Chapter Text
At the beginning, they were all cute, all round faces and slightly awkward proportions. Jeongin’s braces and Jisung’s chipmunk cheeks. Of course they were cute – they were kids.
But since then, Jeongin’s almond eyes have just gotten longer, more feline. Changbin’s filled out, bulked up. Minho’s cheekbones have sharpened and Hyunjin’s lean body has stretched to model-like proportions. Jisung still has the chipmunk cheeks, but his broad shoulders and narrow waist give him a masculine, sexy edge.
They’ve all matured, and slid past ‘cute’ into ‘handsome’, ‘striking, ‘sexy.’
Except for Felix.
Sometimes when he looks at Felix, Hyunjin can’t believe it: he’s still just as cute as the day they met six years ago. His round cheeks have melted away, but what’s left behind is a heart-shaped face that makes grandmothers want to squeal and pinch his cheeks. He’s got more muscles now, but his shoulders stayed narrow. He’s little, swamped in clothing that fits Minho or Hyunjin perfectly.
His freckles and his sunny smile and his tiny hands are all just cute. Adorable. Precious.
Sometimes Hyunjin just wants to scream with how cute Felix is.
Which is a problem, because Hyunjin is surrounded 24/7 by guys whose job it is to be sexy, but apparently ‘cute’ is what does it for him.
It’s even more of a problem, because he doesn’t think he’s the only one.
They’re all the same age, Hyunjin, Jisung, Seungmin, Jeongin, and Felix. Jeongin is only the ‘baby’ of the group by four and a half months. But the whole band coddles Felix like he’s the youngest.
Minho will hold the door for him and then let it swing shut in the other’s faces. Changbin makes sure Felix has the comfiest seat in any room, shoving other members out of the way to make room if he needs to. Jisung shares the sweets he jealously guards from everyone else, pressing sugary candy to Felix’s red lips. Seungmin gives him piggy back rides whenever Felix complains that his legs are tired. And of course, Chan blatantly and openly plays favourites. He lets Felix have his way in everything, melting at the slightest indication of a pout on Felix’s lips.
They dote. They indulge. They defer.
And they all touch him constantly.
Like today: Hyunjin, Jisung, Changbin, Chan, Seungmin and Jeongin are in one dorm, draped all over the room, waiting for Felix and Minho, and arguing about whether they should get out the X-Box or put on a movie.
Seungmin and Jeongin had come in without anyone stirring, but when Felix walks into the room, it’s like a ripple runs through the rest of the band. Chan launches out of his chair, reaching for Felix before he’s even fully through the door and pulling him into a hug. Minho trails Felix into the room, and even though they’ve arrived together, he reaches out, ruffling Felix’s blonde hair affectionately as he passes by.
Changbin bounds up out of his seat, too, and tugs Felix out of Chan’s arms and into his own. Felix giggles and allows himself to be passed between them, winding his arms around Changbin’s waist. Jisung reaches out and catches one of Felix’s hands, using it to tug the blonde towards him and down onto the couch between him and Jeongin. Jeongin leans in, drapes an arm over Felix and flicks at his ear, drawing a squeal and a laugh. Felix squirms and Seungmin slides off his chair to position himself at Felix’s feet, wrapping an arm around one of his legs, tipping his head back to laugh at the spectacle of Jeongin and Jisung tickling Felix, Jeongin’s fingers dancing over the sensitive skin of Felix’s neck while Jisung attacks from behind, getting his hands on Felix’s stomach.
Felix squeals and it is adorable.
Hyunjin pouts. The sight of all those hands on Felix makes his stomach twist unpleasantly.
“Help!” Felix squeaks. His face has gone pink and his hair sticks up everywhere. It is so cute.
Hyunjin starts to jump up, but before he can, Minho declares, “I’ll rescue you!” and swoops in, stooping to get an arm behind Felix’s head and another under his knees. Felix’s arms wind around his neck as Minho lifts him in a bridal carry.
“Don’t drop me! Don’t drop me!” he pleads through laughter.
“I won’t!” Minho gives him a little bounce, showing off now. He’s compact but strong, and carries Felix over to the other couch with ease. He drops down next to Hyunjin, Felix sprawled across his lap.
“My hero,” Felix coos, fluttering his lashes up at Minho.
Hyunjin swears Minho blushes.
The others crowd in now, drawn to where Felix is like moths to a flame, fluttering around his brilliant light.
Hyunjin has to practically fight to keep his place next to Felix, evading everyone’s attempts to wiggle in between them to claim the coveted spot. He grips Felix’s ankle and refuses to be shoved.
Eventually everyone settles down into a pile of limbs, and Chan puts a movie on. Felix stays on Minho’s lap for the whole film, and even the bare skin of Felix’s ankle under Hyunjin’s fingertips doesn’t chase the jealousy away.
Felix looks so sweet, curled up on Minho, his cheek pressed to Minho’s shoulder and his arms around his neck, fingers toying with the choker Minho wears, the ends of his hair, his dangling earring. The comedy on the screen brings a smile to his lips, scrunching up his nose adorably.
He is so cute Hyunjin wants to scream, or cry, or set himself on fire. Something to release all the emotions that bubble up inside him whenever he looks at Felix.
He also wants to murder Minho and take his place, to feel the weight of Felix in his lap, the brush of Felix’s fingertips on his skin.
He misses the whole movie because his eyes are glued to Felix and Minho instead.
There’s only so much Felix to go around, and Hyunjin is in constant competition with six other guys.
As the film comes to an end, Felix yawns (also adorable) and stretches (even cuter).
“Tired?” Minho asks softly. When Felix nods, he offers, “You can nap on me.”
Over Hyunjin’s dead body. “You need sugar,” he says, shaking Felix’s ankle to get his attention. “Come on, let’s get a snack.” He stands and holds a hand out to the blonde.
Behind Felix, Minho glares.
“Snacks!” Felix agrees happily and lets Hyunjin pull him up.
“Snacks?” Changbin asks, starting to stand. Hyunjin holds out a hand. “We’ll bring you something.”
He quickly ushers Felix into the kitchen before anyone else can try to join them. Is it so much to ask for just one second of Felix to himself?
Felix laughs as he’s pushed along, Hyunjin placing his hands on Felix’s narrow waist, gulping at the way his thumbs nearly touch in the center of Felix’s back.
He is so tiny.
In the kitchen, Hyunjin keeps Felix in front of him, one arm locked around Felix’s waist to keep him in place, while he reaches over Felix’s shoulder with the other to hunt through the cabinets. It’s inefficient, but Felix goes placidly, letting Hyunjin press the full length of his body against Felix’s back, rests his chin on the top of Felix’s head.
“Mmm.” A little noise of contentment slips past Felix’s lips and Hyunjin has to squeeze his eyes shut to prevent himself from spontaneously combusting.
After a second’s hunting he finds what he’s looking for, pulling a bag of gummies out of the cupboard and dangling them triumphantly in front of Felix’s face. “For you!” He had hidden them on the top shelf on purpose, out of Chan and Changbin’s sightlines.
Felix grabs the bag with delight, seeming more awake already. “Yay!”
Cute, cute, cute.
Felix spins in his arms, giving him a little hug, a quick squeeze with the bag of gummies still dangling from his fingers. “Thank you, Jinnie,” he says. Felix always remembers his manners. He is the quintessential good boy and Hyunjin thinks it might kill him.
Then Felix bounces happily from the room, ready to share the sweets with whoever wants them. No candy is as sweet as Felix is.
Hyunjin takes a steadying breath before following him, stopping short in the doorway when he finds Felix hand feeding Changbin the gummies. Changbin presses a quick, smacking kiss to Felix’s fingertips and grins.
“Binnie!” Felix laughs, but presses another gummy to his lips all the same.
Chan leans over and helps himself to the bag…and also to Felix, draping himself half over Felix’s back, an unfairly muscular arm over his shoulders.
Hyunjin wonders what the odds are that seven men have all fallen in love with the same beautiful blonde.
Given the blonde has the face of an angel and a personality to match, and can bake, he would say the odds were very, very high.
“Does anyone want popcorn?” he asks, hoping to use food to draw attention away from Felix.
Felix’s eyes light up.
“With you making it?” Minho snorts. “No.” He heaves himself out of his chair and heads for the kitchen. At the door he stops and turns back. “Come on Lixie, help me.”
“He’s busy,” Chan grumbles. He’s now got both arms around Felix’s middle, his face tucked into the nape of Felix’s neck.
“Yeah,” Changbin says, because Felix is still feeding him. “He’s busy.”
“I need a sous chef,” Minho presses.
“You had him for the whole movie,” Jisung puts in with a pout. “I want Felix cuddles.” He holds out grabby hands from where he sits on the sofa, bracketed by Jeongin and Seungmin, who both perk up at the idea of Felix joining them.
Hyunjin thinks of the story of King Solomon and the baby and wonders if someone is about to suggest they cut Felix up into seven equal parts, so they can all have a piece. He knows which part he’d want to claim.
Felix’s heart.
The thought is so cheesy he almost groans aloud. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
He loves Felix and he’s starting to accept that he might be in love with Felix too. The problem is, he doesn’t think he’s the only one. He looks at Minho’s raised eyebrows, Jisung’s grabby hands, Chan’s cheek smushed against Felix’s skin.
He is very, very worried that they’re all in love with Felix.
And he doesn’t exactly blame them, because who wouldn’t be? Look at him! Fellix is stroking Chan’s hands where they rest on his stomach, reaching into the bag for another gummy for Changbin, all the while he smiling at the rest of the room as they fight for his attention, cheeks pink. There are hearts in his eyes and sunshine in his smile.
Hyunjin is probably going to vomit. Or die. Or both.
“I’ll help you with the popcorn,” he insists. He grabs Minho and propels him out of the room before he does anything stupid like confess his feelings or cry.
“I don’t want your help,” Minho grumbles, but lets himself be pushed.
In the kitchen, where Hyunjin decidedly does not help because he would only make things worse, he leans up against the counter and watches Minho work. Objectively, Minho is very handsome. He’s got those sharp cheekbones and full lips. He’s quiet and doesn’t smile a lot, but the fans at least seem to think that makes him mysterious and sexy. And when he does smile, even Hyunjin can see that it’s cute. Not cute the way Felix is cute, of course, but still. Cute.
Is that what Felix might want in a boyfriend? Serious, mysterious, cheekbones?
“Are you just going to stand there staring at me?” Minho asks.
“Yes.”
“Oh my god,” Minho huffs, turning to pelt him with an unpopped kernel of corn. “Go back to the living room and leave me alone.”
Hyunjin goes reluctantly. In the few minutes he was gone, the situation resolved itself in the form of Felix lying across the laps of Seungmin, Jisung, and Jeongin. His head is in Jeongin’s lap, and Innie strokes his hair gently as Felix animatedly tells them about something he saw online. Puppies, maybe? Kittens? Something cute. Just like him.
His feet are in Seungmin’s lap. Seungmin is on his phone, only half listening, but his free hand is on Felix, playing with his socked feet.
It’s Jisung who Hyunjin narrows in on, however, because Felix’s butt is in Jisung’s lap, and Jisung has wormed a hand up under Felix’s sweater, to stroke the skin of his flat belly.
Is he the kind of guy Felix might fall for?
Jisung is cute, with his round cheeks and expressive face. He’s got the smallest waist of any of them, a trim little body that Hyunjin can admit is attractive, especially when Jisung flaunts it in a crop top. He’s also loud and fun, the complete opposite of Minho. Felix is loud and silly and fun, too. Does that mean they’d be a good match?
Felix squirms in Jisung’s lap in a way that Hyunjin would pay good money to have happen to him, and grabs Jisung’s questing hand. “Tickles,” Felix giggles, pulling Jisung’s hand free of his sweater and entwining their fingers instead.
His gaze lands on Hyunjin. “Jinnie! How’s the popcorn going?”
“Minho kicked me out of the kitchen.”
Everyone laughs but Felix gestures him over to the couch. Hyunjin goes willingly, dropping down to the floor next to the couch so he can lean his head on Felix’s side. Felix pets his hair gently.
Felix smells so good, a mixture of laundry detergent, sugary sweets, and a light floral scent that might be his deodorant, but might just be his skin, because he should naturally smell like flowers. Like sunshine. Like everything nice in the world.
Hyunjin closes his eyes and nudges closer.
“Tired?” Felix asks, voice low. His hands are so gentle in Hyunjin’s hair.
Hyunjin shakes his head, doesn’t open his eyes. If he stays like this, he can tune out the other boys and pretend that it’s just the two of them.
Softly, pitched for Hyunjin’s ears and no one else’s, Felix starts to sing a lullaby in English. The words don’t mean anything to Hyunjin, but the gesture? The gentleness?
Adorable.