20. The teasing war

Meanwhile...

Across town, Jimin was tiptoeing into BTS's dorm. He thought maybe he could slip into his room unnoticed. But the moment he opened the door

"Park. Jimin."

Yoongi's voice cut through the dark like a blade. All six members were gathered in the living room, staring at him.

Jimin froze in the doorway, hoodie still half zipped, cap tilted low. "Uh..."

Namjoon smirked knowingly. "Good morning, Romeo. How was your night?"

Jimin's face flamed red. "Hyung!"

Jungkook burst into laughter, falling onto the couch. "He looks guilty as hell! He definitely saw Felix!"

Jimin groaned and covered his face with both hands. "Why are you all awake?!"

Taehyung leaned forward with his boxy grin. "Because we know you. You've been acting like a lovesick fool for weeks. Of course we stayed up."

Jin waved his hand dramatically. "Well? Spill it. Was it romantic? Did you cry?, by the way why are your neck so red, Did you guys......

"Hyung!" Jimin cut him off, and throw him a pillow. "Stop embarrassing me!"

The members laughed, but slowly, their smiles softened. Yoongi's voice came quiet but firm. "Jimin... just be careful. We saw the trends. The world isn't kind. But we can't stop you from following your heart."

Jimin's chest tightened. His eyes watered as he bowed his head. "Thank you, hyungs. I just... I just couldn't think straight again, I had to see him"

Jungkook, trying to lighten the mood, smirked. "Yeah, we figured. You were glowing when you came in. Love sick puppy."

The whole room laughed again, Jimin included, though his heart was still raw.

That night, in two different dorms, the groups both understood the same truth:

Felix and Jimin's love was dangerous. Complicated. Risky.

But real.

And no one could deny it anymore.

(Aftermath Online)

The morning sun hadn't even fully risen when the storm began.

Hashtags were already climbing the charts, trending worldwide:

#LixminBack

#MochiAndSunshine

#JiminFelix

Clips from the concert the night before were everywhere. Fans had zoomed in on every little thing Jimin glancing toward Stray Kids' side of the stage, Felix sneaking small smiles when he thought no one was watching, the way their phones lit up in sync during breaks.

💬 Fan comments flooded T*****r/X:

• "Y'all saw Felix texting someone on stage?? Guess who else was glued to his phone 👀 Jimin."

• "My delulu is real. The way Jimin's face lit up every time Felix's part came?? You can't fake that."

• "Sooner or later the world is gonna accept them. I'm rooting for this ship forever."

• "This isn't just fanservice anymore... this is love."

By noon, even K-media blogs had picked up the fire. Articles ran with titles like:

🔹 "Are BTS's Jimin and Stray Kids' Felix Closer Than We Think?"

🔹 "Secret Glances and Subtle Texts: The Hidden Bond Fans Can't Ignore."

Inside their dorms, Felix and Jimin sat separately, scrolling through the comments at the same time. Their hearts pounded as they read strangers echoing the very feelings they were too afraid to show openly.

Felix buried his face into his pillow, whispering to himself, "Oh no.....it's happening again."

Meanwhile, Jimin sat on the floor of his room, cap pulled low, smiling so softly it hurt. He whispered into the quiet, "They see us again Lixie."

That's when a notification popped up on both their phones an edit.

A fan had stitched together Jimin watching Felix's part of the performance, his soft smile clear, with Felix smiling back unknowingly. The caption was like👇:

✨ "Call me crazy, but this looks like love." ✨

Jimin's chest tightened. He typed quickly and sent Felix the link.

Jimin to Felix: "You See this?

Seconds later, Felix replied, his words shaky even through text.

Felix to Jimin: "Yes Hyung... But I'm scared. What if it gets out of control again?"

Jimin's fingers trembled, but his answer came fast, sure, and unshakable.

Jimin to Felix: "Sooner or later the world will accept us. I'm not letting you go again, not again Felix."

Felix stared at the message, his throat tightening. He clutched the phone to his chest, whispering like a prayer, "Jiminaa..."

A few moments later, he texted back.

Felix to Jimin: "Here to say this again I'm sorry for the way I broke up with you before. It wasn't my fault. I never stopped wanting you."

Jimin's eyes burned, He typed slowly, carefully.

Jimin to Felix: "Can you stop being sorry already?, I know how much you wanted me. And That's enough."💜

(The Teasing War)

The next morning was supposed to be quiet.

Supposed to.

But as soon as Jimin walked into BTS's living room with his coffee, Jungkook was already waiting with the biggest grin.

"Hyungggg~" Jungkook sang out, dragging the word like a little kid teasing. "Soo... did you see the edits?"

Jimin froze mid step, sipping his coffee slower like he didn't know what Jungkook was talking about. "What edits?"

Jungkook jumped up from the couch, shoved his phone into Jimin's face, and hit play.

📱 The edit showed Jimin staring at Felix during the concert, the camera zoomed in with sparkly filters, then cutting to Felix smiling. The background music? A cheesy love ballad.

"LOOK at you!" Jungkook howled. "Hyung, you look like you're watching your husband on stage."

The other members turned their heads. Namjoon tried to stay serious, but the smirk pulling at his lips betrayed him. Yoongi didn't even look up from his phone, just muttered, "Finally the internet caught up to what we already knew."

Jimin smacked Jungkook's arm. "Shut up, bunny!" But his ears were already burning red.

Taehyung leaned in, his deep voice mischievous: "Mochi, you didn't even blink during Felix's rap. I thought you were hypnotized."

"Yeah," Hoseok added, clutching his chest dramatically, "the way you mouthed along to his part in Maniac,... Jimin, I think you're more of a STAY than an ARMY."

The room erupted in laughter. Jimin covered his face with both hands.

Across town in the Stray Kids dorm, the chaos was no different.

Han barged into Felix's room without knocking, phone in hand. "LIXIEEE, you're trending AGAIN."

Felix, still half asleep, groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. "Not again..."

"Oh YES again," Hyunjin joined, tossing himself onto Felix's bed. "Bro, the way you stared at Jimin hyung, You looked like a man in love. Actually, no you looked like a puppy waiting for his owner to throw him a bone."

The room exploded with laughter. Felix turned bright red, grabbing a pillow to smack Hyunjin with. "Shut up!"

Changbin shouted from the doorway, "Nah, Felix, you don't get to deny it. Even Chan hyung sighed last night like a tired dad and said, 'These two will be the death of us.'"

The boys roared even louder.

And at that same moment, in Stray Kids' dorm, Chan walked past Felix's door and said loudly, "Sunshine, whatever you're doing with Jimin... don't let it ruin you. But also..." He paused, turning just enough to smirk. "Don't make it too obvious next time."

"His lips were even got swollen when he came yesterday" Han added more tease😹.

The boys howled again while Felix hid his face in his hands, whispering under his breath, "get out of my room already" The boys laughed but refused to leave him.

The morning after the teasing war, the dorms were loud in their own ways.

At the BTS house, Jungkook's laugh still hung in the air. At Stray Kids's dorm Hyunjin was retelling a joke with exaggerated hand moves that made everyone crack up. The teasing never stopped but neither did the warmth behind it. That small, safe warmth made Jimin and Felix feel less alone.

They were apart during the day, but they weren't really apart. Small messages kept bridging the distance, little sparks in an otherwise wild world.

Felix and Jimin text thread:👇

Jimin: You survived the teasing?

Felix: Barely. I almost choked on a pillow when Han called me an idiot.

Jimin: He's right though. 😉 You are an idiot.

Felix: Shut up. You are the idiot for making me stare like a fool on stage.🤧

Jimin: Guilty. But it's your fault for looking like the most beautiful thing on earth🥹.

Felix: Stop flattering me. I'm already dying from embarrassment.

Jimin: You still gonna ride me next time though, the last one you did refused to leave my head😋.

Felix: Jimin-ah😩, I'm going..bye.

Jimin: Don't run away baby😎.

Felix smiled even as he blushed. He read Jimin's words twice, then another time. The teasing from their groups made his cheeks hot, but Jimin's little messages cooled him down like water on a burn. The two of them traded small jokes and private nicknames while their dormmates staged a full roast across living rooms and group chats.

That night, when the noise died down and the other members drifted off to practice or games, Jimin and Felix slipped into their private thread again. This time the messages were quieter, more urgent.

Felix: Everyone will die if we stay out too late.

Jimin: Then let's not stay out late. Thirty minutes. At my usual place?

Felix: Your usual place? You mean the tiny cafe? Or studio where you can hide in a corner and pretend to record?

Jimin: Exactly Cafe, Quiet. No cameras. No managers. Just us.

Felix stared at the screen and imagined Jimin waiting there under dim lights. His chest clenched the craving was always there, but this time it felt safer. Their groups had teased, yes, but they'd also shown something like acceptance. The world was shifting. That helped a little.

Felix: Okay. Thirty minutes. But Jiminie....

Jimin: Say it.

Felix: If I come, you have to actually spend the whole thirty minutes listening to me complain. No kissing until I finish my speech.

Jimin: You're kidding, right? Thirty minutes? That's a long teaser before the main show. 😉

Felix: I'm serious. I want to say things properly. Be romantic properly.

Jimin looked down at the tiny message and laughed out loud, careful to keep his voice low so the members wouldn't hear. "Thirty minutes of complaining," he thought. He's adorable when he's stubborn.

Jimin: Fine. Thirty minutes complaining. Then I can have you for as long as I want after.

Felix: Hyung! You are so unfair.

When the arena lights came off for the night and the dorms quieted, both slipped out under different excuses. Chan and Namjoon watched them leave from opposite windows with amused, tired faces and texted each other a short line: "Good luck" Namjoon texted Jimin then closed the blinds.

"Don't be late" Chan texted Felix and locked the door.