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With his fists gripping the steering wheel, Felix does everything his brother has reminded him of over and over again. He checks each of his mirrors twice, adjusts the seat until his feet feel comfortable against the pedals and he can see over the wheel. Comfortable, cool, calm, collected, Felix turns towards Chan and smiles, “I’m ready!”
His brother, kind yet strict, looks fearful, but he has the courtesy to try and make it not so obvious. “Seatbelt on,” Chan says as he types the address into the gps, his hand shaking with each button press. “Felix,” he says, clearing his throat soon after.
“Don’t look at the navigation,” Chan continues insistently, voice so firm and strong that Felix can’t help but notice it’s forced. “Just listen to me, okay? I will tell you where to go, when to turn, keep your eyes on the road,” he continues, pointing his hand to the window in front of them.
Felix wishes he could say that Chan’s concerns were unfounded, that he was being too uptight about their lesson today, but after the last few sessions, even Felix himself is on edge. It’s by pure luck that he hasn’t actually crashed yet, and Chan truly is an angel for still trying, and for that very reason, Felix is determined to get it right this time, to let the lesson stick.
“Of course!” Felix turns to him, grinning bright. “Can I pull out of the parking lot now?”
Chan, deep inhales and exhales following, just nods, “Back out slowly, make sure you’re checking your mirrors.”
Felix takes the words to heart and listens, putting his brother’s car into reverse and slowly backing out, taking caution with each slight acceleration. There’s a strong chance he’s overdoing it when he checks his mirrors, but Felix would rather be safe than sorry. He inches out gradually, keeping a low speed until he’s far out enough and can return the car to drive and pull forward until the stop sign.
Instinctively, he starts to look toward Chan for approval and guidance, but he quickly orients his eyes back towards the front window. “Good job,” he says softly, his voice kind and smooth. “You’re going to turn left and then head straight, stop right before the street.”
“Got it,” Felix nods in confirmation, smiling as he feels some of the tension ease off him slowly but surely. Carefully looking both ways, Felix turns his car to the left and pulls forward, stopping slightly when a pedestrian looks half a second away from running in front of their car. Felix, focused on keeping his eyes forward, can’t help but notice how handsome the man is. He looks sort of panicked, his hair disheveled with his sweatpants hung low on his hips. Despite this, Felix finds himself engrossed in him, his appearance, his journey, his groceries. “He’s so cute, Chris.”
“Focus on the road,” Chan scolds, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Press slowly on the brake Lix, gradual stop, okay? Don’t jerk us around again.”
“I got it,” Felix pouts, pressing his foot softly and slowly. A moment of panic washes over him when, instead of slowing down, Chan’s car speeds forward and sends them rushing ahead. Felix maneuvers his foot toward the brake as soon as he can, though he can’t stop both he and Chan from lurching with the impact. “Fuck,” Felix whines, resting his head against the wheel for a second in sheer embarrassment.
“Felix,” Chan whispers, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. All Felix can do is watch on in horror as his brother walks to the front of his car, his mouth falling open as he drops down to his knees. Before Chan can even tell him to come, Felix puts the car in park and unbuckles his own seatbelt, his sneakers creeping across the pavement as he walks slowly until he reaches the front.
Blood drains from his face when Felix looks down, the unseemly sight of the beautiful pedestrian from earlier laid across the pavement brings him to tears. He crouches down gently, until his knees hit the concrete, and places his head against his lap as he tries to stir him awake, yet he remains unconscious as red slowly drips down from a cut on his forehead down to his cheek. “Chris,” Felix chokes out, a deep whine erupting from the heart of his throat. “I killed him, I killed him,” Felix repeats, taking his hands to his cheeks and wiping at the blood that keeps dripping down.
Chan doesn't look as angry as Felix expects him to, if anything he looks frustrated and concerned, but he just exhales slowly instead of scolding him. “He’s still alive, I think he’s fine actually,” his brother explains calmly, showing Felix the rise and fall of his chest. “Help me get him to the car and then grab his groceries, we’re gonna take him to the hospital.”
Wiping away the tears from his eyes, and smearing blood across his own face, Felix takes the beautiful stranger’s upper body while Chan grabs his legs. He’s heavier than he looks and Felix finds himself straining as they manipulate him into the backseat, but eventually they manage to get him secured.
Rushing, Felix runs to grab his spilled groceries, dropped phone and wallet, before he climbs back into the passenger’s seat. He keeps his head turned toward the backseat for the entire drive, making sure the stranger doesn’t start to choke on his own blood, as Chan drives with infuriating precision.
The drive to the hospital feels extraordinarily slow, almost excruciating, but eventually they’re able to pull into the emergency ward and attract the attention of the nearest attendant. Felix feels like his brain is melting in the chaos, the horrifying vision of the stranger being wheeled away while someone asks questions he’s unable to answer.
Eventually, Felix finds himself being guided to the nearest waiting room seat by his brother, the attendant gone with one word from Chan. “Do you think he’s okay?” Felix asks softly, tucking his hands underneath his thighs and rocking slightly back and forth.
Chan doesn’t look nearly convincing as he thinks he does, but Felix appreciates the effort nonetheless. “He’s okay,” his brother smiles, tucking Felix’s head into his shoulder. “Just apologize when he’s awake, okay? It’s not the end of the world.”
“I hit him with your car,” Felix swallows, wiping a spare tear from his eye. “He’s so pretty too…what if he’s left with a really bad scar? Do you think he’ll hate me forever? Sue me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with a few scars,” Chan replies, patting the back of Felix’s head a few times. “I can’t say he won’t hate you, little one, you nearly ran him over. If he decides to sue you, I’ll come to your defense.”
“Really?” Felix sniffles, sitting up and looking up at his brother with a small frown. Chan just smiles back at him and nods, guiding Felix’s head back to shoulder.
The wait is nauseating, Felix finds himself increasingly restless as he waits for the doctors to come back out and say anything at all. It’s only after thirty or so minutes of worry that Felix remembers he has the stranger’s wallet and phone with him. Carefully, Felix pulls both out of his pockets and sits back up with his back pressed firmly against his seat.
He holds no hesitation as he begins to look through all the credit cards and bills, pulling out the ID from its sleeve and reading the contents out loud. “Lee Minho,” Felix starts, testing the weight of the name against his tongue. “His birthday is the twenty-fifth of October, so close to yours, but he’s a year younger,” Felix comments to Chan, uncaring whether he listens or not.
“Don’t comb through his wallet,” Chan sighs, though he makes no real effort to stop him.
Ignoring the request, Felix keeps looking through, but he finds nothing else. He doesn’t expect it to give him much more information, but Felix pulls out his phone just in case. His heart warms when he sees three cute little cats on the lockscreen, each of their faces looking up with contentment toward the hand coming in from behind the screen.
Felix doesn’t realize the phone’s unlocked on its own until a text comes through, the message seems panicked and concerned. “Should I respond?” he asks Chan, pointing the screen towards his brother. “His friend seems worried.”
“No, Lix,” Chan groans, reaching for the phone as Felix holds it out of his reach. “If they’re already worried, a stranger responding will only just make it worse.”
On one end Chan is right, he can’t imagine finding out someone he cared about was injured and the perpetrator started to respond, but Felix isn’t malicious, it was an accident, and someone deserves to know that Minho is in the hospital. “I’m going to respond,” Felix shakes his head, already typing out a text while Chan groans in the background.
It’s simple, he doesn’t say anything crazy, incriminating, or presumptuous. He tells them, Jisung and Seungmin if he’s reading the names correctly, that their friend is injured and that he should be fine. It’s only when they start texting back, Jisung more frantic and panicked while Seungmin types in suspicion, that Felix begins to get nervous and stops responding himself.
With Minho’s phone open, there’s nothing Felix can do to satiate his own curiosity about the man other than snoop through his texts and photo albums. The first thing he notices is that Minho doesn’t talk to many people, only a few are regulars, while most go months in between contact. His camera roll is mostly cats, with a few pictures of, if Felix has to guess, Jisung and a few more with Seungmin. They’re never serious, more comedic angles and candid shots, but there are a few from formal events.
Felix keeps scrolling, ignoring the death glare Chan is sending him, and finds a few videos of Minho dancing. It fascinates him how easily his body moves, flowing through the air with graceful precision, especially as Felix thinks about the last time he saw him being in the backseat of his brother’s car, passed out and bleeding profusely.
“He seems cool,” Felix comments softly, locking Minho’s phone and placing it face down into his lap again. “He’s a dancer too…I hope his injuries aren’t serious.”
“He’s fine,” Chan sighs, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. “Are you alright on your own for a few minutes? I need to walk around and stretch my legs.”
Felix doesn’t quite want to be alone, but he isn’t going to express this to Chan, not when he is already hiding his frustration with him. “Yeah,” Felix nods, tucking his hair behind his ears. “Can you grab me some water if you find any?”
“Of course,” Chan nods, giving Felix’s shoulder one more squeeze before walking off down the hallway.
Felix sits on his hands again, too frazzled to even check his own phone or Minho’s. He sits and watches the people walk by for what feels like hours, staring at the clock ticking on the wall, and praying that Lee Minho will survive Felix’s injustice towards him.
“Were you with the man that arrived earlier?” Felix hears as he lifts his head up again, an older man with a white coat and glasses staring back down at him. “He’s awake and stable if you want to see him.”
Felix stands up so suddenly he nearly feels dizzy, sweat dripping down from his forehead. No matter how nervous he is to see Minho for the first time, it's the right thing to do, and at least he can explain himself before the worst comes. “Is he seriously injured?” Felix asks as he follows the doctor through the swinging doors, clutching his arms close to himself as he walks.
“Nothing major,” the doctor explains easily. “A concussion and a bruised rib, but with adequate rest, he’ll be good as new in a few weeks,” he says gently, pausing outside of a closed door. “I’ll leave you here for now, go ahead and see him when you’re ready.”
Felix stares at the doorknob long after the doctor leaves, his hand shaking as he reaches forward, scared to twist. Finally, inhaling so deep his entire diaphragm expands, Felix pushes the door open and walks inside, meeting the poor sight of Lee Minho laid in the hospital bed.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
Minho blinks as he wakes up, his eyesight blurring in and out of focus as he concentrates on the deep, aching pain coming from the side of his chest. Shutting his eyes again as his brain pulsates against his skull, he pats the blankets and the side table around him in search of anything, but nothing seems to be within reach.
He tries hard to remember what he was doing before he ended up here, how he got to the hospital in the first place, but each attempt causes strain and he still draws blanks. Slowly moving himself into a position that allows him to sit up, and wincing in the process, Minho flickers his eyes open once he hears the door open.
He can’t quite see the stranger well, not with them standing so far away and the room lights nearly completely dim. Surprisingly, before Minho can even take a strong look at their face, there are thin arms wrapped around his neck and blonde hair tickling the sides of his face.
In pain and through slight confusion, Minho just raises his arms and returns the hug, patting the person’s back as he hears their muffled sobs against the shoulder of his hospital gown. “I’m so sorry Minho-ssi,” their voice, deep and low, exclaims as they pull back and look into Minho’s eyes.
He’s caught off-guard by their expression, the sheer sorrow behind those big-brown eyes, as well as the fact that he’s nearly certain he’s never seen this person in his life. Minho likes to think he’s aware of everyone who comes around him, he’d at very least recall someone with cute freckles littering their cheeks and the most addicting pout he’s ever seen.
“I hope you’re feeling okay,” they continue, scooting until their legs rest against Minho’s own and their head is buried against his chest. It’s uncomfortable, deeply so, but he doesn’t want to say anything that would make them want to move. “I texted Jisung and Seungmin, but I got scared when they started texting back and I didn’t want to respond anymore. D-Do you want me to tell them you’re awake? I’d give your phone back, but I looked it up and you’re not supposed to look at screens when you have a concussion.”
“I have a concussion?” Minho asks, moving one arm up to touch the crown of his head while the other wraps around the stranger’s waist. Minho supposes it makes sense, factoring in the disorientation and huge gap in his memory, but the stranger’s words are far from reassuring.
They make a strange, choked sound when Minho speaks, their eyes watering all over again. “A-And a bruised rib,” they sigh. “I think the car hit your side first, but then your head hit the pavement when you fell over.”
“I got hit by a car…” Minho trails off, blinking as the vague memories begin to return. Faintly, he remembers walking in a parking lot and waiting for the car to pass, only for the vehicle to accelerate as soon as he started to walk in front of them. He remembers thinking about the fact that he was going to die before Jisung worked up the courage to ask Hyunjin on a date, how unfortunate that would be, before everything around him went black. “What an asshole,” he scoffs, throwing his head back against the pillow before wincing again.
“I didn’t mean it,” they cry out again, clinging further to Minho’s hospital gown. “Chan was really trying to teach me, but I just suck at driving Minho-ssi. I really suck at driving!”
“I’m sorry,” Minho blinks again, looking down at the adorable kitten attached to his side, somewhat confessing that they hit him with their car. “You hit me?”
“On accident,” they admit, sitting up once again and positioning themself over Minho’s lap. “Can you ever forgive me Minho-ssi? I really didn’t mean to hit you…I’ll help you heal and everything.”
“Do I know you?” Minho’s mouth utters before his brain can intervene.
“No,” they shake their head, round cheeks pushing out as they frown once again. “My name is Felix, o-or Yongbok, and it’s nice to meet you. Well, conscious you.”
Minho sits back in a mixture of awe and intrigue, the confusion somehow not at the forefront of his mind. His brain feels as though it’s covered in molasses or honey, sticky and stuck and unable to move with ease. Every thought in his head seems to generate slowly, taking seconds to form coherently, and it leaves him disoriented, detached from his own body. Felix seems to be the most concrete thing he can focus on in the moment, and it leaves Minho’s ailing mind stuck in the fixation brought about by his almost assassin. He thinks, unfortunately, that even though he was hit by a car, at least the culprit is cute and friendly and regretful. “Can you walk me through what happened, Yongbok?” Minho asks gently, resting his hands against their hips and blinking at how large they are comparatively.
“Ah, of course,” Felix nods, blushing. “I was practicing in the parking lot, and Chan told me to brake, but I accidentally pressed the gas. When I parked the car, he got out, and I saw you crumbled up n-next to my front wheels. I felt really bad, cause I thought you were really cute and I got distracted and the next time I saw you, you were bleeding out.”
“I don’t think I was bleeding out,” Minho comments with a smile, petting the side of Felix’s hair. It’s strange, unusual even, for him to want to be closer to a stranger, but Minho finds Felix utterly endearing and sympathetic, and ultimately he cannot bring himself to even be frustrated at the situation. Felix is too innocent to seem culpable, his eyes are huge with sincerity and his mouth is small as he speaks, his Korean still jilted and awkward in the way that is obviously inexperienced. Felix has the look of a stray kitten, lost and begging for love and guidance, and Minho isn’t evil enough to dismiss the good intentions. “Thank you for bringing me to the hospital and telling my friends I’m not dead.”
A smile as bright as the morning sun appears on Felix’s face when Minho finishes speaking, but he doesn’t get the opportunity to hear his response before someone else is bursting into the room, a panicked look on their face directed strictly towards Felix. “Lix,” he sighs, shaking his head in disapproval. “Get off of him, mate. Have you lost your mind?”
“Chris!” Felix turns around, climbing off of Minho’s lap and dragging the other man forward by his bicep. Minho’s eyes narrow as the stranger approaches, eyes flickering from his skeptical face to Felix’s small hands wrapped around his arm. “Minho-ssi, this is my big brother, Bang Chan.”
Brother, Minho thinks in relief, looking the man up and down. “You must be the terrible driving instructor,” Minho asks with a small smile, laughing as Chan grows from suspicious to offended in just a few seconds.
“That’s me,” Chan says with a swallow, breaking his eye contact and returning his attention to his brother. “The doctor said he’s fine to be dismissed. Why don’t you call his friends, tell them to come get him, and we can head back home?” he whispers in English, eyeing Minho wearily.
“No!” Felix exclaims sharply, pushing his brother back with a shove to his shoulder. “We hit him, Chris! The least we can do is take him home, make sure he’s okay.”
“No,” Chan says decisively, his eyes narrowing and steps faltering at the impact of Felix’s shove before he looks back at Minho again. “Absolutely not.”
“Yes,” Felix counters, standing up tall and reaching his hand back towards Minho. “I’ll take the car and drive him home myself if I have to.”
The thought of Felix driving him home, fresh off of the impact that landed Minho here in the first place, sends a shiver down the center of his spine. Though it is unlikely, it is not impossible that Felix could crash or hit another person, especially when he has a subpar instructor and Minho himself is effectively useless.
“I can understand both of you, mind you,” Minho murmurs, clutching his head. “That’s really nice of you Yongbok-ssi, but I don’t want to ride in a car with you, not until I give you proper lessons.”
Felix’s eyes light up like stars in the night sky when Minho addresses him, once again leaning far too close into his space for strangers who just met. “You’ll give me lessons?” Felix smiles, his blush pink lips stretching across his face.
“Of course,” Minho insists. “I can’t have you hitting anyone else, okay?”
“Okay,” Felix nods affirmatively, turning back to his brother again. “He’s so nice Channie, we can’t just leave him here.”
“Yeah,” Chan huffs out. “He’s really nice.”
“So can we take him home?” Felix asks again, and though his back is turned toward Minho, he suspects that Felix is weaponizing his pout against his brother too, but Minho has no proof of this other than sheer intuition. Fortunately, Minho can see Chan’s resolve falling in real time, the strict and stern expression on his face giving away to a pitying look.
“Alright,” Chan gives in, smoothing his hand over Felix’s hair. “I’ll go get the car, why don’t you get Minho-ssi signed out.”
Chan is out of the door a second or so later, his broad back exiting the room and leaving Minho alone with Felix. He looks pleased as he turns back to Minho, a smile stretching to his eyes as he helps Minho up to his feet. “I’m really glad you’re not mad.”
“I couldn’t be mad at someone as cute as you,” Minho says hastily, but he finds himself truly meaning it. Felix is adorable, more than, and Minho would feel like a true asshole if he got angry at him. Besides, Felix is trying to make amends as best as he can. “Thank you for staying.”
“My pleasure,” Felix blushes, passing Minho his folded clothes before a small frown forms once again. “They might have blood on them, I’m really sorry.”
“Not your fault,” Minho says kindly. “It’s mine for bleeding,” he jokes softly, pulling the curtain beside his bed shut for some mild privacy.
“Are you hungry?” Felix asks from the other side, his voice tinted with a nervous edge. “I think some of your groceries got lost during the impact, but I can convince my brother to stop and get you food.”
“I’m not hungry,” Minho answers as he pulls his only slightly bloodstained clothes back on. “The groceries were for my roommate, anyway. I think he’ll be fine.”
Felix makes a curious sound when Minho mentions his roommate, choked and tense in a way that alarms Minho. “Jisung, right?” Felix asks pensively, biting into his bottom lip with his canine teeth. “He texted you a lot, I read through some of your older messages too.”
“You went through my phone?” Minho questions with a raised voice, his face baffled as he looks down at the device once Felix hands it back to him. In another universe, Minho figures he’d be a little more upset about the invasion of privacy, but it’s his own fault for not leaving a lock on his phone, and Felix seems too well-intentioned to do any real harm.
“Just a little,” Felix admits, rubbing the back of his neck as they exit the hospital room. Only once he stands next to him does Minho realize how truly small Felix is compared to him, with a lithe frame and big round eyes that seem larger than the rest of him. “Your cats are really cute and you have a lot of funny pictures with Jisung and Seungmin. Y-Your dancing is really good too, amazing actually, and I was really scared I might’ve ruined your career or something.”
There’s something innate, something buried deep into the heart of Felix’s entire being that intrigues Minho and leaves him desperate and begging for more insight. It could, of course, be the concussion speaking for him, but Minho genuinely believes that he’d find himself infinitely curious about Felix no matter the circumstances in which they met.
“Thank you,” Minho replies, a warm feeling rising within him when Felix wraps his arms around his biceps and walks arm in arm with Minho. Though his head begins to ache when they exit the hospital, but the sun setting on the horizon allows for some reprieve.
Chan, the incapable brother, is fortunately already waiting for them when Felix guides him outside. Felix, all smiles and soft touches, helps him into the backseat and buckles Minho’s seatbelt, all before climbing in on the other side right next to him. “Minho-ssi lives near the grocery store, right across the street actually,” Felix tells his brother, leaning up to the front seat before falling back with a thud.
Minho, his skull throbbing, leans his head against Felix’s shoulder as Chan starts to drive. Felix’s shoulder, slightly boney, isn’t the best cushion, but the warmth Felix emits is enough comfort for Minho to capture the slightest amount of rest. Briefly, he considers asking Felix how he knows his address, but he decides to linger in the blonde’s proximity instead.
“Is there anyone at home to stay with you?” Chan asks once they’re paused at a stop light. Slowly, Minho blinks his eyes open and meets his in the car mirror, a thread of tension taut between them. “I don’t want to drop you off and leave, but Felix needs to get home and I have to get to work.”
“My roommate might be in,” Minho sighs, nuzzling his head further into Felix’s shoulder. The bottom strands of his hair tickle his nose in an awkward fashion, Minho fears sneezing and the subsequent pain it’ll bring, but he smells so lovely, like vanilla and honey, that he refuses to move his nose.
“That’s good,” Chan murmurs, and Minho swears he sees his fingers tighten against the wheel.
“I don’t really need to get home so early,” Felix says softly, taking one of his paws and pressing it against Minho’s neck before sliding it up to his hair and scratching his skull. “I can keep you company if he’s not there Minho-ssi, I don’t mind.”
“Okay,” Chan huffs, turning his head back toward his brother. “I mind, Felix. I really do mind.”
“You’re being rude. Minho speaks English, you know?”
“You can’t stay with some random guy you just met,” Chan continues, frustration apparent. “What if he does something and I can’t get to you in time?”
“I have a concussion, my ribs are bruised,” Minho starts, lifting his head off of Felix’s shoulder and forcing out an exaggerated groan. “I couldn’t kill a bug in this state, Chan-ssi. I really wouldn’t mind if Yongbok stayed with me.”
There’s several fat, tense seconds before Chan answers, “I really didn’t ask you.”
“I’ll stay with you, Minho-ssi,” Felix insists, once again latching their fingers together. “Hyungie, I’ll call you okay? I’ll call you before bed, I’ll text you every hour, and I’ll let you pick me up in the morning,” Felix begins to list as Minho sees his apartment appear in the distance.
“Felix-”
“I think we’re here, Hyung,” Felix says again, voice high and nervous. It takes Minho a moment to realize he’s speaking to him, not his brother, and the next thing he feels is his arm being gently guided over Felix’s shoulder while he supports his waist.
“Felix!” Chan speaks again, voice sharper and louder than before. “Take him inside, then come back.”
“Okay!” Felix says too quickly, far too much enthusiasm to be sincere. Even Chan doesn’t seem to fall for it, but Minho doesn’t get to look at him long enough before Felix is helping him forward with gentle touches and encouraging words. “You’re moving really well despite your injury, Minho-hyung,” Felix says kindly.
Minho doesn’t remember allowing Felix to move so informally, he doesn’t remember much at all as his head starts to grow fuzzier. It’s a struggle to type in the password to his apartment while Felix holds him up, but eventually they manage to get inside and Minho is once again greeted with harsh, abrasive lights and Han Jisung’s loud voice rattling his brain.
“Hyung?” Jisung questions initially, the sound of his footsteps creeping forward present in Minho’s ears. “Hyung! Dude, Minnie and I thought you died.”
“Sorry,” Felix murmurs, his voice sheepish. “I’m Felix, or Yongbok, it’s nice to meet you! Can you turn the lights off so Minho-hyung’s concussion doesn’t worsen?” Felix asks so kindly, in a gentle, professional tone.
Minho hears the sound of footsteps, followed by the lights shifting off a few seconds later. Blinking his eyes open and detaching himself from Felix, Minho allows himself to collapse against the couch and finally breathe through the pain. “Hyung,” Jisung says next to him, a poor attempt at a whisper.
“Later,” Minho sighs, looking up toward Felix’s inconspicuous stance just a few feet away. Without a second thought, Minho motions for him to come forward and his side is quickly occupied by the younger man. “Shouldn’t you get back out before your brother has an aneurysm?” Minho questions, resting his hand on Felix’s thigh and noting the way a shiver seems to crawl up his spine. It’s intentional, it’s bait, and Minho knows that he isn’t ready to be parted with his savior quite yet.
“Chan?” Felix questions, tilting his head. “I told him I was staying with you,” Felix says with sudden confidence, crossing his legs underneath himself and taking it upon himself to feel around Minho’s skull. Minho just stares up at him for a moment, his eyes tracing Felix’s determined expression and the way his tongue rests between his lips while he gropes his head.
This is strange, Minho realizes. Felix is a strange, maybe even absurd, person and he should have taken more caution. “Yongbok-ah, he won’t like that,” Minho continues, leaning further into his touch.
Felix looks pensive, the familiar pout returning, before he stands up suddenly and marches out of Minho’s front door. A sense of worry washes over him, but the ache in his side and Jisung’s hand holding his chest down prevent his chase. “How hard did you hit your head?” Jisung asks, poking Minho’s temple aggressively until he swats his head away.
“I’m fine,” Minho grunts, focus still oriented towards the door.
“Are you being held hostage?” Jisung pesters, glancing from Minho and back to the door again. “Blink twice if you want me to take this guy out.”
“Sung-ah,” Minho says softly, kindly, but in obvious desperation to get his best friend to stop speaking. “Why don’t you go see what Kim Seungmin from next door is doing?”
Jisung’s face pales a little at the thought, one hand moving up to tug at the collar of his hoodie. “Why do you always address him like we don’t know him?” Jisung mumbles, standing up and grabbing the keys laid across the coffee table. “If I come back and find your dead body, I’m going to whisper I told you so at your grave.”
“Bye Sung-ah,” Minho waves as his roommate walks, stomps, off to the apartment adjacent to their own. The walls are thin enough that he can hear the exact moment Jisung knocks and Kim Seungmin slams the door in his face before opening it again, finally letting him inside.
“I’m back Hyung,” Felix says as he slams Minho’s front door behind him, rubbing tears out his eyes and snot off of his nose. “Chan will come get me in the morning.”
“You’re crying,” Minho realizes, forcing himself to sit up as Felix resumes his seat next to him.
Felix seems to look around, aware of Jisung’s sudden absence, but he doesn’t ask any questions. “It’s fake, don’t worry,” Felix beams, sitting close enough to Minho that their thighs are touching. “I can take care of you now! Channie-hyung felt really rotten when I started to cry, which made him agree as long as I text him every hour and keep my location on.”
Minho’s judgment only rises as Felix rattles on, his mind struggling to find any redeeming qualities about Felix’s brother. He’s already a poor teacher, now he leaves his little brother with complete strangers over simple tears. He’s lucky to have found Minho, who, while injured, isn’t insane and can protect Felix if anyone actually crazy tries to snatch him up. “I don’t think I like your brother,” Minho says softly, leaning his head back against the couch again.
“He’s great,” Felix frowns, though the corner of his lips remain lifted and the expression leans more humorous than sad. “Anyway, we should get you into bed. You need rest if you want to feel better, also painkillers. Mostly painkillers,” Felix hands him a pill, seemingly out of nowhere, and much like a fool, Minho takes it with no hesitation.
With Felix’s support once more, Minho limps to the bathroom while Felix grabs some clothes for him. It should be more unsettling to have a stranger rifle through his underwear, but Felix returns with clothing and yet another smile, and all of a sudden Minho’s worries all begin to slip away again.
“Are you okay bathing yourself?” Felix asks kindly, still lingering in the bathroom as Minho peels his bloodstained shirt off.
“Yeah,” Minho nods, a shyness accompanying him until the moment Felix closes the door behind him. It’s a bit difficult to maneuver in the dimly lit bathroom, but Minho eventually finds the shower door and slides himself in easily. Only from the pressure of the shower does Minho realize how truly scraped up he became, with a few stinging cuts on his arms and legs, and one extra large one right under his scalp.
It’s difficult to reconcile truth with reality; that the cute little parasite actively invading his life only came into it because he accelerated instead of braked. Perhaps it’s karma for some evil deed Minho did in his past, or rather an opportunity to build a new connection, but ultimately, Minho finds himself in a curious state. A fixture in his mind seems to be screaming at him to have more of a reaction, more anger or frustration, but Minho feels quite relaxed and unbothered by the whole thing.
Shutting the shower off, Minho easily slides out of the shower and towels himself dry. A second later he’s pulling his underwear up his thighs, brushing his teeth, and washing his face. Clean as he can be, Minho exits his bathroom and finds Felix curled up on the couch, much like a kitten, scrolling through Minho’s phone.
“Yongbok-ah,” Minho calls out, though he hesitates on what to say next. He considers telling Felix to not touch his phone, but reconsideration finds that he doesn’t mind, he doesn’t have anything to hide. “Why don’t you get showered, okay? Hyung will leave out clothes for you.”
“Of course,” Felix nods, closing Minho’s phone and placing it flat against the coffee table. “No screens, please!” he insists before he skips off in the direction of Minho’s bathroom.
Felix doesn’t spend much time in the shower, but he smells so delightful that Minho would’ve assumed he’d been in there for hours. Carefully, he places the gathered clothes in the palm of Felix’s hands and looks away from the towel wrapped around his upper body. He’s ultimately grateful when Felix reenters the bathroom to change, only to emerge a minute later being swallowed by Minho’s clothing.
“You should rest,” Felix insists, guiding Minho towards the direction of his bedroom as if he’d lived there for years. Before Minho even gets a chance to tell Felix about the guestroom, he’s being laid gently across the bed and Felix is lying right next to him, wrapping his arm around Minho’s chest and snuggling further into him.
“Are you alright?” Minho finds himself questioning, though he pulls Felix closer in despite the growing ache in his ribs. It’s a concern for tomorrow, he decides. “Like, mentally?”
“Mhm,” Felix hums into his ear, breath tickling his skin as the air flows in and out. “Why do you ask?”
“I think this might be…” Minho trails off, trying to force his brain into motion so he can think of all the right things to say. “I think this is a little weird.”
“Maybe,” Felix says softly, fingertips tapping along Minho’s chest. “I think of it like…fate. I saw you in the parking lot, I thought you were the handsomest guy I’d ever laid my eyes on, and then I accidentally hit you with my brother’s Subaru.”
“Was it really an accident?” Minho questions, fearing the answer. For a brief moment, Minho considers what he’d do if Felix intended to hit him. Even if it proves true, Felix can’t be insidious, and he’ll choose to believe that within the confines of his brain that Minho doesn’t understand, Felix does everything with the kindest intentions. Including hitting him with a car.
“Yeah,” Felix whispers, scooting up until he could look directly into Minho’s eyes. “It was an accident, but I think this is meant to be.”
Minho finds himself speechless in the moment, confused yes, but also lost in Felix’s big eyes that take up the vast majority of his face. He supposes fate could’ve sent him worse circumstances. “Alright,” Minho exhales, turning back to look towards the ceiling as his heart begins to race.
“Does it hurt,” Felix asks as he pushes himself impossibly close to Minho’s side, trying to climb under his skin.
It does hurt, but Minho doesn’t feel quite brave enough to voice it. “No, not really,” he says instead, returning Felix’s embrace. “I think you make me feel better, actually.”
So subtle Minho wouldn’t have seen it coming within a million years, Felix presses a kiss against his cheek and wraps one leg around his own. “Maybe I’m good luck, then,” he says with a yawn, his breathing evening out with each second that passes. Minho doubts the truth of that statement, he really does, but with Felix asleep in his arms, he has no further room to contest.
Slowly, breath by breath, Minho feels himself begin to drift off too. The pain, once a vibrant thrum underneath his skin, has now ceased into a faint, dull ache. Carefully, he smooths some of the hair gathered across Felix’s face and presses a kiss against the top of his forehead, resting his lips there as the seconds tick by. For reasons unknown, Minho is certain that he has no choice in the matter, and that he will be stuck with Felix for the unforeseeable future.
Fortunately, he finds that he doesn't mind it all that much.