anticipation - stray kids

kalon

(adj.) possessing a beauty that is more than skin deep

echo - incubus

"it reminded me twice that i was alive"

warning !!

very cute lowkey wholesome flirting ahead

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

jeongin sat on the edge of the couch, his legs pulled up in front of him as he glanced around the room, trying to get used to the energy buzzing between everyone. it had only been an hour since he and seungmin had arrived, but already he could feel the ease with which this group of people interacted. it was strange, in a way. he wasn't used to being in spaces where the energy felt so light, even if there were underlying tensions between some people.

his long black braid shifted slightly as he turned to look at felix, who had taken the seat next to him, his ginger cat ears twitching every now and then as if catching on to sounds that jeongin couldn't hear. felix had been watching him the entire time, not in a way that made jeongin uncomfortable. felix was hanging onto every word, every expression, every little shift in his body language.

"so," jeongin began, unsure of where to start, "this group... how'd you all meet?"

felix smiled, his bright eyes lighting up as if he'd been waiting for jeongin to ask him something. "hyunjin used to dance with minho when they were younger, and jisung's been friend's with hyunjin since kindergarten. minho met chan a couple years ago, probably like 3 years? and chan met changbin last year and introduced him to all of us." he explained softly, his voice lilting in that sweet, melodic way that seemed to come naturally to him.

jeongin found himself smiling back, despite the way his heart fluttered under felix's gaze. it was strange to have someone listen to him so intently, especially someone he had just met. seungmin always paid attention when jeongin talked, but this was different. felix wasn't just listening—he was completely absorbed.

his eyes sparkled as he looked at jeongin, and there was something about the way felix's gaze lingered that made jeongin's face heat up.

feeling the warmth rise to his cheeks, jeongin cleared his throat and tried to steer the conversation away from himself. "so, what about you? how did you get involved with this group?"

felix's smile softened, and he leaned back slightly, his tail flicking lazily behind him as he thought for a moment. "well, since minho's my brother i kinda knew all of them anyway cause they'd always come over. and jisung and i had music together last year, i had to go over to his house for a project and ended up meeting everyone officially. they're an odd bunch." he paused, his gaze flickering back to jeongin. "but, honestly, tonight's been a bit different."

jeongin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "different how?"

felix's eyes softened even more as he looked at jeongin, his expression almost reverent. "because of you," he said simply, as if the words were the most natural thing to say.

jeongin blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in felix's voice. "because of me?" he repeated, unsure if he had heard correctly.

felix nodded, his ginger ears twitching slightly as he continued. "you have this... way about you. the way you see the world, the way you talk about things—it's different. it's refreshing." his voice was quiet, but there was a weight to his words that made jeongin's heart race. "i admire it, honestly."

jeongin didn't know how to respond to that. no one had ever told him they admired the way he saw the world before. sure, seungmin had always been there to listen, always supportive in his own calm way, but this... this was new. this was intense.