ZaiWin¹Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). sighed, running a hand down his face.

Well, this was all his fault. He had curiously and, he had to admit, amusedly, watched Snow drink from afar. He had wondered what he’d be like, once he got drunk. Besides, the mere idea of a drunk Celestial was just too interesting to let pass. And it had been fun!, watching the always quiet, always reserved Snow having to deal with Storm’s antics, seeing him interact with other people in a way no Celestial ever would. Thankfully Snow wasn’t the only one who had had a few too many drinks, and no one around seemed able to really care why it had suddenly started to snow indoors. Not to mention that the damn brat had happily agreed to strip in front of the entire village! He really had to get him out of there, preferably before he decided to freeze someone to death.

Looking at him, ZaiWin found him with his head leaning back on his chair, the pale column of his neck completely exposed, his eyes closed as the snowflakes landed softly on his face, quickly transforming into small droplets of water that slid down his flushed cheeks. And, for a moment, all he could see was that unworldly picture, everyone else, all other sounds, disappearing from his mind. The markings on his back burned, the blood in his veins heating up. Without even thinking, he grabbed Storm’s arm and roughly pulled her from his lap.

“Hey! Ouch!!” she immediately complained, losing her balance and slamming into his chest, forcing him to take a few steps back. And ZaiWin blinked as all the other sounds poured back into his head. “That hurt, you know?” Storm was still complaining, rubbing the arm he had grabbed, and he looked down at her, forcing himself to regain control over his own emotions.

“I’m sorry …” he honestly apologized. He had grabbed her so hard that her arm would probably bruise.

A sudden shove forced Storm to stumble to one side, and she immediately turned around, a fierce complaint on her lips, only to find those pale eyes glaring coldly at her.

“I really don’t like you!”

“What?!” She took both hands to her waist. “You damned brat! Is that any way to treat a lady? And here I was, being all kind and friendly!”

Snow looked away and tilted his head up with a superior expression.

“You!! Ah! I see!” she declared, her stance immediately changing. “What is it that you don’t like, really?” she sang, stepping closer to ZaiWin again, wrapping her arms around his, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Snow turned to her as if she had just threatened to kill him, his pale eyes cold and deadly.

“All right! Enough of that!” ZaiWin quickly interceded, pulling her behind his back, placing himself between the two of them.

Snow’s threatening glare immediately turned against him, and ZaiWin raised both hands in the air, trying to look as harmless as possible.

Laughing behind his back, Storm wrapped both arms around his waist, leaving him immediately tense. But no more than when the temperature dropped even more, when Snow’s gaze fell upon her small hands.

“Cut it out, Storm! Do you have a death wish?” ZaiWin scolded her, peering at her over his shoulder, and she looked up at him, knowingly avoiding touching his back, a huge smile on her lips.

“Your boy-toy is rather possessive, isn’t he?”

ZaiWin sighed in exasperation.

“If you know that, stop teasing him!” he answered back. It was no use trying to deny it or even attempting to explain that she’d gotten it all wrong.

“So you finally admit it!” She grinned up at him and he sighed again.

“Whatever. Just let me go. Or don’t blame me when he freezes the entire place!”

Taking a deep breath, looking every little bit like a child who had been told that playtime was over, Storm finally straightened her back and released him.

“Fine, fine. I won’t tease him again. For now,” she added with a mischievous smile, and happily turned on her heels, diverting her attention elsewhere. “Hey! Grisly! Wanna drink with me?”

ZaiWin turned to face the angry scowl staring fixedly at him.

“Want to get out of here?” he suggested, but Snow looked away, clearly trying to ignore him. His pale gaze landed on his jug, still resting on the table, and his eyes came alight as if he’d just found a wonderful thing. “Oh, no you don’t!” ZaiWin quickly grabbed his hand as he was about to reach for it. “I believe you had more than enough!”

Snow looked up at him, a deep frown on his forehead, and tried to free his hand.

“Let go!” he commanded, his voice as loud as any other voice around them, and ZaiWin couldn’t help smile. He truly had an amazing voice.

“No,” he simply replied, and Snow immediately stopped fighting him, looking at the jug with a sad, longing expression. “Come, let’s get out of here.” He tried to pull him towards the door, but Snow dug his heels in and refused to budge.

“I don’t want to!”

Gritting his teeth, his patience about to run out, ZaiWin turned around and, bending down, grabbed his legs and threw him over his shoulder, like he’d done the first time he had taken him out of the Fortress.

“Like I care!”

Snow gasped in surprise, clenching the fabric of ZaiWin’s tunic, afraid he might let him fall on his head, and then they were on the move. A few steps later a breath of cold air cooled his back and the loud sounds of voices was left behind.

His head swinging back and forth, blood rushing to his brain, it didn’t take long before Snow started feeling sick.

“Put me down …” he pleaded in a queasy voice and ZaiWin stopped for a moment peering at him over his shoulder.

“Will you promise to behave?” Snow nodded and he squatted down to carefully lower him to the ground again.

Covering his mouth with one hand, Snow stood there, his body wobbling back and forth, his stomach turning upside down. A warm hand covered his head and pulled it against a miraculously firm and stable surface.

“You silly brat! You’ll feel like shit, tomorrow morning.”

It took him a while to recover from that wave of nausea, and only then did he notice that something smelled really nice. There was that, and there was the rhythmic thumping sound that kept echoing into his head, making him wish he could simply fall asleep. For a moment he even closed his eyes, but then sudden realization hit him, and Snow embarrassedly took one step back.

Looking worried, ZaiWin grabbed his arms just to make sure that he could really stand.

“Feeling better?”

Snow nodded, averting his gaze. At least out there the air was fresh and easier to breathe.

The hands holding his arms gripped him a bit stronger.

“Hey, Snow … Did MenTar²Literally men (lake) + tar (wind) tell you to keep it a secret from me?”

Raising his gaze, all Snow could see were those bright blue eyes, staring straight at him.

Snow nodded and ZaiWin’s long fingers dug deeper into his arms.

“Did he tell you that you should leave? That it would be better if you weren’t beside me anymore?”

Snow nodded again.

“Was he going to leave with you? Take you away?”

His grip was squeezing him so hard now that it actually hurt, but Snow still nodded, unable to lie to him.

Releasing a ragged breath, ZaiWin leaned forward and pressed his forehead against his.

“Don’t ever listen to a single word he says again! Promise me!”

Snow blinked in confusion and tried to nod again, but the weight of the head pressed against his wouldn’t allow him to move. And so he answered the only other way he could.

“I promise.”

Strangely enough, those two insignificant words seemed enough to make ZaiWin feel better, Snow pondered, following his movements as he raised his head again and took a deep breath.

Running a hand through his hair, ZaiWin allowed his eyes to close for a moment.

“Let’s go back. I could really use some rest,” he sighed and Snow simply nodded, his gaze fixed on his pale face. ZaiWin suddenly looked exhausted, he noticed, almost as he’d just fought some hard battle against some terrible monster.

They made their way to Rain’s house in silence, and silently slipped into the even more silent house. It was strange finding the room downstairs dark, no golden light pouring out from the kitchen where Rain spent most of her time.

Even though he was trying really hard to keep his legs steady, Snow still stumbled on the stairs, forcing ZaiWin to wrap an arm around his waist to help him climb them.

Unlike the room downstairs, a warm fire had been left burning in their bedroom, and ZaiWin gently guided Snow to the bed, finally allowing him to sit down.

“You should get some sleep. A harsh day awaits you tomorrow,” he added with an evil grin, and Snow frowned.

He didn’t want to sleep!, he decided, watching ZaiWin as he went to the basin to wash his face. The darkness pouring out from him was so thick now that, even though he could not see it, he could still clearly feel it. With a second thought, Snow looked at his bracelet and fumbled with its small clasp, his clumsy fingers and blurry vision making it hard to open it.

“What are you doing?” a voice asked angrily and his hands were immediately covered and held by a much bigger hand.

“I want to see …” Snow replied, trying to pull his hands free, but ZaiWin grabbed him even more firmly, making it so he couldn’t even move his fingers.

“See what?”

“See you! I can’t see you like this!”

Feeling as if someone had just punched him hard in the stomach to the point he could hardly breathe, ZaiWin sat heavily on the bed beside him.

“Aren’t you seeing me just fine right now?”

Looking at him, Snow frowned with a critical expression on his face, as if he had just tried to insult his intelligence.

“You are not well.”

“I am fine.”

He gave him another critical scowl and went back to try and free his hands, his expression serious and intent.

“Snow! Stop! Stop it already!” ZaiWin demanded, holding him more firmly, and Snow looked angrily at him again.

“You said you wouldn’t lie!” he accused, surprising him again, and ZaiWin sighed.

“I am not lying. I just need some time to regain my balance.”

The boy tilted his head to one side, clearly unable to understand what he meant, and ZaiWin sighed again.

“It’s nothing serious, really. It’s just something I need to do on a frequent basis.”

Even more so since he’d become that brat’s Chosen One, he added, VinWei’s ominous words about how things would only get worse coming back to haunt him.

Since Snow seemed satisfied with his answer, ZaiWin finally released his hands.

“I am … not normal …” He couldn’t say what had come over him to make him say those words out loud, but then a small, cool hand was pressed against his chest, directly over his heart.

Raising his head, he saw that Snow had his eyes closed, his long silver eyelashes looking almost gold when touched by the warm light of the fire, his expression peaceful, almost delighted, as if he were listening to some glorious melody.

“You are … dark wind,” he finally said, his eyes still closed, and at the sound of those words some of the markings covering ZaiWin’s back burned in response. “And you are cold fire …” ZaiWin widened his eyes in alarm when more marking started burning, his heart beating hard at every word out of that brat’s mouth, as if Snow were pulling those words straight out from his chest. “You are emptiness and void …” Snow went on, still listening, and ZaiWin couldn’t help shudder. “You are darkness and silence … a deep silence … a sad, lonely silence …”

Unable to hold back any longer, ZaiWin grabbed his wrist and pushed him down onto the bed. He was kissing him furiously before he could even think, his free hand grabbing Snow’s chin, making sure he couldn’t escape him.

Snow didn’t utter a single complaint, simply lying there, allowing him to do as he pleased, his lips obediently parting to allow him in, the same way he’d done so many times before, with so many different people. The thought made ZaiWin growl in frustration. This was not what he wanted! Not what he wanted at all! That pale gaze looking indifferently at him! Better if he didn’t look at all!, he decided, covering his eerie eyes with one hand, leaving him in complete darkness.

Snow gasped, startled, and ZaiWin kissed him again, driving his tongue deep into his hot mouth, making him moan a complaint. Now that was much better, he thought, feeling Snow’s hand clench his tunic over his chest, his lovely voice reduced to breathless gasps and moans. He licked and nibbled his soft lips and then kissed him some more, the shivering body beneath his enticing him even more.

Gasping for air, Snow grasped his tunic again, his fingers scratching his skin beneath his clothes.

“LanRan³Literally lan (white) + ran (moon) …”

The sound of that broken whisper immediately froze him in place, the shock making his fast heartbeat resound against his temples.

What … was … he … doing?

A mix of horror and fear coiled at the bottom of ZaiWin’s stomach, and he slowly turned his head to look at him.

Lips red and swollen, Snow was trying to catch his breath, his cheeks flushed. And when ZaiWin slowly moved his hand away, he finally opened his eyes, but they didn’t look as impersonal anymore, quite the contrary. Lips still moist, cheeks still reddened, Snow just laid there, eyes half-lidded, in a complete daze.

Shit!

ZaiWin lowered his head right next to his, pressing his forehead against the mattress, his back still burning.

He’d kissed a freaking Celestial!, he screamed inside his head, and then slowly turned his head to take another peek at him, his heart still hammering against his chest.

Well, ZaiWin had kissed him before. But, somehow, it had felt different. He had felt different, he corrected. Back then he had been simply pissed that Snow had dared turn his back on him. He had kissed him in the same way he might as well have slapped him, as a way to punish him and, at the same time, as a way to release some of his own frustration. But now …

And what was that bewildered expression of rapture he had on his face? Was that even an expression a Celestial should make? Shit!

ZaiWin looked away from him again, wanting to slam his head into the closest a wall.

A freaking brat! A freaking brat! A Celestial no less! Not to mention a boy! And there he was, corrupting the damn kid!

A small pang of worry hurt his chest. He was going to be all right, right? He had never heard anything about Celestials not being allowed to kiss. Probably because no one would ever dare do such a disrespectful thing, he quickly criticized himself. In any case, Snow had been kissing all sorts of people for a very long time. He grunted angrily at that.

Was he really trying to convince himself that that was the same?, a sarcastic voice berated him inside his head. What did he know about any of that, anyway? For all he knew Snow was probably much more experienced in … those sorts of things than he was! Hadn’t ZenTar⁴Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind) and VinWei⁵Literally vin (hard) + wei (crystal) manifested their worries about that before?

Now he was really getting fucking furious at his own thoughts! He did not want to think about that! He did not want to imagine other people touching him like that! He did not want to know that he’d shown that expression to someone else!

Taking another peek at him, ZaiWin saw that Snow had closed his eyes, his breathing back to normal, though his cheeks remained flushed, an unnatural color on his usually fair skin.

Had he fallen asleep? Would he even remember any of it? Would he be mad at him?

Releasing his wrist, that he had pinned against the bed, ZaiWin slowly touched his face. Warm, when he was normally cold. Like Storm had said, soft.

The insistent pull to accept him as his Tien’Elhar, to formalize their bond, to cross that bridge and dive into the warmth he constantly offered him, tugged mercilessly at him again. And, once more, ZaiWin firmly pushed it back. His markings burned angrily in retaliation, reminding him once more why he could not have even what was supposed to be righteously his.

Taking a deep breath, Snow turned his face into his hand, and ZaiWin almost pulled it away, fearing his reaction if he woke up. But he didn’t. Instead Snow grabbed his index finger and rubbed his cheek against his palm, before going back to sleep. Like a small kid, looking for a bit warmth, he sighed, slowly sliding to his side, releasing him from his weight. Burying his nose in his soft hair, ZaiWin closed his eyes and fell asleep.