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There are worse jobs than being a Summon, Baekhyun thinks. He could have ended up as a ranch-hand, mucking out chocobo stables for the rest of his life. He could've been stuck down in the mines, toiling away in dark tunnels in search of mythril. He could have been a newscaster, trying to brighten everyone's day with a smile but only ever able to bring them bad news.
Fortunately, now he's got the power of Light on his side, his life will never again be dark - and it certainly won't be boring. That, more than anything else, makes it worth the hassle of being who and what he is.
It does make it a bit awkward when he gets distracted during his paying job, though.
"You're doing it on purpose," Lu Han says after the third time Baekhyun manages to knock over an entire bookcase. "I think you've got something against books."
Baekhyun tries to look innocent, but that's pretty tough when he's got the evidence splayed out all over his feet. "Just because I don't read much doesn't mean I want to destroy the shop."
Lu Han reaches down to grab one of the spilled books and taps Baekhyun lightly over the head with it. "Don't think I don't notice that you never have any disasters in the Comics section."
That Baekhyun mostly prefers to read comic books is neither here nor there; the fact of the matter is, he can't help being jarred when one of his selves is suddenly summoned into being, and the consequences can sometimes be messy. Lu Han assures him that it eases up over time; as the newest member of their small coterie of Summons, and therefore the newest employee of Lu Han and Minseok's jointly-owned bookshop 'Leaves of Life', Baekhyun's still got a lot to learn about juggling the responsibilities of dual worlds.
Good thing he's a fast learner. With Lu Han's assistance, he tidies up the wreckage, standing the short, narrow case back on its feet and returning the contents to the shelves. The Philosophy section is small, though oft-consulted - mostly by students, and sometimes by Baekhyun's fellow Summons, in an effort to make sense of their lives. He doesn't think the answer's going to be found in a book, though. All the answers he's got so far he's had from dreams...or Lu Han.
"Where were you this time?" Lu Han asks as they work. It's quiet in the shop, nearly time to close for the day and the last customer left more than ten minutes ago.
"Somewhere in the desert, I think. I know there was a lot of sand and not much to see."
Lu Han goes over to the counter and pulls out a copy of the map they all keep, a map of the other place, this one brought back by Minseok. Baekhyun still finds it weird, how he's always himself, everywhere he goes, how something possessed by one of his selves can be passed back here, to what he always thinks of as his 'real' self. The smiling, friendly Minseok he works with, who lives down the hall from him, has never been to the other place - but at the same time he has, and he's brought back the proof.
Minseok's all over the map, marked with 'M' everywhere he's been. They all have an initial. Lu Han has the most, but he was the first one to gain awareness, he's got the most orbs out there and he's covered the most ground in their hunt for the figures in their dreams. He's even found one, though he's cagey with the details. (And also insufferably happy, which means no one wants to press too hard for the details for fear of being scarred for life.) Baekhyun hasn't had a master yet who's fit the bill.
Lu Han hands him a pen, so he draws a little 'B' on the map where he thinks he was. Or is. This is confusing.
"Corel Desert?" Lu Han winces. "I guess you're not finding anyone out there. Were you summoned for a fight?"
"Lots of Land Worms."
"I hope you won."
Unlike Lu Han, who slaughters everything in sight with his scimitar, Baekhyun has no physical weapon - but he does have the power of Light, which he channels into an absolutely withering attack: Judgement. He's told it looks impressive.
"Of course," Baekhyun scoffs, as if he'd ever lose. He might be the new man on the team, but he knows he's good. "I sent them right back into the sand."
Lu Han gives him a sly look, one that says he knows Baekhyun's keeping something back. He's not always right, but this time...
"And then my master went and got himself killed by a Cactuar. He didn't see it coming."
"And you probably couldn't have attacked again so soon," Lu Han says. "It happens sometimes and there's nothing you can do about it."
"Now my orb is stuck out there in a broken sword hilt and there's nothing I can do about that, either." Baekhyun doesn't mean it to come out as a whine, but it's been a long day - so many long days, in so many different places. It sucks that Summons can't pick up their own materia orbs and carry them off - they wouldn't need to be equipped by their masters, then, and they could go looking for their missing companions by themselves. Lu Han's the only one who can emerge from his orbs without being summoned, and even he lacks that ability.
"Maybe someone will pick you up one day." Lu Han offers him a hand up from the floor. "At least you're not trapped in the desert yourself?"
"No, I'm trapped in this shop with a boss who works me so hard..."
"Like you didn't spend half your shift flirting with those girls who said they were singers."
"They were singers. And cute girls are good for business?" Baekhyun tries.
Lu Han laughs at him and tosses him the keys to the front door so they can begin the process of closing for the night. "Only when they buy things."
-----
The first time Baekhyun has one of the dreams he knows nothing of the other world, nor the world that came before. He's an ordinary teenager with visions of singing stardom (and veterinary medicine as a back-up plan, in case his voice gives out before he makes it to the top). He's only ever been himself - one boy in one body, with no experience outside his family, friends and school.
But then comes the dream, carrying him away to a world where the last hope for life is a dying tree and its twelve defenders, himself one of their number. His dream self aims beams of light into the swirling red clouds seeking to consume the tree. It's a lost cause, he knows that, yet he keeps fighting until his hands begin to burn from the bright, scorching white light.
Baekhyun has that dream for the first time when he's sixteen. After that, his dreams are never the same again. No more ice cream dates with cute girls in short skirts. No more fluffy puppies to pet. Not even any of the weird ones he used to get after eating too much, about being wrapped in a giant steak and smothered to death.
All he gets is the tree. He's so sick of the tree.
He and his shadowy companions always lose the fight in the end, but sometimes he sees different pieces. A dragon's silhouette, breathing a ghost's pale flame into the clouds from on high. A unicorn, touching its horn to the base of the tree's trunk, desperately trying to restore it to health. Men, too, with magic Baekhyun can't quite see. Whenever he tries to move closer, the red clouds block his path, cutting him off from the rest.
The dreams he has most nights disturb him, but not nearly as much as the ones he starts having when he's awake. The first of those hits when he's in the middle of sitting an exam. One second he's writing an answer, and the next his pen's lying abandoned on the desk. He can't pick it up. Can't do anything, as it happens, because his body's completely immobile.
His brain's still functioning fine, though, which isn't an advantage when it's simultaneously in the examination hall and semi-aware of another place - quite damp, with the tang of salt in the air. There's someone moving near him. Large? Hands? He wants to look around but everything's hazy, every snippet of information he has fed to him by senses other than sight. He hears a man's voice, nothing but indistinct mutterings with neither shape nor form.
Until he hears his name. There's a sharp click and a feeling of being confined, of metal bands encircling his body like a vice, and finally...
Baekhyun?
For a moment he's seeing stars, temporarily dizzy as he spins free from his bonds, body taking shape without his control until he lands on the sand. It's not a terribly dignified awakening, sprawled on his back, the sea lapping at his toes and a sharp shell digging into his neck. There's a witness, too - a tall, dark-haired man carrying a long, slender sword with a bright red orb flashing in the hilt. Baekhyun gives him an upside-down grin and hopes for the best. The sword does look very sharp.
"Baekhyun?" the stranger says again.
"That's me." How does this guy know his name, anyway? "And you are?"
"Hoping you'll do something about those Beachplugs."
Baekhyun can't see where the guy's pointing from his current position. He scrambles to his feet, still disorientated because as far as he's concerned, he's also sitting on his chair, trying to finish his paper before the time runs out. Having two bodies at once, in two different places, is nearly enough to send him crashing back down to the sand.
The three long, tentacled jellyfish-like things - Beachplugs, he assumes - that are making their way towards him argue a convincing case for not staying on the sand any longer than he has to. He shouldn't be here. Whatever Beachplugs are, they don't look friendly and what's he supposed to do about them anyway? All he's got is a pen...which he's not even holding with the body on the beach.
This...is confusing. The guy with the sword is looking at him like he's some kind of saviour, sent here from beyond to eliminate the monsters swarming from the sea up onto the sands.
"Since you're the one holding the sword," Baekhyun says, "maybe you're the best person to do something about them? I don't even know what I'm doing here, and-"
"But I summoned you! Baekhyun!"
"How do you even know my name?"
"It says so right here, on your Summon materia. Look." Sword-guy angles the hilt of his blade towards Baekhyun, tapping the glowing red orb with his fingernail.
Baekhyun has no clue what 'materia' is, but okay, he'll play along if it means they can get away from those creepy jellyfish things. Sure enough, when he stares at the orb under the bright sunlight, he can make out his own name, scarred somewhere beneath the surface in thick, rough letters. Of all the freaky things...
"That's not mine," he says. "It's my name, but I don't know why it's on that crystal."
"Summon materia," Sword-guy corrects, now glaring at him. "And it looks like it's defective. Why couldn't I have picked up a Lu Han instead? It's like you don't have any power at all!"
There has obviously been some sort of massive misunderstanding here and Baekhyun has no clue what to do about it. He's still a student. A good-looking and talented student, of course, but a student nonetheless. Like he's going to have any kind of power. "What's a Lu Han?"
He receives nothing but a growl in response. This isn't fair at all. A weird swordsman with strange taste in bling is going to cost him a passing grade, and for what? So he can get stung by some deformed jellyfish?
Not that he knows what they're supposed to look like, but these things have spiky yellow bodies and long, vicious green tentacles that become blue and purple towards the end. He's pretty sure that's not normal. They're...kind of disgusting, actually. All gross, and slimy, and stuck all over with sand as they crawl up the beach. They're glowing a little, too. Baekhyun steps back. Running would be an excellent idea, but the guy with the sword's in his way and it seems like he'd rather Baekhyun stayed right where he was.
That's crazy. Totally crazy. Even crazier, he's picking up his pen again and writing an answer, on a paper he can't even see because the only thing in his line of sight right now is a Beachplug, all mean and ugly and a lot larger than he thought it was going to be when he saw it in the water.
"Aren't you going to do something?" Sword-guy hisses.
"Yeah; if you get out of my way I'm going to run!"
"Useless!"
Okay, so maybe that wasn't the correct response. Baekhyun doesn't care. How's he supposed to do anything about the Beachplugs when he's unarmed, and outnumbered, and feeling sort of nauseated because those things really don't look - or smell - like anything he wants to get acquainted with. They're hideous.
The longer he looks, the more repulsed he feels. He imagines thick, slimy tentacles slithering over him, leaving oozing trails along his skin. Even if he survives the sting, he'll never feel clean again. It's just too disgusting. He can already feel the palms of his hands beginning to burn in anticipation of the pain.
But the burning... He holds his hands out, palms up for inspection. They're glowing, the way they do in his dreams, white light expanding from the centre of his palms until he can barely see his fingers. The light tingles but he can't quite call it pain. It's definitely anticipation. The nausea wells up inside him, threatening to spill his breakfast all over the sand, guts churning and body flushed with sickening heat.
He opens his mouth...and what emerges is not a hashed-up mix of scrambled eggs and things that look suspiciously like carrots but a single word.
"Judgement."
The light in his hands flares up until he can't even see the Beachplug before him; indeed, he can see nothing, no matter how hard he strains. Sword-guy cries out behind him, presumably just as blind. Baekhyun wants to cover his eyes, hide them from the light, but he doesn't think he can hide from himself. Looks like he's got some kind of power after all.
Gradually, the light begins to fade to something a little less dazzling, leaving Baekhyun blinking in amazement. The Beachplugs are still there, a hideous trio on the sand - no less hideous than before, yet much reduced in threat. Much reduced overall, in fact, because their tentacles are withering as he watches, retreating further and further into the ugly yellow bodies until he can barely tell them apart from the beach. The monsters shrink down to nothing without so much as a shriek of pain.
"So you do have power after all," Sword-guy says admiringly. "Why didn't you do that when I first summoned you?"
"Because I didn't know I could." Baekhyun sinks down to his knees on the soft sand, not caring about all the grains working their way inside his clothes because he's too damned tired. However he killed the Beachplugs, it's taken something out of him and he's not sure he can afford to lose it. "Do you know how I can go home?"
His new acquaintance frowns. "You should go back in your orb to recharge. All the other Summons return to theirs when they've performed their attack. Are you new, or something?"
Baekhyun's new, all right, but the question is: new to what? "Yeah."
"Figures. I've never heard of a Baekhyun before." Sword-guy grins. "Hey, maybe I've got the only one in the world! You and me, we can go do great things together."
"I don't think so." Baekhyun shakes his head. "I've got an exam to finish."
Except that he doesn't, because his other self's walking out of the examination room right now - slowly, and none too steady on his feet, but he's moving and Baekhyun can feel it as sure as he can feel the exhaustion in this body. This business of being in two places at once is kind of draining.
"You're useful but you're weird," the swordsman declares, holding up the hilt of his weapon. "Come on, back you go. I need you to hurry up and recharge; we've got a long way to travel and monsters just keep popping up all over the place."
Baekhyun reaches for the materia orb in the sword, hoping that if he touches it, maybe he'll magically return home and get away from this practically deserted beach. He never even makes contact with it. The glowing red sphere doesn't move but no matter how hard he presses, his skin never even scrapes the surface. It's as if it's dodging him, somehow.
"Go away!" the sword's owner says. "Go on, shoo!"
"I'm not a puppy, you know," Baekhyun grumbles, voice so soft he can scarcely hear himself. He's flagging fast.
So tired. He's usually much more energetic than this. Can he really have used up all his strength attacking the Beachplugs?
Ignoring the swordsman, Baekhyun uncurls his legs and lets himself sprawl on the sand. He's too close to the sea to sleep safely but if he's not actually here, that shouldn't matter. And he can't be here, because he's somewhere else too and since this is a place he's never seen before, it stands to reason that this isn't where he belongs. Right?
Right. Baekhyun gives up the struggle to keep his eyes open, feeling himself become utterly boneless to the point at which he can almost imagine he's withering up like the Beachplugs, and soon there will be nothing left of him.
And with a sudden 'pop', there isn't.
He's weightless, he's nothing, he's a collection of thoughts and ideas in someone else's head. He's trapped in metal bands once more, in red and grey and light...
And now he's eating lunch, and discussing the exam with his friends, or trying to. He doesn't get very far before he passes out.
-----
After the first time, Baekhyun learns pretty quickly to keep his strange dreams to himself. Everyone teases him about fainting from exam stress for a while, and to be honest, it does seem like maybe that's the reason he ended up killing monsters on a faraway beach. It wouldn't be the first time his mind's wandered during an exam. It doesn't usually wander that far, though, and it's never participated in a murder before.
But even after the exams, the strange daydreams continue, and they never end. Baekhyun's himself, but he's also stuck in glowing red spheres - materia orbs, evidently, whatever materia is - and sometimes out of them, too. When he's in them, he's partially aware of his surroundings. There's nothing he can do to affect them until he's summoned out, always to attack monsters he doesn't recognise, using the same blinding bright magic as before. It always exhausts him, although as time goes on, it gradually takes less of a toll on his body. At least he's managed to get the hang of returning to his orb afterwards, where his energy is restored to him.
He's obviously going nuts, that's what it is. All the comic books he reads have given his subconscious ideas about magical powers, and monsters, and fighting exciting battles on behalf of mysterious strangers, and the ideas play out in his mind all day, every day. At first there's only that one orb on the edge of his consciousness, and when he gets called out again it's by the same swordsman. Then one day there's a second one, and a third's not far behind. He's in all of them, he's out of all of them, he's going to class and hanging out with his friends and trying to explain to his teachers that yes, he really is paying attention, honest!
He's too young to lose his mind, he thinks. It can't be true. If it were true, he'd have awesome powers in his 'real' life too - and he doesn't, he's tried. While he doesn't know what possessed him to say 'Judgement' that first time, saying it when he hasn't been summoned doesn't do anything except garner him strange looks if anyone overhears him. No bright light, no one shrivelling up and dying. His hands, though shapely enough to earn compliments, can't produce the power.
When he's summoned, he tries to ask the people in that other world where he is, where the monsters came from, why they have the power to snatch him away - in part, at least - from the life he's always known, to be nothing more than a weapon. No one's inclined to answer him.
Not until he finally meets another Summon. He's got three orbs crowding his brain when the most recent of his mysterious masters, a young lady with long blonde hair who keeps Baekhyun's materia in a diamond tiara, summons him in a battle with a pack of Griffins. They're not the only participants. Her friend, a dark-haired tomboy with a pair of materia slots in her lance, has called out a Summon of her own.
Now Baekhyun knows what a Lu Han is.
Lu Han is also a Summon. He wears shining silver armour and carries a gleaming blue scimitar; he's young, and not exactly the toughest-looking of creatures, but there's a confidence in the way he carries himself that suggests he's been at this a lot longer than Baekhyun has.
"You!" is the first thing Lu Han says to him. "I found you!"
Taken aback, Baekhyun's lips part in an incredulous smile. "You know me?"
"Only from my dreams. Quick, we don't have much time. Where are you right now?"
"Huh? I'm here."
"Not this you," Lu Han says, impatient. "You look younger than me - are you a student?"
"Oh!"
Now Baekhyun gets it. Lu Han wants to know who he is - or who he was before he became so much more of himself. They're here for a purpose; he has just enough time to give his name and address before Lu Han disappears into the fray, yelling something Baekhyun can't catch as he wipes out the entire pack of Griffins by himself. There's nothing left to do. Lu Han's blade slices through flesh and bone with all the grace of a dancer and leaves no survivors.
Baekhyun can only watch, mesmerised. The battle stands out against the sky, which, in this world, is a curious mix of blues, greys and an odd tint of red of a deeper, more malevolent shade than that found at sunrise and sunset. Crimson tendrils snake lazily through the clouds...but this time, they seem to shrink, coiling into themselves in ever-decreasing spirals.
Baekhyun's master pouts, because now she's called him out for nothing. He grins at her before disappearing back into his orb. Lu Han's already gone.
For three days, Baekhyun waits impatiently for some form of contact. If Lu Han manages to find him here, it's proof that this isn't all one elaborate fantasy, that he hasn't made up all his jaunts to another world, the selves he has to juggle because they all exist simultaneously. He's way too young to be going senile already.
Even if he is, there's not much he can do about it, not without telling anyone. Graduating from high school like this has been taxing enough; he didn't even bother to take college entrance exams. His life's going nowhere. His friends complain that he's never quite there, and no girl wants to date a guy whose mind is constantly wandering to another world.
He's sitting on a swing, alone in a park near his house, when Lu Han eventually finds him. It's early evening; no one's around to disturb them. Lu Han immediately jogs over and takes up residence on the other swing, turning sideways to chat.
The Lu Han of this world is very different. For one thing, he's not wearing any armour and unless he's somehow hiding his scimitar under his jeans and plain black T-shirt, he's not carrying a weapon. His short blond hair's fluffed up by the breeze; his smile's more friendly than deadly. He has a small green backpack slung over one shoulder and Baekhyun figures they can't have more than a few years' difference between them. In age, at least. In experience, he suspects the gap is far too large for him to bridge.
He can't decide what to ask first. So many questions spring to mind, all of them equally important. He settles on, "Are you real?"
Lu Han's face crinkles up with laughter. "As real as you are." He holds out a hand, which Baekhyun shakes; sure enough, it's solid and warm and real.
"You weren't easy to find," Lu Han says, once Baekhyun's confirmed he's not imagining things. "I tried your house, but there's..."
"Nobody home." Baekhyun's used to that. It makes it less awkward, when he's home by himself and having to divide his attention between his selves, but at the same time it's lonely. Consequently, he spends a great deal of time out. "Sorry. I should've said."
Lu Han waves his apology away. "I didn't give you much chance to speak. The Griffins weren't going to wait forever, and I haven't been with that master long enough to stay out for too long."
"That changes?"
"Oh yes." Lu Han's eyes sparkle. "You'll find that out for yourself soon enough. The longer you're with a master, the stronger you become and the longer you can stay out in that world."
Baekhyun wonders how his life has turned into a comic book. It's all very well thinking about such outrageous concepts in the privacy of his own head, but to hear someone else talking about them...
"How long have you been doing this?"
Lu Han shrugs. "About six years? It's hard to keep track sometimes. How many orbs are you up to?"
"Three. You?"
"Twenty-two."
Baekhyun can't hide his surprise. How anyone can keep their sanity with a total of twenty-three selves is beyond him. Assuming Lu Han is sane, of course, but Baekhyun's willing to make that assumption, on the grounds that this might be the most sensible conversation he's had in months.
"The others don't have as many," Lu Han says, "but I've been doing this the longest. Minseok's got twelve and the others have even less."
It's on the tip of Baekhyun's tongue to ask who Minseok is when one of his orbs, a constant presence in his mind, begins to vibrate - a now-familiar sensation he associates with being summoned. This time it's the second of his masters, a largely humourless young man with a scar crossing his face and a weapon that appears to be part-gun, part-sword. He's not much for small talk; Baekhyun doesn't even make the attempt anymore, merely gets straight down to business.
Killing Nibel Wolves while trying to hold a conversation is not the easiest task in the world, and it shows in Baekhyun's faltering attention span. He struggles to keep his mind on Lu Han's assurances that it will become easier over time, and that soon he'll scarcely even feel his other selves.
"You don't have to control everything," Lu Han explains. "They're all individuals, but they're all you. You can let them act independently."
Independently, like they're actually separate people and not splinters scattered across a foreign land. Baekhyun's afraid to let go, to drag his consciousness firmly back to the park and stop paying attention to the self that even now is judging the Nibel Wolves into oblivion. He can do this. He's a teenager; he's used to ignoring things. He doesn't usually have to ignore himself, however, and he's not certain he knows how to detatch.
"Focus through one set of eyes." Lu Han reaches across the gap between the swings to grip him by the arm. "Listen with one set of ears. Can you hear me? Tune out everything from the other world."
Baekhyun gives it a shot. He concentrates on the feeling of Lu Han's fingers digging into his skin, nails short but sharp as they bite into flesh. The swing's wooden and not altogether designed for comfort; the seat's hard beneath his shorts and ever so slightly uneven where someone's shaved a chunk from the back. Lu Han keeps talking to him, repeating the same advice over and over until Baekhyun's able to dial down the background noise coming from that faraway place. He watches Lu Han's lips as he speaks, studying the shape of the words so that he knows, without a doubt, that he's hearing them here, in this empty park near his house. There is nothing beyond.
Even when his summoned self returns to his orb, Baekhyun's only distantly aware. The three orbs continue to hover at the edge of his consciousness but he's managed to push them further away, if only by a little. It's a start.
"Your eyes are coming back into focus." Lu Han sounds pleased. "Well done."
"Thanks," Baekhyun says groggily. He shakes his head to clear it; Lu Han releases his grip, leaving angry red marks behind. They'll fade before long, but they still hurt. Baekhyun rubs the tender patch ruefully, hoping he can do this next time without someone trying to pierce his skin with their fingernails. "Is that what you do?"
"I don't have to." Lu Han's voice acquires an annoyingly smug edge. "Not anymore. Every time I get a new orb, I can relegate it to the back of my mind without thinking too much about it. I just check in on them enough to keep the search going."
"Search?"
Lu Han nods. "Do you ever have dreams about a tree? You must do, or you wouldn't have any orbs at all."
"Giant tree, lots of red clouds, a couple of animals and a bunch of guys I can't really see? That kind of dream?"
"Those are the ones. If you haven't seen me in your dreams yet, you will soon."
Baekhyun wonders if that's Lu Han's idea of a pick-up line - and if it is, he's wasting his time - but he seems to be all business about it, so maybe not. "I never see anyone's face. What's the deal with the dreams and us being summoned to kill monsters?"
"I don't know everything yet," Lu Han says, apologetic. "Whenever I meet another one of us, I start to see more detail in the dreams. Everyone else has had them too, but we see the same thing from different angles. No one's got the whole picture so far. You're the fifth of us - there should be twelve. Will you help?"
He may have the power of Light, but Baekhyun feels a little dim right now, like he's missing some puzzle pieces somewhere - and from the sound of things, no one even knows what the whole puzzle looks like yet. "I...don't know what you're asking me to do."
"You're confused. I get that. I'll make things simple for you. What are you doing with your life right now?"
Not nearly as much as Baekhyun would like. "Trying to get by without anyone locking me up in an asylum somewhere."
"You've finished high school?"
"A couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to look for work, but..."
Baekhyun would rather not talk about the interview he had at that restaurant, where he'd been summoned in the middle of demonstrating his ability to carry multiple plates and ended up face down in a pile of plastic dishes. He'd also like to discount the one at the shoe shop, where he'd spoken through the wrong mouth and tried to judge his potential boss. She hadn't been amused. He doesn't want to mooch off his parents forever but at the moment he's not too optimistic about his employment prospects.
"Perfect." Lu Han extracts a business card from the pocket of his jeans, passing it over to Baekhyun. "How would you like a job? I own a bookshop with Minseok. The others work there too, and there's an apartment upstairs - we've got room for you to move in."
If this is all a ploy to find new staff, it's the strangest one Baekhyun's ever encountered. He wants to trust Lu Han, who looks about as dangerous as a newborn kitten when he's not slaughtering everything in sight. What little he understands so far makes sense. Yet he's reluctant to commit himself, because there's so much more going on here that he's clueless about and going to live and work with a bunch of strangers might well be riskier than continuing the way he is now. What's he going to say to his family? The truth is obviously not an option.
"We look out for each other," Lu Han says quietly. "I'm the best at dealing with it but even I get distracted sometimes. This is the closest any of us can get to living a normal life. Think about it. You'd be with people who know what you're going through and can help you handle it. If you lose yourself you'll always have someone to pull you back, who can cover for you if necessary."
"For how long?"
"As long as it takes." Lu Han casts an eye at the setting sun. "I need to get back. I promised Kyungsoo I'd be home for dinner. Keep the card, and think about my offer. If you want to talk about it, now you know where to find me. I'll tell you more then."
Baekhyun half expects Lu Han to vanish into thin air. He doesn't, of course, and Baekhyun watches him slip off the swing and out between the trees. It's hard to know what to make of him. Which is the real Lu Han? The elite swordsman in that other world, or the kindly bookshop owner who scuffs his trainers on the asphalt as he nudges the swing back and forth? Both? Neither?
But then, Baekhyun himself is rather more mixed up than he used to be. He's never felt such power coursing through his body before, never wielded such terrible, beautiful light to destroy dangerous, repulsive creatures. The most he'd ever done before now was rough-housed with his friends, hitting them purely in play. He'd never killed anyone. That's all changed. If this is growing up, Baekhyun's not at all sure he's in favour of it.
The sun's sunk below the horizon now. It's getting cooler, but Baekhyun's not quite ready to retreat indoors yet, even though he's starting to get goosebumps on his arms. He clutches the chains in both hands and stands, pushing the swing back so he can begin to build some momentum. Soaring through the air like this is the closest he'll ever come to flight, unlike the dragon in his dreams - a dragon who might, if he's understanding correctly, be one of the people at the bookshop. Maybe the unicorn too.
Lu Han's left him with a handful of answers and ten times the number of questions. It only takes five minutes of mid-air musings before he's made up his mind to pay a visit to the other Summons; the address and opening hours are on the business card and by his estimate the place is a half hour's walk away. It's no good to leave things like this.
Especially when he's summoned at the peak of his swing and almost loses his grip.
-----
'Leaves of Life' is small, if not to the point of being cosy. Baekhyun doesn't miss the fact that sharp edges are kept to a minimum, and wherever possible, wood and metal are covered by cloth. Some of the smaller bookcases are made of plastic. There's nowhere for customers to sit, but the entire shopfloor's covered in soft brown carpet - a cushion for any sudden stumbles.
"It used to be grey," Lu Han jokes during the tour, "but the bloodstains kept scaring the customers. What do you think?"
"It's...nice."
There's not a lot Baekhyun can say, really. He's not here for the guided tour. He'd shown up ten minutes ago, looking for Lu Han, and found the shop staffed by a tall, sharp-looking young man with an impressive collection of ear piercings and a demeanour better suited to a security guard than a sales assistant. Zitao (according to his nametag) had taken one look at him and called Lu Han out from the stockroom in the back.
"We try to work in pairs," Lu Han says. "Just in case. It'll be easier with you here."
"I haven't said I'm staying!" Baekhyun protests.
"Maybe not today, but you will." Lu Han grins at him, certainty written all over his face. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here now. Come on, I'll take you to see upstairs."
The apartment above the bookshop has three bedrooms. Lu Han shares with Minseok, Zitao shares with Kyungsoo, and the remaining bedroom - the smallest - has a bunkbed frame taking up most of the space.
"It was a study originally," Lu Han says, faintly apologetic, "but we tried to make room. The mattresses are arriving later today. You can decorate however you want."
Some measure of decoration's called for before the room can be considered 'home'. Aside from the bedframe, the only furniture is a narrow cupboard standing in one corner. At least there are curtains - pale blue, with little lightbulbs on them. Baekhyun wonders if it's a coincidence or a joke, given the source of his power.
The rest of the apartment looks more lived-in, if relatively neat. All the kitchen surfaces are spotless, lemon-scented and shining, and the large table in the corner - with six chairs, Baekhyun notes - is covered with a cheery, easy to clean plastic tablecloth. There's a lounge with a long couch, an armchair that looks as though it might fit two at a squeeze, and a giant fluffy floor cushion. Not a great deal of space for walking around, but that's not its purpose in the least.
"One bathroom?" Baekhyun asks when they reach it.
Lu Han nods sadly. "Between five of us, when you move in. I hope you don't take long bubble baths or anything."
He gives Baekhyun a wealth of practical info, ranging from how the owner of the laundry two doors down does all their washing for free in exchange for romance novels, to how the bookshop profits go on the household bills before any of them get paid and they keep a set amount aside for groceries.
What is noticeably absent is any of the information Baekhyun came to learn.
"How do you know about all of us?" he interrupts, when Lu Han gets talking about their two-on two football matches in the field down the street.
Lu Han steers them back to the kitchen and pours them both plastic cups of juice before they sit down. His voice is becoming raspy, he has to take a few sips before he continues speaking. "The dreams, of course."
"I had another one last night," Baekhyun says, slightly reluctant because telling a guy to his face that you dreamed about him is kind of embarrassing. "One of the shadow guys was pushing the red clouds away without touching them, and then he turned into you."
"Telekinesis. That was my power, there, and there's magic in that other world. I can't do anything here, of course. I'm sure you've tried."
"Maybe just a little," Baekhyun admits.
"I've seen you using Light in the dreams. Is that what you do when you're summoned?"
"Yeah." Baekhyun demonstrates, pretending Lu Han's a monster. The whole thing's ridiculous; he can't possibly keep a straight face.
"I found Minseok first, then Kyungsoo, and then Minseok found Zitao. Minseok uses Ice, Kyungsoo uses Earth, and Zitao uses Time. I've seen them all in dreams now, using those powers. I think we've all got them. You've counted in the dreams, right? Twelve people?"
"Sometimes it's twelve people. Sometimes there's a dragon, or even a unicorn."
"They're people too," Lu Han assures him. "I see the unicorn's face sometimes. We'll probably find him next. The more ground we cover with our orbs, the greater our chances of finding him and the others."
Oh. Now Baekhyun gets it, how this works. But what happens once they've found everyone? He asks the question of Lu Han, who shakes his head.
"I don't know yet. I told you, we're slowly seeing more of the picture."
"Maybe we save the tree?" Baekhyun suggests, none too optimistic.
Evidently Lu Han feels the same way. "I think it's too late for that."
He drains his cup, then lets it fall, clattering onto the table; Baekhyun's surprised by his new friend's lack of table manners when he realises the cups are plastic for a reason - Lu Han's eyes have glazed over, and a proper glass wouldn't last long in his shaking hands. He's been summoned.
Mild panic takes root in Baekhyun's brain. Is this what he looks like when he's summoned? As though every particle of his body is frozen in stasis; his mind, up amongst the stars? It would almost be funny, if not for the fact that he knows only too well what's happening, and how serious this really is.
He should do something, shouldn't he? Lu Han did, for him. That's right, bring him back to himself.
Baekhyun reaches for one of Lu Han's trembling hands, squeezing the fingers tight enough that he fears for the condition of his own. "Just...stay with me?" He tries to remember the first aid his mother taught him. Maybe he should try to keep Lu Han warm, loosen his clothing...no, wait, that's for shock. He's pretty sure his mother didn't teach him anything about summoning.
"Focus on the sound of my voice," he continues, gaining confidence when Lu Han blinks. "Whatever it is, let it go and come back here. You don't have to be there."
"Quite right, I don't," Lu Han says cheerfully, fighting to free his fingers. "But you should definitely be here. You pass."
Baekhyun's jaw drops. "That was a test?"
"I wanted to make sure you'd help if one of us had trouble. Hey!" Lu Han holds up an arm, trying to ward off Baekhyun's attempts at whacking him about the shoulders. "No offense intended, all right?"
Baekhyun eventually relents once he lands a few good smacks. Lu Han's impish smile suggests he's not the least bit remorseful.
"You look out for us and we look out for you," Lu Han says, quite satisfied. "That's how it works. Are you in?"
"I don't have much choice, do I?"
"You always have a choice. But this is your best option."
There's no denying that. Baekhyun's in, even if it means turning his life even more upside down than it is already. He plies Lu Han with questions ("Why are there monsters in that world and not here?" "What's the big deal about the tree?" "Do you know what that red stuff is?"); Lu Han waves him away with a laugh and a promise to share everything he knows - which, he goes to extraordinary lengths to emphasise, is not a great deal.
It takes a few days of explanations and negotiations back home, but by the end of the week, Baekhyun's moved in, adding his name to the chores rota and taking as many afternoon shifts as he can, because that's when the college girls like to shop. A couple of years go by without any significant changes. They don't find any more Summons, though Lu Han finally gets a name for one of the faces haunting his dreams and becomes very excited about finding him.
"I've been remembering little pieces about Jongin for years," he tells them one evening, when the shop's closed and they're all squeezed into the lounge, exchanging notes on their latest dreams over popcorn. "About how we worked together as a team, and...other things."
Baekhyun, whose love life has been sadly lacking since the start of his new career as a Summon, doesn't miss the implication, nor Lu Han's half-fond, half-guilty look. Jongin's the one who teleports, apparently, though they're not sure if he has the same ability in the other world because as far as they can gather from their time as Summons, much of the magic over there is elemental. Lu Han reckons that's why his telekinesis translates into his own physical movements, making him a graceful master swordsman.
Minseok snags the popcorn bowl from the coffee table before Lu Han's exuberance can knock it over. "I don't have a name, but I think I've found one? The unicorn guy. One of my masters was injured near that small northern village - Kalm? He summoned me to deal with some Nerosuferoths and I was still out when the village healer turned up. I'm sure it was him."
"He was the village healer?" Lu Han asks, sounding puzzled. "I don't see how he could be a Summon as well."
"I don't think he was," Minseok says. "He healed my master using Restore materia."
"He'd equipped it?" Zitao asks.
Minseok nods, taking a handful of popcorn and passing the bowl to Kyungsoo, completely ignoring Lu Han's grab for it. "In a staff. He carried it himself."
Baekhyun can't help snickering at Lu Han's forlorn face, but despite all the playing around, this is a big deal. They'll take any scrap of new information they can get. "But we can't pick up any item with materia equipped."
They've all tried. Touching materia is impossible for them, and while they can touch items in which it is equipped, they're unable to move them. So either everything they've discovered so far is wrong, or the man who becomes a unicorn is not a Summon.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Minseok says, "I believe he lives over there."
"I wonder if we're supposed to bring him here?" Lu Han speculates. "We've moved other things between the two worlds - why not people?"
"Moving a camera through so you can take a picture isn't the same as moving a living being," Kyungsoo points out. "Cameras don't stop breathing. If a corpse turns up in the kitchen, I know who to blame."
"We make it through fine," Baekhyun says. "If we can find the unicorn guy again, we should try to bring him here. You know we're going to need more space, right? Because we can fit one more in my room but after that-"
"We'll worry about it when we find more of them," Lu Han says, and since he and Minseok are in charge of their living arrangements, Baekhyun just has to go with it. There's no way he's squeezing more than one more person in his room, though.
Finding their missing comrades is a task and a half. The odds of being summoned at the same time as another Summon are low at best, and Lu Han's the only one who can leave his orb at will to continue the search - assuming he's not too busy serving his master. Even then, his time out of the orb is determined by his strength, and that, in turn, is determined by how long he's been with his master. What Baekhyun's come to understand, over these past few years, is that Lu Han has no qualms about manipulating circumstances in order that his orbs pass from the hands of an unwanted master into those of a more desirable one.
Baekhyun would love to be able to do the same, but fate just hasn't been that kind to him. He is, however, the first person to glimpse the dragon's face, which he grudgingly admits is something of a coup given that they mostly get new details in dreams at roughly the same time, only in different scenes. The fierce black dragon, who soars above the tree and sears the red clouds with fiery breath, swoops down to become a man on the ground - a man taller than Zitao, even, with short blond hair, stern brows, and a mouth that's ever-so-slightly too small for his face. As far as looks go, Baekhyun admits he'd fit right in with the handsome bunch of housemates.
If nothing else, he's memorable, and Baekhyun's sure he'd recognise him if he ever saw him in the other world.
Lu Han successfully finds Jongin over there, and while he's terribly pleased with himself for concocting the scheme that sees his nearest orb transfer ownership, there's sadness beneath the surface when he relates the tale around the kitchen table.
"He has no idea who he is," Lu Han says. "Or who I am. But he's been looking for me, too."
Everyone else at the table is polite enough to ignore the catch in Lu Han's voice. Baekhyun, who's sitting next to him, gives him a gentle elbow in the ribs that could potentially be interpreted as a gesture of sympathy. (Well, his hands are all greasy from the fried chicken, so...) He whistles innocently when Lu Han makes mock-injured noises.
"Looking for you?" Zitao repeats. "Why?"
"Because he doesn't want to be powerless ever again, and he thought I was the best way of achieving that. I did find a way to help him, though. He's got my orb equipped in gauntlets," Lu Han runs a hand over his forearm in demonstration, "and when he's wearing them, even though he doesn't have power of his own in that world, I can use telekinesis to make him move, like his teleportation in the dreams."
"But he doesn't know that's his power, right?" Minseok says. "Did you tell him?"
"I think it's best if he remembers on his own. He's kind of confused at the moment. I could tell you guys things about us because I could be with you in person, but I can't stay with him for long yet and I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly dump all of that on him. Especially when I can't give him complete answers."
Baekhyun's not sure Lu Han's given any of them complete answers, but it's not like they have much of a clue anyway. "So if we find anyone who's one of us but not a Summon, we don't tell them anything?" he asks, just to be sure. "Ever?"
"Tell them enough so they know they're not alone," Lu Han says sombrely, and now Baekhyun knows there's something Lu Han's not sharing with them.
One thing Lu Han does share, however, is his opinion on summoning outfits, when Baekhyun asks him where he stashes his armour when he's not wearing it.
Lu Han taps the side of his head. "In here. If I think about it when I'm being summoned, I can choose how I appear. Otherwise, I just show up in whatever I'm wearing here - which is a problem if I'm in the shower at the time."
"What about when you're asleep?" Baekhyun asks.
"It doesn't have to be the 'me' who's here."
"Oh yeah..." Baekhyun still has trouble, sometimes, adjusting to the idea of his splinter selves as more or less independent entities. Who knows what kind of chaos they cause when he's not keeping an eye on them? "So what do you wear when you go see Jongin? Or don't you wear anything at all?" he teases.
"I wear whatever I think is suitable at the time." Lu Han's not giving anything away. "You should think about doing the same. You don't exactly look like someone who judges monsters to death when you show up in striped shorts and a worn old T-shirt."
"I could try a black leather vest and chains?"
"Zitao's already cornered the market on that look. You'll have to find your own."
So Baekhyun does, knowing full well how good he looks in white - sharp and elegant, neatly tailored jacket, shirt and trousers gleaming as bright as his magic. He offsets the costume with black eyeliner, his eyes becoming deep, dark crevices in cold, brilliant ice as he stares down any repulsive creature that dares to confront him.
It's just a shame he can't do it at home. It might keep Lu Han from borrowing his hats.
The next breakthrough is the unicorn's name - Yixing, as overheard in one of Kyungsoo's dreams. Luck is on Minseok's side as his master near Kalm is taken seriously ill. Yixing heals him with materia; having no money, the man repays his saviour with the gift of a Summon materia and like that, Minseok is equipped by one of their missing companions. He's quite pleased by the turn of events, as it transpires that Yixing, in his free time, is an amateur musician, and on the odd occasion when Minseok is called out it suits them both to sing together.
"He knows Lay isn't his name," Minseok tells the others. "He doesn't seem to mind not knowing who he is, though. He's very laid-back."
"Do you get called out much?" Zitao asks, curious. "I was in Kalm once. I didn't think there were many monsters up there."
"There never used to be, but Yixing says it's getting worse," Minseok says. "He doesn't like having to fight but it's the only way to protect the villagers, so we do what we can."
"Jongin's doing the same in Junon," Lu Han joins in. "The situation is starting to get worse there too."
It sounds, to Baekhyun, as though things are speeding up and suddenly, they're against the clock, racing to find their missing members before the other world is overrun with monsters. They may not know what their long-term plans are, because even with five of them having frequent dreams, no one has yet seen what becomes of the dying tree, but they're well aware of their current goal. If only the odds weren't stacked against them! It frustrates Baekhyun no end that no matter how much his masters travel, he never manages to find anyone, and he's not able to simply walk off and search by himself. His strength only takes him so far before he has to return to his orb. It's a frustration he shares with the others, and even the quietly cheerful Minseok has been known to vent in the depths of the stockroom, alone, with the shelves and boxes muffling his complaints.
Nevertheless, they continue with their tasks, and that includes the household chores. It's Baekhyun's turn to do laundry and he's just returned from the laundrette two doors down with a massive bag of freshly cleaned and dried bedding when a shock he hasn't felt in a while ripples through him, sending him stumbling for the couch. A new materia orb. It's been months. New ones are difficult; he's had plenty of practice now at setting them aside in his mind, but he has to know them first. Has to check them out, see where they've ended up, if there's anyone worth his time. There never has been before.
This one's...cold. He's at home on the couch, lying back against the cushions with the bag of laundry at his feet and one of Lu Han's multicoloured puzzle cube things digging into his thigh. He's also encased in a tight red shell, impenetrable and colder than the winter winds. Perhaps he's somewhere new. He hopes he's not inside a freezer somewhere, because he's not in the mood to have the universe playing tricks on him.
His senses are limited in this form. There's movement, a cradling by a hand, with long, icy fingers turning him over. Then a click that tells Baekhyun he's been equipped, is now residing in someone's weapon, or perhaps armour. Either way, he has a new master.
He waits for it, for the name that follows whenever he's found. What will his new master be like? Open and chatty? Cool and reserved? Brisk and business-like? Finding out takes longer than he expects. Perhaps his new master is somewhere with poor lighting, where his name can't be easily read from the materia. It's happened before. Baekhyun focuses his attention on finding the cube digging into his leg in the meantime.
After five silent minutes, he hears his name. The feeble rasp tells him nothing about his new master, but the low pitch suggests a man. A very cold man, as it turns out; Baekhyun materialises in a field of snow, which immediately seeps inside his boots and soaks its way into the legs of his thin white trousers. The temperature has to be well below freezing. He curses himself for not wearing a thick coat and gloves. Who's going to care if he looks suave and intimidating out in this frozen wasteland?
Certainly not the human icicle lying by his feet. Baekhyun finds his materia orb glowing merrily in the hilt of a massive broadsword, half-concealed beneath the splayed, black-gloved fingers of its owner, who's crashed face-down in the snow. That can't be good for his health. Baekhyun can't move the sword but he has no such problem moving the swordsman, so he grits his teeth, tries to ignore the fact that he's slowly becoming an ice cube himself, and takes the man by the shoulders to roll him over on his back. Though clearly tall, the man's thin, and scarcely better protected from the cold than Baekhyun in a long black coat. He's not even wearing a hat; soaked blond hair clings to his scalp.
A quick glance around confirms that there's no one else in the vicinity - not even any monsters, which means Baekhyun doesn't have to waste his energy judging them. He can act freely, for as long as he's got; not long, because this is a new orb, a new master...
...Or an old one, perhaps. Baekhyun almost drops the man back down in the snow when he sees his face. It's the dragon from his dreams, now pale and shivering, eyes closed and clumps of snow sticking to his exposed skin. His teeth begin chattering the moment his mouth has the room to move.
"Hey." Baekhyun holds his master as far out of the snow as he can, wishing he had something to call him - sadly, the dreams have not yet revealed that critical piece of information. "C'mon, stay with me. No sleeping allowed. Open your eyes and talk to me."
"Mmm?"
"That's not a real word. How about your name?"
The unfortunate man's eyes flutter open; Baekhyun spots a flash of annoyance in them before they settle on 'spooked'. Good. Better annoyed than indifferent - it might keep him warmer. "K-K-Kris..." is what emerges through chattering teeth, and Baekhyun's gut tells him that's not the dragon's name. It might, however, be the only name he knows, which is probably the case if this is anything like the situation with Jongin and Yixing. Lu Han and Minseok say they avoid the issue by using 'Master' (which sounds a lot more playful coming from Lu Han than Baekhyun really wants to think about).
"That's good," Baekhyun says, trying to sound encouraging, and not like he's shivering like crazy himself. "I'm going to try to help you but I need you to stay with me, okay?"
Kris's head droops forward in what Baekhyun assumes is a nod of assent, so he crouches down to try to propel Kris further out of the snow. There's no shelter anywhere in sight, and while the hazy grey and red skies don't appear to be releasing any more snow any time soon, it's certainly not getting any warmer. The patch of trees they could shelter behind is a good twenty feet away, which leaves them constantly exposed to the icy winds. Baekhyun doesn't even try to kid himself that he'll have enough time to build a snow fort.
So he tries the only thing he can think of: taking Kris home with him.
They've never attempted it before. Minseok refused to risk it with Yixing, but Baekhyun can't see that he has any other options right now. It's not as if he can make things worse by trying, right? He needs to get Kris out of here, fast, before his body shuts down completely.
He's passed objects between his selves before and they've survived fine. With any luck, he can do the same now. He tightens his grip around Kris's torso, concentrating hard on the self that's currently lying on the couch. Their positions aren't comparable - he has no idea how Kris will manifest in the apartment and doesn't care, so long as he doesn't get stuck in the floor - but they're always linked, minds tied to each other across the worlds with an unbreakable connection. The line stretches, but it never snaps.
It's starting, he can feel it. He imagines Kris's long, chilled body lying next to his own on the couch, sodden clothing making the cushions damp and snow flaking from his gloves to the floor. It's going to be a bit of a squish, unfortunately. Baekhyun can almost feel the couch dip under the added weight, almost feel Kris shivering in his arms...
...And then the connection breaks. Baekhyun's still here, Baekhyun's still there, but Kris is only here and his breathing's become significantly more ragged. It hasn't worked. Baekhyun sags, disappointed and exhausted from the failed attempt, strength vanishing fast. He needs more time, but manipulating Time is Zitao's thing and Baekhyun doesn't think using his Light powers will help; his light is bright, but generates no external heat, and the last thing Kris needs right now is to be judged.
Kris's eyes have closed again. Baekhyun has to momentarily let him slide in order to close Kris's frozen fingers around his sword hilt. He can drag the man but not his weapon, and if they leave it behind it's liable to be buried by the snow before long. He manages to tug the blade using Kris's arm so the flat lies across Kris's legs; the cold metal probably burns his skin through his trousers something fierce but Baekhyun can't make him twist enough to sheathe the sword properly.
It's a real nuisance, not being able to move objects with materia equipped. Baekhyun could move the sword, if only his orb weren't in the hilt. Of course, if his orb weren't equipped, he wouldn't be here to move the sword in the first place.
Locking his arms around Kris's torso he drags his semi-conscious master across to the trees - giant evergreen things with snow weighing down their boughs. The lowest is too high for Baekhyun to reach, so starting a fire with branches isn't an option and the wood's probably too wet to burn anyway. At least he can prop Kris up against a trunk, keeping him partially out of the snow and somewhat sheltered from the wind.
He's nearly at his limit now. Maybe he can't take Kris home with him, but he can pass things through in the other direction. He snatches up the bag of bedding at his feet, envisioning it in the cold, numb hands of his self in the snow field. Although Kris's wet clothes will do him more harm than good, Baekhyun knows he doesn't have the strength left to both wrest them off him and re-dress him in dry garments. The best he can manage is to remove the coat. This will have to do for now. He'll do better next time...assuming Kris survives long enough for there to be a next time.
The laundry bag is wide, made of thick, heavy-duty plastic. Baekhyun dumps the contents in Kris's lap, spreads the bag on the snowy ground and half-drags, half-lifts Kris onto it. He's left with a very mixed bag of bedding: a couple of pillowcases, which he uses to wrap Kris's arms; a pair of sheets, in which he encases Kris's legs; and an empty duvet cover, blanket, and plastic undersheet, with which he covers Kris in that order, wrapping the duvet cover around him from behind to cover his hair and ears, too. Lu Han hates people using his bed, and while that probably extends to his bedding, Baekhyun thinks he'll be willing to make an exception in this case.
He wants his other self to get off the couch and make hot soup to pass through, but it's too late for that. Now all but drained, Baekhyun collapses next to Kris, snuggling as close to his side as he can in an effort to share what meagre bodily warmth he still possesses until he's forced to return to his orb. It won't be long.
"I'll be back," Baekhyun promises, "but you have to call me. Call 'Baekhyun', you remember that? I might not be able to answer straight away, so keep calling and I'll be here as soon as I can." He hopes he doesn't sound too much like a clingy girlfriend. It's not like Kris will notice, in his condition.
"Baek...hyun," Kris repeats slowly, and Baekhyun's about to respond when exhaustion snaps him back into his orb.
Instantly he's dry again, though he can still feel the cold chilling the orb from outside. Baekhyun leaves his splinter self to recharge while back in the apartment, he hauls himself off to the kitchen to make up a flask of hot soup. Multiple flasks. Maybe some tea. And he's sure they must have a hot water bottle around somewhere.
He's rummaging around in the room Zitao shares with Kyungsoo, searching for clothes that might not be too ridiculously small on Kris - Zitao's, not Kyungsoo's, obviously - when Lu Han appears in the doorway, giving a small cough to attract his attention.
Baekhyun looks up from the chest of drawers. "I thought you were working?"
"Lunchbreak," Lu Han says. "Minseok's covering for me with Zitao. I'm going to steal some of your soup, okay? It looks like you're making enough to feed an army."
It's possible Baekhyun may have gone slightly overboard in the kitchen. "Do we have any hot water bottles?"
"You can't possibly be cold."
"Do we have any or not?" Baekhyun snaps, losing patience.
"Fine." Lu Han holds up his hands. "You can use mine. Then can I have some soup?"
"I'm trying to keep one of us from freezing to death and all you can think about is soup?"
Lu Han forgets all about his lunch when he hears about Kris, only pausing to find his hot water bottle. Baekhyun strips it out of its teddy bear sleeve and keeps it ready to fill from the kettle. Between them they manage to scrounge up a set of dry clothing; Lu Han's not thrilled about what's become of his bedding but is somewhat mollified when Baekhyun promises to bring it back and launder it afresh.
Of course, he has to be called back first, and while he can hear Kris's low, unsteady voice in the back of his mind, he can't respond yet. Lu Han goes down to ask Minseok to stay on so he can be on standby to help. It's a pity there's no one else near Kris. Baekhyun's going to have to do all the work himself. Lu Han can only pass him things.
They station themselves in the kitchen, supplies lined up on the table and Minseok's map spread across the remaining room. Lu Han jabs a large white space on the northernmost continent.
"You must be up on the Great Glacier somewhere," he says. "Sorry, you're on your own. None of us are anywhere near you."
Baekhyun sighs. "Is there anything up there?"
"Hmm." Lu Han runs his fingers over the map. "Some cave formations inside the mountains, but that's probably not going to help much. Hot springs? And...ah! There's a town or something here. Do you have any idea where you might be?"
"I didn't see much out there. Snow, snow and more snow. And a few trees."
"There are patches of trees marked on the map. If you're lucky enough to be near this one," Lu Han points it out on the map, "you're not too far from the town. And this one will get you near the hot spring - not that it sounds like great weather for a dip."
Baekhyun studies the map carefully. There aren't many landmarks. He'll be lucky indeed if he actually manages to find the town in the middle of all that.
A surge of strength floods his body across the link and he knows it's time for him to return to the snow; it feels like it's been an eternity since he left, but he knows it's less than twenty minutes. Kris is still calling, which means he's still alive...and there's still hope.
In one world, Baekhyun emerges from his orb into the vast white wasteland. In another, he picks up a flask and a bag of dry clothing. He's prepared on his own behalf too: when he materialises it doesn't matter that he's bundled up in so many layers his own mother wouldn't recognise him. He's got no one to impress here.
Kris is still propped against the tree trunk, huddled in his borrowed bedding with only his eyes peeking out. They're half-closed, but they open fully when Baekhyun crouches down and calls his name.
"Y-you c-came b-back," Kris stutters; Baekhyun's pleased to hear he sounds marginally more alert than earlier.
"And I'll keep coming back as long as it takes to get you somewhere safe," Baekhyun says, unscrewing the flask and pouring a cup of hot, steaming, vegetable soup. "Let's get some of this in you, and then I'll try to do something about your wet clothes."
He tugs the covers aside enough to set the rim of the cup against Kris's cold, pale lips and tilts to let the liquid slosh inside his mouth. A few stray drops spill on the bedding; Baekhyun can't help but wince. Lu Han definitely can't be allowed to see this.
Once Kris has drained the cup, he gets another one. By that time, Lu Han's filled the hot water bottle and handed it to the Baekhyun in the kitchen to pass through. Kris clings to the bottle while Baekhyun tries to figure out how best to go about effecting a change of attire. It's going to be awkward regardless of what he ends up doing.
"Don't get any weird ideas from this," he warns Kris, plumping himself lightly down on his master's exceedingly long legs and worming his way inside the layers of bedding until the two of them are covered by something approaching a rough, flimsy tent. Modesty's got nothing to do with it; Kris can't afford to lose what little heat he's got.
"I-I'll try not to swoon in your arms," Kris retorts, teeth chattering less already. "My hero."
Baekhyun certainly doesn't feel like anyone's hero, not from this ridiculous position and with his fingers gradually freezing up, even inside his gloves. Before they can stiffen completely, he tugs Kris's once-fluffy black cardigan off his shoulders. The shirt beneath is slightly damp; Baekhyun casts that aside too, replacing it with one of Zitao's stretchy long-sleeved black tops and a thick white jumper. He's brought a coat, too, with a fur-lined hood that he draws tight around Kris's head; the collar zips up high enough to make up for the lack of a scarf and the torso's large enough to fit the hot water bottle inside.
"Do you think you can stand up?"
Kris's face scrunches up in disbelief. "Not with you sitting on me."
Okay, so possibly not the smartest question to ask a guy when you're sitting on his legs. Baekhyun manoeuvres himself off, squatting down next to Kris and the discarded clothing. The wind's picked up again and their little blanket fort isn't doing much to shield them from it. "How about now? I've got more clothes for you."
Even with his back against the tree and Baekhyun helping, it takes time for Kris to struggle to his feet - largely, he says, because he can't actually feel anything below his waist. Baekhyun's not sure if that's supposed to be a jibe about his weight or not, but lets it go because Kris is none too steady and he's sure they'll have plenty of opportunity to needle each other later, if that's how things are going to work between them.
Baekhyun gets as far as setting the dry trousers, socks and boots on the plastic bag to keep them from the snow when a familiar exhaustion swamps his body, making him feel as though he has weights attached to the end of his limbs. He's not going to be able to get Kris to town, not this trip.
"There's a town somewhere around here," he says, rushing his words, "but I don't have time to try to find it now. Keep calling me, okay? We'll search for it next time."
He leaves Kris with another flask and a pair of thick, waterproof gloves, and hopes he'll be able to return soon. There are other versions out of their orbs right now, engaged in battles across the world, and even more simply waiting to be summoned, but this is Baekhyun's highest priority.
When he switches his full attention back to the kitchen, Lu Han offers him a cup of tea and a sympathetic smile.
"How's he holding up?"
"Better than he was," Baekhyun says. He takes a sip of his tea, burns his tongue, and gives Lu Han as withering a glare as he can manage for laughing at him. "As long as I can get him moving before nightfall, I think he'll be okay."
"I wonder what he's doing all the way up there in the snow?" Lu Han muses. "He must have a reason for risking himself like that; it doesn't sound like he was properly prepared for the weather."
Baekhyun shrugs. "Maybe he's into snowboarding."
The next time Baekhyun's summoned by Kris, it's a couple of hours later and while there's no visible sun to set, the sky is noticeably darker. On the plus side, so is Kris's complexion, visible skin now red - rather than white - with cold. Baekhyun figures if he's doing well enough to complain about his lack of moisturiser and increasingly wind-chapped lips, he must be feeling better.
Kris has also managed to complete his wardrobe change, much to Baekhyun's relief, and his own wet clothes are bagged up for travel. He continues to huddle beneath the pile of bedding, clutching his now-cool water bottle and drinking the last of his soup. Baekhyun trades him for a full flask, this time with hot, sweet tea, and passes the hot water bottle back to himself for a refill.
"I have a room at the Icicle Inn," Kris says when they're ready to move. "I don't think I'd been walking for long when I collapsed in the snow. If you give me a hand, I should be able to make it back there now."
"Any idea which way?"
"Uh..."
While Kris searches the horizon for landmarks, Baekhyun passes the bedding back across the worlds, distantly aware of Lu Han complaining about soup stains. He slings the bag of wet clothing over one shoulder and works the other under Kris's arm to support him as they walk. The sword containing Baekhyun's materia orb is back in its sheath, now strapped over Kris's borrowed coat, where it will hopefully stay for the duration of their journey.
Kris settles on what he says is probably the right direction. It's not an easy walk, trudging through the snow, and Baekhyun fervently wishes they had chocobos to ride. At least they'd make better time. Progress is slow, Kris's footing being unsteady at best; he leans heavily on Baekhyun, talk at a minimum because they both need to conserve their breath and would prefer not to take more of the freezing air into their lungs than they have to.
Night's almost upon them by the time they spy the warm glow of the town's lights. There aren't many buildings - really, it barely qualifies as a village, let alone a town - but all signs of civilisation are most welcome, especially the sign that reads 'Icicle Inn'. Although the walk hasn't covered a great deal of ground, Baekhyun's as tired as if he'd just climbed a mountain, and he's certain Kris is even worse off.
In the space of less than eight hours this is the third occasion on which Baekhyun's been summoned by Kris, which is a lot for a new Summon-Master relationship and not much time for Baekhyun to build up his strength. His usual activities when summoned involve standing around and judging monsters to death while looking extremely cool in eyeliner, and occasionally making small talk with his masters (mostly the female ones). Trying to save a man from becoming a frozen corpse in the middle of a snowfield is, he decides, considerably more draining.
Their struggle ends in the doorway of the inn. A wave of heat blasts them both the second Baekhyun wrenches the door open and after so long exposed to the cold, Kris tumbles forward in a dead faint. Baekhyun avoids hitting the floor with him only because the combined shock and exhaustion sends him back to his orb, reserves so low he's barely aware of Kris's less-than-graceful crash.
In the kitchen, Baekhyun's forcing down dinner with the others, promising to go tomorrow to do more laundry, trying to pay attention to everyone's questions. He doesn't have many answers for them. He doesn't know what Kris was doing out there, he doesn't know how much Kris knows - if anything at all - and he doesn't have a clue if Kris transforms into a dragon or not. Yixing has thus far shown no signs of becoming a unicorn or having any healing powers not granted him by magical items and materia; Jongin is unable to teleport without Lu Han's assistance. It is probable, therefore, that Kris isn't hiding wings and a tail somewhere.
Zitao's not wild about donating his favourite leopard-print coat to the cause, but Baekhyun assures him he'll retrieve it later...assuming there is a later. Kris has now reached sanctuary; it's possible he may not see the need to call Baekhyun out again any time soon. Why should he? He's out of danger now - unless the Icicle Inn has been overrun with monsters, and from the quick glimpse Baekhyun got of the interior, he doesn't think that's the case.
All evening he's less lively than usual, to such an extent that Kyungsoo actually asks if he's ill, if he wants someone to stay with him tonight. But even if Kris calls him back, Baekhyun's not going to notice when he's asleep - only his splinter self will care - and the questions racing around his mind aren't quite annoying enough to keep him awake. He's done what he can. Now it's his turn to rest.
And rest he does, in his original form. He's still asleep when Kris finally calls him back. Things look very different now. All the borrowed clothing is folded neatly on a chair in the corner, with boots underneath and Kris's sheathed sword propped up beside it, materia gleaming in the light of a blazing fire.
The man himself is tucked up in bed, snug in pyjamas and sipping from an oversized cup. Baekhyun takes a crafty look around but unfortunately, no other cups are in evidence. Shame. Although the room's nice and warm, a comforting hot drink wouldn't go amiss.
Kris shifts his legs to one side, so Baekhyun takes this as an invitation to perch on the edge of the bed.
"Feeling better?" he asks.
"Thanks to you." Kris points to the pile of clothing. "Thanks for all the clothes and stuff. I've got my own gear here; you can take everything back now."
"When I go." Baekhyun figures he'll wake his other self up if he suddenly passes a stack of laundry between the worlds. "This isn't what I normally do, you know."
"I know," Kris says. "I've heard about Summons. I don't have any materia - didn't have any until I found you lying in the snow. Good thing I did, too. I get to keep you now, right?"
Baekhyun can't help laughing at Kris's earnest expression. "Yeah. You run into monsters, you call me, I get rid of them for you. That's how it works."
"I'll remember that for next time. I don't think I'm going anywhere for a few days yet."
"You should stay and rest." Baekhyun has to ask the question. "What were you doing out there in the first place? No offense but you'd have to be crazy to willingly walk out in the snowfields by yourself."
"I was searching for something."
"But there's nothing out there! Unless you were going to find the hot springs or something..."
Kris's voice cools markedly. "That's none of your business."
Baekhyun notes that his new master has rather fierce eyebrows with which he expresses his irritation. Perhaps he should back off; it's not a great idea to drive a wedge between them on their first day together. "Not my business, I get it. I hope whatever you were looking for was worth all the trouble."
"It wasn't," Kris says darkly, but then his expression softens into a smile and it's like Baekhyun's seeing him for the first time, as warm and as human as his friends back home, no longer frozen in the ice. All his edges have melted away.
Baekhyun can feel an edge or two of his own melting when Kris adds, "But you were."