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Felix checked his phone again.
8:42 PM
The screen reflected back at him, the soft gold shimmer of his eye makeup catching the harsh glow of the lamppost overhead. He’d gone lighter than usual tonight, not his usual stage glitter or the sharp dramatic liner he wore when he wanted to feel untouchable. Just something soft and pretty, something date-worthy.
The February air bit at his cheeks, turning them pink as he stood outside the student union, just past the big glass doors where the dance was already in full swing. Music thumped faintly through the walls, bass vibrating through the pavement under his heels. Laughter burst every time someone stepped outside, warm and loud before the doors shut again and left him in the cold.
He tugged the sleeves of his cardigan down over his hands.
He didn’t want to go inside first.
Namjoon had said he’d meet him out here.
I’ll come get you, he’d promised earlier that afternoon, voice warm through the phone. Don’t go in alone. Wait for me, okay?
So, Felix waited.
He shifted his weight, the satin of his outfit catching the light when he moved. E’d spent too long getting ready, styling his hair just right and picking something that made him feel elegant without looking like he was trying too hard. Something that Namjoon would like.
Something that would make this feel real.
His phone buzzed.
Felix’s heart jumped with bright, stupid hope flaring in his chest as he unlocked it.
Not Namjoon. Just a grade being posted.
He swallowed and locked the screen again.
8:49 PM
It was fine.
Traffic, maybe. Or he’d run into someone. Or—
The doors behind him burst open again and a group of couples spilled out, laughing and flushed from dancing. One girl glanced at Felix, then did a quick double-take, not cruel per se, but curious, before smiling politely.
Felix smiled back automatically.
The doors closed and silence settled again.
He could feel the music now, muffled but constant, like a heartbeat he wasn’t part of.
8:56 PM
He opened his texts.
Felix: Are you close?
The typing bubble never came.
He watched the message sit there, stubborn and lonely.
Seen
His chest tightened. He stared at that word for too long.
Seen
A slow, creeping understanding started to settle in, heavy and familiar in a way he hated recognizing.
This wasn’t the first time Namjoon had been late. Or distracted, or “forgotten”. But this–
Felix glanced up at the doors, at the fairy lights strung across the windows, at the shadows of people dancing inside.
This was supposed to be different.
Namjoon had asked him. Namjoon had smiled and said, Let me take you.
Another couple exited, wrapped around each other and giggling.
Felix turned his face away, pretending to check his phone again.
9:03 PM
The cold had worked its way through his tights not, up into his knees. His fingers felt stiff where they curled into his sleeves.
He could go inside. He could pretend he hadn’t been waiting. He could–
His phone buzzed again.
Felix’s breath caught as he opened it.
Namjoon: Something came up
The words sat there, no apology or explanation, just that.
Felix stared at the screen until it blurred. He didn’t mean to cry. His vision blurred in a way that made the fairy lights smear into glowing streaks of gold and pink. He blinked hard, once, twice, willing it to go away.
It didn’t go away.
His throat tightened, that awful burning pressure building behind his sternum. The kind he knew too well. The kind that came from trying not to feel something until it forced its way out anyway.
He locked his phone and slipped it into his clutch with shaking fingers.
Something came up.
No sorry. No I’ll make it up to you. No wait for me.
Felix let out a slow breath that wobbled halfway through. The cold stung his eyes now, making the wetness easier to blame on the wind as he turned away from the doors.
He wasn’t going to go inside. He wasn’t going to stand there any longer like some abandoned accessory. He’d just go back to the dorm, take off his makeup and pretend this night had never happened.
His heel caught slightly on the pavement as he stepped forward, vision swimming just enough that he didn’t see the figure approach until a voice cut gently through the quiet.
“Lix?”
Felix froze and turned around to face the figure.
Changbin stood a few feet away, jacket slung over his shoulder, brows already knitting together the moment he got a clear look at Felix’s face.
The annoyance that had been clearly there a second ago vanished instantly.
“Hey,” Changbin said softly, stepping closer. “What’s wrong?”
Fleix shook his head automatically, swiping under his eyes before the tears could spill over properly.
“Nothing,” he said, voice too thin to be convincing.
Changbin didn’t buy it for a second.
His gaze flicked over Felix, his carefully styled hair, the soft shimmer of his makeup, and the satin that caught the light every time he moved. Dressed up, standing outside, alone.
Changbin’s expression darkened.
“Who did it?” he asked quietly.
Felix let out a small, helpless laugh that broke halfway through.
“No one did anything.”
Changbin stepped into his space anyway, close enough that Felix could feel the warmth of him cutting through the cold.
“Don’t lie to me, aegi,” he murmured.
The nickname made Felix’s composure crack, and a tear slipped free before he could stop it.
Changbin’s face tightened.
“Hey,” he said, gentler now. “Hey, don’t–”
Felix pressed his lips together, shaking his head again.
“He just–” His voice wavered. “He said he’d meet me here.”
“He?” Changbin repeated.
Felix looked down. “Namjoon.”
Something sharp flickered across Changbin’s face.
“He texted,” Felix added, voice small. “Said something came up.”
Silence fell between them.
The doors behind them opened, laughter spilling out again, warm and loud and cruelly out of place.
Changbin looked back at Felix, at the way he was trying not to cry, and how his shoulders curled inward like he was trying to take up less space. Changbin’s expression softened completely.
“His loss,” he said simply.
Felix blinked.
Changbin’s hand came up, hovering for a second before gently brushing a stray piece of hair back from Felix’s face.
“You look…” he huffed out a quiet laugh. “You look really pretty, Yongbok.”
Felix’s breath caught.
Changbin shrugged, like it was obvious.
“Way too pretty to be standing out here freezing your ass off because some idiot doesn’t know what he has.”
Felix let out a shaky exhale. “I was just going to leave,” he admitted.
Changbin frowned immediately.
“Absolutely not.”
Felix looked up.
Changbin tilted his head toward the doors.
“You didn’t get all dressed up to go home early.”
“I don’t want to go in alone.”
“You’re not.”
The certainty in his voice made Felix pause.
Changbin held out his hand. “Come dance with me.”
Felix hesitated.
Changbin softened further, offering a small, crooked smile.
“Let me take you.”
The words hit somewhere deep in Felix’s chest.
Slowly, he slipped his hand into Changbin’s.
Changbin squeezed gently before leading him inside.
The music was louder than Felix had expected, bright and pulsing, light washing the room in shifting color.
He stayed close to Changbin at first, unsure and overwhelmed. There were too many people, too much warmth, too much life when just minutes ago he’d been standing outside in the cold feeling like something forgotten.
“Okay?’ Changbin asked quietly, leaning in just enough that Felix could hear him over the music.
Felix nodded, though his chest still felt tight.
Changbin gave his hand a small squeeze. “I’ve got you.”
He guided Felix toward the dance floor slowly, weaving through the crowd without letting go. When they reached the ede of it, Changbin paused, giving Felix time to adjust and breathe, to take everything in.
But then, the lights shifted and the song changed from something bright and rhythmic to something slower.
Changbin smiled, soft and encouraging, before stepping closer.
“Come on.” His hand moved from Felix’s to his waist.
Felix’s breath caught, and he stepped closer.
At first, Felix followed more than he led, letting Changbin guide him into the rhythm. The earlier ache in his chest still lingered, fragile and raw, but with every step and every turn, it started to loosen.
Changbin wasn’t flashy, he didn’t show off. He just danced, easy and sure, like he was more focused on keeping Felix with him than on anything else.
When Felix stumbled slightly during a turn, Changbin’s hand tightened just enough to steady him.
Their eyes met, and Changbin’s lip curved.
Felix let out a breath that turned into a quiet laugh.
The world around them softened, the noise becoming background instead of something overwhelming as the song shifted into another slow song.
Changbin didn’t ask before pulling Felix closer, one hand firm at his waist now, the other sliding gently up his arm until their fingers laced together.
Felix went willingly.
THeir movements slowed, bodies swaying in time with the music.
Felix could feel Changbin’s warmth through the layers of fabric, the steady rise and fall of his chest when they drew close enough.
His earlier tears had left his lashes dam, his emotions still sitting just beneath the surface, and somehow, that made this feel sharper and realer.
“You’re still thinking about him,” Changbin murmured.
“...A little,” Felix hesitated.
Changbin nodded. He didn’t tell him not to, or try to erase what happened. Instead, his thumb brushed lightly over Felix’s side where his hand rested.
“You didn’t deserve that.”
The words landed heavy, and Felix swallowed hard.
Changbin’s gaze dropped to his face, really looking at him again.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he added, quieter now.
Felix’s heart stuttered. It wasn’t flirtation for the sake of it. It wasn’t said like a line. It sounded like something he’d been thinking since the moment he saw him outside.
Felix’s fingers tightened slightly where they were laced together.
Changbin’s hand shifted, sliding just a little higher at his waist, drawing him in until there was barely space between them.
Felix’s breath hitched.
Their faces were closer now.
Close enough that he could see the softness in Changbin’s eyes, the concern still lingering there, but something else layered beneath it.
“You don’t have to leave early,” Changbin said softly.
Felix blinked. “What?”
“I was going to,” Changbin admitted with a small huff of a laugh. “My date was… not great.”
Felix’s lips twitched.
“But I’m glad I didn’t.”
The admission settled between them.
Felix’s pulse picked up.
Changbin’s gaze dropped briefly to his lips before returning to his eyes.
“You deserve someone who shows up,” he murmured.
Felix’s chest tightened again, but this time, not with hurt. With something else. Hope, maybe.
Changbin’s hand at his waist tightened just slightly.
“Someone who actually sees you.”
Felix’s breath trembled. And then—
Changbin leaned in.
The kiss wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t desperate. It was soft and warm, careful in the way someone is when they’re not trying to take something, just offer.
Felix froze for half a heartbeat before melting into it. His hand came up instinctively, fingers curling lightly against Changbin’s shoulder.
Changbin’s thumb traced a slow, reassuring line along his side.
The music faded into something distant, and the crowd blurred. The earlier sting of something came up felt impossibly far away now.
Changbin pulled back just enough for their foreheads to almost touch.
Felix’s lashes fluttered open.
Neither of them spoke, but the message was clear.
You’re here. You’re wanted. You weren’t left behind.
And when Changbin drew him back into the rhythm of the song, Felix didn’t feel like someone who had been stood up anymore.
He felt like someone who had been found.