Welcome

[adaptiveimmunities]

You awake on the grass. When you open your eyes, you see that you in the Wood. It is calm here. Quiet. There are no birds singing, nor any other sight or sound of animal life. The sky between the branches is an eternal twilight that lightens and darkens without ever becoming true day and night. Interspersed between the trees are the Pools. Each Pool is only a foot deep at most--enough to splash in, but certainly not deep enough to swim or drown. They are oddly uniform, aside from the occasional Pool here and there that has inexplicably dried out.

As you look around, you notice that a short distance away is what appears to be the remains of a small camp. When you approach, you can see that there are a number of tents that seem to be in excellent condition, and in the middle, a campfire circle with plenty of food supplies around it.

The food replenishes itself when taken.

The fresh water never runs dry.

The sleeping bags and mats within the tents are oddly comfortable and restful.

Welcome to the Wood Between the Worlds.

Comments

[princebuttercup]

"I believe every instance of this has been your fault," Henry points out, rolling off of Alex and onto the grass so he can stare up at the trees above them. "So you owe me dinner. And drinks, if it happens again. Ow."

[bisexualdisaster]

"My fault?!" Alex pushes himself to sitting which--ow--that reveals a lot of bruises he had not wanted. At least he hasn't injured his face, and the fact that's probably because Henry slowed his fall is not worth dwelling on.

"If I remember correctly, and I do, you pushed me into that cake, there were firecrackers that sounded like guns in your country, and just now? You pulled my foot! Your fault!" He points a finger at Henry, then grimaces and rubs his back. "Ow."

[princebuttercup]

"First of all, you grabbed me. Second, I cannot personally be blamed for firecrackers in my country. Third--you didn't overbalance yourself just now until you tried to kick me, ergo: your fault." He sighs and frowns at the trees above them. "Where are we anyway? How are you even here?"

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex could keep arguing. There's something almost comforting in the familiar banter. A fire that lights in his belly when Henry challenges him, even on something trivial. A part of him that even now, wants to push at Henry, find his buttons, see if he can find that same fire inside him.

But Alex supposes he has more important things to do than antagonize Henry.

"Same way you did, I'm guessing. Which is to say, I have no fucking clue." He scowls up at the sky, then pushes himself to his feet, leaning a little more heavily on the tree than he should have to. "I saw a campsite a little ways away, though. It's the only lead I've got."

[princebuttercup]

"Wonderful." He pushes himself to his feet, grunting a little when he notices the new bruises he's acquired from landing on Alex. He's almost sorry they've stopped arguing. It's fun when it's Alex, even if he is the most irritating person Henry knows.

"A campsite. All right. Let's go." He eyes Alex for a moment. He doesn't look particularly steady on his feet. "...Do you need help?"

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex rolls his eyes, pushing himself off the tree to make it clear he can stand without any help from anyone. It's mostly true anyway. His ankle feels a little more tender than he'd like, but he's sure he can walk it off.

"Sorry, Prince Charming. Not gonna play damsel in distress for you. Even if it was your heavy ass that fell on me."

[princebuttercup]

"I'm so sorry for trying to stop you from falling," he says, rolling his own eyes in return. "Remind me not to bother in the future." He glances around. "Which direction was your campsite in?"

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex casually flips him off, then points forward. "That way," he says. "It was right over--"

He takes a step and okay, maybe his ankle is not as completely fine as he'd like it to be because it rolls immediately and he swears as he does, indeed, start to fall. Again.

[princebuttercup]

Henry's about to return the sentiment with two fingers of his own, when Alex starts to fall. Again. Despite his previous words, he moves quickly, grabbing Alex's arm to try to steady him. "You are an idiot," he tells him. "Let me help you."

[bisexualdisaster]

A part of Alex wishes Henry had let him fall. It would almost be better than having Henry continue to be so damn frustratingly perfect. Stupid, handsome prince charming and his strong, steady hands sweeping in and catching him. For a moment, he can't even respond because there's something caught in his throat, adrenaline, or frustration, maybe, that Henry can't even let him walk on his own. But he's smarter than this. Or he should be, anyway, if Henry didn't keep getting him all flustered and turned around.

He needs a list.

1. He doesn't know where he is.
2. He doesn't know where any of his secret service agents are.
3. Henry is the only person he's come across.
4. Henry probably doesn't want to be alone either.
5. His ankle might be injured badly enough that walking on it is a bad idea.
6. If he doesn't let Henry help him, they'll both be screwed.

He scowls and glances up at Henry. "Fine. But if you start singing or talking to chipmunks or whatever, I'm bolting."

[princebuttercup]

"Good luck getting far on your bum ankle, but fine," Henry agrees. He starts moving them crefully in the direction Alex had indicated, watching out for any obvious hazards. "In any case, as the damsel in this situation, I think you're much more likely to break out in song or strike up a conversation with the local wildlife. My role here it to be completely useless until most of the story is over."

[bisexualdisaster]

"Oh, fuck you," Alex says, before he registers that Henry just called himself useless. He falls silent, for once, letting Henry support his weight as they move.

Henry is solid and strong, a fixed point, holding Alex steady, keeping him from doing what he always does and going too fast and hurting himself again. It's weirdly comfortable.

Damn, maybe he hit his head harder than he thought.

Obviously, he doesn't stay silent for very long. "I'm kind of surprised. I didn't think you had a sense of humor."

[princebuttercup]

"They do try to breed it out of us, but there's no accounting for accidents of genetics," he says dryly. They move carefully along for a few more moments before he speaks again. "How's your ankle doing? Do you need a break?"

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex wants to snap that he's fine, but he bites it back. He's already decided to accept Henry's help. Fighting him now just to be stubborn is a good way to make his ankle worse.

"Might be a good idea." He shifts his weight, leaning a little more firmly on Henry so he can pull his leg up and poke at his ankle. He grimaces. "But just a short one. I'd really like to get to that campsite ASAP."

[princebuttercup]

"All right," Henry says. He stops so that Alex can rest and put a hit more of his weight in him if he wants. "Perhaps the campsite will have some answers for us. Surely someone there must know what's going on and what happened to everyone." After all, neither of them go anywhere without a flock of people managing their security, and the fact that none of them are anywhere in sight is... concerning. Henry isn't willing to suggest anything sinister--surely there's just some miscommunication--but it's still worrying.

And there's still something naggingly familiar about this wood. He feels like he's missing something big, but he can't see the shape of it.

It's probably Alex's fault.

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex shifts, leaning against Henry. As always, those few inches Henry has on him annoy him, even if it means Alex fits really well against his side. Why does Henry have to be so damn tall?

Whatever. It's fine. Nothing new there. They just have to get to camp so he can lean against something less mortifying.

"Maybe. Or it'll just fuck with us harder. Somehow, I doubt this is some weird surprise kidnapping training drill."

[princebuttercup]

"You don't think it's an actual surprise kidnapping, though." It seems incredibly unlikely. Actual kidnappers would probably not let them wander around and climb trees. Even if they weren't tied up, there would be eyes on them to make sure they stayed put, in order to get whatever they wanted from their respective people. So far, there had been no one.

And Alex's weight against his side was annoyingly soothing--they might not know what was happening, but at least they weren't alone in it.

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex shakes his head. "It just doesn't make sense. Why would we be dropped in a random forest? Why not tied up in a warehouse or something? Why us, and why are we together? If this is politically motivated, it's fucking weird. If it's just some psychopath, well, they'd have gotten past all our security on two different continents, so they'd have to be the smartest, most competent psychopaths imaginable and then they do this."

He waves at the surrounding trees vigorously enough that his weight shifts onto his bum foot. He grimaces and leans back onto Henry again.

"Anyway." Just gonna ignore that. "If I didn't know better I'd think we'd, like, gone the rabbit hole into Oz or something. But that's not real. Also? Those books pretty much just star white kids. So seems unlikely on my end anyway."

[princebuttercup]

Henry scoffs quietly. "I don't recall falling through a looking glass, do--" He stops. Blinks a few times and looks around. Hang on... The trees. The pools. He does know this place, only it's... impossible. Even more impossible than insanely competent but also weirdly stupid kidnappers. C. S. Lewis wrote fiction and Christian allegory and the fantastic places he wrote about aren't real.

He's not speaking his thoughts out loud, but the look on his face is pure shock and disbelief.

[bisexualdisaster]

That's... a weird reaction. Alex can't even form a snarky reply properly because Henry didn't finish his sentence. He frowns, looking at Henry's face. That's... probably more facial expression than he's seen from Henry, like, ever.

"What?" He smirks, but it's not as solid as he'd like it to be. Because the fact is they don't know what's going on and Henry's being extra weird and that's alarming. "You don't actually think we're in a magical portal universe, do you?"

He means it to come out scornful, but it comes out a little less certain than he'd like it to. They aren't. Right? That's impossible. It definitely has to be impossible.

[princebuttercup]

"It's not possible," he replies, frowning. "Those kinds of things aren't real." He wants to leave it at that, because he knows it's the truth. But the uncertain note in Alex's voice, and the impossibility of their current location--its appearance, the decided lack of PPOs, and the fact that they're both here at all--prompt him to continue.

"But if it were possible. I'd say we were in one of Lewis's magical portal lands."

GO AHEAD AND LAUGH AT HIM ALEX HE KNOWS HE'S BEING RIDICULOUS.

[bisexualdisaster]

He is being pretty ridiculous. Alex might laugh at him if everything weren't so entirely fucked up.

Instead he just stares, then shakes his head.

"Right." He shifts his weight, back onto his good foot. "Then we better go see if Magic Jesus Lion is waiting for us at the campsite. We wouldn't want to keep him waiting. He might decide we're too interested in lipstick and boys or whatever and keep us out."

[princebuttercup]

"In that case, it will be a quick trip home, won't it?" He's a little surprised that Alex had read through the series far enough to get to Susan's fate, but he shrugs it off, giving him a sidelong little smile. "Don't forget to mention how much you miss your nylons as well. That's sure to seal our fate."

[bisexualdisaster]

Alex has not read far enough to get to Susan's fate, he's just read the discourse so he could be appropriately angry at Lion Jesus and the man who wrote him. So he gives Henry a confused look.

"The fuck's a nylon? Is that a British thing?"

[princebuttercup]

Henry gives him a mildly confused look. Doesn't everyone know this?

"Extremely thin skin-tone stockings that some women wear?" He motions to his own legs. "Is that not what you call them?"