Chapter 6: The Mall Date

Felix lay unconscious on the cold floor, his twisted form still resembling the Disney-like witch. In his mind, there was nothing but a dark void. He felt like he was floating, weightless, surrounded by whispers that grew louder and louder.

"It's all your fault…"

The words echoed endlessly, raspy and filled with pain, like someone's dying breath.

"It's your fault… Felix."

Felix clenched his fists in the void. "What does that even mean? What did I do?" he shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the darkness.

Meanwhile, in the real world, five minutes had passed. Felix's body began to change, his witch-like form shifting back to his normal self. He still lay motionless, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

Then there was a knock at the door.

The sound echoed in his mind, breaking through the void like a hatching egg. Slowly, Felix's eyes fluttered open, his breathing unsteady. He pushed himself off the floor, confused and dazed.

Another knock.

Dragging his tired body to the door, he opened it. Standing there was Kelvin, his hands stuffed awkwardly into his hoodie pocket, biting his lower lip like he was nervous.

Felix stared at him, and despite everything, he chuckled softly. Seeing Kelvin like this-remorseful-looked almost cute.

"What is it?" Felix asked, his voice hoarse.

Kelvin glanced at the floor, then back at Felix. "I… I'm sorry about earlier."

As soon as those words left Kelvin's mouth, a strange sense of calm washed over Felix. The lingering heaviness in his chest vanished, leaving him surprised. His eyes narrowed slightly.

What was this feeling? Why did Kelvin's apology feel like it lifted a weight and off him?

Felix smiled cheekily, masking his thoughts. "Good. As a good father of Rune, you should apologize to me."

Kelvin rolled his eyes but smirked. "Don't push it, wifey." He stepped back a little and added, "So… are you still up for going shopping? I still need to grab some things at the mall. We can go together. Nothing weird about it. No homo or whatever."

Felix laughed softly, shaking his head. "Yeah, sure. Let me get ready."

As Kelvin waited, Felix couldn't help but think about what had just happened. Every time they clashed, something strange happened to him. But when Kelvin made things right, the pain and chaos disappeared.

What was it about Kelvin that tied him so deeply to this curse?

Brushing the questions, Felix took his sweet time getting ready, as usual. Kelvin was already dressed and waiting by the door, tapping his foot impatiently. Every now and then, he shouted, "Felix, hurry up! It's not like we're going to a fashion show!"

But Felix wasn't rushing. He stood in front of the mirror, carefully applying his eyeliner and making sure every strand of his hair was in place. He loved to look his best, even if it annoyed Kelvin. After almost 30 minutes, Felix finally stepped out of his room.

Kelvin turned, ready to lecture him for taking so long, but the words caught in his throat. Felix looked… stunning. He wore a cropped top that showed off his incredibly slim waist, paired with baggy jeans and a light jacket that hung loosely off his shoulders. His face looked flawless, his makeup subtle yet perfect.

Kelvin opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He tried again but ended up shutting his mouth once more. This repeated a couple of times before he gave up entirely, settling for an annoyed glare instead.

Felix smirked, clearly noticing Kelvin's reaction. "What? Did I take your breath away?"

"Let's just go," Kelvin muttered, grabbing his cap, mask, and sunglasses. He shoved Felix's into his hands.

They both suited up, disguising themselves enough to avoid being recognized by fans. Then they headed to the garage, where Kelvin's car was parked—a sleek black SUV that his parents had gifted him.

As they got in, Felix teased, "Must be nice having rich parents."

Kelvin rolled his eyes but didn't respond, starting the engine instead.

The drive to Shanghai Central Mall was anything but peaceful.

"Who's stronger, Goku or Saitama?" Kelvin asked out of nowhere, his tone challenging.

Felix scoffed. "Obviously Saitama. Goku needs a hundred episodes just to power up but Saitama uses a punch."

Kelvin groaned. "You're so wrong. Goku's a literal god!"

They argued back and forth and by the time they reached the mall, they were both fired up, though neither wanted to admit they were actually having fun.

Kelvin parked the car and turned to Felix. "You're not going to start a fan debate in public, are you?"

Felix smirked, flipping his hair. "Only if you dare me to."

Kelvin shook his head, chuckling despite himself. "You're a different breed of human."

As they walked toward the entrance, their bickering continued, but there was an ease to it that neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

As soon as Felix and Kelvin stepped out of the car and started walking toward the entrance of the mall, they were already covered up, but it didn't matter.

Their group, Rune, was a hot topic right now, and they had tons of fans. People even called them the Chinese BTS, but the members of Rune hated that comparison. BTS had been around for over a decade and they are like Rune's parents, while they had only been together for three years. So, it didn't sit well with them, but they couldn't deny that they had a lot of fans.

As soon as they got close to the entrance, people started recognizing them. Felix immediately wanted to disappear into the crowd. He'd hoped for a peaceful shopping trip, but of course, being a celebrity meant there was no such thing. He should've just ordered his stuff online.

Felix glanced at Kelvin, a little desperate. "What do we do?"

Kelvin leaned in close to his ear, a smirk on his face. "We're idols. We act like one. We see our fans, we greet them."

Felix rolled his eyes but nodded. "Fine. Let's do this."

They walked towards the group of excited fans, who were already pulling out their phones to snap pictures. Felix pulled off his cap and glasses, exposing his face to the crowd. The screams started immediately, with some girls shouting, "Oh my god, Felix, you look so good! You're totally slaying, you know!"

Felix flashed them a big grin, all confidence. "Of course I slay, the slay is slaying."

One guy in the crowd came up to Felix, his eyes wide. "I need your outfit advice! You ate this up!"

Felix pointed to Kelvin, "This is Kevin's idea, actually. I'll tell you all about it."

Kelvin chuckled from behind Felix, watching him interact with the fans. It was clear that Felix was in his element, acting like a pro, but Kelvin knew it wasn't planned. Felix was just naturally good at this.

Still, Kelvin couldn't help but laugh at how well Felix was playing the part. It felt like Felix had planned everything from the start, even though he clearly hadn't.

As they were interacting with the fans, a girl teasingly asked, "Are you two on a date?"

Kelvin raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the question. He glanced at Felix, and an idea popped into his head. He decided to tease the fans a bit, so he smirked and took a step closer to Felix. Without saying anything, Kelvin casually wrapped his arms around Felix's waist, pulling him closer.

The fans, of course, were loving it. They screamed and shouted, "Aww, you two are so cute! You're definitely on a date, right?"

One of the girls even shouted, "Kelix! Kelix forever!"

Felix, trying to go along with it, grinned and said, "Of course we are. We're always on a date!" He was acting way more confident than he actually felt.

But then, Felix shifted uncomfortably, feeling the way Kelvin's hand was still on his waist. He quickly leaned back, trying to give Kelvin a subtle hint that he wasn't exactly enjoying the closeness.

Kelvin noticed the shift in Felix's mood, so he pulled back slightly, turning to the fans with a grin. "Alright, guys, we have to go or we'll miss our reservation!"

As they walked away, Felix whispered, "The fans are gone. You can get your hands off me now."

Kelvin smirked and leaned in close, "Well, if you turn around and see that the fans are still watching, you won't say that, will you?"

Felix couldn't help but roll his eyes but stayed quiet, his heart still racing from the odd mix of emotions he was feeling. They were still the center of attention, and he couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort that lingered.

-----

After visiting a few brand stores, including the one Felix was a brand ambassador for, FRAZFIT, Felix and Kelvin were tired but satisfied with their shopping haul. They were both looking forward to some food after a long day.

"Hey, I'm starving," Felix said as they walked out of a store, stretching his arms.

"Same," Kelvin agreed. "Let's grab something to eat. I'm in the mood for some good Chinese food."

Felix nodded. "Let's hit up that restaurant over there."

They made their way to a random restaurant inside the mall, and as soon as they sat down, the menu looked so tempting.

"Maybe we should try some hotpot?" Felix suggested. "I'm craving that. A big pot of spicy broth with meat and veggies."

"Sounds good," Kelvin replied, "and we can add dumplings. I need those in my life right now."

They both decided to order some classic Chinese delicacies: hotpot with all the fixings, crispy spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, some noodles to eat with it, and of course, some famous fried dumplings with soy sauce.

As they ate, Felix couldn't help but laugh at how the meal turned into an unofficial food challenge. Kelvin tried to eat as many dumplings as he could, while Felix kept joking around about him being a dumpling monster.

When they finally finished eating, they were both stuffed but still feeling like they needed more fun.

"Alright, what now?" Kelvin asked, already pulling out his phone to check the time.

Felix grinned. "Let's go to the arcade. We can blow off some steam and have fun."

The two of them headed straight to the arcade, ready for some friendly competition. Felix was excited to kick Kelvin's butt in a few games, and Kelvin was determined to prove that he was the true champion.

They spent the next few hours playing everything from claw machines to racing games, laughing and teasing each other the whole time. Felix even managed to win a huge stuffed bear from one of the claw machines,