Archive of Our Own ^beta

Taesan sighed. The job he accepted this time around lasted longer than usual. The blood from the goblin species, which almost wiped out an entire village, stained his clothes and skin. The once green and warm liquid had now solidified and dried in layers of dark brown. Taesan clicked his tongue in annoyance as he tried futilely to pick at the grimy bits off his hands. Giving up, he quickly dumped the last few corpses into his space inventory. At least their corpses could do some good for the creatures of the forest.

After dumping the corpses in a dense part of the forest for the native animals to feast upon, Taesan finally let the feeling of exhaustion sink into his bones. Nothing sounded better than a warm soak with the one-of-a-kind handcrafted bath bomb by one of the villagers. He vaguely recalls it was made with some exotic fragrant flowers and tree bark. Unfortunately, he still had to collect payment for his job from the town centre. Begrudgingly, he made his way to the musty guild, skin and clothes still stained with blood.

Taesan slammed the enchanted sigil on the old oak table, signalling the completion of the job. The orc behind the job listing post raised an eyebrow as he verified Taesan’s work, before grunting and leaving to fetch his payment from the Dragon’s Den. Taesan practically melted in the hard wooden seat, not having enough care in him to mind the dried blood possibly dirtying the chair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet lull of a completed job before becoming increasingly aware of the presence next to him. Sometime in the past minute or so, someone had taken a seat next to him, the feeling of eyes boring into his head making his eyes twitch.

Taesan finally snapped his eyes open in the direction of the new presence, irritation clear in his eyes. To his surprise, he looked straight into beautiful sparkling eyes fixed on him with curiosity. But they were actually sparkling, like light hitting the ripples of the ocean water. For a split second, the anger in Taesan’s eyes extinguished before the fiery flame of annoyance got the better of him again.

“What. Got something to say?” He bit out. He was exhausted, dirty, and all he wanted to do was to get his money and leave. Everyone who frequented the guild knew to leave Taesan alone. He was good at his job and wanted to keep to himself, so people respected that. Perhaps it was a mix of fear and genuine respect. Taesan liked the constant of being left alone.

The stranger who seemed to be around his age blinked owlishly, tilting his head. “No?”

Taesan’s jaw clenched before he gritted out, “Then why’re you staring at me?”

“Because you’re prettier than I expected.” The stranger replied, now propping his chin on the palm of his hand as he continued to gaze at the irritated hunter. Taesan felt the hair on his neck prick in frustration.

“What the hell are you talking about?” He spoke, now more exasperated than angry. Why was this guy speaking in circles? What is wrong with him? Taesan belatedly noticed an enchanted sigil pinned on his shirt; it was the same one he had. This guy had to be a new hunter. He’s never seen him around before.

“You’re Taesan, right? I thought you were gonna be a buff, scary guy full of scars with the way people talk about you around here. But you’re really pretty,” The stranger replied, Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke. He smiled, a genuine one that reached his eyes. “Can I be your friend?”

Taesan squinted at him, not hiding any emotions with the way he was looking at him. First of all, who was he? Seriously, where did this guy pop out from? Secondly, Taesan couldn’t figure out exactly what he was, either. He obviously looked human at first glance; the only thing giving away his mixed blood was the stars in his eyes that shimmered like galaxies. That was rare. Almost impossible. Monster hunters were 99% of the time human. They were the true neutral. It was an unsaid rule for magical beings to never engage in hunting against another species, lest an inter-species war break out. Taesan wonders if the guild didn’t know he wasn’t fully human, or didn’t care, seeing how… normal he looked.

“You’re not human, are you?” Taesan questioned, ignoring the spoken friend request. It was the first time in his life that he had heard those exact words, by the way. Who even asks to be friends?

“I am,” Sparkle eyes replied, pausing. “My name’s Leehan, by the way. In case you wanted to establish the foundations of our new friendship.”

“No, you’re human mixed with… something else,” Taesan pushed on. The growing sense of curiosity slowly drowned out his annoyance from earlier.

“Yeah. Is that obvious?” Leehan asked, tilting his head. His hair fell over his eyes with the motion.

“Not really. Only noticed cause you were staring me down with your orbs for eyes.” Taesan huffed. What was taking the orc so long? Did he get stuck in the doorframe of the safe again?

“Oh. Sorry. It’s rude to stare, right?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

“No.”

“... Yes. It’s rude to stare.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Leehan looked away for a second before his eyes made their way back to Taesan. This repeated again and again, as if he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Taesan.

Taesan sighed, pinching his eyebrows. “Never mind, stop doing that. Whatever you’re doing now is more annoying than you just staring at me.”

“Okay.” Leehan smiled, content with being given permission to look at Taesan directly.

They sat in silence, staring at each other. Taesan didn’t want to look away, because it would feel like he was admitting defeat, or something. Leehan didn’t want to look away because, well, he was just weird, Taesan supplied. It was finally broken with the grating sound of coins in a bag being slammed on the table. Taesan looked away. Leehan didn’t. He thanked the orc with a quick mumble before finally standing up and stretching. He was halfway out of the shabby building before Leehan’s voice called out to him.

“So are we friends, Taesan?”

Taesan glanced behind him before leaving wordlessly. This was probably unsaid rule #21 of being a monster hunter: Do not befriend other hunters. Especially since Taesan hunted alone, every other solo hunter was basically competition for work. He recalls the number of times other hunters had snatched up job postings he was eyeing a second before he was going to take it up. This left him with jobs that were often riskier, but rewarded him with much, much higher pay. Most soloists never took up offers like that, preferring to play safe, but that didn’t matter much to Taesan. There was nothing to stay safe for. It was just work to him.

-

Taesan woke up, almost jumping out of bed when he heard knocking on his door. What the fuck? He didn't have a peephole because he didn't want anyone to be able to look in, and most importantly, he never got visitors anyway.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he grabbed the dagger from his bedside table, gearing up for a dissatisfied ex-client. But when he opened the door, what greeted him was the hauntingly beautiful pair of orbs he had met yesterday.

The orbs disappeared by a fraction as Leehan's eyes crinkled, greeting, “Good morning.”

Taesan froze, but his grip loosened on his dagger. He dragged his free hand over his face and groaned, “Why. How.”

“I made you breakfast,” Leehan smiled, holding up a woven basket.

“No. Why are you at my house with breakfast, and how did you find out where I live?” Taesan toed the line between whisper shouting and actually shouting.

“Because I'm good at making breakfast. And also your scent trail is really easy to follow,” Leehan responded smoothly, as if it was common sense.

“Wh- How?! It thunderstormed last night. You could track my scent in the rain? Are you a fucking hound on steroids?”

“I smell better when it rains,” Leehan shrugged. “Can I come in? I made enough for both of us.”

Taesan stared at Leehan, deadpanned, before closing the door shut in his face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A few more. When he opened the door again, he caught the flicker of a pout on Leehan’s face before it lit up again as the door flung open once more.

“If you do anything weird, I will not hesitate to hurt you.” Taesan hissed, eyes narrowed. He watched Leehan gingerly walk into his home, starry eyes flickering across the interior in wonder, harsh words having absolutely no effect on him.

Taesan sat down with his hands clenched in front of him. Leehan cheerfully laid out the food he packed, letting Taesan choose. Taesan grabbed the one nearer to him, eyes in slits as he watched Leehan take the first bite of his food first, to make sure he didn’t lace the food with anything. Seeing Leehan happily munching away, he tentatively took a small bite of his sandwich, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing. They finished the meal in silence, Taesan with his entire frame tensed and Leehan swinging his feet under the table, occasionally brushing his leg against Taesan’s.

Taesan was confused. No matter how hard he tried to brainstorm, he could not come up with any reason as to what was happening. He had no idea why Leehan was here, and he had no idea why he even let him in. But all he knew was that Leehan definitely had no intention of hurting him, which made it even more confusing.

He decided it would be best if he didn’t waste his time trying to find answers to questions he knew he wouldn’t understand. Wordlessly, he began brewing a pot of flower tea as a way to repay him for the meal. He didn’t like owing anyone anything.

Taesan leaned behind his kitchen countertop, looking right back at Leehan. His staring problem didn’t bother him as much anymore. Was he getting used to it? It felt like Leehan staring at him was the least strange thing about him now.

“Leehan.” Taesan sighed.

“Yeah?” Leehan’s eyes grew wider, pleased to hear Taesan call his name.

“You prepared breakfast, tracked me to my house, but you won’t say anything?” Taesan asked, trying to at least understand why he went out of his way to do all that and yet did not seem to be interested in talking to him.

“Was I supposed to say anything?” Leehan tilted his head, legs still swinging.

Taesan just sighed a resigned ‘never mind’, turning off the kettle as he poured the hot water into the teapot. The soft clinking of ceramics was the only sound in the house.

“You’re a monster hunter.” Taesan settled on saying. Direct statements seemed to at least grant some semblance of an answer from Leehan.

“Yeah.” Leehan sniffed the tea before taking a kitten lick and recoiling from the heat.

“But you’re of mixed blood. How?”

“Because there isn’t a need for me to be careful about an inter-species war. Not anymore." Leehan answered simply, but Taesan swears the stars in his eyes got dimmer.

Taesan drank from his cup, unsure of what that could entail. Leehan seemed to have sadness roll off his body in waves. He changed the topic.

“Why do you want to be my friend?”

“Because you’re strong. And very pretty.” Leehan answered.

Never in his entire life had anyone said that to Taesan. Well, other than yesterday, it was of course also Leehan who said it. He squinted his eyes at Leehan, wanting to doubt his ears, but based on everything he knew about him so far, it seemed like he was being honest.

“Are you lying?”

“No. I never lie.” Leehan responded, brows furrowing slightly.

Taesan already knew he wasn’t. There was something about Leehan that made him seem like an open book, except a page in every dozen was ripped out.

“... Okay. I know.” Taesan replied honestly. Something about Leehan made him feel like he had to be honest, too, like a vulnerability spell was cast on him.

“Okay.” Leehan smiled, happy to hear Taesan acknowledging his words.

“... Leave after you’re done with your tea. I have a job later.” Taesan stood up, busying himself with cleaning his equipment that he hadn’t bothered with yesterday. He heard Leehan hum in response.

When Taesan was down to his most dreaded task of sewing up a ripped arm sleeve, he heard Leehan sing out, “See you tomorrow!” before his door clicked shut. He froze, almost dropping the needle. Please tell him his ears were deceiving him. What the hell did he mean by ‘see you tomorrow’. Taesan groaned and let out a muffled scream in his hands.

-

It was tomorrow. Taesan had his crossbow locked right on target and was about to let go when he heard rustling behind him. He held his breath, immediately tensing and praying he didn’t get discovered. When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with Leehan.

“Taesan!”

Taesan almost let out a string of curses, immediately pulling Leehan into the bush he was hiding in. “What the fuck! Keep it down!” Taesan hissed, his hand caged the back of his neck, in case he popped his head out of the bushes and exposed his hiding spot.

“Oops, sorry,” Leehan whispered, having the gall to smile.

“Don’t talk to me. Stay still while I finish my job.” Taesan gave Leehan’s neck a slight squeeze before releasing him, going back to his crossbow. He set his sights back on the target, lining up the shot with bated breath, before eliminating the target in one shot.

“Run.” Taesan grabbed Leehan by the collar, still keeping low to the ground before leaving via a hidden route he prepared for this job.

By the time he arrived at the guild to collect his reward for the bounty, he belatedly realized Leehan was still following him. He paused before the run-down doors of the guild, gripping the front of Leehan’s shirt. “Why the fuck did you do that?! You could’ve gotten us killed! I was in the middle of a job!”

Honestly, he wasn’t even half as mad as he should be, since everything turned out fine, but having him there was a liability.

Leehan slowly wrapped his hands around Taesan’s, which were still gripping his shirt. Leehan’s hands were cold. “I’m sorry, Taesan. I promise to never do that again.” He looked Taesan in the eyes, his own wide and glassy. Taesan squeezed his eyes shut so hard he saw static before breathing out a sigh, letting him go. He walked into the guild, Leehan following him silently behind like a shadow.

The patrons in the guild quietened down upon the sight, both at the unlikely duo and at the success of one of the biggest bounties Taesan had just completed. The reward was enough to last him for months, but that didn’t matter to him. He quickly skimmed through the available jobs before simply picking the one with the highest reward, leaving without sparing a glance at anyone.

The reward was heavy. Taesan stored it away in his space inventory, only leaving a small fraction of it on hand. He made his way to the black market, on the lookout for a new enchanted compass. There was one store in particular that Taesan actually liked, run by a centaur. In his opinion, he had the best craftsmanship in the region.

He gave a short nod to the familiar man before bending closer to look at the new trinkets on sale. Everything was laid out on a silk cloth on a metal bench, silver glinting beautifully. A pair of sleek compasses with chains attached caught his eye. Taesan picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his hand.

“That’s my latest creation. Most compact than ever before, with a tracking charm suitable for pair hunters to find each other easily. Or couples, of course.” The centaur spoke, his deep voice always making goosebumps rise on Taesan’s arms. He turned the compass over in his hand, fingers running along the expertly crafted chain. It looked more like a necklace than a tool.

“I’ll take it,” Taesan answered, his free hand busying itself with splitting up the money.

“I’m afraid I only sell them in pairs,” The half-human responded regretfully, never wanting to disappoint a loyal customer.

“Oh, yeah, I’m buying them both.” Taesan held out the bag of coins, which was much more than what the beast sold them for. Another reason why he was one of the centaur's favourite patrons.

It was at this moment that the merchant noticed a figure behind Taesan, eyes starry and footsteps as silent as a cat. The centaur nodded, a smile hidden by his moustache. “Ah. Very well.” He accepted the coin pouch with a slight bow.

“Catch.” Taesan threw the identical compass behind him. The lack of metal hitting the ground was all it took for Taesan to know Leehan had caught it. “To make it fair since you always seem to know where I am.”

For the first time today, Leehan quickened his steps to match Taesan’s, walking beside him. “Really?” His eyes were impossibly large and pretty. His grin was wide, and it was the first time noticed Leehan had a dimple, just one on the right side of his face.

“Yes.” Taesan tore his eyes away from the former, grumbling. Maybe he felt bad about his outburst earlier. Even though it was warranted.

“I will cherish it. Thank you.” Leehan breathed, hands holding the compass like he was afraid he would break it.

-

“You said you promised you would never do this again,” Taesan fixed Leehan down with an unimpressed expression. He was in a cave setting up camp for the night. His latest job was a little further than he usually preferred to travel.

“I meant I would never appear when you were in the middle of a job. Right before is okay, right?” Leehan smiled, making himself comfortable.

Taesan sighed, grumbling as he threw more firewood in the flame, “I knew I should’ve seen this coming when I saw you getting closer to me on the compass.” He dusted his hands of the wood dust before pushing himself up. “I’m not hunting extra food for you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll hunt for the both of us,” Leehan smiled, before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Whatever. Taesan wasn’t going to complain if he could preserve his energy for other things.

When he woke up, the sky was no longer a warm orange hue, but a deep blue with stars littered across the entire horizon. The second thing he noticed was the mouth-watering smell of grilled fish.

“Come eat if you’re awake,” Leehan spoke softly.

Taesan rubbed his eyes and paused when he noticed the plethora of fish next to the campfire. “What is that.” He pointed to the mountain of fish.

“Our dinner,” Leehan responded. Taesan could see the flame reflected in his eyes.

“Okay, I got that part down, but why the fuck did you bring so many? We can’t finish this.”

“I’m trying to impress you. Are you not impressed?” Leehan tilted his head. “Should I have brought back a shark instead? That’s a little harder to carry back.”

Taesan looked at the wall and sighed, clutching his hair for a second before letting go. “Please do not bring a shark.” He sat down, and Leehan passed him the freshly grilled fish.

“Do you like it?” Leehan asked, watching Taesan take a bite.

It was good. Taesan shrugged, mumbling out, “I guess so. It’s food.” He chewed for a few beats. “Thanks. For dinner.”

Leehan beamed, dimple showing once again. Taesan chose to stare into the fire instead of at him.

“How did you manage to hunt so many?”

“I'm very good at swimming.”

Taesan narrowed his eyes. “Does that have to do with your mixed blood?”

Leehan gave a small smile and nodded. “My mother was a Nereid*. A water nymph. They protected the sea.” Leehan’s eyes grew sad. He was silent, as if contemplating whether he should continue. He took a shallow breath, speaking quieter now, “Until the group of sailors betrayed them, slaughtered them and sold their skins.” His hands shook.

That's why he was a monster hunter. He had nothing left, just like Taesan. His heart clenched at the sight of a grieving Leehan, stomach tight from the way he thought so simply of him. It was a complicated mix of sympathy and guilt.

Slowly, he reached out, placing his hand over Leehan's clenched fist. He didn't know if it was to relieve his own guilt, or to appease the unexplainable urge to touch him, to make him all better. To see him smile and for his eyes to shine again.

Leehan’s breathing evened out, and he eventually gave a watery chuckle, saying, “I can't believe your hands are always so warm.”

Taesan hummed, playing with his fingers to give him something else to focus on. “And I can't believe yours are always cold.”

“It's because I'm half water nymph,” Leehan intertwined their fingers together, speaking almost in a whisper, “Do you think if I held yours long enough, mine would be warm too?”

“Maybe.”

The answer was yes, as they came to find out when they fell asleep with their hands still connected.

-

“So what's the job about this time?” Leehan asked as he walked behind Taesan, swinging a big branch with leaves still attached.

“Three fire fae that betrayed their court. Killed the heir. My job is to kill them.” Taesan responded, eyes flickering down to check the compass.

“What? That's so dangerous!” Leehan whisper-shouted.

“Well, that's part of the job.” Taesan drawled. But he knew. It was one of the toughest jobs he had decided to take up. Realistically, a human could never take down three fire faes, which is why he planned to injure all three and slowly hunt each of them down one by one.

Leehan threw the branch away, following Taesan silently like he did whenever he didn't want to annoy him even more.

“... Why do you do it? The jobs, I mean. You clearly don't need money.” Leehan asked, grateful that he was speaking to Taesan's back.

Taesan tensed before easing back into his brisk steps. “Just cause. It's just a job to me.”

He felt a wave of guilt crash into him as he put his walls up. Guilt for shutting Leehan out after he bared his soul last night to Taesan. But he couldn't do the same in return. He's sure Leehan expected that.

The rest of the day was quiet, Taesan almost forgetting he had company with how freakishly silent Leehan could be. When he set up the campfire for the night, Leehan disappeared once again to hunt, but this time came back with something other than fish.

The fish was still there, but today's dinner was rabbit with a side of fish and a few fruits. Taesan let out a huff of amusement.

They sat in front of the fire, closer than the night before.

“Leehan,” Taesan started, munching on an apple.

“Mm?” Leehan was chipping away at a piece of obsidian. He occasionally worked on it, shaping it slowly into a spearhead.

“Why do you do all this? Like, hunting for me and following me around everywhere? I'm sure you have better things to do.” Taesan took another bite of his apple.

“'Cause I want to?”

“Yeah, but why? You don't do this with anyone else, right? I don't think there's enough time in a day for you to physically do that.” Taesan asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, it's because I'm courting you.” He picked up the spearhead and held it up against the fire before returning to chipping it.

Taesan ungracefully choked on the apple, managing to spit out a small chunk after a lot of coughing. “What?” He croaked, face red from the combination of the near-death experience of the apple, the warm light from the fire, and the sudden confession.

Leehan reached out a hand to pat his back when Taesan stopped him with his hand held up between them. “What do you mean you're courting me.”

“Was it not clear enough?” Leehan furrowed his brows as he thought back on his actions. “I had already decided that the first day I saw you in the guild. I told you. You're strong. Skilled. Best of the best. And very pretty. Of course, you're very kind too. I've seen how you clean up corpses so you can give them back to the wildlife. That really makes a man swoon, you know? And-”

Taesan slapped a hand over Leehan's mouth, the unfamiliar feeling of a blush flushing through the tips of his ears. “Stop. I forbid you to continue.”

Taesan stared at Leehan, finally releasing him when he was sure he would stop his disgusting flustering ramble. Taesan groaned into his palms, knowing damn well how red he was.

“... So is it working?”

Leehan laughed as he dodged the apple core Taesan threw at him.

-

“Be quiet. I think they're close.” Taesan whispered to Leehan. He could see faint smoke in wisps escaping from the leaves of the thickly populated trees. There was a sign of someone there. It was day four of his excursion, and finally, he could taste the start of the end.

Something in Leehan shifted, becoming even more silent than Taesan thought possible. If Leehan didn't tell him of his origins, he would've assumed he was half Baykok* from how silent he was.

Ever since the first time Leehan spawned out of nowhere during Taesan's job, he banned him from interfering; if not, he was never allowed to see him again. He knew the jobs he took up were dangerous, but from the way Leehan moved, he proved himself skilled enough to escape any potentially dangerous situations. It’s not like he could physically keep him away if he wanted to anyway.

Taesan sucked in a breath as he caught a small glimpse of a sliver of bright red hair. Bingo. The hoods covered up the majority of their manes, but not completely. In the middle of the dense forest, the pop of bright red amongst the dark green was almost like a pin location marker.

Taesan snuck as close as he could. It seemed like they were preparing food. He got out his explosives from his space inventory and aimed them right in the center of the three.

Upon impact, they immediately retaliated with a shriek, sending out furious ribbons of flames all around. Taesan knew it was going to be a close fight, but he severely undermined how flexible their magic could be. His left arm felt a blinding pain like never before, almost making him pass out instantly. He bit his tongue to stay awake, forcing his injured arm to cooperate.

He aimed his bow at one of the fae who bore the brunt of the impact, seemingly blinded by the explosion. He shot, and scored. One down, two more to go. He choked out a broken moan as he forced his body up from the ground. He had to get closer. The other two were limping, trying to escape. This was a golden opportunity. The explosive worked better than he expected. If he could just fucking get it together, he could finish this job right there and then.

He tried to move forward before he realized he couldn't. Leehan was grabbing his right arm, eyes wide in fury and fear. He could barely make out the sounds of Leehan shouting at him, the first time he's ever raised his voice at him, before he passed out.

-

When Taesan awoke, everything hurt. He had to steel himself up just to have enough energy in him to sit upright. When he did, he saw Leehan a few meters away, tending to the fire. The shuffling caught his attention, making him drop the wood he was holding to be by Taesan's side. His eyes were glassy, wide and afraid.

“Don't get up, please. You're hurt.” Leehan reached out, but was unsure of where he could touch so he wouldn't hurt Taesan.

Taesan slapped his hand away. “I could've gotten them! Why did you stop me?!” Taesan snapped, voice hoarse.

“You were badly hurt! You were going to pass out-”

“I could've fucking managed fine! I never needed your fucking help! That was the perfect opportunity to kill them all at once!”

Leehan froze, taken aback by the raw fury in his voice.

“It's all your fault. Why the hell would you stop me from doing my job?!” Taesan snarled, seeing red. He almost had it. If only Leehan had just kept his fucking hands to himself. “You promised. You promised you would never interfere.”

Leehan opened his mouth, before closing it. He clenched his fists, spitting out, “But how could I not? I don't get why you purposely take on jobs that could get you killed! I was terrified that I was about to watch you die in front of my eyes!” His words were broken by a sob, tears streaming down his face.

“Then fucking let me die! That's the entire point!” Taesan threw his good hand up in frustration, hissing at the pain. It shot through his entire body. “Who the hell do you think you are to decide when I live or die?”

Leehan swallowed down his words, hurt flashing on his face.

“Get out of my sight. I never want to see you again.” Taesan spoke through clenched teeth, face tight with anger.

It was almost like watching Leehan's heart break in real time. He watched him panic, looking for the right words to say, only to realize none of them would do anything when he saw the expression on Taesan's face. With that, he roughly wiped his eyes dry and left silently, so silent as if he had never been there to begin with.

Taesan collapsed back on something soft, the outburst expelling all the energy he had. Exhausted and in pain, he passed out for the second time.

The next time he woke up, it was bright outside, and he felt a dull pain in his head. He groaned as he pushed himself up, slowly replaying the events of last night. The anger burned violently in his chest. Leehan ruined it all. Everything.

His stomach growled almost painfully, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in almost two days. He was about to think of a way to hunt without having to overexert himself when he noticed the neatly arranged pile of food wrapped in leaves. Beside it was the obsidian spearhead, finally polished and completed. When he looked down, he saw that his left arm was tended to, the faint smell of herbs wafting through the perfect bandaging.

These were the only traces of Leehan left. Taesan pushed it all away. He ate the food, packed the leftovers and the spearhead into his space inventory before he forced his body to move. The longer he stalled, the further the fae would be. He still had a job to do, and he had never once failed.

He found them two days later, in a condition worse than he was in. He tried to ignore how the compass pointing to Leehan hadn't moved at all in the past few days. He must've thrown it away.

The fae were huddled together, one faring much worse than the other. Her hair was burnt off from the explosion, and the cloak was sticking to the skin where it melted.

Taesan bit on his right arm to silence the hiss he let out as he set his crossbow up. His left arm still hurt, more than ever, but he blocked out everything else, the pain, his thoughts, Leehan, to focus on the aim. He carefully lined it up with the fae that was taking care of the weaker one, before letting go. The arrow whizzed through the air before meeting its target, the body falling on the ground with a quiet thud.

Before the other fae could even shriek, Taesan's arrow had pierced her, the second body falling to the ground. Taesan let out a groan, allowing his body to roll flat on the ground before giving in to his exhaustion, knowing he would be able to wake up alive and see another day yet again.

-

Taesan flinched awake, body thrashing so hard he almost fell off the bed. He had just opened his eyes from a nightmare, but the fleeting visions were already leaving him. His head felt like it was splitting open, the pain so intense he couldn't even think. He surrendered to the rough pillowcase of the hospital, closing his eyes to convince his body he was okay.

After what felt like hours, he finally fluttered his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. It was a hospital close to his home. The smell of potions and herbs was overwhelming, but it provided a good anchor for him to hold onto. Slowly, he sat up, head still feeling like it was a thousand pounds.

He blearily noticed on his bedside were the two compasses. His and Leehan's. He closed his eyes again. Leehan must've left his compass somewhere so he could follow him. Brought him to the hospital when his job was done. Taesan underestimated him once again, and now he was never going to see him ever again.

He spent the next few days in a blur, only exchanging a few words with the half-serpent nurse who tended to him. He remembers forcing himself to eat and falling back asleep, only to jolt awake from nightmares he can't recall. But slowly, he was feeling life breathe back into him every time he woke up.

On the seventh day, he left the hospital for the guild to collect the biggest payment he would ever receive in his career. When he walked in, the guild fell silent. They must've thought he finally succumbed to the dangers of the job. But he didn't. He slammed the sigil down as always, left arm scarred with the burn marks from the fire fae. The orc gave an impressed hum as he slipped away to fetch his payment.

When he returned home, it was cold and dusty. He dumped all his gear on the floor before heading to his room, changing the bedsheets so he could finally sleep in the comfort of his own bed.

The payment this time was enough to last him a lifetime. It still didn't matter to him. There wasn't even anyone he could buy gifts for anymore. Taesan went through his inventory, heart stuttering as he held the obsidian blade in his hand. It was cold, shiny and beautiful. He clutched it, the sharp edges of it slicing his palms. He deserved it. He made a mistake, and he was going to try his best to fix it.

-

The daily visits to the guild, unfortunately, drew a lot of unwarranted attention to him and on the eighth day, he was approached by a boy who looked barely old enough to be a monster hunter, with two older guys tailing behind him.

“Hi! I'm Woonhak! You're Taesan, right?” He greeted Taesan with a smile so genuine and wide it stunned him.

“Yes?”

“Can I sit with you?” He asked, waiting for half a second before taking Taesan's silence as agreement. He slid in opposite of him, with the other two following suit. At least the one on his right seemed embarrassed about it.

“Sorry about Woonhak, he's new to this whole thing, I really hope you don't mind. I'm Jaehyun.” He reached out a hand. Taesan shook it.

“I'm Riwoo, please pardon our intrusion,” the other man said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

“I can't believe I'm sitting with the best, most awesomest legendary monster hunter of all time!” Woonhak squealed, pulling out a wooden shield. “Could you give me an autograph?”

Taesan let out a laugh in surprise at the sheer absurdity of it all.

“Please?” Woonhak pouted, not-so-subtly nudging his shield closer to Taesan.

“Uhm. I guess so…?” Taesan pulled out his dagger, engraving his initials into the wood.

Woonhak squealed again, with Jaehyun shushing him.

Riwoo cleared his throat, looking around the guild before speaking softly, “Are you looking for someone, perhaps?”

Taesan’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing.

Jaehyun tensed, immediately placing a protective arm between Woonhak and Taesan. “Don't worry. We aren't a threat. But it's clear that you are, and I think we can help you with that.”

Taesan silently scanned Jaehyun, trying to detect any form of malice or ulterior motive. He raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

Jaehyun slowly put his arm down, speaking lowly, “You're looking for Leehan, right?”

Taesan’s hands clenched into fists under the table. How did he know his name?

“Here. This is the latest job he took up. You might find him here.” Jaehyun pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was the copy of a C-tier job, clearing out an invasive species of sea monsters that were wiping out an entire colony of Kelpies*.

Taesan carefully reached out for the paper, pocketing it. It seemed very believable. He knew Leehan never took up jobs that were too bothersome. But this was right in his element.

“How do you know about this?” Taesan asked, voice clipped. How did they know Leehan, how did they know he was looking for him?

“Word spreads around fast when the top solo hunter suddenly has a duo, you know?” Riwoo appeased, stating the obvious.

“And it was a pretty big thing. The people working in the hospital saw him rush you in. Like, in his arms. It was obvious he cares for you, and you trust him enough for that to happen.” Jaehyun added, rushing out, “Oh, but what do I know, am I right?” Followed by nervous laughter.

Taesan swallowed thickly. “... Okay. Thank you. I'll remember this.” He walked out and didn't look back. Guess he was on a trip to a remote island in the north.

-

Taesan couldn't believe he was asking people things. It all faded to nothing when he thought about seeing Leehan again. At first, the residents of the island seemed distrustful of a scarred man who was clearly a monster hunter, until he came across two older women running an equipment store. It was more like a shack, completely unassuming on the outside, but absolutely lined with weapons and gear from floor to ceiling on the inside.

He asked the usual questions. If they had seen another (mostly) human hunter around who took up the job of hunting the sea monsters. Most residents weren't aware of the job, replying with a shake of the head.

That was, until he lucked out and finally came across that shack.

“No, I think we can tell him. He doesn't seem to want to harm him,” The one with grey hair whispered. The other lady with watery blue eyes nodded, pointing to the map behind their counter.

“Here. This is where he told me the Kelpies needed help. He seemed passionate, you know? About helping out our Kelpies. You aren't going to hurt him, are you?” Her eyes were ablaze, the first person to challenge Taesan as he was.

Taesan’s heartbeat quickened at the hope blooming in his chest. “No. I would never. Thank you. I-” Taesan swallowed the lump in his throat, hand clutching the compass in his pocket. “-I need to make things right. I made a mistake.” He felt embarrassed, pouring his heart out to these two random ladies he'd never met.

The blue-eyed lady softened, a small smile gracing her lips. “Oh my, you're still a young man at the end of the day, aren't you. I wish you luck.” She bowed slightly, hair shifting to show a glimpse of her closed gills on the side of her face.

Taesan bowed deeply, gratitude unable to be conveyed in words before leaving, setting out for the location he had just got.

-

It took two more days to arrive at the area he set out for, and he was growing anxious with the fear that Leehan had already left by then. But when he caught the glimpse of a familiar head of hair in the moonlight, he stopped in his tracks, boots sinking into the mud. It was Leehan. His torso glimmered under the soft kiss of the moon, water stopping above his navel, where opalescent scales flickered with the reflection of the water.

Taesan thought only his eyes glittered, but he was wrong. His entire body shone. He looked almost like a gemstone, but even prettier than that. He looked ethereal, and that's saying a lot considering all the types of mythical beings he has encountered.

He thought a lot. From the day he returned to his humble abode from the hospital, right up till five minutes ago, of what he could possibly say to Leehan to fix the terrible, terrible things he had spat out at him when he was selfish and vile. When he didn't understand what it was like to care for someone, to worry about another being with his life.

All the flimsy words he had strung together died in his throat. Taesan hesitated, feeling so ashamed, so sure that he did not even have the right to speak to him, to look at him.

But before he could second-guess his entire life and all his decisions that led him here, Leehan saw him.

Taesan saw Leehan whisper his name, too far away to hear his voice. In a split second, he disappeared, head sinking into the water. Taesan’s eyes blew wide open. Never had he felt such fear. Not even during his seven near-death experiences.

Fear of Leehan running away from him. Never seeing him again.

Not even half a beat later, Leehan’s head popped out from the water, closer to where he was standing. This time, he could hear his voice. “Taesan?” His beautiful eyes that he missed so much were looking at him again.

“Leehan.” He whispered, the lump in his throat growing as he moved slowly towards him. Each step was careful, not wanting to scare him away. Taesan barely noticed the cold of the water rising up to his chest as he finally reached out, feeling the familiar cold skin against his palms. He held Leehan's wrist loosely, needing some form of physical contact to assure himself this was real.

“What are you doing here?” Leehan whispered, hurt and confusion apparent in his face, yet not pulling away.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” Taesan whispered. “I- I’m sorry. I know no words can make up for all the terrible things I said. I know I'm flawed to the core, and I never even deserved you in the first place. I-” Taesan licked his lips, trying to rearrange his thoughts in a way that made sense, when he tasted salt. He didn't realize he was crying.

“I didn't understand. I didn't know how to act- how to live when someone cared for me the way that you did. I was an idiot. But I understand now, because I care for you. Deeply. I can't imagine you being hurt- or worse, acting as if your life didn't matter, like how I did. I'm sorry.”

Leehan gently released his wrist from Taesan's grasp, fear paralyzing his heart before feeling cool fingers brush against his cheeks.

“Please don't cry,” Leehan said, eyes darting around Taesan’s face. “Is this a dream? Please tell me it's real. I keep dreaming about you.”

Taesan reached up and gently held Leehan's hands that were cupping his face. “I don't deserve to appear in your dreams.” He hands were shaking.

“How did you find me?”

“Through rather pathetic means. I had to talk to more than 20 people. And camp in the guild every day, hoping you would walk in.”

“It sounds like you're trying to court me,” Leehan laughed breathily, eyes glossy.

“I am. I know I can never atone for the hurt I've caused you, but I promise to try my best, and-”

Leehan's lips were cool, just like the rest of his skin. It tasted salty, from the seawater. Taesan froze, processing it before a new flood of tears poured out of him. He didn't even know he was a crier.

Leehan chuckled, a tear slipping down his cheek, too. “Don't cry.”

“But you're crying too,” Taesan managed to say between the inhales from his sobbing.

Leehan wiped it away, offering a watery chuckle before claiming, “It's just the seawater.”

-Epilogue-

“So am I invited to the housewarming party?” Woonhak asked, pleading through his puppy eyes.

“We aren't even having a housewarming party.” Taesan deadpanned, shoving the last of his items into the space inventory.

“You can come over whenever you're in the area!” Leehan beamed, fondness for the younger clear as day.

“You’re the best! That’s why you’re my favourite!” Woonhak jumped, crashing into Leehan for a hug.

“Psh, take a look at this guy, forgetting about his roots,” Jaehyun rolled his eyes, pretending to wipe a tear away.

“Tell me about it…” Riwoo drawled, head on Jaehyun's shoulder.

“Yeah, I thought I was your favourite ‘best, most awesomest legendary monster hunter of all time’ ?” Taesan brought up his fingers in air quotes.

“Did Woonhakie actually say that?” Sungho crinkled his nose. He was a new member of the group along with Jaehyun, Riwoo, and Woonhak. Taesan has no idea why they are all in his house.

“Oh yeah, he still has that wooden shield with Taesan’s autograph on it.” Jaehyun helpfully supplied, earning him an indignant shout from Woonhak.

“That was the first time in my life someone had asked me for an autograph,” Taesan muttered, but now found the memory from a year ago cute. The “C” word. It was relatively new in his vocabulary, courtesy of Leehan. After he managed to make things right for the most part with Leehan, he took a step back from monster hunting, eventually deciding not to take up jobs on his own anymore. The most he did was assist Leehan with his jobs, which were mostly protecting some form of species from attacks.

They decided to move to a quieter and slower part of the region, where black markets and shady businesses were exchanged in place of family-owned businesses, cafes and recreational stuff. A quaint home by the seaside, the perfect place to be when you had a half-water nymph partner.

It was difficult, shedding layers and layers of armour Taesan had built up around himself for the past decade, but he would do anything for Leehan. So he learnt. Learned how to take, how to give, and how to exist knowing someone cared so deeply for him as did he.

For the first few months after the reunion, Leehan was riddled with unwarranted guilt every time he saw the burns on Taesan’s arm, but after talking through a lot of it, both of them accepted it was just a piece of the past that they couldn’t change.

The angry red faded with time, leaving a paler pink in some areas under the scarring.

Another word he’s added to his vocabulary is the big “L” word.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you which one that is.