ˏˋ°•*⁀ ➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝗌𝗎𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖾
𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 (𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻) /ˈ𝘀ə𝗻ˌ𝗦𝗛𝗶̄𝗻/
❝𝖽𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗇𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗎𝗇𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾𝗇 𝖻𝗒 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽， 𝖾𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖺．❞

For the rest of the day, you felt like you were floating.

From the moment you walked back downstairs and into the living room, (where you friends had congregated once again) you couldn't stop a giddy smile from spreading across your face.

Mya and Riley spotted you first, and they both gave you slightly nervous, yet excited looks, like they expected to hear the news - good or bad -right away.

"Well???" Mya prompted after a pause, eyeing you with an apprehensive expression.

"Did he???" Riley's tilted her head, like she was trying to hint at the question that we printed across her face.

You giggled and nodded, immediately covering your mouth as the embarrassing sound escaped without your permission.

And then your two best friends were on you, suffocating you with bone-breaking hugs.

"I fucking knew it!" Riley cried into your ear.

"Hyunjin finally caved!" Mya squealed, jumping up and down.

The three of you all started jumping up and down, spinning around in a circle, with you in the middle.

It felt so good to be truly happy, knowing that you and Felix were actually getting the happy ending that you'd been waiting for since before you could remember.

Felix had come downstairs minutes later, and embraced you. For the rest of the day, the two of you were inseparable, even when Hyunjin emerged from his bedroom and shot Felix his signature squinty-eyed look.

But as you all sat around the table for one final dinner in the beach house, Hyunjin sat next to you, resting his head on your shoulder. You smiled at your brother. He seemed to be okay with this after all.

You laid in bed that night, listening to your friends' quiet breathing next to you. The wind cried through the trees, keeping you awake, the steady patter of rain on the roof like a drumbeat.

All sixteen of you had planned a goodbye party for tomorrow. You couldn't believe this was your last night here, in this bed, all of your friends under the same roof - or at least on the same island - within driving distance of one another.

And while you were sad, you mostly couldn't wait for the party. Because you still had one final surprise for Felix - hell, everyone - that none of them would expect.

————————————

Felix felt ridiculous.

Clad in the only button-up shirt and dress pants that he had brought, on the off chance that they went out to a fancy dinner on the island, he looked like a stuffy waiter.

The dress code for the party was over-the-top fancy. Minho was going to cook delicious food, Lanhua was making the drinks, and the rest of the girls would be there as eye candy. It wasn't explicitly said, but some people had hinted that they prepared a little something to say goodbye to everyone with.

You had been one of those people.

He wondered what you could have come up with without anyone else knowing. You weren't known for keeping secrets - not well, at least - and he wanted to know how the hell you'd hidden something from him. Clearly, he'd underestimated you.

To be fair, he had kept a secret from you too. He had a farewell gift as well. If he could pluck up the courage to share it with you, that is.

He headed downstairs and into the kitchen, where Minho was making three dishes at once: a heaping plate of bulgogi and rice, kung pao chicken with steamed vegetables, and egg rolls. Coincidentally, they were one of Tessa's favorites.

Chan was next to him, working on the banchan (how fitting), which consisted of cutting up cabbage kimchi, seasoning bean sprouts and spinach, and even preparing spicy cucumbers. Felix was impressed by how much effort they were putting into this little goodbye party.

"Oi Yongbok, could you set out the plates?" Minho called to him from his spot by the stove. "I think Seungmin ran off on me, per usual."

Felix chuckled and nodded, grabbing one stack of plates off the island, and starting to place them around the table. The weather was too bad for them to eat outside, so they would all have to make do with the dining room today. What would usually be a warm mid-morning sun was a dreary, moody sky. The sliding door was smeared with rain, so he could barely see out.

The rest of the guys started walking downstairs, probably attracted by the growing scent of food. Jeongin, dressed in a black button up and dark jeans, helped fold the napkins and set them out.

Changbin and Jisung went to the living room and sat down before turning the tv on. It was probably safer for them to stay over there, as they were both dressed in white button-ups, and Jisung even wore a tie. They were more prone than most to making a mess of their clothes right when they put them on.

"Need any help?" Hyunjin peered at Felix and Jeongin curiously. He had his hair tied in the smallest of ponytails to keep it away from his face, and he wore a gray button-up and black pants.

Felix shook his head. "I think we're good, and it looks like they're almost done with the food. Are the girls almost done up there?"

Hyunjin shrugged. "I dunno, I think Laska kicked Mya and Riley out of their room, so they both had to get ready in the bathrooms. She said she has a surprise for everyone, and even they can't see until she comes downstairs. So they're taking a bit longer."

Seungmin, who was taking bites out of the kimchi bowl Chan was working on, laughed. "Typical them, huh."

Hyunjin sighed. "Don't I know it."

The doorbell rang, and Hyunjin shot to the door faster than Felix had ever seen him move before.

The other girls, who had all decided to squeeze into Tessa's small car, arrived together, taking off their already-damp coats and hanging them in the front closet.

"Ooh it smells fucking amazing in here!" Lanhua gushed, entering the kitchen. She held a pair of white heels in her hand as she sat down at the table to put them on. "Of course it's Minho making the incredible food."

Minho just rolled his eyes, but Felix could see a tinge of pink creep up his friends neck at the compliment.

Tessa and JJ appeared in the doorway, also having already changed into their fancy shoes.

"Oh my god, I love egg rolls!" Tessa gasped, pointing at the plate Minho was carrying over. "Can I have one?? Please??"

Minho raised an eyebrow at her, but shrugged. "Go for it."

Tessa snagged one of the morsels off the plate. "Your egg rolls are one of the only things I like about you," she mumbled to Minho with a smirk.

"Well, I have nothing I like about you," Minho retorted, but Felix thought the man might just be pleased at Tessa's words. Why else would he have made around 100 egg rolls that no one else was going to eat more than two or three of?

"Attention, the queens are arriving!" Riley's voice echoed down the staircase as both she and Mya proceeded to walk down, taking it slow in their precariously high heels.

Felix noticed that Chan immediately stepped away from his work in the kitchen to gawk at the ladies as they made their descent.

Riley wore a black skin-tight corset-top dress, the bottom an entire foot above her knees. She paired it with tall black heels. Felix wondered who the hell had convinced her to wear that. She was usually the queen of hoodies and lounge pants.

"You need some help?" Chan asked, offering his arm to the girl.

"No, of course not," Riley raised an eyebrow at him, before hastily saying, "but I accept anyway." And he led her from the stairs into the kitchen, so she could sit down.

"Wow you look uhh..." Jeongin, who had finished folding and setting out the napkins, stood at the bottom of the stairs as Mya, who was walking a few steps behind Riley, came to the last step. "You look like a princess!" He declared. "Would you allow me to erm-"

"You can lead me to a chair, Jeongin," Mya interrupted his babbling, adding with an embarrassed smile, "my feet kind of hurt from these heels already."

She donned a stunning blush pink floral dress that flared out at the waist, a bow in the middle of her chest. She had on white heeled sandals that, while cute, did look like they would hurt.

Jeongin entwined his hand with hers, and helped her over to the table, where Chan and Riley already sat together. The younger couple took seats next to them, and they all started chatting and laughing.

But where was the final girl to finish off their trio?

Felix found himself getting impatient, waiting for you. Everyone else was already here and enjoying themselves. Changbin, Jisung, Hyunjin, JJ, Lanhua, and Robin were all in the living room laughing at some stupid tv show they'd put on. Seungmin was making Renee try every one of the banchan that Chan had made. Tessa was begging Minho for his egg roll recipe.

That just left you.

Felix knew you had a surprise, and he knew he should just sit down and wait. He wanted to see you, wanted to spend time with you. That would be as good a surprise as any. And now that he was officially dating you, that was all he wanted to do; soak up your presence, be around you. He sighed, turning around to go sit with Chan and Jeongin and wait for you. Whatever it was would be worth it, he was sure.

But the creaking of an upstairs door stopped him. And when he turned around, he knew he had been right. His patience - or honestly lack thereof - had paid off.

Because there you were, in all your perfect glory, walking down the stairs, right at him. You wore a stunning pale yellow dress, with ruched sides that hugged your hips in all the right places, the off-the-shoulder sleeves exposing your slender arms. It looked like it was made for you in every way. And in a weird way, in a slightly possessive way, it felt like you and the dress were made for him, a gift from the heavens. He didn't know what he had done to deserve you, but maybe the gods were throwing him a bone.

He realized his jaw was literally hanging open a few inches, his mouth drying out from all the air he was breathing. He instantly clamped down, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck as he stared at you shamelessly.

"I-you- that dress... you look amazing," Felix grappled for the right words. Your appearance had wiped his brain clean of all intelligent thought.

He offered you his hand, and you took it without hesitation, letting him help you down the final step and into the kitchen, where everyone had finally gathered to start eating.

The table was already covered with all three dishes and dozens of small plates of banchan. Felix's mouth watered at the sight. Everything looked incredible.

But it all paled in comparison to how delectable you looked. He could eat you up, because damn were you a whole meal. Not that he would ever publicize those thoughts. His face warmed.

"I've never seen that dress before, where did you get it?" He asked, trying to distract himself from his spicy thoughts while continuing to look you up and down. Dang it, mission failed. He could stare at you all day.

You grinned slyly, a look that told him he should either be worried or excited. "I'm glad you like it," you said as you took a seat, "because I made it."

This time, when Felix's jaw dropped, he didn't move to close it. "Wh-what do you mean you made it??" He demanded, "like... with your own hands? Like sewed? And designed?"

You shrugged, immediately dropping the cool girl act and becoming sheepish. "Uh, yeah, like sewed and designed. And measured and cut. Everything."

Felix didn't say anything as he took his seat next to you, completely dumbfounded. He knew you were talented, but he couldn't fathom how you'd managed to put something as perfect as that together, in such a short amount of time.

"E-ever since we had that conversation outside, it got me thinking about my future. And I realized that while I love interior design, what I really want to do is make my own clothes," you ducked your head, "so I went to the store and bought this fabric, and just... made it, I guess. You really you like it?"

"Laska, it's literally made for you," Felix said, his voice hushed as he gazed upon you reverently, "You're perfect."

You smiled up at him, a giddy expression overtaking your face. He had never seen you get quite this happy before, especially over a job, or a hobby.

"Holy crap, Laska, did you just say you made that dress??" Riley gasped from her spot across the table. She had been talking with Chan and Minho about the food when she turned around, "It looks amazing!!"

"Is that what you've been hiding from us this whole time?" Mya exclaimed, reaching out to touch the material, "it looks professionally made! How did you do that??"

You grinned at your friends, nervous at the attention you were receiving. "I rented a sewing machine. I sent it back last night. A few strings got loose but I don't have time to fix them yet. It was a farewell present to you - all of you."

You caught Felix's eye, and he understood. While it had been for everyone, there was a special significance between just the two of you. His chest filled with emotion, but he pushed it down. Now wasn't the time for tears.

"Who cares??" Lanhua dismissed your worries, and Felix's heart warmed at the sight. Seeing all your friends cheering you on made him so happy, knowing you had people who supported you. "That's the most gorgeous dress I've ever seen. I'm hiring you to redo my entire wardrobe now."

"You would make an amazing fashion designer," JJ nodded, "I do some modeling, and that dress is a billion times better than most of the clothes I'm forced to wear."

All of your friends continued to gush over your dress, but Felix became distracted. A certain piece of paper was weighing heavily in his right pocket, begging to be revealed.

Finally, as the conversation lulled and people started digging into the incredible food Minho and Chan had made, Felix knew it was time. He wasn't sure if he would ever be fully ready to share something so personal, especially around all of his and your friends, but that was what love was, right? Doing things that made you nervous because you knew it would make your loved one happy. And that was what he was about to do.

"Speaking of farewell presents," Felix said, rummaging around in his pocket, "I might have something for you guys too. It's a little cheesy, so just bear with me."

"Don't worry, Lix," Changbin chuckled, "we all know who that's really for."

Both he and Chan glanced at you, and you raised an eyebrow at both of them, and then back at Felix. His face heated, but he pushed on.

"I-I've been struggling to write this song for over three months now. Actually, I haven't been able to write much of anything lately. I had hoped that listening to the ocean, maybe sitting in the sun, might inspire me a little. And it was the sun that inspired me, in a way," he met your gaze, really looked into those deep brown depths as he unfolded the nearly destroyed piece of paper and began to read.

The lyrics that he had written back at the cafe poured from him, just as they had that day. Feelings of unconditional love and sacrifice, of accepting each other just the way they are, flaws and all. Knowing that love isn't perfect, put finding the beauty in it anyway.

You are my sunshine on a rainy day,

The light of my life when the sky's only gray,

And even when the nights are cold and lonely,

You're always there to comfort and hold me.

Please hold me, and never let go.

Felix had to admit the lyrics sounded insane and cheesy when he read them out loud, but they were how he felt. You were his sunshine, the person who always brightened his day even when he felt like shit. As he finished reading, a mist had drifted over his vision, and he could barely see the page anymore. He didn't dare look up at any of his friends, an irrational fear that they would laugh at him overtaking him.

But he did look to you. He knew you wouldn't laugh or judge him for getting emotional, like he often did. And when he met your eyes, he saw exactly how he was feeling reflected on your face.

Your eyes were shimmery with tears, your face rosy, a watery grin appearing on your face.

"I love you, ya know," you said with a laugh, "even with your cheesy, wonderful ass lyrics, I love you. I can't believe you wrote that about me!"

"He almost broke his wrist he was writing so fast," Changbin giggled, and Chan rolled his eyes.

"I thought it was really cute," Mya replied, shaking her head at the two grown boys next to her.

"I love love songs!" Renee agreed with a smile. "I bet you could get that song published if you wanted."

"I could post about you two on my social media," Robin nodded. "I bet people would go crazy for your dresses, Laska. And people would die to compose your song Lix."

"That would be so amazing!" You exclaimed, reaching out and squeezing Felix's hand so hard it tingled.

Felix nodded. "I would love that," was all he could say, his heart thudding. He hadn't expected everyone to support him so much, but it felt better than he had thought it would.

"Do you guys wanna finish eating so we can go to the orange trees?" Seungmin said, his mouth full of rice.

"I can't wait to eat as many oranges as I can," Tessa chuckled, stealing yet another egg roll.

"If you can move, after eating so many fucking egg rolls," Minho raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't try and stop her from taking another.

"You're the enabler, you can't judge!" Tessa complained, chucking her napkin at him.

The two started bickering, and everyone went back to their food. Mya was passing the rest of her food off to an apparently starving Jeongin. JJ was serving Hyunjin some more bean sprouts as he sat there with a contented grin on his face. Jisung and Robin were competing to see who could eat the most bulgogi, with Renee and Seungmin keeping score. Chan and Riley were discussing her art, and the possibility of him coming over to her place back in Seoul so she could draw him. Lanhua was helping Changbin mix their drinks together to make some sort of fruity abomination.

All of his friends were happy. Warmth spread through Felix's entire body, and he squeezed your hand again. You leaned over, resting your head on his shoulder. He could feel you smile against him, and he kissed your forehead in response.

Everything was just as it should be. And for that, he was grateful.

laska's note —
ughhhh this chapter made me lowkey emotional as the author 😭 seeing my babies so happy together and opening their hearts to each other makes me so proud even tho i write it lol. i can't wait for the orange picking, which i think is a lovely ending to the book. 🥹 everyone is happy, in their own way, and even though the series is just starting, this fic is ending! i just love all the characters so much, this was a lovely comforting chapter. can't wait to write the next one, and leave all your thoughts on the characters and their development below!

question of the day —
did u all see the concept pics from yesterday??? and the vids they've released??? what are your thoughts on the concept???

my answer —
no fucking words. i have officially died. first, shirtless felix at the unveil, and now these gorgeous concept pics????? and megaverse holy shit everything is so GOOD i need ice cream felix as a photocard RIGHT NOW.

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟯𝟴 - 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊