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⇒ Levanter Apartments
8:30am

Spitting repetitively into the toilet bowl in an attempt to rid the taste of mushy cereal that had ridden up his throat a few seconds before, Felix groaned while lifting one hand from its brace on the edge of the vitreous china to tap and rub his tummy. His face stayed scrunched while more bile only threatened to disturb his throat again due to the absence of anything of substance left in his stomach.

Sighing when most of the upset feeling had found itself in the mucky water, Felix sniffled as he stood up to head for the sink, the sight of his burnt-out face forcing more tears down his cheeks as he reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste. "It's just food poisoning," he tried to encourage as he wet the brush underneath the running water, nipping at his lower lip before squeezing some of the minty paste over it. "It's just food poisoning... it's just food poisoning... it's just food poisoning... I'm not pregnant."

-

Groaning tiredly from his languid post on the sofa when his cellphone started annoying rings from the dining table, Felix swore audibly before getting up, a sigh leaving his lips when he noticed that it was his best friend's contact lighting up the screen. He gulped thickly before picking up, padding to the fridge to fix himself a glass of water to help ease his persistent headache. "Hello, Minnie?"

"Hey, Lix... 're you home?" Seungmin spoke with a rather shaky tone, occasionally glimpsing over his shoulder to have a faint view of the tall blonde waiting patiently not too far behind him.

"Yeah... everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I was just wondering if you're free to hang out? If you wanna go somewhere, or if we- I could come over...?"

Arching a brow as he rested the half-empty glass of cold water on the marble counter, Felix pursed his lips in thought, the several years of familiarizing himself with the younger's usual mannerism not sparing him the chance to fall for Seungmin's unpersuasive lie. "Are you sure everything is okay? What aren't you telling me? Are you with someone?"

"No- I'm sure, everything's fine. It's just... how do I put this..."

"Just tell me, Min."

"Okay- there's this guy that I've sort of made friends with... and uhm... he doesn't have any other friends... and I told him that I have a friend, that friend being you..."

"Mhm...?"

"And now he wants to meet you... so all three of us can become friends?"

Chuckling at the conclusion of the male's admission, Felix rolled his eyes playfully before making his way back to the couch and lifting his legs to rest against the coffee table. "Is he in high school or something? Because it sure sounds like it."

"No, Lix. As matter of a fact, he wanted to meet up all week, but he couldn't find the time because of his work... I know it's late notice but, he's a nice guy. So can we please come over? You don't have to prepare anything, I could buy some food on the way there." Seungmin pleaded with puppy eyes as though such persuasion could be recognized by the boy on the other side of the line, even pouting his lips with the gesture. "I promise he won't kill you or anything..."

Sighing and thinking twice over the sudden request, Felix scanned the level of tidiness in his living room, scrunching his nose in the process at the realization that its state was in no way presentable for a visitor. "Min, I don't mind but, my place is a bit messy right now, and I'm not in the mood to get up and clean. So if this means so much to you, can't I come over to yours?"

"Oh well, that can work as well. This means a lot, Lix... Could you buy food on the way though?"

"You'll pay me back?"

"Sure whatever."

"Deal."

"Okay thank you so so, so much. I'm sure everything will work out fine," Seungmin almost squealed in the open hallway, the noticeable glance from the tall blonde in his direction being the only thing keeping the high-pitched sound contained. "Oh and one more thing..."

"What is it?" Felix sighed as he stood up once more, that time to head into his bedroom to throw on a casual, decent outfit to meet such a seemingly special stranger.

"He thinks you're homophobic, so please play along-"

"Oka- wait, what? Seungmin?" Felix called out repetitively yet uselessly as only two beeps sounded as a reply, drawing out a line of slurred swears and scoffs from his tongue. "If he thinks I'm going to pretend to be fucking homophobic for whoever that is, he's lying to himself."

-

⇒ Sunshine Apartments
10:00am

Arm laying politely on the armrest of the sofa, and eyes half-focussed on the untitled movie playing on the television, Hyunjin pursed his lips in thought, free, idle hand lifting to comb a few disruptive strands to the back of his head. "What time did you say he'd be here?"

"He should be here soon, just wait a little longer if you really want to meet him," Seungmin spoke anxiously as he spammed his friend's phone with messages to emphasize his nervousness and need for such a familiar presence to ease the awkward aura in his living room. "He had to stop to get us food, and he's traveling by foot or bus, so either way it'll take some time."

Humming and nodding at the younger's low confirmation, Hyunjin parted his lips to give a verbal response, but a sudden yet expected knock sounding from the front door was enough to divert and capture both their attentions. "I'm guessing that's him?" He questioned enthusiastically, a small smile stretching up from his lips. "You wanna get that?"

Seungmin sighed and smiled as he got up from his seat to head for the echoey hallway, his bare feet dragging childishly along the tiles, and arms swinging energetically at his side. He took another deep breath before unlocking the tall piece of wood before him, and his scrunched face somehow still managed to hold a hopeful expression. "Lix," he exhaled out of relief upon getting a full view of the shorter boy with two filled plastic bags in his hands. "Thank you so much for this, again. And just play along-"

"Hell fucking no," Felix scoffed before bypassing the taller into the largish space, face blank and holding a hint of disappointment as he paused to leave his sneakers near the frame. "I'm not homophobic, Min, and you know that. Don't try dragging me into this mess. If he's homophobic then he's simply a dick, no offense to you."

Sighing with a grimace, Seungmin reached a finger to his lips with a low "Speak softly," as he shook his head with worry. Only then did the realistic consequence of his lie settle to torment his conscience, and he knew that he couldn't blame Felix for declining the act- he knew that he had no choice but to at least make an effort to divert all conversation from the unjustifiable disagreement to human's personal decisions based on sexuality. "Fine," he muttered lowly, trodding behind the shorter into the kitchen.

"Well hello there." The taller, godlike blonde startled both boys in their steps, leaving Seungmin with lips parted in attempt to force out a clichéd line of introduction, and Felix with a somewhat slackened jaw, sweaty palms, and a thick lump in his throat that forced the occurrence of a visible gulp. "I assume that you're Felix?"

"Yes- yes he is," Seungmin finally spoke up nervously, voice cracking and arms gesturing to the other just to find a less awkward action than laying stagnantly at either side of his waist. "Hyunjin, Felix. Felix, Hyunjin."

Felix's eyes trailed down to the newly opened palm before him, and if it weren't for the sting that the dominant memory of his relationship gave to scold the subtle attraction that he felt, he would have placed one of the bags down on the floor to shake the man's hand and admire each and every detail for himself. But instead he mouthed a low, "My hands are filled," with a small smile plastered on his face.

Scrunching his face slightly at the decline, Hyunjin nodded and breathed out a low chuckle, bringing the same hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Well uhm... thank you for coming so that we could become... aquatinted. I'm not so hungry right now, and if that is the same for you two, then I'd love to sit and have a small conversation, you know, so that I could at least tell Felix more about me."

Nodding and strolling over to place both bags on the kitchen counter, Felix turned on his heels to face the sink for a few seconds, opening it and splashing some water on his face in attempt to distract the subtle, recurring feeling of nausea that spawned in his stomach. "You're fine, Lix. You're fine..."

-

Sensing the obvious awkward tension between the stranger and his friend in that living room, Felix sighed before parting his lips to speak up, but quickly closed them when Hyunjin attempted the same gesture. "You can go first," he mumbled when the boy mirrored his retraction of efforts, smiling softly to emphasize his kindness.

Nodding and tapping his fingers against his clothed knees, Hyunjin switched gazes between the two male's; the innocent beauty of the blonde stranger jumbling the words of the speech he had mentally outlined before. "Well uhm... I'm twenty, incase you were wondering my age... and I moved to Seoul a few weeks ago. Seungmin here seemed like a nice guy, so I thought why not make a new friend..."

"Mhm... now remind me how I became a part of all this?" Felix spoke rather calmly, the light chuckle leaving his lips with that line eradicating all hints of harshness born with the statement. "Like I know it's to make friends and all, but people don't usually do this- well at least not where I'm from. Like I know, especially based on movies, friends become mutuals spontaneously or something... not through a meeting..."

Smiling and laughing softly himself, Hyunjin brushed a finger underneath his nostrils, hesitating before nervously locking eyes with the freckled boy not-too-far in front again. "Yeah I see where you're coming from, but I'm just different I guess?"

"Different? I see..."

"Yeah, and in all honesty, I really just wanted to ask you a question..."

Fingers fiddling with themselves anxiously on his thighs, Seungmin shot his head up with a low cough sounding from his throat, tongue poking at the inside of his cheek before rolling to speak up. "Do you all wanna watch a movie and eat before the food gets cold?" He tried to speak casually, but the shakiness of his tone as well as the idle tapping of his instep against the carpet was enough to give off the true unsettlement of his internal state. "And look," he motioned an arm to the open blinds, standing to near it to emphasize his suggestion. "It's a bright day today... we could go to the park or a restaurant. We could do some bonding to get to know each other better- well for you two to get to know each other better."

Cocking his head to the side and narrowing his eyes, Hyunjin smirked cheekily at the flustered state of the other, such mannerism only confirming his mental theories that blamed a locked up closet for Seungmin's so-called homophobic beliefs. "Well that could work," he spoke teasingly, chuckling when the male visibly exhaled deeply out of relief, and though his next statement would surely resurface the tense aura, he did, in no way, hesitate to continue. "That is after I ask my question of course- my question for Felix. I'm just curious, you know?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, it's not really personal, but I was just wondering-"

"I'll be- I'll be in the bathroom," Seungmin cut the blonde off with his stuttered phrase, his internal, hypocritical admissions and torments not willing to stay and witness such an embarrassing consequence of his lie. "And I might be a while, so don't be scared to leave if you think I'm taking too long." He nodded and thinned an awkward smile before scurrying into the hallway and behind a closed door.

"Don't mind him," Felix chuckled before redirecting full attention to the godlike stranger before him, prepping his elbows against his knees and chin in his palms, eyes gleaming with attention. "So, back to what you wanted to ask?"

"Okay, well I can only assume that Seungmin didn't bring it up... so uhm, we had a conversation, and I asked him whether he was homophobic or not." Hyunjin started softly, looking down at his fingers as they fiddled with each other on his laps. "And he told me that he was, but, from the time that he said- well since I observed that he likes 3racha, I knew that he's just hiding or something. And usually I'd not be so persistent or confident, but he seems like a cool guy- just heavily influenced."

Narrowing his eyes and nodding with a low hum, Felix forced his tired mind to sensibly analyze the male's words in search of how such episode could lead to the wanting of his presence. "So... how does that lead to me?"

"Well, that's what I'm getting to... I asked him why he thinks the way that he does, and he said that it's because of his friend's beliefs as well. So I thought... since I myself want to meet new people... and am quite curious because I know that if it really is to try to fit into the fanbase, I could talk some form of sense into your heads," Hyunjin chuckled nervously, heart skipping a beat when Felix's eyes folded with his own smile.

Running a tongue over his lower lip, Hyunjin left the plush pieces of flesh parted for a while as he observed the male's features; cheeks adorned with seemingly golden freckles, blonde strands, similar in length to those on his own head, struggling to stay put in a messy ponytail, cocoa-colored eyes deep and rich with the highlights of the mid-morning sun that shone upon them, and small frame sitting so innocently and adorably on that single sofa.

Questions of whether or not he had eyes on the correct person dominated Hyunjin's thoughts in that moment, and the few words that rolled off of the other's tongue as a response to his concerns were enough to convince his heart and mind to focus on someone else.

"Look, I don't know what Minnie told you, but I'm not homophobic," Felix spoke rather casually, tone confident and assertive. "I don't even like 3racha. And I hope that he will come to his senses soon."

Sighing out of relief at the admission, Hyunjin rested a hand dramatically against his chest, smiling and giggling in a childishly low manner. "That's good- that's good to know. I'm glad- I'll be more comfortable around you two now."

"Comfortable?"

"Yeah. I- I'm gay. And I'm not closeted, but Seungmin made me kind of scared to open up, you know?" Hyunjin frowned slightly as be spoke, sighing before continuing. "But he's nice, so I still wanna keep being friends."

"You're so optimistic," Felix smiled again, this time brighter and with cheeks a bit more relaxed as he felt that new, evident level of acceptance with the acquaintance that not even his best friend could provide- that his boyfriend could hardly provide a fraction of. "I'm gay too."

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