By the Stars (Runaan x Ethari Oneshots)

Life|Death

Ethari exhaled shakily as he placed a hand on the ice. The Ice Runaan was trapped in.

He looked up at his husband's face, a constricting feeling building up inside his chest. From fear, or pain, or something else he couldn't identify. Everything felt so wrong, it hurt.

"Can you free him?" The craftsman asked, turning to Callum and Rayla.

The mage nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He raised his hand up, and chanted an ancient incantation.

Ribbons of gold light stretched from his fingertips, reaching to the ice. The light danced around the cold prison, slowly melting in its wake. Eventually, it had melted almost all of it.

The three looked at the assassin's still body, holding their breaths. Ethari prayed and prayed, begging for Runaan to be okay.

All of a sudden, his eyes flew open, revealing wild turquoise irises. His body lurched forward from his resting position, gasping as if his life had ricocheted back into his soul. Which in a way, was exactly what had just happened.

Ethari rushed forward just before he fell to the ground. "Runaan!" He gasped, easing his husband to the ground. "Ru... Can you hear me? Ru, please..." The assassin laid motionless; the three of them too scared to see if he was breathing or not.

However, Callum stepped forward, "Ventus spirals." He said, tracing the rune. But it was all for nothing. All that did was create a pretty display of blue swirls. Pretty and sad.

Ethari cupped his hand up to Runaan's face, and almost retracted it when he felt how cold his skin was. "No," he whispered. "No, no, no. Don't do this. Don't do this." Tears fell from his eyes, falling onto the cool, smooth ground, echoing as it came in contact.

Rayla held tight to Callum. This was too painful to watch.

The craftsman held his husband's limp figure close, the constricting feeling growing tighter and tighter. But it suddenly fled. Ethari pulled away, confused. But under his hand, he felt a steady beat. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

It was slow. Too slow, but steady. And that was good enough.

"He's alive." He remarked in shock. He turned to Callum and Rayla, hope returning to their hearts. "He's alive! We need to get him help, now."

Runaan let a groan escape his lips as light penetrated his slumber. When he opened his eyes, he saw the pearly ceiling of what seemed like the healers hut, judging by the scent of herbs.

His whole body felt disconnected and strange, as if he didn't belong in it.

The assassin's immediate thought was to get up from the cot he lay on, but froze when he saw who was sleeping in the chair next to him. Ethari. A short gasp escaped.

This had to be a dream. Runaan's last memory was the dark mage imprisoning him in ice.

He couldn't be in the healers hut. It wasn't possible. But he had to know if this was real or not.

"Ethari?" He whispered. His husband opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. And when he turned to him with those almond brown eyes, Runaan knew; this wasn't a dream. This wasn't a fantasy.

"Runaan." His husband exhaled. "I-Is that truly you?" He reached his hand out, afraid he'd be whisked away again.

Runaan nodded. "It's me. I'm here." Ethari laughed, tears of happiness gliding down his face. "I missed you so much. So, so much." His husband brushed the craftsman's feathery hair to the side, sighing contently when he could feel reality again.

"So did I. And I'm never leaving you again." He said, and they touched foreheads. Relaxed at last. And then they had their first kiss. Well, first kiss in a long time. It felt awkward at first, but then it was okay. Because they found each other again. Like two missing puzzle pieces.

"You really did return my heart." Ethari said quietly. And to Runaan, that meant everything.

Life and death. Death and life. The two mirrored each other like no other. There was always a balance, but Runaan had always chosen death. He was an assassin, what more could you expect? But he often forgets himself, and must remember to embrace life. For as told before, life and death reflect one another.

I literally cannot do death I just can't :_) Thanks for all the positive feedback! It means so much!