Gleipnir

*1...2...3!*

Hyeon was supposed to open the bedroom door on the count of 3, but his hand didn't move the doorknob.

It was early evening. Fenrir was the most active on the other side at this time but today, it was silent. Slipping away undetected will seem rude, but the thought of seeing anyone right now after the way he shut himself out was embarrassing.

*This time for sure. 1...2...3!*

Hyeon's hand listened. Silently padding into the adjacent room and shutting the door behind him, the coast was clear!

He got distracted by the window. It was slightly ajar. White snowflakes gently floated past which reminded him of Canada.

*Maybe one look wouldn't hurt.*

A layer of snow blanketed the sea of trees. The scene was very picturesque, like the view from a lone cabin in isolated mountains. Hyeon pressed his palm against the frosty glass. He inhaled the crisp air coming from the tiny draft.

Tearing himself away, he stiffened when he saw Fenrir on the sofa.

Fenrir slept on his stomach in a yoga tree pose. His tail lazily pooled over the sofa's edge and almost touched the floor. It was the first time seeing him so casual.

Hyeon wasn't as relaxed.

A shining yellow tattoo coiled around his skin. It began from the tip of his middle finger and ribboned around his arm and neck. Although he wore the usual, white long-sleeved shirt, the glowing line shone through the material and continued around his body.

*I've seen this before,* he realized with a speeding heart. A puke feeling rose in his belly. Fenrir had the same light before he blew up the place and almost killed—

"I was giving you the chance to secretly walkout," a tired voice said.

Trying to calm himself from the looming panic attack, he saw Fenrir watching him with one eye.

"S-sorry, Master..."

"May I ask why you are apologizing?"

"Because I'm Canadian."

Fenrir rose to his hands and knees into a cat pose. When he arched his back, popping sounds from his spine snapped into place. "How does that correlate with anything?"

Despite thinking Fenrir was going to stand up, he rotated onto his back instead and shut his eyes. His jaw was stiff from clenching his teeth together. This wasn't normally stubborn Lord of Festr Castle.

*Do gods get sick, too? Is it from the trouble I've caused?*

The ribboning glow on Fenrir's skin flickered like a lightbulb about to burn out.

"I thought you wanted to leave," the wolf gruffed. "And please take a bath."

"R-right."

As he passed the couch, something nagged him. It wasn't guilt, so what was bothering him? Concern? Taking a few steps backward, Hyeon asked shyly, "Um, Master, do you need me to get anyone?"

"For what?" Fenrir glanced over at him with a drowsy expression. The man looked like he hasn't slept in a week.

"That, I guess," Hyeon waved his finger up and down at the pulsating mark.

"You do understand who I am, correct?"

"Er, I do."

"Yet, you don't know what this is?"

Hyeon nodded no.

Fenrir laughed to himself, "That's a first." The tone was a very 'I can't believe this' kind of way. "Have you been told that I physically cannot leave this place?"

Sani explained this to him when he first arrived. It felt like a lifetime ago. "I know you were trapped here by Odin."

"And what did that prideful fool do to keep me here?"

He wasn't in the mood to play 20 Questions. Obviously, he didn't know the correct answer. "I assumed it was some Viking voodoo."

"No. This is Gleipnir."

The name didn't ring any bells. "Is it like a disease?"

Fenrir sat up. He held up his hand to study the luminous stripe. "I would much prefer a sickness than this fate."

The gentle snowfall turned into a blizzard. Fenrir spoke.

"Af dyn kattarins

Ok af skeggi konunnar

Ok af rótum bjargsins

Ok af sinum bjarnarins

Ok af anda fisksins

Ok af fogls hráka"

The words were beautiful, but Hyeon didn't know their meaning.

Fenrir's hand balled into a fist. He stared outside.

"The sound of a cat's footfall

The beard of a woman

The roots of a mountain

The sinews of a bear

The breath of a fish

The spittle of a bird"

"Allegedly, these are the impossible things in the world. When my own flesh and blood couldn't overpower me with Thor's chains, they partnered with the dwarves. By using the impossible things, the result was a chain thinner than a silk ribbon. They betrayed me, held me down, and forced it within my body. At least I got a fragment of revenge when I ripped off my uncle's arm in the process. How ironic, actually; justice was served for the Norse god of law."

*He did WHAT?!*

"But one day, Gleipnir is prophesied to break and start the apocalypse for all realms. That's why other pesky gods want to keep close tabs on me."

Hyeon studied Fenrir's face while he spoke. Over the course of the mini history lesson, he looked...lonely.

*Oof. My poor heart.*

Sucking in a breath, he went to the couch and held out his hand. "Come here," Hyeon meekly ordered. He was always told to do the same. 'Come here. Go there.' Not this time. Hopefully, the wolf could accept the turning tables.

Or maybe it was too bold. "Please, Master," adding a red cherry on top.

Fenrir peered at him quizzically. He grabbed the extended hand and stood up.

Before he could say anything, Hyeon hugged him.

Fenrir tensed and didn't return the gesture. "This is a big contrast to how you were a week ago in my closet," he commented.

Hyeon muffled into his shoulder, "It's an apology."

"I thought Canadians are supposed to say 'I'm sorry.'"

*He's sassier. It's probably from me.*

Being so close to him made it easier to see Gleipnir. It was slowly fading. He lightly brushed a part of it on Fenrir's neck with a fingertip. The glowing bind was literally embedded into his skin.

Touching it felt like a small step towards healing to move past the last month.

"Does it hurt?" Hyeon wondered.

"Always."

"When you absorb soul energy, does it help lessen the pain?"

Fenrir thought for a second. "Yes."

"And postpone the end of the world?" Hyeon lifted his head from the hug and stared into those amber eyes. They gazed right back into his own hazel ones.

Fenrir didn't hesitate to say, "As long as you're here, then I won't lose what's left of myself."

*Me as a person or soul energy in general?*

Regardless, Hyeon inwardly squealed like a teenage girl. "Then you should take some," he murmured.

Hyeon leaned his head in and stopped. It was obvious that he was offering his lips, but he wanted the other person to meet halfway as well. The temptation was real.

Fenrir did and finally hugged him back. As soon as their lips touched, Hyeon could feel the sensation of having his soul energy being taken. His mind grew fuzzy and his blood grew extra warm when their mouths parted. Their tongues felt each other.

When was the last time they did it?

Certain male appendages became...bigger.

*I'm getting hot.*

Suddenly, Fenrir broke the kiss and squeezed him in frustration. Gleipnir had completely disappeared thanks to the soul energy. He pressed his forehead against Hyeon's temple.

"I say this more than I'd like to, but we need to stop. At least for now."

Puzzled, "Why?"

"You just barely crawled out of the hole you were in. Only a handful of gods can tell the tale of surviving from my wolf, and you're not a god. It was relayed to me that you'll get the STD if you go too fast."

Startled, Hyeon backed up a little and asked, "Can you explain that last part?"

"You might relive the trauma through triggers."

"Wha—," trying to think of what he meant. "Do you mean PTSD?"

"If that's what it's called. I have little knowledge of human mentality."

*I guess I choked up when I saw him earlier.*

"Perhaps you'll be more stable when you return." Fenrir eyed Hyeon's lips. "I'll take what I want from you afterward."

"Where am I going?"

Fenrir returned to the sofa to lay down. The Gleipnir must've used up a lot of physical strength. "I'm aware that your belongings were destroyed. For two days, you will be accompanied by Haruma and that deer into the human world to retrieve what you need. Since you have decided to leave my chambers today, you will leave tomorrow at sunrise."

*Whoa, whoa, whoa.*

Hyeon ran a hand through his not-so-clean hair. The grease from his scalp coated his fingers. "Uhhh."

I DO only have one set of clothes left.

"Is it necessary to bring two people?"

"Yes, your awakening into a phoenix might cause unwanted trouble. Do NOT let others get wind of what you are. If anyone outside of this castle discovers that phoenixes have returned..." His face turned dark.

"Run."

_______________

Hyeon stood under the shower and let the filth wash away. He felt his shoulder and the parts that were almost swiped clean off, like Fenrir's uncle's arm. Dark spots lined around the areas where the teeth sunk into his skin, but those would fade soon. His chest was no longer sore from when he yanked out his breathing tube; something he didn't remember doing. It was insane how quickly he could heal now.

Turning off the water, he dried himself and put on a fluffy bathrobe before drying his hair. Nammi sat on the toilet seat lid and watched.

"Should I try going to bed?" he asked her, knowing he'd be thinking of complicated thoughts all night about his unluckiness, the knife in the book, and being a freaking phoenix.

Hyeon touched the small bathroom mirror, which had a medicine cabinet behind it. As soon as he opened it to grab his toothbrush, a centipede ball dropped from the hidden shelf and into the sink. He jumped in fright, as anyone would, if a giant bug magically appeared. It wiggled while trying to climb out from the sink bowl.

It was the demon.

*Or spirit, I should say.*

Then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ugh." He glanced at the centipede stuck in the sink. "You...stay," like talking to a dog.

Unlocking the door, he peeked through the crack just in case it was someone who had a futile bone to pick with him.

It was Shika. Upon seeing the sliver of Hyeon's face, he exclaimed, "Congratulations on graduating from Master's bedroom." *Wink*

Fully opening the door, Haruma also waited behind Shika. He held a thin, rectangular box.

Both were dressed casually. Shika wore a matching set of black silk pajamas. Very dapper. Haruma, unexpectedly, had on plain grey sweatpants and an oversized sky blue sweater with a red fox head in the center.

"Ta-da," Hyeon replied sarcastically. "Aren't we leaving tomorrow? It's a little late."

"PFFT, it's only 7! The night is young."

Shika coughed when Hyeon didn't laugh. "It's the first time setting foot on Earth since entering the southern lights. We thought you could remind us of the basics."

Haruma nodded.

"Our trip is only two days and one night, though?"

"I know, but we scarcely have any memories of our past life. Even so, that was eons ago. Hundreds and hundreds of years. We've seen human civilization pictures from the Macintosh computer, but it's not the same."

*Macintosh...*

"How should I teach you a lifetime's worth of human culture in a matter of hours?!" People live their entire lives without fully understanding it.

Haruma held up the box's green cover. It was a board game wrapped in unopened plastic. The vivid red letters were all too familiar. Families and friends have fought and disowned each other while playing.

"Do you know how to play?"

"Nope!" Shika said excitedly.

*Holy.*

Hyeon pressed his hands together to take in what he was seeing. "So you want me to explain sociology and how to be human through MONOPOLY?"