Pairing: Hyunjin & Felix & Minho

Genre: Vampire AU

!!TW!! : minor character deaths, fighting arena, blood, violence, one lion dies, implied slavery (?), Humans are considered cattle by Vampires so there's that, drinking blood

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Felix flinched as the sunlight mercilessly burned into his eyes. Momentarily blinded, he stumbled forward as harsh hands shoved him passed the gate, the sand burning the uncovered soles of his feet and making it even harder to keep his balance.

All around him, thunderous cheers and jeers echoed. He couldn't even understand any of them, with only his most basic knowledge of the local language, but he could tell nothing they yelled at him was very nice, so he figured it was a good thing he couldn't understand them.

As his sight eventually readjusted to his surroundings, the distinct scent of freshly spilled blood and flesh left to rot under the sun wafted over to him and made him gag. He stumbled again, this time his bare foot hitting a rock and making him fall face-first into the blood-soaked sand.

The laughter and shouts only grew louder, and he fought the urge to cry, spluttering out sand and hacking a bit, glancing at the rock he had hit—

No, not a rock. Someone's head.

He retched, instantly averting his eyes, but the grim sight would forever be branded into his mind. Feeling a little sick, he forced himself to get back up, and started examining his surroundings more closely. It was the first time he stepped foot in an arena. Probably the last, too – he wasn't a pessimistic person by nature, but he wasn't a warrior, either, meaning he would most likely die before the next hour was up.

It was gigantic. The colosseum could host thousands of people, and the yelling of the crowd surrounding him was almost deafening. He spotted a few swords here and there, and there were a few bodies strewn about—

Oh shit.

A lion. An enormous, feral, most likely hungry lion, let loose in the arena and currently feeding on one of the unfortunate souls that had been thrown into the arena before Felix's turn came.

Panic rising in his chest, he started frantically looking around for a potential exit, but the gate he had been shoved through was already close. There wasn't any place to hide, either, meaning it wouldn't be long before the animal noticed him and moved on to a more... lively meal.

His breath quickening, his gaze swept over to the nearby area in search of a mean to defend himself, but they were all swords – rusted and, most importantly, too heavy for him to lift, let alone wield.

Until he spotted it – a spear, planted in the ground, smack at the complete opposite of his current location. He could wield a spear but, to get to it, he would have to bypass the lion.

He might not be a warrior, but he had still been trained in the arts of combat, and he had no intention of dying for the sake of their sickening entertainment.

Gritting his teeth, he braced himself.

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"Why are we here again?"

"Public appearances are a must if we want to maintain power. You know us showing up to these events boosts morale and shows our strength. Why bother asking when you already know the answer?"

"Because I like the sound of your voice. You're so sexy when you're serious."

Minho scoffed at his lover's words, rolling his eyes a bit, but there was a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Hyunjin chuckled, opening his arms wide in invitation, and Minho didn't need to be told twice, promptly draping himself over the scantily dressed body of his precious mate. They exchanged a kiss, then two. Before it could devolve into a more heated exchange, however, the constant cheers of the crowd grew louder – a new combatant had been thrown into the ring. Admittedly a tad curious, Minho sat up to look down into the arena... and froze.

"What's wrong, love?" murmured Hyunjin, sitting up to kiss his neck.

"Look."

Hyunjin looked, and his sharp intake of breath made Minho grin a bit – so he wasn't the only one affected, then.

"What a little thing," murmured Hyunjin, his sharp red eyes never leaving once the boy that had just been thrown into the arena. "Didn't we tell Changbin not to throw kids in there?"

"I doubt he would have disobeyed – the boy is probably just very small by nature," mused Minho. "How... adorable."

So far, all of the people thrown into the arena to feed their precious beasts had been Humans taken from the villages and towns their army had ravaged, and who had proven unfit to live on as cattle – meaning elderly, sick people, and also those too stubborn to give up the fight. 

As pretty and young as the new combatant was, he'd probably failed the test – his blood was too weak in iron, maybe, or he was sick – and they didn't need to waste resources on cattle that couldn't serve them for at least five full decades.

Still, Minho and Hyunjin found themselves unable to look away as the boy, seemingly determined to survive, had suddenly started running. The sudden movement had earned the attention of the wild lion on the other side of the arena, and it had instantly started giving chase.

It took a second for Minho to understand the boy was actually aiming for a spear. He reached it, pulling it out of the ground and spinning it around just in time to block the incoming assault. With a loud shout, the boy rammed the end of the spear into the lion's side, effectively injuring the animal. 

However, the pain only made it angrier and, uncaring of the spear now sticking out of its side, the lion surged forward once more and clawed at the boy's chest. The Human cried out in pain, stumbling back as red burst out of the three long, deep lacerations the animal had dealt him.

Hyunjin stiffened, his pupils dilating as his nose twitched.

"Minho—"

"I know."

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Felix knew it had been a lost cause from the start, but he didn't think dying was going to hurt this much. He loathed the thought of becoming one more body amidst those already littering the ground of the arena, his blood now joining that of his fallen brethren.

It was hard to breathe. He could hear the lion growling threateningly from a little further away, obviously readying itself for the lethal blow, and Felix simply wished he didn't have to feel so scared before dying.

Damn it...!

His head lolled to the side as he grew dizzy from the loss of blood. He saw the lion further away – the moment their eyes met, the beast started running. Felix braced himself for the impact, not even having the strength to look away—

A thunderous 'CRACK' echoed.

It took Felix a few seconds to notice that the chants of the crowd had completely died down, and it took him even longer to notice the tall figure now standing a few meters away, between him and the lion – or at least, what was left of it. For some reason, its head was now separated from its body.

Someone... saved me...?

Startlingly gentle hands cradled his face, tilting his head so he'd look up again. The previously blinding sun was now blocked out by the shadow of a man more beautiful than anyone or anything Felix had ever seen before – though he couldn't see definite features through his blurred sight, he could distinctly make out the deep red, beautiful irises peering down at him.

It took him a moment to register the words the man – no, the Vampire, was speaking.

"Do you wish to live, little one?"

It took Felix a moment to understand what he was saying. Did he wish to live? Well, he didn't want to die, that much was certain. But what other option was there, other than life or death? He tried to ask, but he only found himself coughing out some blood.

"You need to be certain, little one," murmured the man, his thumb gently stroking the apple of his tear-stained cheek. "If your will to live isn't strong enough, you won't make it."

Felix didn't fully understand what he was saying. Even though he was speaking the common tongue, his brain was becoming filled with heavy cotton, making it harder and harder to think, and he belatedly realized that his tunneling vision could only mean one thing.

Felix didn't want to die – but at least, he wasn't going to die alone. In one last attempt to communicate his gratefulness, he lifted a shaky hand and closed it around the man's, offering a wobbly, tired smile.

Thank you, he thought. For not leaving me to die alone.

As darkness claimed him, he felt one last burst of pain in the inside of his wrist, and another in the crook of his neck – but he was dead, now, so it's not like pain mattered anymore.

.

So Felix was not, in fact, dead.

That was... unexpected.

He woke up in a bed so soft he felt like he was sinking in it, surrounded by pillows made of finest materials, and blankets so wonderfully warm he almost found himself falling back asleep as he instinctively snuggled into them.

However, a strong smell chased the remnants of tiredness clinging to him. The sweet, alluring scent made him slowly sit up, and it's only then that he noticed his current state of undress – he wasn't wearing anything at all. Looking down at himself, however, he instantly noticed the four long, jagged scars crossing his torso in a diametrical pattern.

Was I attacked by a beast...?

For some reason, Felix couldn't remember.

In fact... Felix couldn't remember anything.

He could remember his name. He could remember an agonizing pain, too. And he remembered a pair of beautiful, red irises peering into his very soul. Other than that, however, his mind was completely fogged up, not exactly wiped clean of his memories, but simply forbidding his access to them. Before he could ponder over it any longer, however, the sweet smell wafted over to him again, from the closed door on the other side of the room.

It's only then that he realized just how parched he was, his throat dry and his limbs aching with a weakness that wasn't there before.

Wrapping the blanket around himself, he stumbled out of the bed. His legs shook like that of a newborn deer as he started slowly making his way toward the door, using the wall to keep his balance. The closer he got to the door, the stronger got the scent, and it soon became all he could focus on. 

Entranced, he didn't even hesitate before using what little strength he had to push against the door. It swung open without any resistance, and he stumbled into the next room. His vision blurred for a moment and, lightheaded, he collapsed on the floor, panting heavily.

"Oh!"

There was someone else in the room. Weakly lifting his head, he gasped when his eyes met deep red irises – the ones he could remember. The man quickly got up from the kline he'd been lazing on and rushed to his side.

"Minho!" he called, crouching beside him. "He's awake!"

He lifted Felix with tender care, bundling him up in the blanket and carrying him over to the fancy couch he'd been occupying not a second earlier. Instead of laying him down, however, the man sat down and propped him sideways on his lap, cradling him almost like one would a baby.

 A second later, another man appeared before them, just as beautiful as the one holding Felix, and with similar, red eyes that shimmered beautifully under the streams of sunlight filtering through the window.

"Hello, little one," he greeted, gently cradling Felix's face. "You're an eager little thing, aren't you?"

Felix wanted to reply, to demand answers, to ask for help, anything, but his throat hurt too much and all he could do was open his mouth with begging eyes, hoping they'd understand what he was asking for.

From the chuckle that escaped the man before him, he did.

"Oh, poor baby. You must be thirsty, hm?"

"I'll do it," murmured the one holding him, shifting a bit so he could hold out his left arm, since his right one was currently holding Felix. "A little help, love?"

"Of course."

Under Felix's confused and slightly feverish stare, the man before him gently grabbed the other's arm and pressed his mouth against the inside of his wrist – and then, barely a second later, a scent even sweeter and stronger than whatever he'd smelled before engulfed Felix.

His mind was so clouded by the instinctive need to feed, he didn't even notice as the man pulled his mouth away, only to lean in closer and press his lips to Felix's, a few of his fingers gently forcing the boy's mouth open – and a moment later, something delicious and deeply fulfilling filled Felix's mouth. 

He let out a happy moan as the pain in his throat finally dulled away, only to whine a few seconds later when he tried to swallow more and found his mouth empty, with the man now pulling away.

"Don't worry, little one, we're not done," he quickly assured.

It's only then that Felix noticed the red clinging to the man's lips and staining the other's wrist. Did he just drink blood...? Before he could question it any further, however, the man before him was already leaning in again to share another mouthful and, too eager to get rid of his pain and thirst, Felix eagerly opened his mouth in answer.

After a few minutes of the same ritual, Felix's thirst was finally quenched, and he slumped against the man holding him with a content sigh. His throat wasn't burning anymore, and the ache and weakness weighing his limbs down were gone, for the most part.

The man that had been kissing and feeding him gently lapped the other's wrist, and Felix was amazed to see the little wounds close up quickly. Once done, the man offered him a smile, showing off a row of perfectly white, pointy teeth – his canines looked even sharper and longer than the rest, though.

"Feeling better, little one?"

"Y- yes." Felix could finally speak again. "Thank you."

The one holding him cooed softly, rearranging his arms again so Felix would rest against his chest, instead, and hooking his chin on the boy's shoulder, his nose slightly brushing his neck and sending a shiver down Felix's spine.

"I'm Minho," the man before him introduced himself with a smile. "And the cuddly one is Hyunjin. What's your name, angel?"

"Felix." The boy bit his lower lip, unconsciously staring at Minho's own. "What- what was that about?"

"What?"

"You just made me drink... Hyunjin's blood. And it tasted... good? Why?"

Minho quirked a brow. "Because we're Vampires, love – and so are you, now."

"What's a Vampire?"

Startled, the two older men then exchanged a slightly worried glance that didn't go unnoticed by Felix, who only felt his anxiousness spike.

What's wrong with me?

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Hyunjin and Minho explained the situation as clearly as possible. Apparently, Felix used to be Human but, as they'd found out a few days ago, he was also their mate, hence why they decided to save his life and turn him into a Vampire. However, the reason why Felix had been thrown into that arena was because he was someone who got sick easily, and was physically very weak – as such, while he did survive the turning process, his mind ended up wiped clean as an unfortunate side-effect.

Now that he'd made it through the turning, however, he would have to go through the maturation process – the reason why Minho had fed him the way he did, actually, because Felix's teeth weren't sharp enough to pierce skin or draw blood, and they wouldn't be for a few more weeks.

The sweet smell that had drawn him out of his room in the first place had been Human blood, which Hyunjin had been sipping on – however, as alluring as it smelled, Human blood was poisonous to newborns, meaning Felix would have to feed from his sires until he finished maturing.

A Vampire couldn't drink from another Vampire once they were done maturing, unless they were mates – Vampire mates could not only drink each other's blood, but they also grew stronger from it, and they also drew great pleasure from the act, since the venom basically turned into an aphrodisiac for them.

(A Vampire drinking from another Vampire would only be painful for all involved – the drinker's teeth could become irremediably damaged and the blood they ingested would greatly sicken them, while the one being drunk from would suffer through an agonizing pain induced by the venom and could very well die from the shock if they were administered too great a dose.)

Felix had quite a tiring few months ahead of him. His senses would grow sharper each day, and he'd have to feed every two hours or so to keep up his energy and make the maturation process go faster. His teeth would become sharper, and his fangs would eventually grow out, too. There was no way to know if Felix's memories would ever return, however. Minho and Hyunjin didn't want to make him fake promises and had admitted that his amnesia might very well be a permanent thing.

However... Felix couldn't lie and say he entirely disliked it.

Ignorance was bliss, or so the saying went – he figured he was better off starting his new life without his old one weighing him down.