Baekho woke this time to the heaving sigh from the now familiar weight laying against his body. He opened his eyes and looked down at the pretty thing pressed against his chest, arms wrapped about him possessively.

“Who are you?” he asked at last.

“My name…well, it used to be Choi Minki. You can call me Ren now, though,” he smiled as he looked up at Baekho and yet again Baekho experienced the startling realization that…Ren’s eyes were far too pretty.

“What are you?” was the question Baekho apparently had to ask first, out of everything.

“An Eidolon, now, tell me dear, will you be trying to escape me again?” as though this was perfectly normal and not odd at all odd in the slightest.

“It doesn’t appear I can…OH MY GOSH WHY DON’T I HAVE MY SHIRT?!” he shrieked,

“Wow I don’t remember you having that high a voice…and shirts are forbidden here, of course,” Ren smirked, fingers trailing over his skin, rubbing smooth circles that made his face heat up.

“YOU’RE WEARING ONE!”

“Oh calm down sweetheart,” Ren crooned, “I don’t count. Frankly I’m surprised by how you are focusing on this rather menial detail when it comes down to everything else…But I suppose you need to focus on something so you can ignore the greater problem, yes?” Baekho inhaled a deep breath. The other was probably right – he just couldn’t seem to comprehend this situation, it was too wild and crazy. Everything had shut down upon the onslaught of overwhelming sensory information. All of  this was impossible. Im. Poss. Ible.

“What are you again?” he breathed, trying to calm his heart, which seemed all too aware of the situation. He watched his hands tremble under Ren’s, and realized his mind just hadn’t caught up with his body. His body had reacted to the situation at hand, but his brain refused to comprehend it.

“An Eidolon, do try to keep up. An Eidolon, something neither here nor there, trapped between the living and the dead never to be found among either. An ideal image left from someone long past who was left unfulfilled. I know my past, but it doesn’t seem that you do,” the boy suddenly saddened, pulling back, away from Baekho, turning to curl up next to the wall Baekho was propped against.

“My…past? What do you mean I don’t know my past?”

“You’ve forgotten. About me. About the life you led all those years ago. What we were together and  what I was apart. I’ve watched you for so long, I had nothing better to do. Waiting, waiting for you to be born, to grow up, ready and ripe for me. But you’re different!” Ren finally burst out, hopping to his feet,

“My Baekho would never had just sat there and gone through life as the rest of the toiling masses did! My Baekho wouldn’t fall for anyone else besides me! My Baekho would never react to this situation in such a way. And lastly. My Baekho would remember. All I’ve gotten is a flawed copy! Why aren’t you him?! I begged the gods to restore you but they told me they could only reincarnate you as a human! So weak and dull,” Ren fell to his knees before him again, “But you have his face, his voice, his expressions, his body. Everything. Everything I’ve been waiting so long to see, and my everything has chosen someone else!”

“How do you know that I’ve chosen Minhyun!” Baekho burst out finally and Ren froze, eyes slowly wandering up his body.

“W-well…I may have…threatened? Your little boyfriend,” he laughed nervously and finally Baekho was compelled into action – into anger,

“You did what?!” He slammed the other onto his back, “You’ve ruined the best thing I’ve ever had!”
“Not true! I’ve only stopped the thing the can only temporarily make you happy – I am the one for you!”

“I don’t know you!”

“I know! But you will – you will, you have to remember. Remember you past, remember me, and why you can’t replace me with anyone,” he sobbed beneath him,

“You don’t seem to get that you’re the replacement if I stay with you instead of Minhyun! Minhyun is the person I love, and you’ve taken him away from me. Eidolon? Fancy talk for Demon I’m sure,” he snorted in derision, filled with loathing, but oddly Ren smiled. Reaching up a hand to his cheek lightly,

“There you are. My Baekho. Filled with fire and care. Love makes people do strange, incomprehensible things. You don’t understand yet, but I beg you, give it a chance. The enchantment set upon this house will not let you leave until you love me anyways. You’re stuck with me, for better or for worse –“ Baekho interrupted Ren’s pretty little speech,

“If you are a…ghost, or something, then how did you convince Minhyun to break up with me?” Minhyun’s tears and reluctance now made a good deal of sense.

“And what do ghosts do best, darling? They haunt people. I persuaded Minhyun to be a good boy and let you go, or I’d never let him live like a proper being. I can leave this house at any time, but no one can see me when I do. I was harsh with my words – but he was a man-stealer. Even if he didn’t know it, he was forcing you to cheat on me, and I don’t take all too kindly to that,” Ren gave him a pat on the cheek with a soft smile. During all this chatter of nonsense, Baekho suddenly realized how tired he was, how exhausted from all this impossible fathoming. Ren seemed to realize and his smile drooped,

“Ah…that. Baekho…you will surely fall asleep soon, as you  humans tend to do. I am…sorry about this. It wasn’t ever meant to be this way. The spot you left inside me is so full of sadness, Baekho, you have no idea how I’ve longed for this. When I petitioned to the Council of the Gods, they told me I could only have a half life, existing evermore. I can only appear at night, in this house. You were so scared when you first came in – I had actually forgotten that you couldn’t see me! That’s how long I have been on my own, my love. How long I’ve had to endure without you by my side,” Ren’s head came to rest gently upon Baekho’s shoulder as he drifted off against his will. How early in the morning it was, he wasn’t sure, but with weeks of sleepless nights since Minhyun’s fairwell, his body could no longer handle it. And something about this house was lulling him off into darkness no matter how much he fought against it…

“You’ll wake in the morning and I won’t be here. You can feel me, sometimes, my breath, my presence, but you can’t see me and you won’t often hear me. It takes too much effort to be heard, saps me of strength. You see…ah…you’re asleep, aren’t you?” Ren laughed slightly, dabbing at the tears that had begun to drip down his face. A mixture of both happy and sad, entwined together. He placed a light kiss to his cheek, before rising and going about to begin preparing his home for this most important guest.

He had never had a reason to clean before, and had rather liked the accumulating dust from decades gone by. But Baekho deserved better than his childish fancies. Deserved to live as a prince in a palace.  Especially as Ren was kidnapping him. 

A/N: I don't really know what I'm doing with this story...I've written it all at around 1 AM so I'm not entirely sure if I was at my best then XD Ah well, thank you for subscribing, readers <3