It felt like forever, but Chan eventually returned. Felix felt happy, as he had started to find his place in the castle and having Chan by his side made things so much easier. To celebrate his return, Chan had taken Felix out to the forest nearby to just spend some time together.
"It's beautiful," Chan said as he looked around the clearing. He was wearing a simple white shirt, top buttons unbuttoned, and simple pants. Summer was starting to come to an end, but the sun was still very warm.
"It is," Felix agreed, leaning back a little as fixed the bow around his neck. "I really enjoy coming here," he continued, taking a deep breath before he began to roll up his sleeves. "Although I don't usually wear white when I'm here."
"You look pretty," Chan said, reaching out to brush his hand over Felix's bare forearm.
"Thank you," Felix said, averting his eyes in embarrassment. He was still working on his confidence with the scars but it was a slow process. He could hear a bit of rustle and when he looked up he saw Chan moving to sit closer to him. The gentle and warm look in his eyes caused warmth to bloom in Felix's chest and he couldn't help but smile. He moved a little, sitting on his knees to face Chan.
"I missed you," Chan said absentmindedly, placing a hand on Felix's cheek and stroked his cheekbone with his thumb. "I'm sorry I've been so busy."
"It's understandable," Felix replied, shaking his head a little. "You've helped to bring peace to these lands. I didn't mind waiting for you. But I missed you too."
"I love you," Chan said and Felix murmured a 'I love you too', leaning closer to kiss Chan. He could feel Chan smile against his lips, letting go of his cheek to instead place his hand on Felix's shoulder.
Felix let out a yelp as Chan tugged on his shoulders, pulling him down on top of him.
"Hi," Chan said sheepishly, groaning a little as Felix placed a hand on his chest to push himself up a little. Chan laughed, eyes crinkling and smile bright as he looked at Felix.
"Hello handsome," Felix said, unable to hold back the wide smile that stretched on his lips. He shifted a little and Chan laughed as he did. "I'm glad we finally could spend time together," he continued, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against Chan's.
"I promise I'll make more time for you in the future," Chan said and Felix hummed, pressing a quick kiss on Chan's lips before he leaned back to look Chan over again. He brought a hand up to Chan's face, brushing the back of his fingers over Chan's cheek.
"I'd like that a lot," Felix whispered, smiling widely at Chan. He felt so excited to finally get some more time with Chan.
There was a official gathering to announce that a peace treaty had been signed and Felix had to join Chan to the event. It felt a bit odd, standing in front of all these people. He wasn't sure if he liked the attention that he received. Changbin and Jisung were standing close to them, Jisung beside Felix and Changbin beside Chan. Both of them were scanning their surroundings with sharp eyes, or eye in Changbin's case.
"You look so unusual in black," Chan said as he leaned closer to whisper in Felix's ear and Felix felt a smile tug on his lips. He turned to look at Chan. Chan was wearing a white dress shirt, its collar decorated with various gems and black pants with silver buttons adorning the front. He wore a coat over it all, silver patterns embroidered into the soft fabric. The dark iron crown on his head was surrounded by neatly styled curls and Felix couldn't help but reach out to brush some of it away from his forehead.
"You look beautiful," he said quietly and Chan chuckled, eyes crinkling up into small crescents. "But I do feel a bit unusual in black."
"You look really handsome," Chan said, stroking a hand along Felix's jaw. "I would sweep you off your feet and kiss you if it weren't for all the people here."
Felix could feel his face grow warm and he averted his eyes, busying himself with adjusting the wide, black belt around his waist that held his buttoned up, long coat in place. He was thankful for being allowed to wear a shirt with a high collar under the coat, or else it would have exposed parts of his chest.
"Do you like it?" Chan asked, brushing his fingers over the embroidered flowers on Felix's sleeve. The whole coat had flowers embroidered on, flowers that Felix had picked out by himself.
"I do," Felix said, voice soft and barely a whisper and a smile stretched on Chan's lips. "How does my crown look? Is it in place?"
"It's still on your head, love," Chan said and Felix raised an eyebrow. "It looks good. You look good, don't worry," he assured him and Felix nodded slowly. It felt odd, not only with the people around him but also the clothes and accessories he was wearing. The crown he was wearing was more like a diadem than a circle crown like Chan's. It had been tailored for Felix specifically, the actual crown part of it resembling branches and twigs. It reminded Felix of his old home and despite the memories his old home held, memories of loneliness and sadness, Felix liked it. Nature had and would always be a big part of him and it made him happy to have something representing it.
"Would I ask too much of the two of you if I asked you to save all the love for later?" a voice chimed in and Felix turned around to see Hyunjung approaching. He rarely saw Hyunjung, as she was even busier than Chan, but when Felix saw her she was always dressed up. Today was no exception. She was wearing a long black dress, the dress itself rather plain but the long, white bell sleeves were something that certainly caught Felix's attention. Black embroideries adorned the sleeves and she held her head high, the tiara gleaming in the sunlight.
"My queen," Felix said, eyes widening and cheeks heating up further. He bowed a little and Hyunjung shook her head, amused smile on her lips. Behind her, dressed in a golden dress that reached to the ground with sheer sleeves, was Jiyeon. She too was smiling brightly, green eyes sparkling with happiness.
"No need for the title, love," Hyunjung said, patting Felix's shoulder before looking over to Chan. "Are you ready to share the great news?"
"Yes," Chan said, giving Felix a last glance before looking out over the large group of people in front of them. He cleared his throat and stepped forward; the crowd immediately fell silent and Felix bit his lip as he tried to hold back the smile. He may not be entirely comfortable with the current situation, but in this very moment, he felt home.
