Chapter Text
Hyunjin, 5th May
Hyunjin stared down at the tray in his hands, heart hammering. It was ridiculous how nervous he felt about descending to the basement again. Two days had passed since he delivered lunch to Felix, the false apology still rang in his head.
Yesterday's visit for the proof-of-life video had been brief; he'd barely made eye contact, fumbling his phone and hurrying out before Felix could say anything. He’d felt Felix’s eyes on him, like he wanted to speak, but Jeongin had been there. And Hyunjin had chosen escape.
He hated that about himself sometimes.
The truth was, Felix fascinated him. There was something quietly formidable about him. Hyunjin still remembered the flash of intent in his eyes during the attempted escape, the unflinching will, even when the odds were hopeless. And even now, knowing Felix had been trying to charm Chan for information or leverage, Hyunjin couldn't fault the strategy. If anything, he respected it. Admired the tenacity.
Which made it all the more mortifying to visit him, to try to make nice, after being on the receiving end of that panicked escape attempt. His social awkwardness bled out of him in normal situations, while feeding a captive in a cell who had previously attacked him, it was tenfold.
Still, guilt gnawed at him. Avoiding Felix wouldn’t fix anything. So Hyunjin had asked Jisung to cook a peace offering. Jisung had made a fragrant tteokbokki, its rich, spicy smell curling out from the bowl. Hyunjin carried down two portions, one for himself if Felix seemed like he wanted the company.
He was trying .
The door creaked open and he tried to walk in casually, mindful of every step. Felix had explained to Jeongin what had set him off, that Hyunjin’s gait sounded threatening, that his setting the food down out of sight had made Felix think it was something frightening. And the last thing Hyunjin wanted was to frighten him again. He adjusted his pace, attempting to soften his steps, only to stumble slightly and curse under his breath as the bowls wobbled precariously.
Felix looked up from his book and smiled. “Hi Hyunjin. Is it lunch time already?”
“Um… yeah. It’s noon. But if it’s too early, I can take it back upstairs and…” Hyunjin stuttered, kicking himself for not asking what time Chan had brought breakfast down.
“No! No, it’s perfect. I just got lost in the book, is all.” He held it up slightly. “It’s a good one.”
Hyunjin hesitated. “It’s actually one of my favourites,” he admitted, quietly unlocking the cell to hand over the bowl. Felix didn’t rush him, he moved slowly and deliberately, broadcasting his harmlessness like he knew Hyunjin needed the reassurance.
“I didn’t realise it was yours,” Felix said warmly. “You have excellent taste.”
Hyunjin managed a small smile, the tension between them thinning slightly. Without thinking too hard about it, he dragged the metal chair into the cell and sat with Felix. He settled down and began to eat, cheeks warm. Felix raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, then mirrored his movement, digging into the food.
“I really am sorry,” Felix said after a pause, his voice low. “I could have hurt you.”
Hyunjin snorted, not unkindly, but with genuine confidence. “No, you couldn’t have. I’m very good at what I do. Even Chan can’t catch me.”
Felix laughed softly, but his expression was still regretful. “Still… I feel bad.”
“You shouldn’t. Trying to escape? That’s human. I’d have done the same.”
A comfortable silence followed. Then Felix, noticing the subtle glint on Hyunjin’s hands, perked up. “I like your nail varnish.”
Hyunjin blinked. He looked down at his hands, surprised. The others hadn’t even noticed the deep purple he was sporting. He hadn’t dared wear it under the old regime, The Boss would have mocked him for being effeminate. Adding the colour had felt like the beginning of a ritual. Calming and meditative. Free from judgmental eyes.
“I could bring it down,” he offered, a bit shy. “Do yours, if you want.”
“Oh my god, yes please!” Felix beamed, full of childlike delight.
Twenty minutes later, Felix’s bed was covered in nail varnish bottles that Hyunjin had hoarded but never dared to use. Felix picked up each colour with reverent hands, weighing the merits of glossy black versus iridescent pink like it was a life changing decision. Hyunjin sat cross-legged on the bed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watched Felix light up over each shade.
“If you do that pink on your fingers,” Hyunjin suggested, “you could go with the blue for your toes.”
“I can do my toes too?” Felix shrieked, excitement taking hold he grabbed Hyunjin into a side-hug before quickly leaning away again apologetically. Hyunjin laughed and grabbed the colour to get to work. Three of Felix’s fingers were in splints that Hyunjin had sent down with Chan days ago, Hyunjin worked around them carefully, tutting in sympathy.
“Thank you for doing this.” Felix said softly.
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Jeongin came down after a while, seemingly worried the two had ripped each other to shreds given how long Hyunjin had been downstairs. When he saw them together, Felix mid-manicure with his fingers spread carefully, Hyunjin leant over biting his tongue in concentration, he blinked, stunned. Then he broke into a delighted smile.
“I just knew you’d get on!” He exclaimed happily. Without hesitation, Jeongin flopped down beside them, half-landing on Felix’s bed and half-toppling into Hyunjin’s side. “What are we talking about? Can you do that glitter for me when you’re done, Jinnie?”
Hyunjin quickly understood the dynamic forming between Felix and Jeongin. The two connected with surprising ease, slipping from one topic to the next as if they’d known each other for years. Felix offered Jeongin the same warm patience the younger boy was used to receiving from Hyunjin and the others, listening attentively, never mocking his enthusiasm.
“You really do act like his older brother.” Felix observed fondly, watching Hyunjin sling an arm around Jeongin and press a kiss to the top of his head. Jeongin groaned and tried to squirm away, but didn’t quite commit to the escape.
“Act like? I am his older brother. Blood isn’t everything.” Hyunjin corrected with a soft smile.
“He used to call broccoli ‘dinosaur trees’ to get me to eat it,” Jeongin added with a deadpan tone. “I was fifteen.”
Felix burst out laughing. “That’s adorable. You must have been a fun teenager.”
“I cut his hair too, I’m better at it now, though.” Hyunjin said, eyes sparkling with mischief. “You missed the Justin Bieber phase.”
“That was a war crime. I wore a beanie for months,” Jeongin groaned, but his grin was bright and full of affection.
Their laughter slowly faded into a companionable rhythm. Hyunjin marvelled at the change in Felix, the safety that Jeongin’s presence provided. He was truly relaxed, happy.
“Wait, so you’ve never seen Mean Girls?” Felix gaped, staring at Jeongin in horror.
“What is it? A documentary?” Jeongin asked, confused.
Felix gasped in mock horror. “You poor, uncultured child.”
“Oh my god. I’ve failed you. I’m a terrible parent.” Hyunjin muttered, winking at Jeongin with a smile.
“It’s a cultural milestone.” Felix told Jeongin, laughing. “We can watch it tomorrow. You’ve got so much to learn.”
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Another hour passed with bright laughter, then the door creaked open again. Jisung arrived, hands on his hips with a huge pout.
“I’ve been replaced .” He announced.
“You were never invited.” Hyunjin shot back, laughing.
“That’s worse !” Jisung wailed, letting himself into the cell and motioning impatiently at Jeongin to move the nail varnishes so he could collapse onto the bed dramatically. “You’re all bonding without me !”
He crawled onto the bed properly, wriggling into the narrow space between them like a puppy worming into a cuddle pile. The bed sagged under the weight of four people, but no one moved to fix it. The warmth of togetherness was too nice.
“I’ll do yours, hyung.” Jeongin joked, waving a red nail varnish in his direction.
“I don’t want to look like I lost a fist fight with a hamster, but thanks.” Jisung laughed. He passed Jeongin the laptop with the security feeds. “Chan told me to keep an eye on the monitors.”
Jeongin opened the screen with a grumble, but accepted it nonetheless.
Hyunjin watched as Felix kept sneaking glances at the screen, curiosity flickering in his expression every few minutes. His eyes followed the images of the building's interior: the hallways, the offices, the doors. When Chan briefly appeared on the feed, Felix leaned in slightly.
Chan emerged from the office and headed into the security room, then the living room, then the kitchen…
Hyunjin snorted and took pity on him.
5:56pm
Hyunjin:
“We’re all in the basement. Peacefully.”
Chan:
“Nice, I’ll bring dinner.”
Chan arrived half an hour later, eyes hopeful, with two giant bags of Chinese food balanced in his arms. He stopped short in the doorway, eyebrows raised at the scene of four boys tangled together on a single bed, giggling.
Jisung took control immediately, divvying up the food.
“Maknae eats first.” He told Felix seriously, “Guest of honour eats second.”
Felix laughed and accepted the containers, spooning various dishes onto the paper plate balanced in his lap. The containers were passed around with skirmishes over their favourite dishes.
It was a joyful chaos, Hyunjin loved it.
They stayed long after dinner, curled together, trading stories and embarrassing memories. Jisung told one about Chan getting stuck in a fence when they were younger that made everyone weep with laughter. Felix added a story of his own, about accidentally setting off the fire alarm during his first self defence training session and pretending to faint to avoid blame. Felix even offered up some small mentions of his gang.
“Minho and Changbin are the older brothers I guess, but they’re more like parents sometimes. They’re always nagging me and Seungmin to eat our vegetables and dress warmly.”
“That sounds familiar.” Jeongin prodded Chan with his foot, drawing a laugh.
By midnight, Hyunjin’s cheeks hurt from smiling. Jeongin was slumped sleepily against him, Jisung and Felix were fighting about who would be doing the washing up as if Felix wasn’t literally locked in the basement. Chan watched on from his seat on the floor, a warm smile on his face.
It felt oddly natural, Hyunjin mused, to have this bonding time as a family with Felix there too. Felix was in his element, giggling along as Jisung groaned at the latest story being told at his expense.