AN: Welcome back readers. I know it''s been a while but yo! I'll be posting updates from now on since things are a little less hectic now. Huzzah!

*****

The sun rose, steadily and with conviction, seeking to awaken the world and bring the day to start. From within their nest, animals of all kind were roused from their slumber, seeing proof that the deadly night had passed and they survived to see another sunrise.

It was a happy occasion, even as the animals went about their lives, never considering how easy they could die. Like every morning, the birds let out calls of jubilation, chirping as they flew to catch their breakfast.

Anyone witnessing this daily but beautiful scene might let out a breath and feel a lightness in their heart. Surely this was the best part of the day, beholding the majesty of such an event.

Yet Qin Rong was not one of those people. Those bastards were what he hatefully referred to as 'morning people'.

He was not a morning person.

The birds can go fuck themselves! The mercenary scowled, trying to block out the sounds and failing. I'm trying to sleep yet they won't shut up!

He wanted to sleep in, to curl up and relax now that he'd found himself a nice warm burrow to settle in. Yet the sounds of the morning felt closer than before, as if something was calling out to him rather than the world.

The desire to shut those damn birds up welled up within him enough to rouse him from his slumber. It was a familiar feeling, similar to the frustration of wanting to continue sleeping but knowing you couldn't unless you got up to turn off the alarm. And by the time you did that, you were already awake, so you couldn't go back to bed.

That was the first feeling Qin Rong felt as he glared out the window.

I hate you, sun.

The sun reciprocated his hatred as it shone brightly, damn near blinding him even as the last dredges of sleep slipped away. With a deep scowl, the mercenary sat up and surveyed the room.

Where the hell was he? Looking around, he couldn't place his surroundings. He'd been waking up in a tree for days now but now he was in a room? It wasn't even his own room. This room was way too nice. So where was-

A loud snore echoed through the room, shocking the fatigue from him. Beside him, there were two children snuggled close. One under the thick covers and the other on top of them. The resemblance between them made it clear they were related, both having skin like caramel and pitch-black hair.

"Oh, right, I forgot about you guys." He muttered, crossing his legs to study the two. Darn, they really were cute, weren't they? The desire to poke their cheeks welled up in him until he heard it.

That ungodly snore.

Qin Rong covered his ears, horrified that such a small child could let out such a sound. Was the kid part lawnmower?!

Now fully awake, Qin Rong jumped out of bed and headed downstairs. Like the day before, the house was empty, his footsteps echoing down the hall the only sounds he could detect. He considered whether or not to eat the food that old hag had left behind but chose to leave it be. He might be mooching off these kids but he wasn't going to eat the only food they got.

Since it was pretty early, only a few animals were out and about. Yet Qin Rong was happy to walk outside, taking in the early morning air. The mild chill energized him, making him want to move and get his blood pumping.

When he was alive, he'd always wake up early in the morning to exercise and work out. It was a habit he'd held for years and even after being reborn, that habit stuck with him. The only issue was that this new body was weak and small, so he couldn't do half the things he did as an adult. As such, all he could manage at this point was jogging for as long as possible.

His morning jog was a lot more productive than his previous, what with him having slept well for the first time in days. Sleeping in the forest might seem fun but when you were in the body of a child, there were very few things out there that couldn't kill you in your sleep.

Nights in the woods was a stressful time and left him exhausted most mornings.

This fine morning, he managed to reach the river he'd jumped into on his first night without huffing up a lung. He was still exhausted, panting heavily and sweating but he'd made it pretty far on his own.

Qin Rong laid by the riverside, letting the cool water flow over his feet as he caught his breath. He'd managed to catch a few birds during his jog, so he had prepared them and let them roast over his modest campfire. In the meantime, he might as well take a moment to consider his circumstances.

1: He was now living in some kind of fantasy world.

Having to survive in the woods for a few days made it hard for him to consider these things. Every day, he struggled to find enough food to stave off hunger. Yet having a moment to relax, he considered how he should proceed.

He could use that Xander kids' house as a base for now but that wasn't a long term plan. He needed to learn more about the world he was in before he ended up accidentally killing himself. There was a lot out there that could hurt him.

2: He was someone that was kidnapped.

That much was obvious considering where he'd woken up. Those men seemed to think he was valuable but why was anyone's guess. Qin Rong didn't think his body was very special. This child was like any other, small and weak.

Then again, it might just be because this body had a pretty face. That was usually enough to warrant some kidnapping but...

He wondered where this kid came from. Was there someone out there who was out looking for him? Parents? Siblings? Would Qin Rong have to confront them one day? Pretend their child hadn't starved to death in the dark all alone?

Qin Rong's heart was cold but the thought of how much this body, the original host had suffered, angered him to the core. Torture was one thing but letting a kid suffer such a fate was too much!

I don't know why you suffered, kid, but don't worry about it now. He thought, sending a silent prayer to the original host. I won't let your death go unpunished.

Qin Rong felt a slight warm feeling flow through him as if his prayer had reached the lost soul. He couldn't be sure but he thought the kid might have felt happy about his promise. Wherever he went after death, Qin Rong hoped the kid was happy.

With resolve in his heart, the mercenary jumped to his feet, snatching his now cooked food and considered how to strengthen himself. He could continue to do endurance exercises but he was feeling impatient. There was no telling when something might go wrong and he needed the means to protect himself when the time came.

After eating, he meditated, taking note of the strange energy he had bubbling within him. He wasn't sure what it was but he felt more energized than before. 

Was it perhaps magic?

This world did have it but how was he supposed to use it? He quickly figured out calling out attacks he'd heard in videogames didn't help and making poses just irritated his wounds. Thus he was left frustrated and grumpy as the sun traveled across the sky.

"I guess I'll have to see if I can find anything useful in the books back at the kid's house." He grumbled as he cleared up his camp. Looking up at the sky, he was shocked by how much time had passed. From the sun's position, it was almost noon now.

"Those kids must be awake now." He muttered, watching his face in the river. He was still sweating from his exercises and the desire for a hot bath surfaced. "I wonder if I can get a bath in this world. It'd suck otherwise."

He then decided that a shower was definitely on his list of things to invent if this world lacked one. There was no way he could live with baths. He was a modern man, damn it!

On his way back, Qin Rong couldn't help but notice a subtle change within himself.

While he hadn't been able to use the energy within him, he felt the effects on his way back. While the run was still tiring to his body, he didn't get worn out as quickly as he had that morning. Running through the forest and over the roots, he felt like the forest was welcoming him as if it were clearing a path for him to move more smoothly.

But surely that was just too fantastical. There was no way it was anything like that.

The fact that he hadn't tripped or stepped on anything this time around was never considered as Qin Rong jogged. For the leaves truly did part for him.

***

When he returned, he was shocked to find Xander sitting outside the door, curled up in a ball. Seeing the forlorn child sitting on the pouch, his arms wrapped around his knees like that, Qin Rong couldn't help but visualize a dejected puppy waiting for its master's return.

Wait, does that make the owner of this puppy me? He thought, letting out a heavy sigh. Such a sound should have gone unnoticed but the child's head snapped up, his eyes landing on Qin Rong like a heat seeking missile.

"R-Rong, you're back!" Xander jumped to his feet, rushing over to hug the blue-haired boy. He'd been so worried that the day before had been some kind of fever dream he'd cooked up to ease his lonely heart.

He'd woken up alone and scared that he had imagined his new friend. He didn't mind spending his days with Nik but he was always sleeping or sick so it was no fun. Qin Rong was the first person his age he'd been around in months.

It was lonely being cooped up by himself.

Seeing the boy near tears, Qin Rong had to suppress his urge to comfort the child. He hadn't really thought about how the kid would feel waking up alone, without even a note or anything. He had grown so used to being alone, he didn't even think to tell Xander he was leaving for a little bit. 

Now he was left with a forlorn child who had rushed into his arms as if afraid he'd disappear the second he blinked. Now the image of a lost puppy biting his master's pant leg to keep him from leaving wouldn't leave his head. Now his puppy was crying. He couldn't do nothing, could he?

"Oi, why are crying?" He scolded, unable to help himself. "Don't you have any pride?!"

This brat had the audacity to shake his head, clinging onto Qin Rong like a drowning man to a plank of wood. Qin Rong felt a bit of annoyance at this kid's willingness to toss aside his pride.

"I missed you!" He sobbed, soaking  Qin Rong's shirt. It was already wet with sweat so he barely noticed.

"Missed me? I wasn't even gone more than a couple hours!" He snapped, feeling a strange mix of guilt and anger. On one hand, this was a lonely kid but on the other hand, he couldn't stand how this kid was acting.

"But... but-" Xander gasped, trying to talk through his tears, After the third 'but', Qin Rong lost his patience and grabbed the child's ear.

"Oi, stop crying!" He snapped, tugging until they were face to face. Golden eyes staring into pitch-black ones. "Aren't you a man? Haven't you got any pride at all?"

"Sorry." Xander saw that Qin Rong wasn't happy with his tears so he did his best to stop. He wiped his face clean, a few hiccups being the only remaining indication of his distress. Unseen by the child, Qin Rong was struggling to settle his own thoughts, still feeling strange about how this child was acting.

Qin Rong wasn't really good with kids. Or people in general. He was surly and unsociable at best. His main means of socializing were trading insults and barbs. It worked in his line of work but here, that couldn't work.

His only company was two children who possibly weren't even in the double digits yet!

"Seriously, this is why I avoid dealing with kids." He groaned, awkwardly scratching his head as he watched Xander clean his face. "You are so lucky I don't break my promises or else I'd dump this place."

"R-really?!" This shocked Xander since Qin Rong seemed to be so nice. He even chose to stay by his side despite his failings.

Qin Rong shrugged, not explaining any further. He knew himself fairly well so he didn't want to mislead this child. He was not a nice person.

He'd killed people, good and bad, for most of his life. Whether it was self defense or for money, changes nothing. The day he spilled blood for the first time, he was a murderer. He never lied to himself about it and was upfront about it.

Yet despite his attempts at closing off his heart, little cracks kept forming that he couldn't cover up. His love of dramas and happy endings. The few times he gets to banter with associates. Even his decision to remain here with Xander was just another crack.

He wondered if he could remain numb to it all if those cracks continued to grow.

"Where did you go, Rong?"

Qin Rong thought about telling Xander the truth and chose not to. He was fine with cracks but he wasn't keen on letting this kid know too much about him.

"Sorry about that." He replied with a sigh. "I'm not used to sleeping in so I went to stretch my legs." That wasn't a total lie. Qin Rong was generally a lazy guy who hated waking up in the morning but he was also very diligent when it came to his training.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Xander cried, stepping close. While his expression was that of a wronged child, his eyes show mild resentment.

Ah, this kid really was upset, wasn't he?

"Sorry! It's just..." Qin Rong looked away, feeling a bit out of sorts. When was the last time he had to explain himself like this? Months? Years? "I'm not used to being around other people."

"Do you not like humans?" He asked, looking concerned, even as Qin Rong blinked in confusion.

Humans? Oh right, he was supposed to be some kind of fairy, right?

"Uh, you can say that." He shrugged, not wanting to say much more. The fact he'd apologized this much was a testament to how much he was willing to go through for this kid. "Look, I don't want you lurking out here like this next time, okay. This place might be isolated but there are still dangerous things out here."

Other than being deep in the woods, this place had little to no security. The stone wall was definitely a deterrent but it would only slow someone down, as opposed to actually stopping anyone from coming in. This was a world where children could be kidnapped and tortured.

He didn't want that to happen to these kids.

"S-sorry." Xander mumbled, trying to hide how happy he felt about Qin Rong's concern. There were times he felt like the boy in front of him was older than him, acting more like an adult than a child and it was distressing.

Not because of the sense of superiority he sometimes felt coming from Qin Rong but because of how distant the faerie was toward him. The way an adult would treat a nosy child.

The way his own father treated him. It was why he and his brother lived alone in the woods, far from his family. Such treatment was what he had come to expect from an adult.

Complete indifference.

But seeing Qin Rong show genuine concern, even if it was reluctantly, made Xander feel happy. His Faerie was definitely better than any adult Xander had ever met.

Meanwhile, Qin Rong was considering how to properly punish this child. This wasn't the first time he'd done this. Hadn't they met in the woods just yesterday? Had Qin Rong not passed by the area, this stupid kid would have sat there all night?

"If sorry was enough, would we need the police?" He scolded, smacking the kid upside the head. His strength at that moment was weak but it definitely got the kid's attention. "Better question, how should this lord Rong punish you?"

"P-punish?!" Xander was confused. What had he done to deserve punishment? More importantly, what kind of punishment? Would his faerie hurt him?

"En. You dared to put yourself in danger when you have a brother to take care of!" He really couldn't stand the thought that this kid could have easily died because of how reckless he was being. If he was alone, that was one thing but Nik was here too. "What would you do if something were to happen to you? What would he do?"

"I understand."

"As long as you do." He nodded, watching tears form in his eyes again. Damn it with this kid. "Now stop crying. You're a man, aren't you?"

"I'm not!" 

"Well, you will become one later, right?" He waited for the child to nod. "How can you keep your brother safe if you cry whenever something happens?"

"I don't cry that often." Xander denied, not wanting to be seen as weak by his faerie.

Qin Rong cocked a brow. "Oh really?"

"Yes!"

There was a moment of silence between the two. Qin Rong looked at the child, doubtful of his words but seeing the determination blazing in his eyes came to a solution.

"Then how about a deal."

"Deal?"

"Yep. Between me and you, a promise between men." He proclaimed, pounding his chest. This was the only way he could think of to get this kid to toughen up. "I want you to refrain from crying. If you want to cry, do it elsewhere but when things are going on, action is what is needed. If you stop to cry when shit is hitting the fan, things will get worse and you won't have helped at all."

"I don't want that! I want to keep Nik safe!" Xander knew his life wasn't good. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. But he did know that he was a big brother and that his little brother needed him.

It's just that he didn't know how to help and it always filled him with such frustration that his eyes would fill with tears. And when he cried, people called him weak and useless which he couldn't deny.

So it was an endless cycle.

But Rong said he could do better. He just had to follow Rong and keep his promise.

"Okay, then I pr-" 

"Whoa there!" Qin Rong held up his hands. "Don't be so hasty, kiddo. You haven't given me my promise to make."

"I can make you promise me something?"

"Of course! I'm making a demand from you so it's only fair." He explained. This wasn't a practice he did often but when he was young, this was the best way to ensure a fair deal. Luckily, Xander was too young to try and take advantage of this blank check. "As long as it's nothing unreasonable or-"

"I want Rong to stay with me!" He cried, his eyes aglow with glee.

"Didn't I already make that promise?"

"Yes, but only because of my boon. I want Rong to promise without coercion."

Eh? This kid knew a big word like coercion but still believes in fairies? What a weird kid.

"If that's all you want, then fine." He said, scratching the back of his neck. He felt a bit weird, having someone use this promise just to get him to stay with them. It was a bit embarrassing. "As long as Xiao Xan keeps his promise not to cry, I'll stay with you."

"Xiao?"

"Oh, its... its a fairy thing. Don't worry about it." He said, grimacing as he lied. After thinking about it, Qin Rong had decided he wasn't going to call this kid by his full name. It was a mouthful and needlessly complicated. "Now, do you promise?"

He nods. "I absolutely promise not to cry anymore if Rong stays with me!" As long as he wasn't alone, he could suppress his sadness. No, his sadness could be alleviated as long as he had Rong by his side.

Cause he knew Rong was too nice to leave him floundering.

"Hey, Rong, what happens if we break our promise?" He hadn't thought about it but was curious to know what the consequences were. 

Qin Rong fearlessly flashed his fist. "If I find you crying when you should be acting, I'll be sure to smack some sense into you at that time."

"And what about you?"

"That's on you, kid." Qin Rong shrugged, not really that concerned. Xander was a kid. Punishments to them were time-outs and no snacks.

There was no loss on his end.

"On me..." He echoed, watching Qin Rong walk inside. In his heart, Xander felt troubled. His faerie had left so easily, not even thinking about Xander in the least. Even with the magic binding them, he was still so distant.

While the name binding magic was strong, Xander had no means of using it so he feared that Qin Rong might one day just leave and not return. At that time, there would be nothing he could do.

That his precious friend might very well break his promise.

The child's mood darkened, a subtle shift in the air forcing the birds around them to fly away. Dark eyes watched with covetous glee at the thought of his own penalty for Qin Rong.

If Rong breaks his promise and leaves my side... He thought, running after the mercenary calling out to him. I guess I'll have to find a way to keep him there more securely.

***

"Oi, are you coming or not?" Qin Rong called out, having been waiting for Xander for a few minutes. What was the kid waiting for? An invitation?

Xander walked into the house, a bit confused. Why was Rong standing by the kitchen?

"Me?"

"No, I meant the three-eyed gremlin behind you." He deadpanned, only to see the child indeed look around for a gremlin. "Of course, I mean you, silly. How am I supposed to punish you if you are all the way over there?"

"R-right." He mumbled, clenching his fist. He thought about everything this punishment could be as he was lead into the kitchen. The room was a mess, since Xander's last attempt to cook. Dishes filled the sink and there was a bunch of flour spilled on the floor. 

He just hoped the punishment would hurt too much. He still had to take care of Nik and-

"What are you just standing there for?" Qin Rong snapped his fingers to get Xander's attention. "Get cleaning."

"Cleaning?"

"Yeah." The bluenette gestured around the messy room. "How is anyone supposed to use the kitchen when its a mess like this?"

"My punishment... is cleaning the kitchen?"

"Yeah, what else did you expect?" Qin Rong frowned, confused by this kid's reaction. What, did the kid think he was going to have him drawn and quartered?

"Right!" Xander nodded, feeling both relieved and happy. He had indeed been thinking of terrible punishments. He'd heard of many horrible things that were done in the name of punishment so when it was brought up, he was legitimately scared for his safety.

But Rong was a nice person so if his punishment was just this, he was fine with it.

For the next hour, Xander mopped the floor and wiped down any surface he could reach. Rong, because he wasn't a complete monster, helped with the dishes. A lot of the stuff in there was too heavy for a kid Xander's age and despite being about the same height, Qin Rong was the stronger of the two.

"Oh!" After a while, a thought came to Xander. "Rong, what are we doing in the kitchen?"

"Well, you are cleaning it." He pointed out, watching him wipe down the counter.

"Yes, but you said you wanted to use it?"

"Yeah, I wanna make some food." He explained, walking over the a large locker looking thing. Upon inspection, it seemed to act like a fridge, the inside cool when opened and keeping the food fresh.

So this is how he kept the food from rotting. He thought, looking over everything.

"After all that work, I could use a bite to eat." He finished, turning back to the child.

"Rong can cook!?"

"Of course I can cook!" He cried, feeling a bit offended at the statement. What, because he was male, he should be able to cook? Such thoughts were way to rich for this poor man. "How else would I survive?"

"Servants?"

Qin Rong couldn't decide if that statement was pure entitlement or naivety. Considering this kid had food brought to him, it made sense but still. Then again, it wasn't too much different from his own thoughts.

Like, take out was good when the time was short but very unhealthy. More importantly, Qin Rong worked at a fast food place most of the time. Without a degree of any kind, that was the only job he could get. He barely had the funds to pay his rent so there was no way he could afford to eat out often.

He chose to respond by using the health argument. Cooking for one's self was better since you could control what was placed in the meal. There were very few surprise veggies when you cooked everything yourself.

Yet when he was showing Xander the food they would be using, the mercenary stopped to study a certain plant resting among the rest. A plant that shouldn't be there among those to be consumed since it was toxic.

"You didn't eat anything before this, did you?" He asked, turning to Xander. The boy shook his head.

"No, I was out looking for you."

Qin Rong shut the door and picked up his pack. "Good, then I'll teach you how to make breakfast with these!" He pulled out a few animals he'd caught on the way back. There were a couple of birds, a rabbit and a couple of plants that hadn't killed him when he tried them.

"Ack!" Xander jumped back shocked by the bloody carcasses. He paled at the sight. "Where did-"

"I hunted them myself." He declared, looking proud. "Took me a while but I pulled it off."

"You... killed them yourself?" Weren't faeries the guardians of the forest, valuing the lives of animals and nature above all else?

"Who else but me could?" The carnivorous Fairy retorted, unaware of how much he was breaking this child's world view. If faeries could eat animals, what other universal truths were waiting to be broken?

"But we have food here." He pointed to the locker. "Why go hunt?"

Qin Rong briefly considered whether or not to mention the poisonous plant he'd seen in the bundle. He doubted it was accidental and who knew just how much was contaminated in there. If he used anything in there, all three of them may very well die.

"I don't take handouts," He replied, his statement half true. He'd already hunted before finding out about the plant so why not go that route. "especially from selfish bitc- bad people who leave children to fend for themselves."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Sure you can." He snorted, rolling his eyes. "That's why you can't even bake cookies. But don't worry about it. I'll show you how to properly fend for yourself. You won't need that old hag, even if she never comes back."

***

Their cooking lesson went well, even if Xander looked a bit squeamish as Qin Rong showed him how to properly skin and prepare meat. Yet the kid had impressed him. He only threw up once after hearing the sound of cutting flesh.

It was definitely a good start.

Qin Rong showed the child how to make a simple meal, a humble but filling soup. Since Nik was unconscious, he couldn't eat solid food so this was the best choice. After Xander left to feed his brother, Qin Rong wandered about the house, getting a feel for his new base.

He could tell that once upon a time, the place was magnificent. While the house wasn't huge, it was large enough to house at least a dozen people at once. The walls were covered in elaborate and beautiful paintings that screamed money. The rugs were so finely weaved, Qin Rong barely felt it under his feet.

Yet the place was clearly abandoned. layers of dust coated almost everything, masking the sheen this place could show. It was a shame, seeing such a nice place fall apart.

He did, however, notice how some places were cleaner than others. Someone had attempted to clean the place once or twice. Yet their reach was definitely not that of an adult.

The image of short little Xander struggling to dust the tall walls came to mind. Qin Rong smiled to himself, thinking how adorable that kid was.

As he walked around, the smell of books drifted by, attracting his attention. He'd been hoping to find a library and what he found didn't disappoint. The room was large, taking up at least two or three of his own apartment worth of space. The walls were covered with shelved books.

He'd hit the motherload!

At least, that what he thought until he opened a random book only to find literal gibberish.

"Jnduai isjdio misam disan dji?" He read, horrified by what he held. After taking out several books, he saw how they all shared the same disjointed jargon from the first book. The only thing that assured him this wasn't a joke was the fake that all the words were different in each book.

All this time, he hadn't had any trouble communicating so he'd assumed he and the people here were speaking the same language. Even as he spoke, he heard his native tongue when people responded to him. Yet this book proved that must be just him.

In other words, he could speak the language but not read it. As he contemplated how to resolve this, he heard rapid footsteps approaching.

"Qin Rong! Qi-" Xander stopped when he spotted a dejected looking Qin Rong. "Ah, there you are!"

"Yo."  He greeted from atop his perch. He was sitting on the latter that leaned on the shelved wall. Xander stepped into the room

"What are you doing up there?"

"Trying to read." He grumbled, unable to hide his frustration.

"Trying?"

"I didn't realize I can't read." Just saying it aloud was enough to have him throw the book down. "What are these letters?! I know a couple but they are arranged so strangely and belong to different languages so..."

"I can show you." Xander, seeing his friends irritation, picked up the book. He held it up to the boy. "See? This is a history book. It's all about the history of Nercon."

"Necron?" He echoed, curious. The mercenary slid down the ladder, landing beside Xander to look over his shoulder. "What's that?"

"That's our kingdom. See the map?" He showed a page filled with mysterious words but Qin Rong could recognize a map anywhere. Xander pointed to one. "This is Precipise, the kingdom of water. Next to it is Pulvis, Auris and Penum, the kingdoms of the Dwarves, Elves, and demi-humans."

Looking it over, Qin Rong nodded finding the subject fascinating. With only one book, with one page, he'd learned so much about this world. Sure it was stuff he could infer on his own but confirmation was best.

"Ah, I did see a few elves in town before." He noted, seeing that Auris was neighbors with Necron, which was probably where they were now.

"You've been to town?"

"Yeah, haven't you?" Xander shook his head.

"No, miss Pellelot says I can't." He mumbled, to which his companion clicked his tongue.

"Well, screw her then." He said, waving it off. That bitch was a bad person anyway. Why listen to her? "We can head over one of these days. It's not like she can stop us if we go, right?"

"R-right!" Xander stammered, his face flushed for some reason. Seeing that devious smile on his friend's face, was that supposed to make his chest hurt like this?

"So tell me more about the world." He asked, turning the page to find paragraphs of babble. It might save time to just have the kid explain everything.

"You don't know any of this?"

"This is my first time hearing about this." He replied honestly, not thinking about it. Xander smiled, coming to a conclusion.

"Ah, right, 'cause you're a faerie." He concluded, nodding with understanding. You must be from the Mist."

"The Mist?"

"Yeah, the land of Fae." He stated, turning to a page with a forest covered in mist. Big letters he assumed read 'Mist" overlayed the image. "No mortal has ever ventured there."

Looking it over, he came to the conclusion he might able to use this. If no one knew what this Mist was like, he might not have to lie so much. While he had no issue lying, it was annoying to have to keep track of his lies.

So he chose to confirm Xander's assumption, stating he was from the mist and that this was his first time coming to the mortal realm. The child bought it, never once asking why he was there.

It was for the best. Even Qin Rong didn't know why he was there.

***

After some deliberation, the two chose to continue their reading in Nik's room. The child was still sick and Qin Rong felt guilty for keeping his only caretaker away.

So the two of them sat on the bed, with Nik sleeping between the two. Looking at the scene, with a book resting on Nik's chest, one might assume they were reading the smaller child a bedtime story.

But both Xander and Qin Rong knew that wasn't the case. Nik had yet to wake up since his arrival.

A bit concerned, Qin Rong checked Nik out. The child's skin was pale and sweaty, still a bit feverish. His breath, while steady was deep and labored. Looking at all the symptoms, it was clear Nik was very sick.

Yet he only had another child to take care of him rather than a doctor.

"How long has Nik been sick?" Qin Rong couldn't help but ask. While he was eager to learn about the world, doing so neck to a sickly child was just gross.

"Eh?" Xander looked up, surprised by the question. "A... couple of weeks, I think? Father said fresh air would help him recover."

"I bet he did." Again, Qin Rong clicked his tongue as he looked over Nik. "Has he seen a doctor?"

"Yes. He said the same thing as father."

"I see." Qin Rong said nothing more, not wanting to worry the kid with his line of questioning. He was mostly just curious since he wasn't sure yet. If his suspicions were correct then-

Qin Rong's thought was interrupted by Xander taking his hand. He looked up to see the child curled up into a ball. It was the same position he'd been in when Qin Rong came back.

The hold was light but firm as if Xander only sought some comfort from Qin Rong but didn't want to bother him.

This was basically Xanders's thoughts. Hearing Qin Rong's words, he recalled how sick Nik was. He'd known it was bad but what could he do? He wasn't a doctor and the real one had told him that if he just waited, Nik would recover.

That's was weeks ago.

Having been reminded of his little brother's condition had depressed him, leading to his action now. Qin Rong, while not the smartest guy, could tell when he'd brought the mood down with his words. He hadn't meant to, he just- No, excuses were just a waste of time.

He had to bring the mood back.

"By the way," He said, feeling a bit awkward. Teasing was not something he was good at. "you snore like you're trying to wake the dead." He had hoped Xander would laugh or lighten up at his statement but he just grimaced, looking more dejected

"Sorry." He mumbled, curling up tighter. Qin Rong was flustered.

"N-nothing that you can help but keep that in mind." He scolded, though he wanted to smack himself. This wasn't helping his mood!

"Can..." Xander's eyes danced around the room before falling on their intertwined hands. "Can we still sleep together?"

"Ugh, really?" He couldn't help but sigh. He didn't dislike the kid but the snoring really was an issue.

"Please?!"

"Ugh, don't look at me like that." The elder begged, his muddled mind trying to recall why he was rejecting this kid. "I'm not swayed by cuteness."

The act that was performed next was one of pure evil. A practice from the dawn of time, used by the most notorious manipulators through history. Few were strong enough to withstand such an assault.

It was the puppy dog pout and Qin Rong was not one of the destined few strong enough to resist.

"Fine! Sure, whatever." He tossed his hands in the air, giving up after a minute of looking at that face. That just wasn't fair! "It's not like I wanted to get any sleep at night anyway. But you'll owe me."

"Anything!" Xander's mood immediately brightened after hearing Qin Rong's agreement. He might snore but he still didn't want his Faerie to leave him. If they slept in different rooms, how would he be able to tell when the boy ran off?

"Fine, teach me the language. I wanna learn how to read all this on my own."

"Okay." He nodded. "Do you plan on reading everything in the library?"

"That's the plan."

"Wow, that's amazing." Xander marveled at Qin Rong's efforts. He had only read a couple of the book in the library but couldn't imagine reading them all.

"Not really. I have a theory and I just want some confirmation."

"On?"

"On whether or not the poison in your brother's body is from the food you guys have been given or something else."

*****

AN: As you can see, Qin Rong is not good with kids. Or people in general, really but definitely not with kids.