Neuvillette ~ l.f (part 1)
Description: You were convinced Felix isn't real, because who just looks like that?!
Author's Note: Hey loves! I know I haven't written in forever. This has been sitting in drafts for so long. I started this back in April and never came back to it because it was so long and I had no direction of where to land it. I finally decided this will have an other part! So enjoy part 1! :)
Additional note: College!you, 2nd pov 'you' format. Slightly comedic (at least I consider Seungmin is)
Thank you so much for reading, hope you enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time you met Felix was truly an unforgettable experience (that you would like to burn from your memory if you had a chance).
You were partnered with Seungmin for a presentation for physics class and had met at the public library to plan ahead. The study session was great. You both were alike in terms of work ethic and you were grateful. Not only because Seungmin actually was on board to make plans to meet up and work on this project, but also because he managed plan to split the slides accordingly. This meeting you both did was just a brainstorming so you both just got the basics, but for the first time in a while you felt confident that you would do well.
"Alright," Seungmin said, closing his laptop. You watched as he stretched his hands over his head and yawned. "I'm about ready to go home."
You nodded, doing the same. "Me too. Can't wait to sleep."
"How are you getting home?" Seungmin then asked as you both were putting stuff away.
You shrugged. Your family had a shared car that was constantly in use by different members depending on the day. Right now, it was parked in your dad's workplace and would be there for a while. You bused over for meeting up with Seungmin and you would probably bus back.
"Bus." You replied, closing your notebook that had three pages worth of notes just from today's brainstorming alone.
Seungmin nodded as he stood up, slinging his backpack strap over his shoulder. "Okay, so I'll drive you, is what you're saying."
You turned and looked at Seungmin. You could recognize that he was indeed serious and wasn't even joking. You shook your head.
"I never said that. I said-"
"I kind of parked out back, but that's okay."
You just stared at him. Seungmin wasn't listening to you, and he knew it. You tried to protest but each time you did, he would interrupt and say something else about his car. And then he gave a mischievous smile. There was no backing out even when you tried to convince him it was fine to take the bus.
And so somehow you ended up stepping outside with Seungmin walking through the parking lot. The sun was now setting beautifully, with orange and pink coating spread across the sky.
"Whoa...look at that." You muttered softly, stopping to take a few photos.
Seungmin was busy texting away on his phone and you patted his shoulder.
"Yeah, it's so cool..." Seungmin said staring at his screen as his thumbs worked.
You chuckled and rolled your eyes then noticed Seungmin frown.
"We have to go pick up my roommate first." Seungmin said flatly.
The two of you finally reached his car and you stopped in hesitance. "I can take the bus..."
Seungmin shook his head, unlocking the car doors. "Not happening."
"Then let me sit in the back then?"
"You don't have to do that. He's nothing special." Seungmin said with a shrug. You saw the corners of his lips twitch to hold back a smile and you laughed.
"You're a little jokster." You commented, and then opened the back door. "I'm still sitting here."
You got in the back of the car and waited for Seungmin to get in before he started driving. You stayed quiet, looking out the window. You didn't ask questions about the roommate or how far he was. You didn't even know Seungmin had a roommate to begin with. There were no official dorms at the college you both went at, but everything was expensive so you knew that a lot of international students just lived together to make life easier.
You didn't know where you both were headed. This roommate of his could be anywhere. But when Seungmin suddenly drove to the entrance of a nearby park, you were a bit confused.
"Is your roommate here?" You asked.
Seungmin nodded. "Yeah, he's somewhere by the water I think. I tried texting him that I'm here but he's not responding. Come on, let's go look for him." He unlocked the car doors and stepped outside.
You shrugged and got out of the car as well. You had nothing better to do.
The two of you walked through the padded grass and you instantly smiled at the scene in front of you. So many people were out. There were kids playing frisbee, families eating, couples walking, photographers taking nature pictures...it was all so beautiful.
You and Seungmin got to talk more as you headed closer to the picnic tables by the water. You liked his humor, it was sarcastic and funny and you found that you could actually be good friends with him. Finally at one point, Seungmin let out a breathe.
"Ah, there he is." He said.
You squinted. "Is that a birthday party?" You asked with a small smile.
A family was all sitting together by the far left with birthday balloons, food, and birthday hats. You tried to look for Seungmin's roommate but it was hard without description. Plus, you didn't really see anyone around your age except...
"Felix!" Seungmin called softly.
Okay, now you got the roomate's name at least.
Seungmin paused, stopping abruptly and you turned and looked at him, giving a questioning look. Seungmin gave an embarrassed smile.
"He's talking to somebody." You said.
You stood awkwardly with Seungmin a few feet away and you looked ahead to who he was referring to. Then you saw someone who physically made you do a double take.
There was a man, or...at least, it seemed so? He looked like a genuine anime character or fairy of some sort. Which, was weird to think but you've really never seen anyone look like that. He was dressed in a soft beige gold shirt underneath a white blazer on top of white pants. His silver hair was long, just under his shoulders that matched with his pale skin. A matching set of golden necklaces and bracelets sparkled as he moved and talked with gestures. He smiled genuinely as he talked with what looked like the mother of one of the kids at the birthday party. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled and your heart did a flip. You've never seen anyone so beautiful, but also so fictional.
Your mind turned with questions as you stated, not noticing that you probably looked a little creepy just staring like that. But who looked like that? No one physically and casually just looks like that.
You looked over at the table of the family again, this time noticing that a small boy had a birthday hat and sash. You concluded that he was the one having the birthday and that Felix was a part of the celebration.
You turned to Seungmin. "How often does your roommate do this?" You asked.
Seungmin looked at you. "Do what?"
"Cosplay. Is it like, he gets requests from families to be gaming characters for kid's birthday parties?" You asked.
You gestured to Felix with your head pointing in his direction. "That's Neuvillete, right? From Genshin Impact? He has the long silver hair."
Seungmin stared at you for a while. Then he burst out laughing.
"He's not cosplaying anyone right now. That's just how he looks." Seungmin told you.
You paused, your brain trying to process what you just heard. After several seconds of silence (except for Seungmin's laughter), you looked at him.
"He...what? He just looks like that?!" You said in disbelief.
"Yes...?" Seungmin said. "What, is something wrong?"
You shook your head. "No, nothing's wrong, it's just..." Your voice trailed off as you stared back at Felix, Seungmin's roommate that stood a few feet away from you.
He looked unreal. Completely unreal. There was just no way. You'd seen pretty guys before, somewhat, but not on a level quite like this. There weren't even any words to describe it.
Felix suddenly looked over at the direction you and Seungmin were standing and you quickly looked away from him. From beside you, Seungmin was still giggling.
"Oh, I'm going to have so much fun telling him about this." He said.
That caused you to immediately turn and look at Seungmin. Your face flushed and you could feel your heart beat rapidly.
He ignored you, as usual, as he suddenly cupped his hands to his mouth. "Felix!"
You placed your hand on Seungmin's arm in panic. "No, he's still talking with-"
You paused and saw the horror of the woman returning back to the table and Felix starting to walk to you both. You let go of Seungmin and stood awkwardly, eyes darting around the park just as you were suddenly graced with this man's presence.
And wow...he was even more beautiful right in front of you.
Seungmin smiled. "Hey Felix, how was the photoshoot?"
That caused you to blink. So....this Felix character was at the park for a photoshoot? Was that why he looked that...unreal? You were more confused than ever.
Felix gave a grimaced look, placing his hands on his hips as he sighed.
"I think it was good. I don't know. I'm still not very used to being out in places where there's so many people staring at me, but Hyunjin made it a comfortable experience." The sound of his deep voice paired with an Australian accent threw you off guard.
You blinked, but tried to keep your face as normal as possible.
That low voice coming out of a dainty figure? Just who is he?
Seungmin looked over at you and gave a knowing chuckle. He was surely enjoying your confusion and panic. It looked normal, like he had to deal with that with every stranger getting to know Felix the first time.
Seungmin placed a hand on your shoulder and pointed. "This is my roommate, Felix. One of our friends Hyunjin is taking a photography class and used him as a model."
You turned to Felix and looked at him. He was wearing light makeup, it automatically looked better than your own. The glitter in the corners of his eyes contrasted beautifully with his black eyeliner. His lips were pink and glossy, skin glowing. He gave you a gentle smile as he stretched his hand over to you.
"Hi, I'm Felix, nice to meet you."
You took his hand, trying not to get lost in his eyes. They were hazel-ish, but you could tell they were contacts. But still big and doe-shaped, like a lost puppy.
You said your name, kind of breathlessly. It was hard trying not to look affected when that was exactly what you were. Affected.
"We have a presentation together for our physics class so we were just working on it." Seungmin explained. Then he smirked.
"She also thought you do cosplays for little kid birthday parties." He said directly to Felix.
You felt your heart drop. Your eyes widened as you looked at Seungmin, shooting a "how could you say that?" look. He obviously laughed in reply.
When you did find the decency to look Felix in the eyes (after long seconds of hesitance), he gave a slow smile.
Felix blinked. "Cosplay?" He asked slowly, his eyebrow raised and he smiled, his face with slight amusement.
"Yeah, she thought you were being Neuvillete for the birthday party over there." Seungmin continued.
That caused you to looked over at him.
"What? That's what you said. You literally asked me if he was cosplaying Neuvillete." Seungmin pointed out with a smile. It took everything in you not to slap his arm right then and there.
You turned to Felix, your face completely hot. "That was a misunderstanding. I just thought-"
"Hey, it's okay." Felix gave a gentle smile. "You're not really the first person to say something along the lines of that."
Seungmin laughed. "Yeah, he always gets asked whether he's a boy or a girl. Or an anime character. Or a fairy. He even was asked what kind of animal he was once."
If this was Seungmin's way of trying to make you feel better, you somehow felt even more embarrassed as your face turned a pink hue. Felix seemed to notice that and he gave a soft smile.
"I used to actually cosplay a little when I was a kid. I love cosplays, though, I think they're very cool. Are you into it at all?" He asked, guiding the conversation to you.
"Um...yeah, I mean, I like it. I'm so sorry again though, I didn't mean to think that-"
Felix gave a chuckle, his whole face lighting up as he shook his head and touched the side of your arm reassuringly. "It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm curious though. You mentioned Neuvillete, do you play Genshin?" He asked, this time his eyes perking interest.
You shook your head. "No, I don't really know a lot about games. But my brother plays Genshin and his character is Neuvillete so....yeah." You end awkwardly.
Felix smiled. "That's nice. So, what do you like to do in your spare time?"
You three were walking now, following Seungmin to the car. As you spoke, Felix was nodding along and giving eye contact for every little detail, verbally saying "okay" or "uh huh" to let you know he was presently hearing you. It made you somewhat relax, the fact that Felix didn't take anything you thought of him personally, and the fact that he also pick up how embarrassed you were and diverted the conversation to something else. You appreciated him for that.
By the time you did get home, the replays of the day were in your head.
You didn't see Felix for the next few days, and for some reason...you wanted to. He was the most intriguing person you've ever met and admittedly your mind would drift back to days past where you first saw him.
Now, granted, you were still embarrassed about the cosplay thing (it kept you up at night sometimes), but you were more so drawn to the thought of him talking to you as carefully as he could, even though Seungmin laughed and teased your mistake like it was the funniest thing to dwell on.
It was pretty funny how often you saw Seungmin in comparison to Felix and there was a part of you that maybe wanted to ask Seungmin about Felix, but it would be awkward to bring up. Especially because it was Seungmin. The man would make a big deal over everything.
A few days passed and you and Seungmin would work a little bit more on the presentation, but those days your car was actually available so you'd depart from him after the study session, having no idea if he would pick up Felix or anything. And you sort of wanted to see Felix again at some point, if there was the chance. But it was impossible.
It drove you crazy that you hadn't heard anything about Felix, or saw him. There was just that one encounter and that was it. It had been about a week and a half now, and still nothing. Your mind drifted to Felix in the middle of the day. How was he? Was he modeling for other photoshoots as well? Was he in his room, his PC setup in front of him, playing video games? Was he working? A student? Was he single? Taken? Married?
Your mind didn't rest for even a second.
The next week, you and Seungmin had presented in front of the class. Because of the preparation, you both were well prepared and could tell that even the professor was nodding along as he jotted down some notes. When the class was over, Seungmin fell alongside you, leaving the North building.
"You got any more classes for the day?" He asked.
You shook your head, a smile on your face. It was a Friday, meaning you had an early weekend. "Nope. That's all. I'm going home." You replied.
"Me too." Seungmin said, ducking his head under a low tree branch as he walked.
You smiled at him, and then pointed to the street where you would go to the bus stop, since on Fridays your sister had the car.
"I'm crossing." You told Seungmin when he awkwardly started walking in the other direction, continuing to talk to you.
Seungmin turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Oh, my sister has the family car today, so I'm busing." You told him.
Seungmin shot a weird look. "No, you're not. I'm giving you a ride." He said.
You shook your head. "Seungmin, you don't need to-"
"Yes? Okay, let's go." Seungmin smiled, pulling your arm so you practically flew into the other direction. He let go of your arm with a laugh and you playfully shoved him.
"You could've broke my arm!" You protested.
"Relax. You're being dramatic." Seungmin commented as he got his keys, unlocking the car from the distance where you could see his car in view. The two of you got in, and you took the passenger's seat without thinking much about it.
Seungmin started to drive, turning on the radio to some retro soft rock song you didn't recognize.
You looked at him. "So, how do you think we did?" You asked.
Seungmin smiled, his eyes on the road. "I think we did pretty good. We rehearsed really well, and it wasn't even nerve-wracking to speak up there." He said.
You nodded. "Yeah! I was a bit nervous at the start, but it ended up being really chill." You said.
You lived about 15 ish minutes away from the school, so you recognized the distance and roads needed to take. But when the usual highway exit passed, you looked at Seungmin quizzingly.
"Did you miss the exit on purpose?" You asked. Knowing Seungmin, he totally could've done that.
Seungmin shook his head, his eyes squinted in concentration as he glanced at the screen in front of him. Then he looked at you.
"What's the exact time right now?" He asked.
You awkwardly got your phone out from the back pocket on your jeans, and then looked at the screen.
"Ah." Seungmin nodded. "Okay." He muttered to himself.
He took the next exit and you could see that where he was going you had no clue. You blinked at him. "So, are you going to explain why you missed my house? Or....?"
Seungmin sighed. "Fine. If you must know..." Then he smiled, looking right at you.
"Our good friend Neuvillette is finished work in 3 minutes and we're in his area. So, being the gentleman I am, you know, it only makes sense..." He gave a smirk.
Your face burned once more hearing the word 'Neuvillette'.
"You're not going to let that go, are you?"
"Never. I think it's a cute name. He wouldn't mind you calling him that. I call him that all the time now." Seungmin said.
You slowly looked at him, your heart panicked and in disbelief. "You don't..."
"Nah. I don't. But I should though."
"No, you really shouldn't. I still get embarrassed thinking about it so if you don't mind, let's drop it before he's in the car." You said, a small shiver running down your back at the mention.
After all this time, you were going to see Felix today. You didn't even expect it or prepare for it.
Seungmin didn't say anything for a while. But it wasn't until he looked at you, he suddenly grinned so much that you couldn't help but inquire.
You shot him a confused look."What are you smiling about?"
Seungmin gave a chuckle. "It's pretty obvious. You like him, don't you?"
You felt your face heat up, but just punched Seungmin in the arm, before turning and looking out the window. "I don't like him, I don't even know him." You said.
"Okay, good. Because that would've been embarrassing for him and his girlfriend if they knew."
You felt your heart immediately drop. It was weird the way it dropped so fast as if Felix was someone you knew. He was allowed to have a girlfriend, there was no problem with that. Actually, looking at him, there was no way he wouldn't have a girlfriend. But the fear of your silent reaction made you question something even worse. Did you care that much because you actually did like him?
"Oh, yeah, no...no, I don't like him, no." You practically stuttered quietly. You continued to look out the window now, not wanting to look at Seungmin's little smile that you knew he was carrying.
What did she look like? Who was she? How good did they look together?
Seungmin started to laugh out loud once more and you gave him a confused look.
"I'm just messing with you. He doesn't have a girlfriend. I just wanted to see your reaction." Seungmin gave a proud teasing smile and you shook your head.
"I didn't make a reaction." You defended, even though for some strange reason hearing this fact made you feel lighter, almost like weirdly enough you had a chance now.
Seungmin smiled brightly, his eyes filled with mischief. "Yeah, you did. You were 0.5 seconds away from asking me just "who the lucky girl" was. Remember, I'm Felix's roommate. I see people have that look every time they're around him. Then they ask me for the follow ups." He said.
You breathed out a sigh. "Well, I'm sorry, some of us were never met with that kind of...beauty right in front of our faces."
Seungmin smirked. "Beauty, huh?"
Your hand made contact with his arm in a playful slap once again. It was basically a reflex at this point.
You felt quite curious now as your hands fiddled in your lap and you slowly looked at Seungmin. It was good to know that Felix didn't have a girlfriend. Well, maybe not good for him, but...you couldn't help but wonder. Even if there wasn't a proper label, surely there had to be someone.
"You said he didn't have a girlfriend, but...he's definitely seeing someone, right? Or-"
"Your ears are red." Seungmin suddenly commented. "Man, you're getting this worked up for someone you don't like, huh?"
"I don't like him. I don't know him enough to like him."
"Then why care if he is seeing someone? Asking if there's anyone he's seeing, it makes you sound pretty...possessive, don'tcha think?"
It was true. You weren't denying anything. And that was the problem. Who cared whether Felix had a girlfriend, or boyfriend, or partner, or was seeing someone, or officially dating, or engaged, or married, or completely single? You shouldn't care. But it would be good to know...at least, that's what you were telling yourself.
It was practically for educational purposes.
Seungmin didn't say anything for a while, and you ended up sitting in silence, all except for the occasional humming along to Everybody Wants To Rule the World playing on the radio. But after the song was over, Seungmin spoke out.
"Hmmm...let me call him real quick to check to see if he doesn't already have a ride or anything. We're almost there." Seungmin said, suddenly taking his phone out.
You watched as Seungmin went to contacts and clicked on one of the recent ones, before setting his phone on speaker and holding it with one hand.
The phone rang twice before it picked up.
Your eyes closed for a second before you forced them opened. That dang voice. It was deeper than you remembered.
"Hey, did you need a ride? I'm like, 3 minutes away." Seungmin said.
"Oh, yes, please. Thank you so much. I'm getting out, I'm just packing a leftover box. Did you want anything?"
"Yeah, do you guys still have those raspberry biscuits?"
"Ummm...I don't think so- oh wait..." There was some rustling in the over the line before Felix came back.
"Yeah, they're here. Only two though, it's the last of the batch, is that okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's fine thanks. Oh, just letting you know, there's a hostage in the car with me so you'll just sit in the back." Seungmin said, his tone serious.
You didn't hesitate to punch his arm once more.
Over the line, you could hear a sigh. "Seungmin, you need to stop saying you have hostages-"
You turned to Seungmin, your eyes widened, but he just gave a smug smile. "Whoops."
There was seriously something wrong with him.
"Did anyone hear that?" Seungmin asked, though the smile was still there.
"Luckily for you, I'm in the back by myself. But, I am leaving the kitchen right now though, so Kim Seungmin, think before you speak." Felix said, drawing emphasis on Seungmin's full name.
You smiled. You liked their friend dynamic. It was pretty interesting seeing how Seungmin was with how Felix was. It was like you had someone sensible, and then a complete menace.
"Who is it, by the way?" Felix asked. "Who do you have with you, Hyunjin?"
Seungmin shook his head, eyes on the road. "Physics classmate. The one I had the presentation with. You know," he smirked. "She thought you were Neuvillette."
"Seungmin!" You mouthed, giving him a punch on his leg. Seungmin just laughed.
Felix, on the other end, didn't say anything for a second. When he finally did, you heard rustling once again in the background.
"Oh, okay, did she want anything?"
Seungmin suddenly passed his phone to you, and you mini panicked as you held his phone.
"She's on speaker, you can ask her." Seungmin replied smugly.
You shot him a glare. Why was he like that?
"Hiiii, how are you? How was the presentation?" Felix's voice was warm, dating back to the first time he talked to you. Like, even in this moment he knew somehow that you needed to relax and he provided that option.
"Hi Felix. I'm good. The presentation was really good, thank you. How are you?" You were aware how small and frail your voice sounded and Seungmin gave a certain smile as you spoke but you chose to ignore him.
"I'm doing well, thanks. I'm just packing a leftover box from the bakery I work at, was there anything you wanted? Like cookies, brownies, biscuits, scones, anything like that?" Felix asked.
You smiled at his courtesy but shook your head. "Oh, no...I'm good, but thank you though." You said shyly.
"Are you sure? It's really no problem. I bring back leftovers all the time."
"No, I had a late lunch so I'm a bit full," You let out a nervous chuckle which Seungmin definitely noticed. "But thank you so much, Felix."
Seungmin parked on the street across from a small bakery called Modern Bakeshop Inc, a place where you remember driving by sometimes but you never checked it out.
"Okay dude, we're right outside."
The phone hung up then and you sat up a bit straighter as you looked at the entrance door. An elder man came outside of the doors, and you watched as he turned the "Come in, we're open" sign to "Sorry, we're closed". The bakery officially closed now and you knew that in a matter of seconds Felix would come.
It was hard not to miss him. He looked elegant, dressed in a simple white oversized shirt over jean shorts. His hair was tied up in a messy bun with front strands all over his face. You watched as Felix spotted the car and smiled, showing the box before he started crossing the street towards the car.
"Who do you think he's cosplaying this time?" Seungmin asked as he leaned towards you, the teasing plainly heard in his tone.
Felix got to the car and it was when he was by the door did you realize you were sitting in the front. You suddenly pressed the button to slide down your window and when Felix saw that, he stood in front of the open window, looking down at you.
And man, if his beauty wasn't enough, you just realized in addition to his ethereal face, he had freckles.
"Did you want to sit up front?" You asked, trying not to look too flushed at the radiant prince of a man in front of you.
Felix shook his head, giving a soft smile. "No. I'll be at back. Don't worry about it." He said.
Felix gave a final smile before he started to open the back door and you could hear Seungmin muttering about how insufferable the two of you were.
As Felix settled in, Seungmin waited, turning to look over.
"Can I have a scone please?"
You looked through the sun visor mirror and saw Felix blink up at Seungmin, and you found it semi-cute how his doe eyes would resemble that much of a child in his natural habitat.
Pfft. Who were you kidding? It was adorable.
"You're hungry for one now? You don't want to wait until you get to the dorm?" Felix asked.
Seungmin smiled. "Yeah, I'll have one now in the car, and one in the dorm."
"Okay." Felix opened his leftover box and you watched how he carefully handed a scone to Seungmin. At this exchange, he looked at your and your heart flipped at the eye contact.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Felix asked you.
The butterflies in your stomach did cartwheels once more and you had to smile, no longer looking at Felix because he would see you literally flustered without explanation. The thing was, there was no explanation as to why you were like this. Felix just had that effect and you weren't sure why. But you just nodded and flashed what you hoped was a friendly smile.
Felix leaned forward in his seat, looking at you through the sun visor mirror.
"And... if you did end up wanting anything, you'd tell me right?"
You broke eye contact, smiling to yourself like a crushing schoolgirl. This was bad. You didn't know what was worse. The fact that Felix had an effect on you so strong from basically just existing, the fact that he was right there and that meant he could see you quite literally melt, or the fact that Seungmin was watching the whole exchange with a look you could depict well. You prayed silently that he wouldn't say anything about this.
You just nodded, your face warm. This didn't make sense. Felix just asked a simple question and yet...? You were that entranced?
"Okay." Felix then sat back in his seat, putting his seatbelt on. "I'm ready to go home."
Seungmin started to drive then, and you were still shook up, and not speaking as you looked down at your lap. From the corner of your eye you saw that Seungmin had noticed, of course, and to you caught a sudden smirk he carried throughout the ride back home.
Seungmin could think whatever he wanted. It didn't change the fact that you didn't truly know Felix, and probably wouldn't have even a chance with him. A man like Felix wouldn't be single for long. There was no way there could ever be an interest.
The next few days you didn't hear anything. You still had your class with Seungmin, but between schedules and other classes it was difficult to even talk to him. Now that the presentation was over, there wasn't really any need to still be around him technically, though you spent time thinking of the past events of last week. Was it already a week ago since you last saw Felix? It was annoying how much you were thinking about him.
But it wasn't until Thursday when just like normal you were leaving your afternoon class that Seungmin - who wasn't in that class- caught up with you.
"Hey, you don't have any other classes do you?" His voice sounded rushed and he looked frantic and you turned, stopping in the hallways to look at him.
"No. What's up, Seungmin, everything okay?"
"Not really." He blows out a breath.
You furrowed your eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
Seungmin scratched the back of his head, his eyes not meeting yours. "I have this friend, Jeongin. You know Jeongin, right? Always smiling, baby faced....he's a music major."
You paused and nodded, slowly getting an image in your head. "Yeah, think I've seen him around study hall."
"Yeah, so he sings and makes music and tonight he's doing a set at the open mic night in the cafe on Bright Street."
The open mic cafe was an event that would happen every Thursday at 7pm at the cafe. It was organized by students after the cafe's closing hours at 5pm, and was there for the purpose and reason of showcasing student talent. Whether it was singing, spoken word, dancing, jokes even, you knew of these open mic nights and liked its cause.
"Yeah, but I have a problem." Seungmin said.
"So...he wanted to show up a couple of hours earlier to practice the acoustics...he usually shows up before anyone else just to practice, that's how dedicated he is. But...he doesn't have a guitar pick with him, and I told him I'd meet him at 5 to give my guitar pick,"
"But I just realized that my sister- who studies abroad, comes home at 5 for her reading week and I have to pick her up from the airport. We're probably going to be grabbing dinner and catching up, which means I can't make it to open mic night, but I already told Jeongin that I'm on the way with this pick. I just got a text from my sister saying 'see you soon' and I just realized what day it was, and I mixed up the days and everything..."
Seungmin's voice trailed off. He looked at you, with desperate eyes, almost like there was no one else. And technically, there wasn't, when you assessed how it was 4:53 and somebody should be at the cafe to meet Jeongin if he was going to be there by 5.
"Well, I...I can give him the pick." You answered slowly.
Seungmin looked at you, his face drawing into a smile. "You will?"
Before you could confirm, Seungmin already dug at his pocket, handing you a deep brown colored guitar pick. You gave a small smile, taking it.
"Thank you so much! You know where the cafe is right?"
You nodded. "Of course. And it's fine. Have fun with your sister." You wished.
"Thank you! I'll text Jeongin and let him know you're coming!"
Seungmin and you parted then and you watched as he jogged down the hallway, headed to the parking lot exit. You smiled. You didn't have the car with you for Thursday (as your brother needed it last minute), but luckily the cafe was about a good seven minute walk down the campus.
You opened your phone to check the time. It was now 4:54pm and you hoped that Seungmin would make it to the airport on time. You knew that there was a near airport to the university that you were sure he was referring to. You smiled as you started walking. It was nice of him to do this. You didn't even know he had a sister, you just saw him as the menace he was.
You started to exit the building, grateful that the spring weather was nice and warm but not too much. You spotted buds starting to form off the branches of tall trees and noises of students leaving and going to classes have you a certain romanticised feeling of life, where moments like these you could breathe in deeply and allow yourself to live.
You liked walking. Some days music would accompany your trails with the perfect background set from your earphones, but other days like today- where there would've been too much of a hassle to get your earphones from the front pocket of your backpack- you ignored the need of lyrical disassociation, and chose to listen to the sounds of nature instead.
When you finally arrived to your destination, you smiled, feeling the guitar pick in your pocket and headed to the cafe, which you could see from the windows that the lights were already on. Jeongin was probably already there. You hoped that Seungmin at least texted Jeongin and let him know it would be you to hand in the guitar pick instead of the familiar face of his friend.
You slowed your walk, getting to the door, gave it three seconds, and the pulled it, indicating the top bell to chime. You spotted near the side of the cafe, a couple of guys had mics set up and Jeongin was sitting on a stool, guitar in hand, currently doing a mic check. He noticed you come in and although you both didn't officially know each other or meet, he gave a smile, his hand shooting up in the air indicating that he could see you and was awkwardly calling you over. You smiled, doing the same before you walked over to him.
"Hey, um...Seungmin said-"
"Yes, of course." Jeongin smiled, his eyes gentle. "He told me you were coming."
You smiled, taking your guitar pack from you pocket and you handed it to him. Jeongin smiled.
"Thank you." He bowed his head towards you and then turned to the stool, going back to sit. Before sitting down, you heard a voice from behind you, low and familiar.
"Did you want a spotlight for your set?"
At least, that was who you thought it was, but you couldn't believe it if it was true. You didn't expect him in this place, as you've been to multiple open mic nights before and never seen him. A part of your brain said maybe it wasn't Felix, that it could be someone else, but somehow you knew. Plus, that rich Australian accent was irreplaceable.
You took a couple of steps back and then slowly turned, just as Jeongin smiled.
"Yeah, I think I want a spotlight. Thanks Felix."
Jeongin turned and walked back to the stage just as you felt someone stand next to you in a white t-shirt under a leather jacket and black joggers. His hair was down and the front strands were brushed away and tucked behind his ears, revealing his bare face dotted with pretty freckles. You didn't realize how much he had, it was almost more each time you saw him. It was a simple attire but he looked immensely good in your eyes, and to be someplace where you weren't expecting him to be and suddenly seeing him, your stomach caught butterflies.
Felix looked over at you and smiled, his eyes lighting up. "Hey you, what are you doing here?"
You smiled at his greeting. "Hey, um...I was just giving Jeongin his guitar pick that Seungmin was supposed to give, but...he has to be with his sister." You said.
At your words Felix paused, a confused look flashed his face as his eyebrows furrowed.
"You gave it to him just now?" He asked.
You blinked, looking back at Jeongin who was starting to tune his guitar.
"Wait that's weird. Seungmin told me to give him his guitar pick. I was just setting up the lights and monitor in the back so I forgot, but..." You watched as Felix took a guitar pic out of his pocket. "Seungmin gave this to me this morning."
That made you blink once more. "But, he gave me a pick right after class..." You said suspiciously.
Felix paused for a silent beat before he eventually gave an easy going smile, shrugging his shoulders. "Perhaps he forgot he gave it to two people."
"Maybe...." Your voice trailed off.
At that very second you felt your phone buzz in the back pocket of your jeans. You shot Felix an apologetic look and took a few steps back looking at the new text from Seungmin himself.
When you saw the text, you took a double take, trying not to show the redness in your face. It was a small message but even via text you could still hear the smugness in his tone.
Thought you could've used some company so I may or may not have given Neuvillette a spare pic and asked him the same thing I asked you.
You snuck a glance at Felix who now had his arms crossed, eyes ahead and glinting in awe to Jeongin's practice, and his head nodding to the beat of the track playing in the background. You looked back on your messages before you typed back.
You saw that he was online and you could envision the smirk on Seungmin's face while at the airport.
If he even was at the airport.
You got a text back immediately after and you read.
Simple. You like Felix, he finds you endearing, and I find it all annoying.
So I may have decided to push things along.
With the both of you at the same place, that forces you to get to know each other without my presence. I don't need to babysit all the time, do I?
You pause, staring at the message for quite a bit. What did Seungmin mean, Felix found you endearing? Endearing? That was a big word. Was Seungmin making that up? Was it true? Were you sure that was even what he texted? Is this just a plot for you to admit your feelings and have yourself be rejected?
When you felt like staring at the word didn't do anything to change his you felt, you slowly started to text back.
What do you mean he finds me endearing??????
A minute. Nothing. He was online as you spoke but now when it mattered most he wasn't there?
KIM SEUNGMIN I KNOW YOU READ MY TEXT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN ENDEARING?!?
After long seconds, you saw that he texted back and you were nervous to see what Felix's own roommate would say.
I have to meet my sister now. Why don't you ask him?
Oh btw....what's he cosplaying this time? ;)
It was your turn to leave Seungmin on read. You sighed, closing your phone.
You forgot who was standing next to you. You slowly turned, locking eyes with Felix who gave a curious look. He nodded to your phone and then looked back at you, almost questioning the past minutes you had. You started to feel your face heating up and you quickly nodded, averting your eyes back to Jeongin.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I had no idea he could sing." You made a small comment, trying to move the conversation elsewhere.
Felix followed your gaze and smiled. "Yeah, Jeongin is talented. He has a beautiful tone." He said.
You both were quiet after that. You weren't sure what was under Felix's mind, but you for sure knew that you were thinking about what Seungmin said. How could you casually ask Felix about what he meant, when you weren't even sure nor had the proof of him calling you endearing? Was this something you even would confront Felix on or would you just leave it be, and wait to see if maybe he would say something first?
You were shy. And it was Felix, for crying out loud. That man was too beautiful to be bothered with. You were at least sure he was talking to someone. He had to have been. No one with that level of beauty could absolutely have no one. So many people must have come up to him and expressed their interest and out of the many, he probably found someone he liked.
Originally, you were going to go home.
That was the plan. The only assignment you had was to hand Jeongin the guitar pic and be back by no later than 6pm. Not that anyone at home was expecting you at a certain hour, but you were expecting yourself to end the day with the completed duty. But what you didn't know was that you would be there until the very last showstopper. Open mic night wasn't a long event anyway, and so by the time it did end the sun was still up at 7:30. You enjoyed college talent and liked the atmosphere of people everywhere showing up for their friends.
The highlight of the night was definitely Jeongin who sang a soothing original that brought a proud smile to your face, despite only officially meeting him today. At the end of the night, you congratulated him and he thanked you.
People soon dispersed, talks of grabbing dinner or hanging out in the air, and the cafe started growing empty. Now you were going to wait a little bit as you saw the next bus that would come would be in 10 minutes. You saw the tech crew start to take things down and coil wires from the stage mics and you figured you should probably stand outside to get out of their way.
You wanted to at least say goodnight to Felix, who during the night, you lost in the swarm, but if you couldn't find him (which was like right now) you concluded it was okay and you would see him sometime. At least you had a moment before the open mic night even started to talk to him for a little bit.
You gave one more scan through the cafe, but you told yourself he probably either went home or was in the back somewhere. You headed to the door now and twisted the knob, walking out.
But it was when you stepped outside, you heard a sudden commotion and saw Felix and Jeongin to the left of the sidewalk, putting stuff in the back of his car. You watched as Felix gave a smile, handing the guitar that was propped on the pavement to Jeongin, who put it carefully in the back. When the door slammed closed, you watch Felix give Jeongin a dap and then bro-hug.
"Take care." You heard his voice say just as Jeongin departed, smiling as he walked over to the driver's seat. He waved behind him in the process of getting in the car and then closed his door, starting the engine.
Felix took a couple of steps back and waved at the Jeongin's car now driving away. You stared at the now gone interaction, finding it difficult to move now from where you stood outside the cafe door.
Felix was walking towards you now, but he didn't see you as he fetched for what looked like keys in his pocket. He swirled them mindlessly, whistling to himself before he looked up, pushing back strands of silver away from his eyes in a swift motion. When he did that, your eyes locked with his and Felix blinked, stopping in his walk for a second before he restarted, giving a soft smile.
"Hey! Thought you left already." Felix said, reaching you.
You have a nervous laugh as you looked down briefly, trying to will yourself not to completely lose it and blush in front of him.
He just looked so...perfect. How does one keep calm when conversing with an ethereal being?
"Yeah, no, I am I just...Bus." Your ability to formulate real sentences failed you and so you just pointed down the street to the bus stop instead, hoping Felix would understand.
Somehow he did, because then he looked at you, tilting his head slightly.
"You're taking the bus?" Felix asked, shifting the weight in one leg. His eyes were big, full of interest, or at least that's what you were telling yourself.
You nodded. "Yeah, my brother has my car right now. Or, the family car, I should say. We take turns...with the car and...yeah."
You were so awkward. You couldn't believe there could ever be a time where you were missing Seungmin but hey...there were first times for everything.
Felix just gave a gentle smile and nodded, never once showing that he couldn't understand you, almost like you excelled in communication and he had no problem getting what you were saying.
Maybe he was pitying you. It would make more sense if he was.
You remembered something Seungmin said once. He said that there were plenty of people who had the same reaction or effect when meeting Felix, and then they would reach out to Seungmin for questions on his mysterious fairy like roommate. This nervous reaction you were giving right now was probably something Felix was used to.
But what you weren't used to, or at least expecting however was Felix looking over his shoulder at the bus stop and then back at you.
Your heart skipped a beat and you looked up at him. There was no way. He said it like it was the most normal thing.
Maybe it was normal, but to you that added on a whole other level of nerves.
You were a mess, like an actual nervous wreck and you would blank out everytime just looking at Felix and now? Now you would be in his car? With him? Driving you home?
"Uh...." You cleared your throat. Then you shook your head. "No, you don't have to."
Of course the angel just smiled. "It's no problem. My car's just down a block because of parking times, so we have to walk just a little bit, or I can go to the car now and just come to you." Felix said.
You shook your head, first at the offer, and then at the kindness. "I don't want to disturb you..."
At that Felix gave a light laugh that immediately sent butterflies to your stomach.
"You couldn't disturb me. Seriously, it's no problem at all. I know Seungmin would drop you off sometimes, this shouldn't be a problem." He said.
You weren't going to argue in the sidewalk all day so despite your nerves, you nodded, smiling shyly.
How you were going to do this, you had no idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
