Lan Jingyi (AU) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jingyeets) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
voidtreckernet2021-07-27 08:48 am
jingyeets) wrote in voidtreckernet2021-07-27 08:48 am
video | merriment 15
( Jingyi anchored, and thus he's still tired. Very tired. Flopping between areas and people to nap with kind of tired. It hasn't resolved yet, and he hates that, but he can't let him not get around to important questions.
Which is why he's on camera as crossed legs only, laying down on the bench with the ICP swiveled his direction. It's almost like he's shy... but no, he's not, he's just exhausted. )
Everything was a mess and all of us there had strange illusion things to deal with before things went really bad, but I have a question. About my friend.
( A pause. He does, in fact, literally mean this about a friend. )
Say he was in a situation where... certain boundaries were willingly crossed, but what it meant in the illusion was different from what it means outside of the illusion. And explaining what that means and how it's different is kind of important to the one they were crossed with.
( For both sides, but he's more worried about his friend than he is the other guy, for various biased reasons he has no regrets over. )
How do you handle when people here do casual things with 'dating,' but I'm from—he's from—a place where you definitely don't?
Which is why he's on camera as crossed legs only, laying down on the bench with the ICP swiveled his direction. It's almost like he's shy... but no, he's not, he's just exhausted. )
Everything was a mess and all of us there had strange illusion things to deal with before things went really bad, but I have a question. About my friend.
( A pause. He does, in fact, literally mean this about a friend. )
Say he was in a situation where... certain boundaries were willingly crossed, but what it meant in the illusion was different from what it means outside of the illusion. And explaining what that means and how it's different is kind of important to the one they were crossed with.
( For both sides, but he's more worried about his friend than he is the other guy, for various biased reasons he has no regrets over. )
How do you handle when people here do casual things with 'dating,' but I'm from—he's from—a place where you definitely don't?
no subject
One moment, brain catching up with itself. Braining, braining... and Jingyi sighs.
What it does say to him is yes, there's a lot of trust. But also many more tangled emotions, and yet, that's... ultimately Inigo and Tidus's business. On that, he's emphatically clear. )
You think, but you don't know, 'cause you didn't ask.
( He rubs his forehead, and then flops over, sort of, nudging Inigo's shoulder with his. He's giving up on wrapping his head around it. He'll just accept it, because it is what's going on, and tiredly get out the rest of what he thinks matters. )
Right, right, I know, there's not anything I can do—that's up to you and him. I hope you feel up to talking to him sooner and not later, but... until then, you can talk with me, you know? I'm better at secrets than people assume, and if you tell me at the start you need me just to listen, I even shut up.
( He turns one hand palm up, like he's offering that intel in his tired, matter of fact way, aware that people think he's a chatterbox. He can be, but he can live fine in silence, too, especially when a friend needs it. Besides, Inigo panicked over here thinking Jingyi was talking about himself, then them, where-as the names of who he had been talking about remain off-ICP. )
I'm your friend, Inigo. I want you to be happy. When you can't be, I'll listen. Who knows, maybe talking about it long enough means you'll figure something out eventually. Sizhui does better when he can talk it out, at least. Even if it doesn't solve everything, at least you don't have to store your misery inside all alone.
( That's what friends are for, in his opinion. Making sure you're not alone in your worst moments, even when they can't resolve the cause of that moment for you. There's also a slew of pretty not-hilarious parallels with this and what his younger, but also oldest, but also younger and also Inigo's age at present best-friend from a realm adjacent to the one Jingyi knows is handling, on a less, er, intimate. Level. )
Let me help share this burden. It won't break my back.
no subject
[ It's the only sound that leaves Inigo after hearing all of that. He's just.. staring, growing quiet again for a moment. It's not that Jingyi said anything bad - no, it's the exact opposite. The other is saying so many good things here that Inigo truly doesn't know how to deal with it. He can only feel his cheeks growing hotter and hotter with all the kindness that's being thrown his way here.
How is he ever supposed to repay something like that? ]
.. thank you. So much. [ He says, his voice more quiet. His tone more touched.
The reason for the latter becomes readily apparent when he lifts his head, tears in his eyes. ]
It's-- It's really nice of you to offer that. Especially since I know this problem is just really dumb. And not even of interest to anyone other than me. [ Who else cares about Inigo's carwreck of a love life, really. ] You're such a good friend, and I'm..
[ He reaches up to rub as his eyes with his hand. ]
I'm so sorry for making things so awkward.
[ By turning Jingyi down, he means.
But ironically enough, the apology still fits within the actual situation of him having made things awkward with his wrong assumption. ]
no subject
'S'fine.
( He sighs, shifting his arm so the shoulder that'd been resting against Inigo's turns into an arm that pats the back of his shoulder, pat pat, then just stays pressed there. He's feeling too heavy to be aware and awake again, but he concentrates on breathing through it. Exhaustion at some point settles down beneath his skin, with its own weight. )
Think you've needed t'say this for a long time.
( Be awkward, be emotional, be whatever you need to be. He supports that, as long as it's not "what you need to be is cruel," because then he does not support that at all. )
But, 'gogo...
( He is really, truly struggling to keep his eyes open now that the adrenaline of his wind blast has fled his system, dropping him down even lower than earlier. )
'M gonna fall 'sleep 'gain.
( Murmured and softened, more syrupy sweet in cadence and tone as sleep drags at his senses. Not quite a way to translate a dialect shift, but it's something, at least. )
no subject
Right. He's already taken up too much of Jingyi's time, especially when the other is still trying to recover from the mission. Inigo lets out a faint breath, and then something slowly occurs to him - a way to potentially start paying the other back for his kindness.
Not that he's sure this is something the other needs, but.. well, it's helped other people before, so Inigo figures the least he can do is offer. ]
Sure. Do you need a nap buddy?
no subject
Feeling like it's too much effort to open his eyes, he just asks: )
Dragon?
( Secret: nap buddy human Lan Jingyi sleeps like the dead.
Right on his back, arms crossed over his chest, not moving. Dragon, he's an all around tiny, snuggly mess, though as his normal size, the sheer bulk of himself means he usually settles down for one position too. )
Won't notice 'n you leave.
( No danger to it, so he's unlikely to stir. Inigo doesn't need to stay. )
no subject
Mostly since he has no idea how Jingyi sleeps when he's a human.. That would be severely disappointing, please, he didn't sign up to be nap buddies with what amounts to little more than a corpse! What won't people think!
Instead he's assuming it's just more comfortable for the other to sleep as a dragon rather than a person - and in that case, Inigo will gladly comply. One of his friends sleeps with his wyvern, so it's not like sleeping with a dragon buddy is so weird to him. ]
And.. really, I don't even mind staying for a while. It's not a bother at all.
no subject
There's zero comfort sharing that tiny space with two adult-enough bodies. Not that either of them are bulky, but those things are narrow, so: )
There's no space.
( Implying: dragon it is. He can't say it's the feel of the bunks that bothers him, he sleeps on planked wood with a thin pad over it, but the narrowness. Still, that's decided, apparently, and he shoves away (gently, he's trying to steady himself) and goes for fumbling to pulling his hoodie off so he can shift and wiggle out of substantially less clothing than last time. Only, well. He only had a hoodie on, so apologies, Inigo, avert thine gaze for thine own saketh, young Master Knight. )
no subject
Oh no, oh no, oh no. Sweet Naga, he's learned his lesson, which means that Inigo is instantly looking away the moment he spots even as much as just the first sign of Jingyi being about to pull off that hoodie. His face even starts to go red, so he quickly covers his face with his hands before he makes things weird.
(Or even weirder than they already were, anyway.) ]
I-Is it done yet?
[ Please save this shame baby, Jingyi. ]
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Which also means he shimmies out of boxers to turn, silvered with light, into a very familiar dragon, thumping down on the floor. He hooks his tail through said boxers and pauses before sinking his teeth into his hoodie: )
All dragon.
( Then drags his clothing toward his bed, leaping up and stashing them at the foot of said bunk. )
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"Oh, you know, just to turn him down and then he got naked in front of me."
This is his life now, apparently, because that imagined conversation sure is going through his head as he's sitting here, still with his hands tightly pressed to his face. Heck, even when the other gives him the clear sign, Inigo still removes his hands from his face with some great hesitation. As if the other might be pranking him, and Inigo will suddenly catch a sight of Jingyi's full moon butt.
But no, it seems like he truly is in the clear. Inigo lets out a sigh that has more relief in it than absolutely necessary, before starting to kick out his own shoes. He's not a total barbarian, he's not going to defile Jingyi's bunk with his shoes! ]
.. you know, you do look super cute and cuddly in this form.
no subject
His ears flick at the sigh, one swiveling to track Inigo in particular while he turns and walks up the length of the bed toward the pillow. Inadequate pillow! He wants a proper one! He can... worry about ordering that sometime, maybe.
The cute and cuddly comment earns a slow turn of his head, staring at Inigo with very cute, very narrowed eyes. )
Appearances, ( he says, dryly, ) can be deceiving.
( Then, pointedly, uses his talons to primly pick up one corner of the blanket and slowly walk it back, deadass staring at Inigo. Here, friend. Trust the cute and cuddly one you ran over here to turn down and are now sleeping (platonically) with. There is... so much... ease in seeing how Inigo gets himself into trouble.
Poor guy. He's so glad his own (nonexistent) romantic life is cut and dry in comparison to everyone's he knows who aren't already married. )
no subject
[ Not to mention that Nah actually did... threaten to eat him before... so if he can somehow soundly sleep near that, then surely he's not going to mind having a little cuddly dragon buddy here. Please. J-Just some platonic friend cuddling here, that's all that's going on, pals.
But with the blanket drawn back, Inigo moves to actually lie down on the bunk, trying to make himself comfortable. Then he pats his chest. ]
You know, you can just put your head here if you think that'd be more comfortable.
[ No homo here, bro.
Only bromo. ]
no subject
Like I'd be a cannibal.
( Meanwhile as Inigo sets about making himself comfortable, Jingyi sits off to the side. It's only when it looks like Inigo has settled, and is patting his chest with all his pec pillow offers (no, but heartbeats are nice, generally speaking), Jingyi simply walks across said chest, curling himself back so that his midsection, head, and tail are all technically resting across some part of Inigo's torso. Draped instead of curling up just on his chest for a better spread of his weight. )
Slept in piles when younger. Now, when traveling.
( Saves on having to set up camps depending on where they're headed, and for what, and if they're on elder escort duties. )
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That feeling, coupled with Jingyi's whole piles remark, makes the corners of Inigo's lips tug up slightly as he tries to tug the blanket somewhat over them both. ]
.. think you can teach Tidus the wonders of pile sleeping for my sake?
[ He sounds like he's joking.
(U-Unless!) ]
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Sure. 'M 'n excellent pile sleeper.
( Flexing the talons of one paw, he pats... probably Inigo's side? In what might be reassurance? Before the pat stops and he's leaving his eyes closed, his breathing steadying out. There's a big difference with having other people around, where you can hear their lungs and heart and feel their warmth, and it's less isolating, less alone: safer, on a level his whole life has taught him to trust.
It doesn't escape him that's usually because he's much, much bigger when doing this away from Gusu. When he was little, it was because the elders were around to ... okay this will just get sad, he decides, so instead he opts to turn off thinky thoughts, and simply lets his brain start drifting off to sleep. )
no subject
He was right. Jingyi totally is cute in this form. Just a small cuddle dragon - and not even as grumpy or complainy when he's sleeping. (Though Inigo already knows by now that there's so much more to Jingyi. That the other can be so surprisingly nice and thoughtful when it matters, if today has proven anything to Inigo.
So he just smiles as he notices the other drifting off to sleep, gently wrapping his arms around the dragon to keep him close and warm.
Eventually he'll even close his own eyes for a moment, just to enjoy a quick nap as well. ]