A Bullet to the Heart, ₗₑₑ Fₑₗᵢₓ

23.

⇝ ⇝ ⇝ I was running to their apartment, my feet hurting, my throat constricting with the lack of breath. I hit the door with my shoulder with all my power, twice, thrice till the door burst off its hinges. I bumped into every wall as I ran through the apartment hallways. I pushed open all the doors, with no hesitation.

He was there - lying there. Blood was surrounding him, his chest not rising with each breath. I fell to my knees and picked up his body, gathering the coldness of his body in my arms. He lay in my arms, dead weight. I was screaming, the anger forcing itself through my synapses.

"Wake up,"

I shot up in my bed - my chest raised quickly, trying to take in deep breaths. I could feel the beads of sweat forming on my forehead, trickling down the side of my face. The chill in the air caused my skin to feel damp and sticky. I took in the darkness of my room and the hands brushing up and down my shoulders. I turned to the person beside me, the soft blonde hair I had grown used to seeing. He was here, he wasn't dead. The mission went alright, no one was seriously hurt.

"I got there in time," I said to him even if he wouldn't understand.

"Yeah you did, we're okay," Felix said with a whisper.

The physical part of the mission ended yesterday night - the members were sent to a safe hotel with plenty of security guards. It was just for the night while they had people cleaning up their apartment. I took Felix back to mine, his hands were latching on to me all night to the point I couldn't get him to let go. Despite the desperate hold on me, I put him to bed last night after the traumatic events.

"It was a different nightmare this time," I said to him, "Usually, I dream about the mission where my best friend died,"

"And what did you dream of now?"

The room was now bathed in a warm, golden glow as the sun rose just over the horizon, casting its light through the window and illuminating the bedroom. The sudden rise of the sun made me feel more awake than the fright of the nightmare. I took in the sight of a messy, bedhead Felix and his curious eyes on me.

"I dreamt of you," I said to him, "I didn't get to you in time,"

It was a brief explanation, one that I couldn't explain properly without the realistic dream flashing into my mind once more. I just looked at him, took in his beauty and the fact that we had shared this bed. Despite his dishevelled hair and weary eyes, he appeared captivating and beautiful. His pyjamas were messy and twisted as he sat beside me - he had a careful smile on his lips.

I don't get embarrassed easily but as his legs rested against my own, I felt the chill from my face turn slightly warm. I decided to get up - rid of the sweat, the trace of the nightmares and get rid of the damning thoughts of wanting to pounce on him suddenly. I started a shower, turning the dial left for cold water.

"Koby?" I heard his voice ask and I turned to him as he sat on my bed.

"Yeah?"

"What's going to happen now?" He asked as walked into the bathroom.

I thought for a second, "Well, my colleagues from London and the ones I worked with here are probably working on closing down their accounts on the dark web, and then they'll be serving time in prison,"

"And with Stray kids?"

He sat on the counter, next to the sink. I stood in front of him, still managing to tower over him. I gingerly placed my hands on his knees and pushed them lightly so I could stand between them. I looked into his eyes, the brown reflecting the white lights making it seem like he held stars in his eyes. He possessed an enchanting aura that captivated me every time, and having him by my side filled me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

"You can do whatever you wish, you're due a holiday are you not?"

Despite everything that happened, Stray kids were due a holiday in the next few weeks. They had a comeback soon but before that, they had time to go home. I heard they didn't get many breaks to go home, especially Chan and Felix who have to travel to Australia. I wanted Felix to go home and see his family with everything that has happened. I doubt they even knew what had happened if Felix hadn't told them.

"Do you think with everything, I'll still be able to?" He asked and I nodded.

"Of course," I told him, "New sources haven't caught wind of anything so your fans don't need to worry, you can go anywhere you wish to now,"

"Without you telling me off?" He chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"Within reason," I joked and he laughed.

"I'm going in the shower now loser," I told him and he nodded before he hopped off the counter and left the bathroom.

The sensation of the cold water was incredibly refreshing as it cascaded over my shoulders. It seemed to work its magic, soothing my tense muscles and banishing the unsettling thoughts that had been plaguing my mind. I spent a long while standing under the cold until I could barely feel my face. I washed my body, and my hair and then came out.

I dressed once more and the thoughts came tumbling back. It wasn't nightmares or dark thoughts, it was more about the fact that I was going to be super busy these days. Phone calls upon phone calls, trying to close up this mission and doing any final things I needed to. Calls from my boss, from London, were going to take hours just to close up and get final information. 

Not to mention, all the things I needed to end and conclude here. I needed to talk to the government goon I had spent a lot of time with, the team I just met and worked with. The apartment I no doubt need to clean up before leaving for London. So many things to do in a short amount of time. Yet, maybe I should stay, just until their holiday is over?

I walked into the kitchen and sighed at the state of my schedule.

"I'm making pancakes," Felix said as he cooked in my kitchen.

"You look good," I said to him as he flipped a pancake, "Like home,"

He chuckled, "What's up with you now?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head against the top of his. Exhausted from the day's thoughts, I found comfort in his presence as he skilfully prepared a little breakfast meal for the both of us.

"I'm thinking of everything I need to do to conclude this whole mission, even then, I want to stay for longer so I have an excuse to go to Australia with you," I said to him, pulling him closer, our bodies melting together.

"I'll help if I can since you're going to spend your time protecting me at home," Felix smiled, "At the same time, the pressure of meeting my family,"

"I'm not nervous about meeting your family," I'm terrified.

"Sure..." Felix knew I was lying, "Come on, breakfast time,"

We proceeded to the cosy sitting room and settled onto the comfortable couch positioned in front of a quaint small table. Our delicious plates of food found a place on the table as we got ready to enjoy our meal. I smiled at Felix as he poured some honey syrup onto his pancakes.

"Thank you, my love," I said to him and he looked at me abruptly, his cheeks turning a soft red hue.

"You're welcome,"

"I'm looking forward to meeting your family," I said to him, after all, he had told me a lot about them, "Maybe after, you can come to London with me,"

"London, what for?" He asked as we ate together quietly.

"I need to retire first, the whole process might take a few weeks, but in that time..." I took a second to consider it, "Why don't you meet my mum?"

He turned to me, his hand turning my shoulder so he could look at me better. His eyes were wide, the pupils dilated in surprise, and a small, enigmatic smile tugged at the corners of his lips, revealing a hint of amusement.

"Your serious?"

"Hmmm, of course," I said to him and he nodded quickly.

"Now, I'm excited too,"