how it feels to fly | jeonglix

12

5 years ago

It's crowded in the school canteen. It always is, after the rush of students clambering for a table dies down, most people end up standing round the edge of the room, chatting and bickering with their friends.

Jeongin and Felix are packed tightly side by side among some other people from their classes on a table, the two of them already finished eating their packed lunch and glancing around at the plates of hot meals still half full around them. Although neither of them seem bothered by the limited space, and loud noise, Felix is uncomfortably aware of the girl next to him's leg and arm pressed against his; not that she can help it—she's just as stuck as him—but that doesn't make it any more bearable.

Jeongin is unfazed. He talks and laughs with everyone so comfortably, you'd think he'd lived with all of them his whole life. Felix chimes in every so often, frequently earning a chorus of laughter in return, but for the most part he just listens, trying not to focus on the places he's being touched.

But eventually it becomes a bit too much. "Jeongin?" he murmurs whilst someone across from them is joking about something or other that Felix doesn't find particularly funny.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go sit outside? It's really hot in here."

For a brief moment, Felix thinks he's going to invite the whole table, and dreads it, but Jeongin just smiles and nods. "Sure," he says. "We'll be right back," he adds to everyone else, not waiting to hoist himself upwards onto his small section of the bench so he could climb over the back. After Felix follows, they wind through the crowds, finding themselves outside in the brisk sunshine not long later. 

"You okay?" Jeongin checks on him, after they've sat on a bench. 

Felix nods. "Sorry. You know I don't really like crowded places. You can go back in if you want."
Shaking his head, Jeongin bounces to his feet and stands in front of Felix. "We should ask Dan to take us to the arcade tomorrow, and get ice cream from the pier!"

Felix laughs. "It's not hot enough for ice-cream! Summer ended months ago."

"So?" He pouts. At that moment, the canteen doors open and students flood out, making for the doors on the other side of the courtyard as a shrill bell rings from inside. "We've got history last, right?"

Felix nods as they join the groups going inside. "Actually," he adds. "Ice-cream does sound like a good idea."

On their walk back from school, the two of them make the usual diversion and pass by the town's bakery, sat small and cosy on a corner along the harbour-front. The owner smiles when they come in to the empty shop, and doesn't even need to ask before she reaches into the glass cabinet filled with decadent and aromatic goods and pulls out the biggest chocolate muffin in there. Every Friday, Erin gives them enough to buy one on their way back from school, and this morning was no exception. Felix hands the lady the money from his pocket, almost forgetting to pick up their bag and running to the door in anticipation to get home. 

She shakes her head to Jeongin, who grins. "Your brother hasn't changed one bit," she says. "I hope you still come back each week when you're both grown up."

"Of course we will!" Jeongin doesn't correct her, but runs straight after Felix, who's already halfway up the street and has turned round to stare at him, doing a little dance in place and waiting for him to catch up. They walk back home together, stopping a few doors early as they always do to scratch behind the neighbour's dog's ears, and waving to the daughter sat in the front garden who'd come home from university early. 

Finally they stopped in front of their front door, racing each other to get their keys in the door first. Jeongin won and giggled in victory, skipping into the foyer and toeing of his shoes. He bursts into the main hallway, a big smile on his face at the thought of it being the weekend before it abruptly falls.

"What's going on?"

Felix stops at Jeongin's shoulder, also observing the scene in front of them with confusion written blatantly across his face.

Erin and Dan greet them both, smiling, as if completely oblivious to the man standing just behind them, his eyes flickering between the two boys uncertainly. 

"Jeongin, honey," Erin starts, placing one hand lightly on his shoulder. "Can you go up to your room for a bit? We need to talk to Felix."

He nods slowly, looking to Felix with a small frown, to which the older responds with a shrug and hands Jeongin the bag from the bakery.

When Felix appears in the door to their room fifteen minutes later, his face is frozen in a solemn look of confusion and... fear.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jeongin asks, sitting up on his bed. "Did you find out who that man was?" Felix stands still for a few more seconds, eyes not leaving Jeongin. Then, his face crumples. Jeongin doesn't know what to do as he watches Felix cry, except walk over to him and hesitantly wrap his arms around him. "What happened?" he tries again. Felix just shakes his head.

"I don't want to go," he mumbles after a while.

"Go? Where?"

Felix pulls himself away from Jeongin's embrace, wiping the tears from his eyes furiously. "That man is my Dad," he finally says. "He wants me to go back home with him."

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a/n: writing hard.
I thought this was gonna be like twice as long as it is but nope its not even 1000 words :,(