When Nero came to, he wasn’t sure where he was. His vision was blurred, a high-pitched ringing in his ears, and his whole body ached. His skin felt like it was on fire. He couldn’t even remember what had happened. All he could remember was the forest on fire and the Human mages that attacked the Faeries. Had they defeated him and left him to die?

The sky was lighter than before, but the sun was just barely starting to rise. The air was quiet and calm, but the smell of smoke still lingered.

As Nero struggled to catch his breath through the pain, a cool hand brushed his hair out of his face, but Nero couldn’t tell who it was. He barely even had the strength to open his eyes.

“Don’t try to move yet,” a voice told him, muffled by the ringing in his ears. “Take small, slow breaths. You’re badly hurt.”

Nero did as he was told. His vision slowly cleared and the ringing in his ears finally stopped. He could hear the faint sound of birds in the distance.

He was laying in the grass under the Moon Apple Tree, his head resting on Willowbrook’s lap. His touch was warm and gentle as he rested his hands on his chest, and Nero covered them with his own.

Willowbrook was bruised and bloody, his robes torn and burnt, and his hair fell loosely around his face and shoulders.

“Willow…”

Willowbrook hushed him. He leaned down and kissed Nero’s forehead.

“You saved us.”

Nero rested in the bath with his eyes closed. The water eased the ache in his body, and the scent of lavender helped him relax.

It had only been a few hours since the incident with the mages, and Nero still wasn’t really sure what had happened. He couldn’t really remember much, but his body was burnt and bruised. He had broken bones too, and a deep wound in his shoulder.

Willowbrook had brought him back to Ombra, to his hut in the woods. Sunlight flooded in through the windows and warmed the air inside. The bathroom was full of large plants that Willowbrook took care of, filling it with their sweet scents as they soaked up the sunlight.

Willowbrook was sitting on a stool beside the tub, adding flowers and herbs to the bath to help Nero heal. He was injured too, but he was more concerned with Nero than himself. His own wounds would heal soon enough—he was a Faerie. Humans didn’t heal even half as quickly, and with Nero being immune to healing magic, it would be a long, painstaking process.

“I’m sorry I had to bring you back here,” Willowbrook said quietly. “If you weren’t so badly injured, I would have just told you to leave Ombra.”

Nero didn’t say anything. He didn’t mind being with Willowbrook in Ombra. He no longer feared the Dark Kingdom or the Faeries, especially not Willowbrook.

“I sent word of your condition to the Court Healer. He’s going to bring Draíocht later.”

“Draíocht?”

“It’s medicine. Liquified healing magic that’s injected into your body. Since the healers can’t work on you directly, this is the next best option to help you heal.”

“I didn’t know they could do that,” Nero said. He’d never heard of Draíocht before.

“It’s a relatively new Human medicine,” he explained. “As you know, my parents, and many other Faeries don’t approve of anything involving Humans. I can’t just leave you to suffer, though. Not after you saved this whole kingdom.”

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As he dropped some leaves into the water, Nero grabbed his hand. He gave Nero a curious look.

“I wasn’t going to let them take you away. Before I left Anzino, someone I loved dearly was taken away from me, and there was nothing I could do to save him. I couldn’t let it happen again.”

Willowbrook was quiet, and Nero felt his face get hot. He lowered his gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed as he let go of his hand.

“I’m sorry, Willow. I didn’t—”

Nero was cut off as Willowbrook leaned over and kissed him, his warm hand resting against his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into it, gripping the front of Willowbrook’s robes with a shaky hand.

After he pulled away, Nero’s face was bright red and his heart was racing, but he didn’t say anything. Neither of them did. Willowbrook went back to what he’d been doing, adding herbs to the tub. The room was quiet, and Nero closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

“Nero.”

Nero jolted awake, and Willowbrook was shaking his uninjured shoulder gently. He had changed into some loose pants and a clean shirt. The room was full of a deep orange light from the setting sun.

“You should get out of the tub now,” he said. “The water is getting cold, and the Court Healer should be here soon.”

He helped Nero get out of the tub, and he bandaged his injured shoulder with thick leaves before helping him into some loose flower petal robes.

After the Court Healer had gone, Nero lay on Willowbrook’s bed on his uninjured side, breathing slowly. The Draíocht had made him incredibly drowsy, but his body didn’t ache or sting anymore.

“At least you’re not immune to Draíocht,” Willowbrook noted, letting out a sigh of relief. He was sitting on the edge of the bed beside him. “That’s good. It means you’ll be able to heal much quicker. He left a few vials and instructions for me to administer it to you.”

“Why are you so kind to me?” Nero asked. He didn’t understand it. Almost all the Faeries hated Humans, and it wasn’t like Nero had ever done anything for Willowbrook aside from causing trouble. He felt like he caused everyone trouble, but it seemed especially true for the people he cared about.

Willowbrook sighed and pulled the covers up over Nero’s shoulders.

“You know I don’t share the same views toward Humans as my mother and father. I care about what happens to you, Nero. I want to get you out of Ombra if I can. For now, just try to get some rest.”

Willowbrook moved to get off the bed, but Nero grabbed him weakly by the wrist.

“Don’t… don’t go.”

He hesitated, like he didn’t know if he wanted to stay or not, but then he let out a small sigh and smiled before laying on the bed beside him. Nero moved in closer, and he wrapped his arms around him firmly. His grip was warm and comforting, and Nero rested his head against his shoulder.

“Thank you, Nero,” he whispered, kissing the top of his head. “You saved my people and me. This entire kingdom owes you everything. I’m going to make sure you get out of here soon.”

By the time the next full moon came, Nero wasn’t healed yet, but he still attended the festival with Willowbrook. The Wolf Moon Festival took place high in the branches of the Moon Apple Tree. Many Faeries had their faces painted, and howled loudly at the moon.

Many of the Faeries greeted Nero happily, embracing him and speaking their blessings to him. He didn’t see Aiken or Tana though. He hadn’t seen them at all since the Cold Moon Festival when the Humans had attacked.

Later into the night, he saw Willowbrook slip away like he did last time, and he followed him quickly and quietly.

He returned to the mossy glen that seemed to be his favorite resting place outside of his home. Like last time, he had his robes let down to expose the upper half of his body to the moonlight. It gave his lavender skin an ethereal look to it, like he was glowing in the darkness.

“Willow…” Nero approached him nervously. He didn’t want to interrupt or upset Willowbrook.

WIllowbrook opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow, looking curiously at Nero. He didn’t say anything, but reached his hand out to him. Nero, whose own hands were trembling, placed them in his.

He pulled Nero down into the moss and kissed him without a word. Nero wrapped his arms around his shoulders. He breathed heavily through his nose, and his breath came out in small huffs when Willowbrook finally pulled away.

He wrapped his arms around Nero’s back and held him firmly, then pressed his forehead against his.

“I love you, Nero,” he whispered, and tears ran down Nero’s face. Why was he crying? He didn’t know. But there was one thing he did know:

“I love you too, Willow.”

Nero and WIllowbrook returned to the festival together, where they joined in the celebrations with the Faeries. They danced, got their faces painted, and howled at the moon together. They drank lots of sweet blue wine that was made from Moon Apples and the mushrooms that grew around the Faerie Circle. Nero and Willowbrook had fun and laughed together, and Nero felt truly happy and relaxed for the first time in months.