[EXO] [PD4] Frozen Light 2/2
Title: Frozen Light 2/2
Fandom: EXO (sort of fused with Final Fantasy VII)
Series: Phoenix Down (#4)
Rating: PG
Genre: AU, crossover (sort of)
Word count: 13,698
Disclaimer: Not mine, damnit.
Part 1
Frozen Light 2/2
'Leaves of Life' is small, if not to the point of being cosy. Baekhyun doesn't miss the fact that sharp edges are kept to a minimum, and wherever possible, wood and metal are covered by cloth. Some of the smaller bookcases are made of plastic. There's nowhere for customers to sit, but the entire shopfloor's covered in soft brown carpet - a cushion for any sudden stumbles.
"It used to be grey," Lu Han jokes during the tour, "but the bloodstains kept scaring the customers. What do you think?"
"It's...nice."
There's not a lot Baekhyun can say, really. He's not here for the guided tour. He'd shown up ten minutes ago, looking for Lu Han, and found the shop staffed by a tall, sharp-looking young man with an impressive collection of ear piercings and a demeanour better suited to a security guard than a sales assistant. Zitao (according to his nametag) had taken one look at him and called Lu Han out from the stockroom in the back.
"We try to work in pairs," Lu Han says. "Just in case. It'll be easier with you here."
"I haven't said I'm staying!" Baekhyun protests.
"Maybe not today, but you will." Lu Han grins at him, certainty written all over his face. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here now. Come on, I'll take you to see upstairs."
The apartment above the bookshop has three bedrooms. Lu Han shares with Minseok, Zitao shares with Kyungsoo, and the remaining bedroom - the smallest - has a bunkbed frame taking up most of the space.
"It was a study originally," Lu Han says, faintly apologetic, "but we tried to make room. The mattresses are arriving later today. You can decorate however you want."
Some measure of decoration's called for before the room can be considered 'home'. Aside from the bedframe, the only furniture is a narrow cupboard standing in one corner. At least there are curtains - pale blue, with little lightbulbs on them. Baekhyun wonders if it's a coincidence or a joke, given the source of his power.
The rest of the apartment looks more lived-in, if relatively neat. All the kitchen surfaces are spotless, lemon-scented and shining, and the large table in the corner - with six chairs, Baekhyun notes - is covered with a cheery, easy to clean plastic tablecloth. There's a lounge with a long couch, an armchair that looks as though it might fit two at a squeeze, and a giant fluffy floor cushion. Not a great deal of space for walking around, but that's not its purpose in the least.
"One bathroom?" Baekhyun asks when they reach it.
Lu Han nods sadly. "Between five of us, when you move in. I hope you don't take long bubble baths or anything."
He gives Baekhyun a wealth of practical info, ranging from how the owner of the laundry two doors down does all their washing for free in exchange for romance novels, to how the bookshop profits go on the household bills before any of them get paid and they keep a set amount aside for groceries.
What is noticeably absent is any of the information Baekhyun came to learn.
"How do you know about all of us?" he interrupts, when Lu Han gets talking about their two-on two football matches in the field down the street.
Lu Han steers them back to the kitchen and pours them both plastic cups of juice before they sit down. His voice is becoming raspy, he has to take a few sips before he continues speaking. "The dreams, of course."
"I had another one last night," Baekhyun says, slightly reluctant because telling a guy to his face that you dreamed about him is kind of embarrassing. "One of the shadow guys was pushing the red clouds away without touching them, and then he turned into you."
"Telekinesis. That was my power, there, and there's magic in that other world. I can't do anything here, of course. I'm sure you've tried."
"Maybe just a little," Baekhyun admits.
"I've seen you using Light in the dreams. Is that what you do when you're summoned?"
"Yeah." Baekhyun demonstrates, pretending Lu Han's a monster. The whole thing's ridiculous; he can't possibly keep a straight face.
"I found Minseok first, then Kyungsoo, and then Minseok found Zitao. Minseok uses Ice, Kyungsoo uses Earth, and Zitao uses Time. I've seen them all in dreams now, using those powers. I think we've all got them. You've counted in the dreams, right? Twelve people?"
"Sometimes it's twelve people. Sometimes there's a dragon, or even a unicorn."
"They're people too," Lu Han assures him. "I see the unicorn's face sometimes. We'll probably find him next. The more ground we cover with our orbs, the greater our chances of finding him and the others."
Oh. Now Baekhyun gets it, how this works. But what happens once they've found everyone? He asks the question of Lu Han, who shakes his head.
"I don't know yet. I told you, we're slowly seeing more of the picture."
"Maybe we save the tree?" Baekhyun suggests, none too optimistic.
Evidently Lu Han feels the same way. "I think it's too late for that."
He drains his cup, then lets it fall, clattering onto the table; Baekhyun's surprised by his new friend's lack of table manners when he realises the cups are plastic for a reason - Lu Han's eyes have glazed over, and a proper glass wouldn't last long in his shaking hands. He's been summoned.
Mild panic takes root in Baekhyun's brain. Is this what he looks like when he's summoned? As though every particle of his body is frozen in stasis; his mind, up amongst the stars? It would almost be funny, if not for the fact that he knows only too well what's happening, and how serious this really is.
He should do something, shouldn't he? Lu Han did, for him. That's right, bring him back to himself.
Baekhyun reaches for one of Lu Han's trembling hands, squeezing the fingers tight enough that he fears for the condition of his own. "Just...stay with me?" He tries to remember the first aid his mother taught him. Maybe he should try to keep Lu Han warm, loosen his clothing...no, wait, that's for shock. He's pretty sure his mother didn't teach him anything about summoning.
"Focus on the sound of my voice," he continues, gaining confidence when Lu Han blinks. "Whatever it is, let it go and come back here. You don't have to be there."
"Quite right, I don't," Lu Han says cheerfully, fighting to free his fingers. "But you should definitely be here. You pass."
Baekhyun's jaw drops. "That was a test?"
"I wanted to make sure you'd help if one of us had trouble. Hey!" Lu Han holds up an arm, trying to ward off Baekhyun's attempts at whacking him about the shoulders. "No offense intended, all right?"
Baekhyun eventually relents once he lands a few good smacks. Lu Han's impish smile suggests he's not the least bit remorseful.
"You look out for us and we look out for you," Lu Han says, quite satisfied. "That's how it works. Are you in?"
"I don't have much choice, do I?"
"You always have a choice. But this is your best option."
There's no denying that. Baekhyun's in, even if it means turning his life even more upside down than it is already. He plies Lu Han with questions ("Why are there monsters in that world and not here?" "What's the big deal about the tree?" "Do you know what that red stuff is?"); Lu Han waves him away with a laugh and a promise to share everything he knows - which, he goes to extraordinary lengths to emphasise, is not a great deal.
It takes a few days of explanations and negotiations back home, but by the end of the week, Baekhyun's moved in, adding his name to the chores rota and taking as many afternoon shifts as he can, because that's when the college girls like to shop. A couple of years go by without any significant changes. They don't find any more Summons, though Lu Han finally gets a name for one of the faces haunting his dreams and becomes very excited about finding him.
"I've been remembering little pieces about Jongin for years," he tells them one evening, when the shop's closed and they're all squeezed into the lounge, exchanging notes on their latest dreams over popcorn. "About how we worked together as a team, and...other things."
Baekhyun, whose love life has been sadly lacking since the start of his new career as a Summon, doesn't miss the implication, nor Lu Han's half-fond, half-guilty look. Jongin's the one who teleports, apparently, though they're not sure if he has the same ability in the other world because as far as they can gather from their time as Summons, much of the magic over there is elemental. Lu Han reckons that's why his telekinesis translates into his own physical movements, making him a graceful master swordsman.
Minseok snags the popcorn bowl from the coffee table before Lu Han's exuberance can knock it over. "I don't have a name, but I think I've found one? The unicorn guy. One of my masters was injured near that small northern village - Kalm? He summoned me to deal with some Nerosuferoths and I was still out when the village healer turned up. I'm sure it was him."
"He was the village healer?" Lu Han asks, sounding puzzled. "I don't see how he could be a Summon as well."
"I don't think he was," Minseok says. "He healed my master using Restore materia."
"He'd equipped it?" Zitao asks.
Minseok nods, taking a handful of popcorn and passing the bowl to Kyungsoo, completely ignoring Lu Han's grab for it. "In a staff. He carried it himself."
Baekhyun can't help snickering at Lu Han's forlorn face, but despite all the playing around, this is a big deal. They'll take any scrap of new information they can get. "But we can't pick up any item with materia equipped."
They've all tried. Touching materia is impossible for them, and while they can touch items in which it is equipped, they're unable to move them. So either everything they've discovered so far is wrong, or the man who becomes a unicorn is not a Summon.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Minseok says, "I believe he lives over there."
"I wonder if we're supposed to bring him here?" Lu Han speculates. "We've moved other things between the two worlds - why not people?"
"Moving a camera through so you can take a picture isn't the same as moving a living being," Kyungsoo points out. "Cameras don't stop breathing. If a corpse turns up in the kitchen, I know who to blame."
"We make it through fine," Baekhyun says. "If we can find the unicorn guy again, we should try to bring him here. You know we're going to need more space, right? Because we can fit one more in my room but after that-"
"We'll worry about it when we find more of them," Lu Han says, and since he and Minseok are in charge of their living arrangements, Baekhyun just has to go with it. There's no way he's squeezing more than one more person in his room, though.
Finding their missing comrades is a task and a half. The odds of being summoned at the same time as another Summon are low at best, and Lu Han's the only one who can leave his orb at will to continue the search - assuming he's not too busy serving his master. Even then, his time out of the orb is determined by his strength, and that, in turn, is determined by how long he's been with his master. What Baekhyun's come to understand, over these past few years, is that Lu Han has no qualms about manipulating circumstances in order that his orbs pass from the hands of an unwanted master into those of a more desirable one.
Baekhyun would love to be able to do the same, but fate just hasn't been that kind to him. He is, however, the first person to glimpse the dragon's face, which he grudgingly admits is something of a coup given that they mostly get new details in dreams at roughly the same time, only in different scenes. The fierce black dragon, who soars above the tree and sears the red clouds with fiery breath, swoops down to become a man on the ground - a man taller than Zitao, even, with short blond hair, stern brows, and a mouth that's ever-so-slightly too small for his face. As far as looks go, Baekhyun admits he'd fit right in with the handsome bunch of housemates.
If nothing else, he's memorable, and Baekhyun's sure he'd recognise him if he ever saw him in the other world.
Lu Han successfully finds Jongin over there, and while he's terribly pleased with himself for concocting the scheme that sees his nearest orb transfer ownership, there's sadness beneath the surface when he relates the tale around the kitchen table.
"He has no idea who he is," Lu Han says. "Or who I am. But he's been looking for me, too."
Everyone else at the table is polite enough to ignore the catch in Lu Han's voice. Baekhyun, who's sitting next to him, gives him a gentle elbow in the ribs that could potentially be interpreted as a gesture of sympathy. (Well, his hands are all greasy from the fried chicken, so...) He whistles innocently when Lu Han makes mock-injured noises.
"Looking for you?" Zitao repeats. "Why?"
"Because he doesn't want to be powerless ever again, and he thought I was the best way of achieving that. I did find a way to help him, though. He's got my orb equipped in gauntlets," Lu Han runs a hand over his forearm in demonstration, "and when he's wearing them, even though he doesn't have power of his own in that world, I can use telekinesis to make him move, like his teleportation in the dreams."
"But he doesn't know that's his power, right?" Minseok says. "Did you tell him?"
"I think it's best if he remembers on his own. He's kind of confused at the moment. I could tell you guys things about us because I could be with you in person, but I can't stay with him for long yet and I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly dump all of that on him. Especially when I can't give him complete answers."
Baekhyun's not sure Lu Han's given any of them complete answers, but it's not like they have much of a clue anyway. "So if we find anyone who's one of us but not a Summon, we don't tell them anything?" he asks, just to be sure. "Ever?"
"Tell them enough so they know they're not alone," Lu Han says sombrely, and now Baekhyun knows there's something Lu Han's not sharing with them.
One thing Lu Han does share, however, is his opinion on summoning outfits, when Baekhyun asks him where he stashes his armour when he's not wearing it.
Lu Han taps the side of his head. "In here. If I think about it when I'm being summoned, I can choose how I appear. Otherwise, I just show up in whatever I'm wearing here - which is a problem if I'm in the shower at the time."
"What about when you're asleep?" Baekhyun asks.
"It doesn't have to be the 'me' who's here."
"Oh yeah..." Baekhyun still has trouble, sometimes, adjusting to the idea of his splinter selves as more or less independent entities. Who knows what kind of chaos they cause when he's not keeping an eye on them? "So what do you wear when you go see Jongin? Or don't you wear anything at all?" he teases.
"I wear whatever I think is suitable at the time." Lu Han's not giving anything away. "You should think about doing the same. You don't exactly look like someone who judges monsters to death when you show up in striped shorts and a worn old T-shirt."
"I could try a black leather vest and chains?"
"Zitao's already cornered the market on that look. You'll have to find your own."
So Baekhyun does, knowing full well how good he looks in white - sharp and elegant, neatly tailored jacket, shirt and trousers gleaming as bright as his magic. He offsets the costume with black eyeliner, his eyes becoming deep, dark crevices in cold, brilliant ice as he stares down any repulsive creature that dares to confront him.
It's just a shame he can't do it at home. It might keep Lu Han from borrowing his hats.
The next breakthrough is the unicorn's name - Yixing, as overheard in one of Kyungsoo's dreams. Luck is on Minseok's side as his master near Kalm is taken seriously ill. Yixing heals him with materia; having no money, the man repays his saviour with the gift of a Summon materia and like that, Minseok is equipped by one of their missing companions. He's quite pleased by the turn of events, as it transpires that Yixing, in his free time, is an amateur musician, and on the odd occasion when Minseok is called out it suits them both to sing together.
"He knows Yixing isn't his name," Minseok tells the others. "He doesn't seem to mind not knowing who he is, though. He's very laid-back."
"Do you get called out much?" Zitao asks, curious. "I was in Kalm once. I didn't think there were many monsters up there."
"There never used to be, but Yixing says it's getting worse," Minseok says. "He doesn't like having to fight but it's the only way to protect the villagers, so we do what we can."
"Jongin's doing the same in Junon," Lu Han joins in. "The situation is starting to get worse there too."
It sounds, to Baekhyun, as though things are speeding up and suddenly, they're against the clock, racing to find their missing members before the other world is overrun with monsters. They may not know what their long-term plans are, because even with five of them having frequent dreams, no one has yet seen what becomes of the dying tree, but they're well aware of their current goal. If only the odds weren't stacked against them! It frustrates Baekhyun no end that no matter how much his masters travel, he never manages to find anyone, and he's not able to simply walk off and search by himself. His strength only takes him so far before he has to return to his orb. It's a frustration he shares with the others, and even the quietly cheerful Minseok has been known to vent in the depths of the stockroom, alone, with the shelves and boxes muffling his complaints.
Nevertheless, they continue with their tasks, and that includes the household chores. It's Baekhyun's turn to do laundry and he's just returned from the laundrette two doors down with a massive bag of freshly cleaned and dried bedding when a shock he hasn't felt in a while ripples through him, sending him stumbling for the couch. A new materia orb. It's been months. New ones are difficult; he's had plenty of practice now at setting them aside in his mind, but he has to know them first. Has to check them out, see where they've ended up, if there's anyone worth his time. There never has been before.
This one's...cold. He's at home on the couch, lying back against the cushions with the bag of laundry at his feet and one of Lu Han's multicoloured puzzle cube things digging into his thigh. He's also encased in a tight red shell, impenetrable and colder than the winter winds. Perhaps he's somewhere new. He hopes he's not inside a freezer somewhere, because he's not in the mood to have the universe playing tricks on him.
His senses are limited in this form. There's movement, a cradling by a hand, with long, icy fingers turning him over. Then a click that tells Baekhyun he's been equipped, is now residing in someone's weapon, or perhaps armour. Either way, he has a new master.
He waits for it, for the name that follows whenever he's found. What will his new master be like? Open and chatty? Cool and reserved? Brisk and business-like? Finding out takes longer than he expects. Perhaps his new master is somewhere with poor lighting, where his name can't be easily read from the materia. It's happened before. Baekhyun focuses his attention on finding the cube digging into his leg in the meantime.
After five silent minutes, he hears his name. The feeble rasp tells him nothing about his new master, but the low pitch suggests a man. A very cold man, as it turns out; Baekhyun materialises in a field of snow, which immediately seeps inside his boots and soaks its way into the legs of his thin white trousers. The temperature has to be well below freezing. He curses himself for not wearing a thick coat and gloves. Who's going to care if he looks suave and intimidating out in this frozen wasteland?
Certainly not the human icicle lying by his feet. Baekhyun finds his materia orb glowing merrily in the hilt of a massive broadsword, half-concealed beneath the splayed, black-gloved fingers of its owner, who's crashed face-down in the snow. That can't be good for his health. Baekhyun can't move the sword but he has no such problem moving the swordsman, so he grits his teeth, tries to ignore the fact that he's slowly becoming an ice cube himself, and takes the man by the shoulders to roll him over on his back. Though clearly tall, the man's thin, and scarcely better protected from the cold than Baekhyun in a long black coat. He's not even wearing a hat; soaked blond hair clings to his scalp.
A quick glance around confirms that there's no one else in the vicinity - not even any monsters, which means Baekhyun doesn't have to waste his energy judging them. He can act freely, for as long as he's got; not long, because this is a new orb, a new master...
...Or an old one, perhaps. Baekhyun almost drops the man back down in the snow when he sees his face. It's the dragon from his dreams, now pale and shivering, eyes closed and clumps of snow sticking to his exposed skin. His teeth begin chattering the moment his mouth has the room to move.
"Hey." Baekhyun holds his master as far out of the snow as he can, wishing he had something to call him - sadly, the dreams have not yet revealed that critical piece of information. "C'mon, stay with me. No sleeping allowed. Open your eyes and talk to me."
"Mmm?"
"That's not a real word. How about your name?"
The unfortunate man's eyes flutter open; Baekhyun spots a flash of annoyance in them before they settle on 'spooked'. Good. Better annoyed than indifferent - it might keep him warmer. "K-K-Kris..." is what emerges through chattering teeth, and Baekhyun's gut tells him that's not the dragon's name. It might, however, be the only name he knows, which is probably the case if this is anything like the situation with Jongin and Yixing. Lu Han and Minseok say they avoid the issue by using 'Master' (which sounds a lot more playful coming from Lu Han than Baekhyun really wants to think about).
"That's good," Baekhyun says, trying to sound encouraging, and not like he's shivering like crazy himself. "I'm going to try to help you but I need you to stay with me, okay?"
Kris's head droops forward in what Baekhyun assumes is a nod of assent, so he crouches down to try to propel Kris further out of the snow. There's no shelter anywhere in sight, and while the hazy grey and red skies don't appear to be releasing any more snow any time soon, it's certainly not getting any warmer. The patch of trees they could shelter behind is a good twenty feet away, which leaves them constantly exposed to the icy winds. Baekhyun doesn't even try to kid himself that he'll have enough time to build a snow fort.
So he tries the only thing he can think of: taking Kris home with him.
They've never attempted it before. Minseok refused to risk it with Yixing, but Baekhyun can't see that he has any other options right now. It's not as if he can make things worse by trying, right? He needs to get Kris out of here, fast, before his body shuts down completely.
He's passed objects between his selves before and they've survived fine. With any luck, he can do the same now. He tightens his grip around Kris's torso, concentrating hard on the self that's currently lying on the couch. Their positions aren't comparable - he has no idea how Kris will manifest in the apartment and doesn't care, so long as he doesn't get stuck in the floor - but they're always linked, minds tied to each other across the worlds with an unbreakable connection. The line stretches, but it never snaps.
It's starting, he can feel it. He imagines Kris's long, chilled body lying next to his own on the couch, sodden clothing making the cushions damp and snow flaking from his gloves to the floor. It's going to be a bit of a squish, unfortunately. Baekhyun can almost feel the couch dip under the added weight, almost feel Kris shivering in his arms...
...And then the connection breaks. Baekhyun's still here, Baekhyun's still there, but Kris is only here and his breathing's become significantly more ragged. It hasn't worked. Baekhyun sags, disappointed and exhausted from the failed attempt, strength vanishing fast. He needs more time, but manipulating Time is Zitao's thing and Baekhyun doesn't think using his Light powers will help; his light is bright, but generates no external heat, and the last thing Kris needs right now is to be judged.
Kris's eyes have closed again. Baekhyun has to momentarily let him slide in order to close Kris's frozen fingers around his sword hilt. He can drag the man but not his weapon, and if they leave it behind it's liable to be buried by the snow before long. He manages to tug the blade using Kris's arm so the flat lies across Kris's legs; the cold metal probably burns his skin through his trousers something fierce but Baekhyun can't make him twist enough to sheathe the sword properly.
It's a real nuisance, not being able to move objects with materia equipped. Baekhyun could move the sword, if only his orb weren't in the hilt. Of course, if his orb weren't equipped, he wouldn't be here to move the sword in the first place.
Locking his arms around Kris's torso he drags his semi-conscious master across to the trees - giant evergreen things with snow weighing down their boughs. The lowest is too high for Baekhyun to reach, so starting a fire with branches isn't an option and the wood's probably too wet to burn anyway. At least he can prop Kris up against a trunk, keeping him partially out of the snow and somewhat sheltered from the wind.
He's nearly at his limit now. Maybe he can't take Kris home with him, but he can pass things through in the other direction. He snatches up the bag of bedding at his feet, envisioning it in the cold, numb hands of his self in the snow field. Although Kris's wet clothes will do him more harm than good, Baekhyun knows he doesn't have the strength left to both wrest them off him and re-dress him in dry garments. The best he can manage is to remove the coat. This will have to do for now. He'll do better next time...assuming Kris survives long enough for there to be a next time.
The laundry bag is wide, made of thick, heavy-duty plastic. Baekhyun dumps the contents in Kris's lap, spreads the bag on the snowy ground and half-drags, half-lifts Kris onto it. He's left with a very mixed bag of bedding: a couple of pillowcases, which he uses to wrap Kris's arms; a pair of sheets, in which he encases Kris's legs; and an empty duvet cover, blanket, and plastic undersheet, with which he covers Kris in that order, wrapping the duvet cover around him from behind to cover his hair and ears, too. Lu Han hates people using his bed, and while that probably extends to his bedding, Baekhyun thinks he'll be willing to make an exception in this case.
He wants his other self to get off the couch and make hot soup to pass through, but it's too late for that. Now all but drained, Baekhyun collapses next to Kris, snuggling as close to his side as he can in an effort to share what meagre bodily warmth he still possesses until he's forced to return to his orb. It won't be long.
"I'll be back," Baekhyun promises, "but you have to call me. Call 'Baekhyun', you remember that? I might not be able to answer straight away, so keep calling and I'll be here as soon as I can." He hopes he doesn't sound too much like a clingy girlfriend. It's not like Kris will notice, in his condition.
"Baek...hyun," Kris repeats slowly, and Baekhyun's about to respond when exhaustion snaps him back into his orb.
Instantly he's dry again, though he can still feel the cold chilling the orb from outside. Baekhyun leaves his splinter self to recharge while back in the apartment, he hauls himself off to the kitchen to make up a flask of hot soup. Multiple flasks. Maybe some tea. And he's sure they must have a hot water bottle around somewhere.
He's rummaging around in the room Zitao shares with Kyungsoo, searching for clothes that might not be too ridiculously small on Kris - Zitao's, not Kyungsoo's, obviously - when Lu Han appears in the doorway, giving a small cough to attract his attention.
Baekhyun looks up from the chest of drawers. "I thought you were working?"
"Lunchbreak," Lu Han says. "Minseok's covering for me with Zitao. I'm going to steal some of your soup, okay? It looks like you're making enough to feed an army."
It's possible Baekhyun may have gone slightly overboard in the kitchen. "Do we have any hot water bottles?"
"You can't possibly be cold."
"Do we have any or not?" Baekhyun snaps, losing patience.
"Fine." Lu Han holds up his hands. "You can use mine. Then can I have some soup?"
"I'm trying to keep one of us from freezing to death and all you can think about is soup?"
Lu Han forgets all about his lunch when he hears about Kris, only pausing to find his hot water bottle. Baekhyun strips it out of its teddy bear sleeve and keeps it ready to fill from the kettle. Between them they manage to scrounge up a set of dry clothing; Lu Han's not thrilled about what's become of his bedding but is somewhat mollified when Baekhyun promises to bring it back and launder it afresh.
Of course, he has to be called back first, and while he can hear Kris's low, unsteady voice in the back of his mind, he can't respond yet. Lu Han goes down to ask Minseok to stay on so he can be on standby to help. It's a pity there's no one else near Kris. Baekhyun's going to have to do all the work himself. Lu Han can only pass him things.
They station themselves in the kitchen, supplies lined up on the table and Minseok's map spread across the remaining room. Lu Han jabs a large white space on the northernmost continent.
"You must be up on the Great Glacier somewhere," he says. "Sorry, you're on your own. None of us are anywhere near you."
Baekhyun sighs. "Is there anything up there?"
"Hmm." Lu Han runs his fingers over the map. "Some cave formations inside the mountains, but that's probably not going to help much. Hot springs? And...ah! There's a town or something here. Do you have any idea where you might be?"
"I didn't see much out there. Snow, snow and more snow. And a few trees."
"There are patches of trees marked on the map. If you're lucky enough to be near this one," Lu Han points it out on the map, "you're not too far from the town. And this one will get you near the hot spring - not that it sounds like great weather for a dip."
Baekhyun studies the map carefully. There aren't many landmarks. He'll be lucky indeed if he actually manages to find the town in the middle of all that.
A surge of strength floods his body across the link and he knows it's time for him to return to the snow; it feels like it's been an eternity since he left, but he knows it's less than twenty minutes. Kris is still calling, which means he's still alive...and there's still hope.
In one world, Baekhyun emerges from his orb into the vast white wasteland. In another, he picks up a flask and a bag of dry clothing. He's prepared on his own behalf too: when he materialises it doesn't matter that he's bundled up in so many layers his own mother wouldn't recognise him. He's got no one to impress here.
Kris is still propped against the tree trunk, huddled in his borrowed bedding with only his eyes peeking out. They're half-closed, but they open fully when Baekhyun crouches down and calls his name.
"Y-you c-came b-back," Kris stutters; Baekhyun's pleased to hear he sounds marginally more alert than earlier.
"And I'll keep coming back as long as it takes to get you somewhere safe," Baekhyun says, unscrewing the flask and pouring a cup of hot, steaming, vegetable soup. "Let's get some of this in you, and then I'll try to do something about your wet clothes."
He tugs the covers aside enough to set the rim of the cup against Kris's cold, pale lips and tilts to let the liquid slosh inside his mouth. A few stray drops spill on the bedding; Baekhyun can't help but wince. Lu Han definitely can't be allowed to see this.
Once Kris has drained the cup, he gets another one. By that time, Lu Han's filled the hot water bottle and handed it to the Baekhyun in the kitchen to pass through. Kris clings to the bottle while Baekhyun tries to figure out how best to go about effecting a change of attire. It's going to be awkward regardless of what he ends up doing.
"Don't get any weird ideas from this," he warns Kris, plumping himself lightly down on his master's exceedingly long legs and worming his way inside the layers of bedding until the two of them are covered by something approaching a rough, flimsy tent. Modesty's got nothing to do with it; Kris can't afford to lose what little heat he's got.
"I-I'll try not to swoon in your arms," Kris retorts, teeth chattering less already. "My hero."
Baekhyun certainly doesn't feel like anyone's hero, not from this ridiculous position and with his fingers gradually freezing up, even inside his gloves. Before they can stiffen completely, he tugs Kris's once-fluffy black cardigan off his shoulders. The shirt beneath is slightly damp; Baekhyun casts that aside too, replacing it with one of Zitao's stretchy long-sleeved black tops and a thick white jumper. He's brought a coat, too, with a fur-lined hood that he draws tight around Kris's head; the collar zips up high enough to make up for the lack of a scarf and the torso's large enough to fit the hot water bottle inside.
"Do you think you can stand up?"
Kris's face scrunches up in disbelief. "Not with you sitting on me."
Okay, so possibly not the smartest question to ask a guy when you're sitting on his legs. Baekhyun manoeuvres himself off, squatting down next to Kris and the discarded clothing. The wind's picked up again and their little blanket fort isn't doing much to shield them from it. "How about now? I've got more clothes for you."
Even with his back against the tree and Baekhyun helping, it takes time for Kris to struggle to his feet - largely, he says, because he can't actually feel anything below his waist. Baekhyun's not sure if that's supposed to be a jibe about his weight or not, but lets it go because Kris is none too steady and he's sure they'll have plenty of opportunity to needle each other later, if that's how things are going to work between them.
Baekhyun gets as far as setting the dry trousers, socks and boots on the plastic bag to keep them from the snow when a familiar exhaustion swamps his body, making him feel as though he has weights attached to the end of his limbs. He's not going to be able to get Kris to town, not this trip.
"There's a town somewhere around here," he says, rushing his words, "but I don't have time to try to find it now. Keep calling me, okay? We'll search for it next time."
He leaves Kris with another flask and a pair of thick, waterproof gloves, and hopes he'll be able to return soon. There are other versions out of their orbs right now, engaged in battles across the world, and even more simply waiting to be summoned, but this is Baekhyun's highest priority.
When he switches his full attention back to the kitchen, Lu Han offers him a cup of tea and a sympathetic smile.
"How's he holding up?"
"Better than he was," Baekhyun says. He takes a sip of his tea, burns his tongue, and gives Lu Han as withering a glare as he can manage for laughing at him. "As long as I can get him moving before nightfall, I think he'll be okay."
"I wonder what he's doing all the way up there in the snow?" Lu Han muses. "He must have a reason for risking himself like that; it doesn't sound like he was properly prepared for the weather."
Baekhyun shrugs. "Maybe he's into snowboarding."
The next time Baekhyun's summoned by Kris, it's a couple of hours later and while there's no visible sun to set, the sky is noticeably darker. On the plus side, so is Kris's complexion, visible skin now red - rather than white - with cold. Baekhyun figures if he's doing well enough to complain about his lack of moisturiser and increasingly wind-chapped lips, he must be feeling better.
Kris has also managed to complete his wardrobe change, much to Baekhyun's relief, and his own wet clothes are bagged up for travel. He continues to huddle beneath the pile of bedding, clutching his now-cool water bottle and drinking the last of his soup. Baekhyun trades him for a full flask, this time with hot, sweet tea, and passes the hot water bottle back to himself for a refill.
"I have a room at the Icicle Inn," Kris says when they're ready to move. "I don't think I'd been walking for long when I collapsed in the snow. If you give me a hand, I should be able to make it back there now."
"Any idea which way?"
"Uh..."
While Kris searches the horizon for landmarks, Baekhyun passes the bedding back across the worlds, distantly aware of Lu Han complaining about soup stains. He slings the bag of wet clothing over one shoulder and works the other under Kris's arm to support him as they walk. The sword containing Baekhyun's materia orb is back in its sheath, now strapped over Kris's borrowed coat, where it will hopefully stay for the duration of their journey.
Kris settles on what he says is probably the right direction. It's not an easy walk, trudging through the snow, and Baekhyun fervently wishes they had chocobos to ride. At least they'd make better time. Progress is slow, Kris's footing being unsteady at best; he leans heavily on Baekhyun, talk at a minimum because they both need to conserve their breath and would prefer not to take more of the freezing air into their lungs than they have to.
Night's almost upon them by the time they spy the warm glow of the town's lights. There aren't many buildings - really, it barely qualifies as a village, let alone a town - but all signs of civilisation are most welcome, especially the sign that reads 'Icicle Inn'. Although the walk hasn't covered a great deal of ground, Baekhyun's as tired as if he'd just climbed a mountain, and he's certain Kris is even worse off.
In the space of less than eight hours this is the third occasion on which Baekhyun's been summoned by Kris, which is a lot for a new Summon-Master relationship and not much time for Baekhyun to build up his strength. His usual activities when summoned involve standing around and judging monsters to death while looking extremely cool in eyeliner, and occasionally making small talk with his masters (mostly the female ones). Trying to save a man from becoming a frozen corpse in the middle of a snowfield is, he decides, considerably more draining.
Their struggle ends in the doorway of the inn. A wave of heat blasts them both the second Baekhyun wrenches the door open and after so long exposed to the cold, Kris tumbles forward in a dead faint. Baekhyun avoids hitting the floor with him only because the combined shock and exhaustion sends him back to his orb, reserves so low he's barely aware of Kris's less-than-graceful crash.
In the kitchen, Baekhyun's forcing down dinner with the others, promising to go tomorrow to do more laundry, trying to pay attention to everyone's questions. He doesn't have many answers for them. He doesn't know what Kris was doing out there, he doesn't know how much Kris knows - if anything at all - and he doesn't have a clue if Kris transforms into a dragon or not. Yixing has thus far shown no signs of becoming a unicorn or having any healing powers not granted him by magical items and materia; Jongin is unable to teleport without Lu Han's assistance. It is probable, therefore, that Kris isn't hiding wings and a tail somewhere.
Zitao's not wild about donating his favourite leopard-print coat to the cause, but Baekhyun assures him he'll retrieve it later...assuming there is a later. Kris has now reached sanctuary; it's possible he may not see the need to call Baekhyun out again any time soon. Why should he? He's out of danger now - unless the Icicle Inn has been overrun with monsters, and from the quick glimpse Baekhyun got of the interior, he doesn't think that's the case.
All evening he's less lively than usual, to such an extent that Kyungsoo actually asks if he's ill, if he wants someone to stay with him tonight. But even if Kris calls him back, Baekhyun's not going to notice when he's asleep - only his splinter self will care - and the questions racing around his mind aren't quite annoying enough to keep him awake. He's done what he can. Now it's his turn to rest.
And rest he does, in his original form. He's still asleep when Kris finally calls him back. Things look very different now. All the borrowed clothing is folded neatly on a chair in the corner, with boots underneath and Kris's sheathed sword propped up beside it, materia gleaming in the light of a blazing fire.
The man himself is tucked up in bed, snug in pyjamas and sipping from an oversized cup. Baekhyun takes a crafty look around but unfortunately, no other cups are in evidence. Shame. Although the room's nice and warm, a comforting hot drink wouldn't go amiss.
Kris shifts his legs to one side, so Baekhyun takes this as an invitation to perch on the edge of the bed.
"Feeling better?" he asks.
"Thanks to you." Kris points to the pile of clothing. "Thanks for all the clothes and stuff. I've got my own gear here; you can take everything back now."
"When I go." Baekhyun figures he'll wake his other self up if he suddenly passes a stack of laundry between the worlds. "This isn't what I normally do, you know."
"I know," Kris says. "I've heard about Summons. I don't have any materia - didn't have any until I found you lying in the snow. Good thing I did, too. I get to keep you now, right?"
Baekhyun can't help laughing at Kris's earnest expression. "Yeah. You run into monsters, you call me, I get rid of them for you. That's how it works."
"I'll remember that for next time. I don't think I'm going anywhere for a few days yet."
"You should stay and rest." Baekhyun has to ask the question. "What were you doing out there in the first place? No offense but you'd have to be crazy to willingly walk out in the snowfields by yourself."
"I was searching for something."
"But there's nothing out there! Unless you were going to find the hot springs or something..."
Kris's voice cools markedly. "That's none of your business."
Baekhyun notes that his new master has rather fierce eyebrows with which he expresses his irritation. Perhaps he should back off; it's not a great idea to drive a wedge between them on their first day together. "Not my business, I get it. I hope whatever you were looking for was worth all the trouble."
"It wasn't," Kris says darkly, but then his expression softens into a smile and it's like Baekhyun's seeing him for the first time, as warm and as human as his friends back home, no longer frozen in the ice. All his edges have melted away.
Baekhyun can feel an edge or two of his own melting when Kris adds, "But you were."
Fandom: EXO (sort of fused with Final Fantasy VII)
Series: Phoenix Down (#4)
Rating: PG
Genre: AU, crossover (sort of)
Word count: 13,698
Disclaimer: Not mine, damnit.
Part 1
Frozen Light 2/2
'Leaves of Life' is small, if not to the point of being cosy. Baekhyun doesn't miss the fact that sharp edges are kept to a minimum, and wherever possible, wood and metal are covered by cloth. Some of the smaller bookcases are made of plastic. There's nowhere for customers to sit, but the entire shopfloor's covered in soft brown carpet - a cushion for any sudden stumbles.
"It used to be grey," Lu Han jokes during the tour, "but the bloodstains kept scaring the customers. What do you think?"
"It's...nice."
There's not a lot Baekhyun can say, really. He's not here for the guided tour. He'd shown up ten minutes ago, looking for Lu Han, and found the shop staffed by a tall, sharp-looking young man with an impressive collection of ear piercings and a demeanour better suited to a security guard than a sales assistant. Zitao (according to his nametag) had taken one look at him and called Lu Han out from the stockroom in the back.
"We try to work in pairs," Lu Han says. "Just in case. It'll be easier with you here."
"I haven't said I'm staying!" Baekhyun protests.
"Maybe not today, but you will." Lu Han grins at him, certainty written all over his face. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here now. Come on, I'll take you to see upstairs."
The apartment above the bookshop has three bedrooms. Lu Han shares with Minseok, Zitao shares with Kyungsoo, and the remaining bedroom - the smallest - has a bunkbed frame taking up most of the space.
"It was a study originally," Lu Han says, faintly apologetic, "but we tried to make room. The mattresses are arriving later today. You can decorate however you want."
Some measure of decoration's called for before the room can be considered 'home'. Aside from the bedframe, the only furniture is a narrow cupboard standing in one corner. At least there are curtains - pale blue, with little lightbulbs on them. Baekhyun wonders if it's a coincidence or a joke, given the source of his power.
The rest of the apartment looks more lived-in, if relatively neat. All the kitchen surfaces are spotless, lemon-scented and shining, and the large table in the corner - with six chairs, Baekhyun notes - is covered with a cheery, easy to clean plastic tablecloth. There's a lounge with a long couch, an armchair that looks as though it might fit two at a squeeze, and a giant fluffy floor cushion. Not a great deal of space for walking around, but that's not its purpose in the least.
"One bathroom?" Baekhyun asks when they reach it.
Lu Han nods sadly. "Between five of us, when you move in. I hope you don't take long bubble baths or anything."
He gives Baekhyun a wealth of practical info, ranging from how the owner of the laundry two doors down does all their washing for free in exchange for romance novels, to how the bookshop profits go on the household bills before any of them get paid and they keep a set amount aside for groceries.
What is noticeably absent is any of the information Baekhyun came to learn.
"How do you know about all of us?" he interrupts, when Lu Han gets talking about their two-on two football matches in the field down the street.
Lu Han steers them back to the kitchen and pours them both plastic cups of juice before they sit down. His voice is becoming raspy, he has to take a few sips before he continues speaking. "The dreams, of course."
"I had another one last night," Baekhyun says, slightly reluctant because telling a guy to his face that you dreamed about him is kind of embarrassing. "One of the shadow guys was pushing the red clouds away without touching them, and then he turned into you."
"Telekinesis. That was my power, there, and there's magic in that other world. I can't do anything here, of course. I'm sure you've tried."
"Maybe just a little," Baekhyun admits.
"I've seen you using Light in the dreams. Is that what you do when you're summoned?"
"Yeah." Baekhyun demonstrates, pretending Lu Han's a monster. The whole thing's ridiculous; he can't possibly keep a straight face.
"I found Minseok first, then Kyungsoo, and then Minseok found Zitao. Minseok uses Ice, Kyungsoo uses Earth, and Zitao uses Time. I've seen them all in dreams now, using those powers. I think we've all got them. You've counted in the dreams, right? Twelve people?"
"Sometimes it's twelve people. Sometimes there's a dragon, or even a unicorn."
"They're people too," Lu Han assures him. "I see the unicorn's face sometimes. We'll probably find him next. The more ground we cover with our orbs, the greater our chances of finding him and the others."
Oh. Now Baekhyun gets it, how this works. But what happens once they've found everyone? He asks the question of Lu Han, who shakes his head.
"I don't know yet. I told you, we're slowly seeing more of the picture."
"Maybe we save the tree?" Baekhyun suggests, none too optimistic.
Evidently Lu Han feels the same way. "I think it's too late for that."
He drains his cup, then lets it fall, clattering onto the table; Baekhyun's surprised by his new friend's lack of table manners when he realises the cups are plastic for a reason - Lu Han's eyes have glazed over, and a proper glass wouldn't last long in his shaking hands. He's been summoned.
Mild panic takes root in Baekhyun's brain. Is this what he looks like when he's summoned? As though every particle of his body is frozen in stasis; his mind, up amongst the stars? It would almost be funny, if not for the fact that he knows only too well what's happening, and how serious this really is.
He should do something, shouldn't he? Lu Han did, for him. That's right, bring him back to himself.
Baekhyun reaches for one of Lu Han's trembling hands, squeezing the fingers tight enough that he fears for the condition of his own. "Just...stay with me?" He tries to remember the first aid his mother taught him. Maybe he should try to keep Lu Han warm, loosen his clothing...no, wait, that's for shock. He's pretty sure his mother didn't teach him anything about summoning.
"Focus on the sound of my voice," he continues, gaining confidence when Lu Han blinks. "Whatever it is, let it go and come back here. You don't have to be there."
"Quite right, I don't," Lu Han says cheerfully, fighting to free his fingers. "But you should definitely be here. You pass."
Baekhyun's jaw drops. "That was a test?"
"I wanted to make sure you'd help if one of us had trouble. Hey!" Lu Han holds up an arm, trying to ward off Baekhyun's attempts at whacking him about the shoulders. "No offense intended, all right?"
Baekhyun eventually relents once he lands a few good smacks. Lu Han's impish smile suggests he's not the least bit remorseful.
"You look out for us and we look out for you," Lu Han says, quite satisfied. "That's how it works. Are you in?"
"I don't have much choice, do I?"
"You always have a choice. But this is your best option."
There's no denying that. Baekhyun's in, even if it means turning his life even more upside down than it is already. He plies Lu Han with questions ("Why are there monsters in that world and not here?" "What's the big deal about the tree?" "Do you know what that red stuff is?"); Lu Han waves him away with a laugh and a promise to share everything he knows - which, he goes to extraordinary lengths to emphasise, is not a great deal.
It takes a few days of explanations and negotiations back home, but by the end of the week, Baekhyun's moved in, adding his name to the chores rota and taking as many afternoon shifts as he can, because that's when the college girls like to shop. A couple of years go by without any significant changes. They don't find any more Summons, though Lu Han finally gets a name for one of the faces haunting his dreams and becomes very excited about finding him.
"I've been remembering little pieces about Jongin for years," he tells them one evening, when the shop's closed and they're all squeezed into the lounge, exchanging notes on their latest dreams over popcorn. "About how we worked together as a team, and...other things."
Baekhyun, whose love life has been sadly lacking since the start of his new career as a Summon, doesn't miss the implication, nor Lu Han's half-fond, half-guilty look. Jongin's the one who teleports, apparently, though they're not sure if he has the same ability in the other world because as far as they can gather from their time as Summons, much of the magic over there is elemental. Lu Han reckons that's why his telekinesis translates into his own physical movements, making him a graceful master swordsman.
Minseok snags the popcorn bowl from the coffee table before Lu Han's exuberance can knock it over. "I don't have a name, but I think I've found one? The unicorn guy. One of my masters was injured near that small northern village - Kalm? He summoned me to deal with some Nerosuferoths and I was still out when the village healer turned up. I'm sure it was him."
"He was the village healer?" Lu Han asks, sounding puzzled. "I don't see how he could be a Summon as well."
"I don't think he was," Minseok says. "He healed my master using Restore materia."
"He'd equipped it?" Zitao asks.
Minseok nods, taking a handful of popcorn and passing the bowl to Kyungsoo, completely ignoring Lu Han's grab for it. "In a staff. He carried it himself."
Baekhyun can't help snickering at Lu Han's forlorn face, but despite all the playing around, this is a big deal. They'll take any scrap of new information they can get. "But we can't pick up any item with materia equipped."
They've all tried. Touching materia is impossible for them, and while they can touch items in which it is equipped, they're unable to move them. So either everything they've discovered so far is wrong, or the man who becomes a unicorn is not a Summon.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Minseok says, "I believe he lives over there."
"I wonder if we're supposed to bring him here?" Lu Han speculates. "We've moved other things between the two worlds - why not people?"
"Moving a camera through so you can take a picture isn't the same as moving a living being," Kyungsoo points out. "Cameras don't stop breathing. If a corpse turns up in the kitchen, I know who to blame."
"We make it through fine," Baekhyun says. "If we can find the unicorn guy again, we should try to bring him here. You know we're going to need more space, right? Because we can fit one more in my room but after that-"
"We'll worry about it when we find more of them," Lu Han says, and since he and Minseok are in charge of their living arrangements, Baekhyun just has to go with it. There's no way he's squeezing more than one more person in his room, though.
Finding their missing comrades is a task and a half. The odds of being summoned at the same time as another Summon are low at best, and Lu Han's the only one who can leave his orb at will to continue the search - assuming he's not too busy serving his master. Even then, his time out of the orb is determined by his strength, and that, in turn, is determined by how long he's been with his master. What Baekhyun's come to understand, over these past few years, is that Lu Han has no qualms about manipulating circumstances in order that his orbs pass from the hands of an unwanted master into those of a more desirable one.
Baekhyun would love to be able to do the same, but fate just hasn't been that kind to him. He is, however, the first person to glimpse the dragon's face, which he grudgingly admits is something of a coup given that they mostly get new details in dreams at roughly the same time, only in different scenes. The fierce black dragon, who soars above the tree and sears the red clouds with fiery breath, swoops down to become a man on the ground - a man taller than Zitao, even, with short blond hair, stern brows, and a mouth that's ever-so-slightly too small for his face. As far as looks go, Baekhyun admits he'd fit right in with the handsome bunch of housemates.
If nothing else, he's memorable, and Baekhyun's sure he'd recognise him if he ever saw him in the other world.
Lu Han successfully finds Jongin over there, and while he's terribly pleased with himself for concocting the scheme that sees his nearest orb transfer ownership, there's sadness beneath the surface when he relates the tale around the kitchen table.
"He has no idea who he is," Lu Han says. "Or who I am. But he's been looking for me, too."
Everyone else at the table is polite enough to ignore the catch in Lu Han's voice. Baekhyun, who's sitting next to him, gives him a gentle elbow in the ribs that could potentially be interpreted as a gesture of sympathy. (Well, his hands are all greasy from the fried chicken, so...) He whistles innocently when Lu Han makes mock-injured noises.
"Looking for you?" Zitao repeats. "Why?"
"Because he doesn't want to be powerless ever again, and he thought I was the best way of achieving that. I did find a way to help him, though. He's got my orb equipped in gauntlets," Lu Han runs a hand over his forearm in demonstration, "and when he's wearing them, even though he doesn't have power of his own in that world, I can use telekinesis to make him move, like his teleportation in the dreams."
"But he doesn't know that's his power, right?" Minseok says. "Did you tell him?"
"I think it's best if he remembers on his own. He's kind of confused at the moment. I could tell you guys things about us because I could be with you in person, but I can't stay with him for long yet and I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly dump all of that on him. Especially when I can't give him complete answers."
Baekhyun's not sure Lu Han's given any of them complete answers, but it's not like they have much of a clue anyway. "So if we find anyone who's one of us but not a Summon, we don't tell them anything?" he asks, just to be sure. "Ever?"
"Tell them enough so they know they're not alone," Lu Han says sombrely, and now Baekhyun knows there's something Lu Han's not sharing with them.
One thing Lu Han does share, however, is his opinion on summoning outfits, when Baekhyun asks him where he stashes his armour when he's not wearing it.
Lu Han taps the side of his head. "In here. If I think about it when I'm being summoned, I can choose how I appear. Otherwise, I just show up in whatever I'm wearing here - which is a problem if I'm in the shower at the time."
"What about when you're asleep?" Baekhyun asks.
"It doesn't have to be the 'me' who's here."
"Oh yeah..." Baekhyun still has trouble, sometimes, adjusting to the idea of his splinter selves as more or less independent entities. Who knows what kind of chaos they cause when he's not keeping an eye on them? "So what do you wear when you go see Jongin? Or don't you wear anything at all?" he teases.
"I wear whatever I think is suitable at the time." Lu Han's not giving anything away. "You should think about doing the same. You don't exactly look like someone who judges monsters to death when you show up in striped shorts and a worn old T-shirt."
"I could try a black leather vest and chains?"
"Zitao's already cornered the market on that look. You'll have to find your own."
So Baekhyun does, knowing full well how good he looks in white - sharp and elegant, neatly tailored jacket, shirt and trousers gleaming as bright as his magic. He offsets the costume with black eyeliner, his eyes becoming deep, dark crevices in cold, brilliant ice as he stares down any repulsive creature that dares to confront him.
It's just a shame he can't do it at home. It might keep Lu Han from borrowing his hats.
The next breakthrough is the unicorn's name - Yixing, as overheard in one of Kyungsoo's dreams. Luck is on Minseok's side as his master near Kalm is taken seriously ill. Yixing heals him with materia; having no money, the man repays his saviour with the gift of a Summon materia and like that, Minseok is equipped by one of their missing companions. He's quite pleased by the turn of events, as it transpires that Yixing, in his free time, is an amateur musician, and on the odd occasion when Minseok is called out it suits them both to sing together.
"He knows Yixing isn't his name," Minseok tells the others. "He doesn't seem to mind not knowing who he is, though. He's very laid-back."
"Do you get called out much?" Zitao asks, curious. "I was in Kalm once. I didn't think there were many monsters up there."
"There never used to be, but Yixing says it's getting worse," Minseok says. "He doesn't like having to fight but it's the only way to protect the villagers, so we do what we can."
"Jongin's doing the same in Junon," Lu Han joins in. "The situation is starting to get worse there too."
It sounds, to Baekhyun, as though things are speeding up and suddenly, they're against the clock, racing to find their missing members before the other world is overrun with monsters. They may not know what their long-term plans are, because even with five of them having frequent dreams, no one has yet seen what becomes of the dying tree, but they're well aware of their current goal. If only the odds weren't stacked against them! It frustrates Baekhyun no end that no matter how much his masters travel, he never manages to find anyone, and he's not able to simply walk off and search by himself. His strength only takes him so far before he has to return to his orb. It's a frustration he shares with the others, and even the quietly cheerful Minseok has been known to vent in the depths of the stockroom, alone, with the shelves and boxes muffling his complaints.
Nevertheless, they continue with their tasks, and that includes the household chores. It's Baekhyun's turn to do laundry and he's just returned from the laundrette two doors down with a massive bag of freshly cleaned and dried bedding when a shock he hasn't felt in a while ripples through him, sending him stumbling for the couch. A new materia orb. It's been months. New ones are difficult; he's had plenty of practice now at setting them aside in his mind, but he has to know them first. Has to check them out, see where they've ended up, if there's anyone worth his time. There never has been before.
This one's...cold. He's at home on the couch, lying back against the cushions with the bag of laundry at his feet and one of Lu Han's multicoloured puzzle cube things digging into his thigh. He's also encased in a tight red shell, impenetrable and colder than the winter winds. Perhaps he's somewhere new. He hopes he's not inside a freezer somewhere, because he's not in the mood to have the universe playing tricks on him.
His senses are limited in this form. There's movement, a cradling by a hand, with long, icy fingers turning him over. Then a click that tells Baekhyun he's been equipped, is now residing in someone's weapon, or perhaps armour. Either way, he has a new master.
He waits for it, for the name that follows whenever he's found. What will his new master be like? Open and chatty? Cool and reserved? Brisk and business-like? Finding out takes longer than he expects. Perhaps his new master is somewhere with poor lighting, where his name can't be easily read from the materia. It's happened before. Baekhyun focuses his attention on finding the cube digging into his leg in the meantime.
After five silent minutes, he hears his name. The feeble rasp tells him nothing about his new master, but the low pitch suggests a man. A very cold man, as it turns out; Baekhyun materialises in a field of snow, which immediately seeps inside his boots and soaks its way into the legs of his thin white trousers. The temperature has to be well below freezing. He curses himself for not wearing a thick coat and gloves. Who's going to care if he looks suave and intimidating out in this frozen wasteland?
Certainly not the human icicle lying by his feet. Baekhyun finds his materia orb glowing merrily in the hilt of a massive broadsword, half-concealed beneath the splayed, black-gloved fingers of its owner, who's crashed face-down in the snow. That can't be good for his health. Baekhyun can't move the sword but he has no such problem moving the swordsman, so he grits his teeth, tries to ignore the fact that he's slowly becoming an ice cube himself, and takes the man by the shoulders to roll him over on his back. Though clearly tall, the man's thin, and scarcely better protected from the cold than Baekhyun in a long black coat. He's not even wearing a hat; soaked blond hair clings to his scalp.
A quick glance around confirms that there's no one else in the vicinity - not even any monsters, which means Baekhyun doesn't have to waste his energy judging them. He can act freely, for as long as he's got; not long, because this is a new orb, a new master...
...Or an old one, perhaps. Baekhyun almost drops the man back down in the snow when he sees his face. It's the dragon from his dreams, now pale and shivering, eyes closed and clumps of snow sticking to his exposed skin. His teeth begin chattering the moment his mouth has the room to move.
"Hey." Baekhyun holds his master as far out of the snow as he can, wishing he had something to call him - sadly, the dreams have not yet revealed that critical piece of information. "C'mon, stay with me. No sleeping allowed. Open your eyes and talk to me."
"Mmm?"
"That's not a real word. How about your name?"
The unfortunate man's eyes flutter open; Baekhyun spots a flash of annoyance in them before they settle on 'spooked'. Good. Better annoyed than indifferent - it might keep him warmer. "K-K-Kris..." is what emerges through chattering teeth, and Baekhyun's gut tells him that's not the dragon's name. It might, however, be the only name he knows, which is probably the case if this is anything like the situation with Jongin and Yixing. Lu Han and Minseok say they avoid the issue by using 'Master' (which sounds a lot more playful coming from Lu Han than Baekhyun really wants to think about).
"That's good," Baekhyun says, trying to sound encouraging, and not like he's shivering like crazy himself. "I'm going to try to help you but I need you to stay with me, okay?"
Kris's head droops forward in what Baekhyun assumes is a nod of assent, so he crouches down to try to propel Kris further out of the snow. There's no shelter anywhere in sight, and while the hazy grey and red skies don't appear to be releasing any more snow any time soon, it's certainly not getting any warmer. The patch of trees they could shelter behind is a good twenty feet away, which leaves them constantly exposed to the icy winds. Baekhyun doesn't even try to kid himself that he'll have enough time to build a snow fort.
So he tries the only thing he can think of: taking Kris home with him.
They've never attempted it before. Minseok refused to risk it with Yixing, but Baekhyun can't see that he has any other options right now. It's not as if he can make things worse by trying, right? He needs to get Kris out of here, fast, before his body shuts down completely.
He's passed objects between his selves before and they've survived fine. With any luck, he can do the same now. He tightens his grip around Kris's torso, concentrating hard on the self that's currently lying on the couch. Their positions aren't comparable - he has no idea how Kris will manifest in the apartment and doesn't care, so long as he doesn't get stuck in the floor - but they're always linked, minds tied to each other across the worlds with an unbreakable connection. The line stretches, but it never snaps.
It's starting, he can feel it. He imagines Kris's long, chilled body lying next to his own on the couch, sodden clothing making the cushions damp and snow flaking from his gloves to the floor. It's going to be a bit of a squish, unfortunately. Baekhyun can almost feel the couch dip under the added weight, almost feel Kris shivering in his arms...
...And then the connection breaks. Baekhyun's still here, Baekhyun's still there, but Kris is only here and his breathing's become significantly more ragged. It hasn't worked. Baekhyun sags, disappointed and exhausted from the failed attempt, strength vanishing fast. He needs more time, but manipulating Time is Zitao's thing and Baekhyun doesn't think using his Light powers will help; his light is bright, but generates no external heat, and the last thing Kris needs right now is to be judged.
Kris's eyes have closed again. Baekhyun has to momentarily let him slide in order to close Kris's frozen fingers around his sword hilt. He can drag the man but not his weapon, and if they leave it behind it's liable to be buried by the snow before long. He manages to tug the blade using Kris's arm so the flat lies across Kris's legs; the cold metal probably burns his skin through his trousers something fierce but Baekhyun can't make him twist enough to sheathe the sword properly.
It's a real nuisance, not being able to move objects with materia equipped. Baekhyun could move the sword, if only his orb weren't in the hilt. Of course, if his orb weren't equipped, he wouldn't be here to move the sword in the first place.
Locking his arms around Kris's torso he drags his semi-conscious master across to the trees - giant evergreen things with snow weighing down their boughs. The lowest is too high for Baekhyun to reach, so starting a fire with branches isn't an option and the wood's probably too wet to burn anyway. At least he can prop Kris up against a trunk, keeping him partially out of the snow and somewhat sheltered from the wind.
He's nearly at his limit now. Maybe he can't take Kris home with him, but he can pass things through in the other direction. He snatches up the bag of bedding at his feet, envisioning it in the cold, numb hands of his self in the snow field. Although Kris's wet clothes will do him more harm than good, Baekhyun knows he doesn't have the strength left to both wrest them off him and re-dress him in dry garments. The best he can manage is to remove the coat. This will have to do for now. He'll do better next time...assuming Kris survives long enough for there to be a next time.
The laundry bag is wide, made of thick, heavy-duty plastic. Baekhyun dumps the contents in Kris's lap, spreads the bag on the snowy ground and half-drags, half-lifts Kris onto it. He's left with a very mixed bag of bedding: a couple of pillowcases, which he uses to wrap Kris's arms; a pair of sheets, in which he encases Kris's legs; and an empty duvet cover, blanket, and plastic undersheet, with which he covers Kris in that order, wrapping the duvet cover around him from behind to cover his hair and ears, too. Lu Han hates people using his bed, and while that probably extends to his bedding, Baekhyun thinks he'll be willing to make an exception in this case.
He wants his other self to get off the couch and make hot soup to pass through, but it's too late for that. Now all but drained, Baekhyun collapses next to Kris, snuggling as close to his side as he can in an effort to share what meagre bodily warmth he still possesses until he's forced to return to his orb. It won't be long.
"I'll be back," Baekhyun promises, "but you have to call me. Call 'Baekhyun', you remember that? I might not be able to answer straight away, so keep calling and I'll be here as soon as I can." He hopes he doesn't sound too much like a clingy girlfriend. It's not like Kris will notice, in his condition.
"Baek...hyun," Kris repeats slowly, and Baekhyun's about to respond when exhaustion snaps him back into his orb.
Instantly he's dry again, though he can still feel the cold chilling the orb from outside. Baekhyun leaves his splinter self to recharge while back in the apartment, he hauls himself off to the kitchen to make up a flask of hot soup. Multiple flasks. Maybe some tea. And he's sure they must have a hot water bottle around somewhere.
He's rummaging around in the room Zitao shares with Kyungsoo, searching for clothes that might not be too ridiculously small on Kris - Zitao's, not Kyungsoo's, obviously - when Lu Han appears in the doorway, giving a small cough to attract his attention.
Baekhyun looks up from the chest of drawers. "I thought you were working?"
"Lunchbreak," Lu Han says. "Minseok's covering for me with Zitao. I'm going to steal some of your soup, okay? It looks like you're making enough to feed an army."
It's possible Baekhyun may have gone slightly overboard in the kitchen. "Do we have any hot water bottles?"
"You can't possibly be cold."
"Do we have any or not?" Baekhyun snaps, losing patience.
"Fine." Lu Han holds up his hands. "You can use mine. Then can I have some soup?"
"I'm trying to keep one of us from freezing to death and all you can think about is soup?"
Lu Han forgets all about his lunch when he hears about Kris, only pausing to find his hot water bottle. Baekhyun strips it out of its teddy bear sleeve and keeps it ready to fill from the kettle. Between them they manage to scrounge up a set of dry clothing; Lu Han's not thrilled about what's become of his bedding but is somewhat mollified when Baekhyun promises to bring it back and launder it afresh.
Of course, he has to be called back first, and while he can hear Kris's low, unsteady voice in the back of his mind, he can't respond yet. Lu Han goes down to ask Minseok to stay on so he can be on standby to help. It's a pity there's no one else near Kris. Baekhyun's going to have to do all the work himself. Lu Han can only pass him things.
They station themselves in the kitchen, supplies lined up on the table and Minseok's map spread across the remaining room. Lu Han jabs a large white space on the northernmost continent.
"You must be up on the Great Glacier somewhere," he says. "Sorry, you're on your own. None of us are anywhere near you."
Baekhyun sighs. "Is there anything up there?"
"Hmm." Lu Han runs his fingers over the map. "Some cave formations inside the mountains, but that's probably not going to help much. Hot springs? And...ah! There's a town or something here. Do you have any idea where you might be?"
"I didn't see much out there. Snow, snow and more snow. And a few trees."
"There are patches of trees marked on the map. If you're lucky enough to be near this one," Lu Han points it out on the map, "you're not too far from the town. And this one will get you near the hot spring - not that it sounds like great weather for a dip."
Baekhyun studies the map carefully. There aren't many landmarks. He'll be lucky indeed if he actually manages to find the town in the middle of all that.
A surge of strength floods his body across the link and he knows it's time for him to return to the snow; it feels like it's been an eternity since he left, but he knows it's less than twenty minutes. Kris is still calling, which means he's still alive...and there's still hope.
In one world, Baekhyun emerges from his orb into the vast white wasteland. In another, he picks up a flask and a bag of dry clothing. He's prepared on his own behalf too: when he materialises it doesn't matter that he's bundled up in so many layers his own mother wouldn't recognise him. He's got no one to impress here.
Kris is still propped against the tree trunk, huddled in his borrowed bedding with only his eyes peeking out. They're half-closed, but they open fully when Baekhyun crouches down and calls his name.
"Y-you c-came b-back," Kris stutters; Baekhyun's pleased to hear he sounds marginally more alert than earlier.
"And I'll keep coming back as long as it takes to get you somewhere safe," Baekhyun says, unscrewing the flask and pouring a cup of hot, steaming, vegetable soup. "Let's get some of this in you, and then I'll try to do something about your wet clothes."
He tugs the covers aside enough to set the rim of the cup against Kris's cold, pale lips and tilts to let the liquid slosh inside his mouth. A few stray drops spill on the bedding; Baekhyun can't help but wince. Lu Han definitely can't be allowed to see this.
Once Kris has drained the cup, he gets another one. By that time, Lu Han's filled the hot water bottle and handed it to the Baekhyun in the kitchen to pass through. Kris clings to the bottle while Baekhyun tries to figure out how best to go about effecting a change of attire. It's going to be awkward regardless of what he ends up doing.
"Don't get any weird ideas from this," he warns Kris, plumping himself lightly down on his master's exceedingly long legs and worming his way inside the layers of bedding until the two of them are covered by something approaching a rough, flimsy tent. Modesty's got nothing to do with it; Kris can't afford to lose what little heat he's got.
"I-I'll try not to swoon in your arms," Kris retorts, teeth chattering less already. "My hero."
Baekhyun certainly doesn't feel like anyone's hero, not from this ridiculous position and with his fingers gradually freezing up, even inside his gloves. Before they can stiffen completely, he tugs Kris's once-fluffy black cardigan off his shoulders. The shirt beneath is slightly damp; Baekhyun casts that aside too, replacing it with one of Zitao's stretchy long-sleeved black tops and a thick white jumper. He's brought a coat, too, with a fur-lined hood that he draws tight around Kris's head; the collar zips up high enough to make up for the lack of a scarf and the torso's large enough to fit the hot water bottle inside.
"Do you think you can stand up?"
Kris's face scrunches up in disbelief. "Not with you sitting on me."
Okay, so possibly not the smartest question to ask a guy when you're sitting on his legs. Baekhyun manoeuvres himself off, squatting down next to Kris and the discarded clothing. The wind's picked up again and their little blanket fort isn't doing much to shield them from it. "How about now? I've got more clothes for you."
Even with his back against the tree and Baekhyun helping, it takes time for Kris to struggle to his feet - largely, he says, because he can't actually feel anything below his waist. Baekhyun's not sure if that's supposed to be a jibe about his weight or not, but lets it go because Kris is none too steady and he's sure they'll have plenty of opportunity to needle each other later, if that's how things are going to work between them.
Baekhyun gets as far as setting the dry trousers, socks and boots on the plastic bag to keep them from the snow when a familiar exhaustion swamps his body, making him feel as though he has weights attached to the end of his limbs. He's not going to be able to get Kris to town, not this trip.
"There's a town somewhere around here," he says, rushing his words, "but I don't have time to try to find it now. Keep calling me, okay? We'll search for it next time."
He leaves Kris with another flask and a pair of thick, waterproof gloves, and hopes he'll be able to return soon. There are other versions out of their orbs right now, engaged in battles across the world, and even more simply waiting to be summoned, but this is Baekhyun's highest priority.
When he switches his full attention back to the kitchen, Lu Han offers him a cup of tea and a sympathetic smile.
"How's he holding up?"
"Better than he was," Baekhyun says. He takes a sip of his tea, burns his tongue, and gives Lu Han as withering a glare as he can manage for laughing at him. "As long as I can get him moving before nightfall, I think he'll be okay."
"I wonder what he's doing all the way up there in the snow?" Lu Han muses. "He must have a reason for risking himself like that; it doesn't sound like he was properly prepared for the weather."
Baekhyun shrugs. "Maybe he's into snowboarding."
The next time Baekhyun's summoned by Kris, it's a couple of hours later and while there's no visible sun to set, the sky is noticeably darker. On the plus side, so is Kris's complexion, visible skin now red - rather than white - with cold. Baekhyun figures if he's doing well enough to complain about his lack of moisturiser and increasingly wind-chapped lips, he must be feeling better.
Kris has also managed to complete his wardrobe change, much to Baekhyun's relief, and his own wet clothes are bagged up for travel. He continues to huddle beneath the pile of bedding, clutching his now-cool water bottle and drinking the last of his soup. Baekhyun trades him for a full flask, this time with hot, sweet tea, and passes the hot water bottle back to himself for a refill.
"I have a room at the Icicle Inn," Kris says when they're ready to move. "I don't think I'd been walking for long when I collapsed in the snow. If you give me a hand, I should be able to make it back there now."
"Any idea which way?"
"Uh..."
While Kris searches the horizon for landmarks, Baekhyun passes the bedding back across the worlds, distantly aware of Lu Han complaining about soup stains. He slings the bag of wet clothing over one shoulder and works the other under Kris's arm to support him as they walk. The sword containing Baekhyun's materia orb is back in its sheath, now strapped over Kris's borrowed coat, where it will hopefully stay for the duration of their journey.
Kris settles on what he says is probably the right direction. It's not an easy walk, trudging through the snow, and Baekhyun fervently wishes they had chocobos to ride. At least they'd make better time. Progress is slow, Kris's footing being unsteady at best; he leans heavily on Baekhyun, talk at a minimum because they both need to conserve their breath and would prefer not to take more of the freezing air into their lungs than they have to.
Night's almost upon them by the time they spy the warm glow of the town's lights. There aren't many buildings - really, it barely qualifies as a village, let alone a town - but all signs of civilisation are most welcome, especially the sign that reads 'Icicle Inn'. Although the walk hasn't covered a great deal of ground, Baekhyun's as tired as if he'd just climbed a mountain, and he's certain Kris is even worse off.
In the space of less than eight hours this is the third occasion on which Baekhyun's been summoned by Kris, which is a lot for a new Summon-Master relationship and not much time for Baekhyun to build up his strength. His usual activities when summoned involve standing around and judging monsters to death while looking extremely cool in eyeliner, and occasionally making small talk with his masters (mostly the female ones). Trying to save a man from becoming a frozen corpse in the middle of a snowfield is, he decides, considerably more draining.
Their struggle ends in the doorway of the inn. A wave of heat blasts them both the second Baekhyun wrenches the door open and after so long exposed to the cold, Kris tumbles forward in a dead faint. Baekhyun avoids hitting the floor with him only because the combined shock and exhaustion sends him back to his orb, reserves so low he's barely aware of Kris's less-than-graceful crash.
In the kitchen, Baekhyun's forcing down dinner with the others, promising to go tomorrow to do more laundry, trying to pay attention to everyone's questions. He doesn't have many answers for them. He doesn't know what Kris was doing out there, he doesn't know how much Kris knows - if anything at all - and he doesn't have a clue if Kris transforms into a dragon or not. Yixing has thus far shown no signs of becoming a unicorn or having any healing powers not granted him by magical items and materia; Jongin is unable to teleport without Lu Han's assistance. It is probable, therefore, that Kris isn't hiding wings and a tail somewhere.
Zitao's not wild about donating his favourite leopard-print coat to the cause, but Baekhyun assures him he'll retrieve it later...assuming there is a later. Kris has now reached sanctuary; it's possible he may not see the need to call Baekhyun out again any time soon. Why should he? He's out of danger now - unless the Icicle Inn has been overrun with monsters, and from the quick glimpse Baekhyun got of the interior, he doesn't think that's the case.
All evening he's less lively than usual, to such an extent that Kyungsoo actually asks if he's ill, if he wants someone to stay with him tonight. But even if Kris calls him back, Baekhyun's not going to notice when he's asleep - only his splinter self will care - and the questions racing around his mind aren't quite annoying enough to keep him awake. He's done what he can. Now it's his turn to rest.
And rest he does, in his original form. He's still asleep when Kris finally calls him back. Things look very different now. All the borrowed clothing is folded neatly on a chair in the corner, with boots underneath and Kris's sheathed sword propped up beside it, materia gleaming in the light of a blazing fire.
The man himself is tucked up in bed, snug in pyjamas and sipping from an oversized cup. Baekhyun takes a crafty look around but unfortunately, no other cups are in evidence. Shame. Although the room's nice and warm, a comforting hot drink wouldn't go amiss.
Kris shifts his legs to one side, so Baekhyun takes this as an invitation to perch on the edge of the bed.
"Feeling better?" he asks.
"Thanks to you." Kris points to the pile of clothing. "Thanks for all the clothes and stuff. I've got my own gear here; you can take everything back now."
"When I go." Baekhyun figures he'll wake his other self up if he suddenly passes a stack of laundry between the worlds. "This isn't what I normally do, you know."
"I know," Kris says. "I've heard about Summons. I don't have any materia - didn't have any until I found you lying in the snow. Good thing I did, too. I get to keep you now, right?"
Baekhyun can't help laughing at Kris's earnest expression. "Yeah. You run into monsters, you call me, I get rid of them for you. That's how it works."
"I'll remember that for next time. I don't think I'm going anywhere for a few days yet."
"You should stay and rest." Baekhyun has to ask the question. "What were you doing out there in the first place? No offense but you'd have to be crazy to willingly walk out in the snowfields by yourself."
"I was searching for something."
"But there's nothing out there! Unless you were going to find the hot springs or something..."
Kris's voice cools markedly. "That's none of your business."
Baekhyun notes that his new master has rather fierce eyebrows with which he expresses his irritation. Perhaps he should back off; it's not a great idea to drive a wedge between them on their first day together. "Not my business, I get it. I hope whatever you were looking for was worth all the trouble."
"It wasn't," Kris says darkly, but then his expression softens into a smile and it's like Baekhyun's seeing him for the first time, as warm and as human as his friends back home, no longer frozen in the ice. All his edges have melted away.
Baekhyun can feel an edge or two of his own melting when Kris adds, "But you were."