Wings;The new definition of freedom.

by Fandom_CreatorXoX

Summary:

Felix, an angel hybrid, has had a hard life. between overbearing parents, toxic friends and leaving his home behind--he's desperate for something new.

When Lee Know reunites with his friend Felix, he doesn't expect to fall in love all over again. Now he's stuck between his old and new world.

What happens when seven boyfriends meet their last puzzle piece? An Angel with a dark past, and who, somehow, knows their resident Cat?

(I suck at summaries. Hybrid/College AU--lot's of fluff and angst!)

Chapter 1

Characters:
Name:Bang Chan/Chan/Chris
Age:24
Height:5’9
Personality:Cheerful, Stern, loving and caring;sometimes overprotective.
Job:RA/small producer 3rachra
Hybrid Type:Wolf (dark brown ears with a fluffy white inside, same with his tail.)
University+Major:Seoul University, Music Major, Dance Minor
Background:came from Australia when he was younger,15, lived with his grandparents—his parents were similar to Felix’s (strict and a bit condescending) , his sister and brother are amazing and stayed with him for a bit before moving out.
Living situation:shared apartment with Changbin, Minho and Hyunjin on campus.
(apartments have up to four rooms)

Name:Lee know/Minho
Age:23
Height:5’8
Personality:Strict, straightforward, tough love, protective.
Job:Tutor+TA for Dancing
Hybrid type:Cat (dark brown/gray fluffy cat ears, Mainecoon type, and same with tail.)
University+Major:Seoul University+Dance Major, Music minor.
Background:came from a very strict family, left home at 17 to pursue his dreams. No siblings;with a minor past of abuse.

Name:Seo Changbin/bin/binnie
Age:23 (a few months younger than Minho)
Height:5’7
Personality:Funny, extrovert, overprotective, cheerful.
Job:Campus Security(during his free time, only a few hours per-day.)
Hybrid type:Bear (dark brown with light splotches of beige, a short fluffy tail.)
University+Major:Seoul University, Music major, English minor.
Background:came from a loving family, with an older sister—who is a Doctor. He moved away when he was 20 to pursue college, met the others during a fire drill(where he learned Jisung was the cause.)

Name:Hwang Hyunjin/Jin
Age:22
Height:5’10
Personality:Cheerful, mischievous, flirty, welcoming and warm.
Job:Cafe Barista
Hybrid type:Ferret—light brown ears, and tail.
University+Major:Seoul University+Fine arts major, Dance minor
Background:Came from a pretty rich family, still humble though—doesn’t realize he’s rich. No siblings, but learned to be an older brother with his friend group. He left home when he was twenty, parents are pretty neglective;they didn’t really have time for him.

 

Name:Han Jisung/Jis
Age:21
Height:5’8
Personality:Cheerful, Sunshine, cheeky, and a troublemaker/magnet.
Job:Cafe barista
Hybrid type:Dog—fluffy brown ears and tail, Golden retriever.
University+Major:Seoul University, Music Major, fine arts minor
Background:came from a standard middle class family, he loved talking to everyone.
He left home pretty young because his parents wanted him too, so he could pursue his dreams more easily.
Living situation:shares an apartment with Felix, Seungmin, and Jeongin.

Name:Lee Felix/Yongbok
Age:21
Height:5’8
Personality:Bubbly, Sunshine, calculating, sweet and sensitive.
Job:Cafe Manager/Barista
Hybrid type:Angel (white fluffy wings, can retract into white and golden tattoos. A light golden halo with stars, freckles glow underneath the dark a soft golden hue.)
University + Major:Seoul University, Dance Major and performing arts minor
Background:Loving sisters, a bit of strict parents/overbearing and a bit condescending—they don’t realize it. He came to Korea from Australia after getting offered a scholarship, he only knows Bang Chan as his RA. (never met in person, only talked on phone and emails.) he knows a bit more Korean, not a lot.

Name:Kim Seungmin/Min
Age:20
Height:5’9
Personality:Calm, Rational, reserved, quiet.
Job:RA/front office assistant.
Hybrid type:Dog—bernese mountain dog, soft brown with white and light beige tail and ears.
University+Major:Seoul University, Music major, baseball for athletics.
Background:came from a lower upper class family, parents were quiet and neglectful—never fully had a childhood, one older sister. He left when he turned 18.

Name:Yang Jeongin/I.N/Maknae
Age:19
Height:5’9
Personality:Reserved, cheerful, troublemaker, a small part of sunshine.
Job:Campus tour guide
Hybrid type:Fox—sharp orange and soft red hair and ears, same with tail;black markings along his hands and legs.
University+Major:Seoul University, Music major and psychology minor.
Background: came from a standard family, one older and younger brother. They are very supportive of his dreams, and he moved away when he was 17—graduating early due to his grades.

Chapter 2: The Sun and Moon;together once again.

Summary:

Lee Know and Felix reunite, while Lee Know struggles with pushing down the love he once felt for the Angel.

Felix never knew warmth, not the warmth he yearned for. Sure, good grades equal a night out, or a pat on the back. But, never a hug, never a warm smile that made his heart flutter—never anything more than necessary. He craved it, the feeling itching beneath his skin with need;a wanting so strong he seeked it out everywhere he could.

Friends, random people—anywhere. It didn’t matter if it was fake, nor if it made his stomach churn, nor if it physically made him vomit into the toilet at 3am. None of it mattered, as long as that warmth lingered;if it stayed more than a day, he was happy.

Until he met them.

Seven boys who changed his life, all who would guide him forward and back into the light his wings basked in.

And it all began with one flight.

_____________________________________

Minho know’s love, he’s dating six other people for god’s sake. He knew what it felt to have arms secure you, to have kisses linger moments too long—it was his daily life. But he never knew what it meant to have his breath taken away, literally and figuratively.

See, it started off like any normal day. He wakes up to loud screams, shouts of annoyance and the smell of newly made breakfast. Yeah, sharing a room with three other boys, all who were chaotic hybrids in their own right, was anything but peaceful.

He goes through the motions of his usual morning routine;getting up, showering, using the bathroom, changing and eating some breakfast. He had a morning class with Chan, so they usually leave around two hours before, just to have time to enjoy the morning sunrise.

The morning air was crisp when he steps outside, the soft breeze making the trees sway in a memorizing dance. He hikes his jacket up, burying his face into the collar. His ears twitch against the biting wind, while his tail lightly begins to sway behind him. One glance to the side shows how Chan was more comfortable in the cold. His sharp ears pricked forward, and his tail slightly tucked around his body for added heat. They both begin to walk in relative silence, finding comfort in the quiet that surrounds them. When they reach the fields outside of the campus apartments, the sound of shouting and laughter immediately catches their attention. Their ears naturally tilt in the direction of the sharp sound, with their eyes following a second later.

There, in the center of the field;avians, or well bird hybrids. Their feathers, with all their vibrant colors, catch on the soft golden rays of the sun. Each avian radiates excitement. Clashes of squawks, feathers and laughter show their natural chaotic energy.

They forgot about the morning flight classes. You see, due to the nature of avian hybrids—and angels—they had a need to fly at least two times per day. So, every school from middle to college, implemented a rule for them;two mandatory flight classes. It got them the freedom to fly around for an hour;one class in the morning, and the other in the afternoon.

Minho and Chan look at each other, shrugging their shoulders—they didn’t really care. As hybrids themselves, Minho a mainecoon cat, and Chan a wolf, they never minded what other hybrids did.

Until they hear a shriek of laughter, a sound so sharp, so warm—it had their ears perking up, fur prickling, and senses heightening.

They look towards the field, and..see the most divine hybrid they have ever set their eyes upon.

In the center of the field stands an angel, literally. Their white, flaxen, ten foot wings are tucked close to their lean figure;while a gentle white, golden halo coated in stars rests above their head. Long , fluffy, golden hair styled as a mullet framed their freckled face like it was holy. Their eyes are a dull shade of gray, while their skin is a pale-cream color;and if you catch the light right, white marks line their skin—something special to those who came from above.

When the angel turns around, presumably looking for something, their eyes lock onto Minho from across the field.

And Minho, well, his jaw goes slack.

“Yongbok?” his voice is barely above a whisper, and his eyes begin to shine with unshed tears. Chan immediately starts to panic, quickly walking over to his side—ears flattened and tail tucked with worry.

“Minho, hey, hey. What is it?” Chan searches his face for a mere second before his own eyes slowly turn towards the field. The angel, confirmed as a guy, was staring right back at Minho. Eyes wide, and mouth agape. He stands still for a moment, before breaking into a sprint—eyes locked straight onto Minho.

In a minute, he barrels into the cat hybrid—wings tucking in behind him, and hands grasping Minho’s jacket, bundling up the fabric with raw need.

“Mihno-Hyung! What..what are you doing here? Are you real? Oh my god—” the boy’s voice is deep, a stark contrast to his delicate features. He pulls back with a wide grin, and grips Minho’s shoulders. Chan looks between the two of them, confusion written all over his face.

Minho swallows down the lump in his throat, his own hands slowly coming up to rest on the younger’s shoulders. “Yongbok-ah..” his voice shakes, and his hands lightly tremble as he pulls Felix into a side hug, placing a small kiss on his forehead, “why..how? How are you here?”

Felix, or Yongbok, gives a watery smile;his soft giggle was like a breath of fresh air after a storm, when he pulls back—his eyes briefly flicker to the other guy who was standing next to his hyung, before moving back to Minho.

“I got a better scholarship offer to be here, so I moved in last week.” Felix wrings his fingers together, his feathers twitching with excitement, “I didn’t know you went here.”

 

Minho was about to respond before Chan interrupted, “Minho, who’s this?”

Oh, he almost forgot Chan was here. He gives a small sigh, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

“This is Yongbok, or Felix, we went to high school together in Australia.” Minho wraps an arm around Felix’s waist, the younger boy smiles and snuggles into him;he misses that, the way Felix’s wings would tuck around himself, how his wide smile would spread across his youthful face and his eyes would be so full of love that his heart might combust.

Chan blinks once, twice—three times before giving a curt nod, ears tilting forward in curiosity, his tail starting a slow wag behind him. After all, he was a fellow Aussie.

“Oh..that explains the name and accent.” Chan mumbles, eyes flitting towards the angel with gentle interest.

Minho nods, looking back down at Felix with a small grin, “Chan-Hyung is from Australia too.”

Felix’s eyes lighten up, his large wings flaring out behind him. His eyes immediately snap over to the wolf hybrid, “Really!? Oh my god, Where did you live?” his deep voice is gone, now replaced with something higher and more lively, almost child-like.

Chan’s own eyes light up too, his ears finally relaxing to the side and his tail starting to wag a bit faster than before. The tenseness in his shoulders disappear, and a smile takes over his frown, “Sydney. I moved here when I was young.”

Felix smiled so bright, Minho is sure the sun is jealous. Felix’s halo swivels around his head as he gives Chan a big hug—he always was affectionate.

“Me too! I moved here a few weeks ago, so sorry if my Korean is bad, Minho-hyung used to help me back in Australia.”

Chan just looks down at him, not used to someone skipping the handshake, fist bump, or literally doing anything besides a hug.

Minho gives a light chuckle, lightly ruffling Felix’s hair, “he’s a bit of a hugger. But, you’ll get used to it.”

Felix lets out a small laugh, pulling back with a cheeky grin. He gives Chan a small apology before looking over to Minho, “Hyung, now that I know you're here, we have to hangout sometime!”

Minho’s chest blooms like flowers at the first signs of Spring.

Oh how he missed Felix, his freckles, his laugh..his everything.

He gives a small nod, placing a small kiss on his angel’s puffy cheek, “Yeah, we should. I have class in an hour, but I’m free during the afternoon.”

Felix gives a quick nod, “me too, well I have flight class;but as you can see it’s basically a free period.”

Minho chuckles, shooting a glance at Chan—who seemed endured, confused and a bit lost. He had some explaining to do.

Felix gives him his number, a quick hug, and one last wave before flying back towards the other avians—wings just as gorgeous as his face. Minho sighs, his heart finally relaxing as Felix leaves.

“Soo..should I be worried he’s going to steal you away?” Chan teases, an easy smile on his face. Minho rolls his eyes, ears flickering back in mock annoyance and tail shifting back and forth, “No. me and him are just..good friends?” he mumbles, even though he wasn't really sure himself.

He met Felix during high school. He was coming in for an exchange year for a chance to learn English and experience a different culture. During one of his afternoon lectures, a winged heaven sent god showed up a few minutes late, freckled face scrunched up and wings tucked in close to his body.

And—thank god—after getting paired up for a semester-long project, they just clicked. It was like their hearts intertwined with one another, a warmth spread between them, that only they understood. It was like that for three years, until Minho’s parents decided to take him back—a quick goodbye and one shared night;and he was gone. So sure he was never going to see his angel again.

But now? Here he was, in all his sunshine glory.

“Hm, sure. Good friends.” Chan laughs as he dodges a smack from him, tail wagging behind him and ears perked forward. Minho grumbles as they start walking again;they still had plenty of time before class.

As they walk, he answers the questions about him and Felix. How they met, what he was like, everything.

Every word was said with warmth, a care so deep, Minho physically couldn’t stop smiling.

He found his angel again.
_______________________________________________

The morning was uneventful, his classes were easy—take a few notes, record a few minutes of the lecture, it was his everyday routine. He ate with his boyfriend’s, they all got lucky they had the same free period. Chatted with Jisung and Seungmin during class—he learned that they share a dorm with Felix now. He helped Jeongin and Hyunjin with their English and ended the morning with going to the dance studio to cool off.

But the second he was free, he was already making his way back to the field outside. Instantly, he spotted winged figures up in the sky, others on the ground with their wings stretching out behind them. His eyes wander around, and there he is.

Felix.

His angel wings are spread out wide and grand. His star filled halo shines against the bright sun like a glowing ring from heaven. His soft rose lips are pulled up into a wide grin—his whole appearance is ethereal, like he was handpicked by divinity itself.

His loose cream colored short sleeve shirt framed his body in a way that made Minho’s ears tilt back, and get a light pink blush to spread across his cheeks. While his light brown cargo pants and brown converse shoes made him look young, beautiful.

His smile widens as Felix finally looks down at the ground. Instantly, Felix spots the cat hybrid, his eyes lighting up with pure joy.

Felix waves; Minho could only imagine his laugh from down below. He waves back, taking a small step back as Felix, and the group of avians he was with, start their descent. Felix just tucks in his wings, and lets gravity do the work—Minho would never forget the first time Felix did that.
_____________________________

*Flashback*

“Felix, are you sure this is okay?” Minho, 16 years old and fresh out of dance class, watches as Felix, 14 years old and also fresh out of dance class, spreads his wings, feet dangerously close to tipping over the edge.

“Yeah! I can fly, remember?" Felix laughs, light and gentle like always. He turns around, the light from the setting sun splaying across his figure. His freckles shine underneath, and his halo lightly glows. His body basks in the golden hue that made him look more angelic than those flaxen and white wings tucked close to his back.

Minho gives him a look, tail flickering with anxiety and ears pinning back in slight annoyance, “I know, but you’re exhausted, and you can’t really use them in a public setting.”

“Nah, just watch!” Felix, with all the courage he has, tucks in his wings and tips backwards. Minho’s heart stops, drumming against his ribcage with anxiety. Instantly, he runs towards the edge, “Felix!” his voice gets drowned out by the honking cars and the bustling city below.

Felix, for his part, doesn’t even look worried. His wings remain close to his back, with his arms crossed over his torso and his eyes shut in reverence. He falls for a few seconds, before, ever so slowly, his wings spread out—catching the wind and slowing his plummet. He lets out a ‘whoop’ of excitement, twisting in the air to face the ground. His hand comes out, glowing a faint yellow hue in the center, while his eyes flash a flaxen color;his magic begins to circle around him until it slows down his fall. And with a few flaps of his wings, he flies himself back up until he reaches Minho again on the rooftop.

Minho, whose jaw had gone slack, and eyes looking out of proportion, just stares at him with fear, amazement and an unnamed emotion.

Felix grins, wide and proud, “seeee? I told you I would be fine!” with a laugh, he pats Minho’s head, rubbing his ears with a gentle touch. Minho lets out a strained breath, shaking his ears and tail to ease the tension.

“Jesus, Felix-ah! Don’t do that again!” he slaps the back of Felix’s head, eyes narrowed into a sharp, not mad, just scared, glare.

Felix yelps before breaking off into a fit of giggles, his wings slowly shrinking until a pair of white wing tattoos take over their place. His freckles shine against the now setting sky, the sun finally easing down into its slumber. The wind whips his hair, and highlights his shining eyes;golden rings swirling around them, and stars dancing between them.

Minho’s eyes soften, and his smile dims into something tender, calm.

Beautiful angel indeed.
__________________

Felix lands with the grace of a literal angel, wings shimmering as they tuck in close to his back. Two other avians, a parrot and black raven, land next to him. Their eyes are sharp, caculating—a sharp contrast to Felix’s easy smile and gentle eyes. Minho raises an eyebrow, mouth tugging down into a small frown.

“Felix-ah, who are your friends?” His voice is taut, a tinge of curiosity mixing into it.

Felix laughs, bright and easy as he slings his arms over the two boys, “this is Wooyoung,” he tightens his grip around the parrot hybrid, “and this is San,” he ruffles the hair of the raven hybrid. Both just stare at Minho with unimpressed eyes, mouths tilted down in half-scowls.

Felix doesn’t notice the tension, he just lets go of them and wraps Minho up in a hug, wings itching to wrap around his hyung like he used to do. Minho sighs, a small smile making its way onto his face as he hugs Felix back.

“That’s nice that you have friends, bbokkie. My name is Minho or Lee Know, by the way.” his voice is polite, he doesn’t want Felix to feel bad, nor distraught over this underlying tension.

They give him a curt nod, eyes wary and scrutinizing. They both looked beautiful in their own right, not like Felix angel level, but holding a strength respective to their hybrid attributes.

Wooyoung has dark brown hair, littered with a mix of red and blue highlights due to his parrot side. His slightly tan skin contrasts beautifully against his rich brown eyes, highlighting the small specks of blue within them. His red wings sprout against his back like a fan unraveling, some hints of green and blue mixed in.

While Wooyoung carries the bright and outspoken features of a parrot, San carries the silent grace of a raven. Black hair mixed in with gray strands, dark powerful brown eyes, cream colored skin that popped against his sleek dark gray wings.

Their outfits were similar to Felix’s, they have the same style—just different fonts. Wooyoung wears a light, almost white, beige long sleeve shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to expose his toned arms. His pants, navy blue dress ones, pool around his black boots, framing his legs and making him seem even taller.

San was darker, dark gray and brown being his main color palette. A collared long sleeve black shirt, dark gray dress pants and rich chocolate boots.

All of them look two steps away from walking the runway.

Minho was more casual with his clothes, he got to change earlier during his break due to the sheer amount of sweating he did during dance class, so he felt a bit underdressed;with his gray cat hoodie, black sweatpants and converse shoes—he looked out of place between three boys who look like they model during their free time.

“So, do you want to stay with us, or wait until class finishes and then we can hangout?” Felix’s gentle, but still heavily accented, voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

He blinks, eyes flitting over to the two boys before returning to the angel before him.

“Oh..uhm, I can just wait. I’m free until dinner, so..” his voice trails off, hands fidgeting behind his back as he gives a small smile.

Felix beams, and kisses his cheek—just like he used too.

Minho smiles, oh how he loved his angel.

‘Okay, then you can just sit anywhere! I still have to stretch my wings out a bit more, haha!” Felix laughs, voice so gentle it makes his heart constrict and his breath get stuck within his lungs.

Wooyoung and San give Minho a look, wary but still curious. Wooyoung speaks for the first time, cautious but interested, “You can go fly, Yongbok. We’ll keep him company.”

Felix blinks in surprise, eyes flitting between the three of them with a perplexed expression. But, he just shakes his head and smiles.

“Okay! Have fun, then!” He gives them a wave before gently unfurling his wings, and when they scintillate underneath the blaring sun, all Minho could do was suck in a sharp breath.

Felix has, and will, always be beautiful to him. Like how the moon shines against the brightest stars, or how the sun peaks through the clouds, or even how the birds chirp through the quiet, slow mornings.

Felix’s wings flap once, twice, before he takes into the air—they spread out in all their glory against the blaring sun;while his halo shines against it, brightening the stars that swirl around it.

His smile is so bright it makes the sun look dim.

Wooyoung and San watch as he takes flight, eyes glimmering with an unnamed emotion. Minho stares at them, wondering their story, how they knew his Felix, and why they seemed to want to choke him out.

“So..you’re the infamous Lee Know?” San’s voice is practically drowning in sarcasm, arms crossed over his chest and eyebrows raised in mock amusement.

Minho swallows, suddenly very interested in the surroundings.

The field was gorgeous, a paradise for avians and angels alike. Trees surrounded the campus like a gentle sanctuary, meant to keep them safe from the looming buildings, honking cars and bustling streets of Korea. Beautiful flowers bloomed from the ground with fresh scents, lathering the field in a warm aura. The sun was low, calm—a steady presence against soft feathers.

“Yeah..uhm, how do you guys know Yongbok?”

His eyes search their faces, catching the faint twitches of their mouths as they fight smiles.

Wooyoung answers for them, his voice is smooth, relax in a way Minho didn’t expect, “we met during dance class a few weeks ago, he transferred and he didn’t speak korean. We wanted to learn English and we just clicked, and then we learned he got an offer to come here, so we signed up for the same flight classes.”

Minho nods, his eyes wandering towards the boy in question.

Felix was chatting with other avians now, his hair streams around his face like art. His lips curl up as he lets out a carefree laugh.

A smile spreads across Minho’s face before he could stop it.

“So, what majors are you guys in?” Minho turns back towards them, his tail lazily swaying behind him while his ears flicker towards the two boys.

Wooyoung gives a half smile, his wings spreading out behind him, “I’m a theatre major, or performing arts—whichever suits you best.”

San gives him a tired side-eye as he speaks, he seems more reserved than Wooyoung. That was fine, Minho was like that with strangers too. “I’m an art and psychology major.” His voice is more mellow, quiet in a way that links with his hybrid nature.

Minho nods, a small smile of his own gracing his features, “That’s cool! I major in Dance, but I have a minor in music.” His voice is borderline cheery with barely contained excitement;he loves dancing.

The way he could get lost within the music, just to feel the rhythm deep within his skin. The way he could always hear when his sneakers would skid against the floor. Feel as he gets drenched in sweat;it always makes him feel alive—like a bird, or angel, unfurling their wings and taking to the sky for the first time.

(yes, he was thinking of Felix.)

Wooyoung and San share a look, Minho doesn’t know whether he likes it or not—

“Minho-hyung look!” Felix’s bubbly voice rings across the field, easy and loud like always.

Minho looks over and instantly smiles as sees Felix up in the air, twisting and spinning—just like he used to do.

His wings fold around himself as his body naturally leans back. He spins and twists, the cold breeze entangling into his feathers like a soft lullaby. They catch the wind, easing him back up into the clouds.

Wooyoung and San each smile at the sight, their own wings quickly uncurling before taking to the skies.

Minho watches as the avians join his angel. Sometimes, when he was alone, he would wish he had his own pair of wings;just to be up there with Felix, flying without a care in the world.

But a cat suited him better, being a maincoon had its perks too. Fluffier, better senses and sharper eyes—which benefited him when he wanted to watch something from faraway.

Like now. His eyes trail Felix as the winged boy glides through the air with practiced ease, wings barely making an effort against the timid breeze, each turn was familiar, each smile lightening the weight pressing against Minho’s heart.

His angel;the person who means everything to him.
__________________________________________
Half an hour passes. The wind dulls down to a barely noticeable zephyr, and the clouds start to mask the sun's dull golden rays. The avians still in the sky start to come down to relax. Felix, Wooyoung and San each land with soft thuds—wings tucking in close to their backs.

Minho watches from the side, his hands tucked into the pocket of his hoodie. He doesn’t really have a plan, but that was the fun part of every adventure.

Felix chats with his friends for a few moments before finally making his way over to Minho, his halo hovering above his angelic hair;the stars gleaming in the half-dark, and his wings glowing a vibrant flax.

Minho wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in so he could kiss his forehead, “Have fun, bbokkie?” His voice is teasing, slipping into the familiar routine he had with Felix.

Felix just huffs out a laugh, lightly pushing him away, “Haha, I did—were you okay? Wooyoung-hyung and San are a bit..intense.” Felix turns to him with a shy smile, hand coming out to rest on his arm.

Minho just smiles, lightly shaking his head, “Nah, they were funny. I’m glad you’re making friends, really.” He ruffles the younger boy’s hair, being mindful of his halo.

Felix smiles, and a warmth spreads through Minho’s body. His love for Felix ran deep, through every vein and organ in his body. Yeah, he has six boyfriends and he loves them to the moon—but Felix was special.

His kind nature, his soft heart, his adorable face;it all just screamed at Minho’s heart.

“Thanks, Hyung. Do you have anything planned or..?” Felix leans into his side, wings neatly folded behind him.

“Ah..well, my uhmm..boyfriends usually have dinner together around this time.” Minho rubs the back of his neck, a soft pink dust coating his cheeks. He knew Felix wouldn’t judge, he just didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. He also knew his boyfriends would fall in love with Felix, call it cat instinct or something.

Felix blinks, his eyes slowly turning to the older boy. A blush slowly creeps up onto his face as he coughs out, “Thats uhm..wow, did not expect that from you, Hyung. It’s great, really!” Minho lets out a sigh. A small, shy smile gracing his face.

“Thanks, but..do you want to join?”

Felix contemplates over it for a moment before giving a bashful nod, “Sure, it sounds lovely. I can’t wait to meet them.”

Minho shoves his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, eyes wandering towards the dorms.

“Great. You'll love them, trust me.”

This was the start of the angel truly learning freedom;a story that would unfurl to reveal love.

Chapter 3: The Flower fields bloom with love

Summary:

The first meeting, where new friendships are created .

(I did not really revise, and since English is like my third language its kinda bad, but thank you guys for the support so far!)

The walk to Minho’s shared apartment is silent, offering a small comfort between the pair. The sun is already setting, its soft rays of light slowly getting clouded by the various buildings in the distance;it was the definition of peace and quiet. Minho walks at a slower pace, not wanting the moment to end before they reach his chaotic space.

Felix bumps his shoulder, eyeing him with gentle eyes and a soft smile, “We haven’t really talked, hm?” His voice is quiet, like a dull wave against soft sand. Minho stares at Felix in silence long enough for the angel to let out a small laugh and bump his shoulder again.

“Tell me, what happened after you left, how you came here, your major, everything.”

Minho’s face shifts into something tender, his facial features softening. He looks away, eyes wandering around as he speaks, “Well, after I left Australia, my parents made me pick a college. They didn’t care what I majored in, so I chose dance and music. This was one of the only colleges to accept me with a full ride.”

A faint frown tugs at his lips, he remembers the night he left. How Felix cried his eyes out, begging him to stay. How Felix hugged him so tightly, he felt as if the angel's hands burned into his skin. How he whispered empty promises, and how his heart hollowed the moment they lost contact due to their overbearing parents.

He shakes his head to stop the memory from resurfacing;he doesn’t want to remember that night.

Felix’s hand squeezes his bicep, an understanding look in his eyes. His eyes always held so much emotion, overflowing with a type of kindness and love that could only be described in fiction. Felix’s warm smile overtakes his face, his natural aura wafting through the air like a benevolent wave.

“I hate that night too. It's okay to feel sad, Hyung. But, I’m here now, and I'm not leaving anytime soon.”

Minho finds himself smiling despite the ache in his heart;he doesn’t want his precious angel to worry. He gives him a curt nod, kissing his forehead with a gentle press of his lips, “Thanks, bbokie.”

Felix snuggles into him, his alluring aura still surrounding him. Minho, needing a shift in topic, starts to talk about his boyfriends. He describes each of them with care and love, a type he used—(still does)—to hold for the boy next to him. He talks about Chan, and his need to lead and support each of them. He talks about Changbin;his strong presence but soft nature. He delves into how Hyunjin loves art;his own like masterpieces themselves. He animates how Seungmin is the most rational;but has a gentle side that would make anyone fall into a puddle of mush. He talks about Jisung, despite being annoying, he has a gentle and caring side that made Minho's heart flutter with love. Finally, he ends it with Jeongin;and how, despite being the youngest and most reserved out of the seven of them, he’s a cuddle bug with each of them when the time is needed.

Felix listens with keen interest, his freckles faintly glowing against the dulling sky. And with each story, and name—his lips pull up into a faint smile. He’ll keep them close to his heart for later. His hand gently traces star patterns on Minho’s arm, a silent gesture to get the cat hybrid to relax.

They continue talking in hush whispers, Felix reenacts how he met Wooyoung and San, and how he instantly clicked with the avians. Minho reminisces about how he met his boyfriends, and how his life changed when he arrived in Korea. They both gradually get closer to one another, their faces lighting up with each new story.

Soon enough, the campus buildings creep up from the distance. The upperclassmen buildings were modern;white walls, sleek gray tile floors, and bright fluorescent lights lining the ceilings. Minho stays up on the fourth floor, meant for mostly dance and music majors, but sometimes others get in due to special requests.

Minho reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, pressing it against the card reader to get in. with an exaggerated bow, he opens the door for Felix, a small smile tugging on his lips as he hears his warm laugh.

The hallways are bare, minimum and precise art decorating the pristine white and gray walls. With some chairs scattered in the corners, and random plants near the spider-webbed corners. There were some people scattered about, their eyes naturally drawing to the hybrids in the hallway.

While hybrids are common, they aren't exactly the same as humans. They stuck out like sore thumbs, and while there were laws to keep them safe, that didn’t stop the stares. But, thank god, Minho’s building was mostly hybrids and welcoming humans. The stares were mostly directed at Felix, an angel is one of the rarest hybrids after all. Despite his wings being retracted, his aura screams divine, heavenly, something out of reach for most. Felix didn’t spare anyone a glance, his eyes flitting across the halls to the different paintings hanging on the walls.

Minho wraps an arm around his waist, keeping him close as he presses the button to the elevator. His eyes peek down at Felix, a soft smile gracing his face as he sees Felix smile at other hybrids. While Minho remembers him being an extrovert, he’s forgotten how much Felix likes making friends. The complete opposite of himself, Minho usually prefers keeping to his close friends or boyfriends.

The Elevator doors open with a soft ding, the slim gray doors sliding open with a small creak. They step inside, with Minho pressing the button to the fourth floor.
Felix looks around, his hands trembling with barely contained excitement.

Minho chuckles, ruffling his hair again, “Relax, they’ll like you, bbokie. Just let me do the talking first, they’re a..loud bunch.” It’s true, when all seven of them get together, quiet was a dream he wishes was real. Felix laughs, leaning into his side like it was the most natural thing in the world, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you hangout with loud people willingly, Hyung. You must really like them.”

Minho’s lips twitch, his eyes focusing on the screen of the elevator as the numbers slowly climb up, “Yeah, well..they’re special, you’ll see.” He gives Felix a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before the elevator slows down to a stop, the doors sliding open with another small creak.

Felix gives him a shy smile and nod, holding his hand as they step out of the elevator. He follows Minho, eyes wide as he takes in the upper floor. Unlike the lobby, the walls were decorated with paintings, and different styles of art. The doors were painted in different colors, probably unique to the people living there. Music notes are painted on the once white walls, which were now different shades of the rainbow.

It was like a whole new world, more alive.

Minho giggles at his reaction, making Felix’s face heat up in embarrassment.
Minho just squeezes his hand before turning down the hall, heading towards the far end. His dorm door was decorated with sheets of music, the dull gray contrasting nicely with the withering papers—clearly a choice of decoration.

Felix’s eyes take it all in before landing on two, basically three, words: “Stray Kidz H.Q” The words were in bright blue letters, a slight lean on them to add flare.

Before he could question Minho, Minho mumbles, “It’s just a band name, don’t worry about it too much.” Felix gives him a small smile, his heart twisting against his lungs for an unknown reason.

Minho steps forward, hand raising to sharply knock against the door.

Barely three seconds pass before the door swings open—

“HYUNG HELP ME!”

A body crashes straight into Minho, who barely has any time to react, making him stumble back a few steps before he regains his balance.

Felix blinks in surprise, eyes wide as he watches the scene in front of him. A boy, with short fluffy dark brown hair and big doe brown eyes, was wrapped around Minho like a koala. He was wearing a simple white tee, along with navy blue shorts—and if the dog ears and tail didn’t give away his hybrid status. The person screaming at the door sure did.

“Come back here you stupid puppy! I’m not done with—” Another boy, this one being taller than all of them, with short spiky dark brown hair styled as a faded mullet;and sharp lean brown eyes, stops short as he catches sight of Felix.
Felix’s eyes travel up and down as he takes in the boy wearing a onesie, a light red dragon one, with his eyes lingering on the ferret ears and tail, before finally meeting his gaze. Felix gives a shy chuckle, “Hi?”

Before the tall boy has a chance to respond, Minho groans and pushes the other boy off of him with a small glare, “stop using me as your shield, Jis.” he straightens his shirt, taking a few steps to the side to stand next to Felix again.

The boy gives a sheepish smile and, like the other boy, his eyes land on Felix with interest. His ears perk up and his tail slowly starts to wag back and forth, “Hyung, who’s this?”

Minho sighs, wrapping an arm around Felix’s waist, “This is Yongbok, or Felix, he’s my friend from Australia. I invited him to have dinner with us.”

The two boys share an unexplainable look before giving curt nods, they smile at Felix as they introduce themselves.

The taller one goes first, his voice quieter than before, “I’m Hyunjin, or Jinnie to my boyfriends..” his eyes rake Felix up and down, lingering on his visible halo before looking away.

The other boy gives a more bright smile, his tail still wagging behind him, “I’m Han Jisung, you can call me either. Most of my boyfriends call me Jis though.” His voice is much friendlier than Hyunjin, matching Felix’s sunshine persona.

Felix’s lips curve up into a shy smile, his hands wringing his fingers together as he mumbles, “Nice to meet you. You can call me Felix or Yongbok, I’m from Australia, so that’s why I have an English name.”

Minho smiles at the three of them, ruffling Felix’s hair before turning towards the other two, “Great! Now is everyone else already here? I was hoping to introduce Yongbok to them.”

Hyunjin nods, his own tail slightly wagging behind him as his small ears perk forward, “Yeah, Chan-Hyung and Seungmin are in the kitchen cooking already, the rest are in the living room playing mario kart.”

Jisung smiles even wider, his energy affecting his boyfriends and Felix, “I was winning, until Hyunjin-Hyung cheated!” He laughs as Hyunjin tries to smack him, but a quick look from Minho stops their banter from accelerating.

Felix looks between the three of them, feeling slightly awkward with being the third wheel. Minho doesn’t say anything else, instead he starts to guide Felix inside his dorm.

“Tell everyone to go to the living room so I can introduce Yongbok!”

Hyunjin and Jisung follow after them, with Jisung heading to the kitchen and Hyunjin going to the living room to tell the others.

Felix’s eyes, as always, take in the surroundings.

The apartment layout is standard, a long hall with two doors across from each other near the entrance—one leads to the kitchen, which connects to the dining room, while the other leads to the living room. The walls are painted a soft gray, some light baby blue lining them in music note patterns. There are some paintings of flowers, and people, hanging on the walls—framed in gold or black, showing off their importance. The lights were dulled to an ambient gold, casting soft shadows against the pristine hall.

Felix follows Minho as he leads him into what seems to be the living room, immediately it has Felix hiding behind the cat hybrid due to the sheer amount of people.

The living room screams warmth and comfort, an L-shape light brown couch in the center covered in soft blankets and pillows in varying shades of colors. A round light cream fluffy carpet resting on beige wood floorboards. Photos line every corner, creating a welcoming and homy atmosphere. The T.V stands on a long drawer, books stacked underneath for decoration or reading, who knows. In the corner, a small tree sprouts from a white pot, clean and formal. Near the door, to the left, stands a tall brown bookcase. The top row is filled with different types of cameras, the second brimming with small trinkets like stuffed animals or music sheets, while the lower ones contain even more photos of what Felix imagines are Minho’s boyfriends.

And scattered on the couch are six different hybrids, each more adorable, or handsome, than the last.

Minho clears his throat, lightly tugging Felix to stand next to him, “Guys, can I get your attention?”

Six pairs of eyes turn to the pair, all of them instantly becoming curious as they spot the new person in front of them.

Minho looks down at Felix, giving him a reassuring smile. Felix takes a deep breath, his voice is quiet as he mumbles,“My name is Yongbok..or uhm Felix, I’m a friend of Minho-Hyung.”

Silence follows like a death sentence. Everyone stares at him, analyzing and trying to figure out everything beneath his freckled face and charming smile. The first to speak is Chan, Felix remembers him from the morning, “Well, I already met you earlier. But it’s nice to see you again, Felix-ah.”

Felix smiles, before his eyes turn towards the others. A boy with light brown, and some strands of white and beige hair coupled with sparkling brown eyes, speaks, “nice to meet you too. My name is Seungmin.” His voice is calculating, arms crossed over his chest as he leans back against the armrest of the couch. Felix's eyes follow his fluffy ears and tail—he now notices that everyone is a hybrid.

Felix nods, and with Seungmin’s and Chan’s introduction, a train of greetings follow.

A boy with dull orange and black hair, sharp fox ears and tail, and slim brown fox eyes introduces himself as Jeongin, the youngest. Hyunjin and Jisung simply wave, since they already know Felix by the chaotic introduction. Another boy, short but built like a tank, with dark brown hair—almost black—and round rich chocolate brown eyes, introduces himself as Changbin.

As they all finish, Minho ushers Felix to sit on the couch. He complies, stiffly sitting near the edge with his hands resting in his lap. The others make room for him, an uncomfortable silence fills the room.

Minutes pass before Chan, being the oldest, clears his throat and smiles, “Well you guys can chat while Lee Know and I finish dinner.” He gives each of his boyfriends a kiss on the forehead before gesturing for Minho to follow, their footsteps growing quiet as they leave the room.

Silence comes back like a tidal wave, with no one really wanting to break it. Felix drums his fingers against his legs, his halo now dully glowing against the soft golden rays of the few lamps in the room. Seungmin clears his throat, moving around the coach to sit between Jisung and Jeongin, “So..Yongbok, hm? How do you know Lee Know?”

Felix smiles, shy and full of unseen charm, “We met back in Australia during high school. He was in for an exchange year, and I taught him English.”

Everyone blinks in surprise, shooting glances at each other. They each give small nods, various ears perking up while tails begin to wag in rhythmic motions. Jeongin gives Felix a sharp look, a small smile overtaking his face, “That’s cool. Are you an angel, I see the halo..but no wings.”

Felix swallows, the tension slowly easing out of his body. With a small nod he forces another smile, this one coming easier than the last, “Yeah, I am. My wings are hidden, most angels can turn them into tattoos of some sort, and I got that gene.”

Everyone perks up at that, and Felix would laugh at how all their ears shoot up. Various questions fill the previously tense atmosphere, each being answered with gentle care and excitement. They learn about how Felix and Minho grew to become best friends, how Felix came to Korea. While Felix learns how they all came together after Jisung set off the fire alarm and they got lumped together as trouble makers, how Hyunjin and Jisung used to hate each other but became inseparable. They gradually begin to laugh with ease, smiles coming in easier as they retell stories of the past. How they all started dating, how they became a band shortly after starting college and their dreams.

Felix finds himself growing less tense, his previously hunched shoulders easing into something more relax, chill. His smile stays on his face, while his eyes remain focused and gentle. The others grow more comfortable too, animating everything with their hands and running around the room like hyperactive hybrids.

Minho was right in guessing how they would warm up to each other, maybe it was an unknown string tying each of them together—pulling them closer. Or maybe it was their energy and easy demeanors that let them come together so easily.

Soon enough, the smell of freshly cooked meat, ramen and various dishes fills the apartment like a warm blanket. The dogs, Seungmin and Jisung, instantly perk up at the smell, their heightened senses alerting them to the finished meal. Without another word they barrel out of the room, the others startle out laughs, slowly standing up to follow along.

The dining table is long, brown sturdy wood carrying bowls, plates and different variants of food. Chan and Minho are busy plating, ushering the others to sit. Minho smiles to himself as he sees Felix easily sit next to Jisung and Hyunjin, clearly they’re easing up with one another.

After a few final touches, the older boys take their own seats, glancing around the room with amused smiles as they see various degrees of wanting. Chan waves his hand and mumbles a small, “dig in”, before the others are scarfing down the food.

Chatter fills the room like a comforting melody, soft laughs easing everyone’s stress and hearts. Safe to say, Felix’s smile is the brightest thing in the room. The more they learn about him, his degree, his hobbies, the more they find themselves wanting more.

“So, Felix-ah, what do you like about Korea so far?” Changbin’s voice is light, his eyes fixating on the angel before him. Felix blinks, brain trying to figure out an answer, after a small silence he breaks off into a smile, “Everything. It’s different from Australia, but I like the people, culture and food. Especially the dance program here, and the flight classes.” The others nod along, with most being dancers or music majors, they understand his liking towards the department;it was one of the best in the world.

Changbin nods, his chopsticks shoving a few noodles into his mouth as he murmurs, "That's good. Do you sing or anything? Most of us produce music and sing, I’m sure Minho told you about our band.”

Felix’s face flushes a light pink, his hands fidgeting with his own chopsticks as he shyly mumbles, “uhm..I used to sing, but I don’t anymore.”

Minho stops at that, since when did Felix sing? he turns to face the angel, eyeing the way he fidgets with his chopsticks and looks anywhere but him.

“You’ve never sung when I was with you. Is it a recent thing?” Felix looks away, taking a few bites of his rice before he answers, “uhm..yeah, i guess. It was more of a trial thing.”

Minho nods, the others share a few looks before turning back to their own food. Not wanting to dwell on it, Felix shifts the topic, “So..what about you guys? How did you become a band?”

Chan perks up, immediately diving into it, “Well when we met each other during the fire alarm, we realized most of us were in the music or dance department. After getting in trouble, and actually becoming friends, we started to experiment with our skills. After two years, we decided to form a band, I came up with the band and all…” he continues to talk, the others adding their own input when necessary.

Felix follows along, his cheeks puffing out as he eats. Minho watches him with a fond look, Seungmin eyes him with small curiosity, he was the most observant of the group for a reason. Minho doesn’t notice instead his eyes follow as Felix laughs at something Changbin says, or as his halo swivels on top of his head like a divine glowing disk.

Dinner goes by quickly, everyone growing closer with each joke, story and fact. Once everyone finishes their last bite, Jisung throws himself on Minho with a dramatic sigh, “Yah, your friend is amazing, Hyung! He’s a literal angel!” Minho groans, used to his dramatics. He lightly shoves the dog hybrid away from him, “yeah, yeah. I get it.”

Changbin lets out a short laugh, his own body leaning against Seungmin like he’s a personal pillow. Seungmin, for his part, doesn’t complain. Instead, with soft eyes and a gentle touch, he rests his hand on top of the bear hybrid’s head, lightly petting him.

Jeongin stares at Felix for a few seconds, with his ears tilting forward and tail lightly wrapping around himself. He blinks for a few seconds before blurting out, “Hyung, Can I see your wings?”

The chatter slows down to a dull quiet, Felix turns his gaze to the fox. Eyes slightly wide, he’s quiet for a moment before he answers, “Ah, I wish. But it’s pretty cramped here, and my wings are sensitive.”

The others look at each other before Hyunjin leaps up with a wide grin, “I know! We can go out to the fields, we all need to let out some energy, and I, for one, want to see Felix’s beautiful wings!” The others immediately join in, turning their pleading faces towards Chan, Minho and Changbin. As the dubbed “Hyung” line, (Hyunjin should be included, but he acts more like a child) they were the ones with the most say in decisions.

The three share a look, it’s not thattt late, and besides, it would be fun to go hangout on the campus fields, not the ones for flight classes—but the ones near the gardens, swarming with flowers and a natural calming aura. They all let out a collective sigh—

“IT”S A YES!” Jisung lets out a whoop, already jumping out of his seat to go raid one of his boyfriend’s rooms for clothes. Hyunjin grins and runs after him. Seungmin, dressed in a comfortable blue hoodie, black sweatpants and sneakers, sighs at their antics. Changbin, dressed in a loose cream tank top, black shorts and converse, snorts as he stands up to clean.

Chan and Minho share a look before breaking into amused grins, they both begin to clean, lightly chuckling as they hear Hyunjin and Jisung down the hall. Felix is mostly confused, nonetheless he gets up to help, his face scrunching up with a dopey grin.
They clean in relative silence, and after a few minutes the two hyperactive children come running down the hall—Hyunjin now sporting a black long sleeve shirt and light gray sweats, while Jisung wears one of Minho’s black hoodies—ready to have fun.

Seungmin shakes his head, hands meticulously cleaning the dishes. Changbin laughs, his own hands busy drying off the clean dishes. Chan and Minho share a look, clearly they were used to this. Jeongin, for his part, doesn’t even bother looking up from his phone. He wears a simple red short sleeve shirt, black shorts touching his knees and matching with his sneakers.

Felix just grins at the two boys, giving them a thumbs up to compliment their outfits.
Jisung gives him a side hug, smile wide and carefree. Hyunjin walks over to their resident maknae and kisses his forehead, laughing as Jeongin smacks his arm. The others quickly finish their duties before finally grabbing their own shoes, and last minute needs, before heading towards the door.

The halls are quiet as the group leaves, the only sound being their heavy footsteps and hushed whispers. Chan, Minho and Changbin lead the group, already planning out how long they would be out for. Seungmin quietly talks with Jeongin about classes and what they were going to do. Jisung and Hyunjin continue to talk with Felix.

(They all warmed up to the angel, like a magnet pulled them into the depths of those dull gray eyes, and wrapped them with white feathers.)

The air is quiet when they step outside, the wind gently blows through with the delicacy of a feather. The night sky is dark, mellow;the moon hanging low and shining brightly against the scatter of stars. Though what captures their attention isn't the faint glow of fire-flies as they buzz through the tall grass, nor the gentle breeze of the wind as it whips through their hair.

No, it’s on the glowing angel in the center of them.
Felix, for lack of words, was literally glowing. His freckles, splattered across his face like constellations, were glowing a dull flax color. His eyes, previously just a dull shade of gray, now shine a soft gold around the edges. And to top it off, his hair, golden underneath the sun, was now almost pure white, faintly illuminating against the soft rays of the moon.

Everyone stops walking, while most hybrids had unworldly traits, (dogs with keen senses, foxes with razor eyes, bears with strength, avians with flying, and so on) they have never heard of a hybrid literally being able to glow in the dark like a damn glow stick.

Felix just blinks, hair lightly swaying with each gust of wind. His freckles seem to brighten before they dull, repeating in a memorizing pattern. And when they look down, they see faint white marks running up his arm;shining against his skin like lightning in a thunderstorm.

Minho swallows, eyes forcing themselves away from the literal angel before him, the others follow but not before Jisung mutters a quiet, “Jesus dude, you’re literally glowing…”

Felix laughs, the sound so warm it has each of their hearts fluttering against their ribs. He smiles at them, waving a hand in the air, “Ah, it's an angel thing. Thank you, though.”

It’s quiet for a moment, the only sound being the gentle chirps of crickets. Chan clears his throat, mumbling about where they need to go to get to the fields. Everyone just nods, but their eyes remain on the glowing beacon next to them. Felix begins to talk again, including everyone in his conversation.

The walk fills with playful banter, each laugh warming the atmosphere even more. The campus is elegant, each building worn out with paint and memories of long ago. Some lights are on, filtering through the windows, with shadow dancing behind the curtains. The flowers blow with each puff of air, lightly glowing under the aureate lights of the street lamps that line the sidewalk.

The path to the flower fields is short, with each step they take the more excited they become. Felix, despite being on campus for over a week now, never actually explored past the front buildings, staying close to the main buildings. That’s why his eyes practically blow out of their sockets as he spots the flower fields.

A mix of Sunflowers, lilies and roses span across the hills, basking underneath the moonlight. The loose petals blow with the gentle breeze, whisking through his hair like they would in a fairytale. The fresh scent of spring hits his nose, his smile widens and the stars in his eyes practically shine brighter than any star in the sky.

The others all let out various sounds of excitement, tails begin to wag and feet begin to skid against the wet grass as they run towards the flowers. Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin all leap in, laughing as they roll around. Changbin hauls Hyunjin over his shoulder and runs down the hill, laughing with the ferret hybrid as they fall into the roses. Chan and Minho hang back with Felix, a silent question hanging in the air.

What would his wings look like underneath the soft glow of the moon?

Felix smiles at them, slowly peeling his shirt off. (They wouldn’t see, but his torso is littered with scars, new and old.) His white wings tattoo faintly shine, shimmering as his wings begin to sprout. The others, who were a few feet away, stop what they were doing and look over—immediately becoming entranced by the display.

Felix looks other worldly to put it simply. His wings, shimmering with specks of gold and gray, brighten underneath the gaze of the moon. The feathers spread out, tilting with every small movement Felix makes. His freckles, glowing a faint golden hue, match perfectly with the beauty of his wings.

He looks divine.

The others, still scattered all over the field, are in a trance. Eyes fixated on the beauty before them.

“Woah.” Hyunjin mumbles, his voice breaking the comforting silence. The others immediately begin to shout their own compliments, Felix turning redder with each word of praise.

Minho watches from behind him, though he has seen Felix’s wings plenty of times;his breath still escapes with each time. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of an angel’s beauty every once in a while. His gaze travels to Chan and Changbin—both have their mouths open in shock, their ears pin back and their tails begin to wag in excitement.

Felix laughs, the soft sound echoing throughout the field of flowers. He spreads his wings, flapping them once before gliding over towards the others. They begin to play around, playfully tackling each other or taking turns with Felix to fly near the ground.
Chan, Changbin and Minho all stay back, content with watching the others enjoy themselves.

It almost surprised Minho how well they got along so quickly, but he also knew the energy Felix exudes, a type of joy that spreads through the air with an allure only he has. His vibrant smile, his gentle touch, everything about him screams warmth and love.

Minho still loves him as much as he did all those years ago;too bad his imaginary wings were clipped before he took the first leap into his feelings.

“Your friend sure is something, Lee Know.” Chan’s voice is mellow, warmth spilling into his words. His smile is soft, his eyes crinkling up as he turns towards the cat hybrid, “Everyone is quickly warming up to him, that takes something special.”

Changbin nods from beside him, his own smile holding something more playful, “seems like we finally met your first love, yah?”

Minho flushes under the teasing, ears pinning back with annoyance. Though, the words are..to some degree, true. Felix always will be his first love, and he still is. Minho loves each of his boyfriends equally. (Though some have pointed out his tendency to be around Han a lot more than others.) He couldn’t imagine his life without them, but now? Now he found the sun in his cloudy sky, the key to his heart. He knew the others, based on how they run around and play tag, would return those feelings with time, so, for now, he’s content with keeping Felix close.

“Shut up, I know he’ll grow on you guys soon enough.” He teases them back, eyes sparkling with his own mischief. They both laugh, giving almost identical nods.

“Yeah, you're probably right. I don't know why, but my wolf feels complete now, you know? It’s like…instinct or something.” Chan shrugs, his light gray ears catching the soft glow of the moon, shading it to a lighter shade that highlights his true nature.

The silence that follows is comfortable, like a gentle confession waiting to be found further down the road. Their eyes track the others as they rough around, while the gentle wind blows flower petals through the air. The moon hangs low, captivating the fields in its bright shadow, and highlighting everyone’s hybrid nature.

Jeongin and Seungmin are laying down near the top of the hill, their tails curled around them like weighted blankets while their ears remain tilted in relaxation. Jisung, Hyunjin, and Felix are playing near the bottom, with Felix’s wings tucked close to his body. Their yips and whoops echo throughout the field, filling the relative silence with cheeriness and playfulness.

After an eternity of playing, they finally settle down. Once they collapse near the roses, they begin to tie some together to make flower crowns—the others join too, and soon enough all eight are enjoying each other's presence. Felix sprawls against the ground, eyes fixated on the stars above, each representing a small part of his soul. Minho lays down next to him, mindlessly taking his hand. Jeongin and Jisung are making flower crowns, while Seungmin, Chan and Changbin chat about upcoming classes.

A new group of friends is born as the stars twinkle against the elegant rays of the moon, and as it adorns each of their faces;laughter takes over the field, filled to the brim with new found friendship.

Chapter 4: Angel

Summary:

Sorry guys for the really late update!!! I became homeless, still am, and I have school and you know--but I also lost my computer;so I wrote this on my phone. Again, English is not my first language.

Anyways have this filler chapter!

Thank you. :>

Hyunjin draws in a sharp breath, his eyes narrowing angrily at his sketchbook. The dull golden lights of his private art studio, which cover the room in a soft ambient glow, are a sharp contrast to his swirling emotions. He's stuck,with his pencil tightly clamped in his hand;and a blank sheet of thin paper, streaked with erasure marks,resting mockingly on his lap—a clear testament to his empty mind.

He came here to decompress after his dance class, hoping to get some semblance of peace within the walls of his art studio. Art has always been a form of therapy for him, the way the paint would mark the sheets of paper transforming the once blankcanvas into something marvelous and swanky. It helps to express his inner emotions and bring them to life.

Every painting he did was hung up in golden frames within his boyfriend’s apartments. He loved it, they loved it, and it usually only took him about ten minutes to fall into the familiar strokes of his paint brush, or the whisk of his pencil against his sketchbook.

So, why is he coming up blank?

He tightens his grip on his pencil, giving one last angry huff, before shoving his art supplies onto the floor. His hands run across his face, eyes momentarily glazing over as his thoughts drift. These past few weeks have been a blur of activity. Ever since they met Felix, or Yongbok, it felt like they've finally found the last piece to their almost empty hearts. Sure, they’re all dating each other, and they love each other, but there was always a lingering feeling—like something was missing.

His heart clenches.

Felix fits right in. Like he’s meant to be with them.
His laugh is contagious, and his smile drives away any trace of sadness, anger, and negativity. He was dithered about letting someone in, especially after what happened
last time—but Felix just wormed his way inside so effortlessly, that Hyunjin barely noticed the pet names, the lingering touches, and even the occasional late-night
cuddles between them.

Anytime Felix havered about his schedule,rather it being dance class or chemistry, Hyunjin would just sit down with a dopey grin on his face and nod along to whatever
he rambled about. His boyfriends weren't any better with their obvious love towards the angel; Chan would join Felix during lunch so they could talk about Australia, while Minho lingered nearby during his flight classes. Seungmin, Jisung and Jeongin lived with him—so they talked to him all the time, and Changbin just liked flexing his muscles around the poor boy. (Felix becomes a blushing mess every time.)

His thoughts are momentarily interrupted as a voice fills his ears, like a siren song—beautiful, deep and soft. His eyes drift towards the door, immediately entranced by the delicate sound. His private art studio shares a hall with the music department—which is mostly made up of recording booths and practice rooms.

Is someone singing then?

Quietly, he stands up, his shoes skidding against the painted hardwood floor as he leaves the room. In a trance he follows the sound, his eyes widening as the lyrics
reach, not his ears, but his heart.

The voice is audibly deep, having a smooth undertone that gives it a gentle allure. He stops short in front of a worn down recording booth. His eyes skim the door for a
moment before immediately landing on the see-through window.

Felix.

The Angel that has been stuck in his mind all week, filling up his head twenty-four seven is now singing like an ethereal star. His voice, with that sweet and polished
timber, streams through the booth. His hair, tied up in a half ponytail, frames his face like a special piece of art. His eyes remain shut, while his thin lips softly begin to move
as he starts to sing what Hyunjin assumes is the angel’s own song. His beige cardigan falls loose around his lanky frame, while his dark brown dress pants contrast nicely
against the flaxen glow of the studio. The gray converse shoes he’s wearing are scuffed up;torn up by the years of hard work and dancing.And god, his voice.

“I used to sing..but I gave it up a long time ago.”

Felix did say he used to sing. Hyunjin is just surprised he stopped, with an angelic voice like his—deep, profound and holding so much raw emotion, it’s hard to believe he just gave it up without a second thought.

The lyrics are masterpieces themselves, each word holding the weight of the angel’s pain; Felix’s voice doesn’t waver—but the subtle tremble in his hands and hard swallow that bob his adam's apple speaks volumes to his inner soul.

“Deep inside..I’ve never felt alive.”

Hyunjin hears how Felix’s voice drops an octave,
his mouth momentarily fluttering shut as he takes in a deep breath. Then to Hyunjin’s surprise, Felix’s voice rises a small timbre, much lighter than his deep rumble;but still
overflowing with sadness.

He stands frozen in the hallway, caught up in the moment.
When he feels a strong presence come up behind him, he looks away from Felix, his brain still fogged up from what he just heard.

Chan.

The wolf hybrid’s eyes are wide in shock, and his ears are perked forward in curiosity and amazement. Hyunjin gives a small nod, agreeing with his shock too;Felix has an
amazing vocal pitch, with an angelic and gentle side that has a lower gravelly undertone.

 

They listen to him for some time, mesmerized in the words that spew from his mouth like divine scriptures. It's not until Felix slowly stops singing and opens his eyes does
he finally notice Hyunjin and Chan in the hall.He lets out a startled yelp, almost falling out of the stool he’s sitting on.

Chan and Hyunjin quickly open the door, apologies stumbling out of their mouths as they help Felix sit up. Felix brushes them off, a dust of rose coating his freckled cheeks.

“How long have you guys been listening?”

Hyunjin smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, “Sorry. I came a few minutes ago, Chan-Hyung came a bit later.”

Chan’s dopey grin and wagging tail has Felix sighing as a small and gentle smile takes over his face. Hyunjin’s heart flutters, butterflies swooning in his stomach as he stares
at Felix.

Chan must have noticed because he clears his throat and smiles back at Felix, “So..that was some good singing, especially with your vocal range, Felix-ah.”

Felix’s blush deepens, and he averts his gaze as he mumbles, “Thanks..I was just uhm..having fun, I guess? I’ve told you guys how I quit singing a few years ago. I just
wanted to practice a bit for karaoke.”

Karaoke?

Hyujin blinks, a pout forming on his face. If they didn’t invite him to karaoke, who did? Chan’s ears tilt back, his tail stilling as his brain processes the information. After a
few beats of silence, he nods, his mouth pressing into a thin line.

“Karakoe..that’s fun. Who are you going with?”
Felix’s smile grows even brighter, his freckles shining a faint golden hue in the dim lighting of the recording booth, “my friends! Wooyoung-Hyung, and San-ah.” His voice is chipper, and his energy radiates through the room like a beacon.

Chan blinks in surprise, he hadn’t known Felix knew Wooyoung. Wooyoung just happened to be a great friend of one of his boyfriends(Changbin.) He remembers thefirst time he met the parrot hybrid, a bit taken aback by his clipped attitude at first, but after spending a night out with him, they grew close.

He looks over at Hyunin, catching the way his lips twitch up into a smirk.

Sigh.

“Some of us actually know Wooyoung-Hyung and San-ssi! Why don’t we join you guys?”

Felix’s face lights up, his smile growing even warmer—if that is even possible. He looks between them before quickly nodding, “Yeah! I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. I’m
also going to invite my friend Lisa, so you’ll meet her too. I’ll send you the details!”

Chan and Hyunjin both smile at Felix’s enthusiasm, following him out the room as he finishes packing up his bag. The hall is quiet as they step out, the only sounds being the dull hum of the air conditioning and the faint singing further down. Felix turns to them with a face-blinding smile, “I have to go, but I’ll see you later!”

He waves goodbye to the pair before leaving the hall, his figure disappearing as he rounds the corridor. Chan sighs, his ears falling back while his tail stills. Hyunjin pouts, mouth jutting out as he mumbles, “Man..he is so unreal.”

Chan nods in agreement.

“I don’t think everyone is available to go out tonight. Seungmin, and Jeongin are working late at the cafe while Binnie-hyung is working on the campus until late. Though I think Jisung and Lee Know-hyung should be available.”

Chan blinks. Right, most of them have work. He knows Minho is definitely available, his TA job usually reserved for class time. He doesn't have work until tomorrow, and
Hyunjin doesn’t work until the weekend. Guess the others have lucked out on spending time with Felix.

“That’s fine, just tell them where we're going to be.” Chan turns to face him, smiling at the ferret hybrid’s pout. “Hyunjin-ah, don’t pout you big baby.”

Hyunjin looks away with a small huff, his ears tilting back in mock annoyance, “I just wish we could all hang out like last time.”

Chan laughs, the sound carrying throughout the quiet hall. He pats Hyunjin on the back, lightly steering him towards the exit so they could head to class. Tonight was
going to be fun.
__
Jisung steps out of his dorm apartment, shaking the sleep out of his eyes with a small yawn. He, along with Changbin and Chan, pulled an all-nighter to finish the production on some of their songs. It would be their first time actually making a full album and not some half-assed lyrics to post online, so making it perfect proved to be a gruesome process of no sleep and barely any meals. (Lee Know always made sure to drop off some easy meals for them.)

He sighs, and takes a small sip of his Ice Americano. The liquid soothes his throat and makes him feel at least a little bit more awake. The fresh breeze of winter air cuts
through his thoughts, and as he squints his eyes against a fleeing fleet of leaves that blow against his face—blond hair paired with a familiar smile appears in the peripheral vision of his eyes.

He blinks and turns his head.

Felix.

The angel is sporting loose clothing, his whole aura exuding a welcoming warmth with a special divine radiance that alludes to his hybrid nature. He wears a blinding
smile, his halo tilting to the side with his head as he giggles;while his wings remain tucked close to his body. There's two other hybrids, a girl and a boy—the girl being acat hybrid, while the boy looks like an avian hybrid. They both flank his side in what looks like a protective shield, eyes focused totally on the sweet angel as he talks.

Jisung finds himself walking over with an easy grin on his face. His own hybrid features relax the closer he gets to Felix;his ears tilt back while his tail remains in a
gentle wag. He stops his grin from fading as the two hybrids immediately frown at him and narrow their gazes.

Now, Jisung isn’t exactly the most threatening looking, so yes, he does feel a little offended at the hostility. Though that doesn’t stop his smile from widening even further as his eyes land on Felix, “Hi, Sunshine. How’s your day going?”

Felix’s smile blinds his eyes, the angel hybrid’s wings flaring out in excitement, “Good! How about yours, Hannie?”

Jisung melts at the nickname.

“Good. Who are your friends?" His eyes flicker between the two other hybrids, his ears perking up in mild curiosity.

“Ah, this is Lisa, and this is San-ah!” He gestures to the cat hybrid, Lisa, and then to the Raven hybrid, San.

Jisung nods, giving each of them a polite smile and a little bow, “Nice to meet you guys. You can call me Han or Jisung.”

Both of them mumble a response, though Jisung notices how their gazes soften as Felix starts the chatter up again, “We have a flight class right now, but I told Channie
earlier about a hangout for later tonight. I’m sure he’ll give you the details.”

Jisung blinks again.

(seriously he’s becoming like Lee Know.)He nods, an easy smile spreading across his face, “Alright, well it was nice meeting your friends, and seeing you.”

His heart constricts as he watches the angel turn to leave—though, by the stern look of the other two hybrids;he doubts he’ll get a chance to talk to his angel again with
them around. He sighs, his lips sticking out to form a pout.

“Hi, hyung!”

“AH!”

Jisung jumps at the voice, clutching his chest as his head whips around. Jeongin blinks at him, caught off guard by his reaction.

“Uhh..nice to see you too?”

Jisung huffs out a half-startled breath, straightening back up with yet another pout, “oh my god, Innie. Don’t sneak up on me like that again.”

Jeongin smiles, a small laugh bubbling out of him as he holds out a wrapped.sandwich, “Sorry, Hyung. Hyunjin gave me this to give to you. He also got some for Chan-hyung and Binnie;we know you guys stayed up late to finish the album.”

Jisung softens at that—his boyfriends truly love one another like no other. He takes the sandwich with a small ‘thanks’, stuffing it into his bag for later. He looks back over
at Jeongin, who is wearing that cheeky smile that basically translates to‘, I know I can get away with anything.’

“Where are you even going, Innie? Aren’t you supposed to be in your biology class?”

Jeongin perks up, his smile growing even “wider, Yeah! But today we get to observe avians. It's part of our unit, and I know Felix-hyung is there right now, so I’m excited!”

Jisung’s eyebrows raise in surprise, his mouth parting halfway open as he basically sulks at how Jeongin gets to see their divine angel, but not him.“Oh. well..uhm, I just talked to him—he was with his friends, and I swear they hate me! They were glaring and basically burning a hole into my head.”

Jeongin blinks and then quietly mumbles “was it a girl and a boy? A cat hybrid and a raven one?”

Jisung nods so fast it feels as if his head might unscrew itself. “Yes! Oh my god, did it happen to you too?”

Jeongin rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly nodding along“, Yeah. Yesterday, when we were working together, they came to pick him up and I swear they had a vendetta
against me or something.”

Jisung mouth falls open (again.)

Since when did Jeongin work with Felix?

“Wait..wait, worked together? Since when!?”

Jeongin stares at him for a good minute before his eyebrows shoot up and he laughs, “Ohhh! I forgot to tell you guys! Yeah, he’s our cafe manager. I didn’t know until he
came into work two days ago, apparently he was on vacation or something close to that.”

Jisung’s eyes narrow and he slaps Jeongin on the back of his head, “Yah! Tell us these things! Now I have an excuse to come see him when you want to be picked up! Matter
of fact, I’ll be picking you up every day you work from now on.”

“Ack! Okay, okay! Fine.”

Jisung nods, a triumphant smile spreading across his face, “good. Now head on to see our angel, I have class soon. Oh! And also, I know you work today, but tell irino that
Felix invited us to go out. Chan has all the details.”

“Wait, what? He invited us to hang out? It just has to be the day most of us work!”

Jisung laughs as Jeongin pouts, patting his back in condolence, “Don’t worry. I’ll ask him to come for Lee-Know-hyung’s birthday.”

Jeongin does perk up at that, but the sulky expression remains on his face as he walks away to his ‘observatory lesson.’ Jisung shakes his head with a grin, taking another sip of his neglected ice Americano, before walking off towards his next class.
__
The air is light with no clouds in sight. The breeze feels like a gentle hug, and the wind lightly picks up the fallen leaves around campus and scatters them between the
buildings like it’s a display of abstract art. The warm sun feels like a gift from above with its gentle rays casting flaxen shadows across the field.

Felix feels like he could stay up in the sky forever.
His wings lazily flap with the zephyr, while his halo becomes nearly transparent against the warm glow of the sun. Flight class was always a place for him to wind
down and let his worries melt away into nothingness. His angel status did give him some higher priority among his classmates;so that’s a bonus. (It just means he gets to
be outside more.)

“Felix-Hyung!”

A voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and when he turns towards the sound he spots Jeongin near the edge of the field with some other sophomores nearby. In an instant
his smile grows;and with a quick tuck of his wings, he lets gravity carry him down.

Felix’s wings spread out mere seconds before he hits the
ground, flapping once before his feet touch the smooth grass. Jeongin approaches him with his backpack slung over one shoulder, and a notepad in hand. His smile is wide, eyes crinkled so far up it looks like he can’t even see. His hair.is tussled from the wind, and his skin is flushed in a slight pink hue;He looks like a straight up model from a k-drama.

“What are you doing here, I.N-ah?” Felix tilts his head in curiosity, his wings fluttering with the wind, while his feathers gently spread out underneath the breeze. Felix knows that the young fox hybrid has a class, having heard about it in the morning in the dorm—so Felix is quite surprised to find him out in the field.

“My biology class is making us observe avian hybrids for a research project. So, here I am!”

Felix’s eyes widen in surprise, a wide grin blossoming on his face as he basically wraps the younger hybrid up in a warm embrace, “Yay! Another friend for today.”

Jeongin laughs, hugging Felix back with equal excitement;some of his classmates look on, a few with curious gazes—others with mild annoyance at the easy grade he’ll get.

(After all, angels are special to each country—especially Korea.)

“I just need to analyze your flight pattern along with any abilities you might have. My professor is very diligent in this type of thing."

Jeongin holds up a notepad and a pencil, an easy grin spreading across his face. Felix nods, wings fluttering with excitement as he diligently explains his own anatomy.
His wings spread out, catching the ambient rays of the sun and filtering through his feathers;his halo reflects off the intense light, sparkling with every spin and twirl from
the angel hybrid.

Jeongin listens with rapt attention, jotting down a few notes along with a quick sketch of Felix’s wing's anatomy. And , when Felix takes flight, he notes the graceful
maneuvers from the angel, and how each twist and turn is done with fluidity. He does catch the eye of Felix's friends, who watch him with narrowed eyes—their wings tucked close to their rigged bodies.

He gets lost in thought, wondering what exactly he, and his boyfriends, did wrong to.garner such behavior. He shakes his head, forcing his eyes back to the sky. Felix has
taken to just floating above, his wings mindlessly flapping every one in a while, while aflaxen glowing line wraps around his body—divine magic basically consuming his
aura.

Jeongin can’t help but be a little jealous. Sure, his fox nature came in handy with smells, tracking and hearing—but avians, especially angels, had the freedom to roam
the skies, and look down on those on the ground like they were nothing but ants.

Did Felix feel that way about him and his boyfriends?
He shakes those thoughts away and focuses back on Felix. The angel’s smile is bright, the light reflecting beautifully off his teeth and wings. He observes him for a few
moments, eyes glazed over in concentration—

“Hey, who’s Felix-ssi to you?”

He blinks and turns around.

He spots Wooyoung—whom after having a brief conversation with him and his.boyfriends and finally clearing the air around Felix and is now on good terms with
them—nervously fidgeting behind a raven hybrid—San is his name, well, maybe;he thinks he heard Felix telling him about the raven last night.

“Oh uhm..a friend?” His voice is soft among the chatter in the field;testing the waters of Felix’s other friends.

“San-ah, they’re clear already. You know me and Changbin-ssi are friends.” Wooyoung speaks up, his tone tentative and clearly a little bit nervous around the edges. San
shoots him a side-eye, and if looks could kill—hell that whole field would drop dead.

Jeongin clears his throat, offering a sheepish smile, “Me and my boyfriends aren’t any problem. We just want to be friends with Felix, that's it!”

San shoots him a long glare, his frown lessening just around the corners, “better be. Or else..” The threat hangs in the air like a loose noose, ready to hang anyone who
dares to go against it.

Jeongin swallows hard, nodding along quickly,"yes, right. Mhm, totally!” he chuckles nervously, eyeing Wooyoung—who just shrugs before placing a hand on San’s
shoulder, “Leave him alone and let’s go back to flying.”

 

San gives Jeongin another pointed look before reluctantly turning around, spreading his wings and taking back off to the sky. Wooyoung sighs, giving Jeongin one last,
apologetic look before spreading his own wings and following after his friend.

Sigh, just his luck.

“Innie!”

A small grin grows on his face as he hears the low voice of the angel that has.completely taken over his heart. He tilts his head to catch a glimpse of Felix’s figure hovering above;his wings spread out, gently fluttering with the breeze—the softness of his movements make him seem like a being created by the sun and heaven itself.

“What is it, hyung?”

“Do you want to come for a ride?”

A..what?

“A ride? what do you me—AH! HYUNG!”

Before he could get his sentence out—-Felix swoops down and scoops him up like he.weighs nothing, gently cradling him against his chest. The wind blows back his hair,
and he squeezes his eyes shut with every sharp gust of wind.

Felix laughs, a soft and tender sound—it makes his heart flutter, and, being this close.to him;he could feel the way his feathers would tilt against the wind, feel the warm
aura radiating off of him like a safe haven.

“You can open your eyes, you know. I’ve got you.”Jeongin holds his breath and tentatively peaks an eye open.
He’s about thirty feet in the air, while the wind tussles his hair—the grass below seems.like an insignificant detail when the gentle, soft blue sky clouds mask most of his vision;each cloud spirals into a different shape and trudges along with the kind breeze. The school building is like a faraway door; and every worry attached to it vanishes in an instant like a distant dream.

It feels like freedom.

“Beautiful, right?” Felix looks down at him, his wings flapping every few seconds to keep them in the sky. The smile he wears is nurturing, and warm—like every trouble
would melt away if he stares long enough.

“It's amazing, Yongbok.” Jeongin feels comfortable enough to wrap his arms around the angel's neck, his eyes wandering back to the horizon. The sun peaks through a
couple of trees, its tender rays coats the fields, the avians and even the campus.buildings in a mild ambient glow.
He feels like he could stay up in the sky forever.

“It was nice to just get away. Back home, I used to fly all the time in Australia.” Felix’s voice softens into a melancholic tone, his kind smile falters at the edges before smoothing out a few seconds later, “The ocean always smelled like salt and freedom,.and the sand would stick in between your toes—not causing any discomfort, just a familiar warm feeling. Chan said he felt the same way when he went back last year.”

Jeongin listens as Felix talks, his eyes taking in the splatter of freckles that seem to.glow brighter against the sun;his smile that would curve up at the mention of his
friends, Australia and even singing.

Jeongin barely notices as Felix starts to hover down, his feet touch the wet grass with a solemn finality—he doesn’t want this moment to end.“I would like to take you guys to my hometown—someday, just to get away from the
stress and actually breathe, you know?”

“We would love that, trust me.”

“Felix-ssi! Come on, class is over, we have dance class!”
Both Felix and Jeongin turn towards the voice, spotting San and someone else—Jeongin assumes another friend—near the bleachers, bags slung over their shoulders and wings tucked relatively close to their bodies.

“I have to go, but it was nice seeing you, I.N-ah.”

Felix, being the sunshine he is, places a reverent kiss on the fox hybrid’s cheek before running off towards his avian friends.

Jeongin’s cheeks grow red. His ears pinning back in embarrassment while his tail wraps around his leg.

They were all,indeed,whipped for the angel.
__
“No, not like that. Step down with sharper movements, and flare your fingers outwards.”

“Lee Know-ssi, can’t we work on something else?”

“Haru-ah. Focus on this;we have a showcase in three months—your debut.”

Minho crosses his arms and looks down at his Dongsaengs. Being in charge of a new dance group, which also mixed with singing, was anything but easy. They call
themselves “NEXZ”, and sure they’re a talented bunch—almost on par with his own group. (people around campus always called his boyfriends, and now Felix, “Stray
kids.” it’s funny;he was named the mom of the group while Chan was the dad—and come on, they weren't that far off.) Anyways, safe to say this group is a handful.But, as the senior TA—it’s his duty to help the younger kids.

So here he is.

Yuki, the maknae of their group, pipes up with a small, encouraging grin, “come on guys, we got this! Fighting!”

The others give half-hearted murmurs, before yelping in
surprise as the door to the dance studio bursts open.

“Oh. didn’t realize anyone else was using this studio. Sorry!”

Minho blinks.

“Yongbok-ah? What are you doing here?”

Felix looks from the younger ones to Minho. His entire face lights up like a switch, with his wings fluttering in excitement as he practically pounces Minho.

“Lee Know-Hyung!”

“Hi, Lixie. What are you doing here?”

“We’re here for extra practice. Our dance teacher is out today—so we have to film.something instead. Didn't realize it was occupied.”

Minho turns his head to spot San and then another person—a tall, black haired avian hybrid. With loose black and gray clothing, and wings effortlessly tucked close to his
body. His face is soft, highlighting his youthful features, the slope of his nose and even the curve of his eyes. All three of them are sporting dance outfits—oversized hoodies
or shirts, cargo pants and sneakers in shades of gray and black.

Well except Felix. He wears a simple light, rose oversized hoodie—a cute white kitten pattern scattered across the front and back. White, baggy sweatpants with soft, pinkconverse shoes. His hair is pulled up into a messy half up-half down style, cascading down his face to frame it like divine jewelry.

The other members of NEXZ share confused looks before taking the opportunity to bolt before Minho could get another word in—they quickly bow, shove their
belongings into their gym bags and leave.

“Yah! Come back here!”

Minho calls out, a playful frown pulling at his mouth. San, and the other guy, sigh and step inside, “sorry about intruding. This is Eric—he shares flight class with me and
Felix-ssi.”

Great, another person he has to worry about.

“I know you’re a TA, but I didn’t realize you’re actually teaching alone! That’s amazing, hyungie!”

Felix smiles up at him, his halo spinning with cheerfulness while his wings keep vibrating in place—oh the joy of being a ray of sunshine. Minho smiles down at him, ruffling his hair, which in turn makes Felix lean into him like an attention seeking cat.

“Yeah, my dance instructor told me it’s my opportunity to show my choreography skills. They’re a good group;but, they are a bit..eager in some areas.”

“That’s a given, I remember my first time dancing too.”
Minho shrugs, not at all bothered by the fact that the younger generation of dancers
are a bit over eager.

“Doesn’t matter to me—but I didn’t realize your class had a dance project.”

His eyes, on reflex, flicker over to the two other hybrids. San and Eric both are near the the furthest corner, bags thrown hazardally off to the side as they stretch. Huh. Minho thought that with wings;avian hybrids have a harder time with movements orat least have their feathers restrict their dancing—but no. San and Eric are using their wings, stretching the feathers out and even tilting them forward, to the side and even backwards.

“Do you guys incorporate your wings into your dancing?”

Minho blurts the words out, turning his gaze back towards Felix. Felix grins at him, giving a gentle nod before diving into a cheerful explanation on how they use their
wings in the choreography—even going as far as spreading his wings and showing off the anatomy and fluidity they have.

Minho pays close attention to every word, occasionally humming in agreement or to show Felix that he was, indeed, still listening to his every word. San and Eric move
around them, setting up a camera in front of the mirror and murmuring low words to each other. Minho’s eyes occasionally drift towards them—not staring obsessively, just watching. He doesn’t get San’s piercing eyes nor Eric’s wary glances. Sure, they didn't really get along outside of Felix and Wooyoung—who both are friends with him and
his boyfriends, but the reason for hostility is still unknown to him.

“So, one good thing with my feathers is that I have magic infused into them—so I can control them even if they fall out. It’s a good angel ability.”

“Oh uh..yeah, that's cool Yongbok-ah.”

He pulls his eyes back towards Felix, blinking twice—a tell of his that signals he actually cares a lot;despite his tone and lack of facial expression.

Felix knows. He always did.

“I know! We're gonna incorporate it into the choreography. You should join us!”

Minho blinks, looks over at San and Eric, then back over at Felix.

“Oh, I have class soon. But maybe next time.”

Felix pouts, wings slowly drooping down into a resting position, “oh..yeah. That's okay! You should get to class, Hyung. We’ll probably hang out after school anyways.”

Minho wants to ask what he means by that, but San and Eric both clear their throats—shooting him a pointed look before softening their gazes as they turn to Felix.

“Let’s get started, hm?”

Felix gives a thumbs up and a small smile, turning to look at Minho one last time with the brightest eyes, “See you later, hyung.”

Minho ruffles his hair and nods. His shoes skid against the dance floor as he collects his bag, and quietly leaves the room. The door shuts behind him like a final barrier—he needs to find out why Felix’s friends look at him that way.
no matter what.
__
“Chan-ah! Over here!”
Chan’s head snaps over at the sound of his name, spotting
Minho, Hyunjin, Jisung and even Seungmin in the far left corner of the cafeteria.

The campus cafe is a spacious, and quite minimal space;abstract paintings line the white walls, and various seating arrangements spaced out for comfort. Though, they always choose the same booth in the far left corner—just because nobody would bother them, nor interrupt their mealtime.

Their group is pretty famous around campus—since the older ones act like a bunch of mother hens and hover over the younger ones;it became quite amusing to spot those
small moments. Like when Chan picked Jisung up after he had a panic attack, or when Minho brought lunch for Jeongin at the cafe.

Chan smiles at the memories.

He walks over to his boyfriends, setting down his tray—which contains a balance ofkimchi, tteokbokki, and ramen noodles. He slides into the seat next to Hyunjin and
Jisung. (he, and Minho, always take the aisle seat just in case.)

“Hyung. I heard Lixie say something about a hang out?”

Jisung turns to look at him, cheeks puffed out like an adorable squirrel. Chan’s heart flutters at the cuteness;Jisung always had round cheeks, and big doe eyes—so it was hard not to get cuteness aggression around him.

Hyunjin buts in, chopsticks muffling around his rice as he mumbles, “yeah. He invited us to Karaoke tonight with some of his friends. But I know only you and Lee
Know-Hyung are available for the hangout.”

Seungmin's eyes snap up from his own tray, mouth half-stuffed with beef. He blinksnfor a few seconds before responding, “Really? That's nice of him. Sucks that most of
us have work, though.”

Minho, who has been uncharacteristically silent this whole time, pipes up with a nonchalant edge to his words, “I saw him when I was training a new group in dance class. He was with San and another guy named Eric or something, but yeah he said that we’ll probably hang out after school anyways.”

Everyone at the table looks over at him. Before looking at each other. Chan's eyes wander over to Jisung—who looks about two seconds away from blabbering about something related to Felix’s friends.

“San-ssi I know, but Eric? Who the hell is that guy? Was he giving you weird looks? Because I mean, and I mean it, like all of Felix’s friends have been shooting me dirty
looks or don’t even look in my direction—”

“Oh my god, same! Anytime I talk to him, they're there! And they have like a cold.attitude, when I haven’t even done anything!”

“You guys too?”
Chan's eyes flicker between Jisung, Hyunjin and Seungmin. And the gears in his brain turn as he processes every word;because, yeah, all of Felix’s friends have been
shooting them dirty looks, or ignoring them anytime they’re near the angel.

Minho looks down at his tray of food, chopsticks hovering over his rice. There’s ancertain tick to his jaw—like his mind is working overtime to figure something out,“Do you think they hate us or something?"

Chan blinks. Hate them? What for?

“Lee Know-ya. They don’t hate us..I think.” he mumbles, stuffing his mouth with a handful of noodles. He doesn’t think they hate them, maybe just a strong dislike?

“Well..Lee Know-Hyung isn’t wrong.” Seungmin pipes up from his seat—causing the others' eyes to immediately land on him.

“WHAT!?”

Jisung stands up from his seat, chopsticks clattering faintly against the table. Every head in the cafeteria turns to face their table.

Silence.

“Jisungie, sit down, pabo!” Hyunjin yanks Jisung down by his shirt, looking around before giving Jisung a slap on the back of his head: “idiot! Don’t just yell like that.”

Jisung pouts, his hand rubbing the back of his head. Seungmin shakes his head with a sigh, Chan pointedly avoids looking at any of them—like if he doesn’t meet their eyes, he could pretend he’s not dating any of these idiots.

 

Minho just blinks three times;surprised, but not at all affected.

“Okay..well.” Seungmin clears his throat before leaning in like he was about to tell a super top notch secret, “I heard them talking about us after my shift at work—apparetly our angel was in a relationship, like a really bad one. They’re afraid we might corrupt him or take advantage—something like that.” He shrugs, leaning back and picking his chopsticks to continue eating.

This time it’s everyone’s, barring the calm Seungmin, turn to yell.

“WHAT!? Relationship!?”

And oh boy was their later hang out with the angel about to take a turn.