Pairing: Hyunjin & Felix & Minho

Genre: Vampire AU

!!TW!! : blood, I mean they're Vampires so, kidnapping, non-consensual turning implied I guess?, but like nothing graphic or anything

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Felix hummed under his breath as he tended to the roses in the garden. Even since he'd concluded the maturation process, he'd been spending as much time in the sunlight as he could manage, and he absolutely adored taking care of the gardens.

Since he no longer required constant supervision, his mates had returned to sharing their workload as emperors, and Felix had taken to exploring his new home. Everyone was incredibly nice, and the hours spent in the sun made more freckles pop out, too, much to the delight of his mates – and, if he ever felt a little lonely, he could easily track down their scents and go visit them.

They always tried their best to make time for him, and for the three of them together. They had breakfast and dinner together, and they had one day per week during which they could do as they pleased, without anyone bothering them with work. They'd also taken to reading with him some evenings, since Felix had yet to learn the local language.

(He hadn't really noticed, but he'd been conversing in the Common Tongue ever since waking up and, though pretty much all Vampires were fluent because of how much time they had to learn new languages, they usually spoke Vampiric, and it was important for Felix to learn it.)

It was now a few months after Felix's Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and to say he was happy would be an understatement. He had two mates whom he loved dearly, and who positively spoiled and adored him every single day. He had so many new friends like Jeongin, Changbin, and also Jisung who kept him company and helped him adjust to his new life whenever his mates were busy. He had a wonderful kingdom full of resources and never lacking in any way.

The roses were blooming, too. The sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing, the sweet smell of sugar pie was wafting over from one of the kitchen's windows. Truly, could this day get any better?

'THUMP'

He startled a bit, looking up from the flowers to try and find the source of the noise, and his eyes eventually landed on a flower vase that had fallen in the grass. He quickly went to pick it up, glad it hadn't broken upon impact, though he was a bit confused as to how exactly it had fallen over in the first place.

Returning to the roses, he picked up his watering can... and he gasped a folded paper fell from the handle. Picking it up, he quickly unfolded it and read its contents.

Lixie!

The Moonlights are going to bloom tonight! Let's go watch them together, and maybe you can pick some for your mates! Anyway, let's meet up by the weeping willow, and we can go to the Moonlight Grove from there. And don't bring anyone, I'd like to keep you all to myself tonight~

Felix couldn't help but chuckle as he tucked the note away. It was such a Jeongin thing to do, scaring the crap out of him just to secretly hand over an invitation. He couldn't help but feel excited, too. Ever since Jeongin told him about the Moonlights, he'd been looking forward to their blooming season. He didn't expect it to be so soon, but he certainly wasn't about to complain!

Felix stood corrected – today could get better, after all.

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"Going somewhere tonight, baby?" asked curiously Hyunjin.

"Hmm! Jeongin invited me to go watch the Moonlights bloom tonight. Is that okay?"

Minho pressed a kiss to his temple. "Of course, sweetheart. We know how much you've been looking forward to this. But tell if that if he gets too handsy, he'll lose a finger."

"Minho!" protested Felix, though he was smiling. "Nothing's going to happen. You know Jeongin just likes teasing you."

The older rolled his eyes but didn't comment on it. Jeongin was a mischievous man by nature, so he knew he shouldn't take to heart all of his teasing – but it was always a little hard to hold back whenever Felix was involved. The boy was just too sweet and innocent!

Felix kissed the two of them before finally taking his leave. The pair chuckled as they watched him go with a skip in his step. He really was too cute.

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It was dark out by the time Felix made it to the weeping willow. Jeongin wasn't anywhere to be seen, but Felix knew better than that, at that point.

"Come on out! You won't be able to scare me again!" he called, amused.

After a few seconds of stillness, there was some shuffling from the branches above him. He took a few steps back, smirking victoriously because he knew he'd just foiled Jeongin's prank and, not long after, a shadow jumped from the tree. The man landed firmly on his feet, his back turned to Felix, and the freckled boy's grin widened.

"Ah! I knew... it..."

His good mood was quickly replaced by confusion and wariness as the man turned around. His face was familiar, but... it wasn't Jeongin.

"Who- who are you?"

The man frowned. "What? What are you saying, Lix? Did those monsters brainwash you or something?"

Felix shook his head, taking a step back. "I don't- I don't understand, what are you—"

"Lix! Felix, it's me! Chris!" The man quickly walked up to him, and Felix froze, the familiar name ringing painfully in his ears. "I'm your brother, Lix! Remember?"

The man, Chris, grabbed Felix's shoulders, shaking him a bit, and Felix could only gawk at him, at a complete loss as to what to do. He was certain this man wasn't lying, if only because of the strange sense of déjà-vu clouding his senses, but still...

"I think- I think you should leave," he breathed out. "You- you shouldn't be here."

Chris was Human. Vampires weren't bloodhounds, they couldn't smell blood unless it was out in the open, but he could still differentiate the scents of a Human and a Vampire. Plus, the man's dark brown irises were also a dead giveaway, greatly contrasting with his own, blood red ones.

The tears filling the man's eyes matched those spilling from his cheeks, though, and the thought startled Felix a bit.

When did I start crying...?

"Felix, please. What- what happened to you? What did they do?"

"... they turned me. I- I found my mates—or more like they found me. Saved me, really. But- but I was too weak to go through the transformation and- and I lost my memories of my Human life in the process..." He hoped that, by explaining the situation, Chris would get the hint and take his leave. "I can't- I can't leave. I know- I know you're not lying but this- this is my life, now. I'm- I'm happy here—"

"You can't be," retorted Chris, shaking his head. "These bloodthirsty monsters hurt you, Lix. They ripped our family apart, destroyed our home, spilled our blood, killed our friends! They took everything from us so how- how can you say you're happy here!?"

Felix grabbed Chris's hands and tried to pry them off as gently as he could without using his enhanced strength – he didn't want to harm the man before him.

"I'm not leaving," he repeated softly. "I- I'm sorry, but I'm not... I'm not the person you used to know. I'm not your brother anymore. You should go, now."

Chris's expression twisted into something pained, but there was a strange glimmer of resignation in his eyes. Before Felix could linger on it, the man pulled him into a tight hug. Startled, Felix then hesitantly hugged him back – he figured he owed the man a proper goodbye, at the very least, in memory of who his brother used to be.

Just as he was about to pull away, however, a sharp pain pierced his neck. He gasped, his eyes going wide as his entire body stiffened and, in a matter of seconds, he completely lost control of his limbs. His legs gave out underneath him, lead filling his head and cotton filling his mouth.

The tears were still falling as his eyes met Chris's again.

"I'm sorry, Felix," he whispered, gently wiping the boy's tears away. "I'm sorry I failed you, but it's going to be okay, now. They won't hurt you again."

Felix tried to protest, to assure him that they weren't hurting him, but the words simply wouldn't come out and, with one last shaky exhale, he completely passed out.

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"... hey, Min?"

"Hmm?"

"Isn't the Moonlight season three months from now?"

Silence.

Minho slowly lowered his book, frowning. "Now that you mention it... It's a bit hard to keep track of time, but I think you're right. But wouldn't Jeongin know that? Do you think he just pranked Felix?"

Hyunjin shook his head. "Jeongin's mischievous, but he's not mean. He knows how much Felix was looking forward to the Moonlights, he wouldn't give him false hope like that."

"Hmm." Now a tad troubled, Minho rose to his feet. "I'm going to look for them. Are you coming?"

"As if you needed to ask."

Barely a few minutes later, the emperors found their way into one of the numerous game rooms of their home, where many Vampires liked to mingle and be social. Inside, most of the couches were occupied, but one in the further back instantly caught their attention.

A couch where Changbin, Jisung, and Jeongin were sitting.

"Jeongin!" Hyunjin was the first to reach them. "Where's Felix?"

The young man blinked a few times, seemingly confused. "Felix? Why would I know where he is? I haven't seen him since this morning at breakfast."

Minho scowled a bit at that. "You should know because you invited him to watch the Moonlights bloom with you tonight. So, where is he?"

But Jeongin's expression only grew even more confused. "I have no clue of what you're talking about. Isn't Moonlight season three months or so away?"

Minho threw his hands in the air. "Then why did you invite him!?"

"I didn't! Why do you keep saying that?"

"Jeongin's telling the truth," chimed in Jisung. "He's been helping me and Changbin out with some new tactical drills the entire day, and none of us saw Felix today."

"But... if Felix isn't outside with you... then who is he with?" asked slowly Changbin.

The silence that followed was heavy with implications. Worry finally winning over, Hyunjin took off at full speed, with Minho right behind him. Exchanging a glance, Changbin, Jisung, and Jeongin also quickly followed after.

Whatever trouble Felix had gotten himself into, they were going to help him.

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"—and you just risked months of spying just for- for this!"

"They asked for one of the emperors, and I'm bringing them one!"

"No, what you did was nothing more than a selfish rescue mission!"

Felix blearily opened his eyes. He was parched, and he felt incredibly weak. Groaning, he belatedly realized that his hands were tied behind his back and, when he attempted to break free, all it did was make the ropes dig harder into his skin.

What's wrong with me...?

He was supposed to have enhanced strength, so why could he hardly move a muscle? His throat hurt, he could feel his fangs poking at his lower lip – whatever he'd been administered, it basically returned him to the sorry state he'd been in the first time he'd woken up after being turned.

A soft whine escaped him, and the arguing voices in the background instantly stopped. He managed to open his eyes again as someone came to crouch before him – Chris.

"Hey, Lix," he greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

Felix tried to answer, to curse him out for taking him against his will, but all that came out was a pained hiss. Chris sighed sadly, gently patting his head a few times before pulling out some sort of tool kit. At the same time, another man came into view – or boy, rather.

He was Human too, and he looked pretty angry.

"He's one of them, now," the boy gritted out, and Felix only then noticed the underlying pain in his tone. "Why did you have to bring him back?"

"You'd rather he'd be dead like the others told us, then?" retorted snappily Chris.

"I'd rather he be dead than a bloodsucker! This isn't your brother anymore! This isn't my best friend anymore! This is nothing more than a filthy Vampire, and you're a goddamn fool if you believe for one second that the blood you share will be strong enough to stop him from killing you the moment he regains his strength!!!"

"Enough, Seungmin!" snapped the older. "He might not remember, but you've been watching him for as long as I have – he's still the same, Vampire or not."

"No, he's not. You just can't accept that he's gone, and it's driving you mad."

Felix didn't understand much of what was being said, having a bit of a hard time focusing when the sheer pain clawing at his throat was demanding all of his attention. Before he could try and find the strength to speak up, however, Chris held up... a needle.

Felix distantly remembered the pinprick of pain in his neck from earlier, and easily guessed that whatever that translucid liquid in the bottle was, it was what rendered him so weak in the first place. He hissed again when Chris started coming closer, trying to move out of reach but failing miserably. He bared his fangs as threateningly as he could when Chris pinned him down with one arm, but his anger quickly melted away into fear as he saw him bring the needle closer and closer to his neck.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain... but it never came.

'WHOOSH'

"Chris—!"

"Shit—!"

Chris's weight was suddenly gone and, next thing Felix knew, gentle hands were cradling his face. His eyes snapped open, and the relief that washed over him upon meeting familiar ruby-red irises was so intense, the tears he'd been trying to hold back instantly started spilling out.

"Shh, angel, it's okay, you're okay now," murmured Hyunjin, pulling him up and cradling him against his chest. "We've got you now, you're safe, it's okay."

He tried to reply, but only a feeble, throaty whine escaped him. Shushing him again, Hyunjin made quick work of ripping apart the ropes tying his arms before offering him his wrist, and Felix instantly latched onto it, drinking as much as he could to stave off the burning thirst. 

Hyunjin hummed softly under his breath, gently rubbing his back and petting his head while letting him drink his fill and, when Felix eventually pulled away, he felt satiated and tremendously exhausted. He slumped in Hyunjin's arms, feeling full and safe again, and wanting nothing more than to doze off and get some rest.

"Baby? Can you look at me, please?" He forced his eyes open, and found Minho now crouching before him. The older offered him a small smile. "Hi, sweetheart. Someone felt up for some adventure tonight, hm?" Felix let out a watery chuckle, and Minho kissed his forehead. "It's alright, we've got you now. Just get some rest."

The freckled boy didn't have to be told twice, and he drifted off the moment he closed his eyes again. Once certain he was completely out of it, Minho heaved out a sigh, gently petting his head.

"Is he alright?" asked Jisung, coming to stand beside them.

"They gave him Vampire venom. His pupils were completely blown, he's going to feel that one for a while. It was a small dose, so there shouldn't be any lasting damage, but he won't be able to go out in the sun for a while," answered Minho, clicking his tongue. "Hyunjin, love, can you take him back home? We'll follow shortly."

"Of course. Don't be too late, our angel will want to wake up with the both of us."

Nodding in understanding, Minho offered him a kiss before Hyunjin quickly disappeared using his enhanced speed, taking Felix with him. As soon as they were gone, the emperor reported his attention to the two Humans who'd dared lay their hands on his precious mate, and who were now being held down by Changbin and Jeongin.

"Who are you and why did you take him?" he asked sternly. "And I suggest you answer my questions quickly – I don't have any patience left."

"Or what?" scoffed the younger one, held down by Jeongin. "You'll kill us? As if you weren't already going to do that, with or without answers."

Minho narrowed his eyes, unamused. "True, you're going to die – whether or not it's going to hurt entirely depends on how much more of my time you intend to waste."

"You—"

"He's my brother." Minho snapped his eyes to the other Human, who looked... resigned. Defeated. "Felix is—he's my little brother. He- he disappeared months ago, we thought he'd die in one of the raids while he was visiting our aunt in the next town over but- but when I found he was still alive, I couldn't... I couldn't leave him. Not- not again."

Minho stared at him for a bit, mulling over this new information. He couldn't sense any dishonesty from the man, nor could he read any deceit in his eyes. Plus, his scent was similar to Felix's, so his claim hold some ground. He could tell he hadn't meant to actually hurt Felix, either, else he'd have administered him a much more dangerous amount of venom...

"What is Felix to you?"

"... he's all I have left. I was ready to kill myself when I learned of his alleged death, I simply—I just couldn't go through with it until I knew for certain. Until I at least... retrieved enough to bury."

Minho hummed. "And what would you be willing to do to be able to see him again? To be able to be by his side once more?"

"Don't you fucking dare, Chris—!"

"Anything." Ignoring his friend's protests, the Human met Minho's gaze, an unwavering strength to be found in his. "I don't care about the war anymore. Vampires or Humans... None of it matters anymore. If you're willing to offer me another chance to look after him, then I'll take whatever you're ready to give me."

Minho nodded firmly, convinced. "Very well. In that case, let's test that determination of yours. If you manage to survive being turned into a Vampire, and make it 'till the end of the maturation process, then you will be allowed to see Felix again, should he wish to. But if you can't, or if he has no desire of rekindling the bond he's forgotten, then your future lays with the crows. Do we have a deal?"

"Chris—!"

"Shut up, you're so noisy," grunted Jeongin, slapping a hand over the boy's mouth.

"Yes," agreed the Human, Chris, without any hesitation.

"Changbin, Jisung." The pair instantly straightened up. "I'll be counting on you. Bring him back and turn him."

The two saluted, then pulled Chris to his feet. There was a moment of stillness before Changbin turned around and offered him his back and, albeit a tad awkwardly, Chris climbed onto it. The moment he was settled properly, Changbin took off, Jisung following closely behind.

Tears were now running down the other boy's face. He obviously hadn't expected to lose his companion in such a way.

"And now what to do with you, hm...?" Minho tapped his chin. "You hold nothing but disdain for our kind. If we were to turn you, you'd be nothing but trouble, I'm sure. Though, something tells me you'd rather be killed than become one of us, hm?"

The boy glared, and Minho couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. It was such a shame that such a strong spirit had to be sniffed out so young. He'd have surely made a wonderful addition to their society had he not been so stubborn.

"Jeongin, kill him," finally instructed Minho. "Make it quick. You can feed after."

Minho wasn't unnecessarily cruel. He easily understood the boy had been dragged along with Chris's antics, and that he hadn't had a direct involvement with Felix's kidnapping – as such, he was willing to show some mercy and offer him a quick death.

However, the moment Jeongin's nails pierced the skin of his neck, the younger froze.

"This- this scent...!"

Oh, of course, thought dryly Minho, refraining the urge to facepalm.

Jeongin slowly pulled his hands away from the boy, staring at the Human with almost palpable awe. The other simply stared right back, an almost amusing mix of fear and confusion etching on his face. Minho clicked his tongue again, earning their attention.

"Well, what a twist," he drawled. "Jeongin, are you certain?"

"Positive," assured the younger without missing a beat. "It's him."

"Of course it is. But I'm warning you – if he causes any trouble, you'll be held responsible."

"Of course! Thank you!"

"What- what are you talking about?" whispered the Human. "What are you saying?"

"Change of plan, little spitfire," replied Minho, offering him a slightly crooked grin. "It looks like you'll be coming back with us after all. Jeongin, I'll be going ahead – feel free to do as you wish."

"Got it!"

"W- wait, what are you—what do you mean!? What—hey! Let- let go!"

Jeongin simply laughed, delighted as he pulled the boy back on his feet, and Minho rolled his eyes before quickly taking his leave, the Human's loud shouts and struggles soon dying down in the distance. He didn't doubt the younger Vampire would have a bit of a hard time with this one, but a mate was a mate – they'd simply have to figure it out.

And now, he had his own mate to take care of.

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Six months later

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"Bye bye! See you tomorrow Chris!"

"See you tomorrow, Lix!"

Felix excitedly waved goodbye as Chris walked away after escorting him to his quarters. Chris's turning had been a rather quick process, and he reached maturation in no time – and the moment he was able to walk around on his own again, he'd instantly taken up the function of Felix's personal guard.

Felix still hadn't regained his memories from his past life, and he doubted he ever would, at that point. However, Chris took great pleasure in sharing with him all of his own memories, so it was basically the same, in his book. He also got along wonderfully with his brother, and he was more than happy to have him back in his life again.

(And, as luck would have it, Chris was also Jisung and Changbin's mate, so things were really turning out for the better for everyone.)

Seungmin was still... having a bit of a hard time. He was being difficult, didn't drink blood until he could no longer control himself, and he'd tried to kill himself more than once, too. Jeongin was incredibly patient, though, and kept a vigilant eye on him. Seungmin had now... resigned himself. He wasn't happy just yet, but Felix could see that his relationship with Jeongin was slowly improving, much to his friend's delight.

He didn't doubt that, with some more time, Seungmin would eventually come to terms with his new life and come to love Jeongin as much as Jeongin loved him – as mates should. And, well, time wasn't exactly an issue considering their immortality, so Felix wasn't worried in the least.

"Oh? What're you smiling about, angel?"

Felix blinked a few times, glancing toward the balcony where Hyunjin and Minho were leaning against the ledge and watching the sun go down. He hadn't even realized he'd joined them outside, too caught up in his own thoughts.

"Nothing much. I'm just really, really happy," replied the boy, grinning at them.

They smiled back, opening their arms, and he happily went to stand between the two of them. As their warmth and love engulfed him, he let his gaze wander over the beautiful sunset before them, and his smile only widened at the sight.

Just when he thought his life couldn't get any better, it did. He simply hoped the happiness he'd managed to find would last for all centuries to come.