Chapter 13: Accidental Kiss

Felix clenched his fists, feeling the shift creeping closer. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. Maybe... just maybe, it wouldn't hurt to let one person know. And if it had to be someone, Kelvin was probably the safest choice.

Without saying a word, Felix grabbed Kelvin by the wrist and pulled him into the nearby bathroom. Kelvin barely had time to protest before the door clicked shut and Felix locked it.

"Okay, what's going on?" Kelvin asked, his voice laced with confusion and slight annoyance.

Felix leaned back against the door, his heart pounding. "Just... don't freak out, okay?"

Kelvin frowned. "Freak out about what? Felix, what are you—"

But Felix didn't let him finish. He closed his eyes and let it happen. The shift took over in an instant—his frame shrinking slightly, his jaw softening, his hair lengthening until it fell past his shoulders.

When he opened his eyes again, Kelvin was staring at him, his expression frozen in pure shock.

"Felix... what the hell?" Kelvin's voice was barely above a whisper.

Felix looked down at his now feminine hands, then back up at Kelvin. "This is me," he said quietly.

Kelvin didn't say a word. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.

Felix took a shaky step forward, his eyes meeting Kelvin's wide-eyed gaze. "I didn't want you to find out about this, but... now you know."

Kelvin finally blinked, his throat moving as he tried to form words. "You... you're—"

Before he could finish, there was a loud knock on the bathroom door.

"Kelvin? Felix? Are you guys in there?" It was Mitchell's voice.

Felix's eyes widened, and his heart sank.

Kelvin immediately stepped up, his mind racing but his voice steady. "Uh, Mitchell, yeah, Felix and I have somewhere to go. Tell Rika to leave without us, okay?"

There was a pause on the other side of the door before Mitchell hummed in response. "Alright. But you two owe me if Rika chews us out."

"Yeah, yeah," Kelvin replied quickly. He waited until Mitchell's footsteps faded away before turning back to Felix.

Now that they were alone, the tension was thick. Kelvin's eyes darted over Felix, his brows furrowed in a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Alright," he started, his voice rising slightly. "What the hell is going on? Are you a girl? Are you actually a girl? Or—what the hell are you?!"

Felix winced, his back pressed against the bathroom door. "Kelvin, I—"

"No, don't start with the vague crap. Just tell me!" Kelvin demanded, his voice sharp and desperate.

Felix swallowed hard, his hands trembling. He wanted to run, to shift again and disappear, but he forced himself to stay. "I'm not a girl," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm... I'm cursed, Kelvin. I'm a Mimicae."

Kelvin stared at him, his face blank as he processed the words. "A what?"

Felix clenched his fists, looking anywhere but at Kelvin's eyes. "I... I transform. Into anything or anyone. I can't control it sometimes, especially when I'm stressed. That's why I've been so distant. That's why I—"

Kelvin suddenly took a step back, then another, his expression hardening.

"Kelvin?" Felix's voice cracked, his heart pounding as he watched Kelvin put more space between them.

Kelvin shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "So what, you've just been lying to all of us this whole time? Pretending to be human while you're—what, some kind of shapeshifter?"

Felix's heart sank, tears pricking his eyes. "It's not like that," he said, his voice trembling. "I didn't have a choice, Kelvin. I didn't ask for this."

Kelvin kept moving further away, his back hitting the wall. His breathing was uneven, his eyes looking around like he was trying to make sense of everything.

"Kelvin, please," Felix pleaded, stepping forward, only for Kelvin to flinch. The reaction hit Felix like a punch to the gut. Does he hate me?

Kelvin's voice was low and strained. "I just... I need a minute, Felix."

And with that, the space between them felt wider than ever.

Felix's voice was barely a whisper as he asked, "Are you... disgusted by me?"

Kelvin's head shot up, his eyes meeting Felix's wide, panicked ones. He shook his head quickly. "No, I'm not disgusted," he said firmly, though his voice still carried a hint of surprise. "I'm just... surprised, okay? I mean, look at you. Who knew the annoying guy I've been stuck with for years could look this... pretty as a girl?"

Felix blinked, caught off guard by the comment. He felt a chill run through him, but this time it wasn't fear—it was relief, mixed with something he didn't want to admit. He smirked, the tension in his shoulders melting away.

"Oh, so I'm annoying now?" Felix said, his tone light, though his lips curved into a playful pout. "You still love me though, right?"

Kelvin raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching upward despite himself. "Love you? That's a strong word, Felix. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Felix leaned in slightly, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "come on, admit it. You'd miss me if I wasn't around. Even if I'm 'annoying'."

Kelvin rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth betrayed a grin. "Fine. Maybe I'd miss you a little. But don't let it get to your head."

Felix gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. "Wow, Kelvin actually said he'd miss me. I should frame this moment."

Kelvin chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"And you're predictable," Felix shot back, a mischievous glint in his eye.

The playful banter continued, the tension between them replaced by a lighthearted energy. They teased and joked, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

But then Felix felt it—a familiar sensation rippling through him. He froze, the playful smirk falling from his face.

"Uh, Kelvin?" Felix muttered, gripping the edge of the sink.

Kelvin's brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I think... I think I'm shifting back."

And just like that, the light mood was replaced with a sudden stillness as Felix braced himself for the inevitable.

Surprisingly, the shift back wasn't painful or time consuming. One moment, Felix was standing there in his female form, and the next, he was back to his usual self, looking as exasperated as ever.

Kelvin blinked at him, his expression unreadable. "Okay," he said, crossing his arms. "I have about a million questions right now, but I'll save them for when we get home. This... whatever this is, isn't exactly bathroom conversation."

Felix nodded, relief washing over him. "Fair enough. Let's just get out of here before the others think we've disappeared for good."

He turned to head for the door, but as luck would have it, his foot slipped on the still-damp tile floor. "Oh shi—!"

Before he could hit the ground, Kelvin instinctively reached out to catch him. The movement was quick and clumsy, and in the process, they both lost their balance. In a blur of limbs and panicked whoas, they fell over, crashing to the floor.

And then it happened.

Felix's lips brushed against Kelvin's, soft and unintentional. For a second, time seemed to stop. Neither of them moved, their wide eyes locked on each other as they processed what just occurred.

Kelvin was the first to react, his face turning a deep shade of red. "What the—"

Felix scrambled off him, just as flustered. "I—uh—I didn't mean to—"

Kelvin sat up, avoiding Felix's gaze, and ran a hand through his hair. "It was... an accident. Let's just... pretend it didn't happen."

Felix nodded quickly, his own cheeks burning. "Right. Totally. Didn't happen."

But as they both stood up, the lingering tension in the air said otherwise. Neither of them could quite look the other in the eye as they left the bathroom, each lost in their own whirlwind of thoughts.