The beginnings of spring were in the air and Taekwoon wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Over the past couple months, he’d stayed mostly indoors and helped with desk duty or research as he slowly recovered and… Not for the first time, he paused to look around, eyes flitting over the various faces nearby, looking for a specific one. Well, that and to look at the crowd with veiled suspicion. Everyone said the mimic was dead but hearing it and accepting it were two different things. On the other hand, and also not for the first time, he couldn’t help but flinch and inhale sharply when Kevin’s nearly flawless but slightly tired face popped into view, framed by honey-blonde hair pulled into a half ponytail.

                “As I was saying,” he continued, giving the hunter a raised brow look before flowing to the side so they could resume their walk. One elegant hand floated in front as if composing a symphony, long fingers plucking at invisible strings or keys. “Kyu has been nearly pushed to his limit, but he’s very good at hiding it.”

                That was all too true. Taekwoon had had no idea. He knew the statement was meant to be a distraction and it was, annoyingly so. “Isn’t Xiumin helping?”

                “Of course. But he’s the day lead. Only reason he’s not here now is because he has to run interference with the Mayors,” the other hunter exhaled, placing his fingertips on his face and forehead and shaking his head slightly.

                “Oh?” Taekwoon murmured, the sound escaping his lips more because he knew it was expected. He was aware of this part but if Kevin rambled on, it would allow him to look around a bit more. Green District. Mostly trees and flora in the area. A couple humans… or maybe humanoids, but generally, magical creatures maintained their natural forms here. It was Taekwoon’s favorite part of the city, though it did leave him a little on edge, what with all the foliage and brambles that could hide any number of things. At the very least, he was relatively comfortable with patrolling the city again, and that was a far cry from where he’d been several weeks ago.

                “Kwangmin got a little too heavy handed when prowling the Black Market for intel.” The statement took a second to sink in and Taekwoon stopped to look at Kevin with a frown. “Hah. I knew you were only half paying attention.” When the younger hunter glared at him, he waved his hand dismissively and rolled his eyes. “Please. You’re child’s play to read in comparison to an incubus.

                Taekwoon’s lip curled slightly and had to stifle the grimace that wanted to appear. But he noticed that Kevin’s energy had shifted as soon as he mentioned the incubus. With a hand in front, he gestured for them to continue walking as they made their way counterclockwise towards the Tourist District. “Something up?” he asked carefully, pretending meager interest.

                “Always,” Kevin admitted with an honest sigh. “You guys do all the physical work of going after whatever Jaehwan sees as it happens or is otherwise reported. My role requires more… finesse,” he explained with a fluid shrug that turned into a sly smile aimed at Taekwoon. “Need I remind you how hard I have to work for my information?”

                “No,” Taekwoon grumbled, feeling a dull heat flood his cheeks. He had nothing against Kevin’s method of negotiating with his donor informant – Taekwoon himself was no stranger to exactly – but incubi were notoriously… creative to put it mildly.

                “Care to hear about the details?” Kevin teased playfully, gently placing his hands on Taekwoon’s shoulders and sliding around behind him to the other side in a seamless shifting of positions.

                “No,” he shot back with a small glare, even as he realized the comment had done its job. It was enough to almost completely distract Taekwoon from the fact that the swap had pushed him closer to the side of the path and away from the oncoming were – a wolf in its natural form so likely a tourist; the ones here maintained their human forms unless they were on the hunt or at their den. Usually. His heart skipped a beat for a second as he realized he’d stopped paying attention for a moment and then calmed down as he realized that was a good thing.

                For weeks he’d jumped at shadows and then at any human or creature that showed the slightest direct interest in him. There were still moments now too, but they were fewer and far more between than they had been. It didn’t hurt that Ailee had managed to blunt the memories of his near-death incident either. They were still there but the details weren’t as sharp or clear. Well, the painful ones anyway…

                As they made their way into the Tourist District on the creature side, the sounds of the active city covered most of their conversation. The number of the crowds increased as well, though it didn’t always feel like it. One of the perks of patrolling with Kevin was that creatures often moved around him of their own volition – he smelled of an incubus and outside of the Red District, they were trouble, and he had the mild ability to encourage – or perhaps reverse seduce – humans to pass around them. His hand never stopped moving, much like his tongue, but that was reassuring in its own way as well.

                He talked to fill the silence between them, but also to gossip – one of his ways of working through the information he got. Or so he claimed anyway. Apparently pillow talk wasn’t always so cut and dry when it came to details. He could literally talk to any of the other hunters but it was usually easiest with Taekwoon since he was more inclined to just listen – albeit distractedly – as opposed to asking questions.

                “I think Jaeseop may be annoyed I haven’t figured out one of his hints, but how am I supposed to know what the “flower shield” means. You’ve done the research and nothing came up, right?” he asked, gesturing at Taekwoon.

                He’d asked about it before, actually. Jaeseop must have brought it up again, which meant something had either changed or was about to. At least, that was the pattern he’d started to see when the incubus repeated things. “Other than as an ability in one of the latest video games… no,” he admitted with a sigh. That was embarrassing to say out loud.

                Kevin threw his hands up and rolled his eyes. “And don’t even get me started on the “golden shaft”,” he added, groaning as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and crossed the other arm over his body. “I’m half-inclined to think it’s just a euphemism he insists on taunting me with.”

                “More than I needed to know, but also no useful information on that,” Taekwoon reminded the other hunter. He’d gone down a weird rabbit hole on that search and he had no desire to revisit it…

                “Kwangmin did hear something when he was chasing down our resident troublemaker cat person.”

                “Chanyeol?” Taekwoon cautioned a preemptive guess, paired with a cringe at the idea. He hadn’t heard the full details about Kwangmin’s incident but if it was Chanyeol, that was… unfortunate. He was a pain in the but not a bad sort most of the time. Certainly not worthy of being pummeled by an Agrabuamelu.

                Kevin nodded, confirming Taekwoon’s guess. “He’s fine now but you know Kwangmin’s been a little wound up lately. He’s worried about Kyu for sure and probably Ha-” he started to say before blinking and immediately shifting, “hasn’t been sleeping as much as he should be.”

                The switch did not go unnoticed by Taekwoon and he looked askance at the other hunter. Kevin continued on as if nothing was amiss, dancing around the topic of the unidentified ‘spunky little star’ and how it was often tied to the info Jaeseop gave him. He was back in familiar territory again so it was easier to let Kevin’s voice fade into the background as his gut twisted and a feeling of misgiving washed over him. It was normal for Taekwoon to be worried about Hakyeon: the were was unreachable by phone – it always said the user was unavailable; hadn’t tried to contact him at all – though apparently he had reached out to Kyuhyun at least once; and had effectively been missing – gone – for months now. But if the other hunters were worrying about him too…

                “Oh! Let’s take a break here! I hear they have really good coffee,” Kevin grinned as he pointed at the café they were approaching.

                Taekwoon saw the number of people inside and was instantly against the idea but Kevin seemed pretty set on it and… he could use a drink. “Fine. But you’re ordering,” he stated firmly, pointing a finger at the other hunter.

                “Of course,” he scoffed as if there’d never been any doubt. “You can probably find a seat over there. I see a table in the corner you’d probably like,” he explained with a wink, the comment legitimate and not at all derogatory.

                It annoyed Taekwoon that he was right. He did rather like the table that was pointed out. “Yeah, yeah,” he waved, immediately diverging from the other man as they entered to claim the table before anyone else could. He noticed an elf eyeing it and promptly sat down, stoic demeanor back in place. It worked best for keeping tiresome people away. With the notable exception of Hakyeon. In fact, it seemed to have been a magnet for him…

                With his back to the wall, Taekwoon could relax just a touch and he looked over the occupants with a more critical eye just to take stock of who was here. Three humans, four humanoids, two elves, a siren maybe (the elegance paired with a non-elf appearance was a pretty blatant clue), and definitely a cat person. No obvious threats and no one paying him any mind. Kevin was far better at drawing their attention with his charm when interacting with the fairy behind the counter. She was all manner of flustered by his flirtatious ordering. Taekwoon rather detested his casual manipulation but it did often get them discounts so he didn’t have much room to complain.

                While he waited, he noticed the TV screen set in the wall, news flashing by in short segments with some kind of a recap or introduction. The Mayors of Tradeborough were trying to push the Co-Existing Initiative and hoping for as much success as was being seen in the city of Lanack in Zearland way to the south. Not entirely fair since their population was much smaller but it was good that they were doing well. There had been recent unrest in various locations on the main continent of Euria, which wasn’t all that far from where they were, to be fair. Must be an introduction. They were going to explain the details later in the segment. The host, a very charming male elf, added a quick snippet about an incident at a museum recently wherein several historical artifacts had been taken, among which had been ancient jewelry, armor, weapons, and several meteorological fragments. And lastly, they made note of several disappearances, both among the populous at large and… poachers, though several of those bodies had been recovered fairly recently.

                He started when Kevin placed the coffee down in front of him. “Black, like your expression,” the hunter teased, falling into his chair and sighing in contentment upon taking the first sip.

                Mutely, Taekwoon grabbed the cup and tasted the cold brew. Bitter with a hint of hazelnut and… cinnamon? “Did you put anything in it?” he asked, pointing at the cup.

                “Uh uh,” Kevin responded with a shake of his head, brows furrowed at the question. “Why?”

                “It’s nothing,” he denied, glancing around the café with a thoughtful frown. He liked to add cinnamon to his coffee sometimes but he hadn’t told Kevin and it wasn’t usually something they just added to the order.

                Kevin shrugged and brushed it off, letting his attention focus on the screen Taekwoon was just looking at. “Did I miss anything?” he wondered, sipping on his coffee distractedly.

                “Not really,” Taekwoon answered, a tiny fluttering of nervous butterflies attempting to take flight in his belly. He looked down at his cup again and noticed the tiny specks of reddish-brown spice lazily swirling on the surface. “Is it almost time to head back?” he asked, suddenly anxious.

                “Eh?” the hunter blinked, surprised by the question. “We’re supposed to finish the circuit in the Blue District – check in with Chen, and then we can head back. Why?” he wondered, looking at Taekwoon curiously.

                But Taekwoon just shook his head and forced himself to take a drink. “It’s nothing.” There was no point in even trying to get himself worked up about something so silly. Maybe somebody got the order wrong or perhaps they dusted someone else’s coffee too close to his. All the same, he finished his coffee quickly and stared at Kevin, silently urging him to finish his too, so they could leave sooner.

                Unperturbed by Taekwoon’s focused attention, Kevin took his time, idly watching the TV and reading the captions that popped up underneath. But because Taekwoon was watching him so intently, he noticed the other hunter’s eyes narrow when the segment about the poachers came up, including some of the names. “Ah, that was good!” he grinned, pushing the finally empty cup away and flashing a bright smile at Taekwoon. “Ready?” An annoyed glare was the only response he got and he laughed. “Let’s go,” he urged, snagging his cup so he could drop it off at the counter on his way out.

                Taekwoon did the same and hurried after him, antsy and impatient. “Is Chen expecting us?” he asked as they made their way to the main street.

                “More or less,” Kevin shrugged. “We haven’t been leaning on him lately to give him a chance to come to us, but Youngmin seems to think he’s scared right now.”

                “Of what?” Taekwoon asked, one brow raised.

                Again, Kevin shrugged. “Any number of things. We’re not the only ones who know what he does.” Honestly, nothing more needed to be said. The Hunters might intimidate someone like Chen but he wouldn’t have to worry about much more than that. Other groups might not be so lenient if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

                With that thought hovering over both of them, they picked up their pace and made it to the Blue District a little faster than intended. The smell of water hit them first, cool and clear, automatically dropping the temperature of the area a degree or two. The space nearest the city had the largest platform of land but the majority of the district was water with the odd bridge and ladder running over top of it so visitors could more easily gain access. Chen’s hidey hole was relatively close to the platform so they didn’t have to go very far to try and find him.

                “Chen!” Kevin called as they approached the ladder leading to his abode. A shadow under the water streamed by, green and equine in that brief appearance. “I know you can see me, Chen,” the hunter chided, leaning on the railing as he looked down, noting the odd merperson swimming nearby and the occasional selkie. There was a special pond humans could splash around in that was connected to the main body of water but they weren’t usually encouraged to just frolic in the backyards of various water creatures.

                A splash of water sprayed them both with mist and an equine’s face rose above the surface, not unlike a hippo. “Not so loud!” he burbled, weirdly fanged teeth appearing when he actively shushed them.  Taekwoon would never get used to that.

                “You gonna come out or should we come in?” Kevin asked, hand gesturing fluidly in front of him with his question. Chen narrowed his eyes and splashed underwater, disappearing quickly. “Guess we’re going in,” he chirped in feigned surprise. “You comin?” he inquired, looking over to see whether Taekwoon would be interested or not.

                “Maybe next time,” he waved, putting on a brave face as he tried to quell the panic the thought raised. He could handle the normal world where he knew what to expect and could respond appropriately. He wasn’t exactly prepared for the underwater realm where he was quite literally out of his element.

                “Alright. Wait here then. I’ll be back in a minute,” Kevin winked, waving once at the younger hunter before launching himself over the railing and splashing into the water, vanishing beneath the surface almost immediately as well.

                It was disconcerting. Taekwoon checked his phone and saw it was almost four in the afternoon. The sun seemed like it too, making its way across the sky. It was a bright day but the Mage barrier cut the worst of the rays, just like it dulled the worst of the natural storms and other extremes the area experienced from time to time. Impatient, he checked his phone again and sighed when only a moment had gone by. Kevin didn’t need to hold his breath. Chen would have a space for air somewhere within his home, but it still seemed to feel like an eternity while Taekwoon was waiting. Especially because he felt so exposed out here. He wasn’t the only one on the bridge, but he was the only one in the immediate area, giving a false sense of isolation or solitude. That made it all the more hair raising when he felt like someone was watching him. Looking around carefully, he noticed a figure in the water.

                Aquamarine eyes peered back at him over the surface, framed by brunette water-slicked hair, the edges floating around her close to her head. From what he could tell, she was just observing him, but it was unnerving regardless, especially since he didn’t know what she was yet. Cautiously, he raised his hand to wave once and he could have sworn he saw the corner of quirk up just below the water’s surface.

                In a slow smooth show, she leaned forward, dipping her face into the water so her shoulders and back gently crested. Taekwoon was expecting a fish tail to appear next but his breath caught in his throat when a pair of wings attached to her waist and hips arched up on either side of her. Nearly six or seven meters in total length, they shimmered in opaque iridescence, dark blue scales covering the framework of her appendages and extending to the serpentine length of the rest of her body. A siren in her natural form…

                The wings cleared the top of the water and stopped, poised in the air as droplets splattered into the water below. Then the wings flapped, sinking beneath the waves in one continuous motion, hiding their splendor in a way that left him aching for more. The water briefly swelled where her wings flapped beneath the surface once more but it only served to take her further down and out of sight. In her wake, here was no sign of her left, no matter how hard Taekwoon looked. He could still see the odd merperson tail break the surface and the occasional selkie playfully launching above the water, but the siren was gone. He started when a splash sounded immediately beneath him. “Kevin?” he wondered, rushing closer to the ladder to peer down.

                “Of course it’s me. Who else would it be?” he laughed, wiping the water from his eyes before he grabbed the rungs of the ladder and started climbing up.

                “A siren,” Taekwoon admitted, slightly flustered when the word just blurted from his mouth.

                “Right,” Kevin laughed, sluicing off the worst of the water when he got up on the bridge.

                “I saw one,” Taekwoon defended himself, frowning in frustration.

                Kevin paused and looked at him with one brow raised. “How do you know?”

                “I saw her wings. She was beautiful,” he admitted, sighing like a fool with a crush.

                The other hunter snapped his fingers in front of him, drawing him back to the moment. “Focus,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Either you got really lucky or someone likes you,” he shrugged, taking a second to wring the water from his hair. “Most people don’t just get to see a siren in her natural form like that.”

                Taekwoon shrugged, just as mystified. He didn’t really want to tell Kevin that it felt like she might have been watching him. It didn’t feel like she’d had poor intentions. And really, if she did, why would she give him a perfect view of her? He shook his head as if to clear the thoughts and focused on Kevin again. “So. How did it go with Chen.”

                “Interesting,” he admitted, a troubled look clouding his features. “I’ll tell you back at the office. Let’s go for now.”

                He was mildly suspicious of the dodge but there wasn’t much he could do about it. “Do I have any other choice?”

                “You’re the one that wanted to go back, didn’t you?” Kevin asked in mild amusement.

                Taekwoon gasped slightly and blinked. He did. “Let’s go!”

                “Dummy,” Kevin laughed once, obviously falling in line behind Taekwoon as the younger hunter started heading back immediately.

                It was just beginning to get dark as they approached the Hunters’ Quarters, the shadows growing long when the sun hid behind the taller buildings. Taekwoon scoured the front and exterior for any sign to give him a hint of who was here, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was going to feel mighty stupid if he was this nervous and nothing was there. It was enough to make him pause just in front of the door, his fingers brushing against the handle but not grabbing hold.

                “Come on then,” Kevin urged, placing his hand atop Taekwoon’s to grab the handle and push down so they could open the door and he could propel the younger hunter inside with him.

                A sleepy looking Youngmin stifled a yawn as he greeted them. “Welcome back. Kyu’s upstairs and he’s ready for you now,” he explained, waving them through, though he conjured a warm smile as he focused on Taekwoon.

                Taekwoon inhaled slightly. Did he dare hope? Without waiting for Kevin to prompt him, he hurried up the stairs, taking them three at a time, and burst through the second-floor door. Head swiveling around the room, he jerked to a halt when he saw him. Leaning against one of the desks, his head bowed and his arms crossed. Hakyeon. The human formed were looked up and an apologetic smile crossed his face. Taekwoon swallowed as a plethora of feelings swamped him: fear, anger, relief, happiness… His hands clenched into fists and he had so many things he wanted to say that he didn’t know where to start. He wasn’t allowed to say any of them yet though.

                “Oh, you’re back,” Kyuhyun acknowledged in a tired, gravelly voice, heading out of the side office with a folder of documents in his hands as he approached Hakyeon. “We were just finishing up,” he commented, looking at Taekwoon with tired, red eyes before opening the folder and stepping close to show Hakyeon.

                Frozen in place, it at least gave Taekwoon time to look at the were beside his captain and catch snippets of their conversation. “Which poachers did you find?” he heard Kyuhyun ask, the question washing over him without really registering yet. It was Hakyeon but not as Taekwoon remembered him. Gone was the red hair and in its place, a light silver that sat strange against his paler than usual skin. “All confirmed kills?” The head nod highlighted the crease of a scar on his neck, visible over the turtleneck shirt he was wearing like he was trying to hide something. Even the clothes looked strange – baggy and loose on a figure that was usually showcased for the world to see.

                Kyuhyun flipped through several pages, moving to a new section. “This is the inventory at the museum that was reported missing. Which ones should we focus on?”

                Hakyeon glanced over at Taekwoon once, revealing a scar going over one eye. When the light caught it, the brown orb looked strange, milky. He turned his attention to the pictures and highlighted the ones he thought were important. “The stones,” his finger tapped on several images. “And this,” he added, frowning at something on the page. Why did his finger seem too thin? The planes of his cheeks too sharp?

                “The sacrificial dagger?” Kyuhyun commented in hesitant surprise, running a hand through his hair reflexively.

                “Send someone to ask the Crone about it,” Hakyeon responded. His voice sounded tired. Too tired.

                “Fair enough. Anything else?” Kyuhyun asked, snapping the folder shut.

                “Ask Kevin if Chen knows anything about the Revolutionaries’ connection to the poachers,” he commented. Taekwoon had to wonder how he knew that Kevin spoke with Chen today. “I was targeted,” he added, keeping his gaze trained on the captain.

                “Will do,” Kyuhyun confirmed, nodding as he pat Hakyeon on the shoulder once, the shadows under his eyes particularly visible before he lifted his head. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” he said, looking between both Hakyeon and Taekwoon before he headed past the younger hunter, attention otherwise focused on the folder in his hand.

                With Kyuhyun gone, it just left the two of them amidst the clutter of messy desks and the quiet hum of running computers and magi-screens. Hakyeon stood up stiffly, moving slow and careful. Taekwoon clenched his fists harder and remained where he was. “Is it really you?” he asked, seemingly rooted in place until that question could be answered.

                “It’s really me,” Hakyeon promised with a slow nod and a deep breath.

                “How can I trust that?” Taekwoon demanded, glaring at the other man.

                Hakyeon nodded in understanding and uncrossed his arms to let them hover on either side of him, leaving himself utterly open. “Ask me anything.”

                There were so many questions he could pose, but none immediately came to mind. The only one that did was the worst one he could imagine but it was the one that passed his lips: “What was the last thing you said to me before I almost died?”

                He saw Hakyeon wince, knew it was like a physical blow reliving that moment, and yet, the reaction comforted him just a touch. So too did the answer. Hakyeon swallowed hard and looked down, holding his arms like he was cradling something. “Taekwoon. Stay with me.”

                The answer made his throat close and his voice trembled when he spoke again. “That could be a lucky guess. Tell me something no one else knows.”

                Hakyeon’s mouth quirked into a weak smile and his eyes sparkled with new life. “You hate to be pestered but tolerate me. You once tried to copy me in chasing a cat person. And nearly ate the sidewalk in the process. You often tell me to shut up but never mean it. You let me keep you warm in the cold once. And rode on my back on the return trip. You don’t like crowds but you’ll tolerate them for me. You like cinnamon in your coffee. When you drink it.” Taekwoon’s eyes burned at the answer and he nodded in agreement. But Hakyeon wasn’t quite done yet. “You jump at shadows but try not to show it so others won’t worry about you. You don’t speak much so that you can listen more and hear what’s often left unsaid.” Hakyeon smiled, the expression warm and hopeful. “And you once told me you’d never seen a real life siren before.” He took a step forward to start closing the distance between them. “Was she everything you hoped she might have been?”

                Taekwoon’s bottom lip trembled as he fought the emotions that bubbled up. At the café, that had been Hakyeon’s doing. He didn’t know how, but that was him. And the siren in the Blue District. “She was beautiful,” he admitted, his whole bottom jaw shaking so his teeth chattered. “It is you,” he whispered as most of his fear fell away, rooted in place by a different set of emotions this time.

                “I’m back, Taekwoon.” Another soft footstep brought them that much closer together.

                “Did you really kill it?” Taekwoon asked, clenching his eyes shut tight as if he was worried about the answer.

                “I did,” Hakyeon promised, his voice low and soothing. “It will never hurt you again.”

                He laughed a sob of relief and pain, staring at the ground at his feet, hands still clenched. The fear had been assuaged, but in its wake, anger rose up, riding waves of misunderstandings and insecurities. “Why didn’t you tell me?” About anything and everything that was happening. “Why didn’t you come to me?” ‘I missed you. I wanted to see you. To make sure you were okay too.’ “Where were you?!” ‘Why did you abandon me?’

                “Taekwoon,” the were called, his voice nearly silent.

                “I looked for you. Waited for you! At the hospital. At the office. On patrol. Where were you!?” he demanded, his whole body shaking with his confused frustration.

                Hakyeon looked down first and then moved forward until he was just close enough to touch Taekwoon. He grabbed the tightly clenched fists and curled his fingers around them tenderly. “I was afraid you’d hate me for not protecting you. Then I was afraid you’d hate me for not seeing you because I hated myself for not protecting you.” Taekwoon looked up and Hakyeon cupped his cheek with one hand, brushing his thumb tenderly against the hunter’s face. “Then I left to destroy your fear,” he promised, raising his thumb to wipe at a single tear that stained Taekwoon’s lashes.

                “Why didn’t you come back after that? Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?” he demanded in a tiny voice, feeling pitiful and insecure.

                The were pulled Taekwoon into his embrace and cupped the back of his head tenderly as he rested his chin on the slightly taller shoulder. “I wanted to, but things got more complicated than I would have preferred.” His grip on Taekwoon tightened slightly, almost possessive, but then relaxed just as quickly.

                Taekwoon finally wrapped his arms around Hakyeon’s waist and was dismayed at how thin he felt. He’d always been slender but now… “What happened?” he whispered, holding carefully lest he somehow hurt the seemingly frail were.

                “It’s not important. I’m here now,” the were explained, clinging harder to the hunter.

                “Hakyeon,” Taekwoon called, not accepting that response. It was important to him.

                The were sighed in resigned acceptance and cozied up further to Taekwoon. “I was foolish. While I was tracking the mimic, I was being tracked in turn. Not surprising considering the storm I left in my wake. Poachers,” he explained with a deep exhale. “Nearly got me too.” He leaned back and reached around to grasp Taekwoon’s hand before placing it against his face, covering his murky eye. “Destroying the mimic took more than I thought it would,” he admitted with a grimace. I hadn’t had much chance to recover before they found me. Took me a while to recover, but I guess I have them to thank for the help though,” he admitted, exhaling deeply with a erse smile as he pulled Taekwoon’s hand down to cradle it against his chest. “And then there was another group funded by the Revolutionaries and I had to follow that lead after I took care of them too,” he explained with a dry laugh and a shrug. “They weren’t easy either, but that led me to the museum incident. My memory’s a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure they took a magical weapon in that hit,” he explained, stepping forward to enfold Taekwoon in his arms once more.

                The mention of the magical weapon was worth taking note of his but his concern was the man in front of him right now. “But you’re okay, right?” Taekwoon asked, turning his head to focus on the answer as he rested his chin on Hakyeon’s shoulder.

                “I’ll survive,” Hakyeon promised, but when Taekwoon smacked him in the ribs with an open palm, he laughed. “I’m alright. Really.” His arms tightened around the hunter. “Are you?”

                Taekwoon swallowed once and took a breath before nodding in mute agreement. He hugged the were harder and finally spoke, “I will be. I mean, I am, but I will be too. Just… talk to me next time. Don’t… don’t leave me out in the cold like that,” he murmured, ducking his face against Hakyeon’s shoulder.

                “I’m sorry,” Hakyeon whispered, butting his head against Taekwoon’s in a very catlike manner. “I won’t,” he added, purring heartily with the words.

                The vibrations thrummed through Taekwoon and he relaxed almost instantaneously, even as he held tighter to the were in his arms. “Thank you,” he murmured, burying his face in Hakyeon’s neck.

                “For what?” Hakyeon asked, a gentle chuckle rocking him.

                “For coming back,” was the first answer. “And the siren. She was beautiful,” he added, a smile tugging at his lips.

                “I’ll have to let her know,” Hakyeon preened, pleased with himself. “Would you like to meet her?”

                He paused as he thought it over. “Can I?” he wondered, not entirely sure if that would be acceptable.

                “If you want to,” was the simple answer.

                It struck Taekwoon that it wasn’t even a question of ability at that point. It was literally if he wanted to or not. How many other people could say they had that freedom? That power? It made him hesitant but also interested at the same time. “If she wouldn’t mind,” he compromised, acknowledging that he wanted to but also that he didn’t want to impose on her unnecessarily.

                Hakyeon chuckled and hugged him tighter. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

                “I’d like that,” he murmured, pressing himself as close as he could to better feel the continuing purring sensation from Hakyeon. If he wasn’t careful, it was going to put him right to sleep…

(a/n: Ah hah! I did better this time around. ;) Hopefully I'll keep the momentum up. Wish me luck! But hopefully this helps to confirm some things, plant some seeds or thought or conjecture, and prompts questions. ^_^ haha If you want to ask, feel free, but otherwise, I do hope that things will be answered to your satisfaction in due time. In the meantime, thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)