LUNCHBOX FRIENDS | changlix

.21

felix could only feel the alcohol in the jelly once he'd swallowed three little cups of it. they flushed down his throat one after the other like wet slugs and consecutively tasted like pineapple, lime, and strawberry. the after-taste, though, lay heavy against his tongue: the awful, nose-scrunching sour alcohol.

this wasn't supposed to happen.

he set off looking for changbin, head spinning and legs fumbling along the soft soil. this is it, he thought, this is what's like to be absolutely, completely hammered. how was he going to go through the plan? this certainly wasn't part of it! but perhaps among this crowd of drunk, rowdy teens, felix might look like a slightly out-of-balance awkward dancer.

but he was certainly not an awkward dancer. felix tried, in the deepest depths of his mind, to search for his auditory system, listen to the song playing deep in the forest. he couldn't hear it but feel it, thrumming through his bloodstream, pumping through his veins in an addictive beat. soon, felix could no longer control his limbs. he danced into the crowd, hypnotized, sensing more than feeling the clammy skin of strangers.

by coincidence or divine providence, he ran right into jimin. he looked very sober. astoundingly so, which was surprising, since jimin seemed to be the kind to party hard. well, it seemed like appearances were, for a fact, not what they seemed. or something. why wasn't jimin partying hard, like felix? why wasn't he moving like there was no tomor— oh, right, the plan.

"you look sober," felix spilled out, no control over his own mouth.

jimin smiled at that. "i've had 10 of those colourful thingies you had," he said. "lightweight."

felix stuck a tongue out to him. if felix had more time to go out and be crazy, it was over for all partyharders that ever partyharded.

"so," jimin said, dismissive of felix's shenanigans. "where's the cabin?"

the words went over felix's head, brushed off like life was sooooo, like, soft. uncomplicated. why was he even here with jimin, again? to dance? they were dancing. the campfire wasn't lit yet, but music seemed to seep through the trees and directly into his brain.

his mind buzzed and he felt jimin's palms heavy on his shoulders. are we about to kiss right now? felix though, but unfortunately jimin seemed to also be able to read minds, since he threw his head back and lashed out a fit of laughter, as though he'd said those words out loud.

jimin's psychic skills, however, reminded felix of his own psychic plans, and something just zapped. well, only inside his mind. outside, in the real world, felix still stumbled out as he tried to drag (but ended up instead being carried by) jimin through the damp forest. the soil felt quicksand under his feet.

"did you just invented an excuse to lead me into an abandoned place and kill me?" jimin said, brushing away wet branches. "you're not in love with jungkook, are you? you're not getting rid of competition, right? your biggest opponent? felix. answer me."

but felix didn't answer him. if he opened his mouth, he'd vomit on the soft forest ground.

when they finally arrived at the cabin, changbin was already there to open the door. the movement was quick and sudden, startling not just felix, but all three of them.

"i got lost," changbin admitted.

felix, suddenly regaining his motor skills, brushed him to the side. he was a man on a mission. it all came back to him: the plan, the plan, and the plan.

jimin wouldn't enter first, so felix went past him to search for where changbin had placed it, praying to every god that changbin had had the time to set the mood.