Work Text:
There was blood dripping down Felix’s face.
It was coming from his nose, gushing over his swollen lips and staining the hands he had cupped over his mouth. It stung like hell, feeling like he was being stabbed repeatedly all over his face as his nose throbbed endlessly.
Felix whined to himself.
He couldn’t believe he’d been caught off guard. The plan had been to sneak in, grab what he needed and then get out, disappearing once more into the night like he always did.
There weren’t supposed to be henchmen.
There weren’t supposed to be people much taller and much stronger than him practically waiting for his arrival.
After that, there hadn’t been a way for Felix to win. He just had to take it as he was tossed and kicked and hit like a ragdoll, the pain spreading through his whole body and scorching through him like lightning when they’d literally thrown him out the door, the cackles and the sound of the door slamming still echoing through his mind.
He’d managed to crawl his way over to the edge of the pavement, pathetically sitting on it with his legs shaking and feet planted messily on the road. His phone was lying in pieces next to him and his motorbike was still where he’d parked it, too far away for him to get to and probably not safe enough for him to ride whilst he was injured anyway.
Felix didn’t know what to do.
The tough, fierce and forever-feared Lee Felix didn’t know what to do.
He choked back another whine of pain, wincing as he pressed his hands tighter against his face. He couldn’t even stop his noise from bleeding, how the hell was he going to figure out a way to get to safety?
His mind was still reeling when he was suddenly distracted by the rumble of an engine, looking up and cowering as harsh headlights illuminated him, bathing him in a blood-red glow.
The car kept going until it was parked only a foot from in front of him. Felix not even flinching, too used to the danger that was his life and too tired to even try to move.
It was only when the headlights clicked off and Felix recognised the car that he started to feel his already-simmering fear start to boil hotter in his chest.
Sleek black paint, snarky number plate, a car that had no business being that pretty.
Hwang Hyunjin.
Felix swallowed heavily, preparing himself for the mocking and possibly even more pain he was about to experience.
Him and Hyunjin had been against each other for a while, always seeming to want to steal the same resources and find the same people on their hit lists. They’d given each other more bruises than Felix could count, their eyes never meeting in a way that was pleasant.
Felix supposed it was karma catching up to him that meant Hyunjin was the one to find him like this.
He didn’t look up as he heard one of the car doors swing open, followed by the slow sound of two thick cargo boots hitting the floor and rippling down the pavement, the car door shutting with a deafening slam.
Felix curled further into himself, too ashamed to even show his face as the blood continued to gush between his fingers. He could feel embarrassment curling in his gut, settling like a stone in his stomach as the footsteps got closer towards him.
No one had ever seen Felix so hurt and weak before, especially not his enemies, especially not Hwang Hyunjin.
Felix was supposed to be strong. He supposed to be ruthless. He supposed to be unbreakable.
He wasn’t supposed to be shivering and bleeding on a pavement.
Felix almost whimpered when the boots came into his sight, stopping in front of him in a firm stance. He could feel Hyunjin’s eyes boring into his back, could feel the judgement and taunts surrounding him and poisoning his skin, laughing like little devils perched on his shoulder.
But then the boots crinkled as Hyunjin crouched down, a large hand landing on Felix’s shoulder and making him flinch.
A moment of silence passed between them, broken only by Felix’s strained breaths. He waited for the hit to come, waited for Hyunjin to start laughing, waited for Hyunjin to do something.
Felix never could have predicted what Hyunjin did do.
“Felix,” came Hyunjin’s rough voice, his tone much calmer and much quieter than Felix had ever heard it.
Felix didn’t respond, desperately trying to turn further away when Hyunjin’s grip tightened against him, sending shivers twisting down his spine.
“Felix,” Hyunjin said again, his voice inexplicably gentle as another hand came up, this one curling slowly around the one Felix had pressed against his face, “Look at me.”
There was something in Felix that tried so hard not to obey, tried so hard to stay still and pray that Hyunjin would just leave him alone. But there was something in Hyunjin’s voice, something so tender and loving that Felix had never heard before.
It had something blooming in Felix’s chest, his heart skipping a beat and body almost untensing as he inched back around. His hands shook as he lifted his head, his hair falling over his eyes.
Hyunjin just tsked, making Felix tense again as he moved the hand on Felix’s shoulder up to his head, pushing the hair gently behind his ears.
Felix followed the movement, sparks of warmth exploding like fireworks under Hyunjin’s fingertips and filling Felix with a feeling he couldn’t explain.
Neither of them spoke, Felix not daring to in case Hyunjin suddenly flipped on him, being the enemy he was supposed to be. Felix was still immensely confused on why Hyunjin hadn’t mocked him yet, but he wasn’t about to push it.
But then the hand around Felix’s wrist gently started to pull, tugging Felix’s fingers away from his face and letting the blood flow freely down his chin.
Something flickered in Hyunjin’s eyes.
Something clouded dangerously over Hyunjin’s gaze.
Felix couldn’t tell what it was, his mind screaming at him in denial when he thought it was anger. There was no way Hyunjin could be angry. Hyunjin had to be laughing, had to be savouring seeing Felix so weak. Hyunjin couldn’t be angry.
Felix was still trying to work it out when Hyunjin shuffled even closer to him, his eyes meeting Felix’s as he leaned forward.
There was no way of telling what he was about to do, no way for Felix to prepare himself when a fire roared on Hyunjin’s face. He tensed, expecting a slap, but he felt something stutter inside him when Hyunjin’s thumb wiped delicately under Felix’s nose, wiping away the blood.
Felix couldn’t help but blink in surprise, his heart stopping when Hyunjin’s gaze locked onto his.
“Felix,” Hyunjin said for the third time that night, his voice shaking in barely-concealed anger that rocked and ricocheted against Felix’s ears, “Who did this?”
Felix choked on his breath.
Hyunjin sounded so serious, so powerful, so furious.
Who did this?
The vice on Felix’s neck loosened, his whole body coming undone at the words. Hyunjin looked ready to fight, but not ready to fight him, ready to fight the people that had made Felix bleed.
Felix didn’t know why the thought made him even weaker, but it did.
He barely managed to tilt his head back at the building behind him, the henchmen still inside laughing at Felix’s blood coating the pavement.
Hyunjin’s gaze tightened, the rage burning brighter inside him as his gaze flickered to the doorway Felix had been thrown out of. He barely moved as he appeared to mull it over in his head.
Felix was about to say something when Hyunjin suddenly nodded, his face changing to determined as he moved his hands from Felix’s face and to his own long blond hair. He smoothly pulled it into a ponytail, ignoring the streaks of red he rubbed into it.
It made Felix wonder what Hyunjin was about to do, his body still lax when Hyunjin reached out to him. He carefully lifted Felix off the pavement, being gentle with him as he helped Felix to the passenger seat of his car, shushing him when Felix whined in pain.
“Hyunjin,” Felix was able to pant out through bloodied lips, letting his head fall back onto the seat behind him, “W-what are you doing?”
Hyunjin just looked at him, his lips twitching a little in what looked like a smile. He reached over, curling his fingers around a gun that had been lying on the driver’s seat and holding it in front of his face with a twinkle in his eyes.
“What I’m doing is nothing you need to worry about,” he said, grinning like a child, “I’ll be right back.”
With that, the safety of the gun was switched off with a finalising click, Felix’s eyes widening in realisation.
He tried to protest, tried to stop Hyunjin, but the car door slammed shut before he could get the words out. He could only watch as Hyunjin stalked towards the building, knocking on the door almost lazily and leaning against the wall like any passerby would.
He cast one more glance at Felix just before the door opened, his eyes twinkling and mouth pulled into a genuine smile that Felix had never seen on his face before.
Felix could never forget that smile.
Not even when the door opened and Hyunjin stepped into the building, raising his gun and reigning chaos.