Pairing: San & Felix & Seonghwa
Genre: Modern Fantasy AU
!!TW!! : implied minor character deaths, man-eating sirens, I want to tag "enemies-to-lovers" but it's more like a taming process so I dunno, near-death experience(s)
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Ever since he'd learned how to walk, Felix had been warned not to go anywhere near the lagoon at night – especially during a full moon. Tales and rumors of monstrous creatures roaming under the waves populated Felix's childhood, and everyone knew better than to not heed those warnings.
There were a few foolish enough to go against them, tempting Fate and paying the price for it, but their numbers dwindled over time as not a single one of them ever came back. Even groups of seasoned monster hunters absolutely refused to get involved, unwilling to risk it and simply telling civilians to steer clear of the place whenever night fell.
But Felix... Felix was a curious child. No matter what everyone told him, he simply couldn't help but want to know exactly what occupied the lagoon each night.
A little after Felix turned eight, his curiosity grew too great and, no longer able to move on with his life when the unknown was taunting him so greatly, he finally caved in. One night – not a full moon, he wasn't that stupid, he told himself – he stuffed a bunch of pillows underneath his blankets and snuck out of his room through the window.
He scraped his knee on the way down, but he wasn't about to back out when he was already this far in his little quest. So, promising himself to only take a quick look and run at the first sign of danger, he snuck off the property and made his way down the staircase that led directly to the beach.
It wasn't the first time he'd been to the beach at night, and he quite enjoyed the peace and quiet only troubled by the gentle 'SWOOSH' of the waves. He let his feet sink in the sand for a few seconds, letting his eyes wander over the horizon and all the way up to the sky sparkling with stars, before eventually reminding himself of his self-appointed mission.
The lagoon was a little under twenty minutes away from his home but, with his little legs, it took him about twice that time before he finally reached his destination. He gulped a bit as he faced the tall, rocky wall that blocked off the lagoon, with the not-so-secret entrance off on the side.
He could still turn back.
He didn't.
He carefully made his way through the entrance, his heart beating so fast he feared it'd burst out of his chest. The sand was cold under his bare feet and the whooshing of the waves was now a distant background noise. When he finally made it to the other side of the pathway, he held his breath and peered out.
The lagoon was even more beautiful at night. It was always fun to go there and play with his friends during the day, because it was almost completely closed off and so the waves weren't too strong. The sun was usually reflected on the water, but Felix's breath was taken away by the sight of the half-moon's reflection rippling gently in the distance.
But, other than that... there wasn't anything.
Figuring whatever monster present was simply hiding away and waiting for its next meal's approach, Felix dared to take a step outside. He carefully glanced around, ready to bolt at a moment's notice, but... still nothing. The adrenaline started dying down as confusion took over, and he completely came out of hiding, narrowing his eyes as he tried to find something.
And then, without warning, he heard it – the music.
It was beautiful. It sounded like someone singing but, at the same time, it sounded like a thousand different instruments mingling together to weave the most enticing melody. His curiosity winning over once more, Felix started walking along the beach, looking around in an attempt to find the source. It felt like it came from everywhere at once, the music reverberating against the walls of the lagoon and creating an amazing echo.
Frowning a bit, Felix closed his eyes and tried to listen more attentively. If he really paid attention, it almost felt like the music was coming... from underwater.
His eyes snapped open, taking in the vast expanse of water stretching before him as his heart missed a beat. Yes, the music was definitely coming from there – but what kind of monsters played music? Were they having a party or something? Still, Felix knew he'd tried his luck for long enough. So, throwing a few wary glances over his shoulder as he quickly made his way back to the exit of the lagoon, he wasted no time in taking his leave. By the time he made it safely on the other side, the music had completely stopped.
Felix let out a shaky breath, glancing at the passage behind him. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of monster could make such beautiful music. Would he have found out if he'd gone in the water to check?
No, he'd been gone for long enough.
He'd come back tomorrow.
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Felix did not, in fact, come back tomorrow. His mother found out about his little excursion because of the scrape on his leg and, though he managed to play it off as him just going outside to play on the beach a little longer, he was still grounded and kept under strict supervision for the following few weeks.
It annoyed him, but he couldn't exactly complain – he simply wouldn't get caught next time around.
Felix truly thought that going to the lagoon once would be enough to satiate his curiosity, but it only filled him with even more confusion. Hundreds of questions were keeping him awake at night, and he couldn't help but wish he could hear the beautiful music again.
One last time, he promised himself as he snuck out of his room a little over a month after his first escapade. I want to hear it one last time.
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The lagoon was exactly as he remembered it to be and, this time around, he didn't waste any time being scared. He bravely stepped out into the open and walked along the beach until he stood in the middle of the beach, and then he plopped down on the ground and waited.
Surely enough, it only took a few seconds for the music to start, and he found himself relaxing a bit – it was as beautiful as he remembered it to be.
Felix didn't know for how long he stayed there. He eventually opened his eyes again, the music still going, but the source still nowhere to be found, and the freckled boy knew it was about time to head home. So, he rose to his feet, dusted himself a bit to get rid of the sand, and then hesitated... before waving in direction of the water
"Thank you for the music! It was really pretty!"
And then he took off without another look back, his heart pounding in his chest as he feared he might have provoked whatever creature had been playing – but he once again made it safely out of the lagoon and, as he started making his way home, he couldn't help but wonder if all of the tales and rumors he'd been told since he was child might have been wrong, after all.
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He wasn't caught this time around, but defying the greatest rule he'd ever been imposed and getting away with it in every sense of the term was admittedly a bit exhilarating, and Felix ended up breaking the promise he'd made himself barely a few weeks later.
He felt a bit more confident than before, certain that whatever hid in the water couldn't hurt him so long as he didn't go in. And, just like the other night, he entered the lagoon and plopped himself down in the sand, just far enough that the rolling waves wouldn't reach him.
No music came.
After a minute or so of waiting in almost complete silence, a small pout form itself on Felix's lips. Biting his lower lip, he eventually decided to speak up.
"Erm, hello? Is- is anyone here tonight...?"
A soft breeze made him shiver a bit, but he didn't move – and then, a semblance of movement caught his attention. He stiffened, narrowing his eyes at the water that seemed to ripple a little more than what would be natural. He stayed still, ready to take off should danger present itself, but too curious to actually move a muscle.
And then, after what felt like an eternity of tension, a head popped out of the water. His eyes widened a bit as a human-shaped figure slowly emerged from the water until it reached just above their waist, their luminescent eyes staring him down and making his heart beat faster.
This was it – the monster.
The man opened his mouth, and Felix thought he was going to say something... but, instead, the beautiful melody he'd heard the previous nights echoed, louder and clearer than ever before. Felix let out a sharp gasp, startled. So the creature was truly singing!
After about a minute, however, the melody died down and the creature simply returned to staring at him, completely unmoving, as if trying to understand a puzzle that was missing one-too-many pieces. Another gasp escaped Felix when the water rippled again, and another strange man suddenly emerged, wrapping his arms around the other's neck as he, too, stared the freckled boy down. Felix couldn't help but let his eyes linger on the scales littering their skin in patches, almost glowing under the moonlight.
After a little while of silence and staring, Felix finally had enough.
"He- hello." He gulped when they perked up. He was scared, but also too intrigued to back down now. "I'm- I'm Felix. What's your names?"
After a few seconds, the second man unwrapped his arms from around the other and moved a little closer. He was still pretty far, though, so Felix wasn't entirely worried just yet. He half-expected this guy to start singing too, but what came out instead was a melodic voice.
"Come closer and we'll tell you," the creature replied, almost purring it out.
Felix tilted his head. "I'd- I'd rather not."
"Are you scared?"
"A bit," he admitted.
Small chuckles followed his honest answer, and the man lowered himself in the water, as if attempting to appear a little less threatening – but then his lips pulled up into a smile, showing off a row of sharp teeth, and the illusion failed.
"You may call me San. My partner behind me is Seonghwa. It's very nice to meet you, Felix. We were wondering when you'd come back."
"So you're the ones who made the pretty music?" asked Felix, a bit more comfortable now that he had names to work with. "The ones singing?"
"So you can hear it," stated plainly the other man, Seonghwa, also swimming a little closer.
"It sounds even better underwater," insisted San. "If you put your head under for a moment, you'll be able to hear it."
"I think it sounds nice enough from here, thanks. Say, what are you?"
San clicked his tongue, obviously annoyed by his failure to lure the boy into the water, but Seonghwa simply chuckled again, patting his shoulder.
"Your kind knows us as sirens, I believe," he answered simply.
"And you live underwater?"
"We do."
"But how do you breathe?"
"You're a curious one, aren't you?" mused San. "Is that what brought you here despite the warnings? Curiosity? You're a brave child indeed."
"I don't really get it," admitted Felix, rubbing the back of his head. "Why is everyone so scared of you?"
"Probably because... we eat them!!!"
Felix let out a small scream as, without warning, San suddenly propelled himself forward. The freckled boy scrambled backward, managing to get to his feet, and he stumbled further up the beach. He fell, just about a meter or two out of reach of the creature, and his eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.
Laying in the sand, almost completely exposed, was San, but his human-like appearance shifted from under the waist. He didn't have legs, but a five meters long, sleek black and silver tail that shimmered under the moonlight. San let out a feral hiss as his eyes glowed a little brighter, baring his teeth as he clawed at the sand to try and drag himself further up, but unable to move because of how heavy his entire body was.
Felix was frozen in place, his heart beating fast and adrenaline coursing through his veins. All he could do was stare at San, at his webbed fingers from which protruded sharp claws and the saliva coating his thick, pointy teeth.
Had Felix been just a little slower, he'd have gotten caught.
Seonghwa suddenly let out a high-pitched noise that almost sounded like a warning, and San let out another hiss before slowly pushing against the sand, using his tail to heave himself back into the water. He slipped under and didn't come up again and, with one last pointed look toward Felix, Seonghwa also returned under the water.
Panting a little from the intense fright he'd just suffered, Felix eventually managed to get back his bearings and scrambled back to his feet. He ran all the way back home and when he snuck back inside his bed at last, he knew for a fact that this changed everything.
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"Hello...?"
"Wow. You must be truly miserable, to seek death when still so young."
Felix tensed up a bit, but he didn't stop walking and made his way back to his usual spot – though, this time around, he was mindful to keep an even bigger distance between him and the water. They obviously couldn't do anything against him so long as he didn't fall in or got dragged in, and he had no intention of making it easy for them.
"I wanted to talk with you some more," admitted Felix, sitting down and mindful not to tip his basket over. "You scared me last time, San. That wasn't nice."
"Hmm, no, it wasn't. My apologies. Will you come in and let me hug you, to show how sorry I am?"
Felix shot him a dry look as the siren made his appearance. "I'm not stupid."
"Your return would state otherwise," replied softly Seonghwa, appearing beside San. "Are you not the slightest bit scared, Felix?"
"Not really. It's not like you can do much to me, is it?"
San hissed a bit at that, obviously displeased by the taunt, but his anger quickly deflated as Felix picked up his basket and pulled it onto his lap, beaming when he realized it had caught their attention.
"I figured you were hungry, and you said you ate humans... Well, obviously I couldn't bring a human, but red meat should work, right?" He pulled out the slab of beef he'd stolen from the kitchen earlier. "See? Looks way tastier than I do."
"Mmm, I beg to differ – but I certainly won't say no to free food. Toss it here, and maybe I'll feel nice enough to answer a few questions," relented San.
Satisfied with their deal, Felix got up and threw the slab of meat with as much strength as his little arms could muster. It sunk into the water, but San was quick to pop back up with it in his mouth. The siren then made a show of tearing the meat apart with his sharp teeth, grinning when his eyes met Felix's.
"Still not scared?"
"Nope. Seonghwa, would you like one too?"
The other siren tilted his head and, after a moment of consideration, he nodded in agreement. Glad they both accepted his gifts, Felix was quick to throw in another slab of meat, which Seonghwa promptly devoured with a little more class than San did.
"I always come to play here with my friends during the day," then said Felix, sitting back down. "How come you don't attack us then?"
"Because a direct exposition to the sun is harmful to us." It was Seonghwa who answered as he licked the tip of his fingers, now done with his meal. "If there is too much light, or if the water is too warm, then it can harm us or sicken us."
"So, you stay hidden until night falls? Where do you live?"
"There's an underwater cave that can be found at the very bottom of this lagoon," replied San, grinning again. "We can show you if you'd like."
"No thank you, I'm good. Say, why is everyone so scared of you? I mean obviously, it's bad that you eat people, but so long as they don't go into the water, you can't harm them, right?"
At that, the two creatures exchanged a look. San eventually shrugged, and Seonghwa heaved out a little sigh.
"That would be true, was it not for the fact that we can force them to enter the water. The music you've been hearing since your first time here is a special song – our song. It takes over a human's senses and plunges them into an unbreakable illusion that'll lure them to the sea—"
"And the moment they step foot in the water, we swoop in and start feasting," added gleefully San. "Though, we haven't had a human in quite a while, now... Everyone's too scared to come and visit~!"
"Yeah, wonder why," replied Felix, a tad dryly.
San sighed. "You're so cheeky for a baby..."
"I'm not a baby! I'm going to be nine soon!"
At that, the two burst out laughing. It was sharp, yet still had a melodic tinge to it, and the sound admittedly soothed Felix's annoyance a bit – he didn't think they could laugh, of all things, but it was nice to see them open up.
"We're centuries old, kid," then said San, definitely amused. "You'll always be a baby compared to us."
"Centuries old?" gasped Felix. He then frowned. "Wait, how many years is that?"
"A lot," summarized Seonghwa, his lips quirking up.
Felix hummed under his breath, before something suddenly clicked. "Wait. If your music can force people to go into the water, then how come it doesn't work on me?"
At that, San let out a small huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's what we'd like to know. Our song always works, so we have no clue of why you're not affected by it."
"At first, we thought you were deaf," admitted Seonghwa. "But then you said you could hear us, so—"
"Oh, that's it!" With a beam, Felix turned his head a bit and tapped his ear. "It's because I have hearing aids!"
"Hearing... aids...?" echoed San, unfamiliar with the term.
"Hmm! I can't hear very well, so I've had them since I was really little. That's probably why it doesn't work – the magic in your song doesn't make it through!"
They appeared a little stunned by that notion, before Seonghwa smiled softly.
"You're quite smart for an almost-nine-years-old, Felix. That would certainly explain it."
"How about you take them out?" purred out San, suddenly swimming just a little closer. "I'm sure our song will sound even nicer without them."
"You do realize I'll be as good as deaf without them, right?"
San clicked his tongue again, backing off. "Worth a shot."
Felix couldn't help but giggle at his disgruntled expression. In the end, so long as he stayed out of the water, the pair was actually quite harmless, and also interesting to talk to!
The freckled boy had just made two quite unusual friends, and he was pretty happy about it.
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The following weeks, Felix snuck out at night every two or three nights. He'd taken on bringing fruits or snacks since he couldn't always steal meat and, while his new friends enjoyed the unusual flavors, he could tell they were growing restless – he knew for a fact that, was he to take a single step in the water, then they'd drag him under without a second thought.
Still, forgetting about that particular detail, San and Seonghwa were actually pretty nice. They answered all of Felix's questions, and they made jokes and told him stories about sirens and sometimes they'd sing for him – be it because he liked it or they were still trying to lure him, though, he couldn't tell, but it didn't really matter anyway because he enjoyed their music.
And, without Felix even realizing, about six months of the same routine passed.
He brought them fresh meat once every week, and he usually spent about an hour and a half in their company before eventually returning home. He'd never been caught, and he still got enough sleep so he didn't have to worry about his grades slipping or his temper flaring – that would definitely make his parents something was going on.
But then, one particular evening – the night Felix had been planning on bringing them their weakly dose of meat – horror struck: a violent storm had picked up and wasn't showing any sign of slowing and, worried, his parents had dragged him out of the house to seek shelter further into the city.
Felix woke up in the middle of the night, startled awake by the booming thunder and the crashing of some trees. Glancing outside the window – he was staying in a guest room at one of his parents' friend's house while his parents slept downstairs – he felt his heart lurched as, in the distance, he could see just how agitated the sea was.
And suddenly he was worried, because he remembered that San and Seonghwa were out there, and probably hadn't had the time to seek shelter if they'd been waiting for him to show up like he was supposed to.
Felix didn't think twice before grabbing his shoes and sneaking out of the house. It was dark outside, and the wind and the rain was making it almost impossible to see where he was going, but he was determined to make it to the lagoon and check up on his friends.
What if they're hurt? What if the waves were too strong and they got slammed into the rocks? What if they're stuck on the beach and don't manage to make it back to the water before the sun comes out?
All sorts of horrifying scenarios were playing in his head, and it only motivated him to go faster. After what felt like an eternity, he finally made it to the beach, and he started running in direction of the lagoon – it was so far, but he couldn't stop until he knew for certain that the sirens were okay.
"SAN!!! SEONGHWA!!!" he screamed.
He knew they couldn't hear him, not when he was this far, not when the storm was drowning out his shouts, but he needed to exteriorize the tension that was building up inside of him or he was going to explode. And then, without warning, one of the palm trees alongside the beach cracked, and started falling. Felix screamed, instantly backing out of its course, but his feet got tangled together and he fell down the slope, rolling into the sand a few times with the harsh wind constantly pushing him down—
Water.
"Ack—!"
He choked, swallowing a mouthful of seawater as he was dragged in by the waves. He tried to scramble back to shore, but he was too weak against the current and the wind and all he could do was struggle to keep his head above the water as the beach started growing further and further away.
He kept getting pushed down, his little body battered by the waves and the currents and his lungs burning from all the water he'd swallowed and the air he couldn't breathe in, and he briefly saw the shadow of the lagoon far off in the distance before he was dragged under for the last time.
His limbs lost all strength, he was cold and exhausted, and he couldn't do anything but panic as he sunk deeper... and deeper... and...
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Felix inhaled sharply, wheezing as he twisted onto his side and started vomiting an incredible amount of seawater. He choked, trying to catch his breath only to fail as panic rose, but then a hand started rubbing his back in a soothing manner and a gentle voice urged him to calm down.
After a few moments, Felix finally flopped onto his back, his limbs aching and his throat burning, but... still alive.
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Do you actually want to die!?"
Felix blinked a few times. He could still hear the storm raging in the distance, but he couldn't feel any rain or wind against him. Blearily looking around, he belatedly noticed San... right in front of him. His eyes widened in fright but, as he tensed up, he realized he was actually being held by someone. Looking up, he found Seonghwa gazing down at him with palpable worry in his eyes. The sight... made him relax, somewhat.
"... how can you be so warm if you live underwater?"
San looked angry. "How can that be the first thing you say when you just—"
"We can regulate the temperature of our bodies to adapt to any environment and circumstances," answered softly Seonghwa, pulling him a little closer to his chest, and Felix felt himself relax as more warmth spread through his shivering body. "Felix, what are you doing here? Why were you out there?"
"I was- I was worried," he croaked out.
"What about?"
"Y- you. I was worried about you. I kept- I kept thinking that you were going to get hurt, and the storm was getting worse, and I just- I just needed to check..." He felt tears building up in his eyes. "But you're- you're okay, right?"
"... yes, we're okay."
San let out a soft curse, wrapping his arms around Felix and Seonghwa as he pressed his head against the boy's shoulder, breathing in deeply. Felix was... intrigued, now. It was the first time he'd ever been this close to the sirens, and he couldn't help but wonder—
"How did you know I was out there?"
"We heard you," answered Seonghwa, pushing some wet strands of hair out of Felix's face when the boy looked up. "We thought we were hallucinating, but when we heard you scream, we realized you were out there."
"But why- why did you save me...?"
"Because we were worried too, you reckless brat!" replied San, pulling away to poke his forehead. "How could you be stupid enough to believe you'd be safe out there? How could you be stupid enough to put your life at risk just to check up on us – we who can breathe underwater!?"
Felix cringed a little, but shook his head. "I was- I was worried about you getting thrown on the beach... and- and not being able to go back to the water..."
"And what would you have done, had that been the case? Grabbed us by the tail and dragged us back to the sea yourself?" huffed the pink-haired siren.
Felix glared a bit at that. "Yes!"
"Why!?"
"Because you're my friends!!!"
San fell completely silent at that, seemingly stunned. After a few seconds, though, Felix couldn't help but smile a bit as he reached out and grabbed his hand. He took a moment to curiously peer at the webbing between his fingers and the glistening scales on his palm, then pulled it against his chest.
After a few moments, San's eyes widened as he felt the boy's heartbeat. He could just push his claws in and he'd kill Felix in an instant, and yet the boy—
"You're so dumb," he choked out, lowering his head. "We eat people. We wanted to eat you. How can you- how can you call us your friends...?"
Felix shrugged a little at that, not really having an answer to that. He'd always believed that, should he make a wrong move, then they'd use that opportunity to drag him under but, now that they'd saved his life, he stood corrected. They might have wanted to eat him once, but that obviously wasn't the case anymore. Now completely relaxed, he took a moment to look around.
"Where are we?" he wondered, a tad confused.
"A cave at the surface level. We couldn't go back to the lagoon, so we brought you to the safest place we could reach." Seonghwa suddenly shifted him around a bit so as to cradle him better. "Rest, little one. We'll keep you warm and safe and, once the storm goes down, we'll bring you back to the shore."
With everything said and done, Felix felt his exhaustion finally creeping back up on him. With a soft hum, he let himself relax further against the siren, taking comfort in his heartbeat – it was incredibly slow, but also strangely comforting. A moment later, he felt additional arms close around him, and he couldn't help but smile, knowing it was San.
"Don't make that face," huffed the siren. "Or I'll eat you."
Felix's smile simply widened. "Sure you will."
His eyes closed by themselves, and he was quickly lulled to sleep by Seonghwa's heartbeat and San's unintelligible grumbles.
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The next morning, Felix woke up on the beach, the sun rising in the now calm horizon. As he slowly rose to his feet, he gazed upon the water, and smiled.
Things were going to get even better from there.
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Alright, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this is the first ATZ/Lix ship I've posted in this book? It's honestly one of my favorite so far, so I really hope you'll like it. Part 2 will be out tomorrow!
⚠️IMPORTANT⚠️
Please go read "The Fae Prince" by skailz (or skailz_13 on AO3). It's an original fic inspired by my three-shot "The Warlord & the Fae Prince", and you can find it easily if you simply check out my gifted works. Please go check it out and offer the author all your love and support!