Chapter thirty-five

"You're feeling it again, aren't you?"

"What?"

"Those attacks? It's been a while since you felt them. Are you okay? Do you think you'll collapse?"

Felix can't do anything about the smile that's starting to form on his face. Jisung may look overly enthusiastic and distracted by everything, but Felix knows better than anyone that the energetic part is only the surface of his best friend's amazing personality. He cares more about others their well-being than anyone ever would.

"I'm not. I hope I'm not. It's just...it's weird to feel it again," They continue their conversation in telepathy so the others won't hear, "And here?"

"Mhm, do you think it's someone on our campus?"

"I guess yes. I had the first attack on the bus on my way to the campus then at school and stuff."

"And at home once."

"Yes, Minho's shirt. Maybe one of the previous attacks was also caused by something like that."

"Maybe, yes. I was thinking about it but the one at the coffee shop and afterwards Minho's shirt. Minho was there at that coffee shop."

"So what are you insinuating? That Minho's my mate? I would've known it if my mate had been sitting only two places away from me." 

Jisung felt his eyes darkening. A slap in his face. Nothing really happened, Felix just misunderstood him, but he still went all-territorial over his mate. Unconsciously he checks his bond with Minho, afraid all may have gone lost, and feels it's still there. It felt weird for Jisung that Felix talked this way over his mate. Almost as if someone was having lewd thoughts of his dearest. No doubt he'd try to and probably even succeed in biting off the head of anyone who'd even try to bring anything into their head. He knew that wasn't the case right now, though.

"That's not what I mean. I meant it may be someone he knows."

These words make Felix think for a second. How could I have never thought about that? It must be. Stupid. 

"Ji, oh my fucking goddess. How did that thought never cross my mind."

"Because you prefer working with facts over thinking logically."

"Auwch bro."

"You're welcome, bro."

"So..."

"So what?"

"One of us has to find out."

"Find out what?"

"Who he went to the coffee shop with, of course."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think these attacks will ease. The opposite. It hurts more every time."

"But you're not collapsing?"

"I was overwhelmed that time. I'd prefer collapsing over this."

"Then ask him. He's sitting right beside me, go ahead."

"You ask."

Jisung looks at Felix and puts his hand up in a questioning gesture. "Why would I? You're the one hurting because you can't find your mate, not me." No, but for real. He's hurting. He hurts every time he senses his mate nearby while I am only longing for Minho. 

"You know Minho and you get along better than he and I."

"So what? You expect me to just go up to him and say 'Hey, Minho, remember that one time you went to the coffee shop and Felix went nuts afterwards? Who were you with?' and that he will deadass tell me." Yes, he will.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know, find a way to sneak it into a conversation or something."

"Guys?" Minho calls up from Jisung's right side.

"I don't think I have another option than to try it, Mr. Alpha Mr. sir, but I can't promise anything," Jisung hastily adds before closing the door to his mind again.

"Guys?" Minho calls for the second time.

"Mhm?" Jisung answers.

"Y'all have been staring at each other and not touching your food for quite a time," Minho whispers after leaning in a bit, "Everyone's almost done and the groups are gonna be called. Eat up."

"Sorry, guess we zoned out," Felix says.

Jisung feels Minho's fingers brushing against his leg and looks at the boy.

"You trynna provoke me by staring into someone's soul for five minutes straight while I'm sitting right here?" 

Jisung's cheeks begin to blush. "I'm sorry."

"I'd almost think you doing this stuff with Felix on purpose. Always staring at each other."

"Getting jealous over there?"

"Maybe." 

That answer makes Jisung smile and he softly strokes Minho's fingers. "I gotta talk to you something anon."

"Sure do."

Jisung looks to his left, seeing Felix eating his breakfast while having a conversation with his cousin. He knows the whispering doesn't have a lot of efficiency since Felix could easily increase his hearing ability. As can the others, but he knows they wouldn't do such a thing. 

"Okay folks, I hope everyone's done eating?" Eric's voice peals through the cafeteria, "If not, bummer. There's a flyer with the teams next to the exit. Your team consists of your roommates and another cottage's estates. Check your team and make sure to get today's agenda from my colleague. But I don't think Jessi'll give you the chance to forget it."

"So," Jisung speaks to everyone, "I still don't know who's roomies with whom. Except for Lix and Gyu."

"Yeah, true," Heeseung says, "I'm roomies with Ji, Jun and Minho."

"Sure," Sunoo says, "I'm put with Riki, Soob and Innie."

"Innie?" Jisung questions.

"Jeongin," Minho answers on Sunoo's behalf, "He's our baby so he deserves a baby-fit nickname."

"You know I'm literally just two years younger right?" Jeongin adds in from the other side of the table. 

Jisung would swear he saw Hyunjin's hand shoot back the second the prior Jeongin had opened his mouth.

"I'm literally grouped with all the babies I know. But I'm not complaining. At least I already knew two of my roomies and the third one too seems to be very kind."

"Wait," Jisung says, puzzling with the new information, "You skipped a class?"

Jeongin's cheeks turn bright pink, "Freshman year."

"Damn. Anyways, go on."

"Well," Gyu begins, "Unlike you, I wouldn't say we have good roomies."

"Agreed," says Felix.

"What why?" Jisung questions.

"We're grouped with San and Wooyoung."

"Wait what?" Chris asks, "Why's that bad? We have vocal classes together and they seem nice people." Hyunjin and Minho agree.

"They may be nice, but they are sickening. Like, don't get me wrong, their relationship is adorable, envious even, but they never ever talked in the past day and pretty much claimed the living room."

The students were one by one getting up and leaving the canteen, and so did the friend group.

"Wait," Minho tunes in, "I had a lil group project with Wooyoung last week. I'd be lying if I'd say the boy didn't remind me a helluva lot of Felix."

"They're really kind, that's not what I meant when I agreed," Felix defends his pov, "They're just not even letting us talk to them. The second I walked in they avoided me as a plague. We didn't even have eye contact. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"Anyhoe," Hyunjin says, "I'm grouped with Chris, Jake and Taehyun."

"Call us 'sexy house'," Jake says grinning. 

"You know we're not gonna do that, right?" Sunoo asks.

"You will. Just wait."

As they get to the flyer to see their groups Hyunjin jumps onto Minho in no time. 

"The fuck?" Minho exclaims.

"Our cottages are teamed up."

"Whoo, teamed up with the sexy house," Heeseung cheers ironically.

"I know you'd like it," Jake says with a wink.

"Ayo! Y'all getting you're asses over here or what? We don't have the whole day," The camp leader exclaims. Chris walks up to her and apologises.

"Team name?"

"We're team...Godfather?"

"Sure," she looks around for a second and hands Chris a paper, "Here's your day planning. Try to not end up in a hospital."

"Ehm...Thanks? Oh and the team names?"

"What about them?"

"Are they all movie names?"

"Stupid right? That's what I thought."

Chris walks back to the group and hands the planning to Jake, "The first activity are some mini-games."

Chris starts walking away and says, almost in a whisper, "The second last activity is rock climbing."

Jisung didn't know why he got that random bit of information, then he hears Minho's pulse quicken next to him. He subtly touches the boy's hand which was slung at his side. 

"Sup, Minmin?"

"Heights and I don't go that well together..."

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Felix was thankful he didn't have a bad team. It was his cottage and one with four boys he had seen in history and maths. 

"Nice to meet you, Felix Lee." He extends his hand which is immediately shaken by a sweet-looking boy.

"Jihoon Han, nice to meet you. These Are Justin, Leo and Sangwon. I hope we'll make a great team!" The boy's enthusiasm was almost contagious. 

"I'm sure we will. Jessie told me you'd already picked up the planning for today?"

"Sure thing," the boy who was introduced as Leo answers, "First activity is pretty boring. We have to find some plants and get them back here before our second activity begins." 

Leo hands Felix the planning who goes over it real quick. Then his eyes lock on the last activity. 'Horse Riding' it reads.

Oh shit.