He was cold. Cold as ice. He was frozen. Trapped. In Death. He’d been fighting and losing and — dying.
Now he was dying.
Always dying.
Caught in the tide that dragged souls down, down, down into the depths, where the final bells tolled their last farewells.
He was alone.
He could sense warmth, sense life just on the other side of the invisible barrier and darkness that kept him imprisoned. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t shout. He had to warn them. Save the queen! Save her! Fight the —
Fight the monster who’d killed him. Who’d killed everyone around him.
The monster with free magic that burned like lightning, and —
Warmth stole over him. Warmth — and pain. Like a thousand prickling needles. He’d been frozen numb and now he was warming up again. He was — he was coming to life.
He was free.
The first thing he knew was — heat. Pain.
He had a body again.
A body with a thundering heart and rushing blood and growling stomach and —
Oh. Oh. A mouth on his.
He remembered this softness, this sweetness. A kiss was the first step down the road to paradise.
He opened his eyes.
A cat was peering at him.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to kiss him,” the cat said.
A talking cat. Panic seized him. The talking cat meant — meant —
And then something forced his mouth open and suddenly air down his throat choked him.
And then the pressure on his mouth was gone and he was staring at the most beautiful man in the world as he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand.
“It’s called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” the man said primly.
He wore black lacquered armor that gleamed like a fish’s scales from the deepest ocean abyss. Beneath the armor, his robes were black and patterned with white bells.
Bells that could send a soul to or call a soul forth from the Joseung, the realm of the dead. A wild and nefarious wielder of those bells was a necromancer, but the Guardian of the border between Life and Death wore the symbol of the white bells.
The Joseung Suhoja.
“You know better than anyone,” the cat said, “that bringing a man back from Death does not require resuscitation. He was in Death. He hadn’t just taken an unfortunately long dip in the sea.”
“I’ve never brought back someone who’s been — er — bound for such a long time. Inside his own body. I just wanted to be sure,” was the response.
He — who was he? What was his name? — scrambled to his knees. “Suhoja.” His voice sounded hoarse and weak to his own ears. Rusty from disuse. “Forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” the man echoed. “Who are you?”
“I — don’t remember.” Why couldn’t he remember? His mind raced.
The cat, perched atop a leather pack, cleaned one paw. “He was in Death for a long time. His soul is worn down. He’s lucky he can even talk. He’s a few steps up from a vegetable. Maybe he’ll be tasty. Although how tasty would a centuries-old carrot be?”
The Suhoja clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Don’t be so catty, Binnie. He can hear you.”
“I’m a cat,” Bin the Cat pointed out.
The Suhoja knelt. “If you don’t have a name, what should I call you?”
His mind raced some more. Memories flashed through his mind. Golden sunlight. Footsteps ringing on a stone courtyard. The clash of steel. A cat-like smile.
You’re immovable. Like a rock. I’m going to call you —
“Rocky,” he said. His voice was still hoarse from disuse. Had he always sounded this deep and husky? “You can call me Rocky.”
“Rocky? But — that’s a thug’s name. A ruffian.” The Suhoja was frowning.
All Rocky remembered was his failure to protect the queen. “It is the only name I deserve.” He inclined his head to the Bin the Cat, though he was sure he’d once known it by another name. “Greetings to you, Guardian Cat.”
Bin cleaned his whiskers and barely flicked a glance at him. “So you don’t remember your own name but you remember me.”
“Yes. And — The Suhoja.”
The Suhoja frowned and tugged at the sleeve of his robe. “I’m not really The Suhoja. That’s my mother. I’m trying to find her. I’m Lee Dongmin.”
“Lord Dongmin,” Rocky said, and rose. “I am here to serve you.”
Dongmin made a choked sound.
Bin flicked his tail and said, “Maybe Rocky should put some clothes on.”
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timeasmymeasure
Fill: Astro, Dongmin + Bin + Minhyuk, Old Kingdom-ish AU
Date: 2024-02-08 01:24 am (UTC)Now he was dying.
Always dying.
Caught in the tide that dragged souls down, down, down into the depths, where the final bells tolled their last farewells.
He was alone.
He could sense warmth, sense life just on the other side of the invisible barrier and darkness that kept him imprisoned. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t shout. He had to warn them. Save the queen! Save her! Fight the —
Fight the monster who’d killed him. Who’d killed everyone around him.
The monster with free magic that burned like lightning, and —
Warmth stole over him. Warmth — and pain. Like a thousand prickling needles. He’d been frozen numb and now he was warming up again. He was — he was coming to life.
He was free.
The first thing he knew was — heat. Pain.
He had a body again.
A body with a thundering heart and rushing blood and growling stomach and —
Oh. Oh. A mouth on his.
He remembered this softness, this sweetness. A kiss was the first step down the road to paradise.
He opened his eyes.
A cat was peering at him.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to kiss him,” the cat said.
A talking cat. Panic seized him. The talking cat meant — meant —
And then something forced his mouth open and suddenly air down his throat choked him.
And then the pressure on his mouth was gone and he was staring at the most beautiful man in the world as he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand.
“It’s called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” the man said primly.
He wore black lacquered armor that gleamed like a fish’s scales from the deepest ocean abyss. Beneath the armor, his robes were black and patterned with white bells.
Bells that could send a soul to or call a soul forth from the Joseung, the realm of the dead.
A wild and nefarious wielder of those bells was a necromancer, but the Guardian of the border between Life and Death wore the symbol of the white bells.
The Joseung Suhoja.
“You know better than anyone,” the cat said, “that bringing a man back from Death does not require resuscitation. He was in Death. He hadn’t just taken an unfortunately long dip in the sea.”
“I’ve never brought back someone who’s been — er — bound for such a long time. Inside his own body. I just wanted to be sure,” was the response.
He — who was he? What was his name? — scrambled to his knees. “Suhoja.” His voice sounded hoarse and weak to his own ears. Rusty from disuse. “Forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” the man echoed. “Who are you?”
“I — don’t remember.” Why couldn’t he remember? His mind raced.
The cat, perched atop a leather pack, cleaned one paw. “He was in Death for a long time. His soul is worn down. He’s lucky he can even talk. He’s a few steps up from a vegetable. Maybe he’ll be tasty. Although how tasty would a centuries-old carrot be?”
The Suhoja clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Don’t be so catty, Binnie. He can hear you.”
“I’m a cat,” Bin the Cat pointed out.
The Suhoja knelt. “If you don’t have a name, what should I call you?”
His mind raced some more. Memories flashed through his mind. Golden sunlight. Footsteps ringing on a stone courtyard. The clash of steel. A cat-like smile.
You’re immovable. Like a rock. I’m going to call you —
“Rocky,” he said. His voice was still hoarse from disuse. Had he always sounded this deep and husky? “You can call me Rocky.”
“Rocky? But — that’s a thug’s name. A ruffian.” The Suhoja was frowning.
All Rocky remembered was his failure to protect the queen. “It is the only name I deserve.” He inclined his head to the Bin the Cat, though he was sure he’d once known it by another name. “Greetings to you, Guardian Cat.”
Bin cleaned his whiskers and barely flicked a glance at him. “So you don’t remember your own name but you remember me.”
“Yes. And — The Suhoja.”
The Suhoja frowned and tugged at the sleeve of his robe. “I’m not really The Suhoja. That’s my mother. I’m trying to find her. I’m Lee Dongmin.”
“Lord Dongmin,” Rocky said, and rose. “I am here to serve you.”
Dongmin made a choked sound.
Bin flicked his tail and said, “Maybe Rocky should put some clothes on.”