Pairing: SKZ & Felix

Genre: Supernatural AU

!!TW!! : mentioned kidnapping, mentioned captivity, referenced torture, referenced amputation, mentioned betrayal, mentioned abandonment, healing rehabilitation

(requested by @greenreens)

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As Felix quickly came to realize, the mansion the legion lived in looked so normal because they were actually still in the human realm, and not Hell, as Felix had first assumed. As it turned out, their group was tasked with rescue or wipeout missions quite often, and they'd eventually figured that setting up shop in the human realm would be more efficient than constantly exhausting themselves with traveling through portals.

(Felix had been living with them for six weeks, now.

It only took him one to realize that Demons were nothing like he'd been taught.)

Chan was the oldest, and most assuredly one of the kindest beings he'd ever had the chance to meet. He'd instantly taken upon himself to make Felix feel at home, welcoming him into their group with open arm and assuring him that he could stay forever, if that's what he wanted.

(Chan had a habit of picking up strays, or so Jisung said once. It took a while for Felix to understand what he meant but, once he did, he could only feel thankful for that habit, thanks to which he had a place to call home, at last.)

Minho was the second oldest, and he was the one who took care of Felix's wings while he couldn't. The Angel had been surprised by how good a job the Demon did with grooming his wings and keeping them in good shape, before learning that Minho was usually the one who helped Hyunjin with his own wings, so he obviously knew what he was doing.

(He'd happily volunteered to help with grooming them once they were attached to Felix again, and the Angel hadn't had the heart to turn down his offer. Apparently, grooming wings was a great stress-reliever for the Demon, and it was pretty nice to have someone take care of him in such a way.)

Changbin was the one who'd scared Felix the most, at first. He was the one who fit the stereotypical Demon look best out of the bunch, and he had a pretty intimidating aura. It only took a few conversations with him to realize that he was actually the most soft-hearted, though, and he quickly became one of Felix's closest confidents.

(Contrarily to the others, he usually handed over his claimed souls to other Demons because he couldn't stomach torturing them. His softness had been grounds for a lot of ostracization and bullying from his demonic peers. Thankfully, his legion accepted him as he was, and so did Felix.)

Jisung was an easygoing guy with a big mouth. He talked a lot, joked often, and always had a witty retort whenever he started playfully bickering with the others. When Felix felt down, Jisung was the one who could always lift his spirits. Be it with an encouraging pep talk or a ridiculous anecdote to distract him, Jisung always knew what to say to make him feel better.

(He was only a day older than Felix, as they eventually found out. The coincidence had pleased them both, and he'd taken to calling the Angel "baby" at any given opportunity, if only to annoy him. Felix couldn't help but enjoy the teasing, though – it was so different from the bullying he'd had to endure in the past, after all.)

It took a little longer to get close to Seungmin because, much like Felix, he had prejudices of his own. While he sympathized with what had happened to Felix, he wasn't a big fan of Angels, and his cold demeanor had admittedly put a dent in Felix's efforts to get close to everyone. Eventually, though, they talked it out and overcame that barrier.

(They also found out that they both enjoyed reading human books, and that hobby instantly brought them closer. Seungmin had taken to bringing him a new book as soon as Felix was finished with the last one, which definitely helped him with not getting bored whenever he was forced to stay in bed for his recovery.)

Jeongin was the youngest Demon in the group, and the most curious. He always asked questions about Heaven, Angels, and whatever else Felix was willing to share. The others had been a little worried his incessant questioning would make the Angel depressed, but talking it out actually helped Felix realize just how messed up his life had been before – an eye-opening experience, for which he was actually quite thankful for, since it made letting go of his past much easier.

(In exchange, Jeongin was more than happy to answer any and all questions Felix might have about Hell, Demons, and their legion. It definitely helped Felix in understanding his new companions better, and it made his transition into their little group much smoother.)

And finally... finally, there was Hyunjin.

Hyunjin was both the easiest to understand, and the most complicated. Since he used to be an Angel, he knew exactly what Felix was going through, and he was always there to help him through the various stages of grief. At the same time, though, there was always a hint of bitterness to his voice whenever they spoke of their respective past, like he didn't fully understand why Felix still had a hard time letting go, some days.

Felix could understand why, to an extent. As Hyunjin had explained, too many Angels had grown envious of him and, in order to get rid of him, they'd framed him for a sin he didn't commit and casted him out of Heaven at once. The incident caused him to lose his faith, thus turning him into a Fallen. He had roamed the mortal realm for decades, homeless and alone, before eventually running into Chan and his legion, and sticking with them since.

Felix was scared, because the roots of his blond hair had already started turning dark – a clear sign that he was losing his faith, too. He was turning into a Fallen, and the thought of his beautiful halo breaking scared him. It would hurt, but Hyunjin had promised to stay by his side and help him through it when it happened, and Felix knew he could count on him.

All in all, for the first time in his eternal life, Felix had found people he could call his friends, and the thought always warmed his heart. He never thought he'd one day find the emotional connection he sought with Demons and a Fallen, of all people, but he supposed it was only fitting, in a way – to find a home with fellow outcasts.

(It was a little ironic, though – how he'd come from praying for other Angels to come save him to fearing that they would come and rip him away from the happiness he'd found.

Not that they'd bother, of course, but Felix couldn't help but feel scared. In fact, he felt scared all of the time – it'd take a while before he managed to get over the trauma gained from his treatment at the hands of the witching coven.)

"Alright, Felix. You ready?"

"Do it."

Six weeks – meaning it was finally time to put his wings back.

Hyunjin was there, of course. So were Minho and Chan. The others had been asked to wait outside, so as not to crowd the Angel, who was now lying on his stomach, his back bare and the now healed stumps uncovered. His wings were laid on each side, ready to be reattached.

"Alright, we're going to do both at the same time," warned Hyunjin while Chan and Minho picked up a wing each. "It's going to hurt, but it won't take more than a few seconds, alright?"

Felix simply nodded, already biting down on the pillow. He knew it was going to hurt like a bitch, they were reconnecting nerves after all, but he was ready – anything to get his wings back. He instinctively sought Hyunjin's hand, holding onto it tightly as he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain.

A few seconds later, he felt the two familiar weights upon his back – the folded wings. And, with Minho's and Chan's guidance, the stumps of the wings were carefully placed back on the stumps on his back and, barely a few seconds later, Felix's halo started glowing brighter than usual as his celestial magic was triggered. 

His cry was muffled as he bit into the pillow harder, his grip on Hyunjin's hand so tight he was probably cutting off the blood flow, but it hurt. And then, with one last burst of grace, the pain stopped as suddenly as it started, though Felix didn't notice right away, his ears ringing and his sight swimming between darkness and light.

"—lix? Felix, it's okay baby, you're okay now. It's over, you're okay, you did great."

Hyunjin's ceaseless reassurances and praises eventually chased the fog away and, when he finally reconnected with reality, he found the Fallen gently running his fingers through Felix's hair, while Minho checked his wings and Chan wiped away the sweat that had broken out all over Felix's body.

"It- it's over...?" he garbled out, his throat hurting from the screams he hadn't been able to fully let out.

"It's over," repeated Hyunjin, offering him a tender smile.

"Everything looks in order," announced Minho, obviously relieved. "They've mended back properly, everything is back as it should be – you'll be able to fly again before you know it, sweetheart."

"Thank- thank you," he choked out, feeling a little overwhelmed with emotion and exhaustion. "Thank you so much...!"

"Of course, Lix," replied Chan, lightly patting his head. "Now get some rest. We can get started on your rehabilitation process tomorrow, alright?"

Felix hummed in answer, already slipping into the realm of dreams. Reattaching his wings had taken a lot out of him but, hopefully, the rehabilitation process wouldn't be as hard.

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Felix was on bedrest for days. They needed to ensure his wings were properly reattached and the bones wouldn't break again at the slightest jostle, so he had to stay in bed and wait for everything to settle properly. In that time, all of the boys visited him often. He was never alone, even during the night. They insisted on keeping a close eye on him, worried something might go wrong after all, and Felix was thankful to find they cared so much.

He talked with Chan, Changbin, and Hyunjin, let Minho groom his wings as promised, read books with Seungmin, and played games with Jisung and Jeongin. As hard they tried to ward off his boredom, though, Felix truly couldn't wait to get out of bed and, the moment he was given the green light to do so, he happily complied... only to collapse on the ground because he was no longer used to carrying the weight of his wings – meaning he had to learn how to walk all over again, like he did a little over six weeks back, now.

Felix was determined to finally get over this, though. So, he forced himself to walk around without his crutches, pushing himself until he no longer could, and doing everything he could to make the healing process go faster.

For a while, he couldn't move his wings at all. While he could feel his connection to them, he couldn't move them, and he had been scared they were paralyzed for good. Thankfully, with Hyunjin's careful guiding, Felix eventually managed to slowly, but surely regain control over them.

At first, he could hardly unfold them, let alone make them move. After about two weeks of constant training, however, he started making considerable progress. He could once more walk around without issue, and he didn't grow as tired as quickly anymore. He could unfold his wings as he pleased, and he'd started flapping them a few times every hour or so. It became a little easier every day and, eventually, it was time to make some actual attempts.

"I'll be with you," assured Hyunjin for the nth time as they stood outside. "If you cramp up or grow too exhausted, I'll catch you. Don't worry about anything, alright? But don't push yourself too hard, either."

"I know," replied Felix, offering him a smile. "I trust you, Hyunjin."

Hyunjin grinned back at that, obviously pleased, and extended his hand to him. Without hesitation, Felix grabbed it and, taking a deep breathe, he unfolded his wings... and he propelled himself upward. 

The shock of his feet suddenly leaving the ground took him by surprise, and he instantly stopped flapping his wings. Thankfully, Hyunjin had easily followed and easily kept him in the air, hovering a few meters above ground. A tad embarrassed, Felix quickly started flapping his wings again, eventually flying back to the Fallen's level, though said Fallen never let go of Felix's hand.

"You good?"

"Y- yeah, sorry about that. Took me by surprise, is all."

"It's okay. Like I said, don't push yourself. Let's make a lap around the mansion, and then we can try again tomorrow, alright?"

Felix nodded in agreement. As much as he wanted to stay in the air for as long as he could now that he was able to fly again, he was already growing sore and tired, and it hadn't even been a minute yet. They only made it halfway through the lap before Felix's left wing cramped up, and he instantly started falling. Before he could even call out for help, though, Hyunjin was already catching him, as promised.

"Told you I wouldn't let you fall," he grinned, flying back toward the mansion and carrying the freckled boy bridal style.

Felix let out a snort, pulling at one strand of hair that had turned black the day before. "I think it's too late for that."

Hyunjin rolled his eyes a bit at the bad pun, though he was glad that Felix didn't seem as scared as he used to be about the whole ordeal. Many of his shimmering white feathers had started turning black already, and it wouldn't take long before Felix became a full-fledged Fallen like Hyunjin, now.

And Hyunjin couldn't help but feel like maybe, just maybe, it was meant to be.

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Another six weeks after Felix regained his wings, the young Angel could now fly around as he pleased. He still didn't have the stamina he used to possess, but he was steadily growing back into it, and he loved every second he could spend without his feet on the ground.

His hair was completely black, now, and so were his wings – only a single white feather was left, and they all knew that, the moment it fell, Felix's halo would break, and he would become a Fallen. While worried about the pain he'd had to go through because of it – hadn't the poor boy suffered enough already? – the others were also more than eager to officially welcome him into their legion.

(Chan had already filled the necessary paperwork to basically take him under their care. That way, if some Angels ever decided to stir up trouble upon finding Felix amongst them and tried to accuse them of "harboring a deserter" or something just as ludicrous, they'd be able to protect him.)

And then, one morning during which they were all sharing breakfast, Jeongin gasped.

"Felix, your feather!"

Everyone fell silent as all eyes instantly snapped to Felix's right wing, where the large, shimmering white feather was now slowly coming loose for all to see. Felix instinctively reached out to grab Hyunjin's hand, who squeezed it tightly in reassurance, and they all watched with great apprehension as the last white feather eventually fell, a black one almost instantly replacing it.

They waited.

And waited.

Felix's halo was still glowing.

"What- what's going on?" finally asked Jisung. "Did you miss a feather?"

"That was the last one," assured Minho – he'd know, considering how much time he spent grooming the boy's wings. "What's going on?"

Felix genuinely had no clue. He'd fully expected his halo to break, like everyone else, and Hyunjin said it was an immediate thing. Why was it being delayed? Why—

"I think I know," suddenly said Seungmin, brows furrowed. "Hyunjin, you said an Angel turned into a Fallen upon losing their faith, right?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"Well... maybe Felix didn't entirely lose his faith."

"But... my hair... And- and my wings—"

"You've lost faith in Heaven and Angels – in what used to be your home, and in your kind," replied gently the bespectacled Demon. "But maybe... maybe you've found faith in something else, before completely falling?"

At that, Felix's eyes widened. Slowly, he started taking in every single face surrounding him – the faces of the Demons he'd come to consider his closest friends and family. He might have lost faith in Heaven and Angels, but he'd found it again in them.

"You," he whispered, almost in awe. "I... have faith in all of you."

Startled at first, the Demons and his fellow Fallen then offered him bright smiles, and Felix could only return it tenfold, his halo growing brighter than it ever did in the past.

Because they were the answer to every single prayer he'd made before.