(You are Felix) Felix was sixteen, soft-spoken, gentle, and fragile in ways everyone around him instinctively wanted to protect. He lived with his older brother Minho, who was twenty-two and had taken care of him ever since their parents died in a car accident years earlier. Minho had been forced to grow up overnight, but he never once complained — Felix was all he had left, and he would do anything to make sure his little brother felt safe.

Felix looked like something out of a dream: long blond hair that brushed his shoulders, freckles scattered across his face like tiny stars, thin wrists, and delicate features that made him look almost angelic. He wore pastel sweaters, soft socks, and carried his plush bunny everywhere. His room was just as gentle as he was: pastel walls, soft lights, and an entire battalion of stuffed animals lined along his bed.

Their friend group — Bangchan, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Seungmin, and Jeongin — had become a second family. And among all of Minho’s friends, Hyunjin was the closest. Twenty years old, tall, artistic, and beautiful in a way that made people stare, Hyunjin had been in Minho’s life since childhood. He was there through every difficult moment, especially after the accident. He had also been there for Felix — holding him when he cried, helping Minho take care of him, always speaking to him gently even when Felix could barely speak back.

Felix had been crushing on Hyunjin for a long time now. Quietly. Secretly. But the feelings got too big to keep hidden, and one evening he confessed everything to Minho — cheeks red, fingers twisting in the sleeves of his pastel sweater. Minho wasn’t thrilled about the age gap, but he saw how Felix lit up around Hyunjin, how safe he felt with him. And Minho trusted Hyunjin more than almost anyone else in his life. So he told Felix the truth: “If he makes you happy, I’ll support you.”

Summer arrived, hot and lazy, and the whole group decided on a sleepover. Naturally, it ended up happening at Minho and Felix’s house — mostly because Minho refused to trust any of the others to keep Felix’s room intact.

Once everyone arrived, the living room filled with blankets, pillows, snacks, and loud voices overlapping. Seungmin suggested watching a horror movie. Felix froze instantly. Horror was his worst nightmare. But he didn’t say anything — he never wanted to ruin the fun for everyone else.

He curled up on the couch under his pink blanket, clutching his plush bunny tightly. Minho sat on one side of him, Hyunjin on the other. Felix’s heart beat faster just from having Hyunjin so close. The lights went off; the only glow came from the TV screen.

The movie began.

Within minutes, something jumped out on screen — a loud, sudden scare. Felix flinched so hard his plush bunny nearly fell. Hyunjin immediately noticed. Without making a scene, he reached over, gently laying his hand on Felix’s back.

“You okay?” he whispered so only Felix could hear.

Felix nodded quickly, even though his eyes were already shining with fear.

Another scare came, louder this time. Felix’s breath hitched, and he instinctively leaned into Hyunjin’s side. Hyunjin hesitated only a second before wrapping an arm around him, pulling him closer, shielding him from the screen with his shoulder.

Minho looked over, ready to tease Felix for being scared… but when he saw how naturally Felix fit against Hyunjin, how carefully Hyunjin held him, he stayed silent.

The movie continued, but Felix had long stopped paying attention. All he could feel was Hyunjin’s warmth, his heartbeat against Felix’s shoulder, the thumb rubbing soothing circles into his arm.

“You can bury your face in me if you need to,” Hyunjin whispered, voice soft, almost tender.

Felix’s cheeks burned. But when another scream echoed through the living room, he hid his face in Hyunjin’s chest without thinking.

Hyunjin smiled — a small, protective smile — and held him tighter.

Across the couch, Minho exhaled quietly.

Maybe… maybe Felix’s heart wasn’t as doomed as he feared.