Work Text:
"Why the hell are you here?"
“Ah!”
A squeak left Eric Wheelsman’s lips as he was backed into a wall. His glasses were knocked askew, and his collar was pulled open by a large, scarred hand. He stared, bleary-eyed, at the unknown man whose expression was twisted into a deep scowl.
“Heuk…”
Eric started hiccupping in his surprise. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands in a bid to stop it in case it pissed off the strange man even further, but soft little hiccups continued to leave his lips.
He didn't understand what this tall, muscular, and wildly aggressive man was doing, trapping him against the wall.
Eric knew he stood no chance against this man if it came to a fight.
This black-haired man was as muscular as Toonka, with the height to match. He was covered in scars from head to toe, from big to small, a testament to the many battles he had been through.
“Answer me. Why are you here?”
The question was more of a growl. Those sharp eyes started scanning him up and down. But it didn’t look like he was doing so out of suspicion or anger. Those eyes… seemed to be checking him for injuries.
Something about this man reminded him of Cale, the Cale from a long time ago, who had been known as the trash of the count's family. The boy Eric Wheelsman grew up with. Not the Cale right now who was known as the shield hero, the savior of the world.
A sense of longing flooded him.
But it didn’t make sense. How could he miss someone who never left? Why did he see Cale in a man who looked nothing like Cale?
But that gaze… That intense, angry gaze was a look he had once been so familiar with.
His mouth shaped around Cale’s name but it never left his lips.
His grey eyes stared at the man, searching, confused, wondering. Did he see Cale in this man because he hadn’t seen Cale in a long time? Because he missed Cale?
“Hey. Can’t you hear me? How did you get here?” The man gripped Eric’s chin to get his attention and Eric jolted at the touch.
Eric Wheelsman shook his head. “I… heuk, I don’t know.”
He didn’t understand how he got here either. One moment, he had been praying at the Church of Light, sincerely wishing for Cale Henituse’s everlasting happiness after all his dongsaeng had been through, and the next moment he found himself in the middle of a crowded street, surrounded by black-haired people with features so different from the ones he saw in his own territory.
The buildings here were so tall, extending high enough to touch the skies. Everything looked so strange and fantastical, from the people tapping on tiny devices to the unfamiliar vehicles zooming past on another road made of a different material. He had been staring, starstruck, marveling at all the technological wonders until he suddenly realized everyone was staring at him.
In his panic, he had fled, not knowing where to go, until a man grabbed him and pulled him into an empty alley.
Which brought them to the current situation.
“Hmm,” the man hummed, having finished inspecting Eric. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
The odd question gave Eric pause. When the handsome man raised an eyebrow, Eric quickly shook his head in reply.
“I-I wish you no harm, I swear. Really!”
With his panicked words, the man finally eased off him.
“As if you could ever wish harm on anyone,” the man snorted, pushing his short hair back in a way that suggested he once had longer hair.
“Who… who are you?” Eric asked, puzzled by the strong sensation of familiarity. Then, realizing it was rude, he quickly offered, “I am Count Eric Wheelsman! You can just call me Eric.”
“A count now, are you?” the man smirked, but his eyes softened as he regarded Eric. He stared quietly for a long time, head slightly tilted, as if mapping each of Eri’s features, until he finally introduced himself. “...I’m Kim Rok Soo. The team leader of Team 1.”
“It’s um, nice to meet you, Kim Rok Soo-nim. I’m sorry if I caused any trouble, really. I’m just really lost and I’m not sure how to get back to where I came from, which was why I—” Eric quickly pursed his lips shut.
He was rambling again. Even as he got older, it was a bad habit he never managed to kick. Whenever he got nervous or worried, words would flow from his lips non-stop.
Thankfully, Kim Rok Soo smiled instead of getting angry at him.
“Calm down, hyungnim,” he said, voice lilting, almost teasing. He gently righted Eric’s glasses, setting them neatly on Eric’s high nose bridge, and Eric’s traitorous heart skipped a beat at the action. He hadn’t felt this flustered for a long time.
“How long have you been here?” Kim Rok Soo asked as he regarded Eric seriously. Despite his sharp gaze, the concern was radiating off him in waves.
“I’m… not sure.”
That large hand was back now, this time pressing against Eric’s heated forehead. “Your cheeks are so red. You might be sunburnt or running a fever.”
“Um,” Eric said intelligently. He really couldn’t think straight with the way this handsome man kept touching him.
“Come on. Follow me.” Kim Rok Soo backed off, and Eric could breathe again.
“W-Where are we going?”
“I can’t have you wandering the streets all day, can I?” Kim Rok Soo replied, voice light and nonchalant. He walked away with his long legs and Eric had to rush to follow him.
Eric struggled to keep up. The people here walked so fast on these narrow, jam-packed roads. It was taking all of him to even keep Kim Rok Soo in his sight. He had to keep apologizing as he pushed and squeezed past the crowd to keep up with the man’s long steps.
Kim Rok Soo turned around and saw Eric struggling.
Without saying anything, he walked back, grabbed Eric’s hand with ease, and tugged him along.
The image of his broad and reliable back superimposed with that of a much younger Cale Henituse, holding Eric’s hand after Eric had fallen down and hurt his knee. Back then, Eric tried his very best to hold back his tears, not wanting to cry in front of his dongsaeng.
Right now, he had to hold back the urge to cry too.
He didn’t know what was wrong.
He simply gripped that warm and reassuring hand as Kim Rok Soo guided him around a foreign land. He was no longer afraid.