Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     Felix knew from the start that today's shoot wouldn't go well. As soon as he stepped foot into that dimly-lit room, he felt himself tensing up at the odd sounds coming from all around him. The curtains were open to his left, showing the darkness of the night staring back at him. Felix could feel his anxiety rising up already, his chest feeling tight and his stomach twisting. He was already being sucked into his own mind, his head swirling helplessly with anxious thoughts. This was getting to be too much, and unfortunately for him, his headspace was creeping in to try and protect him.

     Felix was stubborn though, and was not about to let that happen.

     Felix was classified as a little at age 14, when he slipped during one of his panic attacks back in Australia. Since then, Felix hasn't slipped once. He's terrified to, if he's being honest. He hates the way it makes him feel so safe, it feels like a trick. Nothing is okay and he cant let himself think that it is, even for a second. He never regresses despite his mind and body screaming for it with every breath he takes. The only people that know about Felix's true classification are his family and their doctor, all of which have sworn to Felix never to talk about it. He trusts them, and they don't want to lose that trust no matter how much it hurts seeing Felix this trapped. 

     To be fair, Felix has never known any other feeling aside from his constant fear and frustration. He tries to keep it under control and not take it out on anyone, but his friends all understand that it's just how Felix is. They love him no matter what, but Felix doesn't trust that. They don't even know the real him. The Felix that is scared and dependant and so lonely.

     But that's how it has to be. If they knew about his classification or true feelings, Felix would definitely be kicked out of Stray Kids. He was not about to lose his friends for something as silly as one bad day. So what if he could've sworn that there was something outside that window watching him, or that he could feel every fiber of his clothes rubbing against his skin, starting a fire in his very core. He would be fine. Not because he believed it, but simply because he had to be. This is what happened every day, so he has to deal with it. He will not regress. 

     Felix had nearly convinced himself when he was pulled out of his thoughts by Chan's hand on his shoulder, guiding him toward where the others were gathering. They were all sat in a row of school desks in front of their camera crew, waiting for their manager to come in and explain what they'll be doing. The only thing they knew is that they'll be split into pairs to do some sort of challenge later, which wasn't very helpful. Felix looked around the room, trying to decide who he'd want to be paired with. 

     Chan was definitely not it, he always makes Felix feel way too calm for his liking, which was a big risk with how anxious he knows he's going to be. The same goes for Jisung, who somehow managed to make Felix slip up in his act every time he was around him, so he's another definite no. Seungmin and Hyunjin were often just as anxious as Felix, but they were more open to getting help from the others than he was, which means that Felix would probably be the one protecting them. He didn't like that, even though he knows it would be in character. That leaves Changbin and Minho. Changbin would probably try to hug him at some point, and Felix is an absolute sucker for his hugs. As much as his heart aches for a hug, he can't let it happen. That means his best bet is probably Minho, his most levelheaded hyung.

     Unfortunately it hadn't occurred to Felix that they wouldn't be given the opportunity to choose their own partners. The 8 boys sit together in the room for a while, talking amongst themselves about what they think they're here for, most of them thinking some role-play game since those get the most views recently. Felix didn't really like those games to be honest, they always cast him as some older guy, but deep down Felix wanted to be the little kid like Chan always was. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little jealous, but he can't give in to that or he'd probably lose control. It happened every time he indulged himself a little bit. He'd start off only allowing someone to hug him once in a while, only to end up right on the edge of slipping at the simplest things. He always has to be on high alert, because he knows that if they found out about his classification everything would change. 

     It was about 10 minutes later when their manager walked in with the rest of the crew, not wasting any time with explaining their plan. They would be split up into pairs of two and sent to complete a mission somewhere in the building, with the goal of finding a key in their respective rooms. It seemed simple enough, and everyone looked pretty excited about this. They figured it'd be a stress free shoot to goof off with their friends, and who could complain about that?

     Soon enough, their manager left the room and the cameras started rolling. Chan took the lead with their introductions before they went down the line making a few jokes here and there. In the middle of Jeongin's introduction the lights in the room all flickered before fizzling out to black. Felix couldn't help the surprised yelp he let out, but he was sure it wasn't heard at all with how loud Jisung and Hyunjin were yelling. The lights were out for maybe 5 seconds before they came back on, showing everyone's shocked faces. Everyone was clinging onto someone or something, except for Jisung, who was halfway out the window. 

     The window. Felix was suddenly reminded of how dark it was all around them. The lights in the hallway were still out, and it seemed that the rest of the building was too. Oh. Felix frowned at the realization that this was part of the plan. He quickly fixed himself back into his role of pretend caregiver, trying to keep his composure as he had gotten so accustomed to. The others would be weirded out if they knew how scared Felix was, especially of something so silly like the dark. Idols aren't afraid of the dark. Idols aren't scared of stupid things like that. Felix looked around and noticed Jisung and Chan laughing at how he had tried to escape already, and took it as his way to join in the conversation. He put on a smile for the cameras, knowing stays would see if he was upset, and cracked a joke about how scared Jisung was only 5 minutes into the shoot. He was being hypocritical, but they didn't know that so what harm was it? 

     Felix's thoughts were interrupted by an announcement over the speakers calling for the first pair, Minho and Jisung, to head to the first room. They seemed oddly calm as they left the room, but that quickly changed as within 10 seconds Jisung was screaming again. The other 5 boys around him were laughing to themselves and trying to guess what scared him, but Felix was getting stuck in his thoughts again. He was hyper-aware of the cameras on him so he made sure that he didn't look panicked, despite wanting to sprint outside to the van for safety. He settled instead for picking at the loose threads on his ripped jeans, nodding along to their conversations absentmindedly. The window was behind him now, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He could swear he felt eyes peering at him, despite knowing how illogical that is. He couldn't panic now. Not here. 

      Felix kept up his act through all the loud sounds around him. The other members were screaming and running around upstairs and he was getting entirely too anxious about it all. He didn't want to go past that door and find out what it was that was so scary, but unfortunately he and Bang Chan were the only two left. Seungmin and Hyunjin had left already, and Changbin and IN were finished soon after them. Felix fought back the sting of tears in his eyes as he heard his name called over the speakers. Fucking hell. He could do this. It was just a hallway. A long, dark, scary hallway. Felix pulled himself up on wobbly legs to the door, holding it open for Chan to go before him. He may be terrified but he's not giving up his act over this. Clearly if he didn't hold the door he wasn't a caregiver and would get kicked out. Duh. 

     Once they were past the door, Felix took a second to evaluate their situation. There was a stairway right in front of them, as well as long stretches of dark hallway on either side. Felix could feel his shoulders tensing and his small hands clenching at his sides. He could barely breathe right now, let alone move. He had to calm down or he'd spiral right then and there. Felix squeezed his eyes shut and forced out a few breaths. He could hear the other members talking back in the room next-door. He could feel Chan's hand pull at his jacket sleeve, and heard his voice cut through the silence of the hallway. Chan couldn't see how panicked Felix was, which he was very grateful for. 

"I think we're meant to go upstairs- they said that's where the art room is." Chan was already walking before he got a response, tugging Felix alongside him. That probably looked strange to the cameras. Oh- the cameras. Felix quickly snapped himself back into his role. He can't keep messing up today. They're going to catch on if he does. Felix forced himself to try to relax, focusing on the feeling of Chan's hand to ground himself. The darkness didn't matter if Chan was there. A mixture of anxiety and something else swirled in his stomach. The feeling helped to distract him as they walked up the seemingly endless stairs in front of them. Chan paused once they reached the top, listening to something Felix hadn't yet heard. He stepped closer to Chan, immediately being overwhelmed by the fuzziness that clouded his mind.

     He knew he should back up and fight it, but it made him feel so safe. So warm. Felix smiled, not caring about anything else at the moment, to the point where he forgot about the cameras. He couldn't help it. He felt so.. Small? Wait. No. No, no, no! Felix quickly side stepped away from Chan, getting an odd look in return from the older boy. He let out a few fake coughs in an attempt to play it off as being polite, which seemed to work quite well as Chan just started walking down the hall, leaving Felix to scurry after him. He didn't want to be alone in the dark. His hands were clenching up again and Felix had started to stare down at the ground, only looking up when Chan let out a startled shout. He was face to face with a ghostly looking security guard.

     Without thinking, Felix dropped down behind Chan, desperately clinging to his jacket for some stability. They stayed like this the entire time they were shuffling towards the Art room. Once they were inside, Felix let out a sigh of relief. He stood up and laughed softly at his behavior, shaking his head in embarrassment. Chan felt equally as embarrassed as him, especially at the sound of their friends laughing at them from downstairs. He'd beat them up for that later. For now, they just needed to get the key and get out of this place. 

     The both of them looked around for a moment to get their bearings. There was a few tables with paintings on them to their right and a mini-kitchen type area with some sinks along the wall to their left. The thing that caught their attention, however, was the wall lined with 5 floor length windows. Felix tried to act calm, not even noticing how he was slowly backing up until he felt his back pressed against the cold brick wall. Chan was looking at the paintings on the tables for a hint at what they should do when something caught his attention. How was he not freaking out right now?

     Apparently Chan was too interested in the picture of someone in a clown costume holding a bunch of rubber balloons. It was kind of creepy but that was fine, he didn't care too much. He stared at the image for a few seconds longer before noticing the balloons had writing on them. They said "You found me!", which seemed to be what they were looking for. 

     "Hey Felix! Come here bro!" Chan called out to him in English, glancing over his shoulder with a smile. Felix nervously shuffled over toward him, his hands clenched tight at his sides and his shoulders tensed up. He kept peeking over at the windows just in case. He knew they were on the second floor, but that didn't mean nobody could be there! When Felix reached Chan's side, he looked down at where the older boy had been pointing. Felix's heart almost stopped when he saw the picture in front of him.

    Absolutely fucking not. Felix was terrified of clowns. He could handle the darkness if he had to, but he would never. Ever. Be okay with clowns. 

     Felix turned around immediately, hands going up to his mouth to hide whatever noise he was sure he had made in his surprised state. Chan raised an eyebrow at his reaction. 

     "What's wrong mate? Its just a clown?" Chan couldn't seem to comprehend what was so wrong, but seeing his friend so distressed raised red flags all around his mind, his caregiver instincts going wild at how he was silently shaking. If there was someone watching them over the cameras, they're a sick bastard, because right then the door slid open and the clown from the picture walked into the room. He was walking toward them with the balloons extended in front of him. His steps were slow and ominous, almost teasing him at this point.

    Felix was having precisely none of that. He let out a scream and ran behind Chan, feeling hot tears streaming down his face. He ducked under the table for safety, his shaky hands held tight over his ears. Everyone was laughing at him right now, he was sure of it. They would be teasing him forever. Felix was sobbing now, curled up with his knees to his chest under the table. He wasn't entirely sure if he was breathing or not anymore but the fuzziness of his head was starting to scare him. He didn't want to regress, but the promise of safety was genuinely tempting. 

     Chan was caught completely off guard at the clown alone, but hearing his best friend scream like that genuinely scared him. His mind was blank for a second, barely registering the lights turning back on and the staff ushering the clown out of the room. Chan saw his friends coming down the hall to see what had happened, bringing him back to the situation at hand. He looked down under the table, slightly upset at the all too familiar sight. 

     Felix was shaking badly, his small hands covering his ears as he sobbed into his own knees. Chan swore he could feel his own heart break at the sight of his friend like this. He frowned, sitting down on the ground in front of him as he reached out to put his hand on Felix's knee. "Felix can you hear me? I need you to breathe for me." His thumb was moving in slow, small circles on his leg, trying to give him some sort of distraction. The other members were quiet behind Chan, but he knew they were there. Caregivers often had a very strong presence about them, so that many of them in one place gave the room a very different feel. 

     Felix seemed to be doing better after a few minutes, but his hands were still held tight over his ears. Chan was less upset than the thought he would be, but he was definitely blaming himself for letting this happen. He should've done something, anything to help. He let out a frustrated sigh, pulling Felix against his chest as a last ditch effort to comfort him. Surprisingly it worked very well. Felix stopped crying almost immediately, now just sniffling between soft hiccups. His behavior was strange but then again it was probably the emotional whiplash of being thrown into a panic attack that fast.

     Nobody noticed the way the younger of the boys seemed to latch onto Chan, the soft smile making its way onto his freckled face. Felix himself didn't even notice to be fair. He was too interested in the way his stomach was doing backflips at the comforting arms around him. Chan was there so everything was okay. The weird feelings in his heart and stomach weren't the only ones Felix was dealing with. He was also back to work fighting off how clouded and fuzzy his mind was feeling. Having this many caregivers around him at once, especially when he's upset, was completely overwhelming. He felt like he was going to suffocate in the warm, safe aura all around him. As much as he knew his body needed it, he cant regress. He was, unfortunately, losing his internal battle so he had to pull himself away from Chan. It felt so wrong to the both of them. Something deep inside of them told them that they needed to let it happen but Felix would not listen. He couldn't. 

     He could feel 7 sets of eyes locked on him, but he tried his best to ignore how uncomfortable he was. His throat was scratchy and his eyes stung, but complaining wasn't something a caregiver would do. Crying at all wasn't an option but he was already past that. He mumbled a thank you to Chan before making his way out the door. As soon as he was out of view of the others, he sighed, clenching his eyes shut out of embarrassment. He can't believe this keeps happening. Felix's panic attacks had been a constant thing ever since he had gotten his classification. He hated how they made him feel like such a burden to his members. They all tried to reassure Felix that it was okay and he didn't have to feel bad about it at all, but he would never listen. It just wasn't okay and he didn't know why they all kept lying to him about it. He knew that they all hated him for it but he wishes they would just say it already.

     Felix was tired of it all. Tired in general really, but especially tired of the lies. He really was a hypocrite after all.

     Soon after Felix had left the room, the others had followed, probably getting dismissed early by their manager. Of course they all felt bad about having to leave filming early and throw off the episode, but they had other things to deal with. Other people to deal with. 

     Nobody made a sound as they went back to the dorms that night, but Felix could tell that they would bring it up eventually. If Chan's worried gaze being on him the entire night wasn't enough of a give away, the expectant silence at dinner that night was. Felix could feel them all still looking at him. He wasn't sure if it was malice or concern but he wasn't ready to look up from his untouched plate of food and find out. So nobody said anything. 

     Until a week later, that is.

Chapter Text

     The silence at dinner was unsettling for everyone there, but for Chan, it was almost unbearable. He knew Felix had panic attacks frequently, but he had never acted like this before. The other members were getting increasingly worried about him for one reason in particular. Felix refused to talk.

     Chan had sat him down once they got back to the dorms in hopes of figuring out how to help him if something like that happened again during filming, but the most he could get out of him was silent nodding and shrugs. Something inside of him knew that there was a deeper problem, but Chan couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had been thinking about it for the entire week, and each theory was increasingly more ridiculous. He wanted nothing more than to help his friend, but Felix refused every hug or reassuring statement he offered. He really had no clue.

     He honestly felt kind of useless when it came to Felix. He had never been very successful at figuring out how he worked. Some days he would be fine with being touched or helped with certain tasks, but on others he would blow up over the smallest things. It was worrying to say the least. The other members had come to Chan on many occasions to ask for advice on how to deal with Felix, but he never seemed to have the right answers. He thought it was kind of selfish of him, but all Chan wanted was to 'fix' him. Deep down he knows that he can't really do that, but he wishes he could. His caregiver instincts have always been strong in that way. He was always the person his friends went to with their problems, and he found great pride in that, so for Felix to not say anything when he was so clearly struggling... Well it bothered him, to say the least.

     Felix wasn't much of a talker in the first place, but the energy he brought by just being there was special. He lit up the room with the way he smiled, but looking around at breakfast, there were no smiles in sight. Jisung, Felix's self-proclaimed "sunshine twin" actually looked close to tears. Chan would be lying if he said he was at all surprised. The two were insanely close, almost connected at the hip. It wasn't the first time that week Jisung would have cried about how distant Felix was. So far Chan had caught him three separate times, sometimes accompanied by Hyunjin, quietly crying to himself. It broke his heart to see his friends falling apart like this, and even more, it made his caregiver instincts go crazy. He knew it was silly being this worked up over another caregiver's emotions, but it was driving Chan nuts! He just wanted to see his favorite sunshine boy smiling again.

     And so, Chan got desperate. Since way before their debut, the group had worked together to make a set of rules to keep things running smoothly both at the dorm and elsewhere. The most important of these rules could be briefly summed up into "If you and another member are having an issue with each other, grab a mediator and talk it out" The mediator part was added after things between two members almost got physical. The main goal was always to avoid conflict while still working through any issues they may run into, especially not behind anyone's back. Chan had always been taught that you should talk to someone, not about them; But looking around this cold room that was usually so bright and filled with laughter, Chan understood that sacrifices had to be made.

      He took a moment to glace at Felix, who despite not having eaten much in the past week, had not touched his plate. He didn't look up to meet his gaze like he usually would have; just another obvious change in his behavior. Every small shift in how Felix acted seemed to stab into Chan's heart like a dull blade, harshly etched with the words "Your fault". He hadn't registered the small, albeit disappointed sigh that he had let out as Felix silently moved to toss out his untouched food. He didn't know how long he was sat at the table, thinking to himself, but a curious look from Minho was all it took to snap Chan out of his thoughts. Felix was now long gone, as well as the others, who had filtered out after him. With a little mental preparation, Chan decided to put aside his morals in favor of a solution. 

     He turned to look at Minho, who was already leaning expectantly across the kitchen counter, clearly understanding that there was something to be discussed. This time Chan sighed intentionally, reaching his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You're tired of this too, right?"

     "Extremely," Minho agreed plainly, but with an understanding nod. Anyone could have known what he was referring to, it was plain as day. "But what can we really do about it? Most of the kids have tried to get through to him, and nothing is working." This caused Chan to sigh again. He felt entirely useless at this point. Minho had evidently picked up on how he was feeling, so he made his way around the corner, setting his hand reassuringly on Chan's shoulder. "Its not your fault. You couldn't have known he would react that way. Just give him some time and see if he gets better- who knows, maybe we just need to wait it out."

     Minho's words did bring some hope to Chan, but there was still something bothering him deep inside. "Maybe.. I do have a question though." At this, Minho pulled away, briefly checking for any eavesdroppers before leading him to the couch. As they sat down next to each other, Chan felt the dull anxiety rising in his chest. Would Felix really be okay?

     "Do you think its only about the shoot? We've lived together for so long now, yet i'm not entirely convinced that he would react like this over something so insignificant... It just doesn't seem like him?" Minho suddenly understood where this was going, and Chan could tell by the look in his eye that he agreed. "I completely understand having a phobia and freaking out in the moment, but is it really that normal to entirely shut down like this?" The dorm sounded eerily quiet while Minho contemplated his answer. Sure, it could be the case that Felix just hated clowns, but did they want to risk their friendship over not considering other issues? What if they had missed something super important and Felix was angry with them over it? Chan was coming up with as many different scenarios as he could in his mind while Minho thought quietly. His anxiety was building with every negative outcome, and it was begining to show outwardly. The way he began to pick at the skin around his nails caught Minho's eye, prompting him to give his response. 

     "Well," Chan's head snapped to look over at him, his thoughts quieting for a moment. "it could definitely be the case that something else is the cause of the problem, and this was just the event that pushed him over the edge. My mother has told me stories about situations like this with some of her old clients." Oh, right- if he remembered correctly, Minho's mom was a behavioral specialist for those struggling with their classifications. Was Felix just going through a rough patch with his instincts? All of the members had them from time to time, so it wouldn't be surprising. But something about that seemed wrong..? It wasn't the same. 

     "Is that even legal?" Chan decided not to focus on the small doubts he was having, instead digging deeper into his only plausible lead at the moment. "Nevermind-" Chan dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand, looking back at Minho. "What were the stories about?"

     "Well to sum it up, when a Caregiver would be struggling to handle their instincts and they got really overwhelmed, sometimes they would repress them, instead of addressing their problem." It was taught all throughout childhood that no matter your classification, you should never push away your instincts. It has been known to cause major psychological damage, damage personal relationships, and sometimes even cause trauma due to sudden drops. When a person is suddenly shoved in or out of either Littlespace or Caregiver mindset, it can be very jarring and intense. Nobody wants to experience that, so very few people ever attempt to repress their instincts. That's just the way it is. 

     "Isn't that supposed to be crazy difficult? How do they even put up with the constant battling in their heads?" Minho just shrugged, opting to continue his story. 

     "These people would get very emotionally charged at even the smallest of things. The Caregivers would get irrationally angry with the people around them, be incredibly stubborn, and avoid all social interactions that may trigger their instincts. It was almost the opposite with the littles, though. They would typically get very upset and shut themselves off from people, but they would do so specifically to avoid the constant need to drop into Littlespace. They would be extremely anxious and hypersensitive about their surroundings, in case something were to trigger a drop." With every word, things started clicking into place. It was so obvious! Chan couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed it before!

     "That sounds just like Felix! So does that mean that he's trying to not give in to his instincts? Doesn't he know that it's bad for you?" Chan was less worried about causes now, and more worried that his poor friend was hurting himself by doing this. 

     "Well, we can't be sure, but I think it may be an option." Chan nodded, smiling softly at Minho before his eyes slowly drifted out the window toward the sunset in the background. "Does that answer your question?" Minho chuckled under his breath, slowly standing up from the couch to stretch. 

     "Yes, thank you-" Chan took the chance to stand as well, knowing that if he were to stay seated he wouldn't want to move anytime soon. "Can you still try to keep an eye on him while I try to figure this all out?" Minho tossed him a thumbs up, followed by a yawn as he made his way toward the bedroom he shared with Jisung. Chan would have to ask a manager for a small break in his schedule to go talk to Felix about this. If he really was trying to repress his instincts, it could be dangerous, and Chan couldn't have one of his friends getting hurt. Not Felix.

     Chan gazed out the window one last time for the night, reveling in the peaceful feeling he felt as the reds and oranges that painted the sky slowly faded into deep blues and purples. Today was a rough day for sure, but he could still make the best of it. A bad situation isn't a death sentence.

     After cleaning up what was left of dinner, Chan settled at his desk in the living room to work on some tracks he had been preparing for the upcoming comeback. It wasn't for a couple of months at least, but he wanted to give himself time to review everything later on, just in case.

     Though he may have tried to stay focused on his work, Chan's thoughts kept drifting back toward that sassy blonde boy he cared so much for.

     He might just do whatever it took to fix him.  

Chapter Text

     Chan had been stuck in his head about the situation for a good week and a half now. It had been nearly four days since his conversation with Minho, and with every day their conclusion made more and more sense. Chan had begun noticing more of the symptoms in Felix as the days passed. He wasn't necessarily getting more aggressive, but he still wasn't talking to any of the members.

     The managers had noticed by now as well. They were getting increasingly frustrated with the situation as the week progressed. At first it was an inconvenience at best, but now it was a serious issue. The boys had promotions coming up soon and they were all busy preparing for the endless practices and filming, but Felix was still refusing to talk. The managers had considered taking Felix out of the promotion to have him see a therapist, but Chan had managed to convince them to let him try to fix it first. They did trust him, after all. 

     So that's what he did. Or at least that's what he tried to do. The problem was that for the life of him, Chan couldn't work out what the best solution would be. If he tried to talk to Felix directly, he would get nowhere. That stubborn blonde wouldn't speak about his problems, especially not right now. Plus, Chan was the reason he was upset. Why would Felix want to talk to him? When Chan had brought it up to Minho, he had considered asking other members as well, but he hadn't wanted to upset Felix further than he had to. Sharing what might be sensitive information to those who didn't need it was unnecessary and possibly cruel. 

     Minho, however, had apparently had other ideas. Over the past few days, Minho had been having one-on-one talks with the members trying to come up with strategies to get him to snap out of his act. Most of these meetings came up with similar tactics- they wanted to put him in situations in which it would be nearly impossible to not react. They didn't know what Chan and MInho did, but they had some sort of idea regardless. 

     Chan was blissfully unaware of these conversations, working himself to the bone during whatever freetime their rigorous schedules allowed. Regardless of whatever personal issues Chan may be experiencing, he was one of the most focused on the overall outcome of a situation. Chan understood that Felix needed help, and he needed it fast, but that didn't mean he had to drop all his work right that second. They had a comeback coming up anyway! 

     One evening, Chan was disturbed from his work by Minho, tapping him on the shoulder. He jumped slightly in his desk chair, quickly moving to take his headphones off his ears. "Oh my-" Chan let out a soft laugh at his reaction. He hadn't realized how sucked into his work he had gotten. "Sorry, is it time for dinner? I must've gotten carried away-" Chan didn't wait for a response, already saving his progress and shutting his laptop on his desk. 

     "No, not yet- A few of us needed to have a little chat with you, and we figured now would be a good time." Minho gestured to the living room couches, where everyone but him and Felix had already gathered. Chan hadn't even noticed them all walk by- was he really that distracted? Was that rude of him? If he missed 6 full grown men walking directly behind him, perhaps he had missed something in Felix as well?

     So what if he knew the thoughts were irrational? They just might be true, and that's what counted. If Chan wanted to fix Felix, he needed to be more aware! This was getting ridiculous! Chan was too busy thinking at this point, so he just absentmindedly nodded and made his way toward the living room. Minho followed in quick succession, clearly eager to begin his "chat"

     "So!" Minho began with a start, leaning himself against the wall so he could face the members. "A majority of us already understand what this is about, correct?" Small nods from around the room prompted him to continue. "Right. So none of us have gotten him to talk yet. The managers have begun advising that it is getting too close to the performance dates to let this continue any longer."

     "Which means that we officially have to take more extreme measures." Minho sighed at the idea he had already constructed in his head; but regardless, it has to be done. Minho turned to face Chan once more, which got his attention. "I have a plan, but I need you guys to help me with this. It's pretty simple but it should be effective." Chan gave a nod in response, which earned him a half-smile from Minho. Finally, they would get somewhere.

      Over the next hour, Chan and the boys worked together to go through Minho's plan. At the next dance practice, Jisung was to stumble during the choreography and trip into Hyunjin. When the both of them fell, the others would watch Felix's reaction. A normal caregiver would struggle with watching one of their friends be injured and would immediately have an urge to help that person feel better. If that injured person were a little, that reaction would be strongly exaggerated, but thankfully that was not an issue currently. However, it was getting rather late, so Chan had to call their little meeting to an end.

     It was now several days later. Felix hadn't spoken to anyone in nearly two weeks, and everyone was concerned for him. His friends were now more than ready to help him figure out his need to care for someone. They just couldn't understand why a person would feel so strongly that they should resist their caregiver nature. The need to provide for someone is such a fundemental part of caregiver biology, that it was nearly impossible to resist. But apparently Felix was great at resisting.

     The boys were in the JYP dance rooms rehearsing for the upcoming promotions and eventual performances down the line. It was nearing the end of the session when everyone was beginning to grow tired and sore, and it was definitely showing. Their moves weren't sloppy, but they were definitley less defined and precise than usual, the perfect setup for their plan. Mid song, Minho gave the signal to Jisung that it was time to go through with it, being fairly discreet so that the others would not catch on, hopefully providing more genuine reactions. Jisung made quick work of his tumble, using a convincing stumble over his own feet to end up directly in Hyunjin's way. Hyunjin was caught off guard by this, causing both of them to tumble uncerramoniously to the ground. Nobody seemed seriously injured, but they were likely to be bruised. The other boys all turned to watch the aftermath of their fall, trying their best to not interfere yet, assessing Felix's reaction to the situtation. In all of the caregivers, there was a sort of tugging feeling toward the boys, an urge to fix the problem and make the hurt go away.

     Felix seemed to look absent and a bit lost on what to do, glancing around the room until he met the eyes of Chan, who was already looking at him. The older boy was a bit perplexed by this reaction, but put that aside to help up his teammates from the floor, knowing that Felix didn't know this was all staged. The others were all acting as normal as they could while trying to solve their Felix dilemma. Minho also made eye contact with Chan soon after, who shared a concerned look between the two of them. Something was not quite right. 

     The managers let the boys go back to the dorms after their collision, not wanting to upset any further injuries, though Changbin did pull Chan aside with the manager shortly before they left. Apparently, over the past few days, Changbin had been working hard to come up with a plan to help everyone destress before promotions. The managers had given the okay, and they would be doing a major promotional event in three days. Changbin seemed so proud of himself while he explained his plan to his leader that Chan couldn't help but smile at the sincerity. 

     The boys would be leaving to go visit a daycare in the next town over, playing games with some of the littles, filming some content for thier promotions, and doing some team bonding in the process. Chan was actually very impressed by the plan, already coming up with several ways in his mind to help Felix accept his identity through this activity. The manager had already decided that it was happening, so the whole process was very much simplified for Chan, who just had to notify the others of the plans and their scheduling. Changbin seemed very proud of his accomplishments as he and Chan made their way out to the vans where the other boys were already waiting. Their dance plan may have given them some insight into Felix's instincts, but the daycare might just break his mask completely if they play their cards right. Chan may or may not have kept his fingers crossed on the way home just in case.