Chapter Text
He wasn’t sure how long they’d sat in the muddy hillside for, but Charn could tell the day’s events had taken a lot of them. Jet in particular had barely moved, though he’d stopped crying some time ago. His ear was pressed to the middle of Charn’s chest, and his body collapsed half in the mud. He’d been quiet for a time too. A thing Charn would worry about if not for the shaky breaths that came and went with predicted regularity.
He never wanted to see Jet like that again.
“We should try and get to the car,” Charn hadn’t intended on speaking so softly, “You’re shivering.”
“And we need to get to Khem…” Jet’s voice was shot — cracking and hoarse — it sounded painful.
Charn watched, transfixed, as Jet slowly pulled away. He looked so small it physically hurt, “Be careful.” He warned as Jet stumbled slightly, struggling to get to his feet.
“I’m fine…” he nearly fell back to his knees, would have if Charn hadn’t stood and grabbed his elbow. “Are you okay?”
Was he? Were either of them really alright? Charn was no doctor, but he’d done enough reading to know that CPR was a serious thing — that suffocation and strangulation were dangerous — drowning, which they’d both done to some extent, wasn’t great either. Not to mention the fall. “I’m as fine as I can be, Jet.”
Jet watched him for a moment, eyes no longer laced with terror but instead relief and utter exhaustion, “Good… maybe, once we know Khem’s alright,” his voice broke again, and he tried to clear his throat to little success, “you should see a doctor.”
All Charn could do was stare.
“What?” Jet shifted, feet sinking a bit into the mud, “Are you —“
Charn was gentle, far more so than he’d been that night in the storage room and far more confident. He carefully kissed Jet, not daring to grab more than the elbow he’d yet to let go and hoping to help ease his mind more. “Okay — but you should get looked at too.”
Up close, Jet’s eyes looked raw and painful, but held so much relief and love that Charn wanted to solidify them into his memory. “I’m fine though,” Jet muttered, dazed.
Rather than argue, Charn hummed and released Jet’s elbow.
The climb up the embankment was troublesome. The ground was saturated with water, making the grass nearly as slick as the mud. Several times, Charn worried that Jet, who was walking just ahead of him, would fall and they’d both end up back at the water’s edge. But, somehow, they made it back to the road more or less intact.
The bridge was barren. Charn wasn’t sure how long it had been since they’d fallen, but it had been long enough for the possessed people to wake up and likely run home terrified.
“They should be fine,” Jet seemed to read his thoughts, “She didn’t cast their souls out, just… pushed them down…”
“She pushed you down?” He felt compelled to ask. Seeing Jet possessed had been one of the worst experiences Charn had ever faced — the only thing worse had been watching the life drain from Jet’s face only minutes before that — but being possessed had to have been equally horrific.
“Kinda…” Jet shifted uncomfortably, urging them towards the car.
“Jet?”
“I wasn’t fully aware…” he relented easily, pausing until they were both safely in the cab, “It felt like I was dying — but I could see. I saw you stop me at the edge and… yeah.” He was silent for a beat before adding, “I’m sorry…”
Charn paused, his hands halfway towards the ignition, “What? Why?”
“I said you wouldn’t watch me die… and you got hurt…”
“We’re alright. That’s all that matters.”
“Yeah…” he clearly wanted to say something else, but instead Jet fished around the car door for his phone, “I… probably shouldn’t call Khem…”
The dashboard lit up as the car came to life — the clock popped on, glaring at them, screaming twelve-oh-five.
“I…should I call Kachen? Or Jane? Or —“
“Call Kachen.” For as much as the man annoyed him, he’d at least gone with their master and Khem. “I’ll start heading back, I guess…”
“Yeah…okay…” Jet subconsciously rubbed his throat while he waited for the line to connect, “Do you think they’re okay?”
Charn knew what he was really asking — was Khem still alive?
“Kachen? What? Oh, yeah…we’re both alright. My voice? It’s nothing. Is Khem alright?”
Charn could almost hear the other side of the conversation, but it became completely indiscernible whenever another car passed.
“Oh… Charn? Can you tell? If Khem?”
The slight fear in Jet’s voice was enough for Charn to immediately pull over and focus. It had been getting easier the more he’d practiced, not just sensing Khem — though that had been the most useful — but also Jet and even Paran if he tried hard enough, “he’s alive.”
“Really?! He’s alive?”
“But that does mean he’s safe…”
“Right, Kachen — uh, okay… of course, we’ll be ready when it arrives, just give me a call. Please let me know?” Jet let out a shaky breath that led into a few thick coughs once the call ended, “he’s going to check on them and send us a helicopter. But it will be a few hours…”
“Okay…” Slowly, Charn reached over and grabbed Jet’s hand. His cold fingers felt even icier than normal — a stress response perhaps. “Have faith. Khem will be alright.”
“Mhmm. We should — you should be seen by a doctor.”
“Okay.” Without letting go, he signaled and turned back into the road.
Traffic was thin. Only a few other cars in either direction hurrying off to their destinations without much care.
Charn envied them.
Neither spoke once he’d pulled back into traffic. Without confirmation, the air around them felt heavy. Charn was sure they’d succeed — near certain that in just a few hours they’d be reunited with Khem and that going forward absolutely nothing would separate them. He was certain that Khem would spend years going out of his way to pay them back unnecessarily and that it would be something Jet countered at each and every turn. But he was also certain that nothing he could do or say would convince Jet of that future, not without clear confirmation.
The hospital parking lot was mostly empty when they rolled into it fifteen minutes after midnight. “Nothing from Kachen?”
Jet shook his head slowly, reluctant to look away from the darkened screen, “Nothing… he said it would take a while for the ride, but he should know about Khem now, right? The temple isn’t too far from the clearing… but maybe service is bad? It’s been ten minutes…”
“Khem’s still alive,” he cut the engine, pausing briefly, “Let’s finish up here so we’re ready for the helicopter.”
The intake nurse looked confused as the two men approached, and Charn couldn’t blame her. Their clothes were still damp and covered with mud; neither looked alright by any sense of the word. Jet’s throat was covered with marks – from his own rubbing and faint bruising already appearing from the incident, likely striking alarms to go off even before they spoke. Both were limping slightly, though Charn couldn’t recall what or when his left knee had been injured. And he was sure that both of them looked about as stressed as a human could look.
“Can I help you?” She asked kindly; she’d clearly been eyeing their appearance since the doors had slid open, ready to intervene if needed.
“He drowned.” Jet started bluntly, “Can someone make sure he’s alright? I had to do CPR for a while…”
Before Charn could even counter or ask for Jet to be looked at as well, the triage nurse was already ushering him back, “We’ll get him evaluated quickly and go from there.”
“What about you, sir?”
“Jet, but I’m –” the rest of Jet’s words were cut off when the privacy door swung shut.
“What is your name?”
“Chanwit – Charn, but –”
The nurse started asking him questions, and he answered each honestly. Or as honestly as he felt he could.
They’d been attacked — that was true.
Jet had been choked out, strangled, knelt upon — that was true.
The attackers tossed an unconscious Jet from the bridge, and Charn went in after — not untrue… Jet had been unconscious, and Charn had gone in hoping to save him.
“Have you filed a police report? Would you like us to do that for you — it sounds like a targeted crime.” The nurse appeared calm, but Charn could see her eyes flicker to the door where he was certain Jet was offering similar explanations to the woman working intake. “I don’t want to make assumptions, but given the situation,” she paused and adjusted the pulse oximeter she’d placed on his finger, “I apologize for being blunt — but you two are clearly a couple, correct? Was this a hate crime? Because if it was, I highly suggest you report it.”
Even under the circumstances, Charn couldn’t prevent the heat blooming through his chest at her suggestion that he and Jet were a couple. They were, or at least they would be, he didn’t doubt that, but to have someone say it aloud made happiness erupt within him. “We are,” he felt the heat rise up his throat, “but it wasn’t that kind of attack — they…” he faltered. They what?
A knock on the door redirected the nurse’s attention. “Come in.”
The intake nurse peered in, flashing a brief smile, “This was political — the other young man, Jet, he’s the son of an MP. He’s already reached out to his father and will cover the costs.”
Charn couldn't help but scowl slightly, both impressed and concerned by how easily Jet had come up with that cover.
“Thank you Lia.”
“Are we admitting him? Jet’s rather agitated — I’ve asked if he needs to be looked at, but he denies anything is wrong.” Clearly, more wanted to be said.
“If he denies treatment there isn’t much we can do,” she turned and placed a blood pressure cuff on Charn’s upper arm, “As for Charn here — his pulse is strong and steady, blood oxygen level is at ninety-nine percent, alert and communicative — I want an X-Ray of his chest and to have that looked at by the attending before we send him on his way, but he appears to be just fine.” She took his blood pressure and turned back to Lia, “I’ll take him to X-Ray and get him into one of the rooms, then Jet can join him.”
Lia looked uneasy but nodded and left the room without another word.
“He’ll be fine. If he is still running around worrying about you at this point, the damage is likely minimal.” She commented, motioning for Charn to move from the chair to the wheelchair, “Sound like —“
“He should be evaluated. The man was easily twice his size, and Jet wasn’t fighting back —“
“I understand,” she said soothingly, “but if he refuses treatment, there’s nothing that we can do. For now, let’s worry about you.”
Displeased, but unwilling to argue with someone just doing their job, Charn allowed himself to be X-rayed and relocated to a small triage room without further complaint. Though he still didn’t like it. He didn’t like knowing that Jet was sitting somewhere alone and likely still just as stressed as he had been when they arrived — possibly more so.
Charn felt more anxious now than he had when they’d pulled in — he didn’t enjoy being separated from Jet at all. Not after everything that had happened. He didn’t want to be separated from Jet ever again. He wasn’t going to let anything come between them — he wasn’t going to let anybody keep them apart — and he certainly wasn’t going to let anyone ever hurt Jet again.
“Alright, the doctor will be in to go over everything with you shortly once he has looked at your X-rays. Would you like me to go and bring Jet here now?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nearly cut her off, adding, “Please,” as soon as he realized.
“Of course.”
The room was nearly silent. He wasn’t hooked into anything, which Charn took as a good sign, but he still couldn’t quite fathom everything that had happened over the last several hours. From the sheer panic of it all to the relative calm that now surrounded him.
“But he’s alright? I didn’t break ribs or something like that – don’t you always break ribs?”
Charn felt a small smile break out on his face just hearing Jet’s voice reverberate through the door.
“That’s not always the case – though it is rather common,” the same nurse as before opened the door and ushered Jet into the room, “Now, are you sure you don’t want us to run some tests on your neck – the doctor would prefer –”
“No thanks, I’m fine.” Jet dismissed suggestions immediately, eyes already on Charn and glowing with relief. “You okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
The next few minutes passed quickly. The doctor rushed in, explaining that Charn should stay the night for evaluation, given the potential trauma to his lungs and heart – though Charn was quick to dismiss the idea, preferring to travel with Jet in case something else were to happen.
The nurse had come back to do one final check and have Charn fill out paperwork when Jet’s phone started to ring – loud and shrill.
He answered it before the first chime stopped, “Kachen? What happened? Is he okay? Is Master alright? I spoke to Jane. Did it work? Can you – Really?!” Jet’s excited voice cracked and broke through whatever the nurse had started to say, immediately catching Charn’s attention. Jet had continued to refuse medical treatment entirely, though it sounded as though speaking now was even more painful than before. Every one of the nurses commented about the growing bruise radiating from the center of his throat or mentioned the hoarseness of his voice, but Jet continued to blow it off as nothing. Always redirecting their attention towards Charn – even when Charn was the person instigating the questions. “For real? He’s alright? Really? Yes – we’ll be there. Tell him we’re okay. Make sure he’s not worried about us.”
“Jet?” Charn saw it coming less than a second before it happened. Jet ended the phone call, and his knees gave out. If not for the nurse, who’d also clocked the sudden change, he’d have slammed straight into the solid floor. “Jet?!”
“He’s okay,” The nurse reassured him quietly, “You still with us, sweetie? Ready to have us check you over now?”
“I’m alright…”
The nurse tutted quietly, and Charn smiled despite himself. Jet had been running on empty since the bridge, kept conscious by pure adrenaline and determination alone; it was remarkable he’d stayed standing as long as he had.
“Jet?”
“Really…I’m fine, just…” the nurse reluctantly helped him sit on the edge of Charn’s bed. “He’s okay, Charn. Khem’s alright. Kachen said that both he and Master Paran are okay.”
There was so much elation in Jet’s big brown eyes that Charn could feel himself getting lost without trying.
“I’m going to go get you something to drink. Charn, press that button if anything happens, alright?”
“We did it… it worked…” Jet slouched against him carefully, “He’s going to be okay.”
Slipping his arms around Jet, Charn squeezed gently. The relief he felt was already astronomical; multiply that by the time Jet had already spent desperately trying to ensure Khem’s safety, and Charn wasn’t sure how Jet was even still conscious with that kind of weight finally lifted forever. “When’s Kachen’s helicopter arriving?”
“Uh,” Jet pulled away, looking almost bashful, “He said about an hour — if you’re sure about not staying —“
“I’m going with you.”
“Right… well, we need to stop by a convenience store and then… I need something to cover this bruise up.” He subconsciously rubbed the area. The bruise was mostly light shades of red and purple, red speckles danced around the darkest sections like blood-filled freckles, but it did not cover the entirety of his throat. It was centralized to the middle when the most weight was pressing down, “I don’t want Khem to know. I don’t want him to feel guilty about something so minor.”
Charn was about to argue when the door opened again, and he decided to save it.
.•*•.•*•.
Reuniting with Khem had been a whirlwind of emotions. Absolute joy, elation, pride, comfort. A mirid of positivity that encircled the three of them, tying their futures together as tightly as their pasts had once been. Time would move forward as it was meant to be, with the three of them unified in friendship.
Things were finally right – shifted into their proper places.
Their reunion, joyous though it was, was cut short by exhaustion.
Jet started to wane reluctantly before Khem had finished explaining what had happened. Kachen had already retired to the spare bedroom once it was clear that everyone involved was unharmed. Paran had yet to fully awaken, recovering in his room. Khem suddenly struck by the same deep-seated exhaustion once he’d finished sharing. And Charn not far behind.
Though only midday, they’d parted for the time being – Jet promising to get cake and other celebratory items before dinner that evening.
Charn couldn’t help but dwell on the new reality that was upon them. The safety. The newfound family.
At least until Jet’s energy was again spurred to life and Charn was reminded of Kachen’s existence.
Yet, Jet was unbothered by Charn’s jealousy – unfazed by the questions – simply soft and smiling as he explained — cheeky and endearing.
“Jet,” Charn practically whined as Jet again pretended to be sleeping, snoring so loudly and dramatically with a smile plastered to his face, “You can’t expect me to go to sleep after you said something like that.” He poked the soft patch on Jet’s side a second time, eliciting a muffled shriek of laughter.
“Don’t do that!”
“You just told me I was your first —“
“Again, I’d already told you before.”
Charn’s chest bloomed for the umpteenth time with absolute affection, “You said I have your heart!”
“Because you do,” Jet flashed another devilish smile. The dirt and grime had been washed away hours ago — though the ill-blended makeup remained in place on his neck, “you’ve had it for a while now. You’ll always have it.”
Struck silent, Charn could only smile down at Jet. He wanted nothing more than to devour him like he’d done all those nights ago, but Kachen had already rolled over once, and Khem likely had no intention of sleeping despite his exhaustion.
“Lay down with me.” Jet’s tone shifted, still light but less playful, “You should rest.”
Humming softly, Charn lowered himself down into the mat after shutting off the light, “You even more so — I was at least checked over you —“
“I’m fine.”
“Saying it doesn’t make it true. That man kneeled on your throat — you could have died.”
“You did die,” Jet countered defiantly, though it was laced with lingering unrest, “you were in worse shape than I was…”
Charn bit his tongue. The fallacies in that statement were vast — they’d saved each other from certain death. No one had been worse off.
“Can I?” Jet hesitated, like he’d done that night in the hotel, asking to hold Charn’s hand, his blistering confidence reduced to shy blushing so effortlessly. He slowly moved, repositioning his head onto Charn’s chest, “Does this hurt?”
“No.” He couldn’t say anything else without trembling. Jet’s head felt warm and solid, like a shield.
“I was really afraid when I couldn’t hear it.” Jet muttered after some time, his voice sending vibrations through Charn’s body. “I was so sure you were…I just knew, and it wasn’t fair…”
Slowly, Charn brought his hand up and began running his fingers through Jet’s hair. Careful not to interrupt him.
“I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I just kept thinking about how unfair it all was — how I’d never given you a real answer and… “
“I thought you’d died too…” Charn waited until Jet’s had tapered off, “When you fell unconscious, when he had his knee pressed to your throat,” his voice felt tight just saying it allowed, “you wouldn’t wake up…”
Jet wrapped his arm around Charn’s waist, shuddering, “But we’re okay now.”
“We are.”
“We get to live in this life together. In the way Da and Jin wanted. With Khem and… and…”
“Yeah… the way it was always meant to be.”