6

Groups reconvene and Fiat was his smiling self as they work on detangling themselves from the human knot game. Everyone was in each other's space in the weirdest ways and laughing in embarrassment and disbelief. Somehow Fiat is currently chest to back with Ann as she is face to chest with Leo. Fern is pinched at the side and they try to find the next set of bound hands to lift. Something happens in the next minute and now Fern and Ann are free, but Leo and Fiat are face to face with each other. Leo's eyes bore into Fiat's and it makes him feel uncomfortable. Fiat tries to look away, but when his gaze reverts back to the taller man he is stunned and exposed. Leo tilts his head before stepping back and easily twirling Ann in between them before they solve the knot. They are not the first to finish, but still got points for finishing without cheating.

"I'll partner with Fiat, this time. You girls have fun and stay safe okay? Fiat, you'll wear the blindfold," Leo announces after the next activity was announced. In pairs, one wears a blindfold, the other vocally directs them through the course. Leo holds up the blindfold as he stands in front of Fiat. Feeling as though Leo had other intentions, Fiat holds up his hand to stop him, but Leo clicks his tongue warningly. "Don't be difficult, Fiat. Just give me a moment."

Fiat gulps as his eyes shake. Leo takes a step forward and tells him to close his eyes. Fiat obediently shuts his eyes and the rough material of the blindfold brushes against his nose and cheeks. The leaders make sure everyone stays safe and goes over the rules and key points to be aware of. Groups were split at different starting points and before he knew it, Leo's soothing voice give him directions on where to go. A soft touch was at Fiat's lower back, but it's warmth seemed to spread up his neck.

"Just go straight and make a high step forward. There is a large branch." Leo sounded so close to Fiat's ear and a shiver ran down his back as his breath tickled his skin. "You know, the book you were reading? I took a glance at the summary of it. Seems like it has a pretty dark story. Is it a psycho-mystery?"

"Something like that. It's my second time reading it. The first time I was six years ago. I didn't understand a lot of it then. Reading it now makes me realize it was not smart for me to read it when I did," Fiat shrugs. He suddenly feels the floor slide from his feet and yelps.

"Woah, there!" A strong arm catches Fiat's lower back and he shoots his arm out to clutch onto anything. "My mistake. I forgot to mention the rock right there."

"Leo! I'm suppose to be building trust with you, not losing it!" Fiat exclaims. A low chuckle leaves the taller man and he apologizes. A firm hand is now on Fiat's arm and back. "We need to finish this in good time. Let's not talk about anything else anymore."

"Relax. The others are doing a lot worse and using this time to either just hang out or talk up the other person." The idea of people trying to use this opportunity to get close to someone makes Fiat roll his eyes under the blindfold. "Are you rolling your eyes right now? I'm telling you it's real! You have to believe me on this. I don't blame them though. All the other person can do is hold onto the other person and trust them. To the person blindfolded, it's just the two of them. Kinda makes it a bit more intimate. We are gonna make a left ahead. The path is pretty clear until then."

"That's ridiculous. Are people that much of an opportunist?" Fiat talks with distaste. The hand on his arm disappears and the area runs cold. "Is it left yet?"

"Uh, yeah," Leo's voice seemed bothered and Fiat raises his head towards him curiously. "Left here. Then I think there's an activity we need to do together."

"You okay? Did you see something?" Fiat cluelessly asks hearing the change in Leo's voice. A low declination was all he receives and he stays quiet as they move forward. The uneven ground nearly makes Fiat trip once more and a click of a tongue and a firm hold on his side appears. He apologizes and expects Leo to let go, but the hand stays. Soon enough, Leo informs him that they have arrived at the activity spot.

"Congratulations on making it to the midpoint of the course! Here we have an activity you and your partner need to accomplish before moving onto the second half. N'Fiat will need to apply lipstick onto N'Leo while still keeping the blindfold on. Once the lips are colored, N'Fiat will need to find the sticky note that N'Leo sticks onto himself without hands! Good luck!" the leader in charge of the station informs them and Fiat is given the lipstick while Leo is given the sticky note. Fiat first finds Leo's shoulders and has him lean down to easily reach his face. His fingers slowly trail up the neck and to side of his face before trailing forward until he finds Leo's lips. Fiat could not help but think they were soft just like the rest of his skin. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Fiat lifts his hand to bring the lipstick to Leon's lips. Confident strokes press against the canvas and he steps away to have it approved. "Lipstick is cleared! Now N'Leo, please proceed to stick the sticky note wherever you wish"

"You ready, Fiat? I'll stay low, so be aware. I'll be a similar height to where you had me be earlier," Leo informs Fiat, but the lack of perception does not allow Fiat to recall where Leo's face would be. Fiat tucks his hands behind him and turns his face to the side and slowly leans forward. He hits the chest with relief and rubs his face against Leo. The broadness of his shoulders is more apparent now as his face goes from one end to the other. Fiat lowers his head only until the curve of the waist before moving back up. One rule for this was to keep it above the belt for males and out of erogenous areas of females. Fiat rubs his face down Leo's arms and huffs when he still does not feel it. He goes around the back, unsuccessfully. With little help, he reaches the back of Leo's neck and feels the man shiver as he huffs against it. He makes his way around the neck and trails his nose against the skin before working his way up. Fiat wants to curse out Leo if the sticky not is really on his face. His nose trails up against the ears before moving across the cheeks. Fiat holds his breath as he moves across the nose and chin, avoiding the newly stained lips. Rising to his toes, he brushes against the forehead and feels the skin touch his lips as he finally hits the edge of the sticky note. He continues his movement until it finally falls and exhales as he finally finishes it. The pair are approved for the activity and are sent on their way.

"You really had to make it difficult, didn't you? We could have been done with that and not have me brush my face against your entire body if you just had it on your chest or something," Fiat grumbles as his neck and ears heat up in realization of how intimately close he was to Leo.

"Just wanted to tease you a bit. Didn't realize the forehead would really be the last place you would go to," Leo mumbles distractedly. Fiat can only roll his eyes behind the blindfold and they continue down the path. The two did not have anymore side conversations and the hand holding Fiat's waist is the only other thing on their minds until the end of the course.

"Congratulations! N'Fiat and N'Leo! Please go check if your other teammates have finished. We will average yours and their time together to come up with the activity points!" Fiat removes the blindfold at the sound of his name and winces as his eyes adjust to the light. He gives the blindfold back and the two of them search for Ann and Fern. The two girls were giggling by a tree and wave them over at the sight of them.

"You two seemed to finish fast. Did you guys have a midway activity?" Leo asks as he wipes his lips. Fiat realizes that he drew outside the lines and cringes at the idea of walking around with poorly drawn lipstick. Ann and Fern talk about theirs and how it was to find their partner based on their hands and then successfully say what the other was writing on the other's back. Leo complains about theirs and Fiat grabs the wipe from Leo's hand to wipe the spot that he must have smudged while finding the sticky note. Leo glances at Fiat surprised and chuckles as he takes back the wipe and rubs Fiat's nose. "Yeah, our activity was a mess. Taking out the red stain from our faces will take a while."

"I have a cleanser you guys can use. Do you want to borrow it?" Ann offers and Leo thanks her like she was a life saver. Seeing as there was a break after for groups to gather and plan their presentation later, the four make their way to the girl's cabin. Leo and Fiat wait outside until Ann comes bouncing out and hands the bottle and cotton pads to Leo. Fiat rolls his eyes as he sees the admiring face on his friend and walks away stating to meet up at the tables in fifteen. "Fiat! Bring the goods!"

He waves his hand in acknowledgment before he hears rushing feet behind him. Leo falls into step with him and reads the bottle in his hands. "What goods is Ann talking about? Do you guys do drugs or drink?"

"Of course not. Or at least I don't. Not to the point I would bring my own. It's this chocolate I get from this one grandma at the market. It's made rich with real cacao. You should try some later. It's apparently her family secret recipe. Nothing like the ones you find at your average supermarket," Fiat explains. The two reach their own cabin and settle in front of the sinks and mirrors before staring at the bottle and cotton pads. They exchange glances before shrugging and applying a generous amount of the cleanser onto the cotton pads and wiping down their faces to rid of the red stains. Leo takes a bit more than Fiat, but the two successfully rid of the red lipstick from their faces. Before they head out, Fiat reaches for his bag and pulls out a container. He shakes the container happily at Leo and the two make their way to meet the other two. Fiat opens the container and holds it out to Leo. "Take one before we reach Ann. At least we can confirm you tried it. Ann eats faster than she realizes."

Leo gathers the cleanser and the packet of cotton pads in one hand and picks out a chocolate square and pops it into his mouth. Fiat watches his expression with expectation and was not let down when he sees the eyebrows shoot up. Leo swallows and immediately grabs another square, this time savoring the piece and letting it melt in his mouth. "This is amazing! These really are the goods. Next time you get this, save me some before you share it with Ann. I don't blame her if she eats these fast. Oo, if you melt this with a hot mug of milk or coffee this would make an amazing chocolate milk or mocha taste. Gosh, close the container. I might be the one to finish it before Ann gets a bite. Wouldn't want to make her sad."

"Mad is more like it," Fiat says under his breath. While he would love to reveal the truth about Ann and how she would literally have a fit if she did not get any, Fiat could not put his best friend in a bad light. Instead, he nods and shuts the container. They arrive first and Fiat briefs Leo about the idea that Ann had during lunch. Leo rubs his chin in thought and nods his head. They shared similar points, but agreed the assignment itself was to build good teamwork that makes it believable. It was not about the product itself, but the process. Ann and Fern appear soon after and it was to no ones surprise that Ann had dived into the container sitting on the table before getting into business. "Leave some for the others, Pipsqueak. You've had these the most."

"And I love them the most! You don't bring them often enough for me to enjoy," Ann gives Fiat an accusing finger which he flicks out of his face. Ann slides the container to Fern and raves about the taste before the other could even taste it. Ann then turns to Leo with a waiting face. "Try some, Leo. It's my favorite."

"Your willing to let me have some? What an honor," Leo humors Ann and sends Fiat a little wink as he pretends to try the chocolate for the first time. He savors the taste and hums with delight. Fiat notices Leo checking Ann's expression before Leo grins and says that it was delicious. "Glad you like it, Leo. Ask Fiat and he will bring you some! The grandmothers at the market love him."

"If I ever get my hands on some, I will share with you," Leo smiles before washing away the chocolate remains with water. Fiat sees then that Leo really is a charmer who easily gets along with everyone. When they were all well satisfied with the chocolate, they start discussing the presentation and assign parts to discuss. They put themselves in a situation that would require it and Leo and Fiat end up going along with the girl's plan to of the hypothetical scenario of differentiating: falling in love and feeling nervous. Each dealt with the rise of the heartbeat and both includes the increase the heartbeat. At some points both occur at the same time. With persistency, they find research on the differentiating characteristics and include it in their presentation.

When the time comes after dinner, everyone gathers at the function hall and sits on the floor with their groups. Before they knew it, the four stood up front and center. Groups before them had a mixture of well prepared and poorly prepared presentations. The four take a deep breath before facing the crowd. Ann starts the presentation off and it flows with the rest of the group. Only Ann and Leo had a smart watch that monitored their heart rate, so they were the examples as they project their readings onto the wall. Starting with a normalized heart rate, Fiat introduces their hypothetical scenario. "With infatuations or finding if you've fallen in love can similarly be associated with nervousness and anxiety. While correlated, are not the same thing. Ann and Leo have normalized their heartbeats and have an average body temperature. If I were to announce I was going to share an embarrassing photo of Ann from one of the first times we hung out to the entire room, you will see that her heart rate is indeed rising. Ann, do you feel warm? If I were to have a device to actually check her temperature, chances are, her body had run cold in the initial reading before it warms. Now have her normalize once more and have her face Leo with a close proximity, her heart beat will shoot up with immediate warmth. Not to call her out, but I think we know why."

"Fiat!" Ann yells and the room fills with laughter. Fiat just sends a cheeky smile. Ann covers her face in embarrassment and Fiat sees her heart rate rise even more.

"And to add on to differentiating is embarrassment. This more than being nervous and anxious, resemble more to each other- Ann!" Ann wraps the monitor around his wrist and glares at him.

"We start his reading with surprise and shock, another emotion resembling the others we have mentioned," Ann intervenes. Their presentation was long over their time, but no one intervened to stop the friends from publicly embarrassing each other. Suddenly an arm wraps around his waist and Fiat jumps. Fiat's eyes are wide as he looks up to see Leo with a teasing look. Leo suddenly leans down to whisper into Fiat's ear making him freeze.

"You're quite the playful one aren't you? Never thought you would act up like that?" Fiat gulps as he feels his breath against his ear and the faint beep of his rising heart rate plays in the background. He shoves Leo away and strips off the monitor and shoves it into Ann's hands. Leo laughs while Ann tilts her head confused. Fern raises a brow and Fiat finds himself frozen as everyone looks at him. Fern finishes their presentation and Fiat rushes out of the room. He does not understand what just happened and needs to escape. He finds that he had made his way to the opening. He collapses to the ground and curls into himself. His body shook with his emotions and he focuses on his breathing.

A hand settles on his shoulder and he jumps in his seat and looks up to find Ann. She sits beside him and pushes back his damp hair. He is sweating. Fiat lowers his eyes, unable to meet hers. "Sorry for running out and sorry if I over did it. Thought I can have fun with it-"

"What's going on, Fiat? I don't care about what happened. I'm not exactly subtle about it. I'm just worried about why you suddenly look like you saw a ghost and ran out. Did Leo say something bad? Tell me, Fiat. Regardless if I see him as an absolute god. If he said something to you that you did not like, the image will disappear. Fiat?" Ann makes Fiat look at her and his eyes water as flashes of memories appear.

"Leo did nothing," Fiat takes a sharp inhale and wipes his eyes. He puts on a smile and wills himself to be okay. "I think I just felt really guilty about what I did to you and I am just sorry about that. You don't have to worry about anything, Pipsqueak. I think I'm just tired. I should probably lose this feeling I have after some sleep. I might skip out on dinner and the evening gathering. Just let the leaders know and apologize to the others."

Fiat does not wait for Ann to respond as he quickly stands and leaves. He bee lines to the cabin and just has enough motivation to brush his teeth and change his clothes before curling into himself and face the wall. He pulls the covers over his head and sighs. Fiat felt bad for leaving Ann like that and promises to treat her better in the morning. The day was a battle already since his nap and his mind was not in a good place. His moods today were unmanageable and all he wanted to do was sleep it all off. He did not know how long he laid there, but he hears someone approach his bunk. He tries to still himself to feign unconsciousness, but he is caught. "I know your awake. Ann told me you walked out on her and is really worried. I won't force you to talk, but I know something is bothering you. Something more than the teasing during our presentation. We aren't that close, but if you feel more comfortable talking to someone a bit more of a stranger, I am more than happy to listen. You missed dinner, but if you feel like stepping out for air, we'll all be sitting at the clearing to stargaze. Take your time, Fiat. We'll be here for you."

Fiat waits until Leo is gone before sitting up. He was alone in the cabin and rubs his face in frustration. Frustration in himself than anything. He should be long over this, but he cannot help the thoughts and emotions from rising. Suddenly feeling a surge of motivation after hearing Leo look for him, Fiat hops off the bed and wraps himself in a hoodie. He pulls up the hood over his head and slips on his slides as he makes his way outside. Fiat tucks his hands into his pockets and makes he way over to the clearing. He spots them first and they were laughing freely. Some of Leo's other friends where there and Fiat wanted to turn back. It was one thing to meet up with the four, but with outsiders he was not sure. Leo suddenly looks up and spots him. Fiat's eyes widen. Leo nudges Ann and she turns in the direction he gestures to. Ann quickly stands and rushes over and embraces him. "Your a fool if you think you can't talk to me. I'm glad you decided to come out. I hope you wake up starving though. You walked out on me."

"Sorry, Pipsqueak. I really was just tired," he apologizes. Then he processes what she says and locks his arm around her neck and shakes her. "What did you just say!? You hope I wake up starving!? Say goodbye to your chocolate, missy!"

The best friends end up laughing all the way to the rest of the group. Leo introduces Fiat to the others and his chest suddenly becomes lighter as the night progresses. Ann and Fiat become inseparable that night and they make new memories with their new friends. They were the last ones to turn in that night and Fiat walks Ann and Fern to their cabin. Fern thanks Fiat before stepping into the cabin ahead of Ann. The two friends step away from the door and take seat at a neighboring bench. Fiat pulls Ann into his arms and they have a moment of silence. He was aware it was time to share a little more to his friend and the pair spend the rest of the night opening their hearts. What he was not aware of, was someone had overheard him and found out about his struggles as well.

*******

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

thoughts??

Guilty of writing an entire short story of 14 chapters in lieu of this 1. It's a platonic straight story with Tul Pakorn. Would you guys read it if I post it? It's a little bit of a melodrama.

I started writing it after posting the previous chapter of this and only had 400 words on this one. Finished all 14 when I only had 700 here.

I know I asked, but I'll probably post it anyway.

Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait. I apologize for the delay.