Origfic Bingo: Kiss
Nov. 7th, 2010 01:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakfastofchampionsTitle: Sun Kissed
Universe: Wind & Foxes
Characters, pairings: suggestions of Reian/Nelius
Rating: G
Word count: 1,332
Summary: Reian has been having inappropriate--perhaps even dangerous--thoughts about the all-powerful sorcerer in his care.
Notes: Super prompt-twisting powers go! Also, due to the limits of the English language, Kelisavian gender can be difficult to express/explore, so I have to use some of our gender binary terms to talk about it. Sorry if it seems awkward or contradictory. Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
origfic_bingo, for the prompt "kiss".
There were four genders, one for each god. No other people Reian had encountered in his travels had so many. Most had two, although he had run across a couple who recognized a third gender. Then there were the People of the Mering, with their single gender, no recognition of male and female in their language, except for words relating to the purely physical.
Only the Kelisavians had four. Maybe someday there would be five, as amazingly, a new god had apparently come into being, but that day would probably not be within his lifetime, as something so fundamental would take time to change. He couldn't guess what a fifth gender would be like. It was difficult to imagine. The four genders were ingrained in him: Sun, Moon, Wind, and Water. It was easy to tell at a glance which of the four genders someone was, or so Reian thought, though non-Kelisavians seemed to be easily confused, especially mistaking Water for Sun and Wind for Moon.
Reian's gender was Sun. When it came to romantic preferences, most people had a gender they preferred, but Reian did not. Some thought this made him frivolous, but everyone had something to recommend them, he felt.
Nelius didn't quite understand the genders. He didn't speak modern Kelisavian, only the ancient language of the empire, which was not the same. Things had been different then, hundreds of years ago, a time that was only a dim memory now, surviving mostly through myths and legends. Nelius didn't know how things were now.
Nelius' gender was Wind. It was obvious to Reian. He was a man with a slight build and soft features. His dark eyes were wide, his eyelashes thick. The hair on his arms was light and sparse. One hardly noticed it next to the thick scars that crisscrossed his dark golden skin. Regardless of gender, he was strange in appearance. He was too thin, which made his eyes look even larger. His lips were narrow. His hair was so pale, there was no denying the fact that only one of his parents had been Kelisavian. No Kelisavians had gold in their hair. Dark hair was considered beautiful. Light hair was washed out, made one look weak, or at least that was the common belief. It wasn't a belief Reian shared.
There were so many songs about the Wind and the Sun. They were said to be the first lovers, golden Sun and his pale Wind. They often fought but always reconciled. Reian liked Nelius' hair. It was dark yellow, like the light in the late afternoon. It made his eyes look darker. He'd never seen anyone with eyes that looked so black.
He knew he shouldn't think that way. Not because he was married--he knew Pasha wouldn't mind if he took a male lover, Wind or Sun, just as he wouldn't if she chose a lover that was Moon or Waters. That wouldn't have been so unusual. In fact, as someone who carried a gift, the shamanism in his bloodline, he was meant to take more than one wife, but he'd decided not to because he was stubborn and wanted all his children to be hers.
He shouldn't think that way, not because he was married, not because of Nelius' gender, but because of what Nelius was. The world's only sorcerer. As slight as he was, he was dangerous, and although Reian was not afraid of him, he could not deny the fact that years of hurt and isolation had left Nelius somewhat mad.
Yet when he walks he looks like he's floating, and I want to wrap my arms around his little waist. Reian blinked and sighed as the thought crossed his mind. It was a terrible idea. The poor man had been brought up among Vatans, who viewed everyday Kelisavian sex practices as unspeakable deviancy. The poor man had most likely never had a lover. Reian couldn't expect him to react like someone else would when faced with Reian's attentions. Reian didn't like to flatter himself (no, maybe he did), but he was usually very popular with people of all genders.
Nelius didn't talk a great deal. Mostly he stared. He could stare for days on end. Sorcerers--especially this sorcerer--weren't like ordinary people, as everyone knew from the old stories about them. They rarely had to sleep or eat. Their power could sustain them for a time. The same was true of shamans, to a lesser extent, but when it came to being strange and inhuman, nobody could beat a sorcerer.
When Nelius stared at him, Reian found himself wanting to kiss the man's eyebrows, or maybe even his eyelids. It wasn't what he should have been thinking, but he was unable to stop himself.
Nelius had been sitting and staring at Reian for at least an hour as he worked on making a new tent, when Reian finally lost his head. His primary job was to care for Nelius, but surely that didn't mean sitting quietly with him at all times. "Nelius," he said, dropping his materials, tired of tent making.
Nelius started and didn't reply.
Reian wished, not for the first time, that his ancient Kelisavian was better. Nelius must have been fluent in Vatan at one point, but either he had forgotten the language, or he refused to speak it now, because all of Reian's attempts to speak to him in that language had been met with silence. "Why don't we do something fun?" Reian asked, although "fun" was a bit difficult for him to convey in that language, and probably more difficult for Nelius to understand.
Nelius must have understood something, because he nodded.
Reian rose to his feet. Since their tribe was hardly established, and there were only three of them--four if you counted Imbri, which Reian usually did, unless Imbri was being difficult--there weren't a great many fun things to do. Fortunately, Nelius liked walking through the woods, so he was easy to entertain. Reian left the clearing for the trees, and Nelius seemed happy enough to follow him.
After a few minutes of walking, Reian lost control of himself, reached out, and took Nelius' hand. He felt Nelius' fingers stiffen, but Nelius didn't pull away. His hands were smooth. His scars, covered now, began at his wrists. Reian felt a bit sad, thinking of those scars. He wanted to cover Nelius in kisses, but that clearly was not a good idea. "What's your favorite color?" he asked instead. Sometimes Nelius made him act like a child, which was a little strange, considering that, in a matter of moments, Nelius could have leveled all the trees of the forest for miles in every direction.
"Favorite color?" Nelius asked, speaking at last.
It was a joy to hear him speak. It made Reian feel rather ridiculous. No one else in the world had an accent like that. Ancient Kelisavian jumbled up with Vatan. The two languages weren't even remotely contemporary. It was beautiful. It made him want to sing. "Yes, is there one color that you like better than the other colors?"
This seemed to be a foreign concept to Nelius, who at last, with difficulty, decided on, "Blue?"
"Blue is a nice color," said Reian.
Nelius was looking at him, and Reian knew what he meant by it. He wanted to know Reian's favorite color. "I like green. Like the leaves." Green was all around them as they walked through the forest, an array of greens, dark and light and in between, with patches of blue sky breaking through above. The sunlight lit the leaves, turning them yellow at the edges, like a warm kiss. "And I like gold," he said. "Like your hair."
Maybe he sounded foolish, maybe he sounded like a child, but he didn't mind that much when Nelius smiled at him.
Reian smiled back. He relaxed. The Sun was shining, and they were having fun.
Universe: Wind & Foxes
Characters, pairings: suggestions of Reian/Nelius
Rating: G
Word count: 1,332
Summary: Reian has been having inappropriate--perhaps even dangerous--thoughts about the all-powerful sorcerer in his care.
Notes: Super prompt-twisting powers go! Also, due to the limits of the English language, Kelisavian gender can be difficult to express/explore, so I have to use some of our gender binary terms to talk about it. Sorry if it seems awkward or contradictory. Written for
origfic_bingo, for the prompt "kiss".There were four genders, one for each god. No other people Reian had encountered in his travels had so many. Most had two, although he had run across a couple who recognized a third gender. Then there were the People of the Mering, with their single gender, no recognition of male and female in their language, except for words relating to the purely physical.
Only the Kelisavians had four. Maybe someday there would be five, as amazingly, a new god had apparently come into being, but that day would probably not be within his lifetime, as something so fundamental would take time to change. He couldn't guess what a fifth gender would be like. It was difficult to imagine. The four genders were ingrained in him: Sun, Moon, Wind, and Water. It was easy to tell at a glance which of the four genders someone was, or so Reian thought, though non-Kelisavians seemed to be easily confused, especially mistaking Water for Sun and Wind for Moon.
Reian's gender was Sun. When it came to romantic preferences, most people had a gender they preferred, but Reian did not. Some thought this made him frivolous, but everyone had something to recommend them, he felt.
Nelius didn't quite understand the genders. He didn't speak modern Kelisavian, only the ancient language of the empire, which was not the same. Things had been different then, hundreds of years ago, a time that was only a dim memory now, surviving mostly through myths and legends. Nelius didn't know how things were now.
Nelius' gender was Wind. It was obvious to Reian. He was a man with a slight build and soft features. His dark eyes were wide, his eyelashes thick. The hair on his arms was light and sparse. One hardly noticed it next to the thick scars that crisscrossed his dark golden skin. Regardless of gender, he was strange in appearance. He was too thin, which made his eyes look even larger. His lips were narrow. His hair was so pale, there was no denying the fact that only one of his parents had been Kelisavian. No Kelisavians had gold in their hair. Dark hair was considered beautiful. Light hair was washed out, made one look weak, or at least that was the common belief. It wasn't a belief Reian shared.
There were so many songs about the Wind and the Sun. They were said to be the first lovers, golden Sun and his pale Wind. They often fought but always reconciled. Reian liked Nelius' hair. It was dark yellow, like the light in the late afternoon. It made his eyes look darker. He'd never seen anyone with eyes that looked so black.
He knew he shouldn't think that way. Not because he was married--he knew Pasha wouldn't mind if he took a male lover, Wind or Sun, just as he wouldn't if she chose a lover that was Moon or Waters. That wouldn't have been so unusual. In fact, as someone who carried a gift, the shamanism in his bloodline, he was meant to take more than one wife, but he'd decided not to because he was stubborn and wanted all his children to be hers.
He shouldn't think that way, not because he was married, not because of Nelius' gender, but because of what Nelius was. The world's only sorcerer. As slight as he was, he was dangerous, and although Reian was not afraid of him, he could not deny the fact that years of hurt and isolation had left Nelius somewhat mad.
Yet when he walks he looks like he's floating, and I want to wrap my arms around his little waist. Reian blinked and sighed as the thought crossed his mind. It was a terrible idea. The poor man had been brought up among Vatans, who viewed everyday Kelisavian sex practices as unspeakable deviancy. The poor man had most likely never had a lover. Reian couldn't expect him to react like someone else would when faced with Reian's attentions. Reian didn't like to flatter himself (no, maybe he did), but he was usually very popular with people of all genders.
Nelius didn't talk a great deal. Mostly he stared. He could stare for days on end. Sorcerers--especially this sorcerer--weren't like ordinary people, as everyone knew from the old stories about them. They rarely had to sleep or eat. Their power could sustain them for a time. The same was true of shamans, to a lesser extent, but when it came to being strange and inhuman, nobody could beat a sorcerer.
When Nelius stared at him, Reian found himself wanting to kiss the man's eyebrows, or maybe even his eyelids. It wasn't what he should have been thinking, but he was unable to stop himself.
Nelius had been sitting and staring at Reian for at least an hour as he worked on making a new tent, when Reian finally lost his head. His primary job was to care for Nelius, but surely that didn't mean sitting quietly with him at all times. "Nelius," he said, dropping his materials, tired of tent making.
Nelius started and didn't reply.
Reian wished, not for the first time, that his ancient Kelisavian was better. Nelius must have been fluent in Vatan at one point, but either he had forgotten the language, or he refused to speak it now, because all of Reian's attempts to speak to him in that language had been met with silence. "Why don't we do something fun?" Reian asked, although "fun" was a bit difficult for him to convey in that language, and probably more difficult for Nelius to understand.
Nelius must have understood something, because he nodded.
Reian rose to his feet. Since their tribe was hardly established, and there were only three of them--four if you counted Imbri, which Reian usually did, unless Imbri was being difficult--there weren't a great many fun things to do. Fortunately, Nelius liked walking through the woods, so he was easy to entertain. Reian left the clearing for the trees, and Nelius seemed happy enough to follow him.
After a few minutes of walking, Reian lost control of himself, reached out, and took Nelius' hand. He felt Nelius' fingers stiffen, but Nelius didn't pull away. His hands were smooth. His scars, covered now, began at his wrists. Reian felt a bit sad, thinking of those scars. He wanted to cover Nelius in kisses, but that clearly was not a good idea. "What's your favorite color?" he asked instead. Sometimes Nelius made him act like a child, which was a little strange, considering that, in a matter of moments, Nelius could have leveled all the trees of the forest for miles in every direction.
"Favorite color?" Nelius asked, speaking at last.
It was a joy to hear him speak. It made Reian feel rather ridiculous. No one else in the world had an accent like that. Ancient Kelisavian jumbled up with Vatan. The two languages weren't even remotely contemporary. It was beautiful. It made him want to sing. "Yes, is there one color that you like better than the other colors?"
This seemed to be a foreign concept to Nelius, who at last, with difficulty, decided on, "Blue?"
"Blue is a nice color," said Reian.
Nelius was looking at him, and Reian knew what he meant by it. He wanted to know Reian's favorite color. "I like green. Like the leaves." Green was all around them as they walked through the forest, an array of greens, dark and light and in between, with patches of blue sky breaking through above. The sunlight lit the leaves, turning them yellow at the edges, like a warm kiss. "And I like gold," he said. "Like your hair."
Maybe he sounded foolish, maybe he sounded like a child, but he didn't mind that much when Nelius smiled at him.
Reian smiled back. He relaxed. The Sun was shining, and they were having fun.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-07 08:42 pm (UTC)This is sweet, and Reian's sensible hesitancy is deeply endearing.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-09 04:15 am (UTC)Also, I'm so glad you liked this! Thanks so much for reading. <3
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-07 12:14 pm (UTC)Haha Reian, you self-flatterer. But he IS so charming <3 And Nelly is the loveliest, so he deserves such a nice charmer/future husband.
Ughhh they're adorable <3
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-09 04:17 am (UTC)Ha ha, I confess, I have extra fun writing Reian's little moments of vanity.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-07 02:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-09 04:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-07 05:21 pm (UTC)This little story is so joyful, it makes me smile.
Of all the the little joys, I think Reian's thoughts about Nelius's accent stand out most for me. ♥
Also, The Sun! ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-09 04:19 am (UTC)I think the part about Nelius' accent was one of my favorite things in this, too. I love linguist Reian.
ALSO, THE SUN IS GLAD YOU GAVE HIM PROPS.