Archive of Our Own

“One second, Ji,” the wind almost stole Felix’s words, his tongue wrapping delicately around them as he leaned over the cliff edge. “One second is all it’s going to take to kill us.”

“It could also be what saves us,” Jisung spoke from beside him, still not looking at him as his hair whipped around his head, pulled back and forth by the flurry happening around them, “We have to take the risk.”

Felix hated to admit it at the best of times, but even more right now. Jisung was right. They didn’t have any other choice,

“I can barely even stand here,” Felix almost whispered, his eyes boring over the edge as he fought not to pull them away, “We’re so high up right now, how the hell do you expect us to do this?”

“It’s the only way, Lix,” Jisung finally looked at Felix, grabbing his hand with a firm but tender squeeze, “I’m scared too.”

Felix turned to him, gaze burning with barely-concealed fear as he squeezed Jisung’s hand back, “I know,” he said, I’m sorry.”

Jisung just shook his head, unable to put into words that Felix didn’t need to be sorry. Jisung should be the one who was sorry. He was the one who had suggested the idea in the first place. He just couldn’t think of any other way for them to survive other than a plan that was almost sure to kill them.

Their chances were low.

The odds of Jisung’s plan working were even lower.

But low odds were all they had. It was either take the risk or accept defeat, and they would never, ever accept defeat.

“So, we’re really about to do this?” Jisung let out a puff of air, a terrified smile forming around the breath, “We, two of the biggest cowards in the group, are about to jump off a cliff?”

“The others will barely believe it,” Felix managed a grin, “There’s a reason we’re always on ground work.”

“Well, we’re about to show them I guess,” Jisung said, taking a step forward to lean over the edge again before shivering and stepping back.

“You can use this to show them up if you want,” Felix said, pulling Jisung’s attention back to him and away from the edge they were both dreading so much, “But if that means they take you off ground work and move you higher then I am not coming with you.”

“Yeah, good point,” Jisung laughed a little, a small semblance of panic crawling into the sound that Felix had to stop himself from wincing at, “If we even get that far.”

“If we even get that far,” Felix agreed, swallowing heavily when he realised how right Jisung was.

Usually, Felix was the type to be optimistic in situations like these, to always insist that they’d get through it, but this was different. This had to be timed perfectly. To the absolute millisecond. One tiny fraction too early or too late and they’d both be gone.

If they were only a little bit off, timed it just a little less than perfectly, then maybe one of them would survive. Maybe, at least one of them would land on their feet.

But if they both wanted to make it, if they both wanted to live, then it would take everything they had and then some to live. There was no amount of training in the world to prepare them, just a gut feeling and basic survival instinct.

Neither of them enjoyed the idea of that.

Their fate relied on so little and so much at the same time. One second. One tiny little microscopic second was all they had, was what could determine their entire future, their entire group’s future.

One second between life and death.

One second between seeing the car headlights speeding forward and leaping out the way. One second between seeing the gun and crashing into the floor to avoid the bullet. One second that could take an entire life.

They needed that second to last a lifetime.

The heaviness of the second, the pure weight of it, it almost wiped Jisung and Felix out, almost made them sit on the floor and fold their arms and wait for their inevitable death to claim them. They were going to die if they didn’t take the risk, but maybe that death would be nicer than the one waiting for them at the bottom of the cliff.

Curse them both for being afraid of heights.

“How the hell did the hyungs mess up the plan so badly?” Jisung whispered to himself, not really blaming them but needing something else to think about as Felix just shook his head.

“I don’t know,” Felix said, “Everyone seemed to think this would actually work.”

As if on cue, the growing sounds of the army got louder behind them, the sounds of their failure and the price Felix and Jisung were about to pay for it. In that moment, both Jisung and Felix were being hunted by endless lines of enemies and rival soldiers who’d kill them on sight if they made it up to them.

It was never supposed to end this way.

Felix and Jisung weren’t supposed to be anywhere near the army; every single soldier was supposed to be where the rest of Stray Kids were, where they’d be lured into a trap and imprisoned forever for the destruction they’d caused to Stray Kids’ world.

But something had gone wrong. The trap was never fallen into. The army never left their base.

So, when Felix and Jisung strolled through their front door to loot them, they hadn’t exactly been met with a welcoming entrance.

They were forced to, quite literally, run for the hills.

Felix could still feel the way the forest had whipped and scratched at him, trying to force him back as he sprinted up the mountain, Jisung’s hand in his and the army rumbling like a tsunami behind them.

They’d sprinted all the way to the end of the forest, managing to lose most of the soldiers in the trees when they came to an empty clearing, a tiny patch of empty land that overlooked a ginormous cliff. Jisung had taken one look at it and almost turned and strolled back into the forest, deciding he’d rather brave getting hunted and slaughtered than even look at the daunting rockface.

But Felix hadn’t let him do that.

They’d stood at the edge and argued, screaming about which death would be nicer for them, yelling that they couldn’t leave each other, begging one another for answers neither of them would be able to give.

Chan had crackled over their earpieces at one point, promising to get them out before the army finally found them. But both Felix and Jisung knew that was just part-desperation and part-wishful-thinking.

Stray Kids were too far away. They wouldn’t be able to save Felix and Jisung. They were about to lose two members for good.

That was until Jisung realised something.

It was whilst him and Felix were peering over the edge together, arms linked in a tight deadlock and both their bodies shaking in terror. They’d been trying to work out if there was a way for them to climb down to the ground or if there was anyone below that they could signal for help.

There wasn’t any help… but there was something else.

Jisung realised with furrowed eyebrows and a dropped jaw that the army had deployed an airship; a small carrier with only one pilot that was circling the cliff. It didn’t have a roof, allowing for great lookout and shooting opportunities.

And maybe, just maybe, the opportunity to jump into it from above.

If Felix and Jisung listened for when the airship would next pass them and they jumped off the cliff at exactly the right time, then they’d land on the ship. All they’d need to do from there would be to knock the pilot out and drive the airship away, safe and sound.

It sounded so easy.

It wasn’t.

If they jumped even a second too early or too late, they’d miss the ship and plummet to their deaths. If they jumped too far out or too far in, they wouldn’t land in the right place and they’d plunge to the ground. There were too many ways for it to go wrong. It was too stupid to ever possibly work.

But it was all they had.

It was either that or enter a forest where they were viciously outnumbered. It was jump off a cliff to a quick death or enter a slow, torturous place where their deaths would be drawn-out and savoured, enjoyed by the people Felix and Jisung hated. 

There was no choice.

“This is quite possibly the stupidest plan you’ve ever come up with,” Felix said, managing a smirk as Jisung turned to look at him, “And that’s really saying something.”

Jisung grinned, “It wouldn’t be a mission if I wasn’t leading you into something dumb now would it, Lixie?”

“I suppose not,” Felix dropped his gaze, fiddling with his hands for a second as his smirk fell away, “Don’t… don’t ever stop being dumb. Not for anything. No matter what happens, okay?”

Jisung’s face fell, his eyes glossing over with something sorrowful as he reached forward to gently clasp Felix’s shaking hands, “I won’t stop being dumb as long as you’re right there to be dumb with me, okay?”

Felix could only nod, a large lump forming in his throat at the thought of Jisung losing all his humour and quirkiness, losing himself to a jump that could take his or Felix’s life.

“Screw all that stuff we said earlier,” Felix said, gaze still firmly on the ground as he blinked away tears, “Screw the stupid ‘if we get that far’ stuff. We’re going to make it.”

He looked up on his final words, Jisung’s eyes shining and his mouth pulling up at the corners as he nodded, “We’re going to make it.”

“Who cares if we’ve never jumped off a cliff onto a moving vehicle, right?” Felix said, “There’s a first time for everything.”

“That is true,” Jisung laughed, sounding so young and so perfect and yet so terrified at the same time, “We’ll have quite a story to tell afterwards.”

“And we’ll tell it so much that the others will get tired of hearing it,” Felix said, nodding like he was trying to encourage himself, “But they’ll… they’ll never get tired of us.”

Jisung felt a chord strike in his chest, his face almost crumpling as he squeezed on Felix’s fingers, “No… they won’t.”

Something unspoken passed between them, something painful. They both knew that they were being too optimistic, that their chances of ever seeing the group again were unbelievably low, but there was a silent agreement not to mention it. They’d rather spend their last moments with light hearts and sad smiles rather than forced resignation.

Maybe if it was the other members in their position, it would be different. Maybe Minho would just bluntly accept it. Maybe Hyunjin would be even more blindly hopeful. Maybe Chan would rather order Felix and Jisung into the forest. Maybe he’d make them accept their final breath.

But Jisung and Felix wouldn’t. They were the troublesome twins. They were the bright best friends. They giggled and shared joy and saw the world in a sparkling light no matter what it did to them.

They were going to go out with glittering souls and wind in their hair.

“How long do you think it will be before the carrier comes back?” Jisung’s voice broke the silence, his words carrying so many more questions than he was able to ask.

Would they jump next time they saw the carrier or wait until the time after that? At what precise second would they jump? Would the carrier ever come back? What if the soldiers found them first?

“I don’t know,” Felix’s gaze travelled to the skyline, his face glazing over with terrified anticipation, “Part of me hopes it’s soon. Part of me hopes it never comes.”

Jisung hummed, nodding as his own eyes followed Felix’s, “I feel the same.”

It was an impossible feeling to put into words. A concept they’d never be able to explain.

Of course, they wanted the carrier to come. They wanted to try and live. They wanted to escape. But there was no way for them to fail if they were never given an opportunity to try; they wouldn’t risk missing the carrier if they never jumped after it.

If only ignorance really was bliss.

They both startled when there was a sudden eruption of guns from behind them, their heads whipping around to the forest and the horrible sounds echoing from within it.

“They’re getting closer,” Felix whispered, “If that carrier doesn’t come soon, the soldiers will find us.”

Jisung could only nod, his heart clenching with the realisation that they really had to get it right straight away. They were going to have to jump the next time they saw the carrier. They wouldn’t have time to watch and observe, they were just going to have to do it.

“We can do this,” Jisung whispered back, still staring into the forest, “We won’t let them kill us.”

“We won’t,” Felix agreed, dragging in a deep breath before levelling his gaze, pulling Jisung’s attention to him, “We at least owe the others that. We won’t die at the hands of the army; we’ll do it properly.”

“Go out with a bang, yeah?” Jisung said, a smile playing against his lips, “Give Stray Kids a real story to tell.”

“Something like that,” Felix smiled back, “Let’s go show them.”

With that, Jisung nodded firmly, straightening his posture and strengthening his stance as him and Felix turned away from the forest, taking long and purposeful steps towards the cliff.

They stopped right at the edge, their feet planted and gazes harsh as they scanned the horizon, waiting for the perfect second.

The silence stretched between them for a while, broken only by their fast breaths as they silently gave each other strength. They reached out for one another when they needed comfort, satisfied by the feeling of warm skin under their fingertips.

Neither of them were anticipating the crackle of their earpieces, both of them jumping when Chan’s voice called at them from the other end.

“Jisung?! Felix?!”

His voice sounded urgent, Jisung and Felix both doubling over and clutching at their chests as they just tried to remember to breathe.

“Oh my god, he nearly scared me so much I fell over,” Jisung wheezed, squeezing Felix’s bicep as he straightened up, “And that really would have been the wrong time to go over the cliff.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Felix huffed out a breath, “Talk about timing.”

Jisung choked around a laugh, meeting Felix’s eyes for a second before he brought up a hand to press a button on his earpiece, speaking into it a second later, “We’re here, hyung.”

“Oh my god, thank gods,” Chan’s voice twisted with relief, his tone saying more than his words ever could as the sound of the van he was in rumbled in the background, “We thought we’d already lost you.”

“No, hyung,” Felix turned on his own earpiece, smiling softly at Jisung as he talked, “We’re okay…”

He trailed off uncertainly, the ‘for now’ left unspoken. He knew none of them would be willing to admit to the ticking clock looming over them, the danger that Jisung and Felix were really in and the rest of the group’s inability to get to them on time.

“That’s good, that’s really good guys,” they could practically hear the smile in Chan’s voice, the love he held for them somehow managing to top everything else, Felix’s chest warming as he listened, “We’re trying to get there as fast as we can, but it could still be some time. Have you figured out a way to get out of there?”

Jisung and Felix locked eyes, a million words passing between them as they both swallowed heavily. Chan sounded so hopeful for them, so certain that they’d make it out alive.

They were going to break his heart.

“We may have found a way,” Jisung said sombrely, his gaze drifting to the cliff edge, “But you’re not going to like it.”

There was a second of silence over the earpieces, a moment for the words to sink as Jisung and Felix held their breaths. They both looked up in surprise when the earpiece clicked again and the replying voice wasn’t Chan.

“What the hell do you mean we aren’t going to like it?” it was Seungmin, sounding urgent and terrified and probably not at all confident in their ability to make a sensible plan.

“I mean it’s a stupid plan and almost certainly not going to work,” Jisung said, trying to push some humour into the words, “And it’s also really dangerous.”

No one laughed in response, Felix feeling his chest pang painfully at the fear starting to twist through the earpieces. He knew they were worrying the rest of the group, probably scaring them even more than their plan would, but they couldn’t tell.

If the group found out about the plan then they’d try to stop them, and if Felix or Jisung had even a single shred of doubt then they’d certainly fail.

They couldn’t afford to fail.

“Sungie, Lixie,” it was Chan again this time, his voice soft and gentle, not quite managing to cover up the way it was shaking with fear, “What are you about to do?”

“Nothing you’d approve of,” Felix said, meeting eyes with Jisung again as they both nodded, “But we don’t have a choice.”

“We’re really sorry, hyung,” Jisung’s voice cracked, Chan’s panic getting louder from the other end, “We’re doing this to try and live. If it fails…” Jisung paused to choke back a sob, “Just know that if it fails, we never meant for it to end this way.”

“Jisung, I swear-” Chan was practically shouting now, all the other earpieces tuned in and six voices trying to protest as Felix cut them off, not wanting their last conversation to go like this.

“Thank you for everything,” he said, forcing the tears from his voice as he spoke, “I don’t think either of us could have asked for a better team.”

“No, we couldn’t,” Jisung answered before anyone else could, his face meeting Felix as they smiled at each other through their tears, “We really love you. If this really does fail, please remember that we only did it because we love you and that… that was enough to make us fight to live. It was enough to make us brave.”

“You were the ones who got us this far,” Felix said, the tears shimmering on his cheeks as Jisung suddenly reached out and pulled him into his side, letting Felix’s head fall onto his shoulder, “Thank you for giving us this courage.”

The words were whispered, a quiet thanks that said more than any beg, plead or yell ever could. Felix knew that the others would protest all they wanted, but they’d be able to tell that Jisung and Felix were set in their decision now. It was going to happen.

“Please don’t do this,” it was Jeongin this time, his voice just that little bit louder than everyone else’s, “Please, hyungs, whatever you’re about to do, it’s not worth it. We’ll find another way, we’ll get you out.”

Jisung felt his heart shatter in his chest. His and Felix’s youngest friend, their maknae, was begging them to stop, begging them to stay. But they all knew there was no time to stay. It hurt so much to admit it, but there was nothing else Jisung and Felix could do.

They had to jump.

So, Jisung did all he had left, he turned and leaned down to press a soft kiss against Felix’s hair, swallowing back the sobs that threatened to choke him as Felix whispered reassurances into the earpiece. Felix was promising that they’d do everything to survive, that they would see Jeongin again, that they’d come back eventually.

But it wasn’t enough. It was never going to be enough. Jeongin’s pleads only got louder and soon Seungmin was trying to chip in with one of his forever-rational arguments and they could hear Hyunjin crying.

“What are you planning?” Minho was saying, his voice shaking more than they’d ever heard, “What are you going to do?”

As much as it hurt them, Jisung and Felix couldn’t answer. They couldn’t let them know. They needed to go into the mission with as much determination as possible, they couldn’t have even a single bit of hesitation weighing them down to the ground, the ground that was so dangerously far away.

“It’s going to be okay,” Felix said, sounding so sure and so certain and yet so scared, clinging to Jisung as he forced the words out through chapped lips. Jisung felt his chest pang; he was so young, they were both so young.

And they were both promising it was going to be okay.

But it wasn’t, because Jisung’s heart leapt into his throat when, completely out of nowhere, the low sounds of the airship hummed into his ears.

“Lix,” Jisung whipped his head up, squeezing hard on Felix’s shoulder, “It’s time.”

He felt Felix tense in his arms, an eternity of a second stretching between them before Felix looked up, his whole face alive with terror.

“W-We have to go,” Felix said into the earpiece, his eyes staring dead at the carrier slowly approaching them, “We’re sorry about this.”

“We love you,” Jisung added on, placing a finger under Felix’s chin and forcing him to look at him as they both nodded, staring at each other through tears as they reached up and did the most painful thing they’d ever had to do.

They turned their earpieces off.

No pain. No distractions. No backing out.

It was time.

Every step felt heavy as they walked towards the edge, Jisung feeling his head pounding and his mind clouding and his tongue going dry. He felt like he was walking towards a firing squad, like the clock of his life was slowly ticking to its end, like he was a prisoner being sent to execution.

His veins were on fire with the feeling, his every single cell desperately trying to pull him back as he forced himself forward. Felix was keeping step next to him, his whole body strung tight and his hands shaking violently.

The air carrier got closer and closer. It was only a matter of seconds now.

Only a matter of seconds before the tiny, crucial, blood-curdling second rolled around.

They had to get it right.

Felix’s hand shot out before he could stop it, his fingers curling around Jisung’s and their palms pressing together as they both squeezed so hard they were probably bruising one another.

It was probably stupid to jump like this; they were probably only going to get each other killed if they jumped holding hands. But, still, neither of them let go. If they were going to jump, they were going to jump together. If they were going to die, they were going to die together.

The carrier hummed closer.

Jisung felt his throat closing, his lungs begging for air as he turned to give one last long look at Felix, his voice begging for so much more than he said, “Don’t let go.”

Felix tightened his grip, the wind once more whipping through his hair and pulling them both further towards the cliff edge, “Never.”

The word was all it took, Jisung’s entire body clearing of all its fear and going completely numb as he stared out over the edge. He let his instincts take over, let nothing but the sound of the air carrier draw him in as he bent his legs into a jumping position, staring out into the sunset.

If they were going to go out, at least they were going out to one hell of a view.

It was the last coherent thought Jisung had before the clock hands started to move in slow motion and everything narrowed down to one tiny second.

With that, they jumped.

Somehow, they both started moving at exactly the same time. Their feet pulled them forward and the wind smacked them in their faces and they both sucked in the biggest breath they could before they leapt over the edge.

Their feet left the ground, the sky surrounded them, the air started to whip by.

They went down.

Further.

Further.

Further.

Jisung felt the clouds blur around them, the air thinning as his entire body went weightless. He felt himself plummeting down, his arms outstretched like he was flying and his legs forcing themselves not to kick.

He needed to land on his feet.

He begged, prayed, screamed at every god he could think of. They both needed to land on their feet.

At some point, Jisung’s eyes closed, and that is why it came as such a surprise when his legs hit solid ground, when all his weight flooded back to him and gravity forced its way into his veins and he slammed forward onto his knees.

His palms hit the ground, actual solid ground, and he pulled in a breath that wracked violently through his entire frame. Oxygen clawed its way past his lips, his eyes watering and hair flopping into his eyes as he just tried to process it.

They’d done it. They’d actually done it. They’d landed safely.

The world flew by Jisung, his surroundings moving by him and finally making him realise that he was on the carrier, that they were now moving through the air and he should probably do something about that.

There would be time for relief later.

Jisung wobbled hurriedly to his feet, tossing his hair out his face just in time to see a shaky Felix dodging a punch from the pilot, frantically trying to keep him from pressing a button and alerting the army about what Jisung and Felix were up to.

Jisung rushed over to help, grabbing the pilot from behind and holding him still so Felix could throw a punch of his own, smashing his fist directly between the pilot’s eyes and knocking him out cold. Jisung felt the pilot go limp in his arms, carefully lying him on the floor and stepping away.

“Oh my god,” he felt more than heard Felix say, his own heart seeming to feel the same as he turned to face Felix, “Oh my god!”

Felix broke out into a wide grin, his pale face lighting up like the Sun as he squealed.

“We did it, Ji! We actually did it!” he screeched, looking at Jisung like he’d hung the Moon.

Jisung couldn’t stop himself from throwing his body into Felix’s arms, his face burying itself in Felix’s neck and Felix’s arms wrapping around his shoulders, squeezing so tight Jisung almost couldn’t breathe.

“We did it, Lix,” Jisung teared up all over again, wetting Felix’s neck, “We’re alive.”

The words had Felix giggling like an idiot, his chest shaking against Jisung’s. Jisung allowed himself to feel it, to let Felix’s happiness roll over him, to breathe in the scent of Felix’s neck and to just hold him tightly to remind them both that they were still alive.

They’d done it.

Jisung’s whole body shone with gold when Felix started pressing kisses all over his forehead, laughing like a maniac and holding onto Jisung like he was the most precious diamond in the world. Jisung practically melted into him, almost sobbing when he heard Felix’s heartbeat fluttering in his chest, keeping him alive and safe and there for Jisung to hold.

“Well done, Lixie,” Jisung said, “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Well done to you, you idiot!” Felix practically shook Jisung, pulling away so he could look him in the face, “We’re both still alive because of you.”

Jisung wiped away his tears, “Because of us,” he said, lips pulling up at the corners.

“Because of us,” Felix confirmed, reaching up to stroke his own thumbs over Jisung’s tears, the sunset shining down on them both, basking them in a warm glow that made Jisung so, so happy that they were still alive.

However, the moment only lasted a second. Without warning, the carrier teetered harshly to the side, both of them stumbling and grabbing onto each other for support as the ship started to rock.

“Oh my god, there’s no one driving!” Felix called out, sounding half-amused and half-terrified as he tumbled over to the control panel, “I have no idea how to drive this thing!”

Jisung couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach and doubled over, barely able to breathe as the cackles rocked through him.

“I cannot believe,” he gestured with his hand, looking up at a glaring Felix through his tears, “That we didn’t even think about that. We literally just jumped off a cliff for this thing and we can’t even drive it.”

“Apparently, we got a little too pre-occupied in the whole cliff-jumping thing,” Felix mumbled, reaching out to press a random button and managing send the ship flying forward full-speed-ahead, “Dammit, that is not what I meant to do!”

Jisung laughed harder, grabbing onto the side of the ship for support as Felix fumbled to slow the vehicle down, cursing and yelling violently to himself. He eventually managed to wrap one hand around the steering wheel and use the other to tentatively move between buttons, leading them unsteadily away from the forest and towards where the group should be.

“Imagine if we jumped off a cliff just to get killed by a stupid spaceship that refuses to be driven properly,” Jisung laughed, only cackling harder when Felix rolled his eyes.

“This isn’t a spaceship,” Felix grumbled, “And you should not be joking about that, it would have been a lot cooler to actually die because of the cliff and not because of this dumb deathtrap. What kind of airship doesn’t have a roof anyway?”

“One that we can conveniently jump straight into,” Jisung pointed out, “You should be grateful for it.”

“I’ll be grateful until you start driving, then I really will have to say goodbye,” Felix said, drawing another giggle from Jisung, “Now please stop causing trouble and tell the rest of the group we’re okay. I’m sure at least one of them has had a heart attack by now.”

“Oh my god, I forgot!” Jisung immediately straightened up, scrambling over to Felix to hold him from behind as he pressed his earpiece, feeling Felix’s smile boring into him as he addressed the group, “Umm… hey guys.”

Jisung practically collapsed into Felix with the sheer volume of the voices that screamed back at him.

“Oh my god, Jisung!”

“Sung, you scared us!”

“Ji, oh my god!”

“Don’t ever do that again!”

“Sorry about earlier,” Jisung said, unable to stop himself from smiling at the pure relief in his member’s voices, “We didn’t mean to worry you, but… but we really weren’t sure whether we were going to survive or not.”

“All that matters is that you’re okay,” Chan replied, sounding so light and happy compared to the panic he’d been screaming earlier, “You are both okay, right?”

“Oh, yes, of course we are!” Jisung said, smacking himself in the forehead for his stupidity, “Just give me one sec,” he quickly reached up, pressing a finger against Felix’s earpiece to turn it on and gesturing at Felix to talk.

“Hey everyone, sorry for the scare,” Felix immediately said, almost crashing the ship when they all screamed at him just as loud as they had at Jisung.

“Lee Felix, I hope you know that you and that stupid idiot of yours have some serious explaining to do,” Changbin said once they’d all calmed down, his voice as stern as he could get it but still cracking with relief.

“Well, hyung, I’m not entirely sure if he’s my stupid idiot or if I’m his,” Felix grinned, turning to share a look with Jisung, “But we’ll bear that in mind.”

“Yeah, you’re both stupid idiots,” Changbin spoke with a smile in his voice, “But we’re glad you’re still alive.”

“We’re glad to be alive too, hyung,” Jisung said, nuzzling himself further into Felix’s shoulder, “And we can’t wait to see you.”

“And if you send us your location,” Felix said, looking down at the control panel and spying a place he could type coordinates into, “We can probably make that happen pretty soon.”

“What do you mean ‘pretty soon’?” Chan said, “We’re still not close to you and you guys don’t have any transportation, surely you have to wait for us?”

“Oh hyung,” Jisung grinned, winking at Felix as they both marvelled over the ship they were flying, “Do we have a surprise for you.”

. . .

Felix bit his lip as Jisung pointed at Stray Kids, the six of them all lounging around in the field they’d parked the van in, none of them having spotted Jisung and Felix flying in from above yet.

“I’m not going to lie,” Felix said, wincing as he slowly teetered the steering wheel downwards, “I’m not entirely sure how to land this thing.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Jisung said, still clinging to Felix from behind as he peeked a look over his shoulder, “I swear, I did not jump off a cliff just for you to kill us both now.”

“No worries,” Felix said through a terrified smile, “Chan-hyung will catch us.”

“I think I’d prefer Changbin-hyung,” Jisung said, having to hold back a scream when Felix accidentally jolted the ship violently, swerving them towards the ground, “He’s got bigger muscles.”

“But he’s short,” Felix said, still white-knuckling the steering wheel, “There’s no way his legs would hold him if we landed in his arms.”

“If we’re going by that logic,” Jisung closed his eyes, burying his face in Felix’s neck as the ground got closer and closer, “Then Hyunjin should be the one to catch us.”

“Nah, he’s too skinny,” Felix said, wishing he could also close his eyes but knowing that probably wasn’t a good idea when he was the pilot, “Maybe, Minho-hyung would be a good idea.”

“Nah,” Jisung mumbled into Felix’s shirt, “Minho-hyung would just watch us fall.”

“And Seungmin and Jeongin would be too distracted,” Felix grit his teeth, desperately trying to hold the steering wheel in place and lower them down at a steady pace, his whole body tense and skin tingling with the feeling of the others’ eyes boring into him.

He knew that Stray Kids must have spotted them by now, and they were probably just a little surprised by the entrance Felix and Jisung were making.

“Okay,” Felix forced the word out, taking a look at the readily-approaching ground and forcing a deep breath into his lungs as he focused, “Brace yourself.”

Jisung tensed all around him, his hands gripping Felix’s shoulders so tight he was probably leaving bruises. But Felix ignored it, too busy focusing on the sight of the grassy floor getting closer and closer to them.

It wasn’t quite jumping off a cliff, but it was still terrifying.

Felix half-wished they could continue their conversation about which member would be best at catching them.

But the conversation wasn’t needed because, with another jolt and a few more bumps, Felix was landing them onto the ground with a harsh thud, all the air leaving his lungs and Jisung practically surgically attaching himself to him before they stilled with a quiet whir.

Felix reached out and flipped the off button, the carrier winding down around him.

He allowed himself to breathe, his body untensing and head falling against his chest as he leaned back into Jisung. They were finally, finally back on solid ground.

And neither him nor Jisung would be going anywhere near a cliff anytime soon.

But that was an issue for another time, because both Felix and Jisung whipped their heads up at the sounds of screaming voices, both of them smiling at the sight of Stray Kids running towards them.

Felix didn’t even think, he grabbed Jisung’s hand and tugged them both forward. Their legs pulled them up onto the front of the carrier, adrenalin and joy racing through their veins as they leapt right off, speeding towards the group.

Jisung threw himself into Minho’s arms, half-crying and half-giggling as Minho swung him around, shouting into his ear about how stupid and reckless and goddamn loved he was.

Felix wasn’t fairing much better. He threw himself on top on Seungmin, the two of them screaming as they fell back together, Jeongin landing on top of them and then Hyunjin draping himself over everyone.

They all screeched as Changbin threatened to jump in too, a large grin on his face as Chan flanked him. They all shared a look, Felix feeling warmth burst in his chest when they all dived forward and dug him out from under everyone.

He was pulled like a ragdoll into their strong arms. He leant into their touches, savouring and cherishing them as Jisung was pulled into his own hug with Jeongin and the rest of the ’00 line.

It felt like hours before they all stopped hugging each other, Jisung and Felix hearing a thousand times that they were never allowed to pull a stunt like that ever again.

Jisung and Felix couldn’t help but agree, deciding that the near-death experiences were definitely not something to repeat.

They were discussing it when Changbin finally asked the question, his gaze lingering on them for a few seconds before travelling behind them, his hand reaching out to gesture behind them.

“And what the hell,” Changbin pointed at the carrier, “Is that?”

Jisung grinned, “That,” he pointed a thumb at the clunky little ship, “Was our lifesaver.”

The entire group looked sceptical, Felix unable to hold back a laugh when they all stared at it like it could barely cross the road, let alone save a life, “It really was. That thing helped us escape from the army, even if it is stupidly complicated to drive.”

“Oh, I see,” Chan tilted his head, pursing his lips as he seemed to ponder it, “The army used that to travel the forest and you waited until they landed and then stole it to get away?”

“Uhhh,” Jisung paused, sharing a look with Felix as he winced, “Not… not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” Seungmin looked confused, staring between Jisung and Felix and the carrier like he wasn’t sure what to make of them, “Then how did you get away?”

“We…um,” Felix mumbled, flinching under the group’s questioning gaze, “We, um, we kinda jumped off a cliff.”

A vein popped out in Chan’s neck, “You did what?!”