Chapter 16

A knot burned in Andy's stomach, searing to a boil as he watched another mug slide slam onto the table. Otto bowed his head for the umpteenth time and slid the mug across the table towards the man.

"You have no idea how grateful I am." He breathed. He glanced over at Andy and licked his dry lips. "I…god knows what would have happened…"

The man raised a hand, a sheepish smile shrugging along his lips.

"You don't have to thank me." A black lock fell over his eye as he gently slid the mug back to Otto. Andy felt his skin crawl.

Otto's brows furrowed. His lips twisted into a frown, slamming the mug in front of the man forcefully.

"Please." His hand wrapped around the mug firmly. "She's—" Otto paused, looking at Andy. In the copper flames whisking about on lonesome lanterns, Andy could see the dark circles stretching under Otto's eyes. Thin sets of wrinkles and lines sketched over his jaw and cheeks; the wary, gray flecks in his eyes deepening the hollows in his gaze. "Important. Very important."

Andy felt his heart sink ever so slightly as he turned away. The man nodded, reluctantly wrapping his fingers around the mug.

"If there's something—anything I can do for you, let me know." Otto said, pounding his chest. "I'm in your debt."

A wrinkle of a frown creased along the man's brows. His lips strained to curve into a soft smile.

"Of course." He said softly.

Otto sighed heavily and turned to Andy. His hand twitched toward him only to freeze and knock the table.

"You best get some rest." He mumbled. "After you thank our guest again." He turned on his heel and sauntered towards the back of the tavern.

Andy felt his heart spike up into his mouth, his fingers crushing around the thick skirt weighing down his legs. He swallowed quietly as the man took a sip from his mug. He arched an eyebrow at the clear liquor, smacking his lips.

"Strange." He hummed, holding the mug in the air and squinting at it. "Most vodka doesn't taste so syrupy."

Andy's knuckles popped under the table. "It's mice wine."

The man's eyes widened quizzically, taking another sip and hummed once more, "Even better." He sloshed the wine around in the mug. "I heard that mice are full of good omens as infants. Then they turn sour as soon as—"

"Why are you here?"

The man tilted his head towards the boy. Andy forced his chin up and shot him a heated glare. The man's lips swerved into a lopsided grin, shrugging, "Your brother insisted I come to repay me for saving you, apparently, his precious little sis—"

"You know what I mean!" Andy snapped in a hushed voice.

The grin faded from the man's lips, his eyes dropping to the mug.

"You know," he chuckled lowly, "you have a strange habit of siding with people who want to hurt you."

Andy's glare flickered slightly, yet kept his gaze on the other.

"I mean what do you want from me?"

The man blew bubbles in his wine and shrugged. "Nothing." He stretched his arms up over his head, groaning at the muscles twisting with quiet pops. "I just hate bastards. But what I want to know is," he propped his cheek on his fist, "why are you here?"

Andy's mouth opened then closed. He turned his gaze on the table, his fists tightening.

"Isn't it obvious?" He murmured. His knuckles slowly grew ashen the harder he clenched. "This is my home. My life."

"Really?" The man arched an eyebrow. Andy nodded firmly as the man frowned, his brow twitching irritably. "Your life is about drowning mice in wine in a dress."

"Shut up."

"Then you constantly get lost to be saved by strangers." The man smirked. "Must be exciting to reward them with your life in servitude."

Andy's nails bit through the fabric of the dress. His shoulders trembled, hissing, "Shut. Up."

"And to top it all off," the man's smirk twisted into a sharp, wicked smile. "You throw yourself to wolves to have your body torn in half." His voice dropped to a cold chuckle, "Your family must be so proud."

A loud screech whined in the air as Andy abruptly stood from his chair. The chair fell back with a clop while Andy grabbed a fistful of the man's collar. The mug toppled over, splashing the wine across the table; making a dark brown creep through the light colored wood. His skin prickled with an icy flare that caused his blood to sickly gush through his veins at an abnormal rate. Andy's palm crushed around the clasp holding the man's cloak, viciously shaking him.

"Shut the hell up!"Andy barked. "You don't know anything! You don't even know me! What gives you the damn right to talk about what I do?" The man stared at the trembling boy blankly, his knuckles brushing against the column of his neck. Andy dropped his head, feeling warmth begin to stir in his eyes as he blinked rapidly. He choked out, "You don't know anything. This is where I belong…it's where people like me always belong."

The man stared at the boy a moment longer, his frown thinning into a line. Andy's trembling rocked into him as he leaned his head back. Silence stirred between the two, the whispers of flames and candles filling the milliseconds in between.

"You're right." The man said. "I don't have the right to talk about it. But," He looked down at the boy. "I know well enough to know that this life of yours isn't living." Andy flinched, shakily raising his head up at the man. Icy, blue eyes burned into him as the man rested his hands on Andy's arms, squeezing them gently. "This life you're so proud of is killing you."

Andy's jaw fell, his hands falling loose from the man's collar. His throat constricted around his vocal chords, allowing meek garbles to fall from his lips. The man idly glanced down at the table.

"Aw, what a pity." He clucked his tongue, drawing Andy's gaze with his. They watched as the wine continued to seep through the wood, darkening more like blood than drink. "And I was going to drink that."

Andy felt his clammy hand grasp onto the man's shirt, scrunching it in his fist. The man blinked down at him.

"Seriously," Andy murmured. "Tell me, honestly, who are you?"

The man's lit eyes dimmed into a cold glint. He gently grasped Andy's hand, leaning into him until his breath—fragile as mint—softly caressed his face.

"I told you," the man whispered. "I'll be whoever you want me to be."

Andy felt his mouth run dry, feeling his swollen tongue dab in the parched cavern for a sentence—a word to say. Yet, the screech of a door and stomping took care of that. Jurij slammed the front door behind him, snatching his snow dusted cap from his head. He scratched his rusty, red hair, icy flakes falling onto his shoulders, and looked up. The man flicked a quick glance at Jurij and pulled away from Andy.

"My father took well care of you, yes?" Jurij asked.

The man nodded, a lighthearted smile easing across his lips. Jurij let out a sigh of relief then frowned as his gaze landed on Andy. He nudged his boot into the wooden floorboards. "I thought you'd be resting."

Andy blinked, yanking his hands away from the man.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered. "I just…wanted to thank him again."

Jurij's brows furrowed in response while the man asked, "So, it's done?"

Jurij scratched his neck and nodded with a sigh. "It's done."

Andy arched an eyebrow at him.

"You brother went back to talk with the Patrol council about what happened," the man chimed. "Now that dreadful man is getting the punishment he deserves."

Andy's eyes widened and looked back at Jurij. He darted his eyes away from him, cracking his knuckles as he mumbled, "Yeah."

Andy pressed his lips together until the man patted his shoulder.

"Now that you're alright." He said. "I better be on my way."

Jurij paused, shrugging out of his heavy coat. "You can't be serious. It's starting to come down out there. Tonight's storm is going to be horrible."

He flashed Jurij a smile and squeezed Andy's shoulder. "That's the best time to go out." Jurij ogled the man curiously, his lips thinning. "Thank you for your hospitality, but would you mind if I had one last moment with your sister."

Jurij's brows knitted together and grunted his approval. He stomped past them to the back of the tavern. Andy stared after him as the man's hand slid off his shoulder. The wind howled against the tavern, whipping across thick bricks and whistling through holes. The man sucked in a deep breath and sighed.

"Seems like a good one tonight." He said, his eyes twinkling in delight. Andy shrugged away from him with his gaze casted on the floor. "Do you know why we drown baby mice?" Andy blinked up at the man as he set the spilt mug right side up. The man's eyes lingered on the dark smear of wine in the wood. "They're full of good omens, you know? But just when their innocence could go on forever, do you know what happens?"

Andy remained silent. He watched the man from behind, his figure even darker than the shadow stretching out from under him.

"They realize survival." The man's voice cracked into an icy hiss. Andy felt an arctic chill creep up his bones and shuddered. "They realize what it means to survive and throw away their childhood like it's nothing, but garbage."

His hands balled up into fists at his sides. The flames in the lanterns flailed weakly against the plummeting temperature in the tavern as Andy rubbed his arms. The man idly flung his neck behind him with a twisted—solemn—smirk.

"Isn't that awful?"

Andy tried to shrug against his quaking muscles to no avail, simply nodding his head with a mouthful of chattering teeth. The man sighed, letting his shoulders droop. The temperature in the air rose once more, albeit slightly warmer than before. The man tightened the clasp on his cloak that, now that Andy looked closely at it, was a scattered with flints of silver across the white fabric—and a small hint of reddened pink on the edges following his feet.

"Well that's enough of my babbling." He grasped Andy's hand and tenderly brushed his lips against his knuckles. "It was a pleasure meeting you again my fair maiden."

Andy flushed, snatching his hand out of the man's grasp.

"Such a bashful lady," the man chuckled under Andy's glare. He brushed past Andy towards the door. His hand rested on the handle and paused. "How long do you plan on staying here?"

Andy flinched and quickly smoothed his stature as he crossed his arms, turning away from the man.

"As long I can." He said tartly.

The man stared at the thick, metal handle, rolling the boy's words in his mind.

"Then in that case, you better be wary of rats."

"Rats?" Andy's brows rose.

"They're what mice become once they're devoured." The man shrugged.

"We don't have rats." Andy spat irritably.

"Everyone's a rat." Silence speared between them until the man spoke again. "But whenever you're done murdering yourself, you know where to find me."

Andy scoffed, "I don't even know you."

The silence that prickled this time was bitterer than the last as the man murmured ever so quietly, "You'd be surprised."

Andy barely caught his words and turned around. His jaw slacked at the empty space where he once stood. The wind whirled again, sounding more like a wail than the strong howl it was moments ago. The boy sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He grimaced. He brought his hands down, seeing dark brown earth sliding down his fingers.

"Is it really so wrong," he laughed humorlessly into the whispers of flames, "to be killing myself so peacefully?"


A knock rattled on Jurij's door in the middle of the night, much to the man's chagrin. Yet, it wasn't like he had fallen asleep either. He groaned into the arm thrown over his face.

Can't Da bite my ear off in the morning? He thought bitterly as the knock shook the door again. He frowned and threw the raggedy sheet he rummaged for off him. He stalked over to the door, flinging it open with a scowl on his face.

"Da, can we please not—" He trailed off at the aqua, blue eyes staring up at him. "O-Odell—I mean Odd. I mean…what are you doing here?"

Andy casted his gaze down at the floor, rocking back and forth on his heels nimbly.

"I," he stumbled over his words, flushing madly. "Do you think I can stay here with you?" His heart stuttered in his chest as he murmured, "I don't want to be alone right now."

Jurij felt his heart twinge and held the door wide open. He nodded his head towards the room with Andy shuffling inside. Jurij closed the door behind him gently and scratched the back of his neck.

"You can take the bed." He said. "I wasn't gettin' much sleep anyway."

"No, it's fine. We can share." Jurij arched an eyebrow at him as Andy looked away.

Jurij sighed, sliding onto the thin mattress and beckoned Andy to follow. Andy slid along beside him while he pulled the sheet over them both. An uncomfortable silence blanketed the two, the wind occasional tangling with the shutters on the roof. Jurij bit his lip, looking at everything in the dark bedroom that wasn't Andy's figure and froze. The boy tapped his head against the man's chest, curling ever so slightly into him.

"O…"

"I'm sorry." Andy's fists crushed the fabric of his nightgown. Another light sob tore out of him. "I'm sorry."

Jurij frowned solemnly at the boy burying his face against his chest and forced his arm to wrap around him. Andy flinched into the warm hand steadying his trembling back.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Jurij whispered. "I was the one who left you out there."

"But," Andy stuttered over a hiccup. "If he had…he would've found…"

He lost his breath as Jurij crushed him against his larger frame. Andy froze, the smell of smoke and iron radiating off of the man's collarbone. Jurij rested his chin on top of Andy's muck raked head with a sigh.

"I envy you." Andy blinked as heat crawled through his cheeks. "I wouldn't—couldn't even live if that son of a bitch finished what he started. Much less in a dress." His hand cradled the back of Andy's head. "And here you are, begging for forgiveness because some damn secret was almost let loose. I could never do that."

Andy felt salty warmth prick the corners of his eyes. "But I couldn't house an outsider like you and Otto."

"Please," Jurij rolled his eyes. "You would do that and more…even if you don't think you can."

Andy let out a watery chuckle then fell silent.

"Did Odell ever let you hold her?"

Jurij frowned, his fingers combing through Andy's hair. "No."

"Does it make me wrong to let you?"

"…no."

Andy's eyes drooped, feeling Jurij's heartbeat pound softly against his ear.

"Jurij?" Jurij hummed in response. "Thank you."

Jurij's chest constricted around his heart, asking, "Does it make me wrong to like holding you?"

Andy's fingers scrunched against the thin shirt stretching over Jurij's shoulders and shrugged sleepily.

"I don't think there's a clear definition of wrong in the world anymore."

Jurij nodded. The hand combing through Andy's hair inched down to his cheek, his fingers twitching to curl around the boy's chin. Andy's eyelids grew heavier as he breathed, "Jurij."

"Yes?" Jurij's thumb absentmindedly brushed over Andy's chin, his eyes lingering on his mouth.

"What was…" Andy yawned. "Peder talking about…that he paid good money for Odell?"

Jurij froze; his heart plummeting to the pit of his stomach. His hand yanked away from Andy as if he was burned and tucked his arm under his head. He turned away from Andy abruptly, grunting, "Hell should I know. Odell did plenty of things without Da and I knowing."

Andy blinked. "But—"

"Just drop it, okay?" The man turned back around, this time resting his hand on Andy's shoulder. "It's got nothing to do with you."

Andy frowned, reluctantly nodding against Jurij as slumber lulled them under its spell. Yet, as Andy glanced up at Jurij one last time, he swore the faintest glint of anger flare in his eyes—and an overwhelming shade of sadness.


A/N: Thank you for reading and let me know what you think (puppy dog eyes for reviews). Things will really start to go down next chapter.