Chapter Text
The first thing Mingi noticed was the fire.
It stretched across the city like a living thing, swallowing buildings, curling through the sky, painting everything in red and gold. The air burned his lungs when he breathed in. Ash fell like snow, clinging to his coat and hair. The ground trembled with every crack of falling stone.
He knew this place. He had been here too many times. The same street. The same crumbling walls. The same cries of people he never saw, voices that faded before he could reach them. The dream was a loop, a trap that never changed, yet always felt sharper, heavier.
Mingi tried to move, but his legs felt like they were weighed down by chains. He forced himself forward, stumbling through the smoke. The heat pressed against his skin until his vision blurred.
Then came the whisper.
You won't wake up this time.
The voice slithered around him, almost his own, almost mocking. He froze, his breath catching in his throat. Every time, the dream grew more convincing, more determined to keep him.
"No." he muttered, though his voice was hoarse. "I'm not staying here."
But the fire only roared louder, the shadows on the walls twisting into shapes that reached for him. Panic surged in his chest, cold and burning at the same time. His fists shook. If he lost control here, he knew what would happen. He'd sink deeper, until there was no way back.
And then he heard it.
"Mingi."
A voice, steady and calm, cutting through the chaos.
He turned sharply. Yunho stood just ahead, untouched by flame or ash. His dark coat swayed with the wind, his hair glowed faintly against the haze, his eyes locked on Mingi like a lifeline. Yunho didn't belong to this nightmare, but somehow, he was always able to step into it.
"You're too deep again." Yunho said, walking closer. "You need to come back."
Mingi's chest tightened. He wanted to run to him, but his body felt heavy, trapped by invisible weight. "I tried. It... it won't let me go."
Yunho extended his hand. His palm was open, steady, warm. Mingi stared at it as if it were the only real thing in the dream. Fear tangled inside him. Every time he took that hand, part of him wondered if one day, it wouldn't be enough.
"Trust me." Yunho said, voice low and certain. "Say the words."
Mingi's throat was dry. His lips barely moved as he whispered, "Wake is stronger than dream."
Together, their voices overlapped, Yunho's calm grounding Mingi's trembling one. The fire roared like a wounded beast, clawing at them, trying to pull Mingi back into its grip.
But Yunho's fingers closed around his wrist, firm and sure. For a moment, the world cracked like glass under pressure. The buildings shattered, the flames collapsed inward, and the endless loop finally broke apart.
And then, silence.
Mingi gasped awake, lungs pulling in air like he had been drowning. His body jerked against the rough cot, sweat dripping down his face, his hands shaking so hard he dug his nails into his palms.
The safehouse came into focus. Dim walls, peeling paint, a lantern flickering in the corner. The sound of distant soldiers' boots on the streets outside. Reality pressed down on him, heavy but solid.
Yunho sat beside the cot, his hand still wrapped tightly around Mingi's.
"You're back." Yunho murmured, relief softening his features.
Mingi pressed a hand over his eyes. His heart still raced as if it hadn't realized the dream was over. "It was the same again. The city... the fire. It doesn't stop."
Yunho's thumb brushed over Mingi's wrist before he let go. His touch lingered for just a moment longer than needed. "You stayed too long."
"I didn't mean to." Mingi muttered, his voice cracking. Frustration burned in his chest. "It's like it drags me deeper every time."
"That's why I'm here." Yunho's tone was simple, but it carried a weight Mingi felt deep in his bones. "To bring you back."
Mingi turned his head. Yunho looked as steady as always, but there were shadows under his eyes. Anchoring wasn't easy. Holding someone's mind on the edge of dream and reality cost strength, too much strength, and Yunho had been doing it for him again and again.
"You shouldn't have to keep saving me." Mingi said quietly.
Yunho gave a small smile, the kind that was gentle but stubborn. "I don't mind."
The words stuck in Mingi's chest. He wanted to argue, to tell Yunho it wasn't fair, but the truth was he didn't want Yunho to stop. He didn't want to face those flames without him.
Time passed slowly in the safehouse. Outside, patrols marched, their voices sharp in the night. Inside, the lantern's glow painted long shadows on the walls. Mingi's breathing finally slowed, though the weight of the dream still clung to him like smoke.
"Do you think it means something?" Mingi asked at last, his voice low. "The fire. The voices."
"Dreams always mean something." Yunho answered, eyes thoughtful. "The question is whether they're warnings... or traps."
Mingi shivered. That was the danger. The rulers of that land used dreams to twist people's minds, to control them without chains. Maybe his nightmare wasn't just his own. Maybe it was being planted, shaped.
Later, when the lantern dimmed almost to darkness, Yunho threw a blanket over Mingi's shoulders.
"You should rest." he said softly. "Real rest this time. No walking."
Mingi let out a shaky laugh. "If I sleep, I'll just end up there again."
"I'll keep watch." Yunho's voice was firm, certain, like a promise carved in stone.
Mingi didn't argue. He lay back down, though the bed felt smaller with Yunho so close, his presence filling the silence. Yunho leaned against the wall, arms crossed but eyes alert, steady as always.
Through half-closed eyes, Mingi watched him. The dream always told him he couldn't wake. But Yunho proved it wrong, again and again.
And maybe that was what scared him the most.
Because if Yunho was the only thing stronger than the dream, what would happen if one day Yunho wasn't there to hold him?