synopsis ; your birthday was supposed to be a happy day. go have brunch with your friends before coming home and spending the rest of the evening with your loving boyfriend. however, the people you thought were your friends made you feel like complete and utter shit. upon your early arrival, felix knew something was wrong, and he was going to do his best to cheer you up and bring a smile back to your face.
pairing(s) ; bf!felix x f!reader
☆ ── wc. ; 2.2K
☆ ── genre ; smut, slight angst, fluff, comfort
☆ ── tw. ; MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!!, cussing, kissing, unprotected sex, clit play, fingering, crying, petnames (pretty baby, baby, babygirl, sweetheart, my love...), teasing, soft dom!felix x sub!reader, lix is just a overall sweetheart, biting/marking, soft sex, pantie ripping, oral (f. receiving), creampie, slight breast play, tooth-rotting fluff at the end, lmk if I missed anything!!
⏤͟͟͞͞ JOIN THE TAGLIST ── MASTERLIST NAVI ── MAIN NAVI
You had to will yourself not to cry, not wanting to waste any tears on people who didn't deserve them. Though you couldn't help the tightening feeling in your chest as you stepped closer and closer to your apartment door.
It was your birthday, and you were supposed to be out celebrating with your friends. You even went as far as getting all dolled up, wearing the new sundress that Felix had bought for you. Just to be completely and utterly humiliated by the people who were supposed to be your friends.
Sniffling, you dug your keys out of your purse before unlocking the door. Pushing the door open, you were met with the soft sound of music playing in the kitchen, telling you that Felix was home. Sighing, you shut the door behind you and slip out of your shoes. You didn't have the energy to put on a fake face, not that it'll work with Felix anyway.
Hearing the door close Felix stood straight, looking over his shoulder, you weren't supposed to be home for another hour or so. Dusting his hands off on his jeans, he turned and made his way towards the entrance hall, a silly smile playing on his lips. However, as soon as he caught sight of your distraught expression, his smile dropped.
“Baby, what's wrong?” His tone was dripping with concern as he made his way to you, taking your arm in his hand.
Swallowing thickly, you looked up at him, tears brimming on your waterline. “I don't wanna talk about it, I'm just gonna go change.” You spoke in a low tone, scared that you'd cry if you spoke any higher.
Felix, however, didn't let go, keeping you rooted in your spot.
“We don't have to talk about it, but don't change, you look beautiful.” He pouted, the sight making your heart squeeze, and he knew damn well that you'd give in to him.
You sigh, “Okay. What were you doing in the kitchen?”
A bright smile then spreads on the male's lips, and he grabs your hand, pulling you into the other room. As soon as you walked through the threshold, your eyes went wide.
The room smelled like vanilla, the lights were dim, and in the center of the dining table was a small birthday cake.
Felix pulled you over to the table so you could see. Your heart flips in your chest as you look over the decorations.
“Lixie, baby, you didn't have to do all of this.” You go to turn and look at him, but he stops you when his arms snake around your waist, pulling you into his chest.
He hums, planting soft kisses on your exposed neck, “You deserve it, baby, all of it.”
You sigh, head falling to the side to give him more access to your skin. His hands started to roam your body, his left coming up to cup your breast, squeezing softly.
“Lix.” You breathe out, body starting to grow warm, and his kisses start turning into hot, open-mouthed kisses.
“Shh, baby, let me take care of you. I'll make you feel better, I promise.” He whispered against your skin as his right hand moved down to the hem of your dress.
You completely melted in his hold, letting him do as he pleases, your hands gripping his shirt from behind you.
His plump lips glided over your skin, biting down every so often to hear the soft whines that would fall from your lips. His right hand slips under your dress, finding your clothes core.
“My pretty baby is having such a bad day.” His hand cups your heat, eliciting a breathy moan from your parted lips, “but it's okay, I'm gonna make you feel real good.”
He presses against your clit, loving the way your body starts to tremble from such a small action. Pulling your panties to the side, he runs his fingers through your folds, feeling how wet you had gotten from just a few kisses. As much as he wanted to tease you for it, he went with his better judgment and kept his mouth shut.
“You're soaked, baby,” Felix's voice dropped an octave as he found your clit once more, pressing slow circles on the bundle.
“Felix.” You whine, clearly wanting him to go faster but he doesn't, instead he pulls his hand away.
You opened your mouth to say something, but were silenced when he turned your body around, grabbing the backs of your thighs and propping you up on the dining table.
A gasp fell from your lips, but was quickly swallowed by Felix's. His hands tugged at your dress until it was a pool on the ground.
“God, you're so fucking beautiful.” He groans as he takes in the new skin shown to him, tracing every inch of your body as if he hasn't seen it countless times before.
Despite that fact, you still found yourself growing shy under his watchful gaze, and heat crept up your neck before painting your cheeks a cherry red.
“Lay back for me, baby.” He pecked your lips once more, laying your body flat on the table.
“Felix.” You breathed out when his lips latched onto your nipple, flicking the bud with his tongue while his free hand trailed down to your panties, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.
Your hips bucked into his palm as he pressed down on your clit once more, a sweet moan falling from your lips. Your fingers move from the nape of his neck to thread them through his bright blonde hair, pulling softly.
“F-Felix.” You huffed out, eyes rolling slightly when he prodded at your entrance. “Lixie, please.” Tears started to well up in your eyes before falling.
Felix cooes softly, peppering your face with kisses as he slips his fingers into your warm heat. Your eyes rolled back as his skillful fingers easily found your sweet spot, pressing right against it.
“There's no need to beg, baby, I'll give you what you want.” He mused, pressing his lips against yours, stealing the air from your lungs, and his fingers picked up their pace, stars dancing across your vision. All of the tension and sadness from earlier were slowly dissipating with every stroke of his fingers.
Soft moans fell from your parted lips as he continued his leisurely pace, his mouth preoccupied with your chest. Deep red marks littered your skin as his lips trailed down the valley of your breast, down your navel, before finally coming face-to-face with your weeping cunt. Without so much as a second thought, he buried his face between your thighs, inhaling your scent as his nose bumped against your aching clit. A shocked gasp tore through your throat, your hand flying down to his head as he licked a stripe up your pussy, starting from where his fingers were still working into you before stopping to wrap his lips around your clit, sucking gently.
The softness of his movements was sending your mind reeling. He was always so eager to get you to cum. Even more so if it was on his tongue. However, seeing him now, all he cared about was your pleasure and helping you relax.
His eyes caught yours from your tense tummy, love and adoration gleaming in his warm chocolate orbs. The love and tenderness that was seeping from him brought tears to your eyes. Noticing the glassy look in your eyes, he removed his mouth from your clit and crawled back over your body.
“What’s wrong, baby?” His voice was soft as he pulled his fingers out, leaving you empty. The feeling caused you to whine softly, but you swallowed it down as Felix leaned down. He captured your lips in a gentle kiss, relishing in your taste, your eyes fluttering shut as you wrapped your arms around his neck.
“I need you, Lix. So bad.” You murmured against his lips when he started to pull away, and Felix could feel his pants grow even tighter at the desperation in your tone. His fingers danced across your skin as he looked down at you, slotting his body fully against yours.
“Hmm, how do you need me, babygirl?” His tone was nothing short of teasing as he continued to pepper kisses all over your face, down to your chest.
Your fingers curled into the material of his shirt, tugging roughly when he nipped at your collarbone. “I need you in me, Felix. To fuck me, please.” You cried out, the tears that had built up on your waterline finally spilling over.
“Such a dirty girl,” He cooed, lips detaching from your skin to take in your messy appearance. Mascara was already running under your eyes from all the crying you’ve done, and your once glossed lips had the pink tint smeared all over your chin. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Felix had some on his chin as well. “But I did promise to take care of my needy baby.”
He wasted no time in discarding his clothes and quite literally tearing the thin fabric of your underwear away from your body. After there were no barriers left between the two of you, Felix moved forward, pressing your thighs further apart. Felix pulled small whimpers from your swollen lips as he teased your clit with his tip, relishing in the way that your body trembled in his hold.
“F-Felix.” You looked up at him with a pleading gaze, “You said I wouldn’t have to beg.” The pout that formed on your lips had his cock twitching in his hand, a small groan falling from his lips.
“I did, didn’t I?” He chuckled, trailing his tip down to your slit but not quite pushing in yet, “Okay, I’ll give my needy girl what she wants. All she needs is Lixie's cock to make her feel better, hmm?” Then, with a final hum, he pushed into your tight hole, and your back arched from the sudden intrusion.
“Fuck! Yes, just need Lixie’s cock!” You cried out in pure ecstasy as he slowly rutted his hips into yours, watching your body twitch with his bottom lip caught between his teeth.
Before too long, his slow pace grew steadily until he had your legs dangling over his shoulders as he bullied his thick cock into your twitching cunt. The room filled with the sounds of skin slapping and a mixture of your broken moans and Felix’s low whimpers as he neared his release.
“Fuck baby, I’m so close.” His voice was bordering on a whine, his fingers tightening around the plush of your thighs, nails leaving crescent shapes behind. “I need you to cum for me, sweetheart, please.” The pleading tone in his voice had your pussy tightening around his length, the coil in your stomach tightening crazily.
“Lix!” You cried as the rough pad of his thumb met with your aching clit, rubbing tight circles over the small bundle of nerves. Tears blurred your vision when you finally felt that coil snap, your release gushing all over Felix’s length.
The intensity of your orgasm sends Felix over the edge, his face burying itself in the crook of your neck as he damn near folds your body in half. He released hot spurts of his thick cum inside your fluttering walls. His warm breath fanned the sweaty skin of your neck, making you shiver.
Neither of you said a word as you both came back down from your highs, bodies still entangled on the dining table. Felix was the first to speak, his lips ghosting over your jaw as he lowered your quivering legs so they could relax.
“How was that present? The best yet if I do say so myself.” He gave you a lopsided smile as he pulled out of your spent cunt before helping you sit up. Heat flushed your face as you smacked his chest.
“You’re something else, Lix.” You shook your head, but a wide grin still spread across your lips, and Felix looked at you with an endearing gaze. His intense gaze made you suddenly feel shy, your cheeks turning rosy red. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since you got home.” He mentioned, and you felt a guilt start to settle in the pit of your stomach; however, Felix was quick to grab your attention once more, “forget about them, my love, if they’re making you feel like shit, then they don’t deserve to be your friends.”
Tears involuntarily filled your eyes as you looked up at him, and your bottom lip quivered as you fought back the urge to cry once more. Felix hushed you as he wrapped his arms around your smaller frame, whispering sweet nothings in your ear.
Your arms wrapped around his midsection as you soaked in his warmth, a few stray tears sliding down your cheeks. If there was one thing in the world that you were most grateful for, it would be your boyfriend. He always, always, went above and beyond to make sure you were happy and cared for.
Smiling softly, you nuzzled into his chest. This was where you belonged, because even if no one else would have your back, Felix would without fail. It was truly a blessing to have met him, and you’d be damned if you were going to ever let go.
He was home.
☆ ── special notes ; PAUSE!!! if you have read this before, that would be because this is a revamped vers of another fic (birthday blues) from my old blog (@/wwooyology); I am the same writer!!!
(this is actually written by @keepswingin, who gained access to my blog for five minutes and decided she wanted my prompts list)
---
It's bad luck, and you know it's bad luck, but you can't stop yourself from sneaking across the hall as soon as nobody is looking. You close the door as quietly as possible behind you and turn around, fully prepared to tease your husband to be, only to find him standing before the mirror, shakily adjusting his tie.
Felix is muttering to himself as he struggles with keeping his hands steady, smoothing them down the sides of his pants, once, twice, three times, and then he catches your eye in the mirror, and he freezes, and something about it reminds you of a deer caught between bright headlights.
"Sorry," you giggle, approaching him with your heart thumping wildly in your chest because this is actually happening, and he's going to be what you wake up next to every morning, and those hands will help you cook dinner and those eyes will look at you and call you beautiful and - and you're getting carried away. "I couldn't wait."
You reach out for his hand as soon as you're close enough, twining your fingers together. You can still feel him shake despite it, and the small smile he gives you is wobbly at the corners, and his eyes are crinkled in that anxious way that he claims he doesn't do, and you tug him closer, reaching your other hand up to curl around his cheek.
"Hey," you whisper, his eyes catching yours. "You're okay. Everything's okay. Focus. Focus on me." You press your forehead against his and hear his chest stutter with a long exhale. "I'm right here."
"I'm sorry," he says as soon as he's able to, blinking fast. Leave it to him to apologize over things that don't require one. "I was just - my mom left to go find something, and I was standing here alone and I just got to thinking and then I - " Another breath, this one calmer than the last. "I just don't want to mess anything up. On our day."
"You could never ruin our day," you tell him, and then your smile grows because you can't help yourself and he knows how you are. "Even if you did, I'd still treasure it all the same."
It does work in dragging a laugh out of him, genuine and carefree. "You're going to make me worry all over again," he throws back gently, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "You're beautiful, by the way."
"Can you still act surprised when you see me walk out? My mom already threatened me," you ask, and then his lips pull into a smile you'll never forget as he moves closer, lips brushing lightly against your own.
"My mom threated me too," he admits quietly, and then he's kissing you, and you can't help but wonder how any of this could ever be bad luck when it's the luckiest you've ever felt.
pairing: childhood friend!reader x popular boy!lee felix | friends to lovers (alternatively: basketball club manager!reader x basketball player!lee felix)— a little bit of reader x juyeon (the boyz) as well
genre: fluff, angst, high school au, mutual pining(?)
word count: 11.0k (whew!)
warnings: nothing much, some small mentions of physical violence. (also me not knowing how basketball works but accidentally incorporating too much of it in the story)
synopsis: deep down you knew that things won't always be the same as it was when you were kids. as you grew up, felix became more and more popular compared to you, who remained invisible in the crowd. although you took this as a sign of drifting apart and denying your feelings for your childhood bestfriend, felix did not.
networks: @ficscafe
a/n: this gif makes me weak (edit: accidentally put "juyeon from ateez" in the title bc im big dumb who got confused)
"felix! over here!"
"you're the best, lee felix!"
cheers erupted from the gymnasium thanks to the current basketball game ongoing. though you had zero interest in the world of sports, you were not one to flake from supporting your bestfriend just because of it.
despite the fact that felix was just asked last minute to fill in a spot for an injured player, there was no doubt that he suddenly became the star of the show, with the air being filled by the sound of his name. you'd think that the actual basketball team would be jealous except they weren't, because felix was also leading them to victory.
"dude, felix absolutely knocked it out of the park. he should've just been in the basketball team from the start!" your friend said, recounting the details of last week's game.
thanks to felix, the school's team was able to make it to regionals and you couldn't be more proud.
"hmm, yeah, probably." you agreed mindlessly, not wanting to say something like 'he always liked soccer more.'
you see, you've been bestfriends with lee felix since you were both in diapers, and it's safe to say that you both knew the ins and outs of each other.
your families were so close that they all even decided to transfer to a different city together so that you'd all still be neighbors. so, in junior year, you and felix found yourselves transferring to a new school together. but unfortunately, it also coincided during a time of teen angst and budding social constructs brought upon who does puberty best, making junior year also the phase where felix skyrocketed to high school fame, leaving you behind in the shadows.
so when you were both offered a chance to start afresh due to the move, you begged if you could both pretend to not know each other, it ended up blowing into a huge argument, one you've both never had before but it definitely got you what you wanted.
"we've been bestfriends for so long, why do you suddenly want to act like strangers?"
"because!! just let me have this, felix, please."
"i just don't get it, y/n..."
"can't you just leave me alone? stop asking about it, you know we won't be kids who'll be stuck to the hip forever!"
"fine. have what you want, y/n."
you felt bad about how you two ended. how senior year started in your new school and you both avoided each other in the hallways, two bestfriends acting like they've never known each other at all.
but you couldn't tell him it's because you felt inferior to his sudden glow up. he grew taller than you, lost baby fat, developed a deep voice that brings chills to anyone's spine, and everyone started noticing him. he's always been a ball of sunshine who loved joining extracurriculars so having him noticed with a spotlight was inevitable— it helped a lot that he was cute too.
his rise to popularity was more so a question of when and not if. unlike you, he was everything put into one. a symbol of perfection. especially when he decided to dye his hair blonde— matched with his sunkissed freckles, he looked like the epitome of a happy summer day.
he wasn't just amazing at the things he chooses to do, he's also sickeningly sweet and nice. even when you two ended up not talking to each other for a week after your argument, he was still the first to climb the window to your room and apologize with a bunch of snacks.
he apologized, when you were the one at fault.
how much perfect can he be?
because of that, you realized that you at least owed him an explanation.
"what?! y/n, that's not true! you're smart and kind and pretty—"
"ok ok stop!" you waved him away, trying to hide the creeping blush on your face, accidentally pushing him off your bed. felix is a sweet talker, and you know that that's just how he talks to everyone in general. the compliments meant nothing since he could turn around and say the same things to somebody else right now.
"—ah y/n!!!"
"sorry!!" you tried to help him up but since you couldn't stop laughing at his demise, he ended up overpowering you and pulling you down with him.
"ugh i hate you!"
"what? you don't get to say that, you pushed me off first!" he just put you in a chokehold as you laid on top of him, despite pulling you on the floor with him, he still made sure to cushion your fall, bursting into fits of laughter together.
"look, y/n, you're my bestfriend and i don't want to lose you so i'll do what you want. but if you ever need anything, i'm always here. so please, let's stop fighting already."
"mm, okay." you just answered, snuggling to him on the floor as you felt his soothing breathing on your hair.
that was almost 5 months ago and although you two were still close at home (and sometimes in public when you felt brave risking it), you never approached him at school.
this made felix sad, of course, but he wanted to keep his word, and soon enough, he got used to it.
"you called for me, mr. kim?"
"ah yes! y/ln y/n! just in time, have a seat." you tried to hide your dubious face as you sat down in front of the club advisor's desk, eyeing him carefully.
"umm... is there something wrong?" you fiddled with the ends of your sleeves anxiously, the act of being called to teachers' offices always sending a shudder down your spine even when you were confident that you did nothing wrong.
"oh! no no! not at all. sorry for scaring you, ms. y/n but the basketball club actually needs a favor."
"oh... i don't think i'd be much help with that, sports isn't my umm.."
"ah, worry not ms. y/n, we're not asking for you to shoot some hoops in court. the male's basketball team actually needs a manager."
"a manager?"
"yeah, basically you watch over them and stuff. i don't know if you've heard but dahyun, the original manager, had been suspended from club activities because her grades were falling down. and now that the guys are set for regionals, they need a manager now more than ever."
"i'm not sure sir..."
"please y/n. it's only until dahyun gets her grades back up, you're our best option right now. you're in perfect academic standing and you don't drool over these sweaty teenage boys, gah! you won't believe how many applications we received of girls just wanting to get closer to mr. lee felix— he's not even actually in the basketball club!"
you wanted to laugh but also felt bad for mr. kim, so you couldn't stop yourself from caving in. "alright—"
"yes!! you're a lifesaver y/n! don't worry, i'll make sure to give you some compensation in terms of extra credits. i'll make sure that this isn't a waste of your time."
"that would be great sir, thank you."
"no, thank YOU."
although it felt nice having the promise of extra credits and helping, you soon felt queasy as you left mr. kim's office. he told you that dahyun would show you the ropes so you could efficiently fill her spot but dahyun was a former basketball varsity whilst you couldn't tell the difference between a tennis racket and a badminton racket.
you didn't know the first thing about managing a basketball club so with the remaining one hour left before club activities started, you did what you do best: study. you binged on guides to playing basketball and the terminologies, how the rules work, etc.
but cramming wasn't really your style, so you ended up jamming too much information than your brain could handle, making it all mixed up in your head.
"y/n, right?" dahyun immediately greeted with a smile when you entered the school's gymnasium.
"yeah, sorry, i don't know what i'm supposed to be doing."
"pshh, it's fine! as long as you're not one of those girls who climbs up the gymnasium windows to catch a peek at the guys then you're already great!"
"mm, yeah no, definitely not." you cringed, not realizing people were taking it to the extreme. you knew that good looking guys were always popular but you didn't know that they were that popular.
dahyun handed you her files and made you a checklist of what to do (which you rewrote because of how messy it looked), she showed you the way to the court and where the balls are kept. she told you which member liked what flavor of sports drink and which ones needed more pampering than the rest.
"spoiled boys." she rolled her eyes as she recounted having to baby one of their forwards, haechan.
she also told you most of what she does— watch them practice and take note of their playstyle: who scores the most, who plays their position well, etc.
it was a lot to take in but you were somewhat able to keep up. this was a favor which you weren't obligated to do but with your hardworking persona, you wanted to make sure you deliver a good performance. not that dahyun would be submitting a performance review afterwards.
"but most importantly, if they're being annoying, just smack them across the head." she smiled mischievously, and just as your crash course had ended, the club members finally started filing in.
you were just starting to be more comfortable around dahyun but now that you're gonna be doing the real thing, your nervousness came back to its all time peak. especially since your mentor was going to leave you alone.
"ok dumbos, listen up. as you may know, i will be taking a break from being manager—"
"because your grades are ass, we all know." someone piped and dahyun just glared at him, making the guy shut up which they all laughed at.
"—ANYWAYS, shutting up an idiot named wong lucas aside, someone else is going to be filling in for me. everyone, meet y/n, y/n, meet the stress inducers of my life."
you meekly greeted but they all introduced themselves politely. amidst the situation, you weren't able to notice how felix brightened up at the back of the group, happy to finally have a reason to be close to you in school.
"i'm chan, i'm the team captain, i'm currently just co-coaching right now since i'm busy with college applications and will be retiring as captain soon—but if you need any help, let me know!"
"i'm lucas, i'm the center, both in court and the looks department." he winked and you just awkwardly smiled, not knowing how to return the energy. dahyun made a barfing sound beside you whilst chan smacked the taller one on the head.
"i'm haechan, not to be confused with chan, i'm the small forward!"
"soobin, fellow small forward!"
"lee minho. point guard. co-captain."
"i'm juyeon, shooting guard."
"hi! i'm felix, i'm not an actual member but i'm standing in for xiaojun as the power forward until he's back from the hospital."
you nodded along everyone's words, keeping track of their names but it was helpful that dahyun already gave you a list beforehand, all that's left was to put faces to the names.
"umm, i'm y/n. i don't know anything about basketball, i was just forced to do this but i'll try to be as helpful as i can." you bowed, and they all suddenly burst out laughing, making you look up at them with wide eyes.
"she's so formal!" lucas cracked.
"d-did i say something wrong." you whispered the question as you turned to dahyun and she just shook her head with a laugh, patting you on the back.
"no no, you're honest, we like that— be good to her, idiots, i'll be off now." she gave them a small salute before cheering you on as she exited the gym.
now that the bubbly energy of dahyun was gone, you were left standing awkwardly in front of everybody, the dead silence being cut short by chan's clap.
"alright everyone, let's not make y/n's life any harder. it's time to practice for regionals!" he said and gave you a thumbs up. you immediately pulled out your notepad as you took a seat on the bench, waiting on their play. the six guys broke off into rival teams of three, including chan even though he said he wasn't much of a player anymore.
in the meantime, soobin took a seat beside you, offering you a kind smile.
"are you not playing..?" you asked curiously and he shook his head with a laugh.
"no, i'm a sub." he answers and you just nod, still not knowing what that means though it seems like he still caught your unsure face. "it means i'm not that good enough to be the first one in, i fill over haechan whenever he gets tired—which happens a lot but i don't normally get switched in until the last half of the game."
"that's not true, you're on the team, that means you're good enough to be in it, right?" you didn't really get the whole economy of it all but soobin just nodded beside you. you felt kinda sad thinking about how the boy just sits down and watch his teammates do their best knowing that he wants to be a part of it too.
"i guess that's one way to think of it."
you started to relax in soobin's presence as time went on, he helped you take notes and teach you more about the mechanics of the game. he also helped you distribute refreshments and take care of haechan and his god awful stamina because you felt awkward fanning the boy and wiping his forehead as he laid on the cold wooden floor.
"sorry y/n, this boy doesn't know how to conserve his energy at all." chan said, trying to kick haechan off the floor, making the boy roll over with a whine. "if you keep going like that then you're going to get used to doing it even in regionals."
"but that's why soobin's here ughh—" you didn't know whether you should feel bad or laugh at haechan but you found his antics kind of cute. though you bet he's probably in pain right now so you crouched beside him and patted his back.
"why don't you rest for now and let soobin fill in?" you offered, glancing at him and soobin with a shy smile.
"really~? you'll let me do that? dahyun never lets me rest until the third quarter!"
"well i'm not dahyun so.."
"thanks y/n! you're my favorite manager!" he immediately pretends to doze off, snoring on the floor and minho had to drag him by the feet away from the court, haechan protesting but couldn't break free from the stronger man's grip.
you signaled the start of the last session with a firm whistle, giving them an encouraging smile as they headed back in court to practice. you felt a small swell of pride in your chest, knowing that you did great for now.
"that was really nice of you, y/n." felix piped from beside you as you both mopped the gymnasium floors together.
"hmm? what do you mean?"
"letting haechan rest and letting soobin play."
you shrugged at his words, "i don't know, i just thought it made sense."
he nodded at your words, looking at you with a certain adoration that you couldn't quite understand, "yeah, but dahyun pushes haechan to the max to train his stamina, though the team could tell that it hasn't been working great for him. it also makes soobin feel like he's less of an asset to the team so i'm sure he's happy that he got to play for longer."
you just listened to him, taking in his feedback so that you'd be able to better your manager skills. you really hadn't been paying much attention to the game earlier, moreso just relying on soobin's commentary on what scores to put on whose names. when haechan switched with him, you were too shy to ask the resting boy so you moreso just winged it with the information that soobin had left you.
although you made a lot of mistakes on the sheet, chan just excused your faults, finding all the question marks written on the paper to be quite funny.
"you should've just asked me~! i was right beside you the whole time! you were so quiet i thought you didn't wanna be distracted so i didn't talk to you." haechan said when you all ended today's practice.
all in all, everyone seemed nice and welcoming. aside from minho who seemed to have had a naturally cold exterior. everyone was also very skilled at playing, watching them with a newfound wonder as you imagined what it feels like to have such a talent in sports.
for the next practice, you promised yourself to be more assertive and accommodating, so you spent all night reaserching and chatting with dahyun to know the personal ins and outs of the members.
although you felt bad for distracting dahyun with her studies, the girl was more than happy to catch a break.
so that night, you found yourself slaving away in the kitchen as you listened to basketball lessons on youtube.
you made a refreshing pitcher of lemon water for everyone as well as a sandwich basket. you know felix loves brownies so you added a few baked goods to the mix. but mostly you tried to keep it in the healthy track, cutting up a bunch of fruits and arranging them neatly into a container for everyone to snack on.
although you can't offer grounded wisdom about the gameplay like dahyun, you wanted to make them feel supported and taken care of. the least you could do was make sure they're eating well and not burning away their strength from strenuous practice since you could tell that this is a big deal for everyone.
especially juyeon, who you heard was aiming for a basketball scholarship.
it made you see felix in a more different light as well, seeing how he was talented enough to be pulled in last minute and play amongst aspiring athletes who've spent most of their lives playing basketball. meanwhile, felix had always been more of a taekwondo and soccer nut, though he had the natural skill for sports, being good at basketball was honestly something he didn't expect from himself.
you guess it was simply how some people are: favored by the gods.
when you had came over for the next training period, everyone seemed more than happy with your brigade of food and refreshments.
"i wish dahyun fails chemistry again so we can have y/n as a manager for good!" haechan quipped which earned him another smack from the club captain.
"y/n if i gain a few extra pounds i'm going to blame you for it." lucas snided jokingly but quite obviously is the one fishing for most of the food.
"thank you for this y/n! we really appreciate all your hard work." felix commented with a bright smile as he munched on the brownies. it was his favorite, especially when you were the one who made it. although he has had in countless times in his life before, it never fails to make him happy.
"hey! how come felix is the only one with brownies??" soobin mentioned.
"oh? does ms. manager have favoritism?" juyeon laughed as he eyed you suspiciously but you just shook your head vigorously.
"you guys can have some of it too!" you quickly saved but felix was too fast for any of them.
"nope! all mine! i love y/n's brownies, you guys didn't take some earlier so now it's too late." he stuck his tongue out as his other members chased him across the gymnasium, with lucas just settling on throwing his shoe towards the freckled blonde— and in true basketball player fashion, he was a good shot, hitting felix square on the back of his head.
"alright, children, that's enough!" chan bellowed but in amusement as he watched his teammates, getting the attention of his rowdy members. he looked like a fond father watching over his chaotic kids.
the day continued with them hunkering down to practice seriously. watching them is thoroughly enjoyable. seeing the way they interact and goof around off-court, like they're all close friends just playing a game together. but once they step inside the court, they all change into a different person— all serious and motivated with a drive to win. even the goofiest ones like haechan and lucas quiet down when it's time to ball.
haechan and soobin also seem a lot happier and relaxed now that you've split the time evenly between them: haechan gets to rest then soobin gets to play more.
it's been a couple weeks since you've become the basketball club's manager and you've already started to become closer to the boys.
most of all felix. he was so excited that you guys finally had a chance to "naturally" develop a close friendship in school so gone are the days that you two act like strangers. because now, if people asks, you guys could just say that you grew close during club times. he was so so happy, and it showed.
especially with the way that he insists on walking home together now, almost all the time. at first you were a bit apprehensive but he managed to convince you with his puppy dog eyes and adorable pout.
"pleaaaaseee, y/n? we could just say that we found out that we live in the same area so it's more convenient for us both!" he whined so you couldn't exactly say no.
aside from the basketball team who seemed to be conspiring behind your backs on shipping the two of you together because they found the sudden closeness a bit suspicious, there were also a number of students that noticed the growth: namely, felix's "fanclub."
"what's your relationship with lee felix?" one of the cronies asked.
"ummm, we met on the basketball club while i'm temporary manager."
"are you guys dating?"
"no?"
"well, do you like him?"
"i don't." you said with confidence. you've said the same answer ever since you were young and felix has had lots of girls having crushes on him. meanwhile, you didn't want any conflict so you made sure to get out of their way as much as possible. although every time the answer comes out of your mouth, slowly you start to feel like it's becoming more and more false.
the days pass and your previous invisible position in social circles started to break, people started noticing you more and more as you hung out around the basketball team. they spared glances your way, glaring at you, some envious, some curious, but all were thinking how such a random nobody got the close adoration of the most popular boys in school.
"y/n~~~ you're making food again right?" haechan said as you met on the hallway.
"only if you guys do well later."
"i'll last the whole four quarters!!"
"haechan that's not what i—"
"see you ms. manager!"
you rolled your eyes fondly at the boy's antics. although you weren't as technical as dahyun and weren't able to give them sports insight (so you leave it to the actual coach to do so), you've never had any moments of low morale. soobin has improved a lot and haechan were now able to last longer without having minho drag his limp body off the court.
overall, their close bond worked wonders in their team play and communication. even felix who was the "outsider" of the group was able to move in sync with the other members.
you were proud whenever you watched them. they were such beasts in the court and it made you wonder how they'd possibly be able to lose.
well. maybe you shouldn't speak too soon.
felix: i have extra curric work today, can't go home with you :(((
you: it's fine, i can wait if you want??
felix: no no! this is probably gonna take long, i wouldn't want you to wait for me :(
you: alright, get home safe later.
felix: i should be the one saying that >:(((
you: pfft kk. talk to you later.
felix: <3
you put your phone on your pocket as you decided to head on first, but meeting a familiar face by the gate.
"y/n?"
"juyeon?"
"no felix today?" he gave you a knowing smile as he wiggled his eyebrows and you just rolled your eyes at him.
"he said he was busy today."
"ah yeah, that guy's got a lot going on in his plate. kinda amazing how he still had the time to spare to help us out but i'm glad that he did. i don't think we would've gotten this far without him."
you widened your eyes at him, "what? no way! you guys are great, i mean, i haven't seen you guys play without felix but i'm sure you would've achieved it all the same. getting to regionals, that is."
"wait wait wait, you haven't seen us play without felix?"
you shook your head no.
"did you just watch our game for the first time because felix was there?"
you opened your mouth to say no but you couldn't bring yourself to lie nor think of a good excuse.
"w-well um uhh— no? my friend just uhhh.... forced me to go? coincidentally?"
he gave you a knowing look, bumping your shoulder with his. "a felix fangirl huh? maybe i should tell the others that hmmm?"
"hey! not true!" you smacked his arm as you both laughed, not even noticing that you were following his walk.
"well you seemed very close now and you watched our game because of him soooo...?"
"ugh fine, can you keep a secret?"
"of course y/n, i definitely won't tell the whole team that you're whipped for our resident golden boy." he totally would've but you just rolled your eyes again.
"it's not that, juyeon. we're actually bestfriends. we've known each other since we were kids."
"wait really? you guys don't act like it."
"yeah.. that's kinda on me. i told him i wanted to act like strangers."
"ok weirdo."
"please— it's hard being in his shadow all the time, back in junior year there would be girls coming for my back and also use me as a message deliverer."
"pfft, i take it that's such a drag?"
"very. i was used to it but since we get to have a new start i thought, why not have a change of pace, you know?"
"valid valid. so you don't like felix?"
you shook your head, or at least, you think you don't. "i mean, we've just been friends for so long." that part you know is true. you've been friends for so long that the feeling could easily be a misplaced feeling of familial love. maybe you're just comfortable around felix, not because he makes your heart beat but because you've never been apart.
a comfortable silence fell on the air, you didn't even realize that you two had started walking until it had become quiet. you immediately turned to face juyeon, getting ready to say goodbye. "oh, i should probably head home now."
"well, ms. manager, since your prince is still currently stuck in the castle, why don't i give you a ride for today?"
"please, he's not my prince. do you drive?"
"well then, i'll be your prince for today. i have a sick horse." he winks at you with a playful smirk as he points towards a motorcycle at the school's parking space. "you scared, y/n?"
you shook your head, taking the helmet that he had handed you as he assisted you on hopping onto his motorcycle. he tied his sports jacket over your waist to provide you a bit of modesty that would be gone with your uniform's skirt flying all over the wind. you mutter a quick thanks with his chivalry.
"just hold on tight if you start feeling nervous, it's alright."
"i probably won't but okay. my house is at—" you told him your address and he nodded.
"actually, can i take you somewhere else first?"
you shot your eyebrows up at his offer. "uhhh...sure? where?"
he threw you another playful wink, "somewhere that may or may not be a date."
"what—?!" before you could even mutter any follow up questions, the engine roared to life, blasting you both through the wind. "juyeon!!!" you shouted as you instinctively held onto the back of his uniform.
"yes princess?" he laughed, amused that you decided to hold on.
"you're going too fast!!!!"
"i thought you're not scared?"
"yeah if you weren't going a hundred miles an hour!"
he just laughed but you could feel the motorcycle slowing to a proper pace, you finally braved to let go of his coat and put your hands at the back instead. "this is better."
"but i wanted to make you feel the wind, y/n."
"i can feel it plenty enough, thanks."
you both arrive at a quaint little establishment— a small coffee shop adorned with plants and fills the air with the smell of freshly brewed caffeine and old books. the interior was cozy and felt a little like a better version of home; plush couches, red brick wall, just the perfect temperature.
"this is a nice place." you uttered to juyeon.
"yup, it's a bit out of the way so not a lot of people go here. it's my secret spot."
you scoffed amusedly at him, "and let me guess, i'm the first person you've ever brought here?"
"what? no, i bring the basketball guys here all the time." he laughed at your embarrassed expression, "did you want me to be a cliché, y/n? i'll go look for another secret hangout spot and then bring you there right now."
you waved his ridiculousness away, "whatever, juyeon." but you did feel embarrassed for getting ahead of yourself. not that you could blame yourself much when he's the one who said that this may or may not be a date. which, honestly, sounds confusing.
"what's your poison?" he asked as he led you to the counter, he greeted the barista and true to his word, he seems to be a regular at this place.
"i would like—" "—wait no no no, on second thought. i wanna guess."
you looked at him dubiously but didn't protest when he led you to sit down, trusting him with ordering for you. what you didn't know, however, was that this was juyeon's way of getting you out of the cashier area so that he'd be able to pay for you without doing the wallet tango. for some reason, he feels like you'd be the kind to insist paying for yourself.
a few minutes later and he comes back, "ummm, what'd you get?"
"you'll see when it arrives."
as you waited for his order, you both conversed about different kinds of things. your life before transferring, his life around basketball, etc.
you found out that there's a lot of expectation around him to snag that ivy league athlete scholarship— because that's the only way he could get into a good college. they weren't rich nor did he think he was smart enough to get some other kind of scholarship.
"i can tutor you!" you immediately said and he just smiled.
"well, i wouldn't want to add more to your plate but if you have time to spare then i'd love that."
you gave him a thumbs up but told him to focus on regionals for now.
"you've been a great manager, you know that?"
you shook your head no. "hours before the first day meeting, i was binging on basketball-for-dummies youtube videos because i don't even know anything about it!"
"pfft, well you learn fast."
as the conversation slows down to occasional banter, the order finally arrives. the barista hands juyeon a regular cup of coffee then proceeds to hand you a cup of cocoa with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top— along with a whole box of strawberry shortcake that says "thank you" on top.
"going all out, i see."
"the boys pitched in for this but it was supposed to be a surprise for tomorrow, the final day of official practices— but you know, i wanted to have you for myself so i'm giving it early as an excuse."
you scrunched your face at his attempt of flirting but he just kicked your leg under the table, which resulted in you kicking him back.
"hey! you can't injure your mvp! that's basketball managing 101."
"too bad i don't know how to be a good manager then."
juyeon took you home near dark, not expecting for you both to take this long outside, but it was time well-spent. you enjoyed your time with him outside that you forgot to check your phone the whole time.
[5 texts and 3 missed calls from felix]
felix: omw out, did you get home safe?
felix: y/n, your mom told me you're not home yet, where are you?
felix: please reply if you're safe! i'll wait for you in your room.
felix: y/n please be okay ;((((
felix: haechan told me he saw you leave with juyeon.
you made a beeline towards the kitchen, putting in the cake in the fridge before going straight upstairs.
"yah, y/n! where have you been?" your mom greeted from the counter.
"i was out with a friend."
"well stop worrying that boy too much, he's been pacing around this whole time that i sent him to wait upstairs because it was distracting."
you wanted to laugh at that but felt bad about making felix worry. he probably would've been blaming himself had you been put in a dangerous situation because it's the first time that you two hadn't gone home together in a while.
"felix?" you called out softly as you entered your room, and true to your mom's words, he was indeed pacing around.
he abruptly stops when you show up and he stops on his tracks. he looked like he wanted to envelop you into a big hug but also chew you out for causing him stress.
"you worried me."
"sorry, i was out with juyeon. i wasn't checking my phone."
he sat down on your bed, just waiting for you to come in. "did you guys have fun?" he asked with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. you couldn't read his expression but you passed it off to just him being tired.
"yeah, he took me somewhere nice." you said, joining felix on your bed but instead of sitting, you lied down beside him.
"was it a date..?" he asked hesitantly as he followed your lying position and you shrugged, looking at him in eye level now as you faced each other.
"i'm not sure. he said it may or may not be, it's confusing."
"well, did you want it to be a date?"
you averted your eyes from his intense gaze. you've never really seen felix this serious. you wondered if he was mad at you for not answering his texts and making anxious.
nonetheless, you shrugged once again. "i don't know. i'm good with either."
felix didn't know what to say. he's not stupid, he knows what jealousy is when it comes but he has never felt it before, or at least, not as strong as this one. he should've expected it— you were kind, smart, and pretty, soon enough, somebody else was going to see the amazingness that is you. he just didn't expect that you'd have eyes for someone else too.
he always gave small hints under your nose, but it seems like you always turned it away or passed it like some joke. but one thing is for certain: it's that felix wants you. he's always had.
and if it's going to take more than small hints to get you to notice, then he'll do his best. he promised himself that he'll finally tell you how he really feels and stop keeping his love for you under wraps.
but for now, regionals.
you were on the bus alongside the other boys, on your way to the rival team's school. dahyun was going to be late due to classes still ongoing for her so you were stuck taking care of the guys again. but you didn't know how to rally them up pre-game. you could tell that they were all on their nerves. you could tell that chan was trying to ease their mind but for the members like juyeon who was aiming for a scholarship and had heard that a scout would be watching— this was all or nothing.
even haechan hasn't cracked a joke in 30 minutes, which worried you a ton. being nervous meant that this is important for them, and that nervousness could translate to fighting spirit. but it could also get to their heads.
you gave haechan an encouraging pat on the back before walking to the front of the bus, facing all of them. though you weren't one for public speaking, you tried your best to calm them down. "ummm... i've seen you guys practice almost every day for a month and a half, and even when there weren't any official training hours, some of you still went to the court or train all alone. i know how hardworking everyone is and how skilled you are at playing basketball so don't be scared to kick some ass. i know you guys can do it!"
they all let out a content sigh, taking in your encouraging words as you instilled confidence in their veins. even ice-cold lee minho offered you a gratuitous smile.
"thanks for taking care of us, y/n." soobin piped up and you waved him off, telling him it's no big deal.
"no seriously, we all know you were just forced to deal with this because coach didn't trust anyone else to not just take advantage of the situation and drool all over me— i mean, everyone." lucas said, earning him a smack from minho. "yah! lee minho, you're lucky i'm sitting down, it's the only way you can reach my head."
"what did you just say?" the man in question now holding his hands in fists.
in a single second, everyone managed to turn the gloomy atmosphere into a rowdy one like always. felix shot you a thumbs up, proud of you for doing so well.
in the corner of your vision though, you see someone still in their head. wanting to laugh along but so visibly tense.
"hey, you good?" you asked juyeon, joining him in his seat.
"yeah, just.. you know, scared."
you rolled your eyes at him, "you're the best player i've ever seen, don't be so glum."
"yah, y/n, if you don't stop rolling your eyes at me i'll poke that off." you both laughed, easing his own tension.
"want me to sit here with you?"
"that would be nice, yeah."
"i always listen to music to calm my nerves, here." you offered him your other earbud.
"y/n, you have shit music taste."
"i'm throwing you off the bus."
felix isn't the only one who took notice of this, the others have also seen the way you and juyeon had grown closely.
and as the others watch the way felix stared intently at the back of your heads, face unreadable, chan tried to distract the freckled boy by cheering him on for the game. though felix offered a small smile, one could obviously tell that he wasn't feeling the greatest. especially not when he could plainly see the girl he has loved for so long slowly be enamored by someone else.
as you guys arrive at the rival school, everyone was back to their serious facades, putting their game faces on as you were all led to your own backroom in the gymnasium.
"oh? you guys got a new manager? finally got tired getting chewed off by dahyun because you're so bad at playing?" a long haired blonde greeted, wearing the other school's jersey. your eyebrows rose at his douchey comment, about to retort when chan just held you by the shoulder.
"nice to see you too, hwang. dahyun is just busy. we'll see you in court." your team captain said as he ordered for everyone to focus and just go straight inside the room, not to mind the taunts of their opponent.
"who was that?" you asked.
"hwang hyunjin. their shooting guard." juyeon answered, seething at the guy who seems to be his arch nemesis.
"he seems like a douche." you commented, making them snort.
"well yes, he is, but he's got the skills to back it up. he's also in line for a scholarship and rumor has it that only two will be able to get it from the ivy league that juyeon was shooting for." you nodded at chan's explanation.
"then if hwang hyunjin gets it then surely juyeon would be the other one!" you said which made chan nod, juyeon shrugging.
"i don't know, i mean, they could take lucas or someone else from the other team."
"hey hey hey, i'm not gonna steal your thunder man, you know i want to be a model." lucas said, raising his arms in surrender. "but i'm flattered to know that you think i'm good enough to steal your spot."
"don't let it get to your head, wong."
"too late." the taller smirked.
you all shared meaningless banter while they warmed up, with haechan jogging calmly in place as to not expend unnecessary energy so early on. while they prepped, you learned about the enemy team.
hwang hyunjin goes against juyeon. they always seemed to have a silent competition between both of them and no one has won yet.
haechan (and soobin) goes against han jisung, the wild card. compared to haechan, jisung has energy that could go on for days and he was completely unpredictable in court.
lucas goes against choi san. "i'm much more handsome." the tall one quipped.
"that's not the competition, dumbass." minho said.
apparently san was well-known to play dirty, and although he was hiding it within jokes, you could tell that lucas was a bit nervous to go against someone with an infamous reputation.
minho was going against jung wooyoung. "piece of cake, that guy's a sissy." and you wholly believe that minho can hold his own. you don't think there's anything that can go against lee minho and win— except for cats.
felix was going against jeno, "just an average dude." haechan commented.
all in all, despite the wacky mix of characters, this team progressed to regionals for a reason.
"chan, i think you should enter first before me." lucas said as they discussed team strats.
"lucas, we trust you. don't let san get to your head." soobin commented.
"haechan, at any time that you're getting out of breath, just call in, don't try to match han jisung." the team leader advised. "most importantly, nobody leave your posts."
the bell signified the start of the first quarter. everyone was cheering and shouting, the air was mixed with hyper support for their fellow schoolmates. although you were in rival territory, your school's fighting spirit didn't allow to be drowned out by the other's.
you sat down beside chan and soobin on the bench, your knees shaking up and down in anticipation as you watched the game unfold. it's barely been 10 minutes but everyone was already head to head.
chan put a gentle hand on your knees to relax you, "don't worry y/n, this is what we've all been preparing for." you nodded at him and tried to relax, though your knees had stopped, you still kept squirming on your seat every time the opponents scored a shot.
the first quarter ended with your group being 5 points ahead. it was nice to see but it wasn't enough, it would be easily overtaken.
"haechan, you still good?" you asked as the game took a breather, everyone huddling up by the benches.
"yes, han jisung's been taunting me to chase him but i won't bite, he probably thinks i'm stupid." haechan spat, glaring at his enemy's head.
"san seems to be behaving right now, maybe it's because there are scouts watching." chan observed.
"they have good teamwork, but not as personally close as you guys, hwang seems to be the only one pulling most of the work. you got this!" you cheered and they all just looked at you. "d-did i say something wrong?"
soobin shook his head, "you've learned how to observe the game well, y/n. we're also proud of you."
you blushed at his compliment swatting him away.
"any advice for us, ms. manager?" felix smiled at you sweetly, despie his labored breathing, he still seemed calm, his stare making your heart swell. it feels nice that they hold your word to a similar regard even though you don't know anything about basketball. perhaps you've learned a fair sum.
"do your best?" they all laughed.
"you were being overly ambitious with that question, golden boy." minho nudged felix who just laughed.
the second quarter started and this time, hwang's team were able to catch up and overtake the team by 15 points. a higher margin than what your team had set in the first quarter but not an impossible chase. this time, it seems like they've started to divvy up the work. this time you can see wooyoung stepping up, being able to butt heads with lee minho's strength.
jisung still kept running around, instigating a wild goose chase with haechan but he wasn't having it. he kept his eyes on the ball. but for all it's worth, han jisung was ridiculously good at slinking in between spaces and blocking the ball.
but jeno still couldn't hold a candle to felix. your bestfriend being too dexterous in game, it was highly enjoyable watching felix play. no matter what he does, there was a certain air of elegance around it, he moves like a fairy, his limbs filled with gracious motions that's akin to the way he dances. everyone couldn't help but gaze at him, even hearing the rival school's students whispering about the golden freckled boy that they've never seen before. you even hear some of them arguing who was the better blonde: hyunjin or felix. in your heart, you know exactly what the answer to that is.
the second quarter finished and your team was now down by 37. although it seemed like a wide gap, it wasn't anything they couldn't catch up to. gone were the boys filled with nerves, they were now just filled with a fighting passion, a drive to win. lucas and haechan were now switched with captain chan and soobin.
the other team seemed to deny switching places with anyone else, you marveled at how they could all last for so long but you suppose it was the same with your team as well. you always just thought that it's because they didn't have anyone to substitute for them but perhaps they're really just talented enough to hold their own.
with a few minutes of rest in between quarters spent strategizing, you made sure to accommodate their rest. giving them cold towels, water, you name it.
third quarter started and dahyun had sent you a text that she's going to be late, but she was already stressing out with the current state of the game. she wanted to offer some advice but with the way that she couldn't see what's going on, she couldn't really do so.
but with the entry of chan and soobin, things were starting to go back up to your favor. the margin started getting lower and lower until by the end of the third quarter, it was down to 11. time seemed to flow faster and you didn't even realize that the game was on its final match. you see dahyun burst through the gymnasium doors and go straight towards the team.
"please tell me we're winning." she said.
"we will be." lucas gave a thumbs up as he leaned on the bench, just enjoying a juice box.
"did you tap out early? you're our best blocker!" dahyun asked and the boy just shrugged.
"he didn't want to deal with choi san." chan explained and dahyun nodded.
"did he try anything funny so far?" the team shook their head.
"probably trying to look good in front of the scouts." haechan pointed towards the sleek dressed men in the front of the audience.
"no way, they all know hwang's the one getting that scholarship, i bet he's just biding his time."
"stop being so negative, dahyun, we're only a few points away, we can do this!" felix cheered, trying to calm everyone before dahyun's words get to them.
a bell signified the start of the last quarter, everyone's on their toes, everyone's thrown away every tense nerve to replace it with a do or die attitude.
"come on guys, take it home." you heard dahyun mutter towards you.
as the time ticked by, the points hiked up, they were able to close the gap with 2 points away.
haechan held yours and lucas's hands squeezing it in anticipation so you took dahyun's at your side as well.
with fifteen seconds left on the clock, this was their last chance to victory. they had to make this shot count.
you saw juyeon barreling his way to the opponent's net, shaking off hwang hyunjin whose cocky attitude had been wiped off a quarter prior.
but the enemy team had probably seen this coming, with juyeon being too good and your side's teamwork being unmatchable, they suddenly pulled their wildcard.
han jisung and choi san both left their posts, instead making hwang hyunjin face against the two that they had left behind— soobin and chan. with the guy's height and innate talent, he was able to spin the two around his palm.
san had thrown his dirty play into the mix, trying to incapacitate juyeon's shot. it all happened in a blink. juyeon was down to the floor and despite the shouts and protests of the people around the gym, the referee didn't call foul play.
you could hear your friends cursing under their breaths as han jisung snatched the ball away from a downed juyeon before attempting to run towards the other end of the court.
what they didn't expect was your team's trump card. the appearance of your golden boy. felix had left his post, risking leaving jeno open to face han jisung. he fell to the spot naturally, and despite jisung's tricks, the freckled blonde was able to undermine the boy and take the ball away.
it was two points left. felix had to make it count. he was never one for risks, but this time, he didn't want to play it safe. although overtime will be granted for a tiebreaker, your bestfriend sidestepped everyone's attempts to stop him as he went towards the three-point line. as he bent his knees to prepare for a shot, everything had turned into slow motion— he spared a glance towards your face before moving his eyes back to the net, letting go of the ball in his palm as he aimed towards victory.
5..
4..
3..
2..
1..
and that's a match.
"LEE FELIX YOU ABSOLUTE BEAST!" dahyun immediately shouted as the boys got back to the bench.
with his last shot making the hoop, felix had brought victory to the school's name, his immense risk of the last second decision under pressure is a play that will be ingrained at your school. he truly was the golden boy.
chan was so happy he had carried the smaller boy over to his shoulder, making him bask in everyone's attention as your whole school had sent compliments and flowers to his merry way. you could tell that he was feeling shy with the attention but he was happy to have won the game for his team.
"everyone did great as well! we couldn't have caught up to them without everyone's help." he said modestly as chan set him down. "i'm sorry i left my post, chan."
"dude, no need to be humble, you absolutely killed that." lucas patted him on the back, even minho was nodding with acknowledgement.
"felix you have to sign my jersey now." haechan joked and felix just smacked his jersey away.
"alright alright, let's get you off those sweaty uniforms." dahyun said as she pushed everyone to the backroom. "in a few moments, that crowd's gonna be brave enough to approach ya'll and then we won't be able to leave."
although dahyun wanted to stay, she still had schoolwork to worry about, so she left you to wait outside the guys' room while they changed. she was utterly delighted with the win and would try to join the post-celebration party once she's free.
as you waited for them to finish, a man approached you from the stands. you immediately took notice of his sleek attire, a professional polo topped with a tie, remembering that this was one of the scouts watching the game.
"excuse me, you're the manager right? is the team inside?" you nodded at his words.
"yes, ummm, they're changing but i think you could just come in." you knocked before opening the door for him, "someone's here to see you." you shouted, not wanting to take a peek inside.
the man thanked you before heading in, and you curse at the fact that you can't hear anything beyond the door. but this was good, right? this means that juyeon's gonna get his scholarship! you felt giddy at the thought, making a mental note to make him a congratulatory cake.
the scout left the room, giving you a nod as he smiled at you, complimenting the team's amazing play and you just bowed at him politely with a thank you.
you risked going inside, debating that they're probably done getting dressed now.
with a huge smile, you went in, about to say congratulations to juyeon but instead you see him pinning your bestfriend to the lockers by his shirt.
you stopped on your tracks, not knowing what to say but nobody seems to have noticed your presence, they were all busy holding juyeon back as he seethed towards your freckled boy. chan and minho was trying to hold his body whilst haechan was trying to free his grasp on felix's shirt. soobin and lucas was nowhere to be seen, presumably still in the showers.
"you're not even part of the team— yet you took this opportunity away from me!"
"i-im sorry! i didn't mean to! i could just reject it—"
juyeon scoffed, "you're turning a full ride athletic scholarship away? how much of a fucking idiot can you be?! do you get some sort of high from shoving it into people's faces how you're better than everyone? feels nice doesn't it? being the golden boy, talented at everything, everyone worshipping the ground you walk on."
"juyeon calm down—" he shoved off chan who was trying to hold him off.
"my future depends on this scholarship while you just suddenly show up, take it away from me, then have the audacity to tell me that you're just going to reject it? am i a joke to you? are you trying to prove how you can get whatever you want in the snap of your fingers even when somebody else has been working for it their entire life?"
"that's not true—"
"is it because of y/n? you feel threatened that i'm getting closer to her so you steal this away from me?"
"stop jumping to conclusions, man." minho warned.
"don't bring y/n into this, i didn't mean to take this away from you!"
"don't think that i didn't notice your eyes whenever we'd hang out, golden boy. but it's not my fault that you're too much of a pussy to tell her how you really feel about her. don't you think it's kind of shitty for you to keep pretending that you're still just bestfriends even after years? even though you don't look at her with the same innocent eyes of friendship anymore? don't you think that's a bit deceiving? she thinks you're still while friends while you want something more." juyeon continued to taunt, "and now that i'm taking away the one thing that you love the most, you fight back like a snake instead of facing it like a man."
"that's not—"
"y/n?" before felix could continue, soobin called out to you as he stepped out of the showers, suddenly, all pairs of eyes land on your position by the door. the momentary surprise enough for haechan to remove juyeon's grip and chan successfully prying him away from felix.
you opened your mouth to speak but no words come out. instead what came out was labored breathing.
felix... likes you? or loves you? as more than a friend?
"y/n..." he started, but you looked back at him with the eyes of a deer caught in the headlights. as he tried to step closer gently, you immediately bolted out of there, not wanting to reel in everyone's awkward stares.
running towards nowhere in particular and it wasn't until your feet started to ache that you suddenly remembered you weren't in your own school. your team won the game, but at what cost? you know how important the scholarship is to felix— and speaking of, he likes you. you didn't know what to feel. you love him, sure, but he was always worlds away from you. any sort of romantic prospect thrown out the window because you know you'll never amount to how good he is.
you walked around the field, trying to figure out where the exit is, hoping to just catch a bus so that you don't have to ride with the team and sit in the awkwardness.
with your mind spinning around in wanders, you almost fell to the ground when you felt yourself bump into someone. "woah woah, didn't think you'd be the one falling for me." hwang hyunjin snided with a wink as he caught you by the arm, making you gag in your mouth.
"what do you want, hwang."
"why so snarky? you're the one who bumped into me."
"sorry then, i'm going home." you started to walk away but he stopped you in your tracks.
"that's not the way out, you know."
"fine, can you please point me to the exit." he just shrugged and motioned for you to follow him.
"i heard the freckled lee got the other scholarship." he laughed.
"what's so funny?"
"because i got the other one. so i don't care if we lost the game, at the end of the day, i was able to one-up juyeon. i may have lost the fight but i won the war."
"isn't it kind of sad that that's the first thing you think about? is that your motivation for this? trying to one-up others? is your self worth just based around the loss of other people?" you said as you glared at him, a bad taste in your mouth at the thought of juyeon losing something he had worked for tirelessly, competing with hwang wasn't something in his mind, all he wanted was to make his family proud. meanwhile, this reincarnation of a cocky attitude just spits it out like it's nothing.
"watch your mouth, manager. you don't know who i am, and you're in my territory." he stopped as he towered over you, glaring at you with a powerful gaze. you felt a chill run down your spine but you weren't one to back away.
"leave her alone, hwang." the tall blonde tore his gaze from you to look back at the voice that you recognized.
"congrats on the scholarship felix, see you in college." he smirked as he walked away, ignoring the sharp stares the you two are planting on him.
once he was out of earshot, felix risked getting closer to you, and from the heat of the situation you forgot the awkwardness that started to bubble in your stomach, now being too late to run away from him once again.
"are you okay, y/n? did he do something weird?" you were dumbfounded at his closeness but you could tell that he was wary on touching you, not wanting to overstep his boundaries now that you've heard how he felt about you.
you shook your head, "no, no, i'm fine, he was showing me the exit."
"let's go home together?" he asked meekly, looking at you with the same soft eyes that he's always given. and now you notice that you've never seen him give the same look for someone else. those affectionate eyes, the fondness that holds you within. it has always been just for you.
you nodded, making him lead the way. the trip back home felt awkward, and you missed the comfortable silence that you two always shared. this time, you could feel that there was an unaddressed situation that none of you seemed to wanted to take initiative in crossing.
he walked you to your door, giving you a smile before heading back to his own house— that was the first time he'd done that, always walking you all the way up to your room and hanging out before leaving. this time, he'd left you with a small emptiness.
as you went up to your room, the heaviness settled to your core after plopping on the bed, tears slowly streamed down your eyes.
you didn't know if it was because you felt bad for juyeon, or because you were happy about hearing felix's feelings although it didn't come directly from his mouth. perhaps you felt bad because you don't think you deserve him.
but one thing's certain: you loved him back. you've stopped yourself from feeling anything special towards him to the point that it hurts.
but now that the dam was broken, you can't stop yourself from falling, and now with the way felix had left you alone, you weren't sure whether there's still anyone who'd catch you.
with eyes heavy from tears, you fell to a deep slumber.
you woke up at the sight of your bestfriend shaking you awake, your mind felt groggy, your eyes a bit heavy.
"hey, your mom told me you skipped dinner."
"what time is it?" you asked as you rubbed your eyes awake, seeing the moonlight shine inside your bedroom.
"12 AM." he answered.
"then why are you here?" you asked him and he just sat beside your bed.
"i talked to juyeon... he also said he couldn't reach you so he was worried, so i came to check on you. i also got you food." you nodded at his words, seeing the takeout bag in his hands.
"are you guys good now?" you sat up awake, finally getting your bearings back as you stared at felix.
he shrugged, "hopefully, but i think we'll still need some time."
"i see.. that's understandable.."
"but i'm not here to talk about juyeon."
you swallowed, preparing yourself for the next words you're about to hear.
"i love you, y/n. i've always had. i was mad that you wanted to pretend like strangers because i didn't want to lose you to anyone else. i was so used to having you by my side and going to school without you made me realize that i can't spend a day separated from you. i know the way you found out isn't exactly the best situation ever but my feelings for you are real. i was jealous when you were hanging out with juyeon but i know how much the scholarship means to him, i didn't take it away on purpose because of you. i respect your friendship with him and i know you're also sad for him— so please, y/n, i hope you don't think of me any differently."
he just held your hand through his words, nervousness apparent in his voice as he squeezed your hand affectionately. he was anticipating your answer, scared but prepared.
you felt overwhelmed but you knew you couldn't deny it any longer.
"i love you too— and not just as a friend, i've always thought you'd drift away from me because—" you couldn't even finish your words as he trapped you in his embrace. the familiarity of his natural scent mixed with his cologne delightfully filling your senses and turning your brain into mush.
he held your body in his arms and your heart in his eyes as he stared down at you.
and this time, you both risked a shot as your lips softly collided with each others.
basking in the moonlight as you conveyed your true feelings through gentle motions of your lips.
it was soft, sweet, and it felt like a happy summer day.
lee felix was the manifestation of the sun, but he shined only for you.
pairing: felix + gn!reader
genre: fluff, friends-to-lovers
word count: 1.3k
warnings: none
it’s 1983
you’ve been spending the last weeks of summer working at the arcade
which you do with pleasure since this gig as a games attendant involves unlimited access to space invaders and soda
most nights you’re falling asleep to the hum of the arcade, a symphony of video game music blending together like the inside of a bustling neon beehive
and tonight’s no different
until changbin smacks you over the head with a rolled up comic book
“wh- dude??” you groan, lurching forward from where you were sitting kicked back in a chair behind the front counter
he shushes you with a finger before pointing in the direction of the entrance
“he’s here”
there’s a boy with shaggy blonde bangs that cast a shadow over his eyes, fixed solely on the galaga machine at the far end of the arcade
the paper bag full of coins jingles in his grip with every step he takes
a chorus of ‘game over’ themes seem to ring out as the entire shop diverts their attention away from the screens and towards the mysterious new guy
“h-hey felix” one of the younger boys steps forward, eyes glistening with a mixture of fear and admiration
“hey kid” the older boy’s sharp expression melts instantaneously with the upturn of his lips into a playful smirk, “beaten my donkey kong score yet?”
“not yet, but i will!” he croons in a burst of confidence
“looking forward to it” felix ruffles the boys hair
a smile rises across your cheeks as softly as the way his warm, sunshiny presence tugs at your heartstrings
changbin notices it before you do, stifling a laugh at the sight of your obvious pining
“shut it” you grumble, to which he raises his palms in surrender
“lix!” changbin waves an arm over his head to grab the boy’s attention
“wh- what are y-” you scramble to stop changbin by tugging on the baggy sleeves of his bowling-shirt-style uniform that matches your own, but it’s too late
felix half-jogs up to the both of you with a grin and plants both palms on the counter, leaning in close enough for you to hear the music still humming through the headphones around his neck
“back so soon?” changbin asks
“that galaga high score isn’t gonna defeat itself” he shrugs
“good luck with that, no one’s topped that score in 8 months”
“if anyone can do it, it’s him” you comment plainly, “right, lix?”
you’ve seen felix play enough times to stop doubting him
“yeah… i’ll try my best” he smiles at you, visibly uplifted by your confidence in him before his eyes shift to the floor
as much as he loves the arcade, felix is a lot more motivated to show up everyday knowing you’ll be there
and while the knowledge that you’re always watching and cheering for him usually keeps his spirits high, today it seems to make him more nervous
he had made a promise to himself to confess to you over the summer
granted, he wished he would’ve taken his chance to tell you earlier, instead of avoiding it at all costs and leaving it until the very last day of the summer break
but here he is
he tries to drown out those thoughts as he approaches the galaga machine
the arcade drawls on in silent observation as felix gracefully slips a quarter into the coin slot and starts pressing the buttons with rhythmic expertise
you’re no less intrigued than everyone else, leaning forward against the counter with your cheek in your palm, eyes shifting rapidly from left to right trying to follow the frenzied little spaceship
you can just make out felix’s reflection in the glass of the screen, his bottom lip fixed between his teeth and eyes glossed over in a trance-like concentration
he’s even more serious than usual
but this time he has something on the line worth more than just winning another high score
“come on, come on…” he mumbles to himself as he reaches the final stage of the game
suddenly the screen is filled with stripes of static and fizzles to black
the arcade erupts in cries of frustration
meanwhile felix can only look on in wide-eyed disbelief, shoulders slumped in defeat as he finally stops holding his breath
“hold on, i got it!” you call out, shuffling through the crowd that had formed around him
everyone takes a step back as you crouch down in front of the machine
you run your fingers along the chipping paint on the side of the metal, before forming a fist and pounding the exact spot that changbin had taught you about
the game flickers back to life pixel by pixel
“t-thanks” felix blinks down at you
you lay a hand on his shoulder as he helps you to your feet
“good luck.” you smile softly
if he were in a game, this would be the part where felix unlocks a power-up
he suddenly feels invincible
but he shakes his head to get the shaggy tresses of blonde hair away from his eyes and takes a deep breath to shift himself back to reality
you watch closely from behind him as the game resumes, mumbling gentle encouragements through clenched teeth
he avoids every enemy with precision, besides a few close calls that have you clasping your hands together like you’re praying
then finally and somewhat abruptly, the game ends
the results flash across the screen
new high score: 74985
1st place: LIX
shrieking laughter rings out as felix realises his victory, followed by a roar of applause
“oh my god, oh my god, lix!!!”
you spring to his side in the heat of the moment, jumping up and down together so that his arm is wrapped around your shoulder while yours are around his waist
the excitement in the room starts to fizzle out as you hobble back over to changbin at the prize counter with felix’s arm still around your shoulder like you’re carrying him back from battle
“you won” changbin croaks, “you actually won”
“yeah…” felix chuckles bashfully, withdrawing his arm from around you as you return to your post next to changbin
he leans against the counter with a quiet smile, still reeling from the proximity
“could i get a prize?” he asks
“dude, that play was legendary. pick whatever you want.” changbin laughs
“uh… that one”
the giant, cream-coloured bear hangs above the rest of the prizes on the wall above your head
“nice choice” changbin grabs it with the hook attached to the end of a long, wooden stick before settling it on the counter
then he promptly makes a move
“you guys wait here, i’ll grab you a celebratory soda. on me.” he grins
“it’s a cute bear…” you smile fondly as you pass it across to him
“it’s for you”
you can barely hear felix, who’s completely obscured behind the huge plushie
“what?”
his head peeks out so that just his eyes are showing, glistening and sincere
“i said it’s for you”
the bear is slowly passed back across the counter until it’s in your arms
he shakes his head to get the shaggy tresses of blonde hair away from his eyes and takes a deep breath
“i like you. alot. i like having you by my side, i like listening to you talk, i like learning about you. i like you!”
you clutch the bear closer to your chest, feeling your heartbeat in your ears
“i like you too… a lot” you respond, smiling against the fluffy material
felix can’t stop himself from letting out a cry of relief, laughing against sweaty palms as he holds his head in his hands
“to celebrate you finally doing it, congrats” changbin suddenly chimes in as he places the soda cans in front of you both
“you should’ve never doubted his gaming skills, bin”
Series Masterlist - For other chapters or NSFW Version
Pairing: reader x Knight! Chan, reader x Dark Prince! Hyunjin, reader x Thief! Felix, reader x Fairy! Jisung
Warnings: Love triangle (kinda?), honestly just a complicated jumble of feelings between characters (it’s only getting worse from here folks), mention of a haunted forest.
Word Count: 1,093
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“C-Christopher - “ You start to try and speak up, despite not being entirely sure what you’ll say to the man who’s fixing his sharp gaze on both you and Felix. You get cut off though as he puts his hand up to you.
“Don’t Y/N. I mean I know we were never anything official, but I didn’t expect you to go for the likes of him.” Chan huffs, running a hand through his hair and effectively messing it up, “I mean is that what you want a troublemaker? You like bad boys?... you know what that’s fine, but you didn’t need to lead me on like I meant something to you. I would have gotten you away from Hyunjin either way...at least now I know that I’m just your second choice.”
Felix smirked, looking like he was ready to throw some smartass remark back at Chan until you shoved him out of the room and closed the door. Leaving just you and Chan as you take a shaky breath trying to steady yourself.
“Whoever said you were my second choice? I know I certainly didn’t.” You counter softly, palm moving to rest of Chan’s cheek and making him look at you, “You aren’t my second choice Chris, never have been.”
“So what then? You’re playing Felix? I don’t understand…” Chan’s eyes finally meet yours again as they glisten with fresh pain, making you sigh and shake your head softly, not sure you’d be able to give an answer that would satisfy him...or either of them for that matter.
“It’s not that simple, unfortunately. When are feelings ever simple though? What I do know though is that I have feelings for you and Felix. The same feelings at that, but for entirely different reasons...which makes it hard to compare you two in terms of who I should be with. It’s so complicated it makes my gut feel all twisted and like my anxiety is up to my chin...like I could drown in a mix of that and emotions at any point.” You try to explain to the man in front of you hoping not to lose him or make him any more upset than he initially was.
When you finally meet Chan’s gaze again, it’s soft as he leans in to press his lips to yours for a moment, “The heart can be like that sometimes. It’s alright though, you don’t have to explain that anymore to me if you don’t want to...I know it’s not always easy to decipher what your feelings are and what you want. Just know that I’m always here, okay? And as long as you aren’t lying to me about how you feel about me then that will never change.”
Chan moves to open the door and tell Felix he can come back in, but upon opening the door Felix falls onto the floor, being caught eavesdropping on you two. Making Chan cross his arms and look at him with a brow raised, disapproving of his actions.
“What? I wanted to know if she cared about me too.” Felix shrugs, picking himself back up and dusting himself off before looking at you. He coos softly at your worried face, both from the emotional stress of the situation between the three of you and from watching him practically fall onto his face. He comes and cups your cheeks looking over you softly, “I think you’ve had enough stress for one night. Besides, it’s getting too late to safely travel around here right now. Let’s spend the night here and set off again tomorrow.”
“Can we really do that?” Your words are barely there, still, there’s hope in them. More than ready to take a small break and recharge after the chaos that this unusual world had been putting you through.
Chan smiling softly and leading you to sit down, “We should be okay for the night, we had quite a head start. You just relax and let us take care of everything, you’ve been through a lot.”
You nod, hearing his concern laced into his tone, not having the energy to argue even if you wanted at this point. Chan heating water to draw you a bath, so that you can clean up after the chaos of escaping and running through the forest last night, as Felix works on cooking something for the three of you. And for the night, everything was perfect despite being in a world that wasn’t your own and your boys being so familiar and yet different.
Yet, that perfection couldn’t last forever, and as morning light started to flood into the room, you knew it was coming to an end just as soon as it had come to you. Fear settling into your heart at the sound of hooves and shouting racing closer to Felix’s hideout, despite your best efforts, Hyunjin was about to find you much faster than you three had anticipated. Racing for a time as you scrambled to grab only the necessities and make it out to the horses. Felix tosses Chan his sword before strapping one on himself.
“Have you had one the whole time?” Chan questions the thief realizing he perhaps had misjudged him more than he thought.
“I did, but killing you both was never something I wanted.” Felix softly nods, “I also don’t want Hyunjin to get his hands on us again, so we best go. They sound close enough to spot us anyways, we’ll have to hope we can find an escape and that the horses you got are fast.”
Chan nods, and you three slip out, him lifting you onto a horse before getting on one himself. Felix pulled himself up last, but the first to head off, leading the way towards a forest that seemed eerily dark even in the bright morning light.
“If they’re dumb enough to follow us in there, we can easily lose them,” Felix calls, glancing back at Hyunjin and his men as they follow behind, slowly closing the gap between you.
“That’s because no one wants to go into that forest,” Chan responds, seeming uneasy for once as he seems to debate if it’d be worse to face the forest ahead of you or the soldiers and angry prince to your rear.
“Why is that?” You question nor caring if you sounded dumb for not knowing. This was not your world, you couldn’t remember anything about it. Not even aspects it seemed you needed to know about. The boys exchange a look before glancing back at you.
