Three weeks flew by, and life had gotten insanely busy for all of them. Zach and Grey barely came home anymore—they'd both landed roles in a drama and were constantly on set. They were either memorizing lines, doing takes, or crashing at some hotel the production booked for them.
Meanwhile, Mitchell and Kelvin practically lived in the studio. As the group's main producers, they were swamped with deadlines for their upcoming album. Mitchell was always the more easygoing one, humming along to tracks, but Kelvin? He barely cracked a smile these days, too focused on getting everything perfect.
Felix, on the other hand, was on the other side of the world. New York Fashion Week had him running from one event to another, and he hadn't been home in two weeks. His schedule was insane—shows, photoshoots, and afterparties that went on till dawn. It was exhausting, but he kept pushing through. He had to.
The Mimicae curse, though, was like a shadow he couldn't escape. The sudden urges to shift hit him when he felt stressed, but he was getting better at controlling them. Barely.
Whenever he had a bit of free time, he visited seers and fortune tellers in New York, hoping someone could give him answers. Most of them were total fakes, spinning stories just to get his money. But one old woman he met in Chinatown said something different.
"To control the Mimicae curse," she told him, "you must become the Mimicae."
"What does that even mean?" Felix asked, frustrated.
The woman only smiled, her cloudy eyes distant. "You will only control it if you confront the grudge that cursed you."
Felix didn't understand, but her words stuck with him. Did she mean the curse from the deity as he'd been told back in his hometown? Or was there something more? By the way, why would a deity keep grudges with me?
Either way, he didn't have time to dwell on it. He needed to stay calm, stay collected, and avoid stress at all costs.
Because one wrong move, and everything he'd built- the fame, the fans, the life he worked so hard to protect- could come crashing down in the blink of an eye. And worse, it could affect the group.
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Kelvin was getting more and more cranky as the days passed. It felt like he was always on edge, and no one was safe from his mood.
He'd snap at Mitchell over minor things in the studio, like a beat being slightly off or the sound levels not being 'perfect.'
Zach and Grey weren't spared either. One day, Kelvin even showed up on their filming set unannounced. At first, they thought he was just there to support them, but nah. When they flunked a few lines during their scenes, Kelvin didn't hold back. He pulled them aside during a break and lectured them about being professional and not wasting time.
"Do you even know how much this production is costing? Get it together!" he scolded, arms crossed like a strict parent.
Zach and Grey were stunned. It wasn't like Kelvin to act like this—well, not this bad anyway. Mitchell noticed it too. The three of them eventually sat down to talk about it during one of their very rare free evenings at the dorm.
"You think he's like this because Felix isn't around?" Grey asked, munching on a bag of chips.
"Probably," Zach replied, shrugging. "He's been so moody ever since Felix left for New York. You think he misses him?"
Mitchell smirked. "Of course he does. He just won't admit it."
The next day, the three of them decided to confront Kelvin. They waited until he was in the living room, scrolling through his phone with a deep frown on his face.
"Hey, Kelvin," Zach started cautiously.
"What?" Kelvin said without looking up.
"You've been kind of… snappy lately," Grey said, trying to keep his tone light. "Is it because you miss Felix?"
Kelvin's head shot up, and his brows furrowed. "What? Don't be ridiculous. Why would I miss him?"
Mitchell crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Then why don't you ever call him? You've been ignoring him this whole time."
"Does that not prove a point?" Kelvin asked, his voice flat and dry.
"A point about what?" Zach asked.
"That I don't miss him," Kelvin replied, standing up and walking out of the room, leaving the three younger ones to exchange knowing looks.
"Yeah, he totally misses him," Grey muttered, shaking his head.
Later that day, Kelvin was sitting in the studio, scrolling through his phone absentmindedly. His fingers swiped through post after post until one caught his attention. The headline screamed at him: "Rune's member, Felix Chang and French Actor Alain Allard hitting it off like a couple; plans to make a BL series in the near future."
Kelvin froze. His eyes scanned the photo attached to the post. Felix and Alain were sitting at a table, laughing together, looking way too comfortable for Kelvin's liking.
Without thinking, Kelvin exited Instagram and tossed his phone onto the couch. It bounced once before landing face down. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. His chest felt tight, and he didn't like it.
After a few minutes, he picked up the phone again. His fingers hovered over the Instagram app but instead, he opened his browser. He typed, "How to have a good night sleep without nightmares." He clicked on one of the first links and started reading, trying to distract himself from whatever it was that was bothering him.
As he scrolled down the article, a video popped up as a suggestion. It was from FRAZFIT, the brand Felix modeled for. Curious—or maybe just looking for another distraction—Kelvin clicked on it.
The video started with Felix walking into the frame, wearing one of FRAZFIT's genderless designs. It was a sleek, flowing dress paired with boots and minimal makeup. Felix looked stunning. Too stunning.
Kelvin's grip on his phone tightened as he watched Felix move confidently in front of the camera, striking poses and smiling in a way that felt... different. There was something about the way Felix looked in the dress, the way he owned the entire concept, that made Kelvin's heart race.
"What the hell…" Kelvin muttered under his breath. He could feel his face heating up, his pulse quickening. Felix was doing something to him—something he couldn't explain, let alone contain.
He quickly exited the video, locking his phone and setting it down on the desk. But even then, the image of Felix in that dress, smiling at the camera, was burned into his mind.
Kelvin leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. "Get a grip," he muttered to himself, but his thoughts were already going wild.
He thought of Felix's plump lips and how good they'd taste. Kelvin felt like getting Felix back in Shanghai that moment and making him his. He wanted to have him all to himself.
The thoughts continued, slowly morphing into dirty thoughts. Kelvin felt himself get horny His crotch area was already hard.
He gave in to the pleasure and slipped his hands inside his pants, rubbing the tip of his hardened dick as he imagined more images of Felix. He imagined Felix's tongue dancing on his dick.
"Fuck...Felix," he let out a moan amid his irregular breaths from the lustful enjoyment.
Kelvin continued moving his hand up and down on his crotch, occasionally replaying Felix's features- his slim waist and hips that move in the sexiest manner, his dead eyes- in his head as he felt himself get to the climax.
The hand continued, this time going faster. His breathing was ragged. Then he released in his hands. Some of the cum stained his pants and the floor.
Kelvin was still sat on the couch, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. The rush of pleasure had faded, leaving behind a heavy wave of guilt that hit him like a storm.
He rubbed his face with both hands, muttering to himself, "What the hell is wrong with me?"
His thoughts were a mess, all tangled up with Felix's image flashing in his mind. He hated that he couldn't stop thinking about him, hated that he gave in to... whatever this was. "This is bad. So stupid," he whispered, shaking his head.
Kelvin stood up, grabbing some tissues to clean up the mess on the floor. His movements were rushed, almost panic-stricken, as if cleaning would somehow erase the thoughts in his head. He was just about done when he froze—there was a knock on the studio door.