“Arlan my love. You saved me.” Arms wrapped around Arlan’s shoulder, pulling him back against a chest he’d not expected to be there. Mies held him tightly, pressing his cheek to the side of his human’s head, breath hot against skin as he struggled to catch it. Arlan’s legs began to ache as if he’d just run a marathon, his lungs burning as he realized he’d been holding in air too long. He twisted in the hold e prince had, trembling a little to realize that the fae was in fact there, in his room, more solid than he’d ever been.

For the first time, he kissed Mies first, wrapping his own limbs around him, crushing their lips together in desperation. They didn’t move from their place on the floor, Arlan just pulled Mies down with him, more concerned about the connection between them than the mess on the floor. It wasn’t until that moment that he’d realized just how much he’d grown to care for the strange fae in his life, in his dreams.

It was Mies’ hands that first reached for the hem of Arlan’s clothing, sliding up underneath his shirt, feeling the skin with just the intent to touch. Arlan followed suit, feeling the warmth of the prince against his skin, feeling more real than he ever did. He wanted to lose himself in this moment forever, to be trapped here until the end of time, tangled up in Mies’ limbs and affection.

“Ahem.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat from his doorway made Arlan jump, or rather twitch, pulled out of the euphoria he’d been caught up in. He tilted his head to try and see, only to be distracted with kisses that trailed along his neck and hands that slipped down to his pants to tug at them.

“Is now really the time?” Corwin’s face was a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, with just the hint of a smile. He might not have wanted to walk in on this but at least it meant that his best friend was alive and safe once more.

“Of course it is.” Mies finally reacted to their surprise guest, only half peeling himself away from his human. “We’re celebrating my rescue.”

“Corwin, I’m sorry.” Arlan felt more embarrassment than Mies did, grabbing his now discarded shirt to pull it back on, ignoring the protest when he did. “I’m back, I should have told you that first.”

“You’re back, that’s what matters. Elwynn suggested you might be hungry when you got back so we have food for you. If you think you’re decent enough to come eat breakfast.” Corwin at least seemed ready to tease him about it, leaving the door frame after the offer of breakfast.

“I’m not decent enough, food can wait.” Mies stole another kiss, trying to remove the shirt once more but it was to no avail. Arlan pulled himself out from underneath him, catching his breath while his heart kept racing. He wanted nothing more than to close his door and let themselves get acquainted in this world too but it felt too strange now, the moment gone.

“I’m hungry. And I made Corwin worry. Come on. Let’s eat and get settled, we can come back to this.” He was fairly certain Mies would protest again when he kissed him again instead of replying. Lips parted, his tongue teasing and tasting until Arlan let out the softest sound. That seemed to be all the prince was after, he let go after, a grin on his lips as he tied his own shirt up again.

“Okay, we can go if you still want to.” He winked, definitely trying to goad Arlan into choosing to stay. It almost worked, the human did want to throw himself at Mies again, to knock him onto the bed and just lose the rest of the day there but there were responsibilities he had in this world.

“I do. Don’t think I don’t know what game you’re playing. Let’s go eat. Get some energy back.” Arlan left the room before either one of them could change their minds and make this morning more awkward than it already was. The fair prince followed behind him quickly, arms winding around Arlan’s shoulders as they walked. He thought for a moment about telling him to let go, to move on his own but thinking about how long Mies had been locked away in his prison made him reconsider.

The pair entered the kitchen to find Corwin at the stove, the smell of bacon making Arlan’s stomach growl. He’d not really thought he was all that hungry until now, when the smell of breakfast reminded him of just how good food was. He ushered the prince to take a seat, heading to his friend’s side to see if there was anything he could do to help. Things were pretty much done, though there was more food than he thought even three people could eat.

“Is Elwynn here too?” He asked as he leaned against his friend in almost a half hug.

“He is, he’s just in the bathroom. He thought it might be easier for me, to have some extra support with a faerie around. You know, after it all happened.” Arlan felt his stomach twist with guilt. He’d not even thought about how it would make his best friend feel to have a fae brought into their home. He’d clung to the iron necklace and wards since the first day, of course it would make him unhappy to have someone so closely linked to his capture so close.

“I’m sorry Corwin. I didn’t think-”

“Don’t. You did what you had to do. I understand that. I’ll be fine. I have you and Elwynn and it’s just breakfast. Okay?” Corwin stopped what he was doing long enough to hug his friend, a greeting to mimic their previous goodbye from the night before. It was a familiar action, one that brought peace to both of them. Arlan grabbed glasses and a few mugs for the table, he hear the kettle starting to boil, tea sounded like a good way to start the day.

“Mies?”

The soft voice came from the entrance of the kitchen, from the shop clerk who’d become a friend through the course of things. They stared at the fae sitting at the table, eyes wide in disbelief, mouth half open, half closed as if there was more to say but they could not find the words to say it. The silence that followed the name wasn’t broken by Elwynn or their attempts to speak, it was the scraping of chair legs against the floor, the clattering of it toppling over in a rush.

“Elwynn! My half!”

The prince pulled the shop clerk into a hug, squeezing as if he was afraid that Elwynn might vanish when he let go. There was more than joy in his face, in his voice, there was also relief. It startled both friends, leaving them more confused than ever.

“Mies, let me go. If I’d known it was you he was saving I would have left you there to vanish.” Elwynn pushed at Mies though it was for naught, the prince wasn’t ready to let go.

“My twin, I thought I would never see you again. I’ve missed you.”

“Twin?” It was Corwin who interrupted, looking from Mies to Elwynn and back again as if he was trying to piece something together. When it clicked his posture changed again, stiffened as the pieces fell into place. He said nothing else, he just dropped the utensil he was holding, ignoring the way it bounced on the floor by his feet, stepping over the mess as he marched to the front door. It slammed behind him, only then did Mies let go, letting himself be pushed away.

“Mies, you never think.” Elwynn sounded upset, their voice shaking as they smacked the prince’s shoulder. “I don’t know what you did to get yourself locked up but I don’t know what makes you think I’m going to forgive you for what happened.”

“Elwynn you were right, you were always right. I should have come with you but we’re together now and I’m here. On your side.” Mies didn’t lose his smile, he was clearly pleased with the turn of events but Arlan felt a little like an outsider, looking in on what was clearly a family reunion. Besides he was worried about Corwin and where his friend might have gone, he didn’t know where his friend would hide now.

He didn’t even announce his departure, he wasn’t sure the two would hear him even if he did. He just slipped out the front door, shoving his feet into shoes in the elevator as he started on his hunt. It was a nice enough morning, a little chilly as the sun was just starting to warm things up but it made everything all the more difficult. If it was rainy and wet at least then it would have limited Corwin to hiding somewhere inside like a coffee shop or the front lobby. Outside could be anywhere, there were lots of little places to sit and rest scattered around town with benches in various stages of upkeep.

Starting down one street, Arlan tried to keep his search in some semblance of a grid pattern, though the winding roads made that difficult and his sense of direction wasn’t the sharpest. He’d wandered farther away than he planned to, stumbling onto an old park that he’d not seen in many years. Weeds were starting to sprout up from under the wood chips that had been used in place of sand, paint chipping off most of the poles. Even in such a state of disrepair, he recognized it. He’d played here when he was younger, before the new, big park had been made in the centre of town. He’d met Corwin here, sharing the swing set while their parents chatted.

Chains squeaked as Corwin let himself swing slowly, the old swing looking like it might give out at any moment. His friend gave him a small smile but even across the park Arlan could see that he was troubled that the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The chips slipped beneath his feet as he made his way over, eyeing the free swing with distrust before he sat on it anyway. It groaned and complained but it held his weight, even as he used one toe to rock himself back and forth. He’d learned to let Corwin start the conversation, pushing him about what was wrong would only upset him further.

“They didn’t tell me.”

Corwin sounded small, like the little boy he’d met years ago. The little boy who’d been too nervous to ask anyone to play, who’d watched from the sidelines until Arlan asked him to join in on the fun. Even before the incident he’d grown out of that phase but here it was again, curled up on an old swing this early morning. Arlan said nothing, he didn’t want to make his friend grow silent again, not now that he was opening up.

“That they’re a faerie or whatever. They let me think that they were human, that they were safe but they’re just like all the rest of them.”

“Are they? They seemed pretty eager to help us stay safe.” Arlan reached out to point at Corwin’s necklace. His own had gone missing in the dark prison, he’d not realized until now.

“Is that supposed to ward them off? Wouldn’t they have been unable to touch them if that was true? I just… I just thought I was free of their lies, you know?” The sigh was a warning that it was getting to be too much for Corwin, his toes kicking up dirt instead of rocking himself with them. “I really liked them. Like, really liked them.”

“I’m sorry, that sucks.” Arlan knew what that sting was like, to find out that a crush wasn’t exactly what he’d imagined them to be. Hell, he’d felt it not that long ago when Mies had led him into that strange courtroom trap. Of course things seemed to be ending on a better note than what Corwin was going through. He could only imagine the betrayal he must have been feeling at the revelation. “They’re uh, having some sort of heart to heart or whatever, but I can kick Elwynn out when their done. Get him out of our place.”

“Yeah. I guess. I’m glad you’re safe at least.” Corwin wasn’t exactly in a better mood but the conversation was done, he’d changed the subject away from his own feelings. The pair of friends only made small talk while the sun settled into its place in the sky, the sounds of people moving about around the park filling the spaces that their words didn’t. Eventually they got tired of sitting on the swings, bodies protesting the uncomfortable seating when they stood. They took their time heading home, stopping for the tea they’d missed out on after the mornings events. The drinks were even finished by the time they reached the apartment building they’d both escaped from, emotions a little more in check than they had been. Arlan wasn’t sure that the prince and his twin had been so lucky, he wasn’t sure if the apartment would even be intact after their reunion.