Chapter Text
The captain's voice crackled softly through the cabin.
"We'll be beginning our descent into Seoul shortly."
Around him, window shades slid open one by one.
Felix followed suit.
The city shimmered beneath a blanket of evening clouds, its scattered lights stretching farther than he could see.
A tired smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Home.
Milan had been beautiful.
Beautiful enough that people dreamed of visiting once in their lifetime.
Felix had spent the entire trip dreaming about his own bed.
He laughed quietly to himself.
Luxury hotels were nice.
But none of them smelled like the dorm after Chan made coffee.
Felix smiled before he'd even stepped through the front door.
Home.
The word settled warmly in his chest as he stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him.
He paused for a moment, eyes slipping shut as the familiar sounds of the dorm wrapped around him. Someone laughed somewhere down the hall. Music drifted faintly through the walls, muffled by distance, almost certainly coming from Chan's room.
Normal.
He hadn't realized how much he'd missed normal.
The past week in Milan had been incredible. Fashion shows, interviews, cameras flashing every time they stepped outside. Beautiful makeup, luxury clothes, glittering jewelry, gorgeous hotels, expensive restaurants, endless schedules. He'd loved every second of it.
But every night, lying in another unfamiliar hotel room, he'd found himself counting down the days until he could come home.
A grin tugged at his lips as he reached for his suitcase.
"Hello?" he called, his deep voice echoing softly through the dorm.
Nothing.
He frowned.
"...Seriously?"
Usually someone would've tackled him before he'd even made it through the front door.
Maybe he should've told everyone he'd changed his flight.
Shaking his head with a quiet laugh, he kicked off his shoes and wheeled his suitcase upstairs.
"Guess nobody loves me," he muttered to himself.
He unpacked just enough to survive the night before grabbing a fresh pair of pajamas and heading toward the bathroom.
The hot shower melted the stiffness from his shoulders. For the first time in days, his mind finally grew quiet.
No cameras.
No interviews.
No flights.
Just home.
By the time he'd finished his skincare routine, he was practically asleep on his feet.
He opened the bathroom door—
—and immediately walked straight into someone.
"Ah!"
Strong hands caught his shoulders before he could stumble backward.
"Sorry—"
Felix looked up.
Messy black hair.
Sleep-swollen eyes.
An oversized T-shirt slipping off one shoulder.
And somehow...
Even half asleep...
Still the prettiest person Felix had ever seen.
"Holy—Felix!"
Hyunjin's entire face lit up.
"You're home!"
"I am!"
"You never told me when you were coming back."
Felix smiled sheepishly.
"I changed my flight. I just...wanted to be home as soon as possible."
"You should've called me."
Felix blinked.
"...For what?"
"So I could've picked you up."
Felix stared at him for a beat before bursting into laughter.
"You would've picked me up?"
Hyunjin looked almost offended.
"Obviously."
"For little old me?" Felix asked dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest.
"For dramatic old you."
Felix shoved his shoulder with a grin.
"Rude."
Before Felix could say anything else, Hyunjin stepped forward and wrapped both arms around him. The hug nearly knocked the breath out of him. It was the kind of hug that made the rest of the world disappear for a moment.
Felix laughed into his shoulder.
"Missed me that much?"
"The dorm's been too quiet without you."
There it was.
That familiar warmth Hyunjin always managed to tuck somewhere behind Felix's ribs.
He hugged him back just as tightly.
"Your sunshine has returned."
Hyunjin snorted.
"Oh, he's definitely back."
Only after giving him one last squeeze did Hyunjin finally let him go.
"Welcome home, Yongbok."
Something about hearing Hyunjin say his name like that after a week away made Felix's smile soften.
"Thanks."
Hyunjin rubbed at one sleepy eye.
"I was actually on my way to the bathroom."
"Oh."
"...You were standing in front of it."
Felix burst into laughter.
"Oops."
"Move."
"No."
"Yongbok."
"No."
Hyunjin sighed dramatically before gently nudging him out of the doorway with one hand.
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
Still smiling, Felix turned toward his room.
Halfway down the hallway, he glanced back.
Hyunjin was still standing in the bathroom doorway.
The moment their eyes met, Hyunjin smiled.
Felix laughed quietly to himself before disappearing around the corner.
Being teased.
Being wrapped in one of Hyunjin's impossible hugs.
Being welcomed home.
Home had never been a place to Felix.
Not really.
It had always been moments like these.
Nothing in Milan had compared.