Sternenstaub und Abendfeuer

56. Mutual Worries

Smut warning!

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Seonghwa untied his cloak to hang it in his closet while Wooyoung got cosy in the conversation pit. While he unwrapped the green scarf from his neck, the words still spilt from him like a never-ending waterfall.

"Once I got injured while training with Mulberry. Though both of us are born with wings, being in the saddle is a unique experience. We learn to navigate the cliffs at breakneck speed and weave through narrow passages. Mulberry scraped his wings so often at the twists and turns. I also tumbled out of the saddle once."

"That's horrifying," Seonghwa gasped as he poured them some water. It glimmered in the crystal jug and the moonlight glistened on its stream when he filled two cups.

Wooyoung shrugged it off, feathers rustling with pride.

"The winds around the cliffs are treacherous if you can't read their flows. I flailed, unable to open my wings, and crashed into the rock. Broke two ribs."

"What happened after?" As much as Seonghwa loved hearing of Wooyoung's youth, he was worried for the boy of the past who learned so little from his mistakes. Loud and lively as Wooyoung was, Seonghwa could always imagine him up to no good with his people.

"Mulberry caught me and brought me back. Eldrid scolded me about being careless, but they were proud of my speed. They knew I would become the best if I could master it." He pushed out his chest as Seonghwa slid next to him into the pit and put the chalices on the table.

"I refused the biting wood when Eldrid fixed me up, claiming I could bear the pain. Though I didn't scream, it hurt like the depths."

"I can imagine," Seonghwa responded dryly. He noticed some scars on Wooyoung's body, as on most of the others. Since they were fighters, they were steeled by the battles of their past. Yunho had a large one on his flank, and San one on his forearm. Even Mingi had scars from the many accidents caused by his blindness.

"But," Wooyoung continued, eyes glistening with mischief, "they were right. I bested the winds and I can read them like no other. That's why I am the fastest now and how I won our race for your hand." Smug, he stretched out his talons. The bandage on his thigh wasn't blood-soaked for once, so Seonghwa counted it as a win that the wound stayed shut despite Wooyoung's incessant ignorance.

"Does the pain from that day echo?" Seonghwa asked. When his slender fingers tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, Wooyoung followed the movement, bewitched. His throat bobbed.

"It got absolved by other aches," the gryphon-born joked, but he winced when Seonghwa's brows drew together. "I mean-"

"I must check," Seonghwa interrupted. "Some wounds never heal if you forget about them. I insist on ensuring you're healthy if you can't."

A blush rose on Wooyoung's cheeks when Seonghwa settled a hand on his flank. His babbling lowered to a mutter and his eyes flicked through the room.

"If I'm not in excruciating pain, you don't need to worry," he claimed, bashful when his toughness got questioned so gently.

"Is it not my right as your wife to know my husband is healthy? If you amass too many injuries, how will you satisfy me? I will have to force you to bed rest."

Wooyoung surged up, making Seonghwa's light hand slip down to his hip.

"Anything but that!" His volume fell when Seonghwa pressed him backwards. A bed of grey feathers sprawled out beneath them as the cushions eased the pressure on their filigree bones. Wooyoung's mouth snapped shut, eyes glazing over when he submitted to Seonghwa's touch. The elf's veils settled on him weightlessly, cold hands making him shudder when they slipped under his vest.