They’ve encountered each other from time to time especially with the council meetings they both attend to, but it was always just formal greetings and brief interactions between. Then it was that one awkward moment that changed everything. They were alone in the woods when Junmyeon caught her tears about to burst. He asked if she was fine, but Irene remained quiet, so it took him by surprise when he started hearing her in his head and vented everything out. Irene was about to apologize but Junmyeon slowly took her in his arms, allowing her to bury her head in his chest and let her vent everything out.

Irene was prophesied to be the brightest witch and was already expected for great things, with her innate telepathic abilities everyday she strived to fulfil the prophesy and reach her own potential, and with all her heart she cares for the other girls as they reach their own full potential as well. But along with every power and influence was the burden of the expectations and responsibilities. 

Junmyeon on the other hand was one of the 9 remaining protectors created by Project Exodus after losing 3 when they destroyed what they could from the project and escaped. He had the ability to manipulate water. He too had taken the responsibility to look after the other 8 and keep them all together safe and a family. Sharing a similar burden as Irene’s, he understood her, and she understood him.

With both having their own share of experiences with love, it made them hesitate to consider the other, to let themselves fall in love, and welcome the other. But one after the other they overcame it all and gave in to each other’s words and promises.

But just as they gave their trust, questionable events arise and result them to break their word.

Junmyeon knew Irene was uncomfortable when it comes to lakes, seas, or oceans. He made a mental note on giving Baekhyun a good splash of cold water during his sleep as he looks around the restaurant, he made a reservation to. It was in a uniquely constructed boat to be a floating restaurant.

Irene and Junmyeon busy with their own responsibilities, they often didn’t bother to tire themselves out more with a huge fuss of dinners at fancy restaurants, especially on a Monday night. But after a series of revelations from both sides, this couldn’t wait.

It’s been 2 days since Junmyeon found out Irene has been distorting his dreams, and Irene finding out he’s been intoxicating her. This couldn’t wait.

From afar, they would look like a timid couple still jumping around their feelings. But it’s more than what the eye could see. Irene and Junmyeon conversed little as they dined, both having their eyes focused on their supper, but silently their attention was at the other. Their recent revelations were their trigger each action to be taken and objectives made. Both careful what the other may do, careful as they control what they can, and careful to be subtle as they could.

Their gazes met as he chewed on a piece and smirks, making Irene laugh as she on hers. She started to slow as she realized it hasn’t been a quarter with her steak yet and she was starting to feel dehydrated. She looks at Junmyeon who had his eyes on his steak again. She shifted her gaze on the water beside her plate then she saw her hand slowly reaching out to it. She mentally slapped herself and continued to eat her steak with a dried mouth.

She broke their silence as she cleared “I helped the girls study earlier”

“Yeah? Is there something up?”

“No, they were just reviewing for a while. We read on the part about The Fountain.” She paused, chewing on her steak, paying attention to any shift of tension from him. “And they started talking about how your powers especially benefitting from it.” It took a surprise to herself when she started basking on Junmyeon’s chuckles as if she made a silly remark.

“Everyone knows I do, from the origination from the project and to the Elders’ ensorcel of it. I’ve told you already.” He did. Maybe it really is just a silly remark.

“Yeah, I know. I just thought… maybe there was something more.” She shrugged away any possible suspicions from him.

“Something more?”

“I don’t know... Maybe.. something more amusing?”

“Is healing with waters, not amusing enough?” Trying to set aside the sudden warmth he felt as soon as he saw her silly smile, he began to carefully indulge on her teasing

“I can make you think this was all a dream, Junmyeon. So, I might have higher standards than you think.” Junmyeon imperceptibly freezed for a moment as she joked on her abilities. He hesitantly goes back to his eye smile for her.

“Does this meet your standards” He hovered his hand to her glass and the water in it changed into wine, he then does the same to his.

He raised his glass for a toast “To more amusing mastery” glass clinking and their laughter echoed the place. Junmyeon took a sip and eyed through his glass as Irene placed hers aside without a sip.

“Well... What’s with this sudden date?”

Junmyeon starts skimming the other tables and freezes when he sees a familiar figure at another table. He blinks and find the said table empty again

He looks back at her and a short sigh taking a moment to process her question. “Well, I just might be busy the next weeks and I wanted to do something for a change.” He panicked when he saw the shift in Irene’s gaze, then he found himself explaining what he could. “I’m sorry I didn’t know it would be this kind of restaurant when I made the reservations through a friend.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s just... Nothing”

“What is it, Irene” Why was it that despite everything he had discovered and even with all the power and he put his self into, he just couldn’t stop himself from mindlessly letting his guard down even from the little things Irene did.

Irene was halfway through her steak already and still with no single sip of beverage. He started focusing harder on controlling Irene’s hand to reach out for her glass as he slowly sips on his.

Irene already had a grip on the glass when he saw the same lady from the table in a revealing dress walk towards their table, he chokes on his wine from this sudden image and loses control over his power causing Irene’s hand to pour herself the glass of wine.

Everything happened so fast he was about to get up start to apologize to Irene, but his head started pounding and suddenly saw an undead image of the lady standing right by their table shrieking and screaming his name.

He looked up at Irene about to reach her hand when she disappeared, he’s arm was about to rest on the table when he fell on the floor as the table disappeared too, he rose and his seat gone, the other tables and seats all disappeared, he was looking for the exit when everything around him turned black.

“Irene?” Junmyeon looked around and nothing, everything around him was black. “Irene, pls don’t” he started pleading.

 From afar he saw a glimmer of light. The longer he looked at it the brighter it got, making him squeeze through his eyes. He’s eyes finally adjusted; he realizes he’s back at Exodus.

He saw an all too familiar figure by the riverbank, it was her and beside her was another image of him. Their backs were Junmyeon and he couldn’t make up what they were doing. He started walking towards them, but he’s suddenly back at the restaurant, the craft slowly rocking. He saw Irene avoiding the short splashes of water, careful that it might be him. He was about to approach her; Irene immediately saw him moving, everything around him turns black again.

A moment later he was back at his room in Exodus.

He heard a knock and another figure of him emerged from the bathroom and obliviously walked pass him then towards the door. He opened the door revealing the same lady from before on the other side of it.

Everything’s gone again and his back at the boat, the rocking was stronger than the last time and he saw Irene recovering from a huge splash of water from the sea. He started running towards her, but everything turns black again.

This time he was standing on a lake, a bloody full moon at the night sky. At another side of the lake were 2 figures across from each other. He knew he was one of them. It was that night. He starts the sound of someone emerging from the woods.

He kneeled on the lake his head in between his arms as he grabbed his hair trying to get away from this nightmare.

“Irene! Pls! Stop!”

---

Irene tried to enter her own illusions for Junmyeon, but the storm was getting worse. She knew it was him, a sense of hope was still in her, he knew how scared she was of the sea, but then again he brought her here. She didn’t know if she could really trust his words of apologies earlier, but for now she needed to know. She was here to find out what really happened during their attack, but she only found more secrets from him.

She was there, on the lake with a bloody full moon in the night sky. She could see two other figures on the other side of the lake and hear someone running from the woods. Seeing the burning red hair of one of the 2 figures and where they stood, she could hear her heartbeat faster as she deducted who they were and when this was.

Just as the 2 figures stood still, the lake was as still as ice, before the waves were starting to form. Irene couldn’t understand how this was happening, suddenly the Junmyeon and Suho wasn’t on the lake anymore and the woods grew quiet.

She turned behind her and saw her Junmyeon kneeling on the lake.

She grew uneasy as the waves grew stronger, despite it all in Junmyeon ’s mind but she knew it was real on the boat.

“Irene! Pls! Stop!”

A huge wave grew towards her and swallowed her.

Then all black. She was soaking wet, taken down on floor, coughing out the salt water in her lungs. She was still trying to recover when she felt a hand grip her arm, pulling her up and pin her on the wall

“Irene” his voice was stern, he was never hard on her, never raised his voice on her and never pressured her to anything. But he was desperate. He firmly gripped her wrists, pinning her on the wall.

He kept his gaze on her, they were starting to burn when she wasn’t saying anything, he couldn’t even hear her voice inside him. His breathing was starting to get uneven; he wasn’t sure what this meant, he was just making sure she wouldn’t break his heart, and right now he finds himself at the brink of having it.

The waves were starting to rock the craft too much. He was ready to lose it till he saw her eyes starting to shine. Tears were forming in her eyes. With his abilities, he could conjure a river of tears from anyone’s eyes. But the last person he’d want to do that to was Irene, especially when he’s not even using his power, a single tear from Irene was one thing he never wanted to conjure.

“Who was she?” She chokes as she attempts to stop her sob.

He doesn’t answer instead keeps his burning eyes on her.

“Junmyeon, pls”

“We promised each other, Irene.” He paused, eyes burning at hers “we made an agreement to never use our powers on each other. You trusted me and I trusted you”

“Yes.”  “We promised each other, Junmyeon.” Irene stood up taller “We gave each other trust, but we know damn well it wasn’t just about our powers.”  She pushes him away from her, going away from the wall he pinned her at.

“No secrets.” She took a step closer to him again

“No more secrets.

You said you had no more secrets, Junmyeon” Her voice was starting to crack as kept her sobs at bay. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I broke our rule, but you wouldn’t talk to me.”

“I wasn’t ready.”  Junmyeon softly spoke up, eyes still on hers, not backing down from it, he too had his heart to salvage “I was going to tell you after--“

“After what?” She snickered at him. “After you successfully poisoned me? What was it, Junmyeon? What were you trying to make me drink?!”

“I wanted the truth of why you were doing that to me”

“While you keep yours from me?!” Despite coming this far with her confrontation, she finally cried at him. And the lack of remorse from Junmyeon seeing him stand tall and his eyes never breaking from her stirred unwelcome emotions and the very pain she was trying to evade in the first place.

She finally broke apart from their contact, wiped her tears and grabbed her purse to leave.

“Kim Jisoo. She was a nurse assigned to me at Project Exodus. She helped me survive through the 2^nd round of experiments, the ones we didn’t know were to make the other versions.”

Junmyeon explaining on what happened during their attack. An attack he was begged by one of s to lead it alone. The secrets kept from those he considered brothers, and the lies and betrayals from the one he thought he’d owe his life to. The trust he blindly gave that cost him pain and the lies that proved him to be a fool who fell too deep in love too soon.

That was it. That was what Junmyeon should have said, and that was what he should have done.  But even with all the courage he has now, even it wanted to do it like it was the last thing he would do, he couldn’t. He was miles away from her

The feeling of regret and guilt flows over him as he slowly sinks inside the lake after taking a blow from Suhø.

His moments together with Irene flashes in his mind, their first real interactions, the series of shy Irene after that, how he’d just wanted to see her laugh and smile all day, how he’d often hear her voice in his head when she was too shy to say it out loud, then finally the last image he saw of her. When in her eyes was not filled with anger, frustration, or desperation but the eyes of someone who finally succumbed to defeat and paid the price of loving and trusting someone she thought she never should have.

They thought they were sparing themselves anymore pain but walking away from love with the weight of their what ifs, time won’t be their friend. Time won’t dig the grave of them but seeps through and root their hearts where they thought they left.