𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 & 𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 🌸 Changlix

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The sound of chatter from several groups was giving Changbin a headache. And If the rancid smell wafting around the house he was inspecting wasn't enough to make him sick, the odor from the fifteen-something people inside was. The officer stood up from his position on the floorboards and made his way out of the house.
"Find anything?" asked Jeongyeon.
"Nothing I can connect together. There's some writing on the wall in the victims blood. Other than that, nothing. His wife said it was him. The ring on his hand was what she used to identify the body. We won't know for sure until we get results back from the lab," Changbin told his partner.
"That's the second murder this month. I don't think we've had a murder in at least eight years," Jeongyeon sighed.
Changbin sipped his coffee. It was unusual for there to be two murders in the same month. Especially in such a small town. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
The woman brushed her hair back. "I don't want to deal with a fucking serial killer. Shit," she cursed. There was no doubt on Changbin's mind that there was a serial killer running amuck. Both deaths had writing on the wall in the victims blood. Changbin would be working late from now on.
A few folders smacked onto his desk when he arrived to the station. "I already found some correlating facts between the cases, you should take a look at them," Yeonjun told him.
"Already on a roll," Changbin said.
"It's our job. Plus, we've all got family we want to protect. We don't have time for a serial killer," Wooyoung explained, tossing another file to Changbin.
Yeonjun had gotten married a year ago to his wife and was expecting his first child in a few months, Jeongyeon's husband was unknown, and Wooyoung apparently had a boyfriend. It made sense now why he and Changbin got along so well. "The sooner we catch this fucking idiot the sooner I can go home and taste my wife's cooking," Yeonjun complained.
"You should be the one cooking," joked Jeongyeon.
"Trust me, I've tried to get her to sit down. She's too antsy. You know how Ryujin is. She does whatever she wants. Maybe she's teaching the baby how to cook."
Changbin ignored the rest of their conversation. He flipped through some of the folders, pen clicking every few seconds. Each crime scene was inside the house of the victim. How were they getting into the houses? Changbin turned the page. His eyes narrowed at the notes from their past partners.

Just a few weeks before I received some flowers from him. They were very beautiful. It was unexpected since we'd broken up so many years ago. Every time we saw each other in public he'd pretend not to know me. I thought he forgot about us. I can't believe he's gone.

I got some flowers from that asshole. He cheated on me with the woman he married. Maybe he got what he deserved. Anyway, I burned those stupid things in the fireplace.

So, the ex-lovers were receiving flowers from the victims weeks before their death? How did that make sense? Changbin looked at the name of the flower. Purple hyacinth. He searched it up in a flower dictionary. A flower representing repentance. Was the murderer punishing people? Cheaters, unfair lovers-Changbin's eyes widened. He looked back at the images of the deceased's past lovers. They were male. The two victims had married women. Was the killer ending the lives of who he assumed to be liars?
"Yah, Wooyoung, come here. Take a look at this," Changbin called.
The man with raven-colored hair made his way over, hand clapping into Changbin's shoulder. "What?"
"You don't think?"
Wooyoung looked at the open folders. After a minute, he sighed. "Could be. We won't know until a third murder happens. Could be a coincidence. We'll have the lab results tomorrow."

Changbin stared at his phone as he walked toward the bar that he had his school reunion at almost a month and a half ago. Felix had said to meet him there for their date. As excited as he was for it, he couldn't get the case he was working on off his mind. He pushed open the doors to the bar and made his way inside. Felix caught his eye instantly. He sat quietly looking at his phone. Changbin thought he looked pretty well groomed despite the casual look he went for. Then again, Felix always looked amazing.
He was beginning to regret asking Felix out for a drink. Instead, he should have picked him up and drove him far away. He wanted to be isolated from the world just so he could stare into the bakers addicting brown eyes. As if being lured in, he proceeded forward toward Felix. Without hesitance Changbin slid into the booth, startling Felix into looking his direction.
"You scared the shit out of me," Felix whined. Changbin couldn't help but smile. Even as a thirty-year-old, Felix still found a way to be adorable like a teenager. His personality was young. It was attractive to the officer.
"Sorry. Did you wait long?" Changbin asked.
"Just got here. I don't know what drink you like so I got some soju and pork," informed the baker.
"I like it," Changbin confirmed with a tired smile. He watched as Felix slowly lost himself in his eyes, mind over-running, trying to think of the context of the statement. What did he like; Soju or Felix? Why pick one when Changbin could have both.
"You look exhausted. Rough day at work?" Felix eventually spoke, pulling his eyes away hesitantly. Felix's body acted as if he were under a spell. He always seemed to seek some kind of closeness with the other. Whether it be connecting hands, moving his seat, or simply sharing a gaze; it didn't matter. He wondered why now that it was all happening. What was different then that wasn't there in high school? Sure, they grew older, looked more mature(definitely were more mature mentally), and they knew what they wanted unlike in their teenage days. But why was Felix so attracted to Changbin suddenly? Why hadn't he noticed him back in high school?
"Somewhat. I was called to investigate a crime scene early this morning. The process back at the station was tough since we don't have a lot to go off of," Changbin explained.
Felix nodded, twisting the cap off of the green bottle sitting on the table. "Is it something I should be worried about?"
Changbin watched as Felix poured some of the liquid into the two shot glasses at their table. He was pretty even doing the easiest things. "We don't know much yet. Don't go out after dark and make sure you pick up Liam yourself just in case," he warned.
"Aw, what would I do without you, Changbinnie?" Felix teased. The officer scoffed and took one of the full glasses, throwing it back in one quick movement. Felix smiled and took his shot more delicately. "I was kind of surprised when you asked for a date. At the party you had said it was all in the past. A part of me was bummed, thinking I'd missed out on a Prince Charming."
Changbin placed his glass down and hummed. "I'm no Prince Charming."
"You are police officer and you are romantic. I doubt anyone is as close to a real Prince Charming as you," the baker argued.
Changbin tossed the thought around his head for a while, trying to decide if he should accept it or return it. "How do you know I'm romantic? I haven't even done anything yet," he replied.
"Haven't done anything. Are you dense? You have a way with words, you look after Liam, and you're always staring like you have the whole universe in your view. If that isn't romantic then romance is dead."
Felix had a point. He did look after Liam, but there was more than one reason for that. More than two even. Changbin always had a way with words ever since he was younger, so that was no surprise. But the only time he ever knew that his eyes shined was when he was looking into Felix's. The times he could see his reflection in the brown pools owned by the baker.
"And you know I'm always like this because?" Changbin questioned.
Felix narrowed his eyes. "Okay, I don't know for certain. But it has to be true," he said, putting emphasis on the last statement.
Changbin shook his head. "Minho and Jisung always tell me I look like a hallow beast when I'm alone with them. Only time my eyes have ever looked as if they had the universe in them is, and this is my guess, when I look at you."
Felix clicked his tongue and took another shot. "Flirt."
"Just being honest. I won't deny I'm good with words though. Read far too many poems when I was younger," Changbin replied with a smile. It felt so natural to talk with Felix.
"Right, Minho and Seungmin kept mentioning that. The sun and the moon," Felix muttered. "When did you even fall for me?
Changbin searched back through his memories, trying to recall the day he had first seen Felix. It was almost two weeks into the new school year and Felix had transferred in late. He hadn't been good with Korean. Changbin remembered Chris and him becoming pals at lunch the same day. To say it was love at first would be a bit much. Changbin's feelings developed over time.
As Felix began to speak better Korean, Changbin began to understand him more. How gentle he was for someone with such a deep voice. He was completely whipped. "It just happened on its own. I don't even know the exact day I realized. It was just a sudden thought. Oh hey, I like him a lot. Then it kept growing," explained Changbin.
"It's amazing how people can go through life blinded by what they think they want and miss out on something far much better," Felix let out with a sigh. He had a sort of sorrowful look as he glanced at his glass.
"Well, we met again. I don't know if I believe in destiny, but perhaps I'll let the stars align in my mind. I'll take you out whenever you're stressed," Changbin consoled.
Felix gave him a cute smile. "You know all the right things to say, don't you?"
The officer had to brush off embarrassment. He was never a confident guy. "I had a lot of scenarios and dreams when I was younger. The amount of conversations I had with you that never actually happened-"
"Stalker?" joked Felix playfully. Changbin rolled his eyes, letting out a quiet curse as he took another shot. "I'm kidding."
"Anyway, I never actually knew what you thought about me. I mean, I wasn't popular but, we did meet a few times," Changbin mentioned.
Felix looked deep into the officer's eyes, leaning his cheek against his palm. "What I thought about you? I don't know. You were mysterious, I guess. I knew of you because of classmates that thought you were intimidating. When we first met and you told me we were in the same class, I was surprised you even knew. Of course, I played it off like I didn't know. After that, my eyes drifted every now and again and I saw you either staring or sleeping. Oh yeah, and Jisung kept hinting at me to drop my boyfriend for you."
Changbin leaned back in his chair. "Honestly, I shouldn't have expected Jisung to be able to keep a secret."
The baker laughed at the statement. "He's good at keeping secrets if he knows there will be dire consequences," he replied.
Changbin knew by now that something was up. He'd talked about his boyfriend being an asshole before, then brought up how he was stupid and desperate for love, and said he should've chosen Changbin multiple times; it didn't add up. "Is it okay for me to ask about your boyfriend? I don't know if you ever dated after him. I would assume so."
Felix rotated the shot glass around slowly. "He was a jackass. I don't like going into detail about it. He told me he loved me and stupid me believed it for two years."
Changbin could feel the blood pumping through his veins. Who on earth could hurt Felix? Hurting anyone for any reason but self defense was disgusting behavior already, but to Felix; Changbin's first love? The boy, now man, who smiled like the sun and sparkled like the stars. Why would anyone lie to him? Perhaps Felix's boyfriend didn't lie but instead found him as a possession. Obsession did crazy things to a man. Changbin knew that all too well.
Felix downed another drink. His cheeks were getting pinker. Changbin grabbed the glasses and stacked them. They'd already finished one bottle. Felix shouldn't drink anymore or else he'd get drunk.
"You know, I asked Liam after I gave you my number, I asked him what he thought about you; what would he think if I started dating," Felix started. Changbin noticed that the baker was fiddling with his fingers as he spoke. "He told me that he was alright with you. The boy who glares at everyone told me that he liked you. You'd met him only a few times. How could you have possibly made that stubborn kid change his mind so easily?"
The look in Felix's eyes was endearing in a way.  The curiosity and the clear desire to be wanted. His eyes were so honest. It was like reading a story. No, like the moon. Certain parts of him hid, but on a rare occasion he'd expose it all. Changbin rested his elbows on the table and stared at the bartender.
"Actually, I have three reasons for liking him. One, he's your son. Of course I should care about my friends son. Two, he reminds me of myself. And three, I've always wanted to give a kid like him an amazing life."
Felix gave Changbin a nod. He was interested in what was to come of this topic. Changbin continued. "I told Liam this already, but my dad ran off when I was younger. My mom raised me alone under the watchful eyes of the neighbors. It was harsh. The kids bullied me because they thought I was weaker, the teachers saw me as pitiful. Seeing Liam, I wanted to make sure he had someone to talk to. You can't always go to the parent you love, simply because you love them far too much. You don't want them to hurt anymore than they already do. You find yourself with immeasurable guilt and thoughts like: if I had never appeared, they would've been living happily. Sometimes people find lovers again, like my mom. I want that for everyone. To be loved no matter what. To be given reassurance."
Changbin turned his head back to his date. Felix was staring at him with wide eyes, crystal-like tears welling up within them. One slipped past the guard, then another. One at a time they fell. Shooting stars across the night sky. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you just liked Liam," Felix whispered, eyes rolling back to keep more tears from falling.
Changbin cursed and grabbed a few tissues. He handed them to Felix. "I just mean, I would like to take care of you guys. Both of you. Not just Liam. Not just you. It's a package deal," Changbin explained.
"You are signing up for a trip to hell," Felix told him.
"Felix, I've been to hell. I assure you, you aren't remotely close to it. You're heaven in comparison." To Changbin, it was the truth. He had seen comrades blown up, his friends bleed out from a gun wound, innocents impaled by metal rods. The things he had seen were horrifying. Liam and Felix were nothing close to that.
The two quickly finished up at the bar. Felix insisted that he pay. Changbin had no choice but to let him. The officer drove the other home in return. When they arrived at the destination, Felix popped the door open. He didn't leave though. Instead, he turned back to Changbin. "Why are you giving me a chance even after I ignored you in high school?"
Changbin's eyes widened at the sudden interrogation. What could he say to that? Felix had a look of concern on his face. He was scared. Who wouldn't be? Giving your heart to someone was terrifying. Especially if you'd had it broken with such aggression like Felix's. Changbin stared into those starry eyes of Felix's. Had his feelings for Felix ever actually faded? Or had they been locked away in the deepest part of his mind?
"I can't be your Prince Charming," said Changbin. Felix looked shocked. Maybe he thought, then what was all of this for? "I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. A lot more than the average person. If you think you and Liam are hard to deal with, you'll have the time of your life exploring my past. I can't be the perfect prince that found you at thirty." Changbin could feel his heart inside his chest. It beated harsher than when any threat was made to him. Even when his ears rang from explosions and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, being with Felix was different. It always had been. Always would be.
"Even so, I can try and give you the love you missed out on all of these years. If you'll let me," he finished.
Felix stared at the man with wide-eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Maybe not just once but twice. Was he allowed to let himself relax? After fighting so hard for so long, could he let Changbin take care of them? What if he wasn't enough? What if Changbin left? He'd grown attached in just a short time. He didn't want his heart to break like it had just after high school. Then again, there was no telling what could happen between them.
Felix didn't know how much love Changbin really had to give. He was willing to give it a chance though. Because he knew he needed to feel wanted by someone. "How could I ever refuse? You keep doing everything right. I've got to keep you around."