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Even at six years old, Lee Felix took one look at Chris Bang and knew that he was something special. It was his first day of elementary school after moving to Korea, and his class had finally been let out for recess. As he had moved to a whole new country after kindergarten, Felix had spent the day completely overwhelmed by his new environment. But to a six-year-old, a playground is a playground, and little Felix felt more sure of himself under the heat of the August sun and surrounded by the excited squeals of his classmates.
He was making his way to the edge of the playground toward the swings when a loud shriek of laughter rang out, catching his attention. Turning to the grassy area nearby, Felix immediately spotted the source of the noise—a small boy with tanned skin, round cheeks and longish curly brown hair running around among the other kids. They were playing some kind of game with a rubber ball, the kind of game that children make up where their aren’t really any rules and they just laugh and tire themselves out. Something drew Felix to the boy, and he eagerly bounded over to join the group.
Come to find out, the game was similar to dodgeball, and the boy’s name was Chris. He told Felix about the game with a wide grin, excitedly welcoming the newcomer and even introducing him to another boy named Minho —who Chris said was his brother but was actually his best friend.
When the game resumed, Felix worked up a sweat running around the field with Chris and the other kids, squealing when the person with the ball came too close or tried to hit him with it. Felix eventually found himself with the ball after being hit, so naturally He focused his attack on Chris. The boy quickly realized he was being singled out and did his best to outrun Felix
Felix, after getting close enough, finally took aim at Felix, tossing the ball as hard as his little arms would allow. To Felix ’s dismay, the boy managed to dodge his throw, sending the ball across the grassy field toward the fence. Realizing his victory, Chris’s face lit up in satisfaction.
“Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!” Chris called out, childishly teasing.
Back then, Felix simply pouted at the taunt before running to get the ball back and trying again.
***
“Can you believe we’ve been friends for twelve years?” Felix asks before unwrapping another Starburst and popping it in his mouth.
Chris snorts, standing up from his bed in their shared apartment. “No, I can’t believe I put up with your ass for this long.”
“Hey!” Felix shouts indignantly. “It’s me that has to put up with you!”
Chris pauses in the space between his bed and dresser “Okay, but was I the one who almost burnt down our apartment three days after move-in trying to make ramen?”
“Shut up, it was an accident! Cooking is way different then baking" Felix reaches for his pile of discarded pink Starbursts, blindly grabbing one and chucking it toward Chris.
Even from his relatively close position near the desk, Chris sees the candy coming and manages to avoid it, the sound of it hitting the floor behind him reverberating in the room as he turns to Felix to gloat. Maybe it’s just because of Felix bringing up the length of their friendship, but he’s immediately reminded of the day they met.
“Ha, missed me! You know what that means—you gotta kiss me.” Chris jokes, harkening back to his taunt on their first day of elementary school, a day permanently etched in both their memories.
Immediately, he feels the atmosphere shift. Felix doesn’t say anything, keeping his eyes on Chris, but stands from his spot on Chris's bed and walks over until the two are standing face to face. Chris is sure his confusion is evident as Felix ’s mouth slowly turns up in a smirk.
“Okay,” Felix says. “Bet.”
The words barely register to Chris before Felix is leaning in, connecting their lips. Maybe out of reflex (or maybe something else), he gives in, relaxing into the kiss. Felix ’s hand reaches up, gently cupping his cheek. Shockingly, Chris finds that kissing his best friend isn’t all that unpleasant—his lips are soft and he tastes like the Starbursts He was just eating. In fact, it’s quite… nice. The kiss doesn’t last long, but Chris isn’t the one to pull away.
When Felix looks at him, Chris can feel the heat rising to his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
“Well, I certainly follow through, don’t I?” The other jokes, and the atmosphere returns to normal.
Chris gets a rush of courage, slipping back into his usual demeanor. He hums, pretending to think for a moment.
“You did this time… But,” Chris grins. “I think you still owe me another kiss from when we were kids.”
A brief look of surprise flares over Felix’s features before He smiles knowingly, stepping closer. Chris eagerly reaches out, wrapping his arms around the other's neck as Felix ’s hands find his waist. Just like that, their lips connect again, the action seeming as natural as breathing.
And if they continue even after Felix makes up his owed kisses, well… Chris certainly doesn’t mind.