I woke up too early and checked tumblr (because apparently I have no concern for my mental health) and saw that you reblogged the writing prompt thing. I then fell back asleep with a little vision for you, so here’s the prompt:
Brennan and Naolin are lying under a tree with talismans hanging from its branches, making wishes.
Can be set whenever in their fanon timeline or in an AU, or hey they could even both be dead! would love to see where you take this little dream
Brennan remembers his father explaining the festival to him when he was a child, distantly. It was long enough ago that he remembers wishing for his new sibling to be a little sister, and probably he only remembers it because Mira was born not long after, so his wish came true.
This time he folds the colorful paper himself. It delights Naolin that he already knows what to do. Not that it's hard to delight Naolin; Brennan is pretty sure his lover squeezes more delight out of a day than most adults do in a season.
"Perhaps that's why Tairn favored him," Marbh suggests. "That dragon's been cynical since he hatched."
"It's definitely one of his best qualities," Brennan thinks back, though his mind wanders immediately to Naolin's more physical best qualities and Marbh laughs at him before shielding him out.
Naolin gives his waist a quick squeeze. "What's got you so red, love? Do I need to get you out of the midsummer sun?"
"No- well- actually, yes, probably, but I was just talking to Marbh."
He nods. "Soon, then. But for now..." Naolin blows into his folded paper, making it puff out into a boxy shape, and then whispers his wish inside. Brennan needs two tries to get it right. Soon they've both hung theirs on the branches alongside the others and they make their way inside the Temple of Amari for lemonade and fruit and honey biscuits.
At dusk they find their way back outside, laughing and drunk on fruitwine and good company and hope for the future.
"Hang on, I forgot part of my wish," Naolin says, looking through the papers on the tree like he'll be able to tell which was his.
Brennan laughs. "Nao, no, you can't- you can't find it." He doubles over, giggling. "Just whisper it to all of them or something, come on, you promised we could go back to the barracks."
"I did, didn't I?" With a wink, Naolin turns to look back up at the tree- but he's turned too many time, and had too many drinks, and instead he stumbles and ends up on his back, laughing again.
"Naoooooo," Brennan whines, holding out his hand to help him up. Naolin takes it, but pulls Brennan down to him instead. "Naolin! What are you doing?"
"Look." He points up. Brennan rolls onto his back beside his lover. Above them, the paper wishes hang from the sacred tree of Amari like a riot of colorful flowers in the spring. Behind them, the sky is streaked with oranges and pinks and purples of sunset and stars are just starting to appear between the highest branches.
"Beautiful," Brennan murmurs and threads his fingers between Naolin's.
"Yeah," Naolin answers, looking at him and not at the sky. "I know."
