A/N: Whoops, I had an idea and accidentally wrote 10k for it instead of functioning like a normal human being. I'm going to post this because why not? I'd apologise but I love these two (and the whole gang tbh) so...  

He can't breathe.

Every little thing around him is too much because he's doing all he can and it doesn't seem to be enough.

He's trying so hard, he hasn't stopped trying since he'd started, but nothing is working the way he needs it to and he feels so helpless because he knows that anyone else could do it without breaking a sweat and he's just weak, too weak.

It's not even difficult, all he has to do is focus and he can build the piece of furniture he'd acquired with such difficulty, but his hands are shaking and nothing is falling into place, the little nails scattered around him and letters on the instructions looking just about as jumbled as his mind feels on the inside.

A part of him wants to give up and ask for help but he feels wrong for doing anything of the sort, knowing he's the one who'd asked for the bookshelf and so he's the one who should build it. Another part of him wants to forget it and simply keep his books on the floor but he can't bring himself to do that when he has the solution under his nose, literally. He's torn between gritting his teeth and carrying on or leaving it all be and trying something else entirely.

Picking up the screwdriver, he tries again, getting no further than removing one incorrect nail and putting two in the right place before his stomach flips – wrings itself out – and he can't even think.

He's thrown into old memories that are best left buried under the past where nobody without the map of his experiences can find them. He can't blink them away as they twist and turn like a whirlpool, pulling in his resolve. There's nothing he can do to deflate the unwanted reminders of a time long gone and he wishes he could stop his brain for just a second but that's never an option. He breathes, trying to exhale them away, wanting to exile them because they're nothing but trouble.

"I can't do this," he whispers to himself after tears arise in his eyes.

So he leans back and pulls his legs up to tuck them under his chin, letting his forehead rest on his knees. He must have drifted into sleep, he must have, because how else would there would there be someone knocking on the door so quickly even though there's only one person who knows where he is and said person had told him not to expect his arrival until late in the evening?

He can't leave them without a response as they'd have to sleep in the cold then, and there's no way his conscience would accept that, so he shakily unfolds his limbs and pushes himself upright, stumbling to the door and almost tripping over his own feet in his haste. He fumbles with the locks and the chains and what seems like the universe trying to make him fail until finally, finally, the door clicks open and he can turn the handle to let the best person in the world enter...

"Kai?" said person gasps, immediately placing two gentle hands on his face and rubbing the dried tears off his face. "What happened, love?"

The noise in his head doesn't stop but it fades to a hum and that's all he needs.

"I- I'm sorry, I was trying to- I tried to build the- the um, book- uh... book..."

"Bookshelf?"

He nods. "Yeah. I was- I can't do it, Thorne, I can't do it, I can't, I can't-"

"Hey, hey, breathe, come on, Kai, it's okay, it's alright, I've got you," Thorne murmurs, pulling the other man into a warm embrace.

Thorne glances over the way everything is organised, from the packaging to the littlest screws, and his heart melts because he knows how excited Kai was. He hadn't wanted to leave this morning but there hadn't been a choice unless they wanted to be without a roof over their heads once again.

"Where did it go wrong?" he asks, pulling back only slightly so he can keep his arms around Kai but send him a comforting smile at the same time.

"The- All the pieces of the back kept falling apart and I couldn't stop thinking of when- Of when we were on that ship and It- it started leaking and we were..."

Drowning. They were drowning. They'd almost died and Thorne has hated water ever since but Kai was the one who'd seen the worst of it, even after Thorne had passed out. He still doesn't know what Kai saw on that boat but he can't bring himself to ask, knowing that it must be pretty bad if he hadn't voluntarily explained. They tell each other everything and, if he hasn't said it by now, it's highly unlikely he ever will.

"Kai, love, it's alright, we're okay now," Thorne soothes, gently pulling Kai to the mattress they have in the corner and wishing they weren't in this situation, especially not Kai, who deserves the world and more.

"Stop that," Kai mumbles, sniffling, "stop thinking about how we don't deserve this."

"How did you know?" Thorne asks softly, smiling despite his urge to cry.

Kai reaches up to push Thorne's hair back into a small quiff. "You're my favourite thing to know."

Well, there goes Thorne's resolve not to cry today.

"I love you, you know that right?" he whispers, pulling Kai close and breathing in the scent of home. Kai giggles in response and nods into Thorne's embrace, curling his fists in the back of his jacket as if he wants to keep them attached forever.

"Why don't we leave the shelf part for tomorrow and focus on the books for today, huh?" Thorne suggests.

There's a moment of silence before Kai shakes his head and pushes Thorne against the wall – the part where there's a blanket folded in front so his back isn't doesn't freeze, of course – before resting his head under Thorne's chin.

"Or we could stay here and cuddle?"

"My knight in leather armour," Kai replies as his agreement and Thorne scoffs but, even if he can stifle his laugh, he can't hide the amusement shining in his eyes.

The sun has set when Kai finally asks, "How was the day?"

Thorne makes a face and shrugs, an action that Kai can feel rather than see. "Pretty good, I got us a spot in the next trade."

"Really?"

"Of course. As if they could deny my handsome face!"

"The face that's currently plastered all over the newspapers because you're a wanted man?"

He bristles but Thorne knows Kai means well so he just hums in reply and waits until Kai sits up, smiling at him with a knowing look. "They can want you all they like but they can't have you."

"And why's that, love?" Thorne raises an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips once again.

Leaning forward so their foreheads touch, Kai plants a soft kiss on Thorne's nose. "Because I want you more than anyone else ever can and I'm not going to let you go, no matter what."

He's not unable to speak because there's an emotional lump in his throat again, definitely not. He smiles and, because he's still working on preventing awkward pauses but can't think of a single way to respond, leans forward and just about licks Kai's cheek.

Yelping, Kai jumps back and wipes off nothing in particular, making an affronted face. "Ew! I am not edible, you wannabe cannibal!"

"Oh, but you're such a sweet little sweetheart..." Thorne sings and grins as he watches Kai hold his hands up in surrender. Naturally, this results in a ridiculous game of chase in which they proceed to run all around the small space, ending up back on the mattress, this time with Thorne tickling Kai, who's trying his best not to cry with hysteria as he attempts to escape.

"O- O- kay, Okay, ple- Ah! Please!" Kai manages between gasps, gulping in the air when Thorne stops with a smug grin.

Kai lets his head fall back and Thorne grins down at him. "You planning on moving any time soon?"

"Not unless there's fire or guns," Kai breathes, his face still red.

Thorne smirks at him. "I guess I'll just have to manage then, won't I?"

"Wha-?" Kai shuts his eyes on instinct as he sees Thorne fall but opens one again when he hears a chuckle, grinning himself when he sees Thorne starting to do press-ups. He can't find anything to complain about so he just smiles, blowing on Thorne's face when he comes back down as if it can somehow help him get back up.

He's lost in Thorne's eyes when he feels a small kiss on his forehead and barely avoids jumping, blinking in surprise. "Did you just...?"

Yet another smug smirk on his face, Thorne pushes himself up before he repeats the process of kissing Kai's forehead on the way down. Kai laughs and Thorne almost loses his balance because he's never seen anything as beautiful as Kai's happiness. It's a curious cycle, Kai losing his breath every time Thorne comes down because each kiss makes his heart flutter and Thorne losing his breath each time he goes up because the appearance of Kai's dimples makes his soul smile. They reach fifty before their rhythm breaks.

"Show off," Kai whispers but they both know he doesn't mean it. Not really.

In retaliation, Thorne winks and lifts his hands up, laughing as Kai shrieks and rolls to the side to narrowly avoid being fallen on. "You utter nimrod!" Kai laughs.

"Nimrod?" Thorne echoes, "What in the name of aces is a nimrod?"

"You, obviously." Kai rolls his eyes, sass radiating from both his eyelashes and his tongue.

"If I look it up and find some weird, prehistoric slime creature thing named nimrod, I will..."

"You'll what?" Kai asks, his tone both cocky and innocent.

He's not even given a moment to regret asking anything because Thorne's hands are brushing his sides and he suddenly can't contain his urge to laugh, shrieking as he attempts to bat the offending fingers away.

"Still want to question my threats?" Thorne grins.

"Sta- ars- n- no! Thorne! Ah- No! No, n- no!" His disjointed sentences fade as he finds his opportunity to push Thorne's hands away and roll them over so he's staring down at those unmistakable blue eyes. They both know Thorne's more than capable of switching their positions back but neither of them wants to, tired and happy and safe.

"I'm glad you're back," Kai admits as he shifts to settle beside Thorne, nestled under his protective arm like an infant.

"I missed you too." Thorne smiles, ruffling Kai's hair as if there hadn't been only six hundred and eighty seven days between their days of birth. It's not a huge difference but Thorne knows he's probably committed more morally dubious acts in six hundred and eighty seven days than Kai has in his entire life. It's a thought that never fails to both scare and motivate him, although those two things can more than often be interchangeable for him.

As well as missing Kai, he must have also missed sleep because he knows of nothing after a soft chuckle and the feeling of something being draped over his shoulders – something that's not Kai's arm because that's been draped over his shoulders far too often for him not to recognise it.

The next thing he registers is Kai's hand over his mouth and a stinging sensation on his arm.

"Ow," he mutters groggily, his voice muffled by the delicate fingers covering his lips. He raises an eyebrow, just once glance at Kai's frown having told him that something or the other is wrong.

"I think we've been found," Kai whispers. He's so quiet, he's practically inaudible.

Thorne's eyes widen and he sits up, planting a quick kiss on Kai's lips – which is met with a quiet but still sassy 'eww, morning breath' – and finally registering the sound of a device picking the locks on their door. He's glad they'd taken the time to install so many locks because it gives them a chance to prepare themselves for running once again. The number of locks wouldn't usually matter but the ones chasing them don't want to be seen and so quietly carrying out their business is their top priority, even if it means painstakingly undoing every line of defence put up and hoping they're lucky enough not to wake their targets.

"We can't get out in time," Kai warns him, "This is their second to last lock and chains break pretty easily."

"Then we have to hide." Thorne's voice is hushed and steady but his mind is screaming, protesting that this isn't right; that Kai deserved to make his bookshelf; that nobody should be so paranoid that the slightest sound can wake them up; that he should be able to sleep next to the love of his life without the threat of being discovered; that everything is just so unfair.

Kai smiles at him and Thorne can't tell if his heart smiles or cries because the bravery behind that smile is beautiful but it shouldn't be necessary.

As quickly as possible, he scatters a few of their belongings so it looks like they'd been staying here without worry and pushes open the window, carefully placing a small segment of fabric on the edge as if it'd been snagged there when they'd escaped. As Kai grabs their getaway bags, Thorne picks up the flowers in their vase and throws them to the floor, biting his lip to hold back his instant remorse.

"After you," he whispers, letting Kai climb into the little space behind their fake wall and pulling the heavy segment of the wall back in place after following. They press themselves as far back as they can manage and Thorne slings an arm around Kai, pulling him close, wanting to shield him from the world and its evil schemes. Neither man moves as they hear the distinct sound of multiple people carelessly stepping on carefully organised parts of an unassembled bookshelf.

"Why aren't they here?" someone hisses and even Thorne flinches at the extreme anger in the cold voice. Kai's arms tighten around his middle so he plants a kiss on the top of Kai's head, closing his eyes for a moment and letting it seem as if he and Kai are the same entity, connected and inseparable.

"They were," someone else deduces.

"Comics?" another questions and Kai stiffens, glancing at Thorne with wide eyes.

They'd bought the comic together last month and Kai hadn't let go of it since because the main character reminds him of Thorne. Said brunet mouths an apology as they hear laughter, knowing there's no way the comic will still be intact after the men are gone. There's nothing more to be said as the two of them lean on one another, listening to sounds of their previous, temporary housing being destroyed and thoroughly searched, not that those two processes weren't entirely interchangeable in the case of those looking for them.

It could be an hour or it would be a week later when the sound of nothing but silence fills their ears no matter how hard they strain. Kai breathes a sigh of relief and Thorne squeezes his hand reassuringly before the two of them untangle their limbs and push the makeshift door out of place so they can leave.

"Oh..." is all Kai can say when he sees the chaos. Bits of wood and glossy comic paper are scattered absolutely everywhere, nails are buried in the floor, clearly having been stepped on, and the mattress is torn to shreds as if it had always been a pile of fluff and fabric.

"I'm sorry, Kai, I-"

Kai shakes his head. "It's not your fault, Thorne. Let's just... Let's just leave..."

"Okay," Thorne says because what else can he say?

So the two of them stealthily clamber out of the window and interlock their hands upon reaching the ground, sharing a determined look before starting to walk. They don't know where they're going but it doesn't matter because the only place they need to go is far from wherever they currently are. They walk and they walk and they walk and they walk and they walk until their feet hurt and the sun's at the top of the sky.

"Kai?" Thorne asks, glancing at him with concern. He knows Kai will always suffer in silence and he doesn't approve in the slightest.

"I'm okay," Kai replies but he sounds breathless. It's only then that Thorne realises Kai must not have eaten since breakfast the day before. He'd managed to find himself bits and pieces for lunch but, if Kai had been trying to build the shelf, there's no way he'd have remembered to eat or drink anything. Since neither of them had eaten an evening meal and their chance of breakfast had been destroyed, that means he's gone far too long without food.

"Spades and aces, Kai, I wish you'd stop being so selfless," Thorne murmurs but Kai just shrugs.

"It was more important to get moving. And anyway, it's not like you told me about twisting your ankle..."

At that, Thorne goes as red as the spray paint on the walls beside them, unable to argue without sounding severely hypocritical. He'd hoped his slight limp could go unnoticed but he should have known better, considering that Kai rarely fails to notice if even the littlest thing is wrong.

"And who are you guys?" a cold voice asks to their left, causing neither of them to jump but both of them move even closer to one another, ready to protect and fight for each other.

"Nobody." Kai's voice is strong, stronger than Thorne feels.

Someone laughs before there's a thud and a man is stepping out of the shadows, clearly not much older than mid-twenties. His hefty boots echo on the floor as he steps towards them, the knife at his side not going unnoticed. He narrows his unusually green eyes at them. "Where're you headed?"

"Nowhere." Again, Kai answers for them.

"What's it to you?" Thorne asks, raising an eyebrow.

"This is my land you're walking through," he explains, glancing down at them and frowning deeply. "Why are you covered in dust?"

"What, are you allergic?" Thorne quips, smirking.

There's a moment of silence wherein all three of them are unmoving, watching one another. It's only when the man realises neither Kai nor Thorne are going to threaten him unless he threatens them that he says, "You're good but if I catch you doing anything..."

"Understood," Kai assures, nodding quickly. Thankfully, it seems that's all the man was after.

Thorne exhales quietly as the man retreats into the shadows and he loosens his grip on Kai's hand - albeit keeping their fingers connected - as they start to walk again, unanimously agreeing their respective reasons to stop aren't enough to risk another tense encounter with someone who might recognise or report them for a little extra cash.

A soft silence floats between them until they walk past a food cart and Kai's stomach growls. He stops and inhales deeply, glancing at Thorne with a sheepish look. "I'm okay, really..."

"I love you but you're an actual nimrod sometimes."

"You don't even know what that means!"

"Yeah but I know the context. Come on, let's find a bite to eat," Thorne says and pulls Kai with him to the food cart, smiling at the girl who leans forward to take their order.

Kai grins up at her too. "Sorry, we don't have any cash, but we can trade?"

The girl shakes her head. "I can do you one better. We have the stuff that's gone past its best-before and you're welcome to all of it, but on one condition."

"Which is?" Kai asks, a bright smile still on his face.

"You guys have got to tell me something," the girl tells them, smiling mostly to herself.

"What do you want to know?" Thorne asks, suspicious but able to recognise a good deal when he sees one. As long as she doesn't ask anything that could lead her to figure out their capture is worth a hefty reward...

"I want to know why the two of you are together."

Kai and Thorne share a look and the girl clicks her fingers, grinning. "Exactly! Why do you do that? How do you know you can do that? I want to know."

Smiling, Kai lightly shrugs his shoulders. "I do that because he's become my definition of home and I can trust him more than I can trust anything else in the world. I do that because I know I won't be ridiculed for it and I know that I can be his first choice. I do that because I don't know what I'd do without him and I'd rather not give myself an opportunity to find out."

The girl smiles, her eyes soft and her smile genuine. "You guys are adorable. Promise me that you'll come back someday?"

Thorne, having recovered by this point, chuckles. "We can't quite promise that, darlin'. But we can promise to try and come back, I assure you."

"I'll take it," the girl says, then nods her head to the side. "Come on, time for my end of the bargain."

Which is how Kai and Thorne end up with two packets of biscuits, a pack of cereal bars, two handfuls of apples, and a tuna sub roll. They thank the girl for the help before splitting the food between their bags, keeping the sub roll out so they can eat it then continuing their walking.

Thorne splits the sub roll in half as equally as he can, handing Kai half and taking a bite out of his half. There's no sound in the air apart from their chewing for the next five minutes, after which Kai sighs and smiles up at Thorne in gratitude. Of course, he receives only a wink in reply, both of them knowing the favour had been returned before it had been made. They've been through so much together that there's no point being indebted to one another anymore, not that it stops them from trying to pay each other back for something or the other every so often.

Kai loves it when it's just the two of them and Thorne understands that without him having to explain because he feels the same. There's nothing like being with the one you love most, far away from all other signs of civilisation, feeling as if it's the two of you against the world and, for once, you actually stand a chance. They love the moments they get together, the somewhat mundane things they do together able to bring more joy than anything the universe can gift them because, when it comes to nature, discovered treasures are worth far more than bought or traded ones.

Nothing goes wrong until Thorne stumbles, gasping as he falls on Kai, barely managing to avoid hitting the floor. Kai, muttering something about the universe, doesn't miss a beat, pulling Thorne behind a set of trees and shrugging his backpack off when he sees the little dart in Thorne's leg.

"You have to stay here, Thorne, do you hear me?" Kai orders, leaning Thorne against the trees and making sure he's behind a bush so he's not visible.

"'m f'ne..." Thorne slurs, blinking to try and stay awake.

Kai shakes his head. "Stay down. They can't take us both." He bites his lip, knowing they don't have much time. "I'm throwing our bags up into the trees, you can find them later."

After he does exactly that, managing it in one go because of how many times he's done it before, he slips an apple in his pocket and plants a quick kiss on Thorne's forehead, pushing him as far back as he can before giving his hand a small squeeze. "I love you."

"L'vv 'ou..." Thorne replies, the panic in his mind rapidly dampened by the drug rapidly spreading through his veins. Kai smiles sadly, taking a deep breath before standing, gritting his teeth and running until he can hear his heart, then stepping back onto the road, taking the apple out of his pocket and biting into it.

Three steps are taken and one more small bite is bitten before there's an ache on his back and the road is flying up towards him. He throws an arm out but the side of his face grazes the ground anyway, and the sting causes him to wince as he's lifted to his feet, his arms held securely by at least four people.

"I thought you were meant to be difficult to find?" someone mocks and he blinks the blood away from his eye so he can see who it is.

"Grayson." Kai grins. "I'd say it's nice to meet you but you just ruined my apple."

"Where's the other one?"

"The other one?" Kai asks, "There isn't another apple, are you feeling quite alright?"

He bites his lip as someone punches him and stifles his groan even though he doesn't necessarily need to do so. It's been long enough for Thorne to have fallen completely unconscious so there's no risk of him revealing his hiding spot in exchange for trying to protect Kai.

"Any more of that attitude and you aren't going to survive much longer," Grayson warns.

Kai rolls his eyes. "You need me alive for the money."

"But I don't need you unharmed, do I?" The smirk in Grayson's eyes is worrying enough without the threat laced in his reminder. Even so, Kai refuses to react, keeping his expression one of nonchalance. In truth, he doesn't really care what happens to him as long as Thorne is safe, out of their reach, out of harm's way.

Grayson scoffs and motions with his hand, a cue for somebody else to make Kai's vision fade into nothing but black. He manages to internally sigh at the thought of a headache he'll be faced with upon waking up before he feels his limbs go as limp as damp tissue paper.

Damp tissue paper also happens to be an accurate description for the state of Thorne's strength when he stirs, pins and needles ringing through all of his limbs.

"What...?" Thorne mumbles to himself before he remembers Kai's regretful face and attempts to stand, folding over almost immediately. Cursing nothing in particular and yet everything at the same time, he blinks, wiggling his fingers and toes to return feeling to them.

"I thought we agreed not to do this..." Thorne whispers as if Kai could hear him. Then he sees the dart on the ground near his feet and realisation dawns on him. "Oh, okay, fine, I would have done the same thing..."

It's not until he stands up again to stretch his legs properly that he sees their bags in the trees above them. Sighing, he quickly scales the tree and lets the backpacks fall to the floor before jumping down, not waiting even a second before opening them and mentally going through inventory, which tells him everything but an apple has remained untouched.

The missing apple, as it turns out, is on the side of the road about half a mile away with two small bites taken out of it and a layer of dirt sprayed over the top. Although, that doesn't really bother him as much as the splatters of blood beside the apple worry him. A horrible sense of dread fills his heart, praying that the blood doesn't belong to Kai. Before he can fully convince himself that Kai isn't out of reach, there's a pointed cough behind him.

"Aces!" he blurts, standing and pivoting so fast he almost gives himself a headache.

"My bad," the other person replies and Thorne realises it's the girl with the food from earlier. Earlier? Yesterday, he corrects himself, if the sun and a gentle pang of hunger in his stomach is anything to go by.

"Where's your boyfriend?" the girl asks.

Thorne initially shrugs but looks the girl up and down, making a note of the recently mended tears in her clothing, before smirking. "Why, you interested?"

She scoffs. "I'm not a homewrecker. And you're not even that handsome."

"I wasn't talking about me, darlin'." Thorne raises an eyebrow. "But I'm glad we agree on something."

"Which is?" The girl asks, clearly unsure of whether or not to confirm.

"That my boyfriend is the most beautiful creature on earth."

The girl blanches for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I can agree with that."

"Do you have a name or are you just a pretty face?" Thorne asks, more than conscious of the fact that Kai is getting further and further away from him every second he talks.

"Cinder," The girl – Cinder – tells him. "I'd ask what your name is but I reckon you don't want to tell me."

"Smart and pretty, huh? In another world, I'm sure I'd have loved you to bits."

"I'm good as one bit, thanks." Cinder rolls her eyes and Thorne can't help admiring her casual acceptance of his flirting. It's always a good test to see if people can be trusted and, thankfully, Cinder seems like she can. While he's deciding if he should tell her anything, said girl narrows her eyes at him. "While we're in this world, where's the beautiful one?"

"Right in front of you, darlin'." Thorne purses his lips for a second, winking. But his demeanour quickly changes back to serious. "He's gone. And I need to find him."

"Gone?" Cinder frowns, then glances at the ground, her eyebrows furrow in as she sees the blood. "Is that...?"

"Most likely. He wouldn't leave an apple half-eaten." Thorne holds up the apple in his hands and sighs. "I just don't know where to look this time."

If Cinder is wondering why this has happened before, she keeps it hidden well. Biting her lip for a second, she clicks her fingers again. "I might know."

Thorne glances at her in surprise, having expected a lot of things but definitely not that. "How?"

"My best friend, she was... She disappeared and I tracked her location as far as I could before the signal totally blinked out and it was like she'd left the planet entirely."

He considers it, the shadiness awfully similar to his and Kai's experiences. Accepting that the root or their problems are one they share and guessing that Cinder doesn't want to talk about her best friend yet, Thorne nods and accepts her reason at face value. "Well, I think the real question here is whether or not you can ditch the food cart in favour of accompanying a handsome man in a rescue mission?"

"I'm nineteen; I can do what I want."

"Then why haven't you done so already?"

Cinder shrugs, tying her back as she says: "I owed someone and I couldn't leave until I paid my debt."

"And you just happened to pay it off yesterday?" Thorne raises an eyebrow.

"No-" she ties the knot in her hair- "but they died last night and that's pretty much the same thing."

Thorne blinks at her, not having expected the nonchalant attitude to death, but shrugs. "Looks like we're a team then."

After he leads her to where he'd woken up and hands her his backpack, wanting to keep Kai's with him as a constant reminder like his absence isn't enough in itself, she grins at him. "Like you said, if we were in a different world, I'd call us a couple on a mission."

Thorne smiles at her. "It looks like my charm is still as powerful as ever."

"More or less." Cinder starts walking so Thorne follows. "Aro but not unaffected." She glances sideways as if expecting him to recoil in horror or something of the sort.

"I take that and raise you to pan." Thorne can't even hide the smugness in his voice when he sees her gleeful, grateful smile.

"Frustrating?" Cinder asks, thinking of a certain bisexual redhead who never stops complaining about how unfair it is she can't just be in a sort of relationship with everyone cute and wondering if Thorne goes through the same thing.

"It probably would be," Thorne muses, "but, as you're well aware, I have all I need."

Cinder smiles softly, neither of them saying much more, comforted by the common ground they stand on - literally and metaphorically. Their footsteps are silent as they walk or occasionally stumble, their backpacks softly brushing against their jackets, too softly to be heard by anyone else. They don't even have to talk to agree on lunch, Thorne pulling out a cereal bar and an apple and Cinder following his lead without saying a word. There's no reason for them to say anything at all. That is, until nightfall.

"Well, well, well, look who it is again." A familiar voice goads and Thorne internally groans, recognising it as the same man who'd threatened them yesterday. "Although I could have sworn you had a boy with you last time."

Cinder seems to sense the hostility in his voice and bristles, stiffening but not stepping back even the slightest. Thorne does the same, simply waiting for the man to say something instead.

"Either way, I'm sure you know the drill. Pay up."

Thorne narrows his eyes. "I'm not paying anything to a possible snitch, no matter how tall, dark and brooding he may seem."

There's a knife in front of his throat before he can exhale so Thorne sucks in his breath, clenching his jaw but still not backing down. The metal is cold against his skin but he refuses to shiver, instead staring up at the man with what he hopes is indifference.

"Ze'ev?" Cinder asks softly.

The man jumps - making Thorne hiss as the knife temporarily presses further into his skin - and turns to Cinder with a defensive look in his eyes. As much as Thorne wants to make a nervous joke about someone who looks like a jock being bested by someone who looks thinner than a lamppost, the prickling on his neck is warning enough against it. As it is, the man with green eyes seems to recognise Cinder, who smiles at him.

"What happened to the farm?"

The man, now confirmed to be Ze'ev, shrugs. "They're using it as their headquarters."

"Who?" Thorne asks, not even caring about the knife if there's even the smallest possibility that it might be where Kai is.

Ze'ev glances him over before his expression softens, clearing realising Thorne hadn't ditched his previous companion by choice. "Someone with a weird name... Uh, Grayfather?"

"Grayson?" Thorne offers, both wanting and not wanting himself to be correct. For better or for worse, Ze'ev nods. When Thorne grimaces in response, Cinder tilts her head at him, asking a question that doesn't need to be voiced.

"We've run into him before and..." Thorne pinches the bridge of his nose. "Let's just say, he's essentially the reason we both can't sleep well without one another."

Cinder exhales heavily, half-whistling as she does, and awkwardly pats him on the back. Ze'ev on the other hand, looks positively murderous as if Thorne's relative insomnia is something he feels responsible for.

"Where's Scar?" Cinder asks Ze'ev, deducing that Thorne needs a minute to mentally gather his information about Grayson so they can formulate a plan.

"Fine. Safe. But I can't reach her until I get the farm back," Ze'ev says, the anger in his voice practically palpable.

Having reached a decision, Thorne shakes his head. "Right. That makes three parties with a common enemy. So, you alright to leave your territory for a while?"

He looks unsure until Cinder clears her throat. "Ze'ev, I need to find Iko and he needs to find the most beautiful creature in all of existence."

"Didn't peg you as one to swing that way," is all Ze'ev says but the two of them can tell he's on board with their plan.

Thorne grins. "I don't swing, man, I spin until I'm dizzy and then I get up and spin some more."

"I don't swing until I've helped to build the frame personally," Ze'ev admits and even Cinder has to try and hide her surprise. She'd more or less assumed the same but to hear Ze'ev casually admit he's demisexual is something she hadn't been expecting, especially not when the man he'd ended up telling is the same one whose throat he'd threatened to slash. She comes to the conclusion that there's just something comfortable about Thorne and the vibe he gives off because she herself had felt absolutely safe in telling him and if Ze'ev feels okay to do so, that's really saying something.

Thorne just nods in acknowledgement. "Right. Do you happen to know the way to your farm or are you just an intimidating face?"

Ze'ev rolls his eyes. "You think I'd forget the first and only place I ever called home?"

The three of them share a knowing silence before Ze'ev slings a small pouch over his shoulder and the three of them start walking once again. As soon as they cross the boundary Ze'ev had created for his territory, the ground gets rougher and the path gets harder and harder to follow. Not that it stops them, of course, because a difficult journey is nothing, absolutely nothing in the face of love.

It would have taken the average person at least a week to get there but, between their determination, hatred and anxiety, they manage it in three days and two nights. The gates of the farm are in sight when the sun sets on the third day but they're smart enough to know a rescue mission can't be successful if the rescuers are at risk of falling asleep at any moment.

"Nobody dies until tomorrow morning," Ze'ev mutters before shutting his eyes, an action that makes it impossible to tell whether or not he's still awake.

"One more night, then you can sleep properly..." Cinder smiles as comfortingly as she can.

Thorne nods before realising he hasn't yet told her his name. "If we die, I'd like to be remembered as more than the dashing young fellow who could have stolen your heart had he chosen to do so."

Cinder snorts but gestures for him to go on so he shrugs. "The name's Thorne. If you compare me to a rose I will not only steal your heart but also scatter its ashes over your dead body."

"Looks like someone clearly needs their beauty sleep," Cinder chooses to say but Thorne knows she's thankful for his trust.

As expected, he can barely sleep. He doesn't know if he drifts off or not, Kai's metallic eyes and adorable dimples taking away his ability to fall into slumber. Bits and pieces of crazy dreams float before his eyes and so, by the time the sun decides to grace them with its presence, he's more restless than he's ever been.

"Up, up, up, come on, let's go, pretty faces!" Thorne grins at them as he wakes up, receiving two sets of eye rolls in return. Nevertheless, the three of them are up and ready to go within the next four minutes. He's about to sling Kai's bag over his shoulder when he pauses. "It's not a good idea to go in with baggage, is it?"

"No," Ze'ev answers instantly, "grab food and you can eat it on the go. The rest stays here."

"It's not like we don't still have heaps of emotional baggage," Cinder mutters as she hides Thorne's bag.

It's an unspoken agreement that if they don't all make it back, the ones who do will make sure that person's belongings don't fall into the wrong, undeserving hands. Thorne and Cinder each take a cereal bar, passing Ze'ev two apples - he'd rather have them because he says they remind him of tomatoes, whatever that means - as they prepare themselves for whatever they might find... or not find, if they're unlucky.

Ze'ev, knowing the farm like he knows his own mind and having designed the security system himself, manages to get them in without being spotted. There are no problems as they enter the building and nothing gets complicated as they find the spare bedroom, the one which can connect to the feed from the cameras. Connecting to said feed takes no longer than a minute and they're met with the sight of two dozen or so black and white boxes on the screen that had been somewhat predictably hidden under a floorboard, but done uniquely enough to be successful so nobody can really complain.

Scanning over them, Thorne points to the only black square. "Where's that one?"

Cinder makes an alarming sound as something catches her eye. Or rather, as someone catches her eye. "It's Iko," she tells them so the two men follow her gaze to the bottom left square.

Iko looks mostly unharmed but her right foot seems to be at an odd angle and they can see her black eye all too well. Trying to hold down the itch in his heart telling him to leave Iko and find Kai, he exhales softly. "Alright, how do we get there? Let's go get her."

A smile finds its way to Cinder's face and she nudges Thorne, letting him know she greatly appreciates his compassion, while Ze'ev works out the best route for them to take. Thorne's managed to brush off his embarrassment when Ze'ev finalises their route, quickly explaining it in case they get lost. The three of them waste no time in slotting the screen back into its hiding spot, wanting to get on with their mission as soon as possible.

Thorne elbows Cinder as they follow Ze'ev and smiles. "Stop being so tense, your muscles are going to snap and your limbs will fall off."

"I'd still look better than you," Cinder mutters in response but she relaxes nonetheless, unclenching her jaw.

Ze'ev holds up a hand for them to stop and points to a room about ten yards away. A room that happens to be just past a bunch of angry-looking men who seem to be hungry for violence. "Any of you know how to fight?"

Thorne scoffs. "Oh, please, fighting is my middle name."

"Really?" Cinder raises an eyebrow as she nods to Ze'ev. "I thought it'd be something like 'heart-eyes' with the way you never stop gazing at your boyfriend."

Turns out that good-naturedly insulting each other is a good replacement for a pep talk. The quietest steps possible, ten punches, six kicks and various bruises later, the three of them slip inside the room where Iko initially refuses to look at them but her blue braids swing over her shoulder when she hears Cinder pointedly clear her throat.

"Cinder!"

Thorne and Ze'ev share a smile as the two girls embrace and Cinder adeptly picks the lock on Iko's handcuffs, both of them grinning like idiots as the metal quietly falls to the floor and Iko rolls her wrists. They talk in whispers as they check over each other and, once they're done, Cinder turns to Ze'ev.

"Can you help? Her ankle needs resetting."

As if his inner first-aider is suddenly switched on, Ze'ev rolls his sleeves up and kneels beside Iko, taking her ankle in his hands and nodding to them. He mutters a 'one' before there's the unmistakable click of a bone being slotted back into place and Iko bites her hand to stop herself from crying out and thus alerting anyone of their presence. She leans on Cinder, gratefully smiling at the two men as she stands.

"Have you seen a beautiful man?" Thorne asks before he can think it through, then grins to diffuse the awkward pause. "Other than myself, of course?"

Iko giggles weakly but then seems to remember something, biting her lip and holding up a hand. They wait until she's ready to ask, "Grayson?"

"Unfortunately," Thorne confirms, butterflies of both relief and dread flying around his stomach well over their speed limit.

"The wine cellar!" Ze'ev exclaims somewhat randomly. Cinder and Thorne frown, taking a moment to realise he's telling them which square's camera feed had been black, but Iko wastes no time before she gasps and nods.

"That's it! That's where the beautiful man they brought in is being kept."

Even with Iko's attempt to make him smile, Thorne can't help the painful groan he emits; he knows Kai hates being trapped in unfamiliar spaces when alone the same way Thorne hates being stuck on the open seas.

"We have to find him, right now," Cinder decides, seeing the look in Thorne's eyes. Iko nods her agreement but Ze'ev shakes his head.

"Iko's ankle needs to heal."

Iko bites her lip but Thorne doesn't have time for delays. "Right, she and Cinder can hide in the bedroom and you can show me how to get to the cellar."

"I know the way back. Don't worry, we'll manage." Cinder practically ushers them out of the room so Thorne and Ze'ev nod at the two girls and set off, weaving around security cameras as they take the safest route Ze'ev can recall.

"It's not even guarded..." Ze'ev observes. "Something's wrong."

"How wrong?" Thorne asks, barely resisting the urge to just run at the door. He wants to run, he really does, but running at the wrong time, even if for the sake of love, is never usually a good idea.

"Wrong enough for me to say you're too late," Grayson answers as he opens the cellar door, stepping out with a smirk on his face. Stupidly, he leaves a door open a little as if he thinks he's good enough to make sure they don't get past. His mistake.

"What have you done?" Ze'ev demands before Thorne gets a chance. Grayson just smiles, walking towards them with a smug expression on his face and a glint in his eyes that Thorne wants to punch out of him.

"Go!" Ze'ev yells as he tackles Grayson.

Thorne hesitates only a split second before giving in to his heart's desire and slipping through the door with as much grace as a blind rhino in a panic. He pulls the door shut behind them, hearing the automatic lock, and immediately regrets it when he's plunged into darkness. Cursing, he fumbles on the wall for a light switch, his heart dropping as he seems to find only the wall.

"Kai?" he calls softly.

A muffled whimper is his only reply.

"For the love of- come on, come on... come on!" Thorne swears as he almost trips but his fingers finally locate a switch and he presses it, wincing when a dim, red light fills the room.

"Kai!" he cries as he sees said man folded in on himself in the furthest corner, his hands, feet, and knees tied with what looks like rope but seems to be much heavier. He doesn't think twice before skipping steps on the way down, moving faster than a bullet and kneeling beside Kai with a painful thud, immediately wrapping his arms around the man and pulling him close, kissing the top of his head.

"Okay. Okay, okay, let's get this out of your mouth," Thorne says as he pulls the fabric away from Kai's tired, tear-stained face, throwing it to one side. He kisses Kai's lips without missing a beat, wanting to replace the horrible taste of fabric, smiling when Kai melts into the gesture instantly.

"Thorne..." Kai's voice is dry but love finds a way to leak through his tone regardless.

"I'm so sorry, love." Thorne's hands are shaking as he unravels the peculiar ropes Kai has been immobilised with and both of them flinch every time something crashes outside the door, the red light above them barely helping. He tries to avoid rubbing the rope against Kai's skin so he has rope burns all over his own skin by the time he's done but he doesn't care, pulling Kai close again and breathing in his warmth as if it were morphine.

When Thorne pulls back, it's only to carefully run a finger over the grazes down one side of his face. He plants the gentlest of kisses next to Kai's eye, where the worst graze is, before asking: "Did they hurt you?"

Kai shrugs, letting his head fall against Thorne's chest as he tries to get the feeling back into his limbs. "I've had worse."

When he takes his jacket off and wraps it around Kai's shoulders because his shirt is torn and clearly not enough to keep him warm, Thorne's proud smile is full of regret. "That's why I didn't ask that, Kai. Are you hurt?"

"Bruises, mostly. I'm okay."

Thorne senses something is off but they have no time to discuss it because they're forced to divert their attention from each other to the entrance when the door bursts open and crashes into the wall hard enough to make the paint crack a little.

"Hurry!" Cinder yells down and Thorne is on his feet in an instant, draping one on Kai's arms around his shoulders and pulling him along, the two of them stumbling up the stairs and falling out of the door. Kai looks ready to keel over at any moment but Thorne doesn't let go of him for a second, keeping him supported the whole time.

He barely notices the fighting around him even though he occasionally takes part in it, choosing to focus on Kai instead. Ze'ev stays behind because he wants to contact whoever he shares the farm with so the four of them make their way back to the trees where their bags are, breathless and exhilarated when they finally reach. Iko and Cinder slump to the floor and Thorne gently lets Kai down so he can lean against the tree, frowning as Kai gasps and stifles a cry when his back hits the bark.

Kai has to blink rapidly in order to get his vision back, the pain taking over all of his senses. He slams his eyes shut and breathes as deeply as he's able to, his nails digging into his palms until he can hear the rest of the world again.

"Kai?"

Dazed, Kai slowly shakes his head. "I'm... I'm fine."

"You almost passed out, you are most definitely not okay, you liar." Thorne's words are harsh but his tone is loving and soft as he kisses Kai's forehead. "You don't have to tell me the details, love. But I need to know how severe it is."

Still being pretty much out of it, Kai just shrugs. "Not as bad as my lack of sleep..."

The words act like a trigger and Thorne then realises how sleepy he is himself, almost laughing at the two of them: they're finally together again and all they want to do is sleep.

Cinder grins at them as they try and fail to keep their eyes open, slowly but surely curling into one another and dozing off until they're softly snoring. She can't help but coo at them, earning her a smug laugh from Iko.

"No."

"Polyamory is perfectly acc-"

"Iko." Cinder raises an eyebrow. "You should have seen them convincing each other to eat. I don't think anyone can get between them."

"Yeah, yeah... How's the grumpy Adri?"

"Dead," Cinder replies, grinning. Iko blinks at her, blinks again then smiles right back, almost equally as relieved.

A small chuckle from Ze'ev is how they know he's back and Cinder smiles at him with gratitude. "Did you contact Scar?"

"Yeah, she's headed back soon."

The three of them catch up on the things they'd missed and trade as many stories they can think of before ultimately falling asleep, Iko leaning on Cinder like a blanket and Ze'ev situated between them and the farm, his arms folded even as he sleeps. When the sun yawns and sprays its light over them, Kai and Thorne, along with their bags, are gone, a small thank-you note in their place.

When the sun yawns and the three of them wake, Kai and Thorne, along with their bags, are back at their demolished apartment, having pushed the chest of drawers in front of the door as a makeshift lock, not that anybody would think to look for them in the same place twice.

"You have to show me, love." Thorne smiles as comfortingly as he can.

Kai bites his lip and a range of emotions seem to flicker across his face before he finally sighs and reluctantly nods, letting Thorne's jacket fall to the floor behind him. Immediately, Thorne notices the blood he hadn't noticed before because the wine cellar had been doused in red light and he couldn't tell what was blood and what wasn't while they were in there.

"Oh, Kai..." Thorne murmurs as he gently eases the shirt away from Kai's back, trying not to cry when Kai cries out or gasps.

It takes them half an age to peel the ruined shirt away and, by the time they manage it, Kai is paler than Thorne had thought possible. He's breathing sharply, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes squeezed shut. Thorne wants to cry, he wants the walls to swallow him up before he can inflict any more pain on the one he loves, but he grits his teeth, knowing whatever injures Kai has must be cleaned and bandaged before they can start moving again.

Kai shivers as Thorne washes the dried blood way with a damp towel, the best they can do with their limited supplies and the fact that they can't buy anything without the risk of being caught again. His heart breaks as he finally sees there are obvious gashes in Kai's skin, clearly inflicted with a knife. What's worse is the precision in which they seem to have been made, spelling out a lie they'd clearly wanted Kai to believe in order to break him and gain the upper hand they've only ever seen in their dreams.

"I'm going to kill them," Thorne growls.

Kai turns and smiles, leaning up so he can rest his forehead on Thorne's. "I love you."

He melts, just as he does every time. Kai also manages to calm his rage down enough for him to pull out their first-aid kit and gently clean the gashes so they're as small as possible. It's ironic that the cleaner the gashes are, the clearer the words they spell are: 'just a weakness'

"Kai?" Thorne whispers as he finishes cleaning them, the bloody towel placed to one side. "You know they're wrong, right?"

"I thought I did..."

"Kai, love, you're not even remotely a weakness, never mind just being that." Thorne shifts so he's facing the other man. "You are my strength, my heart, and my whole world. You make me weak at the knees but you give me a power I couldn't even fathom before I met you."

Kai neither chuckles nor sobs and yet does both in one noise. "Do you really mean that?"

"I swear upon everything I can swear upon and the stuff I shouldn't be able to swear upon as well," Thorne assures him, placing a hand over his heart. "Weakness? More like Highness. You're practically my queen."

"No, you're the drama queen," Kai mumbles and Thorne doesn't register the borderline insult because he's transfixed by Kai's tentative smile.

"Alright, fine, sassy pants, I'll be a queen and you can be my king!"

At that, Kai beams and Thorne can't breathe, always blown away by the beauty of a smile on the face of the one he loves most.

Once his back is bandaged - a process wherein his entire upper body is basically wrapped in white - Kai yawns again, curling himself around Throne with a sleepy smile. Thorne wraps himself around Kai, holding the younger man as close as he can, wanting to stay as near to each other as possible until they can't tell where one begins or the other ends, but also not wanting to hurt the delicate love of his life in any way. Shaking his head at himself, he settles for basically draping his limbs over Kai's, the two of them entangled, so that he can form a makeshift shield with his body.

Sleep curling around them almost immediately, the two of them forget lunch, forget dinner, forget what time itself is, even though, technically, nobody else actually knows that it is either. When they awake, they freshen up as best they can and share half a pack of biscuits. While it's not exactly a substantial breakfast, a quarter of a pack of biscuits each is enough to fuel them for a substantial amount of time. It's definitely a habit that's not healthy but a healthy diet is a luxury when you're technically on the run for your life.

"You might need a new shirt," Thorne admits as he picks Kai's tattered shirt up off the floor.

Kai grins and shakes his head, clearly knowing something Throne doesn't. He pulls something small out of his jeggings, unfolding it and unfolding it until the previously unnoticeable object turns into a formal white shirt.

"Where in aces did you get that?"

"Iko," Kai answers, gingerly slipping his arms into the shirt, Thorne automatically pulling it down over his head so he doesn't get stuck or disrupt the bandaging.

"You're welcome." Thorne rolls his eyes as he tries to get over the fact that Kai always, always manages to impress him.

"You have such a scruffy bedhead," Kai comments as he runs a hand through Thorne's mussed locks, grinning childishly.

Thorne sticks his tongue out, clearly initiating an unofficial childishness challenge. Kai sticks his out further in return and the next minute goes by with the two of them making faces at each other, crossing their eyes or waving their hands by the sides of their heads. It's utterly ridiculous and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Alright, you win!" Thorne concedes as he laughs, his stomach in pain from the deluge of hysteria.

Kai grins smugly. "No kidding, Sherlock."

"That's not fair; you know I haven't read that one yet!"

His protest is met with only a wink that makes his heart flutter and flip inside his chest.

It's beautiful. The softness of their embrace amidst the utter disarray of their apartment is beautiful. It's also a little bit heartbreaking but neither of them really want to focus on that, preferring to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist and they're the only two in all of the universe. It would be nice, Thorne thinks, if everyone would stop trying to hurt Kai and let them live in peace. It would be nice, Kai thinks, if everyone would stop chasing after Thorne and let them go about their life. It would be nice, they both think, if they didn't have to appreciate the beauty of their path only after suffering through the worst of journeys first.

As always when it comes to just about anything, compromise is a must, so, instead of complaining about their lack of freedom, they use each other's eyes as mirrors and smile until their faces hurt then smile some more. Some would say that this makes them happy and some would say it's a coping mechanism that probably needs rethinking but the two of them would, if asked, tell the world that, in moments like these, they're perfectly content with what they have.

They stay in their precious apartment no more than necessary, waiting until Kai's back has healed enough for him to move without being in pain. Thorne ends up growing a small stubble in those days, which Kai doesn't stop teasing him about until Thorne replaces the jokes with his mouth, stealing Kai's words away with a plethora of kisses.

"I'm almost sad to see it go." Thorne looks around the messy space with a ludicrous sigh.

"No, you aren't." Kai loops their arms together and pulls him outside, not bothering to shut the door because the locks have essentially been placebos since they'd been forcefully unlocked.

"No, I'm really not," Thorne agrees with a sly grin on his face. He says something like that every time they leave but he's not fooling anyone, both of them knowing his definition of home is Kai.

Kai giggles as they make their way down the fire escape and the two of them quickly make their way as far away as they can, heading in the direction of the next trade, which happens to be a long walk away. Of course, they plan to hitch rides and charm their way into being given lifts at different points because, as Thorne's policy states, what's the point of being handsome and charismatic if you can't get anything out of it?

So, at the risk of becoming a cliché, the two of them intertwine their fingers and smile at each other, determination and love shining in their eyes as they let their shoulders brush and stylishly walk towards the horizon.

Anyone up for seeing more of these two, maybe as a series where the other characters make cameos as well? Thanks for reading! Love you <3