Skz Oneshots

Masked Dream *Rewrite* | Felix

The masquerade ball that was held in your palace that evening kept you busy enough that you didn't dwell in your thoughts. Though, the ache of the goodbyes you previously shared with your lover was hammering against your heart, making it difficult to enjoy the event. You could only sit atop your golden throne, searching the ballroom for a familiar pair of eyes among the masked faces.

As the Queen, you held a ball annually to keep up with the demands of the nobility beneath you. To show your support of both them and the commoners, you opened the palace one day a year so both can intermingle freely. However, because of a certain someone, things had begun to change. Little by little he started to pick apart the structure of the life you'd grown accustomed to, opening your eyes far more clearly than they'd ever been. It started off with small things like changing the kingdom's latest fashion trends to giving a new spark to the music. Now, all that he changed became a new tradition to share even at the ball, and he wasn't there to experience it.

Your attention briefly wandered off when the musicians started to play a melody that man taught them. It was a different style of music that the people of your kingdom were beginning to become accustomed to due to your lover's influence. The man you fell so deeply in love with had such an impact on your way of life, just by telling the stories about his hometown. He'd gush about his family and the memories he shared with all of them, and every time it seemed as if he would grow farther and farther away from you. As if he was from a whole other world, changing yours all the while.

You recalled his confession he one day blurted out to you, about his hometown. How he knew deep down inside that he wasn't supposed to be here. You never realized that meant wherever he belonged was too far from you. When he finally decided to part ways, the goodbye had caused far too much pain in your heart. Now you were at a ball, longingly staring at the people before you in hopes he changed his mind. In hopes he wanted to stay.

Suddenly, your eyes met his. The black, smoothly designed mask covered the top half of his face, but you could recognize those brown eyes anywhere. Surprised by his presence, you leaned forward on your throne to get a better look. You felt as if it was a trick of the light, seeing him standing in the crowd. But it only lasted a second before he drifted out the back doors to the garden, slipping away quietly.

The rush of adrenaline filled your body as you quickly gathered a handful of your gown in your grasp, racing down the stairs from your chair and through the ballroom. You squeezed past everyone dancing, following your lover's path out the balcony doors and into the garden. The cold air nipped harshly at your skin as you ran, never once looking back.

When you rounded the corner of tall bushes, you saw Felix sitting on a stone bench waiting for you. You cautiously walked to him, watching as he removed the black mask to spare a sad smile for you. He patted the other end of the bench, encouraging you to join him.

"Why have you come back?" You asked him breathlessly, feeling hesitant to even question it. You felt the flame in your heart bursting through your chest just by looking at him, reminding you of those pitiful goodbyes you had already shared.

Felix turned his legs toward you, reaching a hand to your own to place in his lap. "My dearest love," he spoke softly. His left hand moved to caress the side of your face. "I don't have much time left to explain this. Will you listen?"

"Why must you hurt me more?" Your voice was soft as you watched him stand. He offered his hand to you once more, helping you stand before him. He placed a tender hand on your cheek, watching you lean into the warmth of his palm.

"Would you grant me a dance before I confess my troubles?" The weak smile he managed put your heart in more pain than you could ever admit. Still, you were only able to accept his request.

"If this is the last thing you'll ever ask of me, then I have no choice but to listen," you whispered, following his lead as he began to dance. It wasn't the proper ball dance you were used to seeing---no, it was something new that he taught you. He brought your arms up to wrap around his neck, his own hands finding their place on your waist. Slowly he began to sway you back and forth, your feet barely grazing across the stone pathway.

The intimate position made you long for the moment to last forever. The way his deep brown eyes gazed into your own, so many thoughts swirling behind them. He had reached a hand to the loose tendrils of your hair that fell from the tight hairstyle, tucking it behind your ear in a way that was far too sweet for you to bear. Your own hand found its way to the back of his hair, the soft bunch of hair gliding through your fingers as you played with it.

All too soon the quiet hum of music from inside the palace became silent as the song ended. Even more so than before, you could feel your heart beating harshly against your chest. You began to count the beats to ensure they were regular. You quickly turned away from Felix.

"My Queen," he whispered, maneuvering himself to remove the purple mask from your eyes, gently placing it on the bench. "There are so many things I must explain, like who I am and where I come from, but I don't have much time left."

You swallowed the horrible sadness that began to build in the back of your throat. "You do not need to tell me anything anymore-"

"No," he cut you off, shaking his head. "This is something I must do before I live to regret it." His tone was desperate and it twisted part of your already aching heart.

Having no other choice, you finally agree to hear him out. "If you feel so strongly about this, I will listen."

"I want you to know that everything we have felt together has been real. My love for you, my actions, my words---all have been true. Real. But I'm afraid, that is not the case for you."

Felix's voice was cracking. The tears began to well up in his eyes as he gazed so lovingly at you. You frowned at his demeanor, suddenly feeling uneasy. "I don't understand," you said quietly. "I have always been true to you. I have always been honest with my love for you."

Nodding, he breathed out heavily, "I know. And I will always remember you for that. But I have realized now the truth that I have been missing. It is not I who is from another world, but you. You are not real. You are a figment of my own imagination, and will be gone when I go back."

You were astonished, mouth parting slightly in confusion as you stared at him. The tears began to pour down his cheeks like a river stream. You wanted to reassure him. You wanted to wipe away those fretful tears and beg him to come to his senses, but you couldn't bring yourself to say anything.

"I am so sorry," he cried out.

"Felix," you tried to call his name after a moment. "Please, I don't understand what you are trying to say to me. Why must you cry so terribly? Your tears are breaking my heart."

He shook his head now, turning so he didn't meet your gaze as his sobs resounded in your ears. You were feeling panicked at his strange and sudden confession. The unease didn't settle as you watched him cry to himself, never taking the chance to explain any further.

What he told you didn't make sense. Felix appeared out of thin air, crashing into your life and spiralling out like a storm. He turned your entire life upside down, made you long for someone  like you never had before, and he chose to leave to go back home. Now he stood before you, telling you that it wasn't he who was a dream, but you.

"I should have known better," he whispered into the cold night air, those beautiful brown eyes meeting yours again. "Someone as perfect as you couldn't possibly exist."

When Felix opened his eyes again, you were gone. His eyes met the inner walls of his apartment instead and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. The feeling of your body against his was still vividly there as he wrapped his own arms around his chest, almost as if to savor it. The tears were still falling, the only real part that followed him back from the dream.

"I loved you."