Step Out: Records | Stray Kids x Reader | Oneshots

Felix - Better Than Coffee

A good cup of coffee was exactly what you needed. Among the overstimulating backdrop of incessant buzzing of computers, pervading sweat, and grease that refuses to come off no matter how many times you washed your hands, your tongue still longed for another taste of coffee to get you through a night of working.

"That's the 4th time in a row, (Y/N)," snaked Felix. "Are you sure you want to keep at Mario Kart even after all your embarrassing losses?"

Well, you were supposed to have been working anyway.

Instead, here you lay, slumping down the plush chair of a crowded internet cafe. You waved your hands at Felix in dismissal. "It's not like we bet anything on it. I have nothing to lose."

Felix sighed, putting the mouse and keyboards to one side and replacing them with a stack of textbooks. "We have nothing TO bet on in the first place. We're college students, remember?"

This elicited a groan that made you slump even further in the seat.

"And we have a presentation due tomorrow. We're supposed to pitch our product in front of our media class, remember?"

The next groan sent your knees meeting the filthy, crumb-infested floor. "Don't remind me! I thought you took us to this cafe to take our minds OFF of the stupid project."

You felt yourself being heaved up by the arms before forcibly being sat back down. Huffing, you watched Felix return the tabs and windows of research you were working on before getting distracted.

"No, I brought us here because this internet cafe was open nearby, has fast wifi connection, and cheap food and drinks to keep us awake," he said in a mock tone not unlike one of your boring lecturers, then returned to his normal voice. "I come whenever I have to pull a serious all-nighter."

Throwing your hands up in exasperation, you returned his tiresome scolding with a wail, "But not coffee! They have no coffee!"

"(Y/N), that's because you drank their entire stock for the night."

This earned him a light punch to the shoulder. "That's not true and you know it," you said defensively. "I guess there are just a lot of people like us staying up late to work on their projects because they procrastinated until the last 24 hours."

"May~be," yawned Felix with a fleeting look of guilt. He tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes but to no avail. "I can't believe you still need more coffee after all the cups you've had so far." He gestured towards your right where 5 mugs and 3 ramen bowls lay empty and stained, handing you a glass of water which you drank from begrudgingly.

"I drank those hours ago. The effects of caffeine should be running out by the 6-hour mark, which is..." you glanced at the time in the corner of your computer screen, "3 am? When did it get this late?!"

"Well, we did get kicked out for staying too long at the library some time after 9 pm," Felix pointed out. "Then we got here and ate for about an hour, worked on the project for another 4, then played for the last one." He counted on his hands to show you.

Your head dropped to the table with a thud, too exhausted to even look at the screen anymore. Instead, you let your eyes wander to Felix's tired face, while he let out a low chuckle at your state.

As much as he tried to hide it, sleep had long since got ahold of him. He almost always failed to stifle his yawns, and his eyelids would be sliding down, yearning for an opportune moment to close and retire permanently for the night. Despite all of that, Felix remained obstinately awake for the sake of the project. And yet, you couldn't help but find his little struggle against sleep simply adorable.