⇒ 9th District Apartment Complex L. 0325

After letting Felix wear his red hoodie, the walk home turned out to be slower than Jisung expected, more so because Felix could barely walk. It took Jisung multiple attempts to finally convince Felix to hop onto his back and be carried.

Felix sat obediently while allowing Jisung to carefully treat his wounds, who also occasionally cringed and hissed at the painful sight. When he finished, Jisung was on his knees before the boy. He lifted his head to look at Felix, both boys instantly flushing bright red. The blond immediately averted his gaze, contrary to Jisung. Instead, he observed how beaten Felix looked, now covered in band aids, with a thick black choker adorning his neck. A choker. He had never noticed any such accessory on their first meeting but Jisung still wondered, did he always wear chokers?

Realising he must've stared for too long, Jisung cleared his throat and stood up. "Well - I'll get you something to wear."

Jisung pulled a bunch of clothes out, which now created a pile on the floor. He searched through the mess, determined to find something 'soft and cute' for the boy seated on his bed.

Right as he slipped into the pink turtle neck Jisung lent him, Felix fiddled with the sweater paws the oversized garment created. He didn't resist when Jisung wrapped a blanket around him, and like he was inside a cozy cocoon, only his head stuck out now.

"I'll be back, okay?"

After giving Felix's fluffy hair a quick ruffle, Jisung left the room to make food.

For lunch, the brunette felt too tired to make something complex so he resorted to cooking up some delicious ramen. As it boiled, a lot of thoughts crossed his mind. He realised he knew nothing about the boy in his bedroom, yet he felt a strong urge to not let him go. To protect. He also imagined having to feed Felix. A tiny smirk formed on his lips, which he soon forced away. Is this considered cheating? He pushed aside the mountain of thoughts growing in his head and focused on the noodles.

Just as Jisung lifted one of the bowls, something caught his attention through the kitchen window, which had a clear view of the street. Once he realised who the boys approaching his apartment were, Jisung cursed.

He moved backwards, mind racing. He then grabbed a few packs of snacks before rushing into his bedroom, his sudden entrance causing the boy snuggled in the bed to flinch and sit up. Felix stared at Jisung with slightly parted lips and curiosity all over his face, as Jisung placed the bowl on his desk, along with a good amount of snacks, and walked closer to the boy.

"Lix- listen.." He started, then took a deep breath. The blond had all his attention on Jisung, now starting to worry something was wrong. Jisung tried to find the right words, then murmured, "Hyunjin and Seungmin are coming over.."

The last thing Jisung wanted was to scare Felix, but here he was, witnessing the colour drain from Felix's face as he took a big gulp. He was clearly about to cry.

Jisung immediately knelt before the panicked boy and clasped his hands on either of Felix's shoulders. "Shh, it's okay - they won't come here, so eat and stay inside alright?" Jisung reassured, then moved a hand to Felix's cheek. He gave his soft cheek a quick pinch before the doorbell sounded.

Jisung didn't get up right away. He stayed in place and searched Felix's eyes, while the later only stared back, his expression unreadable. Felix pursed his lips and gave a nod, signaling that he'll be fine so Jisung could leave.

•

"Why are you sweating-" Hyunjin paused and leaned forward before a dramatic gasp escaped his mouth. "Don't tell me you were doing unholy stuff!"

Jisung's features contorted into a grimace. "Shut up and come inside you idiot." He opened the door wider to let both Seungmin and Hyunjin in.

Seungmin didn't hesitate to make himself comfortable on the sofa. He looked around Jisung's neat apartment. "See how tidy his place is?" asked Seungmin as he directed an accusatory glare at Hyunjin. "You need lessons from him."

"Hey this is all because he moved here recently!" Hyunjin defended, using exaggerated hand gestures. "Watch him give up after a month."

After observing the two for some time, Jisung sighed and sat beside Seungmin.

"Oh right," Hyunjin started as he flopped onto the couch opposite them. "How are things with your boyfriend?"

Jisung frowned. "I still don't know where Minho lives.."

"Ask him? If you guys have been dating for long, he shouldn't have a problem with meeting, right?"

"Hyunjin that's not how it works." Seungmin shook his head, "Not everyone's like that."

Seungmin gave Jisung a reassuring pat. "He'll let you meet him someday, don't look so pouty please? And have you seen him?"

Jisung nodded, "Of course I have, he's beautiful." A shy smile crept up his lips. "You won't know what I mean unless you see him. He was sculpted in the heavens."

"Ew gross, someone's in love." Hyunjin gagged.

Jisung narrowed his eyes. "You speak like you don't eat Seungmin's face while no one's looking."

"Hey keep me out of this!" whined Seungmin in embarrassment, causing the two to break out into laughter.

•

By the time his friends left, it was way past ten. Right as he locked the front door, Jisung was quick to make a beeline for the bedroom. With sweaty palms, he turned the doorknob slowly and peeped in.

Jisung instantly melted at the sight, holding a hand over his mouth to stifle his 'aw'. He tiptoed to the bed and stared at the blond snuggled up in his bed, asleep. Soft and steady snores faded into the silence.

He bent down and carefully brushed back the blond strands off Felix's forehead. "Goodnight Felix."

And with a new feeling settling in his heart, Jisung headed to the living room to sleep on the couch.

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▬▬ι══KIM SEUNGMIN══ι▬▬
\ 19 \ FRESHMAN \ HATES TROUBLE \ HYUNJIN'S BABY \ HAS A BRAIN CELL \