Chapter Text
Summer 2007. In that half year alone, NASA finds methane lakes on Titan, the Italian volcano Stromboli erupts, China launches its first bullet train, Desperate Housewives launches its third season and YouTube gains new languages, helping it become an internet phenomenon.
Rihanna's Umbrella plays everywhere. The Preppies comment on Gossip Girl, the dudes think they're a Spartan from 300 and everyone is laughing at Sherk the Third.
A year that began intensely after 2006 ended like a huge bomb in the political, cultural, and technological landscape.
A year where everyone has their group, everyone has their songs, everyone wants to be cool, even those who don't say that they try. Even someone who often wants to hide from the world and tries to prove to himself that he doesn't want to be noticed by anyone, not even by the one who makes his heart race.
In the summer of this year, in a frat house the sounds of instruments being played fill a hot, messy garage. Sweat drips down Hyunjin's face, plastering his hair to his brow, his biceps flex brutally as his arms move quickly his drumsticks, producing a loud, powerful sound from his drums.
The garage isn't very well lit, it has an old sofa, a worn floor with a large red rug where the instruments are displayed, a cabinet with old tools, rickety tables and all sorts of things hanging on the peeling wall.
And it's hot. Really hot, and the room is stuffy. The intense movements make it even hotter. If it weren't for the adrenaline rush of playing, he might start to think he was going to melt, but the pounding of his heart that follows the music takes his mind off it.
His heart races with every musical note, every sound. He lives for this, he loves playing. The blend of instruments forms a strong yet emotional melody that he loves to feel in his veins. It’s so fucking good.
It's been one month since he agreed to join a band with some guys from his college. It was the beginning of his summer vacation when he had finally quit his part-time job at the coffee shop near his frat, after he had finally managed to pay for the repairs on the old car his mother had bought him with great effort.
The car had been sitting idle since he started college, as many things needed to be done and his mother couldn't afford it, since she's helping him stay in the college. So he decided to start the part-time job he hated just for the sake of the car.
Nothing against working, he's okay with it. The problem was him, an introvert, having to socialize for a good portion of his day with lots of people – who were often not very nice to him.
Everything was a shit, all the rushing of the coffee shop, the clients, the conversations, the tiredness and still having to get home late and do college things after the social battery had run out and he was tired. Besides, work sometimes limited the experiences he truly wanted from his college times.
He truly thanked God when he was able to quit and now he lives from some commissioned art and designs that helps him with the basics while he’s finishing college.
Soon after this event, at a party, he met a very nice music student and, through conversation, discovered that his band needed a drummer. When Hyunjin told him he'd been playing since his early teens, the boy freaked out.
And that's how he ended up in that hot garage, enjoying every second of rehearsal for a show that his new band will play in a few weeks at a small but nice concert hall.
As the last song nears its end, he finishes with a few more hits on the golden cymbals of his old drum and finally a strong beat on his floor tom. The band's bassist looks at him and they both laugh satisfied.
"That was fucking awesome!" the excited voice of one of the guitarists and backing vocalists says. "We definitely nailed it! Our next show I’ll be hella sick!" exclaims the young man with ear-length black hair, slightly wavy, pretty eyes and with the cutest cheeks Hyunjin has ever seen.
Taking off his sweaty t-shirt, the lead vocalist and guitarist, the leader who was the one who invited Hyunjin to join the band, smiles brightly with his really beautiful and friendly smile that matches his strong features, emphasized by a near-wolf cut. "Jisung is right, it was really incredible, congratulations to you guys." says the man with big pretty arms.
The bassist, a short but very muscular young man with messy dark hair with some strands of green hair, begins to take off his bass and takes a deep breath. "Thanks, Chan. I think we really nailed it with Hyunjin. You really got our vibe."
He smiles flatteredly. "Thanks, Changbin. I'm glad I was able to fit in with you guys." and he's really happy, not just because of the compliment, but because it's been great to fit in so well with the band.
"Are we going to ignore Hanji being off-key in the second pre-chorus of the last song?" A melodic voice comes from the direction of the old orange sofa in the garage. It's a young man, really beautiful with short black hair, an elegant aura, and piercing eyes.
His name is Seungmin and he’s playing cards quietly with another rehearsal guest who’s called Minho. They’re both boyfriends of some band members. Hyunjin really likes them both and finds them extremely funny due to their quirky personalities.
"What? I'm not out of tune!" Jisung says indignantly, widening his round cute eyes.
He just laughs listening to the conversation, because he knows it's a joke, Seungmin loves picking on the members. The pretty man doesn't even look up from the cards in his hands as he pokes Jisung just for his own amusement. He smirks. "Of course you were, I was listening."
The man with the big cheeks walks to the sofa and then plops down next to Minho, who’s a very handsome man with a sharp nose, dark brown hair and cat-like eyes and who’s chilling studying the cards on the table. "Baby, tell me I didn't go off key." he pouts to concentrated the man.
Turning to face a pouting Jisung, Minho reaches for the other's black hair and pets him. "Of course not, Hannie. You know he's cheeky and just likes to tease you."
Watching the scene, Chan smiles as he wipes his sweaty face with a nearby orange towel. "Min, stop teasing him." he says and throws his towel on an amplifier next to him into which his red guitar with many band stickers is plugged.
"I'm just telling the truth," he shrugs, maintaining his lie.
The other walks over to him. "If you don't stop teasing Jisung, I'm going to give you a kiss attack," he says, knowing how much Seungmin hates, or at least pretends to hate, public displays of affection.
His sharp eyes stare at Chan in a challenging way. "You wouldn't dare, you're all sweaty." Seungmin has a habit of challenging his boyfriend to end up having his big hands on him. It's funny because everyone knows his intentions, but they pretend they don't just to see the scene.
"Want to bet?" He licks his lips and starts to move closer, in a few steps he is already leaning on him and beginning a tickle attack on the man.
While laughing, Seungmin starts yelling at Chan to leave, but he's clearly faking it. His laugh is genuine, and it’s possible to see on his face how much he enjoys it when his man teases him like that.
Smiling, Hyunjin observes the scene.
Besides loving music and the band being perfect for his newfound free time, he's also enjoying spending time with his new friends. Their dynamic is fun, their personalities contrast and mesh well together. He's new there, but he's so well received and has a really fun time with them.
It’s something he hasn't felt in years. He's always someone a little bit lonely and introverted. After studying and working simultaneously, his situation got worse and he became even more lonely, with only a few acquaintances at college and his friends from the frat. Discovering the band members and the other boys has been a great experience for him.
Standing up, he looks around for his towel to dry his face, which is worse than Chan's. After doing it, he grabs his bottle to take a long swig of water while the laughter on the couch continues.
Then, the sound of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes starts playing from Chan's phone, interrupting the laughter.
The shirtless, wolf-cut young man steps away from his boyfriend and flips open his phone, which features a small puppy pendant, and looks at it confused. "It's Lix," he says thoughtfully.
Seungmin stares at him. "What do you think he wants? Isn't he like in the middle of some island sunbathing on his ass or something?"
"Baby, Hawaii, you might have forgotten the name of the fucking Hawaii," he laughs.
The other man rolls his eyes. "Whatever, answer him soon or he'll be whining and complaining."
Chan agrees and holds the phone to his ear while Hyunjin approaches where they are with a towel around his neck. "Hey Lixie," he says into the phone.
"Chris, Channie, please come pick me up." A tearful voice can be heard coming from the phone.
Frowning, the man with the phone looks confused by what he just heard. "Lix, I can't pick you up in Hawaii."
"I'm not in Hawaii, dumbass. I'm at the airport. Daddy is an idiot and that stupid bitch is a selfish cow who won't let me do anything, so I came back without him."
The eyes of everyone who can hear the loud, tearful voice through the phone widen in surprise, even Minho's, who wasn't paying attention to the conversation before. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me you came back alone, without telling anyone, and you're at the airport alone?" Chan asks clearly worried.
"No, idiot, I'm telling you I threw myself off the roof of the biology building... Jesus Christ, Christopher, that's exactly what I said."
Chan sighs deeply, and he runs his hand over his face. "Okay, wait for me at the car exit, I'll be right there. I was rehearsing."
"Okay, hurry up," is the last thing the voice says, and then it hangs up.
The band leader shakes his head and Jisung's laughter fills the garage. "God, looks like our drama queen is back." the guitarist says, amazed.
"Yes, and I'll run over there before it's over to me. And you come with me to calm your friend down." He gently pulls Seungmin by the arm who just follows him without complaining. "See you later, guys," he says, and the two start walking toward the garage exit.
Hyunjin looks on, a little lost in the situation. He has no idea who Lix is, and if the others have mentioned him, he probably ignored it for some reason. However, considering Jisung's laughter and comment, as well as the conversation that was overheard, he must be a peculiar figure.
Changbin probably notices his lost expression, because seconds later, the muscular young man smiles. "Don't worry about it, Chan has… Family issues, but nothing too out of the ordinary.”
Starting to put away the deck of cards that is on the couch, Minho says nonchalantly "Yeah, he's Chan's rich cousin and he's always hanging around with us. And when I say rich, I mean really rich, like his dad has a chain of luxury car dealerships around the world," he explains.
Hyunjin's mouth drops open in shock. He probably never met anyone that rich, and he didn't think he would. But thinking that he tends to dislike people with money, at the same time, he thinks Chan's cousin must be a pain in the ass if he has all this money.
Sinking into the couch, Jisung smiles. "But he's super nice, like the nicest person you'll ever meet."
Minho laughs. "You say this because he's a little shit just like you. But yeah, Lix is really lovely, but he’s also a little bit… Insane, spoiled or whatever. He's just like one of my cats." Minho is known among his friends for his extraordinary personality with his cats.
"What's wrong with Lix?" A young fake ginger with eyes like an adorable fox and a razor-sharp jaw enters the garage with a bottle of soda and a bag full of snacks.
"He came back from Hawaii out of nowhere and called Chan crying to pick him up," Changbin explains.
The fox's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, really? Is he crazy? I mean, I know he is but…” he shakes his head “So, is that why rehearsal ended so early?"
The four young men standing close to each other look at what the young man said and then can't help but laugh.
The boy is the youngest among them and is usually the one who helps the band with the instruments. He's cute and really good at helping them, but sometimes loses touch with reality when he spends too much time in My Space or on Chan playstation.
Minho and Jisung get up to leave the garage. "Jeongin," Jisung says, "rehearsal started two hours ago and we already played every song from the list." He says as they walk by the ginger standing in the doorway.
Smiling Hyunjin and Changbin do the same as the other two, leaving the young man speechless. Changbin ruffles his ginger hair as he passes trying to comfort him, but making him roll his eyes.
And so, another great day of rehearsal is over and they head to the frat's dark but clean living room – thanks to Chan who’s a certified cleaning freak – to watch some music videos on their favorite channel and drink beer until the night starts.
The noise of the airport is deeply annoying. Cars arriving and leaving, people talking everywhere, and announcements constantly coming from the speakers. There's so much noise chaos that not even the music playing on Felix's pink iPod helps his head escape the stimuli.
Also, his heart pounds with sadness at having left his father in another country after a fight, and the only thing he wants at that moment is for his cousin to come pick him up soon.
Everything feels suffocating. He hates it when his father doesn't understand him and the fact that everyone around him always thinks his opinions are dramatic, dumb and pointless almost explodes his mind. He loves his father, worries about him, but it’s sad when he’s just disbelieved when he only wants the man's best from his heart.
Thank God, soon, his pink phone rings and he takes it from his low jeans waistband and he flips it to open. There's a message from his cousin saying he has arrived, so he anxiously searches for the gray car he's been waiting for.
Finally, he sees Seungmin, his cousin's boyfriend and one of his best friends, waving at him from the window, so he runs awkwardly with all his stuff – that is like, a lot.
Chan meets him halfway and, after a long, comfortable hug, the man who’s a little bit sweaty begins to help him carry everything to the car. Felix has a really large suitcase, two bags, and a huge backpack all of them with a lot of keychains that make so much noise when he moves, and he, who’s not very tall, seems even smaller carrying all that stuff.
Before he gets in the car, Seungmin gets out to hug him too, and he thinks about how much he missed the hug from his friend he hadn't seen in weeks.
Deep breathing, he enters the car. His cousin's car is nice and has a very specific clean smell, which isn't surprising knowing him. It's wonderful, cozy and makes him feel safe.
The young man in the passenger seat turns on the car stereosound and puts on a Mariah Carey CD in a low volume. It's funny, while Felix loves catchy pop songs with a strong beat, his friend prefers those with some R&B roots and vocal appeal. And Seungmin, by the way, is great at vocals.
His and Chan's relationship began precisely because of this.
Seungmin and Felix got along well early in college because of a seminar from an ethics class they took together. One day, the blonde managed to steal Seungmin away from his law school friends and dragged him to karaoke with Chan and his friends. The moment he opened his mouth to sing a vocal-heavy ballad, Chan's eyes lit up instantly.
Since that day, Felix has been overjoyed to have one of his best friends and his cousin together, as they're almost like parents to him, taking care of him all the time.
With the car in motion, he takes a mirror from the pocket of his skintight blue jeans and begins to gently tidy his shoulder-length bleached blond hair. He also notices how tired his beautiful big brown eyes are after the trip, and how his freckled celestial nose and freckled face are flushed from the heat.
Felix's features are beautiful, he’s always getting attention and compliments because of his looks with pretty features, many even say he has a delicate feminine face, some even compare him to an angel. He’s really, really popular because of his beauty. Furthermore, as a good fashion student, he always makes a point of dressing as if the university were his catwalk.
Taking a lip gloss from his pocket, he puts a little on his sculpted full lips and sighs, looking at himself in the mirror one last time.
His and Chan's eyes meet in the car's rearview mirror. Felix knows very well that his cousin will start asking about everything that happened and he will have to hold back from crying and looking dramatic like everyone thinks he is.
After some deep seconds, the man at the driver seat finally asks "Did you tell your father you arrived in the country?"
Felix nods. "I first told him when I got on the first plane I could. It was economy class, and it was awful, my becks are in pain” he rolls his eyes “Then I kept telling him along the way. He knows I arrived," his peculiarly deep and pretty voice replies, "but we haven't talked much more than that. He keeps trying to call me, but I don't want to answer."
Still watching his cousin in the rearview mirror, Chan sighs, "What did she do?"
Sadness fills the blonde’s heart. He knows what he's about to say may seem silly, but it really messed with him. "The thing is… I had so many things I wanted to do on this trip. I made itineraries and vacation plans with Daddy, but she just came and changed everything, and it's so annoying. Like, they've only been together for four months and she's already controlling the entire dynamic of our lives."
Don't get him wrong, Felix isn't a jealous son, nor does he want to be the only thing in his father's life, at least not anymore. What happens is that since his mother passed away when he was so young, he's been very well cared for by his father, who gives him everything and all the affection in the world.
However, his father has a rotten finger when it comes to relationships, and every time it ends up being stressful for Felix. Fortunately, it never lasts long, but it's always a pain to endure while it happens.
He just really wanted to be able to take care of his father and for him to find someone good and caring, the way he deserves, not an annoying random woman who is just interested in his money – and if she is only interested in that, he just wants for her to at least be nice and respectful.
Mariah's pretty vocals keep filling the car as the couple begins to delve deeper into what happened to him in the past few weeks, simultaneously trying to calm him down so the agony in his heart will pass.
Seungmin and Chan are mature, emotionally intelligent and do a world of good for Felix's emotions and thoughts. They both know what to say and how to say it, and above all, they respect what the blonde is feeling instead of saying it's all just a huge exaggeration – even when it really is they say it in a nice way.
After venting and having a good conversation with sharp comments about his dad’s girlfriend from Seungmin, when he realizes it he is smiling again. Maybe coming back really was the best decision , he thinks as his cousin turns onto a street that leads to Felix's apartment.
Now calmer, he can't wait to breathe the air of his home and see his adorable cat, who has been staying with his neighbor for days on vacation.
And that night, after unpacking his things and calling his father to talk and make sure things are in order, and even apologizing for leaving without warning, he goes to sleep with a peaceful heart and eager to enjoy the rest of the summer with his friends who he really missed during the turbulent trip.
Hyunjin groans annoyed when it's time to wake up. It's a hot morning, a really hot one and one filled with regrets for the man. When the alarm goes off, he fights with himself to wake up, even though he's still dead tired.
The night before, something gave him a sudden inspiration what made him stay up painting until dawn, even though he knew he had urgent commitments that morning. The problem is that in the moment, it's great, he truly loves it when inspiration strikes so strongly and loves to seize every last minute.
But on this particular morning, he feels a bit of regret, as it seems like sleep will never leave his body.
With great effort, he gets up and drags himself to the bathroom, hoping that a nice shower will at least take away some of his laziness. He turns on the speakers connected to his red iPod with a My Chemical Romance sticker and enjoys the not-so-hot water being poured over him during a few songs.
As he leaves, still humming, he looks at himself in the mirror of his small bathroom in his small dorm room and begins to apply sunscreen to his face. He's careful not to get the product in his beautiful, dark, sharp eyes. He spreads it across his forehead, pressing down on his thick, defined eyebrows to avoid any residue, and finishes by smoothing it over his defined jawline.
Hyunjin has beautiful features, which are always highly complimented. Even him being shy and not liking that much of attention, this had made him confident in his appearance, especially his greatest charm: his reddish, plump mouth. All of these features are complemented by his long, layered hair that almost reaches his shoulders.
His physique is also attractive. He's tall with long legs, almost sculpted arms, large, striking hands, and a back that his new friends joke he should show off more when he's in a tank top and they can see his trapezes. An enviable ensemble with some other surprises.
After brushing his wet hair, he turns off the music and goes to his room to change. Heat is a problem for him because he gets overheated easily with his dark clothes and he's usually someone who... let's just say he sweats a lot, so everything only gets worse.
He puts on a black t-shirt from a band he likes, a pair of loose black shorts, and accessories. Hyunjin’s someone who loves accessories. He likes striped socks, multiple necklaces, earrings, rings of various sizes and belts with studs or dangles. That's also why his ear is completely decorated with piercings and another one adds a touch of charm to his right eyebrow and another in his tongue.
It's funny, because his appearance is truly unique and strong, he really draws attention, and this completely contrasts with his introverted, romantic, and somewhat shy personality.
Finishing getting ready to go out, he gathers his things to run and have some coffee and fruit before heading out to start his day's tasks.
In his backpack full of bottoms, patches, he puts his water bottle, his cell phone charger and his drumsticks, because after his chores he arranged to have lunch at his friends' house and then get into the best part of his day: rehearsal.
And that's how things happen.
Around noon, he finds himself parking his black car with bands and political stickers in the window in front of his friends' house frat, and after making sure everything is securely locked, he walks to the door of the big, beige house with with a somewhat old appearance but a beautiful garden with some pretty flowers and ugly and stupid guinomes.
He rings the doorbell, and not long after, the doorknob starts to make a noise, signaling the door being opened. However, when it opens, he receives a surprise he didn't expect.
Instead of one of his friends, the one who answers the door is a familiar figure – not familiar in the way he'd hoped, but really familiar by sight. The one who opens the door is a blond angel with beautiful freckles and the most beautiful, gloss-covered mouth Hyunjin has ever seen.
A figure almost reminiscent of a fairy, wearing the bottom half of a pink tracksuit with his pink phone with some charms tucked into the waistband, a white baby tee with something pink written on it, almost revealing his pierced belly button, and star clips holding back the sides of his blond hair.
Hyunjin's mouth drops open. This is truly the last person he expected to see there because this angelic-looking man is none other than his college crush or something like this. He’s the pretty one he always sees from afar around the college block, but whose name he doesn't even know and that he has never even considered approaching because he’s afraid.
The one who seems like the queen of the superficial, who’s always chatting silly in the hall with his colorful clothes, but who makes Hyunjin's blood boil just with his existence, who makes him almost suffer wanting to be made a fool of.
His heart races and his mind goes blank.
"Um, can I help you?" the person asks.
The dark-haired man shivers at the deep tone of the voice, at the same time he's surprised, because he had never expected the voice of his college block's angel to be so deep and chilling. He loves it.
With that voice talking to him, he feels as if he is a great glacier that is being boiled by a great, massive sun and begins to melt, to break down into a big and silent ocean.
Trying to regain his composure, he uses all his strength to answer. "Yeah... Like, I... I'm looking for Chan." He knows he's being pathetic.
The pretty man observes him "Umm, yeah, sure, I'll call him. And you are?"
"Hyunjin” he says faster than he intended to speak because he is nervous “I mean… Hwang Hyunjin, his band drummer."
The blonde who doesn't even seem to be trying to form a thought, looks as if he's finally understood something. "Oh, right. So you're the drummer. Sure, come in, he and Minho are in the kitchen making lunch and the rest of us are annoying them."
He smiles, and it's like Hyunjin's heart is about to leap out of his chest and run off into the streets, leaving him lifeless. It's like a loud punch in his head, because the smile, which he's admired before, is even more beautiful up close.
The only reaction he can muster is to nod shyly and then start walking towards the pretty freckled blonde who’s making room for him.
The house is well known to him, so he silently walks a short distance behind the other man, still confused by what he's doing there and resisting letting his eyes fall on the hips in those pink pants with an extremely low waistband that move back and forth at a breathtaking pace.
The blonde approaches the kitchen. "Chris, your drummer is here~," he says in a singsong tone entering the colorful room that is smelling really good.
The band's lead singer is stirring a pan and, upon hearing the young man's voice, turns to the kitchen door and smiles. "Hey Hyune, you're just in time! We’re almost finished the lunch. Oh! And I see you finally met my lovely cousin, the one who called me that day, Felix."
As he speaks, the blonde walks to the kitchen table and sits on Jisung's lap, who is next to Seungmin. It takes a few seconds for Hyunjin to process the information that his campus crush, the celestial angel who always catches his eye, is the cousin of one of his new best friends, a cousin who even seems quite close.
He looks at the pretty blonde who just smiles brightly at him and makes him laugh internally nervously.
He feels like a star sucked into a supermassive black hole like a tidal disruption event. A star that wasn't even on its path, but that just barely got close, is pulled in by that intense gravitational force. Like the sucked-in stars, he feels stretched and crushed, and then completely swallowed by that smile.
Damn, I'm really, really fucked , he thinks as he tries to compose himself and smile back at Chan to pretend everything is normal, instead of run out of that kitchen and never come back anymore.