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It’s not until he’s safely inside the rented room (door shut tight and bolt firmly locked in place) that Sanghyuk finally unwinds the scarf from his face, loosens the front of his cloak, and lets Jaehwan out of the bag.
“Pwah!” Jaehwan gasps, teeth clacking madly together as Sanghyuk lifts the skull out of the confines of his rucksack. “Good gods, I thought I was going to suffocate in there!”
“You have no lungs, Jaehwan,” Sanghyuk yawns, setting the skull on the bed. “Or a body, for that matter. You can’t suffocate.”
The greyed teeth clack obnoxiously as Jaehwan vocally expresses his distaste for Sanghyuk’s comment. “You’re a very rude boy, you know! And insensitive to other’s misfortunes, too!”
“Hey, you’re the one who said you accidentally cursed yourself this way,” Sanghyuk shrugs, tossing his cloak over the back of the bed. “I’m just pointing out the facts.” He wants to take a bath, but the fire in the room has been reduced to heated coals burning slowly in the hearth, no longer strong enough to make hot water, and he didn’t want to go back downstairs to ask the innkeeper for more.
Meanwhile, Jaehwan is grousing and complaining at a mile a minute, rattling so loudly on the table that Sanghyuk’s almost afraid the skull’s jaw would fly right off. Personally, he doesn’t really mind that Jaehwan’s talking— most of his nonsense and complaints are harmless anyway.
“It is musty and dirty in that disgusting old sack of yours. So much sand and dust collecting at the corners of it; do you ever wash it out? No, don’t answer that, I know you nomadic trading types. You won’t know how to wash your own backs even if your mother showed you.”
“Leave my dear mother out of this, she’s a wonderful woman,” Sanghyuk says airily as he divests himself of his jacket and vest, hanging them over the rickety chair in the corner of the room. He yanks his boots off and shakes the sand and dirt that’s been collecting in it all day out of the window. When he returns, Jaehwan has shaken himself across the table and is resting at the edge of it, eyeless sockets somehow managing to watch him as he tugs his socks off and climbs into bed.
“It must be nice to have a wonderful mother,” Jaehwan grumbles. “My mother was too busy being the most famous and studious witch of all time; she never played with me.”
“Didn’t you say you have brothers?” Sanghyuk asks, kicking the blankets back. He snuggles down onto the lumpy hay mattress and plumps up his sad, saggy pillows, hoping to make the most out of the night.
“Yes, but they’re both older than me,” Jaehwan says. “And they used to dangle me out of the window by my toes whenever I threatened to tattle on them. Well, it doesn’t matter now, they’re all off being successful by themselves in the medicinal trade and ship owning while I’m stuck trying to find my body back. Gods know why I had to end up with you, you slowpoke. I’ll be an old man by the time I regain my corporeal form!”
“You’re welcome,” Sanghyuk replies, unaffected, and blows out the candle on the nightstand. The room plunges into darkness, and the only light comes from the bonfire that’s still burning in the town square. Shadows flicker up the wall, shapes elongated and wholly exaggerated.
“I used to be so handsome,” Jaehwan bemoans from the desk. His bony jaw rattles loudly against the wood every time he speaks, and Sanghyuk rolls his eyes, contemplating if he should bury his head under the pillow. “Truly, I was a fine male specimen.”
“Were you,” Sanghyuk replies, trying not to laugh as he yanks the scratchy blanket up to his chin.
“Of course! I had the most regal nose. Even the King of the West was envious of it.”
“I’m sure.”
“And you know what they say about men with big noses, they also have—”
“Goodnight, Jaehwan,” Sanghyuk interrupts loudly, rolling over, and Jaehwan’s jaw rattles even harder as he laughs into the night.
+
He came across Jaehwan by accident nearly two moons back; he was wandering through a bustling township near a rich portside city that his dusty, travel-worn clothes would’ve gotten him kicked out of immediately. So, like many other commoners trying to make a living, Sanghyuk slid in and out of the packed stalls, stores and little carts scattered along the town of tilting buildings and makeshift houses, each of them not quiet built to last but sturdy enough to serve its purpose.
He was picking through a particularly cluttered collection of animal bones— the amount of elk skulls and antlers available was extremely suspicious considering their distance away from the forests— when Jaehwan had popped up amidst the skeletal remains of long-dead creatures and whispered-shouted, “Hey, kid, wanna help a poor mistreated skull out?”
It was not a smooth reaction that followed. Sanghyuk screamed, unable to help himself after getting such a shock, and Jaehwan screamed in return, claiming later on that Sanghyuk’s yelling had startled him. Sanghyuk had backed up in surprise, upsetting a whole table of glass ornaments, all of which crashed to the floor in a spray of tiny glass chips and irreparable pieces. And amidst the confusion, cursing and stares, Jaehwan had shrieked, “If you’re going to run, take me with you, blasted child!” and Sanghyuk didn’t even stop to think.
He seized the skull, tucked his rucksack against his side, and bolted down the street, leaping over carts and mats full of miscellaneous clutter until the sounds of the shop owner’s swears had faded into the din of the township’s busy afternoon hustle.
And the rest, they say, is history.
+
“Gods, it’s so hot today,” Jaehwan whines, rattling his jaw so Sanghyuk could feel him moving about in the rucksack. “Why is it so warm? Curses.”
“Shut it,” Sanghyuk hisses back, and pretends not to notice the way the merchant is starting to give him strange looks as he appraises the rows of gemstones, river rocks and dried herbs on the counter. They’d stopped at a collection of small, roadside stalls for the afternoon despite Jaehwan’s complaints; he might feel stuffy inside the bag, but Sanghyuk had been walking down the sandy mountain path all morning. His ankles ached, his water flask is running low, and sweat had soaked through his shirt beneath his vest, making it cling damply to his hot skin. He needed a break.
“You’re taking forever,” Jaehwan mutters. “Hurry it up, just pick what you want and get on with it.”
“I am going to toss you off the edge of the first cliff I see if you keep this nonsense up,” Sanghyuk grumbles, and avoids the merchant’s incredulous stare to the best of his ability. He selects a few moonstones, which would certainly help him navigate his way through the desert at night, and picked out a small pouch of scented tea leaves before shooting the merchant a winning grin. “How about these?” he asks, and the merchant nods, adjusting the limp straw hat hanging over his head.
“Very good,” the man mutters, and wraps Sanghyuk’s purchases up in a bit of wrinkled parchment for him. In return, Sanghyuk retrieves the carefully wrapped collection of wishbones he had on him, placing it onto the flat surface of that cart that’s not completely covered in random goods. Purchases switch hands, and the merchant follows it up with a bit of gold. It’s not the amount Sanghyuk originally wanted for his wishbones, but it’s a compromise. The amount he’d gotten in return is enough for a good meal and another night’s stay at an inn, if they needed to.
Sanghyuk’s just stepped away from the cart, carefully tucking his purchases back into his rucksack when Jaehwan managed to worm his way up to him, clacking anxiously.
“Sanghyuk, we gotta go, I’m getting a very bad feeling about staying here.”
“How the hell can you get a bad feeling?” Sanghyuk asks, but Jaewhan sets his jaw and glares.
“Just because I don’t have a body doesn’t mean I don’t have a magical intuition!” he snaps. “And I’m telling you, we need to go, right now!”
Sanghyuk stares, startled by Jaehwan’s sudden intensity, but a moment later he nods and quickly lifts Jaehwan out of the bag. Shoving the skull awkwardly under his arm, he yanks his rucksack shut and secures it over his back just as somebody screams in the distance.
“Bandits!” a woman’s voice shouts over the din. “Bandits, coming down the mountain!”
Jaehwan lets out a garbled curse as Sanghyuk spins around to look back up the mountain path. To his horror, he can see the dirt rising up in a terrible, sandy-yellow cloud as no fewer than a dozen bandits came riding down the hill, undoubtably ready to raid the carts settled along the side oft he road.
“Run!” Jaehwan yells as the cluster of merchants, traders and passerbys all burst into action. Sanghyuk doesn’t need another warning; he’s sprinting down the path already, clutching Jaehwan to his front as he skids down on pebbles and rough patches of loose dirt.
The bandits have horses, and he knows he can’t hope to outrun them. So when Jaehwan shouts at him they’re gaining on us!, Sanghyuk swerves off the main path and leaps into the shrubbery growing alongside the mountain.
It’s difficult to run there; he hears horses neigh and yells that follow him as some of the bandits leap off their steeds and pursue him on foot, determined to chase him down. Adrenaline courses through him as Sanghyuk crashes through the prickly undergrowth, sprawling ground plants and over lumpy rocks.
His foot slips over nothing all of a sudden, and to Sanghyuk’s horror, he realizes he’s stepped right off the edge of a small, but steep little hill he hadn’t noticed behind the bushes growing alongside of it. He hears Jaehwan shout his name out in a panic and instinctively wraps his arms around the skull, protecting it with the bulk of his body as the two of them roll down the side of the hill. They bounce all over the uneven ground and Sanghyuk yelps as he rolls over small, spiky plants that sends sharp jolts of pain running up and down his arms.
He stops only when he falls into a little ditch, landing heavily on his behind, and Sanghyuk groans as a mixture of pain and nausea threatens to overtake him. His head spins, his back hurts, and he can’t tell his ups from downs.
“Are you alright?” Jaehwan clacks worriedly, bouncing up and down on his chest because of how fast he’s talking. “Sanghyuk— oh gods, your head’s bleeding—”
“I’m fine,” Sanghyuk says weakly, attempting to sit up. Jaehwan almost slides off his chest, but he remembers to catch the skull just in time. He peeks up over the edge of the ditch and pales when he can see three bandits skidding down the hill after him, kicking up dirt and dust at the same time.
“No, you’re not,” Jaewhan says grimly. “Put me down, Sanghyuk, facing those thieves— and cover your ears.”
“What?” Sanghyuk asks, confused, and Jaehwan rattles at him so violently he almost bites down on Sanghyuk’s fingers.
“Just do it!”
Bewildered, Sanghyuk does as he’s told— he sets Jaehwan down on the edge of the ditch, facing the bandits.
“Good,” Jaehwan rattles. “Now whatever you do, don’t take your hands off your ears.”
“Oh boy,” Sanghyuk mumbles to himself, pressing his palms flat over his ears. And even though Jaehwan is missing all of the muscles necessary to show it, Sanghyuk has a curious feeling the skull is grinning manically as he looks up at the bandits closing in, opens his mouth, and screams.
It’s like he was punched in the chest. The sheer amount of noise knocks him flat into the ditch as his eyes widen in shock. The bandits, on the other hand, face the full brunt of the shriek and are blasted back by some kind of unseen force that launches them high into the air before depositing them all over the place, arms and legs flopping like rag dolls. When they crash onto the ground, none of them move again.
Sanghyuk quakes and presses his hands tighter over his ears until he finally sees Jaehwan’s jaw close, and the terrifying sound fades away like a breath of wind. Despite his best efforts, there is still a high-pitched ringing in his ears when he removes his hands.
“How ‘bout that?” Jaehwan asks, sounding wholly satisfied.
“How... how did you do that?” Sanghyuk asks, wincing at the jumble of sounds that assaults his sensitive ears. He’s not sure if he’s talking too loudly or not loud enough.
“Like I said, I might’ve lost my body, but I’m not totally useless,” Jaehwan proclaims, knocking his bony teeth together. “I’ve still got a few tricks up my— er, sleeve.”
“No kidding,” Sanghyuk mutters, staring at the unconscious bandits on the hill.
“Unfortunately, it’s a limited act,” Jaehwan admits. “I won’t be able to do that again for a while, so let’s get out of here.”
“Good idea,” Sanghyuk agrees, and as he bends to scoop the skull up, Jaehwan quickly adds, “Please! Be gentle. That took a lot out of me just now; I’m not certain I won’t start cracking or chipping off in certain places.”
Even though he’s put up with way too much of Jaehwan’s theatrics over the course of this journey, Sanghyuk knows when the other is being serious. So with careful, measured movements, he lifts Jaehwan’s skull off the ground and cradles it in both hands as he straightens up. There are no sounds coming from up the hill, and he’s not certain if Jaehwan’s vocal attack had gone far enough to stun anybody on the path. But just in case— trekking on the side of the mountain might be a safer choice for now.
“Alright,” Sanghyuk breathes, shaking sand out of his hair. “Let’s keep on going.”
+
They camp in a small cave tucked under an overhang on the mountain once the sun sets, and even though the nights can get quite dark on the moonless nights, the sky is still alight with stars. Tonight, a small sliver of white dangles amidst the silver dots scattered across the heavens as Sanghyuk sets Jaehwan down atop a pile of his own carefully folded pants before digging through his thoroughly beat-up bag for some food.
“What a rough day,” Jaehwan comments lightly as Sanghyuk unwraps some dried fruits and salted meats to chew on.
“That is a severe understatement and you know it,” Sanghyuk replies between slow, achey bites of food. The ringing in his ears have mostly faded, but the motion of chewing tugs at the small cut on his temple, and he winces.
“How’s your head?” Jaehwan rattles, watching him, as it seems.
“It’s fine, just bruised,” Sanghyuk answers. “I was mostly dizzy earlier, but that’s passed now.”
“Good to hear,” Jaehwan answers. He pauses, and then adds after a slight clearning of his throat, “Thanks for protecting me during the fall.”
“You’re welcome,” Sanghyuk replies after a moment’s delay, surprised. “I mean, I’m not about to let you get smashed open on some mountainside rock. I did promise to bring you back to your magic academy, or whatever that was.”
“The Royal Academy of the Magician’s Arts,” Jaehwan corrects, but not in a condescending way. “My alma mater.”
“That sounds fancy,” Sanghyuk says with interest, munching on a piece of dried peachberry. “What did you study there?”
“There’s the general spell-casting and potion-brewing lessons all magicians have to take, but I specialized in the study of the Transformative Arts,” Jaehwan cackles, and Sanghyuk can’t help but grin as well.
“Why am I unsurprised.”
“Hey, say what you want, but I’m good at what I do,” Jaehwan says, and if he had shoulders, he’d be shrugging. “I graduated top of my class and the Academy allowed me to continue my research in their private facilities. S’why I need to go back; all of my work is located there and that’s the only place I can transform myself back.”
“How did you even end up in the middle of nowhere after you lost your body?” Sanghyuk asks, tilting his head. He’d never brought the topic up, since it seemed insensitive, but Jaehwan doesn’t seem to mind so much anymore.
“I caused a little explosion in my after I accidentally lost control of my spell,” Jaehwan reveals, glum. “My body disappeared, leaving behind my skull, and it blasted me out the window and I fell into the trash bin underneath it. I was still in shock and hadn’t gained the ability to speak yet, so when the cleaners came by to toss the garbage out, I couldn’t even shout for them to rescue me.”
“What happened after that?” Sanghyuk stares, horrified at the thought of being swept up in a bag and thrown out.
Jaehwan huffs, and his skull bounces up and down on Sanghyuk’s pants. “I ended up in a garbage depository! But fortunately, before they could collect and send everything to the swampy outbacks for real, some traders picked me out of the mess and bartered me off all over the country. It wasn’t until later that I discovered I could speak. Not a lot of people appreciated it, to be honest. I just kept on ending up further away from home, so I decided to shut up after that.”
“So why’d you call out to me in that shop then?” Sanghyuk asks, curious. “After everything you’ve gone through?”
“Truthfully... there’s no real reason,” Jaehwan admits, sounding thoughtful. “But as you know, I retained my magical intuition, even in this form. And when I saw you walk into that shop... I felt your aura. It stood out to me in that crowd of people because yours felt so... gentle. And trustworthy. I had the strangest feeling that I could depend on you, so I decided to speak up. And so far, I don’t think I’ve made the wrong decision,” Jaehwan adds, voice soft. Sanghyuk’s suddenly grateful for the darkness surrounding them; it obscures most of the heated blush that’s inexplicably appearing on his face.
“I’ll bring you back,” he promises. “No matter what.”
Jaehwan’s jaw rattles again as he chuckles. The sound is surprisingly friendly. “I’ll look forwards to showing you around the Academy. You’ll love it.”
“You should tell me about it,” Sanghyuk says, taking one last sip from this water flask. He strips off his vest, folds it up for a makeshift pillow, and tugs the threadbare blanket roll out from his rucksack. He drapes it over himself, trying to find the most comfortable position, and rolls over so he could face Jaehwan. The skull is watching him again, in the most peculiar fashion, and Sanghyuk’s still not certain how he can tell the other is looking at him despite a very obvious lack of eyes. But that’s the feeling he gets anyway, and he can’t quite say it’s a bad one.
“Well,” Jaehwan muses, thinking. “I have a colleague who I’m quite close with. He studies the Astronomical Arts— magic drawn from the alignment and positioning of planets and stars. If he were here, he’d be able to tell you a whole bunch of mumble jumble about how seeing Jupiter means you should start casting fortune spells or how Mercury’s trajectory will put those born during the Autumn-months in a favourable position, so they should attempt some kind of healing charm on themselves for the best results. I dunno, it’s all nonsense to me, but he knows his stuff. He even has this cloak he wears, and it’s enchanted to show the movement of the planets and stars so he can chart them whenever he wants, that damn nerd...”
Sanghyuk tucks his hand beneath his cheek, smiling, and he listens to Jaehwan talk and talk until sleep finally takes over.
+
They exchange stories fairly often on the road, usually when there was nobody but each other to yap on and on with about everything and nothing. Jaehwan continued to tell Sanghyuk about two apprentices he’d taken on, often going into raptures about either how dumb the two of them were or how helpful they were to his experiments. He also mentions another colleague who actually specializes in the study of auras, and has apparently been working for so long on his topic nobody actually knows when he started out as a student anymore.
In turn, Sanghyuk tells Jaehwan about his family, how his father began as a farmer but got into the trader’s business during the crop failure. There, he met Sanghyuk’s mother, whose family was a part of a large clan of nomadic merchants and traders, and he’d been welcomed into their home.
“Sure, they miss me whenever I travel, but I end up running into them and a lot of my extended family on the road anyway,” Sanghyuk says. They’ve been walking late into the afternoon, moving out of the desert and mountain territory. Now they’re making their way through the rounded hills and dipping valleys of the countryside, and soon they’ll make it into the city where the Academy is located. “It’s in our blood to wander. I started travelling by myself by the time I reached my thirteenth year, and by the time I hit my fifteenth I’d already begun trading solo.”
“And you’ve never gotten lost?” Jaehwan asks, impressed, and Sanghyuk shakes his head.
“Can’t get lost,” he grins. “It’s like I’ve got something inside of me that’s always pulling me in the right direction... the only way I can get lost is when I’m unsure or doubtful of my own path.”
“Fascinating,” Jaehwan clacks from Sanghyuk’s hands— he’s taken to holding Jaehwan rather than keeping him in his rucksack nowadays. “I should definitely introduce you to Hakyeon; he’d have a lot to ask about.”
“Your aura-studying friend?” Sanghyuk asks, and Jaehwan makes a sound of confirmation.
“He might talk your head off, though, so be prepared.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve received adequate training after travelling with you,” Sanghyuk jokes, and laughs when Jaehwan clacks and curses the whole way down the hill.
+
They arrive in the city within the week, and while Sanghyuk’s seen his fair share of wealthy locations, this city was filled with a different type of richness. Centuries-old architecture towers over them, mingling with newer buildings of modern designs. The hustle in the marketplace and courtyards is filled with the buzz of life and activity. And overall, there’s the subtle hum of pure magic that blankets the city, electrifying and elevating and just prominent enough to give the whole place sort of magical glow.
“Whoa,” Sanghyuk breathes, eyes wide and head sweeping from left to right as Jaehwan directs him down the roads.
“I know, right?” Jaehwan clatters, smug. “Told you you’d like it.”
“Yeah, yeah, boast while you can,” Sanghyuk snarks, giving the skull a shake. “Where’s your school?”
He’d been expecting something of a castle, or a large mansion, perhaps, with similar courtyards filled with stuffy scholars and possibly even guards. But the property surrounding the Academy isn’t even properly gated; it’s like a little village within the busy city, filled with colourful houses and blooming gardens. He sees people walking around all over the place— some are flying on brooms, others walking baby dragons on leashes, and others would simply pop up out of the ground or climb into a pitch black portal before vanishing into nowhere. And Sanghyuk can’t quite keep his jaw from unhinging as he walks down the neatly paved cobblestoned paths, fascinated by everything he sees.
Jaehwan chatters on insistently, cheerfully making comments about everything they pass by until they turn the corner into a quieter little street, where a tall magician is stepping out of a store, a beautifully-stitched cloak billowing out behind him as he walks. Jaehwan cuts himself off mid-sentence when he catches sight of the man, and for a moment it seems like he’s been stunned silent before he starts shouting.
“Taekwoon! Taekwoon!” Jaehwan yells, nearly jolting himself out of Sanghyuk’s hands, and to Sanghyuk’s surprise, the well-dressed magician stops dead in his tracks, turning around to face them. His eyes widen in shock.
“Jaehwan?” the man called Taekwoon splutters. He crosses the expanse of empty street in a few strides and immediately takes the skull from Sanghyuk’s hands, holding it up to eye level with a mixture of disbelief and amazement on his face. “What in the name of Callisto and Io— is that really you? Where have you been? Do you have any idea how long you’ve been missing? And why— why are you a skull?”
“It was an experimental accident!” Jaehwan cries. “But I’ve travelled all this way back—”
“Ahem,” Sanghyuk coughs, and Jaehwan scoffs, but corrects himself.
“Sanghyuk has travelled all this way, and by extension me as well, even though I have no legs, all the way to the kingdom, to find my body. Which, by the way, Taekwoon will tell you just how beautiful it was,” Jaehwan adds, seemingly unable to resist giving Sanghyuk the best you-better-believe-me look he could with his eye hollows. “I was tall and muscular and even better looking that him—”
“You should’ve dropped him into a well when you had the chance,” Taekwoon interrupts. The shock and awe in his eyes had already disappeared and is replaced by a kind of expression that reflects years of a long-suffering, close-knit friendship. Still, there’s relief evident on his face, and Sanghyuk can’t help but grin back.
“It’s not too late for that, I saw the fountain at the entrance of the Academy when we travelled through,” Sanghyuk replies. Taekwoon snorts, and the two of them exchange knowing looks while Jaehwan rattles angrily in Taekwoon’s hands.
“Stop bullying me you two! Or I’ll bite your fingers off!”
“And I will drop kick you over the greenhouses,” Taekwoon answers, passing the skull back to Sanghyuk. “But that would upset Wonshik, I think.”
“Yes it would,” Jaehwan snaps. “So you shouldn’t do it!”
“You should just stop talking,” Sanghyuk says between fits of laughter, and Jaehwan finally falls silent. It’s weird to know that, somehow, he’s scowling, despite the lack of muscles and skin over the bone to show the expression. Taekwoon gives the skull a good once-over before looking up at Sanghyuk.
“I suppose you lot should go to Jaehwan’s study,” Taekwoon says, folding his hands back into the sleeves of his navy robes, and for the first time since they’d met, Sanghyuk notices the little constellations sewn into the heavy fabric. And even though it’s daytime, he swears he can see the gold thread twinkle at him, as though he was really looking up into the night sky, witnessing the beautiful summer stars for real.
“I was going to tell him to take me there already,” Jaehwan rattles, and Taekwoon gives him a bland look.
“Yes, but how would you get into your own home with no keys, Jaehwan?” he asks, and from the depths of his sleeves pulls out a large silver ring. Dangling from it were a cluster of keys, each of varying sizes, and Jaehwan clacks furiously again.
“None of you have any respect for me, whatsoever!”
“Just take us there, please,” Sanghyuk interrupts, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “The faster he gets his body back, the better.”
Taekwoon looks like he’s on the verge of pitying him or laughing, but the magician simply opts for a secretive little smile in the end before he turns on his heels and sweeps down the paved path, leaving Sanghyuk to scurry after him with Jaehwan in hand.
He’s not sure what he expects of Jaehwan’s study after seeing all those houses, but it doesn’t disappoint. It’s only a singular colour, but it’s a cheerful, pastel blue with a slightly darker cerulean paint on the windowsills and doorways. It’s also incredibly lanky and tower-like, with various rooms seemingly built into the house’s orginal, skinny structure, which looks like it’s going to topple over any second. Jaehwan wails when Taekwoon unlocks the front door and pushes it open, revealing a dark room and cloth-covered furniture.
“You guys touched my things! Oh, gods, you moved my notes.”
“Yes,” Taekwoon nods, sliding his keys back into the folds of his sleeves again. “Hongbin and Wonshik were asked to tidy some of your things up instead of storing it away, in case you came back.”
“But now I can’t find anything!” Jaehwan shouts, jumping up and down in Sanghyuk’s hands. Taekwoon gives him a look.
“It was a mess in here, Jaehwan.”
“An organized mess! Where are my dumbass apprentices, I’m going to wring their necks—!”
“What do you mean by in case Jaehwan comes back?” Sanghyuk pipes up, interrupting whatever else Jaehwan would’ve said. “His laboratory blew up and he was nowhere to be found, but you all seemed very certain Jaehwan was alive.”
“Well, the first thing we did after we realized Jaehwan was missing was to ask Hakyeon to search for his aura,” Taekwoon explains.
“How would that help?”
“If I were dead, Hakyeon wouldn’t be able to feel my presence in the world,” Jaehwan grumbles. “I’m assuming he did feel that I was alive, but just not here.”
“He said you felt funny,” Taekwoon says, waving some dust away from his face. “Like you were there, but not there. Existing, but only just. I think it makes sense though, now that we’ve discovered you turned yourself into a skull.”
“I didn’t turn myself into one, I just lost my body,” Jaehwan snaps. “Very different things.”
“Right,” Taekwoon says dubiously. “I’ll take your word for it. In any case, we were relieved to know he wasn’t really dead,” he adds for Sanghyuk’s benefit. “Hakyeon’s been keeping tabs on Jaehwan, but the magic must’ve really messed with his body if he couldn’t even tell Jaehwan had returned. I’ll notify the others of your arrival.”
“Please do,” Jaehwan sniffs. “I’ll be needing my ridiculous apprentices to help me with my work, seeing as I presently have no hands.”
“I have no idea how you put up with him,” Taekwoon says pointedly to Sanghyuk. “Please entertain him a little longer while I retrieve Hakyeon, Hongbin and Wonshik.”
“Eh, it’s only a few more hours,” Sanghyuk jokes. Taekwoon flashes him another little smile before sweeping out the front door, closing it quietly behind him as he goes. Jaehwan tuts.
“He’s secretly happy to see me back,” he announces loudly. “He just won’t show it.”
“Taekwoon’s the astronomy colleague you told me about, right?” Sanghyuk asks, and Jaehwan clatters in surprise.
“That’s right,” he says. “You remember?”
“I remember everything you’ve said,” Sanghyuk replies, quite honestly, and Jaehwan stares up at him, momentarily struck with silence again.
“I’m happy to hear that,” he says, after a beat of curious silence had passed. “Well, if you like, I can tell you more stories if you’d help me pull those damned sheets off my poor furniture while we wait for my brainless apprentices to arrive. Believe it or not, I really am quite frustrated by my own lack of autonomy.”
“Sure,” Sanghyuk says. He settles Jaehwan down on the least dusty spot on what might be the coffee table and drops his bag beneath the table. “Hey, why don’t you tell me a bit about Hongbin and Wonshik then?”
+
He’d only just yanked the sheets off the furniture on the first floor and thrown open the windows to let in some fresh air when the door crashes open. The intrusion is followed by more of Jaehwan’s screaming. Sanghyuk nearly trips over the rug rushing back into the living room, horrible thoughts of bandits or thieves or even that baby dragon rising in his mind. But there’s only a young man seizing the skull off the table and shaking it, shouting loudly while another man with dark hair and piercings flusters desperately around them. And standing in the doorway is Taekwoon with yet another man, who’s dressed completely in glowing red robes and a large, floppy pointed hat. A pair of thin golden glasses sit on the tip of his nose, and he’s watching the ruckus with an air of amusement.
“Lee Jaewhan! I swear to god, you are the biggest nuisance I’ve ever had the misfortune of working for!” the first man yells while Jaehwan’s jaw shakes madly.
“Hey watch it, Hongbin, I’m very fragile!” Jaehwan clatters. “Very delicate! Handle— with— care— garh!”
“I was out of work for three months! Three! How could you leave us behind like that!” the man called Hongbin continues to shout.
“Hongbin, you’re going to shake him apart—” the other apprentice splutters, clutching at Hongbin’s arm, and Hongbin whirls around, glaring.
“Quiet, Wonshik, you were a blubbering mess that whole time. If Jaehwan hadn’t messed around in his laboratory after we left, none of us would’ve been stuck in this predicament,” Hongbin says, but he finally stops shaking Jaehwan.
“So glad to hear I was dearly missed,” Jaehwan pants, rattling noisily. “Now please put me back on the table or hand me over to Sanghyuk; even the time I spent tossed around in his rucksack was more comfortable than your ruthless shaking!”
Sanghyuk scratches awkwardly at the back of his neck, suddenly self-conscious when four pairs of eyes suddenly looked his way. Then Hongbin steps forwards and passes Sanghyuk Jaehwan’s skull; he had something akin to a sympathetic look on his face, but Sanghyuk could see the corners of his mouth twitching.
“I had no idea how you managed to stand him this whole time,” Hongbin says. “I mean, all of us have had experience, but I’m assuming you just picked him up from nowhere.”
Jaehwan clacks with annoyance while Taekwoon stifles a laugh. “Sanghyuk, please meet my darling apprentices,” he says, poison in his voice. “The bratty one is Hongbin and the scary-looking but overall crybaby over there is Wonshik— oh, Wonshik, do stop crying, I’m not dead and you already knew that.”
“Yes, but we were worried,” Wonshik says, sniffling. “And I’m not crying because I’m sad. Your house is horribly dusty.”
“Yes, because you lot didn’t come and clean!” Jaehwan screams. “And you moved my things! What did I tell you about moving my things!”
“Hakyeon made us,” Hongbin says at once, and the man in the red robes by the door scoffs loudly.
“If I recall, you were the one who rubbed your hands together like a scheming fly while saying finally enough of this mess and my time has come,” Hakeyon retorts, and Hongbin sticks his tongue out at him.
“You were all against me,” Jaehwan moans. “Well, that doesn’t matter now, all your treachery can be dealt with later. My minions, go quickly and set up my laboratory for me. The faster I get my hands back the faster I can wrestle you out my door.”
“You couldn’t even wrestle that tiny river troll down by the stone bridge on the north side of the Academy,” Hongbin snarks, but he and Wonshik dutifully tread across the hall and opens up one of the many doors along the wall, revealing a darkened stairwell that Wonshik illuminates by conjuring up a handful of light pink flames.
“I’ll take Jaehwan downstairs,” Taekwoon offers, and Jaehwan squawks as he’s lifted from Sanghyuk’s palms.
“I don’t want to supervise those brats!” he shouts, but Taekwoon’s already walking down the stairs, serenely ignoring Jaehwan’s demands. Sanghyuk’s starting to suspect that’s a common occurrence.
“They’re arguing right now, but trust me, everybody is glad Jaehwan is back,” a voice says from behind, and he whirls around to see Hakyeon standing beside him. He’s removed his hat (which seems to have shrunk mysteriously in his hands), revealing his plum-coloured hair. He turns and gives Sanghyuk a twinkling smile. “You must be tired after travelling for so long. Come, let’s make some tea together; I know Jaehwan keeps some delicious flavours hidden away in his cabinets somewhere.”
He thought things might get awkward, but there’s something inherently comforting about standing near Hakyeon, which reminds him of being back at home with his family, cooking food over their fireplace or curling up in the loft of his grandmother’s house and tucking himself beneath layers of knitted wool blankets. Which is strange, considering they’d only just met, but he decides not to question it.
“The kids came banging on my door the night Jaehwan vanished,” Hakyeon says suddenly as he’s boiling water. Sanghyuk looks up from where he’s grinding up the dried tea leaves with a stone bowl and pestle, and Hakyeon flashes him a smile. “Don’t let Hongbin’s bratty attitude fool you, he was the one crying while Wonshik dragged him over. When I tried to search for his aura, I could only feel very faint traces of it. Over time it got stronger, even though it seemed to be going further and further away. But then, I felt it mingling with another aura one day.”
“Mine?” Sanghyuk dares to ask, and Hakyeon nods.
“It was a fascinating feeling. Aside from the fact that I somehow knew Jaehwan would find his way back to us again, I got the sense that the aura he was with would match well with him. It was a protective one, even if it was free-spirited.”
“A-ah...” Sanghyuk blinks. He’s unsure of what Hakyeon’s implying, but that doesn’t stop the ridiculous butterflies that suddenly start to flutter in his stomach. “That’s interesting.”
“Isn’t it?” Hakyeon says with a smile, maddeningly vague. “I am quite glad Jaehwan had spent his time in good hands. Literally and figuratively, I suppose.”
Sanghyuk snorts, but barely a second later there’s a huge bang and the whole house shakes. It’s followed by more screaming and shouting from below, and Sanghyuk stares at the floorboards.
“It’s good to have Jaehwan back,” Hakyeon chuckles warmly, completely unaffected. “Thank you for bringing him back, Sanghyuk. Things had definitely been getting far too quiet.”
+
It was long past midnight by the time Taekwoon, Jaehwan, Hongbin and Wonshik surfaced from the basement laboratory, dust-covered and messy-haired. Wonshik passes Sanghyuk Jaehwan’s skull with an almighty yawn and a sleepy smile.
“Please take care of him for a little longer,” he says, and Sanghyuk nods mutely, unable to come up with a proper reply. Instead, he carefully brushes some bright green powder off the the top of the skull.
“We’ll be back tomorrow,” Hongbin groans. “We’re only halfway started... gods, you better reimburse me for the loss of income I’ve experienced these experienced these past months.”
“As if!” Jaehwan scoffs. “I know you’ve been running off to do part-time work at Hyoshin’s Conservatory, you two-timer!”
“Goodnight, Sanghyuk,” Taekwoon says with a pat to his shoulder, and Hakyeon gives him a knowing wink before sweeping everybody out the door, which closes after them on its own accord. Jaehwan shakes his jaw noisily.
“That was a bust of a start,” he complains. “No matter though. I wouldn’t have employed Hongbin or Wonshik if they weren’t competent. Anyway, I’m beat; bring me upstairs, Sanghyuk, I’m sure there’s plenty of spare rooms for you to choose from.”
“I— I was just going to find an inn to stay at,” Sanghyuk begins, startled, but Jaehwan crackles so loudly Sanghyuk nearly drops him.
“What kind of a host do you take me for!” he says, indignant. “I’m insulted. After all you’ve done to bring me back, I’d never let you stay at an inn, you fool. I have manners.”
“That remains to be seen,” Sanghyuk jokes, and even though he gets another earful of Jaehwan’s nagging and hissing at him while he explores the various rooms piled on top of one another, he can’t say he quite minds it at all.
+
His stay goes from one night to a week, and then from a week to two. The small room he’d picked out had already begun to look rather lived in, despite his best efforts to keep his own things neatly set aside from Jaehwan’s. But the bedding is soft, the walls are painted a soothing light blue, and the view overlooks a sprawling patch of woods growing right behind Jaehwan’s backyard, and before Sanghyuk knows it, he’s developed a kind of fondness for the place.
Hongbin and Wonshik arrive early each morning, making a lot of noise as they set up downstairs. Jaehwan’s laboratory is shockingly spacious and filled with gadgets and machines and contraptions that Sanghyuk has never seen in his life. Wonshik offers to show him around, but he’s given strict directions to not touch anything— not that Sanghyuk would anyway. He doesn’t fancy being reduced into a bodyless skull, or worse.
“A lot of these are Jaehwan’s own inventions,” Wonshik says, pointing out a large glass tank with a lot of weird, spindly devices attached to it. “I have no idea how he’s made them, but it’s still fun to look at.”
“I thought this place only used magic,” Sanghyuk says, gazing around the room.
“Most of the Academy’s students, graduates and researchers do,” Wonshik nods. “But the interesting thing about Jaehwan is that his research involves a combination of magical spells and scientific invention. That’s why he has two apprentices; I lean towards the more magical aspects of transformation spells, but Hongbin is a very good in the sciences. We combine our work together under Jaehwan’s guidance and produce even more experiments.”
“Wow,” Sanghyuk breathes. He can see Hongbin and Jaehwan working together in the distance— Jaehwan is saying something and his jaw is working overtime as Hongbin sketches on a huge pad of parchment paper, eyes focused on his drawing as he scrawls over the pages. “That’s fascinating.”
“It is,” Wonshik agrees with a laugh. “What about you? Do you have any type of magical preferences?”
“Not exactly,” Sanghyuk admits. “I’m best suited outdoors, going cross-country and stuff. I’ve got a great sense of direction though, if that counts for anything.”
“Of course it does,” Wonshik says with a grin. “You brought Jaehwan back to his home, even though you were just complete strangers. And if that doesn’t mean something, I don’t know what else would.”
He finds himself thinking about that for a long while. Sometimes Jaehwan would ask him why he’d get such a look on his face, and Sanghyuk would have to quickly deflect, praying Jaehwan wouldn’t notice the red on his face (but he thinks Jaehwan probably knows, by now).
“You know what I’d really like right now,” Jaehwan sighs, clacking his jaw sadly as Sanghyuk helped him re-organize his bedroom. It’s easy to see how messy the place was even before they covered it up; books piled up into little mountains all over the floor, boxes of unpacked equipment made excellent tripping hazards, and the bulletin board practically banished under the the sheer amount all the notes pinned onto it.
“What?” Sanghyuk asks, tucking a leather bound book back into a huge, wooden chest.
“A hug,” Jaehwan says forlornly. “I’m craving physical contact after months of being nothing but bones.”
“I’m sure you’ll get there,” Sanghyuk snorts.
“I’ll have you know I’m a very cute, huggable person,” Jaehwan retorts, rattling his jaw to make even more indignant noise. “I’m like a little teddy bear.”
“Two weeks ago you were telling me you were tall and muscular,” Sanghyuk says, raising an eyebrow. “What’s the real answer?”
“You’ll see,” Jaehwan sniffs. “Soon. Once I get my body back, you’ll see what I mean.”
Sanghyuk wouldn’t know it then, but that day was closer than he’d anticipated.
It happens mid-morning the day after their conversation, during which Hongbin and Wonshik came by as usual to slave away in the undergrounds of the house while Sanghyuk takes his time exploring what’s left of the place. It isn’t until he hears a strangely loud hissing coming from below the floorboards that he frowns and goes over to the basement, opening the door to shout downstairs, asking what they were up to now.
And then, of course, something explodes.
Sanghyuk feels his feet leave the floor as he’s launched backwards against the wall, his own yell of shock stuck in the back of his throat. The basement door slams into the plaster, denting it, and something crashes behind him. He turns and sees another one of the weird crystal balls sitting on Jaehwan’s mantle tip over fall to the ground, smashing into a dozen pieces. Books wobble off the shelf, the couch has slid back a few feet, and from below, he hears Wonshik’s voice hollering.
Panic bubbles up in his throat as he scrambles to his feet and leap down the stairs, two at a time, thinking of the worst. But when he lands on the floor, words of concern on the tip of his tongue, he only finds Hongbin tossing open one of the windows by the ceiling to air the room out with a peeved expression and Wonshik dragging a sheet over the lower half of a naked man sitting up with a groan on the work table.
The skull is nowhere to be seen.
He watches, wide-eyed, as the man swings his legs over the table and stares down at his hands, turning them over to inspect his palms, and then stretch his arms out for inspection. He has nice, dark brown hair that curls up cutely at the nape of his neck, shocking pouty lips, and tiny pointed ears that twitch as his eyebrows arch high up on his forehead.
Jaehwan— and it could only be Jaehwan, Sanghyuk knows, even if he’s never seen a picture of the human Jaehwan in his life— slides off the table, tying the sheet sloppily over his hips, and Sanghyuk has to quickly advert his eyes from the sinewy muscles on the expanse of Jaehwan’s naked chest and arms. He’s surprisingly pale, and Sanghyuk wonders if it’s because his body technically hasn’t seen sun for so long. Then Jaehwan finally looks up, his gaze locking with Sanghyuk’s, and the only words that manage to tumble out of his numb lips are: “Wow, you really weren’t lying about the size of your nose.”
A dangerous grin spreads across Jaehwan’s face, one that Sanghyuk has a feeling was always present on the skull somehow, and he takes a running leap, right into Sanghyuk’s arms. He catches Jaehwan with a surprised grunt, blushing bright red when he feels Jaehwan wrap his legs around his waist and recalls the magician is technically wearing nothing but a sheet. Hongbin hastily turns a choking laugh into a cough as Jaehwan seizes Sanghyuk’s face, squishing his cheeks together and shouting, “Is that all you have to say?! I’ve successfully transformed my body back, after weeks of hard labour—”
“Our labour,” Wonshik points out helpfully.
“—and all you can say is I’ve got a big nose? Huh?!”
“But am I wrong?” Sanghyuk demands, trying very hard not to think about how his hands are very firmly planted on Jaehwan’s ass as he holds him up, and how Jaehwan’s legs feels curled around his middle. Jaehwan seems to consider his words for a moment before he smirks and leans in, bumping the tip of his nose against Sanghyuk’s purposefully.
“Guess not,” he whispers, voice low. “But now that I am back in my body again, there’s a whole lot of things I’m capable of doing.”
“Like what?” Sanghyuk croaks out, throat suddenly very dry. Jaehwan is very handsome in real life, his brain unhelpfully suggests. So, so handsome.
“Like this,” Jaehwan replies, and presses his mouth firmly against Sanghyuk’s.
His heart soars in his chest at the sensation, feeling his eyes shutting of their own accord as Jaehwan’s hands tips his face back to deepen the kiss, sighing sweetly into it. And all the while, they casually ignore Hongbin’s yells of oh, don’t be gross, you two! and Wonshik’s hearty, embarrassed laugh.
Living with a real, physically-bodied Jaehwan is a little disconcerting at first. He’s not used to constantly not having a talking skull in his hands at this point, though Jaehwan cheekily suggested that Sanghyuk could hold his face and talk with him from time to time if it so pleased him. On the other hand, Taekwoon’s face fell comedically during his next visit, though it was mostly because of Jaehwan’s tendency to cling and Taekwoon’s firm dislike of being clung to. The noise levels in Jaehwan’s home continues to rise, and Sanghyuk can’t help but find himself swept up in all of, especially after the others quickly realized he and Jaehwan were a thing.
Jaehwan made falling in love with him very easy, considering he himself loved fully and endlessly. Now that he could actually move himself, he’d tug Sanghyuk all over the city and the Academy, to the forests and hills behind the campus as well. And he awed Sanghyuk each day with the sights and sounds of the place before bringing them back home and sliding his arms around Sanghyuk’s middle once they close the door onto the world, tucking his face into the crook of Sanghyuk’s neck as he smiles up at him.
“Gods, I’m so glad I can finally hold you,” Jaehwan murmurs, and Sanghyuk’s heartbeat stutters in his chest as he cards his fingers through Jaehwan’s wind-ruffled hair.
“Me too,” he whispers, and grins when Jaehwan tips his face up to kiss him soundly.
“Stay with me here,” he says huskily, hands sliding up the broad expanse of Sanghyuk’s back. “Stay here and love me, and I promise you I’ll give back more than you’ve ever dreamed of because gods, Sanghyuk, you have no idea how beautiful you are.”
Sanghyuk inhales sharply, muscles tensing, and he retaliates by sealing his mouth over Jaehwan’s instead. Jaehwan moans, melting against him, and they nearly trip into the wall trying to walk up the stairs.
“I’ll stay,” he breathes as they stumble into Jaehwan’s room. He’s careful as he lowers Jaehwan onto the mattress before moving up over him. Jaehwan’s smile is dazzling when he hears Sanghyuk’s words, and it makes him want to fly up into the night sky before falling back to earth and right into Jaehwan’s arms.
+
Except, he can’t, and it’s something that’s becoming fast apparent.
He wakes up each morning and Jaehwan’s kisses are always there to welcome him, soft and warm, and Sanghyuk wants to sink into Jaehwan’s side forever. But each time he looks out the window, there’s a tug somewhere in the depths of his stomach, directing him outside and gently pulling him back towards the wilderness.
It tells him he has to travel again.
He fights the feeling harshly because he’s made a promise to Jaehwan, one he intends to keep, but his instinct keeps on pulling at him until it’s nearly dragging him down the the halls, out Jaehwan’s door and towards the streets and beyond. He’s never felt the call this badly.
Now, Sanghyuk wilts indoors, spends most of his time wandering restlessly around the city when Jaehwan’s gone to work at the Academy, and tries to distract himself with visits to Hongbin, Wonshik, and Taekwoon. He even goes to see Hakyeon, even though the other man’s office makes him jittery with all his strange posters, funny-smelling incense and weird talismans. But he also serves some very calming teas each time he comes, so there’s small comforts to be drawn from that.
“You don’t look so well,” Hakyeon says one meeting, casting him a knowing sort of look when Sanghyuk finishes off the last sips of his drink. “You don’t feel good either,” he adds, referencing whatever aura-detection he’s able to pull of again, and Sanghyuk makes a face.
“It’s just a passing bug,” he replies, smoothing the front of his hair back down. It’s curling slightly in the humidity of Hakyeon’s office, even though the temperature outside is nice today.
“Mhm,” Hakyeon says, clearing away the cups as Sanghyuk stands. “Well, I hope you’ll feel better soon.”
“Thanks,” Sanghyuk says. “For the tea, too.”
Hakyeon chuckles and waves him towards out the door, but just as Sanghyuk reaches for the doorknob, he hears Hakyeon’s voice, soft and suddenly very close by his ear, like he’s whispering something just for him to hear: “Don’t worry, Sanghyuk— Jaehwan would understand.”
He spins around in shock, but all he sees is the tail of Hakyeon’s cloak disappearing around the corner of the doorway on the other side of the room, too far from him to have actually stood by his side. For a moment he hovers, stunned, but he can only hear the muffled sounds of people chattering outside and Hakyeon humming as he turns the sink on, so Sanghyuk slowly turns and opens the door, his mind still reeling with what Hakyeon had apparently ‘said’.
He thinks his headache just got a little worse.
+
Mars is bright tonight, just as Taekwoon predicted it would be, and Sanghyuk’s rather impressed by just how beautiful the planet looks when it hangs high in the sky, gleaming brilliantly amongst the twinkling stars. Jaehwan’s balcony, though a little small and terrifyingly rickety, provides a beautiful vantage point that Sanghyuk enjoys taking advantage of each time he wants to see the constellations in the sky. He plays with the edge of his teacup in his hands as he listens to Jaehwan putter about in the house before stepping outside as well to join him in his stargazing.
Only, Jaehwan doesn’t move to stand next to Sanghyuk like he normally does, and when he slides his arms around Sanghyuk’s waist, hugging him around the middle, he says something Sanghyuk would’ve never expected him to say.
“If you need to leave, Hyukkie... you can.”
Startled, Sanghyuk tries to spin around, but Jaehwan pins him back against the railing with a surprising amount of strength. He buries his face against Sanghyuk’s back, sniffling quietly.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to stay for so long; I should’ve known. I mean, I did sort of know that you can’t really stay in one place, especially after you told me what it was like to travel for you. But I loved waking up to you each morning, and seeing you by my side before I fell asleep, and I— I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it.”
“Jaehwan,” Sanghyuk begins, dumbfounded, and Jaehwan cries a little harder, squeezing him tightly.
“Please don’t be angry,” he sobs. “I’m sorry. I only wanted you to stay a little bit, but in the end, it’s only hurt you more.”
“But I’m not hurt,” Sanghyuk says desperately. He quickly sets the teacup aside and pushes himself off the railing, spinning around quickly and drawing Jaehwan close to his chest. “It’s a weird feeling not being able to go out, yes, but it’s not hurting me.”
“Liar,” Jaehwan chokes out, voice shaky but firm with meaning. “I can see it in your face. I can feel it on you too. And you don’t have to try and comfort me, you know. I understand if you want to go back out there; I only ever asked you to bring me back to the Academy when I couldn’t return myself. I— I love you, and I want you to stay, but I’d rather watch you go than see you suffer.”
Jaehwan would understand, Hakyeon’s voice whispers again, and Sanghyuk swallows hard.
“You know, just because I wander doesn’t mean I won’t come back,” he says quietly, and Jaehwan looks up at him, surprise evident in his large, watery eyes. Sanghyuk can’t help but laugh softly as he wipes the tears from Jaehwan’s face, dabbing lightly at his cheeks with the ends of his sleeves. “There’s another part of it that I might not have expressed very well; at the end of the day, after all my walking and travelling and sightseeing, I’ll always make it back home to my family. And that’s when I tell them everything I’ve experienced, so that they can live through my life too, and they’ll do they same for me. It’s a rather meaningful gathering, mostly because we’re all seeing loved ones that we’ve been apart from for a while. And if you were to let me go... all I’d do is return once I’m done wandering, full of stories to tell you.”
He smiles fondly as Jaehwan’s lower lip begins to wobble, looking like he’s about to burst into tears once more. “I’ll come home,” Sanghyuk adds, and the tears really do fall from Jaehwan’s eyes this time. He curls up against Sanghyuk’s front and whimpers when Sanghyuk squeezes him closer. “If you’ll let me call this my home, then that’s where I’ll return to.”
“Dummy,” Jaehwan sobs, and Sanghyuk has to swallow a lump in his throat as he feels Jaehwan hug him desperately. “Of course you have a home here. I’ll be waiting, you know. So you better come back and tell me everything you’ve seen, you hear? Otherwise— otherwise—”
He crumbles, crying hard, and Sanghyuk clutches him tightly making comforting sounds. “Otherwise I’ll be real mad, alright?”
“I know,” Sanghyuk answers. He drops a little kiss on the crown of Jaehwan’s head and rubs his arms soothingly. “I promise. And I’ll be back before you know it, so don’t miss me too much either, okay?”
“Okay,” Jaehwan sighs, and then adds with a slight grumble that makes Sanghyuk burst out laughing: “Well, I’m sure Hongbin and Wonshik won’t give me much time to do a lot of missing with all the work they want me to catch up on.”
+
Dawn is a kind of beginning, and it’s refreshing to be outside so early in the day. Right before the earth comes back to life and everybody rises out of their beds, ready to step out their doors, Sanghyuk is already standing at the end of the path, gazing out at the bit of yellow glow seeping into the clear flue sky. It’s chilly in the morning still, but the air is fresh, untainted.
His feet are crammed back into his familiar boots, worn at the hells and scuffed at the front. His rucksack hangs from his shoulders, its weight comforting, and he’s fumbling with the latch of his cloak around his neck, trying to fix a tangle in the string.
Thin fingers touch his, and Sanghyuk’s hands fall away as Jaehwan steps forwards, hair mussed and eyes still droopy with sleep as he smoothes out the knot on his front.
“Thank you,” Sanghyuk grins, leaning forwards to peck Jaehwan on the lips. Jaehwan hums, a mixture of happiness and sleepiness colouring his voice, and he draws sweater a little tighter around him.
“See you soon,” he whispers, cupping Sanghyuk’s cheek with the palm of his hand.
Sanghyuk smiles in return, reaching out to rest his hand on Jaehwan’s waist, gentle and kind.
“I’ll be home before you know it,” he says, and Jaehwan chuckles, eyes closing as the corners of his mouth turns up.
“I know,” he replies, and warmth spreads throughout Sanghyuk’s chest. It stays with him as he strolls out of the Academy, down the peaceful streets of the city, out into the open fields, the rolling hills, and out to wherever his heart takes him next.
+
...the end [?]