bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

"I'll tell you if I do, but for now, you need to rest up too and take it easy", Nayantai chastised him once more, before shooing both of them out of the kitchen, seemingly unwilling to entertain them any longer. Well, Richards old man wasn't wrong, but Richard seemed to be the one that was already feeling better and he was the one that wasn't actually feeling worse, just nervous. As if on cue, he grabbed the cup of tea he'd been offered earlier, then followed suit and just disappeared in Richards room again, all the while his father seemingly resumed what he had been doing before. Yujin wondered what it was like to life Richards life, what it must have been like to have a father like that, but in the end, Nayantai still cared about both of them, so it couldn't be that bad, or was he wrong? "Uh, not necessarily ... do I need to?", he asked, unsure what he should do with himself. In the end, he somewhat awkwardly stood there, only to drink out of his cup, empty it, then set it aside on some surface and start peeling himself out of his own clothes. He didn't mind being seen, no matter if he was fully dressed or only half, but what mattered to him was feeling comfortable.

Accepting Richards clothes didn't seem like something he was willing to do, especially now that he had let his actual clothes get all wrinkled up. Instead, he removed the coat he'd worn before and stripped out of a good variety of fabrics, only to put the coat back on and stand there, weirdly enough half dressed after shedding so many layers already. To be honest, Richard might be right, wolves were wearing a tad bit too much all at once, but out there, one needed it - and like this, it was still plenty warm. "Or do you want me to wear yours?", he suddenly asked, searching around his hair for something - namely some of those blue fabric strands he'd used to tie the loose ends of his braids together - and slowly opening them up. Yujin knew that he looked like a mess, so he was going to revel in it, especially now that he'd been told to lay back down again, in a bed that didn't even belong to him and that he actually wasn't supposed to be in. Instead, he approached Richard once more, put one hand on his forehead and the other on his own. "We're somewhat the same temperature, or am I wrong? Like, this isn't too bad, right?" Or was it? Yujin had some sort of fear of becoming worse for wear eventually, or figuring something out that he didn't want to know, all because some old wolf had a hunch that both of them were sick enough to not be on their feet. "Does he always act like that when you're sick?"

Yujin was still supposed to be the prince of Silesse, still supposed to stay clear of so many things and yet he found himself being occupied by a sickness that someone else had dragged in. Wasn't that just some sort of pathetic display, right in front of Richard too? Whatever it was, though, he was sure that none of it sufficed and in the end, he found himself torn apart by goals that he'd given himself, rather than having them forced onto him. What was he, if not a sorry excuse for someone that kept blabbering quite a lot? He shook his head, almost seemingly in retaliation to nothing and then, if he could, he wanted to look up at the sky. "This is comfortable, don't worry", he answered. Pride was something to be had and while he would gladly accept whatever he was offered usually, he wasn't doing that right now, simply because none of this would make sense and also because he felt bad already, as he overstayed his welcome by more than a large margin. Did anyone hate him for that? Or was it all in good faith? Whatever, he just wanted to lay down as the old man had told him and then hope for something better to happen, like, maybe his parents or a servant coming over here to pick him up and to not let him look pathetic.

"You just offered me the things in your closet, so I was wondering", he mumbled, even though that wasn't exactly the nicest way to answer. Still, he felt as if he were treated like a little kid, tired and exhausted from the things he hadn't done just yet but would, soon enough, find himself doing because the old wolf was right and he was nothing more than a yapping puppy that had no idea of anything to begin with. "You choice? It's your bed." Any and all declarations of things like that were about as naught as the fair assumption that he really was sick - if anything, Richard was sick and his father was just too overly worried about things that he didn't even have to stick his nose into in the first place. "You do? Like, just physically, or ... you know", Yujin didn't want to voice it, but he did, somehow, in a weird way, despite knowing that he was the one overstepping some sort of boundaries that had been set by its owner for a reason. Could he help it? No. Did he want to? Also no. "I don't feel warm or tired, so I shoud be fine. Your dad's probably just overreacting, you know? And as for that, I don't know. I felt pretty fine." Wasn't he just doing that, the overheating thing, because he couldn't deal with all the warmth that had been exuded around him, though? Richard was right, Yujin was fucking stupid and right now, he was even seriously willing to admit to it, if - and only if - he found out why he felt like he'd have to help him anyway. "Woah, stop!", he said upon almost being tossed onto the bed, but now he sat there and looked down to the floorboards, where his feet sat. "You were miserable and I couldn't just let you be like that, I felt responsible because I was the only one around." That was the truth and despite not wanting to, he now sat there and had to wait for his food or sleep - whatever came first. "I'm ... dorry about that. You don't have to answer everything if it makes you uncomfortable, you know?", Yujin suddenly said, grabbing the blondes wrist before he pulled him onto the bed as well, unwilling to let go of him. "Didn't piss my pants. It's just, he's scary if you don't know him. From his looks, to his demeanor and his way of speaking."

Yujin wasn't sure either why he did all of this - was it because he genuinely cared for Richard or just because he felt like he had to, because anything else was wrong and any attempt at making it, well, not wrong was a wrong one to begin with? "What do you mean? Nevermind, just forget about it", the wolf sighed. This wasn't going to serve any purpose, he'd just been nice and overdone it, he saw that now and he'd continue to see just that if all of this went on. Was it really that he wanted all of this the way it happened, or did he - deep down - have some sort of worry about the things that could potentially happen if he didn't give it a second thought? Who cared? He, seemingly, did now that Richard mentioned it. In the end, all he was left with was some sort of surprised feeling, either because the blonde - whatever he'd be a friend or not by now - was speaking so harshly to him or rather because he didn't expect himself to fall sick as quick as he did. Wasn't that just perfect? Yujin was making a fool of himself, no doubt about it, and all that he gained from that was being reprimanded by the guy that he'd cared for not so long ago.

Richard was hard to deal with, wasn't he? Yujin had nothing to do with all of this, lest he'd actually come up with something stupid and then figure stuff out on his own - but he couldn't just say no thanks, get out through the window and then wander home. Something told him that his body wasn't going to take well to the cold out there right now, even if it might be mere intuition that, all things considered, could still be wrong. "I'm not sick! And besides, I'm just trying to help - but I won't question it any further if you don't want to talk about it", he sighs, then shrugs his shoulders. My, what kind of peculiar stupidity had he been ailed with? The wolf didn't know, but now he lay there, in Richards bed, and was wondering about why or how it came to all of this - he just wanted a meal, then piss off and spend his day somewhere else, even though ... this wasn't so bad, was it? "I'm lying, no need to yell at me!" There really wasn't, he understood adrestian just fine, there really wasn't any need to, was there? "That I know, though, I still didn't want to leave you alone, you know?", he implored the blonde and watched him do something stupid, rearrange all those pillows and then face the wall like a sulking little kid that had enough of its argument with their parents. "Bad stereotyping, I'd say. And I mean, do you think my parents are scary? Be honest. I think it's just, uh - experience makes people, you know? I'm sure he doesn't want to be as scary as I think he is but, um ... y'know."

This wasn't what he wanted, but now he sat there and wondered if all of this had to happen eventually, if it just was natural for him or others to fuck up and if this world really had to become what it was right now. In the end, he didn't have an answer for that, even if he wanted to, mainly because it wasn't actually necessary for him to and also because it was stupid to think about all of this to begin wiht. Now he lay in Richards bed, occupied some space in his head and his life and Yujin was the one wondering if he wanted it or not - well, shit. "The only difference is that you were sick and I'm not", he complained. There was no way in hell that he'd caught onto Richards cold so fast, except ... did he really catch a cold from walking around in his wet clothes after taking that involuntary trip down into the sea? Was that really what his body was telling him? That was somewhat disgusting, actually. "No need to apologize, this is fine by me", he insisted, shook his head slightly and then, he felt overtaken again. Yujin was stupid for thinking about all of this, saw no semblance between him and the things he was doing and yet, what was he even supposed to do to begin with? There it was again, nagging that could easily be replaced by silence, but he didn't mind.

"I'll not bother you about it, then." Needless to say, Yujin would and he'd probably want to know why and how those nightmares insisted, but he currently had enough of all of this and still a broken nose to deal with, so he'd rather not insist on the fact that Richard should tell him, unless he'd wanted to have his nose broken again, or worse. The blondes face also looked kind of shit, but that was something that Yujin had to take responsibility for - he was the one that had the bright idea to punch the ice prince in his face for the things he had done, just because he felt like doing it. "See? I mean, you grew up with your dad around I suppose, but to me, he's just, old, roughed up and somewhat scary. It sounds stupid, I know", Yujin sighed, but what else was he going to do? Thank god Nayantai wasn't the father of his girlfriend or he'd never considered asking her out to begin with - if their queen, his sister, was like that as well, though, he'd probably lose his marbles over it at some point. She sounded like a nice lady, but in the end, she still was ruling a land filled with idiots to a degree. "If, theoretically, I'm sick and I start sweating because my body temperature is out of loop, it'll be really fucking annoying to try to undo them, when I accidentally lay on them. Sooo, I just took care of that first. But you're one to talk, you don't even tie up your hair."

"Fine, fine! I'll shut my mouth, there's nothing to be gained from complaining anyway", he sighed. Now, this wasn't actually true, but he wasn't exactly a toddler anymore and Richard wasn't one of his servants that were trying to appeal to a young, childish prince that really didn't want to do what he was told do. Instead, he was greated by the sight of the blondes face and he looked back at him, squinting slightly as he was trying his earnest to decipher what it was, that he was trying to look for. Was it something worthwhile? It couldn't be, really. "I don't feel sick though, that's the problem. And I'm always pale and my lips are always dry, this is goddamn Silesse, I'm not getting a lot of sunlight, you know?" That, in turn, was a lie too. Yujin had no idea if he was the one that was lying his ass off to save some face or if he was doing this because it was the first best thing he could come up with - and actually, none of this made any sense to him, did it now? Why was he even arguing in the first place? Richard wouldn't care for whatever he insisted on, so it was stupid to even consider that. "I'm not complaining about your bed ... it's just, ah, forget about it - he doesn't have to carry me home, I have two legs I might as well use", he sighed. What was he going to gain from that, though? Nothing, to be frank and none of that made any sense to begin with. Yujin was an idiot, wasn't he?

"Not cold, but I appreciate the gesture", he simply said before turning his own back to Richard, now that they were actually back to back though, maybe he could catch some sleep without having to worry about anything else? Whatever. Silent and mostly sad wasn't a nice way to exist, was it now? Well, he wasn't going to ask, those were family matters and he was sure that Richard prefered topics that weren't his father, his family, or anything that was related to him coming to Silesse in the first place. A shallow sigh escaped his lips after that. "Don't feel like it plus, it won't stay in one large braid, trust me - I've tried and it's not only me." Coming to think of it, he could tie it up, much like the blondes old man, but something told him that the hairbands he'd used for braiding weren't going to help him with that and were too weak to just hold all of that hair in place. Maybe he should just pull it onto his side and start hugging it? Who knew. "On it", was all Yujin mustered, before closing his eyes and just waiting for something, anything and hoping that he'd actually do as told - which might also be why he hadn't noticed when he actually fell asleep.

Nayantai peered up once he heard the door that had seemingly swung open and for all he cared, it should have stayed the way it was before. Instead, he saw Richard crawling out of his room again, despite what he'd told him before and all that the old man could muster was a shake of his head, as if there was nothing else to do against it, seemingly because his son wouldn't listen to him anyway. What was this even supposed to be? Some sort of weird joke, now that he actually even called him by his first name? What was he to gain from that? Nayantai felt like he'd rather not questioned any of that, instead he just focused back on the food he'd been cooking - this was going to end up being soup now, they missed a few ingredients for a proper broth and in the end, none of them would mind that, especially if they really were sick. "You should be asleep to, you know", the wolf grumbled as he reached for some of the dried herbs hanging in the corner of the room, specifically from a wooden beam up ahead. This was weird in itself, he'd never fancied houses over tents, btu tents weren't going to keep Rain warm and the option for a king to refuse a castle just wasn't there, either.

"I made soup, it's almost done", he informed Richard as he threw the herbs he'd picked into the kettle in which something simmered, most likely their food. Being able to put the meat to good use was important, but he'd to cut up the rest of it and then get it out of the way, mainly sell it, alongside the fur he'd taken from the creature. "If he wants to go home and accept my help, I'll give him a hand and bring him home, if not, there's nothing much I can or will do. Unless you want me to throw him out of the hut, that is", Nayantai explained to Richard. This was something kind of foreign, if not even somehow a bit odd, no? Richard was talking to him, but Nayantai had no idea if his son genuinely wanted to or if he felt like he had to, just to get rid of some of his problems. "If you're not going into your room and back to bed, I guess you can take a seat", he remarked. If Rain had been that stubborn, he didn't know what he'd have done - but alas, his son wasn't his husband and despite their similarities, they were fundamentally different. There was no need to mother any of those two, not his dead husband, not his living son and yet he felt responsible for both of them - in the end he could do nothing for either and somehow, it was frustrating, the thought alone was.

"I know", Nayantai responded. He'd not go as far as to dig what was keeping Richard from sleeping, what was keeping him awake at night, but he knew for himself what it most likely was. It had been the same for him, nothing that talking about it wouldn't have fixed, but the one he confided in eventually was dead now, had taken all of his secrets to the grave with him and while Nayantai wasn't opposed to disclosing any of that to those who asked, Richard had his own baggage to carry and he wouldn't exactly benefit from an old man that coped with his troubles by being angry and destroying anything that came into his way, which - among other things - did include his body. "There should be some in that kettle over there, if not, I can brew you another pot, but it'll take a few minutes", he elaborated, before bringing said kettle over to the table that Richard had sat himself down at. On one hand, he didn't mind a simple life, on the other, weren't they both haunted by guilt and regret, now that they could do nothing but watch on as things happened that neither of them wanted to be reality? Wasn't all of this just some sort of sick, desperate joke made up by those that didn't even want to spare them a glance for being who they were?

"Then I'll ask him later." What use was there with locking someone up in this hut when they didn't want to be here? Maybe he was just going nuts, thought of both of them as his sons and wondered where one of them wanted to go if the other stayed behind. Sure, he missed his husband and his children, but why was he always so damn focused on the past that was no longer around when the present was visible to the naked eye? Another sigh, before he stirred the soup that was boiling in the pot and he wondered why he just ... no, that was a stupid thought, he wasn't young anymore, he couldn't push his body like he wanted it to and his hand was proof enough of just that. "Speaking of harm", he suddenly said. "Let me guess, your face looks like this because of him?" There was no reason to intrude, no reason to ask more than necessary and if Richard didn't want to tell his old man everything, that was fine. They both were lonely to some degree, mulling over things they once had and that disappeared out of their lives soon thereafter, but neither of them had more than that to give. "No need to if you don't feel like it." What was this, a change of heart? Nayantai didn't mind some company and maybe that was also why he just brought over a bowl to the table eventually, alongside a spoon. "I tried my best, I hope it tastes acceptable."

"They might, or they don't. Knowing them, they don't care as much as I think they will", Nayantai said. Shuren and Muhan had never worried about many things, in the end, all that mattered to them was each other and the world around them could, as one of them would say, kindly fuck off and cause troubles for other people that weren't them. Sure, maybe they changed their stance in all those years, but if anything, Nayantai was sure they didn't. The world around them had changed, their perception had changed and all that resulted in things that they weren't ready to accept as a fact just yet. Maybe it was nothing, eventually he was just fishing for something to make sense of a nonsensical situation, but all of that would end eventually, just like it had always done. "You got payback then - just don't break too many bones, alright?", his old man said, just looking at Richard who, sooner or later, would get up and look for something, for someone - what else was he to do? Nayantai was the one that sat here, in silence, and when he didn't, he was out there, trying to forget what sorrow feels like. "Just take care of yourself when you're out there", Nayantai mumbled, barely audible, as if he knew that this wasn't something that Richard wanted to hear - and he probably didn't. "Just tell me what he decides on." And now, he was all alone again, wasn't he?

Yujin, on the other hand, seemingly had a grand old time, especially now that he'd curled up and pulled some of the blankets towards himself, almost as if he was brooding over something, or giving Richard some space, despite the blonde not being there and anyone in their sleeping state could care less about another presence in their bed. Funnily enough, his dreams felt jumbled, mixed together in too many possible combinations and he wondered if it really made sense for him to dream about stuff like that, about all the things that could potentially go wrong for or with them. Was this what he wanted or was it merely a sorry excuse for all the things he could do? "Five more minutes ...", he grumbled once he felt the hand on his shoulder and attempted to turn over, but something was in the way and it very much was some pillows, a blanket and his very own hair. This didn't feel nice, or even comfortable, so he eventually got up, sat up and took a moment to register that this wasn't some fancy bed with expensive things in it, instead, this was a mountain of fur serving as a bed, and he wasn't home. "Oh, sorry. Uh, you want me to let you back in so you can eat your food?"

He'd been stuck in dreamland for a while, not too long, not too short and he wondered if that had any effect on him or the people surrounding him. By now, food had seemingly finished cooking and he'd been asleep for long enough to feel tired, at least to some degree. What was he to do? Richard was probably going to tell him that he was looking like shit, or that he should get up and go home, or something along those lines - but nothing came from that, instead, he got handed a bowl of soup and an explanation, as he was handed the spoon for it. Odd. Not that Yujin cared, he just looked up and gave Richard a smile. "Thanks for bringing it over", he said, but there was nothing else - he wasn't chuckling, or making enough stupid comments about getting breakfast in bed, especially served by someone like Richard, no. The wolf remained silent and just listened - to Richard and the buzzing in his head, that seemed pretty apparent right about now. "That's normal, especially when I'm exhausted", Yujin elaborated. He'd been awake for a while after the blonde had fallen asleep yesterday, made sure he wouldn't wake up and stay awake again and only then, he'd allowed himself to ease back into sleep. It was odd, wasn't it? All of this was stupid, the more he thought about it and none of it was truly making him happy.

Now that he sat up, his hair seemingly took up even more space and the sole glance that he shot the soup was odd, as if he was trying to discern what it was made out of, or seemingly as if he was going to lose himself, dip headfirst into it and then lay there, but for some reason, the warmth was almost oddly comforting, wasn't it? "I'll think about it, if that's fine with you ... I don't want to bother you, if you want me to get out of bed, I can just leave after I've eaten up", he answered, looking at Richard who was still kneeling at the bedside. What was this? He wasn't dying, in a worst case scenario he had a nasty cold or some sort of flu, that was all there was. But still, he felt out of it, almost too warm and yet, his entire body got goosebumps, now that he grabbed the spoon and put some hot soup into his mouth, just after blowing on it a tad bit. "Me, getting hotter? Well, I know I'm hot, but thank you for the compliment!" That was a joke, just like the smile was when he gave Richard another glance and smiled at him, spoon still in his mouth. Fuck, was this really all there was for him to do? Now, he didn't only feel like an idiot, but he probably also was one. "Jokes aside, I feel fine", he lied through his teeth as he went for another spoonful.

Yujin wasn't up to tease anyone right about now, as much as he wasn't up to make any sense of the things that Richard was doing for him. Just like he'd been told before, he was stubborn and weird in his own ways, maybe a bit too prideful to just give up and yet not lost in the world itself like he thought'd he'd be, now that he was sick. Everything was fine, at least he told himself that and wondered if all of this just came from the fact that he hadn't had a proper nights sleep in a while, or if he was lying to himself to begin with. Earlier, he'd complained about being hungry, but now he wasn't, all of the hunger he'd felt before seemingly dissipated in his sleep and he felt stupid for even attempting to eat a whole bowl of soup, despite having it offered to him. What was this, if not his own fault? "Yes, nothing more than being tired." That was all there was, there had to be a reason for the buzzing in his ears and the blurry vision he had, there had to be something akin to a good explanation to begin with. Was he stupid, or was all of this just the happiness that he couldn't find for himself? Whatever it was, really, Yujin wasn't going to make much sense of it to begin with, was he? This all felt like it would go south eventually and that, in turn, meant that he was running out of time to play pretend.

The soup tasted like nothing, either because his nose was clogged from being swollen, or from the fact that he was actually sick. Whatever it was, though, he sounded horrible and he felt about as horrible. "Maybe, maybe not - in the end, you don't care", Yujin said. Richard didn't, just like he thought he wouldn't and all that was left of that, by now at least, was him sitting there and being chastised for sitting up, for looking like crap and for feeling equally horrible. If he were honest with himself and the blonde, none of this needed to happen and all of this would continue to happen eventually, just because he couldn't swallow down his stupid pride. "Fine, fine. I'll lean back", and so he did, just to keep Richard from attempting to do something stupid, or eventually forcing the spoon into his mouth himself - Yujin felt stupid for even trying, felt like an idiot for forcing himself to be awake like that and yet he ate, even though none of it had taste or filled him. The extra pillows were fine, but he wasn't sick, was he? That was ridiculous, the mere claim itself was and had always been. "I'm sure it's not just my hair, actually", he chuckled. "Or do you think I'm actually hot, huh?" This was getting out of hand again and yet, he was doing nothing more than pretending to be someone he wasn't, all the while he was listening to Richard ramble on and on and on. What was that about combing? Nevermind, not that it made sense or that he cared. He had a few more spoons of soup, then looked at the weird thing Richard brought him. "Sure, thank you." And with that, he sat the bowl of soup aside, put the spoon back into it and wondered if this was going to work. Without even thinking, he took the fabric from the ice prince, held it between his teeth and then grabbed his hair, made sure to catch all of the strands and tie it up. "Better?"