When Hyunjin came home, he was surprised that Felix and Minho were sitting in the living room and playing with the kittens. Somehow he had assumed that the two would only look for them and then drive back home.

But he was happy about not being alone, which was why he sat next to them on the floor, which one of the kittens took the opportunity to climb on him.

Smiling, he picked up the small, fluffy ball and caressed its soft tummy. Once again amazed at how small the kittens still were, but at the same time it made a huge difference that they were there.

"We had thought about going out for dinner. Do you want to come along?" asked Felix, who had leaned against Minho and was watching his best friend softly smiling.

Thoughtfully, Hyunjin tilted his head and looked at his best friend. "Sure that I won't disturb you...?"

"You never disturb!" Felix grumbled.

"Apart from that, Changbin comes with his latest conquest. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a joker like you there," chuckled Minho, who received a punch against his shoulder from Felix.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes with a grin, but nodded. An evening with friends sounded like a welcome change and apart from that he had a late shift the next day.

Smiling overjoyed, Felix jumped up, threw himself at his best friend and wrapped his arms around him. Which one the one hand startled the kitten, who quickly ran away and on the other hand mad Minho laugh out loud.

"You're lucky I'm not jealous, babe," Minho chuckled and grabbed the kitten that was just running past him.

Astonished, Hyunjin pushed the younger one a bit away from himself and looked at him with questioningly raised eyebrows. "Babe?!"

Felix's cheeks blushed slightly and he bit his lower lip. "I... maybe I kissed him earlier... as a test...", he muttered and in the meantime his cheeks and also his ears were crimson red.

"And when I asked what he was doing, he just stammered that he had to make sure it felt different than when he kissed you," Minho laughed.

"I... I've never had a boyfriend," Felix muttered and broke away from Hyunjin. He was visibly uncomfortable with the subject, while the two elders watched him lovingly.

"Which is nothing reprehensible at all! And it's very convenient for me, because I'm an absolute zero in planning dates," Minho replied and winked at Hyunjin. He understood very well that Minho tried to loosen the mood and played along.

"Maybe we should have Changbin plan your dates, he has more than enough practice in it."

That finally made them all laugh and it became a little more relaxed mood again.

"Good, then give me half an hour, then I'll take a quick shower and put some fresh clothes on."

"And I can do your hair and makeup."

Hyunjin nodded in surrender. Even if it had been a difference to him, he would still have left Felix his will, just to make the younger one happy. But actually it felt pretty good when Felix did his hair.

Hyunjin rarely felt cared for and usually didn't even gave into it. But he trusted Felix completely and always gave the younger a free hand in his decisions. Not only since they lived together, it had always been like that.

The fatigue he had felt at work had meanwhile turned into cautious optimism and he was really looking forward to the evening.

The almost cold shower helped to shake off the last bit of fatigue and when he sat on his bed dressed in boxer shorts and shirt shortly afterwards and Felix was blow-drying his hair, Hyunjin was almost excited.

It had been an eternity since he had gone out. The studies and his internship had taken too much of him. And Felix also had a difficult, relatively painful time behind him, which was why it made Hyunjin all the happier that his best friend was doing so well now and he became the sunshine he once was.

Minho had sat down at the edge of the bed and watched the two interested.

He had already experienced on campus how close Felix and Hyunjin were, but only since he and Felix had become closer did he understand how deep their connection was.

At the beginning he had been a bit irritated by Felix's cute, somewhat helpless flirting attempts. Because somehow he had assumed that the younger one was with Hyunjin.

But when he had blackmailed Changbin to tell him the truth, the younger had only shaken his head laughing and called him a hopeless idiot.

Which had made Minho cautiously optimistic.

Finally, he had addressed the younger after seeing him and Hyunjin together for the first time, but Felix had also only shook his head smiling.

"He's my best friend and I love him. But that's all." had been Felix's words and he had sounded so honest and sincere that Minho had believed him on the spot.

While he was watching the two now, Minho realized that Felix and Hyunjin were like two parts of a whole. They needed each other to survive, but that didn't mean there was no room for someone else in their lives.

Meanwhile, Felix had confessed to him that he had been in love with him for quite a while. Cuddled close together, they had been lying in his bed and Felix had kissed him in an incredibly sweet, shy way.

They had been talking about all this for quite a while. Their feelings for each other and also about the connection between Felix and Hyunjin. Minho had assured Felix that it was okay for him when the younger cuddled occasionally with his best friend and also when they kissed from time to time.

"As long as I get more kisses, everything is fine," he had murmured, buried his hands in Felix's blond hair and kissed him lovingly.

And even though Felix was still unsure whether Minho really meant all this, his heart had beaten so fast with joy and excitement that he was sure that it would jump out of his chest.

But now he was very concentrated on the blonde hair of his best friend and braided a whole series of small braids into it.

"Maybe I should let my hair grow," Minho remarked and plucked thoughtfully at his relatively short, brown hair.

"I like your hair the way it is," Felix muttered, looking at Minho briefly before focusing on Hyunjin's hair again.

A loving smile crept onto Minho's lips.

⍭〄⍭

"We will be late," Minho remarked with thoughtfully gathered eyebrows when they left the apartment almost an hour later.

Because it took Felix quite a while to be satisfied with Hyunjin's hair and makeup and then he remembered that they had to feed the kittens before they could leave.

"As if Changbin is always on time," Felix grumbled, reaching for Minho's hand.

"Maybe he's always on time now cause he needs to impress his new boyfriend," Hyunjin chuckled and locked the front door behind them.

A short time later, they were in Hyunjin's car. He had volunteered to drive so that Felix and Minho could sit together in the back. Not surprised that Felix had chosen her favorite restaurant, he drove the route as if in his sleep.

And indeed, Changbin and a slightly taller young man stood in the parking lot, leaning against Changbin's car, waiting for them.

Felix jumped out of the car first, ran to them and hugged them. "Hey, I'm Felix. I think we've seen each other on campus before," he said, smiling after letting go of Changbin's new boyfriend.

"Seungmin. Yeah we have," murmured the black-haired and didn't really know what else to say.

"Felix doesn't bite, Minnie. On the contrary. He's an absolute angel," Changbin explained smiling and grabbed his boyfriend's hand.

Minho and Hyunjin came strolling over to them, but stopped next to Felix, without immediately seizing Changbin and his boyfriend.

"Hey Bin. Long time no see," Hyunjin said and smiled at the two, while Minho just nodded at them.

"Come on, let's eat something. Maybe the mood will be a little more relaxed then. Binnie is always so tense when he is hungry," Felix chuckled and finally managed to make Seungmin giggle.

Without hesitation, Felix snaked up with Seungmin and dragged the younger with him. "Do you know the story when Changbin brought a popcorn machine to lecture and-" the other three heard him say before the two had already disappeared in the restaurant.

Grinning, Minho and Hyunjin looked at each other, while Changbin blushed.

"And, do you think this time is something serious?" Hyunjin asked the elder, still grinning and pulled Changbin through the front door, which Minho was holding open for them.

"I really hope so," Changbin muttered, letting his gaze wander around as soon as they were inside the restaurant. When he spotted Seungmin next to Felix, he relaxed again and his eyes began to shine.

With a cute, loving grin on his face, Changbin went to the table where the two were sitting and sat down opposite Seungmin.

Hyunjin and Minho followed him and squeezed next to Changbin on the bench.

꧁⟢ ⍭〄⍭ ⟣꧂