i am."
"the rain has stopped anyway. do you ride the bus? shall i walk you there?"
felix just looked down and nodded, trying to hide another wave of blush creeping onto his face. "let's go."
both of them stood up from their seats, with their drinks almost finished. changbin walked towards the holder to get his dried up umbrella and waited for felix before they went outside. the air was quite chilly as the aftermath of the downpour, but they still continued walking until they reached the bus stop.
"i'm fine by here already.", felix spoke up for the first time since they left the cafe. "thank you for the company, changbin."
"are you sure?"
"y-yes. i'll just wait here. thankfully, buses start to operate again at this hour. will you ride the bus, too?
"ah, no. my house would be just a few minutes away from here now.", changbin smiled as he looked at him. "it was nice meeting you, felix. thank you for the drink. i guess i'll see you around? hopefully not in the streets again and when you're sleeping."
felix rolled his eyes and elbowed changbin's waist. "yeah, i really hope so." he looked down and frowned a little, but not obvious enough for changbin to notice (or at least he hopes). he hates to admit it but he wants to stay a little longer with him. he wants to know more about him. with that in mind, an idea sparked inside him. "w-would you like to exchange numbers?"
changbin looked surprised as felix nervously shifted his weight from one foot to another. honestly, he was planning to ask the same thing but he is too scared to act on it. he breathed a sigh of relief when felix asked the question first. "here, please type it in here."
shakily, felix typed in his number and handed it back to changbin. he would be lying if he says he doesn't feel ecstatic. after doing so, changbin sent a quick text to felix, making the latter roll his eyes for the second time.
"really? name you binsual?"
"yeah, you have a problem with that?", changbin raised his eyebrows and folded his arms in front of him.
"so bold now, huh? yeah, whatever." i mean, where's the lie, felix thought.
just as he finished doing what changbin texted him, a bus stopped right in front of them. both bid goodbyes as felix boarded the bus.
"see you next time, changbinnie hyung!"
changbin's tongue got caught in his throat for a second when he heard felix's nickname for him. "o-of course. see you next time."
when the bus started moving past him, a smile made its way to changbin's face once again as he recalled what had just happened. with that, he brought out his phone and checked his contacts. upon doing so, he saw what felix put as his contact name and promised to himself that he would punch him when they see each other again.
"i'm a mf star boi"
perhaps, falling asleep in the street has benefits sometimes.
perhaps, working longer than you usually do isn't as bad as people think it is.
perhaps, dawn is the perfect common ground for a nocturnal person tied with the stars and someone who looks forward for sunrise everyday.
"what a lame ass." changbin shook his head and decided to send a quick text.
"hey star boi, are you free tomorrow @ 3 am?"