🏵️🐱🏵️

 

Jongdae knows better than to be ambitious.  Sure, he studies hard in class and practices diligently to expand his psychic reservoir, determined to be an excellent familiar for whomever he ends up with.  But he’s only a cat, after all—not a clever, talkative raven or magpie, a fierce hawk or owl, or an unconventional bat, ferret, serpent, or toad.

He isn’t even the sort of sleek, powerful cat whose sooty black fur and shiny copper eyes would appeal to a broody warlock with a dark and mysterious lair.  Nor is he the sort of elegant, refined feline whose luxurious coat or unusual coloring would appeal to a fancy mage in a shining tower somewhere. His best hope is that some earthy little hedgewitch would be charmed by a plucky little orange tabby, and he’d spend his days in a little cottage helping to make potions and tonics for rural peasants.

It could be an entirely pleasant life, and whenever one of the other familiars is chosen by a warlock craving vengeance or a mage crackling with power, he reminds himself that somebody has to look out for the simple folk.  It’s a noble pursuit to live in a humble village, aiding farmers and their beasts so that the vast lands of Elyxion can be well fed by their produce.

But that’s before the cutest little mage he’s ever seen hesitantly pushes open the door to the Familiar Empor’ium.

He isn’t a tall man, nor does he give off the sort of humming aura of someone so powerful that stature is irrelevant.  His robes are humble rather than opulent, made of pale blue wool with a touch of silver embroidery around the edges. His coloring is typical for the region, with straight black hair and deep brown eyes like most of the mundane population.  He doesn’t even wear any of the flashy highlights or dramatic makeup favored by bold young magic-users these days. But his face is arresting, heart-shaped and flawless, dominated by wide almond-shaped eyes with a distinctly feline cast.

“Er, hello,” he addresses the little man behind the reception podium.

Jongdae knows Magister Kyungsoo means only to ensure he’s matching the right familiar to the right client, but his wide-eyed way of staring at customers from beneath his pointy hat is rather intimidating.  The cat-eyed mage certainly seems susceptible, and he fidgets under the magister’s scrutiny.

“Uh, I really need a familiar,” the mage says, offering an appeasing smile.

“That is why we are here,” Kyungsoo says, his own answering smile only serving to enhance his creepy vibe.

The mage blushes.  “Ah. Yes, of course.”

“What qualifications do you require, Master...?”

“Um, I’m just Minseok.  And I live at the top of a mountain.  So I need someone who isn’t scared of heights and won’t get cold easily.”

“All of our familiars are well-conditioned to adapt to any environment without complaint,” the magister replies.  “Would you prefer an intimidating familiar or an ethereal one? Do you require one that will amplify your power or assist in containing it?  Would you prefer one aligned with a particular element or one without a specific affinity?”

The poor mage looks completely overwhelmed and Jongdae just wants to erase the line that forms between his angled brows.  Familiars are supposed to stay on their perches until summoned by the magister, but Jongdae is having a hard time sitting still on his sisal-wrapped shelf.

“Er… I like cats?”

That’s all Jongdae needs to hear.  He leaps down to the white marble floor and scampers over to the lost-looking mage, gratified when those feline eyes widen and his frown spreads into a smile.

“Who is this?” Minseok asks, crouching down to hold a hand out toward Jongdae.

Jongdae steps forward to let the mage rub his ears even though he can feel Magister Kyungsoo’s scowl without looking up.  

“I do apologize for the rude interruption.   Most of our familiars are respectful and obedient.”

“Aww, I think he’s cute.  Um. You are a ‘he,’ aren’t you?”

Jongdae meows an affirmative, looking up at the adorable man with his green-gold eyes as wide and appealing as he can make them.

Minseok smiles at this, holding out his arms in invitation.  Jongdae allows himself to be picked up, purring loudly to show his approval when the man cuddles him close and rubs his ears some more.

The magister sighs.  “Sir, if you’ll allow me to rid you of this pest—”

“I want this one.”

Blinking rapidly, the magister adjusts his wire-rimmed bifocals.  “But you don’t know anything about him. He may be entirely unsuitable for your needs.”

“He’s friendly and he seems to like me, and right now I could really use a helpful friend.”

“But—”

“I’m sure all your familiars are well trained and highly skilled.”

“They are, of course, but—”

“Then I’m sure he’ll be fine.”  Minseok lifts Jongdae under the forelimbs to grin at him and nuzzle his nose with his own.

Jongdae resists rolling his eyes and continues to purr.  So the mage is a bit on the cheesy side. He’s still the sweetest little thing Jongdae’s ever met.

The magister lets out a beleaguered sigh.  “Very well. Come through to the office and we’ll begin the paperwork, but please be aware that all matches are final unless dissolved by the familiar itself.  We discourage such things, of course, but they’re permitted to do so at any time in response to neglect, abuse, or other mistreatment.”

“I would never,” Minseok says in an incredulous tone, clutching Jongdae protectively as he follows the magister.

“It was meant as a disclaimer, not an accusation,” the magister hastens to assure the man.  “Please have a seat.” He rummages through the file cabinet that contains all the particulars about each of the familiars in his care.  

“Now then, here we are:  Kim Jongdae, born just before the autumnal equinox, making his natural human period fall and winter.  He’s just transformed less than a week ago.”

“Oh.  Well, today’s my birthday, actually.  Since opposites are supposed to balance each other, that’s probably a good omen.”  Minseok smiles down at the cat purring in his lap.

“Yes, how nice,” the magister says.  “Jongdae has high marks in academics including History, Theory, Glyphs, and Calculations.”

“Who’s a smart kitty?” Minseok coos.  Jongdae purrs louder, butting his head against the heel of the man’s hand for more petting.

“Er, quite.  He also scores well in practical evaluations, with a high natural aptitude for power-spooling and an affinity for electricity.”

“Hmm.  Does that mean he’ll be able to keep me from getting static shocks all the time in winter?”

“Ah, that probably depends more on your clothing and environment—”

Yes, Jongdae meows earnestly.  He has no idea how he’d prevent that, but he’ll figure it out by the time winter gets here if that’s what his adorable new master requires of him.

“Aww, you sure are a vocal little guy, Dae.”

Jongdae meows again at the nickname, making Minseok chuckle.  This mage is so cute.

“He is one of our mouthier familiars,” the magister agrees.  “You may wish to have a Silence spell prepared.”

“Nah, it’ll be nice to have someone answer when I talk to myself.”

“Er, if you say so.  He’s also noted to have a tendency toward fidgeting, poking his nose in, and having a severe dislike of closed doors, especially when they separate him from others.”

“Aw, I won’t shut you away.  You’ll stay right with me—you’ll be able to watch everything I do, but sometimes you’ll have to stay back or hold still for your own protection.  You have to mind me well, alright? Let me keep you safe.”

Jongdae meows agreeably as he nods.  How perfect can a mage get?

“Yes, well.  If you’re sure of your choice, please fill out these forms.  Familiar Empor’ium is not liable for accidents or incidents caused by our familiars including but not limited to explosions, loss of magic, property damage, injury, or death.”

Minseok looks down at Jongdae.  “Let’s do our best to avoid those, particularly the injury or death.”

Jongdae nods vigorously, meowing long and low.  He’s naturally inquisitive and loves to explore, but he won’t allow his curiosity to kill the cat (or his master).

He watches attentively as Minseok’s quill moves across the page.  He learns that his new master shares his surname, is about two years older than he is, and specializes in frost magic, explaining his need to live somewhere cold enough to have snow on the ground during most of the year.

Jongdae hates the cold, but he learned long ago how to electrically charge his muscles and let them hum with micro-contractions to keep him warm.  He becomes everyone’s favorite cuddle-buddy in the winter, all the other familiars piling around him to absorb his radiating heat. The reptiles in particular are going to miss him, he supposes, but Jongdae has a master to cozy up to now.

It’s official as soon as Jongdae stamps the contract with an inked paw and Minseok signs his name with elegant hanja.  Shortly afterward, the mage is buckling an icy blue collar around his new familiar’s neck. It has Jongdae’s name and Minseok’s contact information engraved on a little round tag with a snowflake on the other side.

“There.  Now everyone will know we belong together,” Minseok smiles, lifting Jongdae into his arms and carrying him out of the Familiar Empor’ium and away to his new life.

Which he will evidently reach on the back of a donkey.

The animal is dozing at the hitching post beside leggy steeds and powerful chargers, evidently unconcerned that it’s small and gray and shaggy among all the sleek and glossy specimens.

“Suho, this is Jongdae,” Minseok says to the beast, holding the orange tabby up to the donkey’s face so they can sniff noses.  “You guys have to be friends. Suho is the surest-footed mount in all of Elyxion, and he’ll take good care of us on our way up the mountain.  And Jongdae is my new familiar. With his help, I might actually be able to complete my quest.”

Jongdae meows a hello and gets a hay-scented whuff in return.

Minseok sets the tabby down to untether Suho and mount up, then he calls for Jongdae.  The familiar leaps nimbly to Suho’s back and lets himself be tucked into Minseok’s cloak, purring contentedly.  Even if the transportation is modest, it’s better to arrive safely than in style.

🏵️🐱🏵️

It’s just as well they aren’t arriving in style, because after half a day’s travel across the wilderness and up the slope of the steepest mountain Jongdae has ever seen (okay, the only mountain Jongdae has ever seen), they arrive at an odd little cottage.  It’s made of mortared stones that blend into the mossy gray of the mountaintop and shaped rather like a bucket turned open-side down, with unusual crenellations ringing the sky-facing “bottom” of said bucket. There’s snow on the ground around the dwelling but there are also a variety of flowers blooming around the moss-lined path leading up to the weathered wooden door.

“Welcome home, Dae,” Minseok says as Jongdae emerges from his master’s cloak and hops down from Suho’s sturdy back.  

He immediately regrets his life choices as he tries and fails to pick all his paws up out of the snow at the same time.

Minseok laughs.  “Lucky for your tender toes you’re small enough to carry.  If we have to be outside for long, I’ll tuck you into my cloak again.”

Jongdae meows his understanding and hops over to the mossy path.  It squishes oddly under his toes but it’s at least not wet even if it’s still pretty cold.  

Minseok removes Suho’s saddle and bridle and carries everything to the cottage, the door swinging open automatically as he approaches.  Jongdae follows him inside and looks around as he sets the saddle on a smooth rail evidently meant for the purpose, hangs up the bridle, and lays the saddlebags on a round wooden table near the hearth.  He picks up a brush and a blanket and heads back outside, but Jongdae has had enough of freezing his beans off.

Instead, he makes a proper patrol of his new home, taking in the rustic furniture and minimalist decor of the circular room.  A staircase spirals up along the wall to a trap door in the ceiling, and a chimney exits the building on the opposite side. The hearth below is home to a merrily-crackling fire over which a cast-iron pot is hanging, smelling amazing.  Strings of dried herbs and fungus hang from the ceiling nearby and pegs and shelves line the walls holding neatly-organized tools and tomes.

In addition to the round table and a pair of matching round-seated chairs, the only other furniture is a double bed tucked up against the wall beneath the winding stairs.  It’s covered in cozy-looking quilts and Jongdae immediately claims the foot of the bed as His Spot. He’s happily kneading the blue and gray fabric beneath his toasty-warm toes when Minseok returns.

“Jongdae?” he calls, looking around the room.

Jongdae meows through his purrs to let his master know he’ll need to find somewhere else to sleep.

But Minseok only laughs, coming close to rub his knuckles against Jongdae’s face.

“Of course a cat would immediately find a warm spot to curl up,” he says.  “I like to keep things tidy but I do have various reagents lying around, so please try not to knock things over and definitely don’t put anything in your mouth.  I’ll put the supplies away and then tidy up to make it a bit more kitty-friendly, okay?”

Jongdae purrs louder, the excellent face-rubbing making him willing to forgive the mage for believing him to be dumb enough to eat random things he finds lying around.  He’s not a dog, for meowing out loud.

Minseok sings to himself as he pulls things from the saddlebags and puts them on the shelves, which is pleasant.  But he also throws in little dance moves, which are absolutely precious.  The mage’s robes do nothing to accentuate his figure, but that doesn’t stop him from shaking his to the beat and throwing in the occasional hip twirl or pelvic .

The saddlebags seem to contain way more than their size or apparent weight would imply, and Jongdae watches with interest as a variety of items are drawn forth and stored away.  There’s a bunch of food, which Jongdae definitely approves of, but Minseok only winks over at him before hanging the meat and fish on hooks protruding from the ceiling. The vegetables are hung up, too, and the butter, eggs, flour, and so on are lined up neatly on the wall shelves adjacent to the hooks.

Then comes a bunch of magickal equipment:  alembics and crucibles, bottles for potions, books and scrolls, and various gleaming objects Jongdae has never seen but still rather wants to bat across the floor.  But they all go onto the shelves, and while Jongdae is absolutely sure he could hop up on most of them, he’s supposed to be helping his master rather than making a mess of his eerily-tidy home.

He hopes his master will reward his restraint by cooking up some of that meat or at least dishing out some of the simmering stew, but when he finishes putting the things away, Minseok’s shoulders seem to droop a little.  He sighs, then looks over at Jongdae with a tight-lipped smile.

“I guess I’d better show you why you’re here,” he says rather glumly.  “We’ll need to take a little walk.”

Jongdae stifles a complaint, because the quilts are super comfy and he’s just gotten them kneaded and scrunched into the best possible nest.  But he doesn’t want to disappoint his new master on his very first day, so he obediently stands up and stretches, tail vibrating as his tongue curls into his yawn.

Minseok coos.  “Come on, sleepy boy.  It gets colder once the sun goes down, and the quicker we go, the quicker we can come back.”

Mrowing agreeably, Jongdae hops down and crosses the flagstone floor, doing his best to hop from rug to rug so as not to touch the cold stone with his delicate paws.

Laughing, Minseok swirls his cloak around his shoulders, then scoops Jongdae up.  When he’s securely cradled against his master’s nice warm chest, Minseok flips up his hood with his free hand and strides out into the alpine twilight.

“So.  I guess it was rather foolish of me to get yet another curious companion when I’m still paying for the last time, but I could really use some help.  Or rather, my, um. Friend? I guess? Could use some help.”

Minseok strides purposefully along the mossy path as it curves around to the north face of the mountain, the one that gets the least sun exposure.  Tucked under an overhang and almost invisible from the path is a sculpture of some kind that sparkles in the moonlight.

It’s surrounded by a ring of faintly-glowing glyphs that appear to be for protection, cold, and stasis.  As they approach, Minseok recites some words of power that make the glyphs glow brighter, illuminating the figure more clearly.

The statue is stunning, seeming to be formed from clouded ice.  It’s in the shape of a young man, probably around Jongdae’s own age, crouched and stretching one hand out in front of him while turning to glance up over his shoulder.  He’s handsome in a far softer way than Jongdae could ever hope to be, and his face is rendered mid-laugh, eyes curving into sweet crescents, mouth stretched wide and rectangular.

“This is Baekhyun,” Minseok sighs.  “He’s why I need your help. He’s an absolute moron but I’m rather fond of him despite his inability to take things seriously or keep his hands to himself.  I blizzing told him not to pet the icesilisk, but he really wanted to know if their feathers are soft and did it anyway.  And what happened? The blizzing beast turned him to ice, just like I told him it would.”

Minseok huffs angrily for a few breaths, then draws in a deep lungful of chill mountain air.

“So.  This happened two weeks ago, and I just managed to get his fragile back here where I can keep an eye on him and ward him to keep him safe.  There’s a reversal potion we can pour over him, but it’s going to be difficult to make. And we have to finish it by the summer solstice, because that’s when my magic weakens.  I won’t be able to keep him cold enough over the summer, and he’ll melt.”

Minseok tilts his head back up to the sky.  “Which I should just let him do, because it’s his own blizzing fault that he’s like this.  But I could never live with the guilt of knowing I didn’t at least try to save the adorable moron.”

He cuddles Jongdae closer and turns back toward the cottage.  “So. With two of us working on it, maybe we’ll actually get it done in time.  Especially once you learn to shift into your human form at will instead of waiting for the seasons.”

Wait, what?  Jongdae releases a questioning trill, head tilted back to see his master’s face.

“It’s not hard, it just takes some practice.  You seem clever, so hopefully you’ll catch on quickly.  An extra pair of hands to gather reagents will be really useful.”

Jongdae mrows an agreement.  Minseok seems to really love this beautiful Baekhyun guy, and it’s Jongdae’s duty to help his master.  If Minseok says he can learn to shift, Jongdae will learn to shift, so help him.

Minseok’s body heat is lovely but it’s still a relief to get back to the warmth of the cottage.  When his master sets him down, Jongdae rug-hops over to the hearth, hopping up onto the warm stone.  He purrs at the heat but still reaches out with one paw toward the simmering pot. He looks up at his master with a plaintive mew.

“Oh, of course you’re hungry.  Sorry—I’m not used to having a companion without thumbs that doesn’t graze.”  He takes a bowl down from one of the shelves, then ladles what turns out to be thick meaty stew into it.  He blows a puff of frost over the bowl before setting it down on the hearthstone for Jongdae.

“There.  Now you won’t burn yourself.”

Jongdae meows his thanks before setting to like a starving beast.  It was really getting close—it had been almost ten hours since Jongdae’s poor tummy was last filled.

Minseok chuckles at him as he dishes out stew for himself, and for a moment, there’s only companionable lip-smacking and some rather loud purring filling their ears.

Jongdae his bowl as clean as his raspy tongue can get it, prompting more laughter from Minseok when he comes to retrieve the empty vessel.

“I feel like I could almost put this right back on the shelf,” he grins.  “But since you also use your tongue for a washcloth, I’ll scrub it anyway just to be safe.”

Offended at the implications, Jongdae fluffs his fur and mutters a bit.

Minseok laughs again.  It’s a lovely thing to hear, especially considering how upset he’d been about his frozen lover.

“You’re so expressive.  I almost don’t want to work the communication spell on you, but it’ll make everything so much easier.”

Jongdae’s meow trails up with his elevated curiosity.

“We’ve got to wait for daylight,” Minseok apologizes.  “But soon I’ll learn if you actually are as foul-mouthed as you just sounded.”

Jongdae ducks his head.

“Ah, so cute.  I bet you’re just as cute as a human, aren’t you?”

Jongdae runs a preening paw from his long cheekbone to his pointed ear.  He’s nowhere near as cute as his master or his lover, but Jongdae considers himself to have a certain rakish appeal.

Minseok laughs again.  “Ugh, you’re going to be trouble.  Come over here so I can show you the plan.”  He takes a scroll from a shelf and sits at the table.  

“We’ve got a list of things to find,” Minseok says, smoothing the parchment out over the wooden surface.  

Jongdae hops up on the table to have a look.  It’s a spell, complete with an illustrated list of ingredients.  He tilts his head from left to right, then right to left as he takes in the drawings of fungi and flowers and even a strange little lizard.

“Most of them are obtainable.  I mean, I know where they are and how to get there.  But some of them are far away, which is a problem since we’re working against the clock.  And then there’s this one.”

Minseok points to a drawing of a flower colored deep gold at the center with six petals fading to silvery-white.  The careful script beneath the drawing reads Geluna Crocus.  

“It only blossoms under a full moon when surrounded by snow,’ Minseok says.  “It doesn’t work to cultivate them artificially, it has to be natural snow. Which means we have three chances, three full moons before it’s too late.”

Minseok is blinking a lot so Jongdae butts his head against his master’s elbow in sympathy.  He’ll be a good familiar and help his master save his lover. It’ll be cute to reunite them and then the pair of them can live happily ever after with their clever, helpful cat.

“Aww, Dae,” Minseok sniffs, rubbing Jongdae’s ears and his own eyes.  “Thanks for being so helpful. Um.” The mage swallows. “So. I know of a few places it might still grow despite the warming weather, but they’re particularly difficult to get to and of course rather inhospitable, even for a frost mage.  But those expeditions will be our focus around the full moon, and in between we’ll gather the rest of the reagents.”

Jongdae nods.  Seems like a reasonable plan to him, and even if it weren’t, it’s not really a familiar’s place to question his master’s plots.

“Okay.  So. Let’s get some rest, then we’ll start with the communication spell in the morning, alright?”

Again, Jongdae nods, then watches from the hearth as Minseok bustles around getting ready for bed.  He steps behind the privacy curtain surrounding the washbasin to change into his pajamas, something Jongdae finds rather interesting.  Most people, even magic-users, tend to forget that familiars are actually human first. They’re born human, and even when shifted, they retain all their human intellect, even if it’s layered in animal instincts.  But evidently Minseok finds him human enough to require privacy from his feline eyes.

But Jongdae is distracted from such contemplations when Minseok emerges wearing the cutest set of baby-blue pajamas with little kittens embroidered all over.

“What?” Minseok says when he notices Jongdae’s amused gaze.  “I told you. I like cats.”

He tucks himself into bed, extinguishing the lanterns with a wave of his hand.  The cottage is only illuminated dimly by the glowing coals of the banked fire, but Jongdae could still see a mouse creeping across the room.  His feline form is perfect for nighttime hunting, not that he’d expect something so sordid as a mouse in his master’s extremely tidy house.

The hearth is cooling down now that the fire is banked for the night, but despite his fantasies of kicking the mage out of his bed Jongdae is resigned to his cold, stony fate.  But just as he’s settling his chin between his paws, Minseok’s voice breaks through the darkness.

“Dae?”

Jongdae lifts his head, mrowing in response.

“Um.  There’s plenty of room, you know.  I mean. If you wanted to sleep on the bed.”

Interesting.  Minseok won’t change in front of him, but is just fine sharing a bed.

But Jongdae’s not going to question it.  He’s across the rugs and up on the quilts in seconds, settling by Minseok’s feet with a contented rumble.  Minseok’s gentle chuckle floats down from the head of the bed, and then everything is draped in velvet silence.

🏵️🐱🏵️

The morning evidently starts early on the mountain.  Not as far as the natural world is concerned—it’s still only a shade lighter than midnight outside—but Minseok is evidently not the type for a lie-in.  And he claims to like cats.

But Jongdae drags his bleary eyes and listless tail over to the table, hopping up to curl said tail around his toes as he blinks sleepily at his master.

“Morning, Dae,” Minseok smiles between sips of his coffee.  “Did you sleep well?”

Jongdae nods.

“I didn’t kick you, did I?”

Jongdae shakes his head.

“Good.  Baek always used to complain that I kicked him, but I’m sure that’s because he never stayed on his side.”  He looks a little melancholy for a moment, then sets his jaw.

“Right.  So, communication spell first, then we can make plans together.”

Jongdae nods.

Minseok grins over his chipped ceramic mug.  “Look at you, trying so hard to be alert before the sun.  You really are a good sport, Dae. I really appreciate it.”  

He rubs his knuckles along Jongdae’s jawbone.  “I know I’m supposed to be all dominating and masterly, but Dae.  I want you to know I don’t think of you as a tool. You’re more like a friend.”  He drops his gaze back to his coffee. “Well. At least, I hope we can be friends.”

Jongdae meows his assent, rubbing his cheek against Minseok’s hand.  It’s kind of a relief to not have to worry about training his master to respect him.  If Minseok wants to be friends, they’ll be friends.

Minseok smiles at the agreeable orange tabby.  “Friends, then.”

He holds out his hand palm-up, and Jongdae places his paw against it in an interspecies approximation of clasped hands.  Minseok solemnly shakes his paw up and down once, then smiles and rubs his ears.

“I’m going to get dressed, then I’ll start setting up the communication spell.”

Jongdae meows his agreement, trotting over to the hearth to wait.

It’s not long before he’s tucked into Minseok’s cloak and being carried through the crystalline twilight to what looks like just another flat expanse of snow.  Then Minseok waves a hand and the snow slithers away to reveal the rock beneath.

Minseok looks down at Jongdae apologetically.  “Um. I need both hands. Will you freeze if I put you down?”

Jongdae electrifies his muscles in response, quickly warming beneath Minseok’s cloak.

“Oh wow.  Okay. You don’t like your feet wet, so here—”  Minseok sets him on top of a nearby boulder, then grins down at him.  “You’re now in charge of keeping my feet warm at night, you little radiator.”

Jongdae turns his back and lifts his tail in reply.  Minseok’s laugh sounds strangely bright echoing off the snow-covered mountain.

The cat means to pay careful attention to the mage’s ritual, but the morning sun is breaking over the neighboring peak to bathe his rock in cozy rays.  So he might have had his eyes closed for part of it.  Okay, most of it. But when Minseok calls his name, Jongdae is instantly the very picture of the alert familiar.

Minseok chuckles.  “Okay, it should be ready.  Let me place you in the middle.”

Jongdae allows himself to be lifted and lowered into the center of an elaborate diagram of charcoal and chalk.  He holds very still, knowing any disturbance of the lines could result in catastrophic failure, and not just because he’s a cat.

Minseok chants a bunch of meaningful-sounding nonsense (to Jongdae’s ears), and then he looks at Jongdae expectantly.

Did it work? Jongdae meows.

The mage’s face breaks into an adorable gummy smile.  “Yes!” he crows. “I mean, everyone else still hears you meowing.  But since I used my own blood, I can understand your intent, if not your exact words.”

Good, Jongdae rumbles, and Minseok smiles again, stooping to pick Jongdae up.

“Yes, very good.  Now we can really get to know each other.  And make some real plans.” The mage tucks Jongdae back under his cloak, so Jongdae turns off his muscular hyper contractions.”

Minseok seems to notice.  “So. Electricity, huh?”

Yep.  I can also toast breakfast sausages, Jongdae trills.

The mage laughs, and once again the sound bounces from mountain and snow in refracted joy.  “Breakfast does sound good. I got some kippers in the city. Cats like kippers, right?”

If it’s fish, I like it, Jongdae assures the man.

“Good.  We’ll make a plan when we get home.”

🏵️🐱🏵️

The plan involves way too much outdoor travel for Jongdae’s personal tastes, but he’s hardly going to complain.  After all, they’re working to save Minseok’s lover. Sacrifices of personal comfort are well worth someone’s actual life.

Most days, Suho carries Minseok and Jongdae to some remote (but breathtakingly beautiful) mountain meadow or forest or stream.  Minseok shows Jongdae whatever flower or fungus or plant they’re there to collect, and then the both of them methodically harvest, with mouth or fingers, until Minseok says they have enough.

One day, they end up in a rocky outcropping, where Jongdae gets to chase and catch odd little lizards, pinning the scurrying creatures down long enough for Minseok to carefully clip the ends of a few toenails, leaving enough claws per foot that the creature can still grip the rock and defend itself.  It takes all day and by the end of it Jongdae is catching already-clipped lizards—they’re evidently not the smartest of wee beasties.

A few days before the full moon, Minseok sits him down and lays out the plan.  They’ll start with the closest possible location for the geluna crocus in the hopes that it’s still blooming in the north-facing meadow only a full day’s travel from the cottage.  They’ll need to pack camping gear, since they’ll need to wait overnight for the flowers to blossom before harvesting the frosty blooms.

They spend all the next day packing for the journey, Jongdae marvelling at just how much the enchanted saddlebags can hold.

Minseok smiles at Jongdae’s awed expression when he shoves an entire bedroll into one side.  “It’s important that Suho is able to balance well and shift weight readily, so I try to make things as easy as possible for him to keep us safe.”

Is Suho enchanted, too? Jongdae meows curiously.

Minseok shakes his head.  “Nope, just well-bred by the mountain nomads.  They often come by in the summer, trading blankets and cookware for wards and amulets.  The year I first moved here, I talked them out of a donkey instead.”

Suho certainly proves his worth the following day.  Some of the mountain trails are so narrow, Jongdae can only close his eyes and concentrate on not digging his claws into Minseok’s chest.  Minseok chuckles at the agitated twitching of his tail beneath the mage’s robes, murmuring reassurances until the dangerous segments are safely traversed.

Jongdae definitely understands how bulky saddlebags would be incredibly detrimental to safety.  Minseok must have the utmost trust in his mount, because he keeps his body relaxed and flexible, allowing Suho to shift beneath them without throwing the animal’s balance off-center.  Jongdae is glad all he has to do is hide his eyes and hold still.

The mountains are absolutely gorgeous in the spring, with flowers of all sorts pushing upwards through the thinning layer of snow.  And the meadow Suho eventually carries them to is absolutely full of blooms spreading over the valley from slope to slope.

Wow, Jongdae mews.

Minseok smiles.  “It sure is scenic, isn’t it?”

Jongdae nods.

“We have a few hours until sundown, so you can explore a little if you want.”

After holding absolutely still all day, Jongdae definitely wants.  He frolics around chasing butterflies and terrorizing field mice as Minseok watches, pulling that lovely laugh out of the mage as frequently as possible even if it means sacrificing his own feline dignity and getting his paws wet with snow.  He really likes Minseok’s laugh, and with the serious nature of their quest, he doesn’t get to hear it very often.

Minseok busies himself setting up their camp as Jongdae plays.  By the time the cat has pounced and rolled all the tension out of his body, Minseok has a pot of something bubbling merrily over a campfire and a cozy little tent set up in the shelter of a massive boulder.

It’s no hardship to wait for the food to cook when Jongdae gets to hunker on Minseok’s lap and purr beneath full-body that feel more like a massage.

“Are all familiars as soft and sleek as you are?”

Jongdae opens his eyes.   I’d love to say no, but sadly, I’m just average.  There are many with finer coats and more exotic coloring.

“Hmm.  I think I’m rather partial to short-haired orange tabbies.  They seem friendly and reliable, which seems far more useful than fine and exotic.”

Jongdae’s purrs intensify and he can’t help kneading gently at Minseok’s knee, much to the mage’s obvious delight.

After dinner—a stew of jerky and root vegetables that tastes like the fanciest cuisine after the exhausting day they’ve had—Minseok is finally able to start teaching Jongdae how to shift.

“How does it feel on your birthday when you shift automatically?” Minseok asks.

It’s hard to describe, Jongdae mews.  I just feel really itchy, really human, and then I am.

Minseok nods.  “Try to recreate that feeling of being too small for your real form.  If your mind is uncomfortable enough, your body will reform to match your internal sense of self.”

So Jongdae lays in a patch of blue poppies a safe distance from the fire and thinks big human thoughts.  Nothing much happens for a long time, then Jongdae feels a strange prickling at the scruff of his neck. It’s gone in an instant, but Minseok whoops from his vantage point by the fire.

“There, whatever that was, you almost had it!  Your body shimmered for a split second before solidifying again.”

Bolstered by this brush with success, Jongdae wants to keep trying, but the sun is sinking low and Minseok gestures to the tent.

“We should get a little rest so when the crocus blooms we’ll have the energy to collect what we need.”

Jongdae’s happy enough to hunker in the tent instead of in the snow, even if Minseok forbids him from continuing to practice.

“What happens if you succeed?” he asks the disappointed cat.  “You’ll rip the bedroll and maybe the tent and then we’ll both freeze.”

I could keep us both warm, Jongdae says.

To his surprise, Minseok blushes beneath the floating magelight.

“Be that as it may, let’s merely concentrate on getting some rest,” the mage murmurs, tucking himself into the bedroll and lifting the edge in bashful invitation.

Jongdae slips beneath the insulating fabric and curls up against Minseok’s tummy, letting the very tip of his nose poke out into the chilly air so he doesn’t feel like he’s suffocating.

Minseok chuckles, him a few times before his breathing slows and evens out with sleep.

🏵️🐱🏵️

“Dae, the moon’s well up.”  

Jongdae bites back a protest at being woken, then swallows a yowl as he slinks away from Minseok’s warmth and out into the icy night air.  But Minseok shivers, too, as they emerge from the tent, and the mage doesn’t seem to have Jongdae’s ability to warm himself up.

“The cold doesn’t bother me until the temperature drops well below freezing,” Minseok mutters between chattering teeth.  “But the mountain air is thin and loses all its heat without the sun to warm it.”

He shivers again.  “Let’s hurry and find this flower so we can dive back into the chill-proof tent.”  He looks down at the cat, whose self-heated paws have sunk through the crust of snow.  “Do you remember what we’re looking for?”

Yes, Jongdae meows, then scampers off into the night, determined to find the flowers quickly before Minseok freezes into a statue as well.

But despite the layer of snow and the full moon above, the geluna crocus is nowhere to be found.  The two of them search for hours, until Minseok is so cold he can barely move and frustrated tears are freezing on his cheeks.

You need to warm up, Jongdae scolds him.   I’m sorry that it’s not here, but I’d be a terrible familiar if I let you come to harm in the search.

Minseok says nothing, but he does let the insistent cat herd him toward the tent and obediently crawls inside.  The tent does indeed block much of the chill, but Minseok is still shivering violently even once he’s burrowed into the bedroll.

Muttering under his breath about stubborn humans in love, Jongdae worms his way between the bedding and Minseok’s chest, settling on the mage’s sternum to let his electric heat radiate into Minseok’s body.

“Niflheim, you’re so warm.”

Jongdae manages not to yowl when the mage’s frozen arms clumsily wrap around his body and fingers of ice burrow into his fur.  But Minseok must have felt him flinch, because he chuckles beneath the cat.

“You’re so good to me, Dae.  I’m so glad you came over and seduced me with your little kitty smile.  You’ve turned out to be perfect.”

Seduced?  Surely it was the other way around, the mage’s cuteness propelling Jongdae from his perch.  But he doesn’t say anything, just purrs and kneads his paws against Minseok’s chest as if forcibly pushing the heat into the man’s body.

He even pretends not to hear the mage sniffling in the dark.

🏵️🐱🏵️

The ride home is somber.  Minseok’s shoulders are slumped in defeat rather than thrown back in determination, and his pitiful posture keeps squishing Jongdae beneath the man’s cloak.  But Suho is sure-footed despite his master’s dead weight, and they get home without incident.

As always, Minseok carries the donkey’s tack inside before returning to brush and blanket the trusty beast, leaving him to graze on flowers and moss and shelter in a cozy little lean-to from the chill of the night.  Then he treks out to where Baekhyun waits, renewing the wards that keep him frozen and safe.

When he returns, Minseok drags himself through his nighttime routine, setting a bowl of stew on the hearth for Jongdae before going to bed without supper himself.  Although he douses the lanterns, Minseok lies awake, curled on his side, staring blankly into the dimly-lit cottage.

Unhappy that he can’t do more to help his friend, Jongdae hops up on the bed and curls up within the circle of Minseok’s body, purring and kneading gently at the man’s thigh in an attempt to provide comfort.

After a few melancholy moments, Minseok shifts to run his (thankfully warm) fingers through Jongdae’s fur.

“You’re so sweet, Dae.  I’m really lucky to have you for a friend.”

🏵️🐱🏵️

The next day, Minseok’s dogged determination has evidently returned.  As he sips his morning coffee, the mage neatly jots down organized lists of what they’ll collect next, where it is, and how many days it’ll take.  He strings together destinations that are near each other, then selects an efficient path that will allow them to gather three reagents before returning to the cottage over a week later.

Minseok spends the following day repacking the saddlebags with everything they might possibly need on the journey while Jongdae lies sprawled on the bed out of the way, trying to think human thoughts.  He feels the tingles on the nape of his neck twice more over the course of the day, but he can’t manage to push through to his human form.

He continues to practice on their journey every evening as Minseok sets up their camp and cares for Suho.  He’s driven by a need to be able to help, especially the day they stop at a forest clearing to collect the glacial larkspur.

“Just wait for me here, Dae,” Minseok instructs as he ties Suho to a sturdy juniper well away from the meadow beyond.  “The larkspur is poisonous, so you can’t help me gather it. I don’t even want you to let it brush your fur, because it’ll make you sick when you groom yourself.”

Meowing a reluctant agreement, Jongdae perches on Suho’s rump as the mage pulls on a pair of leather gloves and pulls out a specially-lined reagent sack.  If he can’t help, he at least wants to be able to see Minseok the entire time to make sure the mage is staying safe. He actually manages to stay alert for hours until the mage returns with a knotted sack that he immediately shoves in the enchanted saddlebags.

“That should be plenty,” he smiles at Jongdae as he removes the gloves and tosses them after the collected larkspur.

Jongdae trills happily as he jumps down and approaches the mage, but Minseok’s voice stops him from twining around the man’s legs.

“Let me change first, Dae.  Then we can cuddle if you want.”

Shaking a paw in affront, Jongdae sits on a fallen log and grooms himself haughtily.  He doesn’t want to cuddle, he’s just trying to be a good companion to his human friend.  Minseok laughs at the display, then disappears behind the trees to swap one set of pale blue robes for another.

When he returns, he ignores Jongdae’s indignant grumble and scoops the cat up, cradling him in his arms like a baby.  Jongdae gazes up at the mage with narrowed, judgemental eyes, causing Minseok to throw his head back and laugh.

“Right now I feel rather fortunate you’re unable to regain your human form,” he grins.

Jongdae just narrows his eyes all the more.

He has extra motivation to work on his transformation that evening as Minseok prepares dinner, and he manages to hold the shimmer for two whole seconds before collapsing back into his feline shape, panting with exertion.

“You’re really making progress!” Minseok cheers as he sets a bowl of stew down in front of the limp feline.

Jongdae graciously allows the human to him while he devours his meal.

He allows Minseok to him to sleep that night, too, tucked up against the mage with his furry head pressed beneath Minseok’s chin.

“I think I’m going to miss having such a cuddly kitty in the summer,” Minseok murmurs.  Then he falls silent, breathing roughening a little. Evidently the mention of summer reminded the mage of their deadline.

Mrowing gently, Jongdae stretches a paw to pat the tears away from Minseok’s face.   We’ll find everything, he soothes.   We’ll save your pretty boy.

Minseok huffs.  “You really are a good friend, Dae.”

🏵️🐱🏵️

They do find everything on the checklist for that particular trip, and by the time they return home, Jongdae can hold his spine-tingling shimmer for what seems like forever.

How do I push through? he asks the mage, tail lashing with frustration after another failed transformation attempt.

“Try thinking of yourself,” Minseok suggests.  “Your human self—every detail. Make your mind believe you’re in that body, and you will be.”

Halfway through their next trip—a two-week long trek on which they’re meant to collect six reagents—Jongdae finally manages it.  

He’s sprawled out on a wide, flat boulder, soaking up the last rays of the setting sun as he concentrates on his own human shape.  Not too tall, adorably tiny feet, slim legs, narrow waist. But not skinny—his is perky and apple-like, his chest and shoulders are well-defined, and he even has a hint of visible abs.  His hair is dark and a bit wavy, his eyes are black and intense, and his nose is straight. His cheekbones are almost as prominent in human form as in his feline one, and his lips retain a very cat-like curve.

I’m such a cutie, he thinks, stretching out his arms and wiggling his fingers and toes.

Wait—fingers?

Jongdae’s eyes pop open and he stares in astonishment at his very own human hands.  “Minseok!” he shouts. “Minseok, I did it!”

He doesn’t realize he’s until an empty reagent sack lands across his lap.

He can feel his cheeks heat as he presses his hands over the fabric, sitting up to see an equally-red, studiously-not-looking Minseok shifting his weight awkwardly from foot to foot.

“Er, thanks,” Jongdae mumbles, shivering a little as the silver tag from his collar brushes against his fur-less throat.  

Minseok chuckles.  “Um. I’m just going to go gather some firewood.  There are spare robes in the saddlebags.”

“Noted,” Jongdae says, staring at his knees as he listens to the flustered mage scurry out of sight.

He still clutches the sack over his groin as he rummages through the saddlebags, finding a set of smallclothes and a pair of slippers in addition to one of Minseok’s ubiquitous pale blue robes.  Thankfully, Minseok is only a fingerbreadth shorter than Jongdae so the borrowed robe is the correct length and the slippers are only slightly too big. Less fortunately, Minseok is evidently built a little broader, because Jongdae has to cinch the drawstring of the smallclothes rather tight to get them to stay in place.

Though the robes are light and easy to move in, they also keep him quite cozy despite the darkening sky.  It makes sense that a frost mage would enchant his robes to keep him comfortable while he works.

He’s sitting by the fire when Minseok comes back carrying a token armload of firewood.  He rises to greet his friend, helping him stack the gathered wood by the fire before holding out a hand.

“Hi.  I’m Jongdae.  Nice to meet you, er, again.”

Minseok’s bashful smile is adorable.  “Minseok,” he says as they clasp each other’s forearms in greeting.  “Nice to see your human, um. Face.”

Jongdae grimaces.  “You could have told me I’d be .”

“I’m sorry!” Minseok winces.  “The owlish magister at the Empor’ium made sure to tell me that the collars they sold would resize to fit your human form, so I thought they would have given you tranable clothing as well.”

“Tranable what now?”

“You know.  Clothes that they’d keyed to you so they’d transform along with you, like your hair.”

Jongdae tilts his head.

“Well, usually transformation magic only works on living things, and your hair is technically dead?  But it’s still part of you, so it’s recognized by the magic and transforms as well.”

Jongdae blinks.  “You’re saying I should technically be bald right now?”

Minseok grins.  “And you’d be one of those weird hairless cats.”

Jongdae shudders.  “Well, thank Bastet for tranable fur.  Er… Are we going to have to, like, knit me smallclothes out of my own cat fur or something?”

Minseok laughs.  “No, nothing so creepy.  We just need to get you some clothes made of animal products—leather, wool, or silk—and then work a little spell to convince your natural magic that those products came from your own body, like your hair or fur.”

“Oh.”  Jongdae winces.  “I’m guessing we can’t do that until we get home?”

Pressing his lips together, Minseok shakes his head.  “Sorry. But now that we know you’ll end up in the buff, we can just have you shift in the tent or something so you can dress before greeting the world.”

Jongdae feels his cheeks flush.  “Yeah. Um. That sounds like good planning.”

Minseok’s smile is shy. “You know me.  I’m a huge fan of good planning.”

Jongdae’s answering smile is small but fond.  “You are really good at planning. Um. What can I help you with, now that I have opposable thumbs?”

“Um, well, everything’s already set up for the night since we arrived hours ago.  But, er, we could play cards if you want.”

“Sounds like fun,” Jongdae grins.  

He’s watched Minseok play games of solitaire on a blanket by the fire many an evening, laying out a face-down grid of the flower-themed cards and trying to arrange them in matching groups before revealing all four of the rainy willow cards.  Sometimes Jongdae “helps” by tapping cards with his paw to indicate which he thinks Minseok should flip next, other times he amuses himself by batting at the magelight floating overhead or hunting crunchy moths attracted to the glow.

But now that Jongdae can actually hold a hand of cards, he’s much less interested in the moths.  He pulls the flower card deck from the saddlebags, then holds it out to the mage a little sheepishly.

“Uh, I’m afraid I don’t know many games.  Just Go Fish, actually.”

Minseok laughs.  “Still a cat even in human form, eh?”

Jongdae’s grin stretches over his cheeks.  “I guess.”

Minseok blinks, face frozen for the duration of the movement.  “Has anyone ever told you that you have a breathtaking smile?” the mage blurts, then puts a hand over his mouth as his cheeks pinken.

Jongdae’s own cheeks flush to match.  “Um, thanks. I usually get told I have kittenish lips, but I like ‘breathtaking’ better,” he mumbles, suddenly shy.

“Yes, well.  They are. Kittenish.  And cute. Er, anyway!”  Minseok shuffles the cards in his hands.  “We can play Go Fish if you like, or we can play the solitaire game together properly.  Or I can teach you something else.”

“What game is your favorite?” Jongdae asks, wanting to set his friend at ease.  Minseok always concentrates when he’s explaining things to Jongdae, so he probably won’t have room in his mind to feel shy.

It seems to work.  Minseok bounces once on the balls of his feet, face excited.  “Can I teach you Go-Stop? It’ll be nice to play with an actual opponent.”

Of course Jongdae agrees, and they sit opposite each other on the top of Jongdae’s flat boulder.  A magelight hangs in the air between them as they play an open round, Minseok’s steady voice pointing out cards and explaining the rules and a bit of strategy.  After one more open round, they start playing in earnest, and it only takes four rounds before Jongdae manages to beat the more experienced player.

“Beginner’s luck,” Minseok smiles, dealing out the next hand.

But Jongdae’s got the hang of the game now, and he ends up winning two out of three of the following rounds.  Minseok frowns at him. “I’m not sure whether to be proud of you for picking this up so quickly or annoyed at you because now you’re just going to win all the time.”

Jongdae grins back, letting his tongue poke between his teeth.  “Better step up your game, Oh Mighty Mage. Can’t let yourself get beaten by a mere familiar.”

Minseok’s brow furrows.  “Dae, you know I don’t think of you like that.”

Jongdae’s face sobers.  “I do know. You treat me way better than expected.  And you haven’t even used me to cast any spells. I’m really good at magic spooling, you know.  I’m a fantastic reservoir.”

Minseok picks non-existent lint off his robe.  “I know. They told me before I signed the forms.  And I’ll need your help with the potion. But I don’t want to waste any time on my own projects and rituals right now.”  He lifts melancholy eyes to Jongdae’s face. “Maybe after the solstice we can see how our magic blends. I’ll either want to celebrate or, um.  Really need the distraction.”

“We’ll definitely be celebrating,” Jongdae assures him, leaning forward to rest a companionable paw on Minseok’s knee.

As if in a mirror, they both drop their gaze to the very human hand resting on the mage’s leg.  For the space of a heartbeat, the world seems to freeze, then Jongdae withdraws his arm as if burned.

“Uh.  Yeah. And Baekhyun will be celebrating with us.  You guys will be super cute.” Jongdae’s smile is a little strained.

Minseok deploys a hesitant smile of his own.  “Yeah. He’ll be super obnoxious and annoying, but I still really miss him.”

“We’ll get him back,” Jongdae asserts.  “Everything’s just gonna be fine.”

The mage nods, but Jongdae can see the prominence of his throat bob as he swallows.  “Yes. Well. We should probably get some sleep.” Minseok’s face reddens again. “Um, but the tent is only designed for one, so do you think you can shift back?  It’ll be easier for Suho to carry us when you’re a cat, anyway.”

Jongdae’s own bracing swallow makes the familiar collar shift against his skin, a reminder of who he is and why he’s here.  “Um. Sure. I’ll just go in the tent and meow when I’ve managed to shift.”

Minseok nods and starts gathering up the cards.  Feeling strangely dejected, Jongdae trudges over to the tent.

Shifting back is much easier, like releasing a bowstring after drawing back an arrow.  It must be that due to the season, his body wants to be a cat.  Jongdae sort of wishes his brain could also be a cat’s, because then he’d just be able to cuddle up to Minseok like he always does when they’re camping.  Instead, his mind is filled with Minseok’s wistful smile and Baekhyun’s frozen face, and he curls up between Minseok’s feet, feeling oddly sorry for himself.

🏵️🐱🏵️

The next morning his resolve to help his friend save his lover is renewed with force.  Even so, he remains in his feline form for the entire rest of the trip, since the remaining reagents are safe to gather with mouth and paws.  

It’s actually useful for collecting the wizard’s beard lichen that tangles in the branches of the mountain ash that hug the treeline.  His feline claws enable him to scurry up the tree and cling to the branches, tearing loose clumps of the white hair-like growth with his teeth to drop down to the mage below.  

Minseok coaxes Jongdae back into his usual sleeping position even though the cat feels vaguely guilty, like he’s taking someone else’s place.  But Minseok had threatened to pout if Jongdae stayed down by his feet, and it’s not like Jongdae could have withstood such an assault. Damned adorable mage.

Jongdae is relieved when they get home.  Spending all day and all night pressed against Minseok’s chest breathing in his sweet evergreen scent has become almost like torture, especially since his paw randomly tingles at the memory of his hand on Minseok’s knee.  It really helps that once Suho is cared for and fussed over, Minseok makes the customary trek to check on Baekhyun. Jongdae follows, setting his paws in Minseok’s footprints to keep them as snow-free as possible.

Minseok lets out a relieved breath at finding his lover intact, then spends a moment mumbling the words of power that strengthen the chilling spell.

“That’s the longest I’ve left him alone since he was turned,” Minseok confesses once he’s assured himself that all is well with the perpetually-smiling statue.  “The weather is warming up so quickly this year—I was more than a little worried we’d come back to a puddle.”

Your magic is still strong, Jongdae meows.   We’ve found almost everything.

Minseok nods.  “The next place to check for the geluna crocus is three days’ journey to the east,” Minseok says, lifting Jongdae and carrying him back to the cottage.  “I’d prefer to give Suho more time to rest, but we need to leave the day after tomorrow to make it there in time.”

Jongdae meows his agreement.

“Which means we can pack tomorrow, then enchant you a set of traning clothes.”

The cat mumbles an acknowledgement, much less excited about being human-shaped anymore.  He supposes an extra pair of hands will be useful to his friend and he’s still committed to helping however he can, but given the fact that Minseok seems to draw comfort from the orange tabby’s soft fur, Jongdae would much rather retain the form that allows him to purr the mage to sleep at night.

But Minseok assumes the opposite.  When they get back to the cabin, he digs out an extra set of kitty-cat pajamas.  “Um. You can shift behind the privacy curtain, then eat your supper with a spoon for a change.”  Minseok’s eyes curve into little crescents when he smiles, so Jongdae obediently trots behind the curtain as Minseok sets the clothes on the washstand beside him.

It takes him a while to shift, probably because he’s only doing so reluctantly.  Yet eventually he’s wearing his human form and a really stupid set of pajamas, sitting gamely at the table opposite his friend and shoveling stew into his face.

Once or twice he catches Minseok staring at his mouth, so after his lips clean of any stray stew Jongdae tries to slow down and eat more daintily.  It wouldn’t do to disgust the guy he’s supposed to live with forever. When they’re done eating, he helps Minseok wash up, then rubs a hand on the back of his neck.  

“Um.  I’ll just go shift really quick before you get ready for bed,” he says, pivoting on a heel.

“Oh, really?  I thought you might enjoy stretching your human legs until we have to leave again.”  Minseok sounds rather disappointed.

Jongdae stops, turning to look at his friend.  “I mean, I can change back in the morning if you want.  But, um. It’ll be more comfortable to curl up on the hearth in a smaller, furrier body.”

Minseok’s brows shoot up.  “Oh! The bed has a trundle.”  He quickly goes to slide a hideaway mattress out from beneath the bed, completely made up with quilts and a pillow and everything.

“Oh,” Jongdae says.  “Um, then I can keep this shape for a while, if you prefer.”

Minseok looks suddenly shy.  “I mean, it’s your body. And you’re really cute as a cat.  It’s just nice to have company. Not that you aren’t good company as a cat!”  The mage winces.

Jongdae just smiles.  “I understand what you meant.  I don’t mind wearing this shape.  I mean, both bodies are equally mine.”

It is rather companionable to perform their nightly ablutions side by side.  And it’s only a little awkward to get into bed so near his friend. The trundle is attached to the bed frame, so Minseok has to hop over the other mattress to end up in his own bed before Jongdae can slide beneath his own set of quilts.

“Goodnight, Dae,” Minseok whispers after waving the lanterns dark.

“Goodnight, Minseok,” Jongdae answers, wiggling his shoulders a bit to make himself more comfortable.  It always takes him a little while to get used to sleeping after shifting forms, which unfortunately means he’s still awake to hear Minseok mumble Baekhyun’s name in his sleep.

🏵️🐱🏵️

The spell to bind a set of clothing to Jongdae is a simple one that involves another diagram laid out on Minseok’s favorite flat rock.  In the center of this the mage places one of his woolen robes, a set of woolen socks, a pair of leather boots with the laces replaced with leather cord, and bright red silken smallclothes that make Minseok turn just about the same shade as he adds them to the pile, hiding them beneath the robe.

Jongdae says nothing even if it’s pretty weird to wear someone else’s naughty drawers.  If those are the only animal-fiber smallclothes Minseok has, it’s either that or nothing.  Enchanted robes or not, Jongdae would rather have something between his undercarriage and the chilly spring air.

Then Minseok pricks Jongdae’s thumb with a fancy copper blade, squeezing the digit and walking him around the diagram to drop his blood on some key sigils.  After the mumbling of some words of power, Minseok retrieves the garments.

“Um, why don’t you try them out now so we know for sure everything’s properly enchanted?  It would be inconvenient to discover an imperfection once we leave.”

Jongdae nods, heading back into the cottage with his new clothes while Minseok cleans up the traces of the spell.  He quickly sheds the kitty pajamas and replaces them with the less-childish outfit, trying not to think about the last time Minseok wore the smallclothes and who had gotten to take them off of him.  It’s just weird to know anything about a friend’s intimate exploits, so he shoves all such thoughts firmly out of his mind.

Then he flops on Minseok’s bed—they’d slid the trundle out of the way as soon as they’d woken up—and lets his feline form snap back into place.  His fur is covered in blue powder and bits of spun silver and he makes entirely offended faces as he grooms himself clean, spitting out pieces of metal thread as he works.

Minseok enters the cottage as he’s cleaning the last of the blue dust off of his tail.

“You know you’re welcome to bathe as a human,” Minseok says, then narrows his eyes at the surface of his bed.  “What the—”

Sighing, Minseok shakes his head.  “I probably should have had you change outside.  I should have remembered the robe was dyed with the indigo plant.  And of course the silver stitching didn’t trane.”

Jongdae hops to one of the rugs before changing back.  It’s becoming easier with practice, and soon he’s standing in front of Minseok in a set of snow-white robes.

Minseok nods in satisfaction.  “It’s a good thing all the stitching is done with silk and the boots are bound with catgut and bovine glue.  I’m glad we made sure it didn’t fall apart.”

Jongdae looks down at himself.  “Sorry about ruining your stuff,” he says.

Minseok only shrugs, waving his hand at the blue-spattered quilts.  The silver thread collects itself into a tangled ball and the powder compacts into a tiny little cake.

“Handy,” Jongdae comments.

Minseok nods.  “No harm done. And I think the white suits your electric nature just fine.  It also sets off your skin tone nicely.”

Suddenly bashful, Jongdae mumbles his thanks to the rug.

They spend the rest of the day emptying the saddlebags and preparing and preserving the gathered reagents, then refilling the bags with fresh supplies.  It’s easy to work side by side with Minseok except that the mage keeps smiling over at him.

“What?” Jongdae asks, the back of his hand before swiping it through his hair self-consciously.

“Nothing,” Minseok grins.  “You just have a really nice singing voice.”

Jongdae’s cheeks and ears catch fire.  “Oh,” he mumbles at the snowdrop in his hand.  “Um, thanks, I guess.”

He hadn’t even realized he’d been singing.  He used to get in such trouble at the Empor’ium for disrupting the quiet of the study hall, unable to suppress the songs that snuck out of his throat without his knowledge or permission whenever he’d been relaxed and content with the world.

Jongdae next notices he’s been singing when Minseok joins in, adding a soft woolen tone to Jongdae’s silken sheen.  Though the mage’s unconsciously-flirty little dance moves make Jongdae vaguely uncomfortable, their voices blend well together, just like the animal fibers keeping the familiar warm.

🏵️🐱🏵️

Their second attempt at geluna crocus gathering ends in crushing disappointment when they arrive at the shaded meadow to discover the snow long melted and no crocuses in sight.  There’s just a grassy field sprinkled with purple lupine, somehow both beautiful and sickening.

“We’re too late,” Minseok croaks, frozen astride Suho.

We still have time, Jongdae meows.   There’s still another chance.

“It was always the slimmest chance,” Minseok mourns.  “That’s why I wanted to check the others first.”

Slim is not none, Jongdae trills.   We can’t give up yet.

Minseok sets his jaw.  “You’re right. We’re not beaten yet.  And there’s still half a day’s light left, so we’ll get a head start on the return journey.  Then our hardworking Suho can have an extra day to rest before we have to climb the Dragon’s Tooth.”

What’s that? Jongdae asks as Minseok guides Suho back down the trail they’d just ridden up.

“It’s the highest peak of the Jagged Mountains.  It’s so tall it’s hard to breathe at the top, but it’s the only place to find roc down.”  

That’s the only thing left besides the geluna crocus, Jongdae notes.

Minseok nods.  “Since I knew exactly where to find it, I left it for last.  It also hopefully let some of the passes thaw a bit so poor Suho won’t have to trudge through as much snow below the treeline.”

Suho tosses his head and snorts, making both his passengers smile.

🏵️🐱🏵️

But they’re not smiling a week later when they’re halfway up the Dragon’s Tooth, staring in horror at the eroded mountainside.

“Must have been an avalanche,” Minseok states, voice ringing rather hollow.  “Simply erased the path like it wasn’t even there.”

Suho shifts his weight beneath them as the mage and familiar stare stupidly at the sheer rock face before them.

Is there another way to the top? Jongdae asks.

“Yes,” Minseok says, carefully backing Suho down the narrow trail until it widens enough for the donkey to turn around.  “But we’ll have to leave Suho behind and climb. You’ll have to be a human, so we can belay each other for safety.”

Whatever it takes, Jongdae promises, earning a wan smile.

They leave Suho wearing only his blanket in a south-facing meadow filled with fresh grass and sweet aster flowers.  

“He won’t wander away from this feast,” Minseok grins as he wraps his saddle and bridle in oilcloth and stows them in the shelter of a juniper bush.

Jongdae assumes his human shape and they each shoulder a saddlebag.  The third time Minseok sighs as they hike up the narrow winding path, Jongdae starts to sing.  He’s not sure what else to do to lift his friend’s spirits.

Minseok blinks at him in surprise, but doesn’t object.  And to Jongdae’s relief, he joins in by the second chorus.

They sing and hike until the sun is sinking low between the peaks and the path becomes less of a path and more of a scramble up the increasingly-steep mountainside.

“Let’s camp atop that boulder,” Minseok decides.  “Then we’ll harness up for the climb in the morning.”

Jongdae does his best to distract Minseok with conversation and card games until nightfall, resuming his feline form as they head into the tent to sleep.  They’ve just settled down when an eerie shriek sets all of Jongdae’s fur on end.

What the hiss was that?

Minseok only chuckles, pressing the trembling cat closer to his sturdy chest.  “Just an ice drake. It won’t bother us.”

Just an ice drake? Jongdae squeaks.   You knew there were ice drakes up here and we came anyway?

“Of course,” Minseok says.  “Whose path did you think we were following?”

Some nice friendly goats?  Jongdae buries his face in Minseok’s shoulder when the shriek sounds again.

Minseok laughs.  “Poor little scaredy-cat.  The tent is thoroughly warded.  They won’t even realize we’re here.”

Your wards better work, Jongdae grumbles, but he tries very hard to flatten his fur and leave it that way even when the drake calls out again.

It’s a very long time before Jongdae is able to sleep.

🏵️🐱🏵️

He’s more than a little relieved to wake up in the morning alive and not in a drake’s mouth.  Minseok is entirely unaffected, but that’s probably because he can’t smell the drake’s spoor all over the nearby scree.  Jongdae shifts into human form right away, in the hope that his useless human nose will let him feel secure enough to calm down and concentrate.  

But then he has an entirely new thing to be unsettled about as Minseok wraps cording around Jongdae’s legs, spiralling from ankle to thigh to hold his robes close against his body.  And just when his friend’s hands finish adjusting the cording at the top of his legs and Jongdae feels like he can breathe again, Minseok presents a leather climbing harness that Jongdae has no choice but to step into, letting the mage tug it into place over his pelvis and adjust each and every strap until he’s satisfied it’s properly fitted.

“How does that feel?” Minseok asks.  “Do a few squats, make sure it’s not going to pinch anything important.”  He wiggles his brows at Jongdae over a stupid smirk.

Face on fire, Jongdae turns away from his teasing companion to do a few testing squats and lunges.

“Seems alright,” he decides, ignoring the way that the bunched-up robe between his legs makes him look rather enthusiastic about the upcoming climb.

“Good,” Minseok nods, lifting guilty eyes from below Jongdae’s waist when he turns back around.

It’s just as well that Minseok turns away before binding his own robes to his legs and shimmying into his own harness.  He’s evidently worn it before, because he doesn’t have to make many adjustments at all before declaring himself good to go.  This makes Jongdae realize that he’s probably using Baekhyun’s harness, making him feel even worse for checking out Minseok’s leather-outlined .

But the fates didn’t miss his moment of indiscretion, repaying him in spades when Minseok informs Jongdae he’ll be going up the mountain first.  His blush returns as he realizes he’ll be giving his friend quite the view as Minseok stands below him, feeding up the rope.

Putting all thoughts of asses from his mind, Jongdae dutifully attends to Minseok’s lesson on how to activate the magically-adhering safety anchors and wind the rope into the spiral guides, shortening the distance he’s able to fall if he loses his grip.  He pays even closer attention when Minseok teaches him how to belay for the mage, pulling in the slack in the rope as Minseok unwinds it from the spiral guides on his way up to meet Jongdae.

“We don’t really need the rope and pitons for the next bit,” Minseok says, strapping both saddlebags across his back.  “But we’ll use them anyway, just to practice. Get all of your mistakes out of the way before our lives depend on perfection.”

Jaw set, Jongdae nods, allowing Minseok to fasten the bag of pitons to his harness and strap an alpenhook to his wrist.  He proceeds up the slope, following Minseok’s called instructions as to when to attach another piton and secure his rope.  When the rope nears the end, Minseok guides him to brace himself against a ledge so he won’t become fatigued as Minseok climbs up.

Despite Jongdae’s feline nature, Minseok is a much faster climber.

“I live in the mountains,” he shrugs when Jongdae whines.  “This is a necessary skill, so I might as well be good at it.”

Thankfully for Jongdae’s ego, he becomes more and more comfortable as the day wears on, learning to suss out stable hand- and foot-holds and use the curved talon of the alpenhook when the mountain fails to provide.  By the time they break for lunch, he’s only a little bit slower than his friend.

“There, see?” Minseok nods.  “Cats are good climbers. You’re doing great.”

Jongdae’s heart (and face) warms at the praise.  “I wish I had my claws, though,” Jongdae gripes. “And my tail—I’m so used to using it for balance, I feel weirdly vulnerable without it.”

“Being human isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Minseok agrees.  “I’d personally like an extra hand. That way I could constantly stir potions as I precisely add the reagents.”

“You have an extra hand,” Jongdae points out with a smile.  “Two, actually. I’d be happy to stir potions for you.”

Minseok’s face lights up.  “That’s right!” he grins. “That will be so helpful, Dae.”

Belly full and ego boosted, Jongdae practically scampers up the mountain.

They’re able to find a ledge wide enough for their tent just before sundown, and Minseok securely anchors it to the rock with a sigh of relief.

“Go in first, then shift,” he instructs Jongdae, who is only too happy to comply.

They eat a cold supper of jerky and waybread, too tired to attempt to play cards or even have much of a conversation.  As they assume their usual sleeping positions, Jongdae purrs at the fingers rubbing the base of his ears.

“These last few days would have a lot more if you weren’t by my side, Dae,” Minseok murmurs.  “Thanks for always being so positive and hardworking.”

You did all the work, Jongdae mrows.   I just followed instructions.

Minseok huffs.  “Well. You’re really good at it.”

🏵️🐱🏵️

This is dramatically proved the following day when Minseok’s foot slips, dragging him off the cliff to dangle less than a body length below the lowest piton holding the rope.  Above, Jongdae has the free end of the rope braced around his hip and his harness anchored to the topmost piton, but his heart still races in response to Minseok’s yelp.

“I’m alright,” the mage shouts an eternal moment later.  “Pitons held. Good work.”

Still, when Minseok makes it up to Jongdae’s side, the familiar can’t help reaching an arm out to clasp his friend’s sweaty shoulder.

“Don’t scare me like that,” Jongdae chides.  “Cats don’t actually have nine lives, and I’d prefer not to have a heart attack before I’m even thirty.”

“Sorry,” Minseok smiles, but then he leans over to press an apologetic kiss to Jongdae’s hair and the threat of cardiac malfunction looms bigger than ever.

“Listen carefully, Dae,” Minseok says, snapping Jongdae back to reality with his solemn tone.  “We’re about to clear the tree line, which means the air is getting thinner. You’ve probably actually found yourself a bit short of breath already.  Try to breathe more deeply rather than more quickly so you don’t end up hyperventilating. And you might start to feel a little woozy, almost like you’re drunk.  If you do, let me know so we can rest for a bit and let your body adjust. Your mind and body both need to be working properly for us to stay safe, so don’t ignore either.”

Jongdae nods, grateful for the reassurance that he’s merely out of air, not out of shape.  He follows the experienced mountain-dweller’s advice, evaluating his body and mind as he reels in the slack, waiting for Minseok to climb to meet him.

It’s late in the day when he can’t convince himself the world isn’t actually moving beneath him.  He’s kneeling on a little ledge hugging the snow-dusted cliff, having to force himself to let go long enough to reel in more slack because part of his brain is convinced he’ll fall at any moment.

When Minseok draws level with him, Jongdae’s nerve breaks.

“I can’t,” he blurts.  “Everything’s spinning.  I’ll fall.”

Minseok’s brows dart up in alarm, then he turns to look up the cliff.  His cheeks bunch adorably as he smiles. “We’re almost there, Dae. So you just sit there for a bit longer and feed the rope out for me, okay?  Then when I get to the top, I’ll be able to brace well enough to help haul you up if you can’t do it on your own, alright?”

Eyes locked on the rock face in front of him to make sure it doesn’t try anything sneaky, Jongdae nods.  He can hold on a little longer. Minseok needs him.

Even so, Minseok has to call down every time to remind him to feed out more rope.  And every time, Jongdae has to give himself a pep talk before he can move a hand from the rock face to do so.

It feels like days later when Minseok calls down to him.

“Dae!  You doing okay?”

“Nope,” Jongdae calls back.  The sun is going down and it’s making it harder to keep a stable point of reference.  If he can’t see, the world spins alarmingly.

“You’re totally safe as long as you remain in human form,” Minseok calls.  “The end of the rope is dead secure. With the harness on, you cannot fall lower than you currently are.”

“Yay,” Jongdae manages.

“So you have two options.  You can stay there all night, safe but miserable, or you can try to climb up.”

“I’ll die,” Jongdae protests.

“What did I just say?” Minseok croons.

“That… I’m safe.  I can’t fall.”

“That’s right.  You can believe me or you can believe your malfunctioning senses, but if you don’t make it up here you’ll have to heat yourself all night.  It’s about to get really cold.”

“I hate cold,” Jongdae whines.

“I know, Dae,” Minseok calls.  “Come up here where it’s warm, and there’s food, and I’ll hold you until the world stops spinning.”

That does sound a lot better than clinging to the cliff all night.

“I’ll try,” Jongdae says.

“Good man,” Minseok praises.  “I’ll do all the heavy lifting.  You just need to release the rope from each piton as you come to it so I can haul you up to the next one, okay?”

“Okay,” Jongdae whimpers.

It still takes a steady litany of coaxing and reassurances before Jongdae can force himself up off the ledge, keeping his body from scraping up the increasingly-icy cliff with his hands and feet, flailing a bit almost like he’s crawling up the vertical surface.  Minseok lifts him smoothly to each piton, then pauses for Jongdae to brace his weight against the cliff enough to free the rope from the spiral guide.

It’s fully dark by the end of it, and even with all four limbs paddling against the cliff Jongdae still feels like he’s twisting helplessly in the wind.  He’s thrown up twice by the time Minseok hauls his shaking body over the edge of the cliff and onto the upper end of the interrupted path. As soon as he’s as far away from the edge as possible and pressed up against the mountainside, he lets his exhausted body snap back into feline form, wiggling free of the harness and digging all his claws into the snowy path beneath his belly.

“You’re alright, Dae,” Minseok murmurs, lifting the distressed feline away from the ground with a gentle tug, coaxing him to retract his claws.  “I’ve got you. You’re safe, and you’ll feel better when your body adjusts.”

Jongdae’s pathetic meow contains no words but perfectly conveys his misery.

“I know, sweet boy,” Minseok coos, carrying him up the path.  “You’ve been so brave. I’m holding you tight—you’re not actually spinning.  Your body will figure that out soon enough.”

The mage crawls into the tent with the cat, tucks them both into the bedroll, and keeps Jongdae pressed tightly against his solid, stable body all night.  He croons reassurances whenever Jongdae wakes with a start, digging his claws into anything within reach (i.e. Minseok’s chest) to arrest the freefall he’s sure he’s experiencing.

By the time dawn’s rays lighten the sky, Jongdae feels physically better but mentally worse.

I am so sorry, he meows, staring in horror at the tiny flecks of blood staining the chest of Minseok’s robes.

“You couldn’t help it,” Minseok dismisses.  “It’s not like you bit me. I’m absolutely fine, and so are you, and that’s what matters.”

Still, Jongdae hastens to exit the tent, regain his human form, and take care of the morning chores to atone for his total dependence the night before.

But as soon as he straightens up and takes in his surroundings, Jongdae is frozen in awe.  They’re camped in the middle of an icy depression, lined both with snow and snowy white feathers.

“So… when you said ‘roc down’ you didn’t mean a creatively-named fern or something.  You meant ‘downy feathers from an actual, terrifying, definitely-going-to-eat-us giant- bird?”

Minseok laughs.  “They’re migratory, and they won’t be back until winter.  They prefer this milder climate to raise their chicks.”

“Milder?” Jongdae repeats.

“Compared to the top of the world, yes—milder,” Minseok confirms, coming up beside him to sling an arm around his shoulders and walk him up the side of the nest to peer over the edge.  “What do you think? Is the view worth the climb?”

Jongdae turns in place to take in the surrounding scenery, then shakes his head.  “Nope. It’s just not natural to look down and see clouds.  I’m not afraid of heights—when I’m in my right mind—but seeing clouds below my feet makes me feel like I’m upside-down.”

Minseok laughs.  “Fair enough. Let’s get what we came for and get out of here.”

It’s quick work to fill the saddlebags with all the massive fluffy feathers they can separate from the snowy mass.  They don’t actually need that much for the potion, but Minseok says that they may as well gather everything since they’ve made the journey. What they don’t use for the reversal potion will make excellent insulation when iced into the walls of his winter tower.

“That’s why the top of the cottage is shaped like that,” the mage explains when Jongdae tilts his head.  “The ice interlocks with the stone to make one sturdy structure perfect for observing and experimenting.”

When everything’s packed away into the saddlebags on Minseok’s back, Jongdae starts psyching himself up for the climb down.  But Minseok grins at him.

“We left the pitons in place,” Minseok reminds him.  “Which means I can self-belay as I rappel down.”

“What about me?”

“You can scream at the top of your kitty lungs from inside my robe, if you want,” Minseok offers.  “I’ll tie it securely to make a pouch you can’t fall out of.”

“Would you think me a coward if I took you up on that?” Jongdae asks with a wince.  

“Nope.  I’d think you efficient.  Descending like this will be much faster and use considerably less energy than teaching someone who’s still a little altitude sick.”

“I’m definitely efficient,” Jongdae says, then assumes his feline form without even complaining about the snow beneath his paws.

Jongdae is entirely glad he chose to ride as a blind passenger, because evidently “rappelling” is secret code for “jumping off a cliff.”  Or more accurately, jumping down a cliff, in huge, rope-controlled leaps ripping feline screams from Jongdae and entirely-too-amused laughter from Minseok.

It takes less than an hour to descend the cliff it took them two days to climb up.

“Oh, Dae,” Minseok laughs as he releases the thoroughly disgruntled feline from his robes, triggering a frenzy of dignity-restoring grooming from the cat.  “I’ll teach you to rappel properly this summer. I think you’d enjoy it if you were in control.”

I’ll consider it, Jongdae sniffs, smoothing his paw repeatedly over a perfectly-clean ear.

Minseok shouts the release word back up the mountain, then scampers away from the cliff face as all the pitons release and rain down toward the base of the cliff.  Minseok gathers them up and stows them in the saddlebags along with the ropes and harnesses, checking over each piece of equipment as he does so.

When he’s done with his self-soothing ritual, Jongdae resumes his human form.  He’d much rather tromp through the snow with leather boots instead of feline paws.  As they start off toward the aster meadow, he shoots Minseok dirty looks above a smothered smile whenever the mage bursts into another bout of laughter at the memory of Jongdae’s yowling terror.

“You’re so lucky I like you enough to have locked my claws in your robe instead of in your belly,” Jongdae grumbles.

“I do appreciate that,” Minseok smiles, then fails to suppress another rolling laugh.

Minseok is also lucky he has such a nice laugh.  Jongdae is more than willing to listen to it all day, even if it’s at his expense.

🏵️🐱🏵️

They find Suho exactly where they left him, drowsing in the middle of a severely depleted meadow.  Minseok laughs when he has to fasten the saddle with a looser girth, chiding the donkey for his gluttonous ways.

Suho is a little slow at the beginning, Minseok having to coax him into maintaining any sort of speed after his enormous meal.  But since they’re going downhill they still make decent time and are well on their way home when they decide to stop for the night.  

They make even better time the next day, Suho having digested most of his bounty enough to leave him with much more spring in his step.  The sun is shining so much that Jongdae elects to cling to the saddle blanket with his foreclaws while sitting on Suho’s rump, since huddling in Minseok’s robe was making him overwarm.

But the sun brings catastrophe along with comfort.

They’re making their way across a frozen river when it suddenly cracks beneath Suho’s hooves.  Alarmed at the sudden noise, the donkey bucks and kicks before bolting for the far bank. This sends both passengers tumbling from his back.  The cat twists in the air, landing lightly on his feet. But the mage lands heavily on his back, breaking through the damaged ice to plunge into the frigid river below.

Before Jongdae even has time to yowl, the river explodes upwards and Minseok slides down a tongue of ice to tumble against the far bank.  Minseok doesn’t move, and Jongdae, not daring to assume his heavier human form on such thin ice, yowls his terror for his friend as he scampers gingerly across the river.

He’s human as soon as his feet touch frozen ground and then he’s on his knees beside the motionless mage.  Minseok’s eyes are closed and he doesn’t respond to Jongdae’s calls but the faint puffs of his breath are still clouding the air in front of his face.

“Oh, hairballs—we have to get you warmed up.  Your lips are hissing blue. ”

Heart racing, Jongdae lifts the unconscious mage into his arms, staggering under the weight of the water now freezing in his robes.

“We’re not going to get far like this,” Jongdae realizes, setting his burden down and stripping the sodden robes from his friend’s body.  He’s much more exposed in his sleeveless undertunic and smallclothes, but Jongdae can move much faster without the extra dragging weight.

“Suho!” he calls.  “Here, Suho! Nobody’s mad at you, but we really need your help!”

His cries only echo off the snow but Jongdae keeps them up, swiveling his head as he hauls Minseok down the path as quickly as possible.  Without some kind of shelter, Minseok will surely freeze to death, and the camping supplies are in the donkey’s saddlebags.

Jongdae’s adrenaline is melting into fatigue by the time he finally spots the terrified beast.  He’s huddled up between two boulders, face pressed against the stone as if by blinding himself to danger he’ll thus be invisible.  Jongdae mumbles an apology as he all but drops Minseok into a snowbank, then murmurs soothing sounds as he approaches the trembling donkey.

“You’re okay,” he coos.  “Everything’s fine. Or it will be, if I can get our friend warmed up as fast as possible.”

Suho fidgets and flicks his ears but he allows Jongdae to approach without running off or kicking him, and Jongdae has the tent and bedroll pulled from the saddlebags in an instant.  

He throws the tent on the ground on the first reasonably-flat spot he lays eyes on, undoes the binding so it pops open, then shoves the bedroll inside.  He hauls Minseok out of the snowdrift, shoves him in the tent, and strips him with zero hesitation. He tucks the mage into the bedroll, throws the sodden clothes out of the tent along with his own damp boots and soggy socks, and pulls his own robe off.  Then he braces his cold-hating self before sliding into the bedroll with Minseok, wrapping his exertion-warmed limbs around the mage’s icy form.

“Come on,” he urges, rubbing anxious circles on Minseok’s as he sets his own muscles humming with micro-contractions, heating himself up until he’s sweating and vaguely nauseated.  

“Come on,” he says again, pressing his face against Minseok’s, tangling their legs tighter, all but crushing their torsos together.  He can feel Minseok’s shallow breath against his neck and the sluggish heartbeat in his chest so he knows the mage is still alive, but he also knows it’s a bad sign that Minseok’s not even shivering.

He pulses more electricity through his muscles even though they’re starting to protest the extreme overuse and sweat is making it hard to keep his grip on Minseok’s clammy skin.  He fights back a wave of nausea, but he’s unable to fight off the black that swims over him like an oily film.

🏵️🐱🏵️

“Dae?”

Someone is patting his face.

“Jongdae, wake up!”

Jongdae whines a protest against such treatment, ducking his chin and turning his face into the firm planes of… someone’s bare chest?

Minseok’s bare chest!

Jongdae’s sputtering apologies as he tries to slither back, yelping in surprise when he instantly impacts the side of the one-man tent.  Unable to get away or hide, Jongdae snaps back into his feline body and squeezes his eyes shut.

I’m sorry, really sorry, I didn’t see anything I mean I didn’t look or notice or feel anything and if I did I know the water was really cold and—

“Jongdae,” Minseok chuckles.  “It’s fine. Don’t apologize. I’m not shy and even if I were, you saved my life.”

Not shy?   But you always change behind the curtain or in the tent so I thought you didn’t like undressing in front of people but I had to undress you because your robes were too heavy and starting to freeze oh hiss I left them in the road bezoars I’ll go get them—

“Dae!” Minseok laughs.  “It’s fine—don’t leave. I don’t care about the robes right now.  I change in privacy to be polite to you.”

Jongdae slits open one eye.   Polite to me?  Minseok, I am a cat.  I am most of the time.  Hiss, if you had a coin for every time you’ve seen my by now we could have a nice night out at a bar what the hairballs am I saying?  Jongdae smooshes his face into the bedroll as if that will stop the embarrassing meows from leaving his mouth.

Minseok is guffawing and even though Jongdae’s pointy orange ears are hot with shame he’s still absolutely thrilled to hear such a sign of vitality from a body that felt disturbingly like a corpse in his arms.

But Minseok’s arms are warm and strong when they wrap around his melted cat body and pull him into a tight embrace.  His eyes are still closed but he can feel warm lips pressed against his forehead.

“Really, Dae.  Thank you. It took everything I had just to get out of the river.  If you hadn’t been there, hadn’t been a cat when we fell but human enough to get me… wherever we are, well, that would have been it.  And it’s so warm in here now that you must have done your radiator thing. Look at me.”

Jongdae forces his eyes to open and focus on the beautiful, ultra-sincere face in front of him.

“Kim Jongdae.  I’m alive because you are perfect.  A thousand times, thank you so much.”

You say that like I could have done anything instead of immediately get you warm, Jongdae mewls.   Anyone would have done the same.

“Anyone might have tried,” Minseok shrugs.  “But your unique qualities enabled you to be successful.  I got a familiar out of desperation to save Baek, but you keep saving me in the process.”

His arms tighten around Jongdae’s furry body.  “I just. I’m really glad I met you, and I’m not just saying that because I almost died and I’m still kind of freaked out.”

Jongdae huffs.   I’m still kind of freaked out, too.  And I’m also really glad I met you. I’ve gotten rather attached, so if you could try not to flirt with death anymore I’d be really grateful.

“No argument here,” Minseok chuckles.  “Um. Where did you say we ended up?”

I have no idea.  But we’re on the home side of the river.  And I found Suho. Obviously, because we’re in the tent.  But I didn’t hobble him or anything so who knows where he is now.

“He’s trained not to wander out of sight of the tent, so he should be around.  Um. I’m just going to borrow your robe and go get a fresh set of clothes.”

Okay, Jongdae agrees, keeping his eyes squeezed shut when Minseok releases him, then rustles around a bit before leaving the tent.

The mage laughs at his scrunched face when he re-enters the shelter.  “As you said, I’ve seen your undercarriage an unfair amount of times. But if you’re going to peek, I’d much rather you catch a glimpse of the goods when I’m properly warm.”

No way, Jongdae says, shaking his head.  

“Don’t think I’m worth peeking at?”  Minseok’s voice holds a playful tone.

What of course you are I mean I have no idea you always wear loose robes or dumb pajamas and I definitely wasn’t paying attention to your chiseled chest and washboard abs while I was warming you up because that would have just been wrong.

Minseok snickers.  “Well, my mysterious body is hidden beneath a loose robe again, so your poor delicate kitty eyes are safe from any shocks.”

Jongdae cracks one eye open just to be sure the mage isn’t trying to trick him.  Minseok is grinning at him, fully dressed.

Thank you, Jongdae says, relaxing and opening the other eye.   So.  Where are we, and are we staying or moving on?  I have no idea what time it is.

“We’re an impressive distance from the river considering you hauled my unconscious here without Suho’s help, and while this isn’t the campsite I’d have picked, it’s out of the way and fairly sheltered so it’ll serve.  Based on the sun, I think we crossed the river about two hours ago. We could probably press on for a few more hours, but Suho is still really spooked. Was he hiding between those rocks when you found him?”

Is he still in there?

Minseok nods.  “So. I still feel terrible and you still seem shaken up.  I vote we eat the last of the honeycakes along with some jerky and dried fruit, then just go back to sleep.”

I can’t eat honeycakes as a cat, Jongdae protests.   I’ll get my fur all sticky.

“So turn back.  Here.” He drapes Jongdae’s robe over him.

Jongdae switches to his human form, quickly wiggling into the robe.

“I think my socks and boots got wet,” Jongdae confesses, tucking his bare toes beneath his robes to warm them and try to keep out of Minseok’s personal space.

“They’re soaked,” Minseok agrees, handing over half of the provisions.  “I laid them out to dry, but they’ll probably just freeze overnight. You’ll have to wear your kitty feet outside until we get home.”

“That’s fine.  I only plan to be human long enough to scarf this food.  It burns a lot of energy to do the ‘radiator thing’ as you call it.”

Minseok concentrates on his own meal.  “Would it be too awkward if you stayed human while we slept?  I’m still a little chilly and if you’re man-sized just having you next to me would be nice, no radiating required.”

Jongdae tries not to choke on his honeycake.  “Um, sure?” he manages after he swallows. “Uh, we’re keeping our clothes on, right?”

Minseok shrugs.  “If you insist,” he murmurs.

“I definitely insist,” Jongdae replies immediately.  Sharing warmth for practical reasons is acceptable. Cuddling up to someone else’s man for any other reason is absolutely not.

Minseok shrugs again, handing over some jerky and dried persimmons.  They eat in silence, and Jongdae feels strangely bashful whenever they catch each other’s eye.

When the food is gone, Minseok magicks away any crumbs before settling into the bedroll, holding the edge up for Jongdae.

You’re being a good, helpful familiar, he lectures himself as he slides in beside the mage, lying very still and trying not to actually touch Minseok.

But Minseok is either really cold or really shaken, because he tugs Jongdae closer, nudges him onto his back, then drapes himself basically on top of the familiar.

“This okay?” he asks as he buries his face into Jongdae’s shoulder.

“Uh.  Sure?” Jongdae replies, grateful that his voice didn’t crack.

“Good.  G’night, Dae.”

“Sleep well,” Jongdae manages, then closes his eyes and thinks of how cold the river must have been.

🏵️🐱🏵️

In the morning, Jongdae is awoken by a contented puff of breath against his neck.  It tickles, and Jongdae scrunches his face and kinks his neck only for the side of his head to encounter the top of someone else’s.  

Which would be great, under other circumstances.  Jongdae’s always been a cuddly sort of cat. Except the man on top of him is Minseok, which makes it terrible for several reasons.

First, Minseok is asleep.  He’s not really aware of what he’s doing or who he’s doing it with, which means Jongdae really shouldn’t be enjoying the way the adorable mage is wrapped around him with an arm across Jongdae’s chest and a leg over his hips.  It’s not intentional affection meant for him, it’s the instinctive reaction of a cuddly sleeper used to having a warm and willing body in bed beside him.

Which is reason number two: Minseok is already in love with someone else, and Jongdae is a mere temporary placeholder in the man’s arms.  Minseok doesn’t want Jongdae, he wants Baekhyun. But Baekhyun is frozen and Jongdae isn’t, so Minseok is making do.

Unfortunately, Jongdae’s body isn’t as wise and disciplined as his mind, and Minseok’s making do is doing physical things to Jongdae.   Awkward physical things.  

Especially when Minseok’s breathing changes, indicating he’s awake.  And then the mage almost purrs, tightening his hold on Jongdae and humming contentedly against his neck.

And then Minseok’s lips move against his skin, warm and moist and the only possible reaction to this is reverting to his feline form before the sleepy mage accidentally tries to initiate a special sunrise with the wrong guy.

“Dae?” Minseok questions, pawing at the bedroll until a furry orange face is revealed.  “What’s wrong?” His voice is burred with sleep and his lips are right there and Jongdae has to his own paw frantically to avoid embarrassing himself.

Nothing’s wrong, Jongdae mumbles into the back of his front foot.   It’s just, you know.  Baekhyun.

It’s as if someone opened the tent to let in a blast of frigid air.

“Oh,” Minseok says, voice small.  “You’re right. We should get moving.”

He gives Jongdae’s ears a melancholy caress, then busies himself rolling up the bedding as Jongdae watches silently, head low, ears lowered.  He can’t wait until Baekhyun’s restored. Then Minseok won’t inadvertently torment his poor familiar anymore.

Suho is grazing placidly nearby like he hadn’t spent several hours jammed between two boulders ignoring the terrifying world.  He doesn’t even look embarrassed as Minseok breaks camp and loads the saddlebags.

Jongdae feels a little bad for not helping—Minseok’s moving like he’s rather stiff and sore.  But the mage had forbidden him from going barefoot in the spring slush as a human, so he obediently wears his feline form and supervises from the top of one of Suho’s boulder friends.  He should feel imperious, lazily twitching his tail as the mage toils below. But Minseok keeps flashing him shy little smiles, making his jumpy stomach flip even though Jongdae knows the mage is just melancholy and seeking platonic comfort.

He’s not sure if he feels better or worse when he’s pressed tight against Minseok’s firm chest, listening to his heart beat in syncope with Suho’s hooves.

Almost as if he’s trying to make up for yesterday’s disaster, Suho steps lively as they make for home.  They make excellent time despite pausing so Minseok can reinforce the ice over two more rivers to ensure they all remain on the correct side of the frozen surface.  The weather is increasingly mild, and the more rivulets of snowmelt scar the dirt road, the more fretful Minseok gets.

He’ll be fine, Jongdae mews up at the anxious mage.   Your magic will hold.

“It better,” Minseok mutters, coaxing Suho into picking up the pace.

Minseok doesn’t even stop at the cottage.  He rides right past it and around the mountain to Baekhyun’s little overhang, hopping off the confused donkey with words of power already on his lips.  The wards are faint but they light up anew at the mage’s incantation, and Jongdae just peeks out of Minseok’s robe at the icy figure while Minseok stands there for a moment, breath shuddery.

“The worst blizzing part of all of this is that even if we do save him, the idiot is only going to get himself in trouble again immediately afterward,” Minseok growls as they stare at the perfectly intact statue.

And we’ll save him again, because you love him, Jongdae rumbles reassuringly.  

Minseok huffs.  “Maybe with two of us keeping an eye on his impulsive , we’ll be able to avert the worst disasters.”

I will do my absolute best to keep him safe for you, Jongdae trills, ignoring the stony feeling in his gut.

“You really are the best familiar ever, Dae,” Minseok says, hefting Jongdae higher on his shoulder.

Suho follows his master as Minseok walks back to the cottage with Jongdae staring over the mage’s shoulder at the beautiful man Minseok adores.

🏵️🐱🏵️

Jongdae does his best to be bright and helpful as Minseok bustles around getting everything set up to immediately begin brewing the reversal agent as soon as they get back from their final chance to acquire the geluna crocus.

“I need to believe it will be there, Dae.  I must plan only for success,” Minseok says, a mantra he repeats as he checks and double-checks the preparations for the long journey ahead.  

Jongdae smiles reassuringly every time, feeling guilty that he’s glad the mage is agitated enough not to notice his familiar’s smile is a little flat.

They set off for Baekhyun’s last hope after two days of obsessive preparations that Jongdae suspects Minseok is performing partly to allow Suho a few days to rest.  The Everwinter Grove is ten days’ ride from Minseok’s cottage and the mage is unfamiliar enough with the route to pack a carefully-drawn map copied from an ancient atlas.

“It’s a long shot this late in the spring,” Minseok says as Jongdae takes in their red-inked route.  “But I’ve seen snow there on the hottest day of summer once, so we’ll make the trip. I’d make it even if there were only a one percent chance of success.  I have to try, for Baek.”

Jongdae wishes he were in feline form so he could offer Minseok a head or some cuddles.  “We’ll find it, Minseok.” he says instead. “It’ll be there.”

Minseok sighs.  “I really, really hope so, Dae.”

The mage tucks the map into the pocket of his robes, then performs a series of last-minute checks before gesturing for Jongdae to precede him out of the cottage.  Jongdae gets Suho saddled and bridled and petted while Minseok goes to renew the wards yet again, assuming his feline form when the mage returns.

“May our road be clear and our feet be swift,” Minseok sighs, then clucks at the donkey to start toward their goal at a jaunty lope.

The sighs continue all day, evidently unconsciously.  Jongdae is all too conscious of them, being tucked up against the melancholy mage’s over-expanding chest.  But he says nothing, doing his own fretting as the road disappears beneath the donkey’s hooves.

Minseok seems to crave physical contact when he’s not feeling his best, and this trip is going to be a supreme test for the familiar if that means the mage wants him man-shaped and beside him every night.  He needs a strategy to enable him to behave like the good, supportive friend Minseok has every right to expect him to be.

He makes a list in his head of ways to cope.  Recite each form of elemental magic and what it’s strong against and weak to.  Perform all his power-spooling exercises. Sing long, drawn-out ballads to himself in his head.

It turns out not to be nearly enough.  Minseok’s mood the first evening is reserved, but he wants to play the solitaire game before bed.  Or so he says, but really it turns out he wants to cuddle close to Jongdae’s side “Because I’m tired and it’s chilly” while Jongdae basically plays the matching game by himself.

When Jongdae, like an idiot, asks the mage if he should return to feline form before bed, Minseok bites his lower lip.

“Do I invade your space too much when you’re man-shaped?” he asks.  “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

There’s nothing Jongdae can do in the face of the sheepish mage but say, “No, it’s fine, I just wanted to give you space if you preferred.”

Minseok may be consumed by worry and guilt but he’s still aware enough to notice Jongdae brace himself as the mage presses close to his side.

“Are you sure this is alright?” he asks, huge eyes wide and sincere.  “You don’t have to humor me just because you’re my familiar.”

And Jongdae, because he’s been a er for those feline eyes ever since the man walked into the Familiar Empor’ium two months ago, says “No, it’s fine—cats like to sleep in cozy piles.  I was just afraid your hands were going to be cold.”

This brings a genuine smile to Minseok’s face for the first time in days, which is worth the half-hour of psyche-stretching exercises before he finally falls asleep.

The night isn’t actually too bad, and Jongdae manages to slip out of the tent at dawn without waking the mage, thanking Bastet for making her children stealthy even in human form.  By the time Minseok emerges from the tentwith his hair fluffed up in an unruly halo like the grumpiest baby bird, Jongdae has breakfast ready.

“Where did you get eggs?” Minseok asks, scrubbing at one eye with a pajama-covered paw.  Theoretically the man buys his own clothing, so it’s a little ridiculous that his sleep clothes always seem too big for him.  It makes him look like a toddler.

“There are ducks in the pond over there,” Jongdae answers.  “I just took the freshest egg from four different nests. The mamas won’t miss them.”

“Such a clever kitty,” Minseok mumbles, then stretches through a yawn.  His kitten-embroidered pajamas ride up his torso, exposing those well-defined abs.

Okay, he’s definitely not a toddler.  

Jongdae wrenches his eyes back to the cast-iron skillet over the fire, grabbing it with a hot pad and sliding the perfectly-cooked eggs onto a pair of plates beside the waiting potato-and-jerky hash.

“I made coffee, too,” he says, handing a tin cup to the sleepy mage along with the plate of steaming food.

“You’re amazing,” Minseok praises, backing up his words with lethally-cute noises of delight as he eats.

Baekhyun better hissing realize what a lucky guy he is.  

🏵️🐱🏵️

Minseok’s mood becomes more bleak the more the passing landscape reveals the advancing spring.  It rains instead of snows, flowers are everywhere, birds are swooping over the road to catch bugs to feed their chicks.  They startle does with fawns darting at their heels and interrupt the courtship dance of a pair of hares.

The world is blooming with new life, unaware that a frozen man is facing imminent death.

Minseok is very aware, though.  As the days pass and they press onwards, his mood goes from short-tempered to determinedly hopeful, then descends again.  He becomes less and less talkative, more and more withdrawn—except that he seems to need to be touching Jongdae all the time.

Minseok holds him all day while they ride, thumb occasionally rubbing against the feline’s cheek.  He tucks himself beneath Jongdae’s arm while they sit beside the campfire, pretending to care about the flower cards but paying much more attention to Jongdae’s fingers or his knee or his shoulder blade.  At night he may as well be a tangling vine, slowly wrapping around Jongdae until he can’t move more than his eyelids. But it’s the mornings that will be the death of Jongdae.

If he’s lucky, he wakes up before Minseok and can cook breakfast in relative peace.  But if Minseok wakes before his familiar, he snuggles close, semi-consciously grinding his sunrise stiffness against Jongdae’s hip while nibbling sleepily at his neck.  He’d thought it was reflexive at first, a case of mistaken identity, until the morning before the last leg of their journey.

“Dae,” Minseok murmurs in a throaty voice just this side of a moan.  “You’re so good to me. So gorgeous.”

And it should be the iest hissing thing he’s ever heard but it just makes heat prick the corners of his eyes.

Minseok has given up.  

He’s obviously transferring his affections from a dying man to a convenient substitute in an attempt to shield himself from the broken heart he expects to carry home.  He doesn’t actually want Jongdae, he just wants to not hurt, to be distracted, to convince himself he doesn’t care about the lover he believes he’s about to lose.

And yet it takes every bit of Jongdae’s willpower to hum affectionately, then say, “Let me be good to you by making you breakfast,” and slither out of the tent despite the too-cute mage’s disappointed pout.

As he works off the frustration in his loins splitting more kindling than he really needs given that he can light a fire with an electric spark, he makes a deal with himself.

If they find the geluna crocus, Jongdae will remain friendly but professional with Minseok until they brew the potion and revive his lover.  Once Minseok and Baekhyun are joyously reunited, Jongdae will slip away down the mountain on feline feet, make his way back to the Empor’ium, and negate their contract.  Maybe Magister Kyungsoo will let him teach power-spooling classes or something.

But if they don’t find the geluna crocus and he wakes up on the return journey with Minseok purring his nickname in his ear, he’s going to purr right back.  If the mage wants to be distracted, Jongdae is ready and willing to distract. Sure, it’ll to know he’s a generic replacement for a longed-for love, but maybe Jongdae can make them both feel good enough to forget for a while.

He feels like the worst familiar ever for the dark whisper in his mind that hopes there are no crocuses to be found.

🏵️🐱🏵️

Minseok is absolutely silent as they close the remaining distance to the Everwinter Grove.  They can see it on the mountainside as they traverse the last valley, an oddly-circular patch of dark evergreens cupped in a horseshoe of stony slope.

“Some people say it’s where frost nymphs live, but I think it’s just a weird little microclimate,” Minseok had explained as Jongdae had studied the map back in the cottage.  “It’s just that it’s this sheltered place on the north face of a mountain, and the trees grow so thick that the sun can’t really reach the ground. The branches act like roc down, trapping cold air against the mountain, so the snow doesn’t melt until late summer.”

He’d shown Jongdae a set of hedge shears before stowing them in a saddlebag.  “The geluna crocus doesn’t need much sunlight to grow, so it could survive the shady forest floor.  But it needs full moonlight to bloom and it’s our last chance. If we need to clip a hole up to the sky we will, to make sure any buds we find get enough moonbeams to open.”

It had seemed like an entirely plausible plan in the cottage, where snow still lingered in the shadows of stones.  But there’s no snow on or around the trees, and as they approach beneath the caress of the late spring sun, it seems less and less likely that there will be any snow beneath them.

“I almost don’t want to look,” Minseok says as they stop in front of the dense grove.  “As long as we don’t look, there’s still the possibility that it’s there.”

I’ll look, Jongdae meows.   It’ll be easier for me to slip beneath the trees as a cat, and I’ll be able to see just fine in the dim.

Minseok looks down at him with a tight-lipped smile.  “You’re always exactly the right guy for whatever I need,” Minseok says.

Jongdae pretends not to notice the casual way Minseok rubs his bicep over his eyes as he dismounts the already-grazing donkey.  

He sets the cat down on the carpet of pine needles spreading out from the edge of the grove.  

“Be careful in there, Dae,” Minseok says.  “The last time I was here just the usual deep-forest critters lived in there, but that was half a decade ago.”

I may be orange in the sun, but all cats are gray in the dark.  Nothing will see me if I don’t want to be seen.

Minseok gives him a lopsided little smile.  “Such a confident cat. I trust you to take care of yourself, but yowl if you need backup.”

I’m pretty sure I can hunt even the most dangerous flowers without incident, Jongdae huffs, then trots off toward the trees with his tail held high.

It’s eerily silent beneath the trees.  Nothing sings in the canopy or scurries in the branches, and while there are indeed patches of snow, nothing seems to be growing beneath the sun-blocking pines.  Still, just so he can tell Minseok he looked everywhere and he’s absolutely sure no wily crocuses eluded the mighty hunter, he prowls around investigating every little patch of snow until he comes up against the cliff face that shelters the trees.

And if he’d turned to his left rather than his right, he’d have missed them.

Three little green shoots just barely clearing a patch of snow beneath the overhanging branches of a truly massive pine.  The lowest branches are only a cat’s height from the ground where they sprout from the tree, but they’re heavy enough with frosted blue needles that the tips sweep the forest floor.

That hedge trimmer is woefully outclassed by this brute of a tree.

Careful not to disturb the limbs shielding the crocuses, Jongdae climbs up the back of the tree to bat at the branches.  They’re flexible enough that they could probably just bend them out of the way or something if they can’t manage to clip them off.  Or maybe Minseok has a hatchet or a handsaw in his saddlebags of many tricks.

Minseok.

Jongdae is overcome by a wave of longing strong enough to make him hunker forlornly at the base of the tree.   It was never meant to be and you know it, he lectures himself.   You’re here to help your friend, to serve your master.  

But that dark whisper counters with He’ll never know if you say there weren’t any geluna crocuses to be found.  You don’t even have to lie to him. Just let him assume what he already expects.

It’s a tempting scenario.  He could slink out from the trees, tail held low, ears down, eyes sad.  Minseok would ask, of course, but all Jongdae would have to say is “I’m sorry, Minseok,” and the mage would believe the worst.  The grove is dense enough to discourage the mage from searching for himself, and anyway he trusts Jongdae.

Jongdae would convince the mage to wander for a while, to delay their return to the cottage.  Every night he’d sing Minseok to sleep, and every morning he’d wake him with pleasure. He could be so good for Minseok, take him apart so thoroughly he wouldn’t remember his own name, much less the guy melting beneath an overhang far away.  And by the time they got home, Baekhyun would be gone. As if he’d never existed.

Jongdae lets himself live in this selfish fantasy until he emerges from beneath the trees to see Minseok biting his own lip hard enough to make it bleed.

🏵️🐱🏵️

“There are three?” Minseok gapes, bloody lip forgotten.

I think so, Jongdae meows.   I mean, they’re not blooming of course, so they could be something else.  But they’re growing in snow and the leaves looked the same as the drawing.

“Okay.  Okay. Calm down, Minseok, you’ll poke an eye out if you go running through there pell-mell.  Okay.”

Still talking to himself, Minseok turns to rummage through the saddlebags on the ground, having relieved the hard-working donkey of his tack to let him rest.  When he turns back around he’s holding the tent and bedroll.

“Is there room to set this up in there somewhere near the plants?”

Not as it is, but I noted the branches are pretty flexible.  We could maybe tie them out of the way or something instead of cutting.  But then again, we might need to cut you a path anyway.

Minseok shakes his head.  “I want to disturb the grove as little as possible,” he says.  “Next time I need a miracle, I want to believe I can find another here.”

After much contemplation, Minseok decides to just take both saddlebags with him and make his way along the edge of the grove, sidling along facing the embracing mountainside and letting the branches scrape against his back.  By the time he makes it to where Jongdae is waiting near the hopefully-crocuses, his robe is torn and bloody as if he’d slid down a rocky mountainside on his shoulders.

I will personally bite Baekhyun if he even tries to go near a wild beast ever again, Jongdae snarls.

“You have my total blessing.  I’d much rather heal him of a cat bite.”

With Jongdae’s help, Minseok manages to tie the saddlebags to his legs and drag them behind him as he worms his way beneath the branches.  He can just fit if he’s flat on his stomach, pushing himself along with his toes as he pushes branches away from his face.

There’s a lot of wincing and hissing from both parties, and Jongdae thinks maybe he’ll just keep Baekhyun on a leash or something.  He wonders what good qualities the guy has to warrant such heroic efforts to save him from the consequences of his own poor decision.  Minseok hasn’t mentioned any, just saying variations of “He’s annoying but I love him.”

Maybe it’s just as well Jongdae doesn’t know exactly how the beautiful man outclasses him.

“This spot seems ideal.  I can just see the tree where the plants are, but we’re far enough away that we won’t disturb them by making some adjustments for comfort.”

Adjustments? Jongdae trills, but then he’s left blinking in awe.

Rolling on his back between two long-limbed pines, Minseok mutters some unpronounceable word and lifts his hands.  The branches lift too, curving upward to create a little triangle of space just the right size for the tent. They frost over as they move before literally freezing in place.

Minseok’s lips twitch when he sits up in this newly created space to see his familiar staring at him in awe.

“Plants have water in them,” he shrugs.  “Water is just ice waiting to happen.”

I guess! Jongdae huffs.   Do you think they’ll stay frozen on their own, or do you want me to hold the spell for you?

Minseok blinks.  “Uh, I was going to carve some glyphs to hold them, but if you can do it, that would probably be easier on the trees.”

Please.  I can maintain a spell this small in my sleep.  Which I will actually demonstrate once we collect those elusive flowers.

Minseok grins as he unties the saddlebags from his legs.  “I’m going to laugh so hard when the moon comes up and I gently freeze the branches out of the way and they turn out to be weeds or something.”

If they turn out to be weeds I will wear my human shape and hold you until you’re ready to go home, Jongdae says sincerely.

Minseok’s smile gets a little misty, then he scoops Jongdae into his arms and squeezes his feline form uncomfortably tight while pressing kisses between his ears.  Jongdae uses the opportunity to press his paw against Minseok’s skin to spin into himself the power the mage is exerting to keep the branches frozen. It’s a tiny spell that requires little effort but constant attention from the caster, attention Minseok won’t have as soon as he sets his mind to the best way to bloom and harvest the mysterious plants.

But familiars aren’t human, and the same innate magic that allows them to “break the rules” and transform from animal to human look-alike also allows them to break certain other rules.  While their own arcane abilities are generally modest, each species has special talents that make them particularly useful to those that manipulate the world with magic.

Cats are by far the most common, a traditional choice for good reason.  Just as the animal’s tail twitches reflexively even during sleep, feline familiars can maintain active spells reflexively without conscious effort.  They don’t need to understand the spell or how it works, they just pull the energy into their psyche and keep it going. It’s sort of like one juggler taking over for another, except the second juggler can keep the balls in the air with one finger while asleep.

After at least a dozen exaggerated kisses while crushing most of the breath out of his familiar’s lungs, Minseok hums against Jongdae’s furry forehead.  “You really are the best, Dae. Regardless of how this ends, I am so glad I didn’t have to go through all of it alone.”

That’s what friends are for, Jongdae wheezes, drawing the smallest of chuckles from the chest he’s mashed against.

“Well.  You’re the best one I’ve ever had.”

Same to you, Jongdae replies, earning himself another breathless squeeze that overrides the pain of his slowly-breaking heart.

🏵️🐱🏵️

There is a not-insignificant part of Jongdae that mourns as the three little plants actually do blossom beautifully in the shaft of moonlight Minseok carefully provides for them.  The flowers that seal his fate are even more beautiful than the illustration, shimmering ethereally in the moonlight.

“Thank the frost,” Minseok sighs when the blooms have fully opened.

Crouching carefully in the narrow space, Minseok chants what’s probably a preservation charm, then carefully slices the flowers from their stalks with his little copper blade.  Then he folds them each into a handkerchief and sets the bundles into a cedar box, latching it securely before wriggling back over to the tent, Jongdae slinking at his side.

When they’re both inside, Minseok kindly magicks all the pine sap out of Jongdae’s fur and his own hair and clothing, sending it along with the rest of the needles and debris out into the forest from whence it came.  He can’t magick away the tears in his robe, though he does lift the dried blood from the fibers. None of the scratches are deep and since Minseok knows they’ll all just re-open (and multiply) when they squirm out of the grove tomorrow, he decides to ignore them until they’re back out in the open.

Self-evaluation complete, he turns to Jongdae with a bright little smile.  

“Will you please start siphoning my magic every night before bed?  We’ll need quite a lot of power to imbue the reagents for the reversal potion.”

Jongdae walks over to the mage, who lowers his head so Jongdae can press his left front paw pad against Minseok’s forehead.  The frost mage is rather powerful—Jongdae’s known that since Minseok launched himself up out of the river—but the familiar’s psychic reservoir is vast.  He spools about half of Minseok’s power into himself, unsure how quickly the mage will be able to regenerate his magic and unwilling to leave him underpowered in case there’s any trouble on the way home.

When the familiar takes his paw off the mage’s forehead, Minseok’s smile turns rather shy.  “Um. Even though we got what we came for, will you still wear your human shape and cuddle with me for a while?”

Of course, Jongdae meows, because evidently he’s a glutton for punishment.

He transforms and Minseok basically tackles him to the bedding, thankfully unable to crush his ribcage quite as thoroughly in this larger body.

“Thank you, Dae,” Minseok murmurs once Jongdae’s at least managed to wrestle them both into the bedroll.

“Anything for you,” Jongdae says, trying not to wince at just how true the statement is.  He’s in way too deep and he needs to make a clean break once Baekhyun’s back, before he embarrasses himself more than absolutely necessary.

He sets his arms around the mage he adores and sets his mind to recalling each of the hundred verses to that old pub classic “My Lover’s Lips are a Red, Red Rose.”  He can’t bear to dwell on Minseok’s actual physical traits, so he immerses himself in his internal rendition of the increasingly-bawdy song with increasingly-disgusting comparisons.  There’s nothing y about “my lover’s prick is a long-dead eel” or “my lover’s is a wind-swept cave”— “my lover” always has both regardless of who sings it—and it’s a good enough distraction for Jongdae to fall asleep while hugging the guy who will only ever be his friend.

🏵️🐱🏵️

Jongdae is almost disappointed in the morning when Minseok merely presses an exaggerated kiss to his cheekbone before prodding him out of the tent, barely waiting for him to shift back to his feline form before evicting him.  They pack everything into the saddlebags and release the frozen tree branches to melt back into their usual position. Then Minseok belly-crawls back to the surrounding cliff and once again sidles his way around the edge of the grove.

Minseok is bouncing with the need to get home so they just eat a cold breakfast before saddling Suho and setting off.  Minseok sings as they ride, laughing when Jongdae tries to join in with entirely unsuitable vocal cords. However, his mood is a bit dampened by the continuing signs of spring all around them, and he pushes Suho faster and farther before finally stopping for the night.

He fidgets and hisses when Jongdae assumes human form to spool more of the mage’s magic and clean his many scratches, killing Jongdae with his protruding lower lip.  He’s also standing there in only his smallclothes (and only because Jongdae refused to help if he didn’t wear at least that). Between the pouting and the pecs, Jongdae finds it difficult to focus, powering through with the inside of his cheek trapped between his teeth.

And then Minseok refuses to put his clothes back on.  Instead, he sits across from Jongdae as they play cards, deliberately flexing various muscles and smirking when he catches the familiar staring.

“Like what you see?” he leers, brows bouncing along with his pecs.

“You know you’re well built,” Jongdae answers, more than a little annoyed by this deliberate flaunting of what he can’t have.  “You don’t need to fish for compliments from your familiar.” He tilts his head, deliberately making the silver snowflake tag on his collar catch the firelight.  

Minseok straightens up as if he’d been slapped.  “You know I don’t see you as subservient,” he says, giving Jongdae a wounded look.  “You don’t have to wear the collar now that you can shift at will. it was just for your identification in case we got separated.”

Jongdae touches the pale blue leather.  “Oh,” he says, reminding himself he was planning to take it off and leave it behind anyways.  “Uh, right.” He unbuckles the collar and holds it out to the mage, feeling strangely like he’s the one that’s underdressed.

But Minseok shakes his head.  “It’s yours. You keep it.” He sits up straight, taking his turn at Go-Stop before looking at Jongdae expectantly, no hint of flirting in his gaze.

Jongdae sets the collar in his lap and tries to concentrate on the game.  Sorry for dampening the mood, he subtly lets Minseok win.

“We should get some sleep,” Minseok says when he’s done gloating over his victory.  “I want to be up with the sun.”

Jongdae nods, then tucks the collar in a saddlebag on his way over to the tent.  He kind of wants to keep it in one of the pockets of the robe but it won’t trane when he shifts and he’s not sure what that would do to either collar or robe.  He may as well abandon it in the depths of the enchanted bags, anyway. One less tie to sever once Baekhyun is back.

Minseok is already tucked into the bedroll when Jongdae enters the cramped space, pressed against the wall to make room for Jongdae to maneuver.  When Jongdae lies down beside him, Minseok says goodnight without moving to drape himself over his familiar’s body.

For some reason, it takes Jongdae way longer to fall asleep than usual.

🏵️🐱🏵️

The trip home is mostly uneventful, though Minseok grows ever more distant.  It’s warm enough that Jongdae usually elects to ride on Suho’s rump rather than be held, and while they still chat idly to pass the time, there is absolutely no flirting from the mage.

They still share meals and camp chores and play cards around the fire, but after another awkward night of lying beside the mage who’s obviously trying not to touch him, Jongdae reverts to sleeping in feline form by Minseok’s feet.

He tries to tell himself it’s better this way, but sometimes he catches Minseok looking at him with something sad in his eyes.  Then he has to fight not to go over and press himself against the too-adorable mage. He stops himself by remembering that soon Minseok will have Baekhyun to hug and that having his lover back will be the best solution for the mage’s melancholy.

Even if it will only cement Jongdae’s own sorrow.

He’s started spooling more of Minseok’s magic each night since it evidently regenerates rather quickly and Minseok is anxious to make sure they have enough as soon as possible.  He doesn’t want to have to waste days waiting only to build up enough power.

They make good time since the lengthening days at least allow them to start earlier and continue later even as they’re the reason Minseok feels the need to do so.  Within a week of departing the grove, they’re at the base of their own mountain, and Minseok’s mood is almost jubilant that evening as they play a few hands of cards before bed.

That night, however, it starts to rain.  The water comes down in sheets, melting snow and softening the soil beneath, turning the path up the mountain into a river of mud.  Minseok stares out the tent flap in dismay, chewing his lower lip that’s been worried at so much that it still hasn’t fully healed.

“The path is too slick to make Suho carry us,” Minseok says eventually.  “It’s dangerous for all of us if he slips.” The donkey is tucked beneath a juniper, looking rather miserable.

Should we wait out the storm? Jongdae asks.

Minseok presses his lips together.  “The late spring rains sometimes last for days.  And if it rains enough for the water to saturate the soil, it may start to puddle beneath Baek’s overhang.  It’ll wash out the glyphs and that will be the end.”

Jongdae squares his feline shoulders.   We can’t let that happen.  We’ve got all the ingredients.  We’re not letting a little rain stop us.

He eyes the mountainside along the path.  It still looks reasonably firm, but Jongdae remembers the destroyed path up the Dragon’s Tooth and decides that time is definitely not on their side.

We’ll climb, he says.   We still have the rope and pitons.  We’ll stick the pitons to the wall beside the path and string the rope so we have something to hang on to.

Minseok looks at Jongdae with a mournful expression.  “You hate being cold and wet,” he points out.

Jongdae shrugs.  You’d hate losing Baekhyun more.  I can warm myself, anyway. You’ll be wet and cold, so I’ll go first to attach the rope.  That way you won’t have to struggle as much.

The mage’s eyes go soft.  “Dae,” he murmurs. “You’ve endured so much for me already.”

And it’ll all have been a waste if we don’t get up there in time to save your pretty boy, Jongdae replies.   Let’s hurry, before the mountainside softens too much to hold the pitons.

Even with his self-warming ability, it’s slow, miserable going.  They’re each carrying a saddlebag across their backs, and Jongdae has the piton bag tied to his waist and the coils of rope over his shoulder.  He’s wearing only the red silk smallclothes, socks, and boots along with a pair of leather gloves. The robes will only hold the water and slow him down, and he doesn’t need them for warmth like Minseok does.  

He scrambles up the path on all fours, grabbing at plants and rocks and anything else that looks like it might provide a little traction in the mud, and when he gets twenty paces or so from the last piton, he sticks another on the mountainside and ties the rope off, keeping it taut between the attachment points.  Then he taps the rope three times, then three times again to let Minseok know it’s safe to pull himself up to the next piton as Jongdae forges ahead yet again.

They keep going even after the sun has set, because Jongdae can see well enough in the dark to keep going and Minseok doesn’t need to see as much as feel his way along the rope anyway.  Besides, if they stop, the heat of Minseok’s muscles will ebb away and he’ll stiffen up. Jongdae knows he can keep the mage warm, but he can do nothing against muscle fatigue. If they stop, Jongdae fears he’ll end up having to drag the mage up the mountain.

He almost has to, anyway.  They run out of rope a good two hundred paces below the little plateau supporting Minseok’s cottage.  Jongdae looks back at the mage in dismay as he places the last piton.

“G-g-get th-the hooks,” Minseok chatters when he pulls himself up to where Jongdae waits.  

Jongdae digs the alpenhooks out of the saddlebag and hands them to the mage, unsure if the mud is firm enough to support the curved claws.

“G-go,” Minseok says.  “B-be a c-cat and g-g-go.”

“I won’t leave you behind,” Jongdae protests.

“I ord-der y-you,” Minseok snarls through chattering teeth.  “G-go!”

Jongdae could disobey, but he’d agreed to mind Minseok well.  It’s obvious the mage is struggling to speak, but it’s also obvious he has some sort of plan.  So Jongdae loops the second saddlebag over the mage’s back, shoves the piton bag and the leather gloves inside, and transforms.  

It to scramble up the mud in feline form although it is easier when he’s lighter and has the built-in traction of his claws.  He tells himself he’ll make it to the top, then run to make sure Baek’s not being washed away. If the mage isn’t at the top by the time he’s done with that, he’ll go back for him, figuring in the worst case scenario he can lay on top of the exhausted man and keep him warm until the rain stops and the ground hardens enough to make progress.  They may be too late to save Baekhyun, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to let Minseok die.

As soon as he’s on level ground, Jongdae regains his human form and bolts for the cottage, shoving the door open and ripping all the quilts from Minseok’s bed.  Then he sprints for Baekhyun’s overhang, using the sodden blankets to encircle the wards and hopefully hold back the encroaching water.

The wards are still glowing faintly, and Baekhyun looks to still be frozen and intact.  Still, he’s going to have to get the mage over here as soon as possible to reinforce the wards and build a better dam to stop the water.

Satisfied he’s done everything he can by himself, Jongdae jogs back to the top of the path, pulling up short when he sees ice spreading out from the path over the waterlogged plateau.  He hears a crunchy sort of thud repeating at slow but steady intervals, and then Minseok drags himself into view, hauling himself up the icy slope on his belly, pulling himself along with the alpenhooks.

Jongdae paces at the top of the path anxiously, kneeling in the mud beside the ice as Minseok closes the distance.  He’s slowing down, running out of strength, and Jongdae grabs his wrist as soon as it’s within reach. Minseok lets himself be dragged over the remaining ice, then Jongdae heaves the mage up onto his shoulder and heads for Baekhyun.  Minseok shouts words of power over the sound of the rain as soon as the overhang is visible, the wards glowing with renewed brightness as Jongdae continues to carry the mage toward his imperiled lover.

“I think he’s okay,” Jongdae pants.  “But maybe freeze a wall around him? I’ll hold the spell once it’s in place.”

Minseok struggles on Jongdae’s back until the familiar sets him down, then he reaches for the soaked circle of blankets now being lapped at by the accumulated rain.  Ice forms at his fingers to reinforce the fabric wall, sealing against the ground and building to knee-height in a complete circle around the frozen figure.

Jongdae touches the mage’s forehead briefly to spool the spell’s energy into his own psyche, feeling the continuing process like a tiny tingle in the back of his head.

“Come on, we gotta get you warm and dry,” Jongdae says as he hauls the mage over his shoulder again.  “Saving you from being cold and wet is all I do,” he chides. “Cats aren’t built for all this hauling.  You should have gotten one of those huge fluffy mountain rescue dogs.”

Minseok emits a choked sort of chuckle, and then they’re safely inside the little cottage.

The mage gestures and the door closes, the fire brightens, and the lanterns light.  Jongdae sits him by the hearth, then fetches a towel and yet another set of dumb kitten pajamas.

“Strip,” he commands.

He ends up doing almost all the work himself because the chilled mage can barely move.  Once the sodden clothes have been replaced by dry pajamas and the mage is awkwardly rubbing the towel over his hair, Jongdae pulls the trundle out just long enough to replace the stolen quilts with the ones from the spare bed.  Then he sheds his own soggy clothes and pulls on kitten pajama pants, leaving his torso bare.

Returning to Minseok, Jongdae rubs the mage’s head vigorously with the towel, then does the same to himself.  When they’re both as dry as reasonably possible, Jongdae gets them both burrowed beneath the pile of quilts and lets his electrically-heated torso radiate warmth into the shivering mage.

“Th-thank you,” Minseok chatters breathlessly when Jongdae wraps himself around the mage.

“Like I said, I’m not letting us come so close just to fail,” Jongdae says, attempting levity to keep himself from noticing how well Minseok fits in his embrace.  “I’ll take care of you so you can take care of Baek.”

“D-dae,” Minseok says, sounding a little sad.

“Besides,” Jongdae continues.  “I have to keep being heroic to erase that whole embarrassing mountain-climbing fiasco from your mind.”

This earns a shuddering chuckle, and a moment later the exhausted man’s body relaxes into sleep.  Jongdae holds him until he stops shivering, then turns so they’re back to back before he lets himself drop off.

🏵️🐱🏵️

“Dae.”

Jongdae opens his eyes, then rolls onto his back to see Minseok leaning over him.

“I think the rain’s stopped,” the mage says

Jongdae sits up, cocking his head to listen.  “I think you’re right,” he says. “If the ground has firmed up enough I’ll go get Suho while you start preparing the reversal potion.”

“Don’t you want breakfast first?”

“I’ll just grab some jerky,” Jongdae dismisses.

He sits up on the edge of the bed with his back to Minseok as he shucks the borrowed pajama pants in favor of the still-damp red silk smallclothes he rescues from the cottage floor.  He hears a little noise from behind him when he stands up to tug the smallclothes over his hips, but since he’s seen Minseok twice now he’s not going to fret over showing the mage a glimpse of his human instead of his feline one for a change.

It’s much better than letting the mage see what’s going on in the front of his smallclothes thanks to the involuntary morning reaction of his human groin.

Keeping his back to the mage the entire time, Jongdae almost runs for the door, snapping into feline form as soon as he’s outside.  

Just a few more days, he tells himself as he pats the muddy path with his paws.  The rain must have stopped some time in the night, because while there are still puddles and obvious rivulets carved along and across the path, the ground doesn’t give way beneath his feet.  

It’ll probably give much more under Suho’s hooves, but it seems stable enough for the donkey to climb safely.  Breathing a sigh of relief, Jongdae scampers down the mountain, shaking his paws periodically to dislodge clumps of mud between his toes.  Soon Suho will be home and safe, Minseok is home and safe, and therefore Baekhyun will be safe. Then when Jongdae leaves, he won’t feel quite so bad about abandoning the mage he’s supposed to be tied to for life.

He’ll have to be honest with Magister Kyungsoo even if it means his own punishment.  But he can’t claim that Minseok mistreated him, because then he’ll be blacklisted from getting another familiar and that’s not fair.  The mage has been incredibly kind to him. It’s not really his fault that Jongdae’s dumb and fell in love with an unavailable guy.

Jongdae will happily sit in jail or be caned or endure whatever punishment awaits him.  It will be less torturous than remaining here and watching the man he loves love someone else.

He finds a very muddy, very wet Suho still sulking beneath the juniper where they left him, and the tent is still set up.  Jongdae strikes camp and ties the bedroll and tent to Suho’s saddle, then leads the donkey up the mountain. It’ll likely take longer this way, but Jongdae would spare the donkey his weight on the less-stable path.  Besides, he’s not in a hurry to get back to Minseok.

It’s past noon when Jongdae and Suho finally make it to the cottage.  Jongdae removes the saddle and bridle, but has to kick the cottage door since it doesn’t open automatically for him.

Minseok opens the door, takes one look at Jongdae’s bare feet and muddy legs, and says, “Nope.”  He does take Suho’s tack before kicking the door shut.

Sighing at the mage’s tidy tendencies, Jongdae reverts to feline form and starts grooming the mud off his fur.  It tastes terrible and is all gritty in his mouth, so he’s caught with his face twisted into a grimace when Minseok opens the door again.  He’s holding Suho’s blanket, his brush, and a pair of towels, and he grimaces as well when he sees what Jongdae’s up to.

“I didn’t mean you had to it off,” Minseok says.  “I brought you a towel to wipe off with.”

Jongdae sighs over his protruding tongue, then transforms back into a mostly- man.  He immediately spits out a mouthful of mud, making Minseok grimace all the more.

“Please assume you’re always welcome to bathe as a human,” Minseok says, handing him one of the towels.  “In fact, I’d prefer that you do. I hate the thought of you accidentally ingesting something toxic.”

Jongdae nods as he takes the towel from Minseok and wipes his muddy legs off carefully.  Wouldn’t want to leave muddy human pawprints on the mage’s lovely rugs. He’d probably make Jongdae clean every rug in the place as penance.

When he’s finally as clean as he can get without an actual bath, Jongdae lets himself in the cottage and pulls on one of Minseok’s spare robes.  His own robe and socks are hanging from a line near the hearth along with Minseok’s own sodden clothes, and their boots are set upside down on a drying rack nearby.

The spell scroll is laid out on the table, corners held down with the heavy copper bowls that usually occupy one of the uppermost shelves.  Jongdae runs down the list just to reassure himself they do have everything, and he snorts at himself because he’s sure Minseok just did the same thing.  They should have more than enough to make the potion. In fact, Jongdae calculates they could actually make three of them, which is reassuring if they screw the first one up.

“Suho is really mad at me,” Minseok reports when he comes back inside carrying the tent and bedroll along with a filthy towel and Suho’s brush.  “I had to freeze ice booties over his back hooves to keep him from kicking me while I wiped him down.”

“Sorry,” Jongdae says.  He should have gone to help.

Minseok waves off the apology.  “He’ll forgive me in a day or two, and thankfully we don’t have to go anywhere for awhile.”  His expression melts into something soft and sincere. “Dae. You’ve saved my life at least twice now, and you’ve also saved Baek twice.  You found the geluna crocus, and your quick thinking kept the wards from washing away. There is no way I can ever thank you properly for that, but I am so, so grateful.”

Jongdae squirms, unable to meet Minseok’s eyes.  “You can thank me by living safely from now on,” he mumbles.  He’s not going to be around much longer to rescue the mage or his lover, so they’d better stay out of trouble.

Minseok smiles.  “I will certainly try.”  His smile twists. “But I’m sure Baek will make that difficult for both of us.”

He’d better hissing not, Jongdae thinks even as he smiles politely.  Perhaps he’ll have a little chat with the man before he goes, complete with some electric encouragement to behave himself for Minseok’s sake.

🏵️🐱🏵️

Each reagent needs to be carefully imbued with a precise amount of magic to properly enhance its properties, which is why the familiar has over a week’s worth of Minseok’s power stored up.  Jongdae spends the rest of the afternoon standing behind the mage, one hand pressed against the nape of Minseok’s neck as he chants and gestures over reagents carefully placed within arcane diagrams inscribed on the wooden table with charcoal and chalk.  

The next day they perform the physical preparations.  Some of the reagents get powdered, some pulverized, and some are set into retorts to infuse into purified water or alcohol or oil.  Jongdae helps however he can, contributing manual labor and powering all the little spells that encourage the essence of the infusing reagents to permeate the surrounding liquid.

The day after that, Jongdae fulfills his promise to stir the cauldron continuously as Minseok mutters more spells and incantations and adds precise amounts of the prepared reagents in precise intervals.  He stirs for hours, switching arms as one gets fatigued and eventually using both arms as the potion thickens enough to make stirring difficult.

“You really are the best,” Minseok praises as he hangs the cauldron over a low fire to be gently heated as the reagents continue to react with each other overnight.  “Do you want me to rub your arms or shoulders or anything?”

“I’m fine,” Jongdae lies, because he really doesn’t need the mage’s hands on his skin.  He just has to hold out until the reversal tomorrow, and then he can take his broken heart away from the source of his pain.

Minseok gives him a regretful look.  “I’m sorry if I went too far with the physical stuff.  I won’t do anything besides work the knots out of your muscles.”

Jongdae smiles.  “It’s fine, really.  Do you want to play cards before bed or something?”  He wants nothing more than to lie down and wait for his arms to stop throbbing, but he’s driven to wipe the sorrowful look off Minseok’s face.

His distraction works.  “Actually, would you be interested in playing Baduk instead?  I always worry about losing the stones on the road so I only play it at home.”

“Sure,” Jongdae agrees, more than happy to play a game that requires only sporadic arm movement instead of constantly holding up a hand of cards.

Minseok must love this game because he hums a happy little song and shakes his hips as he fetches the Baduk set from a shelf.  It makes Jongdae smile to see the mage so carefree after months of stress. He really hopes Baekhyun lets Minseok stay this way.

They play several rounds before Minseok checks on the potion and banks the fire further before bed.  Since there’s only one set of quilts, Jongdae has been sleeping in feline form on Minseok’s bed. Minseok evidently feels rather guilty about this, because every night he says that Jongdae doesn’t have to shift if he doesn’t want to.

“I want to,” Jongdae says for the third night in a row.  “Really, I’m more comfortable that way, since this is my usual feline period.”

And for the third night in a row, Minseok gives him a rather mournful look before sliding under the blankets alone.

🏵️🐱🏵️

In the morning, the potion appears to be ready.  Minseok sets it on the hearth to cool slowly as he clears away the ice wall and replaces the runic wards with spells that Jongdae holds active.  Then the mage can erase all the glyphs around the frozen man and replace them with the arcane diagram needed to ensure the potion revives him rather than just melts the ice he’s become.

Jongdae stands in the middle of the diagram with Baekhyun, ready with the cauldron that thankfully, like the saddlebags, is much lighter than it looks.  Minseok looks a little sick, so Jongdae gives him a reassuring smile.

“It’s going to work,” he says.  “You’ve done everything perfectly, and with two days to spare before the solstice.  You’ll have your Baekhyun back to celebrate midsummer with you.”

Minseok smiles back.  “I will. I’m excited for you to meet him.  I think you’ll get along really well.”

That’s not going to matter, of course, since Jongdae plans to be on the way down the hill as soon as the happy couple heads for bed.  He does not need to stick around during their joyous physical reunion.

But for now he smiles and nods and holds the cauldron, waiting for the mage to signal him to pour it over his frozen lover.  When Minseok nods at him mid-chant, Jongdae carefully tilts the cauldron over Baekhyun’s head, moving the stream of potion along his outstretched arm, his knees, and any other protruding bit to make sure the man’s whole body is coated in the shimmering fluid.

Minseok invokes words of power that sound less like human speech and more like a tear ripping through reality, and then the crouching man is laughing in front of Jongdae.

“—really soft, Minseokkie, you should… Why am I covered in goo?”  Baekhyun stands up, grimacing at his coated body, then stumbles back with a surprised whuff as Minseok tackles him with a hug, goo and all.

“MinMin,” Baekhyun says.  “Why are you crying? You never cry.  Did you put this goo all over me?”

“You absolute blizzing moron, ” Minseok yells.  “You have been actual ice for three blizzing months!  If not for Jongdae, you’d have melted away, you stupid blizzing idiot. ”

“Oh,” Baekhyun says, seeming to notice Jongdae for the first time.  His mouth spreads back into that rectangular grin as he looks Jongdae up and down.  “He’s so cute! I call dibs.”

Minseok snorts.  “Good luck with that.  If he turned me down, there’s no way he’d ever be interested in you. ”

Jongdae blinks.  “I did what?”

“How could you turn down this hot piece of ?  Are you blind or something? Even straight guys want Minseok.”

Jongdae blinks a few more times.  “I—he’s your lover? And I’m not a jerk?”

They both look at Jongdae for a beat of silence, then they burst into raucous laughter.

“Minseok would actually kill me if we tried to date.  But apparently he likes me enough to do some kind of hocus pocus to save my cute little from being an icicle forever.”  He gives Minseok a big smacky kiss on the cheek. “I’m so lucky to know such a talented little magey-wagey.”

“Why do I let you hang around, again?” Minseok sighs.

Jongdae is still standing in the middle of the diagram with the empty cauldron.  “Wait—you two aren’t together? Like, romantically?”

“Ew, no,” Minseok says, drawing an offended gasp and pout from Baekhyun.  “But I’ve known him since he learned to walk, and he’s been following me around ever since.”

“If I didn’t liven up your life you’d end up an old married couple with your donkey,” Baekhyun retorts.  “You know you’re grateful that I enrich your existence.”

“I’m grateful Jongdae helped me save you,” Minseok says.  “Seriously, Dae. I owe you so much.”

Jongdae tilts his head at the adorable, evidently unattached mage.  “So you were actually coming on to me? Like, for real? On purpose?”

Minseok gives him an odd look.  “I could not have been more blatantly flirting with you, Kim Jongdae.”

There’s really only one thing to do in a situation like this.  Jongdae sets the cauldron down and goes to beat his fists and forehead against the cliff supporting the overhang.  Maybe he can knock the idiocy out of his skull.

“Dae,” Minseok laughs, catching him around the waist and pulling him away from the cliff so that his fists and forehead meet only air.  “Dae, I really like your face the way it is.”

“I really like your face, too,” Jongdae whines, sagging in Minseok’s embrace.  “I can’t believe I missed so many chances to kiss it.”

“Unlike chances to save Baekhyun’s face, chances to kiss this one aren’t under any sort of deadline.”

“That’s really convenient,” Jongdae says, straightening up and turning in Minseok’s arms to stare into that entirely kissable face.  “Uh. Is this one of those chances?”

“Definitely.”

Jongdae leans in to take the offered chance and the offered lips.

Minseok practically purrs into the kiss, and Jongdae rumbles his approval as his lips move against the mage’s smile.  He works his fingers into Minseok’s hair and deepens the kiss, jumping a little when Minseok slides a hand down his back to cup his .

“While you two are being gross, I’m going to go say hi to Suho.  I bet he missed me if I was really frozen for so long.”

Minseok shows no signs of ending their kiss anytime soon, but Jongdae pulls away slightly.

“Are we going to let him go off by himself?” he murmurs, his lips brushing against Minseok’s as they move.

Minseok sighs.  “We probably shouldn’t.  There are a lot of reagents left in the cottage that he really shouldn’t touch.”

“It’s warm enough now to tie him up and leave him on the roof overnight, isn’t it?” Jongdae asks as they walk toward the cottage hand in hand.

“No, Dae.”

“What about in Suho’s lean-to?”

“ No, Dae.”

“Fine, we’ll tie him up and leave him in the cottage while we spend some time on the roof.”

Minseok’s laugh is beautiful as always.  “As tempting as that idea is, it wouldn’t work anyway.”

“Why not?” Jongdae whines.

“He’s feyborn.  He’s impossible to contain.”

Jongdae frowns.  

Minseok bumps his shoulder and gives him a smirk.  “Would it cheer you up to know that Baek sleeps like the dead and my bed is scribed with glyphs that let me activate a soundproof bubble with a word of power?”

Jongdae grins.  “I’m so lucky to know such a talented little magey-wagey,” he coos.

Then he yelps when Minseok pinches his .

🏵️🐱🏵️

The soundproof bubble works a treat, much to Jongdae’s delight.  Less delightful is the feyborn’s innate ability to find the most dangerous thing in his immediate surroundings and promptly try to play with it.  That summer, Jongdae and Minseok rescue Baekhyun from a dire boar, a forest fire, a rockslide, a wyvern, and a patch of stinging nettles. The feyborn must also have innately miraculous luck, though, because he makes it to Jongdae’s birthday mostly unscathed.

Baekhyun insists on celebrating with Jongdae since he was frozen during his own birthday, so Minseok indulgently makes two cakes and sings the birthday song twice.  He gives them both a set of brand-new kitten-embroidered pajamas. Baekhyun loves his. Jongdae loves letting Minseok take his off.

When the mountain nomads stop for their yearly visit in the early autumn, they have a stranger with them.

“I’m Chanyeol,” the half-giant says.  “I’m traveling to see the world, and the nomads let me join them for a while in exchange for my abilities.”

“Why can’t we travel to see the world?” Baekhyun asks Minseok while running a finger along the black symbols that decorate Chanyeol’s muscular arms.

“What are your abilities?” Jongdae asks Chanyeol.

“My mother’s people are fire giants,” he says.  “They have a long tradition of shamanic tattoos.  I know how to create permanent glyphs of protection and good fortune on someone’s skin.”

“I want a tattoo!” Baekhyun shouts.  “DaeDae, let’s get tattoos.”

Minseok and Jongdae look at each other, then at the half-giant, who is gazing down at Baekhyun like he’s just found the cutest little puppy.

“It must be boring to travel the world alone,” Jongdae says.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun visit every spring for Baekhyun’s birthday.  The feyborn waves his heavily-tattooed arms around as he recounts their latest adventures, all of which seem to involve near-death experiences.  But Chanyeol’s glyphs always keep them both safe, and Baekhyun is having the time of his life.

This means Minseok and Jongdae can enjoy their bed—freshly covered in brand new quilts courtesy of the mountain nomads—any time of the day or night without guilt.  And quite often during the warm summer nights, Jongdae takes those quilts up to the roof of the little cottage, where he convinces his adorable ice mage to cool them off while they heat things up.

And every spring, Minseok, Jongdae, and Suho take a leisurely trip to the Everwinter Grove, harvesting a few geluna crocuses before meandering back home.  The mage and familiar have taken to keeping all sorts of rare reagents on hand, refreshing their stocks every year just before Baekhyun and Chanyeol visit.

Just in case.

🏵️🐱🏵️