"How familiar are you with these woods?" Minho asked as he followed Felix through the thicker parts of the forest.
"Not very familiar at all," Felix said and Hyunjin hummed as he pushed a bush to the side to step through. "I thought it would be nice to explore it though."
"Very nice," Hyunjin confirmed. "I prefer the nature over the city."
"Understandable," Felix said, dusting some dirt of his dark green robes. He felt more comfortable like this, dressed in dark clothes that were stained by dirt. He felt at home, but the pale and clean clothes he was dressed in at the castles were starting to feel less uncomfortable. He figured he would get used to it by time. "Maybe you should go back with Seungmin the next time he visits?"
Seungmin still lived in the Tremorndin mountain range but he did come to visit frequently. It made sense, as he already had a house and a living back in the mountains. He wasn't running from anything like the rest of them had.
"I was thinking about it," Hyunjin said and Minho hummed. "I think I need to get back to nature. But living in a city has taught me a lot. I'm very grateful."
"I see," Felix said, stopping as his eyes caught the sight of a familiar plant. He crouched down and gently reached out to touch it, tilting his head as he inspected it to make sure it was the right plant. "How about you, Minho?" he asked, eyes still on the plant. "Are you settling in?"
"I am," Minho said as Felix gently pulled at the plant, trying to get as much of the roots with it as possible.
"Still working at the supply store?" Hyunjin asked and when Felix looked up, he could see Hyunjin studying one of the trees.
"Yes," Minho replied, eyes wandering around the forest. "It's... It's great to work in a place that actually allows magic and doesn't have me shunned for it."
"Yeah," Felix said absentmindedly as he stood up. "We really found a place for ourselves here, didn't we?" he continued as Minho walked up to him. Minho placed a hand on his shoulder and Felix looked over at him. Minho was smiling, eyes so much brighter and less tired. He looked happy and content with life.
"We really did," he said, glancing out over the forest again. "We really did."
The sun stood high on the sky, gazing down on the Silmator with its warm rays. Birds were chirping around Felix as he was sitting on the grass in the garden, freshly picked flowers spread out around him.
"Jisung?" he said, looking up from the flower crown he was making. Jisung, standing on the side in the shade, hummed and raised an eyebrow. "What does noachi mean?"
Felix wasn't sure what kind of reaction he had expected from Jisung but Jisung doubling over and bursting out in laughter wasn't one of the possible reactions he had in mind. He wasn't sure what to think and Jisung's reaction only made him more confused. Chan had called him noachi. Was it something funny?
"I can't believe it took you this long to ask about it," Jisung said as he straightened his back. "I kind of figured you had asked Chan right after the coronation."
Felix's cheeks heated up and he averted his eyes. "I kind of forgot about it," he admitted slowly and Jisung snorted.
"I'm not surprised though," he said and Felix snapped his eyes back to look at him, eyes wide. "You two are so focused on each other," Jisung explained and Felix's warm cheeks grew even warmer.
"What does noachi mean?" Felix repeated, wanting to change subject and get to the point.
"Do you want the meaning of it or the actual direct translation?" Jisung asked, stepping out of the shade and into the sun to join Felix on the grass.
"Both?" Felix said, tilting his head a little. Jisung cocked an eyebrow and Felix just blinked. "Is it a good or bad word."
"The best word," Jisung said and Felix let out a soft 'oh'. "Directly translated it would be 'little treasure', but the most common translation is 'my dear'."
"I see," Felix said, nodding his head a little. "But why did Chan call me his noachi in front of everyone? To me it... seems to be more like a term of endearment."
"It's the... hm..." Jisung trailed off, rubbing his chin a little. "It's a term of endearment yes but for dragons it's like... the term of endearment. Am I making sense?" Felix blinked. "It's a way of... I guess partner for life is the best way to describe it."
Felix's eyes widened and he stared at Jisung. "So when Chan..."
"So when Chan said, in front of everyone, that you were his noachi he meant it in a 'this is my partner, please stay away' kind of way," Jisung explained.
"He-"
"He's madly in love with you Felix, you know that," Jisung said calmly. Felix shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. "You're madly in love with him too."
"I am," Felix whispered, looking down at the flower crown in his hands. "I really am," he continued absentmindedly, his thoughts beginning to drift off. He felt happy, he felt loved and he felt wanted. "When is Chan coming back?" he asked, looking back at Jisung.
"They're signing the treaty today or tomorrow," Jisung said and Felix nodded, his chest feeling warm. He wanted Chan to return so they could talk about this. "He should be back either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," he continued, laughing as Felix pouted. "Don't sulk, little one."
"Stop!" Felix whined, swatting a hand weakly at Jisung as Jisung stood up. "You're a day older than me, you can't call me little one!"
A grin stretched on Jisung's lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Watch me," he said, sticking out his tongue. "Little one."
