Judal had the niggling sense that he ought to be more concerned about what kind of trouble he may have gotten himself into. Common sense told him that he should keep an eye on his strange houseguest, but when had anything productive ever been accomplished by watching an injured person sleep?
Unless tracing his eyes over the curved point of Hakuryuu's ears was considered productive in which case the answer was; often.
The fact was that Judal had already led trouble straight to his door and onto his couch. He couldn't change that, and he probably wouldn't even if he could, so what was the point in dwelling on it? Was he concerned? Sure he was. Some weird looking stranger was crashed out on his couch and could apparently turn innocent vegetables into weapons. That was very concern-worthy.
He didn't have some good feeling about Hakuryuu that made him want to trust him or anything, but what was done was done. He'd stuck his fingers inside the guy in an amateur version of minor surgery; he was pretty sure that counted as being involved in whatever came next.
Hakuryuu woke up halfway through pancake number four and made a noise that sounded vaguely like a dying animal. Judal flipped the pancake, then tossed a glance over his shoulder. The glance turned into a longer look, his eyes watching through the wide opening in the wall as his guest sat up.
Sometime during the night, Hakuryuu's hair had come free of whatever style he'd pulled it back into. It fell around his shoulders in a dark, glossy sheet and he tucked it back behind his pointed ears repeatedly. The fine strands kept slipping loose, and Judal looked away after the fifth time.
"Morning!" he called out, prodding at the pancake with his spatula. "You bleeding any?"
"Good morning." Hakuryuu replied with another low groan. "And no, I don't appear to be. The fractured rib has healed as well, thankfully."
Judal slid the finished pancake onto the stack and went for the batter, then paused. Had he ever mentioned a fractured rib? Had he even checked for one? Batter sizzled as it hit the greased pan and he decided it didn't matter.
"You hungry?"
"I'm famished, actually."
Slices of strawberries scattered over the batter. For a moment Judal regarded the assortment, then added another handful from the bowl beside him.
"Great. How many do you want?"
"How many what?" Hakuryuu asked.
"Pancakes!"
There was a pause. Judal personally didn't think the answer should take the considerable amount of thought that Hakuryuu was putting into it, but he wasn't one to judge. Maybe on top of controlling vegetables and healing super-fast, he could calculate his exact hunger to pancake ratio.
"…I feel this may be a foolish question, but what exactly is a pan cake?"
Judal immediately backpedaled from the stove, taking the pan with him till he was leaned out the doorway. Hakuryuu was looking at him with furrowed brows.
"I'm sorry, did I just hear right? You don't know what a pancake is?"
"No. I do not."
"Okay I'm not sure where you're from, but it is clearly a sad and culinarily lacking world."
Hakuryuu's brows furrowed further, confusion morphing into displeasure.
"Our food is marvelous, and far purer than anything here I assure you. And culinarily isn't a word."
"Oh my god don't tell me you're a vegan."
"A what?"
"Vegetarian?"
"I eat meat, if that's what you're asking."
"Okay so you're just some farm to table hippie."
Judal ducked back into the kitchen, returning the pan to the heat, completely missing the look of pure and total bewilderment on his guest's face.
"There are many kinds of food where I am from but I am yet to come across anything referred to as a cake made in a pan." Hakuryuu said petulantly.
Rather than reply, Judal just laughed.
It took him twenty minutes to finish cooking two stacks of pancakes and smother his own in honey and butter. He almost did the same to the plate meant for Hakuryuu, then thought better of it. Best to let him decide on his own, if this was to be the first pancake of his life.
He emerged from the kitchen with a plate in both hands and condiments stuck under his arm, settling himself back onto his coffee table, legs crossed.
"This one is for you," he said, holding out the plain plate. "You like strawberries?"
Hakuryuu tucked another stray lock of dark hair behind his ear, but this one no more obeyed than the ones before it had.
"I do." he said, nodding as if in affirmation.
He took the plate, setting it in his lap as Judal had done, then accepting the fork he was offered. Judal dug in immediately, cutting off a piece with the side of his fork. Hakuryuu merely watched him for a moment, clearly trying to ascertain how one was meant to properly consume a pancake.
He got the idea and cut off his own piece, tentatively taking a bite. Judal watched as he chewed, swallowed, and then looked down at the plate with something like surprise.
"Good?"
Hakuryuu's tongue darted over his lips.
"Impressively so." he murmured, and from his tone it sounded like it was meant to be high praise. His eyes flicked to Judal's plate. "What do you have on yours?"
Judal held out the honey as answer.
"They're kinda dry without it, I think. Plus, makes 'em sweeter. You want butter?"
"No thank you."
He applied far less honey than Judal had used, handed the bottle back, and started eating without another word. Taking this as a good sign, Judal smiled to himself and tucked back into his own meal.
The plate in front of Hakuryuu didn't even last fifteen minutes. There was a brief awkward pause before Judal chose to mention he had leftover batter. He asked if Hakuryuu wanted more and got an immediate affirmative. His own plate was finished standing at the stove and he returned with another stack for his guest, this time made with the last banana he had on hand as he was out of strawberries.
This plate also disappeared as quickly as the first, this time with Judal sipping a glass of orange juice between interested stares.
"So I'm guessing the whole super-fast-healing-thing takes a lot of energy." he commented, halfway through the second to last pancake.
Hakuryuu glanced up at him, chewed, swallowed, then asked;
"How can you tell?"
"Basic bodily function." Judal shrugged. "Food gets processed by our metabolisms into energy, excess fat gets put on the body. You're all muscle, so all that fat gets put into energy, and since you've got an enhanced healing rate compared to me, it must get put towards that."
He downed the last of his juice.
"And your whole weird tomato controlling thing."
Judal met Hakuryuu's discolored gaze and got the distinct impression that the man was looking straight through him. Something in his eyes was calculating, dangerous in a way Judal didn't quite understand, but he knew why it was there. He hadn't expected him to be smart. Yes, it was just a minor observation of metabolism in relation to healing, but it proved Judal to be observant and intelligent.
He wasn't sure if it was some vibe he gave off, but no one ever expected him to be intelligent.
"You're correct." Hakuryuu acquiesced after several long moments. Judal exhaled, though he hadn't realized he was holding his breath. "I, and others like myself, require a high intake of sugars and proteins. Sustenance in general. And on that note."
He leaned over, gritting his teeth as he bent ever so slightly, clearly straining his side. The plate came to rest on the tabletop and he sat back with a muted sigh.
"I would like to express my gratitude for your hospitality. I admit, I was not expecting such adherence to the roles of a host, but you have surprised me again, Judal."
"I'm not totally sure what roles a host is supposed to have but if that's your way of saying thanks for letting me sleep on your couch, no problem, you're not exactly in the kind of shape to be getting up."
Judal scooped up the dirty dishes and unfolded from the table, crossing back to the kitchen.
"I was referring to the responsibilities of a host." Hakuryuu said, turning himself to look at Judal through the opened wall.
The dishes went into the sink and Judal turned on the cold water. He didn't like doing dishes, but he liked roaches even less. His building wasn't exactly a four star resort and he'd rather stand an extra five minutes than invite insect invaders into his apartment.
"Didn't know there was some rulebook on being a host." he commented with some amusement. "Are there instructions on proper couch etiquette in there, too?"
There was no reply. Judal shrugged it off as Hakuryuu having a limited sense of humor; the guy couldn't even read sarcasm so it wouldn't be surprising.
However when he glanced back at him he had an unreadable expression on his face, eyes fixed piercingly on Judal.
"…You're not aware of what I am." he spoke, softly. "Are you?"
For a moment, Judal was not sure how he had heard him. The water was running and metal was clicking against cheap ceramic. Pale lips barely moved as the injured man spoke, and his tone was so soft it should have been barely a whisper.
But he heard it clear as day, and for a moment Judal felt something tingle along his spine in a manner that raised every hair on the back of his neck. He turned off the water and dried his hands.
"That depends."
"On?"
Judal stepped back into the open living room, crossing his arms over his stomach.
"On whether or not the answer no is going to be followed by an explanation."
Hakuryuu stared at him and for a second time, Judal had the distinct impression he was looking far deeper than his skin. He felt his gaze pushing into him, slithering under his flesh and worming into his bones. It sought through his thoughts and tickled against the back of his throat, searching through him like a curious whisper.
He stared back. Even as instinct screamed for him to break their line of sight and never again look into those arctic depths, he stared. He looked until he could see his irises pulling into long slivers, until he could see sparks of blue dancing across his vision. Something roared in his ears like wind in a storm and Judal felt suddenly very cold and very far from his tiny apartment.
Hakuryuu spoke.
"Sit down, Judal."
Something shivered through the air. His thoughts did not compel him, his body moved with only those words as prompting. By the time his mind considered if he wanted to be sitting, he was already lowering himself onto the low coffee table.
Hakuryuu turned as he walked and held his gaze all the way until he sat. Judal wanted to shiver and hug himself, escape the feeling of cold that started in his head and crept through his whole body. Instead, he willed himself to speak and words tumbled forth before he could consider them.
"Do not do that again, Hakuryuu."
The effect was subtle, but immediate. Hakuryuu's jaw tensed and his pupils became so thin they were little more than lines cutting his irises neatly in half. For a moment he bristled, as if ready to fight some invisible adversary, and then all at once it was over. The cold vanished, the sensation of being picked apart with it, and Hakuryuu's pupils filled out again.
"…You are impressive." he mused, more to himself than Judal.
Judal watched warily as his guest turned himself so they were facing one another properly, leaned back against the couch. The blanket around his waist slid low and pulled away from one pale leg, momentarily drawing his gaze. It was difficult to ignore the fact that the man across from him was predominantly naked, even in the face of what his mind was telling him was imminent danger.
Yes, it was Judal who had stripped him of clothing but he hadn't exactly been looking. He'd been a bit preoccupied with the thought that he may have a dead, or at the very least maimed, body on his couch if he wasn't careful. Now that Hakuryuu was awake however, his state of undress became… distracting.
He did not remedy the state of the blanket, and Judal met his eyes again. For a moment, he swore he saw something like satisfaction, or perhaps amusement.
"You haven't answered my question."
"You haven't answered mine." Judal retorted.
Hakuryuu almost smiled.
"Yes. I intend to enlighten you of what you do not know. And so?"
Judal felt like he was about to sign a very badly constructed contract with a lot of fine print He'd never done such a thing before, but if he had to imagine, he felt it would feel a lot like this. Or maybe this actually felt like an even worse idea.
"I know you dropped out of the sky." he said. "I know you heal faster than a human, and you look like you stepped out of a fantasy novel. I know you can make things grow, even supposedly dead things, and I know you just did something to me."
He drew in a breath, then exhaled slowly.
"And no. I do not know what you are."
Hakuryuu regarded him thoughtfully. The silence stretched over long years that were actually seconds, but the effect madeof making Judal want to squirm justwas the same. He didn't. He sat perfectly still because he felt like showing even one fraction of weakness in this moment was the worst idea he could ever imagine.
Perhaps this was the reaction Hakuryuu had wanted, because he made a low humming noise before speaking again.
"You mortals have many names for my kind, spanning across civilizations and cultures. Like many things you neither understand nor believe in, my kind have been reduced to something comical in your modern societies."
"We tend to do that with shit we're afraid of."
"Are you afraid of me?"
"Should I be?"
A flicker of a smile crossed Hakuryuu's expression. He continued.
"Once we were most commonly referred to as Sidhe, but in these times I believe we are called Fae." he tilted his head. "If I remember correctly you misspell it as f-a-i-r-y when it is f-a-e-r-i-e, but they're spoken the same."
Judal blinked.
"Faeries. As in… Pixies? Sprites? Elves?"
Hakuryuu's smile was visible this time and he inclined his head, apparently pleased.
"All those. Goblins, brownies, nymphs and naiads. Many more, some whose names have been lost to time, even in my realm."
"And you are?" Judal asked.
"I admit," Hakuryuu went on, glossing over the question as if it hadn't been asked. "I was concerned you might liken me to my more minute brethren."
"You haven't got wings and you left a trail of blood, not fairy dust."
"Pixie dust."
"Whatever."
Hakuryuu, apparently, found Judal's flippant attitude amusing because he chuckled. It was a brief noise, but it made endorphins rush to Judal's brain like a cheap high. He shook it off, glancing to the side before looking back at the fae in front of him.
"These responsibilities a host has." he said. "They're a fae thing?"
"Yes. A binding contract, enacted the moment you took me into your care."
"I'm not a faerie though. Humans haven't got anything like that."
"It matters not." Hakuryuu nodded his head towards the door. "The moment you carried me across your threshold, you assumed responsibility as caretaker, and by extension invited me as your guest. As a result, I am bound by the rules of a guest, as you are as a host."
The earlier sense that he ought to be concerned reared itself from the grave, reborn as a mounting feeling of dread. He knew he'd gotten himself involved with something dangerous, but this reached further into the bounds of insanity than he'd considered going.
What was done was done, he reminded himself. Now, he had to survive it.
"Alright." he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Explain these rules."
Hakuryuu leaned back, giving himself the vantage point of looking down at his host.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Or what, entrap myself somehow by inadvertently breaking one of them?" he raised an eyebrow. "Your kind may have been turned into kid's movies and princess birthday parties but the old stories are still stocked on library shelves."
"You think I would try to trick you, Judal?"
"I think you're doing a lot more asking than answering, and you're avoiding my question. You said these rules are a binding contract, and I know enough to know you don't break promises. I brought you in here unconscious. You didn't want in on this contract any more than I did, and you'll do what you have to to get out of it I bet."
Hakuryuu parted his lips. His tongue ran slowly over his teeth and Judal tried not to stare at his sharp incisors. He wondered for a moment if he'd ever ripped someone's throat out with them.
Probably.
"Thresholds have power." Hakuryuu said, still leaned back so he could look down on Judal. "Few fae can cross them without explicit permission. Those few who manage leave an enormous portion of their power at the door. When invited, however, we are bound by certain rules.
"We will do no harm to the occupants of the household we enter. We will cause no damage to their property and treat their belongings with the same courtesy were they our own. While we are their guests, we will repay their kindnesses with our own, and their cruelties in kind.
"The host is bound by similar rules. They are responsible for the care and wellbeing of their guest, their health as well as their safety. If the guest breaks a rule, they are allowed to seek recompense in whatever form they see fit."
Judal listened to the explanation intently, and once it was done he remained silent. Hakuryuu allowed him his thoughts, watching him with those cold eyes of his, expression betraying nothing.
"Those are pretty loose rules." Judal noted, eventually.
The fae merely cocked a brow at him in question.
"Well. All they say on your end is that you won't mess with my stuff, but they follow that with you treating it like it was yours. For all I know you break your plates after every meal, and if you say that, then you're not breaking any of the rules."
"That is true."
"And you're not allowed to hurt me, but you're not stopped from somehow causing me to hurt myself."
"You think I'm capable of that?"
"I think you've got magic."
Hakuryuu dipped his head into a nod of agreement. He regarded Judal the same way a bird of prey did a snake, gauging its opponent and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Judal had found the loopholes in the contract, but that didn't make him dangerous.
Judal took a deep breath.
"But," he said, his voice calmer than he'd expected. "All it says I'm responsible for is your health and wellbeing. I could feed you bread and water and lock you in a room and I wouldn't be breaking that contract. Or I could put you in a coma and hook you up to an IV. Same deal. Right?"
The fae smiled. Judal wasn't sure if it was meant to be threatening, but for some reason he almost thought it looked a touch proud.
"That's exactly right." Hakuryuu affirmed. "You're remarkably quick to learn."
Judal brushed the compliment off.
"When you first woke up you got pretty fucking pissed when you realized I'd brought you over a threshold. You don't seem the type to be pissed off about having to play nice with a human for a little while, not when there's so many ways for you to duck the rules."
"Was there a question there?"
"Yeah. What got you so ticked off, Hakuryuu?"
A frown drew over his lovely features, the barest hint of a snarl curling his lip. It only lasted a moment, then he schooled his expression back into a cool mask.
"The obligations of a guest, among other things."
The answer was so clearly a dodge that Judal couldn't help rolling his eyes. He sighed sharply and sat back, pushing himself up and off the table. Hakuryuu watched him as he rounded the couch, walking briskly towards his bedroom door.
"Where are you going?"
"To get you something to wear, which isn't apparently required of me, but I'm also not a fucking jackass. And kindness for kindness, right?"
He turned on his heel, fixing a cold glare on the fae.
"So let me be clear. You ever use your magic to compel me to do something again, I don't care what it is, and I will make sure your stay as my guest is as uncomfortable as possible. Am I clear, Hakuryuu?"
Judal did not notice, his flash of anger still raging in his belly, but a similar shiver passed through the air towards Hakuryuu. He tensed a moment, and then nodded.
"I understand. It will not happen again."
"Good."
Judal turned, pulling open the door to his bedroom.
"You asked what I was."
He paused, one foot inside his room and the other out. Hakuryuu sighed.
"I am all and none of what my brethren are. I am a descendant of an ancient line with no name you would know, or understand. Among my people I… am royalty."
He knew that Hakuryuu hadn't moved but Judal swore he felt breath brush his cheek. Those eyes on his back but closer than they had been a second ago. He had the overwhelming urge to cross into his room and slam the door, barricade himself inside and cover the single window.
It wasn't fear. Just the undeniable sense that a being far outside his scope of comprehension was close enough to tear him apart, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
"I owe you a debt, Judal." Hakuryuu continued. "One of great magnitude. You have given me shelter, cared for my wounds and kept me fed. My belongings are well kept and undoubtedly, I owe you my life. Just one of these acts would burden me with a debt to you but all of them make me bound by it."
Judal turned, his hand still on his bedroom door, and met Hakuryuu's gaze again. Now that he knew what he was, he knew that the sparks and shivers dancing through the air were magic and they moved faster with every word Hakuryuu spoke.
"I am an honorable creature, Judal. I intend to repay my debt to you in full." Hakuryuu blinked. Just once, slowly. "Until that time, I give you my word that I am bound in your service."
The air was suddenly sparkling with static electricity. It danced in front of Judal's eyes and sparkled against his skin, leaving goosebump kisses where it touched. He felt the magic, alive, all around him. A contract, sealed whether he wanted it to be or not.