Chapter 18: One Hell of a Trip

The next week, Felix has to head to his hometown for the promotional event their manager, Rika, had told him about. At first, Kelvin thought it was no big deal, but for the past few days, he'd been getting this weird feeling. You know that feeling where things are going too well, and you just start expecting something bad to happen? Yeah, that's exactly how Kelvin felt.

It started bothering him so much that he decided to talk to Rika about it. She was like an older sister to all of them, so it wasn't weird for him to open up. He found her in the office, tapping away on her laptop.

"Hey, Rika," Kelvin said, leaning on the doorframe.

Rika looked up with a small smile. "What's up, Kel?"

Kelvin ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, it's about Felix. I don't know... I've just been having this bad feeling lately, like something's off. You know how it is when things are going too smoothly, and you just... feel like something's coming?"

Rika closed her laptop and gave him her full attention. "Go on."

"I don't know exactly what it is," Kelvin admitted, "but it's really bugging me. I can't shake the feeling that something's gonna go wrong."

Rika nodded, taking him seriously. "I get what you mean, but I've got to go with Felix for this promo event. He's been really hesitant about going back to his hometown. He tried to play it cool, but I know he's nervous. Leaving him to handle that alone just doesn't feel right."

Kelvin frowned, crossing his arms. "Then why don't we all go? I mean, if it's about promoting Rune, it doesn't make sense for just Felix to go. We're a group. If one of us is promoting, it should be all of us."

Rika raised a brow. "You know your schedule's packed."

"Postpone it," Kelvin said without missing a beat. "Talk to the CEO. Push everything back. We'll be fine. We've been working non-stop anyway. It'll give us a chance to breathe... and back Felix up."

Rika thought about it for a moment, tapping her chin. "Hmm... you might have a point."

"Trust me," Kelvin said. "Better safe than sorry."

"Alright," Rika agreed with a sigh. "I'll talk to the CEO. You guys better not regret this."

Kelvin smirked. "We won't."

With that settled, Kelvin finally felt a bit lighter. Maybe this was the right move after all.

---

It was the morning that they had to leave for Felix's hometown, Qinghe. Everyone else was ready but Felix ? No.

Kelvin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed as he stared at Felix, who was sitting on the bed like he had nowhere to be. His suitcase was still half-packed, clothes scattered around like he had started the process and then given up halfway. The van was already waiting outside, and Zach, Gray, and Mitchell had gone ahead. But Felix? Felix was just sitting there, staring at nothing.

Kelvin let out a slow breath. "Are you planning to move, or should I just tell Rika to leave without you?"

Felix turned his head slightly, resting his chin on his palm. "Maybe."

Kelvin raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?"

Felix shrugged. "Maybe I don't feel like going."

Kelvin clicked his tongue, already irritated. "Felix, the van is literally waiting. What's your deal?"

Felix stayed silent for a moment, kicking his foot lazily. He looked like a kid who was being forced to go to school. Kelvin narrowed his eyes. He knew Felix well enough to tell that something was bothering him, but, as always, Felix wasn't saying a damn thing.

Kelvin ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Fine, suit yourself."

He turned on his heel and walked out.

Felix frowned, sitting up a little. "Wait, where are you going?"

Kelvin stopped in his tracks when he heard Felix's voice. He turned around and saw Felix getting up from the bed, walking straight towards him. Before he could react, Felix was standing insanely close, their faces only inches apart.

Kelvin swallowed. His heart was beating too fast, way too fast. He didn't even know why. Felix was just standing there, staring up at him, his big green eyes looking… sad.

Kelvin frowned. "What's wrong?" This time, his voice was soft, calmer. He didn't want to fight. He just wanted to know.

Felix looked like he was going to cry. His lips parted slightly, and for a moment, it seemed like he was going to say something. But instead, he just lowered his gaze, his fingers curling into fists at his sides.

Kelvin didn't even think—his hand just moved on its own. He reached out and ran his fingers through Felix's long blonde hair, stroking it gently. "Hey," he murmured, "whatever it is… just tell me. It's okay."

Felix took a shaky breath. His shoulders tensed for a moment, then relaxed.

"My parents," he finally said, voice barely above a whisper. "They're still in my hometown."

Kelvin stayed silent, letting him talk.

"They… they disowned me." Felix let out a small, bitter laugh. "After they found out I was cursed. And gay."

Kelvin's fingers stilled in his hair.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. The air between them felt heavy, thick with something neither of them could quite place.

Kelvin knew Felix was a private person, someone who rarely let others see what was really going on in his head. And yet, right now, Felix was letting him see.

So Kelvin did the only thing he could. He kept running his fingers through Felix's hair, his voice barely above a whisper.

"That's their loss."

Felix blinked, a little confused. "Uh-huh?"

Kelvin stopped running his fingers through Felix's hair and looked straight at him, his expression serious. "I said, that's their loss."

Felix just stared, unsure of what to say.

"They're supposed to stand by you," Kelvin continued. "No matter what. But instead, they disowned you and let you go. That's their loss, Felix."

Felix's lips parted slightly, and then, slowly, he smiled.

And that was it. That was the moment Kelvin was done for.

That damn smile.

His heart was pounding, his mind racing. He didn't know when it happened, didn't know when he started looking at Felix like this, but all he knew was—he wanted him.

This boy standing in front of him.

He wanted him.

The tension was growing by the minute.

Suddenly, Felix grabbed his luggage a little too fast, trying to shake off whatever that moment was. "We should go... We should leave, the van..." He fumbled for words before packing up and pulling the luggage towards the door.

Kelvin, of course, picked up on the shift. And just like that, his usual attitude snapped back into place. He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, smirking. "Of course, we should go. It's your hometown, not ours."

Felix closed his eyes for a second, exhaling slowly before muttering, "Whatever. Let's just go."

But as they walked out, Felix couldn't stop thinking about it. Why the hell am I still stuck on that stupid kiss from the game? It had been a game, nothing serious. Just a dumb, meaningless kiss. So why did it still linger in his head?

Maybe it was just because Kelvin was too close just now. Yeah, that's it. Too close.

Shaking off the thought, Felix focused on something else—getting to the van. "Where's the van?" he asked, rubbing his temples.

When they got there, the other members were already waiting, loud and chaotic as always. As soon as they spotted Felix and Kelvin, Zach threw his hands up. "Oh, finally! Mom and Dad decided to join us!"

Mitchell smirked. "Took you two long enough. Were you having a moment?"

Grey just nodded seriously. "They were definitely having a moment."

Felix groaned, dragging his suitcase inside. "Shut up."

Kelvin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, shut up, kids."

Zach gasped. "Oh, so now you're our parents for real? Damn, this group dynamic is wild."

Felix just threw himself into his seat, staring out the window. This is gonna be a long trip.