Chapter fourty-three

"Are you sure everything's good?" 

"Can you come with me for a sec?" Minho hastily asks while he already yanks Felix by his arm with him, a little deeper into the garden and halts near the drinking table.

"What's up, hyung?" Felix asks when the silence gets too loaded. Minho's eyes seem to search for something in the crowd and Felix can hear his heartbeat skip a beat. 

Minho steps closer to Felix and slowly brushes the back of his hand along the younger's cheeks. 

"Nothing. Don't worry," he smiles.

"Ehm, you're really giving me the idea something is indeed wrong." 

Closer comes Minho and asks, "How come?"

"Because you're stepping closer and closer and we've never been closer than one and a half meters. While you're, like, I don't know, 15 centimetres away from me, right now?" 

Wow, Minho thinks, I get why those two are best friends, "Maybe I just wanna be close to you?"

"What the actual fuck, Minho," Felix says in disgust while trying to take a step back. Only to realise the older's hand had still not left his arm.

Minho slowly trails his hand up and wipes some hair from Felix's face. "Shh shh. Calm down," he says in a soothing voice, "Has anyone yet told you you're beautiful this evening?"

"Yes," Felix snaps, "I have this best friend. I think you know him, right? He always bombards me with compliments. Now, if you'd excuse me, I was just about to bring him a drink."

"He can wait," the older assures, never letting his hand fall off of Felix's face.

"He can- What the fuck, man? What's up with you?"

"You know, I've never noticed how many freckles you have. They're all over your face. Your nose, cheeks, even your forehead and eyes. It's just like a milky way full of stars."

Felix's face started twitching, in disgust, "Ok, you're freaking me out right now. Don't you have another boy to flatter?"

"Not right now," Minho smiles, stepping even closer if possible.

Okay, what the fuck, Felix thinks, I just gave Jisung a whole ass speech about how mates are loyal since they don't really have a choice. Now this happens.

It's not like Felix can't stand up for himself, it's just that he's confused as to what happens. He may not know his hyung that well, but he knew enough to know he wouldn't do something like that. Or that's what he thought.

His friends always spoke highly of him. Of how sweet, reliable and trustworthy Minho was, even though he seemed cold and heartless sometimes. 

Now the man was standing in front of Felix inching closer and closer. His gaze did not leave Felix's eyes for a second.

If I wasn't mated, if I was any other person, this would've been enough to leave me a blushing mess. Felix thought. Because it didn't matter if he saw Minho only as his hyung, a friend maybe. No one could neglect the beauty this man possessed.

You didn't need to like him in that way to recognise his pretty features. It was all over the place. Everyone knew and saw it. 

As the gap between the two got too small Felix started to almost shake. This scene is a bit too familiar to him. 

Squishing his eyes closed, his eyes which were slowly watering, he whispers, "Hyung? Please, stop. I will forget what happened, but please don't hurt him."

Minho deviates from course pressing his left cheek to Felix's and whispers back,

"So you know about us?"

"Yes, please stop." Felix hitches.

"I can't," is all Minho answers before finally taking his hand off Felix's arm. Only to rest it on his neck in return.

"Please," Felix begs. He can feel Minho's smile on his cheek.

"Please," Minho repeats, "Play along."

Felix's eyes flutter open. Blinking rapidly he gets rid of the tears. Minho draws back and smiles at Felix, cupping his face with one of his hands. Felix lies in. This time the younger brushes the back of his hand against the other's cheek.

"Trust me?" The older questions.

"I can play along."

Minho smiles, almost sad. "What are we playing for?" Felix asks under his breath.

Minho's smile fades and his face turns stern, "Someone needs to learn a lesson."

Felix looks down confused. He doesn't know why, but something inside him tells him to trust his beta's mate on this one. 

And he does. 

Looking at one of Minho's hands, which was now hung beside him, he intertwines his hand with his. "The lesson better be worth it." He hisses.

Minho grins, "I think you'll find it very worth it."

Felix looks up from their hands at Minho. No matter how clearly he sees the beauty of the other, and how well he knows how others would crumble with this distance, under his stare, and with their hands intertwined, it didn't affect him. At all.

He smiled, knowing that it's just as impossible for Minho to ever feel even the smallest something for someone other than his almost twin. 

"Haven't you sensed him yet?" Minho requests the blonde. Felix hangs up the conversation. And the second he takes his attention away from the stimuli he feels it. 

The same, progressively heavier, overwhelming feeling. How could I not have realized it? I was so fixated on the thought of Minho going to hurt Jisung that I didn't even know it. He looks back at Minho. Even though the older couldn't tell precisely what Felix was feeling or thinking, his eyes spoke more than words could. 

He looks down at Felix, almost pained, eyes and smiles wryly, "Now you sense him, don't you?" 

Felix swallows a lump in his throat.

"I can believe this may be hard, but I need you to neglect that feeling. Please. Just for a while. Act as if you're having fun, act as if you're liking this. 

And we'll leave in a second."

Felix looks in shock. Wasn't this the whole plan? For him to notice me? Then why run away? "Why?"