Glass and Steel #3
Aug. 5th, 2015 09:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
owned_by_a_catTitle: Glass and Steel
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: HoMin
Genre: Sci-fi / Fantasy, AU
Summary: Changmin is dying. And he doesn't want just anyone to save his life.
A celebrated artist on the brink of death. A warrior determined to save him. Meddling politicians and a city in the clouds.
Part 1: Glass
Part 2: Steel
His roof terrace dripped blooms of all colours and foliage in any conceivable shade of green. White marble and glass mosaics made up the flooring and both his workroom and living quarters boasted floor-to-ceiling windows that caught and held the light whatever the time of day.
It was the view from the terrace, though, that Changmin loved most of all. The city's panorama edged in glass and white marble floated on a cushion of deep, mysterious blue. And beyond that blue lay an impossibly wide expanse of green. The forest that Yunho called home stretched as far as Changmin could see, the deep green slowly turning into yet another shade of blue - a faint, silvery whisper of a promise - as the woods reached past the horizon. Yunho always maintained that on the far side of the forest lay mountains, tall and jagged and dangerous to cross. He'd described them in detail. Had even tried to draw them for Changmin, but even from his vantage point in the sky all Changmin could see was endless green blending into endless blue.
Content, he kept his eye on the green and let the breeze play in his hair. He took slow, deep breaths and the tightness in his chest eased by a small degree. He'd worked too hard, had rested too little and the disease that had blossomed in his blood was demanding its due. He was in two minds over which path to take. Focus on his craft and create as much as he could in the time left to him, making use of the riot of sensations and impressions that were the positive side effects of his illness. Or rest and hope that the disease would progress slowly enough to allow him to see Yunho one last time when he came up to the city for the festival.
Yunho was his Muse, his inspiration—even when they were apart. The warrior with the bright smile and child-like enjoyment of everything he saw and touched was a source of constant joy for Changmin. Yunho was passionate and fierce, and yes, violent when he needed to be, but he never failed to look kindly on those around him. Changmin hadn't been a tad surprised when Yunho had been made a captain and given charge of a troop when most of his contemporaries were still considered too young to serve outside the forests that were their Guild's home.
Yunho was someone who changed people. He changed the way they spoke, the way they saw the world, even the way they conducted themselves, simply by being himself. Others—warriors, merchants and serfs alike—looked up to him. And having been raised in the confines of Cloud City, where politics and allegiances governed people's actions and change was as rare as unicorn hair, that was the most miraculous thing of all. That people could change, simply by being around Yunho.
Changmin had felt drawn to the warrior from the first moment he'd seen him. There was something about the way Yunho moved, a simple joy in being alive conveyed with every step, that drew Changmin like light draws a moth. He'd been aware of the man dogging his steps as he studied and while he would usually have resented the intrusion and resulting distraction, out there in the forest it had given him an illicit thrill. The fact that someone, a warrior even, thought him interesting enough to follow him around.
All of a sudden, he was worth someone's while.
The knowledge that he might never see Yunho again was painful. He'd never bothered to contemplate where souls went after death, but faced with the end of his own life he hoped it was somewhere he could keep his memories.
And therein he had his answer. Eschewing work and patiently waiting for death in the hope that death came late enough to let him see Yunho one more time…. that path wasn't for him. It wasn't a path that honoured his work or the essence of all that was Yunho, all that inspired Changmin.
Acceptance washed over him, taking some of the heat from his blood and some of the tightness from his chest. The breeze picked up and he spread his arms and closed his eyes to the endless green, breathing peace and harmony poised on the edge of the abyss.
Yunho had never moved so fast. Plants, ornaments and furnishings blurred around him as he blew across the roof to wrap his arms around Changmin's chest before he could think. Changmin started so violently, he almost threw himself and Yunho off the roof, but Yunho held on tight and used his greater weight to drag Changmin away from the edge and the miles of nothing that waited for him there.
Shaking with fear, elation and excess adrenaline, he buried his face in Changmin's hair. His lips found soft skin and sudden relief turned his knees to water. "Don't jump. Please don't jump."
"Wasn't going to." Changmin grumbled, but he didn't fight to get free of the tight hold Yunho had on his form. Instead he leaned his head back against Yunho's shoulder and practically melted into the embrace. And when had Changmin ever let himself be held like this?
"How are you here?"
"I couldn't let you die."
"I didn't ask why, Yunho. I asked how."
"Can we discuss this maybe in a less hazardous locale? I didn't come all the way up here to lose you to either a disease or a misstep."
Changmin spun and pushed the warrior back, away from the edge of the roof. "Yunho, you can't—"
"I can. And I will." Yunho didn't wait for further objections. He simply picked Changmin up and carried him across the roof garden to the open doors, settling them both on the broad day bed that took up one corner of Changmin's workroom.
Changmin was lighter than Yunho remembered. His face was thinner, the high cheekbones more prominent. And the beautiful dark eyes were ringed by shadows.
"You're not sleeping enough," Yunho accused.
Changmin didn't look at him. "I don't have much time."
"Not even to eat? I didn't realise you were in a hurry to leave."
Changmin flushed a dull red. "It's not like that," he defended himself. "It's just that… usually when someone brings food they have a councillor in tow. Or… suitors. It takes hours to get rid of them and even when they're gone I can't work. It's all this wasted time that—"
"Shhh." Yunho wrapped his arm around the thin shoulders. "It's okay. I get it. The Lady Salia told me she'd posted guards at your door so you'd not be disturbed. And I'm happy to scare away councillors and suitors alike. Let me just order some food for you while you rest."
He started to rise, but Changmin kept hold of his sleeve. "Wait. Tell me first how you are here. It's weeks yet to the festival."
"The council asked for me," Yunho said simply. "I have permission to stay in the city for as long as I want. I thought you might like me to stay with you… but if I'm a distraction I can…"
"No," Changmin replied hastily. "I was just wishing for the chance to see you again. I knew that the council was trying to find you, but I didn't want you forced to abandon your work and come here, just because I have the lung evil."
"And what would you consider a valid reason, Changmin?" Yunho's voice grew a little sharper at the younger man's gyrations. Just a little, though, since he knew his friend. And Changmin's mile-wide independent streak. "Don't be stupid, please. Nobody's coerced me. I've always wanted to be close to you for more than just a few hours on festival day. Now I have everyone's blessing to be here for as long as I want. It's like a holiday."
When Yunho jumped up and went to order food, Changmin didn't argue. After days of solitude, Yunho's boisterous cheer was just a little overwhelming. And he couldn't let himself be overwhelmed. Not now, and not later. He knew what the council was hoping to gain by allowing Yunho free access to the city. And while he'd thought about it in abstract terms, he'd not yet decided how he should react.
For now he would take Yunho's presence as the blessing it was. He'd enjoy their time together as he usually did, bask in Yunho's light and let Yunho inspire his work.
He'd cleared the small table in front of the day bed and sat drawing Yunho's face as he'd seen it only moments earlier when the warrior came back bearing a large tray of food.
"I'm really not hungry, Yunho," Changmin started to say when his stomach called him a liar and Yunho simply rolled his eyes.
"There's fruit, there's wine and I even found this cake you like, the one that looks like fluffy clouds." He deposited his haul on the small table and mock-frowned at Changmin. "And if you don't set that chalk down and grab a plate, I'll force feed you. The way you look right now, you'll drown in your ceremonial robes."
There it was. And Changmin should have known that Yunho would defy everyone to come and save him.
"What exactly did they ask you to do?" Changmin's voice was very quiet.
"To come and save your life." Yunho's smile had disappeared. He looked older suddenly, more in command than Changmin had ever seen him. "There was no need for them to offer a bargain. I would have come even if they hadn't asked."
"The bargain isn't—"
"Changmin, I know they want you married. I also know that you're not one to take a wife and keep a lover on the side. You wouldn't consider that fair to any one of the three of us. I know that and I'm here to help save you in any way I can."
"Yunho, wait. Do you understand what…? We would need to be paired."
"I look forward to it."
The man was annoying. Or was he simply oblivious? Many people outside of Cloud City knew about the lung evil, but did Yunho really understand what he was facing? Changmin felt his face heat until he thought his ears were on fire. It wasn't a discussion he wanted to have, but Yunho was his friend. He couldn't let him walk into a council-set maze without providing the key that would guide him through it.
"With my illness… we need… we need to have.."
"Lots of sex, I know. Isn't it great?"
Changmin flinched. Yunho sounded so enthusiastic about the prospect, it was indecent. "What if we don't like it?"
"How can we not like having sex? It's great. And I'm told it's even better when you're paired. So why— Oh my. You've never—"
"Shut up." Yunho's bright grin embarrassed the hell out of Changmin. And, of course, the oaf wouldn't let it be.
"Changmin, tell me. Have you really never had sex? Why? How can you—"
"I didn't want anyone else," Changmin mumbled and buried his face in a cushion. He didn't want to see Yunho's amusement. And he certainly didn't want to see his pity.
"Oh, ye gods. Min. Come here." Yunho pulled the younger man close and wrapped him in a hug. "Listen, I had no idea. But I think there's more to the council's request than I first thought. And whatever you may think, Changmin, I promise you I don't want to restrict your choices. So… let's buy you some time? Let me show you what it feels like to be loved. Let's get your illness under control. Then, when you have a better idea what's involved, you can think about whether you want to be paired. And with whom."
To say that Changmin wasn't curious would have been a lie. He'd wondered enough times how it would feel having Yunho's body pressed close to his, how the sword callouses would feel on his skin, what Yunho tasted like… Until dread had tempered his curiosity. He couldn't know until it was too late whether there'd be pleasure or just pain, humiliation and anger. He appreciated the friendship he and Yunho had forged over the years. He loved how just thinking about Yunho could inspire him. Would giving in to his curiosity change what they had? Would it make him look at Yunho differently?
He'd heard enough stories to make him think that it would.
"What if I don't want to take that path?" he asked, only a little hesitant. "What if I'd rather continue as we are? As friends?"
"And die?"
"And die."
Tears welled in Yunho's eyes, but he fought them back. "Then I'll stay right here beside you until the end," he vowed. "You said I'd make a decent apprentice one of these days. Let's see if you were right."
Part 4: Slow Seduction
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: HoMin
Genre: Sci-fi / Fantasy, AU
Summary: Changmin is dying. And he doesn't want just anyone to save his life.
A celebrated artist on the brink of death. A warrior determined to save him. Meddling politicians and a city in the clouds.
Part 1: Glass
Part 2: Steel
Part 3: Confession
Changmin curled his toes over the edge of the roof and kept his weight on his heels. Cloud City spread out in front of him like a jewelled carpet glittering in the sunshine. Not many craft masters ever gained permission to live on the city's third level and Changmin appreciated the honour and repaid it with hard work and breathtaking designs.His roof terrace dripped blooms of all colours and foliage in any conceivable shade of green. White marble and glass mosaics made up the flooring and both his workroom and living quarters boasted floor-to-ceiling windows that caught and held the light whatever the time of day.
It was the view from the terrace, though, that Changmin loved most of all. The city's panorama edged in glass and white marble floated on a cushion of deep, mysterious blue. And beyond that blue lay an impossibly wide expanse of green. The forest that Yunho called home stretched as far as Changmin could see, the deep green slowly turning into yet another shade of blue - a faint, silvery whisper of a promise - as the woods reached past the horizon. Yunho always maintained that on the far side of the forest lay mountains, tall and jagged and dangerous to cross. He'd described them in detail. Had even tried to draw them for Changmin, but even from his vantage point in the sky all Changmin could see was endless green blending into endless blue.
Content, he kept his eye on the green and let the breeze play in his hair. He took slow, deep breaths and the tightness in his chest eased by a small degree. He'd worked too hard, had rested too little and the disease that had blossomed in his blood was demanding its due. He was in two minds over which path to take. Focus on his craft and create as much as he could in the time left to him, making use of the riot of sensations and impressions that were the positive side effects of his illness. Or rest and hope that the disease would progress slowly enough to allow him to see Yunho one last time when he came up to the city for the festival.
Yunho was his Muse, his inspiration—even when they were apart. The warrior with the bright smile and child-like enjoyment of everything he saw and touched was a source of constant joy for Changmin. Yunho was passionate and fierce, and yes, violent when he needed to be, but he never failed to look kindly on those around him. Changmin hadn't been a tad surprised when Yunho had been made a captain and given charge of a troop when most of his contemporaries were still considered too young to serve outside the forests that were their Guild's home.
Yunho was someone who changed people. He changed the way they spoke, the way they saw the world, even the way they conducted themselves, simply by being himself. Others—warriors, merchants and serfs alike—looked up to him. And having been raised in the confines of Cloud City, where politics and allegiances governed people's actions and change was as rare as unicorn hair, that was the most miraculous thing of all. That people could change, simply by being around Yunho.
Changmin had felt drawn to the warrior from the first moment he'd seen him. There was something about the way Yunho moved, a simple joy in being alive conveyed with every step, that drew Changmin like light draws a moth. He'd been aware of the man dogging his steps as he studied and while he would usually have resented the intrusion and resulting distraction, out there in the forest it had given him an illicit thrill. The fact that someone, a warrior even, thought him interesting enough to follow him around.
All of a sudden, he was worth someone's while.
The knowledge that he might never see Yunho again was painful. He'd never bothered to contemplate where souls went after death, but faced with the end of his own life he hoped it was somewhere he could keep his memories.
And therein he had his answer. Eschewing work and patiently waiting for death in the hope that death came late enough to let him see Yunho one more time…. that path wasn't for him. It wasn't a path that honoured his work or the essence of all that was Yunho, all that inspired Changmin.
Acceptance washed over him, taking some of the heat from his blood and some of the tightness from his chest. The breeze picked up and he spread his arms and closed his eyes to the endless green, breathing peace and harmony poised on the edge of the abyss.
***
Yunho had never moved so fast. Plants, ornaments and furnishings blurred around him as he blew across the roof to wrap his arms around Changmin's chest before he could think. Changmin started so violently, he almost threw himself and Yunho off the roof, but Yunho held on tight and used his greater weight to drag Changmin away from the edge and the miles of nothing that waited for him there.
Shaking with fear, elation and excess adrenaline, he buried his face in Changmin's hair. His lips found soft skin and sudden relief turned his knees to water. "Don't jump. Please don't jump."
"Wasn't going to." Changmin grumbled, but he didn't fight to get free of the tight hold Yunho had on his form. Instead he leaned his head back against Yunho's shoulder and practically melted into the embrace. And when had Changmin ever let himself be held like this?
"How are you here?"
"I couldn't let you die."
"I didn't ask why, Yunho. I asked how."
"Can we discuss this maybe in a less hazardous locale? I didn't come all the way up here to lose you to either a disease or a misstep."
Changmin spun and pushed the warrior back, away from the edge of the roof. "Yunho, you can't—"
"I can. And I will." Yunho didn't wait for further objections. He simply picked Changmin up and carried him across the roof garden to the open doors, settling them both on the broad day bed that took up one corner of Changmin's workroom.
Changmin was lighter than Yunho remembered. His face was thinner, the high cheekbones more prominent. And the beautiful dark eyes were ringed by shadows.
"You're not sleeping enough," Yunho accused.
Changmin didn't look at him. "I don't have much time."
"Not even to eat? I didn't realise you were in a hurry to leave."
Changmin flushed a dull red. "It's not like that," he defended himself. "It's just that… usually when someone brings food they have a councillor in tow. Or… suitors. It takes hours to get rid of them and even when they're gone I can't work. It's all this wasted time that—"
"Shhh." Yunho wrapped his arm around the thin shoulders. "It's okay. I get it. The Lady Salia told me she'd posted guards at your door so you'd not be disturbed. And I'm happy to scare away councillors and suitors alike. Let me just order some food for you while you rest."
He started to rise, but Changmin kept hold of his sleeve. "Wait. Tell me first how you are here. It's weeks yet to the festival."
"The council asked for me," Yunho said simply. "I have permission to stay in the city for as long as I want. I thought you might like me to stay with you… but if I'm a distraction I can…"
"No," Changmin replied hastily. "I was just wishing for the chance to see you again. I knew that the council was trying to find you, but I didn't want you forced to abandon your work and come here, just because I have the lung evil."
"And what would you consider a valid reason, Changmin?" Yunho's voice grew a little sharper at the younger man's gyrations. Just a little, though, since he knew his friend. And Changmin's mile-wide independent streak. "Don't be stupid, please. Nobody's coerced me. I've always wanted to be close to you for more than just a few hours on festival day. Now I have everyone's blessing to be here for as long as I want. It's like a holiday."
***
When Yunho jumped up and went to order food, Changmin didn't argue. After days of solitude, Yunho's boisterous cheer was just a little overwhelming. And he couldn't let himself be overwhelmed. Not now, and not later. He knew what the council was hoping to gain by allowing Yunho free access to the city. And while he'd thought about it in abstract terms, he'd not yet decided how he should react.
For now he would take Yunho's presence as the blessing it was. He'd enjoy their time together as he usually did, bask in Yunho's light and let Yunho inspire his work.
He'd cleared the small table in front of the day bed and sat drawing Yunho's face as he'd seen it only moments earlier when the warrior came back bearing a large tray of food.
"I'm really not hungry, Yunho," Changmin started to say when his stomach called him a liar and Yunho simply rolled his eyes.
"There's fruit, there's wine and I even found this cake you like, the one that looks like fluffy clouds." He deposited his haul on the small table and mock-frowned at Changmin. "And if you don't set that chalk down and grab a plate, I'll force feed you. The way you look right now, you'll drown in your ceremonial robes."
There it was. And Changmin should have known that Yunho would defy everyone to come and save him.
"What exactly did they ask you to do?" Changmin's voice was very quiet.
"To come and save your life." Yunho's smile had disappeared. He looked older suddenly, more in command than Changmin had ever seen him. "There was no need for them to offer a bargain. I would have come even if they hadn't asked."
"The bargain isn't—"
"Changmin, I know they want you married. I also know that you're not one to take a wife and keep a lover on the side. You wouldn't consider that fair to any one of the three of us. I know that and I'm here to help save you in any way I can."
"Yunho, wait. Do you understand what…? We would need to be paired."
"I look forward to it."
The man was annoying. Or was he simply oblivious? Many people outside of Cloud City knew about the lung evil, but did Yunho really understand what he was facing? Changmin felt his face heat until he thought his ears were on fire. It wasn't a discussion he wanted to have, but Yunho was his friend. He couldn't let him walk into a council-set maze without providing the key that would guide him through it.
"With my illness… we need… we need to have.."
"Lots of sex, I know. Isn't it great?"
Changmin flinched. Yunho sounded so enthusiastic about the prospect, it was indecent. "What if we don't like it?"
"How can we not like having sex? It's great. And I'm told it's even better when you're paired. So why— Oh my. You've never—"
"Shut up." Yunho's bright grin embarrassed the hell out of Changmin. And, of course, the oaf wouldn't let it be.
"Changmin, tell me. Have you really never had sex? Why? How can you—"
"I didn't want anyone else," Changmin mumbled and buried his face in a cushion. He didn't want to see Yunho's amusement. And he certainly didn't want to see his pity.
"Oh, ye gods. Min. Come here." Yunho pulled the younger man close and wrapped him in a hug. "Listen, I had no idea. But I think there's more to the council's request than I first thought. And whatever you may think, Changmin, I promise you I don't want to restrict your choices. So… let's buy you some time? Let me show you what it feels like to be loved. Let's get your illness under control. Then, when you have a better idea what's involved, you can think about whether you want to be paired. And with whom."
To say that Changmin wasn't curious would have been a lie. He'd wondered enough times how it would feel having Yunho's body pressed close to his, how the sword callouses would feel on his skin, what Yunho tasted like… Until dread had tempered his curiosity. He couldn't know until it was too late whether there'd be pleasure or just pain, humiliation and anger. He appreciated the friendship he and Yunho had forged over the years. He loved how just thinking about Yunho could inspire him. Would giving in to his curiosity change what they had? Would it make him look at Yunho differently?
He'd heard enough stories to make him think that it would.
"What if I don't want to take that path?" he asked, only a little hesitant. "What if I'd rather continue as we are? As friends?"
"And die?"
"And die."
Tears welled in Yunho's eyes, but he fought them back. "Then I'll stay right here beside you until the end," he vowed. "You said I'd make a decent apprentice one of these days. Let's see if you were right."
Part 4: Slow Seduction
