Pairing: Jeongin & Felix

Genre: Supernatural AU

!!TW!! : referenced kidnapping, kind-of captivity, adapting to a new biology, forced eating (?), "misunderstanding", delusions (?), hell I don't even know how to describe this

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Felix felt... warm. And cold. Both. Like his blood was made of ice but his body was blanketed in lava. It was truly a strange sensation, not... uncomfortable, but not exactly what he was used to, either. His entire body felt incredibly heavy, for some reason. Was he sick? That certainly wouldn't do, he was supposed to go hiking with Jisung this afternoon—

"He's waking up!

That wasn't Jisung's voice. A soft groan escaped the freckled boy as he started reconnecting with reality, soon followed by a whimper when the spot where his neck and his shoulder met throbbed.

"Felix... Lixie..." It was such a gentle voice, calling out his name so sweetly... "Felix, come back to me my love... That's it, just like that, take your time..."

It took him a while to finally be able to open his eyes, carefully guided back to his senses by that same voice that sounded incredibly familiar, but Felix couldn't place it. It's only once he regained his sight that he recognized the one talking to him.

"Je- Jeongin..."

His voice was hoarse, cracking on the edges, and there was a weird lisp to it. His sight was still a little blurry, but he distinctly recognized the beautiful, green irises peering down at him. It took him a moment longer to realize he was actually laying in the other boy's arms, his head resting in the nook of his elbow as the rest of his body was carefully supported by... his... lap...?

Why does his lap feel so weird...?

Jeongin offered him a tender smile, his left hand gently cradling his cheek. "There you are, my love."

"W- what—"

He started coughing harshly as his own voice grated painfully against his throat. An arm passed over his head, holding out a weird leather pouch to Jeongin, who grabbed it and brought the corner of it to Felix's chapped lips. Almost instantly, fresh water filled his mouth, and Felix started greedily swallowing all of it, relieved.

When Jeongin eventually pulled the water pouch away, Felix felt a little more lucid, and his head lolled to the side to look at the other person in the room. It was a man, dressed in dirty white clothes similar to those he remembered Jeongin wearing when they met earlier that day—

"He looks really out of it," sweatdroped the unknown man.

His eyes held an inner glow similar to Jeongin's, but the shade of green was darker – still quite beautiful, though. And the patches of scales covering his skin and reflecting the light of the torch attached to the nearby wall—

"He's gonna be okay," assured firmly Jeongin, his thumb now gently stroking Felix's cheek. "He's waking up – that means he's finished his rebirth process. Now, all that's left to do is help him through the adaptation period."

"Don't be too quick to claim victory," snorted the other man, shaking his head. "He still has to make it through the adaptation period."

"He will."

What are they talking about? Wondered Felix, his head feeling strangely filled with soft clouds and making it hard to think. What's a rebirth process...?

"We'll see. Just don't get your hopes too high, okay? You know how weak Human mates can be if not handled properly."

"I know. I'll be careful with him, I promise."

Felix felt a little lightheaded, for some reason. He was trying too hard to make sense of what he was hearing, and it hurt his cotton-stuffed mind. He scrunched up his nose as he slowly brought his hand up – why was it so hard to move? – and placed it over Jeongin's, squeezing it with just enough strength to be noticed.

Jeongin instantly reported his attention to him, and smiled. "Ah, I'm sorry for ignoring you. How are you feeling?"

"... heavy," he mumbled, his tongue flapping about weirdly in his mouth. "Everything- everything feels heavy... Can't move my legs..."

An airy giggle escaped Jeongin at that. "That's because you don't have legs, silly."

"What...?"

It took a moment for Felix to process Jeongin's statement. It took him another to muster enough strength to lift his head and take a look for himself, puzzled.

At first, the giant, white mass that filled his vision didn't entirely register. Puzzled, he slowly moved his hand down to brush against the muscly white coils that seemed to stretch on a few meters. It was both cold and warm at the touch, much like the rest of his body, but he could feel the inner strength hiding underneath the smooth ridges.

Felix's frown deepened. What was that weird thing? And why was it covering his legs? He tried to push it off, but it was incredibly heavy and wouldn't budge.

Wait, where did my shirt go?

Huh. He didn't remember taking off his shirt. Where did it go—

::

"Jeongin, what—!"

"Shh, it's okay, Felix."

::

Felix inhaled sharply as, at last, the thick fog occupying his mind cleared out, the memories instantly flooding back as if a dam had been broken. His shoulder – the wound Jeongin inflicted on him – started throbbing even more, and he choked out a sob as he quickly became overwhelmed.

Jeongin bit me, and everything hurt, and we're in a cave and why where they talking about a rebirth process what the hell where are my legs why the fuck do I have a tail everything hurts what's going on I can't breathe what did he do to me what's happening where are my legs I'm so cold what's wrong with me why why why—!

"Shh, love, you're getting too worked up," murmured Jeongin, gently rocking him. "I promise, you're completely safe. You're going to be fine, Lixie."

"What- what did you do to me...!?" gasped Felix, barely able to think straight.

"Well, you said we couldn't stay together because you were Human—" Were? Why is he saying that in the past tense? What did he—! "—so I decided to turn you! It was a bit of a gamble, I'd only heard stories about it, but apparently Human mates used to be pretty common, and the ritual worked! So now you—"

"Turn- turn me?" No. No, no, no, this can't be real, this can't be happening— "Turn me into- into what...!?"

Jeongin chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "In a Naga, silly. Like me! And now that you've survived the first two stages of the transformation process, things are looking really well for you! I mean, there's still the adaptation period, but I'll help you out every step of the way, so no worries!"

"You can't- you can't be serious," protested Felix, weakly trying to push him away – but it didn't work, because he only now noticed Jeongin's own tail supporting his entire body and coiling around... around his own. "Please- please, you can't—this can't be happening, you didn't—you can't...!"

"What's wrong, my love?" frowned Jeongin, tightening his hold around him. "You seem distressed. What can I do to help?"

"Turn- turn me back...!" The air instantly became tense, and Felix latched onto Jeongin's arm, looking at him pleadingly. "Please, turn- turn me back...! I don't- I don't want to be here, I want- I want to stay Human, I want to- to go back home, please...!"

Jeongin's frown only deepened as he carefully shook off Felix's grasp, forcing him to lay back down – and the freckled boy truly couldn't do anything against it, he was too exhausted and his sudden burst of adrenaline was quickly coming down.

"You are home, Felix," he then started, firmly but gently. "This is my nest – and yours now, too. Our home. You'll be happy here, I promise. I get that this is a little scary right now, but everything is going to be fine."

"Jeongin—!"

"Try to get some rest, love," he murmured, cradling Felix's cheek again. "You're going to need it."

Felix wanted to scream, to cry even louder, to hit him – but he couldn't, completely entranced by the glow of Jeongin's irises, which seemed to become stronger the longer he stared at them. The color was so beautiful... and so deep...

After a few seconds, Felix went lax in Jeongin's hold. The young Naga heaved out a sigh, carefully carding his fingers through the fluffy blond hair of his mate. He understood that this couldn't be an easy transition, but he was convinced that Felix would eventually come to see reason.

He had their home, and he had Jeongin. He would make new friends once he gained enough strength to meet their brothers and sisters, and one day they would mate and eventually have a family.

Felix would be happy here, Jeongin would make sure of it.

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"The first stage was the induction of the change, when Jeongin bit you, injected his venom, and then proceeded to give you he antidote. You survived the process, which immediately set off the second stage: the rebirth process. Basically, your skin secreted a viscous matter that eventually encased your entire body and hardened until it created a perfect shell. It's in that shell that your body underwent the major transition from your previously Human biology to your Naga one.

The tail is the most obvious change, but what you can't see or feel is that your organs have also shifted to accommodate to your mate's needs. Since Jeongin presented as a male, you now possess the proper bodily functions to procreate—"

"Wait, wait, wait, are you saying- are you saying that I can get pregnant!?"

"If by that term you mean carry and give birth, then yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. In any case, the shift of organs is the main reason why you were basically unconscious for the entire rebirth process – no Human would survive the shock if they stayed awake through it."

It had been two days since Felix first woke up. He had spent most of that time drifting in and out of consciousness, and Jeongin never left his side. He had a hard time coming to terms with his situation but, eventually, his panic and distress dulled into a state of numbness and tentative resignation.

Still half-caught up in denial, Felix figured that the best way to find out how to reverse the changing process was to learn more about it. So, he agreed to meet one of Jeongin's brothers – apparently a teacher of some sort, who was very old but refused to share his age, and who apparently knew a lot about turning a Human into a Naga.

His name was Seungmin. He wasn't the one Felix saw that first time he woke up, and he was... cold. Professional. He didn't outright doubt Felix's chances of survival, but he didn't exactly sympathize with his plight, either. If anything, he just looked pretty exasperated by the entire ordeal.

"You're going to feel disconnected from your current body for a while longer. You only broke out of the shell after your tail finished growing, which took more or less three weeks in Human time. You were still unconscious for a few more days after that, so it's only natural that your brain is still processing those new changes. Now that you're awake, however, we begin the third and last stage of the turning: the adaptation period. It's basically the time it'll take you to adapt both physically and mentally to your new self, so to speak."

"And what... what does that stage entail, exactly?"

"Once you start being able to move you tail on your own, we'll get you started on a physical rehabilitation process. You'll slowly start gaining more muscle mass, which will help you not only strengthen your body, but also help it settle with its new biology. 

Your senses will start developing soon, if they haven't already. Naga senses are much greater than any Human's, so the shock might be a little startling, and even scary – but as long as you take it slow, you ought to be okay.

Your fangs will also grow out, eventually. Your venom glands haven't developed yet but, once they do, the growth of your fangs will almost immediately follow – but that's another process entirely, we'll go into the details if you actually make it that far."

Felix gulped. "What- what's that supposed to mean?"

"Simply put, Humans are weak creatures by nature. Only the strongest ones can withstand the change. It's already quite commendable that you've made it through the first two stages, but I daresay the third one is the most difficult."

"Why? I- I'd think modifying your entire biology would be the hard part..."

"It's because of the mental strain," shrugged Seungmin, unperturbed. "The Naga's way of living is different. The culture is different. The living environment, the food, the people – absolutely nothing will be like what used to be your life as a Human. You won't be able to see the surface for a very long time, either – not until the process is completed. 

All of those changes will be difficult to accept, and even more difficult to live with. Adding to that your inner rejection of your current state... In simple terms, your current state of denial is going to make it even harder for your body and your mind to adapt.

If you don't put effort into it, your muscles will atrophy, and your body will eventually reject the entire transformation process. You'll become nothing more than a shell of who you used to be, your bodily functions shutting down one after the other until you become a conscious mind trapped in a dead body, and eventually your brain or your heart will also shut down for good – whichever comes first is anyone's guess, though.

It's quite a terrible way to go, really. I wouldn't suggest it. With that being said, I'm hoping you understand just how much work you still have ahead of you. If you still refuse to accept your new reality, you're not going to make it."

Felix would have probably burst out crying upon hearing this coldly delivered analysis, had it not been for the fact that he had already shed all of his tears in the past few days. He still felt incredibly numb, but terror was slowly starting to creep on him.

"I didn't ask for this..." he finally admitted, gritting his teeth.

Seungmin stared at him impassively. "You are Jeongin's mate. It's only natural that he would do anything in his power to keep you by his side. I simply hope you respect his dedication and love and actively do your best to return those feelings. It would be a shame for you to die after how much efforts and hopes Jeongin put in you – I'd hate to see my baby brother brokenhearted."

Felix absolutely loathed it, how Seungmin spoke as if his free will didn't matter at all, as if Jeongin had had every right to basically kidnap him and keep him captive. He spoke as if- as if Felix ought to be ashamed for being in denial about the entire situation, as if he had no right to reject Jeongin's "affections".

The older Naga heaved out a sigh, shaking his head. "Life down here isn't as terrible as you seem to believe. If you just give this a shot – give Jeongin a chance... you could truly have a happy life together."

"I'm Human," insisted Felix, clenching his fists. "I won't- I won't ever be happy trying to live as something I'm not."

Seungmin simply gave him a flat look. "Then you'll die as neither."

A violent shiver ran down Felix's spine as his words echoed in the back of his head like some sort of somber prophecy. Before he could add anything, though, Jeongin suddenly returned to the cave – he had left earlier to fetch some food, and also because apparently, he didn't want to "sit through one of Seungmin's boring lectures".

"I'm back~! How did it go? Did you get the answers you wanted, Lixie?"

A very small voice in the back of Felix's head couldn't help but bitterly comment about how Jeongin was acting quite nonchalantly in regard to the last stage of the change he imposed on Felix.

"I told him everything he needed to know," simply stated Seungmin, already on his way out. "The rest is up to him, now."

Felix didn't miss the warning glare the older Naga shot him before disappearing down the hallway, his long white tail – much longer than Jeongin's – taking a moment to completely vanish from sight.

Humming under his breath, Jeongin carried the tray of food over to the bed where Felix laid. He still couldn't sit up on his own, still not used to the weird bent of his spine now that he had a mostly-snake body. His torso was still human-like, and so were his arms and his head, but even what should be familiar felt out of place right now. 

The bed was nice, though. It was surprisingly comfortable, although Jeongin usually preferred holding him whenever he could, which usually resulted in Felix resting on the coiling mass of his tail.

"This is your first meal since you woke up," stated Jeongin, as if Felix didn't know that. "I hope you'll like it! I caught it just for you!"

"Caught—"

The thick scent of blood hit him out of nowhere, and his eyes widened in horror as he realized that Jeongin had brought him a plate of thick slices of meat – but it wasn't dry nor cooked, it was freshly cut, bloody and raw.

"I- I can't eat that," he protested, already feeling sick.

"You need to eat, Lixie," tutted Jeongin.

"No, you don't understand, I can't—"

"It's okay, I'll help you!"

Jeongin was stubborn and, while it wasn't out of malice, it only scared Felix even more, because what Jeongin wanted, Jeongin got. He was too weak to do anything but let himself be manhandled as Jeongin moved him around, his back now leaning against Jeongin's chest while the thinner end of the Naga's tail coiled around his torso, effectively trapping his arms against his sides.

Jeongin picked up one of the bloody slices of meat and brought it up to Felix's lips, but the freckled boy kept his mouth stubbornly shut, shifting his head around in an attempt to avoid it. The boy holding him frowned at that.

"Lixie, you need to at least try to eat. You need to regain your strength."

Felix quickly shook his head, gritting his teeth together. He flinched when he felt the cold, raw meat press against his lips, straining in Jeongin's hold as he tried to escape. Jeongin's frown only deepened, before he suddenly perked up, having had an idea.

Felix looked, a little puzzled, when Jeongin brought the meat to his own mouth instead, and was quick to start chewing. He chewed for a little while, before one of his hands suddenly gripped Felix's chin and tilted his head up. 

Felix's eyes widened when Jeongin's abruptly kissed him, his lips parting slightly from shock – and it was enough for Jeongin to instantly shoved all of the meat he had been previously chewing on right in his mouth. Felix instantly gagged, trying to pull away, but Jeongin's grip was too tight, and his tongue much stronger – and longer, too.

Jeongin's tongue started shoving the meat further into his mouth, and eventually into his throat, and at that point Felix had no choice but to swallow if he didn't want to choke. A few tears escaped him as he felt blood drip down the corners of his mouth, and he gagged a bit when Jeongin finally pulled away, the Naga's forked tongue mindlessly licking around his mouth before disappearing back inside.

"There you go, love," he praised, smiling fondly. "See? I told you I'd help you . We'll get through this together, dear one."

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Felix ended up vomiting barely a few hours later. It wasn't so much as the taste, but rather the fact that he ate raw meat. Just knowing it was enough to make him sick, and he only now understood the full implications of what Seungmin said earlier.

That's what he meant by mental strain...

If Felix couldn't accept his becoming of a Naga, his entire being would reject it in any way possible. And, as scary as it was to potentially become one of them, and truly lose everything that made him Human... Felix didn't want to die.

A new plan started budding in his frazzled mind. He remembered that, when they first met, Jeongin had had Human legs. Surely this was a feat Felix would eventually be able to accomplish too, right? If Felix could manage to transform back to a more Human-like appearance, then he would be able to return to Human civilization and seek help.

They will help me... right?

Felix had no choice but to hold onto that hope. However, for that to happen, he first had to survive this adaptation period – which meant he would have no choice but to... try to accept his new state.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too hard.

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The adaptation period was awful.

What little was left of Felix's normal, Human skin, started becoming itchy and irritated, to the point where Felix started scratching it until it bled. It's only when that happened that the small wounds, instead of scabbing, sprouted scales – dozens of little patches of soft, pale scales started growing all over him.

(Jeongin said the scales would harden over time, and that Felix ought to be careful not to damage them if he didn't want actual scarring to be left behind.)

Finally managing to move his tail on his own took a while, and it was exhausting. It was an entirely new appendage, and it didn't move at all like legs would. Felix had a hard just keeping his balance without gracelessly flopping to the ground like a boneless heap, and actually moving was even harder.

(He ran into many, many walls – or rather slithered smack into them. One thing harder than to learn how to use his tail to move was to use it to stop moving.)

His tongue was weird. It was long and forked and kept on falling out of his mouth at the most inopportune times. Plus, because of how long it was, he kept on biting it, which definitely wasn't a pleasant experience. And, since he wasn't used to speaking with it just yet, he had an annoying lisp every time he talked.

(Jeongin found it absolutely adorable and compared him to a Naga child who just learned how to talk. Felix didn't exactly appreciate being compared to a baby, but he figured that was pretty much what he was right now – a baby Naga.)

His slowly developing inhuman senses were a bit hard to handle, too. His sight was the most affected, and sometimes his brain became so overwhelmed with the amount of details it took in that his sight blurred until he couldn't see anything beyond indistinct shapes and blobs of colors.

(It was a bit scary, to lose his ability to see so suddenly at the most random times, but he was starting to become better at handling the influx of information. In regard to his senses, he was mostly relieved his nose worked the same, and that he wouldn't have to use his tongue to use his sense of smell.)

Eating was... becoming easier. He didn't get sick anymore, slowly getting used to the taste. Sometimes, though, when the squelch of blood and the rubbery texture became too much for him, Jeongin would take over and do exactly as he did that first time – he'd chew the meat for him, and then force him to eat it.

It was a bit disgusting for Felix, still, but it got the job done.

All in all, the physical aspect of turning into a Naga was... fine. Felix obviously would rather not go through with it at all, but it was as good as it could get. He was starting to become stronger, less tired, a bit more independent – all good things, really, and signs that his adaptation period was going well.

It was the mental part that didn't bode as well.

For one, there was the isolation. Felix met a few other Naga beside Jeongin and Seungmin, like Minho – the one who was there when he first woke up – who was in charge of most of his physical rehabilitation, Chan – Minho's mate, and an absurdly sweet guy – and Hyunjin – Seungmin's mate, and the one Felix spent most of his time with beside Jeongin.

(All of them were part of a nest, and thus lived in a bunch of inter-related caves a little separated from the actual Naga city. In there, the Naga usually moved around in their Human forms, for practicality's sake, meaning Felix wouldn't be allowed to visit until he managed to shift his tail to legs like them.)

The caves were comfortable. While there were "rooms" belonging to the respective couples, there were no actual doors, meaning everyone was free to roam around as they pleased. It was spacious and cozy, with beautifully crafted torches casting light everywhere and all sorts of baubles and knick-knacks decorating every room. As comfortable and homely as it was, however, it wasn't Felix's home.

He missed the greenery, the sea, the sunlight. He missed hiking in the woods and surfing on the biggest waves and bathing in the sun until his skin flushed completely red.

He got along fairly well with most of the members of the nest but, more often than not, he found himself dearly missing his best friend and his family. He got homesick a lot, to the point where it started becoming harder and harder to get out of bed.

Depression was setting in – a very bad sign for his adaptation period.

It's not like Felix hadn't tried. He didn't want to die. And, once he started slowly giving in, it wasn't as hard or as terrible as he expected... but it wasn't home. No matter how nice Jeongin and his family were, no matter how pretty the gems littering the walls were, no matter how intriguing the entire Naga history and culture could be... it wasn't home.

Felix started sleeping more. He laid in bed until Jeongin forcibly dragged him out of it so they could play some games together but, eventually, even his mate couldn't make him get up. He barely ate anything anymore, his body instinctively rejecting any food Jeongin managed to make him swallow.

He was becoming weaker by the day, his scales taking a sickly paleness, and for the first time since this entire ordeal started, Jeongin was scared.

Scared that maybe he had been wrong, after all. Scared that Felix wouldn't be strong enough, scared he had made a mistake and would lose his precious mate for good.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered, glancing worriedly at the room where Felix had just spent three full days without coming out. "He's- he's not getting any better... but I can't- I can't bring him outside yet, his body wouldn't be able to handle the thermal shock, but now he's sick and—"

"Jeongin, shh, calm down," urged Chan, gently rubbing his shoulders. "I'm sure we can figure something out, hm? Do you know what exactly is making him sick?"

"He misses his old nest," shrugged Hyunjin. Felix had confided in him more than once, seemingly trusting the beautiful Naga. "He regrets not having gotten to say goodbye properly, and for worrying them with his disappearance."

Jeongin bit his lower lip. He could understand missing one's family, but did it truly warrant getting sick? It's not like Jeongin's family wasn't Felix's. Plus, what did it matter, if he said goodbye or not? It's not like they or their opinions mattered anymore.

"Bring him flowers." All eyes snapped to Seungmin, who shrugged. "If you can't bring him outside, you can bring outside to him. It might cheer him up."

Jeongin gasped excitedly at that, clasping his hands together. "That's a wonderful idea! I'll get to it right away! Thanks, Seungmin!"

"Whatever."

Hyunjin and Chan chuckled as their younger brother promptly slithered out of the common area where they had been lounging together, while Seungmin simply rolled his eyes. He still wasn't exactly happy with the fact that Jeongin had brought back a Human mate, of all things, but there was no denying that he had grown happier with Felix around – less lonely, when surrounded by the mated pairs that composed his family.

He simply hoped Felix would come to understand how lucky he was to have Jeongin as his mate, and that he'd be able to return that love tenfold, because his little brother only deserved the best.

.

"Lix... Lixie... Wake up, love..."

It took a while to wake Felix up. It always scared Jeongin, how much harder it got every single time. He feared a day would come when he wouldn't be able to wake Felix at all – but, hopefully, Seungmin's idea would work, and so he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

"Here, look," he urged gently when Felix's eyes stayed open, his mate silently staring at him. "I brought you a gift."

Mild curiosity appeared in Felix's eyes, quickly replaced by the utmost awe and delight when Jeongin handed him a large bouquet of the brightest flowers he had managed to find. Very slowly, the freckled boy straightened up.

"Are they... real...?"

"Hmm, they're for you!" beamed Jeongin.

Hesitantly, his mate reached out to grab them, and Jeongin was more than happy to hand them over. Felix then proceeded to trace every single petal with his fingers, enjoying the softness and color of them. He then started slowly picking the bouquet apart, bringing every single flower to his nose and relishing in the freshness and the familiarity of the smell.

When he was finally done scenting every single flower, he finally snapped out of his semi-daze, his eyes fluttering open and meeting Jeongin's.

"Do you- do you like them?" he asked, hopeful.

After a moment, Felix offered him a very small smile. "I love them. Thank you."

Jeongin was momentarily taken aback by the softness of his smile – he hadn't seen Felix smile like that since the day they met. His expression was usually closed off, or upset, or sometimes a mixed weird of both – otherwise said, very rarely happy, and never smiling.

But he was smiling now, and that gave Jeongin hope, so he instantly grinned back.

"I'm glad! I'll fetch some for you every day, then! And when you're finally able to go outside again, we can go pick them together!"

At first surprised by his offer, Felix's smile then widened just the slightest bit. "I'd like that."