Chapter Text
The drinks arrived not long after Hyunjin sat down, carried over by a server who ran through the crowded bar before setting everything on the table with a brief smile and disappearing again into the noise. Felix wrapped his fingers around his glass and let the condensation cool his skin, grateful for something to hold onto while his pulse was still doing unreasonable things in response to the warmth of Hyunjin's body beside him. Across the table, Jisung was already lifting his drink in a cheerful little toast, and Felix found himself smiling despite everything, because Jisung had always been easy to be around, the kind of person who made a room feel lighter simply by existing in it.
"So," Jisung said, setting his glass down and turning toward Hyunjin with the bright curiosity of someone who waa waiting for the right moment to start a conversation, "how did you and Felix meet? He never tells me anything anymore."
Felix opened his mouth to answer, but Hyunjin beat him to it, glancing sideways at Felix with a small smile before saying, "He recommended me ice cream."
Jisung blinked. "Ice cream?"
"Strawberry," Hyunjin said. "He was very convincing."
Felix felt heat rise into his cheeks immediately. "I was doing my job."
"You were very passionate about it," Hyunjin replied, and his voice was light but his eyes were warm in a way that made Felix want to look away and keep looking at the same time.
Jisung laughed, amused. "That sounds like Felix. He once spent twenty minutes explaining to me why one brand of instant noodles was spiritually superior to another."
"It was.” Felix said, defensively.
"It was the same noodles with different packaging."
"It was not."
Hyunjin was smiling now, that quiet, fond expression Felix started to recognize as something close to affection. Across the table Jisung launched into a story that Felix didnt think about in years but suddenly remembered with embarrassing clarity.
"Okay, but the real question," Jisung said, leaning forward with theatrical seriousness, "is whether Felix told you how we met."
Hyunjin raised an eyebrow. "I’m afraid he didn’t."
"Of course he didn't." Jisung grinned. "He likes to pretend he was always cool."
Felix groaned. "Jisung."
"No, no, this is important context." Jisung turned fully toward Hyunjin now, clearly enjoying himself far too much. "So, back in uni, Felix was saving up for a bag. Like, desperately. He wanted this specific Louis Vuitton model, so he started giving English tutoring lessons to people who were struggling."
Hyunjin glanced at Felix. "That's kind of sweet."
"Wait for it," Jisung said. "I was one of those people."
Felix covered his face with one hand. "Please stop."
"I was terrible," Jisung continued, ignoring him completely. "Like, genuinely the worst. I couldn't conjugate a verb to save my life. And Felix-" He gestured dramatically. "Felix would get so frustrated with me that he'd start speaking in English without realizing it, which obviously didn't help, and then he'd get frustrated that I didn't understand his frustration, and it was this whole cycle."
Hyunjin was laughing now, the sound warm and genuine, his whole face softening with amusement as he glanced between Jisung and Felix. When Felix risked looking at him properly, Hyunjin was already watching him, eyes bright with something that made Felix's stomach flip again, how many times did it flip? He stopped counting.
"By the end of it," Jisung said, "I still couldn't speak English, but we were friends. So I consider that a win."
Felix shook his head, but he was smiling now too, the warmth of the memory softening some of the tension that have been sitting heavy in his chest all day. "You got better eventually."
"I got passable," Jisung corrected. "There's a difference."
The whole table was laughing now, even Felix, the sound blending into the golden noise of the bar around them. Hyunjin's shoulder brushed against his, and Felix let himself lean into it just slightly, not enough to be obvious but enough to feel him there, real and close and present in a way that made everything else feel smaller.
But not everyone was laughing.
Felix noticed it almost without meaning to, the way his attention kept drifting across the table even when he was trying to focus on the conversation in front of him. Jihoon was sitting back in his chair with his drink in hand, watching the three of them with an expression that was carefully neutral but not quite relaxed. His smile had thinned at the edges, sharpened into something that did not reach his eyes, and there was a tension in the line of his shoulders that wasn’t there before, like he was watching something unfold that he didnt anticipat and did not like.
Felix saw the moment Jihoon decided to act.
He leaned forward, tilting his body toward Hyunjin with attention, his posture shifting into something more focused, as if he decided the conversation was allowed to drift too far from where he wanted it. "So, Hyunjin," he said, voice pitched just loud enough to cut through the lingering laughter, "you said you're an artist, right? What kind of stuff do you paint?"
Hyunjin turned toward him politely, because of course he did. Hyunjin was kind. Hyunjin was gracious. Hyunjin had no reason to understand the undercurrents at this table, no way of knowing that Jihoon had spent the entire day inserting himself into places he did not belong and Felix was quietly losing his mind over it.
"Mostly landscapes," Hyunjin said. "Some portraits. I like capturing atmosphere more than specific things."
Jihoon nodded as if this were the most fascinating thing he ever heard, his eyes widening with performative interest. "That's so cool. I've always wanted to get into art, but I don't have the talent for it." He laughed, bright and self-deprecating, and then reached out to touch Hyunjin's arm, his fingers curling lightly against the skin of his arm. "You'll have to show me some of your work sometime."
Felix's jaw tightened so much his teeth hurt. He watched Jihoon's fingers rest against Hyunjin's arm, watched the easy way Jihoon smiled up at him, watched Hyunjin respond with the same polite warmth he gave everyone, and something hot and sharp and possessive twisted deep in Felix's chest, demanding to be acknowledged.
Without fully thinking about it, he shifted closer to Hyunjin on the seat. Not obviously, but just enough that their thighs pressed together beneath the table, just enough that when Felix slowly, slid his arm through Hyunjin's and let it rest there, wrapped around him with quiet possession, Hyunjin turned his head to look at him.
Felix met his gaze, lifting his drink to his lips and taking a slow sip through the straw without breaking eye contact, his expression perfectly innocent even as his arm stayed exactly where it was. Something flickered in Hyunjin's expression, surprise maybe, or curiosity, or something that Felix did not have time to name before he smoothed it away again.
Across the table, Jihoon noticed.
His eyes dropped to where Felix's arm was wrapped around Hyunjin's, and his smile went stiff for just a second, the mask slipping before he forced it back into place. When he looked up again and met Felix's gaze, there was a challenge there, a silent question that demanded an answer. Felix smiled at him.
It was not a nice smile.
Hyunjin, sitting between them, seemed to sense that something was happening even if he didnt fully understand what. His gaze moved between Felix and Jihoon, a small furrow appearing between his brows as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle with missing edges. Felix could feel the weight of that attention against the side of his face, but he did not look away from Jihoon, nor soften his expression.
The conversation continued after that, but the undercurrent of tension remained, invisible to anyone who was not paying close attention but impossible for Felix to ignore. Jisung and Hyunjin were talking about something, music maybe, or films, their energy matching in an easy way that made Felix feel warm despite everything else. Hyunjin laughed at something Jisung said, and the sound was genuine. Felix let himself lean into it, let himself enjoy the simple pleasure of watching someone he cared about enjoy himself.
But Jihoon kept trying. Every few minutes, he would find a new way to insert himself into Hyunjin's attention, a comment here, a question there, a laugh that was always just a little too loud, a touch that always lingered a little too long in Felix’s opinion. He leaned in when he spoke to Hyunjin, angling his body toward him as of Felix was not sitting right there, as if Felix's arm was not still wrapped around Hyunjin's like a claim he had absolutely no intention of releasing.
Felix noticed everything. He noticed the way Jihoon's hand kept finding excuses to land on Hyunjin's arm, his shoulder, his hand. He noticed the way Jihoon laughed at things that were not funny enough to warrant that reaction. He noticed the way Jihoon's smile sharpened every time he glanced at Felix, like he was keeping score in a competition Felix never agreed to enter. And of course, Felix played back.
Every time Jihoon touched Hyunjin, Felix scooted closer. Every time Jihoon laughed too loudly, Felix let his fingers brush against Hyunjin's arm beneath the table. Every time Jihoon looked at him with that smug, challenging expression, Felix smiled back with all the sweetness of something with teeth.
At one point, Jihoon asked, "So when's your exhibit? I'd love to come."
Felix felt his whole body tense. He scooted even closer to Hyunjin, if that was possible. there was now absolutely no pretending it was accidental, Hyunjin was feeling the entire length of his thigh pressed against his own. He glanced at him briefly, like he finally understood what was happening, and let his hand slid beneath the table and found Felix's knee.
He squeezed once, gentle but firm, and Felix felt something in him settle just slightly, the sharp edges of his jealousy softening into something more manageable.
"I'm still not sure of the exact date," Hyunjin said smoothly, turning back to Jihoon with a smile. "Things keep getting moved around."
Felix blinked. He knew that was a lie.
Hyunjin told him the date weeks ago? They talked about it multiple times, in texts, in person, in conversations at the shop. The exhibit was in a month, and Hyunjin has been counting down the days with anxiety ever since. But here he was, sitting at a table in a crowded bar, telling Jihoon he did not know.
A small, discret smile tugged at the corner of Felix's mouth, and he ducked his head to hide it, lifting his drink to his lips to cover the expression, feeling the alcohol hit.
Jisung noticed anyway. "What are you smiling about, Lix?"
Felix laughed softly, finishing the last of his drink and setting the empty glass down on the table. "Don't know. The alcohol, maybe."
Hyunjin turned to look at him, eyebrows lifting slightly. "Oh? Already?"
Before Felix could respond, Jihoon cut in with a knowing little smirk that made Felix's blood pressure spike immediately. "He really can't drink."
Felix's head snapped toward him, lifting a brow. "I can drink, actually," he said, and his voice came out harder than he intended.
Jihoon raised both hands in mock surrender, but his smile stayed in place, smug and satisfied and begging to be wiped off. "Just saying."
Jisung laughed, clearly trying to ease the sudden tension that descended over the table like a cloud. "Well, it's true you don't need much to get a bit drunk! But at least you're fun when you are."
Felix rolled his eyes, but the irritation was still sitting hot beneath his skin, prickling at the back of his neck. He turned his head toward Hyunjin, looking for something, anything, to anchor himself and-
And found Hyunjin already watching him. Again. The expression on his face was amused, impossibly fond, and when Felix met his gaze, Hyunjin's hand slid higher on his thigh beneath the table, unmistakably possessive.
Felix's breath caught and Hyunjin just smiled.
They ordered another round of drinks after that, and the conversation continued. Felix could still feel the tension running. Jisung was telling a story about something that happened at work, his hands moving animatedly as he spoke, and Hyunjin was listening with genuine interest, laughing at the right moments, his whole posture relaxed in a way that made him look more open than Felix usually saw him in public.
Felix watched him and felt something dangerous swell in his chest, something that went beyond jealousy into territory he was not sure he was ready to name.
Then Jihoon stood up. Felix's attention snapped toward him immediately, his whole body going tense as Jihoon circled around the table with his phone in hand and slid into the seat on Hyunjin's other side. The seat that was empty since the beginning of the night.
"You have to see this," Jihoon said, leaning in close, far too close, his shoulder pressing against Hyunjin's as he angled the phone screen toward him. "It reminded me of what you were saying earlier about landscapes."
Hyunjin looked at the screen.
Jihoon laughed at something on the video, so performative, and let his hand rest against Hyunjin's arm as he did. Felix's jaw clenched so hard it hurt again.
He watched Jihoon lean even closer, watched Hyunjin's smile stay in place, watched the way Jihoon's body angled toward him like he was trying to block Felix out entirely, to claim territory that did not belong to him, and something inside Felix snapped.
He stood up abruptly.
"I'm going to the bathroom," he said, and his voice came out flatter than he intended.
Jisung waved at him with a cheerful smile, oblivious to the storm raging beneath Felix's skin. "Don't get lost!"
Jihoon glanced up at him, and the smirk that curled at the corner of his mouth was small but unmistakable, satisfied in a way that made Felix want to flip the entire table. Hyunjin looked at him too, but his expression was different- confused, almost worried, his brow furrowing like he was trying to read something in Felix's face that Felix was not willing to show.
Felix turned and walked away before he could say anything he would regret. The bathroom was quieter than the rest of the bar, the noise of the crowd muffled by the heavy door that swung shut behind him with a soft thud. Felix stood in front of the mirror and stared at his own reflection, at the flush high on his cheeks, at the tightness around his mouth, at the way his eyes looked too bright and too angry and too obvious.
"You need to chill," he muttered to himself.
He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the blond strands back from his face before letting them fall again in messy waves around his shoulders. Then he pulled out his lip gloss from his pocket and reapplied it carefully, the familiar motion soothing some of the jagged edges inside him, giving his hands something to do while his thoughts raced in circles.
He stared at himself for another long moment.
He looked good. He knew he looked good. The outfit was perfect, the piercing was catching the light exactly how he wanted it to, and his freckles stood out soft and pretty against the warmth the alcohol had brought to his skin.
And yet Jihoon was out there, sitting next to Hyunjin, touching him, laughing with him, acting like Felix did not even exist.
Felix sighed heavily and turned toward the door. He was reaching for the handle when it opened from the other side.
Hyunjin stood there, framed by the dim light of the hallway, and for a second neither of them moved. The noise of the bar was a distant hum behind him, muffled, and in the small quiet space of the bathroom it felt like they were suddenly alone in a way they had not been all night.
Then Hyunjin stepped inside and let the door fall shut behind him.
"Felix," he said softly, and the concern in his voice was so genuine it made something in Felix's chest ache. "Are you okay?"
Felix stared at him for a few seconds without saying anything, feeling the alcohol warm in his veins and the frustration still coiled tight beneath his ribs. The sight of Hyunjin standing there, looking at him with those dark eyes full of worry, made the sharp edges of his jealousy soften into something more vulnerable.
Then, slowly, a stupid smile spread across his face, the kind of smile that came when you were just tipsy enough to stop pretending.
"Of course," he said, and even he could hear how unconvincing it sounded. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Hyunjin lifted an eyebrow, he did not look convinced at all.
He stepped closer, and Felix's breath caught as Hyunjin's hands found his waist, fingers curling against the fabric of his crop top as he pulled Felix toward him, closing the distance between them until there was barely any space left at all.
"Are you sure?" Hyunjin murmured, and his voice was low now, intimate, the kind of voice you only used when you were close enough to feel someone's breath.Felix looked at him, at his eyes, at his lips, at the way the low light of the bathroom caught the angles of his face and made him look like something out of a dream. He pressed his lips together and lifted his hands to rest against Hyunjin's chest, feeling the warmth of him through the thin fabric of his shirt, the steady beat of his heart beneath Felix's palms.
"I'm sure," he said, his voice a bit breathy.
Hyunjin's eyes stayed on his face, dark. "What was that before, then? Hm?"
He pressed his chest against Felix's, his grip on his waist tightening as he guided him backward, step by step, until Felix's lower back hit the cold edge of the sink. The porcelain was a shock against his skin where his crop top ridden up, but Hyunjin's hands were warm, so warm, sliding around to rest at the small of his back.
"What was what?" Felix managed, to say, looking at him with big brown eyes, acting innocent. His whole body hyperaware of everywhere they were touching.
Hyunjin leaned in closer, his lips brushing against the shell of Felix's ear as he spoke. "Why were you all up on me out there? Not that I'm complaining." He pulled back just enough to meet Felix's eyes, his expression soft but knowing, like he had already figured out the answer and was just waiting for Felix to confirm it. "Does this have to do with Jihoon? Hm?"
The name landed like ice water in Felix's veins. Felix closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the mirror, a shiver running through his entire body as Hyunjin's hands slid beneath his crop top, warm palms pressing flat against the bare skin of his back.
"Don't say his name," Felix muttered, his voice coming out rougher than he intended. "Ugh."
Hyunjin laughed softly, and the sound vibrated through Felix's whole body as Hyunjin leaned in and pressed his face against the curve of Felix's neck. A kiss landed there, soft and warm, right against his pulse point, and Felix shivered again, harder this time, his fingers curling involuntarily against Hyunjin's chest.
"Oh," Hyunjin murmured against his skin, and Felix could feel the smile in his voice. "So I'm right."
"Shut up," Felix breathed.
But his hands were already moving, sliding down from Hyunjin's chest to his torso, feeling the firm lines of muscle beneath his shirt. He bit his own lip hard enough to hurt, trying to ground himself in the sensation while his whole body felt like it was on fire.
Hyunjin pulled back just enough to look at him again, and his expression shifted into something more serious now, something tender and earnest beneath the heat.
"You know I have eyes only for you, right?"
Felix did not answer, he could not.
His throat closed around the words, and all he could do was look at Hyunjin, look at the way the dim light caught in his dark eyes, at the softness of his mouth, at the impossible beauty of him standing there in a dingy bathroom holding Felix like he was something precious.
Hyunjin's hands found Felix's face, cupping his jaw gently, thumbs brushing across his cheekbones with a tenderness that made Felix's chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with jealousy. One finger traced the line of his lips, slowly, and Felix's mouth parted instinctively, his breath coming faster now, his whole body leaning into the touch.
Hyunjin's eyes darkened.Felix held his gaze and took Hyunjin's thumb into his mouth.
The effect was immediate.
Hyunjin's breath caught, his jaw tightening, his whole body going still for one charged second as Felix sucked lightly on his finger, never breaking eye contact. The heat between them shifted into something, hungrier, and Felix could see the exact moment Hyunjin's control began to slip, the careful composure cracking around the edges.
Then Hyunjin pulled his hand away and kissed him. It was not gentle. It was hungry, desperate, the kind of kiss that swallowed sound and thought and everything else that did not matter. Hyunjin's mouth moved against his with bruising intensity, one hand gripping Felix's waist hard enough to leave marks while the other slid into his hair, tilting his head back to deepen the angle. Felix gasped into the kiss and wrapped his legs around Hyunjin's waist, letting himself be lifted onto the edge of the sink as Hyunjin pressed between his thighs.
The position was obscene.
Felix kissed back with everything he had, fingers clutching at Hyunjin's shirt, pulling him closer, closer, as close as he could possibly get. Hyunjin's hands roamed down his sides, over his hips, beneath his crop top again, and every touch felt like fire, like electricity, like something that was going to ruin him completely and leave him grateful for it.
The kiss deepened, tongues sliding together, and Felix made a sound into Hyunjin's mouth that he would have been embarrassed about under any other circumstances. Hyunjin's grip on his thigh tightened in response, pulling him even closer, and Felix could feel the heat of him everywhere, could feel the way Hyunjin's control was fraying at the edges, the careful composure giving way to something rawer and more desperate.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard, foreheads pressed together, the silence of the bathroom ringing in Felix's ears.
"You’re driving me insane, Felix…" Hyunjin said, his his voice was rough and his hands were still gripping Felix's thighs like he had no intention of letting go.
Felix laughed breathlessly. "That was hot."
Hyunjin kissed him again, softer this time, the kind of kiss that felt like a promise rather than a demand. Then he pulled back with visible effort and helped Felix slide off the sink, steadying him when his legs wobbled slightly beneath him.
"Are you good now?" Hyunjin asked, smoothing Felix's hair back with gentle fingers, but the mess he made of it was beyond repair at this point.
Felix looked up at him and smiled, bright and helpless and utterly ruined.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm so good."
Hyunjin smiled back, and for a moment they just stood there in the quiet of the bathroom, looking at each other like the rest of the world had temporarily ceased to exist.
Then Hyunjin took his hand, laced their fingers together, and led him back outside. They barely made it three steps toward the table when Jisung looked up, caught sight of them, and burst out laughing so loudly that several people at nearby tables turned to stare.
"Oh my god," Jisung wheezed, his whole face bright with scandalized delight as his eyes traveled over Felix's disheveled hair, his swollen lips, the obvious flush still sitting high on his cheeks. "Did you really go make out in the bathroom?"
Hyunjin's ears went pink. He sat down without answering, his expression carefully neutral even as the color crept steadily across his cheekbones, and Felix watched him with a surge of fondness so strong it almost hurt.
Then, without asking permission, without hesitating for even a second, Felix sat down directly on Hyunjin's lap. Hyunjin's eyes widened slightly, his hands coming up automatically to rest at Felix's waist, but he did not push him away. If anything, his grip tightened, pulling Felix just a little closer against his chest.
Across the table, Jihoon's jaw clenched.
Felix saw it happen. He saw the way Jihoon's eyes dropped to where Felix was sitting, to Hyunjin's hands on his waist, to the easy intimacy of the position. He saw the way Jihoon's expression flickered through several emotions before settling into something hard and cold.
Felix smiled at him.
"I can't help that I'm too pretty," he said sweetly, and then winked.
Jihoon looked like he swallowed something sour.
Beside him, Jisung was still laughing, one hand pressed to his chest like he was trying to physically contain his amusement. "I should have know, Hyunjin, you’re totally Felix’s type..."
Hyunjin shook his head but he was smiling now too, and when Felix leaned back against his chest, Hyunjin's arm wrapped around his waist and held him there like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Yeah, Felix thought, letting himself relax into the warmth of Hyunjin's body behind him, watching Jihoon's face with satisfaction.
He had to show Jihoon exactly who he was.
And now there was no question left at all.