video; un - usernamehere

[narcolepsy]

[ the video flickers online on before two wide red eyes fill most of the screen. ]

Oh! My apologies...

[ the camera pans back so a face is visible instead, showing a faint strawberry blonde wearing a fancy, high collared white shirt with a fluffy cravat. he looks a little pale, brows set into a vague frown, and with his bottom lip caught between his front teeth in thought. it looks reddish and like he's been nibbling on it for a while without thinking about it, and here and there there's a flash of small but sharp fangs. ]

Hello, my name is Baein. I was wondering if anyone knows whether people close to you would also get stuck in the time loop and come with you, or if you've found you always arrive alone? If it's possible to meet people you know here?

[ there's a distinct noise of his stomach grumbling and baein curls his arm around it, eyes widening even more before he looks up at the camera again before he takes a breath and straightens as if nothing happened. ]

Anyway, I'm looking for two people like that. They're of faery court and werewolf clan.

Comments

[faeshim]

I know the inn!

[well. he knows an inn, and probably more than one. he'll just run to all of them until he finds baein.

and that's what he does, disappearing from video. the next time baein sees him, it'll be this pink-cheeked version on his doorstep.]

Bae! Bae! It's me!

[narcolepsy]

[ there's no time to reply before daeshim is gone from the call and baein slumps in his seat, trying to process everything he's heard and seen the past few hours. surprisingly, it doesn't feel like it takes all that long before daeshim' suddenly bursts into his room and baein all but jumps, having been too lost in his thoughts to notice, even with his heightened senses. ]

Dae!

[ he gets to his feet to greet him, face breaking into a smile he can't stop because it's daeshim, and the fae's(?) own smile is infectious, and then baein blinks a little in confusion as he looks... down. ]

You're so short— [ it's out before the prince can stop it, but he still slaps a hand to his mouth in regret and mumbles an apology against his fingers. ]

[faeshim]

[daeshim blinks, his smile dropping. he's not insulted - bae could never insult him. he's just thinking.

well, it makes sense that his daeshim is taller, especially if he's a were. he looks down at himself, his brow knitting after he looks back up again.]

I can stretch myself taller, if you'd like me better that way.

[it would take some concentration, and it wouldn't feel too nice. but it's bae.]

[narcolepsy]

[ immediately, baein waves his hands to try and placate the other, shaking his head. ]

No! No no... no, it's fine. I was just surprised. There's nothing wrong with it.

[ neither of them have moved from their respective spot yet, but baein's insides feel like lead the longer they wait. daeshim looks like daeshim, his scent is not the same at surface level but at the core it is exactly like the werewolf baein knows and loves. and the vampire feels a little dizzy with how he can even discern it like this. ]

I'm so glad to see you. Just like this. he wets his lips and swallows, breathes out on a lopsided smile.

[ the prince would like to gather daeshim up in a hug without a second thought, but he cannot. not without asking. would it be strange to ask? probably. ]

You're so different, and yet... the same.

[faeshim]

[daeshim studies him for a few moments longer before nodding. it's true, his bae didn't think anything was wrong with it either, so it's no surprise that this bae is just as accepting.]

You too.

[the fae does step closer then, right up to him. he also wants to hug him, wants to jump and climb him like some kind of magical koala. but he shows some rare restraint, and just reaches out for the other's hand instead.]

Mine.

[narcolepsy]

Ah...

[ baein doesn't think he'd look very much like himself... unless the baein that this daeshim knows happen to be a vampire. he doubts that, very much. daeshim did comment on that he's pale, after all.

and the vampire almost pulls back, but manages to not move when daeshim reaches out for his hand. and he's warm, much unlike the prince himself, and he swallows thickly in anticipation for any reaction the fae might have to that. because baein's body is pretty much as cold as a corpse, and even he can't get used to it sometimes.

but then daeshim stakes a claim, and baein's heart jerks in his chest, despite how still it usually is, because the word is so assured and forward. ]

What...?

[ it makes him feel less lost and alone. ]

[faeshim]

Mine.

[he doesn't look away, doesn't even blink as he repeats the word. baein's hand is indeed cold, but there's warmth in his voice. his eyes are a strange unearthly color, but there's kindness in them. for every way that he differs from the bae that daeshim knew, there is a similarity, something that's more important than the superficial.]

Did I never tell you that before? [he's surprised and maybe just a little amused, one corner of his mouth pulling up into a smile.] Ha! What a tame wolf I must be. Do I just sniff at you from the edge of the forest? I wonder.

[narcolepsy]

[ baein relaxes entirely then, and his fingers curls around daeshim's to gently squeeze his hand. it doesn't matter which version or universe or world he's in, if there's a daeshim, it will be someone baein loves as much as the daeshim he grew up with.

even the little quip is similar, though it's more blunt, forward, and assured. ]

No, you're the captain of the guard. And one of my most important people from when we were children. But even if I say it's all right, I...

[ he looks up and gives daeshim a small, lopsided smile again. ]

I am a prince, and you're not. And it's important to you to honor that, even though it doesn't measure your worth. It could never, and you've always been one of the most important to me, and I would give you the world, if you'd let me.

[ it's more complicated than that, but for now, it's probably the easiest way to describe it. ]

[faeshim]

A fighter?

[daeshim is rarely caught off guard, but that bit of information seems to do it, if only for a moment. he doesn't like violence, it sickens him, brings him back to a moment where everything changed. where he changed.

but when he thinks about it some more...no, not a fighter. a guardian. and that rings true with him. bae's guardian. it makes him reconsider everything that he knows about the werewolf kind.]

Such things do matter to-

[humans, mostly. but even if he's not one himself, he knows he would do everything in his power to protect bae in their eyes. didn't he himself once pretend to be a human child for much the same reason?

he blinks a couple of times before looking back up at him.]

I am not human. It doesn't matter to me. I don't need or want the world, but... [daeshim trails off for a moment, heat and color rising to his cheeks.] A hug would be nice.

[to start.]

[narcolepsy]

[ baein watches how gears seem to turn in daeshim's mind, and how understanding dawns on him, and he's not even surprised. it's daeshim, and if anything, he would understand a different version of himself, right?

and then baein finally gets a reply to the question he hasn't even dared to ask yet. and he smiles, heart shaped and relieved as he inclines his head at the other, fingers shifting to tangle with daeshim's. ]

I... [ his voice cracks a little before he finds it again, and he holds his free arm open. ] I would love a hug too.

[faeshim]

[he wonders if there is ever a baein anywhere who doesn't appreciate a hug, warm and tight and pure. daeshim would like to meet him too, under the belief that he could teach them just how good they are, just as his baein taught him.

he does a little hop before both arms go around him and pull their bodies flush together. almost immediately the coldness feels like it's seeping from the other's body into his, but even that doesn't discourage him.]

I'll hug you every day now, morning and night and anytime in-between. All you have to do is say my name and I'll do it!

[narcolepsy]

[ baein almost expects daeshim to pull back from how baein is almost literally a heat sink. but the fae holds on, and baein all but melts into the embrace, his arms coming around daeshim's shoulders. up close, he smells even more like daeshim, and baein doesn't even stop himself from leaning his face into daeshim's shoulder.

it's only for a second though, before he hitches his breath and just. turns his head around, facing away. it's too much, but he also doesn't want to pull away. daeshim is warm, and a shiver goes through baein's frame for a second. ]

That's a lot of your time... are you sure about that?

[ his voice is small, a little uncertain, but oh so fond, even though he's struggling a little with not trying to curl too close, be too much even for this daeshim who doesn't quite know him yet. doesn't know baein's true nature. ]

[faeshim]

Time is for spending with people you care about.

[before he met baein and jasper, he had all the time in the world. it was a curse. his time for bae's embrace is a fair deal - it's even better than fair. daeshim's definitely getting the better end of it.

daeshim even gives him an extra squeeze, but luckily this isn't strong enough to hurt him. not in this form.]

[narcolepsy]

[ baein just makes a sound of agreement, not sure he'd be able to speak for a second without his voice cracking. ]

I care so much. About you.

[ about jasper. it's more like a whisper, and his voice feels strained against the emotions blocking his windpipe. no matter what universe, baein cares more about them than anything he can think of. ]

You're warm...

[faeshim]

You're not.

[but he doesn't let go, because whether baein is ice cold or scorching to the skin, daeshim still doesn't want to let him go. the fae rests his chin on his shoulder.]

You've been cursed. I'll find a way to reverse it! I will!

[narcolepsy]

[ baein breathes out on a sigh, humming a little. daeshim's words squeezes around his heard and maybe baein curls around the fae a little more, resting his head against daeshim's in turn. ]

You can't. It's okay. It's something I have to live with. I was reckless, and I paid for that.

[faeshim]

If you have to live with it, then we'll live with it together!

[he can hear the surrender in bae's voice, the way he's accepted this as a punishment he doesn't deserve. daeshim knows that he doesn't, because baein was always so kind and...shiny. but shiny people attract dark things, the same way shiny things attract dark birds.]

You can drink from me, every day! I'll be like...like....

[what were those things that his bae used to buy from him...the drinks from the convenience store with the little straws. ah!]

I'll be your juice pouch!

[narcolepsy]

[ baein freezes a little in daeshim's hold before he pulls back enough so he can turn his head to look at the fae, eyes wide. ]

How did you—?

[ how did he know? and how does his words send baein's insides into a curling turmoil of anxiety, hunger and fear all at the same time? not for himself, but for daeshim.

baein has already seen the effects of him drinking from daeshim and jasper. he never wants to see it again. ]

No, no you're Daeshim, you're not a- a thing.

[faeshim]

[daeshim blinks at him a few times, a little unsure of what he's asking him. but the look of near panic in the other's eyes is a big enough clue.]

How could I not? It's you.

[bae. his bae, even if he's not. he would learn everything about him all over again if he's given the chance, starting with this.]

And I know these things. It's an old curse, and few things are older than the Fae.

[even if daeshim is a baby at his 500 or 600 years, he's still part of a collective. or was.]

I want to help you!

[narcolepsy]

Just because it's me? But I'm not... I wasn't— I wasn't trying to show it.

[ his heart would skip a beat if it could move. daeshim can read him no matter what and baein feels as if maybe... it's meant to be no matter what too. as long as he can find daeshim or jasper, he'll be fine. a lump sits a the back of his throat and the prince nods, before he takes in the rest. ]

Fae? Like seelie? Jasper is fae too... I mean... the Jasper I know.

[ it dawns on him then that daeshim really is fae, and baein hadn't even stopped to think about it until now. but one thing he knows for sure, and it's that the last time he drank from daeshim, he almost drained him of blood and killed him. ]

You shouldn't. You can't. It's too dangerous.

[faeshim]

Don't need to see it. [but there was that too, the color of bae's skin (or lack thereof) and the strange tint of his eyes.] Could feel it in your body. The cold.

[no one could be that cold to the touch and still be alive, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. daeshim is only bothered because it seems to bother bae. it also means that violence must've come to him, but he...he doesn't want to think about that.]

Jasper is? [his breath catches and he presses closer again, eyes bright.] Does he have wings? He must! I bet they're beautiful, tell me what they look like!

[narcolepsy]

[ the ancient kind of cold that baein just can't dispel. he shivers a little, and shifts closer again with his head resting on daeshim's shoulder. daeshim happens to press closer a the same time, and the change in topic is a welcome one. baein smiles a little a the fae's excitement. ]

He doesn't have wings, but he's really really beautiful. I suppose Jasper would be no matter where he's from, or what he is. And he wears a lot of pretty clothes and jewels. He's my advisor.

[ he misses him. he misses daeshim too, though it's an odd feeling as he's holding daeshim in his arms right this moment. ]

[faeshim]

[he's a little disappointed - on jasper's behalf, of course. he should have wings.]

He's very beautiful here too. I guess that's one thing they all have in common. We'll try to find him, you and I. Once the sun's gone down and you've drank.

[narcolepsy]

[ drinking comes up again, and baein's gut surges with the hunger pains he's just barely started getting used to. ]

Daeshim, I can't—

[faeshim]

[daeshim catches baein's soft cheeks between his hands and resists the urge to squish them. he holds him steady to look him in the eyes, putting on his most serious expression.]

You'll get very sick if you don't. Might even become like the animals outside the woods who get the fever that drives them mad, makes them attack everything.

[daeshim pulls him closer, eyes nearly crossing as he touches their foreheads together.]

You are what you are and I will never turn you away. You are Baein, who brought me happiness for the first time ever.