Work Text:
They said, “don’t dance with a fae or you will lose your sense of time. Even worse, you will dance to death.”
They said, “don’t receive anything from a fae, they will count it as a debt. You would never want to be tied to a debt you don’t know how to pay.”
They also said, “don’t say ‘thank you’ to a fae, they will also count is a a deb—”
“Thank you.”
A faint smile, gentle yet so tiny, was drawn on that pale face. His yellow eyes glowed with amusement. The sight was so dazzling, especially for a man who was trapped in piles of bushes, wrapped in mud, and buried by branches like Varka. He didn’t expect his weekend hiking would go disastrous like this, but fortune was still on his side.
This fine gentleman came to help!
He was trapped alone for hours here and he thought he would spend the night as the potential meal for wild animals nearby. He miscalculated his route and accidentally stepped on slippery slopes, sprained his ankle, and was only able to call for help with his voice due to the lack of internet connection.
But all of those weren’t a concern anymore as this gentleman helped Varka out from the hole, even supporting him walking to the nearest security post. Though this man was odd as he didn’t even say anything during their slow steps as they walked under the night sky, between the huge trees, in silence.
This long-haired man assisted him to sit on the bench, he was still smiling like it was nothing. The previously friendly air gradually changed into something eerie, mysterious even. Not going to lie, Varka felt a chill running down his spine. There was something with this guy—both enchanting and cryptic.
“My pleasure,” it took him a one hour walk from the forest to the edge of human civilization to respond to the gratitude Varka expressed earlier. That was quite peculiar yet Varka only took it that maybe, this guy was quite eccentric by himself. His voice was like honey, sweet to the ear, smooth like silk. This was unfair, not only had one blessed with good looks, but also such an attractive voice?
Varka was about to snicker and comment on his quietness if not bothered by a yell not too far from them. “Hey! Aren’t you that Mondstadt guy from earlier? We were looking for you for hours! Where have you been?”
He saw a forest ranger running toward them, breath panting when he finally reached the lost guy. His clothes were dirty, some leaves and small tree branches stuck to the cotton on his person. This ranger was from the forest too? Looking for him? Then, how could they miss him when he wasn’t that far from the original trekking route?
“I fell, hahahaha I thought I was gonna die, but thankfully this person here helps—”
“—uh? Was there someone?”
Silence.
Varka threw his attention back to the place where he saw that gorgeous man standing, where it was now empty. None other than him and the ranger were here. The laughs ceased as he went speechless. The night had been too bizarre for him to comprehend.
His heart was beating so fast but he was sure it wasn’t fear that he felt but something else. He was sure that the man who had helped him before wasn’t a ghost or something. The hair was smooth, the skin was warm, and it was so real.
But, who was that person?
Varka didn’t plan to stay too long in Nod-Krai until a problem arose and now he was trapped in this city for another month. He and his team were chasing a runaway criminal from Mondstadt and the clues were clear that they were here. They caught sight of them multiple times until they just randomly vanished.
Though in between frustrating cases, he still could find time to rewind. Nasha Town wasn’t too bad, still he yearned to chug bottles of his hometown speciality the Dandelion Wine. The beers here tasted good of course, but the taste of home would never be replaced.
Bored of the same repeated sight in the Flagship, he decided to go for a hike during the weekend. He was preoccupied with office stuff the whole week and his body needed to move! Alas, the purpose of moving his body ended when he couldn’t walk properly for another week.
Forget chasing criminals, he couldn’t even run. The sprain on his ankle was so bad that the doctor required him to rest before another check up. The doctor said his injury could be worse if it wasn’t treated earlier but Varka was a lucky guy. As well as Varka was a stubborn man at some point, if he couldn’t walk properly, there were crutches to help him walk. This case should be resolved soon and he could go home.
“Captain! Why are you here? Your ankle hasn’t healed yet.” Frederica was stupefied seeing her team leader was already behind the table with a pair of crutches on both his sides.
“Bored.” A short answer without even sparing a glance toward the light-colored hair lady. He was busy reading the newer report from his team member, very determined to solve this case soon. Even more, he didn’t want to be the liability for his team. A sprained ankle wouldn’t hinder his thinking.
There was nothing new in the report, the same result of a failed attempt to trail the gang. With Nod-Krai special conditions, it would be hard to get more help. This city had no legal government, basically a no man land. The loud voices were heard, the power was acknowledged and as long as you had power, people wouldn’t step on you here in this city.
He was bewildered by the fact that Snezhnaya let this happen in their autonomous region but who was he to comment? Not that he had any ‘voice’ to say anything as an outsider, only that he knew there was a complicated history between Snezhnaya, the city blanketed with ice, with this special region called Nod Krai. When he had time, he would be delighted to learn more.
However, he now had to solve this predicament with his team alone. Caputure the gang, retrieve the stolen relics, and go home—oh how he couldn’t stop yearning the moment he took the ship to sail to Mondstadt already.
“You see, it seems that we should add another factor to consider for this case, Captain.” Frederica was back again with another paper, yet it wasn’t a bundle of reports, it was a flyer with a big photo printed around the middle with a brief contact information below—a missing person notice.
“Why are you showing this to me? We don’t look for missing people here.” Throwing a puzzled look toward Frederica, Varka gave the paper back only for the lady to shake and sigh. As if she had enough of his bullshit and it was still in the morning, for Archon’s sake!
“Pay attention a little more, I believe the one that was broken was your ankle and not your eyes.” She rolled her eyes, already feeling tired with whatever Varka wanted to complain.
Varka took the paper back, reread the whole thing and observed the big picture in the middle. A photo of a young man, short hair and a pair of round big eyes. He knew this person! He was the man handling the warehouse where his team failed to trail the gang.
He wasn’t particularly related to the gang and he was just an ordinary townspeople actually. But the place he was working was particularly ‘interesting’. He met various gangs as his daily routine, processing some transactions as a middle man and more. Varka questioned that poor guy before despite the small possibility that this little guy knew what they were after.
“His family put out this notice this morning and claimed he has been disappearing for two days already, don’t you think it’s strange?” Frederica took out more missing person flyers. “There have been too many disappearance cases in Nod-Krai lately. A few days ago it was the person from the guild, the other was a merchant from Sumeru. I’m afraid we need to change the way we work or it would be our team member’s turn to be like this.”
Disappearance case … this was alarming. His team members mostly worked alone gathering information to avoid suspicion. Frederica was right, they needed to reconsider their methods.
“And also, do get some rest, Captain. We were so worried when we were informed that you went missing days before. We thought it was another disappearance case,” Frederica’s voice went soft, like a mother telling her son to not do the bad thing.
Funny enough, even though Frederica was indeed older than him, their age gap wasn’t that far. Still, he would love to have her as his mom—sometimes. Though he wouldn’t want to have Seamus as his dad, no, not that guy.
Varka cracked a smirk, grinning to her, “don’t worry. I am so tough that nobody would capture me. And also heavy, they wouldn’t be able to carry me!”
Frederica sighed again, but this time accompanied with a smile. This was how her captain was, she shouldn’t be worried but all his antics made the whole team get a headache. Perhaps it was true, their captain was so tough that none wanted to capture his heavy ass.
She should believe that, shouldn’t she?
“How’s your ankle, Sir?” Demyan welcomed the crutched man while pouring some liquor into a glass.
“Can’t believe the news of my sprained ankle even got here too?” he giggled, already making his way on the chairs in front of the counter. Demyan instructed his employee to take the glass from earlier, serving it to the customer in the corner when he prepared a new glass for his favourite customer.
“Of course, people were wondering where that big Mondstadt guy went since you are always making a scene here—either with your laughs and dad jokes, or that amazing performance whenever people play Rainbow Special here.” Demyan smoothly prepared the drink although part of his attention went to Varka, conversing with his returned customer.
A glass of wine was served, smelled nice with a tinge of fruity aroma. Oh wait, he knew this wine!
“Dandelion wine?”
“As expected you can guess it even before drinking it. We got some supplies a day before, I saved one for you. Maybe you miss the taste of home.” Demyan was truly a nice person, going to such length for this temporary customer. It may be the secret of his business tactic too, he had so many loyal friends and visitors. Varka appreciated him a lot.
The sweetness of the wine warmed his tongue and throat, Varka would love another glass—or another bottle—but he held himself back. He couldn’t go home drunk with his current condition, and he had another mission to do.
Putting aside the now already empty glass, he looked around. The tavern was as busy as usual, laughter and chatter were easily found in every corner. A perfect camouflage, the needed background noises, as he started his ramble in the most innocent way.
“I can’t believe my squad thought I would disappear that easily,” he sighed. Demyan paid Varka a glance, a lopsided smirk etched on his lips, teasing his patron with his newly found woe.
“They thought a Fae captured you too?” he nonchalantly dropped such a statement while cleaning a glass.
A fae?
Seeing Varka’s frowned forehead, Demyan moved a little bit closer until he could deliver a few whispers to the outsider. “A fae, you don’t know?”
Baffled than ever, Varka shaked his head. He expected to play around this conversation a bit more to know about the disappearance case and maybe he would get a new lead about the gang but here he was, frowning upon the magical lore Demyan just spouted.
“Shh, they said,” Demyan’s whispers went even lower. “The disappearance cases are the work of the faes.”
“You are kidding?” Varka wasn’t much of a believer of magical and spiritual things; he grew up with logic and anything ‘real’ to the eyes rather than believing superstition. Though on the other side, he had a little share of enjoyment in reading, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with the term Demyan just said.
Demyan pulled back and shrugged, back to polishing the already clean glass as a mere concealment. “Nod-Krai settlers, and those from Snezhnaya, believe in the Fae lore. We grow up with lots of stories about them.”
Varka listened attentively as Demyan still had something to say. “Disappearance cases aren’t that weird in this place actually, especially for a no man's land like Nod-Krai.” He glanced amusedly to the squad captain who now was grimacing behind the counter, unable to comprehend the magical tales that had been passed for generations.
“If you want to know about things related to it, you can check some books. That’s all I can offer. Of course, gang activities aren’t rare either, but even those people are disappearing one by one. Maybe they were invited to play to death or accepted a gift from a fae since they can cause their victim losing their senses and now they are brought to some place we don’t know, or got lost after following a ball of light in the middle of nowhere believing the will-o'-the-wisp guided them to buried treasure.”
Varka sat in silence, all the information was too much for his mind built with facts and logic. But he didn’t refute any of the lore drops he just got. Even back in his hometown, there were a bunch of people who believed things like this, obviously it was the same with the people here in Nod-Krai.
“That's an interesting perspective,” he finally conceded, half-heartedly.
“Be careful when someone offers you help or randomly gives you some gift, who knows it will be your turn to lose your senses.”
His mind was full of questions when he walked out from the tavern. To his standard, he didn’t get any meaningful information at all, but deep inside, he was curious—he wanted to believe it. The back of his mind went back again to that unfortunate night, when someone randomly found his miserable ass trapped between the branches and logs.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it went. The shallow hole, with him basically stranded not too far from the main route but multiple rangers claimed that they couldn’t see him at all.
Don’t accept anything from a fae,
don’t dance with a fae,
don’t eat with a fae,
don’t ever thank them—
Was he already miserable enough? But how could a man, gorgeous like that, be a fae like in folklore? But if that man was a fae, wouldn’t he have disappeared already?
He dragged himself slowly along the sidewalk with the help of his crutches with head full of thoughts. He had already been feeling there was something eerie since that night, the hunch that he was being watched but he ignored it all as best as he could. His ankle wasn’t hurt much anymore but he couldn’t put a lot of pressure on his foot for now but he was dead bored lying in his room.
He kept walking until he saw a figure sitting on the sidewalk bench by himself, observing one shiny stone by holding it way higher than his eye level. Either he was comparing the shine with the moon or appreciating its shine with the help of the moonlight. His hair was flowing gently following the wave of the night wind. His black coat made him blend into the dark environment well, although his pale skin stood out so much.
Varka knew this person to his heart. Their first meeting was short but it was so memorable that Varka dreamed of it a few times. Built in curiosity encouraged his mind and body to approach the beautiful man, busy looking at his shiny stone.
“Hello! We meet again, huh?”
Those were truly the same stunning pair of yellow irises again, Varka couldn’t help but be captivated. He wanted to know, he wanted to get closer, he wanted to hear that honeyed voice again. This person had become the enigma that he craved to discover, to know.
The sitting man scanned him from head to toe, until he realized that it was the person he helped a few days ago. He beamed, eyes forming a crescent moon. It was divine. “Oh, and it’s you again. How was your ankle?”
It seemed that everyone was so curious about his sprained ankle today. Not even one asking his own well being? How was he going? How did he face the boring days? Varka was a little disappointed. He threw himself to the bench sitting next to that man while accidentally putting his pained foot to some pressure in the process.
“Alright, it was hurt but that’s a minor thing. At least I am still alive and breathing, not being some animal’s dinner for several nights.”
Chuckles were heard from the man next to him, the crescent eyes now disappeared into curved lines accompanied with gentle laughs as he covered his mouth elegantly. Oh Archons, that sight was gorgeous, Varka wanted to carve that image in his brain.
“The forest is safe, no wild animals would come your way and the whole area was securely guarded, if I didn’t find you then other people would.” That man’s voice caressed Varka’s ear so good that he yearned again. The low, friendly baritone was pleasant to hear. He ignored the way this man claimed that people would find him—they didn’t, but that didn’t matter for now.
“Well, the faster, the better. I want to repay your kindness, so … would you like to have me treat you to some drinks? There’s a tavern nearby.“ Thumb pointing to the Flagship behind, yet the beautiful man politely shook his head.
“I already had my fill earlier, too much drink wouldn’t be great for responsible adults like us. Perhaps, if there’s another time …,” he trailed, suddenly went taciturn for a few moments, and finally looked at Varka with a grin. “Asking me for a drink already while we don’t know each other's name?”
One second, two seconds, and Varka laughed—the loudest he had today. His laugh alone was enough to make this lonely road feel crowded. “You are right, oh my bad, my bad. The name’s Varka, you?”
Parents would warn their children to not get along with random strangers on the sidewalk easily. In Nod Krai, the same rule applied to the adults too—that this land was full of superstition mixed with people with their own ill agenda. Varka shouldn’t have given his name that easily, he knew that, nevertheless the other man charmed him silly.
He fell, he had fallen. His logic, the one he was proud of, wasn’t working for a moment.
“Flins. You can call me that, it is my surname.”
“Flins then,” Varka parroted. Pronouncing the name smoothly between his lips, and then he giggled. “I bet I was so miserable that time before you helped me, Flins. Can’t believe I got my ankle strained over a shallow hole.”
“It was slippery,” for the first time after he was saved, someone defended his dignity!! Of course slippery mud would cause problems no matter how shallow the hole was. It even caused problems on flat surfaces. Varka grinned in happiness, this Flins guy was really fun to talk to and they weren't even talking for long already.
Thus they kept conversing while Varka, occasionally complimenting Flins in everything he told.
“The tale was about a warrior defending his village …” And Varka would listen to the short story attentively, feeling there was no better story teller he had ever seen other than Flins. They were talking about hobbies and while reading wasn't on both’s top list, they did have interest in it, which led Varka begging Flins to tell him a simple story.
What an excuse to listen to that honeyed voice. Regardless of his ulterior motive, Varka gave his most sincere praise. “You have such a calming and charming voice, are you working on a career that requires you to talk a lot?”
And also what a way to ask for someone's job information but Varka paid no mind. He didn't care whether it was lame or not.
Flins posed as someone who was thinking. His eyes mischievously glanced to the sky, as if he would find some answer from the stars above until he seemed to find a conclusion. “Not really, but I do find joy by interacting with people, sometimes.”
It felt like a half answer, merely a clear reason to cover something else. As someone raised to respect people's choice, Varka didn't pursue the information more. Flins probably wanted it to stay private, so let it be.
The conversation shifted to a more lighthearted topic. Varka was a natural chatterbox, Rosaria often mentioned how he would always find a word to say when there was nothing needed to be said. He kept talking about his hobby, his tiring job, and everything.
On the other hand, Flins was truly a nice talking partner too. He would react to each plot point in Varka’s story, either by asking questions or just giving signals that he was listening. Sometimes he added his input, his opinion and all of these were crafted in beautifully chosen words.
Flins was intoxicating.
His presence was soothing, his voice was lulling him to sleep, his figure was gorgeous.
Yet there's something off that Varka felt, something like he was swallowed by Flins’ presence alone.
Was he finally getting drunk?
The night felt so fleeting to the point where Varka didn’t realize it was already so late once he saw his watch showing the current time, 3 AM in the morning. He had been outside for eight hours! And all of those spent by conversing with Flins.
They talked about a few things, one of which was the reason why Flins disappeared that day—apparently he was uncomfortable with the rangers, he said. Another topic was the shiny stone that he held. Flins loved shiny stones and old coins. He was fascinated with the weight of history they held and Varka found it endearing.
Varka also shared some stories about himself, the reasons why he was in Nod-Krai, a tid bit of his occupation, and obviously boasting about the famed dandelion wine he loved.
But, did they really spend eight hours on that?
“You better go home, your friends must be worried.”
He couldn’t agree more. “They are. Oh damn Frederica will cook me alive, there are lots of unanswered calls from her.” He flinched by himself when he noticed the amount of messages and calls from his subordinates. He immediately took his crutches and bid goodbye to Flins who was still sitting.
“Be careful on your way home,” Varka could hear the smile laced in those words. He stopped, sent one last look with a wide grin.
“I am a tough man, hahaha.” Decorating his 3 AM walk with snickers was truly Varka's style, for all that, he couldn’t even laugh when he met Frederica's worried face once he reached their accommodation. He rented this whole place for his team, it was quite cheap and helped them to gather together better.
“Captain!” She ran toward him, followed by her ex-husband Seamus behind. Her face was so similar like her older daughter back in Mondstadt, albeit looking way more mature, and now filled with rage.
“We looked for you everywhere! The tavern, the workshop, even the forest again! We couldn’t find you. Didn’t I just tell you that the disappearance case is serious? What do you think? Where have you been? You didn’t answer the call or reply to our messages!! Damn you and your sprained ankle!” Ah … she was literally crashing out before his eyes, no tears and pure fury. Seamus tried to calm her from behind but he was pushed to the side.
Frederica was really mad.
“I … I apologize. I worried everybody with my carelessness,” he didn’t have anything to justify his excuses. He was truly in the wrong, he didn’t send them messages nor did he call them. As a leader of the team, he made a big mistake. He let himself drown in Flins’ charm to the point he didn’t check the time nor his phone. “I was—”
But then, he froze. The sudden change of act sent Frederica and Seamus bewildered on the other side. The tantrum was almost forgotten, replaced by confusion.
“How could you not find me? I was sitting on the bench near the tavern! I was literally on the sidewalk, easy to find?” Now everything became even weirder. There were two occasions when people claimed to not be able to find him and the two spots were actually not that hard to locate.
Seamus finally took a chance to speak when Frederica was finally quieted. He firmly shook his head. “No, we know you went to the tavern so we went there to check it first. Demyan even helped look for you. We checked every corner and you weren’t there.”
First, it was the forest. Multiple rangers claimed that they didn’t see him near the slippery slope that was very close with the main hiking route. Second, the sidewalk. He sat there for eight hours! How could people not see him interacting with Flins?
Flins?
The two occasions involved Flins. It was Flins who helped and took him to the security post, it was also Flins who conversed with him as the night went by. Suddenly Demyan’s words flashed inside his mind.
Being taken to somewhere we don’t know … they cause their victim to lose their senses.
… Flins … Could it be Flins?
Was he really?
To put it simply, Varka was grounded.
Yes, he was the leader, he was also the one who made decisions for the team and the mission. But the members were scared of Frederica more, she was the mother of the team, one of the older members too at the same time.
“No fooling around until you can walk without crutches or this mission will get dragged even more.”
He accepted his fate though. He basically scared them to death twice in a short amount of time. Hence, it explained his presence along with tons of books in the biggest room in their rented accommodation where they usually held their meetings. It wasn’t a rare sight to see him reading, even so the other members teased them sometimes. Mentioning something like, “it’s rare to see the captain sitting for hours,” or similar.
However, the books were different this time. His go to read enjoyment was some deep-ish novel for fictions or anything related to his field of work. These days, his interest had shifted to something else, something new: Nod-Krai supernatural beings.
Multiple books containing tales and myths regarding fairies and faes were scattered on the table. Even some of them claimed to be true stories that happened in Nod-Krai. Many including stories about eating with faes, rules and what to do when you happen to meet a fae, how to differentiate ordinary human beings and fairies, and many more were the target of his curious mind as of late.
Aside from the inhuman appearance described in the book, some of the descriptions fit Flins. His way of speaking with riddles, hypnotizing presence, and interest toward shiny objects. But his mind was partially in denial, there were possibilities that normal humans could be like that too. His dad loved shiny stones as his ring too? There was a possibility that Flins was just a fun old guy.
“If you expressed gratitude toward a fae, they will count it as a debt that you have to pay. You explicitly showed that they did something for you, so they expect a kind of a return.” Varka read the lines in the book seriously, all his attention went to the chain of words printed on the book.
Debt. The concept was a normal thing in life and human interaction, he even had some tabs in Angel’s Share that he had to pay off when he got home next time. When one said “I owe you,” after getting some lending hand, they would mentally note inside to repay the kind deed on the next day.
The difference was that debt wasn’t that demanding in interpersonal relationships between humans. Fae, however, saw it in a different light. It should be paid with equal price or bad things would happen to the one running from their ‘debt’. It was also not something that could be resolved with money, different fae required different ways.
If all of these were true, and if Flins was truly a fae, then Varka knew he was cooked.
“Thank you.”
He said the damn ‘Thank you’ to Flins. But what could he have said to the other one that time? He was desperate to get some help, he was about to be left alone in the middle of the forest for the night, and no one heard his miserable voice that time. Flins was there to help and of course he would show his gratitude to the man since he was a man raised to appreciate good deeds!
No one also could guarantee his whereabouts if he met Flins again. Either the guy would take him somewhere or he was freed from whatever time and space manipulation these fae could do.
But, he wanted to pay the debt—if he could.
To make it rational for him, he was helped so it was only natural to return the kindness. He offered Flins for a drink that time yet he refused—to his fortune, many books said food and drink would taste dull after you eat together with them. Flins didn’t seem to be one that detested alcohol, still Varka needed to find something else.
“I like shiny gemstones and old coins.”
Too bad Varka wasn’t experienced when it came to gemstones that he could give to Flins. He checked his wallet, hoping it would inspire him or something. There were his cards—IDs, driving license, some loyalty cards in a foreign tavern, a credit card, and little money. Nothing interesting other than a reminder where he was a bit broke to purchase some precious stones in the store.
Tuck!
Something dropped to the table while he was checking his wallet, he stared for a solid one minute at the item, only for Varka to finally yell enthusiastically. Forgetting all his troubles, the faint ache on his foot, and heavy thoughts for the last few days.
“Yes! This one can do!”
“Can I go outside?”
Frederica glared, eyes moving up and down scrutinizing her team leader from head to toe. He perfectly stood without a pair of crutches, looked healthy and was ready to cause problems again. This was both a good sign and a bad sign, what other problem would this man cause?
She kept silent, throwing the questioning looks to other people in the room. Contrasting to her unwelcomed gesture, the rest of the members were actually giggling.
“Just release him from the prison, Ma’am, or he would open a public library here instead of working and we wouldn’t go home.” Ouch, that was a jab to his newly found activities during the rest slash grounded period. But there was nothing to be ashamed about reading, really. It was just that the topic of his current literature interest was different from before.
“And I promise to send messages to you guys,” he added. Probably also sending his location whenever it was needed but he didn’t say that out loud. He had a plan in mind and it might risk him losing another sense of time. The problem was that he couldn’t predict when he would run into Flins again.
Meanwhile other demanding things finally came to his face. The long-dragged mission, their expense for the chase, and more. With additional supernatural phenomena information in his note, Varka guessed a new possibility that their suspect had already been lured to nowhere much to his dismay. It didn’t feel fair if it wasn’t him and the other to put an end to this case by dragging these criminals to the prison themselves.
Maybe he was stupid for not informing this side of possibility, but he didn’t really want his team member mingling in his new personal problem. If also the fae things were real, he would pull them into unpredictable situations that might lead them to danger. He couldn’t risk them for his own curiosity.
So he walked, ran, went back to normal and tiring job, while spying from their marked spots with some other teammates accompanying him. There was no trace of their targets as if they had been swallowed by the ground. His other teammates were making some guesses about their whereabouts then again he thought about Flins.
Did Fae do all of these?
Another day of investigation went futile. Everything had become so jarring with the fact that none of the clues mattered anymore. Those gang members vanished without a trace. The next day was another fruitless investigation. Also the next day, and the days after that. Their reports had been filled with nothing but only scribbles of words describing their failure each day.
In a short amount of time the team grew frustrated. Even one finally suggested calling off the mission as they spent time in Nod-Krai with no result. Even in heart, he agreed to the idea too.
But then, if he went back to Mondstadt, how would he pay his debt?
He had begun believing that Flins was a fae himself, even though there was no direct confirmation. He also hadn’t seen the guy lately. No sight in the same bench from the last time nor around the edges of the forest.
Silly him, expecting to see Flins in the most random places possible when they just spoke twice. Be that as it may where Varka couldn’t help but to yearn, he wanted to meet the man again. He risked his life for that one wish.
So lost in thoughts now he realized that he was all alone in the park. He didn’t notice he strayed away from his accommodation place to the park nearby. It was close, he could see the building with its lights were mostly on. He was about to sit on the bench until he noticed something.
Someone.
Flins, so ethereal under the moonlight.
If he was the pre-grounded Varka, he would immediately approach the man but the face of worried team members flashed in his mind one by one. Taking a chance with his still sober mind, he took out his phone and typed.
“Frederica, I’m now strolling around the park not too far from our place. It seems that I would go home in the morning, not something too serious so no need to worry. I ran into a colleague and we would love to have a loooong chat. See you later.”
Perhaps the text message he just sent only made things worse or made the whole squad come and pick him up here, or they let him be. He dared to bet that they would leave him be, unless they couldn’t find his ass in the morning.
Somehow, he also believed that he wouldn’t disappear so easily. Flins might be a fae, he might cause Varka to be lost in their interaction, but he truly couldn’t sense any ill intention from him. Varka’s prized ability was his talent in feeling whether a person was harmful or not, he has such a strong instinct for that.
“Hey,” such a simple greeting, also coming from Varka first. Somehow, the air changed between them. The time slowed among them, the night didn't feel cold, the moonlight became prettier. Had he gone crazy?
He saw another shiny gemstone in between the long-haired man again, albeit in different color. A sapphire blue gemstone. Varka wondered if the stone was an actual sapphire or just something that looked identical with it, he would love to ask but there was something more urgent to talk to.
“Good evening, Captain.” A pleased look was all over his face, as if he had expected them to meet again. A smile so tiny but so bewitching, inviting Varka to come closer and sit next to him. Flins was a master of persuasion even only with his presence.
There he sat, followed by a loud silence. After all the reading and all the overthinking, he couldn't even produce one word before the face of the subject of his thoughts as per recently. What should he say, really? ‘Hello Flins, are you a fae’ kind of stupid question?
They sat there in stillness for a moment until Varka grimaced on his own, hiding his face with both of his palms. Embarrassing was an understatement, he wanted to bury himself for not being able to start a proper conversation and now Flins was witnessing his stumble.
“You seem like you have a lot of problems, care to share the tales? At least, it shall reduce the weight on your shoulder?” Flins seized the chance to start the conversation, so smoothly that Varka wanted to curse—he looked like a fool right now.
How did he share the story when half of the problem filling his brain was his curiosity regarding Flins? And possibly his debt too? But Varka didn’t want tonight to end by not getting any meaningful information that soothed his mind.
“Let’s say, I probably have such a biiiiig debt that I have to pay, but I don’t know whether: I have the debt, or not at all.” He began explaining, using hands to gesture that his debt might be big enough, as big as his body.
Flins rested his cheek on his palm, pivoting his arm on his thigh. He watched Varka explaining his predicament with a mysterious gaze. “That's an interesting case. Though you have to be careful if you do have some debt, you must pay it back.”
“I know, I know. That’s why I am in such trouble right now. I do prepare some stuff, but I don’t know whether they will like it or not.” Varka felt silly by spouting that out loud. Not knowing how to pay the debt as a full grown adult made him look like a fool.
Yet, Flins didn’t laugh at his trouble. In fact, he looked curious enough. “Ho? It depends on whether they like it or not? That’s such a complicated requirement to fulfill. Why don’t you ask them instead?”
“It’s risky.”
“Why so?” A response came a bit too fast from Flins, still Varka tried to focus on what he was about to say. Flins was already interested, so why didn’t he just say everything weighing his mind?
There’s another quiet moment. Varka checked on his watch, one hour passed. He just talked a few sentences with Flins but already one hour passed. It was odd. He still had his awareness of time while the books he read stated otherwise, that you would drown in fae’s presence to the point you would forget that even time existed.
“Alright, let’s drop the pleasantries. Can’t you tone it down? Time manipulation or something? My squad would think I’m dead if I don’t go home next morning.”
Flins tilted his head, baffled, and his smile not dropping at all. The silence bound them together, none wanted to burst the bubble first. Flins’ golden eyes looked at the poor indebted guy, engrossed with Varka’s sudden boldness. Indeed, Varka still had something to say and Flins was waiting.
“We talked only for a few sentences and one has already passed. I am no supernatural being to be able to do that,” he defended his previous accusation. Suddenly feeling brave while knowing he was risking himself in this whole scene. The ‘lore’ suggested that meeting Flins wouldn’t result in a good way and he wanted to believe so much but the non-logic side of his brain telling him that it was safe.
Flins wasn’t a malicious being.
He was safe.
But the watch telling him the clock tickled too fast when he was speaking with Flins. He was about to lose his sense of time.
Flins, meanwhile, giggled. He was drawn toward Varka, smirking in silence. The same captivating eyes shone brighter than the moonlight they were bathing in. He got closer, putting his lips near the ear of the blond man.
“Then, how will you repay the debt?” That was a whisper.
It was another reticence. One simple question, but did it serve one immense confirmation? He was thrown into more and more confusion, Varka almost lost his ability to breathe as the surprise consumed his mind whole. The tips of fingers went cold, was it the time? His turn? Would he finally disappear?
Was Flins really a fae?
Flins pulled back, the same polite and elegant smile was still on his gorgeous face. Though now, Varka could see the underlying … mischief? He couldn’t put it into the right word but Flins didn’t look like someone who would take his soul away while in the same time looking like he was about to laugh before Varka’s eyes.
“Check your watch, the time flows normally.” Nonchalantly he gestured to the silver watch that always accompanied his left wrist, and Varka followed the instruction like a toddler obeying his mom.
The time indeed went normally. Only five minutes passed after he requested Flins to drop the pleasanties. Suddenly, he felt so dumb. The accusation felt so embarrassing now he wanted to bury himself to the ground and never come back. If the fae didn’t take him to nowhere, let him do the deed instead.
“I apologize, I scared you.” A part of Varka's mind screamed the moment Flins apologized, it was him who suddenly accused him of things!
“No … it’s alright. Sorry, perhaps I was hallucinating and I started speaking nonsense. Please forget what I just asked you.” That was the only way to save his face, by acknowledging his nonsense. And he would run, hiding his already stupid face somewhere.
Despite that, Flins laughed. That was a full clear short laugh, the first time Varka heard it from the man in the three times they had met. “Too bad, Captain, I will never forget that. You are quite impressive for staying aware while encountering me this time.”
“I am really so—what?”
What?
“You weren’t hallucinating. You were sober.”
“What- I—uh, what?”
Seeing the other man fumbling with his words, Flins finally stopped speaking in riddles. “And since you were claiming that you have a debt, then I would enjoy the privilege of receiving anything you would give. I rarely get the chance.”
All the books he had been reading surged into his mind like waves of tsunami. Flins said he wasn't hallucinating. Flins said he wanted to enjoy the debt being paid off.
Flins was really a Fae!
The coldness still didn't leave his fingers. He gazed at Flins with his full attention, relishing the sight of the Fae in front of him. His cheeks were pale despite the freezing cold around them—no sign of rushing blood on that body, as white as the ivory. But then, oddly, he had such mesmerizing cherry red lips—so pretty, so inviting, being adorned by a polite and elegant smile.
The beautiful entity was sitting next to him and now Varka was at loss for words. Perhaps, the books were right. Anything that the Fae had touched would make everyone yearn for it. The danger of Faes lied on their intoxicating self.
“Sir?” the voice woke him up from his stupor. He was looking at Flins while also not looking at him at all, realizing that he was drifting to the sea of imagination.
Varka smiled sheepishly. He immediately reached his pocket, taking out something wrapped by a plain cloth. He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to ease the sudden nervousness in his whole body.
“Uhm, I have this old … coin. It's not as shiny as the gems you have but, I think it's pretty historic. I found it in my grandfather’s old box. None in Mondstadt uses that coin anymore. Does it suit your preference of an old coin?”
Flins took the coin and observed it on all sides. One side had a carving of some lady's face, probably someone influential in Mondstadt, and the other side was another print of an eagle—or a falcon? The image wasn't that clear anymore due to the factor of time.
It wasn't old, it was ancient!
Varkas nervously waited for Flins’ reaction, the Fae was silent since he took the coin. He couldn't even draw any conclusions whether Flins liked it or not.
But then, Flins giggled.
Flins couldn't help but let out some giggles, he was entertained by everything. The coin was much to his liking—ancient, full of unspoken tales, and rusty. He may like shiny gems but in contrast, he loved his coins rusty. It was the mark of time they had been through.
He spared a glance toward the bigger human. He was waiting for Flins’ comment in silence, very much different from the guy he met a week ago who was full of laughter.
“I’m fond of the coin, I shall take it.”
Flins saw how the air of Varka’s face changed dramatically. There was a mix of relief and surprise. Flins thought this man was quite masculine on his own but he was amused by how adorable he was. Was he scared? Was he delighted? Flins wanted to know.
By tradition, when he accepted the coin, the debt would be closed. He could let Varka go and have nothing to do with him anymore. However, Flins was always the odd one among his fellow faes.
Since the beginning, he never saw Varka’s gratitude as a debt. He was never the one who loved luring out humans and taking them to the realm of fae. He admitted that he was a bit mischievous sometimes, causing Varka to lose his sense of time twice—almost thrice, on purpose. While in fact, never once ill intention crossed his mind.
Nonetheless, it seemed that Varka took everything seriously. He guessed that this foreigner had done his study during his recovery as he remembered that actually, the man next to him kind of liked reading. If Varka was afraid of him, that was given. Flins understood.
“Are you afraid? Maybe I shall abduct you and you will never be found anymore like the people you have been tailing these past months?” The question uttered smoothly. Much to his surprise, this was one first reason Varka laughed that time, after all the subtle fidgeting.
“I would admit that I was a bit scared, not because I will be somewhere I don’t know—I just … I can’t imagine how the rest would take the news, I can’t leave them—wait, wait wait wait!”
Took him long enough to notice.
“What did you just say?” The previously nervous Varka was replaced by the working mode captain. “The people I have been looking for … are gone, just like that? You were the one who took them?”
Flins sighed and shook his head. He chose his words poorly apparently. “Those humans offended some other faes and they aren’t as lenient as me, hence, they took them away with some fun tactics. You know, dancing.” —to death, he didn’t finish the statement but Varka seemed to understand the implication. “I wasn’t the one who did it, fortunately. You shouldn’t be afraid, at least for your current safety for now.”
Varka was quiet while his brain was processing the whole information. Perhaps he was thinking how wasteful it was, chasing a group of criminals for months only to find out they might be dead already. “It was recent,” Flins added a bit more information, thinking how it probably soothed his disappointment, they were just a bit late so the supernatural beings took actions first.
Varka exhaled a long breath, throwing himself to the bench, eyes watching the stars above. “What a pity.” A pregnant silence before he continued. “They could have been judged for their wrongdoings and served their sentences, but alas we weren’t the ones who delivered those to him. They were petty thieves, you know. But I know one of them, his family was waiting in Mondstadt, fully aware that their family member was a criminal. They wanted him to come back and scold him themselves, but now I have to make up some stories because no way will they believe that they were dancing and having a silly death because they angered the faes here.”
Flins couldn’t refute that. In the eyes of humans, proper punishment was different from how he and the other fae believed it. So Flins took the venting with a smile, appreciating another perspective he learned from different humans. He was so amused that he couldn’t stop smiling. Even, it was safe to say that he was enchanted.
This human was remarkable.
“So, I guess, it’s time for me and the team to go home. Let’s see it on the positive side anyway. I don’t have to bore myself on my spot near the harbor anymore.”
That fast?
Flins felt the sudden change in his head and chest. It was heavy, yet it was clear that he didn’t want all of this to end yet. But he was always the oddball among the faes, he would let go of the human he had been interested in all the time. Again and again he let them go, and Varka was no exception.
However, Flins was still a fae, mischief was in his body. He put on a lopsided grin.
“Who said your debt was already paid off?”
Flins was not a liar, nor he would deceive people for his own enjoyment. Yet faes are notorious for twisting words, telling half-truth, and leading people astray. And Varka should have been aware that the debt would be paid off when Flins was satisfied with the debt.
He liked the coin, really, but he wasn’t satisfied yet. He had to let his newer interest go so soon. At least he deserved a second payment for letting him run free.
Varka sat up straight, facing Flins seriously and so determinedly. Was he motivated to pay his debt immediately?
“Is there … anything lacking with the coin?”
Of course, no, dummy. Flins didn’t say that out loud as he only shook his head slowly. “I desire something else.”
Their eyes met again, now with a sudden spark that drew them closer. Flins looked a little bit lower, signaling his current partner of something that he wanted. Flins moved closer, taking the sight of a handsome man until he was satisfied.
“Stay still,” was his command, and Varka followed again, so obedient. He was on guard, but no human could resist the magic under Fae's sleeves. Flins apologized in silence, intentionally played with the time, slowing it down, as he was savoring every minute, every second. Lulling Varka into his charm, not aware that Varka was also intentionally letting himself drown—he knew he was safe.
Flins cupped the cheek of the blond man, tentatively caressing the faint stubble he had. He once again went closer, with now their eyes on the same level, staring right into each other’s eyes. Those sapphires, no gems would match their beauty, not even the stone he held previously. Flins adored them so much.
Flins could feel the warmth breath Varka had. These humans were always so unique with their body, who knew a simple breathing was one of their lifelines to continue enjoying the world, to live in between the sweetness and the bitterness of it?
Varka surely knew what Flins desired, except he didn’t move an inch. Did he want it too? Did he yearn for it too? Flins took it as a green light as he closed the gap between them.
Human’s lips were always warm, sweet like their words, and addicting. He took the first initiative to move, tasting the softness with his own lips. Hands kept touching his cheeks, teasing them with his thumbs until Flins felt a pair of hands sneaking on his back, slipping themselves in his silky hair.
He felt the change of the stream where he was now being devoured, being pushed to the bench. Oh, how enjoyable this was. A permission granted and now a tongue was exploring his mouth, so pleasant, humans always tasted so sweet.
A soft moan escaped Flins, not that he minded it. He loved this and he would let his partner know. Hands that once on Varka’s cheek now moved, slinging themselves on the human’s neck. Never wanted to let go, even only for a while, as he continued his little moans.
They kept tasting each other until both decided—or maybe Varka’s breath—that they were satisfied enough. In fact, they weren’t but it was left unsaid. String of saliva bridged their wet lips while both also knew that if they kept this from happening, none, not even Flins could guarantee the human’s safety.
And so, Flins held himself to chase that human’s lips back.
Flins knew, as much as he desired the other guy, Varka had a home, a family to provide, a team to lead. A mortal would never be able to comprehend the long living realm where Flins had his abode.
He really let him go.
The night was still long, he only played with their senses of time, making it slow and long for the two of them while in reality, there wasn’t that many hours passed. Few magic tricks that he mastered over the time, not really a big deal.
For the second time, Flins bid goodbye to Varka who finally took his leave, though his steps sounded so heavy. Flins sighed for the nth time, wondering whether he would have this much fun again if he didn’t call that man. But then he heard a voice, not that far from the bench where they were sitting together,
“Flins!”
Flins couldn’t help but listen, he didn’t dare to see what kind of face Varka made. He couldn’t trust himself for the next time to stay final with his decision.
“Thank you!!!”
“...”
What on earth was that man thinking?
Flins realized, way after he couldn’t see Varka anymore on the road. That dummy said the damned word again. What was that for? Another chain of debt created? Too stunned to speak, Flins was speechless.
He knew Mondstadt people were famous for their alcoholic asses, but he didn’t know that they were also that daring.
But that was welcomed.
“You have to come back if you want to pay your debt, Varka.”
—Epilogue
“Nod-Krai again? Who is it this time?”
Jean grimaced, handing new piles of report to her current team leader. Jean hadn’t worked that long under Varka’s wing but her mom told her that he was a reliable person. “There was a black market who sold their drugs to Mondstadt, there was an internal problem so our spies got tangled in the process and they were detained in their gang basecamp there. You can find detailed information in the report.”
Varka took the piles of paper fast and scanned them, sapphire blue moved right to left reading every sentence that Lisa just typed neatly. The problem was grave, so serious that he knew why they requested him to investigate it again.
Nod Krai …
The sudden giddiness engulfed him. He knew he would put his all to solve the case but he also had something else to look forward to.
He can’t wait to ‘accidentally’ meet a certain fae again and also to make sure none of his targets get abducted by vengeful supernatural beings.
Let’s meet again, Flins. I have a debt to pay.