"Uhh hi, it's Finn..." The voice croaked out, "I need your help."

"Finn?" An image of their late night chat in the bar flashed in Fletcher's mind, "Are you alright?" He stood up from where he'd been sitting on one of the stools, tending to the few people in the bar as they called upon him. What was going on? He didn't like how weak Finn sounded, he didn't like that at all.

"I think I'm near the..." there was nothing but the sound of broken breathing for a minute or so, " - the Unlived Forests."

Finn sounded almost drunk to Fletcher, but something told him it wasn't alcohol that had him in this state. He had grabbed some first aid supplies from behind the counter, waiting with bated breath for Finn to reply, "The forest? Alright I'm coming. Keep talking. Why are you there?" He asked, jogging out the door and to his car. It was parked down the street, but he got to it in less than a minute and started the engine.

Finn sighed over the phone, "Kira...Liz..." he took a shaky breath, "she took me hostage...a monster...a ghost." There was more laboured breathing. It was like Finn was grabbing something, maybe even the phone, perhaps to ground himself, "Carsden's just weird...I'm tired."

Kira? Fletcher's eyes narrowed. He hoped she hadn't hurt Finn. He really, really hoped so. If she had, why would she do that? What would push her? He drove quickly through the town, listening to Finn with the phone on speaker on his lap. "How long did she have you hostage for?" He made a quick decision and stopped at a gas station to pick up some food and water for Finn, just in case he hadn't eaten anything while he was away wherever he was. Why hadn't Fletcher thought to check up on him? "You can sleep soon, just stay awake just now, I'm about ten minutes away,"

"Just a few hours, I can't keep track." There was some shuffling, and then his voice returned, "Fletcher?"

"Do you know what happened to you?" Fletcher was driving again, faster than the speed limit allowed. This didn't really bother him. What did bother him was that the scars on his face were burning again, which had started to happen very recently to him whenever he got angry. This wasn't the time. Kira probably hadn't been in control. She couldn't have been. He pushed the anger back, and the voices that exploded in his head with it. "Yeah?" He turned onto the road that lead to the forest. He could see trees in the distance that marked it's beginning.

"Kira and my sister had some unfinished business and somehow I was involved." Finn's voice was steady now. "That night at the bar...did we...change? Or was that a dream?"

He didn't like the sound of that. Kira could be torturous when she wanted to be; Fletcher had seen that for himself more than once. He pulled into the side of the road alongside the forest, "do you know where abouts you are?" Fletcher scanned the trees for Finn, but he couldn't see much through them.

The voices in the back of his mind began to pick up again, and once more he shoved them aside. "We changed, it wasn't a dream. The creature in the woods had something to do with it for sure. You passed out and I...left to cool off," he hadn't told anyone how he'd really gone to the woods himself and very nearly fell over into Mother's side. That didn't bear thinking about, and it specially didn't bear talking about now.

The phone signal crackled, "I don't know, nothing seems familiar. I escaped from an abandoned warehouse, it's close, does that help?" Finn sounded surprised by something he didn't let on aboit. Fletcher decided not to ask. This wasn't the time.

Warehouse? Warehouse, warehouse, warehouse. Fletcher's eyebrows shot up in realisation, "I know whwre that is! It's an old abattoir. I'm nearby, you should be able to see the car soon," he turned onto a path through the forest and sped up once again, bouncing all over the place in his seat.

He was very concerned about Finn, despite only really spending time with him once. It was a weird feeling, and he didn't have time to register it yet. The car skidded our onto the road again, and soon Fletcher could see the warehouse ahead.

Fletcher heard the sound of footsteps on leaves, and then an exhalation, "I can see you! Just a bit further."

"I'm here," Fletcher could make out the shape of what looked like a person up ahead, off the road, back towards where he could just see the roof of the old abattoir. Finn, it had to be. When had his grip on the wheel become so tight? He loosened his hold slightly, and pulled into the side of the road a few feet away from Finn, ending the call and dropping the phone into his pocket. The bartender grabbed everything he'd brought with him from the passenger seat and got out of the car, locking the door behind him. He headed into the trees a bit and towards Finn.

When Finn finally saw Fletcher, he seemed to let go of whatever resolve it was that had kept him sanding this long. He fell forward, Fletcher's arms around his shoulders the only thing keeping him upright. He had practically sunk into Fletcher's arms and he definitely didn't seem to want to be anywhere else.

Fletcher had dropped what he was holding when he saw with his own eyes the state that Finn was in. He held him, supporting Finn's weight and keeping him as upright as he could. Fletcher ran his hand up and down Finn's back in a soothing manner before he spoke, "Hey, are you alright?" He spoke softly, even more glad than he thought he would have been to see Finn here, alive, breathing, and conscious after that phone call.

Like before, Fletcher's words seemed to work like magic. He watched a series of slight changes overtake Finn's faces before he finally settled on something that looked halfway between exhaustion and determination, "Shit. Thanks. Sorry for making you come all the way here," He muttered. "I didn't know who else to call."

Fletcher let the calm of his aura bleed out into the air around them. He could tell Finn was hurt; he'd sounded weaker than normal over the phone, and now he seemed to be in pain. "Don't worry about it," Fletcher waved his apology off, still holding him and rubbing his back to calm him down. "I'm glad you called me, my day's been pretty boring so far," he smiled easily.

Finn pulled away reluctantly, giving Fletcher a small but forced smile, "You've made me feel a lot better." There seemed to be another Brattleboro taking place within Finn's head. What was he thinking? The expressions he pulled did Male Fletcher wonder, "Sorry, I'm not that good at connecting with people."

Fletcher let his arms drop back to his sides. He leaned down and picked up the bag he'd dropped. "I'm glad I could help," 'I hated seeing you upset' the words were on the edge of his tongue, but he didn't voice them. It was too much: he didn't want to make Finn view him differently.

Fletcher chuckled slightly, "Well, you've done a pretty good job at connecting with me. I think you should give yourself more credit," he took the first aid kit out of the bag, "I brought this, and some other things, in case you were hurt, do you have any injuries?"

Frowning, Finn touched the sides of his face lightly, checking his bruises and cuts. Surprisingly, everything seemed to be fine. "I think I'm okay." His hair looked to Fletcher like it was  a little sticky with blood but that seemed to be all. "It doesn't hurt anymore, I wonder why," Finn held his arms out and turned them over, like he was searching for injuries that were nowhere to be found.

Fletcher looked him up and down, eyes resting for a moment on his lips before moving to his hair. He could see the blood, but it did look like it wasn't fresh. That was strange. Was Finn human? Fletcher wasn't wholly sure now, but that didn't beg thinking about right at that moment either.

He stepped forwards slowly and moved a bit of Finn's hair, to see if he had a cut where the blood was. Finn's face heated up, "Sorry if this hurts," he couldn't see anything other than the blood, it was definitely odd.

"Do you feel like taking a walk? Or do you want to go home?" He asked, wondering if after whatever it was he'd been through Finn wanted to get some air, "I know a spot about..." Fletcher turned to look around himself, figuring out where exactly he was," Five minutes that way by car, and then five minutes or so walking. I've got some food in here too, in case you're hungry," Fletcher smiled at him, unsure why he was asking in the first place, but also hoping Finn agreed. Why was he trying to sell this so much? Finn has been barely able to stand a minute ago, this was cruel. Still, he'd said it now, and why, he wasn't sure.

Again, Fletcher watched the verbal sparring take place for a few minutes until eventually Finn nodded ever so slightly, his eyes still not meeting Fletcher's, "Sure, let's take a walk," Finn mumbled, almost inaudibly. He continued to look away. Fletcher wasn't sure why that was either. Maybe whatever had happened to Finn had been more mental than anything else.

Fletcher moved his hand back, hoping Finn hadn't realised that he'd kept it in his hair for at least two seconds too long once he'd realised there was no cut. Fletcher wasn't sure what he felt right then. It wasn't sadness, or anger, or pain, or happiness, or excitement. It was a mixture of things. That was his best guess.

He felt whatever that was towards Finn, but right now, that didn't matter. What did matter was that Finn was okay, that he wasn't hurt and that he didn't put himself through any misery for Fletcher. He only just caught Finn's reply, and when he did, he paused for a second to think about what it could mean.

Was it quiet because Finn didn't really want to go? Or was there something he was missing here? He really wasn't sure, but either way, they needed to go back to the car, "Alright, great! Let's get going then," he turned back towards his car.

Finn followed Fletcher, keeping a fair amount of distance between them. He slid into the passenger's seat, fidgeting continuously while he waited for Fletcher. He seemed uneasy, which only made Fletcher rethink his decision more.

Fletcher leaned down and into the driver's seat. He started the car up again and put the bag he'd brought in the back seat. "What kinda music do you like? I've got a bunch of CDs in there," he gestured to the glove compartment on Finn's side.

Finn seemed to be a lot more at ease now that he was sitting down. Opening the compartment, Finn went through Fletcher's collection. "Mainly Rock." He picked up a CD, "Let's go with Green Day, they're bloody amazing." He looked at Fletcher for confirmation.

Fletcher felt a lot better now than he had on the drive up. "I love Green Day! You have good taste," he replied with a grin, winking in a playful manner at Finn. He opened the CD player with his other hand, turning along a slim dirt road now towards the spot he'd decided to take Finn to.

Finn smiled shyly in response before turning to look out the window, bobbing his head to the beat. Fletcher wondered what he was thinking. There was something strange, yet very intriguing about Finn Llorens.

Why had he winked? Fletcher was thinking about it now and how stupid it had been. He focused on the road ahead, berating himself over that for a few minutes until they came to a stop seemingly at the end of the road. Trees stretched out in front of them in all directions except that that they had come from.

"This is as far as the road goes, but there," Fletcher pointed a little bit off to the right, "if you look through the trees once we're out,  you'll see it. It's a little meadow place," he smiled at Finn, again excited to be here. Fletcher unlocked the doors and stepped out, breathing in the fresh air.

"Wow," Finn whispered. He got out of the car in a daze, spinning a slow circle to take everything in. He spotted the meadow Fletcher spoke about in less than a second. "I see it." He went to Fletcher's side, standing a little closer to him than earlier and joined him as they walked.

Fletcher was also admiring the forest. Leaves swirled across the forest floor, resting around their feet. It was nice to be back again, to hear the wind coursing through the trees. Fletcher felt an odd urge to hold Finn's hand, but he figured that wouldn't be taken well, and he didn't want to ruin this. "Yeah that's it!" He grabbed the bag from the back seat and then locked the car. As Fletcher started walking, he let his hand brush Finn's, without even consciously realising he was doing it.

Fletcher didn't notice the effect something so small-seeming had had on Finn, and neither did he notice the other man glancing at him periodically.  This was mainly because he was stopping himself from looking at Finn for what he reckoned was too long. His solution to this was to look away completely, towards the forest ahead. It had only just begun to dawn on Fletcher that maybe he was acting like this because he was attracted to Finn, which only really made matters worse since it was unlikely Finn was attracted to him too. How often did that happen? Fletcher didn't even realise that he'd moved closer to Finn, or that he'd rested his fingertips on the back of Finn's hand while they walked, completely pulled into his own thoughts. The meadow was less than a five minute walk, but the path to it seemed to stretch out before them.

The sensible side of Finn didn't know what to say or do either, at this point. And so, he delicately intertwined his fingers around Fletcher's, regretting it immediately.

Fletcher turned to look at him, shocked but hiding it well. He laced his fingers with Finn's as well, and laughed slightly to himself, incredibly happy just as a result of something so small.  "You know, I learned some of that magic I was talking about in this forest, near this meadow actually,"

"Wow, really?" Finn couldn't stop smiling. He looked at the trees in either side, beaming at them brighter than the sun shining down from above, "You did promise to show me some of it." Finn sounded...cheeky? Playful?

His smile was so bright, Fletcher noticed. He remembered thinking Finn had had a nice smile before, but this was different. He was closer now, he could really see just how nice it was. "Yeah! There's a gathering spot for dryads and woodland spirits over there, where the trees become a bit taller," he gestured vaguely off to the right.

Fletcher laughed, remembering his promise, "So I did, alright, what do you want to see?" He asked, thinking over what he knew. It had been a while, so whatever he did would be rusty, but Fletcher would be damned if he didn't try his best here.

Dryads? Woodland spirits? Everything seemed surreal to Finn at that moment. He looked around like he was seeing everytging with new eyes, and he rested his gaze on the man next to him like he was a God, "I don't know anything about magic. How about something you love doing?"

Fletcher thought about it for a few seconds, going over what he could remember in his head, "Well, I know two types of magic. One, I was...born with, I suppose you could say. And the other I learned," he stopped walking and turned Finn towards him a bit, "Alright, I know what I'll do, this is one of the simpler things, but it's kinda cool," he didn't really think before he put the bag down, rather than letting go of Finn's hand. "Crouch down here, it shouldn't take long,"

Finn obeyed Fletcher, still holding his hand. "You really do sound like someone from a fantasy world," he murmured under his breath.

Fletcher crouched with him and pressed his other hand to the ground. He couldn't help but grin at Finn. It was off for Finn to say that, he thought to himself. To Fletcher, he looked like something found only in books. That kind of subtle, enchanting beauty wasn't natural as he knew it. When he looked up, they were mere inches apart, "Maybe that would explain why you look like a Disney Prince," he replied quietly, looking down at the ground to hide the stupid smile on his face and blush on his cheeks. Why did he say that? Why? Fletcher focused on what he was trying to do, focused on the ground beneath his palm and the life within it, and he willed it towards him.

Finn was silent for a minute or two. Fletcher knee that accepting compliments was a hard thing to get a hang of, or to know how to reply to. He figured Finn was just trying to decide what to say, Thanks." He said eventually, the word quieter than his usual voice was.

"Do Disney Princes ever fall for Gods?" Finn wondered out loud. "In that case, I would be doing just that," Finn had just admitted to Fletcher that he liked him. He said it leisurely, followed up with, "I could be Finn Ryder."

Fletcher was focusing on the ground still. He could feel it moving, responding to his touch. It made him almost light headed because it was such a large output of energy at once. "If you changed the Hercules movie a bit, then yeah, I guess that'd be possible," it was confusing at first focusing on both this world and the one below ground at once, but he began to get a hang of it before long. He didn't really understand what Finn was actually saying, or what it meant.

"Finn Ryder? I hope I can be Rapunzel," he replied, just as softly as the last time. He didn't feel the embarrassment as much as he should have since his concentration was split, which was probably for the better.

Around his hand, leaves began to grow, and then a small shoot came up between his fingers. Fletcher kept his hand where it was, watching the plant grow slowly.

You're definitely a better looking version, Finn wanted to say but decided against it. There was a freaking plant growing out of Fletcher's hand. Finn blinked, "What in the hell?" It wasn't that he hadn't believed Fletcher. But magic? It took some time to accept and get used to. A part of him wanted to believe this was the result of a recent development in the field of Science. "That's beautiful." He stretched his other hand out, gently stroking a leaf for no reason whatsoever.

Fletcher let the plant grow up, and then moved his hand back slowly, gently, once a bud had appeared at the top of it. He smiled at Finn, "It's weird when you actually see it, isn't it? I used to know someone who could do stuff like that, much better than I can," he admitted, watching the bud begin to unfold lapis lazuli blue petals. He flexed his hand, looking up at a Finn again, "Yeah, yeah it is," he stopped himself from leaning in, even though he wanted to. "It's yours, if you want it," he offered, "It won't live long there anyway, since it's made from my magic, autumnal magic,"

"Not really, your magic is magnificent." Finn peered at the flower in wonder. "Really? Who? There are more people like you? Magic users?" A lot of questions but this was an interesting topic. "Autumnal magic," he repeated under his breath. Fletcher watched him frown over the word, and then move on, "I would love to." He opened his palm, wondering how Fletcher would give him the flower.

"Thank you, but really, you should see what some of these people can do; it's mind blowing," Fletcher replied, thinking back to the first time he'd seem a fire spirit in action. "Yeah, there's a lot of magic users, all across the world. It's not what you'd expect, I don't think. There's millions of different types of magic, right? And billions of people have different types. There are really small kinds, like people who can see better in the dark, people who have an affinity for being sure footed, things like that! It's not always big," he explained.

Fletcher was excited to share this with someone, and it was obvious from the way he grinned ecstatically, glad Finn was joining in, even of he was only being humoured. "Hold your arm out, I did this once, quite a while ago, and it worked well, I promise it won't hurt," he moved his free hand to just beneath the flower head.

"That's why you mentioned that my music could be magical too," Finn realised. He held his arm out, an inch away from Fletcher's. He watched Fletcher's movements, his mouth slightly open in wonder.

"Yeah exactly. You could have some kind of magic in your genes, that would explain your fame, but it could also just be natural talent. It's pretty hard to tell," Fletcher pulled the flower head gently off of its stem, and moved it over to Finn's arm. He placed it down, and then closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed deeply with his concentration.

Another two stems came out from the sides of the flower head, and swirled around Finn's wrist. They crossed over and connected underneath, and then looped up to join the other side of the flower head, making a criss-cross pattern like a thin watch strap around Finn's wrist. Fletcher saw sparks of colour when he opened his eyes again and moved his hand back away from Finn. The dizziness in his skull faded after a few seconds. It was worth it, anyway, "There you go! I don't know how long it'll last for,"

Finn was a little light-headed. He was going through multiple emotions; he was happy, he was shocked, he was scared and incredibly confused. Surprisingly, he was still at ease - he had found someone who made him feel at home.

He twisted his wrist, a child-like grin on his face. "It doesn't matter. I don't know why, but this is the best gift I have ever received from anyone," He looked up at Fletcher, their eyes meeting. "Thank you."

Fletcher was happy and comfortable. He liked Finn, he really did. It was unusual for him to feel anything like this for anyone, least of all at this speed. His grin only widened as he stood back up and grabbed the bag again. Finn liked the gift. Fletcher felt giddy with joy. Why was he acting like a school kid with a crush? He locked eyes with Finn's. It would be so, so easy to kiss him right now, but he didn't want to ruin this, that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Come on, we're nearly there," he squeezed Finn's hand and started walking again.

They walked in silence for the rest of the way, Finn's eyes focused on Fletcher rather than ahead of him. It was hard to look away.

Fletcher had to watch the path ahead. Was Finn looking at him? No, he was looking at the forest, surely. Who wouldn't admire somewhere as beautiful as this? He glanced at Finn while they walked, each time seeing him looking back at him. He was nearly certain his cheeks were now tinted a perpetual pink.

They reached the meadow, Fletcher leading them into it's midst. He stopped once they came to a flat spot near the centre of the meadow. There were scattered trees around them, and brilliantly green grass spreading out in all directions. Bees fluttered between the flowers nestled deep into the grass. "Well, here we are!" Fletcher smiled, looking across the forest they could see in the distance. There was a slight hill that ran down for a hundred feet or so, enhancing the view considerably.

Finn finally tore his gaze from Fletcher, gawking at the scenery instead. "I feel like I'm in heaven," Finn said, "I love it."

"It's dry I think. There's not been rain out here for a while. Want to sit down?" Fletcher hadn't brought anything for them to sit on, or lie on. He hadn't thought that far ahead. That reminded him of his terrified he'd been that Finn was badly hurt so little time ago. The scenery was breathtaking, but even that couldn't really distract him from the real beauty in this meadow.

"Yeah, sure." Finn plopped himself on the grass, crossing his legs and unintentionally dragging Fletcher along with him too. They were still holding hands. He chuckled, giving Fletcher a guilty smile while the other settled down.

Fletcher kinda stumbled down beside him, laughing as he did so. He ended up sitting with his shoulder and arm against Finn's, hands still clasped on the grass below. He had the bag of food and drink in his lap, but it wasn't really on Fletcher's mind right then. There was really only one thing on his mind when he found his eyes locked with Finn's again.

'Maybe I should kiss him' it was a fleeting thought, and his eyes flickered to Finn's lips, but then he looked away again, and pointed down the hill instead , "See...see uh... right down there? There's a coven of nature spirits, just at the bottom of the meadow. They don't like the sun much, those ones, so they stay under the trees. You wouldn't know they were there if they didn't want to be seen,"

Finn leaned slightly on Fletcher's shoulder, searching for the nature spirits. As he'd expected, he couldn't spot them. "Maybe one day I will." He sounded slightly disappointed.

Fletcher relaxed his shoulder so it would be comfier for Finn to lean on, not at all minding being used as a pillow. "Maybe I can take you to see them someday. They come out here more when it's raining. I have a feeling they'll stay in the trees today, since it's warm," Fletcher looked up at the clouds above them. There was a lot of blue sky visible around them. He could see quite few shapes in them too. It kept him from looking at Finn, watching the clouds. After a few seconds, he nodded upwards, "Just me, or is that a dolphin in those clouds?"

Finn shifted his gaze to the sky above, trying to find a cloud in the shape of a dolphin. "I can see a bear," He offered with a sheepish grin. He scanned every cloud he could see, tilting his head backwards to see the ones directly above them. "I see Elvis Presley too."

"Yeah! I see it! Look, the dolphin, it's right...," he leaned closer so his head was nearly touching Finn's, pointing up at the sky, "There." Fletcher scanned the sky intently to try and find Elvis, but he couldn't see anything that intricate. Maybe this wasn't the best way to see everything. He felt the grass behind them, "It's really dry, if we lie down we can probably see more,"

'And then maybe I can work up the courage to kiss you' no way could he say that aloud.

"I - " Finn narrowed his eyes at the sky. He readily agreed with Fletcher. They were about to lie down. Together. Hell yes. "Yeah, sure."

Fletcher didn't need any more confirmation than that. He lay backwards, pulling Finn with him and moving closer to him again so he'd have a soft landing.  They were so close now, so close Fletcher could turn around and pretty much have his face in Finn's hair. "Where's Elvis?" He asked, scanning the sky now.

Fletcher could see that infamous internal battle going on in Finn's head. At least this time, it seemed more positive than usual.

Why clouds? Sure, they were cool but Finn could just turn around and look at Fletcher instead. He could stare into Fletcher's eyes, one hand running through his hair, one hand lightly tracing the freckles on his face, and Finn would need a third hand to keep holding Fletcher's. Maybe later. Now, for Elvis. "You see the hair? The cloud that's twisting?" He sounded excited for some reason. "And the sideburns, the iconic sideburns!"

Fletcher narrowed his eyes, his lips curving into a smile at Finn's excitement. The hair.. where was the hair? Fletcher saw something that looked vaguely face shaped and followed it up, then he saw what he was looking for. The side burns, how could he miss them? "I see it! Right there!" He laughed, turning to face Finn with a childish grin on his face.

"The cloud next to him is a hotter version," Finn pointed out. Fletcher's laughs had just made him bolder. "Kinda looks like you."

Fletcher looked at the clouds next to it, and was about to speak when Finn said something else. He laughed at that as well, blushing slightly. He didn't get how Finn could have this level of effect on him. How had it happened? When? He couldn't say he didn't enjoy this, "you think so?" He paused, wondering how he could carry this on, "Y'know, I used to think the hottest thing on earth was the sun, but now that you're here,  it's not even the hottest thing in this meadow,"

Finn was about to answer when he made the mistake of turning to look at Fletcher before doing so. For a good five seconds all the both of them did was stare into each other's eyes, Finn blushing just as much as Fletcher was. "Definitely," He mumbled, dazed. "Cheesy." His grin came back. "That was a good one though, I'll give you that."

Fletcher couldn't stop smiling, not even when he locked gazes with quite possibly the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. They reminded him of something, something he definitely should've recognised, something he absolutely didn't. "Yeah, I guess it was kinda cheesy," he laughed, glad that Finn had liked the line. He turned around a bit, so that he was looking at Finn face on now.

"I don't know how this happened but I'm so glad it did," Finn whispered. The meadow was completely silent, other than a few birds chirping once in a while in the distant trees, the sound of crickets and mantis' playing their songs in the grass. Everything was perfect. He was inches away from someone he could swear he would die for. A little dramatic but Finn meant every word. Finn leaned in, just a little, his eyes on Fletcher's lips.

A cool breeze fluttered over them, leaves curling within it over their heads. Fletcher was nervous, and his powers were responding. He had to make sure he kept that down. He didn't want Finn to get hit in the face by a swarm of leaves or something and ruin the moment. His heart was a tornado in his chest, beating erratically as soon as he realised that Finn had actually just looked at his lips. Was it intentional? What was going on here? Had he just leaned in? Fletcher heard a bird call out somewhere across the meadow. He leaned in too, his eyes wide, scanning Finn's face like he wanted to memorise every part of it.

The meadow wasn't as silent as before. Maybe it knew that there were two people on the verge of kissing each other. Maybe it was cheering them on. Finn's hand moved upwards - the hand with the plant wrapped around it. It had a mind of it's own. His fingers gently traced the freckles on Fletcher's face. He gulped, realising he'd completely lost control of himself.

Fletcher pushed his abilities as far down as he could, even though they flared up again as soon as Finn touched his cheek. That was when he threw caution to the wind, and leaned in the rest of the way, closing the distance between them until their lips touched. There was sometving so incredibly encapsulating  about Finn, something Fletcher was so sure he recognised, something he simply didn't have the wish or the willpower to resist. His eyes fluttered closed.

Fireworks. Butterflies. How was it possible for Finn to feel them both? From the moment Fletcher's lips brushed against his, Finn realised that he was more than just in heaven. He pulled closer, deepening the kiss and finally running his fingers through Fletcher's hair. Fletcher was his and he wanted this moment to last forever.

Fletcher could hear everything and nothing at once. There was Finn, and Finn was next to him. Finn was kissing him. Oh fuck. Finn was actually kissing him. The realisation hit him like a wave and kept hitting as the seconds went on. He kissed Finn back just as passionately and moved closer so they could be pressed together, chest to chest. He hadn't felt like this with anyone in so long, three lifetimes at least. The rush that flew over him was invigorating. He didn't want to move back, not now, not ever.

Fletcher had the musky-sweet scent of Autumn, of crisp auburn leaves in the fall. Finn found himself craving more. Fletcher was flawless, he was stunning, and Finn had no idea why he had wanted to stay cold and emotionless.

"Fletcher," Finn whispered, opening his eyes, Fletcher's lips still soft against his. "Wow," He laughed softly. Before Fletcher had the chance to react, Finn kissed him again.

Fletcher loved that Finn seemed more open now, more himself than the reserved, shell of a person he had seemed like in the bar. He was so, so glad he'd chosen to stay behind and talk to Finn. It had proven to be incredibly worth it. He laughed into this second kiss and then pulled back himself, pressing his forehead softly to Finn's, "Wow," he agreed, grinning madly now. He kissed Finn fleetingly again, and once more moved back to catch his breath. He couldn't remember losing his willpower like that before, so completely and so quickly.

Finn grinned back, memorising every inch of Fletcher's face. Could this day get any better? "If I could, I would kiss you forever." They were still pressed up against each other, their noses almost touching. Finn didn't think either of them wanted to move from their current position, not for the world.

Fletcher smiled at him, "Then what's stopping you?" He moved his arm so that he was kinda cuddling Finn, incredibly happy just to be touching him, near him at all. Where had all of this come from? All Fletcher knew for certain was that he didn't want it to stop, even just this closeness was enough to make his heart go wild in his chest.

Finn shifted a little, making himself comfortable in Fletcher's arms. Finn turned to face him again, smiling. Godammit, Fletcher couldn't get any hotter, "Alright." Finn kissed him lightly on the nose, then on the mouth. Their arms were wrapped around each other, each kiss getting more and more intense one after the other. "Good luck stopping me."

Fletcher couldn't get enough of that smile, it was just so warm and inviting. How could he be expected not to love it? He found himself laughing again, "I don't think I'm even going to try," he closed his eyes again, moving his lips in tandem with Finn's, amazed at just how much he was loving this.

If he'd been told even a week before that he'd be here, now, he never would've believed it for a second. After another minute or so, Fletcher found himself pulling back, just to look at Finn, admire his face and the perfect swirls of colour in his eyes, "I think you're without a doubt the most handsome, brilliant man I've ever laid eyes upon," he said this in a whisper, the words coming to him even though usually they took their time to filter through his head.

Finn raised an eyebrow, quite sure he was grinning from ear to ear now. "Look at you trying to stop me." He brushed his lips against Fletcher's once again, teasing him. "I've been staring at you continuously since you came here. That's how hot I find you." Their eyes met again, Finn finding it hard to stop himself from staring.

But something was wrong.

Not with Fletcher, but with him.

The meadow was awfully silent, not the good kind of silent. All of a sudden, Finn started to remember. Finn started to remember that dream. Mother.

"I told you I wouldn't stop you," Fletcher grinned in reply, kissing Finn again, fleetingly. He liked this, he really, really did. It was closeness that he hadn't been able to find for years. Sure, he hadn't gone out of his way to look for it, but before now, he hadn't realised just how right something could feel; how someone could electrify and calm him at the same time without even trying.

So, he'd been right? Finn had been looking at him? Why was that so significant in Fletcher's head? He just knew he was blushing. "I've been trying to keep my eyes off of you since that night we met," the bartender admitted, thinking back.

He noticed the change in Finn straight away; more as a change in atmosphere than anything physical. In all this time, Fletcher hadn't realised that the voice of Mother had become near silenced in his mind, and even now, it remained in the depths, waiting for the right time to strike. "Hey," he stroked his thumb across Finn's back, "are you alright?"

Finn frowned to himself. He hadn't registered Fletcher's response yet. Once he did, he still couldn't stop himself from worrying, his heart may have been racing because of Fletcher or because he was scared.

His eyes were pools of colour and fear, "Mother." He didn't know how he knew her name. "I belong to her now," He croaked out. "I said yes."

Fletcher stayed quiet while Finn changed before his eyes. He could see him tense up, feel his heart racing since they were so close. What was going on? He had no idea. The sudden change made Fletcher begin to worry too. Maybe he'd done something wrong, maybe he'd hurt Finn? He really hoped he hadn't. Maybe it was something between the lines that he'd simply missed.

When Finn spoke, a deep, cold dread settled onto Fletcher like a blanket of ice. "Wha...what?" Surely he hadn't heard that right. Fletcher went completely still, his grip slackening slightly on Finn.

Finn moved away from Fletcher, his thoughts jumbled up. He sat back up, staring into the distance in absolute horror. "I belong to Mother," He repeated slowly. He turned to Fletcher, his voice low. "I fucking said yes," He sounded angry now, not at Fletcher but at himself. "Don't you understand?"

Fletcher looked confused for a second or two, and then hurt. He stood up slowly, like he was gathering his thoughts. "You belong to it? How could you do that?!" Anger flared behind Fletcher's eyes as he remembered the encounter he'd had with this creature. It was unusual for him.

He wasn't someone who became angered easily at all. Leaves fluttered across the ground around them, small indications of the storm brewing within Fletcher.

'As he has joined, won't you too? Come to Mother, come and embrace your real power. Choose the right path' it was a whispering in his ear, as if from right behind his shoulder. All it did was make Fletcher angrier. His eyes narrowed, and he took a step towards Finn.

"Why? She wants to kill people, everyone in Carsden. Why would you do that? She's hurt people," restraint stopped him from saying some of the things he could easily have said, but only just. Something about this creature in his head seemed to be biting at the edges of his emotions.

Finn stood up too, noticing Fletcher's anger. Finn started to speak, but it wasn't him speaking. "So?" He sneered. "Those idiots? They don't care about me anyway. People are despicable, don't you know?" He spat the words.

Fletcher couldn't believe whats he was hearing, nor could he believe how much it hurt him. He paused for a second, to see if he could rectify this. "You're not stuck with your decision, Finn, you don't have to go with her," he said softly, forcing himself to be calm even as the fire behind his eyes darkened. Something was trying to influence him here, he could tell, and he had to at least try and fight it. Finn' s next words made him stand up straighter. How had this all happened so fast?

'He speaks the truth, don't you see? Join me. Join him. And you can find out the truth for yourself.' Fletcher shoved the words away as well as he could. "That's not true and you know it. How dare you talk about the people of Carsden like that, as if you didn't grow up with them? I can't believe I cared about you when this was your goal; to hurt the people I love." It was around what he had wanted to say, just a bit more biting. Someone was twisting Fletcher's words, and he couldn't stop it. Pain, hurt, sadness, anger, all of them welled up within him.

Finn tilted his head. "Fletcher - " He began, almost soothingly. "Don't you understand? I want to go with her. The people of Carsden have done nothing for me," He spat, "They laugh, they ridicule, they treat me like shit!" That wasn't true at all, why was Finn saying this? This was a messed up version of the thoughts that usually ran through his head. Sometimes, he felt like the world was against him. But he knew they weren't all that bad. He knew that if people hated him, mocked him, ridiculed him, it was because of something he'd done.

He was trapped inside of his own mind, and he didn't see any way to get out now, "You don't know why I've always hated this godforsaken place. Did you ever wonder why, even though I was supposedly the best guitarist, I wasn't with you in the school band?" He paused, a small smirk on his face. "You love them because you're exactly like them."

For a second, Fletcher wondered if maybe Finn would see reason, rather than going with something so monstrous, so thirsty for blood. His blood boiled at the way Finn spoke of the people of Carsden. How could he do that? "They've done more for you than you have any right to deny. Even if you don't believe it, what about Darwin? Latherna? People who've helped you out over the years when you've needed it. Even the music teacher back at school. These people care about you, even even if you can't see it," he had to try and calm Finn down, even if everytging in his body wanted him to snap.

He let Finn rave, until finally his final words hit Fletcher like a blow to the chest. After the day they'd spent together, after he'd went to Finn's aid and helped him as he had.

For the first time in millennia, Fletcher Hallidans finally snapped.

"I'm like them? I drove away from everything was doing, dropped the plans I had for tonight, and came all the way out here just to make sure you were okay. I stayed behind in the bar and spoke to you, consoled you,  just to make sure you were alright, to let you know you weren't alone with whatever you were going through? How, the fuck , can you say that about me?" His eyes blazed and at his feet, the ground smouldered from the heat of the lava now coursing over his scars.

"I would walk to the ends of the earth to make sure you were alright, Finn Llorens. Anything to make you see you weren't alone at a time when you needed someone to talk to," his voice quivered from a mixture of rage and tears at the end. Fletcher continued on, "I cant believe you would betray the town like this - betray me."

Inside, Finn wanted to scream. To scream that he didn't mean any of this, that he loved the people of Carsden no matter what, that Fletcher meant the world to him. But he couldn't speak, he couldn't say a word.

"It's nice," He laughed. "It's nice how you think it matters that they care. Do you know why they do? Because they see a *weak*, helpless boy in need of their pity," His voice rose a note higher, "you, Fletcher? You do the same!" He took a step forward, his hands in his pockets. "I wanted your pity, I thought making people pity me was the same as making them care. But now," He smiled. "Mother has made me stronger. I don't need you. I don't need your consolation. I can kill people with a flick of my wrist, I can make them gasp for air and then choke them to death!"

His eyes shone with glee, the smile on his face stretching up to his ears. "Me? Betray? For that, I'd have to be a part of this town, wouldn't I? For that I'd have to care about you,"

Fletcher's resolve was wearing thin. He wouldn't let mother control him, but it seemed like this time he wouldn't quite be able to work through his own wrath.

"Of course it matters. They see you as a friend, a brother, a boyfriend maybe even. It's not pity they show you, it's compassion," anger burned in his throat, a rising storm that showed as his eyes began to reflect the turmoil he felt inside.

"You think I looked out for you because I pitied you? No, I looked out for you because I cared. Because I didn't want you to be alone and hurting and sad by yourself," leaves began to rise into a whirl above and around them, like a huge gust of wind caught mid motion, twirling quickly and sharply in all directions.

"Mother may have brought yoy a power of some kind, but if you think joining her will make up for the way you believe others treat you, you'll be in for one hell of a surprise," he couldn't deny that Finn's words hurt him, but how could Fletcher make that known now? After Finn had so readily and fully taken pleasure with ripping into Fletcher's feelings and throwing them back at his face. He couldn't believe how wrong he'd been by helping Finn, he couldn't believe how badly he'd misjudged someone he was so sure he was helping.

Summer's face appeared in his head, distorted and silent. It was one of his last memories of her before the battle, less than a day before he'd left. Then, it had seemed like the hardest thing in the world to do. He'd sworn that he would never leave again when someone needed him. He'd never expected it would come between leaving, staying, and hurting someone he'd only just begin to realise he actually loved.

Fletcher stayed where he was, letting the leaves arc up around them. He couldn't word how much this was actually hurting him, how much he completely regretted doing what he was about to do. "I wish I'd never asked you to wait in that car in the first place. If you hurt the people of this town, I don't think I could ever stop you. You've got me to love you, and now you've shown me your true colours. I never want to see you again," it was obvious from the grit of his teeth, the way Fletcher shook with each breath, that the blunt of his anger wasn't yet shown.

Then, his eyes glowed.

All around them, the leaves shot out like small, colourful Shuriken stars. They spun through the grass, all the way to the far trees and beyond. Everything they hit was severed through, leaving paths down the grass as far as the eye could see and trees at the edge of the forest falling down to the ground like fallen soldiers,

Fletcher glared his hurt at Finn. A single tear fell from his eye, and then he was gone.

Vanished into the wind on a gust of leaves.

All Finn did was laugh, his cackles ringing through the meadow. "Love," He smiled. "cute but such a weakness, don't you think?" Whatever was controlling him shook it's head, still smiling. "Hello Finn, it was nice ruining your life. I'm the Livid Spectre, call me Spectre." Spectre looked down at the plant curled around Finn's hand. He grinned, ripping it off and tossing Fletcher's gift to the ground. Spectre didn't notice the plant standing upright by itself, it's roots digging into the ground.

No Finn tried to scream. Fletcher! Nothing was heard. Finn wanted to sob, to curl up in the grass and cry. To fall into Fletcher's arms again, to kiss him again.

His perfect day hadn't gone so perfectly after all.

~~
Dedicated to the prime shippers. Sorry for throwing you all through loops and heartbreak 🙃
RoxyPuppyLove
VexHellfire
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And of course, my fellow evil mastermind;

BunkBedsAreCool