Lonely Kitten

41

Panicked, Felix got to his feet. His heart raced as he ran from the apartment to he didn't even know where. This was so wrong. There was no way, Chan could be his mate. He was his cousin for Christ's sake. Felix didn't realize he was crying and only noticed when something wet dripped off his chin and onto his hand. It was already late in the evening and he usually wouldn't have wanted to be out alone but he needed air. No matter how fast and deep he breathed, it didn't seem like he could get enough air. Choking on the cold night air, Felix coughed and ended up tripping himself as he didn't pay any attention to where he was going. He scraped his palms and one of his knees but didn't even feel the pain through the adrenalin, the blood dripping freely. The Aussie was confused to no end, feeling as if the rug had been pulled from under his feet. He had been so certain that Changbin was his mate and it shouldn't be possible to imprint on a blood-relative. Felix didn't feel any romantic pull towards Chan. Sure, he was more than comfortable around the older but more as though the other was his older brother, whom he could go to for guidance and comfort.

Back at Chan's apartment, the friends were left stunned. Minho quickly getting to his feet, as he promised: "I'll find him and explain what's going on. It should be easy to find him with my heightened senses. Sungie, please explain." With that the older hybrid was out the door too, his heart breaking at how messed up his friend must be feeling right now. On the other hand, he surely wouldn't have reacted that way if he hadn't felt the distinct, static buzzing in his lips when kissing Changbin. It seemed they finally had their confirmation but at what cost?

Chan, Changbin and Hyunjin looked at Jisung confused. What was there to explain? "Binnie-hyung, what did it feel like when you kissed Felix?", the youngest asked shakily, uncomfortable with having all the attention on him. Playing with his hands, Changbin stammered: "U-Uhm, I dunno...." He felt weird discussing it with his crush's cousin in the room. Wouldn't it make things uncomfortable between him and Chan? "Did your lips tingle? It's hard to explain but did it feel like there was the poetical spark between the two of you?", Jisung tried his best to explain the static feeling he had experienced when kissing Minho for the first time. Changbin's eyes widened as he stared at his dongsaeng. How could the other know exactly what it had felt like? After a moment, the rapper got over his shock, admitting: "I thought I had just dragged my feet over the carpet to cause this."

A thick silence hung over the four as Jisung contemplated whether he was in any place to tell them what it meant. Deciding that it hadn't been Minho telling him either, the boy took a deep breath and announced: "That's exactly how it felt when I kissed Minho-hyung for the first time. It's a thing that happens only between mates. I'm sorry, I hadn't expected him to have such a strong reaction, otherwise I would've told you not to go through with the prank." – "Hang on", Changbin stammered, his hands trembling slightly, "This is all too fast. So, what you are saying is that...?" – "Hyung, I wanted to see the two of you kiss to confirm whether you are mates", Jisung sighed, "The tingling was the confirmation. The two of you obviously like each other, so it was necessary to check." Chan had known they were most likely mates but he didn't know the first kiss would be so out of the ordinary. Had he known, he wouldn't have scared his cousin like this. He couldn't help but feel guilty, realizing that the younger hadn't been that horrified from the thought of having kissed his cousin but rather the thought that his cousin might be his mate.

With his lungs and muscles burning, Felix' steps eventually slowed, the adrenalin ebbing off. Slowly the stinging sensation on his palms and knee got through to him and he looked in horror at the amount of blood covering him. He hadn't even paid attention to his surroundings but apparently, his feet had subconsciously led him to the park. Panting, he jogged over to a bench and weakly plopped down on it. A breathless sob tore from his burning throat as he pulled his knees up to his chest. How could that happen? Felix still struggled to breathe, his head spinning but he couldn't tell whether it was from the lack of oxygen or the racing thoughts in his mind. Remembering that his hands were covered in blood, he brought his wrist up to his face and rubbed the sleeve against his eyes to try and stem the flood of tears that still kept falling.

The park was mostly empty, except for that one couple playing tag. Had Felix been in his right mind, he would've found it odd that someone would play tag in the darkness of the night but he didn't even notice them. One of the boys' heads snapped up, hearing the rushed footsteps and the sobs, smelling another hybrid, the blood and despair. Something wasn't right. They had been playing tag after Seungmin had announced that he couldn't sleep, not having used up his energy that day. Seungmin hurriedly signaled for Jeongin to stay close to him till he had figured out if they were in danger. Keeping his mate close to him, the older stared into the dark, surveilling the park. Surprised, Seungmin spotted a boy around their age curled up on one of the park benches. "Let's go check on him", the hybrid mouthed towards Jeongin, "He's a hybrid too and he might need help."

The pair quietly approached Felix, who looked up with swollen eyes when he heard the footsteps. "Are you... okay?", Seungmin asked hesitantly, though the answer to that was obvious. The Aussie couldn't answer, still fighting for air. Shyly taking a seat next to him, Jeongin hummed: "You're hyperventilating. Can you try to breathe slower? Follow my breathing if that helps." He demonstrated calm slow breaths, hoping the stranger would be able to match him, otherwise he'd most likely pass out soon. Felix struggled, not knowing why he trusted the two strangers but for some reason, their presence was comforting. It grounded him and gave him a chance at slowing down his thoughts. His chest ached as he tried to mirror Jeongin's breathing. "I'm Seungmin", one of the boys introduced himself, "I'm a hybrid like you and that's my mate Jeongin." At the word 'mate', Felix tensed, horror written all over his face. He tried to say something but the air still wasn't there.

Seungmin noticed he looked like he wanted to talk, so he instructed: "Try to catch your breath, then you can explain what's going on, if you want to talk about it at all, that is." The Aussie gave an exhausted nod, feeling incredibly tired now that the adrenalin was gone. His breathing slowed but his hands still shook. "You okay now?", Jeongin asked carefully, earning an uncertain nod. Running his sleeve over his eyes, Felix sniffled: "I thought I knew who my mate was but now.... How can my cousin be my mate, it doesn't make any sense." – "Your cousin is your mate?", Seungmin frowned. The Aussie could only nod as another sob tore from his raw throat. Jeongin looked at his mate in confusion. He didn't think it was possible for relatives to be mates. The older thought the same thing but maybe either of the two was adopted and therefore they weren't related by blood.

Felix continued to cry quietly and Seungmin cringed at the blood, covering the other's clothes. "The university is close", he contemplated, "Do you want to come with us to my dorm? I have some bandages, so we can patch you up. Maybe we can make you some tea. It's always easier to figure things out when your mind isn't fogged up by anxiety. Might help see things clearer." Felix didn't know why but he nodded. He had always been told to be weary of strangers and to not go with anyone but he trusted them. Maybe it was because one of them was a hybrid like him, maybe because they were mates and a hybrid-human-couple at that. Maybe they could help Felix sort out his thoughts. Even if that failed, at least his injuries would be taken care of because he couldn't go back to Chan right now and his parents would be horrified if they saw him in his current shape. Felix hadn't noticed how dizzy he still felt and stumbled upon getting to his feet. The other two caught him at the elbows, steadying him and eventually taking him between them supporting him from either side as Felix limped towards the campus he had so often passed by.