Junjin could feel nothing but cold.

He did not know how long he had been lying there, feeling as his blood turned to ice and his bones were reduced to broken glass, his body so heavy he could hardly breathe without effort. Voices floated above and beside him, distant and faded as though speaking from underwater.

His magic has been depleted. We know not why.

I have given him enough to tide him over…but Minwoo, we would need Father—

No. Do what you can for now. I shall ask Deokhwa to see to him and then I must speak to you alone.

Brother, surely you jest! We cannot leave him! There will be questions!

Trust me, Hyesung!

Even if he had wanted to chime in on what he was sure was a lengthy conversation between his brothers, darkness claimed him in fits and starts before finally consuming him whole, leaving him to wander in a seemingly endless void, hearing everything but feeling nothing, existing in neither plane. Once or twice, he came upon the doorway of the Realm of Dreams, but the way was always shut for him, as though rejecting his presence. It wouldn’t have been such a terrible arrangement if he hadn’t heard Andy calling him from within. Crying, even. But Junjin could not respond no matter how hard he tried.

Fading, he heard someone say, and it almost felt like a welcome concept. Although the darkness was a welcome respite from it, Junjin had not felt so much pain in the centuries he had been alive. It had certainly felt as though his own magic was determined to destroy him from the inside out…but what magic exactly? He was convinced he had next to none left, and that was the entire problem altogether.

Someone touched his brow and Junjin suddenly gasped awake, yanked away from the darkness he had just been getting accustomed to and flung back into a world where even breathing caused him intense discomfort. A heavy hand rested against his forehead, its touch red-hot and searing against his skin, and he hissed as he twisted his aching body around to evade it. Two more hands grasped his shoulders and held him in place as gentle blue waves of healing magic immediately coursed through him, accompanied by the soft murmurings of a familiar baritone.

Be still. Listen to my voice, youngling. Follow my light.

It was powerful magic, blue and weighted as the ocean depths, and it finally worked to keep the endless cold at bay as it slowly replenished his depleted stores. Familiar warmth slowly crept back into him and soothed his seemingly frozen nerves. Although his eyes felt too heavy to open, Junjin knew, with great dread, who it was that had come.

Awaken, my son. He could hear the King calling to him, tugging him gently back from the bottomless abyss of non-existence, but Junjin resisted his presence, panic seizing his chest for hadn’t Minwoo insisted the King not be told? In his weakened state he was vulnerable against whatever his father may do while replenishing his magic. The King was a known mind-prober, and one of the most powerful beings in the realm. He sincerely doubted either of his brothers had admitted to their trips to the Above, but now the King had a fairly good chance of knowing anyway.

Where do you hide, youngling? I can feel your presence and yet you are veiled from me…

Already he could feel the King’s magic stalking through his subconscious, like a pack of wily beasts trained to search and retrieve. He was being gentle, Junjin could tell, and the sensation was hardly a tickle, but he was hardly fooled. Very quickly, he mustered enough strength to shut the King out, hiding his most recent thoughts and memories in a guarded labyrinth within the deepest confines of mind while pushing his father’s magic out to the edges. The reaction was immediate: he could feel as the King’s magic thrummed agitatatedly upon the discovery of him being defied.

No. Junjin gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. He knew denying his father access would also slow down the healing process considerably but, inasmuch as he loved his father and did not want to worry him, he would not allow for their secret to be discovered. His body may have betrayed him but he could not betray Andy. He would not. Not in a thousand years.

Choongjae, I will not lose you. We still have much to see and accomplish. You will not Fade today.

No, he would not Fade. Not while he already felt his magic slowly flickering back to life, like the rebuilding of a bonfire from a single ember. Not while he still had a Favor to fulfill. And certainly not while Andy needed him.

Awaken, my prince. Your light flickers from far away. Assure me you are with us still.

For once, Junjin paid no heed to the King’s pleas, despite never having heard his father beg before.

Come back to us, my son. Do not break your mother’s heart.

But Junjin had already let himself be claimed once more by the darkness, diving in deeper as a means to slip from his father’s grasp, determined to finish what he had started, no matter the cost.

-|-

A week had passed, but it had not been as uneventful as Eric had hoped.

For one thing, the storm that had started on the day he and Hyesung had kissed (also known as the Day He Would Rather Forget) had ended up flooding New York City. For three straight days, water had poured from the sky and had filled basements and subways, causing substantial damage to both public and private property. As a result, both school and work were temporarily suspended until further notice to keep people safe at home. That was the first disaster.

The second disaster: when the rains had finally abated and the storm clouds had cleared, a rare tornado alert had  suddenly been raised for the city and, not even two hours in, a twister had touched down on Coney Island and destroyed half the park, leaving mountains of debris from rides that had been shredded and ripped apart by gale-force winds. The entire city had been left in shock in its wake; tornadoes in New York were a once-in-a-lifetime event – if it happened at all – and yet this had been the second one in two decades, and one that had been nearly missed altogether because of how quickly it had formed and touched down.

As if that wasn’t enough, the third disaster came a day after the tornado, when lightning had struck a neighborhood in Red Hook, 15 minutes away from Crown Heights, and set several apartment buildings on fire. It had rendered a dozen families homeless overnight and had killed several pets in the process. No one, of course, was to blame…no human at least.

“This is crazy,” Dongwan muttered as they watched the news for the nth time that week, half-expecting for another freaky unforeseen circumstance to be announced out of the blue. “This is what happens when people deny climate change! Look at how crazy these things are. It’s like a live demo of Murphy’s Law!”

Eric chewed on his lower lip as Dongwan ranted, unable to shake the feeling that what was happening had not been mere coincidence, but how in the world does this actually happen? And why would it?

He had no answers and therefore contented himself with mulling over his thoughts in silence rather than airing it out to his overly stressed cousin. They had not brought up the fae again since the night Eric had told him the truth, too occupied with attempting to calm Andy enough to prevent him from working himself up too much with worry over Junjin, and Dongwan beyond that day had kept mum on any of his feelings about the matter. He was generally more irritable and restless than usual too, and Eric for once let him act out freely; they were stuck in the apartment until the city could be fixed up enough for it to be functional again, and he wasn’t in the mood to have a boxing match when the world already seemed on the edge of…something. Unnamed anxiety gnawed at the pit of his stomach, as though he was awaiting another catastrophe that was yet to happen. But seven days in, the weather had finally started to clear for real, and so he held out on the hope that it would perhaps last.

It didn’t, of course.

Eric had just finished putting Andy to sleep when he heard it: the soft tinkling of bells, so faint he could have easily brushed it off as a figment of his imagination, until the goosebumps rising on his arms proved otherwise. It sounded as though it had been carried by a passing breeze, but the window was shut, and the only movement of air in the room was the one caused by his and Andy’s breathing.

Eric straightened, but didn’t turn. Unnatural fear trickled down his spine like ice. “I know you’re here,” he said softly, and it was a miracle his voice didn’t shake.

There was a sensation like air shifting, and the space in Andy’s room seemed to expand to accommodate a presence much larger than himself. Someone was there with them, and he knew exactly who it was.

“You are more a fool than I ever thought possible,” came the expected whisper, the sound of it like the rustling of leaves in October, the tone thin and cold as moonlight, but Eric didn’t flinch.

“So you’ve always said,” he confirmed, his voice nearly catching in his throat. His hands clenched into fists as he forced to calm his wildly beating heart. Still, he didn’t turn.

“Pathetic.” Hyesung sneered, and his tone was sharper than usual. Without warning, the room turned cold, although no wind could have entered. “There are at least twenty different ways that I can stop the breath in your lungs with me barely lifting a finger.” He paused before whispering, “I could kill you where you stand.”

“You could.” Eric didn’t see any point in arguing with what he was certain was true. Fear still rooted him to the spot, but it had nothing to do with the threat Hyesung had just given him. For some reason he was more afraid of Hyesung leaving again before he had a chance…but a chance to do what exactly?

“Show your face, mortal. If you must tempt death at least grant its giver the courtesy of seeing the light leave your eyes.”

So dramatic. Eric nearly smiled. “I know you wouldn’t,” he said with certainty, and something seemed to snap and caused the temperature in the room to plunge to near-freezing.

“Face me!” Hyesung snarled, his words now lanced with ire and frustration. Eric had stuck a nerve. “You dare to be impertinent? Do you really think it would be beneath me to strike you dead in front of your own brother?”

His voice swelled and thundered through the small space, although it didn’t seem to bother Andy in the slightest; the boy stayed blissfully asleep, his arm wrapped around the jar that contained Junjin’s faintly glowing flower, and Eric had no doubt that he was being shielded from whatever was going on, noise and temperature changes included, despite the fae’s ongoing tirade. Somehow, that thought gave him comfort.

(Do you trust me?)

“I trust you.” Eric said as his blood pounded in his ears. He didn’t know if it was the adrenaline that was keeping him irrationally calm in spite of the obviously enraged immortal being in his little brother’s bedroom, but he recalled suddenly the warmth of Hyesung’s hand in his, the curve of his smile, the sweetness of his lips. The fear that sat in the pit of his stomach melted away, leaving a pang that he distantly recognized as longing.

“You asked that of me, once. Do you remember?”

“What?”

This time, Eric did turn. He shifted a step and within a moment came face to face with Hyesung, standing tall and imperious in what seemed to be a long flowing cloak of white and silver feathers, his very presence clashing loudly with the litter of toys and books and sports equipment that surrounded them. His eyes glittered almost ferally as Eric surveyed him, and all the light in the room seemed dim compared to the faint ethereal glow surrounding his entire body. Anyone who could have seen the sight would have had no doubt that this was an unearthly, regal, and dangerous being, and Eric’s instincts instantly screamed at him to take Andy and run without looking back, but he steadfastly stood his ground.

“I trust you.” He repeated, his own voice sounding small and stupid in his ears. At his words, Hyesung’s mouth curled, exposing small sharp teeth that glinted in the half-light.

“Why would you?” the fae asked, glaring at him accusingly. The fine bones in his face made him look as though he was carved from glacier ice, his beauty merely a highlight to the power and danger Eric knew lurked beneath the surface. “You are naught but paper and glass; a mere wisp that will pass into the shadows, defenseless against the ravages of time, and yet you trust me—”

“Because you’ve never given me a reason not to.” Eric said, interrupting Hyesung’s spiel. His heart was a war drum in his chest. “You insult me and belittle me, but you also saved my life. Do you remember? That night on Atlantic Avenue. You’ve always made sure no harm comes to me or my brother or my cousin, not if you can help it, even if it meant you standing up to your of a brother. I’ve also seen when you’re in your owl form and hide in the trees and shadows and look out for us. You care. My trust is the least I could give. And…” Oh God. “And I can give you more…if you’d just let me.”

Hyesung stared at him, his statement having rendered him into silence, and Eric saw it as the perfect opportunity to seize his chance.

Let’s see how far this will go.

“Hyesung, I—”

But the fae abruptly held up his hand, his fingers long and thin and ivory white, and caused the words that Eric was about to say to shrivel and turn into dust on his tongue.

“You cannot.” Hyesung said. His eyes burned like black fire on his face. “You should not. Consider this your last warning, Eric Mun.”

As if on cue, Minwoo’s words once again danced in the hollow of Eric’s mind – Beware the promises you make us, and the desires you keep. But considering everything that had already happened, he had little to no trust in anything that Minwoo had to say. He can follow his own advice and choke on it, that bastard.

“You keep saying that but I don’t believe you.” He wanted to march up to Hyesung and shake him…then possibly kiss him senseless against the wall. The very thought made heat rise in his cheeks as he suppressed an involuntary shudder. “Your lie is written all over your face.”

“We cannot lie!” Hyesung thundered. “You soft-headed imbecile. Do you not understand what is at stake? The prophecy—”

“Do you like me?” Eric blurted out, determination making him bold. He resisted from reaching out to keep the fae in place; he had no doubt that Hyesung would bolt if he attempted to physically restrain him, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

In front of him, at arm’s length away, Hyesung stilled, his question, unanswered, still ringing in empty air.

“What?” the fae asked, although Eric knew he had heard every word.

Tell me your greatest desire, Eric Mun.

“Do you…” Eric forced the words out, knowing he had next no chance of asking it again if he missed this opportunity. “Hyesung, do you love me? And if you don’t – and it’s perfectly understandable if you don’t – could you find it in yourself to still allow me…” A selfish, weak, pathetic mortal “…to love you?”

His last statement caught him by surprise. It was not something he had planned on saying, but once it was spoken, his chest seemed to expand in size, bursting at the seams with affection he never even knew he possessed. It was all of a sudden useless to keep pretending otherwise.

Holy .

Before him, Hyesung had paled, his lips now pressed into a thin hard line.

“You know not what you ask,” the fae said. “You do not understand—”

“Then make me understand!” Eric said, unable to suppress his temper. He took a step forward, closing the gap between them until he stood close enough to Hyesung to feel the warmth radiating off of his skin.

“It is not my duty to!” Hyesung snapped. His chest heaved in angry breaths. “I am not beholden to you. I do not claim your affections—”

“And yet you’re here,” Eric finished for him. “You’ve always been here, watching us and protecting us without us wanting you to, and yet you claim—”

“I have no choice!”

“You can watch us from the Underground, that’s what you said! This is Junjin’s Favor, not yours. You don’t need to be here, and yet you are! Do you even know yourself why?!” If there was one thing Eric hated it was when anyone tried to make things more complicated than they were supposed to be. He knew the situation they were in. He’d felt it and had ignored it for the longest time, but he was no longer willing to play games. Before him, Hyesung looked at him, a thunderstruck expression on his face, as though he too was realizing something that he had long suppressed. When he spoke again, his voice was so soft that Eric felt as though he was imagining the next few words that were said.

“You will never see me again.” The fae said, and Eric felt as though he had been er-punched. Already it sounded like a promise.

“No—!”

Eric reached out to grasp Hyesung’s wrist just as the familiar sensation of him being squeezed into a tiny space –smaller than a grain of sand, a speck of dust – overwhelmed him, and he felt as both he and Hyesung vanished from the soft darkness of Andy’s bedroom and into an unnamed beyond.


tbc