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[ hwylryn holds on tight and ish wraps his fingers around snugly in turn. ]
Then come with me. [ tonight his magic feels just a bit warmer, and in a moment the aquarium fades away to the nightsky above.
welcome to the roof, though really it's all about the view. ]
How about this?
Then come with me. [ tonight his magic feels just a bit warmer, and in a moment the aquarium fades away to the nightsky above.
welcome to the roof, though really it's all about the view. ]
How about this?
[ oh, that is easy. ish blinks, feeling very stupid. ]
I do! [ why is he still yelling smh.
though...
in a moment of impulse (also his pride), he leans in to press another kiss between their lips. ]
I do! [ why is he still yelling smh.
though...
in a moment of impulse (also his pride), he leans in to press another kiss between their lips. ]
( Somewhere in all that yellin (metaphorical and literal), Hwylryn has gauged he should go a little easier on Ish, since he's just so green to all this. While Hwyl isn't sure what that'd look like, Hwylryn being the type to just feel it out, he set the expectation he should maybe slow down with the kisses after the rush of the initial three.
and then ish gets him !!!!! )
and then ish gets him !!!!! )
( Laughter bubbling in his throat, Hwylryn kisses back, and, if Ish doesn't instantly die (this may be a big ask), he will keep kissing - hand pulling free from Ish's waist so he can be cupping his cheeks with both hands. This time he wont chase (much) if Ish breaks it - how are they gonna go on a date if Ish dies, )
( Oh - settling into his footing, Hwylryn takes a look at his surroundings, his gaze tracing the architecture, the gardens, the distance - and all the way up into the stars above. He exhales - and then inhales it deep, feeling the clarity of nature flow through him, and the soft, warm echo of Ish's magic.
His dragon, too depressed to do much at all the way Hwyl was treating himself in the aquarium, has roused here, though it still remains a little sedate - pushing off from Hwylryn's shoulders and returning to its usual, gentle orbit around him, before breaking off toward the sky, though it doesn't go far. Hwylryn wishes he could still fly. )
... It's so beautiful. Have you ever stepped up into it?
( He squeezes Ish's hand, looking back at him. He looks a little like a sick fish placed back in clean waters. Not fixed, but boundless sky does wonders for a creature born from the union of it and sea. )
His dragon, too depressed to do much at all the way Hwyl was treating himself in the aquarium, has roused here, though it still remains a little sedate - pushing off from Hwylryn's shoulders and returning to its usual, gentle orbit around him, before breaking off toward the sky, though it doesn't go far. Hwylryn wishes he could still fly. )
... It's so beautiful. Have you ever stepped up into it?
( He squeezes Ish's hand, looking back at him. He looks a little like a sick fish placed back in clean waters. Not fixed, but boundless sky does wonders for a creature born from the union of it and sea. )
No. Do you want to?
[ ish smiles back, with a small tilt of his head in ask.
he's not paying attention at all to the scenery even if he too, is something born of nature, that prefers the open skies to vaulted ceilings and gildened. all of his focus is on hwylryn, the way he's looking and how he sounds. ]
[ ish smiles back, with a small tilt of his head in ask.
he's not paying attention at all to the scenery even if he too, is something born of nature, that prefers the open skies to vaulted ceilings and gildened. all of his focus is on hwylryn, the way he's looking and how he sounds. ]
( sigh he can tell ish is probably trying to make him feel better... sigh he can't help but value that...
He still sounds a little dimmed from all of the photoroom stuff, and the whiplash of it all, but, in the same way he cannot help but respond to nature, he cannot help but respond to sincerity. His eyes light up... )
Can we?
He still sounds a little dimmed from all of the photoroom stuff, and the whiplash of it all, but, in the same way he cannot help but respond to nature, he cannot help but respond to sincerity. His eyes light up... )
Can we?
[ ish doesn't die.
and this time he doesn't break the kiss either. it's overwhelming, and there's no real thoughts in his mind, but he's a creature of emotion who's found himself swept up by the tide.
he'll get washed out sooner rather than later, but for now he'll enjoy this. because that's definitely what he's feeling, as confusing, illogical, and nonsensical as it is. ]
and this time he doesn't break the kiss either. it's overwhelming, and there's no real thoughts in his mind, but he's a creature of emotion who's found himself swept up by the tide.
he'll get washed out sooner rather than later, but for now he'll enjoy this. because that's definitely what he's feeling, as confusing, illogical, and nonsensical as it is. ]
We can, but first— [ he squeezes hwylryn's hands tightly and then let's go, forgive him his eyes say—
—he needs both his hands to take off his coat and wrap it over hwylryn's shoulders, carefully and with purpose. it's a simple gesture, one he could have done with magic, but he opts to do it with his own hands instead. it's probably a little big considering the difference in their builds, but all the better to keep hwylryn warm. when he's done, he threads their fingers together again. ]
Ready?
—he needs both his hands to take off his coat and wrap it over hwylryn's shoulders, carefully and with purpose. it's a simple gesture, one he could have done with magic, but he opts to do it with his own hands instead. it's probably a little big considering the difference in their builds, but all the better to keep hwylryn warm. when he's done, he threads their fingers together again. ]
Ready?
( Ish's started to surprise him, and if there's anything Hwylryn likes, it's surprises. Maybe, though, he was just underestimating him? Sorry, sorry! He'll do better, here's his apology - without the tide receding, it rides further up shore - and more waves come crashing down therein.
Ish won't break it, so Hwylryn won't either. He persists like he wants to know how far Ish is willing to go - a curious kiss; silly and without much more meaning than just the fun of the act, just the pleasure of feelings thrumming in harmony. Thought of the date is on hold. Right now, there's just this.
He presses against Ish, and presses him gradually back against the back of the chaise, a kiss somewhere between wanting and eating, like he can't have enough. He still holds back - a little bit - because he is overwhelming and hungry, and his affection is somewhere between love and drowning. Can he wash Ish that far? Would Ish mind? Instead of pulling back, he'll let Ish let him know. His lips press at an angle, tongue running brief along his lips - let him in? (He's just excited. Don't mind him.) )
Ish won't break it, so Hwylryn won't either. He persists like he wants to know how far Ish is willing to go - a curious kiss; silly and without much more meaning than just the fun of the act, just the pleasure of feelings thrumming in harmony. Thought of the date is on hold. Right now, there's just this.
He presses against Ish, and presses him gradually back against the back of the chaise, a kiss somewhere between wanting and eating, like he can't have enough. He still holds back - a little bit - because he is overwhelming and hungry, and his affection is somewhere between love and drowning. Can he wash Ish that far? Would Ish mind? Instead of pulling back, he'll let Ish let him know. His lips press at an angle, tongue running brief along his lips - let him in? (He's just excited. Don't mind him.) )
( Oh... Has someone done this to him before? If they have, he can't recall - his past several hundred years were in the sea, and he only traveled far as shore when he left it. It's a fresh gesture, and it's sweet - with a little more weight that Ish does it without magic.
He clasps their hands tight, really... really happy with the threaded fingers... He pulls the coat a little more firmly over himself - or maybe because he doesn't want to let go of the gesture so quick, or maybe he does it a little anxiously (in a good way), because he's never had someone else take him into the sky before? Despite everything, he can't help but be curious - excited - to know what it's like, the roles reversed after so many thousands of years.
He glances up, meeting Ish's eyes with his. )
Uh-huh. Ready whenever.
He clasps their hands tight, really... really happy with the threaded fingers... He pulls the coat a little more firmly over himself - or maybe because he doesn't want to let go of the gesture so quick, or maybe he does it a little anxiously (in a good way), because he's never had someone else take him into the sky before? Despite everything, he can't help but be curious - excited - to know what it's like, the roles reversed after so many thousands of years.
He glances up, meeting Ish's eyes with his. )
Uh-huh. Ready whenever.
[ instead of teleporting them, this he also does manually, by any definition of magic where it takes moments and isn't instantaneous. they float up, like a bubble, a private space just for them, just like it was yesterday. time is funny like that.
maybe that's why ish laughs a little, a chuckle really. again, he's feeling so much. ]
This is cheating. [ being up here where no one else can go? being together like this, in spite of well, everything?
he tugs hwylryn closer, the gesture shy but also somehow sure. ]
maybe that's why ish laughs a little, a chuckle really. again, he's feeling so much. ]
This is cheating. [ being up here where no one else can go? being together like this, in spite of well, everything?
he tugs hwylryn closer, the gesture shy but also somehow sure. ]
[ don't mind him? as if he could do anything else when hwylryn's crowding his thoughts and feelings, his space, his heart.
his lips part, maybe to speak a word, maybe to take a breath, maybe to open himself to the tide—whatever his intention was it's lost in the seafoam between them. the two tines of his tongue pull back to ease hwylryn forward, a tide of his own.
ahhhh. he can't stay here too long, but he tastes—finally he pulls back, looking down but not away, deep breaths as he comes back into himself. ]
...
his lips part, maybe to speak a word, maybe to take a breath, maybe to open himself to the tide—whatever his intention was it's lost in the seafoam between them. the two tines of his tongue pull back to ease hwylryn forward, a tide of his own.
ahhhh. he can't stay here too long, but he tastes—finally he pulls back, looking down but not away, deep breaths as he comes back into himself. ]
...
( Ah, so there's the line - in a sense. For now, or maybe forever, Hwylryn doesn't mind. But he's learned one more thing - greedy as he is, when he's already learned so much. )
... Was it fun?
( He'll give Ish time if he needs it. Hwylryn is the one who delayed them, after all. The beach state of mind... just doing what you want, like you have endless time to float in those sunny seas. )
... Was it fun?
( He'll give Ish time if he needs it. Hwylryn is the one who delayed them, after all. The beach state of mind... just doing what you want, like you have endless time to float in those sunny seas. )
[ his face says it all really, the slightest curl of his lips, his tongue flitting across his lips in spite of himself. ]
You first. [ let him have this. he's still dead and overwhelmed, but he's here.
(fun isn't what he'd call it, but they can disagree on semantics while agreeing on everything else). ]
You first. [ let him have this. he's still dead and overwhelmed, but he's here.
(fun isn't what he'd call it, but they can disagree on semantics while agreeing on everything else). ]
[ wow, he was okay until the last part. ]
...I should have went first. [ arrrrrgh. ]
Me too.
...I should have went first. [ arrrrrgh. ]
Me too.
( He's already grinning, but he's grinning wider now. Forget the little dragon, if a Hwylryn could purr, he would be. )
You'll make me want to do it again. ( a real threat, ) But next time, I might eat you up.
( a real threat—
He's gonna find one of Ish's hands though, and he's gonna squeeze it real tight. )
C'mon. Before we do this forever. ( wait, ) Oh—
( oh yeah he had a thing in his sash to give literally 60 comments ago, )
I almost forgot. I was going to give you this. I don't know if it'll last once everything resets, but that means I can just make something new next week, right?
( Hwylryn turns Ish's held hand up and places a little, ribboned pouch in Ish's hands, made with fabric from the workshop. Should he open it, he will find a little earring - simply made (honestly, one could even say crudely made, given Hwy's very new to this) from whatever bits and bobs he could pull out of the workshop and rig into something that works as an earring.
The little (presumably false) gemstone shines, the ribbon fabrics are quite soft, and the little snake (probably shaped out of bendy, wire-like metals), by virtue of being black, hides much of its imperfection. )
You'll make me want to do it again. ( a real threat, ) But next time, I might eat you up.
( a real threat—
He's gonna find one of Ish's hands though, and he's gonna squeeze it real tight. )
C'mon. Before we do this forever. ( wait, ) Oh—
( oh yeah he had a thing in his sash to give literally 60 comments ago, )
I almost forgot. I was going to give you this. I don't know if it'll last once everything resets, but that means I can just make something new next week, right?
( Hwylryn turns Ish's held hand up and places a little, ribboned pouch in Ish's hands, made with fabric from the workshop. Should he open it, he will find a little earring - simply made (honestly, one could even say crudely made, given Hwy's very new to this) from whatever bits and bobs he could pull out of the workshop and rig into something that works as an earring.
The little (presumably false) gemstone shines, the ribbon fabrics are quite soft, and the little snake (probably shaped out of bendy, wire-like metals), by virtue of being black, hides much of its imperfection. )
Maybe next time I'll surprise you. [ said with all the bravado he can muster, which is paper thin. somewhere in there though, is the glimmer that he might be telling the truth actually. even if he doesn't know it yet himself.
it's not a thought that lingers (like all of his thoughts right now honestly), when his eyes fall to the little pouch in his palm. he opens it momentarily, his expression open and innocent.
for all the novel ways hwylryn has seen him today, this expression might be the purest. ]
This is for me? [ obviously but. he's lost his breath again, somewhere beneath the sea. ]
I can keep things if I want to. [ remember how he was head empty before? his entire body might as well be made of seafoam and bubbles in this moment.
with care he takes out the earring, staring at it, the purple in his eyes nearly subsuming the red. ]
I'm going to keep this forever.
[ no hesitation, no bravado; full confidence, spoken from the heart. ]
it's not a thought that lingers (like all of his thoughts right now honestly), when his eyes fall to the little pouch in his palm. he opens it momentarily, his expression open and innocent.
for all the novel ways hwylryn has seen him today, this expression might be the purest. ]
This is for me? [ obviously but. he's lost his breath again, somewhere beneath the sea. ]
I can keep things if I want to. [ remember how he was head empty before? his entire body might as well be made of seafoam and bubbles in this moment.
with care he takes out the earring, staring at it, the purple in his eyes nearly subsuming the red. ]
I'm going to keep this forever.
[ no hesitation, no bravado; full confidence, spoken from the heart. ]
But it's fun, isn't it?
( Hwylryn is selfish enough to enjoy the privilege!! Yes, no one else gets this (maybe. he hopes, secretly). Yes, he thinks there are others who need this - deserve this - and you know what, if he were a better person, a more principled person, he'd be focused on their predicament, and the people he loves who want out, desperately.
But if he did that, he couldn't also have this. And that is the crux of his problem: liking too much, liking too many, and wanting his cake and to eat it too. No wonder his loves come to blows, in the end, when he can't help but like both sides without restraint.
The photo thing still hurts, a lot. And it's maybe something, like all the other things in this carnival, he objectively shouldn't forgive. He does think... maybe, there's still something talk about there. But he's just not someone who can carry these things - that he's been forced to carry grief has been enough to madden him. It is against his nature; he, who flows as the river, the muck dispersed, the water murmuring, I'll forgive you, so let's play again, as he had with Snow and White, every time. )
... Have you ever taken up anyone else like this?
( The shyness is sweet. He leans against Ish, head on his shoulder and hands clasped tight, in this little space that's just the two of them. )
( Hwylryn is selfish enough to enjoy the privilege!! Yes, no one else gets this (maybe. he hopes, secretly). Yes, he thinks there are others who need this - deserve this - and you know what, if he were a better person, a more principled person, he'd be focused on their predicament, and the people he loves who want out, desperately.
But if he did that, he couldn't also have this. And that is the crux of his problem: liking too much, liking too many, and wanting his cake and to eat it too. No wonder his loves come to blows, in the end, when he can't help but like both sides without restraint.
The photo thing still hurts, a lot. And it's maybe something, like all the other things in this carnival, he objectively shouldn't forgive. He does think... maybe, there's still something talk about there. But he's just not someone who can carry these things - that he's been forced to carry grief has been enough to madden him. It is against his nature; he, who flows as the river, the muck dispersed, the water murmuring, I'll forgive you, so let's play again, as he had with Snow and White, every time. )
... Have you ever taken up anyone else like this?
( The shyness is sweet. He leans against Ish, head on his shoulder and hands clasped tight, in this little space that's just the two of them. )
( Hwylryn loves the idea of being surprised - and he'll hold that promise close until it melds into his chest and he forgets to recall it, until Ish really does surprise him, next time. He's happy to look forward to it.
Honestly, he didn't think Ish would like the gift that much - not that he thought he wouldn't, but! The way Ish looks, he speaks, he seems to feel - Hwylryn doesn't know all the nuances, the context, the meaning, but -
Well, he thinks he knows he likes how Ish looks and he acts and he sounds, and it reverberates like a flutter in his chest. )
Forever's a really long time.
( Happy. He sounds happy. Humans say that sort of thing all the time, but - and they don't mean badly! - they never mean it. They lose track of things; they forget; they pass things on - you know. They're sweet flaws, and often harmless. But - he thinks - Ish sounds like he means it. The sentiment feels true. )
You'll have to find space, because I'm gonna make you more things.
( Guy who decided this just now! )
Honestly, he didn't think Ish would like the gift that much - not that he thought he wouldn't, but! The way Ish looks, he speaks, he seems to feel - Hwylryn doesn't know all the nuances, the context, the meaning, but -
Well, he thinks he knows he likes how Ish looks and he acts and he sounds, and it reverberates like a flutter in his chest. )
Forever's a really long time.
( Happy. He sounds happy. Humans say that sort of thing all the time, but - and they don't mean badly! - they never mean it. They lose track of things; they forget; they pass things on - you know. They're sweet flaws, and often harmless. But - he thinks - Ish sounds like he means it. The sentiment feels true. )
You'll have to find space, because I'm gonna make you more things.
( Guy who decided this just now! )
[ he murmurs agreement; again, fun isn't what he'd call it but the sentiment is close enough. for all that the photo booths were and for all he hasn't spoken of an apology, the way he looks at hwylryn is exactly the same as he did wednesday. ]
No, I've never. And I never will. I'll only take you. [ even if it's cheating. even if the past day has made him realize he probably shouldn't have found his way here in the first place. but-
the wind jingles his earrings, now plural, and they catch in the moonlight. he has more he should probably say, but instead, he dips down to press a kiss against silver strands that are brighter to him than the moon.
"sorry." ]
No, I've never. And I never will. I'll only take you. [ even if it's cheating. even if the past day has made him realize he probably shouldn't have found his way here in the first place. but-
the wind jingles his earrings, now plural, and they catch in the moonlight. he has more he should probably say, but instead, he dips down to press a kiss against silver strands that are brighter to him than the moon.
"sorry." ]
( When was the last time someone offered something to him, and him alone?
It's okay that people don't. It's fine. He's too old, at this point, to really mind - to fail to understand that people are complex, and they have a scale of needs and priorities, and that they can't just give him, and only him, something; that they can't just think of him the most, that they have - other things - other people, just as important, or moreso. And if he understands someone, he can't really hate them (he can only find things about them that he likes, and that's where the trouble begins).
So it flushes his cheeks in a way he doesn't expect when Ish says this thing and presses a kiss to his head and it's tied with the ribbon of an apology. It makes him happy in a way he hasn't known in a long time. And somewhere in the wind and the stars and moonlight, somewhere in the new sound of two earrings, he wonders, maybe, if... )
... What comes after everything? ( This would be a great segue into plot. But put a pin in that because Hwylryn's brain isn't even there right now. ) After all of this ends...
( The carnival, the trials, the spell— Ish is the one who's mentioned forever, never, always. So he can ask, right? He told Junior he'd look around, anyway. He'd already said he'd try to live. Right? So, so,
He looks up at Ish as if he were a part of all the sky from where his head rests, his gaze not necessarily shy, but - wondering, maybe. A little hesitant. A little excited. )
... Could I stay behind with you?
It's okay that people don't. It's fine. He's too old, at this point, to really mind - to fail to understand that people are complex, and they have a scale of needs and priorities, and that they can't just give him, and only him, something; that they can't just think of him the most, that they have - other things - other people, just as important, or moreso. And if he understands someone, he can't really hate them (he can only find things about them that he likes, and that's where the trouble begins).
So it flushes his cheeks in a way he doesn't expect when Ish says this thing and presses a kiss to his head and it's tied with the ribbon of an apology. It makes him happy in a way he hasn't known in a long time. And somewhere in the wind and the stars and moonlight, somewhere in the new sound of two earrings, he wonders, maybe, if... )
... What comes after everything? ( This would be a great segue into plot. But put a pin in that because Hwylryn's brain isn't even there right now. ) After all of this ends...
( The carnival, the trials, the spell— Ish is the one who's mentioned forever, never, always. So he can ask, right? He told Junior he'd look around, anyway. He'd already said he'd try to live. Right? So, so,
He looks up at Ish as if he were a part of all the sky from where his head rests, his gaze not necessarily shy, but - wondering, maybe. A little hesitant. A little excited. )
... Could I stay behind with you?
Edited 2025-03-28 12:17 (UTC)
I know. [ the kisses and the sea he's fallen into besides, a gift like this is special. other people have given him gifts and tokens, hwylryn has even, but this is different. this is personal in a way he didn't ask for, in a way that was simply given to him out of affection without any strings or deals attached. ]
I'll make the space. [ give him a moment to come back into himself, because he's still too taken to do anything but stare at the simple piece of jewelry like it's the greatest treasure in the world. ]
Thank you. [ he hesitates now, feeling the bubble of an impulse rise in his chest. and then he leans in for one more kiss. this one he sighs into, full of warmth and happiness. ]
I'll make the space. [ give him a moment to come back into himself, because he's still too taken to do anything but stare at the simple piece of jewelry like it's the greatest treasure in the world. ]
Thank you. [ he hesitates now, feeling the bubble of an impulse rise in his chest. and then he leans in for one more kiss. this one he sighs into, full of warmth and happiness. ]
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