Work Text:
An old wooden canvas falls to the floor as Felix grabs a box from a tall pile on his tippy toes.
Currently he's at his old family home that has seen several generations grow, cleaning up the much needed attic. The problem with doing that when all of the family is present, is that they never get rid of anything because everything has a sentimental value. Yet the need for a house detox is long overdue and Felix has to tell himself that no, he doesn’t need his leggo set he hasn't touched in like seven years and maybe someone else could play with it if he gives it to the kid's charity shop.
He dusts off the lid of the box and on the other side of the attic his sister sneezes. The dust makes him tear up as well so he rubs his eyes with his elbow. When Felix sees the contents of the box he sits down even if he knows his pants are going to get dirty.
Inside are belongings of his grandma that passed away a couple of years ago, namely her cross stitch works. Most of them she gave away to friends and family, Felix too has a few framed in his bedroom walls and others well kept in a box on the top of his closet.
There are also a few works done by him from when he was a kid with chubby fingers and restless hands. Those are a lot different from the ones his grandmother did, with a fabric with tiny stitch holes, with a needle that can pickle a finger instead of a thick blunt one that he and his sisters used to pretend was the barbie doll’s sword.
All of them are folded carefully, all of them finished except for one. It's not a big piece, it’s a forest landscape halfway done. Felix remembers her working on it whenever he came to visit in the last year she was alive. The memory makes him a bit sad but he still looks at the past with fondness.
This one project is still in its original paper bag together with the pattern paper and the threads needed. There are pencil marks on the paper and when Felix looks better he can see a few faded notes next to certain colours. 'not enough left', x's marking those that were missing and 'flour', the last one probably part of a shopping list that she put there as a reminder.
No one really knows what to do with that one box so Felix ends up taking it with him. They talked about maybe selling the finished ones that were left because there is no space to put them in the walls but it almost feels wrong.
When Chuseok ends and he has to go back to the dorms, Felix’s luggage carries memories inside. He knows there is a shop that sells needles and threads and all that jazz near the dorms so he brings his grandma’s unfinished work with him when he gets back. Now that winter time is approaching there’s not much to do besides drowning in coffee, study and cry so doing some cross stitch can be a nice, relaxing way to destress.
“This is such a grandma gift, I love it!” Jisung says as he admires the framed cross stitch of a realistic dynassour Felix’s grandma had done. When Felix first saw it he immediately knew Jisung would love it and he knew his grandmother would be happy with his roommate's reaction.
“I knew you would. When do the others arrive?” Felix asks Jisung, who is busy finding a place on his desk to put the frame all the while Felix puts his luggage in their shared bedroom.
“Chan-hyung should be here already, Innie is on the train and Minnie and Jinnie should be back tomorrow morning."
“Chan-hyung is probably spending time with his ‘friend’.” Felix says with air quotations.
“Right?! So I’m not the only one who noticed it. If they don’t get together by Christmas I’ll be forced to intervene.”
“Let the two of them figure things out.” Felix has a smile on his lips knowing very well of his friend’s good intentions.
“You only say that because you’re not the one who has to hear Minho-hyung pining 24/7.” Jisung sighs and he lets himself fall down on the bottom bunk bed.
“Nope but I’m the one who hears Chan-hyung pining for Minho-hyung 24/7.” Felix lays down on top of Jisung, after all that was his bed that Jisung took over.
“Uff, your hands are so freaking cold Lix.” At that Felix sneaks his hands past Jisung’s shirt making him screech. They reach a compromise by letting Felix put his hands on Jisung’s hoodie pocket.
“What’s your plan if by Christmas things don’t get solved?”
“Good old mistletoe, it never fails.” Jisung says as he chuckles evilly.
“That’s not even a korean tradition?”
“Nope, but Minho-hyung is a hopeless romantic so he definitely knows how it works.”
They talk some more while cuddled up until Felix eventually falls asleep, tired from the trip to move back to the dorms.
A week goes by fairly quickly, which is nice because now it’s the weekend. However the work pile is already growing and in true college fashion, that work will be touched once the deadlines approach.
Felix had kind of forgotten about the cross stitch thing, only when he walked by the little shop on the way to meet up with his friends the other day did it all come to mind.
It’s Saturday afternoon and the days are getting colder so he decides to go now before the weather becomes harsher and he refuses to leave the dorms and freeze to death unless he absolutely has to.
When Felix enters the store he feels slightly overwhelmed with all of the clutter. Well, he calls it clutter but it’s actually useful, sellable things and they’re pretty too. There’s rolls of fabric neatly tucked in a pile, tubes of buttons, every and all assortment and types of thread one can imagine. It’s a bit of a mess overall with some boxes full of new material ready to unpack on the corners.
There is a guy at the counter that hasn’t noticed him yet and Felix thinks he recognizes him from university. Seo Changbin, a senior one year older than him who studies Korean literature. Felix knows that because one day when he went to the library he sat on the table next to the other and heard him explain the particularities of a poem by Yi I to a fellow student. Despite not having much interest in ancient literature he ended up listening to it attentively while his own work stayed untouched. Felix thinks he’s cool and so does the entirety of the university.
Fitting for the guy to be currently reading a book. He is wearing a simple white tee, round glasses perched on his nose, lips slightly parted in concentration. Felix doesn’t know if he’s more relieved for the fact that he kind of knows the person or if he’s more intimidated. Changbin is cool-cool, not just eh cool, not the ‘actually a bully disguise but everyone calls them cool because they don’t want to be targeted’ type.
Felix musters up the courage and walks up to the counter.
“Hey.” He says, hoping to get the guy’s attention.
“Oh, hey, sorry.” That does the job and Changbin in his haste closes the book. Felix with his quick reflexes sticks a finger in between the white pages, right before they all press against each other.
“Won’t you lose the page?” He asks innocently. He hates when it happens to him so if he can avoid someone having to go through the hassle of searching through endless pages where they left off, he wouldn’t mind.
“Oh… I’ve read this a lot so I kinda know where I am at.” Changbin says sheepishly as he scratches his nape looking down, his cheeks flushing up.
Felix can feel himself flush too from the embarrassment. Great first impression Lee Felix, good job.
“So what can I help you with?” Changbin clears his throat and asks.
“I needed some cross stitch threads.” Felix pulls the pattern paper out and points to the ones his grandmother had crossed.
“Which brand is it?”
“Brand?”
“There’s several different brands who all have the same colours but slightly different tones and the numbers do not match from one brand to another. From the notes it seems that there is a mix and if you already started stitching with a colour thread from one brand you can’t change for another one in the middle of it.”
“I don’t really know, my grandmother was the one who did this, I was just hoping I could finish her last work?” Changbin smiles kindly at him and Felix can immediately conclude he likes that smile.
“Do you have it with you?”
“Yeah.” Felix pulls the paper bag out and carefully lays the project along with all the threads he has. Changbin looks at each of the labels with him and at the project and explains everything to him with patience.
He has a nice calming voice, that is the second thing Felix notices. Felix also finds two small barely visible scars, one on Changbin’s chin and another on his brow bone. As Changbin browses through the abundance of threads in the shop, Felix catches himself focusing more on that broad back instead of what he’s being told.
“Sorry what?” Felix asks as he dies a little inside.
“I asked if you want to sign up for the cross stitch classes my aunt gives on thursdays and tuesdays morning.” Changbin oh-so kindly repeats, now focused on packing the missing threads for Felix to take home.
“Ah, I’ve got classes at that time.”
“Oh okay.” The silence that stretches is filled by the register and the tapping of a screen before being broken again by Changbin.”If you want to, I can also help out in case you need.”
“You know how to cross stitch?” Maybe it is wrong of Felix to assume that Changbin does not know how to cross stitch just because he is a buff man, and again he dies a little inside.
“Yeah. My aunt is the one who owns the shop and she taught me.” Changbin avoids looking at Felix with a pout resting on his lips. He clears his throat trying to dissipate the awkward air around and it brings Felix back to reality.
“I’d love to! I mean, sounds cool.” Felix sounds far too excited so he tries to play it cool but fails. At least he got to hear Changbin chuckle. There is the sound of footsteps from another customer so Felix hurriedly pays and grabs his stuff to leave.
“See you around?” Changbin says, a kind smile lighting up his features.
“Yeah, see you around, bye.”
As soon as the outside breeze hits Felix he realizes how red and warm his face is. He usually isn’t that bad at socializing but right now he wants nothing more than to bang his head against the streetlight in front of him or scream from how embarrassed he is.
Still, as he walks back down to the dorms with wind on his hair, he can’t stop feeling giddy for some reason. That feeling makes him smile but there is one little thing that makes him falter. He did not tell Changbin that he in fact, also knows how to cross stitch. It’s a little white omission of truth (he never said he couldn’t cross stitch so he never lied) but Felix knows the very basics, has done a few little things ever since he returned from the big home cleaning.
A week goes by and it’s Saturday morning once more. The weather has cooled down a bit and as much as Felix loves winter, he hates the freezing cold that comes with it. But it’s not winter yet and so he basks in the rays of the autumn sun as he walks to the shop owned by Changbin’s aunt.
They had seen each other around campus but only exchanged brief smiles and that had been the extent of it. It feels weird going to meet someone that is somewhat a stranger and someone Felix kind of admires from afar. Honestly, the reason he hasn’t told Changbin he kinda knows how to cross stitch is because he wants to know the other a little better, he is curious about him and there is nothing to lose by just going in and getting some free lessons.
This time when he enters the shop the place is a little tidier than previously. There are no boxes in the corners and some stands seem to have moved around which opened up the space more but the cozy feeling still remained.
“Oh, hi.” Changbin is the one that greets him first. He’s wearing a light blue knit sweater that makes him look extra soft. Today there is no book on his hands, only his phone that he seems to have been scrolling by when Felix arrived.
“Hi, I realized I never really asked when you’re free for this.” Felix doesn’t know why every time he’s in the shop he feels shy and ends up so flustered. It’s a feeling that warms him up.
“I work here on Thursday to Friday from five to seven and Saturday only in the morning so you can come whenever you feel like it.” Changbin says as he grabs two tiny wooden round stools that remind Felix those that children sit on in daycare and puts them near the front shop window from where light pours in.
It feels kind of awkward and Felix’s body is extremely stiff as he sits on the stool and he already knows his back is going to be screaming by the end of it. Changbin sits next to him with some distance in between and watches as Felix nervously takes out the hoop with the fabric on.
“I feel like I’m about to fall off if I move too much.” He says with everything almost ready. The front window doesn’t go entirely to the floor so the large display windowsill serves almost like a table where Felix can put the pattern paper, scissors and threads on.
“Yeah, sorry about that, it’s just easier to use your knees kind of like a stand and you need good light.”
The light is indeed very good, Felix thinks as he looks at Changbin’s eyes that shine a lighter colour than their usual dark brown. It makes his skin glow too and Felix feels a smidge of jealousy at how good he looks.
“Have you ever cross stitched before?” Finally the million won question Felix was avoiding at all costs came in.
“I’ve done the ones for kids in the past with like, that thick fluffy thread, you know?”
“Ah with yarn. I did those a lot too.” Changbin smiles at him as he adjusts himself on the stoll. If it was small for Felix, for Changbin it was even smaller.
Changbin doesn’t ask further questions about the topic and Felix is happy with that despite still feeling a bit bad. Again, he didn’t lie but he also didn’t elaborate on his real ability when it came to cross stitching. Though it actually doesn't matter because Changbin does teach him techniques he never heard about and also some actual theory that Felix had no idea even existed.
Felix starts threading the needle and they talk about things completely unrelated to what they are doing but it was nice and comfortable, the awkward air from before nowhere to be found. They talk about school mostly, sometimes about their friends and Felix learns that Minho is actually Changbin’s best friend and so the conversation eventually turns to the two lovesick idiots that their friends are for a brief moment. They don’t talk much about each other personally and Changbin interrupts the conversation when they realize Felix hasn’t done a single stitch yet.
They pick up from where they left off and Changbin teaches him how to do a loop start instead of the tail Felix was used to doing. They try to figure out how his grandma did the back so neatly but not even Changbin who was clearly the most experienced one knew how. But it’s okay because Changbin tells him that it’s cute how it’s noticeable that two different people worked on the project because the one that started couldn’t anymore.
“It shows love.” Is what Changbin tells him and Felix has a hard time fighting against tears that blur his vision that thankfully don’t spill.
Sometimes when Felix is about to do a stitch Changbin guides his hand with a light finger push.
“Don’t go down yet, there’s another stitch there.” Is what he says through a soft, lowered voice and when Felix looks to his side they are close, closer than when they began.
It continues like that throughout the next week and to be honest Felix can’t say he has made much progress on the project because he keeps getting distracted talking to Changbin. Which is nice, very nice because it means he can spend more time with Changbin down the line. They learn more about each other, share everything from childhood stories to college nightmares and insecurities. Felix doesn’t know what to reply back when Changbin tells him his freckles are cute, or that his korean name is really freaking cool so he does the only thing he knows, sputters a bunch of nonsense and tells Changbin to focus and hears the other laugh.
As Felix walks back to the dorms he wonders why he feels the way he does whenever their hands slightly graze each other with featherlike touches, whenever Changbin looks back at him through round glasses that kinda need to be clean but the fault is on the lint that gets all over them when Felix fiddles with the threads.
“Oh, that sounds a lot like something that starts with a c...”Jisung teases him as they sit at the kitchen table eating their heated up dinner. Felix hasn’t exactly said anything about his trips to the store or that the person he has been spending a lot of time with after school is Changbin and so he just spoke vaguely about his feelings with Jisung. It might be a little selfish but for some reason Felix wants to keep the hangout time with Changbin as their little secret.
“Cock?” It’s Minho who says that making Felix choke on the food. Him and Chan had gotten together and eventually they all became close and Minho frequently spends some time with them at the dorms after he finishes his work and even cooks for them occasionally.
“Gross, we’re eating hyung.” Felix says nothing else, just keeps munching on his food sadly, thinking about the abysmal pile of school work waiting for him.
“So? You’re not saying it’s not a crush.” Jeongin pulls up a chair and sits down next to him and Felix knows the others that are around are also listening attentively.
“I don’t know, might be too early to tell. Anyway, who's going to help me clean the mess?” Felix asks loudly, specifically to the ones chilling on the couch who he knows are responsible for leaving the dorm in a disarray. Instantly everyone flees the scene, even Jisung pushed his food up on his cheeks and ran back to their room.
Felix sighs as he takes the last cold bite.
It’s cold. Really freaking cold and Felix feels like he’s freezing all the time regardless of how many layers he wears.
He’s cold and hungry and tired but midterms are coming up and the grind must go on. He sniffles once more in the silent library full of other students as he copies the notes he missed because the professor was talking too fast when a pack of tissues appears in front of him.
“I was wondering why I haven’t seen you around in so long.” When Felix looks up he sees a familiar face. Changbin pulls the chair next to him after asking if it was free and takes a peak at what he’s doing. “Wow, your handwriting is really pretty.”
“Thanks.” Felix feels shy at the compliment and curls a bit on himself and feels himself getting hotter, his cheeks probably red by now. It’s kind stupid how easily Changbin can make him flustered and Felix feels like an idiot for it but at least Changbin has mercy on him and never points it out.
“How is it going?”
Felix only grunts and it’s enough of an answer to Changbin’s question. A comfortable atmosphere settles over them, the awkward days now a distant memory. Truthfully speaking Felix does not need any more lessons on how to cross stitch but he still keeps walking down the narrow sidewalk to get to the shop and he still sits on the tiny stool where their shoulders brush so frequently. And Changbin knows that too but doesn’t say anything about it either.
Felix sniffles a few times and after he shudders once he feels something coming to cover his back. When he turns his head to look, Changbin is adjusting himself back on his chair and focusing hard on his own book, his glasses perched right at the end of his nose. Changbin’s warm jacket now sits on Felix’s shoulders.
“Aren’t you going to be cold?”
“Nope, don’t worry.”
Changbin’s cheeks seem a bit red so maybe he isn’t feeling cold at all and to be fair he is wearing a thick white knit sweater that makes his skin pop, making him look like a god and yes Felix definitely has a crush on Changbin. And he can’t scream because he’s in a library with said crush by his side. Oh his roommates are going to have a field day when they hear about this.
Felix snuggles a little more into the jacket. It’s a bit large on him which makes it ten times better and it smells like Changbin, like the cinnamon candle that he sometimes lights up while Felix cross stitches, like the soft cologne he uses. It’s cozy and Felix kind of wishes he could keep that jacket forever but he hands it back before they leave the library together.
There is the smell of fried food mixed in with the cold rain and Felix catches Changbin eyeing the random truck that sells churros and other oily food right next to the campus. Felix steals Changbin’s umbrella from his hands and pulls him by the sleeve towards the truck. It’s cheesy, reminds Felix of endless winter romantic movies but he understands why it’s such a famous trope. Because it’s so much fun and seeing the other person complain while smiling makes his heart beat stronger on his chest and it’s a fond memory to look back on.
“I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas already, I still haven’t gotten anyone a gift.” Felix grumbles under his breath as he focuses on a confusing part of the pattern that Changbin guides him through.
“You can get me some of your cookies and I’m a happy lad.”
It’s Saturday morning again, a couple weeks away from Christmas and also from the short school vacation. Felix doesn’t know if they’ll keep up with their routine after it, seeing as his grandma’s project that he has been doing his best to stall, is almost finished.
There are Christmas decorations all around and festive songs playing outside. The glass of the shop is covered in frost and little ribbons and lights and Felix can almost taste the seasoned goods on his tongue. The sun pouring in from the window is warm on their skin, but it’s still cold because the shop’s door is wide open as Changbin’s aunt and a few other people walk in and out with boxes that surely bring more holiday themed stuff to sell.
They are huddled together in their little corner, shoulders bumping and knees touching and if Felix turns his head their faces become dangerously close. He tries to focus on making the stitches but he’s barely making any progress today.
“My hands are so cold, I can barely feel them.” Felix says as he prickles his finger lightly once again but is immediately stunned to silence when he feels a warm hand over his guiding the needle through the tiny square space. They don’t really say anything even as it keeps happening, though maybe the other times the unsteadiness of Felix’s hands is purposeful.
And so are the many times he ‘forgets’ to dress warmly. Inside the shop is not that cold (when the door is closed) but cross stitching with a thick padded jacket is less than convenient and so Felix always makes sure to wear that one when he knows he’s going to meet Changbin. Because when he takes off the jacket and is only wearing a thin long sleeved shirt he gets cold and Changbin kindly offers him his spare jacket or hoodie that he has around.
It’s Thursday evening. The sky is already pitch dark at this time of the day but there is light pouring everywhere from street lights, from all the decorative Christmas decorations and from the yellow lamps that illuminate the shop. There is a candle burning on the counter, smelling of pine tree.
Felix can tell Changbin is tired, the bags under his eyes speak for themselves, so he is and isn’t kind of surprised when Changbin falls asleep. On his shoulder. At the beginning he could feel a shift in weight, felt their shoulders bumping more but Felix had thought Changbin was just leaning in to look more at the stitches but no. Changbin is peacefully asleep on his shoulder and Felix is close to having a mental breakdown because Changbin is sleeping on his shoulder and he’s so warm and snuggly and Felix is enamored.
And it’s scary, falling in love with someone is kind of scary but the way his heart flutters every time he thinks of Changbin close to him is nice, warm, cozy, like how they are right now and Felix stops being scared when he focuses on that. Changbin is sleeping on his shoulder and he is in love.
The holidays have started. There is still school work because the term only ends in April but no one really cares about it because it’s Christmas in a week and everyone is in a bit of a frenzy trying to get their last minute gifts. Felix is no different.
Despite the holidays Felix’s routine hasn’t changed much. The little shop he spends a lot of time in is still open and he and Changbin still sit in the same stools by the window on Saturday. Felix absolutely adores this day of the week, particularly the mornings. Problem is, he can feel them soon start slipping away from his fingers.
It’s been two and a half months since he first appeared lost and confused and overwhelmed with it all until Changbin so kindly helped him out. And now there is about a week left of work, his grandmother’s project soon to be completed.
It’s do or die, now or never. He knows they are about to call it a day anytime now so Felix musters up the courage and goes along Jisung's questionable plan. He waits until he knows Changbin is out of sight because he always has to do a quick inventory check on the back rooms around this hour, and perches himself on top of the stool to plant the trap.
He fidgets nervously for the rest of the morning, his leg bouncing up and down incessantly. Changbin asks him if something is wrong to which Felix says no despite feeling frustrated because all this time and Changbin still hasn’t made a move.
Felix is a bit scared his mind is playing tricks on him but he is almost sure that they share something special. The little touches, the actions of caring for one another, the warm cheeks and shy smiles and stolen looks, all of that is mutual. Changbin also chases his hands, also leans closer when they sit side by side to the point the distance that exists at the beginning of the mornings is gone by the end of it and they struggle to pull away from one another.
All of that and Felix is still nervous as heck when he gives Changbin a peck on the cheek. The other has his eyes wide open, surprise evident on his face. Felix points at the ceiling where a mistletoe hangs held by command strips right above them, and darts out after saying goodbye feeling his face ablaze.
He doesn’t look back so he doesn’t see Changbin crouching down screaming into his knees with a victory fist in the air.
“I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t walk out of that door.” Jisung is serious, Felix can tell. After his little moment with the mistletoe and Changbin’s soft cheek, Felix ran back to the dorms and told Jisung everything because he needed to vent. He was right, his roommates did have a field day and Felix will never hear the end of it.
And now it’s Thursday, the day Changbin is at the shop and when they usually meet up. Because it’s the holidays they didn’t have the opportunity to see each other in university which Felix kind of feels thankful for because he needed time to calm his loud heart.
Jisung nudges Felix’s side gently, trying to incentivize him to go. Felix has the cross stitch bag with him along with the thick padded jacket and scarf. Even his shoes are on but he still hesitates.
“I can’t believe you dared to complain about Chan-hyung when you’re not any better.”
“Hey!” Two different voices protest. Chan comes over to them and taps Jisung on the head and opens the door. Jisung takes the opportunity and pushes Felix gently, closing the door as soon as he is out with the excuse that it’s letting too much cold air inside.
As his feet crunch the fresh snow that is gathering on the floor Felix can’t stop wondering. What if Changbin doesn’t want to meet him again? What if he actually doesn’t like him like that? But then Felix remembers the text message he got this morning asking if he is coming over today and his racing mind calmed down.
He walks a bit slower, enjoys the cold snowflakes that roll down his face when he looks up. It’s something small that makes him forget his worries and when he arrives at his destination he doesn’t hesitate to walk inside and greet Changbin who is already sitting by the window, book in hand.
And he sees Changbin’s eyes sparkle and a smile stretching in his features and that bud of hope blooms in his chest again. They don’t speak of what happened the other time and just talk like they do normally. When Changbin asks him what he’s been up to, Felix struggles to come up with an answer because all he did was think and overthink about Changbin. So he gives him a boring general answer that kills the conversation.
The rest of the hour goes by mostly in silence and Felix doesn’t know if he wants to curl into a ball and cry because Changbin won’t stop fidgeting on his seat like he is uncomfortable. However, that thought doesn’t simmer for long because when Felix is gathering the stuff to leave he feels something soft against his cheek. When he turns to look at Changbin all he sees is him pointing to the ceiling and there it is, the mistletoe that he had put on the last time, still hanging strong.
It feels like everything is the same but things are definitely different. Changbin now occasionally rests his chin on Felix’s shoulder or runs his fingers through Felix’s hand that grips the bamboo hoop when he’s feeling a bit bored. And sometimes when he hooks his chin on Felix’s shoulder a hand comes to sneak around and rest on his waist, softly at first, careful but then as the days go on it becomes more reassured, stronger. And there is a new little action to their routine. Before they go, they always give a peck on the cheek under the same mistletoe.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” Changbin is actively hindering Felix’s progress by resting his head on his shoulder and by holding his hand which makes the hoop really unstable for the last dozen of stitches left.
“Hanging out with the group. We decided to stay together for the holidays this year. What about you?” Felix gives up on continuing the work, the bright forest landscape is making him feel sad. It’s almost over.
“I was going to stay home with my family but Minho invited me to come with you all.”
“Yeah?” Felix immediately lights up. The past few days he has actually been caught too many times daydreaming of spending the Christmas night with Changbin by his side, walking under rows of lights and ornaments, holding hands, maybe steal a few kisses here and there despite them not having gone that further yet.
“If you want me to, I’ll go.” Changbin speaks almost in a whisper. He’s shy, Felix can tell and it all makes him more endeared.
“I would love that.” Felix kind of wants to answer with a peck but can’t because Changbin is still resting on his shoulder. A voice calls out for Changbin who shoots up from his seat. His aunt has caught them in similar positions before and teased them about it lightheartedly but still they felt timid. She also told her nephew to give his boyfriend some space so he could work and Changbin didn’t correct her, just blushed and looked at Felix with a smile on his lips.
They still haven’t talked about that yet but Felix is not in a hurry, nor is he concerned because as long as they have each other he is happy.
It’s Saturday night and Felix should be feeling ecstatic but a sorrow fills his heart.
In the morning he had met up with Changbin and together they made the last stitch. His grandmother’s work is complete. The front is beautiful and so is the back, and it’s obvious where one worked on which part. Felix almost cried again when he turned it around to snap the remaining thread.
He wonders if there will be more mornings and evenings with Changbin like that but at the same time he can just pick up a new pattern, one they can start and finish together.
The temperature is pretty low and Felix is squished between Jisung and Hyunjin for warmth. Everywhere he looks there is condensation from the many people there and he can hear squeals of laughter from the children that were allowed to enjoy the late night. Felix squints his eyes trying to search for the one person that made him feel warm with a single look. Besides the streetlamps that blind him there are Christmas decorations everywhere, wrapped on the trees around the park where a big ice-rink stands.
He sees Minho wave at them first and glued to his side is Changbin who smiles when he catches his eye. Once everyone is gathered and introduces themselves they waste no time to go to the ice-rink before it gets even more crowded.
Changbin and Felix stay a little further behind and they watch the others go ahead when Changbin grabs the back of Felix’s jacket to stop him.
“I was kinda nervous so I might have forgotten to bring your present.” Changbin says, looking around, stealing a few glances at Felix. It’s nice to know that it’s not only him who feels like a nervous wreck.
He laughs, takes Changbin’s hand in his and in a surge of confidence bumps their noses together.
“You being here is already a great present.”
Changbin’s eyes sparkle as they reflect the countless yellow lights that surround them and Felix is mesmerized. He doesn’t know who leans in first but he feels gloved hands on his cheeks and soft lips on his.
“Ew gross.”
“What a bunch of saps.” When they turn back they see their friends looking at them and cracking like a bunch of hyenas at the murderous looks they both send.
When Felix looks back at Changbin his gaze is fond and he’s sure his isn’t much different. Changbin pops the question a bit later, asks Felix to be his boyfriend after they're exhausted from their little race on the rink against their friends.
And they kiss again, under the mistletoe Jisung is holding above their heads that he had brought just in case.