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"Well, Hello there" the voice was deep and heavy, but Hyunjin knew the tone was taunting and filled with disgust. Felix's eyes shifted from the dazzling woman to the man standing beside her, arm wrapped around her waist, Felix licked his lips before he began to speak "hello" his voice was so small it could barely be heard and it made the other man smirk, which only led to Felix feeling worse
Hyunjin's eyes darkened at the ghastly smirk that painted his father's face, he wanted to punch it away but remained silent diverting his eyes to the ground "so you do have a real friend" that came from no other than the man Hyunjin couldn't hate any more, the atmosphere switched at the comment when Hyunjin felt his father's gaze pierce through his head. he didn't bother looking up or answering him
a taunting chuckle was heard as Felix uncomfortably shifted his weight on his legs before looking at the woman who seemed to be the only one who could lighten this situation up "Dinner is ready sons, let's take our seats" and she did, saving them from any more wrapped-in-silk-insults and began to make her way towards the large dining room sat in front of the kitchen with her husband following her
she heard a whisper in her ear as they walked toward the food "surprising huh?" she remained quiet not wanting to argue with her husband
The two boys followed shortly after "do not converse with him, he will say mean things. I know him" Hyunjin warned the boy who was practically latching onto his arm at this point "but he'll speak with me, what do I do then?" Felix questioned clearly fretting over the fact that his father was not as easy as he pictured him to be
That conversation Hyunjin and he had days ago, sitting in the gondola was starting to now make sense and he felt horrible for Hyunjin
they walked toward the dining table and Hyunjin helped the brunette take his seat before he took his own, he leaned closer to him and whispered "if he says something you can't answer, just don't" Felix sighed at his reply, that was not the way out. He licked his lips awkwardly as he reached out his hand to hold the glass of water and drink down the cold liquid while Hyunjin was busy setting out the white napkin on his lap
the water rushed down his parched throat calming his nerves and helping him cool down, he set the glass down and before he could reach for the napkin Hyunjin did, unfolding it and gently placing it down on his lap, the gesture was small but enough to catch everybody that was sitting at the table to notice it, a soft crimson flushed all across Felix's cheeks as he glanced at the raven head's parents who were also staring at the two boys then back at Hyunjin
who didn't seem bothered at all and before he knew the taller was back to his place and began to eat in silence, his eyes fell over to the couple again but they too were indulged in the meal, ignoring the act of care their insolent and callous son has put out for Felix, the shock Felix had seen spark in both their eyes made a heat rush up his cheeks he was unaware of what they were thinking of him and this and it all seemed to worsen his anxiousness
for the first few minutes, things went silent and peaceful. until Hyunjin's father began to speak "so...kid, what is your name?" he questioned as Felix looked up from his plate of food "Felix, Lee Felix" he replied. finally being able to gain his confidence back and replying like a human being this time rather than a mouse trapped in a cheese-trap
"hmm...and how old are you?" he questioned again, directing the fork that held his food toward his mouth. "20" Felix replied shortly, and the man nodded. Felix felt relieved that the questions were normal questions that he could answer without dying and being brought back to life, and the soft thumb that continued caressing the back of his hand was definitely helping his anxiousness
when he stepped inside this mansion he wasn't expecting to be met with a man who would behave like he was some sort of '90s movie villain but here he was
Hyunjin on the other hand was not at all happy about the way his father was acting with Felix if it hadn't been obvious enough. yet he knew there wasn't much he could do about the situation, other than wish that this old man won't say anything that could make Felix upset because that is the last thing he wants in this world
the room fell to silence again, only the sound of utensils meeting with each other was heard. 'is this how rich people behave?' Felix wondered in his head, "are you a student?" the man started his vehicle of non-stopping questions again making Felix look up from his food "oh no, I actually work" was that the right answer? should he have rephrased it? Felix's mind was going so many places per second
"Where do you work?" Hyunjin sighed at the comment gritting his teeth, his father was being too nosy and he didn't appreciate it. noticing that, Felix smiled softly and gently pressed his hand to reassure him that he was fine "just here and there, part-time jobs" hearing that, the man laughed. almost uncomically "oh so you're a gold digger, I get it now" Felix stared at the man in confusion, what was he saying?
"saw this excuse of a person as your gateway to a better lifestyle, Honestly, pretty smart" he grinned sipping his wine, the loud slam on the wooded table caught the old man by surprise. he quickly looked to his side to see his son throwing daggers at him with his eyes, he was burning red as if he'd murder his father right here and then
"he is not like you" the son of the devil spoke through gritted teeth "is that so?" the man cocked a brow "then why did he befriend you?" there was silence at the table, Hyunjin wanted to reply but what could he simply answer with when he himself didn't know the answer, there was a pang at his heart "I didn't befriend your son for money" Felix replied, as politely as he could
"if you take time to look at him you will understand why I made friends with him" a soft smile tainting his beautiful face that just couldn't seem to piss off Hyunjin's father worse. Hyunjin wanted to leave this place right here and now but he waited for Felix to finish speaking, he wanted to hear the reason. "He's an incredible person, I don't believe I need to sit here and count down your son's good traits, they speak for themself. if you are willing to hear"
his voice echoed in the man's ears making it almost impossible for him to not take them seriously, his eyes gawking at Felix's face. he had spoken with such confidence that it left him speechless, and the fact that a mere 20-year-old was able to make him speechless made it further difficult for him to speak
he gulped before glancing at Hyunjin who was staring down at his lap before he turned to Felix and whispered "Let's go" he realised he has had enough and didn't want to put Felix through any more of this nonsense
this was just a bad idea over all and he shouldn't had done it, regret started to eat his senses away before his eyes were met with the same honey ones and it made him feel at home, despite sitting in the place he is compelled to call home he still felt like an outsider. but now that he was looking into the eyes of the person who never fails to surprise him he felt like he belonged
and that he had nothing to fear or run from, his whisper was met with a different response than he'd like "let's stay" his smile was beautiful, of course, as always but today it shined so bright that it blinded Hyunjin, his heart ached when he saw that the smile was only for him. and in those eyes that Hyunjin liked to call home he found the reason to exist
he found a path to heaven decorated with the most beautiful flowers, the fragrance lighting up his world. he felt his heart come to ease he has never felt before, a symphony of peace that only echoed in his ears when he was with Felix
behind those eyes, he found the answer to all his questions, and he couldn't ask for more. he didn't resist or deny the demand Felix had made, instead just quietly turned around to fidget around with his food again
Although Hyunjin's father was busy cooking up questions that could taunt his son and his friend his mother on the other hand was ecstatic, her brown irises lit up to the point that there were tears brimming in them her heart was so full with happiness that it could burst any second, her son who had been through all different sorts of hell, from abandonment to abuse, from grief to losing all you own, betrayal and deception, brewing an anger greater than a thousand armies inside of him, and after all of the pains he's beared this was the first time in forever that she ever saw peace in his eyes
A peace greater than a billion angels singing, a peace so beautiful and everlasting. And she couldn't be more grateful to this divine being who had brought this peace in his eyes
"what do your parents do?" And there came the hurricane that disrupted all calm, it seemed that the questions really would never stop despite anything that happened
"They um...passed away when I was young" Felix found that difficult to say out loud all over again, no matter how many times he's said these words they always left a bitter taste in his mouth but the soft squeeze Hyunjin gave his hand shoved away all of his pains "young?" Hyunjin closed his eyes to contain his anger, he didn't understand why his father was so curious, or should he say nosy "seven" the reply was short and soft
the man went silent again "that's a very young age to become an orphan" nobody replied to that, but Felix could feel the sympathetic eyes Hyunjin's mother kept shooting toward his direction and Felix didn't know what to feel about it
After that, nobody dared to say anything. They all ate in silence and some of Hyunjin's heart was glad that they did, this is exactly what he wanted. Silence, quietness because he knew this was safe
It was bizarre and nearly impossible but the heavens were perhaps on the two boys' side that day because Hwang Seo-Joon remaining silent without throwing out constant taunting remarks about his son was truly a phenomenon
The delightful smell of the Pecan Pie rummaged through the air as Hyunjin's mother spoke "here, son, eat this. I specifically made this with my own hands, Hyunjin used to love this as a child" she informed making Felix smile, it created a warm feeling around Hyunjin's heart realizing that she remembered as he stared at his mother in awe before quickly pushing away the feeling and admiration
"Really?" Felix questioned, eyes slightly wider than normal and his smile bright as the sun when he turned to gaze at Hyunjin who rolled his eyes, looking at him no part of him spoke that he had been brutally insulted nearly 20 minutes ago, he was always so forgiving it was almost insane
She sat down two plates of pie in front of both the youngest at the table before sitting down in her own seat, she subtly glanced at her husband noticing how his face twisted into an expression of contentment, and almost burst out a smile at the delicious pie in his mouth before he quickly masked it off with his usual persona
Resembling his son a little too much, she sighed and smiled before she dug in on the sweet dessert "this is incredible" Felix remarked tenderly making the woman at the table grin widely "is it?" She questioned, unsure if Felix was speaking the truth "what do you think, Hyunjin, is it good?" She questioned her son, fixating her eyes on his handsome face
His response was only a hum and her smile couldn't get wider, she felt so happy that she could cry right here and now but she held it back her eyes landing on Hyunjin's almost empty plate so she quickly signaled the maid to serve him another slice of the pie, and he didn't resist. Instead, he pulled away his fork so she could serve him easily clearly indicating he wanted that slice making her further happier
She turned to Felix and began to speak "oh, dear, you're done already? Please take one more" before she could ask the maid to serve him more the brunette shook his hands in front of his face "I'd love to! But I'm full, thank you though" he replied sweetly, pushing away the plate of his half-eaten pie, she noticed how little he ate and frowned at it "you have the appetite of a bird" she complained making Felix awkwardly chuckle
The boy shuffled in his seat getting tired from sitting for so long and while doing so, his eyes accidentally landed on Hyunjin's father who seemed to be quietly enjoying the pie. He inaudibly sighed taking in the mannerism of the old man
"Should we go?" His observations were interrupted by Hyunjin's voice as he quickly turned to look at him "oh, sure" he replied watching Hyunjin get up from his seat and that's when he realized their hands were still intertwined and it swarmed butterflies inside of him at the awareness of the intimate moment, he was so used to the feeling of Hyunjin's hand in his that it felt like a part of him
He couldn't help but smile, before he noticed that Hyunjin's parents sitting at the table and even the servants gathered around it had also noticed the shared intimacy between the two boys, his eyes rapidly pacing across the room with a hint of anxiousness, he tried to pull back his hand from Hyunjin's grip but the boy wouldn't let go
instead, he turned around to stare at Felix with a soft look of 'yes?' in his eyes raising his brows slightly so Felix just sighed shaking his head following his actions and standing up beside him, he set the napkin that was spread out on his lap beside his plate "we're leaving" was all Hyunjin said in his robotic voice before slowly making his way out of the dining room
Felix quickly turned around and bowed trying his best to bid a proper goodbye to the ravenette's parents "thank you so much for having me over, the food was great-" he barely managed to say all that while he was being dragged away from the dining table by the puissant boy, the couple watched him struggle before they disappeared outside of the house without another word, the ravenette's mother sighed at her son's behavior
He's been this way for as long as she can remember and the scoff that rang in her ear made her look down at her lap "disrespectful brat" the comment made her angry but she couldn't argue, he was disrespectful and she knew too "astonishing how he managed to lure that boy"
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Wind— that was all Felix could hear. cold and pacing wind rushed past him as he closed his eyes and let his fears slip away into oblivion holding tightly onto Hyunjin while his face was resting on Hyunjin's back, taking in his addicting scent, the scent he has been so addicted to these past days, the scent he loved all too much
his heart felt so content but by the time he could realize he felt happy he also realized that this wasn't a rare occurrence anymore, it was something that happened almost every day, this lingering feeling of tranquility constantly falling upon him wasn't a coincidence or a miracle
Happiness was now something that knocked on his door a few too many times, at least, when he was with Hyunjin
And then the movement of the motorbike suddenly came to a halt making Felix open his eyes only to find out that they've arrived home, "we're here" he heard Hyunjin as he began to detach himself from the raven head and began to get off the bike, standing above the ground he felt his surroundings shake, his moves weren't fast but the dizziness rising in his body made him lose control of his body and he stumbled quickly catching Hyunjin's eye who was parking the bike
The raven head quickly held Felix's arm making him collide with his chest as he wrapped a safe arm around his small waist "you okay?" He questioned, voice laced with worry but Felix could barely hear him. His vision started to get blurry and his mind getting hazy, panic settling itself in his heart "H-Hyunjin" he managed to whisper in a silent and scared tone
Hyunjin's heart started to beat a whole lot faster when he saw the red liquid slip out of Felix's nose and his body nearly going limp in his arm, he watched Felix's eyes roll back and almost shut off but not quite, his body falling back on Hyunjin's arm leaving his entire weight on him as they stumbled to the ground Hyunjin's knees buckling at the sight, he was unable to hold his and Felix's weight due to the fear rising in his bones "Felix?!" He shouted in trepidation of something bad happening to Felix
His entire mind shut off as the only thought he could bear right now was what was happening?