InsaneJournal

Cayden hadn't forgotten the message he sent to Faerie. It was impossible to do so. But he had let other things take his attention these last few weeks. People bursting into song. Eli showing up older. Eli and Del clearly having history in their future. It was easy to get distracted by such things. His guard should have been higher than ever, really, and it was, but it was his emotional guard, not his physical one.

That's what he'd realize after the fact, anyway. In the moment, all he noticed was a white hot pain in his abdomen and the sound of breaking glass as he dropped the grocery bags he'd been carrying. There'd been a lot of chaos after that. Screams and people running and Cayden clutching at the arrow in his stomach as the three of them ran for an alley nearby.

He should've been able to pull out the arrow and shift. Speed up the healing. But it was embedded rather terribly and he could feel the poison spreading. Iron. He stumbled and fell to a knee in a dark alcove with a fluorescent light swinging overhead. How dramatic. All of this felt very theatrical. Very fae.

"I suppose I asked for this," he slurred, turning to slide against a wall, down onto his butt. His eyes were bloodshot. What could be seen of them around his blown irises anyway. He blinked rapidly up at Eli and Del. "Are either of you--are you…" He swallowed and winced because even that already hurt. "Are you hit?"

In the weeks after this incident, assuming they made it through this incident, Del was going to blame himself. He was normally much more alert, eyes scanning rooftops and hidden doorways and generally cautious when they were out in public. It had been a staple of their time together in the Fae Realm, where Cayden's life was constantly and consistently in danger. But that wasn't supposed to be the case here. This had been safe, this had allowed Del to put his defenses down. What an absolute fucking mistake.

Their physical connection outside of their lives being intertwined together had never been more than that. It was nothing like the telepathic connection Del shared with Eli and Cayden. But in the moments during and after that arrow struck Cayden, Del thought he might feel it too. His whole being was in pain at seeing Cayden this way.

He had wanted to give chase because a terrible bloodlust had risen abruptly inside of Del, but in that panic and chaos, there was no movement to follow. No assassin to dismember effectively. There was nothing, nothing, nothing. And so he was ushering Eli and Cayden into the alley, being their shield in case another attack came. He couldn't accept it.

Once Cayden was sitting, looking pale and weak in a way that made Del unreasonably unwell, Del was on his knees in front of him. He took Cayden's chin in his hand to keep him awake and conscious.

"Don't say things like that, you deserve nothing like this," Del said. Then he was reaching for Eli, pulling him into the intense orbit. "Keep him conscious, talking. I need to..." Words dried up in his throat, seeing how the wound was still bleeding, fast and quick. How instantly fragile Cayden became made sense. "Iron. Cayden, it has to come out."

Eli had blood on him, but it had taken a minute of chaos to even realize that it wasn’t his blood, it was Cayden’s. Come from his hand slipping forward to Cayden’s stomach, to see exactly where the arrow was lodged. He didn’t scream or lose his cool, which was-- well, not a first but definitely top five.

It was somehow more important to be alert and calm in this moment, when everyone around them was screaming. When Cayden was hurt.

Fuck, what the fuck--- Okay, so he wasn’t entirely calm. But at least the freak-out was internal and only the two of them could hear him because Eli was almost definitely projecting that quiet panic as his hands trembled to rip Cayden’s shirt away from where the arrow was lodged. Keep him conscious, talking, Del had said. Okay, he could do that. “Never thought it would take an assassination attempt to finally rip off your shirt.”

Maybe not that. But it was too late to have second-thoughts now, and Eli kept at it, but now he was wrapping a hand around Cayden’s arm. “Seriously I think your abs look like you stole them off of a greek statue. Too bad they’re connected to a mouth that says dumb things like I suppose I asked for this, shut up. Tell me how pretty I am instead of being dramatic.”

"You are beautiful," Cayden frowned, as if the use of the word pretty had offended him. "You both are." That was decidedly too much to say out loud, but he was powerless to filter anything when pain was radiating out from his stomach in ever increasing waves. He hissed in agony as the arrow shifted. It felt like his bones were grinding together. His teeth grew, trying to turn into cat's fangs, but the effort was wasted. Iron was an especially cruel weapon. The fae only used it on each other when they wanted their enemy to suffer.

"I did this," he admitted, grabbing Del's wrist with a shaking hand. He wasn't ready for the pain of the arrow coming out so he embraced a different kind of pain: regret "I was trying…I just wanted you both to be free once and for all. I thought, if I made the right offer…" He laughed miserably and didn't finish the thought. "Foolish."

Del wanted to soothe Eli, tell him not to panic, while he was also panicking. The wound alone would be difficult to heal, but the sensitive nature of iron would be enough to kill Cayden. The urgency was making Del feel internally chaotic, wanting to say things in case—in case. No, he couldn't think like that. He had to be the one to keep all of them on track, or this would be Cayden's shortest life yet. How ironic that it would end Del's longest at the same time.

"Stop trying to shift, you are going to make it worse." That was said to Cayden, then to Eli, "I'm going to need your hand, to put pressure on his wound when I—" Cayden's grip on his wrist, and his words right offer stopped Del short. A sick cold dread crawled up his spine, and Del was afraid to put words to who it could have possibly been.

"What offer, Cayden? What offer?" He sounded equally pained and angry, knowing that Cayden had done something possibly irreversible. His own bloodied hands were scooping up Cayden's face, trying to get him to focus. It might have seemed unnecessary to pull the answer out of him while he was bleeding out, but he needed to know if this was part of the offer.

"Our freedom is not worth your life. If you die, then I die, don't you remember this? And then yes, I will be free. And Eliphas will be free from your pact, but he will be alone. He will be alone again, and you can't do that to him. Not after how long." Del was practically begging as he said, "Please, let us pull the arrow out."

Eli followed direction well, it was one of the perks of being an actor since he was a child. Someone barked an order and he nodded and dug right in. Especially when it meant he needed to help Cayden, who had been nothing but good to him, despite his numerous fuck-ups. He was only hearing half of the conversation, because blood was rushing through his ears as he was trying not to panic.

He had his hands on Cayden, ready to put pressure. Then he was ripping his own shirt, and taking it with Cayden’s so he would have something to stem the bleeding - he’d seen that in a show, it felt right. “I could text a healer-- they could be here in an instant. If I- what?” Now he’d lost his train of thought again. They were both confusing him, but Del was making the most sense.

“What he said,” Eli’s tone got sharp, focused and he sat upright just a little more. The ‘again’ made him look up at Del quickly, but he didn’t want to take his eyes off of Cayden for long. “Pull out the arrow, we can argue about this later.” Now Eli sounded a little more desperate, the sharpness softening. “Please, I don’t want you to die.”

"No, I--" Cayden felt flayed alive under the onslaught of their concern. It wasn't fair really. He was already weak to their emotions on a good day and today was a very bad one. He had to close his eyes to catch his breath and force out the words. "I offered to join the Hunt. In exchange." If anyone could cut them both free, it was his uncle. But it seemed he wasn't even bothering to pretend he wasn't the one hunting down potential heirs to the throne anymore. Or maybe he knew no one would listen to the outcast who ran off to live with the mortals anyway.

"Neither of you would be alone." It hardly seemed to matter now, but he said that part forcefully. As much as his weakened body would allow. His gaze dropped to Eli's hands on his stomach and moved up to his face. He reached up with a bloodied hand and cupped the side of Eli's neck. His words were for Del first, though. "You will have to…you have to push it through, Mnestaes. Break off the arrowhead from the back," he ordered calmly, despite his pale face and the agonizing tremble that had started to wrack through his body.

Eliphas. Exhaustion had him slipping into mindspeak. I must ask a favor of you. Please..

"You offered to join the Hunt? The Hunt, Cayden, they would never let you. You only gave him your location here instead. You stupidly noble prince," Del said, wanting to shake him and kiss him for all his self-sacrificing tendencies. He hated and loved that about him. But it had also gotten Cayden killed in so many lives that Del couldn't not seem to recount them now. None of this though was said out loud. He could feel the clock ticking on both of them the longer the iron sat lodged inside Cayden, leaking its poisonous qualities into him.

He watched Cayden hold Eli, and then give him directions. He already knew what to do, and he had begged Cayden to let him, but now posed with the reality of pushing the arrow out, Del needed to brace himself. He needed to prepare them both. He quickly, without warning, snapped the end of the shaft with the fletching so that the arrow would go through cleaner. He knew it hurt, because the same tell-tale tremor of pain sizzled through his body; he had caused the pain. Their bond was unreasonable.

Del opened his mouth to tell them to ignore whatever happened, whatever they saw come over him, but he allowed them their privacy in their mind instead. He turned his face away. "Count me down when you are ready."

Eli was looking between the wound and Cayden’s face. He had a hand now on his neck and it was making him sticky and sweaty and-

He sucked in a breath. “I didn’t think it worked like that,” Eli didn’t know the intricacies of most fae stuff, outside of what he’d learned from Cayden and Del, so he wouldn’t have put money on that thought. “But yeah, gonna continue going with what he said.” Everyone else sounded so much smarter than him right now, as Eli floundered to get his footing. He was here to put pressure on a wound, and right now his facilities were so on edge he wasn’t sure he could do that without shaking hands.

Cayden dying wasn’t how this shit was supposed to get broken. “Hey, no dying. Deep breaths? That helps with pain, right? Tell me more about how pretty we are, because if you tell me some shit about your dying wishes or deathbed favors, I will do it but know that I’m going to be pretty pissed about it.” He took his own deep breath, and in Cayden’s head; Go ahead.

Cayden wanted to defend himself. He hadn't put where he was in the message, when there was a half dozen ways for his uncle to message back without that information, and he'd been sure if the man couldn't solve their problems in exchange for getting rid of him for good, then he was the most resourceful option to find a resolution. But none of that really mattered now. And he could feel himself running out of time.

"I will discuss all of this more later," he promised, his voice fading to a rough whisper. "For now, Eli." I need a distraction. I need…oh, fuck it. He was in so much pain that whatever request he was going to ask went out the window. Desperation took over. He pulled Eli down by his neck and kissed him. It wasn't his first kiss - he'd denied himself nearly everything else - but it might as well have been anyway. It was the first kiss that mattered. He poured himself into it, suddenly a little terrified he and Del would die here in an alley and leave poor Eli to clean up the mess.

Oh. Eli hadn’t been kissed in a while. Going on a year. The longest amount of time that had passed without being kissed since he’d become sexually active, even, all because of these two.

Half because Eli found himself just so thoroughly distracted by them everytime he was around that he couldn’t focus on anyone else, and half because they usually accidentally stumbled into stopping him without even realizing it.

He hadn’t seen this one coming.

Maybe it was because he could feel Cayden dying, the iron, the pain both of them were going through. He could feel it as it was seeping into his skin and overwhelming him and then there was Cayden overwhelming him in a way he hadn’t expected, given all of this. It took him a second to mentally catch up, but Eli put enough of himself into the kiss that it would’ve been mind-blowing if one of them didn’t have an arrow in their gut. His hand came up to cup the side of Cayden’s throat, but it was covered in his blood and left smeared fingerprints, but then he just--

Slowed things down. Both physically and around them. His mouth moved over Cayden’s in deliberate, concentrated strokes, and the world suddenly felt a little more fuzzy around the edges, the distraction and practical purpose hopefully giving Del a little extra time to pull the fucking arrow out. He pulled off just enough to make sure Del had the space he needed, but held Cayden firm enough to brace for impact.

If Del was any other person, any other being, he might have thought he was intruding on this kiss between Cayden and Eli. He should have looked away. But that small bright hopeful part of him had been waiting for this. The timing was fucking terrible, sure, and if Cayden't didn't live through this, then he would have waited seven hundred years for just this. But, if he was being honest, he would have waited seven hundred more for only this between them again.

He could feel the fear emanating off of Eli, even as time slowed. He could feel it off Cayden too, the sudden burst of terror as their lips were pressed together and Del's hand was on the arrow. He didn't want either of them to be scared, not if this was the end again. And so Del with as much speed and gentleness as he could, whispered in draconic to Cayden, onelka ve, sia itov, before pushing the arrow through Cayden's stomach, freeing him of the iron, with little fanfare but not without more pain.

Immediately, the agony within Del was overwhelming.

When he had first been bound to this body, raging against every fae that came near him, Del had been unaccustomed to the punishment that came with harming one of them, and the backlash of pain was constantly taking him to his knees in submission. But it had been over a century in Cayden's care and protection, and turning on his mortal enemies was not as frequent. This was to say, he had, somehow, forgotten about the pain.

His whole body seized backward, every muscle tensing under what felt like acid in his veins, ripping through him swiftly, thoroughly. Del thought he was dying all over again. The only grounding he could find was that he still had the fucking arrow in his bloodied hands. Through gritted teeth, he tossed it away from Cayden and Eli. In their minds, he said, It's out, it's out.

Later, Cayden would wonder if it was the way Eli kissed him or if it was the draconic whisper that brought the sharp memory crashing into his mind. It hardly mattered what caused it when it mingled so viciously with the agony that stole his breath. In his mind's eye, he was a dragon - flying in the rushing wind, bronze against the setting sun - and a giant spear pierced his hide, ripping through his organs and driving him from the sky. There was a roar, an enraged, mournful sound. It all felt so real. And so awful.

He was grateful when he was thrust back into his own body, as much misery as that body was in. With the spearhead free, his injury was already starting to heal itself. Slowly, but still. It was a lesser concern at the moment. He kept one hand on Eli, reluctant to let him go, and reached with his other to press a palm to Del's jaw.

"It is," he repeated dumbly. "You did it. I am sorry, I know that was not easy. Are you all right?" He was stroking Del's face soothingly without realizing it. His fingers were still tangled in the edges of Eli's hair. That part he realized too acutely. He looked back to Eli with soft, uncertain eyes. "Are you all right?"

Even Eli felt that from both of them, as much as he tried to dampen down his empathic abilities to a dull ache, the pain on their faces still hurt him. His brain was kiss-added - he wanted to do that again and ASAP but now wasn’t the time - but he still immediately pressed the cloth over Cayden’s wound tightly with pressure. “I’m fine, I’m not the one that was shot with a fucking arrow!” He sounded sharply sarcastic, like duh, kissing was way better than dying in the middle of an alleyway.

But yeah, it would make things a little complicated. With Del, maybe. Who stared at Cayden like he wanted to devour the fae at a moment’s notice and Eli couldn’t fucking blame him. Devouring sounded good right about now. Which wasn’t the right time or place but kissing had happened and it had been so long since he’d been properly kissed that Eli’s brain was currently scrambled eggs. He shook his head to clear it - or scramble them some more.

He looked over at Del with a similarly worried expression. “You okay? I should’ve done it, pushed it out.” Eli probably wouldn’t have been strong enough but it might’ve spared Del a little pain that way, and it was a startling realization all at once that he would’ve currently done anything to spare either of them the pain.

Concentrate. Concentrate on Cayden's hand on his cheek. Concentrate on Eli's voice. Del needed to concentrate on the two people who could draw him back from that terrible brink. He couldn't give into it and lay there unhelpfully useless. The pain had always been secondary to losing them. And though he never spoke it out loud, Del would gladly do it again and again, if it kept both of them alive. He had, if this body's prison was any indication of how self-sacrificing he could be.

He allowed himself one indulgent moment to lean his face into Cayden's touch before he pulled away, and reassessed the scene. His skin was still crawling, aftershocks of the punishment serving as a reminder as much as bitter metallic taste on his tongue did. "You can do the next one," Del said to Eli. It was supposed to be a joke, but it didn't hit right. His tone was hoarse with worry. The pleasant spark of hope he had from seeing them share a moment of physical affection had been stamped out by the seering agony of having to hurt Cayden to heal him.

Del's hand came up beside Eli's on Cayden's wound. Despite his years of immortal existence, Del could not tell the severity of an injury simply through touch. "Is it better? Nothing left? You have to tell us, no trying to tough it out for our sakes. I will carry you out of here, princeling."

His eyes darted from Cayden's face, to Eli's, then back. "If you need to kiss again, I will close my eyes for privacy, but you understand that I can't leave."

Cayden huffed, closing his eyes and covering their hands on his stomach with his own. They couldn't know what it did to him. Having them close and caring so much was both a balm and a torture all at once. His mouth still tingled and his blood felt like it had boiled over. Now he was stuck with the burnt remains. He wasn't sure if there was iron still left in his body or if the twisted feeling in his gut was just the shame for selfishly stealing a kiss when Eli was unlikely to refuse him and Del was unlikely to hate him for it.

"It is better." At least that part was true. "But I am…unsure if I can walk." It was equally shameful to sit here, appreciating their touch, but he was too exhausted to do otherwise. He opened his eyes and looked down the alley rather than at them. "It is not safe to linger. But carrying me when we are all covered in blood will draw too much attention." Was it obvious that he wasn't making eye contact? Probably. Was it still safer than letting them see the inappropriate want in his eyes? Absolutely.

He started the awkward climb to his feet, mostly trying to slide back up the wall.

Eli rolled his eyes dramatically at both of them. To Del, he pointed a look, “Do that and I’ll plant one on you to make it even.” So what if his skin was still tingling and his brain was busy catching up on everything. It still felt like he’d left it behind somewhere, because of the kiss and the arrow and-- he had to blow out a breath. Close his eyes for a second, center himself.

Then he grabbed onto Cayden’s arm and steadied him. “I support Del carrying you, you’re going to be seen anyway and you’re covered in blood and not wearing a shirt. We can dip into the tea shop over there and call in a teleport or something.” He knew some people that could do that, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. “I’ve got contacts.”

Also selfishly Eli was down for watching Del put those muscles to work carrying Cayden. It was a nice thought, even if there was an edge of risk to it. But the tea shop was just down the street and then he could fumble his phone out for a little help.

"Don't be ridiculous," Del said. Whether that was to Eli, about the kissing, or to Cayden, about carrying him, was up for debate. Watching Cayden attempt to stand was like a lesson in small torture. Del was rising to meet Cayden on his other side, so that he and Eli could flank him. Del's pain had been exhaustive but brief. Even with the arrow gone, he did not believe that Cayden's would be dulled as quickly.

He was thankful that Eli decided to side with him and not let Cayden push through. "It matters very little what I look like. I do not care about what other people think. You were attacked. Let them see the absolute atrocities the fae use on their own kind. I like to be right."

Del did not wait for permission. And even if Cayden did protest, this would be one of the few times that he would deny him. Del was tired of watching them die, or wither away in agony. "And I'm not allowing this to continue," Del growled, more dragon than human, before he dipped low to sweep Cayden into his arms. He was firm but gentle, but Cayden's body went heavy in his grip, unconscious.

The panic in Del's face intensified, as he looked to Eli. "Call your contacts. We can't wait."