bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

"My ... eyes?", Yujin asked, almost in confusion. Though, what else would Richard pick? It was the one thing that set him apart from the rest of the wolves and it was the only thing that made him stand out, that made him feel like he didn't belong, much like Richards own blonde hair. But strangely enough, he went on for a while, talking about so many different things that all meant the same, it was somewhat hard to follow him at first. So Richard liked his eyes and what of it? All it did was making Yujin chuckle, for one reason or another - he enjoyed this silly kind of attention, the fact that he wasn't the only one that liked something about his newfound friend and then again, he was right. "Silesse is a pretty lonely place, there isn't much you can do about that, but I'm glad that there's one of us that likes my eyes", he chuckled. Yujin himself had never liked them and it had always made him wondere where they were from. Neither of his fathers had blue eyes, none of his siblings did and from what he knew, his mother never had those either. "So, what you're saying is, you like them because they're different and because they breathe life into this barren place?" Frankly, this sounded ridiculous, but it somehow was Richards way of complimenting someone, wasn't it? "I won't, don't worry - but now I'm prepared."

Surely, there would be a time when Richard would need some help again and he'd be an asshole for not at least trying to provide it, wouldn't he? It almost felt like some sort of duty that he was supposed to perform, but ... it wasn't too bad, people had to look out for one another all the time. "Oh, you'd know after getting socked in the face. You'd definetly not need help to murder someone with your bare fists, though, but I'm happy to help!" Right about now, it sounded as if it were save to say that both of them were insane to one or the other degree and the sole thought about it sent a shiver down his spine. When was the last time he'd actually beat someone up for the fun of it? Why didn't he do that more often, actually? "We'll see about that." Was that a threat? Probably. But right about now, they were huddling up in bed together, still dazed from the sickness that had overcome them and still wondering about one too many things, weren't they? "Hm, but ... oh. I'm 18, I never asked you how old you are?", he answered, still in disbelief that he was trying to rig this kind of conversation up to work. "And I'm the second oldest of four. One older brother, two annoying little sisters. Is there ... even anything in particular you want to know?"

"Not ... really? Is that weird?", he answered, his voice becoming somewhat sheepish. Yujin had never liked that, despite somewhat boasting about his eyes when someone went on and on about how weird they were - but all in all, his confidence had taken a hit eventually, standing above it all and ignoring the commentary didn't help. "I don't want to sound like a whiny kid, but there's teasing about my eyes, there's things that get flung at your head for being different and I know, I'm old enough, I could stand to ignore them, but just hearing all of that ... it pisses me off, but moreso, it makes me sad." Albeit, he'd never spent days being sad about anything, he wasn't depressed, he wasn't a lot of things, but sometimes, stuff like that just hit close to home and in reality, he was the one that felt like he was facing so many more things at once, it hurt, to some insane degree. "It's fine, you just spooked the hell out of me, but now that I know, that's ... at least not too worrying." That still meant that he'd stick by Richard, just in case, but there was no need to start and suffocate him, there never had been - and it was ridiculous to think that there should be. Right up until now, he could take care of himself, so why should he take that away from him?

"Look who's talking! It's not about being a wolf, in that case anyway, it's about being aggressive enough to hit someone until they bleed." If anything, Yujin wasn't any better, despite prefering words over punches and answers over riddles. Whatever one got, however, was up to themselves and the very much apparent truth was, that sometimes, the reality surrounding one was so much worse than it could be, was taking things from one that it never should touch to begin with and yet, he sat there and mulled about things, in adrestian clothes nonetheless and wondered how Richard thought of these as remotely comfortable. "That, theoretically, means your dad should subject you to your coming of age ceremony when you do turn 18", he answered with a chuckle. Wolfish customs were ridiculous and there were one too many things that played into that, many of which probably kept Nayantai from just doing that to his son - but who knew? Maybe Richard would find himself in ridiculous attire sometime soon. "I suck at cooking", he went on eventually, just gifting Richard a glance, now that he was the one that was actually playing around with his hair again. "And I'm absolutely not fond of thrian candy. I also hate my fathers cooking, because this man can't cook for shit, but other than that ... isn't it ridiculous that he has a fan?"

"It's fine, I'm not chastising you, but the proper answer to that will always be that personally, I don't quite like them", he tacked on as some sort of addendum. "Cause, it's like, people that want to pick a bone with me will usually tell me how ugly they look to them and that they personally dislike them, whereas people that want something from me, that want to gain a favor, will compliment them out of the blue." Yujin didn't mind if Richard did, he had his own reasons to, but in reality, the wolf also knew that most of the time, people that just wanted something from him would reveal their intentions sooner than later and the former crown prince of Adrestia was, at best, someone that wasn't going to give two damn fucks about stuff like that. "Or they'll run their moves about the one they decide they dislike to begin with. Well, we both are odd in this sea of boring, same looking wolves, aren't we?" What else would they be anyway? In truth, neither of them fully knew what was going to come for them, as much as they didn't know why they did most of the stuff they found themselves doing in the first place. "I know and here I am, worrying like an idiot." Yujin really was one, wasn't he?

"Oh, that? I mean, I was kind of pissed but that's about it. Me being some kind of stupid and aloof guy is just an act, but I'm genuinely nice", he suddenly revealed, as if Richard hadn't already caught onto his disrepancies - if he was lucky, they'd forget this fever-induced instance in their lives anyway and would just go on to become two stupid friends. Though, something told him that even if that happened, maybe the blonde would still be happier back at home than stuck here, in the wilderness of Thria, in some small hut that never would come close to the goddamn mansion he probably had lived in before. "Calm down, it's optional. It's just some fancy celebration used to send you off on a hunt, kill an animal and then you drag it back to town to have your future read out of the meat in some sort of odd as hell divination process before you get to eat said carcass. Not that it provides any accuracy", he sighed. Though, he was the one that killed a goddamn fox and then found himself presented with evidence he already knew - there was no celestial force involved in that, he'd always been that way and the entire assumption that he wasn't, well, that just was getting stupid, wasn't it? But, this was, by no means something only common to Silesse. "I hate the fan, might I add?", he laughed, before looking at Richard, who in turn, was glancing back at him - what kind of look was that that he was giving him? Yujin slid down a bit more, to mach the blondes height, then got up all close and personal to him, before he wrapped his arms around him. "You're pretty warm."

"Sort of, yes. It's something they can see and something I think I used to be proud of, but by now, it's nothing more than a sore sign for not belonging. Look, I don't mind compliments if they're genuine, but a lot of weird comments about who you are and how you look do something to your selfworth over time." They never didn't and Yujin knew, he absolutely knew that sometimes, he just wanted nothing more than to disappear into the ground and lose himself and all hope he ever had in other hemispheres, just because that was easier and it never would not be - this, among other things, was some sort of escape, especially if he could talk about all the pain he felt without having to worry that the person listening was going to rat him out eventually. Why would Richard do that to begin with? "I didn't expect the compliment to be because you wanted favors - it sounded to genuine, so don't worry about that", Yujin chuckled. If Richard didn't mean it, he wouldn't have tried to justify his answer like that and it probably would have been more disastrous than it had to be to begin with. If that changed, however, he'd have to tell himself that he fucked up. "Trust me, you'll figure out eventually that not everyone can stand me as much as it appears."

The second prince of Silesse and what came of it? All the people that shared a status like his own lived in different places, argued about different things and even just wanting to call any of those his friends was in vain. How often did he meet them? Did it even matter? "You got me there. I'm sure you'll figure out the truth, though." Yujin himself felt like he was either getting tired, or he was just talking about so much bullshit that in the end, none of what eh said mattered to anyone, especially not the guy that he now had back in his arms, were he almost seemingly belonged. This was stupid - his heart was stupid and his head even worse. "You're not the only one and that's why it's optional", he explained. In the end, there were plenty of people that had dipped out of the celebrations when they found a way to, just because they wanted none of it and the sole thought of something like that happening grossed them out - and as things stood, nobody could force them to do anything anyway. Richard sounded like one of them, not content with what he was supposed to do - he'd just run off, wouldn't he? "If I did that, he'd either rip my head off or I'd not be leaving that icy castle for several months. He's all fun and games, but sometimes he just has some outbursts, especially if you touch his stuff or get rid of it. You don't want to make him angry." But who cared about that old geezer for now anyway? Instead, he'd rather be close to his bedmate, enjoy the warmth a bit more and then fall asleep - nothing else. "I can still try and warm you up, then?", he asked, a glint of hope in his eyes and a smile on his lips - Richard and him were idiots, weren't they? Especially now that he felt like the tips of his ears were getting warm, his cheeks were flushed and his heart was going in this odd rhythm - thank fuck Richard couldn't see or feel that, though.

Stupidity, among other things, was the first thing that came to mind. After that, however, what else was there? They both had other things to worry about, maybe, but ... that was about it, wasn't it? Now, however, they were talking to each other in some familiar way, as if they'd known one another for a bit longer than just a few days and weren't stuck in bed because they were sick and tired of being, wasn't it that? Whatever else they could do, well, Yujin knew no definite answer to that and any guessing game they could play felt as if it belonged nowhere, as if it shouldn't be something they were supposed to right now anyway - and something told him that he wasn't so wrong about that to begin with. "I still don't want to drag you through the mud, even if you allow me to, it's nothing someone with manners should do, you know?" And yet, he didn't act like he knew what manners were, what privacy was or how close up and personal he could be with someone like Richard, someone so pained and traumatized, it felt as if it was one of the worst experiences that someone could ever find themselves having felt in their lives - Yujin didn't ask, wouldn't ask again - he'd done enough asking and probably caused the blonde a decade worth of unneccesary pain already.

"Oh, I am - but you are right that something like that would sound suspicious. But, to be frank, if half my personality is an act, I'm guessing I'm not that honest to begin with. But in the end, we all have got some figuring out to do", Yujin answered him, trying to be as truthful as he could be, but wherever that would get him, well, he'd figure that out eventually, but not right now. They lay there and they were going on and on about so many things, it felt ridiculous. "I got mine told but it wasn't something I didn't already know anyway", he informed Richard and thought about it. Sometimes, hunting the first wild animal that crossed ones path still took time and then again, not all of them survived out here. Who, out of all those people, would be as insane as to hunt down an entire bear for something as stupid as fortune telling anyway, especially when they then had to consume some of the carcass they found themselves presented with? Even just thinking about it invoked some sort of vivid memories that weren't all that fun. "Oh, you mean hide it to tease him and then pretend I don't know where it is? Sounds like that would actually be fun. Hm, I'mn just glad your parents weren't like mine, but if you want, I can piss off my dad for you so you can see how fun that tends to be", he chuckled, as if he was actually intending to just go for it and give his father a good reminder of the fact that he, too, was a devil and he was here to do the devil's work, just like him. "You sure did, sleepyhead." Wait, what fucking bet!? "Do you ... want me to go on? Or sleep?"

"Look who's talking!", Yujin exclaimed, shortly thereafter followed by a chuckle. Gods, Richard was really hitting the nail on the head, but the wolf didn't want any of that, he actually had hoped he'd not be called out for that one, or at least something like that. Now, this was just going to get embarrassing from here on out, wasn't it? Especially since the two of them could now claim to like each other, to try and understand one another, but frankly, they really didn't, did they? One not so baseless assumption later and they'd think about even more bullshit that could come their way and that'd be it. "Who does, really?", he asked in retaliation - nobody knew themselves as well as they claimed to, not even someone like Richard - maybe his father did, maybe their fathers did, but in the end, they were old men that had seen a lot of the world that surrounded them and nothing was going to undo that knowledge which they had collected over the past years. Then, however, he mulled over the next thing that just came out of Richards mouth like that - did he want to? "The first thing I found and struck down was a fox, which wasn't too hard. And the divination said something about me being two-faced and hard to see through, something that will, apparently, stick with me for the rest of my life. As if I didn't know that."

Yujin didn't remember much else, mainly because he thought Richard was right, what did some stupid divination even matter? Why would anyone want that? He'd done it because he'd been asked to, because people expected their prince to act accordingly, but for one reason or the other, he never really wanted to, did he now? "I think it'd be fun, though." Would it now, to be yelled at by his father or even chased across the entire palace, just because he hid a damn fan from his old man? Something told him that the mere thought was stupid, that Yujin shouldn't let that get to him and that even Richard didn't want to see that, but between those thoughts, him making at least some noise and Richard, eventually nodding off, despite still having his hand dug into his clothes. "You're an idiot", Yujin softly whispered, before snuggling up himself and closing his eyes - he was able to sleep like that, with the blonde in his arms, wasn't he? Of course he was, but in the end, this wasn't something that was going on for long, because in the end, the night seemed almost a bit short, once he woke up at what felt like sunrise. Richard was still there, still stuck in his grasp and now he felt bad for actually holding him so close - and not being able to get up and take a piss without probably waking the poor fellow.

Now, he was the one that was thinking about letting go of Richard, of somehow worming his way out of the hug and come back soon enough, if his legs carried him that far, but ... somehow, that wasn't even up for him to decide anymore, was it now? Richard was already, seemingly, waking up instead of having him wait forever and that, on one hand, was good and on the other felt like him, once more, not getting the amount of sleep he should be getting and also not actually feeling any comfort while being out. As if to prove his theory, the blonde got away and behaved really strange all of a sudden - something that Yujin, theoretically, wouldn't mind but now that he'd hid his face being a pillow too, it seemed almost apparent that something wasn't as it should be. "Morning", he answered, now that he was rid of the blonde, he sat up and rubbed his own eyes, looked back at the poor guy that just lay there and wondered where all of this would be going if it went on. It wasn't that Richard had to depend on him, or that he had to satiate his own, unhelpful savior complex, but rather that the two of them seemingly were sluggish and not interested in the fact that they probably had to stay in bed for some more time.

"How are you feeling?", he asked, as he leaned back and just glanced over, not attempting to touch the blonde this time, even though he found himself wanting to, at least to check on him, but something told him that the sole idea of that was probably a recipe ripe for disaster. It was just better to ask neutral questions, to figure out where he himself and his mixed up brain stood right now, rather than overwhelm the guy he shared his bed with and that could have some extreme reactions if something felt off to him, now? Instead, he just sat there for a good while, shook his head, tried waking up a bit more and when all that was dealt with, he wondered if it was really a good idea to just be there, sit there and do nothing. "Need a hand?", he suddenly asked, as if that was going to help - but hey, his braid from yesterday endured the night, so Richards hair should be fine. Why was he even thinking about that, though?

So now both of them were going to be up and about, weren't they? Yujin felt almost bad for rousing the sleeping beauty in their shared bed - if one could really call it that - but then again, whatever else were they supposed to do to begin with? Now, all they had to do was actually wake up and go about their day, if that would prove to be as easy as he wanted it to be, that was. Yujin was, without a doubt, kind of skeptical about it and even just giving all of that a second thought felt like he was thinking a bit too hard about the innerworkings of himself and the guy that now, finally, sat up. "You really don't have to", he informed Richard, even though it was too late for that and theoretically, he had closed the curtains for nothing, hadn't he? Well, whatever, they'd probably be tuckered out after their little rendezvous with food and a bath and would find themselves nuggling into that mountain of fur sooner than later. For some reason, though, this sickness that ailed them felt like some sort of stupid joke that even he didn't want to mess with for too long. "I don't plan to, so no worries", he informed him. Was Richard actually worried?

"Alright then", Yujin simply replied and gifted the groggy ice prince a smile, that maybe, he'd not be able to see, now that he was occupied with making himself appear more awake than he was. What was their weird game of pretending and wanting to appear differently than they were anyway? "Just one bucket? Isn't that a bit ... wouldn't I need more?" Frankly, a bucket of water would probably suffice for an infant but not for someone like him or Richard for that matter. Then again, he was the one that - by all means - was used to living a lavish life where one wink of his hand sufficed most of the time to get him what he wanted and a hunch told him, that Richard probably hadn't had a much different life in the past. "Guess I could prepare some water for you then, too." While Yujin didn't want to admit, they both were probably sticky with sweat and despite wearing different clothes, that didn't exactly help all that much - if he hadn't felt absolutely delirious yesterday, he'd probably have insisted on not changing his clothes anyway to save them from himself. "If you don't mind, sure - but not for now, I'd rather clean myself up first." Now that Richard stood there, he could ... no, that would just be plain evil and probably earn him a slap across the face, wouldn't it?

A disaster, nothing more, at least that was what Yujin kept telling himself. Once he was out of that door, he'd be duty-bound to a variety of things and one of them was himself, the fact that he was a prince and therefore, he'd have to impress not only his shitty little kingdom, but also that girlfriend of his that his father oh so desperately wanted him to like just a few years longer. What for, though? Whenever he was done playing with something, he threw it away, that was just how one would deal with boring toys too, wasn't it? So that, actually, meant that he wasn't as good of a person as he told Richard, was it now? A heap of clothing and towels, fabric stacked above fabric and shoved into his hand, brought him back to reality and he laughed about it, even though it was more of a soft and short giggle. "Thanks", he commented, then eyed what he'd been handed. Mister Bedmate really hated Thria and their clothes, didn't he? Then again, Yujin ... "Don't I look odd in adrestian clothing?", he suddenly asked, peeking out of his hair curtain that was all over his face again. As if to demonstrate his own annoyance, he blew a strand out of said face.

"No, not really. Especially when I just have to say that I want to take one and basically anyone that hears that comes running to prepare it for me", he elaborated to Richard, who - most definitely - knew what he was talking about. They both were somewhat important, or in Richards case had been, and there wasn't much that they could contest about that. Quite frankly, actually, they both had nothing but a good time and the amount of time they would spend talking about just that, about the past, was probably going to be limited, especially judging by some of Richards more extreme reactions. "Oh, no, I know, I'm just saying that if I'm already filling up the tub once and you're going to take care of the food or whatever else, I might as well do you a favor?" Why was he so insistent about that anyway? What kind of prince wouldn't expect to be touched with nothing but silky gloves and the feeblest of voices? Yujin, apparently, or rather a lot of princes and princesses of Thria, all of whom didn't fancy their status for more than it was worth - it just came with a few, tacked on ... extras. As Richard headed for the door, Yujin did too, just to poke his head out and find the hut in a somewhat desolate state - just like it had been yesterday, hadn't it? But this time, Yujin did spot a scrap of paper on the table. "Hm, guess your dad's out, huh? What's the paper say?"