Through the Looking Glass

Hijack My Heart

Cale glowered at the innocent cement ground next to him.

Some dried gum and various substances that Cale explicitly didn't want to identify covered the otherwise equally dirty ground. Cale made a face when he realized that both Alver and Cale had no shoes on. The ground may not really touch them but the knowledge that he was technically standing on filth without fiber protection is turning his stomach in uncomfortable directions.

He wiggled his bare toes, staring despondently at them.

Alver also had a less-than-impressed expression on his handsome face.

They went from a nice garden to whatever that is. Alver looked around curiously. He saw some of it already when he occupied the dark tiger and helped Cale but this was after the apocalypse hit the world.

The world they found themselves in is the one before tragedy played out. The population isn't aware that in a few years everything they know and see as common will change.

People were walking busily across the streets, minding their own business, almost rude, really. He thinks back to his citizens who spend most of their time chatting each other up while shopping at the markets, their gazes always staring ahead while the people of Cale's old world only stare at their shoes, their next destination, or their phones.

Cale grabbed Alver's elbow, hurriedly tugging the king toward a less crowded area. People still walked through them and Alver winced when another person passed through his body. It wasn't a nice feeling.

"Where are we?", Alver asked. If they follow the pattern of the previous excursion, Cale should know where they are located right now. Or at least, have a vague idea.

"Near the house of my uncle."

Alver removed his arm from Cale's clenched fists and took the slightly smaller man in a tight embrace. Cale wasn't shaking nor were his eyes filled with panic, he was just not really anticipating the reaction Alver may have when meeting his child self. They stood there for a while until Cale slowly removed himself from Alver's arms.

The alley they entered was covered in filth. Trash bags were haphazardly thrown around, men and women alike sought warmth near the entrances of pubs or shops, while the obnoxious noises from cars and people talking covered up the loud sounds of the wind.

A storm was coming. If Alver had to gauge a season, he would suspect it's summer or early autumn. Cale quietly confirmed that it was summer. The redhead peeked at an open newspaper an elder man was reading and recorded the date on top of the paper.

Alver let himself be guided by Cale toward another alley. Shops and pubs disappeared. Instead, communal buildings stood out. No trees or greenery was in sight. Alver gently let his fingers trace the knuckles of Cale's hand, supporting him silently. The soft smile Cale directed toward him warmed his chest.

"We are almost there.", Cale whispered over the loud noises.

"Where?", he asked even though he knew the answer.

"The place where I used to live for a while."

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence. Alver trusted Cale to lead him where they need to be and chose to spend the time taking a look at the other world.

In the Rowoon Kingdom, citizens decorate their homes and windows with fresh flowers. The people here use other materials, forming cute shapes that they glue to their windows and door. He had to suppress a smile at a cheerfully waving candy cane that was telling him something.

Alver pouted when he realized that he can't read Korean. Maybe, Cale will teach him when they get home. So, caught up in his fantasies, Alver almost walked straight into Cale when the young man stopped.