The source is bright
And endless sheen
The source that
Makes the hole black
Without her we are
Lifeless satellites, drifting
Ryo awoke to an empty room, thankful for the familiar breeze. He was home. White Blaze rumbled a greeting from the carpet, slowly getting to his feet and wandering over to sniff Ryo's hand.
"Hey, boy."
His voice cracked, dry coughs wracking his frame. Someone had left a glass of water on the nightstand. Mia, probably. Grimacing, Ryo tried to sit up and maneuver the glass to his mouth. He didn't want to be coddled by his friends.
And with that wish, all the recent happenings came flooding back to him. He cursed and struggled to untangle himself from the bed, sloshing water out of the glass.
What had happened to his comrades, to the dynasty?
He hit the floor with a resonating thud. Water soaked the fabric of his thin cotton pants. White Blaze grumbled at him and nudged his head as if to say Stupid boy.
"Ryo?"
Rowan's concerned face peered around the edge of the door. Ryo felt a heavy blush spread over his cheeks as he lay spread-eagled on the floor.
"Hey." He croaked and tried vainly to wet his chapped lips. His arms were too shaky to even sit up. If the floor had suddenly decided to suck him into a dark dimension, he wouldn't have argued.
"Most people leave the covers on the bed." Rowan offered dryly, looming over the fallen warrior. White Blaze nodded as though he agreed. Ryo glared with as much dignity as possible and wished he was as good with witty banter as he was with a sword.
"Very funny," he said lamely and let his head fall back. He was trembling from the slight exertion and cursing himself.
White Blaze stood and wandered out of the room. Oh sure, leave me in my time of need, furball.
Without a word, Rowan grasped him under his shoulders and lifted him to his feet. Ryo held on tight as all the blood rushed from his head, and didn't realize how close they were until he slowly opened his eyes.
Rowan's wide azure eyes were inches from his, the archer's slightly parted lips so close to his own. Both men froze. Seconds ticked by as neither spoke, the moment quickly becoming awkward. Rowan's face reddened and he snapped his mouth shut. The action broke the stillness between them and Ryo backed away a step.
"My, um. My pants are wet," he stuttered. Rowan smirked. The awkward moment was forgotten. "Oh shut up and help me find a new pair."
"Yes, my liege."
"Shut up."
Both men laughed and the tension was dispelled. Rowan sat him down on the bed as he went to rummage through the dresser.
"Just so you don't freak," he tossed casually over his shoulder. "Talpa's dead and the Dynasty's under Kayura's jurisdiction now. She wants to meet with us once you've rested up."
"I'm fine," Ryo protested automatically, ignoring the fact he was weak as a kitten at the moment. Talpa's dead. Rowan's pointed glance suggested the archer was fully aware of his current state. Ryo scowled. "Really. I'm fine."
"Right. Then you'll be perfectly 'fine' if I leave right now..." Rowan tossed the dry pants on top of the dresser and turned to go. Ryo debated with himself and his wet pants for all of two seconds.
"Hey! You can't just leave me here!"
He pretended his voice didn't come out as whiny and weak as it did, and was relieved when Rowan turned back to him with an evil smile. Shrugging, the archer grabbed the pants and came over to the bed. He motioned to the drawstring of the old pants with a quirked eyebrow.
Ryo blushed twice as hard as before when he realized what the other man meant, then berated himself. It wasn't like they'd never seen each other naked. But why did he get the feeling this was something Rowan would hold over him for years to come?
"So, where's everybody else?" He asked the archer as a distraction. The drawstring was knotted and he wondered who had put the pants on him. Talpa's dead. No more fighting.
"Kento and Cye are down at the lake, Mia's gardening, Yuli's back with his parents, and Sage is going through his forms out somewhere." Rowan bent down in front of him and concentrated on the tie. Ryo remembered to breathe.
"Sorry," Ryo offered without thinking to the blue mop of hair in front of his nose. The archer smelled like sandalwood.
"What for?" The knot fell apart loosely under Rowan's slim fingers.
"You got stuck babysitting."
Rowan sat back on his haunches, hands resting easily on either side of Ryo's thighs, and finally looked up at him. "It's all right. I volunteered."
Ryo opened his mouth to respond, cheeks flushed, but a noise from the hallway distracted both warriors. A light knock and Mia's smiling face appeared, White Blaze not far behind her.
"You're awake! I thought I heard voices."
If she thought anything of their position, she didn't remark. Instead, she came forward and embraced Ryo as Rowan backed away.
"Hey, Mia."
"You're all wet, Ryo." She eyed him critically. He ducked his head and looked at his toes.
"He fought the water glass and the glass won." Rowan supplied helpfully. Ryo glared at him around Mia, who was busy looking for the felled glass.
"You help him change, Rowan," she said with a smile. "I'll go get some more water. And maybe some tea."
"Thanks," Ryo called after her retreating form as Rowan muttered, "Yay, tea. Now he can scald himself, too."
"Hey!"
Rowan just smirked at him and motioned for him to lift his hips so he could remove his pants. Unable to fight the ongoing blush, Ryo helped get the dry pants on as fast as possible. The small task left him weak and breathless. Rowan gave him some space to recover as the archer dragged the wet comforter out to the hall and returned with a fresh one from the linen closet.
When he finished replacing the blanket, he sat next to Ryo and let the other man lean against his shoulder.
"So Talpa's really dead." Ryo finally whispered. The words unblocked the dam that had been holding back his exhaustion all the past months and his eyes watered reflexively. "It's done. We don't have to fight anymore."
"Until the next time we're summoned," Rowan reminded him gently, arm coming around to circle Ryo's slim frame. "But yeah. For now, we don't have to fight."
"Good. Because I'm so very tired right now." His voice was weary and not broken, just drained. He relaxed completely against Rowan, smiling a little as the archer pressed a covert kiss against the crown of his head.
His friends were his power, the counterpoints to his own volatile personality. Kento was his strength, brash and fierce and loyal. Cye was his compassion, the one who wasn't afraid of his emotions and could embrace them. Sage was his serenity, his practicality and his duty. And Rowan...
Rowan was his constant, the one thing he could depend on to remain, like the stars in the sky. He was distant and cold at times, but he burned brightly and Ryo could always find him. Would always find him. He grounded him and lifted him and reminded him what it felt like to fly.
He let his head rest on Rowan's shoulder and felt grateful for so many things.
The moment ended, as it always must, when Kento banged through the kitchen door downstairs as though summoned by Ryo's thoughts. For all Ryo new, he may very well have called the rest of his friends back to the house.
Reluctantly, the two warriors pulled away from each other and Rowan stood.
"You should get back in bed before they get up here, or they'll never let you rest." Words that might have seemed callous, but Ryo understood the concern behind them.
"Right." And he needed help to get back under the covers, which was just one more embarrassment added to the list, but he was grateful for the soft mattress supporting his sore muscles and the cool hand that rested quickly against his cheek, light as the hum of a bird's wing.
Rowan stood straight and then Kento was bursting into the room, exclaiming the obvious. "Dude, you're awake! How you feeling?"
Ryo smiled and brightened, sitting up higher. "I'm fine, man. Just a little burnt out. Nothing some of Mia's cooking won't fix."
"Then you're in luck," Cye said as he maneuvered his way through the door with a lap tray. "She figured you might be hungry, too, so she sent up some miso and crackers with tea."
"Great!"
The room was loud and boisterous and Rowan smiled as he shifted back from the bed, planning to let his friends have their time with Ryo since he'd made sure he got his first. A movement in the doorway caught his eye, and Sage gazed steadily at him for a moment.
Their earlier conversation came to mind and the archer blushed at having been caught so obviously mooning over their friend. He cleared his throat and willed the red in his cheeks away, nodding coolly to Sage and announcing to the room, "I'm gonna see about getting some real food while you guys blather on."
He was dismissed with a wave from Kento and good-natured teasing from Cye, but his exchange with Sage had not gone unnoticed by the bed's occupant. Ryo felt his heart sink at Rowan's reaction to seeing Sage, and he resolutely focused on Kento's enthusiastic reenactment of Talpa's Last Stand, laughing hollowly at his friend's antics.
Sage just watched from the doorway and frowned at his friends' idiocy.
And endless sheen
The source that
Makes the hole black
Without her we are
Lifeless satellites, drifting
Ryo awoke to an empty room, thankful for the familiar breeze. He was home. White Blaze rumbled a greeting from the carpet, slowly getting to his feet and wandering over to sniff Ryo's hand.
"Hey, boy."
His voice cracked, dry coughs wracking his frame. Someone had left a glass of water on the nightstand. Mia, probably. Grimacing, Ryo tried to sit up and maneuver the glass to his mouth. He didn't want to be coddled by his friends.
And with that wish, all the recent happenings came flooding back to him. He cursed and struggled to untangle himself from the bed, sloshing water out of the glass.
What had happened to his comrades, to the dynasty?
He hit the floor with a resonating thud. Water soaked the fabric of his thin cotton pants. White Blaze grumbled at him and nudged his head as if to say Stupid boy.
"Ryo?"
Rowan's concerned face peered around the edge of the door. Ryo felt a heavy blush spread over his cheeks as he lay spread-eagled on the floor.
"Hey." He croaked and tried vainly to wet his chapped lips. His arms were too shaky to even sit up. If the floor had suddenly decided to suck him into a dark dimension, he wouldn't have argued.
"Most people leave the covers on the bed." Rowan offered dryly, looming over the fallen warrior. White Blaze nodded as though he agreed. Ryo glared with as much dignity as possible and wished he was as good with witty banter as he was with a sword.
"Very funny," he said lamely and let his head fall back. He was trembling from the slight exertion and cursing himself.
White Blaze stood and wandered out of the room. Oh sure, leave me in my time of need, furball.
Without a word, Rowan grasped him under his shoulders and lifted him to his feet. Ryo held on tight as all the blood rushed from his head, and didn't realize how close they were until he slowly opened his eyes.
Rowan's wide azure eyes were inches from his, the archer's slightly parted lips so close to his own. Both men froze. Seconds ticked by as neither spoke, the moment quickly becoming awkward. Rowan's face reddened and he snapped his mouth shut. The action broke the stillness between them and Ryo backed away a step.
"My, um. My pants are wet," he stuttered. Rowan smirked. The awkward moment was forgotten. "Oh shut up and help me find a new pair."
"Yes, my liege."
"Shut up."
Both men laughed and the tension was dispelled. Rowan sat him down on the bed as he went to rummage through the dresser.
"Just so you don't freak," he tossed casually over his shoulder. "Talpa's dead and the Dynasty's under Kayura's jurisdiction now. She wants to meet with us once you've rested up."
"I'm fine," Ryo protested automatically, ignoring the fact he was weak as a kitten at the moment. Talpa's dead. Rowan's pointed glance suggested the archer was fully aware of his current state. Ryo scowled. "Really. I'm fine."
"Right. Then you'll be perfectly 'fine' if I leave right now..." Rowan tossed the dry pants on top of the dresser and turned to go. Ryo debated with himself and his wet pants for all of two seconds.
"Hey! You can't just leave me here!"
He pretended his voice didn't come out as whiny and weak as it did, and was relieved when Rowan turned back to him with an evil smile. Shrugging, the archer grabbed the pants and came over to the bed. He motioned to the drawstring of the old pants with a quirked eyebrow.
Ryo blushed twice as hard as before when he realized what the other man meant, then berated himself. It wasn't like they'd never seen each other naked. But why did he get the feeling this was something Rowan would hold over him for years to come?
"So, where's everybody else?" He asked the archer as a distraction. The drawstring was knotted and he wondered who had put the pants on him. Talpa's dead. No more fighting.
"Kento and Cye are down at the lake, Mia's gardening, Yuli's back with his parents, and Sage is going through his forms out somewhere." Rowan bent down in front of him and concentrated on the tie. Ryo remembered to breathe.
"Sorry," Ryo offered without thinking to the blue mop of hair in front of his nose. The archer smelled like sandalwood.
"What for?" The knot fell apart loosely under Rowan's slim fingers.
"You got stuck babysitting."
Rowan sat back on his haunches, hands resting easily on either side of Ryo's thighs, and finally looked up at him. "It's all right. I volunteered."
Ryo opened his mouth to respond, cheeks flushed, but a noise from the hallway distracted both warriors. A light knock and Mia's smiling face appeared, White Blaze not far behind her.
"You're awake! I thought I heard voices."
If she thought anything of their position, she didn't remark. Instead, she came forward and embraced Ryo as Rowan backed away.
"Hey, Mia."
"You're all wet, Ryo." She eyed him critically. He ducked his head and looked at his toes.
"He fought the water glass and the glass won." Rowan supplied helpfully. Ryo glared at him around Mia, who was busy looking for the felled glass.
"You help him change, Rowan," she said with a smile. "I'll go get some more water. And maybe some tea."
"Thanks," Ryo called after her retreating form as Rowan muttered, "Yay, tea. Now he can scald himself, too."
"Hey!"
Rowan just smirked at him and motioned for him to lift his hips so he could remove his pants. Unable to fight the ongoing blush, Ryo helped get the dry pants on as fast as possible. The small task left him weak and breathless. Rowan gave him some space to recover as the archer dragged the wet comforter out to the hall and returned with a fresh one from the linen closet.
When he finished replacing the blanket, he sat next to Ryo and let the other man lean against his shoulder.
"So Talpa's really dead." Ryo finally whispered. The words unblocked the dam that had been holding back his exhaustion all the past months and his eyes watered reflexively. "It's done. We don't have to fight anymore."
"Until the next time we're summoned," Rowan reminded him gently, arm coming around to circle Ryo's slim frame. "But yeah. For now, we don't have to fight."
"Good. Because I'm so very tired right now." His voice was weary and not broken, just drained. He relaxed completely against Rowan, smiling a little as the archer pressed a covert kiss against the crown of his head.
His friends were his power, the counterpoints to his own volatile personality. Kento was his strength, brash and fierce and loyal. Cye was his compassion, the one who wasn't afraid of his emotions and could embrace them. Sage was his serenity, his practicality and his duty. And Rowan...
Rowan was his constant, the one thing he could depend on to remain, like the stars in the sky. He was distant and cold at times, but he burned brightly and Ryo could always find him. Would always find him. He grounded him and lifted him and reminded him what it felt like to fly.
He let his head rest on Rowan's shoulder and felt grateful for so many things.
The moment ended, as it always must, when Kento banged through the kitchen door downstairs as though summoned by Ryo's thoughts. For all Ryo new, he may very well have called the rest of his friends back to the house.
Reluctantly, the two warriors pulled away from each other and Rowan stood.
"You should get back in bed before they get up here, or they'll never let you rest." Words that might have seemed callous, but Ryo understood the concern behind them.
"Right." And he needed help to get back under the covers, which was just one more embarrassment added to the list, but he was grateful for the soft mattress supporting his sore muscles and the cool hand that rested quickly against his cheek, light as the hum of a bird's wing.
Rowan stood straight and then Kento was bursting into the room, exclaiming the obvious. "Dude, you're awake! How you feeling?"
Ryo smiled and brightened, sitting up higher. "I'm fine, man. Just a little burnt out. Nothing some of Mia's cooking won't fix."
"Then you're in luck," Cye said as he maneuvered his way through the door with a lap tray. "She figured you might be hungry, too, so she sent up some miso and crackers with tea."
"Great!"
The room was loud and boisterous and Rowan smiled as he shifted back from the bed, planning to let his friends have their time with Ryo since he'd made sure he got his first. A movement in the doorway caught his eye, and Sage gazed steadily at him for a moment.
Their earlier conversation came to mind and the archer blushed at having been caught so obviously mooning over their friend. He cleared his throat and willed the red in his cheeks away, nodding coolly to Sage and announcing to the room, "I'm gonna see about getting some real food while you guys blather on."
He was dismissed with a wave from Kento and good-natured teasing from Cye, but his exchange with Sage had not gone unnoticed by the bed's occupant. Ryo felt his heart sink at Rowan's reaction to seeing Sage, and he resolutely focused on Kento's enthusiastic reenactment of Talpa's Last Stand, laughing hollowly at his friend's antics.
Sage just watched from the doorway and frowned at his friends' idiocy.