in the end, he barely packs anything.

he finds an old rucksack in the very bottom of his closet, and he decides to fill it with clothes, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. it's not even halfway full by the time he finishes packing, and when he slings it over his shoulder, the lightness of it surprises him a little.

then again, felix has never been a material person.

when he approaches changbin at the coffee shop early the next morning, the cold air stinging his face and his breaths coming out in little puffs of warm air, changbin raises an eyebrow.

"that's seriously all you're bringing?"

felix shrugs. "i mean..."

"you'll be in those woods for at most a month."

"there's a river there, isn't there?"

changbin nods.

"then i'll wash them there," felix says simply. "lead the way."

changbin seems timid, unsure, and most of all tired, but he still grabs felix's wrist and shuts his eyes like he's waiting for something to happen.

and it does, felix thinks as his vision turns blurry and his world fades to black. it does.

when he comes to, he's lying on the ground, and changbin is nowhere to be found. brittle leaves are scattered around him, and they crumble loudly as he stands wearily.

"changbin?" felix calls aloud, pulling his rucksack up from the ground and stepping forward, his legs weak beneath him. he looks up to assess the weather.

the sky is purple.

going off anything he's been taught about witchcraft, this is, in fact, not good, but felix still trudges forward
through the leaves. he notices a pattern in them, like footsteps that were covered up almost intricately, and decides to follow them.

at the end of the path lies changbin.

"there you are!" felix throws his hands in relief, startling the shorter. "i didn't know where you were."

"it's safer like that," changbin says simply. "i haven't finished making the barrier yet."

felix knits his eyebrows in confusion. "so your solution was to leave me unconscious on the forest floor?"

"well..." changbin looks up from his work—a shining purple barrier around felix's size—and purses his lips. "i guess," is what he decides on finally, leaving it at that.

"what am i supposed to do here?" felix asks.

changbin just shrugs.

"tell me about yourself, then." felix takes a seat at the trunk of a tree. "i mean, i have to spend a month with you. might as well get to know you."

"i'm twenty-three," changbin says as the barrier begins to expand, shooting upwards towards the sky and over top of the forest. finally, it touches down on the other side of the woods—marking its landing with a loud crack—and the purple fades completely. changbin sways a little, taking a few steps backward and stumbling as he does. suddenly, exhausted, he falls backwards.

and, coincidentally, right into felix's arms.

"thanks," changbin laughs when felix pulls him back onto his feet.

"you were saying?"

"right. i'm twenty-three and a prodigal witch."

lightly, felix hits changbin's arm. "i already know that. tell me something new."

changbin stays quiet.

"come on, we can make it a thing, you know?"

suddenly, changbin starts to walk, and felix runs forward to catch up with him.

"one fact about ourselves every day! to pass the time!"

just when he's about to stop talking and avert his gaze, changbin answers him.

"well, i like to sing."

and felix, scared for his life, lets a smile bloom across his face.

—

xodaniel