Chapter Text
It’s around Wednesday that Felix starts to settle into the pattern. Chan arrives sometime after Felix gets up to shower. They talk about whatever happened since the last time they met before getting to work, Chan writing music and Felix making video content. Chan in fact does a just-chatting stream in Felix’s living room, but the background is a white section of the wall that no one could recognize.
They posted the photos to each of their Instagrams with friendly captions. Of course, the fans responded well, and many made jokes or predictions about why they met. They only posted those photos after telling their friends, which went as expected.
Felix received a screenshot from Chan showing that the other 3RACHA members congratulated him and immediately turned to some hard teasing. His own group chat with his friends went similarly. Seungmin called him later that night, after the congratulatory messages and teasing died down.
“So, your celebrity crush is your boyfriend now?” Seungmin asks. Felix has the call on speaker phone while he mixes cookie dough. They finished the brownies earlier today, and he wants to have more sweets when Chan comes tomorrow.
“Yeah?”
“Like, did you fall for ‘Chan’ or for CB?” Felix pauses in whisking the dry ingredients.
“What? Chan,” Felix says.
“Don’t be angry with me, I’m just looking out for you,” Seungmin says, all his sincerity imbued in his words. “You’ve been on what, one date?”
“Two,” Felix says. “Five, if you count the times we’ve sat in my apartment separately while we worked.”
“Oh.”
“We watched a film together,” Felix blushes, “and I fell asleep on him. He just played with my hair the whole time. And he asks before touching me and checks-in with me a lot. Seriously, it’s like I’m the horny one in this relationship. He’s so sweet—not just in a general sense, but he’s so sweet to me.” Seungmin is quiet for a while after Felix is done ranting.
“Was he at least good at playing with your hair?”
“I say this with the utmost respect, but he’s better than even Minho.”
“Really?” Seungmin asks, utter surprise in his tone. Felix goes back to baking. “You realize Hyunjin will be demanding proof.”
“I’m sure he’ll harass Chan to play with his hair when they meet.”
“Definitely,” Seungmin agrees. At least the seriousness is gone from his tone. “When is he going back home, anyway?”
“Saturday,” Felix says softly. “He’s coming over early on Friday.”
“Then that’s it?”
“Yeah. But it’s fine. We’ll still talk a lot, and maybe I’ll convince him to stream with me again. We’ll make it work.”
“I’m sure you will,” Seungmin says. “And, you know, it’s been a while since we’ve visited Jeongin and Hyunjin.”
“Minho too,” Felix adds.
“Yes, right.” Felix can practically hear the eyeroll through the phone line. “Point is, maybe when I have midterm breaks? If you want to wait for me.”
“Of course I want to wait for you. It’d be sad to go alone,” Felix says. “But, we’ll see about when to go.” He doesn’t want to think about the wait time, so he pushes the thought back.
And the week continues like that. Thursday passes as the same, though they have lunch with Seungmin between his university classes. The lunch is awkward, but fine, ending with Seungmin giving his approval. Felix’s other friends rejoice at the outside confirmation and start planning the next trip to Korea. Chan and Felix’s time together is easy, domestic even. The week passes by in a blur, a vivid, intense thing that Felix will cherish for the rest of his life, whether or not they break up. It ends on Friday.
Felix clears his schedule, working late into the night on Thursday in order to have a video prepared since he’s taking Friday off. Chan comes at the usual time, before either of them eat lunch. “You dressed up today,” Chan says as he comes in.
“And so did you,” Felix says. The weekdays have been sweatpants type of days. But today is special.
“Yeah, I did.” Chan still turns his gaze away from Felix when he’s shy, as if he’s unsure if he can look at Felix. “What are the plans for today?”
“Tell me when you need to leave, first.” Chan goes to the couch, comfortable enough in the space to make the first move now. Felix sits beside him and faces him.
“Five,” Chan says.
“Alright, so that’s six hours. We can do whatever you want before lunch, and then we’ll do what I want to do.”
“And what is that?”
“You’ll see,” Felix says, faking enough confidence to make it work.
“Okay.” Chan doesn’t even seem nervous when he agrees. “So for now, how about going on a walk?”
“A walk?”
“Yeah, is there a park or something nearby?”
“A couple blocks away,” Felix says. “It’s where I go running. There are a lot of ponds there, so it’s nice.”
“Shall we?”
It’s a little warm for a walk in the park, but Felix doesn’t mind. A little sweat never hurt, and any weather is fine if he’s with Chan. They walk the route Felix normally takes running, Felix pointing out the little quirks in the landscape he’s notices over the last year of living here. They head back when the sun gets too hot, and Felix orders them lunch on the way.
“So what is it you want to do?” Chan asks after they’ve cleared the kitchen table. Felix gives a mischievous smile and pulls something out of the console. “Uno?”
“Yep,” Felix says. “I haven’t gotten to play this in forever.” He throws the deck on the table and sits across from Chan. “Seungmin isn’t over enough to just hang out, and online Uno is trash.”
“Agreed,” Chan says. He takes the cards out and shuffles them. “I hope you know, though. I’m very good at this game.” He deals the cards.
“With two people, this game is mostly RNG.”
“Did you just use RNG to describe a card game?”
“Whatever, I meant luck-based.”
“Uh huh.” Chan sets the rest of the deck in the center. Felix arranges his hand and starts the round.
The first game ends quickly, with Felix winning. “I thought you said, ‘I’m very good at this game’,” Felix mocks.
“It’s early to be letting your competitiveness distract you.”
“Start playing.”
The second game drags on. First Felix has the advantage, but Chan makes a comeback with a draw-four card. Felix manages to almost close the gap again, but Chan is already at three cards. This next move is important, and Felix has a draw-two cards and a draw-four. No way Chan can win.
Except, Chan meets each of his cards, making Felix draw twelve. He has too shocked to even catch Chan before he said ‘uno’. Felix glares at him as he grabs the last card, knowing he’s beat. Chan calls the final color and puts down his last card—a wild card, no less.
“Lucky bastard,” Felix mutters as he gathers the cards.
“You’re so cute when you get competitive,” Chan says. Felix gives him another glare, despite the affection covering his heart. “Another game?”
“We could do something else,” Felix says.
“You don’t want to lose anymore?”
“No, I just thought we could do something where there is no winner or loser?” Felix stands and crosses over to Chan.
He takes Chan’s hand and leads him away from the living area. They pass by the doors to the bathroom and to the studio. Chan hesitates in front of Felix’s bedroom. “Uh, Felix, I don’t know…”
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Felix says. He already made his decision that he’d be ready if Chan were, but he also has no problem waiting for him. “I was thinking it may be more comfortable than just making out on the couch again.” Chan takes a deep breath and nods his head.
“Okay.”
The lights are off in the room, though the late afternoon sun shines in through the window. Chan still seems unsure, so Felix sits on his bed and pulls Chan to join him. “Come here,” Felix says, adjusting Chan between his legs and leaning back.
“Like this?” Chan asks. Red has spread from his ears to his cheeks.
“Exactly,” Felix assures. He runs his hand through Chan’s hair, curls bouncing back in place after his hand goes to Chan’s neck. “Kiss me?”
Chan doesn’t hesitate there. He braces himself against the mattress and leans down to kiss him, passion dripping in each push against Felix’s lips. Felix holds onto his broad shoulders and licks his way in Chan’s mouth. Chan shifts his weight so he can press his hand against Felix’s back, pulling him closer. There’s no friction between them, but Felix wants it, so he draws his legs closer, thighs framing Chan’s hips.
“This okay?” Felix asks. Chan is breathing heavy from the kiss.
“Yeah,” Chan says, relaxing enough so his hips meet Felix’s. It’s not enough for anything, but it still makes Felix moan. “You’re pretty vocal in bed.” The words must have escaped, because Chan laughs in embarrassment afterward.
“And?”
“Nothing,” Chan says. His hand slides further up so he can leverage Felix closer and kiss his jawline. “I like your voice anyway.”
“When it’s low or high?” Felix asks, hands going down Chan’s chest.
“When it’s saying my name.” Felix shivers.
“Chan,” he says, and Chan rewards him with a kiss low on his neck.
“I could listen to you say anything, actually.” Felix inches his hands down to finger at the hem of his shirt. “I could sit here thinking about your voice, and I would never have the proper words to describe it other than ‘perfect’.”
“Perfect?” Felix repeats. Chan hums an affirmation against his neck before kissing him there again. Felix grabs the hem of Chan’s shirt. “Can I?”
Chan pulls away to take his shirt off, thick muscle on display in the filtered sunlight. Felix’s mouth practically waters, and he reaches out to touch. He traces his fingers across the serratus and brushes against his abs. “Fuck, you’re so hot,” Felix says.
“Nah,” Chan says, gaze averted. Felix sits up so he can kiss every inch of skin.
“No, take the compliment,” he says between kisses. “Gorgeous. Sexy. Every fucking inch of you.” Chan laughs at his insistence, but Felix refuses to let Chan shrug off the compliment.
“Fine,” Chan says. He doesn’t sound completely convinced, but Felix commits himself to eventually making Chan realize how wonderful he is. Baby steps, though.
Which include pulling Chan back down so his weight rests on Felix. Chan settles against him, a hand on the back of Felix’s thigh. They come apart only enough for Chan to get Felix’s shirt off. “Touch me?” Felix asks. His memories from when he was half-asleep of Chan touching him isn’t enough.
“’Course.” Chan runs his palm up Felix’s abdomen, callouses adding in a bit of pain despite his light touch. Felix eyes slide shut and his back arches. “You really like being pet, don’t you?”
“Mmhm.” It’s even better when Chan is so close, practically laying on him and breath coming out against his skin. Chan’s hand goes to his hair, fingers carding through the strands, and Felix moans.
“So pretty,” Chan whispers. Felix tilts his head up, lips parted slightly. Chan kisses him deeply, languidly, and Felix lets him lead however he wants to.
Even when they stop kissing, they hold each other in their arms, hands occasionally stroking over bare skin or denim. The sunlight warms the room, and it’s not too bright to keep Felix from getting drowsy. He’s not one for naps, but rarely does he feel so calm and safe. He doesn’t quite drift off. Felix stays awake enough to have spats of idle conversation with Chan and shift their positions when ever Chan gets restless.
A quiet alarm wakes Felix fully. “Oh, it’s time,” Chan says. He sits up, dragging himself away from Felix, even as Felix reaches out for him again. “I have to go, sweetheart.”
“I’m your sweetheart now?” Felix asks.
“If you want to be?”
“If you’ll be mine?” Chan leans down and kisses him, sweet like his words.
“I’d be honored to.”
Felix gets up with him, helping him straighten out his shirt and his hair. “Was that alright?” Felix asks softly.
“It was great,” Chan says. He keeps his gaze on the floor. “I really like you, Felix. Like, a lot.” Felix grabs his hand to hold it.
“I like you a lot too.” And that’s enough for now.
Felix walks Chan out of the apartment. They hug one last time, give each other one last kiss, and then he leaves. The apartment feels empty without Chan, and Felix already wishes he would come back.
“Throw it in the air again,” Felix says. He checks chat while Chan figures out what direction to go. They’re five episodes into their co-streaming series where Felix teaches Chan how to play Minecraft. Chan is doing well, but of course he is since Felix is here to guide him.
“This way?” Chan asks and Felix hums an affirmation. They keep the pet names and the personal comments off-camera. The fans have not been told yet, but they still speculate. The past few months have shown the two getting very close. Lack of confirmation is nothing in the way of imagination.
“We should be almost there,” Felix says. “Throw another.” Chan does as he’s told.
“Cloud, what does ‘MLG’ mean?” Chan asks. Felix looks at his third monitor to see Chan reading chat.
“’Major league gaming’,” Felix says. “Have you never played a shooter before?”
“I have.”
“Uh huh,” Felix says. Chan throws another, and it points them in the opposite direction. “Though, in this context, I’m guessing your viewers are asking if you’ll ‘MLG during the fight’ or something?”
“Yeah, that.”
“So they’re wondering if you’ll be able to catch yourself with water if the dragon flings you.”
“Are you not going to catch me?” Chan asks. Felix rolls his eyes. The occasional sweet thing is said in public as a joke. Or a half joke, since it does still make Felix’s heart flutter.
“The void will catch you before I do.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“Let’s dig here.” They start digging near each other, straddling block lines to avoid going straight down.
“Here’s a comment: ‘When are you coming to Korea again’?”
“Dunno,” Felix says. He isn’t sure if he believes that Chan was reading a comment, or if he’s asking for himself. “Soon, maybe. I haven’t seen Jin, Lee Know, or I.N in a while.” He doesn’t even have to look at chat to know that people have spammed variations of what about CB?
And truthfully, Chan’s place is probably where Felix would stay. He would even sleep in his bed—though Chan my or may not sleep on the couch. Chan is a bit reserved about those things still, which is fine. Felix doesn’t push him when they’re on video call or sending messages. In-person would be so much better anyway.
“What does ‘soon’ mean?”
“In a couple months maybe? I’ve been busy recently. The server is going to reset soon, and I have to prepare,” Felix says. “Also, I need to coordinate with Seungmin’s uni schedule.”
“Yeah, I forgot about that,” Chan says. “Oh, is this it?” Felix goes down one block more and sees the stronghold.
“Yep. Lead the way,” Felix says. Chan navigates the dungeon, both of them avoiding death as they go.
Felix is distracted. Granted, he’s done this a million times, so he doesn’t need to fully focus on it. But instead of interacting with chat like he should, Felix is thinking about Chan. A couple months? Anticipation bubbles up in his chest. Seeing Chan in a couple months would be nice. Assuming he can make his schedule work around it—three weeks into the beginning of a server’s season is not a good time to take a break. Unless he does his streams from Chan’s set-up. That might make a significant section of his viewers have heart attacks.
“Is this the portal room?” Chan asks, breaking Felix from his thoughts.
“Yeah, take out the spawner,” Felix says. Chan manages while Felix takes care of the pests and the lava.
They fix their inventories and set spawn. “Ready?” Felix asks as he makes his way to the other side of the portal frame.
“I’m always ready,” Chan says. Felix can’t help raising an eyebrow. Where were Chan’s thoughts before this moment? Is that sentence supposed to mean anything else?
“Alright then.” Chan fills out the portal frame and it comes to life. “You first.”
“Together?” Felix smiles.
“Always,” Felix says. He doesn’t care what it sounds like to the viewers, because in this dumb, cheesy moment, all Felix can think about is how much he loves Chan and how soon he can get a plane ticket to Korea.
They jump in the portal, headed to the end together.