22 days | felix lee

III | progress

━━☆⌒*.

"STOP BEING A COWARD," Minho tutted behind him, his tongue snapping against the roof of his mouth as he looked at Felix's back. The blond Australian pinned down his bottom lip with his front teeth, turning to glare slightly in the boy's direction. The cat dad shrugged with a small smirk, averting his eyes back to the front.

Felix sucked in a breath, pulling his books close before approaching the girl just a few lockers away from the two. Right now, everyone else in their friend group was off in the library or heading to class; since Minho and Felix were the only ones that shared a pathway to class for first period, they were stuck together.

It seemed his moves weren't the smoothest, watching as the girl nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of Felix when she closed her locker. Her e/c eyes were wide with surprise as she blinked wildly at his sudden appearance. "Oh, hi. Um, is there something I can help you with?" Y/n asked, brows furrowed as she stared at the taller boy.

Felix's tongue felt thick in his mouth, his words catching in his throat. "Y-Yeah, actually. I heard you tutor other students?" His deep voice rang out in the hallway, the interaction catching the attention of other people. However, as soon as Minho would glare at them and make a shooing motion, they'd skedaddle.

"Yes, I do," She said curtly, staring at him.

He was never one to talk to her; there was only one person that she was friends with that was considered 'popular', and at the moment, he was nowhere to be seen. Felix swallowed harshly again, realizing that she was not the type to beat around the bush. And frankly, she wasn't. From the way she spoke, stood, and acted, Y/n was direct with everything.

She was blunt to the point that it was concerning and intensely independent, refusing to rely on anyone else when she knew she could get the work done on her own. "I n-need help with math," Felix managed to blurt out finally, the words spilling out of him once Minho smacked him on the back harshly.

Y/n blinked at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's fine. What time works for you?" Internally, she was grinning. Most people that signed up to get tutored had absolutely no idea that they would be paying a fee, but they were so desperate they'd end up coughing up their wallets in no time.

"I- well- um—"

The blond hadn't thought that far.

"—does Friday sound good? I'm busy on other days." She said, opening a small planner before scrawling in the time and subject. He nodded instantly, mostly happy that he had even managed to have a full conversation with her. Y/n looked up at him next, head tilted as she asked the next question innocently.

And as Felix retold the events of this morning, Jisung was laughing his ass off. Even Jeongin was choking on his lunch in the corner, slamming his fist into his chest as he coughed. "She asked what your name is!" Hyunjin's little hyena-laugh rang out, making Jisung laugh even harder as the two looked at one another and lost it all over again.

"Well, at least you know you can start off on a clean slate," Chan remarked with an apologetic smile, trying to stifle his own chuckles as he poked at his lunch before lifting his chopsticks to his mouth. Felix whined, a pout evident on his face as he looked at his older brother figure. "Chan hyung!"

The older man shrugged nonchalantly, still grinning.

Out of the entire group, Changbin seemed to be the most sympathetic, patting Felix's shoulder reassuringly as he smiled kindly. Seungmin, on the other hand, was laughing while filling in his journal. Minho beamed, shaking his head. "You should've been there. I had to turn away to stop myself from laughing."

Felix immediately whipped his head towards the male, his frown growing even larger. "No, you didn't! You laughed so loud that more than half of the hallway turned to look at us!" The boys lost it all over again, their hands slapping against the table amusedly at their friend's misfortune.

"Twenty-four more days. . . hopefully, she learns your name by then." Seungmin fanned the flames.

The Australian groaned and dropped his head into his arms, letting out a sound of agony. Chan just chuckled, shaking his head lightly before shoveling more food into his mouth. After a few more minutes of laughter, the oldest looked at them with a reprimanding gaze. "Alright, it was funny, but at least Felix is making progress."

"What? That she learned his name?" Jisung said cluelessly, making Minho snort. Hyunjin had to look away, covering his mouth as his shoulders shook from the oncoming giggles. "No," Chan rolled his eyes, struggling to hide his own smirk as their beloved sunshine peeked over his arms to glance at them.

The oldest almost opened his mouth to speak again, but clamped his jaw shut at the sight of said girl coming up to the table. Without hesitation, she poked Felix's shoulder and everyone froze, staring up at her like she was some witch. However, Y/n was unbothered by their gazes, keeping her stare solely on Felix.

"I forgot to give you my number this morning. Text me later so I can save your contact."

The girl said swiftly before briefly waving at the boys politely, her skirt swaying as she traipsed back to the cafeteria doors and into the hallway. Chan whistled lowly and the boys started laughing again, Changbin even smacking Felix's back in a manly manner. "Forget her learning his name," Jisung started, jaw agape.

"He got her number!" The quokka said, his cheeks puffing up cutely.

Seungmin smiled when Jeongin reached over, waving his hand teasingly in front of Felix while calling out the blond's name. "Hello? Earth to Felix hyung?" He beamed at the boy, his eyes squinting shut as another wave of laughter rolled over the boys. However, Felix was too distracted to care, clearly spaced out.

Hell, I got her number! He thought.