city of stars

XXXIII

There in the bars

And through the smokescreen of the crowded restaurants

He hadn't worked a night in a while, but there was a limit to how many shifts Chan can pick up before Changbin drops in with a warning. So now he was here, his hand cold on the mic, his eyes a little empty as the music played. He always thought of his job as an escape, but now it seemed to trap him in as the walls drew closer, as Lia's smile wavered, as Felix took a deep breath and faked good cheer for the next half hour.

Minho found him in Hyunjin's apartment again that night. He just looked at him silently, maybe a little disappointed, and sat down beside him. And then they were both sitting there in semi-darkness and daunting silence.

The cat-like man's company felt odd at times, like they were pieces that didn't quite fit together, or even belong in the same universe, and yet here they were, keeping each other company in the absence of a close friend.

"Your wonderful solution was taking him to a bar?" Jisung asks, throwing a confused glance in Minho's direction. "Seriously?"

The other man shrugs, pushing Felix forward a little. "He needs to get out of that apartment." He says, his voice subdued, barely heard over the noise coming from inside. "And who knows? Maybe he'll meet someone."

Jisung scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. Felix was surprised Minho was still able to form a coherent word that evening — Jisung had joined them straight after work, borrowing some of Minho's clothes, and somehow oversized hoodies and tangled hair looked better on him than any of the other get ups he had been in before.

There was a softness about him, in the way his cheeks were flushed, and how his hands were stuffed in the big pocket at the front, fidgeting nervously. The grey hoodie hid his tangled brown hair, but a few stray looks still fell into his face, fluffy and curly from a recent perm.

Felix thought he looked devastating. Minho had barely spared his partner a glance.

"It's not a bar, it's a restaurant."

"Uh-uh." Rolling his eyes, Jisung slings an arm around Felix's shoulders, leaning into him and sighing quietly. "Let's get you something to eat, Lix-ah."

They walked in, taking a booth somewhere near the back. Around them, families dined and waiters bustled from one table to another. You could hear the clanking of pots from the kitchens, and the ringing of glasses and dishes. Dozens of conversations provided a solid background noise, and Felix closed his eyes for a moment, emptying his mind.

"You okay?" Jisung was sitting next to him, his sweater-paw hands locked around Felix's arm, his head leaning against the younger's shoulder.

"Are you?" Felix asks back. The raven-haired man was not usually this clingy.

Across from them, Minho quietly ordered food, conversing with the waiter. His eyes stubbornly refused to look at his friend.

"Minho and I had a fight." Jisung mutters in a lost voice near Felix's ear. He sounds small when he says it, like it pains him to admit it.

"That serious?" Felix is surprised — Jisung and Minho never argued.

"He beat up a client. And he's been leaving me out of the loop. Says it's better if I don't know. Does he not trust me?" Looking down, the elder's eyes are a little teary, a little too wide as he gazes back up at Felix. Jisung's lower lip is puffy, bitten raw from worrying.

Felix winces. "Is that why he's not with you lately?" He asks.

Jisung nods, tucking his head into the crook of Felix's neck so he won't have to look at him. He's melted into the younger, like he's been touch-starved for a while.