Chapter Text
On an April day that was colder than usual, in a large metropole. Steam powered factories were blooming in the distance. Shops opened up through the morning frost. Streets were already filled by pedestrians and carriages, divided by their money caste . Newsboys selling papers at each intersection. Police patrolling. Trains sound occasionally at the station. Church bells ringing, announcing the 9th hour; Welcome to Paris 1878.
Despite all this activity, one young man was cloistered in a dimly lit and dusty room, nose deep in a book.
“Kihyun? Are you ready to leave yet?” a gentle voice made him literally jump on the spot. He was so focused he never heard the lady coming in.
“ah, yes i’ll go soon.” He said in a whisper and she left with a small smile. He marked his book and ruffled his hair before going out of his little nook.
In this L-shaped room, there was barely enough space to maneuver through; many bookshelves filled to the brim reached the ceiling, only two small archways were made to access the three different sections. The first is just the entrance. The second area had a small desk directly on the right of the passage and an armchair in the farthest corner. The last area was a small space with a large carpeted duvet covering the ground, a misplaced blanket like it was thrown over, a couple of pillows of different sizes and colors, and two head tables in the far-left corner with more books on them.
He got out into the main area of a library. The ambiance was fresh and bright with the light well coming from the large entrance window and the royal blue tapestries. A grand crystal chandelier right in the middle of the room was reflecting rainbows on the massive bookshelves, two stories high, and the tables in between the rows. The lady was waving at Kihyun as he passed in front of the counter to get his black coat and top hat, and leave for the outside. The cool wind caressed his pale cheeks as he made his way to a bakery. He pointed at his cheese bread, paid and bowed to the shopkeeper before getting back out on the streets, eating it on the way.
Kihyun had a certain condition that made him only speak in a whispered voice, the loudest scream he could push out would have the strength of a deep sigh. He truly appreciated the fact that he could work without much direct client contact, as he can’t communicate well. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t teased by his colleagues or stared at by people outside work. Arriving at the National bank, where he worked, the usual low commentaries rose up to his ears; “The genius is here…” “What an icepick that one…” “Whose wife will he steal again today…” “Is he even human…” Kihyun’s days were always like these; full of gossip and judgement against him. That last one was mainly due to his unusual appearance for an occidental: The average height was all he had normal . His hair was fluffy and of a bright red-orange, sharp eyes of an unusually vivid light blue with large glasses over his thin nose. He looked like a doll with his milky skin and perfect features more than a normal human… maybe because he wasn’t ?
But as usual, he chose to ignore them and headed to his small office, where many documents were piled up. His job consisted of taking care of the loan requests and evaluating if they were worth the risk of investment or not. Through his position, behind a piece of paper and some ink, he was able to injure some large negative and evil companies and help small creative businesses to bloom.
He was going through his day and nearing the end without much trouble, up until he heard a loud thud and some loud voice at the front desk. He slowed down his rhythm to focus a little more on what was happening:
“I. Have. To. Talk. To. Him!”
“Madam, this is a respectable establishment. Please take your frantic temperament outside or we will escort you out.”
“You don’t understand! It’s urgent and personal!”
“What? You’re going to beg him for your trouble so he pays you?”
Kihyun understood that it was yet again a lady asking for his attention and support, probably not the best way. He concentrated again on his work.
“High in demand, hmm?” He was disturbed again. He turned around expecting a colleague only to meet the eyes of an unknown man, sitting on the wood console in the back of his small office.
“… leave.” in a strained whisper.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He says as he sat more comfortably on the furniture, “I’m not staying long. Just have to request some of your aid, Messire Kihyun .” Kihyun just glared at the weirdest man he ever met: He was tall and slender, fluffy black hair with light curls framing his gentle face and black eyes. He was dressed in a classic suit, except instead of the blacks and greys, the colors were more on the Royal and pastel blues with silver linings. His voice was light and clear and somehow had a soothing charm to it, if it wasn’t for his casual and immature speech. An elegant person for a disrespectful mouth.
“… i don’t care. leave, you’re not supposed to be here.”
“Aw… Don’t be so stiff, Kihyunie.” The nickname stunned him directly in his face. Who the fuck was he to be so familiar? “Let’s make a bet.”
“…what?”
“A bet. You think she will be escorted out, right? I say she will leave on her own.”
“…and what about it?”
“If I win, you’ll do a small favor for me. If you win, I’ll leave and you won’t hear or see me again.”
“what are you-…”
“Ah! 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”
As if on cue, when the stranger mentioned the last number, the tantrum calmed down and Madame left, furious, but on her own. He hops down to the ground and opens his palm to the sky with a mischievous smile, like he was saying “See? Told you.” And it brushed Kihyun the wrong way.
“Name’s Minhyuk.” Extending his hand to him; it was gloved in white satin, but he didn’t take it. Unabashed by the refusal, Minhyuk simply brought his hand back into his side. The other was in his pocket, from which he pulled out a silver, checked it briefly before putting it back and started to walk away. “See you soon, Kihyunie.” He says with a little wink before turning the corner of the doorframe. It sent unwanted shivers in Kihyun’s spine. Something about that man made him uneasy and almost curious all the same, he clearly wasn’t like others .
---
Drained, Kihyun was on his way back to the library. That Minhyuk was trotting in his mind; he was so peculiar, he thought he wasn’t from the region at first. Maybe he was from the bohemian neighborhood, but what purpose would he have to go through the entire city, in his district? And what could be that small favor of his? His steps gained in speed into a jog, then racing through the busy streets of Paris; Kihyun simply wanted to run away, getting back into his small room was his only desire, his escape of all troubles and uncertainties.
Upon arrival, he never realized in his race that the wind had taken his hat and rain had started pouring on top of that. He was drenched and out of breath. The lady saw him enter and scurried over with a towel to dry his head.
“Oh no, mo naoidheachan , what went through your head.”
“it’s okay… thanks Nana .” She smiled and patted his head over the cloth.
Kihyun was born in a good family so he could do sort of what he wanted, as long as it didn’t injure his family name. Descendent of an Irish Politician, he grew up like an artifact; inside and protected. The lady had always been his nurse and maid at the House. She used to be a War nurse, but got employed by his father around the time he was born. While his parents were busy with duties, she was there, caring and teaching him for as long as he can remember. Due to his love for books and history, his father inaugurated a public library in the district, close to the school Kihyun hadn’t had the chance to attend. He prefers that establishment over any other he holds dear that he chose to literally live there for the last twelve years, with the lady watching and loving him like her own son.
“Oh, before I forget, someone left you a letter.”
Kihyun’s eyes darted up to face her. “when..!”
“Just earlier today. Don’t worry, he was pretty friendly.” He just hummed and headed to a door that was signed ‘Archives’. He closed behind him, passed the narrow spaces he knew so well in the dark, slipped back to his comfy corner like he was that same morning and fell deep asleep.
By the time he woke up, it was already 10 the next morning. The sound of steps and voices whispering outside the room caught his attention. Kihyun got up from his blanket fort, ruffled his hair and dressed himself in an antique puffy shirt and a beautiful plaid beige vest to accompany his dark brown pants. The letter was looking at him on the desk, still unopened, but he really had a bad feeling. He ignored it again and left to the main library area and was quite surprised by the sudden activity of the establishment. For the past three years, the library was mostly dying out, to the point they were preparing themselves to close down. His Nana signed him to the counter where she was standing next to a tall black-haired man.
“ Messire here desires a certain book, but I can’t find traces of it anywhere. Do you know anything about it? He insists it’s here.” She said quietly.
Upon Kihyun’s relief, the so-called sir wasn’t Minhyuk, why would it be . “what book are you looking for, Sire ?”
“The last tome of Rosenmond .”
He looks quickly in the library’s reference cards but no luck. “Just wait by the desk or look around, I’ll check the archives.” The man did as requested and waited beside the central counter while Nana went back to the line up who wanted to borrow. Kihyun went in the archives and went towards a certain shelf in the second section. He was living here; he knew and had read most of the books and documents stored here, he sorted the entire room. He looked into the antique grimoire he could have for a good two minutes…
“It should be this one.”
Kihyun about-turned towards the sudden voice, their faces two inches apart. “…you can’t come in here…”
“But I just did.” What was wrong with everyone contradicting his every word .
“…i’ll let you borrow it, but tell me: what does it have in it?”
“I expected you of all people to have read it.” He was full of unexpected meetings apparently.
“me?”
“The bookworm that cherishes paper and leather over a good meal. Yes, you, Kihyun the Sluagh. You’re also the talk of the Court lately.”
He sighed; he really didn’t have to deal with that right now. “What’s with the Court?”
“I don’t know, I know you’re one of the subjects they bring up in almost every meeting.”
“fine, don’t tell me… but if this treasure is with me, isn’t it safe? they don’t have access to special and ancient tomes.”
“I assure you, I trust you with antiquities, but this is a special matter I can’t disclose, even to you, Sire Chevalier .”
“fine, fine… i can’t deal with any more, enough trouble for me already…” He takes the large old book; it felt like if you cracked it open, its spine would break in dust, Kihyun loved it. He caressed its cover, closed his eyes, feeling the leatherwork, finished with an eight sideways motion over the carved title and finally held it out to the other man.
“I know what you did, but I won’t do anything about it. If you can; get it back. Also, something’s on the move, protect while you can.” On these words, the tall man left soundlessly. The day just started for him, but he was already tired. He chose to spend the rest of the day looking into the ancient tomes he hadn’t explored yet.
Of course, he never saw time pass, Nana came in with a tray filled with cheeses, fruits and a small and soft loaf of bread with a pretty cup of wine. She put it on the makeshift bed and started eating together with him, chatting nicely before she left for home. She lived in a proper house, but still right across the street. He immediately returned to his reading, when the letter’s presence made itself heavy in the room. Annoyed, Kihyun finally opened the letter:
Well hello Messire,
You finally opened the envelope. It hurts me to know you are avoiding our little bet.
Anyway, meet me at the opening ceremony of the Fair, then I’ll tell you what my small request is for you.
If ever you need to meet me for whatever sweet reason, just kiss me and you’ll find me.
Nicely yours, Minhyuk
Oh, how he was pissing him off. Leading him like a little pet or a child. The Fair? It was in eleven damn days, on the first of May. ‘ If ever you need me… ’ Yes, out of my life ! This Minhyuk, he met him once, and he was already tormenting him for the past two days. But what could he do other than wait for those days. He could somehow alter his memories when they meet each other and he’ll be ridden of a loud pain in his back. Kihyun nodded to himself, establishing a plan and went back to his reading until slumber came over his eyelids.
---
Sunday, went as usual; some people came in and out of the library, he managed the establishment while Nana was on errands. However, in the newspapers, an article on the cover drew his attention:
THE FURY FROM BELOW
The Catholic Church of Saint-Germain burns down. Cause unknown, the Police is looking if it was a criminal act or an accidental event. This morning, the believers of the Saint-Germain district gathered to pray in front of the remains. […]
‘Unknown?’ There’s clearly something that burned it intentionally, it’s right there! It is, t o Kihyun’s eyes . The fresh spring weather distracted him to announce someone came in. When he saw it was his Nana , he rushed out with the paper, saying he had something urgent to do. He ran past the people, precariously crossing the streets going to said-church. Kihyun arrived, out of breath, looking from the corner of a shop; a lot of people were still gathered, weeping and praying for their religious house, three policemen were guarding the building off-limits. He gathered his courage, he changed himself, his traits and outfit to fit the men, and approached them.
“ Salutation! ” They saluted each other.
“… i came to examine again. there’s nothing, maybe we missed something…”
“Um… Sure, I’ll need your name to confirm your person… Are you okay? Your voice’s...”
“ah, yes… the season wasn't very merry with me; caught a cold, but i can still work. no worries. officer Leblanc...”
“First name?”
“Raoul…”
“Noted, go in. You, go check with the superiors.” He nodded to Kihyun and pointed to one of the two others. Kihyun saluted before going in, he didn’t have a lot of time before the policeman came back and even less before his disguise wore off. He hurried to the one he was looking for: a broken piece or malfunctioning gadget. In the debris, it was far from easy, he was getting tired keeping the illusion up, in case someone came around and saw him. Five minutes passed and the officer would be soon back, his vision was also getting blurry from fatigue. He suddenly found on the altar, something that could be a catalyst or equivalent for what he thought could be the cause of the fire. He hurried out, thanked the officers without staying a minute longer and went to an alleyway nearby where he dropped his cantrip and collapsed to the ground, back against the stone wall, breathing heavily. He looked at the cracked cog the size of his palm and examined it.
It was the middle of the afternoon, he started hearing the policemen stressing out and hurried to put a wanted notice over this ‘Raoul Leblanc’ that didn’t exist. Kihyun chuckled to himself how the humans fell for his trick.
“Oh, so you can laugh.”
The last thing he wanted…
“… Minhyuk. what are you doing here, of all places?”
“Oh! It’s purely a coincidence.” The taller put down the box he was carrying and squatted in front of him. “I was on errands, and this alleyway is a shortcut I found. And you? What are you doing here, on the ground?”
“none of your business…”
“Aw, but I told you though. You’re so cruel.” He pouted
“if you’re here to annoy me, then you can tell me about your damn favor.”
“Nope.” Minhyuk responded cheekily, and Kihyun sighed.
“…then just take your box and leave me alone.”
“Nope.”
“leave me the fuck alone!” Kihyun attempted to push him but lost balance and threw himself back hard on the wall that made him wince a little.
“Here, I’ll help you.”
“no… don’t you… dare.”
Minhyuk ignored him and grabbed his arms over to his neck, “Hold on,” and got him on his back, grabbing his leg over his arms and got back his box’s handles with his free hands. Kihyun didn’t feel the ride, it was surprisingly gentle. “You’re lighter than I would’ve expected.”
“…shut up.”
Minhyuk giggled, “Okay, just rest.” His tone was sweet and calm, unlike their loud first meeting. Kihyun was close enough to smell what was a mix of sea water and citruses. A fragrance that could intoxicate the nose, but he didn’t. Thinking of nothing more, he fell asleep on the other’s back. He was still hearing the city, but it was like it was far away, like he was in a bottle, until it cut out completely.
He woke up alone, a single candle was lit on the small table beside him and a wet towel on his head. There was a weight over him, for a fraction of a second, he almost wished it was Minhyuk, since he brought him back. However, it was simply his Nana who was probably worried to see him back, fainted, after seeing him rush out. He caresses her head before slipping out of bed without waking her. He had to report the running danger to the Court. He went out, it was in the middle of the night with a few lamps lighting up the streets. He walked along the Seine over to the little passage under the Pont des Arts, he stared at the moon for a minute and dropped in the water without taking a breath… Only to come back up gasping for air. Did he miss the door? Was he too soon? He tried again, getting the same result; the door was closed. Now, he was drenched from head to toe in the middle of April at night. The wind bit his frail frame as he walked back over to the library, frustrated, to bath himself. Tomorrow was a boring day at work again…
Boring, boring, boring. Three days of constant paperwork. Luckily, no women came disturbing and the fire didn’t catch anywhere else like he thought it would. Maybe it was really only an accident. No, Kihyun really felt it, the magick traces of rage. Due to his constant thinking, his work was getting slow, he was sent home early to rest, since it was unexpected from a genius like him. On his way back, he continued to ruminate in his head until the smell of smoke reached him. When he rose his head, he was at the bridge and on the other, a column of smoke was rising. He knew it, it struck again. Even worse, his feet sprinted faster than ever before: it was way too close to the library!
And it was… The library was burning, firefighters just arrived and were setting up, police were evacuating the places around and helping the people who managed to slip out of the fire. He tried to rush in only to be blocked by a policeman. “Stay away! It’s dangerous!” He fought off but karma chose he wouldn’t enter; a pillar fell, blocking the main entrance and the other door was already destroyed by the fire. His shelter, treasures… Nana ! Kihyun looked around for her, but no sign of her escape. Everything went so fast yet felt so slow, waiting to see if she had survived, if anything was redeemable. The fire was savage, almost alive, fighting off the firefighters to leave him alone.
That’s when Kihyun knew: it was all his fault. He left the cog in the archives, an enraged Chimera took life, escaped the Dreaming’s Bedlams and was looking for his missing piece, causing the destruction of the place thinking it was stolen. He wasn’t cautious enough and drove the creature there. The body of someone was extracted among other wounded. Kihyun threw himself on it, calling its name, tears crawling to his eyes. No response. He hugged her so tight, he could’ve almost pumped her heart, but didn’t… She was dead, limp and cold in his arms. The only source of warmth he had disappeared, just like that, and all because of his fuckery! He stayed there for minutes, maybe even hours, he didn’t know anymore, and didn’t care either. He stayed beside her until they brought her back to be cremated, as she wasn’t French nor of important status. That night, he slept beside the library, in the streets and cold.