Chapter 6

During the next couple of days (and nights) Hakyeon learned that Hongbin was a fitful and light sleeper when not under the influence of Hakyeon’s potion. Every little noise startled him awake, and it took him long to fall back asleep; just to wake up again soon after. In fact, Hongbin didn’t get much sleep at all, and by the end of the third day he was no more than a grumpy, extremely tired and very done mess.

“You barely ate anything…” Hakyeon remarked when he picked up Hongbin’s bowl, but the fae didn’t even bother to look up.

“‘m not hungry…” He mumbled, and Hakyeon sighed.

“You should eat at least a little more… It can’t be good for you to not sleep and not eat!”

Hongbin shrugged lightly, avoiding making eye contact, and Hakyeon resigned, bringing the bowl back to the kitchen. Hongbin was a grown fae and should know best what would and what wouldn’t be best for him; at least he hoped so.

In an attempt to keep the house as quiet as possible for Hongbin to try and get some sleep after all, Hakyeon descended back into the cave, which he had been cleaning up and sorting through in the past days. He tended to forget how time passed down here, finding plenty of intriguing things in boxes and bags, as well as discarded furniture that wasn’t in an all too bad state, actually, and he had fun cleaning up and reorganizing the chaos.

It was much later when he emerged from the cave and returned to the living room, where Hongbin was still laying on the couch, wide awake and staring at the ceiling.

“Please give me some of that potion… Please… Just this once…” He turned his head to fix Hakyeon with a pleading look, and Hakyeon sighed.

“Hongbin, we’ve been through this… The risk of you getting stuck in a violent nightmare-”

“Please, Hakyeon! I don’t care, at all. I just want some rest; I can’t take it anymore! It’s never been this bad before…”

Hakyeon almost caved under Hongbin’s pleading stare.

“Hongbin…”

“I’m sure even if I do thrash around I won’t hurt myself anymore. I just need some sleep…”

Hakyeon sighed, sitting down on the couch next to Hongbin, running a hand through his hair.

“It won’t be rest at all if you get stuck in a nightmare. It’ll only exhaust you more.”

Hongbin all but whimpered, and for a while, silence settled over them, until Hongbin broke it again.

“Stay with me, then?”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened slightly and he lifted a questioning eyebrow.

“What?”

“That first day, when you gave me the potion and I had the nightmares, they went away when you stayed with me. It… It could work again.”

Hakyeon thought about it for a moment.

“And what if it doesn’t work?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“I’m sure it’ll work! And if it doesn’t… At least we tried!”

Hakyeon sighed, giving Hongbin a long, contemplative look.

“I’ll only agree if your ribs are completely healed, and the cuts on your leg at least closed and dry.”

Hongbin sighed, but adjusted himself on the couch to lie on his back, using Hakyeon’s thighs as a pillow for his head.

“Go on then, check.”

Hakyeon rose an eyebrow, but didn’t wait any longer to push his hands under the wide tunic Hongbin was wearing and settling them on his chest.

“ert.” Hongbin commented, and Hakyeon gave him a dry look.

“You were the one asking me to fondle you. Who’s the ert here?”

Lifting a hand, Hongbin nudged Hakyeon’s side roughly (or as roughly as he could from where he was laying, which wasn’t much).

“Hurry up.”

“I would be long done if you didn’t interrupt me. Shut up now, I need to focus!”

Hongbin bit his lip to refrain from making another snarky comment, just for the sake of it. He didn’t mind the feeling of Hakyeon’s hands on him, actually. He shuddered, though, when he felt Hakyeon’s magic seep into him, travelling through his body like a tangible force, exploring him from inside in the most unsettling way.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt Hakyeon retreat again after a little while.

“It really doesn’t get better with time…” He commented, and Hakyeon looked a little contrite.

“Sorry… Uhm, your ribs are pretty much healed, but your leg…”

Hongbin’s heart sank.

“What about it?”

“It doesn’t look as good as I’d hoped. And your magic is still a disaster, too.”

The forlorn expression on Hongbin’s face would have melted the coldest of hearts; well, at least it melted Hakyeon’s.

“Don’t give me that look.”

“Please, Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon huffed.

“Your leg isn’t healed enough. If you happen to kick about too much, you could reopen the wounds!”

Hongbin pouted.

“Please… Is there nothing you can do? Maybe… Maybe some old-fashioned bandages would help? You know, how they hold stuff together and kind of shield it?”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened a little, and he settled a hand on Hongbin’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“You know what, that could actually help! Let me get up!”

Hongbin sat up, and Hakyeon jumped off the couch.

“Take your pants off, I’ll be back in a second!”

Hongbin tsk-ed.

“And you say you aren’t a ert…!”

Hakyeon caught himself on the doorframe to turn around and give Hongbin a murderous look.

“You don’t know half of it! And you are going to spend the night on the couch, alone and without potion, if you keep that attitude up!”

Hongbin stuck his tongue out at him, and Hakyeon’s look became a degree more murderous, still, before he left. Hongbin did do what Hakyeon had told him to, and he was in the process of grimacing at his mangled leg when Hakyeon returned.

“Looks like someone chewed it through and spit it out, huh?”

Hongbin grimaced again.

“Yeah… Definitely not how it should look.”

Hakyeon nudged him to make room on the couch then, sitting down and draping Hongbin’s leg over his lap to bandage it while Hongbin propped himself up on his elbows and watched on, looking vaguely sick.

“How does it not affect you to deal with stuff like that? I’m about to throw up just seeing my leg!”

Hakyeon shrugged.

“Oh, you know, sorcerer thing, I guess. I actually love seeing you in pain; makes me go all hard and stuff.”

Hongbin groaned, wanting to kick or punch Hakyeon but being unable to given his current position.

“Wow, I feel so loved. Any other weird kinks I should be aware of?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“Mute faes. Those so much!”

Again, Hongbin groaned, resting back on the couch.

“I hate you.”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“I know. And that turns me on as well.”

Hongbin threw an arm over his eyes, sighing.

“You are so wrong… How did I end up with you?”

Hakyeon shrugged, adjusting the bandage and making sure it was neither too tight or too loose.

“No idea. Maybe you have slightly masochistic tendencies you haven’t discovered yet or are still in denial about and that’s what led you to me?”

“I wish I had a spell to mute you. That would make me so happy right now!”

Hakyeon laughed at that, then patted Hongbin’s thigh gently.

“All done. Want to go ahead while I get the potion?”

Hongbin looked somewhat surprised.

“You mean it?”

“Yup.”

“And… You’ll stay with me…?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“I wouldn’t give you the potion otherwise.”

Hongbin sighed in relief as he retracted his legs so Hakyeon could get up.

“Where do you keep the potion, anyway?”

Hakyeon chuckled, booping Hongbin’s nose as he got up.

“In a place out of your sight and reach, to make sure you little druggie don’t get into it while I’m sleeping!”

Hongbin directed a scathing glare at Hakyeon while rubbing his nose, offended, and it didn’t get friendlier until Hakyeon had left the room. He got up, then, though, noticing he couldn’t even move his bandaged leg all that much. It was still enough to be able to hobble his way out of the room and towards the stairs, which he’d managed to climb in their entirety by the time Hakyeon appeared at the base of them. He looked back down at the sorcerer and grinned, a light sheen of perspiration on his forehead.

“Race you to my room?”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes, climbing the stairs at a normal pace.

“Sure. Send me a postcard when you’re halfway there.” He stopped when he reached Hongbin, though, passing an arm around his back to help him, and the fae leaned on him immediately.

“I’m honestly so over being this useless…” He sighed, and Hakyeon nodded in sympathy.

“I bet. I’m sure it won’t take that much longer, though. A week, tops. What worries me most is your magic…”

Hongbin sighed, but otherwise they stayed quiet until they reached Hongbin’s room and Hakyeon helped Hongbin sit on a chair. As soon as Hongbin was sitting, he set the potion down on the table and turned towards the bed, threw the covers and pillows onto one side and reached underneath the frame, pulling it out to form a double bed. Afterwards, he did the same with the mattress, which simply grew in size.

When he turned back around, Hongbin was gaping at him.

“What? You didn’t expect me to spend the night in the chair, did you?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“No, no, that’s not it. It’s… the mattress! How did you do that?”

Hakyeon grinned, wriggling his fingers.

“Magic!” He sang, and Hongbin huffed.

“Well, obviously, but… It just grew? Not, like, duplicated, or…? So, there is no gap?”

Hakyeon grimaced as if offended.

“Ew, no! Gaps between mattresses are vile; who even does that!”

Hongbin rolled his eyes and got up, hobbling over to the bed.

“I take the side by the wall.”

Hakyeon nodded.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s the side you’ve been sweating on all these days anyway.”

Hongbin gave Hakyeon a dry stare but chose not to comment.

“Can you get my pants from the living room? I forgot them.”

Hakyeon nodded, leaving the room.

“I’ll go get changed and get my pillow and then I’ll be back. Wait with the potion until then, please.”

He wasn’t long gone when Hongbin’s pants flew into the room, settling on the bed next to him. Hongbin chuckled, picking them up to put them on. Of course Hakyeon wouldn’t have made the extra trip downstairs.

“Lazy!” He shouted teasingly, loud enough for Hakyeon to hear through the open doors.

“Likewise!” Came the prompt answer, and a pillow sailed into the room, whacking him in the back of the head lightly as it passed him, before it settled at the head of the newly formed part of the bed.

“Hey, not fair!” He shouted, and Hakyeon appeared in the doorway, chuckling.

“All is fair in love and war. Now which one we’re at, that’s up to you to decide!” He singsonged, blowing a kiss at Hongbin with a wink.

Hongbin made a face, scooting over to his side of the bed where he struggled with the blanket.

“Ew. And I have to share a bed with you, on top of it. Gross.”

Hakyeon took the blanket out of Hongbin’s hands, shaking it out so it covered the fae and the rest of the bed, leaving enough over for him to get under as well. Hongbin heavily suspected he had made it grow, too.

“I wasn’t planning on sleeping under the bed, so yeah, I guess you have to.”

Hongbin rolled his eyes, until Hakyeon got the bottle with the potion, uncorked it and handed it over.

“I don’t know how it tastes cold, so you might want to be careful.” He warned, and Hongbin nodded as he took it out of his hands. He sniffed it carefully, then shrugged.

“It doesn’t smell any different…” He tried some of it, and then drank the rest of the bottle, returning it empty to Hakyeon.

“It’s… more minty than last time. Holy , a lot more minty!” He coughed a little, his eyes watering slightly, but it passed quickly.

“Spill mumbs de mouff, doh…”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“I can tell. Better shut up now before you accidentally bite off your tongue.”

Hongbin glared at him.

“I doughd you wanded me mute?”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes as he grinned.

“I said mute fae’s , never that I wanted to be by you! Can you even imagine that?! Ew!”

Hongbin continued to glare at him, until Hakyeon nudged him lightly.

“Lay down and try to find a comfortable position to sleep in before the potion knocks you out.” He suggested, and Hongbin complied.

Hakyeon scooted under the covers, too, settling on his side so he could watch Hongbin, whose eyes were already starting to droop. The fae yawned, stretching out a hand under the covers to find Hakyeon’s, who intertwined their fingers.

“Dank you, Haggyeon… G’nighd…” Hongbin slurred, and Hakyeon chuckled softly.

“Good night, Hongbinnie… Get some rest.”

Hongbin barely heard his last words before he fell asleep.

Hakyeon waited for quite a while, but Hongbin didn’t stir as if in a nightmare. His breathing stayed deep and even, his hand in Hakyeon’s limp and relaxed. Exhaustion was quickly catching up with Hakyeon, though, and he dimmed the lights in the room. Not long after, he was fast asleep, too.

He woke up again in the middle of the night because something nudged at his magic. It didn’t feel like someone was attacking him or pushing their magic inside him, but… Someone’s magic was definitely touching his own. Soon, he realized it was Hongbin’s magic. The fae was still fast asleep, though he’d scooted further towards the middle of the bed in his sleep. There were no signs that he had been overly restless, though, and his hand still lay limply in Hakyeon’s. Hakyeon frowned a little, wondering. It was unmistakably Hongbin’s magic that was nudging against his own. It wasn’t offensive, though, nor intruding. It was simply… there. It kind of felt as if it was… well, cuddling up to his own magic, in a way.

It was intriguing, and while Hakyeon’s first instinct was to retract his magic behind some kind of barrier, away from Hongbin’s, he stopped himself. Hongbin’s magic wasn’t doing him any harm, after all, and there must be a reason why it was behaving like that while its host was sleeping soundly.

After a while, he began to notice a change in Hongbin’s magic. It felt… less chaotic. No longer like flakes in a snow-globe, and more like… currents of water in a river. Strong, but relatively slow. And then he noticed that that was how his own magic felt most days; like right then, as well. Hongbin’s magic was mirroring his own.

He wondered what that could mean, both for Hongbin as well as his magic individually, but he came to no conclusion. It was the middle of the night, anyway, and he was still exhausted. Since Hongbin’s magic didn’t feel hostile, nor did it change again, he eventually fell back asleep.

The next time he woke up, it was already morning, though still early. The sun was only just starting to filter through the half-closed curtains, bathing the room in a soft, golden glow, and threading sparks of red and gold into the mop of usually light brown hair that rested on Hakyeon’s chest.

Hakyeon blinked the last remains of sleep away, trying to process what his eyes were seeing… what his body was feeling.

Yes, indeed, he concluded eventually, Hongbin’s head was indeed resting on his chest, and the fae had an arm thrown over his middle, hugging him to himself in his sleep, too. He didn’t remember having passed an arm around Hongbin’s back to accommodate him, either, but he obviously must have done that at some point.

Hakyeon kept a chuckle to himself, smiling fondly instead. Cuddling up to him like that wasn’t something he would have expected from the sassy fae, but then again… it wasn’t the biggest surprise, either.

It kind of trapped him in bed, though, making it impossible for him to move without waking Hongbin, and that was the last thing he wanted. The idea was for Hongbin to get the most sleep he could, and he should be damned if he woke Hongbin up just because he was usually an early bird.

It was impossible for him to fall back asleep, though, and he lost himself in thought. He didn’t remember when he had started playing with Hongbin’s hair, but when he realized, he stopped quickly. He didn’t want to wake Hongbin up, after all!

Ironically, it was him stopping his petting that had Hongbin mumble something unintelligible and shift in his sleep, and Hakyeon quickly resumed his play. Hongbin sighed contently and snuggled back up to Hakyeon, calm once again.

An hour or two passed with Hakyeon continuously threading his fingers through Hongbin’s still short and unevenly chopped hair, massaging his scalp softly while the fae slept peacefully.

Eventually, he woke up, too, though. Slowly, as if emerging from deep water. It took him a while to realize where he was, and what he was using as pillow. When he did, he didn’t show signs that that was bothering him, either, just staying where he was as he looked up to see if Hakyeon was awake. The fingers playing with the hair at the back of his head should have clued him in, but it was too early for his brain to make the right connections.

“Good morning.” His voice was hoarse from sleep, still, as he greeted Hakyeon.

“Morning… Slept well?”

Hongbin hummed affirmatively, breaking eye contact in favour of a more comfortable resting position for his head.

“How late is it?”

“Not that late, I think. Middle of the morning, maybe.”

That made Hongbin wonder.

“And you haven’t been up yet?”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“You kind of trapped me here, remember?”

Hongbin shrugged, yawning.

“What can I say? You’re a comfortable pillow.”

“Why, thank you. You are quite the lovely blanket yourself.”

Hongbin chuckled softly, deciding to roll off Hakyeon, though.

Hakyeon eyed him curiously, noticing the bags under Hongbin’s eyes had lightened and he looked generally better than the day before.

“I was wondering… did the potion work for longer this time around, or is that just me?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“The potion lost its effect quite a while ago. It was still dark when I woke up and the effect was gone. But, I guess you were comfortable enough for me to fall back asleep on without much trouble.”

That was a surprising bit of information for Hakyeon.

“You slept this long and deep without the effect of the potion?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“Looks like it. Maybe you have the same effect as a numbing potion on me…”

Huffing, Hakyeon turned to flick Hongbin’s forehead, which had the fae crinkle his nose and then rub at the offended spot, but he still grinned at Hakyeon.

Hakyeon rolled his eyes at him and sat up then, swinging his legs out of the bed.

“You need a bath; your hair feels gross again. I’m going to make breakfast in the meantime.”

Hongbin hummed, pulling the blanket up further again and wrapping it tightly around himself now that the main source of warmth in the bed was gone. He didn’t stay there long, though, eventually trudging to the closest bathroom. When he was done and arrived at the kitchen, a delicious smell wafted towards him, and he let himself plop into one of the chairs at the table with a content hum.

“That smells delicious.”

Hakyeon grinned at him.

“Thank you. It’s one of my favourites: fairy toe soup.”

Hongbin rolled his eyes, throwing a cork that lay on the table at Hakyeon and hitting his neck.

“You are disgusting.”

Hakyeon blew him a kiss and turned back to the soup, ignoring the unimpressed glare Hongbin was giving him. It disappeared anyway when he eventually set a bowl of the soup in front of the fairy.

“If I keep eating this much, I’ll end up being too fat to fly.” Hongbin commented once he’d finished, and Hakyeon gave him a disapproving look.

“As if. With how little you sleep and your magic in the state it is, none of that will get a chance to settle anywhere on that bony body of yours anyway. Speaking of, your magic did something weird last night.”

Hongbin tilted his head curiously.

“What? How… Did you check while I was sleeping?”

Hakyeon shook his head no.

“No. I woke up because your magic was kind of nudging mine. Not… Not inside my body or inside yours, but, like, in general. It was just there. And it kind of lined up with mine and mirrored it. As in, the forms my magic takes when it’s calm and I’m not using it. It was kind of weird.”

“So my magic was like yours? Is it still like that?” Hongbin frowned, and Hakyeon shrugged in answer.

“I don’t know. And it wasn’t like mine. It was still yours, and very much so, but it mimicked the forms mine takes. Anyone who would have checked your magic then would have seen it as a normally flowing, centered, collected magic, like mine, and not the chaos that it has been the past couple of days.”

“Hmm…” Hongbin hummed, his look faraway as he felt for his magic. “I still can’t access it, though. Can you check how it looks now?”

Hakyeon nodded, laying his hand on the table, palm up. Hongbin gave him a questioning look.

“Give me your hand so I can check your magic.” Hakyeon explained, and Hongbin didn’t hesitate to lay his hand in Hakyeon’s.

“You can check my magic like this? You don’t need to have yours crawl in through my chest for that?”

Shaking his head, Hakyeon chuckled.

“No. That is just when I want to check on your injuries. Any kind of skin contact will do for me to feel your magic.”

Hongbin nodded, slowly, but there was a frown on his face, too.

“So, last night…”

“Your hand was still in mine while we were sleeping.”

“Oh…” He nodded, frown gone. “Go ahead.”

Hakyeon closed his eyes to focus, feeling for Hongbin’s magic. It felt nothing like the night before, having reverted to the chaos it had been the last couple of days. Well, not entirely, to be fair. There were a few small undercurrents that dictated very faint swirling motions among the chaos that hadn’t been there when he’d checked on it the night before, before they’d gone to bed.

When Hakyeon opened his eyes, Hongbin retracted his hand slowly, a pensive look on his face.

“That felt… different.”

“Hmm?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“This, just now… When you feel for my injuries, your magic seeping into my body feels unsettling, it kind of makes me anxious. But this… this was nothing like it. I could feel your magic against mine, but it was more like… like a hug, maybe.”

Hakyeon smiled at that.

“That was what I thought last night, when I felt your magic against mine. It felt as if it was cuddling up to mine.”

“It felt… nice.” Hongbin blushed slightly, shifting in his seat. “Anyway! What did you see-… feel?”

Hakyeon sat up a tiny bit straighter, clearing his throat.

“Your magic is back to chaos. Well, there is a very faint swirling motion, like, as if in the background, but the rest plays havoc.”

Hongbin sighed, slumping a little.

“Hmm… I suspected that much when I still couldn’t access it… Will I ever be able to use it again? I miss flying…”

Hakyeon reached across the table nudging his hand that lay there softly.

“Hey. Chin up! It is getting better, you know? Slowly, but it is. The swirls weren’t there before we went to sleep last night, after all. And before you can fly again, you need to be able to walk properly again first!”

Hongbin shrugged.

“They might just be a residue from when it mimicked yours while I was sleeping. And I can walk! Also, that has nothing to do with flying…”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes, getting up and starting to gather the dishes to clean them up.

“You are such a pessimist! Go be a pessimist on the couch; your mood is making my giggle-nettles wilt!” He motioned at a wilting plant on the windowsill over the sink, and Hongbin huffed.

“My mood has nothing to do with you being unable to water your houseplants regularly…” He muttered, but Hakyeon pretended he didn’t hear a thing as he gently ushered him out of the kitchen.

After he was done cleaning up, he went to find Hongbin in the lounge, where he was laying on the floor, face-down, with his wings flapping sadly.

“Hongbin? What are you doing?”

“Pretending I can fly again. It’s working splendidly, as you can see.”

Hakyeon chuckled, leaning against the doorframe.

“You are such a drama queen. Your magic is simply taking time to heal. As is your body.”

Hongbin rolled onto his side then, his wings drooping uselessly.

“Don’t you know a counter-spell or something to help my magic heal?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“I do. But I won’t use it.”

Hongbin frowned.

“Why not?”

Hakyeon’s gaze became hard, cold.

“It requires werewolf blood drained with a silver knife and sun-burnt vampire ashes; and I have neither of them, nor do I ever want to have them!”

Hongbin paled, averting his gaze.

“I’m going down to the cave. Want to come?” Hakyeon changed topic, and Hongbin shook his head. Hakyeon hadn’t expected anything different; the fae didn’t like being under the level of the soil.

As always, Hakyeon went alone down to the cave, where he’d discovered a hidden door the day before, but hadn’t dared to open it yet, since it was sealed with magic. Now, though, well rested and mentally prepared, he set out to unseal the door. He wondered briefly if that was a good idea, but really, what could even be hidden behind it?

It took him all morning to break the seals, which were complicated in nature, but not very efficient. Their purpose was to hide and repeal, not so much block, and they were weakened by age, having been cast a very long time ago; probably several sorcerer lifetimes ago, which had Hakyeon wonder if the sorcerer that had lived here before him had even known about the existence of the door.

After lunch, Hakyeon returned to the cave; alone, still, since the unlocking of a hidden door didn’t manage to stir enough interest in Hongbin to lure him down there with him.

He had to admit, he was a little disappointed at what he found behind the door himself. He had expected something at least a little exciting, or maybe dangerous, or gory, if nothing else. But what he found was… boxes. Boxes upon boxes, stacked haphazardly over each other, covered in an inch-thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

At least, there were no rats, Hakyeon mused as he approached the first box, which stood a little apart from the rest. It was a wooden box, and so heavy Hakyeon could barely lift it. He decided to leave it where it was and open it right there to check the contents.

He expected the lid to be nailed in place or something, but it wasn’t. He could lift it without much effort, doing so carefully, though, to not tip the layer of dust into the slowly opening box. His effort wouldn’t have been necessary, though, since the contents of the box were protected by a layer of tissue paper. Very neat, red tissue paper that didn’t seem to have suffered with age.

He removed that carefully, too, and his eyes widened at what he found, and then he frowned.

Books.

The box was filled with books; well, that, and a little, folded note.

He reached for it, unfolding the paper carefully. It was handwritten, and not very spectacular:

‘Dragonology I’ is missing.

Something tickled the back of Hakyeon’s mind reading that note, though.

Dragonology I… He shrugged, reaching for one of the books inside the box and pulling it out carefully, minding its apparent age.

Dragonology IV read the title, and Hakyeon opened it. As soon as he did, he knew what had tickled his mind as he’d read the note. Dragonology I was the book about dragons that he’d found weeks ago behind that one bookcase in the library! The handwriting and drawing style in Dragonology IV was the exact same! He paged the book with renewed interest, confirming his finding, and then set it back inside the box. The other books in the box were all about dragons, as well. Dragon magic, dragon society, dragon history. Books about the specifics of every kind of dragon, about dragon rituals, their anatomy, their illnesses and diseases and the respective cures.

“Huh… A dragon fanatic, the old owner of this house, hm? Just the kind of books Hongbin would love…” He returned the books to the box carefully, covering them neatly with the tissue paper and the lid afterwards.

Dusting his pants off from where he’d been sitting on the floor in front of the box, he moved over to the piled-up boxes. Carefully, he reached for a random one and set it down on the floor. The lid was as easy to remove as on the first box, and white tissue paper greeted him. Upon removing it, he found more books. He had kind of expected that, but he was a little surprised at the subject of the books; no, not dragons. Unicorns!

“What in the name of the Origin of Magic… Those have been extinct for thousands of years!” He muttered under his breath, turning the pages of the book in his hands carefully. And yet, here he was, holding a book explaining everything he could ever want to know about unicorns. He paused when he spotted a detailed drawing of a unicorn by the sea with a merman sitting in the shallow waves on the beach. There was no explanation next to the drawing, though, and he closed it again, returning it to the box. All the other books in there were about unicorns, too.

A third box he opened, topped with light blue tissue paper, held books about pixies, the also long extinct supposedly mute small counterparts to fairies. And a fourth box, clad in purple, books about vampires. Two more boxes he opened were packed to the brim with books on plants, leaving as good as no room for the green tissue paper, and those caught his attention like none of the others before. Some of the books were marked with golden ribbons, but he couldn’t discern a pattern.

Eventually, he remembered to wonder about the time, and decided to check upstairs. He could use some non-dust-filled air, too, and a cup of tea, maybe. He took the book he had last been paging through with him, intrigued by the topic enough he decided he wanted to read it with more attention later; maybe before he went to sleep.

He checked on Hongbin, too, who was sitting on the windowsill of one of the large living room windows to the garden behind the house, watching the pouring rain in the fading daylight outside.

“Hey.” Hakyeon greeted as he stepped into the room, and Hongbin turned to look at him.

“Hey… Whoa, you look dusty! I guess no one took the time to wipe the hidden room in the cave down in last couple of centuries, huh?”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“Guess not. There’s an inch-thick layer of dust covering everything in there.”

Hongbin looked mildly disgusted.

“Lovely… I am even happier about my decision to stay up here than earlier.”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes.

“It’s interesting, what I found down there, though. There are boxes upon boxes with books… Remember the one I told you about, about dragons? The one I said was cute and you insisted nothing about dragons was cute?”

Hongbin looked only mildly interested.

“Hm. What about it?”

“Well, I said it was cute because it was different than the ones I’m used to from sorcerers. It didn’t focus on the aspects that are of interest for sorcerers in dragons, but on everything about dragons. In that room, there is a whole box of books like that. One that has a note saying the one I found up here was missing.”

Hongbin looked unimpressed.

“Great. So, whoever lived here before you was a huge friend of dragons?”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“It’s what I thought at first, too. But first of all, these books haven’t been touched in maybe even a couple millennia. And second, the other boxes don’t hold books about dragons. At least not as far as I’ve seen. So far, I’ve found two boxes with books of plants, and one each with books on unicorns, vampires and pixies.”

Hongbin’s eyes widened at that.

“Pixies?!”

Hakyeon nodded.

“Mhm. There’s books on the structure of their society, politics, history, medicine, biology, magic… Everything. The same goes for the other species.”

“Are there books on fairies, too?”

Hakyeon shrugged.

“I haven’t found one yet, but there are a good twenty boxes left to open.”

Hongbin gaped at him, and only then spotted the book Hakyeon was holding.

“Wow… And what is that book about?” He pointed at Hakyeon’s hand, and Hakyeon lifted the book.

“Oh, this. It’s called To Sing A Flower. It looked interesting, and I thought I’d read up in it a little later.”

Hongbin’s expression became unreadable as he hopped of the windowsill.

“Can I see it?” His voice sounded slightly breathless, and Hakyeon stalled for a moment, taken aback.

“Uh… sure…” He observed Hongbin closely as the fae crossed the room and took the book out of his hands almost reverently.

“Feel free to read it. I’m starving all of a sudden; I’ll get started on dinner now. And some tea. Do you want some, too?”

Hongbin nodded absentmindedly as he walked to the couch, his eyes fixed on the golden ribbon crossing the back of the book.

Hakyeon frowned a little, wondering what on earth had possessed the fae, but he didn’t question him; for now.

When the tea was done and he went to the living room to bring Hongbin a mug of it, the fae almost didn’t notice him come in. He didn’t react, at least, entranced by the book, still.

“Hongbin? Your tea. Don’t forget it, it’ll grow cold.”

Hongbin eventually tore his eyes away from the book, finding Hakyeon’s. He didn’t seem interested in the tea, though, as he looked up at Hakyeon with slightly misty eyes, worrying the sorcerer.

“Hakyeon… this…” He swallowed heavily, blinking the mist out of his eyes, too. “This is fairy magic. This whole book… Very, very old and very powerful fairy magic.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened.

“What? Really? It was in one of the plant-themed boxes, though…”

Hongbin nodded.

“That makes sense, since the magic is all about plants. But it’s a magic that is exclusive to fairies, and it is almost extinct. There are only very few fairies who still know how to wield this magic, like… five or six. And they are all extremely old.”

Hakyeon went and sat down on the couch next to Hongbin then, eyeing the book with new-found interest.

“Why are there so few? Why aren’t they teaching others that magic? Or is it passed on genetically?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“It’s not safe to use it anymore. It’s too loud, and too obvious. See, it’s all about singing; actual singing, singing for the plants to make them grow faster or stronger or into a specific shape… It sometimes takes days of singing uninterrupted to one sapling to make it grow into a big tree, for example. And that tree will always be different from others that didn’t grow through the singing of a fairy; it’s filled with magic. It’s like a beacon, calling out to everyone and saying: hey! There’s a fairy here!”

Hakyeon’s shoulders slumped as he understood why that magic was vanishing.

“Oh…”

Hongbin turned the pages reverently, his lips moving without producing any sound, the music playing only in his head. He stopped at the drawing of a tree that had grown to hold a kind of house in its topmost branches.

“I was told that way back in the day, there were whole cities nestled into the top of trees, like this, with thousands of fairies living in them… Back then, everyone sang, every day; it was normal for the forests to always be filled with music… Can you imagine?”

Hakyeon couldn’t.

Hongbin sighed deeply.

“I wish I could have learned how to sing…”

His voice was filled with such a longing that it made Hakyeon’s heart ache, and hate his own species even more.

“I’m sure you would have had a beautiful singing voice… It’s a shame, really…” Hakyeon conceded, and Hongbin sighed, continuing to page through the book. Hakyeon eventually left him to it, going back to his preparations for dinner.

When he came back to the living room, Hongbin was still reading in the book, his tea forgotten and cold. Hakyeon sighed, reheating it with a wave of his hand as he passed it and sat down on the couch next to Hongbin.

“Put that down and eat something. You can read some more afterwards.”

Surprisingly, Hongbin did as told and took one of the bowls Hakyeon was carrying out of his hands. They ate in silence, until Hakyeon interrupted it.

“There are loads more books on plants down there, so there might be more about that kind of magic… At least there are more with golden ribbons…”

Hongbin looked up, giving Hakyeon a pensive look.

“Could be… Gold used to be the main colour fairies used in their banners and to mark their territories, as well as everything else that belonged to them, including their seats in the Council… Aeons ago…”

Hakyeon tilted his head curiously.

“The Council of Magic? Do you mean it existed, for real?”

Hongbin gave him a dry stare.

“Of course it did…! I mean, I didn’t get to witness it in action anymore, of course, but I’ve heard stories from elders who have.”

Hakyeon’s jaw dropped as he stared at Hongbin.

“Are you kidding me? You mean to say there really was a council with representatives of every single magical species?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“Yeah… Why?”

Hakyeon shook his head, forcing himself to shut his mouth again.

“I’ve only ever been told those were myths… That that never happened and was just a story to scare little kids…”

Hongbin frowned.

“There was nothing scary about the council… They were just a bunch of old chaps that met up for a cup of tea once in every moon cycle to discuss issues between members of their species…”

Hakyeon frowned right back at him.

“Are you kidding? As far as I’ve heard they were warriors in their prime years that ruled all the species together with an iron fist and no mercy for anyone who stepped out of line!”

Hongbin huffed.

“Of course you would’ve heard that version… Since sorcerers were most often the ones causing conflicts and needing interventions. If you ask me, they weren’t strict enough, or else sorcerers would never have been able to destroy the council and hunt some species to extinction!”

Hakyeon’s mouth opened as he wanted to protest, but then he shut it again, slumping a little in his seat.

“Well, I did hear that sorcerers eventually overthrew the council, though what they all say is that it was to end a reign of terror…”

Hongbin snorted.

“Of course; the winner writes history. Good thing nowadays we don’t live in a reign of terror anymore and everyone gets to live happy and free and without fear of being ambushed and tortured and killed at any moment-… Oh, wait, or do we?”

Hakyeon sighed, nudging Hongbin with his foot before finishing off the last spoonful of his food.

“Alright, I get it; we are the s. It’s not news.”

Hongbin didn’t answer, finishing off his own bowl before handing it back to Hakyeon.

“It’s not your fault your species are s and have been for a long time. At least you aren’t the worst of the bunch.”

“Thanks; I love you, too.” Hakyeon huffed, getting up to bring the bowls back into the kitchen. When he came back, Hongbin was already reading in the book again. He looked up when he heard Hakyeon step into the room.

“This book wasn’t written by a fairy; I can tell. I think it was a sorcerer.”

Hakyeon nodded.

“It’s the same handwriting and drawing style as all the other books I’ve found. Whoever wrote this must have invested a lot of time in studying the different species. And given the kind of information they managed to collect, they must have been really close to some individuals of those species. As in, friend-close, given the things they managed to discover.”

Hongbin nodded, flipping a couple of pages.

“So, if it was a sorcerer, they were probably not a total , either.”

Hakyeon huffed lightly, flopping onto the couch next to Hongbin.

“I suddenly feel sooo much better about my species…” The sarcasm practically dripped from his voice.

Hongbin rolled his eyes, closing the book and hitting Hakyeon’s knee with it.

“Stop moping and feeling sorry for yourself for being born a sorcerer. It’s not like you had a choice in it, and at least you are trying. That’s all anyone can ask of you, really.”

Hakyeon blushed lightly, shoving at Hongbin gently, mindful of his injuries.

“I’m not moping! I’m just recognizing that I belong to a species of s; and sometimes trying isn’t enough!”

At that, Hongbin could only roll his eyes.

“Correction: you belong to a species which consist mostly of s. Then again, there are exceptions, like you and probably the one who wrote all those books in your cave. Since that one is most likely dead I guess you are currently the only known not- sorcerer, but, you know, we might find more of your kind eventually, one day. For now, you should just consider yourself member of a very rare sub-species, maybe… And, for me, you trying is all that matters, and more than enough. No one is perfect; it’s only fair that you aren’t, either, or else I would feel really bad about myself, since you come pretty damn close!”

Hakyeon was so busy being flustered that he almost missed Hongbin cringing at himself.

“Gah, that was so cheesy. I’m never saying that again, so you better remember it well. Now, warm my toes, I’m freezing.”

Hongbin turned slightly on the couch, moving to wriggle his toes under Hakyeon’s thigh and distracting him effectively. The sorcerer looked up just in time to see Hongbin yawn widely, too, and he moved to let Hongbin stick his toes further into the warmth between his thighs and the couch. Resting a hand on his uninjured ankle, he gave it an affectionate squeeze.

“Thank you, Hongbin… For the sake of not increasing the cheesiness of this moment I’ll tell you another time how you are my favourite fae and all that…”

Hongbin chuckled.

“Yeah, thanks for being so considerate… For Origin’s sake, I’m so tired all of a sudden, I don’t even know why. It’s not even that late yet…” He yawned again.

“One full night of sleep won’t be enough to catch up on all the sleep you’ve been missing lately…”

Hongbin sighed, slumping against the back of the couch.

“Would you let me have some more of the potion so I can sleep properly?”

Hakyeon thought about it for a while.

“Hmm… I don’t know… It’s not good for you to rely on potions to be able to sleep. You might get addicted and then dependent.”

Hongbin whined as he turned his head to smother it into the back of the couch.

“Please, Hakyeon…!”

The sorcerer shook his head, though.

“You slept just fine this morning even after the potion’s effect was gone, though. I’m sure you won’t need the potion again.”

“I was probably only still drowsy from the potion and that was what made me sleep like that again. Please, Hakyeon, don’t make me spend another sleepless night!”

Hakyeon sighed.

“Hongbin…”

“If you’re not going to let me have the potion you might just need to play substitute for it again.” The fae said it like a threat, and Hakyeon gave him a blank look.

“Ok.”

Hongbin sat up straighter, startled.

“What?”

“I said, ok. If it makes you sleep better, I’ll spend the night with you again.”

Hongbin spluttered, blushing.

“That’s- That’s not- I meant- Ah…”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“That was hardly a convincing argument to get me to drug you up again, huh?”

Hongbin cleared his throat, averting his gaze to the floor without answering. Silence fell over them momentarily, only faintly disturbed by Hongbin wriggling his toes under Hakyeon’s thighs.

“I mean… It was worth a try, but… Would you really?”

Hakyeon blinked, confused.

“Would I what?”

Hongbin cleared his throat again, but his voice continued just as quiet.

“Would you really spend the night over in my room again?”

There wasn’t a second of doubt for Hakyeon.

“Of course.”

Finally, Hongbin’s eyes found Hakyeon’s again, a veiled happiness in them.

“Really?”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes, getting up.

“Really.” He answered, reaching out a hand to Hongbin. “Come, let me help you up and get you to bed before I have to carry you because you fell asleep down here.”

Hongbin huffed slightly, but took Hakyeon’s hand and let the sorcerer help him up the stairs and to his room. Both settled into bed quickly, but on Hongbin’s request Hakyeon didn’t extinguish the light completely, leaving it glowing dimly and bathing the room in a soft light.

Still, and despite being so tired before they’d gone to bed, Hongbin couldn’t find sleep, while Hakyeon seemed well on his way to drift off as soon as his head hit the pillow. The only thing keeping the sorcerer awake was Hongbin’s constant shifting and turning on his side of the bed.

“Hakyeon… I don’t think I can sleep…” The fae eventually whispered with a defeated sigh.

Hakyeon groaned.

“You could have been asleep an hour ago if you stopped being too stubborn to face the facts and came over here…” He yawned, patting the mattress right in front of him.

Hongbin spluttered, trying to muster an indignant expression, but it was in vain; Hakyeon kept his eyes closed, half asleep already.

“What now? Are you coming or not?” Hakyeon yawned again after a while, and Hongbin huffed. His face turning a fetching shade of crimson, he eventually scooted over to Hakyeon’s side of the bed. He left only minimal space between them, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to settle into Hakyeon’s arms immediately, turning his back to him instead.

Luckily, the sorcerer didn’t share that timidity, so he didn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around his middle and pull him back against his front.

Hongbin bit his lip, tensing at first before his body relaxed instinctively. It did nothing to cool his face down, though.

“Cute blush…” Hakyeon murmured sleepily against his back, relaxing.

Hongbin wanted to go up in flames for a moment, but it passed eventually when his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and so did the rest of his being. It didn’t take long and he fell asleep, going completely limp in Hakyeon’s arms.

The sorcerer shook his head fondly, smiling as he let the lights go out.

“Stubborn… See how you can sleep?” He murmured quietly, not loud enough to wake Hongbin.

Soon after, he, too, followed into the land of dreams.