Percy woke up on the cold floor in front of the long dormant fireplace, feeling an unfamiliar chill running through his body as he squinted against the mid-morning light. He had fallen asleep far earlier than he usually did, before midnight, before the Solstice had truly begun, and, judging by the feeling within him that told him it was midafternoon, had slept longer than he had in centuries.

The first thing he saw when he sat up was the wooden carving he had debated throwing into the fireplace after Kris had left. It surprised Percy to note that the first feeling it elicited was relief, and then he felt guilty. Guilty for pushing Kris away, guilty for the anger that had snapped through his entire being when he had sensed the cold magic of the binding manacle in Kris' pocket.

If he had been younger, or perhaps even if he had been less experienced with the damned chains that the Fae had used against the Demigen, perhaps he would have missed the awareness from his magic as his aura had spread out in the room, encompassing Kris. His immediate assumption had been that the man had been trying to trick him, lying to bind him, and he had latched onto that explanation because it was easier to justify his anger. His fury had lashed out because of the memories that he still tried to protect himself from, and he had not wanted to restrain it.

But now, with a calm head and hind sight on the incident, Percy wondered if Kris' stammered explanations had been truthful. Had the Fae's guilt and pain been real? Percy had been betrayed after trusting the Fae, back in the beginning of the war, and though he had survived, the incident had left lasting scars he had never needed to address. No one had asked him to trust the Fae until recently, and the ease with which he had trusted Kris had only shocked him when he had assumed himself betrayed.

But what if he had not been wrong?

He had survived last night, but surely it was better if he left before Kris or any of the other Fae decided to do something in a more overt way. A binding was against the accords if it was without due cause. But within what was clearly Kris' territory, Percy was certain that evidence could be created to support such a reason, if they so decided that they wanted to take the opportunity to rid the world of him.

And as he was already on a forced sabbatical, Percy was pretty sure that his people wouldn't push too hard to uncover the truth.

The two parts of his mind, the hopeful and the cynical, warred over the argument long enough that Percy remained in the cottage through the day, and though he was restless, he battled for the energy to do anything of use. Even wandering into the forest seemed beyond him, though as the sun fell, Percy forced himself outside and began to split wood, if only to give his body an outlet while he tried to clear his mind.

"Kris told me that you most likely would have left, but I knew you hadn't." Miriam's voice cut through his conflicted self involvement in the low light of the twilight hour.

Percy paused his axe-swing and turned to look at the older woman, frowning softly. "So he has sent you out here, has he?"

Miriam smiled in genuine amusement before shaking her head. "I don't care who they are. No one sends me anywhere. I brought food, and you look like you haven't had a thing to eat all day."

The truth of her statement made Percy pause, and he lowered his axed and frowned carefully at her. "There's no way you can tell that from merely looking at me."

"Ah, no, not your physical being, but your aura, yes. It has dimmed." Miriam winked at him. "I know you think I'm a mere human, Demigen. I don't think Kris has even quite figured out what I am, but I see you both for who you are. And you are wearing the capabilities of your human form down. You can get sick in this form if you are not careful, but I suppose you didn't know that." Miriam reached out to take the axe out of his hand and nodded toward the cottage, talking as she followed him up onto the porch, where a pot of stew was waiting.

Percy glanced at the pot, though he merely opened the door for the woman when she shooed him away and picked it up herself. He only spoke once they were inside and she had ordered him to start the fire as she turned to the stove to 'make him tea'. "I was thinking of leaving. I will pay for the entire reservation, but I don't think I am welcome here."

Miriam snorted and was glaring at him when he turned around to look at him. "Because you had a fight with Kris?"

It drew a scowl to his features, though he turned and continued nursing the flames to life as he answered. "Not so simple as a fight. He had a binding device on him last night. He said he was given it and didn't want to use it, but I have a hard time believing a Fae. Last time I did, I was nearly lost."

"Well, that would have violated our treaties, wouldn't it?" Miriam's voice was thoughtful as she moved around the kitchen.

A small part of Percy tensed, knowing the woman could be doing anything behind his back and knowing that another betrayal was a possibility if this small town had deemed him the enemy. He didn't turn around, though he prepared himself for an attack of some sort as he watched the flames grow.

"Unless I was a violator myself. Unless I endangered the town and territory of Kris... and it would be my word against the word of all of Kris' people." He murmured softly, grimacing at the hesitation in his voice.

Miriam's footsteps were soft, but not silenced across the floor, and she spoke from off to the side, finally drawing him to look at her when she spoke. "I know it is hard to trust after we've been injured, and that our defences try so hard to slam back into place, because that is how we've survived when we were in danger. I don't fault you for that. But know that even if Kris had asked us to lie for him, we would not have. You have endangered none of us, human or Fae. And you have helped us without relationships with the local Demigen. We already documented this in the town history, and that no Fae can destroy."

She was holding a mug of tea in her hands and she offered it to him, giving him a gentle smile.

Percy watched her, looking down at the cup, then back up at her features. "Which I would need to trust your word on."

"You already trust me." Miriam smiled a little wider and arched a brow before Percy could object to her assessment. "You could have demanded my name when you learned I was not human. You could have ensured no harm was done to you, but you didn't. And I know you are smart enough to have evaluated that fact in your mind already."

She was right.

He had not acknowledged the thought before, but when she pointed it out, Percy knew his mind had decided for him. He trusted this strange woman that he could not identify. Miriam shoved the tea into his hands and guided him to sit down on the couch in front of the fire.

"Take care of yourself. And come see me for stew tomorrow. If you don't, I will assume you have either given up on us and left, or you're sick." Miriam smiled again, then turned and walked out the door without more of an adieu.

Percy followed her directions, drinking the tea and eating for the first time that day, before falling asleep on the couch.

It wasn't even full night time. He had never fallen asleep at night before, but he definitely wasn't sick.

***

It was midmorning when Percy woke up to find the fire cold once again. His body ached a little, the humanness feeling less vital than he was used to, but he forced himself to stand and moved through his daily routine of warming the place up and finishing the remnants of the stew.

Then he left the cottage and despite Miriam's warning, he turned away from town and wandered through the forest, not paying attention to where he was going as he wove through the trees, trudging through snow that was up to the knees of his human form until he found himself on the far side of town, standing at the edge of someone's property. He stared at the modest house that also contained another building that had people working with magic within it, and a barn that smelled like it housed horses and reindeer, trying to remember why the place seemed familiar.

The realization hit him and he turned away, only to find himself facing Kris, who was standing in a pair of jeans, large snow boots, and a red wool jacket that was open to reveal that he was shirtless.

Kris looked surprised to see him, though the surprise quickly shifted to hope, and then to a pained wariness as they stared at each other silently.

"I do not know why my feet led me here." Percy forced the words out, then frowned because they were a lie.

"I don't know why you insist on walking around in a business suit all the time. In the woods. Do you even have boots on?" Kris' eyes were raking over him, a look of consternation on his features. "You're shivering. How long have you been out here?"

Percy frowned and looked down at himself, realizing that he was trembling, though he had not considered what it meant. "Demigen don't shiver. And I only use my human form when I have been formally requested to. It is uncomfortable and suits are uncomfortable, but it works together."

"I told you that we're vulnerable in our human forms." Kris stepped closer to Percy, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around his shoulders. "Come inside and warm up. Please."

The other man forced nothing on him other than the coat, and that was warm enough that Percy didn't reject it. Though now that Kris was bringing attention to the cold, Percy could feel that his body was freezing. His shoes were soaked through, as were his pants, from the snow he had been walking through for hours.

"I didn't come here to be pitied or rescued." Percy murmured softly, shaking his head and looking up at the man. "I came to apologize."

Kris blinked in surprise, his mouth falling open as his response was delayed by what Percy could only assume was surprise. After a few moments, the Fae shook his head and nodded toward the house. "We can talk inside."

Despite the statement, the man still watched him carefully, expression begging Percy to be reasonable and agree, though not moving to force the issue physically. It was only when Percy nodded that Kris wrapped his arm around his shoulders and guided him through the yard and up into the house.

The place was warm and unsurprisingly cozy, though it had far less seasonal decor than Percy had expected. Garlands and Poinsettias, a small tree that was covered in carved wooden ornaments and garland made of pine cones and berries, and a wreath over the fireplace that matched the one that had been on the door. The place was larger than the small cottage Percy was staying in, but not excessively so, with an open kitchen and a staircase that led up to a hidden second floor, as well as a half-exposed loft that overlooked the sitting room.

Percy was distracted by the place enough that he didn't notice Kris stripping him out of his soaked clothing to his boxers and wrapping him in a thick fur blanket until he was guided to sit down and left by the man, who walked into the kitchen after hanging Percy's clothing up to try on a few empty coat pegs by the fireplace.

The fire was nice and cheery, though Percy half turned in his seat to watch the man put a kettle on to boil on the stove and pull down a couple of glasses. "I jumped to a conclusion that I was familiar with, my mistrust and assumptions about you and your motives, and I didn't give you or your explanations a chance."

"I deserved it." Kris offered after an uncomfortably long silence, looking up from the mugs to meet his gaze. "The morrigan put it in my pocket despite my refusal, and I did not know what to do. I knew it was wrong. I didn't want to stand you up, but I knew I shouldn't bring it near you, for what it was and what it meant. And it's an excuse, but I was about to turn around when you came out and met me. And out in the night of the solstice, you were beautiful and I could only think of my selfish desire to be near you."

Percy blinked at the man's words, watching Kris' expression, which was now pained and desperate. He was speechless and unprepared for what the man had admitted, and turned away to look into the fire, listening to the water whistle to a boil, followed by Kris carrying two cups of what smelled like tea into the sitting area and taking a seat on the far end of the couch.

Kris placed a mug on the table close to Percy and then retreated to sit back against the couch and give him space, remaining silent.

Letting out a slow breath, Percy leaned back into the couch and nodded. "My first and last Fae partner betrayed me a few months before the wars started. They had convinced me that we could prevent war, that if I trusted them and they trusted me, that surely we could get beyond the hate that was pulling our people apart. And that trust gave the Fae an opening, and I was one of the first who were chained. I didn't know what I did wrong, and after I had escaped and healed physically, I told myself I didn't care."

"You did nothing wrong, Percy." Kris murmured softly, genuinely. "Betrayal and hate separated us for all those years. I think it had more to do with ignorance and fear, but it's more about the betrayer and the hater than you."

Percy's brows shot up, and he turned to look at the Fae in surprise. But the raw look of emotion was too much, so he looked at his mug and picked it up, taking a careful sip of what turned out to be a simple ginger and honey tea. "I did more own share of hating. Allowed my own ignorance. For a very long time. I am sure I more than lived up to the legends in the thick of it. I am probably exactly as your people say I am."

Kris was silent for a moment, then murmured. "No. You're not. And I'm truly sorry, Percy. But thank you for explaining it to me."

He took another drink of his tea before putting the mug back down on the table and finally turning to look at the Fae.

Then he smiled, hopefully. "Thank you for listening to me. And I am sorry for lashing out at you."

"Before it happened..." Kris trailed off, giving him a careful look, before shaking his head and putting his own mug down. "I was going to ask you something."

Then the Fae frowned and looked away from him. "I want you to feel safe with me Percy, you can ask me my name if you would like. But I'll never ask you for yours again. Call me a fool if you would like, and to prove it, I'll tell you my name. Krisinial Merviana Torbjorn."

Kris said his name before Percy could think to stop him, and Percy felt that familiar knowing washing over him, as if that was the only name he ever needed to know. The only one he ever needed to be connected to.

And it wasn't the fact that Kris had shown that trust and understanding to him that warmed his heart, but he realized that despite his anger the other night, Kris had not demanded his name even then. Kris had not sought to even the playing field when Percy was furious and possibly as dangerous as all the stories the Fae told about the Demigen.

"And I am Percivus Rudinius Oddsonne." Percy grinned as he saw a lovely play of emotions run across the other man's features upon hearing his name. "What did you want to ask me?"

The Fae cleared his throat, watching him incredulously for a moment before looking toward the fire, then back to him. "I wanted to ask you if I could kiss you."

Percy grinned wickedly, offering a shrug. "When we were both fully clothed, I would have said yes. But now that we're either half or mostly naked, I feel like you may get the wrong impression of me."

Kris flushed and shook his head, his eyes widening. "No.. no, I wouldn't take advantage of it. Or you.... Why are you grinning?"

When Percy let the blankets slip from his shoulders and beckoned to the man, Kris hesitated for only a moment before shifting across the few feet of the couch, eyes darkening even as they searched his features.

Percy paused for a moment, teasing them both before leaning forward, though his movement was halted by a knock on the door, prompting both of them to sit back and turn toward the side door that must lead into the large workshop that was on that side of the cabin.

"I have to go." Kris huffed out a breath, sounding deliciously frustrated. "I'm already running behind."

Percy cursed himself and his damned teasing silently, though he stood as Kris did. "Go, I'll let myself out."

"Stay here and get warm." Kris shook his head, glancing at him, then snapping his fingers, summoning a neatly folded pile of clothing to his hands and putting it on the table. "All night if you want to. My home is yours."

He paused, watching Percy for a tense moment, until there was another knock on the door, which drew Kris to turn away to grab the red wool coat.

He was gone in a flash, leaving Percy in the room, which felt a great deal emptier than it should have without the other man's presence.