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Felix has always been a giver. Whether it be physical touch or handing out gifts, he genuinely loves to shower people with affection. But it's uncommon for him to receive things himself. So when he opens his apartment door one day to find a mysterious package waiting for him, he almost gets scared.
Carefully, he brought the mysterious package inside, holding it away from his body and gently placing it on the kitchen table. He stared at it in confusion for a few moments, analyzing the plain brown box. It was sealed with regular box tape, but it didn't have a shipping label on it anywhere. All it said to indicate it was for him was 'FELIX' written boldly on the top.
After more consideration, Felix finally decided to open the box. He rummaged through his drawers for a pair of scissors, and immediately cut into the tape as soon as he found them. The first thing he saw as the box opened was, surprisingly, baby pink tissue paper with little white polka dots all over, which Felix actually found very cute. Carefully, he pulled the paper away, anticipating the worst, but was pleasantly surprised when he only found a glass mug instead.
It was probably the cutest thing he'd ever seen, which made the situation even more puzzling for him. The mug was decorated with little strawberries all over, similar to the one Jisung had broken a week ago. Maybe this was Jisung's way of apologizing since it was one of Felix's favorites. The thought eased his mind, but just as he was about to discard the box, he saw a white envelope inside.
Pulling it out, he noticed his name scrawled over the front in incredibly neat handwriting that did not look anything like his best friend's. And any thought of it being Jisung immediately went out the window once he began to read the note.
'Heard you needed a new one, so I bought this cute mug for a cutie like you- S'
Felix could feel his cheeks heating up right away as he read it. It was like his brain was short-circuiting as all he could do was stand there and look dumbfounded.
It's not like he's never received a gift before. His friends and family always got him something for his birthday and Christmas. But he's never received a gift like this before. Maybe he should've felt suspicious of it, maybe it should've weirded him out that someone just anonymously left this in front of his apartment door, but he wasn't. Instead, he could feel butterflies begin to erupt in his stomach.
He carefully set the mug on the kitchen counter and then examined the note once more. The handwriting didn't look like it was from anyone he personally knew, but the signed 'S' at the end made him think of only one person.
"Seungmin?" He questioned himself.
The butterflies started to subside as he thought of one of his closest friends leaving this here for him. It wasn't like Seungmin had never called him cute, his friends commented on his cuteness quite frequently. But the way that the note was written was in a flirtatious way, and he's pretty sure Seungmin is very much into Jeongin.
The 's' had to stand for something else, but he still made a mental note to ask Seungmin about it just to be safe. Before he could think about it anymore, he heard keys jingle outside the door and the doorknob twist as both Minho and Jisung entered.
"Yongbokie! I thought you had to work today, what're you doing here?" Minho asked in confusion, his eyes immediately zeroing in on the note that Felix was clutching in his hand. His brother had always been too observant.
"What's that?" He asked as he came closer, jisung curiously following behind him.
Before Felix could even get a word out, Jisung had snatched the paper out of his hand and began to read aloud.
"Heard you needed a new one, so I bought this cute mug for a cutie like you!" Jisung squealed in shock. He held it up right in front of Minho's face for him to read clearly.
Minho was dead silent as he read the note, his eyes narrowing.
"Who's 'S'? Did that punk Seungmin write this? First he eats all of my food, and now he's flirting with my little brother?" Minho said angrily.
Felix just sighed, knowing that once Minho goes into "protective mode" there's no way to stop him. Still, he had to try to calm him down before he embarrasses him in front of the entire apartment complex.
"First of all, don't act like you don't see Seungmin as your other little brother. And second of all, I have no idea if he even sent this." Felix replied.
"It's true. You love him, quit denying it." Jisung added, giving a little peck to Minho's cheek as he passed by to go pick up the mug off the counter. "Is this it? It is really cute, and just like the one I broke!"
Minho glared at Jisung playfully and then looked at the mug in contemplation. Felix eyed him warily.
"I guess there's only one way to find out. Can I see that?" Minho asked as he snatched the mug out of Jisung's hands. "Thanks!"
He took off out of the door with both Felix and Jisung hot on his heels. Minho headed straight for Seungmin's apartment that was all the way at the end of their floor.
"Wait! Minho, I don't think I'm ready to know yet!" Felix pleaded, but just as he suspected, his brother was not listening.
He desperately tried to snatch both the mug and the note out of Minho's hand but he was too fast. With one hand holding Felix off, Minho knocked on Seungmin's door with the other and waited. When Seungmin opened the door, he was met with the sight of the two siblings bickering and Jisung standing behind them both sheepishly. They both stopped arguing abruptly as Seungmin stared at all of them in confusion.
Minho cleared his throat, and Felix felt like he could die right on the spot.
"Yah! Kim Seungmin. Did you buy my brother this mug?" Minho asked aggressively, holding the mug up in Seungmin's face.
Seungmin looked at the mug and then over at Felix in deep confusion. Felix only offered a small, embarrassed smile to him.
"No?" He answered.
Apparently that wasn't good enough as Minho scoffed and held up the note.
"Oh really? Then why is this note signed with an 'S'?"
Seungmin awkwardly took the note from Minho's hand and read it to himself, his eyebrows shooting up in intrigue.
"I didn't write that, I swear. But it looks like Lix has an admirer." Seungmin finally responded with a smug smile.
Felix simultaneously felt his anxiety wash away and build back up again as more questions circled in his head.
"Hm." Was all Minho responded with as he took the note back from Seungmin.
"Do you have any idea who it might be?" Felix asked hopefully.
"No idea." Seungmin replied, but the slight smile on his face made it seem like he might.
"I don't believe you." Felix replied, narrowing his eyes at Seungmin. The smug expression only deepened as he leaned against his door frame.
"Well... I may have my suspicions." He teased.
Felix perked up at that and jumped forward to latch onto Seungmin's arm.
"Please tell me!" He pleaded as he used his cutest puppy dog eyes.
"Hmm.." Seungmin pretended to think, and then seemed like he was about to speak again but abruptly stopped when something caught his attention.
Felix turned his head to see Jisung shaking his head frantically as he looked at Seungmin. He stopped immediately once he realized Felix had caught him and turned a shade of red that Felix didn't know was possible. Minho stepped forward in front of his boyfriend with his hands on his hips.
"Jisungie, why are you acting so suspicious?" He questioned.
Jisung turned even redder, and refused to meet Minho's eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Minho narrowed his eyes. "You know, don't you?"
Jisung snapped his head up, wide eyed. "No!"
Minho smirked. "You definitely know. I'll get it out of you eventually." Was all he replied with as he turned back around to Seungmin. "Well, we'll be going now. Also, sorry for accusing you or whatever."
And with that, he grabbed both Felix and jisung and pulled them down the hall with Felix waving at Seungmin awkwardly.
"You should come over for dinner tomorrow!" Felix semi-shouted.
"Yah!" Minho yelled.
After work later that day, Felix tiredly made his way into the complex. Inside, the elevator door was halfway shut so Felix used the rest of his energy to run and catch it before it fully closed. Luckily he stopped it just in time and let out a deep sigh of relief now that he didn't have to stand there and wait for the very slow elevator to come back down.
When he stepped inside, he was surprised to find that Chan was there, looking at him with an amused smile. Felix could feel his cheeks begin to heat up as he stood next to him.
"Long day?" He asked, looking over at Felix.
"You have no idea." Felix laughed tiredly. When Chan chuckled in response, he could feel his heart begin to flutter.
"Well whatever happened, at least you didn't spill coffee on your boss right before a big meeting." Chan winced.
Felix looked over at him with wide eyes, which made Chan turn an adorable shade of pink. "Was he mad?" Felix asked, a little concerned.
"He was a bit irritated, but thankfully he had a spare shirt so he let it go." He shrugged.
Felix smiled. "Mine's not as bad as that, but I messed up like five orders today. Most of the people were nice about it, but this one man acted as if I had disrespected his entire lineage."
Chan laughed hard at that. The sound echoed loudly in the small space and went straight to Felix's heart.
"Some people just like to be assholes unfortunately," Chan replied as he looked back at Felix. "Are you doing okay though?"
"Oh, yeah, I've just had something on my mind all day." Felix said nonchalantly, but it only made Chan look concerned.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Chan asked softly.
Felix thought for a moment, not really wanting the person he's had a crush on for years to know about his secret admirer. But the way Chan was looking at him with his warm eyes made him want to confess everything.
"Someone left me a gift this morning, and I have no idea who it's from." Felix said.
He was expecting some kind of surprised expression like Seungmin, but Chan's reaction to the news was different than what Felix thought it would be. It was almost like he was… embarrassed.
'He's probably still embarrassed about the thing with his boss.' Felix reasoned with himself. Still, he thought it was strange.
"Oh, that's exciting! What was the gift?" Chan asked, more enthusiastic now.
"It was a mug with strawberries on it," Felix smiled shyly. "Jisung broke the last one that I had, so someone replaced it for me."
"That's nice of them." Chan commented. There was something in the tone of his voice that sounded off to Felix, but he let it go. Instead, he smiled as a light blush colored his cheeks.
"Yeah, it was very sweet." He replied.
Just as it looked like Chan was about to say something else, the elevator dinged open, revealing their floor.
"I swear this elevator gets slower every time you ride it." Chan remarked instead.
Felix chuckled as they both got off.
"Would you like to come to dinner tomorrow? Hyung is making steak, so I invited everyone." Felix asked.
"Of course! Should I bring anything?" Chan questioned.
"No, no! Just bring yourself and you'll be good." Felix joked.
Chan smiled as they both said their goodbyes and made their way to the respective apartments on the opposite ends of the hall.
When Felix was finally inside, he saw both Minho and Jisung curled up on the couch sleeping. On the TV was some cheesy romantic drama that was definitely Jisung's choosing. As gently as he could, he pulled the blanket that was hanging off of Minho's leg and pulled it to where it was draping over them both.
With a final smile at the sight of them, Felix headed off to his room. The events of the day played through his mind like a movie on repeat. The gift, Seungmin, work, and then the elevator with Chan floated through his mind while he showered, and then again as he brushed his teeth, and once more as he threw himself back on his bed.
His conversation with Chan stood out to him the most. Something about the way he was acting seemed suspicious to Felix; it was like he had known already. And for the briefest of moments, Felix let himself think that his secret admirer might just be Chan. But as quickly as the thought passed his mind, he shot it down. The thought of it being Chan was just too much to even think about.
So what he thought about instead was the first time he met Chan.
It was the day that he and Minho moved into the complex and Felix had his hands full with boxes as he anxiously waited for the elevator. He had been waiting for the elevator for around five minutes, watching as it stayed at the sixth floor for what seemed like an eternity.
He sighed dramatically as he decided to give up and just take the stairs. But as Felix turned around, he was immediately met with his brother and the most attractive human being he had ever seen entering the building together. As soon as Minho's eyes landed on Felix, his entire expression turned into confusion.
"You're still waiting here?" Minho asked. The man next to him laughed, and Felix swore his heart must've skipped several beats.
"Yeah, that's something you'll have to get used to. That elevator is the slowest thing ever." the mystery guy explained. Felix had to fight everything in him not to keep staring.
Felix groaned and looked at his brother in irritation. "Didn't you notice when you took the tour?"
Minho shrugged. "We took the stairs."
Felix rolled his eyes at his brother, sitting the boxes in his arms down with an attitude.
"You're such an idiot." He replied in English, smirking at his brother's offended face.
"Is that any way to talk to your hyung?" Minho questioned in mock anger. Felix responded maturely by sticking his tongue out at him.
Out of the corner of Felix's eye he saw the man looking at him in an almost fond way, which made Felix's cheeks turn an embarrassing shade of pink.
"I have to go get something, I'll be right back." Minho said as he turned and went through the doors, leaving a very shy and awkward Felix behind with a stranger.
There was silence for just a moment before the man spoke up again. "He didn't introduce me, but I'm Bang Chan," he introduced himself, reaching out a hand for Felix to shake. "Nice to meet you."
Felix, in a semi-daze, just stared at Chan, not even registering the other's hand sticking out until his staring became too awkward.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking Chan's hand finally. "Sorry, I'm, um, Felix. Lee Felix."
He could've died right on the spot from the amount of embarrassment that he was feeling at that moment. Thankfully, Chan just laughed it off.
It was at that moment, Felix realized that he might just have a crush.
"So, Felix, are you guys from Australia? I heard your accent earlier when you spoke." Chan asked, now fully switching to English.
Felix was stunned for a moment; hearing the familiar accent come from his newfound crush was unexpected to say the least.
"Yeah-well-I am. Minho's from here." Felix answered, watching Chan's expression morph into confusion.
"Oh, I thought he told me you were brothers?" Chan stated more as a question.
"We're half-brothers; We share the same dad," Felix began the explanation like he had done many times before. "He was raised here with his mom while our dad moved to Australia and married my mom. We usually spend our summers together."
"And now you're moving in together, that's really cool." Chan remarked.
"Yeah." Felix replied with a shy smile.
Before anything else could be said, the elevator finally dinged behind them. And without even asking, Chan began helping him move the boxes Felix had next to him into the elevator.
"Should we wait for your brother?" Chan asked as he put the last box down.
"I waited like fifteen minutes for this elevator, he can either wait or walk." Felix replied, making Chan laugh again.
They had talked the entire way up without missing a beat, joking and reminiscing about their lives in Australia. Felix had no idea he could hit it off with someone so easily until then. And by the time that the elevator finally reached the eighth floor, his cheeks were sore from smiling too hard.
After they had gotten all the boxes out of the elevator and into his apartment, it was time to part ways.
"Thank you for all your help, it was really nice meeting you." Felix said, following Chan out the door.
"It was no problem. If you need anything else, I'm right down the hall. Apartment 803." Chan replied.
Felix's eyes widened. "Oh cool, I guess I really will be seeing you around then."
"I guess you will," Chan replied with a smile. "See you around, Felix."
After that, Chan introduced Felix and Minho to his roommates Changbin and Jisung. And then to his other friends on the same floor, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jeongin. They became friends instantly, and Felix finally felt like he truly belonged somewhere.
As he laid there, staring up at the ceiling and reminiscing, he realized something not too pleasant. If Chan isn't the one behind sending him the mug, he's going to have to make a choice. Should he continue with his crush on Chan and see if things would ever work out, or should he take a chance and accept his admirers' feelings, whoever they are?
His thoughts swirled in his mind until he grew tired and eventually drifted off to sleep.
Felix was woken up the next morning by someone violently shaking him from his sleep. He was startled so bad he almost fell off the bed from how fast he shot up, almost knocking a very eager Jisung off in the process.
"What the hell?!" He exclaimed as he clutched his chest.
Jisung didn't waste a single second as he whipped a box out from behind his back. He looked at Felix with excitement oozing from his expression.
"Look what was waiting outside the door this morning! You have to open it now!" Jisung was practically bouncing at this point as he shoved the box in Felix's direction.
Felix looked down at the box in surprise. He honestly didn't expect to receive anything else, but the prospect of someone dropping off gifts on the regular made him feel special. He tried to conceal his own excitement, but as he took in the pretty blue packaging, he couldn't help but practically squeal.
Jisung laughed in amusement and watched eagerly as Felix gently opened the box. The first thing he saw inside was another white envelope with his name written elegantly on it. He picked it up carefully and took out the note inside like it was a priceless artifact. As he read it, he couldn’t help the giddy smile that spread across his face.
“What does it say?” Jisung asked in anticipation. He had moved so that he was basically plastered to Felix’s side, reading along as Felix read it aloud.
“Heard you were feeling a little blue, so I hope this cheers you up. Something beautiful for the most beautiful boy in the world. -Secretly Yours.”
“Ooh, Secretly Yours?! How swoonworthy!” Jisung exclaimed and began to fan himself jokingly.
Felix nudged him in the side with his elbow and rolled his eyes as Jisung fell over on the bed dramatically.
“Don’t act like you don’t know who it is.” Felix said as he eyed Jisung.
With wide eyes, Jisung shot up from the bed. “N-no, I don’t. Minho was just being overly suspicious yesterday, you know how he is.” He denied.
The way he stammered and nervously stood in front of Felix like a kid in trouble did nothing to help his case. Felix looked at him unimpressed.
“Alright, I do know.” Jisung admitted finally, not lasting long under the pressure of Felix’s gaze. It was always too easy with him.
And even though Felix knew that Jisung knew, he still gasped like it was a shocking revelation.
“You have to tell me!” Felix yelled, jumping up from the bed and latching himself to Jisung just like he did to Seungmin. “Tell me, please~”
Jisung sighed exasperatedly, and looked at Felix with a guilty expression. “I can’t, I swore to them that I wouldn’t.”
“I see how it is,” Felix said sadly, giving Jisung an absolutely pitiful look. Jisung looked like a wounded puppy at this point, and it made Felix feel a little bad- just a little. “Whatever.”
Felix pulled away from Jisung and turned back to his bed where the box was sitting. Now excited again, Felix pulled aside the blue tissue paper to reveal a smaller box inside. It was definitely some kind of jewelry, and the mere thought of that sent his heart racing. As he opened the small velvet box, a glimpse of silver caught his eye and he had to refrain from squealing again as he saw a very expensive looking necklace.
It was heart-shaped and decorated with small diamonds all over, and Felix could imagine that it cost a pretty penny. The butterflies in his stomach were fluttering so hard he had to sit back down on the bed to calm himself down.
“Is that a diamond necklace!?” Jisung exclaimed, moving closer to get a better look. He gasped as Felix held it up to him. “No way.”
They both stared at it in wonder for a moment before Felix spoke up. “I can’t accept this,” he said quietly.
“Why not?” Jisung asked in concern. He sat down gently next to Felix, noticing the change in his demeanor.
“Because this must’ve cost a small fortune, and I can’t have someone spend that much money on me,” Felix explained, placing the necklace back in the box and holding it out towards Jisung. “Please tell them that I loved it, but I can’t take it.”
“Felix, come on, it’s just a necklace. Plus, if they cared about the price do you think they would’ve bought it in the first place?” Jisung reasoned, refusing to take the box from him.
Felix thought about it for a moment, and found that Jisung had a point. What was really holding Felix back was the fact that he’s never received a gift like this in his entire life. Other than his family and friends, he’s never really gotten gifts from other people that didn’t have an obligation to. So he thinks that the idea of someone wanting to spend that amount of money on him like this is a little overwhelming.
He would be a liar though if he said that he didn’t like the feeling, or that he didn’t want to put the necklace on and never take it off. But allowing yourself to be adored, to be loved, especially after feeling somewhat invisible to people for so long, is hard.
“Would you do me this favor then?” Jisung asked suddenly after getting no response.
“What?” Felix asked curiously.
“Wear this just for dinner tonight, and if you still feel the same way after, I’ll take it back to them tomorrow. Deal?”
Felix eyed Jisung suspiciously as the other held out his pinky, but after a moment of consideration he nodded his head and captured Jisung’s pinky with his own.
“You won’t regret this~” Jisung sang, pulling Felix with him off the bed and out of the room.
Since he had the day off, he was tasked with helping Minho prepare for dinner that night. His entire day was consumed with running to the grocery store and back because Minho realized that he forgot to get a very specific spice that was essential to the recipe that he was following. Then he had to prepare the potatoes and the green beans, and then after all of that, he had to get ready.
Jisung had taken it upon himself to oversee his outfit for the night, and had chosen a long sleeved, lilac shirt that framed his neck and collarbones perfectly with a pair of nice jeans to match. The real focus of his outfit that night, however, was the heart-shaped necklace that hung beautifully around his neck. He thought that he should feel awkward wearing something so nice, but as soon as Jisung clasped it around his neck, he felt a strange warmth erupt within him.
When he looked into the mirror, for the first time in a very long time, he felt pretty. His makeup was minimal, showcasing the freckles that he’s always been self-conscious of, and his blond hair was tied half-way up, giving him a soft look.
“Oh, he is going to lose it.” Jisung remarked absentmindedly as he admired his handiwork. He only realized his mistake after he noticed Felix’s reaction.
“Who’s going to lose it?” Felix questioned as he looked at Jisung through the mirror, only turning around to face him when he received no answer. “He’s coming here? He's one of our friends?”
Jisung smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. “I mean you kind of already knew that, didn’t you?”
And well, fair point. But that wasn’t going to stop Felix from freaking out about it.
“I-I just was speculating. But actually knowing now for sure is completely different.” He said as he could feel his anxiety start to act up. Knowing that his secret admirer was going to be in the same room as him tonight, and was definitely one of his close friends was a lot to take in.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the front door that startled both him and Jisung.
“Yongbok-ah! Can you get that?” Minho called out from the kitchen.
Felix looked at Jisung in alarm. “What do I do?” he panicked.
Jisung gently placed his hands on either of Felix’s shoulders and looked at him as reassuringly as he could. “Just be your normal self and you’ll be good. They’re just your friends after all.”
Felix nodded and pulled himself together the best he could before he went to the door. The first guest of the night was thankfully Seungmin. Felix let out a loud sigh of relief when he opened the door to see him, causing Seungmin to send him a questioning look.
“Never gotten that before,” He joked as he stepped inside, switching his shoes for one of the pairs of house slippers they had laid out. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little nervous is all. He explained.
Seungmin looked at him confused, but before he could explain further, Jisung jumped in.
“He’s nervous because his admirer is coming tonight, and he still doesn’t know who it is.” Jisung said teasingly.
“You really don’t know?” Seungmin asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which made Felix already even more embarrassed than he already was.
“No…” he said quietly.
“You’re so oblivious, it’s adorable.” Seungmin said, reaching over and pinching his cheek.
“Now you’re just being patronizing.” Felix retorted, pulling away from Seungmin’s hold.
It looked like he was about to say something else, but stopped as his eyes caught hold of the necklace.
“Where’d you get that necklace?” he asked curiously.
“His admirer got it for him~” Jisung teased again, smiling from ear to ear.
Seungmin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at that.
“He got you that?!” he practically yelled.
“Who got you what?” Minho asked as he suddenly appeared, probably coming to see what all the commotion was about. “Oh, it’s you.” he said playfully disgusted when he saw Seungmin.
“Now that’s the reaction I’m used to,” Seungmin replied. “But apparently someone really loves your brother.”
Now that made Felix turn so red he looked like he had been in the sun all day. Minho's eyes immediately snapped to Felix and quickly locked onto the necklace.
“Hm, it looks like he does.” Minho replied, calmer than Felix thought he would be which made him suspicious.
“So you know too now? Why am I the only person in this entire complex that doesn’t know who it is?” He asked in annoyance. Seungmin and Jisung looked amused, but Minho remained serious.
“That’s a good question, Yongbokkie. Why don’t you know?” Minho began. Beside him, Jisung sighed heavily. “If he’s serious about his feelings for you, then why doesn’t he just tell you out right, hm?”
Felix tried, but found it hard to ignore the question.
“Minho!” Jisung scolded as he lightly whacked his shoulder.
“What, it’s just a question! I can’t be concerned about the intentions of someone who’s idea of wooing my little brother is sending anonymous gifts with cryptic notes like a stalker?”
Jisung looked at him in disbelief, but didn’t say anything else as another knock sounded on the door.
“Oh good, the fun is just beginning.” Minho said almost devilishly.
“You’re about to make this dinner hell, aren’t you?” Seungmin laughed.
Minho’s only response was a wicked grin before he went back to the kitchen.
Jeongin was the next to show up, and Felix chuckled as he watched Seungmin quickly straighten his clothes out and fix his hair while Jeongin wasn’t looking. After him was Hyunjin, who had very obviously rushed from his shift at the restaurant he works at. His hair was a bit disheveled from running and his clothes smelled a little bit like meat, but he was still as handsome as ever. Finally, Changbin and Chan showed up right as they had opened a bottle of wine.
Changbin entered first and greeted everyone with enthusiasm. Felix was the first person in his line of sight, so his eyes immediately took in all of Felix’s outfit.
“Woah, Yongbok-ah, you look cute tonight.” He complimented and came closer to scoop Felix into a hug. Normally, comments like that from his friends didn’t register as anything other than a compliment, but tonight Felix was a lot more suspicious of their words than usual. So, he gave Changbin a quick squeeze and filed the interaction away in his brain for later.
When they pulled apart, Felix finally noticed Chan who came in quietly behind Changbin. Their eyes met and Felix suddenly found it harder to breathe. He watched as Chan’s eyes wandered from his face, all the way down his body and back up again, landing right on the necklace.
Felix could feel himself flush at Chan’s heavy gaze, and he had to mentally force himself to greet the other.
“Hey!” he greeted as he stepped closer.
It was at that moment that Felix fully took in Chan’s appearance that was a bit more dressed up than usual. He was in black, of course, but he had on a nice button down, short-sleeved shirt that showed off his muscled arms and toned chest well with a nice pair of jeans to match. He looked good, too good.
“Oh, uh, hi.” Chan replied awkwardly after seemingly breaking out of a trance. He had been staring at Felix’s necklace the entire time, which set an alarm off in Felix that he tried to ignore.
“We just opened the wine, if you want some.” Felix offered, suddenly not knowing how to have a conversation.
“Sure. I’ll go grab a glass.” Chan replied as he awkwardly moved around Felix.
He watched as Chan moved toward the kitchen, and saw as he moved to greet Minho, his brother sent him an infamous ‘Minho glare’. ‘That’s strange’, he thought to himself.
When it was time to finally eat, Felix purposefully sat himself down first to see who would sit near him. Only his plan was ruined when Minho hurriedly pushed Jisung toward the seat to Felix’s right, and blocked Chan from sitting in the one to his left.
“Sorry, hyung, I’m gonna sit next to Yongbok tonight.” Minho said before he placed his plate in the chair to claim it.
Chan looked caught off-guard and confused, but didn’t question it. “Ah, okay.” he said as he went to the opposite side of the table, right across from Felix.
Chan and Felix exchanged shy smiles as they situated themselves at the table. Minho went back-and-forth between the kitchen and the table, bringing out all of the food by himself. He was asked if he wanted help, but he was in a stubborn mood tonight, so he refused.
When everything was set up on the table, Minho moved his plate and plopped right down in his seat. “Dig in.”
Eight hungry men did not need to be told twice as they all helped themselves to Minho’s wonderous food. As they ate, they all participated in the idle chatter both together and amongst the people close to them. They all took the time to catch each other up on things that’s been happening like how both Changbin and Chan both got a raise at work, a fact that Felix did not miss. And how Hyunjin had started talking to a guy he met while at work, which allowed Felix to rule him out of his list of suspects.
As they continued to eat, Felix began to feel a little sentimental and allowed himself to take a moment and look around at his friends. He was so lucky to have met them, and to have them in his life. Three years ago, when he moved to Korea with Minho, he never could have dreamed that he’d have this. He was so scared that it wouldn’t work out and that he and Minho’s dream of living together would come crashing down. But it never did. And if Felix were honest, it was all because of Chan.
Felix turned his gaze to the other male just as he laughed at something Jeongin had said. Adoration bloomed in his chest as he continued to watch him. All of this was because of him, because he extended his hand and welcomed both Minho and Felix into his own group of friends with open arms. For that, Felix thinks that he would always have a special place in his heart for Chan.
He was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly when he heard Changbin speak up.
“Alright, I’ve been dying to ask, but where did you get that necklace, Felix? I've never seen you wear that kind of jewelry before.” Changbin asked suddenly, making all of his friend’s eyes turn to him.
“Oh, uh-”
“Our Yongbokkie’s got a little admirer.” Minho spoke up for him like he had been waiting for this moment.
“No way! Who is it?” Hyunjin asked excitedly.
Before Felix could even get a word out, Minho was already answering again. “You see, that’s the thing, he doesn’t know 'cause it’s a secret. But they’ve been leaving gifts at our door, so they must live in the complex.”
Hyunjin looked surprised, and Felix watched as his expression turned to one of genuine confusion to a look of realization. And without meaning to, he snuck a quick glance to his left where Changbin, Chan, and Jeongin were sitting, though he couldn’t tell which one he was trying to look at.
“I see.” Hyunjin replied.
“I think I might install one of those doorbell camera things to see if we can catch them, though. Don’t want it to be some fifty-year-old man trying to lure Lix here into some kind of trap, ya know.” Minho said randomly, causing Jisung to choke.
Seungmin let out a snort at the end of the table, barely trying to hold in his laughter. The others had a mixture of amusement and worry on their faces. The one that stuck out the most, however, was Chan as he quietly downed the rest of his wine and looked almost… embarrassed?
No that couldn’t be. Maybe Felix was just reading into his expression too much, and he was just a little tipsy and that’s why Chan’s face was so pink. Yeah, that had to be it. After that, the conversation died down as they all began to clean up their dishes. It had gotten extremely late, so they all decided to call it a night and one-by-one, his friends filtered out of their apartment after saying goodnight.
The only ones left were Jisung, of course, Changbin, and Chan. While Jisung had pulled Minho away to talk in his room, Felix was left to say goodbye to the other two. Changbin came in for a hug first, and patted his hair before he left for the apartment he shared with the other two. And then it was just him and Chan, whom he barely got to talk to the entire night.
“That was a really nice dinner.” Chan complimented. He stood there awkwardly, hands in his pockets and barely looking Felix in his eyes. There was a strange air between them, and Felix had to wonder why Chan seemed so nervous to be talking to him.
“Thank you,” Felix replied, fidgeting with the sleeves of his shirt. “We put a lot of effort into it.”
A small bout of silence passed between them as they both stood in front of each other like shy school kids.
“That necklace looks really nice on you.” Chan remarked suddenly, eyeing the piece of jewelry.
Felix blushed as he absentmindedly started to play with it.
“Ah, thank you,” he said shyly. “I’m not really sure it’s for me to be honest.”
At Felix’s confession, Chan’s eyes widened and his focus was now entirely on him.
“Why? Do you not like it?” Chan asked curiously.
Felix sighed, holding the necklace between his fingers while he observed it. “I love it actually. I just- I don’t know, it just looks expensive and I'm not sure that I'm worth spending all that money on.”
Saying aloud the thought that had been weighing on him all day had felt like a weight being lifted off of him. But as he looked at Chan again, more thoughts began to swirl in his mind as he saw the other’s almost offended expression.
“Felix, there is no amount of money in this world that could compete with your worth,” Chan began, stepping closer to take Felix’s hand in his own. “You’re-you’re so special, Lix, you don’t even understand. It kills me that you don’t see yourself the way that everyone else does.”
Felix was speechless to say the least. The way that Chan looked at him as he said those words with the most sincerity he’s ever seen, made all the air disappear from his lungs. They were close together now, so close that Felix could feel Chan’s own breath against his skin. Neither of them spoke a word as they gazed into each other’s eyes, and that was when Felix finally allowed himself to put it together.
“Chan.” he whispered breathlessly.
Chan slowly lifted his hand to where he gently caressed the side of Felix’s face, thumb reaching down to trace along his bottom lip. As Felix watched Chan begin to close the distance between them, he reached up to put his own hand on Chan’s cheek to guide him closer. They were seconds away from their lips meeting when the sound of a door opening had them separating quickly like they had both been burned.
“Yongbok? Is everyone gone?” Minho called out before he rounded the corner. When he saw the two of them, faces red like they had been running a marathon, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Oh, you’re still here?”
“I-I was actually just about to leave. Jisung, are you ready?” Chan answered quickly, avoiding looking in Felix’s direction.
“Yeah, I’m coming!” Jisung called, finally coming around the corner. He stopped for a moment, confused as to why everyone looked so awkward. “Uh… right. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow babe.”
Jisung gave Minho a quick kiss before he came over and hugged Felix. Chan left immediately after he was done, only saying a simple goodbye.
“Wanna tell me what happened between you two?” Minho asked when Felix turned back to him.
Felix looked at him flatly. “Not really, no.” he replied.
And just like that, the night was over.
The next morning, Felix was barely able to drag himself after he had only slept for about four hours due to him tossing and turning over the events of the previous night. He must’ve replayed his almost kiss with Chan at least a hundred times over and over again, barely concealing his squeals in his pillow. Now, as he got ready for work, he couldn’t stop smiling as he thought about it once again.
A sudden knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. He quickly tied his apron around him and rushed out of the room to the door. “Coming!” he called out.
He opened the door ready to greet whoever was there, but as it swung open, there was no one. However, when he looked down, there was a beautiful bouquet of purple roses, lilacs, and lavender. There was a small note card sticking up out of it, which Felix picked up right away.
“For my little love who dazzles in purple. Meet me on the roof tonight at ten, I’ll be waiting for you- Secretly Yours”
A big smile stretched across Felix’s face as he read the card. He had thought about it all last night, and now he could practically hear Chan’s voice as he read the words again. It was hard to ignore all of the signs anymore, even if it was hard to come to terms with it after denying it for so long. It was Chan, it had to be.
Bringing the flowers inside, he breathed in their sweet scent as he took them to his room. As he placed them on the stand directly beside his bed, he couldn’t help the giddy feeling that overtook him. Ten felt like a lifetime away and he could hardly contain his excitement at finally getting an answer to all of his questions.
During work it was the only thing on his mind. He was in a noticeably happier mood, which many of his co-workers and even manager commented on. Thankfully the day didn’t drag like it usually did, and Felix found himself clocking out after being there for what only felt like a few hours, even though he had worked a double. He practically sprinted home, calling Jisung to ask for his help to get ready. Jisung didn’t even wait for him to finish his question before he enthusiastically agreed.
When he arrived home, Jisung was already waiting inside with a disgruntled Minho sitting next to him.
“You’re here! Come on, let’s get you dressed!” Jisung exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. He grabbed Felix by the arm and dragged him back to his room.
Jisung had already gone through Felix’s clothes and picked out a few options for him. They both agreed on a flowy, light pink blouse and high-waisted jeans with the necklace as the central piece, of course. He put his hair up again and used as minimal makeup as he could.
The process felt relatively quick but when he looked at the time, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. It was already close to ten and he hadn’t even left to get on the elevator in time.
“Jisung, I have to go!” He panicked, pocketing his phone and bolting out of the room.
As he made it around the corner to the door, Minho was standing there with his arms crossed.
“Ah. Ah. Not so fast.” he said with a smirk.
“This is not the time, hyung,” Felix replied, irritated. He tried to just move past Minho, but his brother moved right back in his way each time. “Alright, what do you want?” Felix gave in, crossing his arms as well.
Minho’s smirk disappeared and was replaced with an expression that Felix could only describe as brotherly.
“I just wanted to say that I hope that you have a good time,” he said with a small smile. “And if he does anything inappropriate, I’ll cook him in the air fryer.”
Felix couldn’t help the smile that took over his face at the words or the fondness that he felt for his brother.
“I love you.” Felix replied.
Minho smiled back and opened his arms wide, and Felix gladly took the opportunity to hug him.
“I love you too.”
Looking at the time, Felix realized that there was no way that he could take the elevator so he had no choice but to book it up the stairs. He was already winded halfway up and he silently prayed that he wouldn’t be that sweaty when he reached the top.
It took almost everything out of him, but he made it all the way to the top while only being a few minutes late. Before he opened the door to the roof, he took a few moments to collect himself and dab away the drops of sweat that had trickled down his forehead. Once he was ready, he let out a deep breath and opened the door,
Immediately he was met with the sight of string lights hanging like a canopy and a walkway made with flower petals lining each side that led all the way to where Chan was standing. As soon as their eyes met, Felix felt his heart soar. He knew it would be him, but seeing him stand there, looking like a dream, it felt surreal.
“Hey.” Chan greeted softly. There was a shy smile on his face as he looked at Felix with a mix of nervousness and adoration.
“Hi.” Felix replied, smiling back brightly.
Finding his courage, Felix slowly made his way to Chan as his heart raced faster with every step he took until he was right in front of the other.
“I-uh-wanted to give you this one myself.” Chan said as he pulled a small box from his pocket.
He gently took one of Felix’s hands and placed the box in it. Felix found it hard to keep his eyes off of Chan, but his curiosity over what was in the box won. He opened the box carefully, and was surprised to find a tiny wooden heart that was painted pink sitting inside.
“I carved it myself,” Chan began, looking even more nervous than before as he watched Felix admire it. “I know this is incredibly cheesy, but I wanted this to be my way of giving you my heart,”
“God this is so cringey now that I’m saying it out loud.” Chan added, obviously embarrassed.
Felix found it incredibly endearing, and couldn’t help but laugh. He grabbed hold of Chan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I love it.”
The look of relief on Chan’s face was adorable, and Felix couldn’t help himself when he landed a quick peck on Chan’s cheek. He watched as Chan’s entire face turned an incredible shade of red as his eyes went wide. There was a brief moment of surprised silence between them as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“Felix, I think I might be in love with you,” Chan confessed suddenly, looking at Felix with the same sincerity that he did the night before. “I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I just need you to know that. Ever since the first day we met, I’ve had these intense feelings for you that I just couldn’t shake. You’re just- so beautiful, inside and out, that sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe when I’m next to you. You're so kind, and loving, and everywhere you go you brighten up the room. There’s no one on this Earth that makes me feel the way that you make me feel, Felix.”
At Chan’s confession, Felix could feel his heart about to burst. He had dreamt of this moment for three years, so hearing those words, and seeing how his eyes were so full of love as he said them, it almost didn’t feel real. But it was. Chan was before him, looking at Felix like he hung the moon and stars, and Felix didn’t know what else to do. So he kissed him.
The second Felix’s lips met Chan’s, it was like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together. All of the feelings and emotions that they had been harboring for years came spilling out as they moved their lips against each other. As the kiss deepened, Felix moved his hand to where it was tangled in the hair at the base of Chan’s neck, while Chan drew Felix in closer with his arm around his waist and his other hand caressing Felix’s cheek.
When they pulled away for air, there was a look of surprise on both of their faces that slowly turned into shy smiles as they rested their heads together.
“I think I might be in love with you too, if that wasn’t already obvious.” Felix said, smiling as he watched Chan’s face light up.
“I don’t know… I think I might need more convincing.” Chan responded mischievously.
Felix giggled. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Chan said with a smirk.
As their lips met each other for the second time, Felix had never felt happier in his life.