[LaS Fic] Thin Ice
And next up on the LaS schedule is actually writing "Taken at the Flood". Where that fits into my overall writing schedule? Probably sometime after I write DotM 3&4, honestly. And DotM 3 isn't getting started until I finish a) Jet Feng for Rin, b) Yuletide, and c) exchangefic for Shiri. None of which are being worked on until d) my atlaland smut entry is complete.
Title: Thin Ice
Characters: Krisuk/Chulyin (OCs)
Word Count: 700+ words
Rating: PG
Summary: Krisuk wakes with the dawn the morning of the day he and Hahn set sail again. Sequel to Breath of Air.
Thin Ice
***
Krisuk woke with the dawn, the ebb in his waterbending powers stirring him. Chulyin also woke, eyes snapping open in reaction to his shifting. She went from sleep to wakefulness as fast and easy as a boy ought to. Krisuk smiled into her raven hair and rubbed his hands over her belly and breasts. "Good morning, beautiful."
"It's dawn," she said in irritation. "I should have been up hours ago."
She tried to sit up, and Krisuk tightened his hold on her. She could have broken free with a few well-placed strikes or a simple 'please', but she let him keep her in the bed.
"It's coming into autumn," he said. "The ships will be sailing soon, and I know you've a good stock of food."
She nodded, her cheek brushing against his arm, and settled back against him.
The dawnlight was coming in through the ice walls, brighter than it had ever been with Hahn's family or in Krisuk's uncle's house. Chulyin and her mother lived in the tiny apartment alone, though near the rest of her mother's family. But her family had always barely gotten by; the animals loathed her male cousins and the spirits of war took greedily from her uncles. Worse still, none of them were ever waterbenders.
Chulyin was the best hunter in her family in five generations. Even though she'd had no father to teach her or brothers to learn from.
Krisuk sometimes thought it was because she had no father or brothers that she had learned so well. He'd been too busy learning waterbending for years, but Hahn could remember her being invited to listen while the older men who did not waterbend supervised the boys. It was just as important for a girl to know these things as a boy, after all. What if her husband died and she needed to teach her sons to be proper men?
"When does your ship leave?" Chulyin turned in his arms to look him in the eye. It was probably improper, the two of them naked in their furs together, but it was the only way to keep warm. Body heat had to be shared, and clothes would blunt it.
"With tonight's tide," he answered and kissed her, knowing that was definitely improper. Hahn and Yue were at least engaged to be wed.
But he had nothing to offer for Chulyin's hand, and she had nothing to give in acceptance of such an offer.
This would be the first voyage Hahn had undertaken since the one right before Princess Yue's fifteenth birthday, though. They'd brought a small amount of wealth back from that one, their own shares consisting of their dragonscale gear. Capturing the firebender had been worth a lot of prestige for such a young captain and first mate. More and better Tribesmen wanted to sail with them this voyage, and Hahn had plotted a route that would almost certainly land them riches.
It would be enough. If it wasn't, Krisuk would sail again and again, until it was enough, or Chulyin had a husband.
He'd keep sailing, though, because Hahn needed him. Now more than ever, and Krisuk didn't think it would get any easier for his friend when he was married to Yue.
"How is Yue doing?" He asked, stroking Chulyin's hair.
"She's... well," Chulyin said carefully.
"So's Hahn," Krisuk replied.
Well. Yes, they were both well. They were both shining with intensity and maybe not love, but something that could become love. Devotion. But when Hahn and Krisuk were together, he thought his friend had been scraped raw in some ways. Worn at and harried, and Hahn's temper was too frayed.
"He doesn't waterbend," Chulyin whispered, then kissed Krisuk softly before he could say anything. "He's like Hakoda."
Those six words laid everything bare, and Krisuk cursed himself for not having seen it before.
"I need to go." He kissed her to take away the flash of hurt in her eyes, knowing it wasn't enough. "I need to get Hahn ready to sail tonight."
"I know. I understand." She kissed him softly, and he let himself get lost in the kiss until she broke it. "Go."
-End-
Lightning at Sea Index
Title: Thin Ice
Characters: Krisuk/Chulyin (OCs)
Word Count: 700+ words
Rating: PG
Summary: Krisuk wakes with the dawn the morning of the day he and Hahn set sail again. Sequel to Breath of Air.
Thin Ice
***
Krisuk woke with the dawn, the ebb in his waterbending powers stirring him. Chulyin also woke, eyes snapping open in reaction to his shifting. She went from sleep to wakefulness as fast and easy as a boy ought to. Krisuk smiled into her raven hair and rubbed his hands over her belly and breasts. "Good morning, beautiful."
"It's dawn," she said in irritation. "I should have been up hours ago."
She tried to sit up, and Krisuk tightened his hold on her. She could have broken free with a few well-placed strikes or a simple 'please', but she let him keep her in the bed.
"It's coming into autumn," he said. "The ships will be sailing soon, and I know you've a good stock of food."
She nodded, her cheek brushing against his arm, and settled back against him.
The dawnlight was coming in through the ice walls, brighter than it had ever been with Hahn's family or in Krisuk's uncle's house. Chulyin and her mother lived in the tiny apartment alone, though near the rest of her mother's family. But her family had always barely gotten by; the animals loathed her male cousins and the spirits of war took greedily from her uncles. Worse still, none of them were ever waterbenders.
Chulyin was the best hunter in her family in five generations. Even though she'd had no father to teach her or brothers to learn from.
Krisuk sometimes thought it was because she had no father or brothers that she had learned so well. He'd been too busy learning waterbending for years, but Hahn could remember her being invited to listen while the older men who did not waterbend supervised the boys. It was just as important for a girl to know these things as a boy, after all. What if her husband died and she needed to teach her sons to be proper men?
"When does your ship leave?" Chulyin turned in his arms to look him in the eye. It was probably improper, the two of them naked in their furs together, but it was the only way to keep warm. Body heat had to be shared, and clothes would blunt it.
"With tonight's tide," he answered and kissed her, knowing that was definitely improper. Hahn and Yue were at least engaged to be wed.
But he had nothing to offer for Chulyin's hand, and she had nothing to give in acceptance of such an offer.
This would be the first voyage Hahn had undertaken since the one right before Princess Yue's fifteenth birthday, though. They'd brought a small amount of wealth back from that one, their own shares consisting of their dragonscale gear. Capturing the firebender had been worth a lot of prestige for such a young captain and first mate. More and better Tribesmen wanted to sail with them this voyage, and Hahn had plotted a route that would almost certainly land them riches.
It would be enough. If it wasn't, Krisuk would sail again and again, until it was enough, or Chulyin had a husband.
He'd keep sailing, though, because Hahn needed him. Now more than ever, and Krisuk didn't think it would get any easier for his friend when he was married to Yue.
"How is Yue doing?" He asked, stroking Chulyin's hair.
"She's... well," Chulyin said carefully.
"So's Hahn," Krisuk replied.
Well. Yes, they were both well. They were both shining with intensity and maybe not love, but something that could become love. Devotion. But when Hahn and Krisuk were together, he thought his friend had been scraped raw in some ways. Worn at and harried, and Hahn's temper was too frayed.
"He doesn't waterbend," Chulyin whispered, then kissed Krisuk softly before he could say anything. "He's like Hakoda."
Those six words laid everything bare, and Krisuk cursed himself for not having seen it before.
"I need to go." He kissed her to take away the flash of hurt in her eyes, knowing it wasn't enough. "I need to get Hahn ready to sail tonight."
"I know. I understand." She kissed him softly, and he let himself get lost in the kiss until she broke it. "Go."
-End-
Lightning at Sea Index