Liphine the Lilac Fairy, godmother of royal princesses and princes, had been staying with them since she had been freed from her prison. She was a very nice person, and Felix came to appreciate her quite a lot. She was maternal in her own way, and he enjoyed that she wasn’t pitying him like the others were doing. But, she didn’t understand a lot of the mortal’s life: she seemed intrigued on why Felix was washing the dirty dishes. He replied he needed to get them done, and since the dishwasher was broken (or Rumpletilskin had lied to him again in order to punish the lost boy with chores), someone had to do them.

"Do you want to be taught some magic? You have shown quite the ability when you touched my wand."

"You… know what happened?" Felix asked, feeling like a child who had been stealing and caught. He washed his hands quickly as he finished lining up the plates so they could dry.

"Of course. My wand is connected to me, this is why Rumpletilskin put it in this… hideous box." The fairy spoke, probably repulsed by the box which was a simple one. "First, we have to fix your posture. Head up, behave as if you were a puppet." She instructed, putting the wand underneath his chin.

“I am not very sure it will work, Liphine. I am not… great at learning.”

“Hush now, child, and listen to your elders.” The fairy instructed as she went on about the importance of pronunciation and posture in order to cast a spell.

The evening came fast, and the blond was tired. Learning was indeed laborious but thankfully, Liphine was very patient with him. He liked that about her too: just like (Y/N), she made sure he had understood everything and replied to every of his questions without questioning or deeming them as stupid.

Sometimes, the fairy would leave or disappear, stating she was searching for (Y/N). Felix didn’t believe her most of the time about this, but he didn’t want to find out what she was actually doing. He understood and knew it was hard to live in this town, and under this roof, especially with a mortal enemy.

As the evening came, Felix found himself eating alone, again, in the small kitchen. The door opened on its own, and the Dark One walked in, a lot of papers and documents in his hands. He still walked with that awful cane. The blond didn’t say anything, not afraid of him, he just didn’t feel like speaking. And he was certain that if he did, it would lead to yet another argument between the two of them.

"Any news from her?" Rumpletilskin suddenly asked, his eyes not meeting him as he was arranging his paperwork.

"No." Felix replied in a soft tone as he stood up and put his plate in the sink. "She… I don't think she wants to talk to anyone."

He thought he was done with it so he walked past the older man. He put his mug inside the dishwasher and closed it. Glancing warily at the Dark One, he sighed in relief when there was no sign that he wished to talk more about the subject.

"I don't… We shouldn't have taken you here. Our lives would have stayed the same." He muttered under his breath which made Felix’s blood boil.

"How can you say that?! You brought this upon yourself! I wasn't the one hiding secrets from her!" Felix snapped, turning around suddenly. His hands reached for a kitchen knife, a urge to kill manifesting in his body.

"Stop it you two!"

It was the first time he had heard Belle raising her voice at them. He was very astonished by that: that woman was always soft spoken and never really got angry. She looked mad as well: her hair was disheveled and her eyes glared at both of them.

"You have been arguing for the last week. No wonder (Y/N) left if she knew you were going to be that way." She groaned and Rumpletilskin rushed at her side, begging her not to go away. "I am not leaving, but this situation is already hard. Don't aggravate it please."

"Will do. Sorry." Felix apologized, figuring that having her on his side was more important than fighting with the Dark One. "Liphine is waiting for me." He told them as he moved to go outside, sensing the usual warmth of the Lilac fairy. He felt excited to learn more about magic.

"At this time? It's dark outside." Belle spoke out in a motherly tone.

"We will be in the garden. She says she wants me to learn about stars."

"Constellation magic. Good choice." Rumpletilskin nodded, understanding the terms more than Belle.

The blond haired boy enjoyed spending time with the fairy. She seemed to understand him more than everyone else in this town. She was kind and nice but she had that light in her eyes when things didn't go her way… Her magic was the most extraordinary he had ever seen. He was sure Pan couldn't rival her in any ways in this domain.

She was waiting for him as usual outside, her eyes on the sky. He approached her silently, not wanting to spook her. But she seemed to know he was there: she turned her head and smiled at him.

"Rumpletilskin is making your head spin with anger, isn't he?"

"How do you know that?"

"Magic, my dearest."

He loved her kind words to him. It changed from the harsh environment in Neverland. When he thought about it, it felt like this time was centuries ago. He suddenly started to feel… shame. Shame for forgetting so quickly about his former home, yes sometimes it was bad and harsh, but he had some kind of family there.

"Are you alright?" The question made him snap back to reality and he just nodded, affirming he was indeed okay. He didn’t want to worry her that much.

The lesson went on smoothly and Liphine seemed proud of finding a new protégé. She was radiating such grace and joy, Felix wondered if she ever felt sad in her life. She was also incredibly nonchalant, taking life as it was coming. He also wondered if she had always been this wise, but sometimes her sentences were a bit weird, and sometimes, she talked like she was singing a poem. Her words matched with each other.

Her magic was also very different from (Y/N) and Rumpletilskin, hers was clearly made for goodness. He had witnessed such terrors and horrors with Pan’s as well that he always believed only served to attack or curse someone. He helped her pack up the books she had used and pulled from thin air and went back inside. Oddly enough, Belle and Rumple weren’t present.

“They must have left somewhere.” Felix hummed, liking the fact he was not with the old man. “I have the house for myself.” He then smiled, enjoying the silence. “Where are you going tonight?” He asked the fairy after putting some books on a shelf.

“Seeing some old fairy friends. You wouldn’t like it, you are too young to understand what we speak about.” She answered, leaving some parts of mystery again in her sentences. “I must make haste and leave at once. Be a dear, and keep my wand close to you.”

“Wait what? Why?” He felt like it was a huge responsibility bestowed upon him. The wand felt light and cold in his hands and he was still very fascinated by the crystal and sparkly object. “How can she use magic without her wand?” He questioned no one, very confused on how she was able to do this.

He was now alone in the house. Felix tried to figure out how to spend those precious hours alone, in the dark. He thought about annoying Rumpletilskin by messing up not only the house but also his precious store. Did he like the store more than Belle? Maybe it was time to find out!

With a chuckle, he approached an odd bronze statue of a lion and a mouse, that he knew the Dark One loved. The lion had a crown on his head and the mouse seemed to eat a nest trap. He wondered why Rumpletliskin had this statue protected by thick glass; it didn’t seem very valuable in Felix’s eyes. He stayed there, for a few minutes, observing the statue. Perhaps it was moving or magical, and he couldn’t see it.

“You traitor!”

Suddenly, someone knocked him down, and Felix’s head hit the ground hard. He howled at the pain and tried to get his attacker off him. Sharon started to hiss at the stranger, and he guessed it was bad news. If the cat didn’t seem to appreciate someone and reacted this way, it was better to be on his guard, and the blond haired boy was more than on his guard. He pushed the opponent to his left and quickly got up, scrambling to get a weapon. Luckily, the shop was full of them, so he was able to get an old and rusty broken sword. It would do for now.

“You… You traitor, you good for nothing useless son of a bitch!”

It was Peter Pan.

He was standing there, panting, eyes burning holes into his former second in command.

His eyes held such a fury that Felix shivered instantly his hands started to shake badly but he still held his ground. Why would Peter even call him a traitor? He didn’t do anything! He was not the one snooping to the heroes about his whereabouts back on Neverland, where he failed again and again. So, he was confused and surprised to be able to see him. Last thing he remembered, he was imprisoned in some sort of magic box.

Everything hit him like a brick: Felix was supposed to help Pan out. He was supposed to break him free. That was the reason for his wrath and anger. surely, he could calm him down. It was incredible that he broke free by his own means, he was such a powerful being, and the blond haired boy felt the same energy of when he met the king of Neverland for the first time: tiny. He felt small.

“You are fucking around with his daughter!” Pan accused, stepping quickly toward his direction, kicking the cat out of his way.

“She is not his daughter! And I am not fucking her!” Felix yelled, backing off in the kitchen. How did Pan know about (Y/N)? Has he broken free earlier and spied on him? Why? “I was using her, I was trying to make a plan to help you!”

“No you didn’t. I had to do it on my own. If you want to get things down, then you have to do it yourself, as we say.” He responded and Felix felt small again, like a little boy being scolded by his father after being falsely accused of breaking a vase. “You changed Felix… or perhaps you didn’t. You were always a little shit. I am glad you shed your true colors. I have no use for you now.”

Behind him, the former lost boy heard the kettle boiling. Taking a glimpse as fast as he could, he didn’t take the time to question who had put the object on the stove. This didn’t matter now, what did was that Pan was ready to kill him, and Felix didn’t want to die now. He wanted to see (Y/N) before, and other things. The girl really had taken over his thoughts.

“I never meant to betray you Pan.” He started to move toward the stove slowly, thinking he could at least try to talk it out with the green devil. “It is so different here.”

“A good second in command wouldn’t have done that.”

“Well, sometimes, you just have to try something new. It is part of learning.” He could feel the heat of the stove on his back and he stopped, looking like a mouse in a trap.

“And growing up. You disappoint me Felix, you who had such a strong fear of becoming an adult, you smell and behave like one now.” The green eyed boy spat with such venom that Felix had trouble coming up with something else. “I should have killed you centuries ago, you ugly bastard.”

“You’re right… Ladies often took a very quick and strong liking to you. Will it be better if your face melted off?!” Felix finished as he grasped the handle of the kettle and threw the hot water at Peter’s face, before throwing the whole object at his former best friend and darting out of the kitchen as the latter howled in pain.

He tried to go upstairs, the wand still cold in his left hand. However, he barely dodged a fireball that destroyed an ancient painting which got consumed by the fire. He winced: Rumpletilskin will make him pay for that, but his anger was the last of his problems. Now, Pan was furious and enraged, and Felix knew better than anyone that he was going to be destroyed slowly if Peter got his hands on him.

Whirling around, Felix decided to use the wand and casted a spell, just like Liphine had taught him. He used his energy and his fear of dying to make a blast big enough to send Peter against the wall. Perhaps it will also weaken him. But, with the lack of practice, all it formed was a small light purple sphere that the king of Neverland stopped quite easily. The blond haired boy was out of breath, using magic when you weren’t used to it was very wearing and tiring. Unfortunately, this was the moment Pan chose to jump on him, and he accidentally let go of the wand, which fell on the carpet below.

“You know magic?! YOU?!” Peter slammed his fist right in his face, and his other hand was circling the blond’s throat, preventing him from breathing.

“They… They tried to teach me…” He made out with a gurgle, as blood started to roll from his nose, knowing it was broken. He winced as Pan snatched a handful of his blond locks, turning his face toward the stairs. He never understood why Pan didn’t like sharing his wiseness and magic, perhaps, it showed how greedy his former best friend was.

“I am going to scare you a little more, and then show your fucking face to his bitch of a daughter, she will finally see what the true Felix looks like…” Peter whispered with a sadistic smile, his tone low and dangerous. “And when I am through with you, they will not even recognise your fucking ugly self.”

He was not ready for the pain.

Peter Pan didn’t waste his time slamming Felix’s face against the wooden stairs, and he was trying to stop him by all means. After the two attempts at breaking his face, Peter stopped, he seemed euphoric, chuckling at the bloody mess he had made. The blond only closed his eyes, praying it will soon be over, but knowing him, he knew it won’t be the case. He had to endure it somehow.

“Get away from him!”

The voice startled both of the boys. Felix felt free abruptly and he had trouble supporting his head, so he laid it against his arm, on the stairs. He knew who was there now and he felt incredibly relieved. He curled on himself and tried to get his strength back, but it was hard when your face had been slammed repeatedly into the stairs. But he needed to see what was going on, so he turned his head and was amazed by the scene unfolding before his eyes.

As he expected, (Y/N) was present, and she was using her magic offensively against Peter Pan, who couldn’t dodge all of her spells and hexes. She looked infuriated and angry, and he could feel how tense she was by the way she casted and used her magic. It was wild, powerful, violent and intense. When hope seemed lost to Peter, the latter just smiled again, but this time, it was a smile for manipulation and the blond hoped (Y/N) wouldn’t fall for that.

“Relax, love, I was just teaching him a lesson.”

“I am going to teach you one: never lay a hand on him again or I will kill you, tear your limbs apart while you still are breathing and use your body parts to decorate my bedroom!” (Y/N) hissed as she used her magic to open the backdoor, the one which led directly to the store. “He’s in there!” She yelled at someone, but Felix couldn’t see who.

In less than a few minutes, Pan was stripped away from his powers. The Dark One and Liphine (who had recovered her magic wand) seemed to have accomplished something he never thought could happen. He was harmless now, and apparently, they were taking him somewhere more protected than a tiny box. It happened all so fast, it made his head spin.

The former lost boy struggled to get up, using the stair’s railing as support. He gasped and instantly coughed, feeling how bad he had been injured. His face must look horrendous. Pan had at least succeeded in that.

“Oh, Felix, I am so sorry!” (Y/N) hurried at his side, and decided to walk him to her bedroom. “I should have been there, there to protect you, but I didn’t have a good connection where I was, so I didn’t get Rumple’s text about Pan apparently breaking free and disappearing and I knew he was coming for you, and I got so worried-!” She was speaking so fast it was hard to understand, but Felix was glad somehow at least cared for him. He just nodded and tried to thank her but found it was hard for him to speak. She noticed this and immediately sat him down on her bed. “Your scar… It’s opened again. But don’t worry, I am going to heal you. I am not good but… I will do my best!”

It was painful. Less painful than getting his face bashed, but it was hurting to feel his skin being closed magically. He grunted under her touch, but tried to keep on a brave face. She was kind enough to do this for him. He felt like a weight to her. Maybe she had other things to do and only stuck with him because the Dark One commanded her to do so? Was it possible? 

“There… All done. We should drive you to the hospital though, just to make sure. I want you to be okay.”

Felix’s eyes locked with hers, and he saw the faint blush spread over her face, and the way she was nervously biting her lips. She seemed to be waiting for something. In most fairy tales, the lady who was saved gives a kiss to their knight, their savior. Maybe he could do this as well? Would it be rude? Brushing those thoughts aside and chasing his anxiety, Felix leant in and kissed her cheek softly. Now, he was blushing as well.

“Thank you. For… for saving me.” He said shyly, stammering and playing with his fingers to distract himself.

“I am sorry for leaving. I will never do that again, I promise.” She replied, sitting next to him and reaching for his hand, tracing circles in his palm. It sent shivers through his body, but it was quite agreeable, especially after the violent altercation he had. He used that opportunity by being close to her to lay his head on her shoulder. He didn’t know why he acted like that suddenly, but being with her just washed away what happened. “I contacted my grandfather, the father of my “mother”. He is a king too. He wants to meet me. I want you to come with me. It would be nice, just both of us, traveling… I believe Liphine wants to go back too.”

“You want to do that with me? Seriously?” He asked, incredulous at the idea she asked him, of all the people, to go back to her realm.

“Of course, I would be happy if you accepted. I… I really like spending time with you.” She stated nervously. “Actually… I quite like you.”

“I do too.” Felix replied without thinking, a bold move from his part, but he didn’t regret it. “I would love to come with you, even if it meant to travel to the end of the world.”

“That’s… a very cute thing to say.” She giggled and still massaged his hand softly. “Everything is going to be alright now.”

For the first time, Felix believed it as well. A small smile spread on his lips.

Yes, everything was going to be alright.