Have You For Keeps [Syllke]

[Seodai]

49 Winter, 511 AV With the whole world falling apart around them, or Denval at least, Seodai had spent the better part of the season attempting to hide from it all in the company of Syllke Skyglow. Or, rather, he spent much of his time chasing mysteries from the past, resurrecting magic he'd forgotten in lifetimes between, and trying to sort out how to fix Denval. But, when the load got heavy and his spirit needed rest, it was Syllke to whom he turned. The Vantha had insinuated himself into Seodai's life and become inexpressibly important. At first, the dynamic between them had been purely blissful. Eventually, though, Seodai realized that sharing his thoughts about the magic gone awry, about the troubles in Denval, about Melchior only served to upset Syllke. For the first time since he'd met the beautiful Vantha, he had to keep something to himself. He'd been willing to do that, though, to avoid upsetting his lover and friend. The time in between tangled limbs on long nights was spent with, beyond their regular duties, enjoyable outings and time shared. Seodai introduced Syllke to Theo. He even introduced him to his parents, a dinner he'd never want to repeat. The other people in Seodai's relatively small social circle had all found themselves company to the duo, too, so that they had generally had a very busy winter. The chill that had taken hold of Syllke, however, refused to let go. Though some days were nearly normal, there were others where his Vantha could scarcely get out of bed. He would shudder and quake as if he was freezing to death, even when Seodai heated his small room to a heat that made him sweat as he held on to his beloved. It made Seodai feel desperately helpless, and all the more determined to figure out what was going on in Denval. But Syllke didn't want to hear about that, so Seodai lent whatever strength he could to his friend who wavered on the edge of wellness with each new day. On this particular day, Seodai had awoken in his own bed. It seemed cold and so very empty, and he worried about Syllke, waking up in his own in the Lyceum. These thoughts spurred him from the warmth of his blankets especially early, and he spent the better part of the morning working hard to take care of the animals and the farm. The afternoon was promised to Oliver, with whom he was making great progress. Syllke still did not know that Seodai had recreated a tiny sliver of his former magical abilities. Seo didn't think he'd appreciate it, somehow, his ability to create beautiful, magical flame and control it. By the time early evening had fallen, Seodai was tiring, but especially eager to drop in on Syllke. He'd made the Vantha promise to keep his evening free, as it had been several since they had been afforded the time to spend more than a few moments together. By the time he arrived in the doorway of his lover's room, he was exhausted with the worry that had plagued him for much of the day. It was an incredible relief, then, to see that Syllke seemed to be having one of his better days. His cheeks weren't so gaunt, his skin so blue. Violent shivering wasn't the order of the day, and Syllke actually smiled up at him when he noticed his arrival. His heart was arrested at the sight, and he crossed over to kiss those smiling lips quickly, before the moment passed. His fingers in dark hair, he felt Syllke meld into him with an ease that had been absent for a week or two. Gods, but it felt nice. "Hi," he grinned against Vantha lips, and pulled away enough to meet those swirling eyes. "You seem better." After half an hour of simply lounging about the warm room, catching up on the day, and simply basking in the warmth of Syllke's incredibly present presence, Seodai began coaxing Syllke towards the door. He was hesitant, at first, lest the grip of the cold torment him again. Seodai insisted that if he wore enough layers he would be fine. And so, bundled up more than even the Denvali, Seodai eventually coaxed Syllke away from the Lyceum, into the bitter cold of Winter. "I want to show you something," he said, lacing gloved fingers with Syllke's own. If anyone they passed resented it, he didn't notice, nor care. Seodai led Syllke away from the center of town, though he dare not venture into the wild in the dark of night. Neither of them would return from such a foolish endeavor, unarmed as they were. But, he moved precariously close to that line - on the borderline of the property belonging to the farm where, beyond it, lay only land and sky. "You're probably used to this," he breathed at last, pulling Syllke in front of him so that his arms could wrap around the fabric padded waist, pulling his lover into him. "But it only happens here every few years. I thought you'd like it..." Stretched out before them was an expanse of snow, fresh from the night before. Above it was an ebon blanket pricked with a million beams of light, glittering stars. None of this was uncommon for Denval but, instead, it was the swirl of color that overshadowed those stars that was out of place. It was the aurora, in limited force, stretched out before them. Seodai had thought Syllke might like it, yes, but he had also hoped it would make him feel better.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Leaning back into his Denvali lover, his best friend and the man who was essentially keeping him going day by day, Syllke smiled. Though Seo would not see it, positioned as they were, the Vantha’s eyes were a mirror image of the sky above. “It is beautiful, Seo. More beautiful then I’ve ever seen it.” His arms wrapped about those that twined about his waist, pulling them more snug. “I wonder why that is?” A teasing quality had snuck back into his voice, something that was growing more rare with each passing day. Seo only pressed his cheek against Syllke’s in answer. “Must be the company I keep.” Syllke teased again, turning his head slightly to catch that strong jaw line with a light kiss. Turning back and tilting his face upwards, his head resting comfortably against Seo’s shoulder, Syllke said in a murmur, “They remind me of home. The winter – the snow.” He was quiet for a moment. “But I suppose I’d really freeze to death there.” A sigh escaped his already chilled lips. “We should go there sometime, Seo.” “That would be nice,” the farmer whispered, looking up into the rare display of greens and reds that washed across the black sky. “I’d like to meet you parents. Would they tell me all sorts of stories of how naughty you were when you were a boy?” He chuckled softly and poked one gloved finger into Syllke’s ribs. Syllke laughed. “I was an angel. My parents wept when I left.” He had meant it as a joke, but that memory suddenly flashed across his mental landscape – the leave taking on the wharf, his mother’s real tears, his father’s somber face. And he had dismissed them so blithely, so . . .callously, thinking only of the adventures that lay ahead. Right – some adventure this was turning into! Shifting about in his lover’s arms, so he could see him, Syllke said with true enthusiasm, “Let’s go! Let’s . . . leave Denval. The harbor is still clear. We can get on the next boat heading north.” His voice was growing in intensity. There was not only wistful nostalgia driving his words. There was some real, underlying urgency to them. Syllke had twisted completely around, and they were nose to nose, but he made no move to kiss Seo. This wasn’t about romance. It was about . . . survival. “What do you say? Come with me. This place . . . Denval, it’s . . .you know, there’s something very wrong here, Seodai. Let’s leave – soon.”

[Seodai]

Syllke had more passion in this suggestion than he had possessed in all of the past week, and a part of Seodai crumbled beneath it. He wanted, very much, to say yes. He'd love to pack a few of his things and set off for the north, to see what home was like for Syllke, to touch and know just as his Vantha had done for him. He relished the idea of escape, too, since Denval was so very cursed. The whole of his romantic heart ached to go along with Syllke's sudden plan, and his arms tightened. "Syllke," he breathed. "I... can't. Don't you remember? At the festival, when the gods spoke to us all? Syna... she told me to stay. No matter who asked me to go, she said. No matter how much they loved me." How could he deny the gods? The disappointment hurt, though, as it washed across Syllke's face. It was crushing, and so Seodai tried to rally the pleasure of a moment prior. "But in spring, Syllke. In spring, when the thaw comes. We will go then. Meet your family, see the land. Spring, Syllke. I have a feeling this will all be over by then." "Because we'll all be dead," Syllke groused, as he dropped his head to nuzzle it into the furry warmth of Seodai's coat. "Don't you dare say that," Seo scolded, pulling Syllke away so that he could shake him a little, staring fiercely into those amazing eyes. "Don't say it," he snapped again. Softening, he reached up to brush back a strand of dark hair that had escaped Syllke's hood. "Syllke," he said, grappling for words to say what he felt he must. "This is awful. I know it is. But... it won't last forever. It can't. And then we can go anywhere, do anything. I want to be with you. Forever. I know that this is all brand new, but..." There was a moment of hesitation, of blue eyes searching his face for something, and then he went on in a rush of words. "But I love you. I love you so much it hurts, and I want to be yours forever. I want you to be mine. Through all of this madness, and then after, when the most we have to worry about is what mess your next adventure will land us in," he said with his lips quirking upwards in a smile. He leaned forward to claim those parted lips with a gentle, adoring kiss. Just before their lips could meet, he could feel the breath of Syllke's words on his lips. "I love you, too, Seodai. I'm yours, for keeps." It was always magical when their lips brushed, but this time Seodai felt the rush of their bond pulsing through him, to the very fingertips that gripped at Syllke's coat to hold him close. The tingling sensation all rushed from point of origin to the space behind his ear, however, and though Seodai had never imagined he'd find himself in such a position, he knew what had happened before he even relinquished the taste of his lover. With frost between them, turning their breath to clouds, Seodai nudged the angle of Syllke's chin aside. "Oh," he said in soft wonder. Behind the Vantha's left ear was a beautiful mark. Slightly raised, it was an ornate sort of leaf, kissed by winter. It as silverish, which glinted blue in the moonlight and made the leaf look as if it had been kissed by Winter, marked by frost. He touched it, with fascinated fingertips. Somehow the sight of it emblazoned upon Syllke's skin took the sum of all that he felt for the Vantha and brought it to a head, implanting it in such a visual reminder. He loved it.

[Syllke Skyglow]

For keeps . . . Nothing could have warmed the chill off of the Vantha more than that thought. In Seo’s embrace, with his profession still vibrating in Syllke’s ears and mind and heart, Sylke felt the heat of what was passing between them, via lips ostensibly, but really through each and every fiber of their beings. This was fulfillment such as neither of them had ever experienced, and the sensation that rushed through him he took at first for just some manifestation of the feelings that were awash within his soul. But as the kissed lingered on, that tickling vibration seemed to find its way to a spot below his left ear, of all places. He would have ignored it still, not being in touch with such phenomena as his lover was, and therefore being behind Seo in realizing what had just happened. But Seo broke off their kiss to gently push against his jaw, examining the spot that tingled as if peppermint salve had been rubbed there. Syllke was on the point of asking what it was – though he felt oddly tranquil, not bothered or anxious at all about what it might be. Somehow, it felt . . . invigorating, and soothing at the same time. But Seodai only let out a soft, “Oh!” And then his fingers were there, touching him, and he could tell – there was something new beneath that loving touch. “What is it?” Syllke asked curiously, still feeling completely calm and relaxed. Seodai’s tone certainly had not been one of alarm, just . . . curious wonder. In response, Seo let his fingers drop and he smiled hugely. He said nothing but turned his own head, at a peculiar angle, exposing the sharp ridge of bone under his left ear, and reaching with his hand to push his hair away. Syllke looked with extreme puzzlement, still not guessing what he would see there, and wondering that Seo had experienced the same as he had. But when he made out the glittering, frosted leaf, he finally got it, and his smile was the warmest, the most genuine, the happiest that had graced his face in quite a while. “Oh, Seo . . . “ He breathed, all the anxiety of a few minutes before gone. It didn’t matter anymore. Whether they stayed or went – everything that was wrong – it was nothing at that moment, in the face of this gift – a gift made of the love they had for one another. A gift from at least one goddess who had not forsaken Denval, or the lovers that resided there. It seemed that the cryptic words of Syna and Leth were now buffered by these twin marks, a talismans against the tempests of life. Syllke lifted a hand to rub a gloved thumb over the mark on Seo’s neck, then pulled that beloved head closer, and a bit downwards, to press his lips against that fantastical leaf. “It’s going to be OK, isn’t it?” he asked softly, his voice now mellow. “You and me and . . . all of this. As long as we have these.” He kissed the leaf again, then moved his mouth to Seo’s. “As long as we have each other.” It was no longer a question for Seo, for Syllke had answered it in his own heart.