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 Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:07 pm
  This is a private roleplay between Jianyu [kuromeez] and Yue Lao [Face Your Demons].
Setting:
The cottage by the sea.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:15 pm
He was married.
It was a strange thought; very strange indeed. Jianyu, in all honesty, had never before thought this day would arrive. Not because he had thought he would leave Yue, or vice versa, but because before he had discovered his own feelings he had not ever believed he would find someone to marry.
Except that had all changed, and here he stood, a married man.
Absently Jianyu twisted the ring on his left hand; a simple gold band, inlaid with the delicate carving of a dragon. His thoughts, which seemed to have been going a mile a minute during the wedding itself and the resulting festival on Main Street, had now slowed, to where it just focused on one thing and one thing alone:
His wife. Yue Lao was his wife.
And she was standing beside him now, still dressed in their wedding clothes, in the sand around what was to be their new home.
He turned to look at her.
"And so our lives begin," came the slightly teasing, but still meaningful words. Turning so that he was facing her, Jianyu reached out a hand, lifting it to rest against the side of Yue's face.
"I love you," he said, and leaned in to kiss her, very gently. When he pulled back, he was smiling, and his thumb caressed the smooth skin of her cheek. The smile turned into a mischievous grin, and within a second, Jianyu had swept Yue off of her feet and up into his arms, princess style.
"And now, I carry you into new home," he said, and stepped towards the house and across the threshold.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:42 pm
There were sand grains in the hem of her dress. Yue could feel them, shuffling around by her ankles, as she scooped it up in one hand and held it so that the spray from the water or the sand wouldn't get the dress any more messed up than it already was. Despite her usual disinterest in staying clean, she had become acutely aware that chichi had put a lot of love and effort into this dress.
With her free hand, the one on which her wedding band was worn, she twisted the band around with her fingers, her face warm. She thought fondly of the wedding, as though it was a dream she had after falling asleep on Cherry Tree Hill. But it wasn't a dream. She looked out across the water, then to her husband. She really could call him her husband. The one she had loved since she was a student, the one she had known since her first day at the Academy. Before she even knew if that was what she wanted for her future.
And even when she had thought that she could and would never love someone again, that she couldn't possibly have a life like this, because she would never fully stop loving him... he had proven to love her back. Yue's face softened, the full weight of what she felt finally showing through on her face. She smiled as Jianyu's hand brushed her cheek, dropping the dress so that she could press her palm against the back of his hand, drawing in closer.
"I love you, too..." she began, kissing him back, lingering as long as she could, "all along," she added. "But you know that already," she laughed, before bursting into surprised and more emphatic laughter as he scooped her up.
"Oh, captain...!" She exclaimed, grinning madly, brushing some of the sand off one bare foot as he held her there. "Or is this like a jiān yú?" Yue mused, teasing. She was referring to the shoulder carriage that brides might be carried in on their wedding ceremony, despite the similarities between her husband's name and the name of the carriage.
He really was her husband, now. Her heart seemed to pause, however, as it really occurred to her: this was their new home. Just theirs, and they would have each other forever. Yue would fight fiercely to protect her husband, and any family they might have together. Her face grew red, thinking of it. For someone who craved physical contact on a regular basis, it was somehow... different, this time. With someone she had always loved, it was different.
Hime-san, for this first night, was not with Yue; instead, he was asleep in her old bed, at her parents' home. Chichi and Yowai thought that perhaps it would be better to acclimate him some days after Yue was settled, so that they might make him some kind of bed there as well. Ideally in another room.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:56 pm
He rolled his eyes at her pun, ducking his head to peck a brief kiss to her forehead. "Not even five minutes by ourselves, and you're already making fun," Jianyu said dryly as he stepped inside of the house. It was small, but cozy - a perfect fit for only two people. Inside the walls were pale, the already candles casting a warm glow; most of the decorations having been put up by Ehuang in anticipation for their arrival. There were bouquets of thick cherry blossoms upon the glossy wood table in the living area, soft rugs lining the hallways, and there was the scent of cinnamon and apples wafting through, mixed with the salty splash of the ocean nearby.
Jianyu deposited Yue carefully down in the middle of the house, looking around. He slid an arm around his wife's waist, holding her against his side as if it were the most natural thing in the world - and it was. He had never felt so at peace with himself, so very naturally calm. Yue had always loved him - had always been waiting for him, most of the time feeling as if it had been in vain. And he, Jianyu, had been ignorant of her feelings, slow to recognize the surreptitious looks she gave him, the way her expression shifted subtly.
But now...now all of that was in the past. It was over and done with. Now, as they both stood on the precipice to a new life - together - everything was different.
And yet it was not at all. Jianyu was who he ever had been, and Yue was as well. They had not changed, except for shifting their lives together.
"Well?" said Jianyu after a moment. Outside the sky was growing darker as the sun dwindled lower in the sky, casting orange, violet, and golden rays streaking through the glass of the windows and onto the walls. He turned to look at Yue, smoothing back some of the stray hair from her forehead. "What do you think? We are married now; you are my wife, and I am your husband, and this is the house we are to live in together. Does it look any differently now, than it did before we were married?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 9:00 am
Yue closed her eyes and smiled gently as he kissed her forehead, feeling his affection even while he seemed disapproving. "Did you think I'd be tamed if you married me?" Yue asked, grinning, her eyes opening. Yue didn't think of the house as small, but she thought perhaps Jianyu might; he was used to the great halls of his father, after all. Yue Lao was used to something about the same size, perhaps a bit smaller if one took into account there was no actual upper level to her home; she lived in the rafters there. Besides, when their new home was lit by the candles and smelled of cherry blossoms, how could she not feel at home. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and surveyed everything, her smile growing as it went. Beyond the smell of sakura, there was also a hint of sea, cinnamon, apples... what a promising scent. Yue Lao took a deep breath, her smile so wide it nearly hurt her.
She pressed her side against him automatically as he slid his arm around her. There was no need to adjust. She moved in conjunction with him, and in a unique gravity that only Jianyu held over her. If they were in a room, certainly, Yue Lao would wind up next to him without trying.
Yue Lao had never held it against him that he hadn't felt the same way, and she had not blamed him for the past when he finally did. All of her pain, her struggling, had been worth it. She had grown up, and she was stronger. She had even come to accept that she might never be loved in return, but would forever love this one man. And even if she had felt spited by the past, which she had not, Jianyu had moved leaps and bounds to leave all of her darker days behind them. Of course, there would be other dark days ahead, but not when it came to the one that she loved. And she would love him always.
It was true that although marriage, and admitting their feelings openly so that they might be reciprocated, was new, the actual act of loving each other wasn't. They had been like this, comfortable, and happy for quite some time. Yue Lao hadn't switched personalities, and she certainly hoped Jianyu hadn't, either. Now when he wanted to shut her up, however, he was perfectly welcome to kiss her. Yue Lao would kiss back with equal passion, naturally.
She looked outside to watch the sun set. Tomorrow would be their first full day as a married couple. The first of many. Suddenly, it occurred to Yue how vast this was, how far it went. She hadn't just promised to be with Jianyu in part, or for a while. She had promised him forever. With no regrets.
Still, her voice caught briefly, though her eyes glinted with a smile. "Of course, everything is different. For example," she began, her voice serious, though the teasing glint was very present in her eyes, "these candles lend quite the ambiance." Yue grinned, and tried not to laugh. Her serious facade was already broken.
"Apart from that, you are somehow more handsome," she added, fanning herself as if trying not to swoon. She stepped towards him, and leaned her head against his chest. Her hands slipped up to stroke the fabric over his ribs, as she listened to his breathing. "Besides these things, I don't know. Everything looks like it should, my moon," she said, a little more seriously. "You were always my guiding light in the dark," she whispered, feeling herself grow red at admitting such a thing.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 1:55 pm
"Most of the reason why I married you in the first place was because you are the way you are," said Jianyu with some amusement. "Why on earth would I want to tame you? I am perfectly content with you just the way you are."
It somehow felt...natural, standing here in the middle of their new home - as if it were the place they had meant to be all along. Perhaps that was a reason why things had not ever worked out with Bataar; because this, right here, was where he was supposed to have been all along.
Jianyu did not believe in fate; not in its entirety, at least. In his mind, each person made their own paths in life, wound their own ways through their lives. It did not matter if you went the wrong way; you made do with what you had been given and went along with it, did your best throughout everything.
And now, here he was, with a woman he loved and was now married too. That in and of itself was enough for him.
One eyebrow arched. "Oh?" Jianyu said, tilting his head. He leaned closer to Yue to whisper in her ear, his lips moving against her skin. "Ambiance for what exactly, might I ask?"
Grinning, he pressed a teasing kiss to her cheek, then wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back with one hand, the other resting on her waist.
"And you were always my sun to give me warmth," Jianyu said softly. He tilted Yue's head up, fingers beneath her chin, and used his other hand to sift through her hair absently.
"I am, and always will be forever, yours."
Slowly he pulled the pins out, letting the magenta locks tumble down her back and over her shoulders. He dropped them to the floor, uncaring of where they lay, cupping Yue's face in his hands. For a moment he just looked at her, his dark gaze meeting her lighter one, and then he took her by the hand.
"Shall we explore elsewhere?" Jianyu said, in a light, teasing tone, a devilish glint of mischief in his eyes as he pulled her towards the stairs.
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:15 pm
Yue broke into a wide and very content grin. "Just making sure you know," she added, "so you're not too disappointed." The exchanges which they had, which they had always had, suddenly possessed new meaning: they were bantering spouses, instead of just argumentative friends. Yue Lao was almost always contrary, but with Jianyu... it was almost a game, being difficult. In fact, it probably was a game, by now. Perhaps somewhere, Yue was keeping score.
Yue had thought that love was a downfall. When she was a student, love was a trap, and a failure; to love someone was both to be vulnerable to them, as well as biased. In love, one could not observe a situation objectively, and that was one of her fears. To be subjective meant to be unfair, and injustice ruined balance. Although Yue Lao was very alligned with chaos, she wasn't aiming to cause trouble or pain for anyone. Her nature meant trying to draw out the true self she believed was hidden in all others. Even herself. And she had guarded her true self carefully, revealing her nature to no one. Until Jianyu.
Jianyu had drawn her true self out just as Yue had drawn his smile out, that first night. And then several nights since, as they drank together. Finally, through all the time he had known her, he had somehow made her less selfish; she had learned to love someone other than herself. Not that she was completely cured of her behaviours, of course. Habits that deeply rooted would be difficult to get rid of, and then she would not be quite herself.
She was largely unaware of how she had changed. She knew only that she loved him, and that somehow, she had been worth loving in return. Naturally; she was not so humble. She was in awe, despite that self assurance. Jianyu was the only one she had loved, despite her determination never to love. She liked lots of other Lunarians, counted many as friends, but for Jianyu... he was the only one she had loved, and it was accidental.
Her reply was delayed as she felt her face grow warm, the skin which his lips brushed against practically humming with anticipation. "Oh, was I mistaken? Nothing, I guess," Yue lamented, her voice brimming with laughter held back. "Such a shame! Here I thought, now that we were married, you know..." her eyes glinted, and she slid her hand onto his waist, brushing her fingers along the fabric.
She rested her head against his chest with a happy sigh, as if she had been defeated in her game just by his affectionate gesture. She let her hand slide from his waist onto his hand, as it had been placed on her own waist.
Her eyes opened again as he tilted her head up, and her eyes brimmed with tears again. She had only cried twice that she could remember: once, on the night she had fought Kiran in the rain; once, when Jianyu had asked her to marry him. She wouldn't cry a third time, not if she could help it. So she smiled through it, and winked at him. "You're stuck with me, forever, if that's the case. I'm not going to let you have a moment of peace," she promised him. In her own way, that was I will love you forever, always, in all ways. That was her only way of saying it, in that moment, without letting herself cry. And she really did not like to cry.
It was rare that Yue's hair was let down, but almost all the times it had been while someone else was present, it was with Jianyu. She remembered, suddenly, kneeling by his side while he was sick. She held onto his hand tightly, as if finding him through the darkness of her own memories, and grinned at his suggestion.
"Is there something interesting upstairs?" Yue asked, doing her best to feign ignorance. "Since the candles are apparently not for anything in particular, you know..." she squeezed his hand, and before allowing herself to be pulled up the stairs, slipped one hand between the layers covering his torso until she could stroke skin, the familiar glint of a smile held in place, but this time there was something else beneath it. Something which had been evident a few occasions before this, and it held a particular promise.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 9:30 am
The look on Jianyu's face as he turned to look at Yue was one of pure tenderness.
"I could never be disappointed in you," he said quietly, and reached out, stroking the side of her face with his fingers, gently and lovingly. Her skin was soft beneath his fingers, warm to the touch, and he leaned forward, brushing his nose against her cheek, nuzzling his face against hers in a gesture of affection. After a moment, however, he pulled away, letting her snuggle close to him, her head against his chest.
"Oh, we're married?" said Jianyu, with an expression of mock surprise. "When did that happen?"
But then he was back to being serious, Yue's eyes when she looked up at him oddly bright in the waning light of the moon, the night having slipped into darkness, pinpricks of stars visible outside of the small windows. Jianyu ducked his head, his lips touching the corner of Yue's left eye first, then the right as he kissed away her tears, his thumb brushing over her cheek.
"What sort of expression is that," he said, in a voice of gentle teasing. "No tears, my love, no tears."
Her hand in his felt small and warm as the two of them made their way up the stairs. Jianyu felt Yue step closer, her fingers brushing against the skin of his stomach, and he smiled at her, eyes glinting in the shadows.
When they reached the top, there were only two rooms, and Jianyu pulled her into the door on the left. Gently pushing her forward, he let her walk into the middle before following .There was a click as the door closed behind him, Jianyu leaning back against it, his eyes focused on the woman in front of him, his gaze dark and intense, full of meaning.
He said nothing, however.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 7:06 pm
What could it mean, to never be a disappointment? To never let someone down? Yue Lao had always fought against her failures, trying her best to compensate. When she had failed to protect him from an archer, she had learned to wield a meteor hammer. When she had fallen in love, she had come to accept it, and understand it was not a failure. When she had realized she was useless against magic, she had tried to learn her own (not that it had worked yet, really). She couldn't answer him then, but her face grew incredibly soft, and for a moment even the guards Yue Lao put up seemed to vanish. She couldn't communicate to him with any efficacy how much that meant to her, but.. she hoped he knew. That he understood, somehow.
"Yes." Yue looked up at him, serious. "Well, I got you really, really drunk... and you lost a bet, so... For your honour, you married me, rather than lose the bet!" she told him, winking. Again, though, her braver side was brushed away with his touch: how could she pretend to be bold with a gentleness like that? It felled her, every time. Her husband. Her dear Jianyu.
She laughed, and tried to banish the tears for good; it wasn't that she felt sad, this time. Just like when he had proposed, it was merely that she was overwhelmed. "I'm just watering my face, dear," she argued, her voice so warm that it sounded as if one could get lost in it.
Yue Lao followed her husband, up to the room on the left. She took a deep breath, and looked at him, standing there. With half a quirked smile, she undid the sash holding her dress together, and folded it carefully, placing it down.
Equally silent, she approached her husband in this way, the half smile fixed firmly in place. They belonged to each other now, formally, didn't they? Yue Lao wanted to confirm that, now. To prove it, once and for all.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Standing here in the bedroom of the house - of their house - Jianyu could feel his heart beating against his ribcage, surprisingly fast, surprisingly loud. He had not thought he would be nervous - and he wasn't really, but he had also thought he would never get to this moment again. After his failed, painful relationship with Bataar, Jianyu had never once thought that he would be able to be anything like the man he had been before.
And he wasn't, he liked to believe, now standing here, staring at Yue - at his wife. He was better - at least, he hoped so. If he wasn't, then everything in the past was just that - in the past, without any sort of meaning.
But everything had been worth it. Even the heartache from losing Bataar all those months ago, even the agony of the blindness in his left eye. Everything came down to this moment, right here, right now, with the woman he loved.
He watched her silently as her hands moved to the sash at her waist, following the path they made as she undid her dress, carefully folding it and setting it down quietly. Hungrily his gaze moved from her feet upwards, and though he said nothing at all, his eyes held more emotion, more feeling than any words could have ever said.
Once she was close enough, Jianyu pushed himself away from the wall and stood in front of her, not even a foot away, but not close enough to touch. He lifted a hand, trailing it down the side of her face, his fingers so light on her skin that he could barely feel it himself. He let them slip down her neck, brushing over her collarbone briefly before moving his hand back up to cup her the side of her face in his palm.
His thumb stroked over her cheek.
Mine. She is mine to keep.
My wife.
The first kiss was so light it was hardly there at all - just a gentle brush of his lips over hers, ghosting quietly, and doing nothing more than tenderly touching her face. He brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her eyes so that he could see them, drinking in everything that she was feeling.
The second kiss started off just as light, but turned into something much, much more. This time Jianyu slipped an arm around Yue's bare waist and pulled her gently against him, his other hand tangling in her hair, tilting her head upwards. He took a few steps further into the room, never breaking away, but rather guiding Yue carefully. A few more steps - they had reached the edge of the bed mats now, and both of Jianyu's arms went around Yue as he picked her up, pushing her back onto the bed. He drew back only momentarily, stroking her face.
"My love," he whispered, and smiled against her lips, losing himself in it, and in the rest of the night until the darkness faded into dawn and the sun rose once again.
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