#4zune.

[troublemqkers]

would you just let me help you? please? (tiny azune @ thjazi)

@4zune | thjazi and azune | answered ask! would you just let me help you? please?

he turns at the sudden voice, words he didn't expect out of a tone so small. hal's in the kitchen, grabbing the last-minute supplies he'd asked for; elodie's upstairs with the baby. and here's this kid, barely older than he was in the war of axe and vine, firmly requesting to play his part. thjazi studies him for a minute. sizes him up, tries to imagine various weapons in his hands – ones that won't somehow dwarf him. then he squats down so that he's on azune's level, squinting at him closely. "...well, you have put on weight." one thing hal was always good for. "...listen to me. there's a lot that happens out there. death. bloodshed. worse. i'm not gonna be around to protect you the whole time; hal won't even come close. do you think you can take care of yourself? keep yourself alive? do enough to hopefully protect those around you?"

[frcmscratchmoving]

HE SUPPOSED IT WOULD HAPPEN EVENTUALLY, even if it’s been decades since he’s cried. actually cried. the full body-shaking, tears-that-don’t-stop kind of cry that always leaves him drained. there was no room for it in his life. and he supposed, it should’ve come sooner. after thjazi’s funeral, after they fled the city together having nothing to go back to. but it’s weeks later when it happens, out of the blue in the small cot he’s sharing with babel.

@4zune doesn’t remember what happened first, the kisses or the tears, but all he can do is cling to their frame like a lifeline. his fingers desperately grasping the fabric of their shirt, and more than anything he wants to bury his face in babel's arms. but they don't let him hide, and instead shower him in kisses. the affection is overwhelming, and despite the tears still running down his cheeks, he crashes his lips against the other's. he's spent so many years on his own, and the slightest affection has opened up a hunger he no longer can control.

“ please... stay... ” he whispers against their lips with a shared breath.

In all the years they've known each other, they've never seen him cry like this. Babel's eyebrows knit with concern as they cradle his face with both hands. "I've got you." Soft green eyes flood with tears. Their voice cracking under the weight of the words. Combing through his hair, their fingertips gently massage his scalp. "Let it out," they murmur as they press their forehead to his; thumbs brushing tears from his cheeks. Their lips planting small kisses to his skin, dotting them like stars across his features.

Azune's breath, still hot against their lips, they nod as if their life depends on it. Their own tears, forgotten, eyebrows still creased in concern. Stay with him... tonight? After this was all over? Their word would be his in a heartbeat if they knew they could keep it.

"I'm here," Babel kisses the corner of his mouth before pulling him into a tight hug, pressing their lips to his temple, their eyes squeezing shut. "I love you." The words escape them in a soft exhale, unable to hold their breath any longer. They breathe him in, burying their face in his hair. "I've always loved you."

[overthevale]

‘ i won’t bury another friend ’

@4zune | kattigan and azune | answered ask! ‘ i won’t bury another friend ’

"admirable hope." one hand reaches out to clap azune on the shoulder, though the touch lingers, a slight squeeze in his fingers. his eyes stay forward, focused on the river rushing past them, the sound of the water masking their quiet conversation so that it won't be spied on by others, friend or foe. "...i'd rather not do that either. been to enough funerals, eh? not that they aren't always a joy," that cock-eyed grin, not even coming close to reaching his eyes, "but...not somethin' i'm eager to relive, if y'know what i mean." there's a quiet solemnity around him now, oddly unusual for the hulking ranger.

[turnedandfaced]

AZUNE IS CURLED UP IN THE SAME BED AS BABEL once again, like all those years back in the rebellion and the months after. he had no idea when they reunited a few days ago that they would end up on the road again. and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. maybe this time it could be different. when they were no longer fresh out of the rebellion and being called to different directions. are you ready to let me in? his fingers absentmindedly trace patterns on their shoulder, and for a moment azune hesitates in fear of overstepping. “ did you... ” but he has no home, no job, only memories of the past and a person he once thought could become his home. i've been trying to believe what i said is what i need. “ i thought about you often, ” he whispers. he thinks about every one of the rebels often, but that's not what he means. and he is scared to ask if they did the same.

@4zune, tracing his fingers across their shoulder, almost made them fall asleep. They're not sure why, but sleep feels different next to him, easier. "Huh?" They hum as he trails off, not quite glancing back to meet his gaze, but far enough that, for a moment, they watch Azune's fingertips move across their freckled skin. It still feels a little odd to be shirtless around him — something they don’t think about until they think about it too much. 

As he whispers, just loud enough for them to hear, they can’t help but imagine Azune's arms around them. They want to close the distance between them, but a deliberate choice would feel different than waking up with his back pressed to their chest, their hair mussed together like a mess of flames. He feels different, too, and it's like he knows it. There's space between them, space enough for him to reach out to touch them. What would those arms do if he were closer? Would he wrap them around their torso? Would his fingertips trail down their arm, continue tracing patterns onto their skin?

They might unravel if they turn to face him, think that if they look at him, they won't be able to get a word out. The softness in his eyes, too much to think about here in bed with him. "I thought about you, too. Often..." After a few beats, they continue, softly. "The smallest things reminded me of you." Even turned away from him, Babel can still feel the heat rising on their face.

Finally glancing at him over their shoulder, they murmur. "You can move closer, if you want."

[troublemqkers]

thought i should stop by, see if you were okay. (azune waiting for hal’s turn to break down)

@4zune | halandil and azune | answered ask! thought i should stop by, see if you were okay.

hal can't help but let out a broken laugh as he pushes the door open wider, half-heartedly gesturing azune inside. "now, what little birdie told you that one, hm?" he asks, and the joking tone might have actually come across if his voice wasn't cracking every two seconds. he'd known calling out of the theater today had been a risk; someone was bound to guess why. probably shadia; she knew him too well as it was. his other hand comes up to wipe some of the tears from his face, shaking his head. "some days are–" he hesitates, swallowing back another wave of emotion threatening to break down the damn. "...well. it's just been...a long day," he finishes, shutting the front door behind azune and leaning against it for a moment; head to fist, fist to wood, eyes pressed shut in grief. things were finally setting in; their current situation realized. it was a lot.

[troublemqkers]

[ SHIELD ]:     sender uses their own body to shield the receiver from an attack. for hal

@4zune | halandil and azune | answered ask! [ SHIELD ]:     sender uses their own body to shield the receiver from an attack.

it all happens too fast for hal to process. one minute they're walking along the streets of dol-makjar, arguing over...something; semantics, details. the next, azune's shoving him into the corner of the nearby building, throwing himself into the way of – something. it had to have been a bolt of magic; that's the only way azune could've been so quick, and hal doesn't see any evidence of an arrow, a shadow, nothing. immediately, he's on his knees, already trying to pull azune upright. "come on. back here. now." the alarm bells going off in his head are the only thing mentally drowning out the question that spills from his lips before he can stop it: "what the hells were you thinking?"

[troublemqkers]

@4zune | halandil and azune | cont. from here!

his head bends towards the younger man at the touch, offering a soft smile that doesn't quite touch his eyes; tight at the corners, lips pressed together with exhaustion. his gaze is drawn once again to the draped shadows in the corner – he knows what's under them, what will never move again. he knows he can't ask azune for this – he's already risked enough for them; staying the night at the home of a criminal has to be against a law of the arcane marshals somewhere – and yet, it's been a long day for the both of them. letting out a breath, he finally relents, straightening up slightly. "only if," he starts, somewhere between serious and chiding; a voice he uses when bargaining with shadia far too often, "you agree to actually get some rest somewhere in here. we both need it."

[turnedandfaced]

@4zune said; "You can play with my hair, if you want." // PROMPTS FOR TOUCH STARVED MUSES

Before he even utters the second part of his suggestion, Babel's hand has already begun to make its way up his shoulder, intent on playing with the hair that fell over it. "I'm afraid you'll fall asleep if I do," they counter with a light tease. An extra hour or two could actually do him good. Especially since this would be the first night they've slept in a bed in a couple of days.

Their fingers tips glide up his scalp, parting his hair to watch it fall back into place. There's something soothing about the weight of his head against their palm. Like touch is it's own language, their hands, whispering to him as if to say 'you're safe here.' "If you sit up, I'll brush it."