It was simply because Minsoo was blind.

                That was the only reason they’d paired him with the other man and Byunghyun still didn’t know whether to be proud of that fact or annoyed.  Probably both actually, all things considered.  Not for the first time, he chewed on his perpetually short thumb nail while he leaned back in the wooden chair and watched the taller, larger, more… attractive man move around with all the ability of a person who could see.  Now anyway.

                A combed swath of black hair was pulled back into a simple knot at the back of his head, leaving his clear face open for scrutiny while the alchemist moved around his work space, fingertips tracing over numerous vials and supplies before he plucked one up from memory and set it on the desk nearby.  Even working, the hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and made his already narrow eyes crinkle even more.  There was no hint of the foggy film that usually accompanied being blind in his dark orbs but neither was there any focus when he looked at, well, anything.  It had taken Byunghyun days to get used to that fact and he still wasn’t always sure where to look when the blind man talked with him sometimes.

                That had been especially true early on since he wasn’t used to actually being spoken to.  Eidolons were unusual creatures, to say the least, and he was no exception.  Beings of potentially extraordinary power from another realm, they were summoned at great personal cost to the caster – usually some sort of sacrifice of power or promise of an exchange of sorts.  They were typically bound to whoever invoked their presence and dismissed when their task was done.  The binding kept their powers in check, forcing them to aid the caster who called them and otherwise rendering them mostly benign in line with the wishes of their ‘master’.

                Byunghyun’s previous summoner had died under less than glamorous circumstances, leaving him to wander freely without being banished back to the outer realms.  It had been a glorious time too.  Free to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, there had been nothing to constrain his powers except his own desire to remain hidden so that he wouldn’t draw attention to himself.  But even that wasn’t enough to hide what and where he was: Eidolons weren’t able to hide the call of power inherent in each of them.  That only happened when they were bound.

                “Wrong one, Soo,” he called before Minsoo could take the pinch of dried Red Mountain Flower and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients in the mortar bowl.

                “Oh?” Minsoo blinked, stalling with his hand poised in the air, slender fingers pinching the dried petals delicately between his tips.  Carefully, he brought it to his nose and frowned thoughtfully, brow dipping in his confusion.  “Did you move the containers again?” he asked, turning his head unerringly towards Byunghyun, an ability that never got old.

                The Eidolon scoffed and leaned the chair forward hastily, setting the front two legs back on the wooden floor with a loud scrape.  “Of course not.  The last time I moved something, you nearly poisoned us all with that noxious smoke that came as a result,” he rolled his prismatic eyes, standing up with controlled grace before he quietly made his way to the worktable.  “I’d imagine that flea bag of yours did it this time since this one,” he explained, removing the ingredients from Minsoo’s fingers before guiding it to the appropriate dish with practiced ease, “is the Blue Mountain Flower you’re looking for if you’re still making the regenerative tincture for Chanhee.”

                Minsoo laughed at Byunghyun’s statement and nodded in agreement.  “It probably was Ricky then.  He does like to wander among the reagents sometimes.  Have you seen him today?” the blind man asked while he turned his attention back to his work, already dismissing the near disaster from his mind.

                Byunghyun remained where he was and took a small breath, scratching at his short, silver hair.  “You’re blind, not dumb,” he responded, crossing his arms over his lean frame as he glared at the other man.  In one of the glass bottles nearby, he saw the way his fairly delicate features scrunched up in a frustrated expression, the irises of his eyes dancing between the faded colors of the rainbow as light conjured them to life when he shifted.

                “True,” the alchemist agreed nonchalantly but offered no other thoughts on the matter as he deftly ground the petals with the other ingredients, the constant scratching of the mortar and pestle a familiar sound in this place.

                If they hadn’t already been partnered for over a decade, Byunghyun would have thought the other man was truly an idiot, but the amusement was still there on his face.  Oh, he’d schooled his expression well enough; his eyes gave him away every time though.  Maybe he couldn’t see anything through them, but everyone else could and they danced with laughter.  “You know Chanhee snagged him earlier.  A hostage to make sure you finished in a timely manner,” he waved dismissively as he turned his back to glare at the rest of the room instead.

                “And you know you’re glad Ricky is being pampered and fed and loved by that healing wizard right now because when he gets back, he’ll be all soft and cuddly and you’ll melt like the big softy you are when he chooses your lap to take a nap in,” Minsoo explained matter of factly.

                Byunghyun’s head dipped lower and lower between his shoulders as he listened, hunching forward as if he could deny it.  His pale, slender fingers drummed irritably on his arm, but he didn’t say a word.  They both knew each other too well by now; uncommonly so given that he was an Eidolon and Minsoo a non-caster.  “Yeah well, it’s impossible to get the fur out of your robes,” he muttered instead, glancing from the thick, azure layers around Minsoo to the unearthly, tattered cloak that kept him ensconced in shadow filaments the majority of the time.  Nothing made it dirty, including an overly persistent cat’s affectionate attention.

                “So you’ve said many times before.”

                The statement was simple enough but in it, Byunghyun could hear a world of unspoken words and he sighed again.  When first he’d been captured by the Mage Guild as a ‘rogue’ Eidolon, as all free Eidolons were considered, Byunghyun had been glad to be bound to someone else so that he might at least be allowed to remain in the mortal realm.  It was a much preferable place to the outer realm he was from after all, filled with life and emotion and transitory wonders instead of unchanging, magical mountain ranges and plains.

                As an unbound Eidolon, standard procedure would have been to send him back, no questions asked.  And when Jonghyun had cornered him that day, Byunghyun thought for sure that was what would happen when he was bound with magical energies and marched back to the Mage Guild, a different one from where he’d been initially summoned to.  As it happened, he had been wrong.

                Not only had Jonghyun heard him out on what actually occurred to strand him in their realm – no he hadn’t found a rift to slip through or torn his way in as some of his cousins had been known to do – he apparently knew of someone with a massive amount of guilt they wanted to assuage but no time to actually do what would be necessary themselves: enter Enchanter Daniel.  The caster had requested a new potion he would need in order to complete a contract, but the transcribed copy of the recipe was later determined to have an error in the proportions of reagents required, resulting in a volatile reaction the alchemist was unable to escape.

                Only newly blind from the alchemical experiment gone wrong, Minsoo was as useless as a newborn kitten and just as bitter as Byunghyun about being given a caretaker to watch over him: a random stranger he didn’t know and didn’t want to get to know himself.  Likewise, Byunghyun had initially resented his new companion as well, being unused to having to care for anybody other than himself and the orders he was commanded to perform.  At the time, neither knew about the personal cost Daniel had paid to get Jonghyun to bind the Eidolon to Minsoo, a painless process in this instance, requiring only a bit of the alchemist (a lock of his hair sufficed) and the resultant energy cost that left the enchanter weakened and tired for days after.

                As a result of their new arrangement, they’d argued endlessly in those first few days, never once suspecting that Minsoo had no clue his new companion was an Eidolon.  His lack of sight didn’t allow him to see the telltale, prismatic eyes that always gave Eidolons away and Byunghyun wasn’t asked to do anything out of the ordinary so his abilities remained otherwise hidden.  Overseeing Minsoo’s healing and recovery, Chanhee hadn’t felt the need to tell him and neither had wanted to ask about the other so by the time the truth was revealed, it no longer mattered.  All Byunghyun could recall was that Minsoo couldn’t stop laughing about it for hours after the fact.

                “Don’t worry, Byunghyun.  We’ll be heading out in a minute,” Minsoo promised distractedly as the Eidolon straightened up and whipped his head around to peer over his shoulder.

                “I wasn’t doing anything,” he grumbled defensively.

                “You were rubbing your cloak between your fingers,” the alchemist chuckled, the sound almost lost when a glass vial clinked softly against the mortar bowl so that he could carefully pour the solution into it.  Some of the amusement faded with his concentration.

                Byunghyun looked down to see his fingers clamped around the cloak as Minsoo had indicated and he muttered unintelligibly in the back of his throat.  “There’s no way you could hear that,” he pointed with narrowed eyes, fully aware the gesture was lost on his companion but feeling slightly better for the action.

                “You’re right,” the alchemist agreed, carefully stoppering the vial so he could set it aside.  When Byunghyun’s jaw quirked to the side as if he was going to say something, Minsoo continued, “But I could guess and you confirmed it.”

                The smile he his Eidolon stopped any complaints on his lips and Byunghyun felt his stomach lurch at the expression.  Over ten years in the company of a human that treated him as a friend and more had taught the Eidolon to feel very human emotions in turn, some of which still continued to confound him with their unexpected intensity.  Most Eidolons never developed more than a working relationship with the person they were bound to.  Then again, most Eidolons weren’t exactly used as full time caretakers, guardians, and assistants, all rolled into one either.  He pursed his lips and took a small breath as he watched Minsoo walk carefully around the table towards him, the certainty in his path almost eerie.

                Surprisingly gentle hands caught his shoulders first, keeping them at arm’s length for but a heartbeat.  In that moment of time, Byunghyun was starkly reminded of their physical differences – his lack of height and mass, the opposite contrasts in their eyes and hair – but it was all washed away when strong arms wrapped around his stiff frame and pulled him close, enveloping the Eidolon in the myriad scents of the reagents Minsoo had just been working with.  “You get fidgety when you’re impatient,” he explained, running a soothing hand over silken hair.

                “You’re the one that was bound and determined to go reagent hunting tonight,” Byunghyun started to mutter before the words softened into a relaxed sigh.  He’d never known what a hug was personally before being paired with Minsoo, but there was something undeniably calming about it, and while he didn’t embrace the other man back, he did lean into the contact, resting his mouth against the broader shoulder.

                “We’ve got plenty of time,” the alchemist promised, letting Byunghyun go before the moment could turn awkward, or in another direction entirely.  Neither would be helpful just then.

                “Not if you’re expecting anyone to return tonight,” the Eidolon reminded him with a quick adjustment to his cloak, the action unnecessary.

                “Just us,” Minsoo explained, pumping his fist in the air before him, making Byunghyun snort.

                “What was that?”

                “My excitement?”

                “That was pitiful,” Byunghyun shook his head as he grabbed Minsoo’s raised fist and guided him around the room to retrieve the travel pack, his walking stick, and the traveler’s ration of food Daniel had made sure to prepare for them earlier when he’d let the conjurer know they’d be heading out that evening.

                “And what did you do?” Minsoo poked at the shorter male, accepting the staff that was shoved into his hand abruptly.

                Byunghyun didn’t deign to answer the question at all and simply opened the door, ready to step out with no further delays.  He made a small, strangled sound in the back of his throat as he immediately stopped, put a hand to Minsoo’s chest to make him pause, and continued staring at the summoner in the middle of the doorway.  Jonghyun’s hand was raised as if to knock but he smirked when he saw Byunghyun’s expression and tilted his head in silent greeting.

                “Heading out already?” he asked when Minsoo would have wondered what was wrong.

                “Summoner Jonghyun,” the alchemist murmured instead, recognizing the voice instantly.

                An answer wasn’t exactly necessary since it was obvious, but Byunghyun nodded for his benefit, never taking his eyes off the young man who had captured and bound him over a decade ago.  He still looked as young now as he did then, but that wasn’t unusual since those of the Mage Guild aged slowly when they lived in the magical fold of the arcane workings.  The boy was just as intimidating as Minsoo was, being taller than both of them and more muscled, a fact that was at odds with his arcane leanings.  Not to mention that detaining Byunghyun had been his first major accomplishment in the Mage Guild, a fact that the Eidolon wasn’t exactly keen about remembering, even if it had led to more preferable memories.

                The taller male brushed an arched, magically maroon strand of hair away from his forehead and nodded to himself.  “I thought as much.  Be careful tonight.  The energies are strange this evening,” he explained with a grimace.  Byunghyun thought he preferred the chubby cheeks he’d first seen on the boy, for this expression was dour indeed.

                He was gratified when Minsoo looked to him instead of the summoner though, a hand wrapping around the thin wrist gently.  “Anything specific?” he questioned, drawing close in the doorway so that Byunghyun could feel his warmth through the fabric of his cloak.

                “No, just a lot of active energy,” Jonghyun shrugged with a perturbed look, the expression emerging crystal clear in his voice.

                “We’ll be careful,” Byunghyun promised, keeping himself stationed directly between the two taller men and acutely aware of his lack of stature in that heartbeat.  Minsoo’s other hand gripped the back of his cloak where Jonghyun couldn’t see, giving the Eidolon a silent measure of reassurance.  He was one of the few people Byunghyun trusted to know that Jonghyun still intimidated him; it was understandable really, since the summoner could banish him if he so chose.  Not that he would without reason, but that didn’t stop Byunghyun from feeling that sense of fear every time he was around him.

                “We’re counting on it,” Jonghyun winked, reaching out to ruffle Byunghyun’s hair impishly before the shorter man swatted his hand away with a muted growl.

                “Byunghyun will keep us safe,” Minsoo added with a hint of laughter in his voice when he could feel what was happening through their tenuous connection.

                “Safe travels and may the Deities watch over you,” the summoner bowed slightly before straightening up and waving.  He winked once at Byunghyun, as if he could sense the nervousness in the Eidolon, and then walked off with his shoulders pulled back and posture enviably perfect.

                “I don’t like him,” Byunghyun muttered when the other male was out of earshot.

                “Yes you do,” Minsoo corrected, moving one hand to rest it on a slender shoulder instead.

                “Fine.  I don’t dislike him,” he amended, giving Minsoo a sidelong look out of the corner of his eye.  “But I won’t say I like him.”

                “Fair enough,” Minsoo conceded with a grin, nodding his head towards the still open door so they could head out.

                “Are you sure this can’t wait until later?” Byunghyun asked after only a few steps, the fingers of his free hand moving nervously at his side.

                “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of excess magical energies?” the alchemist quirked a brow.

                “No!” the Eidolon snapped back while tension settled in his shoulders again.  “Let’s just get this over and done with,” he huffed as he picked up the pace.  He kept one hand on Minsoo’s wrist to guide him swiftly but kept the rest of his thoughts to himself.  Of course he had no problem with excess magical energies.  He was somewhat born of them, but he was potentially, maybe, just possibly afraid of what they could do to Minsoo.

                Even magically blessed humans were incredibly fragile creatures.

                And that was something worth worrying about in Byunghyun’s opinion.

                He kept a glower on his face as they walked, helping to ensure that no one would try and stop them on their path, though considering it was nearly supper time, most of the guild members were either calling food to their quarters or heading for the dining hall already.  In truth, it was almost a relief to get outside the main gates where the open air brushed coolly against Byunghyun’s face and he could see the dimming sky overhead; above pinpricks of light had begun to dot the canvas like grains of sparkling sand.

                “What’s it look like?” Minsoo asked softly, his voice close to Byunghyun’s ear so that warm breath tickled the outer lobe.

                The Eidolon shivered once and smiled, a genuine expression that finally reached his eyes where the glimmering orbs reflected a myriad of colors in the fading light.  “No clouds.  The stars are just coming out and the moon should be rising soon.”  His voice dropped into silence when he saw the color of the horizon, a brilliant shade too close to crimson for his liking.  He did not often believe in such omens so he continued on anyway, “Sunset’s light is losing out to dusk’s curtain of purple and blue.”  That would be true enough in a moment anyway.  “It’ll be the shade of your robes soon,” he laughed once, turning to look at Minsoo instead.

                “Is that what color you picked out for me today?” he asked, holding the fabric away from his chest as if he could inspect it himself.

                “I told you that this morning,” the Eidolon huffed with a gentle shove on Minsoo’s shoulder.

                “Abuse!” the alchemist lamented pitifully, clapping his hand over the spot Byunghyun had pushed him with an aggrieved expression.

                “Hardly,” he drawled with a smirk.

                Playing it up, Minsoo gripped the walking staff with both hands and leaned heavily on the wooden stick, pretending to be decrepit.  “How could you hurt a cripple?” he questioned in a quivering, tremulous voice.

                “Would you stop?” Byunghyun sighed, grabbing the staff as if he was going to take it away.  “Yah!” he yelped when Minsoo reacted accordingly.

                No longer pretending, the alchemist yanked his staff free and pivoted to catch the bottom portion of it behind Byunghyun’s foot, yanking the limb up to upset his balance before he drove a hand against the Eidolon’s chest, knocking him back.  Byunghyun flailed once and then let himself fall, ducking into a ball so he could roll out of it.  When he moved through a backwards summersault, his form began to change fluidly, his cloak wrapping around and merging with his flesh, changing as he went so that he ended up on all fours as he came to a stop.

                Abnormally large paws splayed out on the ground with unnaturally long toes ending in curved claws.  His legs were reverse jointed and bent so that his body was poised low, ready to spring forward at a moment’s notice.  Patches of dark fur the color of his cloak blended with smooth scales to give him an appearance not unlike the cross between a wolf and a small dragon, though he lacked the ability to breathe fire and functional wings.  The ones he did have, currently clapped tightly against his sides, he could glide with but they were useless for actually flying.

                “That wasn’t very nice,” he spoke through the elongated muzzle, his words gravelly except for the sibilant sounds which persisted just a touch longer than normal, courtesy of his semi-reptilian tongue.

                “Neither is making fun of a cripple,” Minsoo winked as he stepped closer, reaching a careful hand out so that Byunghyun could rise and push his nose into the open palm at his own pace.

                “You’re not a cripple,” the Eidolon snorted, blowing a gust of warm air onto Minsoo’s palm before he butted his nose against the soft skin.

                Minsoo didn’t argue again as a soft expression moved across his face.  “I wish I could see you,” he whispered while he let his hand slide gently against Byunghyun’s jaw where the fingertips caressed the scales around his eyes, prismatic still despite the change in form.

                Byunghyun closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, rising up to his full height slowly so that the hand could follow the motion.  “Even without your sight, you see more than most humans ever will,” he murmured, resting with his head just cresting above Minsoo’s, giving him the advantage in his changed form.  The hand on his face drifted down his neck and traveled over the sleek skin of his shoulder as Minsoo shuffled closer so that he could settle into place in front of the folded wings.  His robes rustled when he wrestled them into order around his body, the shifting of his weight forcing Byunghyun to move with him.

                “Maybe,” he admitted at last when he stopped moving, one hand gripping to the patch of fur between Byunghyun’s shoulder blades while the other rested on his thigh where his fingertips touched the Eidolon’s scaled skin.  “But that still doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see you.”

                The Eidolon had no words to respond to that statement.  In truth, he wanted Minsoo to see him too.  It felt unfair at times like this, when he could actually reveal his planar form, that he couldn’t share such a sight with his rider, companion, friend, and more.  Though it was a measure of his trust that he let Minsoo actually ride him without being commanded and compelled to do so.  His peers would have laughed at him endlessly if they could see him now, still bound but voluntarily working with and actually significantly attached to a non-caster…

                “Well.  Let’s get moving then.  The sooner we get out there, the sooner we can find the reagents and the sooner we can get back so Ricky can snuggle in your lap,” Minsoo teased, breaking the tension in the moment.

                “Or you,” Byunghyun shot back, unable to smile in his current form though that didn’t keep it out of his voice.

                “If you’re offering,” Minsoo grinned shamelessly, slapping Byunghyun on the shoulder and completely breaking the Eidolon’s composure.  He wasn’t supposed to agree…

                Without another word, Byunghyun launched forward into a sinuous lope that devoured the ground underfoot, traversing uneven, rocky terrain with unnatural ease.  On his back, Minsoo held tight, adjusting his body to the movements beneath his as needed.  Countless, shaky practice rides had finally given way to comfortable gaits and easy seats as the two adjusted to each other seamlessly.  Endless evenings of staying up late with Minsoo allowed Byunghyun to know exactly what they were looking for as well, playing the eyes to the alchemist who would have been watching otherwise.

                His mouth parted open slightly so that he could taste the fragrant air on his tongue better and Byunghyun’s nostrils flared as he tried to catch the scent of glowing mushrooms or moon blossoms, the latter of which only showed themselves at night.  The sounds of the countryside came to life around them slowly, dying down as the pair approached only to reawaken when they moved on, the danger to the wildlife past.

                “Be on the lookout for lunar moths too, Byunghyun,” his rider called, head swiveling to either side as he listened to the evening’s symphony.

                “I thought you were good on those,” the Eidolon commented, rustling his wings as he navigated a rise that brought them to a small crevasse he would need to jump.  “Hold!”  At the warning, Minsoo clamped his legs around Byunghyun’s body and gripped tight with both hands, lurching under the sudden launch.  Leathery wings snapped open and flapped hard, moving the pair up and down with the labored motion that only managed to keep them from dropping from the air too fast.  Neither spoke as wind whipped at their faces, threatening to tear the words away should they try to talk anyway.  “Ground!” Byunghyun warned again, feeling Minsoo lean back to get ready for the impact that would shunt him forward as usual.

                “Deities!” Minsoo squeaked when they hit the ground and Byunghyun felt for his rider.  There was no saddle to cushion the hard planes of his body and he had yet to figure out how to land softly so that he didn’t threaten to make the alchemist a eunuch every time he stopped after a glide.  “I’m good,” he rasped with a tight voice, hands gripping unusually hard as Byunghyun moved on again, the pace on the ground considerably more comfortable.

                “Sorry,” he mumbled apologetically, ducking his head low with his shoulders hunched in as guilty a posture as he was going to get in his current form.

                “S’alright,” Minsoo breathed hard, regaining his voice once more.  “Just keep going.  We should be getting close to something or other,” he shrugged, glancing around as before.

                “You’re right,” Byunghyun confirmed with a nod as he slowed up.  “I can sme-”

                His words stopped abruptly when his eyes widened and he jumped forward, using his wings to pivot him in the air as he did so.  Byunghyun’s heart lurched when he felt Minsoo scramble to stay on, his grip slipping when he continued to slide away from the sleek body as he was unprepared for the sudden shift.

                “Byunghyun!” he yelled in panic, falling away even as the Eidolon reached for him with one clawed appendage, fingers splayed and talons gleaming in the moonlight.  Fabric tore as he missed and his momentum carried the two apart while Minsoo hit the ground hard, briefly dazed by the impact.

                The Eidolon landed, claws ripping through the grass covered surface until he found purchase enough to yank himself forward and roar.  Large wings mantled to either side of him while a vicious, hissing, howling sound emerged from his open maw.  Anger and the threat of a challenge vibrated in the air as he bristled stiffly, eyeing the thing on the other side of Minsoo.

                On the ground, the alchemist cowered away from Byunghyun’s voice, one hand over his ear and eyes shut tight.  “What is it?” he whispered in a trembling voice when the roar died off, leaving them in eerie silence instead.

                Byunghyun’s body quivered as he practically held his breath, a mere thin stream of air rasping through his tight throat.  What in the Nine Hells was a dread wraith doing here?!  Smoky tendrils of darkness writhed in a vaguely humanoid shape that floated off the ground and glared at him with fiery embers for eyes.  A smirk pulled the lipless mouth into a joyless smile and the creature stayed where it was as if contemplating which target to attack first.

                “Dread wraith,” Byunghyun whispered in warning as he stretched forward slowly, trying to get close enough so that he could grab Minsoo and run.  The quiet but sharp intake of breath let him know the alchemist had heard him and knew their peril.

                “But I can’t feel it,” Minsoo panted in well controlled panic, eyes wide in his face as he gathered his ripped robe about him, one hand reaching towards Byunghyun.  His fingers trembled slightly in the air and the sight sent a stab of anger through the Eidolon, completely pushing away the thought of why he couldn’t feel the creature either.

                When the wraith moved a hand out as if to grab for Minsoo, Byunghyun lunged forward, landing with his front claws on either side of the alchemist as he arched his neck over the prone man.  His monstrous maw snapped around the reaching limb with a furious snarl.  Teeth clacked on empty air and the wraith figure waved its arms in place, floating in a small circle in front of the Eidolon, rather like it was taunting him.

                The action was… strange.

                “Byungie?” Minsoo whispered beneath him, one hand pressing against the inside of his front leg.  “Something feels odd.”

                Byunghyun growled low in the back of his throat and maintained his defensive posture, but he tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as he inspected the creature further.  Minsoo was right.  It didn’t feel like a wraith.  Such creatures usually had a powerful aura around them and this one was lacking.  Nor could he smell it.  At least not what it was supposed to be anyway.

                “Is that laughter?” Minsoo murmured in confusion, his sharpened hearing picking up on the sound before Byunghyun.

                “You have got to be kidding me,” the Eidolon snarled between clenched teeth.  Moving forward confidently this time, Byunghyun chomped at the wraith’s head and glared at the dissipating smoke when the illusion was broken and all that remained were two dancing shadow sprites in its place.

                They tittered in delighted amusement and then shrieked outright when the Eidolon attacked the air around them, clacking his teeth loudly and coming close to shredding their wings.  “Byunghyun!” Minsoo called out when he heard what was going on, urging the other to calm down just a touch.

                “Shadow sprites,” Byunghyun explained in utter aggravation while he watched the creatures flee hastily.  His skin twitched in irritation as he shook some of his tension out and padded closer to Minsoo, extending his wings and tail around the downed man protectively.

                “Truly?” Minsoo laughed in relief, clapping both hands over his face as he willingly fell back against Byunghyun’s legs with a burst of air.  Instead of regaining his composure though, his laughter grew and he couldn’t seem to stop.

                “Really?” Byunghyun cocked his head to the side to regard his companion with annoyed amusement, letting the sensation of relief continue to flow through him.  Jonghyun had mentioned rampant energies that evening but he hadn’t specified what kind.  And they had both forgot to check to see what kind of moon it would be…  The gleam of a rising full moon on the horizon made him roll his eyes and shake his head.  “Nope.  We’re not doing this tonight,” he explained firmly, bending down to nudge Minsoo with his shoulder so he could prompt the other man to get on.

                “Wait,” Minsoo laughed lightly, wiping at his eyes where tears pricked the corners.  It really wasn’t that funny...  “We haven’t gotten our supplies yet,” he panted, grabbing hold of Byunghyun’s fur anyway as he used the other to help get to his feet.

                “We’ll try again tomorrow,” Byunghyun explained deftly, using his tail to nudge the fallen staff back into range so Minsoo could return it to his back where it usually rested when they were riding.  At least the travel sack had stayed put and was still secure around his shoulder.

                “But it’s still early,” Minsoo tried to argue, though his tone lacked conviction.  Now he was complaining for the sake of putting up a fight.

                “Aye.  And the sprites will think so too,” the Eidolon snorted, knowing the damnable little creatures well enough to understand this wouldn’t be the only prank they tried to pull on them.  And no, he was not in the mood to be disrupting illusions all night.

                “You’ve gotta admit that was at least a little bit funny,” Minsoo prodded, settling into place with stiff awkwardness that indicated he would be sore from his fall on the morrow.

                “No.”

                “Not even a little?”

                “No.”

                “Oh, you’re so stiff sometimes,” Minsoo sighed with a comforting pat on the Eidolon’s shoulder.  “I’m ready.”

                “Good,” Byunghyun nodded to himself, turning them back the way they’d come and pelting towards the hall with all the haste he could muster.  He was not in the mood for sprite antics, poor humor, or any other potential close calls.  Didn’t Minsoo have any idea how bad that could have been if the wraith was real?!

                In fact, that was all he could think of on the journey back, after they got into the keep, well after they checked in with Chanhee to deliver his tincture and retrieve Ricky…  It festered in his head right up until they got ready for sleep where he watched a recently bathed and uninjured Minsoo crawl under the covers but stood stolidly beside the bed with the tuxedo colored Ricky brushing against his legs on the ground, obviously waiting for him to follow suit.  He didn’t know what he wanted to say, or even how to say it, but words needed to be spoken.  Or something.

                “You coming?” Minsoo asked, turning over onto his side when Byunghyun didn’t move after another moment.  His unbound hair fell lightly over his bare shoulders and it would have been a most appealing sight if not for Byunghyun’s snarled emotions.

                Byunghyun shifted in place and pointed at the alchemist on the bed mutely, opening and closing his mouth to speak but no words came out.  He wanted to throw accusations and blame Minsoo for all manner of things, but none of those thoughts emerged.  Instead, he seemed to deflate and simply balled his hands into fists.

                “I was afraid and all you could do was laugh.”

                Minsoo remained quiet for a few breaths and then looked right at Byunghyun as he pushed himself into a sitting position.  The covers pooled around his waist and his muscled torso twisted so that he was angled towards the other man.  “Yes,” he stated simply, holding his hand out so that Byunghyun might take it.  When the other refused after a few heartbeats of silence, he went on with his hand still outstretched.  “Do you know why I was laughing?”

                “No,” Byunghyun lied after a long pause in which he tried to come up with a descent answer other than the one that never seemed to make sense.  He knew what Minsoo was going to say.  They’d had this conversation before, but it never made sense in his head.

                “Because I was afraid too,” the alchemist confirmed, beckoning with his fingers lightly.

                That time, Byunghyun finally let himself accept the gesture and he placed his palm atop Minsoo’s, watching as the larger hand shifted to turn upright so that he could thread their fingers together.  “You realize how absurd that sounds, right?” he asked with a tense bark of laughter.

                “I do,” Minsoo nodded with an easy grin, tugging at Byunghyun’s hand to draw the equally unclothed Eidolon into bed beside him while Ricky purred happily at the change.  His constant rumble followed them as he jumped onto the top of the covers, tail twitching expectantly.

                “Ridiculous human,” the Eidolon sighed, willing to let the strangeness of their race go unsolved again for another night.

                “Like you’re normal for an Eidolon,” Minsoo teased, pulling Byunghyun close before the smaller man could tense up again and pull away.

                On impulse, Byunghyun wanted to resist and argue the point, but it felt good to be pressed up against Minsoo’s chest with those arms wrapped around him and Ricky purring loudly at his feet.  He finally let himself relax enough to hold onto Minsoo in turn, their legs lightly brushing against each other under the covers.  “Normal is overrated,” he snorted, understanding in a normal scenario, he wouldn’t even be here.

                He would have been sent back to his realm where he never would have been caught by Jonghyun which meant he never would have met Minsoo in the first place.  And had Minsoo never been blinded by the alchemical experiment gone wrong, as originally initiated by Daniel, he never would have needed someone to help him as he recovered.  And had the situation been normal, Chanhee never would have convinced either of them to the arrangement but for the intervention of Ricky.  Technically, he was Minsoo’s cat but he’d taken an absurd liking to Byunghyun immediately, putting them both into constant contact.

                “Who needs normal anyway?” he asked, not expecting an answer.

                And he didn’t get one.

                Not a spoken one anyway.

                The lips that pressed against the side of his eye and made their way to his mouth were answer enough.  The warmth they shared under the covers when they laid down together was answer enough.  And the cat that joined them shortly and curled up on top of Byunghyun’s hip, whose purring presence might have been creepy if they weren’t just going to sleep in each other’s close company that night, was answer enough as well.