Three hours passed before Liam decided it had been long enough. He took a deep breath as his hand reached the door. I have to make sure my magic is under control. If even a little bit slips out, she’s going to know where I am, he reminded himself. After a few more moments of focus, he slowly opened the door to the dark hallway. 

Good, she’s really asleep, Liam confirmed as he tiptoed down the hallway before slipping out the front door. 

The air was crisp, signing that fall would be here at any moment. Soon, the leaves would be turning and covering the ground, crunching under his feet. But tonight, his feet still fell silently as he made his way to Arthur’s house in record time. 

“Arthur, I’m back ,” he called as he dropped into the main hall. By now he knew that Arthur would probably be in his cozy bedroom, reading by the fire. Sure enough, his stark white appearance bathed in the warm firelight greeted him when he turned the corner. His deep red eyes fixed upon the pages as he turned them, too focused to notice Liam’s arrival. Or maybe he did but he couldn’t be bothered to stop his reading. 

Not wanting to disturb him, Liam waited in the doorway, leaning up against the frame. He loved the way his delicate hands held the book. The way his long and slender fingers glided over the pages as they turned. He studied every inch of Arthur’s profile, doing his best to burn it to memory. He never wanted to forget what the man before him looked like. He couldn’t explain why but he felt as though they’d known each other a lifetime and the very thought of living without seeing this man was anguish. 

Liam cleared his throat after savoring the view just a bit longer. His heart froze in his chest when Arthur’s eyes met his own. They stayed there in silence for a long moment before anyone spoke, cutting the tension like a knife. 

“Welcome back, Liam.”

Liam coughed into his hand, being the first to break eye contact. “It’s good to be back,” he replied sheepishly. 

“How did you like the book? Did you find anything useful there?” 

“I didn’t really have time to do any reading,” Liam admitted. “A lot has happened since I left, honestly.”

“Oh? Like what?” 

“Well, for starters, we had to abandon our old home,” he stated flatly, crawling onto the covers next to Arthur. He took a pillow, tucking his arm underneath as he laid his head down. The rich smell of wood and earth filled his lungs as he breathed in the scent of the pillow. He reminds me of the forest after a rain, he thought to himself, unable to stop himself from burrowing his face deep into the fabric. 

“You had to what? Why? What happened?!” Arthur exclaimed, now giving his full attention to Liam.

Liam’s eyes peered out over the pillow before he sat up, still clutching to it like a lifeline. “We had a fight, my mother and I. I found out she’s been hiding a lot of things from me my entire life. I was so furious. She’s treated me like shit ever since I can remember and now she just expects us to be all good after she’s come clean? Hell no!” Liam growled in anger, the gold in his eyes starting to show again. He could feel his blood start to boil again but he didn’t have the will to restrain it right now. He was so exhausted, emotionally and physically. He really was trying his best to be understanding but he couldn’t just let the years of abuse go at the drop of a hat. 

“She said she did everything for my protection but that's bullshit! How was any of that protection? I was hit, I was starved. She never once gave me affection. How the fuck was that for ME? Yeah, I had a bed and a house but I would have rather lived literally anywhere else. I tried to run away but she always found me. I was FORCED to live in that hell hole she created for us as her DOG. Cleaning that fucking pigsty she made for me every day. It was fucking torture! Now, we are supposed to be some happy fucking family? What a fucking joke.” 

Liam tried to steady his shaking hands by gripping one in the other to no avail. He was just too upset. The shock had worn off and now reality was crashing down on him. He was some magical being from a family famous for curing “death”, ironically leading to what would probably be an early death for himself. What shit luck, he laughed to himself as his thoughts spiraled. 

Suddenly, he felt another pair of hands enclose his own. Although they were cold, he felt warmth flowing into his body from them. He looked up to see Arthur’s eyes looking at him tenderly.

“I can’t imagine what any of that was like for you. It must have been excruciating,” Arthur soothed as he poured his magic into Liam to stabilize him, shocked to find that his pool was near empty. 

“Why is your magic so depleted?” Arthur asked, worry straining his voice.

“I had to redo the sigil at the house in the woods. We had to hide there after my magic lashed out during the fight with my mom. I may have put a little too much of myself into it, though. I’m feeling pretty li…” Liam trailed off as he collapsed into the blanks.

“Liam!” Arthur yelled, grasping to protect his head from falling too hard. Panic struck his face as he realized the severity of Liam’s condition. How much life force did he use? He didn’t just use mana like he could have. How did he learn how to use such a powerful spell? He had so many questions but first he needed to stabilize his condition. 

Arthur propped Liam’s head up with a pillow before tucking him into the blankets. By checking his pulse, he confirmed his fears. Liam was hanging on by a thread. It was going to take a lot of effort to bring him back. How foolish he was, almost killing himself over a barrier. 

Sweat dripped down Arthur’s face as he painstakingly circulated and boosted Liam’s internal strength, only taking breaks to make medicine and feed it to his unconscious body. Three days went on like this before Liam finally opened his eyes. 

“You’re awake,” Arthur said sweetly with a sigh of relief. 

“Arthur?” Liam questioned, surveying the room. 

“Yes, I’m here.”

“What happened?”

“You nearly killed yourself reinforcing that sigil, that’s what,” Arthur replied, hardly able to hide the sorrow in his voice. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he continued, pressing his forehead into Liam’s hand that he held in his own. “You’ve been out for three days now. I was starting to worry that you weren’t going to wake up.”

Liam’s eyes fell on the bowls stacked in neat piles next to the bed, then back to Arthur’s sunken eyes. Almost all the red was missing from them now. All that was looking back and him were glassy black stones. “Were you taking care of me?” 

“I was yes, but you aren’t out of the woods yet. You need to stay in bed and rest. Here,” Arthur said, handing him a small bowl, similar to the others piled next to his bed. “Drink this. The medicine is quite bitter but I added a bit of honey to make it go down easier.” 

Liam reached out to receive the bowl with both hands before remembering his mother who had no idea where he went. “I’ve been gone for three days?! My mother is going to lose it! I snuck out in the middle of the night without telling her. She’s going to think I was killed!” he panicked, trying to stand up.

As he tried to get up, Arthur coaxed him back down by the shoulders. “You are in no shape to travel right now. Your condition is severely unstable. I’ll go speak with your mother and let her know that you are here with me.”

“That isn’t going to fly with her. She’s going to think you kidnapped me.”

“She isn’t going to have a choice. You are staying here. I will go to the house and inform her of your condition and that I will be taking care of you. Either that or I don’t go at all and we both stay here until you are recovered.”

Liam exhaled as he rubbed his temples, weighing which option would be for the better. His mom was probably losing her mind at this point but a strange guy walking into the house saying "I have your kid” isn’t going to go over very well either. 

“Okay, you can go talk to my mom but please let her know I’m really okay. She’s not going to be happy and might get a little violent. Please be careful, okay?”

Arthur gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go. “I will be safe, I promise. I’ll do my best to be quick. Try to get some rest, please. I’ll be back before you know it.” And with that, Arthur was out the door.