The next few days, even though all of them noticed, neither could come up with the courage to speak of it.
They saw the way Felix had resorted to smiling only when it was absolutely necessary, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and that brought them to think just how long he would wear the mask.
On some days when either of them would visit the boy, they'd see it before he'd see them, the way he sat by the window, by the couch, lying down or simply rubbing at Pixie's ears, lost in thoughts, a blank canvas with his eyes so dark that they almost seemed dead.
They couldn't make out what was happening and just what he was thinking, except they knew he was torturing himself internally.
Jisung knew how it felt, anxious to the point where things blurred out and all you saw was a hopeless darkness, a room with no exit. He had had his moments but back then, the others had been there for him, holding him in silence when words didn't seem to work and gradually he'd come around, knowing their presence and later resorting to their words.
He decided to use something similar, visiting Felix, hugging the boy or simply lying down beside him in silence, just so, that if Felix were to break down, then they'd be here.
Seo-na, was broken too, having had to face her husband when the cops called her to give the testimony and later hearing of the court hearing that was to take place in a month.
During that time, the man was to stay behind bars and whilst her best friend, Shin-nari had remained by her side, calling her own lawyers, Seo-na simply continued to hurt, having seen the way the things had affected her son.
She wished she had changed methods back then, left when she still had the chance, left when she clearly knew how much of an emotionally unavailable father her ex-husband would have been to her kid, left when she'd seen just how angry and ruthless he could get with her little sunshine, left when...when she'd seen the way her sunshine dulled whenever he came in front of the man's eyes.
And yet, knowing she hadn't done so and knowing the past wasn't something to think about, it took a while for her.
Hurt continued to remain there until one night over drinks, she cried her heart out to Nari, who held her, coaxed her, and spoke of taking therapy for a week, right before she could take care of Felix because as much as the mother would want to take care of her hurting son, she had to be in the right mindset, having the right emotional control.
And so, Seo-na agreed with the therapy. The boys took it to themselves to make sure Felix wasn't alone.
The days would begin with Shin-nari coaxing the omega with soft caresses like Seo-na would, she saw the boy as her own son, a second son she could never have.
She took it upon herself to prepare breakfast and right before leaving, either of the boys would be there to stay with Felix throughout the day.
During the afternoon, a few of the others would arrive, taking breaks from their work, and they'd talk about random things, eat lunch, and make sure Felix wasn't feeling overwhelmed by their presence.
Later, either of them would rub the boy's scalp until he was fast asleep, and right before he'd wake up, Seo-na would be back from her therapy sessions, holding onto her son as they'd sit in silence and drink a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
The nighttime would go by with one of the boys calling Felix, and talking about random things, asking about his preferences just to make sure he didn't feel alone and throughout the night, Seo-na would watch her son, shuffle against the sheets with tears cascading down the side of his face whenever it'd be a nightmare.
She'd hold him throughout, emotionally exhausted herself, and then get ready for another day.
The schedule continued the same for up to a week, during the period when the boys worked on an idea, thinking well before visiting Felix altogether.
They found the boy sleeping in his bed, supposedly taking the afternoon nap he'd gotten rather habitual to because of them, whilst the mothers were having silent cups of tea, sitting by the kitchen counter.
Since they had been late and since they were there together, piling up in the apartment, whispering in hushed voices whilst going over the plans, Changbin and Chan were dealing with speaking to Nari and Seo-na, telling them that everything would be alright and that, Seo-na needs her own time to heal properly, that they were here with Felix, the boy a part of their pack, and as much family to them as he was to Seo-na.
The mother merely cried, thanking them and telling them to take care as Nari took it upon herself and spoke of a bestie outing.
They left the apartment, not before Seo-na hugged the sleeping boy for the last time for a while; leaving the boys alone, all of whom took it over themselves to do what was to be done.
'Bin and Minho can go to his apartment and bring the necessary, Ji and Seungmin will manage here.'
Chan turned to face Hyunjin and Jeongin, finding them already waiting for his words and he could only smile,
'Lixie's bags and his requirements, yeah?'
'And you wake your baby up.'-Changbin spoke over his shoulder, already rushing out to his apartment right opposite.
Chan smiled, shaking his head before following Hyunjin and Jeongin to the omega's room.
He felt saddened surely but was quick to hide it away with a smile as he sat sideways near Felix, letting his hands caress the boy's hair, going through the soft locks and rubbing at his scalp, just enough to see Felix already shift in his sleep.
'Hey, baby. Could you wake up, please?'-Chan asked, having resorted to using the endearment, for he just couldn't help but let the 'slip of his tongue' get rather habitual.
Felix, as if sensing his presence, blinked his eyes slowly, Chan stopping him from rubbing at them by gently gripping his wrists,
He pulled the half-asleep boy up, close to him until he was pressing the omega against his chest, rubbing at his nape and the small of his lower back, sensing the way the blonde relaxed in his arms,
He wasn't sure how Felix would take it to his next words, but he needed the boy's permission as well as he needed Felix to know half of what they were planning.
'Lixie, darling, are you awake?'
Felix nodded against his chest, backing off slightly and looking at him with those eyes that left Chan breathless every single time,
He smiled softly, caressing the boy's cheek,
'We planned a little trip for all of us, including you. Are you willing to go out, with us?'
The boy visibly flinched at the words of 'going out' but Chan held him close,
'We'll be with you at all times, Lixie. I'm here with you, holding your hand, yeah? I'm never letting go, baby.'
He brought up their interwined hands, pressing a kiss to the boy's palm before looking at Felix with hope.
He didn't know what the blonde head was thinking except it was a while before Felix slowly nodded,
Chan grinned, 'That's so strong of you, darling. Come on, freshen up and wear something comfortable yeah. You wanna ride in my car?'
The boy nodded once more, at this point, Chan had a habit of talking mindlessly to Felix, anything to keep those 'thoughts' at bay.
He walked into the washroom for the first time with the younger, immediately grabbing hold of the only toothbrush that stood in the stand by the sink, and handed it to the younger,
'There you go, want me to turn on a bath? If not, then just shake your head and I'll heat the shower.'
He was returned with a shake of head to which he ruffled the omega's hair, watching him brush his teeth ever-so-slowly.
As Chan reached out to check the temperature of the water, at some point he realized the lack of something in the washroom.
There was the tub, there was the shower separated by curtains, there was the bowl, sink, and everything but-
Mirror?
Weren't they supposed to have mirrors in the washrooms? The default layout-
Chan turned around, watching Felix mindlessly rinse his mouth before washing his face, the younger didn't even seem to be slightly perturbed over the absence of a mirror.
The screws in his brain seemed to twist and turn as he walked out of the washroom, grabbing hold of the towel and toiletries Hyunjin already had settled aside,
He entered back inside, handing the boy everything before pressing a soft kiss to his crown, something Chan didn't find as embarrassing as before, rather just a routine he created out whenever he was with the boy, using endearments that weren't always mindless 'slip of the tongue' and leaving pecks either it be on Felix's crown or his forehead.
'Take your time and relax, yeah? We're all having a lot of time before we leave. Jin and Innie are going over packing your stuff, you can check it before we leave and add things accordingly, okay?'
Felix nodded and Chan passed a smile before closing the door behind him and immediately hearing the shower turn on inside.
He walked over to check the spread-out bags on the bed, two duffel ones since carrying a whole suitcase would be a lot and they weren't leaving for that long either. Just three days and two nights.
Chan chuckled seeing Pixie hop around, knowing Felix and Minho would settle the bunny before the ladies returned home. He had learned from Felix's mother how the bunny was trained to stay alone for hours with the right amount of food and water,
He turned to look at Jeongin sorting through the pile of plushies,
'Which one, hyung?'
Chan made a thinking face, recognizing the chick plushie from the huge pile before handing it to Jeongin,
'Keep it out, we can carry it in the car and don't have to put it in the trunk.'
'Everything is packed, as far as I checked. Lix can check once if he has anything to add but I think I added enough clothes.'
Chan nodded, watching Jeongin play around and entertain the bunny while they waited, the male turned to look at Hyunjin,
'Say, Jin, have you seen any mirror in the room?'
'None. There's no dresser either, just a couple of creams lying here and there, come to think of it, I don't think I've seen any particular mirror in the house except for the one in Bin's old room, and it's locked most of the times. Auntie might have one in hers, but I never really went there.'
'Lix doesn't have a mirror in the washroom, wasn't there supposed to be one?'
'The default, yeah? But I think I know why...'
'I think I do too.'-Chan replied, sighing softly.
Everything pointed to just one thing, the lack of pictures, the lack of mirrors, even the chats between Hyunjin and Felix previously from the day the male drew the portrait of the boy-
'His insecurities runway too deep, Chan hyung.'-Hyunjin spoke in a hushed voice, smiling whilst looking at Jeongin,
Chan could only hum in acknowledgment, for right at the moment, Felix chose to come out of the washroom, wearing a pair of black t-shirts and black pajamas. His sunshine did a good look in his favorite color but the absence of a smile made Chan want to make a deal with the heavens or even the devil, just to bring back that same beautiful grin.
Chan smiled nevertheless,
'Comfortable enough? Go over the stuff Jin and Innie packed and let me know if you want to add something else as well, sunshine.'
The boy nodded, letting Hyunjin ruffle his hair as Jeongin waved at Felix with a big grin,
'Hello Lix-hyung!'
Choosing to wait, whilst the younger moved around picking up some of the creams and bringing back his toothbrush from the washroom, Chan watched him pack everything before Felix grabbed hold of one of the moisturizers and took a bit on his palms, rubbing it into his skin and Chan was slightly glad internally,
At least the blond was still taking care of himself in a way.
He was sure he'd do something about the insecurities though; as Felix closed the duffel bag, he knew they were ready to go and the previous thought was to be worked on later.
With his chick plushie in his arms, the omega leaned down beside Jeongin, rubbing at Pixie's fur before bringing the bunny into his arms and pressing several kisses along his face,
They watched with soft smiles as Felix cuddled up the little bunny close to his chest, breathing out into his fur before putting back Pixie down, who licked at his fingers and hopped once just in time that their noses booped.
A hint of something other than blankness adorned the omega's features and Hyunjin looked at Chan with a grin,
Maybe this would turn out the way they hoped it would.
'Let's go, baby, auntie will be here in an hour, she had to go out urgently but she said she'll miss you, and that she'd call you in the evening.'
Holding one of the duffel bags whilst Hyunjin followed with the other, Jeongin grabbed hold of Felix's empty hand, bringing them out of the room and into the living room where the others waited with two other bags that Chan knew had what exactly in them.
'We ready? Hey Lixie.'-Changbin spoke,
Felix quietly went to Minho, surprising everyone else, except they watched the younger omega shuffle close to the alpha, pulling Jisung with himself,
This probably had something to do with the previous day considering the pair had visited the boy yesterday itself.
Jisung, who poked his tongue out in Hyunjin's direction, merely hugged back the boy, Minho ruffling both of their hairs.
'Let's go. Everything's set. As far as I know, Bin, you'll be driving the white one, yeah?'
Changbin nodded with a grin, 'Let Bbokie come with me, yeah?'
Chan's face visibly fell at the statement, and the others only laughed,
'Nah, these two come together with me.'-Minho spoke, grabbing the attention of everyone.
Chan could only nod slightly after seeing the smirk of the purple-haired male sent his way.
'Come on-we're going to get stuck in traffic if we don't leave right now.'
Having checked everything and made sure the others were good to leave, Chan and Changbin made sure their maps and locations were synced before he watched the white car take off.
Minho had let the male drive for the day, saying his wrist hurt after a rather stiff dance routine in which he twisted it the wrong way. And Changbin, who loved driving as much as he loved being fed snacks by Hyunjin took up the offer, choosing the Maknaes to accompany them, which they did, reluctantly.
With Minho and Jisung already in the back seat, the latter taking out packs and packs of snacks he had brought and stored up, Chan smiled as he walked to the trunk, opened it, and grabbed his bag the first thing, finding the thing he was looking for and backed off, shutting the trunk close and getting in the driver's seat.
He put on his seatbelt, putting the things he brought with him in Felix's lap who glanced at him expectantly and Chan only smiled.
'Wear it if you feel cold.'-he spoke, mentioning towards the hoodie, and then uncovered the chocolate box wrapped in the fabric, pressing a finger to his lips to show the secrecy,
'Hyung! Let's go-I told Jin we'd be first to reach- we gotta race them!'
'There there, squirrel. Calm down and chew for once.'
Chan grinned and watched the slight surprise overtake Felix's features as the boy held the hoodie and the box of chocolates close to him before nodding slightly,
The chick plushie was already in the omega's hold previously; Chan checked one last time at everything,
'Ready to go.'
Jisung booed from the backseat, making the male shake his head and he merely glanced at Felix one last time, already finding the boy looking back at him before they were off, leaving the apartment suite and out on the road, Changbin's car nowhere to be seen in the already moving traffic.
'A long trip, indeed.'-Minho muttered,
'Pass me the AUX cord, Yongbok.'-the male spoke affectionately, the omega doing just that without hesitation.
As the male plugged in his phone with the cord, Jisung grabbed hold of the stereo,
'Now we rock!'
After what seemed like an hour of Jisung singing along and even Felix bopping his head to the beats, Chan joined in somewhere between where the lyrics felt familiar and Minho hummed and sang to some of the tracks;
The pair in the backseat were after quite so tiring themselves out, fallen asleep.
It was quiet, Chan focusing on driving and Felix was sitting, cross-legged in his seat, sneakers previously removed, feet socked in fuzzy ones with a cute pattern of chicks.
Chan was the one who decided to break the silence, keeping his voice down though he knew from the rear-view mirror that the way the pair in the backseat were cuddled up, they were out for probably an hour or two.
'Hey, Lix?'
Felix glanced at him, nodding his head to show he was listening,
'Take off the cord from Minho's phone yeah? And here, plug it in mine.'
The boy did so quietly beside him, Chan sneaking a glance and chuckling at the puckered lips of a focused Felix,
'Now...turn it on, the password is my fingerprint, gotta keep it like that cause you never know with the boys.'
With one hand off the steering wheel, Chan pressed his fingerprint into the phone, hearing the tiny click sound it made suggesting being unlocked,
'Right, now go to the music app, check my playlists, and there you'll see the one with a black heart in the title. Turn that on please.'
Right as soon as a familiar melody caught up to Chan's ears, he watched with bated breath as the younger sat up straighter slightly, before picking up at the hoodie that Chan had given him previously, as black as the t-shirt the blonde was wearing already.
He watched Felix pull it over his head, bring it up to slightly sniff it before relaxing back in his seat and grabbing hold of the chocolate box,
He heard the wrapping paper being fondled at and before he knew it, a hand reached out in front of his mouth, holding onto a chocolate ball,
He sent a questionable glance towards the boy, who merely tapped his lips, and Chan, reluctant in a way, opened his mouth,
'Why, thank you, baby.'
He watched Felix put one in his mouth before the boy resorted to looking outside the window, tracks playing one by one all very much familiar to Chan and he hoped Felix was listening as well.
The younger fed him yet another chocolate a few minutes later, following up with eating one himself, before he shifted in his seat and Chan for once felt a Deja Vu,
From the way the boy was sitting, to the way he was staring, Chan couldn't suppress his need to just reach out and so he did just that,
Focusing on driving, he reached out a free hand before caressing the boy's cheek, and rubbing circles over his jawline,
'You feeling sleepy, baby?'
Felix nodded in his hand, making him smile softly,
'Go to sleep, darling. I'll wake you up when we take a pit stop at the gas station, yeah? Also, drink some water, it's on your side in the bottle cabinet. Can you please pass some to me as well?'
Felix did just that, hands fumbling with the bottle before it reached out the Chan, the male taking hold of it and drinking in one big gulp before he handed it back to the boy,
'That's right, now pull the hood over your head, hug your plushie, and go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, okay?'
Chan glanced once at the boy, his thumb caressing right under the boy's eyes, and he found Felix already leaning further onto the seat, curling up in a way, that his chick plushie was held tightly in his arms, hood over his head, the boy let his head fall against the seat, and right as Chan took his hand back, Felix didn't move, assuring that the omega was fast asleep.
Chan turned the volume of the music slightly down but didn't turn it off, knowing it would be peaceful for the dreaming boy.
And even though one might have commented on him for being too over-the-top caring, he was just like that, and with Felix, all he wanted to do was take care even of the smallest things such as whether he was craning his neck backward or about to hit his head against the window. It came to Chan naturally, and he loved taking care, of the others, of Felix, considering it gave him a sense of tranquility, a sense of confidence and his self-love usually originated from knowing that his loved ones were safe and happy around him.
Indeed a father figure, as the others playfully mocked sometimes.
They were on an emptier road now, around forty-five minutes later, and Chan could faintly make out Changbin's car up meters ahead of them,
Only a few cars passed by alternating between periods of minutes, and they knew they were on the right way as they saw the outline of the trees on either side, a narrower road,
He worried it might be bumpy and thus took hold of his phone, noticing the gas station stop just a couple of feet away,
Hoping he wasn't late as he slowed down slightly, he was about to dial Hyunjin's number when he noticed the male already calling him,
With a slightly surprised expression, he picked the call up, cursing internally for using phone whilst driving but he had the car slowed down and was making sure to look at the side-view mirrors every few seconds,
'Chan hyung?'
'Yeah?'
'Are you driving-I'm sorry I had to call you, the other two must have their phone on silent for they didn't pick up and I wondered if Lixie might be asleep. We've taken a pit stop at the gas station just outside of the forest, and we wanted to confirm with you if you're close.'
'Right, I see the sign, I was going to call you about the same. Wait for us there, might take just a few minutes.'
'Alright. We'll take some rest here and stretch and fill up on food, there's a restaurant that seems just good enough, Bin's gone to check it out and I'm filling up the gas.'
'Okay. I'll see you all there in a few.'
Hyunjin hummed, disconnecting the call and Chan glanced one last time at the boys in his car before picking up some speed and getting into the emptier side lane.
By the time Felix blinked his eyes open, Chan was focusing on parking the car and the boy could faintly smell the familiarity of gas stations.
Right as the engine was turned off, Minho in the back seat shifted, having Jisung lying all over him, he patted the boy's cheeks to wake him up and then looked around dazed before sitting up straighter.
Felix, who was yawning into his hand, rubbed his eyes before blinking and sitting up straighter,
Chan glanced at the boy, reaching out to ruffle his hair, and watched Felix pick up his shoes, pulling them on one by one,
'Alright guys, the others are in that restaurant there, we're going to eat, get some food from the convenience store, we've brought everything else. Make sure to stretch and drink something before eating, use the restrooms and we leave from here in an hour. Don't eat a lot of heavy or greasy stuff, we're traveling.'
'Right hyung. Hey, Lixie. Damn, my neck is all stiff-'
Jisung clambered out of the car, Minho following, whilst Chan opened the door to his side, getting out and coming around from the front to pull a lazy Felix out,
'Want to fill up the gas with me, sweetcheeks?'
The boy nodded, except with his heart nearly jumping out of his chest, Chan felt Felix lean against him, arms going to hold him around the torso, the boy clung to him almost boneless,
Chan didn't wish to move just yet, so, he returned the hug, pulling Felix close by gripping at his waist and slowly swaying them,
'Wake up, baby. We need to eat, cause we might not get a chance later.'
Chan heard Felix humm in his chest, which brought out a wide grin to his face,
He leaned closer to press a couple of pecks to the side of Felix's forehead, unknown to the gazes of the others from the restaurant, all of whom looked ever-so-giddy at the sight of the pair.
'Come on, let's fill up the gas, wash our faces, and head to eat something. I'm sure Bin is already losing control.'
To that, Felix looked up at him with a small smile, a genuine smile that reached his eyes and Chan pressed two soft pecks to either of the eyes, before pulling Felix up to stand straighter,
They rounded up around the car, Chan got out his card and swiped it over the machine, he entered the amount as well as the gas, before pulling at the hose and clicking one of the buttons on the car's keys,
'There you go, hold it.'
Felix did, watching Chan and then the hose before the boy leaned up against the alpha, who had his hold around both of his hands,
'Hmm, someone seems to be clingy, huh?'-Chan teases, taking off one hand only to hold Felix around the waist, loving the way his hoodie was basically swallowing the boy like a sack, and yet Felix managed to look so beautiful.
The sun was slowly going below the horizon, the last few rays of it falling right over the restaurant as they walked towards it, having washed their faces and hands,
And whilst the younger used his handkerchief to wipe his face, Chan could only notice the way the pretty orange-red hues of the sun and behind Felix created an almost dreamy-like background,
He could almost make out the way the boy looked ever-so-beautiful, like a picture right out of a dream. His freckles had turned somehow darker, contrasting against in his skin in a painfully gorgeous way, his lips glossy and his hair, all fluffy, all over the place.
Chan breathed out shakily, wanting to just hold Felix, turn him around, and press their lips together, a sudden need within him that made him yearn for someone oh-so-close already, right beside him and yet very much far.
He fisted his hands, focusing on opening the door and glancing at the tables before he found Jeongin waving at them from the further corner,
He caught hold of Felix's wrist, pulling the boy in front of him before leading them to the table,
They had left two empty seats for him and Felix, in the very corner and he knew just why,
They didn't wish to put the boy in any sort of crowd, knowing it could bring back 'memories' and as they shuffled in the corner, Felix was settled in between him and Seungmin,
'What do you want to eat, Bbokie?'-Seungmin spoke nonchalantly from his side, clearly not expecting a reply but trying his best to get Felix feel included,
Chan glanced atop Felix's head towards the boy who was flipping the pages of the menu,
'I don't know...Channie, what should I get?'-Felix said in a soft voice, turning to face Chan who hummed, thinking over things except he heard a sharp intake of breath to his side and looked up,
The realization was like ice over flame, Chan freezing in his spot as he looked at the omega, who was looking at the menu in Seungmin's hand, the beta too frozen to even react.
Felix spoke-
After all the days of being silent-
He spoke-
And-
It was Minho who was able to gather up his senses quicker than any of them and by the way Hyunjin bit his lip harshly, Chan knew the purple-haired male had pinched the other under the table,
'Say Bok-ah, what do you feel like having right now?'
'Sandwiches? Not the cheese ones- they're heavy and we're traveling- I don't know Minho hyung.'
Minho hummed, pulling at the menu from Seungmin's hand who got right back to the present,
'Say everyone, speak out your choices, and then it'll be easier for Lix to choose.'
One by one each one of them thought of their choices, Chan deciding on simple meat and rice, considering he had to drive as well.
Felix ultimately ended up ordering sandwiches, except when their food arrived, the boy was practically made to have a bite of each of the types of foods they had ordered.
'Let's get the drinks, or anyone wants ice cream?'
'I'll just get some iced-americano.'-Chan said, once again looking forward to driving.
'Alright, I'll get the drinks and ice-creams.'
A very hyper Jisung along with Hyunjin got the drinks done, and all that while, lazily eating away at the french fries, Chan felt the omega lean against him,
'Channie hyung...'
'Yes, baby?'
'Where are we heading to?'
'You'll know it when we get there, sweetheart.'
'Hyung...'
'Say, Lix?'
'What if...what if something happens like the day when we went out-'
'Nothing would happen, I assure you of that, Lixie. The bad people are where they belong, behind bars, and about you, no one can touch you Lixie when we're all here. Why do you think I've got these buff muscles?'-Chan added, hoping to make the mood slightly lighter,
Felix held onto his arm, both hands gripping his bicep before nodding to himself,
'Hmm, you're buff. Do you do gymming like Binnie hyung too?'
'Yeah. I usually do it back at my apartment, I've got the equipment. But I can't compete with Bin, he's way too into it.'
Felix hummed slightly, sitting up straighter as the 'always bickering' duo approached them,
'ICE-CREAMS!'-Jeongin rushed, picking up one of the four cups,
'There you go, coffees for our old people.'-Jisung had to jump away to get off from the wrath of Changbin and Hyunjin. Chan merely shook his head, too used to being called old, and Minho patiently waited for the boy to come closer.
'They didn't have a lot of options, here strawberry and chocolate or vanilla and chocolate, Lix?'
Felix chose the former, muttering out a small, 'thank you' to which Jisung merely passed a smooch over air,
'Let's leave after this.'
'I need to use the restroom though.'
'Count me in.'
'Well, let's leave after one stop at the restrooms, yeah?'
Chan frowned as he took a sip of his coffee, way too bitter surely but that was to be expected, he thought as he continued to drink,
Suddenly, a scoop of an ice-cream-filled spoon was right in front of his vision and he found himself not being surprised but quietly parting his lips,
The chocolate and a hint of strawberry melted in his mouth, the sweetness and flavor fitting right in with the taste of his coffee,
He found himself playfully smiling as he held the drink close to the blonde male's lips, watching Felix take a sip from the same straw whilst that was a direct hit to Chan's heart, the actions of the boy next left him laughing,
Felix spluttered over the coffee, making the craziest of disgusted expression Chan had ever seen and as the boy scrunched his eye-brows along with his nose, spluttering away with his lips, Chan laughed,
'God you hate it that much, Lixie?'
The boy hit him in the chest, making him try and control his laugh except even as they walked out of the restaurant, following the others, he watched Felix chug down the remaining of his ice-cream,
'Whoa whoa whoa- you're going to have a frozen-'
'There you go.'
Felix shook his head like a wet chick shaking its body to get rid of the water in its fur after a shower, and whilst he glared at Chan with those puckered lips, Chan merely laughed, throwing away his now empty cup as well as the boy's empty one.
'Frozen tongue, yeah?'
The boy nodded, huffing and puffing as they walked to the restrooms,
'Want me to help with it?'
Felix frowned, stopping in his tracks and turning to face him,
With a playful smirk and a confidence Chan was very much grateful for, the alpha raised his arms in surrender,
'I could kiss it better.'
And then he watched the live personification of the blonde turning into a cherry,
The way color rose to the omega's neck, up to his cheeks, even to the tip of his nose and his ears were flaming red,
Chan worried the boy could have some sort of panic attack or simply burst into sparkles by the way Felix looked at him, all dazed,
He stepped in closer,
'Whoa, are you going to blow up, baby?'
The question wasn't meant to tease for the alpha was truly worried, and seeing his innocence, Seungmin who was making his way to them merely stood there and stared,
'Is he really old without any experience in flirting?'-the beta muttered to himself, turning to face Minho who had merely choked on a chuckle,
'I could this once, for the first time, agree with you.'-the purple-haired male spoke as they watched Chan fan Felix's face, the omega merely hiding his cheeks in his hand and stomping his feet ever-so-cutely to get rid of Chan's grip holding onto him.
'Did I miss something?'-Changbin appeared, Jeongin trailing close behind,
By the time Hyunjin and Jisung were there as well, the latter fixing the string to his hoodie(Minho's hoodie), they watched with wide eyes and parted lips in surprise and shock,
Totally off his character, the omega had cupped the alpha's cheeks, Chan staring back at the blonde with eyes as wide open as saucers and they watched him pull Chan closer, leaning up to press his lips against the male's nose.
The next was a forehead peck and finally one on either Chan's cheeks and then they heard Felix speak,
'Now blow up.'
And Seungmin laughed. Minho did as well, crouching down with his face in his hands as he did something between a chuckle and a cough, nearly throwing up the coffee he had gulped just seconds earlier.
Hearing them, the blonde omega turned to face them with the same glare that looked everything but intimidating, nevertheless, they shifted aside, giving him way as he stomped toward the restrooms.
Chan meanwhile was left standing in his spot, leaning forward like a character frozen in game, his pale skin bursting with color like firecrackers.
'Yo hyung, did we lose you for real or are you sane still?'-Jisung poked the male's shoulder, frowning with puffed cheeks when Chan didn't react,
'Do I have you guys agreement on throwing this statue in the trunk?'-Minho spoke,
'You have mine, but I'm afraid the statue is booked and will be very much missed by a certain chickie.'
'I worry about Chan hyung, sometimes.'-Jeongin mentioned, looking truly disturbed,
Hyunjin held an arm around the boy's shoulders, 'Don't worry, his medicine is coming right back.'
As Felix returned, he patted Chan's cheek, cold hand coming in contact with warm skin and Chan was quick to shake his head, dashing towards the restroom, leaving the confused omega watching him disappear before Felix glanced at Changbin,
'Binnie hyung?'
'Say Lix?'
'Can I get that candy from the store there? They're the jelly ones and look really cute-'
The way the boy spoke of getting 'a' candy and pointing at 'the' store, Changbin merely stared,
'Why are you asking this?'-he spoke after a while of silence but Felix simply shrugged, 'I haven't got any money on me. I wanna try how it tastes like, I've seen it a lot.'
Changbin sighed heavily, leaning against Hyunjin, he rubbed his eyes before breaking out into a fake cry,
'Jinnie-look at Yongbokkie asking for a candy-god I could-I could die right now-'
'I get your point, and I do get Chan hyung's point now finally.'-Jisung spoke from beside Jeongin, leaning against the omega with a hand pressed to his chest,
'Come on, Bbokie. Let's get some candies for ourselves.'-Seungmin said, pulling Jeongin along with him,
Jisung followed seconds later and Minho did as well, rummaging through his pockets for his wallet, a small smile on his lips.
Changbin and Hyunjin stood there waiting for Chan to appear, which the male did seconds later, frowning upon finding the others absent,
'We need to be on the road already, we're going to get late otherwise.'
'Your baby asked for a mere candy and Bin here lost his sanity. We understand you now, Chan hyung.'-Hyunjin spoke, patting the male's shoulder whilst wiping fake tears of sympathy.
'Where are they?'
'By the store.'
'Alright.'
With that, Chan headed to the store as well,
'I think I could make some space for snacks while driving.'-Changbin said and Hyunjin rolled his eyes, 'Come on then.'
With three bags filled with all sorts of snacks, candies and jellies and chocolates and crisps, coldrink cans and packets of ramen, the boys exited the store, leaving the owner checking up the stocks and already calling for restocking to be done.
The funny thing was, in the end, both Chan and Minho made the payment, and it was to no one's surprise that it took a while for them to distribute things between both the cars and settle inside.
With clear heads and refreshed souls, they got in their respective vehicles, Minho having offered to drive except Changbin went along the lines of speaking about how he loved driving in the night.
The road was going to take at least 3 hours, as they checked on the maps and checked the next pit stop, along with the water and food supplies, they were all set to go.
As Changbin drove out of the parking, Chan took his time checking everything before looking at Felix, finding the boy having a lollipop in his mouth and hair tied up in an apple style atop his head by no one but Jisung who had two ponytails on either side of his head out of mere fun.
He chuckled to himself, putting on the seatbelt before checking the pair in the backseat, Jisung already playing on his phone, and Minho relaxing against the male, watching him play.
Both had earphones plugged in, and Chan knew they were enjoying their time.
He turned on the ignition, checking one last time before reversing the car from the parking and working his hands on the steering wheel as he took on the main road.
It was much darker than earlier, the sun had set and even though there was still light, dark was bound to take over anytime soon.
Since the road was empty, Chan took to driving in the fourth gear, focusing on the road now that he knew he was in speed,
'You look good while driving.'
Chan gulped slightly, finding his focus being conditioned with, nevertheless, he reached out a hand to hold, feeling a cold palm immediately rest upon his,
'I like watching you drive, Channie hyung. It's peaceful. Something about you.'
'Yeah? You think so, baby?'
He heard Felix humm, the boy popping back the lollipop in his mouth before Chan felt movement, and yet Felix didn't let go of his hand,
With one glance over the boy, he found a grin growing permanent on his face, Felix was back in his now 'usual' position of pulling his legs close to his chest and facing Chan,
'Check your seatbelt once more, Lix.'
Felix hummed seconds later, the smack of a lollipop being pulled out from between his lips as he spoke,
'It's in place. Don't worry. I'm not disturbing you, am I?'
'You can never disturb me, darling.'
'I wanna talk.'
'Yeah, I thought you were sleepy.'
'No. I'm going to keep you company, Hannie and Minho hyung are listening to music using headphones.'
'Say Lixie, what do you want to talk about?'
'About...things.'
'Mhmm, I'm listening, go on.'
Chan listened intently as the boy began to speak, despite the depth of his tone, Felix was keeping his tone low, soft rather,
'I've never traveled at night before...and apart from the previous hangout at the carnival, I've never traveled like I am doing right now and did then.'
'Do you enjoy it?'
'I do. It's relaxing. Watching you drive is even more. And when you hold my hand, I feel connected to you.'
Chan smiled, bringing their interlinked hands to his mouth before pressing a soft kiss to the boy's knuckles,
'I enjoy it too. Driving, traveling and since I'm doing it with you, with all of the guys, it's more fun.'
He didn't have to look to see the smile on Felix's face, the boy merely holding onto his hand a bit tighter spoke for his reaction,
'I'm sorry...for the past week. No hyung, let me speak.
...I don't know. I was scared, that night...when everything happened. When I saw my mother and when I knew she'd be alright, I felt a bit better but the fear was there and then I met him...
Do you know he had a scar on his face back from one of his fights with Mom? I recognized him through that and those eyes- They still hated me.
I had dreamt of him many times you know, apologizing and being a father like I'd seen with others but that night I knew my nightmares were all true.
I couldn't do anything...nothing as he took me away from Mom, from you, from everyone else.
I was so scared, Channie. I thought- I thought I'd never see mom, you, or anyone else and then they started drugging me.
I don't even know what went on around me except when I opened my eyes, I was in that room with that m-man-'
'Baby, Lix- please breathe. I'm driving-'
'No, hyung. I'm okay. I've had enough panic attacks, I won't have one right now. I'm calm, you're with me, you're holding my hand, I'm okay.'
Chan sighed, jaw clenched,
'D-Did...Did that man t-touch me, hyung?'
'No. He didn't. I made sure of it. Right I was late, but he didn't get to touch you, I made sure of it.'-Chan gritted out, feeling anger surge through his body at the mere thought-
'Channie, relax...for me?'
The anger left his body, staying rooted in the pit of his heart and yet his brain forced him to relax, almost like a spell of the omega's words washing over him.
'I've been getting a lot of nightmares ever since...and I have noticed all of you trying but it-it feels so confusing- so much happened- am I...am I even allowed to be happy?'
'Everyone is allowed to be happy, Felix. No matter what happened in their lives, no matter what they did, a smile out of genuine happiness is deserved by each and everyone, except for a few exceptions who chose to snatch those smiles off the other people's faces.'
'It feels like everything happened just yesterday and each morning when I wake up, after a nightmare, I feel like I'm back to who I was in the beginning, I feel like I need help- but help for what? I don't know.'
'You don't need help, Lix. You need support and we're here to give you that. You need time, baby. What happened, you didn't deserve any of it, no one does. But since we couldn't control it, you need time, and you have time. All the time in the world and we're here supporting you in every way you need us to, in every way we can.'
'Channie...I feel scared though.'
'I know, Felix. I understand where the fear comes from, baby. But you and I both know, you need to be tough, you have to be strong and I'm here right beside you baby. We all are.'
'Won't you get tired of staying with me? Everyone else?'-Felix's voice was rather strained as if the boy was knowingly forcing words out of his mouth,
Had Chan not been focusing on his voice, he wouldn't have picked it up at all, nevertheless, he smiled softly,
'Priorities. You're my priority, our priority Lix. And not even you forcing us to leave, will get us tired. We're here to stay even if you might not want us to, we're staying. With you.'
There was silence, following his statement but then he felt another hand gripping the back of his palm,
'Go to sleep if you feel like it, Lix.'
'No. I wanna watch you drive, give you company.'
'You're giving me good company, baby. But you ought to not control your sleep.'
'Nu-uh. I'm not sleeping anytime soon.'
'Okay, then what do you wanna do?'
'Listen to music? The one you turned on before...they were nice.'
'Yeah? How so?'
'They felt familiar, the voice...Channie, was it your voice?'
'Mhmm, I had an idea you'd find it out.'
'Are they released tracks?'
'Not all. They're merely shared within our circle, do you want to listen to them again?'
'Yeah. Can I use your phone?'
'No need to ask for that, Lix.'
Chan passed on his phone to the boy, hearing the click of the cord as the stereo turned on,
'Which one was it, remind me again. Also, your fingerprint.'
'There you go. You can just go to the part of the recording to get the raw acoustic versions, I imported them all from my laptop.'
'Okay.'
Somewhere in between, Chan had begun to sing along as well. His hand was still holding onto Felix's resting in the spot between the seats, the armrest.
And as the sky dulled, darkness taking over like a sheet falling over a window, on either side of the road were trees, so dense and as dark that even with the headlights on, Chan had to drive slow having a vision of only a few meters up ahead.
An hour had passed since he had talked to Felix and he could just sneak in glances wherein he saw Felix staring out of the window on his side, munching on several jellybears,
'Lixie?'
'Hmm?'
'Can you dial Hyunjin's contact on my phone?'
'Okay.'
'Put it on speaker, hmm?'
'Okay.'
Chan heard the ring and it was a few seconds before the phone was picked up,
'Say Chan hyung?'
'How long are you guys?'
'How long, Bin?'
'An hour still.'
'Okay. Well, I just passed the sign to the Forest ranger's place, what about you?'
'We passed it like 15 minutes ago or so, hyung.'-Changbin's voice spoke directly,
'Sure. Alright. I was just wondering whether I missed your car. Great then, we'll see you right on the spot?'
'Yeah, we aren't taking any breaks in between, you guys?'
'Not sure. Will let you know beforehand.'
'Alright, safe drive.'
'You too.'
The call disconnected and Chan heard a hum from the backseat,
'You awake, Min?'
'Yeah? I've been awake for a couple of minutes. Are you tired yet? I'm bored and could manage to drive.'
'Well I don't mind driving the whole way but as it seems, a certain someone isn't gonna rest until I do.'
A chuckle rose from beside Minho, Jisung took off his headphones and rubbed his eyes,
'We took a nice nap, hyung. Let's exchange spots, you've been driving continuously.'
'So is Bin though.'
'Oh we know him, he's enjoying Hyunjin feeding him and taking care of him.'
Chan chuckled, slowing down the car,
'Say, you sure about driving. We've got like one hour more to go?'
'Yep. I haven't driven in a while, park the car on the side.'
'Alright then.'
Chan parked the car on the side of the road, leaving the lights on as he got off the seatbelt,
He turned to look at Felix,
'Come on baby, let's take a good nap.'
Felix nodded quietly, pulling on his shoes before picking up his plushie and opening the door on his side,
Jisung smooched the boy's cheek, Felix giggling lightly in return and Minho got in the driver's seat.
With Minho turning on the ignition and Jisung in the passenger's, the tired duo get back in the backseat, Chan feeling Felix shuffle closer until the younger was leaning against him,
'You sleep all good hyung, don't worry much.'-Minho spoke as he began to drive, Jisung humming along and opening a pack of crisps,
'Yeah, good night Lixie.'
'Night night, Sungie.'-the omega whispered in return,
Chan pulled the omega closer to him, spreading his legs slightly as he yawned with a hand over his mouth, the other arm holding Felix who was now pressed against his chest,
'Night night, Channie.'
'Sleep tight, baby.'
Chan rubbed at Felix's scalp for a while, the younger drifting off to sleep almost immediately and it made him smile as well as worry for Felix had been specially holding on for him, just to give him company.
It wasn't until the constant staring outside the window dried up his eyes, that he rested his head back against the headrest before closing his eyes,
Felix shuffled even closer in sleep, the plushie clutched in his arms, between Chan's torso and his chest, and before Chan knew it, the boy's soft breathing and Minho's humming had lulled him to a dreamless slumber, brain finally getting a chance to refresh after all that focused driving.
When Chan woke up, it was to Felix patting his cheek, muttering his name ever so softly,
'Channie hyung, we are close. Minho hyung told me to wake you up.'
By this time it was night, and Chan checked his phone still a little bit dazed from the nap to see it was around 9 PM.
They had left late, so it was bound to happen nevertheless as he sat up straighter, cracking his neck, he felt energy getting back in his system, surely he'd need it.
'Are we heading into a forest?'-Felix spoke from his side, staring out as Minho took a turn and drove into the wildness,
Except the forest floor seemed well-ridden, the signs of cars going in and out,
Driving through, it was a few minutes later that they noticed another car parked, immediately realizing Changbin and the others were there and inside it seemed.
'Whoa. Is that a-'
'Farmhouse, yes. Surrounded by the forest, yes. Chan hyung booked it for us to have fun!'
They got out of the car, once Minho successfully parked beside the one that previously was there.
Felix took a while, doing a 360 in his place as he gazed at everything,
The canopy of the trees surrounding them was pretty much thick, but other than that, the best part was the farmhouse- with intricated wood something straight out of a fairytale, it stood over an overly elevated platform, wooden stairs leading up to the threshold, and even before moving towards it, Felix knew the empty spot to one side surrounded by glass railings was nothing else but a swimming pool.
He turned to face Chan, the male taking out their bags, and stepped forward to hold one of his own,
'You don't have to, Lix.'
'I want to help you though.'
With their bags in their arms, they walked forward, up the stairs and Felix made sure to focus on each step because there was quite a gap and must he add, he didn't wish to slip and twist his ankle already.
Once standing in front of the door, which was carved in a design Felix couldn't name nevertheless was pretty as hell, Jisung knocked against the word thrice before they heard footsteps and loud noises.
'Finally, you guys are here!'-Seungmin spoke, his voice approaching first even before he opened the door,
Standing to a side, they entered inside, and Felix looked up at the ceiling,
It was huge, with a chandelier-like design hanging off in the middle, the roof was overly in the form of a hut, like a pyramid, and there was intricate work everywhere. It was more of a wooden cabin than a farmhouse,
A wooden cabin in the middle of the woods, just something straight out of fiction.
'Put your bags in the rooms first, freshen up, anyone hungry?'
Considering they had had a pretty light lunch, having missed a good and heavy breakfast like usual, they were all hungry.
Thus deciding to freshen up before eating, Seungmin began to go on about the rooms as much as they had checked.
Apparently, they were rooming in pairs, four rooms, two already taken, one by Changbin and Hyunjin, the other by Jeongin and Seungmin.
Felix turned towards Chan, 'We're rooming together, right?'
Chan hummed, 'Let's keep our bags in our room, yeah?'
Felix nodded, both of them finding the 'our room' feeling something different, warm, and meant to be.
They kept quiet about it though, heading up another flight of stairs, this once in a spiral until they walked down the corridor and picked up at the door in the very corner.
'Open the door, Lixie.'
Since the male had his hands occupied with the bags, Felix hurried forward, opening the door and watching with his mouth parting in a big 'o'.
One of the walls was totally glass, the ground-to-ceiling length windows giving the view to the outsides, in their case, the forest, the trees, and the darkness of the night.
It was pleasing for eyes to see, and as Felix turned around to get a glance over everything, he noticed the pair of chairs separated by a tea table in the corner, alongside it was the bed, separated by a whole step's distance, the mattress was plush and there was a wooden structure to the bed, giving it an overall king-sized look.
Further was the bathroom, on the other side, and even though the room was nothing special, watching Chan settle down their bags on the side, right in front of an inbuilt wardrobe, the omega merely shuffled closer to help the male.
'We'll unpack later, just get your pajamas for the night, and let's freshen up, yeah?'
Felix nodded.
'You go first, hyung.'-he quietly ushered, Chan, nodding to his words and picking up a pair of shirt and sweats, headed towards the bathroom.
Felix meanwhile, sat down on the floor itself, cross-legged, and began to take out all of the clothes and things Hyunjin had packed for him, one by one settling them in the wardrobe.
He left half of it empty, knowing Chan'd keep his clothes in, and by the time the alpha was out, drying water out of his hair, Felix hurried inside with his own set of clothes.
Once freshened up, by the time they reached downstairs, Minho and Seungmin were all about the kitchen, working their way on something quick to eat.
'We'll start with the planned things tomorrow, let's eat and sleep tonight yeah?'
'Yep. I'm sure I'm tired as hell and going to sleep the moment I drop into bed.'-Changbin muttered, picking up one of the cans of beer from the stuff they'd brought and stocked up in the fridge previously right after reaching.
He got three more, passing them each to Hyunjin, Minho, and Chan,
Having decided on eating simple ramen and heat-up sausages, they mixed up mozzarella sticks, passed on fizzy drinks to the younger ones, and began to eat.
Felix in between taking a sip of his cola, looked at Chan who was sipping on his beer rather casually,
He watched the male put the can back on the table to take a slurp of noodles and pick it up, taking a sip by himself.
Unknown to the eyes watching him, he heard chuckles, the others clearly taken aback by his expression which twisted into a grimace before he slid back the can to Chan,
'I don't like beer myself, Lix. Don't worry.'-Jisung commented,
'More like you can't handle it.'
In return, Hyunjin was met with the stick of Jisung's sausage thrown directly at him.
Nothing new in that, well.
Closing the washroom door behind him, Felix stood watching Chan scroll his phone, one arm under his head, lying with his back on the mattress to one side, one knee cocked up.
Chan turned to glance at him seconds later, probably feeling his eyes, and passed a smile before patting the bed beside him.
Felix padded closer, socked feet upon wooden flooring making the minimalist sound,
He climbed atop the bed, sitting with his knees neatly folded under himself as he stared at the male,
Chan, quite confused, put aside his phone before sitting up straighter,
'What happened, Lix?'
Felix kept quiet, staring at Chan- no wait,
Following his gaze, Chan looked down at himself until his eyes caught the necklace-
Oh.
'Lixie? Baby, what is it?'
The boy merely raised his hand against his neck, where the necklace ought to have been,
Chan, despite being taken aback, watched the boy's lips wobble ever so slowly and he panicked,
'Sweetheart, what is it? Lixie-'
Felix spoke something, so feeble in voice that Chan at first didn't catch onto his words until he shifted closer and took the boy's hands which were clutching onto the hoodie he wore in his own,
'Baby, look at me.'
Felix did and Chan saw the glossiness in his eyes,
'Say what happened? Take a breath, right, what is it?'
'Took i-it-'
Chan nodded slowly, trying to press the boy to say further,
Taking a shuddering breath, Felix spoke once more, this once clearer,
'T-They took it-they-the n-necklace-C-Channie they broke it-'
Watching as the boy's eyes filled with tears, one by one sliding down his freckled cheeks, his nose was red like dusted in soft blush, and the way his freckles sparkled in Chan's eyes under the wetness of his tears-
And the reason for his crying-
Chan breathed out softly, trying to stay sane and at the same time just tell the boy-
'Oh, darling.'
He brought Felix close, pulling him up against his chest until the boy was properly sitting in his lap,
''m heavy-'
'No, shush it, baby. You're nothing in front of the weights I pull at the gym or the weight when I need to hand a helping hand and pull up Bin when he falls asleep on my couch whilst we work.'
Chan chuckled lightly, hearing Felix sniff at that,
'It's alright, baby. It's not your fault-none of it is. It was just a necklace-'
'B-But you gave it to me, it was s-special, Channie...'
Feeling his heart nearly go on a quite worrying rampage within, Chan nodded against Felix's head, feeling the omega clutch onto his t-shirt in fists,
'We can always get another one, more special, prettier, I promise- just don't let those voices tell you it's your fault, you're fine. baby.'
'A-Aren't you angry, I lost it?'
Chan chuckled once more, a breathy chuckle leaving his parted lips as he pulled from the boy and looked at the ever-so-pretty eyes of Felix who looked at him with such an expression-
Chan smiled, rubbing under his eyes with the pad of his thumb as he got rid of the crystals under them and quietly pressed chaste pecks over his eye-lids,
The silence wasn't disturbing at all as he pulled the boy to lie down right beside him, pulling him close by putting a hand over the hook of Felix's waist,
Right as Felix shuffled close, he let the boy push his legs in between his own, entangling their feet, his bare ones meeting with the boy's socked ones,
In the process, Felix moved to put an arm over him as well, shuffling even closer until the boy was practically having his head pressed in his chest and cuddling him close,
'I'm not angry, I could never be angry at something that wasn't in your hands, Lix. If they took it from you, it doesn't matter for what matters was they tried to take you from me, from us, from aunt and that wasn't okay. I have you back in my arms, it's everything that I could ever want so don't ever think that losing a necklace is worth more than losing you, physically or emotionally.
And to think of you taking it so seriously, the thought is what truly counts, baby. Trust me, it matters so much, to see you cry over a necklace, I haven't felt like this ever. And even though I'm glad at the thought, thankful to have you, I don't like seeing you in tears, Lixie.
Please don't think any of what happened was your fault. Just put it back in the past yeah? You're with me, I know it's hard to forget things, and sometimes we can't forget some at all but there's the option of moving on. You've been through a lot, and you've the right to move on and do just that.
Make new, happy memories to push back the sad ones, smile today looking forward to tomorrow instead of crying whilst thinking over the past, cause that's life, baby.
It gives us the choice, the choice to stay in the present, the choice to look back in the past and lull over it, and the choice to look forward towards the future, a day ahead, a month ahead, a year ahead, a life ahead as it does with past.
Which one would you want to choose hmm? The future is a nice option. The present is good, going to sleep whilst looking forward to a new day is even better. Let's do just that okay? Let's move on from whatever happened, and I promise you'll be okay. Even if you're not on some days, trust me, trust us, we're here for you.'
The minutes that followed his words were filled with silence until he heard Felix speak,
'You're everything I could ever ask for, Channie.'
'You're everything I could ever want or need this badly, Lixie. Go to sleep, we're going to wake up tomorrow and have fun, yeah?'
'I...Good night, Channie.'
'Good night too, baby.'
And even though the words remained at the tip of their tongues, just three words that meant oh-so-much, they realized saying them out loud wasn't necessary, not necessary when Felix practically lulled himself to sleep whilst listening to Chan's heartbeat, not necessary when Chan felt himself falling asleep as well as the boy's hands rubbed circles at his upper back, not necessary when the feelings were shared and visibly through their eyes,
Not necessary when it was the thought engraved in both their heads and not just words- mere words weren't going to change anything.
Together, they were everything either could ever want.
...