#more on this after i sleep and go to school a;sjdf;aljsdfa;sdjf FUCK ME IT'S 4AM

[kewltie]

“It’s still not too late to make a run for it,” Heechul suggest slyly, his elbows resting on the table because he has absolutely no manners.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that and elbows off the table, please. How many times have Lady Haine had to yell at us about that already,” Donghae says snidely. He doesn’t have the time to entertain any of Heechul’s silly ideas, not anymore anyway, instead, he looks out toward the sky garden—lushes green, hanging waterfalls, and an endless stretch of blue that opens up above them. It’s a picture of serenity and quiet beauty painted with an array of sweeping colors from flowers at bloom.

If Donghae can ignore the shadow of Serpentine guards close by keeping an eye on him, one part deterrence and the other his jailer, it’s almost perfect.

Heechul scowls but removes his elbows from the table anyway because even when their wetnurse is currently buried seven feet under in Terra, the fear she had instilled in their younger selves is good enough for Heechul to complied even now.

Donghae lets the silent settle comfortably between them once more, they had known each other too long to have the need for words to bound them together, contents to relish this rare peaceful moment while they still have it with each other. Heechul’s presence here in Donghae’s wedding party is unnecessary; he isn’t Jeongsu who is master of diplomacy and negotiating or Kangin whose skilled on the battlefield will assure Donghae’s safety and that the wedding will go on unscathed but Donghae is quietly pleased that his cousin is here all the same. 

Let Jeongsu and the rest of the Avian’s council work out the diplomacy of having to arrange a hotly controversial marriage, while Donghae and Heechul enjoy this beautiful view out here without any of the thinly disguise politic hovering over them.

A gush of wind blows past time, ruffling Heechul’s hair and causing Donghae to shiver. Despite the beginning of spring’s spirited step into the region, the open air is cool and biting up here on Orion forcing Donghae to pulls his winter cloak closer. Heechul, annoyingly, remains unbothered as he pats his hair down again despite the natural inclination of their race toward heat and warmer weather.

Everything is different here in Orion, from the strange weather and stranger creatures that inhabit this space that Donghae is supposed to call home. He doesn’t know if he can get used to it, to look up and see the sun or moon above them, to plant his feet on the soil and know that this piece of land isn't anchored to the earth, and to look upon one of the shadows and see distinctly human figures with giant wingspan upon it. All of this while Donghae is several hundred miles above ground.

But even higher still, massive flying behemoths circle the floating islands that made up the Sky City of Orion—the living heart of the mighty and fierce Avian’s kingdom.

Donghae had only seen the legendary city in the old pages of history books and tall tales told to children to warn them to behave. “Be good my dear or a winged beast will swoop out of the sky and take you to their holy city where you will never be seen again,” Lady Haine said to the five years old Donghae, who looked so horrified by the thought of that he’d made sure to eat all his greens for that week.

Orion is a part myth and a cautionary tale, a paradise made by the terrors of the sky. But for all its beauty and allure, when Donghae close his eyes he sees the dim figure of a city cloaked in darkness and build in the belly of the earth.

Terra stands in stark contrast to Orion with it stone pillars that hold up the earthy roof over their head, the underground lake and rivers that are the lifeblood of their city, and their only form of light comes from the artificial fuse created by thousands of lamps that line their city and the living light gave off by the luminescence bugs. Terra is dark and grainy but life flourishes unrestrainedly and it is home to Donghae; he will miss it dearly.

Heechul suddenly perks up, eyes alight with another idea and Donghae knows he is already dreading what comes next. “We can steal one of their cute flying rodents—”

“They're called aroo and they’re not meant to ride on,” Donghae corrects because the journey to Orion took four and a half days even by the standard of their fastest komodos so he had plenty of free time to waste. Jeongsu had prepared a stack of books on Avian’s lore and customs for Donghae to read lest he offend his new in-laws by blinking or smile the wrong way but it was the long hours and idle curiosity that eventually led him to devour all the books he had in his possession.

“Whatever,” Heechul says, rolling his eyes. “If we leave now we can make it to the closest human town before sundown.”

“And what’s going to happen to the wedding then?” Donghae asks, deciding to humor Heechul’s madness this time around. “Who is going to replace me? Because Kangin is not going to be pleased if he has to chase us down the night before my wedding.”

Heechul hums thoughtfully. “We can offer up Kyuhyun instead,” he suggests, face completely serious.

Donghae raises a brow. “You think Kyuhyun will readily accept marriage to a stranger and live among a group of people we have hated and been at war with for over several hundred years? Nobody in their right mind would do it.” 

“Well,” Heechul says, stretching out the vowel pointedly as he stares at Donghae, “don’t we have one right here who did?”

Donghae makes a face. “I’m just finishing what Donghwa started. He’d always wanted to see this war come to an end and now that we have it, I want to cement that goodwill between our two races.”

Heechul slam one of his palms against the table harshly because he clearly hasn’t outgrown his dramatic flair since they were children. “It doesn’t mean you have to marry him!” he hisses. The glamor on his face breaks with his emotional outburst and sleek black scales appears around the corner of his left eye and stretches down to his cheekbone.

Donghae pointedly taps at his cheek to clue Heechul in and it takes a couple of seconds for Heechul to regain his composure again and for his scales retreat and human skin once more take over. He at least has the grace to look chagrin about having slipped his fine control and fall upon such animalistic instinct; they’re not like Avians who gave into their beastly side and shamelessly untethered their wings, showing exactly how different the two race view the other side of their humanity. More beast than human so are the Avian but the Serpentine hadn’t come this far to go backward. They cling to every visage of their human self because the Avian can sweep their wings across the sky and others would turn their eyes to it and call it beautiful but a glimpse of a Serpentine’s scale is akin to a demon.

Heechul mustn’t forget that and neither can Donghae.

Heechul coughs awkwardly. “Thank you,” he says, scrunching his nose and before Donghae can open his mouth and reply, Heechul plows through any further interruption and continues his lecture. “Anyway, he had terrorized our army for five years and kept Kangin and the Dragoons on edge and so paranoid that they only spoke his name in hush whispers and dying prayers. Donghwa was the only one who managed to keep him in check all these years but,” Heechul pauses, casting a keen look at Donghae, who now had carefully don a blank expression over his face to not give away any of his true feelings on the matter, “since he no longer here we were afraid he was going to finally make his way to Terra and raze it to the ground. Instead, he’d chosen to let the centuries-old grudge and infighting be buried and peace is now within our grasp. The King and Elders are all too happy to eat up this peace treaty knowing if they continue with the war we’re only going to lose but I don’t buy it for a second. It’s too easy, there must be more to this.”

“I think,” Donghae says slowly as though he is speaking to a small child, “after several centuries of war and seeing the people you love die in a conflict that you didn’t even start but you inherited from past generations, I would be tired of it as much as anyone and any mean to end a war that had plagued our people for so long is a small price to pay for everlasting peace. I know it may seem bizarre to you right now, even I can’t fathom the stalemate that we have, but quite frankly you worry too much. Everything is going to be fine.”

“Of course I can’t help but worry, you ignorant brat!” Heechul says viciously, nearly jumping out of his seat but the words that come out are lace with familial concern. “In what world is it sane and normal to see your favorite cousin is marrying the man who killed his brother?! That shouldn’t be a prerequisite for peace!”

Donghae’s eyes light up as the corner of his mouth twitch. “I’m your favorite?” he asks.

“You knew that already,” Heechul snaps but his anger is already deflating as he settles back down in his chair.

Donghae really did, but, “It’s nice to hear a verbal confirmation anyway,” he says, tucking a small smile between the pressed of his lips. Donghae was practically raised by his wetnurse and Donghwa when their parents died in another Avian’s raid, but Heechul was a strong presence in his childhood memories growing up. He was always there like an overgrown fungus but as much as Donghwa had held up Donghae’s world, Heechul had shaped it greatly. He is one of the few people Donghae will miss with an aching clarity when this is all said and done with.

Heechul sighs, sinking further down into his seat. “Tell me you want really want this. Tell me you’re not doing this to further your own agenda,” he says, and it almost sounds like a plead at this point. The crack of his cool armor reveals itself to Donghae. “And most importantly, please tell me you’re not going to do anything stupid.”

Donghae blows out a heavy breath. “I won’t,” he insists.

Heechul gives Donghae a considering look, scrutinizing every movement he makes and every facial expression he wears as though he can reach out and rip Donghae’s mask off and see through all the lies and plans he has been hiding. If it was anyone else Donghae wouldn’t be afraid and let them really look because Donghae’s secret is locked and stowed away deep within his ironclad heart. The only person who had the key to it is dead. Nobody can read him, nobody can touch him now but Heechul knows him.

Heechul knows him well, a little too well and he must not have forgotten the early months of Donghwa’s death when Donghae had locked himself in Donghwa’s room for days on end and refused to come out for nothing and nobody. Despair and anger had been his sole companions those two months as he was swept up in the grief for the beloved brother he had lost. He had cried and cried, cursed the name of the man who had taken his brother from him and sworn vengeance until his throat gave out.

Heechul had seen it all. He’d saw Donghae at his lowest point when hatred had burned itself deep in his heart because as a much love and entitled child of the Serpentine Royal Family, Donghae’s love is a heavy thing and Donghwa carried it effortlessly. Having lost his parents at young age, Donghwa had been Donghae’s everything. His parent, his brother, and his best friend all wrapped up in one singular being and Donghae knew love as it existed in a person and not within his heart. And in turn, Donghwa had spoiled him religiously and gave him everything he wanted and wish for.

For all the moment since Donghae has been alive, Donghwa had been with him every step and every breath. He had never known what it's like to exist without Donghwa by his side until now and as he found out it was a lonely and empty existence. 

He’d eventually come out of his catatonic state of mourning just in time for the King to select someone to consolidate the peace between their two kingdoms by marrying off one of their own to the Great Hero of Avian-Serpentine War, Lee Hyukjae. Donghae was the first to volunteer himself for the marriage much to the surprise and delight of everyone involved.

The spoiled and much useless nephew of the King had finally grown up and was now ready to fulfill his duty to his people and kingdom with a subdued maturity and a willingness to see peace bear fruit between two enemies. But the hatred wasn’t gone completely, it was only honed and sharpened as a blade that will bring Lee Hyukjae closer to Donghae.  

“I wouldn’t dare to jeopardize our hard-won peace for something as selfish and petty as revenge,” Donghae says solemnly, painting a carefully hurt and weary expression on his face as he wring his hands under the table. “I thought I have shown you and the Council these past few months that I have matured and outgrew my childish anger. I know Donghwa wouldn’t like to see me obsessing over his death so all I want to do now is to fulfill Donghwa’s last wish for peace and let his death be the beginning of something new and good for us all.”

Donghae had practiced his speech many, many times over the last few days but going up against Heechul’s keen eyes won’t be easy.

Heechul is silent and for once the silence between them is agonizing and suffocating as Donghe waits to be judged, then finally a drawn-out sigh leave Heechul’s lips and Donghae knows he had won the battle. “At least make sure to come back and visit us sometimes,” Heechul says, a tender and sad smile makes its way to his face. “Donghwa may be gone now but no matter where you are, you are always a Serpentine and a part of the royal family. You are always welcome in Terra.”

“I know and I’ll definitely come back to Terra one day,” Donghae says, and it’s another lie added to the larger pile still that Donghae had collected ever since he stepped out of his room, walked straight toward his uncle, and said, “I want peace.”

If it all goes well as planned then this will be the last time he’ll share the same space with Heechul before tomorrow night because since the moment Donghae had agreed to marry Lee Hyukjae, he knew it won’t ever stepped back to his home soil again. Even his family can’t save him from his crime of treason against the kingdom.

“Tomorrow will be a memorable day for us all,” he says, thinking of Lee Hyukjae and the dagger tucked deep in his wardrobe chest that he had taken from his family treasury; it’s a family heirloom that had passed down from generation to generation as a protection charm but this time Donghae will use it for another purpose.

On his wedding night, Donghae will betray Donghwa’s greatest wish and shattered the fragile peace that they all had been fervently wishing for in order to avenge his brother murder. He won’t ask for forgiveness because knows it’s too heinous of a crime to ever hope to be forgiven for but at least he hopes Donghwa will accept this final last selfish act of his willful younger brother.