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Ficlet: Promises. (Yue and Vaith, Magic x Miracle)
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Apr. 12th, 2009 | 05:53 pm
A second fanfic meme fic. I started this fic immediately after I received the prompt, but sadly lost the original story thread I had which was much more complex. As a result, I pretty much tied up the story where it was instead of leaving it unfinished on my computer for another year. Requested by Misura in December, 2008 (that's not to bad, right?).
Title: Promises.
Fanfic meme: 5 Times Yue has asked Vaith to trust him. Takes place in the cluttered last volume.
It has been two years since they last saw each other. Time has changed little about Yue, Vaith finds. The strange elegance that Yue wears like a cloak remains deliberately around his shoulders, although it seems a touch heavier now than in Vaith’s memories. Those smothering, opposing eyes still hold that hint of disdain that Yue has never truly been aware of. He finds it comforting that the disdain is still there, even though it seems to be weighing Yue down more now than it ever has. The disdain is familiar, appropriate. More than that, perhaps, the disdain is right.
“I want you to lead the army,” Yue says, and the conviction in his voice rings with such sincere honesty that Vaith sees through instantly. ‘I want you to lead the army.” Yeah, he thinks dryly, and a sardonic smile twists his mouth into something dark and unnatural. I bet you do. Vaith is used to betrayal by now; he has spent two years in this god forsaken country house to know how bitterly it tastes. The anger still burns unrelenting deep in his soul, and it is an anger that he is unwilling to relent even now.
But he feels no anger towards Yue, not even for this. This betrayal is more personal, more private. And yet, it is the betrayal of someone who has not had the sanctuary of a fancy prison cell to insolate them from the crumbling world …
“No.” It’s a simple answer, and one that gets a simple response. Vaith’s smirk is more genuine this time, how can it not be when the way Yue narrows his gaze then is so reminiscent of a time when smirks and gazes meant something more? Perhaps it is because of that gaze that Vaith expands on his response, allowing Yue just enough reason to pierce his perfect shields without straying too much into the truth. And then, he waits.
And waits.
Vaith considers few commodities more important than trust. That he has invested so much of it in the man who stands before him remains a silent, affectionate testament. Yue, forever the mage, rarely uses words casually or with any particular kind of ease, and so when trust is asked for – or when it is offered – words take on a different meaning and depth. There are times when Yue forgoes words altogether, sealing a promise within a hardened gaze that makes his oddly colored eyes spark. Vaith remembers the first time he ever got caught in that particular gaze. Still recovering from injuries that would never truly heal, he hadn’t known at the time why Sylthfarn had brought the rigid, strange politician to his bedside. One calm look, and Yue had silently extracted from Vaith a promise he had never thought he’d ever be able to make again.
Trust me. I will fix this.
Vaith smiles, although it is a smile tangled in the past. Few people can exhaust others so easily with simply a look, but Yue has never-
“Those eyes of yours won’t change my mind, not this time.” Vaith says, and this time his smile finds it foundation in the present. He stretches back in his chair, his gaze never leaving Yue. All sleek lines and elegance, there is too much tiredness – too much quiet ache – now in his friend’s eyes for them to be effective. “Do you remember when you asked me to trust you about Sylthfarn, and then about Merleawe?
Yue doesn’t answer. Instead, his gaze simply hardens. Then, with a nod, Yue leaves. Vaith is impressed. Even in this shattered world, Yue is not quite willing to piece together shards of hope through false promises.
Yue cannot promise Vaith that war is the right thing, because Yue does not believe it himself. But Vaith will be ready, the moment Yue does.
Title: Promises.
Fanfic meme: 5 Times Yue has asked Vaith to trust him. Takes place in the cluttered last volume.
It has been two years since they last saw each other. Time has changed little about Yue, Vaith finds. The strange elegance that Yue wears like a cloak remains deliberately around his shoulders, although it seems a touch heavier now than in Vaith’s memories. Those smothering, opposing eyes still hold that hint of disdain that Yue has never truly been aware of. He finds it comforting that the disdain is still there, even though it seems to be weighing Yue down more now than it ever has. The disdain is familiar, appropriate. More than that, perhaps, the disdain is right.
“I want you to lead the army,” Yue says, and the conviction in his voice rings with such sincere honesty that Vaith sees through instantly. ‘I want you to lead the army.” Yeah, he thinks dryly, and a sardonic smile twists his mouth into something dark and unnatural. I bet you do. Vaith is used to betrayal by now; he has spent two years in this god forsaken country house to know how bitterly it tastes. The anger still burns unrelenting deep in his soul, and it is an anger that he is unwilling to relent even now.
But he feels no anger towards Yue, not even for this. This betrayal is more personal, more private. And yet, it is the betrayal of someone who has not had the sanctuary of a fancy prison cell to insolate them from the crumbling world …
“No.” It’s a simple answer, and one that gets a simple response. Vaith’s smirk is more genuine this time, how can it not be when the way Yue narrows his gaze then is so reminiscent of a time when smirks and gazes meant something more? Perhaps it is because of that gaze that Vaith expands on his response, allowing Yue just enough reason to pierce his perfect shields without straying too much into the truth. And then, he waits.
And waits.
Vaith considers few commodities more important than trust. That he has invested so much of it in the man who stands before him remains a silent, affectionate testament. Yue, forever the mage, rarely uses words casually or with any particular kind of ease, and so when trust is asked for – or when it is offered – words take on a different meaning and depth. There are times when Yue forgoes words altogether, sealing a promise within a hardened gaze that makes his oddly colored eyes spark. Vaith remembers the first time he ever got caught in that particular gaze. Still recovering from injuries that would never truly heal, he hadn’t known at the time why Sylthfarn had brought the rigid, strange politician to his bedside. One calm look, and Yue had silently extracted from Vaith a promise he had never thought he’d ever be able to make again.
Trust me. I will fix this.
Vaith smiles, although it is a smile tangled in the past. Few people can exhaust others so easily with simply a look, but Yue has never-
“Those eyes of yours won’t change my mind, not this time.” Vaith says, and this time his smile finds it foundation in the present. He stretches back in his chair, his gaze never leaving Yue. All sleek lines and elegance, there is too much tiredness – too much quiet ache – now in his friend’s eyes for them to be effective. “Do you remember when you asked me to trust you about Sylthfarn, and then about Merleawe?
Yue doesn’t answer. Instead, his gaze simply hardens. Then, with a nod, Yue leaves. Vaith is impressed. Even in this shattered world, Yue is not quite willing to piece together shards of hope through false promises.
Yue cannot promise Vaith that war is the right thing, because Yue does not believe it himself. But Vaith will be ready, the moment Yue does.