it was finally around 6pm.
felix had been waiting by the amusement park gates for almost twenty minutes, and by now he wasn't alone anymore.
seungmin and hyunjin were the first ones to arrive, walking down the road holding hands while laughing with each other. they looked lovely with those big, in love smiles plastered on their faces.
felix greeted them and offered them space to sit on the bench next to him. it didn't take long for chan to arrive, soon followed by changbin.
"minho and jisung are on their way here. they were looking for somewhere to park," changbin informed the others, looking up from his chat with jisung.
"what about jeongin?" felix asked, chan immediately turning his head at the mention of the younger boy. everyone kinda looked at him waiting for an answer.
"he said he's coming," he just shrugged, pouting internally since jeongin hadn't texted him ever since a few hours ago, when he had told him he could come.
just when he was about to lose hope and thought that the younger wouldn't actually come, he spotted him among the crowd strolling down the side walk. a smile automatically appearing on his face.
a few metres ahead there were minho and jisung, and when they all eventually gathered, they made their way inside to buy the tickets.
someone paid for himself, others had their tickets offered. chan quickly positioned himself before jeongin, handing the money for the both of them.
"hyung..." jeongin whined, "you didn't have to pay for me."
chan just smiled at him and slowed down when they started walking, so he could go at the same pace as jeongin.
"innie?"
"mh?"
"how are you feeling now?" chan asked softly, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his ripped jeans.
"i'm okay" [*korean* IIII'M OKAAAAY- okay, sorry i had to]
chan just sighed, getting the hint to stop asking for now, since jeongin didn't seem like he was going to answer honestly anytime soon. he just hoped he could find a way to make the younger boy feel better.
chan deep down felt guilty for something, but didn't even know what that was.
the first game they went to was, of course, a type of roller coaster. it didn't seem that scary so all of them got in, even minho... after jisung pulled him by the arm for a good five minutes.
they were all seated, belts fastened and hearts beating fast, maybe not only because of the imminent ride.
chan and jeongin ended up next to each other, and even though the latter felt a bit awkward he was actually glad it was him. at least he knew that he didn't have to worry about what chan thought of him. maybe.
"are you ready?" chan asked, while the security guards checked that everything and everyone was safe.
"yeah, are you?" jeongin asked back, a little smile on his lips.
"of course!" chan exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm.
in fact, guess who ended up screaming way more than normal? yep, bang chan. and by the time they were back on the ground, jeongin was full on laughing, all traces of his doubts about chan completely forgotten.
he was just enjoying that night they were all spending together, as friends.
"should we get on one more time?" hyunjin asked excitedly, jumping on his feet next to his boyfriend.
"maybe try the green ride over there?" jisung pointed to a roller coaster that rode opposite of them.
"yeah, why not? let's go!" felix yelled, all the other boys following him.
he soon felt a presence next to him, and was already starting to get pissed off, "listen changbin, i already told- oh!" he exclaimed when he turned around, his hand going to cover his mouth, "i'm sorry, minho hyung. i thought you were seo changbin," he spit out the last part.
minho just laughed, "don't worry. he doesn't seem like he's going to come near you anytime soon. he looks scared."
felix felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over him, but quickly covered it up, "oh yeah? did i go too harsh on him?" he jockingly asked. in fact, after their date that ended incredibly awkwardly, they had met up to talk and clear things up.
felix was really going to apologise for kind of having used changbin in order to find out more about his own sexuality. and things were going well, until changbin made a joke. a joke felix didn't like. and then he made another one, about felix's ass. and that's when everything escalated: changbin running around in the school yard while felix ran after him trying to hit him with his school bag.
"he may seem like a tough guy, but he's actually really sweet and sensitive," minho started quietly, "he really likes you, felix. being annoying is just his way of showing it."
felix stayed quiet for a while, all kind of thoughts running through his mind. did he like changbin? did he like boys in general? he had never thought about it before meeting changbin and he was so confused.
one day it seemed like his heart would get softer when standing next to the older boy, but then again he felt kind of uncomfortable when he would slide an arm over his shoulders in a more than platonic way.
he was trying, he was really trying so hard to make himself like changbin—because deep down he knew the boy held genuine feelings—, but it just didn't feel right to him.
"you don't have to answer me now," minho started again, felix going back to reality, "but... do you like changbin? even a tiny bit?"
felix stayed silent once again.
"as i said, you don't have to answer right now. just think about it," minho met his gaze, he looked serious and protective over his younger friend, "and don't break his heart too hard."
then he just sped up his walking, going ahead of everyone, leaving a confused felix behind.
after having tried almost all the rides and different games, they decided to go to the maze. it was a simple one, nothing dangerous, but it seemed fun.
they all entered, but soon split up in pairs or groups, too afraid to end up being alone.
one of the pair was made by jeongin and jisung. they had been walking for a few minutes, and they were starting to go crazy.
"it feels like we're just going in circles," jisung complained, "we'll never get out of here"
jeongin shyly patted his shoulder, "yes, we will. we just have to pay more attention," he sighed, "maybe we can take a break for a while and just set our brain off."
jisung liked the idea so he nodded, dropping down on the ground, his back leaning against one of the walls made of fake leaves. jeongin sat down next to him, his arms folded over his chest.
"jisung hyung?" jeongin asked after having collected a good amount of courage.
"yes?" the younger glanced at him, before looking back to the plain green wall in front of him.
"are you and minho hyung dating?" jeongin innocently asked.
"no," he quickly answered, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"you two sure seem like you're really close..."
"yeah, we... we've known each other since we were kids. our families know each other, too. we used to spend almost every weekend together," an unconscious smile tugged on jisung's lips.
"oh, that's cute."
"yeah, but things are different now," he said, his voice sounding suddenly upset, almost... sad.
"and why's that?" jeongin didn't really know anything about jisung, but he seemed like a good guy and honestly, he felt the urge to comfort him seeing him like that.
"well, first of all, we've all grown up, we've changed and met different people. things aren't the way they were before... but i wish they were," he took a deep breath and looked at jeongin.
"why are you so suddenly curious about me?" jisung laughed a dry laugh.
"i don't know, i guess... i just want to get to know you, since, you know, we've got friends in common now," jeongin said and shrugged.
"makes sense... well, about that, minho hyung and i aren't dating, but we're not friends either. maybe a little more than friends but less than boyfriends," he looked at jeongin and saw that the younger seemed confused.
so he sighed and just went for it, straightforwardly, "we're friends with benefits."
jeongin took a moment to process before a gasp left his mouth, lips and eyes wide open in shock, "y-you mean..."
"yeah, we have sex from time to time, do other stuff, steal a kiss or two... no strings attached..." he mumbled, an acid tone filling his voice. his eyes suddenly looking darker than before.
"well, that's- that's horrible," jeongin honestly said, his voice quiet and timid.
"i know," jisung stood up, "but sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for the people you love," he looked down at jeongin, "and i care about him too much to walk away."
then he just left.
jeongin quickly standing up so he could stay with him to find a way out from the maze.
while he walked, a lot of thoughts crowded his mind.
what did jisung mean by that? was he in love with minho, but his love wasn't returned? so, he was willing to hurt his own heart just to be with minho? even if it was in a way he didn't like?
it felt like jisung couldn't escape his memories. as if he was too attached to the past where he and minho were as close as two brothers.
maybe, mazes aren't just physical.
maybe, there could also be a maze of memories.
a/n
i really love reading the comments you guys leave on here, so please continue to support the story🤗
and hope you all had a nice easter, if you celebrated it
-mic