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Autumn sang her mournful song as Neil jogged down the empty street lined with carved pumpkins and cheap decorations. Wind rustled through the trees, screaming their woes, while dying leaves crunched underfoot with each step he took. A chill ran over him as if sending him a warning as the evening grew colder and darker. Each superstitious sign that would have sent anyone else packing was a comfort to Neil. Who else but a necromancer's son would feel so at ease with the macabre?
As much as he enjoyed the journey, he was looking forward to the destination even more. Luckily, it didn't take long before a wide, three-story building came into view on the outskirts of town. A ripped piece of caution tape fluttered in the breeze just above the tall, unruly weeds spreading outward from the structure. Shutters that were barely clinging to their posts battered against the windows. A few fallen pieces had been buried by the yellowing grasses. Spots of mold and dirt streaked across the decaying wooden boards that desperately held the abandoned walls together.
There was no place like home. And there he was. A tuft of blonde poked out over the edge of the roof. It quickly disappeared over the top upon Neil's arrival. Neil took the rickety ladder attached to the side of the building two rungs at a time. It had been months since Neil had first found Andrew squatting on the roof of his hideout, and they'd been meeting almost every night since, but Neil's heart still raced when Andrew was near.
Andrew was the only person Neil had allowed himself to open up to. When Neil had confided in Andrew about his abusive father, Andrew had shared his past with Neil. He'd even allowed Neil to know about the RA in his dorm who had assaulted him during his first semester studying medicine at the local college. The only thing stopping Neil from finding that man and magically castrating him was Andrew's gentle touch on his arm with assurances that it had been taken care of, but Neil's ire reignited every time he thought of Andrew's confession. They'd shared everything with each other on that rooftop.
Well, almost everything. How did one bring up their status as a necromancer-in-training?
"Andrew," Neil greeted as he climbed onto the top of the roof. The thoughts crowding his mind vanished as Andrew turned his honey gaze to Neil from where he lay with his hands cushioning the back of his head.
"It feels like just yesterday you barged onto my roof," Andrew answered around the lollipop dangling between his lips. They had already been stained a dark red.
"Squatters don't get to complain about company," Neil replied. He took his place laying next to Andrew, but rolled onto his side to look at him more directly. The sound of Neil's heart beating faster against his ribcage reverberated in his chest as he took in the view.
"That wasn't a complaint," Andrew said. He turned his gaze from Neil to watch the last of the light extinguish as the sun set. "You know what they say about misery."
Unfortunately, Neil didn't. It seemed like the kind of phrase a necromancer should know, but he wasn't exactly up-to-date with pop culture references or common idioms. Blame it on his barely existent childhood. It was hard to learn figurative phrases when he was constantly on edge wondering when the heavy footsteps haunting the house were coming for him. But he'd survived his father, so now was as good a time as any.
He waited, but Andrew didn't explain. Those hazel eyes remained hard on the horizon. It almost seemed like he was waiting for something. But what, Neil had no idea.
"I'll take that as 'not interested,'" Andrew said. His words seemed nonchalant, but the tension in his shoulders told another story. Neil was normally great at reading people. He'd had to be to know when his father was in the mood for torture.
What had he missed with Andrew?
"Interested in what?"
Finally, Andrew turned to look at him. He felt exposed beneath that thoughtful stare. It was as if Andrew was seeing layers of him he hadn't meant to reveal. At that same time, he felt safe and warm. He was almost surprised there wasn't steam rising from his cheeks as the breeze cooled his skin.
Andrew turned on his side to mirror Neil's position. He propped himself up on an elbow, almost hovering over Neil. The lollipop made a clinking sound against his teeth as he rolled it from one side of his mouth to the other before he pulled it out from between his lips. Neil studied every miniscule movement.
The picturesque moment was shattered when Andrew flopped onto his back again, staring up at the stars where they emerged from the darkness instead of at Neil.
"Nothing."
A stone dropped into the depths of Neil's core sending ripples of disappointment, confusion, and anxiety through him. He had definitely missed something, but he wouldn't know what unless Andrew told him. But at the same time, if Andrew wanted to drop it, it wasn't his place to force him to talk.
Following Andrew's lead, Neil lay back, but he hardly noticed the frigid bite of the night air or the twinkling of the stars above. Thoughts swirled in his mind like one of his more challenging potions: crowded and discordant. If Andrew were upset with him, surely he'd say something. But wasn't it obvious that he was?
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The answer to the question plaguing Neil all night arrived the next day.
Since their first meeting, Neil had only ever seen Andrew on that rooftop after sunset, but the man was just as eye-catching in the light of day. He was sitting at a small table outside the coffee shop that was next door to the apothecary Neil had been tasked to visit. Andrew's hair seemed to glisten like gold as the gentle breeze worked through it. The rings of green and brown in his hazel eyes were much more prominent in the sunlight.
All of the features Neil had come to know were the same, yet the person sitting at that table seemed like a stranger. Andrew's typical all black attire was replaced with a forest green polo and jeans. He sat straight, shoulders back, instead of leaning with the slight hunch Neil was familiar with. Instead of a frappuccino doused in sugary syrups, a small cup of some milky brew was cupped in one hand. The other hand was beneath the table resting on the thigh of the woman beside him.
An unfamiliar pang echoed in Neil's suddenly hollow chest. A frown tugged at the corner of his lips. He quickly smoothed it back to neutral as he approached Andrew's table, though his feet seemed to move on their own. He was standing directly in front of Andrew before he'd figured out what to say. The couple looked up at him expectantly, but his mouth had dried up along with his vocabulary.
"Hey," Neil started lamely.
Glancing between Neil and the woman beside him, Andrew answered slowly, almost questioning. "Uh, hi."
Words. He had to find words, but his eyes were glued to Andrew's hand under the table.
A modestly manicured hand was thrust into his vision, but Neil hadn't heard whatever she'd said. After a moment, the hand dropped, but Neil was more interested in Andrew's hand leaving her leg.
"Come on, babe. Let's go," Andrew said, pushing out from the table with his coffee.
Neil rushed out, "Andrew, wait—" but was cut off before he could decide what his next words would be.
"My name is Aaron," Andrew snapped. He turned toward Neil so fast that his coffee spilled over the rim of his open cup. "I don't know you."
"Aaron," the woman said softly. Now she was the one putting her hand on his arm.
Without another word, Andrew— Aaron? let the woman lead him away. As much as he wanted to look away, Neil felt compelled to watch the pair leave. His stomach knotted tighter and tighter with each step they took. All the while, their hands remained locked together.
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“Really, what’s gotten into you lately?” Neil’s mother chided as his forgotten potion bubbled dark matter over the edges of his cauldron.
“Hm? Oh—” Neil fell out of his stupor and over his own feet trying to get back to his potion. A disembodied purring echoed softly through the air before the ghostly vision of a cat materialized between his ankles. From the other side of the room, his mother subdued the angry bubbles with a flick of her wrist.
“Sorry,” Neil sighed. He closed his tome with a heavy thud and sank into the rocking chair in the corner. A skelecat hopped onto his lap, exposed bones rattling as she tucked herself into a ball on his lap. Luckily, his mother had cleaned up his mess before it had become one. Their potions room had seen its fair share of messes—evident by the stains and old splotches on the floor—but it wasn’t often that Neil let them get away from him like that.
“Why don’t you get some air?” His mother suggested. She swung her long, obsidian gown around her as she gathered up the ingredients for her next spell. Black lace fanned around her head like a ghastly Victorian halo. “You used to go out gallivanting around town nearly every night, but you’ve been sulking around here for the past few days. Did something happen?”
“No,” Neil lied. The skelecat shook her head in disdain and bounded off his lap to chase after the apparition of a mouse. Truthfully, Neil had been avoiding the roof in favor of trying to find some answers himself. He’d dug his nose through every dusty old book he could find looking for spells related to body swapping and possession. It was either that or Andrew had been lying about his identity and stringing Neil along.
Perhaps it was foolish, but Neil refused to believe that that could be true. Even Andrew— Aaron’s demeanor and style had been different on the day they'd met. There had to be something deeper going on.
“You’re right,” Neil said, already halfway up the basement stairs. "I'm going for a run." He hardly noticed the vision of a bloodied woman ripple around him as he ran through her on his way out.
The front door swung hard behind him as he dashed into the cold, dark night. It was closer to dawn than dusk at this point, but Neil had spent countless late hours with Andrew in the past. Slipping through the shadows as fast as he could, he clutched tightly to the hope that Andrew would be there.
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The bright pink bubble floating from Andrew’s lips, barely visible through the darkness, made a sharp popping sound as it disappeared into his mouth. “The mystery returns,” he noted as Neil climbed the last rung of the ladder onto the roof. His casual tone was betrayed by his lingering stare and the microscopic twitch between his eyebrows.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the mysterious one between us.”
The curve in Andrew’s spine sharpened slightly. His jaw stopped working on the gum, waiting for Neil to demystify his reply.
“I met Aaron.”
Andrew’s slouch returned. His jaw tensed for a moment before he began chomping on the gum with more force than before. Neil watched as Andrew’s brows pinched together before smoothing back out once, then twice.
Anxiety gnawed at Neil’s stomach. For the sake of his sanity, he needed something. If Andrew was having a hard time stringing together an explanation, Neil might as well help get him started. “You didn’t tell me you have a twin,” Neil tried. It was his best guess after ruminating on all of the possibilities across the past few nights.
”I did.” Andrew blew a short puff of air from his cheeks. His version of a grim laugh.
“And now?” Neil asked.
Slowly, Andrew formed a bubble with his gum. Pop. Then another. Pop. Pop. Pop.
“It’s a long story.”
“I have time.”
Pop. Pop.
“You won’t believe it.”
“When haven’t I believed you?”
Pop.
Andrew finally turned his stare back to Neil. His eyes darted between Neil’s, but Neil didn’t waver. Nothing Andrew could say would surprise him. If anything, maybe he could use his magic to help.
“I haven’t seen Aaron in five years. But I can always hear him.
“Our mother was a good-for-nothing addict. Five years ago, she took Aaron for a joyride, both of them higher than a kite. Crashed the car into a ditch and died on impact. Aaron was barely alive.”
Andrew spoke with a detached calmness as if telling someone else’s story. But, as always, minute changes in his body language gave away more than he likely intended. The flexing of his fingers. A thin vein protruding from the side of his neck. A pause that lasted a second too long. Neil tucked each piece of information away like a dragon hoarding its treasure.
“She had a lot of strange connections, so I contacted the only one who might be able to help. A ‘healer,’ she called them. ‘Dealer‘ was more like it.”
Another huff of breath.
“The healer was a witch. Gave a whole new meaning to the magic mushrooms they'd been using. As a favor for our mother’s patronage, she offered to save Aaron’s life if I was willing to let his soul inhabit my body. He controls this body when the sun rises. Once the sun begins to wane, it's mine again. We can communicate through our thoughts, but we can’t see or hear anything else when the other is in control.”
Like a stone sinking to the bottom of a lake, a heaviness settled in Neil’s stomach at the thought of Andrew trapped alone in an empty void for half of every day. He'd been living with this curse for five years? What did he do while Aaron was in control? Did he know about the woman Aaron was with?
Forcing the million other questions swirling through his mind to the back burner, Neil asked, “Was it worth it?”
“Yes.” Andrew’s certainty left no room for doubt, so Neil accepted it as quickly as Andrew had said it.
“You’re not surprised by the mention of magic,” Andrew observed.
“No,” Neil confirmed. “I’ve been practicing it all my life.”
A longer pause. “You’re a witch.”
Neil nodded. He picked at the already reddened cuticles on his left hand as he began. “My mother is a witch. A necromancer.” Neil let out a dry chuckle. “I knew we both had a few secrets left, but I didn’t expect yours to be magical too.”
Neil hardly noticed the stinging sensation burning through his finger until the pressure of Andrew’s hand on top of his dulled the pain. Tension slipped from his muscles as his hand relaxed into Andrew’s grip. A shiver ran through Neil as a howling wind picked up around them. The skittering of leaves against the street filled the silence.
Andrew's voice was uncharacteristically soft when he agreed, "Yeah." He thumbed gently over the back of Neil's hand, back and forth, in a soothing manner.
“I guess that means there aren’t any more secrets between us now,” Neil murmured. His voice had dipped almost to a whisper as if speaking too loudly might shatter the delicacy of the moment. He didn’t want to let go of Andrew’s hand just yet.
“Just one,” Andrew corrected.
Neil tilted his head in question. Andrew responded by leaning in close enough that Neil could see the green hues in his eyes glittering like gems against the moonlight.
“I want to kiss you.” The warmth of Andrew’s breath tingled against Neil’s lips.
“Yes,” Neil whispered, surprising himself with the want in his voice. He’d been working on sorting through his thoughts about Andrew for a while now, but Andrew had organized them for him with one sentence.
Neil melted into Andrew’s kiss. The lingering cold creeping around them faded as a satisfying warmth filled his chest. His hand tightened around Andrew’s to keep them tethered together even when their lips briefly broke apart for air.
Suddenly, Andrew pulled back from Neil, yanking their hands apart. He shot up to standing and looked down at Neil with a fierce glare. Thorns wrapped around Neil’s heart and squeezed painfully, stopping his breath in his lungs. Had he overstepped and ruined this thing with Andrew before it could even begin?
“I’m gonna kill Andrew,” Aaron seethed, scrubbing the back of his hand against his lips.
“Aaron?” Neil realized. The pressure in his chest dissipated. He’d been so engrossed in… Andrew that he hadn’t noticed the sun rising. Apparently, neither had Andrew.
“Wait,” Aaron said slowly. His eyes narrowed even further as he stared Neil down. “What the fuck. He told you about us.”
“You don’t seem surprised to see me either,” Neil said dryly.
Aaron ignored Neil’s comment. “Stay away from my brother,” he warned, starting toward the ladder.
Neil crossed his arms. The beginning of a headache pulsated in his temple. “But you can be all over whoever you want using his body,” he fired back.
“I don’t do it close enough to the switch that he’d wake up in the middle of it!” Aaron protested, spinning around to face Neil again. He paused, eyes searching Neil's. “Did you tell him…?”
“No,” Neil said. “Not yet.”
“Don’t—“ Aaron started. His brows pinched together in a way that was so similar to Andrew yet distinctly different, even on the same face. “Let me tell him.”
“Fine.” Neil let his arms fall to his sides. He had half a mind to shove past Aaron as he passed him to the ladder, but the reminder that Aaron’s body was technically Andrew’s had him side stepping around instead. He pushed away the image of Aaron‘s— Andrew’s? hand on someone else’s thigh before his blood could start boiling all over again.
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It took all day to find the spell he was looking for and all night to craft the potion. Luckily, Neil’s mother was taking a house call—a seance of sorts—which left him home alone for the next few days.
Buried in an old chest were loose scrolls containing spells even older than those collected and contained within the tomes. One such scroll detailed the process of implanting two souls into one body—as well as how to separate them. This magic was darker and more dangerous than the necromancy Neil practiced with his mother, which focused more on aiding and communicating with souls and spirits.
Thinking of Andrew trapped in his own mind with only Aaron for company every day spurred Neil on to move quicker.
Most of the spell‘s ingredients were simple and readily available at the town's apothecary. Sneaking into his mother's stash allowed him to gather almost everything he needed. As long as he replaced them before she returned home, she'd be none the wiser. There was one ingredient that he waited until nightfall to source, but it was easy enough to attain.
It took a few hours to prepare the potion. Most of the time was spent waiting and playing fetch with their spectral pets while the ingredients simmered together. Neil cast the incantation as he dropped in the rest of the ingredients. A single trail of smoke rose from the cauldron as the potion stilled. Most of the liquid evaporated leaving behind a thick, crimson paste.
Scooping the potion into a bulbous vial, Neil placed it carefully in a messenger bag and gently slipped the bag over his shoulder before briskly walking out the door. He kept up his hurried pace all the way to their old building.
Andrew was waiting for him when he reached the roof.
“I did it,” Neil said breathlessly. He plopped down beside Andrew and pulled the vial out of his bag, cradling it between gentle fingers. “I crafted a separation potion, but it has to be taken tonight. Our connection with the spirits is strongest on All Hallows' Eve."
Andrew’s expression showed carefully crafted neutrality, but Neil recognized all too well what it looked like to put hope at arm’s length for fear of disappointment.
“Explain.”
“It’s an old spell,” Neil started. Now that he wasn’t running, he gave himself a moment to steady his breathing. “A forbidden one.”
“Why is that?”
Neil took another steadying breath. “It requires a sacrifice. By offering someone's blood, a new soul may live.”
Andrew glanced down at the potion Neil offered. The look he leveled at Neil was knowing, but not judging.
“Who did you choose?” he asked.
Andrew would hear of his RA’s unexplainable and sudden death when he returned to campus. “No one who matters.”
Andrew accepted Neil’s appraisal with ease. He hummed his acknowledgement as casually as if Neil had instead told him about the weather. Even without words, Neil could feel the care and trust that he had put in Andrew reciprocated back to him.
“There’s only one thing missing,” Neil admitted. He popped open the lid on the potion. “To craft Aaron a physical form and avoid losing his soul to the other side when I separate you, I’ll need some of your blood.”
Andrew jutted his open palm out into the space between them. It was almost amusing how effortlessly Andrew was taking all of this in stride.
“Your arm, not your hand,” Neil corrected. He pulled a small blade from his bag and tapped it against Andrew’s arm once he'd nodded his permission. “Rookie mistake.”
A swift slice of the blade against the side of Andrew’s forearm had a small trail of blood running straight into the waiting vial. It only took a few drops, so Neil was quick to apply a bandage to the wound once enough had been collected. Then, he swiped the edge of the blade in an “X” formation onto the ground between them.
“So his body knows where to go,” Neil explained. “Now, lie down beside it and drink the potion. Make sure to finish the entire thing."
As Andrew tipped the potion into his mouth, his hair began to lighten. At first, Neil wondered if he’d messed something up when crafting it. He'd expected smoke and brimstone, not an angelic glow. But it wasn't only Andrew's hair that was glowing. The entire sky had begun to lighten as a hint of sunlight peeked out above the horizon.
“We have to hurry,” Neil said quickly. Andrew tossed the empty vial aside, wiping away the grimace that the sour potion had evoked with the edge of his sleeve. “Our connection with the spirits and their realms weakens during the day.”
Placing the rest of his trust in Neil, Andrew took his place lying beside the bloody mark. Neil recited the incantation as quickly yet clearly as he could. More rays of sunlight peered at them through the streaks of thin, lavender clouds. A moment later, and the incantation was complete.
Another moment passed. Both Neil and Andrew stared daggers into the empty space where Aaron should be. Why wasn’t it working?
Suddenly, a body identical to Andrew’s rose within the roof's stones and emerged without disrupting the old building. Aaron’s eyes fluttered open, blinking against the morning light. Streaks of dirt and blood covered his pale form, but their features were identical.
“I can’t hear you,” Aaron whispered. The awe in his tone was threaded with fear. After being in each other’s heads for five years, Neil could only imagine what they might be experiencing now. He stepped back to allow them a bit more space.
Andrew reached out and clasped a hand around Aaron’s, and Aaron brought his other hand around to cover Andrew’s in turn.
“This is weird,” Aaron said through a short laugh. “We’re free.”
They studied each other for a few more minutes before Aaron stretched out his back and sat up. Andrew followed soon after.
“What’s the first thing you’re gonna do now that you’re alone?” Aaron asked. Andrew’s eyes flicked to Neil for a moment. Perhaps it was the warmth of the sunrise, but a flush of heat erupted across Neil’s face.
“Don’t be gross,” Aaron scolded.
All Andrew said in reply was, “Katelyn.”
The newly crafted blood drained from Aaron’s face. He shot a glare Neil’s way.
“Wrong,” Andrew corrected. “Your thoughts let on more than you realized.”
“Oh,” Aaron said shortly. His mouth flapped open a few times, but nothing else came out. He glanced up and down Andrew's form. Neil could practically see the gears turning in his head. Aaron rubbed at the back of his neck before releasing a shallow sigh.
“Go,” Andrew said, nodding toward the ladder. “I’ll find you later.”
Aaron’s eyes widened. A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “That’s— You—” he paused and breathed out a short breath. “Okay.”
Before he left, Aaron gave Neil a once over. For once, it didn’t come with a glare. “Thanks,” Aaron said. It felt forced, but not insincere. Neil supposed he'd take it. He had a feeling he was going to be seeing a lot more of Aaron now, despite his aversion to the man.
“Anytime,” Neil said with a short nod.
Aaron rolled his eyes in return and took off toward the ladder. “God, I hope not.” At least the feeling was mutual.
Once Aaron was out of sight, Neil took his place at Andrew’s side. A peaceful silence rested between them, as relieved as it was exhausted.
“I haven’t seen the sunrise in five years.”
Slowly reaching out, Neil let the edge of his pinky tap against the edge of Andrew’s. “Luckily for you, I missed out on a lot growing up, so there are a lot of things I haven’t done,” Neil said, keeping his tone light. “Guess we should make a bucket list or something.”
The puff of amusement Andrew let out tickled the hair at Neil’s ear. He turned to find Andrew’s eyes on him. Gold flecks stood out against the green in his eyes beneath the bright morning sun. The hint of a dimple nestled into his cheek.
“First item on the agenda,” Andrew played along, leaning into Neil’s space.
“A kiss without Aaron in the background,” Neil suggested. "Interested?"
“From one mind reader to the next,” Andrew murmured against Neil’s lips as they found each other.
They spent the rest of the morning wrapped up in each other. The rising sun kept the crisp autumn breeze from turning chilly. Neil took every opportunity between kisses to memorize Andrew’s features in the light: his tousled hair after Neil’s hands had made their way through it, the red tint to his lips after a particularly passionate kiss, and the way Andrew’s eyes were focused entirely on him.
Each moment was made sweeter knowing they were completely and totally alone.