bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

Was he really mad at Richard, though? He was an idiot, a lovely one, but sometimes he just tried a bit too hard for his fellow wolves liking. Maybe he should have just shut the fuck up, zipped it and ignored it like he usually did - but right now, he wasn't even sure. Was he still mad that Richard had just left him instead of staying in bed with him? Did he even care? That probably was one of the furthest things from Richards mind and the only reason Yujin was, currently and genuinely, fed up was, because he assumed he'd get in trouble for every single thing he did. He was done with being a caged bird, or whatever fancy metaphor someone could come up with, but he also knew that the cage was far from rusting while the key was long gone - the illusion of freedom still persisted, however, and he sighed. What was he to do with this dumbass anyway? There was no way to change any of this, and there also was no way and no sense in making Richard hate him for the last few months or whatever it was that he would be here - it didn't matter much, never did, never had and it wouldn't start to matter now - he was friends with the blonde because he'd seemed so lonely, lost and all kinds of things he could hardly explain. Letting go now was just an asshole move, and Yujin wasn't like that.

Yujin was about to pick up the fabric, but figured someone else could do it - instead, he still eyed the way Richard behaved, what he did with his arm and he came to the conclusion that an ice pack and something he could at least rest it in would be the best solution. There weren't enough bandages in the sewing kit left, they'd mainly gone to the wound on Richards side and that seemed to be holding up pretty well so far. His other clothes were wet, that wasn't what he wanted to give Richard, so there was only one option anyway. "No need to thank me.", he said, shaking his head, before getting up - aimlessly kicking the sewing kit aside, almost as if to signal that he was done playing with it - and then he wondered if he'd always been like that, or if that was just who he thought himself to be. Odd, at best, if anything, was a good description. Yujin got another towel, and then a second one. "I can wash your hair if you lie down on your back and I'll take care of your back after that, how does that sound?" Sure, some people would find it icky to just wash their hair in what seemed to be their own blood, but this wasn't normal water that had to be brought in, either, so it should be fine to let it clean itself, right? "I'm not mad, just a bit hopeless.", he replied eventually, knowing that he very much had been pissed at Richard regardless, but that was all forgiven now, right? "Don't move your arm too much, and also ...", he mumbled, sorting strands of bloodied hair out of the blondes face. "Sorry. You're not supposed to feel bad, especially not on your birthday. It's just ... you always worry so much about things that are completely fine. Look, you're not weak because a stupid bear thrice your size got you, okay?"

Yujin was doing this because he liked Richard and he wanted this poor sap to have a good day for once in his life. However, it only went as good as once could expect, which was a good way of saying, not good at all. Was this what he'd have to deal with for the rest of his pathetic life, now that he found himself stuck in ice as old as time? Yujin didn't know, frankly, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to know and for now, even just for a moment, he gave up on wasting his thoughts on that. Instead, he wanted to get his hand into the water and wring out the blonde locks that spread out quite evenly, that had such a different texture from all the other thrian hair he'd ever felt, but it wasn't bad, just somewhat uncanny. Richard lived he, just for now and for an obcsure moment, but Yujin didn't mind, they'd keep this weird relationship of theirs going for as long as they could. "You are not, not more than anyone else would.", he answered, still not quite sure what he felt like. Yujin liked Richard, that much was for sure, but he wasn't sure if he loved him any more than he usually did - he'd confessed his feelings to him, yet he'd met quite the unfortunate answer and maybe, just maybe, he was much like everyone else - a petty bastard.

"You better be or I'll seriously get ... worried ...", he admitted, but his gaze glued itself to the forlorn blonde that was just waiting for someone to give him a helping hand, just for a moment, but he knew better by now. This really was just a moment, right? Why get his hopes up at all? The wolf wanted to deny him, but instead, there was some sort of tingling in his stomach and his heart felt like it beat faster than before, especially when his hand touched Richards face. "You don't want to be here anyway, and frankly, I'd rather not be here, either." Yujin wanted to stay at the hut the last time, just in time for Richard to kind of get him out of there and then they wound up with ... a whole other mess. Not only did he not want to think about it for too long, he also guessed that whatever it was that would take him there, it was supposed to happen either way. "It's your birthday, I can hardly say no. But I can hardly say no to you in general, so of course I will.", the wolf said, and he just had committed to something he probably shouldn't have, yet, did it really matter? He still owed this silly goose a good nights sleep either way. Yujin stroked over Richards cheek with his thumb for a bit, using his other hand to comb through the bloodied strands of hair and get out whatever he could. This scenery looked quite dreamy, if a bit painful, but ... he couldn't ... just lean down ... and ... "Why do you always look so kissable?" Why did he say that aloud anyway!

"I'll give you a bandage for that later, though. It looks like it could use some cooling and a bit more support, but you'll do just fine." He'd have to get Richard into his clothes before that and then figure out what would be the most comfortable way for him to wear them. Was it fine to just throw him in there, assume he'd make do? No, Yujin didn't want that at all - it sounded almost as if he was genuinely worried for Richard and he was - he had many reasons to be worried, but this just topped it all off. If he was honest, the blonde was an idiot and he could have done so much more to keep himself safe, but he also knew that it didn't matter much. In the end, Richard just did what he wanted and Yujin was the one that played along because he felt as if he had to. He chuckled slightly, however, once he heard what he was told. Well, that wasn't too wrong, but he also, very much, knew that Richard was - without a doubt - a little tease sometimes and that he himself had meant what he'd said. Did it truly matter why Yujin found him attractive? Not necessarily, in the end, it was all up to them either way and if Richard didn't want any of this, he was very much welcome do deny him anyway.

"I'd say you are a pretty hot ghost, though.", he complimented, before finally finding his hand freed and getting back to what he'd been doing initially - which was washing every last bit of blood out of the blonde hair that deserved better treatment than this. Yujin thought he did a good job, and soon enough, there wasn't any more blood in his hair left, aside from a few pinkish bits that he couldn't quite get out. It was fine, this was hardly noticeable and he finally found a reason to smile like an idiot. Richard wouldn't look so bad with a lot of pinkish hair, but that would be quite the odd haircolor as well, no? The wolf dipped one of the towels in water, ever so slightly, before he started to rub the blood off of Richards face with it, then drying it off. He had been right, he was pale, very much so, but he wasn't dead yet and Yujin gave him a kiss, almost as a reward for his victory earlier, something he'd completely forgotten about anyway. "I forgot to congratulate you, I hope this is acceptable?", he asked instead, straying away from the blondes lips the tiniest bit - if he wanted more, he could come get it, and if not, Yujin was close enough to shove away. Theoretically, that was a harsh way of thinking, but he was sure that Richard wasn't even nice to himself most of the time and therfore, could use someone that was nice to him instead, keeping him afloat in this endless sea.

"You know what else would be nice?", he asked, teased more, actually and while he'd normally grin like an idiot about it, he just faintly smiled at Richard. This wasn't some misplaced, dirty joke but rather, he actually thought it'd be nicer than this, if he was honest. "Some good food for you, so you can get in some painkillers." Yujin could take some from here, just sneak some out of Shurens endless cabinets, but he'd rather not - he wasn't sure what worked and he also couldn't drag some opium with them and convince Richards old man that it was entirely fine to smoke that right then and then. Maybe he was exaggerating, eventually he found that there was no such thing however and that he worried too much about obviously superficial things. Was it the right thing to do? Most likely, especially in a situation like this, yet, Yujin was also fairly aware that he often times worried over nothing, time and time again, just because that seemed to be his thing, especially in Richards presence, especially when the blonde didn't want him too close, too soon - he seemed tired however, yet had insisted the wolf wouldn't carry him and while Yujin would have liked to try, he probably lacked strength and endurance to make it the whole fifteen minutes. What about the last five? That sounded somewhat dreamy either way.

"Yes, because it's not always about looks." It never was, not in Richards case either way. He had tried to fix him at first, now he was trying to help him collect and put together pieces of himself and they both had ended up with what looked to be a mosaic of one another, made of many different parts that didn't even exactly belong were both of them had put them. After all, they both were struggling to figure themselves out and even when Richard rid himself of the wolf, he only chuckled and started wipping down his arms and soon after, his back to get rid of the blood. It was a shame he couldn't just throw him in there for a good soak, but they both were probably rather safe than sorry and Yujin couldn't blame him - it would have hurt as well, and he wanted Richard to relax, much like he did now. "Oh, shut it. I can do some more for you, whatever you want. Speaking of which, get up and let me dry you off, will you? I'll help you with the clothes, we'll figure that out together." That was the best way to do it anyway - not that he didn't trust Richard, but Yujin wanted him to feel warm and comfortable and that wasn't going to happen if they just did things quite half-assedly. Instead, he helped Richard back onto his feet and dried him off as best as he could, before taking off the laster layer of cloth that he wore on his upper body and started constructing something Richard could put his arm into, only to slightly tie it behind his neck. "Lets not cut those up, alright? I brought you the best thing I could find, but also ...", the wolf mumbled and soon waltzed over to the sewing kit he'd kicked away, to get the last bit of bandage he'd deemed too short for the noose, yet, it was enough to bandage the stitched wound. "That might sting a bit.", he warned, before getting to work once more.

"We won't know until we get home! Do you even have any birthday traditions?" Yujin barely knew anything about Adrestia, or its people, or the things those people did to help themselves - regardless, he was mroe than happy to indulge for them for an hour or two, or just spend his time trying to figure it all out - he liked the stories that Richards old man told him and he liked Richard, as well as the stories he seemingly had to tell. In the end, it hardly mattered what he liked, however, as none of this was about him and nothing would change that - not up until now anyway. Was there something he'd missed out on? He didn't know, didn't want to know to be fair. "Then you might be in luck and I don't have to dismantle every medicine cabinet that I can find." All the good stuff was kept away anyway - most likely in the case that an unlikely intruder got in here and was nosy enough to snoop through the wrong places, and theoretically to keep Fei away from the dangerous stuff, just in case her baby hands got the wrong things. Still, she wasn't that young anymore, actually - that was weird, hadn't she been pint-sized a while ago? His memory was all messy, he feared he'd not recognize his own sister once she grew up anyway.

"I could write you a poem and prove you wrong, but that would be painfully and utterly embarrassing and probably kind of dirty. So lets just say you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever laid my eyes on, even when you are as pale as a ghost.", he commented, knowing that he should have probably shut up before he said anything. Richard wasn't any worse than someone like Quan, though, Yujin still would prefer the blonde over the brunette, in terms of looks alone, and he honestly thought that often times, Richard just had the unbrittled ability to look like a painting, his skin so soft, so pliable, all the while he retained a sharp gaze and ... fuck, this wasn't what he was thinking about and when he looked back up, only to find Richard taking off his underwear, he probably stared a bit too much for a bit too long at a certain spot, with rosy cheeks, before averting his gaze and walking over to the clothing he'd sat aside for Richard when he'd brought it earlier. "Don't worry, it's fine. I can wash it if it gets dirty, and if it rips, I can sew it back up. Besides, it's not like the only set of clothing I have to wear." And it, theoretically, wasn't even that important. That was one of the lower layers anyway, nobody would care if the white of the next one was slightly off from the rest, hell, nobody would ask to begin with either. "Alright, let me help you then." And that he did, but ... fuck. "I didn't bring you any underwear, are you fine like that? Should I go get you some?", he asked, almost disappointed, but he'd truly believed that the half-wolves clothing endured a bit more. "Huh?" One quick look down his body, or at least his pants - given the fact the was shirtless anyway - actually did show the damage. "Oh, it's fine. There's worse. I'll just go dress up when we're done here."

"We have a party as well, but there's no cake-thing and it's more just an excuse for adults to meet than for the children to actually celebrate something. Sure, you're getting gifts and all of that, but given the fact that I barely have any relatives, it was always kind of scarce and more filled with faces of people I barely knew, if at all. Just imagine it as an excuse to host a fancy event and get something out of all of your allies or to-be allies." Not that it was necessarily needed, this wasn't a time of war, nor was it anything of that sort. Yujin knew that he might as well be overreacting, that there was no reason to concern for as to why any of this happened, but it seemed to be fairly normal. Friends, sure, if one could call them that, but often enough it was just a bunch of people that ones parents wanted one to get along with, nothing more. Strangers, in the loosest sense of the word. "If not, I can still come and get some! Also, what's that cake stuff even like?" Yujin hadn't even heard of it, but the concept of special birthday food wasn't too foreign for him. Thrians had stuff like that as well, however, it was just traditional dishes, maybe prepared a different or kind of special way and that was it, nothing else to worry or break ones head over.

"Hm, I actually don't know. Maybe the other Yujin was good at it, but I can't quite tell you if I'm still any use." Was he? Whenever he tried to think back, he liked to believe he was much like a carbon-copy of Shuren and the thought alone scared him, even when it wasn't necessarily rooted in reality. Who knew what he truly was? He didn't and at this rate, it was stuff out of dreams, something that nobody was able to recall anyway. "Yes, but ... uh ..." What? Was this suddenly awkward because he wasn't necessarily horny or thirsting over Richard and looking at his crotch like it was the first time he'd seen his dick? Gods, he was acting like a little girl! Yujin soon shook his head and diverted both gaze and attention from it - this was ridiculous. "Probably, and if not, we can still consult your dad or my dad, or someone entirely else." This was all about trial and error and Yujin felt almost as if, even if it were, and even if it would be, he didn't know how good the scar would look. Sure, they'd have to take out the stitches eventually, but there was no way of telling if it would be even or crooked - at least right now. Maybe there wouldn't even be one? "Pff, fine. I'll go get you some of my underwear, go put some clothes on in the meantime.", Yujin chuckled and soon left the bathroom, firmly closing the door behind him. It was much colder out here and while he generally wasn't afflicted by cold, the drop in temperature was, what made him wrap his arms around himself and force his way back to his room. Even when he figured that his clothing was leaving behind droplets of red liquid on the icy blue floor, he didn't care much and instead just got out of it as soon as he could, threw it somewhere and pulled out an entire new ou- ... this one was missing the outmost layer, what? Where did he leave that? Whatever, he put it on either way - only to grab a piece of underwear and head back to the bathroom. "I'm back! Also, did I ever wear this thing around you before?", he suddenly asked, as if Richard was able to recall all of the layers he wore in an instant - well, maybe he'd lost the cloak ages ago.

Yujin watched Richard, he wanted to help him from the get-go, but maybe he considered that inappropriate, so he just let the blonde do as he wanted for a while, until he looked like he was ready to get all bundled up and leave the palace behind. Was this really all there was to it? Regardless, they both would be able to leave soon and the wolf would've loved nothing more than to do just that - he didn't want to spend the rest of his days cooped up in here, stuck in the exact same spot, trying to find an excuse aside from that it was warm in here and that they should enjoy said warmth just a little while longer before heading out. Actually, Yujin was fine in all those layers he wore, he didn't need an outer coat, unlike Richard, who'd do well with preserving heat instead. The wolf started bundling him up and proudly grinned once he was done - his clothes fit Richard very well, it was almost uncanny how well. "Hm, then I probably just left it somewhere. Stuff happens. Anyway, we're good to go now, right?" Yujin still had the present ... were exactly? Oh fuck. They hadn't been in his clothes when he changed them and he'd carelessly stuffed it in his sleeve earlier, when he grabbed Richards change of clothes, so that meant he probably ... lost it somewhere, right? Now, this night was going great.

His eyes looked through the bathroom for a second, wondering if it had just fallen down when he'd gotten out of his clothes earlier, or if he'd not lost it in here to begin with - and that seemed to be the case. Did he lose it on the way to his room earlier? Not this again. "Do you want a poem? I could try writing one, just for fun, but I doubt I'd be any good." Yujin doubted himself often enough, many times in fact and now that he realized that he'd lost something else, he damned his forgetfulness once more. Was any of this fair? Hardly, but he somehow had to make do for a while now - it would all work out in the end was the only piece of advice he had. The wolf grumbled as he went over to the discarded fabrics from earlier, rummaging through his own, only to find what he'd lost among them, having slipped slightly over the icy floor - well, there it was! And he definitely shoved it back into his sleeve, only to join Richard again. "Hm, and now we put your arm in there? Or do you want to get out of a layer or two again? It should be all secured now and the sash will hold it in place ... and after that, we should probably get going or your dad will actually get worried and think we ditched him." That'd just be sad and Yujin, much like Richard probably, didn't want to disappoint Richards old man.

They had everything, they finally could leave and Yujin was more than happy that they didn't have to camp out here for the entire night. Not only that, however, he was also under the impression that he needed a bit of a breather either way - something that took him away from home, just to let him relax and that wouldn't be too bad. In the hut, it would just be the three of them and if Richard really got tired and hour or two into the celebration, Yujin wouldn't mind cuddling with him for all it was worth. "Yours? I'd say we leave them be and I'll bring them over once they are dry? I'm sure neither of us wants to carry around a bundle of bloody and dripping wet clothes, now that we're all bundled up." Richard only had one free hand anyway and Yujin kind of felt like holding it, now that they'd figured out what to do with his hurt arm and where it should go so that he'd at least have a somewhat comfortable way of carrying himself around without having to support it the entire time. Honestly, Yujin was spill kind of convinced that he wanted to carry Richard, but that wasn't it - instead, he grabbed his well-off hand and went for the door of the bathroom, then for the door outside, into the cold, but not before pulling up the hood for Richards cloak. "Your hair is wet, I don't want you to catch a cold.", he simply elaborated.

The snow felt soft under his feet, softer than usual for this time of year, but someone like him wouldn't know anyway and they could head back to the hut the normal way, even if Yujin thought the other one to be more romantic - which was why he took it instead, so they could look at the glistening lights of Silesse while they walked without being directly blinded by them. "No worries, if it were about you, I'd probably die on the inside while reciting it. Give me two weeks and I'll have something for you!" Was that even enough? Coming up with a good poem would take half an eternity and he was rusty anyway, so all that he actually wanted was for his past self to finally die, turn into nothing but seafoam, something, anything, so that he'd be finally rid of this stupid thing. "But isn't chocolate already sweet? I think I tired it like, once, and I have to admit I don't really have the biggest of sweet tooths, so of course I didn't quite like it." Was he a picky eater? He wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't care anyway - he was a prince, guiding another one through heaps of snow, back to his small home. They both were kind of lost like this, all the way out here. "I can't cook or bake, so I can't really make you a cake, but ... uh ... I have a bit of a silly question? Do you like thrian sweets?"