22 days | felix lee

XXII | goodbye

━━☆⌒*.

IT WAS TIME FOR Chan to leave, the boys waiting with him near the entrance of his gate. They weren't supposed to start boarding for another thirty minutes, so the boys killed time by talking or looking around the food shops. Jisung was adamant on finding one of the pretzel nooks, so he had dragged Minho along with him.

Chan clutched his luggage, letting out a sigh. "It feels weird knowing I'm leaving here." Felix glanced at him with a small smile. Part of him felt sad to see one of his closest friends go, but he trusted Chan with everything he had, knowing that the boy would eventually return to visit him again one day.

"Yeah, but you get to practice that Aussie accent you're so scared of losing."

"I'm going to order ice cream in Korean, just watch."

The oldest replied, letting out a snort. "And we'll laugh when you do," Jeongin smiled cheekily, chewing on a chip that he had just shoved in his mouth. Felix would've invited Y/n to come along too, but she said she was held up by something family-related, so he didn't push her. Chan smacked him lightly on the arm and the blue-haired boy smiled more at that.

Seungmin, who was sitting near a plug with his phone out, looked over at Chan. "Get us lots of things in America, Chan hyung. You should send over one of those expensive pens for me." Hyunjin added on with a teasing smile, his eyes crinkling as he glanced at his hyung. "Send me lots of fashion brand clothes." He wiggled his brows.

"And me. . . you should send me lots of premium foods. In fact, send that one chef. . . uh. . . "

"Gordon Ramsay?" Hyunjin called out, his English holding a thick accent.

"Yeah, him," Jeongin snapped his fingers with a bright smile.

There was a sudden silence that covered them as they looked down, scuffing their sneakers against the floor of the airport. Chan was the one that broke it with a bright smile, "You all look so sad. . . " Changbin frowned, setting his chin on his hand. "Are we not supposed to be?" The oldest shrugged lightly.

"I mean. . . I'm sad too, but I'm not leaving you guys behind. I'll always come back; you're my home."

Hyunjin was the one that let out a loud noise, hardly noticing the weird looks he got from other people that surrounded him. He put his arms around his friend and hugged him, letting out a dramatic groan. "Ah, Chan hyung! You're our home too!" The boy called out, tilting his head back as Seungmin laughed, Jeongin chuckling at the sight too.

Felix smiled slightly, "That's one way of putting it."

"You all do end up trashing my place a lot," Chan remarked, snickering lightly as Hyunjin pulled back with an offended gasp and immediately retreated to his seat. They continued to talk amongst themselves, their heads snapping to the side at the sound of Jisung's pretzel praises and Minho's heavy sighs.

Minho massaged his temple, watching as his boyfriend plopped down beside Hyunjin, happily munching on his salted pretzel. "So, what happened?" Changbin smiled lightly, glancing at his hyung as Minho pursed his lips bitterly. He seemed annoyed, but everyone knew he loved Jisung too much to say anything threatening or offensive.

"This man," He pointed at his boyfriend, huffing with an angry glint in his eyes. "Dragged me all around the airport for some dumb pretzel shop only to realize that it was right there!" He pointed down the hallway which wasn't far from them, a small little orange shop lit up with a pretzel icon hanging above it.

Felix snorted, light chuckles leaving his lips at Minho's dilemma. Jisung just looked up at his boyfriend, cheeks puffed up with food as his eyes sparkled under the light. The brown-haired man sighed, caving in. "You're lucky I can't be mad at you." Jisung raised his arms in a cheering manner, making the boy laugh any harder.

Chan suddenly looked over at the boys, realizing he had ten minutes until he left. "I think I'm going to get set for boarding now." Their eyes softened immediately and it wasn't surprising to see Jeongin start tearing up along with Changbin and Hyunjin. They hugged him and Felix was one of the last to be in his arms, tears streaking down his freckled cheeks.

"Stay," The oldest mumbled into his ear before pulling away.

He hugged Minho last, all of them slowly walking away, not bothering to question why Felix seemed to stay behind. "I have something to tell you before I leave," Chan swallowed harshly, letting out a light chuckle as he glanced at his friend. Felix raised a brow, slowly wiping away the tears on his face.

"That promise we made on my birthday, I made it because I'm friends with Y/n-ah." Felix's mouth dropped open at the boy's reveal, playfully smacking his arm as his cheeks flushed. Chan grinned, tilting his head to the side. "She never really had any romantic experience and you always pined after her, so I told her one of my friends had a crush on her."

"Initially, she had no interest," Chan shrugged.

"But eventually, she came around, y'know? Her brother's the reason I'm getting this job in the states anyway. I only know her because she tutors my little brother." The Australian shrugged again with a sneaky grin, wiggling his brows at his friend. Felix's jaw was still open, not believing what scheme his friend had just pulled.

"For the record, no one else knew by the way."

"So, you're telling me. . . "

"That I made you make that promise with me on purpose? Yup. I set you two up."

"Chan hyung, you—"

"—call me matchmaker," Chan grinned impishly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You're unbelievable," Felix shook his head with a light laugh, amused beyond belief.

"Hey, I was just looking out for you," Chan punched his shoulder softly, his dimples showing. "I wanted to see you happy like that, y'know?"

Felix caved in, nodding with a small smile. "Yeah, I know."