His magic goes wrong, Felix tries to protect you

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[ an alternate scene for when you and Felix interrogate the captured spirit ]

tw: mentions of fantasy-injuries

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Felix

The last thing you remember is Felix yelling for you to get back, whispers of black energy escaping his fingers as he grappled with the dark spirit. You had been lending him your magic, you're both trying to find out more about the spirit's origin. But now things have gone horribly wrong, you're laying sprawled across the floor, the way your whole body hurts suggests you went down hard.

Felix is laying not far from you, his breathing shallow as he reaches for you, his jaw gritted in pain as he realises he can't pick himself up or move closer. His eyes water with fierce relief as he sees you regain consciousness, but he looks dangerously close to passing out himself. There are unnatural inky shadows under his eyes, but he looks far less frightening as he starts asking if you are okay.

"There you are, there, it's going to be alright, I... I'm right here-" Felix's lower lip is trembling, and though he's clearly giving everything to try and hold it together for you, he looks like he hates himself.

You're trying to figure out what happened, had your magic combined not been enough? You start to woozily form that into a question, but Felix immediately makes a small, stricken sound, he makes a gesture for you to disband with that thought immediately.

"No! No, the blame rests entirely with me... I was unable to control the spirit, I tried to protect you, and-"

There's a rawness in his eyes as you see him living through it again. But somehow you think he did protect you, the feeling is already returning to your limbs.

You're about to tell him you're okay, when Felix suddenly ducks into his chest with a violent coughing fit. You see a shadow of black ichor where his sleeve covers his face, something unhallowed creeping down your spine as you fumble to try and help. But Felix holds you at arms distance, abruptly pulling his jacket over his shirt so as not to frighten you.

"Is that blood?!" You're far more worried about making sure he's alright then about not alarming you.

Felix shakes his head, and you find it just as worrying that he seems to have an idea of what's happening. You know it's nothing good.

"My magic... draws power... from-" he tries to explain in between spluttery coughs. You know now that he's been hit with the full force of whatever he unleashed from the spirit, he didn't let you take any damage.

"From what?" you ask, desperately trying to figure out a way to heal him.

"Necromancy isn't just raising... those who've passed," Felix rasps weakly, "there's a lot of power beyond the veil."

Beyond the veil?

He's trembling as you scramble forward, pressing your palm in the middle of his bare chest. His chest rises as he sucks a sharp breath, his skin is cool and slightly damp.

"Don't you dare," he hisses, he looks vicious as he forbids you. "You're not yet accustomed to using so much magic... I'll not.. forgive myself if..."

But without even meaning to, you understand. If his ability to manipulate the forces of nature comes from the realm of the dead, then your ability to heal comes from the realm of the living. And your realm holds a lot of power too.

"Please trust me?" you whisper, you don't want the last thing he believes to be that he's going to live and lose you. He looks battered and haunted, like he can't bear to tell you he already does.

"Just... don't promise you'll make it back," Felix says indistinctly. "Don't say you'll come back. Just... make sure... you do."

Your heart clenches in your chest- you won't, you won't lose me- you want to say. But, as if sensing you need him too, he squeezes your hand, a last macabre grin ghosting his features as he tries his best to stay. ("Do your worst, then," he whispers, in spite of everything you smile.)

And as if something from the void is speaking to you too, you can sense he'll still be with you, through whatever veil he's walking. You channel your energy, focusing all of your intention on reaching out, on pulling him back.

Felix takes a deep, shuddering gasp as his eyes widen, this time it's more like he's coming up for air. Your pulse is racing as you meet his wild gaze- he's incredibly drained but still grabs your arms in a panic, he needs to know you aren't hurt. His whole body has gone stiff as he rakes his eyes over your face, his fingers digging into your skin as he holds tight, he's desperate for a sign you're okay.

You manage an exhausted smile and feel his body wilt against you in relief- in a strange way, using your power has actually made you feel a stronger connection to the world you've found yourself in. But the emotions of the experience suddenly take their toll, and in the minutes that follow Felix draws you against his chest to comfort you, his face buried in your hair. He fumbles and shushes you and tries to joke that you shouldn't ever scare him like he just did you, if you ever crossed into the void, he'd have to raise hell itself to bring you back.

You offer a glare to try and cheer him a little as well, and he sniffles and gives a shaky laugh in return. Felix keeps his arms around you, rubbing your arms or softly patting your back. You wonder if he'd been more afraid for you than he'd let show.

"Are you going to..." Felix swallows whatever he was about to say, then thinks better of himself and forces the rest of the whisper out anyway. "...hug me back?"

Despite hiding his face in your shoulder so you can't properly see, he looks a lot better and more comforted when you do.

"Don't look so surprised..." you hear him mumble. You hold him tighter. If he smiles back, the expression is lost as he hugs you like he'll never let go.

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