#amisetxiles

Does time exist here anymore? Maddy feels like the days have bled into each other, coalescing into the same gray murkiness in the sky, the same battle-ridden landscape, the same monsters that lurk in the shadows. Nothing has changed...

And yet everything has.

She's pressed up against Minjae, front to front, her body shaking uncontrollably. This is the THIRD time they've encountered a monster in the last two days, only seeming to increase the more time that she passes in this world. Each time is just as terrifying as the last, her nerves beyond shot.

Wide green eyes lock with agitated brown, hoping and praying for a morsel of comfort and yet...Maddy knows that that would be less than appropriate. She knows that she can't ask that of him, can't expect that from him.

He's not hers, nor will ever be hers, to expect that from.

Thus, she bites her tongue in fear, covering her mouth to mask some of her breathing. Out of instinct though, she still reaches behind her to lock one of her hands with Minjae's, tightly clutching his visibly larger hand.

The surprising warmth of his skin begins to bring back memories of her Minjae, all those times that he had held her hand. She remembers mapping the skin of his hand, tracing her fingers through the crevices and scars, fascinated by the imperfections. She remembers how they would laugh at the clear size difference, how her hand would be completely encompassed by his. She remembers how his touch and hold would bring immediate comfort and delight, bringing her to peace.

She remembers how her hand shook when she said her vows and...and...

Tears start to gather in the corner of her eyes, the once-clear vision of Minjae becoming blurry. She couldn't do that, shouldn't do that. It was unfair of her to start drowning in her own sorrow when there were more important things to worry about.

She could not be that selfish.

Still...she brings his hand to her heart and takes slow breaths, no longer able to hear the monster stomping away in the distance. She takes her hand away from her mouth and gives a gentle squeeze to his hand, offering him a watery smile.

"You really know how to charm a girl don't you?"

Rosie tilted her head in amusement as a newcomer came bounding out from one of the halls.

Her fire-like locks danced with each movement, nearly distracting her from the unique features. Her words came out to Rosie in a rush, making her step back in surprise.

"Here, let me get that for you."

Maddy uses the salve she created from some moss and medicinal herbs on Minjae's fresh wound, checking to make sure that there is no visible infection forming. It didn't seem like he was severely injured, but even the smallest of wounds could be fatal if not treated correctly.

She glances around warily as she finishes patching up the wound, wrapping it in a not-so-dirty shirt. Green eyes carefully admire her handiwork, not totally happy but glad that she was able to treat it. "I believe that you should be fine. We should keep it clean and ensure to change it after a few hours," she states with a small smile. "I think some Neosporin would help if we could find some..."

She sighs shakily, glancing at their hiding place, the sound of growls faint in the distance. "Once we're safer, of course."

**

It's been 2 weeks since Maddy ended up in this world. When she realized that she'd been thrown into another reality entirely, she had been an absolute wreck. She had wailed, sobbed, whined in fear in this new place she was in. Even with the familiarity of Minjae, he was a stranger in this land, and she did not feel comfortable staring into his exhaustion-filled eyes.

In an act of desperation, she had picked up the glass shards that had transported her and tried to piece them together to get back. Her fingers slit and bleeding, vision blurred by tears, she had managed some sort of image, seeing a fractured version of the other version of her laying on her bathroom floor.

In that fractured image, she saw Minjae—her Minjae—come running to see what had happened, his expression startled and confused as to the state that this other Maddy was in. "Minjae!!" Maddy tried to scream through the glass. "Minjae, no! I'm right here! Please, that's not me, I'm right here!" All she managed to see was Minjae's soft brown eyes glance at the broken glass and then back to the other Maddy, bending down to pick her up and move her out of the bathroom.

"No! Please, Minjae, NO!"

She had been screaming herself hoarse, screaming at her everything and also at nothing, until the image faded and all she could see was herself in this world—blood-shot eyes, disheveled hair, and...

WHAT WAS THAT??

This world's Minjae had quickly picked her up and moved her away from the glass, forcing her to sprint away from whatever creature she had seen. Maddy had had no choice but to begin running, forcing her body to move, exert itself in a way that she had never had before. She had clutched tightly to this new Minjae's hand, his skin cold and scarily thin.

This was her new reality.

This was her new world.

And she was terrified.

**

Maddy sighs again, glancing towards the stream to their left. She gets up and washes her hands in the stream, using some of the cold liquid to splash on the back of her neck. The water looks cold and inviting, sparkling in the waning sun. Maddy wants to dunk her head in and take a big gulp but she knows better. She remembers that she and Minjae had watched a few survivor videos on tv, and they never drank from a stream without boiling the water first.

But that required a fire. And a fire was just what would attract those monsters to their location. Based on their levels of exhaustion and Minjae's fresh wound, they couldn't risk it.

Maddy stares instead longingly at the stream, green eyes reflecting the same sparkle. The longer she stared, the more she saw...something. It's not the first time. Whenever they were by a stream, or a semblance of a reflection that wasn't a mirror, Maddy could see fractures of her old life.

And her living it.

She saw the other Maddy trying on fresh clothes, sleeping in their bed, basking in the sun outside on their porch. The other Maddy had a cautious look on her face, like a stray cat they had brought home once. Always wary, never quite settled. It only made it more painful to watch when the other Maddy would never look back at her reflection. The other Maddy would avoid any clear liquids, the bathroom mirror, their room mirror, anything reflective really.

It just made real Maddy hurt all the more. Not just for herself, but for this other Minjae. Other Minjae had known that Maddy wasn't the one he knew. Not when she was wearing fresh clothes and looked properly fed. Not when she was sobbing her eyes out, clearly unknowing of the dangers that surrounded them.

Yet he was kind enough to take her in, help her find out about what this world was about. Other Minjae helped Maddy come to terms with their situation, to learn about the monsters and how to survive. He had done all this without prying too much into her old life.

All of that which Maddy was so, so grateful for.

And to know that the other version of herself wouldn't even look back, just made it all hurt ever more.

Maddy blinks back her tears, taking a deep breath. She couldn't cry anymore, she already cried earlier this morning, it wouldn't help to do it again. Thus, she steels herself, no longer hearing the roars in the distance.

She takes off her sweater before also removing her undershirt, putting back her sweater over herself. Taking her undershirt, she soaks it in the cold water, squeezing some of the water out before going back to Minjae.

"Let's take away some of the dirt, yeah? Get you cleaned up a bit," she states, taking his face in her hands. Carefully, Maddy begins to remove the dirt, showing more of his smooth skin and slightly rosy cheeks. She's smiling as she reveals more, being careful of the few, shallow scratches there. She runs her thumb tenderly over his cheek at the end, having removed most of the dirt and grime. "Good as new," she murmurs, green eyes interlocked with brown ones.

Her heart stutters then, remembering all those times she'd stared into these very eyes and felt hope.

But all she feels now is nostalgia.

[  STEPPING  BACK  ]:      while they’re both attending a particularly lively and crowded party, both muses, craving a moment of peace and fresh air, accidentally go to the same balcony. unwilling to leave, they sit together, and begin to talk as the party spins on behind their backs.

Parties were never, nor will ever be, Luna's favorite. The thought of being in a confined space with more than a dozen people at a time makes her skin crawl. Even worse, if most of the people at the party were strangers and her comfort person—in this case, Maddy—have absolutely disappeared.

Luna has been nursing her beer for the last 10 minutes, wandering through the throng of people to try and locate her friend. Maddy had invited her to this party—some random celebration about the surgeon team getting new equipment—promising that she wouldn't part ways with her, and before she could even breathe, the brunette had been dragged away by her super-nerd of a boyfriend.

Which left Luna to her own devices, strategically avoiding any-and-all interactions.

Once she finished her beer, Luna trashed the bottle headed for the open bar again, hoping to numb out more of the anxiety she was feeling. Just as the bartender left, Luna managed to sneak the whole bottle of vodka she'd requested, quickly making a beeline to balcony she saw when she first arrived.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she was met with the frosty air, the drop in temperature a calming agent for her nerves. Luckily, no one was outside, considering most of the warmth was inside the building with all the other bodies. She took a long sip of the bottle, plopping down on a small bench next to an electric heater, courtesy of the party organizers.

At least she could get some peace and quiet here. And hopefully, if Maddy bothered to notice, they would get to go home soon.

But not everything goes as expected.

Just when Luna thought she could be by her lonesome, she felt the bench creak to her right, forcing her head to turn in that direction. She released a sigh in annoyance. "For fuck's sake..." she mumbled.

"Hey, find your own bench, yeah? Can't you see this one's taken?" She said, creasing her features in irritation. A beat passed before the newfound stranger turned his head, doe eyes meeting her sharp ones.

All at once, she's hit with a wave of recognition the longer she looks at him. Was this...that's right. Super-nerd's brother, Mintax, no, Minbree, no...Minwoo!

"Minwoo? Maddy's boyfriend's brother, right?" his nod of confirmation proves her right. "What are you doing out here? It's cold as fuck 'nd the warmth is back there." She points in the direction of the venue, where even more people seem to have shown up. His expression suggested that he was probably wondering the same about her.

"There's just way too many people for my taste. Fuckin' nerds, too," she took another large gulp from her bottle. "But I'm here for Maddy, wherever the hell she is."

And hopefully she can get Luna out of this hellhole.

"There is a patio below us that you can go to. 'M not forcing you to stay here," she provided, also hoping he'd get the damn hint that she wasn't going to move from her spot.

After a rather long slience, it didn't seem like he was going to leave, either. She let out a long exhale of frustration, taking a deep swig of the vodka. Can't she get some alone time? Let her drown in her lonesome sorrows? She can't even get that?

She was about to say something more but blue eyes spot her best friend in the patio underneath. Maddy looked happy and jovial as always, but there's also a touch of...something that Luna doesn't quite get. It's lingering on the brunette's features and adds to the cadence of her voice, light and giggly. Looking closer, Luna noticed that Super Nerd boyfriend is the one on the receiving end, surprisingly looking and sounding similar.

Luna huffed out a breath, looking a little longer than she should. She wondered what that felt like, to have that something. To have someone else feel that something for her. It looked nice, pleasant even...might even get her to stop being such a bitch.

A noise of acknowledgement sounds to her right and that's when she realized, she said all of that out loud.

She cursed to herself, glaring at the fucking vodka that was likely the cause of her loosened lips. She put the bottle down near the floor, snowflakes starting to sprinkle around them. "Don't share that," she managed, hoping that her glare is threatening enough that he won't.

She was met with the same doe eyes and increasingly rosy complexion, likely due to the cold. Yet, there seemed to be no malice or judgement upon her verbal stream of consciousness.

Reflecting back on that night and their subsequent conversations, had she paid really close attention, Luna would've felt the faintest whisper in her heart of that telltale...

"Hobbies? Well, my sister says I have a knack for sewing and crocheting," Madeline supplied, threading her hands together behind her back. "I've sewn lots of patches to our clothes and made some myself!"

True to her word, Maddy has nimble fingers that have saved many a garment and created several, as well. She often gazed longingly at the windows of tailor shops, hoping that one day she would be able to sample fabric that exquisite or wear something as such. With their earnings, the sisters could barely afford a new piece of clothing once every other fortnight.

"Dancing could be another, though all my dancing was learned from my sister," she points to the blonde walking up ahead, smiling fondly. "Evie has taught me so much growing up, I hope to repay her in kind someday." Maybe once they settle in another country, their chances of a better future could go up, too.

"Zephyr. Zephyr! Zephyr!"

Zephyr jolts awake, his cocooned body throwing the blankets haphazardly off his bed. He blinks several times, trying to adjust to the gray light of his room. What time was it? Was it still night time? He feels too groggy for it to be late still. The alarm clock he was gifted from Maddy catches his eye, the electric numbers signaling that it's well before proper sunrise.

He groans softly before a loud pounding of his door makes his whole body jolt again, his fingers tightly clutching the sheets.

"I'm awake!" he croaks out, trying to untangle from his sheets.

"You're due for breakfast, lazy oaf. Don't keep me waiting," a stern voice answers.

"Don't keep me waiting," Zephyr mocks quietly, rising from his bed.

Did his brother always have to be such an ass when waking him up? The least he could do is minimize the digs into Zephyr's character. Maybe then the winged man would actually wake up in good spirits.

And who the hell actually woke up at this hour??

Grabbing the nearest, clean shift, Zephyr changed out of his night clothes and began heading out of his room before pausing in front of his mirror. He quickly ran a hand through is unkempt hair and peels off the acne patch Maddy put on his skin the night before, the skin remarkably less irritated.

It helps reduce the redness!

He sighed fondly as he gazes at the patch, remembering Maddy's soft hands and careful placing. She was so incredibly caring and kind, that it almost made Zephyr forget his irritation from a few seconds ago. He would've preferred a wake up call from her than his hardass brother. She would've probably woken him up with breakfast in bed and a warm hug.

A kiss maybe, too.

He shook his head as he willfully discarded the acne patch, heading down with a bit of pep in his step, slightly less dreading the usual, tedious breakfast that awaited him.

***

"So, can you tell me where you go off to at night?"

Zephyr momentarily paused mid-scoop, the oatmeal trailing from his spoon down to his bowl. Shit. Of course, Sol would just get straight to the point. Not surprising, since Sol is the head of the military for his majesty. He was known to be direct and unrelenting, squeezing out every last drop of information you had. Zephyr knows because he's been the unfortunate victim of his interrogations.

Regardless, Zephyr is actually hesitant to say his whereabouts. Normally, he'd sing like a canary for his brother and get Sol off his back, but something inside him was telling Zephyr otherwise. Maddy was not for Sol's ears to learn about and investigate. She was a dear friend and companion, something that Sol would disavow immediately. Relationships between the lower world and their world were strictly forbidden, possibly resulting in banishment for him...

And death for her.

He took a breath before answering, circling through his oatmeal like usual. "Just hanging out with a friend."

"Who?"

"It's whatever, Sol, don't you have—"

"Who?"

Zephyr sighed heavily, meeting his older brother's gaze. "The. Moon. Prince. That's who." Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Zephyr was hanging out more with the Moon prince, Minjae, and teaching him about Earth. Just a few times last week, Zephyr showed Minjae about first aid for humans and how to distinguish between all the different modes of human transportation.

But he didn't need to divest in that.

Sol looked at him with wide eyes. "T-the moon prince? But how did—why does he—how are you friends with him?"

"Beats me," Zephyr shrugged, taking another spoonful of oatmeal. "We just met and became friends."

"That's it? You have to get high level clearance to even meet him. I had to request an audience for him that took two weeks to get approved!"

"Like I said, we just met one night when I was flying down and we crossed paths."

"...Flying down?"

Shit. "Yeah, flying down for...practice. You know we have to practice more at night to better see, right?"

Sol sighed, massaging his forehead with his hand. "You can't fly at all at night, dumbass, it's dangerous. I'm sure that you can find other ways that won't endanger you and your new friend.

"Plus, it'll keep you safe from all the lower-world brutes, too. Could you imagine what would happen if they get their grubby hands on you or the prince?"

Zephyr clenches his unseen hand into a fist, forcing himself to hold back.

Kiss & Tell

Vartouhi blinked at Minjae from her end of the pocky stick. The strawberry yogurt coating was melting on her lips as they simply stared at each other, both their faces slightly pink. Minjae let out a muffled "Go!" around his end, and their little game began.

Vartouhi's front teeth crunched off little slivers of the pocky stick over and over, and Minjae did the same on the other side, the two coming closer and closer. As she understood it, the goal of the game was to keep going until one person turned away. She didn't quite understand why they were playing this game, given that she regularly pressed soft kisses to his lips. Surely it was less fun for him if she had no qualms about accidentally kissing him?