Chapter Text
“Hyung! I’m here!”
Minho’s lips couldn’t help but pull up into a smile as Felix’s voice rang throughout the dorm, sounding low and heavenly and never failing to brighten Minho’s smile.
“In here, angel!” Minho called back, turning back to the stove as he once again stirred the food he was making, “Dinner’s almost ready.”
The sounds of Felix’s footsteps clattered through the dorm as Felix slowly made his way past all the empty bedrooms and towards the kitchen, walking quietly through the doorframe and throwing his jacket over a chair before going to loop his arms around Minho from behind.
“Looks amazing, hyung,” Felix said as he peered over Minho’s shoulder at the food, noticing how there wasn’t as much as Minho would usually make for everyone, “No 3racha tonight?”
“Nah,” Minho answered, quickly placing a kiss on Felix’s forehead and briefly relishing in the feeling of being held before turning back to the food, “The maniacs are all camping out at the studio tonight so it’s just me and you. I sent them with dinner though, so don’t worry.”
Felix hummed quietly against Minho’s back, letting his head flop between the older boy’s shoulders as the exhaustion washed over him, “My responsible hyung.”
A small laugh left Minho’s lips at the words, his heart fluttering a little at the unintentional praise Felix always seemed to let slip whenever he was tired. Moments like this were common, Felix coming in from a shift and clinging all over Minho and tiredly whining about what an amazing and wonderful boyfriend he was, Minho loving every second of it no matter how used he got to the praise.
It was also made better by the fact that Felix had been working at the café today, not the bar, and so he smelled gorgeously of coffee and chocolate, almost drowning out the smell of the dinner Minho was making.
“You’re so sweet,” Minho responded, undeniably happy that Felix had labelled him as ‘responsible’.
And it wasn’t like Felix was wrong, either. Over the last few months Minho had been dating Felix, Minho had definitely become more responsible. He’d come to an agreement with his teachers that he wouldn’t drop out, so long as they were sympathetic to the fact that he was struggling. And it was working, Minho’s teachers emailed him all the time with the course material and presentations that he missed and were willing to extend the deadlines that loomed over him to talk with him about it whenever it got a bit too much.
It was still difficult, it probably always would be, but now Minho didn’t need to stretch himself thin just to complete an assignment that should be easy. It made everything so much simpler.
Felix was also naturally a big help, he was always telling Minho to relax and offering to write up notes for him and going into the uni itself to meet with Minho’s teachers and classmates to pick up work that Minho missed. And he was always available to dance if Minho just needed to release some stress.
Felix always seemed to somehow know what Minho needed when he needed it, and Minho couldn’t be more grateful. Everything was so much easier now that he had his angel at his side and a uni course that no longer made him want to rip his hair out.
Which meant that Minho obviously had to return the favour and take care of Felix whenever he could.
Now that Minho had a bit more free time, he was always making sure to cook proper meals to ensure Felix ate well between shifts and he was always willing to go to Felix’s apartment and hold him to make sure Felix got to sleep quickly. One time, he even called Felix’s work to tell them that Felix was sick and offered to do his shift for him so that Felix still got his wages.
In a way, the two of them were as bad as each other; both terrible at taking care of themselves but better than anyone at taking care of one another. It was a perfect system, really. Minho stopped Felix from over-working himself to the point of exhaustion and Felix stopped Minho from forcing himself to do work he didn’t want to do to the point of mental breakdown. They were both a lot healthier and happier now, and they couldn’t deny how much brighter their friends’ smiles seemed now that they were both firmly on their feet.
“I have something to tell you, hyung,” Felix’s voice cut quietly through Minho’s thoughts, muffled by where his face was still buried in Minho’s sweatshirt, “I think you’ll like it.”
“Oh yeah?” Minho asked, not denying how Felix’s words had triggered a small spark of fear within him. But Felix didn’t sound nervous or crestfallen, he sounded accepting, accepting of something he felt he had to share with Minho, “You want to tell me over dinner, angel?”
“Yeah I will,” Felix nodded slowly, letting the silence coat them for a few seconds, broken only by the satisfying sizzles of Minho’s pan.
All too soon, Felix was pulling away and rubbing his eyes, shaking his head to wake himself up as he crossed the kitchen and started to set the table. He grabbed all the right cutlery and set it out before pouring himself and Minho a drink each, taking a couple of plates over to where Minho was so he could dish up the food.
It was only five minutes or so before they both took their seats, Felix groaning satisfyingly as he took his first bite, the taste of Minho’s cooking spreading beautifully over his tongue.
Minho raised an eyebrow, “Hungry, were you?”
“You have no idea,” Felix spoke through his second spoonful, “They offered me some snacks at the café, but nothing beats your cooking.”
“Damn right,” Minho smiled, “I’m glad you like it.”
Felix nodded as he continued shovelling food in his mouth, Minho deciding to let him fill his appetite before asking about what it was Felix had wanted to tell him. It wasn’t that Minho didn’t want to know, he was actually really curious, he could just see that Felix was hungry from working all day and decided that maybe Felix and his food would need a moment together before he interrupted.
“So,” Minho said after the food on Felix’s plate had significantly disappeared, “What was it you wanted to tell me?”
“Oh!” Felix looked up like he had suddenly remembered, Minho glad to see his boyfriend was now a lot more awake as Felix’s eyes pulled up into a wide smile, “Okay, so this is good news… I think.”
“I’m sure it is,” Minho smiled reassuringly as Felix put down his fork, rubbing his hands together a couple of times before taking a deep breath.
“Okay… so, you know that dance qualification that I’ve been looking at?” Felix asked, barely having to describe it for Minho to know what he meant.
“Yeah…” Minho said, recounting the large number of times Felix had brought it up since they’d started dating. Although, Felix hadn’t actually mentioned it over the last few days, which Minho couldn’t deny was pretty unusual.
“So, I just got both of my pay cheques from last month and they were both higher than I thought they’d be. So, I went to the bank a few days ago to check my accounts and then I got back into contact with the people who run the qualification and today I got a response from them,” Felix hurried to explain, pausing dramatically before a wide grin broke out on his face and he squealed, “And they said I’m ready to start doing it! They’ve actually accepted me!”
Minho took a few seconds to process the words, but then he was out of his seat like a shot, “Oh my god, angel! That’s great!” His face exploded into a smile as he spoke, happiness bursting within him as he pulled Felix up from his chair and into his arms, “That’s so amazing! Congratulations!”
“Thank you, hyung!” Felix laughed into Minho’s shoulder, spinning them around a few times as his giggles filled the room, Minho’s following a second later as his heart started to race with a beautiful mix of excitement and surprise, “We still have to finalise a few things and do all that boring stuff, but it’s basically ready. I can start soon.”
“Oh my god,” Minho breathed, pulling away from Felix to stare at his face, eyes raking over the prominent laugh lines and happy glow that were somehow able to distract from the dark eye circles Felix practically had covering half of his face, “You’ve worked so hard for this, angel,” Minho said, wrapping both his arms back around Felix and pulling him into a tight hug, “You’ve done so well. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, hyung,” Felix said into Minho’s chest, warmth blooming from his heart right down to his toes, “Thank you so much. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you.”
“Now don’t go giving me all the credit,” Minho buried his nose into Felix’s hair, inhaling the boy’s coffee scent and infectious excitement, “You were the one who found the qualification and trained yourself to the right level and worked two jobs to pay for it all. That’s exceptional, and it was all you. Nothing to do with me.”
“But you loved me, hyung,” Felix hid his face as he spoke, a thousand emotions laced into his timid voice, “You loved me and you encouraged me and you told me to keep going, and you made me feel… you made me feel like I was actually good enough to achieve all this. Without you, I would have given up a long time ago.”
“I don’t believe that for a second, Felix,” Minho tilted Felix’s head so the two could stare once more into each other’s eyes, their universes meeting once more as stars flew in the air between them, “You’re so strong and capable that you would have been able to do this no matter what, but,” Minho placed a finger over Felix’s lips to silence the protest Felix was about to let out, “Even so, I was glad to be able to do all that for you. I’m glad I made you feel worthy, because you truly are, Lee Felix, and you make me feel the same way.”
“Hyung,” Felix choked the word out, his eyes glistening as he stared into Minho’s soul. He was completely frozen by the beauty of it, completely frozen until Minho’s hand moved to cup his cheek and they were pulling each other in for a slow kiss, a thousand feelings of love moving through them as their lips connected.
The love was so strong, so palpable, that Felix lost himself in it.
Suddenly, he had zero control.
The words rushed out of his mouth, leaving his lips in a rush as he quickly pulled away, saying what he had been wanting to say for weeks, what he had been holding back for ages because he knew Minho wanted to dance but Felix was too worried about upsetting his boyfriend to bring it up.
But now, all he could think about was how he wanted the best for Minho, how he wanted Minho to be as happy as he was, how he wanted them to be able to share everything together. So, Felix spoke, barely thinking about the consequences he had spent too long agonising over.
“Hyung,” Felix said, “I want you to do the qualification with me.”
Felix may as well have shot a gun into the air. The silence that followed was deafening, leaving a devastating impact as Minho just stared wide-eyed at Felix, a deadly mixture of shock, disbelief and confusion twisting on his face.
Thousands of thoughts began to rush a mile-a-minute through Felix’s head, a million explanations and emotions jumping off his tongue as he grabbed Minho’s shoulders and scrambled to explain.
“I know you want to,” Felix was almost yelling, “I’ve seen it in your eyes, hyung. You’ve done so much research on this course, you’ve talked about it so much with me, you learn all my dances with me. You’d be perfect for it, so perfect. Please do it, not just for me but for you. I know you want this.”
“Felix…” Minho took a step back as he shook his head, flopping down into the chair behind him, Felix’s heart shattering at the brutal shock on his face, “You know I can’t. The money… and my course… I’ve still got half a year left of uni. I can’t lose all that hard work, you know I can’t, it’s going to be hard enough for me to make money as it is.”
“But we could make it work!” Felix protested, “You could still do your uni course and finish the year. The qualification offers part-time study, we could do that and it’ll be fine! We’d be perfect for it!”
“No, Felix,” Minho finally looked up at Felix, eyes shining with misunderstanding and what looked like a tinge of frustration, “Be realistic about thi-“
“Screw being realistic!” Felix shouted, his every dream, passion and wish flowing uncontrollably out his lips, “You’ve spent too long being realistic! It’s literally killing you inside how logical you’re trying to be about this. Let’s just say screw that and take a risk, make the leap of faith. Hyung, this could be so perfect for us. It’d be hard but we can do it, I know we can.”
“You’re serious?” Minho asked, eyes narrowing at Felix’s eager nod, “Felix, as much as I’d like to ‘screw being realistic’ it really doesn’t work that way. Even if I could do the qualification, however would we afford it? I’m already in student debt and we still have to pay for my dorm and your apartment, there’s literally no way.”
“Then move in with me!” Felix shouted, barely even registering the words as Minho’s eyes widened in surprise, “If you move in with me then we’ll be paying half the rent. Then we can both do the qualification part-time so you can still go to classes and I can keep my jobs to make us money and that way you’ll still be graduating and we can pay for things it’ll be work and we’ll be fi-“
“Felix,” Minho’s voice was quiet, too quiet, as it cut Felix off, but Felix stopped rambling all the same, head tilting in confusion when Minho slowly stood up, eyes on the floor and chest stuttering slightly as he seemed to be trying to process something, “Did you… did you just suggest we move in together?”
It took a second for the words to register, but then Felix suddenly realised what he had said. It was like someone had punched him in the stomach, all his breath leaving him in a rush at the disbelieving look on Minho’s face.
“Oh my god,” Felix felt the tears pricking his eyes as he stumbled back, “I’m so sorry, hyung. I wasn’t thinking and I was just talking and oh my god. We’ve only be going out for a few months and I just probably made you so uncomfortable, I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, Felix,” Minho tried to take step towards him but Felix recoiled, a hand swooping up to cover his mouth as he started to sob.
“I’ve ruined it all now, haven’t I?” Felix cried, “I’m so sorry, hyung. I’m sorry. I just wanted you to be happy and I wanted to do this qualification with you so we could be dancers together and you’d have a more certain future and now I’ve messed it all up. I’m sorry.”
“Angel, no!” Minho was surging forward before he could stop himself, gently looping a hand around Felix’s wrist and pulling his hand away from his face, “Did you really mean it, angel? Did you really mean that you’d be willing to keep working two jobs, do the qualification part-time and let me into your house so I could still go to my classes and do this qualification with you? Would you really do all that for me?”
The tears were streaming down Felix’s face as he nodded, utterly terrified of what Minho would say next as he stared solemnly at Felix, his hand still tenderly cradling Felix’s wrist.
“No one’s ever done anything like that for me,” Minho managed to whisper, a large lump forming in his throat as he stared into the stars in his boyfriend’s eyes, falling in love all over again as they twinkled at him, “Felix, if you’re really serious about this. If you’d really do all that for me, then I’d love to move in with you. I’d love to take a leap of faith with you.”
Felix’s jaw dropped, Minho’s face pulling up into a small smile as he came to terms with what he’d just agreed to, with the adventure that was about to be his next step in life.
“You’re serious?” Felix asked, voice so timid that it broke something within Minho, “You’ll actually move in with me?”
“Yes, I will, angel,” Minho smiled, stroking a hand through Felix’s hair, “This is the future. And we’re entering it together.”
. . .
The move was a lot easier than either of them expected.
3racha had obviously been surprised by the idea of losing Minho as a roommate and understandably a little cautious considering how long Minho and Felix had been together. But something must have shown in Minho and Felix’s eyes, something about how ready they were to chase this dream together, because the rappers had agreed almost in an instant.
Hyunjin and Jeongin had also been a big help, Hyunjin knowing quite a bit about interior design and helping to organise both of their furniture in Felix’s tiny apartment whilst Jeongin just smiled through dragging boxes around and hanging trinkets on the walls.
Naturally, Seungmin had also been eager to join, efficiently organising Minho and Felix’s finances so Minho could easily move out and Felix could balance his jobs around the qualification. It was complicated, and beyond a lot of Minho and Felix’s understanding, but they worked it out in the end.
This was the attitude they used to try and get through everything; that they’d always work it out.
This was what Minho told himself when he’d leave his engineering classes only to go straight to dance classes, coming home exhausted and drained and absolutely brain-dead in a way he never had been before.
This was what Felix told himself when he’d go days with barely any hours of sleep that were spread out and sporadic around his endless shifts and lessons.
This was what they both told themselves when they’d go ages barely seeing each other, both of them too busy to exchange more than soft kisses and constant paragraph-long texts that they’d type to each other between the various places they’d always be rushing to.
But they didn’t let it affect them. They’d seemed to reach this mutual agreement that they were going to chase this dream and, even though they had to make sacrifices for it, they were still going to achieve it.
They were going to dance together.
They were going to be together.
They were going to have a future together.
They just needed to work hard for it.
Which is why they constantly kept up the gestures of love even when they weren’t around a lot. Felix would wake up to a stack of pancakes Minho had left him in the kitchen for breakfast. Minho would come home to bouquets of flowers and cat plushies that Felix had bought him as a gift. They’d both constantly find that their dance clothes had been cleaned or good day notes had been left for them to find.
It may have been cliché, but they really did always work it out.
This was especially clear when Minho’s graduation day rolled around and Felix managed to find a way to get out of all his shifts and classes for the day to be in the crowd cheering Minho on. All their friends surrounded him as Minho beamed from the stage, having achieved the highest degree he could get.
Felix was so proud, showering Minho with love and kisses and relishing in being able to hold him again. The two were stuck together the whole day, ending it with a slow dance under the moonlight. Felix’s hands were around Minho’s neck, Minho’s around Felix’s waist and they kissed softly, looking up at the sky before looking down to see another sky reflected in the other’s eyes, the cold air meaning nothing to them as they swayed gently together.
This also meant that Minho no longer had class, so could find himself a temporary job and Felix could leave one of his. This thankfully meant that they had more time to sleep, dance and just simply enjoy one another’s company.
It still wasn’t perfect, but as long as they always had each other, they’d still think it to be.
After all, they’d always work it out in the end.
. . .
The two were progressing nicely in their qualification, taking more classes together and learning fast enough to start teaching their own. They contacted a local studio, asking for permission to hire it out to start their own classes for a range of age groups. It wouldn’t take them completely to the end of their qualification, but it would certainly help them along the way, and Minho and Felix couldn’t wait.
They used the abandoned studio to choreograph everything they wanted to teach. The company behind the qualification was happy to let them use the facilities they had, but Minho and Felix couldn’t get away from the old studio’s emptiness and moonlight. There was something about it that made dancing more intimate, more precious, and it only made their every moment together more beautiful.
But that only made it harder when devastation hit.
Minho was leaving his job one day, having finished his shift and about to call Felix saying he was on his way to the studio so they could finish marking out the dance they had been teaching to little children on Tuesday nights. But before he could open Felix’s contact, he found Felix had already text him telling him not to go the studio and to go straight to the apartment instead when he was finished with work.
Minho would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. He was tempted to call Felix right away to find out what was going on, but instead he ran the 10-minute walk to the apartment and burst through the door, knowing Felix would have called him already if it was really urgent.
“Felix?” he called, about to run to the living room to find his boyfriend when he heard sad sniffling echoing from the bedroom, his heart tugging painfully at the sound, “Felix… angel, is everything okay?”
He flew through the bedroom door to find Felix curled up against Seungmin on the bed, sobbing quietly into the boy’s chest as Seungmin rubbed circles onto his shaking back, both of them barely reacting at Minho’s entrance.
“Angel, what’s wrong?” Minho said softly as he closed the door behind him and walked carefully to the bed, his chest tightening as Felix moved just enough so his eyes and forehead were poking out form Seungmin’s shirt, tears clogging painfully against his eyelashes, “Hey, it’s okay, I’m here.”
Minho was quick to throw his jacket aside and toe off his shoes as he came to sit behind Felix on the bed, gently taking him from Seungmin’s arms and into his own. His fingers immediately came up to lightly brush the tears from Felix’s cheek, leaving a slight shine behind on the freckles still glowing gorgeously on Felix’s face.
“I’m sorry, hyung,” Felix whispered as he desperately gathered Minho’s shirt in his fists, “I’m just being stupid.”
“No, you’re not,” Seungmin said from where he was watching them, one of his hands rubbing soothingly along Felix’s thigh, “And everyone would say the same.”
“I’m sure Seungminnie’s right,” Minho cupped Felix’s face, his voice laced with comfort and linen as it slowly blanketed around Felix’s form, “Tell me what’s going on.”
“It-it’s the studio,” Felix’s eyes dropped, his fingers fiddling with a thread on Minho’s shirt, “The police found out about all the trespassers. They’ve taped the whole place up, secured all the doors. We can’t go back there, hyung. We’ve lost our studio.”
A heavy second if silence passed before Minho closed his eyes.
A dagger sliced itself hotly into his chest, all the air leaving his body momentarily as he tried to process the pain lighting up against his skin. His studio… his and Felix’s studio… where they’d met and gotten to know each other and chased their dream together.
It was gone.
Still there, but gone.
Just out of their reach, no longer there for Minho and Felix to enjoy.
Minho couldn’t have imagined that a place that held so much value to him and Felix would have ever been taken away from them, but now it had been. Felix was crying against his chest and Seungmin had reached to squeeze Minho’s shoulder and Minho’s own eyes were filing with tears, painful memories that he never thought would hurt him now burning agonisingly through his mind.
“That’s… that’s where we met, hyung,” Felix whispered, “That’s where we decided on this dream.”
“I know,” Minho was able to say, not yet letting the tears in his eyes fall, “But we’re still chasing that dream, okay? And we’re still going to succeed. We’ll miss that place, but we’re good enough without it. Just you and me, yeah?”
“Just you and me,” Felix repeated back to him, finally looking back up at Minho with sadness, shame and a little bit of acceptance mingling with the stars in his eyes. Minho planted a soft kiss against his forehead, letting his nose remain buried in Felix’s hair for a second to let out a single sob before he was pulling away again.
“Just you guys and all the rest of us,” smiled Seungmin from where he was still watching them, a happy knowing look playing against his features as he observed how they had both finally found what they deserved, “Don’t get me wrong, we all think this dream is crazy. But we’re all here to help you achieve it.”
“Thanks, Minnie,” Felix said quietly, “We really do appreciate it.”
“And thanks for taking care of Felix when he found out about the studio today,” Minho gestured to the boy in his arms, “I’m glad you were here.”
“Me too,” Seungmin nodded, “We’ll always take care of you.”
And, as per usual, Seungmin was right.
Chan soon turned up at the apartment looking for Seungmin and he went full mother-hen mode when he realised Minho and Felix were upset. He was quick to start cooking some food and insisted on wrapping Felix in a blanket when he came into the kitchen to watch.
It also wasn’t long before Jeongin was letting himself into the apartment, because he did that a lot, and he naturally had Hyunjin with him. The couple were quick to pull Felix and Minho into warm hugs as soon as they saw their red eyes and messy hair, soft words and gentle reassurances leaving their lips.
Coincidentally, Hyunjin had also been on the phone with Jisung when he walked in and when Jisung found out Felix was upset, all hell broke loose. Him and Changbin were at the door within the hour.
It was a cramped night, all of them in Minho and Felix’s tiny apartment, but they wouldn’t have had it any other way. All boys assured Minho and Felix that they would get over the loss of the studio and that they were onto bigger and better things, just like 3racha’s career was starting to take off.
The same could not be said for 3racha’s relationship, however.
The three rappers, despite drawing the attention of several entertainment companies and starting to take on the world with each other, were all completely oblivious to one another’s feelings. It was only a matter of time before Minho and Felix decided enough was enough and started to make a plan.
To help get over the loss of the studio, the dancing duo had started to teach more classes, and this just happened to include a couples’ class, which all of their friends were naturally invited to. What their friends hadn’t thought about though, was that if all of 3racha came then there would be an odd number of students in the class and so the three rappers would have to dance together.
It was genius.
Soon enough, Hyunjin and Jeongin were floating happily around the floor and Woojin and Seungmin was wrapped around a cute boy he’d had his eye on since he’d walked through the door whilst Minho was confidently pushing Chan, Changbin and Jisung closer together and Felix was smirking at their blushes through the mirror.
It took a few classes, but 3racha were soon readily looping their arms around each other’s waists and leading one another through the dances as their heart eyes only intensified, the tension reaching whole new levels of unbearable. It was only a matter of time before Changbin gave in and was smashing his lips against Chan’s, letting himself stay there and enjoy it for a few moments before moving on to Jisung.
Every couple in the room clapped, including Minho and Felix, and simultaneously let out a sigh of relief at the thought the classes may no longer be filled with oblivious rappers who blushed whenever they had to hold hands.
Minho and Felix’s plan had worked, and they didn’t realise just how much that plan would mean to them until a few classes later.
They were just packing up, both of them sweating and smiling as all the couples waved to them on the way out, the room gradually getting more and more empty as Minho and Felix prepared to go home, get a few hours of sleep in and then get up early for morning classes. They were due to be done with the qualification soon and so the hours had gotten ever more frequent and gruelling.
Maybe that was why they didn’t notice Chan, Changbin and Jisung coming up behind them, all holding hands as Chan loudly cleared his throat to get their attention.
Felix was quick to spin around, relaxing when he caught sight of them, “Oh, hey guys. You alright? Did you enjoy the class?”
“Yeah, we did,” Chan nodded, smiling at Minho when he also turned to face them, “We actually wanted to talk to you about the classes.”
“Oh yeah?” Minho asked.
“Well, I guess what we wanted to say is that… you guys are really good teachers,” Chan seemed suddenly nervous, casting glances at his two lovers either side of him as he spoke, “Really, really good teachers.”
“Oh, thanks hyung,” Felix smiled as he accepted the compliment, looping an arm around Minho’s waist to pull him close.
“But that’s not all you wanted to say, is it?” Minho asked, eyeing each one of them as they shuffled their feet and squeezed each other’s hands, seemingly having a silent conversation between them.
“No, it’s not,” Changbin was the one to answer this time, swallowing heavily before pulling his eyes up the stare directly at them, “What we’re trying to say is that we think you two should be dance teachers full-time together. We really think that’s your calling in life, what you were destined to do. But not in this studio you have to hire out and pay for, you should have your own studio.”
Both Minho and Felix’s heads tilted at the words, confusion and surprise flooding through them as Jisung quickly opened his mouth to speak before they could.
“Or to be more specific, that abandoned studio you guys met in,” Jisung explained, “That place is perfect for you and think about how much more perfect it would be if you owned it. Your classes would be mind-blowing.”
Felix couldn’t hold back a small smile as he thought about it, shaking his head a little to clear his imagination before he responded, “Yeah, that would be amazing. But, come on guys, how would Minho and I ever be able to own that studio?”
“It’d actually be a lot easier than you think,” Chan answered, pulling out his phone and clicking on a bookmarked webpage, “We’ve been keeping an eye out for the studio for a while. It’s just been put up for sale.”
Minho would have been lying if he said his hands didn’t shake a little as he took the phone, his heart physically burning at the sight of his and Felix’s precious place being sold, at the idea of it being given to someone who might not take care of it.
“But even if we did want this,” Minho was able to say, not looking up from the phone, “How would we ever afford it?”
“You see, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about.” Chan, Changbin and Jisung all looked at each other, seemingly stuck for words as Chan paused. Felix couldn’t help but watch them as a very strange feeling started to swirl in his chest, hope tingling in his fingertips despite how hard it wanted it to stop, how hard he wanted to not start wishful thinking.
“You guys have managed to help so many people with your classes,” Changbin started to explain, “And you haven’t helped anyone more than you’ve helped us.”
“You helped us find each other,” Chan carried on, his eyes filled with earnest and sincerity and a love so strong Minho and Felix could practically taste it, “Your couples’ class brought us together and it’s because of you that our career is starting to really take off. You helped us see the best in each other and in turn you made our music better. We owe you a lot.”
“Hyung,” Felix’s voice shook as he spoke, Minho practically frozen against him, “You don’t need to say tha-“
“We’re saying it because it’s true,” Jisung cut in, voice loud and pained for a second before he quickly took a deep breath, closing his eyes and calming a little before speaking again, “You guys have helped us and so many others with your classes. And we want to give you the opportunity to help even more.”
With that, Jisung stepped forward and pulled a piece of paper out his pocket, holding it out for Minho and Felix to take. Neither of the couple moved for a second, both staring at the paper and then at each other in confusion before Minho carefully reached forward and took it, eyes widening dramatically when he realised what it was.
“No,” the word was short and firm as it left Minho’s lips, both his eyes pulling to stare at the trio of rappers smiling tearfully at him, “No, we can’t take this.”
“Yes, you can,” Chan said softly, taking a step closer to place his hands on Minho’s shoulders, “We want you to.”
“No,” it was Felix who sobbed the word this time, the boy shaking his head and staring down at the paper in his hand, a hand clasped firmly over his mouth, “This is too much. This is far too much. Why would you do this?”
“Because you deserve it,” Jisung whispered, smiling gently as Felix pulled teary eyes up to look at him. The two simply stared at each other for a moment, the silence stretching on between them before Jisung started laughing and pulled Felix into his arms, letting the boy cry into his shoulder.
Because in his hands, Felix was holding a cheque with a big enough amount on it for Minho and Felix to buy their dream studio.
It was only a matter of time before Minho also started crying, circling his arms around Chan and Changbin as they all sobbed together, all of their dreams slowly coming true around them, every last piece falling in to place.
It was everything they could ever ask for.
Everything they could ever ask for as night started to fall and the Moon started to glow in the sky, illuminating the studio a few streets away that Minho and Felix would soon get to call their own.
. . .
“Wow,” Felix breathed, tears in his eyes, “I can’t believe this.”
He took a step into the patch of moonlight in the middle of the floor, his feet immediately being surrounded by the familiar glow he’d fallen in love with. This was the exact same place him and Minho had lay when Minho had first let himself break down in front of Felix, the exact same place they’d learned to be truly vulnerable in front of each other.
So much had changed since then. So much was different.
Back then, neither Minho nor Felix owned the studio, neither of them were trained dancers with a licence to teach, neither of them were sure that they’d be able to spend together forever.
But now they had all those things and more. They’d finally brought the studio and it was their first time back, Minho having picked up the keys in the middle of the day and both of them deciding to wait until midnight before they came back again. There was something so special about the way that the moonlight cast in through the window that they had missed more than anything.
So, they had decided to wait, and finally they were here. Another step closer to finally achieving their dream.
There was still so much to be done, still so much to be put into place, but they didn’t need to think about it yet. All they needed to think about was each other as Minho slowly tangled his arms around Felix from behind, rocking him gently and starting to lead him around the floor as he hummed ‘Home’ by Seventeen softly in his ear.
Felix couldn’t help but sigh contently at the feeling, he had a beautiful song in his ear and a studio that he owned and warm arms keeping him safe. He didn’t know if there was anything more in the world that he could ask for, anything that could make him even happier than he was in that moment.
“Thank you, Minho,” he was able to whisper, Minho reaching over from behind to try and catch his eyes, “For believing in me, for being crazy enough to come on this journey with me. I wasn’t sure of a lot of things in the time it took to get us here. But, right now, I’m definitely sure of something; I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“I think I need to be the one thanking you, Felix,” Minho whispered back, pressing a soft kiss on Felix’s cheek, “You were the one who grabbed my hand and chased my worries away and took me on this journey with you. I was so uncertain all the time and yet being with you, doing something that we had absolutely no idea would work or not, somehow made me feel so sure, so stable, and it was you who brought that to me. Thank you for bringing me along, angel.”
“It wouldn’t have been anyone else, hyung,” Felix smiled softly as he turned around, looping both arms around Minho’s neck so they could face each other, “We really did do alright, didn’t we?”
“Don’t get too excited,” Minho grinned as he leaned forward to nuzzle Felix’s nose, “We still have a lot of work to do. We have to renovate this whole place and fix it all up and start advertising so we can set up our own dance business and run classes that people will actually want to go to. It’s going to take a lot of work.”
“I know, hyung. But I think I’m ready,” Felix’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, “Are you?”
Minho’s face couldn’t resist pulling up into a knowing expression, the moonlight falling on him at just the right time, “I’m ready, angel.”