FELIX WAS bubblier than ever before when he had woken up, which was surprising considering he had outdrank jisung the night before at chan's party. seungmin had driven the group back to his house (which made for a crowded sleeping arrangement) and chan had passed out as soon as they stepped foot in the door. he had awoken to felix humming a pop song and gathering his things in his arms.

"felix?" chan called out, lifting his head groggily. the freckled boy flinched, obviously not expecting anyone else to be awake yet. 

"whoops! sorry, chan, did i wake you up?" he whispered. "i was trying to be quiet since all of you were still sleeping, but i guess i failed." he gestured around him to where seungmin and jisung were sound asleep on seungmin's living room floor.

chan shook his head. "no, you're fine," he mumbled. "are you leaving already? wait for seungmin to make breakfast first."

felix giggled quietly. "mate, it's past nine in the morning." chan's eyes popped out of his head. it's already that late? "also, i have something to do today, so i've gotta get home and get changed. can't go meeting someone looking like a wreck." he sniffed his shirt. "plus, i stink. i need a shower."

chan let out a hum of acknowledgment and put his head back down. "who're you meeting?"

"changbin."

this time, chan abruptly sat up. "changbin the biker?" he exclaimed before remembering that his friends were sleeping less than three feet away from him. felix nodded, clearly trying to push down a big grin. "why? wait— how did this happen? what?"

"well, we were kinda arguing before, but then last night he apologized to me and told me he wanted to do something together today to make me feel better. so, we're gonna get ice cream!" he beamed. "isn't it great? i feel like i'm really getting through to him. he's got a really tough front, but i'm gonna prove to everyone that he's just a big teddy bear."

chan was still stuck on the fact that changbin had asked felix to do something with him. i thought he hated surfers, he thought, suspicion beginning to creep into his mind. i need to get to the bottom of this. it might just be some elaborate plot to humiliate felix. he's too gullible and trusting. don't worry, felix, i've got you!

that's how bang chan ended up hiding behind a large bush outside of "get cool", lehua town's popular ice cream parlor. donned in a dark green tank-top and long camo-print cargo pants, the surfer poked his head out from the side of the bush to see felix sitting at one of the small metal outdoor tables, fingertips flying across the screen of his phone. he must be texting changbin, chan thought, taking note of the large grin that felix wore.

a series of rustles sounded to his left. "bro," a voice hissed, "do we have to be in the bush? my beautiful face is getting all scratched up!"

"shut up, hyunjin!" another voice whispered back. "nobody cares about your face! if you're seen, you'll attract attention and then our stakeout will be a complete bust!"

"i'd rather be seen gorgeous than have twigs in my hair!"

"oh my god, you've got to be— chan?"

"the fuck? i'm not— chan?"

the silver-haired man turned his head to find hyunjin and jeongin cramped together in the bush a foot away from him, staring at him wide-eyed. "what are you guys doing here?" chan whispered, directing his question more towards jeongin who seemed to have gone stock-still. in all honesty, it was taking chan all of his strength not to react the same exact way as the younger, instead choosing to act as if nothing was wrong at all.

"nothing much, just stalking changbin," hyunjin replied with a shrug. "he said he was 'meeting a friend', but as far as we know, he doesn't have any friends outside of the gang. that's why i'm pretty sure he's going on a date with his secret girlfriend."

oh, god. "he didn't tell you who he was meeting with?" chan asked.

"nope."

"it's...well..."

"felix!" the trio turned to find changbin sidling over, and his attire induced an audible reaction from both of the bikers.

"is he wearing...pink?" jeongin gasped.

it was true. paired with ripped black jeans and worn-out sneakers, changbin wore a light pink sweater that contrasted greatly with his usual demeanor. known throughout the gang for wearing nothing but dark colours to intimidate others, the biker seemed to have had a change in heart as he approached felix, who was jumping in glee.

"you kept it!" the surfer cheered, running to squeeze the elder. "i thought you had actually burned it! god, you gave me a scare!"

changbin looked taken aback by the sudden hug and darted his eyes from side to side awkwardly. "uh, yeah. um, no, i was just kidding at the movies."

hyunjin dragged his hands down his face. "god, he's so awkward," he groaned. "this is hard to watch."

jeongin hit him on the shoulder. "shut up!" he whispered, before sending a glance towards chan. "um, chan? do you maybe wanna hide in the bush too? just so, you know, you don't get caught..."

but chan was too lost in thought to hear him (or hyunjin groaning that jeongin was being awkward, too). something during felix and changbin's conversation had clicked in his mind, and he remembered listening to the two argue at the movie theater. it all makes sense now! he thought. so does this mean that this isn't the first time they've met up with each other alone?

a tap on his knee shook him out of his thoughts. "dude, hello?" hyunjin asked. "jeongin asked if you wanted to hide in the bush with us."

chan peeked over at jeongin to gauge his reaction, but found that the biker had averted his eyes and was poking at something in the dirt. slightly disappointed, chan shook his head and said, "nah, i'm good. i don't think there's enough room for all three of us, anyway."

hyunjin shrugged. "well, i need to piss, so i'm dipping for a bit. call me if anything good happens." pushing out of the bush, hyunjin stood up and dusted himself off, completely revealing himself to everyone around.

"oh my gosh! hwang hyunjin?" a woman screeched, and instantly felix and changbin's heads snapped towards the prince. hyunjin stopped himself mid-dust, realizing what had just happened, before bolting away, twigs and leaves still in his hair.

changbin cursed, wriggling out of felix's grasp. "i knew i couldn't trust him! jeongin must be around here somewhere, too." he turned to felix, eyes narrowed. "did you tell anyone that we were meeting today?"

felix shifted nervously. "um... no?"

changbin took a step forward, backing felix up against one of the outdoor tables and caging him in with his arms. "don't lie to me," he growled, irritation seeping out of him.

now, chan was no stranger to the provocative. he saw the position that the pair was in and immediately fantasized about how a certain someone would react if he chose to do it to him. but he brushed those thoughts away, saving them for later, choosing to focus on the red that was slowly spreading across felix's face. chan had known him for a long time; long enough to know what made him tick, what made him smile, and what made him melt. felix loved anyone with a strong, dominant personality, and chan didn't need a high iq to know that changbin fitted that description perfectly. however, with the way that the situation was playing out, chan wasn't sure if things were going to end up going well or not.

"i'm going to stop him." chan made a move to get up, but jeongin shot a hand out and pulled him back down. "what?"

"no, no!" the biker hissed. "trust me, it'll be fine. just let them work it out."

chan shook his head. "felix is gonna end up getting pummeled. i don't want to see my friend getting hurt."

"he's not, just— changbin wouldn't do that to him."

"but you don't know that!"

"i do!"

"no, you don't!"

"why can't you just trust me?"

chan had avoided eye contact with the younger the whole time, but when he heard the biker's voice break, he quickly looked up. jeongin's eyes were glassy and his lip was trembling, clearly struggling to hold his tears back. it was then that the weight of the situation came crashing down onto chan, and all he could think was: i'm such a dick. he had been so focused on being suspicious of changbin's intentions that he had forgotten that he was one of jeongin's friends. any friend of his was bound to be a good person, whether they were a biker or not. "i'm sorry," he whispered, slowly climbing into the bush (which was surprisingly roomy). "please don't cry. i'm so sorry."

jeongin sniffed, trying to put on a tough face. "i'm not crying."

chan gave him a soft smile and tugged him into his arms. "alright, you're not crying. but i'm still sorry. i do trust you, but i just want to protect my friends. i'll listen to you more from now on."

wetness trailed down his bicep where jeongin's head was cradled. "you'd better."

chan bit back a chuckle and began running one hand through the biker's red locks, turning his attention back to changbin and felix. it seemed that everything had turned out alright— changbin's arms were crossed and he only seemed mildly exasperated, while felix's blush had faded a bit (though a slice trace of pink could still be seen on his freckled cheeks). "you promise that you only told chan?" the biker asked.

felix nodded. "yup! i pinky promise!" he stuck out a small pinky. "you can trust me!"

changbin rolled his eyes but chan saw the way the corner of his lips twitched upwards. "childish," he sighed but hooked his pinky around felix's anyway. "i suppose i can."

chan smiled. trust wasn't easily won for bikers or surfers, but it seemed that it wasn't impossible for the two groups to find it within each other after all.