Two pairs of red rimmed and puffy eyes turned to see Arlan and Corwin return. The fae were sitting at the kitchen table, albeit on the opposite sides. Elwynn was curled up, feet on the seat, gaze shifting back and forth between Arlan and his friend, expression one of worry. Corwin seemed to bristle just a little from behind Arlan, but he didn’t run or leave, he just took a heavy breath, trying to loosen up again. The air here was at least a little lighter than it was before, though it was just as charged.
“So… do we get an explanation?” Arlan shifted awkwardly from foot to foot before he actually moved into the kitchen. There was still breakfast on the counter, cold now but still good and his stomach rumbled eagerly. He grabbed a fresh plate, piling food onto it that he could pick at while he waited for an answer, at least this felt a little more natural and gave him something to do with his hands.
“We’re twins.” Mies said it easily, with a bright smile that didn’t seem to be affected by the rest of the mood.
“I think they’ve figured that out already.” Elwynn spoke up, sounding frustrated and exhausted, more like what Arlan had expected to hear from the prince. “But, he’s right. I left years ago, I didn’t agree with the court or our family so I left. Well… I ran away actually. Mies didn’t come with me, we’ve not seen each other since.”
“And I'm telling you now, you were right. I should have left then.” Mies absently reached out to Arlan, pulling him close, stealing a berry off his plate. He kept an arm looped around Arlan's waist, a casual motion that felt familiar despite never having this opportunity before. If he closed his eyes, it almost felt like a normal moment to the human, like the ones when he still lived alone. The faerie prince had always been with him it seemed.
“Right about what?” It was Corwin who asked the next question much to everyone's surprise, including himself. He'd not left the front hallway, still looking uncomfortable but at least he'd joined the conversation. Elwynn’s bite their lip, eyes full of apology they couldn't say, watching Corwin closely.
“Our uncle wishes to break the veil and reclaim this land as he puts it.” It was Elwynn's who explained, trying to offer something to make up for the hurtful surprise. “To shatter it he needs someone, a human, to absorb its powers. It would kill anyone who tried and once free on this land he would reclaim it by force. He has no love for mortals, he's bitter that we were sealed up from this world, forced to hide away.”
“But you're here. And Mies. Mies used to haunt me?” Arlan couldn't think of a better way to explain what he was talking about. “So why does the veil need to be broken?”
“Not everyone can pass through it safely. Elwynn has the moon to protect them, I have the sun. It’s meant to cage fae, not humans so you’re able to cross easier.” Mies pulled Arlan closer still, getting him to sit on his lap this time. He kissed his cheek, keeping him as close as he could. “But it doesn’t need to be broken, it shouldn’t be broken. There’s balance the way it is now.”
“Let’s just say, if he were to break the veil it would be terrible. He’d destroy everything and I like the world the way it is now.” Elwynn added, expanding on just how dangerous it would have been for Arlan to have stayed in the faerie’s hands. There was a finality to the apparent faerie’s statement that gave everyone a case of the shivers bad enough that there was a silence to try and absorb the information.
The group ate cold breakfast, just a few key items warmed up in the microwave while the rest was served. For a brief moment Arlan was reminded of family meals, the way they were all gathered around the same table only there was no chatter, no conversation. If this was a family meal, it was one after a fight with the tension they were all trying to shake off. Even though he moved to a separate chair of his own, Mies wasn’t ready to lose the connection yet, on of his legs pressing up against the human’s for some comfort or proof that he was in fact there.
When the dishes were piled up in the sink, ready to be washed and put away, Elwynn took their leave. They seemed hesitant to actually step out of the front door, eyes lingering on Corwin who’d come closer but still seemed to struggle to actually look at them. The rift the truth had caused wasn’t ready to be healed yet and while Corwin wished them a safe trip home he clearly wasn’t ready to offer more than that for the moment. It was painful to watch, even as an outsider. Neither party looked prepared to let go of whatever it was that had been building between them but the timing of it wasn’t right.
With the sound of the front door clicking closed Arlan pulled Mies back towards his room. At the very least they could give Corwin some privacy to work through his thoughts and fears. The prince hadn’t been ready to see their twin take their leave yet and he didn’t seem to understand the need for space but Elwynn needed some time to process as did Corwin. Mies bounced back from his disappointments quickly however, as soon as the door was closed he had Arlan pinned against it, kissing him deeply as if they’d never stopped what they’d started so much earlier.
“How do you have so much energy?” Arlan could only ask in the brief moments he was given to catch his breath, the question taking more than a few tries to complete. “This morning was exhausting.”
“Being without you was more exhausting.” Mies’ response was nonchalant but it still took the listener by surprise. He'd always considered himself a pawn of Mies’ affections, he'd never thought that he would truly be missed the same way he missed the prince.
He didn’t get a chance to reply, not that he wanted to now. All he wanted to do was keep kissing him, fingers running up to tug at the laces on Mies’ shirt. He moaned against the faerie’s lips when he felt his hands sliding down his back, tugging him up into the air so they could move to the bed. By the time they tumbled down onto the sheets both of them were free of shirts, pants already half opened.
This wasn’t new to either of them, their bodies knew exactly what to do, Arlan had dreamed of this over and over again but this time it was different. Everything felt more intense, each touch sharper, breath hotter than it had ever been before. They explored one another, taking their time as they forgot about the rest of the world. There was no one else, nothing else, just the two of them, bodies intertwined forever. Arlan lost himself in the moment willingly, never wanting to find himself again.
It was well into the afternoon but the pair didn’t leave the bed, they just fashioned makeshift clothing out of sheets, curled against one another. Despite the rough start to the morning, the day was turning out to be the best in Arlan's memory. Mies seemed just as content to just stay there, enjoying the company he was granted. The sun hard started to set before he started to ask about the things his side of the veil didn't have, the technology he'd tampered with but didn't fully understand. He'd made lights flicker and fizzle and sent messages across the TV screen but he didn't actually know the purpose of some of it. It was quite the sight to see him jump back in surprise the first time he turned the screen on. The day ended full of warmth and happiness, Arlan didn't regret the rescue for even a second.
-
Things started to settle into a kind of routine. Elwynn would visit nearly daily, mostly to see their brother though it was clear they wanted to see Corwin as well. Meals together became far more commonplace than they had even been when Arlan had been a child growing up. This felt a little like the beginnings of a family, so fresh and new that even the slightest disturbance could shatter it to the wind. It was painful to watch the strained nature of Corwin and Elwynn’s conversations but it wasn’t the time to try and push them into forgiveness for the wedge that was driven between them. Even Mies could see that there was more there than just a friendship that failed to stay together. Sometimes there were moments, after dinner, before conversations that there were moments between the two. Hands would brush one another, eyes would meet but nothing more would pass.
It was the middle of what had been a peaceful night that Arlan found himself waking with a start, his stomach roll, a sense of oddness in the air. Mies had felt it too, he sat up next to his human companion, sweat rolling down is temple as they both tried to stop themselves from gasping for air. It was as if a nightmare had pulled them both from their dreams at the same time but try as he might, Arlan could remember nothing other than he was asleep. The air about them shifted from odd to electric, dancing along his skin wherever it was exposed. His gut twisted up in itself and he could feel a nameless worry start to grow. He slipped from his covers and out of the prince’s arms to check on his best friend.
In the living room the TV was on but silent like always, the light from it casting strange shadows around the room as he crept closer to the doorway. He knew there was no risk of waking Corwin but he didn’t want to startle or annoy him either. Unlike usual, Corwin wasn’t laying down, feigning sleep, he was sitting up, staring vacantly at the flickering picture in front of him. Maybe it was just the off lighting but there was something almost sinister in the way the shadows sat around his eyes, too dark, too deep.
“Hey Corwin? You okay?” Arlan broke the static silence with his question, words too loud in the small hallway though they weren’t loud enough to reach Corwin’s ears. “Hey, everything okay?”
Even though he spoke up, far too loud for the hour that it was, there was still no reaction from his best friend. Arlan even went as far as to shake his shoulder, getting almost too close to his face to ask again but there was still no reaction from Corwin. The knot in his stomach grew tighter, making him feel sick. No matter what he tried nothing seemed to make his friend respond at all, not even after he turned off the TV. He had no idea what to do, heading back to his room to ask for Mies’ advice.
He barely stepped into the room again before he had his phone thrust into his hands.
“It started to do the humming thing again. It says Elwynn’s name, I can’t remember how to answer it.” Mies had become fascinated with human technology and for the most part he’d mastered it fairly easily but he struggled with cell phones still. He looked eager at the idea of a call from his twin and his enthusiasm was enough to keep Arlan from asking about Corwin right away. Perhaps that was just how his friend slept now, staring blankly into the night, that would be better than no sleep at all.
“Hello?” Arlan answered it, only to switch it to speakerphone immediately. Mies loved being able to speak to his lost sibling like this, it was a refreshing change of pace compared to his own feelings on phone calls.
“I hope I didn’t wake you up? I just wanted to ask if you noticed anything odd tonight? Or if Mies did?” Elwynn didn’t sound as calm and collected as they normally did, there was a hint of what might have been panic in their voice but Arlan couldn’t be sure. The crackling in the phone line could have been playing tricks on his ears.
“Uh I did. I woke up randomly? Like I had a nightmare but I didn’t, I don’t know about Mies?” As if on cue the prince tugged him into his arms before he spoke up, keeping him close.
“I did as well. Feels like there’s a big magic afoot. Do you know what it’s from?” While Mies sounded unphased by the notion, the suggestion left Arlan surprised and uneasy. Magic wasn't something commonplace here like it was for Mies’ world. At least not big magic that left the hair on his arms raised like it was now.
“No idea. It felt like a tide rolling in. I think it's fading out but just, be on the lookout?” Elwynn didn't sound convinced by their own suggestion but it was better than the alternative that whatever had happened was sticking around. “Are you all okay over there?”
They didn’t ask about Corwin by name but it was clear their question was more about him than anyone else.
“I’m okay, Mies is okay, Corwin is acting a little weird. He’s not answering me? But maybe he’s just really tired.” Saying it out loud just made Arlan worry more, the belief in his theory dwindling quickly.
“Maybe. Keep an eye on him, see if he’s feeling more lively in the morning?” With how strained Elwynn’s voice sounded it was clear they were concerned about him as well but with the fallout of the truth they clearly didn’t feel like they could express that. “Hey Mies, can I chat with you a bit?”
That was a clear signal that they wanted to have a more private conversation than the speakerphone would allow. Arlan peeled himself out of Mies’ arms with a quick kiss to his cheek, nodding as he switched the speaker off, pressing the phone to the fae’s ear correctly. He mouthed his plan to go and get a couple of glasses of water, after their sudden awakening it was likely going to be nearly impossible to get back to sleep. The prince looked grateful, tugging him close for one last kiss before he struck up a conversation with Elwynn.
It was eerily quiet in the rest of the apartment. With his bedroom door closed he couldn’t even really hear the sound of Mies’ conversation, just the hum of a few electronics and appliances. The tap was almost deafening when he turned it on, roaring loudly for a minute or two while he filled up a glass for himself. Downing it quickly he filled it up again, this time just sipping at it slowly, biding his time before he could go back into the room. He only finished his glass about halfway before he filled it up for a third time, grabbing a second glass for his fair prince. Hopefully now he wouldn’t be interrupting whatever they needed to discuss.
The glass wasn’t even half full when the floor behind him creaked just once and the world went dark.
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