Archive of Our Own

Sit in a very peaceful paradise now and tell me a secret

I smile a little while answering my questions I didn't know

Like talking to a very old friend

- Sunshine – Stray Kids

. . .

Felix let out a sigh as his last class of the year finally ended.

It had been a long college year, filled with too many classes and constant extra practices and so much work that Felix had almost lost his mind about halfway through.

But now, as Felix was packing up his things and dragging himself out the classroom, Felix felt like he could finally breathe. Evening was just starting to roll in and it signalled the start of a warm summer that Felix couldn’t wait to spend with his friends.

There was a relieved feeling in his chest as he chattered with some classmates on his way out, all of them smiling because the college year was over and they wouldn’t have to stress about assignments for at least a few weeks. The thought made Felix smile despite the exhaustion in his bones and he left the classroom with an extra spring in his step.

He knew he didn’t have time to rest, not yet, his friends were all waiting for him in a nearby campus-bar, ready to spend a night celebrating their newfound freedom together.

Felix’s classes had been last to finish that day by a few hours, so he’d told the others that he didn’t mind them meeting early as long as he could find them later. They’d all agreed, promising Felix that a chair, a drink and seven hugs would be waiting for him when he arrived.

The idea made Felix smile wider as he plugged his earphones in and tottered back to his dorm, intending on dropping off his books and getting ready as quickly as possible so he could forget all about class.

The dorm, as expected, was empty. Felix knew his roommates, Seungmin and Jeongin, would be at the bar by now. This fortunately meant that he didn’t have to wrestle for the shower or the good spot at the mirror, allowing him to get ready at lightning speed.

It wasn’t long before he was locking his door behind him, dressed in a hot-pink crop-top, black cargo pants with chains hanging off the belt and a pair of heeled boots. His eyes sparkled with eyeliner and there was a thin layer of lip gloss on his lips, a splatter of glitter painted over both of his cheeks and illuminating his freckles.

Felix had to hold back his blush when every eye turned to him as he entered the bar.

His heels clicked satisfyingly against the floor, many people waving to him and others winking as he made his way towards the only group that hadn’t noticed him yet. His friends.

Typical.

The seven of them were squished around a table probably designed for three, Jeongin throwing peanuts at a disgusted Changbin, whilst Jisung was trying to bully Hyunjin into downing his drink and Chan was attempting to hide behind Seungmin’s shoulder and pretend he didn’t know anyone at the table.

The only one who did notice Felix was the one who really did have the ability to make him blush.

Minho.

Felix smiled shyly as they met eyes across the bar, Minho giving him his signature grin and a twinkle of his eye. Minho, as usual, looked absolutely stunning, dressed in his favourite oversized black and white striped jumper and light blue jeans. His orange hair hung softly around his face and long earrings were sparkling from his ears.

Minho raised his eyebrows as Felix came closer, gesturing to the rest of the group with humour in his gaze.

Felix couldn’t have stopped his heart fluttering if he tried. He’d always found Minho unbearably beautiful, his clever dancer hyung who made Felix feel like his veins were made of butterflies. Not that Felix would ever have the courage to say it out loud, but he valued his time with Minho more than he did anyone else.

“Hey, sunshine,” Minho said casually when Felix finally reached the table, patting the empty seat next to him whilst the rest of the group whipped round to face him, “Glad you finally made it.”

“Hey, hyung,” Felix tried to hide his blush as he sat down, “Hey, everyone. Sorry, my last class went on for so long.”

“Awwww, our poor little Yongbokkie was working so hard,” Minho cooed, reaching over to pinch Felix’s cheeks as Felix just spluttered and tried to swat him away, feeling his heart squeeze in his chest.

“Here, Lix,” Chan said, picking up a fruity-looking drink and placing it in front of Felix, “I’ve managed to keep Jeongin from drinking it.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Felix said as he finally got Minho away from his face, instead settling for Minho’s arm over his shoulder as he took a sip, “And here’s to drinking many more of these over the summer.”

“Yeah, you’ve got some catching up to do,” Jisung said raising his own glass, his hair already messy and eyes smiley in his tell-tale sign of tipsiness, “Here’s to an excellent summer.”

“I can’t believe we finally made it,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, “I honestly expected myself to drop out halfway through this year.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised I wasn’t kicked out for sleeping in all my classes,” Changbin said, shrugging casually when Chan shot him a look, “Don’t give me that face, I know you slept for most of them too.”

Even Chan gave in to that, “Yeah, maybe next year we should focus on actually sleeping during the night like normal people.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jisung raised a disgusted eyebrow, clinking his glass with Jeongin’s when he laughed, “I plan on spending next year being even messier than I was this year.”

“I really hope someone’s praying for us right now,” Seungmin muttered into his drink, “I think it’s safe to say we all really need a break.”

Felix couldn’t help but agree with those words, tiredness still weighing him down as he slumped in his chair. He’d finished most of his drink during his friends’ conversation and the alcohol was starting to settle nicely into his veins, but there wasn’t yet the buzz that he knew would wake him up a little.

“Tired, sunshine?” Minho’s arm tightened from where it was still over Felix’s shoulder, Felix turning to see Minho staring down at him, “You could have napped after your last class if you needed. We wouldn’t have minded waiting for you.”

“No, you already had to wait long enough,” Felix allowed himself to lean further into Minho, his head coming down onto his shoulder, “And I wanted to come as soon as possible. I’ve got all summer to sleep, tonight is all about you guys.”

Minho’s face brightened with a smile, his bunny teeth poking out his lips as he used his free hand to flick Felix on the end of the nose, “You’re too cute, sunshine.”

“Shut up,” Felix grumbled, unable to stop a smile breaking out on his own face when Minho just giggled.

The sound had Felix’s skin tingling with warmth, his heart once again fluttering at the way Minho was looking at him.

It had been so long since Felix had properly seen Minho. The end of the college year had been tough and the whole group had gotten sucked into stress and work. The only people Felix had really seen were his roommates and even then the meetings had been scarce.

Felix had to admit it felt nice to be with all of them again. The stress that had been following them for weeks was no longer present and Felix enjoyed seeing the carefree looks on all their faces. But it felt even better to be in Minho’s arms, to savour Minho’s warm hug.

During all the flurry of classes, Felix had almost forgotten just how safe he felt around Minho. But now the feelings were rushing back with full force and Felix decided that, just for one night, he wasn’t going to deny himself of them.

Felix was pulled out his thoughts by the sound of the table getting louder around him, Hyunjin’s voice getting high-pitched like it did whenever he was excited.

Felix was quick to tune back into the conversation, surprised to hear that the group had moved on from placing bets on who was going to get expelled first and were instead talking about their summer plans.

“I might go back to Busan for a bit,” Jeongin said, chewing on the end of his straw, “It would be nice to see my hometown again.”

“Oh, don’t get me started on hometowns,” Chan cut in, groaning loudly, “I cannot tell you how much I’d give to go back to Sydney this summer.”

Felix couldn’t help but make a noise of agreement, feeling Minho squeeze his shoulder as his mind reeled back to beaches and sand and Australian sun. He hadn’t been back home in so long and it was safe to say he was really missing it. He’d been promising his parents a visit for months and was still ashamed to say that he’d somehow managed to let the upcoming summer slip through his fingers.

Maybe if he hadn’t been so busy with school, he would have remembered to book a flight.

“Well, why don’t you go?” Minho’s voice broke through Felix’s mind, sounding so casual, so normal despite the magnitude of what he was suggesting.

Felix and Chan’s gazes both snapped to him, Chan immediately reaching across the table for Minho’s drink, “You must be drunker than I thought if you’re really suggesting that.”

“No, I’m not drunk,” Minho moved his drink out the way, “I’m just saying, why can’t you go to Australia? I’m sure it’s not too late to find a flight.”

“Well… I don’t know,” Chan said, his eyes glazing over as he leaned back in his chair, “I just always thought I’d be spending this summer with you guys.”

“We wouldn’t mind if you went back home,” Seungmin said, “Minho-hyung’s right, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go. We know how much you miss Australia.”

“And you’d still have Felix with you,” Hyunjin said, “At least, I’m sure he’d want to go with you.”

All eyes turned to Felix, Chan’s shining with something that looked a lot like hope. Felix swallowed heavily, searching his mind for a reason he couldn’t go, desperate to remember something he might have forgotten or to find a detail he might have overlooked. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, didn’t want to commit to something he couldn’t do, especially when he could potentially let down Chan.

But the more Felix thought about it, the more he realised he really, really wanted to go back to Australia.

“Y-yeah,” Felix managed to say, “I guess I really would like to go back.”

“Oh my god, that’s so exciting!” Everyone jumped at Jisung’s voice, “You guys are going to have so much fun!”

“Are… are we really going back to Australia?” Chan’s face broke out into a grin, laughing at Felix like he wasn’t quite sure what they’d just gotten themselves into, “For real?”

“I think we are,” Felix couldn’t help but smile back, feeling excitement start to fizzle in his veins, “We’re actually going to Australia!”

The whole table exploded into cheers, people around them starting to stare as Chan giggled and pulled Jeongin and Jisung into his sides, ruffling their hair as they screeched.

Felix found himself being pulled into Minho’s chest, Minho’s arms wrapping around his neck and squeezing as Felix steadied himself against him.

“Congrats, sunshine!” Minho said into Felix’s hair, shaking him back and forth in excitement, “You’re going to have such a good time.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Felix’s voice was muffled by Minho’s shirt, his whole body tingling with Minho’s warmth, “I hope so.”

Minho opened his mouth to respond, but Felix didn’t get to hear what he had to say when they were both distracted by Jeongin’s whiny voice from across the table, “Aw, now I want to go to Australia.”

“Me too,” Hyunjin joined in, a large pout on his lips.

“Well, why don’t we go?” Seungmin spoke up, shrugging when all heads turned to him, “What? I know we all want to. We’d have an absolute ball in Australia together.”

“Now you are definitely drunk,” Chan said, “How the hell would we all manage getting to Australia?”

“No, no, Seungmin’s got a point,” Changbin was quick to cut in, Felix feeling something start to swirl in his chest, “None of us have summer plans for at least two weeks, we’ve all got some money saved up. Maybe a week together in Australia really is possible?”

“No, no, no!” Felix was speaking before he could stop himself, slapping both his palms against the table, “Please don’t get my hopes up like that.”

But then all Felix’s worries, all his fears about what the group were saying, were whisked away by a comforting hand smoothing over his thigh.

“We’re not trying to get your hopes up, sunshine,” Minho said, a tender look in his eyes, “We’re just trying to make plans.”

Felix wanted to agree with Minho right there, wanted to fall into his gaze and be surrounded by his warmth again, but he stopped himself. He couldn’t let himself be disappointed just because he was infatuated with everything Minho did.

Or maybe he could.

“B-but where would we stay?” Felix blurted out, ignoring the voice in his head telling him that the eight of them going to Australia would be impossible, “My parents have been begging me to come home, but I don’t think showing up with seven boys would be the way to go about it.”

“I’m sure we could find a beach house or something to rent near your hometown,” Changbin said, “That way we could all stay together and you guys could go visit your parents whenever you wanted.”

The whole table went silent as they mulled it over, most of them taking to drinking as much of their drinks as possible to probably try and motivate themselves into agreeing.

Felix felt like he was frozen in time, his whole body begging him to get his hopes up as he raked his eyes over everyone, “Are we really about to make a drunken decision to go to Australia this summer?”

No one answered, all of them looking at each other and sharing glances until eventually Minho leaned forward holding up his drink in the centre of the table.

“Everyone,” he said, a determined look on his face, “Let’s go to Australia!”

Felix couldn’t help but squeal, completely forgetting to clink his glass with everyone else’s as he bounced in his chair.

He was going to go to Australia. He was going to go to Australia with his friends. He was going to go to Australia with Minho.

“Thank you so much!” Felix said, throwing his arms around Minho, “Oh my god, I’m so excited!”

“Me too,” Minho hugged Felix back, nuzzling against Felix’s neck, “You’re definitely okay with this, right?”

“More than okay!” Felix pulled back to look Minho in the face, his eyes sparkling as Minho just smiled at him with dazzling endearment, “Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening!”

“Do you need me to pinch you?” Minho joked, not giving anymore warning before he reached up and pinched the top of Felix’s arm.

“Ow, don’t do that!” Felix swatted him away, pouting when Minho giggled, “You’re mean.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, sunshine,” Minho’s hand came back up, now resting on the side of Felix’s face, “Don’t pout at me like that.”

Felix wanted to keep pouting, he really did, but he couldn’t when Minho’s eyebrows raised teasingly at the sound of Chan ordering more drinks for the table. Felix couldn’t hold back the laugh, hearing bells tingling in his ears when Minho laughed back.

The next few moments seemed to pass in slow motion, Felix unable to look away when his eyes met Minho’s, the two of them staring at each other. Felix almost lost himself in Minho’s gaze, completely enthralled by the stars in Minho’s eyes.

It was like there was no one else in the bar, no one else for Felix to focus on, not when there was Minho sat next to Felix looking so excited and so, so radiant.

It wasn’t long before Minho was speaking again, his lips looking so beautiful as they curled around the words, “It’s going to be a great summer.”

“Yeah,” Felix said, listening to all his friends cheer around him as Minho’s earrings twinkled under the bar lights, “It really is.”

~

It didn’t take long for Minho to realise that the really great summer was going to be even greater than he’d expected.

The heat smacked him in the face the moment he stepped off the plane, the setting Sun illuminating his face and casting everything in a golden glow.

Minho smiled.

It had been a nightmare finding a flight that could still fit eight people, but they’d eventually managed it. Jeongin had screamed when he’d found an airline with a flight that would take off in the first week of summer, landing in Australia just in time for early evening.

It felt weird to finally step off that flight.

Minho could hear Hyunjin and Seungmin chattering as they stepped off the plane behind him, both their mouths open and eyes sparkling at the magnificent sunset they could see just beyond the airport. They looked like little children stepping onto the beach for the first time, their messy flight hair and rosy cheeks only adding to the look.

The only problem with it was that Minho and Felix had been seated at opposite ends of the plane, so Minho had no way of seeing Felix’s reaction when he stepped into Australia for the first time in what had been too long.

Minho could already picture the smile on the boy’s face.

It was then that Minho heard Chan’s name mentioned in Hyunjin and Seungmin’s conversation behind him and he realised that Chan was also returning to Australia. Minho blushed when he realised he’d forgotten him, his mind once again having strayed to the freckled little dancer he’d been thinking about a lot lately.

And wasn’t that a whole other problem Minho had been having?

Minho wasn’t stupid, he knew what it meant when he couldn’t stop thinking about someone. But he was determined to keep the thoughts down, at least until they were back in Korea.

This week was supposed to be about Felix enjoying himself, not about Minho stressing him out.

So, Minho pretended his excitement was only about Australia and not about Felix as he turned and looped his arm with Seungmin. They grinned brightly at each other, Hyunjin squealing from Seungmin’s other side as they walked towards the airport to find the rest of the group.

Minho kept repeating to himself that he wasn’t going to absolutely melt in endearment when he saw Felix’s excitement at being in Australia, but he knew it was a lie.

A giant lie.

“Minho-hyung!” Felix screamed before Minho even saw him, turning his head just in time to see a tiny, light blue-haired Felix rushing towards him, “Hyunjinnie! Seungminnie!”

There was no time to react before Felix was throwing his arms around all three of them, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he tugged them close.

“We’re here! We’re actually here!” he squealed into their chests, “Thank you guys so much for coming!”

“Stop thanking us, Lixie,” Hyunjin said, giving Felix a last squeeze before him and Seungmin pulled away, walking towards where a glowing Chan was waiting for his own hug.

Minho stayed with his arms around Felix, hoping Felix couldn’t feel the way his heart was squeezing in his chest.

“If you keep hugging me like that, we might both melt in this heat,” Minho said teasingly, almost regretting the words when Felix quickly pulled away.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Felix said, “I forget you guys probably haven’t experienced such a hot summer before.”

“Don’t apologise, sunshine,” Minho was quick to say, reaching up to pinch Felix’s cheek, “We’ll get used to the heat. Make sure you don’t worry about us and just enjoy yourself, yeah?”

Felix’s stopped biting his bottom lip to smile tenderly, Minho having to swallow at the sun shining from his gaze, “Okay, hyung. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Minho said, taking Felix’s hand as he turned back to the rest of the group, “Now let’s go grab our bags and see Australia, yeah?”

At the words, Felix squeezed Minho’s hand so hard that Minho swore his blood circulation was going to be cut off, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, Minho just let Felix cling, enjoying the warmth spreading up his arm as Felix held Minho’s hand all the way out the airport, not letting go until they had to climb onto the bus that would take them to the house they’d rented.

All the boys said they’d be fine finding the house on their own if Chan and Felix wanted to go see their parents first, but Chan just smiled and shook his head.

“It’s getting late,” he said, “We’ll go visit them in the morning, our parents will understand.”

As much as Minho wanted Felix to see his parents, he was also happy to hear the words. He was excited to spend the evening by Felix’s side. Felix was still shimmering with happiness and Minho really couldn’t help his addiction to his endearment.

Thankfully, they only got lost once on their way to the house and soon enough Chan was unlocking it with the keys they’d picked up, everyone cheering when the door swung open. Minho tugged his, Felix’s and Jeongin’s luggage inside, half-smiling and half rolling his eyes at the way Felix and Jeongin sprinted by him, giggling as they entered the house.

Minho watched as Felix went straight to the balcony, throwing the doors open and practically flinging himself against the rail, his hair immediately beginning to catch with the beach wind.

“Everyone!” Felix called, his eyes on the magnificent sunrise spread before him, “We have to go to the beach right now!”

“But what about our stuff?” Changbin asked as he ambled over and leaned against one of the balcony doors next to Minho, “We haven’t unpacked yet.”

“We can do that later!” Felix whirled around to face them, “Please guys! I haven’t been to the beach in so long and the sunset will look so beautiful down there.”

There was a small moment of silence as everyone mulled it over, all of them still tired from the flight and eager to curl up together. But Chan was soon stepping forward and looping his arm over Felix’s shoulder.

“Lix is right guys,” he said, “Just a quick evening walk. I promise we’ll come back and settle in and still get to bed at a reasonable time.”

There was another second of silence that was broken by a much louder, much less rational voice.

“Nah, screw going to bed!” Hyunjin threw his hands up, the entire group turning to him, “We’re in Australia and we’re only here for a week, we can go for a walk on the beach every night if we want.”

“That’s the spirit,” Felix laughed, giving Hyunjin a high five as the group walked back to the front door, smiles wide on all their faces.

Minho had to admit, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the beach. He couldn’t swim and he hated the way sand seemed to follow him for weeks, but he didn’t say anything. Felix (and the rest of the group) looked so happy that Minho knew he’d be able to endure it if he got to see that smile the whole time.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the beach, all of them toeing their shoes off before stepping onto the sand. Minho cringed at the way it felt between his toes, but Jisung was giggling beside him and Changbin was already doing cartwheels, so Minho supposed it wasn’t all bad.

And then Minho looked up.

It definitely wasn’t all bad.

The sky was burning a bright orange, hues of blue and pink woven in the clouds like little oil paintings. The Sun was hanging low, glittering like a candle and sending sparkles rippling up and down the ocean.

It was absolutely gorgeous.

But Minho couldn’t focus on the sunset for long, not when Felix was standing below it. He was laughing at something Changbin had done, his mouth open and hands clutching his stomach, blue hair bouncing around his face and entire body glowing like a precious diamond under the sun.

His freckles were visible even from where Minho was, sitting perfectly on his face and looking like perfect constellations of happiness that Minho couldn’t tear his eyes away from.

Minho almost cursed out loud. He’d told himself that he could deny these feelings, he’d told himself that he didn’t look at Felix any more than he looked at anyone else. But Minho couldn’t deny it anymore, not when Felix was standing under a whole sunset and Minho could still only look at him.

Felix was so bright and so happy and so sunny.

“Sunshine!” Minho shouted before he could stop himself, his feet leaving footprints in the sand as he sprinted to Felix, “You’re in Australia!”

Felix squealed as he threw himself at Minho, his screeches echoing all down the beach when Minho swung him around.

“We’re in Australia, hyung!” Felix eventually managed to say, his face staring straight into Minho’s, “Thank you so much for coming.”

Minho couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward to gently push Felix’s hair out his face, still admiring the shine in Felix’s eyes, “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

Something in Felix’s face softened, the sharp edges of his smile fading out into something warmer, something more tender, something Minho felt like he could stare at all day.

The Sun was bathing them in the last whispers of its warmth, burning them both in a delicate orange as they just continued to hold each other. Felix’s happiness was so palpable Minho could practically feel it from where he was holding him, both their hearts pounding as one.

Minho could have sworn he almost kissed Felix in that moment.

But then there was a particularly loud screech from behind them, both of them turning to see Jeongin squirming and struggling as Chan dragged him towards the sea.

Felix broke out into another fit of giggles, squeezing Minho’s shoulders one last time before he took off towards them. Jeongin only squealed louder at Felix charging towards him, practically begging as Chan and Felix dragged him fully-clothed towards the ocean and catapulted him into the water.

He was followed by a whole multitude of splashes as the rest of the group threw themselves in after him, ignoring the clothes still on their bodies and the late hour as they splashed together.

Despite losing his moment with Felix, Minho couldn’t help but smile. He could tell the group were happy, that they’d forgotten all their worries and all their cares as they sprinted through the ocean together. Their clothes were going to be hell to dry and they were going to have to unpack whilst soaking wet, but none of that seemed to matter, not when they were happy together.

Minho, who could not swim to save his life and had absolutely no desire for a nose full of salt, decided to settle down on the sand to watch. He was soon joined by Changbin, who was also known for his inability to swim.

“So,” Changbin leaned back onto his hands, his legs stretched out in front of him, “Australia, huh?”

“Yeah, who would have guessed they’d have dragged us to a beach already?” Minho said, turning to give Changbin a shove on the shoulder, “At least it’s pretty here.”

Minho didn’t even have to look at Changbin to know what kind of grin broke out on his face as he spoke, “I think we all know that it’s not the beach you find pretty right now.”

Minho couldn’t have held back the splutter if he tried, feeling his face heat up at being called out for something he swore wasn’t blatant, “Shut up, Binnie.”

“We all know it’s true,” Changbin shrugged, “You didn’t even try to deny it.”

“Well, if it’s that obvious then what’s the point?” Minho mumbled, pausing as he leant forward to draw patterns in the sand, “Do you think… do you think Felix has noticed?”

Changbin seemed to think about it for a second, humming as he tilted his head, “I don’t know…maybe. We all kind of see Felix as oblivious, but he definitely notices more than we think he does, so there’s a definite possibility.”

“So basically I’m screwed, then?” Minho said, forcing himself to hold back a scoff, “I’m screwed because Felix looks pretty in the sunlight and I can’t stop staring at him and he probably knows and now I’m going to ruin his holiday, his holiday in Australia no less.”

“You couldn’t ruin anything if you tried, hyung,” Changbin said without missing a beat, giving Minho a pointed look, “Besides, I’d say you were the opposite of screwed. Felix is literally in his home-country right now, we can all see how happy he is. You literally have a chance to sweep him off his feet and take him to cloud 9 and he’d be giggling all the way.”

Minho had to admit the words sent something stuttering in his chest, his fingers pausing in the sand so he could mull them over. He cast a quick glance up, his eyes immediately straying to where Felix was stood waist-deep in the sea, his hair wet and eyes shaped like crescents.  He looked happier and more carefree than Minho had ever seen him.

He looked ethereal.

It made Minho feel so unbelievably awed to look at him, but it also filled him with doubt.

“No, I couldn’t do that to Felix,” Minho eventually said, pulling his gaze away back down to the ground, “This holiday is supposed to be about him and Chan-hyung seeing their families and their hometown again, I’m not about to try and distract either of them from that.”

“Hyung, I love you, but I think we both know that is just a load of excuses,” Changbin said pointedly, not even looking as Minho turned to glare at him, “Imagine how much more special you could make this place for Felix, imagine how beautiful you could make it for both of you.”

Minho wanted to protest the words, he really did, but he had to relent that there were some truth to them. He turned to the sunset, still astounded by its beauty, and pictured how truly magical it would be to hold Felix in front of it, to stare at the sky and know it would never be as perfect as the boy who was truly Minho’s.

Minho wanted that.

He wanted it so badly.

“I can see you smiling, hyung,” Changbin’s smug voice interrupted Minho’s thoughts, “I’m just saying you should go for it. You’ll always regret letting this holiday slip by if you don’t.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Minho said, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he tilted his head, “Maybe.”

“Now that’s the Lee Minho I know and love,” Changbin said, whacking Minho in the shoulder “Just make sure you stay that way, yeah? You’re brave, so don’t lose your nerve with Felix.”

“You try not losing your nerve whilst staring at the boy who literally puts the Sun to shame,” Minho grumbled to himself, not realising Changbin had heard until he burst into laughter from next to him.

“I give you that one,” Changbin said around his laughs, “But you’re one of the hottest boys in Korea, imagine how intimidated Felix must be.”

Even Minho laughed at that, reaching over to smack Changbin as they giggled together, “You’re such a nerd.”

“Hey, leave the dirty talk for later,” Changbin remarked, leaving Minho to scoff and turn away, not noticing Changbin reaching out a hand and pointing in front of them, “Cutie alert! Sunshine is coming our way.”

Minho swerved around so hard he almost gave himself whiplash, ignoring the snort from Changbin behind him as his eyes immediately landed on Felix. The boy was soaking wet and making his way across the beach towards them, his hair plastered to his forehead and smile wide as he stumbled on the sand.

Minho was on his feet before he could stop himself, walking over to meet Felix in the middle. He held open his arms, wrapping them around Felix and pulling him against his chest as Felix squirmed and struggled.

“But hyung,” Felix whined, his pout covered by Minho’s shirt, “I’m all wet.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Minho said, tugging Felix even closer to him as he leaned down and planted a sloppy kiss on his hair, Felix shrieking like a child underneath him.

Minho tasted salt on his lips, pausing for a second before he decided he liked the taste and leaning down again to be able to plant even more kisses all over Felix’s head. Felix was summer warm and smelt like the ocean, his freckles even brighter when Minho leaned back to look at him.

“Now you’re all wet too,” Felix pouted even harder, reaching up a hand to wipe a drop of water off Minho’s bottom lip, almost giving Minho a heart attack in the process, “You didn’t even get to swim.”

“It’s okay, sunshine,” Minho said softly, “As long as you had fun.”

Felix bobbed his head, nodding so hard Minho swore his neck cracked, “I’m having so much fun, hyung.”

“Good,” Minho couldn’t hold back his smile, pulling Felix once more into his chest, “That’s all that matters.”

And that was when Minho realised.

It really was all that mattered.

It didn’t matter how the holiday went, how successful Minho was in telling Felix he liked him, how Felix felt about Minho back. None of it mattered. None of it mattered as long as Felix was happy.

So, Minho contented himself with pulling Felix close, knowing that Felix would enjoy it.

Minho smiled to himself as he realised the feeling in his chest was only going to get warmer, with one Australian sun shining down on him from above and another held tightly in his arms.

~

The next few days passed in a rush of happiness.

Felix’s head hadn’t stopped spinning. Him and the group had spent a day at the beach, a day with his and Chan’s parents and a day exploring the city. This was also whilst visiting several cafes for iced coffee, trying to find a place to have a barbeque and him and Chan also doing their best to keep an eye on the rest of the group and their struggles in the Australian heat.

Felix had enjoyed every second of it, particularly liking when him and Minho had ventured into a supermarket and he got to watch Minho speaking cute jumbled English to the cashier and fumbling when asked a question he didn’t understand. His cheeks had gone a bright red, Felix so fascinated by them that he’d completely forgotten he was a native English speaker and he almost didn’t jump in to save Minho.

Minho still hadn’t let him forget about that.

But Felix didn’t mind, not when he’d been getting extra attention from Minho all through the holiday. So much so that he was pretty sure he’d been having ongoing heart palpations that were probably about to give send him into overdrive soon.

At least Felix was pretty sure Minho would still be by his side during it.

It was on their fourth morning in Australia that Felix woke up earlier than everyone else. He’d already planned to visit his parents that morning, then make it back to the house in time to spend the afternoon with his friends.

It was supposed to be a perfect plan, a wonderful way for Felix to balance his group and his family. And, logistically, everything had been fine. But it was when Felix was on the bus back that he realised he really hadn’t factored in the emotional ramifications of it.

He was already halfway through the holiday and he already felt like he hadn’t seen his parents enough, but when was he was with them he worried about leaving his group behind in a foreign country. He knew they were all capable enough to survive on their own and that Chan was usually still with them, but it felt wrong to invite them all on a holiday and then leave them behind.

And, on top of all this, Felix was dreading the end of it. He loved his family and his country, but it got harder to leave them behind every time he visited. Some part of Felix felt like he was just hurting himself more by only allowing himself to spend a week there which barely gave him enough time to see his family, entertain his friends and explore the place.

He didn’t realise how stressed he was until he let himself back into the house, breathing a sigh of relief when he realised it was empty.

He loved his friends, but he needed a break.

A small smile came over his lips as he threw down his bag and tottered over to the balcony, deciding a few minutes to admire the view couldn’t hurt.

But the beach wasn’t the only view Felix got to enjoy.

It was only when Felix opened the balcony door that he saw Minho, draped over one of the chairs like a child, his chest rising and falling in a gentle pattern of sleep. His sunglasses were balanced on his face and there was a melted ice tea next to him. Thankfully, there was also a half-empty bottle of sun cream. Felix knew better than anyone what could happen from falling asleep in the sun.

He tiptoed over to the railing, deciding to leave Minho in peace as he turned to the beach, feeling the breeze wisp over his skin and the Sun warm his face. His muscles relaxed, his brain slowly starting to quieten down as he closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the stillness.

Felix was so relaxed into it that he didn’t hear the stirring and snuffling from behind him, almost jumping when suddenly there was a presence at his side.

“Hey, sunshine,” Minho grumbled, voice still thick with sleep, “Back already?”

Felix smiled at Minho, ignoring the tingle in his fingertips as he reached up to wipe some sleep from Minho’s eye, “It’s mid-afternoon, hyung.”

Minho cast a confused glance down at his watch, staring at it for too long before evidently giving up on trying to read it, “Right,” he said, shaking his head before turning back to Felix, “Did you have a good time with your parents?”

“Yeah, it was nice,” Felix said, knowing he was probably giving himself away by describing them a lot less than he usually would, “Where are the others?”

Minho raised an eyebrow at the topic change, thankfully shrugging it off and going to answer Felix’s question, “They all went back down to the beach, I wanted to stay behind to take a nap.”

Felix nodded, “Ah right,” he said, pausing for a moment before turning back to Minho, “I know that beach holidays and stuff aren’t really your thing. I just really hope you know how thankful I am that you still came here with us, this holiday wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, sunshine,” Minho said, a small smile playing against his lips, “I know how much this holiday means to you. Even if your family are here, I know you wanted us here too, I would never take that away from you.”

“Yeah,” Felix nodded, forcing back the lump in his throat at the mention of both his friends and family, “Thanks.”

The words seemed to evoke a reaction in Minho, a concerned gleam shining in his eyes that he tried to smooth over. He shuffled closer to Felix, carefully entangling his fingers with his.

“Are you alright?” Minho asked, his voice soft but somehow still encouraging.

It reminded Felix of all the nights him and Minho had spent in the dance studio together, the sky dark outside and the studio lights dimmed. They’d lose themselves to the music together, finding new choreography and breathing life into their favourite songs.

Even when Felix got tired, even when his body was exhausted and his mind started to whirl, Minho always remained so encouraging. He’d coach Felix through the movements, listen to every one of his ideas no matter how many times Felix stuttered on his Korean, help Felix sit down and fetch him water when he needed it.

There was a part of Felix that wanted to lie and tell Minho that he was alright, that he was enjoying the chaos of their holiday. But he knew he could never do it. He could never lie to Minho. Minho saw Felix just as clearly as he saw himself in the dance studio mirrors. It didn’t matter if they were in the studio or on a balcony in a completely different continent, Minho was still the same comforting presence who’d never, ever give up on Felix.

“I don’t know, hyung,” Felix eventually managed to say, ducking his head when Minho squeezed his hand, “This holiday is just… a lot.”

He felt Minho tense slightly next to him, confusion rolling off him. Even if Minho would always do his best to try to understand Felix, it was also understandable for him to be puzzled about why the hell Felix would be upset in his own home country.

“What do you mean?” Minho said, his voice lacking all the judgement that Felix still partly expected, “We all thought you’d love to be back here. Oh my god, we didn’t pressure you into this, did we?”

His voice rose towards the end, his body pulling itself away as Felix scrambled to stand up straight and keep their hands linked.

“No, no, nothing like that!” Felix was quick to say, making sure Minho was looking at him, “It’s just trying to balance the time between you and my family that’s hard. That’s all.”

Minho stopped his panicking to study Felix for a few moments, his lips pursing before he nodded and guided Felix to lean back over the railing.

“Are you worried that you haven’t spent enough time with your parents?” Minho said as he settled back down next to Felix, their shoulders touching.

“I don’t know… kind of?” Felix said, shrugging as he let his gaze fall down to the beach below them, “I just… whenever I’m with my parents, I worry that I’ve left you guys behind and I don’t have much time to show you Australia and so I need to get back to you. But whenever I’m not with my parents, I remember that I don’t have much time with them here and I need to visit them more. I’ve only got a week here before hell knows when I’ll be back again and I feel like I’m just messing it all up.”

“Oh, Lix,” Felix ducked his head even further at the sympathy in Minho’s voice, having to hold back a flinch when Minho wrapped an arm over his shoulders, “You’re not messing anything up.”

“Then why do I feel like it?” Felix couldn’t stop himself from saying, “This is my home and I still can’t figure anything out.”

“By that logic, all us Koreans should have ourselves figured out all the time,” Minho said, nuzzling his nose into Felix’s neck, “And you know us, so you know for a fact that’s definitely not the case.”

Felix couldn’t stop himself from smiling at that, leaning back into Minho’s touch, “You really think so, hyung?”

“I know so,” Minho said without hesitation, “You do so well at everything. You live in a foreign country, speak a language that wasn’t your first, miss your home all the time, and yet you always do so well. You’ve done so well managing your time here and we’re all happy you keep going to visit your parents and then coming back to us. I understand why you’re stressed, but you’ve got no need to be.”

Felix processed the words, feeling Minho’s warmth spread up his back. He allowed it to comfort him, allowed himself to believe what Minho said, allowed himself to think that maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought they were.

Maybe things were so much easier when he had Minho by his side.

“Thanks, hyung,” Felix said, a smile tugging at his lips, “I think I really needed to hear that.”

“It’s okay,” Minho said, a hand coming up to ruffle Felix’s hair, “You know I’m always here for you, even when you leave me to suffer on my own in Australian supermarkets.”

“Hey, that was one time!” Felix said, pouting when Minho laughed, “And you were fine. The cashier thought your English was cute, I could tell.”

“What about you?” Minho said, making a point of poking Felix on the end of the nose as he said his next sentence in English, “Do you think my English is cute?”

He said the words in a baby voice, softening his eyes and sticking out his lips in a way that Felix felt himself go bright red at. He pushed Minho’s face away, ignoring the butterflies starting to beat against his stomach.

“I think you’re intolerable, hyung,” Felix grumbled, his heart only squeezing tighter when Minho laughed.

“I know you don’t mean that,” one of Minho’s hands found its way into Felix’s hair, gently coaxing Felix’s gaze to him.

“No, I don’t mean it,” Felix couldn’t stop himself from saying, his mouth working faster than his brain, Minho’s eyes staring straight into his, “I don’t think you’re intolerable.”

“I don’t think you’re intolerable either, sunshine,” Minho said, his eyes not moving as his hand carefully stroked down from Felix’s hair to cup his face, “I think you’re brave.”

Felix couldn’t hold back his gasp, “Brave?”

“Yeah,” Minho smiled gently, “Brave.”

Felix swore his feet almost went out from under him, his mind frantically trying to catch up to what Minho meant. Felix thought of himself as a lot of things, both good and bad, but he’d never, ever considered the possibility that he was brave.

It was usually the opposite. Felix was terrified of heights, terrified of failing his classes, terrified of losing his home, terrified of not coming across well enough, terrified of so many things.

Felix wasn’t brave.

But as Felix stood there, Minho’s gaze sparkling into his, in Felix’s home country with his friends laughing below him and the Sun dazzling down on them, maybe Felix did feel a little brave.

Maybe he did feel a little spontaneous, a little wild, a little bit of the flair that had him packing off to Korea with nothing more than dancer’s ambition a few years ago.

Maybe Felix felt brave enough to do something really stupid.

He was quick to turn around before he could lose the nerve, fluidly twisted so he leaning with his back against the railing and Minho right in front of him. His face was only inches away, blinking slightly at the fast movement.

“Felix?” Minho said, going to pull away before Felix wrapped two hands around his back.

“Stay,” Felix said, the word saying so much more than it let on as he tugged Minho closer, almost shivering when Minho’s hands found their way onto the railing behind him, caging him in.

“I’m not going anywhere, sunshine,” Minho said, his soft voice carrying gently in the air, the Sun reflecting gorgeously in his gaze, “I’ll stay right here with you.”

Felix couldn’t help but blush at the words, his whole body glittering with gold as Minho’s arms brushed against his waist. He raised his own hands, caressing his thumbs over Minho’s cheeks and marvelling at how soft they were under his touch.

The heat was blaring down onto both of them, but neither of them made to pull away, both content to warm into each other’s holds. The rest of the world was starting to fade away around them, Felix unable to tear his gaze away from Minho’s face.

Minho just looked so beautiful.

His hair was soft in the breeze, his skin glowed under the sun and his eyes… his eyes.

Felix could stare into them all day.

But there was little time for staring, not when Minho’s gaze dropped down to Felix’s lips.

Felix’s heart shot into his throat, his breath catching and chest stuttering. Minho smirked slightly as he noticed, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he slowly leaned in, eyes still on Felix’s lips as he started to close the distance between them.

Felix’s eyes fluttered closed, his whole body tensing in anticipation as he waited for the brush of Minho’s lips against his.

Until…

…there was a harsh knock from behind them.

Felix jumped out of his skin, tense body jolting and Minho’s arms tightening around him as they both gasped. Minho whipped around, Felix craning to see past him as they both looked at the glass balcony doors.

Changbin was stood on the other side of them, his knuckles still pressed against the glass and a look of surprise splattered all over his face.

The surprise promptly turned to guilt, only a hint of amusement in his gaze as he went to open the doors. Felix felt Minho huff, his chest panging when he pulled away and turned to fully face the doors.

Changbin poked his head out, “Sorry, lovebirds,” he said, admittedly a little sheepish, “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything there.”

Felix didn’t respond, deciding that Minho’s middle finger salute was enough. Changbin had the decency to stifle his laugh, scratching the back of his neck as he spoke again.

“Whoops,” Changbin shrugged, “I came to tell you that we’re all going to the market. You can come of you want, but I’d understand if you were… busy.”

On the last word, Changbin wiggled his eyebrows. Minho rolled his eyes in response, reaching out to grab Felix’s hand, “Nah, moment’s ruined. Let’s go.”

Felix couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened at the words, not saying anything as he was tugged back into the house. He followed after Minho, their hands not leaving one another even when Minho needed to rummage through a backpack for his wallet.

It was when they finally clattered out the front door that Minho seemed to realise that Felix still hadn’t said anything, his mood having severely dropped since Minho had so causally shrugged off what almost happened between them.

But then Minho made a point of falling a few steps behind Changbin and the rest of the group, not needing words as he leaned over to press a gentle kiss against Felix’s cheek.

“We’ll get our moment later, yeah?” he whispered, voice tender with hints of excitement.

Felix allowed to himself to grin as he nodded, feeling happiness curl within him as they made to catch up with Changbin, ignoring the amused way he looked at them.

The rest of the group seemed to sense something had happened, their eyes immediately dropping to Minho and Felix’s conjoined hands and twinkling with questions when they got touchy with one another.

But Felix ignored them, deciding if he had to wait to see what would happen then so would they. Minho and Felix would get their moment eventually.

Felix couldn’t wait.

~

As it turned out, the wait wasn’t that long.

It was the next night when Minho found himself absolutely enthralled.

It had just gone past midnight, the Sun having taken its rest and leaving the Moon to hang high in the sky. It rested like a painting against the clouds, full and unreal in its beauty, reflecting perfectly in the calm ocean below.

Minho had a feeling that if it wasn’t for the fire they’d built, the entire beach would be shimmering in a moonlit glow.

But, instead, the sand was glittering a burnt orange, the air glimmering red with tiny yellow embers encircling around. Minho was captivated, staring into the majestic bonfire in the middle of the beach before everting his eyes to where he really wanted them to be.

Felix.

Felix was currently playing on the sand, wearing just an oversized t-shirt that practically covered the swim shorts he had on underneath. His feet were bare as he left prancing footsteps, giggling with Jeongin as the two of them twirled around together, their smiles sparkling in the firelight.

The rest of the group were spread around in a similar fashion, Jisung and Changbin re-enacting some kind of dance they’d found on twitter whilst the rest of the group was surrounding Minho, draped over the various chairs they’d set up around the firepit.

It was one of their last nights, so they’d decided to do something special together. Chan had happened to mention one of his childhood traditions; spending the night on the beach and toasting marshmallows over a fire. Hyunjin and Seungmin hadn’t gotten so excited by the idea that no one had been able to say no.

All the marshmallows were gone now, but the fire was still burning bright.

And, most importantly to Minho, Felix’s smile was still spread over his face.

It was a tired smile, the kind that came from days of endless emotion and activity, but it wasn’t a bad one. Minho could tell that Felix really was genuinely happy… and that only made him more beautiful.

At some point, most of the group must have caught onto Minho’s staring because he was brought out of it by a whack to his shoulder and several throats being cleared around him. He stared at them all in confusion, wondering if they were all just trying to be annoying until Chan tilted his head and Minho turned to see that Felix had started walking over.

“Hey, sunshine,” Minho said softly when Felix was close enough, letting out a small huff when Felix collapsed on his lap, his face finding its way into Minho’s shoulder and his arms squeezing snug around his neck, “Tired?”

Felix didn’t respond, instead letting out a groan that vibrated through Minho’s neck. Minho laughed, his hand starting to stroke down Felix’s back.

“Aw, my sunshine is sleepy,” he cooed, smiling when Felix whined and nuzzled further into Minho in embarrassment.

Minho could feel the rest of the group watching on with fond smiles, but he ignored them, content to pretend it was just him and Felix as he pulled him closer.

The action seemed to make Chan realise something, because he was standing up and turning to the group a second later. His mouth opened as he raised a commanding arm to gesture behind him.

“Come on guys,” he said, nudging his head suggestively at Minho and Felix to show what he really meant, “Let’s go for a late-night paddle in the sea, yeah?”

Minho felt his mouth fall open when he realised what Chan was doing, looking around as all the group stifled their laughter and stood up to shuffle away together.

“Felix must be too tired to come with us,” Changbin said in a way that was way too teasing to be subtle, the rest of the group rolling their eyes, “I guess that means you have to stay here with him, Minho-hyung.”

Minh could only shake his head, unable to resist a smile when Changbin winked at him. He narrowed his eyes back, instantly softening when Felix stirred in his arms, letting out content little grumbles about being warm and wanting to stay.

“That’s okay, Lix,” Chan said, ruffling Felix’s hair as he walked past, “You stay with Minho. We understand.”

The others nodded in a way that suggested they really did understand, their eyebrows raised and mouths set in smirks. Minho scoffed silently at them, shooing them away as they headed towards the ocean.

He waited until their footsteps faded away, their giggles and little splashes disappearing down the beach as they played together. They were no longer illuminated the fire, giving Minho nowhere interesting to look except at Felix’s face. At least that’s what he told himself.

Felix looked absolutely ethereal, his blue hair soft and fluffy as it flopped gently over his forehead. It stopped just before his eyelashes, Felix’s eyelids closed with a few freckles dotted perfectly over them. The freckles stretched further down his cheeks; Minho unable to resist bringing up a finger to trace them as he continued to admire the sight before him.

Felix’s lips were parted ever-so-slightly, small puffs of air leaving them and landing on Minho’s neck. It tickled, but Minho resisted squirming, deciding he didn’t want to ruin their rare moment of stillness.

There was also a part of Minho that never wanted to have to look away, even when Felix woke up. Felix looked so relaxed like this, so young, so beautiful.

But then he blinked a few times, snuffling adorably as he brought a hand up to rub his face, probably feeling itchy at Minho’s hand on his cheeks. His eyes took a second to adjust, foggy in the firelight for a few moments before they shifted to stare up at Minho, as clear as the night sky.

That was when Minho’s breath caught in his throat.

Felix’s eyes… they were shimmering with stars. They were their usual deep brown, but burning with a fiery orange glow and shifting with constellations, showing Minho every galaxy and every Moon and every universe as he stared into them.

“Felix,” the word tumbled from Minho’s lips before he could even try to stop it, his fingers coming back up to ghost over Felix’s cheeks, “You look so beautiful.”

He said the words like he’d never mean anything more in the world, like he treasured what he had to say and wouldn’t say it to anyone else.

It brought a shift in the air, a change that the words wrought. Something flickered in Felix’s eyes.

“Hyung,” Felix said, the word sounding like it was a precious diamond on his tongue, like he never wanted it to break, “You’re the beautiful one.”

Minho swore he felt his heart skip a beat, his chest practically stuttering with the way his breath got caught. Felix was looking at him in so much earnest, so much honesty shining from his gaze.

He truly thought Minho was the beautiful one.

Minho couldn’t have stopped himself even if he wanted to. He leaned as far forward as he could without rocking Felix off his lap, his hand tightening his grip on Felix’s face and his lips hovering just over Felix’s.

“Guess we’ll have to agree to disagree, sunshine,” Minho whispered, feeling Felix shiver at the puff of air on his face, “Because you’re definitely the beautiful one.”

With that, Minho gave Felix no time to react as he surged forward, crashing his lips against Felix’s

Felix jolted on his lap, his body tensing for a second as he let out a small noise of surprise into Minho’s mouth. But then Minho stroked a thumb over his cheek and Felix relaxed, going soft in Minho’s grasp as their mouths began to move against one another.

They kissed in sync, the whole world fading away around them as Minho felt his skin bloom with warmth. Felix’s lips were soft, tasting slightly of salt and hot with the fire. He was perfect. So, so perfect.

Minho couldn’t stop himself from pulling Felix closer, one of his hands having snaked around Felix’s waist whilst Felix’s own were tangled in the back of Minho’s hair. Minho felt euphoric with the sensation, his heart pounding against his ribs so loudly he was sure Felix could hear it.

But Felix probably didn’t care, because his heart was doing the same. Minho could feel it thrumming under his fingertips, exploding like a firework and taking off like a rocket ship.

Felix truly was a sunshine.

It wasn’t long before Minho found himself needing to come up for air, pulling away reluctantly and managing a smile when Felix’s face fell onto his shoulder.

“Sunshine,” Minho said through deep breaths, turning to press a kiss against the side of Felix’s neck, “That was amazing.”

“Yeah,” Felix looked at him, his lips swollen and eyes twinkling with wonder, “It really was.”

Minho couldn’t help but admire Felix then, his gaze raking over his face and his hands stroking down Felix’s back, trying to cherish as much of him as possible. Felix blushed at the feeling, only looking more gorgeous with his eyes hooded in shyness and the pink on his cheeks.

Minho squeezed him tighter, smiling as he realised the situation they were in.

With the night air keeping them warm together and the firelight still casting a beautiful glow on Felix’s freckles, Minho realised he could have stayed there and kissed Felix all night.

So, he did.

 ~

Felix let out a sigh as his last class of the day finally ended.

It was his first day in his new college year. The first day of college he’d had since the long summer vacation. It felt weird to be back in a stuffy classroom again, but at least Felix knew he’d had the best summer possible.

Felix was also pleased to realise that the bell no longer meant that he was slumping in his seat and slowly packing his books, making his usual leisurely way out the classroom.

This time Felix was packed in a flash and on his feet before anyone else. He didn’t stop to chatter to any of his classmates, just sending them all little waves as he rushed his way out the room.

He opened the door with a smile on his face, feeling happiness rush through him when his very source of excitement was outside waiting for him, exactly where he said he’d be.

“Hyung!” Felix exclaimed as quietly as he could, rushing to the other side of the corridor to throw himself in Minho’s arms, “You waited for me!”

“Of course, I did. I promised you I would,” Minho smiled, leaning down to quickly peck his lips against Felix’s, “And you were the first one out the classroom. Excited, were we?”

“Nah,” Felix drew the word out playfully, rolling his eyes when Minho smirked, “I was just sat near the door, that’s all.”

“I’m just going to pretend to believe that for my own sanity,” Minho said, squeezing Felix’s waist to signal him to move back, “Now come on. I’m excited for one hell of a nap.”

“Ugh, same,” Felix said, pouting a little as Minho let go of him and the warmth on Felix’s waist receded, smiling again when a hand was slid down to clasp with Felix’s, “I had no idea my first day would be so crammed.”

“Aw, sunshine,” Minho said, giving Felix an endeared smile and using the distraction to quickly swipe out his free hand and take all of Felix’s books from his arms, “Let me lighten your load a little.”

“No, hyung, you don’t need to do that!” Felix was quick to say, trying to block Minho’s way so he could take the books back, “You’ve had a full day too, I can carry them!”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t carry my boyfriend’s books, huh?” Minho said, giggling at Felix’s failing attempts to steal the books back, “And my day wasn’t as full as yours.”

“But I’m your boyfriend, so doesn’t that mean I have to carry your books?” Felix said, trying to sound serious even when Minho giggled again, “Also you literally had to wait an hour for my class to end.”

“Nice try, sunshine,” Minho winked, squeezing Felix’s hand, “But you’re still not getting the books back.”

Felix whined, too proud to admit that he secretly like Minho carrying his books for him. It wasn’t just that his arms were tired and it was a relief not to be carrying anything, it was the fact that Minho noticed. Minho cared about Felix enough to spot when something was wrong and try to resolve it, even when Felix didn’t ask.

Minho was quiet about it, but he was extremely caring and intuitive. It never failed to make Felix happy.

Sometimes, Felix felt out of depth being boyfriends with such a perfect human like Minho, but Minho never failed to reassure him. He always reminded Felix that he was loved no matter what.

It meant that, even when Felix wasn’t in Australia, there was always somewhere he’d be able to call home.

“What are you thinking about, sunshine?” Minho’s voice broke through Felix’s thoughts, the two of them now exiting the building and making their way down the path that led to Felix’s dorm, “You’ve gone quiet.”

“Nothing important,” Felix said, shrugging when Minho raised an eyebrow at him, “Just thinking about how excited I am to share this college year with you.”

Minho’s whole face lit up, his eyes sparkling in endearment and a faint pink dusting over his cheeks that Felix had to force himself not to coo at, “I’m excited to spend the year with you too.”

“Yeah, it was nice getting together over the summer,” Felix said, starting to fiddle with Minho’s fingers, “But I think it’ll be nice staying in one place for a bit. You can break into my dorm whenever you want and we can study together and go to the café off campus and I can walk you to class all the time and… and, wow, I’m rambling aren’t I?”

“It’s cute,” Minho said, bumping his shoulder with Felix’s when he ducked his gaze, “And you’re right. It’s going to be a good year.”

Felix looked back up at Minho with a small smile, staring at him through his now pink hair. Felix had dyed it at some point during the summer, spending the whole week afterwards with Minho’s hands practically glued to the strands, always marvelling over how soft and fluffy it was.

Felix could say the same about Minho’s personality, but he never would. Minho liked to maintain that he was the hyung of the relationship and Felix was perfectly happy to humour him whilst also enjoying how much like a kitten Minho was.

The two of them continued the rest of their journey to the dorm in silence. Minho was humming a cheerful tune under his breath whilst Felix played with his fingers, both of them watching the way the trees had just started to change to orange and noticing there was a faint smell of autumn starting to hang in the air.

There was some part of Felix that always knew summer would eventually end, but it felt surreal now that it finally had.

Minho and Felix had spent the whole summer together, arriving home from Australia only to go straight to Minho’s hometown. They spent a couple of weeks with Minho’s parents, Felix becoming best friends with his cats until Minho whisked him away again. They went all around Korea, visiting every single one of their friends’ families before arriving back to college only two days before the start of term.

There hadn’t been a moment to relax, but Felix somehow felt more rested than he ever had before.

Minho just had that effect on him, he had a way of making Felix feel safe.

“Hey, hyung,” Felix said, just as they arrived at his dorm, “I think you’re really great.”

A surprised smile appeared on Minho’s face, his eyes widening slightly but his lips pulling up all the same, a beautiful scope dipping in his cheekbones, “Well, that’s funny,” he said, “Because I think you’re really great too.”

“What a coincidence,” Felix couldn’t stop himself from grinning like a little kid, throwing his backpack on the floor and skipping his way to the kitchen, listening to the sound of Minho putting his books down behind him, “This worked out rather well, didn’t it?”

Before Minho could even try to respond, Seungmin was speaking up from where he was sat at the kitchen table and had been forced to hear them come in.

“Yes, everything worked out because you’re perfect little boyfriends who are disgustingly whipped for each other who need to learn to be all sappy outside the dorm, so you don’t make the rest of us throw up,” he grumbled, not looking up from his book as Felix just smiled at him.

“Aww, our little Seungminnie!” Minho cooed as he entered the room, crossing the kitchen to make a point of pinching Seungmin’s cheeks, “Don’t be like that!”

“Ew, hyung germs! Get off!” Seungmin swatted at Minho with his book, “It’s only been a day and you’ve already invaded our dorms.”

“Well, you better get used to it,” Minho winked, tilting his head at Felix, “Little sunshine over there doesn’t like to be left alone.”

Felix looked up from the cookie jar he now had in his hands, smiling around the homemade cookie hanging from his lips when Seungmin whined out a, “Never call him little sunshine in front of me again.”

“No promises,” Minho grinned wickedly, making Seungmin groan and stand up from his seat, holding his book tight to his chest.

“I’m going to my room,” he said pointedly, holding up his angry front until Felix turned to him all doe-eyed and childlike with a cookie outstretched in his hand, “Thanks, Lix,” he said as he took it, “I’ll see you later.”

Felix waved him off, basking in the temporary quiet before two arms inevitably found their way around his waist.

“How come I have to be the scary one?” Minho pouted, leaning over Felix’s shoulder to take a bite out of the cookie in his hand.

“You couldn’t scare a fly, hyung,” Felix said, jamming the whole cookie in Minho’s mouth before grabbing another one for himself, “But it’s cute that you think that way.”

Minho just spluttered, mouth too full to properly defend himself as Felix laughed, placing the cookie jar back on the counter.

“Yeah, I know, you’re super scary when you want to be,” Felix said, playfully patting the arms around his waist, “Now come on, you big scary monster. It’s nap time.”

Even Minho couldn’t argue with that, his face beaming as he nuzzled contently into Felix’s neck. Felix smiled as he led them down the hallway, shaking his head at the way Minho waddled behind him.

They stumbled into the bedroom together. Minho ran and dived onto Felix’s bed without bothering to shed his jacket, burrowing himself under the cover without a second thought. Felix just tsked, changing into one of Minho’s sweatshirts that had already found its way into Felix’s room and then going to forcefully tug Minho’s jacket off his shoulders.

“Sunshine,” Minho whined as Felix made a point of folding the jacket and placing it carefully on his drawers, “Come to bed.”

“I’m coming honey,” Felix drawled, his voice sickeningly sweet, “There’s no need to be so impatient.”

But, as Felix had found out the moment he’d met him, Minho and patience had a very fluctuating relationship and he was grabbing Felix by the waist and pulling him onto the bed before Felix could even try to protest.

“That’s better,” Minho latched onto Felix the moment he was on the bed, squeezing him like a limpet, “Warm.”

“You are unbearable,” Felix shook his head, smiling to himself when Minho just buried himself further into his chest.

“You love me,” Minho’s voice was muffled by Felix’s shirt but still somehow sounding as clear as day.

“Yeah,” Felix said, his hand finding its way into Minho’s hair, “I do.”

Minho didn’t say anything to that, but he didn’t need to. Not when there was a look of absolute adoration on his face when he looked up. He stared at Felix for a few seconds, eyes raking over every inch of his face before he shifted to close the distance between them, their lips soft against each other.

Felix relaxed into the kiss, finally feeling all the stress and exhaustion of the day melt away now that he had Minho in his arms and warmth against his lips.

It made Felix super thankful that they’d had their summer together, that the magic of Felix’s hometown had been enough to bring them into each other’s arms.

Felix thought about it as he pulled away, his hand falling down to play with Minho’s collar, “Hey, hyung,” he said softly, not looking at the way Minho’s eyebrows furrowed adorably, “I know it’s a while away, but could we go to Australia again next summer? Just the two of us?”

Minho smiled his golden smile, an entire ocean starting to sparkle in his eyes, “I couldn’t imagine anything better, sunshine.”

Felix felt warmth explode within him, surging forward to connect their lips again. He kissed to the thought of going back to where him and Minho had their first kiss, where Felix had a lot of his firsts in life, where Felix felt like he was at home with the person that was his home.

Felix smiled into the kiss. It had been a really amazing summer, but he already couldn’t wait for the next one.