There was a human in the forest again; Kei could tell by the way the trees and bushes whispered with unease and surprise. He could hear it in the stumbling footfalls and heaving, fearful breaths. There was a human in the forest, and they were running away from something and towards Kei.
The human came to a stop behind Kei, all ragged breaths and coughs from the dry winter air. Kei did not turn around to face the human, instead choosing to watch the moon's reflection glimmer off the frozen surface of the pond. He had no interest in humans any longer; they only reminded him of the bitter pain of betrayal. Still, as the human caught their breath, they called out to him with a familiar voice and name. "Tsukki"
Kei whipped around to face the human, shock and hope piloting his movements before he could react logically. There he was, Yama, kneeling on the snow-covered ground, chest shaking with exertion. His trousers were already darkening at the knees with melted snow, and the thin nightshirt left little to the imagination; Yama was not dressed to be out in this kind of weather. Long olive hair whipped in the wind, far longer than when Kei had last seen it, partially obscuring the smattering of freckles that Kei knew to grace the other's tan skin. Doe eyes stared back at him, full of wonder and hope and heartache. Kei stood there motionless for only a moment before he collapsed into the snow and engulfed Yama in a much-needed hug. What else was there for him to do?
The dam of emotions broke just as snow started to fall from the sky. Both of their bodies shook with wet, shuddering sobs as they clung onto each other for dear life. No words were said as they cried, simply a solidarity in tears. Snowflakes settled on Kei's tear-damp face, and the cold brought more tears to his eyes. After a few minutes, both Kei and Yama pulled back from the hug to take a proper look at each other. Neither, however, relinquished their grips, Yama clutching Kei's shoulders in a vice-grip and Kei gently cradling the other at the ribs, too afraid to let go.
Yama's face was now blotchy and red like it always got when he cried, tear tracks ran down his face, and sniffling couldn't keep the other's nose from running. Kei should not have found beauty in the bloodshot eyes and dark bags of Yama's face, but he cherished the sight nonetheless. Yama had lost some of the baby-fat in his five-year absence but was still soft and comforting in face. Earrings now graced Yama's lovely ears, winding copper things that laced up from the lobe to the shell; they suited him. As Yama brought up a hand to card through Kei's hair, he saw it, a ring. It was only a flash in his peripheries, but the ring was there; a wedding band. It mattered not, they would talk later, but Yama had started shivering, so Kei wordlessly took him by the hand and started the short trek to his home.
Kei knew Yama had never been to the fae lands proper, but his abode rested just on the outskirts, and the forest always loved Yama, so problems were unlikely. Snow had soaked through Kei's shoes and into his socks by the time they made it there, and despite Yama's chattering teeth and shivering frame, he still stopped to stare. The awe in the human's eyes made sense when Kei remembered just how different fae architecture was from that of the humans. The fae used the forestry around them to grow their homes, large trees winding their trunks together to form walls and shelf mushrooms sprouting as roofs and stairways. It certainly was a stark contrast from the angular lumber and stones that made human buildings. But still, it was cold, so Kei pulled Yama inside; he could gawk later.
They barely spoke as Kei stoked the fire and brought warm, dry clothes. The silence, however, was companionable and sacred; Kei would not be the first to break it. Luckily, he didn't have to, as Yama, now swaddled in warm cloths and cradling a bowl of soup, made to speak.
"I'm so, so sorry, Tsukki. I-" he took a breath, "I have a lot to explain to you, don't I?"
Kei sighed, a proper conversation was long overdue, "Yes, I suppose you do. What happened? Weren't we friends?" Friends, the word near burned Kei's tongue as he spoke. Oh, how he wanted so much more, but the ring on Yama's finger proved testament to the fruitlessness of Kei's desires.
"I was reckless, Tsukki, I never wanted to abandon you." Yama did not make eye contact as he spoke, rather, gazing troubledly at the fire. "I got caught, this time not by my father," he flinched slightly at those words, "but by the whole town. They saw me walk by with your gift and recognized it of fae make. I couldn't come back, not without leading them to you. They're so bloodthirsty now, Tsukki, so ready to kill any non-human."
It was not the explanation Kei had expected. All these years, he had thought it was his fault, that he had pushed too far and scared Yama away. To hear that the villagers had caught his friend sent both relief and a cold bolt of fear through Kei's spine. He motioned for Yama to keep talking.
"They took everything you gave to me, burned, all of it. I was made to spend so much time with the priest. Gods, Tsukki, the exorcisms, the cleansings, the interrogations, it was awful. I made sure they didn't find you, though. All of it was to keep your world safe." Yama shook as he recounted the details, and Kei tentatively threw his arm around the other's shoulders to comfort him.
Slowly, Yama looked up and met Kei's eyes. "I guess we've got a bit to catch up on, huh, Tsukki? You should go first."
So he did, Kei told Yama everything. He spoke of his struggles with motivation and self-worth, of Hinata and Kageyama, of Kuroo and Bokuto, and the ever-understanding Akaashi. Kei recounted his first 'adventure' and finding Akiteru and Saeko. He told Yama about how his family healed, of Ryuu's union with Shimizu, of Saeko's pregnancy, and how he would be an uncle in five month's time. He told tales of his adventures, small things that helped many but brought him no glory, and of the strange lands and people he encountered along the way. Yama soaked it all in, eyes full of pride and wonder for Kei's accomplishments.
When Kei was done, Yama explained his five years. The original suspicion and loss of gifts, the guards and vigilant watches. Warmth flooded Kei's heart when he mentioned Ennoshita, Shimada, Noya, and Asahi; Yama deserved such good people in his life. The human explained his conflict when his father died, the near execution and rescue at the hands of his friends. And then he reached the point Kei feared most, Yama's new wife. He spoke softly of Yachi, of her friendship and dreams, and Yama opened up, for the first time to anyone, of his true feelings toward her, nothing but friendship. The guilt he felt for leading her on and not being able to return her feelings and lying about it. And then Yama's whole body quivered and shook with silent tears as he spoke of his mother's journal.
"They were right, Tsukki, the village folk from when I was a kid. She never loved him, never wanted to marry my father. She had an affair with a fae, Tsukki, I'm half-fae." then quieter, "I'm half-fae, and neither world wants me."
Kei's blood ran red with indignation at Yama's last utterance. No one wanted him? No one? Kei spent damn near every second with Yama making sure he knew he was wanted. And Yama has the absolute gall to say no one cared for him? What was Kei then, chopped liver? Self-control be damned, it didn't matter if Yama was married, Kei was going to make himself understood.
None too gently, Kei grabbed Yama's shoulders and forced the other to look him in the eye. "No one wanted you? Yama, I have been in love with you for the past six god-forsaken years! I wanted you! I still... I-" Dignity and decency caught up with Kei once more as he trailed off, leaving his sentence unsaid, but meaning not unfinished. He would not take it back now, no matter the consequences, he'd be lying if he said he didn't mean it, anyway.
Yama peered back up at Kei through still tear-damp lashes, eyes full of unreadable emotion. Then, suddenly, Yama's hands were on Kei's face, pulling him into a kiss. The human's lips were chapped and rough from the cold, Kei's probably weren't much better, and neither of them were particularly good kissers, but it was perfect. Inexperience and chapped lips were quickly overshadowed by the unadulterated love and affection poured into the action; it was everything Kei had hoped and more. Slowly, Yama pulled away, face red with embarrassment rather than cold, and looked up a Kei bashfully.
Gazing into the other's eyes and pointedly ignoring the ring on the hand he was holding, Kei spoke once more, "Stay with me. For real this time."
Almost immediately, Yama nodded, "The village will wonder where I went if I disappear, but they don't care for me enough to seek me out. I'll stay." Then, as if to remove all ties to the human world, Yama slipped off his ring and tossed it out into the snow to be lost forever.
Perhaps to others, they might have been moving fast, but Kei had known Yama for years. When they first met, he had been out for the half-fae's name, but now he was willing to give his in turn. And so the two bared their entire beings to each other. Their names, the source of the soul, the identifier of life and individuality, were given to each other to protect and hold, power only to be wielded by each other, useless to anyone else. Yama became Tadashi, and Kei felt the old magic course through him at the possession of another's name; he was sure Tadashi felt the same thing.
Overcome with love and emotion, Kei pulled Tadashi in and peppered his perfect face with gentle kisses, sending the other into a fit of giggles. Wrapped in a tight embrace, Kei swayed Tadashi in his arms, dancing to the silent music of the forest, only audible to the lovers. After another sweet kiss, only marginally better than their first, Tadashi smiled up at Kei.
"So, how about that adventure you promised to take me on hmm? I've always wanted to travel with you for my honeymoon."
Before Kei could answer, however, the door to his, now their, abode flung open. In stomped a human soldier, weapon in one hand and torch in the other. Outside, Kei could see others surrounding the home and shouting lividly with their wretched human words. Tadashi, as it would seem, had not done as good a job with losing his tail as he thought.
