He was a strange man. That much Byunghyun quickly became sure of. He didn’t have many thoughts as he doggedly pulled the other after him, trudging through the beguiling swamp, but that was one of them. The man was strange. But also, he didn’t think they were being followed anymore. Glancing back, he could only see the barest hints of their tracks; sludge filled in their steps nearly as soon as they moved on. And with that strange sense of freedom, Byunghyun finally had a chance to really look at the other man. To smell him. Not some sort of magical creature in disguise. Nothing but human, which only served to confuse Byunghyun more.

                Every human feared or hated him. The fact that this one had seen him in his true form and did not react with either emotion made Byunghyun want to ask so many questions. But he did not have the strength or the will or the words to do so. Without battle present to goad him on, the unicorn discovered he was… exhausted. And cold. He chewed at his lip as he walked, feeling the chill of the saturated air sink into his thin skin. His pitifully soft feet hurt with each step, the soles tortured by hidden dangers in the muck, but even without signs of pursuit, he knew, on some instinctual level, they needed to find a place to hide. The discomfort he felt was nothing in comparison to what he usually endured anyway.

                Neither was his companion particularly helpful. Silence reigned as they walked, broken only by the sound of their steps and the occasional bird or creature in the distance. Even the ghostly fog seemed intent upon keeping them hidden, obscuring the horizon from view and distorting what sounds there were. It was almost enough to make him want to just sink into the muck and sleep where he would never wake up. His eyes felt so heavy and his strange form made it even harder to push on. How did humans get around like this? And why hadn’t he changed back to being a unicorn?

                Numbly, he came to a slow stop and frowned through the haze of trying to think. Weariness made it impossible to do… anything. He only realized he was actually falling asleep where he stood when his swaying body startled him and the stranger made a soft sound at his back. “Mmm,” he groaned, the utterance gravelly.

                The stranger spoke in a low and quiet voice. Byunghyun thought the word was familiar, like he’d heard the sounds before, but he didn’t know what it meant. He squinted and peered at the man who came abreast of him, pointing ahead as if he could see something the unicorn couldn’t. Maybe he did. It didn’t matter. He was just tired. Weakly, Byunghyun shrugged and exhaled once, tossing his head before his chin nodded close to his chest again.

                He inhaled in surprise when the stranger tugged on his arm. Looking down, he saw it was because he hadn’t let him go yet. But the other wasn’t trying to get free so the unicorn just stared at their physical connection, wholly distracted by the actual feel of wrapping human fingers around the thin wrist. He could feel the bones against his palm, the sensation strange. He flexed his fingers and felt the flesh give, the bones bowing ever so slightly against the pressure. The stranger grunted in response but didn’t look back or stop. Byunghyun did though. His grip loosened and he frowned. Were humans really that fragile? Or was he just that much stronger than them?

                He didn’t know and it hurt to try and think on it even more. Another low groan emerged from his throat and he fell into a conscious stupor. His body moved but his mind ceased to recognize anything beyond the bare minimum of changes. Byunghyun knew when they left the swampy ground because he stopped sinking in every step. He knew when the sun set because the light disappeared and he became even colder. And he knew when they finally left the swampy bogs because the air itself changed. Subconsciously, he felt… safe and that was enough for him.

                Byunghyun huffed in annoyance, glancing over his shoulder. The bedraggled man followed along weakly, his wrist limp in the unicorn’s grasp. His eyes were blank again, though the dirty robes were making a half-hearted attempt to fall from thin, pale shoulders. Patches of dark color marred the hidden flesh and Byunghyun couldn’t tell if it was muck or shadows or something else. He didn’t care. He just wanted to get somewhere they could stop and he could think. Or sleep.

                Could he think without the madness returning?

                Would he lose consciousness if he stopped moving with a purpose?

                What if he lost control and killed the man without understanding anything?!

                The thoughts filled him with a strange sense of unease. Was he afraid? Abruptly, Byunghyun stopped and whirled around to face the stranger, their eyes even for the moment. It was strange since he was usually taller than most people. A blank stare settled on him, dark orbs remaining anchored on his face despite his current condition. Byunghyun’s fingers tightened around the thin wrist as thoughts whirled in his head, perfectly understandable in his mind, but as soon as he opened his mouth, none of the words he needed were there.

                “Ugh!” he growled in frustration after an eternity of silence poured forth. Uselessly, he gestured with his left hand at the stranger, certain he knew what he wanted to ask but not how. There was no response, no glimmer of understanding. Dredging his memory for anything useful from his time around the humans, he forced a word out: “Hooooww?” Tensely, he waited for a reaction. For something to happen in the other.

                It took a few breaths. The stranger blinked once and then his brows pulled down just the tiniest bit. His head tilted to the side and his chapped lips opened to whisper back, “How?”

                As soon as he said it, Byunghyun knew it was the wrong word and he shook his head, flailing his free hand in frustration. His face scrunched up and he huffed quietly before pointing almost violently at the other man. “Uh!” he grunted, mentally pushing his question as hard as he could like it would somehow reach him.

                Subtle confusion seeped into the delicate face across from him as the wheels started to turn in his mind. “Who?” he murmured with the gentlest of rises to his soft voice.

                Byunghyun gasped in understanding, his eyes lighting up as he nodded. But despite his excitement, the stranger’s face fell and he looked away. “Who!” he blurted again, copying the word with all the force of a demand, feeling anger threatening.

                Blank eyes looked up again, but the lips moved in reluctant response. “Mika.”

                “Mi… ka,” he sounded the syllables out in satisfied understanding, watching the other man’s response. The barest flickers of thought returned to dark eyes and Byunghyun felt the stirrings of… he didn’t know actually. He just knew that a human had given him his name. Mika. He knew a human’s name!

                He was abruptly yanked back down into frustration as soon as he heard Mika speak again. “Who?” This time, the question was directed at him. Byunghyun knew his name. He knew who he was, but he didn’t know the sounds in the human tongue. He had never been taught and if they’d given him a name before, he’d never heard it. “B…” he almost spat, struggling on what would come next. “Buh…” he strained, teeth flashing in a grimace as he clawed in front of his face like he was trying to drag the word free. Eyes closed and he hissed through clenched jaws. Frustration welled inside, pushing up to stir something darker in him. Anger began to ignite.

                No! Byunghyun could feel the banked rage trying to return. He could sense the red seeping into his eyes even though he refused to open them. No… He didn’t want to rage. He just wanted someone else to know his name. Why couldn’t he give his name?! His skin felt tight and his senses fuzzy. He was going to lose control again. He was going to ki-

                Byunghyun inhaled sharply and opened his eyes when something touched him. He literally froze when he understood Mika was pressing a hand against his shoulder. Rage fled in the face of shock. A human – Mika – had willingly touched him. Red seeped from the corners of his vision as he glanced to the side, seeing dirty, pale fingers splayed against his even whiter skin.

                “It’s okay,” Mika whispered, his voice soothing and calm. His expression had changed too, echoing a hint of sadness and pity now.

                The sensation made Byunghyun’s hair stand on end and he shivered once, struggling to push away the annoyance of recognizing pity in the other’s eyes. What was Mika doing? Why was he touching him? Byunghyun didn’t understand, but he did know the rage was gone. It had disappeared in an instant. But that also meant someone else had controlled it, and the loss of his own power startled him. Abruptly, he slapped the hand away with a grimace and stepped back, putting distance between them as he let go completely.

                Mika flinched, leaving his hand to hover in the place where it had been. “Sorry,” he murmured, dropping his eyes to the ground as the emptiness returned.

                That shift bothered the unicorn though. For a moment, there had been something other than nothingness or sheer acceptance in his gaze. Twitching uncomfortably, he shuffled forward, taking one cautious step after another. Mika’s hand slowly lowered back to his side and he remained looking at the ground. Byunghyun’s eyes narrowed and he huffed. Getting close enough, he raised his hand and placed it on Mika’s shoulder like the other man had done for him.

                “Is o-kay,” he mumbled, quietly copying what Mika had said.

                Soft, brown eyes blinked in surprise and glanced up to meet his. He was confused. “I don’t ---------- you,” he admitted, shaking his head.

                Byunghyun’s nose scrunched up at the unfamiliar word. And then it twitched as he caught a whiff of a familiar scent, though it was dulled in this body. Blood. When he looked to find it, he saw the bite wound he’d inflicted earlier. The skin was savaged and still damp with sluggishly oozing blood. Mika hadn’t done anything to take care of it. “Ow,” he pointed with his other hand, drawing the man’s attention to it.

                “Ah,” he hummed with an affirming nod. “You --- it,” he murmured, confusing the unicorn with his words again. It was so frustrating understanding bits and pieces but not knowing what the whole thing meant. He said something else that was mostly unintelligible for the unicorn and he gave up trying to understand for they day. Still tired and frustrated, but safe from the rage that threatened earlier, he sighed and decided that moving was the best option. Byunghyun reached down to grab the nearest wrist and pulled.

                Byunghyun didn’t really care anymore. He was tired. That much was true. And he couldn’t communicate anyway. While he knew they needed food and water, and Mika needed some kind of care, he didn’t know where to find any of that. Nor did it matter in the face of his growing, pressing exhaustion. Scowling at the other man for just a second, he shook his head and turned around, dragging him after. He didn’t know where he was going, but moving was better than staying still, even if it was nearly dark.

                Mutely, they trudged through the growing gloom until they located what appeared to be some kind of safe haven. It was little more than an overhang of branches against an opening in the ground like a really large den, but it looked welcoming enough. And if something happened to come upon them, he had little fear he wouldn’t be able to take care of it. With true exhaustion beckoning, he pulled Mika into the space behind him and laid down – fingers still wrapped around the thin wrist, curling into a cold ball as he did so. He missed his fur… but he only realized that for a mere instant before rest claimed him.

                When next he woke, it was to the realization that he was still cold, but there was something pressing against his back. Prying open tired, achy eyes, Byunghyun looked over his shoulder and stared in sleepy confusion. Mika was curled against his back with his hands tucked into the space between them. Messy, dirty hair covered his face, but he was asleep, allowing the unicorn a chance to get a better look at him. Sort of. It was too dark to see much of anything really.

                Looking towards the entryway – they were in some kind of oversized burrow – he could see the night sky outside. In his human form, he couldn’t smell much, but it didn’t seem like there was anything nearby. And if anything else normally lived here, it seemed as if it or they hadn’t decided to return. There were various reasons possible for that, but he didn’t care about any of them. Mostly, he was still tired. Would he never not be tired? He didn’t know. He was also still hungry and thirsty and had no idea how to act around Mika. More pressing though, and the reason he woke up apparently, was another urgent need.

                With painful slowness, the unicorn staggered to his feet and shuffled to the entrance so he could step outside. The area looked clear, for his poor eyes, but utterly unfamiliar. That was a good thing right now. It meant he was nowhere near familiar territory. Though now he didn’t know where to go.

                He took a breath and grimaced at the chill in the air before stumbling to the side and awkwardly adjusting his feet. His new body was something he wasn’t used to, and he didn’t quite understand the mechanics, but he’d seen his keeper do this often enough. A thin stream of liquid spattered on the ground and he sighed in relief, both at the success and the feeling of relieving himself. It had been a long day indeed. Finished but reluctant to go inside, he paused for a moment to marvel at the surrounding area.

                He was usually locked in a cage in a dark room so he never go to see the sky. And when he did, it was usually tinted red through his rage. Thinking about it, he could still feel the sensation, simmering beneath the surface in his core, but he didn’t feel it trying to take him over, which allowed him to stare. Sparkling lights danced on a black surface and he saw part of an orb in the sky. He vaguely remembered them as the stars and the moon from when his father had told him about them. Before he’d been given to the humans…

                The thought made him angry more than sad, and the sensation tickled his rage anew. “No,” he grunted, looking down and balling his hands into fists as he tried to banish the thoughts. A footstep nearby made him look up, surprised and ready to fight. Red flashed in his vision, but then dimmed just as quickly when he realized it was Mika. It had to be since the man was standing at the low hole, his face partially hidden in shadow.

                “You okay?” he asked in a soft, tired voice.

                Byunghyun understood the meaning more than the words themselves. It was a question, obviously, and he’d heard it asked a time or two before. He nodded his head once and then looked down. There was so much he wanted to say and know, and he couldn’t do any of it. “Mika…” he whispered, the name a plea and the beginnings of a prayer.

                “Hmm?” he hummed back, head tilting to the side in confusion.

                The unicorn had hated humans for so long. His single most desire had been to kill them, to make them afraid of him. And to challenge any magical beast that might give him a good fight, but that was different. This one was different too, and he sorely wanted to know why. Why did Mika let him be a human? Why did he not feel any desire to kill the other man? Why did this man make him feel… safe? Whining in the back of his throat softly, he shuffled closer and oh so carefully touched Mika’s shoulder, echoing the gesture from earlier.

                The man looked from the hand to Byunghyun’s face, searching. Curiosity was there, staring at him from the depths of dark eyes. Mutely, Mika raised his hand and ever so gently traced delicate fingers against the unicorn’s cheek. “How is this --------?” he whispered, brow dipped in slight consternation.

                Byunghyun didn’t know what he meant but he found himself leaning into the contact against his face unconsciously. The upturn of Mika’s lips told him he was doing something and when he realized it, he inhaled sharply and stepped back. “No.” Mika’s smile slipped from his mouth to his eyes, causing the unicorn to glare. “Close.”

                Mika shuffled a step forward in response. “You ---- be cold. I am,” he admitted with a weary shrug.

                As soon as he mentioned the temperature, Byunghyun felt it again. The night air was chilly, biting at his bare skin with no remorse as he shivered in his stupidly frail form. In this condition, he missed his unicorn body, though was unsure if he could remain in control if he returned to it. “Come,” he grumbled, grabbing Mika’s wrist and pulling him towards the shelter. There was slight resistance that did not last, and a subtle shift in the atmosphere around them that made Byunghyun feel a teensy bit uneasy.

                When he stopped to look at Mika behind him, he noticed why. The other man had shut down again, his eyes going blank and body listless. Byunghyun huffed before he pushed Mika into the corner once more and grunted, “Sleep.”

                At the command, Mika’s eyes flickered in confused awareness. To the unicorn, it appeared as if he was coming back to himself after going somewhere. It kind of reminded him of what happened when the rage took over. “Huh?” Mika chirped, watching the unicorn with one arm rising to clasp his robe together awkwardly.

                Knowing the other man heard him, Byunghyun glared and then laid down once more, curling up in the same position as earlier. He stared out the opening and listened though, waiting to see how Mika would react. It took a moment, but then he heard the rustle of cloth and a shift in feet. Finally, the other man settled down, the space painfully obvious between them. Byunghyun found himself missing the warmth and contact he’d woken up to, ironically enough.

                Almost as if he heard Byunghyun’s thoughts though, Mika inched his way closer until he was in a similar position as before. His hands lightly brushed the unicorn’s bowed back and Byunghyun flinched when what had to be Mika’s knees bumped his backside. “Sorry,” came the hurriedly mumbled reply. The contact retreated almost immediately.

                Byunghyun grunted, annoyed and sad at the same time. He shifted his head on his hands, trying to find a more comfortable position. Eventually, he mumbled, “Is okay.”

                It took a moment, almost like Mika didn’t believe him, but at last, the other man inched close again. Contact was restored with a light touch of skin on skin, and Byunghyun smiled, not that he would have admitted it. At last, still filled with uncertainty and questions, but too tired to bother with them, he closed his eyes. He felt… content. It was a strange feeling. But it let him sleep well that night indeed.