Pairing: Hyunjin & Felix
Genre: Fantasy AU
!!TW!! : angst, kidnapping (kind of?), fatal injury
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Felix held his breath as he peered through the half-opened door. On the other side was a large lobby filled with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and sparkling flowers running up the columns – and at the very opposite end of the room was a set of large double doors made of red wood.
Almost there!
He'd been preparing for weeks, now. This was the furthest he'd ever gotten and, with sweet freedom finally within his grasp, Felix could no longer resist the temptation and pushed his way inside. He carefully glanced around, but only a few butterflies fluttered about – it was now or never.
Felix took off in direction of the doors. If he could just push them open and get outside, then he could finally—
"Got you~."
"Ack!"
Without warning, familiar arms wrapped themselves around his waist and stopped his mad dash, spinning him around to get rid of his momentum before finally settling him down again. The moment his feet returned to the pink marbled floor, Felix turned around and pouted at his captor.
"No fair," he huffed. "I was almost there!"
Hyunjin grinned, flicking his nose. "Key word: almost. Better luck next time, petal."
Felix sighed as he realized he'd once again lost their little game. With one last dejected look for the doors behind them, he then intertwined his fingers with Hyunjin's and let the older lead him out of the lobby. As they walked, Felix couldn't help but glance at the man beside him.
Hyunjin was an ancient, powerful Fae. His long, dark hair was filled with delicate tresses and golden beads, and it was tied back in a low ponytail with a white ribbon. As per usual, he was dressed in a completely white outfit that matched the delicate butterfly wings folded behind his back, of which the tips almost brushed the floor.
Hyunjin smiled when their eyes met, his own a pale silver that always entranced the freckled boy – the Fae's natural allure. Hyunjin tried his best to keep it contained but, with how powerful he was, it was a little hard to keep his instinctual abilities in check.
"You're staring again, petal," hummed the Fae, distinctly amused.
Felix flushed a bit, averting his eyes. "It's just... You're really beautiful, Hyunie."
"So are you, my little sunflower." Hyunjin cooed softly at the blush rising to Felix's cheeks, stopping so he could kiss the younger's cheek. "So pretty~."
"You're prettier," flushed Felix, keeping his gaze glued to the floor.
Hyunjin slipped a finger under his chin and gently tilted his head up until their eyes could meet again. Not for the first time, Felix was taken aback by the pure adoration written all over the Fae's face.
"Fae can't lie," he murmured, gently stroking Felix's cheek. "Even one as powerful as I cannot utter lies. I can only omit the truth, at best, so know that I believe every praise I offer you."
"Hyunie..."
Hyunjin leaned down, pressing their lips together for a brief kiss. Once he pulled away, he tightened his grip on Felix's hand and started tugging him along with a smile.
"Come on, precious one. Let us go and enjoy my garden while the sun still has yet to set."
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("I must go, Hyunjin."
"So soon, starlight?"
"My brother already suspects me. If I do not return before dawn, then he will undoubtedly report it to our father, and I won't be able to sneak out again."
"If you do not return—"
"Oh, stop it with the empty threats, silly. I'll be back, hm? I'll just need to lay low for a few days. As soon as they're off my back, I'll come back to you."
"You have a week. If I have not heard of you before then, then nothing will be able to stop me from coming to fetch you myself, little rose. Do you understand me?"
"You needn't worry, my love. I'll come back – I always do.")
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Felix blinked a few times, feeling a little dizzy. He could feel the remnants of a disturbing dream slipping away and, though he did attempt to stop it from vanishing completely, his memory grew fuzzier the harder he tried to remember. When a sharp pain shot through his head, he abandoned the endeavor completely.
Glancing to his side, he frowned upon realizing Hyunjin wasn't in bed with him. He knew the Fae had no need for sleep – or at least, not in the same way Humans did – but his lover always made a point of keeping him company once night fell. Felix could only rest easy when Hyunjin was by his side, and the Fae was always happy to indulge him.
So, where was he?
Still a tad troubled by the dream he couldn't recall, Felix shuffled out of bed and slowly made his way to the double-doors that led to the garden outside. A surprisingly cold breeze greeted him the moment he stepped outside, his feet sinking a bit into the soft grass, and he inhaled deeply, already soothed by the night air, though slightly disturbed by how cold it was.
It took him a few moments to notice that something was wrong. He couldn't see any fireflies buzzing around the garden and shedding their usual, soft glow, nor could he hear any nightly birds or other animals. The air also felt like it was getting colder, for some reason, and the stars...
He couldn't see any of them.
What is happening...?
Before he could ponder over it any longer, however, the air suddenly turned a lot warmer than before, and familiar arms wrapped themselves around his waist, a body pressing itself against his back as the familiar scent of flowers washed over him.
"Hyunie," he murmured, instinctively relaxing.
"What are you doing up, my precious buttercup?"
"Had a weird dream that woke me up," Felix sighed. "And there's something... strange..."
He blinked a few times as he took in the sight of the fireflies roaming about, the night owl hooting in the distance, the small family of squirrels now scrambling in the bushes. Above their heads, the stars twinkled, as bright as ever. It was warm again, like it always was, no trace of the previously cold breeze to be felt.
Did I imagine all of it...?
"Come, let us return to bed," softly urged Hyunjin, carefully guiding him back inside. "You must be tired, is all."
Felix nodded mutely, already feeling the tiredness weighing his eyelids down. Hyunjin lovingly tucked him back into bed before laying down next to him, and the freckled boy let out a soft, content sigh as he once again felt safe and secure in his lovers' arms.
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("You can't keep me here!"
"You went behind my back, consorted with the enemy, betrayed your kingdom! Be thankful you are my son – anyone else would already be dead on the pyre!"
"You don't understand! If I do not return before the end of the week, then he will come! He will come for me and hurt everyone who stands in his way! Please, for the sake of our people, you must let me go back—"
"Because now you care for our people? Maybe you should have thought of their Fate before giving yourself to that creature like a cheap whore."
"Father—"
"Do not call me that. Understand that the only reason you have yet to be executed for your crimes is because your brother begged me to show mercy. He told me you weren't in your right mind, that this monster used his powers to entrap you – and for your sake, I sincerely hope it's true."
"He's not a monster—"
"Then why are you so scared of the consequences should you fail to return to him?"
"That- that's not—"
"Enough. You will stay in this tower until the Fae has been dealt with and, hopefully, your mind will be freed from his influence once he's gone."
"No! Please, you don't understand! Please!!!")
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Felix inhaled sharply, his eyes going wide as a sharp pain shot through his hand, and it took him a moment to realize he'd accidentally pricked himself while tending to one of the numerous rose bushes. Wincing, he brought his injured finger to his lips, grimacing a bit as the taste of blood burned his tongue.
Mere seconds later, the familiar flapping of delicate wings caught his attention, and Hyunjin promptly landed beside him, worried.
"Felix! I told you to be careful when tending to the roses!"
"I was... distracted. Sorry."
"Let me look."
Felix's heart filled with love as Hyunjin tenderly grabbed his hand and checked over his injury. It was quite the minor wound, with only one or two drops of blood beading at the top, but the Fae appeared stricken with worry, nonetheless. He leaned down, pressing his lips to the small wound, and a tingling sensation ran up Felix's finger. When Hyunjin pulled away, the wound was gone, and a very faint trace of blood was smeared on his lower lip. Rolling his eyes fondly, Felix gently wiped it away before offering Hyunjin a sweet kiss.
"Thank you. My knight in shining armor," he teased.
Hyunjin simply smiled, pressing their foreheads together. "My Prince."
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("Hyunjin, I'm begging you, please, you have to stop... Please, don't hurt anyone..."
"I told you I would come for you."
"And- and I'm grateful, I am, but there's no need to hurt anyone. We can just go, okay? We can just leave and never come back to this place, and- and I'll stay with you from here on out, okay? Please, Hyunjin... My people have nothing to do with this..."
"... very well. I shall show mercy, if only this once, but I will not hold back again should they come after us."
"Thank you. I love you, Hyunjin."
"And I you, Felix—"
"Watch out!")
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Pain. Indescribable pain flaring in his chest. Gasping for air, Felix collapsed to his knees, the distinct sound of glass breaking in the background merely an echo as he tried to catch his breath.
"Felix! What's wrong!?"
"H- hurts—"
"You're alright, petal, you're okay. Just take deep breaths for me, love."
Felix tried his best to follow Hyunjin's instructions and, eventually, the pain in his chest subsided. As the haze induced by the impromptu agony slowly melted away, however, his mind grew clearer – and with it, so did his memory.
"My rose—"
"Where are we?"
"Felix—"
"Where are we?"
Hyunjin stayed frozen in place, stunned – it was the first time Felix ever raised his voice against him. Those few seconds of silence were too much, however, and the freckled boy scrambled to his feet before taking off. He ignored Hyunjin's call for him, running with only one goal in mind: making it to the doors he'd always been forbidden to open.
(It had been a game with Hyunjin – there weren't many rules Felix had to follow, but one of them was to never open the double-doors made of red wood, on the other side of the domain. Felix had taken it as a challenge and so, once every few weeks, he'd play a game of hide-and-seek with the Fae, to see if he could manage to beat him and open the doors before Hyunjin could stop him.)
Hyunjin always managed to catch him and, at this point, the friendly competition stemmed more from the desire to beat the Fae than the desire to actually see what was behind those doors.
Or at least, such was the case until now.
Felix ran, faster than he ever ran before. He didn't bother trying to hide, only focused on the doors he knew were located straight ahead. And, in the blink of an eye, he managed to make it there. His heart was thundering in his chest as he latched onto the handles with a surge of desperation, terrified that Hyunjin would stop him like he always did—
The doors swung open.
For a moment, it felt as it everything came to a stop. And then, pure horror filled Felix's heart as he gazed upon the utter, absolute darkness which laid beyond the open doors.
"What is this?" he whispered. He spun around to face Hyunjin, who was now standing a few meters away with a resigned expression plastered to his face. "Answer me!!! What- what is the meaning of this? Where are we, Hyunjin!?"
"... I should have known your memories would return, eventually," sighed the Fae, lowering his head. "In a way, I suppose it's a good sign."
"What are you talking about?"
With a sigh, Hyunjin waved his hand, and the doors slammed shut at once. He then walked up to Felix and, though the freckled boy was scared and confused, he still trusted the Fae with his life. So, he didn't flinch away when Hyunjin gently cradled his face, his pale eyes filled with resignation.
"It'll be easier... if I show you," he murmured.
He then leaned down, pressing his lips to Felix's – and darkness instantly overwhelmed the freckled boy.
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Hyunjin was angry. He was angry because those stupid Humans thought they could stand in the way of the love he shared with Felix, and he fully intended on making them pay for their foolishness and arrogance. When he finally managed to find his lover after destroying over half of the castle, however, Felix begged him to show mercy.
Hyunjin didn't want to. He was the most powerful of his kind for a reason, and these Humans needed to learn their lesson. However, as much as he desired to exact punishment on them, the last thing he wanted was to make Felix sad. So, against his better judgement, he decided to grant Felix his wish.
"... very well. I shall show mercy, if only this once, but I will not hold back again should they come after us."
The smile with which Felix graced him managed to melt away some of his searing ire.
"Thank you. I love you, Hyunjin."
"And I you, Felix—"
"Watch out!"
In a mere second, everything shifted. Felix, whom he'd been holding in his arms, suddenly shoved him away and, as he stumbled away, an arrow made of iron embedded itself in the Prince's chest. Hyunjin gawked with dawning horror as Felix's body promptly collapsed, the arrow having hit him just above his heart.
"Felix!!!"
Anger overwhelmed Hyunjin, and he was fully prepared to strike down the monster who'd just shot his precious love – but then Felix wheezed, coughing out blood, and the Fae promptly realized that he didn't have time. Foregoing revenge for the sake of doing what he could to save Felix, Hyunjin didn't think twice before scooping the freckled boy in his arms and taking off through the air.
Hyunjin flew fast and true, heading straight for the magical forest where he'd built his home, the land which was under his protection and which no Human, until Felix, had been able to enter. He flew until he reached the clearing where he and Felix had shared so many loving memories and, as he carefully laid the boy down amongst the grass and wildflowers, he felt a pain like none other spread in his chest.
Felix was pale, deadly so. The arrow was still stuck in his chest and, though he was still miraculously alive, Hyunjin knew there and then that his powers wouldn't be enough to save him – as powerful as he was, he wasn't a healer. Felix... Felix was going to die, and he was going... to be alone again...
"Don't leave me," he begged, cradling Felix's body to his chest as he gently rocked him, tears streaming down his face. "I will forfeit everything – my wings, my magic, my life! I'll do anything, just please don't- don't leave me...!"
"There's still a way."
Hyunjin gasped, his eyes shooting up. He found a large, black panther prowling in the underbrush and, a moment later, the creature shifted into a an all-too-familiar man.
"Minho," he breathed out.
"You truly love him, don't you? To make such an offer... Careful, or someone less kind than I might have taken you up on it," scolded gently the Witch, coming to crouch beside the pair. He took one look at Felix, and he sighed. "He's not gone, yet. There's still a way, but there's no guarantee it'll work."
"It's better than nothing," assured Hyunjin. "Please, Minho—"
"There's no need to beg, Hyunjin. You are my friend – of course I will help you. Come on, lay him down. I need space to work, and I'll need to work fast."
Minho was a Witch almost as old as Hyunjin, and the two had been friends for a very long time. Minho was a pretty aloof person by nature, but there was one thing he loathed above anything else: Humans. As such, he never truly held Felix in his heart, believing the freckled boy was either using Hyunjin or simply not worth the time. As much as he disliked Felix, however, he loved Hyunjin too much to let him suffer through the loss of someone he cared about so dearly – so, he would do his utmost best to save the Prince.
"What- what can we do?" asked tearfully Hyunjin, yearning to hold Felix yet knowing the Witch needed the space.
"It's simple. There's no way to save his body as is – Humans are too weak to survive such a wound. However... he might have a chance at surviving if we turn him into one of your kind, instead."
"You- you want to turn him into a Fae?"
"I know it's possible – I'm simply unsure if he'll survive the process. Either way, however, it's our only shot."
Gulping, Hyunjin slowly nodded in agreement. He never even considered this possibility, having thought the ability to turn Humans into Fae nothing more than a fantasy, but if Minho said he could do it, then he would trust in his friend.
So he watched as Minho worked quickly and efficiently, drawing a magic circle in the grass surrounding the dying boy. He followed all of his instructions to the letter, taking out the iron arrow despite the burns it inflicted, and eventually encasing Felix's entire body in thick vines as Minho chanted some sort of lost incantation.
Through the vines grew a shell, of some sort – a translucent cocoon that completely enveloped Felix's body. It appeared soft and fragile to the touch, but it was as solid as diamond when Hyunjin carefully pressed his hand against it. He gazed down at Felix's pale expression, which appeared twisted with pain.
"How- how long do we have to wait?" he asked hesitantly.
"As long as it takes," replied cryptically Minho, wiping away some sweat – such a powerful ritual had taken a lot out of him. "His body will need to heal in addition to changing completely – there's no way to know how long it'll take. It could be hours, it could be years, and he could still very well die in the process. All we can do is wait, now."
Hyunjin swallowed down a sob as he kneeled beside the cocoon. The guilt was eating him away but, simmering right underneath it was the need for revenge – to spill the blood of the ones who'd hurt Felix in such a way. However, another glance at Felix's pain-stricken expression was quick to tame his temper.
He couldn't leave Felix. Not like this, not when he was so vulnerable.
But maybe... maybe there's a way to ease his pain...
Hyunjin's magic didn't lay in the healing arts and, though affiliated closely with nature, he wasn't a Nymph either. No, his actual powers stemmed... from dreams. And, if he couldn't actually take Felix's pain away, then he could certainly make it seem like it.
Let us be together in the realm of dreams, my love, he thought, carefully encasing the entire cocoon in his magic. In a world where no pain nor sorrow shall plague you, and where only warmth and beauty and happiness will keep you company.
Until you wake... until you wake, that is where I shall stay, as well.
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Felix could feel the tears leaving blazing trails down his cheeks as he carefully pressed his hand against his chest. He couldn't feel any sort of wound, but there was a lingering ache that betrayed the state of his true body.
"So... so when you were gone, that night—"
"I had to momentarily wake up in order to ward off the men who came after us. Though it's been months, your brother has yet to give up on the quest to take you back, even though he's the one who almost killed you in the first place," he growled, before slightly shaking his head. "Well, no matter. They were forced to retreat, and I doubt they will return for a while – and when they do, we'll already be long gone."
There was a moment of silence as Felix slowly let reality sink in. He carefully looked around them, glancing at the large windows and the marble pillars and the gentle light and the flowers growing on the walls. It was all so magnificent, so peaceful...
"So this... this is all nothing more than a dream...?" he whispered.
"I'm afraid so – but one day, it shall be reality," assured gently, but firmly the Fae, carefully squeezing his hands. "The fact that you have regained your memories, and the way you can actually feel pain... You're waking up, Felix. It's only a matter of time, a few more weeks at most."
"Weeks here, or- or weeks there?"
Hyunjin chuckled, gently kissing his knuckles. "Clever one. But weeks here, I daresay. A few more days at most, out there."
Felix let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes. This was all... a lot, but having regained his memories definitely helped make sense of the situation. He could hardly believe he forgot in the first place, but he supposed it had been for the best. Though, he couldn't help but feel guilty – he'd spent the last few years leading a blissful life, unaware of the pain and fear Hyunjin was forced to endure every single day...
"Thank you," he choked out, pressing his forehead against Hyunjin's. "For- for saving me, and for staying with me... I love you so much, Hyunie..."
"I love you more, petal," smiled Hyunjin.
"And you- you'll be there when I wake up, right?"
"I'm not going anywhere," assured the Fae. "As far as I'm concerned, this dream we've been sharing for years is just as real as the world that awaits us once you wake – this peace and bliss we've managed to achieve here will exist for the eternity to come, and I shall stay by your side for every second of it."
Tears began falling again, but Felix was no longer sad or scared – no, those were tears of pure happiness. In the end, be it dream or reality, the love they shared was real, and that was the only thing that mattered.
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In case anyone's wondering, THIS IS NOT A TRAP xD Hyunjin din't manipulate his feelings or his memories or anything of the sort. There's no conspiracy afoot - the story depicted in the dreams and the memories are all real.
So YES! This is a genuine happy ending!
(You guys are lucky. At first I was planning on having it be super-duper sad with Felix having actually died and Hyunjin being so depressed he'd created a dream life in a dream world with a fake Felix to cope and all the angst that came with that, but I just didn't feel up to endure THAT much pain xDD)