Work Text:
Most people wouldn't call a work trip relaxing, especially when that work trip involved walking for a prestigious fashion label. In Paris. On the other hand, compared to his usual work days, walking was, well, a cake walk. Seonghwa wouldn't even have to be individually fitted for the runway, though he was still meeting with a Songzio representative almost as soon as he got to his hotel.
He hadn't even finished taking off his coat when a crisp knock sounded at his door. Drained as he was, Seonghwa was just as happy to let his manager answer it, mentally still not quite settled on local time. The cheerful French soothed something in his chest and he draped his coat over the back of a chair, thoughtfully considering the fruit basket waiting on the table beside him. If the company was providing it, then surely a chocolate or two would be fine.
“Seonghwa-nim! Welcome back to Paris,” the woman from Songzio said, a hint of lilt in her accented Korean. “Did you have a peaceful flight?”
“Slept through most of it,” he confessed with a faint smile. “Ah, I know it's last minute, but is it too late for me to send my guest tickets to someone?”
“Someone back in Korea or someone here in Paris?” the staffer asked, smile tucked away even as she pulled out her phone.
“I believe they're arriving here in Paris later today,” he said. “I'll have to double check.”
“Then it's no problem at all,” the woman replied, a bright smile crinkling her eyes. “How many and what name?”
“Three, I think,” he said, folding his hands together in front of him at his most demure. “Lee Chanyeon, Park Hyunjin, and Kim Jiseok, collectively known as Big Ocean, with Parastar Entertainment.”
The woman nodded diligently, making note of the names and the hotel where the three men would be staying. Seonghwa wasn't even sure if this was the sort of thing any of them would be interested in, but it wasn't like he had anyone else to invite. And it would give him an excuse to – discretely! – check in with the trio that Felix had adopted so earnestly.
The hotel was maybe not the most prestigious, but Chanyeon really couldn't care less. It was a hotel in Paris and yeah, all three of them were booked into one room, but it was still Paris. They could have been bunking in a youth hostel and he would have been thrilled. And it was all possible because of their Pado around the world. This was better than a dream come true. Not for the first time, he was half tempted to pinch himself. And half afraid if he did, it would all turn out to have been his imagination.
Chanyeon had been so focused on the view from their hotel that he didn't notice anything else until Jiseok tugged his sleeve. Their maknae was frowning and … holding an envelope? That didn't make a lot of sense. What could be so upsetting about an envelope?
“What?”
“It has our names on it,” Jiseok signed, flipping the envelope to show the hand-lettered names. Something delivered by a courier, not the mail service. Or maybe from their European promoter?
“So open it?” Chanyeon teased.
“You open it,” Jiseok countered, huffing and pushing the envelope into Chanyeon's hands. “You know my English isn't as good as yours. What if it's in French?”
“Then we'll have to save it for the translator.”
The first thing Chanyeon noticed was that he now had both Hyunjin and Jiseok focused entirely on him and The Envelope. The second thing he noticed was that this wasn't just any ordinary envelope. Heavy card stock in that shade of tan meant to suggest unbleached wood pulp, with tiny darker imperfections. Their names – their full legal names, not just their stage names – were in age order and clearly hand written instead of machine printed. Flipping it over again exposed a dark red wax seal, imprinted with some sort of logo.
“Songzio?”
“Wait, really? Ah, let me see, let me see!” Hyunjin said, waggling his fingers after.
“In a minute,” Chanyeon replied, carefully sliding his thumbnail under the seal.
Despite the flowing roman script on the outside, the letter inside was in Korean. Also on specialty paper, though this time it was obviously machine printed. And yet Chanyeon could hardly believe what he was reading.
“This can't be right. PJ, what did you do?”
“Me? Wait, does that mean it's really Songzio?” the younger man asked, practically vibrating with excitement. “What's it say, what's it say?!!”
“This says we've been granted guest tickets to Songzio's Spring/Summer '26 showing, day after tomorrow. And includes a number with instructions to call –,” he paused to check his watch “– in the next hour if we need to arrange for appropriate attire. I don't even know what this means. PJ?”
“Songzio's a Korean high fashion house,” Hyunjin explained between fluttering grabby fingers at him. “Ohhh … yeah, this has to be genuine, feel that paper. But I really can't think of anything I did? Hyungnim?”
“This is the first I'm hearing about it,” their current manager said, quietly asking for the letter. “Hmm. Are you sure that's the company mark, Hyunjin-ah?”
“Definitely … probably … I mean, who would prank us like this?”
“Normal invitations are sent to the company, though,” the man countered, still looking skeptical. “Let me make some calls.”
“But if it's genuine … we can go, right?” Hyunjin asked with naked hope in his whole expression.
“Uh, Jinnie, none of us have anything to wear for a high fashion event,” Chanyeon interjected, hating to be the one to potentially burst his friend's bubble.
“Let me make some calls,” their manager repeated, backing out of the room.
If it was a prank, it was an especially cruel one. On the one hand, Chanyeon wasn't sure he could really believe this was genuine. As a group, they were widely known now, partly just on the strength of their very famous initial sponsor, but this invitation felt … weird. Out of proportion. On the other hand, if it was a genuine invitation, they couldn't very well skip it. Suddenly their schedule was feeling a lot busier.
Seonghwa graciously thanked the reporter and passed back her branded microphone, then turned to his trip manager.
“Please tell me that was the last one,” he murmured under his breath.
“Last on the list, though you should probably walk around the gallery here for a bit longer,” Soomin confirmed with a quick nod, fingers briefly tweaking Seonghwa's hair to mask a gesture towards the other side of the hall. “Your guests are waiting in confusion, being chatted up by Kim Sungha.”
“Oh good lord,” Seonghwa exhaled, turning and gliding across the thinning crowd, waiting to be almost close enough to reach out and touch before raising his hand in their direction. “Hyunjin-ah!”
Hyunjin turned, eyes widening slightly as recognition hit … and then going even wider, presumably as he realized Seonghwa was signing to him: follow my lead.
“Hyung's sorry he missed you earlier, Jinnie,” Seonghwa faux-simpered, drawing the younger man into a very Parisian hug and double cheek kiss.
“Oh no, no, hyungie was so busy, I'm sure,” Hyunjin replied without missing a beat. “And you're here now, so it's fine.”
“Still, hyung is supposed to be taking care of you,” he insisted, stretching one hand out for Jiseok. “Look at you, so handsome. This is all Songzio, too, yes? Hyung told them to look after you.”
“We've been very well treated, yes,” Hyunjin agreed.
“Excuse me….”
Seonghwa turned towards a pinched-faced Sungha, feigning surprise. Definitely the woman had been up to no good with that look on her face.
“Oh it's you,” he said with a little sniff.
“Oh, you've met?” Hyunjin asked, following Seonghwa's lead still, thank God.
“Unfortunately,” Seonghwa replied with icy disdain. “Whose credentials did you fake this time? Never mind, just slither away already, won't you? Before I call Security,” he added with a dismissive hand wave.
The poisonous look she gave him was hardly a surprise. He turned his back on her, frowning a little when he realized the three members of Big Ocean were on their own.
“Where on earth are your staffers?” he signed in quiet worry. “Please tell me you weren't dumped here on your own!”
The way the three men shared a look but didn't say anything was more than just concerning. Swallowing down a growl, Seonghwa turned back to snatch his bodyguard's sleeve.
“If I promise not to go any further than you can see, will you stay with them until my manager gets here?” he asked, the English words feeling awkward on his tongue. “They shouldn't be alone in a place like this.”
For a painful moment, he thought the man was going to refuse. And then something in his eyes changed, almost melting.
“Fifteen minutes. Always where I can see you.”
He probably ought to stay and mingle longer than that, but he also wasn't about to argue. Bowing in both acquiescence and gratitude, Seonghwa resumed his professional aloofness. At this point, he was here to be seen more than anything else, though he did let the mask crack a bit when another model came over to shyly ask for his autograph. It did his ego good when her companion, another model who had been walking for various fashion houses for years, expressed surprise at learning Seonghwa was a singer and rapper first, a model a distant and recent second.
“Well you walk like you've been doing this for years,” she said, impressed.
“I used to dream about it,” Seonghwa confessed, cheeks heating a little. “It always felt out of reach, though. Dance … dance I could do. So I did.”
“Fans always joked we models should be grateful you chose music,” the other woman said, laughing as she tucked her freshly signed photocard back into her phone case. “And now look at you. I hope you know how proud we ATINY are of you,” she added, reaching for him.
“I am only here because of ATINY's faith,” he said, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze. “ATINY have given me everything.”
Thanking the two women again, he slipped away to find a server to ask about a bottle of water. The wine being offered so freely was no doubt excellent, but between the weather and his own low tolerance, he didn't want to push his luck. Tipsy, he might just unload on whatever staffer had abandoned his dongsaengs so recklessly.
“Excuse me, Mr. Park, but it's time.”
Offering the appropriate excuses to the man beside him, Seonghwa made a mental note to warn the company not to accept any invitations from that one's company. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain it beyond just an unsettled feeling the man had given him; hopefully that would be enough. He was certainly grateful for his temporary bodyguard coming to his rescue. A feeling that faded far too swiftly in the face of noticing the three Big Ocean members were following Jean-Paul not unlike a trio of lost ducklings.
“Still on your own?”
“Oh, well, er, your Soomin-nim had us call Minju-hyung to clear it that you could take us to dinner,” Hyunjin explained, though all three men still looked uneasy. “So you have us for the next hour? Ish?”
“But –,” Seonghwa started before cutting himself off with a shake of his head. “All right,” he said, adding sign to his spoken words, “but tell me if you need me to repeat something, okay?”
“Wait, seonbaenim signs??” Jiseok sputtered, hands fluttering in surprise.
“Just KSL and still learning,” Seonghwa said, unable to stop a short laugh. “Picked up a little from Wooyoungie and then when Bokkie came to us all excited about three Deaf artists he was adopting, it felt appropriate to learn more. Which means two of you should definitely be calling me hyung.”
The way all three men were suddenly looking at him like he had hung the sun, the moon, and all the stars himself was … unexpected and a little embarrassing. And then it occurred to him that the most likely reason they were looking at him like that was that, in their experiences, people outside of their company were far more likely to just rely on an interpreter. Or worse, not even bother at all.
“All right, well, there's a little cafe by the Seine, we can sit outside and pretend to be normal people for awhile.”
“Shouldn't we … I mean, these clothes,” Chanyeon started, fiddling with his jacket briefly.
“Is there something wrong with them?” Seonghwa asked.
“No, no, no,” Jiseok rushed in to say. “Just … well, we've been wearing them awhile now….”
“We don't want to make extra trouble,” Chanyeon concluded, a strained smile on his lips.
Seonghwa took a moment, trying to hear what they weren't saying. They were still so nervous, he couldn't help reaching out for Jiseok, slipping an arm around the youngest's waist as he guided his guests out of the building to where Soomin was waiting with a car. Now that he was watching, he could see the extra care each man was taking. Oh.
“We can stop at your hotel first if you'd like,” he said, settling in the back with them. “But the clothes are yours.”
In other circumstances, the way the three men all tried to protest at once might have been amusing, even adorable. Right then, however, it just made Seonghwa sad.
“They were altered to fit you, of course they're yours to keep,” he explained, a pained grimace flickering across his face at the way all three were still trying to refuse.
“Hyungnim, we can't possibly afford….”
“They're a gift.”
“Hyungnim,” Hyunjin repeated, visibly upset.
“Gift,” Seonghwa insisted, reaching out to briefly squeeze the younger man's hand.
“The clothes, maybe, but the stylist brought accessories, too, and those….”
“Black wooden box that she left with you?” Soomin asked from the front.
“Er, yes,” Jiseok said, confused.
“… hyung, tell me he didn't,” Seonghwa said, trying and failing to hold back a giggle.
“Really, Seonghwa-ya, you want me to lie to you in front of the kids?” Soomin teased before turning back towards Jiseok. “The box and contents were provided by Hongjoong and are also yours to keep.”
Seonghwa wasn't sure if it was better or worse that the Big Ocean members were stunned into silence by this information. Another reminder that all of this was still quite new for the trio.
“Felix adopted you, that makes you family. And family takes care of each other,” Seonghwa murmured.
He could almost taste the way the three men wanted to argue but couldn't. Of course, he didn't really expect them to just accept everything so quickly, so it was fine. He would just be sure to call Hongjoong later so his soulmate could know what he was walking into with their newest kids.
Jiseok happily switched off his hearing aids, leaving his hyungs to bicker without him. They were supposed to be leaving for the airport soon but he was the only one packed. Meaning he was free to switch off and not listen to his hyungs panicking about their unfinished business.
Okay, maybe not. Maybe a good dongsaeng would be helping. But he was tired and hungry and they were being bitchy at each other and he wanted no part of that, thank you very much. So he curled up on one bed, back turned to the room and eyes firmly closed. Five minutes and maybe then he would help.
He was therefore completely unprepared for the sudden swat to the bottoms of his feet. Yelping, he jerked upright, scooting around to glare at his hyungs.
“Someone knocked on the door,” Chanyeon signed.
“… so?”
“So go answer it, maknae!”
“Why meeeee?”
“Because you're just laying there!” Chanyeon insisted before throwing a beanie at him.
Huffing annoyance on principle, Jiseok pulled the beanie on just because, taking a moment to turn his hearing aids back on. And immediately regretting it upon realizing his hyungs were still biting at each other with sharp words and sharper signs. If that was their manager at the door, he was going to be irritated, too. Jiseok really didn't want to be in the middle of all this, but since the universe wasn't giving him a choice, he went to the door. And then felt like an idiot when his sleepy brain registered who was standing there.
“Kim Hongjoong-seonbaenim,” he mumbled, bowing himself in half as he tried to reconcile with the reality that ATEEZ's captain was standing at their hotel room door.
“That's hyung to you, Kim Jiseok,” the elder rapper scolded, grinning up at him. “Ready to go?”
“Go?” Jiseok echoed, completely lost.
“To lunch?” Hongjoong asked, his smile fading as he reached for his back pocket. “I know Hwa's invite came as a surprise, but lunch was scheduled. They told me it was scheduled.”
“I don't … hyungs! Did Minju-hyung tell either of you about a scheduled lunch?”
The relief at seeing his members were just as confused as he was didn't last long.
“… no, but we leave for the airport in fifteen minutes, anyway,” Chanyeon said, huffing and turning back to stuff something or other a little too roughly into his bag.
“And you're still packing?” Hongjoong asked, baffled.
“Make him go away, maknae,” Chanyeon signed a little too forcefully. “We don't have time for games.”
Before Jiseok could say anything, Hongjoong was across the room, invading Chanyeon's space to catch his hands and then pressing a whisper-soft kiss to the rapper's knuckles. A beat and Hongjoong dropped Chanyeon's hands, something like chagrin tugging at his lips, as if he was just then realizing how forward he was being.
“Not a game,” their seonbae signed.
“You….”
“Family,” Hongjoong signed. His expression pinched for a second, then he signed an apology before continuing aloud. “Sorry, I'm still learning. I don't know what went wrong – yet – but if there's –.”
“Why the – who the hell is this?!?”
Jiseok hated that he flinched away from their temporary manager almost as much as he hated the way the man kept forgetting the three of them were Deaf. Once or twice would be one thing, but it kept happening. Worse, the man never apologized for his thoughtlessness. And every time it made Jiseok miss their previous manager even more.
“Ah, hyungnim, it's just … Hongjoong-seonbaenim was explaining about a scheduling mix-up,” Hyunjin said, practically simpering; Jiseok hated it, but it worked to get Minju calmed down.
“Why aren't you finished packing and downstairs yet?” Minju asked, frowning. “And where's the box?”
“We're just finishing up. Everything's packed, even, just saying goodbye to seonbaenim.”
“All right, well, then … all right. Let's go,” the man grumbled.
“Call me when you get home,” Hongjoong said, slipping something into Jiseok's back pocket as he passed him. “We'll do lunch at the end of the month or something.”
It felt almost too easy, but Jiseok knew now wasn't the time to worry about it. Especially when their manager was still giving them irritated looks. The airport was going to be trouble enough without wasting energy on the strange behaviors of a seonbae he didn't actually know.
“I'm going to remove his intestines and then make him eat them.”
“No you won't, my love,” Hongjoong murmured, mindful of the young man asleep on his lap.
“Give me one good reason why not,” his irate mate growled across the phone line.
“He isn't worth the headache?” he suggested, lips twitching as he tried not to laugh. “I can only imagine how much paperwork is involved in sirening someone into eating his own entrails.”
He probably shouldn't be laughing at the disgusted noise his soulmate made, but he couldn't resist. He did quickly stifle himself when Felix huffed a noise of complaint, the blond nosing into his thigh. Hongjoong pulled his phone away from his mouth, humming a quick spell to ease Felix and PJ both into a deeper sleep. He should have at least sent Felix back to his own hotel hours ago, but as upset as the blond had been, he hadn't been able to do it. And from the way PJ was curled into Felix's chest, keeping them together had been the right call.
“Funny, I seem to remember someone saying he never wanted to do magic.”
“I didn't. I don't. But they need their sleep.”
“So do you, love. Hyungnim's working things from this end and if our boys are sleeping, then you should take advantage and get some yourself.”
“Yes, Mother,” he teased.
“Be good. I know where you live, Kim Hongjoong.”
“Miss you, my shining star. No disemboweling.”
Seonghwa's annoyed huff put another smile on Hongjoong's lips as they ended their call. The siren wasn't exactly wrong to worry about him, but it was fine. He would just finish up a couple things and then call it a night. Easy.
Hyunjin wasn't sure what woke him, nose scrunching at the realization that someone was shaking him. Groaning, he tried to push back, but whichever of his bandmates it was, he wasn't being put off. Rude. Huffing, he sat up and dry scrubbed at sleep-crusted eyes. The scent of freshly cooked bacon and the low hum of a voice trying not to be heard pushed past his fatigue and he blinked in confusion at the very Parisian room in which he found himself, morning light streaming over his shoulder.
“Good morning,” Felix signed with a bright smile. “Sorry, hyung said to wake you for breakfast.”
“… you stayed….”
“Of course,” the blond signed with a nod, his smile turning a bit sad. “Family takes care of each other.”
Hyunjin jumped a little at a sudden loud clap, twisting around to see Hongjoong standing in the open doors to the balcony.
“Sorry, didn't mean to startle you,” the elder explained with a bashful smile. “Come on, breakfast is being served out here. Fresh pastries and hot coffee and I need you two to join me to save me from myself.”
“Do I –,” and yet before he could even finish the question, Felix was handing him a soft bathrobe
“He really does need us to save him from drinking all the coffee himself,” Felix said with a knowing smirk. “For his sake, but also for ours.”
As surreal as it felt to be sitting on a hotel balcony in Paris in just a t-shirt, boxers, and robe, the way his seniors treated it as normal helped. Hongjoong asked how they slept and what Hyunjin wanted to do with the day. And then accepted it when Hyunjin admitted he didn't have the first clue. As it turned out, while Hongjoong had business to handle, Felix's whole plan for the day had been shopping and wandering the city.
“On your own? They were going to just let you do that?” Hongjoong teased.
“Why not? I'm an adult!” Felix protested in pout.
“Lix-ah….”
“I'll have PJ-hyung with me now, so it'll be fine,” Felix said, waving off the growing concern in Hongjoong's eyes.
“Give me your keys,” the elder insisted, getting up from the table.
“Ugh, you're such a Dad, hyungie.”
“I will air tag your ear, Lee Felix, if you aren't careful. Give me your keys,” Hongjoong insisted, ducking into the suite.
Hyunjin felt a little bad for giggling at the way Felix scrunched his nose, the younger idol shifting around to pull a set of keys from his pocket.
“You, too, Park Hyunjin!” Hongjoong called back. “I'm not trusting either of you!”
“… he does know I'm not dressed yet, right?” Hyunjin asked. “I'm … not even sure where my pants are.”
“Well don't let him hear you say that or he'll … actually, I have no idea what he'd do,” Felix said, sitting back with his coffee. “Air tag your ear for real, maybe.”
“Don't tempt me,” Hongjoong said as he rejoined them. “Go on, Jinnie, find me something to air tag or no Parisian adventures for either of you.”
The way Hongjoong's whole tone and expression had shifted from gruff to something inexplicably softer, even fond… It wasn't even the first time and still Hyunjin felt weird at seeing that care being aimed at him. He hadn't even met the man until yesterday! And yet here he was, having breakfast with two men he admired. Like it was nothing.
“Hyung?” Felix asked, waving his hand in Hyunjin's face. “Okay?”
“Sorry, I … yeah, um … yeah. I'll, uh, yeah.”
“Yeah?” Felix repeated, lips twitching.
“You behave,” Hongjoong scolded, ruffling Felix's hair before snagging the blond's keys. “I have Kingdom stories I could share about you being a flustered baby chick around the BTOB hyungs.”
Felix mimed buttoning his lips, then laughed and scooted closer to the table again. That was as good an opening as he was going to get and with another humble bow, Hyunjin slipped back into the suite. He was a little confused to realize those were his jeans folded neatly on the top of the dresser, his sling bag just underneath. At least he still had his most important things with him, taking a moment to actually get dressed before grabbing the whole bag and heading back to the balcony. Both men welcomed him back with a warmth that still felt surreal, Hongjoong clucking a little when Hyunjin handed him his whole bag.
“Do I need to have Jiwon-hyung take you back to your hotel, Lixie?” Hongjoong asked, passing the tagged bag back. “And more importantly, do you still have the card?”
Felix pulled a black card from his wallet, flashing it just enough to get an approving nod from Hongjoong before tucking it away again.
“I already texted noona about the changed plans. She said she was ready to read me the riot act until I told her I was with you. It feels weird that company people know you, hyungie.”
“Oh, you're here with Jahye-noona? She only knows me because of Channie being a worse workaholic than even me, so blame him,” Hongjoong teased. “As for you, Park Hyunjin … your company emailed while you were sleeping, a Park Jinhee is supposed to be arriving around noon so you can stay here in Paris for a few more days, then meet your members in Brazil. They said he'd be bringing you a suitcase, but Felix is going to take you shopping anyway. If he uses that card, you can't tell him no.”
“What? Wait, what?” Hyunjin sputtered.
“I'm thinking Fendi? Or maybe Ferragamo. Sadly, hitting both might be pushing it. I don't want Louis Vuitton getting huffy because I got spotted at other labels. But I can't just take you to their store, either, because fans are ridiculous.”
“Lixie, Lixie, Lixie … how long have you been doing this?” Hongjoong teased. “You must know by now that any brand you want will happily come to you. Or here, for that matter.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Hyunjin interjected, desperate to stop all this fashion label talk before things got any further out of hand. “Hyung, he can't … if Jinhee-hyung is bringing me a suitcase, then I really don't need anything else.”
“But hyung, I want to go shopping. Hyungie! Make him let me spoil him!” Felix said, pouting at both of them.
Hyunjin wasn't sure what his face was doing, but whatever Hongjoong was seeing, the older man huffed a sigh.
“One major brand store, one item only.”
“But –,” Felix started, pouting even more.
“One item only, Lixie,” Hongjoong insisted. “He's not used to this. Window shop as much as you like, but you get one major brand. And you have to connect with his manager for lunch. I'll meet you guys for coffee, say, three-thirty-ish?”
As much as he was still uncomfortable with the idea, Hyunjin could recognize this as the best compromise he was likely to get. He would just have to hope he could get Felix to agree to something small, like a belt or wallet. Maybe a pair of sunglasses? Yeah, finding something small should be easy enough. He could do this.
Felix felt all the air leaving him in a squeak as a body sprawled across his back. Almost immediately, the weight shifted, Changbin's voice mumbling a low apology as the elder moved to settle across Felix's thighs. Strong hands started massaging his shoulders and Felix let his phone drop to the mattress, momentarily forgotten. It was fine, everything was fine.
Somewhere along the way, his shirt vanished and Changbin started using a lightly scented massage oil. Meaning this had very much been planned. And yet Felix simply tilted his head and closed his eyes. Changbin's hands were a miracle and he wasn't stupid enough to make the man stop.
And then the pressure eased, Changbin's touch turning into almost a caress.
“If you want to talk about it….”
Felix sighed in spite of himself.
“Wouldn't do any good.”
Changbin snorted and playfully pinched the back of his neck, then went back to lightly running his palms up and down Felix's spine. He probably had a point, but….
“You'll tell me I'm being stupid.”
“Lee Yongbok,” Changbin scolded. “Are you being stupid? Because if you are, we can get Minho in here if it'll make you feel better.”
Felix huffed a noise that wasn't quite a laugh. He didn't need Minho to tell him he was being stupid and really, he wasn't sure he was in the right headspace for his hyung's traditional tough love approach. He already felt guilty enough, never mind that there had never been any other option. Sniffling and squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed his face into his crossed arms. He hated this!
“Aish, Lixie,” Changbin murmured, shifting to lay down beside him and then pulling him into his chest. “Talk to me, baby, yeah? Hyung hates seeing you so upset.”
“I … I just left him,” Felix whimpered, hiccuping.
“Left who, baby?”
“P-PJ-hyung. I … Captain couldn't get anyone else to come stay with him and we … we had to leave and now he's alone and… and….”
“Surely he has staff with him,” Changbin said, worry coloring each word.
“Y-yeah,” Felix said, sniffling again. “But it's a junior manager he doesn't know well and then a couple locals for security and as a sign language interpreter. People he doesn't really know.”
“The schedule is the schedule, baby,” Changbin soothed, squeezing him tighter for a moment. “PJ's an adult, I'm sure he'll be fine on his own until he rejoins his members. Yeah, this is all new ground for him, but he's not exactly some blushing teenager with no experience of the world.”
“You weren't there. You didn't see how hard he was trying to put on a brave face for us.”
And that was the worst bit: knowing PJ had been faking for their sake, trying to keep them from worrying about him. As if it was really that easy. Sure, it was only for a few days before PJ would rejoin Big Ocean in Brazil, but after everything the man had already been put through, Felix couldn't help worrying. What if something went wrong again? If Felix hadn't gone to Paris early, he wouldn't have been there for PJ's initial panic and solving the problem would've been that much harder. As soon as he had collected the panicked idol, Felix had made sure to input every phone number he had, both for Stray Kids and ATEEZ, but with neither group being anywhere near Europe now, if something went wrong again….
“Anyway, the Captain's a devious, devious man, Lixie,” Changbin said after a moment. “I don't have the first clue what or how, but I'm positive he's done everything he could to make sure PJ will be fine.”
“… he did make PJ-hyung take a black card,” Felix conceded. “Don't think PJ-hyung will use it, not with the way he wouldn't let me buy him hardly anything. But at least he has one.”
Changbin hummed, nuzzling into Felix's hair briefly. It was a silly thing and yet it helped. And the rapper was right - Hongjoong was too much of a Dad type to have not done everything he could to make sure PJ would be safe.
“So … what were you doing when I came in? Looked like shopping.”
“I … I really wanted to get him a couple nice things, you know? They're just rookies, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve nice things,” Felix explained, sighing in spite of himself. “But PJ-hyung was really resistant and Captain took his side. Like I had to be sneaky to pay for lunch and then he pouted and wouldn't let me buy him anything else.”
“Our softest hearted sunshine,” Changbin murmured, chuckling. “Want some help?”
“Yeah, but … nap first?” Felix suggested, rolling over to rest his head on Changbin's chest.
“Yeah, I can work with that,” the other man said, smirking. “We'll spoil those three rotten, don't worry.”
Feeling better already, Felix wiggled into just the right place for a nap. He would get something nice for each of his boys, make sure they all knew that no matter what, they were still family. Always precious. Always deserving of the best. Their family might be ridiculous and unconventional and far larger than those three realized, but that was part of what made it so perfect.