Chapter Text
Waking is a slow thing.
There is no rush. She can take her time.
there's no danger
The first thing she notices is the warmth, stretching lazily across her skin, seeping into every inch of her body. It's a welcome change after enduring the cold for so long.
crimson splashed across white, panic taking over, where did they go, where is she, is she okay, is she dying, is she dead, no one can survive losing this much blood
The second thing is the softness of the numerous pillows surrounding her.
A delighted laugh, amused eyes peeking at her over a mug, a single arched eyebrow. A wonderfully open expression. It still amazes her to have earned the trust of someone so precious. She still half expects to wake up to find it all to have been a dream. But at this point, she honestly couldn't care less.
"You do know you didn't have to do that, right?"
She smiles as she reaches for the still steaming cup waiting for her on the counter, made exactly the same as always. She knows she didn't have to. Still.
"Well. It made you happy."
Ash Yin tries to look aloof, pretending that sentence doesn't affect her. The twitching at the corner of her mouth and warmth in her eyes gives her away.
"Hmm. Doesn't mean you needed to buy so many."
Despite her words, her delight had been obvious before, as it was now. With a hum, she stands, the predatory movement she prefers having traded itself for something softer , coiling herself around her lover and burrowing into her neck. Then she whispers, the words tickling her hair and making her heart feel like it would burst with happiness.
"...Thank you, ae-in"
The last thing she notices is the sleeping woman in her arms. It isn't often she's the first one awake, so she takes this rare opportunity to appreciate the beauty of her mahal.
Long and lithe, her sinta would not look out of place among the silk dancers her ina had been so fond of.
A figure dressed in beautiful robes, an intricate fan in hand, whirling and twisting in a beautiful pattern that only she herself seemed to know. Her face was an unapproachable mask she wore as she performed, but there was a moment, just a moment, where she could have sworn the dancing beauty had looked at her and smiled.
she was even better than she said she was
There were a few scars still left on her body, a reminder from before.
She sees her staring at her arms with a furrowed brow, biting her lip in thought.
"Something wrong?"
Her eyes flick over to her, some of the awareness returning to them as she's pulled out of her thoughts.
"No, not...no. I think...It's just. I think...I want to be rid of them. But, at the same time...In order to do that I would have to..."
Something flashes in her eyes, an old pain and loss, there and gone. She looks at her again, seemingly deciding something, before her gaze clears and she leans against the window.
"Never mind. It...they don't matter."
"...Are you sure?"
"...Mm."
Her puso was too good for this world so full of despair. With an internal sigh, she gently presses her lips to her forehead, hand trailing along the twin scars stretching along her mahal's upper back.
"...早すぎる"
She snorts. She may not know what was said specifically, but she could guess from the tone. Leaning in, she presses her forehead against the other. A single violet eye slips open, directing a glare towards her without any heat. She resisted for a few moments before reluctantly melting into the others embrace, making her displeasure known by the grumbles she utters under her breath. They lay there for for a few minutes, simply enjoying each others presence.
"Love you."
She peeks up at her at that, eyeing her for a moment, before seemingly finding what she was looking for, and burying her head back under the covers.
"...Love you too, ae-in."
"...But I'm still going back to sleep."