Chapter Text
It was rather enchanting, the little space he carved out for himself among the dense underbrush and cool coastal air. Compared to the extravagant archways and glittering structures of the Spring Court, his quaint stilted house among the trees paled in comparison. Despite this there was an odd sort of serenity to the calls of the gulls nesting on the cliffs above the crashing waves, the feeling of damp soil beneath bare feet, the smell of salt and pine and rain touched foliage. There was an odd allure to it all. Like a siren song; beautiful, captivating and very, very deadly. Dangerous things resided in the ever-changing boundary between Summer and Winter, land and sea.
The mischievous creatures of the border were travelers least concern, though. The real threat was the ancient magic that lingered on the wind, rose with the tide, and permeated the very earth itself. It was a magic that was there long before Iruka ever stepped foot on the land and would no doubt maintain it's hold on the region long after he'd gone.
Kakashi had been wandering for days. Or was it weeks? Maybe it had only been a few hours. It was so hard to tell anymore. Just when he thought he was almost free of the tangled branches and the shifting mists he would find himself back where he started. Combine being hopelessly lost and injured with the fact that he was being tailed by very pissed off fae, Kakashi didn’t think his current situation could get any worse. But it appeared that whatever malicious deity had been listening was determined to deliver yet another swift kick to Kakashi’s balls.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” A voice asked, soft and mischievous. “It’s not very often that I get visitors.”
Kakashi was growing more exhausted by the minute, the forest around him becoming blurred as sleep threatened to overtake him. He wasn’t sure when he decided that laying on the cool, damp forest floor was a good idea, but here he was, looking up at the dense canopy, mist seeping through his tattered clothes. He felt lighter, like he was floating on a glassy lake.
“You humans really are more trouble than you’re worth,” the voice chimed again, as a face came into view, deep brown eyes staring down at him with mild annoyance. The last thing Kakashi saw before slipping into darkness were those captivating brown eyes.
He was charming, that much was certain. And from what little Iruka could see of his face, supposed that he was also rather attractive. He had silver hair and a long, jagged scar running the length of the left side of his face, a cloth mask hiding the lower part. Who knows how long the man had been wandering, injured the way he was; it was no surprise he had collapsed the way he had. Iruka quickly examined the deep gash that cut its way across the other man’s shoulder. It had stopped bleeding some time ago and had begun to stitch itself together. However, judging from the redness and swelling it appeared infected. As Iruka continued his examination it became abundantly clear what—or rather who— had caused the injuries. As he continued, he determined that the man also had several broken ribs, and at least two other wounds that had become infected.
Gingerly Iruka lifted the unconscious man from the ground and onto his back. He began to treat the man’s injuries once they had arrived back at Iruka’s home. Reopening, flushing, and bandaging the infected cuts, resetting the broken ribs, and cleaning some of the smaller, less worrisome abrasions took the better part of two hours. Just as Iruka began to finish applying a healing ointment to a smaller cut, the man stirred.
“W-who…” He rasped, struggling to sit upright.
Iruka hushed him, presenting a glass of water, “Don’t move so fast. You had three broken ribs and a pretty nasty laceration on your right side. So, unless you want me to have to stitch you up again, I suggest you take it easy. They certainly had it out for you. You’d be dead on the forest floor if I hadn’t shown up when I did,” Iruka said confidently, crossing his arms over his chest. He watched intently as the man pulled down the mask that covered his face and took a long drink from the glass, noting his lack of apprehension in accepting the drink. He certainly was attractive, defined jaw, small beauty mark on his chin, several smaller, fainter scars cut across the lower portion of his face.
“Where are we?” The man asked, looking around the room, scanning for exits and potential danger.
“You’re dry, warm, and very much alive; what more do you want?”
“Than—,” The man began, but before he could get the words out Iruka put a hand over his mouth.
“Careful now, if you had finished that sentence, I just might have had to keep you here,” Iruka said ominously, his brown eyes glittering mischievously in the fading daylight.
“Can you at least tell me your name?”
“No,” Iruka said simply, before leaving the room.
Kakashi was dumbfounded. The last thing he remembered was wandering through the forest. He had been injured by a fae, Winter Court if he remembered correctly. He had been so tired, so weak he had collapsed on the forest floor. Now here he was, in an unknown location, with an unknown man, who Kakashi was certain was fae.
The other man returned a few moments later, a wooden bowl in his hands, blowing strands of long brown hair out of his face.
“Eat,” he ordered, handing the bowl to Kakashi.
Kakashi eyed him suspiciously.
“If I was going to poison you, you’d be dead already,” the man said, nodding to the partial glass of water sitting next to Kakashi. “Besides, I don’t make a habit of keeping humans as pets.”
Kakashi begrudgingly took the bowl.
“Are you humans always so suspicious?”
“I’m not human,” Kakashi responded coldly.
The fae shrugged, sitting in a wooden chair by the window, “You’re close enough that it doesn’t really make a difference.”
He wasn’t wrong; Kakashi only had only half fae ancestry on his mother’s side. It was imperceptible to most, and most days not even he noticed the distinct hum of magic coursing through him. It came with some benefits like a prolonged life, some magical aptitude, and the ability to slip between both worlds mostly unnoticed.
“It does beg a question: why were the fae of Winter after you? Not that I make a habit of involving myself in the affairs of the courts.”
Kakashi didn’t answer. Minato was dead and his cover compromised and now he was on the Winter Court’s Most Wanted list. But Kakashi didn’t plan on telling a stranger this. No matter how incredibly beautiful he was, with his long hair and intricate braids, sly glint in his deep brown eyes, and his tanned skin that…
“Hasn’t anyone told you that staring is rude?”
Kakashi snapped his gaze away, finding that his hands were far more interesting. He shifted uncomfortably, wincing in pain as the movement seemed to aggravate the injury on his side.
The fae stood, noticing Kakashi’s discomfort. “You’ll be safe here. Orochimaru’s minions don’t dare travel this far from the border.” He pushed Kakashi’s arm out of the way, carefully examining the bandaged wound.
“I don’t even know where here is.”
The brown-haired man continued to poke and prod at Kakashi’s side as he spoke, “We are just on the border between the Summer and Winter realms. You need to be more careful. These stitches can only withstand so much,” the man chastised.
“You mean you didn’t use magic to patch me up? How… quaint.”
The fae put pressure on Kakashi’s side, just enough to send a fleeting pain through his side, “I’m not a healer. You aren’t bleeding out so show some gratitude.”
Kakashi huffed in response, as the man redressed his wound.
“You're welcome to stay until you’re healed,but I have three requests.”
Kakashi nodded wordlessly.
“First, don’t ever walk the forest alone. There are things out there far nastier than I. Second, if I don’t offer it to you, do not under any circumstances eat or drink anything. And last, the most important thing, never thank me. Not unless you fancy being indebted to me for the rest of your life.”
“Why are you helping me anyway?”
“Call it morbid curiosity, nothing more,” the fae man responded, rewrapping Kakashi’s side. “Stop squirming.”
“You do know what they say about curiosity and the cat?”
The other man shrugged nonchalantly, “Well, my mother always said I had a way of finding trouble.”