Pairing: Jeongin & Felix

Genre: Supernatural AU

!!TW!! : kind-off assault (?) I don't even know, my AUs are so weird I can't even tag them properly without spoiling the whole thing, someone gets bitten in the neck and it's very much not-consensual, kidnapping (?), mild delusions, mostly a misunderstanding of sorts

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Felix had always loved snakes.

Like any child, he grew up through different obsessive phases. Some were obsessed with Disney, others were obsessed with Ancient Egypt, a few were obsessed with space or rocks or even rocks from space, and Felix... well, Felix just so happened to have an obsession with snakes.

He grew out of it, eventually. Almost all of his books got sold, and his pet grass-snake eventually died from old age, and Felix developed new interests. Even if he wasn't as obsessed anymore, though, snakes were still his favorite animals, if anyone asked.

So, it really was no wonder that the one thing that would make him stray from the path and away from his tourist group would be a snake.

Felix was on a sabbatic vacation with his best friend, Jisung. The two of them had decided to go on an adventure trip before moving in together to get started with their university life, taking a few months to explore the world and have the greatest time of their lives.

One of the numerous destinations they had decided to visit one of those tropical islands that made up Hawaii.. They had a grand time enjoying the beaches, but what the two of them loved even more was the excursions in the jungle-like areas. 

They both loved hiking, and stumbling upon all sorts of insects and animals they didn't usually see back home, and they had instantly seized their chance when they were offered the opportunity to go on a very particular – and usually very expensive – expedition in one of the less visited areas of one of the smaller islands.

Tourists usually weren't allowed around these parts, but their guide had pulled some strings in exchange of some extra cash. A couple who was supposed to go on the expedition had gotten sick last minute, though, and had quickly sold their tickets to the first people they could get a hold of – those people being Felix and Jisung.

Thanks to those cheap tickets, they were now enjoying a one-of-a-kind hike through the jungle, walking up a battered trail next to a still-active volcano, and the pair was having a blast. However, as Jisung ran ahead to ask some questions to their guide regarding one of the flowers they had seen earlier, Felix saw it.

The snake.

It was pretty big, but quite thin and slim, and it was purple. Intrigued, he approached to try and take a picture, but the snake instantly slithered into the thick foliage. Felix had never seen this kind of snake before, though, and he was determined to take a picture for his growing collection, so he took off after it without another thought.

Yeah, bad move.

It's only a few minutes later that Felix realized just how badly he'd messed up. Not only had he been separated from his group, but he had completely lost sight of the trail and, with his awful sense of direction, he had no clue of where to go.

Good job, Felix! Only you would get lost in the jungle so stupidly!

And of course, his phone didn't work – no signal. He couldn't try calling for help even if he wanted to. He was a bit surprised, because they weren't that far from civilization, but it's not like he could do anything except try to save some battery for if night came before he found his way back.

The thought made a shiver run down his spine. What would he do if it became dark before he could get out of there? He knew a lot of animals were nocturnal predators, and as much as he loved adventures, he really wasn't a big fan of survival trips.

He'd always been told to stay put if he ever got lost in a forest. He fully intended on following the only survival rule he could remember – that is, until a terrifying growl echoed from somewhere behind him. Panic taking over, he didn't think twice before taking off once more.

Felix didn't run for long.

One moment he was running, the next he was falling. He let out a startled yelp when the ground suddenly gave way underneath his feet, and he was sent stumbling down some sort of large hole. His body made a few barrels, until it eventually came to a halt, and he wheezed in pain.

After a few seconds of shock and pain, he found the strength to sit up, and he was relieved to find that not only had he not broken anything, but also that getting out of the hole wouldn't be too hard. 

From what he could see, he had actually stumbled down a rather abrupt trail that led directly to the entrance of a hidden, underground cave. He was rather surprised, before remembering that this was a volcanic island – there were surely numerous underground tunnels that were the result of magma rivers that had long since dried-out.

Felix was quite intrigued by his discovery, but he wasn't stupid – as much as he wanted to explore, it would be dumb to run off into a random cave, risk getting even more lost, and diminish even more his chances of being found by a search party.

Just as he was about to start climbing up the trail, however, a slithering noise echoed behind him. Startled, he glanced back, but all he could see was the darkness of the cave. He didn't move, frowning as he tried to listen. There were probably snakes hiding in that cave, now that he thought about it, and he didn't want to needlessly agitate them.

After a few seconds of absolute tenseness and silence, something moved in the shadows – a shift, a glimmer, a hiss. There was something in that cave, something big, and Felix suddenly found himself frozen with fear.

Am I going to die here!?

But what came out from the cave wasn't a savage animal nor a monster. No, what came out of the cave, all hesitant and wary, was... a boy.

A human boy. About his age, at that. Felix was so taken aback by the unexpected appearance, it took him a second to find his words again.

"Erm, hi?"

The other boy froze, a few meters away now, just shy from stepping into the sunlight that managed to pierce through the thick foliage above them. There was a moment of tenseness as they both stared at each other, and Felix used that opportunity to observe him more closely.

He was wearing weird clothes, that much was obvious. Dirty white, with some gold-like trimming, and strange patterns in the shape of scales on his shirt. Felix figured it was some sort of local clothing style, so he decided not to question it too much – it looked cool anyway, he might have to look into getting one of those shirts later.

The boy's eyes were quite big and expressive, too. He had sharp features, tousled black hair, but the paleness of his skin didn't match that of the other locals he had met in the past few days. Maybe he didn't go out of his cave often...?

Wait, does he even live in there? How could someone live in a cave?

"H- hi," Felix repeated, slowly waving at him. "I'm, erm, I'm Felix."

There was a moment of silence as the boy kept on staring at him. Felix couldn't help but feel like he was staring into his very soul, which made him a bit uncomfortable, but the mysterious boy spoke up before he could say anything else.

"Hello," he greeted, his voice soft and smooth. "I'm... Jeongin."

Felix relaxed a bit at that. "It's nice to meet you, Jeongin."

"What are you doing here?" asked Jeongin, tilting his head curiously.

"Ah, well, that's a bit embarrassing," admitted Felix, rubbing the back of his head. "I, well, I got lost. I was on a hike with my friend and a group, but I, erm, I got distracted and walked off the path... and next thing I know, I end up here!"

"End up... here?"

"Hm!" Felix pointed at the trail behind him. "I was running, and I accidentally fell down the slope. But I'm not hurt, ah, ah! I'm made of sturdy stuff, no worries."

"Why were you running?"

"You ask a lot of questions, huh?" sweatdroped Felix, before shaking his head. "But do you know which way I should go if I want to go back to the city?"

Jeongin slowly shook his head in a negative gesture, and Felix sighed. It was worth a shot. He shot another look at the trail behind him, knowing he'd have to climb up eventually, but he was too curious about his new friend to leave just yet. Surely just a few minutes of conversation couldn't do any harm, right?

With that thought in mind, he sat down on the ground.

"What are you doing?" frowned Jeongin, confused.

"Ah, I'm just resting my legs for a bit. Do you mind keeping me company? I'd like to get to know you better."

"Why?"

"I don't know, you seem nice," shrugged Felix. "Do you live in that cave?"

Jeongin glanced behind him, before looking back at him and nodding slowly. He wasn't too talkative, but Felix was determined to become his friend. Before he could say anything else, though, Jeongin suddenly stepped forward.

Almost instantly, the sunlight reflected against the pale patches of scales spreading on his cheeks, his neck, and his uncovered forearms. At the same time, his pupils became distinctly slitted, and Felix's breath was taken away by how green his eyes were.

He's... not human...

"You're Human," Jeongin then stated, now towering over him. "Why are you so nice?"

"What—are you saying I can't be nice because I'm Human?"

Felix was so shocked, he didn't even know what to think anymore. Had he just stumbled over some sort of snake-hybrid? Was that even a thing? But he didn't have much time to stay shocked, because Jeongin suddenly plopped down on the ground in front of him, peering at him with blatant curiosity shining in his snake-like eyes.

"Everyone says you're mean," he then admitted, tilting his head. "They say Humans are dangerous, and that they just want to hurt us, because we're different. They say we have to stay hidden, else the Humans will come to kill us."

"What—I don't want to hurt anyone!" protested Felix, a tad horrified. "That's..."

Well, he couldn't deny that Jeongin was probably right. Jeongin was a snake-boy, and there was apparently more of him back inside that cave – if their existence became common knowledge to the world, there was no doubt that most normal Humans would be afraid and tried to hunt them down.

He cringed at the thought. "No, yeah, you're better off staying hidden. I'm a nice Human, and there are other nice Humans out there, but there are bad ones too – and the bad ones would definitely try to hurt you."

Jeongin hummed in understanding. "I see. Our species are similar in that aspect, then."

It was surreal, for Jeongin to acknowledge they were of two different species, when Felix was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Humans weren't the only intelligent race populating the Earth, after all.

"So... what are you, exactly?" asked Felix, unable to help himself. "Are you... part snake?"

"We call ourselves the Naga, but I don't know where the name originates from. I only know that we used to be Humans, but we were blessed by the god of this island and became better." Jeongin frowned, deep in thoughts as he visibly tried to remember the details of his past history lessons. "We lived peacefully at the surface for a time, but then more and more humans started coming, and it became too dangerous – we retired inside the bowels of the island, where the Humans can't go."

Felix had heard the term "Naga", before, mostly in fantasy works, but he wasn't familiar with its origins or meaning. However, it definitely fitted the "half-man, half-snake" criteria. He also found the history Jeongin was sharing absolutely fascinating.

It was like his past obsession with snakes was coming back full-force. It was the same excitement, the same giddiness, the same desire and need to learn more.

"Tell me... What are Human cities like?" then asked Jeongin, a tad hesitantly.

Felix suddenly realized that Jeongin was as clueless about Humans as Felix was about the Naga, and that since he had apparently never left the caves for long, he was probably extremely curious about them.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought. "How about I tell you everything you want to know about Humans, and you answer my questions about the Naga in exchange?"

Jeongin took a moment to ponder over his offer, but his curiosity eventually won over his wariness and, with an hesitant smile that showed off sharp fangs, he slowly nodded in agreement.

At that very moment, two worlds collided – for the better or the worst.

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"Ah, it's starting to get late..."

Felix hadn't planned on staying for so long, but a few minutes of discussion turned into full hours. Talking to Jeongin was surprisingly easy and, while he had been a bit shy at first, the Naga had quickly come out of his shell. He was quirky, funny, and witty – he reminded Felix of Jisung a lot.

Jisung...

Right. His best friend was probably really worried right now.

"I have to go," he sighed, pushing himself up to his feet. "If I don't hurry up and return to the city, it'll cause trouble."

"Go?" repeated Jeongin, pouting a bit. "But you'll come back, right?"

Felix offered his new friend a sad smile at that. "Ah, I don't think so, Innie."

"What? Why not?" he protested, growing upset.

"Because I don't live on the island," he explained calmly. "I was only here on vacation – my plane leaves in two days, and I definitely won't be allowed back anywhere near the jungle once I go back."

"Then don't go back," replied Jeongin, as if it was that simple. "Stay here."

"I can't stay here, Jeongin. I have to return to my friend and go back home, now."

"What's home?" he frowned, confused by the unknown term.

"It's... where I live, right now. It's a place on the other side of the ocean, where my family also lives." Explaining home was hard, Felix realized, but he still tried his best. "But home- home isn't just a place – it's also... a feeling of belonging. It's where you feel comfortable and safe and happy, with the people you love."

Jeongin stomped his foot. "Then this can be your new home."

"What? Jeongin, it doesn't work like that—"

"Why not? You can live here, with me! You said home is where you feel comfortable and safe and happy – that's exactly what my nest is!" he explained with a wide, enticing grin that made Felix's heart flutter a bit. "It's really comfortable, and it's perfectly safe, and everyone's happy! And- and you said it was with the people you love, and you love me, right?"

"Of- of course I love you—"

"Great, I love you too! See, it's perfect!"

"—but you're only my friend, Jeongin," Felix replied gently, trying to reason with him. He didn't want to leave when Jeongin was upset with him. "I love all of my other friends, too, and I love my family – and I miss them. I've been away for a long time already. It's time for me to go back to them, now."

"But if you leave- if you leave, then you won't come back," repeated Jeongin, visibly distraught at the thought.

Felix felt like crying. Why did he have to grow attached so quickly? Why did he have to stick around and make a friend when he knew he was going to leave, anyway? Plus, it's not like they'd be able to keep in contact – Naga didn't use technology, let alone phones.

"I'm sorry, Innie," he choked out, biting his lower lip. "I'm- I'm really sorry, but I have to go, now."

"No, you can stay—"

"I can't, Jeongin!" he finally snapped, a tad breathless. "I can't stay here! This is your home, one meant for people like you! A Human- a Human couldn't possibly survive in those caves anyway, you said it yourself! Humans can't go in there!"

Jeongin appeared stunned. He obviously hadn't thought about that, even though it was one of the first pieces of information he had given Felix regarding his species' current living habits.

There was a moment of silence, before Jeongin spoke up again.

"So you can't stay... because you're Human...?"

Felix sighed in relief, glad he finally got it. "That's it."

"Oh. Okay, yeah, that makes sense."

As much as it pained him to leave his new friend behind, Felix had realized how much he missed home with how much he talked about it, and he was now eager to leave. Still, he wanted to offer one last memory to Jeongin. So, he slowly walked up to his friend and, under his curious eyes, carefully wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you... trying to suffocate me...?" he asked, confused.

Felix laughed, leaning his head against his chest. "No, silly. This is what Humans call a hug. It's when you want to comfort someone, or just because you feel like it."

"Hug..." repeated Jeongin with wonder in his voice. He hesitantly wrapped his own arms around him, and Felix shivered a bit. "You're so warm... I like it."

"And you're really cold," snorted Felix, though unsurprised – snakes had cold blood, after all. "But I'm glad you like it. It's really common for Humans to hug each other."

"Hmm. I can see why, this is really nice."

He leaned a little more into Felix, which made the freckled boy chuckle. He was taller and a bit heavy, which made their position a tad awkward, but he decided to let him get his fill of hugging before finally taking his leave, and he closed his eyes, basking in the other's presence one last time.

After a few minutes of absolute silence, though, he felt something heavy starting to press against his legs. His eyes fluttered open and he looked down, confused... only to find a very large snake tail now coiling around his legs.

His eyes went wide, and he let out a startled yelp when he realized that the tail was attached to Jeongin. Gone were his normal legs, replaced with a long, strong-looking tail with very pale scales and bluish reflects.

"Jeongin, what—!"

"Shh, it's okay, Felix," murmured Jeongin, holding him a little tighter.

The freckled boy started struggling, trying to free himself, but the tail was coiled too tightly for him to move his legs, and the boy's hold was incredibly strong. It started becoming a little hard to breathe, even more so because panic was taking over, and Jeongin suddenly took a hold of the hair at the back of his head.

"Ack!"

Jeongin pulled, tilting Felix's head so as to expose his neck, and a few tears escaped the Human when he saw Jeongin's fangs becoming longer, with a clear liquid that definitely wasn't saliva beading at the tips.

"Please, don't...!" he pleaded, terrified.

Jeongin didn't answer, merely lunging forward. Felix cried out in pain as the boy's fangs sunk deeply into where his shoulder met his neck, tearing through flesh and muscles alike – and then the venom entered his bloodstream, and Felix started screaming. 

It felt as if every single one of his cells was being set on fire. He convulsed in Jeongin's hold, gagging and screaming in agony, until his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he completely passed out.

His body was still shaken by spasms when Jeongin finally pulled away, his fangs retracting and now empty from venom. Felix had become as white as a sheet, trembling in his hold as his veins slowly turned to a sickly green, and Jeongin gently stroke his tear-stained cheek a few times, hissing under his breath a Naga lullaby in an attempt to calm him.

Once the convulsions stopped altogether, Jeongin knew it was time to move. Naga venom was extremely toxic, and could only be reversed if whoever had been poisoned consumed a Naga scale. According to the ancient tales, it was also how they used to turn Humans to add to their population. Jeongin could only hope those old legends were true.

He flinched after ripping off one of his scales, but paid his minor wound no mind, focusing on Felix, who had gone completely limp in his arms. The only thing supporting him now was Jeongin's tail. Gently, he pried the Human's mouth opened, and slipped the scale inside.

The effect was almost instantaneous – the scale dissolved on his tongue, and the greenish color of his veins quickly turned to a more healthy shade of blue. His breathing became more labored, and sweat started coating his forehead, but Felix was still alive, which could only mean one thing: the turn was happening, as it should.

Pleased, Jeongin pressed his forehead against Felix's, exhaling in relief.

If Felix's only issue with staying with him was that he was Human... well, Jeongin had just solved all of their problems. Felix would stay with him, now, because they loved each other, and they would make what he called a home together. Happy, Jeongin promptly retreated inside the cave, holding Felix tightly against him.

His family would be overjoyed to see him finally bring back a mate to his nest, and such a pretty one at that!