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When an unknown group of scientists claimed that the planet is dying, nobody paid them any heed. It wasn't in the best interest of corporations nor governments to sow panic. Then again, who would believe that the whole wide world would take a sudden plunge deep into a frightful winter. There was a reason the planet had a diverse climate map. Nobody was ready when everything just froze over.
Warmth fled the planet while politicians and bureaucrats debated the feasibility of sustaining life as they enjoyed it. Forty-eight percent of the population died as the same fools tried to save their assets and their asses.
Khun would know. His father was one of those so-called leaders who voted that the world was better off downsizing its population.
Another thirty three percent were pared down by treacherous blizzards and hailstorms that reshaped the land and forced people out of the big cities.
Khun really wasn't too surprised when humanity devolved to anarchy as food grew scarce, power grids collapsed and living conditions grew nigh unbearable. He watched warily as new leaders and factions emerged. Some claim righteousness by virtue of some belief. Most cling steadfastly to might and the promise of food and protection. Still, a notable number of survivors kept their heads down and coalesced into small groups. Humans are social creatures after all and survival was best in functional clusters.
They were mostly led by people like Khun.
Strategic.
Methodical.
Meticulous.
People who excelled in control.
It’s something that came to Khun naturally.
It’s something he has always been good at.
Something he exercises within himself as easy as breathing. A skill borne of necessity and honed to - well, maybe not perfection but something damn well close to it.
Something he wields as deftly as the knives often flitting between his nimble fingers. His plans wouldn’t be as effective if he isn’t so adept at manipulating people to do as he pleases, in weaving schemes designed to create situations best suited to his group's advantage.
It is something Bam strips from him just by existing.
Yes. Bam, that same charismatic dark-haired honey-eyed man many a power-hungry group has tried to rope into their schemes.
Not that Khun would allow any of it. Particularly not those cultists who want Bam to be their god.
Khun sways with the lurching of their patched up warship. The clunky hunk of metal has definitely seen better days. Still, it's one of their group's prize assets, allowing them a wider range of motion than most others.
"Who's mad? I'm not mad. Nothing happened, right?" He grinds out the words in long drawn syllables. Emphasizing the word 'nothing' like a paramount reality hedging against an utterly distasteful inconsequence.
The blue screen projected from his lighthouse flickers, throwing a cold blue glow on the tight lines of his face as he confirms through satellite images that the complex of factories they dug out secretly with a select group of allies is now swarming with heavily armed hostiles and its precious supply of food and mechanical parts are now lost to them. Including the spare parts they need to repair the generator. The generator they desperately need to bring heat and power to the settlement they painstakingly carved here in the north.
His gaze remains steady on the figures on his screen. Even if his long pale fingers have stilled over the glowing keyboard. His lithe frame is taut and seething a bristling warning that echoes the malignance of the thunderstorm outside.
And he refuses to look at Bam. Thanks largely to Bam’s penchant for drawing people to his side, their group has ballooned beyond what Khun calculated was currently sustainable given their location and resources.
Ergo, they have plenty of mouths to feed. Way too many if you ask Endorsi.
Ergo, the urgent scramble for supplies.
Khun has done his darndest to breathe some order into their lives. He’s organized everyone in their group into teams for gathering necessities, constructing shelter and repairing the old generator they salvaged and made the center of their base. Without those much needed supplies, they would barely have enough food to last another — Khun quickly runs the numbers — thirteen days. Then again, they will freeze to death well before they feel any pangs of hunger.
Khun winds his woolen scarf tighter around himself. Wisps of pale blue hair slip out of his thick cap. He needs Bam to understand how serious the consequences of his actions are. He needs him to stop saving people they can’t afford to save.
“I had to do it,” Bam pleads, trying to catch Khun’s gaze without success. A soft tone far removed from the confidence he wore like a shield as he barrelled through the self-styled Jahad army's blockade not an hour before and threw all the covert plans Khun carefully orchestrated out the proverbial window. “They would have killed those people if we—”
Khun sucks in air through his gritted teeth and hisses under his breath. “So you put yourself in danger instead. And our scouts. And our allies. And—”
“But they weren’t in any real danger! I knew you would handle it. I… I trust you Khun.”
At another time, the confirmation of that trust would have made Khun smile. But they have been forced to flee deeper into the cold wastes. To the far edges of the harshest part of the continent that knew not forgiveness nor warmth. They aren't even talking about how Khun had to reveal he was an ice shinsu user to get their hides out of that scrape intact. And on top of that, he now has a splitting headache.
He's not coming down with anything like Hatz insinuated before this mission that turned into a fool's errand. It's a preposterous idea. Khun simply can't afford to get sick. He has no time to get sick. Especially since he has missions and projects for the next five months lined up to ensure they establish a steady supply of food and at least some basic medical supplies. Even if they have to grow them themselves.
“So you saved those people today. And then what? Will you save them again tomorrow? The next day? This planet is dying, Bam. Everyone here is as good as dead. And if we don’t keep our head on straight, we might as well be too.”
“I’m sorry,” Bam murmurs and Khun’s head finally swivels. Still not looking at Bam but taking in his reflection on the cracked window. Preternatural horns. Bloodshot eyes. Jagged red cracks on his skin leaking wisps of red mist. More monster than man. He must be hurting a lot but he utters not a groan. His lost expression makes something in Khun's chest ache. It hurts. Throbbing like a scar that refuses to be forgotten.
"Bam." Khun really is too soft for him who is his everything. It’s not something Khun often acknowledges. This relationship isn’t really the most conventional. Sure, they did admit that they liked each other. And then, they went about their days as they always did. Then again, trying to survive in a broken world while keeping their motley crew alive is keeping the two of them mostly too busy for talks about emotions and whatnot.
Khun can’t really stay mad for long when it comes to Bam, can he?
He stands and steps towards Bam. Within reach but not close enough to feel his warmth. A divider hides them from view of the rest of the ship. Khun makes sure no one is watching before he raises his hands on either side of Bam's head. Licks of flame flick between his fingers, seep into Bam until Khun is confident that the throbbing edge of Bam’s agony simmers down to a dull ache. Still insistent. Still there. But no longer painful enough to make Bam grind his teeth.
It's another well kept secret. That Khun is a healer. Known only to a trusted few.
Khun doesn't need to touch him to heal him. The lightbearer has made it clear often enough yet Bam still takes Khun's hand and rests it against his cheek. And Khun allows it because he knows his touch makes Bam feel much better than all the firefish's healing flame. Bam says so. Repeats it every time until Khun has no other option than to believe it.
He watches the lines of Bam’s face smooth out as the warmth of his hand seeps into him. It's the least he can do: be a beacon of comfort for this man in this darkness.
Khun focuses on healing Bam and doesn’t pay attention to the hot palm Bam puts on the back of Khun’s neck. Allows him to pull him in until their foreheads are touching.
Khun gasps. Almost silent. But he doesn't move until blood stops seeping through Bam's worn edges. Through the split skin strained and worn thin by the power roiling in his veins. Warm foggy breath coasts on each other's lips as Khun ceaselessly pours the firefish's warmth into Bam despite the ache growing more prominent behind his eyes.
Bam whimpers. The sound deceptively innocent and that something in Khun's chest lurches again. He's beginning to think he might have a heart after all. It's hard to accept after so much evidence to the contrary. After all he's done to kill it. To bury it where nobody could use it to hurt him. How ironic that the one who found it and restored its faltering beats has harming him furthest from his mind.
The ones we love hurt us the most they say. How true. How so very true.
Satisfied that Bam is fully healed, Khun nods and steps back.
“I’m not a god, Bam. And neither are you. As for those allies - well, former allies - they will never trust us again. And one of these days I won't be fast enough to pull you out. One of these I won't have the answer. One of these days…,” he swallows against the tightness in his throat. He loosens his scarf. He always feels tired and much too warm after using the firefish, “I might not be there."
“No.” Bam reaches out to fold Khun in his arms but infuriated with how Bam refuses to acknowledge the danger he put himself in, the lightbearer decidedly keeps his distance. Bam frowns again as he lets his hand fall. “Khun…”
The warship shakes violently and gives an abrupt lurch. Khun loses his footing in the sudden turbulence.
"Sorry about that! You might want to strap yourselves in. This lightning storm means serious business. Hold on!" Shibisu yells from out front.
"Can you get us above it?" Khun’s gaze snaps to the front as he pulls out readings from the observers to assess the damage to the ship and the severity of the storm. Right before he is thrown off his feet.
Distracted, he doesn’t object when Bam catches him with an arm firmly around his waist.
"I'll try but I can't give any promises," Shibisu grunts as he fights with the controls.
Amidst the turbulent swaying of the ship, Khun turns to Bam, only now realizing how closely he was leaning on the latter.
"You can let go of me now."
“Here. Let’s buckle you in,” Bam says softly, eyes warm and bright.
Khun tries not to get too distracted and lets Bam ease him into a seat and snap the lap belts on. Bam pulls them tight around Khun and makes sure they are secure before getting in the seat beside him.
It’s like riding a bucking bull.
"These mountains look too much like teeth, I tell you!" He hears Shibisu yell as he struggles to keep the ship steady.
Already, Khun is scanning the satellite maps and comparing them to a list of factories and buildings that could possibly hold things they could salvage. Those that are not too deeply embedded in ice are likely already ransacked.
Nothing prepares them for the thundering roar that shakes the floating warship. Nor the fierce shudder that travels through its frame threatening to shear metal and strain rivets enough to rip them out. Nor the abrupt dive so fast it frees them momentarily from the gripping laws of gravity.
And they are falling, floundering inside a faulty craft. The electronics are fried. At least the ship still shields them against the angry barrage of lightning that continues as they plummet to the range of rocky mountains below.
"Brace yourselves!" is the last warning Shibisu gives. "We're going to crash!"
The ship tilts precariously to the left, slamming Khun against a window and punching the air out of his lungs. Then, it spins, lifting its nose as if trying to regain some lost altitude. At first they hear the frightened shouts and screams of their team but those are cut off by the sound of crunching metal as the ship hits a protruding mountain peak tail first. The deafening screech of metal twisting and tearing ripped through their heads. Khun covers his ears trying to stop the assault.
Then, the ship slides on the icy slopes like a roller coaster out of control. Khun feels like they are being hurled by an unrelenting force that whips their bodies against the safety belts. Bam reaches for his hand and holds him tight.
It seems hours later when Khun opens his eyes to the patter of cold rain. The ship is broken in two. His gaze follows a trail of debris leading to the front half resting against a pile of boulders further up front.
Khun has always been particularly sensitive to the cold shinsu in the air. Almost overwhelming at first but he's pushed back until it settled like a pragmatic throb at the base of his skull, always there, always watchful. He feels the brunt of it now as a stiff wind lashes his bare face.
Khun feels so battered and bruised. The g-forces have ripped their seats from the floor and them from their seats. He can't move. A heavy body is wrapped around him, pinning him down.
“You okay?”
"Mm," Khun flexes his limbs as he checks for damage and sits up as Bam gets off him. He frowns at the faint ringing remaining in his ears and rubs his head. "Of course. Stupid, you shielded me. Why?"
“Why shouldn’t I?” Bam blinks at him.
Khun’s brows knit. Always put yourself before all else. That has been drilled into his head as soon as he could talk. He has never questioned it. Never found the need to. Not until that moment he met this man who clearly thought otherwise. It’s been years since then but he still isn’t used to it. Being protected.
"You're hurt. Let me see." Khun disregards the throbbing of his head and pulls at the hem of Bam’s shirt to check on the redness blooming at his side.
“It’s not—” Bam protests.
"That's a lot of blood for such a small cut," Khun observes. Khun pokes at his side, fascinated. "No, not small. Just healing fast."
“That’s good right?”
“Yes.”
“Khun?” Bam frowns at Khun's scowl.
Khun tries again but the firefish is not responding. He may have overused it.
“No matter. You are not in any immediate danger,” Khun muses quietly before he turns to their rabbit eared resident bomb expert.
"Xiaxia, bandages,” Khun snaps.
“What?” Bam's frown deepens. He whispers furtively, "Your flame isn't working? Are you sure you're alright?"
"Not even a please?" Xiaxia huffs. She grabs a small first aid kit from her lighthouse anyway and throws it at Khun’s face. "Here."
Khun catches it and rifles through the contents before he finds some cleansing wipes and rips through a packet. "This is going to sting."
Xiaxia's eyes widen. “Never thought I’d live to see the day you’d be so gentle with someone.”
"He's an exception to all AA's rules. You best get used to it." Khun could practically hear Ran's eye roll through his bemused tone.
Khun glares at her and swipes at the wound harder than he needs to, making Bam wince. Once the blood is cleared away he slaps on a square bandage and secures it with tape. "All done."
"Khun-" Bam tries to get him to answer his question but Khun turns to Novic.
"Is everyone accounted for?"
"We’re checking," Novic thumbs towards the front half of the transport from which the rest are emerging. The storm has turned the snow to slush and they can barely see past a few meters.
Everyone that could be spared from guarding their hidden base was brought in for the mission. Now, some of them are being helped out of the jagged hole of the warship's front half. Some are unconscious. Most look beaten up. Looks like the idiot beside him is not the only one who got himself bloodied.
A somber tone muffles their shouts as they pull Prince out. The boy didn’t make it. They carry his body out of the craft and put him face down on the deceptively pristine snow.
Ehwa hasn’t been able to conjure any fire for more than a month now. Just like everyone with an affinity for fire shinsu. Except Khun. But his fire seems to work differently thanks to the presence of the firefish. He still isn't sure what it is. Only that it definitely is sentient. When they pull her body from the mangled wreck, the group’s mood becomes even more somber.
The cold rain drenches them.
Khun can feel Bam tense beside him. Those two were part of the latest group who joined them. Even Bam didn't want to take in that band of oddballs in the first place since they were weak and did not seem to have anything valuable to contribute. Nevertheless, they proved themselves hardworking and endlessly optimistic so Khun was able to train them to be useful members of their team though they still gave him as many headaches as the feisty princess and the green lizard.
Khun feels Bam's hand clench around his, anchoring them both. Survivors, if they want to keep surviving, have no time to grieve. He feels a bone-deep weariness that's certainly not from the day's series of unfortunate events no matter how harrowing they are. And a scratchy dryness in his throat tells him maybe he's not as well as he'd like to be.
"Call back to base for another transport to pick us up,” Khun says. By his rough estimate, they're about a couple of hours away as the crow flies. Should probably take the hovercraft eight hours at least to navigate the icy slopes.
"I tried but I can't get through," Hatz shakes his head.
Khun tries his own pocket with the same results. The storm must be messing with their comms. He is not liking this one bit.
“This is all FUG’s fault!” Shibisu throws his hands up. "Who can say for sure that FUG didn't mess with the warship? I told you we couldn't trust them to repair it. This ship's supposed to handle electrical storms at least."
"We better find somewhere to wait it out for the meantime." Khun closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, willing the encroaching vertigo away.
These storms notoriously hover in one area for at least a few days. Maybe a week. A month if they're particularly unlucky. It isn't so much the sparse rain as all the electrical charge flitting around that makes them so dangerous. They normally wouldn't even dare flying in it. But they'd rather brave the storm than be caught by Jahad's loyalists.
"Xiaxia, find the nearest human settlement. The rest of you, get all salvageable supplies."
"There is a town due east. More of a village. It's up and over the mountain though. Just at its feet." Xiaxia scratches her chin.
Khun nods. "The tail end of the ship is more intact. We rest here tonight. Cover up the hole as much as you can. We're not that far from the top of the mountain. It's going to be unbearably freezing when night falls. We leave for town early tomorrow."
Sleep eludes Khun for most of the night. He inadvertently stays up poring over the maps and marking out locations that could possibly yield the supplies they need. He’s careful to plot out routes away from known hostile territories. He pointedly ignores the throbbing pain at the base of his skull.
He wakes up to a splitting headache and the gentle warmth of a hand on his cheek.
“Bam?” He winces. The rain has stopped but the wind is something fierce as it howls through the skeletons of trees.
“You're burning up.”
"Just a little tired. I'll be okay after some water." Khun tries to summon the strength to stand but finds none. "Bam!"
Bam barely seems phased as he lifts him in his arms.
"In case you forgot, I'm your… your boyfriend. So I'm allowed to worry about you and you should learn to depend on me more."
Khun buries a small smile against Bam's neck, certain his blush is not due to his fever. Bam is never this direct. He must really be worried. Maybe he thinks Khun is too fever-drunk to mumble more than a token protest. Maybe, Khun thinks, it's time he took Bam up on his offer. The thought warms him before he passes out again.
Seems he did overwork himself. More than usual. And he doesn't even have enough energy to heal himself instantly like he's gotten used to.
Novick and Hatz fashion a sled from parts of the broken warship and load it with everything they could take. Ran sits grumpily at the back of the pile as they thrudge down to the valley. Bam refuses to put Khun down except when they take breaks which isn't often.
Khun flits between consciousness and hazy troubled dreams as they find the town. He doesn't fight them like he normally would and so he's barely coherent every time Bam gently coaxes him to drink from a waterskin.
"Hang in there Khun," he thinks Bam whispers as he's bundled as warm as possible and held tight. Or maybe that's just part of his fevered hallucinations since the wind is howling too fiercely to hear anyone as they trekked through the snow, carefully avoiding the patches of slippery ice.
❄
The town at last. Two days down the mountain through a dead forest did nothing positive for Ran's mood. It doesn't help that he has to travel with a bothersome lot.
Ran glares at the man carrying AA. He still thinks his brother deserves much better but he grudgingly gives the man points for dedication. Granted, AA is only his half brother, but he's the only family he still acknowledges. And Ran is fiercely loyal to a fault.
Ran knows how AA has the unlucky penchant of attracting the wrong sort and he has had to deal with a lot of annoying things since he joined up with AA and his team. And he strongly believes Bam is more trouble than he's worth. One wrong move from him and Ran would unhesitatingly cut the man down. His fingers crackle and itch at the possibility.
The wind has died down at least and the clouds though gloomy don't seem eager to be pouring down soon.
It is a fairly small settlement. The kind with just one of everything; a town hall, a market, an inn. Or used to. He scans the area noting the faded paint on less than cheerful structures. The gaudy colors just enhance the feeling of unease.
The streets are empty though the place should be able to accommodate at least a few thousand people. No children gawp from interrupted games. No adults amble about to take one look at the newcomers and skitter away.
"Let's go there first." Ran points. The only inn was perched on the foothills of the mountain. At the end of a meandering path. A lopsided sign declares it open though not a soul can be seen.
"Maybe see if we can ask about getting a new ship?" Shibisu asks too cheerfully for Ran's mood.
Ran glares at him as if to ask if he really is a scout. Anyone with half his shinsu sensitivity could tell the place is devoid of life. Shibisu just laughs.
“Bed and food?” Novick mutters wistfully.
"Suit yourselves. Something feels off." Ran starts heading briskly for the inn, already eager to leave that place behind.
Maybe it's the eerie feeling that the place still echoes with the lives of people who lived there.
❄
The town is abandoned as expected. At least the inn, made of sturdy blocks of stone hewn from the mountains, still stands. It's drafty though with the wooden windows fallen to disrepair.
They discard of three frozen corpses and hunker in despite the cold. The storm rages again outside.
Bam commandeers the spot nearest the enormous fireplace in the room that should have been a dining room in its heyday.
Khun is vaguely aware of wood cracking and metal scraping as their team tears down the wooden window covers for firewood and covers the holes with panels of the warship that they hauled with them.
Bam seems to be saying something but Khun can't make out his words. He doesn't even care to grumble as his clothes are stripped from his limp body. For now he chooses to trust in this man who offered to teach him how to love. Who's he kidding? He's halfway there already.
There's the sensation of hot hands rubbing his weary limbs and then pulling him in. He sighs softly at the delightful warmth of bare skin against his as Bam spoons him from behind and tangles their legs together.
It's a strangely wonderful thing, the intimacy of another person's touch. Khun never thought he would enjoy it this much. A sleepy part of him that doesn't care too much about propriety or doing the right thing wonders if he could just stay in this warm embrace forever.
Thick rough blankets trap their heat and lull Khun deeper into a restful slumber.
❄
"Wipe that smirk off and get working, bastard." Ran is exhausted. And stressed. And hungry. All he wants is to get off his feet.
"You're no fun." Novick sulks off when Ran refuses to spar.
The room is mostly bare. What would you expect from a cheap little town in the middle of nowhere? The bed sits in the middle of creaking floorboards. A nondescript stain paints a corner of the faded sheets.
Ran has seen worse. At least tonight they sleep with a roof over their heads. He strips the thin mattress off and they proceed to dismantle the wooden frame.
They haul the wood down to the dining room to feed the steadily growing fire.
What Ran would give for a proper warm bath.
Hatz found an axe in the shed out back and is chopping down the tables for more kindling. Shibisu has his ears down to the floor in the adjoining kitchen, knocking on the flagstones with a constipated expression.
Ran only sees a wisp of AA's unmistakeable blue hair poking out from a mound of blankets near the fire. A really big mound. Bam must be under there, too.
Ran rolls his shoulders as he drops his pack. Then, he sets his bedroll in one side of the room and turns his socks out to dry as near the crackling flames as he dared.
He lies down before his knees buckle. Anything else could be dealt with tomorrow.
❄
"This is all my fault."
Ran stares at Bam, a little surprised at the sudden outburst.
AA is still unconscious. The brunet is cradling his head on his lap, brushing pale strands of hair away from his paler face as they wait for the others to scout out the buildings in the area.
Xiaxia continues to tend to the fire while Hatz fiddles with a satellite radio. Nobody seems to know what to say so Ran huffs a put upon sigh.
"Don't flatter yourself. AA's just as much a magnet for trouble as you are. Do you think anyone could make him do anything he doesn't want to? He's a softie, really. He may not be as crazy as you are but he's doing what he wants. And everyone here may have a noose round our necks but that isn't something for you to worry about. Nor would we die so easily. Don't look down on us. Just make sure you won't hurt AA no matter what the cost. Isn't that what you said? That you can take care of him? You think too much."
"Ran, you will always be my precious little brother," Bam looks so touched he would have hugged Ran if he didn't want to dislodge Khun from his lap.
Eh? Ran flushes. "I changed my mind. Let me kill you now."
"I found food!" Shibisu's shriek precedes him.
"What?!"
❄
Khun wakes to the aroma of food cooking and the smell of wood smoke and fire.
"Bam?" He croaks, throat too dry.
"Khun! Here. Drink this." Bam helps him sit up.
A little dizzy, Khun gratefully leans against his side. He feels stiff all over but his headache is gone.
"How long was I out?"
"Three days." Bam looks pained. And tired. He's close to growing a full beard even when Khun barely grew a stubble.
"I've caused you trouble."
Bam shakes his head fiercely. His smile is wan. It doesn't look like he got much sleep.
"All that matters is that you're okay." Bam playfully shakes Khun's chin.
"We have boiled yam soup, roast yam and more yams. What would you like?" Novick waves a ladle as he stands by a couldron over the fire.
"Yam?"
"Yeah! The greenhouse is practically overgrown with them," Shibisu gushes.
After jokingly ribbing Bam for never leaving Khun's side and mothering over him like an anxious hen, they tell Khun about their discovery while Bam carefully feeds him some soup. The flavor is kinda bland but it is hearty and filling. Khun makes a mental note to find a supply of salt. Some herbs would be nice too.
The expansive greenhouse is hidden under a cavern delved in the mountainside. An array of solar panels power grow lights and an irrigation system feeding in water from an underground spring. Some of the panels are damaged but what are left seem enough for the plants to have thrived. Some plants seem to be genetically modified to be more resilient so it could be some sort of research facility.
"Who could have built this?" Khun frowns.
"Whoever they are haven't come back for at least a year." Shibisu shrugs. "Finders keepers I say."
"Novick, is the place defensible?" The gleam in Khun's eye makes Bam grin widely.
"We have the mountain range at our backs and that can only be accessed using flying transport. Out front, the valley is hemmed by mountains on three sides and the sea on another. Scouts have clear visibility over all the valley from the town hall tower. The river is frozen solid but I saw fishing vessels at the seaport. We'll have to check if anyone is there and if the ships are seaworthy."
"What are you thinking, Khun?" Bam coaxes him.
"We can grow our own food. Locate viable seeds and try other crops. The seed bank is probably untouched since I doubt anyone has thought of growing them. Solar panels are pretty scarce but there are at least a couple of places we can check. If we can get our hands on those, we can expand the greenhouse downward with basements and take care of livestock too. Getting the animals will be trickier but we can barter for those. They can feed on whatever we don't eat and their waste could be fertilizer. It will take some effort but we can transfer the generator and move the whole base here." Khun taps his chin as he considers the logistics. He raises a brow at Bam's lopsided smile. "What are you looking at?"
He's sure he's as red as a tomato as he recalls fuzzy memories of Bam taking care of him while he was ill. A damp towel wiping slowly over his fevered skin. Gentle carresses. Fingers brushing through his hair. Trailing over the lines of his face. Whispered promises. Strong hands gripping his own as if they would never let him go. Soft kisses aching with tenderness.
Khun decides he definitely can't get used to that.
"You're brilliant, is all." Bam's smile widens as he wipes the corner of Khun's mouth with his thumb and watches fondly as he blushes even deeper.
Ran chokes on a chunk of yam and swats Novicks hand away when he thumps his back too hard. Shibisu coos sickeningly as he babbles over them. Khun tunes him out when he chirps something about wanting to officiate a wedding.
"I've fixed the satellite radio," Hatz knocks on the doorframe. "What do I tell them?"
"Tell them…" Khun clears his throat and shares a look with Bam. "Tell them we found our new home."
❄