[It's slow-going and comfortable on the Hawking this evening, which means the crew's taking advantage of the warm winds and temperate weather. There are games to be played, songs to be danced to; the faint strains of the twin captains' violin and voices carry across the deck as the ship drifts lazily into the painted colors of the red-pink-orange sunset.
And Yujin, one drink in, has a personal goal to fulfill while everybody else is distracted.]
It's a nice night, Stephen. Come up to the deck if you aren't up here already.
By the way... could I ask a small favor of you? It's not much, I promise.
I forgot this was going to happen I'm weakened and unprepared
[ Stephen, for his part, has been taking the merriment upstairs as an opportunity to enjoy a little solitude below decks. Not that he's disinterested in the lighter nights here, but the library's very rarely not busy. It's best to take your chances where they come.
He's the bulk of the way through a chapter when Yujin's words filter into his focus, and he sets the book down - the intrigue of one text giving easy way to that of another. ]
[ Consider him intrigued and slightly pleased. As promised, Stephen arrives on deck approximately five minutes later, doing his very best to weave his way through the crowd of merry-making scholar-pirates in search of the man who'd issued his summons. ]
[The party, it seems, is at the ship's bow. Just before Stephen are the two captains, playing their hearts out for a crew prepared to dance and sing the evening away. To his left, Yujin's leaning back against the taffrail, idly tapping foot to the beat.]
There you are!
[Or, he was tapping a foot-- now, he's making a beeline for Stephen, a warm smile on his face.]
Evening. [A young woman zips by, tripping over her feet to get over to the festivities. Yujin sidesteps her and approaches his friend, reaching out to usher him along with a hand on his upper arm.] I think we'd better find somewhere a bit less busy. Unless-- [he shoots a glance over his shoulder, then turns his gaze back up to Stephen, looking only a touch mischievous.] you'd rather join them all first? I'm told I'm a decent dancer.
[ His brow creases with a frown at the exact same time as his mouth hitches in a smirk, two instincts warring for the high ground. There's something in this that promises Yujin Mikotoba in a buoyant mood might be both a blessing and a curse, but when the only trap he's named is dancing, how bad can it really be?
So Stephen, better judgement clouded by a tentative sense of almost-security, takes his cue and nods toward quieter corners. ]
Let's get your favor seen to. I don't think they're going anywhere.
[ And the chance for something like true privacy is exactly as rare as the chance for dancing aboard this ship, so it's best not to squander it if that's what this needs.
[The corner of the deck they eventually find is far enough away from the rest that there aren't any orber or Hawking eavesdroppers-- exactly the opportunity he's been looking for. Yujin steps up to the railing and takes a full breath. Whether he's enjoying the crisp air or steeling himself isn't immediately clear.]
It's one of those silly orb tasks; it'll only take a moment. [he says, gazing out at the sunset for a moment; he's deceptively calm when he turns back to Stephen.
And with no other word of warning, Yujin takes one of Stephen's hands carefully in his own, running the pad of his thumb carefully over the back of the man's palm.]
...You've been so kind, Stephen. I don't know if you realize what it means to me.
[ Oh. The orb, of course. There's long enough to wonder at what it'll be, brace himself to witness some small personal humiliation or receive a secret insight.
And then Yujin takes him by the hand.
The flinch is instant and inevitable and over almost before it begins, overridden by the sudden visceral stone-drop thrill of a missed beat, heart thudding heavy in his chest. Wide eyes lift from a fixation with the thumb that soothes over his hand to the other man's face as he speaks. Searching. Startled.
You've been so kind, Stephen. ]
Yujin.
[ No attempt to draw away. He barely moves at all, frozen to the spot, mind racing and coming up silent. His jaw hangs loose around a trio of unvoiced false starts— I- You- What— no. You don't know what you're doing, Strange. Maybe, for once, you should just shut up.
An unsteady exhale. Held in Yujin's, Stephen's hand tremors, all his usual magical micro-processes blown to nothing like so many fuses. ]
[That minute flinch, the uncharacteristic way that Stephen seems to stall rather than to lob a joke back at him or play the moment off-- Yujin's expression turns inquisitive as he looks up again and searches Stephen's face. Thankfully, there's nothing like rejection in it. Just... confusion. An uncertain trembling in the man's hand, held fast in Yujin's own.
Good. For once, he's the one who's left Stephen spellbound. It's even more satisfying than Yujin thought it would be. If he's smug about it at all-- all right, he's a bit smug-- he doesn't show it on his face, expression level and even as always.]
Thank you.
[Surely this gesture alone would satisfy the orb. He could easily leave the man in peace to contemplate whatever he's just unearthed not-so-peacefully. And yet, over these last months, Yujin's gotten nothing from hesitation and taking half measures. Hell, the two of them are sailing miles above an earth that doesn't belong to either of them: what's it going to hurt to be more direct about what he wants, for once in his life?
Yujin meets Stephen's eyes and offers him one last sly smile. Faint wrinkles tug at the corners of his eyes, a deep, dark brown alight with the intent of calling Stephen Strange's bluff.
He brings Stephen's hand to his lips, presses a kiss to his knuckles for only a moment, then looses his hand, allowing the other man to finally slip out of his grasp.]
[ Stephen watches like a passenger, paralysed when wickedness steals warmly across Yujin's face and sparks a sharp frisson of anticipation somewhere behind his sternum. He snatches in a breath -
And then his hand is raised to lips and the glint in deep brown eyes makes perfect, too-late sense.
It's over as quickly as it starts, Stephen left blinking down at the planks of the deck somewhere behind Yujin where he'd started to follow his hand's descent and given up halfway. The other man's voice calls his attention again, lifts his gaze back to his face as Stephen tries to catch up to where they are, what was said, what it's his turn to say— ]
... Sure.
[ It's all he can manage. His hand is still warm from Yujin's, skin still tingling with the remembered impression of his lips, the faint soft scratch of a moustache. He's staring at him, he knows he is, but what else can he do? He's just been so thoroughly outplayed that he has no idea when the game started, let alone what the rules were or whether it's actually possible to lose.
This stretches on for too many seconds, Stephen staring at Yujin as he hyper-focuses on the parts of his hand that are apparently forming core memories - ]
[ Limp fingers twitch as he comes abruptly back to himself. ]
— What was the task?
[ Blurted out suddenly, before Yujin can vanish as swiftly as he'd conjured this strange moment up. Perhaps there's something in there to explain it away, perhaps there isn't. Whatever the case, it feels important to know. ]
Physical affection. [he answers, simple and matter-of-fact, like he didn't just intentionally douse the embers of Stephen's bisexual awakening with gasoline.]
That should cover it, don't you think?
[Graciously, Yujin doesn't push the teasing further. The man's already stunned, staring back at him like a startled deer half a second away from bolting back into the brush. Directness is one thing; delicacy is another. God knows the man has plenty to think about already.]
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be joining the rest of the crew. I wouldn't want to take up any more of your time. [With a nod, he steps aside, leaving Stephen alone by that quiet stretch of taffrail.
And although he tries to leave things there, Yujin can't resist the temptation to steal a glimpse at Stephen over his shoulder before he's gone. One doesn't just render an all-powerful sorcerer speechless every day. It's a good look on Stephen. Cute, even.]
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text i'm sorry in advance
And Yujin, one drink in, has a personal goal to fulfill while everybody else is distracted.]
It's a nice night, Stephen. Come up to the deck if you aren't up here already.
By the way... could I ask a small favor of you? It's not much, I promise.
I forgot this was going to happen I'm weakened and unprepared
He's the bulk of the way through a chapter when Yujin's words filter into his focus, and he sets the book down - the intrigue of one text giving easy way to that of another. ]
I'll be up in five.
Sure. What is it?
>:)
[And not because he's doing this on purpose. Definitely not that.]
no subject
no subject
There you are!
[Or, he was tapping a foot-- now, he's making a beeline for Stephen, a warm smile on his face.]
Evening. [A young woman zips by, tripping over her feet to get over to the festivities. Yujin sidesteps her and approaches his friend, reaching out to usher him along with a hand on his upper arm.] I think we'd better find somewhere a bit less busy. Unless-- [he shoots a glance over his shoulder, then turns his gaze back up to Stephen, looking only a touch mischievous.] you'd rather join them all first? I'm told I'm a decent dancer.
no subject
So Stephen, better judgement clouded by a tentative sense of almost-security, takes his cue and nods toward quieter corners. ]
Let's get your favor seen to. I don't think they're going anywhere.
[ And the chance for something like true privacy is exactly as rare as the chance for dancing aboard this ship, so it's best not to squander it if that's what this needs.
Whatever 'this' is. ]
no subject
It's one of those silly orb tasks; it'll only take a moment. [he says, gazing out at the sunset for a moment; he's deceptively calm when he turns back to Stephen.
And with no other word of warning, Yujin takes one of Stephen's hands carefully in his own, running the pad of his thumb carefully over the back of the man's palm.]
...You've been so kind, Stephen. I don't know if you realize what it means to me.
no subject
And then Yujin takes him by the hand.
The flinch is instant and inevitable and over almost before it begins, overridden by the sudden visceral stone-drop thrill of a missed beat, heart thudding heavy in his chest. Wide eyes lift from a fixation with the thumb that soothes over his hand to the other man's face as he speaks. Searching. Startled.
You've been so kind, Stephen. ]
Yujin.
[ No attempt to draw away. He barely moves at all, frozen to the spot, mind racing and coming up silent. His jaw hangs loose around a trio of unvoiced false starts— I- You- What— no. You don't know what you're doing, Strange. Maybe, for once, you should just shut up.
An unsteady exhale. Held in Yujin's, Stephen's hand tremors, all his usual magical micro-processes blown to nothing like so many fuses. ]
no subject
Good. For once, he's the one who's left Stephen spellbound. It's even more satisfying than Yujin thought it would be. If he's smug about it at all-- all right, he's a bit smug-- he doesn't show it on his face, expression level and even as always.]
Thank you.
[Surely this gesture alone would satisfy the orb. He could easily leave the man in peace to contemplate whatever he's just unearthed not-so-peacefully. And yet, over these last months, Yujin's gotten nothing from hesitation and taking half measures. Hell, the two of them are sailing miles above an earth that doesn't belong to either of them: what's it going to hurt to be more direct about what he wants, for once in his life?
Yujin meets Stephen's eyes and offers him one last sly smile. Faint wrinkles tug at the corners of his eyes, a deep, dark brown alight with the intent of calling Stephen Strange's bluff.
He brings Stephen's hand to his lips, presses a kiss to his knuckles for only a moment, then looses his hand, allowing the other man to finally slip out of his grasp.]
...and thank you for the favor, too.
1/2
And then his hand is raised to lips and the glint in deep brown eyes makes perfect, too-late sense.
It's over as quickly as it starts, Stephen left blinking down at the planks of the deck somewhere behind Yujin where he'd started to follow his hand's descent and given up halfway. The other man's voice calls his attention again, lifts his gaze back to his face as Stephen tries to catch up to where they are, what was said, what it's his turn to say— ]
... Sure.
[ It's all he can manage. His hand is still warm from Yujin's, skin still tingling with the remembered impression of his lips, the faint soft scratch of a moustache. He's staring at him, he knows he is, but what else can he do? He's just been so thoroughly outplayed that he has no idea when the game started, let alone what the rules were or whether it's actually possible to lose.
This stretches on for too many seconds, Stephen staring at Yujin as he hyper-focuses on the parts of his hand that are apparently forming core memories - ]
no subject
— What was the task?
[ Blurted out suddenly, before Yujin can vanish as swiftly as he'd conjured this strange moment up. Perhaps there's something in there to explain it away, perhaps there isn't. Whatever the case, it feels important to know. ]
the mikotoba rizz strikes again
That should cover it, don't you think?
[Graciously, Yujin doesn't push the teasing further. The man's already stunned, staring back at him like a startled deer half a second away from bolting back into the brush. Directness is one thing; delicacy is another. God knows the man has plenty to think about already.]
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be joining the rest of the crew. I wouldn't want to take up any more of your time. [With a nod, he steps aside, leaving Stephen alone by that quiet stretch of taffrail.
And although he tries to leave things there, Yujin can't resist the temptation to steal a glimpse at Stephen over his shoulder before he's gone. One doesn't just render an all-powerful sorcerer speechless every day. It's a good look on Stephen. Cute, even.]