Several days had passed. Then a week. Then two, and still there remained no sign of the fae. Eric wasn’t sure why he felt anxious and even angry at their persistent absence, because surely he had no right to be.

Right?

“Bring those friends over again,” said Dongwan casually one morning as they got ready for another school rush. His cousin had not let up with his interrogation about the fae and always found ways to weasel questions into their daily activities. This time, it was while Eric was tying Andy’s shoes.

“No.” Eric said the word through gritted teeth. He was sure they’d had a similar conversation before and that his response had been the same, but one of Dongwan’s best talents was remaining spectacularly thick even at the worst of times. Being constantly reminded of Hyesung the past few weeks had been slowly stoking his temper, and he wondered how long it would be before he inflicted actual violence on his cousin to get him to shut up.

Dongwan, blissfully unaware of his plight, pressed on. “Why not?”

“We’re swamped at work. I told you. There’s no time.”

It wasn’t an entire lie. It had been busy recently, although not busy enough that it prevented him from pondering about Hyesung and his whereabouts. The fae had now buried himself in his subconscious like a parasite, and somehow, all his thoughts wounded up going back to him: Where was Hyesung? How was he doing? All his attempts at suppressing concern had backfired and it was now, quite frankly, driving him up the wall.  

Dongwan looked utterly unconvinced. Between bites of an apple, he said, “So? You can plan always plan ahead. It’s not that hard, Eric. And you all aren’t tied to your desks.”

“No. Go away. And don’t you dare leave the apple core on the kitchen countertop again or I’m going to kick your worthless behind when I get back.”

“But why not, Eric hyung?” Andy asked this time, swinging his one leg that already had its shoelace done. He was holding Junjin’s gift close, the glowing flower-in-a-jar, and it had already become a sort of security blanket. Eric was already getting slightly concerned.

“Because we’re busy, Deedee.” Eric said in a tone that he hoped Andy would not encourage Dongwan’s behavior further. “Junjin’s busy.”

“Hyesung hyung isn’t though.”

“Eh?” That caught his attention, but he tried not to let his interest show. “How do you know?” Andy shrugged.

“Birds.”

“What?”

“Birds.” Andy repeated cryptically, then said nothing else, the sudden silence magnifying the sound of Dongwan’s teeth crunching through the skin of the apple he was holding. Eric bit his lip, wondering if prolonged exposure to Junjin’s gift was really the best thing.

“Right, so, Hyesung is not busy,” Dongwan said, choosing to ignore Andy’s statement as to why. He was thankfully used to the bouts of weirdness that could overcome Andy sometimes. “So ask him to ask his brothers to come over. We can have a chill night and, like…watch movies, have a couple of beers, and hang out or something. I don’t have any shifts until next week.”

“I can’t, Dongwan.” Eric was quickly becoming exasperated at his cousin.

“Why not?”

“We’re practically strangers.” Saying it out loud only made Eric feel worse, but it wasn’t as if it wasn’t true anyway. “I don’t even have his number. Or his schedule. Or anything. I don’t know him as much as you think I do.”

Dongwan huffed. “That’s weird, given that you guys were acting like you were bosom buddies or something. That or you’d just been playing Seven Minutes in Heaven—” Eric felt himself go red at the remark and resisted pulling Dongwan close to knock his teeth in, but his cousin thankfully moved on quickly from the topic. “Anyway, you’re in the same office as his brother. Jeez. Just ask Junjin.”

“I’m not having this discussion. I already told you it’s near impossible.” Eric stood up, wanting to be on his way already. It wasn’t even 8AM and yet his blood pressure felt as though it was skyrocketing. “Why do you want them over so badly anyway? Didn’t you say you thought they were the Korean mafia?”

“I was kidding.”

“Bring your friends from work over then. I won’t mind.”

“Man, I don’t even have co-workers!” Dongwan’s voice was nearly a whine. “Besides, they seem cool. And they’re our age. And they seem normal. And Andy likes them! Do you know how rare that combination is?!”

Eric was about to correct him on the ‘normal’ aspect but decided against it. Anyway, Dongwan was still talking.

“We’re in the best years of our lives in the greatest city in the world and we can’t even enjoy it!” he said, and it was so true it was pathetic. “We should at least have friends over. If I’d had any I would share with you, you know that.”

“Then make new friends!” Eric said impatiently. He pulled Andy up from his seat, signaling the end of the conversation. “C’mon, Dee…” He watched as Andy complied but made to move Junjin’s gift to his backpack. “Don’t you want to leave that home today?”

“Nope!” Andy said, beaming at him. It had already been two weeks since he had started bringing the flower to school, but unlike what he had expected, Eric had yet to receive any calls regarding any weird behavioral changes exhibited by his brother. In fact, Mrs. Blackwell had even told him that Andy had already begun socializing a bit more with his classmates, but he wasn’t sure if that was exactly due to him lugging around a glowing flower. In either case, he was still not at ease with the arrangement. Seeing how tightly Andy was holding on to his backpack, however, he knew he was not going to win that fight today.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go then.”

“Eric…”

“Shut it, Dongwan.”

“I was just going to tell you to bring your umbrella, jerk. It’s supposed to rain today. And wear a warmer coat!”

Eric raised a hand in goodbye to his cousin, but didn’t stop to heed his advice. “Bye,” he said, as he led Andy out the door, before shutting it quickly behind them.

-|-

The conversation with Dongwan was enough to put Eric in a foul mood that lasted the rest of the day. He didn’t like being questioned when he didn’t know the answers, and he didn’t like doubting himself or second-guessing his emotions.

He didn’t like complicated, and Hyesung and the whole situation with him was very complicated.

For one, he didn’t want to care about when he would see the fae next, but he did, pathetically and ashamedly so, and the realization of it burned through him like fire.

When he had spent time with Hyesung last, the moment had felt right and perfect and endless, as though it was a hazy dream that had obfuscated just enough of the ground to make him forget what he was walking on. But now it felt as though the curtain had been lifted and he had been yanked sharply back into the real world, echoing to him the bitter truth that however good a dream was, it could never replace reality, and the reality was Hyesung was not human. Whatever his feelings – unacknowledged or not – were, Eric was not sure if anticipating what was obviously a short-lived arrangement should go on. 

And to make matters worse, Dongwan had been right: it ing rained that afternoon, which didn’t help the mood he was already in at all.

“ing great.” Eric grumbled as he stared up at the sky, peeled of its usual blue and currently unleashing torrents of water onto all five boroughs. It had only started showering halfway through his train ride back home, but by the time he had gotten off at Kingston station, it was practically a deluge, one that would soak him and his coat through the minute he stepped into it. The temperature had also dropped and an ill wind blew through the lower part of the city, promising pneumonia or bronchitis to anyone who would dare walk through it without any sort of protection whatsoever.

Eric pressed his back against the tile wall to avoid being stampeded on by the latest throng of people that came through the station to get home to Crown Heights. His shoes and socks were getting soaked and so were the cuffs of his pants, and just the thought of what was probably in the water they were fast absorbing made him shudder. Another wave of exasperation crested when he saw the passing crowd all unfolding umbrellas and flipping hoods and collars in preparation to brave the storm. There could not have been a worse time to not have listened to his cousin.

Crrr-aaaccck. BOOM.

Several people passing by gave a startled scream as lightning and thunder flashed and crashed overhead, the sound like a battlefield of drums. Eric sighed irritably. There was barely any signal underground so he couldn’t swallow his pride and phone Dongwan to come and fetch him. Not like it was a possibility anyway since it was right around the time that they also had to fix dinner for Andy.

It was either he started moving to get home, or be stuck there for the next few hours. Given that a subway station was not necessarily the safest place to be in, least of all in a thunderstorm, he made the decision to risk his getting pneumonia rather than being stabbed in the gut by a homeless drug addict wandering around looking for shelter along Eastern Parkway. He zipped up his coat and stared grimly at the purple dusk up ahead swollen with rain.

No other way out but through…

He started to shuffle up the stairs that led to the street above but was surprised when fingers quickly and firmly encircled his wrist, halting all his attempts to advance towards the outside. He spun around from where he stood, and met Hyesung’s gaze from where the fae was standing on the step just below his, looking as exasperated as he felt.

“I never thought you as particularly intelligent but I would have thought you would at least have a whit of common sense.” Hyesung said, irritation evident in his tone. His fingers were unnaturally cold on Eric’s skin, like tendrils of ice, even though he seemed to be more appropriately dressed for the weather than he was, in a dark coat that was lined with what looked like down feathers. The fluorescent light made him look paler than usual, but his glare had the same steel in them. He spoke as though he had been there the entire time and was angry at him for being ignored. When Eric easily shook off Hyesung’s grasp, he felt a of satisfaction at the surprise that crossed the fae’s expression.

“Get off.” Eric snapped. Elation and frustration collided spectacularly within him the longer he looked at Hyesung, and he suddenly wanted to tear something into two.

Why did he feel like this? Surely this was not normal? He didn’t usually become irrationally angry at someone with no provocation.

“Are you a fool?” Hyesung asked, his tone sharp, and it was the perfect tipping point to send Eric’s temper right over the edge. His heart slammed hard against his chest as Hyesung’s sudden presence reminded him of just how little control he had about their entire situation. Everything as of late – Hyesung, Dongwan’s questioning, Andy’s persistent obsession with Junjin’s flower, and now even the weather – seemed to be just beyond his grasp, his region of control, and he was always expected to just go along with the circumstance. He didn’t like it at all. It reminded him too much of losing his parents, when he could only just sit back and watch, helpless. He had expected, at least, that his own private life, including his feelings, be something he could get a handle of without the possibility of derailment. But now, given the treacherous beating of his heart, it seemed rather obvious that it was not the case.

Biting his lip, Eric turned his back on the fae to start on walking up the stairs but Hyesung grabbed his wrist once more and held him in place. This time, his grip was tighter.

“What’s the matter with you?” The fae had to shout to be heard above the din, but Eric heard him perfectly. “You will drown out there! And you’re barely dressed!”

Eric tried to shake him off again but Hyesung held on. “That shouldn’t be any of your concern. Let go of me, Hyesung.” He could hear the ice in his tone and was himself startled at how he sounded.

“I will not until you cease this childish tantrum. I see your anger, Eric Mun. I am no fool. I know it is directed at me.” Eric felt as magic flowed into him via Hyesung’s touch. It was that strange calming spell he had used before, but it only served to further enrage him. How dare Hyesung force his magic on him? Eric did not want to be calm; he wanted to be angry, damn it. He shook his hand once more, aggressively this time, forcing the fae to sever the connection and halt the spell.

“Let go of me now.” Eric said through gritted teeth.

“I will break your paper-thin wrist, Eric Mun, do not test me.” Hyesung said with equal ire, his eyes hard.

“Break it. I don’t care.” Eric shot back. He was itching for a fight now, and wanted nothing more than Hyesung to strike so he could have equal right to. “Break it now.”

“What’s the matter with you?” The fae asked again, and this time he looked perturbed, his glare softening. “You are acting strangely.”

“Just leave me alone, all right?” Eric’s own mind was a convoluted mess of incoherent thoughts and emotions; it seemed only right that they were doing this during a literal storm. “I don’t want to do this right now.”

“And what, pray tell, is this?”

Good question.

“This.” Eric made a gesture with his arm up over their heads. He felt slightly hysterical. “You disappearing for days at a time, me waiting. And now you’re here all of a sudden, without warning, or even a message…just barging in whenever you feel like it and leaving when you’re done.”

Hyesung stared back at him as though he had had his head screwed on wrong. “I am what? What exactly are you accusing me of? Will you speak sense, you absurd mortal?”

“But that’s the thing, none of this makes sense!” Eric had the insane desire to laugh. This entire situation they were in would be hilarious if viewed from a distance. “I mean…to be honest, I’m not even sure if you’re real sometimes. But then you always manage to appear at the last second to reinstate your existence, like you’ve managed to hear me across the astral plane or whatever, and I have to convince myself again that you’re there in front of me again. And…I’m just not having it anymore.”

Hyesung crossed his arms over his chest, effectively letting go of his wrist. He now looked intently at Eric. “Do go on,” he said, but his tone was entirely too calm. Dangerous.

“Look.” Eric said, and this time he took a deep breath, willing for his temper to cool. His heart was beating so fast that his head was spinning. “I know you don’t think highly of me…”

He ignored as Hyesung smirked in agreement. Of course he would. Bastard.

“But all I’m trying to say is…I have…many, maybe even too many…feelings about you—”

Holy . He wanted to stop, but he couldn’t, the wheels now having been sent into motion.

“—none of which are healthy or even have the slightest chance of being reciprocated, and I get that, I really do, because you’re…a freaking prince from a whole other dimension and I’m just me...I’m even raising a kid, for God’s sakes.”

Hyesung stared at him impassively, looking for all the world as though he was used to being on the receiving end of these types of conversations. And? His expression seemed to say, and Eric decided to press on, letting his words tumble around them like rain.

“So…for the sake of my sanity, and Andy’s, it may be better for our well-being if you remained…invisible. Or whatever it is that you do.”

This finally garnered a reaction from Hyesung. Eric saw as the fae’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly, then as his fingers curled into a loose fist. “I am not certain I understand what you are saying, Eric Mun.” he said, although the look in his eyes told a different story.

“This is our last meeting. Please don’t show yourselves to me or Andy anymore. Not you, or Junjin, or Minwoo. Just…let Junjin fulfil his Favor to my brother and let us get on with our lives. Please.”

Eric felt as his heart twisted painfully at his words. He didn’t want to do it, but he had to be an adult and think of the foreseeable future. The fact of the matter was, the more they got entangled with the fae the more difficult it would be when it would have to finally come to an end. He didn’t think he would be able to forgive himself if Andy ended up being crushed by another meaningless goodbye. And if he was perfectly honest with himself, he didn’t think he would be able to easily move on either.

He had to quit while they were ahead.

“Don’t follow me around anymore. I mean it.” He said as a final statement, before decisively turning away and heading up the stairs and into the rain. Droplets lashed at him like knives and he was soaked within seconds, but he didn’t dare turn back, not wanting to see Hyesung still there (or not there, maybe). A small part of him wished that the fae would call him back, or at least argue with him or call him stupid or imbecilic, as he normally would, and then maybe he would rethink what he had just said, and consider something else…

But nothing came. And as cold and wet swiftly enrobed him like a second skin, Eric made up his mind to keep putting one foot after another without looking back, and kept his gaze steady on the distance.

No other way out but through.

-|-

It was, perhaps, the longest distance he had ever walked from his stop to their apartment building.

Eric could barely keep his head up towards the end of it, the wind so merciless he could hardly walk straight let alone see. His teeth knocked together like old bones as he trudged forward, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the road sign that signaled his close proximity to the apartment. He couldn’t even think from cold as he forced himself to walk just the slightest bit faster, if only to escape the hellish rain. When he finally reached the doors of their building, his hands shook so much he could hardly keep his grip on anything.

“Sh-!” His keys were nowhere in his pockets and the door was bolted. Had he left it at the office—?

“Looking for these?” a voice said from behind him, and Eric whirled around. Hyesung stood on the stoop behind him, a mirror of their earlier meeting, but this time, the fae too was sopping wet, his hair plastered to his head, and droplets cascading off of every possible edge. He held up his hand, and from his fingers dangled Eric’s keys.

“Y-you!” Eric shouted.

“M-me.” Hyesung said, and Eric didn’t miss the stammer in his voice, the quivering in his lip. He clambered up the step so he and Eric were face to face. There was something wild and determined in the fae’s eyes, and somehow it made him seem strangely vulnerable.

“Why the hell are you here?” Eric snatched the keys from him. “Give me that.” He attempted to put the key in the lock but was interrupted as Hyesung passed his hand over his and made the keys vanish. “HEY!” He glared at the fae. “The , honestly. I’m f-freezing here!”

Hyesung ignored him. He took a bold step forward, forcing Eric to take an instinctive one back. “Did you mean it?” he asked in a low tone.

“What?”

“Did you mean it, what y-you said.” Hyesung repeated, and Eric felt something inside of him break a bit. He took another step forward but this time, Eric stood his ground. They stood so close that Hyesung’s breath ghosted against his cheek: hot and shivering and furious. “B-Back there.”

It was then that it registered with Eric just how wretched the fae looked, soaked to the bone and with a forlorn look in his eyes that his livid tone didn’t seem to match. He had never seen Hyesung look less than perfect, but somehow, his looking particularly human now tugged at his heartstrings more than Eric had ever felt.

“Why the hell are y-you wet?!” Hyesung’s appearance didn’t make sense. Did he walk after him? “What the did you follow me for?”

“Answer me!” Hyesung thundered, raindrops dripping from the end of his nose. The light over their heads flickered in and out at his voice. “Look me in the eyes now and tell me you m-meant it. That you wish us out of your lives. S-say it once more, Eric Mun, and it will come true. You will never see us again. I will ensure it.”

Eric opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. His gaze landed on Hyesung’s lips, slightly parted now as the fae’s own chest rose and dipped rapidly in possibly growing anger. All around them, the rain kept pouring in wide sheets.

“Say it.” Hyesung hissed, teeth sharp and white, glass and stone in an impossibly pure face. His tone turned mocking.

Eric hesitated, the words already on the tip of his tongue. Was it really that easy?

“I wish…” he began, but halted.

I can’t.

He didn’t know exactly what overcame him, but then Hyesung’s lips were suddenly against his, soft and pink and pliant like crushed flowers, and then he could think of nothing else. Sudden warmth flooded him, and he could feel as several emotions—fury, relief, frustration, desire—overwhelmed his conscious mind. Up was down and wrong was right. He could feel Hyesung’s astonishment by the way fae tensed under his hold, and he braced himself for a magical power blast that would propel him to the end of the street…but nothing came.

And… Hyesung was actually kissing him back.

Holy .

It lasted only a handful of seconds, but it could have very well been a lifetime. Eric was the first to break away. The moment he and Hyesung parted, all cold returned, but his lips felt burned and swollen. His hands shook as he intertwined Hyesung’s fingers with his. The fae didn’t pull away.

“I wish…” Eric whispered against the fae’s cheek. Hyesung was shivering against him, deathly silent. He didn’t dare look him in the eyes yet, almost afraid of what he would see. “I wish…”

It was only asking for trouble, starting this with Hyesung. Eric knew that there would not be an ending for what he wanted where he didn’t end up an emotional wreck.

“You wish for what?” Hyesung asked, pulling away enough so Eric was finally forced to look at his face. His eyes were unreadable, but his lips were trembling and there were roses blooming on his cheeks. “Say it, Eric Mun. Tell me what you want.”

“But it will never work.” Eric could barely hear himself over the din of the rain but somehow, he knew Hyesung did. “It will never…”

He was reduced to silence as warmth once more bloomed from within him. When he could engage his thought processes again, he discovered the reason: Hyesung’s lips were against his, and then on his jawline, and his neck, leaving a trail of freshly-formed goosebumps on his damp skin.

.

“Tell me your greatest desire, Eric Mun.” Soft desperation laced Hyesung’s tone, and something stirred inside of him, pooling in the pit of his stomach. Something dark, and turbulent, and absolutely insatiable. “What is it your heart wants?”

You. Eric’s mind screamed. You. You. You. You.

“Can you p-promise me…” he murmured, fighting through the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. Overhead, lightning suddenly slashed the sky, illuminating Hyesung’s features, and for a split-second, Eric saw the terrible beauty of the fae in full: the fine bone structure of his face; the complex markings around his eyes; the cruel upturn of his mouth. Eric stalled; the words that had gathered on his tongue were now frozen between his teeth.

“You’re trembling.” Hyesung said, his voice as sharp as a blade’s edge. He tilted his head to the side, almost the same way a predator would eye its prey. His fingers tightened around Eric’s arms. “Tell me: are you afraid, Eric Mun?”

Terrified was the more appropriate term, but it was warring with a different sort of emotion altogether. Eric supposed it was a side effect of having already been half-drowned in the rain while kissing a non-human male for the first—and probably only—time in his life. He gulped before speaking, steeling his nerve.

“Can you promise…to stay?” Eric blurted out, knowing that if he kept his silence, he would come to regret it for the rest of his life.

“Stay?” Hyesung spat, acting for all his worth like a provoked cobra. He took a step back, his eyes flashing. “We are not yours to keep.”

“That is my…desire.” Eric said, forcing the unfamiliar term out. It was corny as hell but he knew he had to play his cards right for the fae to be sufficiently ensnared, and from previous experience they only paid sufficient attention if he threw back their own words at them. “I w-want you to stay. With me. For me. Whatever, I don’t know how the hell it works. But that’s my wish…”

“The fae are not your plaything, mortal.” Hyesung’s anger was as palpable as the hot breath he blew onto Eric’s face. He stepped forward once more and pressed him against the sealed doors of the apartment building, his lips dangerously close to Eric’s thundering pulse. “It will do you well for you to remember your place.”

The bastard was as mercurial as a summer squall. But it was exactly that that made Eric want to know more, see more, experience more. Very quickly, his courage veered into the realm of shamelessness. It always seemed to whenever he was faced with Hyesung.

“You talk big,” Eric scoffed softly as he locked eyes with the fae, because two can play at this game, “for someone who wasted time and effort to a lowly mortal to his home when there was no need to.”

That seemed to hit a raw nerve. “How dare you.” Hyesung growled, his teeth clicking furiously. “You really intend to mock a High Prince of the Underground?!”

“Your titles mean nothing here. Maybe you’re the one who’s afraid?” Eric didn’t know how far he could provoke the fae without being blasted to smithereens, but he got the feeling that he was fast approaching the limit. But then, he too was angry and it wasn’t ing fair any of this was happening, if he really had to be honest with himself. He felt triumphant at the thought that he could rile Hyesung up even more than how he already was, even if that was the only way he could get even with him. He wasn’t immune to pettiness as a tactic. He lets loose another jab, staring directly at Hyesung’s face: “Maybe you’re the one who’s too scared to act upon what you really feel—mmph!”

Lips met against his for the second time, although not of his own volition. They crushed the words that he was about to say almost forcefully, painfully. Fingers raked through his wet hair, it in thick clumps and leaving blazing trails on his scalp. His ears rang and his heart felt fit to burst as the kiss slowed and warmed to something that was nearly tender. Hyesung’s mouth was hot and sharp and wet, and when they parted, Eric wasn’t surprised to taste copper on his tongue.

“You are foolish.” Hyesung whispered accusingly. His forehead leaned heavily against Eric’s, preventing him from seeing his eyes. “Utterly foolish to desire to tie yourself to the fae like this.”

“I’m not tying myself to anyone.” Eric muttered, unappreciative of the way Hyesung always put words in his mouth. “You still have the power and freedom to leave any time you’d like. All I’m saying is…I’d like it if you were around more.”

“I should not have come.” The fae murmured, his voice now tinged with dark regret. “Minwoo was right. This was folly from the start.”

Eric’s stomach dropped. This wasn’t how he had wanted it to go. “Hyesung…don’t go, please—”

He reached out his hand to hold on to the fae, to somehow anchor him there like he’d asked, but the weight against him was gone in a blink, leaving only the memory of warmth and the soft throbbing of his lips against empty air. His keys suddenly dropped with a loud jangle on the stone steps, as though falling out of someone’s pocket. Eric stared at it for a second before picking it up, not missing the faint tinkling of bells that he heard on the wind just before another bout of thunder crashed through, loud enough to shatter the sky, loud enough to drown out everything else.

-|-

Light and shadow bent and whorled in the narrow corridor outside apartment 4D in Crown Heights, displacing wind and rain as a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, just beyond the range of sight of the apartment door’s peephole. Minwoo was the epitome of style and grace as he stepped out of the shadows, his movements long and lithe even as he brushed off his coat and fixed the jaunt of his hat. Despite the raging storm outside that had quashed all their plans of distantly watching over the mortals they had unfortunately been shackled to, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but feel his lips quirk up into a small smile.

Minwoo did not like mortal beings on principle. He was an Heir to the Underground, the eldest son of the High King and Queen, and protector of the Prophecy. One of his main duties, among others, was ensuring no denizen of the kingdom be allowed to venture to the Above, let alone cavort with the nonsensical beings that inhabited it. He’d already spectacularly failed on that front, thanks in no small part to his own brothers who seemed to care not that they still had the Prophecy looming over their heads. Although he had reached the end of his wits with them, he was also already starting to consider that it may not have been all for naught…

Dongwan Kim. He recalled the man whom he had met here last. The one who had opened the door bare-chested and incensed. The arrogant, proud, bewitching mortal that was Eric Mun’s cousin. Dongwan Kim. The name imparted freely to him, with no suspicion of him being foe rather than friend. Dongwan Kim was open and honest. A fool. A vessel. Giddy desire burbled within him but he valiantly stamped it down, knowing he had to maintain a modicum of self-control. Danu knew they didn’t need more concerns added to their already growing pile.

But one must wonder…how a mortal would actually taste…?

His musings were interrupted by a jarring thud from behind him and Minwoo turned instinctively, shaken out of his thoughts. He was met with the strange sight of Junjin kneeling on the floor after having Shimmered in, his palms pressed hard against the tile. Instinctively, his blood ran cold.

“Choongjae!” he shouted, startled enough to call his brother’s true name. Before approaching him, he quickly assessed the area for the presence of any enemies that may have struck his brother down; it would not have been the first time, but Junjin did not falter easily, if at all. The hallway, however, was bare of any magical traces, save for their own. Confused, Minwoo rushed to the younger fae, meaning to give him support, but Junjin had already gathered his bearings and was back standing at his full height, his head giving an awkward shake.

“What happened?” Minwoo demanded as he looked at his brother from head to toe. He ran his hands over him in a quick inspection but there was nary a scratch. “Were you struck?”

“Worry not, brother, I am hale and hearty.” Junjin afforded him an impish grin as he shrugged him off. “I had merely mis-stepped and fell as a result.”

“After Shimmering?” Minwoo frowned. They had been Shimmering for centuries and had not mis-stepped once. Hyesung he would have believed, perhaps, but Junjin? “Brother, you are no novice at this art.”

“It’s too dark and I had worried I’d gone down an incorrect path. It’s an honest mistake.” Junjin shrugged, obviously thinking light of the matter. It was typical of their youngest, but something niggled at the back of Minwoo’s mind.

“You are speaking the truth to me, are you not?” he asked. He was not fond of riddles and had very little tolerance for most things Junjin did for his own amusement. They were already treading on dangerous ground as it was. The younger fae looked at him, a mild expression of distaste on his face.

“We cannot lie, brother. Surely you as a fae prince would know that limitation of ours.”

Minwoo scoffed. “Lying is one thing but I am aware how adept your skills are at bending the truth.”

“There is no truth to bend. I am perfectly all right.”

As though to prove it, Junjin held out his palm and conjured a blazing blue fire so abrupt and powerful that Minwoo had to take a step back before it could singe his eyebrows. It was a warning to him, a silent demand for him not to probe any further. Minwoo scowled but relented. It would not do to put Junjin in a terrible mood on the rare occasion that they were Aboveground; it would be a waste of time and effort for them both.

“Peace, brother.” He said, hoping to pacify the younger fae before any mortal appeared and saw them. He placed a hand on Junjin’s arm. It was cold and tense under his hold. “Let us not waste precious time quarreling.”

Junjin nodded and extinguished the flame. His lips were pressed into a thin line. “Agreed.”

Minwoo smirked as he jerked his head towards the apartment door. “The child and his cousin are inside.”

“And Eric Mun?”

“Elsewhere.” Minwoo waved a hand dismissively. “He is with Hyesung. Otherwise, Hyesung would also be here.” He had no qualms about his middle brother; Hyesung always kept within the rules, so he could allow himself to relax for once, and perhaps…get to know the mortals a bit more. “Since we are to observe them, it would be prudent to just issue a visit, is it not?”

The smile that cut across Junjin’s face was wide and genuine, which surprised him. “Yes,” he said, nodding enthusiastically. “Since we have made the journey anyway, and cannot be outside on account of the rain.”

He would have to figure out later what it was about the mortal youngling that had his brother so enamored, but Minwoo had his own agenda at the moment. He could eventually leave Junjin to his own devices, provided he could also do the same.

“Follow my lead.” He instructed Junjin, and the younger fae nodded, stepping back as they approached the apartment door. There was a device on the wall that he had utilized to get Dongwan’s attention before and had prompted him to open the door. Minwoo straightened his coat collar and flexed his arms. He could see his reflection in the tiny glass peephole and had to smirk: he looked good. He always did, but this time, he felt he had an obligation to especially uphold it. He his lips, desire once more curling hot in his gut.

Minwoo smirked, then raised his arm to press the white button, eliciting a loud continuous buzzing from inside the apartment. Almost instantly, he could hear scuffling, then Dongwan’s voice: Eric, is that you! ’s sake, where are your keys?!

His smirk turned into a smile. Oh yes, he would enjoy this.

tbc


Author's Notes
1. Oh my God, an update. I totally forgot there was a half-written chapter in my files and I found it a couple of days ago. Needless to say, I sat down and wrote the rest of it to get this published lmao. I've forgotten most of what I've planned for this story but hopefully it'll come back to me. (Yes, Hyesung was actually following Eric around in bird form like a creepy little stalker lol. That's what Andy meant when he said 'birds')
2. I actually love this au but I've been so busy with the others it kind of fell on the wayside. Should I continue it? I'm quite happy to just let it stew for now especially with so many things happening. 
3. The world is still a mess. Please wear a mask. Join a protest. Keep other people safe. Stand up for their rights (or your own). We need each other more than ever now.