Overdue Confessions (KhunxBam / Tower of God)

III. Like I'm Not Even Here

"Where's Bam?" Khun asks Maria for the fourth time.

"You're no fun." Maria gulps down the rest of her drink and the one she ordered for Khun too. "Let's take this outside."

It's summer on this part of the ship. At night the sun is turned off and the moon on. The sky is set to black with a hint of clouds. Victorian iron lampposts ignite and fireflies strobe by the canal.

"I don't want to fight you here," Khun says. "Just tell me where Bam is."

Maria takes out her double-sided lightening spear and spins it for effect. "If you're not going to kiss me Aguero, I'll have to kill you."

"Aren't you being a little dramatic?"

"Don't underestimate a spurned woman." Maria lunges at Khun with her spear, but he blocks it with his ice spear. The sound of the spears clashing echoes through the night.

"You may be good at strategy, but I'm the better fighter," Maria says pushing back on Khun's spear in attempt to overtake him. She's strong, she has Zahard's blood, but he isn't going to give in easily.

"You know what annoys me most about you Maria?," Khun says freezing her feet to the ground and thus limiting her movement. "You never thanked me for making you a princess."

Maria tries to freeze Khun's feet to the ground in retaliation, but he anticipates this and jumps behind her holding his knife at her throat. 

"Why would I thank you for something you did so willingly?" Maria snickers. She breaks out of the ice and pushes him back with her elbows to escape his hold. Khun lunges at her with his knife.

"Not bad," she says kicking his hand hard enough for him to drop his knife. "Looks like you've finally gotten serious."

~

Bam comes to and rubs his eyes. It's dark but also blue. Khun, he thinks. Is he inside Khun's lighthouse? How?

Bam has been inside a lighthouse only one other time. Endorsi had walked in on him and Khun during an inconvenient moment. The quick thinking Khun had heard her voice before the door opened fully and hide them both inside his lighthouse. Endorsi, who couldn't see anything but could still hear wet sucking sounds, was pissed. "That damn Workshop," she screamed, "should really soundproof those things!"

Something feels different about this lighthouse, but Bam can't put his finger on it. The last thing Bam remembers is meeting a girl with blue hair looking for her lost cat. He can't remember if they found the cat or not but he vaguely recalls a cup of tea which he drank because he was thirsty.

Oh, Bam realizes. This must be why Karaka never accepts food or drink from anyone. So, he was knocked out. But how? Spells don't work on him. Could it have been herbal?

Bam recalls a memory from the cave. He had a cold. His sinuses were blocked and his body ached. Rachel brought him a liquid made from some kind of plant. She explained that there were many plants that had potent properties, some for healing and some for harming.

He didn't understand why someone would want to harm another. He still doesn't fully understand this. He can hardly bear being forced to inflict violence on others to protect those close to him. If others were also motivated to protect those close to them, then where did it all begin? From where did violence originate?

The air smells too sweet like cotton candy. This isn't Khun's lighthouse! Bam realizes. There's no trace of his subtle musk in the air.

Bam hears a sudden clash of weapons coming together. The lighthouse's opacity has been increased so he can't see outside. He reaches for his pocket, but it's missing. He'll have to try breaking out.

Although he isn't used to it yet, Bam activates the second thorn fragment.

~

The alcohol hits Maria all at once. It's not well known that while the Khun family has a high tolerance for alcohol, Zahard has almost zero. Zahard's blood might make the princesses strong, but it comes with an unintended side effect: They really shouldn't drink.

Maria aims her spear at Khun's head, but her grip slips and the spear lands in the ground at Khun's feet. He can't help but laugh at this unexpected turn of events.

"Sss-hut up." Maria slurs, picking up her spear.

A flash of watery blue shinsoo appears like a giant cloud between Maria and Khun.

"Whhat the--?," Maria utters in shock as she's blown backward by the blast.

Khun is relieved. He recognizes Bam's shinsoo before Bam suddenly appears before him wearing a leather jacket looking out of breathe. The leather jacket, Khun swoons internally, so that's what Isu was talking about. 

"Aguero," Bam says panting, "I'm sorry I missed our date this time."

"Bam!" Khun yells almost teary-eyed, "I'm just glad you're okay." Khun wraps his arms around Bam. Bam embraces him with both his arms and his wings.

"I can't believe you're just gonna act like I'm not even here," Maria says opening her mouth and pointing inside to indicate that she wants to vomit.

"Let's go to our room Bam. There's still one thing we can enjoy."

Maria is drunk and unable to lift herself from the ground.

"Oh, and Maria," Khun says turning to her, "It was your half brother Arlo that I was in love with. Or did you forget about him because he died in one of the family fights?" (Arlo wasn't very strong because Eduan was not his father.) 

Maria scowls, but neither Bam or Khun notice