Taemin awoke to a warm sensation on his back, and the events of the past night came back to him. He smiled as he looked down at the elder’s arms wrapped about his waist. Kai had been holding him in his sleep. Taemin carefully untangled himself from the larger man’s arms and turned to look at the other as he slept. He knew that Kai was several hundred years old, but looking at him in that moment, Taemin saw the sleeping face of a boy no older than himself. The elder shifted in his sleep and a dark brown lock hair fell into his face. Taemin gently reached up and brushed it back from his eyes. At the younger’s light touch, he saw Kai’s eyes softly flutter open and look at him.

“I know I’m pretty when I sleep. I belong in a museum,” he said with a smirk.

Taemin smiled and smacked the elder’s shoulder, “I wouldn’t go that far. You smell terrible. Time for a shower.”

Kai looked at him confused. He had no clue as to what a shower was, but he did know one thing, he did need to bathe.

Taemin got up and showed Kai to the bathroom. He opened the shower curtain, “This is where you will shower.” He showed him where the soap lay and how to use the hot and cold settings. “I will get us some clean laundry and set it on the toilet for you. And please, this time, wear underwear, or you’ll chaffe.”

He gathered the clothes that he thought would fit Kai and set them out for him. He went down to the first floor with a set of his own and cleaned himself up. As he got out of the shower and wiped the condensation from the mirror, he saw his reflection. He nearly jumped in surprise. He had forgotten about how much he had changed since this adventure. He looked at his white hair and angled features. When he turned to look at his jawline, he found a patch of glitter on his lower left cheek that he thought hadn’t been there before, but he brushed it of, dismissing himself for not noticing it earlier.

He went back upstairs to find Kai half , looking at the v-neck t-shirt that Taemin had laid out for him. The elder had set it on the bed where he could spread it out and look at it. “You okay,” Taemin asked.

Kai didn’t look away from the garment, “Yeah I just…”

“Just what?”

Kai turned to him this time, perplexed, “Isn’t it just too revealing for back home?”

Taemin smiled, “You’re fine. It’s not too revealing.” He helped the elder get the shirt on and had him look himself in the mirror. Kai watched his eyes widen as they settled on his neck.

“You have a new spot of glitter.”

Taemin’s hand went up reflexively to cover it.

Kai grabbed his hand in midair, “Don’t cover it. Never try to cover your perfect body. You’re beautiful.”

Taemin smiled sheepishly, “We should probably make our way home now. They’re probably waiting on us to show up.”

Kai nodded and followed Taemin to the wall where the younger placed his hand out and conjured the portal.

Taemin turned to look at the warehouse turned apartment. For some reason he felt that he wouldn’t be seeing it again. He conjured the portal and took Kai’s hand, “Let’s go home.”

~

They looked around and saw smoke. This couldn’t be the Neverland that they had left. The tribe’s teepees had been burned to the ground, the surrounding field was charr, and there was no one anywhere to be found.

Taemin stood in shock as he took in the sight before him. He felt waves of guilt flow through his body. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have left. I was so selfish. I shouldn’t have taken you to the other world. What have I done?! It’s all my fault.” Tears fell like rivers down Taemin’s cheeks, “It’s all my fault. All my--”

Kai pulled the boy to him so fast that Taemin couldn’t understand what was happening. Only when he was surrounded completely by Kai’s arms and scent, did he start to calm down.

Kai began to the boy’s hair and whisper into his ear. “It’s not your fault Taemin. You couldn’t have known. There is no way you could have known. Time flows differently in this world. We don’t know how long has passed since we left. There is nothing you could have done, Taemin.”

The younger felt small drops fall onto his hair. Kai was crying too. And why wouldn’t he be? For all the elder knew, his entire family was dead. He pulled himself from the taller’s embrace and looked him in the eyes. “We need to find the fae. They will know what happened here.”

Kai nodded, and before he knew it, Taemin was back in his embrace, but his time, Taemin was the one holding him. The younger pulled Kai to him and took off into the sky.

They stayed relatively low to the ground, so as not to draw suspicion. They flew faster than either of them thought capable, with Taemin picking up speed exponentially as the seconds ticked by.

They arrived at the Fae kingdom merely seconds later, and unlike the tribe’s settlement, the place was untouched. Taemin let go of Kai as soon as they touched ground, and made his way toward the council tree. What he found there startled him. The council was yelling at the top of their lungs. As he approached they began to quiet and Taemin noticed that his mother was nowhere to be found.

Taemin stood there, the council eerily silent.

“It’s about time you showed up!!” yelled a member that Taemin hardly recognized.

“What do you mean?”

Another member walked up and looked Taemin square in the face, “You’ve been gone for two weeks, and in that time, this entire island has nearly been destroyed in an attempt to find you!”

“Me? Why would anyone be looking for me?”

“Captain Key wants what you have. He wants your power.”

“Why? What could he possibly have to gain?”

“The entire world.”

Taemin looked around at the council, “Where is Zelkova?”

“She disappeared a few days ago.Whether or not she is alive, or if she has been captured by the pirates, we don’t know.”

“What about the tribe?”

“They saw Key coming from the cliffs and made way to Hangman’s Tree. When they got to the tribe to find nothing, they burned it to the ground.”

“Why has this place been left untouched?”

“It’s being protected by our wards. The only people allowed in have permission or fae blood. But the wards are growing weak, and they won’t last through another of Key’s onslaughts.” He looked at the council and they whispered for a moment among themselves. “Will you wage war with the pirates? You’ll have our best soldiers behind you.”

Taemin was struck by the forwardness of the council members, “If I’m not mistaken, it was you guys who tried to erase my memory in the first place. What makes you think that I’ll help?”

Another, older man, appeared from behind one of the pillars within the small council chamber. The members split before him and eyed him wearily. The elderly fae looked at Taemin and spoke, “It’s your royal duty to protect your homeland and your people.”

“Royal Duty?”

“Your mother, Zelkova, is the head of this council for a reason. She is the advisor to the king, and his daughter. My daughter.”

Taemin’s eyes widened, “You’re my Grandfather?”

The King smiled and nodded, “Yes, now please, lead our best soldiers into battle and fight the pirates.”

Taemin nodded, “But first we must find the tribe.”

“Okay, but return soon.”

    Taemin went to Kai, explained what happened and began to create a portal. He had to draw from the blurred memories of when he was mindless. He wasn’t sure that he could clearly summon a portal. He felt doubt overtake him and the portal begin to fade.

    Kai saw Taemin struggling, and, thinking of the place that they were trying to go, grabbed Taemin’s hand.

    The images in his mind became clear suddenly. Taemin felt Kai’s warm hand in his and knew that the elder was helping him in some way. Without questioning it, Taemin finished creating the portal and opened his eyes. He looked at Kai’s large hand in his and smiled at the elder’s support.

    They stepped through the portal and were met with the sight of Hangman’s Tree. Around the tree they saw teepees scattered about. Kai took off to count how many people were ther in the village, and Taemin made his way through the mess of tents to the Tree where he was sure to find Jaejoong and Sooman.

    As he walked through the settlement, some of the villagers who were outside looked at him, disappointed. The people that he had been staying with for months looked at him as though he were the reason that their homes had been burned to the ground. He entered the Tree quietly so as to not disturb anyone inside. As he neared the interior portion of the Tree, he heard raised voices. He identified the voices quickly as those of, Jaejoong, Sooman, Onew, and Minho.

    “We can’t launch a full on attack,” he heard Jaejoong reason, “We are outnumbered and outgunned.”

    “What choice do we have?” asked Sooman. “We don’t know where Taemin is or when he and Kai will return.”

    Jaejoong was silent.

    Taemin was about to walk in when he heard Sooman mention something that stopped Taemin in his tracks, “Just because you’re in love with his mother does not make him any more important to our fight. He’s not special. We can win this war without him.”

    Fed up with the argument Taemin walked out into the open area to see the four men standing around a bunch of sketches and plans. “Whether or not I’m special, I’m still going to help you fight the Pirates.”

    The four turned from the outstretched plans to face Taemin. Their eyes wide with relief and happiness, Sooman’s with embarrassment and regret.

    Onew ran up to Taemin and hugged him, “We’re glad you’re back! We haven’t seen you in weeks!”

    Taemin smiled sadly, “I know. I’m so sorry. If I had known that the pirates were going to attack, I would have never left.”

    Onew held Taemin by his shoulders, “What matters is that you’re here now and you can help us fight them.”

    Taemin nodded. He was about to ask Jaejoong about how the tribe was getting along at Hangman’s Tree, but a more bothersome question popped into his mind. “How did Key know to look for me?”

    He saw Onew and Minho look at each other, sadness etched into their faces. Onew shook his head, “It was Jonghyun. He was the one who told Key about you and where to find you.”

    The air in his lungs vanished as he felt the weight of the situation take hold of him, “No way. That’s not possible. He wouldn’t have.”

    Minho looked him square in the face, “He did Taemin. We watched from the mountains as he led the Pirates up the shoreline, through the forest, and to the camp. He wasn’t forced, and he looked genuinely angry when he found no one there.”

Taemin took note of the telescope that hung from Minho’s waist. He didn’t want to believe his friends, but he felt it deep down that they were not lying. He took a moment to compose himself, and when he was finished, he locked eyes with the Chief, “Gather your ten best fighters. We leave at dawn.”