“Hyung?” Hyunjin was startled awake by strong hands pulling him to his feet, hand clapping over his mouth roughly.
“It’s me.” Changbin hissed in his ear. “Come quickly.”
The night was dark as they got into the car, Changbin driving as warmth flowed back into Hyunjin’s frozen body. He’d been tossed a hoodie and a beanie as he climbed into the passenger seat, and he burrowed in it now, smelling a faint flowery scent on it.
“Where’d you get this?” He asked, recognizing the scent.
Changbin shrugged. “Your room.”
He sleeps in your apartment every night.
Hyunjin sighed, pulling the hoodie tighter around himself, staring out the window with watery eyes.
Changbin’s hands drummed on the wheel as he drove, turning sharply not to miss their street, hidden among the heavy branches of the trees around them.
“The studio.” Hyunjin recognized. “Is it safe?”
“Minho-hyung thinks so.” Changbin said, shrugging again as he kills the engine, pocketing the keys. “Come on.”
Hyunjin follows him, but it feels all wrong to see another person in his safe haven. When his eyes run over the familiar landscape of the studio, and instead of Felix, there’s Changbin lighting a fire in the hearth.
“Jisung’s stopping by in a few minutes.”
“Thanks Bin.”
“No problem, man.”
When Jisung arrives, Hyunjin’s in a corner, sketchbook in his lap as he lets the flames of the fire lick at his face — far enough not to burn, close enough to feel the heat on his skin.
“Careful.” The elder boy says, hand settling on Hyunjin’s back.
Hyunjin pulls back from the hearth, the sketchbook falling to the floor. “Hey Jisungie.” he says sleepily, leaning into the other’s touch like a cat.
Jisung chuckles, cradling the side of his face. “Hey Jinnie. How do you feel?”
“Terrible.” Hyunjin complains, making a face and they both laugh.
Not too far away, Minho exits the kitchen, two bowls of food in his hands, socked feet on the wooden floor. “Eat.” he says, setting the dinner down on the floor beside them.
Jisung slurps the noodles, looking up at Hyunjin with twinkling eyes. Minho sits beside him, head resting on the younger’s shoulder.
Hyunjin feels a twinge of jealousy watching them.
“We need to talk.” Minho says as Jisung carries the empty dishes back to the kitchen.
“We do.” Hyunjin agrees. He has a feeling that whatever the elder is about to tell him, he’s not going to like it.
“You can’t tell Felix you’re back.” Minho says, predictably.
Hyunjin opens his mouth to protest, but Minho raises a hand to stop him.
“There’s a mole in the City. Someone who works with him. Changbin’s been noticing information going missing, tip offs being too accurate, raids becoming less random. Targeting members. Hongjoong’s gang is almost fully wiped out. I think it’s just Seonghwa left now, Joong’s been caught a week ago.”
“It’s not him.”
“Of course it’s not.” Minho scoffs. “But it’s too dangerous for him to be seen with someone like you. Do you want him to fall under suspicion?”
A chill settles over Hyunjin, and he shakes his head, reality crashing down. “No.” He mutters, picking at his nails.
Minho slides a vial of nail polish towards him as a peace offering.
Peering up at him, Hyunjin sees exasperation on the elder’s face, along with an edge of unconcealed fondness.
“You know I love you, right?” Hyunjin tells him, and sees the emotions flash in Minho’s eyes.
He doesn’t answer, silently taking Hyunjin’s hand and uncapping the polish. “Stay still.”
Jisung settles down next to them with a tired smile some few minutes later, humming a song under his breath. “This is nice.” He says, yawning a little. “It’s us three again.”
“Thank you.” Hyunjin says as Minho blows on his nails. He’s not thanking him for this. There’s a bigger weight of debt that he feels, all those things he owes to Minho for keeping them all still alive.
“You’re family.” Minho says, his voice a little rough. He didn’t look up, or he would’ve seen the look of wonder on Hyunjin’s face.
“Alright, I’ve worked it out.” Changbin plopped down on the couch, grabbing a cold beer from the table where it was left by Jisung a few minutes prior. “You’ll see your star boy soon, Jin-ah.”
Hyunjin sits up, the forms he had been filling out forgotten as he spins in his direction. “Felix?”
Changbin smirks, taking another gulp of beer. “The one and only.” He says, shaking his head. “Honestly you’re hopeless. I can’t believe I was once scared of you.”
“You were scared of me?” Hyunjin raises an eyebrow.
“Your reputation precedes you, Sam.” The elder replies.
Hyunjin makes a face. “Some reputation.”
“Anyway.” The man claps his hands together, sitting forward and setting his beer down. “Felix asked Minho for information on some convict — Kim Seungmin. I know him, nice boy. Worked with us briefly back when he was a teen. His parents died when he was young, and he had to take care of his younger brother for most of his life. He’s fallen victim to one of those ‘random’ raids. Apparently some neighbors reported him for singing.”
“Singing?”
“Yeah. He has a nice voice. Angelic.”
Hyunjin nods. “Kim Seungmin, you say? I think I’ve heard of him.”
“You might’ve — he was a big thing back when you were in high school. Sung on the radio.”
“Ah.” Hyunjin nods, remembering the boy.
“Anyway, Felix wants to help him. We’re not sure why, something about a boy in the Children’s ward. Minho’s putting together a file right now.”
Hyunjin nods again. “Where do I come in?”
“That’s the genius — Felix’s been so out of it the last few days, even Chan noticed, and Chan wouldn’t notice if the roof caved in. So Minho’s gonna give him an empty capsule — say it’s a pill that makes you hallucinate. You’ve been on his mind so much, he might be seeing you anyway.”
He said it in a lighthearted tone, but Hyunjin’s brows knit together. Was it really that bad?
“Anyway, delusional or not, I think we can sneak you into the apartment for an hour or two. Then you both will stop moping for a bit. And Minho needs you to put some confidence into him. He’s been meaning to jailbreak Seungmin anyway, we just didn’t have a way in. With Felix, we can do it with ease — he’s the type to wield duality like a double-edged sword.”
“Okay.” Hyunjin nods.
“Okay?” Changbin chuckles, a little confused. “That was easy. I thought you’d insist on seeing him on proper terms.”
Hyunjin shrugs. “I miss him.” he says. “I’ll see him on any terms.”
YOU ARE READING
city of stars
Fanfiction~hyunlix~ There's something almost hypnotic about his voice - it's so deep, dark- but at the same time, there's a softness to it, almost a gentle caress to the words. There's nothing rough about the way he sings, rather, it's soft and reassuring - r...
