The airport was a chaos of high noises, children's cries and luggages' wheels sliding on the ground, but Felix was smiling regardless, in fact he wouldn't have liked to be anywhere else. Sure, he would have liked to have Chan right next to him, but even that was bearable if he thought about what was going to come.
He was going home.
And not home as in his house in Seoul, no that was just a house, something he called home because he was living there. No, he was going home home. Home as in clear skies, big waves, sunny beaches, skateboards on the sidewalks, freckles popping out, old friends, relatives, cold ice creams, busking dances, late night swims in the ocean, beach parties, sunsets with the Opera House, hot winds from the desert, stargazing, grilled meat in the backyard and many many other little and big things that Felix loved in a way he couldn't even describe. In a way you could only love your true home.
He was finally going back to Sydney, Australia. To his big house in the outskirts of the city, to all the things listed before and on top of that he wasn't going alone, but with his family. There was also a certain someone who was going to tag along when he would have been there, but for now they weren't together. His original plan had been to go alone, he had started to develop it while doing some little jobs that summer and seeing that he was making quite enough money for everything he would have needed, but things had changed. Since they had moved to Korea, his family had never gone back to Australia, his parents' new works not allowing them to go back and actually spending some long and quality time due to the incoming and the granted vacation days, so Felix had thought that, if he had suggested them all to go back, his parents would have had to say no, but the answer had been unexpected. They had said yes and they had added that it was time for everyone to go back. So, Felix had been able to save the money he had stored for the trip and to go back with his family: talk about killing two birds with a stone.
As he fidgeted around, full of anticipation and excitement, he recalled the time when he had told Chan, back in October, even before informing his parents:
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As the fake fire crackled into the electric heater, they were huddled on the couch under a blanket, Felix lazily playing Genshin on the PlayStation and Chan fully focused on a book, as always.
«Channie?» the blond called out, killing some enemies in order to open a chest with pure muscle memory.
«Yeah?» the other replied, distracted.
«Umh it's not really like, something that's surely gonna happen, but I have this little plan...»
«Mmh?» Chan finally lifted his eyes from the book, or so Felix thought as he was still watching the screen «Tell me more?»
«I'm planning of going back to Sydney this winter break: the exams are at the end of November, so the only thing left to school after the break is graduation, which means I wouldn't have much to do at home, so since I've been feeling homesick lately and it's gonna be summer there, I thought I'd go back» he explained.
«Alone?»
«Every time I suggested to my parents a trip they always said no cuz we couldn't really afford to go, so I suppose this time is gonna be no different. I mean, I'll tell them, but only to let them know. I can afford only my expenses and I certainly cannot ask Jisung or Hyunjin or Seungmin to cover such expenses for themselves, so yeah, I'm going alone. I'm an adult though, so I beg you to not start with your speeches»
Chan giggled «No it's not that, it's just that, like, every winter on that period I-»
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Felix's mother interrupted his reminiscing, calling out for him to follow them through the check-in, to which the boy complied meekly. The check-in felt like hours, both to his overly-excited mind and his feet, but finally the family boarded. Since it was about midnight, once they settled on their seats, Felix had managed to get the window seat as he was the one who had suggested the trip in the first place, his mother gently nudged his head back on the cushion, urging him to get some sleep as a ten-hour flight was waiting for them. Although he felt full of energy, seeing his mother's gentle and soothing smile put him at ease and his eyes started to close almost naturally. The last thing he saw before drifting off to sleep, to which he replied with a sloppy and dark selfie, was Jisung's text, who wished him an amazing trip.
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The raging anticipation didn't let him sleep that much, but it was enough. Once the flight attendant announced that they were finally going to fly over Sydney in ten minutes, Felix had already been pressing his nose on the window for a solid half an hour, taking in whatever he could see from that height. He had witnessed the sunset from above the clouds and it had been a spectacular view, such a beautiful scenery that his phone hadn't been able to fully register, but he had nevertheless sent it to Chan, his squad, Soojin and his other close friends, who were all most likely still soundly asleep. Now, as Sydney started to become more clear in the distance, a delighted scream threatened to leave his mouth as for how much excited he was. His mother caressed his arm, silently asking him to be a little bit more patient. It was hard, but he sat still, watching as his city unfolded below him, with all its buildings, parks and streets, things that had made his childhood.
And finally, finally, they landed safely. Felix basically sprinted out of the plane after retrieving his backpack and made his way through the busy airport, leaving his family behind. He knew it was kind of rude of him, not even retrieving his luggage, but he simply had to breathe the Australian air as soon as possible, he couldn't take it anymore. Finally, the automatic doors stood in front of him and opened, welcoming him back home. He took some steps outside, his body a windwheel of emotions, and he inhaled deeply. He didn't care that it wasn't clean air, that he was smelling all sorts of bad stuff, it was still Australian. Exhaling, a tear escaped from the corner of his eye, but he didn't even bother to dry it up as he looked around, taking in whatever he could see. Heat was curling up around him and made him take off his hoodie, which wasn't needed anymore since it was summer there.
Little time after, his family finally joined him, his father scolding him for running off like that, but not even that could tear away the big smile he had on his face. Since they didn't have a car anymore in Australia, they went up and rented one from near the airport, quickly placing the luggages in the trunk as soon as they were done with the procedures.
As his father drove them home, again Felix took in whatever he could see, keeping his face out of the window, that he had rolled down as soon as they had gotten on the road. The air was hot, humid, typically Australian, and he could smell the ocean in it. Finally he would have been able to surf on real, big waves. He could hear voices from passersby when they were stopped at a traffic light, their accents thick and so achingly familiar that almost made him tear up again. And then, when the landscape became more open as they drove through the outskirts of Sydney and finally their old house came into sight, he really teared up again, a few tears escaping and rolling down his cheeks. Luckily, even if someone noticed, no one said anything, as they all felt the same.
Flopping down on his own bed felt like a dream. Sure, the sheets smelled anonymously, as the nice lady who lived next door and had taken care of the house in the past years had taken everything to the laundromat when they had told her they were going to come home, but it was still his bed, his room, his house, his city, his fatherland.
Without him even noticing, he fell asleep just like that.
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«Felix, mate, I almost didn't recognize you!» one of his old Australian friends cried out, crushing him into a hug.
The blond giggled loudly as he accepted it, albeit stumbling backwards due to the momentum. After a whole day of jet-lag recovery and other stuff, he had finally managed to get out of the house and meet his friends, which was one of the things he had looked out the most for.
«Hey Noah, glad to see you man, it's been like forever!» he exclaimed back, happy.
«You tell me!» the other snorted, letting him go, a playful smile on his lips.
«We're so glad to see you Lix!» someone else butted in, putting him into a headlock and ruffling his hair «What's with this blond head?»
«Korea does things» Felix laughed.
«Well Korea did you well, you fucking heart robber»
«Ain't one!» the blond complained.
«Like hell»
Like that, everyone just ended up laughing loudly and Felix took that time to look around and take everything in. His five closest friends, Jeongho, Andrew, Noah, Jack and Haru, stood in a circle around him, too busy laughing to notice the way he assessed them. They hadn't changed much, rather at all. Sure, they did look bigger and more mature, but apart from that they were still his old pals from his old yet very dear life. Some people sent them weird looks as they walked past them, but the blond brushed them off easily: it was nothing compared to the looks he had gotten all the way back in Seoul whenever he had hung out with Chan. Moreover, nothing could have eased his joy at that moment, he was so thrilled to finally be able to meet his childhood friends that weird looks were the last of his concerns. Soon enough, the other five boys stood up straight again, done with their laughing fit, and proceeded to flood Felix with attention, shoving him around playfully, messing with his hair and patting his shoulders. Like that they walked, ending up at what had been their favorite place to meet up back in the days, a large park near the shore, which provided food stalls that served delicious snacks. Once everyone bought what they wanted, they went and sat on their spot, which was, obviously, the best of the park.
«The day's all yours Felix» Haru declared, munching his corn dog «Tell us about Korea mate, you sure keep us on track but it ain't the same»
«Plus Jeongho here only went for like, two days last winter and did nothing» Jack added.
«You came?!» Felix turned towards his fellow Korean friend, who shrugged.
«I did, but we went to Busan, which is all the way across Seoul, so I didn't want to trouble anyone» he said before biting down on his sandwich.
«Aw dude come on, it was literally summer back then, I had nothing to do» the blond complained.
«Hey you can't fully blame me! I told you I was coming, but it was like mid-July and you literally went M.I.A. back there»
Felix's smile fell in an instant as he was transported back to those ugly days without Chan «Oh»
«No but for real mate, what happened back then? Got your heart broken by some pretty chick or sum?» Andrew, the ever curious, asked.
The blond decided that it wouldn't have hurt to say a part of the truth. After all, his friends didn't have to know that Chan was his teacher and, as long as he made no names, he could easily cover it with the whole hickey-guy story if it ever got down to that. And even if he made names, it wasn't like they were in contact with Hyunjin or Seungmin or any of the people he knew back in Korea, so the risk was minimum.
«Uh, kinda?» he replied, a bit unsure «There was this guy and we had a pretty bad argument and I was sick and feeling like shit so the ghosting was kinda natural. But I'm good now, everything got sorted out»
«So you got your heart broken finally?! Instead of breaking some innocent chick's one?!» Haru rejoiced.
«Screw that» Noah shoved him away «A guy?!»
«You finally got your gay awakening?!» Jack leaped forward.
«Did you get back together?» Andrew inquired.
«I can understand but I wanted to see you man!» Jeongho complained.
«Guys slow down!» Felix chuckled, happy to have their nosiness back «I can't really say whether my heart was broken or not, I did feel like shit and even dyed my hair silver and yes, it was a guy, I finally realized for good that I'm bisexual and I'm hella proud of that. We weren't together by the way, just fucking around, and I'm sorry Jeongho but I didn't even realize man, I forgot even»
«So not even Korea stopped you from hooking-up every other week» Noah joked.
«Legit nothing can stop this guy from getting into everyone's pants, lemme tell you» Haru affirmed, his snack completely forgotten.
«That ain't true!» Felix complained, blushing slightly.
«Like hell!»
«I'd like to see you settled down with someone»
Although he tried not to, the blond ended up blushing even more, his cheeks reddening up and giving him away.
«No fucking way!» Andrew jumped up «You fucking settled down! Un-fucking-believable!» he squealed like it was the thing he had wanted the most from life.
«I didn't settle down!» Felix argued weakly, his ears on fire «I just-»
However, at that very right moment, his phone rang loudly, freezing everyone in place. The blond took the device out of his pocket and, upon seeing the caller ID, decided to just answer. He had just been saved from wreckage, after all.
«Han Jisung I could kiss you right now» he started off in Korean, knowing that none of his friends, not even Jeongho, could understand him.
«What? Ew, gross, save your lips for Chan-hyung» his best friend made a gag sound from the other side of the line.
«You literally saved me from being forced to spill everything on Chan to my friends, so I could even forgive you for not telling me about your relationship with Minho-hyung at this point»
Felix could basically feel Jisung rolling his eyes «Drop it... no, in fact, don't drop it, cuz I need your help and it's about him»
«It's a date?!» the blond squealed «So you're telling me that Han Jisung needs help for a date with his boyfriend, which he has been dating for roughly six months, from the mighty Lee Felix cuz he sucks at it?»
«First of all, I don't suck at it and secondly... yes»
«Best friend, you've come to the right person, what do I have to do? If it's for condoms, I suggest you ask Chan, he's the one who-»
«Felix!» Jisung interrupted him loudly, no doubts blushing madly «Don't talk about that!»
«What? Still no sex talk? Really now 'Sung?»
«Drop it, I'm serious this time Lix»
«Alright, sorry, what is it then?»
«Was wondering if you could review my Christmas present ideas since it's all about dancing stuff and also other things for a possible date»
«Alright, enlighten me»
«Yeah no, not now, you're catching up with your friends, don't wanna keep your mighty butt from them, I'll text you the list, just remember to check it out since you're soooo busy»
«Yah» Felix protested, grinning «Fine Jisungie, see yo-»
But, before they could greet each other, his friends decided to stop staring at him silently and jump in.
«Wait! Stop blabbing in Korean, who is it?»
«Yeah mate, spill»
«I bet twenty bucks he's the guy!»
«You're on it!»
«It's just my best mate from back there, Jisung... say hi 'Sung» Felix giggled, putting the other on speaker.
«Am I on speaker now? Hi Felix's friends»
«Hi Felix's friend» the other five greeted back in chorus.
«Felix here was telling us about his adventures in Seoul, is he wild even there?»
«Uh... he is yeah» Jisung answered unsurely, stumbling a bit over his English.
«Told ya! Hey mate, do you know about the guy he settled down for?»
«The what now?» Jisung asked, not used at all to the way Felix's friends spoke.
«Aaalright, it's enough, say bye, I'm hanging up» the blond stepped in, sensing a possible catastrophe coming.
After they all greeted each other again, Felix ended the call and pocketed his phone, not before having got a quick read of his notifications, a few texts from Chan on top of them.
«You're popular even there mate?» Jeongho questioned.
«'Course he is, have you seen the guy? He's like, super hot material now» Haru pointed out.
Felix simply smiled, picking up his ice cream again «Stop nagging, don't ya wanna know the rest of my adventures?» he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Under the pressure of a renovated interest, he went on and told them more or less everything that had gone down in the span of three years, obviously leaving out everything that was connected to Chan. His life had been pretty interesting and eventful even before him after all, even though now it was just better, like things had started to settle down, shaping his future in a way, he had to tell, he quite loved. His friends didn't pry more on the mysterious guy, way more interested in many other events, especially 'Felix's big gig', how they had called it, meaning that infamous Kingdom episode he had starred in. They wanted to know basically everything about it, especially about the singers and the atmosphere, and Felix happily complied, always pleased to talk about dancing. He went on and rambled on about Hyunjin and Minho even, how good they were, even though none of his friends knew shit about dancing, they just enjoyed hearing his stories. Sure, Sydney was one big of a city and many things happened, but Korea was still Korea, it was a foreign country and they were able to hear some juicy events firsthand, who wouldn't have been interested?
The six boys passed their afternoon like that and evening as well, sharing everything over a BBQ dinner, even though it was fairly too hot to have BBQ, and talking about games and stupid stuff while walking down the shore of a random beach, enjoying the twilight atmosphere, as the Sun set really late due to the fact that it was summer.
When he got home, again Felix didn't even strip out of his clothes, falling asleep on his bed with a content smile on his lips, glad to have reunited with his friends but also wanting to see Chan as soon as possible.
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✎ Author's note
⟢➣ Well hi hii there ;D
Quite a long time no see huh? But I guess everyone must make a comeback at some point, so here freckledsunshinee is with the new TET arc, as promised <3
You may or may have not noticed, but I made slight edits to the chapters already posted, mostly fixed some things in the smut scenes that were absolutely unrealistic, so no worries, didn't alter TET too much, just fixed some horrendous things!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was just a chill one to begin the arc. Speaking about the arc, brace yourself, this is going to be a lot and, hopefully, you're going to love it just as much as chanlix are going to love each other! (love, finally??? who knows)
Thank you for reading, leave a comment if you want, it'd be much appreciated, see you on the 10th <33