Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Listen, I know you have your exams soon but this work trip is really important to me."

This is the first time Minho has ever seen Hyunjin this close to begging. Or tears, it's hard to decide. The younger looks ready to get down and beg on his knees if Minho asked.

Part of him wants to try it, mess with the younger, and test how long it would take for him to snap.

The other part of Minho remembers he is supposed to be a good and supportive friend. Or at least try, as requested by Chan.

"Can't you leave Kkami with Jeongin?" he tries a different tactic to get him out of this situation. Jeongin is Hyunjin's boyfriend so in theory, he should be the first person the younger goes to. Not Minho.

This makes him wonder if they have maybe broken up and it leads him to regret even agreeing to the free bubble tea sitting before him now. He should have let Hyunjin drag someone else into this. Someone like Seungmin.

"Jeongin's parents won't agree to it," he whines and at least a small weight is lifted from Minho's shoulders. There's no break up to get over. He thanks the gods for this small miracle. "No point in trying."

"Why me?" Minho asks in a painted voice. He wants to appear as opposed to the idea as he can so that maybe Hyunjin will drop it and leave him alone.

"Because you're my friend?" the younger says hopefully. "And you already have three cats, I know you know your way with animals."

Minho sighs and picks up his plastic cup to sip on the peach flavored bubble tea. He focuses on the background noise for a moment, the chaos of kids screaming for food they want and parents ignoring them and instead choosing to relay their daily gossip through phones to their probably not even interested friends.

There's the thing:

Hyunjin is a good person. He can be a little bit dramatic with his antics and shows of affection but overall sweet. Too good for his own good sometimes.

Minho is not a good person. Well, according to his best friend Chan he is, he just chooses to act like an asshole. Sometimes. Most of the time.

They are from two different worlds and somehow it all collides and crashes in Minho’s brain for those two seconds when he sips his tea and Hyunjin looks at him, hope in his eyes. Minho is pretty sure the younger isn't even breathing.

He sighs again and puts the cup down with a loud thud.

"You have to leave him at mine tomorrow at nine in the morning sharp. I'm going for my morning run then so no excuses."

Minho swears he can hear the loud shush of wind when Hyunjin lets out the air he has been holding.

"Hyung!" he yells and a few heads snap in their direction with judging glances. "I knew I came to the right person!"

If Minho thought screaming was all that Hyunjin was capable of he was gravely mistaken. The younger almost jumps out of his chair and the plastic makes a terrible noise against the floor of the tea shop. As if that was still too little, Hyunjin makes his way to Minho and a second later he is standing too, Hyunjin's arms wrapped around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you hyung," he says, quieter this time thankfully. "I would have lost my job if I couldn't go."

Minho understands the younger's worry for his animal, he would rather not go than leave his three cats for possible death too as would any sane person ever. It's probably this little fact, that thin string of understanding, that makes him smile into Hyunjin's embrace instead of frowning and pushing the younger away.

"Yes, yes," he awkwardly pats the other on the back, eyes of everyone else in the shop on them, two young adults hugging in the middle of a seemingly uninteresting conversation. "But if Kkami as much as tries to destroy anything in my house I'm never talking to you again.

Hyunjin laughs.

🐕🐕🐕

Kkami destroys something at his house that first day when Hyunjin drops him off. Of course, Minho can't really blame the poor dog, he isn't the one who promised Minho peace and destruction less time so he lets it slide.

Hyunjin is on time for once, hair still messy from sleep. Minho can tell it probably took the younger a lot of effort to get up this early just to show up at Minho's before the time he has promised. It makes the older feel bad somehow so he shoves the feeling down quickly and instead waves his friend to come in.

"You're just on time," he says and almost trips over a small grey plush mouse on his way to the kitchen. He needs coffee and from the looks of it so does Hyunjin.

"Milk? Sugar?" He yells over his back as he opens the kitchen door. "Leave Kkami and his things in the bin next to the shoes!"

Hyunjin does as he has been told and not even a minute later he appears in the door, hair fixed probably thanks to the mirror in the hallway.

Minho smiles at him and hands him a cup of boiling hot coffee. It's black with sugar, just like the other likes it. Minho might never uncover why exactly Hyunjin has taken a liking to that beverage from hell but who is he to judge?

No one, if judged by Hyunjin's disgusted face as he catches a glimpse of the almost white liquor in Minho's cup.

"Stop staring," the older mumbles before bringing his cup up to his mouth and taking a big sip. "It's still not too late for me to throw you out."

Hyunjin tolls his eyes with a tired smile.

"Changbin hyung will pick me up in about ten minutes so I would like you to try."

"Oh don't tempt me," Minho looks at the clock handing above his kitchen stove. It’s half-past nine, his normal time for a jog far enough for him to get ready and leave yet. There's no excuse for him to throw the younger out already and Hyunjin knows it. "You win this time. Happy?"

"Very," a bright smile blossoms on Hyunjin's face successfully taking care of the dark circles under his eyes. It's truly a wonder how fast the younger can go from looking dead to being as alive as one can be.

"So tell me, is there anything I need to know about Kkami apart from the normal dog stuff?" He asks and in that exact moment, a low growl can be heard from the hallway. Not even a second later a loud bark follows.

Hyunjin looks mildly alarmed. Minho just rolls his eyes.

"Well, Soonie might take a day or two to get used to our new locator but don't worry, she won't eat your dog."

Hyunjin looks fully alarmed now.

"Come on, have you ever seen a cat eat a dog?" Minho asks and his voice must sound relaxed enough for Hyunjin to slump back into his chair.

"All there is to it is the fact that Kkami isn't the biggest fan of hugs but he still needs one a day even if he will act all disgusted about it."

Minho can't help but laugh.

"God, where did you get a dog that's just like your boyfriend? You really do have a type."

Hyunjin gives him a look that tells Minho he doesn't appreciate his sense of humor that much.

"Well, regardless, I love Jeongin so much more than you anyway so getting along with Kkami shouldn't be a problem."

"I'm glad to hear that," Hyunjin smiles at him softly. "I can't even be offended by it because, truly, don't we all love Jeongin most?"

Minho can't argue with it.

When the time for Hyunjin to leave finally comes Minho sets their empty cups in the sink and leads the younger back to the front door with promises of daily calls on his lips.

"If anything goes wrong..."

"Nothing will go wrong," Minho assures with an eye roll. He leans over the door frame as Hyunjin gives Kkami one last squeeze before he leaves. The poor dog looks like it would prefer Hyunjin went already and it makes Minho snort.

"What?" Hyunjin's voice sounds untrusting as he gives him a glance over his shoulder, Kkami still in his tight grip.

"Nothing," Minho answers and winks at the dog, and at that moment Kkami tries to free himself with admirable strength.

Minho doesn't know how and why this has turned into him assuring Hyunjin leaving the dog in his care is a good idea.

"Well, I have to go anyway," Hyunjin says as he sets the kicking Kkami down. "See you in a week love."

"Gross," Minho whispers when the dog runs away from Hyunjin and brushes his leg instead.

Hyunjin shuts the door behind himself with a loud bang. Minho wonders if it's supposed to be a 'fuck you' to him, Kkami maybe or maybe the younger has just forgotten how strong he is and the ringing the loud noise leaves in Minho's ears is just an accident.

"Ah he is gone," Minho stares at the door for a second before turning his attention to the dog at his feet.

"Wanna go on a walk?"

When he looks down, Kkami has an innocent look on his face, the leftover scraps from the grey plush mouse Minho has almost killed himself on just twenty minutes ago laying under his paws. Upon further inspection Minho finds some grey material stuck to his nose too.

"What am I supposed to do with you?"

Kkami stands up and waves his tail enthusiastically.

Minho laughs.

🐕🐕🐕

The park close to Minho's apartment is normally almost empty at nine when he starts his jogs so that's exactly what he expects roto find today too; silence and maybe a few people late for work running to their cars with crooked ties and messy hair.

Instead, he finds a boy with freckles.

Well, of course, that's not exactly how it goes but in Minho's mind, it's the only important fact. He blames the circumstances on his lack of sleep, even if he slept full seven hours last night, and exams, even if the exam season still isn't starting for another week.

For someone who likes to think he is smart and sharp Minho sure makes a lot of excuses.

Okay, okay, so maybe he will remember exactly how it goes even twenty years from now on.

This is what happens:

Minho escapes the stuffed air of his building and as soon as he takes a deep breath of fresh morning air of Seoul he feels instantly better.

Kkami is a force to be reckoned with, that dog has a lot of strength Minho learns pretty fast as he lets himself get dragged away in the direction of the benches instead of his usual route around the park’s fence.

"You tired already?" he asks the dog with eyebrows raised in wonder. Are dogs normally that lazy? Minho doesn't think that’s the case.

His unasked questions are soon answered when he stops frozen in the middle of a step, finally understanding the situation.

Kkami, in all his blissful obviousness, has brought him to a bench in the middle of the park. It would have been a nice gesture, moving even, with the way the restless sun doesn't shine as brightly here, if not for the fact that the bench in question isn't free when they arrive.

The boy occupying it is unaware of what's happening until it's too late, and so is Minho.

Because the first thing Minho pays attention to is the guy, not his breakfast laying next to the legs of the bench which is exactly what has caught Kkami's attention.

The boy is probably younger than Minho if he had to guess. He has blond hair without roots anywhere in sight. One of the things most memorable about him is the way he has made the bench his property with notebooks and books scattered all around him, some flying off from the edge and landing on the grass. In the middle of it all sits the stranger, legs crossed, and a pen spinning between his fingers as he focuses on something with furrowed brows.

That's probably all he should think of this stranger in the park; a lonely student by the looks of it who has simply chosen to study in the fresh air over the comfort of his own room before the exam season strikes.

But no, Minho's brain decides to go even further and notice other small details about the boy.

Especially his freckles. If someone else has been there with Minho that morning and you asked them what was the most memorable thing about this guy they would probably answer with 'the way he crossed his legs. It looked quite painful' or maybe 'that's impressive pen spinning skills right here'. All Minho would be able to answer with would be 'the freckles'.

"Ah what the hell!" are the first words the stranger utters in Minho's direction.

For a moment Minho stands there, frozen to his spot before his brain registers why the boy is yelling.

Kkami, long forgotten in the split second it took Minho to process the beauty of this random person on a park bench, has finally made his move. The dog's black and white fur is just a blur in Minho's eyes as he attacks the bag with food planted just next to the bench, the stranger boy trying to shield it with his arms as best as he can.

The guy really tries, Minho has to give him that. Unfortunately for him and probably Minho too since right now he is the one responsible for Kkami, the dog is faster, the element of surprise working in his favor too.

"My lunch!" the boy cries out at the same time Minho finally snaps out of it and moves from his spot with "Kkami, let go!" on his lips.

Neither he nor the bench guy get a reaction from Kkami who runs away with his pize and sends a low growl Minho's way when he tries to get close with his hands up in the air.

"Easy," Minho tries but Kkami throws him another untrusting gaze and barks in a warning.

"Come on, my lunch isn't worth having your arm bitten off by your dog," the boy on the bench is sitting straight now and Minho relaxes slightly because he doesn't sound all that mad.

"That demon is not my dog," for some reason Minho feels like explaining this small detail that doesn't really matter in the end.

Facts are simple: Kkami has eaten, or more like is eating the guy's lunch and Minho is the one who is responsible for the dog now.

"It isn't? I was about to ask how do you even eat anything in your house if this little guy is such a tyrant when it comes to food."

Minho is relieved to find a shadow of a laugh in the other's voice.

"Well, I don't know yet," he admits. "I've been taking care of him for only about an hour now."

"An hour?" the stranger raises his eyebrows. "Are you bad with animals then?"

Minho shakes his head with a sigh. Maybe he should really reconsider his view on his abilities when it comes to taking care of animals. If Kkami's behavior is anything to go by.

"I would like to think I'm just bad with this particular one," he finally answers and his words make the other boy burst into laughter.

"I will not shatter that illusion with my observations then."

Minho can't help a smile creeping on his lips even if the other's words should probably make him irritated.

"I'm sorry about your lunch," Minho casts a look in Kkami's direction only to the dog playing with a now-empty paper bag. "It's still early, we can go to the closest shop so I can buy you one to make up for it."

"Since it's not your dog, I guess you have nothing to make up for," the words aren't said in a mean manner or anything even remotely close to it but they still make Minho's ears turn bright red from embarrassment. He should learn to not talk to pretty strangers on benches like they are one of his friends just because he likes their freckles and they seem as close to a mental breakdown because of exams as he feels.

"I insist," he says hurriedly and pulls on the red leash connecting Kkami to him. The dog looks up at him as if Minho has just ruined his birthday party. Good. "It's still my fault."

"Now, I have to disagree. One of my friends has a dog too and she might be even worse when it comes to food then your little friend."

Minho wonders if the other is making up this story about a friend's dog to make him feel better but the spark in his eyes looks genuine. It makes him want to know more about the freckled boy.

"I would like to see your friend's dog in action then," Minho says and soon realized that the words might be a step too far so he searches for something else in his brain that would maybe save the conversation. "You sure you don't need free lunch?"

The other laughs.

"I'm sure. I might be a student but I think I'll manage," he gestures to the abounded bag laying lonely by the tree nearby. "But you ask me another time... Next time I'll agree."

The words make Minho's brain freeze for a moment. He looks down at the boy who in the time has managed to get back into his weird cross-legged position. They stare at each other for a moment, brown eyes meeting hazel ones and Minho swears he feels a sharp tug at his stomach. Kkami is pulling at the leash, ready to leave the park and the freckled boy behind.

"Next time then..." Minho trails off because he doesn't know how to finish his sentence. There's no name he can assign to this face.

"Felix," the boy on the bench offers with a smile.

"Next time then, Felix," Minho says and turns around.

🐕🐕🐕

"Now, how do I go back to the park and get a believable excuse to buy Felix that lunch? Or an excuse to talk to him in general? Will he even be there? And most importantly: why do I even care?"

Kkami looks at him with two big brown judging eyes.

"You're useless," Minho deems and turns his eyes to his cats. Dori gets up and leaves.

"Maybe Felix was right and I'm not good with animals at all," Minho focuses his attention on Soonie who stares at him back but, of course, doesn't answer.

"Or maybe you're just going insane," Jisung slips into the living room of Minho's apartment without making any noise and Minho almost jumps out of his skin. Almost.

"What are you doing here?" he asks the younger instead, eyes narrowed to the point in which he can only see Jisung's arms through the crack.

"Oh come on, don't be like this our neighbor," Jisung passes by Minho who tries to make a grab for his leg. The younger jumps out of the way like nothing happened, too used to Minho's antics, and sits down on the sofa behind the older. "I just need some sugar. And coffee too."

Minho rolls his eyes.

"Buy your own shit Jisung," he groans but turns to look at his friend nonetheless. "If you keep stealing my coffee I won't have any myself."

"And how is that a me problem?" Jisung asks with a smirk and eyebrows up, disappearing under his bangs. "Today is your lucky day though, I don't want coffee anymore, I want tea."

"Tea?" Minho fakes being clueless just to see the frustrated look on Jisung's face. "I should have some earl gray laying around."

"God hyung, you're infuriating," Jisung shots him yet another look which probably should make him feel intimidated but the only person Minho is mildly scared of is Chan. And you would catch him death before you would catch him tell Chan about his encounter with a certain freckled guy. "Tell me who the hell Felix is."

"None of your business," Minho counters and gets up to get Jisung sugar and coffee the younger craves so desperately.

"I bet I can help better than Soonie and Kkami," Jisung pushes on and, damn, Minho can't argue that can he?

"I don't need your advice," he repeats again. Jisung trails after him to the kitchen and observes as Minho pulls out cups and coffee from the cabinets just like he had done the morning before for Hyunjin. "Why did you come at nine? You know I'm never home then."

Jisung looks nervously back to the side from which they came from.

'Got you,' Minho thinks with a smirk. It doesn't make a lot of sense for Jisung to try to do that but clearly, somehow Minho has hit the jackpot.

"Did you really want the coffee and sugar?" he asks, opens the fridge and pulls the milk out. Unlike Hyunjin and Minho, Jisung actually drinks a normally made coffee. A thought flashes in head and he wonders what kind of beverages Felix likes.

Maybe instead of taking the boy to the supermarket to buy him lunch, he should try his luck in getting him to agree to a coffee. That is, if he ever sees him again, of course.

Who would say next time though if they knew it would never happen? Then again, is Felix expects Kkami to eat yet another of his lunches, he must be insane.

Which reminds Minho...

"Did you want an excuse to bother Seungmin again?" he asks in an accusatory voice and crosses his arms on his chest.

Jisung doesn't even have to nod for his answer to become obvious to Minho. The way his eyes open wide and he chews on his lips says it all.

Minho can't be fooled.

"No way," Jisung's voice is too high and the younger notices it too. He stops himself from saying more, coming to the right conclusion that it would not help his case.

"I can't believe you tried to use me like that," Minho fakes an offended tone and it works for a moment before Jisung furrows his eyebrows at him.

"Fuck off, you didn't want me here either," he points out the obvious. Minho laughs. "I just wanted to knock to pretend to be responsible. You're actually visible jogging through the park from Seungmin's window, did you know that?"

"So your plan was to go cry about me being absent during my obviously busy hours and then confirming it with a look outside at my running around figure?" he asks awe. This time he doesn't need to fake anything. He really is fucking stunned. "Love is not only blind but also stupid."

Jisung rolls his eyes.

"Do I have to remind you that you have been talking to your cats and Hyunjin's dog about some mysterious Felix when I got here."

No, Minho would not like to be reminded of it. So he does the next best thing he is a master at. He ignores Jisung like he never spoke.

"Seungmin would think you really like coffee. An addict if you may," he continues his thought from before as if Jisung never interrupted him. "Going to the other side of the estate just for some questionable quality coffee, when there's a coffee shop on the way? Dedication."

"You..." Jisung starts but never finished. There's no winning against Minho. If the older wants to bullshit his way through a conversation, he will. Jisung should have learned that particular lesson long ago. "I absolutely detest you hyung."

"Sure you do," Minho sets down a cup of Jisung's favorite coffee before him and then uses the spare milk to make his own drink almost white again. He throws the empty cartoon in the trash and sits down. "Drink fast and we might catch Seungmin before he leaves for his first lecture."

Jisung almost chokes on the coffee.

"What?" he asks when it's obvious he won't choke to death. "We?"

Minho sighs and downs the rest of his cup in one big slurp.

"I don't trust you not to mess up your own love life," he says with face as serious as he can manage without bursting into laughter. Jisung's bewildered expression doesn't help. He looks ridiculous. "I'm joking, don't worry. And put down that mug, I'm scared for your life. I might not want you in my apartment that much but I also don't want you to choke."

"Hyung," Jisung whines but puts the now empty cup down. "You're terrible."

"I know, I know," he agrees and gets up. He collects the things he might need. A wallet in case he meets Felix again and finds either an excuse or enough bravery to ask him to a coffee, leash for Kkami since the poor dog looks more than ready to explode from excitement when he sees Minho in his jogging gear.

"No eating stranger's lunches today," he whispers to the animal as he crouches next to it to secure the leash in place. "Even Felix's. The boy is too nice to get his meal eaten."

"Are you talking to Kkami again?" Jisung asks. Minho turns around to find the younger leaning against the kitchen doorframe with a smug look on his face. He must have heard at least a portion of what Minho has said. Awesome.

"Don't ask any more questions or I'll tell Seungmin how badly you wanted to see him today on campus."

That seems to work better than any other thread Minho could have thought of because Jisung shuts up and doesn't utter another word until they are at the door, ready to leave.

Amazing how his friend is somehow so mortified at the prospect of his crush finding out he wanted to visit him before classes.

Maybe, Minho should try to help Jisung get his love life together.

But then again, maybe not considering he himself is not any better. It's enough to look at how he has literally thought about trying to make his friend's dog eat some's lunch second day in a row. Hyunjin will be terrified when he finds out. And with Jisung hearing Minho's one-sided conversation with Kkami, there's no doubt he will.

"Let's go," he says to Jisung before opening the door.

Kkami's barking is loud in the empty corridor. The noises jump around off the walls creating a horrible cacophony. Minho hates echo and he hastes dogs too.

Jisung turns to him with a scared look in his eyes.

"Let's go."

And so they do.

🐕🐕🐕

If Minho has expected to run into Felix by accident by just going around the park, he has clearly miscalculated.

There's no sight of a freckled boy sitting in a strange position anywhere that morning. Minho looks around every five seconds, making sure he doesn't miss a single bench in his search for familiar blond hair.

Jisung gives him looks that consist of a mixture of interest and worry. In any other situation Minho would probably laugh at the younger like he always does but this time it would mean the possibility missing Felix and he can't afford that.

Nonetheless, the two arrived at Seungmin's door without much trouble that day and throughout the whole visit, Minho is nice to Jisung. He makes no attempts to out his crush in any way and he also doesn't bring up any embarrassing memories from the time non of them knew Seungmin which is easy considering they had met the younger just two years before.

In short, Minho does the bare minimum to be a friend, not a royal pain in the ass for once.

Watching two of his friends talk and play with Kkami as Seungmin gets ready to leave for their portion of afternoon lectures Minho comes to the conclusion that he can see it.

The way Jisung seems just a little bit brighter when Seungmin is around, no matter if the story the other is telling is funny or not. It can even be a talk about schoolwork and Jisung looks just as fascinated by it. By Seungmin, Minho supposes.

But, being on the sideline, Minho also notices something Jisung can't possibly see. He knows that when they are back alone and Minho tries to share his observations his friend will absolutely refuse to believe his words but it won't change the facts.

And the facts are this: the way Seungmin smiles and tilts his head when Jisung speaks about something with passion in his voice. Normally, Seungmin can be pretty annoyed by intense hand gesturing, as shown by his reactions to Jeongin's wild stories. There's no trace of annoyance or disgust in Seungmin's eyes when Jisung's hands go up in the air to accent some details. He doesn't even move away.

Minho wonders how Jisung can not notice those small details that make it obvious just how much reciprocated his feelings are. But then again, it's probably only visible if you look at it from the distance.

And so, the visit at Seungmin's goes well. And so does the day at university, somehow.

Minho supposes most of his professors are tired after the whole semester. He also chooses to believe that some of them also give them a little bit more freedom because of the upcoming exams.

"How is it going hyung," Jeongin's arm lands on Minho's shoulder and he jumps a little. He doesn't move again or makes a gesture to indicate annoyance and instead looks to the younger. Jeongin is that person none of them can really push away no matter what.

"Jeongin," he says and a tried smile lifts the corners of his lips. It's been a few days since he has last seen the boy. "How is it going? Have you heard from Hyunjin."

Jeongin sighs loudly and Minho laughs at him. He doesn't know which one of his questions the sigh is an answer too. Academic struggles or his boyfriend’s existence. To Minho, they both fit.

"Well, for starters my professors deem it necessary to torture us to the last minute. I'll be waiting for my exams in the corridor and there will be professor Kim trying to make me understand the importance of some chemistry bullshit."

"Jeongin you study nuclear chemistry," Minho rolls his eyes at how dramatic the younger can be sometimes. "Of course your professors will think chemistry is important. Isn't it the whole point?"

Now it's Jeongin's turn to roll his eyes.

"Is the whole point of your course showing hands up cow's asses?" he asks as if it's a real question he expects an answer too. Minho chokes on air. "Yes, I thought so."

"That's completely different. I study veterinary for exotic animals. Since when are cows exotic?"

"They can be," Jeongin smiles mischievously and Minho gets an unwanted flashback to his first year when he indeed had to go through some traumatic experiences. This is not the thing he wants to be thinking about on this fine evening so he makes himself focus on other things before the memory takes shape in his mind and he recalls graphic details.

"What about Hyunjin? It's the second day without him here. Has he spammed you with texts yet."

"Oh, not really," Jeongin sounds nonchalant about this but Minho wonders again if there's something wrong between the two. "Oh don't give me that stare hyung, everything is fine. I'm not expecting him to call me constantly. Not with my exams coming up and his work. He really was excited about this small break from classes. Can you believe people get apprenticeships that they actually like? Me neither."

At that, Minho bursts into laughter. That's such a Jeongin thing to say. The younger would never admit to it but even if his course is as close to hell as one can get, Minho knows he secretly really loves it. Nothing screams Jeongin more than his little room full of bomb sketches and papers full of chemical reaction notes, everything mixed together to form a terrifying decoration hang up on younger boy's walls.

"Hyunjin deserves this small vacation even if it's just an illusion of temporary freedom," Minho agrees. He has seen Hyunjin struggle with his Environment Studies exams one too many times. "I just wish Kkami could have gone with him."

Jeongin stares at him for a moment before he doubles over in an attack of uncontrollable giggles.

"You're..." he gets out between the laughing and his voice sounds so breathless that for a moment Minho worries for his life. He isn't a med student but he choking on air can be dangerous. "So funny hyung."

"Thanks," Minho gives Jeongin's back a strong pat to help with what has changed into a coughing fit. "That's a first, I've been called mean so many times in the past two days."

Jeongin finally stops coughing and straightens his back just to roll his eyes at Minho.

"Undoubtedly, you can be that too."

Minho's laugh can be heard in the dark as far as back in his classrooms probably.

🐕🐕🐕

Minho both expects to bump into Felix each time he leaves his flat and never again.

It's like a constant fight in his brain when his two sides, the rational one which also tells him to abandon jogging for the exam period, and the hopeful one that prefers fiction to reality which still hopes that he will pass all his exams on his first try so that he won't have to take any retakes and will be free to go on vacation to the countryside that Chan has promised him.

Currently, the rational part of him is winning, he wills it to.

His unrealistic dreams about holidays can wait. His anatomy exam can't.

"I need a break or I'll go inside," he says to no one in particular. No one is there anyway, just Doongie curled up against his side, fast asleep. The clock above his TV tells him it's past eleven already. He has been studying nonstop for five hours. "God I really need a break."

His joints protest loudly when he gets up but after a few quick stretching exercises he deems them fine enough to go outside for a moment.

Initially, Minho doesn't plan on taking Kkami with him but the dog sits next to the door when he gets there, a grey hoodie threw messily on and old sneakers in hand.

"You want to come along?" Minho asks. He might actually be going insane because not only he keeps talking to animals but now he also can swear Kkami nods his head.

"Okay, What the fuck."

Kkami only blinks at him. He doesn't make any more scarily human gestures. Thank God.

He grabs the leash and gets out of the apartment hurriedly, not wanting to wait long enough for anything else to happen.

Once outside, Minho feels his muscles relax, and when he turns his eyes to the sky and focuses on the stars his mind finally stops trying to show him diagrams. Seoul's sky is unusually clear that night.

"Oh it's you again," a voice calls from behind Minho's back and he curses under his breath when he jumps. He has let himself be distracted enough to stop paying attention to his surroundings which is never a good idea at night in the city. Much less when he has a dog that is not his under his care.

He slowly turns around, alarms going off in his head because the voice sounds vaguely familiar. Not Jisung or Chan or even Seungmin familiar but Minho is pretty sure he has heard it before.

"Felix?" he asks, surprise clear in his voice. He momentarily regrets his old grey hoodie and not taking a quick look at the mirror in his hallway to see if his hair even looks presentable.

Of all the places and times, this is the last one he expects to meet Felix in. And yet, it happens.

Felix catches him off guard again when he least expects it.

"I never got your name," even in the dead hours of the night there's a big smile on the other’s face. If you asked Minho, he would say that it could rival the sun and probably even win. He is too biased.

Something flips inside his stomach when he realizes just how bad it is, this feeling that starts to take shape and form in his mind even if he has only met Felix twice.

"It's Minho."

"Minho..." Felix the word on his tongue and then scans Minho from his very worn-out sneakers to the top of his probably very messy hair. He runs a hand through it nervously in a desperate attempt to fix it. "Hyung? I'm in my second year at university."

Minho smiles to himself. He was right after all, he is older.

"I'm in my fourth year," he answers and it piques Felix's curiosity. The younger's eyes sparkle and Minho laughs at him.

"Are you going to the shop or just on a walk with not your dog again?" he asks and gestures at Kkami.

Minho looks down too, suddenly not sure what was his purpose in leaving his apartment.

He guesses an energy drink would probably help him power through his night session of studies.

"The shop sounds nice," he says and tilts his head to the side. "What about you? The shop too or just wandering around pointlessly."

Felix laughs.

"I figured I could use some snacks to help me focus on studying," he says and Minho raises his eyebrows at him.

"Interesting strategy," they start on their way to the only local shop open at this hour which should be able to deliver what they are both looking for. "Never heard of snack helping anyone study. I thought they are meant to distract from the academic matters."

"Not if you are me apparently."

"I guess I just haven't found the snack for me yet. I'm craving an energy drink and Kkami here was eager to get out of the house too," he pulls on the leash a little because suddenly it's Kkami who's the most excited to get to the shop fast. "Slow down."

"Maybe Kkami wants a treat too."

Minho rolls his eyes but smiles.

"What subject got you so worked up at this hour that you decided to go out? Difficult exam ahead?" Felix's question is so natural and Minho finds himself wondering how is it possible for the two of them to be so comfortable around each other so fast.

Normally Minho isn't an open person. It doesn't mean he is shy, not even close, but most of his university group mates know him as this cold and sharp Lee Minho who never gets too close to people. All he needs is his group of friends and he is good to go.

Then why does he find himself answering Felix's questions so honestly, wishing the younger would not stop asking and the walk to the shop was a lot longer than it actually is?

"Anatomy. It's a true pain in the ass and my professor isn't a fan of me."

"Really? I think you're a real charmer," Minho can feel the base of his neck heat up and he thanks the world for the darkness of the night. It should conceal all the red spots no problem. "I have had anatomy too but during the first year. What's your major?"

"It's veterinary. Exotic animals specialization," Felix raises his eyebrows, questions almost rolling off of his lips already. "No, I don't have anatomy because I need to know how to cut my hand off if a tiger decides to treat it as a snack. It's an extra subject. Our professors recommended taking it to get a better understanding of things and probably so that we can compare it to animal anatomy or some other bullshit. I wouldn't know, I just know I regret it every single day."

Felix snorts.

"An extra subject? Anatomy? Your professors truly want you all dead. I feel your pain, anatomy is hard to pass," he looks away from Minho for a moment and the older can only imagine the flashback Felix must be having. The memories from anatomy classes are still too fresh in his mind. "Not impossible though."

"Or really?" Minho asks. "Are you a med student?"

"Yeah, an anesthesiologist in the making," the words are filled with sudden enthusiasm and Felix's gaze is full of pride. He must really like what he is doing which his life, just as Minho does. Sometimes Minho simply wishes university was easier. "I think I still have anatomy notes from last year, we still use them regularly in other classes. If you want..."

For a moment there's silence; the edge of the park they are standing in quiet around them. The neon lights from the shop they are headed too are strong enough to reach them and the blues mixed with a tint of violet paint a beautiful ocean-like color across Felix's cheeks bringing out the spark in his eyes.

And then after the silence comes Felix's voice; deep and full of sunshine.

"I can help you."

Minho blinks once, twice, and when Felix is still there, standing before him with this huge smile of his, he comes to the conclusion that angels must be real.

Who else would offer to teach him possibly the hardest subject there is while also studying for his own exams.

"Don't look at me like that," Felix laughs nervously and Minho sees the way his hands find some stray thread dangling from the hem of his t-shirt and start playing with it. It's a cute habit, Minho decides. "It will be good for me too. Anatomy ties into all of my other subjects so practice is essential."

"So many big words," Minho says and gestures to the shop entrance under the bright blue-violet neon. "Let's get your snacks. They are on me, my future tutor."

Felix shoves him lightly as he passes him at the door.

Minho smiles wildly at the younger's back.

🐕🐕🐕

"You found an anatomy tutor?" if Chan's voice went any higher no human would probably be able to hear it anymore. Yes, it's that high and yes, Minho is proud of making his best friend so shocked. It's a really rare occurrence.

"I told you how many times already? Chris, did I break you?" there's a tint of testing in his voice and it's probably this small detail that makes Chan finally snap. Which in his case, is surprisingly hard to achieve but also very underwhelming.

"Be quiet," the older says in a low voice that sounds almost like a growl. It's not even a good old 'shut up' and Minho is both disappointed and impressed at his best friend's self-control.

"So you want an answer or for me to be quiet? Make up your mind," he answers and makes sure his tone has a nice tint of wonder to it.

Just as expected, Chan hates it.

"Just answer my question Minho. Stop fooling around."

Minho sighs but decides to finally comply, seeing as Chan looks very close to throwing him out of his flat. He can't let that happen, he is not done playing with Berry yet.

And neither is Kkami from the looks of it. The two dogs fly by them in a blur of black and white fur and then settle on running around the table in the living room. Minho can't decide if it's a game or a full-on chase, the fearful look in Kkami's eyes being a default on the dog's face as he has learned in the past four days.

"I've already told you," he repeats himself yet again. Minho knows it's hard to accept, especially for Chan who has see him straight on refuse to make more friends than they already have, claiming that it's 'tiring'. Minho doesn't know how true his words actually are. He loves his friends, he does. Maybe it's just a case of him almost never meeting people he likes enough to try to get to know better. Either way, he understands Chan's confusion. "He's a medical student and agreed to help since, according to him, practice is great. Not sure if I would agree to help some first years with any subject even if they paid me."

"Not during exam season, for sure," Chan nods his head and sits down on the headrest of his sofa, a warm cup full of hot choco in his hand. "Does he go to our University."

"Yeah, he does," Minho picks up his own mug from the table and tries the liquor inside. It's sweet and creamy just as he likes. "But he is a lot younger, I doubt a fifth-year aspiring biology teacher like you would know him."

Chan raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms.

"Try me," he says expectantly. "I don't know if I should feel offended or not."

"Why would you? I don't know anyone in my own course apart from my group mates and Mark Lee but everyone knows him," Minho makes a good point and Chan sighs. The older is one of those people who prides himself in knowing people around him and despite his surprise at Minho's news, more times than not Chan is that person who helps lost first years find answers to the questions their assignments ask.

He is also true about everyone on campus knowing the famous third year veterinary student. There are so many legends about his achievements Minho sometimes wonders how is he older than Mark.

Mark and, of course, his infamous aerospace engineering boyfriend Lee Donghyuck. What an interesting pair they make. Both geniuses well know around campus for being the exact opposites.

Well, Minho's point still stands. He only knows his friends, groupmates, and the most well-known figures on campus.

"You know Donghyuck too, don't even try to deny it," Chan sounds triumphant at the eye roll Minho gives him.

"God, who doesn't know that demon kid," he lets out a long sigh as if the sole thought about Donghyuck makes him exhausted. In truth, his thoughts leave their campus resident demon and shift back to Felix pretty fast. "Still, I don't see why you would know a random medical student."

Chan smiles down at him from the headrest and Minho doesn't like it one bit. It looks almost as if the older knows more than him, somehow, and is not just toying with Minho. Which, of course, he very much does not like.

"Like I said, try me."

"You..." Minho doesn't finish but there's a thought forming in his mind and there's no other way to test if it's true other than telling Chan what he wants to know. "It's Lee Felix."

The corners of Chan's mouth immediately began to lift up when the words leave Minho's lips.

The younger of the two groans painfully.

"You know him!" he points an accusatory finger at his best friend. "Why the fuck did you stay silent?"

"I wasn't sure," Chan laughs at Minho's misery. "Felix did tell me he was going to tutor something in anatomy but he never said more. It only came back to me when you repeated the news for the fourth time."

Minho simply cannot believe his friend's audacity.

"I hate you."

"Do you now?" Chan finally stops laughing and his expression turns serious for the first time this evening. He fully looks at the fifth-year university student now. Well, if you pretend his mug is full of steaming coffee instead of choco. "I simply never expected you to go out of your way to make friends. I know you Minho."

"I did not such thing," he protests but is there a point really? Minho knows he doesn't want to go back to being strangers with Felix after the exams are over. And, judging by the tight knot in his chest each time he thinks back to the bright smile and the blue of the neon in the younger's eyes, he might even want so much more than that.

It's too early to be thinking about anything else than friendship with the younger thought.

"Or maybe I just simply have my moments," he says in a much quieter voice. The smile Chan gives him now is soft and full of love which Minho doesn't really know how to handle.

"I'm glad you're getting more friends," Chan says in that voice of his which makes Minho feel like he is younger at least by ten years not a few months.

"God, you're so sappy sometimes."

"And you never are. We balance each other," Chan says and put his mug down.

Minho sees what's coming long before it actually does but instead of running away from the room and the whole flat his first instinct is to set his cup down and wait for the inevitable.

"It's okay to care, you know," are the last words Chan says before he jumps from the headrest and lands gracefully next to Minho. The older's arms wrap around him in a protective cocoon. This hug, unlike that one Hyunjin, gave him in the middle of a tea shop, feels nice and comfortable, and before he knows what's happening Minho raises his hands too and wraps them around his best friend, squeezing back.

"I know," Minho whispers. He really means it.

🐕🐕🐕

"Ready for some amazing and so, so, so interesting anatomy?" Felix's bright smile should be illegal at this hour. "I found most of my notes!"

The younger comes around the table Minho has chosen for them and deposits a mountain of papers on the mostly empty surface. Minho raises his eyebrows as he observes Felix jump around taking out colorful markers and frowning at his broken pencil.

It's entertaining to watch just how much enthusiasm fits in the shorter boy's body. Minho wished he had so much energy at eight in the morning.

Maybe the two years between really do make a difference.

"It's all anatomy?" he asks, focusing his gaze at all the pages upon pages filled with small and tight handwriting. Then his eyes shift to his own notes he has decided to bring in case Felix couldn't find all of his and also to compare is anything has changed in that year. Now, he thinks his one small notebook looks kind of pathetic.

"What?" Felix looks lost for a moment, two blue highlighters in one hand and his phone in the other. Minho gestures at the mountain of papers that have already started coming apart, the loose pages from the top sliding down, and crawling to Minho's side of the table thanks to the air conditioning and wind coming into the cafe shop each time the door open.

"Did I really pay that little attention in class or you did a full transcription of the lectures," he raises his own notebook in the air and one of his eyebrows raises with it too. There's finally understanding on Felix's face when he spots how thin Minho's notebook is. "I mean, I'm not claiming I was the most invested person there but I don't think I have that many notes for any subjects, even my favorites."

"No way," Felix's voice is full of laughter as he sets down the markers and points to the notebook in Minho's hand. "That's fair," he moves his finger to the pile on the table. "This is most of my subjects because I'm planning to stay here the whole day."

Minho looks at the younger in a new light now. Felix is dressed in a comfortable looking pair of sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. It looks like the younger has put on some makeup but Minho is glad to see the freckles still poking out from under his foundation.

He does look ready for a full day of studying with his blond hair tied up and a smile on his lips.

"Maybe I'm planning to stay here the whole day too," he says with a hint of teasing in his voice. Minho did bring his notes for the first exam lined up in just two days in case Felix was running late. "I thought you're more of an outside lover? Or was that day in the park a one-time thing?"

"I like studying outside but good coffee is nice once in a while. Besides, it's supposed to rain today."

Minho turns his head to get a glimpse at the world outside, at the pedestals crossing the busy road next to the shop on their way to lectures and work and meetings with friends. Then his gaze goes up to investigate how much true Felix's words are.

There's not a single cloud on the horizon but if Minho has learned anything from meeting the boy currently sitting next to him is that sometimes the most ordinary days can go crazy in a blink of an eye.

"Maybe it will rain," he says, eyes still on the bright blue sky. "Maybe it won't," he brings his gaze back to Felix whose hazel eyes are already on him. "Let me keep you company no matter the weather outside."

Felix gives him a quick nod and a smile.

🐕🐕🐕

"So," Seungmin greets him on a Friday morning with a cup of his favorite coffee in his hand stretched out like it's a peace offering. Minho doesn't remember them fighting last time they have briefly seen each other on campus just the day before but if Seungmin wants to buy him coffee he won't protest. Maybe it's simply a gift. "Ready for your first exam?"

Minho thinks for a moment but, truth to be told, there will always be more one could have done to be more prepared.

"I'm as prepared as one can be considering how much material there was and how many hours one day has," he answers and takes the still-hot cup from his friend's hand. "What is this Seungmin? Want to get on my good side so I can help you win Jisung's heart?"

Minho relishes in the look of bewilderment on the younger's face for a moment before laughing. So he is right after all.

Stupid Jisung.

"No, it was supposed to be a good luck gift but I'm starting to regret it," Seungmin makes half-hearted attempt at getting the cup back but Minho is faster.

"Nah ah, Seungmin ah," he scolds him with a smirk. "Do you want your hyung to fail terribly?"

Seungmin glares at him with something akin to hatred.

Minho loves him so much because, with Seungmin, they are both on the same page with their relationship.

"Maybe I do," he says defensively but Minho doesn't buy his bullshit. Instead, he reaches into his bag and pulls out a neatly packaged sandwich. He knows it's Seungmin's favorite.

"Great minds think alike," he says with a smirk as Seungmin's eyes open wider when he takes in what Minho's is handing out to him. "Let's destroy our exams Seungmin ah."

The younger tears his eyes away from the sandwich and meets Minho's gaze, a smirk on his.

"Bet."

🐕🐕🐕

Sometimes Minho wonders how much different his university life would be if he has just chosen any other major than veterinary. One of those moments is as he returns his exam right before the clock announces the end of the given time.

"Should have chosen no major at all," he mumbles to himself.

"Have you said anything?" his professor asks and Minho turns his head to look at professor Choi's worried face.

He simply shakes his head as not to disturb the remaining people who are still trying to come up with last-minute answers before the clock strikes the full hour and they will be done for.

Well, it's not like Minho did any better probably but he would like to think he at least has a real chance to pass this class.

He opens the door with a head full of regret but as he spots his friends already waiting for him he can't help but feel bad about his thoughts from either.

Seungmin looks as enthusiastic as Minho feels with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown as he listens to Jeongin's story.

The younger on the other hand is wearing a blinding smile and Minho tries to remember if he got it all confused in his brain because he was pretty sure...

"...Didn't you have your worst exam today?" he asks and Jeongin doesn't even stop in his tracks which is impressive considering even Seungmin jumps a little.

"Oh, Minho hyung, you're out," Jeongin turns around and from this perspective, Minho can finally see the sights of tiredness on his friend’s face. The space under Jeongin's eyes is darker than he remembers it to be just from a few days ago. "I did, it finished about an hour ago but I decided to wait for you, and Chan hyung should be done in about half an hour."

Minho raises his eyebrows.

"Did you ace it then, future bomb constructor?" He asks with a smile tugging shyly at his lips. Minho doesn't know if he is about to congratulate or comfort his friends yet so he doesn't let it take over his features. "And you," here he turns his attention to Seungmin. "My favorite meteorology major?"

"I'm the only meteorology major you know," Seungmin answers and somehow furrows his brows even more. Minho never thought it possible but apparently his friend is very talented.

"And, I don't know, I would say I probably passed."

Minho feels satisfied with Seungmin's answer. Out of them all, Seungmin is probably the one who has been able to slip through all the exams without failing even once so if the younger says he has passed, he probably did.

Minho brings his attention back to Jeongin.

"Don't look at me like this hyung," he whines but there's a smile tugging at his lips, waiting to be set free. Jeongin takes a deep breath and throws his hands in the air. "I failed!"

A few heads turn in their direction and Minho recognizes Mark's familiar form, hand tangled up with another well-known figure. The pair give Jeongin a look. Mark looks mildly concerned. Donghyuck looks curious.

"What?" Minho asks, for once truly taken by surprise. If he had returned an empty sheet to his professor he would have broken down for sure. "You're kidding right?"

Jeongin laughs at his expression but shakes his head.

"I'm not," he reassures Minho but the older feels anything but reassured. "It was an oral exam so don't even try telling me I can't know that yet."

Minho rolls his eyes. If anyone ever was going to be proud of failing an exam, of course, it would be Jeongin. Minho exchanges a look with Seungmin and it tells him everything he needs to know. The other has already talked to Jeongin and everything is under control. For now.

"Tell me you studied for the other ones better," he says and nods at Seungmin who brings out a water bottle from his bag and hands it to him. "And when your retakes are so that we can sit you down and force you to study properly. I can't believe I'm actually saying this but I wish Hyunjin was here."

"You are shit at chemistry," Seungmin points out and Jeongin happily agrees.

"Between us all, I'm sure we can figure something out," he chooses to ignore the comment and presses on.

"You know Jisung is quite good at chem right? Criminology is no joke or so I've heard. Even in our classes there is gossip about their chemistry professor," Jeongin ends his sentence in a dramatic whisper, eyes shining with excitement because of what is, no doubt, a very scandalous gossip. He gives exactly zero fucks about not passing and Minho is more and more impressed with each passing second.

"I'm sure it's scandalous but we don't want to hear it," Seungmin says with a hint of disgust in his voice. "Also, yeah Jisung is pretty decent. He even tried to explain some things to me last time he came over but all he got was a notebook landing on his head. I'm sure he would be happy to have an eager to learn student."

Minho's eyebrows shot up and before he can stop himself he slips. "I bet he would rather teach you."

Minho supposes the attention of both Seungmin and Jeongin is well earned in this situation. If stares could kill Seungmin's would make him collapse here and then for sure. Jeongin, on the other hand, looks just intrigued.

"What's the tea I'm missing?" he asks, eyes on Seungmin now. The other stays silent but it's clear from the way his shoulders tense up how uncomfortable he is.

Jeongin doesn't press on, sensing the situation. Minho can't help feeling bad for ever bringing it up.

Which does not mean he isn't curious about the study sessions that have been happening behind his back. It's hard to believe Jisung is able to keep it all to himself but then it's Minho so maybe that's the wisest choice.

They wait like this, bickering and talking about their next exams for the next half an hour, only changing locations to one closer to Chan's lecture hall once Jeongin announces that he wants to buy coffee from one of the machines located nearby.

"Should have come to mine in the morning," Minho tells the younger as they wait for the beverage to fill up the plastic cup, all three of them leaning against the wall next to it. "Seungmin brought me free coffee."

The boy in question throws him a dirty look that tells Minho that he would probably rather keep up the facade of them hating each other than be caught during this small act of kindness. Like anyone has ever believed in that bullshit anyway.

"...And I gave him a homemade sandwich in return, aren't I amazing?"

Seungmin's head snaps to him so fast Minho swears he can hear a crack or two.

The look the younger give him now is so much different. There's surprise in his eyes for sure but Minho can locate something else too and it takes him aback. In all his years knowing Seungmin he has never seen the other so unsure.

Maybe sabotaging and exposing himself is worth it sometimes.

He grins at the younger and gets a hesitant smile back.

"Oh, why wasn't I invited?" Jeongin asks, blissfully unaware of what has just happened behind his back. Minho was probably right after all; not everyone sees their war for what it really is.

Thankfully, the sound of the coffee machine beeping, signalizing that Jeongin's drink is ready saves them both from answering.

The youngest of the group sighs and pushes himself off the wall to collect the beverage. From what Minho's remembers from buying drinks from the very same machine during the darkest times meaning from the end of the first semester when he finished his classes in the middle of the night and then waited for Chan to be out too, drink in hand so that they can go home together, what Jeongin gets probably tastes like waters with sugar.

It takes just a second for his suspensions to be confirmed. Jeongin takes a big sip, not looking at the fact that the coffee is still boiling hot.

Both Seungmin and Minho flinch. Jeongin grimaces.

"This tastes like ass," he comments but takes another big gulp anyway. "If only I slept."

Minho rolls his eyes.

He is about to give Jeongin a long lecture on why he shoul have gone to sleep instead of studying for his exams and how the university isn't worth the damage each of them is doing to their body each exam season when the door behind them open and the remaining few aspiring biology teachers walk out.

Chan looks relaxed and he even jokes about something with one of his group mates before waving them goodbye and turning his attention to his friends.

Minho has a million questions ready on his tongue as probably do the others but he is stunned shut when a familiar figure appears next to Chan.

Felix's smile as bright as ever even if his shoulders are tense and there's an edge to him that Minho has not seen there before.

"Who's that?" Jeongin asks eyebrows raised high. He probably expects Chan to exchange a few words with the newcomer and then make his way to them so they can go grab some food in celebration of surviving first day of exams and then, since none of them have a death wish, go back home to study.

But to everyone's, even Minho's, surprise Felix doesn't go his separate way after a brief chat. Instead, he waves at Minho, the smile on his face getting a little big bigger. Or, at least, that's what Minho's brain decides to believe.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Jeongin asks and Minho turns to his friends just to find their gazes already focused on him.

He should have expected their curiosity. It's unusual enough for Chan to bring anyone outside of their group to their gathering but for Minho to also know then... That's not even rare, that has never happened before.

Minho opts for a shrug.

"God, I hate you," Seungmin snorts, the illusion of mutual hatred back in motion.

"Hey guys, I'm Felix," the boy in question reaches his hand out to the skeptical boys, completely ignoring the looks on their faces. He probably already knows his own charm and is confident he can win them over no matter what. Either that or he is blissfully unaware. "Nice to meet you."

Seungmin and Jeongin exchange glances and when they finally greet Felix he can see the wariness in their eyes slowly shift to mild interest and finally excitement.

He witnesses first hand the power of Felix's smile and his easy and enthusiastic words.

It doesn't take even five minutes for both of his friends to become absolutely sold on keeping Felix forever.

Minho smiles at the freckled boy and Felix, amidst all the chaos, smiles back.

🐕🐕🐕

"I've heard our friend group has gotten larger while we were gone," Hyunjin claims and asks at the same time, voice filled with interest even though he clearly has been filled in on the gossip by Jeongin.

"How come you accept people without our approval? I thought this friendship is a democracy," adds Changbin, a more weary expression on his face.

"Never was," Minho answers. "It's a tyranny. Jeongin is the one in charge."

Hyunjin bursts out laughing and Kkami, who has been forcibly made to lay down in his arms squeaks and tries to escape, sensing a moment of weakness. Hyunjin tightens the grip on the poor dog and Kkami's eyes wander to Minho in a silent cry for help.

"Sorry, I can't help you buddy," he mouths, and thankfully Hyunjin doesn't pay attention to him.

"Right. Where is the official application? Where is the interview?" the younger boy asks, tone now playful.

"Where's the reality show with a bunch of guys battling to death to join our elite friend group," Changbin asks with a smirk on his face. He crosses his arms over his chest.

"You guys missed it all," Minho swiftly puts an end to the discussion which has no point of continuing anyway. If his two friends are so curious about Felix they will have to wait and meet him. "What are you two doing at my place in the middle of the night anyway."

"I came to collect Kkami," Hyunjin hugs the poor dog again to emphasize his point.

"I came for moral support," Changbin point at Hyunjin's eyes which are literally filled with tears when he looks at his dog. It's been a little over a week for fucks sake, not a month.

"Yes, but that was half an hour ago," he points out and both Hyunjin and Changbin simply shrug.

Minho sighs.

The clock above his TV tells him it's half past two already. Changbin has driven for hours on end to reach their city so that both of them can attend their next day exams. It's evident in the way the boy leans on the wall for support instead of just for the sake of it.

"You're not going anywhere tonight," he announces and both his friends turn to him with surprise on their faces like he suddenly spoke some foreign language they can't understand. "Did you really expect me to let you go home that late? In your barely awake state?"

Hyunjin nods automatically and then blushes, realizing what he has just implicated.

Maybe Minho should really change his ways. He doesn't know if he has ever thought about a situation like this twice but Hyunjin's simple nod throws him off. There's no chance in hell he would treat his friends like this and he wants them to know it.

"You..." he murmurs but catches himself. "You two have your stuff with you, right? I saw a toothbrush peaking out from Changbin's backpack earlier. Go shower, I'll make you a place to sleep. Oh and before you even say anything," Minho takes a few steps to reach the wall and he bends down and opens a drawer full of his clothes. "I'll give you t-shirts for tomorrow, don't worry."

For a second both Hyunjin and Changbin are too stunned to move but the spell breaks as fast as it was cased and they move to get to their things and then to the bathroom.

Minho smiles after them and then gets to work.

That night he falls asleep with Hyunjin's arm across his chest and Changbin's mumbling some vaguely familiar lyrics while drifting off.

Surprisingly, he wakes up fresh and rested and there's a cup of warm coffee, as white as he likes it, and a sandwich waiting for him in the kitchen along with his friends dressed up in his clothes discussing something lively.

Minho grabs his mug and smiles over the edge of his drink at the scene before him.

This is what he swants to see more often.

That day, even exams can't ruin his mood.

🐕🐕🐕

The same thing can't be said about the day of his anatomy exam.

Finals come and go, some leaving a sour taste in his mouth, some making his wanting to stop for a second to celebrate his success. Unfortunately, time doesn't stop for any of them, no matter how much they would like it too.

He can see the passing of time more on the tired faces of his friends than on his calendar where he crosses off the days. It's supposed to be satisfying, shattering the words coming together to form names of his subjects with a red marker but Minho doesn't notice the ones that disappear. His eyes are only on the oncoming ones.

This results in him almost forgetting the anatomy exam when it arrives, his eyes wandering off to the next day biology exam instead.

"Oh god," he whispers when his head finally catches up to what exact torture he did wake up too. "I'm screwed."

Minho's only hope for anatomy is Felix's lessons sticking in his brain long enough to use the knowledge.

He should probably thank heavens and his amazing brain for actually focusing on the stuff the younger was trying to teach him instead of his freckles and hazel eyes because when the exam comes he understands most of the stuff he is asked about.

Still, Minho feels like out of everything he has taken to this point, this is his weakest performance.

"It's normal, this is not your obligatory class, just an extra," Felix tries to cheer him up even if the younger himself looks like he has seen death and somehow survived.

The anatomy exam is probably Minho's least favorite not only because he had stressed out over it more than the others but also because it's the first one in the two-week marathon of exams when no one else finishes even close to when he does so Minho expects to be left alone in the empty corridor to mourn the loss of his beautiful holiday plans. Yes, he would believe in flying pigs faster than in passing it on the first take.

And so, he is positively surprised when he spots familiar blonde hair in the empty corridor.

"Of course I came," Felix fakes offense when Minho asks him what he is doing still on campus so late when his exams finished hours ago. "I had to get your fresh relation from the exam, not some watered down emotionless version you would have sold me, no doubt, over text."

Minho can't really argue with that so instead, he accepts the cup Felix offers him.

"My favorite coffee? How did you?"

"I ordered our drinks back when we studied together, remember? I simply remembered your order and got you the same thing," the smile on Felix's face suggests how proud the younger is after seeing the surprise on Minho's face.

"I could kiss you right now," Minho says, still in awe. It takes his brain a moment to register the fact that he hasn't just thought the words.

"Then do."

Minho can't tell if Felix is joking, or maybe not.

🐕🐕🐕

"I asked Seungmin out to dinner after his last final."

Somehow, there are a few thoughts forming in Minho's head, one after another, when he hears the sudden news.

The first of them is 'Wow you two are ditching our family dinner'. Minho is so disappointed in himself that the obvious, more important part of the sentence hits him second not first.

"You asked Seungmin out?" his voice is choked because of how fast he tries to get it out.

Jisung gives him a smile.

"I did!" he throws his hands up and a few people walking along with them on the sidewalk give them judging stares but Minho doesn't even care, too interested by Jisung's sudden bravery. "Can you believe I have a date with Seungmin? In just two days on top of that?"

Minho sure can but he doesn't say it. Instead, he asks the question that slowly builds up in him, bringing dread with it for some reason. He doesn't know why but he just knows he is not going to like Jisung's answer to it.

"Why now? You've been mopping around because of your crush for how long now?" Minho pretends to think even though the answer is pretty obvious to him already. "Two years I think? You know, since we met him."

Jisung crosses his arms over his chest in defense.

"Not true," he says but he sounds as convinced as Minho feels. Which is not a lot.

"I'm happy for you, you know," he says with a smile and reaches out to ruffle his friend's hair. "Congratulations on being the third person in our group to leave the single club."

"We aren't dating, it's just a dinner."

"Jisung..." Minho trails off and sighs at the hopeless expression on his friend's face. "Where's your confidence? Seungmin clearly likes you too if he agreed. We both know he is not the type to agree to dates out of politeness, don't even try to play that card. Your flirting skills can't be so bad he won't want a second date. And, of course, to date you."

"Sounds fake but okay," Minho can't stop himself from rolling his eyes so hard it almost hurts. Jisung, on the other hand, shifts his expression from a shy one to a mischievous smirk and Minho doesn't like it one bit.

The next words that will leave Jisung's mouth, Minho just knows he will absolutely hate them.

He isn't wrong. This one time, he wishes he has been proven wrong. Just this once.

"What about you and Felix though? When are you making a move finally?"

Minho hates being right.

"What move, what are you on about," he opts for a strong denial tactic. "There's nothing between us, you know."

Jisung raises his eyebrows.

In truth, Minho should have seen this coming. Over the last few weeks, he has grown closer to Felix, they all had. But there's a stark difference between the happiness everyone else is displaying because of gaining a new friend and what Minho feels inside.

He has known it from day one and yet somehow it's still hard to accept the other kind of liking growing in him each time he sees Felix smile.

It's equally easy and terrifying because Minho doesn't know painless and pure romance, not from his own experience. Sure, Hyunjin and Jeongin have a perfectly healthy and easy-going relationship but it hasn't been like this always. Minho still remembers their rocky beginnings.

"You can pretend all you want but I won't be fooled," Jisung looks over at him. "It's okay you know? To like him I mean."

Minho stays silent. He knows there's nothing wrong with him liking Felix.

"Felix was actually the one who told me I should shoot my shot. I was scared but he said that I shouldn't worry and that if you really like someone you should at least try. It felt personal somehow."

Minho still doesn't comment.

Of course, he doesn't ask Felix out as the end of exams roll around and Jisung and Seungmin have their date.

But Felix doesn't ask him out either, the two of them watching everything go down from the sidelines.

Minho stands next to the younger, their shoulders touching as the results of their exams come in. They share a smile of satisfaction because even if not everyone has passed everything they are both happy with their results. Minho is especially thankful for his amazing anatomy score.

Felix is the one who starts the group hug by grabbing Minho and Jisung and pushing them in Chan's direction. There are tears in the older's eyes, probably of happiness of passing everything and finally finished the hell hole that university is.

Minho doesn't ask Felix out that day or the next but he does ask him something else.

"Wanna come to my parent's holiday house for a while?"

Minho doesn't know if Felix would agree to go out with him or not but be agrees to that.

And it's all Minho cares about at that moment.

🐕🐕🐕

"Tell me you brought the floating unicorn. Lie to me if necessary baby," is the first thing Minho hears when he gets to their meeting location. He is exactly on time and the only person missing is their other driver, Chan.

"Jeongin, you know how to swim," Hyunjin protests and tries to avoid his boyfriend's intense stare but Jeongin can't be stopped. The younger really is a force to be reckoned with. Hyunjin is clearly struggling but neither Seungmin nor Changbin standing nearby is willing to help him out.

"Okay, but did you bring it?"

"...I did," Hyunjin admits.

Jeongin bursts into laughter and Minho can't help snorting. Couples can be disgusting at times. Or if you are Hyunjin and Jeongin then all the time.

"They are quite something right?" Felix asks when Minho stops next to the gathering that seems to be the more reasonable choice. Well, apart from the fact that Jisung is there giving him his cryptic looks again.

Can he really call them cryptic if he knows what it all is about? Probably not but the stares his friend gives him are so ridiculous he can't help himself.

Minho has hoped that Jisung's will slowly fade away during the weeks leading up to their group vacation. The time between finals and now has been quite slow, Jeongin and Chan going back home to their families for a while.

Minho hasn't seen some of his friends for almost a month now and he scans their faces in search of any trace of tiredness left from the finals. He is glad to find none.

"The trick is to not sit anywhere between couples on the ride," Minho points to the pair still playfully arguing over Jeongin's swimming abilities. "Good luck this time since now we also have Jisung and Seungmin to worry about."

"Hey!" Jisung protests but Felix ignores him and laughs at Minho's words.

Minho winks at him.

"You are the fucking driver Minho, you don't need to worry about shit," Jisung sounds annoyed.

"Oh that I am. Wanna sit next to me Felix? It will spare you the unspeakable struggle of sitting next to any of the idiots.

That seems to awaken some hidden beast inside Jisung because the younger growls loudly, literally growls, and then attacks Minho with tickling. The older can't stop laughing and it's not even because of how ticklish he is. Jisung looks too ridiculous for him to keep his expression neutral.

"Sounds amazing hyung. It's so considerate of you," Jisung doesn't even wait for Felix to finish before switching his attention to him. The younger shrieks and soon enough Felix's laugher is what can be heard over every conversation in the group. Even Hyunjin and Jeongin stop talking.

The whole ride passes in a similar atmosphere. As soon as Chan shows up Jeongin jumps up to him and claims a seat in his car. It of course results in Hyunjin following in his footsteps while Seungmin silently moves to Minho's side.

In the end, Minho ends up with Seungmin and Jisung chatting in the backseats and Felix next to him.

For the first time since the exams ended he really feels the summer and freedom as he watches the fields outside from the corner of his eyes.

"What is your holiday house like?" Felix asks at one point and he brings the volume of the music pulsing through the car down. Now the soft beats of Heat Waves are barely background noise for their conversation.

"We've been going there on vacations for as long as I remember," he answers and imminently feels the need to correct himself. "Well, we being me and Chan in this case. The others slowly joined us over the years as we met them along the way. Sorry, I can't provide any details or actually useful information but it's just... peaceful. Quiet and, for me, a place to breathe freely."

"No, I think I agree," Minho hasn't even realized the conversation at the back of the car has come to an end too until Seungmin speaks up. "This might be only my third visit but it feels like I've known the place forever."

"Right," Jisung adds enthusiastically. "It's just this sort of place. I'm sure everyone knows the type."

Minho nods and taps his fingers on the wheel.

"Yeah, just like Jisung and Seungmin have said, it's nothing special. Just a place, nothing more nothing less."

🐕🐕🐕

For Felix, just a place doesn't cut it, Minho thinks.

From the moment they get out of the cars and their foot touch the ground for the first time there are stars in Felix's eyes and they never disappear.

Not during long lazy mornings as either of them try to make breakfast and decide on the plan for the day.

Agreeably most of their afternoons and evenings consist of walks through the forest to the closes beach which is wild and deserted at every hour of the day.

Some days none of them leave the house and some days they go to the closest city. It's a freeing experience and Minho is ethereally grateful for the existence of this small house in the middle of nowhere.

"What's today's plan?" Felix's steps can be heard even before he can be seen and Minho opens the refrigerator to pull out some eggs.

"No plan," he gestures at the pan already on the shove. "Kitchen duty."

Felix smiles at him and settles on one of the chairs nearby.

"What's the chef serving today?" the younger asks with a soft smile.

"Scrambled eggs," Minho smirks and lifts the eggs in the ear just to bring them down again and crack them on the edge of the pan. Good thing he actually knows his way in the kitchen or this would have been a disaster.

"Show off," comes a voice from the room next door, and Minho just knows it's Seungmin.

"I love it," Felix completely ignores the other boy and Minho smiles to himself. No matter how any suggestive comments the others have thrown their way during the whole trip Felix either ignores them or shots them down.

Part of Minho is glad, the other not so much. It's very confusing, the situation he is in.

Wanting someone who he barely knows even if Felix feels like he has been a part of their lives for so much longer than he really had. Minho guesses he is slowly coming to terms with the fact that his so-called 'trivial crush' might not be so trivial after all.

"One chef's special coming right away," he says and grabs a spatula to prevent the eggs from burning.

"Can't wait," Felix has clearly decided to play along and indulge him. Minho likes it. Maybe a little too much. "How about going to the beach together after we eat?"

Minho doesn't know if he should agree or not. On one hand, it's not uncommon for a pair of friends to go play at the beach alone. On the other, he knows his brain will just add meaning where there's none constantly, hurting him in the process.

It's been months since they've met and Minho should have definitely predicted this from day one. He's in too deep.

He looks to the window and beyond the glass to see how welcoming the world is that day.

It looks sunny and hot enough to burn if one isn't careful enough.

"Sure," he finally answers despite alarms going off in his head. 'This is not a good idea, this is not a good idea' the rational part of his brain screams at him but it all pales in comparison to Felix's wide smile the younger gives him after hearing that one simple word. "The weather is too perfect to pass on the opportunity. Just make sure to put some sunscreen on."

"Already did," Felix's smile couldn't possibly get wider as he pulls a bottle of sunscreen from his bag and tosses it to Minho who fortunately manages to catch it before it lands in the pan with the eggs.

They both stare at each other, Minho's eyebrows raised high and Felix just wiggling his.

"Good aim."

"Thank you," Felix's voice sounds like this is somehow a challenge like he dares Minho to replay. "I always have my eyes on the prize."

Now that is something Minho's brain adds meaning to. There can probably be many explanations for it but Minho only likes one.

"Oh," he answers and mimics Felix's tone. "Me too."

🐕🐕🐕

Just like Minho had said before, it is a perfect day for the beach.

It's the kind of weather where, if you were somewhere popular, there would probably be no place on the sand to sit your ass on free after the sunrise. Minho isn't even kidding, he saw it happen many times.

Fortunately, the beach they arrive at after a solid half an hour of a walk through a relatively chill forest is empty as always. And exceptionally hot, especially after the time they have spent just spent in the comfort of tree shadows.

"I was hoping it won't be as hot as it looks for a second there," Minho admits as they set their towels and bags down. After talking it out they've decided to bring food too since the others were leaving for the town anyway. Eating at the beach will be nicer for sure than eating in the empty house.

"I didn't," Felix's smile almost makes it seem like the younger is unfazed by the temperature but Minho can't be fooled.

Maybe the only plus of the merciless sun is the fact that it would probably make Felix's freckles more visible. Minho decides to cling to the idea and ignore everything else. For example, the way hot sand burns his feet when he tries to get to the water.

"Hey hyung, hurry up!" the sea carries Felix's voice despite him being far enough for Minho to have to squirm to see the expression on his face. "The water is perfect."

As expected 'perfect' is subjective but Minho pushes on through the warm waves to reach his friend.

Felix looks so natural with his hair disheveled by the wind, wet ends sticking to his freckled cheeks. Oh and an inflatable brightly colored ball in his arms.

"I've been wondering," Minho starts as Felix sends the ball flying in his direction. The wind is weak enough that day for the ball's trajectory to change only slightly so Minho's tosses it back to the younger easily. "Why it feels like you've been here before. Or, more like, why does it look like you feel at home here."

Felix doesn't drop the ball, setting it high in the air before bringing his eyes to rest on Minho. There's something Minho hasn't seen in them yet. It hits him then how much he still has to learn about the younger and just how strong he is. Because the emotion in Felix's eyes is pain even if he masks it with nostalgia pretty fast. All the months and Minho hasn't seen real pain shaping his face into a grimace until now.

"I'm sorry I asked," Minho lets the ball hit the water with a loud splash, his hands hanging by his sides when in reality all he wants to do is reach out and show Felix that it's okay.

It's okay to not want to talk but it's also okay to be vulnerable with him. Everything is okay as long as he is comfortable.

But Minho can't reach Felix, the other too far away in the sea.

And besides, if Minho grabbed Felix's shoulder he doesn't know if he would let go that easily. This is not a state he wants the younger in if he ever decides to confess or anything even remotely close to it.

"I guess it all just reminds me of home," he says, stare on the horizon now. "I think I just assumed Chan told you about it but the reality is probably you just assumed I'm from Seoul instead."

"You're not?" is the best thing Minho can think of and he grimaces at the way his voice sounds. "Chan never told me about it."

"Yeah, figures," Felix turns back to him. There's a smile on his face again but for the first time, it doesn't reach his eyes. They are still this strange mixture of sadness and nostalgia. "It's fine anyway, I don't know why I'm like this."

It's the way Felix tilts his head to the side, probably refusing to let it fall down completely, which brings out the obvious. There are tears in the younger's eyes, patiently waiting to be released so they can make their way down his cheeks and join the sea.

Before Minho has hesitated to take any steps in Felix's direction but now he starts moving before he can really think about it. His feet battle the water and sand and each move is somehow harder than the previous and Felix keeps talking, tears threatening to fall at any moment.

"I'm from Australia, you know. We came to Korea when I was still in high school but I live in Seoul alone, my parents live in Busan. I guess..." another pause and with one shaky breath from Felix, Minho picks up speed almost running at this point. "You could say I've left my home behind two times already. Don't get me wrong though, I love Seoul and all the friends I've made there. I love you all."

Minho almost crashes with Felix, only his reflex stopping them both tumbling and falling into the water.

His arms gently close around a surprised Felix and the younger loses control over his emotions, sending tears running down his cheeks.

It also makes the sadness disappear from his eyes, at first for a second but when he finally registers what's happening, a spark of something Minho can't identify replaces it permanently, staying there long after Minho lets go of Felix and takes a step back to inspect him.

"It's normal to feel like this," he tells the boy before him.

"I'm not sad because of it, I promise. I'm glad I came here," the younger's voice, fortunately, doesn't sound choked or anything and the tears on his cheeks have already dried.

"Is it really similar to your area in Australia?" Minho asks and because he wouldn't be himself otherwise he decides to add a joke. "I always imagined Australia's beaches would be a little less empty."

Felix laughs just as Minho hoped. It's not his typical one, but it's good enough anyway.

"Oh, they are packed for sure. To be honest, this place is nothing like my hometown I think it's just the familiarity Seungmin talked about on our way here. Even if I have never been here before it feels like I did somehow. I guess it brought the nostalgia out."

Felix doesn't mention the sadness Minho knew he saw on his face before so neither does he.

Instead, they hunt down the ball, which has floated away while they talked and make their way to the beach.

Minho doesn't know if it's because of the time they have spent in the water or maybe the sun has calmed down a little, but the sand doesn't burn him anymore. And neither does the air when they sit and bring out the food from their bags.

The rest of the evening passes in the same lazy but comfortable atmosphere all the other days have, no more surprises waiting at the corners of their conversations.

Minho is glad to have Felix's smile back but he can't help but wonder if maybe accepting the offer to come to the beach wasn't a mistake. He, of course, doesn't regret learning more about the younger, no matter how trivial or important the information is but once again he was right.

If he thought he was in too deep before, he was clearly wrong.

Now, he isn't really sure if there's a come back from the place Felix's smiles send him to. Or if he even wants there to be one.

Which is bad, so bad.

🐕🐕🐕

For Minho all the summers he spends at the seaside pass in a blink. This one not being any different, just as expected.

Before any of them can really get too used to their lazy schedule and the freedom of living somewhere the civilization has no power over them, it's already time to pack their bags.

"I can't believe it's the last night," Jeongin whines, face in a permanent frown over the contents of his bag. "What's stopping us from spending the rest of the summer here?"

"Your retakes," comes an answer from the other room follower by a hushed 'don't remind me baby' from Jisung who is the one in charge of making sure Jeongin passes everything.

The younger boy can't really argue with that.

For the past few years, probably since about the time Hyunjin has joined their friend group, they've been going to the beach on the last night.

Another element, added by Seungmin two years ago, are sparklers which the younger brings out of his now. He opens the box and distributes them fairly between everyone.

Felix stares down at the sticks in his hands in awe.

"Remember not to waste them assholes, I'm not running to the town in the middle of the night to buy another box," yes, this has happened before, when the new addition was added for the first time and some of them weren't exactly aware of Seungmin's intentions. "Even for you Jeongin."

The boy in question pouts but it lasts only a second before he goes back to frowning over his bag. In truth, Jeongin is probably one of the ones who uses the sparklers the best.

"What are they for?" Felix asks, still confused about what's happening.

"Oh, it's a tradition. Since we usually spend the last night at the beach anyway and Seungmin complains he never gets any good shots of us during the vacation himself because we are 'too busy doing nothing' we do a photoshoot during the night and there's where they," here he points at the sticks in Felix's hands and then at his own. "Come into play. You should use yours wisely."

There's a spark in Felix's eyes and it resembles that of a lighted up sparkler.

It stays there through the whole packing up processed and the last dinner they have sitting on the floor. The smile is still there when Minho pulls out his lighter.

"Here you go," he says and hands Felix his sparkler. It sizzles and sends sparks flying all around them. They reflect in his eyes and Minho thinks that they really match the look he usually has in them. That excitement and happiness.

Minho gently taps his shoulder and nods behind Felix to where Seungmin stands, camera lifted to his eyes. The boy has been taking the photos for some time now, Jisung and Changbin splashing each other in the water now, their used sparklers laying on the side.

"Fast, before it dies down. You only have three tries."

Felix nods but doesn't turn, instead gesturing at the sticks laying next to Minho's feet. He is supposed to go after Felix which was decided by some heated game of rock paper scissors.

"What?" Minho asks, too dazed to understand what Felix wants from him.

"Go with me!" Felix screams over the sizzling of the sparklers.

Minho considers it for a moment but Felix's stick is almost halfway used so he makes a fast decision and forces the younger to turn around the go in Seungmin's direction instead.

"I'll join you for the last one!" he yells and Felix clearly hears him because he picks up speed and throws hands in the air, gesturing for Seungmin to start taking photos.

The camera Seungmin is using is one of his old ones. There's a charm in not knowing how the photos will turn out for months and about having just a few shots to work with.

Seungmin has mastered the skill over the years which is apparently in each and every photo Minho has hung above his bed. The younger makes a copy for everyone and Minho loves observing the different ways they all choose to exhibit the pictures in.

Jeongin and his fairy lights constellations made by Hyunjin on the ceiling with the pictures in every free space between them.

Chan and his albums proudly displayed on his shelves in the living room.

Jisung and his corkboard full of photos making a completely chaotic timeline.

The list goes on and all. Minho loves them all.

He wonders what Felix will do with his pictures once they arrive.

He observes the boy pose in a dozen different ways with the remains of his first sparkle and then the second, waiting for the perfect moment to light up his and join in.

He figures his best shot is when Felix throws his second used up stick away and Seungmin shouts something at him. Minho can't hear the words but he can see Felix nodding before bending over and picking up the last one from the sand.

He picks up his sparklers with the intention of dropping the extra ones somewhere closer to the location of the photoshoot.

"Ready?" his voice reaches Felix no problem and the younger turns to him, the sparkler in his hand still unlit.

"Fire?" Minho asks.

Felix nods and tilts the stick in Minho's direction. The fire catches on quickly and before Minho has time to register what's happening Felix grabs his wrist and leads him closer to Seungmin.

"What is your plan?" Minho asks, giggles bubbling up in his chest. The adrenaline from the vicinity of sparks and Felix's fingers around his wrist make him feel light.

"You'll see," is the only answer he gets, and when Felix finally stops, sparkler handing low from his fingers Minho feels a jab of fear. The sparks in Felix's eyes shift into the same look he couldn't decipher the other day on the beach. He is still none of the wiser now, just as confused as to why that intense stare is directed at him.

"Felix?" he asks.

The whole beach is silent for a moment or maybe it's just silence ringing in his ears that puts every other noise so far in the background he can't hear it anymore. Either way, it's abnormally quiet and Minho feels unsettled.

Then, two things happen at once. Felix brings his sparkler up making everything suddenly brighter and leaving no doubt in Minho's mind about the fact that the way the younger's eyes travel to his lips is not an illusion. Not a product of his feverish imagination but reality.

And then Felix kisses him.

Minho can hear Seungmin's camera go off in the distance but he can't bring himself to care with the way Felix's lips move on his. It's like the younger is searching for something, chasing an idea or god knows what.

Minho brings him closer, hands on the base of his neck. He deepens the kiss, forcing Felix to stop looking for something that isn't there.

'Here,' he thinks and navigates the younger as long as the air in his lungs lets him. I'm real, I'm here.'

They part, gasping for breath.

"Hyung."

"Felix," Minho's voice is breathless and he can feel each beat of his heart.

The sparks die out around them.

🐕🐕🐕

From that point onward one would think it would be an easy game.

Partly it is, of course. Felix and Minho talk it out the same night, far away from the prying eyes of the others while Hyunjin and Jeongin do their couple shots.

The words that Minho has thought hard to utter before come crashing from his lips like waterfalls, impossible to tame.

It's reassuring to hear similar words from Felix too. Minho is someone who would kiss people on impulse if he knew they didn't mind so he is glad to hear the whole story which goes almost identically to his.

Almost.

A story will probably never sound the same when told from a different perspective.

Their stories and words may differ a little but the conclusion they reach is the same.

And so, they start dating.

That part is easy, laying with fingers tangled in Felix's hair or counting the freckles on his nose when the younger isn't looking. Minho could do it for eternity.

But life is not always easy and it comes in the form of sleepless nights while getting ready for retakes and canceling plans last minute, sadness in Felix's eyes impossible to miss.

Obviously, Minho expects some parts to be harder but everything else feels as natural as breathing for them.

"Do you think you are ready?" Felix as them as they sit on Minho's sofa, steaming mugs filled with tea in hands. It has been getting colder and colder each day so they have switched late-night lemonade Felix has taught him how to make during holidays to something hotter.

"I thought I was ready for the first take," Minho can tell just how impressed Felix is with his answer by the younger's raised eyebrows. "What? I did study back then."

"Yes I know," Felix tries to give him a tired smile but his own nerves are visible. "Another question then. Do you feelready?"

Minho thinks about it. About all the evenings and nights the eight of them have spent restlessly trying to understand their respective materials.

Apart from Seungmin and Chan, everyone has at least one subject to retake. None of them have to retake more than two things so it gives them enough time to really try to get behind what they did wrong in the first take and also discuss it over with the others.

Jisung almost moves in with Jeongin for a few days even, trying to help the younger understand what went wrong during that one memorable exam.

It all comes down to this.

Two days, two retakes.

"I think I do. What about you Lix? Do you think this will be easy?"

"Easy? Why would I fail an easy class in the first place?" Felix's voice sounds strained but the smile on his face tells him all he needs to know.

"I think we will both do splendidly."

Felix grins at him from over the edge of his mug.

"We better."

🐕🐕🐕

"So? How did it go?" Chan's voice goes so high Minho is sure that if he went just a little bit higher only bats would be able to hear him. Or at least that's what he wants to believe.

Jeongin is the last person to leave his classroom after his retake, marking it the final battle of two days.

So far, everyone has been successful and Minho can't help but hold his breath as their friend collect his thoughts.

Everyone floods to him like moths to the light, closing him in a tight circle.

For a moment Minho's stomach drops because Jeongin isn't smiling. His face is neutral and that's not very normal for the younger. He can physically feel the rest of the room taking a collective deep breath.

"Tell me they didn't fail you again," Jisung whispers, close to tears.

Jeongin's face breaks into the biggest smile Minho has ever seen on the younger and he knows it's not the same kind as the one Jeongin gave him and Seungmin when he told them he has failed. Which means...

"I passed!" he exclaims and there's no time for him to say more before everyone jumps up to him and embraces him in a hug so tight Jeongin squirms. "Guys... Guys I can't breathe."

"My best student!" Jisung's voice is full of happiness. Minho just knows the younger will boast about this for about five years now. Maybe for once, he will let him without laughing about it too much.

"That's my smart boyfriend!" Hyunjin adds and everyone slowly backs away, afraid they might actually strangle Jeongin by accident. "I'm proud of you Innie."

"Hyunjin..." Jeongin doesn't even think twice before crossing the distance Hyunjin has just put between them and while for a second Minho is scared they all might be about to witness the biggest pda, the pair just hugs. Somehow, it seems even more intimate than any kiss Minho has ever seen and he turns his attention to his left, trying to give the two some privacy.

Felix looks at him with a smile and raised eyebrows.

"See, we all made it," his voice sounds both like he has been sure of it all along and like he is in so much awe this is even happening at the same time.

Minho has a feeling it's not just about the exams.

"Of course we did," he counters, a smirk slowly crawling onto his lips. "Did you doubt us?"

Felix's expression changes to a more nostalgic one and Minho wonders if the younger is thinking about Australia and his parents again.

"After all the effort we put in? No way. It's just, I never expected my second year in Seoul to end like this. Sure, I've had some friends in my course before and there was Chan too but..." Felix trails off and Minho can pretty much guess what the younger is hitting at. He didn't expect any of this to happen too. He never expected a new addition to their group. Even less a boyfriend. "I'm glad I'm here with you all. You especially."

Minho laughs but takes a step closer. If Jeongin and Hyunjin can get all disgusting so can they.

"Is this favoritism I smell?" he asks and traces a finger along the younger's cheekbone. Felix leans into the touch.

"Of course," Felix's words die down fast under the younger's mouth which finds Minho's in a short but fierce kiss. "Now, let's go celebrate with the others before they decide to leave us here."

Minho snorts but moves away because that sounds just like something their friends would do at the first given occasion.

And today Minho feels like celebrating the success and the start of a completely new chapter in their lives.

He reaches out and grabs Felix's hand, slowly interlacing their fingers together.

"Let's go."

🐕🐕🐕

"I finally got my plan for the new semester," Felix skips all the ‘hello’s and ‘good mornings’ as he opens the door to Minho's apartment, the smell of coffee filling the hall in a matter of seconds.

"The day before the classes start?" Minho looks up from his desk just in time to catch Felix's gaze as he enters the room.

"Always better than on the day of the first lectures," he says, only half-joking. Always the optimist. Though, if Minho had, to be honest, Felix might be right. It wouldn't be too wild to think their university would forget to sent students the plans.

"For sure," he agrees and gestures for his boyfriend to get closer, to see what he has laid out on his desk. "Seungmin gave me those today. I have yours in the bag."

The dark photos, most of their surface completely black broken by color only in the middle and by a few lonely sparks of gold all over, are a stark contrast to the dark surface of the desk.

"Oh it's the photos," Felix leans over Minho's shoulder and scans the pile of pictures the older has been looking through when he came. "Were you going to hang them?"

"Yeah," Minho sizes the occasion and steals the cup his boyfriend is still holding, the coffee long forgotten by Felix who is now looking through the photographs with wide eyes.

"Those are so good, Seungmin is talented."

Minho snorts and takes a sip. If only Seungmin could hear the awe in Felix's voice. Of course, the fact the younger would focus on would be how surprised he sounds.

"Had doubts?" Minho raises his eyebrows and watches in amusement as Felix tears his eyes away from the pile and looks at him, a different kind of emotion taking over his face. He looks offended.

"Of course not," he says and picks up the picture he was looking at when Minho interrupted him. It's a close shot of Hyunjin and Jeongin, their faces lighted up by the sparklers in their hands. The sparks in their eyes, however, probably aren't thanks to them but more because of each other. It's hard to miss the way the two look at each other. "This is beautiful."

Minho nods lightly and then his eyes fall on the photo that was previously laying under the one Felix's is still holding.

It's the one he wasn't too sure existed.

"Felix," his voice sounds breathless like he has just run a mile. "Look."

The younger's head snaps in the direction Minho points too and he instantly freezes, mouth hanging slightly open.

"It's..."

The Minho and Felix in the picture have their hands with the sparklers hanging low which means the top of their heads are lost in the shadows. It doesn't matter though, the real point being the spark between them, the light reflected in Felix's eyes, and the smile on Minho's lips as they kiss, tasting each other for the first time.

There have been so many beginnings for Minho over the course of his relationship with Felix. Their first meeting being a complete accident, then the younger helping his with his weakest academic point then the trip and this, the night it all changed.

And now this, the warmth of Minho's apartment the day before they dive back into university life.

Everything is so different yet Minho has never felt more right in his own skin.

It's perfect.

"It's beautiful."