"Are you sure I can go through?" Korian asked with a frown, his arms crossed over his chest. "All I'm seeing is my reflection."

Eli shrugged. "I hope so. I was thinking that if I took you through, it would work," he said. It was a bit of an experiment, but there wasn't much else they could do. Through the full-length mirror in Korian's quarters, he could see his empty bedroom, but not himself, as per usual.

It had been longed planned that Korian would come with him to Earth. He had finally told his mother and Kory about him and they wanted to meet him. It was strange, thinking that he was about to have a 'meet the parents' situation, but his boyfriend was from an entirely different realm and was also a mage.

His life was unusual, to say the least, but he was happy. He'd finally graduated high school and was taking a gap year to work and travel, although most of his travelling was to Arumni. His relationship with Korian was good, better than he had expected, given the situation in the realm.

It was slowly getting better each time he visited. Korian and the others maintained it well and the people were happy, it just took time to get everything going again. When he was there, Eli helped as much as he could, but there wasn't much a normal human could do, even if he was the one who saved them.

"Have you got everything?" Eli asked, gesturing to the bag on Korian's back. He hadn't packed much in the way of clothes as Kory had promised to bring some old stuff with him so that Rian didn't stick out. Tunics and waistcoats didn't exactly fit in on Earth.

Korian nodded and adjusted the back on his back. "I'm a little nervous," he whispered and let out a small chuckle.

"So am I," Eli replied. It was one thing to introduce his parents to his boyfriend. It was a whole different thing when his boyfriend was a mage who ran a country in a completely different realm. But even so, it had been his idea and he couldn't exactly go back on it. He grabbed Korian's hand. "Come on."

He'd gotten used to the feeling of passing through the mirror over the last year, and the noise Korian let out as they passed through made him laugh. Anxiety welled in his stomach as his feet landed on the soft carpet of his bedroom and he looked over his shoulder to make sure Korian was still there.

Eli laughed at the bewildered expression on his boyfriend's face. Even just his bedroom looked completely different from anything Korian would have seen before. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Korian didn't reply and strode over to the open window. Outside, cars passed by in silence, weaving between the houses that covered every inch of space. "There's so much," he whispered, his hands pressed against the glass. "There's too much. How do you live like this?"

"It's very cramped," he admitted with a shrug and glanced nervously at the laptop on his desk. He wasn't even going to bother showing that to Korian, it would be far too overwhelming for him. And there was no way he was letting him leave the house.

Korian moved away from the window to stare around the room. Without a glance at Eli, he walked around the small space, hands drifting across each new surface, the walls, his bed, the little odds and ends he had on his desk.

Eli grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop. "Are you alright?" he asked, a frown on his face. "If you get too overwhelmed, we can leave."

It took a long moment for Korian to reply as he stared around the room. "I'm alright for now. There's just... A lot more than I thought there would be," he said. Eli had tried to prepare him, had shown him phones and electricity before, but there was still a lot to take in.

"I think I'm okay for now," Korian said and frowned at the floor. On the bed nearby was a bag of clothes that Kory had left for him. Eli handed them to him, hoping that the simple jeans and shirt wouldn't freak him out too much.

He looked strange in normal clothes, too much like his friend that it almost made him uncomfortable. Sometimes it was weird, dating someone who looked like his best friend, but most of the time, they didn't look anything alike. They were completely different people.

"How do I look?" Korian asked and pulled at the grey shirt.

Eli shrugged. "Weird. I like you better in your normal clothes," he said.

"So do I." Eli let out a laugh and kissed him on the cheek. It would only be for a few hours, then he would have to go back to Arumi.

A knock on the door made them both freeze and slowly it creaked open. Kory's familiar face peeked in and frowned in confusion. Eli gave him a grin and gestured for him to come in, which he did with tentative steps as if he was shy.

"That's surreal," he said and stared at Korian. For the first time, they stood in the same room together and Eli realised just how strange it really was. They would be completely identical if Korian shaved his beard and cut his hair and if Kory got rid of his glasses. They had the same deep voice, it was more than a little weird.

Even so, Korian stuck out his hand, waiting for Kory to take it. He would have been used to it. He and Elias, the Mage, had been friends at one point. "It's nice to meet you," he said and Eli quickly translated. He'd tried to teach him English but found that Korian was nowhere near as good at languages as he was.

Kory grasped his hand nervously, running his eyes up and down the other man. "Yeah, you too," he muttered.

Silence filled the room, uncomfortable and awkward. Eli shuffled and ran his feet against the carpet. "So, is mum home?" he asked, desperate to break the awkwardness.

"Oh, yeah, in the kitchen," Kory replied and crossed his arms over his chest. It was weird, even Eli could admit that, but they would have to get used to it. By the time dinner was done, they would all be used to the fact that Kory and Korian were similar, the would have to be.

He grabbed Korian's hand, gave Kory and shy smile and led them both out of his bedroom. "Think of it like you're identical twins," he said with a shrug. "You're not the same people." He had to repeat the words to Korian in his language and the man just shrugged. He didn't have any issues.

"I know," Kory replied, but he still stared at his lookalike warily.

Eli's mother stood in the kitchen, hunched over the stove with ingredients spread out on the bench next to her. She turned when he heard Eli come in and smiled at the three of them.

"This is Korian," Eli said and gestured to his boyfriend, anxiety fluttering in his stomach.

His mother held out a hand and once again, Korian shook. "It's lovely to meet you! God, you look so much like Kory," she said, a grin on her face. Eli quickly translated and Korian returned the sentiment. "Dinner's nearly ready, have a seat."

And so, ten minutes later, the four of them sat at the table in silence, picking at bowls of pasta. It was more awkward than Eli had expected and he hated it. They were supposed to have a good night where they got to know Korian and made jokes about Eli's childhood and all the normal things people did when they met someone's significant other.

That was all he wanted, a normal meet-the-boyfriend dinner. But of course, that couldn't happen. He was dating a man who looked exactly like his best friend, who didn't have a twin. It was going to be weird and awkward and all manner of things that he didn't want.

He had explained it to his mum and Kory, Arumni and everything that had happened there, but they didn't know how to take it. A whole different realm on the other side of their mirrors, how was anyone supposed to react to that?

Perhaps, even after a year, they still weren't completely ready for Korian and everything that came with him. He had hoped they would be, but from the looks of things, he'd been wrong. Under the table, Korian squeezed his hand and he flashed him a small smile. At least he didn't realise how bad it was all going.

"So, Korian," his mother said and Eli felt a rock sink into his stomach. "Eli says you can do magic."

"Of a sort, yes," Korian answered, speaking slowly so that Eli could translate. It wasn't the worst question she could have asked if he was being honest. "My world has power flowing through all the life there, I can take from it, as long as I give it back. But there is no power here."

"There isn't?" Eli asked when he finished translating, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Korian shook his head. "Not that I can feel. Maybe it's different here," he said. Or maybe there just wasn't any. There were plenty of obvious differences between Arumni and Earth, the lack of magic had always been one.

Eli glanced across the table and frowned at the looks on his mother and Kory's faces. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Haven't you taught him English? Didn't he teach you his language?" his mother asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I've been trying, it's just hard."

At the look of confusion on Rian's face, he quickly translated. The other man lit up for a moment and smiled at the pair on the other side of the table. "I know a little bit," he said.

"Maybe Eli is just a bad teacher," Kory suggested and laughed at the glare Eli shot him. He flicked a piece of pasta at his friend, which only caused him to laugh harder.

His mother cleared her throat. "Eli! Don't flick food! You're an adult, for God's sake!" she scolded.

He rolled his eyes and took a moment to keep Korian up to date on what was going on, pursing his lips and the chuckle he let out. "Don't you start!" he said.

"No, no, laugh at him, he deserves it," Kory said and grinned proudly.

Eli pointed at him with his fork. "I will throw food at you again."

"You will not!"

This, at least, was normal. The bantering was a constant thing whenever Kory came around and Eli was glad that it hadn't let just because there was someone new in the house. Korian looked confused, but there was still a smile on his face. Even though he understood none of it, surely he would be able to tell that it was all a big joke.

With his anxiety lessened, Eli was finally able to eat his dinner with his usual gusto. At one point, Korian complimented his mother's cooking, which Eli had to translate with a mouth full of food. That, of course, resulted in another round of teasing and laughter.

The translating was the worst part and he needed to get better at teaching Korian English. Perhaps Kory was right and he wasn't a very good teacher, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

"Hey," Kory said as he stacked the bowls on the bench. "Why don't I teach your boyfriend English? I do some tutoring, I'm probably a better teacher than you."

Eli frowned. "One: Shut up. Two: wouldn't that be weird for you?" he asked and rolled his eyes when his best friend laughed.

"I have to get used to it at some point, don't I?" he said and shrugged. "You two have been together for a while and I'm sure you're planning on staying together longer. What better way to get to know than to teach him."

Eli's cheeks were hot as he struggled to think of a reply. They liked Korian, approved of him even, and that was amazing. He turned to his boyfriend, a small smile on his face. "Would you like it if Kory taught you how to speak English? He might be better at it than me," he said.

Korian didn't answer him but instead turned to Kory. "Yes," he said in English and smiled. They had different smiles, Rian and Kory, luckily for Eli. He liked Rian's smile.

With that settled, the next few hours passed by in relative peace. Eli translated the entirety of the conversation, which was harder than he had thought it would be, but Korian didn't seem to mind. He sat and listened with a peaceful smile, pressed against Eli on the sofa when they moved into the living room.

His mother and Kory seemed happy, albeit a little awkward, but it couldn't be helped. From the proud smile his mother occasionally flashed him and the jokes Kory shared with Korian, they approved and they got along with him. In time, they would be more comfortable, because Korian wasn't going anywhere, not if Eli had anything to say about it.