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The forest flew by them as they ran.
The rain pelted them from above, droplets like spikes as the ground squelched underfoot and their boots slipped and their steps slid and they desperately tried to claw themselves away.
It was a bad day for running.
But they had no choice. Their door had been kicked in. Their roof had been blown off. Their den was mostly in tatters and no doubt still swarmed by human hunters. The wolf pack couldn’t stay.
So, they sprinted through the forest, panting and bleeding and terrified with an entire stampede of footsteps still following them. The hunters were relentless. They wanted the wolves dead.
Chan’s breaths were barely dragging their way from his lips, his whole body searing with adrenalin and his heart threatening to knife its way out his chest. He had one of his hands clamped around Jisung’s, dragging him desperately along as they dashed along the forest floor. The hunters were getting closer and Chan’s pack were too out-numbered and too weakened to even dare to think about fighting back.
The rain was thankfully slowing the hunters down a bit, but it meant Chan and his pack were shivering and even more exposed than before. Chan could feel himself weakening, could feel his body begging him to stop, but he couldn’t stop. He had to get his pack to safety.
Seungmin and Jeongin were right in front of him, both slipping and catching one another as they ducked around trees and tripped over sticks and tried to listen to Chan encouraging them from behind.
Minho and Hyunjin took the front, both carrying Changbin between them who was bleeding profusely from a knife wound a hunter had managed to deliver to his shoulder. The injury wasn’t lethal, but it would be if they didn’t find a way to stop the bleeding soon.
Chan cursed loudly to himself, they needed to do something.
But there wasn’t much they could do with hunters right on their heels and nowhere to go and no way to fight. A deep arrow of fear sliced into Chan’s chest, opening him up from the inside and butchering him like a carving knife.
They were being flayed apart. They were getting too tired to run and one of them was already hurt. Chan needed to step up and save them, but what the hell could he do?
None of them were in the right mindset to shift into wolf form, it was only ever easy to do that on the full moon. They could summon their claws and fangs, but that was nothing against the hunters’ bow and arrows, nothing when there were dozens of hunters and only seven of them. And someone needed to be with Changbin, someone needed to be there to stop him bleeding out.
Tears came to Chan’s eyes at the very thought of losing a packmate. They could lose absolutely everything if they had to, but they couldn’t lose each other.
The horrific thought sent an extra burst of adrenalin hurtling through Chan. He kicked into a faster run, dragging Jisung along with an extra strength and encouraging the pack members in front of them to do the same.
They were going to survive. They had to survive.
Chan was never, ever going to let anything happen to his pack.
But the rain only fell harder, the footsteps got closer and a deep pain exploded like a bomb in Chan’s chest when suddenly hunter shouts suddenly started ringing out from in front of them.
Chan’s stomach dropped.
There were more hunters. Even more of them. A whole horde chasing them from behind and another gang of them now waiting from the front.
Where the hell had they come from?
Chan skidded to a stop, only Jisung’s hands clinging to his keeping him upright. Rain pounded painfully against his skin, breaths rattling through his body and pumping his chest.
There was nowhere to run. They were trapped.
“No!” Chan yelled, angry and desperate and scorching, “No, keep away!”
His voice shredded at the seams, unnaturally deep and demonic as his wolf side took over. His fingers boiled as his claws lengthened, his mouth open with his fangs sparkling. Chan was going to fight tooth and nail for his pack.
They all did the same around him, hunters drawing in as the wolves readied themselves for a battle they were barely prepared to win. They may have been outnumbered and outmuscled, but no one was as angry and determined as they were.
They would do anything, anything, to protect one another.
For a brief moment, Chan registered just how proud he was of the boys around him.
But there wasn’t time for any more feelings, not when an arrow ripped its way through the air. Chan growled a deep feral growl, body vibrating with fury as he pounced. The rain lashed against him, the hunter calls ringing in his ears, his humanity forgotten as he launched into the fight.
However, Chan hadn’t counted on one last saviour throwing their way into the ring.
Out the corner of his eye, Chan saw a sudden door open in one of the trees. The door was decorated just like tree bark, clearly designed like camouflage to keep the place hidden, but all was revealed as the door flew open to reveal a witch standing on the other side.
The wind and rain immediately surrounded the witch, making them look almost majestic as their hair flew and clothes billowed and the light behind them silhouetted their lightning figure.
But nothing, absolutely nothing, could overshadow the witch’s face as pure rage echoed over their features. Their eyes glowed menacingly; a powerful silver so blinding that it sent a ripple of magic curling all through the forest.
Chan flinched, the magic painful and scratching against his skin, but the pain was secondary to the way the hunters all suddenly dropped like puppets who’d had their strings cut. Their bodies hit the ground, being buried under the rain and deathly still as Chan’s mouth dropped open.
He turned back to the witch, staring in awe at the pure power of the magic staring back.
Over the sound of the wind and rain, came the shout.
“Get in!” the witch yelled, voice so deep that Chan’s wolf-ears curled, “The spell won’t keep them down for long!”
The words took a second to register, but when they did Chan was sprinting again, this time towards the witch’s tree with the rest of the pack. He grabbed Jeongin and Jisung along the way, pulling them with him as they all dashed to shelter.
Minho and Hyunjin made it to the door first, still cradling a half-conscious Changbin between them as the witch moved out the way. Seungmin slipped in after them, Chan pushing Jisung and Jeongin in before following.
A blast of warmth hit them the moment they entered the witch’s house, the door slamming closed behind them without them even having to touch it. Chan knew the hunters wouldn’t be able to see it once they woke up, the door too meticulously camouflaged.
But there wasn’t time to admire it, not when Changbin let out a deep pained groan and the entire pack tensed, blood soaking almost all of Changbin’s side.
“He’s hurt!” Hyunjin crying out, barely holding Changbin upright as he shot desperate eyes at the witch.
“Follow me!” the witch said, quickly turning and darting down a corridor.
The pack followed, barely giving a second thought to the way they were all wet and dripping water everywhere as they scurried together.
The witch’s house was small but clearly well-cared for, all wood-panelled walls and plants growing everywhere and bookshelves in every available space. They bundled into a small wooden kitchen, the witch waving his hand and sending everything on the dining table flying off.
“Lay him down!” the witch yelled, red cloak billowing as he bustled across the room and grabbed a book along the way, slamming open a cupboard and pulling out a rusty red box.
Chan rounded the table to help Minho and Hyunjin lay Changbin down on the table, Changbin groaning and shaking as they aggravated his injured shoulder trying to get him comfortable.
“It’s okay, Binnie,” Chan said softly, trying to keep his hands steady as he stroked them over the back of Changbin’s neck, “You’re going to be okay.”
Changbin didn’t respond to the words, but Chan could tell he’d heard them by the way he relaxed against the table, face still pale and scrunched in pain but Chan and Minho’s hands still holding his shoulders.
However, Chan found himself getting pushed away by the witch suddenly shoving his way to Changbin’s side, dropping a bunch of supplies on the table before he leaned down and suddenly ripped Changbin’s shirt straight down the side.
“Hey!” Chan yelled before he could stop himself, “Be careful!”
The witch didn’t even flinch, just got to work on opening a potion seal with his teeth and using his free hand to throw what looked like disinfectant at Chan.
“Use this to clean the wound,” the witch said, staring at Chan and practically daring him to challenge the instructions, “It’s enchanted, it’ll stop any kind of infection setting in, then I can start the healing process.”
Chan was quick to rip open the disinfectant, Seungmin materialising at his side to help as they started soaking some small towels the witch had thrown at them. Minho reached across to cup Changbin’s face, gently encouraging him to stay still so Chan and Seungmin could work.
The towel was positioned just above Changbin’s shoulder when Chan froze, a thought flickering into his brain and starting to drill into his skull.
“How do I know I can trust you?” Chan looked up, looking straight at the witch, “How do I know this won’t hurt him?”
The witch just scowled, their face sharpening and lips curling and eyes coming together menacingly.
“What possible reason do I have to hurt you?” the witch merely said, deep voice rumbling in a way that almost scared Chan, “If I really wanted to hurt a load of strangers like you, I would have just left you out there to the hunters. I wouldn’t go to the trouble of potentially revealing my home and letting a load of wet dogs in to ruin my floors.”
The words took a second to register, but when they did the entire room let out offended gasps. Chan was suddenly feeling a lot more attacked than genuinely worried. But he knew he had no real place to argue. He was a soaking wet wolf dripping water all over the witch’s floors.
“Alright,” Chan merely shrugged, gesturing at his pack to settle around him as he started tending to Changbin’s shoulder. The pack relaxed in turn, all eyes piercing determinedly to Changbin’s shaking form with several hands touching him one way or another.
The witch went back to their work, injecting potions into syringes and holding various medicine bottles between their teeth. Chan tried to keep an eye on what was being used, recognising some of the magic names scribble along the signs but not being able to read it all, the language too advanced for him.
It may have been hard for Chan to admit, but the witch obviously knew his stuff. It was also kind of reassuring to know that Changbin was in good hands.
It was less than a minute later before the witch was somewhat gently pushing Chan aside to take his own place beside Changbin. Chan wasn’t exactly happy having more distance put in between him and his injured packmate, but he bit down his protest at the sight of the witch’s statue-steady hands starting to prepare to stitch up Changbin’s shoulder.
“Okay,” the witch said, voice strong and accent thick as he cast a quick glance to the way Changbin was staring at him through almost determined half-mast eyes, “This isn’t going to feel very nice, but I promise it’ll be over soon. You’re going to be okay.”
Chan didn’t know how, but the words seemed to reverberate through the entire pack, calming the entire room with the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, they’d escaped the danger for the night.
The feeling only became stronger when the witch got to work, shiny eyes narrowed into slits as he focused and his top teeth gnawing against his lips. Chan watched his small hands whilst he worked, almost enchanted by the way the witch clearly had a very strong connection to his magic, even more so to the way it worked and healed.
Changbin was soon relaxing against the table, his head lulling and eyes slipping closed. His breaths evened out, his shoulder no longer bleeding. The pack leaned in closer to him, flopping against the edges of the table and slouching against one another, the adrenalin of the night finally wearing off.
It wasn’t until Changbin fell asleep that Chan realised just how exhausted he was.
They’d spent the night running and fighting, growling at hunters and protecting one another and praying over and over that they’d be okay. They needed a rest, but they were soaking wet in the kitchen of a stranger’s home with one of them injured on the table and no real idea where they were supposed to go now.
The witch seemed to catch on, his shoulders untensing and face softening as he carefully adjusted Changbin’s neck, raking his eyes over them all as he did so.
It was then that Chan noticed just how gentle the witch looked, how soft his eyes were, how tender his features were when he wasn’t hyper-focused on healing a wolf that had just been dragged bleeding and panicked into his home.
The witch really should have been scared of the wolf pack in his home, but Chan doubted any of them looked threatening with their wet hair and scared eyes and heads rested on each other’s shoulders.
The room was quiet as the witch carefully finished and put away his supplies, tidying the kitchen as he went and humming a tune that seemed to make the air in the room warm just a little bit more.
Chan almost lost himself to it, feeling Jeongin’s hand slip into his own as the both slumped forward against the table, close enough to hear Changbin’s breaths. They didn’t even realise the witch had left the room until he was shuffling his way back in carrying a whole stack of soft, multi-coloured towels.
“Hey,” the witch said as he approached them, his smile a tad sheepish as he adjusted the towels in his arms, “I don’t know if this is the appropriate time for introductions, but, um, I’m Felix.”
Chan needed a moment to register the words, but he couldn’t help but smile when he did. He pushed himself up to walk towards Felix, stopping a foot away from him. The witch seemed a lot softer and a lot calmer now that he didn’t have a stranger threatening to bleed out on his kitchen table.
“I’m Chan,” Chan smiled at Felix, giving him a bow and gesturing behind himself, “This is my wolf pack.”
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Felix’s smile brightened, eyes glittering slightly, “I brought you some towels.”
Chan’s heart warmed as Felix held the towels out to him, taking them carefully and unable to help noticing the way a faint blush dusted over Felix’s cheeks.
“The bathroom is down the corridor and there should be enough hot water for all of you to shower,” Felix carried on, somewhat shyly, “I have a spare room that some of you should be able to fit into, but you’ll have to give me a little time to change the sheets on my bed so some more of you can sleep there. And a couple of you may have to sleep on the sofa, I’m sorry I-”
“Felix,” Chan couldn’t help but cut in to the rambling, Felix jumping at the interruption and looking at him with wide eyes, “Please don’t apologise. We should be apologising to you. You’re doing more than enough.”
“And you don’t have to give up your bed for us,” Minho was quick to join in, giving Felix one of his rare soft smiles, “You should be using that.”
“It’s okay,” Felix said, rubbing the back of his neck, “You guys need it more than I do and I’m well-rested enough, I can nap anywhere. I promise I don’t mind.”
“Well, we’re very grateful,” Chan said, knowing his pack would all be nodding behind him, “For saving our packmate, and for providing us shelter.”
“It’d be wrong of me to ever leave another creature to the mercy of hunters,” Felix said, his face tightening ever so slightly on the words, Chan felt something stir in his chest, “You’re completely welcome here. I don’t really have enough clothes for you all to change into after you shower, but I can wash the ones you’re wearing if you have some to wear to bed in those bags of yours.”
At that, Felix gestured to the few backpacks that the pack had thrown on the floor in their haste to run into Felix’s home, the few bare essentials they’d managed to grab before their den had been destroyed forever.
A small lump started to form in Chan’s throat, a tiny spike of pain creating a prickle in his chest. It had been a hard night, but they were okay now. Felix’s home wasn’t their home, but it was a home all the same.
“We’ll be okay, Felix,” Chan smiled at him, bowing as far down as he could get, “Thank you for your kindness.”
“Stop thanking me and start getting showered,” Felix shook his head with a smile, “And get some rest. Make your sure injured packmate is comfortable in bed, we don’t want him or anyone else getting sick.”
Chan, unused to being ordered around, couldn’t help but giggle a little at that. Felix may have seemed soft, but he was mighty, and the little magic he’d managed to see of his was clearly very advanced. Chan didn’t want him or his wolfpack on the wrong side of such a powerful witch.
“Will do,” Chan nodded, his wet hair bobbing around his forehead as he did so.
With that, Chan turned around and gestured to his pack, not needing words to communicate what they needed to do next. As expected, the pack responded instantly. Minho and Hyunjin were already helping Changbin off the table and starting to carry him to bed, followed by the rest of the pack who carried the bags and started to plan the shower order. Chan was pleasantly surprised when he followed them and found that a mop was moving of its own accord and already cleaning up the rain-water that they’d draped in all over the hallway.
It was all smooth sailing from then. Changbin was put to rest and heal whilst the rest of the pack washed and crawled into various beds together, squeezing into the spare room and Felix’s bed whilst the maknaes squashed together on the sofa.
Chan rested his head against his pillow with a warm feeling in his chest. The loss of his home still hurt and he had no idea what was in store for them all next, but he fell asleep knowing that his pack was safe and warm for the night. And they had a gorgeous little witch clattering around the house and using magic to wash their clothes and humming to himself as he kept them all safe.
Curiosity swirled through Chan’s mind as he finally nodded off, almost unable to wait to wake up in the morning and finally get to know more about the new face that had crashed in and saved them all.
~
Changbin blinked into the waking world with a groan.
His side was throbbing slightly, his vision blurry and eyelids feeling just a little too heavy. Changbin tried to shake it off, sitting up with a whine and rubbing a palm over his forehead, trying to force himself into coherency.
Changbin didn’t remember much from the night before, just the flashes of fear and a sharp agony in his shoulder and his pack all wet and scared around him. Chan would have gotten them to safety, Changbin was sure of it, but he needed to see it for himself.
He sat up in bed, furrowing his brow at the fact that he was even in a bed in the first place. It was soft, ridiculously soft, with an endless number of pillows and blankets, but Changbin only had to move one cushion to find Chan curled up in the bed next to him, and Jisung snuggled in behind Chan.
A smile flittered over Changbin’s face, his eyes managing to tear off his packmates to rake over the room. It was small but well-decorated, wooden walls with flowers intertwined in the bark and an unnecessary number of bookcases.
Changbin hummed to himself. His pack must have found some nice shelter.
Thinking of which, Changbin decided it was probably best to see if the rest of them were lying around anywhere. He quietly swung his legs over the bed, almost squeaking in surprise at how easy the movement was.
Changbin scrambled to pull his shirt off his shoulder, expecting to find a thick bandage covered in blood and scars that Changbin wouldn’t lose for a long, long time.
But instead there were just a few faint pink lines curled over the clean skin, no trace of pain left behind in the shoulder that had been bleeding copiously only hours before.
Changbin furrowed a very confused brow, turning to look at Chan.
“What the hell did you lot get into last night?” he whispered, unsurprised when Chan remained dead to the world. He’d obviously had a very long exhausting night.
So Changbin was quiet as he stood, carefully changing into the pile of clean clothes he found by the bed. He recognised Jeongin’s sweatpants, but not the t-shirt that he pulled over his head, bunching a little too tightly at Changbin’s shoulders. The real owner of the clothing was obviously built a little smaller than Changbin.
Curiosity finally got the better of him as Changbin slipped out the room, bare feet cold against the wooden floor. The hallway he found himself in was light, witchy symbols carved into the walls, Changbin came to a realisation as he traced a slight fingertip over one of them.
“Witches,” Changbin whispered to himself, “My pack managed to find witch’s home.”
Changbin could only smile and shake his head. Trust his pack to find a friend in a stormy forest whilst running away from hunters.
Changbin realised that it would also explain his shoulder. He knew that some witches were known to have developed extremely strong healing powers. Changbin was obviously luckily enough to have found himself in some very capable hands last night.
A small spark of gratefulness curled in Changbin’s chest, a familiar warm feeling at having his pack nearby to him, safe and healthy even after all that had happened. Changbin would have never forgiven himself if he’d woken up to find that more of them had been hurt.
Thankfully, Changbin could feel through their bond that they were all okay and sleeping, no doubt spread out in the small little witch house that they’d found shelter in.
Changbin only waited a moment before he carried on creeping down the corridor, not exactly sure what he was looking for. Whilst his pack was asleep, he doubted that the owner of the house was, so they had to be around somewhere.
Changbin soon found himself stepping into what had to be the kitchen, gulping slightly at the large table he remembered being laid down on the night before. The blood had been scrubbed off the surface, the entire kitchen clean and sparkling like nothing had happened. There was a giant tub of clothes in the corner of the room, warm water stirring itself and bubbles popping and fizzing in the air. Changbin smiled slightly, recognising some of his pack’s clothes in the mix. The witch was obviously washing them.
But Changbin was soon distracted by a gentle breeze floating through the kitchen, his head turning to see a small door propped open at the other end of the room. It must have been a back door or something, since Changbin could distinctly remember not entering through that side of the house the night before.
Changbin used his wolf instincts to keep himself quiet as he crept towards the door, wondering what he’d find on the other side. He carefully poked his head round the doorway, smiling at the sight that greeted him.
The back door opened out into a small garden, just a little fenced-off section of the forest. There was a neat flower bed covered in a bright array of a light blue flowers, right next to a vegetable patch and then what looked like a herb garden.
A small bird bath stood propped in the corner, bird feeders hung all along the fence. Trees overlooked the space, many squirrels gathered on the reaching branches and chattering over the garden. A few bunnies stood nibbling at the fence, soft and gentle and clearly trusting of the owner of the garden.
The sight had Changbin’s heart squeezing in his chest, his wolf side preening pleasantly inside him. Seeing someone with such a nicely tended garden, with such a clear love for the animals that visited, it was nice. It made Changbin’s wolf happy.
But nothing was more intriguing than the witch himself.
The witch hadn’t spotted Changbin yet. He was on his knees in front of the flower bed, pulling weeds and talking quietly to what looked like two pixies perched on each of his shoulders. There was a big red sunhat on his head, a red shawl draped over his shoulders. His silver hair reached halfway down his back, his face not visible with the angle he was sitting, but Changbin could hear his voice. It was deep. Really deep. Clearly very capable of chanting powerful spells.
Changbin was so focused on it that he completely missed the witch turning around, only snapping out his daze when suddenly there was an exclamation ringing out in front of him.
“Oh!” the witch jumped back, the basket in their arms jolting slightly, face soft and eyes widening at the sight of Changbin stood in the doorway, “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“No, I’m sorry!” Changbin was quick to say, waving his hands, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay,” the witch smiled, Changbin’s heart clenching in his chest when suddenly the witch’s smile dropped, realisation dawning on his face, “Wait a minute, you’re the injured one! You shouldn’t be up!”
With that, Changbin barely had a second to process it before suddenly the witch was in front of him and pushing Changbin back into the house. The witch wasn’t strong, but Changbin was too surprised to stop himself from being tugged over to a chair and shoved down to sit. He blinked to himself, watching in slight shock as the witch threw his basket and hat on the table before coming to stand over Changbin.
He carefully reached a hand to hover over Changbin’s shoulder, “May I?”
Changbin took a moment to process the question, but then he was nodding, shifting his neck to give the witch better access “Of course.”
The witch just hummed at that, gentle fingers pulling Changbin’s shirt away to reveal Changbin’s almost completely healed shoulder.
“You did a really good job,” Changbin couldn’t help but say as the witch started poking at his skin, “I was really surprised when I woke up to see my shoulder so healed.”
“I could have done better,” the witch said almost disapprovingly, looking at Changbin with what looked like an apology in his eyes, “I was rushing and panicked a little bit. I wasn’t exactly expecting a wolf pack to show up at my house last night.”
“And that’s completely understandable,” Changbin was quick to say, making sure to catch and hold the witch’s eyes, “Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. You did such an incredible job. And I’m sure the others already said this, but thank you so much for letting us all sleep here.”
“You’re right, your pack did already say that,” the witch tucked Changbin’s shirt back into place with a smile, “And I’ve already told them not to thank me. I’m just glad you’re safe… um…”
The witch trailed off, unsure eyes meeting Changbin’s before they flickered away, obviously a little too shy to ask what the witch wanted.
“Changbin,” Changbin was quick to supply, “I’m Changbin, but you’ll probably hear the pack call me Binnie.”
“It’s nice to meet you Changbin,” the witch smiled, “I’m Felix.”
“Felix,” Changbin couldn’t help but say, “Cute.”
At the compliment, Felix’s face immediately dusted a light pink, the freckles on his cheeks glittering brightly and his silver eyes sparkling in shyness. Changbin had to actively hold back the urge to coo, not used to seeing soft colours in other people, too used to the brutalness of his pack. But that didn’t mean Changbin didn’t love his pack; they all their ways of showing their softness and love, they were all perfect in Changbin’s eyes.
Felix was just… different.
Neither of them said anything as Felix started to tidy up the kitchen, putting away his herbs and arranging a new vase of blue flowers on the window sill. He hummed as he went, the two pixies who’d been flying around the garden coming back to settle on Felix’s shoulders again.
“Would you like breakfast, Changbin-ssi?” Felix eventually said, already reaching in the fridge to pull out some ingredients, “I make some incredible pancakes.”
“You really don’t have to do that, Felix, you’ve done enough,” Changbin tried to stand up, a surprised noise leaving his lips when Felix turned and pointed a finger at him, Changbin feeling an invisible hand shoving him back into his chair, “Hey!”
“I’m not letting you cook with your shoulder still in its healing process,” Felix merely shrugged, grabbing a pan from the cupboard above the stove, “And, whilst I may be stupid enough to let a load of strangers sleep in my bed, I am absolutely not letting strangers near my kitchen until you’ve proved yourselves capable of not destroying it.”
“Yeah, that may be a problem with some of the pack,” Changbin couldn’t help but grin, “They’re known to be quite destructive.”
“And I also have terrible organisation, a load of my kitchen ingredients are kept near my spell ingredients and it’s probably best you don’t start getting those mixed up,” Felix said, lighting the pan on the stove with a mere wave of his hands and a spark from his gloved fingertips.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the pack got them mixed up anyway,” Changbin said, shaking his head, “Maybe it’s best you do keep us out the kitchen.”
A small giggle left Felix’s gift at the words, Changbin’s heart squeezing, “I’ll bear that in mind, Changbin-ssi.”
“Please call me hyung,” Changbin said, smiling back when Felix turned to smile at him.
A few moments of silence passed between them, broken only the sizzling of Felix’s pan and the chattering of the two tiny pixies on his shoulders. Changbin merely watched as Felix puttered around the kitchen, small hands clearly skilled and adept at magic with his big eyes glowing silver and his lips humming a gentle tune.
However, Changbin knew it wouldn’t take long for the peace to be disturbed. The smell of food had always been enough to rouse his pack from sleep and it was only a matter of time before footsteps were pattering their way to the kitchen.
Felix’s back was turned when Jeongin and Hyunjin’s heads poked around the door, Changbin winking at them with a knowing smile.
“Hyung!” Hyunjin squealed, voice too high for how early it was in the morning, making Felix jump and whip around from his cooking with a clatter.
Changbin barely had time to process it before he suddenly had a lapful of Hyunjin, long noodle arms looping around his neck and a face burying itself in Changbin’s uninjured shoulder.
“Hyung, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Hyunjin hummed into Changbin’s shirt, “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m sorry, Hyunjinnie,” Changbin rubbed strong hands up Hyunjin’s back, nuzzling into his neck and enjoying his little wolf scent, “Hyung’s okay, I promise.”
“You better not pull a stunt like that ever again,” Jeongin joined in, all traces of maknae leaving him momentarily as he stared Changbin down, taking a seat next to them, “You scared me, hyung.”
“Hyung will always be here, Innie,” Changbin smiled gently at him, leaning over to squeeze the hand he’d placed on the table, “Don’t you worry about me.”
“Something tells me that you guys will always be worrying about each other,” came Felix’s voice, all the wolves turning to look at him as he raised an amused eyebrow at them, “It’s cute.”
Changbin could only pretend to scoff as Felix went back to his cooking, “We are not cute.”
“Maybe not at first glance,” Felix admitted, “But once you get past the glowing eyes and the fangs and the overprotectiveness, you guys are all huge softies. It’s taken me less than a night to figure that out.”
“This is why no one likes witches,” Jeongin muttered, staring down at the table with his arms crossed, “You’re all too smart.”
Felix just laughed at that, the two pixies on his shoulders chittering with amusement as he shook his head. Changbin could only watch fondly, very much intrigued by the witch who definitely did seem too smart for his own good, but not in a way Changbin was threatened by.
It wasn’t often Changbin wasn’t threatened by a new person. Changbin was a softie on the inside, but extremely solid on the outside. He didn’t trust easily and he certainly didn’t like to let his guard down when the pack was nearby. But there was just something about Felix… something in his sweet silver eyes that made Changbin feel like he had no reason to be afraid.
Felix may have had some ulterior motive to saving them all and giving them shelter for the night, but Changbin doubted it. Creatures with ulterior motives didn’t feed birds in their garden and make pancakes in the morning and have little pixie friends that followed them everywhere. Felix did seem like a genuinely kind forest witch.
Of all the many places the pack could have ended up last night, Changbin was very glad it happened to be Felix’s little home.
The thought was only reinforced more when Chan came hurrying into the kitchen, face panicked and eyes wide until he caught sight of Changbin, his tense posture relaxing on the spot at the sight of his now uninjured packmate.
“Come sit, hyung,” Changbin patted the chair beside him, “I’m okay. There’s no need for a leader freak-out.”
“You guys always give me reasons for a leader freak-out,” Chan mumbled, but sat down as he was told, “I’m glad to see you awake.”
Changbin was about to respond, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by the fact that the meal Felix was making seemed to get bigger every time a new pack member made their way into the room. Felix was making breakfast for all of them, he was feeding an entire wolf pack.
Felix finished cooking just as the final pack members shuffled their way into the kitchen, sitting on laps and kitchen counters as Felix didn’t quite have chairs for all of them. But none of them complained when Felix started handing out plates of pancakes for them all, a shy smile and a faint blush on his face as they thanked him profusely.
It was clear that Felix wasn’t used to so much attention, too bashful and flustered every time one of the pack addressed him. It made Changbin wonder; Felix was obviously educated in hosting and was used to lots of company as the hospitality he’d offered them was nothing short of perfect, but why was Felix still so shy as he did it? Why was he living alone?
Witches, much like wolves, were social pack creatures. They usually came in huge covens, loving and needing of each other’s company. Unfortunately, hunters had ensured that covens were a rare thing nowadays, but a few of them had still found a way to survive. Where was Felix’s coven? Why was a social creature like him living all alone so deep into the forest?
The only real company Felix seemed to have were the two pixies who seemed to follow him everywhere, but surely that wasn’t enough for him, surely a beautiful kind creature like him was loved more than that.
Felix hopped up on a counter to eat his own breakfast, the two pixies instantly flying to perch on the end of his plate, tiny hands reaching out to break off all pieces of his food to nibble on. Felix let them, smiling as he whispered some kind of witchy language at them that made them giggle and preen.
The two pixies couldn’t have been bigger than eight inches tall, one of them a glowing bright green with dragonfly wings and a little mushroom-top on their head. The other was gold with butterfly wings and long flowing plaits floating around their neck. They were clearly comfortable with Felix, which was very unusual considering how pixies were notorious for being untrusting and choosing to stick to themselves.
Eventually, the curiosity got too much for Changbin. He cleared his throat, opening his mouth when all eyes turned to him.
“Who are your friends?” Changbin said, keeping his voice casual as he gestured his chopsticks at the two pixies still perched on Felix’s plate.
“Oh,” Felix made a small noise of surprise, looking down at the pixies, “How rude of me.”
Felix quickly put the plate down, holding his hands out and letting the pixies jump onto his fingers as he held them up for the group to see.
“This is Pip,” Felix said with a bright smile, holding up the green pixie, “And this is Kitt,” Felix held up the gold one, “They live in the forest, but they like to visit me a lot. They may not like you at first, but they’re like that with everyone so don’t take it personally.”
Just as Felix had said, both Kitt and Pip looked positively disgusted as they raked their tiny piercing eyes over the wolf pack, but the wolves took it in their stead, smiling amusedly.
“It’s lovely to meet you Kitt and Pip,” Chan said good-naturedly, Jisung and Jeongin bursting into laughter when both the pixies made a show of scoffing loudly. Felix was quick to flick them off his hands, shaking his head as he scolded them playfully and they took flight into the air, circling the room.
“Sorry about them,” Felix said with a shrug, “You know the drill. Some forest creatures are trusting, some take a little more time.”
“That’s okay,” Minho said, “Wolves are the same.”
“But it’s safe to say that we definitely trust you, Felix,” Chan said, the whole pack quickly nodding along as Felix quickly ducked his gaze with a surprised noise, his hair covering his face, “We seriously can’t thank you enough for your care and shelter last night. We promise that we’ll get out your way and stop causing you trouble as soon as possible.”
“You’re not causing trouble,” Felix looked up with a small shake of his head, “I’d feel a lot better knowing you were safe here and not in danger. You’re saving my own peace of mind by being here, I promise.”
The words filled the room with warmth, Felix’s eyes glowing passionately as he shyly raked them over them all. Changbin’s heart squeezed, something that felt a lot like hope forming a little flower bud in his chest.
“Of course, I understand that you guys have your own home and your own pack, so you’ll obviously want to leave eventually,” Felix carried on, “But please don’t feel like you have to get out of here today or leave sooner than you’re ready. You guys went through something horrible last night, you should give yourself time for rest and recovery so that you can form a proper plan about what happens next for you. In the meantime, we’ll all be able to manage here as long as it takes you to get back on your feet.”
It was so soft, the way Felix spoke. But it was also powerful. Warm. Trustworthy.
Changbin felt Hyunjin shift a little on his lap, the entire pack smiling and calm and serene. They’d spent the night thinking they wouldn’t know kindness again for a long time… how wrong they had been.
“Thank you so much, Felix,” Seungmin was the first of them who managed to speak, his face warm and thankful in a rare display of vulnerability.
“But I hope you know,” Minho cut in before Felix could answer with some more nonsense about how he didn’t deserve to be thanked, “Just because we may stay here, we are not taking your bed again. That’s yours and you deserve to get your rest in it. We can all manage by squeezing up a little more.”
Changbin raised an eyebrow at the declaration, unaware that one of the beds that the pack had slept in last night had been Felix’s. Changbin looked to the witch again, wondering just how much kindness was kept inside the little magic body.
“I guess I can accept that,” Felix grinned a small grin, looking at Minho through his silver bangs, “But I may have a solution anyway, so you won’t all have to squeeze up unless you want to.”
“Oh?” Jeongin was the one who spoke up to no one’s surprise, he’d always been the one of them most insistent on having his own bed and his own space, “What solution?”
“Last night’s healing drained my magic quite a bit,” Felix gestured his head slightly at Changbin, “But I’ve got a lot of it back now, so, after a quick nap, I’ll have enough to be able to magic up a couple of extra rooms in the house.”
“You can do that?!” Jisung exclaimed in surprise, mirroring all their thoughts as several of them grinned with excitement.
“Of course, I can,” Felix grinned back, seemingly less shy now that the topic of his magic had been brought up, “They won’t be very big or fancy rooms or anything, but magic is capable of a lot when you put your mind to it.”
“Easy for you to say,” Minho mumbled, but Changbin ignored it, too focused on the mysterious Felix and all that he was capable of.
But Felix’s magic wasn’t all that Changbin was curious about. How did such a charming witch like Felix end up living alone? Was he really alone? How much about him was there to learn?
Changbin knew the conversation meant he had a window of opportunity to ask some questions, he was just very wary of accidentally stepping on the wrong side of someone who was offering a lot of kindness to him and his pack. Or, even worse, to accidentally hurt someone who’d been working very hard to take all of Changbin’s and the pack’s pain.
But Changbin had always been too curious for his own good, unable to hold back a question that he desperately wanted an answer to.
“Will we be disturbing anyone?” Changbin practically blurted, all heads turning to him and Felix’s eyes widening slightly as Changbin swallowed before carrying on, calmer this time, “I mean, does anyone else live here? What about… what about your coven, Felix?”
The effect of the words was instant. Felix tried to hide it, but his shoulders instantly tensed, just a tiny little bit but enough for Changbin to see. The rest of the pack seemed to catch on too, an uncomfortable quiet settling over the room.
“You won’t need to worry about that,” Felix managed to get the words out, his eyes falling to his lap, “There’s no… there’s no coven here.”
As Felix spoke, an undeniable flicker of something slithered over his face. If Changbin didn’t know any better, he’d say it was pain. A sudden dullness to Felix’s bright eyes. A tightening of his features that spoke of agony and grief and upset.
Changbin instantly understood that he’d crossed a boundary, so he was quick to move himself back over it, not wanting to cause any more pain to someone’s hurt face that clearly hid a story they weren’t ready to share yet.
“No matter then,” Changbin smiled like nothing was wrong, patting Hyunjin’s waist once before they were both shooting out of the chair they’d been sharing, “Hyunjin and I will wash up.”
Hyunjin instantly started whining at the declaration, but he was already reaching out to grab his and Changbin’s plates. Changbin stacked up the rest, Felix already hopping off the counter to try and stop them.
“No, please, you don’t need to do that,” Felix fussed, gloved hands reaching out to try and stop Changbin.
But Changbin just grabbed one of Felix’s hands, squeezing it gently as Felix’s eyes darted upwards to meet his.
“I know you don’t want strangers cooking in your kitchen, but you can at least let us clean,” Changbin smiled gently at Felix, “It’s the least we can do.”
Felix looked ready to object, but he must have been more tired than he was letting on because he nodded a second later. Changbin stepped away as Chan stepped in, one of his strong arms wrapping over Felix’s shoulder and pulling him down into a kitchen chair.
“You should probably get used to having some help if we’re going to be staying with you,” Chan said, squeezing Felix’s shoulder, “I promise you that we’re more stubborn than we look. We won’t stand for you doing all the work.”
“Oh, you definitely look stubborn,” Felix raised an eyebrow, making Seungmin and Minho snort, “But that… that sounds good. You’re staying.”
“Yeah,” Jeongin smiled, reaching across the table to take Felix’s hand, “Staying.”
And as the breakfast table descended back into chirpy conversation, Kitt and Pip circling the air and sprinkling pixie dust all over Felix’s already glittery cheeks, Changbin realised he was very very glad that his pack had found Felix last night.
They couldn’t have ended up in a better place.
~
Jisung had always had a strong place in the pack, and that place wasn’t much of a frontrunner.
The pack often forgot that Jisung was actually a lot shyer than he was in front of them. He struggled with new people, he took time to be comfortable, his talents and light and bubbliness weren’t immediate gifts, but ones that had to be earnt by people worming their way into his heart and earning his trust.
So, when the pack had arrived at Felix’s, Jisung was pretty content to let Chan and Minho to do all the talking as they usually did. Seungmin pitched in with an occasional opinion and Changbin didn’t even bother trying to shy from the new environment and Hyunjin and Jeongin had their usual level of drama and sarcasm to add from their end of the conversation.
But Jisung… Jisung was more content to sit back and observe. He didn’t really enjoy getting to know new people in group situations, so when the pack unanimously decided that they would be staying at Felix’s for a bit, Jisung got used to the idea that it might take him a little longer than everyone else to properly introduce himself to the witch who had opened his home to them.
However, Jisung had forgotten that witches were not only social creatures, but they were also unpredictable ones. They worked in the most mysterious of ways. And they had a very common tendency to surprise.
Jisung was in the little garden when it happened. He’d taken a liking to the rabbits there, the way they hopped alongside the fence and stuck their little mouths into the gaps for food. Unfortunately, Jisung didn’t have any food for them and he was wary of ransacking through Felix’s kitchen for some, so whenever Jisung reached out to pet a rabbit with his empty hands, they always darted away when they realised he had nothing to share.
But Jisung was nothing if not annoyingly determined. He was going to pet a rabbit.
Jisung had just been rejected by his third rabbit in a row when he jumped at the sound of a deep voice ringing out from behind him.
“They’re too greedy for that, you know?” Felix was leant against the door to the garden, amused eyes watching Jisung, “The rabbits will only entertain you if you give them something first.”
Jisung couldn’t help but find himself ducking his head, a shy smile pulling at his lips as Felix continued to stare at him sprawled on his butt by the garden fence.
“Sorry,” Jisung said after a moment, “I didn’t think you’d mind me coming out here.”
Felix’s face instantly changed, his amusement changing to worry and his feet quickly scurrying himself over to where Jisung was.
“I don’t mind at all,” Felix plopped down next to him, offering Jisung a tentative smile, “I actually came to give you this.”
With that, Felix reached into the pocket of his flowy red cardigan, pulling out a clear bag of what Jisung could only assume was rabbit food.
A giggle escaped Jisung’s lips before he could stop it, his cheeks pink as he reached out to take the bag from Felix’s gloved hand, his chest warming
“Thank you,” Jisung said, still somewhat shyly, looking up the meet Felix’s silver gleaming eyes. There was a pleased tint to them now, a hint of warmth that instantly made Jisung feel more at ease.
Jisung was hit with the thought that this was probably one of the first conversations that Felix was having one-on-one with one of the packmates. The pack’s arrival had meant a flurry of planning and cleaning and organising that the pack had been so hesitant to leave each other for that poor Felix had been forced to take them all on as a horde or have to ignore them all completely.
A small seed of sympathy planted into Jisung’s chest, his heart squeezing with just how accommodating Felix had been to them all. After all that had happened, Felix was under absolutely no obligation to bring rabbit food to Jisung, but he still did.
Felix still barely knew Jisung, he barely knew any of them, but he was clearly brave enough not to let that get in his way.
“These rabbits have been coming to me for a long time,” Felix said after a few moments, his eyes watching as Jisung carefully untied the bag of rabbit food, “I think the smell of the vegetable garden is what first tempted them, but now they stay because I feed them.”
Almost as if on cue, a little rabbit hopped to the fence as Felix spoke, poking its little face into the garden with a twitch of its whiskers.
Jisung couldn’t help but smile, barely containing his excitement as he reached forward with some food in his palm. The rabbit sniffed him for a few moments, seemingly content with what they found when they were quick to burrow their mouth into Jisung’s hand and start munching.
“They like you,” Felix said, a hint of joy in his voice as he brought a small finger forward to stroke over the rabbit’s head, “They trust you.”
“That’s rare,” Jisung couldn’t help but say, giving Felix a quick glance, “Most animals don’t seem to trust wolves. I think our scent is a bit threatening, especially when we shift, or when the claws and fangs come out.”
“Animals only appear threatening when they want to,” Felix said, his voice a thoughtful hum as he looked at Jisung, “When you don’t need to be, your wolf pack isn’t threatening at all. You’re friendly and trusting and the rabbit can smell that on you. That’s why they trust you.”
At the words, Jisung couldn’t help but feel a small flush of surprise, his cheeks warming and fingers curling pleasantly. The pack was so used to being judged, to being feared, to being avoided and ran away from because they were a pack of predators.
But all it took was someone like Felix to come along. Someone who didn’t judge them. Someone who saw all the ways they protected themselves but then also saw their true selves under all that. Felix’s endless witchy eyes saw them for them and no one else. This was Jisung’s first time with Felix, and he didn’t feel anxious or fidgety at all.
Felix was just… safe.
“I know you’re probably tired of us all saying this,” Jisung said, smiling softly at Felix, “But thank you for all of this, Felix. Thank you for the kindness you’ve given us.”
“You’re right,” Felix grinned at him, “I am tired of you saying it.”
Jisung could only laugh at that, working up the courage to bring a hand up and smack it playfully into Felix’s shoulder. Felix responded by bringing up a finger, staring Jisung right in the eye as he flicked it pointedly in the air and Jisung felt an invisible hand spring out and jab him harshly in the forehead.
“Ya!” Jisung exclaimed, bringing a hand up to protect his forehead, “No fair! No witch powers!”
Laughter burst into the air when Felix started giggling, his eyes sparkling and pulled into crescents and his magic preening around him. Jisung used his wolf-sight to see it, to see all of Felix’s magic twirling in little spirals all around him. It was a pleasant mix of silver and green, soft gentle sparkly colours that fickled and sprung in the air like peachy swirly candles.
It was so different to anything Jisung’s wolf-life had ever given him. It was a whole new world for Jisung to explore.
Felix was a whole new world.
Of all the worlds the wolf pack could have crashed their way into, Jisung was infinitely glad that it was Felix’s.
Jisung only felt himself flush warmer when Kitt and Pip came to perch on Felix’s shoulders, levelling tiny glares at Jisung as Felix rolled his eyes.
They continued to chat, Felix telling Jisung about rabbits and gardening and the magic required to keep his plants alive. In return, Jisung told Felix about the pack dynamics, about wolf shifts, about all the wolf things that made Felix’s eyes widen into little orbs of curiosity.
It ended with Jisung’s eyes straying to Felix’s vegetable patch, his own chest curling with curiosity.
“Felix,” Jisung said, biting his lip in slight hesitancy, “Would you… would you teach me how to garden?”
In response, Felix’s whole face lit up, freckles sparkling like embers and lips twitching in excitement.
“Of course,” Felix reached out to start guiding Jisung’s hands, “Let me show you.”
~
Minho liked to think of himself as a tough nut to crack.
And for the most part, he was. There were only a certain few things in the world that could put a dent in Minho’s hard exterior, whether he admitted to it or not.
One of those things was definitely the pack. Minho may have had a mile-long snarky streak and enough sarcasm to fill a pit, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t all dripping with love. Minho had subtle ways of showing it, but he treasured his pack with all his heart and he wasn’t afraid of that.
Beyond that, there wasn’t a lot that Minho would take his mask down for. He took his role as an older pack member very seriously; he looked out for the younger ones, he made sure Chan didn’t overwork himself as a leader, and he definitely didn’t give out his trust to just anyone.
So, when Felix had invited them into his house, Minho had understandably been wary. Chan had made the decision to allow the pack inside and to instigate a little trust, but Minho had been determined to keep a wall up, to use that wall to protect his pack from any danger that may came hurtling their way.
It took less than a night for the wall to come tumbling down.
Minho had always doted on his pack through acts of service, so much so that he’d got used to not really receiving any of them back. The pack were amazing with words and touches, but the small tangible acts that Minho gave out weren’t always repaid in the similar ways.
However, when Minho woke up still reeling from the fact that Felix had enough kindness in him to let them all stay the night, he couldn’t help but feel absolutely touched when he got up to find that Felix had also cooked breakfast for them all, washed all their clothes and had already figured out a plan for them to stay longer.
As if Felix wasn’t performing a big enough service to them already.
Minho didn’t trust easily, and he especially didn’t just gain trust through words, but Felix’s actions… Minho found himself tumbling into the kindness of them without a second thought.
Minho didn’t trust easily. Felix was shaping up to become an exception.
He was also shaping up to be some serious competition.
Minho was renowned for being chef for the pack. No matter how much trust he had for Felix, he wasn’t quite ready to let anyone compete with him for that title yet.
So, when most of the pack busied themselves with decorating the new rooms that Felix had magicked up and when Jisung disappeared off into the garden, Minho decided it was time to start repaying some damn service.
Minho knew that Felix didn’t want strangers in his kitchen, but Minho technically wasn’t a stranger, and he was determined to prove that he was trustworthy around stoves and wouldn’t mess up crystal-clean countertops.
A glance out the kitchen window revealed Felix now in the garden, eyes shiny and smile soft as he handed some gardening gloves to Jisung, the two of them beginning to tend to Felix’s vegetable patch together. Minho could tell that Jisung’s moves were hesitant, but Felix was encouraging and rabbits flocked all around them, the sight soft and serene and all things a peaceful pack should be.
Despite himself, Minho found himself smiling at the sight. Jisung deserved to feel safe again after what had happened to the pack, and Felix clearly deserved nice company with him in the garden. It made Minho happy to see them getting along.
Which led Minho back to his original task. Changbin may have been able to corner Felix alone that morning, and Jisung may have him trapped in the garden, but Minho was determined to throw his own memorable face into the mix.
So, Minho got to work.
It was after only a minute that Minho was glad that he had at least some spell knowledge because Felix had enough potion ingredients to fill a skyscraper-sized cauldron and he kept them all dangerously close to the everyday kitchen items. But Minho didn’t tamper with the layout of things, just took what he needed and put it all back exactly where he found it, not wanting to cause future disruptions to Felix’s kitchen routine.
It wasn’t hard to figure out that Felix was more of a baker than a chef; a few too many packets of sugar and blocks of chocolate to be considered normal for one person, but Minho managed. Felix still had decent ingredients, most of which appearing to be homemade, and Minho was pleased.
Minho cooked to his heart’s content. He mixed and fried and seasoned, having to close the kitchen window and back door to stop the smell getting out to Felix, not wanting the surprise to be spoiled. A few pack members traipsed their way in, their little wolf noses sniffing eagerly, but one glare from Minho and a show of his fangs was enough to have them shuffling off with their tails between their legs.
Minho cleaned up once everything was cooked and plated, not wanting to evoke Felix’s wrath for leaving behind a messy kitchen. Then all that was left to do was actually let Felix see Minho’s hard work, let Felix receive one of his acts of service back.
A breeze blew through the kitchen as Minho threw open the window, leaning forward to yell into the garden.
“Hey, little witch!” Minho said, both Felix and Jisung jumping and whipping round to face him, “Come inside!”
At the words, Felix’s eyebrows furrowed a little, a small flash of what could almost be fear flashing across his face. But the fear was quickly drowned out by confusion, Felix giving Jisung a quick shoulder pat before he was getting up and shuffling his way towards the kitchen.
Minho was quick to place Felix’s plate of food on the table, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and pulling out a cartoon of juice and a glass. Felix poked his head round the door, eyes widening at the prominent smell of food.
“Hyung,” Felix said, quickly stepping inside, “Please tell me you haven’t been cooking. I told you to stay out the kitchen for a reason, I have way too many spell ingredients in here.”
“No need to panic, little witch,” Minho grinned at him, “I may be a wolf, but I can differentiate seasonings from lethal poisons. I know my way around a kitchen.”
Felix raised an eyebrow at that, but his face became more amused than panicked as he raked his eyes over the kitchen, clearly happy to not find any mess or dead bodies littering the ground.
“I figured that it wouldn’t exactly be fair for you to cook all the meals around here whilst there’s so many of us,” Minho carried on, Felix turning to meet his gaze in what looked like curiosity, “So I made you lunch.”
With that, Minho gestured a hand at the meal still sat proudly on the table, little tendrils of heat curling from it and into the air, the smell wafting deliciously over to their noses. Minho couldn’t help but preen a little inside. He truly had done a good job.
Felix’s eyebrows positively shot into his hair, his mouth dropping open.
“You really didn’t have to do that!” he was already saying, but Minho waved his hands to cut him off.
“I wanted to,” Minho said, “And I needed a way to prove to you that I’m trustworthy in the kitchen, so you can rely on me to help you whenever you need.”
A small flash of something flitted over Felix’s face at the words, gone as quickly as it came. But then Felix’s eyes flooded with softness, a look of gratefulness practically oozing from his magical eyes. Minho almost gasped at the look, unused to feeling so enchanted around a new person so quickly.
“Thank you, hyung,” Felix said, deep voice humming pleasantly as he gestured at the table, “Do you mind if I…?”
“Of course!” Minho quickly said, rushing over to pull Felix’s chair out for him, “Please sit down and eat.”
Felix smiled as he did as he was told, picking up his chopsticks as he turned to pout up at Minho, “Sit with me, hyung?”
Minho would be lying if he said he didn’t positively melt.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, little witch,” Minho kept up his cool exterior, taking the seat opposite Felix and reaching out to pour him a glass of juice, “Is the food good?”
“Oh my god, it’s delicious,” Felix spoke around a mouth of food, his accent thick, “You really do know how to cook.”
Minho couldn’t help but shake his head fondly, reminded of his endearment at his own pack’s childishness. Felix was too similar to them in many ways.
“So, are you going to let us help you now?” Minho said, keeping his words pointed as Felix just looked sheepishly at him, “I know it’s your house, but we’re not expecting you to play host to seven wolves who crashed their way in. We want to contribute and lighten your load.”
Felix almost looked like he wanted to protest to that, but then he looked down at his delicious plate of food and swallowed his bite.
“I guess you guys can help a bit,” Felix mumbled, pausing before he gestured a chopstick sharply at Minho, “But you’re the only one allowed anywhere near this kitchen!”
Minho just snorted at that, tilting his head, “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.”
Felix giggled, going back to his plate of food and occasionally offering Minho a bite. Minho humoured him, accepting the food that Felix was offering because he knew it was probably hard for Felix to allow someone to help when it was offered. If Felix had his own way of expressing thanks, Minho supposed he should accommodate that, even if Felix didn’t actually need to thank anyone.
Felix was just reaching the end of his meal and Minho was quietly strategizing how he was going to persuade Felix into letting him wash up when suddenly they both jumped at the back door being flung open.
Jisung tripped over the doorstep, scrambling into the kitchen with soil spread messily over both his cheeks and a trowel in his hands that looked like it had accidentally been bent in half.
“Felix!” Jisung screeched, “I think I did something wrong!”
Minho turned to share a grin with Felix, “Okay, maybe you shouldn’t let us help with everything.”
~
Hyunjin wasn’t exactly a demanding person, but he wasn’t afraid to admit that he did like attention.
So, when their new little witch friend turned out to be an absolute cutie and Hyunjin found out that Changbin, Jisung and Minho had all managed to nab some alone time with him at some point, Hyunjin was determined to find his own opportunity.
The opportunity came in the gentle evening of their third night with Felix.
Felix’s home was peaceful, unbelievably peaceful, Hyunjin found himself caught off guard by it a lot. He loved his pack to pieces, but they were all chaotic in their own ways and their den often suffered for it. But Felix cared incessantly for his home, so incessantly that seven wolves couldn’t even come close to disrupting it in any way.
It also meant that most of the wolves had been following Felix around like little pups, watching as he performed magic with his fingertips and smiled his way through his days. The sparkle never left Felix’s eyes, not even when he had to explain to Seungmin how to use his magical coffee machine for what had to be the hundredth time.
It only cemented the fact that Hyunjin wanted alone time with Felix. He wanted a special little moment. Felix was quickly squeezing his way into all their hearts and, whilst they’d done a lot of talking as a group, swapping stories about wolf packs and witch mishaps, Hyunjin wanted it to be more personal than that.
Hyunjin wanted Felix to trust him not only as a member of the pack that were doing everything they could to be nice to Felix, but also as a close friend and confidant.
So, after a couple of days of Hyunjin’s usual dramatic whining and joking with the group that had Felix giggling at them all, Hyunjin decided that it was time to let Felix get to know him a little better than that.
The little home was fading its way to bedtime, the starlight crystalising through the windows and the lights dimming under Felix’s omnipresent magic. The pack was gradually pulling themselves to bed, collapsing one-by-one into the assortment of beds and rooms that Felix had arranged for them.
Felix had retired to his own room somewhere around twenty minutes ago, but Hyunjin knew he was still awake by the light twinkling under his bedroom door. Hyunjin was quiet as he approached the room, even more quiet as he knocked, his chest swirling with what could almost be described as nervousness until there was a confused little come in! echoing from the other side.
Hyunjin pushed open the door and poked his head in, unable to hold back a soft smile at the sight of Felix sat cross-legged on the end of his bed wearing nothing but an oversized knitted jumper. His usual hat and gloves were off, showing the small intricate magical tattoos he had twirling with his freckles up his fingers and arms. He stared up at Hyunjin in slight intrigue, a hairbrush in one of his hands as he paused with brushing his gorgeous long silver hair.
“Hyunjinnie,” Felix smiled as he spoke, gesturing Hyunjin further into the room, “Is everything okay? You don’t need more blankets or anything, do you?”
Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile fondly as he shook his head, endeared at how Felix was always so ready to help them.
“No, nothing like that,” Hyunjin said, “I just wanted to…” Hyunjin gestured vaguely with his hands, “I just wanted to tell you goodnight.”
The words took a second to register, Felix’s eyes still confused, but when they did a bright smile broke out on his face, the whole room lighting with its beauty.
“Thank you, Hyunjinnie,” Felix said cutely, “Goodnight to you too. I hope you have sweet dreams.”
A warm flush spread all through Hyunjin at the words, his veins flowering into buds and magic tingling under his skin. His wolf breathed happily inside him, pleased that Felix was content. It gave Hyunjin the courage to do what he wanted next.
“Felix,” Hyunjin said, taking another small step further into the room, “Would you mind if I… would you mind if I brushed your hair?”
As he spoke, Hyunjin gestured minutely at the hairbrush Felix was still holding, Hyunjin’s cheeks pinking as Felix looked confusedly down at it.
“You want to brush my hair?” Felix didn’t sound offended, just a little curious.
“We’re the only ones with long hair,” Hyunjin brushed a quick finger through his own ponytail, “Which means I never get to properly brush my pack’s hair. And your hair is so beautiful I wanted to brush it myself, but it’s totally fine if not. I understand that’s kind of a weird request and you probably think I’m crazy so-”
“Hyunjin,” Felix’s amused voice cut through Hyunjin’s rambling, a smile on his face as he held out his hairbrush, “Here.”
For a moment Hyunjin almost startled, having not expected his nervous dramatic rambling to actually get him anywhere, but Felix was still holding the brush, and Hyunjin couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to take it.
They were quiet as Hyunjin approached the bed, settling himself with his legs tangling up behind Felix and taking a second to admire just how long and beautiful Felix’s hair was.
“Your hair is so gorgeous,” Hyunjin said as he brought the brush up, settling it gently into Felix’s hair as he got to work, “You must take good care of it.”
“I use my magic to concoct all sorts of conditioners and creams for it,” Felix said, his voice slightly dazed from the tenderness of Hyunjin’s ministrations to his hair, “I can give you some if you like.”
“As guilty as it makes me to admit it, I’ve probably stolen some from your bathroom already,” Hyunjin said, unable to hold back a smile at Felix’s snort, “The pack is always on at me for my borrowing habits.”
“Well, I guess that can be expected when there’s seven of you,” Felix said, his voice slightly more guarded again. Hyunjin’s chest dipped at the reminder that before the pack came along, Felix had been alone. Completely alone.
It still made no sense to Hyunjin. Why was someone like Felix living alone? Where were the other witches in his life? How had Felix ended up so deep in the forest with no one to keep him company?
The questions swirled like constellations through Hyunjin’s mind, but he forced them back. It wasn’t his place to ask and Felix was under no obligation to answer. Hyunjin was taking care of Felix now and that was all that mattered.
The next few minutes passed in a peaceful silence as Hyunjin continued to work the brush through Felix’s hair, enjoying the feeling of the silky strands in between his fingers. Felix was practically melting in front of him, body going more and more boneless with every one of Hyunjin’s gentle touches.
It made Hyunjin smile. He’d only ever seen Felix flustered and scurrying as he tended to the needs of the pack and the house. It was nice to see Felix finally relaxed and content.
Hyunjin had just finished brushing the hair when he got an idea. He placed the brush down next to him, reaching forward to place his hands on each of Felix’s shoulders and hook his chin over one side, speaking softly into Felix’s ear.
“Can I braid your hair?” Hyunjin whispered, almost cooing in endearment when Felix looked at him through sleepy eyes.
“Sure,” Felix smiled lopsidedly, “I’d like that.”
Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile back, reaching forward to poke the end of Felix’s nose before he pulled back again. He clasped a handful of Felix’s hair between his fingers, his chest warming as his hands automatically got to work.
Hyunjin rarely ever got to braid anyone else’s hair. Usually he only got to braid his own hair and that often got fiddly ad frustrating, but Felix was pliant and willing, his hair soft and perfect and his body still as he let Hyunjin work.
It only took a moment before the first tiny little braid to be constructed, nestled nicely within the rest of Felix’s silver locks. But then Hyunjin realised his mistake; his only hairband was keeping his own hair back. Even if Hyunjin took that out, he’d only be able to give Felix one braid.
But then there was small tap on Hyunjin’s shoulder, his head turning and brows furrowing until he caught sight of none other than Kitt and Pip flying just a few inches from Hyunjin’s face. They were both shimmering brightly, spreading pixie dust all over Felix’s bed.
However, easily the most noticeable thing about them was the way they had a small bunch of hairbands held between them in their tiny pixie arms, both pixies evidently struggling under the weight but still staring at Hyunjin with an adorable determination.
“Wow,” Hyunjin couldn’t help but say, his grin bright as he reached forward to take the hairbands, “Thank you so much, Kitt. Thank you so much, Pip.”
The pixies kept up their annoyed fronts at the words, but Hyunjin could see the pleased looks in their eyes as they flew off together, curling up to sleep on one of Felix’s pillows.
Hyunjin turned back to Felix with sunshine shimmering in his chest, his head light and body warm as he got back to work. He braided many little braids into different parts of Felix’s hair, dotting them sporadically and tying each one with the utmost care.
The shimmering silver looked absolutely magical by the time Hyunjin was done and he couldn’t help but glimmer a little in pride. His bright wolf eyes shone, his inner wolf rumbling happily and leaking into his voice.
“You’re done, angel,” Hyunjin squeezed Felix’s shoulder, not even thinking about the petname as he spoke, “Perhaps it’s time to get you into bed, yeah?”
Felix managed to blink his eyes open enough to give Hyunjin a soft little hum. Hyunjin helped him stand, directing him to the other end of the bed and helping him climb under the covers and lie down.
“Goodnight, little witch,” Hyunjin whispered, looping his fingers through one of the braids, “Sleep well.”
With that, Hyunjin made to turn away, convinced Felix would drop off right to sleep. But then a small hand snapped out, little fingers latching around Hyunjin’s wrist and squeezing.
Hyunjin almost gasped. This wasn’t exactly a new thing for him; his pack were always reaching out and pulling him into beds. But this was the first time Hyunjin wasn’t met by the feelings of claws digging softly into his skin, but instead by a feeling of soothing magic that flooded through him like stardust.
“Hyunjinnie,” Felix hummed groggily into his pillow, “Stay.”
The warm feeling in Hyunjin only got stronger, his wolf practically howling in excitement as he scrambled round to the other side of Felix’s bed. He had to stop himself from practically throwing himself under the covers, not wanting to jostle Felix, Kitt or Pip from their comfortable positions.
Hyunjin was quick to settle himself, his body relaxing at the soft wave of silver magic that instantly blanketed him. He attached himself to Felix’s back, skin zapping like lightning at the little touches between them.
“Goodnight, Felix,” Hyunjin whispered into Felix’s back, “Goodnight, Kitt and Pip, if you choose to stay.”
“They’ll stay,” Felix hummed back, his hand reaching behind him to clasp Hyunjin’s hand and pull it to loop round Felix’s waist, “Sometimes I get nightmares. They like to protect me.”
Hyunjin didn’t even think before he was replying, pressing a small kiss onto Felix’s clothed shoulder.
“I’ll protect you too.”
~
“Hyuuuuuuung!” Jeongin whined, his shoulders practically around his ears and his face scrunched up, “Hyung, stoppppp!”
“But you’re just so cute!” Changbin cooed, his hands tingling up Jeongin’s back and face practically smushed into the side of Jeongin’s neck, “I’m going to gobble you all up!”
“No, stop!” Jeongin continued to whine, but it was fruitless. Jeongin squirmed his way all through the forest, Changbin hot on his heels squealing about how cute Jeongin was and how Changbin just wanted to eat him.
The two of them were on a walk through the areas right outside of Felix’s home, sent out by Chan who accused them of having ‘too much energy to be considered normal’ and ‘too much trouble to even consider letting them near anything valuable’.
Jeongin had liked the idea of a walk at first, enjoying the way the ground crunched under his bare feet and how his wolf nose was going crazy with all his favourite earthly forest scents. The pack had been a little on edge since the hunter attack and so this was the first time that Chan had given any of them permission to leave Felix’s cleverly-camouflaged little home.
But Jeongin soon came to realise that maybe Chan had been right about energy levels and trouble-making because Changbin was following Jeongin round like a little puppy, nipping at his shoulders and trying to leap on his back and seemingly forgetting which one of them was actually the youngest.
They both had their fangs and claws out, their eyes glowing just slightly unnaturally with their wolves. Jeongin wished they could shift fully, could turn into their bright large wolves to sprint for hours like they had long loved to do, but it was too dangerous with potential hunters around, so Jeongin had to settle for little jogs and playful clawed swipes at Changbin whenever he hit a ticklish spot.
It wasn’t long before Jeongin was outright trying to run away, squealing and protesting as Changbin chased him with his wiggling fingers.
“You can run but you can’t hide, little one!” Changbin called after him, “Hyung will kiss you to death!”
“Absolutely not!” Jeongin shrieked back, having absolutely no idea where he was going as he ran as fast as his legs could take him. He resisted pointing out how much longer his legs were than Changbin’s.
Jeongin was just circling a tree when suddenly he found himself skidding to a stop at a branch suddenly snapping out and blocking his path. Jeongin almost smacked into it, an embarrassingly high-pitched noise leaving his mouth at a branch that was apparently… moving on its own to terrorise Jeongin?
How was Jeongin going to run from Changbin now?
The question was only made more urgent by one of Changbin’s cackles echoing from behind, sounding menacing and adorable and absolutely foreboding to Jeongin’s maknae mind.
But then there was a new noise, this time the sound of a throat being cleared echoing from the tree with the seemingly haunted branch.
Jeongin turned his head, furrowing his brow in confusion until he looked up and saw none other than Felix perched high up in the tree. His eyes were silver and sparkling, the branch swaying in time with his eye movements as he winked at Jeongin and gestured his head up, beckoning him into the tree.
Jeongin couldn’t help but grin as the branches all moved out the way from him, his claws sinking into the wood and allowing him to pull himself up quickly and nimbly. He was by Felix’s side in a matter of seconds, settling next to him on the branch Felix had chosen to sit on and almost giggling at the mischievous gleam in Felix’s eyes.
But Felix brought a gloved finger up to his lips, signalling Jeongin to shush as Changbin’s footsteps got closer. Felix looked down the tree, all the branches that had moved for Jeongin now snapping back into place with a simple wave of Felix’s hand.
A spark of electricity seemed to pass through them as Changbin stopped right by their tree, Jeongin watching through the leaves as Changbin froze, his head whipping in every direction as confused noises let his lips.
“Innie!” Changbin called out, “You can’t hide, that’s no fair!”
Jeongin had to hold back a giggle when Changbin’s voice faded into a whine, his pout visible even from how high up Felix and Jeongin were.
“Innnnniiiiieeee!” Changbin called again, sounding like a petulant child as he looked around, “Come on! I won’t tickle you anymore, I promise!”
Jeongin could only shake his head as Felix almost laughed so hard he had to slap a hand over his mouth. Jeongin flicked him on the arm, Felix responding by turning and burying his face in Jeongin’s shoulder, back shaking with silent laughter.
A small tendril of fondness twirled in Jeongin at the movement, Felix feeling soft and gentle against his skin, very unlike the usual scratchiness and roughness from his hyungs.
It wasn’t that Jeongin didn’t like his hyungs, Felix just felt… different. His skin felt like magic. His touch felt alive. His position leaning against Jeongin made Jeongin’s wolf relax in a way that was entirely new.
“That’s it, I’m telling Chan-hyung!” Changbin carried on with his yelling, “Don’t expect me to come back for you!”
Felix seemed to laugh even harder at that, smushing closer into Jeongin’s shoulder. Jeongin just shook his head, watching as Changbin stood in place for a few moments before he turned and stomped off in the direction of Felix’s home.
A few more moments of silence passed, Felix and Jeongin waiting with slightly stuttered breaths until they were sure that Changbin was out of earshot. Felix eventually pulled himself upright, looking across at Jeongin with a huge smile on his face and the leaves all curling pleasantly around him. Jeongin decided not to bother retracting his claws and fangs, Felix didn’t seem to mind them.
“Don’t worry about him,” Jeongin gestured his head in the direction Changbin had disappeared off to, “Chan-hyung will distract him with something shiny.”
Felix’s smile only grew at that, his eyes fond as he tucked some hair behind his ear. Jeongin noticed how he now had some braids curled neatly in the silver strands.
“I hope you don’t mind me pulling you into a tree,” Felix said, gesturing comically at all the branches around them, “You just seemed like you needed saving back there.”
“Don’t apologise, I’m always happy to be pulled into a tree,” Jeongin smiled proudly, making Felix snort, “Although I do have some questions about what you were doing in the tree in the first place.”
“I was picking apples,” Felix said like it was the most obvious answer in the world, pointing to the end of the branch they were sat on where a bright red apple hung delicately amongst some leaves, “I figured if I picked enough, I could make an apple pie or something for you guys.”
A little flame of happiness came to life in Jeongin’s chest, his eyes pulling into crescents and his face lighting in wonder.
“Oh my god, that’d be great!” Jeongin clapped his hands, “You really do too much for us, hyung.”
“I like doing it,” Felix was quick to say, ducking his gaze as one of his hands started to lightly scratch over the branch they were sat on, “I don’t often get to bake for others. Sometimes I’ll bake a load of things and take them to the nearest village, but it takes half a day to walk there and it can be hard if I have a lot of stuff to carry.”
Jeongin couldn’t help but frown a little at the words. Like his pack, he too was curious on how someone like Felix had ended up so alone when he clearly had such an affinity for being around others. But just like the pack, Jeongin didn’t question it. Felix’s life belonged to him and him only, the pack had no right to question it.
“I also doubt Chan-hyung would let you walk to the village along with hunter attacks being so common these days,” Jeongin said instead, realising his mistake when Felix looked up at him in poorly-concealed surprise, “Not that you’d have to listen to Chan-hyung! He’s not your pack leader or anything.”
“It’s okay,” Felix smiled in what could almost have been sadness, “It’s actually been a long time since someone has worried over me. It’s kind of nice.”
“Don’t think I’m overstepping, but I think it’s safe to say that we’re at the point where we’ll always worry about you, Lix-hyung,” Jeongin said, meeting Felix’s eyes and trying not to read too far into the look he found there, “If you ever want to bake for someone, we’ll be happy to oblige. Or, for a less selfish offering, we’ll be happy to walk with you to the village if you ever want to bake for them again.”
An extra sparkle of something flitted within Felix’s eyes at the words, his face betraying nothing but clearly hiding something underneath. Jeongin had to bite his tongue, suddenly too intrigued about the little witch who obviously had so many words trapped on his tongue. But Jeongin kept it down; Felix had been nothing but nice to them, they needed to pay the same respect back.
“Thank you, Innie,” Felix eventually said, his voice quiet but the words saying enough. Jeongin just smiled softly, reaching out the place one of his hands over Felix’s.
“So,” Jeongin allowed his face to pull into what he knew was his signature maknae grin, “Apple pie?”
Felix grinned back, “Apple pie!”
~
The main problem with living with a witch was that there were so many shelves.
Felix’s home was all underground tunnels. Every wall lined with shelves that held trinkets and collectables and potion ingredients and house plants and charms and about a million things that a witch could possibly need.
The shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, leaving gaps for paintings and pictures and noticeboards and windows. There were even a few sit-spots on the walls for Kitt and Pip, not that Kitt or Pip were ever shy about where they sat. Sometimes they used the little seats Felix had built for them, sometimes they planted themselves wherever they pleased regardless of whether the wolves were there or not.
The shelves themselves were beautiful and clearly very well-cared-for. Felix had intricate knowledge of where everything was kept, somehow able to know where every item was whenever he needed something.
Changbin was admittedly very impressed. Living with seven wolves meant organisation was key, but also that it was literally never adhered to. Every now and again, Seungmin or Chan would go into a frenzy and snarl and growl until every packmate had cleaned and organised everything they owned, but the clean results lasted a couple of days at most and they usually resorted to using scent to locate anything they might need.
But Felix… Felix had literally everything visible and efficiently organised around his little home.
It would have been perfect if Changbin wasn’t so short.
Changbin wasn’t one to be self-conscious of his height. He absolutely had the shoulders and the chest to make up for it, but unfortunately that didn’t do him a whole lot of good when Hyunjin had hidden Changbin’s mug of coffee on the highest shelf in Felix’s hallway and all the tall members of the pack were hiding to avoid having to get it down.
Changbin sighed as he stared up at the mug, briefly registering the thought that Felix wasn’t that much taller than him.
How the hell did Felix get things down from the high shelves? Maybe he had a ladder or something…
Unfortunately, it was still early in the morning and it happened to be their first morning in Felix’s little home that Felix wasn’t up before sunrise. The little witch clearly needed his sleep and Changbin hated the idea of waking him up just because Hyunjin had hidden his cup of coffee.
So, Changbin stared forlornly up at his morning’s burst of energy, already crafting about a million different revenge plans for when Hyunjin finally decided to show his face.
Changbin was just briefly considering the idea burying Hyunjin in Felix’s vegetable patch when suddenly he found himself jumping almost a foot in the air at a sight he’d never thought he’d see.
Changbin’s coffee cup was… lifting on the shelf and floating right towards him?!
An embarrassingly high-pitched squeak left Changbin’s lips as his eyes almost bugged out his head, the coffee cup coming to hover at eye-level just in front of him. Changbin almost hesitated to take it, but released a breath as he reached out a strong hand to wrap around the handle, feeling the mug loose weightlessness as it settled into his grip.
What the hell?
“Wow, you definitely needed that coffee.” Changbin jumped again at the voice ringing out from behind him, deep and raspy and sleepy as it curled down the corridor. Changbin whipped round, taking a second to process the sight of a half-asleep Felix leaning against his bedroom door watching Changbin, his arm out-stretched and palm exposed to the direction of Changbin’s coffee cup.
“Oh,” Changbin looked down to the mug and then back up to Felix’s hand, “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Felix smiled tiredly as he lowered his hand. He was wearing what looked like a short red nightdress, his long hair messy and pulled haphazardly over one shoulder. His eyes were barely blinked open, his face still puffy with sleep. Kitt and Pip were resting on each of his shoulders and Changbin could see the witchy tattooed designs not only on Felix’s hands and arms, but also across his chest and further down.
Changbin didn’t mean to stare. He really didn’t. But Felix was just so… fascinating. He was so soft and yet so harsh on the eyes, so powerful and yet so kind. His magic shone so eminently from him, but it didn’t overpower he natural beauty he clearly had. Felix controlled it so well that it merely highlighted how perfect he was, it didn’t diminish a single thing about him.
“Sorry if I woke you,” Changbin eventually managed to say, pointing up to the top shelf, “Hyunjin put my coffee up there.”
Felix just snorted at the words, shaking his head “That sounds like Hyunjin. He saw me summon something down form that top shelf yesterday,” Felix said, “He probably realised that I don’t have any need for stepladders and hatched a plan from that.”
“I’m already hatching a plan back, don’t worry,” Changbin said with a wink, “You’re free to help.”
A fond look appeared on Felix’s face at that, but there was something more… something slightly guarded. Changbin had to hold back a frown, not liking the hesitance he could see in Felix’s expression.
“That’s okay,” Felix said after a moment, ducking his gaze, “I wouldn’t want to overstep in any… pack antics.”
Changbin needed a moment to process the words, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking a step forward when he did. Felix almost seemed to startle, staying in place but the shine in his eyes flashing urgently.
“If anyone’s overstepping in this situation, it’s us,” Changbin made sure to say firmly, but kept his stance gentle so as not to intimidate Felix, “You’ve opened your home to us, Felix. You are more than welcome to do whatever you please.”
“I wanted to open my home to you,” Felix said, his gaze down but his voice insistent, “I would have been horrible not to.”
“And we would be horrible not to open ourselves to you,” Changbin said, “Please don’t ever feel like you’re overstepping with the pack. Please don’t feel excluded, or like you have to act differently or anything. I promise you that you are welcome in every single one of our pack antics whether you like it or not, little witch.”
At the words, a small hesitant smile crept onto Felix’s face. He looked up at Changbin, eyes sparkling.
“Really?” he said, Changbin’s heart squeezing at the raw hope in his voice.
“Really,” Changbin nodded, “Although, you may wish I never said that. Pack antics can be… somewhat chaotic.”
“Somewhat?” Felix grinned, “I’d use a slightly stronger word than that.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Changbin shook his head, holding out his free hand for Felix to take, “But promise me that you won’t yourself feel left out or anything. We may be a pack, but you’re our friend and you’re more than welcome treat us as such.”
“Okay,” Felix nodded, squeezing Changbin’s fingers, “I promise.”
Changbin smiled, “Good,” he said, tugging on Felix’s hand to start leading him down the corridor, “Now what do you say we find Hyunjin? You can use your magic to shrink him to pixie-size and we’ll see if he ever calls me short again after that.”
Felix giggled, letting himself be pulled down the corridor.
“Okay, hyung,” he said, plastering himself to Changbin’s side, “Let’s do it!”
~
“You realise that I can see you, right?”
The words struck Seungmin right as he was retracting his face back round the doorway. He froze, trying to consider the very miniscule possibility that maybe Felix was talking to someone else, but as sneaky as his packmates were, Seungmin seriously doubted that there were two of them happening to be spying on Felix at the same time.
So, Seungmin poked his face shyly back into the kitchen, only his forehead and eyes making it past the doorway before he stopped. Felix was still by the counter, but was now turned to face Seungmin and was watching him with an amused grin on his face.
“Sorry,” Seungmin said quietly, “I just didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Don’t be silly,” Felix said, beckoning him over, “Come in. What was it you were looking for?”
Seungmin wrung his hands as he stepped into the kitchen, keeping his gaze on the ground as he walked over to where Felix was. His nose crinkled as he went, the kitchen filled with all sorts of new, exotic scents that had Seungmin’s wolf almost growling with excitement.
It had been an almost significant amount of time now since they’d been living with Felix. Seungmin had expected to make friends with the witch and get used to his endlessly endearing habits. What Seungmin hadn’t expected was to become quite so curious about all things witch.
Seungmin had always been one of the most book-smart in the pack. He wrote diligently in his journal. He had common sense that very rarely failed him (a speciality in their pack). He liked to learn new things. He really like to learn new things.
So, when Felix would go about his little witchy duties and unknowingly present Seungmin with a whole new world of knowledge that he’d never been able to touch before, Seungmin couldn’t help but get relentlessly curious.
But Seungmin was also wary of accidentally stepping over any boundaries. Despite taking them all in, Felix evidently lived a very private life, and Seungmin didn’t know enough about witch-customs to feel comfortable just blatantly ask Felix all the questions that kept springing to his mind.
So, Seungmin had basically resorted himself to peering round doorways and shyly asking Felix to borrow some books, but it seemed that Seungmin had once again underestimated both Felix’s kindness and his observance skills because now Seungmin was stood in the kitchen whilst Felix was brewing potions and Felix was asking him what he needed.
“I was actually just looking at… all this,” Seungmin managed to gesture a hesitant hand at the many, many potion ingredients Felix had laid out all over the kitchen counters, and the gradually brewing cauldron he had set up on the table, “I’ve never seen anyone make potions before. I just wanted to watch.”
“Well, you could have just said so,” Felix smiled, holding out his hand for Seungmin to take and pulling him gently over to the table, “I promise that you don’t have to spy on me from outside the door.”
“Sorry,” Seungmin couldn’t help but blush, face getting warmer when Felix just cooed at him and pinched his cheek, “You just seemed like you were concentrating. I didn’t want to get in the way.”
“You would never be in the way,” Felix said, his tone light but Seungmin could hear the sincerity in the words, only heightened by the way he squeezed Seungmin’s hand, “You can even help if you want.”
Seungmin snapped to look at Felix, “Really?”
“Really,” Felix winked at him.
Seungmin was about to say something else, was about to offer Felix all the thanks in the world, but Felix was quick to turn to face the kitchen door. He held an arm out, his eyes narrowing into slits for a moment before suddenly a pair of gloves were darting their way through the air and into the room, flying directly into Felix’s grasp like a magnet to a piece of metal.
“Here,” Felix held the gloves out to Seungmin, they were small, black and clear, like the gloves Felix always wore, “Put these on.”
The gloves were soft as silk as Seungmin held them, slipping onto his hands easily. Seungmin was about to complain that they were a little small, that Felix clearly had much tinier hands than Seungmin, but then Seungmin noticed the fabric shifting slightly, the magic stretching out and changing shape until it moulded perfectly to Seungmin’s hand size.
“Wow,” Seungmin stared down at his hands, admiring the gloves, “That’s so cool!”
Felix just grinned at him, “I have many tricks up my sleeve, Seungmin,” he said, “You haven’t even seen half of them yet.”
“You somehow get more interesting by the day, Felix,” Seungmin just murmured in response, still staring at the gloves.
Felix made what sounded like a noise of disbelief at that, essentially distracting Seungmin as he turned back to all his ingredients, “Do you want to help or not?”
“Yes I do!” Seungmin scrambled to stand next to him, “What are we making today?”
“It depends,” Felix said with a hum, giving Seungmin a look as a twinkle flashed in his eye, “These ingredients can make a plant fertiliser that my vegetables absolutely love. Or they can make a lethal poison that could very easily kill everyone in this house.”
Seungmin raised an eyebrow at the answer. Felix leaned in close.
“Those two things are surprisingly similar to make,” Felix said almost casually.
Seungmin couldn’t help but giggle, looking back to the ingredients with excitement curling in his chest, “I suppose I better get this right then.”
“Don’t worry,” Felix slung an arm over him, squeezing his shoulder, “I’ll help you.”
~
“Goodnight, my littlest one,” Chan murmured, carefully brushing some of Jeongin’s hair away from his face, “Sleep well.”
Jeongin didn’t respond, already off in dreamland with his face smushed into one of Felix’s pawprint-decorated pillows and Hyunjin’s arm draped over his waist. Chan smiled over their sleeping forms for a moment, letting his gaze trickle to where Changbin was curled up on the other side of the bed, a rabbit plushie squashed tight in his arms that Felix had magicked into a bright pink colour at Changbin’s excited request.
Chan laughed silently and shook his head, tiptoeing out the room to let his beautiful pack sleep. He made light work of crossing the hallway, poking his head into one of the other bedrooms and smiling again at the sight that greeted him.
A thick woollen blanket lay carved around Minho and Jisung’s bodies as they shared a pillow, Jisung’s face half-buried in Minho’s chest. Seungmin was next to them, hair fanned all over his pillow and his limbs star-fished out in every direction, another blanket tangled between his legs.
“Goodnight, rascals,” Chan whispered into the room, switching off the light as he slunk back into the hallway.
All the pack were accounted for. It was time for Chan to sleep.
But it was with a quiet inhale that Chan realised he wasn’t particularly tired. He wasn’t always the best sleeper and, whilst his pack were usually absolute angels at helping him deal with his insomnia, it just so happened that the first night in Felix’s home that the insomnia had decided to strike, was also the night that the pack were so tired that they were all zonked out before midnight.
Chan sighed low in his throat, already resigning himself to a long night of silence.
He didn’t feel too bad about it. Chan was content in the knowledge that he, Changbin and Minho absolutely hated leaving younger packmates to sleep unprotected, and so each bedroom had either Changbin or Minho in it. Chan didn’t need to feel guilty about avoiding the bedrooms in hope of shaking off some of his insomnia effects.
With the thought, Chan started his way towards the front of the house where the kitchen and living room were, hoping he could maybe curl up to read on the sofa.
But then Chan passed Felix’s bedroom, frowning when he realised that the door was open and the room was dark and cold. The bed was made and un-slept-in, the room empty with only the soft glows of Kitt and Pip curled up on an armchair in the corner.
Chan made a noise of surprise from the back of his throat. Where was Felix?
Chan almost wasn’t surprised to feel his usual protective instincts flaring. He usually only felt them in regards to his pack, but it was undeniable how Felix had managed to worm his way into all their hearts. Chan would have been more surprised if he wasn’t now protective of Felix.
So, Chan tiptoed through the rest of the house, being careful not to scare Felix if he came across him. He soon found himself in the kitchen, furrowing his brows at the back door which was wide open and displaying the still-lit garden.
The whole pack had always admired the enchanting collection of fairylights and lanterns that Felix had set up in the garden. It gave the forest an extra ethereal glow and caused the air to hang with a gorgeous electric sparkle.
But, the most beautiful of all the sights, Felix was sat curled up at the end of the garden, his whole silhouette sparkling with the glow. His face was cast up to the sky, eyes wide and mesmerised as the constellations bore down on him.
Chan’s breath caught on his throat. Felix was just so… beautiful.
So beautiful in a way Chan had never seen before.
Chan couldn’t stop himself from stepping into the garden, moving carefully around Felix’s plants and gently walking over to where Felix was sat. Chan lowered himself down, Felix not looking surprised to see him as Chan’s shoulder pressed into his.
“Hey, little witch,” Chan said softly, following Felix’s gaze up to the beautiful unclouded forest constellations twinkling down at them, “It’s pretty late.”
“I like to look at the stars sometimes,” Felix whispered back, his silver eyes straying to Chan for a moment before they looked back up, “They’re so pretty this deep in the forest.”
“Yeah,” Chan couldn’t have stopped himself from agreeing if he tried. The deep blue of the sky was absolutely embezzled with stars, all forming their little lines and patterns with their captivating individual glows. They all reflected perfectly in Felix’s eyes, spilling out onto his cheeks to create the absolutely gorgeous splattering of freckles that Chan had been admiring since meeting Felix.
It made Chan’s skin tingle, his eyes unable to be anywhere but on Felix’s face. It had so many thoughts spinning in Chan’s head, so many questions and little droplets of sadness that the entire world wasn’t privileged enough to admire such a sight.
How was someone as perfect as Felix so alone? How had no one fallen in love with him and joined him in his fairytale life?
How did such a creature of beauty live with no one to admire them?
“Little witch,” Chan couldn’t help but say, his voice carrying softly in the night, “I’m really glad to see this with you tonight.”
Felix turned to smile at Chan, his skin glowing and face brightening like a little pearl.
“I’m glad to see it with you too, hyung,” Felix said, “I find that peaceful sights like this always make me sleep better.”
A hitch bumped through Chan’s chest, his heart squeezing at the way Felix looked at him in so much understanding.
“Yeah, I think peaceful sights make me sleep better too,” Chan said, not talking about the stars, “You want to head to bed?”
Felix giggled, holding his hand out for Chan to take, “Are the pack all asleep?”
“Out like lights,” Chan pulled Felix up, squeezing his fingers as they made their way out the garden, “And there’s no room left in any of the beds they’ve claimed. I might be sleeping alone tonight.”
“You don’t have to,” Felix said, gaze hesitant as he looked at Chan, “There’s always room in my bed… if you’d want to join me.”
Chan smiled widely, dimples flashing, “I’d like that.”
The squeezing in Chan’s chest only got more irresistible as him and Felix slipped into Felix’s room, Chan insisting on helping Felix lie down and tucking him up before crawling in next to him. Felix giggled and moulded himself to Chan, one of his small hands wrapping around Chan’s fingers.
“Goodnight, hyung,” Felix whispered into Chan’s shoulder, “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight, little witch,” Chan hummed into his hair, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
~
It didn’t take long for the world to seem like nothing more than Felix’s humble little home.
The wolves, despite always promising that they’d eventually find their own way again, found themselves settling more and more into Felix’s life and his routine. They started to personalise their own rooms. They started to help Felix around the house. They started to explore the forest and find some locals and create whole new lives of their own that were so perfectly intertwined with Felix’s.
And Felix… Felix seemed to fall in love with it.
Chan had worried that Felix would eventually (understandably) tire of them. That Felix would start to hate having to house seven wolves, that he’d want to go back to the peaceful life he’d managed to carve for himself. But Felix showed no signs of that, his magic responded so perfectly to the wolves, he seemed just as content to let them stay as they were to start building a home there.
So, the seven became an eight.
It did raise more questions. It made them all wonder why Felix had been alone before them. It made them all wonder how long Felix had been alone before them. It made them all wonder whether there had been someone else before, whether Felix’s clearly social and kind nature was a new thing for him, or if it something he’d always had that he’d never been given the opportunity to show off.
Felix was always so closed off about his life before the wolves. He explained his relationship to the forest and he bragged about his little house and he demonstrated all different kinds of magic, but he never told stories of when he was a child, of where he’d been before he lived so far into the forest.
It made Chan curious. So curious. It made Chan care.
Because Chan really couldn’t bear the thought of Felix alone. Chan didn’t like to think that something had happened to Felix. Chan didn’t like to think of Felix living with something heavy and dark and lonely that he refused to share.
So, Chan cared.
Chan always cared.
Chan only cared more when the answers finally presented themselves, when the world started to unfold itself and Felix’s mind gradually unravelled and the shining soul that they’d all grown to admire became temporarily dark.
They were all gathered around the fireplace in Felix’s little living room. Felix had lit the fire with his fingertip, the flames a beautiful striking orange that licked and curled around the logs of wood that Changbin had thrown in. The lights were dimmed, the fire shining the only light with the room basking in a burnt glow.
Minho, Hyunjin and Jisung were curled together on one of the sofas. Chan had Jeongin in his lap in the armchair. Changbin and Seungmin laid like little dogs together on the rug. Felix was sat cross-legged in front of the fire, his chin propped up by his hands and his eyes closed.
Chan watched silently as the flames cast an amber residue onto Felix’s face, his freckles dancing like little bits of ash and his skin shining in the dark. It was a rare moment of stillness for the witch. Felix was usually fluttering around all flustered and rushed. Felix was rarely ever relaxed. Felix rarely ever seemed to stop and think.
It made Chan think.
The silence made it impossible for Chan to hold himself back, made it impossible for his curiosity to stay calm and coiled inside him rather than untangling and knocking at his mind.
Chan’s emotions and empathy had always been stronger than his rationality. He knew he shouldn’t be asking questions that he had no right to know the answers too, but his mouth was opening before he could stop it.
“Hey, Felix,” Chan said, “Have you always lived here?”
The atmosphere in the room instantly changed. The whole pack seemed to tense in surprise, all eyes widening with some gazes whipping towards Felix and the others swiping straight to Chan. No one dared make a noise, Felix’s eyes opening but his face showing no other reaction.
A few more seconds of silence passed, the pack holding their breath as they waited for Felix to shoot the question down. Chan half-expected Felix to just get up and leave the room, unhappy with the way Chan was just blatantly asking questions that he’d clearly never wanted to answer.
But then Felix sighed and dropped his gaze, still facing the fire as a few strands of hair fell over his eyes.
“No,” Felix said quietly, “No, I didn’t always live here.”
The answer was vague, very vague, but it was still an answer. It had Chan’s curiosity spiking even more, Jeongin seeming to sense it by the way he tensed slightly in Chan’s lap.
“Sorry if you didn’t want to answer that,” Chan said, trying to keep his voice neutral as he spoke, “You’ve never mentioned anything like that, so I should have known better than to ask.”
“No, it’s okay,” Felix said instantly, his voice still quiet but carrying steadily through the room, “I knew you’d ask something like that one day. You guys have told me everything about where you used to live, I never paid you the same courtesy.”
“You never had to,” Changbin was quick to speak up this time, his voice firm and certain as he levelled a quick look to Chan, “Felix, you already shared your home and your life with us. That’s more than enough. There was never any pressure for you to share more.”
The words hung in the room for a second, swirling in the air before they finally settled. Another sigh rattled across Felix’s shoulders, the fire illuminating the frowned curve of his nose.
“I know,” Felix said, his tone tight, “But I’m literally a lone witch who appeared out of nowhere to save you from hunters and take you in. I understand that it must look a little suspicious to you and I understand that you must have questions.”
“But there’s no pressure to answer those questions,” Chan was quick to say, “We trust you, Felix. Please don’t force yourself to do anything unnecessary for us.”
Felix seemed to take a moment to process that, his silver eyes flickering upwards and reflecting the light of the fire for a few moments as he thought. He turned to cast a glance at Chan, a moment of profound trust sizzling between them before Felix turned back to the fire.
“I used to live with a coven,” Felix said, his deep voice calm but teeming with something unsaid, “A huge coven. We lived in a little village at the very edge of the forest, right next to all the human villages where everyone lives.”
. . .
Felix was only a young witch, practically a baby compared to all the centuries’ old wise witches that ran the village, but that didn’t mean everyone didn’t love him.
Felix was a social creature, entering his teen years with freckles like stardust and a smile like sunlight. The whole coven knew him. He was the boy who bloomed little blue flowers from the ground, the boy who took in injured rabbits, the boy who was loved by every witch and every human for miles.
Not every human.
The rather large coven had been living in harmony with the nearby human villages for centuries. They traded and they shared stories and they thrived.
That was until a colony of hunters arrived.
The hunters didn’t understand the humans’ relationship with the witches. The hunters didn’t even try to understand.
Felix had been catching butterflies when he noticed the smell of smoke started to crawl its way through the covens’ territory. The sound of screams had only been a second behind.
The witches fought so hard, so hard, to put the fire out. But the hunters kept re-lighting it no matter how hard the witches tried. No amount of magic was able to stop how outnumbered they were. No amount of magic could stop the flames from roaring through the village, tearing down cottage after cottage, spitting explosion after explosion, reaping scream after scream.
Felix’s cries had been awful. They ripped from his throat and bled against his lips and scarred over his face. The smoke had dragged its way all the way down his lungs, bringing to him his knees and taunting him as he was forced to pull himself screaming across the ground.
Witches collapsed all around him. Magic died at his fingertips. Fear reigned and ravaged and mangled through the air like a tornado.
But the worst… the worst was the way the hunters laughed.
Even through all the crackling, all the yelling, all the terrified calls for loved ones, Felix could still hear how the hunters laughed.
The hunters laughed as every last building was turned to ash. The hunters laughed as the ground became littered with bodies. The hunters laughed as Felix was left choking and crying in a ball, clinging to life by one last shred of desperation.
Felix was one of the only few who made it out.
Felix had been lucky enough to be at the edge of the village when it started. He’d crawled his way out the flames with a tiny ragtag group of burnt survivors who were forced to leave everything they’d ever loved and everything they’d ever known behind.
The coven had been destroyed. They were the only ones left.
But they couldn’t help how injured and grieving they all were. They barely had the magic left to create themselves a small underground house deep into the forest for hiding. The hunters had tried to find them, but, due to a miracle that Felix had never stopped being thankful for, they never succeeded.
But it wasn’t enough.
Felix was only young. He was the healthiest of the survivors, but it meant his healing magic hadn’t fully developed yet.
Felix tried with everything he had. He couldn’t save them.
He was forced to watch as the last members of his coven, his last little shreds of hope, were all one-by-one claimed by death.
Felix just wasn’t enough to cure their burns and heal their hearts.
Felix was the only survivor.
. . .
“I’ve been in this little woodland home ever since,” Felix said, the flames still dancing and reflecting in the tears simmering on his cheeks, “This is where my coven came to survive. I have to survive here… for them.”
The flames crackling in the fireplace was the only sound that broke the horrified silence in the room. The wolfpack stared on in a dawning sense of devastation, no one even daring to breathe as they all sat statue-still in shock. Felix still stared at the fire, his shoulders shaking and face covered in tears as he finally finished his story. Chan could hear his shaky breaths, the pain in the way he inhaled, the sobs he was trying to hold back.
“The flower patch I have in my garden,” Felix carried on, barely getting the words out, “Those beautiful blue flowers, they’re all forget-me-nots. The official flower of my coven. The one we had all around the village. I planted the flowers when I lost them, I hoped that the name ‘Forget-me-not’ would be enough for me to promise them that they would always, always be remembered.”
At the words, an arrow stabbed itself directly into Chan’s chest, his heart exploding with pain. He imagined what it would be like to lose his pack, to suddenly find himself alone. Tears prickled in the corner of his eyes.
“Felix,” Chan eventually said, voice tight with pain, “I am so, so sorry.”
Felix didn’t say anything to that, just dropped his head into his hands with a sob. His whole body shook, the pack all giving each other looks of empathetic pain.
“I lost them all,” Felix said into his hands, still crying, “I lost my whole coven. My beautiful coven who did everything for me. I couldn’t save them.”
“Felix, it wasn’t your fault,” Hyunjin was up and speaking before anyone could stop him, plastering himself around Felix’s back and hugging tightly, “You did everything you could to save them. You escaped together, you got them out, you helped build this house.”
“But it wasn’t enough,” Felix still cried, Chan’s heart squeezing at the pain in his voice, “My magic wasn’t good enough to make the house nearly as big as it is now. I barely even knew where to start with my healing magic. Maybe… maybe if I’d been better then I actually would have been enough to save them.”
“You were so young, Felix,” Minho spoke up this time, his voice dripping with sadness but still carrying strongly across the room, “You were practically a child. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I had to watch them as I lost them,” Felix sobbed, Hyunjin tightening his grip round his back, “I had to watch my coven burn, and then I had to watch the rest of them fade away because I couldn’t save them.”
“You were so strong, Felix,” Chan carefully stood up, walking over to crouch behind Felix and Hyunjin and put a hand on each of their shoulders, “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, but it wasn’t your fault. You did so well. You were so strong.”
“I’ve been on my own since then,” Felix leaned further into Chan’s and Hyunjin’s touches, finally pulling his face out his hands and using his sleeves to wipe some of his tears, “I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want you to think that I was replacing them with you. I just… I just didn’t want you to be ashamed of me.”
“No, little witch, that would never happen!” Hyunjin’s protests were the loudest of them all, the entire pack speaking up to reassure Felix.
“If anything, we only admire you more,” Chan joined in, leaning over to brush his lips over Felix’s forehead, “You’ve done so well, little witch. We’re so thankful that it’s you we stumbled on. We’re so thankful that you saved us and provided for us even after everything you’ve been through.”
At the words, a small watery smile pulled at Felix’s face. His eyes trailed back up to the fire, sparkling against the flames as he seemed to let the moment wash over him.
“I was happy to take you in,” Felix said, his voice a little calmer this time, almost wistful, “I never thought I’d have the opportunity to see new faces in this home. I never thought I’d ever have a chance at a coven again. I thought I deserved to be alone forever.”
“You don’t deserve to be alone for a single second,” Seungmin said in the tone of voice that they’d all long learned not to argue with, “You’re one of us now, Felix.”
“Yeah, you’re stuck with us,” Hyunjin giggled and buried his nose into Felix’s neck, “For as long as you’ll have us, we’ll stay.”
“That’s good then,” Felix turned to Hyunjin with a smile, tears sparkling on his cheeks, “Because I think I’ll have you forever.”
The words had a spark of warmth blazing in Chan’s chest, spreading through his body and glittering in his blood like gold. His wolf preened happily inside him, rumbling happily as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose against Felix’s neck.
“Forever,” Chan repeated, his pack humming happily around him, “Forever sounds good.”
~
If only they’d known.
If only they’d known that forever was a beautiful promise, but a hard one.
All the promises and love and hope couldn’t stop the real world from existing, couldn’t singlehandedly stop evil from rearing its ugly face, couldn’t save them from external forces that were so hellbent in their torturous ways.
It was the hunters. The hunters had finally found Felix’s hidden home.
“FELIX!” the scream ripped from Chan’s throat, the word shredding at his skin and pounding at the walls.
Felix didn’t respond, too busy trying to crawl through the wreckage towards them. Felix’s underground home had arrows pelting in through the ceiling, the hunters pounding at the camouflaged doors and trying to force their way through the ceilings.
The whole place was threatening to come down, their lower vantage point creating too much of a weakness for them. None of the wolves could fight back; their claws and fangs were only useful at close range and even if they shifted into their wolf forms, it still wouldn’t be enough to allow them to climb up the walls and through the roof.
Which meant that Felix’s magic was the only useful weapon they had. As powerful as he was, Felix was ruthlessly outnumbered by the hunters and the destruction of his home was only distracting him and slowing him down.
Thankfully and mercifully, Felix had managed to cast a protective bubble around his garden. His bed of forget-me-nots and all his visiting rabbits were safe. The next step was keeping himself and the pack safe.
“FELIX, OVER HERE!” Chan screamed again, holding out a hand as Felix tried to scramble on his stomach towards them. The entire pack were huddled shaking together under the kitchen table, Felix desperately sending up curses and magic pelts as he tried to crawl towards them.
“HYUNG!” Felix called back, finally throwing a hand out and grabbing onto Chan’s. A moment of lightning sparked between them, giving Chan all the strength in the world as he pulled Felix towards them with an almighty tug.
Felix screamed as he bumped smack into Chan, a ginormous piece of rubble tumbling down to the floor behind him only a second later. Dust filled the air, making them choke as Felix heaved out a sob, the cackles of the hunters ringing all around them.
“Chan,” Felix’s voice shook as he spoke right into Chan’s ear, the house still falling apart around them, “Chan, it’s happening again.”
Chan’s heart splintered in his chest. Despite everything happening around them, he couldn’t help but pull Felix closer, wrapping strong arms around his shaking shoulders.
“It’s not happening again, little witch,” Chan said, his voice quiet but close enough that Felix could hear him over all the devastation around him, “It’s not happening again. It’s different this time,” he pushed his nose into Felix’s neck, trying to mix as much of his wolf scent with Felix’s magic as he possibly could, “It’s different because you have us this time.”
The words rumbled through the whole pack, all of them unconsciously shuffling closer together. It didn’t matter about all the awful things happening. It didn’t matter about the hunters reigning down on them. All that mattered was that they stayed together.
Felix pulled back from Chan, his silver eyes raking over them all. The whole world seemed to stop as he stared, his beautiful gaze stopping on each of them.
“You’re right,” Felix whispered, his words somehow louder than the horrors surrounding them, “You’re right. I do have you this time.”
The whisper settled almost harshly in the air, carrying a wisp of something that Chan couldn’t quite put his finger on. The look in Felix’s eyes… it was a look that Chan hadn’t seen before…
“I’m not losing you,” Felix carried on, his magic tightening around him as Chan suddenly got an extremely bad feeling…
Chan’s heart positively shot into his throat when Felix suddenly darted out from under the table, too fast for the others to catch as they all screamed and reached out to grab him. Felix was fast and determined, his body nothing more than a little zip of magic as he threw himself into the line of fire.
“Felix, what the hell are you doing?!” Chan screamed, the question pulling from him like an explosion. His chest pounded into lava, heart shattering against his ribs.
But Felix… Felix ignored them.
They were all forced to watch as Felix raised his head to the hunters, glaring at them with a glare of fire as debris and arrows descended all down around him. His hands shot out to each of his sides, casting a protective silver glow around him that pulsed and frazzled with the undeniable force of his magic.
“Oh my god,” Jisung whispered from somewhere next to Chan, all of them watching with wide, terrified eyes, “Oh my god.”
Chan couldn’t help but agree as Felix slowly got to his feet, his gaze still stuck firm on the ceiling above him. His hands curled menacingly, fingertips fizzing and zapping as a hot feeling of power started to sizzle through the room.
It was so powerful that Chan could taste it, a brutal building-up of pure energy as Felix’s silhouette fired up and crystalised like an icicle. His lips twisted into a snarl, his freckles scintillating amongst the rubbish and dust around him. His magic only brightened, so hot and sparkling and ready that Chan was forced to reach out and grip onto the table leg to stop himself from imploding.
The hunters seemed to sense it too, the arrows stopping for a moment as they all met eyes with Felix’s cold, terrified gaze.
They seemed to realise their mistake a second too late.
“You,” Felix’s voice was deep and powerful and menacing, sending cold shivers rippling down Chan’s spine, “You have hurt the people I love for the last time.”
The words spent just one singular second hanging in the air like a bomb hovering over them all, the explosion imminent and pending and hair-raising as they all waited with held breaths and stopped hearts for the true disaster.
The bomb fell.
The explosion was unlike anything Chan had seen. A scream dragged itself bloody and messy from Felix’s throat, filling the air before Felix’s bubble of magic shot up and out like magical sparks of destruction.
The whole room went white, the pack all screeching and covering their eyes. Their teeth and bones grinded together, skin bruising and shredding as the magic curdled and mangled like needles in the air, stabbing at anything and everything it could find.
Felix’s screams were at the centre of it all. His eyes shone, his magic descended, his whole being was nothing but pure unbridled destruction.
But, through it all, the magic that should have killed them was kept as far as possible from the pack. It all kamikazed up into the air, ricocheting through the ceiling and bombarding straight to the hunters.
The pack had always known that Felix was powerful. But now he was powerful.
The magic rippled through the air until suddenly came the sound of bodies hitting the ground. The hunters’ screams and laughs faded away, replaced by nothing more than the force that had destroyed them all.
Eventually, Felix’s magic faded away too, the air going back to its chill and the noise all trickling down until the pack heard nothing but silence.
The world tilted back to stillness.
Chan inhaled in a shaky breath, his grip loosening around the table and his eyes blinking themselves open. He was met with the sight of Felix’s destroyed house, hunters’ bodies littering the floor and Kitt and Pip huddled together by Chan’s feet.
Thankfully the rest of the pack were all okay, their faces covered in dust and their eyes terrified but they all managed a nod as Chan turned to observe them all. His heart squeezed in relief, his skin tingling when Jeongin’s hand wormed its way into his own.
The whole group seemed to take a moment together, a deep breath spreading amongst them all as they silently reassured each other that they were okay, they had survived.
Chan was calm as he turned back round to survey the room, eyes stopping when they landed on Felix stood in the centre of the room, his back to them and his body statue-still.
“Felix?” Chan managed to say, pulling himself out from under the table, being careful not to place his hands on any glass, “Felix, are you okay?”
Felix didn’t respond. A tiny barely audible exhale left his mouth, the little hitch making Chan’s skin curl with fear. He listened to all the pack crawling out from the table behind him.
“Little witch?” Minho said, voice carrying softly, “Little witch, it’s okay now.”
The words were supposed to be reassuring, supposed to create comfort, but Chan found himself unable to believe them as a deep nausea started to form a rock in his stomach. But it was apparently enough for Felix to turn around, his movements slow and shaky as Chan met his gaze, Chan’s eyes widening as he was met with a sight that made his heart stop.
“Felix?” Chan borderline whimpered, barely managing to speak at the sight of the arrow protruding from Felix’s chest.
The arrow was coated in blood, barely moving as it pierced directly through Felix’s skin and into his body, Felix staring at them pained and terrified with tears in his eyes.
Chan’s breath was knocked from his lungs.
“I’m sorry,” Felix said before he collapsed to the floor.
“Felix!” Chan called out, barely even registering it as he shot forward to catch Felix in his arms, his arms tightening at Felix’s quiet agonised whimper in his ear.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Chan barely managed to breathe as he lowered Felix to the floor, cradling him in his arms as Felix’s head fell against his chest, “It’s okay, you’re going to be okay.”
Felix’s face was white as he pulled in a short, pained breath. His eyes flickered up to find Chan’s, the silver bright and wide and panicking and on the very glimpse of fading.
“Felix!” Minho hit his knees next to them, hands already flying out the grab around the arrow, “If I take the arrow out, you heal yourself, okay? You do that, okay?”
“Hyung,” Felix barely managed to speak, his voice raspy and heavy with the effort it took to speak around the blood dripping down his chin and the ache in his chest, “Hyung, no.”
“No, don’t say no!” Minho was frantic as he tightened his grip, wolf eyes flashing brightly as he stared right at Felix, “You can heal this, right? You’re an excellent healer, you can do it!”
“I’m sorry,” Felix’s eyes filled with tears, glitter sparkling in every teardrop against the too dull twinkling of his freckles, “I can’t do it. It’s too late.”
“No, it’s not too late!” Jeongin was calling out this time, his face visible over Minho’s shoulder, his skin white and his lips parted in panic, “You can do this, hyung!”
“I can’t,” Felix turned to look up at Chan again, his voice quiet and desperate, Chan’s eyes meeting his in a moment that had Chan’s heart tightening in agony, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Chan saw the look in Felix’s eyes. Chan saw the look of resignation. His chest only squeezed more when Kitt and Pip flew over to perch by each side of Felix’s face, their little pixie eyes filled with tears.
A spark of absolute raw panic seared through Chan’s blood.
“Felix, please,” Chan could barely speak around the lump in his throat, his body screaming at him to do something, anything, to help the injured boy in his arms, “Felix, please, you can’t leave us.”
“We only just found you,” Hyunjin appeared by Felix’s head, a large shaky hand coming out to splay in Felix’s hair, “You have to stay. You can’t go yet. You can’t go ever!”
“I’m sorry,” Felix said again, his gaze directly locked with Chan’s, throat working and breath hitching as he tried to speak, the same beautiful determination still present in his voice, “I have to thank you. I have to thank you for showing me that I can have a coven, for showing me that I am worthy of love.”
“Felix, don’t say that,” Chan was crying now, his hand coming up to cradle Felix’s face, “Felix, you were always worthy of love. Always.”
“Thank you for showing me that,” Felix’s voice was barely above a whisper, somehow louder than any shout as his tears leaked sincerity and earnest, “Thank you for giving me someone to love. Thank you for giving me someone to pass the legacy of my coven to.”
“No, please,” Chan choked around a sob, his hand gripping tighter to Felix’s chin, “Felix please, heal yourself! Please do something!”
“I’ve done all I have to do,” Felix sounded so resigned, so ready as he spoke that Chan felt like he was the one with the arrow in his chest. A small hand came up from Felix, fingertips stroking lightly over Chan’s cheek, “You have a pack. You’ll be okay.”
“Little witch, you are the pack,” Jisung was sobbing as he called out, Changbin’s arm around his shoulders and his face covered in tears, “You can’t leave us!”
“I’ll never really leave you,” Felix whispered, his eyes twinkling in a way that would be branded forever into Chan’s mind. It was almost ironic that Felix had never looked so shiny, so alive.
But it was too late. They all knew it was too late. Felix’s smile faded, his lips drooped, the silver in his eyes completely washed away.
“Felix, no,” Chan wept, tightening his arms so tight around Felix that it was almost like he was trying to keep him tied to earth, “Felix, please no.”
“Take care of the house for me,” Felix smiled a small, beautiful smile, “And take care of yourselves too.”
At the words, Chan could do nothing but watch as Felix’s body went completely slack in his arms, sobbing and begging as Felix’s freckles went dull and his hand fell away and the arrow in his chest finally stilled, the wound no longer leaking blood.
“Felix!” Minho screeched, but it wasn’t enough. It never would have been enough.
Chan could only pull Felix closer to himself as he sobbed, his heart tearing at the feeling of skin losing warmth, at the life in the room and Felix’s magic in the air completely draining away.
“I’m sorry, little witch,” Chan sobbed into Felix’s neck, “I’m so sorry.”
Felix didn’t move, didn’t respond, just laid pliant and lifeless as the entire pack fell into each other’s arms around him, every one of them sobbing.
~
Forget-me-nots represent long-lasting connection. A testament between lovers and friends, a promise for a connection that can never be broken or wavered.
~
The garden was quiet as Chan sank down into the grass.
It was early in the morning, the sun only just starting to blink itself into light and crawling its way up into the sky. Stars flickered away like little candles, the clouds stretching and yawning and the rest of the forest starting to curl its way into wakefulness.
Chan was silent as he took it all in, still dressed loosely in his sleeping clothes as he came to wish the world a good morning. He sat by the flowerbed, his feet tucked under him and his eyes closed as he let the chilly morning smooth gently over his face.
The rest of the pack were still asleep. They’d managed to fix the bedrooms enough to safely sleep in now, the pack content to pass out every evening after many days of hard work and reparations.
Fixing up Felix’s house hadn’t been easy considering the amount of damage it had taken, but the pack had been determined and it was starting to take wonderful shape. Despite no longer existing, Felix’s magic seemed to be ever-present. It was engrained into the house, twinkling in the walls and trilling under the floorboards. It only got stronger and happier as the pack reconstructed more and more of the house, only inspiring them even more to keep working.
After a few moments, Chan turned to stare down at the flowerbed he’d come out to water. Felix’s forget-me-nots were brighter and lovelier than ever, the soft blue so stunning to look at that it took Chan’s breath away.
Chan was just reaching out to brush a fingertip over some of the petals when a smile stretched on his face at a familiar flutter of wings.
Kitt and Pip swooped down to perch on each of Chan’s knees, chattering away together as they got to work spreading their magic over the flowers, keeping them thriving and alive and helping Chan with his work.
The third pixie came down to sit on Chan’s shoulder, nuzzling against the side of his face with a low content hum that had Chan’s entire body tingling with delight.
“Hey, Lixie Pixie,” Chan turned to press a kiss against the side of Felix’s tiny head, “Sleep well?”
Felix tattled some words in a witchy language that Chan couldn’t understand but that made him smile all the same. Felix couldn’t talk to them properly, but that didn’t seem to matter, not when Felix’s brightness was enough.
Pixie Felix was the colour of forget-me-nots, an iridescent ice blue that shone in the dark, his long hair sparkling and dazzling and his freckles little white spots over his nose.
“You here to help me with the garden?” Chan asked, beaming at Felix’s little nod, “That’s so kind. Thank you, little pixie.”
Felix preened at the praise, a little blush appearing on his cheeks and his entire body nuzzling its way into Chan’s neck. Chan smiled.
It was heart-warming to know that, even in death, their little witch was still there to protect them.