I can. [ a pause, and then, a little sheepishly, yin yu admits; ] ...Last time, I did not read so much as listened to you.
[ while he could tell you the basic plot of the story they had read, even the observant yin yu had forgotten a few details. more than once, he'd found himself soothed by the sound of her voice, but moreso, by the way she just seemed to enjoy the story with her whole being. the way it just seemed to enchant her was a lot more than the story itself. ]
[...that's sort of flattering? it's really flattering, actually. flayn smiles to herself, and looks down at the book. right. right, she's on the page they were at, which sentence was it...]
Um - I shall begin, then. If you are ready to listen...?
anyway. they read! it's comfortable, to stay cuddled up to yin yu's side as they make their way through the story. so comfortable, in fact, that later on, as they go, flayn can't help but feel a little sleepy. it isn't really easy for her to sleep, ever, but with yin yu here...
oh, she doesn't want to sleep, though. she wants to stay up with him and remember as much about all of this as she can.
so, stubbornly, she keeps going, even as she mispronounces some of the words from the book. oops.]
[ it's not as much the reading itself that's making yin yu sleepy. it's been a long day, but every day in camp is particularly long. rather, flayn being sleepy and exuding that outwards is starting to lull yin yu into towards sleeping, too. he knows from earlier in the week, how difficult sleep can be to find for flayn, and the fear that it gives her, so to feel her relaxing warm and comfortable against him is soothing, too. yin yu takes a deep breath as he would on his own, to try and help her stay calm and comfortable, but - he finds little tension in his own body, either.
relaxing is hard for him, and always has been.
he ends up leaning forward a bit, cheek nestling against the top of her head, and lets the mispronounced words go by; she'll feel the warm, ensconcing feeling of yin yu's fondness, quiet, but a little overwhelming all the same. it's more than fondness, though. he -
it's something he hasn't really felt, ever. an intense and true something, that's hard to describe. watching this wonder of a person trust him with one of her fears - and watching her stumble sleepily, cutely, over words, still desperately trying to stay awake a little longer to spend time with yin yu of all people - is what gives him the tiny, bright realization - i love her.
meditation is a key part of cultivation - of being cognizant of all of your feelings, recognizing them, letting them pass by. it's a few lines down the page further that yin yu finally reaches forward to gently place the bookmark they were using before in the center of the book, so his hand brushes hers. ]
[ there's...arguably more than enough space to sleep; he doesn't want to disturb flayn now that she's so close to slumber. gently, quietly, he'll try to close the book.
and when yin yu speaks, his voice is just soft enough to not disturb the gentle peace they've created, his usual gentle timbre even softer than usual, just a little hesitant. ] ...do you want to stay?
[ stay here. stay with him. he'll walk her back to her cabin if he has to, but if flayn, who fears sleep, is comfortable enough to rest, then by the gods, he'll stay here with her all night. ]
[that warm, relaxed feeling is echoed back to him. she bites back a yawn as he places the bookmark and eases the book shut, and unconsciously, she leans into him. that feeling that is more than fondness - love - echoes back to him, too.
flayn isn't sure when it started.
but she does know that, right now, there is nowhere else she would rather be than here with him. she doesn't want to be walked back to her cabin. she doesn't want to split up for the night.
she wants to stay here, warm and relaxed and loving him, and keep this moment close to her heart for as long as she possibly can.]
...would that be alright?
[she asks that, because she's concerned - would it be comfortable for him, to sleep here? she knows she's comfortable, because yin yu makes a rather good pillow, but. his comfort is important, too.
...she sounds really sleepy, though. and she makes no move to get up.]
[ in acting as a general scout for hua cheng, yin yu has slept in plenty of strange places. his bed in paradise manor is humble, and the bunk beds here are...frankly a little too small for him. curling up here with flayn puts pretty much every place he's slept right out of the water, in comparison.
he takes a moment to fetch one of the throw pillows that's laying around and move it behind his head, his other hand coming to rest gently in flayn's back so he doesn't disturb her too much. ] Mn. [ the noise is agreeing, quiet, and he as he makes the final adjustments, he wriggles down a little so he's laying down properly and flayn can keep just using him as a pillow if she wants, reaching up to pull the blanket up and over flayn's shoulders, even tucking her in a little because he's considerate like that.
yin yu tries to do all of this as carefully as possible, so not to jostle flayn as he slowly settles back, folding his other arm behind his head to act enough as a pillow for himself. it's all yin yu really needs.
and having flayn here is - it's more comfort than he could ask for. ] Rest well, my... [ mmn. his arm settles a little warmer around her, and even if he doesn't sleep right away, it will be a restful night. ] Flayn.
that, more than anything, puts her at ease. she can close her eyes, right now, and drift off to sleep, because when she opens them again, he won't be gone. he'll be here, as promised. yin yu is a man who keeps his promises, and if he swears to her that she won't be alone, then she knows she will not be.
it's been a long while since she's been able to truly believe that.
she doesn't seem at all bothered by his moving around, but that's likely because he's considerate and careful not to jostle her. with a yawn, she curls up at his side, one arm coming around his waist to hold onto him -
he can feel everything she's feeling. affection, peace, trust, love. but just letting him feel it doesn't necessarily feel like enough. she wants to put words to it, so there can't be any doubt.
[ it's probably a good thing that flayn is asleep just seconds later, because that surprises yin yu so much at first, he pauses.
it shouldn't. it should feel obvious. it's felt obvious all evening, as they were stuck sharing their emotions - but he wasn't able to put a name to it, not really. or rather, any obliviousness towards it was willful. even though it was right there in front of him, it's just...
even now, yin yu wonders how could someone like flayn could love him. what has he possibly done to earn this - this warmth, this affection, this love? flayn is kind and fierce, beautiful and warm, charming, gentle, powerful, someone nearly everyone in this camp adores. in contrast, yin yu is an unnoticeable, presenceless, nobody, a failure, a banished god, the kind of person who fades so easily in the background, eclipsed by the brightness of every star around. but, settled here like this, he doesn't feel like any of those things. not the xianxianyue officer, not his highness the failed martial god of the west.
...he just feels like yin yu. a person with a name. a person who could maybe do something half right to protect flayn, to keep her safe.
from a thrown piece of fruit at a ghost, to a persistent, lovely, endless kindness. from pinky promises, and trials, memorials and flower language. from someone who refused to let him hide, because he thought it would be easier to slip away from everyone instead of make a single bond of his own. from laughing until his sides hurt at a mountain goat that stole their food, from the worst memory of his life that she saw, and accepted, and she loved him anyway.
she loves him anyway.
it's a little while after she's asleep, and he can feel her breathing even out, that yin yu leans forward, and presses his lips to the crown of her head. he lingers there, for a while, eyes closed, feeling so overwhelmingly warm he might burst.
it gets stuck in his throat. it's like he has to push it out, like the words are creaky and old from disuse, because they are. and when yin yu says it, flayn can't even hear him, but he sounds vulnerable, open. quiet.
tender. ]
...I love you, too.
[ it will be another hour before he sleeps properly, but when he does, it will be restful.
yin yu stays curled around her the entire night. ]
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fishingforcompliments) wrote2020-06-06 12:53 pm
no subject
[ while he could tell you the basic plot of the story they had read, even the observant yin yu had forgotten a few details. more than once, he'd found himself soothed by the sound of her voice, but moreso, by the way she just seemed to enjoy the story with her whole being. the way it just seemed to enchant her was a lot more than the story itself. ]
But I can see just fine.
no subject
[...that's sort of flattering? it's really flattering, actually. flayn smiles to herself, and looks down at the book. right. right, she's on the page they were at, which sentence was it...]
Um - I shall begin, then. If you are ready to listen...?
no subject
At your leave.
[ boy i'm glad we started another thread because threading out reading is very hard, ]
no subject
anyway. they read! it's comfortable, to stay cuddled up to yin yu's side as they make their way through the story. so comfortable, in fact, that later on, as they go, flayn can't help but feel a little sleepy. it isn't really easy for her to sleep, ever, but with yin yu here...
oh, she doesn't want to sleep, though. she wants to stay up with him and remember as much about all of this as she can.
so, stubbornly, she keeps going, even as she mispronounces some of the words from the book. oops.]
no subject
relaxing is hard for him, and always has been.
he ends up leaning forward a bit, cheek nestling against the top of her head, and lets the mispronounced words go by; she'll feel the warm, ensconcing feeling of yin yu's fondness, quiet, but a little overwhelming all the same. it's more than fondness, though. he -
it's something he hasn't really felt, ever. an intense and true something, that's hard to describe. watching this wonder of a person trust him with one of her fears - and watching her stumble sleepily, cutely, over words, still desperately trying to stay awake a little longer to spend time with yin yu of all people - is what gives him the tiny, bright realization - i love her.
meditation is a key part of cultivation - of being cognizant of all of your feelings, recognizing them, letting them pass by. it's a few lines down the page further that yin yu finally reaches forward to gently place the bookmark they were using before in the center of the book, so his hand brushes hers. ]
[ there's...arguably more than enough space to sleep; he doesn't want to disturb flayn now that she's so close to slumber. gently, quietly, he'll try to close the book.
and when yin yu speaks, his voice is just soft enough to not disturb the gentle peace they've created, his usual gentle timbre even softer than usual, just a little hesitant. ] ...do you want to stay?
[ stay here. stay with him. he'll walk her back to her cabin if he has to, but if flayn, who fears sleep, is comfortable enough to rest, then by the gods, he'll stay here with her all night. ]
no subject
flayn isn't sure when it started.
but she does know that, right now, there is nowhere else she would rather be than here with him. she doesn't want to be walked back to her cabin. she doesn't want to split up for the night.
she wants to stay here, warm and relaxed and loving him, and keep this moment close to her heart for as long as she possibly can.]
...would that be alright?
[she asks that, because she's concerned - would it be comfortable for him, to sleep here? she knows she's comfortable, because yin yu makes a rather good pillow, but. his comfort is important, too.
...she sounds really sleepy, though. and she makes no move to get up.]
no subject
he takes a moment to fetch one of the throw pillows that's laying around and move it behind his head, his other hand coming to rest gently in flayn's back so he doesn't disturb her too much. ] Mn. [ the noise is agreeing, quiet, and he as he makes the final adjustments, he wriggles down a little so he's laying down properly and flayn can keep just using him as a pillow if she wants, reaching up to pull the blanket up and over flayn's shoulders, even tucking her in a little because he's considerate like that.
yin yu tries to do all of this as carefully as possible, so not to jostle flayn as he slowly settles back, folding his other arm behind his head to act enough as a pillow for himself. it's all yin yu really needs.
and having flayn here is - it's more comfort than he could ask for. ] Rest well, my... [ mmn. his arm settles a little warmer around her, and even if he doesn't sleep right away, it will be a restful night. ] Flayn.
...I'll be here.
no subject
that, more than anything, puts her at ease. she can close her eyes, right now, and drift off to sleep, because when she opens them again, he won't be gone. he'll be here, as promised. yin yu is a man who keeps his promises, and if he swears to her that she won't be alone, then she knows she will not be.
it's been a long while since she's been able to truly believe that.
she doesn't seem at all bothered by his moving around, but that's likely because he's considerate and careful not to jostle her. with a yawn, she curls up at his side, one arm coming around his waist to hold onto him -
he can feel everything she's feeling. affection, peace, trust, love. but just letting him feel it doesn't necessarily feel like enough. she wants to put words to it, so there can't be any doubt.
and so, she mumbles:]
...I love you, Yin Yu.
[in the next breath, she's fast asleep.]
no subject
it shouldn't. it should feel obvious. it's felt obvious all evening, as they were stuck sharing their emotions - but he wasn't able to put a name to it, not really. or rather, any obliviousness towards it was willful. even though it was right there in front of him, it's just...
even now, yin yu wonders how could someone like flayn could love him. what has he possibly done to earn this - this warmth, this affection, this love? flayn is kind and fierce, beautiful and warm, charming, gentle, powerful, someone nearly everyone in this camp adores. in contrast, yin yu is an unnoticeable, presenceless, nobody, a failure, a banished god, the kind of person who fades so easily in the background, eclipsed by the brightness of every star around. but, settled here like this, he doesn't feel like any of those things. not the xianxianyue officer, not his highness the failed martial god of the west.
...he just feels like yin yu. a person with a name. a person who could maybe do something half right to protect flayn, to keep her safe.
from a thrown piece of fruit at a ghost, to a persistent, lovely, endless kindness. from pinky promises, and trials, memorials and flower language. from someone who refused to let him hide, because he thought it would be easier to slip away from everyone instead of make a single bond of his own. from laughing until his sides hurt at a mountain goat that stole their food, from the worst memory of his life that she saw, and accepted, and she loved him anyway.
she loves him anyway.
it's a little while after she's asleep, and he can feel her breathing even out, that yin yu leans forward, and presses his lips to the crown of her head. he lingers there, for a while, eyes closed, feeling so overwhelmingly warm he might burst.
it gets stuck in his throat. it's like he has to push it out, like the words are creaky and old from disuse, because they are. and when yin yu says it, flayn can't even hear him, but he sounds vulnerable, open. quiet.
tender. ]
...I love you, too.
[ it will be another hour before he sleeps properly, but when he does, it will be restful.
yin yu stays curled around her the entire night. ]