Junmyeon shivered as he passed through the wards, a cold feeling like water trickling over skin sliding over him. He had never liked elves.

They were so buried in their own ancestry, in their history that they thought of others as impure. As if being anything less than elven made someone lesser.

He clutched the bottle closer to himself, lifting a hand to use the big, brass knocker. The sound reverberated through the house as if the house itself was a living creature waiting to be awoken.

For a long beat, there was no answer.

A cold wind bit at Junmyeon even through his woollen cloak, only the potion bottle in his hands warming him. He murmured a charm under his breath, annoyed when it did not work.

Damn elves must have altered their wards.

He had just raised his hand to knock again when the door creaked open. A pair of emerald eyes glowed in the darkness, raking up and down.

“You must be Suho.” The voice was raspy and low, rumbling through Junmyeon.

Junmyeon bowed his head, gritting his teeth so that the elf would not see them chatter. The very name jolted through him, his fingers clenching ever tighter around his bottle. It was not his true name but one never gave their full name to the fae.

“Come.”

The foyer was no warmer than outside as he was ushered in, orange flames flickering to life as they passed them.

Junmyeon tried to pay no attention to the vines that climbed over the walls, the flowers that bloomed on the carpet as he followed his host. His heart pounded so loudly in his chest that he was certain the unnamed elf could hear it.

“Chanyeol.”

His knees buckled when he laid eyes on the elf curled up in the hammock. The name slipped past his lips before he could stop himself and only gripping the bottle in his hand did he stop it from shattering on the floor.

Dark veins of green and grey stretched their way up from Chanyeol’s neck, climbing over his cheek. His skin was pallid, shiny with sweat and his lips were bloodless.

Junmyeon was not sure how his legs still worked but they carried him over to his heart. His fingers tingled when he touched Chanyeol’s face, a sound of despair slipping out.

The poison had spread so quickly.

“Why did you call me so late?” he cried, forcing open Chanyeol’s lips.

The liquid in the bottle glowed red as he tipped it into his lover’s mouth. Chanyeol was so weak that he had to help him swallow, his lashes fluttering when he registered Junmyeon’s presence.

“Hello, love.” His voice was rough from disuse, bright amber eyes cracking open. His lips curved faintly and Junmyeon wanted to weep, but he had to save his strength.

Instead, he cupped his hand, beginning his chant. Magic turned his veins gold as it surged through him, flaring from his fingertips into Chanyeol’s body.

Chanyeol murmured something too low to hear, the one hand not tangled in vines rising to catch his wrist weakly.

Junmyeon kept up his chant, Chanyeol’s raspy breathing the only other sound in the room. He was half afraid it might not be enough, that their energies were too incompatible, that the poison had spread too far.

Time slowed like molasses to a crawl. Junmyeon had no idea how long he sat there, infusing Chanyeol’s veins with his magic. His voice grew hoarse and his fingers felt as if they had fused into Chanyeol’s wrist, frozen in place by the cold.

At last, he let him go, burying his nose into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck. It was like an ice cube against his nose, the long strands of hair tickling him. Junmyeon tangled his fingers together with Chanyeol’s, murmuring prayers instead of incantations.

The mat of vines shifted when Chanyeol stirred, turning his head. One golden eye opened and Junmyeon could not help but kiss him, along his cheek tenderly.

A gasp spilt from his lips when the veins on Chanyeol’s face glowed, beginning to recede down his throat. Chanyeol writhed. A low moan tore out of his throat when he clawed at his chest.

“What have you done?” the elf from earlier snarled, raising his hands.

“He’ll break his back. Hold him down!” Junmyeon cried.

The vines lashed out, yanking Chanyeol back when he arched.

“Is this helping him?” the elf growled.

“You’re the one who asked for a wizard,” Junmyeon snapped, laying his hands on Chanyeol’s cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut, beginning a new chant.

Chanyeol thrashed under him, yanking and pulling and grunting until his forehead was beaded with sweat.  His eyes were bright with pain and it tore at Junmyeon’s heart to see him like that.

The more the green-grey veins receded, the harder Chanyeol struggled, agony pouring through his veins. Junmyeon’s hair was damp with sweat despite the freezing temperatures, the magic in his blood boiling as he fought to keep the pain from driving his lover insane.

The world blurred around him, Chanyeol’s pain channelling into his veins. Junmyeon clenched his teeth, unaware that he was screaming until someone grabbed him, shaking him hard.

“Junmyeon!”

The call of his name snapped him out of the pain fuelled daze.

He collapsed into Chanyeol’s arms.

“Did I do it?” he whispered, pressing a hand to Chanyeol’s chest.

Chanyeol gazed down at him with the softest expression on his face, shielding him from the other elf in the room.

“Yes, my heart,” he whispered as Junmyeon heaved against him, leaning down to cup his cheek. “You saved me.”

Junmyeon tipped his face up, brushing his fingers over Chanyeol’s jaw. He thought he heard the other elf heave a sigh of relief at the sight. The poison was gone, the corruption only a distant memory.

Nothing else mattered in the world as he sealed their lips together, narrowing down to the elf he held in his arms.