Archive of Our Own

When Jaehyun had been called to the Los Angeles Institute, he expected to be treated with less care.

As a child, his world had revolved around his parents who were people of peace, Shadowhunters who would more likely to be gutting fish for food than demons for satisfaction. He had heard that his father was a part of a war some years back. He had fought alongside the Herondales and Lightwoods who carried the Angels blessing upon their shoulders. Yet, Jaehyun only saw a man with a warm smile and crescent eyes, faded runes decorating his scarred skin and marred face.

The world outside their home, however, was not a foreign place to him. When he was six, he was gifted his first seraph blade and named it Ramiel, of thunder.

“You’ll be just like your father!” His mother had claimed when he had finally managed to flip it without bruising his wrist with the hilt. “A Shadowhunter worthy of our namesake! Hero of our kin!”

That was years before he had stood in the living room in his pyjamas splotched with scarlet, his face streaked with demon’s blood. Ramiel was held in a death grip, the only border that had separated him from death. When the Clave had rushed in and beheld the bodies of Shadowhunters that they had respected, Jaehyun did not feel like a hero.

“Do you know how they died?”

“No, I don’t”

They couldn’t place the The Mortal Sword on a 12-year-old boy, thus they had taken his word. There was no use pushing a traumatized child to his limits. For the first few years, they had placed him at the London Institute, where he’s been taken in by the charming Herondale’s of Angel blood and devilish minds. They wanted to honour his parents’ memories.

However, it was clear it wasn’t home for Jaehyun.

Not when he knew at some point, his father had roamed the halls and bent over the books. Thus, the Clave had decided to change his training place before he succumbed to his darkest thoughts. With a small bag and Ramiel sheathed in his belt, he had faced the challenge of moving on head on. They sent him to an Institute with many kids near his age, who had faced ordeals like he had.

The Blackthorns were particularly nice to him, asking him over for supper before he could isolate himself in his room. True to the Clave’s words, he had seen a boy who towered over the others set a young child of golden skin and chestnut hair onto his lap. He had the eyes of someone who had seen too much in few years. Jaehyun never asked why.

“He’s getting his own room, then?” the boy –Johnny –had enquired, but there was no malice voicing his. The hyper young child in his lap –which he’s soon learn was called Hyuckie for short to Donghyuck –raised his plastic knife and swished it, making slicing sounds between his teeth. “He doesn’t look like he’d sleep tonight”

The head of the Institute, a descendant of the Blackthorn bloodline named Yixing, had blanched at the blunt statement. Then again, Johnny hadn’t been wrong. Jaehyun had dealt with sleepless nights in fear of waking up to yet another bloodbath. Suddenly, Johnny seemed way older than he had seemed at first. Even Donghyuck seemed to be sizing him up rather than simply observing him from where he was chomping at his salad.

Later on, another child who looked more bones than muscle had walked in, his startling red hair making it almost impossible to ignore his existence. Unlike Johnny who had tended to the youngest in the Institute at first glance, he was twirling a katana with one hand while his other hand held a half-eaten sandwich.

“Doie isn’t coming down,” he had stated, sliding into his sea and delicately placing the katana on his lap. It took his approximately three seconds to realize the extra presence at the table. “Newbie?”

Irene nodded delicately, leaning forward to distribute cucumber slices onto their plates. “Came this morning, Taeyong. Didn’t I tell you yesterday?”

Taeyong scoffed, leaning back and rolling his eyes. “You know how I am, Irene. As forgetful as an Eidolon.”

A rumble of laughter passed over the table, and Jaehyun found himself smiling slightly.

“Wouldn’t say an Eidolon is forgetful,” Yixing piped up, his voice softer than any other Shadowhunters present there. “But yes, they’re easy to distract especially when they’re near to their targets. Still, they’re a tad bit easier to handle compared to many others.”

“But aren’t Eidolons shape-shifters?” Jaehyun had blurted, making them all look at him simultaneously, even little Donghyuck. Jaehyun fidgeted restlessly at the sudden attention. ‘S-sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted –“

Yixing let out a bark of laughter, leaning his chin against his palm. “No need to fret, young Shadowhunter. It seems like you have more knowledge than Taeyong could ever read up in half a decade” A scoff was heard from the side of the table. “Do share!”

Jaehyun cleared his voice uncomfortably, trying not to make much eye contact as he spoke in a low voice. “I heard that the Eidolons shape shift and slip are hide in search of their targets. Word spread in Idris when the glamour had not shed in the eyes of those with Sight. The eidolons are master of disguise –“

“Yet they cannot be who they become” a soft voice laced with steel spoke, prompting them all to look at the corner of the room where a boy stood with an apple in his hand. “Well…except one.”

 Jaehyun had first identified the silvery hair, highlighted with blue streaks which fell messily over the boy’s forehead. His face was long, eyes the shape of almonds and shadowed by long lashes. From where he stood, his eyes looked black, but when he moved into the light, Jaehyun could see the deep violet that were his irises. If it weren’t for the runes drawn on his collar and arms, Jaehyun could have mistaken him for a faerie.

When he moved to grab a sandwich from the table, it occurred to Jaehyun how liquid-like his movements were. He barely made any sounds, and his presence was almost non-existent, as if he was an illusion instead of a solid being.

“I thought you didn’t want to eat,” Taeyong pouted, crossing his arms. “Lying isn’t nice, Doyoung.”

“Nor is stealing the grapes I picked myself,” Doyoung replied neutrally, soundlessly making his way to the doorway. “I hadn’t eaten any of them, yet.”

Yixing gave them both endearing look, settling his hand on Irene’s shoulder to stop her from scolding them in front of their new guest. Jaehyun didn’t mind. He was too entranced by the presence of the strange boy.

“You should have hidden them better, then.” Taeyong said, raising his chin proudly. This, however, was quickly replaced by a look of horror when Doyoung leaned down to say in a low voice, “I hadn’t asked the Havensend’s for permission yet…but it seems you have to do it instead.”

The answer to that revelation came in form of an uppercut which Doyoung quickly dodged with a grin. He locked Taeyong’s arm in place before casting his lazy gaze towards Jaehyun, a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Stealing is still stealth training, isn’t it newbie?” Doyoung called, flipping Taeyong around before pushing him back into his chair. “See you around…sooner rather than later.”

That was the moment the fog surrounding Jaehyun’s mind dissipated, a spark of wonder igniting.

-

“You know, you’re not as sly as you think you are.”

Jaehyun startled badly, stumbling back as the white haired shadowhunter appeared from the shadows, his eyes glinting under the dim lights of the training room The moment he realized the bedroom gave him no peace of mind, he had navigated through the halls of the institute and found the room he wanted to be in half an hour later.

“Are you always going to be appearing out of the shadows like a demon? I might attack you instinctively.”

The latter laughed, a gentle high pitched sound that echoed off the walls. “I’d like to see you try, Jae.”

Jaehyun’s breath hitched. No one had called him Jae since his parent died, not even his aunt. A sudden tension thrummed through his veins as the boy made his way towards him, hands shoved deeply into his pockets. Still, the smile on Doyoung’s face didn’t waver, even when he stopped right in front of the other, faces inches away. He was quite a small boy, almost as small as the Taeyong kid.

“You’re another one of the broken ones, aren’t you? They tend to send many of them here,” he grinned, eyes downcast as his eyes traced Jaehyun’s sturdy from his waist to his face in a manner that seemed too natural to be disturbing. “What broke you, Jung Jaehyun?”

There it was, a family name that did not descend from the Shadowhunter bloodline. Jaehyun wasn’t fond of his Shadowhunter family name, even more so after the incident. If his skin had been prickling with nerves before, sirens were now full on blaring in his head. He could sense danger rippling off the other in waves that washed over him, making his heart clench.

Still, he forced his heart to steel as he faced the mysterious boy. He was slightly taller, allowing him to tower over the other. “The night was silent when demons pushed past our protective barriers and killed my entire family. Should I have not brought my blade, I wouldn’t have survived has not broken me, only made me wiser.”

“Considering you got dumped into this happy pit, I’d say otherwise,” The latter replied, raising his eyebrows knowingly. “You’re not some shattered iron wall built back twice as strong. You’re a net of thinnest fiber gathering the broken shards in hopes for them to seem whole.”

Jaehyun held his breath, feeling the words sink deep like a dagger. “Then what of you, broken boy? You’re not exactly whole either, are you?”

A dangerous glint appeared in Doyoung’s eyes, dark and malicious. “Unlike you, I don’t wish to be fixed. Broken suits me just fine.”

There was a flash of silver and Jaehyun felt coldness brush against his cheek, too fast for his brain to process that he should’ve dodged. Doyoung’s right foot was forward, his left arm outstretched. Jaehyun heard the blade sink into the wood of the door, at least ten metres away. The boy in front of him smiled like a cat, a muted sense of amusement dripping from his lips.

“You could’ve killed me-“ Jaehyun started.

“But I didn’t.” the white haired shadowhunter shrugged, flipping another blade between his fingers “Broken children don’t need reasons to be accepted. I’ve moved past that, the whole superiority complex thing that Nephilim have in their blood. I don’t feel the need to be superior, not when I can be something to be feared.”

There was an edge to his tone when he spoke the term Nephilim, as if he hated to even say it. However, his marks were evident on his skin, a proof of his Angel blood.

“You’re not of pure Nephilim blood, are you?”

Doyoung chuckled darkly, grabbing onto rope that had a knot at the end. He twisted the rope around the ankle, settling his foot on the knot before throwing his dagger to cut the binds which tied a weight to the wall. Upon being released, the weight fell to the ground, pulling the string along and Jaehyun had a split second to grab the edge of the rope before it was pulled upwards.

The speed in which they were pulled up forced them together, clinging on to the rope while sharing the knot to place one foot. Metres up from the ground, they swayed dangerously. Jaehyun had heard of a shadowhunter with too much Angel blood who could jump from the top of a three storey building and not break a leg. That wasn’t the case now.

“I didn’t take you for someone so impulsive,” Doyoung laughed, teasingly swinging the rope, causing Jaehyun to cling tighter for dear life. The floor swayed dizzily under them, and his hand was getting sweaty.

“Are you mad?!”

“Perhaps I am,” Doyoung replied thoughtfully. “It’s not hard to stay sane when even the people you call your family perceive you as a threat. To imagine, hating a child due to their blood!”

With that, the latter let go of the rope and back flipped, the act causing Jaehyun to cry out in shock before right when Doyoung landed lightly on the ground crouched down like a cat. Doyoung looked up mischievously, his eyes twinkling as his lips spread into a gummy smile. Ethereal and magical, Doyoung was. It made Jaehyun curious.

“Sometimes, I like telling people I’m a half Fey for the sake of it. But that’s not necessarily true.” He kicked his leg up and a dagger flew from his boot into is hand and he flung it towards the rope, severing it from the weight.

Jaehyun screamed as he fell down, flailing wildly.

Only to land in the safe arms of the other boy. It was strange, how there was something ancient and unknown in the boy’s gestures, yet his childlike attitude remained. The boy couldn’t have been any older than he was.

Doyoung grunted as he let Jaehyun roll to the ground.

“You don’t need to be fixed. Not when it’s the broken who preserve in this world.” He turned and walked towards the doorway, only to pause before he turned the corner. Jaehyun had slowly risen to his feet, back aching and head reeling from confusion. “You make me curious, child of Idris. We’ll talk more as long as you remain nocturnal. The Kind Ones don’t sleep well at night.”

With that, he was gone, leaving Jaehyun as confused as ever.

-

“I would say congratulations, but there’s no actual achievement from befriending Doie”

Jaehyun eyed elder boy who was seemed to be measuring the table with his arms. Apparently, they indeed weren’t much older than he was. Taeyong was a year older while Johnny was only 18, even though he looked mature for his age. Young Duckie was seven, but still attended class because Irene insisted he should. Donghyuck didn’t exactly complain.

They were self-studying after going through pages from the Shadowhunter’s Codex, a book jaehyun had read one too many times. In their library of mundane books, that was the only book which guided Jaehyun towards the path of Nephilim.

“He mentioned that he called himself part Faerie for the sake of it,” Jaehyun stated, flipping through the page of the book mindlessly. “He does, indeed, look like one. Still, I thought we were over the whole Downworlder issue.”

Johnny turned with his head the table so he was looking at Jaehyun, eyes narrowed. “That’s the problem. No one actually knows anything about him, only that he has Faerie-like traits. He came knocking on the doors of the Institute in New York with the marks of a Nephilim, but it’s obvious he isn’t.”

“Maybe he has ancestors with Faerie blood?”

“They usually have pointy ears or slight colour tinges. His mannerisms and personality is that of the Fairy Folk, and we they can’t use the Mortal Sword to ask. It is the institutes responsibility to take in those without homes.”

“So, what did people do?”

“They avoided him,” Johnny said, pushing himself up to stare down Jaehyun with a judgemental look. Jaehyun found himself feeling highly intimidated by the elder. “He’s seen as bad luck for the Nephilim and the Folk alike. No one knows who he is or who his lineage extends from. If he’s half-faerie, that would be worse. That would mean he was born during the Cold War, when tensions between Shadowhunters and Faeries peaked.”

Jaehyun had heard word that there were half-faerie siblings parted, and one was sent to the Wild Hunt to be with his folk. Everyone knew being surrounded by faeries and consuming their delicacies would mean being bound them and the Seelie court.

“But he is Nephilim, isn’t he?” Jaehyun asked slowly, suddenly afraid to pry more into the strange life of Doyoung.

Johnny shrugged. “Not to the eyes of the world.”

-

Over the next few days, Jaehyun caught Doyoung lurking here and there a few times. More than once, he’d seen the back of his long coat disappear behind the corner, the boy gone whenever Jaehyun tried to run after him.

He didn’t go to school, nor did he train with the others. A few nights without seeing Doyoung in the training prompted him to give up and give in to the fatigue of daily schedules. Ramiel remained in his sheath, even when he started to train using other weapons such as the long poles and scythes. Taeyong was an amazing archer, and Johnny’s height gave him enough strength to use the steel knuckles.

“I have impeccable aim,” Jaehyun had admitted, even when all eyes were locked on the knives embedded in the red spots on the wooden cut-outs.

“Obviously,” Yixing replied with a smile.

It was quite the shift from his previous harmonious life, to the dull life in the London institute to one of training and schedule. It was evident how much of a toll it had taken to his body when he examined his abdomen and jawline at night. People used to mistake him for a vampire, and eve convinced themselves that he was a descendant from Daylighters in the Lovelace family. It was absolute nonsense.

When Doyoung did show himself, it never was to give Jaehyun direct answers. Doyoung seemed to talk in riddles more than he talked in statements. Simple words made his head turn and twist in the most peculiar of ways when he tried to close his eyes and succumb to sleep. Taeyong had mentioned that people might have gone insane after a simple conversation with Doyoung over coffee.

‘I wouldn’t recommend getting involved with him,” Irene had said during a late night study session. Only a single candlelight provided them the light they needed that night as they flipped through books on demons and hybrids. “The Council had been strict when we’d taken him in. As a Child of Fey, we wanted to protect him from the Nephilim. We wanted to do what the elder Blackthorns would do.”

“Give him a chance?” Jaehyun asked.

“Give him freedom. Doyoung is neither fully Nephilim, nor Faerie. His story is his secret, and they shall remain with him until he tells us.”

Still, it made Jaehyun curious. Sometimes, he would dream of violet eyes staring at him through the bushes in a dark forest. Sometimes he’d dream of a pair of slender arms reaching out from under the water and pulling him in, drowning him. The dreams, however, remained with him.

“Doie-hyung is sad”

Jaehyun looked up from his book, staring incredulously at Donghyuck who was drawing squiggles onto his drawing block. The young child bore eyes that held sadness Jaehyun couldn’t bear to see, because it mirrored his own.

“What was that, Hyuck?”

Donghyuck’s eyes were glazed over when he spoke, but there was nothing other than honesty in his words when he spoke in a grave, not childlike tone. “Doie-hyung goes out when night falls, and returns with new scars. He doesn’t like the burns. He never did.”

Jaehyun shifted from his place on his bed to pull himself in order to get a clear view of the boy. Slowly, Donghyuck looked at him, his hand clenched around his marker which was messily colouring in the Rune of Angelic Power.

“He really doesn’t like burns. It hurts a lot. It hurts more.”

Jaehyun slipped off of his bed and gently took Donghyuck into his arms, pulling him into his lap.

“Hyuck…how do you know this? Did you tell Yixing or Irene?”

Donghyuck bit the back of his marker nervously. “They like to lock me in my room when they’re busy. I don’t like being alone. Doie-hyung knows I don’t like it, so he brings me along when everyone is gone. A house with a crescent moon, a building with fairy lights at the other side of the road.”

“A-and…how does he get you there?”

The answer came in form of a manual. Donghyuck raised his hand and pointed directly at the windowsill, his eyes faraway.

-

“You are an underlying idiot with a calm façade,” Doyoung commented, a wet grin evident on his face. “I expected better, Jae”

He was one to talk. A man with startling red hair held what seemed to be a cigar inches from his face, his other hand holding the Doyoung’s collar, lifting him up high enough so the smaller male was on his tip-toes. The bar turned simultaneously to look at him.

Now that he stood there confused as eyes trained in him, scanning him from head to toe. At first glance, they looked positively human, bearing the normal runeless skin save for a few tattoos. But from the way they were eyeing him, even when he was sure he had his glamour on, there was a distinct possibility of that being false.

“Must be a reason a Nephilim is here, in the middle of our pack,” someone called. Jaehyun turned to look at a slim male draped over a sofa, a cup of coffee in his hand. “You lost, boy?”

The man holding Doyoung by the collar growled. “Ten, that’s enough. He’s here for the Faerie boy.”

“You call me boy when you’re not much older than me yourself, Yuta,” Doyoung teased and quickly dodged when a fist was swung his way. His smile did not waver, even then. Jaehyun had never seen Doyoung look so alive. The white head almost drunkenly stumbled to Jaehyun’s side, grabbing the side of his head and pushing it down so he could hiss in his ear.

“What kind of meth are you on to step foot in the werewolves’ territory?”

Crescent…pack…ohh…

“He’s whipped, you’re honour!” The barista called, causing a rippled of laughter to pass around the bar. “You’re lucky we’re a part of Taeil’s pack, or you’d get jumped on the moment you opened the door.”

Doyoung raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms as he stared down Yuta and the barista. “Forgive the Nephilim, for he is a lost cause. Like a pixie caught up in a mulberry bush half eaten by a cub.

Come to think of cubs, I heard one of them was poisoned by some nightshade hidden deep within the basements of the pub. Strange how he’d find his way there, don’t you think?”

The barista’s face turned beetroot red, the bottle in his hand shattering from how hard he was clenching. “I know you did it, Faerie boy. You and your little tricks. You knew that Chenle would be listening in when you told me about it, and now he’s bedridden looking half a foot from death –“

“Which I could barely care about,” came the answer. “If you watched over your little cub, Kun, I’d say he would still be running around with that vampire boy. But I wasn’t the one who forbid him from befriending the other, nor was I the one who showed him how to sneak out at night, was I?”

His eyes fell on Ten who suddenly tensed out of his calm demeanour.

“You play a lot of dangerous games, Nephilim,” Kun snarled. “I’ll wait for the day I see the world crush your bones and bury them in ash. For now, you’ve challenged the balance between our kin, and I don’t think the Angels you speak of would allow you to cause more –“

“Chaos? Strife? Doom?” Doyoung interrupted, and suddenly his cheery façade fell, leaving behind a mask of steel. “I wouldn’t have been born a Nephilim if that were the case. You’re one to talk, Kun, when your own cub is running around with your sworn enemy. I have accepted that I’m forsaken, for both kin who share my blood see me as a curse, someone who would bring down snow onto their lives of gold and break apart their family like rusted steel.”

Jaehyun could feel the danger wafting off of Doyoung, the werewolves in the pub growling under their breath as tension hung above their heads. Silently, he reached for Ramiel, his hands resting at the hilt. Doyoung might be the enemy of a thousand Nephilim and a thousand Downworlders, but he was no enemy in Jaehyun’s eyes.

“I bear no attachment to the Folk, nor the Angels. The sky still stands above my head, and even when it parts, we will still share it. This is no place for the damned and forsaken, and why would you declare me any lower than who you are?”

“Don’t play riddles with me, faerie boy,” Yuta growled his whole body like a taunt bowstring, ready to be released.

Doyoung didn’t waver. “Is It Faerie or Nephilim, child of the moon? I have been called many, and shall be called many more. What makes you think I couldn’t hurt any one of you, leaving behind your own faults to cover my deeds, a pile of leaves to hide the carcass underneath. You may not think I hear the words they say about me, but the Folk will always hear. They always do.”

He turned towards the door, his piercing gaze parting the sea of lycanthropes grouped up to block his way. A quick glance indicated that he should follow as Doyoung made his way out. He stopped at the doorway, turning his head sideways to glance back at Kun who was shaking from anger.

“It wasn’t nightshade that your cub ate. He’s allergic to cranberries. I might be a fault within nature, but I’m not a monster…unlike you lot.”

With that, they left the pub and didn’t look back.

-

The music was deafening, neon lights almost blinding him as they made their way inside the Golden Lotus club. Jaehyun didn’t know how they managed to make it in when they were only 16, assuming Doyoung was the same age as he was. Thinking back, he didn’t even know how old Doyoung was.

“This isn’t a normal club,” Doyoung stated as he pulled Jaehyun along by the wall to not attract any attention. “It’s a trap created by some of the demons and vampires to lure in the youngsters, especially humans. As long as you don’t eat the food, you’re safe.”

Jaehyun blanched. “You brought us straight into a trap?”

“This is a place where I hide. No Nephilim and no Downworlders to focus on me, only on the prey. Of course, the Nephilim haven’t found this place yet, that’s why it’s still here.”

Which Jaehyun had mixed feelings about. There were couples dancing at the open floor, hands in each other’s waist and slowly swaying to the hypnotic music. However, at further inspection, it was evident that that wasn’t the case. A man had his lips to the neck of a young girl, dark liquid trickling down the curve and dampening the collar of her dress. Some of the younger ones were being led to separate rooms, their eyes glazed over as they mindlessly followed their captors.

It made Jaehyun sick to the stomach.

“Come on, your marks are on full display” Doyoung said, and quietly led him to a separate room which had large windows, not providing the safety he sought out. The door, as it seemed, did not have a lock.

In a swift movement, Doyoung grabbed his shoulder and twirled him around, placing his hands on his waist and shoulder. Before Jaehyun could make a move to push him away, the latter had set his head on his shoulder, pulling him close as they instinctively swayed to the music.

“Play along, or they’ll suspect something.”

Jaehyun didn’t know what to say to that, only feeling blood warm as they danced within the room dimly lit with fairy lights. He could understand why Doyoung would go there for comfort. It felt as if he’d stepped into an entirely different world.

“Tell me something, Jae. How far broken are you?”

Jaehyun tilted his head to look down at Doyoung, but he was still pressing his forehead to Jaehyun’s shoulder. In the years following the death of his parents, Jaehyun had never opened up about what had happened in his past, but Doyoung felt so vulnerable under his touch. If he himself was shattered glass, Doyoung was a ring made of pure gold.

“I remember the night like it’s imprinted behind my eyelids. The window was open, the rain and wind lifting the velvet curtains and the moonlight shining upon my parent’s mangled bodies. Ripped apart from the inside as if someone had tried to turn them inside out, eyes open like the stuffed animals that are in the institute library.”

His grip on Doyoung strengthened as he furrowed his brows, the image in his head clenching at his heart in the most painful of ways. If he buried himself within his blankets and pressed his ears closed, he could feel the chill of demon blood against his skin mixed with stinging acid rain.

“I heard it was the work of a Greater Demon, and I hate how I couldn’t remember it’s face. But when I struck it with Ramiel, right in the throat at twelve years old. And suddenly it was like my world had become shades darker.”

Doyoung raised his head, but did not turn to look at Jaehyun. “So, it was a Curse?”

“No, it was me. My parents were people of the kindest hearts, and they raised me with music and literature, presenting to me the most merciless kills and acceptance towards Downworlders. To see them mangled before my eyes was –“

He broke off, sighing heavily. There wasn’t really anything else to say other than that. With his world bleached of any spark, he had slowly lost his own colour, his personality. Time had ticked forward, but he had been stuck within the night like a constant loop of his past.

“What colour is the world in your eyes?” Doyoung asked, eyes cast upwards as what seemed to be vines stretched themselves across the ceiling, flower buds popping up and growing larger every passing minute. From Doyoung’s expression, it was nothing to worry about.

Jaehyun pushed the panic deep into his stomach.

“The world is a canvas streaked with shades of grey, spotted with red dark enough to pass as black.”

“Yet that is how the world is.” The grip on Jaehyun’s waist tightened. “There is no colour other than the muted ones. It’s not that your world became darker, it simply presented its real shades to you on that day. The broken don’t walk within a fantasy they created to run from their problems.”

Jaehyun wanted to beg to differ, because his world now had colour. He could see the first traces of deep violet intertwine with the strands of grey. “You seem like someone who walks in a world of neon, not in one like mine. Mother used to say that there is a steel door in the hearts of everyone. Only two of the bravest people will be able to open it.”

He looked down at Doyoung’s eyes were downcast, his eyelashes prettily shadowing his violet eyes.

“The one who knocks, and the one who opens the door.”

There was a heart in Doyoung, one wrapped in poison ivy’s and nightshade the mistletoe. A thousand people could stand before it, but not dare to reach out and knock. Jaehyun had a heart of shattered glass, and he reached out with the first shard and sliced at the first of the vines.

“The Fey were my family, and there is no better place to be than with people who would shroud you in safety and love. That was when I was a child, a child who believed he was one of them. There are many layers to the Faerie Folk, and the ones the Nephilim see is are the ones they rip from the surface. They are no different from the children who play hide and seek in the dark.”

For the first time since they started dancing, Doyoung looked up to meet Jaehyun’s eyes. Under the lights, he looked less Nephilim, more Faerie. Yet, there were the broken eyes he had hid under his penetrating gaze, and Jaehyun wanted to read every single story they bore to the very end.

“Have you heard of Changelings, Jae?” his voice was barely over a whisper. “For a long time, no one realized. I had the face of the Fey, and being around them made me inherit the looks they bore. You see, the longer you are in the Faerie world, the more you bear the traits they hold. That’s what happened to me.

But that’s not how the story began. Because they took me in on accident, and it was never meant to happen. Out there, somewhere, there is a Faerie Child hidden within the Shadowhunters, not bearing the usual traits of the Folk. I was a new born when it happened, and I have no idea how it happened. Only my father had realized a little too late.”

Jaehyun frowned. “So…you’re not part Faerie?”

“That I am. They had not realized our switch because I had Faerie blood, which was worse. The Cold War had forced my biological parents into hiding, and I was in danger of being found out by both Fey and Nephilim. I was not safe anywhere, not when I was a child born in the middle of the war. My father hid me for as long as he could, but there would always be people asking. Why he went out to the mundane world to buy mundane food. Why I had no reaction to cold iron. In the end, when he realized that my second blood was Shadowhunter, he sent me to the institute. If the Nephilim found out, they’d send me away. If the Faerie knew, they’d kill me.”

Doyoung turned his head to the side as he blinked away tears. His body moved before his mind did, a and Jaehyun gently pushed his fingers against Doyoung’s cheek so he was looking at him. “You went through all of that, and you let the Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike shun you as if you didn’t bear their blood?”

“This world isn’t for me –“

“You deserve to be treated like any one of us,” Jaehyun insisted, raising a hand to trace the blue highlights in Doyoung’s hair. “This world is shared, and you’re not an outsider. Not to them, and not to me.”

The buds above them exploded, showering them in what seemed to be glittery dust that reflected the fairy lights as they settled on their skin. Jaehyun was sure that when he inhaled quite the amount every time he breathed, and felt the first tingle of high.

Doyoung giggled, his eyes glazed over as he raked his hand through Jaehyun’s hair. “Now you look strange and magical.”

The dust had hidden within Doyoung’s white strands, but made his hair shimmer like fairy wings. The music seemed to slow down in Jaehyun’s hearing, the bass sluggish and making his heart beat with it.

Overcome by the bottled emotions in his chest and the giddiness of high, he drew out his stele and took Doyoung’s hand side by side with his own. As gently as possible, he drew the iratze he had read in his history book, one that he had been incredibly interested in. Doyoung flinched at the burn, but did not turn away. When the rune was finished, he examined the half iratze curiously.

“They used to draw it on the palm of a Downworlder and a Shadowhunter during the alliance. It bonded them alike to a parabatai.” Jaehyun tilted Doyoung’s chin upwards so they were looking at each other. “But it’s not just the bond between us. It’s to remind you that no matter who you are, or where you came from…I’ll still be there. Alike to this rune, your two bloodlines are bonded, and you are no less of any of the two.”

His senses were amplified, Doyoung’s touch against his cheek sending shivers down his spine. There were tears collecting at the side of his eye, rivalling the wide gummy smile that lit up his face. He wanted so badly to draw closer, to place his hand so they could dance the night away.

But that didn’t exactly work out.

The door flew open, and men with eyes glintaing gold growled at them. Jaehyun forced his eyes to look beyond the glamour, revealing the demons that lurked behind it. He tensed, hands on his blade as they grew closer.

“I told you, abomination of Fey, that I allowed you inside aa long as you didn’t bring the Nephilim in.”

His voice was threatening, but there was no fear in Doyoung’s eyes. “That is you fault, for he passed the border even as Nephilim. Strange, is it not?”

The one closest to them bared his teeth. “Do not play with us with your little Faerie magic, boy. You know what happens when you break the rules.”

 Licking the dust from his lips, he passed his gaze over the dozens of demons and inclined his head towards the door. “Let’s take this outside, shall we?”

The back door led to an alleyway. Rain dampened their hair, and ignited Jaehyun’s senses. Now that they were out of the club, the demons now towered over them in their true forms. Jaehyun hadn’t caught up much on demonic studies, but there was really no telling the lesser demons apart.

They raised their clawed hands, rearing back and baring their sharp teeth.

“You broke the deal, and now you’ll pay the price!” they howled, the stench of raw meat washing over them, making them gag. Doyoung blinked a few time before his lips spread into a smirk.

“I’ve waited a little too long for that.” He pulled out what seemed to be square metallic object. However, when he flicked his wrist, it expanded into the largest double edged scythe Jaehyun had ever seen. “Raphael!”

It had been a while since Jaehyun took on as many demons as he was currently fighting, but the dust was like glucose pushing along his adrenaline as he threw his first blade into the eye of one of the demons. As it reared back, he unsheathed the long blade strapped to his back and gutted it. With no hesitation, he rolled to the side as a spray of poison splattered at the spot he was standing moments ago.

He turned around fast enough to catch Doyoung beheading the demon, his eyes bright with elation. Doyoung moved like a wildfire, cutting down the demons and spinning his weapon with such ease and moving lightly on his feet.

Jaehyun launched himself off the back of a demon and plunged his dagger into the head of another, relishing the cry of pain it gave out before it turned to dust. He twisted mid-air and sent a kick to the face of another, swiping his blade at its feet and rendering it legless for a few seconds before he finished it off with his long blade.

Behind him, Doyoung spun his scythe and sliced open the last demon, watching it turn to dust. They both stood, panting with exhilaration and high. Irene wouldn’t be amused at their states, but Jaehyun could barely care. He hadn’t felt so alive in a while.

“We make good partners, Jae.” Doyoung grinned and retracted his scythe, tucking the square box back into his pocket. “Let’s get home and climb through the window to your room before Yixing does his rounds, yeah?”

Partner? Doyoung as his fighting partner?

Jaehyun imagined fighting side by side with the latter for the rest of his life, and a smile traced itself on his face. One day…he was going to ask Doyoung to become his parabatai.

-

Befriending Doyoung was like opening a Christmas package only to find another box wrapped box underneath.

Almost every night, Doyoung would swing into his room with scratched up arms and dishevelled hair, grinning like decades had been added to his lifespan. Unlike Jaehyun whose eyes were on his books and music pieces Doyoung fed off of adrenaline. Usually, his appearance meant a healing rune and perhaps cuddles under the covers because Doyoung absolutely hated the burn.

“Does it burn more?” Jaehyun once asked as he tried to peel the blanket off of Doyoung.

Doyoung had grunted almost as if he were insulted by the question. “Do I look like I have a way to know?”

Also, Doyoung was seen more in the day which came off as a surprise in the Blackthorn family. For one, no one actually knew where the scythe came from or how it programmed which made Johnny all the most curious. The tension was still there, but it was slowly dissipating.

“You know, if you could fight like that I could’ve brought you on our trips,” Irene commented as Doyoung lightly landed after stripping himself from the safety ropes. “Taeyong has been dying to have someone to fight with him in the mid-air battles.”

“I thought Hyuck was a great sling-shot user,” Doyoung replied, shrugging, only to pause when he realized the looks everyone was giving him “What?”

“Hyuck can use a WHAT?” Taeyong screeched before taking off upstairs to get the boy who was locked in his room, as usual. Seconds after he left, there was a crash of the vent and a small figure crept out, a wide smile on his face.

“Doie-hyung, can I train now that they know?”

Jaehyun had cuffed the back of Doyoung’s head as Johnny scooped Donghyuck up in his arms and threw him up in celebration. Donghyuck looked happier now that Doyoung was interacting more with them, and Jaehyun could relate a lot. In fact, he even started helping Johnny out in studying runes.

“You do realize Hyuck has photographic memory?” Jaehyun asked as he flipped through the book, watching Johnny trace the runes with his finger. “He’d probably be able to help you every night if you let him.”

“He’s a kid, Jae,”

“A kid whose gifted, John”

Johnny slammed the book shut before planting his face onto the table, tension straining his muscles. “I just…I feel so bad that he witnessed the Red Party when it happened. We could have heard it from the Clave, but we saw it happen with our own eyes because Donghyuck had insisted that we return Dad’s seraph blade when he left it at home.”

Jaehyun could understand that fear. He didn’t know how old Donghyuck was when it had happened, but if the kid could commit everything he saw to memory…he didn’t want to imagine what haunted his nights. “Then he grew up faster than you could ever imagine. He’s not a normal child, John…and I don’t think he appreciates being treated like one –“

“I wish he did. I wish we both didn’t have to grow up so fast.”

And yet they had. The Los Angeles Institute was a home to the broken, with the youngest residences taking care of it. Doyoung had told him that there were almost no institutes who were run by those under 40. Yixing must be a very powerful Shadowhunter to be able to take over the Institute once he turned legal a few decades ago.

Time passed like a blur after that. They had started living like a normal family, keeping themselves hidden as they went through mission after mission, killing off demons that appeared nearby and getting pizza afterwards. It was a new norm Jaehyun fell into comfortably, and more than once when he was looking up at Doyoung with his moonlit hair and violet eyes, the question lingered at the edge of his tongue.

Be my parabatai?

I want you by my side forever.

Let’s be partners until we grow old.

I want you as my parabatai.

It was such a small nudge towards a future he anticipated, wanted with his every being. To feel Doyoung’s exhilaration as his own, to feel his pain and worry and happiness as if they were two parts of a whole. To sleep knowing Doyoung was safe, and feel the shift in his emotions that were more sensitive than he thought. To intertwine the golden threads of his heart with his glass shards to give them shape, to give them support.

But that seemed far away when he heard a knock against his door one night, waking him up from his light slumber. When he opened the door, Doyoung had slammed into his chest and sobbed.

Sobbed.

Instinctively, Jaehyun had laced his fingers through his hair and guided to him to his bed. Doyoung didn’t seem capable of bearing his whole weight as he collapsed onto the worn out mattress, not letting go of Jaehyun’s waist as he trembled under the latter’s touch.

“They’re going to put me on trial at the Silent City,” he mumbled, the hand on Jaehyun’s back gripping harder. “By the Angel, Jae…I’m terrified.”

Jaehyun was, too. As a child he feared the Silent Brothers when they had looked upon his bloodied form and spoke in his head. He clutched Doyoung closer, taking in his scent of lotus and sweet cherries, the strange silkiness of his hair. “What do they want with you, Doie?”

“They traced my bloodline back to the Cold War. They know I was born during the conflict and that I was raised in the Faerie lands. They fear I’m a traitor among the Nephilim, and they might strip me of my Marks.”

His blood ran cold at the thought of the Clave leaving Doyoung wandering on the streets with nowhere to stay, perhaps into the hands of the Fey who would kill him on the spot. Fear…Jaehyun feared for the boy in his arms.

“They’ll use the Mortal Sword, and you’ll tell the truth. There will believe your words,” Jaehyun comforted.

“Regardless of my words, would they accept someone like me into their kin? I have been treated like an abomination of nature for the past few years, and to think they could take legal action and have me gone? There is no excuse for my birth, Jae. I might…I might not see you again –“

“But you will!” Jaehyun insisted. “I’ll look over you when they question you, and by the Angel I think Yixing would even bring along young Hyuck. We don’t abandon family –“

“The Law is hard, but it is the Law, Jae”

“Family is above Law. We won’t let them take you away, Doie. Two Blackthorns were separated due to their blood, and there will be no more suffering for one more. Whether you like it or not, Doie, we are now family, and we don’t let each other go.”

The fabric that pressed against his chest was damp, but he didn’t shift nor did he complain. Truth was like a mirror that would free you of the perception others had placed upon you. Deep inside, Jaehyun knew all Doyoung wanted was to be accepted, even when he played it off as being unconnected to any kin. He wanted a family.

Even when there was one right in front of his eyes.

“I’m not letting you go, Doie. Not now, not ever.”

-

The next day, he was among the many who were on the second level below ground at the Silent City. He didn’t realize it was such a big deal until he saw the many Silent Brothers and Council members surrounding the Speaking Stars, a square pavilion where Doyoung stood rigidly.

His fear was hidden under a perfect poker face as Brother Enoch spoke to him through Telepathy. Jaehyun didn’t know what exactly was being transmitted, but he doubted it was anything too heavy. Doyoung was still able to stand tall, eyes unwavering as he answered whatever questions they asked. Jaehyun was holding Donghyuck in his arms, the younger boy looking as serious as the Council members.

“Bring forth the Mortal Sword,” the Inquisitor declared and Yixing came out, his expression a stone mask, softening once he reached Doyoung and balanced it on his palms. Doyoung knelt on the floor, his expression unafraid as he looked up at the Council members, accepting whatever assumptions they would hurl at him.

“Tell us of your blood, and where you come from.”

There was no venom in Yixing’s voice as it echoed around the room. Jaehyun heard the story he heard at the club be retold, the words flowing from Doyoung’ lips with no restraint. There is no fear when telling the truth. There were people who accepted their fate, and those who denied. Surrounded by people who assumed the worse about him, Doyoung was an open book.

“Do you have any connection to the Fey, or the Seelie Court?” someone called down, bowing deeply.

Doyoung shook his head. “I have been left behind and they have no contact with me. I am no friend nor traitor for them any more than I am with the Nephilim.”

There was a ripple of appreciative murmur that passed over the court at the statement. Jaehyun let out a sigh of relief as the Silent Brothers nodded to themselves. Was it done? Was it finished now they heard what they wanted.

“The boy was during the Cold War!” A loud voice boomed, and all heads turned to look at the Council member. “He was hidden when the children of Faerie-blood were torn apart. One of them was sent to the Wild Hunt, even. The boy would only bring upon another war with his bloodline being of traitors!”

“Then what do you want us to do? He is not responsible for his lineage, nor his parents. He was born a shadowhunter, and we do not abandon our own!” Yixing countered, turning towards the Inquisitor. “Surely, you cannot hold the boy accountable for something he cannot control!”

“The boy is capable of using Faerie magic, as Changelings are. There is nothing but growing tensions and risks of having another Morgenstern within our midst!” Another voice called out, and Jaehyun felt his stomach drop.

Doyoung raised his head to look at Jaehyun, his calm façade wavering as the Council’s words bargained with his life. Despite any acceptance the boy portrayed towards his fate, deep down he wanted to stay. Jaehyun could see it through his eyes, pleading for them to embrace again even if he were to be taken away. His heart shattered at the fear in his eyes.

“What do you propose, then?” the Inquisitor asked.

“The boy shall return to the Fey with his Marks taken away! Let them do what they want with him.”

There was a collective gasp at the proposal and Jaehyun made a move to leap over the ledge was held back by Johnny’s firm hand on his shoulder. “We cannot do anything, Jae. We aren’t legal for our word to be taken into account.”

His fury was a wildfire that ignited in his veins, making his vision blur. These people who hadn’t tried to understand the layers of Doyoung’s values, who spoke with the voice of their own hatred towards the Fey. To think the Council would act upon the bad blood between themselves and Downworlders. He hated every single one of them, the ones who spoke and the ones who kept silent.

“He is a boy!’

“Jaehyunnie, have you ever wondered why our family name is Caelpavor?”

“He is of the Faerie Folk!”

“It stands for sky and fear. There is nothing else we should fear unless the sky falls. We stand true to our name as we are fearless. Why should you be afraid when you could be something everyone else fears?”

“They’ll kill him the moment he stands within the Seelie Court!”

“When there is someone worth fighting for, my lovely boy, never back down. Your voice holds the strength of the Caelpavors, so use it then. I hope you don’t have to though. I hope we’ll be with you to be your voice when the time comes and you find yourself in a place where you must speak.”

“He was never meant to be born when he was. There is a reason the Law stands!”

“But if we aren’t there, then be fearless. Be the voice of the Caelpavors.”

  “You shall not send him away”

It took a moment for Jaehyun to realize it was his voice that had spoken, and eyes were suddenly in him. There was no place to hide, and no place to shrink back into. In front of the many pairs of eyes. Jaehyun’s voice was heard. He let Donghyuck slip from his arms and raised his chin, feeling the pressure make his veins buzz with adrenaline.

“Young boy,” one of the Council members laughed “Who are you to speak –“

“We are to be parabatai!” There was no doubt in his voice, even when he looked down at Doyoung with uncertain eyes, only to see the boy grin widely, his violet irises lighting up.

“This is nonsense!” someone declared. “To have someone pair up with this Folk boy –“

“And do you doubt the judgement of someone who is closer to the boy more than you are?” Yixing challenged, hope making his voice stronger as he passed his gaze over the people of the court. “He was able to make a family out of the boy faster than any of us who believed such assumptions that must have weighed heavily upon the boy’s shoulders. There will no longer be any abuse upon the boy, more than what we have already placed.”

“You have to proof that he won’t abuse the bond –“

“What better way to represent the alliance between the Faerie Folk and Nephilim other than bond the two?” Yixing countered with no hesitation. “The parabatai bond is sacred, spoken under a vow. You are speaking of the last descendant of the Caelpavors whom we lost. I, as a Shadowhunter who respects them as the best of us, will honour the word of the boy. This is the least we can do!”

There was a slam of palms against the ledge. “Your honour, this is ridiculous –“

“Yet it is not,” the Inquisitor smiled, looking down at Doyoung with a warm look. “So, young shadowhunter, are you of genuine heart to be the boy’s parabatai?”

Doyoung raised head, looking smug as he spoke the words that freed him. “There is no other person I would choose to be bounded to other than Jaehyun of the Caelpavors.”

There was no lie when the Mortal Sword weighed on his palms, and his words were the truth. The Inquisitor raised his arms, and commanded silence. “The boy shall stay with the Nephilim, and shall be the parabatai of Jaehyun Caelpavor.”

There was the bow of respect to the decision, and a Silent Brother glided up to them and took the Mortal Sword off of Doyoung’s palms. Almost instantly, Doyoung jumped up into Yixing’s open arms, burying his head in the others shoulder. Donghyuck gave a squeal of delight before jumping over the ledge, running as fast as his small feet could carry him.

Doyoung pulled away just in time to open his arms, letting Donghyuck slam into him and hold tightly. The rest of the children came bounding behind them, not caring about the Council who were trying to approach, nor the Silent Brothers who looked upon them.

“Parabatai, huh?” Taeyong grinned, slapping Doyoung’s back, the latter letting out a mock cry of pain. Donghyuck let go so Doyoung could embrace his family, Irene refusing to let go until Jaehyun cleared his throat. They looked at each other, their smiles mimicking each other for a split second before they pulled each other into a hug.

“Thank you, Jae,” Doyoung whispered into his ear. “Jaehyun Caelpavor.”

Jaehyun chuckled, pulling away and ruffling his hair shyly. “We’re all under the Blackthorn family now, aren’t we? I prefer that name.”

“Me too. Though only Doyoung does sound rather edgy.” Doyoung shrugged, and they shared quiet laughter until someone cleared their throat loudly, taking their attention.

A man of late forties stood in full shadowhunter gear, his eyes settling on Doyoung unsettlingly. “I believe, your story doesn’t end there, young Carstairs.”

Before Jaehyun could ask what he meant, a figure moved from behind the man. They inhaled almost simultaneously as a boy stared back at them with clementine orange eyes and jet black hair. His skin was Runeless, meaning he was no Shadowhunter.

That wasn’t what was shocking. The boy was the exact replica of Doyoung, from the almond shaped eyes to his long nose bridge. Even the way their gazes pierced with underlying amusement was the same. Jaehyun held Doyoung’s hand in his own.

“We were lucky that you made enough fuss within the Shadowhunter world for us to catch on and not mark him when he was supposed to.” The man said neutrally, but there was something dark and heavy behind his words. “Doyoung…this is Dongyoung of the Carstairs family.”

The young Shadowhunters waited for the storyteller to finish the tale, but when he did not, they erupted into endless questions.

“Then, did Doyoung return to his real family?”

“Did they really become parabatai?”

“Was Dongyoung set for revenge?”

“There must be more to the story!”

The storyteller chuckled, leaning back casually against the desk in front of the academies classroom. With his face shadowed with his hood, it was almost impossible to guess what he was thinking. “There is no story that ends, and if I ever continued, class would not finish!”

A collective grumble passed over the class as they glared at him.

“You can’t just end it there! We’ll be awake all night talking about it!”

There was a chorus of “yeah!”s and the storyteller figured he had overdone it. Perhaps the Professors and Warlocks wouldn’t agree with how he told the story. Stories did change over time, but he was sure his own was the truth. Still, he couldn’t exactly spill everything the young minds, in case they’d do something incredibly reckless.

Take visiting the Seelie Queen for example.

“There will be more peculiar stories told,” he comforted, though the sounds of protest made him figure it didn’t help the burning curiosity of young minds. “I’m here simply to tell my own. Surely, there are other things you could think of than a story that may be a mere fable.”

A student in front leaned forward curiously. “Is it a fable, though? It sounds so true.”

Just as the storyteller opened his mouth to answer, there was a squeak of the door and Professor Mark who was supposed to teach the class –though he found himself locked out for some reason –entered, looking bedraggled yet kind of put together. Maybe Warlock magic made you look stunning 24/7. He took one look at the storyteller and grinned widely.

“You really told them the story?”

The storyteller shrugged nonchalantly, pushing himself off the desk before brushing his clothes off. Under the sun that shone through the window, he took off his hood to reveal a mop of curly chestnut brown hair and eyes that twinkled mischievously.

“Just a mere tale, Mark.” He replied, his eyes scanning the classroom. “To spark a little interest.”

“Not fooling me, Hyuck. I wouldn’t bet that you didn’t do this knowing that they’ll be bombarding me with questions for the next few months.”

“Teachers duties, Mark. That was your choice.” ‘Hyuck’ made a move towards the door.

“Are you Donghyuck Blackthorn from the story you just told?” A voice piped up, and suddenly it was as if the storyteller had become someone else entirely. “The boy who could remember everything?”

Donghyuck shrugged, raking a hand through his hair before shooting them a grin. “That’s a great question. Would it keep you up if I confirmed it? The tale may merely be another tale, and a memory is merely another memory. All the stories are true, are the not?”

With that he left, leaving a classroom of confused young shadowhunters and a very amused Warlock. Well…reader. Do you think this story is true?

Then again… as Donghyuck had said…all the stories are true.