Felix walked into the lecture hall with a smile that could light up the room. His usual playful energy made him the center of attention, though he never meant to steal the spotlight. His laughter echoed off the walls as he chatted with Jihan, completely unaware of the storm brewing in the back of the room.

Hyunjin, sitting a few rows behind, was doing everything in his power to ignore the fluttering sensation in his chest. Felix's laughter, his bright smile—everything about him made Hyunjin feel like he was slowly drowning in an ocean of warmth. And yet, he stayed cold, distant, as if the sight of his stepbrother didn’t affect him at all.

"He's really got you whipped, huh?" Jihan teased Felix, nudging him with a mischievous grin.

Felix raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Jihan smirked, glancing at Hyunjin, who was glaring at his phone as if it held the secrets of the universe. "I don’t know, you’ve been looking at him for, like, five minutes straight."

Felix, oblivious as always, shrugged. "I mean, he’s my stepbrother. It’s not weird."

Jihan bit back a smile. "Right. Not weird at all."

Meanwhile, Hyunjin’s eyes darted to Felix for a split second before quickly averting. The more he tried to ignore Felix, the harder it became. His heart thudded in his chest, and he cursed under his breath. He couldn’t let anyone know how much he cared—especially not Felix. He’d made sure to keep that part of himself hidden for years, and he wasn’t about to let it slip now.

The professor walked into the room, and Felix, as always, was the first to greet them with a smile and a wave. Hyunjin couldn’t help but watch, his eyes narrowing in frustration. Why did he have to be so... bright?

Felix settled into his seat beside Jihan, completely unaware of the battle raging inside Hyunjin. As the lecture began, Hyunjin found himself distracted, stealing glances at his stepbrother. Every time their eyes almost met, Hyunjin would look away, pretending the sharp pang in his chest didn’t exist.

Felix, oblivious to the tension, jotted down notes with his usual enthusiasm, unaware that his presence was driving Hyunjin absolutely insane.

Jihan watched the whole scene with a smirk, leaning closer to Felix. “Hey, you know Hyunjin’s really good at pretending, right?”

Felix blinked. “Pretending? What do you mean?”

“Pretending he doesn’t like you.” Jihan grinned. “You’re not blind, are you?”

Felix blinked a few more times. “I... no. I’m not blind. But I think you're imagining things. He’s my stepbrother, Jihan.”

Jihan chuckled. "Yeah, but even a blind person could see the way he looks at you.”

Felix shrugged, not giving it a second thought. He didn’t want to read too much into things. Hyunjin was just being... Hyunjin. And that was fine.

To be continued...

@chichikay

February 4,25

all rights reserved

143stay

The following week, Felix found himself sitting across from Hyunjin at the coffee shop on campus. It was a usual hangout spot for him and Jihan, though today Jihan was absent, leaving Felix to his own devices. As soon as he stepped inside, Felix’s gaze immediately landed on Hyunjin, who was hunched over a textbook, looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“Hey,” Felix greeted with a cheerful smile, sliding into the seat across from him. “What’s up? You studying or avoiding work again?”

Hyunjin didn’t look up. He merely flicked a lazy glance in Felix’s direction, his expression a perfect mask of indifference. “I’m not avoiding anything,” he muttered, tapping his pen on the table. “You should go back to your friends. I’m busy.”

Felix laughed, unfazed by Hyunjin’s coldness. “It’s okay. I just wanted to hang out. Besides, I’m too tired to do anything else. You look like you’re going to explode from all that studying, though.”

Hyunjin finally looked up, his dark eyes narrowing slightly, though there was a hint of something softer beneath the surface. “You’ve been hanging out with Jihan too much. He’s a bad influence on you.”

Felix grinned. “Jihan’s fun. He knows how to make things interesting.”

“Interesting is an understatement,” Hyunjin replied dryly, his gaze flicking back to his textbook.

Felix leaned in, propping his chin on his hand, and studied Hyunjin for a moment. “Are you always this serious?”

Hyunjin didn’t answer right away, tapping his pen on the desk as if the response was a secret he wasn’t sure he should share. He finally sighed, setting the pen down with exaggerated care. “You don’t understand.”

Felix tilted his head. “What don’t I understand?”

Hyunjin hesitated. For a brief moment, Felix thought he might say something else, something real, but instead, he just shook his head. “Nothing. Forget it.”

Felix was about to press him for more when the barista called out his name. “Felix! Your order’s ready!”

“Be right back,” Felix said, flashing Hyunjin one last smile before heading to the counter.

Hyunjin watched him go, his expression softening imperceptibly as he let out a long, frustrated breath. He wasn’t sure why Felix’s presence always unsettled him. Was it because of their history? Because of the role they played in each other’s lives as step-siblings? Or was it something more, something Hyunjin couldn’t put into words?

Felix returned moments later, carrying his coffee with a carefree smile. He set it down in front of Hyunjin and took a seat again. “You look like you need something sweet. I got you a mocha. I know you don’t like the fancy stuff, but you’ll like this one. I promise.”

Hyunjin stared at the mocha, almost suspiciously. “Why do you care?”

Felix shrugged, his smile unwavering. “Because you’re my stepbrother, and I don’t like seeing you all moody and stressed out.”

Hyunjin didn’t know how to respond to that. He could have rejected the drink, could have pointed out how awkward it was that they were sitting here, acting like everything was normal. But instead, he found himself taking a sip, his lips curling into a barely-there smile.

“I didn’t ask for this,” he muttered, but Felix’s grin only widened.

“Sure you didn’t,” Felix teased, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Hyunjin’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away, his fingers tightening around the cup. He couldn’t let Felix see how much it hurt to feel this way, to care this much, and still be unable to tell him the truth. Instead, he focused on the mocha, pretending it was the only thing that mattered.

But the truth was, Felix was the one thing that mattered, and Hyunjin didn’t know how long he could keep pretending.

TBC...

The weekend came around quickly, and Jihan was more than eager to drag Felix out of his usual routine. “Come on, Felix! It’ll be fun,” Jihan urged, practically bouncing with excitement. “You need a break from all that studying. There’s a party tonight. You can’t say no.”

Felix chuckled, eyeing his textbooks with hesitation. “I don’t know, Jihan. I should probably catch up on some work. I’m really behind on—”

“Nope!” Jihan interrupted, grabbing the books from his hands and tossing them aside with a mischievous grin. “You’re coming with me. We’re going to have a blast.”

Felix gave in, too tired to argue, and threw on his best party outfit, which—knowing Felix—was effortlessly stylish and far too casual for most. Still, Jihan didn’t mind. He was just happy to have him there.

At the party, the music was loud, and people were scattered across the living room, laughing and chatting in various corners. Jihan led Felix through the crowd, his eyes scanning for any excuse to get closer to him. After all, it wasn’t just the party that excited him—it was the chance to spend time with Felix, to show him how much he cared.

“Alright, it’s time,” Jihan grinned, grabbing Felix’s arm as they approached a group of people gathered around a table.

“What’s time?” Felix asked, clearly confused.

“Time for a game,” Jihan said, sitting down at the table and motioning for Felix to join him. “We’re playing Truth or Dare... but with a twist. It’s all on cards.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. “Cards? Is this your way of getting me to spill my secrets?”

“Maybe,” Jihan said with a mischievous smile, “but it’s more about the dares. Trust me, you’ll have a great time.”

Felix hesitated but sat down anyway, looking around at the group of unfamiliar faces. He wasn’t the type to enjoy these kinds of parties, but with Jihan by his side, it felt more bearable. And maybe... just maybe, he could use a little chaos.

The game began, and the dares quickly escalated from silly challenges to embarrassing tasks. Felix was tasked with singing a random pop song loudly in the middle of the room, which he did with surprising enthusiasm, earning a chorus of laughs and applause. Jihan, of course, was the loudest cheerleader, making Felix feel oddly proud of his performance.

It was then that the cards came around to Jihan. He drew a dare and read it aloud. “Kiss someone under the mistletoe.” A playful challenge, nothing too extreme.

But Jihan's eyes immediately found Felix’s, his heart skipping a beat. Was this the moment? The chance he had been waiting for?

Felix laughed nervously. “Uh, okay. Sure. But who even brought mistletoe? Is this a holiday party or something?”

“There’s always mistletoe at these parties,” Jihan said with a smirk. He grabbed Felix’s arm and pulled him toward a doorway where a sprig of mistletoe hung above them, perfectly timed for the dare.

Felix froze. “Wait, what are you—”

Before Felix could protest, Jihan leaned in with a teasing grin, planting a quick, innocent kiss on his cheek. “There. I did it. Happy now?”

Felix blushed, a deep red staining his cheeks. “Jihan... What was that for?”

Jihan’s grin faltered for just a second before he quickly recovered. “I dunno. Just having fun.” He shrugged nonchalantly, but the warmth in his eyes lingered for a second too long.

Felix, still flustered, tried to change the subject. “Alright, my turn!” He grabbed a card and flipped it over, trying to distract himself from the lingering feeling of Jihan’s lips on his cheek.

But the moment was quickly shattered when the next dare was drawn, and it was Felix’s turn to do something unexpected.

“Make out with someone in the room for a full minute,” the card read.

Felix blinked in confusion. “Wait—what?!”

The group around the table burst into laughter, clearly excited for the chaos to come. Felix’s eyes frantically scanned the room, trying to figure out who he could possibly ask to do something like this.

And then, his gaze landed on Hyunjin, sitting across the room with a cold expression, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Felix knew he was pushing boundaries, but the dare was the dare, and he had no other choice.

He walked toward Hyunjin, his heart pounding in his chest. "Uh... Hyunjin?" Felix said, his voice a little shaky. "Looks like I need to... kiss someone for a minute."

Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at Felix like he was the most ridiculous thing in the room. “What? Are you serious?”

Felix swallowed nervously, but his smile never wavered. “Yeah. It’s a dare. I don’t know what to tell you. You can say no, but... I kind of need to do this.”

For a long moment, Hyunjin stared at him. Felix could see the conflict in his eyes—the way he wanted to push Felix away, to brush this whole thing off. But there was something else there, too. A flicker of something that Felix couldn’t quite place.

Finally, Hyunjin sighed, clearly giving in. “Fine. Whatever. Get it over with.”

Felix, still unsure whether this was a terrible idea, leaned in slowly. His heart raced as his lips met Hyunjin’s for what felt like an eternity. At first, it was awkward—clumsy even—but then, something changed. The kiss deepened, and for a brief moment, Felix forgot about the game, forgot about the dare, and forgot about everything except for how the world seemed to quiet around them.

When they finally pulled away, Felix’s face was flushed, and Hyunjin’s expression was unreadable, his gaze flickering with something Felix couldn’t quite identify.

Felix, feeling a little dizzy from the experience, took a step back. “So, uh... that’s done.”

Hyunjin’s voice was low as he spoke, barely above a whisper. “Yeah. Done.”

TBC...