Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jay was sixteen when he nearly died the first time. 

Okay, maybe he was being a touch dramatic, but it was still a rather traumatising experience, being frozen solid. 

“Woah!” Someone shouted. “Relax, you almost hit Soobin,” he chuckled. 

What about me? Jay wanted to ask, but couldn’t because, well. 

He was frozen. 

“Sorry hyung,” The guy who he assumed hit him winced. 

“Alright, alright, c’mon, I’ll show you again.” The taller boy assured him. “I’m sure it’s basically the same thing.” 

“Yeah, I’m not sure your air magic is helping him control his ice, hyung,” the guy who walked right past Jay mentioned- Soobin, probably. 

“At least I’m trying to be helpful,” the boy rolled his eyes. 

“What would my earth magic do?” Soobin shrugged, sitting beside them. 

The chill from the ice started to seep into his skin. Jay wasn’t sure he had ever been so cold in his entire life. Of course he hadn’t, his father controlled lava, and his mother handled steam, he’d been nothing but warm through the years. But this, this cold felt heavier, deeper, like it was clinging to his very being. His heart rate started to slow, and his lungs struggled against his rib cage, which offered no give. 

Then, the pit of his stomach started to grow hot as his annoyance grew. Who were these guys? Who did they think they were? Messing around with magic they clearly had no control of? They were so concerned about nearly hitting their friend, they paid no mind to the innocent bystander who they actually did hit, who was just trying to get to class. 

This was supposed to be a new school, new him, all his previous troubles and worries left behind in the smouldering remains of Elven Prep. He was lucky that Puck’s agreed to let him enrol. If his mother wasn’t a friend of Head Mistress Titania, he wasn’t sure they would have. He couldn’t afford to mess this up. He had run out of options. 

But along with the familiar heat that came with the anger boiling in his veins, panic started to set in. If he didn’t start warming up soon, he had no doubt he would freeze solid. His mind was getting fuzzy, and his senses were dulling, but he tried to focus his energy. 

He could do this. 

Heat up just enough to melt the ice. Don’t overdo it. No flames. Just warmth. Concentrate. Focus. Control. 

He could do this. 

He co-

“What’s with that guy?” Someone said to his left. “He’s just been standing there for the last five minutes.” 

“Shit,” The loud boy with the air powers cursed. “You didn’t almost hit Soobin, you hit that guy.” 

“I hit someone?” the boy with ice powers sounded horrified, and from the edges of his vision Jay could see him, the air guy and Soobin stand up and rush over. 

Stay back, Jay wanted to tell them. Stay away and shut up so I can focus.

But in front of him, appeared a face that threw him for a loop. Thick eyebrows over dark eyes, moles speckled over his skin and a shock of ice white hair that fell in whisps over his forehead. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he studied Jay, making his cheeks squish out cutely and dimples appear. 

It’s a face Jay would normally admire, if he wasn’t so angry that this was the same face that had tried to freeze him solid. 

“Well, make it stop,” the air-guy told him. 

“I can’t,” the ice-boy shot back. “I have ice magic, I freeze things, I can’t just… unfreeze them.” He said helplessly. 

So back off, Jay wanted to shout. Let me handle this.  

“Should we get a teacher?” Soobin asked. “Someone’s got to have heat magic, right?” He turned towards the class. “Does anyone have heat-related magic?” 

I do! The heat in his stomach grew, and he could feel the ice retreating away from his lungs. Slowly, he was thawing. Just leave me alone!  

“I have tea?” A girl offered. “We could pour that on him to help keep him warm?” 

“That could work,” the air-guy nodded, holding his hand out. 

No, it won’t, Jay could wiggle his fingers now, which was good because he felt like he was vibrating. 

He felt humiliated, dehumanized, and like he was being made a spectacle. He hated this. His hatred and anger only grew as the pretty boy with the moles turned back to him worriedly. 

“We’ll fix this,” he assured him. “The teacher should be here any minute, she can help reverse it.” 

Jay felt the rush of rage burn through him like wildfire, the ice bursting off his skin in a cloud of steam. He barely took a step before scalding tea was poured over his head. 

It was boiling hot, and it would have burned anyone else, frozen or not. They were lucky Jay delt in far worse, intense heats. For him, however, it was nothing short of the most humiliating experience of his life. 

“Oh.” The air-guy said dumbly. “It wore off.” 

That was it. Something sparked in Jay’s nervous system, and anger flooded through him once more. 

“No it didn’t, you moron,” he spat, stepping towards him- he didn’t care that this guy was at least six inches taller than him, he would not be made a fool on his first day. “And pouring boiling water on anyone else would have just given them frostbite. They would have been freezing and wet. Magic like that can only be done by more magic.” 

“Hey, it’s not Yeonjun hyung's fault,” the pretty boy stepped between them, a clear anger in his own eyes at the perceived slight against his friend. “He was just trying to help. If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me, I’m the one who froze you.” 

“Oh, I am,” Jay said, his voice dangerously low as he took a step closer to him. “What kind of dumbass plays around with magic they can’t control?” He snarled. “If I was anyone else, that could have killed me.” 

“We would have figured it out,” the guy snapped back. “The teacher would be here any minute, she would’ve fixed it.” 

That rage was building again, heat coiling in his core. The steam was slowly turning to smoke as he continued to glare at this pretty boy in front of him. 

“You didn’t even think to go get someone,” He pointed out. “I would’ve frozen to death before anyone would have gotten here.” 

“You don’t know that-” 

“I felt it,” Jay cut him off with a humourless laugh. “It was inside, almost at my heart- what are you not understanding about this?” He poked the other’s chest harshly. “If you can’t control your magic, don’t play around with it. It’s as simple as that.” 

“Uh, dude,” the air-guy- Yeonjun, the boy called him -said after a moment. 

“The whole point of this school is to learn how to control your powers,” Pretty Boy gritted his teeth. “You can’t learn if you don’t practice.” 

“Hey, guys,” Soobin tried, but it fell on deaf ears. 

“I fear what your grades are like if that’s the best control you have.” Jay bit out. “And that wasn’t practice, that was reckless and thoughtless.” 

“Who are you to judge me, or my development?” Pretty Boy stepped closer, so close their foreheads were almost touching. 

“Hey, knock it off,” Yeonjun said, his voice slightly panicked. 

“The guy you nearly killed,” Jay seethed, lurching forward, only to be ripped away by small, familiar hands. 

“Jay-ah!” An unfortunately familiar voice scolded him, and Jay deflated immediately in her hold. 

“Shuhua Seonsaengnim,” Pretty Boy blinked, his friends holding his arms to keep him back. “You know this guy?” 

Shuhua rolled her eyes and looked over Jay quickly before frowning. “What happened?” She asked quietly, looking over his stained and singed uniform. 

“Oh you know, almost froze to death on the first day, what else is new?” He rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his words. 

Shuhua frowned further, fussing over his clothes. “I didn’t know you could get cold, and- why do you smell like peppermint?” 

“They threw tea on me.” Jay’s shoulder sagged. “Look, Noona, I appreciate you checking in but-” 

“You’re shaking,” she pointed out. 

Now that she mentioned it, Jay’s knees felt a little unstable. He gripped her shoulder to try and keep his balance. With his anger momentarily forgotten, a chill crawled over his skin. His teeth chattered and he looked at her surprised. 

“I’m cold,” he said, leaning against the desk. 

Shuhua looked puzzled before looking over at Pretty Boy, who looked just as put off as Jay felt. “Sunghoon-ah, come here.” 

Sunghoon, Jay repeated mentally. A nice name for an almost murderer. 

Sunghoon stepped forward, and Jay stepped back. Shuhua shot him a glare. “Stay still. He can fix it.” 

“He did it,” Jay protested. 

“And he can fix it,” She insisted. 

“Seonsaengnim,” Sunghoon said carefully. “I can’t… I can’t unfreeze something.” 

“No, but you can extract your magic,” she waved him over. “Here, take his hand.” 

“Absolutely not,” Jay shook his head. 

“Do you want to feel cold for the rest of your life?” Shuhua snapped, and Jay clamped his mouth shut. She nodded. “That’s what I thought. Now, Sunghoon-ah, his hand.” 

Sunghoon reached forward and pressed their palms together, clasping his hand. In any other scenario, it would almost be like he was helping him up, or like an arm wrestling match. But here, now, they just held on. 

“Reach out with your magic,” she instructed quietly. “He expelled most of it, fire will do that, but there’s still traces in there. Feel for it.” 

Sunghoon’s face fell into a blank mask as he concentrated, staring at their connected hands. “I- I can’t,” he choked out. “It’s too hot, everything feels too hot.” 

“Close your eyes, try again,” Shuhua encouraged him. “Look at him, Sunghoon-ah, he's shivering. If there was nothing left, he wouldn’t be cold. Try again.” 

Sunghoon reached out again, and Jay could feel it this time. Little bits of energy flashing through his veins, through his magic, searching, looking, finding. 

“Jay-ah, you have to let him,” she said quietly. “Let him in, let him look. He won’t hurt you.” 

“But-” Jay started. 

“He won’t hurt you,” she promised, paused and squeezed his shoulder. “And you won’t hurt him, okay? You won’t hurt him. Just let him in. The sooner he finds the magic, the sooner you feel better, okay?” 

Jay sighed and closed his eyes. He focused on where they connected before zeroing in to where he could feel the foreign magic. He wasn’t reaching far enough, Jay could tell. He tried keeping his magic out of the way, but Sunghoon couldn’t seem to get past a certain point. 

“I can feel it,” Sunghoon mumbled. “But I can’t reach it.” 

“You might have to put your hand on his-” 

But Jay was already tugging him forward, pressing their clasped hands to his chest. There. The vantage point was closer this way. Now that he knew what Sunghoon’s magic felt like, he could feel where the pieces inside him were. 

Sunghoon didn’t even seem surprised, moving closer to accommodate it. 

“Oh,” he breathed. 

“You found it?” Shuhua asked quietly. 

Sunghoon hummed. “It’s- it’s by his heart,” he said, his voice shaking a little. “Is that okay?” 

“You just have to be careful,” Shuhua told him. “Hearts are delicate, fickle things.” 

Jay stayed silent, but willed his magic to lax a little bit. He couldn’t do much about the traces aside from just keeping out of Sunghoon’s way, so he tried to focus on that. Distantly, he could hear some gasps from the others in the class, but Shuhua shushed them immediately. 

“Foucs Sunghoon-ah,” she said gently. “Be careful with his heart.” 

Sunghoon was tentative, shy, and clearly out of his element with this, but Jay could feel him slowly collecting the leftover magic. He relaxed as his body started readjusting, which only seemed to make Sunghoon hiss. 

“Hold the heat back,” Shuhua instructed Jay. “It’s foreign magic but it’s not going to hurt you. Sunghoon isn’t going to hurt you. He’s helping you. Convince your fire that this isn’t invasive.” She encouraged him. 

Jay took a deep breath and held his fire at bay long enough for Sunghoon to extract everything he could before exhaling as Sunghoon’s magic quickly but carefully retreated from his system. 

There was a drop on Jay’s forehead. Then another. Then, a downpour as he and Sunghoon sat there, still hand in hand and panting for air. 

“Woah,” Yeonjun said quietly. 

“Hot and cold air will do that sometimes,” Shuhua said, waving her hand. “I have a feeling we’ll have to get used to that.” 

The downpour slowly came to a stop, but that didn’t help either of them, standing there drenched from the rain they caused in the classroom. Shuhua was perfectly dry despite her close proximity to them, which was so typical of her, and Jay let the heat he had been holding back rush through his body enough to evaporate a majority of the water off his skin. Sunghoon was still soaked, but Jay considered that it was possible he could warm the other up just enough to at least make it comfortable for him. He supposed he sort of owed it to him, for getting the fragments out of his body. 

Fragments he put in there in the first place, of course. Because he was an idiot who couldn’t stop playing around with his magic for five minutes-

“You can let go now.” Sunghoon said flatly, tugging at his hand. 

Jay released him immediately and scowled. Fine, let the jerk be wet all day, see if he cared. 

“Alright, well, that was fun,” Shuhua said brightly, brushing off her shoulder. “Both of you to the Head Mistress’ office now. Off you go,” she waved them off. 

“What?” Jay blinked in surprise. “But, Noona-” 

“You both used magic against another student. Intentional or not, it needs to be reported.” She did look apologetic. “I’m sorry Jay-ah. She’s extra strict, given your history.” 

“But- but I didn’t use my magic against another student,” Jay protested, his eyes wide. “Noona, please-” 

She reached over and moved Sunghoon’s jacket out of the way to reveal a singe mark just over the pocket of his dress shirt on the left hand side. Jay’s eyes widened- it had been where he had poked him earlier. 

“Noona…” he said quietly, looking at her. 

“It’ll be alright,” She nodded. “Off you go, both of you now.” She shooed them out of the classroom and down the hall, before they could hear her giving directions to start cleaning up. 

They walked down the hall in silence. Jay was stewing in his own anger the whole way. But also his frustration, his embarrassment of the whole thing. This random pretty boy in his class nearly killed him, antagonized him for being pissed about almost dying, and then had to magically reach inside him to retrieve the bits of magic Jay couldn’t just burn away. 

It was his first day, his first period, and he was already getting in trouble. 

His mother is going to be pissed when she finds out. 

“Why do you call Shuhua Seonsaengnim ‘Noona’?” Sunghoon spoke up after a minute. 

“She’s a family friend,” Jay grunted, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

That was easier than explaining that she had been his senior assigned to him as a freshman at Elven Prep, because then he had to explain why he wasn’t attending Elven Prep anymore, and that was a headache all on its own. 

“So you have fire magic?” Sunghoon tried. “I heard that’s pretty rare these days.” 

Jay didn’t dignify that with a response. Fire wielders were always seen as dangerous, and often got shoved out of society by force. He only got to stick around because of his family's status. He was under no false pretences; if his parents were any less important, he would be rotting in a cell for what he did at Elven Prep. 

“What’s your problem?” Sunghoon snapped. 

Jay looked at him incredulously. “I’m sorry I’m not feeling super chatty with the guy that almost killed me twenty minutes ago.” He snapped. 

“I said I was sorry!” Sunghoon snapped back. 

“You didn’t, actually!” Jay retorted. “You were too busy getting pissed off that I was pissed off.” He waved his hands around. “You saw yourself how close it got to my heart! But all you could do was try and cover your own ass!” 

Sunghoon froze and stared at him. He opened his mouth, only for a large oak door to open, cutting them both off. 

“Gentleman,” Head Mistress Titania said, looking between them disapprovingly. “Please, come inside. I hear we have much to discuss.” 

Jay stormed inside and threw himself into one of the chairs, crossing his arms and slumping down in the seat. 

“Jongseong,” the Head Mistress scolded him. “You are in no position to be this upset. You are both at fault here.” 

“But-!” Jay shot up. 

She held her hand up, and Sunghoon sat in the seat next to him, looking between them nervously. 

“Now, Sunghoon,” She turned towards him once she took her own seat. “Why don’t you tell me what happened, from the very beginning.” 

Jay couldn’t believe his ears. He had nearly been frozen solid and Sunghoon was the one who got to tell the story? 

His ears burned and he looked down at his feet. Horrifyingly, he could feel his throat tightening and tears pressing at the back of his eyes. He was a good student. He turned all his work in on time, he stayed behind to help the teachers after class, he got good grades and helped other students when he could. He was a good student. 

He just… he just had too much power. Too many emotions. He couldn’t always control it. That wasn’t his fault. He swore he was a good kid. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. 

He swallowed thickly and squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Yeonjun hyung was teaching me some techniques,” Sunghoon said slowly. “They’re not the same, but he has air magic, and I have ice magic, so they’re close enough. We were trying to make it snow a little bit.” 

“I see. So what happened then?” The Head Mistress asked. 

“My ice went out of control, and it hit Jay. We didn’t realise it hit him until he was nearly frozen. We tried to help, one of the girls in our class gave us her tea to try and warm him up until Shuhua Seonsaengnim arrived, but we didn’t know he had fire magic. So by the time we got the tea, he had thawed out and so they sort of poured tea over his head.” He winced. “Head Mistress, I- it was my fault, really. I shouldn’t have been playing around with my ice in the first place. We even thought it almost hit one of my friends, and he doesn’t have fire powers, so he might have actually…” Sunghoon trailed off. “He had every right to be upset with us. I’m sorry it got out of control.” 

“Jongseong knows that as a fire user, he needs to keep his emotions in check. It becomes dangerous if he doesn’t.” She said, sending a look at Jay. “I heard he burned you.” 

“Barely singed my shirt,” Sunghoon assured her. “I caused far more damage, I’m sure. Shuhua Seonsaengnim had to teach me to use my magic to reach inside him to extract the remnants.” He seemed to hesitate. “It almost hit his heart, Head Mistress. Please. He isn’t to blame.” 

The Head Mistress sighed and looked between them, before fixing her gaze on Jay. “This is a fresh start for you, Jongseong. A new beginning. I am taking a chance on you here because your mother asked me to. Don’t make me regret it.” 

“Yes ma’am.” Jay whispered. 

She sighed again and leaned back in her chair. “Well, I don’t see the need to give anymore punishment when you two have clearly gone through enough of an ordeal already. I hope you both learned something from this.” She waved her hand. “I will excuse you from the rest of your morning classes so you may return to your rooms and clean up. Please rejoin your classmates for the afternoon. You are dismissed.” 

“Thank you, Head Mistress,” Sunghoon said, standing and bowing. 

“Thank you,” Jay said quietly, bowing with him and heading for the door, trailing after Sunghoon. 

“Jongseong,” she called after him, and Jay stopped, turning back to her. “Remember what I said. I don’t want to hear about any more incidents, understand?” 

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded and left shortly after. 

Sunghoon had waited for him outside, shifting from foot to foot before falling into step with him, heading down the hall towards the dormitories. 

Jay hoped he wasn’t about to ask him about what the Head Mistress had said. He didn’t want to deal with that now. He was still sticky from the tea, and damp overall, and he could feel his hair becoming a tangled mess. He could barely focus enough to weave through the vaulted ceilings with grand and detailed stonework. Paintings and sculptures lined the walls, and Jay would almost be impressed if he wasn’t so downtrodden. 

“For what it’s worth,” Sunghoon said quietly. “I am sorry. About the whole thing.” 

Jay casted a wary look at him, eying him suspiciously. “Don’t expect me to apologise back,” He grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“I won’t.” Sunghoon said, and they fell silent. 

They continued the walk together, quiet as a thick and heavy tension settled between them. It was uncomfortable, and Jay nearly gagged on the whole thing, but he didn’t want to break it. He focused on his breathing instead, trying to keep everything under control. 

But Sunghoon kept following him, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Outside, sure, that’s the way to the dorms. 

Into the same dorm building, fine, they were both elemental magic users, so it made sense. 

The same floor? He had to see this prick every single day? Fine, whatever, he would see him in class anyway. 

But he had enough when he stopped outside his room, 28, and Sunghoon stopped with him. 

“You don’t have to walk me to my dorm you know,” Jay bit out. 

“Your dorm? This is my dorm,” Sunghoon told him, clearly surprised. 

There was no way. 

Jay unlocked the door and, sure enough, his stuff had been moved in, onto the bed on the right. On the left, was a bed already made and set up, a few trinkets already out on display as it was made clear the occupant had lived here for a while. 

“You have got to be kidding me.” Jay said with an echo to his voice, and he turned to Sunghoon, surprised that they had spoken at the same time. 

Then, it was war. 

They shouldered at each other until they fell through the doorway, scrambling over to their respective sides before booking it for the single bathroom off to the side.

“I should shower first,” Jay argued, standing his ground. “I had tea poured on me!” 

“It’s my room, I should shower first!” Sunghoon protested, trying to push him out of the doorway. 

“It’s our room now,” Jay reminded him. 

“Not until today it wasn’t,” Sunghoon grunted. 

“You almost killed me today, and you won’t let me shower first?” Jay asked him incredulously. 

“I took the fall with the Head Mistress!” Sunghoon pointed out. “I didn’t tell her about any of what you said, or how you basically threatened a student-” 

“I didn’t!” Jay’s anger spiked, but there was a tinge of desperation that climbed into his voice. “I didn’t threaten anyone, I’m not a threat!” 

Sunghoon stopped pushing, but the lack of resistance knocked them both over and onto their butts. Jay hung his head trying to focus on his breathing. He willed his heart to calm down as he dug his nails into his palms. He could hear the rustling of Sunghoon getting up, and realised miserably that the door was wide open. Sunghoon would go and have his shower and Jay would be stuck like this for however long it took the other boy to clean up and-

Cool fingers ghosted along his jaw and he jerked back in surprise. His poor heart rate he had been trying so hard to calm spiked all over again as he stared at Sunghoon with wide eyes. The Ice user had crawled over to him on his hands and knees, with one hand outstretched towards him, with big, searching eyes. 

“What are you doing?” Jay whispered, unable to look away. 

“You- your emotions,” Sunghoon faltered. “You were breathing, right? To calm down?” He hesitated. “But you were all curled in on yourself. You can’t breathe properly that way, you’re crushing your lungs.” 

Oh. 

Jay slowly came out of his shell, straightening up a little and letting his legs come out. Sunghoon reached for him again, and Jay tried not to flinch away. 

“I won’t hurt you,” He told him quietly. 

“That’s not…” Jay trailed off, his throat closing up. 

Sunghoon studied him for a moment. “You won’t hurt me,” He said finally, reaching for him again to manually unfurl his fists. 

He pressed Jay’s hand against his chest and held it there so Jay could feel his own heartbeat thrum beneath his palm. 

“Breathe,” He instructed. 

Jay followed his instructions. Breathe. Hold. Release. Hold. Repeat. 

He could feel his heartbeat slow down, and after a few minutes he felt in control again. Sunghoon started to pull away, and Jay let him despite the fact that he didn’t really want to. 

“You can shower first,” Sunghoon said finally, getting up and heading over to his desk. “I did almost kill you today, it’s only fair.” He shrugged and threw himself into his chair, turning away from Jay. “Just don’t use all the hot water.” 

He scrambled up and gathered his things, disappearing into the bathroom. He undressed and stepped under the stream before Sunghoon could change his mind. 

That guy was very, very confusing. 

Jay didn’t like it one bit. 

-

“Jay-ah,” Shuhua greeted when Jay walked into her classroom after school. “All clean I see.” 

“I can’t believe you reported me to the Head Mistress,” he frowned, sitting on one of the desks at the front. 

“I had to,” she sighed, setting her pen down. “I can’t go around showing favouritism like that.” 

Jay sighed in return. He knew that, truly, but it didn’t suck any less. 

“Did you get in trouble?” She asked curiously. 

“Not directly,” Jay looked up at the ceiling. “Sunghoon told her it was all his fault, and that my anger was justified. She kept saying how I had to keep myself in check and that she didn’t want to hear about any more incidents. Then she sent us to the dorms where I found out he was my roommate,” he groaned. “Noona, what am I supposed to do?” 

“Get along with him?” She raised her eyebrow. 

“He almost killed me!” Jay protested. 

Nevermind that he had extracted the lingering magic from his system, or told the Head Mistress Jay had no blame in the situation and helped him breathe better before letting him shower first- 

“Jay-ah,” she said carefully. “Rooming with Sunghoon was my idea.” 

“Wait, what?” His gaze shot to her, and he almost fell off the desk in surprise. 

She stood up and came around her desk, leaning against it. “Starting tomorrow, I’m going to be taking you both on for personal training.” She told him. “I think both of you training and honing your magic side by side without any distractions would be useful for both of you, if only for practical purposes. Like he can put out any fires, and you can melt any ice. But Jay-ah,” she seemed to struggle for a minute before finally settling on something. “I think you two can help each other.” 

“I don’t know if this is a good idea, Noona…” Jay trailed off. 

“It’s your last chance, Jay-ah. There’s no more do-overs after this,” she reminded him gently. “Sunghoon’s a good kid. He’s usually very quiet, and he’s gifted but…” she trailed off. 

Jay thought about how he was when he was reaching in with his magic. He seemed jumpy, nervous. Now that he wasn’t seething with anger, he could remember how panicked he seemed when Yeonjun suggested that Sunghoon be the one to do something. How he couldn’t stop something he accidentally started. 

“Scared.” Jay finished, slumping forward. 

“Having larger, more powerful magic just means it’s more difficult to control. It takes more time, effort and energy.” She said pointedly. “I’m sure you can relate.” 

Jay sighed and rubbed his temples. “Fine! Fine, I’ll try to get along with Pretty Boy. But if he freezes me again, I’m out.” He said firmly, crossing his arms. 

“We’ll figure it out, Jay-ah. I promise.” She nodded in understanding before smirking. “Pretty Boy, huh?” 

Jay blushed from his neck to the tips of his ears. “I have homework.” He grumbled, turning on his heel. 

“Be in the West Wing tomorrow, seven a.m!” She called after him. “Tell Sunghoon please!” 

“I will,” Jay tossed over his shoulder and headed back towards the dormitory. 

He kicked a little rock along the pathway. It really was a beautiful place, all things considered. The school itself had been an old, abandoned cathedral that they warped and built upon with layers and centuries of magic, before opening it up for any Fae or Elf who needed to learn to harness their full potential. They would go on to work for the Tooth Fairy, or Santa, or Father Time afterwards. There were other fields, of course, but those were considered the best ones. 

The path back to the dorms was lined with willow trees, creating a natural barrier from the sun. 

Even the paths want to escape the heat here, he thought miserably. 

About half way down there was a little bridge over a creek, where he could see a troll napping beneath. He lazily opened his eyes when he saw Jay approaching, before going back to sleep. 

From what Shuhua had told him, the bridge troll was meant to keep any outsiders out of the dorms, and keep wandering students from sneaking out after curfew. He was a cute, little thing, and Jay wasn’t sure he had much confidence in him to actually do anything, but he hoped he never had to find out. 

He wandered into his dormitory and climbed to the second floor. Much like the school, the halls were lined with paintings and sculptures, only these ones were labelled to show they were done by students who had lived here before. These were all done by the elemental magic users, which was Jay’s sector, but he imagined the other dorms with other magic and non-magic users had their own art displayed. 

He stopped outside his door when he heard voices from inside. 

“So that guy is your roommate?” A vaguely familiar voice asked- Yeonjun, he thought his name was. “Yikes.” 

“It’s not so bad,” Sunghoon said. “All he really does is ignore me at this point.” 

“Still, what if he holds a grudge?” The other guy, Soobin, pointed out. “Isn’t it risky for him to room with you?” 

“Not really,” Sunghoon sounded bored. “Look, I’m not saying he’s going to win roommate of the year or anything, but he sort of had a point. I get why he was pissed.” 

“But it was an accident!” Yeonjun protested. “You didn’t mean to do it!” 

“You were there, hyung. When I had to go in and get that magic out of his system, I could feel how close to his heart it got. It was really dangerous.” And now he just sounded tired. “Look, I don’t see why you’re making a big deal about it when I’m the one stuck with Mr. Heat Blister as a roommate. Like I said, he’s probably just going to ignore me, so it doesn’t really matter.” 

Mr. Heat Blister? Jay thought, appalled. My nickname for you is Pretty Boy and I get Mr. Heat Blister?

Jay sort of understood that he was being a little weird right now, listening in to the conversation like this. But then again, he was the topic of conversation. So he felt he had a right to know. 

“Speaking of Heat Blister,” Soobin said quietly. “How’s your chest?” 

His chest? 

“It’s not really painful any more, I just have to be careful.” Sunghoon said. “It’s not a big deal, really.”

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell the Head Mistress he burned you.” Yeonjun scoffed. 

“I was under the impression that trouble for him gets escalated quickly.” Sunghoon faltered. “Look, I sort of owed him for almost killing him. He kind of pointed out on the walk over that I didn’t even really apologise so… it’s not a big deal.” 

Jay had enough. He swallowed and opened the door casually, like he hadn’t been listening in the whole time. 

“You’re here,” Yeonjun yelped, staring at him, bug eyed. 

Jay blinked in surprise. “It’s my room?” He said slowly. “I should be saying that to you.” 

“It’s Sunghoonie’s room too, he’s allowed to have friends over.” Yeonjun shot him a glare. 

Jay sighed. “Never said he couldn’t,” he said, exhaustion clinging to him. “I’m gonna wash up, if that’s okay?” He directed the comment to Sunghoon, who was looking between Yeonjun and Jay worriedly. 

“Huh?” He looked at Jay fully. “Yeah, sure, go ahead. I’m trying to do homework anyway.” 

Jay nodded, gathered his things to change out of the school uniform, and headed inside. 

He deliberately took his time, not really wanting to deal with all that outside the door. He washed his face, brushed his teeth and changed before doing some light skin care. Finally, he looked into his little bag at the burn ointment staring back at him. 

When his powers first manifested, he burned himself all the time, so it became a habit to carry the ointment around. It was a family recipe, specifically designed for fire and other heat users, so it worked well. As he grew older, his powers stabilised to the point where he had become naturally heat resistant. He just kept the cream with him out of habit. 

He grabbed it after a long moment of deliberation and stepped out, only to see Sunghoon alone again, working on homework 

“Here,” Jay set it beside him quickly. 

“What’s this?” Sunghoon looked at it, clearly surprised but at least he didn’t seem worried. 

“Burn ointment,” Jay looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s designed with fire magic users in mind.” 

A beat of silence. 

“You heard us.” Sunghoon said quietly.  

It wasn’t a question. 

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he started quickly, still not looking at him. 

“You just heard a bunch of guys talking about you and didn’t want to walk into the middle of it,” Sunghoon sighed. “Look, they’re good guys, really. Yeonjun hyung’s just protective, that’s all.” Another beat. “And I meant what I said. I get why you were pissed, you had every right to be. They might not see that, but I do. I meant what I said in the hall too- I really am sorry.” 

“I’m sorry too,” Jay breathed out, finally looking at him. “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that.” 

“It’s alright,” Sunghoon assured him. “Like I said, I understood.” 

A third beat. 

“And thank you.” Jay added. “For what you did in the office.” 

“Can I ask about it?” Sunghoon ventured carefully, testing the waters of their new found truce. “Why she’s so…” 

Jay shook his head. “I’d rather not get into it.” He said quietly. “Just… thanks. Especially since I…” his gaze caught the spot on his chest. 

“You didn’t do it on purpose,” Sunghoon shook his head. 

“Hurting someone by accident is still hurting someone.” Jay whispered. 

“A little blister is nowhere near as serious as nearly freezing someone solid,” Sunghoon pointed out. “But if you’re really upset about it, how about we just call it even?” 

“Even?” Jay looked up at him surprised. 

Sunghoon studied him for a long moment, his eyes drifting over to the area by the bathroom where he had pulled Jay out, essentially, a panic attack and back to him. “Yeah. We can call it even, if you’d like. Shuhua Seonsaengnim said she’s taking us on as her sole students for the rest of the year. We could start that on a clean slate, if you’d like.” 

Jay took a deep breath and nodded once, holding his hand out. “My name is Jongseong. My friends call me Jay.” He hesitated. “So, you can call me Jay.” 

Sunghoon offered him a small, shy smile before shaking his hand. “I’m Sunghoon. It’s nice to meet you.”

It was the beginning of something neither of them were prepared for. 

---

Jay was eighteen when he almost died the second time. 

“This was a really bad idea,” Sunghoon observed, looking up at him. 

“You don’t say?” Jay said sarcastically, trying to keep his hold on the beam. “Are you going to do something to help me, Icicle or are you just going to stand there?” 

“Hold on, I’m thinking,” Sunghoon waved him off, looking around. “Should I call Noona?” 

“No! Don’t call her!” Jay protested.

Sunghoon hummed. Jay wished he was a little more panicked. Though, Sunghoon wasn’t the one dangling from the support beam of the observatory, so he supposed he could afford to be a little more relaxed. 

“This was a really, really bad idea.” Sunghoon repeated, looking up at him. 

“It’s crazy how helpful you’re being right now, Hoon,” Jay scowled back down at him. “Any other obvious observations you wanna make, or are you going to help me?” 

“We probably should have called Yeonjun hyung,” Sunghoon said. “The air magic would’ve been better equipped for this.” 

Jay gritted his teeth and tried to adjust his grip. “Sunghoon-ah, please,” he begged, his arms shaking. “I can’t hold on for much longer.” 

“Okay, okay,” Sunghoon paced around the room before landing beneath him. “Let go.” He instructed. 

“What?” Jay yelped. “Are you out of your mind?”  

“No, just trust me,” Sunghoon insisted. “Let go.”

“I’ll fall!” Jay protested. 

“I’ll catch you,” Sunghoon insisted. 

“What?” Jay tried to stare at him. 

But Sunghoon had that determined look on his face and Jay sighed. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “If I die, I’m coming back to haunt your ass for eternity, understand?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” Sunghoon scoffed. “Just let go, I’ll catch you. I promise.” 

Jay sighed again, louder, before he let go of the beam. He was falling freely through the air for a second before he was caught by a sheet of ice. The impact knocked the breath out of his lungs, and his back was in pain, but he wasn’t dead so he called it a win. He slid all the way down, and collided with a body at the bottom. 

They both oomphed in unison as Jay tried to catch his breath from where he was sprawled out on top of Sunghoon, who had cushioned his fall. 

“I told you I’d catch you,” Sunghoon groaned from beneath him, hands holding his sides. 

“Thanks,” Jay grunted, resting his forehead on his shoulder until he could inhale properly again. 

“What are you two doing?” 

They both looked towards the door where Shuhua was standing, blinking at them surprised. They were a tangle of limbs on the floor, and while Sunghoon wasn’t rushing him to get off, seemingly understanding that he was struggling, Jay felt awkward at being caught. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really move yet without being in pain, so they were sort of stuck for the moment. 

Her gaze then turned up to the makeshift ice slide, tracing it with her eyes incredulously before turning back to them with renewed concern and bafflement. “Seriously, what are you two doing?” 

Jay sat up with the help of Sunghoon, dragged himself off him and plopped down. He had abandoned his blazer and had his sleeves rolled up already, but he loosened his tie and looked up at what their target had been. 

“There’s a bird's nest up there,” he explained. “We heard they were sending pest control in to get rid of it, so we wanted to move it before they got here so the birds could live.” 

Shuhua softened. “Aish, you boys,” she tutted and shook her head. “Alright, Sunghoon, open the windows. Jay, melt this monstrosity. Once the steams cleared up, we’ll help the birds.” 

The boys set to work, though a little slower than usually after their crash. Sunghoon opened all the windows, including the observatory cover so the steam would escape easily, and Jay set to work melting the slide. 

“Your work is getting better, Sunghoon,” she praised. “It’s more detailed now.” 

“It was a pretty simple shape,” Sunghoon dismissed it shyly. “But thank you.” 

“Still, I’m impressed,” she turned back to Jay curiously. “And you seem to be better at containing and honing your fire. You’re melting that pretty quick.” 

“Learned from the best,” Jay shot her a smile over his shoulder before he returned his focus to melting the ice. 

He winced before there were hands on his shoulders, kneading the muscles there. 

 “Are you still in pain?” Sunghoon asked, wincing in sympathy. “I should’ve made the landing softer, sorry.” 

 “You worked with what you had,” Jay closed his eyes for a minute and let himself relax a little more. “Thanks for catching me.” 

 “I’ll always catch you.” Sunghoon mumbled, though Jay wasn’t sure it was something he was meant to hear, based on how he cleared his throat and pulled away after. 

 His cheeks burned, and he was glad he had the convenient excuse of the steam. Sunghoon was like that sometimes. He would say something sweet or soft or fond, but it was always very quiet, like they were inside thoughts that escaped. 

 Jay never called him on it. He didn’t understand why he was so shy about it, though. Ever since Jay started at this school, aside from the disastrous first day, they had established a bond that only grew through their time here. It was strong, unbreakable. Jay cherished it. 

Shuhua wasn’t super helpful about the whole thing either, always making innuendos, or suggesting things that definitely weren’t true. She was always insinuating they acted like an old married couple, which always made Sunghoon shy and awkward around him.

Yeah, as if Ice Prince Sunghoon would settle for a walking hazard like him. 

 Eventually, he got the ice all melted and the floor dry, and Shuhua helped them get the nest down and relocate it outside. As Jay carefully placed the nest in the branches, Shuhua took a deep breath.  

“I have to ask you two something,” she said. 

 Jay climbed down from the tree and stood next to Sunghoon. They exchanged glances curiously before looking back at her. 

 “As you two may know, I’m not teaching at Puck’s next year,” she said carefully. “It’s time for me to claim my own domain.” 

 “Your own domain?” Sunghoon’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing, Noona. Congratulations.” 

 Jay was astounded but not necessarily surprised. Once someone became powerful enough, sometimes the world had to adjust to accommodate the magic they possessed. It was more prevalent if they became known amongst humans. Jay had been hearing the whispers of Mother Nature for a while now, drifting up from the human world to the halls of Puck’s. Given Shuhua’s knack with plants, animals and most elemental magics, he knew it was only a matter of time before her own domain appeared. Jay thought Shuhua was one of the most powerful people he had ever met, and he couldn’t wait to see what this meant for her. 

She nodded once and looked between them. “I’m not sure what your plans are after graduation, but…” she held her hands out to both of them. “I hope you will both consider coming to work with me.” 

“Really?” Sunghoon lit up. “You mean it? You want us?”  

“I’ll admit, the idea of taking over my own domain is a little terrifying,” she confessed. “But having two people I trust by my side might make it a little easier.” 

“Of course we’ll help you,” Sunghoon agreed, taking Shuhua’s hand without a second thought. 

Jay hesitated. He looked at Shuhua’s outstretched hand worriedly, then up at the bird's nest she saved. He couldn’t even handle that, how was he supposed to help run a whole domain? Sure he wouldn’t be doing it alone, but having him involved at all felt like it was a recipe for disaster. 

He ruined everything he touched. It was only a matter of time. 

“Jay-ah?” Sunghoon said, looking back at him. “You’ll do it, won’t you?”

Jay stared at him, blinking a few times. He looked so bright, so hopeful. Like he didn’t know yet that Jay would somehow break it, break them. He wanted Jay to join them, even if it meant their own demise. 

He wanted to tell Sunghoon that he should take the offer and they should both get very far away from him. It was only a matter of time before he would explode and destroy something. 

But Sunghoon reached his hand out too, and he was looking at him in a way that warmed Jay’s chest without ever sparking his magic. Before he knew it, Jay’s hand was in his, and Sunghoon was pulling him closer. 

“Of course,” he found himself saying, because above everything else, there was one universal truth when it came to him and Sunghoon-

I would follow you anywhere you asked me to go. 

He looked back at Shuhua and held her hand too, offering a small smile. “We’re on your side, Noona.” 

Shuhua smiled shyly in return, squeezing their hands. “Thank you boys,” she sighed. “Alright, shall we practice?”  

They both nodded and she dropped their hands, turning and heading back to the school. 

It took a moment for Jay to realise he was still holding Sunghoon’s hand, and another moment entirely for him to realise he should probably let go. 

He loosened his grip, and Sunghoon’s tightened briefly in response before he let go without looking at him.  

Together, they headed back to the school. 

---

Jay was twenty when he nearly died the third time. 

He yelped and ducked as a plate soared towards his head, the ceramic shattering on the wall behind him. 

“How did you manage to piss off woodland sprites?” Jay shouted, diving under the table as a series of mugs rained down on him. 

“I don’t know!” Sunghoon protested. “I didn’t do it on purpose!” 

“They are arguably the most relaxed sprites too,” Jay added. “Truly, you have a talent.” 

“Stop,” Sunghoon whined in complaint. “Noona’s going to be pissed her kitchen is wrecked.” 

“She’ll be even more pissed that you messed with the woodland sprites,” Jay pointed out. 

“I didn’t mess with them!” Sunghoon said, diving beneath the table with him, covering his head. 

At least this wasn’t Jay’s fault this time, he was only guilty by association. He automatically reached over, pulling Sunghoon to him and covering his neck and head. He tried shielding him as best as he could as the oak top table continued to be assaulted. 

“If you didn’t mess with them, how’d we end up with a bunch of woodland sprites in our kitchen?” He hissed. 

“There was an Evergreen nymph,” Sunghoon jolted at a particularly large bang on the table, and a clear sound of wood splintering. “Clearly, she doesn’t take rejection well.” 

“Rejection?” Jay looked down at him surprised. 

There was an Evergreen nymph? One that liked Sunghoon enough to be this upset when he rejected her? 

He rejected her?  

“I told her multiple times I was there on official Mother Nature business, but she had other plans.” Sunghoon winced. “What are we supposed to do?” 

Jay was trying to keep his head straight, but his mind kept drifting back to the idea that Sunghoon had charmed a nymph to this extent. Nymphs were notoriously difficult to enamour, especially considering they used to be pursued by gods. Did that mean she thought Sunghoon was godlike? Or better than a god? 

Jay wouldn’t blame her. He was always popular in school- boys, girls and anyone in between fell for Sunghoon easily. He was routinely fielding confessions and turning other students down with his shy, careful smile. 

Sunghoon was the type of beauty that made Jay understand exactly why the Trojan War started. If it wouldn’t immediately get them both killed, Jay would even venture to say he was more beautiful than a certain Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty. 

Though if Aphrodite met Sunghoon, he was sure she would agree. 

“Jay-ah,” Sunghoon shook his arm as another large slam hit the top of the table. “What are we going to do?” 

Jay shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts away. “Right, okay,” he took a deep breath. “I’ll distract them, you run away.” He nodded. 

“What?” Sunghoon looked at him strangely. “That’s your plan? Are you insane?” 

“She’s after you, Pretty Boy. Once you’re out of sight, they’ll probably stop.” Jay pointed out. 

“Pretty Boy?” Sunghoon repeated, blinking at him incredulously. 

Whoops, Jay winced internally. I haven’t called him Pretty Boy since our first year under Shuhua, and definitely never to his face. 

“It’s the only plan we’ve got,” Jay said. “We can’t hurt them with ice or fire, because we’ll risk ruining all the agreements Noona’s established with other tree spirits.” 

Sunghoon sighed and nodded, his head hanging in defeat. From this close, where Jay was on top of him, protecting him as best he could, he could smell his shampoo and cologne- 

He pushed those thoughts far out of his head and cleared his throat. “On the count of three, okay? 1… 2… 3!” 

He pushed Sunghoon in one direction while running the other way. “Hey, look at me, over here!” He shouted, lighting his fingers up just enough to be a proper distraction, when there was a clatter near the kitchen entrance that snuffed them out. 

“What’s going on?” Shuhua looked around the kitchen, clearly appalled. 

“It’s not what it looks like,” Jay said, breathing heavily from the exertion. 

“What it looks like is a couple of woodland sprites attacking my apprentices in my domain,” she glared, her eyes flashing green.

“Oh, shit,” Jay and Sunghoon whispered at the same time. 

Even the sprites seemed put out, hovering midair with their large ears downturned like berated pups. Their big bug-like eyes stayed trained on Shuhua in her green blouse and long brown skirt that brushed the floors as she walked towards them. 

“Sunghoon, there,” she instructed, pointing to Jay. “I have a feeling I know what’s going on.” 

Sunghoon didn’t need to be told twice. He scampered over to Jay, nearly crashing into him in the process. Jay instinctively pulled him behind him so he was wedged between his body and the wall, keeping himself between Sunghoon and the rumble of power before them. 

“Jay-ah,” Sunghoon whispered to him. 

Jay shushed him, keeping his eyes trained on the sprites. 

“Jay-ah, you don’t have to-” Sunghoon tried again. 

“Shut up,” Jay hissed at him. 

A cool hand slid into Jay’s, offering comfort and strength, but he didn’t say anything else. Jay was grateful for it, he wanted to be able to keep his concentration. 

Just because he could understand how the Trojan War started, didn’t mean he was itching for a replay. And make no mistake- if anything happened to Sunghoon, Jay would not hesitate to assemble a whole army to get him back. 

Scratch that, he wouldn’t even need an army. 

Jay would burn the world to get him back. To make sure Sunghoon was safe. 

Oh. He thought numbly. That’s certainly a thought. 

A thought he immediately shoved into the box in his head labelled ‘Confusing and Entirely Too Complicated to Handle Right Now’, which was filled to the brim with a whole jumbled mess of emotions involving the ice user behind him. He squared it away and refocused on the scene ahead of them. 

“I send my apprentice as a delegate in good faith so we may come to an understanding, and Evergreen sends a hoard of Woodland Sprites in retaliation?” Shuhua asked, walking closer to one of the Sprites, who seemed to be vibrating in the air. “What could Sunghoon have possibly done to deserve such treatment?” 

“Mother Nature, that brat disrespected her, he did,” the Sprite insisted. “Miss. Evergreen gave him such a nice offer and he denied her.” 

“An offer?” Shuhua raised her eyebrow, looking over at Sunghoon. 

“A trade,” Sunghoon peaked out from behind Jay. “Her support for… me.” He said awkwardly. 

Shuhua crossed her arms and looked back at the Sprite. “Is that so?” She asked flatly. “Sunghoon was a delegate, not an offering.” She said firmly. “Please tell Evergreen I will overlook this lapse in judgement, and that I still wait for her vote of support.” 

“Miss. Evergreen makes her terms clear,” the Sprite responded. “Miss. Evergreen wants the pretty ice boy.” 

“She can’t have him.” Shuhua said, her eyes flashing green. “If that’s the only way to get her support, tell her thank you for her time but we can’t afford her price. I will send a delegate in two days to see if she will reconsider.” 

The Sprite sneered at her, but Shuhua’s eyes flashed dangerously, and her hair started floating as the air sparked. “You will find I am very protective of my apprentices. And I do not take kindly to my domain being trashed like this.” 

The Sprite sneered again, but his hasty retreat revealed how scared he really was. He rounded up the rest of the Sprites and they flew out the window, leaving the three of them in the kitchen. 

“I’m sorry, Sunghoon-ah,” Shuhua sighed, waving her hand around. “I sent you for the Evergreen’s because they not only withstand but thrive in the cold. I was hoping it would seem like a show of good faith and understanding, I never imagined she would see you as an offering.” 

The broken dishes and cabinets picked themselves up and repaired slowly as the shards of glass returned to the window over the sink. 

“It’s alright,” Sunghoon sighed. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get Evergreen’s support.” 

“Oh, we’re getting her vote of support, one way or another,” she scowled. “I need everyone to come together and agree. Otherwise Father Time will be seen as the head deity forever.” She huffed. “For someone responsible for the flow of time, he sure seems stuck in the past.” 

“So what are we going to do?” Jay frowned. “We aren’t giving her Sunghoon.” He said firmly. 

She shook her head. “No, but we are sending in the big guns.” 

“The big guns?” Jay blinked. 

Shuhua gave him a meaningful look. Jay stared at her before it clicked in his mind. 

They were negotiating with trees. Wood. She was going to send the fire user to…

Jay deflated a little, and Shuhua at least looked apologetic. 

“Absolutely not,” Sunghoon said, coming out of hiding and standing beside- no, in front of Jay. “I’ll try again, you’ll see. I can talk to her.” 

Sunghoon was trying to protect him.

Jay’s heart hurt. 

“She won’t budge with you, Sunghoon-ah,” Shuhua said gently. “He doesn’t even need to reveal himself as a fire user. He just needs to not be you.” 

“But-” Sunghoon looked back at Jay helplessly, then to Shuhua. “He’s not a threat. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.” 

You’re wrong, Jay thought. I would do anything for you. 

That thought went into the box too, before he squared it away in the darkest corner of his mind where he didn’t have to look at it any more. 

“I’ll do it,” he said quietly. 

“Jay-ah-” Sunghoon’s head snapped to look at him, but Jay shook his head and squeezed his hand before letting go. 

“It’s alright, Sunghoon-ah. Noona’s right, she needs this support.” He said firmly. 

“Can’t we send one of the elves?” Sunghoon looked back at Shuhua. “Maybe one from the Winter Solstice sector?” 

“I don’t trust anyone else enough to handle this but you two,” Shuhua shook her head. “It’ll be okay, Sunghoon-” 

“And if it’s not?” He interrupted, impatient. “Then what?” 

“It will be.” She reached forward and took his hands, despite his glare. “Have a little faith, Sunghoon-ah. We’ll have a good plan, I promise.” 

He didn’t seem very convinced, but he let it drop anyway, pulling away. “I’m going to check on the Winter sector,” he mumbled and headed out of the kitchen. 

Shuhua sighed and turned back towards Jay, who frowned at the sad but fond look on her face. “What?” He blinked. 

“What am I going to do with you two, Jay-ah?” She hummed. “And what would I do without you?” 

Jay blinked again in surprise. “We aren’t going anywhere, Noona. We promised to stay by your side.” He reminded her. 

She smiled like she knew something he didn’t, and it drove him crazy. “What?” He pressed. “What is it?” 

She merely shook her head. “When you speak with Evergreen, please… be gentle, Jay-ah. I meant what I said about your magic. Don’t reveal that you’re a fire user unless you have to.” She paused. “I know it seems like I’m trying to force the issue, but Sunghoon is… a very sweet boy, but isn’t always the most confident in his words. I think you’ll be able to explain it well to her what it would mean for me to take over.” 

Jay observed her curiously. “It’s happening now, isn’t it? The humans, they talk about you more than him. They accredit more to you. Slowly, but surely. Can’t you take over when it happens naturally?” He asked hesitantly. 

She shook her head and looked out the window as it repaired itself. She got that far away look in her eyes that she sometimes got, and Jay fell silent to let her sit with it. 

He found it fascinating to see her like this. She told him once that her magic spoke to her sometimes, like it was a sentient thing with a will of its own. The more it happened, the more she insisted this needed to happen sooner rather than later. She never told them why. She said it could potentially ruin whatever would come from it. 

He didn’t like that she spoke as if he and Sunghoon would abandon her. As if they could. She took them under her wing and taught them everything they knew. She managed to teach Sunghoon a technique as advanced as using his magic to reach into someone else in their very first (unintentional) lesson. He and Sunghoon had privately agreed that they were indebted to her, so he never understood why she sometimes spoke like there would ever be a time they wouldn’t be by her side. 

“Run along, Jay-ah. You should check on the Summer sector.” She waved him off and sent him on his way. 

Another thing Jay found interesting. Shuhua had quickly discovered running all four seasons to be a tad overwhelming. While initially they had tried to split up the tasks evenly within the seasons, they quickly learned that Jay was too hot to handle Spring, causing cruel and dry Summers that resulted in forest fires and droughts, while Sunghoon was too cold to handle Autumn, meaning snow would hit before the end of September and mess up the last harvest, which would lead to food shortages, and issues in the Spring. So, instead, Jay had been relegated to handle most of Summer, and Sunghoon had been cast over to Winter. Shuhua handled the very important transitional periods of Spring and Autumn, as well as the major events like the Solstices and Equinoxes. 

Jay liked it. He enjoyed handling the Weather and Temperature. It always felt good to give kids a nice, hot day so they could enjoy their breaks from school, or toning it down to the perfect beach weather. He was very particular and he liked having the control. It helped him feel in control. He wasn’t worried about his heat randomly spiking because he was channeling that energy into a good thing. 

Once he double and triple checked that everything was okay, he headed back to his room. 

He wasn’t even surprised that his handle was cold to the touch, or about the boy in his bed. His knees were up and pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs as he zoned out. 

“This doesn’t look like the Winter sector,” he teased. 

“I already finished with them,” Sunghoon answered absentmindedly. “You’re the one who takes forever.” 

“I like to be thorough,” Jay said, a little offended. 

“I know.” He said faintly, but didn’t look at him, still lost in his own little world. 

Jay sighed and shrugged off his jacket, approaching Sunghoon carefully. “Are you still upset about Evergreen?” He asked, eyeing him uneasily. “Noona doesn’t blame you for not getting the vote.” 

“I’m not upset about losing the vote,” Sunghoon shook his head. “I mean, I wish I could have gotten it for her, because having the Evergreen vote would be good, but…” 

Jay sat on the edge of the bed, watching as he worked through his thoughts. He took a deep breath. “Sunghoon-ah-”

“Sometimes when I look at you,” Sunghoon blurted out, refusing to make eye contact. “I see that sixteen year old kid huddled up on the floor, scared out of his mind that he might hurt someone.” He took a breath. “I… I want to help that kid. I want to make sure he’s okay.” 

“Sunghoon-ah,” Jay said as gently as he could. “Hoon-ah, I’m not that kid anymore.” He reminded him. 

“Aren’t you though?” Sunghoon whispered. “Sometimes? You have these moments when you look at your hands and I can see that fear again. Or sometimes I catch you staring at my chest. You think of that day when you do, right? The day you burned me?” 

Jay tensed at being caught. He didn’t think Sunghoon paid enough attention to him to see those moments of weakness. 

Sunghoon reached forward and took one of his hands. “I don’t like that you’re being put into a position where you have to seem like a threat just because I couldn’t get the job done.” He whispered. “You hate being seen as a threat, I know you do, and I hate that it’s become the only option.” 

“Sunghoon-ah…” he breathed out, unable to form any kind of coherent thought. 

This was too much. This was yanking that carefully hidden box of thoughts and emotions out of the corner of his mind, throwing the contents all over the place until it stuck.

He pulled his hand away. Sunghoon automatically reached for him again. Jay’s heart ached. 

“I’m not that kid anymore,” he insisted. “I’ll do what has to be done… I’m not letting her have you, Sunghoon-ah. It’s not happening. My priority is keeping you safe.” 

“But you don’t have to keep me safe,” Sunghoon protested. “I can protect myself,” He shoved him a little. “And you.” 

“Well, what kind of logic is that?” Jay snorted. “I’m not supposed to protect you but you’re supposed to protect me? How’s that fair?” 

“I owe you, remember? For almost killing you?” Sunghoon retorted, rolling his eyes. “You only hold it over my head once a week.” 

The heavy atmosphere mellowed out into something lighter, familiar. This bickering felt a lot better than whatever was happening before. 

“That’s because you threaten to do it again at least once a day,” Jay scoffed. “The only fear I have is being turned into a popsicle.” 

“Maybe don’t finish the cookies from Santa’s Workshop without telling me then,” Sunghoon told him. “Do you know how difficult those are to get? How much I had to sweet talk the Head Elf?”  

“I do, thank you for your service,” Jay nodded solemnly, licking his lips deliberately. “They were delicious.” 

“Why, you-” Sunghoon was on him, hitting him with a pillow. 

Jay burst out laughing, trying to defend himself by swatting against the pillow plowing into his face. Finally, he managed to reach forward through the flurry of hits to reach his sides. Sunghoon squawked as Jay started tickling him in retaliation, and he quickly gained the upper hand, knocking Sunghoon back onto the bed and trapping him there. 

“Stop, stop, I give,” Sunghoon choked through his laughter. “You win, I won’t freeze you solid!” 

Jay tickled him for a moment longer before finally relenting. They were both breathing heavily, still giggling a little at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

“Don’t worry so much, okay?” Jay told him. “I’ll be okay.” 

Sunghoon looked up at him, and Jay was suddenly very aware he had the ice user pinned to his bed beneath him. He could feel heat curl in his gut the way he thought he learned to control as they kept eye contact that Sunghoon was usually too shy to maintain. 

“I know,” he said quietly, searching his face. “But I can know that and still be worried about you.” 

Jay sighed and extracted himself from Sunghoon, hoping the heat would dispel on its own. “C’mon, the kitchen should be repaired by now. I’ll make you something to eat.” 

Sunghoon sighed in return but got up anyway, following him out of the room, all the way to the kitchen. 

-

Jay snuck out the next morning, leaving a sleeping Sunghoon behind on his bed. 

He did that sometimes, when he was particularly stressed. It was a throwback to when they roomed together at Puck’s and they could talk through their worries late into the night. They hadn’t done much talking this time, Sunghoon had just followed Jay to his room and found his place on the left side of the bed, closest to the wall, where he almost immediately curled up and fell asleep. Jay had simply rolled his eyes and climbed into his side, falling asleep mere moments later. 

But Jay had to go now. The vote was in two days, and without Evergreen’s support, Shuhua was sure they would lose. Jay felt like he owed her something, and he genuinely believed she was the best thing for the future, so here he was. 

Walking through a snowy forest to face the nymph that wanted to steal Sunghoon. 

He took a deep breath of the mountain air and tried to relax. Shuhua was right, he couldn’t go into this already angry, then he wouldn’t have any bandwidth to get through the conversation. 

The longer he could hide that he was a fire user, the longer he could go without having to fight. 

He took another deep breath and observed the area. It was really quite pretty. The fresh snowfall glittered in the sunlight, shifting and sparkling with every step he took. There was a comforting quiet being amongst the trees like this, with nothing but the occasional twitter from a bird or scurrying of a squirrel. He saw a fox dart across his path and smiled to himself. 

 “You.” Someone squeaked at him. 

 Jay looked over curiously to see one of the woodland sprites that had trashed their kitchen. “Oh,” he blinked. “Hello.” 

 He was close then. 

“Miss Evergreen doesn’t want to see you,” the woodland sprite spat at him. “She doesn’t want to see anyone from Mother Nature.”  

“This is the last time we’ll bother her,” Jay assured him. “I just need to speak with her.” 

 The woodland sprite zipped around him, and Jay stood perfectly still as he searched. When he didn’t find whatever he was looking for, the sprite reached forward and grabbed his cheeks between his little hands, squishing his cheeks in a borderline uncomfortable grip. His palms were rough and scratchy, like the bark of an old growth tree. Still, he remained still as the woodland sprite got in his face, eyeing him suspiciously. 

 “Where’s the pretty ice boy?” He demanded. 

“Mother Nature already told you that he wasn’t for sale,” Jay said through his pursed lips. “She thought it best to send a different delegate given the circumstances, I’m sure you understand.” 

The sprite eyed him a moment longer before pulling away. Jay resisted the urge to reach up and wipe away the sap left behind on his cheeks, or massage his jaw. 

“She will see you now,” the woodland sprite took off, zipping through the trees. 

 Jay took that as his cue to follow. 

 He ran at top speed the whole way to keep up, stumbling into a grove a few minutes later. He bent over to catch his breath, gasping for air. 

 “And who did Mother Nature send this time, if not the Ice Prince?” A warm voice asked. 

Jay looked up to see a pretty nymph in a forest green gown looking at him, unimpressed but curious. Her dark skin was the colour of the bark of the large evergreen behind her, speckled with white spots like she too, was covered in snow. He approached carefully, kneeling in the middle of the grove and bowing his head. 

 “My name is Jongseong. I am another apprentice of Mother Nature, here on her behalf for negotiations.” He introduced himself. 

The nymph eyed him in a similar fashion the woodland sprite had, her green eyes bright. 

“I see. She has not considered my offer?” Evergreen asked, raising her eyebrow. 

“Mother Nature has asked me to make it clear that the ice user was never intended as an offering. He remains in her domain.” He explained, looking up at her. “I humbly ask for a mere conversation.” 

Evergreen sniffed at him, her face decidedly blank. Then, she sniffed again and her face screwed into confusion. “You say this, yet come smelling of him.” 

“We live together,” Jay explained. “It’s bound to happen after so many years.” 

 “No,” she mused, drawing closer to him, crouching down in front of him, looking at him oddly. “This isn’t the smell of his person, this is deeper rooted. At your core.” She reached forward, and Jay fought every instinct to stiffen as she pressed a finger to his chest. His heart. “His magic resides in you.” 

Jay blinked in surprise. “When we were younger, there was an accident.” He found himself confessing. “He had to go in manually to take the rest of his magic out of my system.” 

“No,” she murmured, looking absolutely fascinated. “It’s still there. Wrapped around your heart. Every beat is for him,” she cocked her head to the side, and Jay felt his stomach drop. “It’s woven in there now, there would be no way to remove it without great skill.”

 Jay reached up reflexively, placing his hand over his heart and rubbing there absentmindedly. Something sparked in the nymphs' eyes that struck Jay’s nerves. His anxiety spiked the longer she looked at him, looked through him. “Not that you want it removed, is that right?” She asked, leaning a little closer. “It seems the pretty ice boy is in your heart in more ways than one.” 

 “With all due respect, Miss Evergreen,” Jay cleared his throat. “I’m not here to discuss my heart or what or who might be in it.” 

“Pity,” Evergreen hummed, standing back up. “Then what were you here to discuss?” 

 Jay wanted to be annoyed, because he had made it clear from the start what he was here for, only to stop. He realised this was it, she was giving him a chance and he couldn’t waste it. 

“Mother Nature is garnering votes of confidence for the next Gathering,” Jay told her, standing when she motioned for him to do so. “She’s looking for support from nature spirits.” 

“You know, I always thought it was a little presumptuous of her to call herself Mother Nature when she didn’t mother any of us,” Evergreen mused. “Many of us head nymphs have been around longer than the deities themselves.” 

“It wasn’t her choice,” Jay pointed out. “It was a title bestowed upon her.” He paused. “If it makes you feel better, she’s not the biggest fan of it either. She says it makes her feel like an old woman.” 

Evergreen snorted and covered it with a cough. “Yes, well. A pretty young thing like her, I can see why that would be seen as a concern of hers.” 

 “She loves her job,” Jay said honestly. “We all do. She cares for all creatures, and is diligent in assuring the future for all flora and fauna that she can.” 

 He studied Evergreen for a moment. While hers wasn’t as strong as Shuhua’s, he could feel how beneath what she presented, there was an old, strong magic thrumming through her veins. But it felt weaker, somehow. Damaged. 

 “The humans… it’s an interesting relationship we have with them.” Jay started, and Evergreen stood a little straighter. “Their belief helps us, but… as elemental magic users, being so connected to nature and the environment, they also do so much damage.” He hesitated. “The old growth is dwindling, Miss. Evergreen. Father Time doesn’t care about that. He keeps moving forward, no matter what the future might hold. Mother Nature wants to try to save the future, and preserve what we have left of the past.” Jay took to one knee again, bending forward in a bow. “Please, Miss. Evergreen. I’m begging you. Just give her a chance to do some good.” 

 Evergreen was quiet for a moment, observing Jay curiously. “Funny that you speak of preservation when you, yourself, could burn this whole forest to the ground.” 

“I could,” Jay sucked in a sharp breath- how had she known? “I wouldn’t, though.” 

 “Why?” She asked. “I tried to steal the holder of your heart, I threaten your mentors success. You have every right to take your anger out on me.” She pressed. 

 Jay looked up at her. “Why should I devastate a whole ecosystem for my own personal feelings?” He asked quietly. “The trees, the animals who live here, the other sprites and spirits, none of them have ever done anything to deserve my anger or hatred.” He hesitated for only a moment, before he realised there was no point. 

She already knew what he had been so desperately trying to hide away. 

 Besides, she seemed more open the more he was, so open he would be. 

 “Even you don’t deserve my malice. I’ll admit I wasn’t happy with the idea that someone wanted to take him,” Jay said quietly. “But… it’s not like I couldn’t understand why. I can’t blame you for wanting him when…” he trailed off. 

 “When what?” She said, leaning forward. 

“You know.” He said quietly, absentmindedly rubbing over his heart again. 

“I’m afraid you’ll have to walk me through it,” she sighed. 

Jay looked at her confused. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I don’t understand.” He admitted. 

 “When you’re as old as I am, fire user, the best sort of currency is secrets. Feelings. I keep your secret as you keep your promise to heal the forest.” She paused. “Or, at least, try your very best. I also understand that sometimes humans have a tendency to disrupt our processes.” She leaned forward. “So, what do you say, fire user? Are you willing to tell your secret?” 

“If I tell you, you’ll support Mother Nature?” He clarified. “You’ll help her?” 

“I will,” she agreed. “It’s a big risk though. I just need some insurance.” 

 Jay took a deep breath. 

-

He dragged his feet as he walked into the back door of the cottage, collapsing at the kitchen table. Shedding his jacket, he tossed it to the side and he sighed loudly. He had only a moment of peace before the door that led into the living room slammed open. 

“You left while I was asleep?” Sunghoon seethed. 

“Good morning, Mr. White Christmas.” Jay mumbled, falling forward and using his arms as a pillow. 

 “No, none of that,” Sunghoon shook him awake. “What were you thinking?” 

 Jay sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I was thinking we have two more days until the Gathering, and desperately needed Evergreen’s support.” He frowned. “I thought we came to an understanding last night, why are you suddenly mad at me?” 

“Because you left while I was sleeping!” Sunghoon repeated, louder this time. “I woke up and you were gone.” 

Jay furrowed his eyebrows, still utterly confused by his reactions. “It’s not like I wasn’t coming back,” he said slowly. 

“You don’t know that!” Sunghoon slammed his hands on the table. “What if she decided she wanted you? What if she took you as a threat and did something to hurt you?” 

Jay thought about Evergreen. He thought about how she had already known he was a fire user. How casual she had been about it. 

“She never saw me as a threat,” Jay told him quietly. “She knew I was a fire user when I met her.” 

“What?” Sunghoon paled, which was quite the feat considering his already milky white complexion. “How?” 

 “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “She called me fire user. I don’t know how she knew.” 

“You didn’t ask?” Sunghoon asked, bewildered. 

 Jay looked up at him, completely and utterly exhausted. He reached for him, pulling himself up using Sunghoon to steady himself, before wrapping his arms around him. 

 Sunghoon made a surprised noise but wound his arms around him in return, letting Jay melt into his embrace as he kept him stable. “You’re burning up,” he whispered. 

“It’s been a long day of holding my fire back, so it’s sort of going a little haywire right now,” Jay whispered back. “And you’re cold, it’s nice.” He sighed, stepping closer to fully press against him. 

Sunghoon rubbed his back, guiding his face into the nape of his neck. 

 “Jay-ah, you’re worrying me,” Sunghoon confessed. 

 “Just tired,” Jay mumbled- which was mostly true -and burrowed in closer. “Just cooling off before I go take a nap.” 

 “Here, c’mon,” Sunghoon pulled away, taking his hand and leading him out of the kitchen. 

 Jay looked behind him to see everything in their general vicinity covered in condensation. They had apparently been letting off a copious amount of steam, but Jay couldn’t really find it in him to care. 

 Sunghoon turned into Jay’s bedroom like it was second nature, and pulled him towards the bed. 

“You gonna tuck me in?” Jay teased. 

 Sunghoon climbed into the bed, slipped his hoodie off so he was in just his t-shirt and jeans, and held the covers up for him. Jay eyed him warily. 

“What are you doing?” He asked quietly. 

 “What I’ve always done,” he said, just as quiet, just as unsure. “I’m keeping you cool.” 

 Jay wanted to laugh at the phrasing, but he couldn’t even deny it. That had always been their agreement. Jay melted Sunghoon’s ice, and Sunghoon quelled Jay’s fire.

Similarly, it was applied to themselves, as well as their magic. Sunghoon was shy, more reserved, and often shut people out. He could be cold and aloof, only because he was nervous or awkward. Jay pulled him out of that shell. Brought out the best and worst of him. Yeonjun used to call him the loudest introvert he had ever met and often accredited it to Jay. 

 On the other hand, Jay was temperamental. He knew that. He angered quickly and was highly passionate about everything he did. But Sunghoon soothed him. Brought him back down from whatever high he was on. He was softer with Sunghoon than he had ever been with anyone before.  

Jay climbed into bed. Usually, if Sunghoon crashed with him, they kept an invisible wall of space between them. It was a chasm neither of them ever crossed. Sunghoon was content to be smooshed against the wall, and Jay liked his arm hanging over the side, especially considering monsters couldn’t get under the bed.

(When Shuhua claimed her domain, it was one of the rules she put in place. She wasn’t a fan of the closet monsters either.) 

 But the middle space always remained empty. 

 Until now, when Sunghoon was gathering him in his arms and pulling him in close, burying his face in his hair. Jay nuzzled his face right into the nape of his neck and felt his body relax. If he listened closely, he could hear a faint hiss wherever their bare skin touched as their bodies adjusted temperatures. 

 In a particularly bold move, Sunghoon slipped his hand up the back of Jay’s shirt and lightly scratched at his skin, almost like one would pet a cat. He relaxed more as the heat in his body surrendered to Sunghoon’s cold, mellowing out into what Jay assumed to be a normal temperature for anyone else. 

Jay exhaled heavily, his eyelids weighing far too much for him to even consider opening them. His arm slipped around Sunghoon, and followed his lead almost automatically. Instead of bringing his hand up along his shoulder blades, Jay kept his arm solid around his waist, pushing the pesky shirt out of the way enough so he had more skin available to him. 

 He felt greedy, insatiable, and a little more than insane the more he pressed against the ice user. Sunghoon was not only accepting his behaviour but actively encouraging it, still dragging his nails gently over his back. He swore he heard the smallest whine as more skin met, but it happened so fast he was never sure. 

 “Sleep, Jay-ah.” Sunghoon whispered. “We’ll figure out the Evergreen problem later.” 

 “No problem,” Jay mumbled. “Got the vote.” 

 “You did? How?” Sunghoon moved like he was going to pull away, but Jay clung to him quickly so he couldn’t. 

 “Traded,” Jay yawned, feeling lethargic and a little intoxicated with Sunghoon so close and touching so much. “I keep my promise to help Noona help the forests and she keeps my secret.” 

 “You have a secret?” Sunghoon sounded surprised. “What is it?” 

Jay didn’t answer. He curled in closer and willing himself to go to sleep. 

“What’s the secret?” Sunghoon nearly whined. “Do I know it already?” 

 “If you knew it wouldn’t be a secret.” Jay pointed out with a yawn. 

 “But now Evergreen knows? Evergreen knows a secret about you that I don’t?” Sunghoon sounded upset by this, and Jay squeezed him a little in an apologetic hug. “We tell each other everything, why can’t you tell me?” 

 “I don’t know what the rules are,” Jay’s fuzzy brain managed to come up with enough of a truth that he could manage it while fighting his own consciousness slipping away. “I don't know if I can tell you, or if it makes the contract void.” 

 Sunghoon sighed in frustration, but dropped it. Jay nudged his collarbone with his nose. 

 “Can you keep doing that thing please?” He asked in a small voice. “With your hand?” 

Sunghoon started lightly scratching his back again, having stopped in his absolute bafflement when it came to this super secret secret Jay hadn’t shared with him. 

“You’re half feline, I swear.” Sunghoon snorted. “What would people say if they knew the big scary head of the Summer sector was nothing more than an oversized house cat?” 

 Jay hummed. “I don’t do this with anyone else,” he mumbled. “Just you.” He nuzzled in closer. “Just you.” He repeated faintly. 

Sunghoon sucked in a breath. “Jay-ah, I-”

Jay couldn’t hear him, drifting off in the comfortable embrace. 

-

“Thank you all for joining our Gathering,” Father Time said, standing up at the head of the room. “The purpose of this Gathering is simple- do we continue with what has always worked, or do we throw everything away for new ideals?” 

Jay slumped in his seat on Shuhua’s left side, while he could hear Sunghoon sighing from her right. 

This was going to be a long meeting. 

 Father Time’s domain was always a very odd place to visit. Unlike Shuhua’s cottage which was warm and inviting, the Time domain was very… cement. It stuck to a particular grey scale, with different clocks all over the place. There were no labels, yet still, elves and fae ran around even now, noting certain times from the various clocks like they knew which each one was for. Sometimes a clock would randomly stop, and only then would a worker actually stop to observe the clock, and if it stopped for longer than a moment, they would take it off the wall. A new one would replace it soon after. 

The domain was otherwise rather plain, and boring, which never seemed to quite fit Father Time himself. A stout man with a large greying beard and bushy moustache that covered his lips. He always wore outfits that were borderline ridiculous, a clash of cultures and time periods like he couldn’t tell when they were. It was understandable, in a way. Their world existed outside of the humans, and from what he remembered learning at Puck’s, time was wonky and a little all over the place here, unlike the human world, which moved in a linear time frame. Jay tried to keep that in mind when Father Time would arrive in a traditional hanbok from the early Jonsen days paired with Jordans and a Victorian tophat, for example. He wasn’t what Jay pictured when he had thought about Father Time before, but then again, Shuhua wasn’t exactly what most thought of when they thought of Mother Nature, so who was he to judge? 

Besides, it didn’t matter what he looked like, or what he wore. When his calculating, steel grey eyes landed on him, it was like he could feel his internal clock panicking. That man wasn’t a man at all, but a powerful deity that could deplete his time in this world with a blink of an eye. 

He supposed that was why he could get away with his current outfit of choice, an Elizabethan frock with flip flops and a cowboy hat, and still command the respect of the room. 

“Yes, well, I say we just put it to a vote and get it over with,” Father Time huffed. “I think we all know how this will end-” 

“Do we?” Helios, who was in charge of the rising of the sun, leaned forward. “You sound very sure of yourself, Father Time.” 

Jay was a fan of his work, being a fire user and the head of the Summer department. It meant he got to speak with him on a regular basis, and they coordinated often. 

He was also a fan of how Helios seemed to be on Shuhua’s side. 

“Well, yes,” He nodded. “Why should we move away from what has always worked?” 

The Sandman, in charge of dreams, used his sand, flashing a bunch of images above his head in rapid succession. He motioned to Shuhua. She offered him a small, grateful smile in return, before turning back to Father Time. 

“Because it’s starting to fail,” Shuhua translated. “The world is falling apart because you focus too hard on moving time forward without thinking of the present. There’s not enough being done now. I think there’s a better way, one where we can thrive.” 

“What is the point in thriving in a moment if there’s no guarantee of a future?” Father Time demanded. 

 “What is the point of guaranteeing a future if not to enjoy it?” Shuhua shot back. “And what is the point of guaranteeing a future if it’s a future of nothing but suffering?” 

 “Time doesn’t bend to Nature,” Father Time protested. “Time marches on, no matter what. The future is the only guarantee.” 

 “Nature isn’t asking Time to bend,” Shuhua insisted. “It’s begging to have more, so it can heal.” 

 Her voice was quiet, but it echoed in the silence of the Gathering. 

 Jay tried to focus, but there was something demanding his attention. While they had been surrounded by soft ticking from the various clocks, there was suddenly a ticking that was just a touch louder. 

“You claim to be so powerful-” 

“I don’t claim to be powerful. Nature is a force that can’t be measured-” Shuhua tried to explain. 

“-and yet here you sit with two elemental mages.” Father Time threw his hands towards Jay and Sunghoon, who sat up straighter. “From what I’ve been told, they handle Winter and Summer.” 

“They’re my apprentices as my domain grows,” Shuhua defended immediately. “You had apprentices once- the Sandman, for example, or Helios and Selene -and they all went on to rule their own domains. Even as my powers grew, you offered your support. That has always been the way. Why would this be any different?” 

 That ticking was getting louder. The one, single clock that demanded the attention of the room. Jay nearly missed what Shuhua had been implying because it was so distracting. Their own domain? Shuhua thought they would be powerful enough to manifest their own domain? 

“Please,” Father Time scoffed. “The ice user, maybe. But the fire user…” 

Jay stiffened as the attention turned to him. Father Time sniffed at him. “The fire user is a known hazard. I wouldn’t trust him with his own domain. He couldn’t even handle Elven Prep.” 

 Jay heard a rustle, and glanced over to see Shuhua gripping Sunghoon’s arm, as if she was worried he would be the one to lose it at the mention of Elven Prep. 

“You certainly seem to know a lot about my apprentices, Father Time.” She pointed out. 

“I make it my business to know my competition.” He huffed. 

“I wonder where their clocks are now,” She mused, glancing around. “How often have you read them?” 

“Nothing is fixed in the future,” Father Time bit out. “There is time for things to change.” 

“Oh,” Shuhua blinked in faux surprise. “But I thought the only thing guaranteed was the future? Only now is it subjected to change?” 

 Father Time sputtered, and Jay swore the ticking was getting even louder. It was accompanied by the whispers of the other deities and spirits that had come for the Gathering. Shuhua relaxed a little bit and sighed, looking at Father Time earnestly. 

 “Father Time, I am not vying for the top position because I am ungrateful for everything you have already accomplished,” She said gently. “Frankly, when I claimed my domain, it had never been my intention to try to be at the top,” She took a deep breath. “It’s just… something is telling me it’s where I’m meant to be. That it’ll make the future you herald brighter, warmer.” 

“We have been suffering for the sake of progress longer than I can remember,” Evergreen spoke up, and Jay looked over at her, offering a small smile. Evergreen nodded in return, though there was a flicker of a smile in return. “Every flora and fauna spirit is weary, Father Time. Many have fallen ill, or have disappeared all together. The dryads, naiads and spirits, we are some of your biggest preservers of time in the human world. All we want is to be preserved in return. Mother Nature is suggesting that be the way.” 

The ticking was even louder, and Jay glanced around to assure himself that he wasn’t the only one who heard it. Santa seemed to be swatting the air once in a while, as if it would get rid of the sound and the Sandman kept rubbing at his ear irritably. Even Sunghoon, as stone faced as he could be, was wincing a bit. 

Shuhua nodded dutifully. “Nature and Time don’t have to be separate like they have been. There is no turn of the season without the forward march of time, and there is no mark of time without the seasons to tell us so.” 

Louder now, and unavoidable. Father Time finally looked at the clock that was ticking. His staff slowed, turning their eyes to the same face. It was an old clock, worn with age and covered in dust. The ticking was loud enough that some of the occupants in the room had to cover their ears, and Jay could feel it in his bones. It synced with his heart, or maybe it was the other way around, he wasn’t sure anymore. It ticked and it ticked and it ticked and it tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tic-

 “Alright!” Father Time bellowed, his fists slamming onto the table. “Enough!” 

 The ticking stopped abruptly, leaving behind a deafening silence in its wake. He was breathing heavily, his gaze bright and harsh as he glared at the clock. “It was only a matter of Time,” He grumbled and turned back to Shuhua, who was still sitting there, perfectly still and unbothered. He glanced around at the rest of the occupants- those at the table, and those surrounding it -before he stood up. “I abstain.” 

 A gasp rippled through the crowd and he stormed over to Shuhua, who stood in response, watching him curiously. “Just because you’ve become the head deity, doesn’t mean I’m going to stop fighting for Time,” He threatened. “I will always oppose you, and always challenge you.” 

“I expect nothing less, Father Time. I welcome your opposition and your challenge.” She bowed to him. “Thank you for all you’ve done. I will do my best to lead in your stead.” 

 Jay stood and bowed, followed by Sunghoon. Soon, everyone stood and bowed to Father Time, who didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. 

 The Gathering was adjourned, with the promise of another soon once the dust settled and the magic relaxed a bit. 

They were left to mingle with the crowd as Father Time left to remove his clock from the wall. Jay watched him as he cradled the clock to his chest, a quiet moment of mourning in the midst of a celebration. 

“Fire user,” Evergreen greeted him, and Jay straightened up, giving her his full attention. “Congratulations.” 

 “I’m hardly the one who deserves it,” Jay assured her shyly. “But I will pass it on to Mother Nature.”  

Evergreen hummed. “Trees are old and wise, you know. It’s best if you listen to them.”  

The instructions were vague, but Jay just offered a small smile and nodded in agreement, before something clicked in his head. “Can I ask you a question?”  

“I can’t promise an answer, but sure,” She nodded. 

 “How did you know I was a fire user?” Jay asked her curiously. “When we first met, you called me a fire user then, too. I had been careful not to use any excessive heat in the snow, and even tried suppressing my magic as best I could. What tipped you off?” 

 Evergreen’s eyes stayed trained on him for a long moment. “I would like to offer you a gift.” She told him. 

Jay blinked in surprise, momentarily thrown. “A gift?” He repeated. 

 “A secret, for free. For you.” She nodded. 

“For free?” Jay’s eyes widened. 

“Well, I suppose it’s not much of a secret if the secret haver doesn’t even know it,” Evergreen mused. “So it’s really not of much use to me. It won’t get me anything particularly valuable in return. So yes, a gift.” She nodded. 

Jay wasn’t exactly sure what she meant, but he nodded again. “Alright then, what is it?” 

“I recognised you,” She said. 

 Jay blinked again. “You did? How?” 

“The same way I recognise him in you,” she reached forward, touching his chest, directly over his heart. “He has some of your magic around his heart, too. An ever burning fire.” 

Jay’s eyes widened. “Will it hurt him?” He whispered. 

 Evergreen shook her head. “He doesn’t even know it’s there, so his heart and magic must not be particularly bothered about it,” she offered him a small, knowing smile. “Perhaps you are in the pretty ice boy’s heart in more ways than one too.” 

 Her hand fell flat on his chest, feeling his thundering heartbeat, when he was suddenly pulled away. There was a chill in the air as Sunghoon stood beside him. Outwardly, Sunghoon seemed to be relaxed, if a bit bored with the whole thing. But the grip on his jacket sleeve suggested otherwise. 

 “Ah, the pretty ice boy,” Evergreen’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “Have you reconsidered my offer? The mountainscape would be kind to you.” 

“Thank you, but I’ll have to decline.” Sunghoon said, bowing his head. 

She hummed. “Come to collect your fire user then, is it?” She confirmed. “A pity, I was rather enjoying our conversation.” She turned on her heel. “Ah, well. Until we meet again, fire user. Think about what I said.” She waved. 

“Miss. Evergreen,” Jay surged forward, out of Sunghoon’s grip. “Do you have a sapling?” 

Evergreen turned around in surprise, looking at him curiously. “You want another gift?” 

“If you would be so kind,” Jay bowed his head. “I’d like to plant it in Mother Nature’s domain. I’d like to care for it, ensure its growth.” He hesitated. “I promised you a forest, the old growth, but it’ll take time. I’d like to start with one. To show you how serious I am about my promise.” 

 “I’m feeling generous,” Evergreen said, though Jay could hear the catch in her voice as she tried to downplay her emotions. “I offer you this sapling from my tree, and a piece of advice, if you’ll have it.” 

 “You’ve already been so kind, Miss. Evergreen, I couldn’t possibly-” Jay said quickly, his eyes wide. 

 “I see you as an investment, Jongseong. I believe the future is worth investing in.” It took Jay a moment to realise it was the first time she had used his name. “Fire is often seen as some big, destructive hazard. Temperamental, unforgiving and ruthless.” She set the sapling in his outstretched hands. “But Prometheus didn’t steal fire from the gods to destroy anything. He stole the fire for life, Jongseong. Fire can bring light, warmth and survival. The hearth is considered the most important part of any home.” She offered him another soft smile. “What you choose to do with your fire is up to you. No one else can decide that for you.” 

“Thank you, Miss. Evergreen,” Jay cradled the sapling to his chest and bowed to her. “I’ll cherish every gift you have given me today, and spend the rest of my life repaying your kindness.” 

“I will leave you to your pretty ice boy, then. Before he attempts to freeze me solid.” She teased quietly, turning and leaving Jay behind with the weight of her words. 

 “Jay-ah,” Sunghoon said, his eyes narrowing in on the sapling. “What happened in that forest that a dryad is giving you gifts?” 

 Jay looked behind him at her retreating back. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I was just… honest with her.” He looked back at Sunghoon. “The more I told her, the more she spoke to me.” 

 Sunghoon looked troubled with the information, but Jay just smiled softly and shook his head. “C’mon, let’s get home.” He patted his shoulder, heading towards the Door that would lead them back to Mother Nature’s domain. 

 “Remember what I said, Ice Prince,” A voice sing-songed, and Sunghoon turned red, ducking his head down. 

Jay’s head whipped around to look at a guy who looked around their age with dark hair pushed back out of his face. He was dressed in a soft looking pink sweater and white jeans, and had a pearly white smile that was directed at Sunghoon. When he noticed Jay staring at him, he winked and blew him a kiss. Jay wrinkled his nose and turned away from him, looking back at Sunghoon, who was still beat red, eyes fixed on the ground. 

 “I hate Eros,” Jay grumbled. “He’s so full of himself.” 

 Sunghoon hummed non-committedly, but wouldn’t look at him as Shuhua finally joined them. 

 When they got back to the cottage, Shuhua yawned and stretched. “I’m going to bed,” she sighed. “I have a feeling this will be the last night of rest I’ll get for a while.” 

 “Sleep well Noona,” Jay hugged her. “And congratulations.” He whispered. 

“Thank you, Jay-ah.” She hugged him back, before moving onto Sunghoon. 

She left them then, and Jay held up the sapling. “You wanna help?” He asked. 

 Sunghoon looked like he was contemplating it before he finally sighed and nodded. They headed outside together, and picked a good spot away from the flowers, but close enough for them to see it as it grew. It was clear neither of them had the natural affinity that Shuhua’s powers granted her, but they did their best as they planted the little sapling. By the time it was in the ground and watered, the long day was catching up to Jay quickly. 

They didn’t even need to speak when they headed inside. Sunghoon stayed with him as they walked through the cottage, and passed his room without even a moment of hesitation. 

 It would be another night of Sunghoon in his bed, then. 

 And he had a bit of an idea of what he wanted to talk about, because it was gnawing on him too. 

 It wasn’t until they were ready for bed, and crawling under the covers that Sunghoon turned to him finally. 

 “You heard Noona too, right? What she said about the Sandman, and Helios and Selene?” Sunghoon whispered finally. “How they were Father Time’s apprentices before ruling their own domains? Do you think she thinks we’ll have our own domain too one day?” 

 Jay’s heart lurched. Sunghoon spoke like it would be their domain, like they would get to rule it together. Together, in a domain, him and Sunghoon. 

He wanted that. More than he had ever wanted anything in his entire life. He wanted it. 

 He wanted him. 

 Jay opened his mouth when Sunghoon continued. 

“I would feel so bad for Noona though, having to run everything here on her own. It’s so much work, and I only handle Winter.” He frowned. “Do you think she would be okay without us?” 

Jay thought about Shuhua, and how she had been talking and acting since this whole Head Deity business started and sighed. “I think Noona’s known for a while that it’ll happen one day, or at least that it might,” He admitted. “I think she’ll support us when or if it does.” 

Sunghoon hummed and shivered a bit, scooting closer to him, closing the distance they had naturally put between them out of habit. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “There’s a bit of a draft.” 

 “I like cracking the window at night,” Jay said quietly, moving closer in return. “Sorry, are you okay?” 

 Sunghoon crossed the rest of the distance to bury himself in Jay’s chest, his arm coming back up under his shirt like it had a couple days prior. “Just lend me some body heat for a bit,” he mumbled. “I’m a little cold.” 

Jay hummed and pulled him closer, nearly curling around him. It was a flimsy excuse. Sunghoon didn’t get cold, he was cold. The cold never bothered him, Jay had seen him to a polar plunge in the dead of winter on a dare and not even bat an eye. There was no way the little breeze coming from his open window was causing Sunghoon to get cold enough to need warmth from an extreme source like a fire user. 

Jay didn’t call him on it. 

 He just held him closer. 

---

Jay was twenty-two when it happened. 

It was late at night, and he was sleeping off a rather intense heat wave that he had spent the day trying to wrangle in and subdue so it didn’t result in a drought, when something felt off.  

 He jolted away and shot up in bed. He blinked a few times to get used to the darkness, only to realise there was a faint glow from his door. He threw his blanket off, almost in a daze, and wandered towards the door. It was warm, hot even. But it felt comfortable. Comforting. It drew him closer, and closer, and before he knew it, he was turning the handle and stepping through. 

 Before him was a castle. Impossibly large and imposing, but Jay didn’t feel threatened. It was carved out of obsidian, the black glass glinting and nearly sparkling in the light given off by the lava behind it. It called to him, drew him forward. Jay let his feet guide him to the entrance. The doors opened automatically, and he walked down the halls without hesitation. He explored every inch of the palace, leaving nothing unseen. There was a control room like there was back in Shuhua’s domain, but it was more specific. Detailed. Jay liked it, it felt like it was made for him. His fingers ghosted over the controls in awe. 

 “It was.” 

 Jay turned on his heel to see Shuhua standing there, watching him. “Noona,” He said quietly. “What is this? A new part of your domain?” 

But even as he said it, Jay knew it wasn’t. The whole place felt alive, thrumming with new life and excitement. He looked around in astonishment. “It’s… it’s mine.” He breathed. 

 “I’m not surprised it happened so soon,” Shuhua admitted. “You’re powerful, Jay-ah. You always have been.” She smiled softly. “I’m so proud of you.” 

 Jay looked around again, eyes wide, trying to take everything in that he could. “It’s beautiful.” He whispered. 

 “And it’s yours,” She nodded towards the controls. “I’m sorry if it seems like you’re merely taking things off my plate, becoming the Heat Miser. But it’s become yours more than it has ever been mine.” 

 “Heat Miser,” Jay repeated. “Is that the name I’m stuck with?” 

 “Well, that’s what the humans call you, yes,” she nodded. “But I guess you could pick one of Sunghoon’s nicknames for you. Though, I think Mr. Heat Blister doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.” She teased. 

 At the mention of Sunghoon, Jay perked up. “Oh, Sunghoon. Where is he?” He asked, running out of the control room. “He’s going to love this.” 

 “Oh, Jay-ah, no-” Shuhua was quick to follow him. 

 “Where is he?” Jay turned to look at her. “This is our domain, right? I assume he’s taking Winter? It’ll be around here somewhere, right?” 

 Shuhua reached forward and rested her hands on Jay’s shoulders. His heart dropped at the look on her face. “This is your domain, Jay-ah. The Heat Miser domain.” 

“But,” Jay faltered. “It’s supposed to be our domain.” 

 “Jay-ah,” she said gently. “Having Summer and Winter in the same domain wouldn’t work. The temperature alone would clash too much.” 

“It works in your domain,” Jay protested. “Why can’t it work here?” 

“My domain is built for it.” Shuhua explained patiently. 

“Yeah, but if this is my domain, if it’s a manifestation of me and my soul, then… then it should…” he absentmindedly rubbed his chest, right over his heart. “He’s a part of me. There’s no me without him.” 

Shuhua smiled sadly. “He said the same thing,” she murmured. 

 “No, Noona, he’s a part of me,” Jay insisted. “His magic is around my heart, and- and he has some of my magic around his, and-” He paused when he realised she didn’t look surprised by the information. “You knew.” 

 “Of course I did,” Shuhua nodded. 

 “And he doesn’t know.” Jay said, even quieter. 

 “No, he doesn’t.” She agreed. 

 Jay looked around the halls of the castle. “Can I say no?” He asked in a small voice. 

 “You can,” Shuhua nodded. “It would fade, eventually. It would be gone forever. The responsibilities would return to my domain until the next one came along.” 

 Jay rested his hand on the obsidian wall. “You said Sunghoon said the same thing,” he said quietly. “Has he claimed his domain yet?” 

 “No,” she watched him curiously. “He’s waiting.” 

 “Waiting?” He looked at her. 

 “For you.” She told him. “Like he always does.” 

 “Like he always does,” Jay said faintly, looking back in the control room. 

 Jay thought about all the times Sunghoon waited for him after class, after being talked to by the Head Mistress, after dinner, after his trek out to negotiate with Evergreen. If Jay stopped to tie his shoe, or appreciate a sunset, or chatted with a worker or deity that was visiting, Sunghoon waited for him. 

 He wondered how long he kept Sunghoon waiting this time. 

“Oh, Noona,” he choked up. “Am I too late?” 

“For what?” She asked quietly. 

  “If I tell you, you’ll support Mother Nature?” He clarified. “You’ll help her?” 

“I will,” Evergreen agreed. “It’s a big risk though. I just need some insurance.” 

  Jay took a deep breath. 

“I love him,” he whispered, and for a moment, his heart grew cold- but it wasn’t painful or wrong. It was familiar. Comforting. Like one of Sunghoon’s hugs. “I love him more than anything.” 

 He confessed that secret over two years ago to Evergreen. He spent the next two years in agony over the last four. He spent every waking minute denying his feelings for so long, he didn’t know how to cope with them when they were right in front of his face. 

“I love him, Noona,” he whispered for the first time in two years. “More than anything.” 

 “I know, Jay-ah,” Shuhua said quietly. “I’ve always known.” 

 Jay closed his eyes. “Waiting for me,” he breathed out. “He’s waiting for me to claim my domain, isn’t he?” He breathed in. 

 Hold. 

 Breathe out. 

 Hold. 

Sunghoon’s words from all those years ago played in the back of his mind now as he tried to collect his thoughts. 

“I bet his domain is pretty,” Jay whispered. “A Winter Wonderland, gorgeous and cold and mesmerising, like him.” 

“Jay-ah, claiming your domains doesn’t mean you’ll never see each other again,” Shuhua reminded him gently. “You can always visit.” 

“You never visit other domains,” Jay pointed out, and Shuhua rolled her eyes playfully. 

 “That’s by choice,” She pointed out. “But you don’t have to make that choice. You’re not losing Sunghoon by choosing this.” 

“We’ve been together, side by side for years,” Jay looked around the halls. “This is just… a little terrifying, is all. I haven’t had to be without him for a really long time.” He turned back to her. “Or you, for that matter. Are you going to be okay if we leave?” 

 Shuhua cooed and reached up, smoothing his hair down. “Jay-ah, always thinking of others,” She hummed. “Noona’ll be fine. So will Sunghoonie. So will you.” She promised. 

 Jay breathed in. 

Hold. 

 Out.

Hold. 

 “Okay,” he said finally. “Okay, I’ll claim it. Tell Sunghoon I’ve claimed it.” 

Shuhua’s smile widened. “We’ll talk more in the morning,” she promised, tapping between his eyebrows. “Sweet dreams, Jay-ah.” 

 His world went dark. 

 He was woken up by his bedroom door flying open, knocking into the wall before slamming shut. The next thing he registered was a weight on top of him, and a flurry of words. 

“I had the wildest dream, Jay-ah, but I don’t think it was a dream, it was real, I swear. My door wasn’t a door, at least not my door, but when I opened it, it was this huge Ice Palace on the other side, way at the top of  a mountain. It was gorgeous, and so beautifully crafted, I swear, it was a piece of art. It was perfect, so perfect, and it was mine, like, it was my domain, Jay-ah, I have a domain, and Noona was there, and she said that you were at your domain too, and she asked me if I would claim my domain and, well, I was kind of upset because I found out that your domain wasn’t the same thing as my domain, and that felt weird because, y’know, we didn’t talk about it often but when we did it was always our domain, so I didn’t want to accept it unless you accepted yours, and she said you did, so I guess I just wanted to know if you-” 

Sunghoon was usually a quiet man of few words, sans two occasions; when he was in the middle of a battle of wits with Jay, shooting insults and sarcastic comments back and forth with no real bite to them, or when he was nervous/excited. 

When Sunghoon was nervous or excited, Jay couldn’t usually get him to shut up. Not that he usually tried to, he loved listening to Sunghoon ramble when he got into a particularly long run on sentence. But if he ever needed to shut Sunghoon up if he was nervous or excited, he discovered that kissing him was a really good way to do that. 

It took Jay’s mind a second to catch up with what exactly his body was doing, but when it did, he didn’t even try to pull away. Not when Sunghoon was gripping his shoulders and hair so tightly, or kissing him back so desperately-

 Sunghoon was kissing him back. 

He was kissing Sunghoon and Sunghoon was kissing him back. 

That thought struck him hard enough to reinvigorate him. The kiss was a little messy, their teeth or tongue clashing once in a while, but neither of them pulled away. Jay wrapped his arms around Sunghoon and flipped them automatically, never breaking the kiss as he pinned him to the bed. 

 “I love you,” Jay breathed out between kisses. “I love you, I’ve always loved you, Sunghoon-ah there’s no me without you, I love you.” 

 He would say it a hundred, a thousand, a million times for the next million years, just to make up for the lost time he had been wasting when he could have been doing this.  

 “Hold on,” Sunghoon whined. “Don’t confess now, dumbass,” He scolded him, pulling him back in for a feverish kiss. “I’ve waited six years to hear you say that, I’m not going to remember it if you keep kissing me like this,” He groaned as Jay’s hand slid up his body, exploring it unapologetically. 

“You’ve known you’ve liked me for six years and didn’t say anything and I’m the problem?” Jay shot back, leaving hot, open mouth kisses down his neck, already obsessed with the way his cool skin practically sizzled beneath his tongue. 

 “I was waiting for you,” Sunghoon told him, and clung to him as Jay tried to pull away enough to look at him. "Noona said to be careful with your heart." 

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” Jay whispered, his heart clenching at the thought. 

 “Apologise later, kiss me now,” Sunghoon insisted, pulling Jay back in for another greedy kiss. 

 Jay laughed and kissed him back. His laughter choked into a moan as Sunghoon reached up, scratching at his back. 

 “Off,” Sunghoon instructed, tugging at his shirt. 

“So bossy,” Jay tutted, sitting up enough to pull the offending garment off. “Yours t-” 

But Sunghoon was one step ahead of him, sitting up and stripping his shirt off quickly. Jay didn’t even get a chance to marvel at his physique before Sunghoon was pulling him back in for a kiss, pressing their bodies together unabashedly. They moaned in unison as hot met cold, and their body temperatures mellowed out into that addicting middle ground.  

Sunghoon was tugging at his sweats next, and Jay broke the kiss to laugh at him a little. “Aren’t you moving a little f-” 

 “Six. Years. Jongseong.” Sunghoon looked up at him with an unmistakable fire in his eyes, and Jay wondered if it was his magic around Sunghoon’s heart at work. “I’ve moved slow enough.” 

 “Okay,” Jay nodded and swooped back in, kissing him again like it was the first time. 

 Sunghoon lifted his body to meet Jay’s so as much of them were flush together as possible. Jay groaned, deepening the kiss and tugging Sunghoon’s pyjama pants off in the process. He palmed him carefully, and was rewarded with a soft whine that had his mind spinning. 

“Jay-ah, please,” he begged. 

 And who was he to deny Sunghoon anything? 

He wasted no time pumping him to fullness, and then Sunghoon was begging for more, so he reached for the oil he kept by his bed for his own time, and then he was prepping him, and suddenly it was all just moving a little too fast. 

 “I’m slowing down now,” Jay informed him quietly, pressing kisses beneath his ear as he pumped two fingers in and out of him lazily. 

 “Jay-ah, no,” he whined in complaint. “Please-”

 “I want to savour this, Sunghoon-ah. I want to savour you,” he whispered, nipping along his jaw. “I’ve wanted you for years, and now I have you, I’m going to enjoy it. I want you to enjoy it.” 

“What are you talking about?” Sunghoon groaned, holding onto him desperately. “I’ve always been yours, since the day I met you.” 

 Jay leaned down and pressed a kiss to the faint scar over his heart. It was barely there anymore, worn away by time and where it was. He would be sad to see the day where he couldn’t make it out anymore, even if what lay beneath it was the important part. 

“I was a terror to you the first day we met,” Jay mumbled, curling his fingers a little to elicit another sweet, breathy moan from him. 

 “I almost killed you, it was understandable,” Sunghoon gasped beneath him. “I’m glad Noona was there to help me get it out.” 

“I have to tell you something,” Jay whispered. 

  “Now?” Sunghoon asked him incredulously, the word pitching up in a whine. “Can’t it wait five minutes?” 

 “You think I’m only going to last five minutes?” Jay snorted. “Thanks for having such good faith in me, Hoon-ah.” 

 “Jay-ah, look at me,” Sunghoon took his face between his palms. His pupils were blown wide and unfocused, his lips puffy and kiss bruises, slick with spit in a way that made Jay want to go back for more. His cheeks were flushed, which wasn’t a common occurrence for him, so Jay was elated to see the effect he was having on him. “I have waited too long for this, I will not last five minutes.” He said bluntly. “So whatever you have to tell me can wait until after we finish, I promise.” 

 “Whatever you say, beautiful,” Jay breathed, rushing forward and kissing him desperately. 

 “No, don’t do that,” Sunghoon whined before moaning as Jay added a third finger. 

“What did I do now?” Jay nearly pouted- Sunghoon sure seemed to have a lot of rules in bed. 

 However, Sunghoon was in his bed, beneath him, for him, with him, so he couldn’t commit to being annoyed about it. 

 “Don’t call me beautiful while you’re inside me like this,” Sunghoon protested, blushing a deeper shade of pink. 

 “But you are,” Jay insisted. “So beautiful, you’re so pretty, Sunghoon-ah, so pretty,” he confessed through kisses. “So pretty, so perfect for me,” 

 “Jay-ah, please,” He groaned. 

 Jay was easing inside of him a moment later, groaning as he bottomed out. 

Sunghoon hadn’t been kidding either. 

Once Jay found that little sweet spot that had Sunghoon’s eyes rolling back, it took nearly no time at all for him to peak, kissing Jay fully as he came undone. Jay kissed him back, chasing his own high with a moan. 

 He managed to pull out, drawing one last whine from Sunghoon before collapsing next to him. Without hesitation, Sunghoon curled up to him, wrapping himself around a more than willing Jay. 

“Oh, woah,” Sunghoon breathed. 

 “Hm?” Jay hummed, relaxing back in his bed. 

 “Look.” He nudged him. 

 Jay cracked open his eyes and blinked rapidly. There was a thick cloud in his room, steam and smoke all combined to give him barely any kind of visibility past the bed. 

“Could be worse,” Jay mused. “We could’ve caused a thunderstorm.” 

 Sunghoon hummed. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” He cuddled in closer. 

 They were silent for a few minutes before Sunghoon propped himself up to look down at him, tracing over his chest absentmindedly. Jay ran his hands up and down his sides, watching him. 

“What did you want to tell me?” He asked curiously. 

 Jay took his hand and rested it over his heart. “Feel,” he murmured. 

 Sunghoon furrowed his eyebrows. “What, your heartbeat? Were you going to use a cheesy pick line about your heart while we were in the middle of-”

“No, Hoon-ah, feel,” Jay insisted. “Reach out.” 

 Sunghoon looked at him before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, letting his magic reach out. It took a moment, but he stiffened and his face pinched up in concern. 

 “That’s- it’s-” he stammered. “It’s around your heart?” He breathed. 

 “Mhm,” Jay kept watching him, running his fingers along his back. “Every beat is for you. That’s what Evergreen said.” 

Sunghoon’s eyes flew open. “Evergreen told you about this? Why? How?” He blinked at him. 

“The day I went out to meet her,” Jay said, trying to keep calm. “She said she could smell you on me. That it was deep in my core.” He pressed a few kisses to Sunghoon’s bicep, the closest available skin. “It’s all tangled up in there, she said it would be nearly impossible to get it out now.” 

“I can try-” Sunghoon started, but Jay rested his hand over his and shook his head. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered, smiling softly. “I want to keep it there. I like having a part of you with me.” 

 Sunghoon flushed, leaned down, kissing his chest gently. Jay reached up, resting his hand right on the scar over Sunghoon’s heart. His eyes widened, looking down at Jay’s hand and back to him in wonderment. 

 “Me too?” He whispered. “I have a piece of you too?” 

“Evergreen said she knew I was a fire user because she recognized me in you,” he murmured. “She said you didn’t even know I was there.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sunghoon’s breathed out. 

“I was scared,” he confessed. “Telling you about that meant telling you about my heart and that was a scary prospect.”

 “Why?” Sunghoon repeated, his eyes wider. 

Jay reached up and brushed his hair back. “Why would someone as beautiful and perfect as you settle for a hazard like me?” He pointed out. “I valued our friendship too much to risk it.”

 Sunghoon looked down at him surprised. “Settle? You think I’m settling for you?” He held his face in his hands. “Jay-ah, you’re all I’ve ever wanted.” He whispered. 

Jay pulled him into a kiss, and Sunghoon was throwing his leg over his lap to straddle him again when his door flew open. Immediately, Jay flipped them so he was hiding Sunghoon away from whoever was in the doorway. 

“Do I even want to know what you two are doing?” Shuhua asked, annoyed as she swatted at the accumulation of steam. “There’s a rainstorm in the Spring sector right now.” 

 They winced and Sunghoon peeked over Jay’s shoulder. 

 “Hi Noona,” 

She looked at them and wrinkled her nose. “Gross.” 

“Noona,” Jay looked at her, appalled. 

 “Listen, I can be very happy that you two have finally stopped making everyone else suffer with the sexual tension after dealing with it for six years, and still not want to see the kids I watched grow up in bed together.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Get up, get dressed and meet me in the kitchen. I have to show you something.” She turned on her heel and headed out, taking the steam with her. 

 Jay and Sunghoon exchanged surprised looks before springing up, cleaning up to the best of their abilities and getting dressed. Jay lent Sunghoon a hoodie and sweats, and got dressed himself. 

 Before they could leave, Sunghoon stopped him and pulled him into another long, sweet kiss. Jay kissed him back eagerly, drawing him closer. He nearly forgot they were supposed to meet Shuhua, until Sunghoon pulled away with a small smile. 

 “What was that for?” Jay asked, his mind reeling. 

 “Because I can do it now,” Sunghoon kissed his cheek, took his hand and led him out of the room, down to the kitchen where Shuhua was waiting for them. 

 Shuhua tried to seem annoyed when they joined her, but Jay could see the small smile tugging at her lips when she looked at their clasped hands. “Come on, I’m taking you guys to the Doors.” 

 “The Doors?” Jay repeated, following her, surprised. 

 They had been to the Doors a few times, so he found it odd that she wanted to show them as if they had never seen them before. There was a set of Doors in every realm as a way for deities to visit each other, or for Gatherings. Shuhua’s were out of the cottage and down the cobblestone path in front. Jay glanced over at the baby evergreen they planted a few years ago and smiled, squeezing Sunghoon’s hand. Sunghoon squeezed back and pulled him closer. 

As they arrived at the ring of doors, Jay blinked in surprise. On one side, the door from his dream appeared. It was the same material as the castle- a beautiful cut of obsidian that flickered like a flame. Like it was alive. It drew Jay in, that same tug in his stomach he had the night before. He automatically drifted towards it, only to be stopped by Sunghoon’s hand. 

 He looked over his shoulder to see Sunghoon heading towards a door that looked like an ice sculpture. It glittered like a diamond in the sun. Pretty and perfect. Like him. 

 Sunghoon looked just as surprised at the resistance. They stood there, staring at each other for a long moment before Sunghoon leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. “I’ll see you soon, my love.” He whispered. 

 Perhaps, like him, Sunghoon could feel that stepping through the door this time would mean more. It wouldn’t be a quick trip. It was a new domain. It would take time, energy, and patience to get it set up. Once they stepped through these doors, it would be a while before they would see each other again. 

Jay’s heart stuttered and he pulled him closer, kissing him softly. “Until next time,” he murmured. 

 Sunghoon melted against him, and it was a Herculean effort to pull away again. But they did, drawn back to their doors. He watched Sunghoon take a deep breath and open his door, stepping inside and closing it behind him. 

Jay turned back to his door.  

“Well?” Shuhua put her hands on his shoulders. 

 “I’ll do good,” Jay promised. “I’ll make you proud, Noona.” 

 “I’m already proud, Jay-ah,” Shuhua promised. “Go, your domain needs you.” She smiled warmly. “The sooner it stabilizes, the sooner you see Sunghoonie again.” 

Jay took a deep breath. 

Hold. 

 Out. 

 Hold. 

 He opened the door and stepped inside. 

---

“Wait,” Riki said, shaking his head. “Domains are manifestations of the deities? I thought Mother Nature sent you here because she was tired of the thunderstorms.” 

 “That’s a common misconception,” Sunghoon nodded, pressing his lips together, clearly trying not to laugh. 

 “Honestly, you cause a couple thunderstorms and suddenly that becomes your whole legacy,” Jay scowled. “Do they remember that year I broke a major heat wave without causing a flood or a drought? No, they just remember the time we accidentally drenched the Spring sector.” His scowl morphed into a pout. 

“It’s okay baby,” Sunghoon assured him, almost like he was speaking to a child as he rubbed his back. 

 “I worked my ass off as the head of Summer,” he grumbled. 

“You were a very good head of Summer,” Sunghoon promised. 

 “And Spring likes the rain! The Old Man visits all the time!” He leaned into Sunghoon, who just laughed, holding him close. 

 “Hold on, hyung,” Sunoo frowned, bringing the pair of Miser’s attention back to the pair sitting on the couch across from them. “So why are they blaming you for everything?” 

 Jay sighed heavily. After recounting the story to Sunoo and Riki (minus a few details- he figured the kids were traumatized enough seeing them nearly naked, they definitely didn’t need to hear about anything else of the sorts), he still wasn’t entirely sure why he was subjected to Father Time’s smear campaign. 

 “Mother Nature’s best guess is Father Time’s seen something in Jay’s clock,” Sunghoon explained. “Something he didn’t like.” 

 “But that could be anything,” Riki frowned. “Isn’t there anything we can do?” 

 Jay smiled fondly and reached over, ruffling Riki’s hair affectionately. “You can’t do anything, we are handling it as best we can.” 

 “But what happens if the majority vote against you?” Riki frowned. “What if they decide to cast you out?”  

Jay sighed. “Then I’m cast out. My domain will remain for a time, but it’ll fade eventually.” 

 “Wait, wait,” Riki shook his head, and Jay watched as Sunoo reached over and took his hand, watching him worriedly. 

His heart ached at the familiarity of it all, especially as Sunghoon reached over and held his hand again. 

 “Hyung, if your domain is a manifestation of you, like, this is a part of you, what happens if it fades?” Riki furrowed his eyebrows. 

Jay glanced at Sunghoon, who was already eyeing him like he was about to fade out of existence right then and there. He sighed and squeezed Sunghoon’s hand. “Once you claim a domain, your life force attaches to it. It’s how deities live for so long. As long as their domain thrives, so do they.” 

 “So if it fades…” Sunoo said quietly. 

“Please don’t worry about it,” Jay said quickly. “We’re working on a solution, it’ll be okay.” 

 Jay didn’t know if it would be okay, not really, but Riki and Sunoo looked so upset by the reveal of information that he felt the need to assure them. 

 “And you’ll be okay,” He added, looking at Riki. “If anything happens to the domain, you’re not attached to it, so you can always go somewhere else. Mother Nature has agreed to take on as many of my staff as possible, and Sunghoon agreed to take the rest.” 

 “If it’s going to be okay, why are you making these back up plans?” Sunoo frowned. 

“It’s best to be prepared,” Jay told him softly. “Look, this conversation wasn’t meant to scare you two or anything, we just wanted to explain to you why we’re hiding out in the bottom part of the Ice Palace like this, and why it’s important not to tell anyone.” 

“That, and Jay would melt everything upstairs,” Sunghoon snorted, tracing his fingers up and down his spine as he leaned back on the couch. “It’s best to keep the Heat Miser down here where he can’t damage my Weather Control room.” 

 “So would you not like me to point out that a domain that built itself as a manifestation of your soul added a room specifically for us?” Jay raised his eyebrow. “Face it baby, even your subconscious is obsessed with me.” 

 Sunghoon rolled his eyes, but Jay could see the fond smile he tried to hide. He turned attention back to the two elves in front of them and sighed. “Actually, I’ve sort of been wanting to ask for a while, but why were you two wandering around this area anyway?” Sunghoon cocked his head to the side. “It’s not like it’s off limits or anything, but most people don’t even know it exists.” 

“I was sent here to retrieve hyung. They said he was probably here for his weekly meeting, so I’ve sort of been wandering around trying to find the meeting room. I ran into Sunoo hyung along the way,” Riki pointed to him, and Sunoo nodded in agreement. 

 “In here it’s perfect, but out in the hall it sort of feels like the last time Jay hyung came to see you. It was all steamy and stuffy, so I just assumed you two were having your weekly meeting here because you didn’t want Jay hyung to melt the Weather Control room again.” 

“Oh,” Sunghoon blinked. “Wait, you both came to get us?” 

 “Weather Control said they had some questions they wanted to ask you, and it was a series of questions so it would just be easier to talk to you,” Sunoo explained. “Sorry, there was a work reason we were coming to find you, you just seemed uh, busy.” 

Sunghoon sighed and got up, kissing Jay’s forehead before he padded around the room to get ready to go back to work. “Sunoo-yah, do you remember anything they said about it?” 

 Sunoo nodded, and Sunghoon motioned him to follow after him. “Tell me through the door, I’m going to get dressed.” 

Sunoo followed him obediently, telling him the details of whatever Weather Control needed him for. 

 Jay watched Sunghoon until he disappeared through the bathroom door and hummed, leaning back into the couch cushion. 

 “Hyung,” Riki said quietly, and Jay turned to look at him curiously. “Is it… not normal for people in different domains to be friends?” 

 Jay thought back to Riki with his friends in Shuhua’s domain. She had told them about Heeseung, who had quickly risen to the top of the Autumn sector, and recently had been promoted to a manager of the Autumn Equinox. He didn’t know much about the elf from Santa’s village or the Conductor's chosen one, but they all seemed like they were close, and actively tried to maintain their relationships despite the distance. 

 “Not usually,” he admitted. “It just happens naturally, I guess. All that distance and time apart makes it difficult for some people. It’s not a rule though, it’s not like we’ll force you to stop talking to your loved ones.” He watched him curiously. “If you ever want to visit one of your friends, let me know. You can use the Doors.”  

“You’ll let me use the Doors?” Riki perked up.  

Jay nodded and glanced over to where Sunoo was still talking to Sunghoon through the door. “I know what it’s like to be away from the people you care about.” He said quietly. 

 “You would tell us if there was something we could do to help, right hyung?” Riki sat forward on the couch. “Because we do want to help.” 

 Jay smiled softly. “I know kid, it’s okay,” he stood up and gathered his things. “I’ll be okay.” 

 Sunghoon came out in white jeans and a white turtleneck to cover the bruising Jay left along his throat and collarbones. If Jay was any less confident, he would think Sunghoon was embarrassed of them. But he remembered how he sounded beneath him every time he nipped at his skin-

 “That’s not a very friendly look, Mr. Heat Blister,” Sunghoon teased him, heading over with his perfectly styled hair. 

 He looked clean, pretty and perfect. Not a hair out of a place or a button undone. Jay wanted to ruin him, but refrained, leaning in for a soft kiss instead. 

“I’m not having very friendly thoughts,” Jay murmured under his breath as Sunoo and Riki fell into their own conversation. “Our meetings usually run longer than this one did.” 

Sunghoon hummed and pulled him closer. “You should get back to your domain anyway,” He pointed out. “Everything’s on a hairpin trigger over there right now, you don’t want to give them any reason to-” 

“Stop worrying, darling,” Jay whispered soothingly. “The crisis has been averted for now, just focus on a White Christmas, alright?” 

 Sunghoon leaned in for one more kiss. “I love you,” he murmured against his lips. 

 “I love you too,” Jay sighed in return, cradling his face. “Okay, okay, go before I kick the kids out and ruin your perfect hair again.” 

 Sunghoon laughed and pulled away. “Alright, Sunoo-yah, let’s get back to Weather Control before they approve another fifty centimeters of snow for Vancouver,” he ushered him out. 

 “Do you want me to cry?” Jay called after him, and Sunghoon only laughed before shutting the door behind him. 

 Jay sighed, shaking his head. “What am I going to do with him?” He hummed. “Alright Riki-yah, let’s go home.” 

“Hyung,” he coughed, pointing at him. “You’re in a robe.” 

 Jay looked down and shrugged. “The Doors are just down the hall, they lead into my office so it doesn’t really matter.” He admitted. “C’mon, I’ll change when we get back.” 

He headed out with Riki trailing behind him. The kid was quiet the whole way home, and Jay half expected him to be gone by the time he finished getting dressed in the little area he had set up in his office. But there he was, sitting in the chair by his desk. 

 “Riki? You okay?” He asked hesitantly. “That was a lot of information we dropped on you, I understand if you need time to process it.” 

“You know, when we went to Puck’s, we heard about a couple of students who were taken on by Mother Nature before she claimed her domain. You guys were infamous there, we heard all kinds of stories.” He paused. “One of them, the fire user, they said he… well, they said you had to transfer because…” 

“I burned down Elven Prep,” Jay nodded. “Is that what you want to know?” 

 “You mentioned it when you were telling your story, but you didn’t say why.” Riki fidgeted with his sleeve. “Did something happen…?” 

Jay exhaled and leaned back in his chair. “Elemental magic users aren’t super common nowadays, but back then they made up a third of Puck’s attendance, and half of Elven Prep’s. In all my years at Elven Prep and Puck’s, I never met another fire user.” 

“Really?” Riki blinked in surprise. 

 Jay shook his head. “Fire users were seen as inherently dangerous. They were pushed out of society or dealt with accordingly. It’s just how it was. But kids are cruel, and they find it funny to pick at anyone who’s different. I spent a lot of time alone, skipping class or hiding away. One time, they found me while I was playing a lyre, and they broke it.” He looked up at the ceiling. “I was a kid, I got angry. When my emotions got out of control, so did my magic. It consumed me and half of Elven Prep.” 

 “No offence hyung, but… why would they let you enroll at Puck’s after that? Even if your parents were important people, wouldn’t it be considered a risk to other students?” Riki pointed out. 

 Jay smiled wryly. “They let me enroll because there were zero casualties.” He said. “Half the building, classrooms full of people, those that tormented me for years only a few feet away from the initial fire, and I didn’t kill a single person.” 

Riki’s mouth opened and closed a few times, clearly flabbergasted. “But… how…?” 

 “I didn’t understand it myself, really. No one did. It was an enigma. The only one who seemed to really understand was Evergreen,” Jay smiled fondly. “She told me that Prometheus didn’t steal fire from the gods to destroy anything. Fire can bring pain and devastation, sure, but the hearth is the centre of a home. Fire has always meant warmth, and is a means of survival in the darkest of times. She was the one who opened my eyes to the idea that I got to decide what to do with my fire. I think fifteen year old me understood that, to some extent. I never wanted to hurt anyone, I was just tired of being hurt.” He hummed a little bit, his smile widening. “Sunghoon helped with that too, I think. I didn’t have to be so scared of losing control when he was around to cool me down.” 

Riki was quiet for a long minute before snorting. “If you and Sunghoon hyung are trying to keep your centuries old relationship a secret from the other deities, maybe you should learn to not look like Eros himself struck you with a million arrows every time you talk about him.” 

 Jay looked at him, absolutely appalled by the sudden attitude. “You’re such a brat,” he told him. “Who taught you to talk back like that?” 

 “I’ve been spending lots of time with my Jay hyung,” Riki informed him innocently. “Why, is he a bad influence?” 

 Jay made a move like he was going to strangle him, and the runt had the audacity to laugh at him. He sighed like he was already exhausted and stood up. “Alright, let’s go check in with our Green Christmas in the South.” 

“Sure hyung,” Riki trailed after him happily. 

 Jay smiled to himself and got to work. 

 He would see Sunghoon tonight. He could survive until then.