Stray Kids (SKZ) Imagines

Waiting Til Midnight - Lee Felix

I pulled my beanie down on my head as the wind whispered hints of fall through my hair. It had started getting a crisp bite in the air in the evenings, so I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I jogged the last few blocks to my destination. Once I got to the tall building, I slowed my pace to catch my breath. It was no good letting anyone know how eager I was.

The girl at the reception desk started to stand and bow her head before I motioned for her to stop. Hana, I think was her name. She was new. That was probably a good thing. She didn't know our routines yet. I flashed my badge and a smile. "I just have a style proposal that I need to finish up. It should have been done already, so please don't tell anyone that I was here late!"

She nodded. Good. I hated lying, but it was for her own good. I could hear my heart thumping in my ears as I waited for the elevator. I pulled off my beanie and ran my fingers through my hair. It fell in soft waves back over my face. I gave up trying to tame it as the elevator arrived. 9th floor.

Time seemed to stretch strangely on the ride up. An instrumental version of a pop song from a year or so ago played tinnily through the speakers. The mirrored ceiling showed me just how pink my cheeks had gotten. I couldn't tell if that was from running, or from anticipation. Either way, I took a few deep breaths to get myself under control. 'It's just another night. It's no different.' I didn't know who I thought I was fooling.

I paused outside the practice room door, looking both ways down the hall. I knew that this hallway was rarely used anymore, mostly just when the newer, bigger practice rooms were all in use. That certainly wasn't the case tonight. It was quiet in the building, most everyone had gone home.

Almost everyone. As I gently eased the door open, I was greeted by a familiar face on the other side. Felix.

"Noona!" His face cracked in a smile so wide, I thought it would break.

"Shh!" I scolded. I slipped into the room and clicked the door shut behind me. He had the good sense to look almost chastised. "I didn't expect you here until later, kid. How'd you get away from them before 10?"

He pushed his hair off his forehead. It was dark brown again, and I noticed his skin was bare. His freckles looked like a map of the stars. He grinned again. "Jisung's in on it. How else do you think I could get away on his birthday?" That made sense. I liked Jisung. He was always ready with a joke or a gag, but had a special sense about him. There was no way he would let someone leave on his birthday without a reason, and he knew how to get the truth.

A thought hit me, and I furrowed my brow. "What about the others?"

Felix chuckled, and explained in his deep, rich voice, "I lost something." He turned his head, and I saw that his earring, a dangling cross, was missing.

"Oh no! We need to find it! That means so much to you!" He grabbed my wrist as I turned to the door. From his pocket, he brought his other hand. Opening it, he revealed the missing earring. I sighed. Of course it was just a ruse. And once again, I overreacted. I'm supposed to be an adult, yet I'm so gullible. I looked up from his hand to his dark half-moon eyes. They were crinkled with laughter. I stuck my tongue out.

"Careful," he warned, his tone low, "or I'll take that tongue."

Our eyes widened at the same time when we realized how that came out. He let go of my arm like it was burning him, and swiftly crossed the room to pull out a pair of folding chairs. "I got chicken." His Aussie accent made even this simple sentence grab my full attention.

"Yeah, and how much of it did you eat already?" I teased, trying to make light.

He shot me a look. "None. I was waiting for you." He set out the food on a table between the chairs and grumbled, "I'm not Woojin."

I laughed. The younger boy and I had formed such an easy friendship over the past year and change. I was close to the whole team, but something had clicked with the easy-going Australian that was different from the others. We both spoke English as a first language, so as a newbie stylist, I supposed it was natural for him to have gravitated towards me. Watching him grow and mature, the age gap in between us seemed to be shrinking every day. And soon, very soon, the day would change into another birthday for him.

I checked the clock on the wall. 11:32. Felix was watching a viral video on his phone. "Hey!" I called to him. His head popped up like a little bird. "What are you gonna do now that you're gonna be an adult? Any big plans?"

He stretched his long legs out in front of him. "Course I got plans. I'm gonna follow in your footsteps, noona, and hang around the young trainees, looking for someone fresh off the boat." He grinned as he dodged the wadded up napkin I had chucked at his head. He sounded just like Chan, teasing like that.

"But seriously, I have thought about it. I mean, I can't do the really important stuff, like vote and serve in the military, since I'm not a citizen here, but now I can drive, and have drinks. Oh! I can get soju CFs!" I shook my head at his excitement. "And I have some more immediate plans, as well..." He waggled his eyebrows. I knew that look, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get any more answers out of him about it. Just more eyebrows.

As the clock ticked closer to midnight, we chatted about life, Hyunjin's new video game, Jeongin's graduation, and the top-secret 3racha tracks that Felix was helping with. He made me pinky-promise my secrecy on the last one. I barely spoke for a long time, listening as Felix jumped from topic to topic, talking with his whole body - face, hands, arms, and head. I doubt I could tell you half of what we talked about, I was just happy to be there, entranced by the glow in his face.

My phone pulled me back to reality. An alarm was going off, set for precisely 12 am. I grinned. "I get to be the first." I turned off the alarm and met Felix's eyes. "Happy birthday, kid. I'm..."

I trailed off. Felix was staring straight into my eyes. The smile from just moments before was gone, replaced by an intensity I hadn't seen before. "You said it yourself, noona. I'm not a kid anymore."

He shifted forward, dropping his gaze. His fingers picked at the hem of his shirt. "I know I'm still really young, but, I'm an adult now, legally." He gathered his nerve again to look up at my face for about two seconds before looking down again.

I was in awe. How could this be happening? While it may not have been the first confession I've gotten, or even from the youngest person, he was certainly the best-looking, and by far the most famous, of them all. And even if he wasn't, he was the one who had my heart this whole time.

I let out a quick chuckle. "Felix, kid, hey look at me." His eyes finally met mine again. My heart cracked at the worry I saw etched in his face. "I'm not going to make any moves, but that's only out of respect for your position in the company. If you want-"

I never got to finish my sentence, or my thought. Felix had crossed the gap between us, and hesitantly connected his lips to mine. Just barely touching, it was like a whisper, a tease of a kiss. I leaned in to complete the contact. God, were his lips soft. I didn't want to admit, even to myself, how many times I had imagined this moment, and how much better it actually was. He tensed for a split second, then relaxed into the kiss. He slanted his head and made a soft hum against my mouth. My heart raced at his innocent appeal. I parted my lips and grazed my teeth against his bottom lip before pulling away.

There was no sound in the room except for both of our heavy breaths. It felt like an eternity before one of us spoke. It was Felix who broke the silence. "So, that was good, yeah?" I laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, that was very good. Well worth the wait." His eyebrows show up. Damn. I had played my hand. Now he knew that I had wanted it for a long while.

"The wait, noona?" He leaned back, gaining boldness by the second. "Should I make you wait again?"

I had to admit, this confidence was sexy on him. But I had some of my own. "I've waited long enough," I kept my voice low as I grabbed his shirt, pulling him towards me, making contact with his lips once more. His wrapped his arm around my waist, closing the distance between our bodies, my soft curves against his firm, lean frame. One of my hands was on his shoulder, the other had found its way into his hair, nestled deep in the thick, soft locks.

Our tongues did a quick dance, darting against each other and across the other person's lips. Breathlessly, we stayed entwined for what felt like an eternity. Breaking apart to gasp for air, he rested his forehead on my head. "Y'know, I think I'm going to like being an adult."