The rain was unrelenting, covering the lands with an all overpowering wetness that had Hakyeon not mind at all that he was confined to his house for days.

With Hongbin’s encouragement, he’d gone and retrieved the box with the journals from the basement, as well as one with books on fairies that he'd eventually found. Hongbin seemed to have fun learning about his own species, as well as vocally correcting those details that the ancestral sorcerer had gotten even just slightly wrong.

Meanwhile, Hakyeon found the journals to be quite the heavy read. He’d spent the entirety of the first day after bringing the box upstairs sorting the journals chronologically, after deciding to start reading them from the very first one to get a better picture of the unfolding of events that had led to the Council’s demise.

Since then, he’d been deeply immersed in reading through them, only occasionally interrupted by Hongbin when the fae found something particularly interesting in the books he was reading.

One of the first things he’d found while reading was that the names of the other council members were missing from the journals, even if they’d been there before. Magic had erased them, and according to Hongbin, it was highly likely that they, too, had been used for name spells at some point.

The second thing he found out was that the ancestral sorcerer’s name was indeed Kyuhyun, through hints the sorcerer had left in one of the journals, already planning to use his name in a name-spell at some point. Still, it was only Hakyeon who was able to figure that out through the veiled riddle, Hongbin staying none the wiser. Other than that, the sorcerer’s name remained magically hidden wherever it had been written, too.

Hongbin explained that it was solely up to Hakyeon to keep or break the name spell by revealing the name only he knew to someone. He himself refused to let Hakyeon tell him the name, claiming it would be safer to keep the spell intact. Sorcerers everywhere might get nervous if the name that had been forgotten for so long started appearing again, and nervous sorcerers tended to stock up on supplies; no one needed nervous sorcerers hunting creatures even more avidly than they already were.

Instead of using the sorcerer’s name, the two affectionately dubbed him the ‘old man’ whenever mentioning him in conversation.

The days passed uneventfully, the rain cascading down outside, while the sorcerer and the fae shared a couch in the living room for hours on end, reading. Most of the time, Hongbin had at least his feet tucked under Hakyeon’s thighs as he read, but sometimes, he could be found sleeping with his head resting in Hakyeon’s lap, too. As long as they were touching in some way, Hongbin’s magic was content, molding to Hakyeon’s and mimicking it as it healed slowly.

At night, it healed faster, since Hakyeon had yet to spend another night in his own bed, opting to stay with Hongbin instead. They never mentioned it, even though both of them were acutely aware of that fact.

Slowly but surely, Hongbin regained access and control over his magic, his injuries finished healing, and on the first morning where the rain lessened he managed to fly down to the kitchen instead of walking.

It was also on that day that Hakyeon decided he was tired of always just sitting around, reading, and instead decided to see what other interesting books he could find in the remaining boxes in the cave. Hongbin, of course, opted to stay upstairs and maybe try his luck with one of the recipes from the books about fairy-cuisine that had long since found a new, permanent residence among Hakyeon’s other recipe-books in the kitchen.

That wasn’t what Hakyeon found him doing when he eventually came back up from the cave hours later, though. The fae was sitting in the living room, open book resting on his thigh as he balanced himself on the windowsill of one of the large windows overlooking the garden, gaze focused on nothing in particular as he stared outside.

“Hongbin?” Hakyeon asked softly, not wanting to startle the fae.

Hongbin hummed non-committedly, not moving, either.

“What’s there?” Hakyeon eventually approached him calmly, coming to a halt next to him and looking outside as well. He could see nothing special out there, just the light drizzle of rain falling vertically, undisturbed by even the slightest breeze.

Hongbin sighed deeply, shrugging.

“Nothing… Just-…” He sighed again. “Never mind. Let’s make lunch.” He turned away from the window, hopping off the sill and starting for the kitchen.

Hakyeon frowned as he watched him leave. Something wasn’t quite alright with the fae. Still frowning, he followed Hongbin, finding him already in the kitchen, starting to gather ingredients.

“What are you planning to make?”

Again, Hongbin shrugged, looking as if the whole world was weighing him down as he did.

“Don’t know. Something simple. A pie, maybe…”

Hakyeon’s frown intensified and he couldn’t ignore Hongbin’s dejected behavior any longer.

“Hongbin… Are you ok?”

That finally got a reaction out of Hongbin that wasn’t wistful and disinterested.

“What? Why?” He turned around, eyes wide in confusion.

Hakyeon leaned against the counter next to him, crossing his arms in front of his chest loosely.

“You’re acting… weird. Aloof, lost in thought… I don’t know. As if you’re far, far away with your thoughts. And sad.”

Hongbin frowned slightly, turning away from Hakyeon.

“I’m not… sad.”

Hakyeon waited, expecting Hongbin to elaborate, but he didn’t. He just turned to get one of the recipe books from its shelf and started flipping through the pages until he found a recipe he agreed with.

“Is this ok?” He lifted the book over his shoulder, tapping the page with the recipe for Hakyeon to see, but didn’t turn around to face him.

Hakyeon answered with an affirmative hum before starting to set the table and clean up a little around Hongbin to give him room to work. It didn’t take long before he was done, leaving him feeling quite useless.

“Is there anything else I can help with?” He made sure to ask, even though he knew there wasn’t. As expected, Hongbin shook his head.

“No. You can go rest for a bit, I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Hakyeon frowned again, closing the short distance between them to loop an arm around Hongbin’s back, just underneath his wings, and hugged him briefly to his side.

“Ok… Call me if you do want me to help with something.”

He didn’t just mean the food Hongbin was preparing, and the fae was well aware of that.

“I know. Will do.”

Hakyeon doubted it, but he left anyway. He didn’t feel like idly sitting around in the living room, instead opting to wander through the house. His steps led him to the library, eventually, where he paused; he hadn’t been in here in weeks, or so it felt. Truthfully, the books he found in here held little interest to him even before he’d found the wealth of more interesting books in the cave, and now…

He shook his head slowly, approaching the closest bookcase. It held mostly familiar titles, the same ones he had been sick of seeing at the Academy every single day. The bookcase next to it was almost the same, even if instead of books he knew from the Academy, it held books he knew from his work with one of the smaller institutions as an apprentice. The other ones were no better, holding the average household books he supposed all sorcerers had lying around.

Truly, the books filling his library were a waste of space. Lazily, he pulled a random book out, cringing at the title alone, and it didn’t get better as he flipped through it. Aside from using ingredients he’d vowed never to use again, the spells were unnecessarily complex for the little effect they had. Not only were these books a waste of space, but also led to a waste of resources.

He shook his head, shoving the book back in its place without a second glance.

“Not happy with the books in here?” Hongbin’s voice sounded from the door behind him.

He turned slowly, not quite facing Hongbin while his gaze continued to wander over the rows of books.

“No… They are pretty much useless.”

Hongbin hummed, staying quiet for a while.

“Why don’t you bring the others up here? Those are books that at least deserve to stand in a library instead of rotting away in boxes…”

Hakyeon sighed, nodding slowly.

“I’ve been thinking about that, too… But… They are easier to hide down there, should I need to…”

Hongbin tensed where he stood leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms.

“Why would you need to hide them again?”

Hakyeon shrugged.

“In case I need to leave… Or can’t be around anymore for any other reason. They shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

Hongbin’s posture became even more tense.

“And why should that happen?”

Finally, Hakyeon turned around completely, facing Hongbin and starting to close the distance between them.

“Who knows. Lots of things can happen that we aren’t expecting.”

Hongbin huffed, but let Hakyeon turn him around by his elbow and lead the way back to the kitchen.

“If you’re going to live like that, always expecting the unexpected and the worst, why do you bother doing anything at all?” He sounded more accusing and aggressive than he had intended to, but he found he actually didn’t care.

Hakyeon stared at him, incredulous and startled.

“What?”

Hongbin sighed.

“Why did you bother cleaning and repairing the house if you are expecting to have to leave again any moment? Why did you get it in the first place?”

Hakyeon was perplex.

“B-because… I wanted a place to live, obviously.”

“So you put all that work in this even though you’re expecting to leave it behind sooner or later?”

Hakyeon sighed.

“We all have to leave what we built behind at some point, Hongbin…”

Hongbin shrugged, entering the kitchen before Hakyeon.

“I know. I just don’t understand how you can live while being aware of that the whole time.”

“I’m not. But with some things, I have to be. Like with those books. I can’t leave them lying around in the open if I don’t know if I’ll be around to protect them.”

Hongbin snorted, not answering as he checked on whatever he’d put in the oven to bake.

“You could bring the books up to the library and set up a spell to protect them. Like our old man did with the cave.”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“There was a reason why he chose to hide them in the cave.”

“Yeah, because he was running out of time and there he only had to enchant a door, basically. You aren’t running out of time.”

“Neither do I have the means to enchant a whole room to hide in an alternate dimension to protect it from unwanted attention. I’d rather keep my soul and life for a little longer. As well as my name.”

Hongbin sighed, deciding the pie still needed a while before it was done.

“There are other ways to hide rooms, doors, etc.”

Hakyeon’s features hardened.

“Hongbin… Don’t. I’m not going to use spells that require ingredients from other crea-”

“No one is suggesting you do that. Here!” Hongbin interrupted him impatiently, shoving a book that had been laying on the table into his hands.

Hakyeon took an involuntary step back, looking between Hongbin and the book now in his hands.

“‘From Glamour to Dimension Folds: the Safest Ways to Hide Everything’. Where did you find this?”

Hongbin shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the table.

“It was hidden in another book; ‘Properties of Apple Blossoms’. The perfect place to hide something, if you ask me. There are probably few things more boring than apple blossoms. I don’t even know why I opened it in the first place.”

Hakyeon huffed lightly, already opening the book.

“Apple blossoms are a lot more interesting than you might think…” He muttered distractedly, flipping the first couple of pages. Hongbin wasn’t fazed, shrugging nonchalantly.

“Whatever. Anyway, there are a couple of spells in there you might find useful. From hiding doors in walls that look like nothing special, to changing the apparent size of adjacent rooms to make others think there is nothing in between them… Enough ways to hide at least a library, if not the entire house, if you wanted to.”

Hakyeon hummed, already immersed in the texts and diagrams covering the pages. He sighed after a while, though.

“Have you seen these lists of ingredients, though? This spell here, for example, requires an actual piece of the moon!”

Hongbin rolled his eyes.

“It’s probably a metaphor for, I don’t know, moonstone?”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“It even says here ‘Attention: not Moonstone!’”

Hongbin hummed, eventually pulling out a chair and sitting down, arms folded on the table.

“You don’t have to use that spell, though. There are more.”

Hakyeon shook his head slowly, flipping through the pages faster.

“Yes, there are. But the ingredients aren’t exactly easier to find. Where would I even start to look for a peridot? Or a fossilized stone-oak acorn?”

Hongbin peered up at the book, shrugging afterwards.

“I don’t know. I can’t know everything. You are supposed to be the one who went to school to learn all this.”

Hakyeon shook his head dejectedly, sitting down at the table as well.

“No. We never learned about these things… We only learned magic based on killing and torturing others.”

Hongbin shuddered, scoffing sarcastically.

“How lovely.”

Hakyeon hummed, flipping a couple more pages before halting.

“This one could be doable… But it would hide the whole house.”

Hongbin sat up, peering over the table to see what Hakyeon was looking at. Helpfully, Hakyeon placed the book down on the table so Hongbin could see.

“Hmm, maybe. Do you have any elms close to the house, though? I don’t remember seeing any in this part of the forest.”

Hakyeon sighed, sinking back in his chair.

“No, you’re right. There aren’t any.”

Hongbin grimaced.

“Now it would be helpful if I could sing an elm into adulthood… Plant it in the backyard, problem solved.”

Hakyeon chuckled lightly.

“Yes, it would. Try starting with a tomato plant, though, before you move onto an elm.”

Hongbin scoffed, kicking Hakyeon’s shin under the table, none too gently.

“Shut up. What if I knew someone who could sing you an elm tree into adulthood?”

Shaking his head, Hakyeon sighed, closing the book.

“Even if you did, the chances that they would willingly help me, a sorcerer, even if you vouched for me, are infinitely slim.”

“We won’t know if we don’t try, though…”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“I’d rather you don’t put yourself in danger for something with such little chance of success.”

Hongbin bit his lip, looking very much like he wanted to say something, but instead got up and turned his back at Hakyeon while checking the pie in the oven again.

“Hongbin… what are you thinking about?” Hakyeon wasn’t blind, suspecting he’d hit a nerve. Hongbin shrugged, though.

“Nothing…” He muttered, and the tone told Hakyeon to back off. He sat and waited for Hongbin to return to the table, which he did after a while, serving the pie he’d made.

“I hope it’s better than the pancakes…”

Hakyeon rose an eyebrow at Hongbin’s offhand comment, watching him as he sat down without looking up. Eventually, he did, though, as Hakyeon didn’t move.

“What? It really should be better than the pancakes. I followed the recipe step by step, and it tasted good before I put it in the oven. It shouldn’t be worse now!”

Hakyeon raised his hands in defense.

“I didn’t say anything.”

Hongbin fixed him with a doubting stare, but then turned to the pie, starting to cut it up and serve it.

Hakyeon was pleasantly surprised about how good it tasted, even if the bottom was a little burnt, and there were some bigger chunks in the filling that were still a little chewy in the middle. He made sure to leave those details out, congratulating Hongbin on how good it had turned out instead. In turn, the fae blushed slightly, visibly pleased, and a little more appeased; or so it seemed, at least.

They finished their meal quietly, and Hakyeon volunteered to help Hongbin clean up afterwards. Halfway done, Hongbin sighed, looking at a cauldron Hakyeon had boiling for over two days already on the stove.

“You know… It would really be such a blessing if you brought the books up here and hid the library, and moved your potion-lab down to the cave instead. What do you even need to cook that mud for, over days?”

“That’s not mud.”

Hongbin huffed.

“Mud or not, it looks like mud, smells like mud; I bet it tastes like mud, too. And those popping bubbles are splattering everywhere, leaving stains all over the stove, the wall, the counters, even the floor!”

Hakyeon pouted, stepping protectively in front of the cauldron, stirring the greenish-grey substance in it gently, almost lovingly.

“This is a potion to heal trees that have been hit by malign magic.” He explained patiently, and Hongbin sighed quietly, some of his annoyance leaving him.

“That’s great. But really, why does it have to stink up the same kitchen you use to prepare your food in? It doesn’t seem very hygienic.”

Hakyeon sighed, knowing Hongbin was right.

“I haven’t found a place in the house where I would want to set up a spell-lab.” He didn’t want to admit that the new room he’d found in the cave would indeed make a good place for that, now that he thought about it.

Hongbin shook his head, scoffing again as he hung the dish-towel up to dry.

“Understandable. This house is so tiny, too; no room for anything.”

Hakyeon took a slow, deep breath, exhaling just as slowly and deeply, making sure to remain calm.

“Hongbin, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Hongbin turned away once again, repeating his answer from earlier. Hakyeon didn’t let him get away with that this time, though, stepping in his way as he tried to leave the kitchen.

“I don’t believe you. You’ve been acting weird all day, grumpier than ever before. You complain about everything. You try to pick actual fights over nothing. One would think you’d be happier the day you find your magic healed enough to fly again!”

Hongbin’s expression darkened.

“It’s nothing!” He all but hissed, brushing past Hakyeon with a shove and disappearing somewhere in the depths of the house.

Hakyeon stumbled slightly, frowning as he caught himself. He didn’t know how to deal with this side of Hongbin, but he was aware that Hongbin could become dangerous to him if he pushed him too far, since he didn’t plan on raising his own magic against the fae, even in defense. All he could do was hope he cooled down and solved whatever was bothering him, or came to him of his own volition.

It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but he eventually decided to return to the cave. He’d found boxes with books on every species he knew of so far, and there were still boxes left; almost as many as he had already opened. The remaining boxes were sealed, though two of them opened on their own as soon as he touched them.

The others didn’t, nor did they indicate what kind of spell held them closed. He could lift them, move them, set them down somewhere else, nothing happened. As soon as he tried to find a way to open them, every hint of a gap between boards or edge of a lid disappeared, melting into nothing until the box looked like a perfectly polished, solid block. When he stepped back, giving up trying to open them, the boxes turned back to normal.

He gave up trying to open these boxes eventually, hoping to find clues on how to break the spells holding them closed in the journals at some point. He still had two boxes that were open to rifle through, anyway, and he was more than curious what he would find in them.

He wasn’t very surprised to find books in both, but he did wonder about the grey, non-descript tissue paper the boxes were lined with.

He would never have guessed the topic of the books, though, and he sat staring in disbelief at the first book he’d picked out of one of the boxes: Elves.

As far as he’d known, elves were only a myth. Not even a myth like were-cats were a myth, since there was proof that at some point, long ago, werecats had existed (and since he had started reading the journals he knew for a fact they had existed, and their extinction must have happened very shortly after the Council had fallen), but an actual myth. No one had ever seen an elf, no one knew where they supposedly lived, no one had even heard of anyone who knew of hints that they existed.

And yet, he was holding a book about them in his hands, sitting in front of a box full of more books about them.

He shook his head, rubbing at his eyes, blinking repeatedly as he read the titles of the books in the box. There were less than on the other species, but the topics were the same.

He laughed incredulously, not believing his eyes.

His curiosity wasn’t satisfied until he checked the second box, though. One glance was enough for him to shake his head and sit back.

Dwarves.

Another mythical species that shouldn’t exist.

He felt as if he was being pranked. Still in disbelief, he picked up a book about elven society studies and sat back to read.

It was structured the same way he’d seen in the books about dragon and fairy society, vampires and pixies. After a few pages, he concluded that the only difference was that there were less details. Still enough to make it look authentic, though, and after some pages more, it began to transpire that elves had always made sure not to mingle and interfere with other species. They stayed hidden, rarely revealing their existence, and when they did, only to a selected few that were sworn to secrecy.

Hakyeon felt like an intruder as he read the pages, but he couldn’t stop himself. It was all too fascinating, to read about that mythical species that no one really knew of, and that, according to what he was reading, was far more advanced in the wielding of magic than even the sorcerers of the Circle that he had worked with in his glory days at the Academy.

He jumped when he suddenly heard a noise behind him, slamming the book shut and letting it fall, just to find Hongbin standing in the doorway, looking somewhat contrite.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…” The fae apologized quietly, avoiding his gaze.

“It’s ok…” Hakyeon offered tentatively, wondering if Hongbin was still in the same mood as earlier and how cautious he needed to be around him.

Hongbin shook his head, taking a deep breath and standing up straighter.

“I’m sorry about earlier, too. In the kitchen. I’m on edge and-… Can we go upstairs, please? I-… I want to talk, but being down here is really not helping me right now!”

Hakyeon got up quietly, brushing the dust off his clothes.

“Of course.” He offered, and Hongbin nodded sharply, turning around and all but sprinting up the stairs.

He waited for Hakyeon at the top, but as soon as Hakyeon reached it he continued to the living room.

Uncharacteristically for him, he sat down properly on the couch, and Hakyeon frowned. Hongbin not pulling his feet up to hug his legs to himself or tuck his feet under his was definitely strange.

He chose not to comment on it, sitting down as well, and waited for Hongbin to talk first.

The fae shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and it was almost unbearable for Hakyeon to stay quiet and not ask again what was wrong. All he wanted was to help and reassure the fae, but he couldn’t do that if he didn’t even knew what was wrong.

Eventually, Hongbin took a deep breath, and started talking. Well, it were only two words, but still.

“I’m leaving.” He announced, calmly, but decidedly.

Hakyeon’s heart sank, feeling as if it plummeted in free fall out of his chest to come to rest somewhere deep down in the earth, even deeper than the cave underneath them. His first instinct was to question everything about that decision of Hongbin’s, but something told him that would be the wrong way to go. And so he took a moment to get his bearings, calm down, block out the millions of worries that immediately arose, and answered evenly.

“Ok.”

Hongbin whipped around to stare at him with wide eyes.

“Ok?!” He sounded incredulous.

Hakyeon nodded slowly, holding Hongbin’s gaze.

“Ok. It is your decision to make, not mine.”

Hongbin continued staring at him as if he’d sprouted a second head. Then, he averted his gaze, laughing incredulously, almost hysterically, as he shook his head.

Eventually, he pulled his legs up on the couch, hugging them to himself and resting his forehead against the top of his knees as he calmed down.

“I expected a much different reaction from you, to be honest.” He muttered into the small space between his legs and his chest before looking up and at Hakyeon, who was still trying to remain calm himself.

“I can tell you did.”

Hongbin frowned slightly.

“How come you are not telling me how dangerous it is for me out there, asking me to reconsider, if I’m sure, why I want to leave?”

Hakyeon sighed quietly.

“I want to. But you’re not a child anymore, and I trust you to know what you’re doing, as well as that you have a very good reason to make that decision.”

Hongbin didn’t answer for a while, seemingly lost in though.

“I thought I would have to fight with you over this, and I would have to leave while we weren’t on good terms, which, potentially, would have led to us never talking to each other again…” He sounded pained as he admitted that, and Hakyeon’s heart -still feeling as if it rested heavily and far from its original place- clenched painfully.

“That would be horrible. I would’ve never forgiven myself if that had happened.” ‘And even less if something happened to you after you left.’ Hakyeon wanted to add, but didn’t. Instead, he allowed silence to fall over them and stretch indefinitely until Hongbin broke it again, sounding more hesitant than Hakyeon had ever heard him before.

“Hakyeon…”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you taking this so well?”

Hakyeon swallowed heavily, but didn’t answer. He couldn’t, his throat closing up as the words started to form in the back of his mind, as if keeping them unsaid would prevent them from coming true.

Hongbin understood.

“You’re not taking it well.”

Hakyeon tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling as he blinked and willed the tears that were forming away.

“I’m not…” He whispered, his voice not giving more than that.

Hongbin scooted over, hesitating only for a second before he wound his arms around Hakyeon, hugging him close. Hakyeon only resisted for a moment before he gave in.

“I have to go, Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon bit his lip, closing his eyes as he was one step away from letting his tears fall.

“I know.” He whispered, brokenly. Hongbin’s hold on him tightened.

“It has nothing to do with you, Hakyeon. You know I love you.”

Hakyeon’s throat closed up completely, and he was only able to nod. He did know that, and Hongbin knew he loved him just as much.

“I can’t stay, though. Your house might be huge, but it’s starting to feel like a cage. I grew up under the open sky, and all these walls around me at all times… I feel like I’m suffocating. Even more so now that I can fly again.”

Hakyeon understood, even if he didn’t want to. He wasn’t able to answer, though, and Hongbin understood that, too, nuzzling his face against the top of Hakyeon’s head.

“I’m not leaving forever, Hakyeon. I’ll be around, in the forest. We’ll see each other when you go out, and I promise I’ll come visit.”

Hakyeon took a shaky breath, sitting up in Hongbin’s embrace to rub at his eyes. He nodded before he was able to say something.

“I know… Promise me you’ll be careful out there, though. I’ll lose my sanity if I have to find you torn to shreds again.”

Hongbin leaned against him, hugging him again.

“I promise. I’ll be careful.”

Hakyeon wasn’t appeased yet, though, but Hongbin anticipated it.

“If I get even the tiniest hint that hunters have come into the forest, I’ll come find you and let you hide me. I’m not fond of being blasted into pieces, either.”

Hakyeon turned his head, hiding it in Hongbin’s shoulder, and Hongbin rested his own head against his.

“You’re not funny.” Hakyeon complained, and Hongbin hummed.

“I know.”

They stayed like that for a while, silence settling over them for a long time, before Hakyeon dared to ask the question that was burning his throat.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.” Hongbin answered, and Hakyeon’s heart sank again. He had nothing else to say. Or rather, he had, so much, but he didn’t dare. He didn’t want to. He felt as if it would be wrong.

He didn’t want to make Hongbin feel worse about his decision than he obviously already did. He understood it was necessary, though, and he didn’t want to make it worse on either of them.

“Do you reckon if we heat up the pie the last uncooked bits will become good, too, or will it only make the burnt bottom worse?” Hongbin eventually tried to change the mood, alluding to the upcoming dinner.

It managed to pull a weak smile out of Hakyeon.

“We’ll only know if we try, won’t we?”

Despite their attempts to lighten the mood, the evening was a somber affair, and they decided to go to bed earlier than usual. For the first time, Hakyeon wasn’t sure if he would be welcome to share the bed with Hongbin, or if he should move back to his own room.

Hongbin made the decision for him, catching his sleeve as he was starting to take the first step towards his own room.

“Stay with me? Please?” He whispered, almost shy.

Hakyeon stopped in his tracks immediately.

“You want me to?”

Hongbin nodded.

“I do. At least one more time.”

Hakyeon closed his eyes, swallowing thickly as his heart lurched painfully.

“Don’t say it like that… You make it sound like-…” He broke off, unable to finish his sentence. Hongbin understood it anyway.

‘As if it’s the last time we’ll get a chance to.’ The thought made him shudder, but he was aware it could very well be the last time, if he was unlucky. He had to risk it, though.

His grip on Hakyeon’s sleeve tightened involuntarily, and he stepped closer, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off Hakyeon’s body, and for Hakyeon to feel the ever conflicting waves of hot and cold that radiated off his own body.

“Are you coming?” He tried tentatively, and Hakyeon nodded, nudging him slightly in the direction of his room.

Even though he knew Hakyeon was going to follow him, Hongbin didn’t let go of his sleeve until the door had shut behind them. As soon as they were both under the covers in bed, Hongbin closed the distance between them again, scooting into Hakyeon’s waiting arms.

They might have found a multitude of comfortable positions to sleep in while holding on to each other over the last weeks, but it was as if they had forgotten every single one of them. At least, they couldn’t find a way to lie that was comfortable enough to fall asleep in. Or, it might not have that much to do with the position, and more with the thoughts chasing each other through their heads.

“Hakyeon?” Hongbin eventually whispered in the darkness, tentatively, not loud enough to wake the other should he have found sleep already. He hadn’t.

“Hmm?”

Hongbin shifted a little, turning in Hakyeon’s arms to face him.

“Can you… Can you make sure my injuries are really healed? For good?”

Hakyeon blinked at him in the darkness.

“Are you sure? You hate the feeling of my magic in your body.”

Hongbin nodded, though.

“Please. It won’t be that bad.”

Hakyeon held his gaze in the darkness, only lightened up slightly by the sinking crescent moon.

“Ok, then…” He sighed after reassuring himself of the sincerity in Hongbin’s plea.

His hand wandered down the fae’s side, searching for the hem of his shirt to slip underneath. Goosebumps rose on the fae’s skin when his hands landed on his stomach, scooting up slowly until they rested over his ribs.

He took a slow, deep breath, before closing his eyes and focusing his magic on Hongbin, slipping into his body. He vaguely registered the fae’s gasp, but he didn’t let it distract him as he searched for the broken ribs. He found the places they had been fractured in, but they were healed. The same went for the muscles in the fae’s leg, neatly grown back together as if they had never been torn apart in the first place.

He retreated his magic, leaving Hongbin’s body, but his hands were caught before he could remove them from Hongbin’s chest.

“And?” Hongbin asked expectantly before Hakyeon could question his actions.

“You’re healed. There is no trace of your injuries left, and your magic looks fine again, too.”

Hongbin sighed softly; whether in relief or something else, Hakyeon couldn’t tell.

The fae intertwined his fingers with Hakyeon’s, still resting on his chest then.

“It feels different when your magic courses through my body now…” He admitted after a moment of silence.

“It does? How so?”

“Hmm… It’s still like a foreign force, but… It doesn’t feel as intrusive anymore. My magic doesn’t reject it, and neither does the rest of me, apparently.”

Hakyeon smiled softly.

“Your magic must have gotten so used to the feel of mine lately…”

Hongbin smiled back.

“It did. I hope it won’t miss it too much.”

Hakyeon’s heart clenched again at the reminder, and his hands twitched in Hongbin’s.

“I will miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too. I’ll come visit before it becomes unbearable, though.”

Hakyeon swallowed a humorless chuckle. A visit was not the same as having the other around the whole time. He wasn’t sure a visit would ever be enough again. Actually, he was sure it wouldn’t.

Moving his hands out of Hongbin’s hold, he slid them around the fae, pulling him closer. The last thing on Hongbin’s mind was to protest as he followed willingly, cuddling up to Hakyeon’s front in a way that had him all but draped over the sorcerer.

“You can touch my wings; you remember that, right?” He whispered next to Hakyeon’s ear, and Hakyeon sighed, his hands stilling on Hongbin’s back.

“And then? What will happen if I do?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“It will be nice… I guess. I’ve actually been wondering how exactly it would feel to have your hands on my wings, but I’m sure it will be nice.”

Hakyeon hesitated.

“What if I hurt you?”

“You won’t.” Hongbin shook his head, wriggling a little in Hakyeon’s hold, but a tightening of Hakyeon’s arms around him had him still again.

Tentatively, ever so carefully, Hakyeon inched his hand upwards on Hongbin’s back; still under his shirt, and eventually between his wings.

Hongbin hummed appreciatively, his forehead sinking against Hakyeon’s collarbone. Thus encouraged, Hakyeon felt further up, along the base of Hongbin’s right wing that lay half trapped underneath him. When he found the top edge, trailing his fingers along the first vein, Hongbin jerked, his wing coming free and spreading wide, throwing the covers off them.

Hongbin giggled softly.

“Ooops!”

Hakyeon huffed a light chuckle.

“That felt nice? I don’t know about you, but I rather liked the blanket keeping us warm…”

Hongbin hushed him, and he shook his head lightly, trailing his hand back down and towards the other wing, which spread, too, as his hand wandered over the delicate membrane. Hakyeon found himself covered completely by Hongbin; where his body wasn’t pressing against his, his wing covered him, leaving him feeling almost as cozy and warm as under the blanket.

The blanket was the last of his thoughts, though, as he slipped his other hand between Hongbin’s wings, and let the first wander to the front of the wing that was covering him.

Hongbin shuddered lightly with every touch, but he had no complaints as he let Hakyeon explore; and explore he did. He found himself fascinated by the feeling of the shimmering membrane he had gotten so used to see, but not dared to touch again after that one incident. Like everything about Hongbin, it was hot and cold at the same time, pulsing with life and magic and strength, but also so incredibly delicate.

Eventually, he must have found a particularly sensitive spot, or it was simply the amount of tension that had built up over time being released, but Hongbin gasped loudly and his wings flapped of their own volition, almost lifting both of them off the bed.

Hakyeon laughed quietly, retreating his hands from Hongbin’s wings and opting to let them rest on his waist.

The fae panted lightly, only for a few seconds, though.

“I was so close to falling asleep…” he mumbled against Hakyeon’s chest, slightly disgruntled, and Hakyeon nuzzled the top of his head softly.

“I’ll let you sleep now. Can we get the blanket back, though?”

Humming something affirmative, Hongbin folded his wings to his back again, letting Hakyeon summon the blanket to drape over them. And really, the fae fell asleep shortly after.

Hakyeon wasn’t that lucky, though, lying awake until the early morning hours. His thoughts coursed around all the dangers Hongbin would be facing alone again once he left, leaving him sick, or around how empty his house -and ultimately, his life- would feel again once he was gone.

Neither option was a good one to help him fall asleep, but exhaustion eventually dictated he simply focus on the body in his arms; the gentle puffs of breath falling against his chest, the beating of a heart that was slightly faster than his own, the rising and falling of the chest against his side. Eventually, it was enough to make him fall asleep as well.

*#*#*#*

For once, it was Hongbin who woke up first the next morning, and nothing he did seemed to be able to rouse the sorcerer. At least nothing of the gentle kind. His fingernails scratching over the exposed skin of Hakyeon’s stomach eventually did the trick, making him swat at the annoying fae.

It still took a while and a lot of nagging on Hongbin’s side before his senses started to return to Hakyeon, and when he eventually blinked up at Hongbin groggily, the fae almost regretted his actions. Almost.

“Hey, you. Breakfast?” he chirped happily, and Hakyeon slumped back into the pillows, groaning.

“Feel free to make some…” He muttered, not bothering to open his eyes again.

It was a mistake, for he missed the mischievous expression on Hongbin’s face before the fae draped himself over him, holding on tightly. Had he been a little more alert, he would have noticed it was too tight to pass as Hongbin simply hugging him; as it was, he only figured out Hongbin’s intentions when it was too late, and they were already hovering mid-air, five feet over the bed.oHo

Jumping, and suddenly very much awake, Hakyeon clung to Hongbin as if his life depended on it.

“Hongbin! Let me down!”

The fae laughed at Hakyeon’s frantic scrambling, clinging to him with hands and feet while trying to see how far above the ground they were.

“I won’t let you fall, Hakyeon; relax.”

Hakyeon didn’t seem to hear him.

“Put me down, Hongbin! Put me down! Please!”

Hongbin sighed, flying lower and setting Hakyeon down on the bed again.

Only when the sorcerer felt the mattress dip underneath him did he dare let go of Hongbin, and then only to shove him away from himself.

Hongbin laughed as he landed in front of the bed.

“Are you awake now?”

Hakyeon glared at him, pointing an accusing finger in his direction.

“You, Hongbin, are the worst creature to ever step foot on this planet!”

Hongbin pouted through his grin.

“Aww, you don’t mean that!”

Hakyeon mumbled something unintelligible and threw a pillow at Hongbin, which hit the fae in the face, though with no force.

“Yes I do mean that. I got no sleep at all because of you!”

Hongbin shrugged.

“Pfff… The amount of sleep you got while I was trying to wake you up alone is more than most get all night. I don’t get why you are complaining!” With that, he poked his tongue out before skipping out of the room, most likely to the adjacent bathroom.

With a sigh, Hakyeon collapsed back into the pillows, but he was well and truly awake now. And with that, came the realization of what would happen this morning, and the pain in his heart as it clenched in longing and worry for Hongbin, even though he hadn’t left yet.

He would all too soon, though, and Hakyeon cursed the time flying as they prepared and ate breakfast together, and the time Hongbin had set himself to leave at came closer.

“I’ll only take my cloak with me… If I took anything else, I fear I might lose it, or that it would be slowing me down when I need to be fast, or betraying where I am…” He explained when he eventually trudged down the stairs again after breakfast, his cloak tucked under his arm.

Hakyeon was waiting at the bottom, nodding solemnly. He couldn’t do more, fearing his tears would rise again if he tried to speak. He looked down when Hongbin eventually reached him, staring at the ribbon he had been twisting around his fingers.

“Hakyeon?” Hongbin eventually probed softly when he received no response from the sorcerer, and Hakyeon looked up.

“Can I… I want to do something, before you leave.” His voice was barely more than a whisper.

Hongbin tilted his head, curious.

“What is it?”

With a deep breath, Hakyeon lifted the ribbon, showing it Hongbin.

“I want to put a spell on the door -on the house, actually- to let you in when I’m not around. You might need to hide from hunters while I’m not home, but in the forest or down in the village or somewhere else where I won’t hear you knocking to open the door for you.”

Hongbin swallowed, growing somber.

“That’s… probably a good idea. Would I be safe here, though, when you’re not here?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“You will. The house is laden with spells and shields that won’t let just anyone through. It would take a very powerful sorcerer to break through them all without an invitation. I haven’t quite figured out all the spells myself, but I know what it takes to grant someone permanent entrance, even without me here.”

Hongbin seemed to relax a little.

“Are you sure you want to grant me that?”

Hakyeon sighed quietly.

“There is no one else I would but you.”

Hongbin stepped forward, hugging Hakyeon with one arm.

“Thank you, Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon swallowed heavily, blinking back rising tears again.

“Let’s do it.” He whispered near the fae’s ear, and Hongbin nodded, releasing him from his hold.

It felt terribly definite when they stepped outside, the door falling closed behind them. The morning air was warm, still slightly damp from the rain of the past days, but not unpleasantly so.

“Alright. Give me your hand.”

Hongbin didn’t hesitate to comply, and Hakyeon intertwined their fingers as he led them to the doorknob, joined.

A tingling sensation went through both their hands as they touched the knob.

“Don’t pull away.” Hakyeon warned, stepping behind Hongbin to wrap the ribbon around their joined hands and the doorknob. It wasn’t an easy task, with only one hand free, but he eventually managed to tie the loose ends together.

The ribbon glowed, and Hongbin’s hand twitched under Hakyeon’s, but he didn’t let go. Eventually, the glow of the ribbon faded, and with the glow, the whole ribbon disappeared, releasing their hands again.

With a sigh, Hakyeon released Hongbin’s hand, taking a step back.

Hongbin turned slowly, tilting his head questioningly again as he watched Hakyeon nervously chewing his lip.

“Hakyeon…”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“I don’t want to make this harder on either of us than it already is, but-… It should have worked, but I’m not sure if it really did, you know?” He rushed out, running a shaking hand through his hair.

Hongbin turned towards the door, reaching for the knob and turning it with ease, the door falling open.

“Looks like it works…”

“Yes, but I’m here. Technically I’m home and inviting you in.”

Hongbin frowned, pulling the door shut again.

“Where’s the edge of your property?”

Hakyeon blinked.

“The end of the forest.”

Hongbin’s eyes widened.

“Are you serious? All that is still considered your home?”

Hakyeon shrugged.

“I don’t know… Legally, yes. Magically… No idea.”

Hongbin sighed.

“We can’t try that out now. But if it makes you feel better, try standing outside the gate and I’ll try opening the door again.

Hakyeon didn’t protest, doing as Hongbin had told him to. Again, the door opened without a problem.

Hakyeon swallowed heavily.

“Let’s hope it will work in a case of emergency, too…”

Hongbin nodded, closing the distance between them again, and eventually the gate behind him, too. He stepped close to Hakyeon, only stopping when his toes stood between Hakyeon’s feet. Words weren’t needed, nor possible when they embraced, holding tightly on to each other.

“It’s not a goodbye forever…” Hongbin eventually muttered, though the hand clenching into a fist on Hakyeon’s back told the sorcerer the fae knew it could very well be. He couldn’t reply, but he was the first one pulling back, just enough to cup Hongbin’s face in one hand. Their eyes met, and like so often, quiet understanding passed between them.

Neither would ever be able to say who had been the first leaning in, whose lips captured who’s, who initiated and who reciprocated their kiss. It was gentle, longing, sweet… So bittersweet Hakyeon couldn’t stand it for long, pulling away again.

He took a shaky breath, looking upwards for a moment to hold his tears at bay. With what strength, he didn’t know, but he mustered a smile.

“You snacked on the honey before you went upstairs.” He remarked casually, and Hongbin smiled back.

“Oops, I guess you caught me.”

Hakyeon chuckled weakly, leaning in to peck Hongbin’s lips one last time.

“Stay safe, Hongbin.”

Hongbin took that as his cue to take a step back, letting go of Hakyeon.

“I’ll do my best. Think about what we talked about; about moving your spell-lab to the cave and the books to the library. I’m sure you can find a way.”

Hakyeon swallowed heavily, nodding once. He wanted to reply, saying he would, but words failed him.

Hongbin took another step back, unfolding his cloak and letting it settle around his shoulders. Immediately, his contours blurred, and Hakyeon could only tell where he was because he knew.

“I’ll see you around, Hakyeon.” Hongbin sighed lightly, taking flight. Hakyeon was still unable to answer, nodding instead. He watched quietly as Hongbin turned around, disappearing from his sight as his cloak hid him from his view thoroughly.

His feet were heavy as he dragged himself back inside, and as soon as the door closed behind him, he leaned against it heavily, allowing some of the tears he’d been trying so hard to hold back to fall. His head tilted back and leaning against the door, eyes closed as tears trailed wet paths over his cheeks, his lips moved in a quiet, desperate prayer.

“Please, be careful. Be safe. Please, please, don’t go far, and come back soon…”